Of "Lillys" and Dragonflies

Hey, Blogworld!! Yes. I know. I've been MIA, and I'm sorry. I just haven't been feeling it, you know? I haven't wanted to have my picture taken. I  don't know what's been wrong with me. I just wasn't feeling it.

And I SHOULD be feeling it because Spring and Summer are my seasons! I LIVE for warm (HOT) weather. I also get a little Spring Fever and just want to play hooky from everything!  But, I'm back! I promise to try to post more. It won't be everyday, but I'll try at least a couple of times a week.

So, yesterday, Lise posted a picture of me in a cute, floral Coldwater Creek skirt that I scored at PS Too for $6. It still had the tags on it, people!  Viktoria, from Viktoria with a K,  said I looked "Lilly" inspired. Well, today I decided to actually wear some Lilly. Lilly Pulitzer, of course. I don't know if Lilly is big where you are, but it definitely is, in the South.  This skirt is another SCORE. I found this skirt, again, WITH TAGS, in a thrift store in Commerce, GA.  The tag said $119. I paid $8!! HOLY BARGAIN BATMAN!   AFTER I paid, I asked the girl if she knew what she had. (There were 2 more on the rack.) She said, No. It's just a skirt. I was like, Sweetie. It's a Lilly. You may not know what it is but those sorority girls at UGA do. Mark them up to $25 and put them on Craigslist during Rush Week! LOL

It's a reversible wrap skirt! I'll wear the other side another day.

Isn't that watch cute?! Leah found it when we went to Charming Charlie on Tuesday. I was going to be GOOD and just look, but she knows my weakness. And it is palm trees. A watch with palm trees AND a sparkly turtle?! Yes, please!

A few weeks ago, Lise brought me back the cutest dragonfly earrings from Dollywood. (In the picture above) They are like stained glass. I seriously don't know how I ever lived without these earrings. If I can't figure out what earrings are going to match, I know the dragonflies will! I think I've worn them 3 or 4 days a week since she gave them to me!!

There seems to be one other item I can't seem to live without lately. And that's my nude, thong sandals. Yes. I'm calling them thong sandals and NOT flip flops! They seem to go with EVERYTHING. And they were another score. Goodwill. $5. I don't think they'd ever been worn. The bottoms didn't look like they'd ever touched the ground. And I beat Lise to them! HA!

Got any article of clothing or piece of jewelry that you can't seem to live without?

Hooray For Dollywood!

Oh Yeah! Bring it on.  I love the Scrambler!  It's been my favorite ride since I was old enough to ride it and I can NOT pass it up! LOL

But here is a real secret....don't tell anyone or anything.  I love to "get" people.  I love the "Gotcha" moment.  And people try to get me, but it usually doesn't work out.....until....Dollywood and the Bird Show.

I am picked out of the audience and then somehow end up dancing or something and THEN he gets me to lay down on the stage...really.  And I do.  Do you know what is all over the stage? (hint: It's a bird show).

I try to get up and he tells me that I have to lay there and pretend to be a dead carcass for the Vulture.

W H A T???

I do what I am told and lay back down...on the stage...ewwww.

Then he sets this whole thing up and asks me why I am laying down on the dirty stage.

"Because you told me too"  I say

"Well, you should get up because you look silly down there"

GOTCHA-Lise!  (My kids think this is the best!)

You want me to WHAT?

I have no idea why I am dancing

Annnnndddd....I'm laying down...on the stage

Still there

Gotcha!  And guess what comes next?

I get to "catch" the Vulture!  He is beautiful!!!

  

Did I mention that it was like 38 degrees the whole day? (this explains my boring but slightly warm outfit)

So what is left?

The BEST hot chocolate with whip cream ever!  At Paula Deens in
Cherokee, NC  I love it!

What?  I don't play the games at the Arcade with the kids....lol

Hey, that great scarf is from "Charming Charlies"
And that great cashmere sweater is from GAP (I got it at Goodwill and it still had the tags on)

I am reading "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"- loving it so far!

These Boots Are Made For Walking

  Actually, these boots are NOT made for walking.  More like lounging around and looking good on my feet! LOL

And today I had a really hard time getting the picture taken since I had been gone most of the day and Baron Von Hershey would not leave my side.  No problem.  We can work around a 70 lb. poodle.

Or not.

I am not big on blue, but lately it has been my "go to" color.  And with spring TRYING to show itself, I wanted to look a bit springy but still keep warm in the very cool of the morning!  Voila!  Cardi's and scarves and tights! 

Oh my!



I love this scarf from CHARMING CHARLIES (it matches my tights I got there!)
Cardigan: ATL
Skirt: White House/Black Market-thrifted!
Boots: Anne Klein


 This past weekend I took my kids to the movie "Rango".  I don't recommend it.  But the kids seemed to love it so...OK.  And for some reason deep in my subconscious I wore clothes appropriate for this reptilian type of western!  This vest is just like the one Joy bought (only hers is black)!  Seriously I sometimes wonder if our brains are connected somehow. LOL

  

  

 Boots: BORN

Jeans: BR

Shirt: Target

Purse: Christmas gift from Grant (It's a Coach)

Kaja loved these turquoise earrings so here is the closeup

Thanks again to Kaja for being my photographer!!!  I hope you are all doing well and have great plans for this upcoming weekend!

New Job, New Bracelet, New Post!!

First off all, THANK YOU, BRETT aka Silvergirl, for the awesome bracelet!! In case you are just joining us, I entered a giveaway at Brett's site and won a beautiful bracelet!! See?

AND it just happened to match what I wore today on the first day of my new job!! The bracelet had all the colors that I had planned to wear today.

 Cardigan: JCrew, Goodwill

Striped Shirt: JCrew, JCrew outlet

Scarf: Charming Charlie

Pants: Liz Claiborne, Liz outlet

So today was the first day at the new job. It was good. I'm in information overload, but in a good way. I really like everyone there. And I can do this. I just have to learn a new way of doing things and a new computer system. I mean, it's still insurance, right? It's not like the terms and their definitions have changed.

I'll be posting at night, now, though. I'm going to be pretty busy learning the new ropes so I may get behind on posting and reading and replying. But I'll still be thinking about you guys!!

There's only one downside to this job. Lise isn't there. :(

Best.Birthday.EVER!

We had the absolute best time yesterday! I can't tell you how much fun it was. We felt like kids skipping school. No work, no kids, no husbands and no time limit!! WOOHOO!!!

We dropped everyone off and headed to the Mall of Georgia. Our first stop was Charming Charlie. It was the first time Lise had been in there and like everyone does, when she walked in the door, she gasped. It's just a wonderland of accessories in there. I've got some pictures from in there. My eyes are closed in one but ignore it and just look at the store behind me. And the ladies in there, especially Crystal, couldn't have been nicer. They were so welcoming and helpful. They were, by far, the best store team we encountered all day.

Immediately upon entering the door, I found a scarf and it matched the sweater and earrings I had on perfectly. So, of course, I wore it out of the store!  That sweater I'm wearing is a Talbot's that I got at Goodwill for $4!

Lise found some oh, so cute rain boots on sale. And she got a ton of jewelry off the 75% off rack.

We hit up H&M, F21, Coach, and many other stores. And unfortunately, we just weren't feeling any of them. No one really had any good sales on or just didn't have anything. I guess we're between seasons and sales or something? Or it could be that thrifting has absolutely ruined us for regular mall shopping.

The other place we had a great time was Sephora. That is like the mothership for makeup, isn't it? The ladies there were most helpful, too. We got some really good advice from them. And samples, too!

I've been looking for a computer bag to take to my new job. I looked at Coach, but as much as I love Coach, I just can't spend $200 on a computer bag-even if I had the money to do it. We looked at Fossil and their's just weren't big enough. As we were going to Banana Republic (oh, we were back at the Commerce outlets at this point) I saw the Wilson's next door. I'd completely forgotten about it! Well, we went in there and found exactly what I was looking for. I got a beautiful red leather laptop case and it was only $70! I think I did pretty good. Isn't it pretty?

Today is my last Friday at State Farm. So I wore my State Farm sweatshirt one more time. I jazzed it up a little bit with the leopard scarf I got at H&M yesterday for $3 and my leopard shoes from Target.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and emails yesterday! I truly appreciate it!!

You Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog...

Or a HOUNDSTOOTH dog!  HA! See what I did there? I crack myself up.

 Before we get into what I'm wearing, let's take a minute to remember Pearl Harbor. It was bombed 69 years ago today. My daddy was exactly 6 months old that day. Isn't that kinda weird? It is most definitely a day that will live in infamy. I've never been to Pearl Harbor, but I have always wanted to go and pay my respects to all the brave men that lost their lives that day.

Ok, on to more mundane things like my outfit! I love this jacket and turtleneck from Coldwater Creek, but today I'm feeling like it makes me look matronly. You can't tell in the pictures but there are squares in the coat that are the exact color of my pants, but they look gray in the pictures. :/ Maybe I should have gone all black underneath. What do you think? I've also worn it with a purple top and black pants. And a red top and black pants. It got a lot of wear last year. The pants are Liz Claiborne and the boots are from Walmart, actually.  The cameo ring is from Charming Charlies and the bracelet and necklace are from Charlotte Russe.

So, Lise is sick with strep throat and hasn't been here in 2 days. Let's all send prayers and good wishes and vibes to her for a speedy recovery and a return to work!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Brrrrr..... The South seems to be having a serious cold front. My Southern blood is too thin for this. Give me 90 degrees any day over this crap! And it's WINDY on top of it. Almost blew me away when Lise was taking my pictures. See?

My outfit is kinda blah. My accessories are more interesting, but they didn't photograph well. My jacket is a $3 yard sale find from Chadwycks. Cords are St John's Bay from JCPenney. Shirt is from PS Too.  That  cute bracelet came from Charming Charlies, which is new to this area. That may be the greatest accessories store I've ever been in. I could spend all day and lots of money in there. Oh, in the top picture, you can see 2 little flower pins. Lise thought they were vintage. Not so much. They are from Michael's. I may have given $3 for them!

What did you do this weekend? We finished our Christmas shopping. Ben even took me to lunch at Rafferty's. I'm so happy to be done! Ben also did ALL the wrapping. I am a terrible wrapper.This is what I wore shopping with my honey. It's just a simple purple t shirt from Kohl's, purple and gray scarf from...I have no idea and black St.John's Bay cords from JCPenney. I ended up adding a black vest to it because it was so cold. Have I mentioned how much I hate the cold? We had to go to the funeral home that night and I changed to gray pants and heels and a black jacket.

I'm going to go put on sweats and curl up next to a heater and read! I may have to do a book post this week. Hmmm......