Denim + Denim

shirt: thrifted, jeans: Gap, scarf: Old Navy, boots: Target

I'm not going to lie, this is a re-created look. I changed out of my sweatpants and cute Cleveland Browns tee this afternoon just to take this picture, then changed right back into them and headed for the couch again. I wore this outfit last weekend when we headed back to my parents house for Christmas. I had been wanting to try the denim on denim look for awhile, but was a little nervous about it. Apparently the last minute rush to get everything done and packed up was just what I needed to ignore those nerves!

Holiday Hangover

tee: thrifted, sweater: Old Navy, jeans: Target, boots: Payless, necklace: gift

I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays! I know I've been a little quiet, but the stress of the week before Christmas left me with little time or energy to post, and the past few days have mostly been spent in sweatpants and hoodies, and I doubt any of you want to witness that. :)

I wore this outfit the day after my sick day (but with my huge flannel scarf), but I looked way too awful to share those pictures last week. When I don't feel well I refuse to do my hair or put on any make up. This outfit was a feel good outfit for me, with the long tee and sweater feeling cozy, while the skinny jeans and booties had me feeling like some style was added to the look. Thankfully my cold is gone, but I'm feeling gross from indulging on all my favorite foods and holiday treats. When a group of us got together for dinner on Thursday night, I knew this outfit would make me feel better!

Inspiring Me

Great quote, but sorry it's not such a great picture. Today's theme for Inspiration Monday over at Two Birds is what's inspiring us. The holidays always cause me to get a sentimental and to think of family even more than I usually do, and a trip to see my great Aunt last night kicked that into high gear. My Aunt Katie is my mom's aunt. My mom never had a great relationship with either of her parents, and and I would say it's pretty safe to say that my mom spent as much time as possibly with Aunt Katie when she was growing up. My Aunt Katie was never able to have her own children, but what she did have was an incredible husband for 63 years (can you imagine?!).

My Aunt Katie is inspirational enough on her own: her neighbors love her and look out for her like she's one of their own, she's hilarious, you're always guarenteed to have fun when you're around her, and she's incredibly generous and kind. But what really has me inspired is the relationship she had with her husband Bob. This Friday will be 2 years since he passed away, so last night (and any visit really) had some reminiscing. She talked about the love letters he used to write her when  he wasn't with her and he missed her, about how they were able to always talk things out with each, and about the incredible patience amount of patience he had.

That patience he had was pretty apparent when you read his favorite quote listed above. My aunt had the quote written in his obituary, and after reading it, I wrote it on a sticky note and taped it to my computer monitor at work. (the picture above is the sticky note!) My previous job certainly had its' rewards, but I was in grad school for Academic Advising at the time and was anxious to be done and in a new job. At that point I had 2 more semesters of school left, and it ended up taking me a year after that to finally find the new job I had been wanting. That whole time, that quote stayed taped to my computer at work. 

There's a lot you can take away from that quote, but for me it means stay focused, work hard, and you'll achieve your goals. No matter how much you may think you deserve it, don't expect instant gratification. It may take you way longer than you want it to, but it'll be worth it in the end. I would've loved to hear him give his perspective of the meaning of that quote, but you know what, I think he'd be pretty happy with my version too...

The Countdown

vest, shoes, jeans: Target, shirt: thrifted, 

This is the longest week ever. We're lucky enough that during our winter break, the entire university closes, so I am one day away from 11 glorious days off work. I love my job, but let's be real, that's awesome! 

This outfit is from the weekend, when we went to a holiday party with some of my old co-workers. I tried taking outfit pictures from today, but I'm fighting off a cold and I'm exhausted, so the pictures were much to scary to share. :) 

Silence

Remembering the victims and thinking of the families of all children involved...

Sunday Social

Sunday Social time again! 

1. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
My favorite ladies, being ridiculous on my wedding day. The picture always makes me smile!

how could you not love them?! :)

2. What do you keep beside your bed?
Too much stuff, but my phone charger, a lamp, a book, probably a lot of random things too.

3. What is your least favorite chore?
Cleaning the bathrooms, and it's a chore my husband will never do, but I can't complain because he's the one who completes the majority of the chores, the majority of the time. Seriously, my husband teases me because I don't even know where we keep the vacuum. (It has to be in the hall closet though, right?!)

4. If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be?
Actually getting ready for work. How amazing would it be if you could just snap your fingers and your hair and makeup was done, just like that?!

5. What do you do to vent anger?
I'm glad that I truly don't get angry very often. When I'm frustrated though, I'll usually call my mom or best friend, then a trip to Target usually happens. I don't go and spend too much money, but that time to myself to shop is better than therapy to me!

6. What is your favorite holiday of the year and why?
Thanksgiving for sure. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but that one is stressful! Thanksgiving you get to just go home and eat a bunch of great food and spend time with family without the time and money spent on finding gifts for everyone.

A Little Insecure

how I wanted to wear the outfit all day...

sweater: thrifted, skirt: hand me down from best friend, tights: Walmart, shoes: Payless, necklace: Claire's

how I actually wore the outfit all day...

and with a jacket from Forever 21

Confession time. The first two pictures are the outfit I wanted to show off all day, but it didn't happen. I forgot about my red jacket until right before I headed out the door, and added the black cardigan because let's face it, 3/4 sleeve winter jackets just aren't practical. I ended up not taking it off all day for a two reasons. First, I spent the whole day being cold. Second, I felt a little intimidated by the sparkly sweater. Like maybe I had overdone it. Overall, I like the look and hope that the next time I can have a little bit more confidence with it!

Excited

shirt: Forever 21, sweater: Old Navy, skirt and shoes: Target, tights: Walmart

Tomorrow is our work holiday party. We all have a nice lunch at this historic building in downtown Columbus that I'm looking forward to going to for the first time. They even shuttle us from campus to the event. We have to dress up, no casual Friday attire allowed. It'll be strange to have to dress up on a Friday, but I'm truthfully a little excited! I have a thrifted sparkly sweater that I think will finally making its debut after sitting in my closet for the past year...

Lesson Learned

shirt: Ambiance (in SF), vest: thrifted, pants: New York & Co., shoes: Target

Inspiration: Jessica Timberlake

I got all excited when I saw the picture for this week's Inspiration Monday because I thrifted a jacket a little while ago that's really similar to the one in the picture. I tried it on Sunday night, and it's a little snug. My size didn't change, it fit that way when I bought it, but I thought it would work. Do you ever find yourself in that trap when you're at the thrift store, being so excited about such a great deal that you're willing to overlook things like fit and how well it truly fits into your wardrobe? I do, but I'm getting better at telling myself no. It's a good lesson to learn! 

My Reward

shirt: Old Navy, skirt and tights: Walmart, shoes: Payless, scarf: thrifted

There’s plenty of things I could/should be working on right now, but instead I want to talk about my outfit. This skirt was my reward last night. My reward for suffering through the usually miserable experience of braving the Walmart near our house. Lots of people, long lines, I just can’t stand it really. I was looking for something specific, which I didn’t find, but as usual I found plenty of other things to bring home with me. I’m determined to be crafty this year for Christmas and picked up supplies for an idea I have, then when I sped through the clothing section, I found this fun skirt for only $14.44. I totally earned it, right?

Unedited

tank: Target, sweater: Old Navy, skirt: The Limited, tights: Walmart, shoes: Kohl's

My outfit let me feel pretty pulled together today, which is good, because that made my lack of make up feel acceptable. I could use an excuse like that I was going for a natural look, or maybe that I was giving my skin a break, but you probably know that's not true. Let's be real, I was just far too lazy to get myself out of bed in time this morning!

Linking up...

Sunday Social

Sunday Social! Just because I think it's fun. :)

1. What is your favorite holiday season tradition? 
My family has gone to the same Christmas tree farm every year. You get to walk around, pick out your tree, then cut it down yourself and take it home. I'm 28 years old and this is the first year I've ever missed it. (My parents, brother, and his girlfriend went yesterday, but we didn't make the 2 hour drive since we were just there last weekend) I may be just a little devastated and may have made my dad send me the pictures already...

brother, momma, me, oscar - with my parents tree from 2010

2. Do you have a certain holiday movie you watch more than others? If so what is it? 
I'm not a huge fan of watching movies I've already seen, but I have to say Christmas Vacation because my husband loves it. Also, he insists on watching Die Hard with his dad each year because it takes place on Christmas Day, so can I say that one too? :)

3. Show us your favorite decoration or pinterest decoration you wish you could have. 
Recently I've been in love with wreaths, so this one caught my eye, even though I have a homemade one from a close friend that I already love!

via Pinterest

4. What is your favorite holiday song? 
I promise I'm not a Scrooge, I just really don't like Christmas music. I don't need it to get into the Christmas spirit, so i can do without.

5. What is your favorite holiday dessert? 
It's strange...my family doesn't usually have desserts around, unless my brothers girlfriend makes it. My husbands grandma makes some damn good sugar cookies though so those are probably my favorite...especially when we get to decorate them with my niece and nephew!

6. What is on your wish list this year? 
Clothes and jewelry always are, although I usually don't have anything specific picked out. (I think that drives my mother and mother-in-law crazy!) This year though I asked my mother-in-law for a sewing machine, as long as its not too expensive!

Copycat #2?

shirt: thrifted, jeans: Old Navy, heels: Kohl's

via Pinterest

I apparently had to keep the copycat thing going. I had been wanting a pair of dark wash straight leg jeans with no detail on the back pockets, and found this pair from Old Navy for only $10 last weekend (that was the extent of my Thanksgiving weekend shopping experience!). I wore this outfit to work yesterday. It's already possibly the most professional I've looked on a casual Friday, so even though I have a gray blazer, it was a little over the top for how casual our office is. Don't let this look fool you though...I'm currently curled up on the couch in yoga pants, and I don't have high hopes for my outfit choices tomorrow either. Chances are pretty high I'll be found in my cutest Browns tee...it is football Sunday after all!

Just Call Me Marilyn

shirt and shoes: Target, scarf: H&M, skirt and belt: thrifted, tights: hmm...can't remember

via Pinterest

It’s time for Copycats again! I love the Pinterest app on my iPhone so much that I’ve been pinning a lot lately, so of course that’s where I found the inspiration for this look. I love this skirt, but finding it at a local thrift store for only $.99 might have something to do with that! While walking to get lunch, some wind almost put me in a Marilyn Monroe inspired situation. If you’re worried about the effect that may have had on my ego, have no fear, not even 10 minutes later I tripped going up the stairs of the building I work in. Nothing like nearly flashing the general public twice in one day!

Bring on the Weekend

sweater: Forever 21, shirt/pants/shoes: Target, necklace: Charming Charlie

The only thing I can think to say about my outfit is that I really liked the sea foam colored necklace against the burgundy colors of my shirt and sweater. That's it, that's all I've got. That must mean that I'm really ready for the weekend to start, right?! 

Back At It

tee and cardigan: Old Navy, scarf and boots: Target, pants: New York & Co.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving weekend! We were lucky enough to see both families for the holiday, which meant we consumed far too much food. Totally worth it! I'm not big on black Friday shopping because of the crowds and just not being ready to focus on Christmas shopping yet, but we did venture out later in the morning to get a good deal on a chest freezer. Exciting stuff, right? Hopefully you shopped for things that were a little more fun than that!

Linking up...

Tweed

tee, necklace, and jeans: Target, blazer: thrifted, shoes: Payless

I've been wanting to find a tweed blazer for awhile, so I almost started cheering when I found this one at my favorite local Goodwill. I'm taking full advantage of being able to wear jeans to work this week, but I love that this blazer made me feel a little more pulled together! 

Linking up...

Inspiration Monday

top: Family Dollar, cardigan/boots/jeans: Target, necklace: Flea Market

Inspiration photo - Jenna Dewan-Tatum

Although I could really use it, I’m skipping 5 for Five this week (sorry Jenn!). :( What I realized is that it’s a fantastic way to encourage myself to put some serious thought into some manageable goals, but I have been miserable at sticking to them! I’m thinking that maybe finding a place to display them on my desk at work would help serve as a reminder throughout the week of what I’d like to accomplish. Does anyone else have any great ideas to share that will help prevent me from setting goals, then pushing them to the side? 

Onto a far less serious topic, let’s talk about my outfit. A United Way fundraiser allowed me to pay $5 to wear jeans to work this week, so I’m happy that I was able to use my version of Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s outfit today. (Go to Two Birds to check out everyone else’s look.) I actually found this tunic at Family Dollar when I went shopping for cleaning supplies. I’ll tell you what, I’ll look anywhere I see clothing to see if I can find a good deal! I initially picked it up because of the length – I figured it would be perfect for lazy weekends spent in leggings, but I think it actually worked for work today. It’s certainly not one of my most professional looks, but I added the beaded necklace to make it just a little bit dressier.  

EBEW: Boots

dress and tights: Target, boots: Clothes Mentor, necklace: flea market

When I saw that the Everybody, Everywear theme this month is boots, I thought this outfit from my guest post over at Callie's blog deserved it's own post. I have a weakness for sweater dresses. They're cozy and a great alternative to plain black dress pants. I couldn't resist this one because I felt the strategic contrast between the black and gray made me feel about 10 pounds lighter, and who doesn't love that?!  

Late Again

shirt: thrifted, jeans: Shoppers World, shoes: Target
I just had to include the outfit I wore to the OSU basketball game mentioned in this post.  Showing my school spirit without wearing my favorite hoodie!

I'm late to Jenn's link up party again, oops! I felt awful over the weekend, then I spent last night trying to learn how to order half a hog. Yes, that's right, a hog. My brother raised them, now my parents and I are splitting one. Something tells me this will be a strange adventure!

1. Create a new work out plan. That whole running a marathon thing only excuses inactivity for so long, and I'm about at that mark! Work is crazy this week, so I won't be too hard on myself, something needs to happen this weekend. Yeah, and then Thursday night's dinner was queso dip and a chicken caesar salad, which made me so sick that I didn't even feel hungry until Monday morning...ugh. 

2. Organize my closet, which will first require that I actually put clothes away. I actually did this! First I finally switched out my spring/summer shoes for fall/winter shoes. Since that made me able to actually step into my closet, organizing it was that much easier. :)

3. Get out of the office during lunch at least 3 times this week. I still want to pack my lunch, but I think walking away from my desk for my lunch hour is incredibly refreshing. You guys, I don't think I even took a lunch break last week. I ate lunch, but it was at my desk and probably in about 15 minutes while working on something work related. Totally unacceptable.

4. Take my turn making dinner at least 3 times this week. I'm kind of cheating because I already made dinner tonight before writing this post, but I'm still going with it! I think I managed this one, even if I had to rely on the crockpot!

5. This one will never go away...stick to my weekly budget. This one will take some effort because yesterday was the first day of this week's budget, and I spent it taking my husband's cousin shopping.  I still did it - woohoo! :)

Clearly I need to step up my game and take these a little more seriously! Here's what I plan to tackle this week:

1. Pay it forward. My husband and I wanted to go to the Ohio State basketball game on Sunday, so we decided to head down to campus and see how good of a deal we could get on some tickets. After talking to a few people and deciding not to buy what they had (my husband is a serious negotiator with ticket scalpers!), we were talking about just going in to buy from the ticket office, when we saw a guy walking towards the entrance with a teenager, holding up 2 tickets. We caught his attention, and when we asked how much he wanted for them, he handed them to us, said they're free, only cost is that you have to sit next to my nephew and I. We were a little dumbfounded and he took off into the arena before we got much more than a "are you sure?" in. Once we were in the game, I thanked him again, he told us that he has tickets with his family, and that he had the extra tickets because his cousin passed away. He didn't want money for them, just wanted someone to be able to use the tickets. So I decided I'm going to pay it forward. I'm not sure how yet, but I'm going to do it for someone not because I think they need it, but because it's a nice thing to do.

2. Apparently just taking a lunch break 3 times a week needs to be on the list. Even if stepping away from my desk doesn't happen, I need to log out of my email and clear my mind while I eat!

3. No more than an hour and a half on my computer each night after work. I'm back to this one so I make sure I'm spending quality time with my husband, not just time.

4. Create a workout plan. No more excuses.

5. Stick to the budget. Blah. This may get a little easier to stay motivated for since I just got an invite to my best friends' wedding in Jamaica next year!!

Inspiration

the inspiration photo

tee: thrifted, sweater: Old Navy, leggings and boots: Target, scarf: gift

I'm combining 5 for Five and Inspiration Monday today because I love them both. :) My version of LC's outfit was perfect for heading to our favorite bar last week to celebrate the release of my husbands' favorite beer, Great Lakes Christmas Ale. I'm not going to lie, I would normally wear yoga pants, a cute hoodie, and running shoes to that type of evening out. This outfit was much cuter, and still left plenty of breathing room for my beer and pizza!

Now for the goals. I was bad and didn't participate last week, so I'll evaluate my goals from the week before, then add mine for this week!

1. Be a responsible home owner and do some dang landscaping. Oops. This didn't happen, but last week I did manage to frantically pull a few weeds out of the bushes for fear of judgement of the parents of our trick-or-treaters! :)

2. Do my hair the rest of the work week. That was a success the week that I set that goal! 

3. Maintain my weekly budget. I had to transfer some amounts between categories, but I did it! (for example, when I didn't use all my money marked for "fun", I switched it over to "shopping" to make up for my overspending in that category) I've decided I'm happy as long as I don't spend over my overall dollar amount budgeted.

4. Find and try at least one new recipe. Nope. Didn't happen. :(

5. Drink at least 60 ounces of water at work each day. I did  a really bad job of keeping track of this one, but still think I managed to come close. I at least still kept my soda limited!

And now for this week's goals...
1. Create a new work out plan. That whole running a marathon thing only excuses inactivity for so long, and I'm about at that mark! Work is crazy this week, so I won't be too hard on myself, something needs to happen this weekend.

2. Organize my closet, which will first require that I actually put clothes away. 

3. Get out of the office during lunch at least 3 times this week. I still want to pack my lunch, but I think walking away from my desk for my lunch hour is incredibly refreshing. 

4. Take my turn making dinner at least 3 times this week. I'm kind of cheating because I already made dinner tonight before writing this post, but I'm still going with it!

5. This one will never go away...stick to my weekly budget. This one will take some effort because yesterday was the first day of this week's budget, and I spent it taking my husband's cousin shopping. 

And that's it! For inspiration of all kinds, check out the hosts of these lovely link-ups...

Over Here!

I'm guest posting today over at one of my favorite blogs, Coffee and Cardigans...check it out!

Sunday Social

That's what you get when you ask my husband to take a picture. The funny faces are just our response to him being such a pain. :) Linking up again for Sunday Social!

What is currently on your wish list?

A sewing machine! I've wanted one for awhile now, but have officially decided that I'll be asking for one for Christmas

Share a new iPhone, droid, iPad app you have recently discovered that we all need.

Easy Envelope Budget Aid. Not really a fun app, but it's helped keep me accountable lately.

What is a new Fall TV show you have added to your DVR?

Revolution - the one where the whole world loses power. It's kind of strange, but it's kept us entertained enough that we keep watching every week.

Share your Social Media links:

Pinterest, instagram is rupie514. I think instagram is my favorite for no reason other than that I like to share pictures. I have to admit that my Facebook account is in no way connected to my blog...my friends don't even know this little blog of mine exists. :)

What is a TV series or movie or song you could listen to or watch over and over and over and never get tired of?

I don't really repeatedly watch movies unless it's Cars or something princesses, and then that's because my niece or nephew has gotten their way. :) I could watch How I Met Your Mother on repeat though. There's been so many episodes that I feel like we can relate to! Has anybody seen the episode about Punchy's wedding? My husband would've loved to decorate with a Cleveland Browns like they did and that episode is from the year we got married...I'm so glad he never got his way!