My Own Striped Skirt!

Tank: Old Navy Skirt: Old Navy Jacket: Levi's Tights: Target Boots: Target Necklace: From parents

Oof, you guys.  The Midwest is getting buckets of snow, sleet, and rain today and tomorrow...so today was a boots kind of day.  I'm not one to really complain about the weather, but I did not want to be back in tights.  Since it's laundry day and I'm out of clean pants, though, I had to force myself to dig out my tights again, and I decided to go big or go home with purple tights.  I actually really like the way this outfit turned out.  I've been loving these striped skirts for years, but never bought one for myself for whatever reason.  I recently was in Old Navy using up my Super Cash, and this skirt was on sale for $12!!  Woo!

I've been much more quiet than usual about commenting on others' blogs lately.  First, it was because I was a writing machine, working on the beginnings of my thesis (first draft for the literature review is due on Friday!!), and then my computer battery died.  I KNOW.  I've been blogging from my work computer (shhh, don't tell), because commenting and reading blogs on my phone sucks.  Thankfully, I've got an appointment with the Apple Genius Bar tomorrow to get it back into tiptop shape, and hopefully I'll be able to engage with you all better!!

Also, I have a super important interview tomorrow, so any good vibes you want to send my direction are much appreciated :)

I hope you all have a great Wednesday!

Obnoxious Cardigan

 

Tank: Target Cardigan: Target Jeans: Old Navy Scarf: Old Navy Shoes: TOMS

Thank you all for you insights about friendships from yesterday's post.  I enjoyed reading all your comments - and knowing I'm not the only one who has struggled with friendships post-marriage is comforting.  I haven't responded to your comments yet - but bear with me - I'll be responding by the end of the week, once my big paper is turned in :)

The next three days are supposed to be rainy/slushy/SNOWY all day.  I really wanted to wear my new scarf, but I also wanted a little bit of color in my outfit...so I went with the most obnoxiously colored item I have!  Also, with all the rain that's coming today, I picked the wrong shoes.  I'll be wearing boots tomorrow!!

Today is a special day in our family - it's Pippin's Gotcha Day, the day we took her home with us!  We celebrate by spoiling her a little bit more than normal, spending lots of time playing and snuggling, and giving her a huge rawhide.  Two years ago today, we picked her up from her foster mom, and she's been making us laugh every day since.  We love our Pippin!

 The picture that made me fall in love.  Look at that face!!

Pippin and me this morning...sorry about her demon eyes and my wonky scarf!

On Friendships

Shirt: Old Navy Blazer: Target Pants: NY&C Scarf: From Mom Flats: Payless

As I mentioned on Friday, I took a student to a conference this weekend in Minneapolis.  It wound up being a fantastic weekend, full of laughing and learning, and I'm so glad I was able to go!  The best part of the whole conference, for me, was running into an old friend who I went to undergraduate college with.  She and I haven't seen each other in almost two years now, even though we only live an hour away from each other.  With things like Facebook and Instagram, it is easy to feel connected even if it's pretty surface level.

Reconnecting with her and spending lots of time with her made me so thoughtful about friendships.  I'm an incredibly loyal friend.  Once I become friends with someone, I stay friends with them, as long as our relationship adds something to my life.  I have had too many "friendships" that I poured my heart and soul into, only to find out they were not strong friendships to begin with.  Because of my poor history of choosing friends who walk all over me and don't care about me, I've been so reflective lately about which relationships I want to continue to foster and invest the time and energy into.  I'm not the kind of person who needs or wants a ton of friends - I'm content with a few super close friends.  However, I'm very introverted and pretty shy, so it's difficult for me to get to that level of closeness with friends.

I think my lifestyle and personality are what make it so hard.  I'm 25 and have been married for 3 years.  I keep hearing people talk about how dumb it is for people to get married young, or how getting married before the age of 25 is like leaving the party before 10:00.  I may be married, but I'm still a highly independent woman (that's one of the things that Kevin and I have really focused on in our relationships - having identities outside of each other), and I don't think people understand that.  I also am not your typical mid-twenties graduate student.  While most of my classmates enjoy going out to bars on weekends, I am not into that scene at all.  Sure, I enjoy a good Crispin cider every so often, but I'm not interested in getting drunk or babysitting drunk friends.

The kinds of friends and relationships I am interested in, however, include people with whom I can experience life.  I want to talk with people about our lives, our struggles, our joys...the things we do for fun, what we think about the world, what we want in our futures...people I can laugh with and cry with and feel comfortable with.  For me, friendships that center around simply going to the movies or frequenting the bars don't have the solid foundation that is so important to me.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this...I just have been mulling over these thoughts for so long and needed a place to put them.  Do any of you have similar struggles with friendships?  For those of you who are married, have your friendships changed since you got married?  Do you have those few friends you can count on for anything?  I want to know! :)

Stripes!!

Shirt: Old Navy Jeans: NY&C Flats: Payless Necklace: Birthday gift from parents

Whoops!  I didn't get a post up yesterday because I had a little minor medical procedure done (I'm fine) and laid on the couch all day, basically in the same outfit as Monday, just with a chambray shirt instead.  No shame.

I went to Old Navy because I had Super Cash to use, plus I saw all their clearance was an additional 30% off.  I got this shirt, 2 skirts, a dress, two tank tops, and a scarf for around $30...and 5 of the 7 things are striped...anyone else have this problem?

I'm heading to a conference this weekend in Minneapolis (WOO!!) with a student I supervise, and I'm really excited.  I presented at this conference as an undergraduate student and I'm so excited to be going back in a supervisory role.  I'll be decked out in school spirit clothes all weekend (the conference is for people involved in college orientation...) so I have nothing too exciting to share on the blog...because you don't want to see me in jeans and a hoodie, right??

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Bare Legs!

Blouse: JCPenney Cardigan: Gap Skirt: Target Flats: Payless

I'm so excited about the warm temperatures today, so I decided to wear a skirt without tights :)  This skirt is one of my new purchases from March.  It has fine navy and cream colored stripes.  I wanted to keep it simple today, so I paired it with a white button up blouse (with a really pretty floral embellishment on the collar) and a navy cardigan.  I'm excited to wear this skirt all spring and summer, and match it with lots of bright colors.

I've been doing a lot of writing lately, as I'm in the beginning phases of writing my thesis for my Master's program.  I've been behind on commenting on blogs, responding to emails, and planning my posts.  My apologies for being a little quiet lately!  I'm hoping that in the next few weeks, I'll be able to make some good progress on my writing and have a little more time to connect with all my readers and favorite bloggers - bear with me :)

Bohemian Vibe

Tee: Target Skirt: Old Navy Jacket: Levi's Belt: The Limited Flats: Payless

Today's outfit was another thrown together ensemble, as the outfit I had planned for today just didn't work for me.  I need to do laundry, so I'm out of work-appropriate pants (you know you've been there before, too...) and since I am more than ready to be done with tights, it seemed like the perfect day for a maxi skirt!  I came out of our bedroom this morning and Kevin said, "Oooh, I like the Bohemian vibe you've got going on today!"  I'll take it.

I can already tell that this denim jacket is going to get tons of wear.  I've worn it three times in the last week, and I have plenty of other outfits planned that include it!  I hope you (and I) don't get sick of it :)

Last Minute Outfit

Shirt: Old Navy Pants: NY&C Boots: Target Necklace: From Mom

So, I'm a huge nerd, and I have a spreadsheet for tracking and planning my outfits (I'll show how I keep track of all this some time, if you're interested).  I usually plan outfits a week or so in advance, which makes getting dressed in the morning a breeze.  I've been so busy lately, however, that I haven't taken the time to plan my outfits for the week, so I wound up trying about 3-4 outfits on before settling on this (as I ran out of time).  It isn't the greatest outfit in the world, but it was comfortable, and I got several compliments at work about it...so I consider it a win. :)  I have had these ponte pants from NY&C for about two years and this is the first time I've ever worn them (I KNOW).  They wound up being super comfy, although they're almost like leggings so I need to make sure I'm wearing longer tops with them :)  I really like the color of them, too; they're like a light chocolate brown.

I hope you all had a great weekend!  The weather is finally starting to turn around in Minnesota, and I'm so excited to be able to wear my new springy purchases without tights!

Budgeting Bloggers: March

It's time to link up with Fran and the other Budgetting Bloggers!  I try not to spend more than $50 each month on clothes each month.  After a low-spending February, I was tempted by all the spring deals and felt the need to get some new springy pieces to freshen up my wardrobe.  Let's review...

• Navy striped skirt: Target - $18 with gift card
• Black floral wedges: Payless - $15
• Navy polka dot skirt: Target - $9 with gift card
• Gray crew-neck sweatshirt: Old Navy - $15
• Levi's denim jacket: Gift from my parents (thanks, Mom and Dad!!)
• White lace shirt: Target - $18 with gift card
• Navy/green striped sweater dress: Old Navy - $9
• White lace dress: Target - $17 with gift card
• Black/white striped dress: Old Navy - $15
• Red wool cordones: TOMS - Gift from my parents

Grand total: $116.

That's way over my $50ish budget per month.  However, the Target items were purchased with gift cards, including the one I won from Kimmie's blog giveaway in January (thanks, Kimmie!!).  If I subtract out the Target items, the total comes to $54, only $4 over my monthly budget.  I can live with that.  I'm so grateful to my parents, too, for generously giving me the denim jacket and new TOMS!

Many of these items fulfilled items from my closet wish list as well, including the skirts, wedges, denim jacket, and lace shirt.  It feels good to finally have some pieces that I've been searching for for a long time!  I'm so excited to create new outfits with these new pieces and dress for spring :)  What items are you most looking forward to seeing on the blog?

Check out the other Budgetting Bloggers and see how they did this month!