An Ode to Sweater Dresses...

Dress: Target Fleece-lined leggings: Target Boots: Target Necklace: From Mom

I wore this sweater dress when celebrating my brother's birthday a couple of weeks ago.  It is so simple but comfortable, and I'm kind of in love with this shade of brown (especially paired with black!).  Also, I could seriously live in sweater dresses (or dresses in general, if I'm being really honest) for weeks and not really even miss pants.  Well, I might miss my black pants a little bit...but you get the idea.

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Baby Steps!

Tank: Old Navy Cardigan: TJ Maxx Pants: NY&C Flats: Payless Heart necklace: Was my grandma's Chain necklace: From Mom

YOU GUYS.  I did it - I took a picture outside.  The quality is terrible (boooo, old camera) and it took a little bit of tweaking to get my whole body in the shot, but I did it!  I was so paranoid the whole time that someone would walk by...does the paranoia ever go away?!

Also, this is my 50th post on The Original Brynn!  I absolutely love blogging so far.  I've been into personal style for years now, but documenting it on the blog is so much fun.  It's been great getting to know other bloggers and readers through this journey as well, and I'm so excited to see where this takes me!

Five Things + Neglected Shoes

Sweater: Target Jeans: NY&C Shoes: Born via DSW Scarf: From Mom

Kimmie from Blue Paper Lanterns tagged me in her "5 Things" post...so here I am sharing five random things about me :)

1. I cannot even deal with condiments.  Mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise are the WORST.  I don't even like to touch the bottles.  The only ones I can tolerate are Caesar dressing and sometimes barbecue sauce.

2. I've broken two bones in my life, and they were both really stupid stories.  In 8th grade, we were playing Red Rover in gym class, and I fell and broke my collarbone (so athletic...).  A little over a year ago, I was playing with Pippin, our dog, on our bed, and I tried to jump off the bed but got tangled in the blankets, fell off, and landed on my wrist.  I broke it pretty bad and needed surgery.  SO EMBARRASSING.

3. The nerdiest thing about me is that I have always been, and continue to be completely obsessed with names.  I always think about what I want to name my children, and I'm super curious about what names other people like, too.  I'm always so interested to hear why people have the names they do, and I love knowing people's middle names.  It's really dumb, but I'm not ashamed.

4. I want to be a mom more than anything, but I'm so afraid it will never happen for me.  Kevin and I are planning to adopt our children, but I fear we'll never be able to afford it.

5. I love music!! I have taught myself flute/piccolo, clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, Irish whistle, fife, and a little guitar, and I took piano lessons for about 10 years.  I also love to sing.  My favorite things to sing are show tunes (I'm a musical theater guru), and my favorite shows are Spring Awakening, Lion King, and Rent, but I love so many more.

There you go!  Five facts about Brynn that you probably didn't know.

A note about today's outfit: I haven't worn these shoes much since I got them because they're a smidgen too small, and I'm never quite sure how to wear them.  Today I decided to go without socks, and they felt much less squishy in the toes, so that was a pleasant surprise!!

Linking up with Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy, and A Journey in Style.

Baby Fix

Blazer: Thrifted Calvin Klein Sweater: Old Navy Pants: NY&C Flats: Payless

Something you should know about me: I love babies and kids.  My mom did daycare in our house when I grew up, so I have been caring for youngsters since I was really little.  When I went to college, my mom stopped daycare, but started daycare with a new little guy in the fall.  I finally got to meet him today, and it was awesome to get some baby snuggles!  There is nothing quite as wonderful as playing with a wickedly adorable 8-month-old baby, am I right?

I wore this sweater today as my neglected item.  I love the color of it and the price was right ($7!), but the neckline is quite wide and it is a little too "scoopy" in the back.  I haven't gotten lots of wear out of it because of the awkward neckline, but decided to throw on my blazer to make it look and feel less uncomfortable.  This outfit is super simple, but sometimes you just need something simple once in a while.

Just Visiting

Dress: Old Navy Leggings: Victoria's Secret Necklace: From Mom

Look!  A new setting for pictures!  I'm standing in the middle of my mom and dad's living room/dining room here.  I'm back at home for a few days observing groups of students for grad school at my lovely alma mater.  Rather than skip out on outfit pictures for a couple of days, I thought I'd just snap some at their house.  I wore my beloved black boots with this outfit when I was out and about, but opted not to wear them in my pictures.

I had seen this dress at Old Navy several months ago, but didn't want to pay full price for it.  I stopped into Old Navy the other day (heyyy tax return!) and saw it on the clearance rack for a budget-friendly $15, and snatched it up.  I remember Fran styling it with a red cardigan and brown accessories back in January, and loved the look, but I decided to keep it simple for my first wearing.  I'm a huge fan of black and white stripes (apparently, because this is my third black/white striped dress), and have great plans to get plenty of wear out of this dress all year long (story of my closet's life).

Linking up with My Greatest Hits.

Perfect Pants

Tank: Old Navy Cardigan: Target Pants: NY&C Scarf: Gift Flats: Payless

I've had the last two days off of work, so I've taken my pictures right around 10:00 am, and I am LOVING the lighting!  So much better than when I take my pictures at 7:00 am, like I normally do.  I'm hoping that as the days get longer, I'll get this great lighting earlier in the day :)

Today and tomorrow, I'm helping interview candidates for next year's class of the graduate program I'm in.  I am super excited to meet all the prospective candidates, and I'll get to spend lots of time with some of my grad school friends who are also helping out.

I am totally in love with these black skinny jeans from New York & Company.  They are, without a doubt, my favorite article of clothing.  I can't believe I went this long without owning a pair!  I have to remind myself that I can't wear them every day.  When I go shopping, every top I find, I ask myself, "Can I wear this with my black pants?"  Plus, they're incredibly comfortable and they hold their shape well, so I can get multiple wears in before washing them.  On top of that, they fit me perfectly, which is usually such a struggle.  I'm thicker in the waist but have thin legs (comparatively) and not very wide hips.  Usually, pants that fit in the hips and legs are way too tight in the waist, and pants that fit in the waist are baggy and frumpy in the hips and legs.  These pants, however, are PERFECT.  They also have a little bit of a higher rise, which I really like as well.  They don't make me look like a snowman, which is much appreciated.

What's the piece of clothing that you can't stop wearing?

Casual Pearls

Cardigan: Target Jeans: NY&C Shoes: TOMS Necklace: F21

Today's neglected pieces from Kate's No Longer Neglected challenge are my cardigan and my necklace.  I've had this cardigan for years, and I really like it.  However, I find it hard to style.  It's navy with white stripes, and so far the only things I've ever paired it with are gray and white...exactly what I did today...

The necklace was a Forever 21 purchase I made about a year and a half ago.  I really like the dark gray color of the pearls.  The reason this necklace gets neglected so often is because I feel like it's super dressy.  I tried it with today's casual outfit, but I don't really know if it works or not.

Tell me, friends, how would you style today's cardigan and necklace?  I'm looking forward to trying out your suggestions!!

Linking up with Mix and Match Fashion today.