Favorite Friday v.3

Holy cow, this week sure went by fast.  I hope you've all having a great Friday!

This week's favorite is from Anthropologie.  I don't shop there much, but this cardigan has me wanting to make a bee line for the nearest store.  I love the bright bold red and the fuzzy texture.

Fuzzy sweaters seem to be making a comeback.  I loved them in the 90's so this is one trend I'll definitely be welcoming back.  What do you guys think?  Can you see yourself wearing a fuzzy sweater this winter?  

***Edit***
This cardigan runs really big.  Be sure to order one size down.  

Too Good Not To Share

Because some finds are just too good not to share!  So I saw these Phillip Lim Plume Booties and my head started bobbing up and down.  Yes, yes, yes!!!  Of course I didn't realize they were Phillip Lim because I'm a crazy mad shopper and look at the brand and prices tag last.  Fatal error unless your a millionaire :).  Whomp, whomp, whomp, at $550 unless these come c/o (hahaha) these gems aren't for me

 Fast forward a few days and then I see these Jeffery Campbell Asper Booties and for less than half the price of the Phillip Lim pair.  Now, they're obviously not an exact dupe, these are a bit chunkier and edgier, which I happen to prefer.  I'm loving them, and I definitely think they'd give me the look of the Phillip Lim pair.

What do you guys think?  Do you love em, or hate em? 

Comfy Cozy

 This is one of those sweaters I can see myself living in.  You know, worn until it's worn out.  I can't help but wrap myself up in it.

 Sweater: Hinge | Shirt: Madewell | Jeans: Citizen of Humanity | Boots: Steve Madden old (similar) | Glasses: Kate Spade | Necklace: Tiffany & Co

I hope your Monday is off to a great start.  After a half days at work D and I are headed down to the W Hollywood for a quick little getaway.  You've gotta love working a half day Monday and then taking Tuesday off!  I'll see you all back here Thursday.  In the meantime please follow me on Instagram for updates.  Have a great day.

 

Favorite Friday v.2

 This week's favorite is this gorgeous Zara houndstooth scarf.  I spotted it immediately and had myself all wrapped up mere seconds later.  It's huge, super cozy and will be perfect for travel.  At $40 it's a must have for Fall and Winter.

Happy Friday!

Things That Make Me Go Ugh...

So I had no intentions of posting today, but after walking into the public restroom here at work I felt inspired.  Public restrooms aren’t particularly inspiring places, so you’re probably thinking what the heck.  

Anyways, it’s business as usual.  I walk in to do what I need to do and to my complete and utter disgust someone’s in the fourth stall talking on their cell phone.  This isn’t my first rodeo, in fact it’s pretty safe to say this happens at least once a week.  Each time it does I want to make disgusting fart sounds, flush the toilet a few extra times, or do something totally gross to make it clear to the person on the phone that talking in a public restroom probably isn’t a good idea.  It’s one thing in the privacy of your home, but in a public restroom while a complete stranger uses the stall a foot away from you, come on.

So that’s what brought me to my idea for today’s post.  Five Things That Make Me Go Ugh!

1.       People talking on their cell phones in public restrooms.  Don’t do it.

2.       Guys on Pinterest.  I’m sorry guys, but I happened to love it when Pinterest was just us girls.  It felt like our own little secret club.

3.       Guys that go with their girls to the nail salon and then don’t get a service.  It’s perfectly fine if you want to make a date of it and go get pedicures with your love, but ladies please don’t bring your guys along to sit and wait for you.  It’s just weird.

4.       Having to go to Walmart, enough said.

5.       Rude Sales Associates.  I was all distraught (I know, the dramatics right) when I went to my local Nordstrom only to discover that that the Maggie dress I featured in this post was sold out, EVERYWHERE.  The icing on the cake was finding out that it’s backordered until February (hello Valentine’s Day, only it’s not even on their website now).  Anyways, I’ll get over it, I already have, but Instead of letting me down easy the SA went on and on about how great the dress was.  About how everyone was looking for it.  About how fantastic it’s looked on everyone who had bought it, blah, blah, blah.  Now I was a SA in college, a good one, and I know that this SA could have made a sale and saved the day by recommending something equally as fabulous.  It's Nordstrom for god's sake.  That wasn't the only amazing dress in the place.  Instead the SA was a snarky little ***** and I left feeling annoyed because I missed out on the dress and I had to deal with a rude SA.

We’ve all got little things that tick us off or get under our skin.  What little things makes you go UGH?

I Heart Instagram

 Call me old fashioned, but I've yet to even Google Twitter. 

 As for Facebook, we definitely have a love hate relationship.  I've closed my account more times than I've changed shades of nail polish this year.

Now Instagram, Instagram is a forum I can get behind.  I love keeping up with friends and even random people via their photos.  It's enough information to keep me interested and connected without all the drama of other social media sites.  

I'd love it if you'd follow me (just click here).  Monday through Friday I post my work week outfits.  On the weekends you can catch me around town exploring San Diego and of course eating.  We all love to take snaps of our food don't we.  I hope you'll tag along.  I'd love to follow you too, so if you're an avid Instagramer, leave your url in the comments below.  Happy Tuesday!

Our New Baby

Remember when I mentioned signing on the line little by little (here).  You know all those little luxuries aka responsibilities, we'll we've done it again.  For the last three years we've had a Volvo neither of us was particularly crazy about, so when the opportunity to sale presented itself we made the decision to trade her in for a newer younger model.  

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family.  I'm fondly referring to her as little shark baby because she's sleek and fierce and has the cutest little shark fin.  

On another note, why in the hell is buying a new car such a pain in the a$$.  I seriously feel like I've been put through the ringer.  We literally spent our entire weekend hammering out a deal we were comfortable with and after hours of negotiations and playing hardball, I'm exhausted. 

  

Favorite Friday

Happy Friday!  I thought I'd try out a new little segment I'm calling Favorite Friday.  Each Friday I'll be showcasing my favorite find of the week.  The one item I love above all other items.  I hope you enjoy.  

So in typical fashion I made a quick trip to Nordstrom on my lunch break yesterday to pick up my fourth pot of this (which I highly recommend).  I'm on my way out, because that's always how it happens, and BAM.  I literally stop in my tracks at the sight of this Free People sweater.  It's AMAZING period.  If only money grew on trees...

Is There Anybody Out There, Part 2

It's been just over a month since I wrote Is There Anybody Out There.  When I sat down to write about my first month blogging, I was desperately hoping to reach an audience of bloggers like myself.  I needed some sign, any sign that there was somebody out there.   I wanted to know that I was not alone in my thoughts.  At that point, I needed to find a community of newer bloggers to connect with, learn from and grow alongside like I needed air.  To date, Is There Anybody Out There has been my most viewed post at 80 pageviews and 5 heartfelt genuine comments.

You might think it's weird that I'm sharing numbers like pageviews and comments, but I think it's important for a few reasons.

1. Vague references don't do any of us any good.

2. I want to truly document what being a newbie looks like.  I understand that all blogs grow at their own rate, but I'd hate for a fellow newbie to be discouraged because their month old post "only" had 80 pageviews.   

So part 2, aka, month 2.  Let's talk about it.

Personally and professionally the last several weeks have tied me up and forced me to find the balance I was struggling with a month ago.  It's funny how that happens isn't it?  I'm still completely enamored with my blog, but family commitments and a busy work schedule have taken precedence. Oddly enough, I'm still here and the posts are still going out.

With that said, some of the posts I've put out have been pretty cringe worthy (here, here, here, here and here).  Okay there were more than I thought :).  If I was a reader looking for new blogs to follow and I came across my blog on a day I had launched one of the above posts, I'd go running for the hills.  

 My struggle to find balance has worked itself out, but it left me with a tough pill to swallow.  Nobody wants to put out bad content, but that's what I've been doing because I haven't accepted the fact that there may WILL be times when I don't have time to put out a quality post.  Instead of being okay with not posting, I've been slapping together crap just so something goes out.
 
A few of the posts had potential like Not In The Budget, Best In Beauty, For A Non-Makeup Girl and Halloween Costumes, Work And Play, but they were launched prematurely with bad images because I didn't have the time to make them pretty.  Instead of waiting a day to get it right, I hit publish and posted material I'm not proud of.

Staying Fit, Or At Least Trying and Love It, Or Leave It, The Dropped Waist Edition share the same problem, only I managed to bring it down a notch by posting about something I couldn't care less about because it was easy.  These posts feel fake and unauthentic because they're generic and they mean nothing to me.

As important as it is to put out regular material, I have to chose quality over quantity going forward.

My 30 Bloglovin and 8 Google readers deserve better.  That's right folks my readers have more than doubled this last month.  A HUGE thank you to all 38 of you!!!  I have no clue how it's happened but I'm incredibly grateful for each and every one of you.

On that note, I've yet to get a grasp on how marketing my blog works.  When I spend time finding new blogs to follow, leaving comments on other blogs and sending e-mails to fellow bloggers,  I definitely see increased traffic.  Like the difference between 30 pageviews and 100 pageviews, but for the most part my readers aren't the bloggers I've reached out to?  How are people finding my blog?

I have a million other questions at this point like:  

1. What in the heck are SEO's?
2. How do I linkup?
3. How do I partner on a giveaway?
4. How do I know if I'm posting affiliate links?

5. Why has monetizing my blog become such a motivating factor?
6. Does sponsoring another blogger really help your blog?

I swear somebody needs to write Blogging for Dummies.  Maybe such a thing already exists.

I'm sure month 3 will present new challenges, questions and hopefully some more insight into the inner workings of this bloggy blog world.   Thanks for sticking it out through month 2.  Let me hear what you think, PLEASE, and if you have any helpful tips or information on any of my many questions, let me have em :).  

To Know Yourself

  When I saw the looks of my Starbucks cup and flip flops sitting there in the sand, I had to laugh because I felt like they looked.  Why do we wait until we feel completely beaten up and exhausted before we stop to take a breath?

The truth is, I don't do a very good job taking care of myself.  I'm far too serious.  I don't enjoy the things around me as much as I should and I don't slow down often enough to truly relax.  Some day I'll tell you about the 10 nights I spent in paradise and how I ruined a good majority of them for myself because I don't know how to enjoy myself.

When work and life get to be too much, I endure, and I press on.  I let things get to be so overwhelming that all that's left to do is meltdown.  

I know that you have to consciously chose to take time out to take care of yourself, but knowing it and doing it are two totally different things, which is why number 2 on my list of 101 Things To Do In 1001 Days is so important.  

You'd think someone who lived 15 minutes from countless beautiful beaches would be there all the time, but in reality, the 15 minutes might as well be 15 hours.  My hope is that when this year of beach trips is over that taking a morning out for myself will be a habit and something I enjoy doing, not something I have to force myself into.

Yesterday I took my first step.  I set the alarm for 6:00a.m. and I went up the road to the Torrey Pines State Beach where I walked the coastline for two hours.  Just me and the birds.

Kinda deep for a Monday I know, but such is life.  Have a great week!

Nordstrom October Midday Meets Midnight Catalog

Full disclosure, when I did last month's Finally Fall post, I never thought my picks from the Nordstrom catalog would become a regular series on the blog.  

I'm not that quick :).  

Then yesterday I went to the mailbox and saw October's Midday Meets Midnight catalog. I jumped up and down, squealed like a little girl...and then immediately thought BLOG POST.  Hello, this is a totally natural fit.  I love sharing my latest finds, Nordstrom is my favorite retailer, and their catalog is my fashion bible.  I hope you guys like these posts, because they're here to stay!

So without further ado, here are my picks from October's catalog.  Nordstrom, you nailed it.

 

We're going to start out casual, but with my favorite piece.  This Sam Edelman jacket is both feminine and rugged.  My favorite combo.  I love the fur detail on the hood and the mix of the black and olive.  Such an amazing versatile jacket.

And just when I think I finally own enough corduroy, BAM, another pair of pants I must own.  I love the print on these.  

I'm loving the length on this Maggy London dress, and let's be honest, who can resist a sweetheart neckline.  I'm thinking Thanksgiving or Christmas dress.

Beau Bag, what Beau Bag?  Santa, if you're reading, I love this Kate Spade bag in Pink Champagne.

Every year without fail Nordstrom comes through for me and I buy my Christmas party earrings here.  Some of my favorite pieces of jewelry have come from Nordstrom between the months of October and December.  Ladies, keep your eyes peeled for great pieces.  I think these are it for me this year.

The collar on this Elie Tahari coat reminds me of the collar on my beloved red BCBG coat (you'll be seeing it around, trust me.)  I've owned the coat years and it's still my favorite.  Every time I wear it out, I receive endless compliments.  Who doesn't love that.  It's timeless and classic.  The same goes for this piece.  I can see it standing the test of time.  If this coat were in my price point I'd be making it happen.

My last two picks are out of my price point (such is life).  A girl can dream though right.  If ever two pieces were made for each other, surely they were these (dress/lace coat).

I hope you guys enjoyed.  Browse the catalog and let me know what your favorite pieces are.  Have a great weekend and HAPPY FRIDAY!

   

Closet Envy

When someone comes to our home for the first time they're always in awww over my closet.  Not because it's beautiful and full of designer pieces, but because it's BIG and has endless potential.  Potential I'm definitely not tapping into.  When we first bought our house, just over a year ago, we met with a few custom closet companies.  We had the room laid out and designed and when it came time to pull the trigger, we came to our senses and realized that the 40 year old windows needed replaced more than I needed my dream closet.  Stupid sensibility.  

 This is what the closet looks like today.

Metal rolling rack.

Men's tie hanger as a necklace display.

 Metal shoe rack that clearly wasn't meant for high heels.

My beloved handbag collection just sitting on the top shelf.

I've spared you the completely hideous parts like the cat calendar TACKED up on the wall and the 2 inch hole in the ceiling.  

Did I mention how much I've been loving the minty green on the walls.  Everyday it takes me back to a not so pleasant time in my life when I had to briefly move back home and into my little brothers old room.  Every morning for the first month I woke up wanting to gag from what I referred to as the Pepto Bismol blue on the walls.  Color can have such an impact on our moods and the dull drum of this mint is wiping me out.  I'd much prefer a pallet of deep dark jewel tones or the calming colors of creams and whites.

Someday, in the not so distant future, I will have my dream closet.  A feminine space all of my own.

Image Credits: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7