Oct 23, Jogger Inspiration

No time for a before and after post this morning, I am running late and need to get out the door- but I wanted to quickly show my outfit that was inspired by @CBStyled over on Instagram. She did a cute post yesterday showing how to wear joggers 13 different ways- and they were all adorable! As you know, I love my joggers- they are seriously the most comfortable pant on earth, so I was excited to see her post and find some cute ideas. Below is my quick take on building an outfit around my grey joggers from Target. I added a cropped knit sweater (Vince) and then threw on a scarf to tie the colors together. For my feet I am wearing wedge heel booties from J Crew that I have had for years. Gotta run, sorry for the quickie!

Oct 21, Monday Flannel

Another Monday, another flannel! This time it’s my grey flannel from Uniqlo. Boy do I love this shirt! It’s soft, cozy & warm. And, since it’s from Uniqlo, it’s super affordable. Mine is old, but they have some cute ones this season, check them out here. In my opinion, a flannel shirt is the perfect choice for a crisp fall day.

At first I thought I would try the flannel with grey jeans and grey Converse, but then I decided that’s a little too much grey, so I switched to dark wash jeans. These jeans are from Lucky, and I cropped them myself. They have the perfect amount of stretch to make them super comfy. For my feet, the slip on pointy toe booties from Target are a little more stylish than the sneakers. Tucking the shirt, rolling the sleeves and adding this big statement belt complete the look.

Have a great Monday! I’m off to sub in middle school again. Yikes! What was I thinking?! If you are a middle school teacher- I applaud you! All teachers are amazing, but middle school is a whole other story!

Oct 18, 6 Ways to Wear a Graphic T Shirt

For my final day in my ‘theme week’ I have chosen to show a graphic t shirt worn 6 different ways! This was actually a lot of fun for me- because up until a year ago I would have NEVER worn a graphic t shirt anywhere but to bed! But I’ve been inspired by all the fashion posts on Instagram. I see women of all ages rocking a graphic t and looking super stylish! So here goes my take on how to wear a graphic t shirt!

1. Distressed jeans/ Free People Blazer/ Black Booties
2. Black distressed jeans/ Faux fur vest/ Paul Green flats
3. White distressed jeans/ grey and white shrug sweater, grey booties
4. Black pencil skirt/ denim jacket, leopard flats
5. Dark skinny jeans, off white blazer, pointy toe heels
6. Wide leg jeans, casual grey cardigan, loafers

Now I need to decide which I like best! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

By the way, this cute T shirt is from Target!!

Oct 11, Dress

My week of Nordstrom inspired outfits has come to an end. I have to say, I liked having a theme for each day. It really did make getting dressed a bit easier! Today’s theme is a dress.

I wanted a dress that is casual enough for school, and then can be easily transitioned to a going out outfit for after work.

I choose this cute black and grey dress from Banana Republic (I bought this on my 40th birthday and I am 48, so it’s really old!)

For school today I have paired it with black tights, black booties and a super chunky, cozy grey sweater. Then, if I had a hot date tonight with my hubby I could take off the tights, replace the booties with heels and remove the cardigan and I’m all set for a fancy date night. Truthfully, I will be going to the high school football game tonight, so I will definitely not be wearing this! But one can dream of a fancy dinner out somewhere warm where one can have bare arms and legs…right?!

Have a great weekend! 🙂

Oct 7, Cozy Sweater

Every Saturday morning I wake up early and plan my meals for the upcoming week. To keep it super easy, I keep a general plan (Asian Monday, Taco Tuesday, Whatever Wednesday, Souper Thursday, Pizza Friday), this helps me plan meals without feeling overwhelmed. Once I’ve figured out what we are going to have I print all the recipes and create a grocery list. Then as soon as my hubby gets up we go out to breakfast and head to the grocery store. We think of it as our weekly date (how romantic!), plus it keeps me organized and is helpful after a long day at school to come home and know exactly what is for dinner that night!

I am sharing this because over the weekend I received a marketing email from Nordstrom with outfit ideas for the week (cozy sweater on Monday, jumpsuit on Tuesday, menswear on Wednesday… and so on) which made me think about how I spend so much time planning my menu- but have never thought to plan my outfits for the week. Below is what Nordstrom sent:

Today’s theme: a cozy sweater.

I’m wearing a color block fuzzy sweater from Nordstrom (old). It’s so comfy and cozy, and perfect for a chilly fall day. I’m going out on a bit of a limb by wearing ripped jeans, hoping the school I’m subbing at today won’t mind. It’s a middle school, so I thought the ripped jeans might be ok?! I sure hope so! As usual, I have tucked my sweater in, just so it doesn’t look like I’m swimming in it! And finally, the black booties are sleeker than the clunky Uggs.

Have a great Monday, and check back tomorrow for another Nordstrom inspired outfit!

Oct 2, Satin Bomber

I’ve mentioned my love of my bomber jacket several times, so forgive me for being repetitive, but boy do I ever love this jacket!

First of all, it is so warm. Like seriously warm. Secondly, I feel like it adds a layer of ‘cool’ to my outfit, which at my age, I can use all of the ‘coolness’ help I can get. I also love the color, it’s a gorgeous blush/rose- which is really different for me. And lastly, it’s a great alternative to a cardigan or blazer.

My outfit today started with my straight leg blue jeans and a grey v neck tank. For warmth, I added the bomber jacket- but then when looking at the photos, I decided I didn’t love the way it looks. I don’t know if it’s the shoes, the color of the jeans or what… but I wasn’t feeling it. So I decided to try grey jeans instead paired with grey booties. I like this a lot better!

However, then I saw this cute printed tank that I rarely wear, so I thought it would be fun to try it out. When I say ‘shop your closet’ this is exactly what I’m talking about. I’ve had this tank for years (I think it may have been an item I received back when I did Stitch Fix years ago), but I never wear it. But paired with this cute bomber, I really like it. Plus, I’ve been really trying to add more patterns to my outfits rather than always wearing solids.

So here’s my advice today. Block out some time this week (like an hour or more) and play in your closet. Combine items that you’ve never paired together to see how they look. Take photos to get a different perspective. Save the photos on your computer to go back to on those days when you think you have nothing to wear! It’s amazing how many different combinations you can come up with when you take the time to explore!

Jacket- H&M

Top- Stitch Fix

Jeans- Levis

Boots- Paul Green, Nordstrom

Sept 24, Growth Mindset

I’m not even going to talk about today’s outfit, party because I think it’s just an ok outfit (these early school mornings are killing me), and also the changes are pretty self explanatory.

Instead I want to tell you about something I learned about myself last night. 

I was out to dinner with friends and I shared that I have been trying some new vegetarian recipes for my family, and how my daughter has been reluctant to try my amazing concoctions. However, rather than force her to eat it, in our family we have what I call a ‘no thank you bite’ meaning you must take a bite and try it and then you can say ‘no thank you’. I always thought this was a great way of getting my kids to at least try new things. 

However, after I shared this story, my clever friend Stacey said, “why wouldn’t you call that a discovery bite? When you call it a ‘no thank you bite’ you are already setting the stage to saying no….” 

Wow! How had I never thought of that? She is totally right, and that is the perfect example of a growth mindset.

Have you ever heard this phrase? I honestly hadn’t until I started back teaching 3 years ago. Now, I hear it daily. Growth mindset is the idea that instead of saying to yourself ‘I can’t do that’, you say ‘I can’t do that- yet’! Meaning there is always a possibility that you may grow or learn something new! Cool, huh?

So, now I will say to my family, “would you like to discover Ginger miso salad?! Smokey cauliflower tacos? Chickpea faro stew… ?” and I’m hoping their response will be, “I’ve never had that- yet… but I’d love to try! “ Do you see where I’m going here? By simply changing the way I phrase my suggestion to try something new- I hope I can teach my kids to explore- and grow! 

I don’t know why I had to share that, except for the fact that it really made me reflect on how I present things to my children (and students) and maybe even possibly myself. Am I saying no to things because I haven’t mastered them? Am I afraid to try something new? Do I have a growth mindset? Thanks to Stacey, I will now approach my life in a more open minded and exploratory way! We are never too old to learn! 

(jeans- Gap, flannel- American Eagle, boots- Nordstrom)

Sept 15, Black Joggers

When I think of wearing joggers, I immediately think of a very casual outfit, but today I am showing a way to actually dress your joggers up a bit- and perhaps wear them to work, church, or even out to dinner.

I started with this gorgeous wine colored polyester blouse from Nordstrom (similar). Growing up in the 70’s, when I hear ‘polyester’ I think of the Brady Bunch- but honestly, it’s come a long way since then. It’s a great (and more affordable) alternative to silk, plus it washes easily. Tip of the day, don’t be afraid of polyester!

Here is how I improved the before look. I tucked in the blouse, added a cool necklace, rolled the hem of my joggers and swapped out the boots for these cute peep toe booties. Now have a cute outfit that is super comfy while also being stylish.

*full disclosure I’m not actually wearing this today, but I totally would! Instead I’m heading to yoga 🙂

May 17, Long Cardigan

On a yucky, rainy spring day such as today, what I really want to do is stay in bed all day and read or watch TV, but instead I have to go teach 5th grade. Ugh! So, I chose my dark denim jeans, a white tank and this cute pink long cardigan.

In my before photo I am wearing a tight white tank under the sweater. First off, you can totally see my bra underneath, which I don’t care for. Secondly, you can see my tummy (and believe me- I am holding it in for the photo). I would prefer breathing today, so instead I will wear this loose fit, flowy tank that is much more comfortable. Notice the cute detail of the extra layer underneath- this is actually built in to the tank. I love how it adds a little length and movement to the top. To add a little color I threw on this cute necklace and then swapped out the old loafers for booties- so that I can wear some socks and keep my feet warm! Have a great Friday!

No links today (I’m running late again), sorry!

Jeans- Paige

Tank- Anne Taylor

Cardigan- Nordstrom

Booties- Sam Edelman, Nordstrom Rack

March 25th, Rock Star

I’m calling this look my “rock star” look because it is inspired by Steven Tyler, lol! 

Seriously though- he always wears flowy scarves. When I wear a scarf, it’s usually an infinity scarf looped around my neck. Today I thought I’d take a little risk and try wearing it loose. And to be honest, I really like it!

I love the color it adds to this otherwise plain sweater. Plus, even though it is technically spring, it’s still a bit chilly, so this scarf actually provides a little warmth- while still looking ‘springlike’ with the pretty floral pattern. Speaking of being chilly… 

I had a reader write asking how to keep your feet warm, while still showing a little skin at the ankle. Here is how! Wear Smart Wool socks. These keep my feet toasty warm- and they work with my booties, as well as my slip on tennis shoes.

Originally, I was planning on wearing this scarf with a tee shirt- as pictured below, but it was just too chilly. However, if its warm where you live, consider trying a scarf with a tee shirt. It’s a fun way to dress up a plain shirt.