retail therapy

i was off of work on MLK day and decided to drop babylove off at daycare and take a day for myself. i had a rough start because i was sick, it was overcast and cold outside and seemed like it would start pouring at any minute. not good since i had an appointment to get my hair blown out first thing in the morning. blowouts + rain = no bueno. i grabbed the first outfit i could get my hands on, and looking far from on point, i rushed out to my appointment.

afterwards, i fully intended to head home and take shelter within the confines of my bed. but i had to run to target to buy diapers for the little one. while i was there, i strolled through the dollar section, which is hands-down my favorite place in the store. where else can you find so many things that you never knew that you needed--and for only a dollar?

scarf hanger for my pashminas, books for bablove and picture frames for grandmas

after trolling through the dollar section, i decided to take a look at the clothing section-specifically "office"-y clothes. i'm pretty happy with my current selection of clothes, except for one big problem-70% of them don't fit since having the baby. i've already met with a personal trainer and fully intend to lose at least 10lbs in the next few months to get back into my pre-baby clothes, plus a few more to get back to my target weight.

but since i got rid during of a big bag of things that don't really match my style anymore during the closet purge of 2011, i feel like i have absolutely nothing to wear and it's become a chore to try to piece together my outfits each morning.

right then, i decided that it was time for a retail intervention. no more squeezing into ill-fitting clothes that accentuate problem areas and shoot holes in my self image. i needed to pick up a few new basics hat actually fit me at my current size.

i bought two pairs of pants in black and dark gray, and i also bought a cute reinforced cami for layering under shirts that can't quite button all the way yet. i was on a roll by this point, so i checked out the shoe section but didn't see anything that i wanted there, but i did pick up a pair of gray tights.

by the time i left target, i was in a much better mood. the sun was shining outside, which i took as a positive affirmation of my efforts, so i decided that some new shoes would go well with my new attitude.

i only had 3 hours left until it was time to pick up babylove from daycare, so i headed over to the nearest outlet mall to hit up the most stores in a limited amount of time.

sometime during the last 20 odd months that i was pregnant and then adjusting to being a new mom, something happened that caught me totally off guard: the pointy-toed look went completely out of style. as the owner of more than a few pairs of pointy boots and pumps i was looking (and feeling) a little outdated.

now, back in the day, i would go all out with the shoe shopping. we're talking scouring the internet, dsw and the department stores. but with the introduction of daycare bills and baby food, i planned to part with as few dollars as possible in my quest to find the cutest trendy boot on a budget.

i ended up with these knee length slouchy boots that were on sale in the store for $25. i stopped by another shoe stores to get a pair of cute black pumps to replace the pointy ones that i usually wear to work. i was looking for a pair of knee high brown leather slouchy boots, but struck out on that one.

i did pick up a few more camis in pink and black and a basic white long sleeved t-shirt. can you tell that i love to layer?

i had a gift card to forever XXI, so i stopped in there and was immediately overwhelmed with stripes and more stripes. apparently the nautical look and stripes are in this season. in keeping with this i picked up these two shirts with a little money left over. i was a little wary about the whole horizontal stripes thing, but they looked okay on me.

when i got home, i hopped online and found these gray booties, and this post inspired me to try a pair of gold ballet flats. i already had the mustard tights, but haven't worked up the nerve to pair them yet. i think it a white sweater with a tan or navy skirt and maroon accents might really work with this look.

pretty much everything that i bought was your run of the mill basic piece, so i decided to walk a little on the wild side and pick up these FIERCE shoes with a gift card that i got for christmas. i love me a peeptoe pump. and in blue and black snakeskin embossed leather? yes please!

i have to say that i instantly felt more confident about my clothing outlook after my bout of retail therapy. i have good accessories, but it's the basic pieces like shoes and pants that are the backbone of a wardrobe. plus, well fitting clothes always look better on than clothes that are too tight.

i've got a new spring in my step and i feel like that kid that came back from summer break with a whole new wardrobe. i'm already having fun mixing and matching away.

need inspiration for your new look? check out this great style blog that i recently discovered!

new year, old me

so far, the new year is off to a decent start. babylove's first christmas was a pretty fun occasion. aside from her eating more than a few pieces of wrapping paper, i would say we had your typical fun christmas morning. actually, it was afternoon by the time we got out of bed since we were out late to a christmas eve party and church the night before.




i really liked the way my christmas decorations came out this year. i went with muted white, gold and bronze ornaments on the tree, and quilted cream stockings with a garland and mercury glass candle holders on the mantel.

last year i hit up a ton of after christmas sales to build up my stock for this year and it didn't disappoint. what is disappointing is that my camera/laptop/the internet decided to eat my pictures, so i've got nothing to show you. i've looked everywhere and can't find them. if i locate them (and if i still care by then) i'll go ahead and post them later. boo.

i don't usually go in for the whole new year's resolution hype, but i have been in a very restless mood lately. i feel like i have finally snapped out of the whole physical and psychological shock that is bringing a new life into this world. it's like for the last 10 months, i've been in a kind of fog tending to babylove's needs and putting myself on the backburner. which is not a bad thing, but after pouring all of my love and efforts into her, i just barely had enough energy left to eat, sleep and drag myself to work everyday. but i'm back *itches!!

i decided that the key to getting things back on track and simplifying my hectic life is to eliminate all the clutter that's been building up around the house since i had the baby. i've been sifting through all of my clothes, shoes and other household items to get rid of things that we no longer need and that are just in the way.

i started with babylove's room, where over time i had accumulated a huge pile of all of the clothes that she has outgrown in one corner of the room. i separated the clothes into two piles "newborn baby" and "bigger baby", then folded and arranged them in size order in two plastic tubs that i stored away in her closet.

after i finished that, i officially packed away my maternity clothes, some of which, i have to admit, that i had still been wearing close to 9 months post baby. yeah, i know. gotta do better.

i instantly felt better about after getting these tasks out of the way. i still have a lot more to do and i've giving myself until babylove's first birthday in march to get myself together.