Cool Weather Cozy

This past week I have been out of commission with a nasty cold. I know what you are thinking: eew, gross, stay away from me! How do I know this? Because that was my reaction to my boyfriend when he got sick last weekend. But he did not as we had homework, and consequently I became sick. Yay. This combined with rain, dropping temps, and the return of my Saturday class has left me a little brain dead and exhausted. Think, zombie...a really attractive zombie princess to be exact...ok fine...at least the zombie princess part =)

Therefore, I don't have an outfit post for you today. BUT during the landslide of fun I experienced this past week and weekend, I finally got into the blanket mode of fall. You know, when you come home, change into non-work clothes, put you hair in a messy bun, and roll up into a blanket burrito? No? Well, you should, 'cuz its awesome. Anyways, I am personally, officially, in that mode. Along with curling up in a blanket immediately upon returning to my apartment for the night, I am also starting to pull out my cozy clothes, knits, thick socks, fleece collection, warm fuzzy scarves, etc.. And before you judge that it's only October and I am basically prepping to stay warm through a snowpocalypse, I will have you know that its dropping into the deadly 30's here in the mitten already. Le angry sigh. I dislike winter with as much passion as I love fall. But that is a rant discussion for another day ;-)

So, in my cozy, wanting to live an a blanket fort, drinking hot cocoa like its going out of style, bundling up like I'm in A Christmas Story state, I have been stalking cold weather accessories and layering pieces like a mad woman. I have to admit that I want to buy just about everything I see on Old Navy's site lately...but I won't, I promise. However, I cannot oversell how amazing their pieces for winter are. So amazing in fact, that this girl, who loathes winter more than men hate shoe shopping with their girlfriends, is actually not dreading it's impending doom quite as much (don't worry, I'm still no snow bunny). I have chosen some of my favorite cozy pieces to share with you all today. While its a little early (fingers crossed Mother Nature agrees) to pull out a parka or pea coat, these items could easily be added to fall outfits now and transition slowly (hear that Mother Nature? slowly) into winter. 

(from right to left)

greys 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

reds 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

camel 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

green blue 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

creams 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Will you be getting any cold weather items from Old Navy?

What are you favorite winter pieces to incorporate into your fall looks?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Weekend Recap...Two Days Tardy

I had EVERY intention of getting this post up Monday so that it would be fresh off the weekend, and I would feel like I was kicking off the week right! And then...life happened. Mostly grad school life. You know the story: girl meets weekend, girl falls in love, girl neglects homework to spend quality time with her new love...it's a classic tale really, one full of adventure and inevitable procrastination. The kind of story that ends in staying up too late Sunday night to finish a paper, leaving not quite enough time to write a post or sort through photos for it. Oops. So as much as I really wanted to start the week off with a Monday post, I have accepted their impossibility in exchange for keeping my love affair with the weekend. So, I offer my apologies and vote we move swiftly along from my shortcomings to talking about said love affair. 

Gingham Flannel Shirt - Old Navy / Jeans - Old Navy / Booties - Old Navy

Vest - J.Crew Factory (option) (option) / Scarf - Zara  / Purse - Phillip Lim for Target (option)

Necklace - Mint Sugar Boutique (option) / Spike Bracelet - Urban Peach Boutique

Link Bracelet - c/o Hawthorne Collection (option)

Friday night I came home from work and it was gorgeous outside. My bf and I seized the opportunity to take some outfit photos for the blog. We were able to walk down to the park at the end of my street and snap some shots in the warm glow of the setting sun. Afterwards, we settled in to our normal Friday night of frozen pizza dinner while catching up on the DVR and watching movies. I even treated us to hard cider (him) and delicious pumpkin ale (me) for surviving an incredibly intense week of school and work.

Saturday was spent at Panera studying and homeworking for a good 4 hours. Timeout. Have I mentioned that my bf and I are in grad school together? We are. If you didn't figure that out already, you are probably really confused. My bad. So yes, I met my bf while going to school, which is another long story that maybe I will tell you about sometime ;-) We are in our last year of our program, working on our Masters of Science in Engineering, Architectural Engineering to be specific. He is studying boring mechanical systems engineering as his focus, and I am focused on the superior subject of electrical systems engineering, opposites attract, right? However, we are in all of the same classes. Thank God. Seriously, I could not get through this without him (and Him) by my side. So in addition to being my best friend and significant other, Kevin (yup that's his name, such a dramatic reveal, no?) is also my incredibly smart and patient study buddy. I think that is all you need to know to understand what the heck I am talking about for now. End timeout.

Okay. So, we spent most of Saturday like we do every Saturday, holed up in the Panera by my apartment. After sufficiently depleting our brains of energy, we hit the Old Navy across from Panera so that I could exchange some items. Although their huge sale was going on, I behaved and didn't purchase anything new. It's the little victories. We headed back to my place to read a few chapters of the book we needed to write for the aforementioned paper. I read one chapter before it bored me into a nap. Best. Nap. Ever. It was warm and sunny and breezy and awesome. I love afternoon naps. Kevin was a much better student then I and continued to read during my power nap. Around 6 pm he ended my nap, reminding me we had plans to go to my sister's for dinner.

My sister recently moved into a new apartment with her long term boyfriend. Timeout. Okay more sharing time. I have three younger sisters and I love them each to pieces. We are all a year and a half to two years part in age, which means we are all in our mid to late twenties. The two middle sisters are both teachers and used to live together until recently. Christina, the younger middle child, recently moved out and it was her new apartment we were going to see. My youngest sister lives with my mother and grandmother, very close to Christina and my other sister. Yay family tree! End timeout.

So, we headed out to spend the evening with my sister and her boyfriend. It was about a 20 minute drive, which we spent singing like lunatics (a normal occurrence for us). We arrived and entered. Their apartment was so cute! Seriously, it was impressive how everything had come together in such a short time, although, given my sister is an art teacher, has an impeccable eye, and is a gifted painter, it shouldn't have been such a surprise. After the short tour we ordered Chinese and settled in to a night of comfort food, Netflix, and Scrabble. It was a perfect evening; great food and company, relaxing and fun. If you are reading, thanks so much Christina!

Sunday morning rolled around and the gorgeous weather persisted so we decided to steal away a few hours from homework and go apple picking. It was sunny and in the 60's, the trees had started to turning a kaleidoscope of fall hues. Our drive out to the orchard was breath taking. It was the type of experience you take pause and want to remember for the rest of your life. At least it was for me, which is what I did along the drive. Mental snapshots. I couldn't help but feel so grateful for...well, everything, the sceneary driving out of the city is beyond majestic. After our drive, just shy of an hour, we arrived and were ready to fill our half bushel. Kevin was kind enough to snap a few pics of my outfit as we wandered through the rows of apple trees.

We were able to fill our bag quickly; the apples were large and shiny, such pretty glossy shades of red and green in the streaming sunlight. We then moved along to pick some raspberries and to select our pumpkins. After a little debate, we finally settled a large, a small pumpkin, and a few gourds. On our way out of the orchard we also stopped along the fields of fall crops, the vegetable plants were all full of pipe goodies, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, squash, peppers, and more, but we settled on just a few fresh peppers which we were able to pick ourselves!

Our last stop before heading home, was the cider mill at the front of the farm and orchard. After some cider, donuts, and apple goodness (piece of apple crumble pie for me, and hot apple dumping a la mode for Kev), we decided to call it a day and head back to finally finish homework. It was a perfect day and I am so lucky and blessed to have had it. This weekend was my little miracle weekend of the semester and I relished it. We spend the remainder of Sunday cooking dinner, cleaning up, and finishing homework. It truly was one of my favorite weekends in recent memory.

I absolutely love this outfit that I wore to the apple orchard, its the perfect combination of patterns and the layers were perfect for the temperature swings throughout a fall day. I am 100% head over heels for this plaid Zara blanket scarf and although I broke my #noshoptilnovember, it was totally worth it and I know it will be on major repeat this fall and winter. This Old Navy booties are also so comfy and fab, I would highly recommend them if you are in the market for affordable taupe booties. 

So this turned out to be quite a lengthy post. Thank-you so much for listening to my excessive rambling and I am very impressed that you made it to the end. I promise I will be more brief in the future =)

Do have favorite fall pieces?

Did you do something fun this weekend?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Lazy Days Plaid

Hello lovelies and happy Wednesday! Today I am showing you a typical outfit I would wear, pretty much any day of the week. I even wore it to work last week. It may seem a little casual for work, and I usually wear things that a little dressier, but I work at an Architecture, Engineering, and Planning firm, and it is very laid back. Even though jeans are only officially allowed on Fridays, during the week it tends to be a little bit more on the casual side of business casual. Of course the male staff wear khakis and polos all week (it's like the universal guy uniform) while the style of the women ranges from dressy to business to casual, with a lot of freedom to express your individual style. 

Flannel - Old Navy / Leggings - Target / Tank - Target / Purse - Target (out online, here in black)

Boots - Target / Bracelet - Jane (similar) / Necklace - Jane (similar)

In general, I always dress comfortably and I love to dress how I am feeling; sometimes dressy, sometimes preppy, sometimes trendier, sometimes cozier, it depends. I kind of just pick a piece I love that day (it's hard for me to pick out clothes before the morning of that day, because I don't always "feel" like wearing what I picked out ahead of time on that day) and then focus the rest of my outfit around it. My style is more about the other items I pick to go around that one piece, I love color, I love neutrals, I love prints and patterns, I love to play dress up. I have fun =) So while I probably wouldn't use one word to describe all the kinds of looks I wear (like girlie or preppy or vintage-y), I would say overall, I create cohesive looks, pieces that look like their marriage together (for that day) is a happy one. Back to the point, I really enjoy working somewhere where I can wear what I want for the most part and don't have to conform in someway that makes me uncomfortable or like I can't just be me.

My love affair with plaid is in full swing. I simply cannot get enough of it! Remember this post with my mad for plaid wishlist? Well, I may have caved and gotten the Zara Scarf...oops. It was just eating away at me, I couldn't resist it taunting me anymore and ordered it. I cannot wait til it comes! Plaid has also been featured here and here, so I would say I'm sorry for the plaid overload, except, I am not sorry at all. Buckle up, because there is going to be a lot of plaid on the blog this fall. <3

Sharing time: my hair is in this bun because it is on its last legs before requiring a washing. I don't wash my hair every hair, its more like every two to three days. I find that washing it daily dries my hair out, and also, quite frankly, I don't have the time to wash it all that often, its long and take forever to wash and condition, plus it's a pain in the behind to deal with when wet due to its wavy and unruly nature. So up into a bun it goes. I like to call this recycling my hair, it sounds better than I am lazy, tired, or busy, right? :-D I don't use a bun helper or anything, I brush the waves out, put it in a pony tail, use a brush to back-comb the half closest to the ponytail hold, smooth the outside hair of the now fluffy ponytail with a fine tooth comb, and twist into a bun, securing with a bobby pin or two. Secure with hair spray and off I go. Since my hair is long and heavy, I don't often where it up as it gives me headaches, boo. Anyways, now you know my secret to my dirty bun!

So this turned out to be quite a random post...probably because I cannot focus on anything lately! My brain is overworked, overwhelmed, and in serious need of a fancy coconut drink on a beach. But alas, that is not in my brain's future...it will have to settle for a glass of wine after the week is over. Well I am off to do more homework, hope everyone has a great day!

Does your job have a dress code?

Do you recycle your hair?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Wednesday Wants and Wishes: Mad for Plaid

Hello, my name is Ray and I'm a plaid-a-holic. I cannot help it! The print is everywhere this fall and I, for one, could not be more over the moon about it. I have owned a few soft flannel pieces in various plaids in the past, but this year it seems that plaid is on steroids; its everywhere! Everything and anything comes in plaid right now: dresses, plants, blazers, shoes, bags, you name it, there is a version of it in plaid (or several). My two favorite things about plaid are that it can be dressed up or down, and that it comes in so many colors and variations that there is a piece out there perfectly crafted for everyone. I think my love for Old Navy has been well documented, even in the short life of my blog, and they have a TON of great plaid patterns and colors in their collection this fall, all at affordable price points. I have also seen amazing plaid pieces popping up at Target, Forever 21, and J.Crew Factory. See? For everyone, at every price!

Although I am currently attempting a #noshoptilnovember which began the Monday after the Phillip Lim for Target craziness hit on September 15th, I have been crushing hard on some gorgeous plaid pieces and cannot wait to til I can add a few (cough...the Zara blanket scarf...cough) to my fall wardrobe. But seriously, how perfect is that scarf?? Whitley over at Simply Whit styled this scarf yesterday and I am swooning over it. Legitimately swooning, just ask my bf, he will inform you of how dramatic I can be ;-) The scarf is perfect; I am trying ever so hard not to cave and buy it immediately!  

So here are my plaid picks for fall and I don't think how mad I am for plaid will be going away anytime soon!

Dress / Red Cap / Essie / Red Plaid Shirt / Heels / Sweater / Essie / iPhone Case / Blue Plaid Shirt

Boots / Headband / Skirt / Scarf / Blue Plaid Cap / Satchel / Blue Scarf / Hair Bows

Are you mad for plaid this fall?
How would you style your favorite plaid piece?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Grad Student Uniform

Grad school is officially in full swing, which means two things: fall is just around the corner, and my caffeine intake and amount of sleep are about to have an inverse relationship. My week is spent running from work to school to the gym to home and repeat. The nights are late and every minute is packed. On the plus side, the days fly by; on the down side, they are a sleep deprived, stressed-out blur. However, on the weekends...well, the weekends are a little piece of heaven. The pace slows. The sun shines. The birds chip. Or at least that is how it all happens in my mind as I daydream for them during the week. Weekends are full too, don't get me wrong, between running errands, doing homework, and cleaning the apartment, I am definitely busy. It's just, well, the sense of urgency is gone, which is perfect because it doesn't matter that I am exhausted and going in slow motion. All of this being said, I have a confession to make. On the weekends, every weekend, I wear my grad student uniform.

Ok, so graduate students don't actually wear a uniform, obviously. This is just a term I came up with this weekend as I dressed on Saturday and changed after church on Sunday. Because my mind is doing a million other things and jam packed with tons of useless incredibly important energy engineering stuff, it really, really, really, doesn't want to think about clothes. It becomes a traitor. Goes on strike. Wants nothing to do with how I look. So, I basically wear some version of the exact same outfit every weekend, and to be honest, I don't even care! I am convinced that I am not the only one who does this either, but I could be wrong, you tell me =)

First, the staple piece of the grad student uniform is a pair of leggings, which by the way, I am certain were invented by a graduate student in the same mental state as I frequently find myself. They are like cute sweatpants, the same amount of comfort, without the bulk or judgmental looks in public (just make sure to wear a thick pair that is not see-through, to avoid a different kind of judgement look). Additionally, unlike yoga pants they allow for a cute shoe to be seen, thus giving the illusion that you are more put together and actually do care about looking cute, without any real effort at all. Which brings me to footwear. Really, anything goes, so I tend to choose whatever is the most comfortable considering the weather; riding boots, booties, sandals, flats, moccasins, they all work with leggings in my opinion. 

For the top half of the grad student uniform, I usually layer. On the weekends I do lots of errands and then set up homework camp at a local Starbucks for hours, so flexibility in comfort is always important. These are casual layers and typically include: long tank top, jersey tee or flannel button-up, and a cardigan. I cannot over-emphasize how much I consider cardigans to be wardrobe staples! I own a ton and wear one just about every day. They can instantly make you look put-together, keep you warm, add another dimension to your look, and come in tons of colors, cuts, patterns, etc. there is definitely a cardi for you out there! Finish with a statement necklace, standard arm stack, and top-knot or side braid and you are good to go! Cute, cozy, and little brain power required. 

I have included some sample "uniforms" below:

tee / tank / cardi / leggings / booties / necklace / coral bracelet / amber bracelet / blue bracelet / purse

I love the option of wearing a colored legging, its an unexpected way to add color to an outfit. For this outfit I did some pattern mixing with the tank and tee which I would typically leave untucked. Since there is a lot going on with the colored leggings and patterned top, I chose to keep the cardigan, booties, and accessories neutral, picking up on on the color pallet slightly with the jewelry to tie it all together. I am all about gender equality, so I am not above shopping the men's department for over-sized sweaters. The sweater pictured above is from the men's section at J. Crew Factory and I am not ashamed to admit that I would scoop it up in a heart beat if I was adding to my cardi collection. It looks super cozy and would add a touch of masculinity to an otherwise girlie outfit, a juxtaposition I happen to adore. Lastly, who doesn't like a bold bag to finish off a look? Loving this cobalt option for the fall...and the mint one..and the mustard one! 

tee / cardigan / leggings / bag / necklace (out online check in stores) / shoes / black bracelet / crystal bracelet

How darling are these plaid leggings?!? I am a sucker for tartan and I am definitely lusting over these. I am a little worried they are thin, if any one has them I would love to know if they are sufficiently thick. Traditionally, I have not been the biggest fan of leather- faux or real, however, seeing it in surprising details on all sorts of clothing this fall has given me a new appreciation for it. Whether as pipping, pockets, or striping, leather is adding a touch of luxe to everyday items. Between these patent bow flats and the faux leather color blocked cardi, this otherwise casual outfit is given an edgy upgrade. Lastly, add a neutral statement necklace and black and white swoon worthy satchel to carry all my school stuff, and I am good to go!

cardi / tank / flannel shirt /sunnies / leggings / necklace / purse / flats

For this look, I recreated the outfit pictured above that I wore to class one night last week. Tuesday and Thursday nights I spend five and a half hours in class, so comfort is a must. It was cool enough to break out the fab flannel from Old Navy, which I highly recommend picking up (20% off online with promo code ONTREAT). Additionally, I added some leopard flats for a little pattern mixing while also remaining in the neutral family. In my post I am carrying the new cognac satchel from Target, not available online, but check in stores. If I wasn't a grad student though, I would love to be able to afford this classic Robinson Double Zip Tote as well as these amazing sunnies by Tory Burch. Maybe next fall!  

Do you have a weekend uniform?

What is your go to outfit when you don't want to think about getting dressed?

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!