Recent Target Finds

When you least expect it.... and then it leads to a little more.... Oh Target, sometimes you really surprise me!

Oh how I love clearance tags.... So satisfying seeing the 'Was' and 'Now'

Alright so here is the deal (or story- I apologize for the rambliness), Mom and I were out and about on Saturday doing errands and miscellaneous stuff. To my surprise-- I found a leopard belt! Yippiiiie!!! You have no idea how long I have been searching for a leopard belt. Now, it isn't the world's best quality but for $16.99 I couldn't pass it up. Also I had to get the pink belt because I have been looking for one as well (thinking of accessorizing my polka dot dress with it). Then we came across that gorgeous colored scarf, which was on clearance for $7.98. The fabric is lightweight and well.... you know my love of blue (I am seriously working on that! haha). Mom was convinced it belonged in my closet so I also blame her. Eventually that led me to trying on a pair of Mossimo patent high heels but they didn't have my size in the camel color..... (btw, they are the most comfortable high heels ever)

After doing a couple things on Monday morning, I gingerly took myself down the road to a different Target and found them. Yeah! AND look at that leopard purse!!!! My friends, for about two months I have gone back and forth on getting that darn purse. I saw it was online still but for $29.99 and just couldn't seem to hit the check out button. So I am over-the-moon that I not only came across it unexpectedly but that it had that beautiful clearance tag - yes, I scored big time! 

Then.... I gave in to that pretty mint green satchel. I'll admit it was $24.99. But isn't it lovely?! haha

Oh man I sound like a crazy consumer and I do think it is important to be careful when buying like this. One item often leads to another. I will say though that I am not always shopping and am able to afford them. Sometimes it's okay to treat yourself with goods and most of the time it is good to keep away from stores. It's all about moderation with a few indulgences here and there ;-) 

And I will be totally honest in that I am doing everything I can to resist these....

What do you think?

Fashionably Late Outfit Post

Isn't the back of this dress great? I love how the top part of the dress fits my body.

It's been well over a week since I wore this outfit and I think I have mentioned a "future outfit post" about two times. So here it is! I really love this fancy dress. I wore this for my sister's wedding rehearsal (though I did not originally buy the dress for that event) and then again last week for a special date with B. We went to dinner at Gustav's to celebrate being together for a year (actual date is sometime during the last week of March). We had a blast dressing up and eating delicious food. Oh my goodness! Ya'll must try Swiss cheese fondue!!! If you haven't you are seriously missing out. I tried it for the first time last week and oh wow. I have to say, if any food could compete with chocolate, that is it. Mmm mm...

Alright, here's the breakdown of my outfit, but with a few side notes: (1) Next time, I would like to try belting the dress-- I could see a gold, silver, or black belt with it. (2) I have to say, my legs look darn good. It's a modest outfit but I love how it showcases those (it's okay to be proud of your body once and awhile!). (3) Perhaps a different sort of cover-up instead of this cardigan?!?! -- Any suggestions are welcome! I would love to get more mileage out of these items.

Cardigan: Charlotte Russe
Dress: Target on clearance last year ($17.99- couldn't pass it up!)
Tights: Hanes @ Fred Meyer
Shoes: Merona @ Target -- nice shoes but don't fit my feet great, glad they weren't too much $
~~
Because I'm mean I am concluding with this picture..... ;-)

Mmmmm....

FPC, Day 17: Time

February Photo Challenge

Day 17

"Time"

This is how I spent time today... literally :) Oh, it was a very Happy Friday though! 

First stop at the mall was Jamba Juice. Funny thing is that they messed up on my drink and gave it to me, and made me a new one with all of the ingredients (I got the Peanut Butter Moo'd... new fav of mine!). So here I was, rarin' to go shopping and was double fisting it with two drinks. I didn't want to throw the other drink away, but didn't feel like asking every person I walked by if they wanted it (I did have the paper over the straw so it looked untouched).... I did ask one lady but she said no... then I decided to go sit on a bench for a few minutes and a gentleman asked me for directions to a store, and I questioned him on his need for a drink. After my two attempts I decided to not wait too much longer. Oh but thank goodness! I got a taker! A gal about my age sat on the other bench behind me and I said, "Excuse me.... By any chance do you like chocolate and bananas?" (that's what you ask when you randomly talk to a stranger right?) With slight hesitation she answered, "yes, sometimes." Then I told her my Jamba Juice issues and she gladly took the drink from me and was very gracious! I felt victorious!

Then.... my shopping adventures began.....

Didn't get this dress but am considering it. Very cute!

Spent lots of time in H & M. I am in deep love with this store these days. I have enjoyed this store but haven't found too much that looked good on me (sometimes their colors don't do so well for my fair skin). Not the case this time!!! I will say, having a 20% off-any-item-I-choose coupon made clothes even more appetizing. FYI:: if you sign up for their newsletter you get a 20% off coupon. Uh, and I have signed up a few more extra email addresses tonight.... ;-) 

This is sort of my "splurge item." I've been quite curious about Burt's Bees tinted lip balm. I purchased this at Ulta (stop before the mall for a few personal items) and was able to use a 20% off coupon on it (good thing, this dang stuff is $6.99 - reason why I haven't bought it until now). I tried it on tonight and am very happy with the Hibiscus color, smells lovely, does stay true to name and gives a lil color, and the balm is lightweight feeling. Good job Burt's Bees! I've been a fan of theirs for a while now and am pleased with this product. :)

Blue&Pink Plaid: American Eagle / Blue, Green & Pink Plaid: H & M/ Blazer: H & M/ Flats: H & M / Boots: Cathy Jean

Ta-da! Here are my clothing purchases from today! I finally, FINALLY got a blazer! I was able to use my coupon for it and saved about $6 (still came to about $28). While this is a more spendy item, it is good quality and something I will enjoy for a long time. I love how blazers can be worn in so many ways. 

Cheetah/leopard-- what's the difference....? These shoes make me happy too. I have been looking all over for a cute pair of flats and was glad that these fit. :) [side note: they're leopard, check here] 

Plaid shirts were items I have been wanting and I was happy that they looked good on me. Got a great deal on the A & E shirt-- got it on clearance for about $15. Yippie!

Boots weren't an expected purchase today (so technically could be a splurge item?!?!) but they feel great on my feet and for $30 bucks (70% off!), I didn't feel bad about taking them home. 

Great part of all this?! These are birthday presents. I was given some money to do some shopping so it felt great to finally get out and so some of that this afternoon. Have several more items on my list, of course. Trying to pace myself.

Anyhow.... the photo challenge of TIME was a very good one for today!  Happy FRIDAY!

Little Treasures in a Quiet Thursday

Today has been a good day, a really good one. Nothing outrageous has happened today but it has been a day filled with several little blessings. I love simple days like this.

My day started off with a run around where I live-- I changed some things up and had a pretty decent run overall. I love being outside and connecting with my surroundings. This was a lovely partly sunny day, but as most days are now, the air was thick and damp feeling. While that type of coolness tends to make me sweat more, I really it. That feeling lets me know that I am in the midst of another wonderful season.

After my run and the hours before going to work, I took care of some items such as finances. For the past three months I haven't been watching money as closely, which means I have been spending more. Since today was pay day for subbing and tutoring, I made sure to take care of sorting the check amounts into my savings accounts. While calculating my sub check I was confused with the amount I got and what I thought I should be paid. Happily, it was because of getting more versus less ;-) When I got my pay stub in the mail today I saw that I get 28 cents more per hour! YAY!

Once I figured out my money situation, I decided to make a much needed purchase online - my Maid of Honor dress. I expected to get a particular dress on Kohl's, but when I looked at it this afternoon I noticed that my size was sold out. For a second, I panicked because I have been trying to find a nice red dress. So, I crossed my fingers and searched the website again. I came across a classy red dress (an even better red color too) and with 3/4 length sleeves, which will be good since the wedding will most likely be in December. When I decided to get my dress, I was happy to see that it was on sale $63 versus the original price of $90. AND shipping was only 99 cents!! AND, AND, AND.... yes it gets better folks -- since I had the option of using a promotional code I decided to hunt online for one. I Googled and found a great website called Retail Me Not and it listed several promotional codes for Kohl's. I tried a few codes and eventually one of them worked (SMS2828, 10% off of everything, good till 10/22!) and I saved 10% on my dress (saved $6.30!). With all that said, I only paid $57.69! Not bad for a bridesmaids dress and hopefully one that I can wear for other occasions. Now, think positively that it will fit! ;-)

As for the rest of the day, I had work in the evening that ended up being pretty good even with the challenging kiddos. I feel very thankful to have this job as it gives me good teaching experience and I love that I don't have to deal with drama among co-workers. It's a professional workplace and I appreciate that very much.

Coming home was lovely - it was a good evening with all the ladies. And oh the happiness, my sister baked cookies! She is a cookie queen :) Yum... She made a great batch of chocolate chip!

Overall, very good day. Lots of goodness and blessings - on a fairly quiet and low-key day. It's the little things in life that count...

Hope your gray days are filled with sunshiney treasures! Big or small, hope you feel uplifted.

Last Weekend of May

Since I mentioned in my last post that I was going to talk about the other days I figured I better to do so! I have a very busy day ahead tomorrow and want to get this up here now. I'm going to try to give brief explanations along with a few pictures ;-)

Friday
(Not technically part of the weekend, but I'm including it this time!)
My good friend Jennifer and I hung out together. She came over to visit the new little one so that was fun. I'm glad she got to see the baby! After meeting lil Miss Cocoa Puff, Jennifer thought it would be good to get her some more toys. So we headed up to the shopping center area and went to Petco. We found some good items (like the one pictured with the girl in yesterday's post). Then after shopping at that store, Jennifer and I decided to go to a few others in the area. We ended up going to Payless Shoes, Ross, Old Navy (hadn't been in that particular store for over two years-- worked there for awhile), and made a trip to Jamba Juice. I was good about not spending too much, but I did come across a purse that was on sale at Payless. I've been wanting a larger one and this definitely works for me:

I'm thrilled that I only had to pay $14.99 for this beauty! ;-)

Saturday
Mom and I did some some "mouse housing." We went out and about to stores to get some items. One of the places was Borders and I ended up finding one of the books on my list on sale. Yippie!

$3.99- yes please

We also checked out the new DSW store near us, where I lusted over the purses... but they were way too expensive. In addition to DSW, we went to Trader Joes and then to Fred Meyer. I remembered I had a gift card from Granny for Freddy's and found something I have been wanting for awhile, a new wallet. I was surprised to find one that I liked at Freddy's. I've looked many, many times. 

The wallet cost more than the purse (~$18) but I discovered  I had a little more money on the GC than I thought. Thanks Granny!

One of our other stops included the Dollar Tree. I wanted to get my Hallmark co-workers treats as my "goodbye gift" to them and had the idea to make a bowl full of goodies. Lo and behold, the DT had everything I needed (minus the bags of chips). They had a cute popcorn bowl and lots of candy packs. Such a deal! Mom and I went to Winco to get the chips so overall I didn't spend too much and got everyone covered that way. :)

Sunday
Sunday was my last day at Hallmark. Thankfully it was very low-key and I got to chat up a storm with my co-worker. We talk about a variety of things from here to the moon so it was a good day. I will certainly miss those people, but I feel so blessed to have made some great friends. Though I'm not working there anymore I know that my friendships will continue with them. What a wonderful experience!

Oh yes, I must mention... For all the months I've worked at Hallmark there has been only one product that I have wanted. Though I couldn't seem to justify spending $6.99 on it the whole 9 months I was there. Of course, I could have gotten a discount from my manager had I bought it while she was working, but I kept telling myself  "no, no, no... you don't need that." Well, I start thinking different on Sunday, "I am going to Forest Park on Monday, I don't want to take my giant purse with me..." And then my co-worker only encourages me to indulge. Well, I bought this lovely item and here she is:

This is a cute claspy wallet! And if you're wondering, I am very glad I got it! Came in handy yesterday :) And I did get Rewards points for it... haha

I don't know why I was so silly about buying this item. In the past month or two I have bought things that I don't necessarily need, but want. I guess it was just that it was at my work and I tried to only buy cards or sometimes gifts for people. Oh well! I'm glad I have it now. We can be funny with what we want huh?

*Forgot to mention- not sure why... but after work on Sunday I drove across town for a lil family barbecue at my aunt and uncle's house. I enjoyed spending time with some of my cousins, two of my aunts, Granny and my uncle. I love how we talk about a variety of things-- from side effects of medications to old family memories. One thing that I remember most from our conversations was the topic of the natural disasters that had recently hit the South/Midwest. I love how my family cares about issues that go on around the country and the world. I feel so blessed for all that I have.


Monday- Memorial Day
I already wrote about this day yesterday so I'm just going to include a picture that I didn't put in that post. It's very important to note how simply wonderful yesterday was.... the weather was fantastic! A great end to the long weekend....

Hope you all had a blessed weekend!!!

Goals for New Schedule

Ever since I put in my two week notice I have been thinking about my new schedule. I'm excited for this change because it will allow me to get back to that thing called balance. Well, I may not ever achieve it but I might be a little better closer this time. ;-)

Since I will be working two nights per week, I will have more time of my own to control (that is the theory anyway!). I do plan on substituting as much as possible so that will affect things from time to time. However, I feel like I will be able to manage my time better because of how this part-time job will mesh with subbing.

So, one of my big goals is to exercise regularly. Unfortunately, I have cut that out of my life for far too long. I know it's important to be fit and I want it to be a part of my everyday routine. My hope is that once I'm able to get myself exercising regularly then whenever my schedule changes again I will be able to adjust easily. I think this problem was that I hadn't created a habit yet. When something becomes a habit, then you learn to incorporate into your lifestyle versus giving it up.

Speaking of exercising, I received a fun phone call from a neighbor-friend this morning. She said that the exercise studio near us is going to have an 8-week bellydance class. The studio is also having a deal too, $99 for the whole series. So that's about $12 per class. It's funny I cringe a little at spending that much money for an exercise class but then again, isn't getting healthy worth it? Plus I would be having fun with her and one of her friends. This is something we talked about several months ago and I wasn't able to do it because of my part-time job. 

I called the studio to check on the timing and then I also asked about their Zumba classes. I've heard good reviews on that exercise program and would like to try it one of these days. Once I figure out my work schedule then I'll see if I want to do one or both exercise classes.

Within this goal I also want to re-do the "Couch to 5k" running plan. I'm irritated at myself for quitting it when I was so close. I didn't make a conscious decision to quit, but I was sick for a good portion of October and then life got hectic... and then I left it in the dust. Time to try it again and make running a habit!

Another big goal for this new schedule is to increase the time I spend reading. So far this year I have read 3 books... not great considering it is May. Right now I'm working on The Help by Kathryn Stockett and am really enjoying it. Here are the books I've read this year:

• Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor (of Jordan)

I have a huge book list and it keeps growing. So I must spend more time reading, reading, reading! In this reading goal, I also need to make sure that I spend some quality time with the Bible. That's something I haven't done much of lately and know my spirit needs it.

Hmm.. so exercising and reading. I suppose I should add in writing/blogging. I would love to be a consistent blogger because (1) I love writing and (2) it is a great way to process feelings. Of course, I don't write about everything going on in my life but this is a good outlet for recording important events and thoughts.

Well I think those are all good goals for this change that's coming soon. I hope that adding these things into my life regularly will help me to be a more well-rounded individual. Exercising, reading, and writing/blogging are all good ways of growing intrapersonally and interpersonally.

Oh brother, I sound like I'm writing a paper now.... ;-)

Have a great day everyone!