Weekend To Do List

This weekend, I ate food and wore shoes. Good times.

I've come to a bit of a realization: I kind of suck at weekends. Here it is, the end of the weekend, and I'm feeling a bit frazzled. I just spent the past 2 days just go, go, going and I'm both tired and frustrated that I didn't quite get everything done. New goal for September is better weekend management. That said, here's how I (badly) spent the past 48 hours:

1. Sweating

I've been a bit frustrated with my fitness situation of late. After a winter and spring that saw me missing too many workouts while suddenly remembering how delicious Oreos are, I've been trying to get back on track and drop about 15lbs of extra cushion. Lately I've been pushing myself with some intense workouts (lots of cardio, body weight exercises, and Shaun T kicking my ass in 25 minute clips). I started out my Saturday off with a long interval run and hit the gym again this morning. I feel sore, but somehow still don't feel like I'm making the progress I want. I'll be glad to start half marathon training this fall, somehow it just seems to fall into place when I have a goal and a good training schedule to rely on.

2. A big bowl of happiness

I've developed a bit of a Chipotle habit on the weekend...sometimes it is really the little things that make you happy. I don't go crazy - brown rice, veggies, chicken, lettuce, and guac is enough of a reward after a hard workout without totally undoing the calorie burn. My lunch was the perfect thing to fuel me for tackling my to-do list, including a few errands, house cleaning, laundry, and the like. So glamorous.

3. Rain for days

The weather this weekend was a total downer. Scary, house-shaking thunderstorms each day with buckets of rain falling at the worst times. I got talked into picking up an extra shift at Give Kids The World and spent Saturday evening driving around the Village in a very soggy golf cart. The kids make it all worthwhile, though, and good rain boots make splashing in the puddles almost fun.

4. Fall fashion scouting

Hey look, more shoes! Sunday morning involved a quick trip to the mall -- I had a few things to return and I took advantage of relatively empty stores to do a little scouting. It's always fun to see fresh looks hit the stores, even if plaid flannel shirts don't seem particularly inviting right now. I checked out a few things that I'd been eyeing online, and I discovered a few new potential must-haves. 

My favorite are these simple, sexy heels. The come in black, bright pink, and (my favorite) a pretty light beige color. I'll confess that I am not the biggest fan of Forever 21 shoes -- they are of dubious quality and comfort, and I am trying to limit my consumption of fast fashion. But I am definitely considering these. They seem fairly sturdy, and while likely not super comfy, they're not shoes I would plan to do a ton of walking in. I think they'd look great with a pair of long and lean flared jeans, a relaxed button down shirt, and a cool necklace.

5. Easy Sunday dinner

Rain, rain, rain. The weather continued to suck into Sunday afternoon and I was feeling a little bummed about not making a lot of time in the weekend for fun. After another shift at GKTW, I headed to one of my favorite neighborhoods in Orlando for a satisfying dinner -- Mamak serves Asian street food in a cool, trendy space. It was really perfect -- the food is delicious and the vibe is fun but relaxed. Just buzzy enough to feel like I was "out" without worrying that I'd be judged for my comfy jeans and rain-frizzed hair. Tacos, spring rolls, and a few bites of roti canai (amazing fried bread) were a nice way to finish the weekend.

Does anyone else struggle with finding balance on the weekends, or is it just me?

Wednesday Wishlist: Tell Me About it, Stud

We're just days away from summer and three carefree months of relaxed summer fashion: pretty florals, gauzy dresses, billowy pants. Not typically associated with summer: studs. This edgy look is always popular in the fall and winter, but right now I'm kind of digging pieces accented with a little heavy metal to add some attitude to my sweeter summer wardrobe.

House of Harlow Crystal Stud Earrings ($34) -- I adore these simple earrings with an art deco vibe -- I'd love to wear them with a slim tank and skinny leather pants. Sadly, I don't wear leather pants, but I will definitely wear them with a simple wrap dress at work or a billowy column dress on the weekends.

Linea Pelle Double Wrap Mixed Studded Bracelet ($25) -- you can add this to just about any outfit for the perfect little wink of edginess.

Express Pyramid and Pave Stud Earrings ($9) -- super affordable little basic studs that you'll wear for years.

Urban Expression Lula Stud Drawstring Handbag ($40) -- this adorable pouch is a little bit rocker and a little bit boho. I think it's the perfect bag for summer evening shenanigans. Carry all of your essentials without being totally weighed down.

Orciani Wallet ($101) -- here's an incredibly subtle way to work this trend. Every time you pull this out of your bag you'll flash just the right amount of badass-ness.

VC Signature Calada Studded Leather Slipons ($100) -- when you arrange the studs to look like flowers, you get a perfectly pretty and practical pair of summer shoes.

Society of Chic Stud Crop Top ($38) -- what can I say, Madonna was my first style icon. This could easily go costume-y or trashy, but I'd try keeping it simple with a floaty skirt and some simple flat sandals.

March Budget

It is budget post time already! Where did March go? I'm happy to say this month was a success for both my wallet and my closet. 

Here's what I bought...

Starting Budget:

$200

Purchases:

Merona Shortsleeve Jumpsuit ($30)
Banana Republic Sweater Sleeve Duffle Coat ($104, on sale)
F21 Windowpane Blouse ($16)
Mossimo Glitter Sandals ($10, on sale)
F21 Striped Tshirt Dress ($18)
F21 Drawstring Pants ($15)
Target Nolan Slides, Fawn and Gold ($30 each, used gift card)
Merona Envelope Clutch ($17, used gift card)
(not pictured) Jeweled t-strap heels ($18, thrifted)

Total: $211

$11 over? I'll take it!

I felt like I spent a lot of time shopping this month, so I was expecting another busted budget. Luckily I did get a few deals and found a few Forever 21 gems (and I did end up with a couple of returns), so I was able to stick pretty close to my goal.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my purchases. I'm in love with the windowpane blouse -- it is so light and airy and has a great drape-y fit. I was pleasantly surprised with my other Forever 21 purchases, too -- the wide leg pants are great for those rare occasions when I need to dress like an adult for my job and brave the sticky Florida heat (when you work from home, leggings are your best friend), and the striped dress is pretty fab.

I did buy quite a few pair of shoes, but I feel like all of them will be in heavy rotation over the next few months. You can never have too many cute and walkable sandals (especially in a year-round summer climate). I don't think I actually need another jumpsuit, but I just like this one so much...it's OK to have one relatively cheap nonessential splurge, right? And that coat -- wow. I mentioned previously that I caught this on a super sale. This was an impulse buy for sure and I normally like to plan for major purchases like winter coats, but I was glad that I pulled the trigger when I saw a great deal.

Returned:

It's never fun when you're disappointed by something you thought you'd adore. I absolutely love the look of these Target pumps, but they were just too small. Ugh. They come in a great leopard pattern, too, and I would have bought both pair in a heartbeat but I am too old to force myself into uncomfortable shoes. And the Kate Spade Constellation Sweater was a dud. I wanted a great rich navy blue sweater and I got one that was more of a dull black. It also looked a little cheap (but definitely wasn't, even on sale).

I'm hoping April will be a bit of a lighter shopping month. There aren't really many things I need, so this might be a good time to focus on quality instead of quantity and think about investing in something special...maybe even something off of my wishlist.

Linking up with Franish and the fabulous budgeting bloggers -- be sure to stop by and see what the other ladies bought this month. And let me know if you've bought anything good lately!

Wednesday Wishlist: Blush and Bashful

I'm not sure exactly what color bashful is, but I am definitely loving all of the blush shades I'm seeing everywhere.

1. How great are these heels? I love the metallic accents and cutouts -- a great variation on a classic nude pump.

2. Pale pink is kind of an unexpected color for a leather jacket, but a nice breath of fresh air for spring. It will go with more than you might think -- definitely neutrals like black, white, gray, and camel, but also bolder colors like grass green, tomato red, and navy blue.

3. For when you just want to look at life through rose-colored glasses. Sometimes I have a hard time wearing aviators (big head, don't care), so I like these larger frames.

4. This blouse is just so pretty -- the subtle color and the intricate lace around the neckline are really flattering, and perfect for showing off a great pair of earrings (love, love, love these).

5. I've had this tassel necklace on my radar for a while, not sure why I haven't pulled the trigger. It is fairly substantial, so it is a nice way to make a statement without going the traditional bib necklace route.

6. Who would guess these classic and sophisticated quilted ballet flats are from Payless? This is a great neutral shoe when you're sick of your basic black flats.

7. I love the shape of this jacket, particularly the fact that it has short sleeves (professional dressing in Florida can be tricky, and occasionally you need to emerge from the air conditioned cocoon). This is from The Limited's Scandal collection -- wear it when you need a bit of Olivia Pope badass-ery.

8. I've seen a number of blush colored handbags and honestly, I didn't love any of them. Inexpensive bags tended to look too chalky, and the pricier ones seemed impractical. I do love this great weekend bag -- it is super chic and has great reviews. It is almost time to start planning those long weekends at the beach...

9. I like a touch of pink in my tech accessories. I've never spent more than twenty bucks on headphones, but if I felt like splurging I would definitely go with these (and you know about the major ShopBop sale happening now, so this would be a good time to pull the trigger). And I love the combo of blush and neon pinks in this iPhone case -- I'm ordering this one for myself.

10. I placed an order for these Sam and Libby slides in this color (Fawn) and also metallic gold (Target has a nice buy 1, get 1 half off sale right now). The heel height is perfect -- completely walkable with a little lift. It is surprisingly hard to find this happy medium between flats and 4" wedges -- why is that?