Summer dresses

I spotted these great dresses in the April issue of Real Simple. I think they are so great! Nothing like being 33 1/2 weeks pregnant to get you thinking of all the super incredible dresses you could be wearing this summer ;) Maybe I'll use these for motivation to kick it into high gear!

Oh, you wanted to buy me something? Sure. But please don't spend the $375 for this Milly dress. There is a lot more you could get me for $375 ;) But isn't this fantastic?! I love the white with orange and navy. And the neck line - right up my alley!

{From Real Simple - dress at bergdorfgoodman.com}

Now this little outfit is A)More my every day style and B)A thousand times more affordable! A great white cardigan with a super cute dress! I love this. And for just $60 I could have both. That's something I could feel good about. And that doesn't even count having coupons! :)

{From Real Simple - cardigan at oldnavy.com & dress from jcp.com}

There are several dresses that I've seen lately that I think are just wonderful, but I'll hold off for a few months! The nice thing about Oklahoma weather is that the warmth lasts much longer. Chances are I can get some great dresses even cheaper by August and still wear them for awhile! Yeah!!!!

The most fabulous running shorts in the world...

Yesterday I went to Target while B was at MDO. I could wander around that store for hours and not grow weary. I had tons of diaper coupons that were going to expire, so I got a few more packages of diapers for Beta and a few packages for Benjamin. Two kids in diapers. Insane. And so we know, I have 364 size 1 diapers. It would take B so long to get through that!

I digress. After my cart was loaded I began my meandering and stumbled upon the most fabulous running shorts in the world!!!!! I even looked at target.com so I could give you a visual, but they are not there. They must be brand new. And there were matching tanks. Sigh. Now that I think about it, they weren't even on a specific rack. They were on the new-clothes-to-put-out double rack.

Now, I enjoy clothes. In fact, I love the satisfaction of finding a new pair of jeans that fit or a great top that is on sale. But more than normal, everyday clothes - I LOVE RUNNING CLOTHES!

I'm a firm believer in having work out clothes that make you feel good, that move with you and are good quality. I guess that Target isn't Nike, but my current favorite running shorts are from Target and they are still excellent (and on hiatus). Either way, I could spend ALL of my monthly clothes budget on workout clothes. AND if I had any money in my clothes budget (I am currently using my clothes budget to buy massages to get rid of sciatic nerve pain) I would have bought those shorts in an instant, I tell you!

Let me tell you about them. They are short. Tight. Black. With a rim of color at the top. And $25. That seems a little steep to me, but I would pay it. I cannot lie.

I told Patrick last night that I should have bought them so I could hang them somewhere and see them every day. Then I would tell myself, "Those shorts are going to go through training and a half marathon with you. Get ready!" That's good motivation. The matching tank isn't nearly as motivating, but I think there's nothing wrong with having a matching tank to the most fabulous running shorts in the world.

Also, a disclaimer: I cannot tell you that these shorts really are the most fabulous running shorts in the world because I have not tried them on. Although I wanted to, I just knew that I would have to try on the large and that in real life I do not wear a large in running shorts. These shorts may be awful, but when I saw them I got a good feeling about how fabulous they were and I'm going to stick with that.

When I was at the YMCA this morning, some woman had on the "matching tank" and pants that, I suppose, are in the same line as the shorts. That made me want them more, even though I can't wear either right now. Maybe I should just go get the shorts.

Sperry's

This is the thing about shoes: I enjoy them, but never find the right pair. I will say, however, that of all my shoes past and present I love none more than my chacos. Okay, and my red Hunter rain boots (you can see a pic here. Plus an added bonus of 2007 ramblings!).

Since Benjamin was born I've been on somewhat of a mission to find great shoes that I can slip on and that go with anything. Since Patrick won't let me wear my fantastic LLBean slippers out and about, it's been a tough challenge. I want shoes that are cute, not "mom shoes" and that won't wear too quickly.

When Kate was here for Christmas she had shoes that caught my eye. Cute, durable, goes with anything. And, bonus, Kate is young and hip. Meaning that wearing these shoes will make me hip (I can't help being 29, it is what it is). I've always wanted to be hip :)

I've been searching for these shoes. They are Sperry's Original Boat Shoes. In classic brown, please. After looking at the Sperry's website and zappos.com, both were not cheap. Then I checked out amazon. Duh. Why didn't I go there first?! Not only did I have a $15 gift card for amazon (thanks, Swagbucks!!), but they were on sale! Bonus. Bonus!

I'm looking forward to trying these babies out. The worst thing that could happen is that I don't like them. And that's why I'm grateful for free returns at amazon.com :)

Pretty in pink

I enjoy clothes. I like shopping for them, most of the time. I, sadly, admit that I could spend hours lusting after random items of clothing on websites that I love.

I've always wanted to be hip, but I lack serious confidence to pull off things that I see other gals wearing. My goal, someday, is to have a mature/hip wardrobe. I totally think I can do it, one piece at a time. If I can rock red rain boots on a regular basis, then surely I should be able to pull of a sweater dress, leggings, skinny jeans or some other cuteness that's in style right now.

All of this rambling brings me to this: I'm in lust with an incredible pink dress from JCrew. It's so expensive and I could try to justify it (I have 2 weddings to attend this summer, plus who doesn't want a cute pink dress on hand?). Alas, I have refrained from purchasing this dress. However, I'm certain that it will go on sale someday - hopefully before summer - and then I could reconsider this purchase.

Just so you know how cute it is here is a picture. Don't you think I would just look incredible in this pink greatness (just for the record, I would totally wear this dress in navy too)? Oh and an added bonus, Patrick likes it! This is not a coincidence, my friends!

Enough lusting, back to cleaning and organizing. I'm in another de-cluttering mood, but when am I not?

Spring is coming...

I can feel it. Sort of. Today it's 33 degrees outside and I did not button my coat OR wear gloves. Tomorrow, it's suppose to be 48! Oh my soul. It's coming. Spring is coming.

Soooooooo, I was at the mall walking around getting some cardio in for the day ;). I went to Hallmark and got some cards for my love (his birthday is Wednesday. The big 3-0!), and then I walked into Old Navy - just for fun. I was thinking about how someday soon I can buy real people clothes and be cute in new spring outfits. I can wear jeans with a zipper again and shirts that don't expand on purpose!

Then. I. saw. it.

The raincoat of happiness, color and joy. I tired it on (I had to!). It was a little snug in the chest area, but I loved it. All I could imagine was wearing it with a cute jean skirt and my red rain boots. It really is the little things in life that make me so excited!

And I bought it.

It's white and navy blue. With little flowers. On sale. Perfect! Come on, Spring, get here already!!!

It's getting close!

We leave for Europe in one week. Next Monday we're driving to Pittsburgh and staying near the airport to make sure we aren't rushing ourselves the morning of and we get to sleep in for two more hours!

I feel like I've not been able to focus on the anticipation and excitement of going to Europe because so many stressful situations have come up. Over the weekend, though, it really sank in!

On Saturday, we packed our bags. Yes, that's right. We're packed for our trip, minus a few things that need washed or that we're currently using. Initially, we packed to make sure we could fit everything in our bags. However, nothing has come out of those bags and seeing them, fully packed, sitting in the closet makes me so excited! We're going to walk around the neighborhood tonight with the bags to make sure we're able to carry them!

I was pumped about my packing! I am taking one duffle bag and I have room to spare. Here's how I packed for two weeks:
Undies and such in a gallon freezer bags
Socks and tights in a gallon freezer bad
5 of the 7 shirts I'm taking are rolled up and in a gallon freezer bag.
The other two long sleeved shirts, two white layering shirts and three tank tops are rolled up on top of the bulky things.
I'm taking 2 sweaters, which are rolled up and on the bottom of my bag.
I'm taking a sweatshirt/sweater thing that is also rolled up on the bottom.
I'm taking 2 pairs of jeans, wearing one on the plane and packing another.
I'm taking 2 skirts, which roll up very well. One jean skirt and one khaki skirt (for dressing up).
My tolietries are in one bag and my makeup in another
I'm wearing my New Balance trail running shoes and taking a pair of comfy black flats too.
AND finally, just because I have room, I'm taking my blow dryer!

I'm taking a coat, and wearing it on the plane, but hope to not need it very often during the trip! So now that you know (unnecessarily) what I'm wearing, I think I'm ready to go :)

My rain boot mission...

It rains a lot here in Indiana. Maybe I've mentioned that. I would say at least 12 days a month, in a normal month. So, rain boots seem to be a very practical purchase for me to make.

I've been thinking about rain boots since about March. I would talk to Patrick about how much I wanted a pair, then look on line a bit. I never got too serious about it. Every time it would rain I would throw my fists in the air in defeat, as I was walking to town, again, with sneakers on. On rainy days I would say to myself, "You need to get a pair of rain boots." The sun would come out the next day and I would completely forget.


Well, this time I'm serious. I'm almost as serious about this rain boot search as I was about my teapot mission. I spent some time last time searching on line for the perfect boot. Not too crazy, not too short, not plain colored unless they are Hunter's and not bright pink or lime green. I'm sure you would know that the boots I LOVE are only in Europe (as was the teapot I settled on, which turned out to be a lot more than I thought I was paying!)

Here are my favorite choices so far:

Enter the hip, the cool, the mega-expensive (there's a price & color trend with the boots I've liked) - Kate Spade Riley red daisy rain boot. I LOVE this boot. Cowgirl meets city girl in a all around girly boot with a brown buckle and sole. Seriously, love at first sight. Patrick hates these :)

Moving along to the European boots that I love. These tartan wellies are from Evercreatures. Practical, plaid and fun in every way. They were my first favorites and are having a hard time moving from the number one position. They're not a bad price, but add overseas shipping and you have reached nearly $100 for these precious puppies.

The Hunter's that I love are, of course, red. They sit pretty on any foot and are sleek enough for any outfit. I especially love the picture on one site with a very cute girl wearing these cuties with white tights and a jean skirt. That could be me! Also a pricey pair, but I've read excellent reviews on these flaming red beauties!

So, do I invest in a good pair of boots? Or do I hop over to Target and pay twenty bucks for a cute, but cheaply made pair of rain boots. I just don't know. These aren't just winter boots, folks. The boots I'll buy will get year 'round use! What is a girl to do with a rain boot dilemma? Any suggestions...please :)

My Christmas present

This jacket is my Christmas present from Carol and Frank. I tried it on today and could barely stand to take it off. We were quite taken with it, so Carol bought it for me a bit earlier than Christmas. You'll probably see me in it often.