Friday's Fancies {Chambray Love}

Chambray: Such a great fabric to wear this season! It's light and airy and goes with just about any thing you pair it with! Seems like a problem-solver piece to own!

I own a dress/outfit similar to the top creation, but will absolutely be adding more to my wardrobe this season! 

im in love...with the maxi

Last summer I bought a couple maxi dresses and absolutely lovvveed them! So, this summer, I'm buying more! I've already bought two for the season. You may have already seen the photos! These long flowy beauties are heaven and so comfy. How amazing?! They are perfect! 

Not only are they all the things I just said, but they cover my pale legs until I get some color-never will I know what it's like to have a "great natural tan." It's a job for me to get any kind of color.

{You lucky B*s who do get an easy tan!}

I just use the spray in desperate times for that, but all summer, I can cover up and look fab all at the same time. GENIUS. 

I hope they never go out of fashion, or you can best believe I'll be the one wearing them when they are long out of style. I'll be the girl stuck in 2012...in 2020. {Like the women with hair from the 70's} No joke.

And for all you preggo mamas, it's perfect little cute dresses, and how easy & comfortable!? If I were preggo, I'd stock up! Well, I'm stocking up anyways!

1/2/3/4/5/6

friday's fancies-picnic style

I'm so ready for summer and summer fashion! I'm also so into the maxi dress! It's so air-y, comfortable, yet fashionable all at the same time! I would definitely wear a maxi dress to sit on the grass for a picnic! 

I would also throw on a pair of my fave JCrew shorts and a tank, and I'm ready to go! 

And the TB sandals go with just about any summer outfit!

Grab some cute sunnies, your packed picnic basket-->favorite bottle of vino and goodies, your besties and you're ready to go!

image via pinterest, here 

I saw this photo from Inslee and just had to include!

Happy picnicing! I can't wait to get out there and enjoy the summer!

"wishes" really do come true

A few weeks I was perusing the Kate Spade website and stumbled upon a lovely pair of wedges I fell in love with. With my whole heart! I would go to the ends of the world and back for these lovelies! {Well, maybe not that far, but you get my point!} 

Gaze your eyes upon these:

"The Wish"

I usually am an impulse buyer and just hit the "BUY" or "ADD TO BASKET" button or if shopping in real life {ya know, you do still go to the mall, right?!} I just pick up the item and just buy it, no hesitations! 


Growing up, my mom would always, ALWAYS say, "well, let's wait a few days and come back, if it's still here you can get it." or "let's wait until it goes on sale." I used to HATE when she said things like that! HAAAATTTE it! Well, for some reason a few weeks ago I had my mom perched on my shoulder and whispering in my ear and I decided to wait a few days. {I guess I was being responsible with my money and not impulse buying or trying to spend less, but who am i kidding!?} and I just would pop on the website and just gaze at how much I loved them so! 


Well, one afternoon, I decided today was the day! I was going to buy them! I have an orientee at work {basically I'm supposed to teach her how to become a nurse, and so she does most of my work, so I have a lot of free time} and I was going to buy them that night with my downtime. When I woke up that afternoon {4:30pm} I checked the website, looked at my beauties and got ready for work. I got to work and took report and my orientee and I discussed a few things for the start of shift and I sent her on her merry way to check on our patients and I went shopping! {8:00pm} 


When I got on the website I could not find the shoes anywhere! I clicked every page: Handbags, clothes, jewelry, accessories. They had to be there somewhere! They were just there a few hours before! I was in a panic. I was now tachycardic {I feel the need to use a medical term, since I am at work} Maybe it's just a technical error. So, I called customer service! The gentleman on the phone was so kind to tell me there were 2, yes, 2 pairs left in the nation that were my size! He kindly gave me the store phone numbers where they were located, one in Dallas, and the other in Los Angeles. So, the next day I set my alarm on my phone to opening store hours for central time and west coast time because I wanted to make sure I got my hands on those shoes first thing in the morning! {reminder: I work nights and would be sleeping during the day so I set the alarms to wake me up during the daytime for each store opening!}


Sadly, when I called the sales person said they did not have the shoes any longer and that they were sorry. So, I took it upon my self to do some more digging. On the website, you can find a listing of phone numbers to all of their stores across the nation! Yes, I did this. A girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do! After waking up one day I went down the list and called most of them in search for the shoes. 


Here's my dialogue:


Me: "Hi, I'm looking for "The Wish" summer wedges. I know they were a summer shoe, I was just hoping you may still have a few in stock!?"
KS sales: "Oh, no those were a summer shoe and they have been sent back, I'm sorry."
Me: "Oh, ok thank you." <insert tears>


repeat 


A few weeks pass, Jump to today Tuesday August 30! 


I wake up to find the Kate Spade sample sale. I quickly scroll through and what is there in my size?! THE SHOES!!! They are called "The Wish" and a wish I made. That these are now going to be mine! I can't wait for that package to show up on my doorstep!

My exciting 6 days off...

One thing I love about my job is that I only work 3 days a week. Those are loonnggg and hard 3 nights, BUT I can schedule myself how I want and I can strategically schedule myself to have a up to 8 days off in a row without taking any vacation time! This week I randomly had 6 days off and no plans to go anywhere. Let's see what I did...

Thursday

Friday

I think I didn't leave my couch for 18 hours! The night shift really takes it out of me! And it takes a day or two to switch over to "normalcy" If I ever really get to that...

Also Friday, I went with some friends to a local bar for a drink or two...

Saturday

POOL ALL DAY

Shopping around town for our Dr gifts {post to follow}

Dinner with some friends out on a patio. The weather was nothing but absolutely PERFECT! 

Downtown for some late night fun!

my picture taking has really been slacking lately...so sorry...

Sunday

Church & lunch with the fam

Then my trip to Lowes and my home decor project! {Post to follow...}

Monday

Cleaning/laundry

Made yummy desserts

My cousin sells Mary Kay make up and I hosted a party for her. There were 7 of us girls having a little facial party! Sadly I forgot to take any pictures...but really you wouldn't want to see my makeup-less face!

For hosting, I got $100 of product for $35!!! SCORE. I've never used their products...so I'll trial them and report back! 

I got...

Firming eye cream

Gotta stop those wrinkles before they start!

Microdermabrasion

Fights fine lines, boots collagen, refines pores, and achieve beautifully looking skin.

85% saw an improvement in skin texture

73% saw a reduction in fine lines

71% saw smaller looking pores

Pressed Mineral Powder

My powder is almost out, so good reason to get a new one now anyways.

Tuesday

Paid bills...no fun...

I went to Chase bank to pay the difference in an Escrow on my mortgage payment and I talked to the banker about the details...nothing I understand. Then I was about to stand up and leave and she says,"I see you don't have your primary banking with us, where do you bank?" I respond and say the bank that I use and she proceeds to turn into a sales woman for Chase bank. I sit and listen to everything she says while thinking...

-This was supposed to be a quick errand

-Her headband isn't very becoming on her

-Nod and smile

-What is a good question {not knowing banking information} I can ask that the current bank I use as a competitor does better?

-It's just a royal pain to transfer everything. I'm sure your bank is grand. I just don't want the hassle. 

Then I politely respond and say I'll discuss it with my parents because they are my financial advisors. Again, I stood up and tried to leave and she said she was going to go get the mortgage person to come talk to me regarding interest rates and see if he could get my interest rate lower. This would be a GREAT benefit...but luckily he was on a conference call. I do NOT understand this stuff and I really do need my parents present to discuss and TRANSLATE. My brain is medical trained. Not biz/banking. So she took all my info and wants to follow up.

NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT ANSWER UNKNOWN NUMBERS THIS WEEK!

Again, I'm sure your bank is grand, I just don't want the hassle of transferring. 

Then I went to the mall.........

I intended on buying 1 thing. 1 thing only. I repeat 1 thing only was my intention.

This is the 1 thing I went for: 

Eye primer

It was cloudy and overcast today. I blame the weather. If it had been sunny this wouldn't have happened.

While I was there I also bought my BFF's favorite lipgloss by Hourglass called Origami. She absolutely loves it and I've never found one GO-TO color...so, I'm trying this one this time around. 

I have about a zillion perfumes. Maybe a zillion and one. Because I have this many I've never used a whole bottle of any one of them...UNTIL NOW! I used my entire bottle of Chloe. I LOVE it THAT MUCH! So today I also bought a new bottle. One of sales girls showed me a gift set that was a perfume AND a lotion for the same price as a single perfume bottle. Good deal Lauren!

I'm very particular about hair volumizer. The worst probably. I have quite a few expensive salon root lifter, volumizer, mousse products under my sink that were basically used only a few times because in my opinion they were crap! I would really like to know how much money I've wasted spent on these worthless products. So, I'm always on the prowl for a new, better one! This is risky business here people! I was a little skeptical after all the failed attempts at salon caliber and expensive products. The best one I've found is...drum roll please...$4. So, I bit the bullet and paid the $26, but after using it today...I was pleased! I think I'll keep it! 

All these items ON SALE!!!

I also got a few other things, just no picture to show.

I'm really upset about this weather...I was hoping for sunny lay out weather on my days off...but no, they decide to show up when I go back to work...

Well that was my recap of the last week...

Do you all have fun 4th of July plans?! 

are you a Coppertone baby?

Do you all stand in the long isle in front of the countless sunscreens at the drug store like I do?! I guess it's marketing at it's best...I never know which product is "best." For the first time in 30 years, the FDA has released new guidelines for sunscreens. With the increase in skin cancer awareness and skin protection, it's important to educate yourself and be knowledgeable of what the labels are telling you, especially since it's prime-time summa and prime-time sunnin' time!

Factors I look for:

UVA/UVB block

SPF number

Cost

Smell 

{yes, weird I know, but I do buy based on better smelling product}

Waterproof. 

Oil free.

{I have had face issues the past year, so I don't need anything else contributing to that problem. I have found most brands make a smaller bottle that is a faces oil free!}

Things to Know:

UVB rays cause sunburns

SPF=protection against UVB only

UVA rays cause premature aging and skin cancer 

"Broad Spectrum"=sunscreen products that pass the FDA’s test for protection against both UVA and UVB rays

Key Ingredients: Zinc or Titanium--minerals that scatter/reflect the sunlight 

SOME CHANGES

The word "sunblock" has to be discontinued because it overstates the product's effectiveness.

Sunscreens will be required to protect against UVA and UVB rays, or they must label with a warning. 

Products will be required to stop claiming their sunscreens are "waterproof" or "sweatproof." Instead, they can be labeled as "water resistant" for 40 minutes. You should be re-applying!

Sunscreens labeled as both Broad Spectrum and SPF 15 (or higher), if used regularly, as directed, and in combination with other sun protection measures will help prevent sunburn, reduce the risk of skin cancer, and reduce the risk of early skin aging.

The maximum sunscreen will be 50+ because there is not sufficient data to show that products with SPF values higher than 50 provide greater protection for users than products with SPF values of 50. 

UVA protection Four Star Rating System:

* low protection

** medium protection

*** high protection

**** the highest UVA protection available in an over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen product.

Be smart, lather up!
Have a fun and safe summer!

Please follow all sun safety tips and see your dermatologist if you have any skin conditions that are abnormal and require attention.

all information researched from FDA.gov, abclocal.com, & orlandosentinel.com. Please forgive my lack of appropriate citing! I've forgotten all legal rules since college...

been shopping...

While at work on a Friday night, I was browsing the web and come across a few little cuties that I just had to have didn't need!

all from VS

First, this little number for fun outings with the girls:

I'm thinking jazz it up with a gold longer necklace.

Simply Fab.

Next, this little swimmie. I bought it because I absolutely looooove the bottoms. Not a huge fan of the top. (Only because I don't tan very well and can't wear white well...) So...I bought the next suit to wear the pink triangle top with the patterned bottoms. Good idea?

Annnd Vicki's should hire me as a swimsuit model because this is what I look like in these swimsuits!  I kid, I kid...I wish!

 Pink top with patterned bottoms and...get this...

this suit was only $19! The whole thing! Couldn't pass that up...so, I also got it in green and white stripe...not shown, sad face.

And this lovely cover up. I got it in off-white last year. It's a loose, slinky fabric. SOO comfy and

air-y. It's one of my favorites.

Where do you all shop for swim suits?! I'd like a new site/store to shop!

Romper Love

I remember when I was a kid I had a romper that I wanted to wear daily! And if I remember correctly, it was floral. Also, a HOTT summer trend! Thankfully my mom didn't let me and she would throw it in the laundry, but it was my favorite thing to wear in the summer!
My how the trends come 'round!
Here we are some 15-20 years later and they are all the rage again!
How cute are they! 

I will be ordering myself a few of these soon for summer nights and for summer days!

Are you feelin' the Romper Love?!