A Little Bit of Sunshine for the Gray Skies

I have this thing for yellow and gray. Always have. I just like the combination together. I don't like black and yellow together-it looks too much like a bumble bee. I'm not a huge fan of brown with yellow. It always looks like fall to me. So if I'm wearing gray, I love to pair it with some unexpected combinations like citron yellow and aubergine.

I'm a mom, so some days I don't get a shower. I usually don't have time to fix my hair, do my makeup and post an "outfit of the day". Besides, I'm bloated and blah, blah, blah. You know the rest.

Some bloggers take pictures of their outfits in the bathrooms (great mirrors), some in their bedrooms, some outside, some in their closets. Closets....yeah, that's it. I'll do an "outfit of the day" or "OOTD" as the blogworld likes to call it. But here's my twist. Mine's going to be on the floor. Yep, ON the floor. Without me in them. How ya like that?

J Crew Houndstooth Coat

J Crew silk sleeveless tuxedo pleated blouse

Gray cuffed Theory pants from 4 yrs. ago

Old Navy Faux-Gem Button Cardigan

Belt-I think I bought this at Wal-Mart (clearance $5, a few weeks back)

Shoes-Mossimo "Virginia" Pumps-Wine

Necklace- I think this is Kohl's Vera Wang

Detail of the croc print belt. It's reversible.

You can see here that the shoes are wine color.

Necklace and close-up of the tuxedo pleat of the blouse.

Is this a weird color combination, or do you think the colors go well together? I'd love to hear (honestly) what all you fashionistas think.

Ain't Nothin' But a Houndstooth

This fall, my trend radar has been on high alert. I've kept my investment pieces such as my black riding pants, cardigans, J Crew cords, boyfriend jeans, skinny jeans, and Tory Burch Revas.

To jazz things up and update my fall wardrobe, I've added lots of fun scarves, booties, tall boots, fun tights and unique jackets from J Crew and Loeffler Randall.

One trend that has caught my eye is the oversized graphic houndstooth print that both fashion and home furnishing designers have incorporated into their designs this year. I'm loving it!

Here are the great houndstooth print pieces I'm salivating over right now!

Bailey 44 "Behavior Mod" Houndstooth Check Jacket

Dear Hubby, I don't know if you ever read my blog, but I'd love this for Christmas or even a "thanks for birthing my babies" present.

Houndstooth Rain Boots from Target

Kate Spade "Small Coal" New Town Tote

J Crew Houndstooth "Greta" Jacket

I have this jacket in the gray color. It's from a few seasons back and I still love it. It's an all-around versatile coat. I've paired it with skinny gray jeans and boots and also worn it with wide leg trousers and a dressy top.

"Oh Deer" Houndstooth Heels with Patent Caps

Houndstooth Bath Accessories from BedBathStore.com

Photo Source: Whitney Caroline Designs website

Oh my, how cute are these bags from WhitneyCarolineDesigns.com?

And from my F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E....Forever 21.

Here's a whole page of wonderful houndstooth pieces.

Here's just a little sampling.....and BTW, Santa, I'd love this little jacket for Christmas.

Forever 21 Wool Jacket

Have a great Friday!!!!

My First Guest Blogger Post!

Hey everyone, I'd like you to meet my new Twitter/Blogger friend, Meredith Sinclair. Her website is Hoo-Dee-Hoo.com. I love to watch her videos. She absolutely cracks me up, not to mention that she's BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL and such a cool mom. She has lots of great tips for parenting, household "managing", and all the other tasks that go with being a Super Mom.

Meredith asked me to share my "Five for Friday" post on her blog. I was truly honored to be asked, and may have to see if she would like to do a guest post on here as well. (wink, wink, hint, hint). Go check out her website and my post here.

Have a great day!

Menu Plan Monday

It seems every week there's one day that messes up my Menu Plan. The girls started Taekwondo last week and it left me with little time to get the meal for that day prepped so that it would be done in time for dinner. So that was a fast food night. Overall the meal planning is making life easier and I find myself going to the grocery store a lot less and I really think I'm saving money.

Because of the kink in my schedule, once again, I'm going to use one of "intended" recipes from last week. I was sitting down today looking at my calendar, and it's an uber-busy week, so I plan on making at least 2 meals in which we can have leftovers the next night.

Monday

Three Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage

*Was supposed to make this last week and got too busy

Tuesday

Leftover Lasagna

Wednesday

Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Breasts

Baked Beans

Fresh Corn on the Cob

Green Salad

Rolls

Thursday

Leftover Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Breasts

served sliced on large green salad

with avocados, tomatoes, and purple onion

Friday

"Fend For Yourself Friday"

Either make a sandwich

or order takeout--

Mama's off duty.

Five For Friday

It's been a while since I've done "Five For Friday", so here it is my shmookums.

My Five Favorite Ways to Save Money When Shopping Online

1. It's no secret, I love Ebates. If you haven't heard of it, it's a free website where you register and get money back for your purchases. Here's the trick.....you have to go to the Ebates website FIRST, click on the store from which you want to purchase, and it will then send you directly to that site. This creates a "tracking ticket", so that Ebates can keep a record of your purchase. You will then get a rebates check quarterly. If you shop a lot online, this really is a great idea. Bloomingdales, Old Navy, Gap, Sephora, and hundreds other retailers are all on there. Even Ebay (buy it now) has a percentage back plan.
2. I ALWAYS do a Google search for "promotion codes" "coupons" for each particular store before I buy. Here's an example.....I google "Banana Republic promotion code coupons". Sites like Coupon Cabin, Retailmenot, and a handful of other sites will pop up. There may be coupon codes for free shipping or percentages off. Sometimes there's nothing, zilch. I don't spend a long time looking for the coupons. If there's one out there, you'll be able to find it rather quickly. If there's a code, I write it down, but first I go through Ebates to my desired site. When I check out, that's when I plug in the coupon code. So you may save on shipping or get a discount.....and then also get a percentage back from Ebates. It's that easy.
3. I sign up for promotional emails from the stores from which I regularly make purchases. I hate getting a ton of extra emails, but usually those emails are the ones that will garner the biggest discounts. I buy my kids' school uniforms from Lands' End and with the email discounts I get from them, I save a ton of money. You will also get "exclusive" sales like "Friends and Family" sales from Gap, Old Navy, Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Loft, Bloomingdales, and many others. Another tip: know the stores' return policies. Do they offer free return shipping? Do they charge restocking fees? Is there a time limit on returns?
4. Here's a trick that doesn't always work, but is worth a try. If there's an item that you know isn't in danger of being sold out or you aren't quite sure about it, put it in the "cart" on your store's website, but don't go through with the checkout just yet. Let that joker just brew in there a day or two. Don't clear the cookies on your computer during this time. If you've signed up for email notices for that particular store, there's a good chance they will have tracked those items in your online cart and then you will get a "mysterious" email with a discount. This has happened NUMEROUS times to me, especially with Gap and Lands' End.
5. Subscribe to blogs that feature the clothing/accessories from stores you love. I find a lot of coupons and discounts on those blogs. You know us women....we like to talk, share, and compare. I find I save money by seeing how some of the pieces look IRL vs. on a 98 lb. model in a catalog. I've seen items that looked horrible online, but after seeing them look fabulous on my lovely blogger friends.....I've gone out and made a purchase. On the flip side, I once had my mind set on buying a particularly popular jacket, but then changed my mind based on blog reviews. Bloggers give an honest perspective on the quality and sizing of clothing that the catalogs and websites just can't offer. It's nice to hear if an item fits "true to size" vs. running bigger or smaller. This, in turn, can later save on shipping and restocking fees associated with returns.

Do you have any money saving tips, websites, or blogs that help you save money? Please share!