Girls Night Out

Most of my good girlfriends from high school have spread across the Midwest over the past few years

Luckily, everyone's family still lives here in good 'ol Webb City

Which means, all the girls make their way back for holidays!

We always make a point to get everyone together to catch up on each other's lives

AND have a really good time :)

It never fails, that every time we get together, I remember why I love these girls so much!

There are always good stories, exciting news, and many laughs.

No matter how far apart we all may be or how much time passes between each get together, we always reconnect like we are back in high school!

Please excuse the dark pictures!

Sweater- Old Navy $28

Long Sleeve Shirt- Old Navy $10

Necklace- Old Navy $7

Belt- Buckle $12

Jeans- American Eagle $25

Boots- Michael Kors via Ross $80

Hope you all are having a great start to this week! I am getting excited about the holidays!

THANKSgiving!

I had lots to be thankful for this year:

My husband, family, sweet puppies, and our new adventure in Oklahoma.

Although my husband is still gone, it was great to spend time with family for this holiday!

I am slowly realizing that I may or may not be obsessed with Old Navy lately.

I didn't realize how much I have been accumulating until people have been asking me where I got things and ON seems to be the most common answer...

I used to HATE that place!

I actually swiped this sweater vest from the little girl's department

Surprisingly, a lot of the L's and XL's in the girls, seem to fit similar to S's and M's in women's

I always do a quick sweep through the children's department because the style for little girls is similar to women's, just in a smaller size. AND CHEAPER. haha

Polka Dot Sweater- Old Navy $15

Sweater Vest- Old Navy $7

Bubble Necklace- Ebay $9

Jeans- American Eagle $25

Boots- Payless $40

Drive Me Crazy... Maybe?

I decided to channel my inner-Beyonce and go for these fun fall colors!

However, I was substitute teaching in a 3rd grade classroom and her take on it just wasn't quite appropriate!

It was jean day though, hallelujah. 

I think that was about the only perk of being in a 3rd grade classroom. I don't know how you elementary teachers do it. I came home hoarse, stressed, and tired.

23 8-year olds will sure wear you out. 

I won't even get into the issues I had to deal with... But I will say that I am SHOCKED at how much these little kids know (about the things they aren't SUPPOSED to  know)!!

I stole Beyonce's rust, white, jean, and boot concept and made it my own.

Please excuse the pictures. They just don't ever turn out as good inside!

I am determined to get better pictures for this blog one day. 

I went shopping at Savoir-Faire this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas!

I have shopped them online several times but it was exciting to actually get to go IN the store.

Not to mention, they had some pretty killer sales going on and I was able to snatch up a few pieces for this look.

If you are in the area, go check them out.

Or, you can check them out and shop here!

Rust Blazer: Savoir-Faire $21

White Chiffon Button Down: Savoir Faire $10

Necklace: c/o Rocksbox

Jeans: American Eagle $25

Belt: Target $12

Boots: Michael Kors via Ross $80

What is everyone's plans for the upcoming holiday? Yes I mean Thanksgiving AND Black Friday ;)

And more importantly, what will you be wearing??

TOO Chunky

I love a great cable knit sweater just as much as the next girl

but when is chunky just, TOO much chunky?

I had originally put this outfit together with a great plaid flannel underneath

I loved the colors and style

However, I looked like I ate the cookie aisle!

I tried belting it & it just made it WORSE!

I have seen so many bloggers pull this off and it looks adorable!

Sweater: Target- $24

Necklace: Ebay- $9

Jeans: American Eagle- $25

Boots: Payless- $50

What do you do to layer chunky sweaters together without looking chunky yourself?

PLEASE share with me how you layer sweaters like this!!!

Thank you :)

Have a blessed Friday!

THANKFUL

If you follow me on Facebook you know that I have been posting each and everyday what I am thankful for. It has been fun to reflect on life and specifically choose one thing to be thankful for!

But today, I want to bring it to the blog.

I am thankful for the selfless, brave, and courageous Veteran's of this great nation's military.

This past week was also the Marine Corps birthday. Although my husband and I were unable to attend the birthday ball this year, we have some great memories over the past 7 years.

So in honor of Veteran's Day and the Marine Corps Birthday, I wanted to introduce my own very special hero!

Please say hello to the very handsome SSGT Jake Layton!

This photograph was from our wedding day in 2010. 

I want to extend a big 'ol THANK YOU to all of our other Veteran's out there! May you have a blessed day :)

"It's Ok" Thursday

Today I am linking up over HERE for my first edition of "It's Ok" Thursday!

IT'S OK:

To have all my Christmas shopping done! It feels so good!

That I see my husband in 34 days!!

That I have been eating Casey's (gas station) doughnuts for breakfast almost everyday

That I shouldn't be shopping yet I have about 6 tabs open of various shopping carts online :)

That the election didn't turn out exactly how I hoped it would because God is still in control!

That my Pandora station has been stuck on some OLD school music for the last week!

That I have a new obsession with Criminal Minds

That my little German Shepherd terrorist scratched TWO cars! (Who does that!??)

That I am obsessed with buying boots.. Every color, every design. It's all necessary right?

That I am NOT looking forward to the little 2nd graders I have today in class... I might have no hair left afterwards

That this is my first link-up & I am excited to continue with this, as well as add more in the future :)

Have a wonderful Thursday!

 Be blessed-

Mrs. L

New Boots!

 I am a little boot obsessed! And when I find a Michael Kors pair on sale.. I really just can't pass it up. It's like, NOT allowed!

See! Prettyyyyy :) 

I also love this big bulky sweater! It is easy to throw on over a shirt for a good "fall" look. 

Sweater: The Rage- $42

Long Sleeve Shirt: Old Navy- $12

Bubble Necklace: Ebay- $12

Jeans- American Eagle- $27

Boots (Shop Here!)- Michael Kors- $79 (Scored on Sale at Ross!)

And this is my other furry "child" Lexi! She is a deaf Catahoula Leopard Dog. She has the most gorgeous blue eyes and is such a sweetheart. We also rescued her from the Humane Society. Several families had adopted her and taken her back a few weeks later because they didn't understand how to work with a deaf dog. However, we have trained her with hand signs for sit, stay, no, speak, lay down, and play dead! Leiba and her are best friends and I don't think they could survive without each other. Lexi relies on Leiba an exceptional amount because she is deaf and looks to her for a lot of things.

 I love the special bond I have with my puppies!

& On the 7th Day... She Shopped!

I have a nasty habit of doing an unacceptable amount of online shopping on Sunday's. 

And since I can't break that habit, I will share with you what is on my list for the day..

Mind you it is only 8:30am :)

This adorable skirt is an Ebay order from China. They have 25 colors of this skirt for a whopping $9.85 each (free shipping too!). I ordered this color (expect 3-4 weeks for shipping) and should receive it this week! I can't wait to wear with tights and blazers. Yum!

Shop here on Ebay

I am loving the tulle skirt for holiday parties! They styled it exactly how I would in this picture with tights, heels, and a simple shirt. It is a little pricier at $62 but it just seems too perfect to pass up!

Shop here at Shabby Apple

Now if this sweater doesn't scream holiday party, I don't know what does! The black and white with the sequins is to die for. Even better? It is Mossimo from Target for $29.99! Absolutely love this.

Shop here at Target

On the much more casual side, I love this t-shirt! I am thinking it wold be super cute with a motorcycle jacket and burgandy skinnies? I haven't purchased anything too casual lately so I think that needs to be changed! For $23.99, I think I can do it.

Shop here at Merch2Rock

Alright, now this is seriously at the top of the wish list. I love a good tailored jacket and it doesn't get better than this peplum fit! ASOS has several different colors ranging in price from $36.94 to $61.57. I'm actually finding my favorite colors are the navy and grey marl.

Shop here at ASOS

Ok, how great is this boot? The detail, style, height, and color of this "Battlefront" boot from The Elle makes it perfect for an array of outfits! At $69.99 this is obviously a pretty good find. My boot collection might need to grow by 1?!

Shop here at The Elle

Show me what you are finding today online that I might need to have too!

Leave of Absence

I have been MIA for the last several weeks but I am excited to be back in the Blogger world!

I have been adjusting to life without my husband, living in Missouri, and most of all: THE WEATHER! I am loving the fall weather right now but the little pieces of winter that we have had make me want to go right back to California. 

I spent the morning out running errands and literally threw this ensemble together. I was actually quite pleased since I typically pre-plan outfits. I more or less grabbed a few things and put them together and for one, I like it :)

Button Up: Old Navy- $12

Sweater: American Eagle- gifted

Bubble Necklace: Ebay- $12

Jeans: American Eagle- $22

Leather Boots: Chinese Laundry- $50 (steal!!)

MOST IMPORTANTLY!! I wanted to introduce you to my oldest child! Her name is Leiba and she is such an important part of my life. We rescued her from the Humane Society where she had been adopted from twice and then returned. She is a 3 year old German Shepherd mixed with a little devil. She has severe separation anxiety which has led to many issues. However, I could never get rid of this little one! She is also SUPER smart. I could go on for hours about everything she knows how to do. I absolutely adore my Leiba!