It's Been an Exciting Day

Today has been pretty exciting so far.  I got home from school and checked my email to find that I had won a $100 Shopbop giftcard in a giveaway from Monique of Curves and Chaos!  I've never purchased anything through Shopbop in the past, but now I have a great excuse to do some shopping with them.  

Kimberly from Fab Finds Under $50 (who I feel like I talk about all the time, sheesh), put out a call a few weeks ago for outfits to include in her inspiration calender for October.  Check out the full calender here.  

And take a peek at week 3: 

Look at all of these awesome ladies (myself included, of course!) and their fantastic outfits!  I am so excited to be a part of the calender.

From the Nurse's Office

Today I got the chance to shadow a nurse at one of the public schools in the city where I go to school.  It was a really neat experience, and I enjoyed getting to see what exactly a school nurse does and of course all the cute kids who came into the clinic.  I was able to give three breathing treatments, which is something a respiratory therapist usually does in the hospital setting.  I also cleaned up a few cuts and scrapes, applied some ice packs and band-aids, and dealt with a little girl who's filling had fallen out of her tooth.  The nurse I shadowed was very nice, and super helpful.  The kids were so funny, and the day went by so fast.  I'm looking forward to going back next week. 

So here's what I wore to play school nurse: 

Outfit Details: 

White Cami (that you can't really see) - Lane Bryant

Black & White Blouse - Torrid

Cropped & Cuffed Khakis - Avenue 

Brown Faux Leather Patch Cardi - Old Navy ( I had absolutely no idea this cardi was so long when I ordered it.  I'm still now quite sure how I feel about it.)

Black Snakeskin Flats - Thrifted

Necklace - Forever 21

Paint & Peel Nailpolish - won as part of a giveaway from Megan of Dainty Darling Digits

I was trying to be brave and mix brown and black together, which is something that I don't often do. 

How do you feel about mixing black and brown?  Do you love it or do you think it breaks a "rule"?  

Tuesday Temptations

I know I haven't done a Tuesday Temptations post in quite a few weeks, but I'm trying to get back on the wagon with my regular posting schedule, so here is another installment!  

1.  Grey Wedge Booties from Torrid

I think these would be perfect with some black opaque tights and a sweaterdress. 

2.  Pearl Dolman Sweater by DKNY at Lane Bryant

The little pearls are just the right amount of detail! 

3.  Shawl Collar Belted Wool Coat from Avenue

 Gorgeous classic coat in a beautiful color. 

4.  Marcie handbag by Chloe

Only in my dreams. . . 

5.  Paisley Dial Watch by Guess

How fun is this watch?! This would be a great way to add a pop of color to an outfit. 

What items are you yearning for lately?  Share in the comments! 

I Got Stripes - Stripes Around My Shoulders

Tonight Jimmy and I met my mom, dad, and sister for dinner to celebrate my sister's birthday. 

 My sister and myself at dinner (I'm having a bad hair day). 

 Dad & Mom

 Me & Jimmy (isn't he cute?!).

 I have no idea why I'm making this face, but apparently I do it more often than I realize.  

It's a little concerning.

 Outfit Details: 

Blue Striped Henley - Old Navy

Army Jacket - Lane Bryant

Jeans - Avenue

Circle Necklace - I don't remember (Avenue, maybe?)

Beaded Bracelet - Avenue

Earrings - Forever 21

Clogs - Softwalk via 6pm (These are so comfy!)

I didn't realize it until now, but I think I was inspired by Kimberly's outfit when I was looking in my closet this morning.

Song lyrics from "I Got Stripes" by Johnny Cash

Awards!

This week I have been given three blogger awards! 

 First, is a "Versatile Blogger" award from Reluctant Writer at Pacifiers, Pumps & the World.

The other two are from the lovely Christina at Randomness a la Mode.  I love her blog.  She is absolutely gorgeous, and always looks so put together, even in her more casual outfits.

So thank you to both of you wonderful ladies!  

In honor of the awards, I'm going to share five facts about myself you might not know. 

1.  My middle name is Jean. (Ok, some of you know this already.) As is my Mom's, and was my Grandma's, and my first daughter's will be someday.

2.  My favorite holiday is New Year's Eve.  I guess I love the idea of a new start every year.  Plus, my family gets together to celebrate, and I am guaranteed a kiss at midnight.  What's not to love?! 

3.  I was on my high school color guard squad, and there are photos to prove it.  

 Believe it or not that is me.  Young, blonde, thin, and swathed in red velvet at about age 16.

4.  I love French onion dip, but I hate sour cream.  I know it makes no sense, but it's true. 

5.  If a song comes on the radio, 9 times out of 10 I will know most of the lyrics, and can tell you who sings it.  I have a strange ability to remember the most useless bits and pieces of trivia.  Of course, this doesn't help me when it comes to studying for exams.

So I pass these awards on to all of you!  Post them along with five facts about yourself on your blog, or leave me a comment with some interesting facts about yourself! 

First Day of Fall - 92 Degrees!

I really can't believe it's the first day of Fall, because here in Ohio it got up to 92 degrees today.  Come on!  I am completely and totally ready to break out my new clogs, sweaters, and tights and pack away the short sleeves and capri pants until next summer.  Who's with me?! 

Today I had a two hour lecture, so I put on something very casual.  It was already pretty hot when I left the house at 9am, but the room our class is in is always freezing, so I tried to wear something that would accommodate both extremes.  Of course, about halfway through class I was freezing, and I actually thought about running outside to warm up for a minute! 

 I think my head looks tiny in this picture. I hope it's not really that miniscule! 

Outfit Details:

Coral & White Print Top - Old Navy

Yellow Cardi - Old Navy

Jeans - Avenue

 OMG Glasses!  (And crazy, messy hair)  My contacts were bugging me this morning, so I decided to try the old glasses for a change. 

Sequined Converse (Heck Yeah!) - via 6pm

Super Long Necklace - I don't remember

Knot Stud Earrings - Forever 21

BFF ID Bracelet From Highschool - found in a drawer the other day

Charm Bracelet - gift from hosting a jewelry party

I'm taking my first exam for my Peds class tomorrow, so wish me luck guys!  I'm planning on getting up early to get to school and study for a few hours before taking it.  All of our exams in the higher nursing classes are given on computers, so we don't have a particular time to do it.  They basically tell us "The testing center is open these hours and you have to take the exam between these dates".  Of course I could have taken it as early as Monday, but where's the fun in that?  I am a master of procrastination. 

Winner of the CSN Stores Giveaway!

The winner of the CSN Stores giveaway is. . . . 

Queen Diva! 

Congratulations on your win!  You should be receiving an email shortly with your gift code.  

Thanks to everyone who entered! 

Operation Beautiful

While reading my September issue of Glamour magazine I came upon an article about a project called "Operation Beautiful".  The first thing that caught my eye were the photos that accompanied the article. 

Scan from September issue of Glamour Magazine

Operation Beautiful is a fantastic movement based on an uplifting message; We are all beautiful!  The idea is to leave random, uplifting words of encouragement (along with the address to the Operation Beautiful webpage) in places where others will see them and be touched by their message.  I think it would just make my day to walk into a public bathroom and to see one of these messages on the mirror, or to walk out to my car to find a note on my windshield, or to see a "You are beautiful!"sign hanging on a public bulletin board. I am challenging myself to create one of these messages to share with someone whom I don't know.  I'm not sure how or what the message will say exactly, but I will share with you all when I complete my mission!  

What do you think of this project?  Will any of you be participating in your own "Beautiful" challenge? 

Black & White - Daily Outfit

Today was another day at the children's hospital for a lecture and to get our computer training completed, so we were required to dress "business casual" again. Of course, the pants I wanted to wear were wrinkled beyond repair, so I went for this simple, easy dress.  I love dresses because they are so easy to just throw on and get out the door.

Pardon the doggie dishes in the photo.  My neighbors were out in their backyard when I got home today, and I felt silly going out to take pictures in front of them.  : S 

Outfit Details: 

Faux-wrap dress - purchased on eBay

 Black snakeskin flats - thrifted (I picked these because the shoes from yesterday gave me blisters on my pinkie toes, and I knew I couldn't deal with heels today)

Silver bangles - Lane Bryant 

White necklace - Catherine's

Earrings - gift from sandrandan

My "Professional" Look

Yesterday I had orientation at the children's hospital where I am doing my clinical hours this rotation, so we were asked to dress in "business casual" attire.  Our instructor let us know that we should wear very comfy shoes as we were going to be taking a tour of the hospital (and she wasn't kidding, we saw just about everything!), and we weren't able to wear open-toes.  So I had to bring out the plain-jane black flats.  

Outfit Details:

Gray Camisole - Lane Bryant (I have gotten good use out of this baby.  I wish I had bought more!)

Purple Ruffle Blouse - Lane Bryant Outlet in 2008, I believe.  This is actually a wrap top, (which is probably the only reason it still fits!) with a ruffle on one side of the neckline.  It's difficult to see in the photos. 

Grey Trousers - Old Navy 

Black Flats - Croft & Barrow brand via Kohls

Forlorn-looking Dog - 10 month old Schnoodle 

  Of course we had to wear our super-flattering lab coats, as well.  You can see how enthused Trixie is with the coat.  

 

Ribbon Rosette Necklace - Forever 21 (I think?)

Earrings - Forever 21

Leaf-shaped Bangle - Avenue

I loved all the comments from yesterday's post!  I think the military jacket got the most comments I've ever had on an outfit post. Thanks, guys.  : ) 

Just In (Military)Time - Daily Outfit

This morning it was a little cool, so I decided to break out my army jacket for its debut.  I thought it would look great paired with something colorful and a little girly.  I remembered this top and thought it would be perfect! 

You can see my cat peeking out the window in the picture on the left.  : )  

Outfit Details: 

 Floral, colorful top: Torrid

Army jacket: Lane Bryant

Jeans: Avenue

Coral Flats (that got cut off in my photos): Born brand "Daffodil" -these are my favorite flats!

Gold bangles: Lane Bryant

Flower & Heart Pendant: Forever 21

Filigree Chain with Tiny Pearls: from my Grandma Dixie

Trip to the German Village

On Friday evening Jimmy asked me if I wanted to take a trip to Columbus Saturday morning.  Of course, he wouldn't tell me where exactly we were going, but I love surprises, so I agreed.  

First we went to Schmidt's Sausage Haus restaurant for lunch.  This place is incredible.  They actually have a sausage buffet.  Seriously.

They also have a candy shoppe called the Fudge Haus right next door. 

Mmmmmm. . . . 

After lunch we went to my favorite bookstore, the Book Loft.  It is this amazing old house that has been converted into a store.  This place is huge, and packed full of books. I couldn't take any pictures inside because there were so many people.  

I know it doesn't look very big from the front, but it is really huge inside.  Every square inch is full!  They also have this beautiful courtyard on the side of the building where I convinced Jimmy to take my picture.  

Not the best outfit photo, but I was dressed for comfort.  The entire German Village (which is where Schmidt's and the Book Loft are located) is paved in bricks and cobblestones.  There was no way I was wearing any type of heel.  

Outfit Details: 

Grey camisole - Lane Bryant

Black tee shirt - Lane Bryant

Striped Vest -  Torrid

Jeans - Avenue

Flip Flops - Lane Bryant outlet

Purse - J.C. Penny

Beaded Bracelet - I don't remember, I've had it forever

Earrings - Forever 21

After the Book Loft, we went to a topiary garden that was modeled from the Georges Seurat painting "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte".  Here's the painting: 

And here's the garden: 

The photos really don't do it justice.  It was really cool in person. Here are some better pictures. 

Do you ever take little road trips?  Where is your favorite place to go on a day trip?

100 Followers Giveaway!

To thank all of my fantastic readers, and to celebrate reaching 100 followers, it's giveaway time!  The fabulous people at CSN Stores have been generous enough to give me a $35 gift code to give to one of my readers.  CSN Stores carries all sorts of great products, from purses, to coffee tables, to pet supplies.  Here are some of my favorite items currently on their site: 

We already have one of these freezer mugs at our house, and we always fight over who gets to use it.  I usually win.  ; )  

These Aerosoles boots are perfect for the equestrian look that is so on trend right now! 

I just love this bag! 

How to enter: 

  You must follow my blog publicly through Google Connect to enter. 

This giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada (there may be additional shipping charges to some Canadian addresses).  Sorry to my international readers, I promise to do a giveaway open to everyone in the near future!

•   Leave a comment with your contact information below.  That's it!  How simple, right? 

For an additional 2 entries  you can: 

•   Post this contest to your blog and then leave me a comment letting me know you have done so.  

The contest will end Monday, Sept. 20th.  I'll use random.org to choose a winner and announce who the lucky reader is on Tuesday evening. 

Make sure to check out the CSN Stores website to see all the great items you can use the gift code on!