Nordstrom Looks

I'm just having too much fun online right now.  Anywhoozle, I spotted these outfits on Nordstrom's website (BP section) and it made me a little excited (especially after I saw the pricetags). 

Nordstrom Holiday Looks by CharmedValerie on Polyvore.com

Storytime Mom

I took my son to storytime this morning and this mom walked in and my eyes were instantly drawn to her fabulously fabulous red patent riding boots.  Since, I'm not a total weirdo and didn't get a picture, I put together the look via polyvore.

Long gray sweater, black leggings, and the boots

Storytime Mom by CharmedValerie featuring American Eagle Outfitters tights

Hair accessories

It totally annoys me how much I wear my hair up but it's just so much more functional in my everyday life and I love long hair on myself.   So, it's pulled back most of the time and I take the time to style it when I've got it.

Today after storytime, I spotted some great hair accessories in Forever21 (I boycott the poor quality clothing but love the hair accessories).  I purchased the one on the top left and can't wait to stick in my regular old bun.

Forever21 hair accessories by CharmedValerie featuring Forever21 accessories

Items in this set:
Forever21.com - New Arrivals - Accessories, $4.80
Feather Pouf Comb, $5.80
Embellished Hair Clip, $6.80
Lacquered Floral Comb, $4.80
Forever21.com - Accessories - Hats & Hair, $2.80

a diet tip of sorts

This is a totally weird thing I do but it works for me and I may as well share.

I'm absolutely not a dieter, I'm more of an "everything in moderation" kind of girl.  Moderation being the keyword here.  In most cases, I'd rather eat less of things that taste better than deprive myself and eat bland stuff.  I also don't spend much time in the gym and would prefer practice healthy habits that fit my lifestyle.

Now that I have a toddler in the house, I have an abundance of little spoons, forks, plates, and containers and I use them for myself as well.  Huh?  Yes, I eat out of baby containers.  Mostly these (pictured below) Take and Toss snack savers

and silicone baking cups

They are great for portioning out just about everything from crackers, to raisins, yogurt, cottage cheese, couscous, or whatever else.   Pre-portioned food is marked up so much and using reusable containers and doing it yourself is thrifty and green.

And because I like to eat slowly and savor my food, I like to eat with an infant sized spoon (only in the privacy of my own home mind you). 

These ikea plates and bowls are also perfect portion size.

I am also a huge fan of the Small Plate Movement and the books How to eat like a hot chick and Naturally Thin.  Calories shmalories!

**Jackie's comment made me remember to mention that I keep my baking cups in my pantry by the snacks because I'm lazy like that.

Give thanks. Always.

This year I hosted my first Thanksgiving--for 29, yes TWENTY-NINE family members.  It was glorious!

It was great having everybody together again after having such a tough time last year.  We had lost 2 very amazing family members and we were all still grieving and it just wasn't a happy time. 

My heart swells and my cup runneth over.  We miss you Aunt June and Grandpapa, I know you were with us.

Deck the halls....

I'm really looking forward to decking the halls of our new house this year and today I scoured the internet for some inspiration.

Indoor Holiday decor by CharmedValerie on Polyvore.com

2 Windsor outfits

I took a picture of these outfits about a month ago (I didn't even blog back then but I took a picture so I could remember because I liked them so).

The one on the right is my favorite and the most expensive piece was $40 (I've been wearing their clothes for years and they are always very well made).  In doing "research" for this post, I discovered that Windsor (http://www.windsorstore.com/) has a really fun blog too http://windsor-store.blogspot.com/

Work-it-out Wednesday

I was introduced to these shoes by a [very fit] friend and have been wearing them for about 5 months now.  They are called the "anti-shoe" and they are awesome!  Something about them improves your posture, helps you burn more calories while you walk, and tones your legs and booty.  I wear them when I'll be doing lots of walking errands and when I take M for walks to the park (it's at least 2 miles round trip).  I just figure that if I'm going to be walking anyway, I may as well increase the benefits to my body.  More brands have introduced similar shoes, like the Sketcher ShapeUps and Reebok EasyTones.    FitFlop has just come out with some super cute boots as well.

Just wanted to throw that out there.  Work-it-out my friends!

Cool Tune Tuesday

I heard this on Gossip Girl last night and it's been on repeat alllll day.

Anya Marina "Whatever You Like"

Mommystyle via Hollywood

Here's some outfit inspiration from some Hollywood mommies.  I love that these looks are comfy, hip, basic, and could be thrown together in minutes.

 a fedora, shades, and scarf

 

skinny jeans and knee boots

 

 workin' the sneakers, a scarf, and headband

I love the leggings and uggs.

 

Looks like Ms. Alba is a fan of the headband too.

DIY Calling Cards

I've been meaning to order some cute calling cards for Mo but never really saw any that were begging me to buy them.  And then I had a lightbulb moment and made some myself.  Calling cards make great gift tags, small notes, and ID tags. 

I don't have any blank business cards at home, so I just made 2- 2.25"x3.75" cards to go on a 4x6" background that would be printed at Wolf/Ritz camera.  I did this using Photoshop Elements and a design created by less ordinary designs by lukecommasara on etsy.

Here is what it looked like when I picked it up (please excuse my poor picture taking non-skills).

And here it is cut out at a gift enclosure:

Inexpensive, easy, and adorable!

Leggings 2 ways

I love love love leggings and this morning I wore this uber comfy outfit to a playdate and out shopping.  I wore it with some cute non-workout sneakers but wish I had some black slouchy sweater boots (those on my "to buy" list now).  The sweater is from a store called Pamida in North Dakota (I was there in winter of 2007 and the airline had lost my luggage for 4 days....with a 3 week old baby).  The green (my favorite color) shirt was less than $5 on clearance at Old Navy and the leggings are Forever 21 (I hate that store because my clothes always fall apart and I vow never to shop there again).

This was what I wore this evening to bunco.  It was kind of an accident because I pulled the wrong sweater out of the dryer but I liked it even better than my original plan.  These are the same leggings with a black sleeveless cowl-neck sweater (Ross) and a sweater wrap (Target). 

Sans sweater wrap

I wore outfit #2 with these bad boys from Bakers. 

Leggings - a YouTube tutorial
Where to buy leggings.

Just some random Thursday things

Thank you Mr. Worm for entertaining and educating my boy this morning.  I'm really sorry that he forgot about you and kinda stepped on you a little later :( You were still alive when I rescued you from his pantleg and hope you're not hurt.

My latest purchase from Ross.  A rug that is on the inside of my back door.  It was $4.99 and I was especially happy that my husband actually noticed it and asked me why I didn't buy more for our other doors (that was the last one).

 
This is my "Breakfast of Champions".  Two boiled eggs and 2 pieces of turkey sausage = 232 calories of pure protein perfection!  I love it because I can boil the eggs ahead of time and the sausage is precooked and only take 30 seconds in the microwave.  It can be eaten while I'm making my son's lunch in the morning or driving him to school.  I chase this with a giant cup of coffee or tea.

this outfit feels like a warm hug

We've got no big plans today, so I may as well be comfortable.

This is the Ross sweater from this post, terrycloth Juicy drawstring pants, and a slightly shimmery racerback tank from my clubbing days.  Not pictured are my Pumas, they are my fun non-workout sneakers that look much cooler than actual workout shoes.  So, it's comfy but not lacking in the style department (I hope).  Here is a great blog post about What to wear with sweatpants.

For the home, on a budget

We just moved into a home that is twice the size of our previous apartment and I need to buy alot of things to make it homey so finding good deals is muy importante.

Here are my home decor finds from last week.

The candle holders on the mantle were on sale for $10 at Kirklands.

That chest on the coffee table was $11.99 from Ross and is perfect for keeping the table clutter free.  The 4 pillows are all Ross and I remember 2 of them being $3.99 and 2 being $5.99.

This full-sized hamper was $7.99 (I swear that they are just giving stuff away at Ross!).  It is so pretty that it gets to stay in the master bathroom instead of being banished to live in the closets like all the regular plastic hampers.

Stemless monogrammed wineglasses, 4 for $3.49 a la Ross.

 

This is a "nook" outside the master bedroom.  The figurine was a wedding present (and an ode to my dh's hometown) and I bought the grass (or whatever plant it is) from Ross for $7.99 because I wanted to make better use of the space.  I'd still like to find a small framed piece of art for this area.