Summer Shoe Picks 2013

Last week I shared some of my swimsuit picks for this summer.  If you missed that, check it out here.  One of the other FAVORITE things to buy is shoes! I love love love shoes.  It is not just a summer shoe love affair. I love shoes during each season and even keep them nice and neat in their original boxes.  I know it takes up far more room than necessary but then my pretty shoes last so much longer than they would if they were thrown at the bottom of my closet every day, at the end of the day.

Now I am girl would prefers to run around in flats whether they are flip flops, ballet flats, or just a sandal without a heal.  So I apologize if you are looking for a super fun shoe that will height into your life.  Being a teacher, I am on my feet from 7am until 3pm and so heals are just something I only bring out for special occasions (then I pay for it tremendously for days!).

Without further adieu here are my new favorite shoes for this summer!

When I went to Florida in May (you can read about it here), the bride had these beautiful Gianni Bini shoes on one night at dinner.  I immediately interrupted her story to find out where in the world she found them!  She said Dillard's!  I literally looked them up when we got back to the hotel room and was super-de-duper bummed that they were sold out in my size and every size I could pretend were my size.  I searched high and low for this beautiful sandal...then a week later, in my true stalking fashion I checked one more time and BOOM a half size bigger than what I wear was available!  I was SOOOO excited!  I immediately clicked them into my virtual shopping cart and they are forever mine, mine, mine!  They are simply referred to as my BEAUTIFUL shoes from now on!

On Mother's Day, my mom and went shoe shopping at Macy's.  I actually saw these shoes online before hand so I knew I had to try them on.  However, Macy's shoe department was a HOT MESS.  My mom tried to try on a pair of shoes and the lady could not find the mate.  She kept saying that she had called reinforcements to get them located.  The store was a nuthouse.  During this chaos I could not find the sparkly starfish looking sandal and was bummed.  We decided to leave (empty handed) and I looked down at a pile of dejected shoes and there she was shining right up at me.  My "summer" shoes as I call them are perfect because they are sparkling (and I love me some bedazzle-ness) and two they are in the shape of a starfish which I feel is different and unique.  I found them at Macy's and they are by I.N.C.

While we were at  Macy's the shoe my mom fell in love with was this little bowtie sandal.  She wanted it in navy blue and the woman had called reinforcements to find it and was unsuccessful.  The lady finally got the bright idea that we could just order them online. So we did, we used that idea and my mom now has these cuties in navy blue.  They are from Macy's and are also I.N.C.

If you haven't shopped the Sam & Libby collection at Target you totally should.  These gold and silver metallic gladiator sandals caught my eye.  I feel like they will jazz up a cute top and shorts but will also go well with my maxi skirts and sundresses.  I haven't worn them yet but they are going to Vegas with me so I am sure you will see them on Instagram later this week!

Once again from Target these Mossimo sandals were just so different I thought they were fun.  I love love love the off-shite and gold accents, but I do think I should have thought out the bright orange a little more. They are a tad limiting because a good bit of orange show through.  But hey, shoes are just important as the outfit so I have fun finding ways to wear them.  The gold definitely gives the opportunity to dress them up too.

Lastly from Target these Merona sandals are just your typical brown sandal.  I think I wear simple brown and black sandals all summer long and they will barely make it through two seasons.  So I did pick up this pair to replace my brown ones from a couple years ago.

Lastly, this pair of shoes have been posted on here before, but I am still loving cutie pairs of Keds. They are so much cuter than the simple white pairs from when I was little.  I wear these all the time...with skinnies, shorts, skirts, and dresses.  A great light weight tennis shoe for sure!

Well that is it!  The summer shoes I love for this year.  Are there any shoes that were a must have for you? Do share!

Puppy Baths, Cupcakes, and Graduates!

Another Monday is upon us! Whoop Whoop! Today I am linking up with Sami for Weekend Shenanigans!  You should too!

This weekend was a busy one for me as my second cousin graduated from HS yesterday!  Let's look at my weekend!

I started the weekend with this little pathetic face.  His allergies have been nuts as mine have been too so I figured he was long over due for a bath.  He HATES water and baths, so you can imagine how much fun it is for me to get into a tub with him and scrub a terrified 60 pound dog.  HIs breed has a bunch of wrinkles in their skin so it is important that they are completely dried so he doesn't get a skin rash.  He wanted nothing to do with me, a towel, or even being outside in the sun after the water trauma so Super Hero Henry had to come to the rescue. He may have hated me but it worked!

 Next I was off to my cousins' house for graduation party prep.  I blew up a ton of balloons and made this Pinterest inspired grad cap cupcakes. We had a good time prepping together.

I do have to share my #ootd that I posted on Instagram.  I am aboslutely in love with this skirt.  I ordered it from Hazel & Olive (online boutique and it is just so girlie and perfect.  My tank is from Old Navy, sandals (my favorite ever!!!) are Gianni Bini from Dillard's, necklaces are Tiffany's and Lilly Pulitzer, and my earrings (which you can't see) are Kate Spade.

Family started to arrive shortly before the actual graduation ceremony so I got to clock in some time cuddling and tickling my favorite lil guy!

We had about an hour to kill before the ceremony so we took some pics! Top left is my second cousin Haley, me, and my cousin Steve.  Middle right is my momma Stesh, Haley, and me.  Bottom is just me and Hay Hay!  Carson and I are on the top right, and another of Haley and I at the bottom!  It was HOT in that gymasium which made the 1:45 ceremony a tad uncomfortable.  However, after all the kiddos received their diplomas they did a mini flash mob/dance mix.  It was by far the best part of the ceremony. I was clapping, singing, and dancing in my seat.  It was all choreographed and each song they danced to was meaningful to living life to the fullest, having fun, thanking their parents, and moving on to the future! It was so cute to see an entire student body do something like that! :)

Post ceremony shots with the grad himself....he is also my second cousin, Ethan! It is so weird because I was in 8th grade when he was born and he was my lil buddy.  When I was in school, my bedroom was in the basement of my mom's house and he always called it the Laundry Room.  So he would come over and beg me to take him to play in the Laundry Room. and now 18 years later he is all grown up and headed off to The Ohio State University!  I am happy he is a Buckeye! O-H!

We then went back to my cousins' house for a graduation party where we ate and listened to some family members tell some crazy stories.  My brother came for this part so this pictures is us with Eth!

Lastly, when I got home I had to do the weekly chemicals with the pool and when I took the cover off the temp was 86 degrees so I took a little night swim first with these cool disco lights!  Well that was my weekend...a long but fun one for sure.  I am super busy this week with appointments (the dentist, UGH!) and packing for VEGAS!! We leave at 7:00am Thursday morning.  Be sure to stay tuned to my Instagram for my fun filled vaca!

Have a great week bloggyland!

Summer Swimsuit Picks 2013

I do not know about you...but one of my favorite things about summertime is going to the pool or beach. SInce I have the summer off from work, I take advantage of this fully!  I have two vacations coming up: one to Vegas and one to North Carolina so I have been doing a little bit of swimsuit shopping.  It is addicting and now that I have a pool too...I feel like more are needed.  Of course I attempt to shop like Bargain Betty so Target, JC Penny, and VS is where I tend to find the best deals.
So here are some of the suits that have caught my eye so far this season!

I found this suit at Target and on sale around Memorial Day!  I thought it was perfect for a patriot BBQ or picnic!  Of course, it was rainy on Memorial Day here in my area, so now it can be my July 4th suit! It is so cute with the red, white, and blue color coordination but the ruffle adds more of a girly look instead of just stars and stripes!  

This is one of my favorite one piece suits.  It is made by Spanx and I got it on eBay. I love one shoulder looks and this suit is so flattering.  First of all, it is made by Spanx, but it is not uncomfortable.  and of course the flawy material of the ruffle on the shoulder is so delicate and girly! This is definitely one of my favorites to wear!

How cute is this style?? I love how it literally looks like a bandana--not just in print but it is flawy fabric style.  This was a great find at JC Penny over Memorial Day weekend sales.  I got each piece for less than $10!! If you are busty, this is a nice style because the flawy part hides that part of your body, which I enjoy!  Cute find and great deal and sure to be in my summer rotation!

My cousin got this tankini from JCP as well!  How cute is the pattern? I say that too much, but I really think it is.  The basic color is a muted grey which makes the floral neons POP!  The strap is removable to avoid those unwanted tan lines.  I just love this suit and during the MD sales it was also less than $10 a piece!

I also love to mix and match swim suit tops and bottoms that really do not "go" together when you buy them but they have something in color...color patterns, color families, etc.  So VS is a fun place to order suits like that so I will show you three prints that you can wear with one top!

I love this multi-color neon/pastel stripe pattern!  You could order the top, bottoms, or both! 

This fun and bright coral blossom color can be mixed with the stripe too!

Then as a third option the white metallic paisley can also be thrown into the mix.  Like I said I love mixing them up!

What cute suits have you found this summer? Where do you like to shop for swimsuits? Check back in next week for my summer shoe/sandal picks! :) Happy Weekend!

Summer Reading

One of my favorite parts about summer, besides the pool of course, is reading.  I get some time away from work and I have extra time on my hands to read books.  It is actually like therapy for me.  I can escape into a different world.  A world where most of the time there is a happy ending and I can always dream that something like that could happen to me.  Well now that I am officially on break, and the weather is not cooperating this weekend (it is soooo cold here, 46 degrees!!!) I thought I would take the time to give a look into round one of my reading list for this summer!  I did this last summer too, check it out here.

I have already finished two of the books pictured above so I will save them for last to give my review too!

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler caught my eye on a table marked "Summer Love Reading" at B&N last time I went in.  A few other of these were there too!  I am a tween reader for sure.  I would much rather read a book that takes me back to those fearless, irresponsible days than read an "adult" book.  The reviews on the back of the book included one comparing the book Sarah Dessen (and I always love her books).  So I thought I would give this book a try...diving into summer romance.

The Lifeguard was also on that same table at B&N and it has a cute picture of a boy at the ocean on the cover.  Ever since the cast of Saved by the Bell ventured to the beach club for summer employment I have wanted to live and work at the beach for the summer.  I never actually fulfilled that dream so this book just will let me pretend.  Written by Deborah Blumenthal the book will travel from Texas to Rhode Island for some summer love!

This is what Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith was a must pick up because I read another one of her books this spring and I tore through it.  I will get to that book next.  This book is about perfect strangers who accidentally begin a relationship through an e-mail that was sent on mistake.  Again taking place over the summer, this book is sure to take two strangers on an adventure heading straight for romance!

The Carrie Diaries and Summer and the City by Candance Bushnell are both on my list this summer! I am actually reading The Carries Diaries right now.  I am only 2 chapters in but I can tell it is already different than the TV series.  Who wasn't a fan of SATC?? I mean really.  I actually watched 4 episodes last night on TV.  Anyways when the CW released the series called The Carrie Diaries I wanted to give it a shot to just see who Carrie Bradshaw was before NYC became her home.  It is definitely a teeny bopper show but because of my love for the adult version of the show I found myself intrigued.  So of course I now want to read about it to see what the author intended Carrie's life to be like before she was the famous writer she became.  Not to mention that I got the Summer and the City copy at Walmart for $4 in the clearance bin! Whoop!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer was on my list last year for my summer reading.  I just didn't get to it.  This is the only one that doesn't fit my tween category and to be honest it is probably why I didn't pick it up before.  I will give her a try again.  I never saw the movie because I wanted to read the book first so maybe that will give me a little more motivation to get through it.  As I have heard it is a slow read at first but once it picks up it is great.

Before I get to my coffee table reads I must talk about one of the books I finished already.  The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith.  Oh my goodness this book had character.  It is told in a period of 24 hours and I loved that writing style.  Each chapter began with the time in both NYC and London to keep you on track with both settings and time zones.  It was a cute, fast paced tale of the power of fate.  Which is why I think I had to pick up Smith's other book because these plot lines just make you believe in the inevitable again.  I started this book on the plane when I was coming back from Florida and I had 60 pages left by the time I landed in Ohio.  I couldn't put it down.  I absolutely loved it.  If you are like me and like tween reads and the power of fate...pick this one up!

I also picked up books more for my table as decor but also to be something I can pick up and learn a little from too.  I absolutely love the style (beauty and fashion) of Lauren Conrad.  I am very happy she has become so much more than the girl on Laguna Beach.  I bough both Style and Beauty from her.  These books just walk  you through tips and suggestions on how to dress for your event and shape, how to find and work with those staple pieces, and of course finding your inner beauty.  I finished Style a while back and now am about half way through Beauty.  Are they life changing books? No, but they do remind you of important things in the both worlds: fashion and beauty.  Plus they look cute stacked on my table!

Last but not least I also picked up Make-Up Secrets by Jemma Kid.  I have not even opened this book yet.  But they way I am looking at it is a hard copy of the YouTube help I get daily.  I will start it when I finish Beauty by LC and hopefully will have learned some more tips.

Well that is the list that is getting me started this summer.  I am sure there will be more to add to the list as well as reviews coming as I finish.  If you have any must reads, please leave me a comment telling me what to get.  I average a new book every 3-4 days during the summer time! :)


Happy Memorial Day Weekend everybody!

Colors of the Rainbow TAG!

Hellllllooooo everybody! Excuse my extra cheeriness but my school year just wrapped up yesterday and needless to say I am pretty excited about the summer.  I love the sunshine, pool time, tanned skin, vacations, and sleeping in!! What can I say? I worked very very hard for 10 months to get the next 2 off! Wahoo!

Anyways...I am a YouTube addict.  Like truly addicted.  I have way too many beauty guru subscriptions and have to get my daily fix.  When I went on vacation it literally took me 4 hours to get caught up on all of my videos I had missed.  But anyways....one new trend I have been seeing in the past week is the Rainbow Tag.  The beauty gurus go through the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) throw in two extras (pink and multi-colored) and explain their current favorite products based on the color of the product or the packaging.  They have been so much fun to watch that I wanted to join in the fun too.  Because I am not brave enough to have a YouTube channel (maybe one day) I decided to blog about it and then I would tag a couple bloggers (or really anyone who wants to do it!).    Without further adieu here is my rainbow of favorites!

RED: Dot by Marc Jacobs made my favorites for the month of April and my love for the scent is still going strong.  It has become my go to perfume in the mornings.  Besides Angel, it is one of the only scents that lasts all day too, which is a huge bonus in my opinion.   

ORANGE: Even though it is super bright and is not an every day color...I love Pink Pop which is in the Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids collection.  It gives a really pretty blue toned pink coverage to your lips.  I think it is perfect for spring and summer.  I cannot wait to take it to Vegas because it will def be making appearances on my vaca!

YELLOW:  This product has changed my hair care routine.  It is the five minute repair for blondes by It's a 10!  Although my blonde is fake blonde--I still use it.  It is actually a purple colored hair treatment that smells delightful and seriously tackles my knots like no other.  I use it every other time I wash my hair which would end up being every 4th day.  I love it.  My only complaint is the bottle is so small that I go through it QUICKLY!  

GREEN: I feel like I am copying off most of the videos I have watched with the Cover Girl Clump Crusher here...but it is seriously a game changer in the mascara world.  It is now my holy grail mascara.  I love the shape of the wand and the fact that it does what it says it will do.  Clumps be gone!  If I am going out or to something special I will combine it with Benefit's They're Real but day to day...just the CC for me!

BLUE:  I am quite pumped for this product if I must say so myself.  I am very guilty of not applying sunscreen to my face after the first application.  I hate having sticky/greasy products on my face once I am already out there, but I can never see if I have rubbed it in if I am alone.  Well when I went to Florida I was introduced to Instant Mineral SPF 30 powder by Peter Thomas Roth.  It has the head of a make up brush and you just simply brush on the sunscreen powder.  There is a little tint to it but it is not bad.  And just like that...I am not greasy...I am not sticky and I am protected from the sun.  You can get it at Sephora in SPF 30 and 45.

INDIGO:  I cannot live without Yes to Blueberries age fighting cleansing towelettes.  I have tried countless brands and I do not like anything as much as this lil gem. They are fresh (smelling) and leave my face feeling refreshed.  I use them morning and night.  I love that they are made with fruits and veggies so you can get the benefits of the anti-oxidants.  Not to mention the wipes are a pretty good at moisturizing.  I still add my moisturizing routine but they do not dry my skin out!  

VIOLET:  I chose one of my Maybelline Baby Lips for the violet because of the packaging.  The "flavor" is actually peach kiss.  I am a fan of Baby Lips period.  I have five of them in total.  They are easy to have on the go and give a little hint of color for when you do not feel like wearing lipstick, stain, or gloss.  Two thumbs up from me!

PINK:  This is a NEW favorite of mine.  I am loving loving loving Too Faced's Sweethearts perfect flush blush in Candy Glow.  First of all the packaging is to die for...the shape of a heart! Love it! But inside you find three shades of the pink family and when mixed together they create a pretty, light in coverage shimmery baby pink.  I think it is my perfect shade over a tanned face.  It adds a little sparkle and a hint of color...which makes it look like your faced is flushed and it was effortless to achieve the look.  I am a huge fan of it!

Last but not least is the multi-colored cateogry.  I struggled the most with this one...so I sort of cheated. I have been using Essie nail polishes for all of my manicures lately so here are all of the colors that I am in love with for spring and summer.  They look like their own little rainbow huh? Pictured are (from left to right) no more film, bikini so teeny, bond with whomever, madison ave-hue, cute as a button, first timer, and in the cab-ana.  

Well that is my Rainbow post.  If you made it to the end...thank you.  What products are you loving!?  I also TAG you to try this post.  :) I am specifically tagging Lindsay, Ricci, and Allie! 

Here are a few of my favorite Colors of the Rainbow Tag videos from of my favorite gurus! :)

My lil trip to Florida

If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you already know that last weekend I traveled to Destin, Florida for a DESTINation wedding (get it ;) ).  We truly had the best time celebrating the marriage of Leslie and Travis and of course seeing the beach!I thought I would do a photo dump so you can all see what I saw and if you live in Ohio like me...be jealous for just a minute! :)

 I hate packing...for anything. Whether it is a day trip, my bag for work, or a vacation. But these little note pads did help me stay organized.  I found them int he dollar bins of Target.

 I had a connecting flight and I found a Jamba Juice in the airport in Charlotte.  I was pumped to say the least and made my lay over go so much faster! :)

When I got to the resort (Emerald Grande) it was midnight and raining so I was definitely happy when I woke up to see my view for the next four mornings.  It was stunning and even better when the sun came out to play.  I will share that picture later.  The resort was AMAZING.  I took pictures of our condo but seriously my iPhone did not do it justice, so I will link the resort and if you go to Destin I recommend this place for sure.

 We were getting ready to go explore the Boardwalk before the wedding.  This is me on our balcony.  The resort was connected to everything you could need: restaurants, bars, shops, shuttles, boat excursions, the beach, you name it! It was definitely cool!

 Our first stop was a place called AJ's which is known for their oysters.  I do not eat seafood or anything that looks like slime taken from a baby's nose so I stuck to the most generic diet for the week that I could.  Usually at every place we went there were 1 or 2 items on the menu that I liked, lol.  This little coconut man was my only souvenir that I bought (well we all bought them after pressuring Chris into it).  They were cute and said Aj's on them, plus you can use them for a piggy bank too.

We walked all around to just see the sites and found a small pier that we wanted our picture taken with.  After we got rid of all of the birds, a nice little stranger took the shot of all four of us.  We also had to get our coconuts in to: Darwin, George, La Femme, and CoCo!

Who doesn't love getting their picture taken with these awesome scenes where the hole is cut out for your head.  We obviously do. You wouldn't believe the looks you get when you are posing for the camera.  Come on people live on the wile side.

 To my left in this picture was a sun tanning deck and to the right was where the wedding took place.  We were headed back to the condo to get ready and had to seize the opportunity for a good picture!

 We dress up well don't ya think? :)  This was taken on our balcony before heading to the ceremony.

We arrived to the wedding a little early, like 30 minutes or so, we just are being goofy here waiting for the nuptials to begin!

 Leslie and Travis...bride and groom...saying I Do!

 We may have stolen those flowers from the ceremony for Chris and Todd to wear to the reception.  However, the wedding planner ladies came and took them back very promptly I may add.

I loved the placards for the dinner guests.  A star fish is perfect for a beach wedding.  I kept mine and he made it home intact.  

 Kristen and I had a little fun during the reception!

 On Sunday, I finally got some sun to shine long enough for us to pool it for the afternoon.  However, do not get me wrong, it was still a pretty chilly day per my Florida and pooling standards.  At one point I had my sweater on and was wrapped in a towel, but I was determined to get some sun on this trip.

 The view from our balcony on a sunny day.

 On Monday we took the pontoon shuttle over to the little island across from our resort.  Our stay was short as it was FREEZING.  But just to feel the sand in between our toes and take a few pictures was worth it.

 You can see how hard the wind was whipping by the pattern in my tank top.  It was crazy.  My hair was such a mess after this little jaunt.

 Chris, me, and Leslie sat down to find her some good shells to keep to remember her special day!

 On Monday night we went to a beachfront restaurant and we watched the sun set, which was beautiful.

 It is a little dark, but here is Chris and I at dinner.

 This is where the wedding actually took place.

 As quickly as I came to Florida, it was time to leave...so bye bye to the Gulf.

 But this little guy was certainly happy to see me on Tuesday night.  :) So that was my trip.  I cannot wait for my next vacation which will be here in 4 weeks.  Vegas baby!  Hope you all have been doing great!  I am linking up with Sammie to share my weekend Shannies (2 weekends later!)