Havana Nights {eShakti review!}

If you first read the title, maybe you thought of the movie Dirty Dancing (the remake), but then your eyes kept going and saw eShakti review, and chances are you probably hesitated on clicking on this post.

Don't worry, I would have too...  I usually really don't like to read reviews about free things other bloggers are offered (that I'm not getting) when you know the review is usually nothing but rainbows and sunshine. I mean, really have you ever read a blog who promoted a product they didn't L O V E ??  I haven't either. And fortunately for eShakti, I will also fall under the category of  "L O V E" with the product I received. :D

So about a month ago I was contacted by Jane from Media Relations department and she asked me if I was interested in writing a post on my blog about eShakti and as a "thank you" they were happy to offer a product of my choice to style. Obviously I accepted their offer or else I wouldn't be writing about this as we speak.  So if you aren't into gooey, mushy, "I love this product!" reviews, just skip to the bottom so you can see how adorable the Old Havana Print shirtdress is ;)

I will tell you that I had a hard time finding something that I wanted to review.  A lot of the items were previously reviewed so my choices were limited. I personally knew that I wanted to review a dress because as a petite little lady (5'3) with long legs (strange, right?)  I sometimes have a hard time finding dresses that fit me properly.  You know the drill, they are either too long and drag on the ground, and as a klutz you know I'm falling on my face or too short and look, well, not age appropriate (to put it nicely).  But in comes eShakti, who customizes clothing to make women look their absolute best. 

Like I said, there were many options and choices were limited, but I decided to really step out of my comfort zone and choose something I would normally NEVER wear or consider buying had I seen it in person. Shirtdresses were always a mystery to me, I've tried them on but they would just look sort of whacky in the upper area (material too large for my chest) or the sleeves would be too poofy, the skirt portion would be to flarey. I found the Old Havana Print shirtdress and thought that it was kind of an odd print, but something about it I loved.  Probably the color and the little clouds on the dress.

I like that eShakti offers custom sizing, but I was just a little too lazy to take specific measurements on myself, and winged my size based on what I normally buy, and knowing what my hip and bust size are (there are two options per size category and I was worried I chose too small, luckily I didnt!!).  This dress was supposed to be "below knee length" but I chose the "mini" option instead.  I'm happy to report that it wasn't super short (thank goodness!) It didn't take long to receive, about 14 days or so, and when the DHL man finally arrived, I ran out to the truck and he looked at me like I was a complete weirdo, and I just told him that I was expecting him. Haha. He just gave to me and left. (P.S. If you order from them, they ship via DHL and require signature!)

I opened the package and was immediately SO excited I couldn't wait to put it on.  Of course my hair wasn't done and I had 800 pimples so obviously I wasn't going to take my fashion photo shoot that day, and I also wanted Mike to help me take the pictures.  Well I finally got around to it yesterday. And can I just step on my high horse for a minute, I received SO many compliments on this dress at work, it made me feel awesome! It was a nice way to brighten my day after such a crappy Sunday night.  Now, onto the pics!

Dress: c/o eShakti | Bag: KS | Shoes: Steve Madden | Belt: Target | Necklace: Boscov's

So how do you think I did styling this dress? With the bright pops of color on the bottom, I feel as if this could be very versatile....Pink, blue, orange or yellow!  It's summertime so the yellow was calling my name. I will say the onnnnllllly downside to this dress is the material (cotton) is VERY prone to wrinkles. This would be perfect for an occasion with minimal sitting (because you don't get wrinkles obviously but the dress flares out so cute!).  Since I wore this to work and sit the majority of the day, my bum could have used a good iron by the end of the day yesterday.

Other than that (really minute) con, this dress couldn't be more perfect and I would not hesitate to order from eShakti again.  Right now they have their summer clearance at 35% off (which is pretty awesome) and if you are new to their site, you get a $25 gift coupon.  If you were considering ordering, now would probably be a great time to do it so you could get the clothing for really affordable!  A major thanks to Jane for making this happen!!

You can check out real photos of real women on their social media accounts, to get an idea of how the clothes look. Check them out on Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter.

And even though it isn't Wenesday, I can't help but be early for the WIWW link up with Sarah. This outfit was too cute not to share! 

Weekending - It sucked

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to check in with you all and know that I am in fact alive! Proof is on my sidebar to the left, I was snoozing with Peanut just yesterday!

No really, on Friday, my computer seriously whacked out and I had a loaner laptop for the remainder of the day at work and didn't feel too entirely comfortable blogging on a public computer. So that's that.  Then today, it's been a hectic mess because our car had some serious issues last night! And I'm trying to catch up on the lost work from Friday. AYE!

We own a 2012 Jetta and well like any nice, accommodating and generous wife, I had planned to wash Mike's car after I did mine yesterday afternoon.  I finished mine up and swapped places in the driveway.  I was all set and ready, until I wasn't able to TURN THE CAR OFF. Like the key, was STUCK in the ignition, WHILE THE CAR WAS ON.  I tried EVERYTHING in the book, slamming into park, jiggling my wheel around, taking it for a drive [to name a few] and nothing helped.  This was at 6pm.

I called VW emergency roadside assistance but since we are over the miles on our warranty (36,000) they wouldn't help us.  I called my insurance company and they couldn't get in touch with a locksmith, or help for that matter. Finally I thought I was getting some where 45 minutes later when I called AAA and they were going to send someone to save the day. YAY!!!.

Or not.

An hour later I receive a phone call saying that they aren't able to help us since the car is running, and they don't cover these type issues.  They would be more than willing to provide a tow to the dealership but basically I yelled into the phone, what the F good would that do me, I can just DRIVE it there.

So then we thought we would drive the jetta to the dealership (about 30 miles away), well it was our lucky day we were no where close to running out of gas.  No problem! We'll drive it there, leave it running over night and drop the extra set of keys in the drop box.  Well that didn't do us any good either because we were UNABLE to lock the car while it was running, with the spare set. OH MY GOD.

So now we have this car, sitting, running in our driveway for about 4 hours and I got restless. After many many phone calls to my dad, consulting the internet, and giving up, my neighbor (Not Dave, but his son) comes home and says "Did you guys lose something?" (because we had been in this situation when he left earlier in the evening). And we just basically told him what was going on.  Finally after putting our heads together, we found the correct layout of my fuse box under the hood (it was not in the owner's manual) we were able to pull the fuse to turn off the ignition. HALLELUJAH!

Ummmmm or not (again).

So obviously the entire car wasn't shut off, just the ignition. So the battery died. Which meant we would either need it towed or jumped to start it again.  Triple AAA came and jumped the car and Mike drove it to the dealer this am.

And now basically, they are telling us we are responsible for the charges to have it fixed.

I DON'T THINK SO VOLKSWAGEN. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING. I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL VW CUSTOMER FOR 5 YEARS.

I AM PISSED BEYOND BELIEF.

THIS CAR IS TWO FUCKING YEARS OLD.

I AM NOT PAYING FOR THIS!!!!!

#endrant.

I will be back tomorrow with a cute outfit!! Stay tuned for our adventures!

Linking up with Biana!

I'm just your average Jane

I'm having a hard time introducing this post today with a juicy suck-you-in type paragraph, so bear with me. I want to let you know that I'm not perfect (who is?) and show you that my life isn't as glamorous as I make it out to be on this blog sometimes. I personally like reading these type posts, to let me know that I actually have somethings in common with the blog I'm reading, other than things like "ooh I love that outfit!", or "oh man I can't stand it when _____ too!", "that recipe looks so good I need to try it!", you know what I mean. So here is an attempt to "get real" but honestly, I hate that phrase, so an attempt to prove to you I'm the average Jane and life isn't always rainbows and sunshine.

1. I left a piece of paper that required Mike's signature (along with a sticky with an arrow pointing to where he needed to sign) on the countertop, with a note asking him to place it in the mailbox after he signed.  I had already wrote the envelope out and had a stamp on it.  Today is Thursday. Guess where this piece of paper is? ON MY COUNTERTOP. 

2. I have the WORST cramps this week and forgot to pack the necessities in my bag. So my choice was to either go to Walmart or go home. I decided that going home was a better option because I'm more comfortable there when dealing with this. TMI? Get over it. We are all women here.

3. My hair is 2 days dirty and looks like shit.  Have you seen me post any pictures recently of myself? That is the reason why.  Well, I did post that selfie with Peanut and my hair was looking pretty ug so there you go. I've tried the baby powder route, it doesn't help. Neither does dry shampoo. I guess my scalp is just that oily.

4. Speaking of the number two bullet point above, my stomach hurt so bad when I was shopping in Homegoods yesterday, I actually had to leave. Doesn't that suck? But lucky for me the HG I was in wasn't the best...so I didn't miss out on too much.

5. I pick pimples. Especially on my back. It's hard to not do it. And if I take any photos, I will admit to the fact that I will photoshop a pimple out. But not wrinkles. Because I have those. And that de-wrinklefying tool is reallly weird.

6. When I go to my pool, it usually ends up being by myself, with my nook, and these two annoying bratty boys that are always loud and obnoxious.  But you would never know that judging by my pool pics.

7. I wash my car every weekend instead of paying to get it car-washed. 

8. I totally take advantage of my work hours when my boss is OOO.  And my job pretty much is lame. I'm an administrative assistant. Sometimes I'm really busy, but most of the time I am online. (I've got nerve complaining about this one, for sure).

9. You will not find me instagramming a starbucks drink. First of all, I think their coffee sucks. Second of all, I'm too cheap to pay for their prices, UNLESS, and this is IF and ONLY IF, I am in the airport traveling.  I will take a Tall Earl Grey Latte please.  But I still wont IG it. I'm a make your plain Dunkin Donuts at home with International Delight Hazelnut creamer kind of person.

10. I have more photos of my cats in my phone than I do of me and Mike. 

11. My kitchen sink is often filled with dishes.

12. Right now, my house looks like it threw up (clean) laundry. ALL OVER THE PLACE.  This is simply because I pout and whine when I have to fold and put away.  I will take sorting dirty laundry and starting it any day over folding and putting away.

13. Peanut's ass stinks like cheese. It's so disgusting that I have to take her to the vet about every 2 months to have her anal glands "expressed".  Linus has the most disgusting fish breath.  I still kiss them on the mouth daily. This is true love.

14.  I rarely buy anything full price.  I can honestly say I'm a Bargainista. Unless it's something I REALLY REALLY want. 

15. Buying a few of those Kate Spade items was the highlight of the past couple of months for me.  Getting comments about how awesome they were honestly made my days because Mike was really pissed at me that I got them. Yes, I love positive commentary just as much as any other blogger loves them.

Notice anything new??

Alright, if your eye balls are NOT functioning properly today, it's a brand spankin new blog design!

Taaa-daaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

This is exactly what I was thinking of when I was emailing Elle (pronounced L E!) with all my complaints about wanting a new design. I sent her a rough idea asking her thoughts (because obviously you would get your friends approval first DUH) and she didn't think my font choices were the best.  She slyly asked me for the image of the high heels I used, and I sent it to her not thinking anything of it.  A few minutes later, this fabulousness was in my inbox! I mean is it not the CUTEST ever?  We moved things around a bit and I am so happy! Let's face it you all know I'm a big fan of new things and it was time for a change. Thanks to Elle! If you need any help with your blog, she is the person to go to!

I'm kind of upset that I don't have any good juicy gossip this week to link up for Confessions.  I just tried sitting here thinking about it for a few minutes and no joke, I could not come up with anything. So I'll just pretend I'm a fashionista again, link up with Sarah for WIWW and show you how cute my outfit for work was from yesterday. #selfcentered. I know.

Shirt: Target | Pants: Calvin Klein from Costco | Bag: Kate Spade | Shoes: Steve Madden | Necklace: Payless

I mean, do those shoes not scream VA-VA-VOOM?!?! Oh they certainly do!! Some may think the shirt I'm wearing looks like a #paperbag but personally, I love it [I can eat as many potato chips as I want and it wouldn't show!! haha!!]  The back is sheer, as you can see the sleeves are as well in the above photo. I love the texture on the front.  Sadly, I got this last year on clearance so I can't even find anything similar to this to share.

Would you believe me if I told you that exactly (no joke) 5 minutes after I wrapped this photo session up outside, it poured?? Thank god I only took a few pics and settled on this one. Crazy thunder and lightening which lead to this awkward cat sitting. Literally :)

I die. Isn't she the damn cutest? Oh, and you like how my blanket is draped on me? I look like an idiot.

Happy Wednesday.

WTF

I had such an entirely different post planned out for today but so much shit has been going on that I just need a WTF moment and to share them with you all.

WTF Moment 1: My sister in law honestly thinks that she is going to the St. Regis Bora Bora for her honeymoon. And staying in a villa over the water.  I'm no math wizard but I just roughly guestimated flights, food and hotel cost and it's about $15,000. HAHA YEAH OK.  Although it is nice to dream?

WTF Moment 2: The Ghost of Bev. Honestly, I could really care less at this point as this drama has unfolded into 73 pages of pure ridiculousness. I don't know if I'm breaking blogger-code-etiquette by posting a link to there, but I just have a few things to say. First and foremost, my thoughts should not matter whatsoever because I have never heard of this person prior to a few of you pointing it out yesterday. But in all honestly, WHAT THE F. I may be a broken record here, but who honestly steals money from other people, deletes their shit and vanishes from blog world, to only resurface and fake her death? And on top of it all, steal content from other peoples' work? Oh my god. Stop. Like I said before, I have never interacted with this blog before so my opinions really don't matter in regards to this specific situation. But in general this is just wrong. I'm actually embarrassed to say it took me about 3 hours to read 50+ pages of this shit. Why do it? Like anyone else, (even those who won't admit it) I love a good drama. #endrant

lol

WTF Moment 3: The fact that the link above, brought me to this crazy ass shit, that I actually sat through and read (on my work computer oh boy).  Seriously, people, you need to get lives.  I might be one of them too, considering I read this. I just have no words.  Whether or not this story is true (hello, it's so not), the amount of time that people invest into crap like this just blows my mind away.  Who DOES this?!?!? WTF?

WTF Moment 4: The harsh realization that this Vegas trip is going to cost me an arm and a leg after talking about it for a couple hours over margaritas Sunday night.  I'm going with my sister in law (the looney up there who thinks she's going to Bora Bora, god bless her soul and I love her for it) and fiance, and like they are "money is no object" type people. Well with me (I really have balls writing this) it is and maybe I shouldn't of had a Kate Spade obsession last month. Boo-hoo I know, but really I got the flights and hotel on the cheap, a week for $1,000 for TWO of us. Yes that is seriously a steal. But like food, activities, gambling? Ah what did I commit myself to!?!? See how much saying yes gets me into trouble? So needless to say, I may put DC on hold. If only I could win the jackpot... somehow I imagine my Vegas trip turning out like this:

and just because I don't like making this list a nice round complete one,

WTF Moment 5: My coworker bitches to me on the daily about how sucky her manager is. Back-story/long story short: Her group got merged with another group and the existing group manager became her new boss. Now there are two admins in the group and they cover for each other while the other one is out of the office. My worker has had pre-approved 3 week long vacations (1 week in June, July and Aug) set since the beginning of the year, and now the other admin (who takes vacation on the whim) decides she wants to do summer hours. My coworker decided she wants to do summer hours since she did them last year (when part of separate group). Well basically new manager said NO, and that someone has to be here on Fridays regardless to cover (stupid rule - no one is EVER in on Fridays). So the two admins divided up the summer hour Fridays, and MY coworker is NOT happy with the amount of days she can take them....the reasoning because she has off for 3 fridays due to her existing vacation schedule. So it kinda ends up that the other admin gets more, but she also isn't taking week-long vacations. I know this is seriously such a dumb story but just imagine me having to listen to this same freaking story EVERY. DAMN. DAY. Ok? Leave me alone!

Another weekend has passed!

I've been trying to do a better job at documenting my weekend, because hello, I'm a blogger and the weekend didn't technically happen if you don't have pictures to prove it.  Everyone will just think you binge-watched Hart of Dixie on Netflix instead. Well, that did actually happen yesterday, but who cares? Side note: if it weren't for Rachel Bilson, I probably wouldn't watch the show.

Friday: I worked at home and actually felt accomplished. I got so many meetings set up for the remainder of the year. I don't know why I'm not allowed to work at home more often, seriously! I then went to the pool but I was too lazy to take pictures and I don't need to be traipsing around my blog in my bikini anyway. And then I met up with Valerie at a potentially-cute bar for a couple drinks and it was like we've been friends forever! I say potentially cute because it was still really early and we were surrounded by old men, and three women that thought having two arms full of Alex and Ani at age 35 was really cool.

Saturday: We went to the lobsterfest in Bradley Beach and I got the lobster quesidilla. It was SO good. I was too chicken to try the lobster rolls because I'm not to keen on mayonnaise and was worried I would hate it and waste ~$20. It was so freaking crowded. We almost gave up, but I decided to park closer to Avon and we walked about a mile but I didn't care. Then we saw baby Isabella and she's just honestly the most precious baby to exist and she was wearing the world's most adorable baby-romper ever. We also matched so that was exciting too.

Sunday: I already told you, Hart of Dixie ALL DAY LONG.  I could not leave the couch. First it was sunny, then it was cloudy, then it was rainy, then it was sort-of cloudy, then I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to the pool but ultimately laziness won. I then decided it would be a good idea to go to Marshall's because I needed a shopping fix and walked out with a hundred dollars in shit. What is wrong with me?

• DKNY Shower curtain, I was sick of my old one!
• A new TMNT shirt for Michael
• A candle holder which will be used as a pencil/pen cup in my new office at work (will update you soon on this)
• The cutest frame I ever laid my eyes on
• A clear plastic cube box for colored paper clips, obviously
• Some kind of note pad that was irresistible
• A PURSE (OMG i know.)
• A gift bag that I really didn't need but it was cute and came with matching tissue paper for $1.79 I can't pass this garbage up.

I think that's it. Honestly, you can all give me a pat on my back because I passed on TWO shoe purchases. Since I've been lovin on Peanut so much lately (how could I not?), I included a cute pic of Mr. Linus being a lazy bag of bones on the buffet server. Here is a photo dump, you are welcome :)

 

 

Linking up with Biana! <3

Friday Favorites (5)

Favorite Song: Rachel Platten "1,000 Ships"

So I discovered this artist probably like a million other people who watched the 100th episode of Pretty Little Liars on Tuesday.  She sang the song "Begin Again" (which hasn't been released yet) that I fell in love with in the scene when Ali goes back to school. So to hold me over till it's released, I listened to some of her other songs - this one is so cute and catchy!

Favorite Purchase: My Kate Spade Wellesley Planner

Where do we start with how perfect this planner is? Is it the colorful tabs? The beautiful leather? THE POLKA DOTS? Yes, Yes I think it's the polka dots that did me in. SO CUTE, SO KS. As you can see, today I am WAH (aka WORKING AT HOME) and then have Summer Hours! Oh yes, in exactly 3 minutes, and 25 seconds (I made that up) I will be logging off, and getting my booty to the pool. YAY for summer fridays! Oh, and did I mention I'm meeting up with Val today? Life is good. :)

Favorite Household Item (Yes I know this is so old of me): GreenPan Rio 12" Aluminum Fry Pan

People. this fry pan is the best of the best. NOTHING sticks to it. No butter or oil needed. I just made an omelet on it (ugh I should have taken a picture) and it was SO good. The perfect amount of fry. And another great thing about it, is how easy it is to clean! Buy it. You will NOT regret.

Favorite Snack: FREEZEPOPS also known as the best ICEPOPS ever.

Mind boggling: Who know how easy it would be to get these little suckers open when you freeze them standing up? I just started doing this since I have a bottom-freezer and it's just the best.  I can eat the whole box of these and not get sick of them.

Favorite Moment: Peanut is better

It took a whole week, but Peanut is finally back to her normal, crazy self.  It was so heartbreaking how sad and lethargic she was all week. She has never cuddled with me so much as she did this week.  I love her so much and happy that she's well again! Thank you to ALL who commented on her this week! It means so much to me (and Peanut too <3)

Well, I'm going to sign out, I will catch up with your blogs tomorrow morning over coffee! Happy Friday Loves!

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favs!

Isabella Rose

I really don't like to blog on Thursdays.

But I feel like I've done so well in class this week, coming back on time (for the most part), and doing my assignments that I owe it to you all to be here on this day too. Lucky for me, I have inspiration for today's post and it's called: babies.

A specific baby: Isabella Rose

Oh you know, it's only been almost 3 weeks since she was born, but would you believe I haven't seen her since then!! I know, this is just as shocking to me, as it is to you.  As you know, her momma is my BFFL and I talk to her on a daily basis, sometimes hourly.  I swear we can't go more than 2 hours without texting each other something totally ridiculous, like ugly ass nail polish colors, someone's hideous outfit on instagram, or even just advice on hair products.

But yesterday evening, I had the chance to take my mom over to visit Bella, and her mom and dad.  She was wide awake when we got there, I was so excited. She is still SO little, weighing 6 lbs. 3 oz. Her legs are little chicken legs and so precious, her tiny feet and hands are perfect. She is a little miracle!

I faced my fears and held her again.  I don't know that I've really mentioned it before here, but I just really don't like holding babies. Mostly for the fact that I'm scared they will break. Or something crazy will happen. Rachel and my mom forced me to hold her and I was so happy I did.  I did hold her in the hospital, you would think I would have been more nervous then, but she was all swaddled up and this time she was just free, able to move her arms and legs. So scary! But so so amazing. She really is truly amazing.

She clearly has already developed personality traits from her daddy. He LOVES soccer and she apparently does too!

If that face doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what else can today!

The Lisa Card: Never Leave Home...with it

Do you even have to ask what me or anyone else will be blogging about today? Confessions, DUH.

I confess:

- I almost bought these pens yesterday but then I got a reality check and told myself I didn't need to spend $12.00 on pens. But I'm still thinking about them so I might as well get them. I can't help it that these are the best colored pens on the planet and they don't bleed through paper.  You can also buy these in your local AC Moore, Hobby Lobby or Michael's or whatever craft store you have near you....not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...

- My spending is out of control.  See above for example. I'm almost as bad as Lisa Turtle after she got good grades on her report card and her dad let her use his credit card. And don't ask me if I went through this* the other day...

-On a more serious note, poor Peanut is still sick. Remember when she had an eye infection? Well two weeks later, now she has an upper respiratory infection.  She's such a strong little girl but each day I am getting more worried.  I'm quite pissed, so while we are confessing I might as well tell you the story:

• The constant sneezing started on Thursday July 3. I didn't want to be that mom and call the vet that day so I had figured that I would phone them Saturday if she was still sneezing since obviously they were closed for the 4th.  It just so happens to sneezed her poor little heart out all day Friday, and I barely got any sleep, nor did she Friday night into Saturday.  I called the vet and gave them the message that was going on.  About an hour later, I got a phone call back saying: "Give her the lysine treats (they keep feline herpes virus at bay aka they figured it was allergies) and monitor her over the rest of the weekend and give us a call Monday".  So basically, they felt as if Peanut's CONSTANT sneezing since THURSDAY was not an emergency. Fine. I get it.  Well, again all night Saturday she was up sneezing and of course I go into panic mode so I turn to google to start searching "my cat won't stop sneezing".  You don't want to know the results I found.  Needless to say that led me to find a vet that is open on Sundays, regardless of cost about 15 minutes away from me.  I phoned them in the AM and I had an appointment set for 40 minutes later. (And the bill wasn't that expensive so yay)
• End of story: Peanut had a fever and she has a really bad upper respiratory infection. I got medicine for her and the sneezing has subsided a little but she still is having issues breathing due to her nose being so stuffed up.  I am going to continue giving her the medicine but if this doesn't clear up by Wednesday, back we go to the Vet. 
• Do you think my previous vet ever called me to check on her? No. Bad move. I'm reconsidering switching vets because of this.

-I really want new outfits for Vegas because it makes me cringe when I take photos and have on repeat outfits. Yes, I'm a #spoiledbrat and I went shopping last weekend. Sadly, none of these beauties came home with me:

-Speaking of Vegas, I was really, REALLY excited to see that David Copperfield will be playing while I'm out there.  But the reviews were horrible. Does anyone remember that time he made a plane disappear on stage? Oh, you didn't watch those TV specials back in the day? Lucky for you, here it is below. The quality is superb BTW.

And that about wraps up my confessions this week.

P.S. that asterisk up above?? 

Um... yeah.

Dress-turned-skirt

You guys, I'm super excited right now. You see, I used to have this crinkly-type white skirt from Forever 21. I wore it ALL the time in the summer but as you know, whites don't stay crispy white after YEARS (bought in 2004 maybe? omg TEN years ago. wow) of washing and wearing and honestly the style just wasn't really "in" anymore.  I haven't been able to find a white skirt since, and seriously I've been looking.  So let's step forward to 2011 when I took my engagement photos in a strapless white cotton eyelet dress.

Sidenote: Isn't this gorgeous? This is at Princeton University

So as you can imagine a few wash and dries later (I never ever used to hang dry items) the dress has shrunk, and is now borderline-hooker when I wear it. :(

Now that is 2014, and it's the year of shopping your own closet and reinventing things (thanks pinterest and instagram) I had this nifty idea that I could wear it as a skirt. Well I tried to wear the dress, and then wear the shirt over it, but that didn't solve the shortness of it and it looked stupid, so then I decided to fold in the dress and it's awkwardly sitting on my butt and hips but I'll go with it.  I paired it with this cute shirt I bought in Marshall's (where else, really) and a statement necklace and, voila! My OOTD.

Top: Marshalls (Kenar Brand) / Dress: Macy's (similar) (simliar)/ Necklace: Kohls (searched for 15 minutes and couldn't find anything haha)  / Sandals: Payless ON CLEARANCE!

How do you like me rocking my straight hair style? Can't even tell I have ombre! I think I can pass this off as a skirt.  I may even have my mom make it into one with an elastic waist.  Can't be that hard right?

A week off

A week off from blogging and I didn't bat an eyelash about it.  I'm okay with this.

You'd may have possibly thought I went into hiding since I was due for a hair appointment on Tuesday the 1st, and I didn't blog all week after that.  But actually, it was quite the opposite. I was loud and proud of my new 'do. I still am actually, especially after one of the MALE doctors in work said "Oh Lauren, I like your hair! Looks good" and then naturally I went,

and said "Oh thanks! Got my hair done!"  I feel like I'm really owning my short hair do now, and I'm getting quite skilled at the curling action.

I just love compliments, don't we all?

So 4th of July has come and gone...that means summer is basically half way over and we might as well start preparing ourselves for Pumpkin spiced lattes (gag) and figuring out what new pinterest projects we can do for Christmas. But, since we still aren't that close, I will think about the rest of summer and what plans I have.

(FYI: Here is where I start talking about my plans for the rest of summer and the umpteenth vacation I'm going on and feel free to leave if you don't like it)

Upcoming Summer Plans:

-[this weekend] Lobsterfest at Bradley Beach.  My love for lobster began approximately 2 years ago. The first time I ever experienced lobster was during my honeymoon in Antigua and let me tell you, it was to die for.  I tried lobster at the Outback a few months later and it just wasn't the same.  But Val brought this up and considering we've been wanting to get together, this is the perfect opportunity.  Sunshine, drinks and lobster I think are just want the doctor prescribed for this upcoming weekend.

-[end of July] a trip to LAS VEGAS. Oh my GOSH I'm so excited. Last time(s) I was there, both ages were under 21 and very family oriented.  I'm kind of excited to let loose and party (and be in bed by 10pm sharp).  Let's not get too excited. If you'd like to see the funny pictures from those trips, I guest posted about these on Jennifer's blog last year (here and here)  We are staying at the MGM this time around, and I think the lazy river is what is making me most excited for this trip. I just love them!

-[end of July into August] My nieces are coming out to visit!! We are planning a trip to the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Science Center, a squirt park, and probably the beach! I can't wait for this. They are getting so big.

-[end of August] a trip to Washington DC.  First and foremost I offer my sincere apology to Biana because I think I made her crazy emailing her about 200x for information about Boston.  You see, I love history stuff and thought Boston had a lot to offer, and I've been wanting to go there for so long.  I almost booked this hotel, and it would have been amazing to visit.  I still will get there some day.  But it just ending up turning into a really, really pricey trip.  Now, I wouldn't mind spending the $ but considering I went to St. Lucia for a week, and will be going to Vegas for just shy of 1 week, I really couldn't justify going to Boston knowing it would cost me almost a grand or more by the time it was all said and done.  So, I ended up getting a groupon deal to go to DC. $99 bucks per night (2 nights) with free breakfast at Le Meredien, that's such a great deal.  I can't wait to go to Mount Vernon, and see the Smithsonian, and the Lincoln Memorial, and HELLO THE WHITEHOUSE. OUR NATION'S CAPITAL! Oh, and the point of this trip: I'm surprising Michael as it is our 5 year "together" anniversary. Awwww.

Bucket list for the rest of Summer 2014:

-Make sure to see Val at least once in addition to Lobsterfest. I mean seriously, can we get our acts together?

-Go canoeing. I've never done this and I'm really close to some awesome places that have this!!

-Saying "yes".  Why do I always second guess and turn things down? NO. Not anymore!

-Grill a london broil on MY grill. I've been so lazy. I usually cook on the grill every night in the summer and I just really haven't yet!

-Visit any one of these restaurants and have a happy hour :)

• McLoones - Asbury NJ
• Wharfside - Point
• River Rock - Brick

Now that summer is halfway over, what do you plan to do with the rest of this season??