Celebrity Style Inspiration: Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz photo

I don't know about you, but I find a lot of my outfit inspirations from celebrity fashion and Pinterest.  While browsing through Pinterest one day I saw this outfit with Cameron Diaz and realized that I have a few similar pieces and I could recreate her look.  

I was a little too excited that I had shoes that matched the cardigan perfectly.  I bought them on clearance at Forever 21 over a year ago and never wore them once!  I think I forgot that I had them.

And just for your entertainment, a photo of me with a snowflake in my eye (below)

What better time to take outfit photos then in the middle of a snow storm, right?  Yeah, maybe not.  We kind of got clobbered again.  Not as bad as a lot of other places got hit but I think I'm just really over this whole winter thing. haha!

Are you as sick of Winter as I am?! 

The Guy Behind the Blog

This is the very first time I am linking up at Heavens to Betsy for her "The Guy Behind the Blog" link up and I'm really excited about it!  I've always enjoyed reading these posts every month but always forgot to do my own.  But I scheduled this one ahead so I would remember. I'm OCD like that.  Anyway, meet my husband Chris.  We have been married for 5 years this July, and together for going on 7 years (and I've known him since I was 13!).  Man, time flies!  I think he's pretty amazing, so I hope you will too.

1. If you could write a book, what topic would you write about and why?
Chris:  I already have a large portion of data written for a fantasy book series with influences from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Final Fantasy and Harry Potter.  Why?  Because I think I could combine those elements in a way that would appeal to many readers and inspire others.

2. What is one thing on your bucket list, or one thing that you'd like to do or accomplish in your lifetime?
Chris:  My bucket list is to travel the world and see all the sights I possibly can.  More simply, sky diving.
(Me: Oooo, I would love to go skydiving!  Let's do it!!  And travel the world?? Umm, yes please?!)

3. If you could look out your window and only see one view for the rest of your life, what would you want to see?
Chris:  My wife and daughter playing in the sunny back yard laughing and smiling.  Really.  That's all I want.
(Me: <3 <3 <3  Can you see why I love this man?!)

4. Imagine you're opening a shop.  what are you selling?
Chris:  Either a music store (because I'm a musician) or a gaming shop for dorks.  (Because I'm a huge dork!)  Or... maybe a store that has BOTH!  Boom!!  Best of both worlds.
(Me: He won't brag about himself but I will do it for him!  He is an amazing musician who taught himself how to play drums, guitar, bass, and piano!)

5. If you could have 50lbs of anything other than money, what would it be?
Chris:  Comic books.  That was easy!
(Me: hahaha!  I'm almost positive he already has more than that now!)

6. Time to brag on your girl...tell us one thing that makes you proud of your wife!
Chris:  Other than putting up with all my interests (band shows, dork games), I'm proud of her blog!  I am always amazed with how successful she has become and how many people care about her and what she writes here.

 (Me: Aww!  I told you!  Isn't he the greatest ever!? lol)

OUTFIT: Purple and grey

And here I go again posting pictures during an ice/snow storm.  I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess.  It has been freezing raining all morning so I am a little grumpy.  I am hibernating in the house with my daughter drinking tea and hot cocoa.  I am getting really bad cabin fever!  I wish we could just hop on a plane and end up on a beach tomorrow!  Wouldn't that be nice?!

For now, I will stay cozy in my fuzzy cardigan and scarf.... blah..  

I may or may not have almost fallen on my butt in those heels.  I hate ice...grr..

Remember on Monday how I told you I found a couple great thrift shop pieces?!  Would you believe I got these booties BRAND NEW at a thrift shop for only $6?!  They were never worn and fit me perfect!  I've been shopping around for a grey pair of booties, so I was more than happy to pay that for them.  I also picked up this lavender top at the same thrift shop.  It was a good thrifting day!

Top: New York & Co. (similar)  |  Cardigan:  Charlotte Russe (similar)  |  Booties: Thrifted (similar)

Pants:  Charlotte Russe  |  Jewelry:  Premier Jewelry |  Scarf: Charlotte Russe (similar)

linked up with: The Pleated Poppy, Shopping my Closet, Cappuccino and Fashion, Pampers and Pearls, Because Shanna Said So, Tucker Up, Get Your Pretty On

Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

(click on book title for Goodreads synopsis)

The Martian by Andy Weir
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Martian is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, that gets stranded on Mars when his crew thinks him dead after a dust storm . He has to fight for survival and figure out ways to keep himself alive.

Quite honestly, this has probably been one of the best books I've read in a VERY long time. I couldn't put this one down! It had me on the edge of my seat and rooting for the main character every step of the way. There were even times in the book that I actually starting sweating because I was so nervous for him! You felt all of his frustrations and experienced every triumph right along with him.

The main character, Mark Watney, has a very dry sarcastic sense of humor that I loved.  It really breaks up the tension in the book and makes you relate to the character more.  I will warn you that there is a bit of profanity in the book, if you are sensitive to that kind of thing.

I have been recommending this book to everyone I know....including my husband! haha! He's started reading it and is hooked now too. Definitely a must read!

**I have received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review; this did not influence my review of this book and all my opinions and thoughts are my own.**

A casual winter outfit

Well, we got hit with even more snow over the weekend....yayy!  I was worried that with all of the snow that no one would be able to make it to my daughter's 2nd birthday party, but luckily there was still a few people that were able to be there.  The weather did get really nasty on Saturday.  After all of the snow hit, it started to rain and freeze on top of it.  Not exactly ideal driving weather.

Anyway, onto the outfit!  Would you believe I got this sweater for only $2 while out thrifting a couple weekends ago?!  It was originally $4, but it was half off that day!  I love polka dots, I just can't say no to them!  I had a couple other great finds thrifting that day too.  I will be sharing a couple more of them on Wednesday!

(and this was my "holy crap, are those birds going to attack me?!" face) 

Top: Thrifting -Old Navy (Similar) |  Pants:  Charlotte Russe  |

Shoes:  Payless  |  Scarf:  Charlotte Russe (similar)

How was your weekend?

linked up with: Rhea EtCetera, Pink Sole and Cha Cha the Fashion Genius, A Touch of Tartan, On the Daily Express and More Pieces of Me

Happy Birthday Paige!

Today is my daughter's 2nd birthday!  I can't believe how fast time has gone!  People always said that it feels like when you blink they grow up and I never believed them, but now my baby is a toddler!  I don't know how long it will take me to get used to that.  She'll always be my little baby.

Dear Paige,

I wanted to write this letter to thank you.  You have shown me how to view the world through your eyes and see the beauty and wonder that I lost in my adult  years.  You have also shown me how to love more deeply than I ever thought possible.  I thought when I feel in love with your daddy that I already knew the greatest love in the world...and then you came and showed me an all new kind of love.  Every time you smile, I can feel it all the way to my soul.  And when you laugh it could shake all of the doubt and sadness out of my body.  

I also want to tell you how proud of you I am.  Every second of every day.  Whether you make a mistake or surprise me with a new skill or word that you learned.  It doesn't matter what you do, I will always be your biggest fan.  You've got this insatiable craving to know every little thing about everything, and I love it.  You just have to figure it out, and you won't rest until you do.

And last but not least thank you for helping me believe in myself.  You look at me with stars in your eyes and know that I will fix anything I can for you.  When you have a nightmare and call for me, I get to be your superhero and chase away the scary thoughts.  And when you get a booboo, you make me feel like with just a hug and kiss I can make all the hurt go away.  You make me feel like I can do anything!

Happy Birthday boopy doo!

I love you baby

<3 Mommy

You can read the very first letter I wrote to my daughter here.  

I am going to be taking the day off to spend every single second kissing and hugging my daughter like crazy....but I will be back tomorrow to catch up on all of your posts.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Leopard maxi skirt in the winter

You guys, it is COLD around here!  I plan all of my posts ahead of schedule, so I'm currently writing this on Sunday and it is 4 degrees outside with wind chill around negative 10!  That's just gross.  But I decided to brave the cold for a little bit and get another cute outfit for you.

I absolutely love maxi skirts.  I think they are one of the comfiest pieces of clothing ever, so I even try to incorporate them into my winter wardrobe.  Because it was so cold, I wore black fleece-lined leggings underneath to stay warm.

Sorry, not too many photos for you this time.  I was FREEZING!  My eyes started to water every time the wind blew. haha!  So now I'm curled back up under a blanket with my hot tea.  I'm a big ole sissy!

I'm pretty sure we are supposed to get more snow later this week too.  I am really sick of all this snow!  I hope it doesn't get too bad because it's my little one's birthday and we are having a birthday party for her this weekend.  I still have so many things left to do for her party.  I will probably be rushing around like a mad woman up until the last second.  That's how it usually goes.

Are you getting clobbered by snow too?

linked up with: The Pleated Poppy, Shopping My Closet, Fab Five Friday

Currently...

Currently...

Feeling a little sad...  My daughter is going to be 2 years old on Thursday!  Where the heck did time go??  I still can't believe it.  I want her to stay little forever!  I shouldn't say that I completely sad about it, I'm also very proud.  She's so smart!

Reading The Martian by Andy Weir.  I'm almost halfway through the book now and I am LOVING it.  It's been a long time since a book has hooked me like this one.  This one has made me laugh quite a few times, and the author did a great job of letting you feel all of the emotions that the main character is going through.  There are times you want to "ugghh" in frustrating because things aren't working out and other times you want to jump up and cheer.  

Watching the third season of American Horror Story: Asylum.  I'm only 2 episodes in, so no spoilers!  This one seems like it's going to be interesting.  I also need to catch up on a couple episodes of The Blacklist!

Writing this blog post...I normally schedule my whole week of blog posts over the weekend but I had a lazy weekend with my husband and daughter.  We just laid around and snuggled under blankets.  It's too cold to do anything else!

Listening to my husband talk to his video game friends on Destiny.  Man, guys get REALLY serious about this game! haha

Wanting these headaches to go away once and for all.  I'm tired of being in pain almost every day, it's miserable.  Also, a Wendy's Frosty.....because why not??

Needing to force myself to stick to an exercise routine.  <--- yep, that's the same one I put last month, and guess what I still haven't done?  Shame on me!  I need to make it a habit every night when baby goes to sleep for the night...or even during nap time!

Hoping that we start getting Spring weather soon!  I'm sick of the cold and snow!  This morning it was -4 degrees outside.  That's craziness!  Yesterday they said the wind chill factor was around -15.  I think I want to move south!!

What I wore on Valentine's Day

I was so happy that my husband and I got a little bit of free time for ourselves to go out and celebrate Valentine's Day.  We ended up going out on Friday instead of Saturday, which was probably better because we beat the crowds.

He took me out to Cheesecake Factory for dinner and then took me shopping at Express afterwards!  What girl doesn't want a mini shopping spree for Valentine's Day?!  He also bought me roses, chocolate and got me a beautiful necklace and earrings from Kay Jewelers. So basically I'm spoiled!  He must really like me or somethin!

I also curled my hair for once!  Well, I tried!  My hair doesn't really do much other than lay there, so no matter how much hairspray I put in it, it never holds the curl.

 

I bought this beautiful dress from a thrift shop for only $4!  Can you believe it?!  It was brand new and is from White House Black Market.  I actually also thrifted this red peacoat at the end of last winter.  I don't wear it too often because it isn't very thick.

Oh, and of course I had to include a picture of me looking like I'm freezing my butt off (because I REALLY was!)...haha!

Here are the beautiful roses and jewelry my hubby bought me, and on the right is Paige's Valentine to her daddy <3  It's now hanging on our living room wall.  I can't believe she's going to be two on Thursday!  Time needs to slow down!

What did you do for Valentine's Day?

linked up with: On the Daily Express and More Pieces of Me, Pink Sole and Cha Cha the Fashion Genius, A Touch of Tartan, Rhea EtCetera

Finally some new art: Catwoman Watercolor

I have really dropped the ball lately with creating artwork once a week.  I think my inspiration just comes and goes, and I was having an "off" moment.  I'm going to try to get better with creating something new every week for Friday.

Anyway, Wednesday night I sat down and created this watercolor portrait of Catwoman.  It's been almost a month since I've created something so I was a little bit rusty.  However, this one only took me about 2 and a half hours to do.  

I wanted to continue with my "comic book series".  I've already painted, Ironman, Black Widow, and Wolverine so I thought I would add a DC comic character into the mix.  I've always love Catwoman, and I will always believe that Michelle Pfeiffer was the best one (sorry, Halle Berry and Anne Hathaway!!).

Here are a couple progress shots:

I also did an acrylic painting of Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba) from a comic/movie called Sin City.  I'm kind of a big comic nerd, I guess. haha!

Who do you think should be my next comic character? Who do you think played the best Catwoman??

A girl can dream, right?!

Every once in a while I like to daydream about what it would be like to have a second wedding with my husband...  or to have a vow renewal ceremony with only us two.  Sometimes the daydreams even take me so far as looking at wedding dresses online.  Even when you are already married, I think you still love looking at wedding dresses.  I can't be the only one!  Everyone wants that princess for a day (or two!) feeling, right?!

I was so happy when the people at G Bridal contacted me about writing a post for them.  Guilt free perusing of wedding dresses?!  Umm yes please!  Not to mention they are currently having 75-80% off all items!  You can't beat that!  

Here are a few of my favorite wedding dresses from their site:

(I am absolutely in love with this first one)

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G Bridal also has a section for the accessories you would might need on your special day.  Jewelry, veils, gloves, petticoats, shoes.  You name it!

In addition to their wonderful selection of wedding dresses 2015 and accessories, they also have great prom dresses and sexy cocktail dresses.  With all of these award shows that have been on lately, I have seen so many red carpet looks that I would love to own myself.  

Have you ever thought about what you would wear if you were ever on the red carpet yourself?  I know I have.  When I was in high school and everyone started talking about and getting excited for prom it always made me think about red carpet fashion.  Who's going to wear what?!  Who will win best dressed (prom king and queen)? If I was a teenager trying to find the perfect dress I may wear something like one of these beautiful dresses that I found in the "nice formal dresses" section on G Bridal's website:

Black and white gown  |  Blue gown  |  Pink gown

Even if you aren't in the market for wedding dress or a fancy formal gown, G Bridal also has gorgeous cocktail dresses that are perfect for a date night or fun night out with the girls.  Check out some of my favorites:

Blue sleeveless  |  Champagne with sequins  | Blue with lace sleeves

*This post was sponsored by GBridal*

What dress was your favorite?  Do you love looking at wedding gowns too?

I've been living in my blanket scarf

I have been wearing this blanket scarf so often this winter.  I really is like carrying around a cozy blanket all day.  I love how soft and warm they are.

These pictures were actually taken before all of the snow melted over the weekend.  I've been hoping that we won't get too much more.  I am very really for spring to start!  I also finally caught my daughter's cold...yuck!  I've been sneezing up a storm.  So there will be lots of tea and soup in my near future.

My migraines have seemed to go away for the past couple days, so hopefully last weekend was just a fluke.  It was so nice to go those couple weeks without one.  It's been so long since I was that "clear" for that long of a period.  

Now if I can just get my lazy butt off the couch to keep exercising!  I have been slacking big time!

Do you love the blanket scarf trend too?  What's your favorite cold remedy?

linked up with: Shopping My Closet, Pumps and Pushups, Get Your Pretty On, Cappuccino and Fashion, Fab Five Fridays