This Blonde's Shopping Bag - From frumpy to fab in no time!

Spring Becomes Fall

Well, I don’t know about you but I find that many of the pieces of clothing I wore in Spring work in Fall. The difference is in the styling of those pieces. In Spring I’m wearing lighter colors while in Fall I’m reaching for slightly darker colors. Case in point, my blush pants from Old Navy. I was head over heels for them in the Spring and I’m happy to report I’m still smitten.

Dressing for Fall can be a little tricky when it’s still so hot outside. To the temperature I say “take that!” and I wear my spring colored pants with a top (under $23) that says, “yeah, I go both ways” cool enough for hot weather but ready for slightly cooler temps too.

I wore this outfit to work last week and I loved it. It was comfortable and seasonably appropriate. My favorite wedges are still on heavy rotation. Although they may seems a little pricey I have most definitely gotten my money’s worth from them. Honestly I can wear them all day at work and my feet do not hurt.

As far as jewelry goes,my Kendra Scott necklace is perfect no matter what season or temperature. That’s another piece that seemed pricey at the time (it was a birthday gift) but has been so worth every penny.

You can bet I’m scheming other ways to wear these pants for Fall and you know I’ll be sharing them right here.

Before I go I wanted to share something fun with you that I’m going to be taking part in during the month of October. It’s called Common Threads Challenge . Basically you choose 5 pieces from your wardrobe and incorporate at least one of them into your outfit everyday during the month of October. Sarah at Foxy’s Domestic Side encouraged me to join her and hopefully we can support one another, this seems a little scary to me! The challenge was put together by a group of fabulous bloggers, are you interested in taking the challenge along with us? I hope so, the more the merrier!

Thanks for stopping by today, your readership blesses me and your comments mean the world! I honestly enjoy connecting with you. If you enjoyed today’s post I hope you’ll consider sharing it on Pinterest, Facebook, or email. If you haven’t signed up to follow by email you can do that now or follow along on Bloglovin.

Make it a great day friends!

xo,
Kellyann

Wanna know where I’m linking up today? Click the top right corner of this page!

Ruffled Dress

Have you ever seen a dress online, on a mannequin, or even on another person and thought, “Cute dress but that would never look good on me.” Well that’s exactly what I thought about this dress. When my friend Lisa shared it in this post I thought it looked so good on her! I even clicked on the link she provided and scoped it out on Loft’s website but I thought there was no way it would look good on me. All those ruffles would make me look like a wedding cake and I haven’t gotten very serious about losing my Summer weight so there’s that too.

Imagine my surprise last week when I stopped in Loft and saw the dress! It was the last one hanging on the clearance rack. Since I’d only seen it online I picked it up to check it out. Reluctantly. Because during the Hurricane Irma debacle I ate with wild abandon! I was pleasantly surprised that it fit and not only that I liked the way it looked on me! It’s actually a better deal online because the price I paid in store was slightly higher. Last I checked it was on sale for $54.88 with an additional 40% off! Whoa! Thinking of ordering it? I’m wearing a size small.

Take a look at all the ways I can wear this dress right through Fall. With the exception of Winter I can wear this dress all year, that makes a great deal even better. And once you see how you can change it up by swapping out layers you’ll see that you need this dress too! In honor of the First Day of Fall I am wearing my favorite new Tom’s open toe booties that are under $75!

Of course it can be worn alone. However, I’ll be adding a light cardigan at work because when the a/c is working I get cold. I bought my lightweight cardigan (similar)a few years ago on Groupon, it’s not my favorite of all time but it serves a purpose because of the color and the fabric.

I love it with a denim jacket too! The blue really picks up the color of the flowers in the dress! Similar jacket here and plus size option here.

If you don’t already own a utility vest GET ONE (under $30). These vests are so versatile! I love how just throwing it on completely changes the look. It’s casual but a little edgy (at least from my 49 year old perspective).You’ll see me wearing my military vest alot as the weather cools.

If you’re looking to go a little dressier, switch pumps for the booties and add a sleeveless blazer! Of course a regular blazer would work too.

This dress is a great staple because it can be worn so many different ways. From casual to dressy it looks great! To wrap things up I have one final way I styled the dress, with a cable knit sweater! Now how’s that for different? You know what? I think I really like it this way even though I was absolutely roasting! By adding the pull over sweater the dress looks more like a ruffled skirt. I could almost wear it in Winter but I think my legs would be cold.

I had so much fun styling this dress so many different ways, just by mixing a new piece with old pieces I now have lots of ways to wear this dress. Hopefully you’re inspired to try new ways to wear items in your closet. It sure helps to get you out of a rut and it’s fun to feel like you’re never wearing the same outfit twice!

Have a wonderful weekend friends and if you enjoyed this post please share it with a friend! Check out all the blogs I link up with by clicking in the upper right hand corner of this page, I promise you’ll find some fabulous blogs to further inspire you!

xo,
Kellyann

All the Ways With Gingham

On Monday I told you how much I love my new gingham bell sleeve top from Loft. Gingham always catches my eye and all the fun details on this top made it hard to resist. Today I’m showing you all the ways I plan to wear my new gingham top. Maybe you’ll be inspired to try a few of these looks out yourself!

A few of these looks I can wear right away and a few I’ll save for when it cools off. Since there isn’t a money tree growing in my backyard I try to shop for pieces I can wear for more than one season. The only exception would be pieces I find on super sale.

Let’s start with warm weather looks with this top. I’d also like to add that most days are way too warm to wear a long sleeve top but since this one has split sleeves it’s got built in ventilation! Speaking of ventilation I needed it the day we took these photos, it was raining and so humid! Please excuse the puddles and the gray skies.

Black and white gingham works well with all the basics like white, black,olive,and denim.

But I LOVE it with bright colors too! My magenta flame pants pair so well with black and white. Of course red works too and so does bright blue!

Even though it doesn’t feel like it now, the weather will cool off here in Florida. When it does I’ll plan to add my leopard scarf (similar only $12). Pairing gingham with leopard was probably my first foray into the world of pattern mixing. If you haven’t yet tried it, go for it! Grab yourself a leopard scarf and throw it on with a gingham top.

While I love my new gingham top you can re-create any of these looks with a button up gingham shirt. I’ll link some options below for you.

I hope today’s post has inspired you to try something new, maybe you’re ready to take gingham for a spin. You can get more inspiration by checking out the blogs I link up with my clicking on the upper right hand corner of this page.

Thanks so much for stopping by, if you aren’t already signed up to follow by email or on bloglovin, please do so – you’ll never miss a post! If you enjoyed reading along share it with a friend because sharing is caring, right?

xo,
Kellyann

Women’s Skinny Bermudas (10″) • Old Navy • $9.97
Plus-Size Boyfriend Straight Jeans • Old Navy • $34
Smooth & Slim Plus-Size Pixie Pants • Old Navy • $22.97–49.94
Smooth & Slim Plus-Size Harper Pants • Old Navy • $26.97
Plus-Size Mid-Rise Rockstar Jeans • Old Navy • $22.97–34
Mid-Rise Double-Weave Harper Pants for Women • Old Navy • $25
Pixie Long Mid-Rise Pants for Women • Old Navy • $19.97–34.99
Mid-Rise Super Skinny Jeans for Women • Old Navy • $15
Mid-Rise Rockstar Jeans for Women • Old Navy • $32
Mid-Rise Built-In-Sculpt Gray Rockstar Jeans for Women • Old Navy • $45
Mid-Rise Raw-Hem Rockstar Ankle Jeans for Women • Old Navy • $32
FOREVER 21 Gingham Bell Sleeve Shirt • Forever 21 • $38
FOREVER 21 Gingham Longline Shirt • Forever 21 • $19.90
Boy shirt in crinkle gingham • J.Crew • $39.99–59.50
J.Crew – Boy Gingham Crinkled-cotton Shirt – Pink • J.Crew • $60
Women’s J.crew Crinkle Gingham Boy Shirt • J.Crew • $59.50
Leopard Chic Scarf • Charming charlie • $12

In the Fitting Room

It has literally been ages since I’ve shopped at Loft. Honestly I was trying to stay away until Fall clothes came out because I have enough for Summer. On top of that I had received a $20 Rewards Card (the one you earn when you spend a certain amount which, btw, I don’t want to think about). Those cards are good for a few months and when I received mine I made a mental note to onto it until Labor Day. Fast forward to Labor Day and the impending doom associated with Irma and the last thing I was thinking about was shopping. Especially after Nolan and his medical crisis came to town.

Unfortunately for me my savings card had an expiration date of 9/9 on it. That just happened to be the day I spent at the ER with Nolan. After the storm and once my power had been restored was a different story. With a week off of school I hadn’t planned on I decided it was as good a time as any to shop. Imagine my surprise when I realized my card expired! I was going to call customer service but I decided that would be my last resort; I’d ask my local store if they would honor my card and I was prepared to give them my sob story. Although the sales associate who greeted me was less than friendly and unwilling to help me (Ima give her the benefit of the doubt here – she was either seriously carb deprived or perhaps had no power on at home from the storm and was therefore cranky) the store manager was so very kind and more than willing to allow me to use my expired savings card! Lesson learned – ask, the worst they can say is no!

You should know I was meeting a friend for an afternoon movie so I didn’t have all the time in the world and the fitting room was hot. Maybe the air wasn’t properly working after the storm but trying things on when I’m sweating is not my favorite thing. So here ya go, a look at what I tried on!
Up first these Festival Fluid Pants . They are certainly fun and have just about every color in them. I’m wearing a size 4 so I’d say they run true to size.

Next I tried on a dress my sweet friend Lisa who blogs at Coast to Coast recently shared here. The dress is on super sale right now and it’s so dang cute! I love that it is orange and blue because #gogators I can wear it for college spirit day at school and still feel put together. It’s also perfect for this time of year in Florida and will be fabulous with a denim jacket or cardigan. I’m wearing it in a small.

My focus was on tops and I found several that caught my eye. First up this Blossom Bar Back Blouse . I love the colors of this blouse! I tried it on in a medium because there was no small. It was comfortable and cute. I love wearing colors other than just grey,black,and brown in Fall and Winter. This blouse was so pretty and will be great layered under sweaters and jackets when it cools down but is pretty enough to stand alone.It’s a great length and you can see it covers my bottom. I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans to try on with the tops I chose. I’m wearing a 4 in the jeans and I really liked the way they fit. I didn’t buy them because I don’t need a pair of dark skinnies at the moment but if I did these would be a contender.

This plaid cascade sleeve blouse was another winner. I really like this top so much! I love the sleeves! I’m wearing a small. I’d love to see it with a leopard scarf in cooler weather.

Anything gingham catches my eye right away so falling for this stunner was a no brainer. I love the split bell sleeve with the tie detail. It’s a longer top too so it will be fabulous with my faux leather leggings this Winter.

The last top I tried on is a nice alternative to a chambray shirt. The cold shoulder detail and ruffle give it a little feminine flair without being too sweet. This chambray flounce cold shoulder shirt is super cute! I’m wearing a size small and the sleeves are rolled up. I love it! It’s a good length and the fabric is a great weight – not too thin and not too heavy.
Last but not least I snagged a pair of boyfriend jeans to try. I didn’t realize they had a button fly! That’s a deal breaker for me. I use the bathroom way too much during the day to deal with that foolishness and I got bored just unbuttoning them! They were cute though and since I refused to button them once they were on I didn’t take a selfie #thankmenow.

So what did I end up bringing home with me? The dress, this top, and this top.But you can be sure I’ll keep my eye on the rest because it was so hard to decide!

Thanks for following along with me on my trip to Loft. Be sure to check the header at the top of this page to see where I’m linking up today. There are so many fabulous blogs out there!

If you enjoyed reading today please sign up to follow by email and you’ll never miss a post! Already signed up, then please share with a friend. I’ll see you back here on Wednesday friends!

xo,
Kellyann

Shop here:
Tall Floral Tiered Dress • LOFT • $54.88
Boyfriend Jeans in Light Indigo Wash • LOFT • $79.50
Tall Modern Skinny Jeans in Dark Indigo • LOFT • $79.50
Festival Fluid Pants • LOFT • $69.50
Plaid Cascade Sleeve Blouse • LOFT • $54.50
Chambray Flounce Cold Shoulder Shirt • LOFT • $54.50
Blossom Bar Back Blouse • LOFT • $59.50
Gingham Tie Split Bell Sleeve Top • LOFT • $54.50

That’s a Wrap and Friday Favorites

What a difference a week makes! Friday, I am very happy to see you once again and unlike last week I welcome you with absolutely no trepidation! I’m sharing some Friday favorites today and just a little update – we’ve been out of school ALL WEEK. Unfortunately power has not been restored to all of our schools so Monday is the day we go back. Please continue to send your prayers and well wishes because there are so many people who are still suffering. You’ll see in my photos lots of debris, that’s the norm everywhere. A reminder of what happened earlier this week.

First up this dress, oh, this dress. Classic. Chic. Flattering, on every single body type. Yes, I am referring to the wrap dress. I adore this dress and I am currently looking for opportunities to wear it! Ha! How often does that happen?

So last week while prepping for Hurricane Irma I managed to read a few of the blogs I follow. Seriously I follow a ton on Bloglovin and I get all kinds of anxious when I can’t keep up. But this dress caught my eye on the ever stylish, cute as a button, fellow Floridian Alyson of The Modern Savvy. Without giving it a second thought I clicked her link and ordered this gorgeous Maggy London wrap dress on sale for a steal!!! Honestly, this dress is normally priced at $148 and you can get it for $49.99. For size reference I ordered a small.

Favorite #2 involves me doing something I should have NEVER done. I bought these:
It was a moment of weakness after dropping Nolan off at his friend’s house to catch a ride back to school. I was paying for my groceries and there THEY were, ugh, dang they are good! I’m going to have to call my two blogging besties out for this new obsession, that’s right Andrea and Lisa have both talked about these babies. Thank goodness the bag was small because I ate the whole thing. Now I am scheming ways to incorporate them into recipes, I’m thinking they’d be pretty tasty in a cookie!

Favorite #3 is the manicure I gave myself this week. I have the hardest time keeping nail polish on my nails. I’m not sure if I just have oily nail beds or what but regardless of what brand I try or what top coat I use my nail polish peels off. Like in sheets. I can’t stop peeling it off once it starts. This week in my spare time (which btw I had a lot of thanks to Irma) I think I finally found a combo that works for me. They are all products I’ve used before but now that I’ve combined them I think I have found a solution! I’m using these three products:

The end result looks like this, and this was almost 2 days after I painted my nails! I think my kindergarten friends will be so pleased!

Favorite #4 involves a good laugh! With the stress of the impending storm I baked and cooked like a crazy woman, apparently I wasn’t alone because I saw this on Facebook!

Finally favorite #5, my man child, Nolan coming home for a few days during the storm. Although he is almost 20 he still needs his momma and that feels good. It’s weird when your kids are over 18 because they are adults and therefore you have no right to things like their medical information (even though it’s our insurance). While we were at the ER everyone kept talking to him and calling him Mr. Rohr. What? When did that happen because this is how I see him:

Not like this 6 foot tall man!

I swear I blinked and he grew up. I can’t even get started on my other baby who will turn 18 soon. It’s true that the days are long but the years are short!

I hope you enjoyed my Friday favorites, for a list of the link ups I join each week, please check out the header on this page. Just a little something I threw together. Ha! Except NOT, honestly every little technical change I make on this blog is a process but one I am proud of so please click on it and enjoy!

Have a fabulous weekend friends and I’ll see you back here on Monday!

xo,
Kellyann

Shop wrap dresses here:
Maggy London – Velvet Wrap Dress Women’s Dress • Maggy London • $128
Ramona Wrap – Black • Maggy London • $49.99
Maggy London Cap-Sleeve Jersey Wrap Dress, Blue Pattern • Maggy London • $40
Women’s Maggy London Palm Spray Print Wrap Dress • Maggy London • $64.90
Petite Women’s Maggy London Palm Leaf Wrap Dress • Maggy London • $64.89

Peace Out, Irma!

Hi friends and happy Wednesday. And I do mean happy. After 30 hours without power(yeah, I’m looking at you Irma) we are back in business and the air conditioning is cranking. I’ve lived in Florida a long time (43 years) and we’ve faced our share of storms. The hurricanes of 2004 (we had 3 come through our area) were the worst for us but we weren’t without power for very long. Less than a day actually. This time was different and I am eternally grateful our power was not out longer. It’s just too hot and humid here to be without air conditioning.

Although I hadn’t planned on posting anything today I thought I’d share a few pictures of what Irma did in my neighborhood. Our house fared pretty well. A few panels of screen were blown away from around our pool but thankfully our large oak trees are still standing and we had no water damage nor broken windows. It also seems our roof survived. All good news since Nolan’s trip to the Emergency Room on Saturday is going to cost us over $4,000.00!

The last time I fixed my hair or wore make up was Friday. When I was rushing Nolan off to the doctor and ER on Saturday I threw on my rain boots and rain coat because it was raining. Of course, as luck would have it, the rain stopped and the sun was shining brightly. I was stuck for hours looking RIDICULOUS and because I’m INSANE I felt the need to tell any human who would listen to me that when I left the house hours ago it was raining. Honestly no one cared, especially when Nolan had tonsils the size of Texas, but apparently I am more superficial than I’d like to admit! Anyhow, here’s a picture of my leopard print boots. I wore them with my hot pink rain coat. It could have been totally cute if I had washed my face, combed my hair, and slapped on a little make up but…

That was about as good as fashion got for me over the weekend! I sent that picture to my sister in law and she commented that she wanted boots too. Brace yourself for where mine are from…Walgreen’s! Yup, no fancy wellies for me. Our rainy season is when it’s hot so it just doesn’t make sense to invest in anything expensive. I keep these at work for when it rains and I have to load kids in cars. They do the job!
Up next are various pictures from our neighborhood. My husband and I took our dog out to survey the damage on Monday morning.

Having no power and no internet was difficult! Being bored and hot is not a good combination. Add to that a curfew for our County that was in effect from Sunday evening until Monday night and we were stir crazy. We cleaned up the yard and the gutters out front. Once the curfew was lifted we sent the boys to sleep elsewhere so they could be in air conditioning. My husband and I stayed home and slept with the windows open.
He went into work on Tuesday and I stayed home and cleaned. I was bored so I cleaned bathrooms and dusted, even vacuumed since ours was charged up and ready to go! Last week I loaded my Kindle up too so I read like it was my job!
Speaking of jobs, schools are closed here through Thursday so no work for me. So many schools still have no power. I am praying this is resolved soon because so many of our kids rely on us for meals and stability. My heart hurts for my sweet babies who are at home in uncertain conditions. Without getting into too many details I know that some of our sweet students live in homes where adult supervision is questionable and I worry when the stress of a storm like this impacts their fragile home life.

I snapped this last picture Monday night. Despite all the craziness over the last few days with my sick man child and the wrath of hurricane Irma I am blessed beyond measure. The candle in the picture is my current favorite from Wal-mart. It is under $5 and smells AMAZING! Seriously, it’s a 3 wick candle and my house smells so yummy when I burn it. Go to Wal-mart and get one or 6 like I did, it’s Pumpkin Waffles and it was on the air freshener aisle!

I hope you’ll join me in saying, “Peace Out Irma!”
xo,
Kellyann

Sitting Duck

A sitting duck, that’s what I feel like. All week, in fact, since Irma started commanding so much attention. It’s been hard to get away from – she’s everywhere. By the time this post is published she’ll be history (hopefully). Since school was cancelled for today (Friday) I’m taking time to prepare this post and have it ready to go bright and early Monday. I have no idea if we’ll have power or not but the show will go on. Besides, it’s helpful to do something other than sit around waiting. The calm before the storm on Friday was the perfect time to snap a few pictures before I headed out to lunch with my friend Kristen. The sun wasn’t exactly shining so forgive the darkness of the photos.Remember just last week I posted a few pictures of us together in high school and college? Well, she now lives in Miami. The only good thing to come from Irma was having Kristen in Orlando for a few days! This is what I wore to meet her for lunch.

The best thing about a best friend is no matter how much time passes you can pick up right where you left off. That’s how it is with us. We sit down and immediately begin catching up. There’s something so refreshing about talking with someone who knows your story because she was there for most of it! Old friendships are comfortable, they feel good, they nurture the soul. Just as comfortable as I am sitting down with one of my oldest and best friends, my outfit checks all the boxes for ease and comfort too!

I have been chomping at the bit to wear my new open toe booties!They are super comfortable and look fantastic with my Old Navy Rockstar jeans. Not only are they super comfortable but they are on sale! Lightweight enough to wear in the heat and humidity yet they hold their shape without bagging makes them the perfect pair for me!

Even though it is so hot here I knew I would be cold in the restaurant so it was the perfect time to pull out my new striped boyfriend shirt. This shirt is a winner! The relaxed fit of a boyfriend shirt combined with subtle fading of the stripes give it a fun personality. It will look great worn under a sweater or jacket but for now it’s fabulous on it’s own.

Anytime I can pull out a statement necklace I will. The juxtaposition of a sparkly, crystal necklace up against a faded striped shirt and slightly faded denim gives me all the feels! I realized once it was too late that you can’t even see my necklace in these pictures so…I pulled out the old Iphone!

While I chose not to wear earrings I did choose two of my favorite bracelets. This one and this one are two of my favorites! I could wear them everyday. I’ve included my Michael Kors bag (similar) just to show you I have successfully transitioned my wardrobe from Summer to Fall! Ha! That’s about the size of it here in Florida, no need to grab sweaters or extra layers just yet so swapping handbags will do the trick.

Just a little update about what else was occurring on Friday. I reported to school at 5:30am with the rest of our leadership team to prepare our school for the hurricane. The air doesn’t kick on till about 6:30 ish so we were boiling for the first hour. We went from room to room covering computers and unplugging refrigerators. After we were done we realized we had to go back and unplug every single computer! Ugh!!!! Then we walked the property to remove any debris and make sure anything that could blow away was secured. I got home around 8:45 had coffee and then showered to get ready for lunch with Kristen. While we were taking these pictures our neighbors were all busy getting ready for the storm. Take a look at what a typical house looks like before the storm:
I have been working on this post since Friday. It’s now Sunday morning and here’s the latest. Our son Nolan was able to catch a ride home from UF (Gainesville) on Friday afternoon. We hadn’t planned on him coming home so this was an unexpected surprise. He had been sick earlier in the week and went to a walk in clinic. He tested negative for strep so they sent him on his way with ibuprofen for pain. By the time he came home Friday his tonsils were huge! I’m not one to panic so we expected he’d start to feel better. However, by early Saturday morning he couldn’t swallow his own saliva and it was hard to breathe. His tonsils were ENORMOUS. Finding an urgent care that was open was a challenge since everyone is preparing for Irma. We found one, waited two painful hours only to hear we needed to get to the hospital immediately because the doctor suspected Nolan had an abscess in his tonsils. We hurried to the ER where they took him in immediately and started him on an IV of steroids, antibiotics, zofran, and morphine. They barely had the IV started when they wisked him away for a CT scan of his neck. After several hours and many tubes of blood later we were elated to find out there was no abscess and we were able to come home. Prior to that they had talked about admitting Nolan and needing him there for several days. Such an answered prayer that we were able to go home with lots of scripts in hand. I can’t imagine being separated from my husband and younger son during the hurricane. I sit here typing with a very grateful heart.

So that’s a little update on what’s happening here, I am hoping to be back in action by Wednesday but right now things are uncertain as we wait for Irma. I appreciate all the well wishes and prayers for everyone dealing with Irma and her aftermath.

xo,
Kellyann

Blue and Green

Hello Friday, we meet again! I hope this Friday finds you well, dear readers. We are all kinds of busy around here preparing for Irma and her impending doom. With all the busy-ness of preparing for the storm this week I was unable to get the pictures for the posts I had planned; thank goodness for random pictures I have my husband snap “just in case” because that’s just what I needed this week!

When I bought this blue bell sleeve top (similar on sale) I knew I’d be wearing it with green. I simply love wearing blue and green together! I wore this outfit over the weekend while out for the day with my husband.

The longer shorts are perfect and the geometric pattern on them adds visual interest. I bought these shorts approximately two years ago from Style Encore. They are from Old Navy these are similar and only $18. They may not have a pattern on them but you can add a fun necklace and have a very similar look. This pair is a little longer and just under $20. I especially like a longer, bermuda style short for this time of year.

It probably comes as no surprise that I am wearing my favorite wedges . Get ready to hear the broken record but they really are so comfortable.

Accessories really make the outfit and for some reason I love to wear this blue necklace with this top. Something about the blue on blue makes me smile! If you’re looking to up your accessory game I highly recommend my favorite online boutique, Accessory Concierge. This necklace is fabulous and currently on my wish list. It would be perfect with so many Fall outfits! This one is pretty fantastic too! You know my love for a tassel runs deep!

With Labor Day behind us, the focus is on Fall and all things pumpkin spice latte-ish. If your reality is anything like mine and it’s still shorts season, today’s look is a great way to be comfortable and seasonably appropriate. Although it’s not necessary for me to switch out the clothes in my closet, one thing I do is switch purses. While I LOVE using my very favorite clutch when I go out, my everyday purse rarely changes. When Fall rolls around I pull out my Michael Kors handbag. It’s cognac in color and just looks like Fall to me. Mine is several years old this one is similar. This is the watch I wear everyday. It’s years old and probably needs to be replaced but I’ll use it until it stops working. I love it!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I wish you all a wonderful weekend and if Irma is an issue for you as it is for me, my wish for you is one of safety. We’ve had time to prepare and now we wait and see, my thoughts and prayers are with each of you! I most certainly hope I am back on Monday, however, if I’m not you’ll know I’m hanging out with old Irma!

xo,

Kellyann

Linking up with:Patti for Visible Monday, The Blended Blog, Royally
Waiting,Get Your Pretty On, Moda Thursday,Not Dressed as Lamb ,
Confident Twosday ,
A Pocketful of Polka Dots , Lady in Violet Fashion Should Be Fun Shelbee on the Edge
Nancy’s Fashion Style Thursday Fashion Files here and here

Olive a Sale

Olive a sale, how about you? Get it? Sounds like I love a sale? Alright, alright. Let’s get to it. Did you shop any of the Labor Day sales? I did not. Not that there weren’t great sales to be had because there were and many are still going strong. The Labor Day holiday has me all kinds of messed up, today feels like Monday not Tuesday so I decided to post today rather than tomorrow. Also because I want to give you a head’s up because my favorite olive green utility pants are on sale! That’s right, they are on sale! I bought mine during the Anniversary Sale and they sold out. Now they’re back at an even better price! Here are a few of the ways I’ve worn mine:

I love the fit of these pants! The mid to high rise smooths out that area where even the thinnest girl has the potential for a little muffin top. They are super comfortable and stretchy enough that they hold their shape without becoming baggy. The lenght is perfect too – as you can see I’ve worn mine with sneakers, sandals, and my favorite wedges.
Have you worn olive pants? If you’re unsure what you can wear olive with here’s the truth: anything you would normally wear khaki with you can wear olive with! So simple, olive is a neutral, you can’t mess this up!

Olive looks great with muted colors and brights alike. I love it with my hot pink top from Shein in the photo at the top. Actually I am just getting started with all the ways I plan to style these pants. They look super cute with my new booties (on sale). Pictures to come of that perfect union!

If you are on the fence about trying these pants go for it, with Nordstrom’s free shipping and free returns you have no worries! But order now before they sell out! For reference I am wearing a size 27 (4). I know you’ll love them as much as olive mine (sorry I had to do that).

Nordstrom is having an awesome end of the season sale so I am linking some of my favorites below. For those of us living in warm climates we still have a few more months before we break out cardigans or jackets so we might as well enjoy new clothes we can actually wear! I am dying over this bell sleeve top for less than $18 , this floral embroidered bomber jacket for less than $30these skinny jeans for under $40, and this necklace for under $10. I have the necklace and I love it, for under $10 it makes a great gift too!

I appreciate you stopping by and your comments make my day! There is a threat of a possible hurricane coming our way, I am currently praying it stays out in the ocean and doesn’t make landfall anywhere but we shall see. If all goes well I’ll have another post for you this week!

xo,
Kellyann

Snag these styles (these prices are insane!):
Women’s Band Of Gypsies Faux Wrap Maxi Dress • Band of Gypsies • $27.49
Women’s Lush Bell Sleeve Tee • Lush • $17.49
Women’s Bp. Floral Embroidered Bomber • BP • $29.49
Women’s Lush Surplice Cold Shoulder Blouse • Lush • $22.49
Women’s Caslon Utility Vest • $47.40
Women’s Articles Of Society Sarah Skinny Jeans • Articles of Society • $35.40
Women’s Bp. Double V Swing Camisole • BP • $13.20
Women’s Articles Of Society Mya Skinny Jeans • Articles of Society • $38.90
Women’s Halogen Cotton Blend Off The Shoulder Sweater • $41.40
Women’s Lush Ruffle Bell Sleeve Blouse • Lush • $24.49
Women’s Caslon Twill Peplum Jacket • $44.98
Women’s Chelsea28 Ruffle Hem Tee • Chelsea28 • $29.40
Women’s Gibson Bell Sleeve Poplin Top • Gibson • $38.40
Petite Women’s Pleione Off The Shoulder Dress • Pleione • $41.40
Women’s Bp. Off The Shoulder Top • BP • $14.98
Women’s Blanknyc Ripped Girlfriend Jeans • Blank NYC • $43.98
Women’s Articles Of Society Carly Release Hem Crop Skinny Jeans • Articles of Society • $29.49
Women’s Lush Perfect Roll Tab Sleeve Tunic • Lush • $27.90
Women’s Bobeau Cold Shoulder Shift Dress • Bobeau • $45.90
Women’s Madewell ‘Whisper’ Cotton V-Neck Pocket Tee • Madewell • $15.90
Women’s Charles Henry Mock Neck Shift Dress • Charles Henry • $53.40
Petite Women’s Wit & Wisdom Twisted Seam Ankle Skimmer Jeans • $40.80
Women’s Bp. Bar Pendant Necklace • BP • $9.49
Women’s Topshop Ruffle Cold Shoulder Top • Topshop • $33.99
Women’s Panacea Drusy Y-Necklace • Panacea • $28.80
Women’s Bp. Bar & Crystal Lariat Necklace • BP • $11.98
Women’s Bobeau Cold Shoulder Ruffle Sleeve Top • Bobeau • $29.40

TBB Asks About Back to School

Happy Labor Day to all my friends in the US! I hope you are like me and enjoying a day off. Personally I feel like every weekend should be 3 days, it just feels so good to have an extra day. Today The Blended Blog is talking all about back to school. Since I’m a huge fan of theirs, when they ask I answer!

Like school or hate it? I loved school, except for a spell in high school.
I went to kindergarten and part of 1st grade in NJ (where I was born) and probably started after Labor Day, once I moved to Florida the start of school was always before Labor Day.
Eager beaver in the morning, just like now, some things never change!
Never had a favorite breakfast.
I didn’t really eat cereal much as a kid but as an adult I love granola and raisin bran but rarely eat them.
Never had a school uniform.
Heck YES! Always had a new outfit for the first day!
Both – walked and rode a bus at different times in my life.
I don’t recall having any kind of book bag until college and then I used a backpack.
I ate school lunch sometimes and packed a lunch in elementary school. Once I hit junior and senior high I always bought school lunch.
Chocolate milk. And yes, I remember the little cartons all too well. I open about 9 million of them a day because ya know, I AM A LUNCH LADY!
Lunch box – Holly Hobby!
I always loved the swings at recess!
My favorite back to school item was always a pencil box.
I’m old, my teachers all used chalkboards. In junior high my pre-algebra teacher used an overhead projector to work the problems and I thought that was so cool!
Regular pencil, I am not a fan of mechanical pencils at all.
I did my homework as soon as I got home. When I have work to do I can’t relax until it’s done.
My favorite after school snack would probably be cookies.
I didn’t really watch tv after school because people my age went outside and played with friends! I only stayed in to watch tv if there was an after school special movie on.
English was my favorite subject. I love reading!
I am not a huge fan of higher level math. Anything after algebra never made sense to me.
Kristen was my best friend in high school and I still consider her to be one of my best friends!
High school mascot – wildcats!
I took both the SAT and the ACT.
My favorite year in school was 9th grade. My junior high school was 7th-9th grade. I was on the Flag Corps/Dance team and had a blast with all the girls!
No class ring, my parents bought me a diamond ring instead. It was the first nice piece of jewelry I ever owned. I wore it everyday into adulthood, it meant the world to me.
I went to the cocktail party night for my 10th, a family picnic for my 20th, and skipped the 30th all together. I do not enjoy large crowds and I dislike small talk. I prefer small groups with meaningful conversation so I’d much rather meet up with certain people for lunch, dinner, or drinks and catch up in a relaxed atmosphere. I am the girl in a large group who feels completely alone. You know what? I am totally ok with that because I know what I like and what I don’t.

Now for some fun! I found old photos of school days gone by…this first one is of me and my brother. I was starting 6th grade and he was starting 2nd grade. I am all about the fashion and the patrol belt, and I am wearing my favorite blue wedges! Yes, I wore heels in 6th grade!

The second picture is a class picture from 4th grade. I am in the 2nd row wearing a green overall type dress with a white blouse underneath it. And the boy next to me with the buzz cut? My boyfriend Raymond. I don’t know what I liked about him, maybe he was funny? Interesting though the blonde boy at the very top is a major stuntman now and has roles in big movies and tv shows (we’re Facebook friends). Most recently he’s been in that Jennifer Lopez tv show “Shades of Blue”. He was my boyfriend in 4th grade btw because Raymond moved.

This next picture was taken the day of my high school graduation. My best friends Kristen and Melodie are in the picture too. We were loading into my 1977 Camaro (with NO A/C) to drive to graduation. See the strings hanging out of the trunk? They had cans on them, apparently we were very excited!

Finally a picture of me with Kristen. We were in college at the University of Central Florida where we both pledged Kappa Delta. This picture was taken at my niece’s birthday party because Kristen and I did everything together!

What a fun walk down memory lane for me, I hope you enjoyed it too!

xo,
Kellyann