Monday Motivation

Ever feel like the plan you had for yourself just isn't working? Maybe you should stop worrying about the plan and focus more on the final destination. Just because your plans don't work out just like you wanted them to doesn't mean they didn't work out the way they were supposed to. Sometimes the things we think we want aren't the things we need, and the universe has a way of working it out for us.

Happy Monday!

To Write

About a month ago, I posted this picture to Instagram and Twitter with the caption - "Feeling inspired. Doing something I haven't done in a long time. #writing"

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about having it all and how I've felt like something is missing in my life. Then one night inspiration struck. An idea that I couldn't ignore. So I opened a word document and started writing...and I haven't stopped. What I'm getting to is that I'm writing a book. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time.

I don't know how long it's going to take me to finish -- I write a little here and there, during nap times or in the hour leading up to my bed time. I also don't know that it's something that will ever be published. But I do know it feels good to write something original for no other reason than it needs to be written.

Newsroom Fashion: Brown + Black

Hooray for Friday. This week, for no particular reason, has dragged on forever. Maybe it's the heat; maybe it's the humidity; most likely it's both. And it's truly not even hot yet! The trick to dressing for a south Alabama/Georgia summer is ... well, there isn't really a trick. It's hot no matter what you wear, but choosing clothing made of light materials like cotton or linen and dressing in removable layers helps.

First of all, let me say that I didn't realize this mirror was so dirty! I promise my shirt doesn't have a giant streak of baby snot on it... Anyway. This jacket is one of my favorite finds of the spring. It's regularly priced over $100, but I got it for just $40 by combining a coupon with a card-holder deal on top of a site-wide sale. It's by far the best deal I've gotten at The Limited that wasn't in the clearance section. I actually got the inspiration for this outfit over at Memorandum. My version has some marked differences -- first, my jeans are too dark but I haven't found a pair of jeans in that shade or style that fit me well. I also don't own a pair of white pumps and wasn't a fan of my black ones so I opted for these comfy loafers instead.

Details:
Tank: Old Navy
Jacket: The Limited
Jeans: The Limited
Shoes: Payless

To be honest, this dress is better suited for the weekend. It has lacing detail on the bodice that's a little too risque for the office, which you can't see here because I opted to button the top button on my sweater. The dress is extremely lightweight and breezy. I don't know that I'll wear it to work again but it will definitely be one of my go-to's for the weekend.

Details:
Dress: Wet Seal
Cardigan: Worthington c/o JCPenny
Shoes: ShoeDazzle (sold out but lots of options here)

Monday Motivation

The first step in achieving your goals is to believe in yourself.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: Shades of Blue

It has been such a dreary week - overcast skies and oppressive humidity, which isn't anything new down here (and I don't care what anybody says -- you don't get used to it!). The week started out with the baby waking up several times a night for hours at a time. Plus we're in the middle of planning coverage of future events at work, and I've been training a new producer all week. Needless to say, I can't wait for the weekend!

This outfit was my "I've only gotten 4 hours of sleep" outfit for Monday. I still wanted to look put together but be comfortable. Denim-on-denim is such an effortless combination, but I wanted something with a little more visual interest than my usual monotone look, so I opted for this polka-dotted top from Old Navy. I picked it up a few years ago on clearance and it seriously has been one of my favorite shirts. These jeans are from The Limited. They were originally cuffed and sewn on the bottom but the length was actually too short on me like that (shocker!), so I cut the seams and unrolled them. They're still a little high but I think it gives them a retro vibe. These flats are from Target and are so comfy! The soles are slightly padded so they're cushiony. They run about a half-size small but I went up a full size.

Details:
Shirt: Old Navy old (similar, similar)
Pants: The Limited
Shoes: Target

I struggled with this outfit a lot Thursday morning, namely with what I wanted to wear over the dress. I finally settled on this pink blazer, but I think next time I may try it with my olive green jacket instead. It's hard to tell in this picture but the dress is navy blue. In fact, I forgot I had ordered it in blue and thought it was black, hence the black shoes. I didn't realize my mistake until I was already at work, otherwise I would have changed into brown wedges. Oh well. Anyway, this dress is cotton and a nice weight. The back is open and definitely not work appropriate. I'm wearing a medium.

Details:
Dress: Wet Seal
Jacket: Sears old (similar, similar)
Shoes: Cato old (similar)

Tuesday Shoesday: ShoeDazzle Review

Take one look in my closet and you'll know without a doubt my love of shoes. Generally, I don't discriminate when it comes to my shoe shopping, but lately I've had a hard time finding anything I like in store. So I decided to give ShoeDazzle a try, and I have not been disappointed! Since joining in January, I've bought four pair of shoes and two purses, all of which will be shown in this post except for one, a pair of knee-high black boots. The quality of everything I've purchased has been so good. You do have to create an account, but if you become a VIP you can skip at the beginning of every month

The sandals in the photo above are my most-recent purchase, and I absolutely LOVE them. They're the perfect heel height and have just the right amount of embellishment. I highly recommend them! I included photos of my other purchases, minus the boots, below with links back to the posts they originally appeared in (just click the photo).

Quick note about my shirt -- I got it during Old Navy's BOGO free event last weekend. It's lightweight and slightly see-through. It's linen so it does wrinkle easily. I just made sure it stayed fluffed out every time I sat.

Outfit Details:

Shoes: ShoeDazzle

Shirt: Old Navy

Jeans: Arizona c/o JCPenny

Original post can be viewed here

Original post can be viewed here

Original post can be viewed here

Monday Motivation

Sometimes it's so easy to focus on the big successes and how far you still have to go. Of course we all have our big goals, but how many of those big goals are can be accomplished in a one-and-done type situation? Not many. So focus on the little accomplishments because without them you'll never realize the big one.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: Green + White

It's been a busy week at work, so much so that I absolutely forgot to take pictures of any outfits I wore other than this one. Therefore, this post will be short. I picked up this shirt at Old Navy last weekend during their BOGO free event. I originally planned to pair it with a tan skirt but decided I looked like I was going on a safari and traded for this favorite white skirt that's been in my closet for awhile. The shirt is a nice light-weight linen, perfect for summer. It has a key-hole opening in the back. The only downfall is that it's extremely wrinkly, as you can tell in my picture (this was taken about half-way through my work day). This shirt is a good medium -- nice enough to pair with my work separates but casual enough to wear with jeans or shorts on the weekend. I linked to this exact one below but there are several other colors and patterns available, as well.

Details:
Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: JCPenny old (similar, similar)
Shoes: Target
Necklace: Old Navy

Having It All

Photo via WeHeartIt

The other morning on the way to work, the radio program I was listening to did a segment on having it all. Each of the hosts made a list of the things they would need to have in their lives to achieve it. What they found was that actually going through this process opened their eyes to the things they already had and the things they needed to work on. So I thought, why not?

Now, obviously I thought about this for a long time before I actually sat down to write. For me, having it all is all about happiness and fulfillment in all aspects of my life. Some areas, I'm already there. Other areas need work, which is where this exercise was especially enlightening for me. It's amazing how easy it is to just go with the flow for no other reason than you've gotten comfortable with the flow. But let me tell you something - comfortable isn't always fulfilling.

The biggest thing I realized, or maybe I should say admitted to myself, is that there's something missing in my career. I never set out to do what I'm doing, and yet, I've been doing it for seven years. That's not to say I don't enjoy it. I do. I get to make a difference in people's lives, tell their stories and keep them informed.

But I truly miss print journalism.

I miss seeing my name in a byline. I miss the smell of the ink, the warmth of a freshly-printed issue. I miss design, talking about inches and adjusting the kerning to get in that last word.

My entire high school and college career was spent dreaming of working for a newspaper and/or magazine, and I watched my dreams turn into just that in 2008. The industry is dying and jobs are few and far between; that's how I got into the broadcast side of things in the first place. And while the news aspect remains the same, the means of reaching that end are so very different.

Truth be told, I don't know that I see a future where I'm working in print journalism - not a realistic one, at least. But that doesn't mean my creative soul will stop yearning for the things broadcast can never deliver on. So I've been searching for ways to fill that hole. This blog helps keep me partly connected to my roots, but it's not enough. I don't know what will be enough, but I won't stop searching for it.

Monday Motivation

I hope your choice is clear, even if your dreams are not. I've found as I've gotten older that my dreams aren't so cut-and-dried anymore. They're constantly evolving and involve more than just myself these days. But the point of having dreams is to eventually achieve them. Otherwise you might as well just spend your whole life sleeping.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: Old Navy Steals

When it comes to shopping, I rarely buy anything at full price. It's been a long time since I've actually needed an article of clothing. These days, most of my purchases are because I want it. These pieces from Old Navy (red shirt, blue skirt, black dress, patterned shirt) are no exception, and I got them all for a great price thanks to a sale and extra 30% off code. I ended up paying less than $50 for all four items and got free shipping. Nothing is more satisfying than getting a great bargain on things you love as soon as you try them on.

We'll start with arguably the most laid-back item in this purchase - the red-and-white-striped relaxed peplum top. I've seen relaxed peplum in several places but always thought it looked sloppy. A recent trip to our local Old Navy brought me face-to-face with this top in a different pattern and I kind of fell in love. This shirt is so effortlessly cool. It's insanely comfortable, the slight peplum gives it just enough oomph to make me feel like my outfit has substance and the peplum perfectly covers up my mom tummy. I'm usually a S/M in Old Navy and am wearing a M.

Details:
Top: Old Navy
Pants: Kohl's old (similar)
Shoes: ShoeDazzle (sold out but lots of options here)
Purse: ShoeDazzle

This skirt is going to be an integral part of my wardrobe moving forward. It's fully lined and the elastic wasteband has plenty of give. I paired it with my oh-so-versatile chambray shirt and cognac flats for a more relaxed look but it wouldn't be difficult to dress it up a little. I read the reviews before ordering and will agree that the sizing is runs large. I'm wearing a petite small.

Details:
Shirt: Charlotte Russe old (similar, similar)
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

Fact: You can never have too many LBD's, and this one from Old Navy is a great basic. It has adjustable spaghetti straps and a hidden side zipper. It isn't lined but the material is just thick enough to not be see through. The one draw-back is that it wrinkles very easily. I'm wearing a medium. I also want to brag on this jacket a moment. It's regularly priced way over my budget but I combined a coupon on top of a sale and a card-holder discount to get it for more than half off!

Details:
Dress: Old Navy (black no longer available but lots of options in the same style here)
Jacket: The Limited
Shoes: Charlotte Russe old (similar)

I just can't seem to say no to the peplum trend. This shirt is pretty thin but not sheer. It has adjustable spaghetti straps (mine are tightened almost all the way). It's hard to tell in this picture but it has blue, purple, green and yellow in the design, which make for so many options when it comes to accessorizing. I do love how this blue blazer compliments it though! I'm wearing a medium.

Details:
Shirt: Old Navy
Jacket: Charlotte Russe old (similar, similar, similar)
Jeans: Arizona c/o JCPenny
Shoes: Payless old (similar)

Monday Motivation

When you figure out what you're passionate about, go after it. Be fearless because it won't always be easy. In fact, it will probably be scary. But when you achieve your dreams you'll see that it was all worth it.

Happy Monday!

By the way, you can buy this awesome print for just $15 here.