Instagram Lately: When Fall Feels Like Summer

For the past month my Instagram feed has been filled with people wearing sweaters and boots, but here in the South summer is just now starting to relinquish its hold on the temperatures. So what's a girl to do when the calendar says fall but the thermostat reads 100? Fake it with sleeveless plaid, fall prints and colors, and ankle boots.

Top: Walmart (wearing size M)

Jeans (old): Walmart

Sandals (old): Old Navy

This sleeveless plaid top is ridiculously soft. I love the ruffle detailing on the shoulders. I sized up to a medium for a comfier fit at my hips. It comes in a pretty white and green plaid, as well.

Dress: Old Navy

Boots: ShoeDazzle

Unfortunately, this plaid dress is only available in XXL online, but there still may be some available in your local store. I like that it can be worn on or off the shoulder. It's thin and unlined, which isn't a problem for our mild winters, but certainly something to consider if you live somewhere cold. I'm wearing size M. My boots are only available in white, but ShoeDazzle has a bunch of options when it comes to combat boots. I particularly like this pair.

Jeans: ShoeDazzle

Shoes: Academy

These leopard print pull-on sneakers just might be my favorite find. I've been wanting a pair but refused to pay a ridiculous amount, so when I stumbled onto these at Academy for only $15, I didn't hesitate. They've got memory foam but it's not very thick so don't get too excited about it. I haven't had any issues with rubbing, but if I wear them all day my feet sweat, which hasn't been a problem in similar style shoes. Maybe the canvas on these is thicker? Anyway, I'm wearing my usual size 7.

Dress: Amazon

Shoes: ShoeDazzle

I was super excited about this dress when I ordered it, but when it came in and I tried it on, I almost sent it back because I just couldn't get the top to lay right. I hung onto it for a few days and tried again. I ended up pinning the top just above my boobs because no matter how I tightly I wrapped the dress, it just kept falling open. Otherwise, it fit perfectly and was super flattering. I'm wearing the size 6/8.

Shirt: Amazon

Jeans: Aeropostale

Boots (old): Target - similar

Bag: Target

This top comes in a bunch of different shades and sleeve lengths. I'm wearing the Leopard01 in a large. I typically wear a medium in shirts. I like that I can wear this as a basic tee with jeans or layer it under a jacket or pair with a leather skirt for a more dressed-up look.

Sweater: Target (wearing size M)

Jeans: Kohl's

We did have a couple of days where temps stayed in the 70s. It wasn't really cold but the humidity was low and there was a breeze so I wasn't uncomfortable in this light-weight sweater. Plus, I was inside in the a/c all day. This sweater comes in a bunch of colors and is under $20 regular priced.

Shirt: Walmart (wearing size M)

Jeans: Kohl's

Bag: Target

This year I've been all about the casual dressing, and I've got a feeling this thermal henley will be one of my go-to's this Fall. For some reason, I could only find the yellow version (which is only showing as available in size M) online, but there was a whole display table of them at my Walmart with a bunch of different colors. They're less than $10 so you won't feel guilty for buying more than one color!

What I Read September 2019 (Plus 2 Books I Didn't Finish)

I did a lot of reading in September, and this post does not contain everything because a lot of what I read was quick little novellas with easy plot lines. So I decided to share my favorites for the month, along with two books I didn't finish.

Charming (Bastan Hollow Saga Book 1)
Author: Jane Washington

My thoughts: I think it's important to note that this is not primarily a retelling of Cinderella. The main character is not a spin-off of Cinderella. The main character is a witch who must help steer the descendants of Cinderella and Prince Charming toward the appropriate ending to keep chaos from erupting. She puts together a band of comical misfits along the way and ends up saving the world in more ways than one.

The Librarian's Coven (Written, Warriors, Scrivens, Ancients)
Author: Kathryn Moon

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this series because it was such a different twist on witches and magic. A young woman who believes herself to be non-magical applies for and gets a job working in the library of a prestigious magic university where she discovers she has an all-but-forgotten type of written magic and is the final member of a coven. She learns just how powerful she is when an ancient evil surfaces, threatening all of humanity.

Terraway Novels
Author: Mary E. Twomey

My thoughts: For me, this one was all about the characters. The plot itself was good, but I was so invested in the main characters because of how much detail the author invested in their back stories. The main character has to overcome her past to save the future of two worlds. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but this series did. More than once. (There are nine books in this series, but they're all fairly short. I linked to the first one to get you started.)

The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy (Variant Lost, Vital Found, Vivid Avowed)
Author: Kaydence Snow

My thoughts: You know I like strong female characters, and Evelyn Maynard is a strong female character with a rare supernatural ability thought to no longer exist. Her father wants to use her to steal other's powers so he can overthrow world governments and rule over everyone. Evelyn and her Variants risk everything to stop him.

Evergreen Academy Series (Marked, Broken, Bound, Unmasked)
Author: Ruby Vincent

My thoughts: Okay, so I feel like I should be too old for books about high school, but this series hooked me. It kind of has a Pretty Little Liars feel to it. Basically, a secret society of some of the world's wealthiest families run a prep school that churns out the next big achievers. This society runs off anyone that doesn't fit their standard one way or another, but this time they've picked the wrong girl.

BONUS: Two Books I Didn't Finish

Butterfly Island
Author: Corina Boman

My thoughts: I really wanted to love this book, but halfway in I still had no idea what the main character was looking for. Sure, it's supposed to be a family secret, but I had no inclination at all and that was frustrating. The plot was glacial and I didn't really connect to the main character.

The Impossible Girl
Author: Lydia Kang

My thoughts: After reading A Beautiful Poison, I was excited to tackle The Impossible Girl, but man was I so disappointed. I barely made it past the first chapter. The writing style just didn't appeal to me and the main character rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. I may circle back around to this book in the future, though, because it has spectacular reviews.

Fall Fashion: Corduroy Skirt

The calendar may say Fall arrived two weeks ago, but in the South we all know the temperature won't start to reflect the change of season until at least Halloween. So what's a girl to do when she wants to dress to reflect the season but doesn't want to die of heat stroke in the process? The easiest way is with color. Swap out the brights of Summer for the darks of Fall, like the deep red of this corduroy skirt. I've never been much for corduroy because it's never really that cold here, but this skirt is pretty thin and unlined so I didn't feel too warm in it. Unfortunately it's no longer available, but I linked to some similar ones below. I paired it with this white button-up cami I'd been eyeing on Amazon to keep things temperature appropriate and finished the look with these laser-cut peep-toe booties. And voila! A Fall outfit appropriate for near 100-degree temperatures.

Outfit Details
Shirt: Amazon
Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Shoes: Target