would LOVE your opinions

We are going to do another family photo shoot with Tara at AlaMODE and this time I thought we'd go for color. Which dress are you liking best? I may do a little more tweaking but wanted to pop in for some feedback! Oh, and the absence of shoes is strategic ;)

Help Please by modestlyme featuring cocktail party dresses

what WE wore

Yesterday was Jonas' 8th graduation. 406 8th graders made for a long ceremony. For me, the joy was a little tempered when I noticed the King family sitting near us. I couldn't help but think about how hard this day must be for them. Here they were celebrating their son's graduating from 8th grade on the same day that Chelsea was supposed to be graduating from highschool. One of the most heart warming moments was when Chelsea's brother Tyler's name was called. The ovation,cheers and love that came from his peers and the crowd, I am so proud to be part of such a great community.

And now, I am officially the mother of a highschooler. Here is what I wore to graduation (keep in mind it was a hot day):

tee-J Crew

papaya pencil skirt- J Crew

shoes-Candies

And here is what my not so little man wore:

shirt, pants, belt-GAP

tie-Target

And here is a photo of the two of us together. Not my best photo (or even close) but the the only one I got of the two of us!

Lazy Weekdays, Busy Weekends

Can we say TGIF?/? Actually, I think my weekends are twice as crazy as my weekdays so I have no idea why I look forward to them still instead of Mondays.....hmmmmm. Here is yesterdays outfit which was just a running late, thrown together look. I love turqouise and yellow together, it just makes me happy.

Boyfriend Striped Tee-Shade Clothing

Denim Pencil Skirt-Gap

Yellow Belt-Old Navy

Necklace-Steinmart

And here is what I am wearing today. I almost forgot to take a photo so I had to grab my "photographer" while they were playing in the backyard. I just love this shirt, it also goes really well with the navy jackie but then again what doesn't?

Tank-Target

Jaipur Perfect Shirt-J Crew

Pants-The Loft

Bubble Necklace-J Crew

Friends & Family, what will you get?

Today is the start of the Friends and Family sale at Banana Republic, GAP and Old Navy, 30% off.....yippee! Have any ideas of what you are getting? Here are my picks......

At Banana Republic-

Silk Ruffle sleeve tie waist top I actually picked this up yesterday with my 40% off Wednesday coupon. I had never thought it would work for me but I ended up really liking it

Watercolor Print Tank- I haven't seen this IRL but the pink looks beautiful online

From the GAP:

Shrunken Schoolboy Blazer that I tried on and passed way back here . Fabulous Florida Mommy has convinced me with her great polyvores that I was very wrong to pass this up

Faded Denim Blazer- I haven't tried this one on yet but it looked promising IRL

Faded Denim Pencil Skirt - Love the casual wash on a pencil skirt AND it comes in tall sizes.

And now to my OOTD yesterday for work:

Cardigan-Banana Republic

Slub Cotton Perfect Shirt-J Crew

Pencil Skirt-Kohls

Dangling Berry Necklaces-J Crew
Super Skinny Belt-J Crew

Shoes-J Crew

My Shopping Woes

First off, let me say that I blame my husband for the shopping disaster that was today. He told me I should find one great item to splurge on so I was determined to do that and was destined for failure. Cardinal rule of shopping, if you have something pictured in your mind......you will not be able to find it. There were a lot of cute things, just not "that thing".

First stop, Anthropologie. A lot of the great jackets and sweaters I have been hoping to try on were not there but no worries, there were lots of dresses and Anthropologie does dresses so well!

The first three were too short for dressing room pictures but they were so adorable on making it so disappointing. The 36" measurement on the Bold Boutineirre (not pictured) and the Grand Cru dress obviously did not take into account the "poof" of the dress which made it at least two inches shorter. When you are tall, that makes it a mini dress. The Color Drenched Dress is beautiful on, but very "mini".

Here are the one's I can show you.

This is the Sideswept Sweater Dress in a Medium. The fit is a little off. The draping is really loose on the upper body but the overall fit of the dress was nice and the length of the sleeves and the dress itself was perfect. It had a matching full slip (versus lining) but the length was about four inches shorter then the dress. In the end, it didn't wow me even on sale.

I loved the Reed Shirtdress. This is a size 6, an 8 would have been better. This dress was adorable and felt like a 50's throw back. The website doesn't make it look as full but it could just be my hips......I had all sorts of visions of this orange-red paired with navy blue but yet again, too short for me. Had it been a little longer, my shopping day would have been done right then and there.
I had been eyeing this shirt online and I was so exited to see it in the store. In all fairness, this shirt was cuter then this pic gives it credit. The fit was a little off but this is a small and a medium would have worked better. I liked this top but again, because of my husband (he loves how I am blaming him for all this) I passed.

I tried on a few more tops but the only other pic I have is of this blouse which seems to be sold out online but still had some in the sale section. Cute but not cute enough for today's mission.

I don't think I have ever walked out of Anthropologie empty handed, definitely a HUGE disappointment. So many cute things online, nothing in store that fit the bill.

Express, The Limited and Ann Taylor.....blah. Next stop The Gap.

This is the schoolboy blazer and the pintucked tie neck shirt . I did like this top but it is more casual then it appears on the website and it is really long and is two toned. For $59.50 I had to pass but if it goes on sale I may grab it.

Here is the shrunken schoolboy blazer again paired with a dress. The jacket is an 8 and is loose through the waist, a size 6 would work better. I just didn't love it enough. I have a Level 99 denim blazer from Anthropologie that is similar plus I felt like I had worked at a yacht club in my teen tears and was trying to wear the jacket again even though it didn't fit. Maybe if it were longer. The dress on the other hand, was adorable but I will wait for it to go on sale. Now that I am looking online, I don't see it anywhere and wish I had taken a better picture of it by itself. At Banana Republic, I really liked this knit jacket but that was about it. I don't see it online but it came in gray or black and it fits TTS, I am wearing a Medium and it ran about $98. If it weren't for the over sized collar I may have taken it home but it was a little awkward so I have to think more on this one. I also felt like the band placement created a "pooch belly" feel with the way it hit but I think the black color would help.

So what did I get? I picked up this Mac and Jac coat which is really cute but I am feeling unsatisfied which means I may need to return it and head to J. Crew next week.

I'm Not a Stylist.....

.....but I watch them on TV. This year I was inspired by this post to step up our family picture game! Our photo last year (and first family portrait) had us all wearing jeans and tops that coordinated (not to be confused with matchy matched) and it turned out to be a great, but typical, family photo.

I have been drawing inspiration from the "crew cuts" palate lately and this look book . So, for the last few months I have been putting together layered looks full of "meadowy" tones. So why the stylist reference? That is due to the relentless teasing I have gotten from my husband regarding the outfits hanging assembled (as below) in the garage on a clothing rack. I picked up a few pointers from The Hills and the Rachel Zoe Project and in a house full of boys that likes to swallow things, I needed to everything (down to the socks) kept together. Here is a sneak peek:

for me: Gap Ruffle Tiered Dress, ATL linen jacket, Mootsies Shoes and earrings I found in my jewelry box
For Daddy, a half zip pullover and pants from Costco, J Crew Tie, button up shirt from his closet

For Jonas (13) we have Old Navy straight leg Cords, gray longsleeve tee and Twill Button Pocket Shirt, Vest from The Gap and Converse shoes

For "Cool Guy" Chase (6) we have a seersucker sports coat from Crew Cuts, and a long sleeve polo and straight leg cords from Old Navy

And for our mini Cooper (2) we have a button up and gray jeans from Target with this adorable ribbed pullover sweater from Gymboree

And for those of you doing the math saying how does this add up to four kids, our other little 2 year-old is our foster son and has been with us for over a year. We love him very much but for his privacy, he isn't allowed to be pictured in any public shots or group pictures that will be used for cards, etc. until he is adopted. But trust me, he is adorable and handsome as can be!