Tortoise & Pumpkins

I guess I must be in he halloween spirit because it appears I am wearing a lot of pumpkiny colors this week! I finally caved and bought myself a pair of tortoise Juliets off of eBay. I usually like to wait for better deals on my J Crew shoes (like under $40) but I decided that I had wanted a pair of these long enough and the price was what i would have paid for in the store so after a year of trying I decided it was time.

Yesterday we signed the adoption papers....yay!!! Now all we do is wait for the court date to make it all official. But as of yesterday he is no longer considered a foster placement, he is now an adoptive placement. Baby steps ;)

marigold Jackie-J Crew

Viscose Tango Tank J Crew (factory version now available)

Long & Lean Jeans-Gap

Tortoise Belt-J Crew

Tortoise Juliets-J Crew via eBay

This picture did not capture how adorable this cropped sweater jacket is. I love it, it is an easy casual, easy going piece. It  is part of the next LOFT holiday roll out so it is not online or on the floors yet but it may be sitting in the backroom of your store. The style number is 254417 and the price point is $89.50 but you can get it with the current 30% off promo in your stores. Also, if you shop by October 31st you can purchase a $25 LOFT cares card that goes towards the breast cancer research foundation. In return you get a 20% off coupon for all purchase over $100 through Nov 15th (it is reusable and it gets you 25% off if you use your LOFT loves credit card). The promos and sales are combinable with thiscoupon pays for itself if you spend like $130. Sounds a little confusing but trust me, they can calculate it for you at the register and it can help save you bundles on a larger purchase.

modern slim Jeans-LOFT

Cropped Sweater Jacket LOFT

embellished tissue tank-J Crew

shoes-old

Now I am off to try to squeeze in a trip to the Pumpkin Patch, a school Monster Mash carnival and dinner in before I go to work. I remember not so long ago when weekends were relaxing.....I miss those days :)

Jackie, "Olive you".....plus I won!

My J Crew order is set to arrive today....can't wait! Feels like a slight reprieve from the shopping ban even though all these items were purchased in June.

Can I just say how much I love the color of the Burnished Olive Jackie ? The color is so vibrant IRL and goes with everything. Yesterday I paired it with the pale pink Tango Tank, khaki and my neon belt. I promised the kids we'd play baseball today (yes, I know I am  still a little overdressed) so I wore flats . I am so glad that I played softball for so many years growing up! It is an awesome, bonding thing that I can play catch and hit fly balls with them when Daddy is at work. I would hate if the only passion I passed down to them was for shoes (yes, they are all shoe fanatics). Problem is, they are all so good that we can only practice hitting at the fields or we lose all the balls over or fence in a matter of minutes.

After baseball it was Starbucks for me, icecream for them and a haircut for Chase and then at home movie night, I love summer! Here is the Polyvore for yesterdays outfit:

Two to Tango by modestlyme featuring J Crew

Women's Cotton Sweaters & Cardigans - J.Crew, $62

Viscose tango tank - J.Crew, $50

Women - jackets & outerwear - Denim vest - J.Crew, $33

LOFT: Marisa Lean Boyfriend Chino Pants, $40

Women's skirts - pencil - Tailored linen pencil skirt - J.Crew, $60

Shoes & Handbags: Vera woven high heel sandal: shoes sale | Banana..., $100

J Crew Jewelry - Chrystal DevotE Earrings, $55

Gwyneth Paltrow Photos, Gossip, Bio & Reviews - AskMen.com

And for the second part of the title, looky, looky what I won from the amazingly wonderful, sweet and beautiful Kim over at Anthroholic. I actually had fallen in love with this dress and had emailed Shabby Apple's customer service about the measurements earlier this year before they ever got it in stock so imagine my suprise when I actually won it. It is like cheating on my shopping ban without actually cheating!:

Winner by modestlyme featuring Oasis bags

Long Merino Cardigan, Final Sale & Shopping Ban, here I come!

I forgot that my photographer was going to the fair after cross country so I am only fitting in one review today. Here is the long merino cardigan in bronzed twig IRL. I was in a hurry out the door today so this is it done very casually. The fabric is really soft and although it is thin it is not sheer or "snaggy". I bought this in a medium (true size) and it fits perfect and is buttonable without button pulling gaps. The sleeves are pretty long but the extra long ribbing makes it easy to scrunch.

I also really like this color but I may invest in more if I find myself going to this alot (but not until after July of course)

Did you notice that J Crew's final sale started today, did they know it was my last day to shop for a while??? I know most people don't like the Final Sale because the only difference from the regular sale is that it is supposed to be non returnable. That really doesn't bother me as long as I stick to items I have tried on before or I am confident will work for me. Another bonus, there was a great color selection this morning of Jackie's on sale (they are already sold out of most of them). Here is what I snagged:

Last Day Splurge..... by modestlyme featuring J Crew

Women - cotton - Jackie cardigan - J.Crew, $62

J. Crew Jackie cardigan - sand dune, $62

J. Crew Perfect-fit slim scoopneck tee, $25

Chiffon tiered tank - J.Crew, $50

J.Crew - Oak tweed pencil skirt, $110

J.Crew - Ink blossom pencil skirt, $110

JCrew - Crystal blossom drop earrings (crystal), $48

Now for my no shopping in July ban. Here are my personal rules and stategies:

1. No retail shopping for myself. That simple. I do not count skincare, make-up, nailpolish, etc into that.

2. I will avoid my sale emails and browsing through my favorite store websites.

3. I will not visit my danger zones. No browsing through the mall on my breaks, no trips to Target when I can get what I need at WalMart, etc.

4. I made myself four exclusions: The first three are old J Crew items that I am always searching for. If one is found I won't deprive myself. That said, it is highly unlikely. The fourth is if the Cantebury Bells Pencil Skirt goes on sale. I had hoped it would have by now and I have a feeling it may not make it to sale but just in case, I don't want to miss out. That said, I will allow myself to check on the availabilty of these items each day but only on a search for that item. No broad browsing at all J Crew skirts, etc. That may be too tempting.

Shopping Ban Exclusions by modestlyme featuring J Crew

Women's Merino Sweaters & Cardigans - J.Crew, $88

Women's skirts - pencil - Ochre ikat skirt - J.Crew, $88

Canterbury Bells Pencil Skirt - J. Crew, $98

rooster tee

5. The LOFT. This is a hard one. Working in a retail store and not being able to buy anything will be tough but I got to see a sneak peak of the fall line coming out at the end of July/beginning of August so I will keep those items in mind when I feel weak. There is some good stuff!

If you have some additional strategies and/or tips please feel free to share!

You only get the day........

Yesterday was a run around in the day, make dinner and run back out at night kind of day. One of my friends was having her baby shower and what better way to get away with shoving  politely eating mass amounts a little bit of cheesecake then to hide your bloated belly under the tango tank? I have to admit, sitting next to her while she opened baby girl clothes made me a little sad. I love having four boys but I can't wait to have a little girl to dress up (don't gasp, she will most likely be a grand daughter).

I wish I took a picture of how I dressed up my daytime outfit for the event but my camera decided to hide. Luckily I found it this morning in the laundry room (a.k.a. my garage).  I wish it had at least had the common courtesy to do a few loads while it was stranded out there. Anyways, I am sooooo ready for the three day weekend....whoot....whoot.....anybody have any great plans?

 Here is the Polyvore........

Day & Night by modestlyme featuring J Crew

Items in this set:

JCrew-Viscose tango tank (light grey heather), $50

Women's sweaters - cotton - Jackie cardigan - J.Crew, $62

Old Navy Womens The Weekend Jeans, $35

Women's Apparel: 323 Martin sexy flare textured pant: martin pants by..., $79

Seychelles Kick Up Your Heels in Black, $92

Ruffles and Lester's

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! The babies hid my camera between the couches so I am a little late on my posting.....imagine that. Thanks for all your input on the Loft Interview outfits, I have two in mind to show you (assuming I get to the second interview) later.

This is what I wore on Friday, excuse the lighting (and the unmade bed) I was improvising.

Viscose Tango Tank-J Crew

Spring Ruffle Celosia Cardigan-J Crew

Belt-Banana Republic

Pants-Old Navy

Shoes-Target

So, I had originally passed on the Lester Hat Shop tee. I liked it straight away but had overspent that day but after seeing so many JCA's wearing it I knew I would regret letting it go. After hearing about all the goodies szmom scored on her comment here, I knew I had to dash over to J Crew to see what may be waiting for me. I too was able to pick up the Lester Tee at $10 off and the Palmera Ruffle Cami in Whisper Pink for $49.99. Every time I look at my Palmera cami I think about Gigi's comment about a paper shredder but I love it anyways! Here is how I wore the tee this weekend to work.

Navy Jackie Cardigan-J Crew

Tee-J Crew

Skirt-Merona Collection for Target

Shoes-Naturalizers

A little taste of summer.........

We are having a little bit of a winter heat streak in San Diego so why not pull out the white jeans in February if it's going to be 77 degrees out?  The kids have the week off so I think we will take advantage of the weather and head on out to the zoo tomorrow before they drive me crazy.....hope you all are having a great week!

p.s. have you checked out Boden's Summer line here? I don't find it nearly as irresistable as the Spring Line but there are some great pieces. I'll share some of my favorites tomorrow!

Tango Tank-J Crew

Cropped Cardigan-Old Navy

Weekend Jeans-Old Navy

Roses and Blooms

Today was a day to be grateful for what you have. Some of our friends from church just had their eldest daughter pass away. I don't want to imagine how hard that is. I just wanted to be home today and cuddle in bed with my kids, keeping them safe and close. They, of course, had other ideas on how they wanted to spend their day.

This is what I wore. I love the viscose tango tank , it has the best fit. Also, I also wore my merino rose corsage cardigan that I snagged during the extra 20 (which is going on again). I didn't really think I cared that much about this sweater but once I put it on, I really loved it and am so happy I found one in the vintage rose color.

So, that was the rose, now for the bloom. I have been avoiding the Loft during my shopping break and then I cam across this dress on Gigi's blog.....uh, oh........

The Blooms Print Dress. I just love the bold print, the navy with lime green AND orange, the necklace detailing around the collar. I am in trouble. Did I mention everything is 25% off right now (Promo Code SAVE25). Tomorrow I will post some IRL pics for your opinion on the fit.

I couldn't get a good read on the fabric online so I had to go see it in person. It is a rayon/cotton blend with a good weight (mid) and a slight sateen/silky feel. It has a hidden side zipper that does not buldge at all and it is lined.