Curvy Girl on the Run

Well, this year, I became one of those people. Two friends and I set out to start our Christmas shopping on Thanksgiving night. We met at one house at 7:30 pm to get to Target. My one friend was looking for a good deal on a television and Target had one. It was a 50" television for a great price. We got to Target and the parking lot was already full and the line was long outside the building. We packed our coats and gloves and patience and waited in line till they opened.  I think out of all of the stores we visited, Target was by far the best and most organized. They had employees walking the line and letting us know the 50" television was gone(they passed out tickets to the first people in line) and handed out store maps and Cliff and Luna bars. They were all polite and helpful answering questions and making us happy. Once it was 8:00, they opened the door and it was single file line into the store. There were barricades up so no one could cut in line and there was only one

What are you thankful for? Every year around this time, we are encouraged to be thankful. Thanksgiving is a national holiday that is celebrated and it is supposed to be a time of reflecting on the  blessings we have received. I don't know about you, but I don't take the time to be nearly as thankful as I should be considering all of the blessings that I have in my life. I write this as I am warm in my home snuggled up in my pretty embellished sweatshirt with olive skinnys and a flowered blouse. My feet are toasty in striped socks wearing slippers. I hear my son and his cousin downstairs playing video games and I smell cookies freshly baked. I am going over to some friends' house later tonight where we will indulge in pizza and snacks and desserts and drinks and play games. Our children will laugh together and play and make memories of their own.  You get the point- my life sounds pretty great, right? How many times have I stopped to think about the saying that "

I will first admit that this idea might not be originally mine. I saw an email from the Gap and they were showing off some of their pieces including outerwear and gave each day a title of something one might do on that day. They said they were using 10 pieces for 7 days. I decided to copy the idea but make it my own with clothing that is in my closet. If I did sit down and do outfit-planning once a week, I might spend less time deciding what to wear. Would I be more productive since I only have the same pieces to work with? Would anyone notice that I wore the same pieces all week?! Does anyone really care? These were all questions that I decided to try and answer.  First up, I had to pick out my pieces. I envision doing this when I travel and (gasp!) trying to only use a carry-on bag. I looked for pieces that could mix and match with others, look great on their own, and had personality. I decided to not count coats since I work from home and will go out a few times during the w

First, I should tell you all that this week I am doing a challenge where I will be wearing ten pieces in seven days. I will be mixing and matching these items to challenge myself to use what I already have. I will be posting about it next week after the challenge is complete. For my Sunday outfit as well as the first outfit in my challenge, I am wearing a dress from J Crew Factory and I put a blouse under it from Loft that I purchased last year. This is actually a favorite blouse of mine with the stars on it making it unique. I also like the herringbone print of this knit dress that has pockets. It's super comfortable and I belted it with a belt from Loft to make it more interesting. I wore black tights and my boots from Kohls. I am also wearing my new blush pearl necklace from Eva Mendes new collection at New York and Company. I am also carrying my black Phillip Lim for Target bag.  I like this outfit but it is a bit boring for me seeing that I enjoy bright colors. I felt

Remember those two dresses that I posted about last month that I wore to weddings? I loved the cut and color of both of those dresses so much! I have to tell you that when it comes to designing a line, Eva Mendes really has it down! Last night I went to New York and Company to preview her new Holiday Collection line that just came out. I loved all of the lace and lady-like details in each piece. There was a lot of blush, brown, black, and cream. I fell in love with her gorgeous jewelry pieces. I wish I had bought more!  I took some pictures of pieces that were my favorites. I ended up purchasing a sweater, a dress, and two necklaces. I'll probably be back for more though online! There were a couple of items in the lookbook that the store did not carry that I think I will love.  Love this tassel necklace!  This is a beautiful black and gold statement necklace.  This is a brown tweed dress with comes with a chocolate brown belt. They've added a brooch for

I feel like there is always transition happening in my life.  At work, I have been involved in company transitions, change, consulting, etc. for the last few years. At home, we deal with moving parts all of time. In life in general, we deal with changing of holidays and changing of seasons and even the most recent dreaded time change. One thing is constant, and that thing is change.  Well, for me, I have had a lot of questions about why now to start blogging? This was a big transition for a private person like me. I wanted a creative outlet and I wanted a way to help people realize transition and change- not only in their lives but in their wardrobes. I love doing pieces about wearing one thing multiple ways! I love showing people how to transition items from season to season. As a budget conscious individual who loves to shop way too much, I love to be able to teach people some of my tricks and secrets to make your money and your wardrobe go farther.  This outfit I am wearing today is

On Sunday we had the opportunity to pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child. I will start by saying that if you're not familiar with this, go to www.samaritanspurse.org  for more information. Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that provides spirtitual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Operation Christmas Child is just one of the ways that this organization is helping around the world. People like us donate items and then wrap shoe boxes so that little kids can have Christmas all around the world. Since 1993, more than 100 million shoe box gifts have been collected for needy children around the world. This means if you stacked all 100 million show box gifts on top of each other, they would be 26 times higher than the Empire State Building!  My friend Abby is a children's pastor at her church and she invited a few of us families to participate. We purchased small items like toothbrushes, soap, school supplie

Before the fox started talking (you will get this if you know pop culture), it was just an adorable animal. I saw this Old Navy sweater that I'm wearing and knew I had to have it. I love the personality that this fox has! Wearing glasses even! If you aren't into the whole wearing adorable creatures on your sweaters though, I've picked some other items that are just as foxy!  Here's a super cute sleeper for the little girls in your life. Look at Toys R Us for this Carter's brand pink and white striped sleeper for $10.  Or drink your wintry drinks out of this adorable fox mug from Pier 1 Imports for $8.00.  Carry your fox with you in your purse with this cell phone case from Forever 21 for $7.80.  Want your fox to be outside on your purse instead of hidden inside? Then this bag is for you. It's from aliexpress.com and retails for $7.00. If wearing foxes isn't your thing at all, then enjoy the classic movie, The Fox and the Hound, from Walmart for $19.85.  Here