Curvy Girl on the Run

  October 31 is Halloween.  For most people this date is a day filled with fun, candy, costumes, and pumpkins. For me it is my mom’s birthday.  My mom is no longer with us and has been gone for almost 10 years now.  Most days I am the daughter of a mother who has gone before me. I don’t give it a lot of thought.  Some days I don’t even think about her. Not because I don’t care or because I don’t love her, but because this is the norm.  N o one knows this feeling or the pain that  you bear unless if you have lost a parent.  No one knows how much you miss someone unless if they have been in your shoes. And no one knows how sometimes you forget their face or the scent of their perfume. I am fortunate enough to have a son who looks like my mother in his side profile but not everyone is so lucky to have this daily reminder.  I remember a few years ago that I was at my in-laws house for Halloween celebrating with all of the kids and their families....

Because I work from home, I like dressing up a little on Sundays. Our church doesn't care how you look when you get there, they just want you to get there. Most people don't get too dressed up but I like to have a little fun and wear some stuff that I don't normally wear during the week.  Earlier this week, I was able to take a day off of work. I did some housework and then walked around the mall for a while. I went into Sears to take back something that I had purchased a couple of weeks ago and decided to browse. I love the Land's End section in Sears the most. I love the way the clothes are merchandised and all go together. I also love the end of season sales that they have. Land's End also has great sales on their website as well.   I found a beautiful knit gray blazer that I admired (I especially love the pinstripes when I roll the cuffs!) and went up to the register to ask for the price. I almost died when the cashier told me it was $5.00! I paid for th...

I have this awesome easy recipe for Chicken Pot Pie that I absolutely love so I want to share it with all of you. But first! Let me tell you how I got it!   I remember when I was in high school that I was working in the kitchen during elementary kids lunch. I went to Christian school and the kids could bring in a lunch and have it heated in the microwave for $.25. This one girl brought in this chicken pot pie and I reheated it and it smelled so good! I told her that too! The next day she brought in the recipe from her mother, Rhonda Cochran.  I have made this recipe for a number of years. I made this recipe even last year a couple of times when I was living in CA working. Co-workers of mine loved it and I gave several the recipe and they continue to make it on their own.  Well, let's get down to it! Here's the recipe!  Chicken Pot Pie 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast( diced and cooked) - I save time and use canned or rotisserie 2 cans Cream of Potato soup 1...

I love fall and all of the brilliant colors! I love the way the trees are turning from green into the bright yellows, reds, and oranges. Because I like bright colors, I was drawn to this beautiful bright aqua printed pleated blouse from J Crew Factory during their recent 50% off sale. I wanted to show a couple of different looks so you can dress it up or down and get your money's worth. I had meetings earlier in the day and wanted to dress it up but then came home and got more casual. Notice in both looks I am carrying my Phillip Lim for Target bags!  Here's the dressier or more professional look wearing this Old Navy leather trimmed zipped cardigan, tweed skirt, and heels: Here's the more casual look wearing oxblood jeans and booties: How else would you wear this top?  Thanks for reading and following along!  Sandae

Shut the front door! it cant be over! As you may or may not know, I love the show What Not to Wear that airs on TLC on Friday nights. It was here that I discovered the four elements an outfit should have: color, pattern, texture, shine. It was here that I discovered that you really do have to try it on- not just turn your nose up at it while its on the hanger. It was here that I discovered the type of jeans that were right for my body shape. And it was here that I heard Stacy and Clinton tell female contributors that they needed to "keep the girls locked and loaded." This show has been around for ten seasons and has been a joy to watch. It's been cool to see how confident women become after they learn to dress themselves and have a hairstyle and a makeup routine that is fast, easy and manageable. It's also been cool to see the hosts themselves exude confidence and authority as they are making over women and literally changing lives. I love that Stacy chose to keep h...

On Sunday I was looking for an outfit to wear to church. I like to dress up a little more on Sundays because I spend most of the week in casual clothes since I work from home. I decided to pair my favorite bow tee with a striped skirt from Loft. Earlier in the year, it seemed like everyone had a black and white striped skirt but me! I love the look but never found the skirt I liked- until this one. It's brown and black so it's perfect for me in the Michigan fall and winter. I added a belt (also from Loft) and a black bag. I also decided to wear a sweater since it was a little chilly still. I also decided to add another pattern with the leopard pumps. Subtle but fun! Remember my article about pattern mixing? It was an easy and fun outfit!  Thanks for reading and following along!  Sandae

No, chili is not misspelled. It's actually getting chilly in MI which means its chili weather! My husband and I like to have chili when the weather starts getting chillier in the evenings. Chili is a warm hearty meal in a bowl so it's perfect for a relaxing fall night. Our small group decided to have chili on Sunday night when we met so I brought mine. I like mine because it is thick and meaty with just the right amount of tomatoes and green pepper and onion. Yum! Here's the recipe that I found years ago in a cookbook. I cook a lot so I tend to do my seasonings to taste and not exactly by the recipe. I also don't measure a lot since after years of cooking, you tend to be able to eye-ball the measurements. I like to make this ahead of time and have it cooking on low in the slow cooker all day. It fills the house with the aroma of chili and its ready to go when we're home from work. 1 lb ground beef 1 c chopped onion (one large) 1/2 c chopped green pepper 2 ...

I am the first person to admit that I like to match. There I said it! I don't want to be that person who has too many things going on in their outfit that you don't see me- you see my outfit. But after watching What Not to Wear (a lot!) and seeing all of my friends on Instagram mixing and matching their prints and patterns, I decided it was time to give it a try. I started with a plaid shirt and a striped sweater and then a solid pant. Why not throw on my favorite leopard loafers and a statement necklace? The look below is what I wore all day. I was outside in the evening so I decided to change up the look a little. I added my favorite boots and threw on the herringbone vest. What do you think of pattern mixing? Do you try it at all or do you play it safe? Start out small and try it with two patterns and see what you think. The key is to make sure that they are all in the same color family.  Thanks for reading and following along!  Sandae

I first want to say that I was blessed with a great opportunity to work from home and be a virtual employee. This means I do not have to commute on a daily basis as I can perform all of my responsibilities with a phone and an Internet connection. That being said, there are times like today that I need to dress up and head into the office. Classic suiting pieces never go out of style. I wanted to share this outfit today as this is a great example of this. I remember where and when I bought these pieces. I had just had my son (who is eight now) and needed some clothes. I found this skirt and a matching teal sweater set (I know, I know, a sweater set!) and have worn them ever since. This is a nice lined skirt with a classic print and colors. As long as this skirt holds up, I will continue to wear it. It's one of my faves! The blouse is a little newer and was purchased from Banana Republic about two or three years ago. While the style of the blouse is sleeveless and not office-appr...

If you are on Instagram and follow @targetstyle, you are no stranger to the pictures that they post of their clothing and home furnishings. I do not have to tell you all then that I pretty much love everything they have at that store! It is difficult to walk out without finding something that you had no idea that you needed. Remind me to post a cute cartoon that I found on Facebook one time. It's hilarious! Anyways, I saw an outfit post that I loved and thought how can I recreate this look? I am a sucker for anything in leopard (check out my Instagram page and you'll see what I mean!). I love this cardigan so I decided to purchase it and then make it do double duty. I posted the pic below that I saw on Instagram. Naturally, I wanted to recreate this look but I decided to do it two ways- one for a more casual look for a day running errands or a busy mom and one look for an evening out or a date night. Check out my looks below and tell me how you may recreate this lo...

Age is relative. Age is a number. There's the saying " you're only as young as you feel". Age. You want it, you need it. Well, guess what! Age is upon me...I have approximately 11 months now until I turn the big 4-0! I have to admit that I am not scared or think I need a major purchase like a sports car ( who am I kidding- of course a sports car would be nice although unnecessary)- I am actually excited! Believe it or not, every year I feel better about myself and gain more confidence. Like fine wine that is aged, I just keep getting better and better! So to celebrate, I am coming up with a bucket list of sorts: 40 Things To Do Before I Turn 40. I need some help though from you, my readers, my followers. I have a few things on my list, but I need a lot more! I would invite you to post your ideas here on the blog. I will be choosing ideas and featuring each one in an individual blog post. If you are the contributor of the item, I will feature your blog or ...

Well, I finally did it! I finally created a blog! Now what? I intend to use this blog to share tips and tricks for daily life as well as recipes and most importantly, sales and fashion advice! Curvy girl on the run- how did I come up with this name? Well, if you follow me on Instagram, you may remember following along with me as I was training and preparing to run my first 5K. And of course, I am curvy which was how I came up with my name! Here's a picture of me crossing the finish line! Thank you to all of my friends and family and supporters who have given me the boost of confidence that I needed to make this leap! I appreciate all of your love and support while I was training! So here you have it. The blog is up and ready to go! Follow along for more fun! Sandae