• budget,  fall,  fashion

    Happy Birthday to me with a Early Fall Look

    I’ve really enjoyed my birthdays this past decade. I have let go of expectations, embraced my age and figured out how to make the day special. Last year, I went up to Chattanooga to visit my friend Rachel to thrift and baked myself a cake. Today, I may thrift on my own, have a free birthday lunch and relax. I am sharing a thrifted dress I picked up last month at Uptown Cheapskate when I received a 20% off coupon and how I wore it. This look can work all summer long through fall until bare legs are not comfortable. I am not usually one for smocking but the smocking…

  • budget,  fashion

    Parade of Thrifted Dresses

    This past year has been my best year for thrifting dresses! I have never had any luck buying dresses on Amazon (apart from dresses for weddings), usually disliking either the fit or the material. So this year, my focus was to find dresses as I was thrifting wanting to update and improve my dress selection. I typically wear a dress every Sunday and the summer and spring month find me reaching for dresses more than usual. Today, I am sharing my favorites. This dress is my newest find (at Uptown Cheapskate) and I paid 7 dollars for it. I will be sharing it in all of its glory on Monday,…

  • outdoors

    Water, Sky and Reflections

    I have asked my oldest to share some of his pictures for a couple blog posts this month and gave him a deadline so I am hoping to share those with you this month. For today, though I am sharing some shots from a walk/run last week while my son was at soccer practice. While I do not enjoy soccer practice time, I do enjoy the opportunity to walk around the 2.5 mile trail as it offers pretty views and some exercise. On this particular day, it has just rained so the sky and the puddles (large puddles) drew my eye. This is my favorite shot of the evening! Look…

  • budget,  fall,  fashion

    How to Change the Look of a Tie Dress

    I definitely did not stick to my no shop summer this summer, but I was very intentional with the choices I made when I did purchase some clothes. I do not remember why I was in Target on this particular day (I did not enter Target for 40 days or so though), but glanced at the clearance rack. When I noticed the pretty neutral print of this dress, I knew I wanted to try it on. While in the fitting room, I quickly realized that I would be able to create a different waistline depending on how I tied the belt it came with (it actually can be taken off…

  • fashion,  summer,  Ways to wear

    Styling Clara SunWoo Liquid Leather Pants for Summer

    I have been eyeing the liquid leather collection from Clara SunWoo and when they last reached out for a late summer collaboration, I couldn’t wait to select this pair of liquid leather skinny pocket pants! This knit fabric is neither leather nor pleather and is very comfortable and stretchy and has the look of leather. I am most excited to wear them with my fall slouch sweaters and booties, but they are going to be fun for cooler summer or spring days too! I wanted to give you a variety of styling ideas both dressy and more casual. I will start with my favorite which would be very easy to…

  • historic,  outdoors,  travel

    The Advantages of Living in a Small Town

    We’ve lived in our town for almost 6 years and I have loved living here. From past blog posts, you know that we are within 15-20 minutes of different places where we can hike, there are some historical places to visit and there are pretty spots for blog pictures. The park, the Indian mounds, a couple ponds are some of the spots I like to take pictures when I do not want to use my house and backyard as a backdrop. I’ve taken pictures a few times downtown but now as often as I should (it is only a 10 minute drive). So earlier this week, I took about 2o…

  • budget,  fashion,  inspired by

    Inspired by Cammi Happy Place

    I love it when I get inspired to shop my closet and replicate an outfit that is comfortable and cute to wear. Whenever that happens I take a screenshot to remind myself to put that outfit together. This summer, Cammi shared this cute outfit on IG and on her blog in this post. Surprisingly I had never put these specific pieces together and it was a perfect summer outfit for me to wear for errands and around the house. Above is Cammi and heere is my version of her outfit! All of these pieces have been in my closet for a year or more and are worn very frequently. This…

  • budget,  fashion,  summer

    Black and Brown Outfits for Summer

    You don’t typically think of black and brown outfits for summer, but I was inspired last month to see if I could create 5 outfits from my closet using those colors. I was on a neutral kick and felt like I hadn’t worn either color in a while. To give the combination more of a summer feel, I added white accessories or pieces to add a contrast. I am always amazed how many new outfits I can create when I put my mind to it and sometimes wonder why I am still tempted to shop. Maybe because shopping is fun and an activity I enjoy on my own as a…

  • friday favorites,  mom

    August Favorites

    It’s back to school! I am loving the routine and walking my youngest to school. I got together with a couple of parents to carpool after cross country practice. It makes life easier! I also am enjoying some time cooking without interruptions and am trying to add a little something fun most days to my routine of chores and errands. Time to add more exercising, some thrifting and I might try to enjoy the pool on my own once a week. My Running Tribe Forever grateful for my running tribe! This is the best running club ever! We support each other, love each other and make each other stronger. One…

  • fashion,  summer,  Ways to wear

    Clara SunWoo Ankle Petal Pants 4 Ways

    I am back with a 4 ways how to style blog post. I love getting more wear from the items in my closet especially if they are investment pieces. While these were gifted, I still like to make sure that an item I chose for a collaboration is something that I will wear in my everyday life. These pants are way more versatile than you might expect from their fun print. They are really comfortable with an elastic waistband and of course, the fabric used is fluid and wrinkle free. For pairing with colorful prints, my favorite graphics are my white ones. I enjoy wearing yellow with navy, so this…