Flowy is Not a (Real) Word

My mom hates anything that looks like it's from that 70s, but she also says that it's only because she had to live through the 70s...  Fortunately for me, I was born in the 80s, so I have no crazy memories from the decade before!  It also means that I have a certain fondness for wide-legged jeans and flowy shirts.

Anyway, I recently found this jacket at H&M, and I'm in LOVE.  I love how it fits, and the fabric is extremely lightweight, so it's going to be the perfect Spring/Summer jacket.  I also love that it's thin enough for me to belt it, because a lot of my blazers are too bulky for me to do that.

Jacket, Shirt, Shoes: H&M // Belt: Old Navy // 

Earrings: Dreamy Vintage at Etsy // 

Bag: Gift from J.Crew // Bracelet: Gift from Ross Simons

Three Potato Four

Last night, I found out about Three Potato Four from a local news website.  Within minutes, I knew that I had to visit this place immediately.  So today, I googled mapped my way to Manayunk, a Philadelphia neighborhood, and already had a purchase in mind thanks to the store's fabulous website.

For several months, I have been searching for the perfect old piece of furniture to serve as a bar cart in our dining room.  I wanted something beat up and unconventional, and something that would be versatile enough for me to use in a variety of ways in the future.  Sure enough, I found this old green industrial cart that had been renewed with some reclaimed wood.  Fortunately for me, the piece was still at the store this morning and I knew it was perfect once I saw it in person!  Yes it's a little..um... industrial... for a dining room, but I'm thinking of repainting it.  I just have no idea what color I want it to be, so it'll probably sit here like this for a while:

I think that it's perfect for a bar cart now, but I can also imagine using it as a storage cart in my kitchen, or a garden cart for the porch!

My other fun finds include this old Kraft American cheese box, a sugar mold (which has now become a perfect addition to my desk), a book of Gospel songs from 1902, and 3 skeleton keys.  Overall, a fun day at Three Potato Four, please give them a visit if you live in the Philly area!

Basement Jams

I'm happy it's Friday night, but I'm also disappointed that my current cup of coffee isn't enough caffeine to inspire me to celebrate.  I'm currently listening to several boys play music in my basement.  It reminds me of college... unlike this outfit.  Do you ever think about how drastically your style has changed throughout your years?  In my former (college) life, hearing live music coming from a basement typically meant I was paying some dirty punk kid 3 bucks to get into the door, and it definitely meant a difference in my own style.  I was wearing men's Dickies from Goodwill and a Hot Water Music t-shirt throughout most of those years.  Now I'm high heels and feeling sleepy on a Friday night. What is happeningggg to meeeee?

I'm going to go hang out in this basement to reinvigorate myself... then I'm going to come upstairs and dig out my Converse from the back of the closet.

Cheers!

Sweater & Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft // Shirt: H&M // 

Shoes: Urban Outfitters // Earrings: H&M circa 2003

I Tried So Hard

I honestly tried SO hard to stay away from talking about or showing my dear pets in this post, but then I made the dreaded mistake of letting our dog roam the yard while we snapped a few pics.  Before you know it, you have a pooping dog in your photo and a girl who is just sick enough to post it on the internet.  Needless to say, I had to leave the scene immediately.  These are my favorite blog pictures, fer suuuure.

Jacket: Boutique in Morges, Switzerland // 

Dress: H&M  //  Tights: Gap //

Spies

Let's face it.  This blog isn't about personal style, it's about my PETS!  This glass door is their favorite thing about this house.  The kitty uses it to obsess over the squirrels who visit our front porch, and Brown uses it to bark ferociously at our mail lady.  (Little does she know that he's a sweet old man who has nothing better to do with his day than protect our mailbox)  I love our 2 little spies! 

Pants & Shirt: Gap // Sweater: H&M // Shoes: Nine West Outlet

Welcome, Spring!

Ahh, Spring.  Regrowth, warmth, and sunlight!  Today we celebrated with a hike, tons of cleaning, and new plants on our porch.  It was lovely... now maybe we can end the day with a trip for some free Rita's!

Did you do anything fun to celebrate the first day of Spring?

Gap Blazers Everyday

I'm sorry.... didn't I just wear the same blazer and the same jeans last weekend? Yes, and I will probably continue to do so until the Gap stops selling jeans and blazers that I love so much.  I should probably just change the name of this blog to "Gap Blazers Everyday," but then the lawyer in the house would tell me that it's some trademark infringement or something annoying like that...

Blazer and Jeans: GAP // Shirt: H&M // 

Garnet Necklace: Gift from Prague // 

Sunglasses: RayBan // Shoes: Ann Taylor Loft

Red, Pink, Red, Pink, and More Red

 Jacket & Pants: Gap // Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft // 

Scarf & Shoes: H&M // Earrings: Dreamy Vintage 

I went a little overboard with this color combo today... red hair, pink nails, red earrings, pink scarf, etc.  Even though I love all sorts of pink in clothing, which is probably because it's always complimented my Eastern European (extra pale) complexion, I have my doubts about pairing it with this red hair.  Fortunately, I channeled my inner Molly Ringwald, and mixed my reds and pinks into all sorts of crazy.  Thanks for the inspiration, Pretty in Pink!

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

I came home to a sweet little surprise today!  Style [According to Me] and Forever Miss Vanity chose me as one of their blog winners!  Thanks so much for passing along this award, ladies!  Now the rules are: I must first link back to the bloggers who recognized me (thanks, Style [According to Me] and Forever Miss Vanity!), state 7 facts about myself and pass this along to 7 bloggers.  I'm going to follow Mary Louise's lead, and stick to the magic number 3... choosing 3 blogs that I have truly enjoyed reading for the past few weeks.

My 3 facts:
1.  I grew up in rural coal country, but now I'm a true suburbanite
2.  I did my undergrad in bassoon performance before becoming a teacher
3.  My dog is my bff, for sure

And my 3 blog winners:
1.  The Daily Fashionista
2.  A Day in the Life Too
3.  Daisy Dayz

It's such an honor to be noticed by other bloggers, so thanks so much for thinking of me!

Wait, I Have to Keep Doing This?

As Erik started taking my picture tonight, he asked me when this 30 day challenge thing would be over.  I told him that it already ended, but I intend to continue documenting my outfits.  Well... maybe he's irritated because it's Friday and he's ready to go out to dinner rather than photograph me on the sidewalk.  Or, maybe it's because he's no photography genius and he knows that... but whatever it was, he yelled, "Wait, I have to keep doing this? No, no way!" 

Oh, yes way, Erik. Yes way. xoxo

Blazer & Jeans: Gap // Shirt: H&M // 

Shoes: UO // Watch Necklace: Grandma 

Quorn Chicken Enchiladas

Today was rainy and miserable, and after a long week, I knew I needed some serious comfort food.  This is one of our favorite meals... which is just a little twist on a Campbell's soup recipe from their website.

Because we are a no-meat household, I use Quorn chicken, which is so seriously yummy, some non-vegetarians that I know still enjoy eating it.  

To start, I cook down some onion and chili powder, then add the Quorn chicken and a can of green chilies.

Next, I mix a can of Campbell's cream of celery soup (the original recipe calls for cream of chicken) and a 1/2 cup of sour cream.  This mixture is for the top of the enchiladas, but use a few tablespoons of it to hold together the chicken mixture.

Put the mixture into small flour tortillas, and roll 'em up!

Top these beauties with the sour cream/soup mixture and a ton of shredded cheese.  After 20 minutes in the oven, they're ready to party!  (Note: do not be deceived by this seemingly healthy plate of veggies.  We devoured several of the cheesy enchilada goodies!)

Everybody Everywhere: Polka Dot Day

Blazer, Shirt, Pants, Belt: GAP // Shoes: H&M // Necklace: Ann Taylor Loft

Upon finishing the 30 for 30 this weekend, I practically ran to the closest mall!  I went straight into that GAP store with one giant coupon, and left with a smile on my face.  This top is a great spring-into-summer find, and I'm very impressed with the quality of it.  My real reason for the GAP visit was a new pair of work pants, and I couldn't pass up all of the new ankle length options!  No, it's not spring yet, but what's the problem? My ankles were simply begging for exposure.