My Birthday Outfit!!!

In case you hadn't heard...yesterday was my BIRTHDAY!  My 29th birthday to be exact.  I'm a pretty big fan of my birthday.  Not in a conceited kind of way...more of a celebrate that you are alive kind of way.  I love this quote from P.S. I Love You and I use it all the time. "We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone."  I think that's the most accurate quote I have heard when it comes to talk about age.  My grandma died at 88, and she was proud of her age every single year.  She told anyone and everyone that it was her birthday each year and I loved that about her. So I am following her lead!

I thought the outfit I wore for my birthday party at my parents house was perfect for the blog.  It was actually a gift from my wonderful bosses.  And its all recent so they should be available still in stores.  It was the perfect spring party outfit because it was comfortable, but a little fancy too!  I piled on all the necklaces because well, it was my birthday! (Note the balloons from the twins, so cute!)

Top - Bobeau at Nordstrom (on sale so not many left), Similar style by Free People

Jeans - J Brand at Nordstrom, Less expensive option by Levi's on Piperlime

Shoes - Joe's at Nordstrom, Less expensive option at DSW by Fergie

Longest necklace - Similar one at Kohls by Lauren Conrad

Middle Necklace - Similar one here on Etsy 

Work Dinner...(Jon's work that is.)

A work dinner for me would mean about the same thing as regular dinner...or lunch and breakfast for that matter :-)  It would just include two more tiny mouths to feed...and a lot more noise!  But for Jon's work, it meant a nice night out at a fancy steak house downtown.  We went to this great Detroit steak house called Roast.  Its in the lobby of the Westin downtown.  Now, me being me, I love an excuse to get all dressed up!  I had a dress and shoes picked out for weeks...then Jon told me last minute that all the guys were wearing jeans.  TOTALLY threw off my outfit plans.  Apparently it wasn't as fancy an occasion as I thought.  But, I persevered and was so excited with the results.  I like how the plain, casual white top offsets the dressiness of the lace skirt.  Side note - I was definitely the most dressed up at the table, but I always say its better to be overdressed than under dressed. I hope you like the outfit as much as I did!

Shirt - BCBG Max Azria, Similar style at Gap $50

Skirt - Victoria Secret, Similar skirt at Macy's by Vince Camuto $74

Heels - Michael Kors heel and painted toe, Similar pair at Nordstrom $90

New Pants and My Nephew

Happy Birthday week to myself!  And my sister-in-law too, who is turning the big 3-0 this week! We are gearing up for some great family time this weekend to celebrate the birthdays and babies.  It will be the first time both my niece and nephew are together!!!  Being the birthday girl, I decided I get dibs on holding the babies!  :-)

But before all that begins this weekend, we had a smaller Sunday dinner (well brunch and dinner) at my parents on Sunday.  I hadn't seen baby Jaxon since he was born and it was so awesome to get some quality snuggles in before the crowd gets bigger.  He is just the sweetest thing ever!  I could literally hold him all day.  He was just sleeping away in my arms while mom and dad took a much needed nap.  All was smooth sailing til diaper change time and Aunt Tina forgot what happens with baby boys and my new pants got a little peed on!  Lesson learned...cover that thing quickly!  P.S. Instead of helping, they all laughed and took pictures of the disaster!  Payback is a you know what!

Anyways, I got these new printed pants from Kohls last week and I was dying to test drive them.  (That's what I do with new outfits that I am not sure about.)  They were so comfortable...literally felt like I was wearing  my pajamas all day.  Perfect brunch outfit and even better baby snuggling outfit!  I love them...these will definitely be in more frequent rotation.

Top - Trouve from Nordstrom, similar style for $48

Pants - Jennifer Lopez for Kohls $35

Shoes - BCBGirls, similar pair at Macy's for $79

Mens Style for Spring

Well, technically its spring.  Mother Nature is being a real biatch and refuses to do anything but rain and snow here in Michigan.  It still feels like winter.  And to go along with the crap weather, I have also been battling a sinus cold and its been a real drag too.  So...I have spent my last two weekends on the couch in pajamas.  Ergo...no new pictures of fun outfits to share :-(  BUT, a few friends have asked me about mens fashion and whats in style for Spring 2013.  Jon is busy watching the Masters/being mad at me so I can't ask him to model like I was planning.  We will broach that idea later this week and I will do a post on mens style with my handsome husband as the model.  Until then, I have searched the blogs and websites to find some great suggestions for you.

One really big trend right now is grey...pale grey.  Many of the new suits that are out right now are grey.  I love this look by Dolce & Gabbana.  The suit is grey, but the shirt underneath is really popping!  For those of us who can't afford D&G, I found this suit option from Macy's by Bar III.  I love the green top too so I found the one pictured below also from Macy's by DKNY.

Another big trend right now for spring is pastels.  This can be dress shirts, ties, or even shorts.  I love this look from Nordstrom, especially the pink shorts.  I couldn't find these exact shorts at Nordstrom, but these shorts from JC Penny are really cool too (and only $12!).

Can't do a menswear blog without talking about ties.  I LOVE mens ties.  I wonder if this stems from being a big fan of Pretty Woman...we all what I am talking about ;-)  Anywho...One big style point for spring is 'less is more' so instead of a printed shirt and tie, try a plain shirt with a tie that pops.  How about a really cool flower print?  I love this look. The tie is from Express for $50.

The last trend that I think is worth mentioning is the denim jacket.  Denim jacket you say???  I know...its very circa 1990s but they are back.  You have to be careful with this trend so you don't end up looking very uncool.  I like the moto style best, like this one by John Varvatos. I found an exact replica at Macy's for only $45, below.

Here's to spring actually showing up!!!  

St. Patrick's Day Skulls

St. Patrick's Day has been a bittersweet day for me these last couple years.  Most people are out drinking and partying and celebrating.  I'm Irish and very proud of that, so I want to celebrate my heritage with everyone.  But its a day that always makes me think of my Grandma, thus the bittersweetness of it all.  She was so proud of her Irish roots and taught me how to be a strong, proud Irishwoman myself.  So in her honor I usually wear purple on St. Paddy's Day, but this year I went really morbid and chose a skull!  Really, I just couldn't wait to wear this new top! :-)  My dad described it as a 'girly Jason mask' shirt.  He cracks me up!

Sweater - Marshalls - Similar one on Amazon for $62, Color option on Zappos for $55

Jeans - Guess - Similar Guess style currently available 

Cuff - Target clearance - Similar style on Amazon for $14.50

Booties - Crown Vintage from DSW, limited sizes in black still available for $40

Spring Tease

Its the time of year when us Michiganders get these little one day warm ups in the weather.  Its just enough to get us excited for spring to come and them...poof its back to 20s.  Last Sunday was one of those days...it was almost 65 and sunny all day! It even stayed warm past dark, which is something we haven't experienced since the early fall.  We had a wonderful Sunday family dinner at my parents house, so it was a casual day.  This is a pretty typical look for me when I am with the kids too.  Its cute, but also comfortable and I can move around in it.  Anything neon makes me think of spring!

Wrap - Target, from a long time ago - Similar style at JCPenny for $22

Tee - The Loft for $20

Jeans - Guess, few seasons ago - Similar style at Guess now for $128 (extra $20 off)

Belt - Talbots Outlet - Similar style on Bluefly for $25

Shoes - Sam Edelman at Nordstrom for $110

Necklace - Lots of options like this on Etsy...I also like resale shops for fun jewelry finds at a great price.

Baby Shower and a Nephew

Happy March everyone!  I don't know about you all, but I am so ready for some warmer weather!  I had a short visit in Florida in February and it was such a nice change to see some actual sunshine.  Its amazing what some sunny skies does for your mood.  We really are deprived here in Michigan, where the sun takes a 3 month vacation.  Grrr.  All Florida ended up being was a tease...cause the plane landed in 19 degrees and snow.  But, spring is right around the corner and I have already started picking out my spring outfits.  I bought this green shirt from Macy's and I am in love with it.  I have already worn it three times...literally the day after I get it cleaned I wear it again.  I think I might need another one like this to add to the rotation.  (Side note...this is definitely a 'girl pretty' style shirt as opposed to a 'guy pretty' one.  Jon was not such a fan of the buttoned up to the neck look, but whatev.  I love it!)

I thought my soon to arrive nephew's baby shower was the perfect excuse to wear my new favorite shirt again.  Since it was a special occasion, I went with my cropped trousers instead of jeans.  But I wore it with black skinny jeans  and booties and it looked just as great!  And check out my new Zara leopard earrings!

Shirt - No longer available...similar style in sleeveless from Nordstrom

Trousers - From Gap, similar pair here, also Gap

Earrings -Sold out :-(  similar pair at Fantasy Jewelry Box