A Little Birdie Told Me...

...to buy this sweater when I saw it!  Fall has officially arrived and its time to bring back the sweaters and boots for the duration.  Every year I look in my closet and hate all my sweaters.  Living in Michigan I really should own great sweaters, nice soft and comfy ones.  But I always end up with black sweater, skinny jeans and boots from November thru March.  I decided that I am going to be more creative this year with my cold weather dressing.  Starting now, with this adorable bird sweater by J.Crew I bought from a new resale shop in Novi.  I wore it again this past weekend up north wine tasting with some skinny jeans and flats...had a few too many tastings and forget to get pictures!  No worries tho, I will be wearing this many more times and will post some more casual ways to wear it.  But for this post, I wanted to be really cool and imitate Kate Bosworth and her take on animal motifs.  Not bad if I do say so myself!

Kate Bosworth Image

Sweater - J.Crew, Sold Out, Similar style with fox from ASOS

Pencil Skirt - ABS from Dillards (long time ago), Similar skirt also from ASOS

Heels - Jessica Simpson 

Date Night with Hubby

After a crazy last weekend tailgating, this weekend is shaping up to be much more low key for the Franklins.  Well, for me at least.  My husband is leaving for Europe tonight for the next few days.  So we decided to take advantage of a no plans Friday night and go on a date!  It has been awhile since we have went out to dinner by ourselves (partly because we are trying to eat at home as much as we can) and it was so much fun!  I took advantage of the "no rush" attitude and actually straightened my hair.  For those of you who don't know, that is quite the endeavor, but Jon always thinks it looks sexy so I decided to put in the effort.  Side note, I am really over due for a trim!  Thank God for my high powered straightener!

To go with my sexy straight hair, I decided on my new skinny Paige jeans with the zippers and a low cut lace blouse.  I like that the blouse is a mix of girly lace with a low v-neck.  I scored these jeans off the clearance at Nordstrom Rack.  They are so comfortable, which is sometimes tough with skinny jeans.  There really is something to be said for designer jeans, they know how to make them the best.  As a jean lover, I believe it is worth the extra money to get a pair that flatters you.  And don't be afraid to try on a lot of jeans...its the only way to find your pair!

Top - Banana Republic, Similar top Pim + Larkin on Piperlime

Jeans - Paige Denim, Similar pair for less at Gap

Heels - Jessica Simpson on shoes.com

Earrings - Zara, Found some on ebay...so hard to find these!

Girls Dinner

Now before I get busted on a new skirt, I bought this a couple months ago before the whole "no shopping" thing took effect.  I scored this beauty for such a great deal at Nordstrom Rack too.  I love the print on this skirt and how easy it is to wear.  The possibilities are endless!

For our girls dinner out (celebrating Marci's birthday!) I decided to go the dressier route with gold accessories and some heels.  The skirt naturally hits at my hips so I hiked it up a bit and belted it at my waist instead for some more shape.  If I was wearing this more casually, I would let it sit on my hips and wear some cute flats instead of heels.

Top - Lush from Nordstrom, Similar top at JCPenny by Allen B.

Skirt - Trouve from Nordstrom, Similar skirt at JCPenny by Joe Fresh

Belt - from a dress in my closet, Similar belt at Macy's by Ralph Lauren

Shoes - Aldo (so old they are from my bachelorette party 5 years ago!) 

I like these Marc Fisher pumps from Macy's even better than mine!

Shopping My OWN Closet

You may all want to sit down for this one...I have decided that I have too many clothes that I never wear.  I know...kind of out of character for me to say such nonsense...but alas its true.  I was standing in my closet  last weekend after we got back from Florida and thought how many of my tank tops I never wear.  I have dresses that I still have yet to find an occasion to wear.  I absolutely love shopping and cannot imagine my life without it, but I decided I may be able to recreate my hobby in my very own closet.  It is epic you know!  So my new goal (for now) is to try shopping some new looks from my own closet.

This past Sunday was family dinner, and I used it as my first chance to try out my new life philosophy. I bought this blue silk tank top on ebay almost 3 years ago and I think I have worn it twice.  Cobalt blue is a big trend right now for fall.  My next idea with this top is to pair it with my blue floral pants for a fun monochromatic look...stay tuned!  Side note...if you don't own a pair of slingback platform pumps like these, you should.  I have worn these so much that I need to get the heels fixed.  They literally go with everything!

(Close up of my Godmother necklace that I wear all the time.  Missing my niece so much already!)

Top - BEBE, Similar top at Macy's by Tommy Girl 

Shorts - Loft, Really cool pair at Macy's from the MADE Fashion Week Collection

Shoes - Guess, Similar style at Lord and Taylor in silver

Same pumps as mine in nude at Macy's on sale for $52!  Great deal!

Tube Tops get Fancy

One of my favorite people, my homie Laura, was home for a week this summer recently.  We always have so much fun when we get together, and this time was no different!  A summer night bbq and dinner in Royal Oak were our visits this time.  As usual, I took the chance to dress up a little :-)  Now normally, I am not a fan of tube tops.  They feel a bit too young for me at this stage in life.  But this yellow top from The Limited is not the typical tube top.  Its silk and has some boning and ruffles in the front so its structured.  It is the kind of top that works great with jeans or skirts, dressed up or casual.  And I found it on the clearance rack, so bonus!  And it was the perfect occasion to wear my new bracelet from my Dad and Diane!  (It was a thank you gift for watching the dog...poor Jon did most of the work and only got some fancy ketchup!)

Top - The Limited, Very cute option with floral print at Sears

Jeans - J Brand from Nordstrom

Wedges - Jessica Simpson, Similar style by Steve Madden at Macy's

Bracelet - Similar styles on Etsy

Healthy Spin on Lunchables

Hello friends!  Summer is in full swing now...its almost August!  I don't know about you all, but its been one crazy busy summer so far.  The kids have been in one camp or class after another and its kept us on the go a lot of the days.  Many of those days, we had lunch in the car or at the park in between camps.  I know I would get bored with a sandwich everyday, so I try to mix things up for them too.  But, with one picky eater, its really challenging sometimes!  They both always ask me for lunchables when we go to the grocery store..but those things are SO bad for you.  I'm not even sure if the lunch meat or cheese in those is real...and it is definitely full of preservatives and chemicals they don't need to be eating.  And I am always the bad guy who says no.

So...I came up with a new version that is healthy and still fun for the kids.  I bought all the ingredients separate and then made them their own lunchables.  I started with some crackers, usually Kashi Original 7-Grain.  They have some really good gluten free options too if you prefer.  The twins love salami so I get the Applegate Organics Uncured Salami.  They are perfect because they are small enough to fit on the crackers! Cheese is the easy part, just get whatever kind your kids like best.  I buy the Horizon Organic Cheddar slices and just break them into smaller squares.  And voila...homemade, healthy, organic lunchables!  Happy lunching!!!

\

Dad's Birthday Party

This past Sunday was my dad's birthday and Uncle Jeff's birthday.  They were born on the same day, five years apart.  So cool huh?  We had a great time celebrating with them!  It was such a great day, complete with laughs, tears, and some very poorly assembled ice cream sandwiches (thanks to me!).  I love that I get to spend birthdays with my dad...he's such a special dude!  Happy Birthday again Dad!!!

I finally got a picture of me wearing my new white blazer from my birthday.  Thanks to my wonderful husband for scouring the mall to find the perfect one!  I am in love with it and have worn it a bunch already.  This was the first chance I had to take a picture of it.  The weather here has been so confusing lately so getting dressed in the morning is a challenge.  I am cold in the morning and cold in the evening, but then its warmer all day.  I liked this outfit because I was never too hot or too cold.  I'm so looking forward to some actual summer dressing!

Blazer - Armani Exchange 

Sheer T-Shirt - Express, Similar style on ASOS

Silk Shorts - Paige Premium via Nordstrom Rack, Similar pair on Bluefly

Shoes - Steve Madden, Similar flats (sadly minus the red flower) at Zappos