OOTD 4.29.10 & The Blazers!

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Tee: Target

Dress: Anthropologie

Jeans: Calvin Klein

Flats: Urban Outfitters

First let me state that I know that this is my second dress-over-jeans outfit in the last week, but I didn't think tights were "NBA game" appropriate. Plus, I really wanted to wear this dress (black) and sweater (red) to cheer on the Blazers at our first game of the season (yes, we were too cheap to buy tickets all season and then decided to spoil ourselves with an expensive playoff game - go figure) .

This was the view from our seats and I will admit I had a few moments of fear that I might plummet to my death from these nosebleed seats, but luckily that didn't happen (they were still SO high!) .

See the wall behind us? Yup, we were way up there!

While we didn't have the best seats in the house, we had a great time! The crowd was fully engaged the whole game and I loved the excitement that flowed through the whole place. It was sort of magical :) I only wish we could have gone to more games (next year, right Sam?) .

And here is the end of the game picture that I snapped (that looks a lot like the first picture, only more people) when we knew the Blazer season had come to an end. While they did lose, I don't regret the amount of money or time it took to get up to Portland one bit. Mostly because I was with my best friend cheering on a team we've been rooting for all season! It is a memory we'll talk about for years!

Field Trip: Bend

This weekend we headed over to see my mom one last time before her move and pick up a car full of items she didn't want to take with her. Sadly, Sam & I hadn't been to Bend since Thanksgiving so a trip over was well overdue!

Once we arrived, my mom & I left Sam at her house to watch the end of the Blazer game and we headed downtown for a coffee date with one of my very first friends & her mom. Good coffee + lots of catching up = a great time!

Then we made a quick (but necessary) stop at the Old Mill for a little retail therapy, followed by picking up Sam and heading over to see my little brother off to prom!

By the time we finished taking pictures, our stomachs were telling us it was dinner time. And my mom picked one of my favorite places to go - McMenamin's St. Francis School. I return on almost all my visits because they have the BEST baked macaroni I've ever tasted (and you can see what I mean because I even blogged about it a couple years ago) !

After dinner, we swung by Best Buy so Sam could help advise my mom on finding a DSLR camera. Then it was home to relax and watch a movie.

For breakfast we went to McKay Cottage, which was both delicious and filling. Then it was time for goodbyes, but not before some family-self portraits. :)

Since I haven't lived in Bend for almost two years (not to mention I own a home with my husband in Salem) and my mom is moving to another state, Bend will now become a vacation spot like I often hear it referred to. But I will remember this trip as the last time I went "home".

OOTD 4.24.10

Tee: Forever 21

Dress: Gap

Belt: Old Navy

Jeans: Downeast Basics

Sandals: Forever 21

We headed to Bend last weekend for one more visit before my mom moves (more pictures to come) and this outfit served me well with all we had planned! It got me through 2ish hours in the car, a coffee date with an old friend, seeing my brother off to prom, and dinner at McMenamins. Not only was it comfortable, but, dare I say, even a little more stylish than my usual jeans & a tee look. Layering is quickly becoming a big favorite for me!

Pretty Shoes

I saw these featured on Stuff under Twenty yesterday and instantly fell in love! They come in black, purple, green, grey, & blue! And they are only $16.30!

My Personal Assistant

Meet my iCal Calendar app.

See all those dates with dots underneath? Yeah, that's how full my May weekends are already!

I've never really been the kind of person who carries a physcial planner (except when I was keeping track of assignments in college of course) , so I didn't expect to get much use out of this calendar app with the exception of finding out what day a certain date fell on. Boy was I wrong!

The iCal Calendar app has become my go-to for everything schedule related. It has all of my appointments, events, & important birthdays and has kept me from losing my mind a number of times when trying to remember if something else is scheduled on the same day. Plus, it's always with me! This proves that the small things (like my iPhone) often make my life just a little bit easier.

How do you keep track of your schedule?

OOTD 4.20.10

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Tee: Target

Skirt: Anthropologie

Tights: Hue

Flats: Urban Outfitters

I ordered the New Academia Skirt a couple weeks ago, but due to the warmer weather we've been having, I wasn't sure if I'd find a day to wear it before next Fall. You see, I would classify it more as a "winter" skirt, as it is primarily black & made of a tweed-like material. Anyways, our nice weather decided to throw in (at least) one more rainy day, so out came my new skirt! I'm a big fan already & I can't wait to wear it more (but probably not until after October) !

Spring Cleaning

This weekend we cleaned our house. Instead of doing our normal weekend clean-up routine, we decided to scrub, vacuum, and steam clean the whole house, from top to bottom, in honor of Spring!


Our original plan was to try to shampoo the carpets, but after talking to my MIL, we realized we didn't have all the parts to the hand-me-down one we own, so that was put on the back burner until we can borrown theirs. Instead, we decided to focus on deep cleaning the areas we use most - living room, kitchen, & bathrooms.


We own two vacuums (Ha! Never thought I'd be that person) , so we split up & conquered - I stayed downstairs with one and Sam headed upstairs with the other - and before we knew it, the carpets were done.


Then we moved to the kitchen, where Sam took the counters & I worked on the floors. Our walls, doors & baseboards were in need of a little attention as well, so I whipped out the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, which truly perform magic on almost all surfaces. (no, I was not compensated for this comment, but you should really check them out!)


Our last area of cleaning was the bathrooms. I'm not a fan of cleaning toilets & tubs, but I knew it had to be done. We have three bathrooms in our house and although there is only two of us most of the time, they all get used at some point in between cleanings, so cleaning had become necessary at this point.


In my opinion, all this cleaning was a great way to spend our Saturday morning! Since we finished before noon, we had ample time to relax and enjoy the weekend & our clean home! Now if only the house stayed clean for weeks, instead of a few days...


What did you do this weekend?

Three Things Thursday

1. This week feels like it's speeding by! This might not be a big thing for some, but with some movement at work, I've had quite a few "slow" weeks lately, so having some very productive days at work makes me pretty happy. Of course, somedays I wish I could stay home and be a housewife, but weeks like this make me enjoy coming into work.

2. I'll admit it, I like watching TV a lot. There are several shows that I watch on a regular basis and one of them just returned this week - Glee! This is my kind of show, with impromtu singing & silly teenage story lines, and I can't wait to watch this season. (The next one I'm looking forward to is the return of Friday Night Lights in May, especially after watching the first 3 seasons on Netflix recently!)

3. And finally, a month from yesterday I'll be on a plane down to California for a mini-getaway to celebrate my mom's birthday (the big 5-0) ! I love to fly and I'm excited for a long weekend of shopping, good food, & great company!

Field Trip: Minto-Brown Park

This field trip (more of an outing since we didn't leave town) occurred a few months back, but I failed to post about it then, so you get to hear about it now!

Sam & I have lived in Salem for almost 2 years now and are still discovering new places to explore. Back in January, we decided to grab the dogs and head out to Minto-Brown park to investigate the area. And we were not disappointed! While it was the middle of winter, I was still impressed by the beauty & spaciousness of this part of town. I'm already looking forward to checking it out in the upcoming months when everything "greens" up a bit, so be sure to check back for a return trip in the near future!

OOTD: 4.12.10

Jacket: Abercrombie (old)

Belt: Old Navy

Tee: Forever 21

Jeans: Downeast Basics

Flats: Urban Outfitters

Another simple outfit from me, but I wanted to be sure to showcase my new belt! I first saw this belt on Kendi Everyday (a new blog I'm loving for style inspiration, especially her 30 for 30 remix) and was so excited to find out it was from Old Navy. So being a new fan of belts, I ran out to my local store and found one to add to my (growing) collection! I can't wait to style this belt up in the coming months!

For Sale!

NWT Ett Twa "Tiered Tutu Skirt," size 6

For more information, please head over to Anthropologie Treasurebox for details & pictures. I opted to sell the skirt over there (oposed to here or on eBay) because I want this piece to go to a good home and her readers especially love all things Anthropologie.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

OOTD: 4.6.10

Sweater, tee: J.Crew

Pants: Gap

Flats: Privo

Remember the ModCloth dress I shared a few weeks ago? Well, this is my take on the color scheme using pieces hidden in my closet. These colors say "Spring" to me and I hope by wearing them they brighten the less-than dazzling day we'll be having over here in the Pacific Northwest (i.e. downpours!) .

Easter 2010

Decorating is one of my favorite things about the holidays and Easter is no exception. Especially since we were hosting Sam's family this year. Here are a few of my favorites:

A few peeps were hiding around our shelves today.

My table setting featuring my Fiestaware.

Williams Sonoma egg holders (sans eggs), which I look forward to putting out every year!

And the calm after the meal - tulips, candles, & a clean kitchen.

Hope you all had an egg-cellent (ha!) Easter!