Thrifting Is An Art

Thrifting is an art- one I still have not quite mastered. I'm working at it though! Fortunately, one of the many thrift stores in my area has a ton of specials. Every day and night different items of clothing are on sale. Wednesday nights are ladies' tops $1. Any woman's top. Any. I hadn't hit up this particular store in a while so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have learned to try on everything and anything that even remotely catches your eye. Lug in all into that dressing room and work it out.
Now I present to you my very first dressing room photo! Exciting! (Of course it's not in Anthropologie or another glamourous place, it's in my local, smelly thrift store.)
Don't get too excited though, these clothes were not thrifted (I wish.)

I ended up trying on about 20 things and walked out with 4 tops. The ratio of tops to bottoms in my wardrobe is pretty off kilter, so lately I have been trying to branch out and get things I wouldn't normally gravitate to, especially tops. All of them are great for fall and some were brands I had actually heard of. I even found a Converse (target) button up navy top that looked brand new. Score! Finding deals is exhilarating, no?
After my very successful shopping trip I headed over to a nearby restaurant for some grub. This place has Chilean food and it is so good! They bring you little biscuit rolls that are warm and yummy served with butter, onions, herbs, and oil. They are pretty much all you need to eat here. I could make a meal outta those little guys alone.

The main dish was theis hodgepodge of everything under the sun. Greens, rice, picked onions- which I now know I LOVE- peppers, green beans, black beans, cheese, more veggies and this aweseome crispy pork that was so tender and delicious. I took half home, and for dinner the next night mixed in some lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing for a very tasty round two salad.

Here's me rocking a very meager side braid...I'm surprised it even stayed in!

Food- Food- and More Food

Here are some of the many good food items I've enjoyed lately.

Scroll down only if you have already eaten or have amazing self control...otherwise you might get hungry and/or intense cravings!

First up is my mom's awesome taco salad. Does not get better than this. Whenever she makes it, I mooch off the leftovers for days.

Mom also made this awesome blackberry cobbler. It was so yummy, especially with whipped cream. I love blackberries- I wish they were in season all year.

Original tart and grapefruit tart fro yo swirled.

Beautiful fresh nectarines.

My favorite cupcakes: blackberry cobbler and chai! IN LOVE with these!

My favorite Sunday afternoon routine: coffee and some sort of baked good. This particular Sunday I indulged with this beauty (vanilla cake, strawberries, custard, and whipped cream.) Paired with my coffee mug from Disneyland. It says, "You're the fairest of them all"
Why not get a little ego boost along with a caffeine buzz? Works for me!

Made this quick and easy salad with freshly grown yellow cherry tomatoes (my fave). Cut them in half and tossed them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, shredded mozz, salt and pepper. Perfect for hot summer nights.

Although I do seem to eat more fruits and veggies in the summer, I also eat more ice cream. While I have managed to get over my insane ice cream addiction of '08, I still cave in sometimes. This was a peek into my freezer a week ago. It was on sale, what can I say? Does that justify buying three pints at a time? No, but I did anyway.

The late night snack has chocolate covered potato chips, red velvet has a frosting swirl, and the clusterfluff is a mix of white chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel. Ben and Jerry know their stuff, that's for sure.

Burger with bleu cheese and BBQ sauce & fries of course

Soft boiled egg in the egg cups my Sis got me.

And finally homemade chocolate and peanut butter fudge.

Is it dinner time yet?

My Weekend- One Shoe Show

I basically wore these same shoes with every outfit this weekend...I think I changed shoes twice- once because I wanted a tan shoe, and once because I didn't want to wear them outside picking up dog poop. Flip flops did the trick for that. Technically, it was a two shoe show because I, like most people, wear shoes in pairs...

My weekend was full of good food, time with the fam, yard sales, and beautiful weather. Alas, some chores still remain undone (does the kitchen ever stay clean for longer then, like, a minute?) but I figure I will have plenty of time for housework when I am snowed in for weeks at a time in the next few months.

So, back to the shoes... I love these Steve Maddens I picked up on a trip last summer. They were super reduced, the last pair and 1/2 size smaller than I usually wear. By some miracle, they fit. I don't know how it happened, but they're comfy, give me extra height and go with pretty much anything. These babies get a gold star for being my go to shoe of the last three days. I don't play favorites, but they really had my back!

What was actually on my back: thrifted button up for one dollah! That's right - $1.
It's all about the bargains, baby!

In other good news...my date night with hubby actually happened! I'm still kind of shocked- there are usually so many things that get in the way. The restaurant was casual, but I wanted to wear something a tad more dressy than jeans and a tee (although I wear that quite often too.) This denim skirt was perfect and I hadn't worn it in a while so I think she was glad to get some fresh air. Yes, SHE. Here I am drinking champagne pre-date and chilling outside before we left. I like to get ready with a drink in my hand (only if I am NOT driving at any point! I hate to state the obvious, but I need to put that discaimer out there.)

Bottoms up!

This appetizer was amazingly good- Whiskey flambeed prawns in a hollowed out potato pot with white cheddar bisque dipping sauce, served with fresh arugula and lemon.

Main course: Pizza with chicken , roasted garlic cloves, goat cheese , rosemary and potatoes...I know- potatoes on a pizza, crazy right? It was so good- I'm doing this from now on!

The restaurant has an outdoor area where you can play bocce ball any time day or night. So fun but a wee bit tricky- especially after some champagne.

After a few games (in the dark without my glasses - not smart) we had a drink at the bar before calling it a night. And by calling it a night i mean drinking more at home. Forget the glass - time for the bottle!My Sunday outfit:

Plaid dress with nude heels- almost too cold to wear this sadly. I just realized it is strikingly similar to the dress I wore last Sunday...I promise I do own different dress styles!

The Deets:
F21 sideways rose necklace

Nude gladiator wedges- surprisingly comfortable

And for later that evening:
If you are trying to ease into keeping your legs warm without actually wearing pants...a maxi skirt is the perfect compromise. (I put off wearing pants on a regular basis as long as I possibly can. Unless we're talking about sweat pants. That's a different thing all together.)

Went to my brother and sister- in-law's anniversary party. We had freshly made crepes with whipped cream and chocolate for dessert...

And we attempted to make fried Oreos for the first time. They turned out so good we experimented with a few other household items: Snickers, crepes, strawberries and even pizza. The Oreos were definitely the best!

I Hope everyone had a great weekend! Until tomorrow!

Fashion Friday- Red Carpet Medley

Fashion Friday- Here's some colorful eye candy for you!

I hope everyone has a great weekend-

I know I will.

I need to get caught up on all the new shows I DVR'd and haven't watched yet...including a Skype session with my Sis- we're going to try and

watch the same show at the same time....we'll see how that works!

I also have 2 books I want to finish reading, chores I need to do, and some major cleaning. My bedroom has become the catch all for papers, magazines, and random items this whole week. Not looking forward to tackling that one, but it must be done!

Until Monday, every one!

And thank you so much to all my new (and old) followers! Your support means so much to me!

Fill In The Blank and OOTD- Green and Yellow

I realized I like Green and Yellow together a while ago after seeing so many great outfits incorporating both. Yellow is already my favorite color, but I'm trying to branch out in what I pair it with. Something about the combo just makes my eyes happy whenever I see it.
I love these Seychelles shoes too....instant cheer for your feet!

1. The best thing I did all week was the dishes! Believe me, it was time. I had been putting them off for a while and it felt good to have silverware again! But the most fun thing I did this week was go shopping. I ran around two Targets talking to my sister on the phone and took my time looking at all the makeup and beauty products. I'm usually in a rush so it was nice to just meander for a change.

2. My nieces and nephews make me super happy. Each one of them is so unique. I love being an aunt!

3. Pets are a lot of work! I don't think I realized how much when we took in our latest addition. Our first dog is so easy and low maintenance...the little one, not so much!

5. With the cooler weather I am looking forward to busting out all my cute accessories that have been cooped up all summer...I miss all my beanies terribly!

6. Something that's on my "wish list" right now is a pleated midi skirt. I'm on the hunt for the perfect one. I also want some mustard heels, oxfords, pink tights, and a bright green cardi...I have a lot of fall shopping to do!

7. This weekend I am going to have a date night with my MR...I hope this works out because it's been a while. Other then that, do chores, watch TV, finish my library book and go to an anniversary party for my brother and sister in law (happy anniversary, KRIKEY!)

Thanks to everyone for reading!

OOTD- Ketchup & Mustard

I'm glad I had another chance to bust out this Anthro skirt. I got it last summer and have worn it a few times since. Every time I do I forget how much I like it.

New yellow shoes!

I'm linking up with Join the Gossip to show off what I got in the Favorite Things Swap. I was so excited to do this and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I got paired up with Jessica from You Are My Color. I don't know how it turned out that pretty much all her favorite things are all my favorite things too! Needless to say I was thrilled with all the loot.

Everything was wrapped up so pretty!

Inside was: (from left to right)
A very sweet card and description of every item, two new nail polishes, amazing new soap, gummies & oreos, 3! candles in yummy scents like s'more, a new sparkly animal print makeup bag, a darling notebook for all my lists and ideas, and last but not least, an awesome owl necklace which happens to be my favorite color, yellow. Is this not the greatest package ever? Thanks, Jessica! I love her blog too! So all my new stuff plus a new blog bud too...sounds like a good deal to me!

Close up of my new fave necklace:

Thanks for reading, everyone!