Some Clothes Just Make Me Happy!

This dress is one of those happy dresses!

I purchased this dress in May, 2008. I can be relatively accurate with the date, as I know I bought it on a long weekend to Las Vegas. I bought it after a nice long walk down the Vegas strip. I was in a great mood that day; I believe it carried all the way through to the purchase of the dress and the reason for the purchase.

Let's get the outfit details out of the way so I can tell you the real reason it makes me happy! It is from Cache. (Actually, it was a sister store to Cache, but I can't remember the name of the store, and honestly, I am too lazy to go upstairs and look at the tag!) I tried on several dresses that day, and this one was The Dress to bring home from my trip. It is a slinky material that feels great against the skin. The shoes are Steve Madden pumps. I have had them for over 2 years, and I am sad, because they are showing wear and tear. I can't replace them for quite some time!

The earrings are from QVC, and they are designed by Robert Lee Morris. I love the RLM pieces I own. The quality is excellent! I would love to go to his store in New York City. Sometime next year I just might have to do that!

Now to the story! I started dating my Ben shortly before that trip to Las Vegas. We had only been dating less than two weeks at that point. I could not stop thinking about him! It was the early point in a relationship where you don't want to call too much because you don't want to appear to be a stalker; I was literally looking at the time to space out my calls! There were so many text messages sent back and forth those 4 days! I knew that there was something special about this man; he seemed happy when I did call, and when I didn't call, he called me. I know I irritated the hell out of my friends...Ben said this, Ben said that...blah blah blah. I just remember being so happy at this man being in my life. I went shopping with the specific reason of finding a dress to wear when I saw him upon my return to Minneapolis and work. This was THAT dress.

Now you know why it makes me so happy!

Ben has only continued to fulfill those dreams I had that weekend. This was THAT dress that was purchased for THAT guy.

There will be no vote on this one. Sorry Karyn! You can tell me it makes me look fat, you can tell me that it washes me out, you can tell me that I can do better, but it won't matter. It makes me happy!

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

Details, Details, Details...

My Art Director, Ben, took his feedback quite well, did he not? Today's pictures were all about capturing the details of what I am wearing. He did a great job, don't you think?

I was up very late last night babysitting, so I slept in a little late today. We all know what that means my friends, don't we? No time to shave the legs! I have few pants; most of the ones I have are part of a suit. My former job called for suits every day. I think that is what I enjoy now about the choices I have. You will (have to) see a suit or two over the next 11 months; I won't meet my challenge otherwise! When I do choose pants now, I like pairing them with a blazer or cardigan. I got this pair of pants from Express about two years ago. I do not have a ton of success at Express. Their clothes are rather "junior-esque" in the fit. I got lucky with these pants. They are not so low rise that they are unwearable and they have enough room in the hips. I like that they are wide legged, but not overly exaggerated as was the trend a couple of years back.

The jacket was a purchase from Marshalls last year. I told you I did quite a bit of damage there! I loved that this jacket had a unique shape to it. You will have to let me know what you think! The fabric has a slight sheen to it. I love the 3/4 length sleeves and the neckline.

Ben was kind enough to capture some of the other details in today's ensemble! The belt is from Silpada. I was not wearing it crooked on purpose! When Ben sent me the pics today to look at, I just laughed. It was crooked for half the day. Who knows? Maybe someone will interpret this as a trend? Ha! I doubt it! I loved this belt so much, I bought a brown one too. I have matching earrings to this belt as well. I decided to go a little fancier today; a tiny dangle of silver and diamonds at my ear was all the sparkle I needed. I did not want a necklace that would interfere with the neckline of the jacket.

The shoes? The shoes. The shoes! Sing along with me! "Five naughty monkeys..."

Yes, more Naughty Monkeys! And yet another pair that I purchased at Heartbreakers. These are another MaryJane style. (I really have a MaryJane problem, don't I?) The strap by the ankle that you can't see is brown. It is interesting that when you come downstairs intending to wear a completely different shoe (I was headed for the red) and another pair catches your eye. Those little Monkeys do it to me all the time!

I hope you all had a great -what is today? Oh yes, hope you all had a great Tuesday. I am headed for an early bedtime!

Make sure to leave a comment or vote below. Yes, I will remember the vote today!

Thanks for checking in!

xo,

Kel

Fall is Here!

It is darned cold here today! It all started last night; when I got back to the Cities after my Duluth trip, it was 50 degrees. I reported last week that I am not happy getting up when it is dark out; add to that the joy of the cold? You can't imagine how pleasant I am to be around then!!

It was interesting getting dressed this morning. I ventured towards the cold weather clothes and realized the time had indeed come. What was difficult for me was that while I love my cold weather clothes, I was struck by a thought:

If I wear it now what will I wear when it is really cold.

Think about it. If I am not repeating my ensembles, I can't wear a dress and boots now because when it is really darned cold I will want to wear the boots then. Oh, the limits I have placed on myself! What have I done?

I had packed this turtleneck for the weekend, and never ended up wearing it. I decided the crisp cold air was a perfect excuse to wear it today. It is from the Gap 2 years ago. It is comfy and reminds me of the stockings worn by the witch in the "Wizard of Oz". Not trying to send a message out to the world today about my witchy attitude, am I?

The dress...now, I can't believe I am admitting this...me, the person that loves every piece of clothing and the story attached to it. I cannot for the life of me remember where I bought it. No, that is not a cover for a WalMart purchase! It may have been from Target, but I really cannot remember! You probably (hmmm...if it does not get voted out!) will see this one a couple more times, as I love to layer different blouses underneath as well as turtlenecks.

I had my boots in my hand, and Ben asked if I was ready for the boots. I think he was reading my mind! Instead, I went with this lovely pair of black and grey pumps I got from Banana Republic last year. I love the details on them, especially the black strap that makes it rather Mary-Jane-ish. I got them last winter at the end of the season. Well, the end of the Banana Republic winter season. In Minnesota, winter doesn't seem to end until May!

We headed out to the garage side of the house today. Trying to give you as much of a view of the outdoors, I guess, before we are forced indoors. My hair shows you that it is "Winnie the Pooh's blustery day" outside. That is how I describe a very windy day!

I am excited about wearing my tights again this season as they seem quite popular in the fashion mags. I am not pleased, however, that I cannot purchase any new textured tights that are ALL OVER the place. *Sigh*. I skipped the tights for now. After all, you no my motto - never waste a shaved leg!

I am sharing an extra picture of my new friend Everett Otte. Everett is seen here today in an outfit that I got from him from Baby Gap to welcome him to the world. I think we need to petition the Gap to make these in adult sizes. Don't you agree? His mom is Jackie, and she was kind enough to send this picture to me today. I just had to share! Thanks Jackie!!

I look forward to your feedback. Remember, scroll all the way to the bottom to vote!

TaTa for now!

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

A Wonderful Weekend of Got Aways!

Hello All!

As I mentioned, I spent the weekend in Duluth, MN! It was fantastic to be away for a couple of days, but I am VERY happy to be back home.

These pictures are not in order - darn it - but I will do my best to make sure you know what picture I am referring to!

The Saturday wardrobe choices, first and foremost! Please refer to exhibits #3 and #4 above!

The tshirt is a sweet beaded tshirt I purchased earlier this year from my favorite tshirt source (other than Target, of course!). J.Crew! This was on sale, and I loved the beading on it. I didn't have a navy blue one, so it was easy for me to justify, er, make excuses to buy it!

The jeans are a couple of years old. They are the Silver Brand. I do like them - but I cannot say that I love them. Here is the issue. I am not saying I have a muffin top, but they sit about 1/2 inch lower than I would like, so I feel like I am hanging out all over the place! I had failed to pack a belt this weekend, so I was pulling my pants up all day!

The shoes? I laughed when this picture was being taken because I am sure there will be a person or two surprised that I actually own a pair of Born sandals. Hey, there was a ton of walking yesterday! When I have a ton of casual sight seeing, I go for comfort, plain and simple. My friend Gretchen was even surprised at them! They were a gift (aka handmedown) from Erika 3 years ago. Not sexy, but my feet feel great!

I am happy that you also get to see my favorite purse in these pictures! Actually, this is not a purse; it is a handbag. The reason for my clarity on that statement? This is a Radley Bag from England. Radley Bags are really limited here in the US. If you go the the Radley website, you will see a purse is what we call a wallet. Do not ask anyone's fiance in England to get you a purse from the Radley store; he may just get you a wallet! This Radley Bag was my birthday gift from my sweet Ben this year; Erika was headed to England to see her fiance Dave in March, so she and Ben arranged the purchase, and Erika was the courier. Erika and Gretchen got me a lovely purse (wallet) and passport cover as well. The line of Radleys is precious! Radley in UK is similar to Coach here. Sadly, you can't order from this website! This bag is called New Brighton. For Christmas last year, I got myself a Lyric bag. You will see Lyric soon! It is almost time to change over! In the second picture above, I am with my BFFs Erika and Gretchen and we are all posing with our Radley Bags!

We toured a local mansion in Duluth; the Glensheen Mansion is amazing! The grounds are beautiful. I am happy with my little house and quite glad that I was not in charge of cleaning that place!

After the excursion to the mansion, we headed shopping! Remember, no buying, just shopping!

We visited many cute stores, and I was happy that the urge to buy was not strong. At least it was not until we entered The Electric Fetus. The Electric Fetus is a record store; I thought I was safe! Then I saw a fabulous rack of coats! I love coats! You will see this winter that I do like variety in my coat choices! I tried on many. I share with you in the first picture a coat that I would have purchased without a doubt. The picture does not do it justice, however it would be smashing as an evening coat with a dress and a pair of heels. The fabric had the slightest shine and it was beautiful. A "mere" $70 and it would have been mine! Add that to the Item That Got Away tally and we are up to$278.

We had a very low key evening in Duluth last night. We had a late lunch of seriously unhealthy food (check my food log at NM) so no need for a real dinner. We grabbed a bottle of Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka and some lemonade, potato chips and popcorn and headed back to the B&B for snacks and games. Ever played Farkle? It is a fabulous dice game! I lost to the girls, each of them winning a game. It was a blast!

I sadly do not have a pic of me to share from today! It is on Gretchen's camera and I forgot to get it from her :(! It was pretty simple - jeans and a cute shirt with the same Born sandals. I promise you I will not wear it again this year!

The last picture above is an item that got away - sort of! We ended up going back to The Electric Fetus this morning. Turns out Gretchen never got the CD she wanted at the record store; we were too busy trying on clothes! We ended up looking at their fun jewelry displays today. Lots of funky locally made jewelry, like this ring. I never even looked at the price tag; I knew I would be too sad if I saw it was affordable and I could not buy it ! A picture would have to do! It has a leather band, and was so, well, ME! The girls picked up a few items needed for the upcoming wedding of Erika and Dave in 3 weeks, and then we headed out of town.

I had forgotten my iPhone charger at the B&B so we headed back to get it. I ran in and came back out to find a card and a box resting on my steering wheel. My sweet friends bought me this ring! They each have the same one, but in different colors! Every time I wear it I will remember this wonderful weekend and my dear friends!

One last note before I head off to bed. This comment was left on my post the other day and I wanted to put it in front of all of you:

Dear Kels closeteers. As the photographer of this most beautiful model, I will be making subtle changes to the photos for clarity and maximum impact. Please feel free (as one poster has done) to let me know what you like and dislike about the layout, etc. As an art director, my best work is defined by the folks that give me the best critical feedback. So please feel free to comment! In the future you will see more "location" shots for added impact etc. Stay tuned and thanks in advance!

This was from my sweet Ben! He normally is in charge of all of my photos; not the ones from this weekend. He does appreciate the comments you leave, and wants to make sure you are getting to see what you want to see in the pics! My sweet art director!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

So much to report, so little time!

I had a wonderful time today with my friends Erika and Gretchen here in Duluth!

I have a lot to fill you in on, including some pics of some sweet items that got away!

For now, however, I am going to go hang sistas!

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

A Madden-ing Friday!

Wow!

A very late post for a Friday evening! It is 10:30 here in Minnesota. My peeps Erika, Gretchen and I are up in Duluth, MN at The Ellery House. It is a lovely little B&B that Ben and I stayed at last year. Check out the yummy eats on the menu for us!

The late post is due to miserable traffic and getting lost in the dark once we got to Duluth. I was quite pleased that the Ellery House does have free wi-fi!

Today was Casual Friday!

Does anyone else go through what I do in the morning? I walked into the closet, grabbed a pair of jeans, thought they were meh, but tried it with a top anyways. Went in search of a different top, tried it, and decided that it might look better with a different pair of jeans. Changed the jeans, didn't like them, decided that maybe a different top would work. Not so much! Finally decided to ditch all the jeans and grab a pair of matchstick cords in Kelly green that I got from JCrew last winter. Ahhh. Much better! If you hate these, it could be a problem because I have the same pair in hot pink!

The top was a purchase from Target last year. Nothing fancy, but comfy and casual.

I am wearing 2 strands of beaded necklace today. I must be in a bead mood because Karyn is torturing me with a new website that I cannot buy from! Check out Etsy! I got these a long time ago from American Eagle. They are fun and brighten up a black top.

The Madden-ing part of my Friday? Not the traffic or the rain, silly, my shoes!

Dear Steve -

You have redeemed yourself! No squeeking here!

Love, Kel

These shoes are , well, a tad bit dominatrix, but quite comfy! They are Steve Maddens that I got last year at DSW. I went to DSW in search of new black boots, and found these. Anyways, I do love them for the somewhat trampy/vixen look. You should see them with this denim pencil skirt I have!

I have an item that got away to share with you today! My sweet Ben came downtown to take me to lunch today. Afterwards, he walked me back to my office. We decided that a trip throughcthe shoe department at Off Saks would be a good idea. LOL!

Aren't these precious? The price tag was frightening - $129.99. There was a time my friends!

I decided today that I will keep track of how much money I have not spent. It may make me feel better after a year. If I can figure out some fancy blog tool, I will keep a running tab posted. So far, there was $28 not spent at Target, $49.99 at Marshalls and this $129.99...add it up, round it up, $208 saved so far! Not too shabby!

This tired girl needs to get some sleep. Tomorrow's ensemble might be interesting! After the wardrobe changes this morning, I kind of just threw a couple pair of jeans and a few tops in the suitcase!

Please vote on today all the way at the bottom of the page.

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

Inspired by the beads

Sometimes it starts with the shoes...sometimes it starts with a pair of earrings. Today it was about the necklace.

I purchased this necklace 4 years ago at my little boutique in Illinois...Catwalk. I spoke about it a few posts again. It had matching earrings, but one of the earrings mysteriously disappeared one day, while I was wearing them. The best part? No one mentioned it. I got home and had one earring dangling from one ear, nothing from the other. Sigh. If you have spinach in your teeth, I will tell you. If you are wearing Ellie Mae Clampett schmatta I would tell you. (I love you Karyn!) If you are missing an earring, I would tell you, then crawl on my hands and knees to help you find it! Anyways...I have not worn this necklace in ages! I honestly think it has been worn twice. I love the way it cascades, rather haphazardly.

I started looking for something in black. I even considered pants, but hell, I had already shaved my legs! You can't waste shaved legs on pants! The black dress I wanted to wear was just not working for me today. More like, the cardigan I wanted to wear with the black dress was dirty, so the shoes that I wanted to wear would not work with another cardigan. The mental wrestling I must go through! Shouldn't I be able to log a calorie or two for that?

I came to this blue dress. The dress will pick up the blue beads, it will work with different shoes, I have a cardigan! Voila! An outfit is born. I got this dress last year on eBay. It is originally from Boston Proper, and I never had purchased from their catalogue, so I thought this would be a great way to try them. This is one of those great traveling fabrics; it is slinky and shiny. I believe Chico's has a line of this fabrics. I love the way it hangs! I love the way it feels! I hate the way I kept having the reel the sistas in all day! If I keep this, if you let me keep this, I will wear a cami with it next time.

The shoes? Let me just say this...5 Naughty Monkeys jumpin' on a bed....Yes, Ben got serenaded again today. I know - hard to see the detail in these photos, but the monkeys wanted to play in the jungle! They have about a 4 inch heel, and I love them. No voting these bad boys out! They have flowers, sequins, and a little touch of the same blue in the dress.

What do ya think, my friends?

A quick word about me - if you read Karyn's comment from yesterday, it is just the honesty I expect! You know me - honesty with a little kindness thrown in!

Off to finish the article for TGIF with Kel on Nutrimirror. Check it out manana!

Thanks for checking in! Vote below!

xo

Kel

Dear Steve Madden

Yesterday Steve Madden got upset with me for choosing the Betsey Johnson platforms, and writing her a love letter. Today, I decided Steve would get his turn.

Dear Steve:

I love how you look. I really do! However, at around 1pm you started to squeek. I don't like squeeking when I walk. I might - and this is just a warning Steve, but I might just have to vote you out of the shoe closet myself! Please don't take it personally. You know I have other pairs of you in my closet that I adore. I will take them out soon, I promise.

Love,

Kel

I wanted something feminine today. I was going through some jewelry of mine last night and came across a pair of earrings I might wear for Erika's wedding. They are white gold/aquamarine and diamonds. They were a purchase from QVC. Yes, you heard me. I am a reformed home shopping addict. I have so many jewelry pieces from them. I even have a dress or two. No mom jeans or ugly Christmas sweaters with ducks or anything, I swear! Anyways, the earrings are delicate and sweet. I wanted to pick up the blue in them, and I thought of this dress.

I purchased it last year at Marshalls. It is Max Studio. I don't know what retailer had overpurchased on Max Studio last summer, but Marhsalls had a ton of cute things from them! I have a few cute tops too. Love them! I like that this dress is rather innocent - it reminds me of a little girl's dress. Pair it with Steve Madden Black Suede Platforms and you have anything but innocence! I normally am not a fan of babydoll dresses, as they can look shapeless. I think this one is cute, but I am letting you all decide!

Remember the red dress from Monday? You all gave it mixed reviews for the shape. I discovered a different issue with it today! I keep a cardigan around at the office in case I am cold, and am unprepared. The current is off white, and I had worn it Monday with the red dress. The damn dress "bled" all over my sweater!! That made it so much easier to say the red dress is going!

You might be curious...what has been voted out of the closet thus far? Click to take a walk down memory lane!

The green dress, The purple Schmatta,The grey squeeky shoes (did you hear that Steve?),

The Houndstooth Dress, The Red Bleeding Dress and The Pencil Skirt.

Off to the dry cleaners they will go, and I might try eBay first. The shoes will go to Goodwill.

Ben just recapped for me that there have been 24 pictures...so roughly 341 days left..."Do you have enough outfits to do this?"

We will see, won't we? I guess you will all have to stay tuned!

Thanks for checking in. Check out the vote at the bottom of the page!

xo

Kel

Dear Betsey Johnson

I love your shoes. They make me happy. I have yet to meet a pair of your shoes that don't put a smile on my face. These are no exception! I get compliments on them, and they are even comfortable despite the heel height.

Love,

Kel

Too much?

I don't think so!

Hello all! Happy Tuesday!

I slept like hell last night! No, really, I did. I was awake until at least 11:45 last night; at least that was the last time I checked the clock. What would keep me awake? My clothing choice for today! Today's outfit did not come as a result of a restless night of sleep. It was a walk in the closet and make it work moment.

Who knows where the skirt I wanted is currently located. Is it in the dry cleaning basket? Maybe at the dry cleaners? Either way, it caused a momentary grrrr in the closet today. I settled for this...and dammit, I do feel like I settled. Ultimately, I will let you decide.

The skirt is a purchase from eBay last year. I love pencil skirts. However, I love pencil skirts better when they fit right. This was tight in the butt-ocks (remember put the accent on OCKS) last year, yet this year it is too big in the waist. I think it was sitting wrong on me. I felt like I was fighting the lining all day. Geez, Kel, it is a skirt. Get over it already!

The top? I love this top. Ben and I found it after a dinner in Uptown at Chino Latino (Asian Latin fusion with AMAZING cocktails) at a store I love - Heartbreakers. It is so much fun to shop there! You can buy a lot, and pay a little...or a lot, depending on what you find. I have found fun shoes at Heartbreakers, as I have shared before. The top has dolman sleeves, also known in my world as wings. I have this same top in a pretty blue. Remember I talked about balance? Pencil skirt on the bottom balances the wing look on the top. Or doesn't it?

The shoes. Ah, the shoes. As you can tell from my love letter to Betsey, they are from Betsey Johnson. Ben and I found these at Off Saks. They also had them in a deep forest green. It was a very difficult choice deciding on black or green. I had to have one of them! Look at the bottom of these babies! They are saying hi and winking at you with every step! They are platforms, and must be one of the highest heeled shoes I own. But remember, people, a platform offsets the heel! Height with comfort!

I will say, the combination of pencil skirt and platforms means you had better not have:

a. Meetings across town

b. Stairs to climb in a hurry

They do create quite the sashay, however!

The accessories? Matte silver earrings that I bought last year a Nordstrom on a trip to San Diego with the Hartunian sisters. My favorite necklace from Ben and a silver snake chain with a pendant from Silpada complete the look.

Finally back at home, today was a no workout day. I easily transitioned from work to relax by taking off the formal stuff and throwing on comfy cotton PJ bottoms. I was baking oatmeal cookies in this pic!

I have brought baked goods to the office both days so far this week. In order to protect my tupperware - I am notorious for not bringing it home - I have been transporting the items in a foil lined shoe box. Today after a meeting my friend Jennifer (Hi Jennifer!) said "Um, what's with the shoe box?" She totally thought she was busting me on a purchase! No,she wasn't, but it was an easy assumption!

BTW, yes, I am that person at your office that you hate because she bakes and brings it all to work. and YES, I do eat it. Half a cookie is on my food log tonight as proof at NM! I will plan for a whole one tomorrow! They were tasty!

A great big welcome to all of my friends from Nutrimirror and to those that found us via Glamour!

Now, the dress results are in! By a 2:1 margin, the Red Dress is our Las Vegas winner! I will be strutting up and down the LV strip in that pretty number. Oh boy, that is going to be an interesting night!

Thanks for checking in! Please, leave me honest feedback on my wardrobe choice, and check out the vote at the bottom of the page!

xo

Kel

"Don't Wish Your Life Away..."

Today started as any other Monday. Well, perhaps I was a tad crankier than I normally am. Ben - stop laughing!

My first words of the day were "I hate getting up when it is dark out." I grumbled my way through breakfast and 2 cups of coffee. I even complained about it to my friends on Nutrimirror.

The early dark means a cold Minnesota winter is not far away. Ugh. Maybe a third cup of coffee would help, I thought.

I started out with a much different outfit in mind. When I went into the closet, however, there was something distracting; the bright red sleeve peeking out amongst the rest, as if to say "pick me, pick me!" So I did. I picked this dress.

I had purchased this dress late last summer (a year ago) on eBay. When it arrived, I loved the color. The fit? I will let you decide. I dared to ask Ben that question today that makes men shudder and run in fear: "Does this dress make me look fat?" He laughed at me! I guess I should be grateful that with my crabby disposition this morning he didn't run!

Because this dress was so bright I decided to keep the shoes rather low key. I purchased these shoes at DSW almost 2 years ago. I had gotten a gift certificate at Christmas from a friend. I think I purchased these just because I liked saying "A platform peep toe patent leather Mary Jane ". It is rather musical, don't you think?

It was time to accessorize, and I was originally thinking pearls, but then knew I wanted to continue the non-neutral theme of the day, so I grabbed this strand of beads. An earring designed by my friend Sue completed the ensemble.

By the time we got outside, the school buses had picked up all of the neighorhood children and the sun was out. Eager to soak it in, I stepped off of the porch and said "How about the stairs?" I mustered up a smile - the results you see here!

Off we went, Ben "driving Miss Daisy to work" as he calls it. By the time I got to the office, the veil of grumpiness was lifted, the caffeine had kicked in, and I was truly ready to start my day.

I decided to check my gmail, and the best part of the day was about to happen and it was not even 9 a.m.! A name I did not recognize, but from the preview I was immediately excited."Thanks so much for sending along a link to your blog..." I had emailed the blog to Glamour on Friday. I figured they knew fashion, why not see how they would respond? Remember my motto "Do what you have always done, get what you have always gotten"? It does not apply only to diet and exercise!

A series of emails back and forth, and I am excited to share that I was featured today on Glamour.com! Click the link to see the article. My thanks to Tracey Lomrantz at Glamour.com for her efforts today making this happen!

So, now we finally get to the title of today's blog. I was talking to my friend Theresa (hi Theresa!) at work. We were talking about her 2 daughters, the youngest one being jealous that the older one was tall enough to enjoy rides at the park. I was reminded of what my Dad used to say to us as kids; "Don't wish your life away...". You can spend every day wishing for something, trying to catch that elusive shooting star, only to find that what you missed was the pot of gold (or in my case silver) sitting right next to you.

So many good things have happened of late, I need to take a moment to look around me and see all the pots of silver. There are so many! I have my health, I have my Ben, I have wonderful kids, I have a wonderful group of friends, I have an extended family at Nutrimirror and amazing things happening as a result of that, and now, I have gotten featured on Glamour.com. Time to give a little thanks out to the universe for the wonderful, amazing things that are happening to me. I am not going to wish my life away, I am going to savor every last minute of each and every day!

Now, you may be waiting for the results of the red vs pink dress debate. I am keeping it going for another day! Red is winning!

I would like your comments on this dress, and I am serious with this question: Does it Make Me Look Fat?

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

A Big Vote needed!

Look Karyn - a very powerful vote!

I don't have a ton of time...I am a baking/food for the week/laundry doing Diva today!

I mentioned yesterday Erika's bachelorette party. It is taking place when we are all in Las Vegas. We have to wear a tacky bridesmaid dress and pink shoes. I offer today for your consideration 2 dresses. Which one should I wear?

The red one cst me $6.50 at Goodwill last weekend!

The pink one is on loan from a friend of Gretchen's.

Well, what do ya think?

Feel free to vote more than once :)

A Purchase

It was legal, it was well priced, and it was fun as hell!

Legal: It followed my rules

Well-priced: Found these at DSW

Fun: Shoe shopping with friends? Hello? Does not get much better!

As you may recall, in this year of no shopping, I declared some "exceptions". Shoes for Erika's wedding, earrings, running shoes, and a dress for Erika's Bachelorette Party. (We will be discussing that event tomorrow!)

Erika, Gretchen and I met for lunch first at the mall. A wonderful beef tenderloin salad (I put half in the to go container immediately, of course!) It was fun talking about the wedding plans over lunch. I have barely seen Erika all week, so it was good to just catch up.

When we were nourished and well hydrated, we headed to DSW...the MotherShip of shoe shopping! I like any place that I don't have to say "Do you have this in a size 10?" Then the look of "Ooooh, I doubt it". At DSW you can walk up and down the aisles, taking in the new shoe smell, and gather your finds for the try-on. This is the first pair I tried on, and it was love. Gretchen and I always assumed we would end up wearing different shoes; I am such a fan of stilettos, and Gretchen? Not so much! However, she is going to rock this same pair! They look great on her.

I, of course, did try on several other pairs of shoes just for the fun (read torture) of it. I tried on other potentials for the wedding of course, but then there were the other shoes "I just have to try on". Sad to say, in the past, those shoes would have come home with me because "I have to have these". The saddest to leave behind were a pair of wine/burgundy patent leather stilettos from Nine West. Like butta baby! Hot! Loved them, did not need them, could not break the rules for them! Sigh...

After the shoes, we headed to Herberger's ( a department store) and looked at more shoes. We headed over to the dresses and shopped. Well, I simply salivated, the other two shopped and tried on. It really was a blast!

What does one wear for such an afternoon of fun? Cute shoes, of course!

These shoes were my anniversary gift from Ben. They are Betsey Johson and we got them on May 15th. You remember, I wore the black dress with the pretty colors on it? Ben and I love to go to dinner, then sashay (he does it too) through stores and see what we can find. Well, now we just sashay! However, when I tried these on, Ben loved them so much he got them for me. They are fun, sassy, sexy, and I love them. Each shoe is inscribd inside by Ben...this time the secret is between me, Ben, and Betsey.

The shorts are J.Crew and I got them last spring, before we even knew what the summer would bring. They were already on sale! It seems J.Crew was rushing the seasons, marking items down due to the economy. I tried my best to single-handedly improve the economy! They are probably the shortest shorts I wear. No way would I have worn something this short last summer. Bicycling and running this summer has built up my muscles and helped my thighs dramatically. That is why my bike gets to star in today's pictures! If you look closely enough at the pics today, you can see the imprint on my leg from my cycling shorts. Attractive, huh?

The halter top I have had for 3 years and is from Michael Stars. It was the third (or fourth?) top I put on this morning. You all have me second guessing everything I put on! I ended up with this because Ben said it looked good, and really I was just running out of time!

Here is the sad part though...there is about a quarter inch rip along a seam that goes right along the bust. This top may have seen it's last outing as a result. It needs to be decided if I fix it or if it gets voted out of the closet.

Ben and I went to a great Mexican dinner tonight, and I felt terrific wearing this outfit to dinner as well. I did well with food choices, too, but that conversation is meant for elsewhere :)

Have a great night all! Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

My Ben is Home!

I think you can tell from the smile on my face Ben is home!

This was a long time to not see him or talk to him! 4 days! I survived...I did not like it, but I did it!

On to the clothes!

The jeans are Hudson brand jeans. I think I wore the straight leg version a couple of casual Fridays ago? These are the boot cut version. I love dark denim as it feel it is a little more "formal" or "dressed up". I had to show you the, uh, rear view. These jeans have good pocket placement. I did not wear a belt, though I probably should have...I made sure not to squat down for any reason today!

The top is two pieces, but you can't really see that in the pic. I am wearing a cami top from Banana Republic that I got from one of the outlets years ago. I have a few camis in basic colors. Because I am such a fan of cardigans and blazers, they allow for a variety of options.

The sweater on top is actually a shrug... I got it when shrugs were everywhere! It is about 4 years old. I bought it from a boutique in Libertyville, Illinois called Catwalk. (I lived in Illinois for 3 years.) I loved Catwalk. It was in the same parking lot as my hair stylist. Every time I got my hair cut/colored I would stop in Catwalk. I got to know Jackie, the manager, quite well! It got to the point that she started setting things aside that she "knew I would love". She knew me well! I thought this shrug was adorable! The color you see on it is actually stitched words...phrases like "hug me", "smile", "dolce vita" and little symbols...hearts, stars, etc. It is fun...but I can tell you I have not worn it for about 3 years! When I have considered wearing it before, too much off the muffin top was bubbling over. It worked today as not a crumb from that muffin top was showing! The poll for today is whether or not to keep it! I used to have a "not worn for a year, it is gone" rule, but for some reason I have held on to this. Has it overstayed it's welcome?

I love these shoes...an Off Saks purchase, again from when I lived in Illinois. They are what I call BFShoes...you can figure it out! I love the pointy toe with a boot cut jean. It just works :). They are sling backs, and have a lovely pink heel.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. Ben being home, plus I am going shoe shopping tomorrow! Erika, Gretchen and I are headed to the mall to find shoes for the wedding and go to lunch. Because it is the only shoe purchase of the year, this is going to be fun!

Will report in tomorrow! Hopefully I find a pair! One month until the wedding!

Thanks for checking in!

xo

Kel

Confession time...

I did not want to wear this dress today. I have been dreading it all week.

All week? How can I know what I will be wearing on Thursday? Normally, I don't.

This week, my dear sweet Ben was out of town on a camping/survivor week in the Boundary Waters. He has yet to come home tonight. I need to get this post done so when he does get here...

anyways...

He left Sunday morning bright and early. But there are 4 days of photos...all taken Saturday afternoon! In about 30 minutes there were 5 wardrobe changes! There were the Saturday pics, and then we had to do Monday throught Thursday!

After Ben sent me the pictures on email, I just kept looking at this one. I officially no longer like this dress! Correction, I love the dress, I just no longer love it on me! It is too big now, I think, and it does nothing to show any of my figure. I, by no means, have a hourglass figure. I do like to try and look like I do by a little deceptive dressing...having the dress hug in all my right places helps. This one does not do that!

The dress is 2 years old. I bought it at a cute boutique in downtown White Bear Lake. I used to do serious damage there! Some day, I may have to wear the leather jacket I HAD to have that cost me too much money that I have worn once. Remember, this journey is about questioning past purchases? That jacket would be one of them...this dress I do not regret. It had it's time, and was enjoyed. I have worn it with red shoes, as I did today, black shoes, and yellow shoes. I have always paired it with this necklace. All week long I postponed wearing it! It is done.

I got my haircut last night, and you will see that in tomorrow's pics :)

So, I confess that we pre-shot the photos. But I do have witnesses that I really did wear what I said I wore!

Okay, other confession. I went shopping this afternoon. I did not go buying, just shopping. I do have to find shoes for Erika's wedding after all! I stopped in Marshalls as I was walking to my car. Remember - no Ben at home means a little more putzing than usual! Plus, I really did not want to work out...I did workout, but delayed it as long as I could!

While looking at the shoes, I saw this dress. My first thought was I need to take a picture of that because that is a dress I would have tried on in the past. Then I thought, no I really need to try this on!

Remember what I said above? I like a dress that hugs me in all my right places? This would be that dress! It was love! It was $49.99! It was $49.99 that I had promised myself I would not spend. So I didn't! I do not know if this picture does it, or me for that matter, anything, but it was amazing. Ruching is magic! Hey - you do get to see my haircut!

Off to do the final touches on the NM column for the week! Catch ya back here tomorrow for...da da da dahhhh! Casual Friday!!

There is still a vote! Please see below!

xo

Kel

Is this one better Karyn?

Karyn - hope you don't vote this off! I love this dress!

I actually love the story behind the dress - but when don't I?

I bought this dress May 15th. Wow, pretty exact, huh? I know this because that is my anniversary with Ben.

If you look up the date (don't bother I will save you the trouble) it was a Friday. What does Friday mean? Everyone, all together - Casual Friday! My first date with Ben was May 16th. On the 15th was a happy hour for a friend who was leaving the company. Ben and I had our date scheduled already...some day I will share that story with you...anyways, on my first date I wore a black top, khaki capris and a pair of flats. I know, you didn't think I owned any! Anyways, this year, we wanted to recreate the first date lunch. I wore a similar outfit - black top, tan capris but I did wear heels this year. We went out for sushi at the same restaurant as last year. We reminisced about how nervous we were before the date, how special it was, and how wonderful every day has been since. We also had dinner plans at our favorite restaurant, Barrio, which is a tequila bar with some amazing guacamole. Why do I always have to mention the food? Because it is good, that is why. When he came to my office to pick me up for the date, I wanted to surprise him by wearing something different. So, at 4:30 I scurried to Macy's. It is an easy walk from my office. I hit the sale racks...it was around prom time, so there were some great cocktail dresses. Not wanting to spend money on a cocktail dress, I chose this one because I loved the colors, the cut, the neckline, and it just made me happy! I also knew I could make it work for the office. I made the purchase, ran to Target and picked up some blush and some hairspray, and headed back to my office. By the time Ben arrived, I was transformed. I stepped off the elevator, and caught his eyes. I cannot begin to describe the look to you, but I can tell you I get all fuzzy just thinking about it! It was a look that told me how much he loves me. Sappy, I know.

Since we are talking about Ben, hopefully you have seen the movie Julie and Julia? Stanley Tucci (sp?) portrays Julia's husband. You will fall in love with him! One of the reasons I so enjoyed that movie was that the relationship between Julia and her husband reminded me of what I have with Ben. He is supportive, he is kind, he encourages me (even when I tell him I am going to write a blog and I need him to take my picture everyday); it is a wonderful partnership. He makes me very happy!

So, I share this story of the dress, and a story of my Ben.

Even if Karyn hates this dress, I am keeping it! No votes!

That means a question is in order!

Where did you go on your first date? (with Greg, or Ralph, or Peter...or...you fill in the blank!)

Thanks for checking in all!

xo

Kel

Oh, the stories!

I was talking to some friends at work today...Hi Patty! Hi Sue!

Now that they are part of the blog crowd, they asked for the story about this outfit before it was posted.

I talked a little about the dress. It was an eBay purchase from last year. Sue said she had not seen it before. I think I have worn it twice. It was listed as a "designer" but I have never heard of the designer, so I can't share it with you...I like the dress, but I am wondering if I don't need to have it taken it a bit. I was heavier when I bought it last year. It fit like a glove then; now, not so much! I will let you decide.

Now, these shoes...that is where the stories could be shared. The memories go far beyond when and where they were purchased (Saks, 4 years ago); the fact that they were "free" to me is one of the stories. Having been a loyal American Express user, I was able to use rewards to get a Saks gift certificate. That may have been the last time I attempted to not spend money on clothes! I went to Saks intending to spend the money on something memorable. I remember trying on a lot of different clothes and shoes that day. I just could not decide.

I went back a few days later, and knew it was these shoes I wanted. Thank goodness they still had my size; you don't find a 10 every day! I love that these shoes are really 2 different shoes. The pattern on each is different. They are Isaac (as in Mizrahi, and not the Tgt brand). They are quite comfy with their rounded toe. Because they are unique, I do not wear them often. They are too "memorable" and to a certain extent, irreplaceable. When I was talking with Patty and Sue, I remembered the day of the purchase; I had gone to lunch with my now ex-husband. We went to California Pizza Kitchen, and I had a pear gorgonzola salad and a couple glasses of Pinot Grigio. The afternoon was uncomfortable; I think the shoes were designed to cheer me up.

A lot of memories can come flooding back from a pair of shoes! Just as a scent can take you back, shoes take me back! Not always to places I would like to be! I do love these shoes anyways!

The necklace is from Francescas that I talked about last week. I think the only time I have worn it has been with this dress...the next time you see the dress, if it is seen again this year, I have to wear a different necklace. Now, that will be hard!

I mentioned my friend Sue. She is a wonderfully jewelry artist; she makes some beautiful things! She shared some new items last week. I had to resist any purchases for myself, but did manage a gift or two. I will have to feature some "Enchanted Designs by Sue" in the upcoming weeks! You can see how nice her things are for yourself at enchanteddesignsbysue.com.

Off to finish up a few chores for the night, and then I need to get to bed early. I slept terribly the last 2 nights, and hopefully I am so tired that I will sleep tonight!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to vote below!

xo

Kel

Monday Monday!

As much as I love Fridays, I think the opposite can be said about Mondays. I realize I am not alone in this opinion. It is just hard to get jumpstarted on Mondays!

The real trouble started with unexplained traffic this morning. An 18 mile drive should not take an hour! Ugh!

I walk to my office for the day (not my usual office), put down my things, reach for my shoes, only to find I never packed then in my bag! Another ugh!

I walked the mile round trip to my office, knowing I had black shoes there. Ugh. Well, not really :) A little extra walking never hurts, plus I was able to stop and get a coffee. Okay, we can handle this day!

On to the clothes!

The dress is an eBay purchase from last summer. I get compliments on this dress every time. I do feel good in it. I love v-necks and this one has a matching V in the back. I believe this dress is on its third outing.

The shoes I was supposed to wear are the Stuart Weitzman's I told you about last week. They are the same as the red ones I wore with the black/white dress. They are quite comfortable; I ended up wearing a pair of black strappy sandals that are not the most comfortable, but I was sitting most of the day!

I made the BIG mistake of not bringing a cardigan today. I was so cold! I need to just always keep one in my bag!

I am sitting here typing and watching "Say Yes to the Dress!" on TLC. I am getting so excited for Erika's wedding! There will be plenty of ensemble sharing from that weekend in October. I am a bridesmaid, and I get to dress up the whole weekend. We are going to Vegas, baby!

Hope you all have a great night! On to Tuesday!!

xo

Kel

A Quiet Sunday

I don't have any pictures to share today! My Ben was headed out this morning long before I got out of bed...and there really has been nothing worth capturing in a photo!

Today was almost no makeup no shower Sunday. I started the day with a workout with Erika and Gretchen, then a trip to Goodwill. I will tell you about the Goodwill trip another day :). The workout was not a strenuous one; perhaps my cocktail or my dinner from last night was still kicking my fanny this morning. I just had no energy!

I bummed around the house for a while, and was quite tempted to take a nap. However, if I nap, I will have a problem getting to sleep tonight, then I will be tired tomorrow...it justs set up the whole vicious cycle. I decided, instead, to take a bike ride. 16 sweaty miles later, a shower really was necessary.

So, here I sit in a rather grayed formerly white tshirt that probably needs to go in the garbage. Goodwill should not even have to deal with this one! Comfy shorts complete what I hesitate to even call an ensemble! This is definitely a do not leave the house under any circumstance outfit!

Off to NM I go, to relog my dinner choice. I added some calories from that bike ride, so a change of dinner choices are in order!

Hope your Sunday was pleasant and quiet like mine. We all need these every once in a while, don't we?

See ya tomorrow!

xo

Kel

Party to start and end the day!

I am sharing 2 different outfits today!

The day started with a 5k...the James Page Blubber Run. It is a celebration more than it is a 5k!

The celebration? This is a brewery! Beer! and FUN! They have a costume contest as well as the run...not wanting to be total lame asses...we quickly came up with some ideas! We ran well for a couple of "people our age".

I chose to wear a nightie, and was properly dressed for the run underneath. My chief photographer? He wore one of my running skirts. We were TAME compared to some of the ensembles put together out there today! There were beer bottles and cans, dice ( a set of all 6 numbers) evening gowns, wedding gowns, drag queens, and a slew of "you had to see it to believe it" outfits!

We had a dinner party this evening. A friend of ours was getting married in Maryland, and we could not make it to the wedding. We celebrated here in her honor, and raised a glass (or two) to celebrate. Crab legs, corn bread, salad and veggies as well as a decadent dessert of Peanut butter chocolate gooey cake! Good thing I ran a 5k this morning! (BTW - the 5k barely touches the calories from dinner - ugh!)

This morning's stellar running ensemble was brought to you courtesy of Target... the nightie was at least! Sports bra - Sam's Club a while ago, running shorts, Sports Authority! Running shoes - Lady's Foot Locker. Legs - Chasing Ben running and biking!

This evening's party gear! Shorts were on sale from Gap at the beginning of the summer. I fell for the size 2 tag...the top is from one of my favorite little boutiques in Stillwater...you know, the one that carries the Naughty Monkeys! We were going to be messy with crab legs, and I did not need anything fussy to deal with!

No Poll today, rather a question...If you had to come up with a costume for the run, what would you do?

Hope your Saturday was great! I need to get to bed!

xo

Kel

It is Friday!

There is something about Fridays!

You can be casual. You can be comfortable. You can use your clothes to make a statement more so than any other day of the week.

I guess I was feeling a tad naughty today. I am sharing another pair of Naughty Monkeys with you! I bought this pair the same day I bought the Naughty Monkeys I wore last Friday. These have just the right heel height for a pair of jeans. It is hard to see - sorry - but they have fun colored striped and a bright red inside. The red peeps out from between your toes. Fun!

Attention! We have a repeat item! I did not realize it until I sat to write this blog tonight, but you have seen these jeans! I wore them the night of Ben's birthday party. If you are dying to see the story, you can go back to 8/28! The best part of these jeans is that I bought them when I was shopping with my dear sexy red head friend named Sherri. I call her Shed. She is energetic, vivacious, beautiful and a true dear friend. I have known her for 24 years! Amazing for a couple of 29 year olds :).

The blazer is from JCrew. I bought it 4 years ago at the JCrew outlet in Clinton, CT. It is Clinton, right Shed? I can't remember! It is the perfect little blazer. It reminds me of the one Julia Roberts was wearing in the last scene of Pretty Woman...you know the scene, right before Richard Gere shows up and heads up the fire escape? I have always loved the look of jeans, a crisp blazer and a tshirt.

The tshirt has a peace sign on it. I guess I found it appropriate for this day. This tshirt was one of the last "emotional" clothing purchases I made. I had seen it in Target...in the girls section. No, not the ladies clothes, or the teens, but the girls. I left it there that day. A few days later, after a series of emails from someone that shall remain nameless (rather similar to Voldemort in my book), I went and picked it up. $9, a girls size L. I should have gotten the XL as this is rather like sausage casing! Thus, the blazer! I love the sunny yellow color. It made me feel happy all day! I guess that made it worth the $9!

I hope you all had a sunny, happy day! No votes today! I like my casual clothes too much!

Give thanks for what you have today, and make sure to hug the ones you love!

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Kel

I love red shoes!

I love red shoes, especially these babies.

I got these Stuart Weitzman last year at Off Saks...another pair of shoes I HAD to have. They are red, shiny, slightly sparkly, and just a little bit sexy! I got the same pair in black. I love those too! It was a buy one get another half off deal...I succumbed to the pressure once again! I have gotten a ton of miles out of them too. I love to pair red shoes with the unexpected. If you recall I wore them with the leopard dress in my first post.

The dress? This rather (wow) short (wow) dress is from Francescas. I keep saying wow because sometimes you don't realize how short a dress is until you see a picture! Wow! Anyways, the first time I ever visited a Francescas was on a vacation in San Diego. I thought I had stumbled across an adorable and inexpensive California boutique. I picked up some fun jewelry, a dress or two, (can't remember - yikes) and was so pleased with my purchases. Not two weeks after we returned from vacation I was out in Maple Grove and - pop - there was a Franscescas. That pop was the sound of my bubble bursting! Not too bad of a shock though because I really enjoy shopping there! Their clothes are a tad bit juniorish, and I have to be (wow) careful of what I buy when I am there, but their jewelry? OMG! It is like playing with your grandmothers faux jewels! Bowls of bangles, streams of necklaces, display after display of earrings...no, Ben, I am not talking about the bathroom counter! It is a lot of fun to play. Google them and see if there is one near you! I got an adorable lap top bag there...it has shoes all over it!

This dress was a purchase from earlier this summer. I love it paired with this belt and a red cardigan. I am holding the cardigan in the pics. I have also paired it with my yellow slingbacks and a yellow cardigan. Rather bumble bee-ish! It is very comfy, but WOW is it short!

Speaking of cardigans, I love them. I have several...shocking. I have a few long ones that look great with a skinny belt, some shorter ones that look good belted with a pencil skirt, bright ones, black ones, cropped ones, fat ones... I am sounding rather Dr. Seuss-ish! Ben and I like to joke that where I work, a cardigan makes everything appropriate. Seriously, we cannot wear no sleeve tops or dresses...it is a dress code violation! (Right, you-know-who?) A cardigan makes everything right for work!

Off to finish baking cookies...yes, again. We have some team members returning to India tomorrow, and I had to bake something!! Of course, not sure I needed to torture myself with oatmeal heath crunch pecan cookies!

Ta Ta for Now!

xo

Kel

p.s. Check out my first weekly featured column tomorrow on www.nutrimirror.com!

The Case of the Squeeky Shoe

About 3pm today I remembered why I do not wear these shoes.

Much like the shoes from yesterday, these are a good desk shoe. You know the ones - as long as you are sitting at your desk, it is all good.

I thought that I would be sitting at my computer for about 9 hours today. I forgot that I had a meeting at 1:30. This meeting was in another building. The other building is about a half mile walk. Then there is the walk back. 1 mile in these shoes? Not a good idea!

So, as I was walking back to my desk after the meeting, I rememberd why these shoes have not been worn in about a year. Not the pain, though there was some mild discomfort. It was the annoying squeek. I say squeek to be polite. It sounds more like, well, gas. Just the right shoe...In a crowded skyway walking from building to building it is not really an issue. Walking into a quiet testing area? Ugh!

Cute shoes, but I am pulling the trigger on this one! They are outta here! Well, maybe I will keep them around to wear for a short periods of time only. I hate saying good bye to cuteness!

I remember buying these shoes at Macy's 3 years ago. I had gone in to buy basic black pumps. My favorite black pumps had become truly annoying to wear as the nails in the heels were now exposed. As I walked from building to building another annoying noise. Click click click. I bought the black ones and found these. Who knew that they came with a squeek!

The dress was a purchase from Ann Taylor 2 years ago. It was the last one they had, on sale, and a size smaller than I normally wear. I succumbed to Ann's vanity sizing, but it was a good purchase. I have worn it many times! Ben and I are debating on the color of the dress. He says black, I say blue. What do you think?

So, Kel says the shoes go (sigh) and the dress stays.

That means YOU get to respond with a story of your own!

Tell me about a fashion mis-hap you have had!

Thanks as always for visiting!

xo

Kel

p.s. I would love to know what my neighbors are thinking when Ben and I head outside every day and take a picture!

Pants? Pants!

This does not happen often. Pants.

Well, the stars aligned today. I needed to be at work at 8. I slept terribly last night, dreaming of blogs, food logs, columns and such. I dragged my butt-ocks out of bed and knew it was a pants day.

Why?

Save time shaving the legs, of course!

We can only hope that the bit of exposed leg was not looked at closely today!

These capris were a sale purchase from JCrew earlier this year.I actually tried them on 3 different times! The first time, this size was too tight and the price was too high. The next, we were better size wise but the price was still too high. When you can go back, you can now fit into them easily and they are 20% off of the sale price? Hello?!

I originally had paired it with a white button blouse this morning, but was not feeling it. Hey - I may skip the leg shaving, but when I am having an "eh" thought and it only requires a shirt change, I am doing it!

The tshirt is from a fun boutique Ben and I visited last year in Duluth. Cheap as chips as my friends and I say!

Blazer? This was my attempt to take an outfit that was violating dress code and make it more "appropriate". Capris are against the rules! I was sitting in a cube all day testing a computer system for 10 hours - I think I was safe!

Shoes - an Off-Saks purchase from about 4 years ago...BCBG. Not a shoe meant for a lot of walking, so I knew I was safe today.

Overall? Comfortable. I have never been a huge fan of the jacket, and tend to only grab it when I am forcing, well, the "rules".

I am breaking the outfit up into pieces today for your votes!

I look forward to hearing from you!

I need to run...lots of other writing to do tonight!

Thanks all!

xo

Kel

The Clothes I would Save From a Fire...

The other day I asked you what item of clothing you would save from a fire, knowing of course, that your loved ones, pets and favorite pictures are safe...KarynD may save her new khakis, and I love that carrieredhead is going to let it all go!

I said I was going to save my favorite pair of shoes. These shoes are from Betsey Johnson. I purchased them the same day that I got the lovely yellow patent leather sling backs I wore for you last week. When the salesman was working the sale, he said "what do you think you are going to wear them with?" My response:

"Most likely a Grey Goose martini straight up with 3 olives!"

I love the fit of these shoes, I love the colors, and you should see the bottom of them! They are pink on the bottom and have rosebuds too. I think it was a year before they ever had a voyage outside. The most special thing about these shoes is that they got Ben's attention. We were in a meeting together, and afterwards he came over and said

"Nice shoes!"

The rest is history!

Betsey Johnson and I get along quite well. Ben and I like to joke that when one of my more, um, risque outfits (aka Hoochie-mama) makes an appearance, Betsey helped me get dressed that day.

This dress will be rescued from the fire by Ben. I love love love this dress. It is 4 years old, but I feel it is timeless. It is one of the few "high-end" designer pieces I have. It is Dolce & Gabbana. I spotted in first at Marshall Fields (before it became Macy's) in Chicago. There was this black one and a bright turquise blue one, that had a satiny finish. I just could not justify the expense of it, so sadly it stayed at the store. Two months later I was in Las Vegas for work. I was staying at Caesar's and went for a walk in the Forum Shoppes. There is a Dolce&Gabbana store there. My dress was there, and it was about $100 less than in Chicago! I took that as a sign, and bought it! It has never let me down! It is my go-to dress for any occasion.

The necklace I am wearing is a white gold and diamond necklace Ben gave me for Christmas. It can be worn long, or doubled to be worn short. I have to be careful when I wear it long! I already broke it once by catching it on the arm of my desk chair! :(

Ben wanted some pics of this little number, so I put it all together, and here it is for you today. This is definitely not what I am wearing today! Today is no makeup Labor Day. We took a long bike ride, mostly because Ben is making his chicken enchiladas today. I got home, took a shower, threw on a sun dress, and started baking. I am taking carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies to my co-workers tomorrow. Really - they don't hiss at me when I bring baked goods in! I also baked some flax bran muffins that I will try tomorrow for my midmorning snack. If I like them they will get posted on NM, because they are healthy and part of a balanced eating plan!

I hope you have all enjoyed your three day weekend. I know I have!

No poll today...instead, What is your favorite go-to outfit?

See you tomorrow!

xo

Kel