Monday, December 31, 2012

Owl Earring

So, I recently discovered jewelry on Amazon for $1-$5. Say what? These earrings (here) I got were only $2.99 and they are super cute! I also bought a necklace for $2 but the clasp fell off the moment I got them so I need to fix it before I can wear it. I didn't feel so bad that it broke since I bought them for so cheap but I'm disappointed that I haven't had a chance to wear them yet.



Atlanta to New York City on a budget

It's been over a week since I've blogged and it's because I've been traveling with my family.  I'm still on vacation but I thought I would share how we spent 3 days in New York City on less than $670 for a family of 3.

1.  Our plane ticket from Atlanta to Maryland (where my in-laws live) for three people was $160 round trip!  Using our AMEX Delta Skymile companion ticket and our skymiles, we only had to pay for one ticket.  Plus, we decided to fly on Christmas day which reduced the price of our ticket significantly!

2.  Once we got into Maryland, we borrowed our in-law's minivan and drove to New Jersey.  Gas cost $100.

3.  We booked a hotel in New Jersey to save on cost.  Our AMEX had a deal for if you spend $250 through Travelocity then you can get $50 off (see previous post).  So we booked a two night stay for $250 in New Jersey and paid $200.  This was a GREAT deal since most of the hotels in the city were at least $500 for one night and even in Jersey many of the hotels were between $200-300 for just one night because it was so close to New Years Eve.

4.  We took the train into New York City (which the 2 year old loved!) and we mostly walked in the city.  Thankfully EV was still free so we only had to pay for 2 round trip tickets for $30.  In the city we got on the cab only once and spent $14.



5.  Meals:
Day 1:  We had breakfast at the Oregon Dairy's Country Restaurant and Buffet in Lancaster, PA.  Jimmy loved it; I was not as excited.  We had the breakfast buffet and spent $22.
For lunch we had Boston Market and spent $9.00.  For dinner we ate at the outlet mall food court (not the most ideal and cost saving but it was time saving) and spent $30.

Day 2:  We had brunch in the city at a fabulous diner and used a scoutmob and spent $18 (best food, best deal!!).  We had a sandwich and cupcake snack in the afternoon at the Park Plaza Hotel and spent $15 (again not the most cost-saving but we had to get the cupcake!!).  Then we had dinner at Joe's Shanghai.  So good but complete splurge of $60--but totally worth it!!  We ordered the soup dumplings (yum!!!!), the crispy beef, and snow pea leaves.

Brunch:


Soup Dumplings:



Day 3:  We ate breakfast at McDonalds (not proud of this but we were hungry and did not have many options) and spent $11.  We ate lunch at church (free).  And by dinner we were back in Maryland and had dinner with the family.

So total spending:  $669

Quality time with the family:  Priceless

We could have done better in the food department and saved at least another $25 but all in all it was a wonderful trip!

*Note:  This does not include any entertainment or shopping.


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Simple Bun

I see so many people doing the sock bun for their hair. It is super cute. But, I don't use a sock because my hair is too long and I have too much hair. I feel like I don't need additional weight on my head. 
All I do is...
1. Dry my hair 90-95%
2. Hold my hair in a very high pony tail
3. Start twisting
4. Tie it with two elastic hair bands (black for my hair)
5. Use Bobby pins if necessary
I don't like it to look too perfect. I don't brush my hair. It's easy to this hairstyle because I have somewhat natural wavy hair. I use to hate this look because it made my forehead look HUGE, but now I embrace my big forehead. Plus, it gives more room for my husband to give kisses on my forehead :)




Background is horrible. I swear there are better places to take pictures in Atlanta. It's just been so cold to take pictures outside. Sorry~


Wearing -

Jolt Collar blanket coat from Nordstrom Juniors here
Jcrew Chambray shirt (old). Similar to here
F21 Jeans (old). Similar to here
Brown ankle boots from Cathy Jeans here
Hunter Green Longchamp purse here
Brown Prada sunglasses (old). Similar to here
Heirloom Cluster earrings from Anthro (X-mas gift from Austin!) here

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Guest Blogger

I have known CC since we were 5 years old. She is like another sister to us. CC is very much into fashion and she is able to make anything look good! My sister and I asked her to take some pictures of her daily outfits for our blog. She likes to mix expensive items (mostly her shoes and purses) with more trendy items that she will only wear for a season.





Wearing -
Vintage LV purse (carried by her mom when she was younger)
Leopard print sweater from F21. Similar to here or here
Denim button up shirt from F21. Similar to here
Black scarf from a random store for $5. Similar to here
Abercrombie pants that she cut into shorts. Similar to here
Dolce Vita flats. Similar to here or here

Thanks CC! Hopefully you can guest blog more often!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Winter White

One of my favorite colors to wear in the winter is white.  I especially love wearing all white and then having a pop of color, whether it is my purse, my shoes, my necklace, or in this instance my jacket.  I think it's such a classic look and it makes me think of snow when I am dressed from head to toe in white.  I think my favorite look is when I'm wearing white pants with a white sweater.  I love wearing white in the winter!











Again, EV had to get in on the action.  She cracks me up!!

White button-up shirt with small black polka-dots:  Banana Republic Outlet (old)
White skirt:  Banana Republic Outlet (old)
Purple blazer:  JCrew (Same)
Gold Shoes:  DSW (old)
Pearl necklace: I don't remember it's so old

Good Eats: Red Pepper Spread

Our family loves bread and we are always looking for new ways to eat our bread. Jimmy happened to buy this Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic from Trader Joe's and it is heavenly. The bread and cheese is important too--we paired this with an Italian Bread called Tuscan Pane from Trader Joe's and some spreadable Brie from Publix. We toasted it on a George Forman grill (which serves as our Panini maker) with butter and rubbed garlic cloves on it afterwards. It's a great appetizer, side dish, snack, whenever you feel like a good piece of bread. We finished this loaf in less than 24 hours!! Definitely some good eats :)







Pear Shaped Body

My body type is pear shaped, so I try to wear things that flatter my body shape. For being petite, I don't think I look so great in pencil skirts or straight-lined skirts, unless the skirts are shorter in length and is worn with appropriate high heels. However, I usually live in flats, so I love wearing flared skirts to make my legs look lean and longer.



Wearing -

Grey coat from Club Monaco (old) and have not properly altered my sleeves! Similar to here or here
Cobalt blue blouse recently thrifted. Similar to here
Black skirt from Urban Outfitters. Similar to here
Black boots from DSW (old). Also got them 70% sale, but forgot how much I got them for. Similar to here
Elliott Lucca purse. Similar to here

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Saturday workout



I usually go to the gym and do yoga Saturday mornings. Today, I did a different type of workout. I headed out to the outlets. I had to buy more christmas gifts and my husband needed more work clothes. Yes, I did not go for myself.  






Wearing -

Grey knitted beanie from Target here
Boy's button up polo shirt (husband's old shirt). Similar to here
Light cigarette jeans from Urban Outfitters. Similar to here
Grey converse (old) here
Orange Camden bag here
White coat from Anthropologie (old). Similar to here
Red gloves from Korea. Similar to here
Chloe Black Sunglasses. Similar to here

The Most Comfortable Shoes EVER!

I am a lover of shoes.  Some people love accessories, bags, jackets, but I love shoes.  I do not discriminate--if it were up to me, I would have a closet for just shoes.  However, since I am on a budget, I tend to only buy either really unique shoes or really practical shoes.  I like to buy at least 2 pairs a year but that means I have to be very targeted, so I usually like practical shoes that are unique.  So, for my birthday I asked my sister to buy me these Minnetonka moccasins.  I have seen these shoes at the Gap, Madewell, Nordstroms, and other retailers but they never have my size.  Plus, they tend to run big.  Can I just say that I absolutely love these shoes!!  They are so comfortable and adorable.  They fit my requirement of having to be practical and unique.  I will definitely be wearing these often!







Shoes: Minnetonka Moccasin (Same)
Shirt:  Madewell (bought over the summer)
Cardigan:  Anthropologie (from last year)
Jeans:  J.Crew (old Hipslung)
Belt:  H&M (old)

Friday, December 21, 2012

From Tacky to Trendy

In fashion news, we had our annual tacky sweater and Festivus celebration today at work.  I knew I would be going out to dinner afterwards and I am all about efficiency.  I didn't want to have to do a complete wardrobe change, so I came up with this outfit.

I love these red skinny pants.  I got them from H&M for $14 about a month ago and I wear them all the time.  They are the right fit, super comfortable, and looks great.  It probably won't last more than one season but for the price it's well worth it!  I paired the pants with a ruffled button-up shirt and one of my favorite necklaces.  I bought this necklace over 8 years ago in Cuba.  It's made from coffee-beans and has a lot of character.  So, for work, I just added my tacky vest (c/o of my friend) and for dinner, I switched it out with this chunky sweater from J.Crew.  I love how one layering piece can change an entire outfit. 





It was also super cold tonight so I am wearing an old coat from ages ago bought in Korea.  

Red skinny pants:  H&M (similar)
Cream ruffle button-up shirt (old):  Banana Republic outlet
Tacky sweater (borrowed):  (similar)
Chunky button-up sweater (old):  J.Crew
Necklace (old)
Coat (old)

Dinner and a Movie: Review

So, today is my birthday and to celebrate we went out on a date without the baby (wahoo!).  Jimmy found this deal on Creative Loafing (http://www.loafdeals.com/?x=1mT) for Highland Tap.  Go to "Local Deals Marketplace--Food" and there's a list of restaurants, scroll down to Highland Tap.

It is known for it's martinis and burgers.  We didn't order a martini but I did get their Award winning Steak Burger with cheddar cheese and grilled onions.  Jimmy got their Grouper sandwich.  Let me say hands down one of the best burgers I've ever had.  I really don't have much to say about Jimmy's grouper other than I wish we didn't share half of our meals with each other.  I also ordered my usual half sweet and half unsweet tea, which was a bit watered down and didn't taste much like tea but it's hard to find a good sweet tea place that doesn't either taste like a gallon of sugar or watered down tea.  Other than the meal, the atmosphere was a little dungeon-like (maybe because it was in the basement) and there weren't a whole lot of people but that could be because it was only 5:30ish by the time we started eating (although the bar upstairs was packed).  All in all, I think it was well worth the coupon if you stay with what they are known for.






Afterwards, we headed to Tara Theatre to watch Silver Linings Playbook.  It had gotten tons of great reviews on Rotten Tomato but the preview wasn't all that intriguing so I had mixed feelings about watching it.  Glad I was wrong.  It was a good movie--it was light with some unexpected and some predictable parts but I love me a good rom/com and it hit all the right notes for me.  I don't want to overhype it for anyone or spoil it, but I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy Friday


It's a little windy in Atlanta. Can you tell by my crazy hair?





Happy Friday everyone!

Wearing -
Black Faux leather jacket (really old). Similar to here
Chambray shirt from gap (old). Similar to here or here or here
Floral skirt from Urban Outfitters (old). Similar to here or here
Black boots from DSW for $4 or $5 dollars! It was 70% off plus I had a $10.00 off coupon. (old) Similar to here
LV purse here
Chloe black sunglasses. Similar to here

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Warm Fuzzy Sweater

Georgia's weather is fickle. It's warm one day and the next day it's freezing cold. Today is cold day and perfect to wear my new knitted beanie (that I bought, not made) and warm fuzzy sweater. 
It finally feels like winter!



Wearing -

Grey beanie from target - similar to here or here
Polka dot sweater from TJ Maxx - similar to here or here
Black high waisted leggings from Zara here
Tan riding boots from Cathy Jeans (old) similar to here or here