Wearing a Little Happy

Nothing like wearing a little "happy" to make you feel better.  In today's case it's a bright red jacket with gold and red earrings!  I know you should find happiness from within, but I fully believe that what we wear affects how you feel. 

Jacket by Cartonnier from Anthropologie (Jacket available in turquoise and pink, red version purchased last spring)

Earrings by Kendra Scott (Purchased at Nordstrom last season, sold out online) Similar here and here.

Me

I'm taking two seconds out of my crazy week to show you how I feel.  I really think I look like the image above this week.  I tend to bite off more than I can chew and can usually handle it well. Mostly I work great under pressure, but not this week.  There is just too much to do in too little time.  We have house guests coming in two separate waves this week, a class to finish up, work, Pi Phi Alumni stuff up to my ears, Junior League placement work galore, and on and on...

I feel better getting it off my chest.  I try to be perfect all the time and it's just not working out for me this week.  Instead I feel like I'm failing at everything.  I feel like a bad friend, daughter, wife, housekeeper, cook, bad, bad bad!  And to top it all off, when I'm stressed I can't sleep, when I can't sleep, I eat, so now I'm a bad everything listed above that is fat and has puffy eyes.

Sorry to bring you down...but hopefully it will lift you up if you can relate or at least make you feel better about yourself!  My favorite blogs are the ones that are real, not just the eveythings roses all the time kind.  You can't get much more real than this!

Talk soon after I've survived the week.  Wine will likely be involved. 

Chels

Kendra Scott Store #4

My yuck day just got a little better since Kendra Scott just announced the location of store #4 in...

HTown!!!

Who else is as excited as I am.  My husband and my pocketbook...not so much.  I think I will need to be there for the grand opening...for the blog of course. 

Kendra Scott will now have store locations in Austin - Dallas - Beverly Hills - HOUSTON!

Old Navy's Magic Number is Working

Last weekend Jason was out of town and although I love my husband more than anything, it was nice to have a weekend to myself.  I didn't even call my friends to hang out.  I just went into my turtle shell and enjoyed not being on a schedule and doing exactly what I wanted to do, every second of the day...this mostly involved home stuff, but I crammed in a few indulgent things like browsing through a few stores and eating almost an entire frozen pizza by myself...in my defense it was a small, meatless, thin crust and yes I had a major stomach ache afterwards.  Wish I could say I learned my lesson. 

While I was running around I saw the cutest black and white polka dot dress in the window at Old Navy so I felt compelled to check it out.  I had low expectations since the last four or so trips there I left disappointed and empty-handed....my size never being available on the good stuff.

Well, not last Saturday around 7pm (loser)!   Although that cute polka dot dress did not look good on my body, I found 4 tops that I loved and left with...I know mom, I should be saving my money for home stuff!  The fashion Gods would have struck me down if I passed on these, all of which were Old Navy's magic number, $24.94. 

Do these clothes remind you of anything....hello J.Crew catalog for a third of the price!  I'll take it.  Read The College Prepster's great blog post about this exact topic HERE.   

The cute dress that drew me into the store:



Image via College Prepster

Purchase #1:  Old Navy Boatneck Sweater in Goodnight Nora


Image Via College Prepster

Purchase #2:  Old Navy Boatneck Sweater in Imperial Jade


Image Via College Prepster

 Purchase #3:  Old Navy Polka Dot Chambray (can't find online, must be sold-out).  I've been dying for a chambray shirt like this all season.  I almost bought one from, who else, J. Crew for $78.00.  So glad I didn't. 

Old Navy Chambray Shirt in Red: I purchased this for $24.94, but online it's $29.94. 
On the website (second image) this shirt looks more red, in person it looks a little orange.  I loved it nonetheless.  I think it will be a great transition piece into fall.  It would also be perfect to wear to a UT football game.  I didn't go to Texas, but during college football they are who I pull for.  Sorry Mean Green...

Have you visited Old Navy lately?  Any purchases? 

Quick note if you are local, the Sugar Land store near the mall had TONS of inventory on all sizes in these pieces and more on Saturday.  I noticed the boatneck sweaters have limited sizing online.  This store also had a LOT of chambray in different shades and colors. 

Tucker's Birchbox

For anyone new to my blog, let me introduce you to Tucker, my baby chihuahua.  Since Jason and I don't have children yet, Tucker is the center of our world.  Tuck will turn 9 at the end of August and I've had him since he was a pup which was my junior year in college.  Let's not get too sappy for a Monday, but I can't imagine my life without him. 

With that said, I'm not sure my love extends deep enough to purchase Tucker his own version of my Birchbox...Bark Box.  Tucker or your very own fury friend can receive a monthly box of canine goodies.  To sign up you choose your dog's size:

-  Small and Cute (0-20 lbs)
-  Just Right (20-50 lbs)
-  Big and Bold (50+ lbs)

Then you pick which subscription level you want. 

$17/month for 6 months
$21/month for 3 months
$29/month for 1 month

Prices are the same for every size dog.  Thoughts?  Would you sign-up for this?

Subscriptions boxes are clearly the "it" thing right now.  Besides the normal beauty boxes there are now boxes for food, crafts, baby, purses, accessories, men (for men...not a box that includes men).  Just wanted to clarify that one!

House Project: Fireplace

Before: (all before pictures are from previous homeowners):
Notice the honey colored wood flooring, wood fireplace and green tile around fireplace.  We changed the fan too, but I'll post on that later. 

During:

With primer on wood and lovely green tile.  Floors not done yet!

 

After:

We painted the fireplace black (thanks Blas) and changed the tile to a stone with black, gray, brown and a touch of white (pictured above).  You also have a peek of the new floor stain and wall color!  Our living room is still waiting on a few finishing touches so I'll post official living room pictures later. 

Making a House a Home

J & I haven't even been in our new house for a month, yet we have done so much to it!  It's been a long, but very exciting process.  We signed the contract in February, closed in April, leased back to the previous owners until May 31, started the home updates project June 1 and moved in July 5. 

I've been hesitant to post before and after pics until we have shown it to friends and family first, but I'm going to get started on a few of the smaller items.  I've also been hesitant because I hate when people are showy about things they have.  I promise I'm not being that way, but just want to chronicle some all of these little projects we have completed.  We plan to be in this house for awhile so I think it will be fun to go back and read these posts years from now. 

Without further ado, our new home!

Some of the projects we've done so far:

-  Refinished the wood floors
-  Removed carpet (I have a carpet phobia) in guest rooms and master closet and replaced with wood.  Now the only carpet is in the media room!
-  Painted the interior including banisters and fireplace
-  Replaced green marble around fireplace
-  New lighting in kitchen and living room
-  Replaced all gold fixtures in master bath to brushed nickel
-  Replaced master shower tub with tile
-  Replaced mirrored and gold closest doors in master to frosted glass doors
-  Removed child locks in all cabinets
-  Power washed the backyard and front walkway
-  Replaced tube lighting on backyard gazebo
-  New chairs cushions and umbrella on outdoor furniture

Phew!  It truly is a whole new house that we love, love, love.  Is it bad that I miss it when I leave to go to work? 

More projects to do:

-  Finish hanging pictures and art
-  Find runner for dining room table
-  Find living room pillows that "pull the room together"
-  Finish game room (anyone have a shuffleboard table you are looking to sell)
-  Furnish our "wine room"
-  Rugs
-  Window treatments
-  Get the landscaping under control
-  Wash the windows
-  Finish decorating the media room
-  Finish trashing cleaning out our "storage" items in the garage so we can park both cars in it.

I'm sure this will be an ongoing list, but it's all I can think of at the moment.  It is so fun (and stressful for me) to make a house our home, but I would say that it already is!