{ wanted: wedges }

Since the beginning of summer I've really wanted these cute wedges from J.Crew.  However, I refuse to pay over $100 for them.

Guess where I found a pair of wedges, for only $20?!

                                                                                             ... wal-mart!

here's one outfit I wore them with:

necklace: urban outfitters | tank: nordstrom | belt: target | shorts: express | shoes: wal-mart



I love finding a cheaper version of things I want and paying a fraction of the cost!

It helps to find something you like, take a picture of it, and see if you can find a cheaper version elsewhere [thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist are good places to start]. 

If you can't, and you still really want the item, then you can decide whether it's worth the investment or not.

{ lovely weekends }

Last weekend my sisters, mom and I all went shopping for one of my sisters' birthday. We have developed a tradition that we always make a day of shopping whenever any of us has a birthday. 

Here are some pics of our fun day . . .

 We ate at the cheesecake factory and shopped alllll day.  We spent a good chunk of time checking out the Nordstrom sale and each got a new pair of boots for fall - can't wait to wear them!

I went to the H&M in Portland for the first time and they had the cutest stuff.

I got these two shirts there (great because I can wear them to work) and some more gold bracelets that were only about 5 bucks.

I also got this nail polish called love & beauty (in pink) and this cute make up bag at the Forever 21 accessory store [Forlove 21].  This nail polish was only $2.80! A far cry from the $7+ you would spend on Essie nail polish [ don't get me wrong, I love Essie, it's just stinkin' expensive ]. 

you can also buy it online [ here ]

I have to brag just a bit about the Mr.  While we were up shopping all day in Portland he was at home and cleaned the house, bought the groceries for the week, did laundry and took care of all the household chores.

I love that man.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

{ mondays }

Typically this picture below explains how I feel about

Monday's:

Except for when Monday night's roll around. 

Monday nights are made of two things:  Bud light & Bachelorette.

Ok, so I'm dying to know,

who do you want her to pick? 

I think it will be between JP & Constantine.  I'm just watching it now [thank goodness for DVR] with my husband though, so I'm not totally sure yet who I think she will pick.

Personally, my husband and I wanted her to pick Ames. 

Ames is precious, a little dorky but loveable, and would've made an awesome husband. 

In fact, my husband just said [and I quote]:

"Holy crap I hope Ames is the next Bachelor."

All I know is I'm NOT a fan of her style - specifically the midriffs and see through shirts.  HOWEVER, I did like her yellow long maxi dress that she belted tonight.  I can't find a picture but if I figure out where it's from I'll put a pic up later. 

If you're watching it now, enjoy!

{ a pocketful }

a POCKETFUL of sunshine
 I love skirts & dresses [ and anything ] with pockets !

 

{ blonde bday bombshell }

happy birthday to my blonde bombshell sister, beth !

You're an awesome sister, a talented artist, a great mom and so much more.  I'm so proud of you!

love you!

xx

{ annual beach trip }

every summer my husband's family takes a trip to the OR coast.  All the relatives from CA come up for some good family fun.  This year was probably my favorite trip so far.  We made smores by the campfire, played beach volleyball for hours (we were blessed with lots of sunshine), did family devotions every night, and this year we started a new tradition - an Iron Chef cook off.  My aunt-in-law had a great idea to put together a random bag of ingredients, separate all of us cousins into two teams, and give us 30 minutes to cook some delicious appetizers.  The judge was my uncle-in-law since it was his birthday.  The food turned out delicious and we had a blast.  This year also fell on the 4th of July weekend, so we had a big barbecue and watched an awesome fireworks show.  I love family trips and this one was especially fun...

Right before our trip I finally got a pair of TOMS...I really love them...

Here's the two huge houses we stay at every year with beach access:

not sure if you can tell, but towards the bottom right are the stairs to the beach !

I LOVED spending time with the family from CA that we don't get to see as often...

beach volleyball was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

the view & sunset from the houses is breaktaking..
[this pic with my phone doesn't do it justice]

We also had a ping pong tournament going all weekend...

My cute husband bbq'ing

 praying..

My brother in law playing guitar and leading us in songs

[all the presents on the table were gifts from our white elephant gift exchange...so fun!]

One of my husband's younger cousins leading devotions

I didn't have much time to plan out outfits before the trip but here's 3 I tried on quickly while packing:

[excuse the messy room again...]

Even though it was really beautiful, we pretty much lived in sweats all weekend - I should've known : ]  good thing I overpacked as usual and took plenty of comfy clothes.  And even though I didn't wear all these, I can save them for another trip or just another day when I have no idea what to wear! 

I've been so busy [back to work] which is why this is so late getting posted. 

Hope you're all having a great summer!

[ps. I promise to be better about posting more often!]