Oh April, how I love thee

So you know how everyone looks forward to certain months for certain reasons? For example...The start of November puts me in the holiday spirit. In less than a month I know that there will be turkey, sweaters and Christmas trees everywhere! Then comes December, and the rush of Christmas excitement kicks in. The shopping, the wrapping, seeing the hubby's face when he opens all of his gifts--it's the best! Well that's kind of how I feel about April. I know that the cold weather is hopefully done, which means that I can finally pack up the sweaters and whip out the bikinis! April means planting flowers and getting the garden ready. April means flip flops. all.the.time. April means that our weekend beach trips and afternoons lounging in the pool are only a stone’s throw away. No more defrosting windshields and grabbing a just-in-case cardi EVERY day. Ohhh the sweet taste of April.

On a side note---there is a particular shade of pink nail polish that I wear like all summer long. I call it summer pink..mainly because I don't know the real name of it, but also because it is the best shade of nail polish for the summer. It is literally the brightest neon pink you can buy, and it makes your feet look about 100 times tanner than they really are. It has been my go to shade for years. Reason for telling you this? It is April 1st and I have officially debuted the summer pink. And I'm not even a little bit sorry. I would snap a picture of my toes but considering feet are one the ugliest things ever created, I'll pass on that. And I would share a picture of the bottle with you but considering I am like the worst beauty blogger in the world, I'll just tell you again that I call it summer pink.

In keeping with the pink theme, I threw on one of my new pink maxis (yes, there are multiple) and hit the road. Ok, not really the road, but I did go buy new patio furniture and a wind chime! Here is a look at my weekend attire:

 

Dress: Rue21 (here) 

Shoes: Bongo Flats...can't find them online anywhere!!!

Watch: Kenneth Cole

Bracelets: Rue 21

I hope everyone is having a great week so far! Stay tuned tomorrow for my newest fashion find---a palazzo romper!! Yep, sure did!

Finally understanding what your parents meant....

This weekend was one of the annual fairs in our town. This time of year there are tons of fairs and festivals--one of the perks of living in a small town--and we try to make it to as many as we can. Yesterday's festival fell on the perfect day! It was sunny and 80 degrees, which unfortunately resulted in a pretty nasty sunburn, but made for an enjoyable outing. There are rides for the little ones and live music all day--yesterday's shows included the Charlie Daniel's band and Leonard Skynard. While walking around and watching the kids enjoy themselves, my nephew decided he wanted to go on "The Gravitron," the ride where you stand up inside this spaceship looking contraption and the whole thing spins, sucking you against the wall to the point where you can't even lift your head. While spinning, your "seat" (which is literally a big padded wall) raises up to the ceiling. As a kid, I LOVED this ride!! The line was always outrageous, and I swear I would ride it 10 times at every carnival I went to. While riding it, I would try to peel myself off of the wall, only to be sucked back by the crazy levels of gravity. It was pretty much the best ride that ever existed. So back to yesterday. My nephew is only 6, and he was dying to go on the ride, but we didn't know how he would handle it alone. My sister had a headache & my brother-in-law gets super dizzy on rides, so he asked if I would ride with him. Having ridden about 200 times in the past, I willingly agreed. Big mistake. Apparently, 28 year old bodies don't handle being sucked against the wall and spinning at ridiculous speeds quite as well as a 16 year old body. About 30 seconds into the ride, I tried, as I had done a million times before, to lift my head off of the wall and look around. You know that feeling when you are really drunk and the room is swaying? That's pretty much how I felt on this ride. My only option was to stare at my nephew, who at this point was FREAKING out, and not move my head. At all. Trying to keep a 6 year old calm while the entire world is spinning around you is not the easiest task, and I was more than relieved when the spinning slowed and the ride stopped. As I was getting off of the ride, I finally understood what my parent's meant when we were kids. Every carnival and theme park, we begged them to go on the rides with us, swearing up and down that it was a great time and they would love it! Well mom and dad, I can now sympathize with you, and I will never again accuse you of being too scared to go on a ride.

Here s a picture of the ride I am talking about. It goes by tons of different names, one of which is "Starship." If you see this ride, run. Seriously, even if you rode it 1,000 times as a kid, just run.

This is typically what you see inside of the ride. Since the gravity is so strong, you can pretty much do whatever you want and you will stick to the wall. See that kid who is upside down? That was me, 10 years ago. Not so much anymore.

 

And now here is a look at what I wore to the festival. I am super excited that the weather is finally warm enough to pull out all of my dresses, and I took full advantage yesterday!

 

Dress & Vest: Rue21 

Boots: Target

Watch: Kenneth Cole

Ring: Old antique

 

Is she not the most beautiful baby in the world? 

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend, and I hope the weather was as beautiful wherever you were!!

Spring has sprung!!!!!

Happy Spring!!! I am so excited that spring is FINALLY here!!! This winter was entirely too cold and I am way over it. I am tired of seeing frost on my windshield, tired of being wrapped in a blanket just to sit by the fire pit, and SUPER tired of having to grab a jacket or sweater EVERYDAY. Trust me, by the time September rolls around, I'll be the first one to admit my excitement about pulling out the boots and cozy sweaters, but for now, I am done with the cold! I'm ready for tanks and flip flops, beaches, tan skin and working in the garden.

 

To help get everyone ready for spring, I decided to share a few of my favorite items with you. Feel free to use this as a guide, especially if you are stuck in a "boots-with-skinnies-because-that’s what’s-in-my-closet” rut. (Not that there is anything wrong with boots and skinnies---I have more than wore them out this winter!!)

 

Maxis Dresses: Maxis are my absolute 100% favorite item for the spring (and the summer..and the fall). They can be paired with a cardi for chilly nights, dressed up with some wedges, or dressed down with some flip flops and chunky jewelry. Here are a few of my faves: 

Maxi Skirts: Maxi skirts are right up there with maxi dresses for me. Like dresses, they can be paired with a blazer and wedges for a night out, or you can throw on a tank and some flats for a quick errand. I like to buy mine super long because they ALWAYS seem to shrink, and then I can’t wear them with heels. Here are some that I am loving right now:

  

Denim Jackets/Vests: I bought a denim jacket last year (which has polka dots and is from the kids department at Target—and I love it dearly) but I have been looking around for another one. During my most recent shopping trip I was able to find 2 denim vests and another denim jacket, and I am LOVING them! They look great over a maxi dress or paired with skinnies and a tank.

Feathers & Dream Catchers: I am loving the look of long dangly feathers and bold aztec-y (it's a word) dream catchers. Here are a few that I was able to find:

Everything that I showed you may or may not have come from Rue 21 (it sure did) and I may or may not own everything on the page (except the accessories…yet). I was going to include a link for where to find each one, but I figured you could peruse through the site and find some other good deals while you are on there.

I hope I was able to provide some good ideas for some warm weather wear, and I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!!!