alright, i'm officially ready.  it's a good thing, too, considering it's now after midnight, which means 30 for 30 has officially started.  i have 29 picks right now, with the intent of buying one more thing.  i know, i know...that's against the rules.  but today was a bit crazy and i didn't get to forever21 like i wanted.  i figure it's allowed because i already know what i want (a long-sleeved mustard tee).

ready to see my picks?

five pairs of pants:

Gap, Maurices, LOFT (x3)

 two skirts:

thrifted, & forever21

Ralph Lauren, H&M, Eddie Bauer, H&M, thrifted, J.Crew, LOFT

 three cardigans:

Forever21, Target, Old Navy

 four sweaters:

Wet Seal, Gap, Kohl's, Banana Republic

 two blazers:

Eddie Bauer & thrifted

 three pairs of boots:

Alloy, JC Penney (x2)

 three pairs of shoes:

Bandolino, thrifted, Target

i've also decided to go a step further with this challenge by throwing in a "10 under 10"...ten items out of my thirty are each under $10.

they consist of the following:

1. gray skinny pants (shown in the middle above)
2. pink skirt (only $1)
3. olive H&M shirt (second in picture)
4. white H&M tunic (fourth in picture)
5. striped navy shirt (fifth in picture - only $1)
6. striped J.Crew shirt (sixth in picture)
7. Old Navy blue cardigan
8. cinnamon-colored turtleneck
9. black blazer
10. mary janes

today i'm linking up to Everybody, Everywear to show off muh stripes along with a lot of other fabulous ladies.

exhibit A for why i shouldn't be a fashion blogger

hi, my name is lauren, and i'm a cheater.

i know that it's supposed to be steppin' out saturday, but let me just tell you that a greasy ponytail and grubby clothes aren't really a good look on me, and tales of cleaning toilets and folding clothes might not make for the most exciting post i've ever written.

so, steppin' out sunday it is, then.

sweater:  banana republic, gift from my ma
dress:  LOFT ($10!)
leggings:  h&m
boots:  jc penney
belt:  thrifted, salvation army
pom/poof:  me

we go to church in eric's hometown, about a half hour drive from our house in fort wayne.  about a mile away from the church, there is an antique mall that i've been dying to go to for as long as i've known it's there, but for some reason, we've just never gone.  well, we finally made a stop there today after church, and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.


everything was so beautiful and organized.  all of the above pictures are from two booths, which i absolutely fell in love with.  i have a plan to purchase the drawer from the top right corner to hang on our living room wall, and add three old mason jars filled with billy balls.  i also found a small dresser, which is the whole reason we went, for only $20.  it looks pretty worn, but it's solid wood and nothing that a coat of paint can't fix.  i am in desperate need of some craft organization, y'all.

then it was back to eric's parent's house for dinner, which is something we do every week.  we always take the puppies down and drop them off in the "stable" while we go to church.  then, while we eat dinner, they get to run around outside in the woods until their little (or massive, in titan's case) hearts are content.

this is the part of my sunday that truly makes it feel like a day of rest.  the in-laws property is so peaceful.  my wonderful mother-in-law fills our bellies with delicious, warm food, and i find comfort in a mug of freshly-ground coffee and the company of family.



i have been finding more and more value in a Sabbath day lately.  i didn't have an opportunity for any rest last week, and the only word that i can manage to come up with for the way it affected my whole week is that i felt weary.  i understand why we are commanded to rest.  i've also come to understand that rest doesn't equate to laziness.  i find my rest even when we are away from home on these sundays.  i find my rest in family, in some solitude, and most importantly, in Christ.

Exodus 34:21 Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.


how do you recharge?

that's right, my buckeyes won last night.  it only took ten tries to beat an SEC team in a bowl game, and the fourth quarter left me with nubs for fingernails, but they did it.  the fact that they won made staying up until 12:30 so worth it.  in fact, they probably won because i stayed up to cheer them on.  yah, let's go with that.

today's outfit was my attempt at a subtle celebration, but eric informed me there was nothing subtle about my color choices.  here's the take-away, kids:


in other news, i found out some amazing news today that led me to call eric immediately to share with him.  i really thought he would be more excited, but as it turns out, he's a big fuddy-duddy.  so hopefully someone here will get excited with me.  today, on my way to work, i passed an empty store that used to house big lots, but it went out almost a year ago.  today there was a sign posted with the new resident...

...gosh, i hate to say it, but i really think most people will be let down by this build-up.  we are getting a salvation army about two minutes from our house.  and it's going to be huge!  this is big news. big.  one more store in which to find fun, thrifted treasures.  and, hi, i can go on a whim.

good day.

does fashion blogging mean you have to post your outfit even if you're not so sure anymore that you really like it, or if it's not as flattering as you thought it was when you looked in the mirror, or if your hair won't do anything today?

i thought so.  crap.

isn't it pretty?  watch out world, louann and i are sticking together from now on.  the best part?  i can fit enough of my other crap essentials inside of it that it'll suffice as my only bag/purse.  thanks hubs!

now, if only i had time to actually learn to use my camera.

details.

i wish the hubs would have mentioned i have a large chunk of hair that was looking a little whack.