Simple Sunday

I just ended the first week of being apart from my husband while he's away at training. It hasn't been easy for the two of us to be apart from one another for this long. This week has definitely been an adjustment for me. It's been hard coming home to an empty house. The good news is I have a wonderful family that I have been able to spend a little extra one on one time with. 

The weather this weekend was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was out and you can see just a touch of orange in the trees. It was perfect. I was able to spend some time with my mom. We spent Saturday morning hiking through a park we used to go to when I was a kid. It was fun to rediscover an old place. It was the perfect way to brighten up my long lonely week.

Here are a few pictures from the walk

Hiking Trail

Not a cloud in the sky

Walk along the lake

A sign that summer is officially over

I hope you enjoyed my Simple Sunday. What was something simple from your week that made you smile?

Shopping Finds~New Maxi Dress

The seasons are changing, so I've been keeping an eye out for cute new fall clothes. Usually in the early Fall I'm looking for cute sweaters and dresses that I can wear with a cute pair of boots. But not this year. I won't be needing all those warm clothes when I'm living in a warm climate. With this in mind, I've been on the hunt for a cute maxi dress. Something that I can wear here in Michigan throughout the fall and also wear it as a summer dress.

While browsing through the clearance section at Target, I came across this pink and purple pattern maxi dress. It was only $8.98, 70% off the original price. I decided to go ahead and buy it. I really couldn't beat the price. The dress is very simple on it's own, but with the right accessories it will be perfect for work, church or anywhere else I want to wear it. I accessorized the dress with a jean jacket, brown belt, brown wedged shoes and a pearl necklace. I'm really loving this look. I just had to share it with all of you! What do you think?

My closet~What I Wore this Week

As promised, I'm embracing the fall weather, starting with one of my favorite things about fall...the clothes! I've heard people complaining lately about the cooler days, but not me. I couldn't wait to pull my favorite pair of boots out of the closet. I highly doubt those boots will get much use in Florida.   

Here are some of my favorite fall looks from the past week. 

Sunday

Black Dress- Hand-me-Down

Jean Jacket- Jessica Simpson

Leggings- Target

Scarf- Old Navy

Monday

Black Dress- Target

Purple cover up- Express

Leggings- Target

Boots- Target

Belt- Target

Tuesday

Black Jeggings- Jessica Simpson

Jean Shirt- Target

Black Blazer- Forever 21

Red Necklace- Aldo

Leopard Flats- Old Navy

Friday

Blouse- Jessica Simpson

Red Jeans- Kohls

Black Cardigan- Macy's

Necklace- Kohls

A Farewell to Fall

In Michigan, people always complain about the weather.  They complain when it's too cold and they complain if it's too hot.  One thing that I've always heard Michiganders say is that they enjoy the "season changes".  By this, I truly believe that these people are talking about Fall. (At least that's what I mean when I say it.) That's the only season, besides summer, that people around here really look forward to.  I've never once heard anyone say "I'm counting down the days until winter.  I just can't wait for another polar vortex".

Well, it looks like this may be my last fall in Michigan.  My husband recently got a job at a new airline.  As of right now, it looks like he will be based in Florida.  We are both really excited for this new opportunity and exciting adventure.  One of the changes for me, with the relocation, will be experiencing one season year round.....summer!  I have to say, if I have to pick a season I enjoy most it would be summer, but Fall is a very close second for me. It will always have a special place in my heart.  I will definitely miss this season. 

There is so much to love about the fall.  It slowly eases you into the cold weather with the crisp cool days and the leaves changing into beautiful colors of red and orange. 

I came across this beautiful site last November while on a walk. I had to take a picture.

This year I plan to live it up throughout the Fall!  I want to embrace the Fall as much as I can.  From wearing my favorite fall outfits, to making some delicious Fall recipes, to just enjoying the outside on a beautiful autumn day.

Look for plenty of fall post the next couple months.  Feel free to send any Fall ideas my ways as well.  I will have to find ways to keep the season of Fall alive even while living surrounded by palm trees.   

Celebrity looks~ Kate Middleton Casual Style

It's no surprise that I'm a huge fan of Kate Middleton's style. This is not the first post I have done on the Duchess of Cambridge and my love for her classic, effortless fashionable looks. My past Kate Middleton post's have quickly become some of my most visited pages. I'm sure the reason for this is because I'm not the only one out there who just loves this royal's style.

This week the royal family announced some exciting news that the Duke and Duchess are expecting their second child. I thought that this would be the perfect time to do a celebrity look's post on Kate Middleton. 

Out of all of Kate Middleton's fabulous looks, my favorite look that she sports is her casual style. I love it when she is dressed down. You can tell that she is most comfortable when she's dressed in her casual clothes. I find her casual looks to be very basic and easy for me to recreate with my own wardrobe.

I've recreated some of her most popular casual looks just by looking through my own closet. Here's what I came up with....

This first look, is one of my favorite look's that I have seen the Duchess wear. She must just love this navy Smythe One-Button Blazer because she's always wearing it at appearances. I can't blame her, because I love it too! I would love to find a similar navy blazer, but I haven't found one in my price range yet. She paired this blazer with a white and navy striped shirt and these super cute J Brand skinny navy jeans. For her shoes, she's wearing her favorite Stuart Weitzman Corkwood cork wedges. I attempted to recreate this look myself. I don't have a navy blazer (it's on my list) so I went with my LC Lauren Conrad black blazer from Kohls. I chose my black and white striped shirt with my skinny blue jeans, both were great clearance finds at Target for under $10 a piece. My wedge shoes are also from Target. Earlier this year I was on a search for Kate's Shoes for Less. These were my wedge shoes that I purchase, perfect for recreating Kate's looks.

This is another great casual look. Here is the Duke and Duchess walking through the airport after a long tour of Asia. When your traveling you want to be comfortable, yet still look your best. Kate does this perfectly with this look. She's wearing a cream colored sweater with a colorful scarf, skinny jeans and her LK Bennett nude pumps. I recreated this look with my dark blue skinny jeans from Target, my nude pumps also from Target and this cream slouchy sweater from Express. I found a similar colored scarf in my closet to top off the look.

This is another famous Kate Middleton look. She wore this while visiting the Olympic Park in March of 2012. I love these coral pink colored Zara Pop Slim Fit Jeans! They go perfectly with this classic double breasted black blazer. (I just love the brass buttons on this blazer. So classic!) She wore a white t-shirt that she accessorized with a scarf and another pair of L.K. Bennett pumps, this time in black. I recreated the look with my bright pinkish red jeans that I featured back in March in one of my Shopping Finds posts. I wore them with my favorite black LC blazer, a white t-shirt, my black Jessica Simpson sling back pumps and a colorful infinity scarf.

I always find Kate Middleton to have such great street style. I strive to be as stylish as her when I'm simply out running earns. She always looks put together, even in tennis shoes. The thing I like the best about this look is, reportedly, she was bargain shopping around London on this day. I'm sure she wasn't out garage saleing or anything, but I just love that she bargain shops! Anyway, she's wearing a pair of comfortable skinny jeans with a poke a dot button down blouse, cardigan sweater and a comfy looking pair of Mini Velvet Grey Suede Plimsolls shoes. I recreated this look by wearing my favorite grey Rockstar Skinny Jeans from Old Navy (of course these were a clearance find. I think I paid between $5 and $10 about a year ago). I wore my poke a dot sleeveless Jessica Simpson blouse, a beige cardigan sweater and a pair of Rock & Candy canvas boat shoes. (I found these shoes on clearance at DSW. The shoelace on one of the shoes was shorter than the other, so they were on sale for 90% off the original price. I couldn't resist the price, so I bought them, cut both laces short and they have worked out just fine.)  This is the perfect look for running earns.

 So there you go! These are just some of my favorite casual Kate looks. I'll continue to look at her style and find ways to recreate her looks with my own bargain clothes. Let me know what you think?

Simple Sunday~The Big 3-0

Today I'm celebrating my 30th birthday. I officially feel old. I feel like any immaturity that I could get away with in my 20's is over. However, I am super excited for my 30's. I've accomplished everything I wanted in my 20's and now it's time to move on to a new decade with lots of new exciting adventures to look forward to. I can't wait to see what my 30's will bring. 

30 candles. I'm surprised the smoke detectors didn't go off.