I'm back!

Dress: Target

Shoes: Tory Burch

I'm back and better than ever!
I hope you loved meeting my guest bloggers as much as I love reading their posts everyday! I cannot thank them enough for helping me out and keeping your reading attention while I was on my 10 day computer hiatus. 


Basically I have come to the conclusion that weekends are just wayy to short and to really be re-energized 10 days of vacation is required. you hear that job? T-E-N days!


ANYWAY.... Key-West was perfect, we couldn't have asked for better weather :) I wish I had some long lengthy, exciting explanation of how I spent my vacation days, possibly including visits to museums, meeting pirates, visiting a topless beach, discovering a lost shipwreck .. but in order for me to have done ANY of those things, I would have had to quit my lazy, day-drinking, sun bathing ... and well, that was just NOT going to be happening. There are few things in life I love more than sitting on the beach, beer in hand, friends on either side of me, reggae music, stacks of magazines, and no obligations. I really don't think there is anything better. really. 


In honor of vacation I also chose to only wear clothing that didn't require a (real) bra, that could easily go from wet to dry, and that wouldn't hurt a potential sun burn ... basically the bigger/flowier the better. I managed to stick to my vacation-wear commandments through the entirety of my vacation. 

This year I have decided to make myself a lot more comfortable (less self conscious) at the beach/pool and jump onto the one-piece bathing suit band wagon. Basically, I'm obsessed. Over the past few weeks in preparation for my trip I was able to find some really great suits!


Ann Taylor Loft:

Jcrew Long-Torso Suits:

Sorry I'm not able to better explain my trip - I am in the middle of baking carrot cake cupcakes (from scratch, thank you Barefoot Contessa) for a co-workers birthday tomorrow and the timer is beeping! 


BUT .. until then, please enjoy some of my vacation pics!

Jody: Tickle Me Chic

Hi Friends! 

I'm out of town this week (in Key West .. be jealous). In my absence I have lined up some FANTASTIC guest bloggers for you to become obsessed with:) Please meet my  blog-star friend Jody from Tickle Me Chic!

Hello lovelies! I am Jody, writer and creator of Tickle Me Chic. A blog about everything fashion, from news to outfits, I report it. My dear friend Maggie invited me to guest blog while she is away on her travels, letting you all have a little peak into my closet.

I recently joined the movement, bloggers do it better, and this look was my first challenge. So without further adieu, here’s White Stripes.

I chose a boho chic look with a trendy twist. Maxi dresses and skirts are my personal favorite trend right now so I wanted to focus my attention around this precious striped dress from Forever 21. With my style being more laid back, this look was perfectly me. Growing up in the Cayman Islands, I love the beach so I knew it was the perfect backdrop for one of my favorite springtime outfit.

Hope you pretties like my look. Come visit me over at Tickle Me Chic. I love meeting other fashionistas! Enjoy Key West Maggie!

Xxx, Jody   

Kelsey: Snappy Casual

Hi Friends! 

I'm out of town this week (in Key West .. be jealous). In my absence I have lined up some FANTASTIC guest bloggers for you to become obsessed with:) Please meet my blogging idol...drum roll please.....Kelsey from Snappy Casual!

Hello, all you Hookers! ...Wait...that so did not come out right. Anyway...I'm Kelsey from Snappy Casual. It's so fun to be visiting y'all today while Maggie is enjoying her time in Key West (jealous!). I'm always up for a styling challenge, so I went ahead and threw all my favorite spring trends into one outfit…there's a lot going on! What do you think?





Trench: TargetBrooch: Target (I think?)Shirt: Maude via boutique in AustinPants: VANS via clothing swapShoes: Target
4 THINGS I'M LOVING THIS SPRING:

1. Color blocking. This is actually my first attempt at color blocking, and I really liked it! The colors are unpredictable, but they work well together.
2. The color coral. Anything pink or orange is hot for spring! I'm also loving loose and flowy blouses, so I wear this shirt a lot.
3. Colored, cropped pants. I was so excited when I spotted these at a clothing swap a couple months ago. And I was even more thrilled when they fit me perfectly! I'd been wanting to try brightly colored pants for a while, and it offered me a risk-free opportunity to try it out.
4. Nude patent heels. The outfit is fairly bright, so I didn't want to add yet another color. These nude heels are just the perfect touch of softness to an otherwise bold look.

Nicole: Hands--Up!

Hi Friends! 

I'm out of town this week (in Key West .. be jealous). In my absence I have lined up some FANTASTIC guest bloggers for you to become obsessed with:)

Meet my friend...drum roll please.....Nicole from Hands Up!

Good morning Hook and Sylit readers, I'm Nicole.  I met Maggie a few years ago while doing Young Life in St. Augustine. I'm so excited to guest blog for her while she's out but I have to say, it's a little nerve-wracking, writing in place of another person. You have no idea who your audience is. Everyday for the past week or so I've thought, "Is today the today? Is this the outfit I am going to showcase myself in for all of her world to see?" I think I was so uninspired mainly because I'm a sign language interpreter and so I wear a lot of black (nothing against black, I love it, it's just not very interesting for a blog.)

For all of you non-Floridians out there, more specifically, Pensacolians, the past few days have been very un-May like. The weather has been cool! I woke up this morning to a brisk house, and not just because I turned the ac down super low last night so my hot blooded 6'3" husband wouldn't complain about not being able to sleep. I actually put a sweater on. And then it hit me. Who says you can't look cute or like what you're wearing when you first wake up?! So here it is, the big reveal! 

Move! That! Bus! 

So I had to be creative on how to get the entire outfit in the shot because I don't have a full length mirror and I'm currently home alone so I had to use some good ol' photoshop. (I apologize for the graininess.)

Cardigan: Target

Tanks: H&M

Skirt: Thrift store in Iowa

Slippers: Minnetonka Sheep Skin (probably purchased from Amazon.com)

The pictures actually make it look a lot more matchy than it actually is. The cardigan is more teal and the blue in the skirt is dark navy with orange and then I have on a black & white striped tank with a solid black tank over that. I feel like a kid who took pride in dressing herself without Mom's supervision. 

Of course I'm not going to wear this to work but it's kind of fun feeling whimsy while drinking your morning coffee and watching some Rachael Ray. I'll probably wear something more like this. 

This was my runner up choice outfit. I decided to throw it in there for kicks. 

Sweater: New York & Company

Blouse: American Eagle

Pants: The Limited

Shoes: Wet Seal

Thanks everyone for reading! And thanks Maggie for inviting me! This was fun!

Meredith: yours, mine and ours

Hi Friends! 

I'm out of town this week (in Key West .. be jealous). In my absence I have lined up some FANTASTIC guest bloggers for you to become obsessed with:)

Please meet blogging super-star...drum roll please.....Meredith from yours,mine and ours!

 Meredith here.

 I live over at yours, mine and ours and Maggie invited me here today to share one of my fave outfits with you guys. 

...

Piece of cake. 

See, I have a thing for cutting clothes up at the last minute. 

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 

(more than often it doesn't. oops.)

Well one time my scissors made some magic and I loved the result:

 The ruffled sweater vest? Yeah, it had sleeves up until about 10 minutes before church.

Chopping off the sleeves and throwing it over a freepiled muumuu turned out to be one of my fave outfits choices ever. 

So far.

Woo hoo for spontaneity/insanity/sharp scissors!
...
 Thanks for letting me come over today, Maggie! Enjoy your vaycay!

the hole.

Dress / Belt: Target

Shoes: Cole Haan

This outfit is a direct result of 4 other options not working this morning. 


My hair is a direct result of wanting to stay in bed till 8:30. 


Best part: I've never received more compliments.  


I know you all are wondering (I may have forgotten to mention that I am also an expert mind reader) why I have abandoned my favorite shoes ever ... my heels. If you weren't thinking this, you now are - and now I'm reading your mind! 


ANYWAY, last week I mentioned (there may have been a small temper tantrum involved) that I was in the process of moving offices. Out of my cube into a hole. Yes, inmates in solitary confinement have it better than me. I'm pretty sure that solitary confinement would be an upgrade to the hole that I share with 3 others. This hole makes the handicap stall look like the Trump Tower. This hole also happens to be 4 "zones" away from solitude, the color printer, my boss, the color printer, the front door, and most importantly the color printer. Basically, I'm in training mode for the iron man. or the mental hospital. 


Long story short, this move to the hole has not only banished me from any privacy, but now is also impeding upon my sense of shoe style. It's a flats only world for those of us in marathon training.

behind the 8 ball

Shirt: Gap

Sweater: Ann Taylor LOFT

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Tory Burch

This my friends is what waking up 30 minutes after you were already supposed to be AT work looks like. crap.


And this is what a I still need to grocery shop, walk the dog, and make dinner (and watch the season premier of New Jersey Housewives) blog post looks like.


I'm sure there is a country song about my day.


Catch ya'll tomorrow!


In the mean time here are some gems from the weekend:

 Remy discovered he can conduct hood patrol from the living room window. So he did. All weekend.

We ate this - it's Turkish hallow bread. it's so dang good. 

kudos Bosphorous!

minimal redneck

Shirt: Target

Shrug: Ann Taylor LOFT

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Cole Haan

What the heck Blogger? 
I get myself all pumped up to post, I start figuring out what I'm going to talk about, who I'm going to make fun of and then BAM "Temporary Error" ... what kind of crap is that!??! 


You will forever have to wonder what funny things happened to me that day and what stupid things my "family" aka Rem-Rod and John put me through. You have Blogger to thank for your loss my friends. Dang technology.


ANYWAY - due to the epic "temporary error" the outfit pictured above is old. I'm not sure how I feel about the final result of this getup. There was a tear in the right sleeve of this shirt, so last minute I decided to hone my sewing skills and use my newly bought scissors to to cut both sleeves off this shirt. In an attempt to not look like a complete redneck in a cutoff sleeveless shirt I paired it with this crochet shrug to soften the "redneck-ness" ... what do you think? 


Today was a fantastically lazy Saturday. 


Dog park - check
Pool (complete with lightening and thunder) - check
Movie (with popcorn of course) - check
Olive Garden (Nothin' bus classy) - check
Lock Up Marathon - currently taking place


PS: Yes, I got hightlights. 

choking on toothpaste

Shirt (originally a dress): Banana Republic

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Target

Today's outfit is a perfect example of complete laziness.

surprise. surprise.

I woke up hot. Why you might ask? 

Because our AC decided to freeze over making the temperature of my midget mansion a balmy 86 degrees this morning. Pair unexpected morning sweat with my he-man sweat ball of a boyfriend and a cold shower and the result is pictured above. a (literal) HOT mess. I don't think I have ever been more excited to get to work in my entire life.

Fast forward 9 hours and now my house is hot AND smells like fire. Why you might ask?

Some genius (not naming any name .. cough... cough.. JOHN) had the brilliant idea to lean my hairdryer against the AC unit while running to blow on to the ice continuously. Needless to say my hair dryer is now broken.

I would also like to use this post as a public service announcement:

DO NOT INHALE (though your mouth) TOOTHPASTE.

Last night while brushing my teeth AND having a conversation with John I made the mistake of trying to catch the dripping-from-my-mouth toothpaste by sucking it in. NEVER EVER DO THAT. It went straight to the back of my throat and choked me.

FYI: Choking on toothpaste can only be compared to taking a shot of 151 and then chasing it with gasoline. It was absolutely horrible. I contemplated calling 911 and asking them to remove my throat but decided to forgo the call to the hospital (for obvious reasons) and instead sucked on ice (since I couldn't swallow) like a woman in labor. 

 

I may never brush my teeth again.

It was that bad.

Dear Mexico,

You wanna know the really sad part about this post?
I can't post an outfit picture.
Why you might ask? 
Because I am literally wearing the exact same thing I was wearing in the last post.
Pathetic. I know.


Even though today is Tuesday I skipped out on work yesterday due to a sore throat, so today is technically my Monday, with the best part being that there are only 3 more days until the weekend!
4 day work weeks match my attention span .. just enough without being too much. perfect.


ANYWAY Mothers day weekend went off without a hitch. Mom time, sister time, drinking time, friend time, dog park time, pool time, drinking time, boyfriend time, highlight time, more drinking time, maxi dresses, bathing suits, and fedoras. 


I would like to end this post with an apology letter to Mexico.


Dear Mexico,
Since I didn't have the opportunity to properly pay tribute to your Independence Day aka: My 2nd favorite holiday, I made up for its 10-fold this weekend by eating mexican for every meal and chugging Corona (light) like my green-card depended on it. I will have you know I endured a mexican migraine hangover (the worst kind) for hours on end to show my devotion and celebration for your independence.  
You can re-pay me in churros and Taco Bell .. Or just keep being independent so I can celebrate next year.


Adios,
Maggie


*I PROMISE outfit pictures tomorrow!
Until then, please allow me to feed my dog-picture-taking addiction. Enjoy.

 Dirty dogs ride trunk-style home from the dog park. 

Such a rebel.

cinco de lame-o

Dress / Shoes: Target

Sweater: Ann Taylor LOFT

It's 11:30pm and I'm sober... making today the first Cinco De Mayo (in a long time) that I can remember (fondly). 


No tequila shots.
No Corona.
No Margaritas.
No Sombreros.


If this is what grown up life is all about. I want out.

the App. diet

Dress: Target

Shrug: Ann Taylor LOFT

Belt: Banana Republic

Shoes: Payless

What's more annoying than being sick?

Having a sick boyfriend.

What's more annoying that having a sick boyfriend?

Having a sick dog.

Rem Rod is sick. The gross kind of sick: puking, coughing and sneezing sick. 

So what's the real annoying part of having a sick dog? 

Sick dogs don't have insurance to go to the vet. Correction: Remy does not have insurance to go to the vet.

In other news, thanks to BFF's recent visit, John and I are now on a diet. What diet you might ask? "The App Diet" - yes people, you read that correctly. Not only are our phones being used as "Words with Friends Devices" they are now also keeping track of our caloric intake and ruling/ruining my life. 

I found out today was that if I exercise I am able to have more daily calories.

Basically, I walk my dog for wine. 

I walk him twice for 2 glasses.

Thank you iphone.


PS: The blog Freckles in April has made be obsessed with this DIY tunic. I wanna make it... AFTER I locate my creative genes and buy a pair of scissors. all in due time.


For those that have scissors click here are the DIY directions :)

Pictures from Freckles in April