party central

Dress: Target

Shoes: Cole Haan

The dress that started it all - I wore this dress on my first post ever!

I suck. I know. Believe me, it's not that I don't WANT to blog .... I've just been SO busy!


Between planning a surprise 50th birthday party for my mom, going to Vegas for a work event, becoming an official freelance marketer, loosing the ONLY key to my car (100 miles away from home), AND John being out of town for a week - I've been just a little preoccupied :)

ANYWAY:

1. My mom's surprise party was GREAT! Even though I plan events for my job everyday, It was so much fun to actually plan something start to finish that were all my own ideas! And no, my mom wasn't surprised!


I themed the entire party using inspiration from my mom's favorite flowers: Daisies :)

Mason jars, un-popped popcorn, tea light candles and daisies!

Hanging baby food jars and handmade chalkboards 

Fresh lemons in my flower arrangements :)

The doorstep decor

I folded 50 paper cranes!

My faithful party slave! aka Ellie who helped me set up the party 

while my mom was "sleeping"

If anyone needs a party planned - I'm your girl!

2. This past weekend I went to Vegas to read The Help (best book ever!) ....and host a cocktail reception :) 

3. On Sunday I was offered my first official PAID freelance job! For what you may ask? To develop a marketing plan for a new food truck opening in New Orleans! SO EXCITED!


4. Yup, my sister lost (the ONLY) key to my car. In St. Augustine. A week ago. Needless to say my mom and I have been on the phone for days working with my insurance company, the Jeep dealership, a locksmith, and a tow truck company to try and get this problem resolved. And I am happy to report that as of 5:07pm today I have a new key to my car!


5. John joined his brother and extended family for a week long vacation in the Florida Keys to do some open season lobstering and fishing. 2 lobsters and 39 red snappers later - I STILL have yet to see any of that yumminess. WTF!


And there you have it. The official Maggie update :)

boom boom room

Dress: LOFT

Sweater:Ann Taylor

Shoes: Cole Haan

Reason number 765 why I will be getting rid of my Jeep BEFORE the warranty expires:
I cannot (and will never) be able to afford to pay more than $99 dollars to fix my car at any given time.


The day that warranty ends (next August) is the day I hand over the keys. Obviously for another car with just as superior a warranty plan.


I took my beloved (cough, cough, piece of crap) Jeep to the repair place today (20 miles from my house = 45 mins / with NO AC!)  to get the AC repaired. After 2 hours in the waiting room, the old-man desk attendant took pity on me and asked one of his "drivers" to take me back to work. 


In my never ending car ride back to the office with the dealership "driver" J, I learned that not only was J a dealership driver, he is also (quite possibly) the worlds biggest pervert. In 45 minutes I found out that he has plans to open a "couples strip club" complete with boom-boom rooms and a dance floor. J also has plans to open up a nudist colony. yes, a nudist colony. According to J (aka the brains of the colony operation) The nudist colony will only have one rule: All the nudists in his colony have to sign a waiver that they don't have AIDS.  


J is a Driver with a Dream. And a healthy fear of AIDS.


"In the Words of John Lennon, you may be a dreamer but I am not." - Dinner for Schmucks.


PS: (WW update) 3 lbs down.

multiple choice

Dress: LOFT

Sweater: Jcrew

Belt: Target

Shoes: Cole Haan

Why haven't I blogged in a week?

A. It's hot

B. My AC is broken

C. I'm "kinda" in job limbo

D. It was my anniversary

E. I'm Lazy

F: ALL OF THE ABOVE

If you chose 'F'..... ding, ding, ding -  you are a winner!

In addition to all those excuses, I've also discovered the (hidden?) world of Etsy. ya, I'm obsessed.

I've also been a point counting, Remy walking (so I can drink more), food weighing fool with this new weight watchers "program" .... so far so good, 4 lbs last week - and tomorrow is my second "weigh in". All I know is I better have lost more this week, seeing as now I sweat anytime I'm outside as well as anytime i'm IN my car (due to a broken AC), double the sweat means double the weight loss - right?

 

I'll be sure to keep you posted :)

the friend dress

Dress: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: Cole Haan

Sunglasses: Ray Ban

Back to work means back to routine and back to outfit pics and daily blog posts. lucky you!


After 13 days out of the office I'm pretty sure my closet was showing the beginning signs of separation anxiety...


This blue dress is an oldie-but-goodie. I bought it the week before I started my "real job" and it always kinda makes me feel a little bit like I'm playing dress up for take your daughter to work day (the one day of the year I wish my mom wasn't a teacher .. lets be honest who wants to get out of going to school just to have to go hang out with your mom at HER school - it was ALWAYS a total let down!). I remember the first day I wore this dress to my new "real job" -  It was this dress that woke-up the office peanut gallery, evoking compliments and conversation .... thus creating my current group of oh-so-constructive, crap talking work-friends that (ruthlessly) gauge my outfits each day :) 


good dress. better memories.

worry wart.

Shirt: Anthropologie

Skirt: LOFT

Sweater: Jcrew

Shoes: Cole Haan

Apparently I forgot how to get dressed this morning. 
I think my Nyquil and Afrin usage is finally starting to effect my brain. and it's usefulness. 


This weekend was filled with LOTS of sleeping, movies, sleeping, and .... dog seizures. You read that right - Remy suffered his first dog seizure this weekend, and it was honestly the scariest thing ever. I don't think I will EVER be able to have kids, or at least have kids and allow them to live a normal life, because I would go absolutely INSANE worrying about them. I all but started seizing myself when little re-rod was having seizure after seizure. it was horrible.


Sunday however was a different story. My college roommate came to town to hang out - and that hanging out consisted of a bloody mary brunch, pedicures, hair cuts, starbucks, and chiplote. all of my favorite things in one day. ending with a "big fat gypsy wedding" marathon and all new episodes of Keeping up with the Kardashians, and Ice Loves Coco. the best part of Sundays. duh. 


How as your weekend?

potty training

Dress/Belt: Target

Sweater: LOFT

Shoes: Cole Haan

The camo dress debuts again! While posting these pictures I realized that I have paired a different sweater with this dress each time I've worn it .. and progressively those sweater sleeves get shorter and shorter as the weather gets hotter and hotter .. next time there may not be any arm covering. And once again, Orlando is slowly but surly ruining my ability to dress myself each day.


In other news, I think my new pre-school office is officially effecting my ability to think like an adult .. it's almost like I have some Benjamin Button syndrome attacking my brain and I'm slowly getting dumber each day. It literally took me ALL day to START doing something that would normally take me 2 hours. It was like my first day of work all over again. unacceptable.


If thats not reason enough for a required afternoon nap, I'm not sure what is. 
OR a stronger dose of adderall. 
Due to the fact that I currently take the highest dose of adderall legally allowed - My vote is for the nap. I brought my Snuggie to work in anticipation.


This photo may bring me the same joy that a parent feels when their over-grown kid goes potty on the toilet for the first time ... lil Rem Rod has FINALLY lifted his leg. John was so pumped he took a picture. enjoy.

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.

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. 

23 year old temper tantrum

Shirt: Ann Taylor LOFT

Skirt: GAP

Shoes: Cole Haan

Belt: Target

I walked out of the bedroom this morning and was met with "I like that (outfit)" from John. SOLD. The chances of getting a (positive) outfit comment from John are about as slim as squeezing water from a rock. It may not have been my first choice, but with a comment like that from the normally mute peanut gallery, it had to be worn. 

So this may or may not be a brief post. 

I don't want to set any expectations. 

Today I was informed I have to move offices. strike that. 

Today I was informed that I have to move from my cube to a shared office space, the size of 2 cubes, that I will share with 4 other people. Recap: I will be sharing one office, the size of 2 cubes, with 5 people. wtf. Today I also realized that the desk I am listed to move to (in my party of 5 office) actually does not exist. Apparently I am the first person to figure this out? I'll keep you posted. 

With that said, I spent a majority of my day cleaning out my office, purging papers, and catching up on the stuff my brain couldn't handle on Friday after being overwhelmed by the Royal Wedding festivities.

I checked out Target's new Calypso line this weekend and I have to admit I'm not super impressed. I thought for sure the line would have tons of beachy, flowy, loose dresses. not so much. The dresses all kinda looked the same (all 2 of them) and seemed to be better suited for the office, not the beach. I did leave with a pair of shoes from the Calypso line that will be perfect to wear with beach dresses for my upcoming Key West vacation :)

My new Calypso shoes from Target:

 

I apologize for the Monday dullness ... I think I'm having a bit of a 23 year old temper tantrum over the office situation.

Here is a pic from the weekend. Oh yea, I forgot to mention I bought a Rolls Royce. 

I kid.. I kid ;)

 

chore chart

 

Dress: Target

Sweater: Target

Belt: Banana Republic

Shoes: Cole Haan

I'm blogging right now as a distraction from cooking dinner. 
URGH I cooked 4 times last week, shouldn't that mean I'm off the hook for at least a month?? Apparently that's not the case and John is not a student of my school of thought. 


In an effort to distract John from being lazy on his morning off, I woke up early (and by early I mean 3 minutes earlier than normal) and wrote up a chore chart. Genius. When I came home from lunch it was as if tiny little Mr. Clean angels had invaded my tiny midget mansion and had worked magic. Shelves that had not been dusted in months had been returned to their original Ikea woodgrain color. Dishes that had taken up residence in my dishwasher, were unloaded, and last but not least, my once broken vacuum was fixed and sucking up carpet crap like it was brand new. 


John may claim to "hate" the chore chart and complain that he's "to old to be told what to do".... but that baby is here to stay. My future children better come out holding Windex and a mop or stay where they are if they know what's good for them. 


I know how to make a chore chart and I'm not afraid to put your name on it.

excessive duplication

Yes people. I am OBSESSED with this shirt. 

A few weeks ago I was told by someone that they love to read my blog, but squeezed in the fact that my outfits all kind of look the same. 

great ... someone actually verbalized my biggest fear. I have been found out. i DO wear the same stuff all.the.time. 

But why switch things up when you know they work? Is there really a problem with repeating outfits?

I try to wear a variety of styles, my closet practically throws up on me every morning, begging me to pull stuff out of the archives and give it a go... but it all comes down to the basic facts that I am a curvy girl that tries very hard to excentuate the small, minimize the large and find a happy (diverse) medium between the two. it's a challenge.

But believe me when I say that I completely understand that I am not the only girl that experiences body insecurities. Growing up in a house with all sisters and my mom (my dad was there too, but lets face it, he was out numbered from the start) body issues were just as normal a conversation as who got voted off Dancing With The Stars. Let me just put it out there: my sisters and I could not look less alike if we tired. People always wanted to know why we didn't fit the normal sister "look-alike" profile. Fortunately because of these experiences and growing up with my "non-look-alike" sisters, I learned from an early age that just because we may think that someone has a desirable body-type doesn't mean that they feel the same way about themselves. 

Long story short (well i guess it's already long..sorry) body image has been a huge struggle for me throughout my life. Finding clothing that not only fits me, but that I feel comfortable, and pretty in is always a challenge. So when I succeed, I duplicate. Maybe in excess. I apologize.

With (all) that said, todays outfit is a perfect example of excessive duplication. eh. I love it anyway.

My sisters and I on my graduation day

Oh.. and John sent Friday Flowers to my work today ;)

Shirt: Gap

Jeans: Gap

Belt: Target

Shoes: Cole Haan

bright funerals

My outfit today was totally un-interesting and a total repeat of the black and brown (surprise, surprise) ensemble I wore last week. BUT in my defense I had completely legit reason to be repeating this "blah" get-up. Today was a day of funerals. I didn't actually attend any funerals, but I did find my way downstairs to a funeral memorial, which is definitely the only form of a funeral I don't mind attending - obviously because of the alcohol. This funeral memorial however was not for a human, but for an event that will no longer be taking place - which is unfortunate since a giant portion of the event was dedicated to excessive drinking, VIP suites and wild parties. So drinking in honor of the dead event was what it would have wanted (we read its will, it definitely wanted lots of drinking).


Side note: I'm beginning to think a lot of what I write on this blog makes me sound like a consistently mad alcoholic. I'm not. I promise.


Moving on, as I explained above - I wore black today. So obviously the outfit pictured below is NOT what I actually wore today. The dress pictured below is what I wore yesterday and bright reminder of how much yesterday sucked. I'm a total believer in luck, and when things suck, I look down at what I'm wearing and try and find the "odd-ball" (the piece of clothing that I don't wear all that often) and I vow never to wear it again. All I can say is that my fingers are crossed that the un-lucky item in that outfit was my underwear. That dress was way too expensive (and cute) to be unlucky. I'll keep you posted. 

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer

Shoes: Cole Haan

camo is cool

I go out of my way to make sure John knows as little about how much I shop as possible. I've come up with a few tried and true schemes over the years that we've been dating but none work better than the "Car Trick." 


Car Trick:
1. buy stuff
2. leave it in the car when you get home (unless you bought stuff for him and then you can bring that inside *bonus points if you say you just bought him stuff and nothing for yourself)
3. find a reason to go to your car later (I usually do this when I take the dogs out in the morning when John is still asleep)
4. get dressed in your new clothes
5. dispose of the bags/receipts/tags in the outside dumpster
6. pretend you've had the clothes forever


The Car Trick has been going on for years. until yesterday when John decided to do something out of the ordinary ... wash my car. I know ya'll are asking .. how can I want to hide things from my sweet boyfriend that washes and cleans my car and I don't even have to ask!?!?


I was super pre occupied all weekend visiting with out of town family and friends.. so when I got a text from John saying "you think just b/c it's camo it's ok?" I had no idea what he was talking about.


Process of elimination .. still nothing... camo what?


My questions were answered when I walked in the door and saw my new dress, that I had so deviously hidden in the back seat of my car, laying on the bed (next to my new shoes).


John: nice camo dress
Me: if it were camo you wouldn't have found it
John: BECAUSE it's camo I found it 


FYI: John's favorite color ever, ever, ever is camo. it will without a doubt be an argument if we ever have to plan a wedding together


Needless to say, I wore a "pretty camo dress" today to work. 
Camo is cool.

John wanted to "test" the camo-ness

Dress: Target

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft

Shoes: Cole Haan

ulta-tastic

What do you think about my new background? I'm kind of on the fence about it, so tell me the truth.


It rained today. And if Al Roker (my least favorite of the TODAY show crew) is telling the truth, it's going to be raining tomorrow, the next day, the next day, and the next day. If that's not reason enough to buck up and buy a pair of non-offensive (no pattern) rain boots, I'm not sure what is. However, until I buy aforementioned rain boots, I decided today that I will be sporting my ever-so-classy crocs. I'll be sure to plan my outfits accordingly. 


It's so hard to be positive on a rainy Monday. I have a hard enough time being positive ANY monday, but rain makes the positivity flow rough. 


People you would be proud. I walked into Menchie's today and DIDN'T get ANY frozen yogurt! Now if only I could be that iron-fisted about not spending money, drinking, eating taco bell, and watching teen mom. eh, I choose my battles. But even more exciting than NOT eating Menchie's (which actually wasn't that hard because they didn't have any of the flavors I like) I went to Ulta for the very first time today - and I can tell you already that store will soon become a giant issue for John, my debit card, and my pride. How I've lived here for almost a year, 3 blocks from my mother ship of makeup is beyond me. I'm ashamed of myself. 


I'm also ashamed of my unoriginal, uncreative outfit. 
But get used to it - it's raining for the next week and well, it makes getting out of bed just that much worse.


On the subject of Teen Mom (kind of on subject, i mentioned it in this post already. keep up with me) As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with all things super trash tv, and Teen Mom is no exception, in fact it may be my favorite train wreck of all of them. So you can imagine my excitement tday when i opened up my yahoo news to see my all time favorite trailer trash princess, Janelle's mugshot in the center of my screen (by far her best close-up yet). MTV sure does know how to pick 'em:)

Sweater: Ann Taylor LOFT

Tank: Target

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Cole Haan

Belt: Banana Republic Factory Store