Daily MelWear: Hello World!

HIIIIIIII!!!!!!

Hey, look what I can do! I can BLOG! Or something. 

You guys are so awesome. Thank you SO much for all of the very, very sweet comments on my last post, the Facebook messages, the Tweets, the emails...it means a lot to know you've missed me {almost} as much as I've missed you!

So let's get caught up again, shall we? Hm...I'm still working. Still a single mom. Still not independently wealthy (stupid lotto...). Still like to play dress up. That about sums it up. My daughter and I have started looking to buy a house, there's some fun news. Let's see if it takes us half a decade or not. I'm hoping not. 

My girl has been doing FABULOUSLY in VPK this year. I can't believe it's already time to get her registered for Kindergarten. We want to get her into a charter school nearby, so this morning was spent getting everything done to apply there. Now we just have to wait a couple of MONTHS (seriously?!) to hear if she's in or not. That seems too long. 

Oh wait, this is supposed to be a style blog, right? Well...I did wear this outfit today. I know it's winter and all, but guys, I live in Florida. It's almost 80 degrees today. This sweater is perfect because it's cool and breezy and short-sleeved, but it's seasonally appropriate too. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that the heels came off for flip flops later only because I got my toenails painted. 

 

Now my girl is napping (i.e. lying in her bed, talking and singing to herself and claiming she isn't sleepy), I'm having a beer and blogging, and tonight will be dance class then going to Perkins to visit her favorite server because they share the same name.

So there you have it, my life in a nutshell. Exciting, no? 

My hope is to be able to post a couple times a week. I'm not going to stress if I can't though. Real life has to come first. I opened a WordPress account too, but I think importing will be way too much for me so I might just start blogging from there and ask you all to subscribe to that feed instead. Be on the lookout for that. 

Hope you're having a fabulous Friday and that you have an exciting weekend planned! Mine includes shopping for Valentines for my daughter to hand out. I live on the edge, y'all. 

Today's outfit:

Purple Sweater: Kohl's

Black Tank: Target

Jeans: Salvation Army

Leopard Belt: Wal-Mart

Heels: Rack Room

Wow, this makes me look pregnant. I assure you, I most definitely am NOT. I need to lay off the chocolate, maybe. Geez.

Daily MelWear: Seeing Spots

I think this outfit is an example of how a little bit can go a long way. A little bit of leopard, a splash of red, and a simple black dress is jazzed up just enough.

Thursdays (obviously I'm back posting) are jeans days in our office, and I was the only one not wearing jeans. I'm going to have to work on that when the weather starts cooling down. Maybe I need to go shopping for some jeans that fit better. Who wants to go shopping with me?

I have a small request, for those of you willing. The daughter of one of my former bosses took her own life last week, and the funeral is today. I'll be there to support their family, and I'd like to just ask for your thoughts and prayers. The entire situation (there's a lot more to it) is tragic and heart-breaking.

So...just pray with me. Please...and thank you.

And one reminder - BBCA kicks off tomorrow! We've had a few more participants sign up over the past couple of days and I'm so excited! I'm not promising an outfit post every single day, but I WILL wear my pink every day and I'll make a strong effort to take photos every day to post later when I can.

Hope you all have a great Friday - and please remember to pray.

Today's outfit:

Dress: Goodwill Boutique
Leopard Belt: Stein Mart (came with a skirt)
Red Sandals: From my mom

Daily MelWear: Back to Normal

After the last few outfits of trying things I wasn't real crazy about, I decided to stick with my tried and true formula of a pencil skirt, blouse, belt, and heels. And leopard. There is truly nothing better than a good leopard print, especially in a stiletto.

This is typical me. It's comfy. It's familiar. It's not particularly creative or inventive, but it works. The one creative element is that I turned the belt around (groundbreaking, I know) so that the studs are in the front and more part of the overall outfit.

I know a lot of people have their typical outfit formula. What's yours? What do you think it is that makes it work for you?

Have a fantastic Thursday, friends!

Today's outfit:

Skirt: Ross (part of a skirt suit)
Blouse: Charlotte Russe
Belt: From my mom
Leopard Heels: Payless

Daily MelWear: Seeking...

I'm seriously in need of some inspiration and ideas lately. I feel like I've run out of creativity with my wardrobe, and maybe that's partly due to the restrictiveness of my office, but I'm normally pretty okay with restrictions.

It may also have something to do with the fact that I've been SO busy I haven't had time to read any other blogs, and that's normally where I find my inspiration.

So, this outfit was thrown together on a whim while rushing to get into the shower after my workout. An all-neutral outfit is out of the norm for me, but the leopard belt helps. Leopard helps everything.

There has been a really positive response to the BBCA challenge this year and a good amount of bloggers have already signed up to participate. Click here if you haven't signed up yet!

Have a great Thursday, everyone...Friday is just a day away now! (Funny, that's how that always works on Thursdays...)

Today's outfit:

Black Shirt: NY&Co (OLD - this is probably from 1999 or 2000 or something ridiculous like that!)

Skirt: Ross (part of a suit)
Belt: Stein Mart (came with a skirt)
Sandals: Beall's

Daily MelWear: Rebel in Leopard

Lately things have been a little more lenient in the office in regards to our attire. I do know to take off any jewelry and make any other adjustements before leaving, but I've felt a little more freedom recently.

Hence this outfit that breaks all sorts of rules. The skirt is leopard print (we're not supposed to have prints of any kind, least of all animal print), the blouse is sleeveless (hey, at least it's a solid color, right?), it's a little more low-cut than I usually wear, and lastly the sandals (we're not supposed to wear open-toe shoes of any kind).

However...I do keep closed-toe flats and sling-backs under my desk in case of an impromptu visit, errand, or meeting, and I brought a blazer with me. And I didn't wear jewelry. I don't want to break every rule all at once...

By the way, my mom told me that Wednesday morning, my daughter went right into school with no problems. HOORAY for the watch!!! Seriously, I think that idea deserves some kind of reward. Anything that makes my baby girl happy and less afraid deserves something.

So how's your week going?

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!

I'm excited. It's a long weekend.

Yes.

Today's outfit:
Skirt: Stein Mart
Blouse: Target
Blazer: Stein Mart
Belt: Can't remember
Sandals: Beall's

Daily MelWear: I Feel Naked...

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I wear a belt pretty much every day.

I couldn't find one that worked the way I wanted with this outfit...so I'm not wearing one. And it makes me feel a little incomplete.

Most people have nightmares that they find themselves walking around naked...I have nightmares that I find myself without belts.

I never claimed to be normal.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

{PS - thank you to those who thought about me and asked about my daughter's first day of VPK! She had a BLAST and couldn't wait to go back the next day! Her daily report was full of good news and I'm so, so proud of her. Taking the day off on Monday to bring her to school and pick her up just makes me wish I could be a stay at home mom, though...}

Today's outfit:
Brown Skirt: Salvation Army
Leopard Blouse: Salvation Army
Red Sandals: From my mom

Daily MelWear: Not A Dress

As much as I wanted to wear a suit for the board meeting last night, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I absolutely adore Florida and all of its warm weather glory, but I do wish it wasn't quite as hot, so I could wear some of my suits. 

Contrary to how this appears, I'm not wearing a dress. It's an a-line skirt, my turquoise/teal blouse, and a black jacket. The orange belt made me feel a little Halloween-ish, but I figured the blouse threw it off enough. The leopard heels kick it up a notch, too.

I've worn the teal/orange combo before and almost wanted to do a yellow belt today instead, but I really do like it with the orange. It just makes me happy.

What are some of your favorite unexpected color combinations? 

Today's outfit:

Black Skirt: Kohl's

Teal Blouse: Charlotte Russe

Black Jacket: Can't remember, probably Ross

Orange Belt: Target

Leopard Heels: Payless

Daily MelWear: Maximum Comfort

I think I want to live in maxi dresses forever. I know some people may argue that they're too casual for the office, but I think this is entirely appropriate for my office setting.

I also need to invest in more summer scarves. While our dress code prohibits necklaces, it says nothing about scarves.

Who wants to teach me a million different ways to tie a scarf? Because this is pretty much the only way I know how. Although I've belted a scarf a couple times, worn one under a blazer, used one as a belt, and pinned & belted a scarf once, too.

Still...I need some new tricks.

Hope you're all having a fabulous week!

Today's outfit:

Black Dress (as a skirt): Ross
Purple Blouse: Charlotte Russe
Scarf: Plato's Closet
White Snakeskin Belt: Dots
Sandals: Beall's

Daily MelWear: Meow

I don't feel particularly leopard-like, but "meow" is what my co-worker said when she saw me in the jacket, so I'm going with it.

I wore this yesterday because I met a friend for dinner last night and wanted to be able to go from work to dinner in the same outfit (see the dress by itself here and here). I figured she would look fantastic because she always does, so this was my best effort.

I'm kind of short on words and thoughts today, friends. I may be a little sparce in the internetz this week. And maybe next. I dunno, we'll see what happens.

Today's (yesterday's) outfit:

Dress: Ross

Leopard Jacket and Belt: Ross
Heels: Beall's

Daily MelWear: Zebra In Green

I wasn't so sure I'd like this outfit. I'm not positive that I really like this dress to begin with. The only other time I've worn it was here and while that outfit worked pretty well, I think the dress by itself stumps me a little. {I just noticed I'm wearing the same necklace, too. Wow, how's that for unimaginative?}

The shirt seems like it would be too long to work well, but I actually really like the length of it against the length of the dress. This may not be my most professional outfit, though nothing really stands out as inappropriate, but I think it's a bit more "different" than my boss would like (she tends to say that I dress "crazy"). The good news is that she didn't say anything about it, so I suppose it worked okay.

There have been a few times I've put on an outfit, felt okay about it, then by the time I got to work (or halfway through the day) I was uncomfortable because I decided it wasn't as appropriate or professional as I'd like to project.

So friends, tell me about a time you wore an outfit you initially liked, but then vowed never to wear again. I can't be the only one with these outfit mood swings, can I?

Okay and speaking of questions, does anyone use Formspring anymore? I don't really get questions on there and have considered deleting my account, because people can contact me via email (or Twitter, or Facebook) with questions. What are your thoughts?

Have a great Thursday, lovelies!

Today's outfit:
Dress: Ross
Green Shirt: Charlotte Russe
Black Belt: Macy's (came with a dress)

Shoes: Target

Necklace: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: Back From SheCon in Black, White & Red All Over

I've missed you guys! I tried to keep up over the weekend while at SheCon with Rachel, but I just couldn't do it. Thankfully with having yesterday's Proper Professional with Angeline pre-posted, I was able to get around to a lot of blogs and check in with many of you.

I really want to do a whole recap about SheCon, but that'll have to wait until I can get some photos from some people (specifically the ones of us at karaoke that Nicole took!). For now, here's just a few highlights:

The opening keynote speaker was Guy Kawasaki. Heard of him? Yeah, he's fantastic. And we each got a copy of his book, Enchanted! Awesome.

They estimated around 700 people in attendance, I think...but ended up having only around 150. Not great for the presenters or the sponsors in the exhibit hall, but GREAT for those of us attending. We had opportunities to meet and chat with some of the speakers that we wouldn't have had otherwise. It also afforded us the ability to really connect on a much more personal level with the other attendees. I met some truly wonderful people and I intend to stay in touch and make these lasting relationships.

I was able to meet and have lunch with Amy, had drinks with an old friend Courtney from middle school (and now that we've grown up, he decided to fill me in on some of the things people, mostly the boys, said about me back then -  not sure if I should be flattered or offended! Heh.), went to lunch with my friend Anita, and also got to meet and have dinner with one of Rachel's friends.

Our last night there, a big group of us decided to hit the karaoke bar. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have read some things about that night, namely the fact that Serena Williams showed up! With her entourage of friends and bodyguards. We had SUCH a great time and as I mentioned before, Nicole took some blackmail great photos that I'll post once I have them. I'll do a better recap of the entire conference too, link to some of the new friends I met (because they're all FABULOUS and you need to meet them too!) and tell you more about what I learned.

But for now, I'll just finish up by talking about the outfit. That's why you come here, right? Well probably not really.

Anyway...

We have a board meeting tonight and I'm getting a little tired of the typical skirt suits so I decided to mix them up a little. I really love the black, white and red color combination, so this outfit was a pretty obvious choice for me. The zebra belt was a last minute idea and I love it with the rest of these pieces!

Hope your week started off fantastic and only gets better!

Today's outfit:

White Skirt: From a suit, from my aunt

Red Shirt: Can't remember now

Black Blazer: Ross
Zebra Belt: Payless
Red/Black Shoes: From my mom

Daily MelWear: Black and Tan

Does that make anyone else think of beer, black and tan? Or is it just me?

Um...

Okay so I saw this post on Ramsey's blog and about fell over because it's just SO stinkin' fabulous. Now, I don't have the cognac shoes and top like she does, so I used a chocolate brown shirt and leopard shoes instead. And I still kind of like her outfit a lot better. 

But whatever. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Be flattered, Ramsey. :) 

You GUYS! I'm leaving tomorrow for the SheCon '11 Blog Conference in Miami with my friend Rachel. We are SO excited!!! I still don't have a bathing suit. And I may not get one before we leave. Rach, is it okay if I go to the pool in a dress? Because that's kind of my only option right now.

Is anyone else going? Amy from Amy Fashion Blog works near there so I'll hopefully get to meet her for lunch on Friday.

All that to say that I may not get to post tomorrow or for the rest of the week (I'll try to post my travel outfit tomorrow but I'm not making any promises). I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and share everything with you when I get back!

Have a great Wednesday, friends!

Today's outfit:

Black Skirt: Ross (came as part of a suit)
Khaki Blazer: Goodwill Boutique
Leopard Belt: Wal-Mart
Brown Shirt: Can't remember, probably Ross
Leopard Heels: Payless