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 BBCA : Pink and Purple

Every year my cousins and I get our kids together for a photo so we can give our grandmother a Christmas gift with a photo of her great-grandchildren. My brother and SIL are moving this week, so we had to get this picture done quickly in order to have their son included. There are six children total.

We got a grand total of THREE shots. Three. And in every.single.one, my daughter is not looking at the camera. At least in the one we picked, the rest of the kids are looking and my daughter's facial expression is happy. But still, really? Not one shot with her looking at the camera?

Perhaps I haven't been as much of an influence on her as I thought. Although I must admit that before the photographer got started, my daughter was the only one standing there posing with her hands on her hips. That kid cracks me up.

Today is FRIDAY and that means I'm HAPPY. I'm so glad the weekend is here!!! Hope you all have a great one!

Today's outfit:
Floral Skirt: Ross
Blouse: Charlotte Russe
Pink Belt: Salvation Army
Heels: Target

Daily MelWear BBCA: Accented

I'm really excited about how nice the weather has been here lately. It's been cool in the mornings, not too hot in the afternoons, breezy, blue skies...THIS, my friends, is why I live in Florida. Now if only it would stay this way forever, I'd be a really happy camper.

As excited as I am for the new fall trends and to wear boots and tights again,  I have to admit that I'm good with the heat and being able to still wear my summer pieces. 

Speaking of fall trends, what are YOU looking forward to the most this season? I'm so out of the loop, I don't even know what the fall trends are (this is something a style blogger probably shouldn't ever admit, but I'm nothing if not honest). So tell me what you're excited about and clue me in!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Today's outfit:
Skirt and Shirt: Target (super, super old)
Pink Cami: Charlotte Russe
Pink Belt: Salvation Army
Heels: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear BBCA: Springlike

Apparently I have an aversion to wearing just one color. Sometimes I can pull it off, like yesterday, but more often than not I've found myself playing with different combinations. Pink and yellow isn't an unusal one for me although it might seem unusual to most people. Or at least most people who aren't style bloggers (or readers!), because you all understand me, right? :)

Now my task is to come up with some other colors that can be combined with pink. That is a challenge I will gladly accept.

There are lots of fabulous women participating in the Blogging for Breast Cancer Awearness Challenge! Have you checked out their blogs yet?

I hope you're all having a fantastic week!

Today's outfit:

Dress: Ross

Jacket: Burlington (came with a skirt)

Belt: Can't remember
Heels: Target

Daily MelWear BBCA: BBCA Begins!

This post is going to be short and sweet! This is what I wore yesterday and rest assured, I did wear pink on Saturday, the very first day of the challenge, but I don't have pictures of that. You'll just have to trust me. :)

How are you all feeling about the BBCA challenge in this first week, do you have lots of ideas for how to sprinkle pink into your wardrobe? Remember, pink doesn't have to be the dominant color of the outfit; it just needs to be present.

I've updated the list of participants, so be sure to check that out and let me know if you're taking part and would like to be added as well.

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was fabulous. And happy. :) Have a great Monday, friends!

Today's outfit:
Dress: Ross
Belt: Salvation Army
Necklace: Wal-Mart
Sandals: Beall's

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: Fall...ish

Although technically the first day of autumn was last Friday, it's still been in the 90s this week. It looks like we may get down into the 80s by the weekend but still...that doesn't feel like fall.

This outfit is my attempt at autumnal attire without sweating to death. Especially considering the AC in our office doesn't function as well as it should, so it can get up to almost 80 in the afternoon.

The skirt is actually a tube dress but it's a little big and the top doesn't stay up as well as it should, so I wear it as a skirt instead. Repurposing pieces is a good thing. :) 

So here are some questions for you: how do you dress for fall when it's still unbearably hot, and what item(s) have you repurposed recently?  

Discuss.

Today's outfit:
Skirt: Ross
Red Blouse: Wal-Mart
Belt: Charlotte Russe (I think...)
Sandals: Beall's

Daily MelWear: Board or Bored

Yesterday was one of our bi-monthly board meetings. I've worn this suit before, pretty much the same way but with a different color combo. I haven't been very creative with it, but I'm coming up with some new ideas as I sit here and mope about the fact that this day seems to be taking FOREVER.

I really just want the days to go by quickly so I can get to the weekend faster. I know I'm not the only one. Right?

I'm getting really excited for BBCA! I also feel like I should go shopping. See, I never said that you couldn't shop during this challenge. If you find more pink pieces, by all means, go buy them.

I'm such an enabler...

(You're welcome.)

May you all have a wonderful and quickly-passing Wednesday! (Seriously, why does the weekend always take SO LONG to get here?!)

Today's outfit:
Skirt Suit: Ross
Purple Blouse: Charlotte Russe
Yellow Belt: Target
Heels: DSW

Daily MelWear: Charming

Apparently there is some fabulous accessory store called Charming Charlie's of which I was not aware. My parents went to Texas to visit some family last week and my aunt introduced my mom to it. This necklace and a matching bracelet is what my mom brought back for me. She keeps gushing about how much I would love this store...if only they had one anywhere near us. So sad.

However, it helps that this weekend was really good. Nathan and I took our girls to see The Lion King 3D! That movie originally came out when I was in high school and I remember seeing it with the youth group on opening day. I LOVE The Lion King, it brings back so many memories, and it was a ton of fun to see it in theaters again and share that with my daughter. She liked it, although she wasn't a huge fan of the 3D glasses and only had them on for a few minutes.

You guys, I realize that autumn has officially arrived, but I can't bring myself to break out the autumn clothes. It's just way too hot still! I love the heat, that's why I live in Florida, but part of me can't wait for cold weather so I can break out my boots again. I miss my boots. 

So tell me, what's your favorite cold weather item? 

Today's outfit:
Skirt: From my aunt (part of a suit)
Black Tank: Can't remember
Cardigan: Plato's Closet
Belt: Dots
Sandals: Beall's
Necklace: 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: Fall?

Anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time knows that I like to layer. It makes me happy to come up wtih different ways to layer cardigans, jackets, shirts, all that fun stuff.

But when it's 90 degrees out, sometimes layering isn't a great idea. However...I decided to wear longer sleeves and a cardigan anyway. Granted, I'm sweating, but they say beauty is pain, right? Does sweating count as pain?

Eh.

I was almost going to pair this skirt with pink but then I thought I should hold off on that for October when we start BBCA. Have you signed up to participate yet? I'm going to post a list of this year's participants very, very soon. If you're still unsure about whether you can do it, please keep in mind that although I'm doing it for the entire month of October, you don't have to. You can just do a week, or a few days, whatever works for you. I'll continue to add to the participant list throughout the challenge as well, so don't feel pressured to decide right this second.

Are you all having a good week? I think I had such a great weekend that it's carrying over into this week. And I'm excited about this next weekend too. So...YAY!

Have a great day, y'all!

Today's outfit:

Skirt: Burlington
Shirt: NY&C
Cardigan: Target
Heels: Target
Belt: Dots

Daily MelWear: An Old Favorite

I realize I've worn this dress with red before. I know that. But when it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Or something like that? 

I really like the blue and red together, especially when it can be done without looking like Superman. And this dress does not look like Superman. Right? 

Mkay. Well, I do like this dress. It's one of my favorites and I wear it a lot.

And...I've run out of things to say. :) I hope you're all having a great week! 

Today's outfit:

Dress: Target

Bolero: Sears

Belt: Salvation Army

Shoes: From my mom

Daily MelWear: Pondering...

Today I have a lot on my mind. Most of them are good things, some of them are questions and concerns, and all of them are prayers. 

Thanks for the suggestions on yesterday's post about lacking inspiration! You know, I used to read magazines all the time but I kid you not, I have a stack about a foot or two high of issues that I haven't had time to read. There are just other things in my life taking priority right now. You'd think considering I haven't had my computer since last Friday that I'd have time for those, but not so much.

Speaking of which, I think I'm getting my Mac back today! YAY!!!

So how was your week? What are your plans for the weekend? I have fun things happening. I'm excited. :)

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Today's outfit:

Cream Top: Gift from a friend
Teal Blouse: Charlotte Russe
Skirt: Target
Belt: Salvation Army
Heels: Target