Daily MelWear: All Mixed Up

I've always loved the black and brown combination on other bloggers, but I don't have enough brown in my closet to pull it out very often. Today felt like a simple day, after being a bit more formal with meetings the past two days, so I went with this black shirtdress and decided to throw on my cognac sandals and cognac snakeskin belt.

The mixed neutrals begged for mixed metals too, so I added this necklace that has both gold and silver.

You guys, I've been doing really well with the whole exercising and eating well thing, even allowing myself some cake for my mom's birthday last weekend, but I've just had the munchies the past couple of days! I need to drink more water and pop more gum, I think.

Do you have a calorie range you try to stay within each day? What do you do when you're hungry or have the munchies?

Today's outfit:
Black Shirtdress: Ross
Cognac Belt: Salvation Army
Cognac Sandals: Target
Necklace: Wal-Mart (I think...)

Daily MelWear: Mom's Office Jeans

No, these aren't MY mom's jeans. They're not mom jeans either. At least I hope not. You'd tell me if they looked like mom jeans, right? I bought them at Plato's Closet a couple of weeks ago and I really like them. They're not so low rise that I have to keep pulling them up, they have a wider hem so they don't look like plain old jeans, they're a darker wash, AND they're wide-legged! Whee!

AND it's Thursday which means tomorrow is Mommy Day with my girl! We're going to visit the VPK class that she'll likely attend next school year. I'm nervous. She's never been put in daycare, only in church, but she's so incredibly social and loves to meet and play with new friends. I don't really know why I'm nervous, other than realizing this is a huge milestone and she's growing up. My sweet little baby has turned into a smart, funny, beautiful, affectionate little girl and she's only getting more grown up with time. I'm so proud of her and really want to soak in this time with her. She's only going to be this age once and I already miss it!

Whew - enough of that before I cry. We're also going to Party City to pick up the goody bag supplies for her fourth birthday next weekend! YAY!!! I'm so excited! She's turning four, and yet this will be the third birthday party we've had with Disney princesses as the theme. Seriously. We picked the 1st Birthday Winnie the Pooh theme for her (duh) first birthday, but she's picked princesses every year since. Silly girl. :)

Okay I'm off to get some work done. Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Today's outfit:
Jeans: Plato's Closet
Purple Top: Charlotte Russe
Yellow Belt: Target
Yellow Wedges: Ross (I will say that the only annoying thing with sandals and long pants is that the hem constantly gets stuck under my heel when I walk. SO annoying.)

Daily MelWear: Special Days

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my tweet regarding my boss yesterday. She drove herself to the ER because she was having "chest cramps." She's still in the hospital and will have a heart cath today (just to be safe), but everyone is of the opinion that it's not her heart and more likely just stress. That's a relief!

Thursdays are jeans days at work, which also means that we're allowed to wear cropped pants as long as they're no higher than the ankle. My first attempt was with my white skinny ankle pants (as evidenced in the shoe shot below) but seriously, I'm SO glad that wide-legged pants are coming back because skinnies just are NOT a good look on me. At all. So I changed into jeans.

By the way, these sandals? From the GIRLS' shoe department at Target. I can fit into a size 5 girls' shoe. Yay for cheaper shoes!!! They were on sale for $12 so I bought these along with the tan ones.

This top is another from my aunt. It's sheer so I layered a pink tank underneath and added the necklace for an extra pop. I don't normally dress this casually at work but I'm going to lunch with my birthday buddy today (we share the same birthday so our annual tradition is to have lunch together each year to celebrate!) and wanted to be a bit more relaxed.

Hope you are all having a great day and for those of you in the midst of all the storms, I'm praying that all of you, your family and friends, are able to stay safe and sound.

Today's outfit:
Jeans: Kohl's
Top: From my aunt
Pink Tank: Charlotte Russe
White Sandals: Target
Pink Necklace: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: Casual Thursday

It's Thursday and that means I can wear jeans! Except I didn't. Because I'm still on a hunt for the perfect pair of trouser jeans. I've tried Gap and Loft and a few other places and I still don't like how they fit me. I'll get there eventually.

I decided to wear a shirt I probably can't ever wear when my boss is here because of the embellished neckline - although it IS a solid color and it's technically NOT a necklace, she would consider this "bling" and want me to change if anyone came over.

I haven't worn this pink dress in a while, probably not since the last time I wore it during the Blogging for Breast Cancer Awareness challenge, so I figured I'd layer the tee on top, throw on a belt and call it an outfit.

And now I have to go get lots of work done. LOTS of work. I've been trying hard to catch up on blog posts but I've barely made a dent in my reader (I'm still so far behind!) and now I really need to focus on getting tons of things done at work.

Yay!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!!!

Pink Dress: Ross

Gray Tee: Plato's Closet
White Belt: Wal-Mart
Gray Pumps: Payless
Ring: Can't remember...

Daily MelWear: Monday Flowers

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers on Thursday! Driving through those storms and tornado watches was no fun at all, but we made it there and back in one piece! I do have some behind-the-scenes photos (they're not great, but they're photos), so I'm planning to put them together with some before pictures into a post with my weight-loss story.

Speaking of putting things together, I think I've decided on a name for my new professional spotlight feature! The first blogger to be featured will know what it is before anyone else, but the rest of you will have to wait until the first interview goes live. I'm getting a few more things put in place and then we should be ready to roll soon! I'm excited!

Just in case you couldn't tell from my outfit, my boss is out of town this week! She's at a conference, which gives us a little bit more liberty in attire. This is an outfit that I would have worn to work before all of our dress code discussions but now I think it's a little too casual for my boss's preference, so I saved it for a day when she isn't here and I won't see anyone other than the two girls that work with me. One of them is also bending the rules just a bit along with me.

How was your weekend? Tell me one thing about your weekend that makes you happy. GO!

Have a great day, everyone!

Today's outfit:
Skirt: Ross (actually a dress, seen in this interview here)
Black Tank: Kohl's
Black Cardigan: Kohl's
Black Sandals: Beall's
Turquoise Necklace: Beya

Daily MelWear: A New Direction

After the past week or two of my posts being a little more full of complaint rather than positivity, I've decided to take a new direction with today's post.

For a while I've been considering adding a new feature to A Working Mom's Closet of interviewing other bloggers to spread the love in the internetz. If the comments on yesterday's post are any indication, there is a HUGE variance among bloggers regarding what is appropriate, what is professional, and what is acceptable. I'd like to take these two things and combine them, interviewing bloggers whose lifestyles and/or careers call for professional attire at some time or another (even stay-at-home moms sometimes need to dress professionally, so this feature doesn't exclude anyone or any type of blogger). I want to hear what they think is appropriate, what restrictions they have (if any) in what they may wear, and I want to see their professional outfits.

What I need from all of YOU are suggestions for bloggers to interview! I know there are many of you out there that showcase professional outfits and I'm sure there are plenty more that I'm not aware of yet, not to mention those who don't really showcase those types of outfits but wear them...and I'm sure have opinions about professional attire as well! This is a great opportunity for me to find some new blogs, gain some additional professional inspiration and for me to share all of that with you!

To suggest a blogger, you can either send me an email at aworkingmomscloset at gmail.com or leave the link in the comments - and suggest yourself if you have some professional outfits and would like to be featured!

I'm excited about this!!!

And since today is jeans day in the office, I'm wearing jeans and SANDALS since I have some closed toe flats to slip on if anyone makes a surprise visit to our office. This top is another from my aunt, it's a petite small but still a little big (if the sleeve length is any indication!). Per my usual, I belted it! Belts make me happy. Very, very happy.

Hope you all have a great day and leave some comments to suggest yourself and/or other bloggers! Whee!

Today's outfit:
Jeans: Kohl's
Purple Top: From my aunt
Gold Belt: Charlotte Russe
Black Sandals: Beall's
Gold Necklace: Gift from ML

Daily MelWear: Leopard and Pearls

You guys are awesome, have I mentioned that lately? Thank you for the sweet comments about the pants in yesterday's post.

I am going to make it my mission now to find some perfectly fitting pants and jeans. All while looking for a new bathing suit, too. Sounds fun, right? Who wants to come with me? I promise I won't get too irritable. Okay I at least won't get violent. This time.

I almost didn't even take pictures of this outfit, and then I almost didn't post them. But I figured I might as well just be real and show you the outfits I'm not a big fan of and not just the ones I like.

Those of you that wear jeans so often, how on earth do you do it? I need some tips and pointers. Or maybe some better shirts to go with them.

Since it's jeans day at work, I decided to wear jeans. Originally I had on a different top, but it was too long to wear with jeans. So then I changed into this blueish grayish blouse. It's fairly shapeless but the material and color are pretty. The shapelessness is what got me though, and I started getting all sorts of frustrated trying to make it work for me. Finally I settled on the black cardigan with the gold belt. Added the leopard booties and pearl necklace just for kicks.

I'm still not quite happy with it; I'd be much more comfortable in a dress or skirt. But I really need to learn how to wear pants and jeans so I'm trying, and that's what's important, right? Yes.

If at first you don't succeed...go shopping? Or something.

Hope you have a great day! Tomorrow is Friday so that makes it a little better, right?

Today's outfit:

Jeans: Kohl's

Blouse: From my aunt
Cardigan: Ross
Belt: Charlotte Russe
Leopard Booties: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Ross
Ring: Forever 21

Daily MelWear: Outfit 30/30 - WE DID IT!!!

YOU GUYS! We finished the 30 for 30 challenge! Okay, some of you finished sooner and some of you still have a few more outfits to go, but YAY!

Now I have no idea what to wear tomorrow.

But in even better news, my tax return came yesterday JUST in time for this challenge to be over so I can go shopping!!!

I'm kidding. I'm not really going shopping. Well...I am, but just for that new camera. And I have to pick out a full size tripod and I need to figure out what kind of laptop I'm going to get. Hopefully I can find all of these things on Amazon so that I can just place one order and be done with it. If anyone would like to email me some links to check out for tripods and laptops, I'd appreciate your suggestions! My email is aworkingmomscloset at gmail.com.

Today WILL be a good day. I'm going to make it a good day. For my new readers who aren't as familiar with my life in the past few months (hi new friends!!!), I'll just quickly fill you in by saying that since around September, life has been a little rough. My husband and I divorced in December, and today would have been our 10 year anniversary. We're still very good friends and in fact, he wrote on my Facebook wall this morning to tell me not to let it make me sad and that he's grateful for more than 10 years of our friendship. I feel the same way.

And today also marks two months since my friend Jamie passed away from Leukemia. Some of you may have been wondering why I wear the orange bracelet every single day, and it's because I simply can't take it off yet. It's a Leukemia Awareness bracelet that I got at Jamie's memorial service. I'm just not ready to take it off.

Okay - WHEW! I'm telling you this because I really just want to be honest about who and what I am. Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes things get depressing. But our reaction to events and situations can determine how everything plays out and whether or not we're essentially happy.

So today, I choose to be happy. I choose to be grateful that I knew Jamie for the short time that I did, that I had the honor and priviledge of being touched by her amazing faith and that I was able to visit with her a few more times before she died. I continue to be blessed by her through reading the blog her father has started since her passing.

I'm grateful that I know my ex-husband, that we created such a beautiful, intelligent, funny and sweet, sweet-spirited little almost-four-year-old, that we are still the best of friends and that I can rely and depend on him every time I need him.

And I'm grateful that my tax return got here so I can get all the new junk I need!

I will make today a good day. How about you?

Today's outfit:
Purple Dress: Plato's Closet
Striped Shirt: Wal-Mart
White Belt: Wal-Mart
Leopard Flats: Target
Necklace: Can't remember
Ring: Forever 21 (um...I think)

Don't forget to enter the Shopbop Giveaway! Entries are accepted through Sunday night!

Daily MelWear: Satin and Lace

Typically I'm a skinny jeans kind of girl. However, here's a secret: I only own one pair of skinny jeans. And I wore those on Monday. And I haven't done laundry yet. So trouser jeans, it is!

I like jeans days at work.

I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to wear a blazer with jeans to the office, even though I've worn them that way before. Katy styled her jeans with a blazer earlier this week and I'm glad she did, because it reminded me!

AND it reminded me that I have this new blazer! I don't usually shop at Stein Mart, but my mom talked me into at least looking there and this blazer is the result. Yay! I love that it's not a full sleeve length, plus the lace detailing is so pretty. I decided to go with a purple tank underneath for some color (and because it's almost 80 degrees here today, so I didn't want anything warmer) and the leopard booties seemed like a good complement to everything else. Plus they make me feel super tall!

So...satin, lace, denim and leopard. Win?

Today's outfit:

Jeans: Kohl's

Purple Tank: Charlotte Russe
Black Blazer: Stein Mart
Leopard Booties: Charlotte Russe
Black Flower Ring: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Can't remember now!

Daily MelWear: Monday, Monday

Wow. I had a post all written out, ready to go, and Blogger just ate it. I'm annoyed. I don't have a whole lot of time to re-write everything, so I'm just going to recap as much as I can.

I had a great weekend with my daughter. We saw Tangled, went to dinner with friends, played at the mall, had ice cream and just spent lots of fun time together.

"They" keep saying it'll get easier, but it's still just as hard to say good-bye to her as it was the first time. And I still cry.

Sorry for not posting on Thursday (although I'm sure my absence wasn't all that noticeable!). I had an emergency come up and wasn't in the mood for taking outfit photos. The emergency also brought me to the conclusion that while I do really need a new laptop soon and a camera, I'm not going to be able to afford either one of those for a while. So I wait. And once I buy a card reader, I can hopefully borrow my dad's camera for the time being.

Our boss sent us a text last evening to let us know that we can wear jeans today if we don't have any errands to run at the main medical plaza.  Our errands will wait. :)

I only watched the first few minutes of the Golden Globes last night before I had to go to bed (I was exhausted!) so I missed most of it.

Tell me what your favorite joke/quote/comment was! And tell me about your weekend!!!

Today's outfit:

Skinny Jeans: Kohl's

Purple Tee: Target

Black Sweater: Plato's Closet

Gold Belt: Charlotte Russe

Leopard Flats: Target

Flower Ring: Forever 21

Turtle Earrings: Gift from my mother-in-law

Daily MelWear: To Be Cold and Rainy

So yesterday was warm and rainy, now today is cold and rainy. Isn't this supposed to be the Sunshine State?

Thank you all so much for the jokes and comments yesterday! Some of them really did make me laugh out loud (or at least smirk!). I tried to reply to those of you that have an email attached to your sign-in but if Blogger showed a "no-reply" address, I couldn't. I just want to let you know how much I appreciate it and if you have any more jokes, or even just funny stories, spill 'em!

Some of you have been asking about my new job. I LOVE it. Sure, there are some things that aren't fantastic but for the most part, I am SO much happier and I'm enjoying the work and the environment and I'm excited. So yay!

I just wanted to ask for you all to please remember to keep Jamie's family and friends in prayer. They are having another service for her and the interment in her hometown in Alabama tomorrow.

Today is Jeans Day at work. On Thursdays, we get to wear jeans for $1. We take the money at the end of the year and either buy things for charities or donate the money itself. I love that idea.

And now I feel like I'm just looking for something to write about so instead of babbling and taking more time out of your day, I'll just say that I hope you have a great day!

Today's outfit:
Skinny Jeans: Kohl's
Purple Tee: Target
Brown Sweater: Plato's Closet
Leopard Flats: Target
Necklace: Gift from ML