MEMORIAL DAY HAPPENINGS

Happy Memorial Day and many thanks to those that have served our country! Trying to keep that in mind as I enjoy a peaceful day of yard work and grilling. Many lives lost along the way and many lives changed forever.




Today I finished reading my new book and it was a pleasure! I tore through it at lightening speed! That is easy to do when the book is written by one of your style icons. Rachel Zoe is definitely someone whose fashion sense I admire and totally understand! Her life would be a dream to me: start out low in the ranks, work your way up all the while building great relationships with those in the fashion world, become a top stylist and finally... have your own clothing line! Ahh...  Well, her story doesn't end there, having quite a few more accomplishments and probably many more to come, but you get the picture. 

Anyways...  here are some recent looks!

This cute, comfortable and chic dress by Banana Republic was snagged off the clearance section by yours truly (and my sister, Holly) for some ridiculously awesome price! Below $20 if I remember correctly! I've said it before and I will say it again: Banana Republic has AWESOME sales and AWESOME clearance racks. And when the two join.... you can hear the fashion bargain angels sing... it's glorious.

Some subtle gold accents add just the right pop, especially when some gold Stella & Dot is added in. The Rebel Pendant is a staple S&D piece of mine, as well as the Christina Link Bracelet. It is also a rare finding that I don't have on my Stackable Deco Rings either. These are so beautiful, the right amount of sparkle and they compliment my wedding set very well.

I spy the hubs, patiently waiting for me to finish taking selfies... God bless that man :)

This next look is a favorite of mine from Forever 21. Flowy and sheer maxi dress with a sewn in slip. Not gonna lie, when I originally purchased this dress the slip was so short that I felt uncomfortable even with the sheer maxi top layer. No problem! For a few more dollars my local seamstress added some extra inches of material to make me comfortable. It is truly amazing how inexpensive minor alterations can be and they make a world of a difference! If you aren't comfortable in a piece of clothing and not willing to go to a seamstress, do not buy it! I promise you you will not wear it, and this comes from personal experience. Too many times in the past (before I learned to love my seamstress) I would buy items thinking, "oh it will be fine... I'll wear it". Nope. If I could get back those items I got rid of after they sat in my closet for years I would run straight to my seamstress with my arms full and say, "tweak this, fix that!".

The Rory Necklace by Stella & Dot is SO fab! Just exquisite! The teal is to die for and instantly upgrades any outfit.

Hope you had a nice Memorial Day, too!

Time to catch up on some shows and chill with the hubs. I gotta be sweet to him, with all those selfies he puts up with... :)


xoxo MaryBeth

LATE WEEKEND RECAP

Happy Hump Day! The hubs' birthday weekend ended up being a slam dunk, thanks to my parents! They surprised me with a little something extra!

Two of my siblings, my sister-in-law and my niece and nephew! I balled my eyes out! Such an amazing surprise and such a super fun weekend!!

It included: Food
-Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots and green beans by yours truly  

Drinks
-One drop of food dye per glass. So fun!

Twerking... or farting, it's debatable 
-hahahaha

Birthday desserts
-German Chocolate cake, pineapple upside down cake and frozen yogurt

Snuggles
-Baby Violette :)

and leftovers!

Oh, and a little fashion ;)   Stella & Dot necklace and crazy clearance steal sweater from Banana Republic. Love!

-Sorry for the blurry pic, its all I had. I was too excited/happy/occupied by my visitors :)

Comment below for recipe deets.


Tomorrow I'll fill you in on another collaboration coming your way!!


xoxo MaryBeth

BANANA REPUBLIC BOMBSHELLS

Let's try this again... was 90% done with this post when it disappeared... $%^#

Nice Saturday mornings consist of breakfast, coffee and blogging... in my book at least. The hubs is running in a 10k race this morning while I am holding the fort down at home. This race is one of many events that take place leading up to.... DERBY! If you have never come to Louisville and attended Derby before then you need to.

Last night...

This morning.... amazing what makeup can do , Ladies!

Last night's plans didn't pan out exactly as intended, but we did end up having a late dinner to celebrate the hubs' recent promotion. Yay, so proud! I rocked this sweater tank and shimmery trumpet skirt, both from Banana Republic. The sweater tank was a whopping $5 and the skirt was $8. SWEAR. BR not only has beautiful and well crafted clothing but they also have an amazing clearance section with additional mark downs all.the.time. Yes, not everything I own is from Forever 21 ;)

I found the skirt on BR's website here. I'll pat myself on the back because this bad boy was originally $98. SCORE! Online it is listed at $29 and although I do think this skirt is worth that, if you have a BR close by I think it would be worth stopping in to see if you could snag it for the killer price I got!

It is hard to see in the other pics, but the sweater tank has threads of silver throughout, perfectly complimenting the skirt. I actually got the sweater tank months ago and when I found this skirt the other day it was like a match made in fashion heaven! 

Notice a trend: Somervell Necklace by Stella & Dot. When you find a piece of jewelry this beautiful and versatile you can't help it! I'm in love and wear it all.the.time.

#sorryimnotsorry (insert Jimmy Fallon and JT hand motions here)

To get my waves I used this awesome waver by CHI. Every now and then ULTA will send out 20% off entire purchase coupons so, if you have time to wait and don't want to shell out the cash for this bad boy then sign up for coupons on their website! Totally worth the investment though. CHI products are AH-mazing.

Another repeat offender that I am not sorry about: Amelie Sparkle Bracelet by Stella & Dot. Love!

I'm working on better lighting and clarity of my full length photos so bear with me please!
(I am a nerd and looked up the proper use of that phrase and the words bare/bear, and I got it right. No, I do not want you to get naked with me, I want you to tolerate me. Ha!)

And another S&D staple of mine, the Aurora Cocktail Ring. Now this ring, oh this ring... stunning basically!

Topped everything off with my lovely faux leather jacket from Forever 21. Bad ass in my opinion. Also warm and comfy!

Time to get my workout on!

xoxo MaryBeth

HOLIDAY STYLE FILE

Christmas is so close I can taste it!! Ahhh I just love this time of year, not only because it is full of all things warm and cozy but because there are endless opportunities to dress to the occasion. Here are some of my looks from the past weekend. 

This amazing romper is by BCBG and I scored it during my family's recent annual pre-Christmas shopping extravaganza in good 'ol Branson, MO. Paired with Stella & Dot jewelry, black tights and matching heels by Lauren Conrad for Kohl's (which I got for $23... score!).

This dress is another great deal I got at the BCBG outlet and it is so beautiful and extremely comfortable. The hubs and I went to see The Nutcracker so I felt it was a good opportunity to get dressed up and have a glamorous night on the town! 

Ok, those heels. I don't even know if there are words to explain how freaking bad-ass these are. I mentioned them here, and they are from Charlotte Russe, available NOW! They also come in a mauve-ish red-ish color. I LOVE THEM!

And to finish the look I had a simple black clutch, the Somervell Necklace by Stella & Dot and my beloved Michael Kors black coat. Ahhh, love. The Somervell Necklace is probably one of my absolute favorite pieces, ever, by S&D. It is so glam! But, it can also be paired with a very casual outfit, as you will see next!

Before our Italian pre-ballet dinner.   :)

Waiting for the ballet to start. SUCH a great show! I highly recommend The Nutcracker to anyone. The hubs even likes it (shhh... don't tell anyone!).

Bling bling necklace with a casual outfit? Umm...YES! So fun and definitely not stuffy!

Fab vest from Target with detachable hood (featured in one of my Splurge v Steal posts), Target flannel, Banana Republic clearanced sweater from our shopping trip and Charlotte Russe denim. Love!

And lastly, my look today. Banana Republic sweater steal from last year's Branson trip, pink skinny jeans from TJ Maxx and knock off Sperrys from Kohl's by Croft & Barrow. Love!

Pink pants and boat shoes in December? Why not! Hey, at least I have a sweater on!

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!!

xoxo MaryBeth

WEEKEND HAPPENINGS

Happy Sunday! This weekend was full of holiday festivities: Girl's dinner and the hubs' work holiday get together! 

My friend who hosted went all out! These are the cutest cupcakes ever! I had to take a pic, and luckily they all don't mind my iPhone stalking :)

And these wine bottles are just beyond!

And she even hand decorated our wine glasses!

All the ornaments that were brought for the blind exchange! I ended up winning the sparkly one on the top right. So pretty!

Group shot!

Now on to the fashion! The other weekend my family took our annual trip to Branson, MO for some holiday shopping. The outlets there are amazing and Banana Republic is always a grand slam. This fabulous cardigan and tank were a major score of mine. Got them for next to nothing! Add some Stella & Dot bling and you're set! 

Stella & Dot
Somerveil Necklace

Stella & Dot
Christina Link Bracelet

Stella & Dot
Somerveil Necklace

I love Versona! They have so many fabulous accessories and this beautiful hair clip was one that I could not pass up! It actually came with two of them, score! Beautiful, elegant, timeless and inexpensive!

After my long day at work Saturday the hubs and I decided to make a fire. We actually had yet to burn one in the house so this was the official first fire, ever! Even though a fire place was one of my requirements wishes when we were looking at houses, we just never got around to lighting one because we had planned on getting gas logs. Well, the real deal fire is so comforting and cozy that I honestly don't think I want gas logs anymore!!  

Charlie and Winston were very intrigued!

Moving on to some eats.... coffee has been and will always be one of my favorite drinks! Especially in a festive mug :)

Before: apple, 1/2 c oats, cinnamon, peanut butter and stevia.

After: add some water, dice up the apple and microwave for 45 seconds, stir and then cook another 45 seconds. Viola! 

And last, but certainly not least, holiday CLIF bars! Good stuff!

xoxo MaryBeth