Summer favorites

This little Dooney&Bourke bag was a life saver this summer. My arm still gives me trouble from time to time and there are some days I can't carry a large bag on my shoulder. This was a gift from a friend for my birthday and I love it! 

I'm still interested in trying the Clarisonic but my Mary Kay skinvigorate has been great to use!! 

This extra large hearing pad has been another life saver. I suffer from severe back pain at times and sometime this is the only thing that saves it and..... it covers my entire back!! 

I wore this JustFab bag to death over the summer. It's a nice size but its not so large that I can stuff it full of stuff! Which if you know me i could! lol 

Without a doubt my favorite book over the summer was the YaYa Prayer Group series by Neta Jackson. 

The Tone body wash and the Lubriderm lotion have been favorites all summer. I have been having issues with dry patchy skin and the Lubriderm lotion is the only thing that seems to help heal it. 

I picked up this set from Catos around Easter. I love that you can wear it dressed up or dressed down! I've worn it with dresses and jeans. 

Speaking of Dresses!!! I wore way more dresses this summer then I've worn in a while. I loved this one soo much I picked it up in two colors. lol 

My daughter said this looks like a kids changing pad. It's not! lol But if your a 50 year old women you will appreciate having a chill pad in your pillow. This thing doesn't have to be refrigerated either. It just rechills itself after about five hrs! So at night when I get hot I am resting my head on a cold pillow. It's like heaven!!! lol Nicki got it from a friend.

Lastly I really love the Coconut Lime Breeze bath and body set I got for my birthday and I love, love my spa robe from Target. I just wish I could get refills of the body wash. 

I can't believe summer is coming to end. Anyone else besides me feel like this year has flown by? I mean there are already Christmas stuff up!! At the moment I can't even think that far ahead!! 

Conference Attire

The conference was as close as I was going to get to a vacation this year so the moment I found out I would be going I started planning what I would wear. Knowing Marc would not be of much help because lets face it men don't usually notice what type of attire women wear (well Marc doesn't unless they are wearing something crazy...lol) I checked with my mom to see if I needed to dress up or not. Based on what she told me it just depended on what you wanted to do and since I was more concerned with being comfortable rather then trying to impress people this is what I went with!

Ironically the outfit I wore on Sunday to go register was taken from my mom's closet when she started to decide what to take to the conference. This dress was soo comfortable and the added benefits was that it had pockets (which I love on dresses because I never know where to put my hands).

The blue stripe dress is from Sam's Club! And I loved it so much I went back and got it in green a few weeks after I picked up this one for my birthday. The Purse is from JustFab and the shoes are from Payless and are at least ten or 15 years old! The jewelry was from my birthday haul and the watch is from last years anniversary trip to Florida.

Each year I make a wish list for the following year and last year I knew I wanted a black and white Maxi skirt. I just didn't want to pay the prices that I was seeing for them. Then one day I walked in Roses (which is a discount store here) and saw one for $12.00. I picked it up as soon as I got birthday money. The sandals and jewelry have all been in my collection for more years then I can count. The jacket (which I knew immediately I wanted to wear with this skirt) is from Dress Barn and the black t-shirt is from Sam's. They have a basic line of t-shirts that I just love (so much so that I have the same shirt in white, gray and navy stripe). The purse which is kind of hard to see in this picture is from ...you guessed it. JustFab. I swear they need to sponsor me. LOL

This dress is cute but just a tad to short for my taste once I put it on anyway. I may need a kerchief to put around my legs in order to wear this one again. My sandals are Kenneth Kole and the bag (no its not from JustFab) is from an outlet in Florida. I picked up the necklace a while back at KandG for like $6.00! 

I love the colors in this dress. Picked it up as well as the jean dress from Roses for $15.00 each! You can't beat that with a stick! Unfortunately by the end of the week my feet and ankles were swollen from all of the walking and I had to break down and go to Payless and get a more comfortable pair of sandals with more support. I also abandoned my regular purse for my small Dooney and Bourke satchel a friend gave me for my birthday. 

With the exception of a pair of new sunglasses and the new dresses that was the only things I have added to my wardrobe this summer. My wardrobe choices probably wouldn't make it into a magazine but they work for me and at 50 yrs old that's all that really matters to me anyway. LOL

My View From The Pew

I decided to revise my "View From The Pew" photos (basically a glimpse at my outfits of the day when I'm at church) on my Instagram. Thought I might as well post them all at the end of the month here on my blog! My Sunday Best post probably won't start back up until this crazy weather changes! I couldn't believe it when some if my friends posted they were getting snow in Northern VA and DC! All we've gotten is rain and more rain!! Next up will be my monthly Ministry wrap up!

Spring Has Sprung!

At least in my closet!! lol

I'm on a dress kick!

My first accessories of the season.

I've become obsessed with Statement necklaces.

Been on the look out for a jean dress and a striped nautical dress.

Yep, and more statement necklaces! LOL

February Favorites

I wasn't sure I would get my monthly favorites up. But here it goes....

I kind of laid off my Bath and Bodyworks shower gels and lotions this winter. My skin tends to get very dry and I usually have to lather on the Lubriderm lotion. The last few months I have been picking up the Caress shower gels at Target and I have to say the Tahitian Renewal is one of my favorites. 

I've also been using my Skinvigorate from Mary Kay (a gift from hubby at Christmas). I can't compare it to the more expensive Clarisonic but so far I have been loving it. But as many of you may know I have been a tried and true Mary Kay customer for more then 20 years and I have yet to find anything to complain about! 

I usually get the coconut Blue Magic for my hair but for some reason last month I picked up the Super sure gro version this time. I love the little beads in it (its a mixture of shea butter, jojobi oil and japanese green tea leaves). Not sure about the growth part but its kept my scalp from getting itchy and dry (another product of the harsh winter we have had). 

I wore way more make-up in February then I did in January. Nicki and I both wanted to try out Its Judy's Times pallet but I ended up being the one that kept it. 

I'm really surprised how much I have liked the Elf Tinted Moisturizer (with SPF 20). Its not to heavy but it gives me just enough coverage to even out my skin tone. Right now I am using Sand. I could probably go a bit darker but I didn't notice enough of a difference in the coloring in the natural light to warrant switching.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like the combination of pop beauty's lip gloss (peony petal) with my be a bomb lip crayon (shameless). I've been wearing the two constantly since I got the lip gloss in my February glam bag.

I received another Zoya nail polish last month from ipsy but I keep going back to Neve! If anyone had told me a year ago that I would have loved a polish color this dark on my nails I would have laughed. I just can't seem to get enough of this purple/blue color and I am totally a Zoya nail lover now! LOL

Lastly I didn't think I would like the City Color Be Matte Blush (Fresh Melon) until I actually put it on and blended it into my skin. And I have to say I love it!!!! Its a bit chalky when you first apply it but once you blend it in it looked really good on my skin color!

My favorite jewelry pieces have been my gold watch I picked on vacation last summer in Florida, along with some spike bracelets from Forever 21 and this initial necklace from Walmart of all places!

I've been toting this Just Fab bag around for almost the entire month of February and I'm finding it hard to part from it now that its March. If you missed it I did an updated "What's In My Bag" review last week.

I seem to live in jeans now which is funny because it took me a long time to get into wearing them. I never found any that were that comfortable until I stumbled upon the Faded Glory brand at Walmart. They have a elastic waist and are the skinny jeans with the stretchy material. Last month I picked up two tops from Jones New York at Sam's Club. I don't think I paid more then $8.00 each!

I love this Aqua sweater from New York and Company that my daughter Quisha gave me for Christmas and I have been pairing it with a Worthington animal print blouse from JCPenneys.

If I'm not in my rain boots or my Converse tennis shoes I have been in my "riding" boots from Merona at Target. I really like the look of them but I wouldn't recommend them if you are looking for boots for long term. The bottom of my soles are torn and the boots themselves scuff up easily. The good thing is that they are very comfortable to walk in.

I've just about finished with my Cranberry Pear Belinni candle from Bath and Bodyworks. 

I have never been a jelly bean girl until Marc introduced me to Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans and now I can't get enough of them! 

I just recently finished reading Gideon's Sword and I was surprised at how much enjoyed it. I believe there are more in this series so I may have to look into a few more books.

Nicki and I have been sharing the Earl Bynum Mount Unity Choir cd and we have basically worn it out just because its just that good! A few of my friends attend church there and one of my friends actually sings with the choir. They recently won a Stella award for their work.

Next up will be my Ipsy March bag reveal!

What's in My Bag!

A few weeks ago I ordered another set of bags from JustFab! And before you say it I already know I have a bag obsession. Not to mention the fact that I ordered two bags back in November. But once again I was able to get two for $39.95. I'm sorry I just could not pass that one by. LOL

I wore this bag for a few days but I really want to find some shoes (or boots) to go with them.

I had been eyeing this black bag for a while because it reminded me of a designer bag I saw Kloe Khardashian sporting. And since we all know that I don't have (or would ever spend) the money on an expensive designer bag this looked like a great alternative. Now I'm usually a big bag girl but both of these bags are midsized and are just large enough to carry all my stuff but not so large that they will dislocate my shoulder. And I'm the last person who needs to deal with another shoulder issue. Just sayin!

I picked this wallet up last summer on my Anniversary trip to Orlando. I really love this style wallet but again I'm not going to pay designer prices for anything so I was ecstatic when the lady offered it to me at a great discount with the other two bags I purchased ( I told you I was slightly obsessed). 

This is my manicure kit from Walmart which I must say has come in handy on several occasions. And to think I only brought it to keep Marc from asking me for nail clippers every time we were out.

Does anyone else lose ear plugs as much as I do? This is like my 5th pair. But don't tell Marc. LOL

My sunglasses case. 

I love the little bear from Bath and Bodyworks.

My electronics bag. It holds my charges, my glass cleaners and cloth and my USB drive.

This little cutie holds my coupons. Which mostly consist of Bath and Bodyworks coupons. HAHA I also have a notepad and a pen in it.

My Ipsy bag from a few months ago which holds a few extra lip products, a mirror, some bandaids and a mini lotion.

My meds.

A fan because sista girl is always hot! LOL

Some people love shoes, some like jewelry, some like make-up, and some like clothing. I happen to love all things fashion, but especially handbags. LOL So what is your obsession?

OOTD Day 3

Monday morning we hit every outlet/flea market Marc could find..which was partly why this trip was a non Disney trip. I'm married to one of those rare men who likes to shop!! So for years he's dreamed of just chilling in Florida for a week, shopping and eating. And believe it or not there are some great places to do all of that in Orlando!! Go figure!!!

Tuesday we hit the outlets, including my favorite Disney Outlet ( I plan to post my Disney haul on my Disney travel blog, but I may share a few of my other purchases here).

I wore this dress ( picked it up from Roses this spring for $7.50) the morning of our anniversary. Its not my favorite dress but its great for just strolling around the outlets. I didn't take any shots of my accessories though!!! I think I was soo excited about dinner at Ohana's that evening that I forgot!! I wore many of the pieces from my Bass Shoe haul last year (yes, Bass Shoes sells jewelry)! The silver sandals and the watch are both from Roses. 

I changed that evening for dinner into one of my maxi dresses I purchased last year from Roses. Kept the same accessories but switched out my JCPenneys purse for my plaid Tommy Hilfiger bag! 

My OOTD!!!

I thought I would post my Outfits of the Day in coordination with my trip reports (don't ask me how but somehow I posted Day 2 before my pre-trip outfit and I don't know how to fix it without deleting and starting all over...umm yeah, not doing that) that are on my "travel" blog. I usually post everything I take but this time I decided to share what I actually wore!!! Several outfits never even made it out of the bag. Not surprising since I tend to over pack but also because I did a little shopping along ( upcoming vacation haul to come) the way and Marc surprised me with a few pre-anniversary gifts!

Pants and top from HSN!

The love bracelet is from Burlington Coat factory and is part of my Easter Haul. The sparkly bracelet is from Roses ( I have one to my girls as well for Christmas) and the plain beaded one I've had so long I don't even remember where it came from! 

The shoes are from Burlington as well. Nicki and I each picked up a pair way back last November. I figured they will probably as close as I will ever get to the look of a "Tory Burch" pair! lol The necklace below is a gift from Nicki from Forever21. She says jewelry and accessories are the only thing I'm allowed to purchase at this store unless she's with me to approve in advance! lol 

This was my travel outfit to Richmond! It's also one of the surprises from Marc before we left for the trip. He surprised me with two outfits from the Home Shopping Network a few days before our trip! He said it was an early Anniversary gift that he thought I might want to wear on vacation. I mean how do you not love a man like that? 

I wore my navy stretch leggings from Walmart ( these jeans are COMFORTABLE and I'm kicking myself for not picking up more of them when they came out again this spring) on our travels the next morning to Savannah. Paired them up with my top designed by Beyonce's mom ( this particular line is sold in Walmart), and my comfortable flats that I wore the day before. I kept my accessories low key...only wearing my rosé gold watch from Roses ($5.00) along with some wooden stretch bracelets I've had like forever!!!