Favorite of the Week!

Another link-up I like to do on Mondays is Favorite of the Week hosted by Everything According to Erin. 

Since it is still (technically!) Monday, here we go with a favorite of mine!

I got this adorable scarf from Target just the other day and I LOVE IT! It is so soft, cozy and comfortable! It is the perfect length to wrap around your neck, and yes, it is the same scarf I featured in this post! :) 

I had another black scarf that went missing about a month ago. Sad! I have looked EVERYWHERE for that scarf and finally decided it must just be out there somewhere in the wilds of Virginia...(hah--that's a joke-- I live in Northern VA, which could not be more suburban if it tried.... :) )

Since black is an essential part of my wardrobe, I decided to buy this one and I'm so glad I did!

And the best part was that it was only $14.99! Whoo hoo!! You can buy it here if you are interested! 

(And no, Target definitely did not pay me anything to say how much I like this scarf. I'm pretty sure they don't know that my blog exists, haha...)

I could go on and on about how much I love it--I know I will be wearing it all the time! :)

Make It My Own Monday!

I love Make it My Own Monday put on by Holly and Chelsea.

Once again, I searched through Pinterest for a cute outfit to wear today!

 

This picture was my inspiration:

Fredia via Pinterest

Simple, yet classy and cute!

And here is my version of this outfit: 

The scarf is my favorite part! It is so soft and comfy!

This outfit is much more casual than I would normally wear on a Monday because today was a teacher workday and we were allowed to work from home!! Whoooo!! It was such a great day! :)

This is me: happy to be working at home!!

Per my doctor's orders, tomorrow I can FINALLY go back to wearing contacts and makeup! YES!

I love Make It My Own Mondays--it definitely makes me think of creative new ways to wear my clothes! :)

Running

Running is a hobby that I've taken up fairly recently. I started a running program (Couch to 5K) over the summer but had to stop in August when I had a surgical procedure on my leg and had stitches for 3 weeks. It took my leg some time to fully heal and then I got busy with the beginning of school....

Around October/November-ish, I started running again because I was planning on running my first 5K with some of my friends. Wellll, about 5 days before the race, I had severe pains in my stomach (or possibly my gallbladder--it is still a mystery...) and my doctor put me on a liquid diet for a week, and I knew there was no way I could run with so little nourishment in me..:( Sad! I was so disappointed!

Well, a few weeks ago I heard about race Love The Run You Are With which sounds totally fun and convinced my friend Brittany to run it with me! I'm super excited! It will be my first "official" race! And we're also really excited for the soft fleece blanket that we get as souvenirs, haha! :)

Today I ran (and occasionally walked) 2 miles and it felt great! Okay, actually it was freezing and my legs were killing me by the end, but I pushed through it and I'm glad I did! It is hard sometimes to find the motivation, especially during the work week, but now that I have a goal (run the 5K) and a deadline (February 12), I know I'll be able to push myself harder each day! I've found some quotes on Pinterest that have helped me keep my goal in mind! 

Healthy Girl via Jenny via Pinterest

Jenny via Pinterest

Friday's Fancies: Blog Swap!

I'm very excited about Long Distance Loving's Friday's Fancies,  Blog Swap style! Today I will be swapping blogs with Ashley from the blog Styleash. I had a lot of fun doing this swap and I'm so glad I got partnered with Ashley! :)

 

Hi! I'm Ashley from the blog styleash & I'm so excited to be doing one of my first guest posts on Erin's lovely blog! I live in Chicago and work for a retailer doing Merchandising. Fashion and shopping have always been a huge source of joy in my life so I decided to turn it into a blog earlier in November. Erin and I decided to showcase two outfits for Friday's Fancies this week: a winter look (since it's freezing still) and a spring look (since there are way too many cute things out right now). I hope you enjoy what I put together: 

Winter Look: jeans // sweater // bag // booties // earrings

Spring Look : dress // denim jacket // wedges // tote // necklace

For my winter look I went with a pair of colored skinny jeans and a chunky knit sweater. I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect pair & am still trying decide if I want a dark pair or a light color for spring. I paired them with chunky Michael Kors boots (that are on sale!) and added some texture with a suede handbag. I keep my jewelry fairly minimal so a pair of hammered gold earrings does the trick for my winter wardrobe. As for my spring look, I fell in love with that bright red dress and think it would be great to pair with a denim jacket for spring. I really like the mix of feminine & masculine and I think that does the trick. Add in a beautiful burlap wedge and a patterned tote and you're all set for a day of shopping or a happy hour with friends. 

Thanks so much for having me, Erin! And I hope you all will stop by my blog & say "Hi" some time! 

xx

Pinteresting Wednesday! :)

I'm linking up with Michelle on The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesdays!

1.) I love this dress! So classic and cheerful! It gives me hope that spring and summer will be coming soon (wellll, soon-ish, it is still January after all...haha)

Outblush via Hope via Pinterest

2.) WOW! I want this closet! Unbelievable!!!!

Elson Lee via Michelle via Pinterest

3.) These might be the cutest cakes EVER! I LOVE them! 

Cakes Haute Couture via Heather via Pinterest

4.) Try to remind myself of this all the time...

Spiritually Speaking via Maris via Pinterest

5.) LOVE this nail design! I'm going to try it this weekend! :)

Chloe's Nails via Patti via Pinterest

6.) Oooh, these are so fun! I love zebra stripes!

Wanelo via Christine via Pinterest

7.) Umm, I had to laugh when I saw this because I totally do it! Especially if no one else is home...haha..please tell me I'm not the only one!

Piccsy via Todd via Pinterest

Happy Wednesday and Happy Pinning! :)

Make It My Own Monday!

Today is Make it My Own Monday---linking up with Holly at Running in Stilettos and Chelsea at Hello Miss Chelsea! Yay!

I love this link-up! I love finding an outfit on Pinterest to make my own! So fun!

This is the picture I found: 

 Shade Clothing via Anita via Pinterest

I love pink, black and black boots so this was a fairly easy one to recreate! :)

Taking a picture of yourself with an Iphone? Not so much! Here are a few ridiculous out-takes......

Hmm, this would work if you wanted to just see the top of my head, haha!

 

 

 

Yeahhh, kind of look like Casper the Ghost in this one! Lol!

A little better but still not the best shot... :-/

At this point, I'm thinking "Ok, this is ridiculous, what can I do?"

Then, it hits me....HELLO! My younger sister is in her room about 3 feet away from mine. I can go ask her to take a picture for me! Not sure why it took me about 15 minutes to think of that...I must be really tired, haha....

That's better! :)

Dress: Forever 21

Tights: Alloy (they are super soft--totally recommend them!)

Scarf: Old Navy

Boots: Nordstrom

I love Make it My Own Mondays! :)

7 Pretty Things....That Sparkle!

Oooh, I found this new fun link-up with Much Love Illy,  Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, and The Letter 4 called 7 Pretty Things on Sunday. Since I love pretty things (and Sundays for that matter), I definitely wanted to participate!

Since I absolutely LOVE anything that sparkles, I found 7 pretty things I love with sparkles!

1.) I love this dress---so cute and I love the cut in the sleeve. Black sparkles are so pretty!

Dillards via Melissa via Pinterest

2.) This handbag is so adorable! And it would look perfect with the dress above!

Skinny Sticks via Libby via Pinterest

3.) I love nail polish that sparkles! I must look for one like this!

 Jordan  via  Pinterest

4.) I LOVE this pillow!

 West Elm via Sarah via Pinterest

5.) This sparkly clutch is so cute--and I love the bow!

Pretty Stuff via Amy via Pinterest 

6.) Love these shoes---totally couldn't wear them to work, but they'd be perfect for a night out!

Piper Lime via Virginia via Pinterest 

7.) Ooh--love this skirt!

Express via Rayna via Pinterest 

Friday's Fancies: Pinterest Inspired!

I'm linking up with Long Distance Loving for another 

fabulous Friday Fancies! This week's theme was to find an outfit 

you were inspired by! Well, needless to say, my Pinterest obsession 

is nearly out of control, haha, so it didn't take me long to find an 

outfit on there that I totally loved!!! So here is the outfit I found on

Pinterest:

 Beth  via  Pinterest

And here is the outfit I created! 
I love pink and black together! :) 

Pinterest-Inspired! by eraff1483

 

1.) I adore black-striped shirts! I actually have a very similar one from J.Crew!

Dorothy Perkins stripe shirt
$12 - dorothyperkins.com






2.) I also LOVE 7 for all mankind jeans! I have a pair and they are one of my favorite jeans! They fit so well and are so cute!  

7 for all mankind jeans
$189 - 7forallmankind.com






3.) Sometimes I pretend that Michael Kors did not recently marry his long-time boyfriend and that it is just a matter of time before we will meet. I love him and his shoes soooo much! 

MICHAEL Michael Kors ballet shoes
$190 - my-wardrobe.com






4.) This Coach purse is adorable! I love the color--pink and silver is a cute combination!

COACH tote handbag
$228 - lordandtaylor.com






5.) Love these fun diamond studs!

White gold earrings
$250 - jcpenney.com






6.) If I did not constantly and without fail break sunglasses, I might actually invest in a pair like this! 

D&G gradient sunglasses
$135 - couture.zappos.com






7.) I love pink! I love scarves! :)

Pieces pink scarve
€20 - welikefashion.com






8.) This is a pretty pin---wouldn't it look cute to keep the pink scarf closed? :)

Leger Rose Gold Dogwood Pin

$325 - alexisbittar.com

Kids are funny....

The past few weeks since we have returned to school from Winter Break have been full of hilarious/ridiculous moments in my classroom! Here are a few of my favorite examples (some of these are from today alone!):

- Overheard last Friday 

   Girl 1: "What are you doing this weekend?"

   Girl 2: "I'm not really sure, but I think I might write a vampire novel.."

Haha! Well, I do love her ambition! :)

- Having to ask the class, "Who wrote 'Peanut Butter Jelly Time' on our Learning Objective poster?"

- Having to answer the question from a student: "Am I allowed to meditate in the classroom?" without laughing!

- Having this class discussion: 

My instructional assistant: "What would be a good type of fabric to wear in cold weather? I'll give you a hint, it starts with the letter F."  Student: "Feathers?" 

HAHAHA! Um, that is not even a type of fabric and who wears feathers? 

(My assistant and I were trying to get them to think about FLEECE, since many of them still insist on wearing t-shirts even though it is FREEZING outside! The wind chill has been below 30 degrees all week! Ugh!)

--- Helping a student clean out his desk and finding an assignment from the THIRD week of school that all along he insisted he had already turned in and that I had "lost" it. 

--- Trying to explain to the kids why we weren't taking the Bolt Bus (a charter bus company) for our field trip into DC tomorrow (only about a 20-30 minute ride), and one kid said "Aw man, no free Wi-Fi!"  Seriously, who are these kids?? Hahaha! 

That's when I had to break the news that there would be NO electronics on the bus anyway so it didn't matter that there wouldn't be free Wi-Fi...

-- At the end of the day today, one student said "I'm SO glad today is Friday!" And two others said, "Yeah, me too!!" That's when I had to remind them that today was, in fact, Thursday....I do hate having to be the bearer of bad news! :( 


My kiddos certainly make life interesting! 

Courtney  via Pinterest

Pinterest Wednesdays!

Today I am linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting Wednesdays!

 I look so forward to these Pinterest Wednesdays! I love finding cute pins and seeing what everyone else finds too! I know I waste SO much time on Pinterest, but oh well! It's relaxing and fun! :)

1.) I LOVE this dress! The ruffles are soo pretty!

Eshakti via The Perfect Palette via Pinterest

2.) What a cute day organizer! I think I would be way more organized if I used something like this!

Life's A Journal via Jenny via Pinterest

3.) I love this family tree! What a cute idea!! I'd have to hire someone to paint the tree though, haha....

Wanelo via Rachel via Pinterest

 4.) I absolutely adore this ring! The bow is beyond cute!

  

Nordstrom via Liz via Pinterest

5.) Umm, if I ever have a daughter this will SO be a Halloween outfit! How much cuter can you possibly get?

Etsy via Mallory via Pinterest

6.) HAHA! I laughed out loud when I saw this one! Luckily, I was alone in the room, so I didn't get any strange looks... :)

Now That's Funny Stuff  via Lisa via Pinterest