Weekend Style: Date Night Look + Momiform

This dress is probably going to be my new go-to for date nights. It's just so easy and fun! This silhouette is also very flattering - feminine without being clingy. And these shoes - LOVE. You guys probably remember a pair similar to these with a smaller heel. Well, I broke the heel on one and have been putting off getting them fixed. But then I found these. The wider heel makes them more comfortable to walk in and the faux suede makes them so classy. I've worn them to work now twice and can tell you that they're comfortable, although like most heels the balls of my feet start to throb the longer I'm on them.

Details:
Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: Target

You hear people talk about momiforms. Well, this is mine. I wore this on a brief shopping trip, to lunch and dinner, and the park. This outfit is easily taken into fall by swapping out my sandals for ankle boots and adding a jacket. Easy peasy.

Details:
Shirt: Walmart
Jeans: old Aeropostale (similar, similar)
Shoes: ShoeDazzle

Monday Motivation

When in doubt, just follow these steps to success.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: Dress Remix + Sick Day

Sorry for another extremely late post. It was a really rough week, and to be honest, sleep was way more important than this post...

You may remember this dress from several weeks ago. You know back when mistakenly I paired it with black accessories. This time I chose an olive green jacket and my new ankle boots. It may not be feeling any cooler here in South Alabama, but I can at least think about fall with this outfit.

Details:
Dress: Wet Seal similar
Jacket: old Maurice's (similar)
Boots: ShoeDazzle

When's the last time you worked even though you weren't 100% well? Thankfully because I'm behind the scenes I can dress pretty casually, so when I returned to work after being out with strep throat I could get away with this jeans and t-shirt combo. What I love about this shirt is that while it'sbasic, the embroidery gives it personality. I'm wearing a medium for looseness. However, the neck is very loose so I'm wearing a white camisole under it for coverage.

Details:
Shirt: Old Navy
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

Monday Motivation

This was a pretty craptastic weekend. My little one had a nasty stomach bug that lasted two days, so my sleep amount definitely has not matched up with my activity amount the last few days. And this week will be hectic, especially Tuesday. We have an early-morning meeting and municipal elections in all but one city/town we cover. What with my current state of exhaustion and what looks like a long day coming up, this is a good time to remind myself of this week's motivation.

Never get so busy that you let your own mental or physical health suffer. Always take care of yourself.

Happy Monday!

Weekend Style: Shopping + Wedding Shower

I've been on the lookout for a distressed denim skirt that is mostly intact and not too short. This one fits the bill, but I'm sorry to say that it's sold out. I couldn't find any dark-wash distressed skirts to link to that weren't almost totally frayed, but I did link to a couple of similar ones below. This shirt is one of my favorite purchases this summer. I love the crochet detailing on the neck and the button-down back. It's a couple months old so it's completely sold out, but I did link to a similar sleeveless version (minus the buttons) and a pretty 3/4 sleeve boho top that would be perfect for fall. My sandals are also from a couple of months ago. They're not completely sold out but it won't be long. One small warning -- I'm not sure if you can tell from my picture, but the stones aren't difficult to knock off. I've lost at least three, all on the left shoe.

Details:
Shirt: Old Navy (similar, similar w/ sleeves)
Skirt: Charlotte Russe (similar, similar)
Shoes: ShoeDazzle

I wore this to my brother and future sister-in-law's wedding shower. The dress was on final sale from Forever 21 and is now sold out, but I linked to some similar options below, including one with sleeves. These shoes took their sweet time getting here but it was so worth the wait. I have pretty narrow feet and the straps were a little snug so I recommend going up a half-size if you have a wider foot.

Details:
Dress: Forever 21 (similar, similar, similar w/ sleeves)
Shoes: ShoeDazzle

Monday Motivation

Words can't express how much I love this. There are way too many people in this world doing things for the wrong reasons, namely to get above other people. But life is absolutely not worth living if the only things we're striving for are those that we see our neighbors doing. Remember how your mom used to ask if all your friends jumped off a bridge...? Same principle applies here. Just because something works for one person doesn't mean it will work for you. What makes one person happy or successful or whatever won't necessarily do the same for you. So quit trying to keep up with the Joneses and start trying to pass yourself.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: New Favorite Dress + Rainy Day Outfit

I absolutely fell in love with this dress when I found it on the clearance rack at Dillard's last weekend. The floral print, the 50s vibe, the super reduced price. As soon as I tried it on, I had to have it. You can never go wrong with pretty, feminine pieces like this. They're always in style because they're classic. This dress isn't on Dillard's website anymore, but I linked to a lot of pretty floral dresses below. P.S. My shoes are on major sale right now (84% off) so if you want a pair, act now!

Details:
Dress: Dillard's (final sale but lots of pretty options here)
Shoes: ShoeDazzle

You should remember this dress from a couple weekends ago. For this rainy work day I paired it with my olive blazer and booties. My only regret about this outfit is that the boots are too light. Next time, I'll choose brown boots and might switch up the green jacket for denim, if it's not sweltering. (Good news! My boots are back in stock!)

Details:
Dress: Charlotte Russe
Jacket: old Maurice's (similar)
Boots: Target

Monday Motivation

This can be a hard lesson to learn, but it is so valuable. In life it's so easy to get hung up on all the little things that went wrong in our day, week, month or even year. What's the point of letting something that inconvenienced you or made you angry for all of five minutes suck the joy out of everything else? Just let it go. I promise you'll be much happier.

Happy Monday!

Newsroom Fashion: Cobalt + Teal

Sorry about the late post, y'all. A storm came through Thursday night and knocked out our satellite internet until past my bedtime. Better late than never, right? Anyway, this is one of my favorite color combos. And is there anyone who doesn't look good in this blue?!

Details:
Shirt: Target
Skirt: JCPenney (similar, similar)
Shoes: Rack Room Shoes

These are my new favorite fun shoes. I love using shoes to take an otherwise simple outfit to the next level. Do you have a pair of fun shoes?

Details:
Shirt: JCPenney
Pants: JCPenney (similar, similar)
Shoes: ShoeDazzle

(Not So) Basic Journalism Skills: Master Social Media in 3 Easy Steps

In the past decade, the news business has changed tremendously thanks to the explosion of social media. Sixty-two percent of American adults get their news on social media, with 18 percent doing so often. A majority of those people are getting their news on Facebook (66% of users) and Twitter (59% of users), and most are getting their news from one site. With that being said, social media is one of the biggest struggles my newsroom faces on a day-to-day basis.

What I've noticed over the past two to three years is that new reporters have no issue navigating the world of social media, but when it comes to their work pages the posts are few and far between. Some don't know what to post; others don't know when to post; and most all of them do not post enough.

But not to worry. I've put together a basic three-step guide to help you on your journey to social media success.

1. Post a picture of your story along with a short caption to social media.

2. Post a brief story on your station's website, along with a picture, and share that to social media *before your story airs.*

3. Flesh out your web story, adding video, photos, etc. and share to social media.

This is the simplest, most low-maintenance way to be successful with social media. Of course, the more you post and the more you interact with your followers, the more people will like, share, and retweet your stories, thus increasing your audience.

For other tips, check out this helpful guide published by the American Society of News Editors. Also, these 8 Key Takeaways about Social Media and News from journalism.org.

Monday Motivation

After a particularly hard week last week, this is my goal for this week. Because if I'm not having fun, why bother?

Happy Monday!