Happy Monday, friends! It's Spring Break! Alexis and I are spending the week in Florida with one of my college friends. We'll be spending lots of time at the beach, of course, but we've also got plans to go to the zoo and aquarium.

My root canal last week went well. The endontist was able to fix the crack and save my tooth. Now, I've got to get it crowned, but that'll be next week.

For now, I'll be enjoying the first real vacation in years.

Have a great week!

It's such a great jacket for Spring, even in the South where Spring tends to feel more like summer. The denim is light, thin, and stretchy, making it easy to layer over pretty much anything without adding a bunch of bulk or warmth. The sleeves are easy to roll, if that's your jam, and the cut is classic. It's not cropped, and hits right above my hips, which helps create that 1/3, 2/3 rule we talked about earlier this month. Also, it has functional pockets that are actually big enough to hold my phone!

As far as styling goes, it's pretty simple. Wear it the same way you would your regular jean jacket, but if you're still stumped, here are six ways I've worn mine.

Adding a jacket of any kind to a maxi dress provides some structure that often isn't found in looser-fitting styles that most maxis favor. With darker prints, a dark-wash denim jacket can blend into the outfit so that you lose that sense of structure. In this case, the white provides a nice pop of color, while also pulling out the lighter lavender in the print of the dress, and creates a nice dividing line at my waist.

Rompers are a fun, easy one-and-done outfit for the summer, but having bare shoulders and legs in the Spring just feels like too much exposed skin to me.

This is like a maxi dress and a romper had a baby. All the same principals from both previous outfits apply to this one outfit.

These next two are the ultimate momiform (aka, the mom uniform). Basically, you combine a dress with some form of sneaker and then finish the look with your white jean jacket for an effortless "I just threw this on" look.

And we'll end with a super casual, I-wasn't-planning-on-leaving-the-house, outfit. This one's for all of y'all still working from home and living in lounge-wear. White denim feels a little more intentional than a traditional jean jacket, doesn't it?

I was updating my "What I've Read" list for this month and realized that even with all the re-reading I've been doing, I've already finished eight new-to-me books. I honestly have no idea how that's happened, even with my habit of reading two or three books at one time. This month just feels like it's never going to end, to be honest. Probably because I've got something to look forward to at the end of it.

Anyway, I shared some recent additions to my TBR list not too long ago, so I thought I'd take a moment to share what I'm actually reading right now (not counting the series I decided to reread for the third time just because). You might see one of these end up in my March reading review, but don't get your hopes up. I'm reading these pretty slowly and don't anticipate getting much reading done next week at all.

So, without further ado, here are the five books I'm currently reading.

Author: Justin Lee Anderson

Simon is a hermit. He's been avoiding society for most of his life in a home he inherited after a freak accident killed most of his family. Unbeknownst to him, his living room rug (or carpet as the British say) is part of a side bet going on between God and Satan. When an angel and demon show up to retrieve said carpet, Simon is told he must choose who gets to take it. He's given one night to decide, but that very night the carpet is stolen and now they say it's up to Simon to get it back.

Author: Meg Anne

Helena's childhood was a lie. She's not the magic-less daughter of a peasant like she's always thought. She is the prophesied ruler of the Chosen, those blessed with magic. Now she finds herself surrounded by a circle of protectors as she searches for her mate, learns how to use her long-suppressed magic, and undergo a trial to prove she is worthy of her title. But there is an enemy lurking in plain sight who will stop at nothing to destroy her.

Author: Raye Wagner & Kelly St. Clare

Seventeen-year-old Ryn is just an ordinary girl who can't grow a plant to save her life. At least, that's what her mother wanted her and everyone else to believe. The truth comes out when she's taken prisoner by King Irdelron's enslaved dragon shifter, Lord Irrik. Ryn is the last of the phaetons and the king expects her to regenerate the crops he's killed to achieve his immortality.

Author: Bella Forrest

Finn's quest to escape his servitude to Erebus continues. He's learned the mystical art of magical mapmaking, and now the Child of Chaos expects him to find the lost city of Atlantis. But first, there's a bigger issue he must deal with first - the djinn have lost their connection to Erebus, a dangerous severance that could result in the so-called monsters going insane. The solution to the djinns' problem could also be Finch's salvation, so he teams up with Raffe to find answers.

Author: Michael C. Grumley

When a private plane crashes in Colorado, NTSB investigator Joe Rickards expects to wrap things up quickly, but the facts of this case simply don't add up. Why would an elderly man receive an age-old letter, disappear in the middle of the night, and pay to be flown out of a closed airport in horrible weather conditions by a pilot who hadn't flown in years? And the only surviving relative insists her grandfather wouldn't have flown at all, even in perfect weather. The answers all lie within the mysterious letter, and Rickards is determined to find them.

 
Happy Monday, friends. I actually quite a few things to chat about today, so let's just dive on in.

Did you see my social post(s) on Friday? If you did, feel free to skip this bit. Basically, I addressed my current life situation and how I've allowed myself to become so overwhelmed with work that it's been taking away from the rest of my life. Frankly, I let myself slide back into old habits from when I worked at the TV station, which resulted in some pretty familiar feelings that I chose to push back and deal with later. Famous last words, huh? Like all things, it eventually came to a tipping point earlier this month when I had a very out-of-character meltdown with my boss. Although it wasn't unexpected or really even unwarranted, I don't lose my cool like that...ever. So I forced myself to really think about what I've been feeling lately, and it wasn't good.

To sum it up in one sentence: For the last several months, I have been distracted and detached from everything that wasn't work-related that I had started to feel like a failure in every other aspect of my life.

But, I'm working on it. My little blow-up, while uncharacteristic of my normal behavior, did shed light on the situation for both me and my boss. So while it was regrettable and somewhat embarrassing in hindsight, it did serve a purpose and changes are being made.

It's okay to not be okay all the time. We all struggle. But maybe by sharing the real stuff, we can help each other through it.

So that explains why my posting the last several weeks has been sporadic and not well-planned out. But hopefully, as I get the see-saw of my life re-balanced, that will change and this will start to feel more natural again.

In other news, I have a root canal this week. My one and only tooth with a filling has a tiny little crack (that feels like the Grand Canyon). Thankfully, I'm pretty anal retentive about my teeth so I caught it very early and they're confident my tooth is savable.

Next week is Spring Break for Alexis, and we're taking the opportunity to go visit one of my besties from college in south Florida. It has been a very very very long time since I took a vacation, and even longer since this particular friend and I were in the same place at the same time.

Alexis's 6th birthday is coming up, and after not being able to celebrate last year, we're having a very small party this year, so I'm busy planning that. I can't believe my baby is almost 6! And she's reading! Like, she doesn't want me to read to her at bedtime anymore because she'd rather read to me.

Umm...I think that's everything. I hope you guys all have a great week!

I'm one of those shoppers who joins all the rewards programs, downloads apps for coupons, and actually reads promotional emails (most of the time). In other words, as much as I like to shop, I like finding a good deal even better.

When it comes to shopping online, I tend to gravitate to the same retailers over and over. Most of it is personal style, but it's also nice to not have to worry about quality or fit issues. Several years ago, I joined my first VIP shopping program, and I haven't looked back. Today, I'm a member of three, and I'm going to share what keeps me hanging on.

Let's start with the program I've been a member of the longest: ShoeDazzle. If you've been a reader for any length of time, you're familiar with my obsession with this online retailer. I don't even remember when I joined, but it's been over five years at least. Probably 70% of my shoes, especially boots, came from the site, and at least 80% of my purses. I also have several jackets and dresses, and a few other clothing pieces.

Here's what makes ShoeDazzle so great:

-Each month, they curate a collection of shoes, clothes, and purses, to match your style preferences.

-The quality of their shoes is on point, especially for the price. The clothes are mostly hits, even if I do have to size up in pretty much everything to ensure the fit.

-VIPs get early access to sales, which is a must because if you wait until it's open to everyone, you're less likely to get what you want.

-On a regular basis, VIP pricing is a good bit lower than regular pricing, and you do not have to buy something every month to maintain your VIP status so long as you skip by the 5th of the month. And if you're worried about missing that date, they do send emails letting you know that your showroom is ready so no excuses.

-When you do shop, you accumulate points that can be put toward extra savings or a "freebie."

This is the only con I have - my monthly showroom is never a good representation of my style. However, it doesn't really bother me because of the huge selection on the rest of the site.

These black lace-up booties are a fun way to add sass and a retro vibe to my dresses, without adding the clunkiness that comes with combat boots.

When I made the switch from working in an office to working at home back in 2018, I knew there would be a learning curve. While the change brought with it more freedom (at least to the casual observer), it also called for a lot more self-discipline.

I've shared some of the ways I stay on top of things over the last three years, focusing mostly on how to stay productive and not have things fall through the cracks when you're your only backup. Today, I'd like to share some of the programs and services that make my day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month a little smoother.

Canva - If you regularly make graphics for social media, a website, or a blog, I highly recommend upgrading to a Pro account. It's $12.95/month and totally worth it. I find a wider range of photos through Canva than I do through the stock photo sites our company participates in. Professionally, I use Canva to build graphics for social media for all of our brands, resize photos for our websites, create graphics for our websites, and create house ads. Personally, I use it for all of my blog graphics.

Adobe Photoshop & Light Room -  This is the service that I splurge on, but if you are a blogger or do anything professional that involves photos, it's a must. For $21.59/month, I have Photoshop on my desktop computer and laptop, and Light Room on my phone, which is a watered-down version of Photoshop perfect for mobile use. I se Light Room for all of my Instagram photos (plus some pretty sweet presets I got through an IG collab) and Adobe for anything else.

Gimp - This is not a program that I use daily, but it comes in handy for my end-of-the-month web work for the magazine. I use this to make images web ready. It's simpler and faster than Photoshop simply because it doesn't have all  the bells and whistles. This program is free to download.

Slack - This free program is like instant messaging but specifically built for coworkers. In addition to being accessible via internet browser and desktop app, you can also download an app for your phone (the phone app is annoying though). It's a fast way to share files, and you can also do conference calls through it.

Google Docs & Sheets - Although I do have a Microsoft Office account, I prefer Google Docs and Sheets because it keeps my computer from getting super cluttered. Plus, I can access all of those files on my phone and tablet.

Dropbox - If you routinely share large or a large number of files, this is the way to go. You don't have to worry about email storage space or firewalls. It's an easy way to share files when your team doesn't work in the same city, let alone the same office

PirateShip.com - I've only learned about this recently, but it's been a game changer. You can create and print shipping labels; you don't need a scale (although I do have one); then schedule your pick-up (or just put it in your mailbox and raise the flag like I do). If you over or underestimate your package weight, they'll reimburse or increase the charge. It's free to join.

Social Media Post Scheduler - There are a ton of these out there, and what you choose really will depend on what you're using it for. We use Zoho Social for the magazine (it's part of a broader package we have), but I've also worked with HootSuite and TweetDeck (I can't remember what we used at the TV station but it was solely for news organizations so it doesn't really fit here). Here's a list of 22 top-ranked programs, including Zoho Social, which is actually a really nice platform.

Automated Email Service - A good chunk of what I do on a daily basis revolves around email. Thankfully, there are a bunch of programs out there that allow you to schedule ahead and/or do email blasts to save time. We use Zoho for the magazine, which is set up kind of like an electronic rollodex, and I use MailChimp for the blog (when I remember to actually use it, ha!). Here's a list of the top 7 services out there right now.

Snovio Email Tracker - This service's name is pretty self-explanatory. I wish I'd had this back when I worked at the TV station. It's taken so much guess work out of contacting the right person, especially when a website only lists a generic email address that we all know no one is diligently monitoring. There are paid plans, but from what I can tell you can pretty much extend a free trial indefinitely. At least, I haven't had to pay anything yet.

 
Happy Monday, friends! How are y'all doing on this first Monday of Daylight Saving Time? It always takes me the full week to get adjusted. I'm not a morning person - At. All. - so changing it up this drastically is tough for me. Alexis, unsurprisingly, was up at 6:00 a.m. (the new 7:00 a.m.) both Saturday and Sunday, as though her internal clock had already adjusted, but then of course this morning I had to wake her up for school.

We've been having some issues with Alexis forgetting her lunchbox at school. I'm trying not to get too upset about it. She is only in kindergarten after all. Fortunately, we had a backup lunchbox...until she left that one, too. So now we have three lunchboxes, which is just ridiculous. So we're trying something new this week - if she manages to remember to bring her lunchbox home every day this week, she'll get a treat this weekend (ice cream probably). Wish us luck!

My sleep-addled brain really doesn't have anything else to say this morning. Honestly, I feel pretty scattered. I haven't even planned out my week yet, which is giving me a little bit of anxiety, so I'm going to make some coffee and get focused...hopefully.

Have a great week!

March is always a weird time to get dressed in the South. I don't know if you've seen the memes about experiencing all the seasons in one day, but it's not that far off the mark for this time of year. Truthfully, I find myself pulling from every section of my closet these days, and I'm trying to add a little more shoe variety into the mix.

I do have several new things to share with you for this edition of Real Outfit Roundup. I've been doing a closet clean-out of blouses that are just too dressy for my current lifestyle and added a few new dressy-casual blouses that I'll honestly probably wear year-round.

Anyway, I was prepared to hate these joggers but they are probably my most comfortable pair. And I've been having fun pairing them with all my graphic tees to create a comfy work-at-home outfit for days when the only place I go is the school car line. They come in a ton of colors. This pattern is JOG143/2. I like that they're ridiculously soft, have pockets, and the slim fit is actually slim.

My t-shirt is the EveryWear Slub-Knit style from Old Navy. I love the slightly curved hem and looser fit of these tees, and they come in a bunch of patterns. They're only $10 regular priced, so you really can't go wrong.

Well that is it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

When you live in a region that has temperamental weather like the South, you quickly learn to buy clothes that can be worn year-round and build a mix-and-match wardrobe.

The idea is pretty simple, actually. You have certain "basics" like skirts, pants, and dresses that can be made seasonally appropriate by changing your top, adding/subtracting a third (aka completer) piece, and swapping out your shoes as the seasons change.

Still confused? Keep reading because today's post is a lesson in how to take a printed midi skirt from one season into the next. For the purposes of this post, we'll be going from winter to spring.

Before we dive in, I'd like to say that midi skirts are not the easiest style for me to pull off because of my height. They tend to hit around the bottom of my calf rather than the upper, or sometimes just above my ankle bone. I'm well aware that both skirts I'll be showing appear to be maxi length on me, but both are, in fact, midi length.

Some suggestions on pulling them off with confidence:

-Wear them at your natural waist, not your hips.

-Show your ankles! There should be skin visible between the bottom of the skirt and your shoes.

-Half or fully tuck your shirt to accentuate your waist.

-Finish your look with a cropped jacket (rule of thirds).

I wanted to show you a dark and light print because I don't want you to feel like you have to leave all your darker prints behind once Spring is here.

Let's start with a side-by-side comparison of each set of outfits.

On this particular day back in December, it was really cold so layers were a must. I played around with several neutral sweaters before deciding on this rust orange one. I really liked how it made the orange/red in the skirt stand out more. This is one of my thicker sweaters, and this particular skirt doesn't have a stretchy waist, so tucking of any kind resulted in a lumpy waist line so I left it out.

Because it was so cold, I wore thick, knee-high socks to provide another layer of warmth. I wish they'd been a different color, but it doesn't often get as cold as it was that day so I didn't have a lot of options. Anyway, we did a lot of walking that day, so I opted for combat boots and then added my cropped brown suede jacket to bookend everything, and give the illusion of a waist.

Now let's talk about how to transition this skirt into Spring.

One of my favorite ways to wear any printed skirt is with a graphic t-shirt and sneakers. If you'll remember on my Instagram a couple of weeks ago, I shared three different t-shirt options to wear with this skirt. All three would work, but I really love the pop of yellow this cactus tee gives the whole outfit. It also works to bring out the brightest color in the darker print so that it feels much more seasonally appropriate.

Notice that I fully tucked my t-shirt into the skirt to draw the eye to my waist-line. This is what's called the 1/3, 2/3 rule. Here's how you achieve it: mentally separate your body into thirds -- head to waist, waist to knee, knee to foot -- decide which part has your most flattering feature, then focus on that area while downplaying the others.

Moving on to the more traditional Spring look with the light floral print.

Just like I don't believe dark colors should be relegated to the cold seasons only, I think light colors also have a place outside of warmer seasons. That's why instead of a dark-colored sweater, I went with light pink. The dark denim of my jacket and the tan of the booties paired with the knit of the sweater kept the outfit seasonally appropriate.

If you don't have a denim jacket in your closet, consider this your wake-up call. If you only invest in one Spring completer piece, it should be a denim jacket. It is my number one completer piece during transitional seasons. Also, peep-toe booties are such a nice in-between shoe for days that have that winter/spring mix of temperatures.

I actually wore both versions of this outfit on the same day. I started with the warmer combo, then realized it was much warmer out than I expected.

You'll notice in both outfits that I fully tucked my top. It's not a rule that's set in stone, but the wider, stretchy waistband on this skirt kind of dictates a full tuck versus a half tuck or not tucking at all.

This is essentially the same outfit as the "winter" version, minus the jacket and swapping the sweater for a t-shirt and booties for flats.

Like with the darker printed skirt, I isolated one color in the print to bring out with my top, but instead of a graphic tee, I decided to keep things simpler and a little more romantic with a solid-colored light pink t-shirt. I could have easily worn olive green, navy blue, or maroon, but I thought the lighter pink kept the focus on the skirt.

I swapped my booties for the maroon ballet flats to keep things in the same color family, and also to keep the focus on the skirt. I like how the darker hue of the flats helps to ground the entire outfit. They're bold but not overstated. Plus, the little bows keep the whole romantic vibe going.

 
I may have shared this particular message before, but it spoke to me this morning because I have been struggling lately. I've been feeling a little taken advantage of and like no one is listening to me, or at least the person(s) who need to hear it aren't. I find myself in a quandary; I really don't know what I want or should do in this particular situation.

I tried not to dwell on it over the weekend, but that's a personality trait that's pretty hard to break. Alexis spent the weekend with grandparents, and Chris did some work on his hunting land, so I had some time to myself. On Saturday, I went bowling with a friend and her family. That's the first time I've done anything like that in a year.

This week is going to be a little hectic. I'll be doing distribution around some stuff that's been scheduled for several weeks, so unfortunately it will take longer. And I don't have any solid plans for the blog this week, but I'm sure I'll come up with something between now and the weekend.

Happy Monday, and I hope you all have a good week!

We are officially in the time of year when southern weather flits between winter and spring as often as a bumblebee flits between flowers. Seriously, we have a week of 70s here, a day or two of 80s there, then it rains and we're back in the 50s. If seasonal whiplash was a thing, I would definitely have it by now.

Why am I giving you a southern weather lesson instead of talking about fashion? Well, it's to explain the hodgepodge of outfits you're about to see. Our weather has been all over the map. Case in point: this past weekend our temps topped out in the low 80s, today we're back in the mid-50s. We don't get a ton of spring weather here, and what we do get isn't consistent at all. So for the next month, be prepared to see me bounce around between t-shirts and sweaters pretty frequently.

The last few real outfit roundup posts I've done have been wrapped around other topics, but I'm going back to the basics with this one. Mostly because it's been nearly two weeks since I did one. So let's get to it, yeah?

We're starting way back on February 18th. According to my planner, Alexis and I had a dentist appointment that day. I don't remember much about the weather, but I'm pretty sure it was rainy and, judging by my sweater, cold.

So, all signs point to skinny jeans being on their way out this year in favor of straighter styles. I'll be honest: I started straying from my super skinny jeans a couple years ago. I really like boyfriend jeans. They've got a nice casual vibe to them and fit me nicely through my hips. I typically roll the hems of mine, and I can't tell you why I didn't this day. Maybe because it was wet and I wanted my ankles to be more covered?

Moving on to the next day. My planner says it was a deadline day, which means I'll have spent it holed up in my office getting stuff done. That explains this comfy ensemble.

This over-sized sweatshirt has been one of my favorite lounge pieces this year, and I wish I'd bought it in at least one other color. My leggings are actually workout leggings, although I'm fairly certain I didn't workout that day. This pair is particularly comfortable and thick to keep out the chill. And I do not regret buying these sweater socks for myself last year. I wear them all. the. time. Totally worth it.

Fast forward to that Sunday. It was a pretty mild weekend so we spent some time outside. I'm pretty sure this is the day we decided to grill hot dogs and have a fire in the firepit.

This light zip-up hoodie is the perfect weight for spring days. I like that it's not thick and that it's not lined with that French-terry material ON is so fond of. It's perfect to throw on over my pjs for school drop off in the morning or over my workout clothes before/after class. I've had it for awhile so unfortunately this exact one isn't available.

Which brings us to the last Monday in February. I had a busy day and just wanted to be comfortable, so this old sweatshirt and my stretchiest jeans were in order.