Red, White and Blue

Hi there!

I hope you had a great weekend soaking up some gorgeous weather! My Saturday consisted of hiking, going to the movies, getting some fro-yo, and making this yummy pizza spaghetti squash casserole. Oh, and watching "Friends". How is that show still so funny? :P

Michael and I hiked up to the spot where he proposed to me once upon a time! :)

On Sunday, I went to a potluck at church, followed by an afternoon at the mall with my sister! We didn't have too much luck shopping, but she found a few workout tanks and I found a pair of leopard print loafers from Forever 21!

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Top American Eagle | Cami and Lace Jacket Wet Seal | Pants Zara | Purse Francescas | Bracelets Forever 21 | Earrings Gift

One of my favorite color combinations is red, white, and blue. It's patriotic. It's nautical. It's beautiful!

While getting dressed this morning, I wished I had a fedora to finish off this look! I wanted to keep it "beachy", so I added a pair of earrings that remind me of seashells and some strappy wedges.

Today I'm linking up with the lovely ladies participating in the Trend Spin Linkup! Today's theme is Nautical, and if you couldn't tell, it has me dreaming of sea breeze in my hair and sand between my toes!

Thank you so much for reading! Have a great week! :)

Bye Bye, Boot-ays!

Hi there!

Tomorrow is Friday WOOHOOOO!

The weather is warming up and it's absolutely gorgeous outside!! I'm getting spring fever, and am having a hard time staying in the office all day! Today I snuck out in the middle of the day just to take a walk outside around the building. Sunshine. Fresh air. A cool breeze. It's Spring! We gotta enjoy it while we can because triple digit temperatures will be here before we can say "yellow polka dot bikini!"

I love spring time in Phoenix (can you tell?), but I have a hard time giving up wearing boots! I find it a lot easier to incorporate boots into work outfits than sandals. I tried to sneak them in one last time, but my poor calves couldn't breathe by the end of the day.

Bye bye, Boot-ays! Enjoy your hibernation in the back of my closet!

Top Charlotte Russe | Dress H&M | Belt Zara | Necklace Forever 21 | Boots Target

I bought my chambray top at Charlotte Russe [on sale of course ;)] last year, and I have definitely gotten use out of it! Not only is it missing one of it's buttons, but the some of the small studs that decorate both shoulders have fallen off. I can sew a button back on, but I'm not so sure about replacing the embellishments. To hide both of these little issues, I have been using it as a layering piece. Problem solved!

Thank you so much for reading!! :)

On Mondays, We Dress Like Barbie

Hi there!

Tonight my weekly Women's Bible Study was cancelled because we are supposed to be getting hit with a crazy dust storm! My husband, undeterred by the weather report, is out "playing" with his hunting bow that was delivered to our doorstep today. Wind? Arrows? No problem! (Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. . .) Anyways, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do a little writing while I eat the little Egg and Cheese McMuffin I made myself for dinner. Speaking of fancy dinners, let's talk about getting dolled up for work!

I find it easier to dress up for work on Monday mornings than later in the week, say on Thursdays, because

• I usually get enough sleep Sunday night, so I'm not dragging as much Monday mornings
• I am a little more motivated at the beginning of the week 
• I have clean clothes since I probably did laundry over the weekend

TGIM! Anyone?

Last month, I was super excited to find this black pencil skirt with white polka dots at H&M! I've realized that having only black or gray bottoms for work gets preeeetty boring. This skirt adds some spice to my closet's life! I was feeling inspired by Kate Spade, and thought this skirt would look darling styled with some bows and pink.

Top, Skirt, and Cardigan H&M | Shoes DSW | Bag and Earrings Francesca's | Watch Amazon

I wore my bow belt that orginally came with a different dress I have from H&M, as well as some small bow stud earrings that aren't visible in these pictures. The pink blouse on top made me feel a little like Barbie--not a bad thing. ;)

When I wear a pencil skirt, I like to wear something loose on top, like an open sweater, to help balance me out. The same principle works when I wear a form-fitting top--loose bottoms are always best.

Once I got to work, I realized the watch I was wearing is broken. Oh well. Even a broken watch is an accessory, amiright? After work, Michael and I went to the grocery store to stock up on produce because both of us want to get in the habit of incorporating more fruits and vegetables into all of our meals. After the grocery store we. . . . . . .went out for Mexican food. OK, not the greatest start, but I'm going to go cut up some produce to fill our fridge with RIGHT NOW!

Thank you so much for reading! :)

Honesty

Hi there!

Whew, it's been a while! Almost two whole months since my last post?! The time has flown by! Here's just a few of the things I've been up to lately:

• Visited San Diego with my husband over Valentines Day weekend (can we please just move there already?!)
• Celebrated my birthday
• Ran my first half marathon!!!
• Started a new job (Promotion! Say what?!)
• Went to Six Flags (for the first time!) with a group of the best highschool kids I know
• Oh, and did I mention Michael starts his new job tomorrow?

The past couple months have been a blast, but they've also been a blur!

To be completely honest though, that isn't entirely the reason I stopped writing for so long.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

I love this quote. It is perfectly and entirely true. I know it's true, but I began comparing my blog to other fashion blogs. I especially compared my clothing to other bloggers' clothing. I began to feel like I needed to "step up my game". Better outfits. Better pictures. Better hair! I had taken what was meant to be a fun, creative outlet and let it make me feel inadequate to other women who share this internet space! I had forgotten why I had begun writing in the first place. That when I had started my blog, I had just wanted to share some of my fun finds from affordable stores like Goodwill! 

I also think I put my blog into a box. Like I should really only be focusing on fashion. Let's be real. Just like everybody else, I have tones of interests! Growing in my relationship with Jesus, running, yoga, cooking, reading, makeup, friends and family. And I really want to learn how to do my hair.* And I want to travel. And I really love the show Mad Men. I can't share these other interests on my "style" blog, right?

Plus, I don't like am not used to online shopping. I like seeing and feeling and trying out something I buy it. I wish I liked it more because I don't get to go brick-and-mortar shopping very often, which means I don't buy new clothes very often. If I have a style blog, aren't I supposed to be buying new clothes all the time? 

Well, here I am and I've come to the realization that I'm not "supposed" to be anything. I like writing. I like photographs. I like sharing my outfits. The first day of spring was last week and I'm 99% certain I don't have a single piece of pastel anything in my closet.

My clothes are "old". They're "out of season". They're "me".

Welcome to Katie's Style Project. :)

*I curled it today! It's the third time I've whipped out my curling iron I got for Christmas two years ago, and while still a hot mess, I was actually getting the hang of it!