On My Radar: Calypso St. Barth for Target

While following @TargetStyle, I was inundated with tweets about the upcoming Calypso St. Barth's collection. I was basically uninterested because it mainly seemed like beachy tunics/cover-ups a.k.a. things I can't wear to work. But, like the loyal Bullseye fan I am, I investigated further to scope out all the preview pics available.

Aaaand I found the item I'll be hauling my butt into Target May 1 for:

Crisp white, ruffles, faux wrap neckline, belted waist, A-line cut. ::drool::
I'm already dreaming of ways to style it.

What Calypso for Target item are you coveting?

Photography Practice: Easter Edition

Now I know how momtographers get started. Not even having a kid, I'm finding out that other people's babies and kids are prime subjects. Kids generally love having their photo taken, and parents are happy they don't have to hire anyone. Yesterday I did a little Easter shoot for my best friend's baby and baby's cousins. Having to concentrate on my technical skill, make the baby look at the camera, and keep a little girl from making silly faces was ... interesting.

OOTW and a Confession

Just a short blog drive-by to depict some outfits of the past two weeks. I'm trying to remember to whip out the camera and take (blurry) images of my outfits before I walk out the door. 

from left to right: 

- Cardi - AE; Tank - Old Navy; Pants - Ross; Flats - Payless

- Shirt - Old Navy; Tank - Sears; Pants - Target; Flats - Payless

- Dress - TJ Maxx; Cardi - Old Navy; Tights - JC Penney; Flats - Payless

- Dress - Target; Belt - F21; Cardi - Old Navy; Flats - Target

- Dress - Target; Cardi - Target; Shoes - Target (however I didn't wear those out -- I changed into the black flats of outfits 1 and 2.) 

And that leads me to confession time. 

::whispers:: I think I like pants now. 

I know. It's shocking. No, I'm not pitching my 100 dresses out my window. And I still think jeans are the devil incarnate in terms of fit and comfort. But yes, I will be acquiring more pants into my work (and maybe non-work) life. I'm evolving!

Weekly Gratitude 4

I may as well rename my Weekly Gratitude posts Monthly Gratitude at the rate I'm going. But sadly I'm still trying to find that work-life balance two weeks in to my new routine.


1. First things first -- I'm beyond grateful for my job. Simply put -- it's a perfect fit. I know that this is where I should be, and that the last four months were for a greater purpose. I love my department; I love what I'm doing; and I love feeling that sense of productivity and purpose again.

2. Apple cinnamon candles. I walked through the candle aisle at KMart today on a whim to discover that most of their candles were marked down to $4. Between the aroma of the warm apple-ness wafting around and my front door being semi open, I'm in sensory heaven.

3. Making pancakes for my husband this morning and discovering I had inadvertently made one in the shape of a heart. A little cheesy, but still cute.

4. I'm grateful for modern science, which is helping my friend C and her husband add to their family via IVF. (Fingers and toes and everything else crossed for a successful implantation tomorrow!)

5. Family in general. Today a decent number of my family all gathered at my gram's (without her knowing in advance!) to celebrate her 92nd birthday. She is a true matriarch of our family and basically my favorite person ever. I'm so grateful to have her in my life and to have as a role model.  The photo is of the flowers I gave to her today.

This week, what are you grateful for?

First Week

I successfully finished out my first week at my new job! As most people are aware, being the newbie is generally awkward and nerve-wracking -- you never know where to go, how to act, what to say, how to assimilate without seeming insecure nor vain. But amazingly enough, I didn't experience too much of that new girl anxiety. I think that is largely in part to having so many welcoming people around me. Everyone, especially my department, has gone above and beyond in making sure I had an easy 'onboarding' process. Yesterday my department even had a welcome breakfast for me and gave me the card and flowers pictured. My office is huge, but until I can move around some of my furniture -- I'm kind of anal retentive about the feng shui of my surroundings -- I haven't started decorating yet; the only personal artifact in there now is a coffee mug. :) 

 And I'm so amped about the job itself. Everything I'll be doing is completely in my niche, and I have tons of ideas and am already seeing so many procedures I can improve, all of which is being well-received by my boss and department. Even though I miss my SAHW days a bit, I feel incredibly blessed to have landed here at this time in my life. 

No OOTDs were taken this week, which is unfortunate, because I was impressed with a few of my creations. Sadly for my bank account, I must push on with the shopping to build up a fabulous corporate casual /business wardrobe. Therefore, shopping commences today!