A No Pants Week

I may have two or three wearable pants in my closet, but NO suitable summer-weather work appropriate tops, so this past week saw a lot of dresses (and one skirt). As you can see from this post's OOTDs, I wear a lot of empire-waisted dresses. Looks like that will have to come to an end;  at a professional luncheon yesterday a man was convinced I was expecting. A lesser woman would have cried on the spot. 

from left to right: Skirt: Gap, Tee: Walmart, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

Dress: Target, Blazer: JC Penney, Shoes: Target

Dress: Target, Cardi: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Payless

Dress: Target, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

Dress: Target, Cardi: Target, Shoes: Payless

Today is kicking off my four-day weekend! I hope to grill a lot, clean my house, buy a storm door, and pick up some new work staples. Oh! And a definite Target run is in order to scope out this dress. It has pockets, y'all! 

What are your plans for the Memorial Day weekend? 

Birthday BBQ

Sunday was only our second time throwing a party at our home. Yes, that's kind of weird considering I help plan events. For some reason it's harder to do when it's YOUR home and YOUR food. It also complicated things that we purchased and set up our new patio furniture less than 24 hours before the party. But it all came together. We had a great turnout for my husband's birthday BBQ party -- I don't know why we don't do this more often. It's not all the time you can chose everyone you want to hang out with a party.

Menu: hamburgers, hot dogs, my dad's famous "old settler beans," Italian sausage sandwiches, potato salad, veggie tray, chips, spinach dip, lemonade, beer, soda, and water. Not too shabby for it being our first cookout. 

Sunday's party also marked a special moment in my life -- when my two favorite babies (bff's little girl and my nephew) were able to be in the same place together... thus making my heart melt into a pool of goo. 

Calm After the Storm

Well, Judgement Day must be upon us because there's no other reason for the SUN to be out today after so many endless days/weeks of rain and gloom. Because I'm procrastinating on getting the house "party ready," I grabbed my camera and took some shots around the old homestead.

Happy Saturday!

Family Shoot

I always thought our first photo session after our Rock the Dress was going to be a maternity shoot. Or heck, probably a "family" photo with our future dog. But because I'm a die-hard pro photo addict, I couldn't resist booking a mini-session with our RTD photog, Shannon Confair. I love working with Shannon -- as a client and also as a fellow wedding professional.

I'm already looking forward to another one. (See? Total addict!) One in which I wear a more flattering dress. :)

Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday Comes Afterwards

Oh, look -- a weeknight post! This would have been posted last night, but the blog gods said otherwise. I've been trying to be better about taking daily OOTD shots, though the morning light that comes into my bedroom window is a bit iffy (hence awful colors in these).

from left: Dress - old Target; Cardi - Target (check last post); Shoes - Target (check two posts ago)

right: Dress - Walmart; Cardi - Target; Shoes - Payless; Belt - F21

It's been another long, stressful week, and I'm so happy it's the weekend. And thanks to Glee's prom episode, I've had their version of Rebecca Black's "Friday" in my head ALL DAY! I'm hoping to get a lot done around the house in preparation for the cookout next week. I'll probably drag the hubs to see "Bridesmaids" as well. Otherwise, you can bet your butt when I'm not doing those things, I'll be rocking this hot little number: 

Hoodie - Gap outlet; Pants - Target (These are seriously the best lounge pants EVER!)

Happy weekend, all!

OOTW and My 150th Post!

If you would have told me in August '09 that I would have kept up with this blog I would have laughed at you. I can't say it's evolved that much, but that's okay. Unlike a lot my peers, I'm not doing this because I'm a whore for followers or ads or popularity. There was a time when that's what I wanted. But now I know that my readers are here because they want to be and not because I hosted a giveaway. Don't get me wrong - I still wish I had more time to devote to Aprons & A-Lines, and I give huge kudos to those who have interesting, fresh content daily. That's just not me at this point. So thank you, dear readers, for sticking with me for the last 150 posts!

Your reward? A mini collage of three outfits I wore last week. :)

1. (left) Dress - LOFT outlet; Cardi - Target; Flats - super old Kmart

2. Tank - Target; Cardi - Target; Pants - JC Penney; Flats - Kmart

3. Dress - Target; Cardi - Target (similar); Flats - Kmart (what can I say -- they're comfy!)

And impromptu shopping trip last night ended up with me buying three pairs of shoes, two sweaters, a tee-shirt, a pair of pants. 

Mia Suede Slouch Boot - Sam's Club - $9.

Bonnie Big Bow Flat - Payless

And my first printed cardi!

Merona Essential Pink Floral Cardigan

Yay for May

What I'm looking forward to in the month of May. 

Pop culture related:

• Justin Timberlake, Tina Fey, and Ed Helms are pulling hosting duties this month. If they threw in Paul Rudd, I'd have keeled over in ecstatic happiness. 

• "Bridesmaids" starring SNL's Kristin Wiig and produced by Judd Apatow opening May 13. I've heard rave reviews already, saying it's the women's "Hangover."

• Which brings me to Memorial Day weekend's opening of "The Hangover 2"!

And other fun things like the cookout I'm hosting in celebration of my husband's 33rd birthday:

... and the lilac bush in my backyard that's blooming (photo below not mine nor my lilacs)

What are you looking forward to in May? 

Saturday's Haul

Yesterday I got to spend some much needed time having a bit of a girls day with my best friend and her daughter. Seriously, could there BE a cuter shopping partner??

We didn't actually make it to a lot of stores - in fact, we may have hit up four only (and one of them was a children's clothing store). But I still made it out with a lot.

Merona Easy Care Easy Wear Dress - Dot Print -- This is a rather sweet-looking dress. I almost passed on it, but I got an enthusiastic "love it!" from my friend, and it seems relatively versatile for the office. 

Merona Devlin Dress -- I would have passed on this as it looks quite shapless on the hanger, but I knew from seeing it on Veronika that it was a good piece. Plus I got it on clearance for $23!

Converse Print Savannah Dress - Another dress I would have passed on, but it's also a rather sweet dress. I'll have to layer a cami underneath, but it's a great soft material with a cute French inspired pattern.

Mossimo Odelina Bow Flats - Thankfully I tried these on again, and the fit was much better than the last time. I simply adore this PERFECT camel shade and the huge floppy bow on the toe. 

St. John's Bay Maui Thong Sandal - Thanks to a coupon, these became mine for $12.

I may have added another 3/4 Merona cardi. Those things are like crack to me. 

Happy Sunday, everyone!