We Love Target Shoes (oh yes we do)

 

I could've left out the word "Target" from the title and still it would be a very true statement.  Anyway, for today's link-up, the category is Target shoes!  Today's weather was blistering without the rain of yesterday, so I opted for a dress and my favorite Target Merona nude slingback wedges, creating an unintentionally all-Target outfit! Perfect. 

Outfit:

Dress: Target (borrowed from housemate)

Shoes: Target ($22)

Bow: (made by me)

Ring: (present from Australia)

I've been driving around like a maniac all day, and I think the heat is starting to get to some people. So I'm beating the afternoon sun at home, blogging and catching up on Keeping Up With The Kardashians (another guilty pleasure of mine) before going out to dinner tonight! 

It's almost Friday!! Hang in there.

xo,

Wednesday Rain and We Love Target Accessories

Let me tell you something. It is hot, it is humid, and I am tired of wearing shorts and tank tops every day! ...did I just say that? 

Yes. I really did. Hawaii weather is extremely bipolar, which is why the title of this post is Wednesday Rain although my pictures are beautiful and sun filled. Despite the beautiful weather on the west side of the island, the entire central and east parts were experiencing extreme heavy rains and flooding, and traffic was horrendous.  Luckily, I had on this very cute outfit to make my otherwise rainy mood a little more sunny.

Outfit: 

Sunglasses: Target $17

Earrings: Nordstrom $6

Top: Old Navy $17

Vest: Levi's $68

Maxi Skirt: Papaya $8

Sandals: Payless (gifted)

For today's Target Link-Up of fabulous accessories, I pay homage to my beloved sunglasses.  I must have at least 6 pairs of sunglasses in various sizes, frame colors, and lens shapes, but I fell in love with this gem as soon as I tried it on.  Since Oregon is pretty gloomy and rainy all year long, I can't wear these as often as I'd like to, but now that the temperatures are reaching the high 90's and the forecast (besides today's rogue rainstorm) is all suns from here until August, I've been pairing these sunnies with every outfit. 

Hope you're all enjoying your summer weather!

xo,

Guilty Pleasures

My inner (and all around) dance diva is constantly on the lookout for amazing makeup to buy. Amazing meaning I can apply the makeup at 3 pm, do my hair, and then cheer and dance at a 2-3 hour basketball game in a barely-air conditioned athletic arena and still look fabulous at the final buzzer.  Oh, and all of this must be done with minimal breakouts. 

So 10 pm rolls around and I usually find myself browsing my favorite online shopping website, ELF Cosmetics. I have used many of their products, from nail polishes to eyeshadows, and I am beyond impressed with their quality as well as their prices! I recently reviewed a bunch of nail polishes and one of their baked eyeshadow palettes and I cannot for the life of me seem to stop buying their products.


Tonight's guilty pleasure purchases included two makeup brushes, a lip balm tint, and a mineral powder concealer, with reviews to come soon, so stay tuned!

Any other ELF lovers out there?

xo,

Summer Rush

We all know that feeling...wanting to do something all at once instead of in moderation like you really should? 

Well, that's apparently what I'm doing with summer. Rushing into everything all at one time, which is why I have been completely MIA from my blog lately! But no fear, I'm back in action...somewhat. 

I went to the beach this lovely memorial day weekend to soak up some sun, and I may have fallen asleep for an hour and a half. For this fair maiden, that resulted in a major sunburn. Pants are not an option, so I've resorted to maxi skirts and very loose tanks, which is ok for summer. 

Not much else going on in my life except for getting rid of this horrible burn, but I'll update you all as soon as something exciting happens!

PS if anyone has a good sunburn remedy, this burnt babe is all ears!

xo,

So Much To Do...

And so little time! Isn't that how it always is, though? Today kicked off the first day of pre-summer school mayhem/work, including taking things out of storage, prepping classrooms and offices, and scrounging for supplies. Not the funnest tasks, but it'll be worth it when classes are in session!

My best friend got home from college today, and she leaves on Monday to start her internship on the Big Island for the whole summer. Needless to say I'm devastated, and we have so much to do in such little time. Beach! Hiking! Eating! Everything best friends should do during the summer, crammed into 4 days. Boo.

In the midst of the SMTDSLT (so much to do, so little time) syndrome that's going on with my life right now, I'm very excited to be participating in my first link-up! Created by Whitney from Along the Lines of Style  and Heidi from Literate & Stylish, this link-up will feature a week's worth of Target favorites, from tops to shoes and everything in between! Here's a little overview, taken from Whitney's blog, of what the week will look like starting on Monday, May 27th!

 Needless to say, I'm excited (about many things, if you read my previous post) to participate in my first link-up, especially since I'm a Target fanatic. Stay tuned, and Happy Wednesday!

xo,

EXCITEMENT!!

I'M USING ALL CAPS I'M EXCITED CAN YOU TELL?!?!?!

I'm excited because our student teaching assignments for next year have been emailed out! I'm in a 3rd grade class for 13 weeks (late Aug-early Dec) and a Kindergarten class for 18 weeks (early Dec-late April). I've never been with a grade higher than 2nd, except for random dance classes I've helped with where the students are 6-12 grade students, so this will be a new experience for me! But I'M SO EXCITED!!! On the other hand, I'm sad that this will mark my last year of college, but I'm ready. I'm so ready. Let me out there, I want to spread my wings and fly. Sometimes into a tree, oftentimes the wrong direction, but the point is that I will try my hardest, and I will grow in the process.  Holding myself to a standard of grace, not perfection. I must remember this.

Tomorrow is the first day of orientation for my summer job at a private school, mentoring local public school students who are in grades 6-12 and in the C-B+ academic range.  The point of this program is to gear these kids up for high school and get them to look at college as a positive experience that they want for their future. The grade level is a little out of my normal range (I've been assigned to 7th grade), but like I said: I'm excited and I'm ready. I love new challenges and experiences. I love to grow. And boy, will I be doing a LOT of that in the next year. 

I. Can't. Wait.

xo,

Addictions

I have addictions. I mean, let's be honest, all of us have that one (or those few, many, whatever...) things that we would not like to live without. Yes? Yes. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step, so I've heard.

So I'm admitting it--I gave in to two addictions today: Ross and nail polish.
Now don't roll your eyes at me, I'm a very efficient and smart shopper! Or at least I try to be, but then there are those shoes! That dress! THAT BAG! 

You see where I'm going with this. Let's begin:

At $8, this dress is going to be perfect for the beginning and ends of the school year when the weather is especially warm.  It hits right at the knee and the neckline is high enough that the girls aren't showing, which is extremely important for this D-cup doll. Paired with a thin brown belt at the waist, a cardi, and the super cute camel and metallic-toed flats (pictured below), I think I have an outfit ready to go!

Cue aforementioned camel and metallic-toed flats

Alright, maybe I broke one of my Ross rules on this one. These babies were $17, but I think they're worth it--the material seems pretty water resistant which is key for the lovely Oregon weather, and they're rather comfortable for flats. I really have my eye on some Tory Burch Revas, but who isn't. Wishes are good to have. I'm excited to put these to the test; a day of standing, squatting, walking, running, and God knows what other kinds of activities in all different weathers can be really hard on shoes.

BEFORE ANYONE ATTACKS ME FOR THIS SACK...I have a plan. I'll admit I experienced an array of emotions when picking up this dress--on the rack, the green/teal color and lace immediately caught my eye. That's another addiction of mine: lace. Off the rack, I was skeptical about the neckline. On me, I loved EVERYTHING...except for the lack of shape. Honestly, look at it. It really is a sack. BUT! The thin brown belt that I'm gonna pair with the first dress will go perfectly with this dress. At $20, this dress caused me to break a Ross rule, but then again it didn't. Check out my rules if you really want to understand, but just trust me that this dress is worth it.

See what I said about being addicted to lace? This $8 skirt zips up in the back and closes with a button at the top, which made me feel much safer (zippers fall, so I always look for another type of closure). It's stretchy enough to allow for the various squatting and sitting positions that I often find myself doing during the school day, and hits at a modest knee length but without that old lady/granny feeling that some skirts have. Feel me? I know you do.

For a post about addictions, I've really hit a few on the head, but I promise I'm almost done. This $9 white tank is a nice addition to my growing collection of tops. White makes me feel cooler, and fabrics that can breathe are a must. The small stud detailing at the collar isn't too visible in this picture, but it's enough to offset the plain white shirt while not being too obnoxious or gaudy.  

Last but not least, welcome to the tip of the iceberg, folks. My nail polish collection, with the addition of this fabulous creature, is now at 70 polishes (1 base, 1 top, 50 colors, 4 deco pens, and 14 glitters) from brands like OPI for Sephora, ELF Cosmetics, Essie, Revlon, Covergirl, OPI, and Milani, just to name a few. I know. You don't have to say anything. A week ago or so, I went with my mom and grandma to get our nails done for Mother's Day (something here is not like the other...) and I got this amazing fuchsia polish from OPI on my toes. I didn't bother to get the name of the polish so I've been on a hunt to get something similar while my pedicure is still in tact and I came across Essie's $8 polish called Bachelorette Bash, pictured above.  It's the perfect summer color and cheers me up every time I look at my toes peeking out of my sandals, wedges, heels, or from between grains of sand (my personal favorite).

What are some of your addictions?   

xo,

Standards

Hello, hello.

I think it's time for my blogging to stray away from teen angst and sarcasm (no offense, Tumblr), and become a little more professional, hence, the creation of this blog.

The past few months of my life have been absolutely crazy; the dean of my college's school of education proudly announced the "graduation" of my class in preparation for our professional (a.k.a. senior) year of college, I was elected to be a captain of my college dance team, I'm starting a summer job tutoring and mentoring at-risk middle school students, all while trying to maintain a decent social life (does watching TV and folding laundry with your housemates count?), sleep more than 6 hours a night, eat foods that are healthy for me, and be fashionably dressed on a very tight budget. Sound familiar to anyone?

I've decided to hold myself to new standards. I figure if I'm holding my students to certain standards that I, as their teacher, need to be held to some standards too. I've driven myself crazy in attempts to be perfect at everything I do, and I've come to realize that when you're as busy as I am, as many of us are, you need to hold yourself to standards of grace, not perfection.

So that's me in a nutshell. School, dance, crafts, friends, food, fashion, funds, grace, glitter, and gradebooks. This world is a big place, and I'm hoping to make it a little smaller through this new blog, meeting new people, sharing ideas, and just having fun! Hang in there with me. It's going to be a bumpy and beautiful ride.

Enjoy!