The Summer Little Black Dress ~ Two Ways

Happy Hump Day, pretty girls!! Hope your week is going well! Today I am excited to be co-hosting with the lovely Victoria from The Mummy Chronicles. Check out her blog if you haven't already and give her some love. Then link up with us below!

Last week, I showed this LBD that I bought because I desperately needed an updated dress. I dressed it up and bit and wore it to my 20 year high school reunion. But one of the reasons I bought this dress is because I knew how extremely versatile it would be. So today I'll show you one of my favorite ways to dress it down ~

In the dressy version I just wore heels and a fun statement necklace and called it a day! It was easy and a classic look that I feel won't ever go out of style. Of course, I had to have a pop of PINK :)

In the dressed down version, I used a WELL WORN piece in my closet--my military vest. See other ways I have worn this vest here and here. I got it last year at TJ Maxx  for $40 and the cost per wear has got to be pennies at this point!

Black Dress: Leith/Nordstrom (exact)
Military Vest: TJ Maxx (similar, this one is AWESOME!)
Ladder Necklace: (splurge, steal)
Sandals: Target (exact, similar , option)
Cognac Tote:Nordstrom (similar, similar)

 We might not always think to "dress down" our LBD, but with this dress it's entirely possible! This is the perfect "running around town," lunch with girlfriends or shopping outfit! It's completely comfortable and unfussy, which I really strive to bring to all of my outfits.

Have you ever "dressed down" your LBD? Or do you even OWN an LBD?? I owned (and WORE!) the same one for more years than I will admit!!!  It's nice to have a new one :)

I'm co-hosting this week's Whatcha Wearing Wednesday link-up with Victoria from The Mummy Chronicles . She's all about fashion, fitness and cars. Check her out!

Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook too.

An InLinkz Link-up

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Simple Changes ~ Awkward to Awesome + LINK UP

Don't you love when making simple changes in your life can make such a huge impact? I remember when I made the decision to start waking up an hour earlier each morning to work out, drink my coffee and have some quiet time with God. What a difference that hour made! My mornings ran SO much more smoothly, I actually got to ENJOY my coffee as opposed to gulping it down and my mind just felt fresher.

Simple changes can make a big impact on your wardrobe, too! When an outfit isn't quite working or feels "off," I always try a couple of things before I rule it out ~ Tie (or) Tuck (and/or) Add an Accessory. It can really take an Awkward outfit to Awesome :)

Exhibit A ~ So the first pic, my shirt looks a bit sloppy and ill-fitting. It's also thin, so the black and white stripes from my shorts show through my shirt....can't stand it when that happens!! In the "Awesome" pic (HA!), all I did was tie my shirt, which automatically made it more fitted and elongated my body...I'm 5'4" so I'll really take WHATEVER I can get! I also added a simple necklace to just give the outfit a bit more polish. That's it. Simple.

Pink Gingham: J. Crew (similar, similar)
Striped Shorts: Similar, Similar

Exhibit B ~ These floral shorts you've seen before, and my Barcelona camis are probably the most worn items in my closet right now! However, the untucked cami looks awkward with these shorts. Do you see how the cami hits right at the WIDEST part of my body? Helllloooo....don't ever let an item of clothing hit you at the Wide Parts, ladies! #justsayin.

This fix was SO simple! All I did was take a tiny bit of the front of my cami, and loosely tucked it into the front of my shorts. I kinda bloused the rest of the cami out and didn't even have to bother to tuck it. To me, this makes a BIG difference! My waist is more defined and nothing is awkwardly hitting my WP's (Wide Parts).  I added a necklace just to make it a little more polished.

Barcelona Cami: Express-they are sold out of pink (similar, similar--super cute print!)
Floral Shorts: Old Navy (option, option)

Have you all made any simple changes in your life (or in your outfits!) that you felt made a big impact??


Time to link up!

Hosted by ~

Carrie/A Lovely Little Wardrobe ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Whitney/Whitney à La Mode ~ Bloglovin/Instagram

Casey/A Little Bit of Cheer ~ Bloglovin/Facebook/Instagram

Each week we choose a favorite...check out Carrie and  Whitney's blogs to see if it's you! Here was my favorite this week ~ Adri from Adri Lately! She is wearing one of my all time fave summer combos ~ denim shorts, tee and a cargo vest. I've had this outfit on repeat all summer myself! See her original post HERE.

Now let's get linking! We like to keep things simple around here. Just link up your favorite posts--fashion, beauty, food, DIY, anything goes! Follow your hosts on social media, have fun and be inspired! Thanks for linking up!

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See where I link up HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

Seven on Sunday ~ Week 33

Day 1: Sunday ~ Fun evening riding bikes with friends, especially when they realized this sign had blown down!! The kids want to hang it up in their room!

Day 2: Monday ~ Per their request, Sonic in the back of the truck! The get a kick out of the guys in roller skates bringing them food!

Day 3: Tuesday ~ Dollar movie day!! It was Sarah's very first movie! She did great...the popcorn helped :)

Day 4: Wednesday ~ It was National Night Out in the 'hood! Free food and snow cones for all! (and they get to run on the golf course)

Day 5: Thursday ~ Shopping for our camping trip...what in the WORLD happened to the price of eggs??? $6.29 ON SALE??

Day 6: Friday ~ This day was just funny day! First, one of my sister in law's texted me that she was at a restaurant with Ben H. (former Bachelorette finalist and maybe the next Bachelor) and sent me this pic....

Not sure what's up with the V Neck but ANYWAY. I tried to get her to get a pic with him but she totally chickened out and FAILED!

Then...later that night...I was out with my other sister in law in Napa and we happened to see Chef Michael Chirarello having dinner with his wife. I've been a fan of his since he first started on TV and have seen him in person a few times (he lives in the Napa area) but I NEVER had the nerve to take a pic with him! So my sister and law and I (after freaking out in the corner for a good 5 minutes), grabbed a random guy walking by (our husbands ditched us out of embarrassment) and asked him for a pic~

UHHHHHHH....WORST PIC EVER!!!!! SOOOOO....we went BACK over to his table and asked him for ANOTHER pic (yeah, I know-NO SHAME!). He ended up being so, SO nice and made conversation with us and was just as sweet as could be. He even introduced himself to the husbands :) A night we won't forget!!

(much better )

Day 7: Saturday ~ The next morning we packed up for a little weekend beach camping trip! So much fun! Our campsite was right on the beach! More pics next week..for now, I need to go wash all the sand off of EVERY.THING XOXOXO

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Foodie Friday ~ Easy Shrimp Roll

 I'm so excited Foodie Friday is back and I get to share my favorite recipes with you guys!! I took a little break in July so I could focus on Create28, but I'm back and boy, do I have some great recipes to share with you!

If you are a new reader (YAY! Welcome!) I do Foodie Friday each week where I share my family's favorite recipes. I know cooking and mealtime can be very stressful, so the goal for nearly all of my recipes is to be simple, mostly healthy, mostly homemade, no fancy ingredients, can be done in 30 minutes or less. My recipes are also taste-tasted by my family who are pretty tough critics :) You can search the recipe index by food type/ingredient on my sidebar!

Let's start with a new summer fave ~

I have never been to New England, but when I go, the first thing I will do is run to the nearest Lobster Roll shack. It just seems like a thing that has my name written all over it! Since lobster is expensive and not exactly readily available, I tried to recreate the same type of dish with shrimp. It.was.DELISH!!!

Simple Shrimp Roll
**Makes 4-6 rolls

1 to 1 1/2 lbs shrimp (I liked to buy 40-50 count/pound, peeled and deveined, then I take the tails off)
1/3 cup light mayo
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon tarragon, finely chopped (this is optional, but adds a great flavor...you can also use a tablespoon or so of parsley, finely chopped)
Salt/pepper
Hot dog buns
Finely chopped romaine lettuce

1. Cook shrimp in a few teaspoons of olive oil for 2-3 minutes until pink. Season with salt and pepper then set aside to cool, then roughly chop.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together mayo, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, tarragon and lemon zest. Season with salt/pepper. fold in chopped shrimp, scallion, celery and stir until shrimp is well coated with the "dressing." Season with salt/pepper.

3. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until well-chilled and to allow the flavors to combine.

4. When you are ready to serve, butter the hot dog buns and stick them under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned.

5. Assemble rolls by adding a small handful of lettuce to each hot dog bun. Top lettuce with a nice helping of the shrimp mixture. Before serving, squeeze more lemon juice onto each roll and garnish with scallions.

We love having this with kettle potato chips and a little salad (since you'll have leftover romaine lettuce anyway!). Easy, fun weeknight meal!!


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Classic Color Combo + ThredUp!

Hope you're all having a great week so far! I'm excited to be co-hosting a link up with Rachel from Garay Treasures. Please link up with us below!!

Recently I discovered an awesome online consignment store, ThredUp. Have you guys heard of them? Of course you have! Like I've explained in this post, I am a late adopter :)

Basically, you can buy and sell clothes--just like a regular consignment shop. They have very high standards of what they accept, so when you buy, you know you will be getting a very gently used or brand new item. I had originally heard about ThredUp through one of my Blogger buddies, Susan but until recently, I hadn't ordered anything...until now!! Susan had an offer for $10 off your first purchase so I thought WHY NOT??! I purchased this $108 J. Crew skirt...for $11 bucks!!!

 This is how it was pictured online and it looked exactly the same when it arrived!

I am trying to collect a few more skirts since this is something I don't own a whole lot of. This little lace number is SO comfortable and can really be dressed up or down in so many ways! I have big plans for this $108 skirt!!

The Summer LBD ~ Simply Dressed Up + LINK UP

Hey girls! Today is our first official Lovely Little à La Mode Link Up, hosted by Carrie, Whitney and me!! If you're a blogger, come link up with us every Monday!

I don't know about you, but whenever I get an invitation to a semi formal or dressy event, I go through a few...um..."stages." They go something like this ~

Stage 1: Excitement! (a NIGHT OUT! WOO HOO!!)
Stage 2: Wardrobe Freak Out (OMG! I have NOTHING to wear!!!!)
Stage 3: Confusion (should I wear this? or this? what necklace? what shoes? is this too dressy?)
Stage 4: See Stage 2
Stage 5: Acceptance (Whatever. Mama needs a night out. This outfit is fine.)

Recently I attended my 20 year high school reunion. I knew I needed to purchase a new Little Black Dress anyway, so this event was the perfect excuse. I ended up purchasing this dress because I knew how versatile it would be ~

For the outfit, I knew I wanted it to be SIMPLE. Nothing too fussy or dressy. I wanted to minimize accessories but still look pulled together. Here are the 3 options I came up with ~

Option 1: Simple ~ I loved this option because it was so simple. A pendant necklace goes so well with this shift dress and loved the pops of pink in the necklace and clutch!

Option 2: Scarf ~ I love my scarves. You know that! Fall, summer, whenever! And I love me a little leopard anytime, too! One of my favorite things to do is layer a long necklace under my scarf.

Option 3: Statement ~ In this option I think the necklace just speaks for itself. It's pretty big and bold, yet classic. I think it was a perfect pairing with this classic LBD.  Plus the pop of pink... :)

I was happy with all of these options, but here is the one I ended up wearing that night ~

Dress: Leith/Nordstrom (exact, contemplating the pink one too!)
Necklace: Stella & Dot -old (similar, LOVE THIS)
Clutch: Charming Charlie: (exact in coral, similar)

Seven on Sunday ~ Week 32

Day 1: Sunday ~ More reunion festivities in Fresno! We went to a picnic and got to meet everyone's families and kids. These are all my peeps right here!!!

Day 2: Monday ~ Back to the regular routine....Brookey's giving horsey rides :)

Day 3: Tuesday ~ I LOVE summer. LOVE IT. I love spending time with my kids and I am not **typically** the mom that can't wait for school to start. I really try to cherish this time because I know other people would love to have as much time with their kids as I have with mine. But...sometimes....I just feel like it's me against the world. Tuesday was that day ~