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I turned 41 this week, and I have to say that I'm loving the 40's so far. Sure, there are those moments of "wow, these pants don't fit the way they use to" or the "what is that darker spot by my eye?", but nothing can take away the sense of gratefulness I have for what else I have earned at this age.
In the midst of the extra pound or two here and there as well as the extra wrinkle and grey hair I've gained over the last year, I have also gained...
a deeper sense of peace at knowing that life is not a race and that the list I have will eventually get done or won't matter as much as I think it does at the moment...
a heart full of thankfulness for the things I do have: healthy, happy children, a roof over my head, plenty of food on the table, a wonderful, supportive & handsome husband, parents & siblings who are still alive, amazing in-laws, and friends who love me no matter what...
a little more patience to handle my disappointments and frustrations...
a little more grace so that I am slower to anger and judge...
and a little more wisdom than I did when I was younger.
So I have to admit that the only birthday blues I had this year were the navy blues & teal blues in this beautiful wrap dress by Evan Picone that I wore to a studio session earlier in the day and to the lovely dinner that my family treated me to that night.
The Breakdown.
Black & Navy Blue Evan Picone wrap dress ($20 TJMaxx/ARP $99), blue tank ($3 For Love 21/ARP $3), Nine West leather boots ($8 thrift store/$125 ARP ), blue cashmere pashmina ($6 hospital sale/ARP $20), Coach Ergo patent leather purse ($100 eBay/ARP $398).
Grand Total: $137
Approximate Retail Price: $645
Savvy Savings: $508
Since it's also FREEZING here in Nashville right now (sorry all you Northeners who understand that when I mean freezing, I'm just being a wimp) I'll also add in my lovely black wool Amanda Smith coat, which was an additional $10 at the thrift store. The approximate retail price is $175.
One thing I do want to add is how much I love pashminas and scarves. I find they help bridge the gap between being cold & warm when coming inside and taking off my coat. Winter coats are bulky and yet sometimes it takes a bit for me to warm up when I get inside. A pashmina or scarf or shawl is the perfect thing to wrap around my shoulders and keep me comfortable. Plus, I do love the little color it brings to my basic black coat.
I do hope you are warm wherever you are and that it's not too crazy for you during this Christmas season.
Stay Savvy Y'all!
So we did it. We went out for Black Friday.My husband and I had discussed the fact that there really wasn't anything we needed...except for a new cordless power drill. Sometime in the last year our old one died and replacing and recharging the battery didn't seem to help, and while I am fine using a plug-in drill, I did miss the convenience of the battery pack. So my husband trudged out at 8:30 am and retrieved us a new cordless power drill. YEAH!Not to be outdone by my hubby, I went out with the girls and we wandered around the mall for a bit, leaving the house around 9am. We took care of a few birthday gifts at Claire's where they were having 12 items for $10.
I
also picked up a new painting at Kirklands. I had seen it a couple months ago and loved the colors. It reminds me of the beach, without being too beach-y. It was regularly $99 and I got it for $39. I had to change the color of the frame. It use to have a band of gold around the picture and the edge of the frame so I taped it up and spray painted it on my front lawn.
Besides the fact that the gold previously didn't really work with the colors I had in the house, the darker frame makes the color POP more. At almost 4 feet high and 3 feet wide it's a pretty large picture for the foyer, but I do love looking at it. Sigh, it makes me miss the beach though.
The Savvy Supermom Outfit Breakdown.Old Navy sweater ($6 thrift store/ARP $24), Red Camel Skirt (Belk's $7/ARP $30), Via Spiga boots (Free with trade-in Plato's Closet/ARP $250), Coach Bleecker Laced Flap Purse ($140 eBay/$450ARP ), Wet Seal vest ($6 thrift store/ARP $25).Grand Total: $159Approximate Retail Price: $779Savvy Savings: $620Not a particularly exciting Black Friday, but I'm happy!Hope Y'all had a great Thanksgiving!
Today's outfit was a little monochromatic, but I do love the little pop of red the bag brings and the colorful beading on this sweater.
I bought the sweater a couple years back at Nordstrom with a gift card I had received for my birthday. I think it was on sale for $21 down from $90. I do wish we had a Nordies here (that's an affectionate nickname given to it by its many fans), but I hear tell that we will get one soon!The Breakdown.
Caslon sweater (free birthday gift/ARP $90), white tank ($3 For Love 21/ARP $3), Jigsaw of London Lyocell dress ($8 thrift store/ARP $158), Nine West kitten heel leather boots ($8 thrift store/ARP $150), Rebecca Minkoff Dream Bag ($100 eBay/ARP $650).
Grand Total: $119
Approximate Retail Price: $1051
Savvy Savings: $932
Dresses aren't for everyone and admittedly I have a hard time fitting into dresses. I usually opt for a jersey knit or a wrap in order to accommodate my chest size which was a 34DD last time I got professionally measured. That sounds HUGE doesn't it? I mean, I don't think I look that big but I do have a hard time finding a dress that fits my body: anything too constructed will either be way too big on the bottom in order to fit my chest or way to small at the top if it fits my bottom half.
But I have to say that it is worth it when you find the perfect dress. You know the one that doesn't show a bunch of bulges without having to squeeze into Spanx beforehand, and well, if it does (like this one did a bit) just put a sweater over it!
Stay Savvy Y'all!
Ahhhh, jeans! I figured it was the weekend and well, if you can't wear jeans on the weekend, by golly, when can you wear them?!
This was a bit of an experiment. I'm not sure what color this BCBG sweater is, salmon? It's kind of a orangish-pink or maybe pinkish-orange, but I was kind of excited that it matched a shawl that I had recently found at the thrift store for $1.50. To kick it up a notch, I added a bright yellow patent leather purse and there was just enough color to keep this from fading into just another "jeans & sweater" outfit.The Breakdown.
BCBG sweater ($3 thrift store/ARP $50), white tank ($3 For Love 21/ARP $3), Mavi jeans (FREE from a neighbor/ARP $80), lovely shawl ($1.50 thrift store/ARP $40), yellow Latico Patent Leather purse ($21 eBay/ARP $130), Andrew Stevens blue suede ankle boots ($6 thrift store/ARP $80)
Grand Total: $34.50
Approximate Retail Price: $348.50
Savvy Savings: $348.50
I am SO loving the yellow purse! Patent leather is a favorite of mine because it's so low maintenance, and with the onset of fall/winter, it's nice to have a purse that can withstand the elements without fear of waters spots. And well, the yellow is so happy. Can't wait to wear it with the yellow patent leather Bandolino wedge sandals I found last week for $4 - of course that will probably have to wait till Spring.Stay Savvy Y'all!
I put this outfit together for the sole purpose of wearing this purse today. Somehow I felt like I needed a little red in my life, and the black and white provided the perfect backdrop to showcase one of my favorite bags. It's slouchy, it's soft, it's Rebecca Minkoff's Dream Bag - and she is a dream!
The Breakdown.
Morrissey black & white shirt ($5 thrift store/ARP $150), black tank ($3 For Love 21/ARP $3), Ideology skirt ($4 thrift store/ARP $60), Victoria's Secret boots ($15 boot outlet/ARP $130), Rebecca Minkoff Dream Bag ($100 eBay/ARP $650).
Grand Total: $127
Approximate Retail Price: $993
Savvy Savings: $886
I love clothes that can work in any season. I wore this shirt in a different combination earlier this year and paired it with a white skirt, white heels and a green purse. By changing out the shoes for boots and wearing a darker skirt, it easily moves to fall.
As it is getting a little cooler here, I also brought along one of my all-time favorite shawls. Received as a birthday gift last year, this shawl is from New York & Company, and I love it! I never figured myself for a shawl/throw sort of person but having since discovered it's basically a blanket you get to wear and snuggle up in without people looking at you like you're strange, I have since embraced it.
Of course there is a certain element of a shawl being a bit dramatic. You know...
"Frankly, I don't give a darn what you think," she yelled as she threw her cape around her shoulders and slammed the door behind her.
And though I do not necessarily see myself as such, I am now old enough to not really care if anyone thinks it a bit dramatic...I've been called worse before.
Stay Savvy Y'all!
Admittedly I have 4 other pairs of black flats, but in my defense, they range from suede, to grained-leather, some pointy, some round-toed. I did not, however have a pair of patent leather pointy ballet flats with lovely silver hardware detail on the front until I found these at the thrift store yesterday.
These beauties set me back $4. The tag reads $49.99 (there were from TJMaxx) and they has the retail price at $130). I love that they aren't completely flat. There's a tiny bit of a wedge at the back, and that they are the Nike Air tech-shoes; meaning that together with Nike, Cole Haan designed a shoe that was not only beautiful but comfortable.
Grand Total: $4
Approximate Retail: $130
Savvy Savings: $126
Shop Savvy Y'all!
Today was school - the girls and I attend a one-day-a-week school that we integrate into our homeschool routine. I love that it's just one day a week and that it provides for us a skeleton and jump-off point of learning for the rest of the week.
I also love the fact that I put "normal clothes" on before 9 in the morning - not that PJs aren't normal, but they sure aren't appropriate in most social situations.
The Breakdown.
Mossimo cotton sweater ($5 Target/ARP $17), Essentials by Milano ($3 thrift store/ARP $30), Union Bay cord skirt ($4 thrift store/ARP $30), Victoria Secret boots ($15 boot outlet/ARP $130), Sigrid Olsen leather purse ($50 eBay/ARP $190).
Grand Total: $77
Approximate Retail Price: $397
Savvy Savings: $320
Later in the day, the girls and I stopped by the thrift store and I found a lovely Tibetan 100% Yak Pile shawl (never mind that Yak Pile sounds like something from which I would most definitely NOT want to make a shawl) for just $1.50. It also happened to match my outfit perfectly so I'll be sure to use it when the weather turns colder...which I hope it DOES NOT anytime soon.
Stay Savvy Y'all!
I turned 41 this week, and I have to say that I'm loving the 40's so far. Sure, there are those moments of "wow, these pants don't fit the way they use to" or the "what is that darker spot by my eye?", but nothing can take away the sense of gratefulness I have for what else I have earned at this age.
Since it's also FREEZING here in Nashville right now (sorry all you Northeners who understand that when I mean freezing, I'm just being a wimp) I'll also add in my lovely black wool Amanda Smith coat, which was an additional $10 at the thrift store. The approximate retail price is $175. 
