Delight in Old Navy

I had some coupons to save $10 when purchasing $50 or more of Old Navy merchandise.

So.. I used one. I'll share with you some of my favs:



I bought this ruffle purse in black. Love it. Just got it yesterday. And I love how it's lined in black with silver flowers. Every time I peak into it I get excited.

I also bought a gym bag since I've been using what I lovingly refer to as man bag for the last year. It's all leather and it reminds me of a man's toiletry bag. Except it's big enough to be a gym bag. I'm grateful Kev let me borrow it for Pilates and now I'm grateful I have a girly bag to hold my clothes and sneakers to and from the gym. I was surprised everything arrived before Christmas. I probably should have left the package unopened so I could pretend they came from Santa...

Delight in Vintage Hem

I found a great alternative to wearing leggings and tights under a short dress or skirt. I actually own a pair of leggings that I have yet to wear. They just don't look right. It's so sad.

So, along comes Cardigan Empire to show me the light. Instead of always wearing tights or leggings (which I think are a great option in many cases) you can layer a Vintage Hem under your outfit.I actually did a similar thing to the dress I wore at my wedding reception- I had my mother-in-law sew some black lace to the flounce in my skirt to lengthen it for modesty. It turned out great, especially since she added the lace elsewhere on the dress to unify it.

The idea of adding a slip that not only keeps the skirt/dress from clinging but adds length too is awesome. Why didn't I think of that?

Check out all of the great vintage hems and don't forget to enter Cardigan Empire's giveaway!

Simple pleasures

I'm home sick today. I should say I came home sick today. After two hours at work I realized I was not going to successfully carry out a full day.

I've been snuggling with my puppy and a Sprite all afternoon. My favorite thing is to see Maddie get up from her blanket nest and stretch her hairy little chin up to the ceiling. She notices someone walking by and starts to growl but it ends in a yawn. It's so precious that I can forgive her heinous dog-food breath.

Unfortunately I have to kick it back into high gear soon because there is so much going on this weekend. My siblings are having our Secret Santa exchange tomorrow and there is a requisite Saturday trip to Lowe's scheduled as well. Plus I have to visit IKEA so Kev can try out a couch I love. All the festivities and chores need to be done in time for me and Kev to get back up to Ogden before 4pm so Kev can work a show at WSU.

Perhaps I can have a Sprite drip installed to help calm my stomach while I get things done. Or maybe I can sneak a few bites of the homemade bread that's baking for a party this evening. Nothing like food made with love to make a body feel better!

I almost started to believe I was imagining this sofa.

At the end of 2009, IKEA had a promo on a three-piece living room set referred to as KLAMBY. It was a sofa, loveseat and chair for $699. I didn't pay any attention to it because I don't have that kind of space in my living room for a set.

However, one day while passing time in Draper (I'm pretty sure Seth and Kev were doing man stuff so I decided to go to IKEA), I sat down on a KARLSVIK sofa to browse the new 2010 IKEA catalogue.

I really loved the sofa. It was petit and had nice lines- I noticed it wasn't as modern or moduar looking like a lot of the other IKEA couches. It also didn't come across as too stuffy either.

Since sitting on that sofa, I had no luck finding it in the 2010 catalogue or online. It made me crazy! It wasn't until I went back to IKEA with friends Bethany and Natalia that I verified the KARLSVIK sofa does indeed exist. I even made the girls sit on it with me so I could prove to myself that it was true.

It's currently listed for $299 and I've been talking about it to Kev non-stop since my first encounter. I did some research online and discovered that I missed a Black Friday opportunity to get the KARLSVIK for $199. Bummer. I guess it was worth sleeping in though.

I keep trying to imagine it in my living room with my discounted, tent-sale red couch. I'm so over the college chairs I've been using as supplemental seating and I'm ready to add a more substantial mate for the existing couch.

This weekend Kev will be putting his own bum on it to see if it's worth saving up for. Wish me luck!

I ran out of store-bought cards and I'm really glad.

To supplement my first round of Christmas cards, I found these on Etsy. How cute are they? I really like that the ornament guys are almost ugly. That's why I really like Hippos too.

It's a trend, I know.

But we all know trends come back into style 20 years later, so it's actually an investment. These pink tabletop trees are so eye-catching to me right now. I think they'd look so great on the shelves in my living room, or on the dining room table between meals.

It's either the pink trees or the white ones. I can't decide.

I can't believe I haven't shared this yet!

My younger brother works as an accountant for Isis Dei, which is a company that makes incredible lap top cases. With his hookup, I got this paisley case for my Netbook. Love it!

Sophia has the Goldfish case for her MacBook and it's lined with memory foam. Amazing. After re-visiting their site, I found out they're making iphone cases too. Sweet. When I finally get my Realtor's license I'm getting a work iphone. Maybe Jesh will have to hook me up with one of those too... ?

Seriously, if you didn't click the link for Jesh's bio, you must. It's hilarious.

Most likely replacing the mittens Maddie accidentally ate.

And Kev can pretend they're from him because we've been horrible this year about buying gifts for each other.

Community

I'm in love with this show. Sometimes "The Soup" really bugged me. I didn't like watching it. But Community proves that I don't hate Joel McHale. I just kind of hate "The Soup."

Slippies!

These slippers from LLBean come in a variety of delicious colors and I'm tempted to change the Christmas list I gave to my parents! My step-dad gets a discount at LLBean since he's an employee, and these slippers are almost too good to pass up. The problem is picking a color and sticking with it!

Maddie's not spoiled enough to get a gift set from LL Bean

It's cute though.

Life is Good

How great are these "Life is Good" ornaments? I love this brand, and now REI sells ornaments based on the popular face of the company as well as a few other images.
I also love the "Outside Inside" ornaments available at REI. Kev and I have a lot on our little 4 foot Christmas tree every year. My trick for saving money is to buy ornaments after Christmas and tuck them away until next year. They are usually 75% off after Christmas, so it's worth the wait to add to your collection.