Fancy Pants!

These pants have a story, but then again, ALL of my clothes seem to have a story!  

I REALLY loved these Jcrew cords since I first saw them in the catalog.  The other day I popped in Jcrew because I heard they had 50% off the markdown (which they NEVER do!)  I saw these pants on the rack and ran to try them on (even though they were way smaller than my size - one can hope!)  No luck, but my personal shopping friend, Mitch, decided to look them up to see if he could find them in my size.  One pair in a city that was very far from me.  I had him put them on hold anyhow, and thought about how I would get them (charge send maybe?) Then I remembered my friend from work lived in that city and I would be seeing her at the company party in 2 days - score! I called and paid for them and she picked them up and brought them to me!  

The BEST part - $20!!!

Pants: Jcrew Toothpick Cords in Ribbon Bow print (retail $110 - paid $20)

Shirt: Dolce & Gabbana (hand me down)

Shoes: Dexter Payless

I love my fancy pants!

Before and After- Laundry Room & Office

It was time. Things were a little out of hand and my laundry room/office had become my dumping ground. It's taken several weeks of cleaning out but I've made progress!

 Before 
Looking into the laundry room 
This was post Christmas-time. Trying to put away my decorations and shopping after holiday sales. You can see I hang dry my clothes on a rod above the washer.  This has kept our clothes nice for a long time.
 

After 

Looking into the laundry room 

 Finally got rid of that horrifying navy blue blind that made everything so dark!  Put up photos of my children on the top shelf.  I bought the iron work wall decor piece at Ross for $16 and my hubby spray painted it teal.  Found the Levolor rattan blinds at Ross for $12!!  Curtains from Target Xhilaration line - they were too long so I cut them off after the third tier- these totally remind me of the Anthro ones! Got rid of one of the clothes sorters to make more room.  Rug and pillow from Target.

 

  
Before 
Looking at the closet, powder room area

 I was able to fit all of my jewelry, makeup, hair stuff (dryer, curling iron) into new bins in the closet, thus getting rid of the rolling sterilite drawer thingy. 

    After
Looking at the closet, powder room area

 Bought the peg hangers at Home Depot to hang my statement necklaces.  My BFF got me that print years ago. I finally framed it - the border on the mat is little red mushrooms!

  

Ironing board that folds down. I also bought a new Conair steamer at Ross for $17 that works awesome. I've always wanted one!


Before 
Desk and workspace
Check out that bowl of M and M's!  And all that laundry in the sorted baskets!
 
 After 
 Desk and work area
I removed the dehydrator and now store it in the closet until I need it.  Made more room for my Desk Apprentice to work better.  My laundry is caught up today! 
 

Shabby Chic curtain hangs in the doorway. I removed the door to make more room. I got that cross stich at a garage sale for $.50!  And same above mentioned BFF gave me the framed Mary Engelbreit print!  I hang my workout jackets, yoga mat and aprons here.

 The details!  Rug and pillow from Target. Tractor desk chair from Target.
 

Apparently, I like animals everywhere, not just on my clothing!
Anthro wrist pad, Target dollar spot mouse pad.

I feel great making this much progress! I still have to go through all of the overhead cabinets and declutter and organize.  Thanks to my friend Dianalin for the inspiration!

The First Day of 2013!

My New Year's Eve went well, with a trip to the beautiful City (San Francisco) to choose a location for our upcoming company party.  My boss and I viewed the space and were treated to a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, coffee, a spinach and chive omelet and home fries.  Super Yum!  

On New Year's Eve I also found these 2 pretty Target scarves on 70% off, so $4.49 each!  Can you see the swans in the pattern?  I drank my beloved Shakeology to keep things on the healthy track.

Today I started the day with a run with Maggie and my first daily Bible Reading from my One Year Bible.  It has a passage from the OT, NT, a Psalm and some Proverbs. I love reading the Psalms and Proverbs.  Today was Psalm chapter 1 where we are told blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  In all he does, he prospers and the Lord knows the way of the righteous.  What more comfort do we need?

 

A new year is a great thing but also daunting to me. So many things need done during January!  Sometimes it can be overwhelming.  I got a real de-clutter bug today for my laundry room. Maggie is helping me and we are making progress. I will post before and after pics. 

We will have Hoppin John with black eyed peas, greens and cornbread for our traditional New  Year's Day meal!  

Hope you are all having a great start to 2013!