bybmg: February 2016
PinkBlush gifted me this top in exchange for my review. The opinions are all my own.



More and more I'm coming to the point where if clothes don't make me feel good, I'm not going to wear them. When PinkBlush Boutique contacted me about collaborating with them, I knew the item I chose must be something I would feel great in. I found this Tribal Print Top, I just knew it would fit the bill. It contains so many colors I love, it's a tunic length, and it's pattern is gorgeous. 

I'm back for the last week of 20 Items in 21 Days!



For a rundown of the 20 pieces I chose, check out this post.

{Monday}


Mustard Skinnies // Chambray Top

This was a fun outfit for a day shopping with my mom. I love my Minnetonka mocs!

{ONE}

I took the day off on Monday and spent the day with my mom. We shopped until our feet hurt. It was so fun! I was too busy having fun to take any pictures. :)

{TWO}



With having three boys, we go through a lot of clothes around here. Henry's growing like a weed. Wesley's getting to the age where Henry wore some of the clothes out, and poor boy #3 Calvin, I'm getting sick of seeing some of these clothes the third time around. The donation/buying cycle is real around here, and Schoola is the perfect place to go to make it work to benefit us and our community.

Schoola is an online second-hand clothing shop. People donate clothes, specify the school that they want the proceeds of their clothing sales to go to, and others purchase the clothing at reasonable prices. Forty percent of the proceeds of each sale go to schools. These fundraising efforts fund programs such as field trips, art, music, and physical education. As a teacher, I personally know how tight school budgets can be.

The Schoola team picked out some clothes for our boys and sent along a few other goodies, too.


A new with tags Tea brand outfit for Calvin ,



I was searching the good 'ole Pinterest for some inspiration, and I came across a sign that said, "Lucky to Be Blessed." I thought it would make a perfect St. Patrick's Day frame!

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement



I don't get to Target a ton, but this post makes reason for me to take a monthly "vacation" for a few hours to the land of the red and khaki! I truly look forward to it!

This month I struggled a little bit though in deciding what to buy, and I ended up going a teeny tiny bit over budget. 

Like usual, let's begin with things I didn't buy!


The shoe section had some killer deals.  These were under $7, and it they had them in my size, I would have gotten them.
I'm happy to be back for Week #2 of 20 Items in 21 Days. I feel better after this week. I can push through next week and finish strong!



If you want to check out last week's outfits, look here, and for a rundown of the 20 pieces I chose, check out this post.

I took Monday off because it was jeans and college wear day at school, so we're starting with Tuesday!

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement.

{ONE}


Have you noticed it looks a little different around here? I'm in the middle of a blog redesign. It's been such a fun experience because students from our local high school have been the ones doing it!


Because of this, my comment system has been a little funky. If you'd like to comment, but it's not showing up, do a quick refresh and it usually loads!

Natural Grocers extended me this experience in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. See my disclosure statement.


On Valentine's Day, Russ and I got to go on a lunch date to an event at Natural Grocers in Clive, Iowa. The company has been in existence since 1955, but this store just recently opened up. It is their 110th store, but the first one in Iowa.


I love a good snow day. Multiple snow days, not so much, but a good one or two in a year, and I'm happy. The day before a big storm was predicted, I opened up my Pinterest desserts & sweets board looking for a yummy little snack. I came upon This Little Home of Mine's Snowman Mix. I used the recipe for inspiration and changed up a few things, so I thought I'd share it with you!
Lessons in Fashion:
a sporadic series where I share little tips with you that help make my wardrobe stretch. 
  

Today's Lesson: 
Don't be scared to wear a pencil skirt in the winter!

Here in Iowa, weather is always an adventure. We're currently in the heart of winter. It was close to 0*F this past weekend. I love a good pencil skirt, though! I find that if I add a good pair of tights or leggings, I can make it work.  Today I'm showing you three ways to wear this gorgeous pencil skirt I received from Sweetly Made by MJ! It is such a high quality and comfortable skirt. Monique made it exactly to my measurements so it fits like a glove! Also, you have a chance to win one for yourself at the end of the post. 


{with chambray and sparkles}



A chambray top is so versatile. I love adding it to my pencil skirt for a different look. Since the skirt is neutral, it could seem bland just straight with the chambray, but adding a little color with tights and a little sparkle with jewelry take it up a notch. 




Happy Valentine's Day! I'm coming at ya with my outfits from week 1 of the 20 items for 21 days challenge.  I did decide to change out two pieces (ditched the dress for a graphic tee and my olive sleeveless tee for a new rose colored top). I've edited the post to show the changes.

{Monday}


Gray Sweater // Mustard Skinnies

Adding in the blanket scarf c/o New Chic and my burgundy booties really made this outfit come alive!
Happy Friday!  If you're excited for the weekend, raise your hand! *raises both hands* Here are some happenings from around here!

{ONE}


We had fun watching the Super Bowl on Sunday! The photo add-ons on Snapchat just cracked me up. Wesley LOVED them... and I did, too!


I'm joining in with some fabulous ladies to be a part of the Picture Perfect Project. Each month I'll be sharing a few photos I've taken with our Canon EOS Rebel T3i. I decided with this challenge to focus on documenting of each of our boys in their element. It might look messy, but I just want these photos to capture the every day life we have. I don't really plan to edit the photos in any way except for possibly cropping them a little.

This month's pictures were captured on our snow day, which was February 2. The lighting in the house was just great with the sun reflecting off the snow. I took more than three pictures of each boy, but I am sharing just three (and a little bonus at the end). I realize a few are a little out of focus; something I need to work on for sure.
I received this scarf from newchic.com for my review. The opinions are all my own. This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure statement.

Today I'm linking up with Ann at in residence. She is starting a monthly Mom Style Linkup and this month it's all about jeans. 



I LOVE the look of blanket scarves. There are so many fun plaid color combinations. When New Chic offered a shopping experience, I took a look around their accessory section, and this beauty caught my eye. It has the color mustard in it! #givemeallthemustard.


(The photos in this post are our engagement pictures. Weren't we just babies? I don't think I have any photos from the actual day he proposed.)

Russ and I met in college. We had some funny beginnings which included meeting on Valentine's Day, a radio show history, our first date being with his parents, and a summer spent in Colorado apart but together on weekends.  It is kind of crazy how things fell together. The story of the day we got engaged has a few little quirks that make it worth telling.



I've loved LuLaRoe for a long while. I would say I loved it before it was really known. Today I wanted to share a couple looks from the archives that are LuLaRoe staples, the Irma top and leggings. The leggings are seriously the softest things ever, and the Irma top is super forgiving!


Here is my first LuLaRoe look that I shared on the blog almost two years ago. I still love these pieces!



I don't usually post on the weekends, but I will be for the next couple weeks. I'm going to try out a capsule wardrobe for the next 21 days. It's headed up by Paige at Style This Life and Shannon. It consists of 20 pieces of clothing. Some people who are participating are counting shoes in their 20, but I just can't. Shoes are like an accessory to me. Here's a rundown of what I chose. 

Can you believe it's February!? It's pretty much my favorite month with Valentine's Day and my birthday! I hope you had a great week!

{ONE}



Henry turned 6 last weekend. We had a lot of fun celebrating. He had some buddies for a little party that included making perler bead creations and playing Wii.


I totally went simple on the cake this year. It's a diamond sward from Minecraft. I spent wayyyyy to much money on the colored M&Ms because they came out of the dispenser at the grocery store too fast. Live and learn!

We also got together with family on Sunday. It was a great, busy weekend.





It's so fun to think about life in numerical form. I'm sharing a review of last month with you today and linking up with Shoes to Shiraz.

I received this blouse from newchic.com for my review. The opinions are all my own.

Having three kids, working full time, and being in grad school, Russ and I really don't get out on dates much. I totally know it's a stage, and I hope some day in the future we can get dates out more frequently. When we do go out, I typically gravitate towards pants. I'm not quite sure why, but in the winter at least I prefer leaving the skirt/dress wearing for work.




I loved having some goals to strive toward this month. I kept them in the forefront of my mind and carved out time to work on them. Here's a little recap!


I love a good arm party. Stack on the bracelets and I'm feelin' fine!  I was so excited to discover Blossom Boutique from a friend this past fall. I shared this a beautiful bangle stack in September

Blossom is a handmade jewelry boutique currently on Etsy. They provide a host of stylish jewelry with new styles being added almost daily. Custom design is offered for no additional charge. You tell us what you have in mind, and we will work with you to create exactly what you have in mind!
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