Funk

tee, flats: Target
jacket: Gap
skirt: J.Crew
glasses: DKNY

I feel like I'm so behind with the fashion this summer. It's already August and I'm just getting to wear my summer whites. How lame is that? Pretty lame for a fashion blogger, I must say.

Well, better late than never right? Right. 

It's not that I don't have enough clothes, I just don't have the inspiration to put new combos together. I find a shirt that works and stick with it instead of trying new things.

 So you could say that I'm kind of in a closet funk and feel like I don't have very versatile pieces. That's what happens when you spend one  month's budget on two dresses that can only worn for special occasions. Don't get me wrong, I love the dresses but need more special occasions to wear them to. Date night it is.(hoping hubby is reading this;-)

Have a great weekend and thank you for reading!

10 Inexpensive Date Ideas

source

Every year as I get older, the longer I'm married to my man, the more I realize, that I know very little. I thought, every year you were supposed to get better at this thing called life, no?

I don't know much, but I do know that couples that intend to stay together in the 'happily ever after' need to work at the happy part to make sure the ever after actually happens. And when I'm saying 'stay to together' I don't mean to survive the torturous coexistence next to each other. No. What I mean is to have a friend and a lovable companion at the end of your life to enjoy the golden years. For that my friends, we need to invest in the relationship now.

Well, having a mortgage, car payment, bills, couple of kids and maybe even school loans does not allow for fancy restaurants, horse carriages and weekend getaways. But being romantic and affectionate does not require a lot of money - just a little imagination. And probably some food. 

Here are some affordable ideas for you to sweep the love your life of her/his feet (without braking the bank).

1. Instead of having a boring lunch at home, grab a picnic basket, pack the food and head to a local park. Find a gorgeous view, spread the blanket and have some lunch. Talk, read a book together or simply take a nap. 

2. Head out to the local library. Browse book stands, find something you are both interested in then retrieve to a secluded, quiet spot and read the book together. I bet you won't even remember what was that book about;-)

3. Want to go to a fancy shmancy restaurant? Sign up for deals at such website as Groupon, join the restaurant's e-mail list to stay informed of their promotions or go there for lunch. Expensive restaurants tend to be more affordable in A.M.

4.Dinner and a movie. Make simple dinner and look on hulu.com for free re-runs of your favorite shows. You can even have fun with finding the dumb, funny, cheesy, longest running or stupid shows.
Have fun with it!

5. Transform your bedroom into a getaway retreat by setting it up as a hotel room, complete with number on the door, mints on a freshly made bed (use crisp white cotton sheets), a huge stack of towels and a few fizzy bath tablets in the bathroom (for an instant Jacuzzi), nice stationery and a pen (for writing each other love notes), a bottle of something chilling in an ice bucket, and room service. (source) 

6. Have a game night. Pull out all of your board games for a friendly night of competition. Be sure to have some treats for the occasion, like homemade salsa and chocolate covered strawberries.

7. Go to a thrift store. Each person gets $10 to spend! See who ends up with the best item(s)!

8. Have a restaurant hop by ordering only appetizers at couple different restaurants you have never been to and don't want to risk paying for a full meal. That way you can try something new and not spend a lot of  money on a dinner you may not like anyway.

9. Go to a farmers market and explore what your local vendors have to offer. You can find a lot of free samples and cheap foods, interesting entertainment and fresh air.

10. Head to the bookstore when very few people are going to be there (like Monday), grab a cup of joe and walk through the aisles together, showing each other your favorite books, bonding over the books you both hated, and flipping through a Kama Sutra book for ideas for later ;-)

Hope these ideas will motivate you to have fun and schedule a date with your spouse. Have a great day!

Winding Down

top: Talbots
skirt: Thrifted
heels: Ann Taylor
clutch: DIY
necklace: Forever 21

According to the calendar, it's almost the end of summer and New York haven't even had real summer yet. We had non-stop rain the entire month of June, then it warmed up a little. But all the rain made the humidity get out of control, so that the only possible way of survival was inside, under an air conditioner. 

By the way, a blessing I am extremely thankful for is the central air conditioning system.

 It's absolutely amazing. I'm giving props to all the people who don't have A/C. I don't know how ya'll live.

We started having gorgeous weather last few weeks and now the days are warm and nights are cool. It's really beautiful out and yesterday was one of those days. We enjoyed it mostly by going to church, staying inside and (not) taking a nap because a certain someone with cutest chubby cheeks and beautiful grin decided that he will wake up every half an hour just to keep us on our toes.

Summer is winding down, so enjoy the beautiful weather by going to the park or having a picnic under a tree, take a bike ride or a trip to the beach. I know that I'm going to take advantage of this gorgeousness. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a great day!

New Do

top: Target
pants: Gap
shoes: Kate Spade
bag: Target
glasses: DKNY

Ever since I had baby Jonathan, my hair started showing signs of a nursing mother. It has been falling out at a crazy rate, and, frankly, I'm surprised I still have some of it. Seriously! 

Giving birth to another human being takes a toll on your body in so many ways, but I did not expect shedding to start. My hair grew to be very long and heavy, so there would be long brown packs in every corner of the house. It was even in Jonathan's diaper. Poor little guy.

I liked the ombre very much and was sad to let it go but I needed a change. 

To make sure that all the ends are evenly colored, I decided to chop them off and now feel so much better. A gorgeous day, new haircut, fresh pedicure and a stroll in a park marked it to be one of the better days.

How are you gals liking the new do?

July {Budgeting Series}

Another month, another budget. Blown out of the water. 

Partly because we were on vacation, so there was more time and opportunity to shop. So we did.

Then, our anniversary where we got a little pampered for a day, and hubby indulged my shopaholic tendencies. Here's to keeping my materialism in check. 

Dress (x2) - I found two pretty dresses at Lord and Taylor for $95.67. Partly it's hubby's fault, no wait, it's all his fault. He found cutest stuff and showed them to me, then I'm drooling. He was going to pick out a dress I would wear for out anniversary dinner and couldn't decide between the two. So with coupons and clearance it was a great buy. Worn one of them here and looking for another occasion to wear the other.

Kate Spade Wedges (similar)- these wedges ($63.74) have already been proven to be one of the versatile pieces in my closet. And they are super comfy. Win win!

Joe Fresh Blouse - got this cute top ($11.50) on clearance last in my size. Love the black and white contrast and florals.

Gap Sandals - I was pleasantly surprised to find a pare of comfortable, leather low-heel sandals at Gap for only $9.49. I've walked in them all day and my feet didn't hurt one bit.

Target Top - this item was not part of the plan. But it was only $5.89 and out of all the cute stuff I've tried on at Target, nothing fit me as well as this blouse. Go figure! Btw, I need to stop going there, it's a mine field of shopping waiting to happen.

Running Short ($12.00) - TJMaxx always has good quality gear for low price. Love that place!

TOTAL: $198.49
BUDGET: $100.00
OVER: $98.49 (double!)