Sunday Sunshine

Hey chickens!  How was your week?  I hope it at least pretty decent, because mine was downright shitty.  Actually, it's been rather shitty for the past three weeks or so, but who's counting at this point.  

It's funny how you get really comfortable and are so happy when things are going smoothly, but when the smallest thing (or biggest thing) goes wrong it just throws you way off. That's me, though it may not be you.  When something goes awry, I pretty much shut down and feel paralyzed.  Now, this isn't in every aspect of my life, but I'm not one of you chicks who falls down and immediately gets right back up and keeps going.  Nosireebob, I will lay there for hours thinking about why I fell down, all the different avenues I can take in getting up, and what outfit I will wear with each option.  I wallow, scream, wail, I might take a nap.  And then I do it all over again.  Yes, friends, I am an "overanalyzer" (I know that's not a word), but that's what I am.  Is there a support group for this kind of thing?  I don't know if I would have time for it anyways, because it would probably take too much time away from my analysis.

In an effort to pull myself out of my funk, I decided to go un-casual on casual Friday.  In a sea of tee shirts, jeans, and flip flops, I stuck out like a nicely manicured sore thumb in one of my staple dresses from the mothership.  Now, I am never one to wear the aforementioned articles of clothing on Fridays.  My idea of casual is wearing flats, but I felt good and some good stuff happened.  My first boss in the mortgage business, an impeccably dressed, handsome man who became a wonderful friend and mentor, always told me that beautiful clothes breed success and he was right.  He also told me that if I wore pink moccasins in his presence ever again, he would fire me.  He was serious, too.  I still have those shoes in my closet as a reminder, but I will never wear them again.  

Dress: J.Crew (sold out) similar option

Heels: BCBG, old, but I like these better

Necklaces: J.Crew Fanfare, J.Crew Gold Link

Bracelets: J.Crew, J.Crew, but here is a good "inspired version" for $12.99, Stella & Dot, F21

On another note, you crazy folks have been hounding me to start an Instagram account, so your wish is my command.  Follow workdayweekend to join me in my day to day ridiculousness!

xoxo,

sarah

A Few Notes

Hi love bugs!  Hope you are having a great Thursday!  Mine started out with not one but two tire blowouts.  I hit a "city titty" while driving to work and that thing was solid as a rock.  Anyways, I am one of those girls who has car trouble written in her genetic code, so I just waited for roadside assistance and went on with my day.

I've been thinking a lot on what direction to take some things from this little old blog here, to my career,  to things I simply love doing, and then maybe blending them all together.  I would describe myself as someone who hands their hands in 10,000 different things.  I'm interested and curious about everything from fashion, business, interior design, fitness, cooking... the list goes on.  I want to figure out a way to blend it all together and to have one feed the other.  I get some feedback from time to time on certain things, but want to ask you guys what you would like to see more of.  

Obviously, this is a fashion blog and always has been, so I don't want to take away from that.  I do get a really great response when I post things about home design, interiors, things of that nature, which really ties in with both of my businesses (mortgage lending and real estate investing).  I love taking something old and neglected and making it beautiful and am lucky enough to have the opportunity to do more and more of that in the near future. I haven't even shown you guys pics of the new house and it's something that we are so super proud of and that we designed specifically for us.  I'd like to mold all of this together at some point, but also have some things to share on fitness, building wealth and making smart financial decisions at a young age (young being post college to 35-ish).  Basically, I have a lot to say, but I don't want to turn people off who visit this blog for a very specific reason.  And maybe that's the part of me that wants to please everyone, who knows. I am probably going to separate it into two different blogs so one can be more business based, but I think a lot of it intertwines.  Blogger problems, right?  Give me a little feedback on things you would like to see, would ya?

Moving on.

So, you all know my love for a good old fashioned spray tan, right? Right. It's my therapy session, because the chick that does it is absolutely hilarious.  If you live in Dallas and need a flawless bronzing, call Tantrum Tan and ask for Daesha.  Anyways, this is the dress I wear when I go for my appointment.  It's cute, loose, and black - all requirements for appropriate spray tan attire.  The weird thing is that it's been in my closet for at least 7 years and I just rediscovered it when I was redoing my closet and fell in love with it all over again.  I kind of love when that happens because it becomes part of my weekly uniform, along with some other staples that beat the heat. Also, I love how my Raybans look like the mirrored reflective ones that all the cool kids are wearing nowadays!

Dress: thrifted, love this similar version

Sandals: Soda, love this brand and their awesome price point, another option

Sunglasses: Rayban

Bracelets: J.Crew, Stella and Dot

Necklace: Francesca's,  also at Daily Look for $14.99

Do you have pieces that you wear consistently, week in and week out?

xoxo,

sarah

Hell Hath No Fury

What is goin' on y'all???  I don't have much news, other than the fact that it is hotter than Hades and there is no end in sight! This Texas heat is not conducive to, well, anything really.  I can't begin to describe to you folks who don't live here how friggin' hot a Texas summer can be.  We've had 12 days straight with temps over 100 and you cannot go outside without breaking into an instant sweat.  And as though that ain't enough, there are mosquitoes taking over life as we know it.  Inside, outside, in your car.  One actually woke me up on Saturday morning because I heard it buzzing in my ear!  Totally unacceptable. 

It's tough to dress for this weather, when quite frankly, I'd just assume walk around naked.  But no one wants to see that, so I have been trying my hardest to make the best of our sweet little summer of hell.  I also decided to start a workout regimen and eating plan right smack in the middle of all this heat, so that's been really enjoyable.  I'm on week 4, but I took these pics right before I started, so hopefully they can serve as inspiration as I make my way through the first 90 days.  This dress looks cute now, so I can't imagine how it looks when I'm ripped to shreds and look like Jessica Biel.

Dress: Francesca's Soda Shop Striped Dress

Bag: Louis Vuitton Musette - awesome priced on pre-loved LV bags

Heels: Christian Louboutin Simple 120

Cuff: H&M old - great option from JewelMint

Bracelets: J.Crew Classic Pave' Link, Stella and Dot Renegade Cluster

Necklaces: J.Crew Venus Fly Trap,  but awesome jade version here

xoxo,

sarah

More stripes

With all the house madness going on over the past several months, I haven't exactly been the picture of health.  Eating out became a way of life simply because we were too exhausted to cook and couldn't make it to the grocery store.  Since moving, things have gotten to about 70% normal, but things aren't fitting me the same.  I wanted something super easy and comfy to just throw on and not feel like a stuffed sausage.  That's where this awesome tank dress from Target came in.  Not only was the price tag perfect, but it has a little style with the longer hem in back.  I've worn it about 30 times in the past two weeks, even getting a raised eyebrow when I wore it to bed a couple nights ago.

Getting back into shape is going to be tough, especially in the middle of bikini season.  I've already thrown in the literal towel for this year, but hopefully by next year, I will be back to feeling good again.  I've joined a new gym since moving, which I absolutely love, and just need to make better choices with portion control and what I eat.  I'm not one of those naturally thin girls, I definitely have to work at it, and since I turned 30, it's become about 50% more difficult.  How do you guys do it????

Dress: Xhilaration

Jacket: H&M in stores (love this one!)

Wedges: Steve Madden Westii

Wallet: Kate Spade Wellesly (newer version)

Necklaces: Francesca's, in store

Ring: Francesca's, in store

Bracelets: Stella & Dot Renegade Cluster, F21 similar

xoxo,

sarah

So....

It's been awhile, I guess.  Who am I kidding?  It's been a long time and that post on April 30th was just a blip on the radar.  I feel like a real jackass, because I know that so many of you, like me, really look forward to posts from certain bloggers.  Now, I don't want to ass-ume that I am one of your top five bloggers or anything, but I know it's nice to have something to look at every now and again.  So, rather than bore you with apologies and other non interesting diatribe, I'm gonna tell you what I've been up to.  You may want to grab a pillow and blanket for this one.

So, last I had a lot of interaction and response from you guys was when I renovated my home and posted the before and after pics.  That was a really awesome process and honestly, if I could flip homes for a living, I think I would be the hap-hap-happiest gal in the world, although sometimes I feel that way now.  Our market here in Texas is HOT!  There are tons of buyers and no inventory, so sellers are putting their homes on the market for top dollar, and getting paid more than they even ask for.  The downside to this is that people are making offers on multiple homes, and unbeknownst to the sellers, multiple offers get accepted.  This causes fall out during the option period because the buyer has to chose a house.  This happened to me three times!  Each time, my home was on the market for mere hours before it was right back under contract, but for whatever reason, I had three sellers back out.  We ended up closing on an offer that was $10k over listing, which allowed me to negotiate for repairs that I didn't want to make and it ended up being a very positive transaction.

Now, backtracking a bit.  While that home was under renovation, we had already bought a new home in my dream hood.  After some questionable back and forth with the seller, we ended up getting a great deal and right before the market turned.  The new house needed major construction, including a full gut inside, a/c, foundation, new pool, landscaping, you name it.  So, I had two renovations going on at once, while living in the one that I sold with two dogs and a boy.

Do you guys know what I do for a living?  I can't remember if I've ever actually written extensively about it, but I am a mortgage banker and have been for the past 8 years.  On top of both of these renovations and the market going absolutely cray-cray, my business which was already pretty great, skyrocketed suddenly and I was working until 9 and 10 every night.  Total nut job.  Good for the wallet, but not good for the stress and workout routine.  More on that in another post.  Additionally, I added a team member at the office who

The new house is literally my dream home.  It's so awesome that I can't even describe how happy I feel when I walk into it each day.  Plus, I got to design it from head to toe, buy new furniture, and am in the process of implementing every cool home idea I see on Pinterest.  It's not totally decorated, but all the construction is finished as of Tuesday.  My closet was the grand finale and I can't wait to show you photos of it all!

On another note, here's an outfit!

Top: J.Crew Factory Stripe Sleeveless Popover

Skirt: Old Navy (old) similar in a gorgeous color

Heels: Mossimo Viveca Pumps similar at great price

Bag: Alexander Wang Emile

Necklace: J.Crew Crystal Cluster Necklace (sold out)

Bracelets: F21, Stella & Dot, J.Crew Classic Pave' Link

Also, will you guys make sure that you follow me on Bloglovin' since Google Reader is peacin' out.  Thanks, love ya, kiss kiss!

xx-

sarah