Lament of Innocence

So tomorrow will be the beginning of 16+ years of schooling my oldest son will have. Crazy isn't it, how time flies? I've always kept a journal and in one of them I have a 'to accomplish' list, and one of those things is sending my child to one of our Adventists schools, and thank God tomorrow I can cross that one off. It's so exciting, yet terrifying. It's like a melting pot of emotions. My son has always either been with me or his babysitter of 4 years, so I'm sure he's nervous. I'm so happy he'll be around other kids and learn things and get to do fun things, but at the same time he'll be out in the world and although he'll be attending private school, the innocence will be gone. Unfortunately, as much as we wish we could, we can't forever shelter/protect our kids from all the craziness out there, the bullying, the peer pressure, the heart breaks. Here's a picture of his uniform. My little man <3

 

 what I wore school shopping/loving coral + taupe together

Top: Gap (old) | Scarf: Old navy | Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Steve Madden

Date With My Hubs

My hubs and I got to go on a date Saturday night while the kids stayed with my mom. We were able to enjoy Logan's Roadhouse before we started getting the phone calls ("have you had dessert yet?" - i.e. are you almost done). The sweet potato fries were so good and so was the steak. The key lime pie was a bit too sweet/strong for me.

Top: J. Crew (on sale!) | Skirt: Ann Taylor (either Loft or just Ann Taylor) | Shoes: Cole Haan (on sale) | Necklace: Ann Taylor | Watch: Skagen

BTW, loving stripes and animal prints put together and then adding a pop of color. You can't really see in this pic, but my nail polish is the same as my necklace. It's by OPI but I can't remember the name, it's a coral-ly looking color.

Sabbath

At work I'm part of the weekend crew, so when I get to go to church on Sabbath, it's such a blessing. I was able to spend a Saturday with my family while they were here and here are a few pics:

 

Top: J. Crew | Skirt: Zara | Shoes: Zigi Soho | Watch: Skagen

Fyi, you wouldn't believe how much I paid for this outfit...the watch was more expensive than the top and skirt put together. The J. Crew top was $34.99 and the Zara skirt $39.99. Sweet deal, huh?

Children's Museum

Museums are one of my most favorite things in the world. If I had to pick out the ideal date, it would consist of frozen yogurt, mediterranean sandwich from panera bread, and a museum. I know what you're thinking, what a nerd. But honestly I'd prefer a book over a movie, a museum over the club/bar, or doing something fun outdoors rather than a concert. I dislike big crowds, I think that's one of the reasons why I'm so obsessed with online shopping. Anyhow, here are a couple of pictures from the museum with the family.

Top: J. Crew | Shorts: Tommy Hilfiger |  Necklace: J. Crew

On both of my sons (mint/grey): Gymboree

Out for Fro-Yo

I am obsessed....SO SO obsessed with frozen yogurt. yummm yummm yummm. Just sitting here typing about it is making me crave for some, and if I wasn't exhausted from a long day of busy patients and a rapid response I would probably drive myself clear across town to get some. Anyway, here are 2 pictures that I took before my fam and I went:

 

Top: Forever 21 | Necklace: ILY couture | Watch: Michael Kors | Shorts: Gap Outlet | Sandals: AE (ooold)

It's Been A While...

Yes I know, I'm such a slacker. I have been busy picking up incentive shifts at work because we have been short of nurses so I have been coming home super exhausted; but the pay and the satisfaction you get of having helped someone is definitely not something to complain about. I love my job as a nurse - LOVE it. I think of how much Jesus did here on earth and how much He (along with the Father) must really love us to take their time to go above and beyond. Between my last post and now other than work, not much else has happened except for family coming in from Colombia for the first time. It was pretty awesome, seeing how little things we "americans" see as so simple and every day is so exciting to a foreigner (like Walmart for example). Anyway, here are some pics from the airport:

My dad took this pic of me waiting....

On me: Top: Old Navy Outlet | Pants: AE (old) | Sandals: Ann Taylor Loft Outlet | Belt: Ann Taylor Loft Outlet | Eyewear: Rayban | Purse: Steve Madden

On My Sons (red & blue shirts): Janie and Jack

The wait was ridiculous, but def well worth it!

My Sister's Closet

My sister has, since I can remember, been my inspiration for fashion (well, for the exception of elementary and middle school, and part of high school - those were awkward years hahaha). She's quite a few states away from me, so if it weren't for pinterest I'd still be wearing black and grey (not that there's anything wrong with it but my wardrobe seriously consisted primarily of only those two colors). Our styles are not really the same, but yet in some aspects it is. I think that on Tuesdays I'll dedicate the post to her closet. Anyway, without further adieu, here she is:

Top: Forever 21 | Shorts: Pacsun | Boots: Gifted | Purse: Prada/Gifted | Sunnies: Forever 21 

To Do or Not To Do

Red lipstick. that is the question. i've always been afraid of buying lipstick, especially red, for a few reasons:
a. i'm half asian, so i have a yellowish tint to my skin - so finding the right color would be a challenge
b. i have huge lips, seriously
c. my husband thinks red lipstick is the most hideous thing invented in the makeup world
after much google-ing (i would seriously be lost without that search engine), i came across cover girls make up match tool to find out what would compliment my skin tone (you'll see why i took this quiz). my shade result was  'warm' - whatever the crap that means. so then i went back to google and searched for 'red lipstick for warm undertones'. with the help of google, i came to the conclusion that anything along the lines of 'fire engine red' would look good. anyhow, i went to good ol' walmart (bc the closest MAC for me is about 45 mins away & walmart has a wider selection than drug stores) and picked out RIMMELS new lasting finish by kate lipstick in rossetto/rouge 01. let me tell you, i am SO happy with that lipstick. SO happy. i LOVE IT. the only thing i don't like about it is that it gets everywhere. is that a common problem with colored lipstick? i don't know because this is my first time using it. i would like to say that i went to MAC and tried on ruby woo. what a disappointment. i hated the way it felt applying it. it didn't glide on. the texture to me was weird, and i'm pretty big on textures. just FYI, i use MAC's NC40 during winter/early spring when i don't have a tan, and L'oreal's true match in buff beige n4. i took this pic with my iphone & the quality is a bit low but it's pretty much the true color of the actual lipstick.

cardigan: jones new york | blouse: ann taylor | sunnies: ann taylor outlet

Once Upon A Flat

I saw these pictures one day when i was browsing through the internet and fell in love with these cute little flats. i can't find the original post, but i wanted to share these  pictures, maybe they will inspire some great outfits!

Polka Dots

Polka Dots by josie2003 featuring white gloves

Dorothy Perkins draped dress, $69
White glove, $9
Forever 21 hair clip accessory, $3.80
nude heels at Target, $30

This outfit was inspired by Shabby Apple's grey pencil dress, which costs $82. I have purchased from Dorothy Perkins before and receivedy dresses in about two weeks and paid at that time only $3.75 for shipping.This whole look is just under $115.

Giants Fans

superbowl look for giant fans for less $90 by josie2003 featuring a ruffle top

Ruffle top, $20
Loft, $70
BDG orange pumps, $49
Mango cat eye sunglasses, £18

Loft is having a sale - full priced items for 30% off and the shoes are on sale for $39. the total outfit price does not include the sunnies. anyway, i thought i would post this incase you (or the hubby) is a giants fan and you want something cute to wear if you happen to be hosting a superbowl party or are just a fan.

Beach Bound

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO TAKE YOU TO POLYVORE AND THEN THE DIFFERENT STORES EACH PRODUCT IS FROM!

look for less by josie2003 featuring zip bags

Old navy shirt
H&m shoes, £13
H M zip bag, £30
Oasis buckle belt, $9
H&m sunglasses, £4.99
Charlotte Russe - Lazy River Straw Fedora, $13

thought i'd do another one of these pinterest inspired outfits today before i call it quits. remember, old navy (the top and shorts are from there) has a 15% off today!

Leopard Print

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO TAKE YOU TO POLYVORE AND THEN TO THE DIFFERENT STORES EACH PRODUCT IS FROM!
l
ooks for less by josie2003 featuring leopard scarves

Old navy sweater
Old navy
Nicole tortoiseshell sunglasses, $14
Leopard scarve, $11
MIA Parker Navy - 6pm.com, $25

i saw this look and LOVED IT! love kelly green & navy but some of the clothing if i remember correctly was either too pricey or it would take too long to be shipped to me (i need instant gratification) soooo i looked around and old navy is having a 15% off everything sale (including items that are already on sale!) so i put together this look for less from pinterest.