Cape Cod Getaway Weekend - Part 1

For my birthday last month, Mike bought us two nights at By the Sea Guests in Dennis Port, MA on Cape Cod. I have been looking forward to this trip for a month, and it did not disappoint! I had such a fantastic weekend that you're going to get two posts about it. I've gotta warn you, if you don't like pictures of seafood, the beach, min golf or maxi dresses, you might be bored.

The weekend got off to a rough start. It was chilly and pouring rain when we picked up our zipcar. Between the rain and the rush hour traffic it took us an hour just to get out of the city, and another two to get to the Cape. When we finally arrived we rewarded ourselves with a pile of fried seafood and some chowder from Kream n Kone and then settled down in front of the gas stove in our suite for an evening of HBO and wine.

In the morning the rain was gone, but the skies were still gray. Thankfully, by the time we went to the market and made lunch the sun started to peak out from behind the clouds. After a delicious lunch on the porch, I spent the afternoon drinking moscato, reading a book, and lounging in the sun on the B&B's private beach.

Outfit: Dress- Old Navy; Cardigan and Sunnies- Target; necklace- ? 

There's something so perfect about wearing a breezy maxi dress on the beach. It was perfect for both the chilly morning and the warm breezy afternoon. However, I probably shouldn't have taken my cardigan off and hiked up my maxi dress without applying sunscreen. I now look like the lobster that was in the bisque I had with dinner Saturday night!

Tune in tomorrow for mini golf pics, and another maxi dress :)

Spring in My Step

I almost titled this post LBD with a side of frog legs, but I didn't want to box myself into only talking about my outfit.

Outfit: Dress- NY&Co. similar at Old Navy; Scarf and tights- H&M; Shoes- Target

I've got a lot of spring in my step these days, and it's not just from finding the perfect shade of emerald tights to match my emerald ballet flats purchased on super clearance at Target ($6ish in stores, y'all!). After a few weeks of being extremely busy, and anxious, the stress cloud I was sitting in has dissipated. I start a new job in less than two weeks!

I've been unhappy at my current job for quite a while. I don't want to divulge a whole lot of detail because I pride myself on keeping my professional life separate from my personal life/ blog life. Long story short, I decided to start looking back in September, but after being told I was overqualified for a job I thought for sure I had landed back in October I was feeling really discouraged. Recruitment is a major part of my job, but I had forgotten how stressful it is to be on the other side of things!

When job searching patience is definitely a virtue. Lots of carefully crafted cover-letters a few less than stellar phone interviews, and some heart break finally led to a job that is the perfect next step in building my career in nonprofit human resources/ administration.

The best part? I'll be able to walk to work! I'll get one and a half to two hours of my day back. That means more time for blogging, going to the gym, snuggling with my cat, or whatever.

...Oh, and more money for shopping!

Power Dressing

Do you ever have one of those days where you need to project an air of confidence, but you're just not feeling it? I've found that on days like that it really helps to put on an outfit that makes me feel confident and authoritative. For me that "power outfit" is a dress or pencil skirt, a low heel or wedge and a blazer or cardigan.

Outfit: Blazer- Target; Dress- NY&Co (old); Heels- Crown Vintage via DSW; Tights- Hue via Marshall's; Earrings?

I love this blazer. I'm strongly resisting the urge to order another color from the Target website. I imagine it will be appearing on the blog a lot as it is a very versatile piece. It looks great as a suiting piece for work, but also with more casual pieces.

By the way- the thing I needed to feel confident for went really well. I'll be less vague when I know the final result. I don't want to jinx anything! What do you wear on days that you need to feel and project an air of confidence? Do you have a "power outfit"?

Sweater Weather

With all the cold weather we've been having, I find myself craving the warmth of a fuzzy over-sized sweater. But how does one take something so casual and make it office appropriate? Layer it over a work appropriate LBD and cinch with a belt!

I found this over-sized printed cardigan at Buffalo Exchange on Monday, and I knew I had to have it. Cardigans are my favorite item of clothing, but I tend to lean more towards solid colors, so this cozy sweater is a great addition to my closet.  

Outfit:
Dress: New York and Co.
Tights: H&M
Boots: Madden Girl
Cardigan: (Vintage) Buffalo Exchange
Belt: It came on a skirt I got at Marshall's a few years ago