Clothing Review: The Pixie pants from Old Navy

Normally, I'm not the "product promoter" type.  Sure, there's plenty of daily products or items in my life that I'm super happy about, but nothing that I've ever felt compelled to do a product review on.

Until today.

Let me back up.  Several months ago, I read a blog post that I found on Pinterest about "How to Avoid Mom Jeans."  The entire post was a mom trying on jeans from Old Navy and GAP and declaring that they made her have a "saggy mom butt."  Which is fine.  Hate on Old Navy jeans if you like.  But then she goes on to compare her butt in the ON/GAP jeans to her wearing jeans from Express, 7 for All Mankind, Hudson, etc.  Since these aren't brands that are typically what I'm looking at, I started Googling.

Obviously, this blogger had more money to spend on clothes than I did.  The Express jeans she mentions are $98 retail.  The 7 for All Mankind, $169+; Hudson, $169+; LA Idol, $88; Rock and Republic, $60+.  I'm sorry.  How are you going to compare Old Navy jeans, which can range from $15 to $30, to all these high end designer brands that retail for close to $100?!  OF COURSE they make your rear end look great.  You're dropping a Benjamin on one pair!  This is where I got super irritated.  If you're going to do a review on Old Navy jeans and you're not happy with the fit, give me options that I can purchase for around the same price!  Give me an American Eagle counterpart or a brand from JC Penney's!  Don't send me over to Macy's and tell me to spend part of my kid's college fund on a scrap of denim.  Shew.

Whoops.  That took a ranty-ish turn I wasn't planning on......

Anyway.

I typically wear Old Navy jeans.  Not because they make my junk in the trunk look fabulous (which, it should be noted that I don't have much of a butt to begin with), but because they're comfortable and they're affordable.  Once upon a time, pre-Avery, I would have shopped around, tried jeans on in multiple locations, found the perfect pair that accentuated every curve I wanted it to and bought them.  Now, I'm lucky if I have an hour window in my entire month to go shop for anything, much less jeans.  When I found the Old Navy jeans, they were on sale for $15.  They weren't completely offensive, so I ran with it.  My post-Avery body isn't something I like looking at anyway, so this girl isn't spending a ton of time in dressing rooms any time soon.

This past week, I had finally conceded that I needed new clothes.  My summer clothes options were completely pathetic.  I had a couple short sleeve shirts, tank tops (that always go underneath another shirt...ain't nobody needing to see these arms) and two pairs of pants.  Not shorts.  Pants.  Normally, if I have extra money, it's going towards Avery and her wardrobe.  Shopping for myself could not be avoided any longer.  So on Memorial Day, after I got off work, I headed to Old Navy and GAP to see what I could find.

That's when I discovered.......The Pixie Skinny Ankle pants from Old Navy.  $34.95 (Note:  these pants used to be known as The Diva Skinny Ankle pants, so the label in the pants you pick up in the store might be labeled that way.  Mine were.) When I first picked up the pant, I didn't see anything special about it right off.  They are skinny pants in a variety of colors, made from a cotton/spandex blend material.  Now, in a normal situation, I would shy away from spandex.  You don't wanna see this in spandex.  *shudder*  But I thought these pants were cute, so I decided to give them a try.

When I put them on in the dressing room, I swear the Heavens opened and a glorious light shone down on dressing room number 4, Old Navy Store, Elizabethtown, KY.  These pants are amazing.  Trying clothes is pretty comparable to physical pain for me right now.  I hate my body image, I hate trying on new clothes only to be disappointed in the reflection in the mirror.  But these pants actually make me feel good about the girl in the mirror.  Here's the kicker:  I actually had to go UP a size in these pants.  But I can't even tell.  They are flattering, make me feel skinnier, actually give me a butt....whaaaa??  And they're TOTALLY Audrey Hepburn.  You know the skinny black pants Audrey was constantly photographed in?

The style.  The class.  Those pants.  I die.

These pants make me feel all Audrey inside.  I love 'em.  And for me to brag about an article of clothing is a HUGE deal.

The picture doesn't do these justice.  I bought a pair in the Clay color in the store.  Now I'm seriously contemplating buying the Black Jack and Robbie Red pair too.  In the store, they also have The Pixie cut in Bermuda shorts and 3.5 inch shorts.  I bought one of each.  Every other pair of shorts I tried on from Old Navy made my bottom half look boxy.  I've decided that Hell must be a place that is actually a 360 degree mirror and the Devil just makes you try on shorts all day long.  That'd be my personal version of Hell, anyway.  I had pretty much resigned to the fact that I wasn't finding any shorts that day.  Until I tried on the Pixie cut ones.  The material actually curved to my legs, accentuated my rear and made me feel good in a pair of shorts.  Which I had thought to be impossible.  (Note:  online, only two colors are offered for the 3.5 inch shorts.  In my Old Navy store, there were a variety of colors.  I bought a Kentucky blue pair and debated for awhile over a white with black polka dotted pair, which I finally deemed too impractical).

If you're looking for a flattering casual, yet can be dressed up pair of pants, I HIGHLY recommend these beauties.  And YES.  They're from Old Navy.

More Raving about Hobby Lobby.

This is my confession.

I have ZERO self control when I walk into a Hobby Lobby.  For some people, it's Target.  I can control myself, for the most part in there.  For other people, it's a clothing store.  I have a super low self esteem about my body image right now, so I have NO problem turning down the idea of trying on and buying new clothes.

But Hobby Lobby?  It gets me.  It's probably a very good thing that the nearest one is 45 minutes away.

On Tuesday, my addiction paid off.  I literally walked in to check and see if they had one item in stock.  They didn't.  I still walked out with a much lighter wallet.  How do they do it?

With things like these:

This clock.  It's GIGANTIC.  And heavy.  Like heavier than my kid, heavy.  Not entirely sure how it's going to hang on the wall.  Good thing stuff like that is Marty's job.  :)

I got this hugantic clock for.......$40.  It was originally $200!!  In fact, my sister and I saw one just like it on the regular shelf for $199.99.  The difference is, mine is missing a piece at the top that would resemble the wind on a pocket watch.  Win for me!

I really want to hang it on my dining room wall, which currently looks like this:

We've been in our house for almost a year now and I'm just over the window wall.  I think the giant clock would be an awesome focal piece for a gallery wall.  Problem is, I'm scared of gallery walls.  I love the look of eclectic gallery walls where homeowners have put a mix of pictures and items together to look cohesive.  I don't think I'm that decoratingly gifted to be able to pull something like that off.  At the same time, I don't want it to look too perfect either.  You know, like clock in the middle, three pictures on one side, three pictures on the other.  That's not my thing.  So, for awhile, the clock may be the only thing I hang until I can figure out what kind of "look" I'm going for and can accomplish.  

Next Hobby Lobby find.....

I know it doesn't look like much, but I'm absolutely drooling over this one.  I've been wanting and looking for a piece of art to go over my mantle for a loooooong time now.  Everything I find isn't exactly right for my decor or it's INSANELY expensive.  I love art, but I'm not paying $100 for something to hang on the wall.  Call me crazy.

So, when I found this for $30, I knew it was made for my house.  The picture doesn't do it justice at. all. because it's got flecks of gold on the flowers and navy in the stems that I think pop out when I put it up against my navy accent wall.  I'm so in love.

*sigh*  How do I love thee, Hobby Lobby?  Let me count the (numerous) ways......

Christmas List.....For Myself.

I'm really, really terrible at Christmas shopping.

I go searching for things that I think people will want and I end up finding a million things that I want for myself.  I even created a Pinterest board where I pin all the things that I want (within a reasonable price range).  I'm not selfish, I just see a lot of things that I'd like in the process of searching for that "perfect" gift for everyone on my list.  C'mon.  Someone else tell me that they find a bunch of things they want while they're Christmas shopping too....I cannot be the only one.

There's an entire wish list I've created in my head.  It's called My "Things I Really Want, But Need to Save Money for Because I'm Not Asking People for Such Silly Gifts for Christmas" Wish List.

Like these.

1.)  I have an addiction to planners.  I seriously buy one every couple of months.  I get one, get tired of it, buy a new one for the next 4 months or so.  Wasteful, yes.  I know.  But I just have a deep love of planners and all different styles.  This is a box set from Moleskin where you have a brand new, color coded planner for every single month.  I WANT THIS.

Problem.  It's $39.99 regular price.  Today ONLY, it's on sale on zulily.com for only $24.99.  This makes me feel like I should take advantage of the deal and buy it for myself.  I'd hate someone to have to spend $40 on it when I can get it for $15 less.  Right?  That makes total sense.....right??

2.)  *deep sigh*  This beauty is from Modcloth....one of my favoritest websites EVER.  If I'm ever having a crappy day, I go on there and just look at the fun, witty stuff they've come up with and build a wish list in my head.  This particular item though?  I've been eyeing for a good while.  I debated on buying it for months, it ended up getting sold out, I signed up for an email notification to let me know when it came back in stock, it came back in stock....and I still haven't bought it.  I can't justify spending $35 on myself for something like this.  But I love it so much.  It's vintage looking...like an old card catalog from my middle school library.  And I'm sick of picking coats up off the kitchen table and the backs of chairs.  Still, it's not a necessity...yet.  Maybe a few more months before I decide I just have to have it for my entry way.

3.)  Francine Rivers, without a doubt, is my favorite author of all time.  I have a lot of favorite books...the Harry Potter series, The Giver, A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado....but nothing even comes close to things that Francine Rivers has written.  I've read all of her books.  Most of them multiple times.  If you've never read her work, start with Redeeming Love.  Then read A Voice in the Wind, followed up with the sequel, An Echo in the Darkness.  Then Atonement Child.  Heck, you cannot go wrong with anything she's written (just please promise me you'll start with Redeeming Love).  This is her new book, Bridge to Haven.  You can't even buy it yet...just pre-order.  It won't be available until April 22, 2014.  And I'm still tempted to go ahead and spend the $14.99 to make sure I get a copy.  *siiiiiigh*

4.)  This one pangs me a little.  I literally came thiiiiiiiiiiis close to getting this Dooney and Bourke vintage-inspired Disney World iPad case from my mom for Christmas.  It was originally $90 and Disney was offering a coupon code for that day.  Free shipping and like 30% off your order (I can't remember if that was the actual percentage off, but it made it way cheaper than it was to begin with).  I called my mom, told her that I found one of my three items I wanted for Christmas

(side note: since as long as I can remember, my parents have told my sisters and I that we are only allowed to ask for three things for Christmas.  If three gifts was good enough for Baby Jesus, then it's good enough for us).

My mom agreed to buy it, I had her credit card number in hand and was literally clicking on the button to check out....when the website informed me that the coupon code and free shipping didn't apply to Dooney and Bourke purses.  Now I'm not asking for it out of principle.  I'm mad at you, Disney Store.

5.) Here's the really unreachable one, considering shipping alone from IKEA to Kentucky would cost a good $30 or more.  And the closest IKEA store to me is Cincinnati.  That's three hours away.  Not exactly a "let's run to town" trip in a single day.  But, as I've mentioned before, I'm without a place to craft.  When we moved into our new house, we turned the smaller 3rd bedroom into Avery's playroom (which I hope will eventually become a nursery).  This leaves me without an office/craft room.  Which also leaves me crafting at the kitchen table every night.  I know it's not a necessity, but I would LOVE a place that I can call my own.  That I can decorate and make creative and can be an inspirational place that pushes me to create and paint.  Right now, that would be our unfinished basement.  Since we don't have any plans to finish our basement any time soon, I don't forsee getting an office.  Thus, eliminating the need for a desk.  But it would be really, really nice to have everything stored in a single place that was dedicated to crafting, instead of sitting on my kitchen table and countertops.  And this desk would fit the bill....desk space and storage all in one.  I'm picturing something like this....this desk with another EXPEDIT bookshelf in the back for more storage.

Be still my organizational loving heart.  Maybe one day.


And then I get my medical bills and realize that I don't need to be asking for anything for Christmas anyway.  Just send money.

I Love Hobby Lobby (and HL Sales...)

Nothing makes this girl happier than visiting a craft store (okay, maybe a few other things....).  So when I got the opportunity to go to Hobby Lobby this weekend, I was pumped.  I get a strange high from being around that many canvases, fabric spools and brilliant home decor ideas.  Just being there makes me happy.  So you can imagine how I feel when I'm in the craft store and I score a ridiculously awesome deal.  Meet my new clock.

Gahhhh!!!  It's gigantic (seriously--the picture doesn't do it justice...it's at least 20 inches across--if not more), it's covered in burlap and it's antique looking.  Could it be any more perfect?  Actually yes.  Yes, it could.

That sucker was originally $60 and I picked it up for $12 on clearance.  The clock works, but the hands stick and cause them to move when they're not supposed to, but that's just fine with me. Again, it's giant, it's covered in burlap and it's antique-y.   Even if it doesn't keep time, it's PERFECT for my house.  And I've been on the hunt for a statement piece for our living room.

Now, put on your imagination goggles with me for a second.  There's a super long wall spanning from my dining room into my living room that has two double doors along the wall going out to the screened in porch, but there's still a long wall that was devoid of any decorations whatsoever.  The previous homeowner (aka my aunt) had her TV on that wall with the furniture facing it.  When we moved in, I looked at that wall for our TV, but realized, because of the placement of the room, I wouldn't be able to center my couch with the TV if we did that...BIG problem for my OCD.  So we switched the room around and left this wall alone.  Here's where the imagination goggles need to be on.  (FYI, I apologize for this terrible picture.  I was trying to take it in between Avery's "I hold you!" whines).

You ready for my plans?  My mom has an old white wooden mantle in her basement that I'm going to steal  borrow with permission from her.  It needs a new top and probably a fresh coat of paint.  I'm going to tell ask Marty sweetly if he and his cousin (who is a whiz with wood and silly projects I hope to accomplish) will mount it centered on the wall.  I'm picturing two small printed chairs on each side and beautiful decorations on top.  Finally, I'm going to take a scrap piece of plywood, cover it in chalkboard paint and put it in the "fireplace."

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Saw this idea in one of my mom's magazines last year around Christmas (Country Living? BHG?) and fell in love and have been obsessing over the idea ever since.

If I can get everything to work out (mom letting me have it, husband painting and mounting it...), I hope to have after pictures soon!!

Sweet Sheets.

Since I made an embarrassing confession yesterday for my lack of tennis shoe ownership, I thought I would share another confession:

I've done NOTHING to our master bedroom since we've moved in.  

Literally.  I've unpacked our clothes.  I've put books and a lamp on our side table.  The end!  

Our bedroom is the biggest cluster of crap that needs to be put away, rugs that don't have a home, two chairs that don't match my current living room decor, a giant container of clothes that don't fit me that I'm too emotionally attached to get rid of.......it's a MESS.  Mess is probably an understatement.  It's horrible.  I don't like being in there, but I'm trying to decorate one room at a time and this room hasn't been high on the priority list.  Wanna see why?

Holy moley.........this is super embarrassing y'all.  I am a little bit of a comforter addict.  I LOVE comforters.  It's such an easy way to switch out decor without spending a ridiculous amount of money.  Our old house's master bedroom was decorated in black, white and red.  Fun fact about me:  I love black and white.  So every room in our home was a variation of black, white and one other color.  Kitchen:  black, white and red.  Avery's room:  black, white and purple.  Office:  black, white and teal.  Bedroom:  black, white and red.  So, in the new house, I'm trying to push myself out of my black and white comfort zone and introduce this amazing concept called color!  Our living room is grey and navy (which I'm planning to add some yellow pops of color).  Then there's our bedroom.  The walls are grey and I've been on the hunt for a grey and yellow bedspread for practically forever.  In the meantime, I was using an eclectic mix of every comforter set we've ever owned (basically because I can't find a complete set anywhere...).  Black and white comforter, Better Homes and Gardens quilted shams, green pillowcases and flat sheet, grey fitted sheet.  Do you see why I wanted to avoid this room completely??

My style dilemma came to an end this weekend at TJ Maxx in the form of this gorgeous Cynthia Rowley (didn't pay anywhere near that price that's on the link, btw) comforter and sham set (shout out to my sister Dayna for finding it for me).

 Do you hear the Hallelujah Chorus?  Because I totally did when she pointed it out.  It's perfect.  EXACTLY what I've been looking for.  Plus, I found these fabulous sheets at Target that just make my heart happy.

They're grey gingam sheets .  Another fun fact about me:  gingham is my second favorite pattern (anyone know my first favorite??).  I've had my eye on these beauties at Target for a hot second.  Literally months.  Any time I needed to go to Target, I'd walk over to the bedding section and admire them.  But I never had a comforter to match them and would tell myself I didn't need them.  Then I'd sadly walk away.  That ended this weekend!  As soon as I bought the comforter, I KNEW I'd be buying these sheets.  When I visited Target yesterday, these sheets were on sale (regular $43.99 for a Queen set, marked down to $38.99) AND I had a coupon for 15% Threshold bedding.  It was fate.

Side note:  while we're talking about bedding, you NEED one of these.

I was having HORRIBLE back pain most days.  I would wake up in complete pain and it would continue throughout the day.  One day, after being close to tears with lower back pain, I told my husband we needed to do something drastic to help me...whether that meant a new mattress, visiting a specialist, whatever.  He brought home a memory foam mattress topper for us to try out before I went and spent a ton of money at a chiropractor's office.  Honest to goodness haven't had a single day of back pain in the 4 months we've had it on our bed. {Similar options}

Back to the post:  Now that I have pretty sheets and an actual completed look to my bedding, I'm ready to start decorating the rest of my room.  Also at TJ Maxx, I picked up a wooden ampersand symbol (&), thinking that I could find a "D" and a "M" to put together and put on our dresser (sweet, right?).  It's a minty green and I think the color combination is gorgeous.

Now I'm on the hunt for mint green and yellow and grey!  Further inspiration:

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Yes.  I know these are pictures of baby nurseries.  No, I'm not having a baby.  It's called inspiration people.

Other small snippets of decoration in our house:

Rug in the dining room.  It's tiny.  I want a bigger one, but I love the design of this one.  I'll deal.

Our couch FINALLY came in!  When we bought it, the frame was bent, so Corvin's very graciously told us about it and ordered us a brand spanking new one for the clearance price we bought it at.  Pumped.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted pictures on Facebook on my living room walls and asked for advice on what kind of rug to get...what color, what pattern, etc.

Navy in the dining room and on a very long wall into the living room and grey on the rest.  I like red, but couldn't find any red rugs that just screamed "Buy me!  I'll look fabulous in your living room!"
Instead, I found this rug on Target's website.  Gasped a little.  Fell in love.  Bought it.  Just got an email that it shipped out today!  Cross your fingers it looks good with my decor!!

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That's all I have done so far.  Maybe in five years, my house will finally be decorated how I want it to be......maybe.

An ode to Threshold

Have you guys been in Target lately? (Yes, I broke my 90 day shopping ban and went in...shame on me.) They have the CUTEST home stuff right now. Have you seen the Threshold brand? I could make a serious dent in my bank account if I bought everything I wanted that I saw yesterday. It's like Target looked into my brain of all the home decor styles I love and then created the line of Threshold products. Drooling right now. I resisted sooooo many temptations. But I did make it out with these:

Love, love, love this rug. Before I had a small little kitchen rug in front of the sink. This rug is over-sized and it just makes me darn happy. Also, it was only $13. Which brings me to another thought...who in this world decided that rugs should be so flipping expensive?!? I found one for my living room yesterday that I loved, but it was $129. Which is CHEAP for a 5'x7' rug. But I'm not paying that much. It's ridiculous. Guess Marty will have to win the lottery before I can afford a rug. *sigh*

I found this little beauty on the clearance rack and almost squealed (actually, I think I may have really squealed. Out loud). I have a tiny obsession with keys right now. .And it was $5. What can I say? I'm a sucker for clearance stuff.

before:

after:



Dear Target, quit tempting me.