there's no evening chill in texas

above: evening chill pullover, $88, anthropologie

but this evening chill pullover from anthropologie is toooo diiiiieeeeeeee. i want so badly. picture it pulled over a maxi dress during a vacation when the sun goes down? i may just need it for our september vacation in maui...

a few from banana republic

even though i'm on a semi-permanent shopping ban due to my elective unemployment, i can't help but read the emails that come through from banana republic. sure, some of their stuff is totally boring and same old, same old - but there are also always a few gems thrown in the mix, too. these are what caught my eye when the last email came through yesterday.

below: sequin sweatshirt, $59.50 (that is a total steal!)

below: aliana eyelet racerback dress, $130

below: printed ruffle tier skirt, $79.50

i'm sure all of these will go on sale soon - if you're willing to risk the sell-out factor.

summer reads: going old skool

i decided a few weeks ago that i wanted to read one of those easy-to-read suspense slash murder mystery slash thriller slash cop drama books - so i ended up downloading michael connelly's "the lincoln lawyer" for the kindle. i figured i should read the real thing before the movie comes in the mail via netflix - and it was exactly what i was looking for. moved pretty fast, likable main character (perfectly cast with matthew mcc, might i add...i was imagining him as the main guy the whole time i was reading), twists and turns, a little action - a great combo for a summer read.

knowing that michael connelly has been a best selling author for yeaaaaaars but never actually picking one up until "the lincoln lawyer", i decided to go for the whole shebang and i am now reading every single one of his books in the order they were published. next up?

the black echo, published in 1992...



...followed by black ice, published in 1993. all on my wonderful little kindle. did we even have the internet back in the early 90s? i can't remember.

just a heads up that i'll be off relaxing and reading at a friend of a friend's ranch for a few days. will be back soon!

summer essentials

while the start of summer here in texas was about three months ago, i know some of you are just now getting to dust off last year's bathing suits. it's always torture to dust them off, try them on, and rip them right back off again - and the way i make myself feel better is to buy some new suits. i tend to spend about $500 on bikinis from victoria's secret, buying all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors so i can try them on in the comfort of my own home - and return all the duds to bring the total price to something way more manageable. these are the few that made the cut and are now in regular rotation:

below: paisley u-neck halter top and bikini bottom, top $38 marked down to $28 and bottom $16 marked down to $12

below: gold coral bandeau and string bottom, top $25 marked down to $18 and bottom $24 marked down to $18

below: floral ruffle bandeau top and bottom, top $31 marked down to $23 and bottom $18 marked down to $13

and don't forget to google for discount codes or free shipping - they're always out there for vicky's. always!

homegoods finds

so in full disclosure i actually made this trip to homegoods about a month ago...but i'm just blogging about it now as my "welcome back to bloggerhood" post! i figure it's as good as any to get back on the wagon, especially because i am 100% obsessed with that yellow chair and it is the peeeeerfect piece for the guest room (yes, i moved out my DIY chair that i made the chevron pillows for to make room for this new gem...i'll find somewhere good for the old one, don't worry). what an amazing find, no? i need to get a new job stat just so i can get back to shopping so i have some more great things to share with you guys.

below: yellow patterned chair, $129 - totally reminds me of a thomas paul print; and the nailhead? lurv.

below: shell, $19.99

below: black and white bird plate, $8; to be hung in the red, black and white guest bathroom one of these days

below: cynthia rowley bowl, $19.99

remember meeeeeeeeeee? oh and it's my birthday.

oh my god, guys. OH. MY. GOD.

remember me?

yes, me.

finally...

i'm back! i'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

it's been a long couple of months, as you can guess from the lack of posts. i apologize a million times over for abandoning you like that, but the good news is that i'm back with a new fire in my belly. where was i? well...

...i was working. a lot. i mean, A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT. and i wasn't happy about it or happy where i was. it just wasn't right for me and the blog took a backseat. but the good news is that i realized life is way too short and (after a lot of sleepless nights, pep talks from nick and tons and tons and TONS of tears) that i needed to leave the job behind so i can get myself back in balance. after ten years in the ad agency biz, i think it's time to move on to something different. what is that something different?

NO IDEA.

but i do know that i'm excited to actually eat dinner at a normal hour (and with my husband, woot!), get back on the exercise bandwagon, reconnect with friends i've been neglecting, restart the blog (!) and turn my focus back on what's really important to me. the good news is that you guys get to play along with me as i spend my days soul searching, job hunting, experimenting with new recipes, hanging out with emilio, running errands and trying not to spend money. that last one is going to be killer.

oh, and it's my 32nd birthday today. couldn't ask for a better day to kick start the ole' blog.

i'm back, bitches. LOVE!

ps. i'll do my best to post as often as possible, but don't hate me if i make it a slow kick-start. i am on a budget, you know.