Black Maxi Dress (and Proof Once Again that I'm NOT a Fashion Blogger)

for realz, people.  serious fashion bloggers don't just decide willy-nilly to do a post and then take four photos on their iphone (self timer for the win!) while they're sitting in their office.  they plan on taking photos ahead of time and they have someone with a fancy (i.e. real) camera take a great photo of them in some brick-lined cobblestone alleyway, right?  

which is why my outfit posts are few and far between.  but this outfit was just so comfy and wonderful (seriously, maxi dresses are my new obsession), that i wanted to share.  it was one of those outfits that made me feel good, you know?  coincidentally, the last fashion post i think i did also featured my jean jacket…can you tell what's a favorite wardrobe staple for me?

note to self:  plan outfit posts better.  or don't try to be a fashion blogger.  eh, who am i kidding?

oh, and make sure you enter my giveaway to win $50 to beyondtherack.com so you can get a black maxi dress and do an awkward outfit post like me!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Wardrobe Refresh (+ a Giveaway)

summer is here and in full swing!  it's been in the 80s all week here in pa and i've been loving the opportunity to wear shorts and skirts and dresses!  i picked up my very first maxi dress last week and i kind of never want to take it off!  (so much so, that aj actually commented on how much i was wearing it.  you know it's bad when the boy notices you're wearing something a lot.)  so i went out and got myself two more!

here are a few things that are on my summer wish list:

a few more maxi dresses perhaps?

some cute sandals

patterned shorts

the perfect pair of jean shorts (i cannot find some that i really love…any tips?)

tank tops & pretty blouses

so, in order to get your summer wardrobe refreshed for the season, i'm partnering with beyondtherack.com to offer one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate for any purchase from the site!

beyondtherack has also offered all readers who enter this giveaway a $10 credit just for creating an account on their site.  you can't beat that with a stick!  just use the invitation code: BETSY10

beyondtherack is a private shopping club that carries clothing, shoes, and accessories for men & women and even has home decor!  the brands range from kenneth cole to lacoste, to bcbgeneration, and their prices are awesome.  most of the items i found on their site were less than $20!

join beyond the rack today and you'll get exclusive access to top designer brand fashions, accessories, beauty products, and home decor at up to 80% off! 

so go check out beyondtherack and enter below to win $50 from them! (all entries will be verified so play fair!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

what summer wardrobe staples are you hoping to add to your closet this year?

DC Through My Instagram Feed

The final photos I've been meaning to share are those from my instagram feed in DC.  I just love that city.  Oh my.

DC THROUGH MY INSTAGRAM FEED

The final photos I've been meaning to share are those from my instagram feed in DC.  I just love that city.  Oh my.

Antiquing

AJ and I are packing in little dates as our days living in the same town are coming to a close.  Last week, I surprised him by waking him up and taking him to breakfast, and then we spent the morning leisurely cruising around (in my mom's convertible bug, of course!), visiting farm stands and antique stores.  So much fun, and so many treasures to be found!

If this wasn't $50, it would have come home with me!

Rolling pins and old buttons.

I'm totally in love with old tin cans!  I especially love finding a brand or product that we still use today and getting to see how it was packaged years and years ago.

These were old advertisements and magazine articles dating all the way back to the 1910s!  I spent a significant of time looking at them...categories that ranged from neckties to movies to WWII home front propaganda....they were so cool!  I wanted to buy one for my room but I just couldn't choose!

ANTIQUING

AJ and I are packing in little dates as our days living in the same town are coming to a close.  Last week, I surprised him by waking him up and taking him to breakfast, and then we spent the morning leisurely cruising around (in my mom's convertible bug, of course!), visiting farm stands and antique stores.  So much fun, and so many treasures to be found!

If this wasn't $50, it would have come home with me!

Rolling pins and old buttons.

I'm totally in love with old tin cans!  I especially love finding a brand or product that we still use today and getting to see how it was packaged years and years ago.

These were old advertisements and magazine articles dating all the way back to the 1910s!  I spent a significant of time looking at them...categories that ranged from neckties to movies to WWII home front propaganda....they were so cool!  I wanted to buy one for my room but I just couldn't choose!

A Little DC Vacation

Last week, my family headed down to DC for a few days.  There's so much to do in that city that I think I could spend two weeks straight there and still not see it all! We did some of the Smithsonians, all of the monuments, and even spent some time in the National Archives doing some genealogy research (so cool!).  While I love doing all things touristy in a city like DC, I would love to spend some time there and get to explore the parts that I'd check out if I lived there.  I was at a conference last October on Barracks Row and loved all of the little cafes and restaurants (ahem, Ted's Bulletin and their homemade pop tarts!!) and I'd love to explore that area again.

Anyway, our mini vacation was a ton of fun...and, I actually took photos!  Probably the best part was that we rented bikes through Capitol BikeShare for a day.  It was great!  I love biking, and DC is just such a wonderfully bike-friendly city.  Oh, and we ate dinner at Old Ebbitt Grille and holy cow.  That's all I have to say about that.

(ok, aren't my parents the cutest?)

And a pit stop in Baltimore on the way home!