"Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o' the collar."

Outfit Details:

Pick of the Licorice Dress: ModCloth (no longer available, but similar here and here)

Teal cardigan: old (similar here)

White belt: ASOS

Dotted tights: ASOS

Black flats: jcpenney

Petal detachable collar: Romwe

This oversized, detachable white collar has been sitting on my desk since I purchased it months ago.  I first saw it on Kaylah of The Dainty Squid (who is one of my favorite bloggers) months ago (see one of the ways she's worn it here!), and since peter pan collars are such a cute and trendy detail, I bought it just because.  It is on the large side though, and it sits lower than a lot of my dresses, so I had to figure out that it looks great with cardigans... which is fortunate, since I have so many.  :)

This is sort of a drab outfit for spring, but it was pretty drab outside when I took these (hence why I am inside).

I had yesterday off from work (and today too, for some reason), so I'm trying to get ahead on blogging and other work (like cleaning... we'll see how that goes).  My best friend Wayne and I are seeing a show tonight -- two of our friends are in a musical adaptation of Measure for Measure (one of my favorite Shakespeare plays).  In fact, this whole weekend is Shakespeare-themed (which is pretty appropriate, since his birthday was on Tuesday); I have to work on Friday for a concert that features the music of Sondheim and Bernstein (who collectively wrote the music and lyrics for West Side Story... which is based on Romeo and Juliet... which is where this blog post title comes from... see what I did there?), and Wayne and I are also seeing a production of The Merchant of Venice on Saturday night.  So it will be a Bard-filled weekend, and that's quite alright with me.

  

Have a great Thursday!

xox Sammi

Daisies and forget-me-nots

The sunshine and promise of warmth inspired me to put on this springy yellow dress the other day.  I started to take these photos inside (even though it was sunny out, it was pretty cold)... but the lighting was awful, no matter what I did, so I quickly ventured into my backyard for more!

Outfit Details:

A-Line Daisy Dress: Forever 21

White cardigan: dELiA*s (it's on sale for $10!)

Flower garland: Urban Outfitters

Daisy earrings: ASOS (sold out)

Jelly shoes: Topshop

The lighting was just as tricky outside!

Hope your Tuesday is springy!

xox Sammi

A sunny Sunday

Yesterday was cold, but at least the sky was blue and the sun was out.  I'm thankful that it just looks like spring, at this point.  I did take some other outfit photos during the day, but afterwards, I settled into this cozy outfit for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I was chilled to the bone after taking photos outside, so this fuzzy sweatshirt and fleece-lined moccasins were the perfect choice.

Outfit Details:

Montauk sweatshirt: gift from Steven

Gray tank: Old Navy (similar)

Jeans: thrifted

Moccasins: Target

I'm trying to get back into really committing to Weight Watchers again.  For those who don't know, I've lost a significant amount of weight on this program (from October of 2011 to the summer of 2012, I lost about 45 pounds).  I've managed to keep the grand majority of this weight off, but I definitely have slipped a lot in the last few months.  Even though I still fit in my clothes, I feel myself feeling not as confident in them, and feel generally less energized and less optimistic.  I haven't done my weekly weigh-ins in a long time, and I haven't been tracking my food.  Everyone slips up once and a while, and I think some personal things were making me turn to food (like I have always done in those situations).  So I finally came to the conclusion that I really need to get back to where I was... and get beyond it!  When I started to plateau, I still wanted to lose 10 pounds, ideally, and now I'm probably needing to lose about 15 total.  Since my Weight Watchers weeks have always started on Sundays (it's always been the day of my weigh ins, which also means it marks the starting over of Points for the week), I figured that yesterday was a really good time to get back on it.  I also felt that maybe by mentioning it in a public forum, I'd be extra-motivated to stick to my guns!  

FYI, for those interested: these are my before and after photos (before starting Weight Watchers, and then in August of 2012)!  I've definitely gained a little weight back since the second photo was taken, but I really want to get to that point again - and then get a little beyond that hurdle!

I tracked all of my food yesterday, and even exercised on our elliptical for half an hour (which I haven't been able to do in forever!), so I felt great about that.  Once I find motivation, I'm usually good about maintaining that, so I feel very positively about getting back into my good habits.  :)

Have a wonderful Monday!

Good weather for ducks

The weather was so lovely for a couple of days here... and then it rained a lot on Friday (and yesterday, it actually SNOWED!).  It was dry in the morning when I put this outfit on (hence, no rain boots), but there were torrential downpours by the end of the day.  Still, I think this outfit is pretty appropriate, since rainy weather is said to be good weather for ducks -- which make an appearance on my skirt!

Outfit Details:

River Island Duck Skater Skirt: ASOS (out of stock)

UPDATE: skirt still sold out, but here is a similar (and just as cute!) skirt by River Island with cats on it!!!  

Brown camisole & blue cropped cardigan: Target (old)

Kissing kids necklace: ASOS

Gold flats: Calvin Klein via Marshalls

I simply love this print!

I love this little necklace!  It's so cute!  I also enjoy that it's a statement piece but that you could wear it with practically anything and it wouldn't overwhelm your outfit in the slightest.

I'm very glad I didn't opt to do much to my hair the day these were taken... since it would've been ruined in all the rain!

This may be about as close as Pumpkin ever gets to a duck.  Which I'm sure she's sad about.

I was involved in a staged reading yesterday (which was a lot of fun and went really well, considering we had only one rehearsal!).  The play is really excellent (it's called Time Stands Still, and the playwright is Donald Margulies, if you're interested), and it's incredibly relevant to what's happening today in the world -- and also to the events that happened in Boston this week, as well.  I was simply too exhausted to take new outfit photos yesterday, so I will take some more today on my day off(!).  I hope the weather warms up again so I can take more photos outside; my increasingly-messy room is no longer ideal! :)

Have a happy, restful Sunday!

xox Sammi

  

Little Green

Yesterday afternoon, I was fortunate enough to have some time to get outside for a little while.  It's not too warm yet, but spring is definitely here - thank goodness!  I really appreciate my backyard in the springtime.  Green grass is such a welcome sight when you've been staring at snow for 5 months.

Outfit Details:

Polka dot t-shirt: Forever 21 (old)

Black bolero: ??

Heart necklace: ASOS (sold out)

Take the A-line Skirt in Mint: ModCloth

Black flats: Target

Unicorn ring: free gift from I'm Your Present

My house is right behind a golf course (though it's separated by a creek and a lot of land)... Sometimes golf balls end up WAY too close to the house for my comfort level.

My dad is a drummer.  He put cymbals in our backyard.  I have learned not to question this.

These pictures reminded me of this Joni Mitchell song (hence the title).  A lot of Joni Mitchell songs remind me of spring for some reason.  Joni is my favorite.

Have a happy Thursday!

xox Sammi

Rock-a-doodle (an outfit post)

These pictures are from a week or so ago (you can tell from my super curly hair, since I had to do it that way for our shows!), but I didn't have time to post them!  I went out to a bar with friends to see a really good cover band (this is sort of a rare occurrence -- both going out to a bar and finding a good cover band), and wore this outfit:

Outfit Details:

Rooster print dress: Forever 21

Black cardigan: Old Navy

Tights: No idea...

Lady in Rad Boot in Ink: ModCloth

Necklace: Forever 21 (old)

The lighting was really poor in these photos... so I only have a few that were passable!

Isn't this print adorable?

I wish the flash hadn't made this cardigan so see-through....... oops!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Spring is in the air!

Yesterday was one of the first days where it's actually felt like spring to me.  The temperature was somewhere in the 70s during the afternoon -- a welcome change from our usual 40 degrees, I can assure you.  I had to work for only half the day yesterday, so I took full advantage of the warmth and took some pictures outside (for once):

Outfit Details:

Striped Dress: Forever 21 (similar here)

White bolero: Target

Belt: borrowed from a skirt

Bracelet: American Eagle (old)

White peep toe flats: ASOS

When I sat down to write this entry last night, I couldn't really think of much else to say.  The horrific events that occurred yesterday in Boston made me want to hug everyone I care about in my life, and appreciate the beauty that's around me every day.  I want to be more thankful everything I have, and go after everything I want with gusto.  This world can be an incredibly scary place, but I don't want my decisions in life to be motivated by fear.  I'm rambling.  Scary events can do that to a person.

I hope you are all safe and sound.

xox Sammi