Milkshakes and Amaretto Sours

Outfit Details:

Sugarhill Boutique Milkshake Dress: ASOS (sold out)

*Select sizes still available at ModCloth and on eBay*

Doo Bee Doo Bee Shoe Heel: ModCloth 

*No longer available, but similar styles here, here and here*

Achilles' Zeal Tights: ModCloth (similar here and here)
Belt: ASOS (on sale!)
Red coat: eBay

Watch ring: Mom's

I tend to make my birthdays into celebrations that last at least a weekend.  Since my actual birthday is on Monday (and I have two early school shows during the day and our first long tech. rehearsal at night), I decided to spread the festivities out over a couple of days.  Last night, my mom made a scrumptious birthday dinner (for just my parents and me, which could either be seen as super lame or really nice... I'll go with the latter), which consisted of filet mignon, scalloped potatoes, green beans, croissants, a wedge salad with bleu cheese, turkey bacon and tomatoes, and vanilla bean cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory, of course) for dessert -- except I was too full for dessert!

After I stuffed myself silly, I headed a bar downtown with some friends.  I normally don't like the whole "bar scene," and I drink very rarely (and even then, I'll be totally buzzed before I finish one!).  But this bar, called Cheshire, is really intimate and charming (albeit slightly hipster).  It specializes in classic cocktails (i.e., hard-to-find ones that you don't see in every bar), and you can tell that they really care about the quality of the experience.  I honestly don't like any drink where I can taste the alcohol, so I always get Amaretto Sours when I go there (they make theirs with egg white, which skeeved me out the first time I ordered it, but it just adds a yummy frothiness to it).  Some of the Rapunzel cast came out to celebrate, and a few other theatre friends came as well, and it was just a really nice time with a bunch of people I truly like.  I've had people flake out on me for birthdays in the past, and since I'd been especially worried that I'd spend my birthday alone this year, it really warmed my heart to be reassured that there are people who care about me.  :)

On to less mushy stuff... I'd been waiting forever to wear this gorgeous mint green dress from Sugarhill Boutique.  The moment I saw it on ASOS, I knew I had to have it.  The print is so darling and retro, and the color is perfect.  The back has this really pretty lace-up detail, too.  I wanted to save it for a special occasion, so it just sat in my closet for quite some time.  I knew that my birthday would be a great time to make use of it -- I just wish it were warmer!  It was incredibly windy last night, and though I wore this red coat for these pictures, I ended up having to wear a slightly thicker coat to combat the bitter cold.  Sadly, fall gives way to winter pretty quickly here, but I hope fall stays for a little while longer... although it's been a difficult autumn, it's still my favorite.

My grandma's birthday was on Thursday, so we usually do some kind of joint birthday celebration for the two of us.  We decided to do something a little different than our usual dinner at home, so this afternoon, we're headed to a teahouse that I adore!  Having something akin to high tea is sort of a novel thing in the US, so I'm getting all gussied up in tea-themed apparel and will once again gorge myself -- this time, on Earl Grey tea, scones, clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches, and whatever other little treats come my way.  Calories don't count on birthdays, right?

Have a wonderful Sunday!!
xox Sammi

Betelgeuse

Outfit Details:

Striped pinafore: Forever 21

Lavender blouse: Forever 21 (similar here)

White knee socks: ModCloth (similar here)

The Best of Times Heel in Black: ModCloth

Lilac ring: LeffKatya

Lavender belt: ASOS (no longer available)

Lavender suitcase: Urban Outfitters (no longer available)

I had originally planned to post a different outfit today, but then I realized that Halloween is coming up so quickly, and I wanted to make sure that I posted these pictures before then.  This outfit is spooky-romantic, and I put these two pieces together on a whim and found they actually worked pretty well together.  I like the softness of the blouse as a contrast to the hardness of the pinafore.  And of course, vertical stripes always remind me of Beetlejuice.  I just wish the straps on this pinafore weren't so long!  They kept falling down, and they're adjusted as far as they can go!  I'll either have to add another button or just shorten the straps for the future.

If you look closely, you can see some teeth marks from a very naughty cat!

I looove the back of this blouse!

Tonight is my little birthday celebration with some friends!  I am finally wearing a dress that's been sitting in my closet for the perfect occasion.  My mom is making a delicious dinner beforehand, too (steak with béarnaise sauce, scalloped potatoes and blue cheese wedge salad... and I assume some kind of dessert that involves cake).  It'd be so easy (and depressing) to sit around and lament about how I had planned on celebrating my birthday differently, but like I mentioned before, I'm choosing to be happy and take pleasure in the lovely people I have around me, and feel lucky to have people in my life who do care about me.  This is all assuming, of course, that anyone shows up tonight.  :)

Have a wonderful Saturday!

xox Sammi

BOOO-OOOOOK!

Outfit Details:

A Plot to Love Dress: ModCloth (no longer available, but similar here, here and here)

Dream of the Crop Cardigan in Oatmeal: ModCloth (no longer available, other colors here)

No. 2 Necklace: Hello Holiday (no longer available, similar here)

Lady in Rad Boot in Ink: ModCloth

Tights: can't remember (similar here)

Belt: from another dress

I had to fit in a Hocus Pocus reference somewhere this season, and this dress is pretty perfect for it.  This is one of a few indisputably-autumnal dresses in my closet.  I'm sure I could find a way to wear it in the summertime too, but this print always seems slightly spooky to me, and the dress simply looks better with a cardigan and tights.  I wore this dress in a post back in March (in an admittedly similar way), but I'm kind of circling back to a lot of my early outfit posts and taking new photos, since I think the outdoor ones are nicer and everything.

It's kind of amazing when a good night's sleep makes all the difference.  I mentioned in my last post that I've been having trouble sleeping (and when I do, I've had some not-very-nice dreams).  It seems a lot of people around me are having similar issues, and a lot of people seem to be in a weird place, emotionally and mentally.  Although that's never a good thing, there is some comfort in commiserating.  It's nice to not feel so alone.  I keep seeing people posting about how we should choose to be happy.  Although that can be a bit of a struggle when you're going through something that's emotionally taxing or traumatic, I think there's a lot of truth in thinking that we make our own happiness.  I don't want to be dependent on someone else to make me feel complete or confident or joyous.  That comes from me, and the choices I make.  So I'm going to choose to be happy as much as I can.  :)  For instance, I'm happy about being able to spend time with friends this weekend, and to get dressed up (as if I needed an excuse!).  Change is really hard, but I'm ready to embrace the things that come along with that, and at the very least, try to make the best of every situation, and savor the joy that comes from that.

And in relation to that, I just want to express my gratitude for everyone who commented on my last post, and to anyone who has done so on any of my other posts that have been less-than-cheery.  I am genuinely touched by your sweet words and thoughts.  Not to get too dramatic, but it really does restore my faith in humanity when there are such kind souls that care enough to reach out to me with such words of encouragement and empathy.  And even if you didn't say anything, but still read my post(s), thank you for being so understanding and for taking the time to do so.

Have a great Thursday!

xox Sammi