When National Wear Lilly Day Turns Into Wear Lilly All Week

Published on June 29, 2016June 28, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

Monday

I work in the office six days a week so I get a half a day on Monday to make up for it. At first the idea of having to wake up at 7am six days a week sounded horrible! Saturday was the one day a week I got to sleep until noon! But now that I am few weeks into this schedule it is not so bad. It’s still bad but not that bad!! On Mondays I like to go on adventures and get some fun in! Since Monday was the first official day of summer and National Wear Lilly Day it turned into a day full of fun! My mom, aunt and I went to McCloone’s on the beach for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. I have a secret consignment store I go to to find vintage Lilly. I found it appropriate to buy a new Lilly dress and skort on the Lilly holiday! The dress was only $20 an the skirt was $14. Win! On Monday I wore a Lilly dress I got last y

Lilly Pulitzer Pink Nautical Seahorse Beach Shell Sheath Dress

Tuesday

Tuesday ended up being a humid day where it felt like any minute it would pour! I was a ray of sunshine (and bright color) in the office. I wore another vintage Lilly print to work and stole my moms green Lilly cardigan because it matched perfectly! It was a bit too short for work so I had to be careful how I got up from my office chair. Bare shoulders are a big no no at work but all of my dresses can become work friendly with the right cardigan. You may think having 20 cardigans is a bit insane but for me they are a work staple! In the winter I can add a layer and stay warm and it turns a blank boring tee shirt into a work outfit. Viola! I own a lot of dresses but shoulders are frowned upon in the work world. Everyday I wear a cardigan so it is nice to have options. I get most of mine from J Crew because they are a little more formal for the office.

Lilly Pulitzer Juice Bar Dress with Lilly Pulitzer Cardigan

Wednesday

This is the dress I found at consignment for $20 and I love it! The one thing I wish Lilly dresses had was pockets! On Wednesday I was running around town working on projects and working in different buildings. For work I need to have my phone on me at all times because someone always is asking me questions but I had no where to put my phone! Dear Lilly, make pockets on your dresses! And surprise, another cardigan!

Lilly Pulitzer Multi-Print Dress

Thursday

I found this dress in Rumson while shopping with my mom this past spring. Thursday was a full day of meetings and chaos at work! There was an event in one of our facilities but they forgot to hire someone to do sound and run the projector. I learned one thing from the business school in college and that is how to hook up a projector! Thanks, Dr. Dufresne! I was dressed in an adorable dress crawling all of the floor hooking up wires and such to get the projector to connect with the laptop. It was an experience! Later that day I was pulled away from my desk to help present a Homeland Security presentation. Sometimes I wonder what my job is because I do not know anymore! It was a long day so I love that Lilly dresses are so easy to throw on but you still look put together. A little bit of color greatly improves my day!

I am currently obsessed with all of the hydrangeas in town lately. I may have to sneak out one night and steal some of my neighbors!

Some Lilly Pulitzer gingham sandals!

I woke up late Friday morning and barely got to work on time. I was so grateful to see this dress in my closet, grabbed yesterdays cardigan off of the floor and ran out the door! There is an event in town that is bringing in 10,000 people so this outfit was not the most practical for all of the running around! At least I looked cute in all of this chaos!

Hello, Weekend!
I am SO ready for you!

Saturday

Working on Saturday mornings means I get to dress a little more casual and makeup free. I kept the Lilly theme going in a Lilly skort and a polo.My weekend begins NOW!!

I wait ALL week to sit by the pool on the weekends. Just a little more Lilly and some sweet tea with enough reading to last all day! Just two more short years before the family and I leave for the south! I cannot wait to spend every day like this!!!

I had so much fun wearing Lilly for the whole week that I hope to keep this colorful wardrobe going next week. Check in next Wednesday for another round up of my work outfits!

work wear wednesday Going Gingham

Published on June 29, 2016July 22, 2016 by blonde rosie1 Comment

I love getting the J Crew catalog in the mail because I get so many outfit ideas without leaving my home. J Crew has always been basic with the same stuff every season just in different ways to wear it. Which is why I love the company because last seasons statement piece can be worn every year and it is worth the investment. Recently gingham has been e.v.e.r.y.w.he.r.e! I fell in love with ways to wear this style while looking in the catalog and then looking online.

While on my trip to Texas we knew the weather would be chilly but still warm. How do you pack for Texas when you have never been?!!? Spring in the South can be realllly hot or “freezing” (60 degrees). I knew from other trips down South that long sleeves were the way to go. I invested in a gingham J Crew button down that was thin when it got hot during the day but also kept me warm in the shade and wind. Totally worth the investment!! I would have worn this shirt everyday if I could.

I love that gingham is everywhere in stores so I did some browsing online and I have a few new must haves. I would love if I could go into J Crew and buy everything but my budget does not allow that! My next best option was Old Navy. It has become my new favorite store to go to for trendy styles at affordable prices. I know that the styles will not last forever so I don’t like to spend a lot of money on trendy pieces. Remember peplum tops? Yeah, no one is wearing those anymore! Old Navy has cute gingham styles that I NEED!

Dress /// Top

Vintage Lilly Pulitzer gingham sandals add some fun color to any work outfit!

If you are really into gingham print, you can throw a party! But, like actually… you can! Crate and Barrel has some fun products with this print!

Plates /// Napkins /// Picnic Blanket

When life gives you lemons…

Published on June 26, 2016June 26, 2016 by blonde rosie1 Comment

A friend of mine gave me a present because when she saw, it she immediately thought of me and was she correct! When I saw it, I squealed! It was perfect! I needed it! It was this tiny lemon pitcher and it so cute! I found one on Etsy so you can purchase one yourself. It is perfect for summer lemonade and decorating. I think lemons are going to be my new theme of the summer!

I feel like lemons are everywhere lately!
In the summers I love to grab a big bag of lemons from Wegmans and fill clear canisters with them. It is an inexpensive way to bring summer into my kitchen and lemons usually last a while so I do not have to change them that often.
I am happy to see this lemon trend popping up everywhere!

In my guest bathroom, we have the lemon soap and lotion set from Bath & Body Works becomes it smells delicious and the bottle is so cute! The bottles from Bath & Body Works makes the bathrooms look so cute too!

Food themed pool floats are in and now I feel like I need a lemon pool float to carry on the summer theme! You can purchase one at Target or Amazon. I have a tiny pool but if I had a million dollars, I would have all of the different kinds in my giant pool!

NY&Company had a dress last season with lemons on it which was adorable! It is currently 50% off and I regret not getting it the last time I was at the store.

Reese Witherspoon has her new Southern Lifestyle company called Draper James and she uses lemons as her inspiration. This lemon print dress is adorable and very Southern. She uses this print multiple times in her online store.

I am inspired by this party for the Draper James Anniversary Party thrown by Reese Witherspoon herself. The theme was lemons since that is her main print for the brand and I am in love!

Make yourself a glass of fresh lemonade (recipe here) and enjoy summer! In the summer, all I drink is iced coffee and lemonade. I’ll spend hours by the pool lounging and drinking lemonade because it is so refreshing on a hot day!

Yellow is usually a color we are told to stay away from because it is a very bold color that few people can pull off. I feel like in 2016 that fashion rule needs to be broken! From beach cover ups to work outfits, this summer the color yellow is in!

work wear wednesday

Published on June 22, 2016June 18, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

My summer wardrobe is so much more fun than my winter one because I have hundreds (I am not kidding) of dresses in my closet just waiting to be worn! At work one day multiple clients of mine told me that I have too cute of a wardrobe to work where I do. Unfortunately I do not get the opportunity to walk the Manhattan or Philadelphia city streets showing off my killer wardrobe or shoe collection, I just work in a small town no one has ever heard of. I decided that instead of sitting behind a desk everyday and no one seeing my outfits, I thought once a week it would be fun to share my styled outfits and where I shop.

I had to take a personal day off of work last Monday and I was still not 100% feeling better on Tuesday so waking up was not fun that morning. I went into my closet and threw on a polka dot pencil skirt and black work shirt without thinking much of it other than my outfit matched. On my way to work I realized that even though I put zero effort into my outfit it still looked super cute! I got the skirt for $1.99 at Goodwill (the skirt was a no name but here is a similar one ), the shirt was a classic work tee shirt from Banana Republic. It is made of thicker cotton and looks more professional than a classic tee shirt. The sandals are old from BCBG and my go to pedi color this season is going to be Essie Forget Me Nots.

On Thursday morning, I woke up and looked into my closet to see that I have a lot more spots in my closet than any other normal person should! I decided to continue the polka dot theme with a polka dot dress. I have had this one for YEARS from H&M and I think I will always keep it in my closet because it is such a fun outfit.

Seriously… I have had this dress for forever! I wore this dress on a day trip to NYC with a friend in college. I try to find pieces that can be casual but also worn to the office now that I spend 6 days a week in the office!

On Friday, I ended the week with another polka dot skirt and luckily no one noticed I had worn polka dots 3/4 days I was in the office that week! This skirt I also got from Goodwill and it is from Forever 21.

I had so much fun getting ready for work this week that work was almost bearable LOL

orlando

Published on June 18, 2016 by blonde rosieLeave a comment

I make an effort to be an informed adult on what is going on in the world. I have 4 different apps on my phone for the news that give me alerts about news events around the world. On Sunday morning, I woke up to a lot of news alerts on my phone starting at 4am and continuing every hour with updates. On my phone I saw the words ” Multiple injuries as gunman opens fire at Orland gay club” and as more details were made known, the stories only got worse. By the end of the day there were 50 people dead and all of America was glued to the tv asking why and how this could happen.

The weekend before I went to the Asbury Park Gay Pride and I saw hundreds of people feeling safe and comfortable just being themselves. I am straight and like guys but also felt it was important to support my friend and the LGBT community. I spent the whole day in Asbury and felt so welcomed even when it was clear that I was straight and out of my comfort zone a little bit. When was the last time a group of straight people went up to someone who was gay to make sure they felt included? Probably, never… But that day I had people treating me with respect and including me in their fun. Not once did someone turn their back to me or try to exclude me. This community focuses so much on love and equality, which is why I think it is so hard to wrap my head around the hate and rhetoric that aims to exclude this community.

I had my fun at Gay Pride in NJ and now it was time for Orlando to show their pride. Unfortunately, that night was cut short by one person and a gun.
Orlando has shattered America.
That morning I called my loved ones in the LGBT and told them that I loved them and they were safe. I didn’t know what else to do but tell them that I am there for them.
Orlando is far away from New Jersey but the LGBT community is right here in my neighborhood.

We Are Orlando
It is important to keep the dialogue open about this attack on the LGBT community. Just because it happened in Orlando does not mean it could not have happened in your town, to your friend, to your relative. This attack on Orlando needs to make us rethink the way we talk about gays in tv shows, the news and in our government. Did you know some states say that two gay dads are not suitable parents for adoption because they may harm the child? Did you know that a lot of doctors turn down transgender people for primary healthcare and hormone treatment? When gay marriage became legal in America it received a lot of negative media coverage… It is 2016 and it is time to change how we treat this community.

Instead of praying you can do more…..
from Huffington Post

Local LGBT civil rights organization Equality Florida has set up a GoFundMe page to support the Pulse nightclub shooting victims and their families. More than $1.7 million has already been donated as of Monday afternoon. Donate here.

LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit Planting Peace has launched a CrowdRisecampaign to help cover the victims’ medical costs, as well as funeral costs.Donate here.

CrowdRise has also launched a larger relief fund supporting a number of charitable causes, both those helping the victims of the Orlando shooting, as well as those working long-term to address issues of inequality and gun safety.Donate here.

A variety of local Central Florida LGBT organizations have partnered to run an emergency hotline and grief counselors at the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida. They have also set up a GoFundMe page, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Orlando shooting victims and their families. Donate here.

The OneOrlando Fund, formed by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, will support nonprofits helping victims’ families, as well as the LGBT, Latino and faith communities. Disney has already donated $1 million to the effort. Donate here.

Support LGBTQ Advocacy Efforts Worldwide

Because this tragic shooting shows yet again that the fight against homophobia is far from over, you can support the Human Rights Campaign to help with its ongoing advocacy efforts for LGBTQ equal rights worldwide.
Offer your support here.

Help End The Ban On Sexually Active Gay Men Donating Blood

After the shooting, many local gay and bisexual men wanted to give blood to help the victims — but they couldn’t. According to a decades-old Food and Drug Administration policy, any man who has had sex with another man in the past year is legally banned from giving blood. After the attack on Sunday, aWhiteHouse.gov petition was started calling for an end to the FDA ban.
Sign the petition here.

If You’re Local, Give Blood

After the shooting, hundreds lined up to give blood at a local center near the hospital where the victims were taken.

Florida blood center OneBlood continues to ask for blood donations in the coming days — specifically from O-negative, O-positive and AB donors. The center is currently open, and you can find your local blood center or donation bus here.

“Thousands of people packed our donor centers and blood drives eager to donate,” OneBlood wrote on its site Sunday. “Your immediate response to help patients in need was unprecedented and remarkable. We also want to thank all the people who showed up at our locations with food and water for donors.”

To make an appointment to give blood, click here, or call 1.888.9-DONATE.

Work To End Gun Violence

Everytown for Gun Safety advocates for an end to gun violence, and relies on the testimonies of survivors to partake in meaningful campaigns and address public officials to help foster change.

Find out more about Everytown for Gun Safety here.

Stand Together To Show That #WeAreOrlando

As people across the country and the world woke up to the tragic news Sunday, they gathered together in community vigils to honor the victims and their families. From Orlando to New York to Rome, people stood together, hugged, sang, lit candles and left flowers in the name of those lost.

To find a vigil near you, visit weareorlando.org, with a growing list of local events.

Reach Out If You Need Support

The LGBT community at large is still reeling from the attack. If you need support, or just someone to talk to, dial any of the national and local hotlines below.

The local GLBT Center of Central Florida has a crisis hotline set up in the aftermath of the attack. Call if you need a shoulder to lean on: 407-227-1446.

The Trevor Project Hotline is always available for LGBTQ youth, and is open to anyone in need of support at this time. You can call them at 866-488-7386.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is here to help. Just call: 800-273-8255.

The National GLBT Center has a national hotline, a youth talk-line and an online peer-support chat. For the national hotline, dial 888-843-4564.

Locate A Missing Loved One

Facebook has set up a check-in page for those who live in the area, so they can tell loved ones the world over whether they are safe. You can also call the Orlando Mass Shooting Family Hotline at 407-246-4357 if you still haven’t located someone who may have been at the Pulse nightclub on Sunday.

If your loved one was near the shooting and is still missing, dial 407-246-4357.

Support Nonprofits Helping Victims’ Pets

Organizations in Orlando have stepped up to help care for the pets of the shooting victims, or of any community members who will be out of the house supporting family and friends. For instance, the Pet Alliance Of Greater Orlando is offering short-term care, or permanent placement, for any pets that have been affected by the shooting. To arrange for pet care with the Alliance, call 407-418-0906.

To see a full list of local organizations who are providing pet care, click here.

CrowdRise has listed a number of ways to help. Donate here or through the widget below.

the work out before the actual work out

Published on June 11, 2016January 3, 2019 by blonde rosie2 Comments

As I mentioned before, going to the gym is a bigger task than it should be for me.

I go to the gym after work and some days I just do not have the energy after a long day in the office. I had to do something to make going to the gym easier and more fun!

I have a lot of gym clothes, but they are all stuffed into a tiny drawer with no organization.I decided it was time to tackle my work out drawer.

Work Out Closet GoalsKhloe Kardashian’s Fitness Closet

Unfortunately, none of us have space or money to have a fitness closet like that!

In my effort to reorganize my room, I decided I needed one drawer to hold all my fitness apparel.

I began by throwing everything fitness related into one big pile in my room. A lot of the stuff was from high school with stains that just needed to go. I threw a lot out because I have not worn it in years and sitting in a drawer is just taking up space. I am that girl who has yoga pants that have never been to yoga… but I love to wear my work out leggings around the house doing housework. So, if it is going to the gym or just doing housework I want my comfy clothes easily accessible. For more information on how to organize your drawers check out one of my favorite posts the magic of decluttering and organizing!

I was watching a documentary on how fitness apparel is a booming industry. People buy fitness apparel even if they do not plan on going to the gym. No matter what stores you go in there are gym clothes on sale! Victoria’s Secret just got rid of their swim line to make more room for sport bras so I think this trend is here to stay. Victoria’s Secret has their big semi-annual sale right now so stock up and save today!

I noticed that Target has completely updated their fitness section and are pushing the work out clothes. I partnered with Target a while ago and got a coupon for one of their sport bras. I am obsessed with them and the price.

Now that I have money in the bank I want to buy a Lululemon outfit or two… I am also obsessed with the Free People leggings because of how unique they are. The problem with living at home and making money is now I want to spend it and not save it!