30 for 30: Day 3

      Day Three of 30 for 30 brings a morning of errands, a trip to the park (a wee bit cool), and then working from/at home.
     Brown sweater dress (Twiggy from Nordstrom Rack): $19 several years ago.
     Brown cordouroy Newsboy cap (the Limited): <$20.  I bought this at least 20 years ago while I was working there so I know I couldn't have paid any more than that.  But this hat has been my 'go-to' for bad hair or cold days for YEARS!
     Jeans (Not Your Daughter's Jeans from Nordstrom Rack): $29

     Axcess:
     Yellow, Orange, Brown striped scarf (Old Navy): $9.  I love my scarves.
     Gold & Stone Necklace (From Fiore): $29.  I felt like I needed to fill in some space at the neckline and thought this would be fun!
     Gold, Orange, Green Bangles (H&M and Premier Jewelry): H&M $5.95 and Premier Jewelry one of my free gifts for hosting a party.
     Brown straw & sequined bag (Calypso St. Barth for Target): $29.  LOVE this as my new summer 'go to' bag!
     Gold metallic snakeskin flats w/ Rhinestone accents (Sam Edleman @ Nordstrom Rack): over $30.  But I wear these all the time so I figure current CPW is down to $10.
    
     So that's it for today.  Looking forward to see what I can put together tomorrow.

30 for 30: Day 2

     Today is ALL about comfort!  It is a work from/at home day with very few errands.  Like most moms I turned to my tried & true sweats & t-shirt (with a twist) to wear around the house.
     Olive burn out T-shirt: (H&M) $7.95
     Sweats: (Da-Nang). Current cost per wear: $0.  I got these because of the cool factor.  They have great "hieroglyphics" down the left leg, front pockets, cozy drawstring waist and are made from the softest fleece I have EVER felt!  They were part of a clearance sale at Elements of Three boutique in Cumming before they closed.  The sale was buy 1 piece get a second for 10 cents!  I paid the full clearance price for these ($45) and got a sweater for a dime.  So if you average what I spent, they still fall under the $30 mark.  But I wear these at least once a week, so my CPW is non-existent at this point as I've had to have worn them 50 times by now!

 

     To run errands this morning, I topped off the T with my military inspired Olive Drab jacket from rue 21. With all discounts included, I got this great jacket for under $10!
     The clogs are from Dr. Scholl's and are super comfortable!  I got these on clearance at Dillard's for $29.  They are the closest you'll ever see me come to wearing crocs!
     So all in all, a very cost effective comfortable day!
     Until tomorrow...

30 for 30: Day 1

     Today is Sunday.  Which means that I am singing in choir at church today (and sometimes seeing myself on the large screen!) So I get to 'dress up' a bit!
     I LOVE this outfit!  It nods to the nautical feeling that is always so prevalent this time of year without being "themey".
     White jeans are LEI (from Walmart):FREE - that's right, FREE.  I got these from a clothes swap held at a church women's ministry event.  I had to be talked into taking them, but I love them!
     Red sweater is Jessica Howard (Khol's): $19.  I originally purchased this to wear through the Christmas Holidays and have worn it a lot more than I ever thought I would.
     Black & White striped blouse is from H&M: $9.95.
     Necklace is from White House/Black Market. It is silver chains and pearls with red & pink enamel flowers.  The proceeds from this necklace were donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation.  Current cost per wear:  $8
     And the black patent shoes are Stuart Weitzman.  Current cost per wear: $4.
     This would be a good time to discuss cost per wear as these last two items cost over the $30 limit when I purchased them. However, I have worn them so many times that the cost of wearing them is really inconsequential.
     To figure cost per wear (CPW) just divide the cost of an item by how many times you think you will wear (or have worn) an item.  It's a great way to see if something is really a bargain when you are shopping! A $19 blouse worn only once has a CPW of $19.  A $60 blouse worn once a month (12 times) has a CPW of $5.  So sometimes it does pay to spend a bit more if you are going to enjoy something in the long run! And the best thing about CPW is, if you wear something enough, it drops to $0!!!
     See you tomorrow!

30 for 30: Introduction

     I have thought about doing something like this for a while and then when my friend the beautiful Holly Sweetman, shared her 30 for 30 I knew I was onto something.
     While Holly concentrates on only 30 pieces of her wardrobe for 30 days, I am taking a different approach.  I am looking at making comfortable, stylish "mom" outfits with pieces that cost under $30 (sometimes for the entire outfit!).  I want to show you that moms can be comfortable to keep up with the kiddos, look stylish and NOT have to spend large amounts of money or time doing so!
     So I hope you enjoy the next thirty days as I go through my closet, doing some sewing and maybe a little bit of shopping and try to give some sound style advice to all of my mommy friends out there!
So until tomorrow...

This is a must enter for all my friends!

I am now truly inspired with new ideas thanks to Olive to Sew!
Just spent the morning entering this great giveaway!  All my creative mama & photographer friends really should enter this!  The prizes are awesome!  Oh yeah.  It ends May1!  So hurry!

Time to "Think (Tour de) Pink" Again!

The Atlanta Tour de Pink kick-off is only a couple of days away.  The steering committee and TdP volunteers were asked to put together a "Why I Ride Video" for the kick off & the TdP youtube channel.  So, it's a little rough, but here is my first one!  Just in case you're wondering why I ride...

Christmas Playlist - Hour 2

I go a bit more classic in sound this hour. There's some great sounds in this group!

Let It Snow - Kathy Troccoli/A Sentimental Christmas
Zune Amazon
-A CD well worth the wait. Amazing voice, great arrangements and amazing parings. This is just a nice easy listening jazz version of this Christmas classic. Sit back & enjoy.

Let There Be Peace on Earth - Vince Gill/The Purpose of Christmas
This came as a set with the book of the same name by Rick Warren. I found it at a local Christian bookstore.
-Sweet. Not over produced. Very simple so you can hear the beauty of the song. I love that his daughter joins him for this one!

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Bryan Duncan/Christmas is Jesus
Amazon
- Love the piano feel to this one. Again, I love the fact that it isn't sung like he has something to prove. It feels like a man & a piano singing carols with friend @ home!

Sleighride - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Great jazz! From production to the amazing ease with with her voice floats over the riffs - this is good listening! I highly recommend the 2 disc set & get a few music videos you can play at your next holiday party!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay/Sounds of the Season:The NBC Holiday Collection (Also on Maybe This Christmas)
Amazon
- Hey, it's Chris Martin & Coldplay. Beautiful but not sappy. Gotta love it!

This Christmas - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Nice love song sung beautifully. She makes it seem effortless!

Caroling, Caroling - Nat King Cole/The Christmas Song
Amazon
-A Christmas Classic sung by a musical legend. It doesn't get much better than this!

Moonlight in Vermont - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- By the title it doesn't seem to be a Christmas song. But the picture painted by the lyrics is the typical Norman Rockwell Christmas! This is nice to play sitting by the fire with a loved one! (And THAT is a good Christmas.) I love songs that make me slow down every now and then during the holidays to just enjoy the moment.

The Man with the Bag - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Another great jazz song that picks the pace back up a bit and showcases the amazing vocal talent of Jane. I always picture a Big Band/USO show scene from the movies with this one!

Merry Christmas, Darling - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- A Christmas love song. Helps me to focus on family and forget all of the business of the season for a while!

Christmas Waltz - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Another traditional Christmas song. Just a nice cheery song that makes me smile.

Old Time Christmas - Randy Travis/An Old Time Christmas
amazon
-I got this off of a CD from my mom. She loves country music & I actually was into country music in the 70's & early 80's living in Oklahoma. So I am always reminded of those times when I hear songs like this. It is typical Randy Travis - there is no denying his voice.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe- Randy Travis/An Old Time Christmas
amazon
-A fun invitation to smooch on your loved one during the holidays. (I actually realized in May that I never took down the mistletoe in my house. Maybe it was subliminal! LOL!)

Face of Love - Jewel/Joy-A Holiday Collection
Amazon
-A beautiful song by a beautiful voice. I actually downloaded the rest of the album while looking up this link, so you might be seeing a few more of her songs popping up! This lyrics are so beautiful to this song! It is a "meaning of the holiday" song in Jewel's easy style.

White Christmas - Kathy Troccoli/A Sentimental Christmas
Zune Amazon
-I have always loved the quality of Kathy's voice (the sultriness of it). She reminds me of one of those 1940's big band lead female singers always portrayed in the movies. (I have a thing for Big Bands I guess!) This is such an understated version of the classic. It is so not in your face! Love it!

Christmas Time is Here - Mercy Me/The Christmas Sessions
Amazon
-The group's version of that old Charlie Brown classic. It sounds less depressing when sung by Mercy Me! It is joyful and hopeful and everything that children believe Christmas to be!

Joseph's Lullaby - Mercy Me/The Christmas Sessions
Amazon
-There are lots of songs about Mary, but this is a great one about Joesph's viewpoint of those events so many years ago. I like that!

World Christmas - R. Kelly/Sounds of the Season/R & B Collection
The Sounds of the Seasons are CD's that Target puts out every year. I am sure you can find it there.
-We are not alone! A fun song! A bit different. It keeps you on your toes as it makes a couple of style & pace changes throughout. But fun.

Well, that's it for hour 2. Only 12 more to go!