What a sweet surprise

Look what I came home to last night.. isnt that special, aawwwlll...
I was feelin awesome after getting my hair done, and lookin good.
And I walked into the kitchen and I got a smile on my face immediately! (thanks hubby)


Today, I snatched another look from the Fab Finds Outfit Inspiration Calendar

Friday, July 30 - Open Weave & Stripes

Today's Look

pink hooded weave sweater - LaneBryant

striped tank - LaneBryant

cuffed denim capris - Ashley Stewart

shoes - Ross

necklace - some Juniors store

Giveaway - Lemondrop Vintage

I stumbled on a new blog today - Lemondrop Vintage.. and they are hosting a giveaway. I absolutely adore charm bracelets.. and THIS would be a cute one to win!! Yup, there is a giveaway going on over there.. go see... really, go see!

Where is the purple??? I dont have any...

Today I pulled another page from the FabFinds Outfit Inspiration Calendar. Im not really happy with the way that the pics turned out. But I do like the actual look on. Has this ever happened to anyone? I think the pics made my midsection look a little chunkier than normal.. but I didnt see that in the mirror,lol .. oh well.. here it is anyway.
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Thursday, July 29 - Purple & Green Color Combo

I had to work hard at coming up with a combo for today. Originally I had a purple dress that I was going to wear with a green weave cardi.. But then I thought, whew, thats to hot to wear. My dilema is that I dont really have alot of purple clothes. I have a dress that I wore to a friends wedding.. and I have a dress that I bought from OneStopPlus. A nice shift dress - in purple, But I have never worn it. So I had to did deep into the closet for this look today. But I like it. The top is more of a purple-pink. But thats more of my color than purple. I dont mind purple on other people, its just not my favorite purple. Maybe I just havent found that perfect item.. who knows.. Im still looking....

Today's Outfit

Purple top - Macys

green khaki capris - LaneBryant

shoes - Payless

statement necklace - Macys

Yesterday and Today : User Error

So, I got a new camera recently. Hubby likes to keep me laced with the newest technology, so I got a new camera. Well actually, he wanted to buy himself a new camera (his old one was pretty crappy, lol).. but he knew that I would be pouting if he got a new camera and not me.. so he got both of us a new cameras...He likes to have the latest technology.. and he has been trying to persuade me to get an iphone for months, but I havent caved in yet.. I'll probably take his old iphone like I do with all his other "handme down" technology, lol.
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So, anyway, I did take a pic yesterday, BUT - I didnt have the SD card in the camera, so I couldnt get the pic off the camera.. WHY... cuz I lost the damn cord.. How does someone loose a cord to a brand new camera??? dduuuhh.. well, this morning, Hubby found the cord!!! (He is really good at finding my lost stuff too.. he has waay more patience in that area.) - Thanks Hubby.
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YESTERDAY

This is my attempt at an outfit from the FabFinds Inspiration Calendar.
Tuesday, July 27 - Layer an Oxford Shirt over a Dress

Yesterday Outfit

dress - Rainbow

shoes - Wilson Leather

shirt - Macys (Is this an oxford? or not really?)

belt - Rainbow

Necklace - Birthday gift from Sorority Sister

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TODAY
And today, is another look swiped from the FabFinds Inspiration Calendar.
Wednesday, July 28 - Dress up a Graphic Tee

Today's Outfit

black pencil skirt - Macys

shoes - RackRoom

graphic tshirt - OldNavy

khaki jacket - JCPenny

necklace - AshleyStewart

Wet weekend

SATURDAY
Hubby and I went to Philly for a Pool Party hosted by my sorority sister. The drive up was pretty nice. We played some good music and this was the first time that we put the new car on the road.. it served us well, lol.

Saturday Outfit
floral maxi - Ross

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The pool was all ready for us to get in. And the weather was sooo hot, but the pool was nice and cool. My sorority sister had a full spread of food and drinks. She made an awesome spiked iced tea. We all enjoyed it, lol. And for dessert, she had my favorite cupcakes from Brown Betty's Cupcake Boutique.. AWESOME!!!!!

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SUNDAY

We were up early on Sunday. I had planned to spend the day in Philly, but Hubby had to get some work done so we hit the road. We tried to stop and have a bite to eat at Waffle House but it was packed.. so we just made our way home and ordered some lunch when we got home.

Sunday Outfit
orange dress - ??
Coach bag
leather braided flats - Payless

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MONDAY
Today was filled with errands. But this is the maxi that wore while trying to look chic, lol.

Today's Outfit
floral maxi - Ross
turquoise tank - LaneBryant

Giveaway - BigBeautyfulMess(BBM)

If you havent already... then you better hurry up!!
Gerry from BBM is hosting an awesome giveaway...
GO FOR IT!
http://bigbeautyfulmess.blogspot.com/2010/07/beauty-giveaway-talbots-250-gift-card.html

Busy weekend ahead ....

This is it for today... Im glad I already had this outfit selected, because I was pretty tired and sore from last night. I was out kind of late, doing some errands to make me a few extra dollars. To bad I will be spending the extra money on bills.. and not fun.. but atleast I did it.

I have a busy weekend ahead. Im heading to Philly for a pool party/bbq/appreciate day. My sorority sister is hosting the event, and I will surely post pics.

Today's Outfit

green tank - LaneBryant

yellow cardi - LB Outlet

denim capris - LaneBryant (I think)

Last minute change of heart

This is not the look that I had pulled for today. I had something totally different in mind, but a package came in the mail last night that game me a change of heart.

I got this dress while I was on vacation. Its actually a strapless. But when I bought it, I thought it may be a little short to wear to work, so I envisioned this look as I was contemplating buying the dress.. When I got home I ordered the denim leggins and voile'! [they arrived last night] I usually will wear leggins to work with my shorter dresses.. but when I put this one on this morning.. I thought, hmmm, this isnt that short. I could probably wear this without the leggins. Im sure next time, it will be worm legginless, lol!

Today's Outfit

jean jacket - JCPenny

dress - Ross

denim leggins - LaneBryant

shoes - Target

"go to" floral necklace - Avon

150! ..posts that is...

I feel extra "dressed up" with this shirt on. I think its the fabric. I dont usually get caught up by assigning a fabric as "dressy".. maybe sometimes, like a sequins but even then it can still not be "dressy". But I thought wearing this shirt with a jean skirt would make it a little more casual. Not really.. I think its the way the sleeves are made too. Thoughts???

Today's Outfit

floral shirt - FashionBug

jean skirt - FashionBug

black belt - LB Outlet

silver crown necklace - one of the first gifts from Hubby

blue patent leather shoes - macys [Enzo]

Although I think that these shoes are cute. I never put them on. Who knows why.. I have a few items in my closet that are cute, I like to wear them, they are even comfortable [ I have been purging all of the cute stuff thats NOT comfortable], but I never seem to be able to remember to put them on. I always go to the old trusty items.. the reliablestuff, yall know what I mean. I think my accessories are worst.. I have a gazillion accessiries that I never rummage through to put on. But its nice stuff (*wink* - Cuzzin Nikki,lol)!

A cardi just for work

Here is another of the dresses that I purchased for vacation.. but this one never even made it into the suitcase.

Today's Outfit

dress - Rainbow Plus

white cardi (to stay warm at work) - FashionBug

long necklace - ??

floral necklace - Avon

flat sandals - Payless

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WEEKEND UPDATE:
FRIDAY
Friday night Hubby took me to dinner at Dogwood loated in Hampden. It was a really nice experience. The food is all organic and from local farmers. I could have added a little salt to the food, but overall it was really nice. Oysters was a mainstay on the menu. Not my favorite, but we did try the baked oyster appetizer. However, the decor was so fun!

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SATURDAY
Im not sure if I mentioned it... but Hubby got "us" a new car last week [His words, not mine, lol]. He bought the new Nissan Maxima and this baby comes with all the bells and whistles. He let me take it out for the day on saturday, and it was a pretty nice ride. I went to visit Grandma at her new house, until the old house is repaired from the fire back in May. And, well Grandma is doing well and all moved in. I took her out for a little shopping and plenty of laughs.

Saturday Outfit

shoes - Ross

jean capris - Macys

shirt - Macys

I had a on a really cute bracelet too, but you cant even see it.. so its not worth mentioning.

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Then, Saturday night, I watched a movie with my sister. She was looking so cute, I had to add her pic to the blog. She had spent the day with one of her friends doing some home decor shopping.

Sis Saturday Outfit

strapless top - LaneBryant

floral skirt - NY&Co

shoes - FashionBug

City Chic - Virtual Shopping

A few of the fellow bloggers have been buzzing about City Chic. BBM did a week of City Chic looks and LaCara and Monique did a post about their favs.. So I figured I would do a similar post ... my fav City Chic looks ...

THANK YOU BFF

So I am really excited to wear this outfit today. I was saving it to wear for some "real" occassion, but Hubby said he would take me to dinner tonight so I guess thats "occassion" enough for me. I had another outfit planned for today, but the skirt didnt fit to well (I need to drop a few pounds to get in it perfectly) so I just packed it away until later and I pulled out this look.

When I first saw this cardi on Kimberly and then on Courtney.. I was in LOVE... I think Courtney talked about it in a blog post.. and then I saw it and I told my BFF how cute it was. Well, while I was away on vacation.. my BFF "showed her tail" and went on a serious shopping spree... she bought all kinds of stuff and this cardi was included in her haul. Well, low and behold.. she let me have it!! YEAAAAA for MEEEEE.. I think I needed a size bigger but since it has nice stretch, I can get away with it.. and did I mention that I LOVE this cardi.. surely you will be seeing alot of it.. I might wear it the entire weekend.. lol
What are your weekend plans???

Today's Outfit

nautical cardi - Fashion to Figure

black dress - OldNavy

gold shoes - payless

necklace - OldNavy

creme handbag - Coach

(I had to add my bag today because it goes so well with the look of the outfit)

New Affiliate - eShakti

As any reader of my blog knows. I am a serious fan of eShakti. I have blogged about them here, here and here. And each time I was was pretty pleased overall. Well, eShakti has asked my blog to partner with their company. If you want to order any item from their site, you can receive 10% off by using the code mrshall123.

click on the banner at the side of my blog.

Sure, I will get a little kickback for your shopping pleasure, but we all will be getting a benefit ...

so go ahead ... get to shopping!!!

Inspired by Bouchard

When I started this blog I needed some serious style inspiration. I was in a style rut and I had no clue what I was wearing.. I WANTED to look different. I knew I had a style in there somewhere but I had no idea how to pull it out.. SO.. I started blogging.. and thanks to all of you.. I feel more like myself again! Thats why my name is "Truly Inspired"

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And I say all that, to say, I often use other bloggers as my inspiration for outfits.. And today is no different... Today I was inspired by Renee T. Bouchard of Style ... The New Black. She made a post on a rainly day post outfit that I thought was so cute and simple. I had to try it.. so, here it isssss! Thanks Renee!

This is the polyvore that Renee put together. You can read her post about each of the items.

And this is what I put together....

Today's Outfit

yellow top - Old Navy

gray skirt - Target

necklace - Andie's accessory giveaway

shoes - ??

belt and bracelet - Scottsdale, AZ

I am wearing this awesome belt that I bought in Scottsdale, AZ. I was on a trip that I took with the book club. I dont get to wear it often, but this was the perfect outfit for it. I have on a really nice silver bracelet that I bought at that same time in AZ, but the pics didnt come out to well.. but it has a really nice floral relif design all made of silver.

Giveaway - Diva In Deep Thought

If you didnt know.. NOW you DO..

Diva in Deep Thought is sponsoring a giveaway.. an awesome little animal print dress.. run on over there and see if you can win.. hurry.. hurry... why are you still reading, lol! GOOOOOoooooo!!

Talking can shift your paradigm

I talked to some friends yesterday and they really helped me change my persepctive (paradigm) on my sad mood.. so Im doing better. I think it will still take some adjustment, but eventually, I'll get over it.. and release it from my mind. I am still LOVE.


This outfit was one that I had selected for my South Carolina vacation but I didnt get a chance to wear it. There were only a few outfits that I didnt get to wear. Although my bags were HUGE!!! ... I still wore most of the stuff in it, eventhough it looked like I over packed. I cant remember the last time I packed for a week long.. I think my honeymoon, but that was more dresses, bathing suits and lingerie.. not to heavy at all, lol!

Today's Outfit

shoes - Ross

white capris - AshleyStewart

paisley top - Marshall's

necklace - Cancun, Mexico

I really like the look of white pants, white jeans and whte capris. there is something crisp and clean about them that I love. My problem is that I have the hardest time finding a pair that are reasonable priced that fit well and are well constructed. This pair from AshleyStewart has done me pretty well.. We'll see what they do next year when I pull them out.. in the meantime, I am in search of white jeans... a cute , slim pair with stretch!

Not my usual self today

The title is not about my outfit.. but more about my mood. I am in a really sour/sad mood this morning, and its been a little hard to shake out of it. My mind is playing serious tricks on me today with all these sad thoughts. So, although my face is smiling today.. I am really not in a good mood. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Today's Outfit

shoes - Target

skirt - AshleyStewart

top - OldNavy

necklace - some junior store

South Carolina Vacay - (pics heavy)

After we left the family reunion in Rocky Mount, NC we drove to Bluffton, SC to spend the rest of the week with my family at their vacation house. We arrived on Sunday and had a feast on barbecue ribs and great southern food. It was delicious. The next morning, Monday, we went directly to the pool. I had to work on my vacation suntan immediately when I got there, lol. My Mom and my little cousins (Ga
rnet and Ta ylor) went to the pool too.

MONDAY
We drove through Hilton Head Island and although its an island, you cant see any of the water from the main road. In order to see the beach, you have to actually go into one of the residential communities. So, this is about all I saw in Hilton Head. lol.

Hilton Head outfit
denim capris - Ashley Stewart
orange shirt - Ashley Stewart
necklace - NY&Co
shoes - Ross

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TUESDAY
We took a day trip to Savannah, Georgia. It was a really nice trip. The first thing we did was hopped on the Trolley Tour. The benefit is that we can see the entire city in about an hour.. and if there are things that we want to visit, we can hop off and on to check out the specific locales.

Savannah Outfit
floral maxi dress - AJ Wright
necklace - LiaSophia
shoes - Ross

Here are a few pics from the trolley. Savannah is such a picturesque city.
It's a city rich in tradition and charm.

The gang's all here for dinner.
After the trolley tour we met up for dinner at The Lady & Sons restaurant owned by FoodNetwork star Paula Deen. After confusing seating arrangements, we dined on a delicious meal.

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WEDNESDAY
This was a pretty relaxing day. I think we spent most of the day in the house watching movies. In the evening we got ready for a cruise. We went on a cruise along the Okatie River. The Captain had grown up on the river and he was great at explaining all of the different species that live and thrive along the river. We even saw some dolphins frolicking in the w ater. I was amazed! Im not usually an outdoors kind of girl but the breeze off of that water was so relaxing.

Boat Cruise Outfit
top - H&M Garden Collection
capris - LaneBryant
shoes - Ross
rose necklace - Aldo

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THURSDAY
We started the morning with a fun breakfast at a local spot called the Squat&Gobble. We went back to the vacation house and then Hubby was off to the gun range. He was a good shot.

Squat& Gobble Outfit
shoes - Ross
harem pants - Burlington
tanks - Old Navy
necklace - some Junior store
This was the first time that I actually tried the harem pants. And I must admit that I actually like how they look. I need to figure out a few more looks to try with my harem pants.. any suggestions???

Hubby Outfit
shirt and shorts - Casual Male


Tuscan Room - Birthday Dinner Outfit
dress and shrug - RainbowPlus
shoes - Payless
black rose necklace - Aldo
After relaxing, we had dinner reservations at the country club in the Tuscan Room t o celebrate Hubby's birthday early.


Cousin Nikki and Mom were dressed lovely for the evening. I had worked on several outfits for Cousin Nikki's month long vacay. But this outfit she chose all on her own. I really liked what she chose for herself. Mom has consulted with me on several of her outfits too, but this one is all her own design as well.. and a cute look it is!

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FRIDAY
Its sad that I cant even remember what I did on Friday... but I liked it, whatever it was, lol. Hubby on the other hand, went out fishing with the guys and he got to drive his first golf cart.

Relaxing Outfit
dress - RainbowPlus
shrug - RainbowPlus
shoes - Ross

Hubby Outfit
shorts - Casual Male
tshirt - Memphis,TN

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SATURDAY
We spent the day doing one of my favorite pass times. Ofcourse one of my favorite stops was Stein Mart. We stopped at a few other places but we had to stop for lunc cuz I wore the rest of the crew out with my search for a great shopping deal, lol. We went to lunch a local pizza shop voted best on the island. After lunch we decided to do a little sightseeing of historic Bluffton. It was nice and we found an adorable church. Mom took a pic outside the church.

Shopping Outfit
capris - AshleyStewart
white floral shirt - AshleyStewart
shoes - Ross

After we got back from shopping we took a small break and then we were off to hit some golf balls at the driving range. This was my first time hitting balls.. and playing an actual golf hole. The scenery for playing golf is awesome. But there is so much technique to getting a great hit.. I may stick to miniature golf... and play only for fun.

My first golf game!

Golf Outfit
white pants - AshleyStewart
polo golf shirt - Hubby's closet

Then we surprised Hubby with a cake and his birthday gifts a day early.

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SUNDAY
Happy Fourth of July!

There was a huge outdoor dinner at the country club. We took pics in the photo booth (I love photo booths,lol). And then we watched some amazing fireworks.

Fourth of July Outfit
white dress - Ross
shoes - Ross

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MONDAY
Well this was the end of a great vacation.

Travel home Outfit
white skirt - LaneBryant
tshirt - OldNavy
shoes - Ross