Holiday Highlight video

Here is another photo session that I did a few weeks ago for my cousin (and Godbrother) Derek and his family (April, Alexis and Robert).  They too were a fun family to work with. April wanted some pics for the holidays, and photos of each family member doing their hobby.

I think it turned out pretty good. And they all enjoyed the photo session ... and the pics!

Quiet Mourning

Clarence Lee Jones

February 22, 1924 - November 20, 2010

Today was a sad day for me. I lost my grandfather - BayBay. He quietly passed in his sleep.
Here are a few pics of BayBay! I love me some him!

 

 

 

Alot has happened this year in my life and in my family.
My little cousin wrote on facebook,"U nva really know wut life will throw at u. Pray I'm prepared for anything plz don't let anything else happen so soon thou."

Pumpkins and Mice

I went to happy hour with my sorority sister at this local spot that she had heard good things about. I had been there and I wasnt real excited about the place, but I wanted to spend time with her.. and this is where she wanted to go.So I am always in fro the team! We had a good time eventhough there wasnt a happy hour crowd at all. But during our hang out time, we chatted about situations that are a "farse" .. fake .. unrealistic.. She used the analogy of Cinderella - "pumpkins and mice". All that we see is really pumpkins and mice although it looks like a coach and coachmen. what looks like glitter aint gold and at midnight its all gonna change back to pumpkins and mice.  We laughed about pumpkins and mice all evening. It was a fun time.

Have you ever realized after an event that you were just experiencing pumpkins and mice because after midnight all that you saw was going to change?

inspired by A Pretty Penny: Straight to Plus
What I wore while being entertained by pumpkins and mice:

shirt-JCPenney; skrt-Burlington; boots-NineWest; belt-from another dress

When I bought this skirt, I had already seen how I was going to wear it. I saw this post by Keira at A Pretty Penny and I loved the look.  She got it from this post by Kendi Everyday. Definitely two stylish bloggers! Thanks ladies, Im glad I could grab a look from you. And I think that each of us added our own stamp of style when we wore it.  I love the pearls that I added and since it was a tad chilly, I added boots and tights.

How did I do? did I nail it?

Green Machine

Not much to chat about this AM. Tonight I will most likely be working on party planning items with BFF Court. Her mom's party is only a few weeks away.. CAN you believe that Thanksgiving is NEXTWEEK! I cant. This year has flown by. I better start setting my goals for next year, cuz that will be here soon.

 brown tee-Target; necklace and green sweater-Lane Bryant; skinny jeans-Macys; boots-Avenue; bracelet-NY&Co; watch-Fossil

Hump Day

I never really talk about "Hump Day". But thats mostly because it doesnt really apply in my life. Well in my work life. Since I work four days a week.. there is not really a midpoint to 4.. but since I have been working since Monday.. today is definitely a "hump day" Middle of the week... two more days to go. I can make it, lol!

cardi set-Dress Barn; slacks-?; shoes-Macys; watch-Fossil

LAST NIGHT: I went over to Cousin Nikki's house for another birthday celebration. Her son, Lil Garnet (I call him G-Booty, Lil G, and GG). He was so excited to celebrate his birthday and to show me all of his BeyBlades competions.  I had no idea what a BeyBlade was.. so he showed me and it took me a little while but I finally came around to the excitement of the competitions..



BeyBlade Battle

Then the fam all took pics with the birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Lil G!

Lil G and Big G

Mommy and Lil G

Taylor and Garnet II

If you will recall I offered some styling ideas for Cousin Nikki's Husband - Cousin Garnet. Well he took some of my advice and went out shopping. This is one of the looks that he got.

 All clothing was from Nordstrom (except watch and shoes)

shirt-Thomas Dean; jeans-7 for all mankind; shoes-To Boots New York; watch-Movado Diamond Visio

(yup, those are tags you see hanging.. he still hasnt worn the outfit yet - but I made him put it on so yall could see the look)

I thought the color of the shirt and the wash on these jeans was great. Buying these jeans has really made him look quite GQ. I hate to even tell you what kinds of jeans he was wearing before, but it was bad. They made him look so much older. Since this will be his leisure attire, now I think he looks alot more young and in line with the current fashion styles. But he doesnt look too young like a teenager. This look is quite age appropriate for a 40 year old executive! Now I gotta get him to buy a few new sweaters and maybe a sweater vest and I think his casual winter wardrobe will be set. I know he has a sport coat that he can pair with one of his shirts and these new jeans. Awesome look!

Tired Tuesday

This morning was rough. I was sooo tired. Its raining here in Baltimore, and the rain always makes me want to sleep in. (Its supposed to rain for the rest of the week. I'll have to push myself every morning for the rest of the week.) Not to mention, I didnt get all my "monday rest".. so I was a little tired this morning. But I'll make it through the day. I wanna grab some coffee.. but i think I will settle for vanilla chai tea this morning.

tank-Lane Bryant; cardi-Macys; skirt-Fashion Bug; shoes-Avenue; necklace-gift from Martha

 

I adore this skirt. But I think its a little to big. I got it earlier this year and its the perfect ponte knit. But I needed one size smaller. And the shoes... I really like these shoes, but they arent that comfortable. so I took the pic with these shoes.. but I really wore my black flats. I think the little shoes are really cute.  But I need to add an insole because they dont fit my feet well which makes them a litte uncomfortable. And I dont do "uncomfortable" anymore.. that was when I was younger. Now, I need comfort!

I had the toughest time coming up with a color to wear with this cardi and skirt. I wanted to add a pop of color so I went with this tank. And then I remembered that my friend Martha gave me a necklace with very similar colors. This is a cute necklace and it reminds me alot of my beading days. Martha and I (and another coworker) used to bead together alot.  Imma get back to it. With the new beads I got on vacation, I cant wait to make a bracelet.

An unusual Monday

Have ya seen my latest feature??? well check out my friend Yolanda at Diva in Deep Thought. She did a post about the color mustard. In her post she did a roundup of her fav outfits in the blogosphere.. and I was included in the ranks! Thanks Yolanda!

SATURDAY: This weekend has been a whirlwind! What started out as a busy weekend has turned out to be a busier week.  I did a nice photoshoot for my cousin (Godbrother) and his wife on Saturday. I'll post the pics on a later post. Then I stopped past my mother's house because she wasnt feeling well (more details on this later).  Then I stopped at my Aunt's house to pick up some cleaning supplies. And then I went to a birthday party a day early, lol. Yea, my friend Jamaica was having a bday party for her son. I went on Saturday, but the party was on Sunday. too funny! Here is what I looked like running around the city.

top-Marshall's; denim jeggins-Lane Bryant Outlet (Loop 18, seriosu score for $3.99); boots-Avenue; purse-Cousin Nikki's closet; jewelry-random; watch-see details below

 Check out what Im using to tell time these days. Hubby snagged this exquisite time piece for me while we were on our anniversary vacay.  I had this watch on my Christmas list.. and I was gonna hold off and wait until then to wear it, but he said I could rock it now.. im sure there will be plenty other gifts under our fat tree, lol!

 

 My BFFs will be ecstatic that I have traded in my ultimate favorite watch in the whole wide world (black patent Casio Baby G-Shock) for this delightful white Fossil watch. Dont get to excited, you may see the black one again. I adore that watch. It was the first gift that Hubby ever got me.

 SUNDAY: I had planned to attend a wedding with Hubby, but my mother called before noon and wanted me to take her to the ER. What started as conjunctivitis (pink eye) about a month ago had gone misdiagnosed. When we got to the ER she was in severe pain. After they gave her medication for pain, she had to get a laser procedure to relive the pressure in her eye. This ordeal took all day, but atleast by the time I got her home and settled she was feeling much better (minus a little nausea from the pain meds). It was rough. But mom had some serious breakthroughs on healthcare and support from doctors and the medical profession.  She had a different perspective. I guess you could say it was an "eye opening experience"
There wasnt an outfit to show for all these errands.. sorry.

MONDAY: I HAD TO GO TO WORK! aaauugh! Yup, on my usual day off, I had to trek into work for a training. Luckily I knew about this training before I left for vacation so I was refreshed and well prepared to attend the training. Which was pretty good. Although I had to leave a noon to take Mom back for a follow up appointment. She is doing excellent! And we enjoyed a great lunch after the doctor's visit.  I still got home the same time I would have if I stayed at work all day.

purple sweater-Lane Bryant; black jeggins-JC Penney; crown necklace-gift from Hubby; sneakers-Nike; watch-Fossil

Second Anniversary was Lovely (Pics Heavy)

Hubby and I are just getting back from our anniversary vacay. I hope you had a chance to check out the post I made about our wedding day. It was a lovely day.

For our anniversary this year, we decided on Tampa, Florida.. well actually we stayed in St Petersburg, FL on the beach (St Pete Beach).  I was not that excited about the actual hotel, so I wont even go into all of that BUT I loved being on the beach and that was the reason that I selected the hotel. Here are a few details of our trip.. or you can just look at the pretty pictures, lol!

FRIDAY: We left at noon on Friday.  I picked up Hubby from work and we grabbed a bite to eat before we were off to the airport. 

boyfriend cardi-Old Navy; denim skinnies-JC Penney; tshirt-Old Navy; shoes-Macys

SATURDAY: The weather was not very cooperative on this vacation. Actually it was very cold. unseasonably.  So what I thought was gonna be a week filled with sun and beach bumming was not really the case. But that doesnt stop us.. We decided to take a trip to downtown St. Petersburg to see what we could get into.

top-JC Penney; crop cargo-Avenue; shoes-Macys; necklace-?

 Hubby was looking good.

tshirt-local store ('Black is Beautiful" - City of Gods); khaki-Casual Male; shoes-Prada

 We took the Downtown Trolley to see a few different sights. We stopped at The Pier just to watch the view.

 For dinner we went to the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. Oh what an awesome place this is. Very authentic. Almost like time stood still. If ever in the Tampa area.. you gotta visit this restaurant.

 

SUNDAY:(Happy Anniversary) It was still chilly, so we couldnt get to the beach. We decided to go back downtown and visit a few of the restaurants and museums that we missed the day before. Im an early bird by nature, so it was early when we left the hotel to head downtown. But I called ahead to make sure that the museums were open.

top-Avenue; camo skinnies-Dots; necklace-NY&Co; bracelets-Cancun,Mexico; earrings-Mom's church giveaway; shoes-Marshal's

 We ate a cute restaurant on Beach Drive - Parkshore Grill. It was around brunch time, but their menu had a great selection. And we even got a set of movie tickets with our meal. Nice compliment

shirt-Polo; jeans; Prada shoes

Me and the Banyan Tree

Purse-new classic MCM (Speedy 30) - Anniversary gift from Hubby

We decided to view the Chihuly Exhibit at the Morean Arts Center.

After viewing the exhibit, we stopped for gelato. mm mm mmm, tasty!

By the time we left downtown and made it back to St Pete Beach, the weather was getting warmer.  

So I had to finally see the ocean. (actually the Gulf)

  Our  dinner date was at the hotel across the street. They had a nice rooftop restaurant that offered views of the beach and the city. It was a spinning restaurant and the food was pretty good.

SUNDAY NIGHT

My dress is from Rainbow Plus. Hubby's shirt is from K&G Men's Store.

MONDAY: The weather started to warm a bit and I was excited! We decided that we would go on an adventure and visit some of the other beaches along the Florida Gulf coast. The goal was to reach one of the northern most beaches- Clearwater Beach.

top-Ashley Stewart; denim skinnies-JC Penney; shoes-Macys; floral bib necklace-Avon; sunglasses-Nordstrom

 I had seen a commercial for this bead store. Yea, beading is another of my many crafts. So Hubby let me stop in this store to buy a few nice beads. I cant wait to make my bracelet. I have just the style in mind. I actually got the idea from a bracelet that my mother has.

We passed several beaches as we traveled north on Gulf Blvd. By the time we arrived in Clearwater.. the weather was beautiful!

 We stopped at the public beach because I had to see what the sand was like... and I was not disappointed.

We stopped at a CVS and Hubby bought a pair of Doggers (very similar to Crocs). He was excited to have a nice pair of beach shoes. And the sales clerk assured him that Doggers were all the rage at the beach. 
I just laughed.

The sand was amaaaaaazing!

 when we got back from Clearwater... I ran out to the pool.

 Yall already know the bathing suit - Old Navy. But check out the cute cabanas.

 Hubby is not big on 'chillin in the sun by the pool'. But he stayed for a little while and we ordered an afternoon snack. Oh, and he sported his Doggers, lol!

TUESDAY: Hubby finally had his dream breakfast ... Waffle House. He loves the place.

 top-Avenue; crop cargo pants-Avenue; bracelet-NY&Co; shoes-Marshal's; necklace-?

 I dragged Hubby to the Premium Outlets in Ellenton. It was a nice time and a nice drive across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. As an engineer, that was an excellent sight. I really enjoyed the marvel of engineering.

Polo shirt; black denim jeans; Prada shoes

When we got back from shopping.. I went back to the pool while Hubby took a nap.

TUESDAY NIGHT

For our last night in Florida, we went to a cute contemporary restaurant in downtown St Petersburg called Z Grill. It was a really nice experience. And a great way to end a great vacation.

WIFE:dress-Rainbow Plus; black pashmina-stand in the mall; crown necklace-gift from Hubby; bracelet-Mexico  HUSBAND:shirt-Downtown LockerRoom (LRG); dark wash jeans-Old Navy; shoes-Prada

 WEDNESDAY: Yup, sadly it was time to head back home. Back to reality.

top-Old Navy; grey jeans-Ashley Stewart; shoes-Marshal's; bracelet-Cancun,Mexico; crown necklace-gift from Hubby