"I didn't find my friends; the good Lord gave them to me. " Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Howdy All!

I am back from my week in Paradise! My husband is well on his way to being recovered and I have been thrown right back into the swing of things here back home.  I am feeling very refreshed and ready to take on  whatever comes my way! This week will be my North Carolina posts... i hope you enjoy and I'll elaborate more details about my trip throughout the week.
WHAT:
Shorts: Old Navy
Tank: Gap
Sweater: Thrifted
Flip Flops: Reef

WHERE:
A nice leisurely sunset walk down the beach. We had just gotten to NC and this was the first time we had been down to the water. We walked up the pier and chatted up all the local fisherman. It was pretty hilarious, these "alaskan women are down here in short sleeves and shorts and the local fisherman on the pier were dressed in down coats, and beanie hats! HA!! It was at least 65 degrees!!!! Thats not a bad day of summer up north!

Whew....I made it.....BARELY!

Hi All!


Weren't my guest bloggers great! Thank you girls, You  were great!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

First off I would like to Thank You all profusely for the outpouring concern and kindness you have shown for my family, my husband and myself. It is greatly appreciated and treasured. I am in such awe with the blogging community. You guys are the best!  Thank you.

a little update...

My husbands surgery itself went well, his recovery....not so much. We ended up staying in the hospital overnight and the entire next day. I wrestled with the decision whether to postpone my trip or not. My husband in his drugged stooper said absolutely not! It was not an option for me to stay in his opinion. He gifted me this trip as a token of his love and appreciation for all I do and nothing was going to get in the way of me having a "girls only" beach reunion!  Soooo... I was able to "text" pack on with my mom, discharge  my husband from the hospital, drive home, tuck him into bed, grab my bag, and jet off to the airport with 30 minutes of getting home. Crazy... I know.......

Thankfully we have an AMAZING support group of friends and family that were also encouraging me to head on out due to the fact my husband was going to be well cared for by all of them. My dear,dear friend Heidi has been selflessly by his side, administering medication, taking him to check ups, and all around making sure his recovery is a comfortable and speedy as possible. Thank You Heidi , I love you! My wonderful Mother in law has kept the kiddos and took on all of the school schedules, basketball practices, and the daily wear and tear of three kids! Thank you....I love you too! There are many more of you family and friends whom have graciously given their time and energy to my family through this. I spoke to my husband tonight and he is overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness shown through, calls, texts, visits, prayers, and meals. Thank you all so much....This truly has been a touching experience.

In the meantime I get to sit on this deck in the sunshine all day....
Or frolic on the beach as shown above...
Or tap a nap any time of the day....


choices, choices....

I love you babe.... Thank you! You truly are amazing... MUAH!!!

JMS welcomes Guest Blogger: Blue Collar Catwalk

"Hi, all! I'm Kyla from Blue Collar Catwalk. Danielle is off having all sorts of fun with an old friend and graciously asked me to write a guest post for her. So, yay! Here I am!

I'm assuming that we're all pretty like-minded around here - at least where clothing budgets are concerned. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to get my money's worth, which means shopping sales and being creative with every piece in my closet. So, I thought I'd put together a little re-mixer of my new favorite lace skirt from Target. It's accessible, affordable and way adaptable. Check out all these looks!

How would you wear it?"

JMS welcomes Guest Blogger: Distinctly Desiree

Hey JMS readers! I'm Desiree from Distinctly Desiree and I'm so honored that Danielle has asked me to do a guest post for her while she jets off to see her BFF.



 

I've seen this Target lace skirt making its rounds in the personal style blogging world and I drool over it ever single time I see it. I heard someone mention that it was now reduced to 30% off, I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. I was floored when I got to Target and found out that it was 50% off! I had to talk myself out of buying it in every color. I would love to pair it with a denim jacket, colored tights and black leather booties but since Texas is relentless with its heat, I had to keep it on the airier side. I love the contrast of the lace skirt and floral top with the menswear-inspired oxfords, I think they make it just casual enough for a day of classes. I will definitely be turning to this skirt all Autumn and Winter (and probably Spring and Summer also). I think it might actually be my favorite item that I've purchased for Autumn 2010.

What are your favorite purchases to the Autumn season?

JMS welcomes guest blogger: Le Quaintrelle

Fall has a way of sneaking up, one day the suns out and you're wearing shorts and sandals and the next day the leaves are changing, a chills in the air and you suddenly have no idea what to wear. But just because the weather's changing, doesn't mean your whole wardrobe needs to too. Taking your summer essentials into fall is easier than you might think. All you need is a couple of extra layers and some creativity! Here's how I take some of my summer staples into the cooler months:

The Maxi Skirt. While maxi skirts are perfect to wear for summer, they are thee winter skirt. You get the chicness of a skirt but with the benefits of coverage. The best way to take a maxi skirt into fall is to add a great jacket. Military, leather, even a blazer would look great. Make sure to pick something whose fit complements the length of the skirt, don't pick anything too long or bulky because all the fabric might overwhelm your body. Cropped, tailored jackets are perfect. Also, to combat those chilly breezes, add tights underneath with some boots or wedges.

The Sundress. I live in dresses during the summer and I don't want to give them up just because of a change in weather. Luckily, adding just a few pieces to a sundress instantly takes you from summer to fall, and adds interest and dimension to your outfit. Trade in your sandals for boots (cowboy, motorcycle, ankle, thigh high-- your choice!) and throw on a leather jacket. I love the juxtaposition of tailored jacket over a flowy feminine dress. Tres chic!

The Gingham Shirt. Of course, it doesn't have to be a gingham shirt, any button-up will work perfectly. Button-up shirts are ideal for layering and create the perfect starting point to a fall outfit. Here I threw a pull over sweater on top of the button-up, not only do I get that extra layer of warmth, but I also add interest to a plain pull-over by pairing it with a patterned shirt. Practical AND stylish, who can argue with that? Throw on some skinny jeans and oxfords and you have a perfect casual fall outfit.

So there's a few ideas on how to tweak your pieces from summer and get them to work for you during the fall. Hopefully it helps you transition a bit easier. If you have any of your own ways of changing up your outfits, I'd love to hear them!

JMS welcomes guest blogger: Sidewalk Chalk

Hello, Just My Style readers! This is JoAnn from Sidewalk Chalk, and I'm so happy to be guest posting for Danielle while she's out. Like D, I'm a big fan of taking my photos outdoors --- there's just so much inspiration to draw from being outside, and sometimes I like wearing things that match my surroundings. It'll be even better in October when the leaves are changing and there will be lots of golden, warm colors everywhere. Here's a snapshot of some items that I'll be interested in wearing this fall -- dark colors, scarves and different patterns. My star dress was perfect for summer's patriotic festivities, but I wanted to transition it to fall. I paired it with my green scarf to bring the color tones down to a darker palette. My scarf is lucky -- my friend picked it up for me while she was in Italy over the summer, and while there her boyfriend proposed to her! I love items with stories surrounding them like that.




What are you looking forward to the most this fall?

WHAT:

Dress: thrifted

Moccasins: Minnetonka

Scarf: from Italy, gift



WHERE:

Work, and running some errands around town.

JMS welcomes guest blogger: Between Laundry Days

Hi there, all you folks up in that area next to the Great White North! I'm so flattered that Danielle asked me to contribute a guest post to her week off. Danielle has been a favorite of mine for a long time. So thank you, Danielle! I hope I make you proud! :)



So I wanted to post an outfit that was really....well...sunny. I know that the days up in Alaska are getting shorter and shorter as we speak, so I thought I'd share some of the sunshine from my neck of the woods. Now, the funny part is that it was a very gray, cloudy, overcast morning when I took these pictures, so we'll have to let the sunshine yellow pants do all the talking.

Every time I take pictures in this location, I think of two of my fave Alaskan bloggers, Delightfully Tacky, and, of course, Danielle, who always take such wonderful pictures in the woods and open spaces. It's easy to forget about open spaces and forests and clear skies when you live in Chicago, like I do, but photoshoots like this can be a nice reminder.

One thing I adore about blogging is the major amounts of inspiration that I get from other bloggers, and the style "chains" that happen as a result. This outfit was a direct result (some may say a direct copy, but I think that's fine) of one of Orchid Grey's recent outfits. I love the combination of bright mustard yellow cords and a funky plaid, and knew I had to try it for myself. I really love the result!

Okay, thank you Danielle, for asking me to participate in your guest bloggery!!! And thank you, Danielle's lovely readers, for listening to my rambling (at least you had colorful pants to look at, right?). Happy weekend!!