What I've Been Up To....

OK so blogging in the Fall is just hard for me.

It's the sports.....which I LOVE,

but there's not enough time in a day!

Junior Varsity volleyball just finished this past week,

 and Junior Varsity football ends this week.

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night have been spoken for
 with games and matches on those nights since the beginning of September.

Then add our USNA season football tickets into the mix with weekends in Annapolis,

and poof....my fall is just about gone!

I can't complain though....it' been GREAT!

When I have not been cheering on my boys or the Midshipmen, 

I have been frantically trying to get Caroline's new room ready.
Many of my Blog friends are participating in Linda from Calling It Home's
One Room Challenge
and I seriously thought about doing it,
but I just couldn't commit the time to blog about my progress weekly.

You can see here why I'm working on a new room for her.

My poor baby girl has been living like this for over a year now....

And Jack has been a SUPER STAR about not complaining about

the bags and bins of clothes in his room for the past YEAR.

Caroline has her own apartment at school,
but she still needs a bedroom at home to stay in when she's home for breaks.
And she needs a place for her "off-season" clothes...and shoes....and handbags.

So here is my inspiration for her room....which met with her approval.

source

source
And here is my own inspiration board...

Why, you ask is this such a major project for me?

Because THIS is a SMALL example of what the state of my husband's office has been.
I'm embarrassed to say my husband's "home office" quickly became a "storage room."
And we DO have an attic for storage....we just have A LOT to store.

So, imagine not seeing a square inch of the carpet in this room and that is where WE started.
I say "we" because my sweet husband was responsible for about 75% of the "items" stored in here.
I gently reminded (nagged) him to PLEASE sort (throw out) the things in his office
so that I could progress with getting Caroline's new room cleared out.
I an VERY happy to report that MANY garbage bags have been filled,
and "we" are almost done!

I am moving Caroline's furniture from her old room to her new room upstairs,
which is a "cottage style" armoire, bookshelf, and chest.
We are also getting her a new queen size bed....a grown up bed!

Here is a peek at the progress I have made....excuse me, I mean WE have made....

Scored this amazing custom fabric covered headboard at a consignment shop last month.
You can't tell from the picture, but it is a sage green toile on an ivory background.
It has a matching bedskirt and duvet too!
Teddy and Jack set up the bed frame and Caroline and I are going mattress shopping next week.
Got the nightstands at HomeGoods....LOVE that store.
And the lamps are moving....they were being "stored" in this room so I just set them there for now.

My goal is to have her room totally done before Thanksgiving.
I think I can do it.
We will have a house full of children and I want her to have her own space by then!

Here's my To Do list:
schedule movers
buy lamps for nightstands
pick out a mattress with Caroline
ivory queen sheet set monogrammed in sage green
Queen duvet and Euro shams in ivory
Paint
move Caroline's clothes from Jack's room to her new room
purchase under-bed storage bins

I will blog about her finished room....I have three weeks!

Leggings or No Leggings?

I love the current trend of tunics with leggings.

My daughters look adorable in them.

The key word being DAUGHTERS.

I am stepping WAY outside my comfort zone

 and just invested in my second tunic to wear with leggings.

It's a cute three quarter sleeve chambray blue one, 

and I plan to stye it similar to this set....

Even with the blessing of the daughters,

I still feel a little self-soncious about wearing leggings.

What do you think?

Is there an age where ladies should no longer wear leggings?

What to Wear?

This is the time of the year that I have the worst wardrobe trauma.

There are a few reasons...

First, it's hard to find fall clothes that are good for 80 degree weather.

Second, I gravitate towards bright colors and the fall palate is usually earth tones.

And finally, I LOVE my summer clothes and hate to hang them up for the season.

I was pleased with Lilly Pulitzer's first Fall line in the blue tones.

Still the bright and cheerful colors that I love, 

but a little bit more subdued with a hint of fall.

I bought the Lilly Pulitzer Layton Shift in the print "Blue Crush She Got Sole"

and this is similar to how I plan to style it for a cute September outfit.

Early Fall Lunch Date 

What do you wear in the early fall when it's still too early for sweaters and turtlenecks?

Weekend Casual Outfits

I'm enjoying playing around on Polyvore

and coming up with some fall weekend casual sets.

I am still learning how to create so these are pretty simple ones!

 

Weekend Errands

Rainy Saturday

Casual Saturday Date Night

 

These were fun to create!

You can follow me here on Polyvore.

What to Wear?

Sometimes I get stuck wearing the same several outfits over and over again, despite the fact that I have a closet full of clothes. I love exploring Polyvore to get new outfit ideas. I have just figured out how to make my own creations, and I am following several women who appear to have taste similar to mine. I look for creations that have many of the same wardrobe pieces I already have, and I also get ideas for shoes or accessories I may want to add to my wardrobe.

 

Here are some of the summer outfit creations I am going to try...

 

Great for weekend getaway...just add another three inches to inseam of shorts!

 

Love pink and navy...again add three inches to inseam of the shorts.

Switch out the white jeans with white cropped pants, minus the statement necklace...add pearls.

LOVE this....but I would add white capri leggings and wear this as a tunic.

I can switch out the handbag with my Michael Kores hot pink tote.

Love this look for work!

Also LOVE this look for work...PINK AND GREEN!

Cute flats...I have navy and white Sperry slides I could substitute.

I absolutely love Chanel inspired jackets! This outfit is totally "me"!

 

I have a million Lilly dresses and skirts...this is my uniform in the summer for work...minus the bow, add headband...and throw a cardigan over the shoulders.

 

How do you come up with new outfit ideas?

 

To see other outfits I like, follow me at Suburban Charm on Polyvore

or check out my Pintrest Board "My Style"