Thursday, January 27, 2011

Falling Water - Plus Size Daily Outfit

More photos from our recent trip to Nashville!






 Ok, so it's more like a half of an outfit, but I promise the other half wasn't very exciting. . . 
Outfit Details:
Jeans - Lane Bryant
Basic flats - Target
(See? Kinda' boring)
Black Layered Tank - Old Navy
Leopard Print Cardi - Catherines
Flower Necklace - I don't remember!
 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Winner of the CSN Stores Giveaway!





Dee!!  

Congrats to her, and make sure you check out her blog Diminutive Outcomes.

Dee, I will be emailing you with the gift code and details shortly.  


Thank you to everyone who participated!

Monday, January 24, 2011

She Was Someone's Baby Doll. . . . Plus Size Daily Outfit

Lyrics from "Baby Doll" by Pat Green

Those of you who follow my Twitter feed or are friends of the blog on Facebook, know that Jimmy and I went to Nashville for my birthday this past weekend.  We stayed at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and it was amazing.  I love Nashville anyway, but staying at this hotel made the trip so much more awesome!  Our room was on the top floor and we had a big bay window that looked out over the garden conservatory area.  



Our view

 The hotel is huge and has four different areas where there are guest rooms, each area with it's own theme.  We were in the "Garden Conservatory" area.
 Delta Island
 The Cascades

There will be more photos to come from the trip, but here is the outfit I wore to ride in the car 5.5 hours and then have dinner, and a HUGE margarita, 



and explore the hotel: 
 It looks like my eyes are closed here, but in every other picture my bow is droopy. 
 See?  Droopy bow!

Outfit Details: 
Black Leggings - JMS
Chambray Skirted Dress (with pockets!) - Torrid (no longer available)
Marled Gray Cardigan - Old Navy
Black Boots - Avenue (old)
Necklace - Avenue (I think?) 


I have actually had this dress hanging in my closet since last summer, but it was a little too short to wear on it's own.  It's just right with some leggings though! 

I also wanted to say a great big "THANK YOU!!" to all of you lovlies who wished me a happy birthday.  I have the best blog friends ever!  You guys really made my day. 

P.S. I will be announcing the winner for the giveaway later this evening, so check back to see if you won!

Friday, January 21, 2011

"Last Week the Candle Factory Burned Down. Everyone Just Stood Around and Sang Happy Birthday."

quote by Stephen Wright

I am officially 27-years old today.  It's hard to believe that another year has passed so quickly! 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Showing my Spots - Plus Size Daily Outfit

Last week Jimmy took me out on a date night.  We went out to dinner and then saw The Green Hornet.  It was decent.  Not the best thing I've seen, and I definitely like Seth Rogan a little on the chunkier side.  The guy who played Kato (Jay Chou) is adorable though, and it had Cameron Diaz (love her!) in a main role, so it worked out.
Adorable.

 So here's the super-windy date night photos: 




Trust me, this outfit looked much better indoors and out of the wind.  

Outfit Details:Leopard Print Tank - Catherines
Brown Skinny Jeans - Avenue
Black Asymmetrical Cardi - Old Navy
Black Boots - Avenue
Necklace - Avenue??

Thanks Sabrina!

Yay!  Thanks to the wonderfully kind, patient, and savvy Sabrina of Defying My Closet, the comments are working again! 
A million thanks, Sabrina!

Test

Issues

I'm having some issues with the comments, so please be patient.  I tried to install Disqus (again!) in order to make commenting and replying easier and more effective, but for some reason my comment links have disappeared.  I'm working on it.  If anyone can help, you can email me at courtney.6708@gmail.com.  Thank so much for your understanding!

Monday, January 17, 2011

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Giveaway Time!

The wonderful people at CSN Stores contacted me recently about hosting a giveaway, which was perfect timing really, because the blog reached 150 followers the other day!  Thank you so much to all my new followers and those of you who have been with me since the beginning. 

I'm sure most of you have heard of CSN Stores by now, but if not, you need to check them out!  Their store has anything you could possibly want for your home or wardrobe; everything from modern duvet covers to beautiful rugs to amazing handbags and super cute shoes!

CSN Stores is giving away a $50 gift code to one lucky Loving the Reflection reader!

To enter: 
1. You must be a public follower of this blog, and you just need to leave me a comment telling me such, along with a valid email address.

That's it! 

For bonus entries:

2. Repost this contest on your own blog, and leave a comment with a link to the post (2 additional entries).
3. Become a Twitter follower of Loving the Reflection and tweet about the contest.  Then leave me another comment letting me know you did so (1 additional entry).
4.  Become a Facebook follower of Loving the Reflection and post about the contest on FB, then leave me another comment telling me you did so (1 additional entry).

The contest will close Sunday the 23rd at midnight, and the winner will be announced on Monday the 24th.
Good Luck!  : ) 

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Pay It Forward 2011

I'm finally joining the "Pay It Forward" party!  
The first five people who comment and leave an email address will receive a handmade gift from me by the end of the year!

Friday, January 14, 2011

Friend Friday - Outfit Planning (or lack of!)

So, I've only done one "Friend Friday" in the past, but I wanted to get back to it because I think it's a wonderful way to delve a little deeper into the blogging mindset, and to learn a little more about the bloggers we read every day. So here we go. . . ! 

1. How do you determine what you will wear that day?
In all honesty, I usually don't plan my outfits ahead of time.  Unless there is something in particular I'm dressing for that day (a party, wedding, meeting for school, etc.), I usually just figure it out in the morning.  Of course,  with the weather being so crappy lately, I've had some idea that my outfits should incorporate boots and layers.  
 2. Do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month,
weekend?
Ummmm. . . . no.  I wish I could say that I have it together enough to plan my outfits for the entire week, much less month, but I don't .  I'm a known procrastinator, and although I yearn to be organized and proactive about my outfits, I usually end up scrambling in the morning trying to put something decent together.
3. Do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already
worn so you don't repeat? 
I don't have a specific way of tracking outfits, but I seem to have an uncanny ability to remember what I've worn and how I've worn it, so I'm usually able to avoid repeats.  Of course, sometimes I love the way an outfit comes together so much that I will repeat on purpose (usually with slightly different accessories), as long as the people I'm seeing that day haven't seen the outfit before. 
For example, if my sis-in-law and I went out shopping on a Saturday (Which doesn't happen often enough, in my opinion. I'm talking to you, Mandy!), and I loved the outfit I wore that day, I might repeat that outfit to go to a Thursday night class.  

4. How do you discover new combinations of items in your closet?
(Trial try-ons?  Hanging items together?) 
Many times I will use an outfit in a magazine, or one I've seen on a fellow blogger as inspiration, and I also keep a list of possible outfit combinations I've come up with/seen, to try out.  I then dig in my closets to try to find pieces to re-create these outfits in my own way.  Sometimes I don't have the pieces I need, so I improvise and create a new look.  When I'm putting together an outfit this way, I usually hang the items together to get a feel for the way they will look as an outfit.  Then I will try it on and make adjustments accordingly.  Often, I will love the way the outfit looks on the hanger, but will not be so pleased when I have it on my body, so I will make further changes to make it work for me.  
On days when I don't have a specific source of inspiration, I  usually just go with the try-on method.  This is usually much more frustrating, and causes me to start the day off aggravated and feeling like I am rushed to get out the door.  There is much grunting and sighing involved, and usually Jimmy yells, "You okay back there?" a few times during the process.  I also hate having to hang up my whole closet again after I have completely demolished it in my frenzy.  
You'd think I would learn.  
5. To streamline the process for 2011 what is one new thing you can do
to cut down your dressing time? 
 I think I already unintentionally answered this question.  I definitely need to work out a system to become more organized.  On days when I'm not wearing scrubs, I need to try to have at least a plan for my outfits ahead of time.  But first, I need to work on cleaning out my closets! 
Do you have a certain routine for getting dressed in the morning (or evening)?  Do you plan your outfits far in advance?  I'd love to hear what your strategy is!  

Monday, January 10, 2011

Alive and Well - Plus Size Daily Outfit

Yes, I am alive.  
I have not been a very good blogger lately.  I started school last week and have been preoccupied with getting things together for my first clinical day tomorrow, on top of trying to get a head start on the ton of assignments I have to finish.  So I've been back to yoga pants and t-shirts for most of the week.  

Jimmy did take me out to dinner tonight though, and I asked him to snap my picture on the way into the restaurant. 

 Check out that sky! 
Outfit Details:
Chambray Button-up - OneStopPlus
Gray Ruched-sleeve Cardi - Avenue
Dark Denim Jeggings - Old Navy
Black Oxfords - Target
Gunmetal Gray Handbag - gift from sis-in-law
Jeweled Bracelet - Avenue
Jeweled Bib Necklace - Modcloth


I wanted to share with you guys that I have decided to join Weight Watchers again.  Partly to lose some weight, but mostly to feel better in my body.  The past few years I have gained over 50lbs (yikes!) and have had very poor exercise habits.  I did WW, along with working out at the YMCA, before my wedding back in 2008 and lost about 20lbs, but more importantly just felt better.  I had more energy, felt better in my clothes, and had more confidence. Jimmy and I are also thinking about children in the not-so-distant future and I would like to be as healthy as possible when I start trying to conceive.  Jimmy and I are also planning on joining the YMCA again to start getting into a regular exercise routine.  
I just wanted to share, because I know that many of you probably have gone through or are going through similar struggles, and hopefully we can help each other out when motivation is low.  



Wednesday, January 5, 2011

No-Spend January




Anna of the blog Bargain Fatshionista has challenged her fellow bloggers to refrain from spending any money on clothes, shoes, or accessories for the entire month of January.  Of course, I can't resist a challenge, so I (along with a bunch of other fabulous ladies) took her up on it!  We were able to put stipulations on the challenge, so luckily I am able to use my gift cards from Christmas and my upcoming birthday (Jan. 21st) to purchase clothes and accessories, but no out-of-pocket cash.  I'm hoping that I can make it through the month!  Wish me luck, and if you'd like to join check out Anna's blog and sign up!  


Oh, and I started school again today, and just realizing that in less than three months I'll be an official R.N. has made me so excited for March to get here!