weekend tidbits

- I finally treated myself to a manicure & pedicure on Friday, and picked OPI Gargantuan Green Grape... new fave, for sure. it's a lot lighter and more pastel than it looks in the picture from OPI's website - it would probably take a million coats to achieve that! 

via OPI

- we ran errands on Saturday and did some serious shopping for house stuff.

• we bought tons of random things at Target that we've been meaning to get... like a garlic press, a tiered shelf for spices, and a new bath rug. 
• and then we hit Home Depot for even more randomness... potting soil & new planters, a raised garden bed (for veggies, which was on SALE for about $40), a quart of paint, and a door knob. 
• finally, we ended our day at a lighting store, where I stumbled upon the coolest lamp ever. the only one in stock was the display, so I snatched that sucker up. I LOVE it. it really brings a good amount of light to our living room, and it's got that funk factor I've been looking for. 

- we have big plans for the landscaping at Casa de Quinn this year. this week we're going to pay my brother to come in and tear out all the ugly bushes that surround the house (and subsequently hide it) so we can plant flowers and put in our raised garden bed. AND he'll be completely demolishing our existing deck so that we can install pavers in it's place. I'll be getting outside after work today to take some "before" pictures to show you all, although it's slightly embarrassing. 

- since we picked up potting soil at HD, I finally planted the herbs I bought to go in these planters (which I mentioned here). I'm pretty excited, considering it's my first planting adventure.

- I wrote a 1500 word paper yesterday comparing Nora from A Doll's House to Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby, discussing their abilities to exert power as women. I have one more paper to write this evening for my final exam and then I am done with my English class. I CANNOT WAIT to be done, but I'm thrilled to take new classes in the fall.

- I just finished reading Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin and was utterly disappointed in it. I guess I shouldn't have expected much, since I'd heard that her books got progressively worse as they went on, but I was hoping that it'd be a least worth a 4 star rating. it wasn't terrible, but it was way slow in the beginning and I felt like the ending was rushed and cleaned up a little too nicely for my tastes. 

- this is what I wore out and about on the gorgeous day we had here on Friday. not pictured are khaki capris and white flip flops. I love my mustache necklace, which I got as a birthday gift from Kaley.

- running and working out has unfortunately taken a back seat in favor for school work and house work the past couple days, but I hope to get back into the swing of things this week! 

Happy Monday!

weekend recap (shopping goods included)

the hubs and I had to drop the Tundra off for 

regular maintenance on Saturday... so instead 

of waiting in the service center for hours 

(yes, hours... it took them FIVE hours to perform 

the scheduled maintenance,  

even though we had an appointment... 

don't even get me started on how pissed I am with them), 

we decided to do a little shopping.

first stop? Buckle, of course! 

to be honest, I wasn't impressed with the majority of the items in the store. 

luckily, on my way out of the store, I realized I had 

missed an entire rack right in the front, 

which held all of the things I ended up purchasing. 

here's what I got:

 

Daytrip Babydoll Dress

I thought this was a top until I tried it on and realized how long it was. it could definitely be worn as a dress (but I'd only feel comfortable doing so with leggings because of my height), so I plan on wearing it as a top. it's really flattering and the chiffon overlay makes it more interesting than just a plain grey top. 

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Daytrip Drop Waist Dress

I was nervous about this one, because it's a basic rayon and spandex blend, which means that it hugs just a little bit, but it's still got that stretch. surprisingly, probably because of the drop waist, it fit well and was actually pretty flattering to my body type. I love the vibrant color too - it can be dressed up nicely with the right jewelry and shoes! 

and bonus... it has pockets. I love pockets on dresses.

_______________________________

Rusty Peyote Strappy Dress

perfect summer dress. it has a bit of black embroidery at the top, which gives it just a little more detail than the basic black dress. the elastic waist allows for a little give and slack so that it doesn't have to be worn skin tight, which I love. and again, it has pockets, which made it an instant win. 

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the last top I got was impossible to find on the Buckle website, but it looks exactly like this:

super small photo from this ebay listing

yep, it's mustard. surprised?

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I also made a stop at Victoria's Secret, because I desperately needed new bras that actually fit me properly. I bought one of the Bio Fit bras in a black/nude lace, which is amazingly comfortable. I also purchased two cotton push up bras (which were on sale - 2 for $45) - one is navy blue with white polka dots, and the other is a basic heather grey. VS was having a major pantie sale as well, so I picked up 7 pairs of cotton underwear for $25. 

___________________________________

other than our impromptu shopping trip, we had a pretty low key weekend in the FoFandee household. I did literally a million loads of laundry, went grocery shopping, did a little cleaning and we caught up on some DVR'd shows. did anyone else catch the Shameless finale last night? I'm so hooked on that show - cannot WAIT for next season! I also did a bit of cuddling with the Bear cub yesterday between loads of laundry. 

___________________________

oh, and I started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak last week - I can't really get into it. I'm not sure if it's the format of the writing or if I'm just burned out on fast reads. has anyone read this book? most reviews on GoodReads are raves, but I'm just not feeling it. I'm going to give it another good effort before I decide to put it down... after all, I'm only about 50 pages in, so it could definitely just be a slow start. 

Happy Monday, ya'll!

Pinterest = pink puffy heart

sheesh. talk about a site full of inspiration! being a design addict and constantly looking for home decor ideas, this site is like crack for me. seriously, I've been staying up way too late this week, mostly because I'm too busy pinning different shit to my boards! 

here's a little preview of what I've done so far... 

dining room: 

style:

 

books to read in 2011:

needless to say, I'm loving Pinterest! if you'd like to check out my boards or follow them, see what I've got goin' on right here! I've also got boards for awesome books I've read, entryway & bedroom room ideas, cute hippo things (totally not kidding), etc. 

basically, while I'm browsing the Interwebz (which, let's face it, happens ALL day long), I can just pin things I like to a board on this site and save it for later, instead of having to bookmark every single piece of inspiration I come across. so basically, everything keeps it's source... so if I ever want to post it here on the blog, I know where I found it. 

if you haven't signed up yet, head over to Pinterest now and do it! promise you'll love it... and maybe even consider it your crack. 

Happy Weekend, ya'll!

DISCLAIMER: I am not being compensated to give reviews about the Pinterest website, nor am I being paid to endorse the products posted on this blog. all thoughts and opinions here are my own.

Polly Dolly - To The Max!

Welcome back to another Polly Dolly challenge ( as hosted by Danimezza ). This week Dani has been inspired by a bad retail experience, and her desire to try a new trend....and has asked to dress our Polly Dolly in a....

Polly Dolly - To The Max! by Amy1984 featuring platform high heels

I dont know about you, but maxi skirts, for me, always give off a beachy, laid back, 70's vibe - so thats the first thought i had for my Polly Dolly. I found her a long hippy/Gypsy inspired skirt and then teamed it with a simple white fitted tank and denim vest. Of course, a 70's vibe calls for platforms, and these denim wedges are hot! The trilby and aviators modernise the look, and my Polly can fit everything she needs in her gorgeous leather satchel. A fresh scent, a slick of gloss and some cool, laidback tunes ( the " More Adventurous " album by Rilo Kiley ) complete the look. Whatta ya think?

Hand-me-down Evidence

Just a quick post - so you now how i mentioned that in my Hand-me-down post that my mother had dressed me in my cousins hand-me-downs, even though i am, in fact, a girl and he was a boy? And that i couldnt find the photo of me in red " Sherriff " overalls? Well, my mother found it and here it is for your viewing pleasure...

Oh yea, thats me - a bit over 2 yrs old i think - in my fash-tastic hand-me-down overalls with my chubbster brother. Aren't we vintage gorgeous?

Its All In The Contrast

Its Friday, so i'm again taking part in Danimezza's Polly Dolly Polyvore challenge. This week Dani has been a bit inspired by the look and feel of " Black Swan " ( the film Natalie Portman has been Oscar nominated for ) and wants to know how we would dress our Dolly ( or ourselves ) in - Clever Contrast.

Its All In The Contrast by Amy1984 featuring peep toe booties

I've gone with a beautiful maxi dress in a vibrant, feminine pink as the main feature of the outfit. I like the contrast of the feminine colour and cut of the dress with the masculinity of the leather jacket, and the booties instead of a finer stiletto. The statement necklace is bold, but the fringe makes it soft ( and compliments the jungle feel of the leopard print ). I've finished off with a cute lady-like clutch and " With Love " by Hilary Duff. Why ? My friend used to wear it and despite its fluffy, romantic name its actually a very wood, masculine scent. Just gorgeous!

My Own Personal Polyvore

I was really looking forward to this weeks Polyvore challenge and then... its missing! Danni hasnt made her post yet so i thought i'd do my own challenge. I'd seen a few posts this morning in regards to personal style, so i thought i'd create two sets for myself - the first being my typical day time style, and the second what i would wear on a special, night time, occasion. First up: Daytime.

Please note the awesome Chuck Taylor All-stars and the requesite bootleg jeans. I always bootlegs because i'm quite short and a bit curvy, so i find bootlegs balance me out. Complete the outfit with a cute t-shirt ( thats a Green Day t-shirt - Green Day rock! ), a comfy cardi and my watch and i'm ready to hit the shops, take Flynn to the park or lounge around at home.

Ah, special occasion - like going out for dinner with Mick or a party. You may be able to tell that my favourite colour to wear is red, which is why i picked this dress ( its actually very similar in style to one i had made for myself in Vietnam - half a dozen more kilos of weight loss and i might fit back into it! ). I also love a high heel and i think the studs on these ones are sexy. As far as make up, i'm an eye girl.... i dont do lips. Its mascara and eyeliner all the way baby!
So there you be - i'm not quite sure what you'd call my style ( any ideas ? ) but those are representative of what i would normally choose to wear. How about you? Do you have a personal style, or a style that you would aspire to ?

Polly Dolly

So, this is my first ever time playing along with Danimezza's weekly Polly Dolly challenge - and i have to admit, i'm both a bit excited and nervous for people to see my results! I've always wanted to take part but never really had the time up my sleeve but today i took the challenge and had a bit of fun. This week Dani wants us to know if we had our favourite celebrity for the day, how would we dress them?

And there it, my first Polly Dolly outfit for the gorgeous Audrey Tatou. I couldnt pinpoint just one favourite celeb so i went with Audrey because i like her style. I see Audrey wearing this down to a cafe for a croissant and a coffee with some friends. I think French woman have a simple, clean-lined style ( hence the typically French striped boatneck top... ), but, like her character in " Amelie " i thought Audrey would appreciate a few quirky, cute additions, such as the double strand of cherry bracelets, the ruffles on the flats and the bow worn pinned to her beret. I also went with a Chanel fragrance in homage to her having played Coco Chanel on film, but went with Chance, which is quite a sweet, playful scent.

So - how did i do for me first effort?

hey good lookin, whatcha got cookin? [Etsy goods]

it's no secret that Sean is the cook in our home. now, let's not be confused... I CAN cook, and I'm actually a good cook... I just don't prefer to, especially when there's another willing person to do the dirty work. 

in order to become more of a big girl good wife, I've been helping out in the kitchen more. I mentioned in this post that I even made a majority of our Christmas dinner dishes, which was a huge accomplishment for me, being that it was my first holiday meal. 

I've been rotating with Sean on cooking duty at home, and even picked up the ingredients to make a few special things at home as well. Saturday evening, I'll be making Sean his favorite meal as a belated birthday gift, chicken Parmesan.

ANYWHOZITS. the whole point of this post is that now that I'm a big girl pro master chef and all, I needs to get myself a supah cute apron to wear around my house when I'm making those complicated dinners and desserts. HA!

where else did I perform my search, but the lovely, oh so helpful, Etsy. 

behold... and help me choose!

[the bella]

[sunny side up]

 [ruffled half]

[modern folksy]

[the tattoo parlor]

[by the sea]

[silver spoon]

(if you've been here a while, this fabric may look familiar... 

it's the same as my camera strap!)

[baker's delight]

[mustache]

[love bird]

[blue fans]

so, tell me readers... 

what does your apron look like? is it a half or a full? is it sleek and sophisticated or girly and full of ruffles? also, what do you put in the pocket? keep any goodies in there that I should know about?

weekend recap!

I hope everyone had an amazing Halloween weekend! we don't get trick-or-treaters where we live, so I saved my thighs by not consuming 10lbs of candy. hallelujah! 

FRIDAY

Friday evening, Sean and I went up to the mall to see a movie. we grabbed some Chick Fil A in the food court, and because we had time to kill before the movie started, we browsed around a little bit. since I'm not allowed to buy anything for myself until Christmas, it kinda sucked to walk into various stores and have to walk right out... especially after seeing these boots! va-va-voom!

despite our strict shopping ban, we decided to go into one of our favorite stores, Buckle. I made a Buckle wish list not too long ago, remember? well I went to send that very wish list to my mother-in-law last week, and to my disappointment, almost all of the items had sold out already. 

I mentioned this to the sales associate, and she informed me that if I ever see an item sold out online, I can just call or visit the store to see if they can find it at another location. again, HALLELUJAH, I say. I asked her to look up this sweater for me, and there it was, in another store. so this baby is now en route to mi casa, along with a pair of shoes that Sean was coveting. 

after we broke our shopping ban, we went in to see Paranormal Activity 2. holy crap. scared the piss out of me... I was seriously, TERRIFIED. I liked it though - much like the first one in the beginning, but got creepier and creepier as it went. I did NOT like that we were literally the oldest people in the theater and that we had to listen to stupid tweens/teenagers talking and laughing the whole time. I actually yelled "shut up" twice to those kids.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, I got up semi-early and headed back up to Annapolis to run some errands and get my hair done (finally). it's been months since I've had my hair cut and dyed, so it was well overdue. I decided to stay away from dying it red again, because it ALWAYS fades super fast and I find myself disappointed when it turns to copper within a few weeks. instead, I did my normal black all-over dye job, along with caramel colored highlights. 

I also got it trimmed (I'm trying to grow it out), and made a super huge change - BANGS. I was nervous at first, since I haven't had bangs since middle school, but I love them! I think they look chic and sophisticated, and it definitely adds a little more dimension to my otherwise plain jane haircut.

when I got home from the hair salon, I laid around the house for a bit before packing a bag for the night. we packed the truck with our overnight bags, Halloween costumes, and the cooler and headed down to meet our friends at the hotel we booked for the night. 

to my surprise, my friend Kaycie walked in, not dressed like her normal self (or as a pirate as I thought she would be), but as ME. she applied temporary tattoos to her left arm, her neck, and her foot, and even bought a fake nose and lip ring! it was HILARIOUS. I think that she played a better Mandee than I do.

from the hotel, we met up with Kaley and her family at Red Robin for dinner before heading out to the party. we stopped at the liquor store on the way back to the hotel to get changed. after getting all ready in my Cleopatra get up, we hung out in the hotel and pre-gamed for a little bit. we consumed some beverages and then hit the road. 

this is the only picture I have of my costume so far, and it was taken in my mirror at home on Friday night, when I decided it would probably be a good idea to try my costume on.

the party was a blast! I'll have pictures tomorrow (hopefully) of everyone's costumes. we played flip cup, sang lots of tunes, took pictures, and devoured Joey's mom's homemade rice krispy treats. we took a cab back to the hotel at the end of the night, and then crashed as soon as we got home. well, Adam and I stayed up talking about god knows what. he was drunk and I was on Ambien, so I'm sure it was an interesting conversation. the night was full of one-liners that we'll always remember, that's for sure! 

SUNDAY

yesterday morning, we struggled to get up and get ourselves ready to check out. the four of us stopped for breakfast and then went our separate ways. I was pretty much laid out on the couch all day, dozing off between football games (boo Lions!). 

Sean snapped this picture of me on his cell phone. please note that I am surrounded by ALL four cats... Mama Cat sleeping on my chest, Bear on my legs, Lily & Pheobe on the couch behind my head. folks, this is my life. 

NOTE 

Kaycie's "Mandee-isms" of the evening included:

- "I love my cats! they're so cute!"

- "ugh, I have to meet with my trainer tomorrow."

- "FUCK YOU, SEAN!" 

it's scary how well she knows me! 

Happy Monday!

everyone needs a pair of red shoes

I mentioned earlier this week that while Sean was away gambling in Atlantic City, I took advantage of a major sale going on at Charlotte Russe. I got a lot of goods, and almost everything was on sale. I used promotion code SEPTSHIP for free shipping (for orders over $35).

my package arrived yesterday, and I'm already sporting some of my new clothes! I'll tell you what I'm wearing at the end of this post. alright, enough rambling... onto the pretties!

Ribbed Scoop Neck Tank 

originally $6.50 - paid $1.49 (x 3 - black, brown & dark olive)

Scoop Neck Basic Tank 

originally $6.50 - paid $1.49 (in heather grey, but it's not available online anymore)

Solid Lace Trim Cami  

originally $7.50 - paid $3.75

Faceted Rose Trio Set

paid $4.00 

Woven Striped Sleep Pant 

originally $16.50 - paid $8.25

Marbled Hoodie 

originally $22.50 - paid $11.25

Flannel Robe

originally $24.50 - paid $12.25

Floral Pearl Studded Top

paid $18.00

Ruched Canvas Tote

originally $19.50 - paid $9.75

Patent Rouched-Toe Flats

originally $22.50 - paid $10.00

Open Front Ruffle Sweater 

originally $24.00 - paid $12.00

Slouchy Suede Flat Boots

paid $30.00

Vintage Locket Necklace

paid $10.50

Studded Strap Belt 

paid $9.50

so what do you think? my grand total, including all discounts and promotions was $153.93. I think I made out pretty well, only paid full price for a handful of things, and got some sweet pieces too. right now, I'm wearing the Floral Pearl Studded Top, the Open Front Ruffle Sweater, and the Vintage Locket Necklace. loving this outfit, especially with my Ruffle Suede Sandals from F21! I also tried my new robe on last night after my post-workout shower, and it was super comfy. I really can't wait to pair those boots with some skinnys & a tee or leggings & a tunic/dress. this little shopping spree has me excited for fall! 

Happy Thursday, folks!