Thursday Confessions: Celebrity Crush

I'm slowly but surely getting back into my blogging groove, so I figured I'd have a little fun and post some confessions today.  In celebration of the release of season 4 of "Arrested Development" I thought I would share some confessions about my biggest celebrity crush...  JASON BATEMAN!!!

Let's get straight into these confessions...

• I fell in love with Jason shortly after watching the movie "Juno."  Yes, that's right...  I started liking him after seeing him play a complete creepster who was hitting on a pregnant teenager.  I don't know what this says about the guys I am attracted to.  Rest assured, I try to stay away creepy men in real life.  (For reference, my favorite movies of his are "The Switch" and "Horrible Bosses.")
• I spent the better part of several days (a few years ago) watching countless You Tube videos that come up under the "Jason Bateman" search.  What can I say?  It was summer vacation and I was bored...  And maybe in love.  Let me just say there's a lot of 80's goodness waiting to be watched.
• I may have recently dedicated an entire Pinterest board to Jason.  The title of the board may also happen to be "Marry me!"  If you're an AD fan, you know the reference.
• I seriously considered asking my local Gap store for the promo posters that featured Jason in their Christmas campaign a few years ago.  I then decided that I probably don't have a place in my home that would be quite right for featuring 5 foot tall poster of him.  

Okay, I'll stop there before you think I'm super crazy.  Seriously, though, Jason is wonderful and if you've never watched "Arrested Development" you need to.  (Although it's totally one of those shows you have to watch in order...  You can't really just jump into the new season online.  In fact, if you do that, you'll probably be beyond confused!)

Happy Thursday!  It's almost the weekend!

Summer Bucket List

Summer vacation is officially here!  

I really did have a good school year, but it was quite exhausting in a lot of ways.  I was definitely happy to see summer arrive!  I think one of my favorite things about teaching is that I get a fresh start each year and time to feel renewed and refreshed before starting all over again.  

I'm a little late to join in, but I'm linking up for the Summer Bucket List linky party!  

Here's what's on my list:

1. Read (and complete) at least 3 books.  This doesn't sound like a lot to some, but I'm not much of a reader.  I totally failed on this goal last summer and have a stack of books that I'd like to get through one of these days.
2. Do some serious cleaning and organizing at home.  I think we all have those areas that collect clutter and junk...  My goal for early in the summer is to tackle those spots and get them organized!
3. Keep up with a workout routine.  I started back into 30 Day Shred today and plan to make trips to the gym part of my daily routine as well.
4. Get out of town!  I'm hoping to make at least 1 trip out of town before school starts back up in August.  

I'm taking a few classes this summer, but other than that, I don't have a whole lot of my list to accomplish for school.  With Common Core coming our way, I feel like I'm kind of at a standstill until I know a bit more of what to expect.  I've got a few projects up my sleeve for school, but some of those won't happen until I get back into my classroom at the end of the summer.

What's on your summer bucket list!?!

Budgeting Bloggers ~ May

It's that time again!  In looking at my purchases this month, I really did better than expected...  It feels like I spent a TON of money this month, but I have to consider the fact that I had to buy a new car this month.  (I had a lady hit me while I was stopped in traffic totaling my 2 year old car.  Thankfully I had insurance money to cover those costs!)  When I look back at this month's buys I feel like I did pretty well getting some good deals and summer essentials.

          
Images via Gap 

Gap Tee - $9

Gap Striped Tee - $7

Gap Tee - $9 

Gap Tee - $9

Gap Striped Tee - $12

I've managed to do almost a total t-shirt collection upgrade this spring.  Gap's "Essential" tee collection is pretty awesome.  The fit is great for me, they have a ton of great colors, and they're the perfect weight for wearing alone or layering.  I picked up 2 of these on clearance at the beginning of the month and then the other 3 were new arrivals that I scored with a couple coupons later on in the month.  (Read here about how tees are part of my summer "uniform.")

Versona Accessories Necklace - $22

 Versona Accessories Earrings - $6

 Love.  This.  Necklace.  It's a complete knockoff of the J.Crew Flower Lattice Necklace that runs $228.  Yup.  Naturally, I snatched this one up immediately and have been loving it ever since.

Versona Accessories Wedge Sandals - $16

We had a new accessory store open this month and is of course way too close to where I live.  Everything is super affordable, which is totally my kinda thing when it comes to accessories.  I grabbed these wedges on clearance since they comfortably fit my wide-ish feet and have a lower height than my other wedges.

Target Linen Skirt - $22

Image via Target

I first found this skirt in bright pink and loved it, but just couldn't justify a(nother) pink skirt.  I was thrilled to find it in navy, though, and grabbed it as it will be a great basic skirt to have in my wardrobe.

J.Crew Factory Textured Charley Sweater - $38

Image via J.Crew Factory

I have a serious weakness for these sweaters and was interested in getting the "textured" version.  I really love this sweater and the fun neon pink color!

Old Navy T-Shirt Dress - $15

Image via Old Navy

I love simple dresses for the spring and summer and was pleasantly surprised by this find at Old Navy.  It's somewhat comparable to my black t-shirt dress from BR, but at a fraction of the cost!

Sakroots Tote - $70
Sakroots ID Holder - $10

I'd been contemplating a new summer bag for a while and when I saw a friend with this tote in another pattern I had to check them out.  I'll have a whole post on what's in my summer bag later this week, but let me just say, this bag was a great buy!  I got mine at Dillard's, but you can find these online at quite a few other stores as well.

Total = $245

While I did technically go a little a lot over budget, I had quite a bit of extra income on top of teaching and my part-time job.  I allowed myself to take a portion of that to put towards a new bag and a couple accessories for the home.  If you take out the bag, I'm pretty much on track for my monthly budget.

I was proud of myself for not making any makeup purchases this month.  I think my 100 day makeup shopping ban really helped me in this area!

June Budget Plan

Since I don't yet have any summer trips planned out, I am going to attempt to reserve most of my shopping budget for when I go out of town.  I love hitting up stores that we don't have locally and hope to do so at least once before I go back to school in August.

How did you do with your budget this year?  Don't forget to link up with us over at Franish!

Fashion Friday: My Summer Uniform

I'm back!  

It's technically only been about 2 weeks since my last post, but that's equivalent to at least 2 months in the blogging world, right?

Anyway, life has been super crazy lately between the whole car issue, the end of the school year, and the fact that I've been working more part-time on weekends.  (The bonus of having a boss that likes you...)  

After today I will officially be down to 2 1/2 school days with students, plus another day or so of work time. I'm sooooo ready for summer vacation!  My summer is actually looking to be fairly busy, but I'll still have a lot of downtime for relaxing and recovering from this crazy school year.

Summer Vacation Uniform by conolley featuring animal print shoes

Here's a look at what would be a typical summer outfit...

Colorful Tees - I love basic cotton tees for running around on summer days.  I've been on a mission to upgrade my collection this year with some bright, fun colors and Gap's "Essential" tees have become a new favorite.  Tees can be paired with just about anything, which makes them a great summer essential.

Comfy Denim - I'm totally in love with my cropped boyfriend jeans from AE and wear them all the time.  I'm not much of a shorts person, but on really hot days I bust out my denim shorts.  They're another versatile hot weather item that keeps me cool and casual.

Fun Tote - For running around on summer days I sometimes choose a small tote over a regular purse.  They're great for when I'm taking a class and need space for a notebook or when I just need some extra space for a water bottle and sunglasses.

Cute Sandals - If I could get away with sandals all year, I totally would wear them all the time.  Well, those and my TOMS...  Cute, comfy, flat sandals are totally my go-to during the summer and are another item that's perfect for running around on a hot day.

Eye Catching Necklace - Since jeans and a tee is so basic, I love topping off a look with a cute necklace.  Sometimes a blank canvas like a colored tee is the perfect background for a fun statement necklace.

What is your typical summer uniform? 
Where are your favorite places to get clothing and accessories for the warm weather months?

Budgeting Bloggers ~ April

***Okay, I'm a little late to the party...  As if life was not already busy enough with this time of year, I was in a car accident last week and now have to take on the job of buying a new car.  Thankfully, the accident was not my fault, there were no injuries, and hopefully the insurance stuff will all work out to take care of things, but my 2 year old car is totaled.  *sigh*

Alright, now onto the fun stuff!

Xhilaration Sandals - $17 (Target bogo full price) 

Merona Flats - $5 (Target bogo 1/2 clearance price)

Lower East Side Flats (Payless) - $17

Image via Target

Image via Target

Image via Payless

          

I somehow ended up on a shoe shopping spree at the end of March.  I have to admit, I bought these right before posting my last Budgeting Bloggers post, but I was debating on keeping / exchanging, so I decided I'd  just put it into my April budget since I was exactly on budget for March.  Shoes have been a focus on mine, so spending $39 on 3 pairs was really good for me.

Gap Essential Tee - $7

Image via Gap

One of my goals for the spring was to upgrade my t-shirt collection.  I sold a lot of the ones that were in good condition last month and have a stack of others for a garage sale or Goodwill.  I think basic tees like this are a total wardrobe staple and I love having a variety of colors to pair with just about everything in my closet.  I thought I was getting a mint-y tee from J.Crew a couple months ago, but when it finally arrived it was much darker than expected.  I kept it, but still had my eye out for a mint colored tee.

Gap Block Print Cardigan - $30

Image via Gap

One of my goals for the month was to stay away from Gap...  We'll consider only 2 items from there a decent success on that goal.  I popped in to get a baby gift and walked out with a baby gift AND this cardigan that I thought I'd just pinned on Pinterest.  Even better, it was 40% off!  It's super cute, but totally out of my element being that it's blue and a pattern.  It makes me want to buy a cute white dress to wear with it!

Banana Republic Draped V-Neck Sweater - $38

Image via Banana Republic

I have a weakness for gray sweaters, particularly those from Banana Republic especially when 40% off.  This is a great spring sweater...  Slouchy, lightweight, and a versatile light gray.  For reference, I'm between sizes at BR and I went with the larger of the 2 for a little extra length and slouch.  (Side note:  In store this is called the "drapey" sweater, not "draped" like it is online.)

J.Crew Factory Button-Back Sundress - $33

Image via J.Crew Factory

This dress tempted me last year when it was at J.Crew, so when the Factory came out with their own version this year I was even more tempted.  The color of green is much more of a bright true green in person, but it's very comfy and fun.  I wish I'd been able to try it in store because I really can't quite figure out J.Crew's sizing for myself.  This dress is a tad smaller than I would prefer, but not so much so that I feel like it needs to be returned.  (Plus, I'm getting back on track with diet and exercise after a slump and I think going a size larger might have been too much.)

Tarte Femme Naturale Eye Palette - $22

Image via Sephora

My makeup shopping ban was over the day before Sephora's spring Beauty Insider sale started...  How convenient?!?  I behaved pretty well in the store, but found this baby on sale online.  I debated for a few days and finally decided that at $22 this was a really good value.  Even though it's another neutral palette, it's very different from my Naked 2 and I've been wearing it a lot.  It's sold out on Sephora's site now, but you can get it at full price from Ulta.

Maybelline Color Whispers - $6 each
Revlon Balm Stain - $8
(purchased with gift card)

Lip products were one thing that I was really having to fight off buying during my makeup ban.  I feel like as soon as I banned myself from getting those things, TONS of new products came out!  I still had some gift card money for Wal-Mart and since I hate that place so much, I decided my reward for going to that place would be some new lip candy!

Total = $169

I was over my goal of $150, but under my cap of $200.  I think the BR sweater was my only real impulse buy, but it's a great basic that's already gotten a lot of wear and will be perfect in the fall.   I fought off temptation to get some new accessories at Target (clearance purses!) and overall, I'm happy with my goodies!

May Spending Plan:
I've made 1 purchase  for May so far, but until this car thing thing is taken care of I'm trying not to spend much unnecessary money.

Other than that, I really don't have much planned for May purchases...  I need new workout shoes and will probably make that a priority for this month.  

At some point in the near future I'll share my summer wish list and budget plan.  I think for the summer I am going to set one budget for June, July, and August and see how far that can stretch me.  I'm hoping to make at least 1 trip out of town and do some shopping, but other than that my summer will be spent relaxing, doing some part-time work, and taking some classes!

Don't forget to check out and link up with the rest of the Budgeting Bloggers over at Franish!