Saturday Randomness

Happy Saturday!

I've been quite lazy over the past few days and trying to enjoy my last few days of my summer break.  The kids don't start back until the 15th, but I have to go back on Wednesday.  *sigh*  Another summer has come and gone all too quickly...

This is going to be a very random post, so bear with me...

Shopping

jcrew.com

I know I totally said just last weekend that I was going to cool it with the shopping for this month and then of course I turn around a buy a few new items.  I'm actually quite happy with my purchases and don't consider any of them to be anything all that extravagant.  Plus I've spent less than $70 on three items and the original price of one item was $79.50.  Not too shabby.

My first purchase was another J.Crew Tippi that was on clearance with an extra 30% off.  I wanted a more neutral Tippi for fall and winter, so when I saw it was marked down so much and that they still had my size I knew I had to jump on it.  

jcrew.com

My other J.Crew purchase was this tee in Neon Rose.  I bought the tank version of it and it's super bright, but I totally fell in love with this color.  I decided the tee version would be a litter more versatile and modest.  I've seen a few bloggers pair this color with neutrals like gray and dark denim and it totally works.  I feel like regardless of whether or not the neon trend stays super popular, I've had enough investments in the brights since the spring that I'm going to personally keep this trend afloat a while longer.

I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing there's no J.Crew near me...  I probably spend less than I would otherwise, but I also had that their shipping is $8.95!  C'mon, J.Crew, get competitive with your shipping costs and lower your "flat rate" cost!  

Finally, I hit up Old Navy for their $15 jeans sale for men and women (kids are $10).  My little brother needed new jeans for school and I decided for $15 I'd try on a few pairs for myself.  I did just buy new jeans at AE last week, but between the two pairs I've spent less than $40, so I feel like I've done quite well in that regard.  I ended up getting the Diva cut in a super super dark wash.  I mean these are about as dark as jeans get, but I like that because I think I can get away with wearing them to work.  I'll add as a side note that the 3 boot-cut styles they offer for $15 are very similar.  Honestly, I couldn't tell much difference between them.  The Divas were my favorite, which is ironic because they're described to have a "slim thigh" and my thighs are anything but slim.  They're very stretchy and flattering, though without being obscenely tight.  I haven't had luck buying Old Navy jeans since early high school, so I was shocked to like these as much as I did.  To be honest, I would have paid $30+ for these.  I highly recommend hitting up Old Navy's jeans sale if you're looking for cute and cheap jeans for the fall.  

I'm planning on hitting Gap's Friends & Family 40% off event next week for work pants (and maybe a few other basics for fall), but that's pretty much going to be my shopping for the month.  I may go to some outlets when I go out of town for a wedding next month, so I need to keep some shopping budget left for that.  I passed on going to both Ulta and Sephora today, so yay for me and resisting the urge to buy makeup I don't need!

Curtains for the Classroom

For some reason I found it necessary to take on multiple craft projects this week.  I can't talk about one of them yet because it's a gift and I don't want to risk spoiling it in case the recipients read this blog, but let's just say it was (of course) Pinterest-inspired.  

My other project was to make new curtains for my classroom.  I love my K-State curtains (in the pic), but I was ready for something new!  I don't have any pics yet, and of course I forgot to take them to school on Wednesday, but I'm pretty sure they're going to look pretty cute on my front window in my classroom.  I found an exact match polka dot fabric at Hobby Lobby to the fabric I used for my shelf curtains 5 years ago.  (The original fabric was from Wal-Mart, but all of my stores have since eliminated their fabric departments.)  What's even better is that I did this all without sewing!  I picked up some heat bond fabric stuff (I threw away the package so you'll just have to deal with that name) and just did my "sewing" with that and my iron.  I did two little cafe-type curtains with the top one having a little polka dot ribbon on the edge.  I'm excited to get them up and see how they look!

My New Favorite Salad

I'm not a fan of cooking big meals for just myself.  It's a weakness I struggle with.  I've been into salads lately and they're perfect for making a single serving meal.  

Here's my new fave combo:

1 pouch of Starkist Garlic & Herb Tuna or Zesty Lemon Tuna

Organic Fresh Leaf Spinach

Marinated Artichoke Hearts 

Kraft Mayo w/ Olive Oil

Mozzarella & Parmesan Shredded Cheese (Market Pantry)

I mix everything but the spinach in the bowl and then add in the spinach.  I tend to have to add more spinach in as I eat the salad.  It's really quite tasty and relatively healthy.  It's very satisfying without being super filling.  I don't seem to buy a lot of meat, but I pretty much always have tuna on hand.  I'm thinking this one is going to be my lunch quite often once school starts.  

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Okay, was that random enough for you?  Clothes, curtains, and salads?  If you're still with me then you deserve a pat on the back!  Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday and enjoy your weekend downtime!