Bevin à la Mode

Yes, I'm still alive...

2012-01-20T17:58:00.000-05:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALRIGHTY!

So...I'm just going to go ahead and catch you up on my life. I survived the Holiday season in the world of retail. I made it home for a few days around Christmas and loved every second. My roommates and I have moved to a new apartment in the South Congress district of Austin and are enjoying exploring our new neighborhood. I'm still a retail slave but things are starting to look promising for some growth at the store!

I've been pretty busy, but it gives no excuse for why I haven't been blogging in months. I'm hoping I can get back in to it soon, but honestly, with my weird work schedule it will be difficult to plan a blog schedule...so just bare with me! But I've got some exciting shows coming up in the next few months. Specifically I'm seeing The Black Keys in April with my Brother and Sister-in-Law when they come to visit!!

In the meantime, here are some pictures from instagram that I've posted lately!

I saw a lot of this at Christmas...

Welcome home, right? Steamer Pack, fo sho.
Remember how I'm a "vegetarian??"

Possibly my favorite Christmas present...from my Brother and Sister-in-Law

A usual view of my Friday/Saturday nights...
waiting on beet fries at Liberty

I'm experimenting a good bit with my hairs...
'cause I'm too poor to get them cut

I love the random graffiti in Austin...
and this one is my favorite so far.

The roommates and I enjoy a good Mustache Monday

And sometimes I look a little too much like John Cleese.

Odd days off (yay retail) mean I can roam around SoCo.

Oh yeah...and Happy 2012 y'all!!

XOXO Bevin

Maybe we should have been slutty sanitation engineers...

2011-11-03T18:39:00.001-04:00

Oh Halloween. Oh Halloween after the age of 15. Oh Halloween after the age of 15 in the city.

This was our first Halloween in Austin and we wanted to dress up, go out, and have a good time. One of my roommates, Joanna, was out of town this weekend so Lucy and I decided to go out Saturday night and scope out the Downtown scene on Halloween weekend. It. Was. Nuts. Unfortunately we weren't dressed up then, we had planned on just dressing up on ACTUAL Halloween night. Well, Monday night was the night...I had work earlier that morning but we had plans to dress up that night.

My outfit for work:

sweater: Old Navy

vest: Old Navy

jeans: Gap

shoes: TOMS

I have always dreamed of being Mary Poppins for Halloween and this was my year! Also, I had almost everything needed to pull it off, and I wasn't about to drop $50 on a costume.

"The teaser" that I posted on Facebook, hinting what my costume was going to be.

Shout-Out to Becky for buying the umbrella for me last year! It is perfect...practically perfect in every way.

The only things I had to buy for my costume were white gloves, a straw hat, and fake flowers that I sewed on for the "Poppins" silhouette. Lucy and I had a serious brainstorming session about her costume and landed on two options: some form of an Audrey Hepburn inspired ensemble or Chaz Tennenbaum from The Royal Tennenbaums. We finally landed on Chaz as the final costume. We found red track pants at Savers and she found a red Under-Armour shirt at Goodwill that she fashioned with white tape and a little creative cutting....Ta-Da!

It was genius...and awesome.

Joanna came up with her costume last minute, but she has always wanted to be "Dwight Schrute" for Halloween. The Office is one of her FAVORITE tv shows...and of course Dwight is her favorite character. I have to give her props for pulling this one together at such short notice. After a quick trip to Savers and Hobby Lobby (while I made dinner...I'm so nice) she pulled this together...


She got creative...she bought a black wig and spray painted it, then popped the lenses out of her aviators	.

We were SO excited to head out on the town. I was the DD of course, because what else would Mary Poppins be, if not the Designated Driver...so Chaz and Dwight took a quick shot before we left.

We had a good time downtown. It was crazy busy, but we could atleast get in a bar to sit down and people watch for a little bit. I even brought a tape measure from the apartment and busted it out at a bar and threatened to measure random people as they walked by (in true Poppins fashion...but alas that didn't happen)

Unfortunately, since we weren't dressed like unicorns, slutty nurses, slutty police officers, or slutty sanitation engineers for that matter, no one really showed interest in our costumes. One older man DID recognize who I was and asked if I could sing...but other than that people just thought that Lucy was Canadian and that Joanna was just dressed up like some guy...oh well.

Next year we will have real friends who throw their own Halloween parties and they will appreciate our efforts. I hope everyone had a great Halloween!!

XOXO Bevin

La La La Leopard...

2011-10-29T11:44:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it helps to work in retail...

You are always aware of what's on sale and when it's a good time to purchase something. At Old Navy we featured the "Breezy Blouses" this past season. I, of course, own most of them except for a few of the colors that sold out too quickly for me to get my grubby little hands on. Last week we were having a big sale where almost everything in the store was 75% off. I went a little crazy and bought things that I've my eye on for a while. I bought some sweet cobalt skinnies...

I bought a few other things too...but then this happened...

I'm not usually big on animal prints (specifically leopard) but this shirt was around $5 (after my employee discount) and on sale...so why not!?

Scarf: H&M

Leopard blouse: Old Navy

Skinnies: Old Navy

Boots: Born (Dillards)

I'm hooked! I can't wait to try to switch it up and get a little adventurous! Perhaps with my red corduroys...Baby Steps...

XOXO Bevin

Justin Bieber loves the cookies. You will, too...

2011-10-28T23:57:00.002-04:00

So. Another month has gone by without me doing a blog post, I have my theories as to why I haven't been inspired to blog lately. Other than just being stressed out, I have realized that I miss getting dressed up for my old job. I get "dressed up" for my job right now, but it's not the same. I wear jeans a lot...I know, I complained when I wasn't allowed to wear jeans to work...but I truly miss PLANNING outfits. Hopefully someday soon (like, REALLY soon) I will have a full-time job that will allow for that balance.

But I have also been super busy this past week because, in a addition to my usual retail slavery, my roommates and I have have been volunteering. We volunteered for the Texas Book Festival AND the Austin Film Festival! The Texas Book Festival was a great experience, but the Film Festival definitely took up more of our time. The festival began with the opening night premieres of "Butter" (Jennifer Garner...it's HILARIOUS!) and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (VERY good movie). We worked a lot at the Paramount Theater here in Austin; working the lines, handing out voting ballots, and general customer service. The nice part about volunteering was that we got to actually sit in and see most of the movies we worked during (if there were enough seats). Also, after working a certain amount of hours, we earned a "Film Pass" that allowed us to get in to any of the other movies during the festival. The big "Hooplah Celebrity" coming to the festival this year was JOHNNY DEPP!! If I may toot my own horn for a second...There was much speculation leading up to the festival, about the "secret actor" that would be gracing us with their presence. It was a big secret, but after thorough detective work I made the J.D. prediction a few nights before he was announced as the guest (I swear, you can ask my roommates...) Then I learned that I was RIGHT! Johnny Depp came that Friday night during the festival to premiere "The Rum Diary", host a showing of "Edward Scissorhands", and to accept an award. In honor of Mr. Depp, I decided to step it up and try a braid headband...and apparently my forehead wrinkles wanted to show up too.

But of course, were assigned to work at a different theater that night, however we did get to witness the CRAZINESS when he arrived...seeeeee

Yup...that's him! Oh yeah, and we met Fred Stoller. He was really nice and yes, he sounds like that in person.

That Saturday night we went to see "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" and "Albert Nobbs". Both were really great films that I highly recommend checking out if/when you get the chance. Our next big red carpet/heartthrob situation was...ready for it?...JAMES FRANCO!! He was premiering his film, "Sal" Sunday afternoon. The movie was good/interesting, but the best part was that we had the day off from volunteering at the film festival and were able to stay for the movie AND the Q&A afterward.

Oh! I almost forgot...before the premiere and "our time breathing the same air as Jame Franco", Paula Deen (yep, butter, cooking, and charm) was speaking in the same theater for the Book Festival (Downtown Austin was CRAZY that weekend because there were like, 9 festivals/events happening at the same time). Her session was open to the public and had available seats. While we were waiting in line to see James Franco, I popped in for a little bit to listen to Paula Deen. It was AMAZING. She is just as charming and sweet as you would think. I didn't get any pictures, but I did take video (which is turned the wrong way of course). My friends Lucy and Joanna happily held my place in line while I went in to see her. I got a little teary-eyed at one point because it really made me miss my family back home.

We took the day off from the Film Festival Monday and "enjoyed" the warm weather by the pool of our apartment complex. I didn't get in the water, I just read and soaked up some Vitamin D. I've been reading Bossypants by Tina Fey. This book was amazing, please check it out. I also found it interesting that at the same time, my roommate Joanna was reading Going Rogue by Sarah Palin. That's how we roll.

I also received two fun Halloween cards from my mother this week. I decided to use them as decoration for our mantle...sadly this is pretty much the extent of the decor in our apartment.

Tuesday night we were volunteering again at the Paramount Theater when they were showing "The Artist" and "The Woman, in the Fifth". "The Artist" was a really neat silent film ABOUT silent film actors. I really enjoyed it and I hope it's shown nationwide. Also, there is a tap-number at the end of the film...Love it. "The Woman, in the Fifth" was one of Ethan Hawke's new attempts...bless. It was a good film in essence. It was just VERY confusing in the end. I was completely lost and didn't know what was going on half of the time. The main redeeming factor of the film was that the characters mostly spoke French (yes, they had subtitles).

Wednesday, I worked...

Oh...and then this happened...outfit blog post coming soon! RAWR!

Before we had to report to the Paramount Theater to volunteer Thursday night, we grabbed a quick bite at Royal Blue Grocery. This is one of my new favorite places because of this sign they had about their cookies.

The film festival came to a close, Thursday night. The closing film was "Union Square" and one of its stars, Mira Sorvino, came for the premiere.

The movie was great, another interesting ending, but great.

After her red carpet appearance, it was time to roll up the red carpet...the end of the festival!

Volunteering was a great experience and I hope I get to do it again next year and with events coming up!

XOXO Bevin

Down with the Homesickness...and frozen bananas...

2011-09-27T15:43:00.003-04:00

Hey y'all.

I'm not going to make this a long, sappy, "I miss home" post. However, it helps me to write it out and get it off my chest. I'm having a great time here in Austin, but change is always difficult. I've been working a lot, which helps, but then I come home, tired, all I want is a hug from my Momma, give my dog, Katie, a treat or hear a funny story from Dad (my former "roommates"). I've had a hard time with it in the past few days, but I hit a point today when I just let it all out. I had to run to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription (which has been a feat to start with...yay moving) and there was an issue with my insurance and I ended up having to pay full price for the prescription. If you're new to the blog...I lost my job at a high school last year, but because of the manner in which my position was cut (due to budget cuts), I was supposed to be able to keep my health insurance for at least another year. Well, right after I moved, the paperwork to update everything arrived at my parents' house. That, along with other wonderful mail that hasn't been updated with my new address, is currently all in a box and making its way to Austin, TX. I also realized on the way back to my apartment that my prescription had been changed. I rushed back over to Walgreen's to see what's up and while the pharmacist (who, bless her, was only doing her job) reassured me that it's another generic version of what I HAD been on and it shouldn't change anything...I felt the tears, welling up. I kept my composure until I hit the beauty aisle on the way out. The sunglasses went on, and I boo-hooed all the way back to the apartment. I'm still a little teary right now, typing this, but luckily my roomies are out and aren't here to witness this...but now they'll read this and it will be all kinds of awkward (but that's how we roll anyways)...Hey Lucy and Joanna! Love you! :-) But, hopefully this will all be resolved in the next few days. Moving away is tough. Back home we use a "local pharmacy" not a "chain" (i.e. Walgreen's, CVS, Target, etc.). It's the same pharmacy my grandparents have been using for years. They know my name when I walk in the door and always ask how Anita and Al are doing (my Nana and Granddaddy). I can "charge" my prescription to "our account" and be on my way in 5 minutes! I miss that.

BUT AAAAAAAANYWAYS...(change of subject)

The one thing that we DON'T have back home is a frozen banana stand. Haha I said it was a change of subject. We're all big Arrested Development fans, the roomies and I, and we were DELIGHTED to learn that Austin has its very own frozen banana stand, like the Bluths! It's called "Bananarchy"

Another one of Austin's food trucks that we have now come to love.

Especially when they have tons of Arrested Development references such as...

The "Gob"

And this...

"There's always money in the Banana Stand"

They even had BANANAGRAMS for you to play with while you wait for your banana!

...but we had to get creative with the letters they had left.

So...those moments when I DO get homesick and almost feel like driving to the airport and hopping on a plane back home, I'm trying to remember all of the wonderful times I will have here and have been having, so far. (Full-Time) Jobs and Money will come (hopefully soon), so make the most of the time I have and make great memories!

XOXO Bevin

Hey Guess What...

2011-09-21T00:57:00.004-04:00

I'm in Austin!!

I know this is LONG overdue. It's been almost 3 weeks since we packed up and moved out west to "The Lone Star State." I've neglected the blog again...BAD blogger. But we've been super busy getting settled in our apartment and dealing with unwanted "roommates" (more on THAT later) and I've been busy with my job at my NEW Old Navy! I've got some outfit posts on deck for the next few days, but I thought that I'd post some of the pictures that I took chronicling my last few days in North Carolina, the trip out to Austin, and some of my first "adventures" in Austin! (WARNING: you're about to be SLAMMED with some PICTURES)

Oye the Packing!

This move would not have been possible without Space Bags.

Then I turned 25!

And yes, Mom dropped the knife on the cake.

Oh yeah, (for those who don't know) my middle name is Caitlin, it's what I've gone by my whole life until a few years ago

...now I go by my first AND my middle name.

My last day at my "old" Old Navy.

This was on the break room table when I left :-)

The last few days consisted of more packing and spending time with family and my best friends.

Then...we were off!

We left from my house on September 1st around 11:30am ET

The last exit in South Carolina before you cross in to Georgia. When Mom and I used to pass it, I would always have to yell "Wall-Hollaaaaaa!!"

Joanna, Lucy, and I at the Georgia State Welcome Center!

PS..these are my new roomies!

Then came Alabama!

My former home state!

We stopped in Fairhope, AL for the night and woke up the next morning to hit the road

...the next night we'd be in Austin.

We met Elvis at the Mississippi Welcome Center!

Then it started to rain when we hit Mississippi...

and it kept raining until we hit Texas.

Ironically, most of Texas is in a severe drought.

A brief dry spell for the picture at the Louisiana Welcome Center

...then it started pouring again.

We were traveling in the middle of the remnants of the tropical storm.

Also, something we learned about southern Louisiana is that it consists mostly of BRIDGES.

Not good for potty breaks...TMI?

TEXAS!!!!

Our first friend in Texas! He was just hanging out at the Welcome Center.

Unfortunately this would not be our last run-in with vermin...again...more on that later.

Whoa! Big jump, I know.

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures of the first days in Austin.

Those days consisted of trips to IKEA and Target and unpacking...not much to document.

But I did have my first FOOD TRUCK experience! And now I'm hooked!

Austin is known for their food trucks.

Thanks to Pinterest and the fact that we have an AWESOME oven in our apartment, I took a stab at making a "Hootenanny".

It's pretty much an "Oven Pancake."

I think it tastes more like a big piece of French Toast.

All in all, it's yummy.

Then THIS happened. Yep, we had officially been living in the apartment A WEEK and discovered that we had a 4th roommate. A MOUSE. This roommate was NOT welcome to stay. We are STILL battling with this stupid thing. Pest control came to find its "entry points", we put out humane traps, maintenance came (and then didn't come back and then came finally) to cover/fill/plug up the "entry points", and then had to COME BACK later when we discovered more places where the mouse was invading our apartment. We found our loaf of bread this morning with a big whole chewed on the side. We're hoping we just hadn't noticed it last time. "Bob" is not welcomed in apt 607...we will NOT tolerate this!

One night, to escape the wrath of the mouse, we decided to check out some of the local places on our street. We went to OPA!, a Greek cafe/wine bar with $2.50 Sangria. It has a great outdoor area where they have performers. That night, they had fire dancers. One of the dancers was named "Strawberry." I can't make that stuff up. Gotta Love Austin!

Lucy and I got up for the release of the Missoni for Target line, and were met with picked over piles of nothing...over-priced nothing. BUT, we each grabbed a pair of these "pumped-up kicks" and I had to get a pair of zig-zag socks, too. It was a very interesting experience in consumerism.

We also took some time to enjoy the Greenbelt. We may or may not have gotten a little lost while trying to find our way back to the car...but that's one of those things you don't tell Mama (except for when she reads it on your blog...whoops!).

Well, that's all I have for now. I'll start-up my outfit posts soon. Meanwhile...check out the blog that my roommate, Lucy, has started! She's a fantastic writer and will definitely have less grammatical errors and more well-written posts than you will EVER see here! :-)

XOXO Bevin

ALSO!!! Oh goodness how did I almost NOT include this! DUH! I work with one of my favorite Austin Bloggers! Sara-Jane from shep! I was getting my store tour on my first day of work and WHO did I see in the breakroom!!?? SARA-JANE! We had a little "blogger moment", talked about how surreal it was that we are working together, and got SO excited at the possibility of future hang-outs! SO COOL!

2011-08-26T12:32:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts again!

I've been crazy busy trying to squeeze every last hour I can grab a'hold to work so that I can put that money in "The Austin Fund" and it has left me with little bloggin' time. Boo.

BUT! Speaking of Austin...the big move is NEXT Thursday!! I will be packing up my life in to my crappy little car and heading out to "The Lone Star State" for a little life adventure! I'm super and excited but an emotional wreck at the same time. It's finally settling in that I'm going to be a good 20 hours away from any family and friends ('cept for my awesome roommates!).

Here's to Ramen dinners for the next few months and sleeping on an air mattress!...and Fun Life Adventures!

But if you want to keep up with me on "the daily"...Please follow me on Twitter @bevin_cox and hopefully if my car breaks down somewhere in Louisiana one of you can alert the right officials so come and help me out! Thanks in advance.

XOXO Bevin

WORST NIGHTMARE...

2011-07-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

...okay, that's a little dramatic...

But...the dry cleaners where I send my stuff has LOST ONE OF MY FAVORITE DRESSES!

Granted, I don't wear this one very often, but that's because it's SPECIAL! It's called the Horizon Line Dress. It's from Anthropologie, last year. The dry cleaners has offered to pay me for the dress. Sadly, I could use the money right now, even though I'd RATHER they just FIND IT! So, if it comes to that, you better believe I will be asking for its RETAIL value...not what I actually ended up paying for it :-)

STRESS.

XOXO Bevin

Excuses, Excuses...

2011-07-28T15:18:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. You hear it from every blogger when they haven't posted for over a month: "I've been really super busy" Blah Blah Blah "My camera is broken" Blah Blah Blah, etc. etc. etc.

I have a few excuses in my back pocket for ya, too. The landing at the top of my stairs, where I usually take my pictures, has had a light out for the past, like, 3 WEEKS...but truth, I was just too lazy to replace the bulb. But TA-DA!

Now it's fixed!

cardigan: Target

dress: Target

belt: Anthropologie

sandals: Target

So...update time. I HAVE been really busy. After my besties got married last month I've been in full, "job search/WHAT IN THE WORLD am I going to do??" mode. I got my "yeah, you don't have your job back next year" letter last week and I'm really feeling the pressure. SIDE NOTE: my job got cut from the county's budget, YET they paid $5.59 in postage to send my letter by certified mail to let me know that I was laid off...multiply that by how many other people got the boot this Summer...yeah, what's up with that? I have gotten my job back at Old Navy. I worked there during the Summers and break while I was in college. It's not much, but I'm hoping that with the move to Austin looming, there may be the possibility that I could transfer to a store in Austin if need be. SPEAKING of Austin, TX!...I've been meeting up with Lucy and Joanna (my friends that I'm moving with) every/every other week to discuss our plans and to look at possible apartments. We've found a few places that we like and have an idea of the neighborhoods we'd like to live in. But so far, it's been too early to tell. We're down the one month mark and I'm hoping things come together soon (also, the possibility of a "new" car). I've found some REALLY exciting jobs that are open and I've sent in my information, but I'm just hoping that they'll call me! I'm looking in the Marketing/Advertising industry. I'd LOVE to work in social media (as I've said in the past) or anything where I can incorporate my love of music, pop culture, and of course FASHION!

So, any of my Austin readers, if you know of anything...Let me know, drop my name/info, I need some help! Also, I'd just love to hear from ya! Feel free to e-mail me! I'd love to get to know some of my future neighbors!

I have plenty more to write about, but I'm going to spread it out...me no likey long blog posts!

XOXO Bevin

Where to start....

2011-06-22T20:34:00.000-04:00

Wow. So much has been going on the past few weeks. Yup, weeks.

So...to get you caught up:

- School is OVAH! School is over, graduation is over, workdays are over, I turned in my keys...finito. And the last time I checked, I will not be back! Ha!

- Two of my best friends got married! Ben and Becky got married last weekend in SC. I have known Ben since 6th grade along with my best friend Kameron...together we have made it through SO much and now...a wedding! I was so honored to be one of Becky's bridesmaids and to be a part of the festivities! Becky has become one of my best girl friends and I couldn't be happier to know that she will be around FOREVER!!! The whole weekend was a blast and I felt that there couldn't have been a better group of people around to celebrate the happy couple. Also...there was a photobooth at their reception...check it out:

yes...that would be me in the captain's hat, Kameron in the plaid sunglasses, the beautiful bride Becky with the mic (naturally), and the groom, Ben, with the hand-cuff sunglasses on.

In further proof of Becky's awesomeness she has t-shirts made for her whole bridal party; pink "tuxedo t-shirts"! The night before the wedding the WHOLE wedding party went out for a drink and we had a little fun in the fake phonebooth.

(photos courtesy of the Man of Honor Shawn!)

The wedding was a blast and I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures from the festivities!

- As I said before, my position at the high school has been eliminated and I'm now out of a job. I've been needing to find a new job for a while, but I had wished that it would be on MY terms, but whatev. So, I've been looking around here and NYC (of course) but I've come up short. Then, two of my friends from college, Lucy and Joanna, offered me the chance to move with them to Austin, TX! I've been mulling it over for the past few months and I've decided that I'm going to go for it! It's a great opportunity to move to an exciting new place with people I know! I've only heard wonderful things about Austin, in addition to the fact that a good majority of my favorite bloggers live there!

Alot of people close to me aren't too sure about my move, seeing as that I haven't found a job there yet, but we aren't planning on moving there until late August/ early September. Until then, I am still getting paid for my work at school (12 month salary instead of 10 months) and I'm getting a part-time job (crawling back to Old Navy if they'll have me) this Summer to help save up for Austin AND to help in getting a new car (hopefully)...because my poor Lumina wont be able to make it to Texas. I'm excited about this new chapter in my life and I'm just hoping that those I love will be supportive! It's going to be really sad moving away from my family and friends, but it's time for me to do something for myself. So...if anyone knows of any job openings in Austin coming up...LET ME KNOW! It would be much appreciated! Anything in marketing, music, fashion, PR, social media, etc would be awesome!!

I will make an attempt at an outfit post soon! I hope this catches you up!

RIP Black Sandals...

2011-06-02T19:00:00.000-04:00

chambray shirt: Gap

maxi dress: Old Navy

sandals: Target

Yeaaaah. So, this will probably be the last pictures/outfit with my wonderful black Target sandals. They met their untimely doom today at work when I rolled over my pinky toe and ripped them (my sandals...not my toes...just clearing that up). The sole is almost completely off...I'll be lucky if I can make it to my car this afternoon. But ANYWAYS...today was the last "instructional day" at school, yaaaaaay! Tomorrow begins of the End of Course Final exams. I have to administer two of them, which I've never done before, I've only proctored (AKA walked around to make sure no one cheats). Now I actually have to read off of the script, giving the instructions and handing out the materials. I'm really nervous, but I'm also just so ready to get it over with. I probably wont be able to do a post tomorrow...but I might see what I can do.

PS...Kendi is about to start another 30 for 30 challenge next week! I'm thinking of doing it, but I've got wedding festivities coming up and I don't know if I can remix my bridesmaid dress very well :-)

XOXO Bevin

Pajama Day...

2011-06-01T13:59:00.000-04:00

cardigan: Target

"dress": Anthropologie

belt: Anthropologie

sandals: Target

Sometimes I like to wear pajamas to work...enter the Chemise.

I have atleast 4 from Anthropologie...that I rarely actually use as lounge wear/pajamas. These "dresses" are just too pretty and comfortable to only wear around the house. Now, I draw the line if they are borderline see-through (seriously) or I atleast compensate with a slip or other appropriate undergarments. However, considering that they are atleast $100 cheaper than most of their dresses, you can't go wrong with buying them! So yay for pajama day! I saw this one on a mannequin this weekend, merchandised up with a belt and a jacket. I knew that I ATLEAST wanted to try it on. Granted, it was NOT on clearance, but I rationalized my purchase by thinking "hey, I was about to spend the same amount on a dress that was on clearance that I didn't like nearly as much as I like THIS"...deal.

Yay for money in the bank and shopping days! I feel like my shopping excursion this past weekend has helped give me the boost I needed to blog again. My little unscheduled hiatus from blogging was plagued with an empty bank account, busy schedules, and running late in the mornings...stresssssssss. I'm in the home stretch of the school year and we start final exams this Friday! See ya tomorrow!

XOXO Bevin

Adventures in Job Searching...again

2011-05-31T14:22:00.000-04:00

So the job search is in full force again. I’m officially looking in Austin (a definite possibility come August/September), New York (DREAAAAAAM!), and Charlotte (…ya know…’cause I’d still be around my family and friends). But the part I hate the most of about the job search (despite coming up empty when it comes to prospects) is writing a cover letter. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can write about myself forever (hello BLOG), but there’s something so cheesy about cover letters that makes my skin crawl. So in natural “ME” fashion, I made a list, A-Z, of my marketable skills, some experiences, and character traits that I may want to include in future cover letters. Just for fun…and in case someone who’s hiring comes across this…here’s what I have so far on my list. There will definitely be additions and deletions (and yes, I did have to stretch it for some of the letters):

Active Listener, Analytical, Accounting

Business Degree, Business Minded, Blogging

Creative, Confident in my work, Communication

Detailed Oriented, Determined, Delegating

Easy to work with, Energetic

Forward thinking, Friendly, Forecasting, Fashion

Goal Oriented, Well in Groups

Handy, Hands on Learner

Intelligent, Internship

Judicious, Jovial

Keen, Kind

List Maker

Multitasker, Motivating

Non-verbal cues (observant of)

Organized, Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.)

Problem Solver, Promotions experience, Punctual, Presentations

Quick-witted

Retail experience

Self-starter, Social Media

Team player, Time Management

Unites

Veracious

Work Ethic, Writing

Xerox (I can make copies!)

Youthful

Zealous

Outfit post are going to resume soon! We are finally starting to wrap up the school year...so it's been crazy. Yeah yeah, I know, excuses excuses :-)

XOXO Bevin

Funday Bunday...

2011-05-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

The A/C at my house is broken. It's going to be 80+ degrees outside today

...It's Bunday.
Also, I was lazy and didn't feel like washing my hair...or ironing this skirt apparently

Oh, and Mom...I borrowed your top. LOVE YOU! :-)

cardigan: LOFT

top: Anthropologie (Mom's closet)

skirt: Old Navy

sandals: Target

XOXO Bevin

EBEW: Florals

2011-05-10T10:01:00.001-04:00

Happy Everybody Everywear Day!

It's Florals today!

denim jacket: Old Navy

dress: Tucker for Target

belt: H&M

skirt: Old Navy

gold flats (not pictured): Target

So...I definitely thought that wearing florals was going to be easier today...I was wrong. I went through 3 different dresses this morning and a scarf, until I finally decided on the obvious choice from my closet. The only problem is that it's a LITTLE too short for work without tights. So I put a white/cream skirt under it as a slip to add some length. I love EBEW days! It's so fun to see how different bloggers style a similar look. Click on the button below to check out everyone else participating today!

XOXO Bevin

Happy Mother's Day Momma!

2011-05-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

XOXO LYMI

Black, White, and Red all over...

2011-05-05T14:25:00.000-04:00

cardigan: Target

t-shirt & flats: H&M

skirt: thrifted (Goodwill)

Say hello to my new long skirt! I am collecting them apparently. I found this one at Goodwill during their "Everything is 25% off" sale. It's crazy comfortable and I only have to shave my ankles when I wear it....TMI? The pleats make for fun skirt twirling and it has a fun black dot and squares print that isn't showing up in these pictures.

It's almost Friday! Yay! Also, Happy Cinco de Mayo! Not sure, but I'm hoping there is a margarita and some chips and salsa in my future this evening! Ole!

XOXO Bevin

All Tied up...

2011-05-04T13:59:00.000-04:00

After the last EBEW challenge with maxi skirts/dresses, I wanted to try this way of styling a maxi dress where a button down is worn over it and tied at the waist after seeing many of the bloggers rocking it. I only have one TRUE maxi length dress and had thoughts of wearing my chambray shirt over this but wanted a pop of color instead. Again...this top is NOT orange, but more of a coral pink/honeysuckle (stoopid camera).

PS...check the fishtail braid!

top: Old Navy (2010)

maxi dress: Old Navy (oooold)

gold sandals: Target (2010)

necklace: H&M

fishtail braid: ME!!!

So we're back from Spring Break! I enjoyed my break; relaxed and didn't worry about getting a blog post done (obvi), but now I'm back and ready to be inspired! I'm hitting the ground running with restarting my job search after hearing that I wont have my job again next school year. I'm looking locally, but also keeping my options open for moving. I'd love to move to a more metropolitan area. One of the MANY MANY reasons that I want to move to NYC in particular is that I want to live somewhere where I don't HAVE to own a car to get around. Cars are a hassle (especially these days with crazy high gas prices) and I hate the maintenance. I love the idea of taking a ride around my city...not having to keep my eyes on the road and taking it all in. ...someday! But if you know of anyone hiring...let me know! :-)

XOXO Bevin

I like to match the stores...

2011-04-25T17:07:00.000-04:00

My agenda today was filled with "red stores"...no, not communist or Republican stores. RED stores (Target, TJ-Maxx, etc.)...so I decided to match. (pshyeahokay)

Seeing as that it never fails that I run out of EVERYTHING (lotion, deodorant, etc) all at once, I had to make a big trip to Target today (I know, poor me). After that, I wanted to hit up our new TJ-Maxx. Despite the fact that everyone has warned me that it is just our old TJ-Maxx in a new location, I pushed on and wanted to prove them wrong. Well, I failed, it's all the same stuff, not much to write home or blog about. But I did make it out of there with a new fancy shower cap and a nice French Press. Ever since I had french press coffee at my brother and his wife's house a few months ago I have been determined to try it myself but I didn't want to shell out more than 20 bucks for one. Voila!

I got this top this weekend at Goodwill when they were having a 25% off all textiles sale!

top: Thrifted (Goodwill)

jeans: Anthropologie

gold sandals: Target (s/s 10)

It's a simple outfit, but a great start to my Spring Break this week!

XOXO Bevin

Oh! I almost forgot...

2011-04-24T22:40:00.002-04:00

...THIS happened this weekend!

Fishtail Braid Success!

My Blog was on Spring Break...

2011-04-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

and all I got was one less follower...

Okay, so my blog was apparently on Spring Break...but now I'm on Spring Break. I'm coming to terms with my looming unemployment and I'm determined to soldier on and start putting things in motion for the future. So, while I'm on Spring Break this week I'll try to revive this poor blog after its week hiatus.

Oh well, here are some outfits to hold you over...

cardigan: Old Navy

tunic: Anthropologie

jeans: Gap

wedge sandals: Target

cardigan & Dress: Anthropologie

belt: H&M

boots: Born (Dillard's)

See ya tomorrow! I don't have to wake up at 5:30am...BOOM!

XOXO Bevin

Flying without a Net...

2011-04-20T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all.

I'm sorry I've been MIA. I've been dealing with sickness and some other things this week and my outfits have been lacking that certain something I like to bring to the blog. Also, I learned yesterday that my department in the schools is being cut in this next round of budget cuts in my county...A.K.A. I'm cut. Everyone keeps asking me "so, what are you going to do next year?" Well...let's see. Hopefully get a job, huh? It amazes me how questions like these formulate in peoples' minds. I JUST learned an hour ago that I wont have a job next year....so OF COURSE I have sent my resume off to a company, gotten a call-back, had a phone interview and have been hired in the past hour...'cause that's how the job market is these days. I'm not even going to get in to the fact that I didn't learn about this whole situation until the end of the school day yesterday, no one brought this to my attention? I should have been tipped off when one of my co-workers stopped me in the hallway and asked me if I needed a hug. I was sick, I thought maybe she just thought I needed one. Nope, I was going to be jobless...again.

So, what am I going to do next year? Well, I know what I'd like to do. It is all a matter of making it happen but "the job search" terrifies me. I barely made it through with my sanity after college and, granted I've been on the search for a job the whole time since, but now the safety net is dropped. If I fall, I'm landing right on my "you know what", broke and still living with my parents. I have a few jobs/paths I would like to venture down, but all in all I want to work in the fashion industry. I am also very interested in moving...NYC being my first choice, but I'd also like Austin, TX. I have a passion for fashion (yes, cliche I know, but it's true). I love all that goes in to a single piece of clothing. Everything that happens behind the scenes and center stage. Since I am not a great seamstress or skilled in the art of designing, I believe that my creative mind would be useful in other ways. I would LOVE to be a part of merchandising or marketing. I've been very interested with the role that social media is playing in the fashion world recently. I also wouldn't rule out working for a magazine or some sort of fashion publication. I have absolutely no journalism background, but I love being able to express myself and reach others through writing. I've even thought about going in to styling. I'm grasping at straws here and I don't even know where to start. I know most people would say "Get an Internship!!" yes, that would be a good/easy answer for someone still in college...most places don't do paid internships. They are mostly looking for people who will work for course credit.

I wasn't planning on being in education long and I was planning my escape soon, but it was always nice having that safety net. And I hate that I had to hear about it the way I did...

Okay...end of rant. I'll keep you posted. Speaking of Posted, I hope to have something good for you tomorrow.

XOXO Bevin

Third Time's a Charm...

2011-04-13T13:48:00.001-04:00

top: Old Navy (Fall 09)

trousers: Dockers (JCPenny)

wedge sandals: Target

I've had this top for a while now. But I can really only think of two different times that I've worn it. However, when it comes time to purge my closet I always seem to hold on to this one. I love the sleeves and the neckline and I love the color contrast between the bright flowers and the dark navy background. Another reason why I pulled this top out from the depths of my closet is because I thought it was somewhat 70's-ish and on trend for this Spring. Tucked in to a full skirt or some high-waisted jeans??? Maybe baby.

I encourage you to take a second look at your closet and give those pieces you've held on to a second chance. There must have been a reason, right?

XOXO Bevin

ps...Don't you just love a Good Hair Day!?

EBEW: Maxi Skirt...

2011-04-12T10:12:00.002-04:00

It's an Everybody, Everywear day! This month's assignment was a Maxi Skirt! I own a few, but this is definitely one of my favorites! I found it in a vintage shop in Charlotte. I'm guessing it's from either the 70's or 80's. It has pockets and a fabulous elastic waist!
What's not to love!?

REFINERY29.com has a neat post about different ways to wear a maxi skirt!

jacket & belt: Old Navy

top: JCPenny (she said...)

skirt: Hong Kong vintage

wedge sandals: Target

I guess this skirt is "technically" mid-length instead of maxi, but for me it's long, and that means "maxi". I'm already seeing some EBEW posts for today and getting new ideas! I love EBEW days! So far, one of my favorite looks is wearing a button down oxford over a maxi dress and knotting it at the waist. I can't wait to try it!

XOXO Bevin

No, I do NOT want to watch National Treasure AGAIN...

2011-04-12T10:02:00.000-04:00

This is what a tired chaperone looks like, Monday morning, after a weekend in Washington, DC with 35+ high school students. A 7 hour bus ride there, a Saturday full of sightseeing and walking, more walking Sunday, and a 7 hour bus ride back...no sleep. I was surprised that I could come up with a decent outfit after all of that, but dead to the world as far as energy was concerned. I did get to see "Tangled" on the bus ride up there, but after that it was movies that I had seen a ba-jillion times before. And sleeping ON the bus was not exactly comfortable. I was able to maybe doze off for around 30 minutes at a time.

cardigan: LOFT

dress & belt: H&M

scarf: Boutique

shoes (you can't see): Target

XOXO Bevin

My Weekend in DC...

2011-04-11T14:41:00.001-04:00

I went to Washington, DC this weekend to help chaperone a band trip for my friend who is a band director. It consisted of LOTS of walking, cloudy skies, and 7+ hour bus rides...But I made it and here are some pictures I took using the Instagram app on my iPhone!

I may post some of my "not iPhone" pictures so you can see more!

XOXO Bevin

Awkward and Awesome Thursday...

2011-04-07T13:50:00.001-04:00

Awkward:
- chaperoning a high school band trip to Washington, DC this weekend when there is a threat of the government shutting down...so no trip to The Capitol anymore??? I'll keep you posted.
- Will.I.Am practically picking his nose on American Idol last night.
- rolling in to work after the first bell rings. Granted, school hasn't started yet, but there were two students standing outside of my classroom waiting for me to unlock the door.
- trying to eat a banana that isn't quite ripe enough yet...but sooo hungry!
- seeing students out in public with their parents, while I'm out shopping with my mom...it's just weird, "oh! that's your Mom? this is mine! See ya 2nd period! Don't forget your homework!"
- having 3 people come by my classroom to ask me "Why are you still here??" It's a half-day today at school and I technically don't have to stay until 3pm. I'm still here because I'm blogging.

Awesome:
- going to Washington, DC for the first time ever. Even if things shut down I'll still BE THERE! (I MIGHT be able to post from my phone over the weekend, but I will definitely post Monday about the trip)
- new shoes and bags. Target has most, if not all, of their bags on sale right now. I got a tote and a cross-body purse for the trip yesterday and I loooooove them!
- That I might be doing a "packing post" about the packing process that will take place tonight. I'm a natural over-packer, it's a problem.
- I won a student over by the fact that I love "The Princess Bride"...there is hope for our future.
- That Spring Break is two weeks away!!

XOXO Bevin

Twitter Inspiration: Rachel Roy

2011-04-07T10:40:00.000-04:00

teal top: The Limited (by way of Rugged Warehouse)

skirt: Old Navy

necklace: H&M

sandals: Target

The inspiration for this outfit came from a picture that Rachel Roy posted on twitter a while back of her during a photoshoot. My outfit isn't NEARLY as fabulous but I love the teal/blue combination.

Yet another adventure in color-blocking!

XOXO Bevin

Gotta Love an Ikat Flat...

2011-04-06T14:00:00.014-04:00

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't posted yet this week but my mind has been elsewhere and I'm finally starting to get my "poo" back together enough to where I can post an outfit. I've been dealing with some personal stuff that I wont bother you with here and NC, along with many other in the Southeast US of A has been dealing with the aftermath of some serious storms and wind that came through Monday night. My family was lucky not to lose power but we have had little to no water pressure for the past 24 hours. I'm technically rocking 3rd-day hair today...almost a new record. (yay dry shampoo!)

denim jacket: Old Navy

shiny cream/yellow top: JCPenny (she said...)

red pants: GAP

flats: Macy's (Rocketdog)

Last weekend I went shopping and bought a new pair of sparkly flats and THESE!

I realized the other day that the great majority of my shoes are all either Black or Brown...so I decided to switch things up a little.

XOXO Bevin

Kiss My Asparagus...

2011-04-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

gingham shirt: Old Navy

jeans: GAP

shoes: TOMS

Well, I've got some news...I'm giving up on my dreams of working in fashion and I've decided to start a farm. I've saved up all of my money and purchased some land in the mountains of North Carolina. I am going to be an asparagus farmer. I may dabble in squashes and tomatoes as well.

XOXO Bevin

...

APRIL FOOLS!!!

(haha I accidentally typed April Foods the first time I typed that)

Now you hate me as much as the other people who tried to pull an April Fools joke on you today, huh?

I'll be the first person to say how much I HATE April Fools Day because I am literally one of the most gullible people in the world. But I needed some way to talk about this outfit other than it's Friday. I wanted to wear jeans. This shirt was clean. And I didn't feel like wearing ANOTHER t-shirt w/ cardigan combination. I think I do look very "farm-ish" with my gingham shirt (tied very Mary-Ann style) and rolled up jeans. But I don't think the glitter TOMS would be appropriate for tilling land...yeah, I know farming terms (that I learn from country songs). Also, I love "Kiss my Asparagus" as a "food" play on words. I also have an apron that has that on it...and I like to brag.

So to all of you folks planning on pranking me today. I'm packing my gingham and moving to my plot of land. Kiss my Asparagus.

XOXO Bevin

Awkward and Awesome Thursday...

2011-03-31T14:02:00.000-04:00

Awkward:

- preface: at the beginning of my 2nd period, they have about 5 minutes of free time when they usually read the newspaper. Today they asked me to explain to them what were "crimes against nature"? They were reading about a prostitution bust at a local car wash. Look it up. I did...and then I changed the subject.

- how "doom and gloom" I was in yesterday's post...I apologize.

- This Guy...

- ordering a "vegetarian" black bean burger at Chili's and then the waitress brings it to me, it has two big pieces of bacon on top...

- again at Chili's: REALLY wanting to order a beer, but waiting for the student, two tables over, to leave...gotta set a good example for the youth of our nation.

- getting overly excited about a possible job prospect (one that would allow me to finally move to NYC) and never hearing back from them...

Awesome:

- the possibility of SUNSHINE this weekend!

- my cerulean nails! (Sally Hansen - Blue me away!) Nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make it all better.

- thinking that I was going to have to cover someone's homeroom this morning, only to find out that isn't the case today!

- the tumblr site whenparentstext...if my parents HAD texting, this would be my life.

- It's OPENING DAY for major league baseball! Go Braves!

- bite size twizzlers

XOXO Bevin

Annoyed-ista...

2011-03-31T13:53:00.001-04:00

Bevin's random thought of the day: "Has anyone else noticed how the marketing and advertising world has gone "-ista" crazy? Everything is getting an "-ista" added to the end. I blame Target. They started it with bringing the word "Fashionista" back into marketing vernacular. Then, with the recession, you started hearing more "bargainista" and "recessionista" in the world of apparel. The TJMaxx coined the term "Maxxinista" (gag). And if I'm not mistaken, Old Navy has recently jumped on the "-ista" bandwagon. I'm kinda over it. Just like this weather. Rain Rain go away! BUT! I am feeling much better today than yesterday. Today's "Awkward and Awesome Thursday" post will explain further.

Hey look! I wore a teal shirt again today. ha

cardigan: Old Navy

teal silk top: The Limited (by way of Rugged Warehouse)

skirt: Gap

shoes: Payless

XOXO Bevin

My parade...

2011-03-30T14:18:00.000-04:00

My parade has officially been rained on.

cream cardigan: Target

teal top: Target (Mom's closet)

navy pants: Gap

brown oxfords: Target

See that smile up there ^ well, this was before I walked outside this morning and found that it was POURING again. I am seriously done. Over Rain. I usually like rain when I'm able to stay in the comfort of my own bed. with some hot tea. watching movies. But, not at 7am when I'm having to get ready to leave the house for work. So step one was hair: I went with my "embrace the frizz" look and went back in time to high school when I loved "sprunching" my hair...you know what I'm talking about. Step two was the outfit: I, yet again, couldn't wear sandals (sad) and I didn't want to wear tights because if they got wet I would be walking around in wet tights (obvi). I got to work and work was fine until my body decided to give up and give me a migrane...So we sat in almost darkness in the classroom for the last half of the day.

I want my sunshine back...and to get a call back for a job for a change.

Whew...sorry to be such a downer. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

XOXO Bevin

Ten on Tuesday...

2011-03-29T13:52:00.003-04:00

This week's Ten on Tuesday c/o Roots & Rings!

And it's ANOTHER food related one!

whee!

1. What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then tried and liked?

I remember the first time I tried Asparagus. I was terrified, but my mom promised I would like it. It had just been roasted in a pan in the oven with a little olive oil and salt & pepper. IT WAS GREAT! And now I crave asparagus atleast once a week, but you have to wait for it to go on sale because that stuff is EXPENSIVE!

2. Do you subscribe to any foodie publications? If so, which ones?

I don't subscribe to any magazines (my mom get's the "Simply Delicious" magazines) but I do love food blogs!

3. What ingredient do you find yourself reaching for the most when you cook?

That would be Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Onions. There is nothing quite like that combination to create a savory dish!

4. Are there any foods you hated as a child, but then learned to like as an adult?

Well, there are lots! But to name a few: fresh tomatoes, raw carrots, brussel sprouts, spinach, onions, pickles.

5. What do you like to eat that others may consider weird?

I have a lot. Being that I was chubby chubs (and still am a bit) when I was little, I loved food and weird food combos. I love peas, and I've found that many hate them. But I live for small early sweet peas. My favorite combo when I was little was a little classic Hamburger Helper (macaroni and cheese with ground beef) with peas...mixed together. On that same note, I loved mashed potatoes, peas, and ketchup mixed together. To this day though, my favorite dish is the mac n' cheese and peas combo. Love it. ALSO, my favorite peanut butter-ish sandwich is a peanut butter, banana, and MAYO sandwich. Something about the TANG of the mayo with the peanut butter is just amazing to me...I blame my mother. But this creeps and grosses many people out...oh well.

6. What is the weirdest ingredient you've ever cooked with?

Being that I am still a new vegetarian (since last October), I am still experimenting with different things and my most recent was with the "fake ground beef" from Morningstar. The "Beef crumbles" as they are described, are supposed to be used as a substitute for ground beef in recipes. I'm still not sure how I am supposed to cook with it because there aren't any instructions on the bag!!! So I'm just "browning" it in a pan as I normally would ground beef...but this stuff is already brown, so I usually just cook it through. It doesn't taste like ground beef at all and has a bit of a different texture...but it's okay.

7. Do you have any major food allergies?

Not that I know of THANK GOODNESS. But I worry that someday I will have a reaction to cheese or chocolate...and then my life will be over.

8. Is there an ingredient that you would like to cook with, but are intimidated to try?

Well, it's more than ONE ingredient, but I would love to learn to bake bread. But the whole letting it rise and delicate operation of it all scares me beyond.

9. Do you bake?

Oh, I LOVE to bake. In college, I blame the 15 pounds I gained on the fact that Junior and Senior year I had a functioning oven in my apartment. Brownies, cakes, cookies, etc. Now, at the homestead, with the 'rents, our oven is crap. The broiler (top coils) does not work. So, I don't trust it anymore for "even" baking.

10. If you could go on any "foodie" show to compete, which would it be, and why?

Eek! I wouldn't go on a "competition" show, but I would love to be a guest on pretty much any of the Food Network shows. Paula Deen or Giada would be my first choices...because I love Butter, Bread, Pasta, and Nutella. I would like to be a judge on Top Chef...mostly so I could hang out with Tom Colicchio.

XOXO Bevin

PS. no outfit post today. It was boring, I promise. Trouser Jeans and a sweater...yawn.

Tights & Boots...again

2011-03-28T13:33:00.000-04:00

Today's forecast called for rain (again, 3rd day in a row) and a high of 49 degrees...

I am NOT a happy girl. But I figured I'd make the most of it and get some more use of my tights and boots before I'm complaining about having to shave my legs EVERY day. Also, I'd like you to meet "Only Mascara" Bevin. I was not feeling my usual brown eyeliner and contouring shadows this morning, so I went with a little cream shadow (Benefit's RSVP) and mascara (because I have the palest blonde eyelashes around). I feel like I look 16 years old, again. This would normally be awesome for a 24 year old...but I work in a high school.

But this skirt makes up for it all...love it.

cardigan & tights: Target

t-shirt: H&M

skirt: Anthropologie

boots: Born (Dillards)

XOXO Bevin

Adventures in Online Shopping...

2011-03-27T22:16:00.001-04:00

I was just browsing around JCrew.com and I came across this!

I may have to buy this purely for its name!

XOXO Bevin

Now Hear This...

2011-03-25T13:37:00.001-04:00

Think Pink!

Another adventure in colorblocking.

pink cardigan & jeans: GAP

ruffled royal blue blouse: LOFT

brown oxfords: Target

necklace: H&M

Happy Friday everyone! Wow. Looking back on this week I have been BRINGING the color! I have never worn so much PINK in a span of 5 days as I have this week...embracing the Spring colors, I guess. 'Tis the Season!

Sadly, it looks like it's going to be gloomy and rainy this weekend. I guess that means I will be spending it having a movie marathon (or a Sex and the City marathon!) and other fun "indoors" stuff. Have a good one!

XOXO Bevin

Haters gotta Hate...

2011-03-24T20:41:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when you wake up in the morning...you just want to wear something comfy, but with "personalilty". Well, this surely has "personality." So, whenever I wear these pants I come to expect comments...but I had some from a few surprising sources today.

First, the peanut gallery that is my 2nd period class said that I looked "very patriotic". (1) It's Red, Black, and Blue. (2)...shut up, what's so wrong with being patriotic. Crazy jaded teenagers. They also had a 5 mintue conversation about the zipper on the side of my top...we get alot done in 2nd period.

Then, my best friend that works at the same school called my outfit "very interesting" today at lunch.

Him: "You've got Spring going on with the pants, and the dead of Winter on the top"

Me: *death stare*

I then proceeded to throw grapes at his face and threw him out of my classroom. Just Kidding. But I did politely explain to him that the top is not "Dead of Winter". It's actually not that heavy of a knit. And who can resist the zipper detail!!? And I thought it would be fun with red pants!

top: Gap

red pants: Gap

peep-toe flats: H&M

XOXO Bevin

Awkward and Awesome Thursday...

2011-03-24T12:03:00.000-04:00

Awkward:
- getting to work and finding that you have a big glob of cream cheese in your hair from your bagel that morning...yay long hair!
- calling out a student for putting "Beer Pong" instead of "Beer Hall" Putsch for an answer on their History of the Holocaust quiz...actually, that was kind of an "awesome" moment.
- really wanting a pack of crackers from the vending machine and only having 40 cents...ALL I NEED IS A DIME!! C'mon!
- being introduced to our student representatives at the Prom Committee meeting this week and the chairperson (who I worked with on the committee last year) forgot my name.

Awesome:
- making connections via social media mediums...and finding possible job prospects.
- speaking of social media...the possibility that I could make that AND fashion together a possible career path...dude
- my NYC trip planning. Not sure if it will happen over Spring Break, but it will definitely happen early Summer (but hopefully even sooner if I can get an interview...ONE WAY TICKET PLEASE!?)
- "Pay Day" technically lands on Sunday...so we get paid THIS FRIDAY (or Thursday night @ midnight)!
- a clean and organized closet, bedroom, and bathroom. I LOVE Spring cleaning!
- THIS pink skirt that I wore this week!

Have a great Thursday!

Hey, guess what?! Tomorrow is Friday!

XOXO Bevin

Wednesday Wordle...

2011-03-23T10:55:00.000-04:00

Wordle is a really neat site that will take your most used words on the front page of your blog and turn them in to a "word cloud" with the words ranging in size depending on how many times they have been used. Welcome to Worldle Wednesdays...because I like alliteration!

XOXO Bevin

I love this skirt (I couldn't think of a better title)...

2011-03-22T14:00:00.003-04:00

Boy, THIS is COLOR!? huh?!

I am loving the mid/maxi length skirt trend this spring. I found this skirt at a vintage shop in Charlotte at the beginning of March when I went thrifting with my friend Paige. It has a fabulous elastic waist and pockets! I'm guessing it's from the 80's. This outfit was definitely not planned when I started getting ready this morning. I had thoughts of wearing the skirt, but with my jean jacket. I'm so glad I decided on the cardigan instead. Something about the proportions with the skirt and the t-shirt and my height needed an element to break it up. In comes the cardigan and the belt (also I wanted to cover up the elastic waitstband). This may be a go-to look for me this Spring/Summer and I will have to remember it for if/when I'm travelling in the next few months...super easy.

And it was a good hair day to top it all off!

cardigan & drk brwn belt: Old Navy

t-shirt: H&M

skirt: vintage (Hong Kong Vintage)

sandals: Target

XOXO Bevin

Ten on Tuesday...

2011-03-22T13:30:00.001-04:00

Here is this week's edition of

Ten on Tuesday c/o Roots and Rings!

It's about food!!! yay!

1. What condiments are always, always in your fridge?

We are definitely a mayo family, so that's always in there. We also keep your regular ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc. There is usually a plethora of different salad dressings and grilling/marinating sauces. Lately though, sugar free/low fat chocolate syrup has been hanging out in the refridgerator door. Instead of splurging on brownies, ice cream, and other sweets, I keep chocolate syrup around and just have a small glass of chocolate milk to satisfy my sweet tooth.

2. How do you like your steak cooked? Your burgers?

Oh red meat...how I miss thee, sometimes. I'm a vegetarian now (as of last October), but when/if I did eat a steak or a burger I prefer to have it cooked medium-well. I like them actually COOKED so that I know it's "safe" but I like when there is a little pink and not dry.

3. What's your favorite use for fresh tomatoes?

SANDWICH! When I go to my grandmother's house, there is nothing better than when she gets the spread out and we just make sandwiches. But there is always ANYTHING you'd want available to put on your sandwich (along with different bread choices). I used to reach for the roast beef, but now I just love two big slices of tomato (from my grandparents' garden) with lettuce, cheese, mayo, mustard and pickles.

4. What's your go-to dinner when you haven't planned anything in advance and you don't feel like going out?

That would be a baked (micorwaved) sweet potato with some sort of green veggie. We usually keep a few in the kitchen just for those occasions. That, or black beans and rice. We always have everything we need for that.

5. What's your favorite snack food lately?

Oh okay, I am currently obsessed with the new Peanut Butter Snickers squares. They are so good and so addicting! It's hilarious because they come two in a pack and on the wrapper it tells you to twist the wrapper after eating one and save the other one for later. I appreciate the encouraging words concerning my portion control, but really? You think I can eat just one?...a HEALTHY snack food though? I love bananas. They are designed to be a snack food...they come with their own packaging!

6. What's your favorite weekend breakfast to make at home?

I love eggs, and toast (jelly, cheese, or cinnamon), and grits. Being a southern girl, Grits were always a given on the weekends. I also LOVE pancakes/waffles!

7. What's your favorite thing to grill? How do you do it?

I loooooooove grilled veggies. Put some squash, zuchinni, onions, and peppers on a grill and I'm a happy girl. Grilled pineapple is also amazing. But I also LOVE grilled corn. My Dad used to do this way back. You butter the corn and go ahead and salt and pepper the ears. You can also do this with bacon, wrap the corn in bacon. But then, you wrap each ear of corn in aluminum foil and grill them...sooooo good. I would have normally said a steak...but no more.

8. What's your favorite wine under $10? If you're not a wine person, what brand of beer is your favorite?

Haha, like I buy wine that ISN'T under $10. I've always been a fan of the Yellow Tail brand of wine. My friends from college can vouch for me on that one. I'm predominately a red wine lover. My favorite being pinot noir or cabernet-merlot. Sometimes merlot can be too much. So the Yellow Tail Pinot Noir or their Cab-Merlot (the one with the blue label). But you also can't go wrong with a little two-buck Chuck. Beer, I like Miller Lite or Michelob Ultra. If I have the money for it, I love Blue Moon with an orange slice in it.

9. Give us your most delicious cocktail recipe.

I'm pretty simple with cocktails. I love just a good Jameson and Ginger Ale, or a Soco and Soda (preferably Diet Dr. Pepper). But if you're talking about something with juice I like cranberry, vodka, and lime juice.

10. How do you like your eggs?

Scrambled with a little milk. But, and this is a family joke now, I like them "shiny". When my grandmother makes my eggs she cooks them just long enough that they are still a little shiny, not dry...perfect. Also, I love eggs with a little ketchup (if they ARE dry) or maple syrup.

...I love food...and I love talking about food almost as much as I love eating food.

XOXO Bevin

Reunited and it feels so good...

2011-03-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

Oh how I have missed this dress and it's teal twin! I got this dress (and a teal version) from H&M last Summer and LIVED in them. That's what I love about switching my closets for the seasons. It feels like you are reunited with old friends...there I go treating clothes like people again...
But seriously, it brings back memories of the year before and brings about new plans for this year!

Yet again, these pictures don't do justice for the color of this dress. It looks orange in these, but it's actually a bright coral/pink. Very much along the lines of the Pantone "Honeysuckle" color that is said to be the big color this next season. I loved the contrast of it with the beige (and sequined!) cardigan. Another thing I love about this dress is that it is SO freakin' simple (just a cotton tank dress)...but there's "a twist" in that the hemline is asymmetrical, it's shorter in the front and longer in the back.

cardigan: Old Navy

dress & belt: H&M

gold ballet flats: Target

XOXO Bevin

Spring Awakening...

2011-03-21T10:30:00.002-04:00

Ever seen the musical Spring Awakening?? No? You Should! It toured last year and I was juuuust a little obsessed with it and followed it around the South-East (Charlotte, then on-stage seats in Atlanta and Greenville, SC). It's touring right now too...check it out.

Spring is definitely on its way now! Saturday was beautiful and I just had to get out of the house.

The weather called for bright colors and sandals...and I answered.

Oh my! I swear my legs ARE pale, but they aren't purple!

I blame the lighting coming in from my bathroom window.

scarf & belt: H&M

cardigan & dress: GAP

sandals: Target

Speaking of my bathroom...I did some serious Spring cleaning this weekend. I cleaned and organized my bathroom and my bedroom. I switched out my closet too.

Winter is OUT, Spring/Summer is IN! It was refreshing to get my dresses and bright colored tops out of the storage bin. I did keep out a few of my light sweaters just in case Mother Nature decides to pull a fast one on us. I would have taken some pictures of the process to share, but my closet is so tiny and pitiful, it would only depress you.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

Did anyone else switch-over their closets this weekend too? What is your favorite "getting ready for Spring" activity?

XOXO Bevin

The "Grape" Necklace (again)...

2011-03-16T14:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday Everybody!

I hope you're having a fantastic week so far.

So, EVERYTIME I wear this necklace, someone (usually a student) asks me if those are grapes on my necklace...seriously?

What did make the question today kind of funny, was that I was eating green grapes with my lunch...but no, the beads are not grapes.

necklace: Anthropologie

cardigan: Target

top: JCPenny (she said...)

pants: Anthropologie

clogs: Target

No, they are not grapes. But I wouldn't put it past me to wear fruit hanging from my neck. I totally had (and may still have) a necklace with a pear on it when there was that weird trend a few years back where people wore necklaces with apples and such. And some may still do that...and that's totally cool...but not for me.

DONT'T FORGET! St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow!

Do you have your "green" planned?

Working at a school, I take every precaution to make sure I don't get pinched...bring it.

XOXO Bevin

Wednesday Wordle...

2011-03-16T13:53:00.000-04:00

Wordle is a really neat site that will take your most used words on the front page of your blog and turn them in to a "word cloud" with the words ranging in size depending on how many times they have been used. I'm going to start posting my weekly wordle on Wednesdays...because I like alliteration!

XOXO Bevin

Ten on Tuesday...

2011-03-15T16:00:00.000-04:00

This week's "Ten on Tuesday" c/o Roots and Rings!

1. What is your cleaning style?
I have "self-diagnosed" OCD. I like things in "their place". I love doing laundry and organizing.

2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy?
I like to add height with a heel. Something about standing a little taller makes me feel more dressed up.

3. Do you like stormy weather?
I only like stormy weather when I can sleep during it or read. I HATE storms when I have to drive in them.

4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day?
Frozen grapes, Diet Cherry-Limeade from Sonic (with mozzarella sticks), or a cold beer in a frosty glass.

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day?
Either soup and a grilled cheese sandwich or homemade macaroni n' cheese with red wine.

6. Who is your favorite animated character?
I'm going to be a stereotypical girl my age and say a Disney Princess. Cinderella has always been "my Disney princess". Non-Disney character(s)...Tom & Jerry.

7. What do you keep your jewelry in?
Various places. The majority of my jewelry is in a beaded/embellished box from Target. My longer necklaces are hung on random push-pins in my wall in my room. My earrings are hung on a DIY hanger that I made in college that consists of a wired hanger and pantyhose.

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme?
Only my kitchen...the theme is eating.

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows - if so, what is your favorite?
Not really. They only depress me because of the fact that I don't have an interior to design. But, I do like reading blogs about it.

10. When was the last time you did something rist-taking?
Not a huge risk-taker but I do plan to take some risks in the near future. It's time to make the jump and make things happen.

XOXO Bevin

Chartreuse, I swear...

2011-03-15T15:30:00.001-04:00

Today I'm experimenting with color-blocking. This "chartreuse" top under the cardigan is actually a workout t-shirt from Target. I just loved the color and the $6 price tag and wanted to figure out a way to work it in to my Spring looks. I have plans for more adventurous color-blocking in the near future, but I figured this would be "easing" into it.

So...navy and chartreuse.

Let's go.

I swear the color of this shirt is chartreuse and not just yellow.

Oh the quality of photos here at Bevin à la Mode.

scarf: H&M

cardigan: Old Navy

t-shirt: C9 Champion by Target

navy pants: Gap

oxfords: Target

Headaches this morning...gotta wear the glasses.

"Ten on Tuesday" coming up!

We won! But we lost an hour...

2011-03-14T15:30:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all! Did you have a great weekend!? You couldn't have asked for better weather here in North Carolina. It was beautiful!

My weekend started off Friday night with Book Club with some of the girls I work with. We always have a good time relaxing and having a little fellowship outside of school and discussing books. Then, Saturday my high school alma mater (also the school where I work) was in the 3A State Championship in Basketball in Raleigh,NC. My parents and I decided to drive up and stay the night, I crashed with my brother and his wife.

Well, WE WON! Those boys almost gave me a heart attack though because it was CLOSE the whole game and came down the the last 3 seconds until we finally pulled ahead and won! The hallways at school were widened this morning in order to allow for their egos...but justly so. After the game I went out with my brother and his wife and some of their friends to listen to some bands and hang out. It was a great weekend. The only bad thing is the hour we lost (stupid daylight savings)...still recovering from it and probably will be this whole week.

I went for comfort today in a maxi dress and jean jacket...I didn't get to sleep last night until 1am because of the time change.

scarf: Nordstroms

black t-shirt(eventhough you can't see it well): LOFT

maxi dress: Old Navy

jean jacket: Old Navy

flats: H&M

red earrings: Target

I haven't worn "dangly" earrings in a LONG time...having to get used to them.

I'm fairly simple when it comes to earrings. I did go through a "chandelier" stage in college, but I mostly wear pearl or "diamond" studs now. Then I saw these at Target last week and HAD to have them. Something about having long hair makes me want to wear longer earrings.

XOXO Bevin

Awkward and Awesome Thursday...

2011-03-10T11:30:00.002-05:00

Normally I would split up my "A&AT" post and my outfit post...but today they are somewhat related.

Is anyone else getting the "lovely" rainy, gloomy weather that the southeast is getting right now? Well, rain + my hair = not a good look. So, I didn't wash my hair (dry shampoo) this morning because it was pointless to even make that effort...and I paid the price by having awkward hair today. I ran out of time this morning and didn't have time to curl it (my usual "I didn't wash my hair today" routine) so I went with the side braid...

cream sweater thing: H&M

lgt. blue button down: BITTEN by SJP

black silk skirt: LOFT

belt: H&M

tights and oxfords: Target

This sweater is, I guess, what you call an "open knit". You can definitely see through the knit and is not meant to be worn alone. I have big plans for it during the summer to wear it with my "jorts" and to pull it down on one shoulder with a tank/cami underneath, SEE: Flashdance. But, I thought it'd try it with a collared shirt today...the jury is still out on whether it's a keeper because of where the seams hit on the sleeves, it makes my shoulders look crazy broad.

Halfway through these pictures, I just gave up on the braid and pulled some of my fringe out of my face and let it be awkward.

and now as I type this it's in a ponytail

I'll try again tomorrow. :-/

AWKWARD:

- driving to pick up my mom to get HER car out of the shop, when mine decides to start smoking on the inside, coming from my steering column. Yep. A nice eletrical burn smell. It ended up being that my turning signal shorted out.

- having to get picked up at a gas station by "the guy who works on our cars", and him giving me a ride to my mom's school in a car that he's currently working on that REEKS of cigarette smoke (gross)...and he's a looker too, I tell ya. But he did save me the towing charge by coming later and picking up my car to work on it (they even drop it back off at my house after they fix it)

- when he dropped me off at my mom's school, they had taken the door handles off on the inside while working on the car, and he had to get out and open the door for me to get out.

- I've already covered this one earlier but...my hair today

- MY BLOG at about midnight Tuesday night when I was trying out new layouts, fonts and templates. I swear I went through 5 different looks. I didn't get to bed until 1:30 in the morning.

- having to cover the ISS (In School Suspension) classroom during my "planning" period and making random eye contact with 25 students for an hour and a half. I felt like I was being punished too.

AWESOME:

- my high school is going to the state championship in basketball this weekend in Raleigh and I'm staying with my brother and his wife Kelly! yay family time!

- I'm biting the bullet (thanks to a friends nudging) and starting to research buying a "new" car...I've gotta shake this "crappy car stigma" that has followed me around since...ever

- I'm chaperoning a band trip for a friend next month to Washington D.C.! I've never been there before and I'm really excited! His kids are good and I'll know most of them from last year's trip to Atlanta.

- that "dent" that I put in the back bumper of my mom's car back in November (banning me from ever driving that car again, except for "emergencies") seems to have popped itself out...and only the scratches are left. TAKE THAT STUPID CEMENT BARRIER!!

- a baked sweet potato with cinnamon and brown sugar

- Thursday afternoons when I can catch up on all of the DVR-ed shows I've missed this week so far...FINALLY getting to see Glee!

We are thisclose to the weekend! Keep on truckin'!

XOXO Bevin

Sources of Inspiration

2011-03-09T10:41:00.001-05:00

I've found some awesome blogs lately and my list keeps getting longer and longer of those that I HAVE to check everyday for updates. One that has given me MUCH inspiration lately is The Coveteur. I started reading this one when it was still "The Coveted", before all of the legal messiness that happened because of the name (copyrights). The name has changed but the content is still the same. The concept of the blog is to give an insight into the home, closet, and world of various people who influence the fashion industry in some way and to show what inspires them. It is mostly based on photographs, but with commentary by it's subjects about the pieces. These pictures are constantly used as inspiration and backgrounds on my computer. They have also been featured and posted on my tumblr site (Bevin says...). I highly recommend checking it out

Here are a few of my favorites so far:

(click-through each picture to go to the site)

XOXO Bevin

Hello Old Friend...

2011-03-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever looked in your closet in the morning and found a piece of clothing that you haven't worn in a while and feel like you owe it to that item to wear it? Do you refer to your clothes as living things that have feelings? No? Just me?

...awkward...

ANYWAYS, I saw this dress this morning and realized that I haven't worn this since last Summer. I love this dress because I definitely got it for $25 at Anthropologie last year...and it's awesome (print + pockets = 4 me).

If you are one of my, now, 50 (woohoo!), followers you may have noticed a little re-vamp going on around here. I'm trying out some new templates and layouts. Just a little Spring cleaning...

cardigan: Target

dress: Anthropologie

boots: Born

XOXO Bevin

Ten on Tuesday...

2011-03-08T13:36:00.005-05:00

Welcome to this week's Ten on Tuesday questions c/o Roots & Rings.

1. How did your parents decide on your name?
A lot of people ask me about my first name "Bevin". Well, Mom has told me two stories.
(1) That the name was on a Soap Opera, which would totally make sense for my family...we love Soap Operas. (2) That they thought that I was going to be a boy, and they were going to name me "Devin". When they found out I was going to be a girl, they changed the "D" to a "B" and called it a day. My middle name is "Caitlin". Caitlin is connected to the name Kathleen, which is my mother's name.

2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny?
BCC....not really? But I do love that whenever I get anything monogrammed with my initials (First, Last, Middle) my initials are still the same.

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?)
I am not married...duh. Well, this is difficult because I go by both my first and middle names (Bevin & Caitlin). So, I'm guessing I will more than likely drop my last name...which I'm kind of totally cool with...for those who know the fun people like to have with my last name sometimes.

4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of the same origin...)
That's a no...I do plan on having a significance to the sames, but not a running "theme" to the names.

5. Did you decided on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
Again...I'm not married...and no kids. But I do keep a list of boy and girl names that I would possibly like to name my children in the future. These are names that I've come across in the past and thought "that's interesting." Funny story, when I was a substitute teacher right out of college, when I would get a class roll I would look at the names of the students and take a note of the cool names that I came across. Okay, maybe that's a little weird, but if you've ever been a sub before, you can understand that it's important to find SOMETHING to amuse yourself while you're there. I've actually come up with some "front runners" that way. But of course the final say will come from both my husband and myself.

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
We have a lot of names that are passed down, and I hope to continue in that tradition in the future.

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
I do like for the name to have a meaning because, depending on the meaning, it gives them something to live up to. However, it does help if the name sounds pretty.

8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffly, Mr. Bo Bo)?
I did have a dog named Buddy when I was little. But all of my other dogs have had human names: Murphy, Rudy, Kaite. I think it has to do with the fact that we treat our dogs as members of the family. Now, my "non-dog" pets have had "pet" names. We once had a front-porch cat that adopted us and we lovingly referred to him as "Mr. Cat." Every goldfish I ever owned was called "Goldie." I did have a hand-me-down hampster once that was called Ralph...he was the exception.

9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on childhood experience/someone you once knew?
I've always liked the name Blake for a girl or a guy. It's because my very first crush was on a boy named Blake, but I also like the name Blake for a girl too.

10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?
I really want to name my daughter "Finley." It's a family thing. She'd either go by Finley or Finn. And no, that's not because of Glee! For a boy, I'm kind of letting whoever my husband is make the call on that one. I have some names on my list, but none that are a MUST. But, Finley is definitely one that I'll push for.

XOXO Bevin

Blogger Minnie Mouse...

2011-03-08T09:38:00.002-05:00

It's an Everybody, Everywear day! And today's item is Polka Dots!

Now, I have a black dress with white polka dots that I could have worn, but I (and apparently alot of other ladies participating) decided to bring my polka dots in with an accessory. This is one of my all-time favorite scarves and I got it for $5 at a J.Crew outlet store on clearance!!

Also...I just really wanted to wear my red-orange-whatever color pants again!

I feel like a Blogger Minnie Mouse in my black blazer and red skinnies...and polka dots.

black blazer: Anthropologie

polka dot scarf w/tassels: J.Crew outlet

t-shirt & satin peep-toe flats: H&M

reddish corduroy pants: Gap

XOXO Bevin

Bevin says...

2011-03-07T20:05:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this blog?

Check out my Tumblr blog!!

Bevin says...

Fake it...

2011-03-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

Today is a "fake it" day.

I'm going to "fake it" like I can breathe out of both of my nostrils or any at all.

I'm going to "fake it" like I love going to my job everyday.

I'm going to "fake it" that I'm loving that it's still freezing cold outside.

And I'm going to "fake it" like I picked out this outfit on the first try...

If you can't tell, I've got a serious case of the Monday's going on right now. Brought on even more by the fact that either a cold or allergies has brought about this loveliness in my sinuses. I blame the fact that Mother Nature can't seem to make up her frickin' mind about the temperature. It's been warm/hot one day and then FREEZING the next day. I'm putting off switching over my closet for right now because I'm afraid if I pull out all of my spring/summer things...it's going to snow or something crazy like that.

ANYWAYS....change of subject.

This past weekend, I went to Greensboro, NC for the regional finals for the high school basketball championship, in which the high school where I work (and where I attended!) was playing.

Good news! We won! We're going to the championship game in Raleigh next Saturday!

Bad news...we stopped at an Applebee's to eat on the way home from the game.

I. Hate. Applebee's. We ended up stopping there because, at the time, the next "decent" restaurant (AKA Ruby Tuesday's or Chili's) was 20 miles away and we were starving. So, we sucked it up and had high hopes for a quality experience. Well, it was all down hill from the beginning. When we were "ready" to order, the waitress sat down at the table with us to take our order. Now, some may find this comforting and "homey" but I just find it tacky. Stand up to take our order, please. Then, after I ordered my side salad and pitiful tomato soup (not a single vegetarian option on the menu) we were blasted by the TV above us because the bartender decided he needed to be able to hear the game (ps TARHEELS WIN!!!!). We got someone to turn down the volume, but every 10 minutes the volume would go back up again...and we, again, would ask for it to be turned down. Mind you, we were NOT sitting in the bar area. That's how loud it was. Then, after I got my salad (which had bacon on it...seriously??), we sat for about 10 minutes until we actually got silverware with which to EAT our food. It was just bad. So, if you're ever in Lexington, NC and looking for somewhere to eat...don't stop at the Applebee's...actually no matter where you are...just say no. Keep driving. The Ruby Tuesday's salad bar will make those 20 miles worth it.

cardigan: Target

t-shirt: H&M

skirt: LOFT

tights and oxfords: Target

XOXO Bevin

Music Monday...

2011-03-07T11:00:00.002-05:00

Wow...I haven't done one of these in a while! Here's what I've been listening to lately.

1. ADELE - Rumor Has It

2. Britney Spears - Till the World Ends

3. The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness

4. Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know

5. Cage the Elephant - Shake Me Down

6. The Beatles - Cry Baby Cry

7. The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart

8. Arcade Fire - Ready to Start

9. Middle Class Rut - New Low

10. ADELE - Someone Like You

XOXO Bevin

Awkward and Awesome Thursdays...

2011-03-03T11:08:00.002-05:00

Awkward:

- covering a class for another teacher when they are absent and the students thinking you're a substitute teacher.

(this morning)

student in the parking lot: "Oh hey Ms. C.! Who are you here for today??"

me: "Oh no sweetie I'm not a sub, I work here...everyday..."

- having a very vivid dream about rattlesnakes being in your house and waking up yelling "Rattlesnakes!!!" in the middle of the night.

- eating at The Penguin in Charlotte and when I try to put my menu back in the holder on the table I hit my cup of ranch for my fried pickles (yum-o!) and it flies across the room...pretty good distance. Then having to ask the waitress for another cup of ranch.

- almost having a "Marylin" moment in the middle of a fire drill on a windy day

- having chili cheese dip and meatball sauce dumped on you at a potluck lunch at work by your father (it even got in my shoes!!!) and having to wear his jacket the rest of the day...it's a good look.

- Charlie Sheen...

(found on tumblr)

Awesome:

- Sunny days and being appropriately dressed for the occasion

- Sonic mozzarella sticks and a diet-cherry limeaide on a Wednesday afternoon with the windows down and the radio turned up

- exploring in new vintage/thrift stores

- trying on a the bright pink skirt I bought at above-mentioned vintage store when I got home and realizing it has pockets too!!

- this week's episode of Modern Family

- going to Buffalo Exchange's website and seeing this...

XOXO Bevin

Tiger Blood...

2011-03-02T15:30:00.003-05:00

Oh Charlie Sheen (Carlos Estevez)...I was on his IMDB page today and did you know that he's played 5 different roles in his career where his character's name was "Charlie"? I thought that was interesting.

This dress is from my trip to H&M a few weekends ago in Georgia. I didn't realize that the ruffle wouldn't show up that well in these pictures, but that's what is hanging from the bottom of the dress. The ruffle starts at the neckline and then falls from there. It is a great chiffon-ish fabric that will be amazing and light in the Spring/Summer.

cardigan: Anthropologie

dress: H&M

belt & necklace: H&M

gold ballet flats: Target

XOXO Bevin

Ten on Tuesday...

2011-03-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

This week's Ten on Tuesday c/o Roots & Rings...

1. What type of cell phone do you have and how would you rate it?
I have an iPhone 3GS and I LOOOOOOVE it! It was a big deal when I got my iPhone because I also got my own phone plan at the same time. It was one step in gaining my independence. It was also a big deal because I FINALLY could text without my Dad yelling at me. As a Virgo, I love organization and I loved all of the multitasking I can do with my phone. I'm so glad I decided to get an iPhone and not a Blackberry.

2. What has been your most serious injury?
Well, this isn't going to be very interesting because I've never actually broken any bones (knock on wood) but I can be very clumsy. I've jammed fingers and sprained ankles but most of my "injuries" involve my skin. I have very sensitive skin. I had a bad case of Sun Poisoning once when I went to the beach with my friend's family...talk about painful and uncomfortable. I've had various boughts with contact dermatitis and hives. It's all glamorous really.

3. What is one movie you hate and why?
I can usually get behind any kind of movie but I hate movies where dogs (specifically) die/get hurt in the story: i.e. Homeward Bound, I Am Legend, etc. I cry and then I get mad that I'm crying. It's not a "good cry" either.

4. How many e-mail addresses do you have?
I have four. I still have my old college e-mail address, my yahoo e-mail, my Gmail account (which I also have my college e-mails sent to), and my work e-mail.

5. What website do you waste the most time on?

That would definitely be Twitter...with tumblr in a close 2nd. I am constantly refreshing both.

6. Which Mexican restaurant makes the best salsa?

Lately my favorite has been On the Border's salsa. But, El Jalisco, my favorite Mexican place from college, more approriately known as "El Jal" (Hell), has the perfect salsa.

7. What is your dream car?

I have always loved Volkswagon Beetles. My dad had an old one when I was little and I loved that thing. When I was in middle school and the "new beetles" were just coming out, my room was decorated in posters with the "bugs" on them. I would love nothing more than a cute (newer) Beetle. Not even a convertible one. I just want a little car with a good sound system (or atleast a CD player), maybe a sunroof, that I am not constantly worrying will blow up or break down at any moment...cars are a sore subject for me.

8. If you could spend up to $100 with no strings attached or restrictions or guilt, what would you buy?

This is going to be a lame answer...but I would actually save it. I'm trying to figure out somewhere to go this summer or spring break and putting a random $100 given to me in my savings account sounds good right about now. I'm determined to make it to NYC again sometime soon and so maybe I'd put that away and spend it later in NYC on a Broadway ticket or for an extra night's stay.

9. What is your favorite board game?

That would be Cranium. I love trivia, I love singing/humming, I love playing with play-doh...it's all good. Technically my favorite is Apples to Apples...but that's not a board game, I guess.

10. How often do you change your hairstyle?

I usually change it more often than I have been. I usually change it every six-months, but since I'm growing out my hair and my highlights I just go in for a trim every 3 months. Fact: this is the longest I've gone without a drastic hair change since high school. I haven't had color/highlights put on my hair since last May...that's crazy for me.

XOXO Bevin

Hey Shawty...

2011-03-01T15:30:00.005-05:00

Cropped pants make me look short.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not an Amazonian Goddess, but I am a decent height and a "go-to" for getting things off of high shelves. But it's true (Linley talked about this last week) that cropped pants are an instant "leg shortener".

But I still think they're cute and who doesn't like things "mini"?

So today...I am fun-sized.

floral sketch scarf: H&M

sweatshirt blazer: Gap

white t-shirt: H&M

cropped pants: NY&Co.

peep-toe satin flats: H&M

XOXO Bevin

2011 Oscars Red Carpet Recap...

2011-02-28T09:45:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday everyone!

I know, I kind of grunted when I just read that too.

But the good news is that you will have plenty of red carpet critiques

to read today to get you through!

So here is my personal take on the gowns that we saw last night at the 2011 Oscars.

First, before I get started. I just wanted to point out that E! was NOT on its game last night. I was disappointed that they were not showing the fashion during the interviews. I missed the panning up and down the person while they were talking. All they did was go to Guiliana and Kelly Osbourne after the fact to talk about it...not good. ABC, however, was very good! Tim Gunn was a great addition to the red carpet coverage and his commentary was great!

So...without further ado, I'm going to try to sound like I know what I'm talking about...

the worst"-ish"

No one was CRAZY off last night, but I was "not as impressed" with these choices

Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott

I love the color and the sparkle on her, but the neckline WITH that necklace

...and I'm never a fan of a cap-sleeve

Melissa Leo in Marc Bouwer

I actually kind of like this dress but I was turned off from it during her acceptance speech (which was awesome) when you could see tons of makeup on the collar of the dress from it rubbing against her face.

Reese Witherspoon in Armani Privé

I know! Reese on a worst dressed list???

I love her hair and makeup...but this dress is a little too Jessica McLintock Prom 2003-ish for me.

She could have done better.

Marisa Tomei in Vintage Charles James

From the hips-up...I love it. Not so much everything else.

Nicole Kidman in Dior haute couture

I admit it was brave of her to wear Dior so soon after the Galliano controversy.

However, I don't like the origami hips or the piecy bangs...a little messy for her.

and for the good...not best...but good

-I loved that Anne Hathaway brought Valentino with her on the red carpet. I love red on Anne, especially "Valentino Red".

-Camila Alves was gorgeous in Kaufman Fracno. Classic.

-Celine Dion was stunning in Armani Privé. Hello! She just had twins!!!!

-Michelle Williams was much improved from her Golden Globes dress in this Chanel haute couture gown. Also, who else loved that Busy Phillips was her date!? Dawson's Creek 4 Life.

-No one can argue with the fact that JHud looks AMAZING! But her boobs looked like they were screaming in this Atelier Versace gown.

-Halle Berry looks so ethereal in Marchesa, but I like her with a little more of an edge.

-Oh ScarJo...I was torn about this look. The color of this Yves Saint Laurent dress is amazing and it hugs her in all the right places, but I'm just not feeling the hair. I know a lot of people on twitter were loving it last night, but I like to see a little more polish at the Oscars. Her makeup is flawless though.

Saving the BEST for last!

Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein Collection

I love the shimmer and the earrings and brooch are amazing!

Hailee (don't call me Seinfeld) Steinfeld in Marchesa

Ohmygoodness doesn't she look like a princess!? So age aproppriate, and those shoes are awesome.

Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein Collection

Just like Emma Stone did at the Globes (also in CK collection), Jennifer shows that as a young woman in Hollywood, understated, streamlined, and classic can be sexy and classy at the same time. She was the first I saw on the red carpet and what a way to kick off the night!! Her hair and makeup were perfect.

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy haute couture

Never to disappoint. I know there were some mixed feelings about this one. But, I love it. Also, I had a fleeting moment during the red carpet coverage where I was seriously considering chopping my hair off to look like her's...but then it passed.

I'm putting these two together...

Natalie Portman (and child) in Rodarte

Perfection.

Mila Kunis in Eli Saab couture

This color is amazing on her.

and now...my girl

Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier

I love that she finally got some attention on the red carpet. I have always loved her style and I hate that she is often overlooked. She is sticking with Monique Lhuillier lately, but it works for her.

XOXO Bevin

(all photos from Style.com)

Awkward and Awesome Thursday...

2011-02-24T16:27:00.000-05:00

Awkward:

- looking at awkwardfamilyphotos.com on your laptop while sitting in front of your class when they're doing work...uncontrollable laughter. doubled awkwardness

- coming *this close* to hitting a student in the parking lot in the morning...same kid, everyday...maybe we should be teaching them to walk.

- being able to recognize which kind of Girl Scout Cookie someone has just from the color of the box...I have a problem (I wasn't a Girl Scout either)

- this week's Glee episode. I get what they were trying to say (and it was hilarious) but it was, sort of, glorifying underage drinking.
- my hair yesterday...it was just wrong and flat and bleh.

Awesome:

- new ablums! Radiohead's new album is amazing. I am never disappointed with their music. Also, ADELE's new album was released this week. It has been in heavy rotation all week...if you haven't heard it...get to it.
- old albums! I have reunited with "The White Album" and it's glorious

- sunny, breezy afternoons outside with my dog.
- a peanut butter and banana sandwich...with mayonnaise. Yes, mayo. It sounds digusting to most but it's delicious to me!
- new nail polish! Essie in "cute as a button"

XOXO Bevin

Fill in the Blank...

2011-02-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

And now for the seasonal "I'm ready for the next season, I'm tired of whatever season it is. I want to be able to wear item(s) of clothing indicitive of said season" post.

I am ready for spring! I'm tired of winter and the clouds. I want to be able to wear dresses and sandals and lighter layers. There...I've said it. Now, not to say that I don't love tights and boots and sweaters...but after a while it gets old. I'm ready for bare (pale) legs and pedicures that DON'T go unseen.

I bought this dress at H&M last weekend. I love how this week's outfits have been incorporating one item, each day, that I've recently purchased. I bought this with the plans of wearing it with sandals and hints of red or gold in the spring/summer.

Bring it on Sunshine! But for now...tights and boots will have to do. wa wa waaaaaaaaah.

dress: H&M

belt: H&M

tights: Target

boots: Born (Dillards)

XOXO Bevin

Great "tucking" skirt...

2011-02-23T15:30:00.003-05:00

Can you say J.Crew knock-off?

This skirt was another one of my Gap purchases from this past weekend. I believe it ended up being about $5. Not too shabby for a great black skirt! I haven't had a good "tucking" skirt in a while. Wow...make sure you read that last sentence carefully.

Between the black and brown, the skinny belt,

and the fake J.Crew blue/white gingham button up...I feel like Jenna Lyons

Well...kind of.

gingham button-up: Old Navy

skirt: Gap

belt: H&M

tights and oxfords: Target

XOXO Bevin

"Fun Pants"...

2011-02-22T15:30:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I bought some "fun pants" this weekend at the Gap. These are the fun pants...enjoy.

cardigan: Old Nay

t-shirt: H&M

pants: Gap

flats: H&M

The jury is still out on the actual COLOR of these fun pants...

I've settled on a red-orange-coral.

In person they are definitely not just a pair of red pants.

Oh...and they're cords too.

and $9.00 on super-duper clearance.

I'm excited to see what I can do with these.

I wore floral scarf with this outfit after I took these pictures this morning and it looks amazing...maybe I'll update this post later with a picture!

XOXO Bevin

Ten on Tuesday...

2011-02-22T11:00:00.001-05:00

This week's edition of "Ten on Tuesday" c/o Roots and Rings.

1. What are your thoughts on Valentine's Day? Do you love it? Hate it?

This answer is about to make be sound SO bitter...But, I think Valentine's Day is fine. However, I don't like the idea of ONE DAY a year when you are supposed to profess your love to those you care for. You should be doing this all of the time. And yes, I am single...and no I have never actually had a Valentine ON Valentine's Day. I don't love or hate it...but I could definitely do without it in my life.

2. What is your favorite romantic comedy?

"When Harry Met Sally"...a classic though "Funny Face"

3. Meg Ryan & John Mellencamp: what's your first reaction?

Good for them. I like them both individually as artists. I think everyone collectively who has loved Meg Ryan in all of the rom/coms she's been in just wants her to be happy and in love for real.

4. All time favorite poem or quote?
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different" - Coco Chanel

5. What's the longest amount of time you've gone without sleep?

There was one time in college when I experienced the elusive "all-nighter" which led to me staying awake for more than 24 hours. I didn't even get a nap. I never happened again...I love sleep too much.

6. What color ink do you prefer to use?

I prefer black ink. A good dark black. My favorite pen, ever since college, is a Pilot G2. But don't leave them in a hoodie pocket when you go to do laundry. I did that TWICE in college and ruined two whole LOADS of laundry...suck.

7. Share with us a blog(s) that you recently found and fell in love with.
Here's 3 in addition to the many tumblr feeds I've started following. 1) The Coveteur...an interesting look at the closets and living spaces of those in the fashion industry. 2) Into the Gloss...backstage access to the beauty industry and tips from notables in fashion (models, editors, stylists, etc.). 3) The Man Repeller...hilarious blog about fashion trends that women love and men hate.

8. If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose?

The Amazing Race. My teammate would either be my Mother (because we're really funny when we get lost...entertainment) or my best friend Kameron (because I annoy him with my quirks and that would also bring the giggles).

9. Mountains or Beach?

Being of the pale variety. I prefer the Mountains. I like cool air and changing leaves. I do enjoy the beach, but the possibilities of sunburn frighten me.

10. With the Oscars around the corner, what's your pick for best picture?

I've actually only seen 3 of the films nominated for Best Picture (Toy Story 3, Inception, and The Social Network). Based on the ones that I've seen, I pick The Social Network. But I think either the Kings Speech or Black Swan will win.

XOXO Bevin

Doomed...

2011-02-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Well, if the "30 for 30" challenge and shopping ban wasn't doomed last week after being sickly, it's for sure dead now. I went to my grandparents' house this weekend in Georgia and there may have been a trip to the Mall of Georgia in Buford. There is an H&M at that mall...nuff said. I dropped some dough and dignity at H&M; I got some fun accessories and things for Spring. The Gap had a good sale going on and I picked up some fun pants (yeah, fun pants...they exist) and a honeysuckle cardigan. There was also a cute boutique shop that had some headbands and scarves that caught my eye and my bank account. And of course...Sephora. There was also a table set up with Girl Scout cookies...screwed.

scarf: Fiore

chambray: Gap

navy pants: Gap

gold flats: Target

belt: H&M

I hope you had a great weekend!

Think of me while you are enjoying your holiday today (if you got today off from work).

We were supposed to have President's Day off but we're still making up snow days from January when we didn't go to school for a week.

No more days off until April 22nd...and that's Spring Break.

Bevin XOXO 

The Leftovers...

2011-02-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

Here are the two leftover 30 for 30 outfits before I got sick and the weather decided to be awesome. I do hate that I had to stop, but I don't honestly think I had enough of a break in between the one in the fall and this one...so there, I said it. :-/

#12

{cardigan: Target, shirt: Old Navy, jeans: Old Navy, boots: Born, belt: Charlotte Russe}

My 30 Items

#13

{cardigan: Old Navy, top: Target, shorts: Anthropologie, boots: Born}

My 30 Items

...so there it is...

the end of my Winter 30 for 30.

Tomorrow...MORE OUTFIT POSTS!

XOXO Bevin

Awkward & Awesome Thursdays...

2011-02-17T06:16:00.001-05:00

This week's edition of Awkward and Awesome Thursdays...

Awkward:
1. Being sick and missing work.
2. Having something in the back of your throat and not being able to "cough it loose"
3. Trying to work on a blog post during your lunch break and finding that ~~blogger is now blocked on the school server...suck~~ Nevermind
4. Watching this week's Glee episode that was crawling with Justin Beiber and having to fight the urge to hate the episode because of it...darn you Beibs!
5. Having a student ask you what you did for Valentine's Day and you telling them that you spent it all day in bed...with tissues, medicine, and ginger ale.

Awesome:
1. possibly, maybe, getting over a sickness
2. How amazingly awesome my co-workers are for helping me out when I was out sick
3. Ginger Ale.
4. Having your appetite back!!!
5. knowing that this weekend I'm going to see my family in Georgia and there is going to be a "Chocolate Party" and a puppy involved.

One last Awkward though.

Unfortunately, because of this lovely sickness, I have been pushed back on the "30 for 30" and I am feeling better, but at this point I can't finish it. Between the weather changing and warming up and not liking that this has added more days to the challenge, I am going to have to resign from this edition of the challenge. I am totally going to do one in the Spring/Summer because I'm interested to try it with a "different closet". But yeah, I'm done. All I wanted to wear to work yesterday was a dress and blazer that were not in my 30 Items...so I did. I am just going bow out gracefully.

BUT DON'T FRET those of you who found me because of the challenge! This being a personal style blog...outfit posts will be a daily here...you will just get to see MORE of what I've got!

XOXO Bevin

2011-02-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

Greetings and salutations from my living room couch. I am currently dealing with a nasty, Lord knows what, kind of flu-cold situation. I have outfit posts to make, but I will wait until I am feeling better. Sadly, this means I will be behind on my outfits for the 30 for 30.

I would love to describe the emsemble that I am rocking today:

b/w plaid pajama pants

hoodie from high school (perfectly broken in)

greasy hair in a messy bun

kozy socks with dogs on them

ya know...always keeping it chic.

I hope you are all having a fabulous Valentine's Day! I will be spending it with my new boyfriend Robitussin...I think it's getting serious.

XOXO Bevin