Comfort

Compared to a lot of my outfits, this one felt like I was wearing pajamas - a comfy t-shirt, stretchy skirt, and flat shoes are a recipe for a happy Stacey! Outfits like this always happen after I've spent too many days wearing heels or fitted clothes, and I just need a day to let my feet recover. (Or my belly - I'm pretty much constantly sucking in my stomach if I'm wearing a belt at the waist.)

Striped shirt: Old Navy

Gray cardigan: Gap

Black maxi skirt: TJ Maxx

Strawberry print flats: Asos

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold earrings: Forever 21

Red scarf: thrifted

Gold leaf cuff bracelet: In Pink

Frolicking

Josh and I spent Saturday frolicking around in fields, in case you couldn't tell from these photos. Okay, not really, but we did walk out into a field and take some photos at his sister's farm. They have fifty acres of grassy fields, blackberry bushes (yum!), a barn, a lake, an old overgrown train track, and lots of little kids who think we're super cool. We like going there :)

It's hard to see, but in these photos I'm wearing the Jeffrey Campbell boots from this post. Everyone always looks at me like I'm crazy when I say any of my shoes with heels are comfortable, but I swear: these are so comfortable. I tramped around for an hour in their fields in these four inch heels, and my feet were just fine the whole time. (So were my boots - it hasn't rained here for like two months, so there wasn't any mud.)

My handsome husband!

Orange shirt: Target

Brown striped sweater: Cynthia Rowley from TJ Maxx

Brown leather skirt: thrifted from Goodwill (Target brand)

Beige boots: Jeffrey Campbell (Rumble boots) from Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry

Brown belt: thrifted

Bracelet: gift from my mom, from Belize

Fried

The title of this post is referring to both the temperature and the state of my brain. We've been experiencing a heat wave here, and I love it. I wore this dress on Monday, a 90-degree day, and felt perfectly comfortable all day long. The eye-assaulting colors and print made me pretty happy, too :)

As for my brain, well...I love the tax class I'm taking, but after every class I come home completely exhausted and unable to do anything except look at pictures of pretty clothes in magazines for the rest of the evening. (Which is actually not a bad way to spend two nights a week.)

Dress: Nordstrom Rack

Brown sandals: Nordstrom Rack

Earrings: free from my aunt

Bracelet: gift from my mom, from Belize

Weekend fun

Here's my outfit from Sunday! We were surrounded for the whole photo shoot by geese pecking at the grass and squirrels running around like mad (in the photos below), which was very entertaining.

On Saturday we went down to Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel with some friends, and were highly disappointed to discover that you had to pay $9 just to get in to the beer garden, so we went elsewhere to drink beer :) But first we stopped at the Mt. Angel Abbey, which was gorgeous. (Those photos are at the bottom of the post.)

Green dress: gift from my dad, vintage

Jean jacket: thrifted from Rerun

Blue and green wedges: Nine West from Nordstrom Rack

White belt: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Dragon necklace: purchased in China

My friend Rachel and her awesome sparkly top!

The abbey

Calvin, the cutest baby in the whole world (named after Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes!)

Eric and Matt trying to do gang signs for the camera

The grounds of the abbey

Neutral

New boots! Yay! I've had a slight obsession with Jeffrey Campbell shoes ever since I discovered them a few years ago. I know they're too outrageous for most people, but that's why I love them. Yet somehow, the only two pairs I own are actually fairly normal (for JC's, that is): these red wedge sandals, and the beige boots pictured here. For 4-inch heels, these boots are incredibly comfortable. I bet I could walk around downtown for hours in them. The ankles are a bit more fitted than I would like, but they're not uncomfortable.

And true to form, I didn't even pay full price for these. I found a discount code, so I got them for $139 instead of $155, and then I had $80 in rewards from my credit card, so I only paid $59 of my own money. I always feel a little proud of myself when I buy something I've been wanting for a long time for a discounted price.

Gray sweater: free from my aunt

Denim skirt: Gap

Beige boots: Jeffrey Campbell (Rumble boots) from Urban Outfitters

Gold necklace: Dress Barn

Brown belt: thrifted

Brown bracelet: gift, from Italy

Island Cafe

On Saturday Josh and I took a trip to Island Cafe with some of my family members. It's a restaurant floating in the marina off Hayden Island (which is on the Columbia River), and it's only open during the warm months of the year. What I love about it, apart from the great food (and the excellent mango margaritas, and the pleasant experience of sitting in the sunshine next to the river), is that you can take your boat or kayak or paddle board right up to the restaurant and enter via the water. You can also look over the railing and see ducks swimming around in the water, and sometimes they hop up on the deck and wander around under the tables.

This is what I wore to the restaurant, and at the last minute I stuck on the hat because I figured we'd be sitting out in the sun. Until Saturday I forgot I had this belt, and I'm so glad I rediscovered it. I may have worn it backwards, but I liked it best that way.

Green patterned dress: vintage

Green sandals: Blowfish Shoes

Green hat: vintage, gift from my dad

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Brown belt: thrifted

Gold bracelet: gift from my mom, from Yosemite

Brown bag: Eva Messenger Bag from Ellington Handbags

65 degrees

It was fairly chilly outside on Sunday, so I put a sweater over my dress, and when I went outside I found myself wishing I had tights on. I think it was only 65 degrees (so not actually that cold), but when you're used to 85 degrees, 65 degrees feels like tights weather! I love summer, but I will admit it: I miss layering.

I can't believe I only posted on this blog twice last week - I think that's the least I've posted since I started this thing more than a year ago. Even though my new tax class only takes an extra 12 hours a week, that's still 12 hours of free time I don't have anymore, and I've had to re-evaluate my priorities. I've been focusing on doing my favorite things in my free time, which means reading and hanging out with Josh, and maybe once I get used to my new schedule I'll be able to start catching up on all the blog reading I've missed.

Blue sweater: Anthropologie

Floral dress: Target

Red wedges: Jeffrey Campbell from Lulu's

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Red earrings: gift

Necklace: free from my aunt

Floral embroidered bracelet: thrifted from Village Merchants

Red belt: free from my aunt

The Rose Garden

On Saturday evening Josh and I headed up to the Rose Garden at Washington Park. It's such a beautiful park, and one of my favorite places in the whole city. Since Oregon weather has already turned towards fall (crisp mornings, leaves changing color), I figured I should probably wear these shorts and wedges as many times as possible before I have to tuck them away for the rest of the year.

White t-shirt: Walgreens (?)

Mint green cardigan: Old Navy

Pink shorts: Loft

Blue and green wedges: Nine West from Nordstrom Rack

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Gold necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Pink bracelet: H&M

Green bracelet: thrifted from Village Merchants

Patterns

It's hard to believe, but I get more compliments when I wear this dress than I do with almost any other dress. I don't really get it - I mean, it's kind of shapeless and weird. Which of course is what drew me to it, but it doesn't explain everyone else's fascination with it. Apparently the dress alone wasn't eye-assaulting enough for me, because I felt compelled to throw on these strawberry print shoes as well. Yes, it was overkill, but it made me happy.

Happy Labor Day to all you Americans! I hope you enjoy your barbecues and picnics :)

(Mr. Onyx was desperate to be near me during this photo shoot, so I had to include this photo...)

Dress: vintage (I think it's from House of Vintage)

Jean jacket: thrifted from Rerun

Strawberry print flats: Asos

Bracelets: made by me!