Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection

I'd consider myself a bit of a Target addict and I'm pretty sure a hefty chunk of our monthly budget goes to The Red Store (as Truman calls it). I mean, do you guys read the Crappy Pictures blog? The post when she talks about Target being a hypnotic red eye that lures you into buying things you did not know you even needed? YES. I love that blog (which, by the way, my Google Reader has NOT been updating those posts lately and I honestly thought the blog was shut down!) and I love Target.

So when one of the managers at my favorite Red Store contacted me to see if I'd want to participate in a program of theirs, I immediately perked up. Um, duh! Now I know I've never done ads on here or anything like that. I guess I've been holding out for the right company to contact me because I really don't want to be viewed as a sellout. I've made it 5 years without turning this blog into anything that makes me a dime, but really? Target? A store that I frequent at least weekly if not more? Kind of a no-brainer.

I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon. No, not at all. But I didn't want to feel like I was lying to you, just randomly posting about Target out of the blue without telling you that yes, I am getting a little gift card out of the deal. But I hope you don't consider me a sellout because... it's Target. Right?!

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, let's get down to it. When the Target manager emailed me about the Holiday24 collection, I clicked on the link she sent me, stared at all of the pretty gifts the amazing designers came up with, and emailed back to say, 'Yes, I would love to blog about this!' Because how awesome is it that Target and Neiman Marcus are pairing up to produce 50 different gifts from 24 high-end designers? I'm not sure I'm cool or hip enough (or rich enough) to shop at Neiman Marcus, but if these designers are coming to Target? Holla. Welcome to my second home, designers.

All of the gifts will be available online and in stores tomorrow Saturday, December 1. Good call on selling the stuff simultaneously online and in stores, especially for those of us who love to shop on the internet and avoid the masses of crazed people out there. I guess the quantities are pretty limited and it sounds like a lot of the items might go quickly, which reminds me of when their Missoni for Target collection came out. But this 50-piece list has me drooling over a few specific items that would be at the top of my Christmas wish list.

First, there is this freaking adorable red dress for little girls by Jason Wu. It's $59.99 and the smallest size is 12 months. Which, hello! Cecelia could totally rock this baby for Christmas! I'd probably pair it with some black Mary Janes and a little shrug on top. And a giant Christmas-y bow on top of her head, just because I can't help myself sometimes. In fact I did get a red dress sort of like this with shoes, shrug, and headband today at a consignment store. Definitely my style, I guess. 

Then everything else that caught my eye is for myself. Is that a problem? Gotta love being in the Christmas spirit of giving when my own wish list is miles longer than the list for others. Ahem.

But this dress by Lela Rose that's $99.99 would be a great gift to myself. I could see wearing it with a black cardigan for my company's holiday party (if I was in town to actually attend this year) or definitely as a wedding guest. Can't ever have too many dresses to wear to weddings at this stage of my life.

And because I'm really tired of using my diaper bag as a purse, wouldn't it be nice to have this adorable metallic pouch from Marc Jacobs ($69.99) on the days I feel like being a cool mom? I mean, obvi it wouldn't match well with my giant red baby car seat or Thomas the Train toys that I'm always lugging around with me, but for a fancy date night with Nate? Totally. Or one of those many weddings we always seem to be attending.

I'm a sucker for scarves lately because I feel like they can dress up an outfit that would normally be really boring and plain. They make me feel grown up but not stuffy and they are a great way to distract the eye from my giant breastfeeding boobs. So this black flowy scarf by Marc Jacobs ($69.99) is another fave. I think that Marc Jacobs and I could be best of friends if I actually shopped at Neimans, by the way. 

In the same vein as me pretending to be a cool and hip mom, I am obsessed with this tote for $59.99 by Oscar de la Renta. I hate to say it because I'm SUCH a mom with this statement, but this tote would make a great diaper-bag-in-disguise. And it's dressy enough with the subtle holiday print that I could feasibly wear it with my 'fancy' non-yoga pant outfits, but it's simple enough to work with my beloved LuLu's, too;) 

Now this top is not something that would pair well with yoga pants. But for a Christmas party or New Years Eve? Perfect. I'm always drawn to tops that have a big ruffle down the front like this and the sheer black material is really fun, too. Robert Rodriguez made this baby for $79.99. I dig it.

And the last item that made my wish list? These plates by Tracy Reese for $39.99. I'd never thought I'd be the kind to put plates on walls for decor but these four could change my mind---can't you picture them with a bunch of other varying sized vintage plates? Kind of like this? I can. But I would also use these plates for actual dessert as intended because we eat a lot of dessert in this household. Just not off plates as pretty as these.

Do you guys have some favorites from the collection? Anyone brave the crowds or order Holiday24 gifts online? What did you think?

nursing gear

I know this post won't help a lot of you out there in blogland, but maybe just a few of you will find it worthwhile to read. At the end of my pregnancy, one of the things on my To-Do list was to find good nursing apparel because I knew I didn't want to shop for it after baby Truman arrived. Lucky for me, Hannah sent me a great email with links to good choices that worked for her and I totally went off of that for the most part. I ended up packing a few bras and a tank along with some nursing tops in my hospital bag to use right after delivery and I was glad I did. I wouldn't have been comfortable in my maternity clothes but regular clothes weren't the answer either. So here is what I have so far.

First come my tank tops. I love layering clothes anyway so these are totally my style. I like having my tummy covered up, too, since it's not quite back to it's former state of being yet.

This tank from Target is a little scary when you pull down the outer layer:) But for $17 I like it well enough. Try not to scream at this picture...



My big splurge was this nursing tank from Pea in the Pod, which was $38 but worth every penny.
I love it because it's stretchy and sucks in the tummy a bit, has removable formed cups to hide nippage, and straps that can be arranged into different styles depending on your outfit. I wish I had 4 more of them.


Onto the bras!!

This one was another splurge from Pea in the Pod at $32. I have it in the nude color and it's super soft.


And then I bought two of these cheaper bras from Motherhood Maternity, only $15 each. I have one in black and one in white.
For nursing tops I had to get a little creative because I found a lot of the stuff out there to be completely hideous. When adjusting to your postpartum body, you want to feel as pretty as possible and not like a giant blob in ugly clothes, you know? Maternity tops look frumpy but form-fitting regular tops aren't the answer, either. I really like being able to pull my boob out from the top of shirts instead of lifting up the whole thing because it's easier and then you don't have to stare down at your belly while nursing, either. I'm not to the point where I like wearing a regular top for nursing just because of the extra step of pulling it up to my chin...call me lazy, I guess but when you nurse 12 times a day it's all about ease! Here is what works for me:

This one came highly recommended by Hannah and I just wish there were more colors to choose from because I like it so much. It's from Gap and is now on sale, of course, but I think I paid $19 for it?
Note that it's not a maternity shirt, and not a 'nursing' top but it just has a lower V-neck with buttons that allow for easy boob access. This is KEY when looking for nursing tops, in my opinion. I got it in a size bigger than I normally would just to let the tummy breathe a bit and I am glad I did but probably could have just gotten my usual size and it would have been fine since it's not a tight fitting shirt anyway.

Going with this theme of non-maternity, non-nursing, but easy access, I found this little bugger in size TALL at Gap. Whoo hoo for the tall ladies of the world!
It was $15 and I love how lightweight it is. Again, I probably could have gotten my regular size but went one size up just in case. I might order a few more of these now that I'm looking at it...

My favorite top is probably this one, which is also in a size TALL and it's from Old Navy. For just $20 you can't beat it and of course, it just has those buttons which makes it a 'nursing top' for me:)

My least favorite top is this one from Old Navy, a true 'nursing top' for $15. It's just way too big for me around the tummy and makes me feel too frumpy. Maybe with a smaller size I'd like it more but it's just sort of odd on me.

I also wear my fave pre-pregnancy zip up hoodies over a bra or tank and then just zip it down for boobie time. It's so nice to be able to zip up my hoodies again!

So that's that. Hope it helped someone out there!

So three thousand and eight

Who else is loving the Boom Boom Pow song lately? Black Eyed Peas are the bomb. This will be a sort of miscellany post for you this fine Monday afternoon....but I really wanted to use the 3008 as a title because I *heart* it. I also *heart* being off on a Monday....don't get too jealous, since I had to work yesterday on Mother's Day. As the ONLY non-mother in my department I had to volunteer for that one and now my Monday is simply divine:) A long run, a long nap, a butt load of coffee, and catching up on everything I didn't do yesterday. Ah, a faux weekend day is just what I needed.

1. Not only am I obsessed with the BEP song but also, we bought the new Silversun Pickups album and holy crap, I love them. Last summer my ultra-hip brother-in-law introduced me to them and I put their song 'Three Seed" on repeat for about four months at a time. Then I heard their new single "Panic Switch" on the radio the other day and decided it was time to invest in their full album, Swoon. It rules, go and buy it right now [that's Swoon on the far right but aren't all of their albums gorge, too?]

They remind me of a mix between Smashing Pumpkins and maybe even a hint of Garbage, but with a sound uniquely their own. "Lazy Eye" from their Carnavas album is probably their most mainstream but honestly, the songs that aren't on the radio are even better.

Two other single song purchases to rave about: "Closer" by Kings of Leon and "Show Me What I'm Looking For" by Carolina Liar. Totally obsessed. Does anyone else get overly into new song purchases like me? Nate thinks I wear them out within a week from playing them too much but I guess that's just my intense nature:)

2. So apparently when I get birthday money, I cannot force myself to buy nice everyday items of clothing. I am in desparate need of Spring and Summer wardrobe staples like shorts, semi-casual tops, and of course I could use a new dress to wear to the multiple weddings we have this summer. But what do I spend my cash on instead? Running clothes, of course. It's become a sickness, really. I.just.can't.stop.


Remember this post from last summer? That is when I first became a believer of Dri-Fit material for running and I said goodbye to rotten cotton forever. But three measly outfits simply would not propel me forward into another summer of marathon training. A girl needs options and now I have them. Please observe:


Outfit #1: Those Nike running shorts everyone seems to have + hot pink Nike tank bought for me by my loving hubby, for my birthday. He knows me so well.



Outfit #2: tight capris bought for me by Nate at Christmas + another pink Nike tank bought with birthday cash. I love the little v-necks on both of these tanks. Tight capris always make me self-conscious about my thighs but they are oh-so-comfy.



Outfit #3: my new gray Nike running skort + 'long' blue Nike tank bought with Mom's birthday cash. LOVE. More on this one in a bit.



Outfit #4: my old Nike running skort [not new but still a fave] + light purple PADDED tank from Eddie Bauer, of all places. Nate got me this one for Valentines day. Who knew EB had workout clothes? And a padded tank is just what the doctor ordered for nipping out, my friends. Totally comfy, too.



Okay, so I know skorts are quite controversial in some running circles. You all know my love affair with my original black Nike skort, right? Well, I was reading up on the newest version on the Nike site and there were all kinds of mixed reviews from buyers. I heard a lot of girls whine about how short this new one is, and how it gives you love handles, and it's way too tight. I figured, What the Heck? It can't be much shorter than the old one, can it? What do you think?

I ran 8.5 miles in it today and I will admit, it felt a little skimpy at first. And maybe a little tighter around my hips but there are shorts under there, you know, so it's not like you might flash hoo-ha on accident. It was very comfortable to run in and I will be keeping it for sure, but just in case I asked Nate if he thought it was an inappropriate length. I didn't want to look like a total prostitute running down the road but he assured me it wasn't as scandalous as I thought. I think he just likes how my butt looks in it, so his opinion is biased:)

3. While drinking heavily at Kristen's wedding we discovered a new favorite beer. Imagine our delight when we found it at a local grocery store, too! Mmmmm, it's so amazing.


4. I am not joking when I say that Milwaukee JUST accepted the fact that May is halfway over. About two weeks ago, everything started greening up around here and actual flower blossoms came out to play. About freaking time, don't you think? Only about 2 months behind St. Louis, of course. I used to assume that June meant Summer but right now I'm settling for Spring. Did I ever mention that it's been a long winter? My favorite trees shed a lot but are so pretty:




Tulips! Actual tulips!




Trees with real, living leaves on them!




So many photographic opportunities, so little time.



So yeah, I just switched out all of my winter coats, hats/gloves, and sweaters to my Spring/Summer wardrobe. It's always a little disheartening to find that your wardrobe blows, don't you think?

5. Nate is taking one of his last finals right now. One more on Wednesday and then he's off until 5/26. I cannot believe he has three whole semesters under his belt. Only six more to go, people. One year down, two more left. However you want to look at it......time is flying by and Nate is kicking major PT booty. So proud of my little student. Can't wait for him to have free time in the evenings again. And let's not forget about our anniversary trip to Chicago....holla!

Making a list, checking it twice...

So, remember how I'm ridiculously tight with money? As in, I convulse just thinking about making a purchase? Well, that hasn't really helped my wardrobe much in the past year. Every night I throw on the same old pair of flannel pajama pants and crusty old sweatshirt....both acquired in approximately 2003. 

And I have to draw the line somewhere [and apparently holey lounge pants dating back to Henry's puppy days are my bottom line. I just love them so much!] I decided it's time for me to take the plunge and spend some dinero on myself for once. What else is my little J.Lorene fund for if it's not for fun? 

I now present to you the mother load:

Apparently Old Navy carries talls! In pants AND in shirts! It's like I've died and gone to wardrobe heaven....especially since O.N. doesn't exactly boast couture prices. New comfy clothes, with long enough arms and legs for my freakish self, with a decent price tag? I'm sold.

As you can see, I went a bit overboard with four pairs of pants and five tops. Yet, I only spent $140. All is well in my world, dear readers.

But all of this online shopping got me thinking about my Christmas wish list. Would you like a glimpse into my ultimate list?

#1 New makeup. Old stuff is shattered all over my pathetic bag and is generally gross. So I wandered over to Sephora.com for a little day dreaming...

I heart eye shadows, and I also heart Kat Von D. So did you know she has a line of makeup out now? This one would suit me just fine:

Any of the Bliss products:And any type of fun shower gels/scrubs/etc. These are the Sephora brand:
Um, literally anything by Philosophy but I'm loving this cookie theme!
#2 Automatic car starter: did I ever mention that I hate being cold? Driving to work in the mornings while my teeth are chattering, hands shivering, and breath creating a fog within my own car = misery. Now that we have a private driveway instead of a public lot I think it's time I get one of these babies.
Can you just imagine? A car that is already warm and toasty, like a chariot waiting to whisk me away to my destination [ahem, work.....it's not that glamorous, is it?]. Seriously though, what a fab idea. 

#3 A cute, short coat. Preferably warm [functional] and yet adorable [I'm digging the belted styles]. Hello, Overstock.com!



#4 Sporty/comfy flats. A girl can only wear a pair of beat up ballet flats for so long. Endless.com is my new best friend. Are these too hideous?

#4.5: More flats. Maybe I could just get the pair of driving mocs from J.Crew that I've lusted over for so long?


Or I could settle on this inexpensive version from Endless.com
#5 Boots. Every girl should own a pair of nice boots, right? Well this girl has a pair of Uggs that are multi-dimensional [hurling myself through feet of snow, running around after Henry while it's raining, etc]. But I would like a pair of 'dressy' boots for the days I'm not a total slob. 

Ah, J.Crew. Why must you taunt me with these beauts? The Long Glenbrae Leather flat boots are my dream. But for $325? That makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
I suppose these would be just as nice, and almost $200 less than JC's version. Again, from Endless.com.

But even Endless has some pricey kicks....here are a pair that caught my eye for $347.95. Hmmmm, I think I like the J.Crew style better anyway.

#6 Winter defense attire. I need as much of this crap as I can get.  You can't own too many fleeces, right?

For instance, Patagonia's R2 vest for $100. 

For North Face's version for $60. So furry. So warm. Sigh.

I might own a couple fleeces just like this one from North Face but something about the pink just gets me:) It's called the Denali Thermal jacket and I heart it. It's $179 in case you were wondering.

And I realize these are probably the most unflattering pair of pants known to woman but I need me some long running tights, for the days I brave the cold. These are from Athleta [seriously my mecca] and are $69. Doesn't that seem like a lot for a pair of skin tight spandex drawers?

Ah, Athleta. Why are you the best store invented? I could easily spend thousands here because I want to BE these girls. All sporty, happy, and warm. Not to mention cute. Maybe if I bought these outfits then I wouldn't be such a miserable hag in the winter time? [Their marketing strategies TOTALLY work on me]. 
[that's me, with a trendy little dress and a pimp hat...just warming myself before being all outdoorsy again.]

[oh, and here I am snow shoeing. It sounds like my own personal hell, but if I looked this cute doing it I just might try].

[um, another furry fleece? Sold. Does anyone else think this model looks like Lindsay Lohan?]

[Gasp! A skort AND capris? Brilliant for my days spent jump-roping and being generally athletic.]

[if I had this jacket I would totally run outside more often. If nothing else but to be cute.]

#7 Normal [non-athletic/lounge] clothing. I own no cashmere. Isn't that sad? I think I deserve a nice cashmere turtleneck like this one from The Crew. 

And that's all I can think of right now. What? That's not too much to ask for, is it? 

Oh, and I'm still dreaming of a dSLR camera but I'm not even going to bother listing it here. If and when I ever purchase one of those babies it's going to be a VERY big deal. And I need to have control over that buy. Basically, I need to marinade the thought of it in my brain a little while longer. Perhaps someday...