FRIDAY FAVORITES!

FAVORITE #1:  Playing In The Snow with These Boys

Last week we had a couple of ice days off from school, and then on Friday I dropped Carter off at school at regular time.  And then it started snowing at a little after 9:00 a.m., and it didn’t stop until that night!  I picked Carter up from school at around 11:00 a.m. just because (lots of other parents were doing the same thing!) and we came home and got warm and snuggly.  After enough snow had piled up, we headed outside to play.
 It was the perfect type of snow to play in, and we had so much fun!

So you all know that I’ve been being SO GOOD with my Get Healthy plan.
I’ve been very disciplined with both my food and my exercise.
But a girl has to have  Mexi Dips and Chips every so often.
Amen.
And so I got them.
And I ate every last bite.
Including the little tostada bowls.
Yep.  I did.
Oh, and I got a large Dr. Pepper and a party burrito.
It was DELISH and worth EVERY. SINGLE. CALORIE.

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FAVORITE #3:  TRANSITION SHOES

I think shoes are the absolute hardest article of clothing to transition between seasons.

So during Spring, I find myself most often wearing a sneaker or a flat.
When it gets a little bit warmer and into April I might pull out the sandals and wedges (so I’ll talk about those in Part II), but if you pull them out too early, your tootsies will freeze (and I think I look silly, so I don’t do it).

So, I stick with sneakers and flats for awhile (along with the occasional booties – THESE are my favs for early Spring when it’s still a little bit chilly outside, and of course my Hunter boots when it’s raining – because duh).

Now, before we get started with the 4 TRANSITION SHOES I currently own, I need to talk about a pair of booties I found online when working on this post.
And I’ll be honest, I think I’m going to be adding this pair to my closet (they are already in my cart). The 4 transition shoes I currently own are all casual, and I love the idea of adding a pair that could be dressed up or down!
So even though I’ve never tried THESE booties on, I feel like they are definitely a perfect spring shoe!  Still bootie-esque, but with an open toe!  HELLO SPRING (and summer)!
This particular pair has 5/5 5 star reviews.
Here’s just one of the reviews:
Most Versatile Shoe for Spring/Summer
These TOM’s bootie-sandles are amazing, and will certainly be my most often-worn shoe this summer.  They are comfortable, super stylish, very versatile, and will make any outfit look better by putting them on.  Everything about them is perfect; heel height, suede fabric, trend…LOVE THEM.
Click HERE.
It is suggested to order a 1/2 size down.
And come on, that’s a reallllllllllllllly cute shoe.  Love the color, love the design, love the wooden heel.  LOVE IT ALL.
And I know I would wear them in the fall too before it gets too cold.
So basically they are a 3 season shoe.
If you have these, please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Click HERE for other peep-toe bootie choices!  Some dressy, some casual, but all good for transitioning between seasons!


Now for 4 different pairs of shoes I already own that are made for Spring!  And lucky for y’all, they are still available!
And just so you know, all 4 pair are VERY comfortable.  I just don’t do shoes that aren’t comfy.
  Period.  
I refuse to suffer for fashion.
😉


Pair #1:  My Leopard Flats
You can find my Sam Edelman leopard flats HERE.

Mine are actually the square toe version, but they no longer carry those, so the round toe version is what is available now.
Click HERE.

You’ve seen me in them countless times (I’m guessing at least 30x) on the blog.
Here’s the most recent time that I wore them.

 If I haven’t proven to you over the last couple of years that you can wear them with anything, maybe this collage will help prove my point.
Remember that you can treat them as a neutral (I promise!), but they add that little extra somethin’ somethin’ to outfits that are otherwise just “eh”.

khaki shorts and denim shirt HERE/ black and white stripes HERE / denim on denim HERE blue and white stripes with red jacket HERE  / green jeans and black check shirt HERE Other options for leopard flats (if you don’t want mine) follow:

Pair #2:  My Nude Flats
I got my nude flats about a year and a half ago.  I had never even considered adding nude flats to my closet…but then I saw the below left picture on Pinterest. 
The girl in her denim shirt, white shorts, and nude patent flats made me HAVE TO have a pair of my own.  I went out and bought some the day after seeing that picture.
Click HERE for MY nude flats. 
These are true to size. 

They are the most worn pair of flats in my closet because I wear them all spring, a lot of the summer, and into fall.  They are a great nude shade, and I fell in love with the patent.

If you don’t like the patent, check out THESE quilted ballet flats from Steve Madden.
They also come in black, silver, and gold.
They are true to size.
Click HERE.  They are priced right at $60!

THESE nude flats from Sam Edelman are also super popular and have fabulous reviews.
They have 483 5 Star Reviews!
Even though I love my patent ones, I will admit that these from Sam Edelman are even more comfy (you can see the internal cushioning in this next picture).
I just really wanted patent, which is why I went with mine.
Here’s a pic I snapped of several different colors of the Sam Edelman’s (including the leopard I talked about earlier, and a fun and cheerful orangey-red)!
Click HERE .

Still need convincing that nude flats are needed?
I put together a Pinterest collage showing us all how nude flats can be a key item in our wardrobes spanning ALL 4 SEASONS. 
Exhibit A your honor.

Here are all of the nude flats mentioned above, plus several more for you to check out!

Pair #3:  My Converse
Click HERE for grey converse.
Click HERE for the more “dainty” version.
I wear them with cuffed jeans, skinny jeans, camo pants, and shorts.
I haven’t worn them with a dress or skirt yet, but I always like it when I see it, so I’m thinking of trying it.
Click HERE for all women’s converse.

Here’s a handful of times I’ve worn my grey converse.

When I got my converse last year I got grey, mainly because I was scared of white.  I was scared I would get them dirty.  Click HERE for white converse..
If you are interested in white converse, here’s some pinspiration for how to wear them!
Remember, order 1/2 a size down!

Here are some options for converse:

Pair #4:  Slip On Sneakers
THESE sneakers are my newest addition to my spring shoe collection.
Sadly, even though they were re-stocked, they already pretty much sold out again.  🙁

 I’m enjoying the style and the easy and casual slip on nature of them so much, I thought I would give you girls some slip-on options!


THESE are new from Vans.  AND THEY ARE NAVY STRIPES!  Swoon!
And UNDER $50!  Double Swoon.
Click HERE.

Another option HERE from TOMS.
They are nylon, so I bet they do a pretty good at keeping foot sweat at bay.
And they come in a bright orange-y red too that I think looks so fun and springy!

Check out THESE beaded espadrille’s from Sam Edelman!
They are definitely on the expensive side, but the beads make them super special!
The salesman at Nordstrom Northpark told me they were flying off the shelves.
Click HERE.

And don’t forget these I showed y’all last week!

  They are more expensive than the previous options, but DANG THEY ARE CUTE!
I just knew when I came home to find them online there were going to be a ton of STELLAR reviews on them, but there aren’t any reviews yet!  🙁
But OH MY WORD at the comfort level.
SO. STUPID. COMFY.
LOTS of colors available available to choose from (including a fun coral and a GORGEOUS BRONZE that I’m dying over!)
Click HERE .
I think the ones that I’m wearing are actually the “white”.  They lean a little grey, and I liked that!

Lots of color combos available also, and a great price at just UNDER $50!

This next pair I LOVE.
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE.  And then LOVE some more.
It’s the NEW chambray TOMS slip on.
Click HERE for these Chambray TOMS.
Remember to order a 1/2 size down.
Click HERE for all TOMS slip ons, just in case you don’t like the chambray.
For the record, you cray, but there are other options.
Click HERE for the super popular crocheted TOMS.  Again, remember to order 1/2 a size down.

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FAVORITE #4:  Friendships with Awesome Women!
Now I’ve got a story for you about how God’s hand is always at work.
If you’re a regular reader here, then you know I have an amazing core group of girlfriends.
I think friendships with other women that you can lean on and do life with are so important.
I’m so thankful for my girlfriends.
I also am constantly grateful for the awesome girls and women that read this blog
I’ve started e-mail friendships with many of them, and it’s been so cool to make connections with people because of the blog.
Well, one reader that I connected with is a young woman named Kathryn.
That’s Kathryn in the pic below on the left.  Isn’t she darling?  If she looks familiar to you, you might have seen me feature her on the blog a couple of times before – once in a military jacket, once in an Anthro tunic).
The lady on the right is Candace (founder of Counting on Hope and the Special mama honoree from July).  She’s darling too, right?!? I used to be Candace’s son’s SLP, and now we are friends!
The story of why the 3 of us met for lunch is a little long and involved, but let me just say that God is so good.  Kathyn is super sweet and generous (and I’m so proud that people like Kathryn read my blog), and Candace is is sweet and encouraging and such a cheerleader for other women.

So my last FAVORITE of the day is the friendships I’ve made because of the blog!
Thank you Kathrn and Candace for being awesome!

p.s.
If you want to see how much weight I lost this week and what my total is for the last 7 weeks,
click HERE!