Friday Favorites

It’s Friday, so y’all know what that means! It’s time to link up with Erika, Andrea, and Narci to let everybody know what some of my favorite things are right now!

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Yesterday was the first day of 5th grade, and this guy rocked it!  He had a great first day, and we are looking forward to a wonderful year.  He makes us proud!

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Way back when Carter started kindergarten, some mama friends of mine started a tradition where we all meet up for breakfast as soon as we drop the kids off at school on the first day.  This is our 6th year to meet at Spoons, and it’s definitely one of my favorite traditions.  If you haven’t been for breakfast, get the Migas.  Trust me.

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SOME FAVORITE THINGS I’VE BEEN WEARING

I. Love. This. Dress.

It’s a heavier weight than I thought it was going to be (which I like), it’s not see thru at all, and I think it would be best described as feeling like a thick and stretchy crepe material.  It has a swingy fit (my favorite!) and fun little double flounce sleeves.

This dress is extremely comfortable and totally flirty.  I’m wearing it here with flat sandals, but you’ll see it dressed up a bit with wedges and a different necklace later in the post.

Now listen to me when I say this to you…SIZE WAY DOWN.  I’m in an x-small, and I am NEVER an x-small, especially in dresses.  In fact, in dresses I’m often a medium.  For sure size down 1 size, and you might even consider sizing down 2 full sizes.

(Do you like my necklace? It’s been one of my favorites for several years, and there’s a special code for 25% OFF at the bottom of today’s post!)

tiered sleeve dress / Sims Stone Necklace / my favorite earrings / slide sandals ON SALE

How about a jersey dress for $18.50?  SERIOUSLY.  EIGHTEEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS.  And it’s SO SOFT and SO CUTE.  This is the navy and white stripe, but there’s also a black and white stripe as well as several solid colors.

And get excited, because I would like to introduce y’all to this fabulous Amazon Denim Jacket.  It has a good amount of stretch (not as much as our must have jacket, but definitely enough to not make it feel boxy or stiff), it comes in 3 great washes, and it’s a more generous fit and a bit more length which I know many of you have been asking for.  It’s good.  And it’s ONLY $39.

For size reference, I’m wearing a small in the dress and a medium in the jacket.  After getting the medium, I think the small would have been totally fine, but I’m going to keep the medium.  You’ll be seeing this baby in lots of future Amazon posts, so go ahead and make friends with it.

striped dress /Amazon Denim Jacket / Copa necklace / my favorite earrings/ bracelets / must have wedges ON SALE

I love the entire outfit.

striped dress /Amazon Denim Jacket / Copa necklace / my favorite earrings/ bracelets / must have wedges ON SALE

Same earrings, same bracelets, same necklace….but styled with a puff sleeve blouse (that’s ON SALE) and some jeans!  This blouse is absolutely precious and it comes in yellow too.  For size reference, I’m wearing a small.

puff sleeve blouse/ Copa necklace / my favorite earrings / bracelets / boyfriend jeans / slide sandals ON SALE

It’s so good.

puff sleeve blouse/ Copa necklace / my favorite earrings / bracelets / boyfriend jeans / slide sandals ON SALE

It’s over 100 degrees and pretty sweltering in my neck of the woods, but I’m already starting to get the sweatshirt bug.  This crew neck pullover is very different that the fabulous AE sweatshirt that’s made for leggings that I featured last week, but it’s still cute.  It’s not cropped, but it’s definitely on the shorter side and not leggings friendly.  This pink color is great, but it also comes in a soft blue, a mustard, and an olive.

pink sweatshirt/ my favorite earrings / bracelets / boyfriend jeans / slide sandals ON SALE

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Did you see my post from Monday?  I recommended an amazing shirt dress for UNDER $30!  Click HERE to read all my thoughts and sizing info.  This dress is great for everybody, but it’s PERFECT for teachers!

dress / earrings/ necklace / bracelet set / macrame bag / cognac slide sandals

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A couple of weeks ago I shared a BEFORE and AFTER of my teeth with Invisalign.  (Click HERE if you missed the before.)  I received sooooo many questions about the process, the cost, the time required, the results, etc.

So, here’s a quick run down of what happened…just scroll down a bit if you have no interest and want to get to other regular Friday Favorites items…

I had lots of Orthodontic work done in late elementary school and all through junior high.  And not just braces and rubber bands, people. We’re talking the heavy duty stuff, like a huge football mouthpiece thing called a Herbst device (the worst!) and even head gear called a chin cup that I had to wear at night.  EVEN AT SLUMBER PARTIES. Which isn’t awkward at all in junior high.  (Sidenote, it started rubbing a bald spot on the top of my head, so that made it extra awesome.)

After a couple of years of devices to correct my bite, it was time to move on to straightening my teeth.  I got braces, had great results, and then wore retainers at night for year and years.  And years.

But at some point I stopped wearing my retainers.  #shameshame

Everything was fine and dandy for like 20 years.

SERIOUSLY.

And then about a year and a half ago, I noticed I was starting to get a small gap between my top two teeth.  And that small gap eventually turned into a big gap. (Again, you can click HERE to see the BEFORE).  How did it happen after so many years, you ask?  THAT’S WHAT I ASKED TOO.  Well, it seems that I clenched my teeth when I’m on the computer and writing. And over time, that caused my teeth to move.  Awesome.

So, last summer I scheduled 3 different consultations with different orthodontists.  And I received 3 different treatment plans, one of which was full blown braces.  And then this past February, after receiving a post card in the mail from my dentist about the fact that they offered Invisalign, I inquired about it at my cleaning appointment.

And in what seemed like no time, I’m now back to straight teeth!  (It’s the lighting that’s making my teeth so white here, but I did start the bleaching process this week!  WooHoo!)

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU?

I started at the beginning of March, and I finished 3 weeks ago. I had 14 trays.  My hygienist said the fewest number of trays she had seen was 12, but she had seen cases with as many as 36.

HOW MUCH DID IT COST?

Price will be based upon number of trays and insurance (I’m assuming)…but I can tell you that mine was around $4,500. I know there are several services like this out there right now, and I’m sure the cost varies, but  I went with the official Invisalign.  (Sidenote:  this is not sponsored.  We paid for this ourselves.)

DID YOU GO TO A DENTIST OR ORTHODONTIST?

I went to my dentist.  But like I said above, I initially  actually had 3 consultations with orthodontists.  1 ortho recommended traditional braces and said I would end up with a wider and brighter smile, but I really wanted to stick with Invisalign. The other two offered Invisalign, but the postcard from my dentist was just the nudge I needed.

WAS YOUR SPEECH AFFECTED?

My speech was affected much less than I thought it would be.  My /s/ and /sh/ were a little bit “slushy”, but it wasn’t that bad and did not affect overall intelligibility.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

At my initial consultation, they took scans of my mouth with a wand, and a 3d image was created.  To my understanding, they send that image somewhere and that’s where somebody and/or some thing creates the treatment plan.  I’m not sure if it’s a dentist, an orthodontist, a computer program or some combination of the 3….but a treatment plan is created.

Because I used the official “Invisalign” program, that meant that I also had tiny little “bumps” added to the front of my teeth.  Apparently  each treatment plan calls for a different amount of bumps.  I had like 3 on top and like 6 on bottom.  The bumps really grip the trays to the teeth, and they also really encouraged me to wear the trays ALL THE TIME.  I thought that the teeth with the bumps (without the trays) looked stranger than actually wearing the trays.

I was originally told that each tray would be worn between 10-14 days each.  However, after my first two trays, I shared with my dentist that they always seemed VERY loose at the end.  He advised me to just pay attention to how the trays were feeling, and I ended up changing the trays about every 7-8 days.  The new trays were always quite snug for about 24 hours, but then they were fine!  I always put the new ones on at night right before bed so that the most uncomfortable hours would be spent sleeping.

ARE YOU PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS?

Yes!!!  I am VERY pleased! It was so much faster than I thought it was going to be, and my teeth are perfectly straight!  It was an easy an painless process.

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE PROGRAM?

I would 100% recommend the program!

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE IT DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN?

I have retainers THAT I WILL BE WEARING RELIGIOUSLY THIS TIME.  FOREVER AND EVER.  The recommendation is to wear them constantly (except for eating) the first 6 months, and then after maximum revision is retained, I can start wearing them just at night!  They look just like the normal aligners, just without the bumps!.

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Brody loves to come to Carter’s soccer games, and watching them together is a favorite.

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Timehop SLAYS me.  And the pictures that pop up are of course always a favorite.

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I got a new lamp, and it’s definitely a new favorite!

While shopping with a friend at an antique store a couple of weeks ago, I spotted this lamp base made out of an antique cocoa tin.  I thought it would be a good under the counter height, so I snatched it up.  Realizing a lampshade that I already had was a perfect fit was just a happy surprise.

The lamp found its home in this small corner in our butler’s pantry right off the kitchen.  I already had the topiary and the tole tray, and I recently purchased this wooden tray (on SUPER SALE now for just $23.99/ reg. $60).  I got it for a future post to showcase a couple of recipes that I’m excited to share, so get ready for that!.  Instead of putting it in the cabinet when not in use, it was definitely pretty enough to leave out on the counter.  I love how it anchors the lamp and the topiary!

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Narci turned 40 yesterday, and some friends got together to celebrate her last weekend!  Saturday night was so much fun and definitely a favorite from the week.

Lori / Narci / Karla / Jeni / Meagan

We did it up right at Harvest.  Their food and drinks never disappoint.  The deviled eggs are a must, and I’ve never met a Harvest cocktail that I didn’t love.  I would say that my favorite is the Grapefruit Martini (not pictured here).

Here’s what I wore to the party.  It’s the same dress I showed you in the first clothing pic on this post, but I just dressed it up a bit with a fancier necklace and wedges!  Plenty of room for ALL THE FOOD.  AND ALL THE DRINKS.

I highly recommend this dress.  Remember to size down.

tiered sleeve dress / Copa necklace / my favorite earrings/ bracelets / must have wedges ON SALE

The color is GORGEOUS.

tiered sleeve dress / Copa necklace / my favorite earrings/ bracelets / must have wedges ON SALE

Or for a different look, throw a layer on top.  Here’s the Amazon Denim Jacket again.  Told ya it’s good.

tiered sleeve dress /Amazon Denim Jacket / Copa necklace / my favorite earrings/ bracelets / must have wedges ON SALE

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And to continue the dress and denim jacket theme that is dominating today’s post, here’s what I wore yesterday to drop Carter off for the first day of school and head to breakfast with my friends!

I bought this dress a couple of months ago, and then I totally forgot about it because it got hidden in my closet! #hazardsofafashionblogger When I rediscovered it last week, I WAS PUMPED.  It’s got a smocked top, functional little buttons, and the bottom is lined.  It’s DARLING.  I’m wearing a small in the dress and a medium in the jacket.

And I’ve got a SALE ALERT on my favorite Sims Stone necklace! Yes, I love it so much that they ended up naming it after me!!! My 3 favorite colors are still available, and they make excellent gifts.  Use the code SIMSSTONE25 for 25% OFF.

smocked dress / Sims Stone Necklace / my favorite earrings / must have denim jacket / bracelets / slide sandals ON SALE

smocked dress / Sims Stone Necklace / my favorite earrings / must have denim jacket / bracelets / slide sandals ON SALE

Carter rides the bus to and from school, but I always pick him up on the first day.  I got there super early today to get a good parking space so I could zip out of the parking lot after grabbing him, and when I looked down, I was once again astounded by my “tan”.  Click HERE to see what I’m using (it’s ON SALE right now!), and click HERE for the post where I first reviewed it. I even give a Before and After picture with and without the product on my legs!  I will say this… now that I’ve been using it for over a month now, I LOVE IT EVEN MORE than I thought I did at the beginning.  It’s FANTASTIC.

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And to wrap things up today, I want to show you a pair of sneakers I scored on Amazon!  They have 4,195 reviews, and almost all of them are 5 STAR.  I’ll be doing a full review on them on my Amazon Haul next week, but I couldn’t wait to share them with you today.  Before my review next week, you should really check out what other people are saying.  I got the Apricot, and I did not need to size up like some reviewers recommended.   They are STUPID comfy.  I love them.

 

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That’s it for today, y’all!  I hope you enjoyed today’s post, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your people!

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