"Occasion"ally Stylish: Date Night

There are times in your life that stand out in your memory-first crush, first day of high school, first date, first kiss, first heartbreak.  It's been so long since I've been on a first date, not that I'm bragging, but it's nice to be able to eat whatever I want (no salads over here!) and not have to make nervous chit chat with a perfect stranger. Seriously there are times when my husband and I just eat out in total silence because we have run out of things to say to each other. The familiarity is nice, but sometimes I miss those butterflies in my stomach. I miss primping and trying on outfits. 

My first date with my future husband. No we weren't total fashion victims! We
were attending a 70s' themed Valentine's Banquet in 1998. He was John Travolta
in Saturday Night Fever. I was a long lost Brady Bunch sister, maybe?

A reader recently revealed she was going on a first date and wanted some outfit ideas.


So I headed over to my favorite store Old Navy (natch) to put together some first date looks on the cheap. I didn't focus on purses and accessories (because, frankly, I change purses like once a year and I usually forget to wear my wedding band so I'm a little accessory challenged).


I am calling this post "Occasion"ally Stylish (because I'm all about puns) and I'd love to make it a weekly feature here on the blog in 2012. This is the first time I've done anything like this on Hems for Her, but I had SOOOOO much fun doing it, so if you like it tell me, and if you need some outfit inspiration for every day or a special occasion let me know!


First Date Perfection


I love red jeans with cream and neutral tops. The satiny tie on this tank and the pumps make this dressy, yet still very comfortable.

Rock Star Jeggings~ $34.94
Satin Tie Shoulder Tank ~ $11.99
Snakeskin Platform Pumps~ $32.94

Is there anything sweeter than this striped skirt!? Yellow, navy and gray is one of my favorite color combinations, and this is the perfect match of flirty and comfortable.

Mixed Gauge Cardigan~ $29.00
Pleated Chiffon Tie Belt Skirt $34.94
Shooties~ $19.99

What's more comfortable than a tank and cardigan with some blue jeans? Maybe some sweats, but we are on a date here! Dress it up with trouser jeans and a printed chiffon tank. Add a pop of color with a bright cardigan and pair with flats or boots or heels. Perfection!

Trouser Jeans~ $34.50
Chiffon Top~ $26.94
Cropped Cardigan ~ $22.00

This might be too sexy for some girls' first date but I love a sweater dress and this obi style belt is to-die-for. Pairing it with boots covers more leg and makes most women feel more comfortable. Still nervous? Add leggings or thick tights!

Tall Boots~ $18.99
Dolman-Sleeve Sweater Tunic~ $19.00 
Obi Belt

I want all of these outfits, but this one is my favorite! I'm wild about chiffon dresses, and the green color of this one is universally flattering. I've got it paired with this beautiful lace-sleeved top and a pair of pumps.

Chiffon Ruffle Dress $ 29.00
Lace Dolman-Sleeve Top~ $29.00
Snake-Skin Platform Pumps~ $32.94

On second thought... maybe this one is my favorite. Another chiffon dress this time paired with a coordinating cardigan for keeping warm on cool nights and a bright belt to complete the look. Love it!

Printed Chiffon Flutter-Sleeve Dress~ $39.94
Perfect Cardigan~ $24.94
Patent Leather Narrow Belt~ $12.94

The last look is another more casual style, but still dressy enough for a first date. I love cardigans and I've paired this bright turquoise one with skinny jeans and a bright scarf. Slide on a pair of flats and you are ready to make a great first impression!

V-Neck Cardigan~ $16.99
Rock Star Leggings~ $34.94 
Printed Burnout Jersey Scarf~ $14.94






So I hope you enjoyed my first edition of "Occasion"ally Stylish!
If you have any suggestions or wardrobe issues, find me on Facebook or Twitter!


Happy Dating!

And Now For Something Completely Different....

Sometimes when I write a really serious blog like yesterday's post, that gets so much positive feedback, I really struggle with what to write about the next day. Do I continue writing in the same vein and tell you about how we didn't celebrate Christmas for two years because we were so poor (Nah, I'll save that for next Christmas)? Or do I just get really mundane- the weather is great; I had yogurt for the third time this week?

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I have one day left in my Christmas break from my glamorous life as a high school teacher. I am dealing with this with some mixed emotions. I really don't want to go back, but I know once I get back in the swing of things, I'll be just fine. I am trying to sweeten the sting of being forced to sleep normal hours and bathe regularly and speak to people by taking my new Keurig coffee pot to my classroom. But will that be enough?

Cardigan~ Target
Tank~ Old Navy
Jeans~ Old Navy
Flats~ Wal-Mart
Watch~ La Mer

The second semester always flies by, so I have no doubt that this one will follow suit.  But I'm really struggling to find the motivation right now amidst sleeping in and taking naps and being even more lazy than usual! At the same time, I'm trying not to complain because I am saving my whole lecture on how being a teacher is not this cushy 8AM-3PM, no nights, no weekends, summers off for the END of the school year.

It's amazing how quickly we get out of a schedule. A couple of days of sleeping in and suddenly everything's flipped over and you (or is it just me?) are ready to run away to Never Never Land and live the happy, carefree life of a Lost Boy. Who wants to run away with me?

Little Red "HIDING" Hood

I spent so many years of my life trying to blend in with the crowd. I wanted to disappear. To become invisible. I was picked on terribly in high school. I moved in ninth grade, which is already a pretty hellish time in a teenager's life. My family was poor and lived on the wrong side of the tracks both literally and figuratively. The four of us and two dogs shared a camper for nearly two years. It was cramped; there was very little privacy.

Pretty much this was home for two years

We shopped at the thrift store, not because it was the "cool" thing to do, but because we couldn't afford to shop anywhere else. Every day was a new torture. I was especially tormented for my bucked teeth and my bad skin.  One of my bullies' favorite taunts was that I was a "zit-faced vampire" (way before vampires were cool), and they had no problem calling me that behind my back or to my face. So, you kinda understand why I wanted to disappear. 

I remember in English class one day the teacher rearranged desks and asked if anyone wanted to sit next to me. While it was probably only a few seconds, as my face burned with shame and tears pricked behind my eyes, it felt like hours. I wanted to die. Then from the back, like an angel from above, a guy spoke up, "I will." He moved his belongings to the front and sat down. As he sat, he whispered, "Cool jacket." I remember thinking that he was making fun of me because the jacket I had that day was my stepfather's dirty leather bomber jacket because I had no jacket of my own, and it was cold.

Alex became a dear friend. Truth be told, he wasn't much better off than me on the hierarchy of popularity. Looking back I realize how much he was also bullied, and how much he must have hurt too, but he handled it in a much better way (at least outwardly). I buried myself in reading books and writing angsty poetry and listening to angry music, and when that wasn't I started cutting myself- something I would continue to do for nearly three years. He excelled in being the class clown and being sarcastic and abrasive. 


We all have coping methods.


Life gradually got better. My heart breaks for students I see in pain or being bullied. I've interceded more than once and threaten bullies far more than I probably should. But I just will not tolerate it. I feel sick to my stomach because it takes me straight back to the hell that was ninth grade. I try to tell my students that high school is nothing in the grand scheme of life. That the very people bullying them now will end up being the biggest losers in life. To be the bigger person. To ignore the bullying. That they are beautiful and smart and creative.

Coat~ Kohl's
Dress~ Gap
Tights~ Old Navy
Scarf~ Christmas Gift
Shoes~ Expree

I spent so much time trying to hide and disappear and blend in as a teen. I spent years embarrassed of where I lived and how I looked and what I wore. Today I got to spend time feeling beautiful and glamorous and sexy. Today I am glad I can stand out. Today I wear a red coat in a sea of black coats.

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Christmas Chaos and Post-Christmas Depression

I don't want to sound ungrateful because I'm totally not, but Christmas is always such a let down. You spend all this time looking forward to the big day, planning and wrapping and imagining, and then the day comes and it's awesome. Then you come home and it looks like a bomb of wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, and little toy pieces exploded in every room of the house. And you've got all this new stuff and no where to put it. I told Curtis we needed to donate half of Sean's toys to charity before he got all the new ones, but he decided to not listen to me (big surprise) and now Sean cries for an hour every time we ask him to clean up or threaten to get rid of his toys. Merry Christmas to us.

Sean trying out his new bike with his Nonna

Super Sean granting Christmas wishes to my future brother-in-law

This is what he said, "This is how I sit to take pictures." I have no idea!

Opening a gift

Al in all it was a great holiday with family. I got three things I really, really wanted, and my super generous relatives gave me enough money to pay off a speeding ticket I got a month ago. Not exactly what I want to spend it on, but when you act like a child you have to pay like an adult. Sometimes being an adult sucks!

My handsome (and not angry about the speeding ticket) husband

We were stupid enough to get out in shopping traffic to eat lunch the day after Christmas. Dumb, dumb, dumb. But I hadn't taken photos in days. And my future sister-in-law had given me a beautiful scarf and the background was awesome, so I asked my husband to shoot a few.

Boyfriend Cardigan~ Wal-Mart
Tank~ New York and Co.
Jeans~ Elle for Kohl's
Boots~ Old Navy
Scarf~ Gift from Victoria

Christmas Eve Eve {in Instagram}

I rarely use the Instagram App on my iPhone, but today when my camera battery went dead, I decided to try to out. I see many blogs who use Instagram successfully (Rockstar Diaries immediately comes to mind), so I guess I am trying to emulate her fun, carefree, un-posed moments.  Bear with me, please.


It's been days since I've taken any outfit pictures, because, well, I'm super lazy (can't see what happens to this blog once I'm on summer vacation.... But the other reason was, truth be told, I've pretty much been in this same once outfit. I've showered daily (more or less) and changed unmentionables, but since I've really only had to be presentable for a few hours a day- why mess up three or four outfits.

Nothing but glamour over here. Quick, on-the-sly gas station photo shoot. Classy with a capital C ;)

I discovered we needed to hit town for a few last minute gift cards, so we ate dinner at a BBQ joint, and because I'm such a great mom I bribed Sean that if he'd eat all his dinner, we'd take him to Yogurt Mountain (more on that in a minute). I was concerned that eating all his food might make him too full for dessert. But he assured me, while pulling up his t-shirt for all to see, that there was a spot "right over here" in his stomach for yogurt. As if his dashing good looks and rotten attitude weren't enough, now I know he's my kid because I always insist that dessert go to a different part of my stomach because no matter how full I am, I always have room for a little dessert!

As expected, he loved Yogurt Mountain (one of those super popular chains where you are charged by the ounce and get to pick your yogurt and toppings).  He ate all of his and insisted he had room for more. But I'm not that great of a mom!

My handsome husband has a blog, and it's way funnier than mine. Have you read it?

No more pictures!

Okay, off to sweet talk my cat in preparation for elf mischief tonight... I don't want to give too much away, but I will say it involves a bath tub, food coloring, and paintbrushes. Please don't complain of animal cruelty. This is the most attention these cats have had since Hurricane Sean blew into our lives.

"Reality" Keeps Falling on My Head

Lots of movies (of the "chick flick variety, of course) romanticize rain. Oh, let's run to each other in the pouring rain, confess our undying love for one another, and make out passionately while trying not to drown by accidentally inhaling the torrential downpour.


Examples include:

Need further proof? Here's a website dedicated to Romantic Rain Kisses. Still not enough? Ok, fine. Here's Part ONE of EIGHTEEN in a film montage tribute to rain kisses.




Women can't get enough of this crap. And that might be sexist, but let's face it. Men really don't find things romantic. Well, maybe having "relations" in a shower is acceptable but making out in the rain? No self-respecting man is going to gush about how he can't wait to find a woman to kiss passionately in the rain. I promise. If he says he does, run as fast as you can!

Now my husband is fairly indulging, so early in our courtship, after watching some romantic rain kiss scene, I presented my fairy tale fantasy to him (during a rainstorm, naturally). He guffawed a bit and probably rolled his eyes, but he did give me my rainy kiss. And what can I say? It was absolutely, positively, unbelievably.....

WET... and cold. And wet. And dumb. It was one of those, "Well, alrighty then. Are we finished yet?" Just one of the many times in life I've been let down when reality wasn't nearly as romantic as the movie. Now as I've gotten older, and some may say cynical or prudish, I've grown to realize the romantic movies are a crock of crap. If I wanna watch some completely unrealistic and made up, I'll waste my time and money on horror movie sequels or An Inconvenient Truth (ah, see what I did there? I made a political joke that might have been funny, what six years ago?). I just can't even deal with romantic movies anymore, and Nicholas Sparks? I'm pretty sure he's either a woman or... well, a woman. Seriously, dude?! Are you an eunuch? I bet men really hate you.

Top~ Wal-Mart
Skirt~ Mark
Belt, Tights, and Heels~ Kohl's

My main problem, besides being jealous that I'll never get to make out with Ryan Gosling, is how unrealistic romantic movies are, especially for young, impressionable girls like me 15 years ago. Have you ever been in the rain? If it's raining, I devise as many ways I as I can to stay out of the rain. I steal my husband parking spot in the driveway. I unbuckle Sean before I get out and then tell him to run for it. Heck, in college, I didn't go to class when it was raining because I didn't want to sit in wet clothes for the entire class meeting (and no, Mom, it's not because I think I'm made of sugar and might melt. Hardy har har...).

Until next time- stay dry and no kissing in the rain. You'll just end up with pneumonia!

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