The big leopard

My outfit on Sunday. The weather has literally turned into late fall so amazingly able to wear a twin set without feeling warm! This twin set is again very old left from the time twin sets had come back in fashion. 

Liked pairing red with the brown capri pants. And added a touch of pop-up color with the blue scarf.

Added animal print touches with the ballet flats, the purse and my new HUGE  leopard ring.

This purse is a $10 find from Marshalls. I love the mix of patterns and the colors. I actually fit half the contends of my diaper bag into it so I could use it today!

The ring is sooo cool isn't it? Another result of me ignoring the photo with the ruler on Forever 21's website before ordering. I imagined it was big but not THIS big. But I love it. Didn't wear any other jewelry to let it take the spotlight.

Sweater Twin Set - Victoria's Secret

Brown Capri Pants - Forever 21

Flats - Enzo

Bag - Marshalls

Scarf - super old have no idea where it is from

Sunday's Activities: The kids were definitely on rare form this morning where I didn't get a moment's peace but we managed to leave the house and meet my friend and her daughter at the mall (my hubby plays tennis Sunday mornings). We had a nice time letting the kids play in the playground, then the jumpy then the train before we got rained out and escaped to the food court for lunch.

After loooong naps by the kids we went to the 2nd b-day party of the weekend 1 hour late.

They had it catered with amazing food so I was in heaven. The kids for some reason practically ate nothing but sweets though. This party had a small jumpy as well but the highlight was the pony ride then the petting zoo.

Came home for a much needed bath for the kids and put them down for the night. I left immediately afterwards for my mom's house to visit my aunt who just arrived from Turkey for a 2 week visit. We chatted till late catching up and laughing.

My daughter is wearing the dress I WORE to my 3rd b-day party. My mom kept it! 

So you can say she is wearing 'vintage'!

Close-up of the kids on the Pony: 

My son who was nervous at first but then liked it: 

My daughter among the very few girlls her age that actually rode the pony and at the end said 'I did it!' with so much pride! 

Petting the bunnies... 

These little goats kept chewing on my sweater and hair while I was taking my daughter's photos... 

Look at the amazing food art by the b-day girl's mother (my friend): 

The most delicious tres leche cake.  

Handmade and decorated cupcakes which also tasted amazing! 

Fairies and Knights

This is what I wore today! The inspiration came from the following photo in the March Issue of the Lucky Magazine: 

What I like about this outfit is its uniqueness. It is not exactly a flattering outfit and not that comfy either I might add, so why do I wear it? Cause I absolutely love wearing different outfits that are totally out of 'comfort zone'.  

This blouse is a very old one that has been collecting dust in my closet. It is nice to wear it again. It is pale bluish color with cream diagnoal mini pleated stripes. 

One of the cool aspects of the outfit is adding pearls to a very masculine combo. I wish the pearls were more visible in the full body shots but the lighting did not work out that way... 

My cargo pants are not really high waist but they are loose enough on me that I just pulled up the waist a bit and cynched the belt on top to give a similar look. Didn't really go too high as I despise how high waist looks on me. 

And of course my oxfords. Which I really really love. The wingtip style is just perfect! I ordered and returned 2 other pairs before these (all with free shipping and returns of course) but it was worth the wait.  

Today was totally chilly and the sun never really came out. So I actually had to layer a jacket on top of this outfit to keep warm. I first tried on a blazer and that looked silly for some reason. This motoercycle cut jacket with glittering beads on it was perfect. 

Jacket - Forever 21

Blouse - Bebe

Cargo Pants - J Crew

Belt - Ralph Lauren

Pearls - Family Heirlooms, husband's gift

Oxfords - Bass

Fedora Hat - Mom bought it in France.

Today's Activities: It was my turn to take my son this morning while my husband took my daughter to her gym class. We both ran errands. He did a home depot run while I did grocery shopping. I also took my son to see the movie Rio. We both truly enjoy the one on one time we spend with them Saturday mornings. After naps we rushed out of the house to go to our friend's kids' b-day party. They were celebrating their son's 4th and daughter's 2nd b-day.  The party favors were amazing and the huge jumpy was a big hit. Kids never stopped running and had a blast.

Yet still managed to continue playing on their new play area with daddy after we came home. Did light snacks and a movie before they went to bed.

We just finished watching Inglourious Basterds which was a pretty good movie!

All the girls were asked to dress in tutus... And Juliet is as happy as can be in her pink and black one 

They were given these pretty butterfly wings, the head pieces and wands as party favors! 

The boys were given customized capes, masks and the swords! 

Here are some of the girls, the b-day girl is on the most right 

The Boys! The b-day boy is in the middle 

And here is our pool all filled finally! 

And the grass play area where my husband can still manage to shoot hoops 

I will do a big backyard post in a few weeks when everything is washed and we are allowed to put our furniture back and I maanage to do a little decorating...

FBFF Post - Outside Influences

Well, what ever is up with blogger but I can't figure out why it rorates my photos this way. They are vertical in my files yet get uploaded horizantal. Well, I have spent enough time to fix it with no success. So just have to turn your screens around!...

Combinning my outfit post with the FBFF post today since due to outage totally behind...

Today's Fashion Beauty Friend Friday hosted by Katy at Modly Chic blog is about
Outside Influnces...
1. What magazines do you subscribe to?
Pretty much all of them: Lucky, People Style Watch, In Style, Elle and Glamour.
Yes, I don't have Vogue cause honestly it is too high end for me. I like to look at realistic fashion.

2. Do you watch any fashion TV shows?
Sadly no.

3. Beyond blogs, what websites do you frequent for fashion inspiration?
Chictopia for sure. I also use 'lookbooks' of variety of retail websites. Favorites are shopbop, ruche, Forever 21, fossil, urban outfitters, J Crew, Anthropologie to name a few...

4. Advertisements play a huge role in forming public opinion about a product or brand… what ads do you like and why?
Piperlime tag lines are very creative and cute.
I also use printed ads for inspiration as well.
I used to be all about brand name clothes. But now I am all about unique looks that suit my tastes and style regardless of their brand names.

5.    Do you own any fashion books?
I don't.

To see how others answered the same questions click HERE!

Also to check out the cool blogs that have linked up to

Blond Episdoes for Fashion Fridays click HERE!

More sideways photos...

I wore the new tule skirted dress from Yes Style today. See how cool it looks in its dressy version with bare legs and my shiny cute kate spade pink heels.

Added a blue and mother of pearl necklace for a slight pop of color...The Grey sweater is my new summer sweater. It is lightweight and in a color that goes with everything.

Of course I couldn't wear this dress like this to the zoo! So added leggings and sneakers which of course kills the whole look...

Dress - YesStyle

Sweater - Forever 21

Necklace - Thread Show

Sandals - Kate Spade

In the casual version:

Leggings - Forever 21

Sneakers - Rocket Dog

Today's Activities: My dad took the day off from work and came over at 8:45 AM so we can take the kids to the zoo together. He was amazed at how only a 2.5 hour outing felt like an entire day and how with kids you lead such a healthy lifestyle of exercise and snacking on healthy food frequently like the Dr's recommend.

And the best part by the time we came home the contractors had finished installing the synthetic grass in the play area. And it looks amazing. It might be the favorite section of the whole remodel for me.

Here we are walking ahead on the hilly paths of SD Zoo...

Kids walking hand in hand... 

Watching the Pandas with Grandpa... 

My little monkeys...

Mommy's little man!

And here is the grass covered play area. My dad insisted I pose there...