Hello Old Friends!

To my dear readers I have missed you! And missed blogging!

These last two months have been CRAZY! So much has happened! Where do I begin?

Things that have happened since the last blog post...

1. Ben got a new job! And we moved!!
So Ben was  offered a position working with his former project manager who moved companies and he accepted the position and we moved two weeks later! To Tennessee!!! So we are now happily living in a house on a hill in Chattanooga :) Its lovely and my precious Annie is so happy because we have 1.2 acres to roam around in! Ben is happy because he got the mountains and I still got my city-life :) a girl simply HAS to have her Target and Starbucks! Its been a great experience so far I just cant wait till May when I am done with school and back here full time!

2. Speaking of school... I AM ALMOST DONE! WOOHOO!!
In January I will be starting my last semester at Clemson. Its bittersweet but I am excited. I transitioned to my new classroom a few weeks before the end of the semester and I am quite excited I will be teaching 4 sections of Honors Chemistry and one section of Astronomy! I know students teaching will be a lot of work and very stressful but I have wonderful students and what looks to be another great mentor teacher! However, it was sad to leave my biology students and first mentor teacher! She was AWESOME!!! I'm going to miss them when I go back in January!

Also, I officially have kept my 4.0!!! Woohoo!!! And I filed my first part of graduation paperwork at the end of the semester! I am officially graduating on May 11th at 2:30 pm :) Yes I know the exact time already! I have been looking forward to this day for a long time!

3. OOTD So I have been trying to take some photos of my outfits lately so I have a few to share with you. I want to document what I wear to school more so that I can share them to prove you can be a teacher AND be stylish! No frumpy clothes!!! So without further adieu...... ( I apologize for the crappy BB photos, I found my camera today so I will start taking better photos!)

 This is a typical outfit I wear to school. I have the Minnie pants in every color but the Khaki. I dont do khaki- it looks terrible on me! Also this cardigan is amazing- soft, comfortable, t-shirt like and long! I have an issue with cardigans being too short and riding up! Major NO! in the classroom.

(J. Crew Minnie Pants, J. Crew Mixed Tape Cardi, J. Crew Scarf, Black flats from Belk)
(Typical teaching outfit for me)

This is what I am wearing today!

(Vineyard Vines Cords- found in consignment store!, Gap striped top, Target Scarf,
Michael Kors watch, and Sperry Patent Loafers- because its raining AGAIN!)

Well I am off to finish my Christmas shopping! I hope everyone has a fabulous day!

Babies having babies...

First, let me start off my saying this is my personal blog, therefore it is my personal opinion. You do not have to like or agreed with what I have to say but it is my right to say it. Most of the time this blog is random and primarily fashion-oriented, however, occasionally I feel like sharing other things. Today is one of those days.

Ben and I have been "officially" dating for almost three years now and have lived together for for quite some time now. We are not engaged, and we aren't planning to get married for some time. A lot of people do not agree with us living together and not being married (my parents included.) However, we are adults. We are responsible and we know we are going to get married and we have a wonderful relationship and look  forward to our future. (I'm sure your trying to figure out where this going, I promise its not about relationship stuff I'm just giving background info.) Even though we know the direction our lives are headed many people constantly ask about us getting married and having children. Yes, we want both but just not right now. Ben is starting a new job, I am finishing grad school and preparing for my first teaching job. There is a lot going on right now and we don't need to add to our lives at the moment. Both getting married and having children is expensive and we are not in the position for either right now.
I come from a large family (I'm one of five) and I have seen first hand the expense children can be and the strain it can put on a family. As far as I am concerned my fur-baby Annie is enough of a child for me right now and to be honest I never really wanted children until I was close to thirty (GASP! that sounds so old lol) I just want to have time to enjoy my life with Ben and feel settled and financially stable.

Recently, I feel like I have encountered numerous girls that have gotten unexpectedly pregnant. And it angers me. I do not care if you have sex before marriage, I don't care about that crap (I've been living with my boyfriend for a long time now, remember) I do care when you don't use proper birth-control and get pregnant and are not prepared for a baby. A baby is a serious thing not be taken lightly. And shows like Teen Mom and The Secret Life of the American Teenager glamorize a situation that shouldn't be. Having a child is not glamorous, its hard. Having a child when your still a child is even harder. A few nights ago Ben's little sister came home with her childhood best friend, who brought along her daughter. She is 19, married, and has a daughter. Let me say that again, she is 19, married, and has a daughter. She lives with her in-laws and works at McDonald's. What a life. This is exactly where there are birth-control options. So that you do not have to have a life like this. You deserve better, a child deserves better. Your child should not have to experience the struggle in life because you weren't prepared for becoming a parent, that you weren't even a grown-up yet. And you shouldn't put yourself in a situation where you are getting married at 19 because you are pregnant. Marriage is not the answer to pregnancy. Marriage is not the answer to a lot of things, but many people seem to think this is the case.  I know that sex and birth-control are a taboo topic but I think its an important topic these days. Kids are exposed to too much at an earlier age now and they need to realize there are consequences to actions and there are precautions that should be taken. There are so many girls that are getting pregnant and aren't ready to be mothers. If you are going to have sex then you need to be responsible about it.  And if you do get pregnant don't expect me to be sympathetic towards you, the only person who will receive my sympathy is your child. They didn't put you in the situation, you did. And be grateful that your parents still support you. Mine would have disowned me if I came home and said I was pregnant. I'm lucky they didn't disown me when I moved in with Ben.

Its Ok...

Its ok...

that I really didn't care about Halloween this year (or last year)...

that I took my time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life...

that I am not married, pregnant, or engaged...

that I like my relationship just the way it is....

that I don't fight with my boyfriend, nor do I "work" at my relationship...

that I think my dog is the most precious thing ever and refer to her as my child.....

that the only questions I can answer from jeopardy are the science and fashion ones.....

that I would rather spend money on clothes than to eat out....

OOTD

OOTD by kblumsack featuring louis vuitton handbags

7 For All Mankind skinny fit jeans
$180 - net-a-porter.com

Louis vuitton handbag
bagborroworsteal.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors crystal watch
$195 - nordstrom.com

Polo Ralph Lauren Blue Stripe Washed Oxford Slim Fit Shirt
£90 - my-wardrobe.com

The North Face Nuptse 2 Down Vest - Women's from Backcountry.com
$129 - backcountry.com

Via Neroli Aretha - Belk.com
$119 - belk.com








So my BB took terrible pictures of my OOTD and thus I resorted to polyvore. The items are not exactly the same. My jeans are from The Limited (last summer's skinnies), my shirt is Izod (I've had it forever) and my vest is RL Polo (Xmas gift like 4 years ago) but the boots, bag and watch are my day to day staples! Also the starbucks was FREE! I did a survey that was printed on my receipt from last visit and I figured if it was free I was going to the biggest, most expensive drink :) Wooho free venti pumpkin spice latte! Happy Halloween everyone!

A Very Un-Halloween Weekend/ Life Update

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has had a great weekend. I think I may be one of the few people around that really doesn't care about this weekend, I'm not big into the whole Halloween thing. I'm not a big costume person, personally I would rather wear a cute outfit than costume :) 

This month has been crazy busy, I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water in school. I have had so much work to do and my student teaching responsibilities have picked up big time. I'm pretty much the full time teacher now on the days I am at the high school. But I still love it, the students are great and I'm learning a lot from my cooperating teacher (she totally rocks, btw) I switch classrooms after Thanksgiving to the one I'll be doing my full time spring placement in. Next semester I'm teaching 4 sections of Honors Chemistry and 1 section of astronomy! I'm a little nervous about that. I'll be spending my Christmas break preparing for it. 

And in other news, we are moving to Chattanooga! Ben got a new job that starts in two weeks :) We found a great little house that we are renting that has a HUGE yard for Annie, I'm quite excited about it. Its a great opportunity for Ben and there are a lot of great schools in the area for me. I'll be working on applying for a TN teaching license in the spring so that I can teach out there, it looks easy-just a lot of paperwork! The only downside is that in the spring I wont be able to see Ben and Annie as much because Chattanooga is 4 hours from Greenville and I wont have much time to go home. But its only for a few months so it wont be that bad. 

Have yall seen pinterest? If not you should check it out! I'm addicted :) There is so much great stuff to be found! I've been terrible about taking OOTD photo's lately. I'll try to do some this week, I've been working hard to break the frumpy teacher stereotype by wearing cute clothes. Teachers can be stylish, even science teachers!

Have you heard this song by Matt Nathanson? I love it, you can't help but smile when you hear it! 

Happy Sunday!

The end of my blogging hiatus...

This morning I realized its been over a month since my last post, I didn't realize it had been that long but I guess it has. A lot has happened in a month, both good and bad. I have had a rough couple of weeks and I've never been so glad for time to fly by.

On September 18th my Grandmother lost her battle with cancer. It has been one of the most devastating times of my life. It was unexpected and it happened so fast, I felt like my entire world came crashing down around me. My Grandmother was diagnosed in December with lung cancer that over the course of the past ten months spread elsewhere. I know she fought as hard as she could and that she is in a better place now but its so hard for me to think about the fact that she is gone. I'm supposed to be visiting her next weekend for fall break to spend time with her and introduce her to Ben. I never planned on the last time I would see her would be right before she died. My heart still hurts when I think about it.

My Grandmother as a freshman at Northeastern

Taken around 1965, she was my age at the time

Mom, Dad, My Grandmother, Me, and My Grandfather

The Boston Globe wrote an article about my Grandmother after her passing, she did a lot of cool things in her life. If you would like to read it you will find it here

OOTD and randomness

This week was the first week of my teaching practicum (basically prepping for my full time student teaching internship in the Spring) and it was amazing! I loved every bit of it and needless to say it reinforces my feelings that I am doing the right thing being in the MAT program at Clemson! However, being as it is a graduate program I have been swamped with school work. While everyone has been enjoying their holiday weekend I have been doing school work. Ben went to TN with his mom and dad today and Annie and I are hanging out doing school stuff. I literally worked from 9 am-4:30 this afternoon on various assignments. Tomorrow will probably be the same. Yuck! However, I am taking a break tonight to watch some episodes of SATC and blog :)

Have you noticed all the great sales going on lately? I certainly have! I have been working on my fall wardrobe and on my teacher wardrobe, seeing as in a few months I will have to dress professionally five days of the week! Yikes! Ann Taylor Loft is doing a promotion right now where sale items are an extra 40% off! How great is that! I bought cute suit jacket and two pairs of dress pants for under $100.00! Hopefully everything will fit right :) Luckily its not final sale so it can be returnable. Last week I stocked up on perfect fit T's from J. Crew and another Minnie pant in charcoal from their final sale. I love those pants! I wish they came in more colors though. I also bought the sweater in my OOTD. Its the perfect fit mixed tape cardigan. I really like the longer length of it and the softness of the fabric.

Yesterday was spent at the library working on assignments but I felt like looking cute, this is what I wore.... (sorry for the rumplyness, this is what happens after hours doing work)

J. Crew Cardigan, Gap Jeans (similar style, mine are old),
Michael Kors watch, Sam Edelman wedges

On another note, I realized yesterday that Ben and I have had Annie for almost a year! She came home with us the weekend of Thanksgiving! I can't imagine not having her :) This is what my lovely, lazy dog has been doing today while I have been working....

Sorry for the BB photo, I can't figure out where I put my
camera charger!

Hope you all have a fabulous labor day holiday!

Sweet Sunday

Hello All!

Sundays are normally lazy days spent lying on the couch with Annie watching CMT and reading fashion magazines. However, since school has started back Sunday has become a day of reading for classes and preparing for the week. This upcoming week is going to be super busy because I start my first round of student teaching!!! WOOHHOO!!! Tuesday will be my first day! Say a prayer for me because it looks like I am about to start getting up at like 6-6:30ish! OMGosh, sooo early :( but its worth it!

And what makes it even better is that 1) the temps will be in the 80's here in SC this week, yay for cooler weather! 2) I'm going to Knoxville for Labor Day with Ben and his family, which is always fun! Good food, I essentially don't eat a lot a few days before because I know I'll get stuffed while I am there. Someone is always trying to feed me lol.

Even though I have had a lot of work to do this weekend, I have been able to spend some time with Ben's mom and sister and do great things. We went to the Upstate Women's show yesterday morning, so much fun! I stocked up goodies for Ben and Annie. I've been working on slowly buying Christmas presents instead of waiting to the last minute :) And we went and saw the movie The Help! It was sooo good! There were a few little differences from the book but over all I loved it. And I loved the clothes, so beautiful! And Skeeter's childhood home, love love love love love. I want it! Hello dream house!

And now for some Sunday Inspiration!

All images via tumblr and pinterest

Have a great day y'all!

OOTD and other fun stuff :)

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a fabulous day and weekend!

I wore this outfit for my first day of class this week :)

J. Crew Matchstick Crops, J. Crew top and shoes via consignment store,
Jean Jacket from Belk, Michael Kors watch
(sorry for the bathroom shot, I took this at school with my BB)

Close up of pattern on shirt, and it has the most amazing bow
on the back, however, I am not coordinated enough to get a good picture lol

Also check out this new bedding I got from Target (to replace what Annie destroyed! Grrr) but its super cute! And I've been eyeing it forever and finally just bit the bullet and got it, and I love it!

The comforter reverses to that adorable yellow medallion print! Its a 2 for 1 deal!

Something to think about....

Kim Kardashian is going to be making 45 MILLION DOLLARS by selling pictures and video from her wedding. 

Meanwhile, 

• we "cant afford" to fund NPR
• we "cant afford" to fund Planned Parenthood
• we "cant afford" to fund education
• small businesses are drowning in today's economy
• thousands in this country can afford to feed themselves or their children properly

Original Post Here

And while I am on my soapbox, stop telling me to donate to starving children in third world countries when there are thousands of children right here that are going hungry. Yes, I understand that other children are important too but so are the ones here at home. Almost 20 million children receive free or reduced lunches at school. Often times its the best meal they get in a day. Many of these children participate in weekend and summer food programs to ensure they eat when they are not in school. Recent reports indicate that 49 million Americans ran out of food at some point in the year. The state of Georgia is one of the top five states with a hunger problem and thats sad but true and it breaks my heart.

I'm not trying to discourage or condone donating to others but with everything thats going on right now its important to remember your own community, neighbors, you never know who is hurting and to ashamed to ask for help. I cant imagine the pain a parent must feel to know they cant afford to feed their child.  

There is nothing like fabulous coats...

All these great pics have me wishing for cooler weather and fabulous coats!

It's All In The Details

Its amazing what great accessories can do to a look!

LOVE the shoes Olivia is wearing!

The belt adds a great punch!
 You can't go wrong with a little leopard

Love her glasses! She looks fabulous

Check out that blue purse!

love love love love :)

All photos from Tumblr and Pinterest. 

Dreaming of Fall

Dreaming of Fall by kblumsack featuring slim jeans

J Crew knit top
$70 - jcrew.com

Seven For All Mankind slim jeans
$87 - couturecandy.com

Madewell flat shoes
$298 - madewell.com

Louis Vuitton ball bag
$800 - louisvuitton.com

Round ring
$7,800 - tiffany.com

MICHAEL Michael Kors acrylic jewelry
$195 - macys.com

Kate Spade metal jewelry
$78 - katespade.com

Mixed metal jewelry
$28 - macys.com

Ray-Ban ray ban shades
$130 - net-a-porter.com

J Crew cashmere shawl
$75 - jcrew.com

Inspiration!

via Hanneli
Love the hair and the dress!

So casual, yet so put together! And I LOVE this bag!

Emma Roberts make some really good fashion choices!

Similar to top look, but it works so well!

Love this! The shoes! The shorts! The hat!

Kate Spade always has fabulous ads :)

Happiness is often found in a shopping bag!

I am a fashion junkie. I read blogs, sites, magazines, you name it I've probably got it. However, contrary to popular belief I am not a shopping junkie. Well, not anymore lol. As I have gotten older I have developed my own sense of style, figured out what works for my body (and what doesn't) and about buying clothes I really love.

In my opinion, there is nothing worse than buying something and getting home and deciding you really don't love a particular item. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the moment when your in the store, or you see a particular trend and then realize it really doesn't work for you. Or that you paid a lot of money for something that really doesn't work for you. Which is why if I don't love it or it doesn't really work for me I don't buy or else I'll find myself bringing it back the next day. FYI, this is also why I am a receipt hoarder and make sure I am well informed of a stores return policy. And why I don't buy much from Forever 21 because you cant return items you can only get store credit, plus the quality isn't that great.

Speaking of quality, if its not going to last don't buy it! Yes, it may cost a little more up front but its worth it when its an item you'll wear for a long time. Stick with affordable quality on basics and splurge on items you'll keep for years. I love Target because often times they have really cute stuff for a reasonable cost, this is where some of my "trendy" but not timeless pieces come from. However, beware Target can be a money pit if your not careful! For my classic pieces I have been loving J. Crew lately (this is not always the case though, its varies from season to season). They can be a little pricey but if you wear that dress for years, the cost per wear becomes pennies. Quality is better! You can also hit up consignment and thrift stores for good deals. I have found tons of great stuff from J. Crew, Lilly, Vineyard Vines, Dooney and Bourke, etc. all for great prices and often times brand new! The effort to search through the racks is so worth it! Just this week I found a great pair of loafers from J. Crew and brand new with tags Vineyard Vine pants at one of my favorite stores! Major score! You can also find great deals online, just make sure the site and seller are reputable. Bargain shopping is a great way to find great clothes for a good price. You can look fabulous on a budget with a little effort. If you need inspiration for what items are worth having in your closet, look no further than Matchbook Magazine's checklist of 50 classic pieces.

via Matchbook Magazine's Tumblr

Additionally, here are some of my favorite sites for bargain hunting:

Bonanza A little like EBay, but more user-friendly.

Bags @ Bonanza  Awesome bags! Will do a review/post later this week on my recent purchase from here :)

J. Crew Aficionado  (look for the weekly post of readers selling their J Crew stuff, its usually on Monday. They also share coupon codes and sales info)

Atlanta Consignment if you are ever in the Atlanta area, these stores are great upscale boutiques. Some can be pricey but often times you'll find great deals. I frequent a lot of these stores when I am on the hunt for new clothes.

Some days you just feel blah...

And for me that day is today. For a vacation week, this week has been nothing but stressful and full of disappointing moments and my feelings being hurt. Sometimes people just suck. And for the first time in ten weeks I haven't been on the go and have been home with my sweet family and what have I spent the most time doing? Crying. Yeup, I have literally been brought to tears almost every day.

I am complete honest about the fact that my family sucks, there is no closeness and there is very little of actual "family" moments. Of my relatives, the one I talk to the most is my Grandmother and even then its not as frequently as I would like. I have not spoken to my Aunts and cousins in almost ten years, and my Grandfather and Step-grandmother in like two years. I found out in December that my Grandmother was real sick with cancer and she has been receiving treatment for the past few months and we thought she was getting better. Earlier this week I found out that she is not, she is struggling with her treatment right now and is exhausted. And the doctors don't know what to do next. Every time I think about it I start crying and cant bear the thought of my Grandmother dying. Please pray that she gets better.

On top of that I had a huge falling out with my family this week. At this point I don't see myself ever having a good relationship with my parents and siblings. I find myself separating from them more and more  every day. Up until this point I have tried to be hopeful that things would work out but they aren't. They continuously make me feel like I am not part of the family and that nothing I do is right, I feel like a scapegoat and I'm over it. I am thankful every day for the family I have with Ben and that I have become a part of his. Between my grandmother, my family and a few other things my heart hurts this week. I found myself disappointed in people I never expected to disappoint me.

As a result my vacation week has been somewhat stressful and not as relaxed as I had hoped. These past few months have been full of hard work, constantly being busy and constantly traveling. I knew when I made the decision to go to Clemson it would be a struggle but I know it will be worth it in May when I graduate with my M.A.T. I finished up Summer School with a 4.0 gpa! Yay :) I am very proud of that fact and it wouldn't have occurred without the help and support of Ben and his family. School has been hard, but being away from Ben and Annie has been even harder. I miss them every day, having half of your family living 2 1/2 hours away is heart wrenching. Ben and I alternate every weekend driving to see each other. I go to GA one weekend, him and Annie come to SC the next. We have always been traveling and doing things for as long as I can remember, but it gets exhausting when you travel almost every weekend for months. Too bad we can accumulate frequent driving miles. Every day I say a prayer that the right job will come along for Ben in SC.

I know this update hasn't been the most positive but there have been some good things from this week and I will post about that later. For now I am going to go be spend time with my Annie!

Fall Wishlist

Fall Wishlist by kblumsack featuring louis vuitton handbags

Shirts blouse
$88 - anthropologie.com

TopShop western denim jacket
$85 - topshop.com

Seven For All Mankind low rise jeans
$200 - stylebop.com

J crew
$178 - jcrew.com

GAP skinny pants
$50 - gap.com

J crew boots
$298 - jcrew.com

Louis vuitton handbag
$820 - louisvuitton.com

Vineyard Vines - Quilted Shoulder Shep Shirt
$98 - vineyardvines.com