Shalene Says Smile!

I hope you're a good swimmer because today we're going under the sea with "The Little Mermaid." This was always one of my favorite Disney movies. I remember seeing it with my mom in the theater when it first came out. My inspiration for today is none other than the mischievous youngest daughter of King Triton...Ariel! I didn't have a seashell top lying around, so I went with a purple shirt instead. This tunic was actually pretty long, and I wasn't happy with how it looked with the pants, so I tied it up to the side. Kinda reminds me of when we'd use tshirt clips back in the 80s/90s, actually around the same time the movie was released, so I guess it works. The green stretch jeans are another pair from Sam's Club. The same Nine West style that I have in purple and posted a couple weeks ago.  My mermaid necklace was given to me by my friend Jeannette. It's super adorable and worked great for the outfit. My trident ring was one of the jew...

Bonjour et bienvenue! Today we step into the French countryside with a "Beauty and the Beast" inspired look. Belle, perhaps? That would've been the obvious choice, but instead I chose the dashing Lumiere! I got this yellow sleeveless tunic from Amazon very inexpensively. It's not the best quality material, but I'm not too hard on my clothes typically. I was going to just wear it as a dress because it's pretty long, but that was a little too risque for my taste. I only have one pair of yellow leggings, but they are black and yellow and didn't work well with the top, so I just put on my khaki capris. I added the white cardigan to represent the candles. For an additional touch of gold, I'm wearing a wide stretch belt. Shoes are Skechers and are super comfy! I could definitely walk around in these shoes all day at Disney. I hope you come back tomorrow to see what I have in store! Au revoir!

Happy Tuesday! Since yesterday's post was dedicated to my brother, I drew inspiration for today from my sister. There's no better Disney movie than "Frozen" to represent sisters! I'm the younger sister, so I went with an Anna inspired look. I was originally going to wear a pair of jeans for this outfit, but it just wasn't quite right. I went scrambling this morning to figure out what to wear instead. I don't actually have a blue skirt, so I got a bit creative. I found a long sleeve cold shoulder dress, but figured it would be too hot for today. Plus I probably won't wear my LulaRoe Lindsay cardigan all day and my black shirt is short sleeves. I took the long sleeves and tucked them inside the dress, and then used the shoulder holes for my arms. I was surprised it actually looks pretty good like this on its own.  My sister Shailia gave me this bracelet, so it was quite appropriate for this outfit. The hat is from Kohl's I think. You...

Have you heard of Disneybounding? It's not cosplay and dressing up as Disney characters, but rather wearing Disney inspired outfits. Apparently, it stemmed from a rule at the Disney parks that no one over the age of 12 can wear Disney costumes since kids might get confused between other park goers and actual Disney employees.  Today's outfit is inspired by Genie from "Aladdin," and is dedicated to my brother Alex. This was his favorite Disney movie growing up. I don't even know how many times he watched it. He seriously went through a phase where he would watch it just about every day. I don't know how he didn't wear out our copy of the VHS tape. At one point, I practically had the dialogue memorized line by line just because he would watch this movie so much. In the movie, Genie calls Aladdin by the nickname "Al." I can't be totally sure, but I'm pretty positive this is about the time Alex's friends started calling him "Al...

This morning, we attended a Memorial Day ceremony at Veteran's Field on post at Fort Rucker. It was beautiful weather, the Color Guard and bugler did a wonderful job, and the Commanding General gave a great speech. The speech addressed Memorial Day origins, starting following the Civil War when citizens would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers, both Confederate and Union. The ceremony concluded with a traditional wreath laying, followed by the playing of TAPS and retiring the Colors. Following the ceremony, we were invited to attend a reception for Gold Star families, hosted by the Commanding General and the Survivor's Outreach Service. You can find more information about the Gold Star program here https://www.army.mil/goldstar/. We went in honor of my brother, Sergeant David "Alex" Stephens, who was killed when a roadside bomb hit his convoy in Afghanistan on April 12, 2007. For the occasion, my theme of the week was very fitting. There were numerous other in...

The sun is out (temporarily) and it is HOT outside! Hot and humid, a vicious combo. Although this photo is posed outside, it was just a quick visit out the porch. We will probably jump in the pool later after mowing though. Surprise, surprise...another Cato shirt and pair of shorts. I've had both of them for a while now and don't wear them often. The shorts are kind of poofy and shorter than I care to wear in public. I usually get this shirt out during patriotic holidays, but that's about it. I think I got this headband in a pack of three at Walmart. No idea where I bought the sunglasses. I purchased these shoes specifically for a Halloween costume a few years back. I went as Billy the Puppet from the SAW movies. Since then, I've actually worn them quite a bit. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who knows that red is my favorite color. Tomorrow I have a Memorial Day ceremony to attend, so I'll be dressing up a bit. See you then!

I don't believe the expression "April showers bring May flowers" applies to lower Alabama. It was super dry at the beginning of the month, and now it's rain rain rain. We really need it, so I'm not complaining. Yet another Agnes & Dora tiered tunic, this time in red. I have one more you haven't seen yet too, which actually would have also matched my patriotic leggings I'm wearing. How lucky that I have a rain jacket to match the theme this week! Pretty sure I got it from Modcloth. My necklace is another homemade creation done with nail polish. I used a glitter topper and blue base for it. My patterns are all over the place today. I had on sandals initially, but opted to switch to my rain boots at the last minute before leaving the house. I got them on Amazon but don't know what brand they are. I mostly wear them when tromping through the woods. And because a friend asked about what LipSense colors I would wear for this week's ...

It's a dreary Tuesday here in lower Alabama. Stormy weather yesterday, today, and expected all week. Another Cato shirt today fitting with the rw&b theme. Paired it with basic denim capris. They look almost black in the pic, but they're dark blue. No accessories today, except for my adorable fur baby Bella. Flip flops are from Walmart. Although I'm not particularly an Alabama fan (or any team for that matter), I couldn't pass up red shoes.   Of course I have to show off my sweet girl Bella. She wasn't too amused when I was holding her, and this pose is her waiting for me to give her a yummy treat. She's due for a grooming soon since she's getting shaggy.  I hear the rain starting again, so I better post this before I lose my internet. Until tomorrow!

So it seems Mondays aren't typically a good day for outfits since I mostly don't go anywhere at the beginning of the week. It was another day for laundry, plus I was helping Russ fill out a ton of paperwork for his new job. Oh, and we cleaned out my sink drain. Well, he did most of the work, but I did have to get everything out from under my sink. In honor of Memorial Day coming up soon, I opted to go for a Red, White, and Blue theme this week. You'll only be getting one photo today since I literally just pulled shorts and a shirt out of my drawer to throw on. I haven't even worn shoes today, and most definitely didn't do anything with my hair or makeup. No accessories either. My shirt is a freebie tee. I got it last year when we were a host home for DNOW, a youth ministry weekend retreat. These shirts were donated by Thrivent Financial. Shorts are from Cato. As I'm sure is obvious by now, Cato is one of my go to stores for clothes. I'll try to pu...

It's Friday, Friday, Friday! I was in my pajamas most of the day, and while I wish I could say I was lounging around, I was actually doing laundry, vacuuming, paying bills, and other fun adulting stuff. I've got a local art show to attend this evening on post, and even though it's not a fancy affair, I decided to dress up. I'm wearing a Maureen LulaRoe dress. In this photo it looks more pink, but it is most definitely purple. I'd say lavender or orchid. So I probably won't actually wear this hat, but it matched so well not to at least pose with it. I got this on Amazon to wear for a derby luncheon. It's a sheer material and very lightweight. My earrings and necklace came in a subscription box I used to have. I'm guessing PopSugar or Peaches and Petals, but I can't remember. They're both monthly lifestyle boxes where you get an assortment of home, beauty, and fashion items. I know I've said it before, but I love Clarks shoes! Th...

Purple jeggings? Yes, please! I found these Nine West pants at Sam's Club for a really good price. I love the deals we get there. I just wish they had a dressing room to try on clothes. We've had to return several items that just didn't fit right. But at least they're good about their return policy. The shirt is one I don't remember how long I've had. Probably for at least 10 years, but it's still in really good shape and the colors haven't faded. Does this jewelry look familiar? It should. I wore it last week with one of my floral theme outfits.Worked great for today too! Clearance Crocs here. I think they're meant more for cold weather since they have a lining, but it wasn't too bad wearing them today even though it was pretty warm out for most of the day.  I have an art show to attend tomorrow evening, so I may dress up a little bit. But I haven't really decided yet. I may just go casual. Guess we'll just have to...

My purple focus for today is my leggings, but my shirt has the color (along with many others) as well. This is what I like to call my Sally shirt. Anyone who has seen "The Nightmare Before Christmas" will know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, look it up. I don't remember when or where I got this ring/bracelet combo. It was probably at some local craft fair or vendor event. I've only worn it a couple times, so I'm glad I was able to add it back in the rotation. It's definitely not like any other piece of jewelry I own. I've had these boots a while and they've been well worn. I should probably polish them since the black look faded, but then again it also gives them character. I like the wedge heels, which make the boots comfortable for walking around. Comfort plus style is a big win when it comes to shoes.  Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow.

I was on the fence about the dress I picked out to wear today. Is it pink? Is it purple? I'm pretty sure it leans more into the purple category. To add a little more fun to an otherwise simple cotton dress, I put on this sheer swimsuit coverup since it has some purple in the design. This outfit has a very beachy feel to it. It's hard to capture the color of my necklace properly on camera. It's definitely purple in person. I made this myself using nail polish. I just started with a clear cabochen tile and painted the back with the color. Then I glued on the pendant backing and put it on a fabric necklace.  My hair piece is a HairZing (or some similar knock off brand). The commercials/how to videos always make it look so easy to use, but I always get it uneven and have to readjust several times before it looks fairly symmetrical. You're supposed to be able to do lots of styles with it, but I tend to just do a basic bun (as shown) or a ponytail where the hair...