A little more than a month ago I left my home state of West Virginia and moved halfway across the country to take a job in Iowa. This job pays me nearly triple of what I was making last year. For the first time in a very long time I can walk into a store and buy a sweater or a pair of shoes without having to worry about the rest of my budget. I can buy a book at Barnes and Noble without feeling guilty. Obviously I shouldn't get too crazy--I need to replace my car at some point this year--but I am going to indulge a bit.


Last year was the first year in a long time where I actually wore shorts in public during the summer. This was mostly due to the fact my office building last year had absolutely zero air conditioning. I wasn't uncommon for me to wander in for my overnight shift and it still be over 85 degrees in there. So shorts became a necessity and Old Navy had two pairs in particular that caught my eye which just happened to be the ones they're getting sued for by Lilly Pulitzer.

This year I decided I wanted more shorts.  I didn't expect to buy them in February but they'll keep until warmer days. First up are these incredible gingham shorts. It was one of those moments where I just took one look at them and handed my cash to Old Navy. Frankly, you can't get much preppier than these shorts. The other pair of shorts just had a fun print I like. It is a bit early in the year for shorts (unless you live in Florida) but if there's something you like, grab 'em before Old Navy discontinues them.

These are the same Pixie pants I featured last week. I'm in a very lavender mood so these felt like a no brainer. I will note the leaves on the flowers are actually a light golden brown. I have a sweater that matched that brown nicely so I've been pairing those together. I also wore a navy shirt with them and felt it looked alright.


Let me start off with the Lands' End sweater I bought to match the above Pixie pants. It's not quite the same shade of lavender but it's close enough. I love this version of their popular Drifter sweater because it is tunic length and has a nice mid weight feel to it. I'm giving some thought to ordering a few more of these.

I know I've shared my hate of neon many times, but on these New Balance sneakers...its okay. Small doses, folks. I got this pair through J.Crew and let me share this tidbit: order through the store if you can. Ordering through the store brings free shipping which is pretty standards but more importantly the shipping is much faster.  I bought these shoes on a Saturday and had them by Wednesday. Had I ordered these through the website I'd probably still be waiting on them.

One of my favorite purchases since my move is this pretty print bedding from Pottery Barn. When I moved here I discovered my bedroom was painted sage green. My landlord said she'd have it painted whenever I was ready but I think it's growing me. I originally picked this set out because it reminded me of one of my favorite museum exhibitions that featured 19th century prints featuring flora and fauna. When I brought it home I was very happy to find that the greens in the print matched my walls. The set is reversible, with the same print on a white background and the other side on a black background. I never, ever thought I'd bring black into my home decor but it just looks so good in my bedroom.