Falling into the GAP.....

When I was in high school, before discovering Abercrombie and Fitch, GAP was my go-to store. I was border line obsessed with it (a la JCrew now). In recent years...eh...not so much. I haven't really liked anything the Gap has offered for several years now. And with the exception of the odd tank top or pajama bottom, I never shopped there. But, then I heard about this new line of jeans and I started to see some things that I liked.

Yesterday, I paid my local GAP B&M a visit....I arrived to discover that the entire store was buy one get one (BOGO)...this promo did not include pants or jackets. I got my husband a ton of casual stuff...v neck cotton sweaters, layering tees, henleys, etc. And then I wandered over to the ladie's section. Here is what I tried on:

First up, GAP Boyfriend Jeans and Chambray boyfriend button down. I really liked this button down but I just don't think I will ever wear it so I left it. The fabric was really soft and it ran LARGE....I sized down to an XS which is just ridiculous! I am a very consistant size medium.

The boyfriend jeans were nice but I left them too. I've come to the conclusion that boyfriend jeans are just not meant for my body type....they are always huge in the waist and baggy in the butt...which I hate. I sized down in these jeans...I'm wearing a six here. Overall I feel like most of Gap's clothing this season is running big and long.

Next up, the Boyfriend Striped Sweater. I really really liked this sweater. I need a cami under it, it is pretty low cut as you can see in the picture. I didn't get the stripes...but I got a really pretty forest green and purple color. I opted for solids. I am wearing my normal size Medium here. I tried on a Small too and the size was not much different, the sweater was just a little shorter in the torso. I'm planning on wearing these with skinny jeans and boots this fall/winter so I prefer the slightly baggier shape to offset the skinny bottom. I would recommend these.

Lastly, I got a fleece zip up in a brown/oatmeal color. I have been on the hunt for a longer length zip up hoodie. I ordered the JCrew Sherpa lined hoodie but after getting this Gap version for $17.50 on promo...originally $39.50, the JCrew Sherpa hoodie is going back.

I think that this GAP hoodie is a really great alternative to the JCrew counterpart. However, there are some major differences. Firstly, the material is much thinner than the Sherpa lined hoodie. The fit is very similar...I think the GAP hoodie runs a little large but I'm okay with that...I'll be frying it in the dryer. For my purposes, which include wearing this to the gym and grocery store and layering it under my LLBean feather puffy vest this fall, the GAP version works great! I'm very happy to save myself fifty dollars and apply that to another JCrew item that I have been coveting.

I think that I might pick this up in another color...I'm thinking either the pink or orangey color....I have several knit colored dresses in grey, navy, and black and I think that the pop of color would look really cute early in the fall or on my beach vacation next week.

Well I'm all spray tanned and just have to pack for my weekend at the shore:) We have a beach house at the Jersey Shore so we are so excited to be down there for the last days of summer....have a great weekend everybody:)

J.

Some beats for pavement pounding......

AKA....Song recommendations for running:)

Sometimes you just don't feel like working out; and, if you are anything like me, music can be that motivator to get you through the mind games.

I've recently gotten back into running and have taken some time to update my ipod with some great tunes......

Here are some of my current favorites that can be found on my "Running" playlist:

Best Day of your Life -- Kellie Pickler
Good Girls Go Bad -- Cobra Starship
I Run to You -- Lady Antebellum
I Run for Life -- Melissa Etheridge
Love Story (Workout Mix) -- Taylor Swift
Eye of the Tiger -- Survivor (I put this on whenever I get frustrated or to push through the pain)
Fire Burning -- Sean Kingston
I Got a Feeling -- Black eyed Peas
Kids -- MGMT
Supermassive Black Hole -- Muse
Human (Deluxe Day&Age Version -- The Killers
Smooth Criminal -- Michael Jackson
Around the World -- Daft Punk
Electric Feel -- MGMT
Mo Money Mo Problems -- Mase, Puff Daddy, & Biggy Smalls
Best of You -- Foo Fighters
Just Dance -- Lady Gaga
Nighttiming -- Coconut Records
One More Time -- Daft Punk
Cath -- Death Cab for Cutie

Alot of these are "newer" songs....I get bored pretty easily so I download new music playlists pretty regularly.

Do you have any suggestions???

Leave some song suggestions in the comment section...I'm always looking for new ideas and I like all kinds of music!

J.

Fall Shoes.....

It is still 95 degrees here and humid as hell...but that doesn't stop me from wanting to shop for fall. The heat and humidity has deterred me from wool sweaters, etc. So I have been focusing my fall shopping efforts on my favorite thing ever -- SHOES!

I had to travel pretty far out into the suburbs for work this week and I happened to be passing my favorite TJMaxx. For some reason, this specific TJMaxx in my area always has the best shoes (I found 5 pairs of JCrew shoes on one trip back in the spring!) I've gotten countless pairs of Cole Haan, Michael Kors, Coach, etc shoes here over the past few years. So when I stopped in, I pleasantly pleased to discover several more casual and comfortable options to add to my fall wardrobe.

First up, these black suede wedges from Michael Kors. They were a steal at $59.99. I plan on wearing them this fall with skinny jeans and skirts/dresses with black tights. They are also very comfortable and make my *gigantic* feet look small-ish. I got these in a 9. (I am normally a 9.5 but I have narrowish skinny feet so if the toebox is wide, I normally go down .5 to one whole size.)


I love wedges and I'm guessing this wedge is about 3.5 to 4 inches high. But the shoes are super comfortable and have a very wide toebox because of the rounded toe. I love them!!!

Next up, these nude colored wedges from Me Too! I took these in a 9. They cost $39.99. These look pretty awesome with skinny jeans and I love the fact that the slight wedge (it is 1 inch) elongates my leg. These look really flattering with skinnies and they are very comfortable. I am slightly concerned with gold hardware being uncomfortable....I have funny toes..my toe nail sort of curves up a little bit and I have had problems with the Tory Burch Reva ballet flats in the past because of this. But for $39.99, I am willing to give these a chance.

Overall, I'm happy with my new shoe additions and wish it would start to get COOLER so that I could wear them!!!

Next up....GAP's awesome BOGO promo.

Cheers!

J.

I try to keep it light...but this just makes me so MAD!!!

So, I try to keep my blog posts light hearted. However, I just have to comment on this. I'm a born and raised Philadelphian, a die hard Eagles and Phillies fan, and I have spent the last 16 hours trying to figure out WTF Andy Reed (Eagles Head Coach) and management are thinking signing Michael Vick!!!

He orchestrated the abuse, torture, and killing of hundreds of dogs in his off-time spent running a dog fighting ring. He spent 18 months in prison; and, yes, he has paid his debt to the legal system. During all of the press conferences, the phrase "second chance" and "deserves a second chance" has been used over and over again!



So let me say my peace, I believe that people deserve a second chance. And Michael Vick is no exception. He paid his debt to the legal system. He filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Lost his career and the respect of his fans. This guy is pretty much a rock bottom! And he does deserve a second chance. However, he was only released on July 20th from his jail/house arrest time; and, already he has a multi-million dollar two year contract with another NFL team. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS!!! Maybe after he spent a year working with the SPCA, speaking about animal abuse, etc FULL TIME!!! Maybe after that I would be willing to say "the NFL should give him a second chance." But, not now, not so soon.......



This just makes me so mad! He better be the poster child for the Philadelphia Humane Society!!! I expect him to be speaking to school children about his mistakes and how NOT to be like him!

Not to mention, I don't really see what he has to offer to the team regarding skills seeing as we already have McNabb and a great back-up quarterback. Do we really need a third?


My husband and I have season tickets and for the first time, I'm really not looking forward to football season!



J.

Getting in Shape Series: Beginner Runner Training.....

So, it's time for an update on my running progress. I wrote a few weeks ago about my fear of running and my joining a running club....well I am pleased to report that things are going great. I had originally signed up for a half marathon on September 20th but with a business trip and vacation time scheduled, I felt this was maybe pushing myself a little too much. So I've signed up for a 1/2 in my area in Mid-November. This will give me plenty of time to train.

I found this awesome Beginner Half-Marathoner training program on the website -- http://www.marathonrookie.com/ This program does a great job of getting you into shape to run your first (in my case first-in-a-long-time) half marathon. They recommend being able to run for 30 minutes non-stop before starting.

Here it is:


This beginner half marathon training program assumes you have been running
consistently for at least 4-6 weeks and can run for at least thirty minutes without stopping
before beginning the program. Do not run more than two consecutive days when
following this schedule.

10-Week Half Marathon Training Schedule

Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Total
1 3 Rest 3 3 Rest 4 Rest 13
2 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 5 Rest 15
3 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 6 Rest 16
4 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 8 Rest 19
5 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 10 Rest 21
6 4 Rest 5 4 Rest 11 Rest 24
7 4 Rest 6 4 Rest 12 Rest 26
8 4 Rest 5 4 Rest 9 Rest 22
9 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 8 Rest 18
10 3 Rest 3 Walk 2 Rest 13.1 Rest 21.1

http://www.marathonrookie/.

Note: The program was in an excel file so I can't make it show up lined up right. But click on this link to download it as a PDF file. Scroll down to the bottom for the workout chart and there are lots of other great tips for preparation, hydration, and nutrition as well.

This is a really good beginner program with the goal being FINISHING!!! There is no emphasis on building speed etc. However, if you do know that the course has alot of hills, I would recommend incorporating up and down hill workouts into your weekly runs. This helps build endurance, is great for the bootie/thigh jiggle, and makes certain your body is not "surprised" on race day. This program also has a taper build into it. Also, in week 10 the 13.1 miles is actually the half you signed up to run. Also, instead of starting on a Monday as this suggests, I get a calendar and count back from the race date to 10 weeks before so that I can stay on target with the workouts.

Wish me luck!

XOXO
J.

I'm a GEM.......(truly outrageous, truly, truly outrageous)....

(Just ignore that nod to my 80's childhood...I loved JEM!!!) Now down to business,



THANK YOU!!! to the lovely Joyce at Making the Best Joyce and the fabulous Zoet Moet at Le Chateau de Chiffon for giving me an award......(I love both of their blogs and highly highly recommend checking them out if you have not already!!!).







"This award is for the special bloggers who take the time not only to read my posts, but also leave comments, respond to comments, form blog friendships with and support others, answer blogger questions, etc. . . . the ones who are "a real gem" in the bloggy world! The bloggy world wouldn't be the same without you! The only rule for this award is to accept it, display it proudly on your blog for all the bloggy world to see your greatness, and/or pass it on to other bloggers as you see fit. So, to the following bloggers I say, "you're a gem to me" and here is your award!"

So I would like to nominate the following bloggers/blogs because everytime I visit I learn something new:


Dina at My Superfluities -- I love her bubbly personality, colorful outfits, and adorable kids!!


Summerilla at Sum Sunshine -- I love her candor and great fashion sense!!


ABC at A Bigger Closet -- She's just beautiful inside and out....and her JCrew clothing collection is to DIE for!!


FFM at Fabulous Florida Mommy -- I love her Polyvore sets, her inspiration wisdoms, and her adventures with her gaggle of boys!!!


Heidi at Head to Toe with Heidi -- Love her effortless style, musings on nail polish, and pics of the super cute Lucy!!


Beth at Mushroom -- I love her house, garden, decorating sense, recipes, and musings on her daily life!


Alexis at JCrew Aficionada -- It is through her blog that I found this amazing world of JCrew and blog friends to begin with....


There are so many of you whose blogs I love and learn from on a daily basis, these are just a few so take this award and pass it on!! I love our little blog community!

XOXO
J.

Dear Stupid 98 degree weather.....

Please go away!!! I'm over you.....time for FALL!!! Besides I have many new clothing reviews to picture and post but my upstairs (its a very old house) is about 8 billion degrees and that includes the room with my full length mirror. So go away....please:)

Love me some Skinny Jeans....

JCrew Matchstick/Toothpick jeans are my FAVORITE!! However, after last season, I am now the owner of 5 pairs of varying washes, lengths, etc. (Although I do not any Matchstick Cords and after seeing how fab other JCA's look in them, they are on my shopping list for this season!!) So yesterday, I made a trip to Nordstrom to check out "what was left" of the SALE....and of course everything I bought was NOT on sale.





I have 3 pairs of Seven for all Mankind jeans and I have always been told that Citizens for Humanity are very similar so I never really bothered with them. But, I was drawn to this dark pair of "Ava" straight leg jeans. I tried them on and it was LOVE!!! and I knew that I could not leave without them. I'm pleased to be branching out from the JCrew Matchstick jeans.....





I plan on taking some pics of my new jeans and posting them ASAP.....

Citizens for Humanity Ava Straight Leg Jeans.

I'm having dreams of these with tunic tops and my "new, as yet not ordered" purple ruffle jacket from Anthropologie being my fall uniform!!

J.