dress up.

it's not everyday we have a reason to get dressed up. it's usually tees and jeans/shorts around here.

so, when my husband told me we were going to his 15-year high school reunion dinner, i knew, this time, i really had to go out and find something to wear. as you know, dress shopping can be either productive or completely bust, depending on what is in the stores, what you like, what you feel motivated to try on, how expensive, etc.

i found this little combination and i'm happy with the end result:

a sweet little strapless sundress with a fun orange & white mushroom pattern throughout...





and this amazing side-tie jacket that i completely love...



even better...i didn't pay full price for these items.

we will have a late-summer baptism to attend, so i'm thrilled i get to wear this little number more than once this year. {the beauty of the jacket is that i can wear it with anything...it dresses up and down to casual so easily...}.

now...i need to dig through my closet to find a purse and shoes that'll go with it. since i know my husband will read my post, i know how eager he'll be to help me go through my section of the closet and help me put the finishing touches on this outfit. =) {thanks in advance, hon!}. =)

pretty.

wow. i can't believe that, for the 2 hours of toiling at the computer last week to figure out the blog banner thing, it took me less than an hour tonight to slam it all together. maybe i work better at this stuff at night, when i'm tired. hmmm.

learning PSE definitely takes some work and i'd like to practice some more at some point, but i'm happy with doing the basics for right now, this evening, and...yippee! i've got a new banner!

my creative outlet may not be digital layouts and banners...yet...but, when it comes to, say, baking...i feel my creativity flow big time and i can whip out some kind of confectionary delight from a complicated recipe or from the top of my head, like these yummy cupcakes...



i'm very into cupcakes lately. they're cute...and sweet {no pun intended}. you can decorate them in so many ways. it's like the perfect portion of dessert. and...i love icing...so much. i love to make a little extra and pile some extra height to the tops of my cupcakes. these were made with no recipe. just felt inspired by the prettiness of spring...and, they taste pretty yummy too!