Started off the week right with a little leopard and red. Nothing better than being able to wear this pairing at the office! I hope you all had a wonderful week and hope you enjoy the weekend! Happy Friday!

Blouse, Wal-Mart (Similar) :: Blazer, Thrifted (Similar) :: Skirt, Thrifted – NY&C via Goodwill (Similar):: Leopard Pumps, BCBG via Nordstrom Rack (Similar) :: Bracelets, Lia Sophia (Exact) :: Lipstick, YSL Rouge Volupte #17 – Red Muse (Exact)

Linking up to Friday’s Five!

When it was cold on Mother’s Day, instead of opting for my sleeveless, knee-length dress, I decided to throw on my orange blouse from 10DollarMall.com and once again paired it with my white blazer and skinny jeans. On Monday, I shared my blazer and jeans casual style, and today I’m sharing how I dress them up. I added a teal necklace for some interest and was ready to celebrate Mother’s Day! There are tons of other ways to dress up jeans and blazer, but adding a statement necklace, some fancy bracelets and a pair of heels is the simplest way to do it! Thank you to my little sister for snapping these photos of me on her camera!

White Blazer, Charlotte Russe (Similar) :: Blouse, c/o 10DollarMall.com (Exact) :: Skinny Jeans, Kohl’s (Exact) :: Sandals, Target (Similar) :: Necklace, Lia Sophia (Similar) :: Bracelets, Lia Sophia & Gifted (Exact here and here)

For today’s Blog Every Day in May, it is time to describe a day in the life. Thought I would spice things up with some gifs. Perhaps I have been on BuzzFeed too much lately. Hope you enjoy

7:30 a.m. – After a few snoozes, I’m up and taking the pup out after multiple attempts for her to get my attention. Some are a bit extreme.

7:40 a.m. – This is what I do when I see myself in the mirror…. Thank you makeup and COFFEE!

8:10 a.m. – All ready (with lunch or whatever else I need that day)! … time to go to the office. I put on my shades and head out the door.

8:30 a.m. – Make it to the office, on a good day.

9:00 a.m. – Dear traffic, I hate you.

8:31 or 9:01 a.m. – More caffeine please.

9:15 a.m. After opening my work e-mail, I try to figure out my day and make a list of what I need to do.

9:30 a.m. – Is it 5 o’clock yet?

9:31 a.m. – Look at some fashion blogs, news, marketing resources … feeling inspired fashion-wise and career-wise.

12:00 p.m. – Lunch at my desk. Usually pretty hungry at this point.

12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Power through the rest of the day and get stuffs done!

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. In traffic again.

5:30 p.m. HEY BABE I missed you. Aren’t you excited to see me?!

5:31 p.m. His response.

5:33 p.m. – Okay fine, blog photos. If I’m in the mood to take pictures after work that day.

6:00 p.m. – Make dinner, cause I’m an awesome chef you know.

6:30 – Blog. Blog and more blogging.

8:30 – I Work Out

9:30 p.m. – Boyfriend and puppy time.

10:30 p.m. – Bedtime!

And that’s a day in my life! But really, no two days are the same. I try to reserve a night for grocery shopping, a night or two to hang out with friends and on nights that I’m not working out or blogging, just spending some quality time with my man and my puppy! The time frames might also be off, I don’t tend to stick to closely to a schedule, but I do usually get these things done.

Today I’m featuring a guest post talking about men’s style for this summer. Great styles for your boyfriend, husband, friend or a few of my readers who are guys! Check it out:

It’s easy to blow the budget when refreshing your wardrobe for summer. If you want to save your cash for afternoons in beer gardens and summer holidays abroad, there are ways to get a whole new summer wardrobe without breaking the bank.

Supermarkets are a great place to find the latest fashions at bargain prices, with the George clothing collections available either in store or online at George at ASDA. Low supermarket prices mean that you can pick up all you need to see you through summer in style, for under $150. Make sure that you pick up these capsule wardrobe essentials.

Chino Shorts

As the big fashion story of the summer, chino shorts are everywhere. Pick up your pair of chino shorts in a choice of colors from George for just $15. Muted shades are replacing last year’s brights, so choose from greens, blues, grays and browns, for your finger on the fashion pulse.

Graphic Tees

Graphic tees are fantastically versatile, as they’ll take you from day to night with ease. As good for the bar as they are for the beach, graphic print tees are ideal for refreshing a summer wardrobe, and will take up next to no room in your suitcase if you’re heading off on your jollies.

You’ll find a wide selection of graphic tees at ASDA George for just $8 each, including the latest photo print styles.

Boat Shoes

The boat shoe is the style of the season for men, and this classic shoe looks great with chino shorts and a tee or a shirt. Pick up a pair of leather boat shoes at ASDA George for just $40, to see you all the way through to next winter with your best fashion foot forward.

The boat shoe is also as good for casual wear as it is for eveningwear – choose from navy and brown pairs for the ultimate versatile footwear buy.

Grandad Shirts

Forget the polo shirt this summer, it’s all about the grandad shirt. Another versatile day to night classic, a few grandad tops in your summer capsule wardrobe will add smart/casual style to every occasion.

Grandad shirts are available in a variety of muted colours at ASDA George for just $12 each.

Colored Chinos

Is anyone still wearing jeans? The arrival of the chino on the fashion scene has been a welcome relief for those sick of feeling hot and sweating in jeans during the summer months.

Chinos are a cool, comfortable option for everything from workwear to eveningwear. Simply add a shirt or a grandad tee for a perfect summer 2013 smart/casual look.

100 percent cotton chinos are light and airy, perfect for summer, and can be found for just $20 a pair at ASDA George.

So for a grand total of $95, you can have a whole new summer capsule wardrobe full of the latest trends at George at ASDA. With plenty of change left from a $150 new wardrobe budget, you’ll be able to treat yourself to a day out at the seaside or an afternoon in the beer garden to show off your new togs!

Dress and belt, thrifted via Goodwill similar and gifted from my Grandma similar

Just sharing some outfits I’ve snapped photos of and didn’t make it on Instgram (except the last outfit).  My poor little sister was trying to e-mail me pictures last night that she took on Mother’s Day (I forgot my camera at home) but the Internet was being very slow. Oh the things my family does for me to help out.  Thank you sister!

My new Steve Madden trench (thrifted WITH THE TAGS still on) similar, skinny jeans and Tory Burch flats

Dress, F21 similar Blazer, Express similar Booties, Sam Edelman Petty

Ever heard the expression “Keep it simple stupid”…? Well this is my new saying for myself on casual Fridays. Sometimes I over think outfits for Fridays, so this week I made it as simple as possible! T-shirt, blazer, skinny jeans, necklace and booties (it was kind of chilly out… I’m really wanting to pull out my gladiators here soon!) And well, I loved the result. And my Sam Edelman booties are everything in this outfit. Just enough to make it interesting and fun! Also, the perfect outfit to drive home in. Since it was cold yesterday on Mother’s Day, I actually ended up wearing this white blazer and jeans for church and hanging out. So I guess it worked out to show you how to style a blazer and jeans casually and later this week I can show you how to dress up a blazer and jeans! Happy  Monday!

White Blazer, Charlotte Russe (Similar) :: T-Shirt, Heartbreaker (Similar) :: Skinny Jeans, Kohl’s (Exact) :: Leopard Booties, Sam Edelman (Exact) :: Necklace, Thrifted (Similar) :: Leopard Sunglasses, Steve Madden via TJMaxx (Similar) :: Ring, Gifted (Similar)

ENTER THE SHABBY APPLE $50 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY HERE!

I am so excited to be doing a giveaway with Shabby Apple! Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses.  Click Here: vintage dresses to their selection! Some of my favorites include this skirt, this dress, these shoes, and this adorable vintage swimsuit! The giveaway will be running through May 26, 2013 (2 weeks) and is open to US Residents only. Just follow the instructions below. I will e-mail the winner, so please don’t forget to leave your e-mail in the blog post comment! Good luck!!!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am seriously obsessed with the combination of coral and teal or coral and mint. I just think it is fun, vibrant and works really well together. Anytime I mix and match colors at the office, I always want to ensure it is minimal so I don’t freak my co-workers out. Well, I’m pretty sure I freaked them out anyway. Oh well! At least I was having fun, being productive and feeling good about life. Also, how CUTE is this starfish bracelet from InPink? I absolutely love it! It is definitely going to be my go-to accessory this summer and anytime I’m wearing bright colors, stripes or anything nautical-inspired, you better believe this bracelet will be a part of my arm party. InPink is graciously offering readers 30% off all jewelry on the site with code: RACHEL30 through 6/2/2013!

Now for Blog Every Day in May, my most embarrassing moments. Trust me, I have A TON of them. I mean my middle name should just be embarrassment. But the most memorable ones deal with tripping. Apparently my last name in German means “clumsy”… I have no idea if this is true, but I’ll take it because my family is very clumsy! So in high school I had a huge crush on my best friend’s older brother (huge no-no, right? meh, he was beautiful!) and while passing him leaving the lunchroom, he was coming down the stairs and I was going up. I started to say hello as I completely wiped out and tripped going UP the stairs. SO embarrassing. Next tripping embarrassment: I was in my senior year of college, and although this might have involved a couple, a few, maybe more beers, I fell down a bar’s stairs in front of a completely full bar. It was one of those moments where everyone goes “OHHHHH” (you know like when someone drops their tray in the lunchroom) and then I stood back up and said “HEYYYYY I’m okay!”… and proceeded to eat two hot dogs. Hey they were always free at this bar and I thought it would help with the whole falling down thing. Classy, I know. Happy Friday everyone!

Dress, Vintage via Armstrongs in Scotland  (Last seen here, Similar) :: Heels, H&M (Last seen here, Similar) :: Belt, Windsor (Last seen here, Similar) :: Starfish Bracelet, c/o InPink (Exact) :: Teal Bracelet, Lia Sophia (Similar) Take 30% off all InPink jewelry with the code RACHEL30 through 6/2/2013!

Love is an everyday thing. Let those you love know it. Today I am thinking about love… Happy 26 months to my man!

Blog Every Day in May

My little baby girl (not so little anymore) turns one this month! I can’t believe it! Time has flown by since being a doggie mama. I love every minute of it and can’t imagine my life without her. We took these pictures awhile ago while taking outfit photos (of course she is always curious as to what we are doing) and she may look pretty big in these photos, but she is still only about 15 lbs.

I can’t wait for what is to come, my boyfriend and I have enjoyed her company so much. I literally don’t sleep as well at night if I don’t feel her by my feet. Even though it was a lot of take on at first (extra time, vest visits/costs, etc.) having another friend in the apartment is totally worth it. I’ve never had someone SO excited to see me when I get home and I MEAN EXCITED. Whining, crying, you name it, she missed me while I’m at work (my boyfriend works from home so at least she always has someone around). I just wanted to share this photos because of her upcoming birthday… you can expect some more puppy, well I guess doggie photos then!

And now on to today’s Blog Every Day in May is to share a piece of advice, anything at all. Well I decided to share something I was thinking about before the new year and how much life has changed for me over the past couple years (specifically since graduating college). A lot has changed for me and this is what I’ve learned from it all:

Reflecting back on the past couple years, I’ve made some of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make and I feel like I’ve learned life’s greatest lesson: to be truly happy, you have to be who you are, uphold your values and stand up for what you believe in. By focusing less on pleasing everyone, you can be happy with yourself and those who matter will love you for it and support you. People will come and go and there will be ups and downs, but being you is today, tomorrow and every day for the rest of your life.

And even though I struggle with it sometimes because I still want to please everyone, I just have to let go. And then I’m a happier