A Dress That Moves

Clothing with movement is often the most eye-catching. Whenever I walk in this organza CeCe dress, it's like I'm on a runway. As the fabric flows around and behind me, I feel beautiful. The right outfit can really fuel my confidence and help me believe in myself -- and I really need that right now.

The clothes you wear mean something. It shows you take pride in yourself, and that can inform everything else you do.

Dress: CeCe by Cynthia Steffe (no longer available)

Sandals: Jimmy Choo Hesper 85 Mirror Leather Sandals

You'll Look Sweet (in Ted Baker)

Wearing today's dress, I can't help but think of a song from my childhood: "A Bicycle Built for Two."

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true
I’m half crazy over the love of you
It won’t be a stylish marriage
I can’t afford a carriage
But you’ll look sweet
Upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two

I'm tired today after my fun weekend in New York City, so I opted for this fun Ted Baker dress to wear on a work-heavy Monday back in the office. So much to do...

Ted Baker London designs are generally very sweet, frilly and feminine. Many dresses feature lace, bows, flowers and polka dots... or a combination!

This dress has just subtle gold polka dots combined with an overall daisy motif.

Dress: Ted Baker London Olara Daisy Fit and Flare Dress

Shoes: Jimmy Choo Hesper 85 Mirror Leather Sandals

20 Hours Without Power

When it rains, it pours. Shit happens. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse. My week started off fine, but just went downhill from there. (Yep, I'm planning to stuff as many cliches as possible into one post.)

This week has been a stressful one.

Monday night, I arrived home from work in a great mood, excited to try a new recipe that Chapin was cooking up. But I walked in the door to find a sheepish chef and a little pug with a very red and watery eye. Chapin soon admitted that Wally had scratched his eye on a branch or piece of pine straw while they were out on their evening walk, and it wasn't getting any better.

If you don't have pugs or another type of flat-faced dog breed, then you probably don't understand the seriousness of eye issues. We live in constant fear that Wally will get something in his eye or wander too close to something sharp. Because pugs don't have a snout, their eyes don't have any protection from things around them. (George had two eye ulcers in his lifetime.) 

We wanted to make sure it was just a scratch and not something more serious, so off to the vet I went. Wally and I were there most of the evening, and the little guy is now on antibiotic drops and doing just fine -- thank goodness!

Wally in his hoodie on a cold night last week (pre-injury).

Tuesday night, Chapin had to work late, so I was home with the boys when a huge storm rolled in. The wind was blowing so hard against the door it sounded like someone was trying to break in! The lights flickered a few times, but we never lost power.

Chapin arrived home around 10 p.m. and told me a tree had fallen near the front of the subdivision, blocking one of the entrances. Then, about 4 a.m., we lost power...

... and it didn't come back on for 20 hours.

I couldn't wash my hair because I had no hair dryer or straightener to use. I couldn't workout because all the machines were in the neighborhood gym, and the whole neighborhood was without power. We couldn't make coffee. All the food in our fridge started to spoil.

Wednesday wasn't a great day.

Thankfully, today feels like it will be pretty normal, and it's a little extra special because my nephew, Reid, is turning five. Now I just have to make it through the rest of this week in one piece!

Outfit of the Day

Dress: Rachel Zoe Neda Studded Long Sleeve Dress

The dress is so comfortable, and I'm loving this long-sleeve trend that I'm seeing with so many designers lately. Buy it now at Amazon, Bluefly or Neiman Marcus.

These types of dresses are perfect for crisp, chilly days in Fall or Spring when it's too cold to go without a jacket in the morning, but warms up by the afternoon. (If you live in the South, you know the type of day I'm describing.)

This dress is my first one from stylist-turned-designer Rachel Zoe. It's sexy with a boho twist, although I wish the sleeves weren't quite so puffy.

Shoes: Jimmy Choo Hesper 85 Mirror Leather Sandal

Celebrity Sighting!

Candace Cameron Bure wore the dress on The View. Photo from ShopYourTV.com.

Going Green

March is one of those transition months between winter and spring, where it can be cold one day and balmy the next. We've had a mild winter here in Atlanta, so I'm thinking that this March is going to be a month of green, where everything starts coming alive outside. You can already see more foliage just in this picture. Those little red flowers you see behind me weren't there even a week ago. (The only bad thing about this month: the influx of pollen!)

Dress: Black Halo Bailey Sheath Dress in Teal

This dress is extremely simple -- short sleeves and a fitted sheath silhouette -- but the lace and the color combine to make it visually so appealing. Up close, the lace has bronze, gold and lighter blues interwoven into the fabric; it seems to sparkle in sunlight!

Shoes: Jimmy Choo Hesper 85 Mirror Leather Sandal

I chose gold shoes to match the bronze and gold fabric in the lace, though any neutral color would have worked here.

Several celebrities have been seen in these Jimmy Choos, including Blake Lively (below), Taylor Swift, Elle Fanning, Jenna Dewan Tatum and others. As with all Jimmy Choo shoes, they are fabulous.

Blake Lively in Jimmy Choo Hesper Sandals