Fall into Zara

Fall is finally here, meaning I've been sitting impatiently waiting for the cooler weather to roll in. If you're a native San Antonian, you can recall sitting in shorts until early December last year, but that isn't stopping me from stalking every fall collection I can find.

The weather right now is so evil, you can't wear jeans (unless you want to melt), but you feel silly wearing shorts. I've opted for chinos every day this week, and it's starting to make me a but apprehensive. 

So here are some of my stalk-worthy favorites from Zara.

Enjoy!

Lane Brain Reunion

Our annual family reunion was this past weekend...

Considering I knew 1/8 of the people and there were only 2 bathrooms for 50 people.. it was bound to be awkward from the start

The entire reunion was spent by me walking around on my phone, taking pictures of my dogs. You'll see evidence of this below. 

I learned how to knee-board!!!

You'll see evidence of this also.  

I learned how to go outside the wake, and how to do a 360.. all in one day.

I'm pretty much a hoss. I'll be giving lessons pretty soon. I'll keep ya posted. 

Three things I learned this weekend:

1) Maisy yawns and stretches ALOT

2) Peaches are better smaller

3) Blue Bell produces flavors that are too processed to be considered ice cream (Blue cookie dough? Seriously? ew.)

Only a few days until camp!! I keep having terrible dreams that make me wake up crying. I keep dreaming that I go to camp and forget everything I need... which really brings out the organizer/OCD Girl inside me. 

 I'm pretty skilled on the wakeboard. Hold your applause... OK don't hold. Let loose. Are you clapping? 

 Ethel was REALLY hungry. She didn't leave any kid's side all weekend. They are the messiest. 

 The dogs were a hit with the kids. They loved swimming with them. Ethel was probably the most popular. She has little-kid appeal. 

 Had apple juice for the first time since I was 5. Please excuse the nasty-pasty-haven't-been-painted fingernails. Ew. 

Summer Blues

The past few days I've been at home, stalking blogs and baking various items.

All of this blog stalking also made me realize that in order to have a successful blog... you need money.

I hope my realization is wrong, because I have such expensive taste (not a good thing). Somehow, the first thing I like in a store is the most expensive. My mom considers this a curse, and I definitely agree. It means that I never get new clothes.. because unlike my friends, I can't dig for hours for great clothes at Forever 21. I get overwhelmed and I start to panic. Maybe it's a learned art, but I have decided to work with what I've got in my closet. 

 The amazing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I made with the Barefoot Contessa recipe, which I found to be easy to follow and quick to make.

 My collection of Essie nailpolish... I am a fan of eclectic colors, like peacock green and deep navy

 I found this large tribal necklace at Jive, a vintage shop downtown. I don't wear it often, it's pretty hard to wear. The length is a bit awkward, and I have yet to have it shortened. 

 I found this vintage gold belt at Jive also. It had a lavender twin, with more of a sequin material rather than metal. It was missing a few plastic plates, so as soon as i found this gold one, I knew which one to buy. It's stretchy and great when worn high-wasted. It's mermaid-like sequins also appealed to me. I've always been a fan of scale-like things. 

 Candles... my obsession. Ask anyone. I love candles. They are usually my go-to gift. Aside from magazines, I love to decorate my bookshelf with pretty glass candles. 

 

 These are two of my favorite pieces of jewelry. The fish is a little gold trinket I found at Pagoda. I have yet to find a chain, which is a huge bummer considering how cute this little fish is. It's dainty and cute, and it actually moves due to it's armor-like plating. 

The Triangle necklace is something that I've been eying ever since I first started working at Adelante. I love shades of purple more than anything. In our last house on Sheraton, my room was a deep shade of purple. I loved it when I was little, but looking back on it, I assume it resembled something similar to grape cough syrup. 

Hanky Panky

Ok, so these things are my new favorites. All of my friends have been wearing them for a while now, and I have just recently caught on to the trend. My favorite is the low rise thong, personally. Since they are one size fit all, they are perfect for gifts. My favorite part is the array of colors that you can choose from. There are literally dozens of colors. 

Even though they are a little pricey ($18 per pair...) they are well worth it. Whenever I have a little extra cash, my first thought is always to buy a few pairs of hanky pankies. 

Today, we shaved Ethel... she looks really cute, except her tail had to be left furry (we didn't want her to look like a lab). Her tails and ears are still very furry. 

All images courtesy of Nordstrom

Flat as a Board

I've come to realize that being 17 and being 5'2 isn't as easy as it looks. I always feel short in a crowd and even shorter standing next to my boyfriend. I would love to be able to pull a Kelly Ripa and wear heels everyday of my life... but that's a little unrealistic being a teenager. I could get away with wedges.. but not pumps. I really like flats, and I have a few pairs of Tory Burch. But honestly, $200 for flats? That was a phase I hope I don't fall back into. It's nice to have a few pairs, but these shoes from The Gap are under $40, and they are precious. The little bows remind me of my days back when I was 4. I didn't last as a ballerina for very long, but I can remember having to tuck my "bunny ear" laces into my flats. I can also never find anything to wear with white dresses, so these subtle colors add a little excitement to a white linen dress.