Sweaters: Five Fall Favorites Under $100

Sweaters: Five Fall Favorites Under $100 by eporter-217 featuring a yellow striped sweater

Taste of fall with cookies & homemade frosting

Fall is officially here.  This weekend temps dropped into the 80's and I made my first cookies inspired by the cooler temps to come.  My first two batches were pumpkin spice and caramel apple cookies.  I don't often frost cookies but today's got cream cheese frosting and they were so tasty.  

I am really looking forward to some cooler weather so I can sip on on Chai Tea and wear my cute scarves.    

It had been so long since I baked that I was short on ingredients.  I had to send Simon up to CVS to pick-up some powdered sugar and we had just bought an extra cream cheese so I had just enough to make some icing.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 block or tub of 8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 box of 16 oz powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

Beat cream cheese, vanilla and butter until blended well 

Gradually add sugar and keep beating until blended

So simple and so tasty.  Happy fall y'all!

Some family you're born with, some you choose

One of my closest, dearest friends sets sail onto a new journey Sunday morning.  My friend of nearly 30 years, Julie heads to Chile with her boyfriend Alex.
Alex got a project at work to install 50 new towers there so off they go.  It's nights like these when you are saying goodbye that you realize some friends are as close as family.
I have known Julie since grade school.  We became fast friends at a very young age and I am proud to still call her my friend today.  She was in my wedding alongside my friend Kate and my sisters.  We have worked together and played together over the years and in just a matter of hours she embarks on a life-changing adventure.  They are expected to be there 12-18 months.
Tonight her sister Christie hosted a going away dinner and we sat around just chit-chatting for hours.  I know her sisters, neices, nephews, in-laws and parents.  They are the type of family that makes their guests feel more like family than visitors.  It was a great time and I will certainly miss having Julie around.
Adios muchacha.  Love you long time! xoxo

Mini Makeover

I was in Target last weekend grabbing some groceries and took a quick peek through the home goods section.  I have been working off and on redecorating my dining room (I inherited some furniture and am working to make it look more modern) and found these lamps.

The bases and shades are sold separately so you can mix and match to your taste.  I found this medium size acrylic style base and loved it.  The shade is a clean white color.  The picture really doesn't do the lamp justice.  It's so simple but modern and looks like it's from a big-city, contemporary hotel.

I put the new lamps in the dining room but didn't love the look.  I decided to keep them since I liked them so much and as I walked into my bedroom, ta-da.....I just found their new home.  I took my tall, buffet style lamps from my room and moved them to the dining room.  These beauties are now at my bedside.  My husband, who doesn't like anything to be changed around loved them too. They gave our room a mini-makeover.  I have even made my bed these last few mornings.  :)

Target Score by eporter-217 featuring white lights

My daily carry

I recently went to a slightly smaller handbag and had to drop a few things I used to carry around. Here is a peek inside my bag.
My Kate Spade zip wallet is several years old.  I have thought about upgrading several times but this thing barely shows any wear.  It's got lots of storage inside for cash, credit cards and change.  I also have a small KS wallet for holding business cards.  It's similar to the one shown, but again is four or five years old and holding up like a champ.
I have a few basic cosmetics, ol' faithful Burt's Bees and one of my favorites, the fold-up flats.
These are a must for every woman's bag.  I bought a second pair for my younger sister and she loves them too.  While they are not intended for a daily wear flat, they are perfection for walking back to the car or hotel from a long night out.  
My power mate cell charger also gets a lot of use.  It will give you 40-50% charge to help get you coverage until you can get to a charger.
I am currently wearing VonZipper sunnies.  I switched to plastic instead of my metal framed aviators so I didn't tangle my hair when I slid them off to run inside somewhere.  These have been a good buy but I feel like I am ready to switch colors.  What are your daily essentials?

What's in my bag by eporter-217 featuring a brown leather wallet

The perfect dress for female athletes

I started playing soccer at 11 years old.  I look a lot like my mom from the waist up and am a combo of my dad and a long-time soccer player from the waist down.  Some call it pear shaped, some call it curvy, some call it an athletic build.  One thing I do know is it can be very frustrating to shop for jeans and slacks.

Often times, I find it much easier to wear a skirt or dress.  I am a size smaller in the waist than I am in the legs.  I spend a lot of time (and money) having to get bottoms tailored so I don't end up with the big gap in the back of the waist area.  

I have found that White House Black Market carries several styles of dresses, perfect for my body type. The fit I have found works best is a fitted bodice (narrow through the top) a nipped waist and then a-line shape to just above my knees.  I recently picked up a couple of their dresses with a "drop-waist" and those made my mid-section look even slimmer and a more lean silhouette.  They had some super cute "tulip" style dresses but I found them to make me feel a little self-conscious and look like I was trying to conceal, the area I was trying to conceal.  

I love shopping at WHBM, they always get new looks in and rotate sales. Most of the dresses are $175-$250 full priced, but I pop in often and catch sales so I always have a dress ready for my next event.  

Shape is the most important factor to me so I try and stay "a dress ahead" of what I have going on so I don't have to shop in a rush and end up with something I don't love.

Here are some of my recent favorites.    

       

Dressing for an athletic build by eporter-217 featuring White House Black Market gowns

Best ballet flats under $100

Since ballet flats became popular I have been on the hunt for the perfect pair.  Last month, I think I may have found them.  I was getting my eyebrows done at Merle Norman and spotted these flats in the store.
I have tried so many pairs and have not been able to get some that are as comfy and cute as these and priced less than $100.  I bought the black cloth version of these but liked both of the colors shown.  These flats are reasonably priced at $65, comfy, washable (very important for warmer months) and can easily be updated to coordinate with any look.  The flower shown on the flats comes with them but they easily "snap" off so your look can be changed to match what you are wearing.
There are casual buttons like the flowers shown or really pretty jeweled ones to dress up the look.  I love most anything nautical and found several buttons that I loved.  The buttons are less than $10 so I treated myself to a few different sets.

This brand of flats also has flip flops and a few other styles with a wedge and a peep-toe if that is more your style.

Best ballet flats under $100 by eporter-217 featuring canvas ballet flats

5 Reasons They Won't Hire You

I have been with my current employer, Adams Homes since 2001.  I started as a commissioned sales associate, selling new homes in a model home.  Over the years, I have journeyed through management, first as a Sales Manager and now as a General Manager.
During my years as a manager I have seen hundreds and hundreds of resumes.  I have interviewed or met with more than 100 potential team members.  I have had really great interviews with prospective employees and some really bad ones too.

Here are the top five really really simple things to avoid when trying to impress your next potential employer.

1.  Get a professional email address.  elizabeth.porter@aamail.com works. eporter@aamail.com works.  Spicykitty@aamail.com, party247@aamail.com and sexychic123@aamail.com are really bad choices to post on your resume.  Most of us have had the same email address for years and years.  I am not saying delete your current email address but don't use it for job hunting.  Get a free account with yahoo, gmail or hotmail and come up with something simple and in professional taste.
  
2. Stop using "Revised Resume" as the name of the resume you send out.  Seriously???!!  Revised? Edited Resume?  People send me these ALL THE TIME.  Stop it!  First name, last name or last name, first name.  Porter, Elizabeth Resume or Elizabeth Porter Resume.  Don't use multiple "edited" resumes based on what you are applying for and if you are, stop announcing it.

3.  It's a resume, not a novel.  The more you type, the less I will read.  Keep your resume limited to one page.  You can have a couple attachments like letters of recommendation or awards but please, keep your stats on one sheet.

4. Send your references.  Whoever started "References Upon Request" really made resume reviewing annoying.  You are trying to sell your employer, your employer is not trying to sell YOU.  Include your references.  Add them at the bottom of your resume or on page two.  When an employer posts an ad, you can bet they get at least 50-100 applicants, maybe more.  Stop adding extra work.  Send your references and don't forget to add your name and contact info on every page.  When I am sending 50 resumes to the printer, don't take the chance I will get your papers mixed up with someone else.

5. Keep track of where you apply.  I have called countless people to set up either a telephone interview or in-person interview and they say, "Who is this?  What is the position for?"  Really??  Keep track.  It sounds so unprofessional.  Stop blasting your resume to every fax number or email you can find.  Go after a job in the field you are a fit for.
If you are lucky enough to get a call back, asking for an address of the location you will be interviewing is fine.  Full-on turn by turn directions is not.  Look it up.  Be assertive.  Google will show you the outside of the building and give you exact directions whether you are driving or walking.

Remember, there are so many applicants that employers are going through the elimination process, not the hiring process.  Once they eliminate enough candidates, they will move closer towards hiring.  Don't be eliminated for being annoying and unprepared.    

Drug store scores when you can't make it to the mall

I typically shop at Sephora but every now and again I run out of items unplanned or find myself wondering down the aisles in search of new items.
The waterproof mascara is my only waterproof kind I have.  I sometimes layer it with my Dior if I know I will be outside and it's either rainy or extra humid.
Essie is one of my fave polishes.  It goes on smooth and dries quickly.
The Sally Hansen Airbrush legs is a must for my lifestyle.  Between soccer, kickball and racing I end up with bruises I need to cover.  I spray it on lightly and then blend with lotion.  Great trick for masking flaws and giving me a little color.

Drug Store Cosmetics by eporter-217 featuring Fekkai

My cosmetic faves

Oooohhhh, one of my favorite topics: cosmetics.  I listed my daily-use faves.  I shop mostly online at Sephora.com and rely on reader reviews when deciding what makes it in my online basket.  These are the cosmetics I am using right now.  Check out my next post for my favorite drug store finds.

My cosmetic faves by eporter-217 featuring Christian Dior