casse-croute: summer pencil skirt

When I first started at Target after college, the dress code was business casual. I wore heels or wedges most days, was reprimanded when I forgot to layer a cardigan over my sleeveless blouse, and regrettably reserved jeans for weekends. I collected a solid assortment of Minnie pants, pencil skirts and other professional pieces to carry me from Monday through Friday. And while I'm happy to wear denim to my current day job, it would be a waste to let all those workwear separates now simply hang sadly in my closet.

A skinny-strapped cami (I'm partial to racerbacks) loosens up the "strict" look of a corporate pencil skirt for a summer evening off the clock (bonus points if it's a fun color!). A chunky pendant necklace (I love this one's dark green against turquoise) and two-tone wedges add interest and contribute to the casual vibe for an ensemble that's totally transformed from what you'd see me sporting in TPS.

These happy colors have me wanting to drop everything and dash to the nearest rooftop, and since we made it to hump day, I think that's totally acceptable. In order, in fact.

Quick confession: I've been struggling lately with wanting to do so much, then getting in over my head and realizing I don't have the bandwidth to do it ALL. Why do we stuff our schedules like half-steak, half-chicken, extra-cheese Chipotle burritos (with guac)? I passed on a really cool freelance project this week, and I'm stressing about turning it down (and the potential doors it could have opened) as much as I was taking it on. Women like my grandma often didn't work at all outside of the home, yet still had very full lives—and we've made great strides since then—but so many of my peers are constantly on the fly, with a full-time job, a few freelance projects, plus a blog, a dog, grad school, softball league, volunteering and social schedules. There's a point when so many layers of salsa and sour cream make the whole tortilla taste like crap. Having ambition is a huge asset, but having one job is also enough.

It's a competitive world, but I don't want to "beat" anyone as long as I'm content when I measure myself against me. So let's take the night off! The only thing I'm measuring tonight is the amount of Pinto Grigio in my glass.