Oh mother, where art thou?

I know I already made my mother's day post, but I wanted to include some pictures from the big day, because I was so excited about it. My mama doesn't like going to the spa and we weren't sure what to get her for a small gift. I know it's not supposed to be about about buying your mother things, but showing her you appreciate her. My sisters and I ended up taking her out to lunch at a nice local restaurant called Solé. If you happen to live in Waterloo and you're looking for a place with a little class and a tasty lunch, look no further.

It came highly recommended on Urbanspoon, and it didn't disappoint. It was a three course fixed menu, and by the end of it, we were stuffed and happy about it. Mama gets particular about restaurant food, since she likes to cook and feels bad about shelling out cash for something she could make for cheap at home. However, the dishes were nicely plated, and complex enough that you probably COULDN'T make them at home without shelling out tons of cash for different ingredients. (I had braised beef brisket on ciabatta bread with caramelized onions, three year old cheddar and New Orleans style barbecue sauce, WHAT? Insanity.) As you can see, the dessert was beautiful too:

Carrot cake with bourbon caramel sauce.

Taking my mom out to eat was the perfect plan because around the house she does so much of the cooking around the house. We really wanted to treat her to a nice place so she could enjoy very bite without working for it, and without the dishes afterwards!
Since it was a nice place, I dressed up a little, and snapped a few outfit pictures. The red and the blue were opposite and fun to play with, especially with the neutral base of the dress. This outfit was kind of an experiment though, so I'm interested to know what y'all think. I'm not completely sure of it but I acted like I knew what the heck I was doing, and really, confidence is the best accessory, isn't it?

Cardigan & Leggings - H&M
Dress & Gold bracelet - Forever 21
Shoes - Local shoe store
Necklace - Gift from my mother from New Orleans