like unexpected sunshine

Buried

2011-02-14T21:38:00.000-06:00

Help me!

I'm buried in a vortex of homework and housework! I'm sorry to those of you that read this blog, I've been horribly inconsistent lately with my posting! I'm a the few final weeks of my current classes, and as a senior, they're kicking my butt, hardcore. Paper after paper after paper, which sucks my inspiration to write completely dry. So my apologies. I'm just going to post when I can, and I'm counting on really being able to put some REAL work into this blog when I graduate in December of this year. Still a long time away, but sometimes I just have to prioritize, so this blog goes by the wayside whenever I have something more important going on: LIFE.

So, I'm going to post when I have the time, which may be few and far between, but I love this little blog, and it won't be forgotten.

See you soon!

My Monday Night In Pictures

2011-01-31T22:18:00.003-06:00

Ah, it's a lazy Monday night. Can you figure out what I'm up to by looking at these?

Yep, that's right! I'm working on my Stylit. I'm headed to Dallas, TX later this week, and I need to figure out what to pack!

And I know this picture is unrelated, but it's so darn cute. Happy Monday!

What I'm Loving This Week

2011-01-27T15:31:00.000-06:00

I'm loving David Crowder Band this week. Their music speaks to my soul. Plus there's this video:

What I'm not loving so much this week: homework. Which is keeping me from doing a better post. See you Friday!

1.23.11 Outfit: The Red

2011-01-24T22:35:00.001-06:00

Top o' the ~~marnin'~~ evening to ya!

Where did the weekend go? It still feels like Sunday in my opinion. My weekend was about as crazy as weekends get, hence the super-late posting! But, I'm pretty proud of myself, I still managed to get outfit pictures done. GO me!

So, about my busy weekend: I had a concert to go to on Friday, which involved riding in a truck with about 10 other people. Have you ever wondered about how many people you can squeeze in a truck? I definitely don't wish to repeat that experience! I'm not usually claustrophobic, but that vehicle ride nearly made me change my mind! At least it was only for a few miles, but..still!

Then on Saturday, I spent some time with my friends ice skating. And another proud moment: I didn't fall once! Now, I may or may not have spent the first few times around the rink glued to the wall, but I still didn't fall. Okay, I'm rambling now.

This outfit is a result of waiting and checking Gap.com religiously. Tell your friends! (And check Gap.com a lot if they don't have something you want!)

The skinny jeans that I wearing are about to be discontinued, and I've been scouring the internet for the perfect tie-neck blouse for months. So naturally, I just put the pieces together, slapped some red lipstick on, and called it a day! I think it worked out well.

You ever had a day where whatever you threw on just "worked?" There cannot be enough days like that for me.

Outfit details:
Jeans: Gap, Forever Skinny
Blouse: Gap
Flats: Payless

See you Wednesday!

FBFF 1.21.11: Blogger Authenticity

2011-01-21T07:00:00.009-06:00

It's Friday already! My, how the week has flown!

My main goal this week has been trying to catch up on my sleep. I slept so little last weekend; I think that's why I was under the weather. Plus, it would help if I could sleep without having bad dreams that involve this guy. (Weird, right?)

Besides trying to catch up on sleep (and homework), I've also had a fantastic time spending my my Christmas gift cards. I'm excited to show you some new things in the coming weeks! (Which may or may not include some skinny jeans. Say whaaaat?)

So, onto FBFF questions this week. They are all about blogger authenticity, and the way bloggers are perceived. This should be good, so I'm going to dive right in.

1. Most readers and fellow fashion bloggers value authenticity in the blogs they read. How would you describe blog/blogger authenticity?

I definitely value blogger authenticity in the blogs that I read. I would describe blog/blogger authenticity as a sort of "realness" about a blog/blogger. Realness meaning that they aren't made of money (meaning, they don't get all their clothing from Saks, but more from Target), they don't look perfect all the time, they tell me a little bit about themselves and their life in their blog/blogging, and even though I don't know them in real life, I feel like I know who they truly are through their blogging.

2. When it comes to your blog how to you infuse it with that true/authentic feeling?

I try to always be myself. I'm a very positive person, although I have my down days, so I try to keep my blog positive, just like I am. I also love to laugh with people and I think I have a good sense of humor, although I haven't found the best way to portray that yet. I also try to post, with few exceptions, my own photographs. I think it's nice when the pictures in my blog come from me, not somewhere else. I also do my best to leave thoughtful comments on other people's blogs, so people can get to know me better.

3. Have you stopped following a blog in the last three months? What made you lose interest?

Yes, there were a few blogs that I took off my blog roll (the blogs that I read almost daily) recently. I think I lost interest because I found that the outfits that they wear weren't "wearable" for me (or, in my opinion, the average woman) because who wears mini-skirts all the time? What they wore just didn't seem functional and realistic. And while I realize that a portion of fashion is the "art/abstract" side, I'm personally inspired by people who wear everyday clothes, and don't look like they came straight off a runway.

Plus, at one point, some of those blogs started to make me resent my body for what it is (thick legs) and that's just not somewhere I want to be.

4. We can't communicate effectively on our blogs, something we don't live in real life... what are some ways you try to live an authentic life?

Honestly, I try to live an authentic life by just being myself and not apologizing for it, in life or on this blog. I consider myself pretty boring in real life: I like to hang out with my friends at home, I like to eat, I like to spend time with my husband. Although I love to go out (concerts, travel, food) I don't ever really "go out", as I'm not much of a party animal and I'm a horrid person to take to amusement parks because I hate roller coasters. But, beyond all that, I think I'm a pretty cool person and I know I'm a loyal-to-the-end friend.

5. Give a shout-out... Which bloggers do you think are truly genuine and why?

Ah, there are so many that I admire, and I think their authenticity is what helped them become successful bloggers:

Kendi, at Kendi Everyday. I think she's authetic because she always puts together such wearable for the average woman outfits, plus she's found an amazing way to portray her sense of humor! (I could learn from her)

Elaine, at Clothed Much. I belive she's authentic because she doesn't beat around the bush when it comes to her beliefs. I really admire that! Plus, again, awesome wearable outfits!

Kiera, at a Pretty Penny. I believe she's authentic because she's very frank about how much she spends for her outfits, and she's a fellow bargain shopper like myself. I love a good deal, and I like to relate to bloggers.

Anyway, those are the questions for this week! I'm excited to read everyone else's answers!

What are you doing this weekend? I'm getting ready to go to a concert, do some ice skating (God help us!) and eat some spaghetti! I'll be back Monday. Have a fantastic weekend!

What I'm Loving This Week: Zappos.com

2011-01-19T07:00:00.005-06:00

[Source: Zappos.com]

Oh Zappos.com, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

But, before I do that, let me tell you a little bit about Zappos.com. They are an online store that carries all matter of fun things: clothes, bags, shoes etc. When I first heard about them in 2006 (and for the life of me, I don't remember how I did) they were a shoes-only website, boasting free overnight shipping on every item. After I ordered my first pair from them, I was hooked. After ordering a pair of shoes from them at 11:00 at night, they were on my doorstep at noon the next day. See why I'm hooked?

Anyway, back to the ways that I love Zappos.com:

1. They have shoes in my size! As a tall girl with huge feet to match, it's nearly impossible for me to find cute shoes that are in my size in a store. The great thing about Zappos.com is that I always know I can find the shoe that I want in my size. They've brought the joy back to shoe shopping for me.

2. Although they don't have free overnight shipping standard on all products anymore, they do still offer this to the Zappos.com VIP's, which I'm a member of. There are a lot of other benefits to becoming a Zappos VIP. You can learn more about that here.

3. UPS is their carrier of choice. Maybe I'm biased here, but I consider myself a highly-seasoned online shopper. I'm tall, and my feet are big, so if I need any pants/jeans/shoes, I have to order them online to find the right sizes. Without a doubt, UPS always gets my order to me within 2-4 days, while ~~Fedex~~ that other company that ships usually takes at least 5-7 days.

4. They offer free return shipping. (A UPS return label is included, so if you don't like what you have, just slap the label on it, and give it to UPS)

5. The customer service at Zappos.com cannot be beat! I'm the type of customer, where if the customer service is poor, I won't be coming back. (Who's with me?) The people at Zappos are always friendly, helpful and help you solve any problems that you might have.

6. Last, but not least, they are relatively affordable when it comes to quality shoes. When I want cheap flats, my go-to place is Payless. However, when I want to buy a pair of quality shoes that are going to last, I go to Zappos.com. I've ordered boots, clogs and even a nicer pair of flats from them, and I've never been dissapointed.

You should know, that even in the age of advertisments on blogs, this isn't one, even though it may sound like one. Zappos.com people don't even know I exist: that's just how much I love this website. I would encourage anyone looking for a good pair of shoes to start at Zappos.com, especially if you're like me, and have size limitations.

Okay, enough raving! I'm back to to 95% feeling better, can you tell? Hopefully class tonight doesn't wipe me out again. Back Friday!

P.S. Any other good websites I should know about out there?

Say La Vee

2011-01-17T07:00:00.002-06:00

My weekend was verrry relaxing! How was yours?

Unfortunately, that lazy weekend was not because I was being inadvertently lazy, it was because I was feeling a little under the weather. You know when your nose gets kind of drainy, which gives you a sore throat and then you get a headache? Yeah, that's the stuff.

I decided to work out even though I wasn't feeling good, and I don't think that was a good idea, because then I was knocked on my feet for almost the rest of the day(s) because I was so tired! Note to self: don't kill yourself with lifting when you're sick! So, unfortunately I don't have any outfit post today because I basically spent the weekend in my pajamas/sweaty workout clothes/clothes that I didn't put any thought into.

However, me being the eternal optomist, two good things came of this weekend (Besides the very little time I spent at church/with friends) even though I wasn't feeling too hot:

1. My dear husband brought me flowers, just because I was sick and he wanted to brighten my day.

2. I found this awesome video on Youtube by Michelle Phan. She's a makeup and beauty wizard, and one of my favorite Youtube channels. She gives us 7 new ways to tie scarves, most of which I've never heard of or seen. I can't wait to try some of these methods out!

Okay, so I'll be back Wednesday, hopefully feeling 100% again.

FBFF 1.14.2011: Planning Outfits

2011-01-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

I've been pretty poor about posting my FBFF the last few weeks! And shame on me for that, because Katy at ModlyChic always seems to have the most timely questions. The same holds true for this week!

I've actually had this topic on my mind a lot lately: planning outfits. I'm truly awful at planning outfits, which is one of the reasons why I don't post an outfit but once a week. (Plus, it takes time to take/edit/post photos!) I've especially had trouble as of late, because more than ever, my schedule is either jam-packed with school, church, lunches with friends or times with my husband that I don't ever plan my outfits, and sometimes I feel like the ones I do post aren't that great. (Hello, perfectionism!) It just seems so daunting to plan them out.

But, anyway, I'm answering the questions before I'm answering the questions, so on to them!

1. How do you determine what you will wear that day?

Right now, ermm....for the most part, what's clean. Embarrassing, but I'm being honest here. Then, as I look at the clean clothes ~~on the floor~~ in my closet, it then depends on my mood.

2. Do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month, weekend?

No, this is something that I need to start doing, and I plan to start doing. I've been thinking about picking up one of these to help me with the process. I think I could do SO much more with my clothes if I just took the time, sat down, and planned things out. Sometimes I even get annoyed with myself because I find outfits that I like, and then I wear them over and over again, with little variation.

3. Do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already worn so you don't repeat?

I don't have any specific ways of tracking outfits and items, but even if I am wearing the same outfit, I always try to mix up the accessories: wear a different scarf, wear boots instead of flats, earrings instead of a necklace. I would be lost without accessories!

4. How do you discover new combinations of items in your closet? (Trial try-ons? Hanging items together?)

I've found new outfits tons of different ways! I've drawn inspiration from my fabulous fellow bloggers on how to make an older/simple piece look new, friends, and people I see around town, as well as just taking things out of my closet to see what looks good together.

5. To streamline the process for 2011 what is one new thing you can do to cut down your dressing time?

Again, I think that the only way to cut down on time is to really invest the time in planning the outfits, making sure the correct pieces are clean, and on Sunday, making sure that everything is good to go for the week. I really do feel a million times better when I know I look good.

What about you? How do you determine what you will wear?

Have a fantastic weekend, and I'll be back with an outfit post on Monday!

What I'm Loving This Week: Coconut hair products!

2011-01-12T07:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to my new series, which I call "What I'm Loving This Week." Over my break I decided to get my blog back to where I'm blogging about something other than clothes, so once a week, I'm going to blog about something I'm loving this week, or, as my blog's name implies, something that makes my day a little brighter. I hope you enjoy each installment as much as I enjoy writing them!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Isn't it funny how certain smells just take you places? The smell of fried food takes me back to the Iowa State Fair. The smell of anti-freeze (you know, the neon green stuff that sometimes leaks out of your car?) takes me to the days when I was younger, watching my dad working on cars in our family's garage.

The smell of coconut takes me back, too. To summertime mainly. I don't really know why, it just seems to be the scent that I closely relate to summer, which means lots of pool time, sunshine, and freedom.

So, since I love the scent of coconut, I was delighted to see these little bottles of coconutty-goodness on the shelves of Target a few days ago. I picked them up without hesitation, and boy am I glad I did! Not only are they are very affordable way to get my coconut fix (about $4 a bottle), they smell amazing and they work well on my fine, somewhat wavy hair. They leave my hair soft and shiny.

Plus, the scent sticks and your hair will smell like heaven for the rest of the day. If you love coconut as much as I do, try them! You won't be sorry!

1.9.11 Outfit: Anatomy of A Photo Shoot

2011-01-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

It's a new year, and I've got a new attitude!

This is my first photo shoot with my new camera and remote, so it was an interesting one. For any non-fashion bloggers reading my blog right now, it's so much harder that it looks to take pictures of yourself. First, you have to start with test shots, and try to get your remote to work.

Win! And when you look at these pictures, you hope two things: 1) Your neighbors aren't watching you out the window and wondering why you're so vain and 2) you can get the pictures taken without turning into a human popsicle. It's cold outside, people! (Hence, the huge coat. It's SO warm though.)

But then you get going and get into a rhythm, and then it's okay and you finally get some suitable pictures for your little corner of the interwebs.

And you even throw in a silly shot for fun.

Although then you get cocky, think you've got it down, and try to get a jump shot.

FAIL.

All in time, I suppose.

Then your remote randomly stops working.

And then, at the very end, just as your about to publish a post, you forgot to take a better shot of your necklace, so you throw this up:

Alrighty, enough of that!

What is going on with you this week? I'm starting school, and I'm in one more class than I'm used to, so hopefully I don't lose my mind too much. Although it's a good sign for the semester when you get out of the university bookstore for less than $100. (SCORE!) Here's to another great school year! I've only got about 11.5 more months to go. I'm counting down!

Outfit details:
Jeans: Gap, Real Straight
White tank: Target
Sweater: Loft
Necklace: gift
Shoes: Payless

Have a fantastic Monday! Today is the first day of the rest of the week...

Soooo...notice anything?

2011-01-06T20:41:00.000-06:00

Please excuse my mess around here today, and possibly over the next couple days, as I have my gal Jordan helping me out with my blog re-design. What do you think so far? I hope you love it as much as I do!

Back soon!

Back and better than ever!

2011-01-04T20:34:00.000-06:00

Well hello!

Long time, no blog, I know! I decided to just go ahead and take a bit of a break for Christmastime and New Years, simply because, well, I needed one. Fellow bloggers know the feeling; you start posting just to post, content quality goes way down, just for the sake of posting! I just decided to give it a rest, but now I should be back to my normal posting schedule (~~Monday~~, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday).

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I know I did. Even between all the holiday busy-ness, I was still super busy doing so much more! So, here's what I've been up to the last few weeks:

-I survived my Micro Economics finale and managed to get A's in both my classes. New classes start next week!
-I finally got my new camera! It's a Canon Rebel T1i, and I've been using it like mad for the past few weeks. The pictures on the blog should be of much better quality now! I'm super excited to see how it looks!

-I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go on a mission's trip with my young adult's church group. We went to inner city Chicago and passed out stuffed Christmas stockings to children in need, held a outreach for the homeless in uptown Chicago, and passed out stockings/food/clothing/necessities to several people in the area homeless shelters.

-I spent Christmas with my husband's family:

(Loot!)

-I spent New Year's with my family and Ginger the Wonderdog (and a rogue scrabble board):

-And some time with with my friends Jeremiah and and his lovely wife Monica. Jeremiah decided that he wanted his hair permed and and wanted to be a gangsta.

So, that's what I've been doing the last few weeks. It's been such a nice break, but it really is good to be back.

What's been going on in your worlds? Did "Santa" bring you anything good? Back tomorrow!

Hi there!

2010-12-12T22:05:00.000-06:00

It's that most wonderful time of the year!

I've got finals galore, so my apologies for being absent lately! Work is crazy, church is busy and school is even crazier! I actually spent about 7 hours working on a final take-home microeconomics test today. Even as I type that it sounds ridiculous, and I have still have more work to do on it tommorow, and the next day. Ewwww.

Anyway, I may be hit and miss posting in the next few weeks with the holidays on their way. I haven't even had time to go Christmas shopping yet! Eeps! More than even posting on my blog, I miss reading your inspirational blogs, so hopefully I will have time to catch up soon. School is finally ending this week, which I could not be more excited about.

So, I'm sure I'll be posting before Christmas, and I definitely plan on resuming normal posting probably closer to the new year. Talk to you later!

Friend Friday: Burned Out

2010-12-03T16:29:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday everyone! My apologies for being absent this week, but there is just so much going on in my life right now: work, getting ready for school finals, not getting a lick of laundry done..etc. It's about enough to make a girl go insane! Hopefully I can get back on it soon! I've missed reading your blogs, and I'll try to get back to my normal commenting soon.

Anyway, I've decided to join Modly Chic's Friend Friday! Katy always comes up with thought-provoking, timely, and interesting topics each week, and this week's topic is just that. So, let's talk about blogger burnout, baby.

1. How many hours a week do you spend blogging? Has that number changed since you started blogging?

I now spend about 5 or so hours blogging (on my blog alone) each week, with about 2-3 posts per week. That number has definitely changed as I've starting doing outfits posts and other time-consuming posts. On my old blog, I would post anywhere from 1-5 times per week, as it struck my fancy, so the time has definitely increased. Sometimes the words just don't flow like you want them to!
2. There is always more you can do, write, read, comment on... how do you limit your time spent on these tasks?

This is kind of an easy question for me: I'm a ridiculously busy girl. I work 40 hours a week, go to school full time, go to church, take care of my husband, take care of my house, do homework, work out and everything else in between. That kind of naturally limits my time, if you know what I mean!

3. Have you experienced Blogger burnout yet? How have you dealt with that?

I've definitely experienced Blogger burnout! I'm kind of dealing with a mild case of it right now. I'm just so stinking busy right now. I'm betting that I'll be more motivated to blog when my blog re-design (in the works!) gets finished, and I get my new camera. Until then, I'll probably continue to be kind of blah about it.

When I do get a really bad case, I'll probably do the logical thing: step back, evaluate what's going on and then deal with the problem accordingly. Dealing with the problem could mean anything from posting less (or more) or shutting my blog down altogether, although I don't forsee that. It really heavily depends on what is going on in my life, how busy I am, where my priorities are, etc.

4. This time of the year is always a lot busier than any other time. Will your blogging change as a result?

I think that my blogging has already changed as a result. I think instead of trying to post Monday, Wendesday and Friday, I'm just going to post when I can, because I hate it when blogging turns into a chore and it's not fun anymore! Plus, sometimes you can tell when I, or someone else for that matter, "forces" a blog post! I'm just going to throw the "regular" posting rule out the window and fly by the seat of my pants! I plan on being back to my regular schedule after the new year, after the holidays.

5. Could you forsee a moment in which you are not blogging anymore? How would you you identify that it's time to walk away?

I can't say that I specifically forsee a moment where I'm not blogging anymore. It just so highly depends on where my life takes me! I really do enjoy writing, especially about clothes and weight-loss/healthy living, because those are really where my passions are! If for some reason I don't continue to blog indefinitely, I know that I will still be passionate about the same things, I just won't be writing about them as much. I take comfort in that.

I would identify a good time to walk away from the blog if it's becoming a chore, and not just temporarily, as in a blogger burnout. If I continued to post, week after week, hating everything that I wrote, that's probably when I would walk away. The only other reason that I could forsee walking away from blogging is if I really, really just plain don't have the time anymore. As I've said several times above, time is a huge issue for me. I don't have much, and I won't let blogging rob me of important "unplugged" time with family or friends.

So, that's all I got! I hope you have a great weekend! I'm off!

11.28.10 Outfit: Hurry Up and Wait

2010-11-29T20:18:00.000-06:00

HI. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I know I did. Did you eat too much like me? I had to get my butt back to the gym tonight.

I actually had a lot on my mind this weekend, mainly about waiting, and not rushing "life." It's a concept that's been stuck in my head for awhile. To me, when someone says you should "enjoy today" and "not worry about tommorow" those kind of phrases seems kind of touchy-feeling abstract to my very realistic and logical brain. So I've been thinking about all the ways that I do worry about tommorow.

Such as:

In my brain, I've already graduated from college, rather than dwelling on all the good and useful information I'm learning now.

Instead of being glad for the great job that I have now, I dream of the perfect job that I will have someday.

I'm always visualzing outfits that are fantastic, but are made of pieces that I don't own, but hopefully someday will.

I'm going to be getting a new camera for Christmas and I want it NOW, rather than enjoying the good little camera that my husband and I first bought with our wedding money.

Just little things like that. Anyone else know what I mean? Granted, there's nothing wrong with dreaming, but I've done so much of it lately that it's made me discontent with the things I do have.

So I spent my weekend trying to be more content with the blessings that God has given me, rather than focusing on the things that I don't have. Or "living in the present", if you will. It's definitely working, and sometimes it's just better to be content, yes?

Anyway, here's my simple Sunday outfit:
Jeans: Gap
Shirt: J-Crew
Flats: Payless

P.S. I totally didn't mean to look so angry in this picture! Eeps!

This time, I will actually see you Wednesday.

11.21.2010 Outfit: Grey Day

2010-11-22T11:02:00.000-06:00

So, who's ready for Thanksgiving? I certainly am! Turkey for me, and turkey for you!

I know, I know. It's still four days away, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll calm down now.

Another thing I think I'm ready for is a four-day weekend. I'll be spending it with family, and not shopping. While I love a great deal, I can't stand shopping with crowds of people everywhere, pushing and shoving and just generally being rude. So I'm going to continue my tradition of not shopping on Black Friday. My poor husband, who works as a manager in retail has to work that day starting at 6 AM, so I know he's not looking forward to that. Just listening to him talk about that people that are out that day is reason enough to stay home. What about you? Do you go out on Black Friday? If so, you're a braver person than I!

Now to the clothes: I wore this outfit to church this weekend. This scarf is so warm and soft and lovely that I couldn't wait to wear it. It really is the definition of a perfect scarf. So instead of colored tights with my budgeted shopping money, I decided to get this scarf instead. Colored tights will come in time I suppose. Oy, I'm going to get some weird looks from my co-workers when I do finally get and wear some. Oh well, some just can't handle my fabulousness. :)

Here are the details:
Pencil skirt: Target (similar)
Shirt: Target
Scarf: Gap
Tights: Target (similar)
Ring: Won from What Would A Nerd Wear's giveaway
Flats: Payless (similar)

P.S. Now if you see something I'm wearing that you like, you can click on the link associated with the piece you like in the outfit details, and the link will either take you to a website where you can buy the same or a similar item! Let me know if you like this new feature!

See you Wednesday! Stay warm!

Clothes 101: What I Look For in Clothing (Part 2)

2010-11-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

[Source: Google Images]

Welcome to the very last installment of Clothes 101! I actually tried to put off this post as long as possible, because I wanted to find a way to continue the series, but alas, I can't think of anything more to put in it, at least not right now. That's okay, there's always plenty to blog about!

As of right now, I'm waiting for my membership to Modly Chic's Friend Friday to be confirmed, so I can start taking part in that. I've been thinking about joining for a long time, and the other day I decided to go for it!

So, this will be a continuation of ~~last week's~~ the most recent post (found here) about what I personally look for when shopping for new clothes. So now that I've covered quality, it's time to talk about versatility! (The good and the bad)

Versatility is another main thing that I look for when buying clothing. For me, versatility in clothing means one thing: I can wear a truly versatile piece several different ways.

I can dress it up with a blazer, I can dress it down with a jean jacket, it would look good paired with a scarf, it would look good with jeans, pants, as a top, as a skirt, etc. I just look for pieces that I can wear many different ways. I find that I get more wear out of my clothing this way, as well as I'm able to be more creative with clothing, and get several different outfits out of one piece.

I also look for pieces that I can layer pretty easily. If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you'll soon realize that I have a ridiculous number of cardigans. And I wear them all the time. That's because they are so versatile.

However, it should be said that there is a downfall to buying clothes and thinking about versatility alone, which is clearly evidenced if you were to look in my closet right now. Versatility, in itself is great, but it's made my closet very boring and vanilla. Most of the pieces that I own are all versatile, but they are all solid colors. No print, no sparkle, nothing really well..fun. Granted, I love many of the pieces in my closet, but my wardrobe is a little unbalanced right now.

So, versatility is good, and essential, in my opinion, to having a well-rounded wardrobe. But, try not to go too crazy (like I did) and make sure you round out the versatility with a few amazing stand-alone pieces that you really love.

I hope you enjoyed my little series! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I know that I will even use the posts as a reference in the future.

Have a fantastic weekend, and stay warm!

11.16.10 Outfit: Good Things Happening

2010-11-17T09:10:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love it when everything in your day goes right?

I got a ton of work done at work yesterday, so I felt very productive.

I had a good lunch because I had leftovers from Centro, a local italian restaurant here in town.

I was wearing polka-dots, which, despite the cloudy day, made me happy.

I found out that I'm going to officially graduate next December, with a double business concentration of management and marketing. (There's an end in sight!)

My professors were in good moods, and my normally uptight professor was tired and therefore, a whole lot funnier than usual, which made for better class time.

It was payday yesterday, and this is the first check where my raise went into effect. I'm finally going to pick up some colored tights!

And I feel like I finally found a use for this green belt that I picked up at a thrift store months ago, but never wore.

What's not to love? Good days are great!

What are some good things happening in your life?
Outfit details:
Pants: Old Navy
White Tank: Old Navy
Sweater: Target ($15!!!!)
Belt: Thrifted
Earrings: Old Navy ($2.99 on sale!)
Flats: Payless

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-11-15T07:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to your new week!

I'm actually glad that the weekend is over. It was slightly stressful for me as I was dealing with an issue with a friend, on top of the regular things that I was doing like homework, working out..you know..all the usual stuff. Did you do anything fun?

I'm still working on trying to find a good time to take outfit pictures, and I keep forgetting that it gets dark so soon, so I keep missing that little window of opportunity to take them. So instead of an outfit post today, I'd thought that I would post about a few things that I've really been loving lately. First up,

This is one of my most favorite scents of all time. It's Bath and Body works, and the its just such a lovely smell. I keep find myself saying "Oh wow, do I smell good or what?" to myself. It's that good. You should pick some up right now!

I got a new sweater from Target. And yes, it has polka-dots on it. Probably the first polka-dotted piece that I've owned since I was 8. Sad, huh? I figured it was about time. Oh, yeah, and did I mention that it was on sale for $15? Yep, it's cute, and it was a good deal. You can't beat that! I can't wait to style it up.

And last but not least:

This is my go-to scarf. And I've been living it in this weekend. It's patterned, pretty and just adds a touch a cute to every outfit that I put on. I bought it about six months ago at LOFT and it only cost me about $3. I just love a good deal.

On top of all those things, my local radio station started playing Christmas music this weekend. They'll play Christmas music continually until a few days after Christmas. There's just something about that music. Just reminds you of being a kid with no obligations.

That's all I have for today. Have a great, happy Monday, and I will be back later this week.

11.8.10 Outfit: JCrew Makes it Look Easy

2010-11-10T14:19:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday!

Can you tell by looking at these pictures that we had a time change this last weekend? I was expecting to take my pictures at the same time (after work) and lo and behold, when I was leaving the office at 5:00, it was nearly dark! So my apologies for the awful pictures! I guess I'm going to have to find a different time to take my pictures. I wonder what I'm going to do when it starts snowing? Oh my, that will be interesting.

I was nearly late for work when I threw this outfit together, and at the end of the day, I still liked it, so I decided that it was a winner. The belt was a last minute addition because of the looseness of all the clothes. I thought it looked a little dumpy, so I added a belt, and wa-la! Insta fabulous! And when it comes to the white shirt under the sweater, I think the JCrew catalog I get every month makes it look so easy to get everything not wrinkled underneath there. I spent at least 5 minutes trying to get everything to look right. I need a stylist. And an unlimited closet. (Here that JCrew? Send me stuff!)

Here are the details:
Khakis: Gap
Shirt: Gap
Sweater: Target
Belt: Thrifted
Flats: Payless
Earrings: Target

Anyways, I'm going to stop rambling now. It's been a crazy week at work, and a crazy week at school. I hope you all are having an amazing week!

11.7.10 Outfit: Variations on a Theme

2010-11-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

Thank you so much for the encouragement on my last post! I really appreciate it! It's always so nice to know I'm not alone. I know this is just a phase, and with a little hard work and a tad bit more self control, I'll be back on my A-game in no time. I actually had a really good weekend, food and sugar wise, although the workouts were lackluster. I just didn't have much energy, so I didn't do much. Honestly, I think the time-change knocked me off a bit.

Anyway, something I noticed this weekend, what's going on with all the people out shopping? I think it was the un-official start of Christmas shopping. There were people everywhere! And not in a "normal" way. Plus, and I don't know if any of you noticed this, but the decorations are up, in Target, the malls, everywhere. Plus, the Christmas music had started playing. Even though I love Christmas, it seems like the decorations and shopping season start earlier every year. Eep! Didn't this just end a few months ago? Time flies when you're having fun, I suppose.

Outfit-wise, I keep finding myself in the same outfits with small variations every weekend. Jeans, boyfriend tee (from Target), a jacket, scarf and flats. For me, it looks put-together, cute, and it's comfortable. I keep trying to find different outfits to put together, but I keep going back to this old standby. What do you find yourself wearing over and over again? Maybe you can give me some ideas. :)

Here are the details:
Jeans: Gap, Real Straight
T-Shirt: Target (Boyfriend Tees)
Scarf: The Limited
Faux Leather Jacket: Target
Flats: Payless
Shades: Banana Republic

I hope you had a great weekend. I'm back to my normal posts this week. There's something comforting about familiarity.

See you Wednesday.

Thinking Out Loud

2010-11-05T15:51:00.000-05:00

I have hit a little bit of a wall, not clothes/fashion wise, but weight wise.

I still love (LOVE!) clothes, but for the first time in a long time, I've been thinking about my weight more than what I've been wearing. I still been dressing well, but dressing well hasn't been bringing me the usual spring in my step. You know what I mean? I'm just thinking out loud here.

Truth is, I'm kind of struggling with these stupid extra 10 lbs. that have creeped back on. I hate them. I know it's not "water weight," but I keep reverting back to eating crap. It's still my crutch, my vice, a struggle. I actually have had friends comment how it looks like I've lost more weight. But all I see in the mirror are my thighs, and all I can feel is how freaking tight the jeans that I'm wearing are. After I've been wearing them for several hours, and they haven't "loosened up" at all.

I want that to change. I want to get back to my normal "fighting" weight. Honestly for me, when I think about it, it's not the number on the scale, it's how I feel. It's my confidence. I've lost 90 before, can't I lose 10 again? YES. I can. And of course, I'm not going to forget how truly far I've come, and the good things that my body can do for me, and how much I love it.

I just have to take that love, and I just have to make better decisions, especially in regards to food. Gah, sometimes I hate food. Deciding what to eat is the bane of my existence. But, that's what I have to do, and just DO it. No questions, no if's, ands or buts. And I plan to.

Here are my goals:

1. Main goal: Get back to what I want to weigh.

Ways I'm going to get there:

1. Focus on what I eat: try to plan ahead, and make the best food decisions as possible. Eat whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and as many veggies as I can stand. (I hate vegetables).

2. Keep up with my workouts. This I really don't have too much trouble with. Sometimes class can get in the way, but otherwise, I do pretty good about getting to the gym 3-5 times a week.

3. Cut down on the sugar. Gah. This one I really hate. I'm a total sugar addict, and I just realized lately how much I truly do depend on sweets. It's pretty ridiculous. I used to think that the people who tried to cut back on sugar were silly, and now I see their point. I'm less tired, and my skin breaks out less when I eat less sugar. I've got to go home tonight, and clean out my pantry. (Boo hoo)

4. Write down what I eat. I have a little notebook that I use for this, and it usually is a good method for me. It keeps me conscious of what I'm eating.

More than anything, I'm going to remember how far I've come, and remember that this is just a setback. Any other ideas of what I could be doing? Any encouragement is welcome. :)

Gosh, I probably seem like a total downer! I'm actually fine, but my posts have been of a more serious nature this week. We'll get back to the regularly scheduled programing next week. :)

So, I hope you all have a good weekend. I'm going to try to make mine as healthy as possible.

The Good and the Bad

2010-11-02T09:25:00.000-05:00

It was definitely one of "those" weekends this last weekend. Here's what I spent most of my time doing:

Homework. I'm in Microeconomics this session, and I spent an inordinate amount of time this weekend working on one single homework assignment, only to not get it finished. Why? Because my professor decided to put all the homework in Excel. I know Word, I don't touch Excel with a 10-foot pole. It just left me very frustrated, very annoyed, confused and doubting my abilities in this class. I sent him an email for help, and his reply really didn't help me at all.

Me and my husband spent about 3 hours on Sunday afternoon (my blogging time) at an urgent care clinic, because his foot hurt so badly that he could barely walk. The doctor thinks it's tendonitis or possibly a stress fracture, so he's missed a few days of work, and still can't really walk.

Work has been kind of stressing me out lately. I'm having minor issues with people that I work with, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with the issues at hand. I find myself thinking about it a lot.

Because of the times that I spent trying to figure out my homework, and just generally running errands and taking care of my husband, I didn't get around to taking any outfit photos, editing photos or getting any posts written. So please accept my apology for lack of outfit posts this week. It's been crazy, and next weekend isn't looking any less crazy.

But, to counter all the not-so-good stuff that happened this weekend, there was a little sunshine.

The other class that I'm in, Operations Mangagment, the professor seems really cool and laid back, plus he is bringing up great concepts for discussion in the class. I definitely feel like I'm not wasting my time when I'm in the class, and I feel very confident about my success in that class.

There was a new episode of What Not to Wear on this last Friday. Oh, how I've missed Stacy and Clinton!

I still have a good job, regardless of the issues that I'm dealing with. I'm very lucky to be able to work when so many people are out of a job.

So, that's what I've been dealing with lately. I will try to get more post up this week, even if they aren't necessarily outfit posts.

Have a great Tuesday!

Called Out: My Response to the Marie Claire Article

2010-10-27T07:00:00.015-05:00

I had a few memories jolted by an unfortunate writer and article early this week. It brought me back to middle school and high school: hearing whispered comments and giggling behind my back. I knew it was because of my physical state. Because I was obese.

Bullying has been in the news a lot lately. Anyone that's ever been bullied in their life can probably remember what those bullies said to them. I can tell you that the things that bullies have said to me, because they have stuck to me through the years. I can still hear their voices plain as day, telling me "You obviously don't need that donut you're about to eat." It was only a few years ago that I decided to not let their stupid opinions and unkindness affect my life and confidence anymore. And while I've moved on, and lost a significant amount of weight, this article served to remind me that there are still bullies in the world. They've just grown up now.

You probably know what article I'm talking about, the Marie Claire one "Should Fatties get a Room?" (Click the link to read). The article starts off talking about Mike and Molly, a new sitcom on CBS that's about two people who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous group. The writer of the article, Maura Kelly, starts talking about how disgusted she is to see two obese people be intimate on television. She then goes on a truly appalling and size-ist rant. Here's a quote:

"So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair."

Wow. This really does almost leave me speechless.

After that lovely little piece, she goes on to say this:

"Now, don't go getting the wrong impression: I have a few friends who could be called plump. I'm not some size-ist jerk. And I also know how tough it can be for truly heavy people to psych themselves up for the long process of slimming down. (For instance, the overweight maintenance guy at my gym has talked to me a little bit about how it seems worthless for him to even try working out, because he's been heavy for as long as he can remember.)"

Um, riiiiiight. Does that make the things that you said above okay?

She then goes on to give her own version of a pep-talk for all the "fatties" out there. To summarize, "Don't eat processed foods and work out! You can do it!!"

Thanks for that. I'm sure all of the "fatties" will go about losing that weight, so that they can be more acceptable to society.

Anyway, the point of this article isn't to tear Maura Kelly to shreds, even though I kind of want to, I'm not going to lie. The point of this article is to call her out for what she is: a bully. A mean girl. And just like every other bully I ever known, when faced with opposition, an apology comes forth. I'm not saying her apology isn't sincere; it probably is. But Maura, like any other bully, CANNOT take her words back, no matter how much she apologizes. They've already been said. They've done their damage; they did it when that post went live. Just by reading the comments you can tell that they've caused unnecessary hurt. They've offended me, as a formerly obese woman. They've reminded me how cruel and unsympathetic people can be.

That said, I hope that Maura takes one lesson from all this hubbub. Actually, it's a lesson that I have to re-learn myself over and over. The words that come out of your mouth have power. They have the power to build up a person up, and they have the power to tear down.

Something that my parents always emphasized to me as I was growing up was two things: one, think before you speak. Meaning think about the words (and their meaning) you are going to say before you say them, because they have power, and you can't take them back. And two, if you don't have anything kind to say, don't say it. I still do my best to follow these rules today. Like I said above, I remember what it was like to be bullied in junior high and high school, and I never, ever, ever want to make people feel the way that I felt.

Anyway, that's how I feel about that whole thing. Again, even though the damage is done, I really do hope that Maura watches her words in the future, and decides to speak more kindly, especially over a condition that people don't always have complete control over. No one deserves to be bullied about anything, especially their physical appearance or weight!

10.23.10 Outfit: Old Old Navy

2010-10-27T07:00:00.010-05:00

Don't let these pictures fool you. I've been sick with a cold this week. I felt so crappy on Monday that I stayed home from work.

Now, there's a funny thing that happens to me when I get sick. I somehow think that junk food is going to magically make my cold go away! I think that cheeseburger and some hot, crispy french fries are going to make my throat stop hurting. And some ice cream will make my nose stop running. And a couple thousand mini Twix bars will keep me from sneezing. Funny thing is, they never do!

Then I just end up eating too much junk food, and then in return, it probably takes me even longer to get better because of all the crap food in my system. And I have to re-learn this every time, so it seems! I'm still a work in process. Does anyone else have this problem? Or just me? Eh, probably just me..Anyway, I had to feel better very quickly because of new classes starting up this week. Hopefully those start off smoothly.

In regards to what I was wearing, I wore this outfit on Saturday to go hang out with some friends from church. This green jacket is very old! So old that I remember wearing it to a haunted house in my junior year of high school. I remember that haunted house trip well because there is still glow-in-the-dark paint caked on the jacket from said haunted house. Paint that they staff of the haunted house said was washable. Hmm..

Here are the outfit details:
Jeans: Real Straight by Gap
T-Shirt: Target (Boyfriend T's-I have 3 and they are AWESOME.)
Belt: Target
Jacket: Old Navy
Shoes: Converse via Zappos.com
Shades: Banana Republic

Have a happy Wednesday! Remember that the week is halfway over, and look out for wet paint this weekend if you're at any haunted houses!

10.24.10 Outfit: Pop

2010-10-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's a new day. With no mistakes in it as Anne of Green Gables would say.

Did you have a good weekend? I spent Friday night at a hockey game, spent Saturday getting some cleaning done, and Sunday doing some blogging homework and just being lazy. Unfortunatly, my throat started getting sore on Sunday, so I would really like to not get sick! Cross your fingers! Plus, I start two new classes this week: Microeconomics and Organizational Management. Oh yes, should be fun. I'm so looking forward to it. (Not.)

In other news, my cheapie little tripod broke on Saturday, when I was trying to take pictures. I was trying to turn the camera vertically, and *snap*. It kicked the bucket. It made me so sad, so let's have a moment of silence for my old tripod..

***crickets***

Okay, now that's done. Since I can't really take outfit pictures without my trusty tripod, I decided to just go ahead and pick up the one I was going to buy in December when I pick up my DSLR. And, oh my. Where have you been all my life? It works so well, and it was only $40! Needless to say, it's my new best friend. Taking outfit pictures is a million times easier, so hopefully I will be able to get more outfit posts up!

Here are the outfit details:
Jeans: Gap
Trench: Old Navy
Sweater; White Tank: Target
Leopard flats: Payless
Pearl Braclets: Free from Helzbergs (They have a thing for sending out free coupons for pearls. Can't pass that up!)

Have a fantastic Monday!

Clothes 101: What to Look for In Clothing (Part 1)

2010-10-23T16:42:00.001-05:00

[Source: Google Images]

Welcome to your Saturday! I'm sitting here listening to Christmas music on Pandora (It's never too early!), trying to drown out the awful sound that my dishwasher is making. Eep. Hopefully it's nothing bad.

Anyway, it's time for another Clothes 101 post. I hope everyone is liking my little "mini-series" so far! I like to write for other people the things that I wish I knew, so I hope I'm doing someone some good. I've really been enjoying your feedback and comments, so keep them coming! They make my day, seriously.

Today I'm going to do a quick post about one aspect of what I look for in an item of clothing when I go shopping. It was only a little less than a year ago that I really stopped losing weight, so back in those days when I shopped, I was picking up and buying anything and everything off the shelf, just because everything fit me. I was more than a little giddy. Not good.

I found out quickly that a lot of my purchases were impulse buys, and I ended up having to donate many of them. Bummer and lesson learned. Since then, after slowing down while shopping and gleaning some information from other sources--blogs, books, and common sense--I've learned what to look for in pieces of clothing that I'm considering buying. So, let's get started.

1. Quality. A no-brainer.

As I mentioned in my last post, I try to stick with buying those "trendy" pieces at cheaper places, such as Target, if I simply must have them. Even then, I try to resist as long as possible! And I try to buy the pieces that I'm going to need to last for a long time at stores that I know sell quality clothing.

Obviously, these places are going to be different for every person, because we all live in different areas, some with limited areas for shopping, and we all may have different definitions of quality. I define quality pieces as staying in good condition for more than one to one-and-a-half years with normal wear, tear and regular washes. So the places that I try to go when looking for quality pieces are those retailers (No boutiques around here. At least not affordable ones!) who I've had good luck with in the past. These include Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft. I'm willing to spend more on a quality, classic piece at these stores because I know that if I'm diligent and do my best to take care of the piece, it will pay for itself in the long run.

Also, if you don't know if your favorite retailers carry quality pieces, do your research! When I don't know when a retailer or store carries quality pieces, I do one or all of these things:

A. Go online!

Many times, retailers have rating systems and comments on pieces that others have bought, which come in handy if you're buying from a store where you are unsure of the quality. Read the comments and ratings carefully, but also take them with a grain of salt, and hopefully you should be able to at least glean an idea of the quality of the item your looking at. I've actually decided against buying several pieces because of poor ratings from other consumers.

B. Ask, ask ask!

What I've done recently, is if I see other bloggers that have bought pieces from the retailer who's quality I'm questioning, I'll send them an email or tweet asking them their honest opinion. I think many bloggers are willing to help and share their experiences!

Ask store associates. Now obviously, again you're going to have to take their answers with a grain of salt because they work for the company. I try to approach them kindly, with a smile and ask them for an honest assessment of the quality of clothing being sold. I've found that many of them are willing to help, although whether or not I believe what they are saying is up to me, even if I do believe the best of their intentions.

C. Feel and judge for yourself.

Does the piece your considering buying feel cheap, or quality? Can you see right through the fabric? Do the seams look tight, or loose and stringy? If you've bought from the retailer before, consider their track record with you. Have the other pieces you bought from the store held up well?

That's the first thing that I look for when buying clothing. Make sure you come back next weekend and check out my continuation of What to Look for in Clothing!

P.S. Winner winner chicken dinner! Did you check to see who won my last contest! Make sure you watch!

P.P.S. Make sure you check out my other Clothes 101 posts!

Have a fantastic rest of the weekend!

WINNER!

2010-10-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

Wondering who won my contest? Watch the video to find out!

We have a winner! from Hope Hols on Vimeo.

P.S. I'm laughing at my own face right now. Vimeo just had to pick that exact moment to freezeframe. Oh well.

Stayed tuned tommorow for my Clothes 101 post! I'm going to bed.

10.13.10 Outfit: Right on Target

2010-10-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

Ahh, fall.

The weather has been absolutely perfect here in Iowa this year, and I've been taking full advantage of it. Case in point, I didn't even have to break out my tights for this outfit. It's been around 70 degrees, breezy and sunny. AKA, perfect, at least in my opinion.

However, while I was taking these pictures, there was a big old storm brewing. Hence, my hair was flying everywhere! So, I just pretended I had a huge wind machine pointed at me, and worked it anyway!

And about five minutes after these pictures were taken, it started raining cats and dogs. Thankfully I made it to my car in time!

Please bear with me as the posts are a little scattered this week. It's my last week of Biology, and I'm just focusing on trying to pass, even if I won't be on the Dean's list this semester. (Sad face)

Here are the details:
Skirt: Target
White tank top: Target
Sweater: Target (Take that J-Crew!)
Belt: Gap
Bracelet: Free from Helzbergs
Flats: Payless

P.S. Free stuff alert! Make sure that you enter my giveaway!! It ends tomorrow so go and enter now!!

Clothes 101: Let's go shopping!

2010-10-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

[Source: Google Images]

Happy Saturday! Sorry this post is a day late. Better late then never right?

It's time for another Clothes 101 installment! This week I'm going to give you my own tips on how to save money when shopping. The last two installments of Clothes 101 have really been about how to get started building a wardrobe that you'll really love and treasure, so if you haven't read those posts, go back and read them! You'll be glad you did.

I'm sure I've had some readers interested in starting to build their wardrobe, but wondering where in the world the money is going to come from in order to do so. I definitely don't have a money tree in my backyard! I'm an adult college student living on a secretary's salary, so money is an issue, as it probably is for most people. Any money spent shopping can add up fast, very fast! (Trust me, I know!) However, I have found some ways to help save myself some money when it comes to shopping, because I want to get the most bang for my buck.

So, first, a few rules to live by:

1. Remember that you aren't going to build the perfect wardrobe overnight.

Waiting sucks, I know. But as I said above, building a good, quality wardrobe is going to take awhile, unless you have lots of free income to spend on clothing. If you do, great! If you don't, it's going to take awhile, and that's okay. I like to think of it like anything else: anything that's good is worth waiting for. So be patient, and one day, you'll have a closet full of pieces you truly love.

2. Save on "trendy" pieces, and splurge on classic, quality pieces that are going to last for a long time.

For the most part, if I want something that's new and trendy in the fashion world, like a military-style jacket for example, I'll seek that out at my local Target or thrift store. If it's something that I really want that's going to more than likely go out of style soon, I don't spend a lot of money on it.

However, I have been known to save my money (for several weeks, in fact) in order to buy a quality piece that's going to last me a long time. For example, right now I'm saving for a winter coat.

Now that I've put that out there, let's get to the tips!

1. Before you go out and buy, know and do some research on what you really want.

I think this really is the most important tip that I can give. I can be a complete, total, no-holds-barred, crazy impulse shopper if I just go shopping and don't have in mind what I really want or truly need. So now before I go out, I have in mind the item I want/need to get (usually I can afford just one piece at a time, if I want to buy quality clothes) and I set out to places that I know have that item. It just usually keeps me from going overboard, then, months later, I'm still happy with the item, and wearing it all the time because I truly love it.

2. Subscribe to store emails, if applicable.

These emails are the gems of retail, because they help you know exactly when to shop. Obviously, if you hate emails like these, this probably isn't the tip for you, but I would encourage anyone looking to save money on clothes to do this! I used to never sign up for them myself, because I thought I would just get spam and other things. The truth is, for the most part, you get alerted to coupons, discounts, and other special promotions going on. I'm constantly getting promo codes for 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60% and even 70% off, while learning what's going on in my favorite stores. (50% off everything in the store, heck yes!)

The emails that I receive are Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, JCrew, Anne Taylor and Anne Taylor Loft.

3. Thrift, thrift, thrift!

If you would have told me a year ago, that I would shop at thrift stores, I would have laughed. Then I started reading fashion and style blogs, and seeing all the thrifted gems that the bloggers were wearing. I decided to give it a go, and on my first trip to a thrift store since I was 12, I found a brand new Dana Buchman skirt for $3, which I love and wear all the time. So, take it from this former clothes snob, thrifting is awesome. You can find some serious gems out there, for very little money.

I go thrift shopping for two main reasons: if there is a certain piece that I want that I think I can find for less (which happens a lot!), or if I'm feeling impulsive, because when I'm thrift shopping, I'm obviously going to spend less money.

While thrifting is great for clothes, thrift and second-hand stores are also great places to find accessories like belts, scarves and vintage jewelry. So there is a gold-mine of cheap, good-quality items waiting out there for you to find, all you have to do is swallow your pride (I definitely had to do this) and just go. You'll be glad that you did!

So those are my tips for saving money while shopping. Do you have any good tips?

Make sure to stop by next Friday for another installment of my Clothes 101 series!

P.S. Have you entered my giveaway yet? What are you waiting for??

CSN Stores giveaway! CLOSED

2010-10-13T07:00:00.003-05:00

CONTEST CLOSED.

It's Wednesday! Are you ready for some free goodies?

I'm giving away a $45 gift certificate for CSNstores.com! They have over 200 sites with everything: shoes, handbags, excercise equipment, tons of cookware and fun kitchen gadgets, upholstered dining chairs and home decor. They have something for everyone!

If I could win, here's what I would use my $45 toward:

A dutch oven (in my favorite color) to make large batches of chili in.

A cozy, pink fleece throw to curl up under.

And a fun, pink clutch to add a pop of color to an outfit.

The possibilites really are endless!

It's easy to enter! Follow L.U.S. on Blogger or Bloglovin' and leave me a comment with a valid email address!

Want to get a bonus entry? Here's how:

Tweet about this giveaway with a link back to the post on my blog and leave me a comment letting me know you did so. Leave me your Twitter handle as well, so I can follow you!

The contest will end on Wednesday, October 20th at midnight, CST. I will be posting the winner in my Clothes 101 post on Friday, October 22nd. Good luck!

10.10.10 Outfit: Simple on Sunday

2010-10-10T22:18:00.006-05:00

Sunday are always such a nice day to relax. With the exception of church in the mornings, most of the time I'm just sitting around, doing homework, watching TV or doing something equally non-strenuous. It's great.

I wasn't around the blogging community last week because I took an extended weekend vacation, which was delightful and in my humble opinion, well-deserved. Class and work were getting a little overwhelming, especially since I'm getting super-burnt out on class. I got to spend some time with my parents, and I got to see my brother.

It was really nice because I don't get to see any of them very often. We trapsed all over the countryside, as my parents are in a far corner of Iowa and my brother, who lives in Tennessee, was in Minnesota for work. Time of work and school+time with family=good. Unfortunately, Bill couldn't come with me because of his work schedule, so I missed him but besides that, it was fun.

Here's the outfit I wore to church last week:

{Yes, I realize you can't see the shoes in this pictures. Oops!}

I go to a church where the dress "code" is fairly relaxed, so I like to keep it simple on Sundays. Plus, I'm usually on stage singing in the choir; although flashy isn't my style anyway.

I really been loving wearing my trench coat lately. It's just one of those classic pieces that, for me, pulls an outfit together. Plus, it keeps me warm as the weather has been getting cooler lately.

Although, speaking of the weather, it was 85 degrees and sunny today. How crazy is that? Sheesh. So, if you're wondering, I didn't wear my trench coat today.

Here are the details:

Jeans: Gap, Real Straight

T-Shirt: Target

Necklace: Thrifted

Trench: Old Navy

Shoes: Payless

Shades: Banana Republic

Clutch: Gap

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?

Make sure to stop back on Wednesday! There may or may not be a giveaway....

Clothes 101: How to Start Building a Wardrobe (Part 2)

2010-10-08T13:58:00.001-05:00

[Source: Google Images]

Ah yes, another Friday! You know what that means! It's time for installment numero dos of Clothes 101. If you remember, last week we talked about how to start cleaning out your closet in order to make room for the wardrobe that you really want. Such things as what to get rid of and how to get rid of it. So if you're new to the series, make sure to start with the first post, here.

Today, we're going to talk about assessing your current wardrobe, now that you've cleaned out your closet. Again, these are steps that I've taken myself unless otherwise noted, so I feel like I have some experience in this area.

So let's get started. To start accessing your current wardrobe first,

1. Look at what you have.

Seems pretty self-explanatory, right? If you were like me at all, the typical girl-who-just-lost-weight closet, things are probably going to be looking pretty bare. Words can't describe how very little I had to start working with. I had a few almost-too-big pairs of jeans (these were the only pairs I had, otherwise, I would have donated them.), a couple ratty t-shirts, a sweater or two, a few pairs of sweatpants, one pair of almost-too-big work pants, and well, that's about it. Sad, and slightly overwhelming.

So, I didn't have much to work with, but maybe you do! That's a good thing. Start looking at what you can wear now, and how you can put the clothes to work for you. Maybe you have a great pair of jeans that you look rockin' in, or maybe you have a blazer that could potentially add polish to any outfit that you throw on.

It's always good to know what you have, and then keep those items in mind when starting to build your wardrobe.

2. Look at what you need.

This is where things kind of start to get subjective, but I like to say that there are several basics that every woman should have in her closet, at least to start with. These bare-bones basics include:

A couple pairs of high-quality, flattering pairs of jeans. (Hint: dark wash looks good on nearly everyone!)
A few skirts or dresses for church or another appropriate occasion, unless you hate skirts and or dresses.
A pair of neutral dress pants.
A few versatile blouses or shirts that you can wear anywhere.
A neutral cardigan or fitted, feminine blazer that you can throw over anything when it gets cold.
A few high-quality, basic t-shirts (like white, black, grey or other colors) are also good to have.

You'll find that when you go shopping (a future post) that you'll be able to more easily add to your wardrobe when you have these basics.

So while I believe that these are the things every woman needs, you may find that you need something different, depending on your job or lifestyle. Again, start with versatile basics, like the ones listed above. You'll be a little less overwhelmed with them when you start building outfits. (Again, later post!)

3. Decide what you want for your wardrobe.

Just like losing weight and changing your lifestyle, it's good to look at the big picture when it comes to assessing your wardrobe. What do you see yourself wearing? What style or type of clothing do you feel great in? What is your favorite color? What do you want to wear?

Use your imagination! This is where you can start mentally piecing together what you want your finished wardrobe to look like. When I started visualizing how I want (and still) want to look, I wanted to look put-together, age-appropriate, classic, feminine but also modest, and of course I wanted to have lots of color and print in my wardrobe. So, that's what I'm still working towards to this day, as I'm building my wardrobe.

4. Lastly, make lists!

I'm a Type-A, organized kind of girl that can't remember a darn thing unless it's written down. So, my suggestion would be to make three separate lists: one for the things you have, one for the things you need, and one for the things you want. That way, you will have things written down, and you can add and take away from the lists as you please. They will also come in very handy when you do go shopping.

Those are my best tips for assessing your wardrobe. Do you have any good tips to add?

Now, I know someone is reading this thinking "Um, hi. Yeah. I don't have the money to just up and buy a brand new wardrobe, Hope!" And to that I say, "Never fear!" I'm a girl on a realistic secretary's budget, so I know that money is an issue, and I'll be back next Friday with Part 3 of Clothes 101: How to Build a Wardrobe, where I'll give you my best tips on how to save money while shopping.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Clothes 101: How to Start Building a Wardrobe (Part 1)

2010-10-01T10:50:00.001-05:00

[Source: Google Images]

Happy Friday everyone!

I want to start doing a series that I'm going to call Clothes 101. In these posts, I'm going to try to give my own helpful tips and tricks that I've learned recently about all things clothing – like today's first installment on how to get started building a wardrobe you can be proud of, to such things as how to accessorize to what to look for when shopping, and even my best tips on how to save money when shopping! All the tips and tricks I'm going to give you are things that I have done myself, unless otherwise noted. I can attest that these tips work.

So first things first: how do you begin to build a functional wardrobe? It does take time, and it's a work in process. But more than anything, it's a sacrifice worth making, because it's worth it! Sound familiar? I think you'll be surprised about how good you can feel about yourself when you have the right clothes to wear.

Here is how to start:

1. Clean out those old "fat" clothes!

When I first decided to start building a wardrobe that I could be proud of, this is one of the first things I did. First, I got rid of all my old "fat" clothes. You know what I'm talking about, ladies. The ones that you keep at the back of the closet, the "just-in-case-I-gain-the-weight-back" jeans or the t-shirt that swallows you. Well, guess what? You won't be gaining that weight back, so you're not going to need any of those "fat" clothes anymore! Get rid of them. You're never going back!

2. Clean out the clothes that you haven't worn in over a year.

If you haven't worn it in over a year, you're probably not going to wear it again. Maybe you secretly don't like the piece(s) because it was an impulse buy. Maybe you spent a lot of money on said clothing and you've never quite found the right occasion to wear it. Maybe you don't like the color or print anymore. Just get rid of it.

The impulse buys are silly, and we all do it. I know when I originally cleaned out my closet I had to throw out about 5 impulse buys that I hadn't worn at all, or in a long time. And you know those clothes that are just waiting for a perfect occasion? If you haven't found that perfect occasion by now, it's probably not coming. And if you just plain don't like the color or the print, throw it out gladly. Again, just get rid of it.

4. If you're at your goal weight, or within 5 lbs. of it, clean out the clothes that are too tight.

While this may sound slightly insensitive, I say this because if you're done losing weight, and the dream dress or "skinny" jeans still don't fit because they are too tight, or generally unwearable, don't worry about it. Our bodies pull a lot of punches when we are losing weight, and they don't always look the way we think they are going to look when all the weight is gone. It's okay if we don't have perfect bodies. No person, not even Victoria's Secret Angels have perfect bodies, and that's okay! Make peace with and love the body that you have right now!

3. Do the same with your shoe collection.

Gasp! I know, I've really gone off the deep end now, haven't I?

There are some people who have lost weight in their feet, so throw out the shoes that are too big and too small, and of course, the old shoes that you never wear. They are just taking up space for shoes that you will really adore.

4. Don't get rid of everything.

There are a few things that you should keep. I would encourage you to keep a few ratty t-shirts, a pair of jeans or shorts, and a pair of old shoes for doing housework, painting, or other messy chores. And you should keep the clothes that you like, that still fit, etc.

Also, I would encourage you not to go through and get rid of any accessories like jewelry, belts or scarves, although that is up to you. There are endless uses for those, and I will be going over those in a later post!

5. The last step is donate!

This is pretty self-explanatory. Donate it all to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store. You'll be helping people in need as well as yourself. Most times, your donation is even tax-deductible. If you don't have time to run it the the store's location, call them and see if they have a pick-up service. I know many of the thrift stores around here in Iowa will pick up your donations on location free of charge.

So, that's how I started when I cleaned out my closet, and I hope this posts helps you get started! We're on our way to a fantastic wardrobe!

I'll be back next Friday with Part 2 of How to Start Building a Wardrobe.

Have a great weekend!

9.23.2010 Outfit: Ruh-Ruh-Remix

2010-09-29T21:00:00.004-05:00

Holy cow, it has been a crazy week! Not going to lie, my Biology class is hurting my brain right now. My mantra: just a few more weeks. I just keep telling myself that!

I've been hanging out at home tonight, just trying to get some homework done, of course, TV always seems to get the best of me. Top Chef, anyone?

Outfit remix time is in the works tonight! Here's what I wore last Thursday:

This is one of my favorite dresses to style, because it's a cozy jersey cotton, it stretchy, and well..it's basically like wearing pajamas to work. Now that it's fall and it's getting cooler, I put this combination together a little differently than I did last time, even though I still made use of my denim jacket.

So instead of sandals, I wore boots, which in my opinion, look great with dresses in the fall. Plus, it keeps your legs covered up and therefore warmer. Then instead of a cami, I put a t-shirt for a little more coverage. And then I added my denim jacket to put it all together. Come wintertime, I'll probably add tights, a turtleneck and a blazer.

Here are the details:
Dress: Loft ($9 on sale!)
T-shirt: Gap
Denim jacket: Target
Braclet: Old Navy
Boots: Clarks via Zappos.com

What do you do to make your clothes wearable for all season? Any good tips that I haven't mentioned?

Have a great Wednesday (what's left of it that is) , and I'll see you Friday!

P.S. I *finally* found a new spot to take outfit pictures! Yay! No more doors!

9.26.10 Outfit: Going to the Chapel

2010-09-26T21:00:00.036-05:00

Welcome to your new week! I hope everyone's having a great Sunday so far.

Did you do anything exciting this weekend? I've been enjoying the weather, getting lots of rest for the week ahead, and doing some homework.

I also had the pleasure of attending my bosses daughter's wedding, as my workplace is very small and fairly close-knit. It was a beautiful ceremony at a local Lutheran church here in town, and the reception was just as lovely. Their colors were navy blue, silver and ivory/cream, which made for an elegant color combination. I even got a chance to do some boogey-ing down at said wedding, which always makes for fun.

Although, of course, I was done drinking after I had my small glass of wine (I'm not much of a drinker), but unfortunately there were a few people there not holding their alcohol well. Seems like there's one at every wedding isn't there? Ah, what can you do?

Here's what I wore to the wedding:

I'm very much a pear-shaped girl, in fact my hips are about two standard sizes larger than my waist, and this outfit works for me because a pencil skirt that tapers at the knees emphasizes my hips, but then I balance it out by tucking my top into the skirt, which brings the emphasis back to my waist. It draws the eye up so that I look curvy, but not out of balance.

I added some black tights because it was cold, and a clutch so I didn't have to carry my large bag around all night and wala! Outfit!

Here are the details:
Black pencil skirt: Target ($20!! What a deal!)
Lace top: Target
Tank top: Old Navy
Tights: Target
Shoes: Payless
Clutch: Gap

Tell me about what you did this weekend! Talk to you soon!

P.S. You can now follow me on Bloglovin'! Follow my blog with bloglovin

Perfect Weather

2010-09-24T20:24:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday!

The weather made me smile today. It was 72 degree, sunny, breezy, and perfect. So, I just stood on the front porch of my house and took it in.

Ahhhhhhhhh.

I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want to go with this blog. Don't worry, not deleting it or anything, I just want to make it better. So, I'm studying up. It's going to be a busy weekend for me! I have a wedding tommorow, and lots of lounging to do. I hope everyone has a good weekend!

9.16.10 Outfit: Two-Toned

2010-09-22T21:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! The week is half over! Woo-hoo!

Here is the outfit I wore to work last Thursday:

Please pardon the wet hair in the pictures! I didn't know when I was going to have time to take more, pictures that is, so I just went for it. When I took these pictures it was *freezing* outside, about 56 degrees with the wind blowing, so in the second picture, I had to hold onto my jacket to keep it from blowing every which way. Now, a week later, it's back to mid 80's and humid. That's the great thing about living in Iowa-the weather is extremely tempermental! Oh well.

This is the kind of outfit I find myself wearing a lot. I think I may have said this before, but I'm a jeans and t-shirts girl at heart. Plus, I thought I was pretty clever for putting those two necklaces together. I'm telling you, there are some gems to be found at your local Goodwill.

On a side note, I've been thinking about upgrading my camera lately. Me and my husband bought it about 4ish years ago, after we got married. It's a Sony Cybershot, and it's worked great thus far, however, it's about 6 megapixels, and the quality of pictures just isn't as sharp as they could be. In fact, my Android phone's camera is 5 megapixels, so I feel like it's time for an upgrade. Does anyone have an camera recommendations for me? I'm thinking about getting a Canon Rebel, as I had the chance to play around with one this summer, but I'm interested to hear your recommendations. Comment or email me!

Here are the details:
Khakis: Gap
Shirt: Target
Denim Jacket: Target
Shoes: Payless
Necklaces: Goodwill (two different necklaces strung together)

Anyway, I'm off to bed! See you later this week! Hang in there, it's almost Friday!

9.12.2010 Outfit Feelin' Like Fall

2010-09-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

Hello there! I hope you all are doing well!

Thanks for all the comments on my last post! I really thought that I might have been being hard on the Zumba instructor, but from what I read, I wouldn't have been the only one that was fuming. I did decide to go ahead and send an email on Friday to the instructor's boss. The gist of my email was this: if she can't keep her negative body image comments to herself, she shouldn't be teaching. Period. I also asked them to take up the matter with her, and hopefully it doesn't happen again.

Anyway, as usual last few weeks have been really crazy, as Monday-Thursday I'm eating/sleeping/breathing school and work. If work doesn't kill me, I think school might. For biology, we have tests (around 70 points) every Thursday, so even on the nights when I don't have school, I'm rushed and cramming. There is always this week, a new week. Who's grateful for new weeks? I certainly am!

I'm also really excited for one of my classes to end at the end of this month. It's just a basic required class called Nuturing and Well-Being, and after that ends, I should hopefully have more time in the evenings, at least until 8ish. :)

Anyway, I'm a little backed up on outfit posts, so you'll have to excuse me. Without further ado, here's what I wore last Sunday:

It's definitely getting more fallish around here, so I finally had my excuse to pull my boots and a sweater out of the closet! This sweater is the comfy-est thing ever, and its one of my new favorite pieces that I picked up at Loft a little over a week ago.

I also have recently noticed a lot of style/fashion bloggers seem to carry a different bag every day. Here's a little 411 about me: I buy a bag and then carry it for months and months and months, usually the better part of a year, so that's why I included it in this post. It carries around half of my life in it, and I simply don't have the patience to match my bag to my outfit. I stick with neutrals like blacks and browns, and it works for me. So, this will probably be the only time you ever see my bag in a post.

Here are the details:

Jeans: Gap, Real Straight

Top: Loft

Boots: Clarks, via Zappos.com

Bracelet: Plato's Closet

Bag: Aldo (Go check out their new line of bags if you're in the market! They are really cute, not to mention relatively affordable..aka, I paid $50 for this bag, which I will carry for a long time.)

Shades: Banana Republic

I hope you all have a great week!

Gather around, it's storytime.

2010-09-12T20:29:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you a little story. I was at Zumba class on Saturday, and in the middle of the class, in between songs, the small and healthy-sized (aka, not fat at ALL) Zumba instructor stopped and said out loud to the class "Gosh, I'm so glad I came to class today. My arms are getting so fat!" She said this with a straight face, and in all seriousness; no smiling, with a disgusted look on her face.

I didn't really start thinking about the comment until later in the class, but now I can articulate how that comment made me feel: it freaking pissed me off. At first I thought, "If she thinks her arms are fat, then what does she think mine are? They must be the size of a tree trunk if she thinks hers are fat!" Grrr..

There were women in the room of all shapes and sizes taking that class from her, and a few of the women were quite large. I wonder what *they* thought about her comment? Double grr.

More than anything, I was mad that she had pushed her poor body-image onto the rest of the class, and it was totally and completely inappropriate. I'm still thinking about writing an email to her boss. Extreme, yes, but I think necessary, as her comment was totally out of line. I go to the gym to get a good workout and feel great about my body as I'm sure the other women do as well, not to be around such negativity.

Now, the average reader would probably say I'm being hard on her. I don't deny that I am. And to be honest, every girl has a bad day every once in awhile; a day where they're feeling heavy or squishy or bloated and just plain crappy. But if you're teaching a fitness class, you have no business just spitting out words that you haven't thought about carefully. You're there to teach a class, not to spread body-image negativity.

Now, I'm going to step on my soapbox a little bit: Ladies, when are we going to stop dissing our bodies and start talking about them with respect, for all that they do for us. Seriously?!

Anyone that knows me in person knows that there are few things that I hate more women dissing their appearance or bodies. It's just not necessary and it doesn't accomplish anything! I think every woman is beautiful and unique in their own way, and that each woman has a purpose, and it's time that we started believing it, or choosing to believe it, or even choosing to chose to believe it.

Like I said, I still don't know if I'm going to send an email to the negative Zumba instructor's boss or not. I just hope to never hear another negative body comment in another Zumba class ever again.

Now that I've stepped off my soapbox, I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend, and I'll be back later this week with an outfit post!

9.6.10 Outfit: Bird's Nest

2010-09-06T21:51:00.001-05:00

Hello there! I hope everyone had a great Labor day weekend! I had a great weekend, which was much needed! It's so nice to get away from work and school, especially on a Monday, the worst day of the week stress-wise, it seems. Did you do anything fun?

Today, I felt like being lazy, so most of the day was spent just chilling, watching TV, surfing the net, reading, etc. It was so nice! I felt so lazy in fact that after taking a Zumba class in the morning, I didn't shower or get out of my workout clothes until around 3 in the afternoon. Even after I took my shower, I said "Forget it!" to makeup and hair product that makes my hair look not-so-crazy. Sometimes it's so freeing to walk around with a pale face and crazy hair!

One thing I did get around to doing was taking some lazy day outfit photos. Here's what I wore today, crazy hair and all:

See! I told you the hair was crazy today! I like my outfit today because it was simply, it was comfortable, and it was classic: striped button-down, jeans and flats. When I started this blog, I decided that I was going to definitely be real, meaning be myself in all my posts, and this outfit is something that I love to wear, and I do wear..a lot.

Anyway, here are the details:

Jeans: Gap, Real Straight

Shirt: Gap

Shoes: Payless

Belt: Target

Shades: Banana Republic

One more hair picture for the heck of it:

Weeeeeee!

Have a great week everyone! I will be posting later this week.

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

2010-09-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

As I was reading through some of my favorite blogs the other day, I saw that Mish linked to this post by Mrs. Fatass called "Sorry I'm Not Sorry." I've been having another just okay week, and I've been looking for a way to blog about what's going on in my head without being too much of a downer. I thought that doing my own "Sorry I'm Not Sorry" post would be a perfect way to get some of my frustration with life this particular week.

I'm a sensitive girl. I always have been. When I was younger and fatter, I took things personally and always suspect a motive behind everything that everyone does, whether it be good or bad. I still take things personally that maybe weren't meant to be taken that way. I still care and often dwell about what people think of me. I still think that people have a motive behind the things that they do and say. I wonder if when I disagree with someone that they think less of me, or think I'm an idiot. When people say mean things to me, it hurts my feelings and it affects my view of myself. Sometimes I overreact and and freak out and have to call a friend or my mom to ask them if I'm being too sensitive.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

In losing weight, I've gained confidence, and a new love for clothes and the kind of confidence that dressing well gives me. I love them so much, that if I could chose a career path a would be a personal stylist, here in Iowa where most people don't care what your wearing unless you're headed to church. I love clothes and playing around with them.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

On top of losing the weight, sometimes I eat too much chocolate cake and macaroni and cheese because I love to eat. I work out, but my body is far from Jillian Michael's ripped. My thighs and upper arms are jiggly, and my body fat percentage is too high.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

I have a fairly small circle of friends that I love dearly. One of them has changed to the point where I barely see the girl I used to know. Love, lightheartedness and times of laughter and fun have been replaced by judgement, talk of Christian theology and seriousness, with a very few laughs and little fun. Instead of being my best friend, I consider her more of an acquaintence who I happen to know a lot about, simply because I still hear in my head what she's said to me in the past, about how I should be sorry and repent about feeling a certain way or thinking un-perfectly at times. She's told me times where she has alienated other people who are coming to church and seeking the truth when they have things going on in their lives that they shouldn't have, simply because they were "living in sin." That's not okay, and I don't see our "friendship" standing the test of time.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

Despite my problems with her, I'm still a strong Christian, doing my best to be more Christ-like. I don't judge people who are different that I am, even though I may disagree. I do my best to show people the love of Him in me, even though sometimes I still swear and have bad days, and am far from perfect.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

I miss my Texas friends like crazy, and I never realized how much I relied on them while they were here. I'm so glad that they are fulfilling their dreams, that doesn't mean that I don't miss them.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

Sometimes I have bad days at work where I just want to get the heck away from everyone and have them leave me alone. My boss seems to favor another employee, which upsets me. Sometimes stupid changes are made to things that aren't broken, which upsets me further.

I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

I'm like to spend time with my parents, I'm even thinking about going to a concert with my mom. I hate most vegetables and I refuse to eat most of them. I eat way too much cheese. I don't even read my textbooks for class, in fact I rarely read anything but magazines. I don't like washing dishes and avoid it them at all costs. I'd much rather have a dog and two cats than one child. When I get my college degree, I'm going to have a HUGE party. I hate running, and I watch way too much reality tv.

And I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

Pineapple and String Cheese

2010-08-31T10:38:00.000-05:00

Hello there, and happy Tuesday!

It's was a crazy (but still relaxing) "last" weekend for me this weekend, and I really enjoyed unplugging a bit, from the blog at least. Plus, on top of that, I was having a very "down" week, you know, those weeks where nothing seems to go right, despite your best intentions? Yep, it was one of those.

I considered blogging about my week at one point, but I was so friggin' emotional, which is unlike me, that I re-considered. I like to keep the mood on this blog fairly light and happy, because that's who I am 99% of the time, not depressed and sad. Not to say that I may not blog about hard times in the future, I just thought I should skip it this time. Plus, I didn't want to come off as an ungrateful whiner. :)

Class is back in session this week, so it's going to be VERY busy! I have class on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights after work from 5:45-10:25. It makes for a long day, but I'm trying to keep my eye on the prize: Graduation!

One of the classes that's taking me closer to graduation is biology lab and lecture. Boring, right? I thought it was going to be boring, but so far it's just been frustrating. The microscope I had last night didn't want to work at all, and I had to call the teacher to help me about 50 times. My ~~big~~ little ego got slightly bruised last night, but I'm trying to make the best of it.

I have more biology tonight, along with another "fluff" class. Even though I'm busy, I'm still going to try to get 2 posts up a week. I love blogging, and I want to continue to do so, as much as possible.

Have a great Tuesday!

Time Out!

2010-08-26T13:03:00.002-05:00

Hey all,

I'm going to take the rest of the week off blogging. I need a mental health holiday, plus it's going to be a busy weekend anyway! See you next week!

Textbooks and a Bit of Cleavage

2010-08-23T19:03:00.008-05:00

Happy monday!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. As I said in my previous post, I didn't do a whole lot of anything except relaxing. Bill was away helping a friend with an extensive house siding project, so I was by myself most of the time. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the coming school year as well. Speaking of school, I picked up these today:

Jealous much? Yeah, don't be. This is my senior year in college (I should have technically graduated a few years ago, but I took a few years off between high school and college) and while I'm glad it's my last year, it's going to be a tough and long one. I'm going to class for a whole year, meaning August to August, including the possibility of one or two more classes.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to go to college and further my education. When I graduate, I'll finally have a bachelor's degree in Business Administration! I can't wait to walk on that stage and get that piece of paper in my hand. It's been a long time coming. But, in the meantime, this is my reality: hard work. I'm believing that it will pay off in the end.

On a lighter note, I got the new flats I ordered in the mail today! I'm all about cute and comfy shoes.

I've SO missed having a pair of red flats in my closet!

Good ole' comfy black flats with a little toe "cleavage." That's the only kind of cleavage I don't mind showing in public.

RARR! What can I say? I had to have them. Plus, Payless's BOGO is hard to resist. I got all three of these pairs of flats from them for around $40. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely Monday night, and I'm off to get my yoga on! Here's to being inflexible!

Weekend Outfit and other Random Thoughts

2010-08-22T20:25:00.006-05:00

Looking back on my past outfit posts, I realized that by reading my them and seeing what I wear, you might not be getting the correct idea of the kind of girl I really am, or at least what I really wear most of the time. Truth is, I'm really just a jeans, t-shirts and flip-flops girl most of the time.

See exhibit A above.

I think I take pictures mostly of myself in dresses because when I wear them, that's when I feel the most polished, or the most put-together. I'm going to try to take pictures of myself in jeans/pants more often, I think. Just for a little variety.

To change the subject, I look at these pictures above, and even with my small weight gain as of late, I think I look pretty darn good. Sometimes it's still and out-of-body experience to see myself in pictures-to see myself the way that others see me. As a normal girl, not a huge girl.

When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a girl who loves the well-functioning body she was blessed with, but also the problem areas: arms that could be more muscular and thighs that are thicker than the average woman. But looking at these pictures gives me a sense of normalcy, like I look normal, not as huge as I think I am sometimes.

It's a good feeling. :)

If you want to know:
Jeans: Gap, Real Straight
T-Shirt: Target
Flip-Flops: Old Navy

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I spent it just hanging around. Next weekend is my last weekend before the mayhem of school starts again. This week I have to go pick up my parking pass, books and other supplies. No fun! I'm not looking forward to it, but at least I'm almost done. :)

Laters!

The Iowa State Fair: In Pictures (and a few butts..)

2010-08-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

Her name was Hope. And I wanted to take her home with me!

Aaaaannd...only in Iowa! :D

8.17.2010 Outfit: Feelin' Like A Star, You Can't Stop My Shine

2010-08-17T20:56:00.000-05:00

Top o' Tuesday night to ya! I'm just sitting around tonight, listening to Christmas music on Pandora. I know, I'm weird, but don't judge! I just love Christmas music. :)

I've missed taking outfit photos. Sometimes it's just so fun to dress up!

I finally got a tripod for my camera, which, I don't know how I took outfit pictures before I had it. It makes taking them about a million times easier!

So, without further ado, here's what I wore today:

Now, you are probably wondering why I'm so "bundled up" in August. The high temperature here was about 73 degrees today, and it was even colder in my office, which I anticipated, so I decided to dress for arctic weather.

Now, this dress. Oh, this dress. It makes me feel like a million bucks. It hugs every curve perfectly, emphasizes my waist, and it's my favorite color. Can't get much better than that! When I was trying it on several months ago, I knew that I was going to buy it as soon as I zipped it up. In this dress, I'm unstoppable. I think every woman needs a dress in her closet that makes her feel like a million bucks. Among one other, this is mine.

Here are the details:

Dress: Calvin Klein via Dillard's

Blazer: Gap

Tights: Target

Shoes: Payless

Headband: Target

Do you have any clothes/an outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks? Tell me about it!

Have a great night!

(P.S. Check out my Wonder Woman pose in picture three. Oh yes, I'm cool like that.)

Iron, Needles and Gains, Oh My!

2010-08-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday night everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I'm afraid I don't have any pictures for this post, as I pretty much forgot to grab my camera this weekend. I had a fun, yet semi-stressful weekend. Here's what I did and had on my mind:

Friday, later in the day, I went to my doctors appointment, (related to all the tiredness and weight gain) and my doctor thought my problem was probably an iron deficiency, which can cause fatigue and sluggishness. I agreed with her because I rarely eat red meat (I mostly eat chicken because it's leaner) and I rarely eat leafy green veggies like spinach. She recommended that I get a multi-vitamin and eat some more red meat and veggies. I've been taking her advice the best that I can, and I feel less tired, which is good.

Also while I was there, they took blood (EEP! I was so scared of a little needle, it was embarrassing!) to test my thyroid, and I'm still waiting for the results of that test.

That stinkin' 6 lb. gain still haunts me (the scale says 192 a lot now), but now that I'm a little less tired, I'm feeling a bit more "on track" now. I spent the weekend really paying attention to what food I put in my mouth, recording most of it in a little notebook. I'm proud to say that I did pretty well, if I can toot my own horn a little. :)

Most of the rest of the weekend was spent with my family, as my brother and my parents were in town. Although that combo of people doesn't always communicate well, it was still good to see them all, and spend some quality time with them.

Tonight, I unplugged from the T.V. (after catching myself eating too much) and decided to go to a movie. I'm really a kid at heart, so I went and saw Despicable Me which was a really cute movie. Kid movies make me happy, so that's what I did.

For the last few days that's what I've been up to. Just chilling, and enjoying some down time before school starts on the 30th.

I should hopefully (no promises!) have an outfit post up at least once this week. I finally got around to buying a tripod for my camera! Now I just have to figure out how to use it.

That's all I have for tonight. I post something a little more "profound" soon.

Failure to Maintain

2010-08-10T21:28:00.001-05:00

Hello there, friend.

I've had a lot on my mind lately, weight-loss wise. Many of the readers of my other blog, and if you've read my "About Me" page on this blog, you know that I've lost a significant amount of weight, 90 lbs. to be exact. I'm so proud of that, and I eat/slept/breathed weight loss for nearly the last three years.

I'm still dealing with trying to maintain my weight loss, and while I didn't do too badly in the beginning, truth is.. I've gained 8 lbs. Yes, I know that normally 8 lbs. is a number that the average person would scoff at, but, still, I've gained it. I'm pretty sure it's not water weight, since it's not coming off. I weighed 194 this morning, a number that I haven't seen for quite awhile. A number that I never wanted to see ever again.

I did so good at maintaining 185 for the longest time, but it's just ever so slowly creeped on. Here's the thing that confuses me though: I don't feel or look any bigger, I feel and look the same. I've been eating as usual, with a couple weekends where I've overdone it, but I've had those since the beginning of changing my lifestyle; they happen. I've been working out as usual too. It's just so weird. I could have sworn I was skinnier with all the BodyPump that I've been doing lately.

This is the reason that I'm getting my thyroid checked on Friday by my doctor. I've also been feeling so sluggish lately, on top of that. The feelings of being drained seem to come and go. For example, last week I did BodyPump and was so tired that I could barely function afterwards, where as tonight after Pump, I feel just fine, even energetic.

Something just feels "off" to me, and I need to figure out what it is. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about personal responsibility, and this weight gain is probably the fact that I'm falling short of my eating plan, but I just want to rule a thyroid problem out. If it's not a thyroid problem, I'll do what I always do, watch my food like a hawk, and cut back on my looser weekends when it comes to food, and change up the workouts. It could be that the weight gain is what's making me feel off, I'll readily accept that possibility as well.

Just my thoughts for the night. It's scary, because truly, my biggest fear is that I will gain the weight back. I can't-- I won't allow myself to go back to that place. I've worked so hard, and I've come so far. Until I know what's going on, if anything, all I can do is my best.

(P.S. No outfit post today. It's so humid outside that my camera gets all fogged up on the inside and my pictures look glowy and weird. Soon!)

Weekend Update

2010-08-09T21:34:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday night!

I had a fairly good weekend. Here's what I did:

Saw Inception with Bill.

Another good movie! Christopher Nolan has managed to impress Bill and I with every movie that he makes. He should keep up the good work. For those who've seen it, what do you think of the ending? Bill and I are still talking about it.

Did some running, which was a bad idea, because I'm still hurting from it two days later. Oh well, I'm not a runner, and I don't intend to be--I just didn't have time to do a workout in the gym. Every time I run I swear I'll never do it again, but somehow I always end up doing it again. Oh well.

And last but not least, I said "See you later!" to my good friends, Jeremiah and Monica. They just got married a few weeks ago, and they moved down to Texas this weekend where Jeremiah will be going to school. How much of a fairy tale is that? Get married, move away, ah yes.

I've known Jeremiah for about 6 years, and he's been a great friend to me. I had the pleasure of meeting Monica about two years ago, and it's been fun to get to be her friend as well, she's a great girl! I'm not gonna lie, I miss them already! We have so many good memories together and I will miss the dinners after church, the random tp-ing (don't ask), and just having them around in general.

Of course, it's not like we won't talk anymore or anything like that. We're going to Skype and they have an air mattress with my (and Bill's) name on it for whenever we want to visit.

A few months ago, at their wedding, I was almost distraught because I knew they were going to be leaving so soon, and I didn't feel ready for it at all. But after my minor freak out, and having a them for a few more weeks, I couldn't be happier to see them work on doing what they really want to do.

By the way, can you tell I was hot in this picture? I was sweating like a pig, it was so hot outside. Why did I wear a sweater? Bad idea. I think Jeremiah and Monica stayed in the shade more than I did, because they look great in this picture. :)

Anyway, other than that, I didn't really do much. I'm still not ready for school to start. T-minus three weeks!

Have a happy rest of Monday!

Be back with an outfit later this week.

8.5.2010 Outfit: Pink Shoes and Pale Legs

2010-08-05T22:16:00.003-05:00

Hello there!

I finally wore an outfit today that I wasn't totally embarrassed to take pictures of. All the rest of my outfits this week have been completely vanilla and boring because I've been tired.

Here is what I wore today:

Since reading all my blogs, I learned that you can take a dress and turn it into a skirt. Why did I never think to do this before? I don't know, but it adds loads of variation to your wardrobe.

That's what I did with this dress. You just put it on and tuck the top part of the dress in, and since this particular dress was halfway zipped when it's a skirt, I decided to belt it. I actually almost had a bit of a malfunction after lunch--thankfully, there weren't that many people in the office. :O

That said, I hope full skirts are here to stay! They're so fun!

Other than that, it was a nice relaxing day.

Here's the details:

Dress: Gap

Shirt: Gap

Scarf: LOFT (Got for $3!!)

Belt: Gap

Shoes: Payless

Shades: Banana Republic

Surely you can't tell the main places I like to shop yet, can you? No, you so can't. ;)

Anyway, that's all I have for tonight. It's dinner time!

Boring Tuesday

2010-08-03T20:59:00.005-05:00

Hey there!

Just sitting around here, not doing much, which is pretty much what I spent the weekend doing. Truth be told, I've been feeling rather tired lately, so it was a much needed break.

It's been weird, really. Whenever I get home from working out, I just crash and burn for the rest of the night because I feel *so* drained. (No, I'm not pregnant, and if anyone suggests that, I'll sock 'em [in the nicest possible way]) I've been thinking about going to the doctor, just because that's not like me at all. I still haven't decided if I'm going to go or not, because, I *hate* the doctor. Needles scar the crap out of me, and they generally make me feel faint. Seriously. Don't make fun of me! I'm a huge chicken, and I've come to accept that in my life.

There were definitely some good things about today. Although I still woke up tired, I decided at the last minute to schedule an appointment with my hair stylist just to get some shorter bangs, get re-layered, and a good old eyebrow wax. There is really nothing like a good haircut to make your day better..although I could have done without the eyebrow wax..I'm allergic to pain.

Here's the results of my salon visit:

Please ignore how tired I look in that first picture. But, I love my new haircut. :)

As Martha would say, it's a good thing.

That's all I have tonight, I'm not very exciting, I'm afraid. Sometimes downtime is necessary. I'm off, and have a great night!

TGIF!

2010-07-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

I know, such an original post title, right? Ehh, it's Friday, an excuse not to use my brain, right?

I definitely had a better day today, which is good. I'm back to my normal self. Sometimes, I just get in an attitude funk. Who doesn't? I'm better now. :)

I was so happy that I did a few happy dances around my "yard."

I'm cool like that. Yeah.

Anyway, I don't really have much planned for the weekend, which is okay with me. I've been feeling under the weather lately, so I'm just going to take it easy, methinks.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend!

The Comparison Monster

2010-07-29T14:17:00.001-05:00

Blogging, for the most part, is tons of fun, and I love to do it. I'm especially having fun with this new blog because I can branch out into other topics that interest me, and instead of yakking about them to my husband for hours on end.

But, there are downsides to blogging. The biggest one for me is the fact that it's really hard not to compare yourself to other bloggers. It's SO hard for me not to do, that sometimes I just have to log off, and think about something else for awhile--just to get away from it.

Coming from the health/wellness/weight-loss blogging sphere of the blog-world, I still love to read healthy-living/weight-loss blogs because they inspire me to keep maintaining my journey, while, at the same time, sometimes I get a little too comparison-y. For example, today I was just cruising along, reading my blogs as usual, and I saw a few pictures of what other bloggers eat, and I think to myself "Gosh, I don't eat that well even on a good day!" or "I didn't bike/run/swim/ 9 million miles today, so that means that I'm failure."

When it comes to that, I feel like I'm telling myself that I'm doing my best, but...am I really? Am I doing the best that I can? Am I just making excuses? I'm still making it to the gym 3-5 times every week, whether I want to or not, I'm doing step classes, BodyPump, Zumba, and all sorts of other things. I try to eat the best that I can, given the fact that, for the most part, I can't stand veggies but I eat lots of fruit, and I eat lots of lean protein, and I feel great, but I still wonder if I'm doing enough. Sometimes it's just struggle not to beat up on myself.

And now that I've started reading and loving reading all my new style blogs, it's hard for me not to compare my wardrobe to theirs. They have all these cute clothes, and they know how to put perfectly styled outfits together, and here I am..trying, and doing okay, but, it seems not as well as everyone else. And yes, Rome wasn't built in a day, and I'm still learning about all this style/fashion stuff, but sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough. Not to say that all bloggers don't have an off day, because everyone does, but mine seem to be much more frequent than everyone else's.

Blah, sorry this is such a downer post, and I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I'm just venting a little bit. There's still that little voice in my head that I'm good enough and that I have tons of great family and friends who love me just the way I am, and wouldn't want me to compare myself to others, but it's just a trap a fall into every once in awhile.

I'm still proud of the fact that I lost 90 lbs. and I'm still proud of myself for making a committment to get the gym each week, and I'm proud of all the things that I've learned over the past few months by reading my style blogs, sometimes it just takes me awhile to accept that I'm a unique individual, not a carbon copy of someone else.

Do you ever struggle with this? How you you squash the comparison monster?

7.26.10 Outfit: Look Ma! No Belt!

2010-07-27T21:37:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in the last post, Bill and I did a little shopping in Chicago. I, as usual, had to make a stop at Loft, because, a shopping trip is not a shopping trip until I end up at Loft. I found a great deal on a cute, jersey cotton green dress. Get this...Its was $9.88. Really, you can't beat that! It was a large, when I usually wear a medium, but I couldn't resist. I can always get it altered.

I decided to throw a lace cami under it, because the neckline was a little too low for work, and I put the denim jacket over it so I don't freeze at work.

If you don't have a denim jacket, you should get one, because it's the easiest thing to throw over a cute dress. If I were outside all day, I wouldn't have had it on, but it was just perfect for keeping me comfortable in the office.

Here are the details:

Dress: Loft

Cami: Old Navy

Jacket: Target

Sandals: Payless

Shades: Banana Republic

Have a great night!

Chicago Pictures!

2010-07-27T19:31:00.001-05:00

I was excited to get outta town!

A new Iowa rest-stop that we stopped at.

We also spent the weekend trying to figure out our new Droids.

Shoes! Bill was embarrased to take this picture, as he was in his lawn-mowning shoes.

All easy fixes, right?

World's Largest Truckstop! Only in Iowa...

We hit up Medieval Times! It's a little tradition. :)

Waiting for the show to start...

After left Medieval times, we crashed at our hotel, and the next day I was able to catch up with my cousin and his girlfriend, who I rarely get to see. We went to lunch, did some shopping, and then it was time to head home!

It was fun just to get away for the weekend. Now, I've got to wash some laundry!

Windy Weekend (And Blogger Epic Fail!)

2010-07-26T20:47:00.128-05:00

Hello! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Do anything fun? I got outta town with my husband, and we took a short-road trip to Chicago, just to get out of town. It was a blast, and nice to get away.

I would really love to show you some pictures of our trip, but since Blogger is being a piece of crap today, that's not going to happen, as I've spent nearly two hours trying to get the pictures for work. Maybe they will work in the next post, although I'm so irritated right now that I might not even try...grrr..

Anyway, I should at least have an outfit post up later today. See ya!

A Little Inspiration

2010-07-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I still don't have an outfit post for today, because, I'll admit, I wore something I ended up not liking at the end of the day. So, no picture. Lesson learned.

But, on the other hand, I've got lots of good inspiration to go around from what I've been reading.

I'm a huge fan of simple, classic pieces. The less fussy, the better. That's why I like this one. Skirt, belt, shirt and trench. Can't get much easier than that. I also like easily do-able outfits, using clothing that most women already have in their closet. This is a great example.

Another cute, do-able outfit. I LOVE the dress, and the booties. Someday, I will have a pair of booties. And I will be able to walk in them too, if only in my dreams.

Um, see-through....really? I don't think so.

Full, 50's style skirts! YES, please! Where have you been all my life?

LOVE this coat...too bad it's in a Dove ad. Although Victoria's Secret does have something similar...

I'm definitely on board with the military jacket trend. They're so cute, and it's something that I would wear over and over, not just for the season/remainder of the trend. They look especially good printed dresses and other feminine blouses.

I love the classic, put-together look of the tie-neck blouses I've been seeing around. Although they are hard to find, as I've scoured thrifts stores and the mall to find the right one. I've found a few cute ones, just none at the right price.

I love the look of sheath dresses. They make almost any woman look like a show-stopper. I really like the price and versatility of this one from Loft.

And sparkly sheaths? YES. The price is a little hefty, but a girl can dream, right?

Anyways, that all I've got for tonight. Have a great night!

Braces and a Dislocation

2010-07-20T21:30:00.000-05:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a nice relaxing weekend...even though it's Tuesday. Erm, yeah, I'm a bit late on the weekend post, but, eh, oh well!

My Friday started out bright and early at the orthodontist. See, I've had jacked up teeth since I was little, and my family wasn't rolling in the dough and everyone else in my family needed braces, my dad needing them the most (so that he didn't lose all of his teeth, due to grinding) so I'm getting them now that I'm older. As far as I'm concerned, I look a little bit like a dweeb (So what else is new?) but, straight teeth is something that I've wanted for as long as I can remember, and I'm so excited to see what my teeth are going to look like when the braces come off. But I still have two and a half years to go. Better get used to it, and I'm planning on continuing to smile big, even after working out and looking like crap in this picture for my blog.

In other news, Zeek the cat has been limping lately, and I ended up taking him to vet this weekend, to pay $150 for x-rays to find out that he has a minor dislocated hip. :( It's probably his lifestyle catching up with him, as he's the cat that likes to fall off things, and he's always been a little unbalanced and "off" but, alas, we still love the crap out of the little guy. Unfortunately for him though, he's got to live in a kennel for the next month exclusively to try to heal his hip without surgery, which, because he is a little "off" the vet is hesitant to put him under anesthesia. He can't even come out to play with his "sister", hang out with my husband who he loves, or anything. We spend plenty of time petting him in the kennel, but it's just not the same, and we can tell that he's lonely, but it's for his own good. I hope he gets better soon, and that he doesn't have to have surgery. Until then, he's just chilling in his big kennel.

The rest of my weekend was a little bit of shopping and the Cheesecake Factory with Bill's lovely aunt and my amazing mother-in-law (She's amazing, seriously!), and lots of lounging around the house, a few workouts and naps, lots of tv, and or course, church.

I'm really looking forward to this coming weekend, where I'm able to get out of town with Bill, as we are going on a short trip to Chicago. Our main destination is Medieval Times, which we have hit up almost every year since we've been married. Here's to being a huge dork, eating with your hands, and cheering for your knight! I'll do my best to take lots of pictures of our weekend to show you.

So, that's all I have for tonight, and I will try to wear something decent tommorow so I can take pictures. Have a fabulous night!

7.15.2010 Outfit (The skirt that started it all)

2010-07-15T22:34:00.001-05:00

Hello there! It's another outfit post!

I did....a little better taking pictures today. Note to self, don't take pictures around noon time. It just doesn't work! See, I'm learning. It's just going to take some time! :)

More skirts today. It's still hot, and I can't stress enough how cool they keep you. I got this one at Goodwill for a mere $3. With the tags still on it. I couldn't believe my luck and it really is the skirt that made me a believer in thrifting. Thrifting really allows me to get my thrill of the shopping hunt, get some new cute clothes, and spend next to nothing. What's not to love, except you do have to sift through some crazy looking articles before you find the gems. But it's SO worth it.

Oh yeah, and please don't be jealous of my pale gams. Not everyone can be this white; it's reserved for the very few, like me. I don't tan, even when I try to, so I've just stopped trying. Anyway....moving right along.

With my clothes, and my small budget, you are guaranteed to see a LOT of remixing on this blog. I think that's what makes this blog real. It's my clothes, and I don't have a ton of money to spend on this. Not right now, at least. When I win the lottery, well, that's another story. :)

Here's the scoop:
Skirt: Thrifted!
Belt: Thrifted!
Shirt: Target
Ring: Dillards
Shoes: Payless
Shades: Banana Republic

Have a fantastic night, and a good Friday! (Oh, and I had dinner with my friend last night (see last post) and it went surprisingly well. I will blog about that soon. :) )

C'est La Vie

2010-07-14T14:56:00.003-05:00

This post might be a little bit of a downer compared to my other ones, but I'm just going to keep it real.

The latter part of this week is probably going to be difficult for me. Tomorrow evening I'm going to dinner with a best friend of over 10 years, or since about 7th grade. Normally, this would be something to be excited about. But I'm pretty much just dreading it.

Her and I have been through nearly everything together: boys, puberty, sleepovers, first cars and even marriage. I was the matron of honor at her wedding, and she was the maid of honor at mine. So many good memories, and she's always been the one that is there for me, whenever I need her, for whatever I need her for. She's been my shoulder to cry on, the cheerleader, the girl I could go shopping with at the drop of a hat. In fact, in 8th grade when we went on a class trip to the Mall of America in Minnesota, we bought matching shirts and flip-flops, and wore them for several years. I still have my half of the "friends" puzzle keychain that she gave me years ago. Her half says forever, and they fit together just like puzzle pieces.

We did briefly lose touch when I stopped going to the same Christian school, but re-connected the next year. We really haven't had a bunch of disagreements; it's always been smooth sailing with us, as we are both happy, go-lucky people.

Unfortunately, things began to change, and it was about 3 and a half years ago when I first got the inkling, and it was a tiny one, that our friendship may not stay the course. It was when she first started dating her now-husband. He was everything she wanted in a guy, and I was happy for her, until I started spending more time with this guy. I would go over to visit her, and he would be there, basically mocking everything that I said, and putting me down, for no good reason whatsoever -- it was NEVER incited. It wouldn't have bothered me much, but I'm already a bit sensitive because of my background as a heavy chick, and I didn't take well to his unkindness and disrespect. This kind of attitude from him went on and on, with her obviously saying nothing, just laughing and saying that "You and (her husband) fight like brother and sister!" I wasn't laughing, and I was sick and tired of her boyfriend/fiance/husband being jerk to me, while claiming to be a strong Christian. But, I decided to turn the other cheek. I would never let Bill talk to her like (her husband) talked to me, and he wouldn't anyway, because Bill is kind, plus he shows people the respect that they deserve as a human being. So that was the first time that I thought that our friendship may be in trouble.

So, fast forward a few years, my friend must have finally gotten the clue that the things her now husband was saying to me were actually hurting my feelings, and must have asked him to stop, because at one point, the "teasing" ceased. It was a pleasant surprise that didn't last long.

She began to change. She started going to church with her husband back before they got married, and took a Bible study on Biblical rebuke, which was fine, I have no problems with that. I'm a Christian as well, we believe the same things, I've been in church my entire life. However, as of lately, she's gotten into the very bad habit of "rebuking" anything that I say that she disagrees with, and basically hitting me over the head with the Bible, and preaching at me, even though we both fundamentally believe the same things. While she does all this "rebuking," that's ALL that it is, and I leave my times together with her, beaten down and discouraged, as no encouragement whatsoever goes on in her little "rebuke" sessions.

I don't feel like I can talk to her about anything, not even VENT to her, or even ask her for prayer, without her saying I shouldn't feel the way I feel because it's a sin, how I should repent, and how wrong I am and here are the Bible verses to prove it. "What are you going to do next time, Hope?" "Have you repented yet for that?" Words cannot sufficiently express how much this makes me angry. I can understand if I had asked for some kind of accountability on everything, or if I called her up and said "Oh, hey. I'm going to go sleep with 10 other guys tonight because I want to." (Something I would NEVER do.) Then, well, I would want someone to slap some sense into me, with something heavier than a Bible. But she never says anything encouraging to me, she never tries to relate to me, and she only listens to me so she can slap me with the Bible when I'm done speaking. What really makes me sad, is that the "old" person she used to be, would have never treated me like this.

The old friend would have hugged me when I was having a bad day, would have listened to me and sympathized, would have been loving and caring, and well, a TRUE friend. But, she's not the old friend anymore, like she used to be. And I'm going to dinner to give her a choice: be a friend, or we won't be friends at all. It kills me even to type that, because I can barely imagine life without her. Although, I've been so angry about the way she has treated me in the past that I feel like I've already checked out of the friendship.

But don't get me wrong, I'm going to give her a chance to explain, and maybe this friendship has yet to be mended. Although, again, things from the past tell me otherwise. The bottom line is, is that she believes that she is doing God's work, which she is in part, but God's main design (as it says in the Bible) is that we edify each other, and only rebuke when absolutely necessary. She doesn't need to be "rebuking" constantly. She needs to show love to people and be an encouragement to them, not condemn them.

What annoys me even more is that she took all her husband's bad qualities: his critical spirit, his mocking, his cynicism, his unkindness..everything, and now they both possess them. Now instead of making fun of me in mean-spirited ways, her husband likes to harass me about what denomination of church I attend, and how wrong and stupid my church family is.

I'm just plain sick and tired of all the crap that being friends with her, and being associated with her husband has laid on me. Like a dark cloud over me at all times. I want my old friend back, but I know she's not coming back. So all I can do is try to talk some sense into her, and I will end the friendship is nothing is going to change.

So, I know this is a depressing post, and I'm not looking for anyone to feel sorry for me, I just wanted to put my thoughts out into the blogosphere. I will be back on Friday to tell you how my dinner went, until then, prayers are appreciated. :)

7.13.2010 Outfit

2010-07-13T20:30:00.005-05:00

Hey there! I hope everyone is having a fabulous evening so far! I am.....for the most part. More on that later! :)

A few months ago, I was po-dunking around on Glamour.com, when I came across their style blog, Slaves to Fashion. I came across on of the "Best-Dressed Reader" posts, where I was first introduced into the world of fashion/personal style blogs. Just like reading healthy living/weight loss blogs, I was instantly hooked, and have been keeping up with my favorites for the past few months. Being interested in fashion myself, the other bloggers that I've read have really inspired me to put myself out there, and declare to the world just how much I love to play with clothes. So, as of right now, I'm planning on an aspect of this blog to be a personal style blog.

I'm still coming off of losing all my weight, so right now, my wardrobe is very small, and limited. I don't feel like I have that much to work with, but, I'm going to give it my best shot to show you my own style. So here's what I wore today, and hopefully I'll get better at taking pictures soon!

Picture 1: Oops! Undo Macro setting on camera!

Picture 3: Finally a WIN!

Picture 4: Eesh, this is really dark. Let's fix it up on Picnik.

Well, that's a little better but now the color is blown out.

Feet! So, I still have a lot to learn about taking pictures of myself. This isn't my neighborhood in the background. I had just come from my orthodontist appointment, when I just decided to take pictures then and there. It's really picturesque with big oak trees, and brick houses.

I look happy in these pictures because I only had to get a few spacers in at the orthodontist and they weren't hurting me yet. I'm not so smiley now though, because a few hours later, they called me back and said they had to put MORE in. Boo. So, I'm staving off a headache right now, and I had mashed potatoes for dinner.

But, lemme get to the meat. It's no secret that it's been a pretty hot summer just about everywhere this year, and dresses are the easiest, breeziest thing that we gals can wear to stay ultra-cool. So, I rocked this jersey cotton number from Loft. It's quickly becoming my favorite summer dress. It's soft, flowy, it's high waisted, so I can easily cinch in the waist with a belt, and it's just cute. What girl doesn't want to look cute on a hot day?

Plus, I can throw it on and look like I didn't try too hard, and it doesn't require any ironing. Dresses in summer=good. You should try it! :)

Details:

Dress: Loft

Shirt: Gap

Belt: Thrifted!

Sandals: Payless

Shades: Banana Republic

Have a great night!

Introduction

2010-07-12T08:56:00.031-05:00

Hi there, and welcome to my blog! You can learn more about me, how to contact me, and my blogroll by clicking the pages above.

With that said, I'm going to blog like I usually would on a Monday, with a little weekend update. Also, my apologies for the lack of pictures in this first post. I kind of forgot to bring my camera along with me this weekend. :O

It's going to be a really busy week this week, so I was grateful to have a low key, relaxing weekend. I had such a good time catching up with some friends, and eating some good food. First I got to spend some time with my long-time friend Alicia. We went to CiCi's Pizza and chowed down on some pizza and salad, then we watched Shutter Island.

I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the story-line, and it wasn't really anything like I thought it was going to be. I had it pegged as a movie with things jumping out at you, blah blah blah, typical horror/supense movie stuff. But it ended up being completely different from the trailer, and the story line had a lot of unxpected twists and turns. Neither me or Alicia minded watching a little bit of Leo either; he's pretty easy on the eyes. ;) Alicia and I are planning on having a marathon soon! It's been too long since I've spent time with her, that we have a ton of catching up to do.

After that I met up with my hubby and we went to go spend some time with my newly married friends Jeremiah and Monica. They got a ice cream maker for their wedding, so we ate some homemade ice cream and played one of my favorite games, Balderdash. If you've never played this game, you are seriously missing out! It's so much fun! Among other things, you get weird, obscure words that you have to come up with definitions for. Our favorite definition of the night was "Coom- taking a poop in Jamaica" care of Monica. Coom is actually the dust that your car stirs up when you drive on a gravel road--who knew?

And there was church on Sunday. So that was my low-key weekend. I was going to post about what I wore today, but I decided not to, just because I haven't found a good place to take pictures yet, plus I'm a little shy. It's hard for me to put myself out there like that; plus, I'm a huge perfectionist. :)

I'm going to watch me some Real Housewives!

like unexpected sunshine

Buried

My Monday Night In Pictures

What I'm Loving This Week

1.23.11 Outfit: The Red

FBFF 1.21.11: Blogger Authenticity

What I'm Loving This Week: Zappos.com

Say La Vee

FBFF 1.14.2011: Planning Outfits

What I'm Loving This Week: Coconut hair products!

1.9.11 Outfit: Anatomy of A Photo Shoot

Soooo...notice anything?

Back and better than ever!

Hi there!

Friend Friday: Burned Out

11.28.10 Outfit: Hurry Up and Wait

11.21.2010 Outfit: Grey Day

Clothes 101: What I Look For in Clothing (Part 2)

11.16.10 Outfit: Good Things Happening

A Few of My Favorite Things

11.8.10 Outfit: JCrew Makes it Look Easy

11.7.10 Outfit: Variations on a Theme

Thinking Out Loud

The Good and the Bad

Called Out: My Response to the Marie Claire Article

10.23.10 Outfit: Old Old Navy

10.24.10 Outfit: Pop

Clothes 101: What to Look for In Clothing (Part 1)

WINNER!

10.13.10 Outfit: Right on Target

Clothes 101: Let's go shopping!

CSN Stores giveaway! **CLOSED**

10.10.10 Outfit: Simple on Sunday

Clothes 101: How to Start Building a Wardrobe (Part 2)

Clothes 101: How to Start Building a Wardrobe (Part 1)

9.23.2010 Outfit: Ruh-Ruh-Remix

9.26.10 Outfit: Going to the Chapel

Perfect Weather

9.16.10 Outfit: Two-Toned

9.12.2010 Outfit Feelin' Like Fall

Gather around, it's storytime.

9.6.10 Outfit: Bird's Nest

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

Pineapple and String Cheese

Time Out!

Textbooks and a Bit of Cleavage

Weekend Outfit and other Random Thoughts

The Iowa State Fair: In Pictures (and a few butts..)

8.17.2010 Outfit: Feelin' Like A Star, You Can't Stop My Shine

Iron, Needles and Gains, Oh My!

Failure to Maintain

Weekend Update

8.5.2010 Outfit: Pink Shoes and Pale Legs

Boring Tuesday

TGIF!

The Comparison Monster

7.26.10 Outfit: Look Ma! No Belt!

Chicago Pictures!

Windy Weekend (And Blogger Epic Fail!)

A Little Inspiration

Braces and a Dislocation

7.15.2010 Outfit (The skirt that started it all)

C'est La Vie

7.13.2010 Outfit

Introduction

CSN Stores giveaway! CLOSED