Fall Fashion

Weather in Missouri is feeling like fall, at least for a couple of days.  I'm ecstatic.  I'm not usually too into fall but this year I'm super ready for it.  I'm ready for cooler weather, cozy clothes, bonfires, and cranberry Sierra Mist.  Priorities, people!  I love me some cranberry Sierra Mist.

Anyway, since I didn't buy any new clothes for back to school, I'm planning to pick up a few new things for fall.  I may have accidentally on purpose ordered a couple of new pairs of boots from Payless the other day.  I'm not usually a Payless kind of girl, but I have kind of beefy calves and it's one of the few reasonably priced places that stock extended calf boots.  And I need some tall boots for fall/winter.  So I ordered them in black and brown.  But with a coupon code and buy one get one half, I got both pairs for around 75 bucks.  I call that a serious deal!

 

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These are going to be so cute with skinny jeans and sweaters!  And dresses and leggings!  I cannot wait!  There supposed to be on my porch tomorrow by the time I get home.  Too bad it's supposed to be back in the 80s the rest of the week.  I may just wear them anyway.

I'm also really wanting a chambray button down dress.  Even though every ounce of my being is reminding me that's what my mother wore when I was in middle school.  It's fashionable though, right?  With leggins and boots.  And a big chunky belt.  I'm thinking one of these from Target.

 

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Also, I'm loving this shirt.  I think.  I might hate it in person.  Or maybe I should just keep losing weight so I can fit in the plaid shirt I already have.  But this one is red.  And red is one of our school colors, we're supposed to wear school colors if we wear jeans on Fridays.  So I could wear jeans and still wear a cute non-school shirt.  I'm going to have to see it in person.

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And I really want some gold-ish/bronze-ish flats.  I used to have a pair of kind of gold Skechers flats that I loved.  Remarkable for me because I hate Skechers.  It's just a personal preference, I blame it on working in a shoe store for 4 years.  Anyway, they were the best flats in the world.  They were the perfect color.  I wore them all the time.  Without socks.  Yes, I know I'm gross.  I bought them while I was still in college.  I graduated from college in 2005.  So I'd had them a hot minute.  Last year I finally decided the just smelled too bad and that I had to throw them out.  

Every day when I get dressed, I regret throwing them away.  They were perfect for so many outfits.  Like today:  tan skinny jeans, cream 3/4 sleeve shirt, and a scarf.  I need my gold flats.  I have on cream and blue striped ones, they don't match.  So, if you know of any amazing gold-ish flats that are reasonably priced please tell me!  You will be my best friend forever!  I will bake you a cake!  And give you a giant hug.  And tell everyone how you saved my fashion life.

Okay, the dramatics are over.  What are your must-haves for fall?  Anybody else having the great 90s dilemma with the return of chambray?

Things I Love Thursday

I am in a serious blogging slump.  A serious one.  I have no motivation.  I did, however, buy some new nail polish.  And that inspired me.  A new possible series or mini-series or something...  Maybe I'll just be inspired for today.  I love finding great things and turning other people onto them.  So that's what today is all about.

So, first, the nail polish.  One of my co-workers had it on the other day and it was gorgeous.  The perfect Tiffany blue.  It's in the green family according to Essie.  Maybe my color perception is off but it totally is blue to me.  Anyway, I picked it up today and I am completely in love with it.

So pretty, right.  You can pick it up at Target, Walmart, you know pretty much anywhere.

If you've been around a while, you know I'm a hair product snob.  I like to spoil my hair.  However, I have dandruff.  There, I said it.  Dandruff.  And it's hideous.  I'd been using Paul Mitchell tea tree shampoo and it was helping but I was about out.  So the other day I was at Beauty Brands during the liter sale and picked up some AG Control Shampoo.  It has kind of a different texture but it's amaaaazing.  And my scalp is so much healthier.

You can get AG at salons or anywhere that sells salon products like Beauty Brands or Ulta.

Root beer.  I can't get enough root beer lately.  It's just so delicious.  Also, Sonic drinks.  I'm in a fairly committed relationship with cherry limeades.  But sometimes you don't want a real drink.  Or at least a few less calories.  I've discovered that you can order a water with any of their add in flavors.  And it's amazing.  And only like fifty cents.  For a route 44.  It's pretty much the best thing ever.  You should try it.

Baked zucchini.  I used to be a strictly fried zucchini girl until very recently.  For a short while I made zucchini with a little olive oil, bread crumbs, and parmesan.  Then I discovered it's just as good with a little seasoning and some parm.  It's delicious.  And so much healthier than fried.

Summer TV.  Royal Pains.  Graceland.  Necessary Roughness.  Franklin and Bash.  I seriously love summer shows so much.  I just wish Bunheads was still on.  Or coming back.  I love it so much.

So, what are you guys loving right now?  Anything great you know about that I'm missing out on and I should know about?  

A Cuter T-Shirt: A Tutorial

Okay, sometimes you see something and you're like "Oh, that's cute, I could do that."  But you kind of don't think it's really going to work out right.  Well, that's how I felt about this project.  I have tons of t-shirts.  Okay, maybe not as many as I used to, last summer I ruthlessly cleaned out the t-shirt collection and now I'm kind of wishing I still had some of those old shirts to remake.

Since I had so little faith in this project I picked an old grungy shirt to try it out on.  I grabbed an old YMCA child care shirt, it's at least seven years old.  And I've painted in it.  There was red paint on the back from painting the front door.  Yes, paint on the back of my shirt, I'm notorious for running into freshly painted things.  Anyway, I grabbed my blue t-shirt and got to work.  Sorry, I failed and didn't take a picture of the whole t-shirt, but you know what a t-shirt looks like.  Also, these are not beautiful pictures, I took them while sitting in my living room floor on a Sunday morning.

First, chop those sleeves off.  You know, for the summer t-shirt.  For working outside and such.  Easy Peasy.

Then cut off the neck of the shirt, just under the collar.  Chop it off straight across.  I didn't measure or anything, just eyeball it.

Cut the hem off of each sleeve.  This is going to make the straps of your shirt.  Cut the whole bottom of the sleeve off and then snip at the seam so that the two pieces can be sewed together.

To whip up this cute little number, just hem the neckline (where you cut it off).  Leave some extra space because you're going to need to run your strap through the hem.  

Okay, so you're going to have to run through the strap through the hemmed pocket you made.  Sew the two sleeve pieces together to make your strap.  Hook a safety pin on one end to thread through the pocket.  Trust me, this will make your life so much easier.  Once you have the strap threaded through both the front and the back, sew up the other end of the strap and you're ready to roll.  Tiny tip:  use thread that matches your shirt.  I used tan thread because it was already out but for future shirt make-overs, I will totally use matching thread.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm totally glad I did this with a ratty shirt first.  It meant that while I was working on staining the deck today, I had a cooler t-shirt (other than one with the sleeves just chopped off) to wear.  Like I could have answered the door in it if I had to.  I call that a success.  I'm already eyeballing other shirts to cut up.

The deck is another story for another day.  But believe me, it's a good story.  So, what did you do this weekend?  My summer vacation is almost here for reals and I cannot wait.  Today is just a preview of summer break.  Also, I'm on a new diet and I can't wait to tell you guys if it works or not.  Fingers crossed for it to working.

Planning a Party

Who else had a great weekend?  Man, it's finally feeling like spring in Missouri.  Saturday I went fishing with the hubby and out to dinner with friends.  Sunday we got the trim finished in our kitchen and the garage cleaned out.  Super productive!  My favorite kind of weekend.

I've also been hard at work getting ready to throw one of my friends a wedding shower/bachelorette party.  The mission:  something fun and festive, possibly some kind of shower, a fun night out including both the bride and groom.  A tall order to fill.  Hopefully we've hit the nail on the head with our plan.  First, a lingerie shower for the ladies hosted at my house.  Then dinner in the city and out for drinks later in the evening.

I got the invites out on Friday and I'm so happy with them.  I'm going to tell you my secret trick for printing invites.  Are you ready?  Okay, I make them in Publisher.  Easy peasy.  Then I save them as a jpeg and upload the file to Walmart, Walgreens, wherever has better picture printing prices for the day.  And then I just print them like they're pictures.  Pictures you guys!  Do you know how crazy cheap this is?!  I got 14 perfectly customized invites for $2.90 including tax.  And they even gave me envelopes.  You can't buy invites and hand write the info in for that cheap.

I of course edited out the personal info.  I mounted the invite on sparkly grey cardstock (leftover from our wedding) and popped them in envelopes to mail.  Absolutely perfect.  And so easy.  And even better, super duper cheap.

Now it's time for me to start thinking about the food.  I love getting the food ready, even more than making the invites.  Even though the invites are so fun.  What's your go to party recipe?  What did you guys do this weekend?

Hippie Dippie

I am a hair product snob.  It's a well known fact.  I will occasionally try to be cheap and grab something at Walmart or Target and it always becomes a total waste of my money.  And I refuse to buy salon brands other than from a salon or beauty supply store.  I'm not going to get on my soapbox about that.  I'm nicely stepping away from my soapbox. 

I've always been a Biolage girl.  The smell of the Hydrating Shampoo makes me think of my childhood.  Okay, maybe it's weird to associate the smell of shampoo with childhood but I do.  My aunt worked for a beauty supply company and we always had salon products.  So I'm a little spoiled.  A lot spoiled.  These days I try to wait until Beauty Brands has a sale and I stock up. 

Despite using really good hair products I have a serious hair issue.  It's so gross and embarrassing.  I blame it on having the driest skin on earth.  The dry skin has always been a problem.  But this winter that has morphed into serious dandruff.  Gross!  Why did I just tell you guys about that? 

So I've been using Coconut Oil from Trader Joe's because that is supposed to help.

And it does.  I heat it up a little and rub it into my scalp especially and a little more throughout my hair.  It's also supposed to make your hair grow faster.  I can't tell you that for a fact though.  My hair grows pretty fast on its own.

So, the coconut oil was helping, but not enough.  Then I remembered I'd heard vinegar was supposed to help get rid of dandruff.  After a little search on pinterest, I found lots of suggestions of how to use vinegar for dandruff prevention.  Then I hit on a pin that used both apple cider vinegar and coconut oil.  Sold!  Go here to read more about it.

Here's a run down:
-Before you get in the shower, mix up 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 a cup of hot hot hot water.  *I made it super hot so that by the time I was ready to use it, it was still warm.  And since the apple cider is just room temp, you're going to need a little help in the warmth department.  I just did it all in a plastic measuring cup and sat it on the side of the shower until I was ready to use it.
-Wash your hair like normal.  I always wash twice because my hair is super thick.  That's just personal preference though.  I did not condition.
-After your hair is rinsed, pour the apple cider vinegar mixture through your hair.  Rub it in really well.
-Rinse out the vinegar and towel dry your hair.
-Rub in a couple table spoons of coconut oil and let it set for 2 hours.
-Wash your hair again.  I recommend rubbing in the shampoo before you get your hair wet.  This will make the oil come out more easily so you don't look all greasy after you wash your hair.  I would definitely shampoo twice.  You can condition if you want, but you don't have to.

I'm in love.  I'm a total believer.  My scalp is so much happier.  And the vinegar strips all the build up and junk out of your hair.  I did it right before I got a color because the vinegar can potentially damage your color and I didn't want to run the risk of wasting tons of money.  The dandruff situation is much better.  My hair is nice and soft.  My hair smelled a little rough until I put the coconut oil on but after that it was fine. 

As a bonus, coconut oil smells amazing.  And you can use it for thousands of things.  I like to use it as lotion when my legs are super dry.

Any natural "products" you love?  I'm also a big fan of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap.  I used to only be able to buy it at the health food store but now I pick it up at Target.  I seriously swear by this soap.  It's kind of tingly.  But it's great on a sunburn, I swear it keeps me from peeling.  It cures heat rash in the summer.  I also never get bug bites when I use this soap.  I tell everyone I know that they should use it.  I don't use it as shampoo though.  It says you can but....  Just not my personal preference.

So, are you a hair product snob like me?  Or are you less picky?  Do you love natural products?  Or love finding weird natural remedies for stuff on Pinterest?  Has anybody tried the homemade laundry soap, and do you like it? 

Confession

I love wedding shows.  I mean, I really really love wedding shows.  We've been married for about two and a half years.  I no longer have any real reason to watch wedding shows.  Other than the fact that I desperately love them.  Tonight I may or may not have been watching Say Yes to the Dress.  I think I missed something but they were definitely making a dog wedding dress.  Struck me as a little odd, but who am I to judge?

So, in honor of my love of weddings and the fact that the weather sucks, it's going to be wedding day on the blog.  Yup, you read that right, the weather sucks.  It snowed all day today.  And is supposed to snow for the next three days.  Apparently mother nature missed the fact that spring has started.  Fail.  So, while I wait to see if I'm going to have another snow day we'll focus on something else white that is much more fun.

I think one of the reasons I love weddings so much is that I love planning.  I mean it's the best thing ever.  I loved planning our wedding.  If I could be a successful wedding planner, I'd do it in a second.  However, being more of a jeans and t-shirt girl, I don't really come across as a typical wedding planner.  Also I like to do things super cheaply.  I've been a "Day of Coordinator" for two friends weddings.  I think that means I like to be bossy but can do it nicely.

Anyway.  When my husband and I got married, I went dress shopping with my mom and his mom.  I had an idea of what I wanted.  Nothing too fussy.  No train.  Strapless.  Sweetheart neckline.  A little sparkle.  No lace and no embroidery.  Ug.  Those are my two least favorite.  At least for me.  So, I think I tried on probably less than a dozen dresses.  I was going to share pictures, but they seem to have disappeared....  Oops.

The dress I ended up buying came from David's Bridal.  I was originally completely against buying a dress there.  But I fell in love with my dress.  We walked in, I saw it, and I knew I had to have it.  It was everything I wanted.  And perfect for an outdoor wedding.

I made our invitations.  I found an invite I liked in a catalog and then I recreated it myself using our colors.  And shimmery card stock.  Add sparkles is always better.

We got married at a shelter house overlooking the lake we go to in the summer.  Our reception was at a resort at the lake.  The room our reception was in had a deck overlooking the lake.  And my father-in-law's band played.  We had perfect weather, even for October.  I mean it truly could not have been a better day.  Weather wise, or even in general.  

We had barbecue.  And Boulevard beer.  The same lady did all of our catering and our flowers.  She was insanely cheap.  And everything was amazing.  There was dancing.  There were toasts.  There were cute babies.  There was the Electric Slide to Achy Breaky Heart.  It was perfect.

That tablecloth, my Granny made it for my parents wedding.  It's hand crocheted.

My mom made my bridesmaid dresses.  The guys wore their own shoes (rental shoes gross me out).  We took pictures wearing our sunglasses.  I wore the necklace my dad bought my mom in high school as my something old and my mom's garter as my something blue.

So guys, tell me about your wedding if you're married.  Or your dream wedding if you're not.  Or the best/worst wedding you've ever been too.  Anybody else ready for the lake and summer?  Or the ocean if you're lucky.  Do you constantly watching wedding shows too?  I'm hoping I'm not the only weirdo.  I promise to be back to DIY as normal soon, the snow is just cramping my style.  My poor kitchen chairs are still in the garage half painted.

In the Bag

So, if you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I love accessories.  I mean I really looooove accessories.  So, what better thing to talk about on Valentines than something I love.  Purses and shoes are really my favorite.  Over the summer I cleaned out both of my closets and got rid of 17 pairs of shoes.  A while back my mom was at our house and I pulled out eight purses for her to pick from, she took four.  So, I may have a small problem.

I don't usually spend tons on purses or shoes.  I'm kind of cheap.  And I love a bargain.  So I usually try to find good deals on bags rather than spend much.  However last year when I got my first school counseling job, I decided I deserved a treat.  That meant a "grown up lady" purse.  So today I'm going to show you my pretty pretty purse and share what's in the bag.

This is the Coach Gallery Tote.  And it's fairly perfect.  There's a pocket on the back, I stick random papers in there that I need to hold onto.  There are two pockets inside that perfectly hold my phone and keys.  And the ever important zipper pocket, you know, for tampons and the like.

And what's inside.....

1.  My big walle (Target).  That's got my check book, store reward cards, and the like.

2.  Neutrogena hand cream.  This is a must.  I have a tube in my purse, one in my desk, and one at home.  It's amazing stuff.

3.  A Thirty-One monogrammed bag that holds other little random things.  We'll get to that.

4.  Work keys.  They're color coded because I have a lot.  I painted the top of each key with nail polish to keep them all straight.  Works like a dream.

5.  My phone.  Nothing fancy but it gets the job done.  And I love my zebra print case.  

6.  Gum.  Right now it's Extra Dessert Delights, Strawberry Shortcake flavor.  Yum.

7.  My little wallet  (Coach).  Yup, this matches my purse.  The little wallet holds the cards I use the most.  It easily switches over to my shopping purse (a Coach crossbody, if you're curious)

8.  Real keys.  And a Thirty-One key chain.

In the little zipper bag.  Man, I don't know what I did before I added this bag to my purse.  Wait, yes I do.  I spent a ton of time digging around for chapstick and the like.  

1.  Hand sanitizer.

2.  Bath & Body Works hand sanitizing lotion.  Smells much prettier.

3.  My zipper bag.

4.  Benadryl.  When you have food allergies and outdoor allergies, this is always a must.

5.  Lip gloss.  Both of these are Neutrogena, one's kind of red and the other's kind of pink.  

6.  Hempz lip stuff.  This is amazing.  Even if my lips are super chapped, it almost immediately heals them.  Love it.

7.  Hair tie and bobby pins.  I love these hair ties, they're rubbery and never slip or stretch out.

How do you organize your purse?  Are you a frugal purse buyer or do you like pricier name brands?  Do you switch bags with your outfit or are you in a committed relationship with your bag?  I've been carrying this one for a year and a half and I'm fully committed.

On Winter

Here's the thing.  I hate winter.  Winter and I have never gotten along well.  When I was in high school my car slid into the giant ditch by our school gym because of snow.  Ever since, winter and I have been enemies.  I hate being cold.  I could really truly wear flip flops all year long.  I never really have any need of it getting below 65 degrees.  So, how do I survive those long, cold months?

Bogs.  I just bought them this year.  But I am IN LOVE with these shoes.  Yes, they were expensive.  But they are totally worth it.  They're warm.  They're grippy.  They have handles so they're super easy to get on and off.  And they even fit my beefy calves.  Bogs didn't tell me to say these things, I simply love them.  And I wore them to work this morning with my leggings and sweater dress (the best winter outfit).  I didn't slip on my way to the car when I crossed my snow & ice covered driveway.  My feet were toasty warm.  These shoes have pretty much changed my life.  I bought mine on Amazon.  These are the Classic Mid and they're PERFECT.

Hempz Lip Balm.  It is the most amazing stuff.  Most lip stuff makes my lips peel.  It's terrible and gross.  And my lips are horrible all winter.  Until one day at Beauty Brands I grabbed a tube of Hempz Lip Balm on a whim.  I used to use their tanning lotion in college and loved it.  I am completely  in love with the lip balm.  It's all I use.  It's kind of pricey (to me anyway) but totally worth it.  An $8 tube will last me at least all winter and even a little longer really.  It's not flavored or tinted but has a great scent and a nice sheen.  It also layers super well under some pretty lip gloss.

 

Neutrogena Hand Cream.  I've used this since I was in high school.  I swear, my skin is ridiculously dry all winter long.  I keep a bottle on my desk at work, one in my purse, and one at home.  I try to slather it on a couple times a day.  It's amazing stuff.  It's thick but not greasy.  And it doesn't smell funny.

Hot orange cranberry juice.  This is not a real thing.  To my knowledge, you can't buy a bottle of it.  I buy orange juice (usually concentrate, because that's what my mom always bought) and make a pitcher.  And I buy cranberry juice, I like the 100% juice over the juice cocktail.  Then I just mix them, about half and half and heat it up.  Man, it's so delicious.  And it's great in the morning because I'm not a huge coffee drinker.  And it's equally delicious cold.  I highly recommend it either way.

Furry shoes.  Seriously.  I've been in a committed relationship with furry moccasins for  about three years now.  I bought three pairs (one for me, my mom, and my sister) about three years ago when there was some super crazy Oprah coupon.  Mine are kind of worn out and smell because I always wear them barefoot but I'm totally getting a new pair soon.  I love them so much.  I call them my winter flip flops.

 

So, those are my favorite winter things.  BTW, nobody paid me for any endorsement.  These are just things I love that get me through the winter.  Do you hate winter as much as I do?  Or do you cheer when it gets cold or snows?  What are your "Go To" winter items?

Dear Santa

In my family we've switched up how we do Christmas now that we're all adults.  I have three sisters, two parents, and now there are boyfriends and a husband.  So there's kind of a lot of us.  And it gets super expensive to buy a good present for at least seven other people.  Do the math people, it's a lot.  So we've tried different things.  There were a few years we did homemade gifts.  I personally loved it but not everyone was so thrilled by it.  Then we did the get everyone a small present thing, like under $10.  Personally this was my least favorite.  This year we're back to doing one of the things I really like, we draw names and just buy a gift for the person whose name we drew.  My sisters and I do stockings for my parents.  My parents do stockings for all of us and then get us all something small.  It works out pretty well I think.

So, since we draw names, and we actually pick names out of a bowl, you don't always end up with someone you know what to buy for.  Last year I got my sister's friend who comes to our holiday stuff.  I had no idea what to buy him.  So we set up a family email address and we all send a wish list to that email so everyone can get on and see what we want.  It works out pretty well.  Except sometimes it's really hard to come up with things you want.  Our price limit is $50.  I'm really bad about just going and buying the things I want.  Or the things I might want are too expensive.

Like these.

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So I accidentally bought them for myself the other day on Amazon because I was buying a couple of counseling books for my elementary kiddos.  And I found a coupon.  So yes, I justified spending $80 (with my coupon) on boots just because I was buying boots.  Don't tell my husband, m'kay?  These are supposed to be the best boots though.  They're waterproof, thinsulate, and rated to like -30 degrees or something insane like that.  Perfect for Chiefs games, general winter yuckiness and maybe even duck hunting. 

Anyway, back to my list.  I finally came up with things to ask for.  I thought really hard.  I still feel like I could've done better on my list, but this is what I've got.

 

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And a turquoise lamp for the living room.  Something like one of these....

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What do you have on your Christmas list?  Or do you even still make a Christmas list?

Fall Fashion & Footwear

I know, I know.  I've totally talked about this before.  It's still driving me crazy though.  I am still desperately trying to find appropriate fall shoes.  It is practically impossible to find cute, age appropriate, practical,work appropriate, and warm-ish shoes to wear to work and with jeans.

Today I told a co-worker I wished Docs were still in style.  You know the ones, those chunky boots everybody wore in high school in the late 90s, early 2000s.  I never had a pair, but man, they were so cool. I desperately wanted some.

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I had a pair of Doc Marten Mary Jane's.  I gave them to my sister.  Anyway.  I keep desperately wishing for a pair of shoes that is the 2012 version of that.

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I'm going to a conference this weekend and I don't feel like I have the right shoes to wear.  I love conferences because you can really wear whatever you want and always be appropriate.  I like to go with jeans and a cute shirt/cardigan, and maybe a scarf.  So I totally have all the clothes I need, I just am missing shoes to wear.

So, my fall fashion wants:
-Some fabulous brown shoes.  I don't even know what I want
-Some tall, low-heeled boots.  Black and brown both.
-Jeggings that are perfect.  Just the right color, no weird fading.  To wear with those magical boots, obviously.

I don't think those things are too much to ask for.  But yet, they are hard to find for some reason.

Work it Wednesday

The beginning of a series....

So, today was the actually the beginning of the beginning.  Remember that post... Monday... I think it was Monday where I admitted to not being quite as thin as I would like.  It's not just about being skinny though, it's about being much healthier.  So I joined a gym.  A gym that I drive by everyday on the way home so I have no excuse to not work out.

Well, I'm so out of shape.  Ug.  But, I walked 2 miles on the treadmill.  I embarrassingly sweated my ass off on the treadmill, but I got it done.  And, even better, I'm going back tomorrow.  So, because I'm kind of nerdy and I really like math and graphs....  Here's a graph.

So it's not especially impressive since I just started working out today.  But, this chart is eventually going to be rocking my face off.  

Anyway, I promised my husband this wasn't going to take me that long.  So, I'm off.  I'm so excited that I've started working out.  And hopefully this is going to keep me accountable.

on being fat

Yes, I said it.  I have this odd view of myself.  To start with, I’ve never been thin.  In high school I was a size 11.  I thought I was sooooo fat.  Geez.  Now I would be THRILLED to be a size 11.  Like I might have a party.  I wear an 18 or 20 these days.  But when I look in the mirror, I don’t see how I actually look.  In my mind’s eye, I’m still about a 14, or maybe a 16. 

That was until this weekend when I did a 5k with my mom and sisters.  More accurately, I did the mile portion with my sister who is sick.  My mom and other sister did the 5k (my mom finished 6^th in her age group because she is a rock star).  Anyway.  The event started and finished at a local minor league baseball field.  The actual finish line was on the field which was kind of neat, so we had one of the people working the even take our picture.  Holy cow, I am fat. 

One of my sisters printed the picture off for me.  It is terrible.  I have very skillfully avoided full body shots for a very long time.  I know I am not thin, or even close to it.  I know I’m chubby. But I hadn’t really fully realized how bad I looked. 

Now this is not one of those “I’m fat and sad” posts.  It’s an “I’m acknowledging things are not how they should be/how I want them so I am going to work on fixing them.”  So, I’m getting back to using myFitnessPal and I’m joining a gym TODAY.  One that is on my way home from work.  And I’m going to start bringing my workout clothes to work and changing before I leave. I’m going to stop eating donuts for breakfast. 

When I discovered I had a soy allergy, I had to drastically change my diet.  Soy is in practically all convenience foods.  And then there are the peanut and sesame seed allergies too.  Oh boy, I do a lot of label reading.  I lost about ten pounds the first week and a half that I changed my diet.  Now it’s leveled off.  Despite eating fairly healthy, all the fat is just hanging in with me.  Ug. 

But we’re going to do something about it.  I want to feel better about myself.  No, I probably won’t ever be bikini thin, but I know I can definitely feel better about how I look.  So, to keep myself accountable, this week will begin Work-It Wednesday.  I’m going to keep track of how often I actually make it to the gym and what I do.  And maybe some updates on how it’s going and how I’m feeling.  Yes, I want to be thinner, but I also want to feel better, both physically and about myself.

I just finished making these.  It's been too cold to want my smoothies for breakfast.  When it's chilly, I need something warm.  That something warm has been a cappuccino and a donut from QT.  Not healthy in the least little bit.  So I'm hoping these egg "muffins" will do the trick.

In my egg muffins I used a dozen eggs, some diced white onion, chopped Canadian bacon, shredded Colby-Jack cheese, and some Cajun seasoning.  Can't wait to try them in the morning!

Fall Must Haves

There are some things I'm pretty sure I need for fall.  I think most of these are things I at least kind of need.  I'm psyched for fall this year.  Forgive me for saying psyched.  Ug.

1.  A navy cardigan.  I already have three tan, a black, and a grey.  Navy would go with so many things.

2.  A Coach crossbody bag.  I would use this all the time.  And I think I can snag one at the outlet mall when I go to my fall conference.

3.  I have posted these flats before.  I'm going to throw my zebra print flats in the trash just as soon as I buy at least one pair of these flats.

4. & 5.  I am totally making bracelets like this.  I pinned some similar ones the other day.

6. Tall brown boots.  I want to wear these with leggings and summer dresses for the fall.  Oh boy.  I just need to find some for my less than skinny calves.

7.  New sunglasses.  I know, apparently for some reason no one else wears sunglasses outside of summer.  This is insane.  I wear sunglasses year round.  We are in a committed relationship.  I need new ones that don't suck.  So I need someone reliable to go sunglass shopping with me.  I always fail on my own.

8.  No, I don't really need anymore new earrings.  Those are so cute though.

Fancy Fingers

I have a serious problem.  I jump on trend band wagons.  I may need a twelve step program.  It always starts out so innocently with an, “Oh, that’s cute.”  Then it evolves into, “Wow, that is so super cute!”  And then it becomes, “Holy cow, that is amazing I need that right now!”  It’s bad.  I mean really bad people.

The latest obsession (as of last night) is all these super cute fancy nails.  I’m in love.  A few weeks ago I pinned this really cute picture that was pink nails with the ring finger nail painted a sparkly silver. 

Yesterday before I logged into pinterest, there was a really cute picture on the main page of some red, white, and blue fingernails.  They were cute and 4^th of July-ish but not in a cheesy over the top way. 

So I clicked on the picture and then I went to the girls blog.  Holy cow.  Now all I can think about is having really cute, trendy nails.  So I tried it last night.  I did bright pink and then one sparkly finger.  My husband was not impressed. Apparently he is not a fan of the “accent nail”

There are some seriously adorable and intricate things I want to try.  Leopard print.  Chevron stripes.  Tiny hearts.  Tic tac toe with hearts.  Oh, they’re so adorable.  I think this might actually require going to get ones nails done or buy those adhesive nail strips and I’m really too cheap to do either.  Maybe I’ll start practicing on my toenails.

Note:  I tried desperately to create link-backs to the original website but my computer is giving me the finger.  I think if you click on the picture it will take you to my pinterest and then you can click to the website.  My apologies.

Coming in 2014

Oh my goodness!  Holy cow!  I am sooooooo excited!  Do the math people, no I’m not pregnant.  IKEA has announced they will be opening a store in Kansas City in 2014. 

I love IKEA so much!  I’ve only been once.  I’m continually jealous of all these people who constantly say, “Oh, I picked this up at IKEA the other day.”  Right now the closest IKEAs are in Dallas and Chicago.  Way too far from Kansas City for just a shopping trip. 

So now I have great shopping trips planned in my head.  I want to be able to buy big things if I want to.  I went to the IKEA in Dallas one fall.  I was visiting my sister and I went with one of her friends.  I was flying home so that severely limited what I could buy.  But that shopping trip was one of the highlights of my trip to Dallas.

On the same trip we saw The Boys Named Sue play at a bar in Deep Ellum (I think), I drank a lot, danced a little (I’m a terrible dancer), and my sister tried to get me to make out with one of the guys in the band (I didn’t).  We also ate at this amazing restaurant called Gloria’s that has the best mojitos and black bean dip in the world.  Yum.  I swear you cannot get a good mojito any farther north than Texas. 

Yup, those were the highlights of my trip – a concert, drinks, and a shopping trip. 

And now IKEA is moving in close to me.  I just know we are going to be the best of friends.

She's Got Sole

Oh boy.  That's a bad pun.  I had this whole post planned out in my head about all the fall crafty/house projects I am getting ready to start on.  I am super excited about them.  And I was super excited about the post too.  Then I started thinking about shoes during the last twenty minutes of work and everything changed.

I love shoes.  I mean I really love shoes.  I worked at a shoe store all the way through college.  And I am still ridiculously loyal to that shoe store.  I even still make a special point to go to that specific branch of the store to buy shoes because I am still partial to it.  I have shoes in two closets and all my flip flops hanging in a shoe bag on the back of our spare bedroom door.  I have a lot of shoes.

Here's the thing though, I rarely spend much money on shoes.  I blame it partially on working so long in a shoe store that if I waited long enough I could get a super deal.  Also, I'm kind of cheap.  I love flip flops and ballet flats.  They are my go to shoes for practically every outfit.  Heck, I even wore $10 red ruffled flats from Target when I got married.

I wear flip flops from March to November. I finally have started wearing Reef flip flops.  I'm in love.  We're pretty much in a committed relationship.  Sure, I have at least a dozen other pairs, but the Reefs are my favorite.

Then there's the flats.  I bought two new pairs last year.  One of which were actually fairly nice shoes.  I forget what brand they are.  They're a little granny-ish, but nice and comfy.  And I can wear them with socks and not look like a total idiot when it's cold out.  But the rest of my flats are in sad sad shape.

The sad state of my flats is what prompted me to start looking at shoes online instead of working.  Today I had on some bronze Skechers ballet flats that I bought at least six years ago.  Yes, six.  There are a few problems with them.  First, they smell really bad.  Probably because I've worn them barefoot for six years.  So that's six years of foot sweat.  Gross.  Second, they are totally worn out.  Maybe because they're six years old.  Third, the soles are practically worn off.  And yet I still wear them, probably about once a week, to work.  I also have a pair of zebra print flats I bought at Target probably about three years ago.  They are also absolutely worn out.  I need to just give up and throw them in the trash.  But I can't.  They are my "neutral" shoes.  I know, bronze and zebra are not neutral.  But if you think about it, they are.  I can wear them with almost anything.

So, I am refusing to throw them in the trash can until I find a suitable replacement pair for each.  I have come to the realization that it might be okay to spend more than $20 on a pair of shoes.  Especially since I wear them until they are absolutely dead.  So, today I hit up Zappos, my favorite place to get shoes if I can't go to my shoe store.  And I found a bronze pair and a leopard print pair.  I really desperately want new zebra ones but the leopard might have to do.

So, they are the same shoes, just different colors.  Here is the link.  I am totally drooling over them.  I think I may order one and try them out and then order a second pair.  They are pretty pretty shoes.  And maybe they would last better if I paid actual money for them.

So, we never watch TV shows when they are actually on.  Right now I'm watching the CMA thing that was on last night.  And nobody told me The Band Perry sang their cover of Fat Bottom Girls.  I embarassingly love this song.  I mean it's made me totally like The Band Perry more.  They did it when we saw them open for Brad Paisley.  I love a good cover, especially if it's unexpected.  BTW, Brad Paisley does a cover of Sharp Dressed Man.  Amazing.  Anyway, for your viewing pleasure....  Watch it, you'll thank me.  I promise.

Shiny things and seafood

My summer vacation is almost over and it makes me super sad.  So I'm trying to squeeze the last little bit of fun out of my break.  Today was a fun failure.  A trip to the doctor, still no answers as to why I break out in hives all the time.  Running errands.  A bottle of sparkly turquoise nail polish.  And I cooked an amazing dinner.

First and possibly most importantly, new sparkly nail polish.  I desperately love gel manicures.  However, I'm cheap and moderately skeeved out by community nail polish and the potential of infections from nail salon tools.  So I can justify buying new nail polish fairly frequently because that's always cheaper than a manicure. Okay, I love love love glitter, much to my husband's dismay.  It's hard to find good glittery polish.  Thankfully Sally Hansen has come out with a good one.  And I'm in love.  I have it in turquoise and in pink.  Fabulous!

It was seafood night at our house.  One of my favorite things to cook.  Crab, shrimp and pasta.

We buy this great package of imitation crab meat that comes more like crab legs.  I saute it with butter, lemon, garlic, and a couple different Cajun seasonings.  So delicious.

That crab then goes into pasta.  Tonight I was lazy and had just bought one of those packets of pasta that comes with the sauce in it and you just add water and milk to cook it.  Last week it was homemade crab alfredo.  Yum.

And tonight we added shrimp.  I boil it with Zatarain's Shrimp, Crab & Crawfish boil.  It tastes delicious but it drives me out of the kitchen.  It's super strong.  But results in amazing shrimp.  So it's really a super easy dinner, but looks fairly impressive.

Before I met my husband I had never cooked any seafood.  In the past 5 years, I think I've gotten pretty good at fish and the like.  

Tomorrow there will be craft projects.  I can't wait!  There will also be more cooking.  Lasagna and chocolate pie.  Yum.  And some reading in the mix.  And I'm still uploading wedding pictures.  This may take a while.

1442

I had great plans for my morning.  I was going to run to JoAnn's and grab acrylic paint, puff paint, some 3D flowers, and a couple stencils and then I was going to get to work on remaking my canvases.  Well, I couldn't find everything I needed.  I found all the paint I needed but no luck on flowers or stencils.  The good news is there is hope of a second shopping trip this afternoon with my husband (if I can convince him) or a definite shopping opportunity on Saturday on my way to wedding dress shop with one of my friends.

So instead of crafting, I'm looking through wedding pictures.  All 1,442 of them.  Yes, that's right, 1,442 wedding pictures.  That's a hell of a lot of pictures.  We already had about 500 of them that our photographer had given us originally.  So there's lots of new ones to look through and I'm loving it.  I spent hours yesterday downloading all the CDs of pictures, all 16 of them.  And now it's the fun part, looking through them, falling in love with the new pictures, and remembering how great our wedding was.

One of the new to us pictures.

Walking into our reception.

And I look skinny.  Love!

Mini Vacation

My parents are on vacation so I went down to their house for a few days for some quality sister time.  Movies, eating out, breakfast for dinner, ice cream, a trip to the doctor, and two successful shopping trips.  Fantastic.

So I got shoes.  I love shoes.  I worked at a shoe store all the way through college.  I still buy almost all of my shoes there, even though it's 3 hours away from where we live.  And anytime I try to buy shoes anywhere else, I complain that it's not as good.  So I had a $10 coupon and they were doing buy one get one half -- I spent $30 on two pairs of shoes.  So great!

There was dinner with good friends.  Two of my very favorite former co-workers.  One of them I hadn't seen since I moved (3 1/2 years ago), the other I hadn't seen since our wedding (almost 2 years ago).  It was great to see them.

I went to Dollar General yesterday to buy my sister some 7Up because she was sick.  On my way into the store I spotted a turquoise vase.  It was love at first site.  Yes, love at first site over home accessories at DG.  It's shocking.  But, it was gorgeous.  And cost $3.50.  Yup.  It was meant to be.  I snapped it up without a second thought.  Now it's living on top of our mantle, it may not stay there, but it goes so well in the living room!

Not the best picture ever, but you get the idea.  See why I loved it?  It's so great as an accent piece.  I am going to start working on art tomorrow.  I have some great ideas thanks to pinterest.  I have six canvases laying around the house waiting for new art work.  Right now they're all painted with something, but I'm not in love with any of them.  Updating is in order.  I can't wait!

I have ideas for this.  Or well inspired by this.  Less artistic of course.  When I was figuring out what to do, I hadn't actually clicked on it to see the image larger.  Turns out it is actually a gorgeous textural painting.  Well, I am crafty, not really artistic at all.  But I love the idea of doing a tree with blossoms and using either yo-yo fabric flowers or 3-D scrapbooking flowers.  It's going to go in our hallway to replace a flower I painted that I hate a little more every time I look at it.

Some variation of this is going to go up in our bedroom.  There are a couple of other ideas floating around too, maybe a stencil or something.  But I definitely love the look of tone on tone with the puff paint.  I want it to cover two canvases.  So that takes care of three of the canvases.

I have something kind of graphic with some turquoise in it for the other three canvases to go in the living room.  To hang in a row.  Fingers crossed for extreme craftiness.

In other news, I got the rest of our wedding pictures yesterday.  Yes, I know we got married almost 2 years ago.  And we got half of our pictures back about a month after we got married.  We had been promised all of them so I am ecstatic to have all of them.  I'm getting ready to get busy getting them uploaded.  So that's another project.