Lady Sings the Blues

Today has been an interesting day. The weather lately has been horrible which to me is wonderful due to our 2 hour delays. Last week I worked 4 days, 3 of which were 2 hour delays. This is nice but the days where you have to get up at the normal time are a pain. Like this morning, or maybe because it's Monday, not sure.

Due to waking up at the normal time/ because it's Monday, I opted out of doing my hair this morning. Usually I mousse it to tame it somewhat but it didn't look to bad so I just used a headband to pulled it back some and off I went. I miss my long hair :( The cardi is a new purchase from this weekend's trip to the Gap. I got this on sale for $9.

The undershirt is from Old Navy a couple of summers ago as are the gray slack which I love and fit me like a dream.

The scarf is my infinity scarf, my one and only. The shoes are ancient dating back to high school and are just your simple basic black clog I believe from Mejier of all places but they have a back making them more ideal for winter walking. Now I am going to go dive into some research papers while waiting for my husband to get home from flying so we can finish watching the Oscars from last night. I caught about a third of it before retiring for the night.

Oh, This has gotta be the Good Life, this really is the Fine Life

We are currently under a winter weather advisory and I'm hoping we have at least a two hour delay tomorrow just like this morning. What would make my day would be to have the entire day off. I've been having stirrings, some weird images coming to me between that world that's kind of like limbo between sleep and consciousness. I think my writers block might be wearing away for once. I keep hearing or thinking of these awesome lines and writing them down and hoping more come, and they do, sporadically. But I have a good feeling, inspiration maybe coming this weekend. Of course my inspiration comes at the worst possible time, when I should be grading my 100 five page research papers that I haven't touched at all this week. Ugh.

I have a great love for vests. Though I don't wear them as often as I would like, I do love them. This particular vest is my husband's grandfathers. We found it in a bag of stuff his grandmother had given him to wear and he didn't want it so I claimed it as my own. I also love the color of my long sleeved shirt from Target. In the winter I would call it a minty color, in the summer I would call it more of a sea foam.

I love the buttons, they make me smile :)

My hairs finally starting to grow and show it. The bad part of having curly hair is that it takes twice as long for my hair to grow and actually look like it because instead of growing straight up and down, it kind of goes sideways to do it's whole twirl thing. I am also noticing how pale I've become and need summer to get here and soon so I can stop looking like Casper. Though I could very easily fake bake, I just can't justify paying for a tan when I can get it for free in the summer. Plus I would feel like I was in a microwave cooking all my internal organs. These thoughts also plague me in between sleep and consciousness, ironically.

I guess the Change in my Pocket just wasn't enough

Ode to my nose
Little piece of skin and bone
sitting in between my eyes
why do you persist
in torturing me.
Why do you cry and cry and cry
regardless of how often I wipe away your snot.

That has been my day. Not sure where this came from but I have been sneezing and my nose has become a faucet over night. I probably went through an entire box of Kleenex today. But I still dressed up regardless. I've found that even when I feel at my utmost worst, I will feel at least the tiniest bit better if dressed to the nines. I took my own advice.

The cardi you've seen and is from Old Navy, the khaki cords are Old Navy and the purple ruffled tank is one of my weekend purchases from Old Navy which I got for $7.

This ruffled tank reminds me of my navy blue one from the Gap but obviously this is a different color plus the ruffles hang different and are comprised of two different materials which gives it that extra flare.

My favorite new black boots, my Madden Girls. Sorry about the scuffing, I had just gotten inside. I wore these this weekend in Chicago and they were a dream. They allowed me to look awesome, walk fast, and still be comfortable in them for half the day.

Though you don't see it in most of my pictures, I typically wear a scarf with every one of my outfits in the wintertime. I have found that whatever temperature my feet and neck are, that is usually what dictates the temperature of the rest of my body. I freeze in school so I try to stay as warm as possible. The scarf, one of my thousands, is from good old Target. I love the color!

My life has killed the Dream I Dreamed

Les Miserable was AMAZING!! Most of the time when I go to see shows I have researched them substantially beforehand so I typically know all of the music, lyrics, and characters involved that way I am no longer surprised. This was not the case for Les Miz. This was my husband's favorite musical and something I have never really been interested in. It was good! Cadillac was gorgeous inside, as was Chicago itself. It's been too long since I've been to the city. We usually try to make it once a year but it's been longer than that since our last visit. We decided we too often go in the winter though when we can't enjoy the city to its fullest so this summer we are planning on a trip sometime for a weekend where we can experience the city in that season.

I didn't have time to take pictures of my outfit. It wasn't anything much. It was very cold so I dressed accordingly. My coat is a simple purple peacoat from Old Navy which I have owned for 2 winters now and it never fails me and goes with anything. The hat is my flapper style hat from Target as well as my black eternity scarf.

I couldn't get another pictures of the inside of the palace due to the hawks that stand and yell whenever they see anything resembling flash photography. It was beautiful though, I assure you. The best part of the trip though was probably our quick stop at the 4 story Old Navy where I picked up 2 shirts and a necklace which I am sure you will be seeing in the near future. I have tomorrow off and will go to my local Old Navy to exchange a shirt and try on some of the other clothes I saw and didn't have time to try on. Having an entire floor of woman's clothes and another of woman's clearance is kinda overwhelming so a trip back might be a part of the summer trip :)

This is the First Day of Our Lives

Today has been an exhausting day and I have a feeling it is the beginning of an exhausting weekend. I woke up this morning with a low grade fever and if I hadn't been subbing I would have called in sick because I did not feel good. But that wasn't how I was raised. You either have a fever over a 100 or you're puking. If you aren't doing either of those things than you still go in. So I did. Tomorrow we wake up and leave for Chicago to go see Les Miserable!! Sunday I will most likely be grading research papers all day long, ugh. But the good part of today, it's Friday so I got to wear jeans and feel comfortable while running a fever :)

The tank is my Gap ruffled shirt that I love. The sweater is from my local consignment shop and is very warm and came in handy today as I was chilling. The pants are skinny jeans from Kohls. They are Lauren Conrad brand. Even though I don't like her at all, I do like some of her clothes I must admit.

I love the contrast in colors between the tank top and the sweater. I also love the big buttons. Buttons make me smile :)

My omnipresent Sailor's locket hat goes with everything.

I used to have an affinity for clogs. Still do to a minor degree. At one time I had 6 pair and I've narrowed it down to 3. These are my dark brown pair. I have had these and my light brown pair since I was a junior in high school. They last forever and go with everything. The downfall is you can only wear them when it's dry out, otherwise your heels get wet from either the water itself or your wet pant legs.

I don't believe in anything... But Myself :)

Today was a wonderful day. Started Gatsby with great success, peer edited research papers and this weekend I will start the dreaded grading. I really wish I could read in a car without getting a fiend of a headache otherwise I would use the four hours I'll be sitting in a car driving to and from Chicago for grading instead of probably listening to my iPod.
It actually hit above 50 degrees today which is weird for February but I'll take it. I've just recently started getting cabin fever as I watch the feet of snow around me melt. I haven't been skiing yet this year which doesn't help my cabin fever. I appreciate the snow alot more when I have a use for it but I haven't yet. All I can think about is bike riding in the hot summer heat, sweating away the pounds I want to lose this summer. I want to wear dresses and walk barefoot in my front lawn, feeling the blades of grass cutting between my toes. And I want to go on a picnic, a real one, which I have never done before. I'm ready for spring and to buy spring things and wear spring things. It's time.

The pants are Old Navy, now that I think about it the only dress pants I own are from Old Navy except one pair from Kohls. Old Navy's dress pants just fit me the best but their jeans are another matter. They think because you have big hips you also have big thigh which I don't. I can usually count on Target for my jeans.

The sweater is from Wal-Mart believe it or not. The undershirt is a floral pattern from Old Navy, purchased at Goodwill :)

This is my sailors locket. I wear this with pretty much everything because I love anchors. I bought it on Etsy this past summer for around $20.

The shoes are another pair of beloved oxfords. These are more of a patent leather. I don't usually spend alot of money on clothes but shoes are my exception because they will fit me forever no matter what. These I purchased online at ModCloth.com. for about $70. Though not as comfortable as my Goodwill Bass oxfords, they will last much longer due to their material.
It is homecoming week and tomorrow is nerd day which I actually can dress for. I checked Ann Taylor dresses online and they are way out of my price range so that is a no go. I still have a while to go so I'm not too worried yet :)

I can see her now, arms reaching out...

I did not want to get out of bed this morning. When this happens, which is rather frequently I dare say, I typically try to wear brighter colors. I never knew the effect colors can have on us until I was flipping through one of my moms health books and it said each color represented an emotion or feeling and we wear certain colors to help us gain that emotion or feeling. I've always found that interesting and when I meet people I try to judge whether or not through their speech if their color emotion is obvious and most of the time it is.
Black = Self confidence, hint hint, the color 98% of people wear to job interviews
Yellow =  Happiness, this color is pretty obvious since the sun usually lessons peoples depression
Green = Healing, after I found this out I realized I have a green pair of pajamas I wear every time I'm sick
Red = Passion of course
Orange = Increase in hunger, one of the reasons most restaurants are this color or anorexic clinics as well
Blue = Calming, both my brother and fathers favorite which if you knew them would also make sense
Purple = Peaceful, alot of yoga centers are this color and their mats.
Anyways, thought I'd share that with you. Today was a passion day for me, maybe mixed in with a little lumberjack?

 I love this shirt but it is true what they say about patterns/florals/stripes... they add about 10 extra pounds and this one does but I love it regardless.

The collared shirt is Old Navy brand but from my local consignment shop for $10. The vest is Old Navy purchased this summer and versatile any season of the year. The brown cords are Old Navy as well.

My ever present Bass oxfords and my super duper red socks to match my shirt. They are from Old Navy too.

We start reading Gatsby tomorrow and I'm totally pumped. I've never taught it and it's probably in the top ten of my favorite classics. Maybe I'll try and wear a Daisy inspired ensemble tomorrow. We shall see. I am still on the lookout for the perfect beach wedding dress. I've been thinking about looking at Ann Taylor and the Gap as well. I also have very cool weekend plans coming up that involves a trip to Chi town and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to wear to that. Like all things in my life, it will most likely depend on the weather.

Oh what a Night!

Today was supposed to be an un-eventful day where I just stayed home and read my books, graded my papers, and planned more awesome lesson plans. But that never seems to be how my Saturdays go. Instead, I awoke at 8, read some Inferno, picked my parents up and flew down to Indy. Once there we ate at Golden Corral very quickly, and then went to our cousins house to visit for a couple of hours.
We then flew back, ran my parents home, and then came home for half an hour to spend some time with our neglected pooches, fed them, and then went to a restaurant in Mishawaka to meet a friend for dinner. We were then supposed to go to a concert at her coffeehouse afterwords but that didn't happen. First we waited half an hour past our reservation date, thanks to Valentine's day, grrr. Then it took forever not only to get our drink order, but once we ordered our food, we waited another hour if not longer. And the food itself was less then par. We were at the resturant for over 2 hours and we were happy to leave, hoping the rest of the night would be un-eventful and relaxing. Guess again. My friend, whom I love, decided to lock her keys in her car. We then spent the next half an hour outside in the freezing cold trying to pry open her windows enough so we could stick a wire hanger in and unlock the door. We didn't have alot of success and then my wonderful husband decided to hock the window handle instead and roll the window down which was a success!
After that, we decided we better call it a night just in case something else came up during this supposed to be uneventful day. Needless to say, I still had fun but I am extremely tired. So here we go.

The sweater is Old Navy. You know how much I love my cardigans :) The undershirt is from the Gap, which I got on sale for like $12. Jeans are Target flares which I have had forever.

I didn't like the bedazzled buttons when I first bought it but I was desperate for a gray cardi so I sucked it up and now I love them. The necklace is vintage. We found this helping my husbands grandma move and she gave it to me. It's small and simple which is typically what I go for in jewelry.

I love the shirt from the Gap. It's a tank top so it works great with cardi sleeves and doesn't leave the bulk which I hate. No sleeves also keeps me cool which came in handy today since it got up to a super high of 40 :) I also love the color and the ruffles.

Sunshine, in my window, makes me happy, like you used to...

The sun is out but it is tremendously chilly out. We had another 2 hour delay because of the wind chill. When I went to work this morning, at 9:30, it was -4. I thought I had better wear something a bit warmer than usual.

The sweater vest thing (not sure of the actual name) is from Kohls. I used to love Kohls but we're kinda on the rocks at the moment. They're clothes are too... old woman/business womanish currently and that's just not what I'm going for these days. The cords are Old Navy. I know you aren't supposed to wear white after labor day/memorial day or one of those two (note my lack of caring) but when you're working with just a couple of colors for pants, I like to switch it up. The long sleeved shirt is a Target discount which I love and have in various other colors. They can go under just about anything.

The reason I love the sweater vest thing is hard to explain. I guess because it acts almost like a hybrid car, accomplishing multiple things at once. It's a vest... no wait... its a turtle neck... no wait... it's a shawl that opens when I get to hot... no wait.

I also have an affliction for awesome socks. Most of mine I find at Old Navy and Kohls. I have a policy about Goodwill socks, underwear and bras... you just don't go there so I don't. But I love socks with different colors and designs on them. I'll have to take a picture of my sock drawer sometime. The number probably ranges anywhere from 50-100 depending on how hungry the washer/dryer has been lately. Also, this is my friend Paddy. He's a cat. And he likes to watch me do pretty much anything in hopes that I will feed him and enable his ever expanding middle section to continue its unhealthy growth. But shhh, he doesn't know that I'm on to him :)

Baby it's cold outside...

Greetings! Sorry it's been awhile but I have been busy. Exercising is hard to fit into your schedule when you work from 7 to 5 everyday. I seem to be rushing home, quickly grabbing some fruit to hold me over and changing into my workout clothes then hurrying downstairs so I can work out for half an hour and then cook supper. Oh well. I started up again this January but didn't keep a tight schedule which I am determined to start this week. I want to work out 4-5 times a day, what I had been doing this summer. So we shall see how it goes.
I've also been busy getting my world lit classes ready for when their research papers are done and I have to start actually teaching. WLI starts with sections of the Iliad which I am excited for, and WLII starts with the ever popular Dante's Inferno which is what I have been working on. I read it back in college and remember it being much harder to comprehend. Which is a good thing! The kids will be making movies on Power Point that gives the rest of the class a "tour" of their cantos. It's so much fun, even for seniors I hope. I guess I don't count cause well, let's face it, I am a geek :)

The cords and tank are from Old Navy. I bought these cords and a slew of others when I got my teaching license and my first permanent sub job and realized, oh, I need to start dressing like a teacher now. I had all of 3 dress pants which wore constantly while student teaching.

The lovely brown cardi is from Goodwill. Something you can always count on Goodwill to have, lots of older lady power suits and cardigans :) The collared shirt is one I purchased from my local consignment shop for $7 dollars. I love the print and it gives your normal bold outfit some flavor.

The headband is a cheapy from Wal-Mart and I have one exactly identical but it's black. These are much more comfortable then the workout head bands I have because they are loose and don't cut off circulation to my head.

I adore these shoes. They are Bass which is typically the brand old men wear who are professors in college. I found these babies at Goodwill a couple of years ago for $2 on 50% off day. They fit like a dream and are probably one of the most comfortable pair of work shoes I own. I love the oxford look as well. I have several shoes similar but none that fit as well.
Hope everyone stays warm. I had a 2 hour delay this morning due to the low temperatures. As I am typing this I am putting off as long as possible having to put my doggies out in it. They keep looking at me like, come one, you could just let us stay inside today. We promise we'll be good. Word of advice to non-dog owners... dogs eyes lies.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

My apologies for the lack of inspiring wardrobe today. I had some weird dreams and accidentally set my alarm clock an hour later then need be so I was extremely rushed and just literally grabbed the first thing in my closet. My dream was so weird. My parents moved away from my childhood home just a couple of years ago and I still dream about it. I don't know if it's shallow of me or materialistic but I miss the house itself. I have so many memories from childhood in it and even though I personally haven't lived there in over 4 years, but I miss it. I didn't realize how much I miss it I guess, I know I try not to think about it and even make sure I don't drive by it so I don't have to see the new people living there. This dream I had was in the house, all the furniture was back and my family was there and the weirdest thing of all was how it felt. I was so happy and sad at the same time. When I woke up, late, I was so sad and that was when I realized how much I've suppressed missing the house. The dream has kind of stuck with me all day so I thought I'd mention it.

As for the outfit, the cardi is from Old Navy, as is the undershirt, and the pants are from Kohls.

 I love the detail on the collar of this cardi. My nephew loves to pick at them though :)

My lovely headband from Forever 21. I missed headbands with my longer hair but the bob allows me to wear a headband  the right way.

These are my new favorite shoes. I had some cheap black boots but they were falling apart, probably due to the cheap part. Being a teacher you need black boots for probably half of your outfits so I was in dire need of some boots. I found these at DSW but they didn't have them in my size so I had to order them online. I wear them all the time and they are so comfortable. I don't know if you can love a shoe... but I do :)

Super Bowl Sunday

It's Super Bowl Sunday and what's a girl to wear? Since we are having some friends over I won't go for my usual t-shirt and sweats. Instead I grabbed some random things out of my closet and threw them on as we were on our way to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Living in a small town I have always found the best time to go to the grocery store is Sunday morning because everyone else is at church and only us sinners are out and about.

When we got home our power was out. Another benefit of living in Northern Indiana. Usually this is a result of some idiot who doesn't know how to drive in snow pummeling into a telephone pole of some sort and knocking our juice out for several hours. As we were sitting around with nothing to do I decided to snap a few pictures since my camera is the only piece of technology that is run on battery. I also have other stuff I could be doing, like reading the Crucible and getting some lesson plans in order or planning out a reading calendar for The Great Gatsby which we will be starting in less than two weeks. I can't wait by the way, it is perhaps one of my favorite classics. I love the Moderns!

The shirt is from Target as are the skinny jeans. The cardi is from Old Navy which I purchased on sale for some outrageously low price I can't remember at the moment.

I usually have a hard time finding shirts that will go with this cardi plus I don't typically like the longer cardigans anyway but there's something I enjoy about this one plus it's extremely comfortable.

Here's a look at the detail on the shirt. It's still to cold to wear just the shirt for me so everything I do wear covers this up so I wanted to give you a better look. It's just some extra spice and takes away the need to wear a necklace.

I am in love with this hat from Forever 21 that I purchased 2 falls ago. It keeps my ears warm since I am missing all of my hair and the color pretty much goes with anything, brown or black. Mustard = Happiness.

Still don't know who I want to win. I've decided whoever wins the coin toss is who I will root for. I'm not all that interested in NFL football anyway. The only reason I watch the Super bowl is for the pizza, the commercials, and the half time show which this year is the Black Eye Peas. Finally, a group whose members aren't old enough to be my grandparents. Thanks a lot, Janet Jackson's boob. :)

The search for the Perfect Dress!

My cousin is getting married this July... during the week of the fourth... in North Carolina... right on the beach at sunset :) I have always longed to go on a destination wedding, I've been to several receptions where they have done the favor of video taping it for all their guests but didn't actually invite them. So this is my first time going. Jeff and I have decided we will most likely fly down, cutting the 14 hour trip if we drove to 4 hours if we fly. Makes sense right? Now the only thing I need is the perfect dress. Easier said then done. If you combine my lovely figure with my anal list of what I need this dress to look like, we have a disaster waiting to happen. Which is why I have started looking now at the beginning of February as opposed to a month or two before we actually leave.
I want something vintage. That is my main concern. I went to etsy right away but the problem with vintage, everyone was skinny when they made those clothes so now I am on the hunt for faux vintage and I know just the place... modcloth!

I have gotten several necklaces from them but never had the balls to get clothing from them. I usually detest purchasing clothing online because it almost always never fits. Shoes are fine but clothing is a no no. But I am feeling adventurous and perhaps, a little desperate and here are some items I've been looking at lately. It's still fairly early and my search has just begun so who knows. I'll keep you posted on the search as the time draws near.

 

Love this dress and it's retro feel. It is a bit pricey though but it would work great with my body type because of it's high waist.

This one comes in various colors but I enjoyed this one the most, and the navy blue. It's saying Greece maybe?

This one is also pricey but I love it regardless.

This one's color is lovely but perhaps a bit light in material.

This one is very beachy.

This one is probably my favorite.

To wear a skinney belt or not to wear a skinny belt, that is the question...

I was considering wearing a dress to the funeral. This is something I have always done but this morning after getting home from a friend's sons basketball game a realized, oh wait, I live in Indiana where it randomly snows 4-5 inches without warning. Somedays I forget this and have these wonderful delusions of grandeur of all the pretty things I will wear regardless of the weather and their own impracticality. Today I decided to be a realist instead and came up with this.

 I actually wore this outfit to parent teacher conferences I believe, which are similar to funerals ironically enough depending on which student you have a conference with :)

This entire outfit is Old Navy brand but one of the items isn't the same, can you guess? The pants! They are from my recent excursion to Goodwill's 50% off Saturday, which I love going to by the way. I happened upon them as I was looking for a new pair of sweats (which I also got, from the Gap :) and at first I thought they were sweats as well due to the elastic around the waist. Then I thought they were maternity but the tag has informed me that they aren't and they have now become my favorite pair of work pants because of how comfortable they are to sit in.

 The lovely gold skinny belt is also from Old Navy which I got on sale for $4 about a year ago. I do own a thicker black belt (karate jokes ensuing) which I was told people who are a bit heavy look better in. The purpose for putting a belt around the waist is to draw peoples eyes to what is typically the skinniest part of you. I loved the skinny belts too but I also thought skinny belts were for skinny waists. But hey, I'll wear what I want.

Lastly is the head band which is from Target. I am still adjusting to my now short hair and since it is winter out and there is no humidity to be seen, I can straighten it on occasion. But without a head band my natural part comes back which is straight down the middle of my head making me look like a butched Emily Dickinson so I need something to pull the bangs back and give me ever so slightly a "Snooki Puff". Plus the gold of the belt and the gold of the head band brings out the best in both I think.