My couch and I match.

Do you ever have one of those days that involves waking up late and feeling frazzled; however, you're pleasantly surprised by the fact that your hair did not move from the position it took on the previous day? Today was one of those days for me. The hair gods were smiling on me because I had to skeedaddle to work with no time to shower; luckily, my 'do cooperated. 

Please excuse my off-center necklace. I was going to have Jeff take another picture, but he disappeared like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, muttering about needing to mow the lawn. 

I really enjoy this color combination. I especially love that my couch and I match.

Blazer & necklace: NY & Co. (got it for $35...woot woot)

Shirt & black wedges: Target

Belt: Came with a dress

Skirt & tights: The Limited

What do ya think of my outfit? 

I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee. Won't my Momma be so proud of me?

   

This weekend was a little rough as evidenced by this photo. I had to take off on Friday because Mother Nature sucker punched me so hard in the love parts that I couldn't move from the couch. Saturday morning, that pain subsided and a new nuisance visited me: sinus congestion. I thought, "Oh, it'll go away in an hour." Boy, was I wrong. It punched me in the face. Hard. If you have ever had a sinus infection, then you understand the intense pain that accompanies such a wonderful sickness. Those Mucinex commercials make the mucus look a lot cooler than it feels when it's filling up your skull. By Sunday night, I was running a 100.3 fever. Ummm, how old am I? Five? 

Anyway, if you ever suffer from sinus problems, here are some of my methods. I used ALL of these methods, and that might be why I ended up back at work quicker than I ever have once a sinus infection hit me.

1. Saltwater spray -- you can use it more often than Flonase. You can also use this if you're unable to use a Neti Pot because you're nose is too congested.

2. Advil sinus congestion = the bomb.com

3. Steam tent with eucalyptus drops: heat up water, put it in a bowl, put no more than two drops of eucalyptus oil, bend your head over the bowl, put a towel over your head, and set a timer for NO MORE than 10 minutes (note: you'll be coughing up nasty mcnasters, but it helps) Don't put more than two drops of eucalyptus. That stuff is strooong and will burn the shit out of your nose hairs. I'm speaking from personal experience.

4. Bath with epsom salt helps to soothe the joints. If you keep the shower curtain closed, it provides a steam bubble. 

5. LOTS and LOTS of water. I switched on and off with Gatorade so that I did not deplete my electrolytes. Water helps to thin the mucus, so it will help you kick it faster. 

6. To be safe, stick to a bland diet that my mom calls BRAT (bananas, rice, apple sauce, and toast). Mine spells CRAT because I can't eat bananas (give me wicked heart burn), and it's not like my stomach hurt, so I could still eat chicken. I just didn't add spices to things. I tried to play it safe.

Moving on to the outfit.

Perhaps my battle with the snot inspired my outfit. When I paired these pieces, I thought to myself, "Self, will people say that you look like a bumble bee because you're wearing black and yellow?" I responded, "No, Self, that's silly because you're not wearing stripes. Bumble bees are striped. Polka dots don't count." I decided that the outfit was a go, and then I proceeded to sing "Black and Yellow" to myself. It was one of those mornings.

 

Hello, Squirtle.

 

This is the "I'm smiling because my outfit is cute, but I really don't want you to see my face because I'm the mucus queen."

 

Cardigan: Express (years ago)

Blouse: White House Black Market

Yellow belt: The Limited

Bracelet: NY & Co.

Pants: The Limited 

Black suede wedges: Target (SOOO comfortable)

How does the color combination look? Am I a bumble bee? What other bright colors might you pair with black and white?

And that's what she said.

Sometimes, having a father who once collected (his own) belly button lint on a strip of tape gets to you. Sometimes, having a brother who pinned you on your stomach and (using a Sharpie) drew an inappropriate picture on your back gets to you. Sometimes, having a husband who finds perversion in nearly everything gets to you. Sometimes, teaching fifteen-year-old boys who draw male genitalia on their classmates' folders gets to you.

It got to me.

My intern wanted to rearrange desks. The shape of the table arrangements seemed to escape everyone's notice but my own (unless, of course, my brother were there with me).

Most of this cartoon speaks for itself. (Do not hate on my lack of cartooning abilities. I needed a visual without taking a picture of my classroom.)

As far as I'm concerned, five wooden (pun intended) table arrangements in the shape of weenies are now pointing at me every day.

Of course, I distract myself by saying that our teacher table in the middle is the sun and all of the table arrangements are its rays of light. I have to at least pretend that my mind has not stooped to such a level of perversion. I'm not kidding anyone.

Winning combo: white blazer & sparkly shoes

I spent less than 10 minutes this morning picking out today's outfit, and it still matches. I also feel so put together that even though I've been home for two hours, I'm still wearing the outfit. Hooray! 

Today's outfit pieces are brought to you by...
New York & Co. (blazer and black skinny jeans)
The Limited (long sleeved gray shirt)
Francesca's (sparkly shoes)

 

Yo. 

 

 

Close up so that you can see the sleeves. They got a little pop. Oh yeah. 

Very important and completely related side note: I really wanted a white or an off-white blazer. I originally bought one from The Limited. Even with a discount, I still paid nearly $90. Ouch. I could not swallow that pill, so I let it hang in my closet for a week or two. I then happened upon this gem while I was at NY & Co. during a sale. This one fit me much better, and it was $60 cheaper! Come to Momma, you pretty little blazer.

 

 

No, a toddler did not take this picture. As you can see, I still suck at using a tripod.

 

My highlights look good in this picture. Giggity. 

 

 

Since it's inappropriate to make friends with inanimate objects, I cannot befriend this blazer, but if this blazer were a person, we'd be fast friends.  (Yes, I'd be friends with my black blazer too. I'm not racist. Gosh.)

 

I am so amused by how wildly ridiculous this pose is. Ahoy, Captain.

 

 

In case you wanted to see my off center necklace and skinny jeans.

 

 

Hello, adorable shoes. We were meant for each other. You are also much more comfortable than I ever anticipated. 

Organizing a Pantry Like Wo

 

We came back from BJ's. I needed to put away some of our purchases, so I decided to make some space. One hour later, I filled nearly two trash bags full of food products that had been shoved so far back into the corners of my pantry that they had long since expired.  Wasted money is NOT cool. So, how do I prevent this predicament from happening again?

 I'll tell you: develop a more effective system of organization.

Step 1: Put all similar products together (on the counter...wait to put them into the pantry).

Step 2: Determine which items that are either used enough not to be forgotten or cannot expire (ex: plastic cups and silverware). These items will move to the corners of the pantry. 

Step 3: Find baskets. Lots of baskets. Confession: I also used cardboard trays/box lids from BJ's. (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. DUH.)

Step 4: Organize like items into their respective baskets and box lids. 

Here's how I organized the shelves:

Top shelf: Items I don't mind reaching for or do not use much. I chose cleaning products (could also go on the floor). Hey now, I know what you're thinking. Stop it. I  do use these a lot, but I don't mind reaching for them. 

NOTE: Make sure you put anything that could leak in a basket with a solid bottom. You don't want anything dripping to the shelves below and ruining food!

 

Shelf below: I placed baking items. I know that I'll use them, so they won't go to waste. 

Shelf below that: Snacks (I'm a grazer. I need snacks. Always. These are the ones I threw away a lot of, so I made sure to put them all on the same shelf; that way, I wouldn't forget about them!) 

With the snacks, I put ziploc bags, aluminum foil, paper bags, and saran wrap. It made sense to put the snacks with what I'd put them in. Right?

Shelf below that (lunch and dinner ingredients): Salad stuff (croutons, almonds, craisins), sauces and condiments for meals (BBQ sauce, salsa, marinades, ketchup, etc.), chicken/beef broth, canned goods

Shelf below that (starches): pasta/quinoa on the left and potatoes/garlic on the right

Floor:  It used to have potatoes. Terrible idea. They can rot if neglected. Ew. So, I put extra dish soap, Tupperware, juices (before refrigeration), extra cereal, and rice

 

              What food organization tips/systems work for you?

I OWN you.

Got your attention? Now that you're here, allow me to provide a mini lesson on appropriately placing our compadre, the apostrophe.

As you might already know, the apostrophe serves two primary functions: 

1. Creating a contraction such as don't, shouldn't, couldn't, and wouldn't. In these instances, the apostrophe is a place marker for the letter that you removed.

2. Showing possession. 

Today's focus will be on possession 

(hence the title of the blog post). 

Place the apostrophe AFTER the S if...

• Your noun ends in S
• Let's say you know a man by the last name of Jones (first name Indiana). If you wish to talk about something belonging to Indiana Jones, put the apostrophe after the S that's already in his last name.
• Example: Indiana Jones' backyard was filled with so much dog poop that the entire street smelled like a kennel. 
• Your noun is plural, so it already ends in S. 
• Let's say I wanted to talk about a GROUP of kids and their fruit-snack-eating ways.  
• Example: The kids' teeth were rotten because they ate too many fruit snacks. (This scenario would never happen because fruit snacks are life.) 

Place the apostrophe BEFORE the S if...

• Your noun ends in S
• Since the English language is confusing and weird, some people like to say, "The Jones's backyard was filled with so much dog poop that the entire street smelled like a kennel." Personally, I prefer an apostrophe after one S, not an apostrophe wedged between two of them. Just know that some people disagree with me; however, either method is (technically) correct. 
• Your noun is singular
• Example: Angelina Jolie's leg looked pretty ridiculous constantly protruding from the slit in her dress.  
• Example: That kid's teeth were rotten because he ate too many fruit snacks. (I'm talking about just ONE kid, so the apostrophe comes before the S.) 

Important Note: It's and its throw a wrench into this whole rule. Most people equate apostrophes with possession; however, it's is the contraction (it is), and its shows possession.
          IT'S EX: It's really difficult to use the public restroom if it's very quiet.
          ITS EX: My dog chases its tail every day.

Does this information help? Do you need a mini lesson on another grammar concept? 

Please let me know in the comments section!

Do the 'do! Woo woo!

I can't even begin to cover everything that's wrong with me. 

Anyway, enjoy today's hair tutorial. Inspired by this look.