Peplum, Black, and Leopard. Touché!

My mom took this picture, and this is her yappy (yet cute) dog, or, as my dad likes to say, my little "bruh bruh." Yuck. Gag me with a spoon, Dad. 

Before the capturing of this image, I had to ask, "his weiner isn't showing is it? I don't want his weiner hanging out." Who says these things? I do, folks. I do. 

Anyway, my department jokingly (or not?) decided to dress up as the Ravens (yeah, the team, not some cool Edgar Allan Poe theme) for Halloween. I would like to state that I do.not.watch.sports let alone own a jersey. My co-teacher brought in one of her kids' jerseys, but I thought it'd look weird with this peplum top, haha. Plus, I couldn't take off the top because jerseys have holes. Oh, costume problems. 

Also, dudes LOVE leopard print shoes. Dudes of all ages love leopard print shoes. Some old man at the grocery store stopped me to tell me how much he loved my shoes. He said, "You know, they're just the right amount of leopard. Classy. Not too much like an entire pair of pants." Oh, if only he had seen some of the patterned pants in my closet. Of course, not one of those is leopard print, so I guess I'm safe. 

A little Instagram love for you.

Up close and personal with my heels ;)

You have made it this far, so I might as well give you another lesson. How many of you know where in the sporting word we use the term touché?  Years ago, I decided to research this term because it confused me, and I'm admittedly a weirdo for loving these kinds of lessons. It's actually a fencing term. Here, I'll quote you some Merriam Webster (online version, but of course): "[the word is] used to acknowledge a hit in fencing or the success or appropriateness of an argument, an accusation, or a witty point." It's as if to say, "OH! You got a good shot on me there, buddy. Nice work! [Insert thank you for poking me with your sword.]" Not surprisingly, the word comes from the French past participle of toucher, to touch. Okay, I think I'm bordering on  too much information now. 

Taking My Mom "Shopping"

Well, I considered putting on an outfit to look cute...at home...while I finished writing letters of recommendations. I then used my brain. Let's be honest: I haven't changed my clothes or washed my hair for over twenty-four hours. I might be underestimating in an attempt to make you think more of me than I deserve at the moment.

Anyway, the other day, I took my mom "shopping" with me. She could not actually be with me in stores, which I certainly would have preferred, so I inundated her with pictures via text message. Sometimes, I need someone to be honest, which she is always willing to be, and tell me that sartorial choice is not a good one.

Let's take this coat, for example. I loved the color, and it reminded me of this one from J.Crew. Yeah, I suppose J. Crew's coat wins with its buttons and the tie. They give it some structure that it so desperately needs on my small upper body. This coat was Calvin Klein or Michael Kohrs. I can't be sure. (Look at that little rhyme. How clever.)

I'm mean mugging my phone. Excuse me for a moment. 

I then ventured into NY & Co. Their buy one sweater get one free event was far too tempting to ignore. Here are some combinations I threw together. Note: the pants and shoes are mine. I didn't actually snap a picture of my real outfit that day. Oops.

Though I like this leather jacket's fur collar and color, I want one that's a bit longer. I purchased the sweater, not the jacket.

I really liked this peplum top from TopShop, but I paid less for this pretty purple one thanks to my discount (and no shipping charge). Also, I like sleeves since I refuse to bare my shoulders as a teacher.

Does this outfit actually work? I didn't plan for it to be an outfit, but I might like it. Of course, I would change to a gold belt and gold shoes for some bling. 

 I found this sweater hiding under a coat. I actually thought it was a funny shaped scarf. Silly me. Clearly, I love the color. Look at me going all monochromatic.

Hey, look, you can see my sweater on the bench! That's what I wore for real. 

Next, I bring you to Old Navy and its poorly-lit dressing room. My mom swore this blazer was a coral color. I refuse to blame my phone. It's actually red. You can find it here. Again the pants are mine. I just wanted to try on the blazer's fit.

I've been looking for a flannel shirt. I tried this one with the blazer until I realized those are pink stripes, not red ones. Plus, I wanted something a bit more understated considering my closet is a leprechaun's dream.

I showed Mom these two. She liked them both. I thought the one on the right looked less like anything I already owned, and it would match a lot of my wardrobe. I bought it.

And look at this happy little coincidence! It goes so nicely with my blazer. Mom liked the mixing of fabrics. I clearly get my taste from her ;) And, no, I have no idea what the problem with the bangs on the left side of my head is. If you want the shirt, you can find it here. (for less than I paid, grumble grumble grumble.) 

I had a gift card that I wanted to use immediately, so I bought these things I then realized were less expensive online. I am considering taking the stuff back and buying them online. Would you advise this course of action? Thoughts?

Anyway, our last stop is Marshalls where I finally bought this pair of gray, maroon, and navy wedges. I keep staring at them, and I caved. I had to use my store credit, and I couldn't think of a better purchase.  They even match my pants. Another happy little coincidence.

I hope you enjoyed my virtual shopping trip and all of its plunders.

It's time to finish those letters of recommendations. Yippee!

All That Sparkles

All that sparkles is my orange sweater, of course. 

NY&Co. sent me an e-mail informing me of their buy one sweater get one FREE event (for one day). How could I pass up the opportunity? This sweater is one of the two I decided on. I had already planned to pair it with these pants and shoes. 

FYI: these pants personify comfort. 

Sweater: NY & Co (find it here)--they're currently buy one get one 50% off now

Pants & Purse: Marshalls

Shoes: Target

When Jeff and I finish the main bathroom, I'll post pictures of that for you guys. 

Oh, and when Jeff finishes building my window seat, I'll post pictures of it. 

It's handy having a handy husband :) 

Football Fun & An Etymological Lesson

So, this year marks my seventh as a teacher. Can you believe it? My students never believe that I'm 28, and they thought I was a student in the stands. I'll take that compliment for as long as it lasts. 

I know I shouldn't have a favorite student, but I do. One of my aides has been my student for three of his four years in high school! His freshman year was my first year at this school. Though I know nothing about sports, I ended up with a favorite student who happens to be a star athlete. Go figure. I promised to go to his senior football game, my first football game in my seven years of teaching. Heck, I haven't been to a football game since I was in high school and not teaching it. 

There is something about being a teacher and going to a football game that makes me feel like a celebrity. Luckily, my co-teacher, whom I like to call a unicorn because she is magical, attended and so did my intern last year. It was a little reunion and lots of fun.

This shot is the only one you get of my outfit, which was a nice casual day get up if I do say so myself. I wore:

• my white cardigan from Target
• my plaid button up (which one student said "looks like Easter") from Old Navy
• my bauble-like necklace from New York and Company (another student said he liked it)
• My jeans from Abercrombie (way old because I never shop there anymore; everything there has holes in it!)
• And my new shoes from DSW

Allow me to tell you what's not fun. It's not fun when you've been on your feet all day, realized your feet hurt in these shoes, and live too far from work to go home before the football game just to change shoes. So, I ended up at DSW, looking for a new pair of shoes. I landed on these because...
a.) they had no heel (who wears heels to a football game?)
b.) they could be worn without socks (don't you dare judge me)
c.) they left room for my pinky toes to breathe
d.) they did not cost an arm and a leg

Thank you, Converse, for soothing my aching feet. 

I still want the white ones I asked my mom to buy me for Christmas. 

Again, don't you dare judge me. 

Since I'm a teacher, I'd like to give you a little nugget of wisdom. Do you know the origination of the idiom "it costs an arm and a leg?" Well, allow me to inform you. Back in the day, before cameras existed (*GASP*), people hired painters to illustrate their likeness. Painters charged by the number of limbs they had to paint, so more limbs equaled more dinero for the person being painted. (That's why you see some pictures of people with their arm behind their back or something of that nature.) As a result, we now have the phrase, "It costs an arm and a leg," so it makes sense that the phrase means, "It costs a lot."  Now, I already knew this little story, but here is some confirmation from Snopes. I hope you enjoyed this little etymological lesson. 

Chambray, Stripes, and Plaid. OH MY!

Thoughtful Thursday

Well, last night, all ready to post a cute outfit for you, I pulled out my computer, and promptly fell asleep. My apologies. However, today's outfit was far cuter. Since I'm dubbing it thoughtful Thursday, I shall show you both outfits.

One of my students helps me file things and just brightens my day after school. Today, she introduced me to wanelo.com. DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! For me, this site is worse (and by worse, I mean more addictive) than Pinterest. It links to things you can buy and shows you what's trending for the day. You can save that item on a wishlist, a gift list, or another list of your creation. You can link right to the retailer's site and buy that item. How.freaking.awesome. And dangerous. Very, very dangerous. Since I'm being thoughtful, I've given the link to you so that your productivity may also come to a screeching halt. Don't say I didn't warn you. (Note: most of the items are extremely well priced!) Dangit, I just showed you that site and lost myself in it for twenty minutes. Good grief.

Today, my thoughtful husband stopped by my work on his way home, chatted with two of my students, and walked me out to my car :) I love it when he does that. I'm sure those kids will brag tomorrow about how they met him.

Meet yesterday's duds:

My face in this picture makes me laugh. It's my, "I'm trying to be mad at you for taking pictures so quickly that they're blurry" face.

My arms are a little awkward, but what are ya going to do?

Allow me to tell you that I would have worn flats with this outfit; however, my legs were tragically hairy, and sleep was more important than shaving. Come on, 5 a.m. is tough. Cut me some slack. Yeah, I could have worn pants, but that would have taken even longer to pick out.

Top: Marshalls

Sleeveless cardigan: So old that I can't remember

Skirt: Target (this summer)

Boots: Macy's (last winter)

Here is today's outfit:

We wanted a picture with the creepers in the background. 

I created a neologism. It goes like this: Hindsight (n): the realization your butt looks really good or the too-late realization that your pants/skirt/dress is too tight, sometimes both definitions are appropriate at one time. Today's is neologism brought to you by my hindsight.

Since I passed out on the couch last night, I did not pick out my outfit in advance. Here's what happens when I pick out my outfit in the morning: I stand, like a grunting troll, shoulders all slumped over, in the middle of my closet and grumble, "What do I wearrrrrr?" I spend ten minutes staring into the abyss. 

This morning, I said, "Self, snap out of it. Put on the chambray and khaki. Figure out the rest as you blow dry your hair." Genius moment in my sleepy stupor. I realized that I hated the chambray and khaki combination I put together, and the khaki pants just wouldn't go with the yellow sweater I was thinking about pairing with the shirt. I decided on these black pants. Unfortunately, I was running too late to change into a different pair of black pants. These pants hug my behind, but dangit, I've been working out, and my behind looks fine. Now you know the etymology of my neologism. (How do you like those fifty dollar words?) Also, my co-teacher informed me that I didn't look like I had a wedgie, so my pants were not too tight. Had I been drinking something, I would have spit it out at that moment. She's so funny. 

Where I found the pieces to my ensemble:

My pants and cardigan are OLD. Like really old. They're from our friend Express. 

(I almost donated this cardigan. Crazy, right?)

This chambray top from Old Navy is too short for my liking. Does anyone have a suggestion for one that fits well and is of an appropriate length? 

My plaid pants are Rock and Republic for Kohl's. 

My necklace was on clearance at Francesca's. 

Maybe I'll allow myself to pick out my clothes in the morning more often. Maybe. 

How to Make Printables :)

Look at what I learned how to do!

I made my very own printables :) 

I am thinking about adding this bad boy to my upstairs bathroom. 

I made this little beauty for my best friend who's getting married. Her last initial will be a J. Her first initial happens to be the same letter :) She likes coral and starfish, so I made this one for her.

So, would you like to know how I made these printables? Well then, continue reading.

Family Jeans

You know what the best thing about my outfit is? I got to see my Momma while I was wearing it :) She is simply the best Momma I could ever ask for. Yesterday, after we (including Jeff!) went for sushi, she stayed with me in the Home Depot while I picked out paint colors for my upstairs bathroom. She helped me pick out paint colors. Had she not been there, I would have closed the place down before I ended up deciding on colors. I'm pretty euphoric about the color choices :) Don't worry; I'll show pictures of my finished work. 

While we were at The Home Depot, we ran into people we had known since I was very, very small. However, because I was so small when we knew them, I couldn't remember exactly who they were, just that we knew them. I kept nudging mom, "We know them." She agreed, but couldn't place them officially. Finally, I went up to the wife and said, "I have a strange question for you. Do you know Jeremy __________[my brother]?" After about ten seconds, their faces registered recognition: "Ohhhh...you're his sister." The four of us had a nice little chat. See, sometimes it's okay to brave looking like a total nutjob. :) 

Click the link to see more pictures :)

Red, Red Wiiiiiiine

I would like to announce that "Red, Red Wine" was the first song I ever learned to "freak dance" to. One of my brother's girl friends (just a friend, not romantic) taught me in elementary school. Good times. Anyway, the title is completely relevant because my pants are wine colored. Woot woot.

I make an effort to pick out my outfits the night before. Otherwise, bleary eyed, confused, and uninspired, I stand in the middle of my closet looking for an outfit the morning of. I then spend ten precious minutes finding an outfit when I could have been hitting the snooze button two more times. When I stood in the middle of my closet this morning, I looked around for a neglected item of clothing. I found this pair of corduroys from last year.

First of all, they are wine colored, and "oxblood" is the IT color this season. Win. Second of all, I love corduroys. That sound they make when you walk too quickly amuses me more than it should. Probably not a good wardrobe choice on a day I was proctoring the PSAT and had to walk around students' desks as they silently tested. I'm laughing just thinking about how I tried to spread my legs apart as I walked so that I didn't distract them. John Wayne would have been proud.

Also, this blazer is awesomesauce. It's JEAN material. I love the fluff on this blouse, too. Indeed, I love every bit of this outfit. I noticed later in the day that I am channeling the fourth of July. Understated, yes?

Awkward feet. 

Everyone loves these shoes. That's what's up.

Crazy face.

Blazer: Old Navy

Blouse: NY & Co.

Belt: Target (current)

Pants: LOFT (last year, I think)

Flats: Target

So, the story goes like this: four of my boys in sixth period harass the ever living crap out of each other every day. Typically, this tomfoolery involves kicking each other under the table, throwing binders on the floor, or snapping each other's pencils in half. Amazingly, they're still super productive in class. Yesterday, one of these boys forgot his pencil, so I gave him my coveted Scooby Doo pencil. Later that class period, one of the boys at his table straight up snapped Scooby Doo in half. I yelped, "DID YOU JUST BREAK MY PENCIL IN HALF?!" Absolutely terrified, he looked at me and said, "I didn't know it was yours!" I repeated, "DID YOU JUST BREAK MY PENCIL IN HALF!? What is WRONG with you!?" 

Today, this note was waiting for me on my desk:

I love my job. 

"I'm wearing my picture day shirt."

I had a conversation with one of my male colleagues. It went something like this:

Me: "I really like your shirt."
Colleague: "You know what shirt this is?"
Me: "Mmm?"
Colleague: "This is my picture day shirt. I wear this shirt once a year every year, only on picture day. It makes my wife so angry! All of my pictures are the same every year because I wear the same shirt every time. Sometimes, I can't help myself and I wear it more than once a year."
I love this colleague, and what a genius idea. 

Today's outfit was undeniably comfortable. I'm also still in love with my hair. What a winning combination. 

Sleeveless cardigan: Gap

Braided brown belt: Francescas

Striped dress (which is actually long enough for work!): Old Navy

Tights: The black abyss under my bed

Boots: Franco Sarto (at Marshalls)

Can you believe it's only Tuesday? How did that happen? Where do I send my letter of complaint? 

Anyway, what's your favorite thing to wear on picture day? :) 

Living Room Art DIY

So, this is what the shelf above the TV stand looked like before I set forth on my artwork quest. 

Those are wedding pictures.

And then those pictures ended up above my kitchen cabinets. (The wall color is now different.)

                       

So, I needed something different. I wanted some art to pull together the color of my couches. I like stripes, so I went with that. Oh, and NO, I did not find any inspiration on Pinterest. This project came completely from my brain, and I feel pretty great about that. 

I bought some blue acrylic paint (30% off $1.99 at Michaels)...

Some black acrylic paint ($3.99 at Michaels) and a wooden letter ($3.99 at Michaels)...

Note: the letter was originally white, but I painted it black so that there'd be more contrast between the letter and the stripes.

Using painter's tape, which you can see in the above picture, I used the same method I used on my  bathroom walls. I bought this canvas at Michaels, too. My entire purchase was 20% off because I had a coupon. Woot woot. 

Using E-6000 (really potent adhesive at Michaels), I affixed the W to the canvas. 

I waited a few hours for it to dry. 

I rearranged some stuff, and this is where it stands now.  (Not sure how I feel about the "floating" candle on the left, but I'm too pooped to mess with it anymore.)

The photo on the right says, "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." Love it.

And here you can see the W and Snow White kicking ass.

And here's how Squirt feels about the whole ordeal.

Argyle and Sparkle

Saturday, I lucked out enough to visit my friend from high school, Kjersti, who was in from Texas. I cannot explain how much I miss that fun size Texan. And her little girl? She puts Shirley Temple to shame. Such a wonderful family.

You see, my upper body chills very easily, so I always layer as much as possible. This time, I tried giving some love to a blazer who frequently feels neglected. After wearing it all day, I don't know why I wear it so little! By the way, it's oooooolllllddd. 

Can I also say how much I love this blue/teal wall? It always makes me look prettier than I am in real life. You know what I mean?

"Sparkle is the New Black"

Too bad I'm not actually wearing the shoes that inspired one of my students to make this comment. I made a wardrobe change so that I'd be a little warmer for our double date to the movies, my first time to the movies in three years! (I'm not typically a fan of crowds.) We saw Pitch Perfect with Jeff's sister and her husband. What a great movie to break my hiatus from movie theater going! I laughed so hard; that Fat Amy girl needs to hurry up and friend me. 

Oh, and I'll be sure to wear my gold, sparkly shoes for another post! They're fabulous, just so you know. 

I told this same student that I have not yet been able to successfully jump on the pattern mixing bandwagon, but I'm just now realizing that this scarf is mixing patterns; I just so happen to love it. Maybe I'm taking baby steps. Plus, my best friend gave this scarf to me, so it's especially wonderful :) It also matches my bordeaux sweater from Gap last year. This sweater is so warm, well-fitting, and the right length. Go, Gap! I might have to make a trip there today :)

Sunglasses: Marshall's

Scarf: gift from my best friend :)

Sweater: Gap, last year

Coat: Old Navy (last year), I removed the belt

Skinny jeans: Express (at least a year ago)

Brown suede wedges: Aerosoles from Marshall's (also worn here)