I packed too much.

I'm just going to throw some outfits at you rapid fire. If you follow me on Instagram, then you've seen most of these pictures. However, Instagram's tiny pictures annoy me. I like seeing outfits and faces larger (not oh-my-gosh-that-magnifying-glass-showed-me-a-colony-forming-on-my-nose-hair kind of larger), so here are bigger versions for people as needy as I am.

Jeff and I went to Myrtle Beach with his parents because they have a time share. Our lovely little pooches enjoyed more than the pitiful balcony (and the degenerates living beneath it) our apartment has to offer because they stayed with Jeff's sister for the week. I'm surprised they came home with us after sunning for hours every day, making friends with their cousin dog Trixie, and snacking on cucumber treats.

Anyway, I mostly wore workout clothes and cover ups, but I did put on real clothes from time to time. Of course, I packed too many clothes. I wore maybe a third of what I brought. For shame, Danielle. For shame. 

 

Technically, I wore this outfit on the last day of school, but it channeled the beach so nicely that I decided to share the details with you.

 

The Look:

Top: Old Navy

Cardigan: Express (old)

Maxi skirt: New York & Co. (a year or two old)

Sandals: Franco Sarto

Necklace: Old Navy (which is becoming my favorite place to buy jewelry)

 

I just want to express my love of this crossbody bag to you. It was like $20 from Marshall's, and it's the bee's knees. So many pockets. So much awesomeness.

 

I own about three pairs of "flip flops," and they're all Reefs. (I did away with Old Navy flops because they offer zero support.) These are the most comfortable ones of the bunch. They went with me to the beach every day, and they have so much padding! 

The Look:

Shirt: Candie's via Kohl's

Shorts: Old Navy (I think they're the 5" length)

Sandals: Reef  

 Sunglasses: LOFT (they were a Christmas gift from Mom--I haven't accidentally sat on them and smashed them to bits yet. Hooray!)

One of Jeff's colleagues actually went to North Myrtle Beach the same week as us, so we met up with them for dinner. I decided to wear this. My legs were sweating from too much lotion. And heat. I thought I sweat through the dress for all to see. Luckily, I did not.

The Look:

Cardigan: The Limited (I love the gold buttons.)

Necklace: art fair find

Dress: Pim & Larkin via thredUP

 Sandals: Enzo Angiolini (they have a bit of a heel, which makes them so comfy!)

 

I think we were going to Wal Mart. For the billionth time. Why are Wal Marts in vacation spots not scary in comparison to all of the ones located near my actual place of residence?

The Look:

 Top: Old Navy

Shorts: H&M (SO OLD)

Sandals: Pink & Pepper via Marshall's (they also have a little heel to them--I found that I can no longer wear flat, flat shoes or my back hurts. Ah, old age.)

 

The forecast called for rain the night that I wore this to dinner with Jeff and his parents. Let me tell you. I chose the right hair style for the occasion. Really, by the end of the trip, my hair continued to look like this. I decided to take a vacation from doing my hair, too. 

The Look:

Shirt: SO via Kohl's

Skirt: LOFT (got it at the Tanger Outlets in Myrtle for $20--I bought its purple sister, too.)

Sandals: Pink & Pepper via Marshall's

 

As you can see, I no longer look like a vampire. Granted, everyone around me turns this red-brown color when they tan. I, on the other hand, turn olive, which one would assume would be my husband's shade. Nope. I tan slowly, but it stays forever. I'll have a Coppertone butt in December. Weird. 

The Look: 

Shirt: Target

Skirt: LOFT Outlet (got it with the teal one in the previous picture--$20 for the perfect maxi? Yes, please.)

Necklace: Old Navy

 

This outfit held up SO well in the 8-hour car ride. That never happens. Let's see if I remember this awesomeness come August when we depart for Vegas in order to celebrate my 30th birthday. 

The Look:

Maxi Dress: Old Navy

Shirt: LOFT Outlet (it has birds on it, and I love it so very much.)

Sandals: Franco Sarto

Yes, it would appear that my favorite things to wear were things I bought on vacation. Happily, all of the items matched perfectly with things I brought with me. I win.

 

I leave you with this. 

Check ya later, home skillets.

I wore this outfit last week, and one of my students told me that I looked like a candy cane. Thanks, kid. When you wear red stripes and any hint of blue you either run the risk of looking like a candy cane or an American flag. Thank you, candy canes, for ruining red and white stripes. Thank you, Halloween, for ruining black and orange. Thank you, Christmas, for ruining red and green. Thank you, bumble bees, for ruining black and yellow (Wiz Khalifa did a pretty great job of ruining those colors, too.) You know what? I wear all of these color combinations anyway. Whatever.

For the record, it'll be very quiet on the blog next week because I am taking my first week-long vacation in forever. (Even our honeymoon didn't last a full week.) We're heading to Myrtle Beach on Sunday morning, and, boy, are these pasty legs excited for some sunshine. As a result, I won't be posting on here, but go find me on Instagram. Instead, I'll be hanging out with Jeff and his parents because we're all going together. It'll be a loooong drive with a husband who loves to play the "how obnoxious can I be in a cramped space?" game. He wins every time. I may return to Maryland one Italian lighter.

Catch ya on the flip side, home skillets. (Juno, anyone?)

The Look:

Shirt: The Limited

Skirt: LOFT

Shoes: J.Crew Factory (best wedges EVER.)

Cardigan: New York & Co.

Starfish necklace: Boutique

Victory Naps & Disgusting Dressing Rooms

Yesterday, I came home from work and finished grading 18 essays (comments included!) in two and a half hours. In the 90 degree heat, I took a victory nap while wearing long sleeves, pants, and fuzzy slippers. No, I did not break a sweat, but I think I ate a bug, which rudely disrupted my slumber. (Well, that and one of my dogs kept coming over to me and licking my face while I slept.) If my body decided to continue adjusting so well to the heat, I would be wholly grateful. I would think this experience a fluke if not for the fact that my classroom has been so warm that a student nearly vomited from heat exhaustion and everyone is complaining about the heat. Everyone except for me. So, yeah, body, if you could continue to cooperate in such a pleasant, unexpected way, I will forgive you for being uncooperative in many other ways.

Speaking of heat, what better way to beat the heat than in this perfect striped dress? It's got sleeves! (I am beginning to value this quality as much as pockets.) Also, I decided that a denim vest is the perfect complement to an outfit worn in the heat. I searched for a vest for awhile, but all of them gape in the armpits, a problem I have with so many sleeveless items. Who has big armpits!? I am befuddled. Anyway, I peeped this beauty in Kohl's when Mom and I went in bearing a 30% off coupon and some Kohl's credit. Thanks, Lauren Conrad, this vest fits just right, and it came home with the dress. Look at what a perfect pair they are. Sure, I had to enter a dressing room after a weird, smelly couple exited it. And I had to try on the vest and dress while standing in the middle of the funk cloud they left behind them. It was worth it. (Don't worry, as they exited the dressing room together, I remarked quite loudly that, "You're effing [I said the actual word] disgusting. Yes, you." Don't do stupid or disgusting things, and the bubble above my head won't pop.)

The Look:

Dress: Peter Som for Kohl's

Vest: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Shoes: Converse via DSW

Necklace (it's a sailboat): booth at an art fair

A Letter to My Students

I told you last week (or was it Monday?) that I wrote a letter to my AP classes this year and individual notes to each student, which I stapled to the back of the general letter. For the past 8 years of my teaching career, I have wanted to write notes to all of my students. This year, I finally did it. (I couldn't write to all of my sophomores, but I decided that was okay. Baby steps.) Could I have spent that time grading essays? Absolutely. Was this a better use of my time? You bet it was. You see, this year was my first year teaching AP, and the thought of it scared the--excuse my pig Latin for a moment--shit out of me. However, they proved all of my fears wrong. I loved teaching them so much that I actually feel a little emotional about sending them off to 12th grade. Anyway, I thought I'd share the letter that I wrote to the classes as a whole. If you don't mind. Here goes.

My Dearest AP students,

When my department head told me that I would have to teach AP this year, I feared for my life. Okay, maybe my feelings carried much less drama, but I worried about whether or not I would do right by all of you. After all, freshmen and sophomores have consumed my life for eight years; my brain could be in a state of Swiss cheese emergency. Truthfully, I also worried I wouldn’t like you because you’d be smarter than I am and act like it. (With more than a shred of acceptance, I can say that some of you are, but I find you far too endearing to dislike you for your intelligence.) Yes, teaching AP for the first time is just as scary as taking AP for the first time. Maybe more so. What if I failed you? What if we didn’t get along? What if you didn’t appreciate my—how do I phrase this?—eccentric sense of humor? (Did you catch my anaphora there?)

I know I am an English teacher, but the words to express how much I’ve loved teaching you this year stick in my throat. Allow me to try. Every one of you has surprised me in the best ways. Just when I think you cannot impress me anymore than you already have, you leave me wondering such things as, “Did that just happen (in a good way, not an I-have-to-write-a-referral-for-that-don’t-I? kind of way)? Did that student really slather himself in mud to play the role of Pap? Did that male student really don a wig and speak in a high-pitched voice in order to play a female role? Did those students just hold a discussion in Parliamentary fashion, clapping included? Did those students just devise a creative solution for increasing their learning while decreasing my workload? Did a student actually draw that masterpiece (and not some horribly inappropriate doodle on a desk)? Did a student really bring in a praying mantis for me? Did I really just read those beautiful words in a teenager’s essay?” Every single one of you fills me with pride.

I recognize how arduous this year has been for most of you, and thank you for taking this journey with me. Hopefully, you feel that taking the AP Language and Composition plunge was worth every all nighter, every moment of intense frustration, every dreaded AP essay, every blasted Scarlet Letter quiz, every group project, and every laborious annotating assignment. Hopefully, you feel as if you learned more than you expected to this year. Hopefully, you feel proud of yourselves and recognize how much you evolved academically. Some of you mastered argument techniques, others persevered in the public speaking arena, others improved every AP essay score by at least one point, and others learned how to manage their time effectively. All of you improved. All of you make me proud. All of you made my eighth year of teaching my best year of teaching.

My mom tells me that I “popped out of the womb wanting to teach,” but sometimes I wonder if all of this passion for what I do leads to making a difference. It is you who has made a difference in my life. So, thank you for reminding me why I went from teaching a bedroom full of lifeless stuffed animals to a classroom full of living, breathing, spirited students.

Thank you, all of you,

Ms. Wo

Yeah, so, I just reread my letter and teared up. Crikey, am I a sap or what? I tell you what. As crazy as teenagers might drive me sometimes, I love what I do. No, I do not like the bureaucratic educational system, nor do I like the negative light our country currently casts on teachers as a whole. However, I do not teach for those people. It is those crazy, wonderful, impulsive, creative children who inspire me. I shouldn't have to explain myself to anyone other than those kids. After all, they're the only reason I return every single day. 

On that note, let's not-so-successfully transition to some pictures of what I wear. Hooray! Feel free to judge me for showing you two outfits in a row that feature these sandals. I'm not sorry. (Focus on how much you enjoy this color combination. It's like summer with a hint of fall. And the shade makes my legs look a little less pasty. Thanks, shade.)

The Look:

Dress: Pim & Larkin via thredUP

Cardigan: New York & Co.

Sandals: Franco Sarto via Marshall's

Necklace: Target

What to wear when it's hot, but you don't want to look like a hot mess.

How's that for a verbose title? Anyway, this week's edition of "What to wear when it's hot, but you don't want to look like a hot mess" features two tips: not-your-standard cuts and unexpected prints. Could I have worn a white shirt with regular pink shorts? Absolutely. However, I like to add a bit of visual interest when I can. (I'm a big believer in "wear at least one statement piece a day so that it revs up the entire outfit's awesomeness.") I love these shorts from LOFT that I bought last year; my favorite feature is that they're not your typical stripes. They've got a bit of a tribal feel to them, no? Plus, the color combination (white, navy, orange, and pink) makes them so much more versatile than you'd give them credit for in the store.

I wanted to pair the shorts with something a bit unexpected (i.e. not my usual white tee from Target), so I opted for this white peplum with a fun zipper detail. When I unpacked more of my shoes from last year (I wasn't sure if the weather would actually let me have spring/summer, so I hadn't switched my shoes over completely), I found these orange sandals that I forgot existed. How insane of me, right?

Yesterday, I paired yellow with this same shade of pink. Today, I opted for orange thanks to the color combination of the shorts. Look, Mom, I can get dressed without Pinterest! Actually, I haven't really been on Pinterest for maybe two months? (Just the periodic "I'm bored while blow drying my hair" moments.) I can actually dress myself now. Can you believe it? I never thought the day would come that I wouldn't rely on Pinterest at least twice a week to dress myself.

P.S. Can the World Cup please end? I want to watch my Game of Thrones finale, but EVERYTHING I want to watch takes the backseat to a bunch of dudes skittering around a plot of grass. However, a few notes: one, futbol players are so much hotter than football players (I could stare at the Italians forever); two, it's only every four years; three, my husband does not watch football, so I can be sort of okay with soccer; five, I actually understand soccer for the most part. I feel like football stops so many times for random things (and stops for what feels like forever), and I never understand why it's stopped. If I have to struggle THAT hard to understand something someone else is doing, I can't scrounge up a shred of care. Soccer, on the other hand, is just two 45 minute halves with some injury time tacked on the end. When someone fouls someone else, they get to kick toward the goal or throw the ball in from the sideline. No crazy plays (except for some awesome head butting and scissor kicking of the ball) and no never-ending time outs. I guess it's not that bad, but shhh, don't tell my husband.

The look:

Top: New York & Co.

Shorts: LOFT

Shoes: Franco Sarto (LOVE HIS SHOES) via Marshall's

Necklace: Old Navy

Unexpected Inspiration: Hair & Toes

At first, I considered not writing a post about the outfit that I already posted on Instagram this morning, and then I realized how often I see outfies (outfit selfies, it'll eventually catch on) that I wish I could see as something other than an itty, bitty Instagram shot. Had I not loved today's outfit so much, I would've left you to your own Insta-devices, but this color combination and print have me rather smitten. Plus, maybe, like me, you want to see larger shots of Instagram outfies. 

Let's talk about that post title up there for a moment. This morning, I did not want to shower. (Oh, please, don't act like you shower every day. I will wash my feet before yoga tonight; don't worry.) First, I washed my face, which required this headband because my bangs do this let's-play-octopus-tentacles thing. I decided that my hair looked halfway decent pulled back and strapped in with this headband, so I began to hunt for something in my closet that went with it. (My head is oddly shaped, so headbands usually fly off my head within five minutes. Since my brain cooperated with me this morning, I thought of a genius idea: bobby pin the bottom of the headband to my hair. IT WORKED. Where has this brilliance been all of my life?) Anyway, enter Maxi Dress Monday, the best idea if I ever did hear of one (better than a bobby pin strapping a headband to my head). This dress has been taunting me for awhile now, and I finally gave in to it. It's pretty perfect with the headband, no?

Originally, I threw on a white cardigan because the dress would otherwise be inappropriate for work. And then I looked at my feet. I realized that the lovely pink color I painted on my toes yesterday served as a fun pairing with the yellow. "Aha!" I said to myself. "Let's put on the pink cardigan." I knew I made a good choice when my husband declared how much he liked my "sundress" (we'll let him have it--God love him for trying), a colleague called me a "Grecian goddess," and my co-teacher commented, "I never would've thought to put those colors together, but I love it." All before 7:30 in the morning. Way to make a girl who didn't shower this morning feel awesome about her hygienic neglect. 

Riddle me this: what are some of the odd places you've found sartorial inspiration?

The Look:

Sandals: Enzo Angiolini via Marshall's

Cardigan: Banana Republic via thredUP

Dress: LOFT outlet (last year for $20!)

Necklace: Boutique 

Headband: Walmart

Earrings: Old Navy

The nail polish is from my aunt, and it's by Ulta. My Mom loved it so much that she found an Essie look-alike called bachelorette bash (I think that was the name). 

Wish me luck on my cleanse.

I found my perfect floral shirt. Aren't the colors so vibrant and lovely? You're seeing it for the first time here even though I've had it for almost a month. Also, you're seeing proof as to why I should wear sunglasses for all daytime pictures. What's up, squinty? 

The end of the school year is winding down quite nicely. My sophomores' speeches are hysterical. On purpose. My juniors' debates started out swimmingly. Their progress this year astonishes me. I just finished writing a letter to my AP classes, which I may share with you next week. (I am almost finished writing a personal note to each student in those classes.) Should I finish writing my exams first? Probably. Whatever. It'll all get done on time. Fear not. 

You know what's weird? Being thin and telling people you're going on a cleanse. I don't think that most people understand cleanses serve greater purposes than losing weight. Like recovering from three months of antibiotics and trying to force your system into recovery. I'm essentially trying to hit the restart button on my body. Every damn time I take antibiotics, I get thrush/some crazy yeast overgrowth. What feeds yeast? Sugar. And carbs that turn into sugar if not burned off quickly enough. Now, without a gall bladder, I cannot survive on juice cleanses. My system would revolt and shut down. We can't have that. So, for three days, I shall be eating just vegetables, steamed or raw. Luckily, I've never met a vegetable I didn't like. Wish me luck. I'll probably want a handful of strawberries by lunchtime tomorrow. Who am I kidding? I'll want them by breakfast. 

The Look:

Shirt: The Limited

Cardigan: Target

Jeans: American Eagle

Sandals: Franco Sarto

Earrings: Francesca's

Every one an outtake.

My face looks ridiculous in every picture featuring this outfit, but here I am just hanging out in my shoe-inspired outfit. Showing you what I've got. Last week, I struggled to think of a Saturday--or was it Sunday?--outfit. I then decided on choosing a pair of shoes as the focal point. Luckily, these wedges snuck their way out of storage recently. The pattern and colors entice me, but these wedges are not made for walking long hours. Essentially, they serve as let's-go-on-a-short-date shoes, not let's-walk-in-them-all-over-creation-in-them shoes. Anyway, don't you just love having a piece in your closet that helps you choose the rest of your outfit? Honestly, I might not have thought to pair these colors (orange, red, white, and brown) without the help of these wedges. 

Originally, the sleeveless sweater was not a part of this look; however, I think it adds a bit of dimension and contrast, no?

Lordy, my legs are pasty. Don't stare too long. If someone smacks you in the back of your head, the image will forever be imprinted on your retinas.

The Look:

Sleeveless cardigan: Gap Outlet

Shorts: Old Navy (they're the 3" ones, not the 5")

Shirt: White House Black Market 

Wedges: Rocket Dog via DSW 

Necklace: Old Navy

Most of these items are pretty old, but I found other ways that I've worn the shirt:

And the sleeveless cardigan:

The necklace is relatively recent, so I have two looks featuring it:

Cover the mess. Don't worry about cleaning it.

These sandals don't match my skirt like they thought I would, and I didn't realize it until I saw them in pictures. Fear not. I opted for brown ones instead. Even though these are supremely comfortable. I almost presented you with pictures that showed no trace of my ill-matched sandals, but we're about full transparency on this blog.

Or are we?

The thing about this skirt is that it used to be a maxi dress, but the top half was an awkwardly cut halter. I loved the print, so I decided to grab some elastic and sew in a waistband. I made a terrible mess of things (we're talking seriously hideous seaming) and felt no desire to fix my mistakes. Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to wear a belt with the skirt anyway, which means I covered up the hot mess of a waistband. Problem solved. No one but you, me, and the internet know this secret. I guess the belt knows, too. If belts could know things.

And now you know that posting pictures of your outfits on the internet is about covering up the messes (such as poorly sewn waistbands), not cleaning them up (unless you consider the sandals a failed cover up). I'm not even sure my words are words anymore.

Feel free to distract yourself with the pretty print of my maxi dress turned skirt.

The Look:

Skirt: used to be a dress from Kohl's--no idea which brand

Poorly Hidden Sandals: Franco Sarto via TJ Maxx

Shirt: Target (my very favorite tees!)

Necklace: Sonoma via Kohl's (I bought the necklace stacked. It's only one, not two.)

Outfies? Can they be a thing?

Today, you receive crappy iPhone pictures. Some ladies have mastered the art of outfies (do you think I can make that word happen? It's like selfie meets outfit: outfies. Or is it like fetch from Mean Girls; I can't make it happen?) with the iPhone, but I have not. I want to blame it on the terrible apartment lighting, to which the let's-paint-the-walls-ceilings-and-baseboards-all-the-same-color room certainly contributes. Anyway, do you ever love an outfit so much that it must be memorialized in any way possible, no matter how grainy and terrible the photo quality is? Today's outfit might seem like nothing spectacular, but it scored me many compliments. Plus, I felt great wearing it, and who doesn't want to applaud an outfit like that? (Answer: anyone who does not openly and frequently post pictures of him or herself online.)

There's nothing a great scarf, comfortable heels, and a perfectly fitting dress cannot tackle.  Am I right?

Also, if you haven't voted yet for my student, please go here and vote for her to become a style blogger to watch for Teen Vogue! 

The Look:

Scarf: Target (last year)

Earrings: Francesca's (recent)

Dress: J.Crew Factory (I got it during a 50% off promotion. It's a comfortable dress with sleeves. Even though I'm not Catholic, I attend a lot of Catholic-type functions, so I love me a dress with sleeves. I believe in respecting the religious building I stand inside, and I know you technically shouldn't have bare shoulders in a Catholic church.)

Shoes: J.Crew Factory Sylvia wedges (which might be the best shoe purchase I've ever made...no lie...and they were 50% off)

Positivity about the end of the school year?

I really need to get better about posing more attractively. And actually opening my eyes. Or just wearing sunglasses. Clearly, my vampiric eyeballs cannot withstand even a fraction of sunlight without turning into slits. 

Since I'm a teacher whose school year doesn't end until June 20th, most people have been asking me if I cannot wait for the school year to end. Honestly, if I've learned anything after 8 years of teaching, it's that you have to be realistic and understand that kids are kids. Keeping this bit of knowledge in my brain means I find more joy at the end of the year now than I did several years ago. Of course they're stir crazy, so are all of the teachers; I can't blame them! Anyway, instead of forcing students to bust their tails as hard as I've made them work all year, I'm scaling back a bit and asking them to apply all of the skills that they've learned by doing fun things (speeches about pet peeves and debates--teenagers love to argue; who knew?). 

Plus, I'm really trying to soak up this last bit of time with them before they move on to a new set of teachers, so my goal has become to know them, as people, even better. I am taking time to sit with them at their tables and chat with them about their assignments and lives. I feel like we teachers spend so much time focusing on content that we forget we're dealing with human beings, not automatons. (Well, I forget.) As teachers, we keep thinking about the agenda we have to fulfill by a certain date, so we forget to take time to learn our students, which is often the most important learning that can take place in a classroom.

 Today, 22 kids were absent from my 4th period because they were helping with 8th grade visitation. (Incoming freshmen come to visit the school during the school day.) Since only 7 of us were in the room, I spent the period talking with my students about different fruits I should try, becoming a master falconer (it's a thing, and it's cool), and insects. One of my students taught me about different kinds of praying mantises. (This one is my favorite. It looks like a Transformer!) This same student also breeds them (it's NOT illegal to have them, for the record) and gave one to me. His name is Archimedes, and he's our class pet. The boys love feeding him and watching him devour fruit flies! 

Anyway, though some of my students drive me mad at the end of the year, I am trying to enjoy their company as much as I can before they're someone else's students instead of mine. Granted, even when they leave our classrooms, are our students ever not our students? Hopefully, my fellow teachers are enjoying these last few weeks of school. 

The Look:

Cardigan: New York & Co.

Shirt: Target

Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Converse via DSW

Earrings: Francesca's

Here's the skirt in cold weather:

Pardon my face.

Although this outfit screams comfortable and cute, every single picture's ridiculousness pays it no justice. Oops. Sorry about my face. And my antics.

I wore this outfit a week or two ago. Today, another teacher and I are playing twinsies. (Don't worry; I'll show you pictures of that cuteness in the future.) We both have the same Lauren Conrad blouse; mine is coral, and hers is white. Since we're class sponsors for the incoming freshmen, we have to speak with them during the assembly when they visit the school tomorrow. My colleague and I plan to be the most dynamic of all the dynamic duos. As such, we must dress the part. We are wearing our matching blouses, dark skinny jeans, and leopard print shoes. Matching class sponsors? It gets no cooler, folks.

By the way, I keep seeing fellow teacher bloggers post about being out of school. Guess when school ends for us? June 20th. Hooray. Student projects for the win. By the end of the year, I want them to learn, but I am a realist. I know full well that I cannot lecture/do a song and dance/stand on my head. Instead, I must make them do it. That's why my sophomores are writing and delivering speeches or parodies, and my juniors are engaging in a rousing debate. Let's see what these kiddies learned.

Speaking of kiddies, if you haven't already voted for my student to become a blogger to watch for Teen Vogue, vote for her here by clicking on the heart in the upper left of the picture. I'd love to see such a deserving teenager win! (She writes really well, which I think is a dying art in the let-me-post-my-thoughts-online world. Thanks for that, autocorrect and spell check.)

The Look:

Cardigan: Express (it's actually the blue version of yesterday's yellow version)

Shirt: Banana Republic (I want more like it, but it's old. I love that it's short sleeved!)

Jeans: The Limited

Shoes: J.Crew Factory  

Earrings: Francesca's

Look at the octopus hair! WEEEEEEE!

(Also, I wanted to show you a close up of my new earrings.)

Help out my student because you have a heart.

I do my best to provide you with a title catchy enough that'll lure you here, sometimes under false pretenses. Okay. Maybe not. But it's fun to sound a little dangerous like a man-hating Lifetime movie by saying "under false pretenses." Anyway, let's move on from my creepiness and talk about how you can help out one of my students. (Originally, I was going to write "let's move on from my creepiness and talk about one of my students." I then realized that actually heightened the creepiness.)

Seriously. Move on, Wo.

One of my juniors has a style blog, and gave it the cutest name, too. You'll have to check out her blog to see what I mean. Anyway, she entered a Teen Vogue contest to score a "blogger to watch" feature, and it would be super dee duper if you voted for her! Go here and vote for her by clicking on the heart in the upper left corner of the picture. (You have to hover over the corner in order for the heart to appear.) To see the blog post she entered and read about KFC's chicken corsage (it's a thing), go here. Also, her about me section will melt your heart with its sweetness. (I'm not just saying that because I'm biased as her English teacher.)

Speaking of teaching, I had a slip of the tongue during first period today. I meant to tell my sophomores that they should spitball ideas with the people at their table. Instead, I told them to freeball it. Not at all the same thing. Luckily, they were too clueless, tired, or embarrassed to acknowledge the blunder.

The Look: 

Shirt: Old Navy

Cardigan: Express (OLD)

Skirt: LOFT via thredUP

Shoes: J.Crew Factory

Necklace: The Limited 

pardon my wrinkles.

Linking up with

* Shanna (http://becauseshannasaidso.blogspot.com) 

* Pleated Poppy (www.thepleatedpoppy.com/blog) 

I also wore the floral shirt this way:

And the cardigan this way...

Oh, and this way...

(The skirt is pretty new, so it hasn't been worn more than once. However, I love the fit AND the pockets, so you'll see it again.)