Do not be deceived.

I wore this outfit on a much more spring-like day. Today, despite the sunshine, requires a sweatshirt and a jacket. The poor thermostats must all be suffering right now. I understand now why mercurial means what it means.

I have little with which to amuse you today; however, several things amused me today.

1. A student tried to fix the printer on our mobile computer lab cart. When the "fix" he tried based on a Google search did not work (twice), he grumbled, "This really grinds my gears." Ah, man, I am still chuckling.

2. One of my students wrote a vocabulary story about how she prohibited farting in her car once she got her license yesterday. Her younger brother said he was "going to blow," so she made him stick his butt out the window. I made them write these stories as comic strips, so the accompanying pictures made the tears that streamed down my face from laughter all the more inevitable.

3. When my sixth period was completely silent, my intern decided to pop a mini rice cake into his mouth. What he did not realize was that another rice cake had accidentally adhered itself to it, so he literally bit off more than he could chew...quietly. The look on his face as he realized that the crunching would be deafening in such a quiet room sent me into a fit of laughter, which I had to contain as quietly as possible, a nearly impossible feat for someone with a laugh as boisterous as mine.

 

Dress: Express (found it in clearance section for $20)

Vest: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Necklace: Old Navy

Sandals: Franco Sarto via TJ Maxx (honestly, Franco Sarto makes THE best sandals.)

Perfect for dressing rooms

Today, I think I figured out the perfect clothing to wear as I'm shopping: a tank, a swingy skirt, easy-to-remove sandals, and non-dangly jewelry. Typically, I find myself fighting with a top I have to keep pulling over my head, which results in a look akin to unsexy bedhead, so this tank worked perfectly to avoid such a situation. One, I can pull it off like a pair of pants. (Why pull a shirt over your head when you can avoid the whole "my hair now has tentacles" debacle?) Two, when I'm trying on sheer tops, I can wear it under them. Three, when it's sweltering outside, my top does not make me even warmer.

I texted Mom dressing room pictures, and she said, "that belt sure has made its rounds, hasn't it?" Yes, Mom, it has. Thanks for reminding me that I have no idea what I'll do the day this belt dies. And, thanks, Mom, for telling me we'll go on a "mad hunt" for a new one the day that this belt needs replacing. You're the best.

Trendy Tuesday has started up again this school year, so every week, all of the fashionistas and fashionistos in my school will be dressing based on a different theme each week. We'd love for you to join us! We Instagram our cuteness with the hashtag #trendytuesday. Tomorrow's theme is "Something someone gave to you." I plan to wear my elephant necklace and earrings from Momma because elephants make me happy and so does my Momma. (Yes, I realize how awesome my school is for participating in such awesomeness.)

The Look:

Vest: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Tank: Target

Skirt: LOFT 

Belt: New York & Co.

Sandals: Pink & Pepper via Marshall's

(I did not wearing this outfit to teach; we were off for Labor Day, so I wore it to shop. Of course.)

I sent this dressing room picture to Mom. We decided that this dress should come home with me. However, I realized I would get a better deal by buying it online through Ebates, so I came home and ordered it.  I feel like dresses with sleeves are hard to come by. Am I right?

Theme Week: Same Accessories, Different Outfit (Part 1)

Everyone else in blogland, especially Andi, has this theme week thing down. They particularly know how to give people notice about it. Luckily, I have no idea how to create my own link-up, nor do I trust my summer brain enough to figure out such a thing. As a result, I guess I didn't need to give anyone notice to join me? However, if you want to jump on the bandwagon this week, feel free to do so. I like company :) Or, if you like the idea enough to create another week based on the same theme and actually create a link-up, I'm down with that plan.

So, what's the theme I'm going with this week? The title explains it pretty well. I take the same accessories (this week, it's the same shoes and necklace) and style them differently every day of the week. The idea came to me this past weekend as Mom snapped my shots for the week. I realized that one of the necklaces and pairs of shoes would work well with almost every outfit that I brought to photograph! I'll tell you what: it made shooting a week's worth of outfits SO much easier. (Yes, in case you didn't already know. I need to look pretty only one day a week, the day Mom takes my pictures for the blog. Now, let it be known that I do wear these outfits! The hair might not look the same on the day I wear them, however.)

First of all, my co-teacher's 10-year-old daughter said to me, "I love your skirt. It's sort of like an optical illUUUUsion." Ah, from the mouths of babes. Also, this pin inspired this outfit (minus the fact that I wore different shoes. I liked the idea of wearing a sleeveless shirt with the sleeveless vest). 

 

The Look:

Tank: Target 

Vest: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's (same in two washes)

Skirt: New York & Co. (similar, thicker stripes)

Sandals: Franco Sarto (similar by Nine West)

Necklace: Old Navy (similar on Etsy, and another)

 

 In the following picture, I said, "I'm glaring at you because you made me frolick in the foliage."

 In this picture, Mom told me to hold onto a branch. Her directions befuddled me, so I looked at her skeptically.

And then some creature dive bombed me from the tree. I handled the situation with grace. 

 

Immediately after photographing this outfit, Mom laughed hysterically as I freaked out about a BIRD dive bombing me. Never a dull moment with me, folks. 

You've also seen the vest with stripes this way:

 

And the skirt works well in winter time:

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