Currently on the bandwagon

Okay, okay, all of you ladies (most recently, I'm looking at you, Heidi) and your "currently" posts enticed me to write one of my own. Plus, if you want full disclosure, then I must admit I have nothing better for you unless you want to hear about how the fan in my classroom almost exposed my unmentionables to my fifth period. Thankfully, the front row did not become the flash zone (not so fun like Sea World's splash zone). Oh, the things for which education classes never prepared me.

Anyway, here I am currently...

wearing: as many skirts as possible in order to combat the heat wave hovering over my classroom.

writing: lesson plans, HTML code for graduate class, Edmodo posts, and to-do lists (just for the purpose of crossing things off of it). In case your mind has wandered to the question, "why is she writing HTML code for her graduate class?" allow me to inform you that my graduate program is Technology Education. Thank you, blogging, I felt ahead of the game when the professor showed us how to code.

anticipating: settlement on our house! Two weddings in the next month! My niece's second birthday party! My friend's baby to arrive! Back to School Night (tonight)! September is full of fun stuff. Life, you rock. Thanks for that.

missing: yoga. Excuse me while I attempt to navigate school, graduate work, and exciting life events. Yoga, I have not forgotten about you and neither have my hamstrings. I think they miss you more than I do.

craving: anything edible because those pop chips have not successfully sustained me before dinner time. Husband, get to cookin'. I'm hangry.

watching: Finding Carter, The Lottery, and Flipping the Block. I do not want any of these shows to end. Can't.stop.watching. Should I fill my day with more productive fodder? Yes, yes, I should.

One day, I will return to the beautiful pictures of yore. Until then, proceed with pathetic mirror pictures. I hope you come here for my personality.

 The Look:

Top: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Cardigan: New York & Co.

Skirt: Francesca's

Shoes: J.Crew Factory

Teacher Style: The Floral Tee

I realized during this teacher style series of no end that I have several shirts capable of matching just about anything in my closet. I decided I might show you some of the top contenders (see what I did there?) and compile all of the looks featuring each one. Today, let's start with the floral tee. Why? Well, it's the perfect shirt to take you from summer to fall. If I do say so myself.

Anyway, while Jeff and I celebrate my 30th year on the planet in Vegas this week, enjoy my shirt collages.

Floral Top: Old Navy 

(similar)

 

I chose a cardigan for all of the following looks except for one, but know that a blazer would work just as well for cooler days. To change up the look, I just played with color pairings, heel heights, and bottom types (flowy versus structured skirt and skinny pant leg versus straight leg). It's amazing how different one article of clothing can look just based on the outfit in which you put it.

 

Teacher Style: Gray Pants Inspiration

Excuse the crummy iPhone pictures that chop off my face. However, when I asked Mom to take my pictures for this week's posts, it was so blasted hot that we made it through two pairs of pants before copious amounts of inner thigh sweat just made my pants slide right off again. Okay, not really, but it was uncomfortable playing musical outfits. As a result, you must deal with the following images and their lackluster quality. Maybe the outfits make up for it? Sure, let's go with that logic.

Anyway, I bring to you my gray work pants that I love so very much, and they sat on my "wish list" for a long time before I finally found a suitable pair. Momma says the shade of these pants makes every outfit "pop." Yes, Momma, you are right as usual.

 Pants: The Limited (exact stretch)

Options: darker gray option from The Limited

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Look 1: colored cardigan + printed blouse + metallic flats
Yeah, it's this floral blouse again. Feel free to get sick of it. 

(Cardigan: NY&Co. / Top: The Limited / Belt: The Limited / Shoes: Audrey Brooke via DSW)

Look 2: printed cardigan + colored blouse + neutral shoes
Polka dots make everything better. So does this fuchsia shirt. (It took an embarrassingly long time for me to commit the spelling of that color to my long-term memory.) 

(Cardigan: gift from my sister-in-law / Top: The Limited / Necklace: NY&Co. / Belt: Express / Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

Look 3: colored cardigan + printed blouse
I love the color of this cardigan, and it almost made its way to the donation pile. That would have been a terrible, terrible mistake. 

(Cardigan: Express / Blouse: WHBM / Shoes: J.Crew Factory)

 Look 4: colored cardigan + printed tee + colored flats
Don't these colors make you happy? Or, are you sick of seeing my yellow and pink color combination? Eventually, you will want to pair them as well. Also, for the reader who asked me about bringing summer tees into fall, I've created this look for you.

(Cardigan: Express / Top & Necklace: Old Navy / Flats: Merona via Target)

Look 5: lace top + tassel necklace + colored heels
I decided to go neutral for one of the outfits. However, the lace of the shirt gives the look a bit of visual interest, no? 

(Top: Old Navy / Necklace: NY&Co. / Shoes: Dana Buchman via Kohl's / Belt: Express)

Look 6: neutral shirt + pendant necklace + colored flats
This peplum top is so pretty, which means it's no surprise that Momma got it for me. 

(Top: LOFT / Necklace: Old Navy / Flats: Merona via Target)

Okay, which outfit is your favorite? How do you wear your gray pants? I love gray with blush/any pink as well. It might be my favorite neutral.

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

Looking Lucky in Pastels

I love this skirt so much more than I should for a skirt that cost so little (less than $20 coming from somewhere far beyond the big pond) and was "one size fits all." It appears my parents' puppy, Rudy, loves this skirt as much as I do. As soon as I walked outside wearing it, he skittered around my legs and just sat. Ready for his close up. If I could just buy a home with lots of land and manage a dog kennel, I think life would be complete. If I didn't work with teenagers, I'd work with pups. Sometimes, they're pretty much the same thing. (Or smell the same.)

So, I fly out to Dallas on Monday morning. I cannot settle on what to wear. So far, I know we're going to dinner at a really nice restaurant, I have to be on a plane, and I don't know what else. What is Dallas like this time of year? Someone pack my bags for me. I'm at a loss.

Oh, and today is my last day participating in the April Challenge. I wanted to have another look featuring pastels so that I didn't shirk my "give each theme a new post" responsibilities. Plus, I presented myself another opportunity to wear this skirt, and that's always a good thing. I just realized that this look includes so many accidental trends: floral, brights, midi skirt, and pastels. Aren't those just spring things? I think so. Can pasty legs be a new trend? That'd be great.

The Look:

Shirt: Old Navy (exact)

Cardigan: Banana Republic via thredUP -- similar from Target with scalloped edges!

Skirt: some obscure company on Amazon (find a shorter version on Top Shop for $30)

Heels: Naturalizer (SO comfortable!) -- similar by Madden Girl

Belt: New York & Co. (I love their belts.) 

Mom and Dad gave Rudy and his brother, Sammy, hair cuts. As a result, you can see Rudy's eyes much better, and he's a billion times cuter, which I didn't even know was possible. Seriously though, look at those eyeballs. Adorable doesn't even begin to cover it. 

This picture kills me. He tried crawling up my legs at one point. This point, in fact.

Almost every picture is of me laughing like this.

This pup is Sammy, and I love those ears. He wasn't infatuated with my outfit, but he loves sitting on laps. 

Linking up with

* Trend Spin Link Up (http://www.walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com) 

* Style Sessions (http://stylelixir.com)

Casual Friday

I found a silver lining in the blistering cold of today. Since the whipping wind forced me to put on thick gloves and several layers, I had some protection for the epic fall I took on the pavement outside of Target. It's no secret that I possess very little grace. I trip over everything, and I choke on air. Today, as I scurried to escape the cold, much like Piglet of Winnie the Pooh tries to avoid the blustery day, I tripped over a bump in the sidewalk and went flying into the pavement. Thanks to Mom and Dad, I knew to put my hands out (instead of my face) to break my fall. I hit the ground and slid ever so not gracefully. I hit so forcefully that I broke the box of the shoes I was returning, destroyed my left shoe, ended up with rocks embedded in my jacket, and tore a hole in my glove. A kind man driving by (it was surprisingly and thankfully not busy) STOPPED his car and was all ready to get out and help me when I popped up, declaring, "I'm okay." (My ego, on the other hand, was a different story. And so was my knee. And the shoe box. And my shoe.) So, the silver lining is that all of the layers I had piled on reduced the damage. As my Dad said, "Good thing you weren't wearing a skirt. And now you can get a new pair of shoes like the boots you just got." Dad knows me all too well.

As a heating pad soothes my back and a bag of corn reduces the swelling in my knee, all I can do is laugh at myself. I mean, really, does my ridiculousness ever end? Nope. I did, however, get a new pair of flats out of the ordeal. I like them better than the ones I was wearing, so there's that...

(And my husband just texted me to say that he's helping at the scene of an accident. Good to know he's a kind Samaritan like the man who stopped to help me at Target.)

 

The Look:

 Cardigan: Target (HA.) Here is the exact one.

Shirt: Old Navy--similar for $6.40

Belt: Francesca's--similar

Jeans: The Limited--similar from The Limited

Boots: Ralph Lauren via DSW (got them for $100 down from $250!)--similar

Scarf: gift from my 11-year-old niece...girl's got style :) --  similar

 

I went into DSW for sneakers and walked out with boots. My priorities are in line, folks.

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Linking up with

Favorite Fashion Friday

and

Fab Friday

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Google+, you make me vertiginous. (And I rhymed.)

I hunted for a long time to find the "perfect" floral skirt, which is why I paid full price ($36) when I found this one at Francesca's. I am in love with the colors, the length does not make me feel like a hoochie at work, and I think it works perfectly for colder months (thank you, navy background) and warmer months (hello, brightly colored flowers). Of course, this skirt screams "WEAR ME!" so loudly and proudly that I would pay no mind to the season. Just give me my tights. 

Yes, I wore these booties again. Can you blame a girl? Well, you could, but I would ignore you.

Is anyone else beginning to resent her boots? I look at those little buttholes (WHY does autocorrect keep trying to turn that word into "buttonholes?!") and think, "Sure, you're pretty, but I'm getting sick of your faces. I miss my flats. I miss my feet. I haven't painted my toes in months because if I am going to waste my time, it will be spent filling three online shopping carts at once without buying anything. It will not be spent painting my toes that never see the light of day. 

As I look at these pictures, I realize I should have worn a scarf or a necklace. Meh, whatever. Let's allow the skirt to do the talking. Shall we?

The Look:

Sweater: J.Crew Factory (I can't believe I typed that. Here is the exact one.)

Skirt: Francesca's (how pretty is this one?)

Tights: Simply Vera via Kohl's (mom bought 'em!)

Booties: Ninewest via Piperlime (size 6.5 left)

Jacket: Wilson's Leather outlet

I am beginning to feel like my posts are just not the same without at least one ridiculous candid shot. Could I compile them all into an "outtakes" post. Sure. However, I need to pour a little sunshine into your life in every single post. 

Mom asked me to take off my coat to showcase my pretty sweater, and I was none too pleased. Aren't moms supposed to tell you to put your damn jacket back on, not take it off? THANKS, MOM.

Also, can we talk about the creepiness that is Google+ for a moment? 

I want to know why Google+ thinks I wish for a flip-book-style picture of myself.

And why did it choose only two pictures? 

I do not understand how this picture selection process works.

It's making me vertiginous. 

(It means dizzy.)

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Linking up with

What I Wore to Work

All Things Thursday

Look What I Got

and 

Three-fer Thursdays

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P.S. I am completely confused by this. Seriously, I want to know who comes up with this crazy shit? (Forgive the language, but I felt it necessary.)

Foliage Inspired?

What if every one of my post titles just includes a random vocabulary word? Yesterday's was "profundity." (Aside: say that word aloud. You cannot help but smile because the word FUN is inside of it.) How do you like today's? Foliage. I like that word. It starts with an F, just like fun. 

Speaking of the letter F, can I just tell all of you how fantastic you are for your kind comments on yesterday's post? I particularly like what Andi said: "Just because something isn't super deep doesn't mean it's not valuable." Right on, Andi. Right on. We often say how trivial certain things are, but isn't it the small things that often make the greatest difference?

Also, my co-teacher is just tickled that multiple people outside of our building are participating in Trendy Tuesday. I showed her my Instagram feed, and she declared, "We're going GLOBAL!" Gosh, I adore that woman. We're still dreaming up ideas for next week's theme. Feel free to throw your suggestions at us! Just remember that it must be a theme in which both guys and gals can participate. Our most avid male participant was so sad that he couldn't participate in person today. As a result, he e-mailed this video to me: Rapping Irish Craziness (I gave it that name. Surprised? Probably not.)

The Look:

Cardigan: The Limited (same)

Pants: Columnist Pant in Slim Cut (same)

Boots: b.o.c. via DSW

Scarf: Gift from a student (ummm...sort of close?)

Lace shirt: The Limited 

I'm not on drugs though my squinty eyes might suggest otherwise. 

I guess I really needed those shades. 

Of course, this picture might have you believing otherwise.

Yes, I am naturally that sexy.

Yeah, you're welcome.

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Linking up with

Shanna

and

WIWW