Double Your (my?) Pleasure

Shame on me for taking so long to respond to Rachel and Caroline separately nominating me for the Liebster Award. I think I will remain eligible for this award for as long as I blog because you will never see a thousand (or even hundreds of) followers to my name, and I'm cool with that. I like responding to a smaller number of blogs and developing what I feel are really worthwhile friendships (even if most of you live too far away. BOO.) Hey, that's why I chose a small college over a large university.

Anyway, the quick rundown of the award:

1. You must link back to the person who nominated you. 2. You must answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you. 3. You pick 11 nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions. 4. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you. 5. You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

 (I'm rebelling and not choosing 11 people because I have a difficult time choosing favorites.)

Since two ladies nominated me and that totals 22 questions, I will pick and choose from the questions they asked. 22 feels like homework, and I have a lot of papers left to grade!

Rachel's Questions 

1). What is your style or look? I took several "what's your style quizzes," and the verdict is in: my "style" is classic, colorful, and comfortable. However, I realized I am best described by my go-to silhouettes and items that complement me.

Go-to Look:

        * skinny pants/skirt + 

           tucked in shirt/blouse + 

           blazer/vest/cardigan

           belt + 

           boots/flats/heels

 What looks "good" on me:

        * skinny pants look better with boyfriend/longer cardigans

        * flare leg jeans look better with blazers 

        * flats look better with A-line skirts

        * heels look better with pencil skirts 

        * all pants and skirts look better/more polished with a belt

 
2). Rachel asked who my favorite designer is, but I guess I can answer Caroline's question better: "Where do you find yourself shopping the most?" I am not even sure what qualifies as "designer" wear; is that sad? I just know the following stores are my first stops: Old Navy, Gap, LOFT, The Limited, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Francesca's, and DSW. I do like J.Crew and its Factory (only recently and only on super sale). I guess Franco Sarto is a shoe designer because I love his stuff that winds up at Marshall's. Some of my favorite shoes, like these boots, are by him.

3). Greatest fashion tip you want to share with the blogosphere? Seriously, figure out what silhouettes/items of clothing look best on you and use it as a "formula" for getting dressed on particularly rough mornings. Note: I must pick out my outfits in advance because I am such a TROLL in the mornings. My poor husband.

4). Tea or coffee? Absolutely tea. Preferably Earl Gray. Coffee meets acid reflux leads to ultimate gastrointestinal disaster.

 
5). If you had to meet one person who had died again who would it be? I do not want to "meet" anyone. I just want to spend more time with Mom Mom, my maternal grandmother. Years later and I still miss her so much.

 
6). What article of clothing do you love the most? The most comfortable ones. Really, what answer were you expecting from me?

 

7). What is your faith background? Originally, I wasn't going to answer this question, but let me be honest with you. I have been baptized three times by three different Christian sects. I joke that I am "clean" wherever I go, but I am much like Pi Patel, ambiguously religious but privately faithful. 

Caroline's Questions 

8) What do you like to do when you aren't blogging? Watch Netflix with Jeff (currently absorbed by House of Cards), go to this awesome fully gluten-free restaurant near our apartment, and browse stores when almost no one is there. (I find it so peaceful.)

 

9) Do you have a favorite outfit memory? I met Jeff in a club. My friend and I were dancing on stage. Okay, that sounds HORRIBLE. No, we were not dancing for money. (Of course, I'm not knocking anyone who does.) Let me clarify. The club had a makeshift "stage" in front of the DJ boot. Only girls were allowed up there. My friend and I hopped up there in an effort to escape the creepy mccreepersons on the dance floor. However, I saw Jeff from across the smoky bar. Yes, cheesy. Yes, true. I was wearing a light blue/black polka dot shirt and white pants. I was sporting my naturally curly hair. The fact that he'll never forget that outfit is what makes me happiest. Duh.

 

10) Why did you start your blog? I teach English, and I love fashion. Why not combine what I write with what I wear? 

 

 11) Which season is your favorite for fashion & beauty purposes? Fall or spring because of their tepid temperatures. I can still wear layers without feeling like a sherpa or sweating like a man. I do not particularly enjoy the allergies that accompany both seasons, but with this severe sinus infection lasting the ENTIRE winter season? I guess the "allergies" during fall and spring aren't so bad. 

 

Feel free to answer these questions, too :)

 

 

Liebster Award Part Deux

It appears another lovely blogger, Kaara, finds me worthy of the Liebster award. What is this honor you ask? Apparently, it is bestowed upon those of us who are "up and coming bloggers" with fewer than 200 followers. Someone nominates you and four other bloggers, and then you nominate five more bloggers. It's a fun pay-it-forward kind of deal amongst bloggers. 

Here are the rules:

1.  Each person must post 5 things about themselves. 

2.  Answer the questions that the tagger set for you, and create 5 questions for the people you choose 

to nominate.

3.  Choose 5 bloggers to nominate and link them in your post.

4.  Go to their page and tell them about the nomination.

5. Follow and social media connect with everyone tagged. 

Five Things About Me:

1. My students and everyone at work calls me Mrs. Wo, the Reader's Digest version of my last name. Well, my maiden name. As a result, I have yet to change my name because I'm too lazy, and teacher ladies who get married still end up being called by their maiden name anyway. 

2. In high school, I had to be home schooled for a month because I contracted mono so badly that I ended up with inch-thick hives all over my body. Find me in the dictionary under "hot mess." 

3. We've lived in our current home for just over three years, and I've painted nearly every room in the house...twice. My husband refers to me as Picasso. I'm such a baller that I don't even need painter's tape. 

4. During college, I worked at an independently owned toy store. I painted faces, listened to far too many children's CDs on repeat, dressed up as an elf for Christmas (during which time creepy, intoxicated Santa hit on   me), and ran birthday parties (one of which involved a small child biting my boss who then flicked her in the forehead). I worked for the kindest couple who believed that playtime should be powered by the imagination, not batteries. During this time, I was also introduced to the children's author and illustrator David Wisniewski whose illustrations were made entirely of cut paper. Mind blowing. Check out some of his books here. My favorites are Rain Player and Golem. (If you teach the Holocaust, consider using Golem.) 

5. When I was little, my favorite shows (aside from ANY and EVERYthing on Nick at Nite) were Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, and Beavis and Butthead. If you knew me in real life, this bit of information would explain a lot. 

Questions from Kaara:

1. Why did you begin blogging?

For those of you who are new to this neck of the woods, allow me to enlighten you: I teach High School English. You know all of those grammatical blunders you hate or that you are guilty of littering all over the interwebs (which I sincerely hope is not the case)? Well, compound all of those errors into one stack of essays written by a gaggle of teenagers who would rather be liking photographs of eyeballs on Instagram (or taking part in the new eyeball licking fad) than writing an essay for my class. As a result, I needed an outlet that would allow me to cope with their egregious errors. No, the texture is not ruff. Dogs do that. Sand paper is rough. That character in the book that we read in class? He's clearly a he, not a she. Oh, and if you refer to Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird as a boy, I know you didn't read the book. Harper Lee calls her Jean Louise Finch, not John Louis Finch. At least clutter up the paper with something wrong yet witty. Even a drawing of aliens landing on Mars would suffice. 

2. What is the number one thing you love about yourself?

My sense of humor--a delightful combination of self-depracation and candor, passed down from a line of women who are so flat that they're nearly inverted and a father who thinks farting could be a viable olympic sport. This trait serves me well in the classroom, but it will prove more useful if my husband and I are blessed with the ability to procreate. Any spawn from my husband's sperm will be a flesh-bound fireball of energy, and I will need to find a way to drink coffee without spurring intestinal distress. Or, I need to add "duct tape wizard" to my skill set. 

3. If you could take a trip anywhere, where and with who?

In August 2013, my husband and I will have been together for NINE years. Hot dog. Although he grew up in Italy and speaks the language, he has yet to take me to his motherland despite the number of times I've made him endure Under the Tuscan Sun. (Admittedly, he loves it as much as I do. We also love French Kiss, one of the movies before Meg Ryan went all Stretch Armstrong in the face.) I know everyone says, "take a trip just the two of you," but we love being surrounded by our familial peeps. One day, I hope we travel with all of our DNA-sharers to the land of romance. Maybe I'll even end up with a mini me out of the experience. 

4. What is your favorite meal?

One of my students claimed that I eat bird food. A slew of dietary restrictions led me to a life of lettuce and its compatriots. I live a life of veggie tales and animal farm. I'm not too picky outside of that. 

5. What is your summer must-have or special summer place?

I rather enjoy the people watching in good ol' Ocean City, a beach in my lovely homestate of Maryland. 

My summer must have is most definitely watermelon. I might go eat some right now, in fact.

My questions for my nominees to answer:

1. What is your most embarrassing childhood memory?

2. What is the best book you've ever read and why?

3. Which one of your family members are you the most like?

4. What's the best trip you've ever taken?

5. Worst fashion trend? Best fashion trend?

I nominate:

Fellow teacher Terri over at Stylish Sass

Brynn (who might have already nominated me?) over at The Original Brynn

Natalie over at The Second Best Blog

Inge over at This Ever Evolving Life

Nichol over at Chol Fable (why can't we Americans be as cool as the people over the pond?)