Contrasts

Just a quick hello today because I took the day off in order to write college letters of recommendation. In total, I have 44, which is a significant amount, and I have no idea how the number grew so large. I just think these kids are so great and they ask so nicely that I cannot say no. So, here I am, curled up in my soft blanket and warm sweatshirt, perched on my desk chair, cranking out as many super personalized letters as my fingers can type.  Wish me luck?

Until then, look at me being all bad to the bone in the first outfit and very prim and proper in the second one. I always ask my students to compare and contrast things. Look at the contrasts here, people.

The Look:

Crumb Catcher (scarf): Made by my momma

Shirt: J.Crew Factory 

Jacket: got this bad boy for $25 on thredUP, can't remember the brand

Jeans: High-rise American Eagle 

Boots: Simply Vera (Mom got them for me from Kohl's) 

The Look:

Top: New York & Co. 

Jeans: The Limited

Heels: J.Crew Factory

That's all I have for you today. Time to write more letters of recommendation now. 

It's Story Time: Country Girl in the Big City

When the school system in which I teach was hiring me for their county, a most interesting thing happened. You see, it all started with the crazy messages that Dad creates for the answering machine. When the new answering machine arrived and I was in elementary school, I still remember Mom, right before she left for a PTA meeting or the market, telling Dad, "Now, don't you dare go right upstairs and make a stupid message for our machine. I mean it, Danny." Like a small child you put the red button in front of and tell not to touch, Dad scurried (as much as a man who's 6'6" can "scurry") upstairs the moment she closed the front door behind her because he had the perfect message in mind.

For years, the message ran, in his most impressive "redneck" voice, something like this: "Howdy, this yars the ________. We can't come to the phone right now. We're outside sloppin' the hogs and feedin' the chickens. Sure would like to know why y'all called, so leave a message after this thing makes that little ol' beepin' sound." When the school system called my parents' house where I lived at the time, we still had this answering machine message, the same one that people would actually call back our house again just to hear it another time. As a result, the manager in charge of hiring me wrote a special note in my file: "may encounter adversity." Why? He thought I was some country girl from the back 40 who was coming to the big cities of Howard County, Maryland (which is a joke in itself, I might add).

When I called him one day to say that Mom was coming with me to sign paperwork, he thought my shitkicker and overall-wearing (not cool at the time like it is again now) hillbilly of a mother was coming to check out the town and make sure it was safe for her baby girl. All of this truth came out, and I explained that Dad is an extremely eccentric man; I am from a county affectionately nicknamed "Cow County," but I'm not a farm girl despite how many times I watched Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies (SO.MUCH.NICK.AT.NITE.)

Several years later, when Jeff and I were adopting our sweet puppies, Roxy and Squirt, the adoption lady called my parents' house for a reference. Once again, someone heard this message on the machine. She hung up and did not leave a message; in fact, she called me, asking whether or not I gave her the wrong number. And, once again, I had to explain my Dad's eccentricities to a stranger. Four of us lived in that house for a long time, but I am the only one who not once but TWICE had an interesting experience as a result of Dad's voicemail creativity. And people wonder why it's impossible to embarrass me.

Anyway, Mom accompanied me to Baltimore City yesterday because I needed to visit one of the professional buildings. If you don't know Baltimore, though it has its allure and charms (I met my now husband in a dance club there almost 10 years ago), then you should know that Baltimore makes a name for itself with its impressive number of murders per capita. Like everywhere, however, it has its redeeming qualities and not-so-bad parts of town. On the ride home, GPS took us the shorter route, which did not translate to the safer route. In fact, many of the houses were boarded up and the loveliest of individuals frequented the streets. As Mom stared at a boarded up house, commenting on its "shaggy curtains" and "light coming through one of the boarded up windows," I scolded her severely. "DO NOT ENGAGE. STOP LOOKING. LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD. IF YOU MUST, LOOK WITH YOUR EYEBALLS BEHIND SUNGLASSES, NOT WITH YOUR HEAD TURNED." She asked why and I responded, "you're looking into a boarded up window. You don't know what's looking back at you." She kept her head straight the rest of the time. I guess that's what the "country" taught me.

I now understand why my high school Chem teacher told us that if we were somewhere we shouldn't be at a time we really shouldn't be there, we need to pull our hoods over our heads, rock back and forth, and chatter incoherently at a trashcan. No one messes with a crazy person.

Now that I shared story time with you, I will share with you an outfit I wore while signing the offer we put in on a house last week (an offer the seller accepted, I guess I should add?).

 

The Look:

Dress: Some designer for Target via thredUP  (similar options: $, $$, $$$--$20-70)

Cardigan: Target, Mossimo brand (I finally got another one to replace the original I killed from wearing too much.)

Shoes: via DSW 

Necklace: H&M via Poshmark shop

Purse: via Marshall's

Sunglasses: gift from Momma (LOFT)

Making Real Life Friends out of Blogging Friends: DC Edition

Now, what you see here is not what I'm wearing today. I wore it some day of the week some week ago. What teacher during the summertime actually knows the day of the week? Not this one. Especially since this summer is the first one I haven't worked summer school or curriculum writing. Freedom feels so good...even if the corners of my mind feel paralyzed by the reminder that I have 41 letters of recommendation to write. 

Anyway, despite my running over a screw that lodged itself into my tire (thank you, Jeff, for fixing it) and waking up with some bizarre allergic reaction (thank you, Allegra for helping a sister out), I refuse to have a case of the Mondays today because Whitney from Whitney a la Mode (girl, I have no idea how to put an accent mark on that a) and I are meeting up in Georgetown for lunch and shopping! Guys, I'm finally turning one of my blogging buddies into one of my real-life friends! 

I do meet people in the weirdest of ways. I met my husband in a dance club. I met one of my good friends in sixth grade because I laughed as she exasperatingly exclaimed to another student, "D-O-G. DOG. How hard is that?!" My laughter made me an instant friend. Jeff and I met one of our very favorite couples to hang out with when we went on a trip to the Bahamas. (We went to their wedding in NY, and they're coming to visit next weekend!) I made a friend at the nail salon; we plan to attend a yoga class together. Meeting Whitney is sort of like finally coming face to face with your pen pal from elementary school; you have spent a lot of time getting to know each other through words and pictures before finally hanging out in real life. I sort of wish I met my elementary school pen pal. I wonder what ever happened to her? 

I'm sure you'll see Whitney and me instagramming our real-life meet up. Until then, enjoy my nautically-inspired, two-weeks-late, fourth-of-July outfit. Three cheers for me.

The Look:

Top: Old Navy

Shorts (they're blue and white pinstriped): New York & Co.

Flats: Sole Society 

Theme Week: Same Accessories, Different Outfit (Part 4)

 Forgive the onslaught of pictures, but I really like how this outfit turned out. You forgive me, right? I decided to wear these shorts with this top a looooong time ago when I saw this pin, but it did not come to fruition until now. Isn't that how it always happens? I don't know if orange and green are a typical pair, but I really like them as you can see here.

Seriously, if you bought a pair of orange sandals, would you have expected to pair it with SO MANY things? I can still think of many, many more. Way to go, orange sandals. Way to be team players.

In other news, Mom and I went to Babies R Us to buy my friend a gift for her shower this weekend. Somehow, I managed to leave the store with a little Mickey Mouse pull out couch (and swim shoes...and crab pajamas) for my niece. I mean, really, who expected me to say no?

And then Mom and I went to Nordstrom Rack. Mom bought me a dress for my birthday in August since Jeff and I are headed to Vegas to celebrate. I got myself the prettiest aqua dress that I imagine will be perfect for chaperoning homecoming. (Seriously, it's summer time, and I keep thinking about school!) And I finally found a black and white striped maxi skirt. I wanted to buy about 319 more lovelies, but self control (and not blowing a budget) are important (and sucky) things. 

 

The Look:

Top: New York & Co. 

Shorts: Old Navy 

Sandals: Franco Sarto (similar by Nine West)

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

 

I'm glad I have a pretty good shot of the back of this shirt. Exposed zippers aren't everyone's taste, but I love them. 

Linking up with Summer Style

Theme Week: Same Accessories, Different Outfit (Part 3)

Yesterday, I went with a casual look and these accessories. Today, I decided to go a little more formal. I think I'll wear this outfit to a baby shower (and gender reveal) this coming weekend. Maybe I'll throw on a navy cardigan just in case it's a tad chilly inside. Can we agree that navy, white, and orange make for an unexpected, but lovely combination? Since I'm talking to myself here, I say yes, we can go with it.

The Look:

Dress: Old Navy (another pretty white one at Old Navy)

Sandals: Franco Sarto (similar by Nine West)

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

Theme Week: Same Accessories, Different Outfit (Part 2)

Let's go a little more casual with today's look. In an otherwise neutral outfit, I used the accessories to add a pop of color. Sure, some might say that the same color necklace and shoes qualifies as matchy matchy, but I think a fair number of the people who frequent this blog appreciate a good matchy matchy outfit. And why does everything have to involve so much brain power? It doesn't, I argue.

I think this look would work perfectly for the zoo on a warm day. If these sandals weren't so comfortable, I'd say swap for sneakers. However, I am a firm believer in not compromising comfort for "style." They can and should go hand in hand. Luckily, pretty much any shoes I've bought by Franco Sarto are extremely comfortable--these sandals included. 

 

The Look: 

Shirt: gift from friend (it's American Eagle--love this elephant one)

Shorts: New York & Co. (similar at Target)

Sandals: Franco Sarto (similar by Nine West)

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

Oh, hey, I'm married to him.

When hair cooperates

Sometimes, my body likes to help me choose what I wear for the day. (And, sometimes, it's not because Mother Nature decided to give me a terrible case of the bloats.) Take today, for example. The salt water from our beach trip last week ate most of the nail polish from my toes, but time did not afford me the luxury of repainting them today. (By "time," I mean that I spent 9a.m.-1:40 tinkering around on the computer, writing a to-do list I checked off one thing on, and e-mailing Jeff about house hunting.) Anyway, I like my toes to look fully polished at all times. As a result, I decided I needed closed-toe shoes to meet up with my co-teacher for lunch. (We received some bad news about test scores, so we decided to cry together over her Chipotle naked burrito and my Deer Park water.)

I thought about wearing pants, but who wants to engage in a tug of war with pants after applying copious amounts of lotion? Not I. Does this predicament befall anyone else?

Also, can we talk hair for a moment? Of course, we can. This blog is mine. I can talk about whatever pleases me. We're talking about hair and one of its many mysteries: why does hair always cooperate with you just before you plan to cut or dye it? WHY? It's like it KNOWS you're about to go to the salon and says, "HA. I'll show you." Again, does this predicament befall anyone else? Honestly, I spent all of two minutes on my hair this morning afternoon, and it looks so...beachy. Screw you, hair, and your fickle ways. But, really, keep cooperating. I love you. I enjoy spending less than 5 minutes on you. I have better things to do than worry about your cantankerousness. Like writing blog posts about you.

 

The Look:

Shirt: LOFT outlet (I got it with the two maxi skirts I bought during our Myrtle Beach trip last week. I hunted for it online and couldn't find it.)

Cardigan: New York and Company (I love me a good cardigan with short sleeves.)

Belt: Target

Shorts: LOFT via thredUP (these are CUTE, and these are close)

Shoes: Converse via DSW

Some might find this outfit too "matchy," but hot damn I love it. That mauve color plays so nicely with gray and white. No? 

 

No, I cannot explain to you why the lower half of my body absorbs sunlight so much better than the top half.  I'm weird.

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:

I wore this skirt two years ago.

"Ms. Wo, you have so many styles!" That is the first greeting I received from a student in the hallway today. As I trudged to my classroom, I considered the legitimacy of this claim. Yesterday, I wore tall, patterned wedges, a sleeveless sweater, a shirt with fun sleeves, and shorts. Today, I'm wearing a white skirt with my Converse sneakers and bicycle necklace. Tomorrow, I might wear gray slacks with a blazer. Kid, you're right: I do have so many "styles." Of course, I would say that I just like to experiment, for which I suppose this blog can take quite a bit of credit.

Although posting pictures of my outfits sometimes seems vain ("everybody, come see how good I look!"--one of the only Will Ferrel quotes I like) and often makes me feel pressured not to be "boring" in what I wear, it also encourages me to think differently about what's in my closet and allow it to verbalize how I'm feeling that day. Today, I felt fun and funky, much like Punky Brewster, an allusion I hope is not lost on you, dear reader.

Anyway, I'm walking to the gym and then doing some yoga. I wish I were as cool as I sometimes make myself sound.

The Look:

Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Converse via DSW

Necklace: American Eagle

Cardigan: via thredUP

Knees.

I call this my "everybody, come see how good I look!" pose.

I should not make myself laugh as much as I do, but there you have it.

Mom: "Twirl!"

Me: ..............this.

I wore this skirt way back when I started this blog, and it went something like this:

This picture sort of makes me think about cutting my hair a bit shorter. Hmm...

(I just checked. This post is from just about two years ago!)

I wore purple.

I have nothing against purple. Though one would anticipate my wardrobe to boast at least one purple and black jersey in support of my state's football team, the Ravens, purple is a grossly underrepresented color in my wardrobe. (Maybe my apathy for sports, especially football, bleeds into my affinity, or lack thereof, of certain colors? Meh, I don't think it runs that deeply.) Whatever the reason may be, I rarely wear the color. In fact, I could find only two instances of purple-wearing on the blog: here (don't even have that shirt anymore) and here (also don't have that shirt but do still have the scarf).

Anyway, yesterday, I told Kate that I'd wear purple today. I know how much she loves the color, so I couldn't disappoint her, especially because she tells funny jokes. Originally, I planned to wear this sweater over my white lace dress with cute boots. However, I feared rain in the forecast, which NEVER happened, so I opted for boots I knew the weather wouldn't ruin. (I haven't worn the other boots in the rain, so I erred on the side of caution.) Oh well, I have an outfit for another day now. 

By some magical feat, my co-teacher and I managed to run debates in our sophomore classes and finish grading three class sets of essays/outlines before grades needed to be posted by 2:30. Fairy dust skitters through our veins. Speaking of magic, our last class of sophomores pulled a rabbit out of their debate hat today and brought in a guest speaker (another teacher during his planning period) to serve as one of the supports to their argument. Unexpectedly awesome. 

One of my male students said today, "You look really pretty in that dress, Ms. Wo." It melted my heart so much that I couldn't bear to tell him it's a maxi skirt, not a dress. Who cares? He was being sweet and genuine and who's not going to accept that sort of kindness from a teenage boy? 

I don't love the outfit, but I wore purple for like the third time ever, which has to count for something. Better luck next wear? 

The Look:

Sweater: Express (old)

Skirt: American Eagle outlet

Belt: Old Navy

Booties: Old Navy

Scarf: LOFT (old)

BEST PART OF MY ENTIRE DAY? THIS SHIRT CAME IN THE MAIL!

Momma Janet, who lives in California, sent this shirt to me in the mail. 

It goes quite nicely with my "Good grammar is sexy" shirt. 

I might start collecting nerdy tees. 

Don't judge me. 

(Note: all women who are approximately my mom's age and whom I love dearly receive the word "momma" before their names.) 

It's true. 

Linking up with

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

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

Parent-Teacher Conferences (Part 2)

Well, if 10"+ of snow weren't staring at me from below my apartment window, this outfit is what I would be wearing for conferences tonight. Instead, I'm wearing 15-year-old pajama pants, a thermal shirt, and a North Face zipper up. (Hey, it all matches.)

So, we had conferences last night. The snow had started to fall and stick on the roads when I finally left the building after conferences. When I stepped into the parking lot, who was there? My husband. He had cleaned off my car, started it, pushed the heated seat button, and drove behind me so as to keep people off my butt. Seriously, I hit the husband jackpot. Currently, he is driving his truck to his parents' house 15-20 minutes away so that he can shovel their driveway for them. On Saturday, I have a massage appointment that's "not for Valentine's Day because we're not getting each other anything." That man's kindness never ceases to amaze me.

Okay, I'll bypass the sappiness and continue with what would have been today's outfit.

The Look:

Blazer: LOFT (on SUPER sale but very few sizes left--I got it for $32, which is quite a score for a gorgeous LOFT blazer like this one!)

Skirt: LOFT (close option from Target)

Shirt: New York and Company (really cute $9 options at Kohl's)

Tights: The Limited (can't find them online anymore)

Boots: b.o.c. via DSW (bought them almost two years ago)

I wanted to make you laugh today, so I included the following two pictures.

I'm not entirely sure what I was doing, but it wasn't bringing sexy back.

I laugh so hard. She snapped a picture of me as I disgustedly asked, "IS THAT A DEAD BIRD CARCASS IN THE TREE!?" Mom assured me it was not, but I'm still speculating.

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Linking up with

What I Wore to Work

All Things Thursday

and

Look What I Got

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Join our red and white link up :)

Trendy Tuesday: Blazers and Button Ups

My name twin, Danielle, over at Goodwillista picked out my outfit for me today. We decided that we would look through each other's closets (a.k.a blog stalk) and give the other an outfit to wear with items from her closet. Danielle suggested my black and white striped blouse, flare jeans, skinny belt, and one of my many colored blazers. Her suggestion just so happened to coincide with this week's Trendy Tuesday, blazers and button ups, at my work. (Yes, we teachers pick a theme for getting dressed every Tuesday and grab a group shot at the end of the day.) 

When I informed my fourth period about today's theme, a five-minute debate ensued. Is it a button-up or a button-down shirt? I argued that the words were interchangeable because some people button from the bottom up and others bottom from the top down. I guess you could settle for the word oxford, yes? I don't know. Does it matter which name you give to it? 

Also, I plan to link up with Ginny and Jenn for Style Swap on Friday. (Click the link to learn more about it and join in on the fun!) After all, Danielle and I were pretty much swapping styles, right? Plus, I realized this outfit must have been channeling its inner Kendi. 

The Look:

Jeans: J Brand via TJ Maxx (similar from Gap)

Blouse: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's (similar from Gap)

Tank (under blouse): White House Black Market (exact--so worth every penny...it's the best tank I have EVER bought. It's comfortable, the right amount of spandex, and the perfect length)

Boots: b.o.c. via DSW 

Blazer: LOFT via thredUP (similar from Target) 

Necklace: Cannot remember...at all...

Linking up with

Style Sessions

The Pleated Poppy

Shanna

and 

Style Swap (on Friday)

Previously, I wore the pink blazer this way: