Spots and Fur

This past weekend, I joked with someone that the reason I teach high school is because my students can control their own bodily functions. Yesterday, a kid puked in my room (second time of my career). Well played, fate or irony or karma or whatever is responsible for that turn of events. 

Today, you get to meet Rudy, my parents' other Parti Yorkie. He's not as much of a ham like his brother Sammy. Just like Sammy's ears perk up really high, Rudy's hair stands up pretty straight, which is why Dad and I have taken to calling him Rooster. 

I am so excited for this coming weekend for two reasons. One, Jeff and I actually have a party to attend. Two, Mom is coming over to our apartment so that we can both watch Frozen for the first time. Woo!

By the way, I watched this video and cried. I recommend it. 

The Look:

Cardigan: LOFT (old)

Shirt: Old Navy

Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: Eitenne Aigner via Macy's

Necklace: J.Crew Factory 

HIS HAIR. Bahahaha. His side-eyed stare? Too funny.

Linking up with

* All Things Thursday 

* Look What I Got (for cheap)

* Green Week  

* Three-fer Thursdays 

* Tres-Chic Fashion Thursday

Anchors Away, it's Trendy Tuesday: Nautical or Knot

Welcome to this week's installment of Trendy Tuesday: Nautical or Knot, Stripes will Suffice.

If you visited these parts yesterday, you saw my pink blazer paired with a green skirt, which I planned to wear with today's outfit. This cardigan was slated for yesterday's look. At the last moment, I realized I wanted to make a switch.

I am listening to iTunes radio for the first time. I've been missing out! Move over, Pandora. 

Stacks of essays call my name, so I leave you with these few words.

The Look:

Cardigan: New York and Co. (old--similar from Target)

Scarf: Francesca's (similar from Old Navy)

Shirt: Express (old--similar from LL Bean for $25)

Belt: Men's section of Target (similar from American Eagle)

Jeans: Gap Outlet (same shade from Eddie Bauer for $20)

Boots: Ralph Lauren via DSW (similar by Franco Sarto)

Pardon my tag. Also, my hand feels naked when I forget my rings. Jeffery scolds me for it all of the time. It's just that they annoyingly swing around on my finger when it's cold outside.

Let's call this picture "demonic spirit hands" or "COME HUG ME, BLOGLAND," which is actually what I was screaming. Are you running away yet?

 

I have worn these jeans a lot, but here they are on the blog:

 

 

This shirt is part of one of my favorite looks EVER.

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Linking up with

Green Week 

Trend Spin Linkup 

and

Style Sessions 

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Lily Pad(dy)'s Day

Indulge me and tell me how witty I am for thinking of such a brilliant title for this post. For those of you who do not know, I live in Maryland. If you don't know anything about Annapolis, the capital of our lovely state, then let me tell you how much Lily Pulitzer everyone who's "so Annapolis" wears. A lot. One of their favorite color combinations? Pink and green, a combination I wore on the blog just last week. (Of course, I chose blush and olive versus the bright pink and kelly green of this week's look, but the idea is the same.)

In January, Kimmie wore this outfit, and it inspired me to wear my green skirt with pink. Of course, I envisioned my green skirt that's the same shade as hers, but I realized I wanted this brighter color pairing because it makes me happy when snow and cold weather make me sad. I originally planned for a navy cardigan, but I wanted more warmth, which required a blazer.

One of my friends hosts a pretty popular podcast about Lost Girl. (If you've never watched the series, you are missing out!) Today, he asked me if I wanted to partake in what he calls "Take Fives," which he refers to as "mini rants to fill in the gaps" when he hasn't recorded in awhile. He wants me to discuss the fashion of Lost Girl in five minute segments. Now, THAT is my kind of contribution! How fun, right? 

In fact, I think that would be a fun little installment here on the blog. We can call it, "Let's talk about ______" and fill in the blank with an actress or character, like Daenerys from Game of Thrones (that platinum blonde hair and those braids could make anything hot. And dragons? Hello? Double hotness.) Or Claire Dunphy from Modern Family (shout out to flannels and well-fitting jeans). Or Bernadette from Big Bang Theory (love her signature look, cardigan + dress + tights).  Maybe I can even sport outfits inspired by the character/actress of the hour. What do we think? About whom should we speak? Any favorite characters or actresses?

Also, tomorrow's Trendy Tuesday theme is NAUTICAL OR KNOT. (The cleverness is all my colleague's, not mine.) The tagline, however, is mine: stripes will suffice.

 

The Look:

Shirt: Forever 21 (OLD) (similar)

Belt: Dude's section at Target! (similar)

Skirt: J.Crew Factory (exact)

Blazer: LOFT via thredUP (similar)

Boots: Ralph Lauren via DSW (similar)

Elephant necklace (my favorite animal!): Lauren Conrad but Momma got it for me :)

Sunglasses: gift from Momma (she got 'em at LOFT)

 

I decided to include two outtakes for your viewing pleasure.

The first features me looking as if the F word will escape my lips at any moment.

 

My lips are so pretty.

And so are my hands.

And so are my awkwardly positioned feet.

 (I might look like a goon, but no one will be pinching me today!)

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Linking up with

Molly

The Style Record

Mix It Mondays

Green Week 

and

Style Swap

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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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What I Wore to Work: Teacher Style

This week, I keep sitting down to write something, but my brain has farted. I cannot recover it. 

My sophomores have zapped my brain cells with their ridiculous shenanigans this week. 

I create a step-by-step outline for them that tells them what to write in every.single.spot, and they say, "I didn't know what to do" after it was due. Why am I not allowed to use a Nerf or water gun to pelt or spray some sense into them? WHY? Today, one student asked what to do for an assignment that I explained three times and had directions projected on the screen. (I pride myself on being really good at giving directions, but what good are directions if the person following them does not open his or her ears?) Luckily, another student responded, very sarcastically, first: "Oh, I don't know. The directions aren't on the screen or anything." Thank you, other teenagers, for saying what would have included an expletive if it came from my mouth.

I love my job, but they are trying the hell out of my patience this week. 

The Look:

Blazer: LOFT (similar)

Sweater: The Limited (another sparkle sweater)

Pants: Exact Stretch via The Limited (similar)

Shoes: Nine West via Marshall's (similar)

 

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Linking up with...

* What I Wore to Work
* All Things Thursday
* Three-fer Thursdays
* Tres-Chic Fashion Thursday
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Olive Pink & Puppies

Once a week, I need to satisfy your desire to see more of my parents' puppies. This little guy is Sammy. Sammy enjoys burrowing into crotches, sleeping on heads, and eating food off of my dad's pant leg. Nothing beats visiting my parents' house on the weekend. They feed me delicious food, they offer satisfying conversation, they house two of the cutest dude pups (I clearly house the cutest lady pups), and they help me forget the mounds of essays I need to grade. 

These wedges were $20 at Nine West! What? Crazy talk. Additionally, I took a little trip to Old Navy today in hopes of scoring a pair of $10 flats. None of them appealed to me; however, I scooped up a spring sweater and necklace. Would you like to know how much I paid for those two items? Yes, yes, you do. FIVE BUCKS. No, your eyes do not deceive you. I paid FIVE dollars for a sweater and a necklace. Even the cashier said that was the best deal she's seen...ever. I don't play sports, but I'm a winner.

The Look:

Vest: Forever 21 (very similar from Nordstrom)

Top: Jennifer Lopez via Kohl's (Santa Momma gave it to me! exact)

Pants: White House Black Market (at least three years old--similar from Old Navy)

Shoes: Nine West (similar)

Necklace: Lauren Conrad from Momma (very similar)

 

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Linking up with

* Shanna
* Pleated Poppy

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OH, next Trendy Tuesday is "Nautical or Knot."

 My colleagues are so creative. :)

Trendy Tuesday: Pretty in Pastels

The colors in this outfit make me so happy.

I do not always give you a run down of my day, but let's have at it. 

At school, my juniors left me in awe because of the hard work and brilliance they put into their Huck Finn trial. (Seriously, moments like this remind me of why I do what I do.) My sophomores, on the other hand, left me feeling homicidal because half of them did not turn in the assignment that they had TWO full class periods and a weekend to complete. Oh, teenagers.

After school, I went to the ear, nose, and throat specialist who told me that I need sinus surgery. Quite honestly, I'm cool with having my sinuses roto rootered if it means leaving these headaches far, far behind. Sure, I am going to go through two more weeks of antibiotics (on top of the five that DIDN'T work) and steroids (also did not work), but headaches have plagued me for four months. I am ready to say buh bye to them. If that means surgery, I'm cool with it. 

After the sinus dude told me my face hates me, I went to yoga again. GASP. This yoga does not involve a lot of breathy, creepy talking and downward dogging for ten minutes, so I like it. The focus is to realign the effed up parts of the body, and I've got a lot of parts that could use un-effing. Plus, the instructor has a sense of humor. At this point, I'm sure you know how much I appreciate a good sense of humor. 

Currently, I am watching Bates Motel. This show is very Oedipus Rex-esque, which I just finished teaching, but I love it. All of those psychologically twisted shows appeal to me. 

What's wrong with me?

Nothing this outfit can't fix.

 

The Look:

Cardigan: Express...so old (similar at LOFT)

Tee: Target (here it is in colors)

Belt: Came with a dress (I like this braided on at Asos for less than $15)

Skirt: Amazon (exact for less than $20--I'm considering another color.)

Flats: Audrey Brooke via DSW (on eBay)

Scarf: Francesca's (I seriously love that store. Pastel stripes at Amazon)