The Chronicles of Lady K

A Rhinestone Dragonfly

2012-02-28T02:14:00.003-05:00

Now that I've spent all night staring at all the "Best Dressed" and "Worst Dressed" lists of the 2012 Red Carpet Night at the Oscars, I thought that I'd show you how this girl glams it up ...

shirt — thrifted

skirt — thrifted

boots — Dansko (Factory Outlet)

dragonfly pin — (thrifted)

I kept it comfortable and casual with an eggplant-colored above-the-knee skirt, and an on-the-both shoulders creamy white top. Note that the knit material of the skirt was selected to complement and facilitate the morning festivities, which featured an encore performance of guardrail climbing. I added a sterling silver chain, a purple-and-blue rhinestone-studded dragonfly brooch, and then completed the look with a pair of sunglasses, which enabled me to travel incognito. Otherwise, I just get swarmed by people who think that they might get their picture ~~in the newspaper~~ on my blog.

Seriously speaking now, one of my favorite gowns from last night's Oscars was this one worn by Missi Pyle.

Photos by A.M.P.A.S. (see here)

Why was this one a favorite? Because this blue dress is actually a "green" sustainable dress that was designed specifically for a red carpet event! It has repurposed zippers and the lining is out of recycled polyester. The silk material of the dress was spun from cruelty-free Ahimsa or “peace” silk — named because the silk is obtained from the cocoons without killing the silkworms inside. And that beautiful seafoam color? The dye came from an environmentally friendly natural mineral. Read more about the dress here and the contest that sponsored its design here.

I'm not sure why I like these next two pictures with my mouth hanging open like this, but I do.I must have thought something was pretty funny.

To answer all your questions from my last post about what did I do after ripping my skirt? My first thought was that I was going to have to wear my coat all day. (That was NOT going to work, since I'm in the throes of hot flashes these days — I apologize if that is TMI. It's not like it's a secret, because the whole world can tell when I have one because I light up like a Christmas tree, and the sweat just pours off of me.) My second thought was that I was going to have to use my stapler, and staple it together in the ladies room. The thought that actually worked, however, was safety pins. They were my very good friend that day. I forget why I had some with me (I use them fairly frequently .... ), but I did manage to get by. It also helped that the rip's bark was worse than its bite (the rip sounded so horrible that I thought it had to be ripped right up to my waist).

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday because I was just the right amount of visible in this skirt (meaning my entire backside wasn't visible).

Flaunting Assets

2012-02-24T22:19:00.005-05:00

The days that I commute to my office by mass transit, I have to walk the final 2 miles (give or take a few hundred yards) to get to my office. It's not a bad walk, and it's good exercise, so I usually don't mind.* This particular outfit, however, posed a special challenge on the walk.

*I'm still amazed that I can go almost the entire way from Newark, Delaware, to Herndon, Virgina, by mass transit!

shirt — Cotton Zone (thrifted)

skirt — Forever 21 (Forever 21)

boots — Dansko (Dansko outlet)

Having to deal with the “challenge” I would face on my walk crossed my mind when I was getting dressed, but obviously I didn’t think long enough or hard enough, because I wore the outfit anyway (maybe I was thinking it would give me material for a blog post LOL). Anyway, I probably just got all caught up in how it looked, and threw caution to the wind. You know how it is when you feel good … I got off the bus, and I was smiling and grinning, and generally thought that I was "working it." Honestly? That should have given me the head's up right there that something was going to happen (like what happened here for example).

It looks like two different shirts in these pictures, doesn't it?

Now I don't mind hoofing it when I have to, but I'm not really a fan of walking for the point of walking … (One day, a car pulled up and asked me if I needed a ride. It was cold and drizzly that day, so I almost climbed into this person's car. At the last minute, my self-preservation kicked in, and said, “No.” The person seemed 100% normal, and I felt pretty silly for declining the ride. But I didn't know this person. Honestly? I felt a whole lot better in retrospect.)

If I can jaywalk or cut through a parking lot, and it saves me some time? I’m game. I look both ways, dodge the cars and then dash across the street so I can cut through the office park, and then through the shopping center and back on the sidewalk. (I'm on my way to work so I'm a woman on a mission. No time to stop and smell the roses and definitely no time to dilly dally).

So here I am, sashaying down the sidewalk on my way to work, feeling quite on top of the world, and I get to the spot where the town limits change and the sidewalk ends. It's really quite bizarre. You're walking along, and you're walking along, on a very nice sidewalk and then, all of a sudden, the sidewalk cuts out with no warning whatsoever. Instead of walking on this nice wide sidewalk through the middle of suburbia, you're walking on a dirt path (it's only for a hundred feet or so until you get to the corner, because the sidewalk picks up again on the other side of the street, but still ...). And then to add insult to injury or to pour salt in the wound, when you get to the corner, there's a guard rail blocking your way to the other side of the street.

So what does a former jock and now a pretend fashionista do when she encounters a sidewalk that ends with a guard rail barrier?

She climbs over it, of course!

WWYD (What would you do)?

It wasn't like this was a surprise or anything (I mean, I had been doing this trek and climbing over that same guard rail for a few months), but I still didn't expect what happened next. I heard this sound — this horrible, horrible ripping sound. Oh no. Oh no. I didn't even have to make a guess as to what it could be. I knew what it was. It was the sound of my skirt ripping all the way up to my waist. Oh. My. Gawd. What on earth am I going to do now? Really and truly ... what am I going to do?

Well, for one. I kept right on walking. I had a coat that was hiding most of the damage (although I kept trying to figure out how much damage there was). Oh man, that's all I could think of. Instead of strutting down the street as proud as a peacock, I was trudging along trying to figure out how bad it was and thinking, "Why, oh why, did I have to wear a skirt (and a tight skirt) when I knew I was going to be climbing over that guard rail?"! It's just my luck (not)!

Talk about flaunting your assets.

Snort!

Where did it go?

2012-02-20T18:29:00.010-05:00

My belt ... not the time, but that too.

shirt — Old Navy (Old Navy)

skirt — Loft (thrifted)

belt — thrifted

boots — Hayley (thrifted)

I get up really early (early for me anyway) to get ready for work. In fact, there are times when the night just blends into the morning, because it's easier to just stay up all night than to try and roust myself out of a nice warm bed after just an hour or two of sleep (I know myself and my relationship with my bed all too well, so sometimes it's best to not even try to fight my slug-a-bedness).

The day that I wore this outfit to work was one of those days, or was it nights? Either way, I was still half asleep when I got dressed. I pulled on the skirt (it has one of those yoga-style waist band that ~~is forgiving~~ folds over, so I literally pulled it on), saw the belt out of the corner of my eye, and thought, "Oh wow. What a perfect match!" I took the belt off the back of my closet door and checked it out against the skirt. Yep ... it definitely was a perfect match — a match made in heaven if I say so myself. It's one of those Indian-style seed bead belts, and the colors were just perfect to play off the skirt, without being too contrived.

So then I started hunting around for a shirt to wear with them. Hmmmmm .... a black shirt would work quite nicely, and since ~~half of my wardrobe is black~~ I do have a couple of black shirts, this should be a piece of cake, right? I rummage through my closet, find this one and slipped it on. It was perfect! "Perfect!" I said. In fact, it was so perfect that I couldn't imagine wearing any other combo but this. There was only one problem .... I couldn't find my belt!

Awww heck. Where did it go? I just had it — it couldn't have gone very far, for crying out loud. I looked high and low, and then I looked low and high! The pile of crapola in my room got bigger and bigger as I methodically picked each item up off the floor and shook it looking for that clandestine belt. I went through the pile a second time, and probably even a third time for good measure. I threw all the blankets off my bed, thinking it had somehow found its way under my covers where it was warm and cozy. I looked underneath my bed, thinking that it had slipped down between the mattress and the wall, and the dust bunnies had scurried off with it. No BELT. Geez Louise ... AGGGGH. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to stamp my feet and throw a temper tantrum. By this time, a good 20 minutes had probably passed, and I was starting to panic. I still had to get packed for the week, and get out the door, and now I had to pick out something else to wear because no way was I going to wear that skirt and that shirt without that d*mn belt (read about some of my other morning struggles here)! I sighed in resignation and started to pull the shirt up over my head, and lo and behold ...

There it was. I was so tired (and stressed) that I didn't even realize that my belt was ~~under my nose~~ around my waist the entire time. How bad is that?

I alluded to how time was flying by up above, and I hope this partially explains why I disappeared again ... Work has been so hectic and crazy that I didn't even remember that I had a belt around my waist. Thank you all for asking and caring enough to ask about me ... My company went through its rating review last week, which is the project that I've been working on since last October. I'm hoping it slows down a bit now (not too much though ...).

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday, because even though I didn't wear this outfit today, the orange was pretty visible. As an aside — I was pretty proud of this outfit, but I'm a bit nervous that it was a bit too young for me. (Seriously, can't you see a little girl of about 4 years old, with strawberry blonde curls wearing it?) Or maybe it looks like the Great Pumpkin decided to come a bit early and show up in February instead of October?

Things that Matter

2012-01-16T23:44:00.002-05:00

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

dress — First Issue (thrifted)

boots — (Dansko Company Store)

Was my sweater dress supposed to be a dress? or maybe it was just supposed to be worn as a cardigan? I dunno ... but I think it worked okay as a dress (I didn't get any hairy eyeballs from the people at work, so that says something right there.)

I have a hard time remaining silent when I see something that I feel is wrong. This past weekend was a case in point. I got into a political discussion with one of my Facebook friends. He has since unfriended me, so we are no longer friends. I am not all that upset about losing him as a friend — he was one of those friends from high school who you never really knew all that well, but they reappear in your life, thanks to Facebook. You were pretty sure that you didn't have a whole lot in common with this person, but you want to give them the benefit of the doubt, so you friend them — sometimes against your better judgment.

We ended up getting into a political discussion over something that I had posted. I should have known better about posting it, because I know that politics is a trigger point for me, and Facebook is just not a good meeting ground. On top of that, I haven't figured out how to walk away from a discussion, and to just let it go, and let it be.

Take a deep breath, Kari ...

I know that I'm not going to change anybody's mind, so why do I keep chewing on it the way a dog does with a bone? I am agonizing, really agonizing, about what I said and how I said it. There has got to be a better way.

How do you walk away from an argument or discussion feeling okay? And how do you remain vocal about things that you believe in but at the same time keep your cool?

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. This week, however, I wish that I had not been quite so visible.

Sparkle Someone Else's Eyes

2012-01-12T23:39:00.012-05:00

A sparkly shirt and sparkly shoes ...

Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, get away
American woman, listen what I say

This song was first released by The Guess Who in 1970, six years before I graduated from high school! And now that I have dated myself, I'll say it again — I am really old. But how on Earth did that happen?

shirt — Western Connection (thrifted)

pants — London Jean (Victoria's Secret)

belt — thrifted

necklace — Anne Dick (thrifted)

shoes — Dansko (Dansko Company Store)

earrings — DIY (and why exactly does do it yourself sound so much better than home made?!)

Believe it or not, this was a hard shirt to wear. I thought the spandex-like material would be super comfy, but the sparkles (which don't show up all that well) made the shirt feel really stiff. It fit nice, but it wasn't all that soft. (and on top of that I kept feeling like I was leaving sparkles on the ground behind me ... sort of like a Hansel and Gretel trail.) And then the color was really odd ... it wasn't quite brown, but it wasn't quite green either, so I had a tough time trying to figure out what to wear it with.

Once I decided to wear it with my old faithful pants, I played off of the gold sparkles on the shirt and used the opportunity to wear some other gold-tone stuff (my belt and necklace) that I have but don't wear all that often (I kind of have this phobia about wearing gold these days). I got the belt at a thrift store the last time I visited my parents, and it was too cool for even my phobic self to pass up. I had to wear it home instead of stuffing it in my luggage (talk about setting off the metal detectors) because it was so heavy (a couple of pounds?!). I was pretty sure that it would have tripped the scales!

This isn't the best picture of it — you don't get the feeling of how heavy it is ... it's like a dead weight (but it is oh so very cool ...). You can see the sparkles in the shirt a bit better too ...

Pardon this interjection while I say that I love this next picture of me because I look skinny. How weird is that? Same day, same clothes, same everything ... so why do I look skinny in this picture and not in the others?!

Anyway, I have to say that the really REALLY cool thing about this outfit is the necklace. Yes. My necklace. I got it in a thrift store; it was in a big ziplock bag that was stuffed full of jewelry for some insanely low price. I didn't give it a second thought until I started writing this post, and then I did some research on it (yeah, I'm still a nerd ...). I noticed that it had a name on it ... Anne Dick, and that seemed worthy of a Google search.

Wouldn't you know ... this necklace was made by the third wife of Philip Dick, the science fiction writer? I read his book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for one of my book groups — the 5Bs ... the Bodacious Beer Boozing Book Bitches (and, yeah, I have the T-shirt — erm ... denim shirt — and I wear it proudly).

This next pictures isn't bad either ... LOL. Oh man. I guess I can be kind of vain sometimes, can't I?

Linking up to Bloggers Do Sequins Better, because I was a sparkly blogger today.

And since my shirt, my necklace, and my belt is thrifted I'm doing a double whammy and linking up to Meagan at Spunky Chateau, and her Thursdays is for Thrifters.

Red All Over

2012-01-12T02:15:00.008-05:00

What's black and white and red all over?

Hold up your hand if you think the answer is a newspaper.

Of course, you knew that if you held up your hand, you'd be wrong. That would have been entirely too easy. Besides, I said "red" and not "read" ... har har har ... Are you laughing yet?

Anyway, today it's me that is black and white and red all over — I'm wearing a black shirt and white pants, and that riddle was so hokey that I'm blushing a bright red.

shirt — Rafaella (thrifted)

corduroy pants — London Jean (Victoria's Secrets)

belt — Aéropostale (thrifted)

boots — Trumpet by Wanted (DSW)

I know that that's one of the oldest riddles in the book (it dates back to at least the year 1917), but it still makes me laugh a little bit. And that's a good thing — laughter is good for the soul. There was a time, not that long ago, when I didn't laugh a whole lot. And I tell you, I was not a whole lot of fun to be around. I was just kind of existing ... putting one foot in front of the other. I would go to work, then come home and work some more, or then crawl into bed so I could get up the next day and do the same thing all over again.

And that's no way to live — a life devoid of laughter is a pretty empty life. These days, I still work really hard and put in long hours, but I try to find the humor in things. I still don't laugh as much as I probably should, but I'm a whole lot better than I used to be.

"With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die."

~Abraham Lincoln

Linking up to the Every Body Every Wear black-and-white challenge.

Forgive me for the less than adequate pictures ... My point and shoot is a great little camera for outside, but I can't figure out how to take decent pictures with it when I'm stuck inside. I would have waited till the weekend to take them, but then I would have missed the EBEW challenge, and with all the black that I own, I couldn't let this challenge pass me by.

The Most Magnificent Shoes

2012-01-08T19:33:00.002-05:00

I really wanted to wear these shoes to work. Really and truly I did.

Aren't they the most magnificent shoes ever?

I seriously just put them up on the table so that I could drool over them for awhile — it was almost shrine status. And don't you think they would have looked fabulous with this outfit?

jacket — Anne Klein (thrifted)

black shirt — Rayna Morgan (older than dirt / don't remember)

skirt — Grace Dane Lewis (thrifted)

boots — Dansko (Dansko Factory Warehouse)

Unfortunately, there was one teeny tiny small problem.

"What's that?," you ask?

I couldn't stand in them unless I did the downhill skier pose (you can see the downhill skier pose in this post here — it's aka the motorcycle mama pose).

Not being able to stand in a pair of shoes (let alone walk in them) is actually kind of a big problem — not a small one. So these beautiful amazing shoes had to go back to the store. Sniffle ... sniffle ... sob ... sob. I stroked them a few more times, laid them down gently back in their box, and then slammed the lid down quick so I wouldn't be forced to change my mind and keep them.

I was really really bummed. I so badly wanted to pull off this kind of a look ...

Can't you just see me? I would be sitting at my desk, leaning back a little, with my legs provocatively crossed. People would walk by my desk, glance over, and just stop dead in their tracks. Their eyes would travel down my elongated legs to those fabulous amazing shoes, and they would think, "Who is that amazing mysterious woman with the leopard print ankle booties?

Yeah. Right. hahahahaha! I find the idea to be rather funny too.

I realized that if I had to take my shoes off every time I needed to get up and grab another cup of coffee, that I probably wouldn't seem all that mysterious. In fact, I'd probably look downright silly.

I did, however, have a good time imagining myself as looking that way, and I think it helped me pull off my look for the day. I probably stood up a little taller and sashayed a little more, and, in general, was probably a whole lot more confident than I would have been otherwise. I'm struggling these days in my job and feeling rather insecure about what I am doing, so that extra confidence was a bit of a boost. Imagination really can work wonders.

Linking up to Visible Monday with Patti and Not Dead Yet Style. Even though my leopard print ankle booties were in my mind's eye only, they made me feel so much more visible.

Forgetting My Jacket or Not

2012-01-05T15:46:00.006-05:00

I'm ba-a-a-a-ck, and it's not because I forgot my jacket.

"... As you can see, I’ve returned, and it’s not because I forgot my jacket. ... The real reason I’m back is ..."

LOL.

And see, I really didn't forget my jacket.

jacket — Old Navy (thrifted)

dress — Dressing Clio (thrifted)

shoes — Bare Traps (DSW)

I look all flustered here because I can't get past his striking brown eyes. LOL! Anyway ... I actually wore my Blowfish booties with this dress on the day I wore it ... I got the Bare Trap shoes early in the fall, but they still look so pretty in the box that I've been afraid to wear them. (Yeah. I'm weird. I admit it. I have to save something for a few years before I have the courage to actually use it.)

shirt — Rayna Morgan (can't remember)

shoes — Blowfish (DSW)

The dress was sleeveless, so my old faithful, older-than-dirt top was pulled into rotation once again. This shirt is probably my most used item in my entire closet. I've had it for more years than I care to remember, and I'm dreading the day when it finally bites the dust. It's comfortable and very thin, so I can wear it under anything — scratchy sweaters, sleeveless dresses, low-cut tops, you name it ... I've been looking for a replacement for the past few years, and I still haven't found one that is half as good.

So ... why am I back, and why was I gone? I'm back because the holidays are over ... whew! I bet you would never guess that I don't remain my normal calm, cool, and collected self during the holidays. (hahaha ... The three Cs — calm, cool, and collected — are rarely, if ever, used to describe me. Honestly? Sometimes it's just hard for me to keep my proverbial sh*t together.)

Even in the best of years, the holidays tend to wreak havoc on my day-to-day stress levels. I never have enough time to do half the things that I had set out to do or wanted to do and then before I know it I am running around trying to do a hundred things in the last 24 hours and then poof! It's over, seemingly in a matter of seconds! Breathe Kari, breathe ... And then ... this year ... it probably goes without saying that my job and my commute (and especially my job) sent my stress soaring to new heights!

Hope everybody had a happy and stress-free holiday season.

A thrifted dress and a thrifted jacket, so I'm linking up to Spunky Chateau and her Thursdays Are for Thrifters link party.

Second Choice

2011-12-12T00:24:00.000-05:00

Can second choice ever be as good as your first choice?

sweater — Talbot's (thrifted)

skirt — Max Studio (Marshalls)

shoes — Thom McAn (Kmart)

This outfit was a second choice — my first choice was what I wore here. When I realized that first choice needed to be hemmed before it could be worn, and that I needed to come up with something else ~~on the spur of the moment~~ at 5 am, I kind of freaked!

You see, that's the one bad thing about riding the train in the morning. I have to get out the door when I have to get out the door. There are no ifs, ands or buts ... Time and tide wait for no man, and neither does the train!

Getting out the door can sometimes be a struggle for me — a real struggle. And when things don't go as planned, I start getting stressed, and then anything that can go wrong not only seems to go wrong, but actually does go wrong. Before I know it, my head starts to spin, and I can't keep anything straight. I'll grab my keys just to put down them down a minute later, because I'm rushing around to find something else that I need.

And then it's, "Where are my keys? My keys! I can't find my keys!" I start turning everything upside down and right side up, and then I'm grabbing everything and anything because I can't decide what it is that I need, and what if I need this so I better grab this, and yes, I might need this too. Whew! And no, I'm not exaggerating. I wish I was, but I'm not.

The day I wore this outfit was the day I had convinced myself that I had forgotten to turn off my flat iron. By the time I got to DC, I was completely frazzled and frantically calling my son to see if he could go home and check to see if I had left it on. He did, and I didn't (leave it on, that is. I never do.)

Even though I almost had a meltdown trying to find something to wear, I was really happy with my second choice (except for the shoes — I couldn't decide if the clogs or the booties went better.) I got this skirt a while ago, but I couldn't figure out how to wear it to work (it seemed kind of dressy for work, or at least more dressy than what I would typically wear). Pairing it with this sweater was a flash of inspiration (I also wore the sweater here, where I also couldn't figure out what shoes to wear. That's a recurring problem for me.)

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. I thought the color combination and the combination of the not so dressy sweater and the somewhat dressy skirt made me pretty visible. Besides, I think my second choice was pretty darn good.

Looking Edgy

2011-12-08T19:36:00.001-05:00

How does one go about looking edgy?

sweater — Charter Club (thrifted)

dress — Good Show Tickets (thrifted)

belt — New York Studio (thrifted) / chunky necklace — thrifted

jacket — Limited (thrifted)

tights — Kmart (purchased new!)

boots — Empire by Mootsies Tootsies (thrifted)

necklace — thrifted

More about that later. First of all, did you notice that my entire outfit was thrifted? Well, except for my tights. If you were worried, you can rest assured, I buy my tights brand new. I do get them in a discount store, but nobody — and I mean nobody but me! — has wiggled their little toes into them.

I kind of impressed myself with this outfit. It may not have been a "Hot Damn, Girl" outfit like this one here was, but it was still a Damn Good one. LOL. The dress *was* a sleeveless midi — I cut about three inches off the length, and then hemmed it (for real! I used a needle and thread this time instead of pins, like I did here), and then threw the sweater on top. I still need to turn the hem under again and then use the iron on it to make it look really good.

But back to my original question ... How does one look "edgy"? I don't have a really good defined idea of what edgy looks like in my book, but I know that whatever "it" looks like, it's not me. You'll find my picture in the dictionary under cute or sweet. AGGGH! Growing up ... I'm the one who always got her cheeks pinched in the grocery store by some person I didn't know. Blech. I'm going to be 80 years old, and people will still tell me that I'm soooooo cute. I don't want to look hard, but sometimes I wish that I could look like somebody you wouldn't mess around with.

I was trying to look edgy here (like a secret agent man), but instead I just looked like I was freezing!

Looking "cute" has its benefits though. I think it makes me look approachable. People, really nice people*, will just start talking to me. It doesn't matter where I am — on the train, the metro, the bus, on line somewhere, or walking up and down the aisles in a store. Invariably, somebody will start talking to me. It's kind of nice, it really is.

* I do attract my fair share of crazies. The worst of them all? The dirty old men who will say something off color just to try and see me blush. It doesn't happen that much anymore, but when I was younger? Oh, my! I'm blushing right now thinking about it.

Today, I got this letter in the mail from a lady whose bracelet I had admired on the metro a couple of weeks ago. She had given me her card so I could call her and find out where she got it. I called her, reached her voice mail, and left a message with my name and number. I meant to follow up and call her again, but I never did. And then today, I get this letter from her! She had searched me out, copied all the information about her bracelet and necklace, printed it out and sent it to me.

And this picture?

This picture is probably one of my favorite pictures of all time. It was taken a long time ago, by a stranger at Baltimore Airport. She took the picture (yes, that's a MUCH younger version of me with my kids) with her camera, and then mailed it to me! And this was way back in the days before email and digital cameras — back when you had to take the film to a store to be developed, and then mail the picture with a stamp in an envelope. I love it.

Sometimes it's not all that bad to be cute.

I'll bet you're not surprised that with my almost 100% thrifted outfit that I'm linking up to Spunky Chateau and Thursdays are for Thrifters.

And because I'm dressed all in brown, I'm double dipping again and linking up to Keely at CasualChicKiki.com and Megan Mae at MeganMaeDaily.com for Neutrals Week

Out for Lunch

2011-12-06T01:14:00.003-05:00

I treated myself to lunch yesterday wearing this outfit, and I felt like saying, "Hot Damn, Girl!"

white T-shirt — Levi's Red Tab (older than dirt, can't remember)

sweater — no label (older than dirt, can't remember)

skirt — L.L. Bean (thrifted)

wooly leggings — no label (but purchased new :-)

biker boots — Hayley Faded Glory (thrifted)

Not only did I wear it out to lunch, but I also wore it to work last Friday in lieu of jeans (read about how I used to always wear jeans on Casual Friday here). This was just a fun outfit — pure and simple. And it was such a simple outfit, but I really liked the way it turned out, and I think it shows.

I'm not sure what made it so fun ... the big baggy sweater? the bright orange color of my skirt against all the black? my jewelry? the wooly tights? the bad ass boots? or maybe ...

Maybe, just maybe, it was all of the above?!

I did think that my necklaces were perfect — framed against the black sweater and the white top really made them pop* — even moreso than the rusty orange color of my skirt. The beaded one (on the left) was a gift from one of my South American boarders (I think the beads are Ormosia monosperma. I'm not sure what the common name is though. Anybody know?), and the one on the right was a piece of fused glass that my mom made and styled into a necklace.

*How is it that colors are always popping these days?

I had a feeling that my outfit was going to elicit some comments at work, and I wasn't mistaken. (Seriously, if I don't get some kind of comment about my outfit, I think I've failed somehow, and I have to try harder the next day.) Today's comments centered around my boots. "Whoa! Kari's a biker chick!" Yeah, they were teasing. I didn't mind. It makes me feel like I am part of the group.I even got a comment on my way home on the train about how colorful (in a good way) my outfit was.

So, where did I go for lunch? To Costco, of course. If you play your cards right (aka going at the right time), you can get the equivalent of a seven-course meal there — appetizer, drink, cheese and crackers, main meal, dessert, fruit ... you name it. It's funny how people line up in front of all the sample food carts. You'd think that they were giving away money!

I've been a big supporter of Costco over the years. I go out of my way to keep my membership there, passing by another big-box store that I could almost walk to. I love their shrimp (yum yum), and their grapefruit is pretty darn good as well. On top of some of the staples that I buy there, my understanding is that they treat their employees well — paying them a livable wage with health care benefits, as well as other perks. But they are a big-box store, so I've started to wonder if my impression is a valid one, or if they're just as detrimental to small businesses. Maybe they just disguise it a little better?

Linking up to Patty and Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. Guess why?

And today, I'm a double dipper, because I'm also linking to Megan Mae at MeganMaeDaily.com and Keely at CasualChicKiki.com for Neutrals Week.

Today's neutral color challenge was to wear black. I know. I know. The bright orange skirt is not exactly black. But I am wearing an awful lot of black, so I think it still counts.

Just Walk On By!

2011-12-01T14:46:00.011-05:00

Keep reading if you want to see something even scarier than this outfit!

skort — Greg Norman (thrifted)

sweater — Bill Blass Jeans (thrifted)

booties — Blowfish (DSW)

This skort* was such a pretty cobalt blue color that I couldn't pass by the rack without snatching it up, especially since cobalt blue had been designated as an IT color for the fall. I tried the skort on and even though it was probably two sizes too big, I thought I could make it work. Hey, it stayed up under its own power, so it couldn't have been all that big, right? Besides cobalt blue is a good color for redheads and for erstwhile strawberry blondes like me. That's partly how I justified this purchase, but it had more to do with how I spend my money — I struggle with spending money on myself because I don't ever feel deserving of it. So I make do with what I can find even if it's not the right size, the right shape, or the right anything.

*skort: A skirt with a pair of shorts underneath.

I did actually wear this to work in early October — back when I was still commuting to DC and not through DC. It was a gray and rainy day out, and I thought the blue would brighten up the day. It's probably no surprise that that idea didn't work as planned. I ended up feeling dumpy and frumpy all day (note the pained expression on my face). It's kind of surprising that I have actually posted these pictures — it brings all those insecure, dumpy, and frumpy and not worthy feelings back.

And you know what?

If anything is going to make you feel less deserving, it's those feelings. And that's my own damn fault — I inflicted them upon myself. I should have had the self-control and the wherewithal to pass up the pretty blue color and the thrift-store price, and just walked on by, secure in the knowledge that I was worth more than that.

If you see me walking down the street

And I start to cry each time we meet

Walk on by, walk on by

Make believe that you don't see the tears

Just let me grieve in private 'cause each time I see you

I break down and cry

And walk on by (don't stop)

And walk on by

I just can't get over losing you

And so if I seem broken and blue

Walk on by, walk on by

Foolish pride

Is all that I have left

So let me hide

The tears and the sadness you gave me

When you said goodbye

Walk on by

and walk on by
and walk by (don't stop)

I need to see the losers more often, so I can remind myself that I deserve to feel good in what I wear, and that I should love everything that I buy. And, for me, that means that it can be way more important to spend a little more money if it's going to change the way I feel about myself. Anyway .... enough psychoanalysis (for now anyway. I'm sure it's going to keep popping up, like a pimple in the center of your chin, when you least want it too ... AGGH!).

But as promised, here's my really scary picture ...

What do you think about this critter? I was taking those pictures of myself, when I happened to look over, and this guy was just hanging out on the screen next to me! WHOA! I have no idea what kind of critter he was, but was he ever huge (and to put him in a better perspective, I'm not an insect phobe)! I don't think he was particularly dangerous — a stinging kind of thing, but after my episode this summer (read about it here), I didn't want to put a whole lot of faith and trust into what he could or could not do! Or what he would or would not do!

Thanks for sticking by me, through all my whining and moaning posts of late. I'll try and work on that. The holidays tend to be kind of a rough time of year for me, and then with the commute and my job situation — I just feel worn down and worn out. On a happy note, I do really like this picture of me ...

Linking up to Stacy at Spunky Chateau for her Thursdays is for Thrifters. My take on thrifting was a bit different this week, but my outfit wasn't a complete fail ... I liked my sweater, and I learned a valuable lesson (let's just hope that it sinks in).

White Hair

2011-11-27T21:31:00.010-05:00

I bet if I throw my head back and laugh out loud, nobody will see my white hair.

shirt — Levi's Red Tab (don't remember: it's older than dirt)

dress — Madison Leigh (thrifted)

woolly tights — no label, but purchased new! :-)

shoes — Dansko (Dansko factory outlet)

Hahahaha! Yeah, right. Do you think if I keep telling myself that, I'll start to believe it? NAH. I didn't think so, but it was worth a try! I'll probably still pull out those darn hairs if no one's looking, which is why I have a big old bald spot in the top front of my head that I now have to hide (see the cowlick in the top center of my forehead).

The little cap sleeves on this dress are kind of corny. In my day and age, cap sleeves mean that your dress is not a jumper, and there's no use pretending that it is. But ... but ... but ... the houndstooth check in brown and black practically screams fall or winter — doesn't it? And if that's the case, I can't imagine having bare arms in what can be freezing cold mornings (or evenings) during the northeastern fall and winter months. On top of my need to stay warm, the idea of exposing my fish-belly white arms, the color of which is status quo for this time of year, makes me positively shudder.

Am I missing some other way to style this pseudo jumper? How do you possibly wear it without putting something under it?

The other thing that gives me pause about this dress is its shape. In retrospect, however, that didn't bother me as much as those silly cap sleeves. It made it a lot more comfortable to wear during the gluttony that was my Thanksgiving.

Linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday, because well ... my glittery shoes and my white hair are pretty visible, don't you think? (And yes, I am joking — sort of.)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Feeling Lucky

2011-11-21T22:08:00.015-05:00

It was a gray day today, and it was a gray day when I wore this outfit last week.

shirt — Phool (thrifted)

T-shirt — Levi's Red Tab (older than dirt, can't remember)

pants — Rock Star (Old Navy)

shoes — Blowfish (DSW)

I think I did my part in trying to brighten a rainy day up. My boss said that I must have wanted to make sure that everybody was awake when I came in. (And I had worn the shocking red tights to work the day before, so that was saying a lot!)

Unfortunately, it didn't do a whole lot to dispel my mood. I am somewhat depressed these days, and it's partly because I commute upwards of 8 hours a day to my job. (I can work at home two or three days a week, which is the only way that I am staying relatively sane right now.) I try hard not to complain, but honestly? It's tough. It's hard, and it's stressful. And don't tell me to get a job close to home. I've tried, and the jobs aren't around. Or they want to pay me less than half of what I am making now, with no benefits (and they think they're doing me a favor by offering me a job!). No benefits. Let me say that again — NO BENEFITS! Have you tried surviving out there on your own with no benefits and a rinky-dink wage? No benefits might be doable if you are getting an amazing wage, but a crap wage with no benefits?! C'mon.

I've done the rinky-dink wage and no benefits thing, and I turned into a lunatic — worrying about every single penny that I spent or didn't spend. Jobs like that didn't pay my bills (not because I live extravagantly, but because the cost of everything would keep going up). I would freak out when my kids put the clothes in the dryer instead of hanging them out on the line. (Yes, I did, I'm not kidding.) I'd freak out when Verizon charged me a data surcharge. I'd call them up, and I'd literally start shaking and crying over something like $1.49 extra on my phone bill. (Yes. I did. But in that case, I didn't care!) And these were the good aspects of the crap wage with no benefits.

I'd get side job after side job after side job so I could pay my bills, and it was still hard to make ends meet. I had three kids, and something always came up that would deplete my savings. I still can't go in and out my front door*. It's inconvenient, but it's not an emergency. (I can go out my back door and even my bedroom window if I really have to. I make repairs that are an emergency.)

*I have a mortise lock, so it's not something I can replace myself — believe you me, I tried!

And you know what? I consider myself lucky. Yeah, I do — really and truly, I do. I commute 7 to 8 hours a day to get to my job, but I have my health and I now have a job that pays my bills. I don't have small children who I have to worry about if I'm not home, so I have the flexibility to commute long distances (I would move, but who knows how long this job will last). What I don't feel is that I am any more deserving than the next person who is struggling to find a job.

Yes. I feel lucky. I do!

Because you know what?

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

Linking to Patti and Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style — not only because I am so visible in my colored pants, but because I have opinions and I like to share them. The more confident I am, the more able I am to promote myself and the things that I believe in.

Stained Glass

2011-11-15T10:51:00.316-05:00

I used to be a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl or even a sweatpants and T-shirt kind of girl. I looked forward to Casual Friday at work, because I could get away with wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt (like here and here). It was just so easy and so comfortable.

shirt — ana (thrifted)

jeggings — 17/21 Exclusive Denim (Marshalls)

shoes — Blowfish (DSW)

necklace — thrifted

These days when I have the option, I am likely to forgo the jeans and put on something that's a little more dressy. Take this outfit, for example.

I wore this to work on Casual Friday a few weeks ago, and then, wonders of wonder, I wore it again to a high school cross country meet — the county championships. (I wore it with a pair of flat boots at the meet so I would be able to run around to all the vantage points on the course and see the kids running.)

It's not that I don't still love my jeans and T-shirts, I do. I'm just finding that it can be fun to wear something a little different and change up my look a bit. Okay. I know it isn't that much of a change. I mean, it's not as drastic or as different as sporting spiked purple hair or black leather and chains, but still ...

I love the colors in this shirt — the blues and the greens, and the pattern reminds me of a stained glass window.

The cross country race was one of the best races that I had ever been to. The top race of the day, and one of the reasons that I went, was the girl's varsity race. It featured two girls — Julie Macedo and Haley Pierce. Julie is ranked number 1 in the country (yes, in the COUNTRY! from our tiny state), and Haley is ranked number 12. Two girls in our tiny state of Delaware are nationally ranked! Woo HOO! What made the race especially exciting was that they don't usually run against each other (they are in two different divisions — the big school and the small school division).

Up until this year, Haley had been the number one high school runner in Delaware (she placed fifth at the Nike Cross Nationals last year, and Julie was 16 seconds behind her). Then Haley was injured in August, and Julie exploded in the early season, becoming the first girl in Delaware to break 17 minutes for a 5K. I thought it was going to be a great race, and wow! Was it ever! I could not have predicted the result in a million years!

They literally ran each other into the ground! Neither one of them was going to concede or let the other get the better. Wow ... The two of them ran neck and neck for almost 3 miles. Haley pulled ahead with about 400 yards to go, and then, all of a sudden — she went down. She just crumpled. Julie kept going, but oh my! If you've ever seen somebody run who had nothing left to give, that was Julie. I wasn't sure if she was even going to make it across the finish line! As she was staggering up that final hill, up flies the girl who had been running in third place, and she won it all! WOW. I heard later that Julie and Haley ran their first mile in 5:10!

Haley and Julie ran in the state finals the following weekend. They ran on the same course, but in two different races. I was on pins and needles all day, checking the local running site every five minutes to find out what their times were. (I was pretty sure that they were going to win their respective races). And guess what?! They both posted a 17:28! The same time for a 5K in two separate races. Wow. They will most likely meet again in the same race at the Southeastern Nationals next weekend. Can't wait to see what happens there. (Haley won it last year, and Julie was 8th!) No matter what, it'll be an exciting race!

These girls have inspired me to start running again!

Right now, however, I need to figure out what to wear to work tomorrow. It's Casual Friday, and I don't want to wear jeans!

With my thrifted shirt and my thrifted necklace, I'm linking to Spunky Chateau's Thursday Are for Thrifters. Stop on over to see some more thrifted finds.

End of the Line

2011-11-14T21:06:00.254-05:00

This dress was an amazing score! $4.99 for a silk and angora sweater dress! Can you believe that?! On top of the amazing price, it was also a perfect fit. I didn't even bother trying it on — as soon as I saw it, I just scooped it right up! Have I told you before how much I love thrift stores?

dress — The Silk Collection (thrifted)

boots — Dansko (Dansko outlet)

I have been promising to finish up my story (I actually don't think that I'll ever really finish it — every day seems to bring something new!). I'll start tonight by saying that it's 9:00 pm on Monday night, and I just got on the train in Union Station. This is the last train of the night that goes all the way to my station. (If I don't make this train, I spend the WHOLE night in DC. Luckily that's about the only thing that hasn't happened to me yet.) I'm at the end of the line (the last stop), so I don't get off the train until around 11 pm, which means I won't get home until almost midnight. And that is a LONG day.

The ride is only about 90 minutes long in the morning (I say "only" with a wry grin — my idea of what is a short and long ride these days is somewhat skewed). But since it's the last train of the night, we stop at every single podunk station along the way (including mine). On top of that, I'm on the commuter train, which in this neck of the woods is the MARC train. The MTA (Maryland Transportation Authority) leases the rail line from Amtrak, so any time the Amtrak comes through, we have to get off the line and let it pass. That usually means that we have to sit and wait. And when the Amtrak comes through?! Holy crap! It goes by so fast, and it's so close, that you can feel it go by. The first time it happened, I literally jumped in my seat and screamed!

Tonight is one of those days that I am just exhausted. Overtired, in fact, to the point where I feel like crying and every annoyance seems to be magnified tenfold. I hate when I feel like that, because I lose all semblance of having patience. And invariably whenever I am this tired, some yahoo with a phone plops down next to me and has this long personal conversation in which I can hear EVERY SINGLE WORD! I am practically deaf, (I have a hearing aid for one ear, and I need one for the other, and I say, "What?" almost nonstop when people are talking to me.) If I can hear you, you're speaking REALLY REALLY LOUD!. (And yes, I am using all capitals for a reason.)

Tonight was a case in point. The woman kitty corner from me yapped for over an hour until she got off. It wasn't just me who seemed to be frustrated tonight — I thought the guy sitting in front of her was going to rip her phone away before she finally ended up getting off. In the morning, they actually have quiet cars, where talking on your cell phone, or even having conversations, is not allowed, but when it's this late in the evening, there's not enough people for them to devote an entire car to having one be a quiet car. I think, too, that they think one isn't needed, because most people try to sleep on the way home.

(Not only was I at the end of the line tonight, I was at the end of my rope!) Am I alone in finding people who yap on a cell phone in public places annoying? I need to find some noise-cancelling headphones that aren't too big or bulky, because it's just not worth letting it get to me.

I'm linking to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style and her Visible Monday post. Why do I feel visible? The bright color ... the chunky necklace ... even it just being a sweater dress made me feel so very visible! And visible in a good way.

I'm also linking up to Tammy at Silverstyle for her Trending through the Decade: Accessories post. I used to wear such dainty rings and necklaces. No more. The older I get the bigger my accessories are.

True Confessions ...

2011-11-09T23:19:00.009-05:00

True confession time — I didn't wear this to work. I wore it in my driveway to take pictures.

white sweater — Old Navy (Old Navy)

black sweater — (older than dirt)

skirt — Amanda Smith (thrifted)
tights — Target

booties — Blowfish (DSW)

But, truth be said, I'll probably wear it at some point. That is, once I decide on whether I like it with the white top or the black top better. I'm thinking the black. Which one do you prefer?

Colored tights are something that I've tried to wear before, and it's usually hit or miss (here, here, and here). So when the ladies over at Every Body Every Wear chose colored tights as the theme of the month, I was up for the challenge. I took my inspiration for this outfit from Paula at Fashion Over Fifty. She did such a great job with her red tights, that I thought I would try to emulate her style. And I agree with her — red tights are empowering!

And empowering is what I need these days, with my three- to four-hour commute — ONE WAY! Yes, you read that right, and yes, I know that's insane. I had been commuting to a dream job in DC and then, in one fell swoop, my position was eliminated. My company didn't do what a lot of companies are doing these days (my former company, as a matter of fact), and just pull the rug out from me. No, they said that they could use me in another project at their headquarters in Herndon. Unfortunately, that would add another hour to my already long commute.

I toyed with the idea of not going to Herndon the next day but, in the end, I knew that if I went that I would at least get paid for the day, which would be better than a poke in the eye. Seriously, I didn't have anything to lose by going. (Yes, these are the kinds of things that I obsess over ~~flit through my mind~~ during a time like this.) On top of that, I was in a state of shock from having my position eliminated just a scant two weeks after I had started this "dream" job. I knew that if I just stayed home, I would have been asking myself the whole day, "What if?" (Believe you me, more than anything, I WANTED to stay home ... I can't even begin to describe all the emotions that I was feeling.)

My commute to Herndon the next morning started off the same — I left the house at 5:45 am, which was the same time that I had been leaving all along. I caught the 6:50 Amtrak, but instead of taking it straight through to DC, but I got off at New Carrollton, the station before DC. From New Carrollton, I could take the Orange Line straight through to West Falls Church — the stop for Herndon. I thought it would be better to go straight through instead of getting off at Union Station and getting on the Red Line, then getting off the Red Line at Metro Station, and getting on the Orange Line. That just seemed to be too overwhelming for me. Seriously, it sounds complicated just writing it, let alone doing it!

More tomorrow ...

But in the meantime, check out more Colored Tights at Every Body Every Wear.

Hand Puppets

2011-11-08T04:40:00.004-05:00

And now for something completely different ... an outfit picture. Okay. That's weak, really weak. I ran out of ideas on how to introduce a post. And it was either hem and haw and never get this post up, or give you something weak. I chose to be weak.

dress — Horny Toad (Horny Toad)

boots — Antonio Melani (thrifted)

My dress is a "Kari" dress if there ever was one. Seriously ... this is the kind of dress that I like to think was made with me (or my lifestyle) in mind. It's simple and comfortable, and it's what I've always gravitated to when I bought clothes — I went for comfort, and not style, and I didn't venture very far out of that comfort zone.

I was really disappointed when I first looked at these pictures. I thought that I still hadn't ventured very far out of my comfort zone. But after the initial disappointment that came from thinking that I'm still doing the "same old, same old," I realized there's a big difference between the "me" of today and the "me" of yesterday. Even though my dress is emblematic of the kind of clothes that I've always worn, I'm wearing boots today. Yes. Boots.

So what's the big deal about boots? Well, I don't think that I ever owned a pair of dress boots before last year. (I made up for lost time though, because I went on a major boot-buying frenzy, and I am no longer lacking in that department.) I had practical boots, but I never had really fun boots. Boots that made me want to kick up my heels and say, "Look at me!" and make me strut my stuff. [HAHAHAHA I'm having a hard time believing that I am actually writing this — like I have stuff to strut?! I'll say it again. HAHAHAHAHA].

Anyway, it's not *just* the boots. It's the idea of the boots. It's all of it. It's having the courage to be me and do something that is fun and makes me happy, even if it's something that makes me stand out and be noticed. Growing up, and even until quite recently, I was very timid and afraid to take risks. All I ever wanted to do was to be just like everybody else and blend into the crowd and not stick out.

I thought that I had moved past that scared little girl who wanted to be accepted for who she is, so when I saw these pictures, I was bummed. I thought I had moved past worrying about what other people thought. I want to feel comfortable and confident in what I do and who I am.

But you know what? I think I'm starting to. This blog has really helped me move in that direction.

Even if it means that sometimes I act like a dork and make hand puppets when nobody is looking (and even when they are looking). That's okay, because I'm okay. I really am.

Back to the dress though — it's actually two separate dresses. Underneath that chocolate-colored outer layer (is that chocolate colored?) is a purple-striped tank dress that is perfect for the middle of a summer heat wave. You can see the purple stripes peeking out along the hem.

One last note — I'm surprised that it took me so long to wear this dress. I got it last year, and I loved it. And then it sat, and sat, and sat in my closet. I was probably saving it (like I save everything) for the perfect occasion and the perfect reason to wear it.

I'm linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, because I think I'm learning to be (and learning to love being) more Visible.

(I got sidetracked while writing this post, so I'll have to catch you up on my job woes in my next post.)

I apologize for this picture-heavy post ... I just liked my pictures (wow, I feel really weird saying that), and I didn't know how to edit them down. They made me smile when I looked at them, and I kind of needed that.

Do I Dare?

2011-11-01T17:25:00.007-04:00

Before I tell you what happened next in my long and drawn-out work saga, I have to ask what you honestly think about this outfit. Do I dare to wear this out in public? Or should I stay hidden and locked behind the doors of my house when I wear it?

camisole — Route 66 (Kmart)
green tunic — Tribeca Studio (freebie)

leggings — Zenana (Marshalls)

boots — Wanted (DSW)

Honestly, now. Is this something that somebody of my age can wear? I actually did some research on how to wear leggings before I tried it out (yeah, I'm a nerd — I love to look stuff up). I think it met all the criteria, except that maybe the tunic should be a little longer? My leggings are actually pretty thick (and they were definitely NOT shiny), but they sure don't look that way in my pictures (it really kind of wigged me out when I saw the pictures)!

So ... What do you think?

Wear it or not? (Part B. If it's okay to wear out of the house, where could I wear it? Where would it be appropriate attire?)

And now, the saga continues ...

Head Honcho Guy (HHG) had just finished pulling the rug out from under me. I went back to my cubby (actually I kind of crawled back ... I felt like such a dope), and just sat down at my desk. I looked around at all the crap I had lugged down from Delaware to put in my office and wanted to cry. I had been bringing one or two reference books from home a day, so I had a nice little collection built up at that point. How on Earth was I going to get them back home?

I posted a status message on my Facebook profile to let my friends know what had happened, and I emailed my kids and my parents to let them know. I was so bummed — really and truly bummed. Sure HHG had told me that they could use me in Herndon, but c'mon. I wasn't going to be able to commute to Herndon. Maybe they wanted me to go to Herndon so they could formalize my separation from the company and give me my exit interview.

I packed up some of my more personal items — a picture of my kids, my coffee cup, my plant (yeah, I had even lugged a plant down there), all the things that really made that little space my own — and then walked dejectedly out of the building to Union Station. I was very, very careful walking back ... Falling on my butt again (see that story here) would have been the last straw, and I probably would not have been able to hold myself together at that point.

I got home between 8 and 9 pm, and I just hulked over my computer. I whined and cried on Facebook for the next few hours, making sure that all my friends knew just know how miserable and wretched I was. They were great — so kind and supportive, and made me feel a little better. Because no matter what HHG said, when you get laid off or your position is eliminated, you still wonder if it's something you did or if you could have done something to prevent it.

(to be continued ...)

I'm starting to feel a little guilty for dragging my story out, but honestly, this is completely how it unfolded for me. I'm not exaggerating my feelings or what happened in the least. And you have to realize, I pretty much live alone, and I struggle with my emotions sometimes. My kids are great, but they have their own lives, and besides they don't live at home. I'm not complaining, but I was devastated when this happened, and didn't really have anybody to turn to. I really and truly just wanted to come home and have somebody tell me that it was going to be okay, that I was okay, and give me a big hug and take care of me.

The Walking Dead

2011-10-30T18:51:00.005-04:00

When I last left you, I was sitting in the conference room at my new office and listening to the head honcho guy (HHG) tell me that my new position had just been eliminated. Before I get into what happened next, here's an outfit and a few words about that outfit.

sweater — Delia*s (Delia*s)

dress — Spiegel (thrifted)

boots — Unlisted (thrifted)

When I tried on this dress the other morning, I groaned out loud — a really loud groan. I bought it when I was probably 20 pounds lighter, so it was way too tight now. It's one of those clingy form-fitting garments that shows every extra ounce, and in not a very pleasing way. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't uncomfortably tight (usually I'm chomping at the bit in tight clothes, and I can't wait to rip them off of me), so I tried to figure out how I could still wear it. I think the sweater really ended up saving the day and kept this dress from going back to where I got it from originally (the thrift store). Besides it brightened up the dress considerably.

So .... about my job. HHG told me that they were very sorry, that they had no idea this was coming down the pike, but their client had told them to reduce costs on their contract. My position was more or less a luxury position, so it meant that my position, and me along with it, had to go. (I say luxury, because my role as a technical writer was to make the company look and sound good — I didn't do any product development or fill a role that was a requirement of the contract.)

HHG then tried to soften the blow by saying that if I was interested, they still had a need for a technical writer in their headquarters in Herndon, Virgina, and that headquarters was *only* an hour from DC.

Okay. If I lived in DC, an hour commute wouldn't be that big of a deal. And if I lived a few miles to the south and east of DC in Virginia, it would be even better. Unfortunately I don't live in DC or in Virginia, I live in Delaware. My commute to DC was already two and a half hours one way, and I'm supposed to add another hour onto that. Is he kidding? (and yes, he knew where I lived — that was his first question, "Am I still living in Delaware?")

This is the quizzical dorky look.

I try to explain this, and HHG goes running out of the room. He comes back in a few minutes later with directions from one of my now former co-workers. I look down at the itinerary, and headquarters is *not* another hour, give or take a few minutes, from DC. It's an hour and a half, if not longer — 45 minutes on the metro, 45 minutes on the bus, and then I have to walk a half mile! My head is starting to spin. I'm thinking ... a four-hour commute? one way? I can't do that. They can't be serious. I tell HHG that I can't do that. How will I even be able to function? I'm not going to be of any use to anybody if I have joined the ranks of the walking dead.

He says that I should just give the commute a try and come in the following day. Don't worry about what time you get there. Just try it. You might like it ... (Okay, he probably didn't say that I might like it. I think he said, "See if it's manageable for you.")

(to be continued ...)

Linking up to Megan Mae and Keely's This or That Fashion Challenge. This outfit was intended for the midi or maxi challenge, but I realize now that it could have also qualified for Fall Brights.

Also linking up to Patti at Visible Monday. This outfit may not have seemed so visible, but for me, it was. It was just so different from what I would have worn a few years ago. And isn't that what it's all about?

Confucius Says ...

2011-10-27T00:47:00.005-04:00

Confucius says, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."

I've become a real pro at getting up — both figuratively and literally.

shirt — Crazy Horse (thrifted)

sweater — Ann Taylor Loft (thrifted)

skirt — Talbots (thrifted)

boots — Classique (thrifted)

Do you ever have one of those days that starts off great, and then goes steadily downhill? Or maybe the day just starts off bad and keeps getting worse? I had such a day a week ago.

That particular day started off pretty good. I woke up and got myself ready for my fabulous new job in Washington, D.C. (and I mean new job — I was just two weeks into it at that point). I remember really liking my outfit, and being kind of surprised that I was able to put it together in the wee hours of the morning. I remember feeling pretty darn good about myself — I was strutting and preening in front of the mirror before I left the house. I loved how my skirt moved; I liked my boots; and I really, really liked my big heavy necklace, which one of the guys at work even complimented me on. (I also wore bracelets and rings, but I forgot to put them back on — you'll have to imagine them.)

Everything else that morning went pretty smoothly. The train arrived on time in DC at 8:17 a.m., and I joined the hordes of commuters streaming every which way out of Union Station. I had almost made it out of the building, when all of a sudden ...

... my foot slipped, and down, down I went. In front of everybody!

And I mean, I went S-P-L-A-T. And not just me. My cell phone went flying (and boy did it fly on those polished walkways — too bad I wasn't playing shuffleboard with it). My apples and oranges were rolling everywhere.

There I was, sprawled on the ground in the middle of Union Station in DC. Oh. My. God. How humiliating is that? No way to pretend that it hadn't happened (you know, like when you wave at somebody you thought was waving at you but they weren't so you just pretend that you were scratching your ear or waving at the person behind them?).

I picked myself up as gracefully as I could, picked up my cell phone, my apples, and my oranges, and everything else that had fallen out of my overstuffed bag, and continued on my merry way, not realizing that I was going to have to pick myself up yet again before the day was over.

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. I was working on a deadline, so I kept my head buried in my work for the most part, and I was making a lot of progress. Time just flew by that day. I was feeling pretty about where I was, and what I was doing.

And then ... And then ... [insert the sound of ominous music here]

Just as I was just packing up so I could catch the train home, my boss's boss (you know, the head honcho guy) stopped by and asked if he could talk with me for a few minutes in the conference room. Ummmm ... okay. What was I going to say, "No. I can't talk now, I have to catch the train. Hit me up tomorrow if you want to talk."

I'm following him down the hallway, and I'm thinking, this is not good, and I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what I did wrong. Did I dress inappropriately one day? Did I say the wrong thing to the wrong person?

No. This was not going to be good at all.

We go in the conference room. He shuts the door, and tells me that my position was being eliminated. Just like that. Poof! Up in smoke. My dream job was gone. I can't even begin to tell you the feelings that came over me at that moment. Disbelief. Panic. Shock. Sadness. I wanted to laugh hysterically and then cry. I wanted to stamp my feet and scream, "NO! You can't do this to me. What am I supposed to do with my month-long train ticket? I bought an iPad so I could do work on the train." And ... and ... and ...

AGGGGH!

(to be continued ... )

I'm linking this post to Megan Mae and Keely's This or That Challenge.

They have the best challenges! I just wish that I could keep up with them!

I'm a day early for this one — this outfit should really be for tomorrow's dots or stripes challenge (my skirt is actually polka dots). But tomorrow is already today, so maybe I'm right on time?

Also, since my outfit was 100% thifted, I'm linking to Spunky Chateau, Thursday is for Thrifters Challenge.

BTW, I also wore this sweater here. Which look do you like better?

What should I do with the bottoms of these boots so I don't slip and fall the next time that I wear them?

Pushing the Envelope

2011-10-12T00:33:00.006-04:00

Long days! or are they short days? Maybe it's all in how you look at it. I leave the house by 6 am, and I don't get back home until close to 8 pm. Long days at work, and short days at home.

sweater — Worthington (thrifted)

skirt — (thrifted)

belt — (don't remember; older than dirt)

shoes — Mia (DSW)

These days, my days start at 4:30 am, which is what time I set my alarm. (That's a far cry from a few short weeks ago, when my days pretty much ended at about that time.) Anyway, when I got this job, I decided to set my alarm for that ungodly early time because I just do not get along with mornings. AT ALL! I tend to be a night owl, so it's much easier for me to stay up until 4:30 am than to get up at that time.

I could set the alarm for 5:00 am, and technically I would still have plenty of time to get out the door. Unfortunately, I'm a creature of habit, and I knew that no matter what time I set the alarm, I would end up pushing the envelope as far as I possibly could and stay in bed to catch a few more minutes of shut-eye.

But if I I did set the alarm for 5 am, I would still stay in bed to the last possible moment — trying to delay the inevitable of having to get up. And then, because I didn't leave myself with enough time to get ready, I would end up running around like a crazy person trying to get out the door.* By setting the alarm for a half hour earlier, I can still stay in bed and get up and have plenty of time. I know, this sounds completely ridiculous.

* If you have ever seen me in action, you would know that I wasn't jesting. When I'm pressed for time, I get so worried about forgetting something that I grab everything and anything that isn't nailed down. And the later I am, the more stressed I get, and the more I grab. (There's a reason that my co-workers at my last job used to call me the bag lady — I needed multiple bags to hold everything that I grabbed as I was running out the door).

Anyway, that was the long-winded version of saying that I get up sometime between 4:45 am and 5 am. I have to leave my house by 5:55 am to get to the train station by 6:30 am. (The train doesn't come until 6:50 am, but I have to get to the station early to nab a parking spot. Even at that hour of the morning, I end up having to park in the overflow lot.)

It's still dark at that hour, so I've been getting to see the sun rise each and every morning. That in itself is a pretty novel experience for me! The 6:50 train arrives at Union Station in DC at 8:17 am, and at that point, I just follow the stream of people flowing out of the station and into the streets. From there, it's a short 10-minute walk to my office. At 5 pm, I reverse my steps and leave the office, catching the 5:20 train out of Union Station.

Unfortunately, getting dressed in the dark and when I'm half asleep has its drawbacks — the main one being that I don't see how I really looked until I see my pictures. (I also have to rely on the weather report, which can be a bit sketchy.)

This outfit was a case in point. I usually like my skirts shorter, rather than longer, so I hoisted this skirt up to make it shorter. Unfortunately, however, when I did that — the proportions were completely off. These shoes really demand a longer skirt to pull them off. (Remember these shoes from here and here? They were the shoes with attitude!)

Over the weekend, I restaged the pictures to see if the longer length looked better. And I have to say, it made a HUGE difference! (Could I actually be starting to catch on to this fashion thing?!)

Wouldn't you agree?

As a side note, I wish I could take all my pictures on the weekend so I can take them in the daylight. The quality is just SO much better!

I actually don't mind the commute. I like the train -- it's very soothing, and relaxing, almost as if you're being rocked to sleep. By the time I get home, I have completely unwound from the day. Completely different than when I was driving to work and dealing with the traffic. The biggest problem is that I don't have enough hours in the day to get things done.

But when did I ever?

I'm lucky enough to squeak in on the Bloggers Do It Better animal print challenge. Lucky that I had happened to wear an animal print (my skirt) and lucky enough that I was able to post it in time (29 minutes and counting by last watch). It's amazing to see how other people have styled their animal prints so that everybody looks different (I really like the use of color ... something that I need to try more of.)

Crashing but not Burning

2011-10-05T22:38:00.002-04:00

Monday was so cold — a high of 53°F, and a low of 46°F. Relatively speaking, that's not all that cold, but compared to the temperatures that we had this summer, and the humidity of last week, trust me, it felt cold! I wanted to stay warm on my second day of work, so I bundled up and wore two sweaters (one long sleeved and one short sleeved), heavier tights, a wool skirt, and boots.

black top — Talbots (thrifted)

white sweater — Stamford (thrifted)

herringbone skirt — harvé benard by Benard Holtzman (thrifted)

boots — Lord & Taylor (thrifted) / tights — L'eggs

Of course, the day ended up being a lot warmer, so I pretty much roasted all day. And whenever I got nervous or flustered, the sweat just started pouring off of me.

And boy did I get nervous and flustered on Day 2. It was the getting-to-know-you day. The day that you're brought around and introduced to everyone, and you have to make small talk. Needless to say, small talk is not my forté, and I usually avoid it like the plague because it makes me so uncomfortable. I wish I could have avoided it on Day 2, because every time I opened my mouth, I felt like a blithering idiot. As the day went on, I got more and more self-conscious about what I was saying and how much I was sweating and how red I was getting and how hot I was ... and you get the picture.

Before too long, I had worked myself up to a real panic that I didn't have what it took to be successful at this job.(You know the saying, "Fake it til you make it?" I was starting to convince myself that I was just a big faker, and it was just a matter of time before they found out and regretted hiring me, if they didn't already.)

Usually when this happens, I just keep spiraling down, and I crash and burn. And trust me, it's not pretty. This time, I grabbed the bull by the horns, and told myself that I wasn't going to be my own worst enemy and sabotage myself again. I swallowed my fear and my feelings of inadequacy, and went to talk to one of my team members. In other words, I did my job, and I'm pretty proud of myself.

By the way, in case you didn't notice, I traded the deer-in-the-headlights look that I had here for the creepy staring eyes look.

I'm linking this post up to Silverstyle for her Boots: Trending through the Decades Link Up. Check out how ladies of all ages are wearing their boots.

No Loitering

2011-10-04T00:41:00.000-04:00

Don't believe the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look in my eyes — I had a GREAT first day of work! I took this at the train station at the end of the day, and I was beat. (Remind me to tell you about my lazy eye and my eye muscle surgery someday.)

shirt — Carolyn Taylor (can't remember; it's older than dirt)

skirt — no brand (Burlington Coat Factory; it's older than dirt)

shoes — Dansko (Dansko outlet)

The past few days have been cold and dreary in Delaware, which is pretty much what prompted this outfit. That, and the fact that it's an old faithful. I've worn it for years and years and years. In fact, I can't remember a time when I didn't pull this outfit out of my closet when I wanted to look nice. I also thought it would be warm (it wasn't warm enough); I thought it would be work appropriate (it was); and I thought I would be comfortable (I was, except for the tights that cut off the circulation to my legs — those babies are going in the garbage! The tights, not the legs.).

Anyway, now that I'm looking at these pictures, I feel like something is missing. I don't look the way I imagined myself looking or even how I looked when I saw myself in the mirror. I just feel like the outfit is kind of dull. So guys, what could I have done to jazz this up. How could I have put some color into it? I dunno, I kind of like the sweater with the skirt, but my neck looks nekked. Maybe a heavier, more of a statement necklace? Maybe I should have worn the red lipstick that I got and then was afraid to wear?!

What do you think of this as a first-day-of-work outfit? With my new found sense of fashion (love of fashion? desire to be fashionable? No, that's not it either — these days, I just have this desire to put my best foot forward. When I feel like I look good, it's like I become a completely different person. I stand up straighter, smile more, and in general — I'm just more radiant. I'm having fun, and it shows. Okay. This wasn't supposed to be a post about my fashion fun — it's just so strange that it's so much fun with clothes.)

I'm also sporting a new hair cut, and once again my hairdresser worked her magic! She also did my hair here. She's amazing!

I do look tired though. I got up at the crack of dawn this morning (4:30 a.m.) to get ready. Actually, by the time I laid my body down to sleep last night — all I did was toss and turn. I couldn't fall asleep to save my life, so if I got an hour of sleep that was probably a lot. I left my house at 6:00 a.m. (don't even ask why it took me 90 minutes to get ready, I can be really neurotic at times). I got to the train station by 6:30 a.m., and got the LAST spot in the lot. The last! The gods were smiling on me again.

The Amtrak came at 6:50 a.m., and then it was a little over an hour to Union Station. The Amtrak is really nice — quiet, and calming. And this morning, I was so tired, and it was so cold and dreary, that the chug chug chug of the train just lulled me to sleep (I could get used to that). From Union Station, it was a short 15-minute walk to the office and boy, did it ever wake me up. I didn't wear a coat or have gloves or a scarf, and it was brisk out!

Coming home, it was the same. This time on the train, people were so friendly. It was nice. And honestly, it really kind of surprised me. I'm so used to people just looking down and going about their business.

I had to include this last picture. I didn't realize until I downloaded my pictures that I was standing in front of a No Loitering sign. I hope that the powers that be won't mind me "loitering" so I can take my pictures!

I'm linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style because of my mood — I was so happy that it made me quite visible!

Thank you all for all your encouragement and support during this long hot summer. It lifted my spirits when I got down, and helped give me the confidence to keep on keeping on. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to post or comment for the next week or so while I'm getting used to this schedule. I'll be here, but not as visible.

Under Control

2011-09-30T01:12:00.009-04:00

It's been too rainy and humid to wear anything but my standard tank and shorts. So instead of dazzling you with that outfit again (look here if you want to be dazzled), I thought that I would use an outfit picture that reflects the type of clothes that should be worn this time of the year.

sweater — Linda Matthews (thrifted)

pants — London Jean: Kate Fit (Victoria's Secret)

boots — American Eagle (Payless)

belt — Nautica (thrifted)

Even though I wore this in the spring (on April 26, to be exact) and liked it, I actually think the colors are more suited for the fall. I also tried it with my Dansko clogs — which footwear do you think works better? the clogs or the boots? I think I'm partial to the clogs.

I start my new job on Monday (yay!), so the past two weeks have been really hectic and crazy. My commute will be between three and four hours a day (most will be on the train), so once I start working I won't have a whole lot of time to get things done at home or to run errands. I've been trying to get the things done that need to get done and to run the errands that need to get run (getting an oil change, for example).

You'd think that since I've been unemployed for the past three months that everything would be under control. After all, I had tons of time to do anything and everything. But it didn't work that way for me. Not having a job and not being sure of what the next day is going to bring made it really hard to use my time productively and wisely, or in other words, I spent a lot of time worrying and freaking out. I also worked out in the yard, went through things in the house (I knew that I wanted to move — job or no job), and hid in my bedroom. I didn't, however, do anything that entailed spending money, which meant postponing a lot of things that really needed to get done. Yes oil change, I'm talking about you.

Tomorrow, I'm going out to lunch with a couple of guys from my old office, and I'm getting my hair cut — yay! another thing that I put off until I had money.

I'm really looking forward to my new job — just about everything about it, in fact. I know there's going to be some down sides (my eyes aren't that blue!), but still ... The work is going to be exciting in and of itself, and then I'm going to be working in DC! I'll have a set schedule again, be around people, and even get a PAYCHECK! Woo hoo! And maybe I'll even fall into bed at the end of the day, too exhausted to snack my way through the night.

Another good thing is that I'll be getting dressed up again (good bye tank and shorts, hello heels and long sleeves). I'm really curious to see how I end up dressing for this job. I had to dress "professional" in my old office, but all that really meant was no jeans. This outfit, for example, may not be acceptable for an office located in the heart of DC. Since these khakis (I also have a wine-colored pair) were pretty much a "go to" item (see here, here, and here for other ways that I wore them), that's going to mean drastic changes in my outfits.

I don't think that I'll have the time or the inclination to ~~pop out of a box~~ be silly either ...

Thank you all for all your good wishes!

Linking over to Thrifty Thursday at Spunky Chateau — my bracelet, necklace, belt, and sweater were all thrifted goodies.

Feet that Touch the Ground, or Don't ...

2011-09-21T22:29:00.001-04:00

So .... I'm having problems these days. Problems in getting my feet to touch the ground. Every time, I think that I have landed, somebody asks me a question, and I start talking and then it's like I'm being slowly inflated, and up I go again!

I GOT THE Job!

Yes, indeedy! Barring any unforeseen circumstance, such as not passing the background check or something else equally as miserable, I'll be starting on October 3.

suit — Rafaella (Boscov's)

shirt — Carlisle (thrifted)

tights — L'eggs Sheer Vitality

shoes — Blowfish (DSW)

I ended up wearing my suit, with my blue-and-white striped button down shirt. I actually felt pretty good in it by the time the interview rolled around (it didn't hurt that the guy who was interviewing me was wearing black pants with a blue-striped button-down shirt — yeah, we were twins). It was tight, but not as bad as it was when I first put it on — oh my! I had stopped eating (not really, but you know what I mean), and went to the gym 3 times a day and doing all the ab machines — the fitness expert told me to come 3 times a week, I thought that in my situation 3 times a day would be a bit better ... hahahahaha...).

In retrospect, these pictures didn't capture the way I felt. I had a smile from ear to ear — I just couldn't help it. I felt so good that I practically danced down Constitution Ave in DC. I had this stupid, silly grin on my face the entire time, because ... honestly? I felt good about this interview. I felt good before going in, and I felt good after coming out. (It didn't hurt that the person, who would be my supervisor, told me that it went very very well.) But still I wasn't my normal negative self.

Today, I sent in all the paperwork for the background check (wow ... why do you always end up feeling like a criminal? At least they didn't ask me to take a drug test — OH MY ... talk about feeling like a criminal! Not allowed to wash your hands. Not allowed to flush the toilet ... It can be so humiliating to just try and get a job these days.)

***************

I brought my camera along with me to try and capture the day. (I really did have this feeling that it was going to go okay.) I had a mini panic attack the day before my interview when I was trying to figure out how to actually get there. The train only comes to my station first thing in the morning, and my interview was at 1 pm. I didn't relish the idea of getting up extra early to catch the train, and then hanging around in DC for 5 hours ... I just didn't want to be a wilted flower by 1 pm.

Driving to another station would have been hit or miss — because of parking issues (the lots tend to fill up during rush hour). I was just picturing myself driving around and around in circles, looking for a parking spot, watching the minutes tic toc by, and getting more and more frantic. Luckily and thankfully, a friend of mine offered to drive me to the Baltimore station. So I drove to her place, and then she delivered me to the station — even walking me in to where I get my ticket (I was such a pile of nerves by that point that I'm not sure if I could have done it on my own).

I got to Union Station in DC around noon, and then it was a short walk — half a mile — to the building where my interview was. I got there with plenty of time, which gave me some time to calm down and cool down. It was pretty warm and humid, and the sweat was just pouring down my face and my back.

While waiting to go inside, I took my first street style photo. I loved this look — the way she had paired long gray knit shorts with boots and a black cardigan.

All in all, a great day!

Thank you all for all your support!

Being Smart and Pretty

2011-09-15T02:04:00.004-04:00

I'm reaching back into my picture archive (back and way back) for this post. I'm also going to nominate this picture for Megan and Keely's Remix Week Fashion Challenge, even though it's dreadfully late. I think it works pretty well for the day in which the challenge was to remix a summer dress for fall.

Summer	Fall

dress — no label (Fair Trade store)

sweater — Amanda Smith (thrifted)

sandals — Born (DSW)

belt — (thrifted)

This dress is actually pretty easy to transition from the summer to the fall — just add a sweater, and it's pretty much good to go for those summery days that we still get in September. If I was to wear this later on in September or into October, I'd probably scrap the bare legs and wear colored tights and some type of closed shoe, styling it similar to the look that I wore here. I'm really excited that this blue — this cobalt blue — is one of the big colors for this fall, because I have a lot of it in my closet.

And for all you doubters out there who don't believe that I hang onto my clothes forever and ever and ever ... Here is proof positive. Here's a picture of me wearing the same dress for my daughter's graduation. (In fact, I bought it for that occasion.) Those of you who have been reading my blog may remember that my kids all graduated this year (you can read about it here), so you're probably thinking, "That's not that old!" BUT! I wore this when my oldest daughter's graduated from high school back in May 2005, which makes this dress over 6 years old.

I have another, more important reason, for dredging up this picture from the archives. Most people who know me probably consider me pretty outspoken and passionate when it comes to my beliefs — not just about politics, but really about everything. I struggle sometimes when I get into a heated argument, because it's pretty easy to push my buttons and I can end up saying things that I regret.

For the most part, I have tried to keep those tensions out of this blog. I needed some place where I could relax and be easygoing. I can't be serious ALL the time. But still I feel kind of strange sometimes because I wonder who is this person who is paying SO much attention to her clothes. But how do I bring up these more serious issues that really matter to me without losing the lighthearted and fun aspects of this blog.

Today, however, something came in my inbox that I felt that I had to take a stand on and address here. I was asked to sign a petition that was directed at the CEOs of JC Penney and Forever 21 telling them that I will hold them accountable for the clothing sold in their stores and and that they need to make a public commitment to keep sexist clothing for girls from making it to their shelves in the future. I signed that petition so fast it would make your head spin.

What was so bad that I wanted to take the chance of getting all heated up?

These two T-shirts.

I was appalled and horrified to see them.

My daughter, a scant six years after earning her high school diploma, is now my doctor daughter — she graduated from pharmacy school this past May with a doctor of pharmacy degree. She is now doing a pharmacy residency, having turned down a very lucrative job offer to do so, and earning a teaching certificate at the same time. She is only 24 years old (she's not even old enough to rent a car yet), and she has the world at her fingertips.

She got where she is by doing her homework, and she will be the first to tell you that she did not have an easy time in high school. She worked her patootie off, and received very little recognition — in terms of grades or awards — for all her hard work. Until she went to pharmacy school, that is. And then her hard work paid off, and it paid off in spades.

I know these T-shirts were meant to be funny or cute. I know that. But they're not funny or cute, and I believe that they are even dangerous. In a world where women still earn less than most of their male counterparts, these T-shirts subtly (maybe not so subtly) encourage the mind set that girls shouldn't be smart, and they definitely shouldn't be smart in math or science. And these shirts are targeted to girls at an age where many drop out of those fields.

To be fair, the shirts have been pulled off the shelves, but how did they even get on the shelves in the first place?! In this day and age? Forever 21, I can almost understand. But JC Penney? C'mon. I dunno ... just when I think we're starting to get more enlightened, we go back to the dark ages.

You can read more about the controversy here and here.

To sign the petition holding the CEOs accountable, go here.

Blurred Images

2011-09-14T00:22:00.007-04:00

First things first. Today is EBEW (Every Body every wear) Colored Pants Day. So without further ado, here's my entry.

shirt — Old Navy (Old Navy)

pants — Fabulosity (JC Penney)

shoes — Clarks Artisan (hand-me-down)

necklace bracelets — (thrifted)

I'm so frustrated with my camera right now. I keep thinking that I have it figured out, and then I look at my pictures, just to realize that they are all messed up again. I even tried taking them over again, but they still came out blurry. G-R-R-R-R..

I know these aren't technically pants, but they are colored so I thought they would count. (I was cutting the grass and running around, and it was just too hot in Delaware to wear pants, even for a picture.) They aren't nearly as awesome as the ones that Terri wore here — I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for a pair of Wet Seals — but I still thought this was a pretty good look for me (much, much better than when I wore them here). And it was comfortable!

I tend to wear shorter necklaces, but I liked how this longer one worked. I'm not sure why, but I actually think it's what made the outfit work so well. The bracelets were kind of eh ... I have a simple black bangle — I think I would have liked that better.

Everybody's wearing colored pants today — go see for yourself.

I used all your suggestions and tried on a bunch more tops with my suit today. I'm going to spare you the pictures though. Basically, I'm just miserable in most of my tailored (a.k.a. professional) clothes because they're too tight, and there's nothing that I can do about it at this point. I'm so mad at myself for not doing something about it before now — I knew that I had been gaining weight, and I just ignored it. (I did sit-ups all day long today, but that's not going to help me for Thursday ....)

Stuffed Sausage

2011-09-13T03:33:00.007-04:00

I have some good and exciting news! Can you guess what it is from my pictures?

shirt — Chico's Design

suit — Rafaella (Boscov's)

shoes — Fioni (don't remember)

So, can you guess what my news is? The only reason that I would wear an outfit like this is ... drum roll, please ... because I have a job interview. I had a phone interview on Friday, and today I found out that they want me to come down for a face-to-face interview. It's on Thursday, and I'm so excited that I'm not quite sure how I'm going to make it until then.

So now I'm trying to figure out what to wear. And the above is the stuffed sausage option. Ignore the shoes because they have definitely got to go. And the bare legs are also a no go. But unfortunately the shirt's no good as well.

And I was hopeful of this shirt. It's a silk shirt, with a black-and-white check pattern, and the arms are three-quarter length, which is usually good for me. (I have this thing about always needing to roll up my sleeves, so three-quarter sleeves negates that necessity.) Unfortunately, I just feel way too constricted wearing this shirt along with my suit jacket, so I need to find something else.

I don't typically do very well in structured clothes like suits and collared shirts — they're too stiff and unforgiving. I much prefer clothes that flow and move with me, but this ill-fitting suit is entirely my own fault. I have gained so much weight since being laid off that my suit just doesn't fit me all that well anymore. In fact, I feel like a stuffed sausage. Even my feet feel like they're stuffed in my shoes. Which is no way to walk into an interview.

I'm not quite sure why I've gained so much weight. I haven't been exercising per se, but I have been working in my house and out in the yard. And I really haven't been eating all that much. You know what? I'm just going to blame it on menopause.

So what do I wear so that I feel comfortable but look professional? Here is my second option.

shirt — Carlisle (thrifted)

This shirt is actually sleeveless, and because I don't have to tuck it in, I think I can get away with my skirt being a bit too tight. Granted, I won't be able to take my suit jacket off (and expose my arms), but I should be able to keep my suit jacket on the entire time. (My interview is only supposed to be an hour long, and I'm counting on the building being air conditioned.)

What do you think? This shirt is a whole lot more colorful than the black-and-white check or even a white shirt, which is what I have always worn with this suit. But what do I wear on my legs and on my feet? I'm going to have to walk a bit, so that rules out most heels (I feel wobbly in heels). I like black tights, but would that be too wintry? Decisions. Decisions.

And in the meantime — I'm going to the gym! Better late than never, right?
I still have time to lose a pound or two, right?

Edited to add: I'm linking this post to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, because, really, when you dress for an interview you definitely want to be visible.

*******************

Thank you everybody for all the kindness regarding my recent basement fiasco and just all your wonderful and thoughtful comments. I'm hoping that with this interview that maybe my luck will start to change. That sentiment in itself is kind of scary — I'm afraid to hope too much. What if it all comes to naught? And along with those insecurities is the struggle to just stay on track. I have the best of intentions, but I just can't seem to get my rhythm back. Every day seems to throw a different curve ball that needs some readjustment to get over the plate ~~in the strike zone~~. (Is that a mixed metaphor? or is it just hackneyed and clichéd?) I'm quite envious of those of you who are able to do it all, and seemingly without a misstep. I'm grateful to you all — the feedback and warmth that you have expressed is encouraging, and I appreciate it ever so much.

Then Came Irene ...

2011-09-08T03:47:00.008-04:00

I have a lot of black clothes. A lot. I don't know why that is — I don't think of myself as a dark and gloomy person, which is what I associate black clothes with (ever since I watched the "Fades to Black" episode of Roseanne, where Darlene stopped playing basketball and started wearing all black).

tank — (Cost Co)

skirt — Express (Express)

boots — Haley by Faded Glory (thrifted)

And I can't even claim that this affection for brown and black clothes is because bright colors don't look good on me. I found that out when I wore pink and blue here. It was probably because I just wanted to blend into the background and not stand out. These days, however, I am finding that it's not all that bad to be noticed, and it's actually kind of fun to get the hairy eyeballs.

So, here's a way to wear black and STAND OUT at the same time! The trick is to wear boots with a tank top — together, the two are completely and totally incongruous.

One caveat about this outfit ... I liked it, but I have to say that I'm worried that I'm too much of an old lady to wear it ... how depressing is that? Just when you're old enough to have some fun, you're too old to enjoy it.

This outfit is actually my entry for Megan and Keely's "Old Favorite" Remix Challenge, in which we were challenged to take a favorite piece of clothing and wear it somewhat differently than we had before.

My skirt is my "old favorite." It's a simple cotton blend, with a drawstring waist (which lets me slide it up and down on my hips to adjust the length). I've had this skirt for ages. In fact, I liked it so much when I got it that I went out and bought another one — just like it. Yeah. I actually have two of these skirts. It seems kind of silly when I think about it now.

I haven't been blogging that long, but I've still worn this skirt a number of times, in a number of ways, and in different seasons (winter, spring, and summer).

I had the best of intentions to finish Kayla's 21-Day Challenge, and then move on to Megan and Keely's Remix Challenge for this week. But what is it they say? "The best laid schemes of mice and men"? or is it "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (and by the way, I had no idea that this quote is attributed to John Lennon)? maybe it's even "Life's a b*tch, and then you die."

Or wait -- I've got it!

When it rains it pours! And I mean that literally.*

Regardless of the quote, first Irene and now Lee have wreaked havoc, to say the least, on my life and put a damper on my plans to do much of anything but go into crisis management mode. I had (and yes, HAD is now the operative word) this beautifully finished and carpeted basement. I have been getting ready to move, so I have been packing up things that I don't need and storing the boxes in my basement, because I thought they would be safe and out of the way. In the 15 or so years that I have lived in this house, I have never had a drop of water in the basement.

Well that was before Irene decided to make her ugly way up the coast and dumped over 10 inches of rain overnight (and this was on top of the 6 inches of rain we got in one day the week before).

Now, I have moldy walls ...

wet carpeting, and soaked and disintegrated boxes ... (I'm sparing you the picture of my mountain of boxes that are now on my porch, getting even wetter ... )

And of course nothing is covered by insurance, because it's an act of God. or whatever. Honestly, I just wanted to cry, which I did a lot of. But I have also been hauling a helluva lot of boxes back up the d*mn steps, trying to salvage what I can, and get everything dried out. And that is a lost cause since Lee has decided to add insult to injury as he makes his s-l-o-o-o-w and ponderous way, dumping rain and more rain, on the waterlogged Northeast.

Between the rain, the extra work, the damage to my basement, and the expense that it will entail to repair said damage, my heart has just not been into dressing for the occasion, taking pictures, and blogging ... Hopefully, with this post, I'll be able to get back on track a bit.

*Everything in my house right now is damp. My clothes are damp. My bed is damp. My floors are damp. My papers are damp. My doors are so swollen from the rain that I can barely shut them.Yeah. I'm pretty miserable.

Head on over to Megan Mae Daily to check out how ladies are remixing their clothes.

Over the Top

2011-08-29T09:53:00.006-04:00

Day 12 of the 21-Day Challenge was to jazz up your jeans, so I jazzed up my jean skirt with a sequin vest.

tank — French Dressing (Cost Co)

vest — Style n Design (thrifted)

skirt — Bongo (thrifted)

Is there a better way to dress up denim than with a beautiful sequin vest? (I got this vest on my most recent thrifting excursion, and I was so excited. I had been craving a sequin vest ever since I saw Megan of Megan Mae Daily wear one here.) And would you believe that my tank (the gray tank) is the most expensive thing that I'm wearing?

I was curious about the vest, so I Googled it, and I actually found the exact same one in an Etsy shop here, where it was described as vintage 1980s. I don't know about that date though. How do they come up with these dates?

I've tried to wear sequins before, but I haven't been too enamored of my two previous attempts.

I'm not sure if this is any better though — even though I like how the vest and the skirt looks, I highly doubt that I would wear this to work. My skirt, number one, is way too short for work, but even if it was longer, the vest is a bit over the top. Is there anyway I could switch this around so that I could wear it to work?

I have this bad habit of buying or getting something and then never ever using it. I save it because it's too good to use or I want to use it for the perfect occasion, and then that perfect occasion never happens. I would have squirreled this sequin vest away, and it would have languished in my closet, probably never to be worn. I would have taken it out every so often and oohed and aahed over how beautiful it was, and then wished that I had somewhere or some event to wear it to. But it would always be just too nice to wear — I might damage it if I wore it out. Well, what is the point then in even having it?

I'd love to find some way or somewhere of wearing this vest so I can enjoy it outside the privacy of my own room.

There is something to be said for this habit, however. When I was a kid, our Sunday dinners were always a fancy occasion. We may have just been having meatloaf for dinner, but it was always served on the good china, and we used the good silver. Even though my sister and I griped about it (we were the ones who had to set the table and take care of the dishes), it made our Sunday dinners special. If we had used the good china for everyday, would they have been so special?

the good china

And since this vest is so visible, I'm also linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.

Football Shoulders

2011-08-28T09:55:00.012-04:00

Day 11 of the 21-Day Challenge was to wear a dress or a skirt. Easy, especially during the summer. And with this challenge, I am more than halfway done! Woo hoo — it has been harder than I thought to keep up with the posting.

dress — French Curve Clothing (thrifted)

sandals — Madden Girl (Marshalls)

I'm not too keen on this dress. I think it accentuates my broad shoulders and gives me the dreaded "football shoulders."

Image from your address here

One of the reasons I started taking pictures was to see what I really looked like in my clothes.* Now that I see how this dress actually looks, I'm thinking that it should join the "get rid of" pile.

*It's been surprising to see the difference between what I think I look like, and what I actually look like.

So, what do you think?

Pants with an Attitude

2011-08-27T09:55:00.008-04:00

Day 10 of the 21-Day Challenge was to wear a closet orphan — an item from your closet that, for whatever reason, you rarely wear.

sweater — Liz Claiborne (thrifted)

pants — elevenses (Anthropologie)

shoes — Mia (DSW)

These pants are one of my closet orphans. They were one of those spur-of-the-moment purchases, that you kind of regret almost immediately after the purchase. It ended up taking me almost a year before I was able to figure out how to wear them. I wore them with this sweater back in May, and I wonder how long it will take for me to wear them again.

Anthropologie is one of those stores where I look but don't touch. They have some really nice things, they play the best music, and their store is laid out beautifully so it's no surprise that I like to go in and browse, but it usually ends there. Their items tend to be very expensive, and more often than not, I think their things are — yeah, I'm going to say it — overpriced*. I can't afford their clothes unless they are marked down and then those marked-down prices are slashed again. A lot of people basically stalk their site, waiting for the prices to be cut. I don't have that kind of patience, and I don't think their things are that special. It surprises me to see the Anthro love that I have come across in the blog-o-sphere.

*Saying that Anthropologie is overpriced may almost be sacrilegious in the blogging world.

These pants were a case in point. They were originally well over $100 (if not close to $200). By the time I came strolling in the store, they had been marked down to somewhere in the neighborhood of $7. When they flew off the rack and into my arms and told me, "You would be a sucker to pass me by," I was sold. How could I let an attitude like that pass me by?! Seriously though, they're a nice pair of pants, and well made, but I don't think I would have paid more than $20 for them.

The pants made me act this way! Really.

With an attitude like this, don't you think that these pants need to be incorporated into my wardrobe more often?

How else would you wear them?

The Great Pumpkin

2011-08-26T09:52:00.008-04:00

Day 9 of the 21-Day Challenge was to be monochromatic. So put on your sunglasses and hold on tight, because you might need them!

tank — Bay Studio Career (thrifted)

shirt — Liz Wear by Liz Claiborne (thrifted)

pants — Tommy Hilfiger (thrifted)

shoes — Op (thrifted)

belt —(thrifted)

I am very skilled in creating a black monochromatic look, and it's also very easy since more than half my closet is black. However, I thought orange might be a bit more fun and, needless to say, much more colorful. I'm not sure if I pulled it off as well as this woman here, but keep in mind that I had to work with my less than model quality body and the clothes in my closet (as opposed to the model's ~~emaciated~~ statuesque and slender frame and her ~~designer~~ own clothes).

I kind of feel like the Great Pumpkin came a few months early this year — just in time for Labor Day.

My pants have that dopey little flare at the bottom, which I don't particularly care for, so I rolled them up. I'm thinking of cutting them off and hemming them, but that would mean that I'd have to make a decision.

This was definitely a fun look to put together. It would have been acceptable to wear to work — my office was business casual, and khakis and capris were acceptable summer attire — but I'm not sure if I would have been brave enough. But you never know ...

What do you think?

Same Old, Same Old

2011-08-25T09:56:00.012-04:00

Day 8 of the 21-Day Challenge was to mix fancy and casual. I almost skipped this challenge because I couldn't figure out what to do, and then I realized that I was doing the same old, same old.

shirt — French Dressing (Cost Co)

skirt — I.Q. & Co. (thrifted)
belt — (thrifted)

sandals — Arizona Birkenstock

You finally get to see a picture of me in my muscle shirt, which is not to be confused with seeing pictures of my muscles. (What do you call these type of tanks? Everything I want to call them seems to be derogatory, and I'm uncomfortable using them.) And I can't believe that it has taken so long to get a picture of me in my Birks! I used to live in these all summer long! I guess used to is the operative word here.

I love my belt, in all its sequined glory. It was a spur of the moment purchase, and then I regretted it because I didn't have a clue as to what to pair it with!

But I think pairing the belt with casual items worked, and I'll probably do it like this again in the future. And honestly? I would have worn this outfit to work (I'm pretty much housebound these days, so my gauge is not whether I actually wore an outfit to work, but whether I would if given the opportunity.) It's a good mix of dressy with casual. I mean what is more casual than Birks and a tank? And what is more dressy than a sequined belt and a nice skirt? It's different and fun but not so far out there that I would feel silly.

What was my same old, same old? (If you think that I was talking about what to wear, you're wrong.) No, for me the same old, same old is my perfection streak that can get in the way of making a decision. I want something to be so perfect that I think too much, and I worry too much, and I make something way more complicated than it is. It really is my Achilles' heel. And most of the time, I agonize over these silly and inconsequential matters.

So c'mon, Kari — you're a grown a** woman, as I had a friend who was prone to telling me, just do it (and there's that Nike phrase again. For somebody who once said she hated that expression, I use it an awful lot.)! Whatever you do, it's not going to be the end of the world.

Do you have trouble making decisions?

I'm also linking my belt up to Meagan's Thursdays Are for Thrifters at Spunky Chateau.

Good Luck!

2011-08-24T11:11:00.002-04:00

Day 7 of the 21-Day Challenge was to layer accessories. You can probably guess from the picture which accessory I decided to layer.

necklaces — borrowed

pin — thrifted

I layered three different necklaces and also added a pin for good luck — isn't it cool?

It's a wishbone, a four-leaf clover, and a pearl — all that luck rolled into one. With the way my luck has been going these days, I can use all the extra that I can get (I've also been crossing my fingers and toes). By the way, did you know that breaking the wishbone can be dated back to the fourth century? I thought it was strictly an American tradition.

One of my favorite accessory-layering blogger is Iman over at Mishaps and Miracles. She is an American living in Japan and teaching English, and she has this amazing sense of style with the greatest attitude. She inspires me to "Work it!"

Okay, so I probably need ~~a few~~ LOTS more lessons though. I'm not exactly working it in these pictures ... I won't bore you with all my excuses though.Suffice it to say that I have a lot going on, and I'm just exhausted.

jacket — Old Navy (thrifted)

shirt — Lauren by Ralph Lauren (thrifted)

skirt — Express (Express)

sneakers — Casual (thrifted)

Do you recognize the shirt? It's the one that I picked to remix on the first day of this challenge.

I'm wearing an awful lot of black in both looks, but I think my sneakers changed up the look a bit.

Even though it's a casual look, I could have and would have worn this outfit to work.

It's what I did wear to meet Patti from Not Dead Yet Style. She's the first person who I've met (in real life) from the blogging community. And she is a sweetheart! We hit it off right away. Very, very easy to talk to — she let me babble on ad infinitum. In fact, we I talked so much that we didn't even have a chance to go thrifting! I felt like I had known her forever, and I look forward to getting to know her better in the future.

Do you have any good luck charms?

My Own Drum

2011-08-23T09:56:00.007-04:00

Day 6 of the 21-Day Challenge was to be unconventional. I should have this one down pat — I definitely march to the beat of my own drum. Seriously though, the object of this prompt was to be creative and wear an item in an unconventional way. And so I did.

shirt — (thrifted)

pants — London Jean (Victoria's Secret)

shoes — Crocs (Dick's Sporting Goods)
belt — (thrifted)

necklace (thrifted) / bracelet (thrifted)

The print on my top could actually qualify as pattern mixing. Isn't this a sweet pattern?

I really liked how the milky white of the bangle and the necklace picked up the flower petals in the print.

So what am I wearing that's so unconventional?

My shirt is actually a dress. In fact, it's one of those cute, flirty dresses that should NOT be worn by a woman of my age. I think I saved it by wearing it tucked in as a shirt.

Don't laugh! I know that I look really dorky!

Egads, this is bad. (Notice how I didn't make this picture as big as my other ones.) Is it the proportions that are all wrong on this? Or is it just too big? Funny thing is is that I really, really liked how this dress looked in the mirror -- I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Why is it that we can't see a flaw when we look in the mirror, but they are magnified tenfold when we see ourselves in a picture?

Is the dress too young or does it just not fit?
I think it's both.

Sailor Sam

2011-08-22T03:44:00.011-04:00

Day 5 of the 21-Day Challenge was to put a belt on it, and so I belted one out:

And the jailer man and Sailor Sam were searching every one

— Paul McCartney Band on the Run

This song came out in 1973, when I was a sophomore in high school — I didn't realize it was that old. My how time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, this line kept popping into my head when I wore this outfit, so I figured why fight it?

shirt — Lizwear by Liz Claiborne (thrifted)

dress — Ralph by Ralph Lauren (Marshalls)

boots — Haley by Faded Glory (thrifted)

This jumper has been hanging in my closet for years and years — the tags were even still on it! It's a ribbed sweater knit (you can't really tell from the picture), so I was probably uncomfortable with how curve hugging it was. It also seems so simple now, but I may not have thought to wear a belt before, and it really changes the look of the outfit.

Black belt or Red belt?

My black-and-white striped shirt inspired my ear worm (I hope it's not contagious though). In retrospect, however, my shirt was probably more like the costume of a traditional mime than prison stripes or the Breton stripes that Coco Chanel popularized after a visit to the French Riviera in the 1930s.

It's probably no surprise that Marcel Marceau, the legendary mime actor, wore the striped top along with the other items of the mime costume, but what may come as a surprise is that the man who became world famous for silent performances was fluent in three languages.

Born as Marcel Mangel in 1923 in Strasbourg, France, Marcel, and his older brother, adopted the name "Marceau" during the Nazi occupation of France. The two brothers were members of the French resistance and helped many children escape to freedom into Switzerland. Marcel started miming as way of keeping children quiet, as they were escaping.

I'm really enjoying these challenges.
It's like playing dress up in my own clothes.

In addition to the 21-Day Challenge, I'm also linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, because well — I thought that I was pretty visible in this outfit, especially with the red belt, and also because I have a bit of a silly pose.

Which color belt goes best?

A Wheel of Color

2011-08-21T03:34:00.001-04:00

Day 4 of the 21-Day Challenge was color blocking — when an outfit combines two or more blocks of solid color, usually by placing them next to each other.

shirt — Como (thrifted)

silk jacket — Rafaella (thrifted)

skirt — Liz Claiborne (thrifted)

sandals — Madden Girl (thrifted)

Mixing separates of bright colors — turquoise, fuchsia, and __________ (I need my crayon box to figure out what color my jacket is) — is a fairly standard way to color block. You can also mix shades of the same color or use one item of clothing (a dress) that has been color blocked for you.

I've seen some people add a colorful purse, socks, and jewelery, and even paint their nails when color blocking. I wasn't quite so daring, but since the color of choice for my wardrobe has been pretty drab in the past, these colors were well outside my comfort zone, so I was kind of proud of it.

* We're talking dark colors here — browns, black, navy blue, dark green, and so on.

I pretty much just grabbed some clothes in bright colors, and then mixed and matched until I came up with something that I thought looked pretty good together. But I don't always pair the best colors together, and I often stick with the tried and true instead of trying something new. Using the color wheel to do this approach to color blocking would help avoid those pitfalls. (Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton invented the color wheel in 1706?)


Image from Corporate Fashionista

The easiest way to pick harmonious colors when color blocking is to select colors that are either complementary or colors that are analogous colors. Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel (red and green, or shades of red and green to keep from looking like it's Christmas in August). Analogous colors, on the other hand, are next to each other on the color wheel.

Although the mix of colors in my outfit worked pretty well, I don't think the Mom jeans kind of look of my skirt worked so well. In fact, it was kind of depressing. What gives with that? My skirt doesn't have to be form fitting and hug every curve, but I do think that it should flatter my shape. And this particular skirt is not doing me any favors. A wide black belt might have helped avoid the Mom look a little (at least in the front). What do you think?

What's your favorite color to wear?

Leopards, and Jaguars, and Cheetahs, Oh my!

2011-08-20T03:03:00.001-04:00

Day 3 of the 21-Day Challenge was to (drum roll, please) guess what? Mix your patterns! woo hoo — I'm getting to be a pro at this, because I think I did good.

dress — (thrifted)

belt — (thrifted)

cardigan — Old Navy (Old Navy)

booties — Blowfish (DSW)

bracelets (thrifted) / necklaces (raided from the toy box)

I'm sure that there's going to be an animal print at some point during this 21-day challenge, so I'm hoping that I don't regret using this outfit for pattern mixing. This was another outfit that I wore before I got laid off (on May 12, to be exact). I never posted it, so I'm glad that I'm getting a chance to use it now.

It was also a good opportunity to be Catwoman, and go "Rawr!" By the way, did you know that rawr is dinosaur speak for I Love You? Rawr is also a program for exploring gear for different characters in the World of Warcraft — a role-playing game.

What kind of a cat print am I wearing? Leopard? Jaguar? Cheetah? What's the difference?

I can definitely rule out my dress and my belt from being a cheetah print. The spots on a cheetah are solid and evenly distributed. Whether they're a leopard print or a jaguar print is harder to tell. Jaguars and leopards both have spots that look like flowers, called rosettes. The rosettes on a jaguar have a slightly different color inside, and the rosettes on a leopard are fainter and don't usually enclose spots.

Regardless of whose spots I was wearing, all three of these are beautiful animals

Jaguar

Leopard (Image courtesy of Phillippe Rouzet)

Cheetah (Image courtesy of Tim Ellis)

Can you tell the difference between these cats?

Spanning the Globe

2011-08-18T16:52:00.000-04:00

Day 2 of Kayla's 21-Day Challenge over at Freckles in April was to tuck it in.

"Tuck what?" you ask.

That was up to us -- you can tuck a shirt, a scarf, or even pants (into your boots, for example, or even into your socks if you're riding a bike). I decided to tuck a shirt, using an "inward full tuck." In other words, my inside shirt was completely tucked in.

tank -- Old Navy (Old Navy)

shirt -- Basic Editions (thrifted)

skirt -- Bongo (thrifted)

sandals -- Sbicca of California (freebie from a friend)

Points were lost for my tuck technique because I had to pull my shirt out of the tuck to disguise the paunch in the front. I did get full points for standing tall, however.

Before deciding on the skirt, I tried a pair of cut offs and Crocs, and it just didn't work (I was trying to look like Kayla here). An outward full tuck (outer shirt completely tucked in) was extremely uncomfortable (I could barely breathe because my shorts were too tight).

Not only that, but I also had a severe muffin top. I tried camouflaging the muffin top with an outward half tuck (one side of the outer shirt pulled out). This was somewhat better.

shorts -- cut-off jeans (thrifted and DIY)

shoes -- Crocs (thrifted)

But what do I do with this parachute of material that puffed out in the back? Is there a trick to cutting off jean shorts that I don't know about? Do the pants have to fit a certain way to avoid the parachute? Were they just too tight?

The skirt was a much better choice, don't you think?

Now for something completely different. When I hear the word "tuck," diving and gymnastics comes to mind. As a kid, I would be parked in front of the TV every Saturday afternoon, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (or was it 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.?), watching ABC's Wide World of Sports. I didn't always like the sports that were televised, but, c'mon, it was the WIDE WORLD of SPORTS, so I watched it anyway.

"Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport...
the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat...
the human drama of athletic competition...
This is ABC's Wide World of Sports!"

As I listened to Jim McKay, I'd imagine myself as a cliff diver in Acapulco, a gymnast doing a floor routine, a track star leaning across the finish line -- whatever sport happened to be featured that Saturday. I'd go down to the lake and practice diving. One time, I even pulled out my parents' record albums and tried to choreograph my somersaults and backbends to music to emulate a floor routine.

What did you imagine being as a kid?

Now head over to Freckles in April to see who tucked what.

Since multiple items in this post were thrifted (skirt, shirt, shorts, Crocs), I'm also linking to Thursdays are for Thrifters Link Party 15, hosted by Meghan at Spunky Chateau.

Stand Tall

2011-08-15T23:37:00.007-04:00

Today is the start of a 21-Day Challenge, hosted by Kayla at Freckles in April. The challenge for day 1 was to pick one item to remix three times over the 21 days, and it couldn't be a pair of jeans.

tank -- Ralph Lauren (thrifted)

jeggings -- 17/21 Exclusive Denim (Marshalls)

shoes -- Blowfish (DSW)

When looking for something to remix, I completely wimped out and picked a white tank with black or blue (I can't tell) Breton stripes. The top will be really easy to use in a couple of different outfits, but said outfits will probably be as dull as dirt. So that is where my challenge will be -- trying to make my remaining two outfits with this top interesting and different from each other.

I didn't realize how much I blended into the garage door, until I looked at the pictures. I probably should have taken them in front of a tree -- or something with some color! So I'm going to challenge myself to take better pictures too.

Last but not least, I probably should have listened to my mom and stood up straight and sucked in my gut! My gut has expanded in size since I've been laid off, so I need to keep sucking it in! I'm really glad that fall is approaching and I can start running and biking -- I just don't have the wherewithal to exercise in the heat, especially this summer's heat.

laid off = laying around

Never been this blue
Never knew the meaning of a heartache
But then again, I've never lost at love before

Somewhere down the road
Maybe all these years will find some meaning
I just can't think about it now, or live 'em out anymore

Stand Tall, don't you fall oh, don't go and do something foolish
you're feeling it like everyone, it's silly human pride
Stand Tall, don't you fall. Don't go do something you'll regret later
you're feeling it like everyone, it's silly human pride

Never lasted so long
Or through so much - or through so many
I just can't believe you could throw it all away

Sometimes late at night
when there's nothing here except my old piano
I'd almost give my hands to make you see my way

-- Burton Cummings (1976)

I don't remember if it was my mom or my grandmother who was such a bug about posture and standing up straight, but I definitely remember walking around the house with a dictionary on my head.

Did you get the stand-up straight lecture as a kid?
0r maybe the question should really be, "Did it sink in?"

Visit Freckles in April for ideas on how to remix your clothes.

Older than Dirt

2011-08-15T00:41:00.009-04:00

Confucius (or maybe Kari) says: If you keep things long enough, you will eventually need them and be forever happy that you hung onto them for time immemorial (and if you believe that, I have some really ~~wet~~ dry swamp land for sale). Ahem. Take the shirt I'm wearing here, for example.

shirt -- no idea (it's older than dirt)

too-tight pants -- Gap 1969

sneakers -- thrifted

This shirt is probably from the late '70s or early '80s -- give or take a few years on either side. Sheesh! Who knew that something this old would still be in vogue 30 years later?* They're everywhere these days. Even Karolina Kurkova, of all people (WHO?), was spotted wearing a plaid shirt, for heaven's sake. And now, I too, can emulate her fashion-forward style and also take part in this week's Inspiration Monday, hosted by Megan & Nora over at Two Birds -- all because I never got rid of my flannel shirts.

*Do flannel shirts ever really go out of style?

Karolina Kurkova

Darn! I forgot my blue bracelet!

It's hard work posing as a movie star*. I would set the timer on the camera, and then run (okay, a really, really slow walk was all that was needed), so I would be all posed with a smile plastered on my face before the camera took the picture. I had to decide if I should dangle my arm or put my hand on my hip. Should I look at the camera or should I look pensively off into the distance? Wear sunglasses? or go fresh faced? Decisions, decisions!

*movie star -- is that as old fashioned as it sounds?

I save everything, and I mean everything. In fact, I still have a pair of shorts that I wore in high school, and yeah, I still wear them! (I'm proud that I can still wear them. If you're lucky, maybe I'll post a picture of me wearing them one day.) I tell people that I save things because I might need them on some future date, but honestly? It's just hard for me to cut the umbilical cord.

My kids knew that, and they took advantage of my weak will.

Me: "If you can't take care of your things -- it's going in the garbage."

My kids: Hahahahaha ....

They'd roll their eyes, and laugh -- they'd fall on the floor holding their bellies. Okay, I'm exaggerating -- my kids were great eye-rollers, but they were much too kind to laugh at my weird way of doing things. They knew that I'd never ever follow through with my threat of throwing their treasures in the garbage.

And so, my wimpy-ness gave new meaning to the phrase, "The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak." And my flesh was so very, very weak.

My kids would make this half-hearted* attempt to clean, and then after they were in bed, I'd sneak into their room. I'd clean, and I'd resort everything and put their treasures and valuables in bags and I would box them up. And then I'd stack those boxes in the attic or the basement -- somewhere (out of sight, out of mind -- that is, until you're trying to downsize). And now, 15 and 20 years later, I have boxes and boxes stuffed full of nicely labeled pictures, clothes that were outgrown, toys that were loved and forgotten (until I pull them out of a box, that is) ... And now that I am trying to sell my house, I find myself faced with parting with all these things that have so many memories attached to them.

*They were probably as overwhelmed as I am now.

In addition to Inspiration Monday at Two Birds (see all the other Karolina look-alikes here), I'm also linking to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. I think my sneakers are pretty visible! Aren't they awesome?!

Do you save or do you throw away?

Polka Squares

2011-08-10T02:42:00.005-04:00

Another day, another challenge, and I'm game. Can you guess by looking at me what the challenge was?

shirt -- Alfani (thrifted)

skirt -- axcess (thrifted)

belt -- (thrifted)

boots -- White Mt (thrifted)

I actually wore this outfit back in May -- May 2, to be exact (that was way back when the weather was a lot cooler, remember that?). I never got around to posting it, so I think it's still okay to use for this latest challenge hosted by the ladies over at Every Body Every Wear (EBEW). Need another hint of what the challenge was?

Michelle Obama could have posted this picture on the EBEW challenge wall with what she wore in this luncheon with Nancy Reagan, back in 2009.

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

Give up? It was pattern mixing. Even though this trend has been around for a couple of years, it's hasn't been one that I've been entirely comfortable with. So instead of going for bold and bright or bright and daring in my choice of patterns, I went with a more conservative and safe mix -- the pattern in both my skirt and my shirt were both squares* and the shirt and the skirt were both neutral colors (black and white).

*polka squares, and not polka dots

I'm actually kind of disappointed that I didn't spend more time playing around in my closet and having more fun with the challenge. I remember that I was worried about what people would think if I wore what would look like a mismatched outfit to work -- they'd think that I got dressed in the dark or something. (Yeah, I worry too much sometimes about what people think.) So I chickened out and didn't stretch as much as I could have. But now, it just looks too conservative for me. In my defense, though, I wasn't really a fan of this trend until just recently.

Definitely a should have, could have, would have moment ...

I used to think the matchy matchy look was somewhat elegant and sophisticated. But now I look at the picture below, and I just say, "Wow! That's an awful lot of blue."

Tara Palmer Tomkinson Photo: REUTERS

Funny how your tastes change over the years, and even over a couple of months.

Conservative issues aside, I think that something else in my outfit was a little off. I'm not sure what it is though. I don't think the style of the skirt (is this a flare skirt?) is doing me any favors, and the boots were also definitely wrong for this look. How could I have jazzed this up a bit more?

Now check out all the other mixed print daredevils over at Every Body Every Wear.

Extreme Make Over

2011-08-08T23:04:00.003-04:00

I had a lot of fun with this fashion shoot. Ha ha. Me -- on a fashion shoot?! But seriously, that's how it felt when I was putting this outfit together, and then having my daughter take the pictures.

dress -- Caroline Wells Collection (thrifted)

denim vest -- Nature Express (thrifted)

boots -- American Eagle (Payless)

bag -- Oroton (thrifted)

necklace -- (thrifted) / bracelets (thrifted) / earrings (DIY)

This outfit was put together for another fashion challenge. (These days, if it wasn't for fashion challenges, I don't think that I'd bother getting dressed.) Not only are the challenges challenging , but they're also a lot of fun, and today's challenge, brought to us by Megan and Nora at Two Birds, was no different. They used this picture of Sienna Miller and challenged us to recreate her look in a way that would work for us.

So I rummaged around in my closet, and decided to use this dress.

Pretty hideous, huh? (I think it's from the 80s -- that says it all.)

Well, I pinned it up (can you see the pins?) to make the dress shorter, because it was way too long,

added the denim vest, the boots, a chunky necklace and the bag, and voila!

What do you think about my "extreme make over?"

I could have used sunglasses, and the boots weren't really right (they should have been shorter), and my hem needed to be even -- but I loved how this ended up!

Now go on over to Two Birds to see who else recreated Sienna's look.

I'm also linking up to Visible Monday, sponsored by Patti at Not Dead Yet Style.
Her guidelines were to wear something -- anything -- that makes you feel more confident, alive, and visible.
I think I succeeded with this outfit, don't you?

Weekend Wear and Woes

2011-08-08T00:05:00.002-04:00

This summer has been a b*tch. It seems like it has been just one thing after another after another after another.

Before I share the latest issue to arise in my summer saga, here's what I typically wear when I work out in the yard or do stuff at home. And yeah, I'll actually tramp into town wearing this. It's not so bad, is it?

t-shirt (~~stolen~~ borrowed from my daughter)

shorts -- Soffe (gifted)

Believe it or not, this is a pretty dressy "at-home" outfit for me -- my toenails usually aren't painted. Seriously though, I usually just wear boxers and a guinea tee or a sports bra. (And no, I don't tramp into town wearing only a sports bra -- I mean, I do have standards after all.) I don't have air conditioning, and honestly? I might as well be in hell for as hot as it's been this summer. It's just me, myself, and I at home, so I dress as cool and as comfortably as I can. I take that stereotype of a stay-at-home mom who wears sweatpants all the time and everywhere and raise it one.

I did get a little bit better in aiming the camera -- I give a lot of credit to people who take all their own pictures!

I have no idea what look I was striving for here, but at least I made sure that I didn't have a double chin.

So what happened? I've been doing a lot of work in the yard -- a lot! Here are some before and after pictures. Well, maybe they're not strictly "after" pictures since my yard is a work in progress. But considering how hot and humid it's been, I'm pretty proud of what I've managed to get done.

My yard is supposed to have all these beautifully sculptured beds of English ivy. Unfortunately, a few years back, all the beds were mowed down instead of weeded. Once that happened, the weeds all screamed,

"All clear. Charge!"

and took over. My beautifully sculptured beds of ivy became a figment of my imagination. I was working 12-hour days, and weeding the beds and whipping them back into shape was the last thing I wanted to do when I got home (a girl's got to eat, right?). But this summer, I had the chance to declare war against the weeds!

So, I've been out there almost every day -- not for very long -- maybe15 minutes or half an hour, but trying to stay with it. And it's making a difference. Even my bed of pachysandra is starting to come back! And remember I have no air conditioning, so it's not like I escape out of the heat once I come inside.

So what happened? I was out there this past week, when all of a sudden --

OW! OW! OW!

Oh my! I got stung. Not once, not twice, but multiple times. (or I got bit -- I don't know which it was, because I never saw what it was that got me). It got me right on my butt (the biggest target?)! and my back! and my stomach! Within the hour, my butt bite was swollen, and I could barely walk, let alone sit! And, oh my -- did it hurt. I ended up going to the doctor's -- it hurt so bad that I was afraid the stinger wasn't out. I took Benadryl; I put ice compresses on my butt; and I moaned and whined a lot.

I basically spent the past few days in bed on my stomach. OW! I still don't know what it was that got me. Just when I feel like I was making progress, I'm now scared to death of working in my yard!

What do you think it was that got me?

Silence

2011-07-23T14:24:00.001-04:00

I wrote a post last night about how I felt about yesterday's events in Norway. I then took it down, because my words didn't capture what I wanted to express.

Barbro Andersen at the Personal Style Diary did. Her post is here. I urge you to visit her site and read her post.

100% Thrift

2011-07-21T22:56:00.003-04:00

dress -- Maggy London (thrifted)

boots -- Laredo (thrifted)
bracelets -- (thrifted)

It's no secret that I wear a lot of thrifted clothes. I have been shopping in Goodwills (Goodies), Salvation Army's (Sals), flea markets, garage or yard sales (is it a garage sale or a yard sale?), and so on pretty much all my life. But probably what you don't know is that I didn't always like it. In fact, I really hated it when I was growing up. I was terrified that I was going to go to school one day, and somebody would say, "You're wearing my clothes."

My mom, who got lost driving anywhere outside a 25-mile radius around our house, would see a sign for a garage sale, and off she would go. Homing pigeons had nothing on her. It didn't matter what errand she had to run, it would wait until we followed those god-forsaken signs* -- to the end of the earth if that's where they took us. And of course, there was never any good stuff at those sales (at least not from what I could see)! Oh no! Never. But the worst was when there was a sale right around the corner from my house. Because then, horrors of all horrors -- somebody I knew might see me. I would slouch down in the car and make myself as invisible as possible. No way was I going to get out of the car.

*You know the signs I'm talking about -- the ones that are sideways on a telephone pole, the ones that you can't tell which direction the arrow is pointing, the ones that look like they have been up for months, the ones that you can't even read ...

Of course, now that I'm older and wiser I realize that it wasn't all junk. In fact, most of it was actually pretty good stuff. Unique. One of a kind. Interesting. But also weird. Or strange. Or something that would make you go, "MOM. Why? WTF?"

Okay, I didn't actually say WTF? but you know what I mean.

Although my outfit was 100% thrifted -- my bracelets, my dress, and my boots -- my boots were the real score. (They're not really my boots, they're my daughter's, but I was with her when she got them.) They were in like-new condition -- no scuffs or flaws, and they weren't stretched out -- for $12.50! Honestly, they didn't even look like they had ever been worn outside.

I thought the dress was a real find as well (I think it was $7.97), except that it's dry clean only -- I love the beadwork on the yoke. (Pet peeve: Why is something that is 100% cotton dry clean only?) I put it in the washing machine, hand-wash cycle, and crossed my fingers.

I wasn't all that enamored of the final look though. In fact, I was kind of disappointed. I thought this would be the perfect dress to wear with the boots, but I dunno -- something just seems to be off. Maybe the dress is too short? I seem to be able to wear other skirts that are that length though, so I'm not sure if that's the problem. Maybe with a pair of cropped leggings underneath it, and then a pair of flats?

What do you think?

Today Every Body Every Wear is thrifting.
Take a look at some of the amazing outfits that have been put together from thrifted goodies.

I'm also linking up with Spunky Chateau's Thursdays Are for Thrifters

(a two-for-one day!)

Fill in the Blank

2011-07-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

shirt -- Covington (thrifted)

pants -- Ann Taylor Loft (thrifted)

sandals -- Camille No Boundaries (thrifted)

It's too hot to _____________! Fill in the blank. For me, it's too hot to wear long pants or really to do anything that entails movement. Seriously, don't I look positively wretched in the picture below? I don't have air conditioning at home,* so I am just positively sweltering (and I ask you this -- why am I not losing weight? It's not like I have much of an appetite in this heat! That is just adding insult to injury.). I know that I could probably go somewhere -- to the mall, to the library --anywhere would be cooler than my house at this point. But I don't have money to spend (at the mall or at a coffee shop), and besides I really need to keep chipping away at all the clutter in this house, so that I can hopefully put it on the market come fall. Besides, a brief respite from the heat is not going to cut it right now -- they are saying that no relief is in sight.

*I do have a/c in my bedroom. I am able to work up until about 3 pm in the house, and then I just have to escape to my room. I can't do anything more in the house at that point. It is just too hot, and the temperature keeps climbing all day inside.

Anyway, you must be wondering why on earth am I wearing long pants?Well, this outfit was donned for Day 4 of Megan Mae and Keely's Summer Trends Fashion Challenge (last week -- yeah, I know I'm really late. I move really really slow in the heat). Day 4 was Eclectic Print Day, and this shirt fit the bill perfectly.

The pants were just way too perfect of a match to not go for it. You would have done the same thing, wouldn't you?

I had actually been regretting the impulse to buy this shirt. I thought that the print was just a bit TOO eclectic for me to be able to wear it. But I like this, and I'd definitely wear it again! Once again, thanks Keely and Megan for thinking up challenges that really made me stretch. Head on over to the Fashion Challenge to see how you can have fun with wearing eclectic prints.

They're Ba-a-ack

2011-07-19T21:49:00.001-04:00

shirt -- Nine West (thrifted)

skirt -- Bentley (thrifted)

sandals -- Camille No Boundaries (thrifted)

Maxi dresses were all the rage when I was in high school in the 1970s, and boy oh boy did I ever want one. Who cared if they were really kind of ugly?

I entered high school as a seventh grader in 1970 (I think I was all of 12 years old). At that time, my high school was overcrowded, and the students were on split schedules -- students in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grade went to school from 10 am to 4 pm, and students in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades went from 7 am to 1 pm. (Or something like that -- I can't remember the exact times.)

Along with the split schedules, we also changed classes at different times -- students in the older grades changed classes on the half hour, and the younger grades on the hour -- to relieve the overcrowding in the hallway. That also meant that the older students did not have that much interaction with the younger students -- it was as if we were in two different worlds. As a very impressionable and young seventh grader (I was hopelessly naive -- still am in some respects), I would catch glimpses of the older girls in school wearing them in the hallways. They always looked so stylish and so mature and so old, and I wanted to be just like them.

But by the time, I had the money to get one of my own, the maxi dress was out of style, and I wouldn't dream of buying one. Flash forward forty years, and the maxi dress is back in style again. You'd think that I would have been excited, but the thrill of wearing one was gone.

What's the first fashion trend that you remember?

I really like the way this outfit ended up looking, but even so I still feel kind of silly wearing a maxi. It still seems to me to be somewhat formal. or hippyish. or something.

Acting goofy

I actually got this maxi skirt to wear as a dress. I went shopping in May to find a new dress to wear to my kids' graduations, and I kind of went crazy and bought every dress that I found that fit. (I couldn't make a decision, so I just bought them all -- definitely not a good habit to get into).

Stay back, I say -- you don't need to take my picture from that close!

Now head over to Pretty Shiny Sparkly, and see how Bloggers Do the Maxi Skirt Better!

A Wack-a-Doodle Day

2011-07-16T18:24:00.002-04:00

shorts -- Fabulosity (J. C. Penny)

shirt -- Adrianna Papéll (freebie from Freecycle -- yes, I am a scavenger)

shoes -- Chuck Taylor All Star (Zappos)

So, I warned you that my Day 3 of the Summer Trends Fashion Challenge was bad. And now here's the proof -- the proof is in the pictures (but not in the pudding). This is bad -- I mean, really, really bad. I both look and feel completely and utterly ridiculous. I can't think of anywhere that I would actually wear this outfit, except for maybe to a Halloween Party, and even then I don't know what I would tell people what I was dressed up as.

In case you don't remember (or can't tell by my wack-a-doodle outfit), Day 3 of the challenge was Sparkle for Day. The top half of me was sparkles and my bottom half was day.

Let's break this disaster down, shall we? (Don't I sound like Gracey over at Fashion For Giants? You need to stop by her blog and say Hello if you haven't already.)

Anyway, my top half and my bottom half are each fine on their own, but together? No ifs, ands, or buts -- it is a disaster. I may have been able to wear the sequined top as a day look, but it probably should have been paired with a pretty flowy summer skirt. My shorts (capris, or as Doreen at Northeast Chic calls them -- weird pant-like things) and Chucks were also fine ON THEIR OWN, but again, maybe I should have paired them with a much looser top.(On a side note, these shorts are really comfortable, but I haven't quite figured out how to wear them so that they look good on me. I bought them last year when I decided that I needed to have more color in my wardrobe. I don't regret that decision, but I'd love to figure out how to make them work.)

One trick that I did in this outfit, which I would definitely use again, was to use a bandeau (growing up, I always called these things tube tops) underneath my sequined top to make it a little longer. My shorts were a little low, so when I just had the top on -- it exposed way too much of my belly fat for me to be comfortable. Being 53 years old, I am well beyond the belly-baring age! I tried to wear a camisole, but it was just too bulky (for the top and for the heat), and I didn't like having three sets of straps on my shoulders to worry about. So, I just slid the bandeau down around my waist, and voilà!

The top is really quite pretty. The woman who gave it to me said she got it for a New Year's Eve party, but then felt it was too low cut to wear.

Score!

One last note -- I wore sparkles to work one day over the winter. And I don't know why, but I also wore my Chucks on that day too. I don't know what it is about sparkles and Chucks, but for whatever reason I seem to like the way they go together. I don't think that I succeeded all that well on that day either, but what the heck ... that's one of the reasons why I'm doing this blog. You can see more of those pictures here.

Once again, I want to thank Megan and Keely for sponsoring the Summer Trends Fashion Challenge. It's definitely been a great way to get out of my rut of wearing boxer shorts and t-shirts. Head on over to Megan Mae Daily and find out who else was ~~crazy~~ brave enough to wear sparkles for day.

Double Dose

2011-07-14T19:55:00.002-04:00

top -- H & M (borrowed)

shorts -- Mossimo Supply Co. (thrifted)

shoes -- Crocs (Dick's Sporting Goods, and yes, I bought them brand spanking new)

First off, let me apologize right away for giving you a double dose of me. I am so far behind that I sort of have to double post to get caught up. Day 2 in Megan and Keely's Summer Trends Fashion Challenge was to pair a military style item with a more feminine piece. I originally was looking for something kind of lacy and ruffly, but after hunting through my closet and rifling through my daughter's closet, I opted for this top from my daughter's closet. I think she should let me keep it, don't you?

I was late in hopping on to the military style train, but I have to say these shorts (from the men's wear department) have fast become a favorite pair of mine. They are so comfortable (and can you ever fit the crapola in the pockets -- you don't even need to carry a purse)! And even though they're camouflage patterned, which I abhorred when I was younger, I like them. A. LOT. I'm not sure that I would have liked them as much in a solid color. I could even see wearing a pair of these as long pants (the same style).

Once again, I am indebted to Megan and Keely for coming up with this idea for the summer fashion challenge. I've worn these shorts a lot this summer, but I always paired them with a plain black tank top. This was a lot more fun and a lot more interesting.

Day 3 of the challenge, which I will post tomorrow (but wore yesterday), is Sparkles for Day, and I'll warn you -- that one was a doozy. Just you wait.

The Chronicles of Lady K

A Rhinestone Dragonfly

Flaunting Assets

Where did it go?

Things that Matter

Sparkle Someone Else's Eyes

Red All Over

The Most Magnificent Shoes

Forgetting My Jacket or Not

Second Choice

Looking Edgy

Out for Lunch

Just Walk On By!

White Hair

Feeling Lucky

Stained Glass

End of the Line

True Confessions ...

Hand Puppets

Do I Dare?

The Walking Dead

Confucius Says ...

Pushing the Envelope

Crashing but not Burning

No Loitering

Under Control

Feet that Touch the Ground, or Don't ...

Being Smart and Pretty

Blurred Images

Stuffed Sausage

Then Came Irene ...

Over the Top

Football Shoulders

Is this dress a keeper or a loser?

Pants with an Attitude

The Great Pumpkin

Should my pants be

Should I wear this to work?

Same Old, Same Old

Good Luck!

My Own Drum

Sailor Sam

A Wheel of Color

Leopards, and Jaguars, and Cheetahs, Oh my!

Spanning the Globe

Stand Tall

Older than Dirt

Polka Squares

Extreme Make Over

Weekend Wear and Woes

Silence

100% Thrift

Fill in the Blank

They're Ba-a-ack

A Wack-a-Doodle Day

Double Dose