"If I'm honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all"~Audrey Hepburn

Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts

Thursday, January 23, 2014

My Closet DOES Have Useable Items

Or at least I think it does have useable items & I have to continue to remind myself of this fact....that YES, I do have clothes to wear & that NO I don't need to shop.....too much.

I pin all these things on my "My Style" board on Pinterest, like a ton & how many do I actually try to "wear"?...not many.  So I've decided to use this awesome resource a lot more & start from the beginning, I have these old pins, some may not be "in style" anymore, so I figure I can spruce them up, or use what I already have to make them work.  So here goes....

Outfit Try #1




















I don't own a whole lot of green, but I do love the color.  This is a pretty basic sweater/blouse/jean/boot combination, nothing too fancy & good for everyday wear.  While I don't have a lot of these pieces, really just the blouse & sweater & in that color, I figured a way to make it work....or at least how I thought it could work.

My Take on Outfit #1
 

Since I don't have a green/mint blouse or a green sweater I thought I would put the green on the bottom.  I just bought these pants, which I'm still not sure if I'm cool enough to own but I like them, they're comfy & a darker color so I figure they work & I don't feel like I'm too old to wear them.  Here's the outfit lowdown:

Embellished Blouse - Anthopologie - July 2013
Sweater - Nordstrom - Fall 2011?  (Maybe) - I actually got this in the *gasp* Juniors' section, hey, don't judge, you can still find some gems, no matter the age ;)
Dark Green Skinny Pants - Forever 21 - January 2014 - Again, no judging.
Riding Boots - Tory Burch - December 2013 - These were a Christmas present, Lake did a great job!
Necklace - Maripoza (awesome little boutique in my hometown of McAllen, TX) - cannot remember when I actually got this one.
Earrings - Francesca's - yup, drawing a blank on when I got them but Francesca's always has jewelry like this.

Monday, July 9, 2012

26 Day Picture Project - Days - #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 & #9!

Day #4 - Happy 4th of July!
Here's my nephew, Hayden & my sister in law watching Hayden's first fireworks display! I'm not sure he really appreciated all the noise, but he sure did love the colors! 
I'm very happy to be there for his first witness of fireworks :)

Day #5 - What's Old is New
I had a lunch meeting today & decided to wear a new dress that I bought this past weekend at Old Navy (on sale no less!) & I wanted to wear fun heels with it, so since I just cleaned out my shoe closet I thought it would be nice to wear these shoes, circa Nine West around Spring 2005. I love when I can wear "old" things & make them new again.
Plus, I got lots of compliments & that's always fun! :)

















Day #6 - Goodwill
I took in my Goodwill San Antonio donation today for Junior League of San Antonio! Getting my check marks done early ;) The house feels lighter now....
















Day #7 - Sunrise Running
This picture was take at mile 2.6 during my 5 mile run on Saturday morning along Loop 1604, run was tough, but the pic sure is pretty! :)
















Day #8 - BFFs


This past weekend some of my very best Valley friends came to visit! Weekend was filled with lounging, catching up & laughing :)
I've known Monica since we were 10 years old & I've known Cristina since we were 5 years old. They're the best! :)










Day #9 - Curriculum Writing 2012

Today started my first of 7 days of curriculum writing for school.....yeah, that's all I got.....




Wednesday, July 4, 2012

26 Day Picture Project - Days #2 & #3

Day #2 - RAIN!
After this rain who knows when we'll see it again, I thought it was appropriate & maybe a little boring compared to my Day 1 picture, but it's OK!
I'll take boring over life threatening any day! ;)


Day #3 - Where's Maryn?!?!
My afternoon consisted of "shopping" with Leah & my niece & nephew at La Cantera, then getting some new decor for our bedroom at ZGallerie, then a pedi with Mireya, & finally dinner at Yardhouse with Lake, all in all a great evening at La Cantera!
Thanks & gig 'em!

Monday, July 2, 2012

26 Day Picture Project - Day #1

How did that even happen?!?!
So during my run last night it started raining, it didn't seem too crazy, but when it started pouring I decided I'd cut the run a mile short & head home, as I crossed to street & got on the sidewalk the tree that you see here fell....FELL! It didn't scare me really, I think I was more shocked....I was sprinting at this point & turned to go into my neighborhood & saw that another tree had already been knocked over on our street. The power was out, I couldn't get into the house b/c I couldn't open the garage.....
Long story short, I was invited into the home of a nice older couple down the street who let me use their phone & gave me a towel to dry off. I'd like to thank Ms. Rose & her husband for helping me today! :) 
Day 1, kinda crazy!

crazy scene, but all is well....well not with this poor tree, but no one was
hurt  :)

Other pictures of stuff that happened yesterday....up until the tree thing, I really thought one of these pictures was going to represent Day #1....but the tree really just took the cake, don't ya think?!
these absolutely cracked me up, they are multipurpose
sunglasses!  Ariana & I decided that you could use
them twice before they broke....

I've been on a yummy "flavored"water kick after
having some at the hotel I stayed at during the AVID
Conference in Dallas...yesterday's was with lime, today
I plan on trying out apples :)

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Fashion Swap: Love Theme

just some of the yummy appetizers brought
over by the guests, yum yum yum!
This past weekend I hosted my 3rd fashion swap.  The theme for the evening was love....in honor of Valentine's Day of course!  I've had 2 other fashion swaps, one was last spring & we had an asian theme & then over the summer I hosted one at my parent's house & the theme was fiesta!  Yesterday's party was great!  Everyone was asked to bring over an appetizer & 5 items that they were willing to "swap"  The items could range from outer wear, dresses, skirts, tops, accessories, or jewelry.  I provided the desserts for last night's swap.  It's a really fun idea & I think everyone walked away with some really cute stuff. 
decisions, decisions!

The way it works:
I set up 2 tables & tape down "signs" with a category on them, i.e.:  Dresses, Tops, Jewelry, etc.....
As guests arrive they put their name on 5 slips of paper.
They then fold the slips & place them in 5 seperate bowls.  These bowls then indicate 5 "rounds" of swapping.
Guests then take their items over to the tables & seperate as necessary. 
Round 4 of the Swap
As the hostess, I grab the first bowl & just begin calling out names.  The guests can choose an article from any category, it doesn't matter what you brought.  I designate rooms in the house as "dressing rooms" & during each round the guests will try on what they want & keep what they like.  The rounds just repeat.
I limit the swap to 5 items, but you can do as many rounds as you like.

At each swap I've hosted, some people have brought more than 5 items, at the end of the 5 rounds I allow for a "free for all" & you can grab whatever you want.  Whatever is still left over at that point I donate to Goodwill.
Shaunda & Michelle enjoying the food & fun
time after the swap

It really is that easy, or at least I have found it to be that easy!  :)

Once the swapping is over, we eat & drink.  Although no one's stopping anyone from partaking in that during ;)

This is one of my favorite events to host, it's so fun to see what everyone brings.  I've always enjoyed it & good times are always had!  I think my next one will be sometime in the summer.....maybe Paris themed....hmmmmmm
even little miss maryn had a great time!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Fashion Challenge #1, Day 5:

What it's supposed to look like:

Positives:  It's jeans, so I have that, so right off the batt it's not too difficult AND I have red flats, yay!!  so far so good....onto the negatives...
Negatives:  I really thought this outfit was going to be cake!  I have a floral scarf, but I can't seem to locate it, ANYWHERE!  I thought I took with me to London, but I'm not 100% sure & I haven't seen it since we went to Vegas, so at some point, I will turn the house upside down looking for it, we'll see......
Bummer #2:  I used to have a sleeved cream colored sweater that I got at Target.  I had originally purchased it for a "themed" pep rally when I worked in Boerne.  The theme was "Grease" so I wore the sweater with a high waisted long navy skirt, tucked the sweater in & put a scarf on a ponytail....very 50's, or whatever.  Anyway, I guess I gave it away at some point, because that was MIA as well.  Here's where I had to get creative.....

What I came up with:

I decided to make due with what I had....I couldn't give up!  It was Day 5 for goodness sake!  I thought my best bet is to go with a "pattern" on my top, instead of solid, & a solid scarf (sorta), instead of floral.  All in all, I don't think it's too bad.

Outfit Breakdown:
Top:  Forever 21 (Summer 2007)
Jeans:  Nordstrom (Fall 2010)
Scarf:  India Marketplace (Spring 2010)
Flats:  H&M (Spring 2008)

Well, Fashion Challege #1 is officially over & in the books, it was fun!  Although it absolutely did not make my week go by faster!  Last week was just stressful over all though, I don't think anything would've helped.  Here's to a new week!  :)
My favorite days of the week were definitely Tuesday & Thursday, I guess I'm more of a dress gal than a pants gal.  hmmmmmmm, I wonder if I can find another one on Pinterest!  Let me know if you find one so I can check it out!

Ellis OUT!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Fashion Challenge #1, Day 4:

What it's supposed to look like:


Positives:  This dress is super cute & I love it, but I have absolutely NOTHING that even remotely resembles this!  AT ALL!  or the cute striped scarf, darn!  The only part of this outfit that I do own are the brown boots....kudos to me for using the same boots for 2 outfits.  I'm so glad I made this last minute purchase before we went to London in December.
Negatives:  Don't own anything like this, so today was some major improvisation!  I'd say it was a major failure as far as getting it to look similar, but I still like what I decided on & I got a few compliments today, so that can't be bad thing :)













What I came up with:


So I decided to go with a patterned dress & a solid scarf, so I switched that.  I still tried to stay within a reasonable color scheme.  I just don't really own that many solid colored dresses & I definitely don't own a navy one.  All in all this had to be the hardest day & I think my farthest reach, but I still think everything combined I came up with something that works!  :)










Outfit Rundown:
Dress:  Langford Market (Summer 2011)
Belt:  a reuse from Tuesday
Boots:  a reuse from Tuesday
Scarf:  Christmas Present from Amy (Christmas 2008)

Tomorrow's the last day......this has been a fun week!  :)  If anyone has any other suggestions for me or if you need help putting something together I'd be more than happy to do it for you, this has been TOO FUN! 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Fashion Challenge #1, Day 3:

What it's supposed to look like:

Positives:  I adore this top, LOVE it!  It's a very forgiving cut, unfortunately, I don't have a top like this, so I had to improvise.  Green is always a very pretty color & a good winter-spring transition color, so there was lots to love about this outfit.
Negatives:  I didn't have the top (like I just said) or a sweater that color green, but I do have a green sweater, just in a much darker shade & shape.  I also don't have those mint colored flats, although they are adorable & would love to have them!  I had to make a lot of compromises on this one....and it's a bit reaching, but I did what I had to!  MUST COMPLETE CHALLENGE!











What I came up with:

So, I know....those pants are JEANS, but I was lucky enough to have a "jean day" in storage & figured this was as good of a day as any to use it.  From what I can tell the pants have a grayish/blue tone to them, so I thought dark jearns would be a good substitute.
Extra tidbit:  I was out shopping this weekend with some friends & one of my friends found jeans at Juicy Courture for a really good deal!  They had a really dark wash on sale as well as a light wash.  They were really cute & fit well.  I didn't purchase a pair because I was on a mission to find a dress & could NOT be distracted!  NOTE:  I found a dress!  :)
Anyway, back to my outfit.  I went ahead & wore a cream colored top under my sweater that I think goes well & let's the green stand on it's own.  As far as shoes goes....I have lots of flats, but not green ones, so I went with brown velvet ones instead.  I actually haven't worn them in a really long time!  But I can remember when I bought them & I felt like Marisa from The O.C. in them.....yeah, I know, random! 
All in all, it was a bit of a stretch, but I like it!

Outfit Rundown:
Cream Colored Top:  Juicy Couture (Fall 2011)
Sweater:  Anthropologie (Fall 2010)
Jeans:  Nordstrom (Winter 2007)
Brown Velvet Flats:  Ella Blue (Fall 2005); oldie but goodie! 

Now onto tomorrow, another dress.....hmmmmmm, I have nothing planned for tonight, I think I can come up with something in that time!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Fashion Challenge #1, Day 2:

What it's supposed to look like:


Positives:  It's cute...kinda country, but still cute.  It's a dress, which I have lots of those & boots.  I already own a brown thick belt, so that was a MAJOR plus!
Negatives:  I don't have a dress that's this color, let alone one that has flowers on it, in this color.  I also don't own grayish tall brown boots.....some major minuses...but the whole point is to figure out how I can make it work with what I already have!
Lake jokingly told me to go & buy a new dress.....normally this would thrill me, but c'mon, that's not the point....although I'll probably take him up on the offer at some point in the next few weeks!  ;)








What I came up with:


I think I did pretty darn GOOD today!!  Seriously, sure, the color scheme is way different, BUT it's still the same basic idea & I'm a huge fan.  I give myself two **snaps** today!  ;)

Outfit Rundown:
Dress:  Old Navy (Summer 2011)
Sweater:  Nordstrom (Fall 2009)
Belt:  Forever 21 (Fall 2010)
Boots:  Journey's (Fall 2011)







I'm hoping tomorrow is easy....today was actually really easy, didn't take me long at all to figure this one out.  I came to the dress & then just built it from there.  I knew that these were the boots that I wanted to wear....or more like HAD to wear because I really didn't have very many other options.  All in all, Day 2 was fun!  :)

Monday, February 6, 2012

Fashion Challenge #1, Day 1:

What it's supposed to look like:
























Positives:  I already have a similar gray shirt & the yellow flats (go figure!)
Negatives:  No cream colored scarf, or even one remotely close & I don't own black pants....say whaaaat?!  Yup, don't own black slacks.....nice!

Day 1:
What I came up with:


















So here is my closest rendition of the outfit.  I actually completely forgot to grab my scarf this morning, even though it was laid out on the bed.  So yeah, I'm not rocking it....not too bad, I guess.....

Outfit Rundown:
Top:  Langford Market (Summer 2011)
Pants:  Target (Spring 2008)
Scarf:  market purchase in India (Spring 2010)
Flats:  Agaci (Fall 2007??)

Not too bad I don't think....I don't know, what do you think?  After day 1 I came the realization that I really need a pair of black pants....seriously! 

I'm a little bit worried about Tuesday & Thursday for the week.....this may be harder than I'd originally anticipated....hmmmmmmmm

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Fashion Challenge for the Week


Seems easy enough, right?  We'll see if I can pull this off for the week!  I'm thinking it'll make the week go by faster?  No?!?

I'll add pictures to this post of what I'm actually going to wear for each day, from what I have in my own closet, I'm excited!!!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

How did I ever dress myself BEFORE Pinterest?

Have you been sucked into the Pinterest world?  Do you find yourself looking at some cool craft at a store & think.....hmmmmmm, I wonder if I can figure out how to make that on Pinterest?  Do you "pin" something & feel like the people who "repin" it really get you?  Do you look at an old top that you haven't worn in a while & think....I bet Pinterest could give me an idea on how to make this top look new, cool & hip.....

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you my friend have been sucked in!  Don't worry, I'm there, completely!

For those of you who have absolutely NO CLUE as to what I'm referring to, Pinterest is an online community of people who create "boards" & pin things to them.  You get to categorize your boards & most of the pins are linked to the actual website....so there's recipes, drinks, inspirational quotes, really freaking funny random quotes, outfit ideas & the list truly goes on & on.....

I have my favorite boards, but my favorite by far is my "My Style" board....this is where I've been getting my "fashion inspiration" from lately.  It's pretty simple really & I suppose if I purchased more fashion magazines then it would pretty much be the same idea, but this is free....so yeah, much better!  What I really LOVE about it is that I find a picture & study it & then find myself saying....I have something similar looking, I could mix that top with this skirt & get that look.  I have literally made like 10 COMPLETELY different outfits with the help of Pinterest.  Here's one of my faves:



















So....I don't have this EXACT outfit, but what I did was wear a plain navy tank with a navy sweater & this adorable red-orange skirt that I bought over the summer at Anthropolgie.  Paired with my favorite pair of black flats & a cute necklace & viola, fun outfit!  :)

I'm not sure who was the genius behind this site & I will admit....when I first joined in August I didn't "get it", in fact, I ignored it for a really really long time!  Now I know it's amazing!  So thank Mr/Miss Pinterest!  I raise a glass to you.....
probably one that I made from a "pin" with a cocktail that I pinned as well.....

If you aren't a member, let me know, I can send you an invite:

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Royal Wedding

Yes, I've been sucked in, I can't help it, the Royal Family has always fascinated me, for the same reason I think the Kennedy's have fascinated me....America doesn't have royalty, but at one point I suppose you could say that the Kennedy Family was close to that! The pageantry, the poise, the properness....just so different from everyday life....

So, my school friends & I are having a "Royal Wedding Viewing Party" on Friday night. I'm going to find my "fascinator" today after school. If you don't know what a fascinator is, it's a smaller hat that may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats are traditionally worn—such as weddings—or as an evening accessory. As far as my attire goes I'll be wearing a black & white polka dot wrap dress with either red or black heels. Ah, I can't wait, what girl doesn't want an excuse to dress up?!?!?! :)

This weekend is also setting up to be a fun one! Lake & I will be attending a Crawfish Boil on Saturday. I haven't been to one of those since college, so I'm pumped! And Sunday I'm hosting my first ever Fashion Swap Party....hooooooray! Hopefully everything goes smoothly, it's Asian themed (don't ask me why b/c I have no clue!, just wanted to go with that theme) & I made cute little signs for each category of items brought in as well as tickets that each gal will get for each item that she brings in. I cannot wait!

Pics to come of all the fun stuff that's happening this weekend! AND....the month of May starts on Sunday....wow-wee, how'd that happen?!?!?!

me & my Katie enjoying dinner before viewing the Royal Wedding :)

Monday, February 21, 2011

Red, White, & Black....Apparently I'm Obsessed

So, as I was putting together my February album on Facebook last night, I noticed a re-occuring theme going on.....the colors, red, white & black. Weird I know.....let's revisit these moments in my tri-color history......

Feb. 5th:
I was on a mission to find two pairs of shoes. One pair for Cristina's wedding, the other pair for Cristina's Lingerie Shower. I found both! hoooooooray! The ones for Cris' wedding needed to be either silver or silver-ish....well I found pewter & I'm very happy with my selection. The 2nd pair I wanted to be red! Super hot red! ;) I've actually never owned a pair of red heels before & I was excited to see what I could find....here's what I came up with:
these are the shoes I'll be wearing for Dyver & Cristina's big day! I can't wait! I still haven't decided what color to paint my toe nails though. Our dresses are a light blue.......any suggestions???

and here are my new red shoes! ahhhh, I love them! (don't ask me when I have one pant leg down & one up...) :)

After my wonderfully successful shopping session, I met up with some girlfriends for Sushi & I sported my new red shoes for a girls night out!
here's our group at Goro's Sushi (I-10/Vance Jackson). If you look very closely you can see my red shoe under the table. haha.

Feb. 12th:
So the very next weekend I was in the Valley for Cristina's Lingerie Shower. I wore a printed black & white dress with my red shoes to add a splash of color. I'd originally purchased this dress to wear for our rehearsal dinner & it's made several appearances since then. It's a super comfortable dress. Well little did I know......I matched all the shower decor as well!

there's my outfit for the party with my red shoes

here are some of the decorations for the shower. we were going for a valentines-y theme (more red, white & black!)

and finally the Funfetti cupcakes! I told Mon a ba-jillion times that I don't bake, so I was tasked with adding the sprinkles & sticking the hearts in the cupcakes.....I'd say I did a pretty good job! ;)

For Valentine's Eve Lake & I dined at Kumori Sushi & I was wearing a red top, there it is again!

Feb. 19th:
So this now brings us to this past weekend. I had decided I wanted to host a Twilight Movie Marathon about a month ago & in the last few weeks became very entertained with the idea of going all out with the decorations. All the girls that came over brought an appetizer that went along with the movie, it was too fun! :) One theme that I noticed during my research was the use of red, white, & black, since those are the colors of the book covers. My mom's a party thrower & I knew she'd have some good stuff to borrow, so I was able to use 3 of her table cloths & few other supplies that she had. Everything else that I used, I either bought or made myself. I think it turned out pretty swell.....take a look:

here's a pic of everything pre-food. Again, I borrowed the table cloths & place holders from my mom & the red candles/black holders. The red & black cups I got at Hobby Lobby & the red ones were on super sale b/c I bought them the day AFTER Valentine's Day! ;)

Here's just one of my "quote signs" that I made on Photoshop. I just created a new image with a black background, then create the vine looking things with the Custom Shapes Tool & used Goudy Old Style font to create the text. I would have loved to use the actual font that is used on the covers, but I wasn't going to pay for it! I figured this was close enough.
The book cover above the quote sign came with my Twilight Saga Book Box Set (thank you Lake!).

this was our entry table. I used my boxed set as part of the decorations. I had used roses for one of the main centerpieces but had too many, I decided to use them as parting gifts instead. and of course tea lights....lots & lots of tea lights!!

our stove just kinda happened to get decorated, but I think it ended up looking really cool. The apples are actual apples! My dear husband carved them out for me & we shoved a tea light in each, it was a super fun & CHEAP idea! And of course I used the DVD cases as decor as well.

And now for the food!!!

I made these skewers. I went to HEB & bought a pre-made Angel Food Cake & a pound of strawberries. I sliced the cake & then cubed it & I cut the strawberries in halves. Alternated the cake & strawberries on the skewers, then right before everyone got there I drizzled them all with Black "Sparkly" Icing & Strawberry Sauce (what you'd put on ice cream). It was so easy!

I also made "Werewolf Kibble".....I know this completely goes against my "Team Edward" beliefs, but who can resist chex mix, chocolate, peanut butter & powdered sugar! Most people know this as Puppy Chow! :)

One of my friends brought over the most incredible "7 Layers of Love" Dip....or commonly known as 7 Layer Dip. It was absolute deliciousness! I stuffed myself with it! So much so, I had no room for much of anything else! ;)

Another friend brought over Twilight Chips & Salsa. yum, yum, yum!

And finally, "Bleeding Cupcakes" My friend made regular cupcakes & filled them with strawberry pie filling that she pureed. I finally had one today after my dinner, they are amazing!

Not pictured in the food pics: Garlic Daggers & Blood; AKA: Garlic Bread Sticks w/ Marinara Sauce: Blood Wine; AKA: Red Wine; Vampire Cocktail: cranberry, vodka, & raspberry liqueur; Various fun red beverages, including "blood" orange soda & a multitude of red, black, white & pink candy :)

and here's my masterpiece (errrr, well, I think so). Each item represents the Twilight Book Covers:

Apples: Twilight
Roses: New Moon (they should be a very specific tulip, but I think they turned out just as pretty & probably a lot cheaper)
Ribbon: Eclipse
Chess Pieces: Breaking Dawn

So there you have it, my February has been filled with red (which isn't surprising) but also with black & white! :)
it's been a fun month! I'm eager to see what March has in store for us!

Monday, January 10, 2011

LBD :)

For those of you who don't know what an "LBD" is, that would be a, Little Black Dress. I bring this up in my blog because I'm headed to fabulous Las Vegas on Friday night for one of my best friend's bachelorette parties. The said "best friend" is Miss Cristina G, whom I have been lucky enough to know since I was 5 years old, I can hardly believe it! She'll be tying to the knot on March 5th, so we're headed to "Sin City" to help her bid farewell to her single life, in style! :) We're still trying to construct our agenda for the weekend, but we do know that Saturday night will be our LBD night in Vegas! My LBD is a dress that I've worn before, in Vegas, as a matter of fact. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress. It's very figure forgiving & lots of fun! In my opinion, it's the perfect Vegas/Holiday dress! One of them main reasons I love it is because you don't have to really worry about jewelry since the dress has sequins, it does a very good job of dressing itself up! I'm so excited to go, I already want to start the packing, even though I don't leave until Friday night & it is only Monday. :o/ Oh well, mentally, I'm packed! It should be a great weekend, not too cold & I'll be with my very very very best friends! I've known all the girls that are going since either high school or elementary school, we all go way back, I'm looking forward to just spending time with them since they all live in the Valley & I don't get to see them as much as I would like to see them, it's going to be a fun treat!!! :) These are the girls who can make my abs sore because we laugh together so much!

ViVa LaS VeGaS! ;)

there's my LBD Christmas 2009

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Take Time To....

Pick our your outfits.....

I've found something very therapeutic & almost relaxing to do every evening at some point.

I'm taking about 5 minutes to pick out my "work" outfit for the next day. As trivial & almost superficial as this may sound, I have found that it relaxes me, helps me sleep better, allows me to move at a more leisurely pace in the morning & over all, feel more confident at work because I know that I actually thought about what I'd be wearing, instead of hazily picking it out at 6:50 in the morning while I'm trying to scarf down a Special K bar & not forget the keys to my classroom!

I came to this epiphany last Sunday (Aug 29th to be exact). During the 1st week of school, I traditionally take the time to pick out my outfits, fix my hair (straighten it), put on makeup (eyeshadow in particular), etc....after about the first week slowly but surely all this meticulous preparation for work each day starts to dwindle, it's sad but true. I trade in the time I would be picking out my outfit, with just 5 more minutes talking to Lake, watching "my" shows, or on Facebook. This year, I decided I'd make a small change in my daily routine & continue to take the time to put my outfit together for work the next day (past the 1st week of school). I know, I do realize again, that this does sound rather superficial, but shouldn't you put your best face forward everyday, or at least, the best thing that you feel like putting together the night before?

I've had lots of fun with it so far. Today for example, I found myself wearing an "oldie" but "goodie" Ann Taylor Loft dress that I actually wore to my college graduation party that my parents threw for me back in August of 2004. There were 2 things that elated me about putting this dress on:

1. That it still fit me 6 years later (guess running really does work!)
2. That (in my opinion) it was still relevant.

I simply placed a cashmere tan/camel colored 3/4 sleeve sweater over my sleeveless shoulders, add some pearls & I have a perfectly suitable outfit for school. I actually got compliments today, I LOVE THAT!

Think what you may, but I throughly believe that if you leave the house loving the outfit you're wearing, it'll be a spectacular day! :)

my "oldie" but "goodie" dress back in '04