Forgive the pun, but I wanted to give a little shoutout to my sister, Ellen, who graduated from Bowling Green State University yesterday! I'm crazyproud of her; she busted her butt for four years to graduate summa cum laude, working the entire time she wasn't student teaching to pay her own way as much as possible. Whatever elementary school that manages to snag her will be a lucky school indeed. I went up to BG with my parents and (most of) my siblings to watch her get her diploma and enjoy a celebratory dinner. (I didn't think to bring my nice camera, so forgive the iPhone snaps.)
The gang, minus Abby (who was home in South Carolina) and David (who was at prom with his girlfriend).
I also managed to snag a quick outfit shot with my sister, who was dressed to kill on a budget that wouldn't. Seriously, her entire outfit was from H&M, with the exception of her Target shoes. Girl knows how to dress on a dime.
on me:
shirt: The Limited
sleeveless button-up: New York & Company
skinnies: Forever 21
flats: Target
necklace: giveaway win (Nordstrom)
Our youngest sister, Audrey, didn't want to miss out on the photoshoot...though I have no idea where her outfit is from. Probably Target/Old Navy?
As for today, I was a total mixture of lazy and productive. I cleaned the bathroom and did a load of laundry, went on a mini Hulu spree, switched out my winter/summer clothes (finally!), then jumped on the scooter to donate the too-small stuff from last year and do a little closet-gap-filling shopping. Did pretty dang well on that part :)
Now Matt and I are off to swing by his parents' house to wish his mom a happy Mother's Day, then it's back home for some much-needed relaxation for both of us :)
What about you guys? Anything exciting to report this weekend? Graduations, siblings' proms, Mother's Day escapades?
Howdy y'all. Today I'm linking up to Audrey's One Piece Many Ways link-up over on Putting Me Together. If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you've probably noticed that some pieces tend to appear and reappear around here. That's because remixing = awesome and it's the best way to pretend that your wardrobe is bigger than it really is, I think :)
For today's link-up, I'm featuring a plain white button-down-style shirt. To be fair, I'm kind of cheating here and using four different styles of button-down: a sleeveless, a short-sleeve, a short-sleeve with polka dots and a long-sleeve. Honestly, if you have those four pieces in your closet (or three, if you wanna nix the polka dots), you can create about a billion different outfits. Give or take. Here are my favorite ways to wear these:
As a plain ol' shirt
(original post: top, bottom)
Layered
(original post: top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right)
Layered...with a dress (yes, it's very different)
(original post: left, middle, right)
So yeah. One (type of) piece, nine ways to style it. I'm telling you, if you don't have a white button-down shirt in these three sleeve lengths, run (don't walk) out and get them now! I'm actually working on my color collection, too...I have a short-sleeve in a few colors, a sleeveless in black and a long-sleeve in a couple colors. Need...more...button-downs...
pink shirt: JCPenney
collared sleeveless shirt: New York & Company
skirt: Target
shoes: Payless
necklace: Express
That is a reference to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, for those of you who didn't know. And if you haven't seen it yet, my God, go do it. Right now. It's only 45 minutes long and I swear it is both hilarious and incredibly well-done. (Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, directed by Joss Whedon...need I say more?)
Anyway.
That song popped into my head as I was trying to think about what to write tonight. Because I'll be honest, May did not end well for me. Part of it was external issues that were affecting me, but it was mostly a negative attitude on my part that really dragged me down. And that negative attitude was caused, in part, by my inability (or unwillingness) to cope with what was stressing me. It was this awful cycle that took me into two weeks of rollercoaster emotions.
So.
As the song goes, it's a brand new day. I still have a lot on my plate (what in the world possessed me to take on two huge freelance projects simultaneously?!), but I'm going to handle it differently. And that includes being proactive about my stressors--finding ways to beat them before they get out of control.
That means making some real changes in my life. No more skipping out on the gym--I need the endorphins, and all of my shorts from last year didn't simultaneously shrink of their own accord. (I'm not kidding. I have exactly one pair of shorts and no capris left from last year--had to do a mad dash around thrift/consignment stores last weekend.) I'm also going to be more productive in the evenings, freeing up time to work on work and not bloggy stuff. I'm going to get up an hour earlier every morning (aaaahhhhhhhh!) to write posts, take and edit photos, and (on days I'm not posting) to do still more freelance stuff. That part will be the hardest. I'm not a morning person. I'm already dreading my alarm.
So bear with me as I adjust to this new schedule. Posts might become a little more weird and confusing--I often sip a glass of wine when I blog in the evenings, which explains a lot of my candid/stream-of-conscious writing, but obviously I can't do that before work in the morning. And sleepy Emma is a lot weirder than one-glass-of-wine Emma. You'll see.
*cue evil laughter*
shirt: The Limited
sleeveless collared shirt: New York & Company
slacks: secondhand
flats: Target
necklace: Express
nail polish: Old Navy's brand in Melon Glow
If I had superpowers, they would be unpredictable spurts of enormous amounts of productivity. This morning, I was exhausted from a long (and awesome) weekend of family time. I walked into work and immediately was asked if I was sick. That's how tired I was/looked. I slogged through what felt like the longest morning/early afternoon ever, then got a weird boost of energy around 2 pm. And from then on, I've been an unstoppable force of getting-shit-done-ness. And it's been awesome.
I spent the rest of the afternoon flying through projects, then threw in a load of laundry as soon as I got home and dashed off to the gym. Then it was off to the grocery store, where I set a new personal record for in-and-out. (Special shoutout to the cashier who opened a new register for me...isn't that the greatest thing ever?) And then I ran home and whipped up an awesome dinner. Now, I'm about to fold that laundry while Matt and I watch the new Game of Thrones from last night. TAKE THAT, TO-DO LIST!
I guess I'm still just in go-go-go mode from the last three weeks, during which I squeezed in dance classes and interviews for four different freelance stories (not to mention writing said stories). If I can keep this pace up, there will be no stopping me. (Cue evil laughter!)
So New Year's Eve is one of my top favorite holidays because it's the perfect excuse to get super fancy. And even if you wind up being the most dressed-up person at the party, no one's going to make fun of you because hey, IT'S NEW YEAR'S EVE. Also, there's champagne and/or sparkling sweet wines.
Yup, NYE is one of the few times that I spend more than seven minutes on makeup (truth) and more than three minutes on my hair (ok, that's a lie...usually it's under a minute). This year, I completely forgot decided not to buy a new dress, so I remixed an old one. This is actually somewhat similar to the outfit I wore to ring in 2011, but I didn't have a blog back then and everyone knows that if you don't post it on the internet, it doesn't count.
dress: appx. four to five years old...no idea
sleeveless oxford: New York & Company
tights, booties, headband: Target
necklaces: both gifted
bracelet: H&M
The only problem with this dress compared to two years ago is, well...what went into it. As in, a few more pounds. Zipping this dress took some major work on my part and Matt's. And once it was on, it was far too skimpy for my taste (and the subfreezing temps), so I layered that sucker right up. Bam!
The evening itself went by in a blur, as NYE nights tend to do, but it was a lot of fun! We hung out at a friend's house...no expensive covers, cheap BYO drinks and no getting kicked out to drive home tipsy at 2 am. Win, win, win.
(Oh hey, by the way. Ignore all the mess on the table...Matt was outside warming up the car, so I had no time to shoot these. Instead, here's a pic of us, before things got sloppy. Isn't he cute?)
dress: gifted
sleeveless collared shirt: New York & Company
cardi: H&M
shoes: secondhand
necklace: Target
bracelet: Forever 21
Sorry if you're tired of hearing (reading?) this from me, but my office is COLD. Like, keep-a-heavy-sweater-in-your-cube cold. Once, I wore a skirt and long sleeves, and wound up having to wrap my sweater around my legs and tie the arms in a knot to keep it in place. That. Cold.
Anyway, the best way to handle such frigid temps when it's 90 degrees outside is, of course, layers. I just throw a non-wrinkle-prone cardi in my bag with my high heels, then throw it on when I get to work and switch my comfy shoes for my actual shoes. (Hey, walking around downtown in four-inch heels is NO FUN.)
So I need some feedback from you guys with this outfit. When I was wearing it, I felt really thick around the middle. Just kind of...puffy. And when I look at this outfit, I feel like I look puffy. Does anyone else see that, or is it just me? Also, I'm not really sold on these shoes. I think they'd be cute with long pants, so just the toes poke out. My friend at work called them "grandma" shoes...you can't see it in the photos, but they have a square one-inch heel. Any opinions on those?
sleeveless button-down: New York & Company
maxi dress: secondhand
shoes, belt, sunnies: Target
When I was a teenager, I was a...let's say...not so awesome driver. So yeah, I learned how to change a flat tire pretty darn quick. So when I got to Lowe's last night to pick up some spray paint (for a keep-me-busy-while-Matt's-gone project), and discovered I had a flat, I was annoyed but not panicked. Yeah, it sucked that I bumped a curb and blew out the wall of my tire beyond repair (I guess that says I prob needed new ones anyway). But I had a spare in the trunk and the knowledge to fix it. What I lacked, however, was a jack and a tire iron to get the lug nuts off.
A really nice guy in the parking lot let me use his jack, but unfortunately his tire iron didn't fit my lug nuts (what?!). So I sloooooowly drove my car over to the NTB next door, where they promptly told me it would be 20 for them to change my tire. I asked to just borrow their equipment, but they said no.
Long story, short, my car insurance has roadside assistance. Instead of the 60+ minutes that it usually takes to get help, someone showed up in about 15 and got me all set up. For free. Of course, by that point it had started raining. So when I finally got home, I went straight to the fridge, popped open a bottle of wine, and went to work.
Basically, what I'm saying is that I didn't post last night because a bottle of green apple Riesling and a few episodes of Modern Family just seemed like a better idea :)
Well, I didn't actually wear two outfits today. But I'm really trying to push through these photos from my old apartment, because let's face it...the same old balcony shots have gotten pretty dull. My new backyard (squee!) isn't exactly pretty, but there's at least some room to move around. And apparently, there's a park at the end of our street. I'll have to check it out and see what opportunities (i.e. how empty it is in the mornings) there are there.
shirt: The Limited
skirt: H&M
necklace: old, semi DIYed
bracelet: Forever 21
shoes: TargetSo this necklace used to have long dangly things coming from that little drop bead in the center. And one by one, the dangly things fell off. I mean, the thing is years old, and it's pretty cheap, so it's not exactly a surprise. So I just grabbed some pliers, removed the rest of the danglies, and voila! It's like a new necklace. Sort of.Also, while I'm still on the fence with the whole maxi craze that swept through the blogosphere this summer, I have to say I am totally loving midi skirts. Maybe it's because I really like my calves (weird, right?) or maybe it's because I just like skirts that are loose and twirly. Either way, this has definitely become one of my favorite skirts since buying it in NYC.
In fact, it is the first of a series of outfits that were worn/photographed before the 30x30 challenge. Time to play catch up, amiright? :)
Sadly, yesterday's outfit was not photographed at all due to unfortunate circumstances. I don't want to bore you, so long story short, my clutch system in my car is screwed up. We think it has something to do with engine temperature running slightly too high, which makes some metal part--probably a spring or a worn-down pad--expand and stick. So I'm driving through some terrible stop-and-go construction traffic, trying to get back to work after a doctor's appointment. And my clutch starts sticking. Then it stays stuck. As in, pushed all the way in, so when I hit the gas, my car goes nowhere because it thinks it's in neutra, even though it's really in gear.
So there I am. It's 95 degrees (higher if you consider the heat index) and I'm backing up traffic. Everyone's beeping, even though my hazards are on and I'm waving them to go around. Finally, some kind soul stops and helps me push my car off to a side street. I call the tow truck and wait 45 minutes in the sweltering heat. My outfit is soaked through with sweat (gross, I know, but that's why I couldn't take pictures of it). When the tow guy gets there, my clutch is perfectly fine again. UGH.
Was up all night with stress dreams about money, the work I missed yesterday, etc. Feeling like crap this morning. There's ten bucks in my wallet, I'm thinking about taking it to the thrift store for some discount retail therapy. Cause you KNOW I can't afford real shopping now that I have a car repair to deal with.
But on the bright side. I love this outfit and it makes me smile.
shirt, brooch and long shorts: New York and Company
shoes: Franco Sarto via Marshall's
That's right folks, this is my second-to-last outfit in my very first 30x30 challenge. It's definitely made me think about my closet differently, but I'll save the musings for the recap this weekend.
Speaking of weekends, today is my Friday! I actually used some of my PTO hours to take tomorrow off, since I'm staying up until 2 or 4 tonight to watch a double feature of both parts of the seventh Harry Potter film. That's right. I'm sitting down to 7 or more solid hours of HP tonight, starting at 9 pm. Am I crazy? Perhaps. Crazy in love with a certain series. I'll admit, I never liked the movies as well as I did the books (I have yet to see the sixth film, heard it wasn't true to the book at all), but this is the end of an era. I feel compelled to join in the frenzy.
Don't know if I'll wear real clothes tomorrow...I'm helping my friend paint her new apartment (after I wake up wayyyy late, haha) and then I'm catching up on a bunch of work for my freelance job. But before the weekend is over, I'll have posted my final 30x30 outfit!
For some reason, only the photos of me looking away from the camera turned out alright today. Weird.
No long-windedness today, folks. I have to swing by Kroger to pick up something dessert-y for our company picnic today (I tried to make cookies the other day and failed miserably--I am not a baker) and then I have an early meeting that will probably eat up most of my day. I'd be annoyed, but it's to select photos for the next issue of the bridal magazine that we put out twice a year. I think that's my favorite part of working on that particular publication :)
(P.S. Make sure you enter my giveaway...it ends tomorrow!)
I knew, going into this 30x30 challenge, that weekends would be difficult for me. I’m the kind of person who likes to laze around on the weekends. Saturday, I didn’t get dressed until 9 pm. That’s right, I wore my PJs for the vast majority of the day. Am I embarrassed of that fact? Not in the slightest.
Since Matt and I decided to meet a few friends at the bar Saturday evening, I changed out of my PJs and into this simple little number. I love the tank top-jeans-heels combo...it feels very America’s Next Top Model. (You know how, during the judgement phase, Tyra seems to prefer the models to wear simple outfits like this? You mean you don't all watch ANTM marathons on weekends? Really?) Doesn’t hurt that these heels make me an even 6 feet tall ;)
I also decided to combine corniness, trendiness and patriotism in my manicure. (The trendy is the one nail painted different…I really like it!) Painting my nails for the holidays always makes me feel a little corny/silly, but I figure, that’s half the fun, right?
Yesterday, we’re going with some friends to the lake. One of them has a little Airstream camper...you know, those silver bubble-looking things. Technically, it’s his parents, but they let us all crash there on the weekends. They have a platoon boat too, so we basically just grab some beers (wine in my case, I’m classy like that) and float around on the water all day.
Matt and I usually sleep in our tent, since the camper is pretty tiny. But since we’re car camping, we bring tons of extra blankets and whatnot to sleep on, so it’s actually pretty comfy.
But this trip meant I didn't wear any of my 30 items yesterday. They’re just not lake-and-sleeping-in-a-tent-quality. But I’ll probably double up with two outfits in one day again, or I’ll just stretch the challenge and end it a day or two later than everyone else. I’m loving the flexibility of it!
Tonight we're going to a Fourth party, so I'll have another outfit to post in the morning. Maybe tonight, if I'm not completely exhausted. Until then... :)
You know how some mornings, you spend so long on your hair that you barely have time for anything else? Yeah, this was one of those mornings. And the most annoying part is that I didn't even get my hair to cooperate with me. Fortunately, I had an idea of what I was going to wear, and I can do my makeup in about 5 minutes if I need to, so I'm not running too far behind this morning. Still. Annoying.
items: 12, 21, 27 cami: Marshall's belt: Target necklace: don't remember
I guess I need to buy more jewelry when this challenge is over. It seems like nearly every piece I own is labeled as "don't remember." Or worse, I bought it at Claire's years and years ago and I'm just too embarrassed to admit it. I need grown up jewelry.
