Under the Arch

• I went to Novaks again last night. I tried to explain to Will about how a lesbian bar and say a bar on the landing are a completely difference experience for a girl and so next week we are going to attempt a little social experiment to prove my point.;)

• The weather has been amazing the last few days and I'm sorry to see it go again, I can't wait for spring to truly get here.

• I'm finding myself more and more annoyed by the ex-boyfriend, though I'm trying really hard to bite my tongue so I don't ruin him even more for the next girl. I'm afraid that anything I say at this point would just be mean rather than helpful.

• I'm being promoted at work, but I'm not supposed to know and have to act surprised when it happens. ;) The new position is full time, more creative and should give me most weekends off. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.

• I went to a craft fair today and bought a pair of earrings from a glass artist. She was explaining to me the process and I think I can make them myself, so I'll have to dig my supplies out of the basement soon and give it a try.

• Though something else is going on, I've written and deleted several sentences to say that I have no idea what that something is or if it is a something at all and rather than be upset, I'm mostly amused and curious to see what happens next. How's that for cryptic?

Yeah, that was me. ;) Here's a jumble of things that are too much for Twitter and not enough for a full post....

Thing #1: Thanks to Crystal, I found these truly hysterical handmade cards for the snark in all of you. ;) This one and this one are particular favorites. This one made me laugh so hard I almost peed myself. Her descriptions are just as funny as the cards.

Thing #2: I am officially single again. Ok, I was never officially un-single, but I'm not dating anyone in particular at the moment. ;) I've made a couple of good friends so far, that's pretty good, huh? lol

Thing #3: One of the girls I work with wants to set me up with her brother. I've never been set up before, so I thought, what the hell? I told her to go ahead if it makes her happy. I think he finds the idea of his little sister setting him up on a date as amusing as I do. ;)

Thing #4: I've bought all of 2 Christmas presents as of today. I suck at Christmas. lol

Thing #5: I went to Goodwill tonight to find some wool sweaters to felt. I have an idea for a present for my Grandma that I'll use them for, I'll post pictures when it comes together.

Thing #6: My camera pooped out on me, which is why there haven't been many photos lately. A new one is on my Christmas list, though the one I want is really too expensive for a present. We'll see what happens. ;)

Thing #7: A couple of movies came out today that I really want to see, Seven Pounds and Yes Man, but I couldn't find one person available to go with me. Boo :(

Thing #8: I am going to a Tweetup in St. Charles tomorrow. I wanted my friend Jessica to go with me cuz I'm determined to get her on Twitter, but she is going to the symphony instead. Now I kinda wish I was going with her. ;)

Thing #9: If you are not Twittering already, you really should! Peer Pressure! Ahhh!

Thing #10: I decided last week that I wanted to chop all my hair off. If you've seen the Naked Monday about my hair, you'd know that this isn't exactly a new thing. My friend, A, cuts my hair for me and she told me yesterday that she won't be cutting my hair as short as I'd like. She flat out refused. lol We renegotiated today for a longer style that will still eliminate a significant amount of length. It's just pissing me off right now. It's too long and heavy and it's takes too long to dry when it's freezing outside. It will almost be this long again by summer.

Thing #11: You know that movie eye flirting thing where a guy and girl meet eyes across the room and smile for what seems like forever? That totally happened to me today at work. One of the cute kiosk guys was walking in as I was walking out and he totally eye-flirted with me. And I started to smile back cuz he's cute, even if he's a lotion guy* and then I realized what I was doing and panicked. Ahhhh! So, I looked away and probably blushed. One of these days, I swear I'll get the hang of this. lol

Thing #12: It took me 45 minutes to leave work today...just to leave the parking lot! Damn holiday shoppers!! Weird thing? The parking lot wasn't even full, didn't make any kind of sense. I needed to go to the wal marts too, but was so frustrated by the time I made it to an actual ROAD, that I went home instead.

Thing #13: I decided to take my semi regular waxing further south. ;) Casey convinced me. lol

Thing #14: I can guarantee that I'm forgetting something. ;)

* One of the kiosks at every mall, they have a bottle of lotion that they smooth onto your hands. I walk by the same damn one EVERY DAY and they still try to sell me their stupid hand stuff. EVERY FUCKING DAY!! (Ok, not every day, but still, 5 days a week. I recognize THEM!)

I've spent the last few months barefoot or in sandals, but it's time for socks again and pretty, pretty boots.

I have a weakness.

A weakness for bright colored socks, especially knee highs.

A relatively innocent weakness, I know, but a costly one.

Now I've added brightly colored tights to the mix.

I'm totally enamored of these.

So what's a silly thing you buy compulsively? Magazines? Books? CDs? Postcards? Gum? Cheese? This list is only going to get more ridiculous....;)

I had this post planned, but didn't have time to write it before going to work and then realized at 1am, that oops! I still hadn't written it. I have two things for you today. A really awesome site for shoe searching and a fashion poll.

First up, shopstyle.com

Oh my shopping god! How did I not know about this?! And if you knew, why didn't you tell me?!

EASIEST WAY TO SEARCH FOR SHOES ON THE INTERNETS EVAH!!!!!

go to the site. Go on. Well, wait I have to tell you about it first. WAIT!! Whew!! Ok. The above link will take you to the main page. Now, if you are a boot junkie like I am, hover over shoes and scroll down to boots. Now click. You now have 441 some odd pages of boots. But, lets say you have a budget and you can only spend $150 or less on your next fabulous pair. On the left side you'll see refine by and several options. Click on price. Now click on 0-$25, $25-$50, AND, $50-$150. Click ok. Now you should have about 205 pages. This site gives you all the best items from all your favorite places; piperlime, target, zappos, dillard's, nordstroms, and many , many more! If you hover over a shoe you like, it will give you some details from the outside source, sizes available, and get this! It will even allow you to set a sale alert. The site will send you an email when the price goes down!! I am in love. Another thing I really like is how it scrolls between pages, you don't have to click through pages, just hit the right arrow on your keyboard and it scrolls across. Once you set the search parameters, you don't have to leave the page until you find that perfect item. If you click on an item, it takes you the original site. I've only looked so far, not ready to buy yet, and I haven't looked at anything besides shoes, but it was enough. shopstyle.com sits very prominently in my bookmarks. Go check it out!!

Next! I have a question. I don't know if you remember when I said that I lost a ton of weight over the past year and a half or so. Well , I did. And now I'm left with all the pants that haven't fit since last fall. I kept them in the top of my closet, thinking that I would gain most of the weight back, but I haven't. It's stayed off for more than 8 months now and I need to decide what to do with all of them. Do I pack them away in the basement storage room just in case or do I give them away? Opinions? Take the poll in the left sidebar, please. Thank you !!
(In case you are curious, I have 12's, 13's, and 14's in the pile.)

(updated below!)

If you've read this blog for any amount of time you know that I, uh, really like clothes. Since we talked about pieces for a Fall wardrobe, I've been thinking about pieces that stay in my closet season to season. These wardrobe staples are versatile and stylish, but not trendy, so they can hang around for a while without making you look like a fashion no-no. Let's do this in list form, shall we?

1. Jeans

Jeans are a very important part of every man's and woman's wardrobe. They can be trendy, but I think the most important thing is to buy jeans that make you look good and that fit comfortably, especially on the bum. :) I don't believe in spending a ton of money here because I still haven't found a $100 pair that fits any better on my bottom than a $20-$30 pair. I'm willing to be wrong here, but if I'm going to spend that kind of cash on one article of clothing, there had better be fairy dust included, that's all I'm saying. (or a pair of shoes)

2. T-Shirts

No cartoon characters or pithy sayings, just plain, fitted, and flattering in a variety of colors. This is one of the items that you should buy multiples of when you find one that works. (I do have plenty of "fun" t-shirts and concert t's, but a plain fitted shirt can be used a business casual environment over slacks, under a blazer or paired with a cute skirt for dinner.)

3. Camis/Tanks

Styles, shapes and colors abound in this little item. Under a jacket or sweater, layered over a skirt, or just paired with jeans to get your dance on, it's my philosophy that you can't have too many, and my closet reflects that. ;) They can be plain, ribbed, edged with lace or sheer. A cute little jacket, jeans, and a bright cami or tank peaking out is a no-fail outfit.

4. LBD

Last, but certainly not least is the little black dress. Being a little obsessive, I, ahem, have several that can be used for many occasions, but every woman should have one black dress in her closet that makes here feel like a million bucks. Finding that baby can be a chore, but when you do, special occasions are covered year round. ;)

5. Cardigans/Light jackets

(updated to add these, which Patrice reminded me about) Of course, how could I forget cardis?! I have tons that I wear year round, because I am one of those people who gets cold easily. I have tons of cardis, in various colors, styles and lengths. Thick, thin, argyle, loose knit, dressy, sporty, every day, bright colors, pastels, and of course lot and lots of black. As Ali mentioned in the comments, a cardigan can take a summer dress into a fall outfit. Or it can take a dress that is a little...ahem, racy and make it demure.

What do you have in your closet that doesn't get rotated when the seasons change? Have I forgotten any?

disclaimer: I in no way consider myself to be a fashion expert in any way, shape, or form. Please take this post as it was intended, sharing with the interwebs only. Thanks. ;)

Did a little online shopping tonight and I'm bringing you some of my favorites. Men's wear and vintage feel seem to influence what I'm seeing so far and I must say, I LIKE! I picked up these little lovelies at Payless last week, they look great with the shirt dress from last week's Naked Monday post. Green Mary Janes with a stacked heel. Makes me want to dance to big band music. :) LOVE them! I love clothing inspired by 40's and 50's style. Red lipstick, full skirts and tailored shoes.

American Eagle Latte Mary Janes

If heels scare the bejesus out of you, try these fun flats. I don't think you have to worry about horizontal stripes on your feet, do you?

One more from Payless, the Men's wear inspired ankle boots. I'm in love with the button detail.

Target has some great styles in too....

Xhilaration Sydney Mary Jane Pumps

I love these sweet turquoise pumps, which my neighborhood store was of course out of when I saw them. Well, they had 6's and 9's, but that doesn't do me any good. ;) If turquoise is a bit much for you, they come in a range of colors, including black and brown.

Mossimo Velda Patent Oxford Pumps (in Red!!)

One more, a pair of flats for you no heel wearing girls or guys, hell, what ever makes you happy.

Merona Micaela Moccasins

Cute, huh? Target and Payless are my go-to places for fashionable shoes that I can afford. I have a Carrie appetite on a Payless budget, which is how I've collected so many options in footwear. ;) So, which are your favorites? And what trend are you digging this fall?

Note: You can click on any of the pictures and it will take you to the site I found them on.

Saturday, it suddenly occurred to me that the Fall semester is only 2 weeks away and I don't have any pants that fit. Well, I didn't have any. I went on a little shopping spree at work. I've been gathering a few things here and there when something not to be missed was heavily discounted, but I needed some things that were student teacher appropriate and still me. And then, I took pictures, so I could share it all with you all. Yeah, I know, you're thrilled, aren't ya? But, here's the thing...at Blogher, everyone asks you what your blog is about, and other than saying it was about me, I didn't really have an answer. So. I'm going to try a few things here and there to see what sticks. I have tons of interests, but I have no idea if I want to talk about anything in particular or just flounder about as usual. I hope you will bear with me. ;) I'm going to try fashion first, so we'll talk about clothes today, cool?

First up is not teacher appropriate, but I fell in love with the design on what I thought was a shirt til I put it on. Holy cow! Need some leggings for when it gets cooler, but it will make a fun outfit for karaoke.

Next up is a shirt dress with a cute ruffled bottom, it needs a slip, but I know it will look adorable under a jacket, I have the perfect one....around here somewhere. ;)

Then, my cat decided to get in on the act. She just couldn't understand why I was standing by the door, but not going outside. Can I tell you how much I love this top? Comfortable, flattering, and $6.50! I bought two, but I think I'll probably buy all the other colors, too. Hmm, need some heels here, too.

I don't know what's up with that look on my face, but it probably had something to do with the cat. Damn crazy cat. She's staring at the door again.

Same shirt, in an olive green and a brown coat I quietly spirited off the clearance rack before a customer saw it.

The olive shirt again with skinny black cords and the cutest gray flannel vest. I love corderoy. It's unhealthy. I may have squealed when I opened the box with these babies in it. Please don't tell anyone. (I bought gray ones, too.)

Switched the vest out for a gray jacket
On special for $13.50. I was talking to one of the supervisors, and he was catching me up on all the special buys, in case a customer asks and when he said $13.50 jackets, I said, Where?! And why didn't you tell me sooner?!
So, there you go, not so much Naked this time as clothed, but you're still seeing more of the contents of my closet than you probably want or is healthy for any of us. ;)

The first step in my BlogHer fund is on the left side of the page...a cafepress shop. I put up my first design, tell me what you think. As I finish the designs I'm working on, I'll add them to the shop, I think I need a T-shirt for Naked Mondays, don't you? ;) If you are interested in a shirt with one of my flickr pics that isn't already up, or you're just dying for a black T, let me know. ;) Love you guys! Mwah!

Yes, it's Naked Monday again. (Actually Tuesday, my long weekend put me behind, don't worry, I have lots of pictures.) This Naked Monday is brought to you today by suggestion and inspired by a conversation I had with some female family members about the current fashions in pants. Let's just put it this way, I was the only one not wearing mom jeans. Hee. So, here we go, time to get naked.

Pants do not fit me. At all. They never have and never will. That, my internet friends, is a fact. My legs are too long. My butt is too big. My waist is too short. All these things add up to difficulties making pants fit. (This is not to say that I consider these things to be flaws, well except the short waisted thing, that one annoys me.) Add to this the weight yo-yo and I own pants in 6 different sizes. 3 of which I can wear, though most of them now require a belt. So, belts have become my new best friends and one more piece of clothing that I collect.

The evidence:

Being short-waisted means that there is extra material where should not be extra material. This is highly annoying..(and not cute. ick.)

These are the best fitting jeans I have, I bought two pair

Without belt
These are new bermuda shorts. Notice how they gape in the back


All my pants do this, it's a common problem for women. You would think that they would, I don't know, SOLVE it. How hard could it be?

With belt
This is my solution, at least for now

And this would be my belt collection

So, there you go. It's me...Naked, at least a small part of me. ;)

Now that I've explained my issues with pants (though I'm pretty sure that Raquita and Heather have already heard part of this story), it's your turn. Guys or girls, what article of clothing will just NOT fit? Share and discuss.