Crazy Bag Lady

I don’t have many addictions. In fact in truth I have none. I simply do not have an addictive personality. Sometimes I wish I could have such a passion for something that I can’t get it out of my head. Instead however I often have to remind myself of things I like to do, or want to do more of. I should admit of course, that in my 22 years of living I have developed just one addiction. Shopping. In the last few years, it has mostly centered itself around shoes specifically, but in general it is shopping that consumes my daily thoughts. The rush of getting a good deal is often more invigorating than a smoothie on a hot August day, and while the after effect is sometimes much like a brain freeze, I can’t help but to go back for more. Over the years I have learned how to center my thinking. I buy almost entirely items that are on sales and only if I can picture them with at least 2 pieces in my closet. I have never bought something because “it will work perfectly with that one piece”, which has helped develop my closet into individual pieces that largely all work together. Even still, much like a true addict I go through phases. These phases come in spurts of weeks. I can go months without purchasing any new items of clothing or shoes, and than for the weeks that follow I go shopping crazy. Usually my on weeks come during the changes of season. As the weather changes, I start to find that I don’t have much that will make the change with me. While in fact my entire wardrobe is perfect for all 4 seasons, I think it’s the change that makes me feel as though I am missing something. I have always thought of the season change as the best time to shop, but for seasons yet to come. In May I have been able to find thick sweaters for under $5, perfect for the future winter months. Most of my bathing suits are purchased during the fall. Retail stores know that they have just a few precious weeks left to push inventory, before it will need to be dropped below profit making prices. I wait that extra week, and than I buy. $2 shirts and skirts line my closet and as I pull out my winter clothes each November, most of the pieces are never worn and with tags. It makes me so excited for the upcoming season changes, when I realize that my wardrobe will suddenly be bombarded by new pieces. It makes those few weeks of shopping heaven a scary fact however. While I’ve never over spent, and can always make my rent there are some months that are closer than others. As the season transition is upon me, I am beginning to struggle with those same addictive feelings. Most of my shoes are more appropriate for winter, and so many of my shirts are just too think for sunny days. In truth, most of my pieces with with-stand the temperature changes beautifully, and I always purchase with layering in mind. As my bills have increased so drastically in the recent months, I know that I need to be better prepared for the shopping months ahead. I realize that I will not be able to with stand the addictive feelings and I mind as well stop trying. I am a 22 year old with a problem. Most alcoholics and drug addicts find that attending meetings helps them deal with their cravings. There aren’t many meetings for shopping lovers, and while my addiction is not an actual addiction, and instead a hobby of sorts, I find that many of the tips commonly used for addicts can sometimes help me as well. A great new blog I’ve recently discovered, “Already Pretty”, gave me some great insight on a blog the other day. She was providing some information that a friend of hers, currently in AA was learning. HALT, an acronym has just become my shopping mantra. HALT is used as a way for addicts to be aware of their emotions in connection with their cravings. It will work just the same for me. Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. These are all instances when it is not smart to make any decisions. It’s true too, after a long day my first thought is to casually stop by any store that may be on my way home. It’s something that I’m aware of too, but that never stops me from parking the car and heading in, “just to look”. With this new mantra though, I hope to be more aware. I shouldn’t shop when I’m Hungry, Angry, Lonely of Tired. I need to HALT and be aware of what I’m about to do. I should shop with a purpose. I’m considering getting together a list of items I would like to add to my wardrobe, something many blogger's do that will help me limit my spending. But when I go to look for that one item from my list, I always find something that will go with most anything that I never even knew I needed. As I was looking at the word HALT, I decided that I needed to have another mantra in my arsenal of tricks. The triple C’s. Clearance, Coupon, Can’t live With-out. If I always consider my state of mind before I shop, and only shop for items that fit into one of the above categories, I think I will be able to become a better spender. I will only by certain items, and with every purchase I will feel that rush of a great bargain. This of course means that the Goodwill is free game. But I’ve always shopped at the Goodwill only for items that are on their 50% list. Each week they pick a color, and any item you buy that is that color is 50% off. I know when I walk in that I’m only looking for green items or red items or what may have you and that has helped me to make sure that I’m spending money on clearance items, at the clearance store. It’s genius really J

H-Hungry
A-Angry
L-Lonely
T-Tired

C-Clearance
C-Coupons
C-Can’t Live Without

I hope to change my thinking of spending particularly during this great shopping season. As I stock up on winter items, and fill my closet with affordable summer finds I will be the crazy lady circling the racks chanting, HALT-Triple Cs-HALT-Triple Cs

Spring Shoes

When I first got the invitation for the wedding shower a few weeks ago, I knew right away that it would be a great opportunity for my new spring shoes. They are these coral wedges that I got at Payless. I'm not much of a wedge girl personally. I love the look of them, but often find them difficult to walk in, and feel like they do nothing to lengthen my legs. Truth be told I don't need to shop for shoes that make my legs look longer, but all things actual size aside, all women can't help but look for shoes that provide that illusion. These were on sale and with my coupon however, I felt that they were a perfect purchase on a warmer day in February. They have been patiently sitting in my closet waiting for the weather to get warmer. The shower was 10am on a Saturday, and was advertised as a brunch. A spring time brunch? Sounds like the perfect coral wedge shoe occasion to me. I was glad to see the sun creeping in through the blinds when I woke up. I had already decided that if the weather didn't agree that Spring had Sprung, I would probably be reduced to black pants. With the bright lights seeping through the windows, I happily slipped into my new shoes. I met with some friends and we carpooled together. They both were wearing great dressed and some cute shoes. We had discussed earlier in the week that we would will in the nicer weather with our outfits, and I was happy to see that they stuck to their guns.

Walking into the restaurant however, I immediately felt out of place. Surprisingly, I felt under dressed. All of the bridesmaids looked as though they were attending a lawyer convention following the shower. They all looked great, but with all of the black professional attire, I couldn't help but want to hide my shoes under my chair. It has been years since I have felt that uncomfortable in what I wore. I spent most of high school always feeling out of place, and I think that that is largely what has inspired me so. In the last 5 years, I have not felt out of place in almost any way. In the last 2 years especially I have become much more comfortable with the person I am, and the clothes I like to put myself into. That Saturday morning though, I felt like I was thrown right back into my 15 year old self. It's amazing too, when you loose a bit of confidence in how you're presenting yourself, you loose a bit of who you are. I was timid to join conversation and spent most of the morning sitting at the table talking with friends. Even as we piled back into the car I felt out of place. Wedding showers can be awkward themselves if you aren't familiar with the families, which was a large part of the situation in this case. But to be greeted by 5 ladies who didn't really do much in the way of greeting, and who were dressed professionally, it was hard to enjoy myself. We mingled for 15 minutes, ate breakfast, opened gifts and left. There were no games or mixers, and no opportunity for me to talk to anyone who was sitting at any table that wasn't mine. There wasn't much involvement for the mothers of the bride and groom and the gift opening went fast as the bride already knew what she was getting. The whole experience made me sad really.

The night of the shower we all got together to send Jake off. The army let him come home for 3 days before his flight to Kuwait took off. It was so great to see him and spend some more time with him. This isn't his first deployment and he was much more sentimental this time around. His brother is the groom of the shower I attended, so I got to spend some actual time with the bride talking and hanging out. Both the bride and the groom were dressed in flannel jackets, the perfect attire for our March campfire in the back yard. The bride and groom are a fun couple and she told me that she felt awkward, put on the spot and completely out of place at her own shower. That made me feel a bit better. At least I wasn't the only one. A few days later, Johnny had shared that the night of the fire he had been talking to one of the friends I went to the shower with. When he asked her how it was, she said that she felt totally out of place. She felt uncomfortable being there, she felt under dressed since the bridesmaids were dressed for a work meeting, and even though she knew most of the brides family, she felt small and timid. My jaw dropped for a bit as he said all of this. I hadn't yet had an opportunity to tell him about the shower and was astonished as he described all of my feelings in the words of our good friend. I guess it really was just like high school than, because no-one felt like they had bought the right gift, wore the right thing or came prepared for the brunch. No-one felt comfortable being there. It's sad news for the bride, but I don't think anyone would tell her that that's how they felt anyways.

The shower knocked me off of the dressing game for a few days. Between the uncomfortable feelings, to being over worked at work and school last week I found myself turning to my old favorites, almost always paired with my Suede Clogs. (http://sequinissues.blogspot.com/2009/03/suede-clogs.html)As the weather continues to get nicer, my wardrobe continues to evolve for the new season, and that can almost always leave a girl feeling a little lost. After a week of little effort waking up this morning I felt better as I wandered into my closet. Ready to get back into my current side activity. If time had been on my side this morning I would have gotten together a sassy look. No better way to greet the warmer weather than with a sassy look to match my ever changing attitude. Hopefully as I wander around work and school in my suede clogs, I will find a proper goodbye and I put them away into a temporary retirement for a few weeks.

McKenna Isabel

My niece was born last week. She weighted 7 lbs and is now sleeping soundly in 2 hours stints at home. She is so beautiful and I am hopeful that she will be making her first flight to America in a month or so. If they can't get a passport for little McKenna it may be years before I get to meet her for the first time. Hopefully the month of May will be filled with diapers and crying : )

Stress

My life seems to be on one of those, " why can it never just be one thing at a time" sort of track. I'm relieved to say that for the most part, I have my health, my faith and my friends all in good order. My family however is enduring a bit of a tumultuous time. Without going into much detail, my family seems to be on a path of illness. I'm the oldest of 4 and so far the only one who in the last 3 weeks has not required some hospitalization. Two of us received some diagnosis's' that didn't necessary provide relief and both of those siblings are under 18 and living at home with my parents. That of course means that my poor parents are feeling a little claustrophobic with the stress, health and hospitals. Everyone is alive, and everyone will be alive for many more years to come, but there will be a lot of rehab, possible hospital trips and plenty of chaperoning. I spent all afternoon in the hospital waiting room with my mom while we waited for my youngest sister to get an MRI and having spent all night awake with excitement of the news of my new nieces arrival marking the first child for my other sister, I was more than exhausted when I arrived home after class late last night. Brittany and the baby are doing well, but still in Japan which means it will be days before a picture of the baby will make it's way to me. The Marines have given my sister word that it is likely that she will be sent to the front lines with-in a year, and while I hope that an infant will tug at their heart-strings and make them change their minds, I can't help but feel like I should begin shopping for a crib and highchair. If my sister gets sent over seas, my niece will move to my parents house, and spend half of the week with them, and half with me. That way neither of us get overwhelmed with a baby jumping into our lives full-time. Plus it will make the transition easier for us all. I have no fears for caring for my niece and helping my sister in whatever way she needs, but I am not sure I am ready for an infant and than toddler full time. I am fearful that my sister will miss the opportunity to bond with her baby and I am fearful for my sister who will endure situations that I never hope to witness. These are of course all still speculations, but I can't help but stress over the possibilities.

As my personal life faces more challenges, my school work seems to be following suit. It makes perfect sense to me, but how to break the cycle. Work is actually getting easier, but having worked 60 hour weeks for the last 3 weeks, it doesn't seem odd that everything else in my life seems to be suffering.

I woke up this morning for the 4th day in a row irritated with how little I was able to sleep the night before. My neck is sore, my back is stiff and my stomach is in shambles. I'm stressed. Human nature and fact of life, but I need to find ways to de-stress. I'm toying with a stress relieving yoga DVD to use before bed each night, in hopes that it will calm me down and allow me to sleep easier. My concern of course is that after 9 hours of working, and 4 hours of class when I finally get home I may pass out before I get a chance to chant, hum and make a human tree.

What are some ways you relieve stress? Anybody have some great inexpensive tips? I would love to find a way that I can release emotions at any time, instead of having to schedule appointments for de-stressing. What have you found works?

Monogrammed Gifts

I have a wedding shower to attend this weekend, and it will mark the first of 4 that I have in the next 2 months. Wedding showers are always such a weird event, especially if you aren't a direct relative of the bride. They are all so different, and the food and games always vary based on the bride's family. When a friend got married a year ago I was surprised that after 12 years of knowing her, I didn't know many of the people at the shower. Of course that wasn't much of a surprise when after her arrival she ran up to me and exclaimed, " who are these people?". I've always said that I would never want to celebrate my impending marriage with people who didn't know me, and therefore couldn't really support our union. I understand however that there are often those "farther removed but still important relatives," and those "friends of friends that should get an invite". I'm afraid to admit that I fall into that last category with this weekend's shower. The bride and groom are great friends of my boyfriend's, and in the last few years have become friends of mine as well. Of course, we see them mostly at Superbowl parties, camping trips and the occasional birthday bash. I would consider them good friends, and Johnny is very close with them. So much so in fact that he is an usher in their wedding, which is probably largely how I got the invite to the shower in the first place. Of course I'm excited to go, and the groom happens to be the brother of Johnny's best friend, so I'm familiar with a lot of his family. A number of my girlfriends are going, and really it's always nice to get dressed up and sit in a room full of women trading advice and funny stories. The problem comes however in the gift buying. I just hate to stick with the safe, buy off of the registry. I understand that the registry allows the couple to choose the items that they need and would get use of, but it just feels so impersonal for you to tell me what to get you. Even still, I always stick with the registry for the basics, and than add some personal touches. It was upon thinking of ways to add a touch of personality to the gifts that I realize that I know almost nothing about this couple. I helped to paint when they first moved in, but they are currently flipping a house which means there are no color themes to work with, or even decorations to provide. I know that the bride makes a great chowder, but that doesn't really help me find a good gift for her now does it? Than it hit me, I'm just going to have to make something.

That's were the glasses came into play. I decided to buy some glassware and monogram it myself. I started with the basics, 2 wine glasses, 2 small tumblers and 2 large chalices. For a bachelorette party I threw in the fall, I hand painted all of the shot glasses as favors so I knew that this project wouldn't be hard and I already had the necessary tools. Tools meaning paint pens, because really that's all I used. I found the wine glasses for $2 a piece, the chalices for $1 a piece and the tumblers were a great $0.50 a piece, which made me feel better about the project. If it failed miserably on me, it wouldn't be a total financial loss. From there I grabbed some newsprint and wrote out as many different M's as I could think of. When I had decided on 3 different one's that I liked, I got to painting. The pens work just like markers so it is as simple as your average doodle and in a matter of minutes you have a personalized glass.

I decided to stick with simple for the wine glasses so I used the black and white to create a shadow effect. I surrounded the brim of the tumblers in hearts with the M as the centerpiece. The chalices are flanked in M's with little white dots between each. The entire project took a combined hour at most. I let them dry and than wrapped them up in tissue paper with a little note attached to each set. The wine glasses said " For your Fancy Wines", the Chalices said " For your Fancy Beer" and the tumblers read " For your Fancy Orange Juice". I figure even if the couple never actually use the glasses, the guests tomorrow will all oo and ahh and ask if I made them myself, and the bride will appreciate the effort. I got them the needed towels and washcloths as well and really those are the core of the gift, these just provide that little personal touch.

I always give wedding gifts in a laundry basket, because I firmly believe that you can't have too many laundry baskets. They are usually affordable and everyone could use an extra one laying around the laundry room or bathroom. I wanted to spice up the white basket a bit so I strung ribbon in the holes by weaving the different strands in and out of the holes and ending in a big bow. The wedding colors are black and white so I didn't have much color to work with, so I thought the pink diamond ribbon that was used for my sisters baby shower diaper cake would be a simple touch of color, and I had just enough ribbon left to weave the three rows in the basket.

On a funny side note, I found at a local store this week bins full of initial note pads and cards. With so many weddings coming up I couldn't help but stock up, and at a dollar a piece they were a great find. I put down my basket and quickly started sifting through the stacks. I needed M for this weekend and D and F for the upcoming showers. Of course, D and M are letters that apparently weren't expected to be big sellers because I sifted for half an hour before I was able to find one set of cards for each letter. I decided on getting 2 of the card sets, in 2 different colors for each shower and a magnetic memo pad as well to go with. I thought that they would be a cute touch to the top of a present, and I was only spending $9 and getting a head start so it was a great find. That is of course until I started to take the price tags off the M boxes today and discovered that they were W's. The cards open horizontally so I couldn't even begin to fake the W's as M's. In my dissapointment I quickly started racking my brain, who do I know that has a last name with a W that I can save these for? Maybe a future birthday gift, or does anyone date a W last name? The answer.. only one person. Me. Johnny has a W last name so I gave him a quick call. " Good news hunni, you just have to propose to me because I already bought our Thank You cards. " Luckily he laughed at me and said, " well at least they won't go to waste", but I couldn't help but to smile at my elementary mistake. 30 minutes staring at the cards and I couldn't tell that the M in my hand was upside down. Chalk it up to the dry air in a mall blurring my vision, or to my subconscious need to prepare for events that havent even yet occured in my life :)

Summer of 69 Thrift Store Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Summer of 69 Thrift Store Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Lucky Leprechaun Tights

I couldn't help it. On St. Patrick's day I just had to utilize these borrowed green stripped tights. March 17th was a day to celebrate! Celebrate being Irish, and to celebrate the Corned Beef season coming to an end. I was surprisingly comfortable all day, and was amazed that even when I ran some errands after work, no-one looked at me funny. It was as if people always wear brightly stripped tights.

Positive Reinforcement Skirt

Last week at work was crazy. I was so exhausted I discovered bags under my eyes before bed on Friday. Waking up Saturday I was suprised by how messy my apartment had gotten during the week, but working the 13 hour days means I often came home and climbed right into bed, but not before attempting to study just a bit. As exhaustion was setting in big time Thursday night, I decided that I would need to put together a pick-me-up sort of outfit for Friday. I was hoping that the great combination of neutrals with a pop and my new favorite Kmart booties would keep my demeanor at work calm and relaxed, and would help me to work with my head a little higher in the air. The thinking was great, and I felt so relaxed as I got dressed Friday morning. With-in an hour of sitting at my desk however, the effect was gone. Frustration overcame my already overly busy mind and my outfit was the furthest thing from my mind. When a friend called and suggested that Johnny and I join some of our friends for dinner I was excited to say yes, and to envision a well cooked Italian meal with a cocktail on the side. I spent my afternoon doing deliveries, ( Anything for the team), and while these shoes were completely inappropriate for delivering product, as I strolled through the various grocery stores to drop off the deliveries I couldn't help but to enjoy the stares I was receiving. I'm sure I looked ridiculous. I was pushing carts full of boxes in tights, heels and my white pea coat. I didn't mind though. My outfit was perfect for dinner, it kept me happy for my trip to and from work and even elicited a few stares. Another successful outfit combination.

Show and Tell Time

Work is crazy. I wanted to keep my outfit pretty simple, but smart since the winds have picked up meaning that even if our temperature is rising, the feeling of cold has continued. I'm always afraid that these boots make my calves look a bit wide, but they are just so comfortable I simply don't care. I ended up working for 13 hours yesterday, and I'm thankful this is the outfit I chose to spend my day in. The colors cheered me up and kept me de-stressed a bit. This outfit was my first attempt at a full tri-ad, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I was at first concerned that the combination of Red, Yellow and Blue would make me resemble a kindergarten bulletin board, but I was mistaken. A big part on my belief with fashion is that if you don't put together mistakes, you'll never learn from them, and you'll never know if they weren't even mistakes in the first place. This one will be filled under, 'not a mistake', 'wear it again', 'play with the colors again' and 'don't worry, you won't attract 5 year olds with this outfit.'

Power Skirt

I was excited to wear my new thrifted Red Suede High Heels, and decided that my never worn diamond patterned tights would be a great fit. Continuing to work up I knew that my $5 silky looking Wal-mart skirt would be a natural fit and than a neutral top with a pop of blue would mean that I was sticking with a two-thirds color combination. I put my outfit together with confidence, but had no idea just how useful it would soon become. The company I work for manufactured meat, and with Corn Beef being our major money maker, this time of year is a circus. With-in minutes of walking through the door the phone is ringing, employees are screaming , the computer is freezing and meat continues to fly out the door. It is all pretty exciting and nerve racking and enraging all at the same time. Wednesday as I was trying to get through some paperwork first thing, 2 of our employees came in to tell me that one of the delivery drivers who was doing a drop-off came storming through the plant screaming and yelling and dropping every curse word he would think of because we weren't moving fast enough to get the product off of his truck. I was not about to stand for that nonsense. As I jumped up from my seat to hunt this man down our maintenance man yelled after me, " I can take care of it", " No Shawn, I shouted back. Don't worry about me I've got my power skirt on!". I had meant it as a bit of a joke, but boy was the skirt effective. With a hand shake a thank you for your patience we are on it right now and the guy was happy as a clam. Sometimes it absolutely rocks to be a women. Feminists say that women should be treated as equals, but frankly if wearing a nice skirt will sometimes help get things accomplished, and I don't mean in a sleazy look at me kind of way, but in an authoritative well put together lady in charge kind of way, than I have absolutely no problem wearing skirts.

Jessica Simpson Tortoise Shell Heels

As I wandered through my local Goodwill yesterday I was keeping my eye open for purple tags, the color of the week and meaning all items with those tags are 50% off. As I searched through the shoes section something caught my eye that immediately caught my breathe as well. A pair of Jessica Simpson Tortoise Shell Heels! I just didn't win them on E-bay but had bid 35 dollars. They finally sold at the $75 mark, and here they were for $6! I took them off the shelf and closed my eyes to a squint as I attempted to squeeze my Godzilla sized feet into these tiny barbie-doll size shoes. Not so surprisingly they didn't fit, and were actually about 2 sizes too small. But I stood for a second and considered what friends I had that had much smaller feet than me, if I couldn't have these shoes, someone who will appreciate them must! I could think of no-one, so instead I told the clerk who rang me out about their original full price being hundreds more and how they are still considered her in season shoe. I hope the clerk took my advice and scooped them up. Hopefully she's dancing around her bedroom in these beautiful pieces of patent leather and wishing she had a grand dance to attend. I just hope they land in the hands of someone who will appreciate them as I would have.

My First Blog Award!

I received the sisterhood award from the girls over at, Domestic Sophistica(http://domesticatedsophisticate.blogspot.com/)gave. It's my first blog award and I am very excited about it!! Thank you ladies! I will have to spend some time tonight trying to figure how exactly to post a link without having it post the entire web address, and once I master the art of the blogspot, I will pass the award along.

Thank again!

Two-Thirds Combination

When my favorite learned ladies over at, academichic (http://www.academichic.com/) presented their " Call for Papers", and for everyone to submit their own versions of the color modules I knew that I could do nothing short of submit some photos myself! At least once a week for the last 3 weeks, I have been able to put together an outfit from my wardrobe that is influenced by some of their lessons. This outfit was pretty simple to put together, but I never would have without a bit of lesson. When I decided to go with pink and blue as a perfect Two-Thirds combination, I decided that my long-john looking shirt would be given a bit of a dressier feel with my dress pants and blue cardigan. It was warm for a snowy mix and

became just a touch classier with my added accessories, which along with class also added a bit of blue variety.

Scrabble Necklace

(These are the front and back of two seperate charms)

I found the Just Be, Etsy shop when I was doing a little online searching during Christmas.I was on the hunt for a great gift for my Mom and sisters and one way or another came across this creative ladies! I apologize for not being able to get their link, but I encourage you to find them! They make the cutest necklace charms using scrabble pieces! Each charm was $5 and I bought the two you see above, the pink and the green tree images for my mom, both my sisters and I. We all already have the necklaces so for Christmas I got us all the pendants. They were super affordable and I knew that even though all 4 of us have such different styles, on a necklace these pieces would be great for all of us.

Suede Clogs

I must admit 256 days of the year this is what I want to wear. I don’t, but I always stop a second to consider it. Comfy Jeans, my favorite United State Marine Long Sleeve shirt, my Black New York and Company Fleece Sweater, and the best Walmart purchase I ever made, my fake burkenstock clogs. This outfit gets worn just as you see here about twice in a 3 month period of time. It is perfect for those afternoon trips to our lake house, or for spending my Saturday in a Tramatic Grief course.

Shorty-Short Dress

I wore this out to the bar on Friday with my new booties. I seem to remember the dress being much longer, and with my added blue dress coat over top I didn't look as naked as this picture made me seem. But after taking the picture I began to wonder? Is this dress too short? Is it border-line inappropriate? I hope it was just my long legs causing the image to be deceiving, but my doubts are high. My favorite dress may need to be retired to an over a bathing suit sort of piece. : (

The Perfect Booties

I had been searching out the perfect pair of booties all Winter. While at first I was a bit cautious as to their wear-ability, but seeing Kim at my new favorite blog, Fab Find under $50(http://fabfindsunder50.blogspot.com/) had been wearing her pair from Kmart for weeks now I just couldn't deny how great they looked, and how well they went with so many of her outfits. Kmart is a company that has left me pretty weary in the last few years. All of the local stores have closed and the few that are left are largely lacking in any products worth looking at. Even still, her booties impressed me and I couldn't help but to wander over to their website. I was absolutely amazed at their selection. All of their shoes looked so cute, and with prices so affordable I was excited to start my online shopping.

These booties were a $27 dollar purchase and with-in minutes of putting them on after their arrival I had already envisioned tons of outfits. My biggest problem will be not over wearing them now. After reading a blog Kim had posted a few weeks ago about my favorite shoe role model, Carrie Bradshaw I have been keeping my eyes open for my own pair of knock-off Dior Extreme Sandals. They were a pair of Heels Sarah Jessica Parker wore through-out most of Sex and the City the movie, and after discovering that Kim had found a replica version for such an affordable pricing I couldn't help but want to search out my own pair. Imagine my surprise when there they were looking at me through the Kmart website, in black and with a $27 price tag. I quickly added them to may cart and began envisioning myself becoming a Carrie Bradshaw replica myself.

Kmart's online shoe selection was so impressive that I couldn't help but to scroll through all 600 of their options. As soon as these slouch gray boots came on the screen I swooned, but only a bit. They were so elegant in the gray, but with a bit of an edge that fits right into my style. They didn't have them in my normal 8.5 size and I was so disappointed. I clicked off the website saddened by the lack of sizing. All night however those boots walked through my mind, and I decided that I would take the risk and order them in a size 9, but for $20 I thought the risk was worth taking. I was pretty sure that they would be too big, making them hard to walk in and when I pulled them out of the box I must admit I closed my eyes a bit while I slipped my feet into the pair. They are a perfect fit! In fact after walking around the house a bit in them, I quickly decided that if I had gotten them any smaller they would never have fit.

I imagine myself wearing them with mustard colored tights. However I don't have any idea what clothes I would wear with my mustard tights and gray booties, and I don't own any mustard tights so for now I shall prance around my apartment in my new best friends while I decide what else to pair with them.

Thank you to Kmart for proving me wrong, and Thank you to Kim for unknowingly convincing me to look outside my shopping box!

Patterned Must Have

I saw this sweater last fall when a friend and I were browsing through Weathervane's amazing store closing sales. I loved it right away. The pattern caught my eye and the royal purple drew me right in. I tried it on and started the important 20 questions. The first of course being, will I be able to wear this with more than one of pieces already in my closet? The answer? Absolutely not. Even still I just couldn't part with it. It is warm, it is bright and it describes my personality with no words. I am bright and classic all at the same time. I have managed to get a lot of use out of the sweater, especially considering it will only ever be paired with a black shirt and jeans. Sometimes it's important for a girl to have those one-time-only kind of pieces in their closet. Those pieces that have a very specific purpose. More importantly, when clothes speak to you, you should do nothing but agree.

Clearance Sale!!

I needed to make a quick stop of Rite Aid on my way to school last night. My nail polish was chipping, a huge pet peeve of mine, so I decided that spending a few dollars and picking up some polish remover was worth the stop. What I hadn't expected was to be greeted by a cosmetic aisle full of little yellow tabs. I wasn't in the market for make-up, but you can resist just looking at the yellow sale signs right? Imagine my surprise when I noticed that The N.Y.C. and the Wet and Wild display cases yellow tabs all said 75% off. My daily make-up routine is pretty simple, foundation, bronzer, eyeliner and if I'm feeling feisty mascara. When we go out though, and I have the time I like to switch it up and try new looks and colors. Wet and Wild was the first make-up company I tried back in my pre-teen days, largely because the prices are often very affordable. I have since spent much more on make-up and more core products do cost me a bit more. Even still, on the items that I know I will only spend a few nights a month in I always look for a good sale. And 75% off qualifies as a good deal! I tediously went through each rack doing math in my head and considering how much I needed the products. My bronzer is on it's last leg, and my mascara has started clumping so I was in the market for a new one. I will always pick-up a great lip gloss and those things were only just the start of my finds!

Starting from the Top Left Hand Corner:

1. Sugar Glaze Lip Gloss $0.74

2. Lip Balm $0.49

3. Manhattan Color Kit $1.24

4. Pastel Color Kit $1.24

5. Ivory Face Powder $0.74

6. 2 Step Mascara ( Lengthening and Plumping) $0.99

7. Jumbo Lip Gloss $2.99

8. Mellow Powder Blush $ 1.49

9. Nail Polish $0.49

10. Liquid Concealer $0.74

11. Powder Bronzer $2.99

12. Face Illuminator $0.74

13. Pretty Nail Polish Remover $1.50

I managed to scoop up 13 products for just under $17 with some tax. Usually that is the total cost of 2 items for me! The products that weren't on their clearance for 75% were also on sale for Buy 1 get 1 half, still a pretty impressive deal. I've already fallen in love with the Jumbo Lip Gloss, which brings me back to my days of High School and all of the girls addictions Lip Smacks, " Big Slick". Oh how we loved those large scale lip glosses with fruity flavors! With so many new items sitting in my make-up basket at home, I think I may need to dress it up a bit tonight for Trivia, or maybe for my Grief Counseling course this weekend. Who doesn't want to look their best for their Grief Counseling Saturday and Sunday class??

Green Sweater

This sweater came to me in a box a few Christmases ago. It sits funny on my chest and isn't very flattering which is why it only comes out of my closet about twice a year, Irish Fest, the Occasional St. Patrick's day and one in between. Even still I can't bear to part with it. I love the color and it is so warm. I really wanted to pull out my white peasant skirt today, besides the weather falling below the 40 degree mark, and this sweater seemed like a perfect pairing. With my company in the business of manufacturing Corned Beef, this week and next are guaranteed to be our busiest of the year, and I needed the comfort chic for a circus of a day.

Wine Shoe Rack

It seems 4 x bigger than my old closet, which looks so much bigger itself now that it's housing Christmas decorations instead of my pounds of clothes.

I "created" this shoe rack a few years ago. I was in Target and saw that they had these wine rack on sale. They were like small cubicles but were intended for wine bottles. My shoe-addicted mind high-tailed it back to the shoe department and grabbed the first pair of high heels I could find to see if they would fit. My naked eye seemed to say they would fit perfectly and I've never been so happy as when the shoe slid right in perfectly. I purchased the first two racks for about $20 a piece a year ago, and than last week when walking through Target again I discovered that they had a larger version of my original racks for $30. With two extra rows of shoes, I scooped the heavy box right into my cart and sprinted to the door before anyone could stop me.

I left all of my flats in my old bedroom, the now study. They just fit so much better in the hanging rack on the back of the door. In total I have about 20 pairs of heels in the wine rack, and about 15 pairs of flats in the hanging rack. I haven't even mentioned my sneakers which are hiding on a rack of their own under my hanging clothes, or the boots that line the wall and some extra space under the clothes. Oh sweet addiction...

I took these photos while most of my clothes were in the wash so I must be honest and say that my closet looks much more crammed with fabrics now. And don't let those empty whole in my shoe rack scare you. I used my tax money for school payments, but couldn't help but to purchase a few pairs of new shoes I hope will be in later this week. I'm afraid with a larger closet I'll be better able to justify more purchasing with so much new space to fill. Though I love the feel of my closet now. I love standing in front of all of my clothes in the morning and than turning around to decide on footwear. Oh lovely closet, you make me so happy....

Snow Shoes

My weekend was as crazy as I had expected. The move went surprisingly smooth, but saying goodbye was heartbreaking. Cassie and I will be friends forever and I know that, but I can't help but feel as though loosing my roommate signals the end of a chapter in my life, and I'm scared to face the new chapter without my roommate and best friend. After a tearful afternoon I got started on unpacking my stuff, rearranging furniture and setting up all of my rooms, again for the second time in a year. The most exciting part of the weekend was being able to take some time out of life and re-settle in, giving the feeling of a fresh start. In a lot of ways this past weekend did signal a fresh start for me. A new lease, same furniture but different arrangement,

and a different routine which will be dictated by me, and not my surroundings. Of course, having spent all weekend in the same pair of jeans and a t-shirt and my hair in a ponytail, I was excited to dive into my new closet come Monday morning mentally, but physically it took everything I had just to pull myself out of bed. By Sunday night I was feeling pretty settled in again, but as I stood in my now walk-in closet Monday morning I realized that my belongings may be settled, but my head is anything but. I have lost my full-proof morning routine and I was not ready for it. I couldn't wrap my head around getting dressed and completely forgot to make my lunch. It seems I was mentally not ready for Monday morning, and it snuck up quicker than I had expected. It is safe to say that I also missed television for most of the weekend, which included the weather report for the day. Which explains my shock after opening my front door to find a light dusting of snow. Living in the Northeast, dusting's are common and it didn't seem to still be snowing, and after having spent 20 minutes trying to think about it brown and yellow really did belong together, I decided to just get on the road without grabbing boots. I wanted to start and end my day as soon as possible. If I had listened to the weather report on the news, I would have been aware of the Northeaster headed into town, and I probably wouldn't have put on my lite weight trouser socks and thin flats, and I probably would have grabbed gloves. As the snow started to fall hard as I sat at my desk I crossed my fingers hoping for a school cancellation, still not realizing just what the precipitation would mean for my feet. As I left work to head towards a very much open school, I was greeted by about 3 inches of freshly poured powder. Beautiful until my feet sunk in with the first few steps. Snow made it's way up my pant leg as I made my way around the car to brush it off, and snow settled quickly onto my warm stocking feet as I sat in my car waiting for it to defrost. Class was long and made only longer by my soaked feet. Rest assured I was much better prepared for waking up on Tuesday morning. I checked the weather before I dressed and had my lunch made and hot water ready for tea before I left the apartment.

Tonight will consist of studying and laundry for me and a little more preparation of the house. I hope to have everything out and hung and arranged by next week so I can take some pictures and show the place off.

Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sunday Laundry Shirt Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

How about a young hip girl in her upstate New York apartment who spends her nights at Laundromats??