movin' on out

I'm mobile blogging today (thank you iPhone!) since my camera is still all packed up somewhere! I don't remember moving in being this awful, but we also weren't under a time crunch. All I can say is next time I move I'll be way more organized and hopefully moving someplace more permanent (I want a condo!). But for now you'll have to make due with some iPhone pictures:




Just hanging out on the couch Mom was getting rid of. With my favorite blue scarf! And I look possessed because the flash on my phone really isn't so great.



My FAVORITE lunch: caprese salad,




Mexican dinner at the Border on a sunny fall evening = perfection.




Boyfriend had some chicken thing with LOTS of cheese (and yummy cornbread!).




I had fajitas, delicious!




Peek-a-boo puppy!




Poutine from All Star Sandwich Bar. I die. Sooo good!!





And probably the best turkey club I've ever had, also from All
Star. It's pretty much the best sandwich place evah.





Before...




After! I kind of love my new Ikea desk that I assembled all by myself!

I promise I'll be back to my regular posting this weekend! I have a small backlog of posts! Now back to packing, unpacking, and cleaning - ugh!

misty morning

via

Hi kids! I'm still not quite back to my regularly scheduled posting since my computer isn't quite set up at home yet. I'm still in the process of moving, but hopefully I will have time to get a post up tomorrow!

In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the new fonts and buttons that have been put in place by the awesome Tieka! If you guys need any blog renovating done, hit her up. I'm also working on a new header (a task I am attempting on my own) so stay tuned for that hopefully this weekend.

Hope everyone is enjoying their fall! My drive to work this morning was almost identical to the one above, it was sooo gorgeous, I didn't want to get out of the car! Talk again soon!

inundation of videos

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I Trailer (squee!)

It's no secret I love me some Harry Potter. Did I mention I will be visiting Harry Potter World in Orlando the day this movie premieres? Because I will be. Beyond excited. It's going to be MAYJOR (or that's what Rachel Zoe would think if she was into Harry Potter. Who knows, maybe she is.)

Weezer feat. Jorge Garcia - "Perfect Situation"

This made my afternoon. Weezer's new album is called "Hurley" and has a picture of him on the cover. I've heard a couple songs of the album though, and I do not care for them, but this is a really good old school Weezer song, plus it's Hurley. Come on! Awesome stuff.Just found out they're doing a tour of just songs from Pinkerton and the Blue Album. Um, sign me up please. I'll be there.

Trailer for "Gnomeo & Juliet"

I imagine how the creator of this movie must have felt the night before he was supposed to pitch this idea:  "Oh God, I haven't come up with anything! The boss is going to be so pissed!" *sees Travelocity commercial* "Lawn gnomes! Lawn gnomes are adorable! They're underrepresented in entertainment! What can I do with lawn gnomes...gnomes...'Hangin' with my Gnomies?...No...Gnomeo...hmmm, Gnomeo...I've got it, Gnomeo & Juliet!" I mean, he must have walked into that meeting expecting to be fired, right?

I told you there would be an inundation with videos. Sadly, this is probably all you will hear of me this weekend. I will be moving, which we all know is time consuming and exhausting. I will try to be back to normal posts come Monday, but it depends on how things go. Meanwhile, expect some minor changes to this blog's appearance over the weekend. Stay tuned!

stylish sole

This is what I wore on Monday. I really like the tank and I forgot I had it. I'm trying to incorporate as many summer-ish items into my fall wardrobe as possible. No Shop September has really helped me to see how much potential my closet truly has. It's been really fun mixing and matching things.

At first I wasn't sure if I liked this sweater with the tank, since it doesn't really match, but once I had it all on together I really liked it. Sometimes you just have to take some chances and see what happens. I love when an outfit just comes together like that!

The flash on my brother's camera (he was kind enough to play photographer again!) is kind of diesel and was really washing me out. I think the exposure was set a bit high, but he denied, denied, denied. Ah well. I did my best to make them look darker, but it didn't really help. I think I might have made them worse. :/

cardigan - target/tank - nordstrom/belt - old navy/jeans - american eagle/wedges - nine west via piperlime

This is actually the outfit I'm using in the Nine West/Chictopia Stylish Sole contest, so please head over there and comment/friend me/give me some chic votes (or all of the above)! :)

please tell me you're just feeling tired

So this isn't exactly the outfit post I had planned for today. I had the outfit you are about to see on reserve in case I ever needed a back up, because I don't particularly like the way the pictures turned out. Turns out I needed the backup sooner than I thought! Tomorrow should have better pictures.

I do really like this outfit. I love that skirt and I am obsessed with that green cardigan. I'm really into army green right now, probably because it is everywhere and pretty much goes with everything. Expect to see a lot of the sweater. My necklace broke that afternoon and I forgot to fix it before I took pictures, oops! The long chain should have a leaf charm hanging off it. Imagine it's there!

There, with my amazing photo editing skillz I added the leaf for you crazy kids. I wore my oxfords again with this outfit. I like them a lot with skirts. I can't wait to pair them with lots of tights once the weather gets cooler too. Right now I am clutching on to summer with all my might. Or at least I'm trying to use a lot of my summer things to transition into fall.

sweater - H&M / skirt - forever 21 / belt - from mom / 'leaf' necklace - aldo / oxfords - aldo

I'm sorry these are so crooked. I've still be propping my camera up on a table and a garden hose nozzle. Very technical. Tripod is definitely on my list of things to buy once I have some money.

Well I'm off for now. There's a grilled cheese and October Instyle with my name on them! Better outfit post should be all set for tomorrow, and perhaps a short story for Thursday?

please excuse this interruption to your regularly scheduled program

Okay, this isn't today's real post, that will be up later. I hate doing multiple posts in one day, but this is like a mini-post. I just had to tell you guys that Marc Jacobs has gone e-commerce. Yes friends, you can now buy all the lovely handbags and adorable clothing you can't even imagine affording online.

In any case, the site is adorbs (keep your eye out for the cross-dresser) and you CAN buy all the specialty items, like the Latin phrase rings and wrist bands I so adore. And maybe I will finally buy Boyfriend that "Hooligan" t-shirt (it's only fair to warn people, right?). Someone hide my wallet.

I was going to take a screen shot, but my work computer is pre-historic and it literally told me it didn't have enough energy to save the image. So you'll have to click the link and check it out yourselves.

random inspiration + fall wishlish

So I've made it past the two week mark for No Shop September and we're cruising through to week three. I can't believe how fast this month is flying by. It's been so jam packed I honestly haven't had time to shop. Well I mean, I have had time to browse online and daydream about everything I plan on buying come October. The good thing about this shopping hiatus is that I have really taken the time to think about every item I see that I like and would otherwise have just impulsively bought. I'm sure we've all heard the old "make sure you can think of at least three outfits it goes with before you buy it" rule of shopping thumb, but how often have we really followed it? I've been more conscious of that rule when I've seen something I like these past few weeks, and I can safely say the following items will go with much more than three items in my closet, so they're on the top of my list for October:

1. Calvin Klein Carly Heel - $98: I have been forever searching for a pair of perfect black pumps. I think these might fit the bill. I tried on this season's version (the Scarlet) and they fit like a dream and were sooo comfy. So I'll either save a few dollars and get these, or splurge for this season's version. I figure you gotta have a comfy black pump, right?

2. Archie Grand Notebook via J.Crew - $10: An adorable notebook perfect for writing down blog ideas or notes on short stories! For ten bucks this is a must.

3. Vince Camuto Canasta Heel - $129: I LOVE these shoes! They're pricey, but I think if I save my money they'll be worth it. They'd go with so much all through fall and winter, and even next spring. Plus they have a nice, sturdy looking heel which I love. 

4. Old Navy Tweed Skirt - $26.50: The price is right on this on-trend skirt. Easily dressed up or down, this will go with pretty much everything in my wardrobe. I can't wait to wear it with colored tights, ankle boots, and a cozy sweater.

5. American Eagle Boyfriend Tank - $15.50: American Eagle makes my favorite basic tanks. They're fitted with just the right amount of stretch. Plus they're nice and long and never change shape in the wash. I'm thinking I need a navy one and the plum colored one, perfect for layering up for fall.

6. Gap City Flats - $39.50: I have a Groupon for the Gap (spend $50 get 50% off!) so I'm thinking I'll either get these comfy looking ballet flats...

7. Gap Perfect Boot Jeans - $69.50: ...or these jeans. All my jeans are starting to be just a touch too big! A few more pounds and it will be time to start replacing. Gap's jeans have been my favorite for awhile now, so they're my go-to when I need my butt to look good! ;]

There's also so much awesome inspiration for fall floating around on the internet right now. Perhaps the most exciting feature I've come across is Forever 21 and their blogger feature! They picked five awesome bloggers and had them each pick some of their favorite Forever 21 looks. They made some amazing choices, and they're all affordable! I'm partial to the looks chosen by Louise and Kelly Which one do you like the best?

I'm also loving Piperlime's recent campaigns. I like that they are encouraging people to stop thinking "comfortable" is only synonymous with "sweatpants" and "sneakers." A great pair of jeans and flats is just as comfortable but you'll look so much more put together and feel so much more put together. Plus, getting dressed is fun!

What's on your fall wishlist? Are you stocking up on basics or going for the big trends?

can i have four beers?

Ah Sunday! My favorite day of the week. I truly believe Sunday should be spent doing whatever you want to do, and today I want to lay on the couch, read magazines, and play video games. Oh and buy new shampoo. So that's what I'll be doing today. I also plan on making boyfriend help clean the apartment and start packing things up, but he's asleep and doesn't know that yet. Expect a toddler sized tantrum when I tell him.

Here's a video for you on this lovely Sunday morning, since I haven't posted one of these in awhile:

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

you're the apple of my eye

Okay, before I get going on this post I am sending out a call for help. I am trying (and failing) at making a link bar for this blog (see my failed attempt above this post). If someone could point me in the direction of a tutorial or even walk me through the process that would be super rad. I'm just at a loss with these things.

Moving on!

This past Sunday I went apple picking with my family. I haven't been apple picking in years, so I was kind of interested to go since it is such a quintessential fall activity. I was exhausted from hiking the day before, but I figured how bad could apple picking be? Well, I'm sure NORMALLY it's not too bad, but of course my family has to pick the one apple orchard on a mountainside. My legs are killing me and now you want me to haul myself up a steep hill to pick bug infested apples? I don't even know how to make pie!

Of course, because the whole fam was there, there was a lot of squawking, and shouting, and confusion. A bee landed on my mom and my aunt made me take a picture because she thought it was hilarious while mother screamed and whimpered like a toddler. Just a typical scene.

The farm the orchard was on had a store where you could buy all kinds of goodies, including the delightful apple cider doughnut. They also had a large selection of goods from Stonewall Kitchen, which always look so yummy, so I bought a box of cornbread mix. I love me some cornbread, so hopefully this is good stuff. The line for the doughnuts was outrageous, so we sent Grammy to wait in line while we goofed off in the corn field and did our own shopping. I am being a scarecrow in the second picture.

Everyone was pretty bummed that there were no blueberries left. I thought blueberry season was earlier in the summer, but they claimed they picked blueberries when they picked their apples last year, so what do I know? Maybe  it just wasn't a good year for blueberries. Boyfriend was bummed though, you know how he loves his "berrys."

I had mom snap a few outfit pictures, since this is pretty much a me outfit. This is what I spend most weekends in. Jeans, comfy and cute shoes, and a tee and cardigan. I love me a clever and cute graphic tee, and this one fits the bill. It's the cover art from one of my favorite books - The Catcher in the Rye.

coat (from first pic) - old navy/cardigan - nordstrom/tee - out of print via modcloth/jeans - ae/kicks - keds/headband - target/watch - fossil

Gotta have my usual shoe picture. You guys are going to see every pair of shoes in my closet before long. I like the contrast of the bright red shoe against the dried out dirt in this one.

What fall activities are your favorites?

i want my money! (and some diet news)

I feel like a lot of my blog posts lately have had the word "money" in them or money-related words. Can you tell what's been on my mind? I just finally mostly won an epic battle with my bank. I won't get into the details here, but suffice it to say I am VERY unhappy with their service and I will be switching banks this week.

These pictures are from Friday, when the Epic Bank Battle of 2010 started. I went to my mom's looking for someone to hear my sob story and my brother was the only one home. Happily he agreed to take pictures of me for once. Maybe he felt bad for me?

[jacket - forever21/shirt - LOFT/jeans - forever21/oxfords - aldo]

The outfit isn't anything too exciting, but it was my first time wearing my new oxfords so I wanted to document it. I bought them months ago on sale, but I've been waiting for fall to wear them. I feel like they're a little pointier than I normally go for, but I really like the look of oxfords so I'm going to incoporate them into my wardrobe more. My mom calls them my "orthopedic granny shoes." She has a point, but I still like them. I call them "my fancy Keds." I love my Keds and these are basically the same thing.

In other news, I can safely say I have lost ten pounds. I verfied with my Wii Fit (which is how I weigh myself) and I went back to the fattest I ever was and now I am ten pounds less than that and I have been hanging out at this weight for long enough now that I feel confident saying those ten pounds are GONE.

It's taken me awhile, at least what feel like awhile. I started dieting/changing my lifestyle in May and its' September. I think I just always want weight loss to happen super-fast which is why I get so easily discouraged. It's HARD. You feel like you've done so good only to weigh in and find you're the same as last week or you've even gained. I seem to be at a super frustrating plateau right now and I can't seem to push the weight loss past it. Slow and steady I suppose. Anyone have any tips for getting past a weight-loss sticky spot?

I mean, I've lost ten pounds and I feel like I look basically the same. My clothes still mostly fit. Ten pounds just sounds like so much, but then it's really not. I still have about 15-18 more pounds to go before I feel like I will be totally satisfied. Alright, enough about my weight, I hate when people go on about things like this and here I am!

I'm off to curl up with a book before watching last night's True Blood finale with my bestie!

a hiking we will go

This past Saturday Boyfriend and I decided to head up to southwestern New Hampshire and climb Mount Monadnock. You know when you think of an idea in your head and it sounds so good then you actually do it and wonder, "What was I thinking?!" Yeah, hiking was just like that.

The weather was perfect - 74 degrees, sunny and pleasant with just a hint of fall in the air. We packed up some water bottles, put our hiking outfits on (mine was totally not cute, but I was hiking so it's okay. I mean I tried to glam it up but Boyfriend told me rhinestone covered sunglasses are not hiking appropriate), and drove two hours north.

in the car heading to the mountain. boyfriend said my ray bans were appropriate to hike in.

The ride up was lovely, and once we were close enough I managed to snap a picture of the peak.

getting ready to start our hike! you know, i didn't actually read that sign until just now. probably just as well, i never would have gone up if i had read it first!

 Once we got to the mountain we were all gung ho and ready to go. About two minutes in I was already cursing my short legs and whining at Boyfriend to slow down. Once we got moving a bit I hit my stride and it got a little easier. Then I saw this:

I said "We're going up that?" and Boyfriend said "Oh that's nothing, you just wait." I didn't get any pictures of how much worse it got, because I was too busy whimpering and telling Boyfriend to "Slow down!" and "Stop that! You'll fall to your death and you have my phone in the backpack!" There were people who clearly just do this for kicks, because they were legit running up the mountain. I think one guy actually lapped us. Someone else had one kid strapped to a backpack on his back and was carrying a BABY. What if he fell? There goes your kids. Not very smart I say.

The views were beautiful, but it was definitely a lot more challenging than I anticipated. I was thanking my lucky stars I've been doing yoga for the past few month or so, because I don't think they would have made it otherwise. There were some moments when the rock was just flat in front of us, I had to use my hands and legs to get up a lot of it. I didn't even go all the way to the peak; I got high enough to see it and said "Good enough. I need a rest." Boyfriend went to the top though, that's him posing in the bottom right picture! I was in a complete panic about going back down the mountain, I was freaking out as we started our decent and said "What if we fall!? We might end up like that guy who had to cut his own arm off!" A fellow hiker heard me and laughed and said "I think he had to chew it off too." Great. I was whimpering again. But going down was not nearly as bad as going up. By the time I got to the bottom my legs felt like jelly though.

having a little rest on our way down.

When we finally made it to the bottom I would have danced with happiness but my legs definitely would have given out. We still had the two hour drive home ahead of us. It was nice driving through all the cute little towns on our way home, I wish it was closer to the peak season of fall, it would have been so beautiful. We just managed to get some take-out from the Cheesecake Factory and eat it before completely passing out once we were home. My legs don't feel too bad today but Boyfriend has been laughing at me because I'm walking funny. I feel pretty proud of myself for climbing a mountain though! But I'm in no hurry to do it again too soon.

grab that cash with both hands and make a stash

So I am entering into my second week of No Shop September, and I have to say, Week One wasn't as terrible as I thought. Did I want to buy things? You bet. Did I have money? Not a cent. However, I get paid tomorrow. Which means cash in my account. Which means temptation.

I have managed to appease my urge to buy clothing using a few tactics:

1. I am allowing myself to buy Super Mario Galaxy 2 tomorrow, which will then take up a good chunk of my time and keep me from shopping.

2. I have also decided to allow myself to purchase two small posters for my cubicle (it needs a face lift! I spend the majority of my time in here, it should be cute!)

3. I stumbled across Budgets are $exy this morning, and reading financial advice always makes me want to save and be thrifty. I discovered that if I save $800 a month for the next fifteen years and never touch a penny of it I will be a millionaire by age 39. That's insane. Imagine if I saved more than that, and opened a Roth IRA. Even if I did use some of my savings (say, for a house or something) I'd still be able to become a millionaire before retirement age. This is now a new goal: BECOME MILLIONAIRE BY AGE 55. I just arbitrarily chose 55 but that sounds good to me, so we'll go with it.

4. Not gonna lie, I have devised a well-edited list of purchases I plan on making in October. Stay tuned for a visual list.

I can't lie on here (at least not too badly...) so I will confess that I did spend money this month. A decent amount. But it wasn't on clothes, so technically it's in the rules. There was a Groupon for skydiving and I've always wanted to go, so I took the plunge. The deal was for almost 50% off, so it was totally worth it. I think Best Friend Jamie and I are going to hold off until the spring to go, but I couldn't be more excited!

Dramatic representation of what I will look like plummeting from the sky.

here in your bedroom

At the end of this month Boyfriend and I will be leaving our too small, waste of money apartment behind and moving back home with our families. Some may see this as an epic fail. I see it as an amazing win. I already have my checking account set up to auto-deposit like half my paycheck into my savings every time I get paid. I will be able to double my savings in six months. WIN.

Anyway, this means fitting an abundance of things back into my teeny tiny house. Once I left last fall, Mom and Brother immediately spread their stuff into all the space I used to occupy. Needless to say, they are less than thrilled to be relinquishing this space. I am less than thrilled to be relinquishing my walk-in closet. I am also coming back with a queen sized bed that will take up 90% of my bedroom. Since I only have a month left to figure this out, I've been racking my brain trying to come up with space-utilizing items so I won't have to live in a cluttered pit. I turn to you, Ikea.

First, I need a bed frame for my glorious Bob-o-Pedic (for those of you not from New England, this is a knock-off Tempurpedic bed that is purchased at Bob's Discount Furniture. CLASSY.) I'm kind of leaning towards this one:

ASPELUND Bed

Or maybe this one:

MALM Bed

 Of course, there's always just a headboard:

BRIMNES Headboard with Storage

 Next I'll need some kind of extremely small desk situation. I have my beloved iMac to think of, and I got rid of my desk when we moved and I have been using Boyfriend's. I'll never be able to fit a normal sized desk in my room once the huge bed is in. I think this is all I will be able to shove in a corner:

SMADAL Desk

Once the furniture situation is all squared away, I'm thinking I'll need some kind of organization supplies. I have a few under bed boxes that will be put to good use, but I'm thinking I'll need some bins or boxes to keep things in so little things aren't left lying around.

Since my shoes won't all fit in my closet, I think I'll try to squeeze in a shoe rack to display my best pairs.

Chrome Shoe Rack from Target

I've been meaning to get drawer organizers for socks and whatnot for a long time, so now I think I will. I'm still at a loss about where I will keep all my purses. I have a lot and they are happily being housed on the shelf in my closet at the apartment. The only shelf in my closet at home is wayyyy up high and dark and bugs may live there. Unacceptable, clearly, for my beloved bags.

How do you guys keep your spaces organized? Any tips or tricks? Where do you keep YOUR purse collection?

September 5, 2010

Okay guys, this is my first official outfit post, so be kind! I've decided I prefer taking pictures by myself rather than having someone do it for me. So these were taken using a make-shift tripod (Read: I propped the camera up on a table using the broom from a dustpan and broom set).

Sunday felt blissfully like fall. I am so ready for the season to change at this point. We had a great summer with awesome weather so I don't feel too bad about letting it go. It was still pretty warm, so the long sleeves rolled up were perfect for Sunday. I love this time of year because I can pair long sleeves with shorts, which is my favorite.

These shorts wrinkle up like crazy the second you sit down in them, it's obnoxious. I think I moved the beach chair for a few of the shots, but I kind of liked having it off to the side. Like an ode to the end of summer.

Denim shirt: American Eagle - Purple tank: Old Navy - Khaki shorts: Old Navy - Sunglasses: Ray Ban - Shoes: Minnetonka

Swatting away the spider web that I walked into. Nothing like wondering if there's a spider in your hair.

My beloved Minnetonka's. When I first bought them I worried they were kind of weird and people would look at me funny for wearing moccasins. I ended up loving them and wearing them with everything. They are the most comfortable shoes I own. I'm going to buy the short bootie version this fall, I think.

I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend! Mine was filled with nature walks, food, and getting some long overdue sewing done. Very relaxing. I have lots of posts I've been too busy to get up, so expect a few more this week!