Butterfly Kisses and Whooawhooa!

I was so busy at work today, and I have a lot of errands to run this afternoon (I'm off at noon on Fridays during the summer).  I feel a little stressed, so I'm really glad I'm dressed cute. 

Aren't clothes are great attitude adjuster?

Some more pulled-from-the-back-of-the-drawer jewerly for you today in the form of these stretchy bracelets.  Did you have a set of these?

So if you want to...you've got the Green light (Beyonce)

Just encountered a man who totally made my day.  I was coming back into the building from lunch after running to Walgreens (I'm about to attempt to eat a Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers...I'll let you know) and a man about my age walked out of the building just as I was turning the corner.  He promptly jogged back up the stairs to the building to hold the door open for me.  Thank you, West Texas Men, for proving to me that Houston Big City men are no indication of where my great state is heading :)  I'm sorry to be a hater, but during my short stint in that city (but not during my time in Austin or San Antonio, to be fair), I began to wonder if chivalry was dying.  Alas, its alive and well here in Small Town Texas!

Part of the perks to working in the oil and gas business is that no one really expects you to dress up too much.  So, if I want to wear a pair of capris and some heels, I look pretty high-fashion in the office :)  And that's exactly what I decided to do on the 102 degree Thursday! 

AND, I found this necklace in my tennis bag (apparently I haven't unzipped that pocket in about five years...which is probably how long its been since button-y mermaid jewelry was IN, but I'm single handedly bringing that trend back to the blogosphere).  Come on, break out some old trendy jewelry and wear some with me!

LBD w/ a Zebra Twist

When I walk into my gym, there is a sign just inside the front door that says “Because getting here is half the battle.” I believe that figure should be amended to something a bit more generous…say, three-quarters of the battle. Last night, for example, I was tired and just wanted to stay home and watch Family Guy with the Husband, but forced myself to put on some cute workout gear (as in all parts of my life, a cute outfit can motivate me to do almost anything) and get up and go. I told myself that I could just go and walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes if I still felt tired once I got there. And surprise, once I was there, I was able to do a hardcore workout and felt all the better because of it.

This morning, however, I’m feeling awfully sore from my bout of insanity that took place on the gym floor. A stretchy black dress is the perfect solution for a tired body, and I like the zebra and pink with it. The black flats are the try-something-new part of the outfit, as I would normally wear heels with this dress. The pairing of flats with it have 100% to do with dressing down a LBD for work, and nothing at all to do with the fact that my feet are incredibly sore from my new, uncomfortable un-broken in brown heels from yesterday.

P.S. This pink flower is actually one of a pair of shoe clips purchased at Target this weekend (thanks Ginny). I read about shoe clips about a year ago, and idolly looked for some, but I guess I put it on the back burner. When I saw them at Target, I knew they were going to be a new favorite. Unfortunately, I have yet to wear them as intended because one of them is broken! It’s an easy fix with some super glue…but wear did I...I mean the husband, yea!...put it last? But the working one looks great as an accessory, don’t you think?

P.S. Happy Blog Birthday to me Yesterday! :)

Ruffles and Bows and other fun stuff

Today I'm trying something CRAZY.  It has been engrained in my head for years by hair stylist and fashion magazines NOT TO WASH YOUR HAIR EVERYDAY.  I know that this is the general rule, and that for most people, they have amazing textured locks that allow them to create styles that clean follicles couldn't fathem.  That is not true for me, however.  Whenever I don't wash my hair every single day, I go insane.  It is greasy and oily and dirty and staticy and limp.  Even people who say "but it will fix amazingly" revise their statement once they see me on the ONE ocassion per year that I attempt to not wash it.

But today, my friends, I am trying something along those lines.  I took a shower after the gym last night because I took a rain bath while wading through the tsumani that was West Texas to get to my car.  You know, the car I parked in the end row of the lot because I told myself as I was pulling in that I was going to the gym for crying out loud, and it wouldn't hurt me to walk a few extra yards, and the sky hardly looks overcast at all and besides the weatherman said there was only a 20% chance of rain all day and that it is going to clear up by late afternoon anyway...

The point is, I took a shower last night and washed my hair at 9:00 p.m., so I didn't wash it this morning.  And so far I'm not going crazy, but I'm not loving it either.  We shall see.

This shirt was on sale at Walmart this weekend for THREE DOLLARS!  So what if its a junior size and the bib might be slightly crooked?  Can you tell?  Huh?

Finally founds some beautiful brown pumps...and naturally they were at Target.  Thanks, Ginny, for picking this up for me! :)

So, have you tried Kashi Go Lean Crunch?  YUM.  Recommended, NOW.  A healthy breakfast at work helped me avoid the 600 calorie muffins that were brought in as I was pouring the milk in my bowl.

Cutest jewerly ever! :)

Blue & Green + Five

I had a wonderful weekend with my family in town!  We did some shopping, and I have a few new dudes to show off this week (mostly courtesy of my grandmother!)

Today's outfit is supposed to be functional but fun - I wanted to wear my new cobalt flats today!

Also, thanks so much to Andie for my Stylin Blogger Award!  I'm supposed to list 5 random facts about me as a result of the award.

1.  I’m amazed that I haven’t developed a bruise across my face yet. As I mentioned on Friday, I nearly knocked myself out with a doorknob Thursday night. I bruise INCREDIBLY easily. I used to take iron supplements but have discovered that a regular multivitamin helps for the most part, but all throughout my childhood and teenage years, I constantly walked around with black and blue (and green and yellow) marks up and down my legs and arms due to all the sports I played. Yay to no bruised cheekbone!

2.  Most people consider me a very social person, but I still think of myself as shy. In high school I decided that I was tired of being shy, so I taught myself to be more outgoing. In new social settings where I don’t know many people, I find myself wanting to regress back to that wallflower, so I make a point to go up and introduce myself to people. THAT’S why I look especially gregarious!

3.  I have four dogs: a Chihuahua named Duke, a rat terrier named Ellie Rae, a Lab named Remi and a German Shepard mix named Max. Duke and Ellie live inside, and Max and Remi live outside.

4.  I am by nature one of the most unhealthy eaters you will ever meet.  I grew up on amazing family recipes that rival Paula Deen's on both taste and butter content.  I gorge myself on cheese and fatty products, and then wonder why I have suffered from stomach issues for years. Over a developing process, I have taught myself to eat healthier and less fattening foods. I can credit a large portion of this learning process to Weight Watchers, whose formula helped me become more aware of just how much those numbers behind calories and fat and fiber affect my life. I’m very lucky in that I haven’t really had any major weight issues, but I am learning that what goes into my body is an important part of what this body produces mentally and physically.

5.  I am a huge Texas Tech football fan, and am gearing up for the season opener over Labor Day weekend! I can’t wait to break out my Tech gear, hit up our tailgating party, listen to that Goin’ Band, and check out Tuberville in action. 27 days and counting!!!

"OWL" be comfortable today!

Woke up this morning with a terrible headache...which was no surprise since I went to sleep with one.  I've had a recurring headache for the past week now, and it had just gone away for the entire day yesterday.  I think I mentioned my family was going to visit this weekend, so last night I was cleaning the house in a frenzy, and went from room to room emptying little trashcans into my big kitchen trashcan.  Finally, I got to the garage entrance and attempted to tug the bag out of the can...and nearly knocked myself out on the doorknob!  Seriously, I may be the clumsiest person you know.  Anyway, this caused a major headache last night, and the bruise on my cheek is lovely too.  Actually, its not a bruise yet, just a little red streak...and it makes me look quite modely (on one side of my face) because it accentuates my cheekbones.  Hmm, shall I bottle my clumsiness?

THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A PICTURE OF MY OWL, NOT MY BOOBS!

HOW PRETTY IS THE BACK OF THIS CARDIGAN?

DETAILED EYELET

Blousy!

Feeling blousy and businessy today!  I had a goal in mind for my day, and I made it!  Gearing up for some house cleaning tonight (because my family is coming to visit this weekend) and just a half-day tomorrow here at work!

Double Duty Shirt

There's something about hot pink and black that makes me happy and I suspect its because the colors contrast so well with no extra effort on my part.  Pairing a black and white jacket with a pink silk "going out" top makes it work appropriate, and the flats make it efficient and comfortable.

Couldn't resist throwing in some torquoise earrings!

What's Black and Blue and Khaki all over?

Needed to be comfortable but professional today, and this outfit fit the bill.  I nearly retired this black top a few months ago because the straps were too thin to wear alone, but found it a couple of days ago and realized it would be perfect to wear as a vest!  I'm really liking the way this all came together.

Brr! It's cold in here!

I complain about freezing almost daily here at work, so I'm not sure why I haven't learned to dress more accomodatingly for my own working pleasure!  Today is no exception, as I'm decked out in a full skirt and a sleeveless shirt.  But really, who could resist this Anne Klein detailed top?  So pretty!

A shocking thing happened last night in my Watch-Every-Buffy-The-Vampire-Slayer-Episode-10-Years-After-The-Fact goal.  Buffy's mom died!  I really should have posted some kind of spoiler warning before that sentence, I guess, but really...I'm probably the only person in America watching it episode by episode anyway.  Spike is getting cuter and more exciting as the series goes on, and he's competing with my various other vampire crushes (you know: Lestat [Tom Cruise AND Stuart Townsend], Angel, Constantine from Sunshine, and [sigh] Eric).

That's my exciting life right now:  Buffy, Angel, and True Blood.  I'm definitely getting my fang fix these days!

Yesterday, we ran some errands around town, and I was happy with my casual outfit.  I took a picture outside since it was such a pretty day (and I wasn't rushing to the office!)

Something worse than vampires...

I have a fear that just struck me last night during an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  It has nothing to do with vampires (quite the opposite in fact), Quellar demons, or other things that go bump in the night. 

I'm afraid I'm going to fall victim to 90s era fashion. 

In last night's episode, I thought to myself, Buffy's hair always looks great.  I bet I could do my hair like her's.  And then it hit me.  Its 9 years later.  I probably shouldn't want to be doing my hair like Buffy/Sarah Michelle Gellar circa 2000.

But I did anyway.  And I like it.  One of my co-workers who is the same age as me likes it too.  I think we are both victims of Generation Y.  Sigh.

I'm all into red accessories today!

This is my substitute for the watch I can't live without.  Much like a smoker will suck on a carrot stick if you convince him it will ease the craving, I HAVE to have something around my wrist.  I wear my watch primarily as a bracelet and secondarily as a timepiece, so a rubber band is a surprisingly nice substitute!

A Terrible No Good Very Bad Day

Yesterday was a pretty crappy day for me, and I'm afraid I took it out on everyone around me.  Today I was determined to be in a better mood, but my willful proclamation is dying as the day goes on.

I even tried to dress cute and sunny to arm myself with a good mood aura.  And look, I'm smiling!  Ha...

Feeling Pink

Changed my mind at the last minute today about what to wear, so to avoid ironing, had to pull out some dry cleaning.  I haven't worn this skirt in forever...its one that I love and I catch myself "saving" it...which in the end means I just don't wear it very much.  That's a silly concept, and I really need to stop that.

Here's a close up of the hot pink pin-stripe on the skirt.  So pretty.

Mixed up the business of the pencil skirt with some hot pink heels and funky necklaces!

Leopard & Stripes

Saturday we went out to dinner with some friends, and it was a pretty casual affair.  I wanted something that didn't look like I'd just rolled out of bed after watching episodes of Buffy and Angel for hours...er, cause I definitely DID NOT do that...but was still comfortable and relaxed for our fried seafood dinner!

There's just something about mixing leopard print and owls!

Today at work, I'm taking advantage of cold office temperatures and pairing some summery pants with a lovely cardigan.  This silvery shirt was bought as a "going out shirt" so I love wearing it under something for work purposes!

I think this is such a fun shape!