Month: September 2010

  • Fashion Friday: Edition continuing with fall trends

    I can’t believe that I totally missed that yesterday was 9-02-10 days. Get it? It was September 2, 2010. Which translates to 9-02-10. Which translates to West Beverly High and the show that I watched long after it was age appropriate for me to be so invested in the lives of Kelly, Brandon, Brenda, Donna and Dylan.

    But I’ve never been good with numbers, so I didn’t even realize it was 9-02-10 until I began to see people posting it on Twitter and Facebook and whatever. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I was googling “Donna Martin Graduates” and “David Silver sings ‘You are so precious to me'” and “Brenda Walsh’s prom dress”. Because, y’all, if there was ever a dress I coveted besides Princess Di’s wedding dress, it was the dress Brenda Walsh wore to prom.

    I am so ashamed.

    Ultimately I came upon this picture.

    And this one.

    Oh sure. We can laugh and mock. But we aren’t that far away from seeing all those things come back around the fashion bend.

    Except for maybe that shirt David Silver has on. Please don’t let that ever come back around.

    On a totally different note, several of you asked if I really bought a pair of camo leggings. Yes. Yes I did. I’m still not entirely sure what came over me but they were $12.99 and I felt like they held some possibilities. Chiefly, the possibility that I’ll put them on and P will ask, “What in the hell do you have on your legs?”

    But also the possibility that they might look cute with the new oversized white boyfriend shirt I bought and my tall brown boots.

    It’s a risk I’m willing to take for $12.99. Worst case scenario, I just bought myself some camo loungewear.

    Now for some more fall trends:

    1. Jewel tones

    Rich colors are definitely in for fall. When Gulley and I were shopping last week I felt like we saw teal and purple everywhere we went. Mainly because anytime I see teal and purple I cringe a little bit because there was a time that I owned a pair of teal flats. Teal was a very important color for me back in the late 80’s.

    Which is why I’m not sure I can go back to that place again. However, I do love the rich color of this magenta tunic dress although I’d never wear it as a dress.

    I also love this wrap tunic and twist waist sheath dress.

    And, oh how I love this From the Poles jacket from Anthropologie. The built in ruffle detail has stolen my heart.

    I also have a big crush on this washed velvet coat. How great would that be with jeans or black pants with boots?

    And if you don’t carry the scars of teal around with you, there is this washed cord skirt in teal.

    The good news for me is that it comes in other colors.

    2. Leather

    Leather is everywhere right now. Of course the majority of what I can afford isn’t actually real leather, but rather faux leather that smells reminiscent of my grandmother’s collection of GENUINE LEATHER handbags that she kept stored in the top of her closet.

    The big style for leather right now is the motorcycle jacket. One of my college roommates, Meredith, had the best black leather motorcycle jacket. I cannot tell you how I coveted that jacket and she was kind enough to let me borrow it on occasion. One of those occasions was the day I decided to go break up with a guy I’d been dating for a few months. It had been a tumultuous relationship and I felt it needed to go out with me clad in leather and slamming his front door as I left.

    I was a treasure at twenty-one years old.

    Anyway, I really like this Manderson leather jacket.

    But there are many other options, such as this Hydraulic faux leather motorcycle jacket. Or this faux leather ruffle jacket.

    If you’re really feeling edgy, there are even faux leather skinny jeans. All I can think about when I look at those is that episode of Friends when Ross wore those leather pants and went to the bathroom to splash his legs with water to cool off and couldn’t get his pants back up.

    Needless to say, I’m going to pass on the leather pants.

    3. Feminine shapes

    On a totally different note, there is a return to clothes that have a feminine shape. Things that actually show your waist as my grandmother would say. “Why don’t you show your waist? You have such a cute figure.”

    I’m such a fool for coats and I particularly love this fresh coat in print

    There is also the Anything but ordinary dress.

    And I’m so sad that this All vest up with someplace to go vest is sold out, but it looks like they may get more in at some point. I can just see this with jeans and boots. Of course I can see everything with jeans and boots.

    If you’re looking for a pretty feminine blouse, you might want to find something like this blouse from Anthropologie. So pretty. Although I struggle with the word “blouse”.

    4. Animal prints

    I went to breakfast the other day with Steph and Gulley and we got into a conversation about how animal prints shouldn’t necessarily be listed as a trend because they have really become a timeless classic. We also talked about the fluctuations in the stock market and our thoughts on the global economy, but those conversations aren’t relevant to this post.

    We all agreed that we can’t remember a fashion season in the last several years that didn’t feature some sort of animal print. It’s become as ubiquitous as khaki or denim or black.

    And, yes, I just used the word ubiquitous. I didn’t even have to look it up on spell check. I’m going to tell Caroline about this the next time she’s studying for a spelling test and wants to argue with me about the correct spelling of “sandwich”.

    I believe the use of animal prints in a wardrobe is a personal decision. You can go big with something like this Glendale top.

    Or you can just have one outstanding piece like this Street Car Darya bag by Kate Spade. Even though that particular bag costs the equivalent of fifteen years of my wardrobe combined. But I included it anyway because IT’S DIVINE.

    There are always these cute leopard clogs or a pair funky leopard flats.

    Best of all, you can always find the budget version. Like these Merona leopard ballet flats or these leopard rain boots.

    That’s it for today.

    And, in the words of David Silver, you are so precious to me.

    Or in the words of Dylan McKay, “I loved you more than I ever thought I could love anybody. Maybe that was the problem.”

    Y’all have a great Friday.

  • So much more than you wanted to know

    My original plan was to try the new smoothie recipe for breakfast yesterday morning, but then I remembered that it was Wednesday morning which meant it was one of my running days. That’s right. I said running days.

    As part of my commitment to a healthier, sweatier me in 2011, I started the Couch to 5K training program last week. I’d been contemplating it for several weeks because I knew I needed to come up with a workout alternative to the 30 Day Shred since I was on the verge of unplugging the DVR and throwing it through the T.V. screen if I had to listen to Jillian taunt me one more time about the fact I’ll never have abs that look like green sports bra girl.

    And, secretly, there’s always been a part of me that would like to be a runner. The only thing that’s held me back all these years is the whole part that involves the running, but I’ve always been a huge fan of the clothing and accessories and the way legitimate runners say cool things like, “I ran a nine minute mile in my last 10K” or “I’m thinking about doing the half next year”. Because clearly they don’t even need to specify they mean a half marathon. It’s implied by the Nike sensor on their running shoes and the JUST DO IT emblazoned across their t-shirt.

    So when I began to hear people talk about the Couch to 5K program, I was intrigued. Mainly because I have the couch part DOWN FLAT. I looked it up on the internet and decided it sounded within the realm of my possibilities. The only concern I had was how I was going to be able to run, possibly throw up from the exercise and keep track of my one minute of running alternated with the two minutes of walking for thirty minutes. It seemed like I might need some special kind of Ironman watch and timers and this is why I’ve never been a runner. Besides all the running.

    Then I realized there certainly had to be a Couch to 5K app on my phone and so I searched for it and THERE IT WAS because Steve Jobs will not rest until every aspect of our life is controlled and managed by Apple. All I have to do is make myself put on my running shoes and it does all the work for me. Except the actual running. But there is a nice lady who lives inside my phone that says, “It’s time to run now!” and “It’s time to walk now!” and “You’re halfway done!” When it’s all over she congratulates me and it means the world to me to have her support.

    Of course you and I both know that I’m going to hate her by next week and will become the crazy lady running down the road, trying not to throw up while yelling, “QUIT TELLING ME WHAT TO DO! YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!” into my phone.

    If you’re wondering what any of this has to do with a tofu smoothie, you’re not alone.

    I can’t eat anything before I run in the morning because THE HEAT, MY WORD THE HEAT so I decided I’d wait until I got home and cooled down to make the smoothie. Then I remembered that I was meeting my friend, Jennifer, at Starbucks, and I needed to shower and get dressed instead of experimenting with tofu. I also needed to figure out a way to get my face to quit glowing bright red. I don’t know why it turns so red, but I look like an angry cartoon character for at least an hour after I run.

    Anyway, after Starbucks I ran in Hobby Lobby because I need some kind of fall centerpiece for my dining room table (I didn’t find anything. I don’t know what I’m looking for.) and then I went to Target for reasons I can’t recall but it ended with me buying a pair of camo leggings and a great long-sleeve t-shirt that I might be able to wear if it ever drops below 104 degrees.

    (I’m sorry for all the pointless details. I could go on and on with the pointless details of my day. In fact, I just did. I stopped for gas. And thought about getting my car washed. And ran the dishwasher twice because the soap didn’t come out of the the dispenser the first time. It’s all fascinating.)

    When I got back to the house around lunchtime, I decided that nothing would be better than a smoothie with tofu in it for lunch. So I began to dump all the ingredients into the blender. Then I opened up the tofu, didn’t realize it was packed in water, and made a huge mess all over the countertops and the floor. And then I thought about how that kind of thing never happens with bacon or pretzel M&Ms.

    But I decided to forgive the tofu and made my smoothie. It was delicious. I’ll be making another one tomorrow. And the next day.

    And maybe the day after that.

    In fact, given my propensity for sucking all the life and joy out of a food by eating it until I can’t stand to even think about it, I’ll probably make one daily for the next three months. And then the smoothie will be dead to me.

    In case you’d like to try one for yourself, you can find the recipe right here.

  • They call it the cheese of Asia

    Well, clearly I need to take a tip from Paul Harvey and tell y’all the rest of the story from yesterday’s post about Lee.

    We invited her to our wedding but she was in very poor health and told me she just wasn’t going to be able to make it. Right after we got married, P’s mom moved into my old apartment at Village Oaks because she had recently sold P’s childhood home and hadn’t found a new house yet. She’d been living with P in our townhome in the days leading up to the wedding and so we just switched places. Little did she know she’d be living in Village Oaks for the next year.

    She also didn’t know that a new neighbor had moved in below me who liked to have very loud fights with his girlfriend, which led to my mother-in-law having to resist the daily temptation to catch this young girl in the courtyard, shake her by the shoulders and say, “MOVE ON, SISTER. HE’S BAD NEWS.”

    Anyway, Lee adopted my mother-in-law as her new best friend and they talked daily until Lee’s health became too bad for her to live alone and she moved out of town to be closer to her daughter and ultimately passed away.

    And that’s the rest of the story.

    With a few more details than you probably really care about thrown in for no extra charge.

    In other news, look what I bought at the store yesterday.

    It’s like I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror.

    What happened to that sweet girl who craved nothing more than Fritos and bean dip not even two weeks ago?

    I’ll tell you what happened. She realized she is a mere eleven months away from her 40th birthday and maybe it’s time to think about health and fitness.

    At least for the next few weeks.

    Apparently you can put tofu in a smoothie and it tastes good and adds in protein to get you through the day. I’ll let you know tomorrow if any of that is actually true.

    I have fifty dollars that says it’s not going to be as tasty as bacon and eggs with a side of blueberry pancakes.

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    Post 4 for the Kellogg’s $100 gift card giveaway is posted over on my giveaway page. Click on over for the chance to win $100.