Guess who had a good report?

Guess who doesn't have PCOS? YAY, it's me!!! I am in need of my Christmas break, though, seeing as how my gyno thinks that this has all been stress induced. (Barring some horrible reappearance of it.) No cysts, a healthy uterus, everything is good! As I'm sure everyone was dying to know! Particularly my few male lurker readers.

Sweater and boots - Simply Be, t-shirt and leggings - big-box stores.

And with this day over, I'm on my Christmas holidays (and I'm also wishing you a Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, a Blessed Solstice, and Happy non-specific Holidays because I'm a lover, not a hater)!  It's time to curl up next to the fire with a giant mug of cocoa and play Barbies with my niece. Dorky side-note: So I have an old Rio doll (Jem's boyfriend from Jem and the Holograms) but he lost a hand, so my sister and I started calling him Mr. Rochester. My niece thinks that's his name, even though she watches Jem on Netflix.

In which I talk about several things randomly

This is our downstairs tree. (Yes, we have two trees, one colorful, one metallic.)

Tunic - B'leev, Leggings - Walmart, Socks - Sock Dreams, Boots - Simply Be.

I've entered that period of winter when all I want to wear are sweater tunics or other tunics. I don't know, it's a thing for me. This year, though, it leaves me with the distinct feeling that, along with my numerous doctor's visits to try and figure out my lady-parts issues, that people might be wondering if I'm knocked up. Not you people. You people get to hear snippets of my issues. Work-type people. And I don't care if you don't like the phrase "lady-parts", I prefer using it to running around yelling VAGINA all the time. And it's a good word for referring to my entire female-genitalia-below-the-waist. Technically, I guess I should run around yelling about my ovarian issues, but that just sounds really tiring since I don't like running.

Sweater - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart, Shoes - Target.

 Since when did this become the Missy Cranky Pants blog of linguistic failings on the part of science? Since never. Point of the day: I've tried some nice (re: moderately expensive) leggings over the past few months, but big box store ones fit me the best (Walmart, Target). I don't know why, and I don't really care, since they're so cheap. The only issue is that the black ones fade slightly. And if I wasn't so lazy and took the time to do things like always wash them inside out, and dry them on the air cycle, instead of the super-hot-just-get-it-done cotton cycle, they would probably last even longer. I do take issue with people wearing leggings as actually pants with nothing else covering their bottoms. TACKY!

RAMBLE: Leggings, where are the best ones found?

Long time coming

Sweater - Avenue, Pants - Simply Be, Shoes - old.

I've been dealing with some personal lady-health type issues, so I've gotten a little behind. Even though these clogs aren't the most comfortable for long days (or my pathetic attempts at heel wearing), I still like them because they make my legs look long. I hear tell that some people can wear heels all day and not be crippled by them, but I live in flats.

Shirt - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Target.

 This shirt is brand new. Even though it's winter now (disregarding the fact that it got up to 70 here yesterday), I just thought it was so pretty and fluttery that I had to buy it before it went out of stock. It's still available in a  size 18 as I write this, but sold out in every other size, so that was definitely the right choice.

We put up our first Christmas tree this weekend (we're doing two, and planning to put up the second this coming weekend). Has everyone else decorated already, or do you wait until closer to Christmas/Hanukkah/holiday of your choice?

Pretend Ballerina

I totally never published this! This was last week, but you can pretend it's new.

Sweater - Avenue, Cords - Simply Be, Shoes - TOMS.

So, in my pretend ballerina world, I like to stand in fourth position. Obviously. And look sort of bitchy. Yesterday, I was overwhelmed with static from both my sweater and the dry heat inside, so I decided that a revamp of my current slapdash hair method (shampoo with unscented baby's Dr. Bronner's liquid soap and use hair oil) was needed. New hair trial: the cheap trick version of WEN (which is supposed to be sent from the gods). The cheap trick version, of course, is to simply use no shampoo and a good conditioner. I don't use any product except hair oil, so I might wash it once a week or if I use anything else. I'll let you all know how this works.

Tank, Cardi, and Boots - Simply Be, Socks - Sock Dreams, Leggings - Walmart.

My parents (mom) have started asking what I want for Christmas. I'm thinking of asking for socks from Sock Dreams. Because my feet like fancy socks, but it's hard to pay $8 for socks when I can buy a pack of crappy socks for that. It's weird what we justify spending our money on. I'll wear socks more than anything but underwear, but those are the two things that I have to force myself not to cheap out on. Just because other people don't see them, doesn't mean they can't be nice and high-quality! It'll make life nicer and they'll last longer.

Yay! I'm a Christmas Tree!

Sweater - Roamans, Jeans - Simply Be, Shoes - Dexters, Socks - Walmart.

I knew I looked like Christmas yesterday, I even knew it when I picked out my outfit the night before. I just couldn't bring myself to change it. It's gotten so cold that I wanted to be warm and cuddly, and the added pretend warmth of a red sweater was just too tempting. Do you have clothes that make you instantly feel warm, regardless if they actually make you warmer, temperature wise?

I've talked about how my sister jokingly calls my thick hair 'obese', but I don't know if I've talked about how my mom talks about it. She braided my hair yesterday and when she braids my hair...she's ticked off at it! She just sighs in an annoyed tone and says repeatedly, "You have so much hair!" or "You have too much hair!" It's her family's fault, so I refuse to take any real responsibility. Her father had a full head of thick hair when he died at 92.

Sweater - Simply Be, Pants - Lands End, Shoes - Target, Socks - Sock Dreams.

November is here!

Sweater and tank - Simply Be, pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexter.

Wow. This is the sweater/belt combo I wear to fool people into thinking I have a butt. Today, however, it seems to have decided is BOOB day, and must be celebrated spectacularly. My bust is impressive, but not usual this fantastically striking. I actually can't take my eyes off it in this picture, so I have no real comments about the rest of my outfit.

What's everyone looking forward to in November? Are you doing NaNoWriMo? (I might try!) Are you or a significant other participating in Movember (or alternately the non-charity fun-only facial hair contest No Shave November)? Did you know that November is Epilepsy Awareness Month! (I must admit that I did not.) Or are you just looking forward to stuffing your face full of turkey and pie? I have two birthdays to celebrate, my sister's and my niece's, so I'm excited. Because, seriously, the only thing better than getting presents is giving someone the perfect present.

Your THING

Sweater - JMS, Jeans - Simply Be, Shoes - Earth Spirit (thrifted).

What part(s) of your body cause(s) people to make assumptions about you? For me, it's my hair most often.* When I wear it down, it's "sexy hair", according to most women (I've never had a man tell me that at work). I'm lazy with my hair. I wash/condition it, then pop some hair oil in it. I don't blow dry it or straighten it, not specifically because it damages your hair, but really just because I'm too lazy and uncoordinated to bother. I was blessed with wavy hair, and if I run some hair oil through it and let it dry, it looks like this for several hours (and then it gets really big). But people think I make an effort on my hair, even after I assure them that I don't.

I find it helps me to realize that everyone has at least one part of their body that I'll love. They might not think it's totally awesome, or work on it, or even really notice it. But it could be the first thing I notice about someone. People notice what I do with my hair, which always seems vaguely crazy to me, since I'm so bad at doing anything with it, but I do acknowledge that genetics blessed me with some fantastic natural hair. But when I look at pictures of Gracey and her amazing smile, Tia and her great butt, and Mia and her fantastic torso (seriously, something about your elegant little curves just kills me!), I know that everyone has that THING that strikes people in a first meeting and gives them an instant impression of what that person is like.

These shoes make me feel like Heidi!

*And like most busty girls, in high school, my large chest convinced people that I was slutty.

Winter is coming

My niece is starting to show signs that she'll be all lean and lanky as she grows up. Look at her, all adorable in her little sundress! She'll be 7 in 3 weeks (boo). I ordered a ton of stretch elastic that came in yesterday, so we've started making some hair ties (like the Twist Bands, but DIY). I bought 20 yards of elastic, which would make 80 hair ties if we don't screw any up or decide to make some headbands. That's a ton! Enough to not worry about losing, plus, I bought a ton of colors, even orange for Halloween. You can see the blue one on my wrist to put my hair back once I got to work.

I painted my nails, too. This color came in a Birchbox, and I just kept not getting around to it. It's called "Put a Pin In It" and is a sort of rosy-gold metallic sparkly. I don't usually like the Color Club colors, but this one was cute and it dried very quickly. Which was fantastic, since I randomly decided to paint my nails this morning after getting dressed.

From some weird confluence of Hurricane Sandy and a winter storm, it's supposed to go from very warm today (77, which is warm for the VA mountains) to 38 with possible snow by next Tuesday. I really do need to shift my closet this weekend from warm-weather clothes to sweaters.

Sweater - Target, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Dexter, Necklace - Send the Trend.

Double-up

Monday morning, not the middle of the night like it looks.

 I don't care what anyone (or any study) says; Monday is a wretched day. And as you can see, the stress of the last few weeks gave me a giant zit on my forehead that my sister attempted to pop too soon. So, it's taken much longer than usual to go away. BOO for stress and not getting enough sleep because I'm too undisciplined to stop reading!

Monday's outfit: Top - Avenue, Pants - Lands End, Shoes - TOMS, Necklace (hidden by hair) - street fair. 

Tuesday. Or maybe a mug shot.

I thought maybe some bright colors would help today. Yesterday's palette certainly didn't do anything to help. And I do love my little epaulets that are so spangly. I'm a little crow-like with the right shiny stuff (aka not diamonds - too glass-like). This is another one of the good t-shirts, in a nice soft jersey that drapes well and shows off all the right curves.

Tuesday's outfit: Shirt - JMS, Pants - Simply Be, Shoes - TOMS, Necklaces - self-made.

Spirit Day

Cardigan, tank, and shoes - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart.

This tie front cardigan comes in mocha and stone. It seems to me that "stone" is often another word for "boring beige that washes out Erin's skin" so I bought the mocha and I'm pleased to report that it has a bit of a purplish undertone to it! Odd, but pretty. I love how it's long enough to wear over nothing but some leggings and a tank, keeping me warm in a little cocoon.

Today is Spirit Day to stand against bullying for LGBT teens. So I wore a purple tank AND a purplish long cardi! If there's a generation that we need to give some extra support to, it's definitely teens. Puberty can be enough of a wreck when you're CIS. For LGBT teens, we need to make sure that our love comes through even more, since society is still backwards.

Pins and Smiles

Top and Cardi - Avenue, Pants - White Stag, Shoes - TOMS, Necklace - Send the Trend.

Today was definitely a work pajama day. I don't know why this cardigan insists on photographing as pinkish, when it's a stone red color in real life. Of course, this necklace finally broke today (luckily in a way that I can fix it tonight with a jump ring and pliers). I don't know why, it's not like I swing it around it all the time or anything...

So, today you get some of my favorite pins from lately! I can hear your excitement!

http://randomhouseca.tumblr.com/post/30529335649/we-just-love-books-so-much

 Pop Art Book Excitement!

http://sherlock.soup.io/

Soul Crushing Sherlock/Doctor Who Mashup! 

http://www.memecenter.com/search/star%20trek/date/30

The realization that Patrick Stewart will never really age and is still hot! 

http://themetapicture.com/some-men-2/

And finally, some props for science men!

Stressed spelled backwards is a horrible week

Sweater - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart, Shoes - Dexter.

Last week was just a titch over my ultimate stress level. There was a work day that I actually felt like vomiting from stress for...oh, about six hours. And my period is a week late. Usually, when something stressful happens, my period comes early. But apparently, when I'm completely stressed, I just don't have it. Which would be great if I didn't want to vomit and/or have massive headaches. The work issues that caused all the stress are slowing down, so hopefully one day in the future I'll come home and feel like doing something other than hibernating. PRO TIP: Win the lottery so you don't have to work. (If any of you have won the lottery and would like to donate some of your winnings to me so I don't have to work, I'm also up for that idea.) However, I made it through all of this without a seizure or an panic attack (I have an anxiety disorder that is exacerbated by the medications I take for my epilepsy), so I'm counting last week as a horrible win. Plus, I never did actually vomit. But, I did discover a new (to me) singer. Ellie Goulding, another Brit like Adele, but more pop-ish. This is a cover of the Elton John song, and a little different than the majority of her stuff, but I like this home-made lyric You-tube vid.

Rain, Rain, I hate your guts

Top - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - Target.

I'm a big fan of super-long tunics, aka "tunics". To me, unless the shortest point hits mid-thigh, it's just a long shirt. I don't care what the company calls it, a long shirt is not automatically a tunic! I don't hate long shirts, I like them since I don't have a short torso; but the fact remains that just because a shirt is long doesn't make it a tunic. Semantics are the issue here.

Also, while I'm being grumpy, I have a suggestion of a face cleanser to not use. I had a sample packet of Fiafini's Delicate Cleansing Emulsion from Beauty Army, and even though I'm happy with what I'm using at the moment, I thought I'd try it. As for cleansing, it was nothing special and left my sensitive skin on the dry side. But the smell...oh, Lord, the smell. Listen, I've used tons of fragrance-free stuff on my skin, and tons of "organic cleansers", as well as all the usual drugstore stuff. So I'm used to plant smells, chemical smells, and chemical "no-smell" smells. But this...this was without a doubt the foulest smelling thing that I was designed to put on my face. It just smelled bad, as if it was actually bad. Like the nasty stuff you find under piles of leaves. (If you were wondering what I do use to clean my skin, I alternate between boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel and One Love Organics Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm.)

YAY Sweater Dress!

Sweater and Boots - previous season's Simply Be, Undershirt - Target, Leggings - Walmart.

It was 38 outside this morning, so I felt perfectly justified in this outfit. It's only supposed to get up to 60, so it's not like I'll boil if it does actually does get up to that. We've had our cold snap, and turned the heat on, so  it's official sweater time. I've ordered more Simply Be boots and everything! (I'll give a full report when they come in, for other full-calved girls.) And Mia, I know you'll want to know: Yes, those buttons are on two big pockets that just fit a paperback. I figure the bright color perks everything up, and the cable-knit will perk me up.

 Does anyone have a favorite scent? I'm terribly fond of Harvey Prince's Ageless, but I can't really justify the price to myself at the moment. I got a sample in a Birchbox, and used it all up. This month I get a sample of their Yogini, though, so we'll see how I like that. One-notes that I love include any real (not chemically) Lavender and Lemongrass. I used a lemongrass-sugar scrub (a sample of Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser)

this morning and was gloriously happy from the smell.

Officially Dark

Sweater - Nicole Miller, Jeans - Simply Be, Shoes - Dexter. 

It's officially dark now; sunrise is coming around 7:20 am or so, and we leave the house well before that. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and corduroys are so delightfully iconic that I can't resist pulling mine on as soon as the weather cooperates. These royal blue corduroy jeans are super cheap ($35), come in flare and straight leg, three different lengths, and six different colors. Best of all, in my opinion, they have concealed back elastic. I've talked numerous times (okay, complained) about how jeans fit on a hourglass body, but elastic in the waistband solves that huge gap in the back I get otherwise.

And for that much needed pop of color, I put on a necklace I made. Doesn't it look like gumballs? Also, you can't see them, but I have black socks with a blue argyle pattern on them! Walmart has No Nonsense Super-Soft socks now, and they really are.

Pattern Pre-mixed and (non)-Christmas Color-blocking

Country chic

 A co-worker complimented me on this dress, telling me I was totally in, with the whole pattern mixing thing my dress had going on. The truth is, I've had this dress for years, and seeing as how it was thrifted then, it's probably much older! Trends come and go, but they're the same trends every few years - military, neon, soft fluffy stuff (ultra girly), preppy, etc. It's getting darker in the mornings now, so I might have to move inside for pictures for the fall/winter.

My little teapot necklace.

This necklace was one of the first ones I pieced together, and I still love it. "The shape of the teapot is pleasing to my eye", she said in a snobby voice.

Cardi and Top - Avenue, Jeans - Simply Be, Shoes - Dexter.

 I work at a university, and when it's a Friday football game-day, we're encouraged to dress in the school colors. But. Those include orange, which (a) I dislike, especially on myself, and (b) I don't own a single orange garment. So I just wear whatever I want, because really, I don't care about football anyway. I went to every single high school football game, since I was in the band, but I have no idea how a game is scored.

Fancy Non-blazer

Obviously, this jacket from yesterday is not a blazer, due to my dislike of blazers. It's a tweedy sort of avant-garde twist on a lady's hunt jacket. I might get the back tailored a bit, since I have some room around the waist, but a size down would probably be too tight around the bust. This jacket also has the most beautiful buttons ever, two sorts alternating all over.

Joe Browns Parisian Jacket

Today was warmer and not rainy (yet!), so I'm only slightly bundled up. Have I mentioned how much I love Fall and my ability to layer and wear sweaters?

Cardi and Top - Avenue, Pants - Denim 24/7.

Last night I just fell into bed, so it was one of the few times that I picked out my outfit in the morning (barring outfit complications, of course). I have no theme, or inspiration for this outfit, just colors I like and a pair of clean pants that fit. Random outfits often seem to work better than planned ones for me!

I sometimes use curse words when I pray*

Dress - Joe Browns, Leggings - Avenue, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Crocs.

Proportions are all in the eye of the beholder. I love this dress, but it has less room in the bust than I expected, turning it into more of an empire waist than I had expected. I asked my father if it made me look a little chunky, because it's not fitted the way most of my other favorite dresses are, even the empire waists. And my father looked closely at me, and promptly told me yes, I did look a little chunkier than usual in it. Which, as you might expect, was not the answer I was looking for. Then at lunch at work, a random office co-worker told me how small I was getting! (Not really a comment I ever go looking for, actually, but one that was helpful today.) I explained to her that I'm just hourglassy, so it depends on what I wear as to how I look.

Here

And that's precisely true; I have a comparatively small waist, so dresses with empire waistlines like this one (aka without ties or belts) can obscure my waist, leaving only my bust and hips as the outstanding viewpoints. The dress is made of cotton, but the pattern makes me think of all of Sal's Desigual dresses, which are too expensive for me (and don't even come in my size, anyway). Thus endeth the ramble, because I have nothing more to say so far today, other than I'm going to Looper tonight. 

*And also the post title is from the Avett Brothers song "Me and God".

Accessories make all the difference

This outfit of a black t-shirt (Avenue) and a pair of pair of red jeans (Simply Be) is fine on it's own. But add all my accoutrements, and it turns it into something interesting! My two necklaces (and matching bracelet that's hidden by my sleeve) are a dark sparkly blue. My cardi (Simply Be) is an army green for some color blocking fun. (You know, before color blocking became a thing, it was really just known as "not wearing patterns, but wearing several different colors".)

Dexter shoes - Dexflex line

 Yeah, yeah, I know you can see my little no-show socks. But really, when I have shoes as awesome as these little cap-toe leopard flats, is anyone going to notice? They're the perfect rocking little shoe and super comfy as well.

Notice all those lovely silver hairs? I rock them like no one's business!

 My sister had all of these hair forks in her stuff from when she had long hair (most of her life), and has lent them to me while she grows her hair back out. Since I sit at my desk with headphones on most of the day, I want my hair back, but I also want it to be pretty. And a fancy hair fork does a much better job than a simple hair elastic. Going without headphones - it would drive me crazy! I am not one to suffer silence well, and in my little open cubicle, speakers are not really an option. So I have a pair of big, old-fashioned supra-aural headphones which would ruin any hairstyle that was left down. (Bonus - these are better for your hearing health than earbuds.)

Zoya nail polish in Marley

I'm a big fan of Zoya nail polish. It comes in a bajillion different colors, and it's $8 a bottle. I get mine from Birchbox, but you can order direct from the Zoya website as well. They give great coverage (in just 2 coats), dry ultra quick, and they're toxin free (no toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, or dibutyl phthalate).

Simply Be Addict

Cardi and Top - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7, Shoes - TOMS.

*Note: I am not shilling for Simply Be and being paid. I just think that they make better quality clothes than most companies, and have some really interesting things.

Assuming that you read my blog instead of just looking at the pictures, you know that I'm a complete Simply Be addict. It's BRITISH PLUS SIZE FASHION. How could I not love it?! But I realized that I've been neglecting to fully tell everyone about the size ranges. See, my sister is small - as in she wears a size small. So she never gets anything from Simply Be, it's my company. My sister just thrifts her little heart out, because she can always find stuff. But Simply Be actually has a huge size range. They say on their front page that they carry size 10-28. And that's true. But they have a limited selection of their clothes, also, that go from sizes 8-30. So the majority of you could probably enjoy some of the same stuff that I do! And the rest of you could enjoy the shoes, bags, and jewelry that they carry. Also, I do believe in supporting a company that shows all of their clothes on plus-size models. 

Slouch Jersey Top in Damson

This top is so lovely and silky; a really great little tee. The damson is only still available in size 20, but the black and the white are available in a number of sizes. The top has a wide scoop neck, but it actually manages to NOT show my bra straps! I haven't washed it yet, so I have no report back on that front yet. If they had it in more actual colors, I would snap it up in a heartbeat. And yes, those pants are fairly hideous.