Monday, February 28, 2011

Sunday Sunday


This is another new Fashion to Figure top! I must admit, I got it solely for the awesome cowl neck. I wore it to church yesterday, to see my grandmother, and then to the movies with my sister and her kids. We saw Gnomeo and Juliet at the theater yesterday, and we all loved it! It was both cute and funny. As an English major, all the Shakespeare references made me laugh like a big doofus, and so did the pop culture references. The voices are spectacular (Michael Caine! Maggie Smith!) and there are lines that are pure deadpan gold. "Why would anyone do this to Tybalt?" "Because no one likes Tybalt."


Top - Fashion to Figure
Pants - Denim 24/7
Shoes - Mossimo

Saturday, February 26, 2011

30 day photo challenge - DAY 29!

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Have you seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? It totally counts! It's a movie PICTURE, isn't it? Like everything that comes from Joss Whedon's wonderful wonderful hands, it is fantastically funny. Plus: it's a super-villain musical! It is utterly and completely quotable. "What a crazy random happenstance!"

GO WATCH IT NOW. It'll make you happy.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Gray as those stupid rain clouds


Mother Nature, why do you hate me? I got two awesome shirts yesterday, but you're still all cold and rainy, forcing me into sweaters. I mean, I like sweaters, but still. I have lots of other shirts! Shirts I could wear in the spring! Fine. Whatever. Meanie.
[It didn't actually rain today. Of course. Everyone was wearing rain boots and parkas, but instead the sun came out and it was just super windy. And now my earlier pre-written post seems foolish...but yesterday it was totally apt and this morning it DID look very grey. And yes, I could rewrite a new post...but I'm lazy.]

Makeup! (light eye makeup)

Sweater - Roaman's
Pants - Only Necessities (even though they look exactly like my Denim 24/7 pants)

30 day photo challenge - day 28

Day 28 - A picture of something you’re afraid of.





I'm slightly agoraphobic, actually looking at that definition more than slightly.  Wide open spaces (as well as many of the other agoraphobic issues) freak me out. So, living in Kansas was severely odd. Particularly when I was moving from the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia to Kansas. Where I live now (and grew up, as well) you can't see for more than a mile without a hill or mountain or TREES being in the way. And Kansas...except in suburban areas, Kansas doesn't really have trees, or more properly it doesn't have forests like Virginia does. It has farmland. Lots and lots of farmland, all on the way to the university where I got my MLS. Fields of soybeans as far as the eye could see. AND YOU COULD SEE ALL THE WAY TO THE FREAKING HORIZON. I like small spaces. I've had several MRIs because of my epilepsy...and I've fallen asleep during them. I like being inside, being where I can see everything that's going on and everyone that's there. Basically, this picture is a freaky sort of picture to me because there is NO WAY TO ORIENT YOURSELF. You are in a field, and that's all there is for miles and miles and miles. Do you need a soothing nature picture now? I know I do. Ahh, tree covered mountains...


Thursday, February 24, 2011

FTF, babycakes!


Yay! I won a $30 credit to Fashion to Figure from Angie Go Boom on the 16th and picked out this awesome top. I checked their sizing, discovered that they didn't have ANYTHING in my size and decided to try a size down. It got to my house on the 21st (3 business days! On a giveaway!) and fit incredibly well for a clingy empire waist top. I was a little worried that it would ride up on my boobs the whole day, but nope, once I put it on and adjusted it, the top stayed just fine! That might have been because of the layering top underneath; I don't know what this silky material would do with just a bandeau top underneath. We'll see once summer comes. It fit so well that I LOST MY MIND and ordered more tops. I did have a 20% off code, but still! Craziness! I ordered these on the 21st and they came in today! Ordinary shipping ($5.95 flat rate) and it's SUPER fast. So: a smaller size collection than my beloved OneStopPlus, but the stuff is...how do I put it...a good bit more youthful? More like Torrid (but not overly teen), but it appears to be well made. I guess this stuff is for plus-size girls in their twenties and early thirties?

Tunic -Printed V-Neck Tunic Dress
Top - White Stag
Leggings - White Stag
Jewelmint Orbit necklace

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

30 day photo challenge - day 27

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

From August 2009
It's a two-fer for you! My mom, me, and my niece at the beach a few years ago. I think Jen was taking the shot, otherwise you would see all the women in my family. My niece was only three, and just a little bit freaked out by the (relative) hugeness of the waves, so she's gripping my hand pretty tightly. Notice how I stay the color of milk, even in full summer? And how little Ellie-belle is about 12 shades darker, even though Jen religiously puts SPF30 on the kids when they're outside? My mama always uses self-tanner before the beach, otherwise you would be able to tell that SHE'S the reason for my paleness, not my dad. (Even though she's still tanner than me in winter.)


And it's GIVEAWAY time at Work With What You've Got! (Other) Erin is giving away one of my handmade necklaces, so head over to this post and enter. And remember, this month is 10% off with the coupon code SWEETIE at Birnam Grove's etsy shop.

Monday, February 21, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 26


Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

 This is so superficial. Like, beyond what I truly want to admit. It's my hair, okay. My hair means A LOT to me. I've had it cut professionally three times in my whole life, and all three times have been a disappointment. (Actually, the first two times made me cry.)  I trust my mama and my sister to cut my hair, no one else. And I'm trying to grow it back out, to this length at least. The third salon time, this summer, I ended up with these funky layers that ended up not sitting well, especially when I didn't go back every month for a trim. Time has shown me that my hair looks best in an at-my-shoulders-or-longer blunt cut. It doesn't matter that it's wavy, or incredibly thick. Layers or thinning layers or whatever. I am not good with styling my hair, either, so I need something this simple. If it's nicely cut, I can do something pretty like this (a sort of crazy hair homage to Helena Bonham Carter), or braid it in thick ropes. One thing that scares me most about my epilepsy is the fear that it might get bad enough in the future to necessitate one of the implanted brain chips...and to implant them they have to shave part of your head. Seriously, that's the kind of stuff I worry about in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I have a huge head, but not one that looks good with super-short hair. I tried it, and it was not pretty.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sweetly Sing


Our choir director had to be gone this Sunday, so I directed in her place. It was Women's Sunday, and we try to pack the choir loft for that, so we just sang a simple hymn (In the Garden).  The hard part was leading the congregational hymn, since it was one I was totally unfamiliar with before Wednesday choir practice!

Shirt - George Woman
Pants - Denim 24/7 (they're black with white pinstripes, although you can't really tell)
Flower shoes - Mossimo

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Day in the Life (30 day photo challenge - day 25)


I got to work a little early, so I grabbed these snaps outside while I still looked awake!


Notice my necklace? It's a new piece from Jewelmint that came in last night! My first gold necklace in years.


It's the Farrah necklace; and it's pretty much a gold metal lariat. Very neat, and very long.


The first thing I do on Saturdays is straighten up our DVD section. The library has over 3,500 DVDs, and students can get them wildly out of order.


Oh look! It's my work desk. Fairly messy, and strewn about with polished rocks.


Lunch. I was supposed to have some other bagels I brought, but they were moldy, so I went to the on campus Au Bon Pain. Along with raw almonds, a cheese stick, some pudding, a little bit of chocolate, and V8 Fusion to wash it all down (Cranberry Blackberry). Once when I was sick, I did actually drink one of those whole 48 ounces in a day...I felt better and peed a lot...for the next 24 hours.

And where am I now? Waiting for dinner to cook, and typing this all on my baby, an Acer Aspire One netbook.

Shirt - Avenue
Jeans - Avenue
Shoes - Crocs

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bam said the lady

Yeah, that's right. Drink it in. You know you like it. Tomorrow will have a BIG photo post, as it will be a Day In The Life of LibraryGirl9, aka Erin, aka me. So in roughly 24 hours or so, I'll meet you back here, 'kay?

Shirt - Avenue
Pants - Denim 24/7
Shoes - Mossimo
Necklace - Jewelmint

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Real Smiles


So, I keep winning more giveaways! Don't worry, I'll show you the stuff as soon as it gets here and give you honest opinions.


And sometime this month, (other) Erin will be doing a giveaway of MY jewelry on her blog! Also, to jump the gun a bit for y'all, you can use the coupon code SWEETIE in my etsy store for 10% off...at least the rest of the month!

 

30 day photo challenge - Day 24

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.



I suffer from an anxiety disorder. When I have an anxiety attack...it's like I freeze. Anxiety attacks come on me like a curse, literally freezing me in a position, usually sitting. I feel both like I'm made of stone and like I could dissolve into a million pieces if I move an inch. My mind races, screaming at me "nononono", telling me I can't do something or achieve something. I'm stuck, trying to work it out myself.  It's one of the scariest things I've had happen to me, and I'm an epileptic! Luckily, I rarely have an attack, and I've never had one at work.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 23

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Do you have ANY idea how hard this is? I own several hundred books. I've read (rough estimate) well over a million. I'm giving you several favorites, and you're going to like it.


 Full of great shoes, a plus-size heroine and some great sex. I own it in paperback and hard cover.


Foul language, bizarre situations, and the world being rescued from political domination through a book.


A favorite fairy tale/ballad reset into 1970's liberal arts college. I've worn through one copy, and I'm on my second.

 
 The religious book I love more than the Bible. Julian is a Catholic saint who saw visions of Jesus in a very feministic, loving way. This is the translation I like best.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 22

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.


I am horrible at waiting. I ordered something online? I want it NOW. It's almost Christmas/someone's birthday/a holiday? I want to celebrate NOW. Waiting for something new to read/watch? NOW. Having to wait at all? No, I want it NOW NOW NOW. Can I give you your present NOW? Can I eat the dessert NOW? Is it time NOW?

I would love to have more patience, to not be overrun by NOW thoughts. And lately, it seems like the world is trying to force LATER on me rather than NOW. Maybe that's a lesson in patience that I should be learning. Could you tell me NOW?

Monday, February 14, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 21

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.





This is my leg after my car wreck in Kansas. I had a seizure and wrecked my car. I black out before my seizures so I remember: driving...waking up in a stopped car and seeing a policeman at the window...being in the ambulance...being at the hospital and my sister coming in and staying with me while they stitched up my leg. I walked with a cane for months. I haven't driven since then, and that was years ago. They had to use the jaws of life to get the door off the car and get me out, because I totaled it. My scar is not very evident, but I lost most of the nerve sensitivity in the skin along it, and the skin dips slightly in at that point of my leg.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 20

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel.


I'm a devoted Anglophile. If you gave me the choice of spending a month in the Bahamas or a week in London, I would pick London every time. It's my dream vacation.

Happy Pre-Valentine's Day!

Tomorrow all I plan to do is lie around and eat chocolate. I don't have to work, I don't have any other plans...just chocolate. So I figured I should wear Valentine red today. You can't tell a whole lot, but my hair...looked awesome today. Smooth waving curls, healthy looking...it's only taken me 29 years to figure out the secret, and I figured it out this week. Smoothing/defrizzing product and then hairspray on top. It's like a little miracle that I discovered all by my inept self. And so I shall pass it on to you, because I love you. And you're right, you are definitely my favorite reader.



Sweater - Roaman's
Pants - White Stag
Shoes - Crocs

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Pretty Pretty


As soon as I saw this Avenue shirt, I wanted it. But I was able (because of my light wallet) to wait until it went on sale and then use a coupon. It's so pretty and drapes so nicely! I felt like a model in this, all sleek and fashiony. I'm even giving you model face in the picture! The library was freezing today though, since the Circulation desk is close to the doors and it's cold outside. I spent all day looking at scarves and pashminas online, I kid you not.


Shirt - Avenue (out of stock now)
Leggings - Avenue Moto Zip Hem Leggings (here)

30 day photo challenge - Day 19

Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.



So.
This is my mom's favorite picture of me. Not because she hates me. But because we both have horrible tempers and get very upset very easily. She says that this picture of me makes me think of her and how she felt a lot during her childhood.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Being whiny can apparently help you!

This is the face I make as my father mocks me.
A. I love this pendant! It's totally cool to praise jewelry you made as long as it's awesome, right? I kept fiddling with this one until it was perfect, taking it through several iterations over a couple of nights.


B. After whining so much about not winning anything in online prizes (see this post), I have been winning! I won some natural cake mixes (which I will review for you guys when they come) and I just won an eShakti gift card!

Shirt - Avenue
Pants - Denim 24/7

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Leeetle Braids!


My hair is finally long enough to go in two little French braids! Yay for hair out of my face! So, evidently the world has decided that I am not allowed to get any cheap jeans. The ones I'm wearing now were cheap...but either I've redistributed my weight or they've stretched out, because they're fitting about a size too large. And I keep trying to buy jeans from Avenue and OneStopPlus, but either they're out of stock or they're MUCH too small, or the package comes with a note saying they're now out of stock...
No jeans for poor me. The world evidently wants me to wear leggings and ponte pants and the occasional skirt.

Top - Avenue (bought a little large so it has space to shrink up a little in the wash like the blue one did)
Jeans - Avenue

30 day photo challenge - Day 18

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

I know, you're totally expecting a picture of me with some awkward expression.
But.
My biggest insecurity, the thing I feel the most cringe-worthy about at this time in my life; it's the fact that I don't have a full-time job.



I have a Masters in Library Science. While I was getting my graduate degree, I had a full-time job, benefits and everything. 
Then I moved back to Virginia.
And there was a total dearth of jobs in my field. I went almost a full year without any work. I work part-time now, no benefits. I like my job...BUT. I feel embarrassed telling people, "Nope, still part-time. Nope, that interview fell through." I know, I could look wildly outside my field. I could work in fast food, I could do lots of stuff. But I don't have that many expenses (don't drive, live at home) and...I want my education to MEAN something.

Please don't flame me for this, I will cry.


Wednesday, February 9, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 17

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.


knitted cold virus, found here
I was knocked out flat this past week by a horrible cold/cough/PLAGUE. You know it's bad when your eyes are crossing too much to watch a movie, so you just watch episodes of "The Backyardigans" on your netbook. I still sound like a crazed old woman when I laugh (ahahahaha, all screechy), but my voice is sounding much more like my real voice and I'm well enough today to go into work.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

30 day photo challenge - Day 16

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
(I know, I totally disappeared for a few days!
I didn't even post my 30 day photos!
But I have the cough from HELL. Still.
I spent yesterday in bed watching cartoons.)

So, who inspires me? That depends on what kind of inspiration we're talking about. Spiritually, Julian of Norwich inspires me. As for my blog, I'm inspired by these two sweet and lovely ladies:


Erin of Work with what you've got. Seriously, she's like a strange amalgamation of me and my sister and an extra dash of cool. She remakes jewelery to make it awesome, puts studs on her leather jackets, and isn't afraid to let her lame bits show (sorry, other Erin, but I have no love for the Spice Girls!). Plus she's sweet enough to agree to do a giveaway of my jewelry! This is a girl who's enamored of Wendy Brandes jewelry!

And Sal of Already Pretty. She posts a quadrillion times a day; links, videos, outfits, tutorials on how to do everything you ever thought you couldn't...and I totally blame her for my new obsession with scarves. Sweet and always giving credit where it's due, Sal is the kind of blogger I would like to be.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

"'Scuse me, can I be excused? I seem to have the plague..."

So. I have the plague (aka a horrible death cough) and I am lying in bed with my netbook, putting these up. Cue picture heavy post and very few words.
I worked today. It was bleah because I have the plague. I wore my Crocs.
I also wore my beautiful pashmina to snuggle into. I can feel your longing for it here in my bed.
Blah blah Jewelmint necklace blah blah Avenue top blah blah White Stag pants blah blah plague.

30 day photo challenge - Day 15

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.


Write a book. And get it published.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Long Day


Even though I didn't quite get enough sleep last night, I'm still in a good mood because I'm sitting here with my niece and nephew, having watched Bolt and now watching Fantasia 2000. Sample munchkin quotes about the latter: "Yep, the bats killed the butterflies." - Ellie, said completely deadpan.  "That guy should be a magician of music." - Killy, very approvingly.


Cardigan - Torrid
Dress - JMS
Leggings - Faded Glory
Boots - Avenue

30 day photo challenge - Day 14

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Jen is 21 months older than me. She's my sissy, my tiny big sister, Jenny when we were little. I would be a completely different person without her. And even though I can imagine a life without her, I'm so glad that I don't have that life. Even though she has a bony chin that she digs into my shoulder when she naps on me during car trips.
 

Thursday, February 3, 2011

What, doesn't everyone have a fur?

I know Johnny Weir approves of me.
What, you're intrigued by my new faux fur coat? That's mid-calf length? And has a freaking cozy HOOD?! Let the jealousy begin! This coat has been on back-order since before Christmas, and was in fact a Christmas pressie from my parents...because my mom has a deep hatred for my black shiny parka. I had to make her promise not to take a box cutter to it or throw it out when the (faux) fur arrived! Also, I got my little red leather backpack purse from eBay today, so maybe my shoulders will STOP KILLING ME. (My big black purse might have gotten a wee bit overloaded.)

Yeah, suckas!
Faux Fur - completely out of stock now, but from OneStopPlus
Shirt - JMS
Pants - Denim 24/7