Thursday, December 20, 2012

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.

Monday, December 17, 2012

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?

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Imagine the elevator from the Shining...

Sweater and Boots - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart.

So, I referred earlier this month to some personal lady issues that I'm going through. I have some more doctor's appointments coming up before they figure out precisely what it is, but the gist of it is that I've been having my period since November 10th. So if any of my readers have PCOS (a distinct possibility for me at this point, apparently) and want to cheer me up, feel free to leave a message!

This is a round-about way of apologizing for my lackadaisical postings, and the frequent grumpy faces that pop up in the pictures that I do post. I'm also cuddling up in sweaters primarily, because apparently you can't just wear a blanket out of the house. Luckily, Simply Be has plenty of cute tunic-type ones that I had already bought.

Everything - Simply Be. Boom.

Monday, December 10, 2012

How do you dodge an unwanted compliment?


I'm sure that some of you have the same problem I ran into last Friday. I was wearing the outfit above, and we had our work "Holiday Party" which is 1.5 hours at the end of the day with some snacky time foods. In line a coworker told me I looked "so nice" and just as I started to smile and say thank you, she followed it up with "I can tell you've been doing something that works." I know this woman meant to be complimentary, that there wasn't any bit of a passive aggressive dig in there, but still, I had to bite my tongue to rip her a new one for assuming that I wanted a compliment like that. A) I'm not, in fact doing anything to lose weight and I'm not losing weight. B) I find it rude to assume that people are trying to lose weight, because it implies that there is something wrong with their current body.

Weight is such a troubling issue for so many women (men, too) that even compliments can backfire on sensitive people. You might say to someone "You look so great having lost that weight" and they hear 'With that weight you looked hideous'. During the holidays, we'll all run into people we haven't seen in awhile. Instead of talking about someone's weight, why don't you just tell someone they look beautiful if that's what you mean? No qualifiers, no 'you look so beautiful today/in that dress/now that you're skinnier', just tell them they look beautiful. Because when you qualify someone's beauty, you're saying there are times that they don't look beautiful, and I know that you don't want to say that.

Fun 70's effect.
So how would I have dodged that compliment if I had time and I saw that woman for more than a second in a line? I would have said "Thanks, but I'm not losing weight. This sweater is just so pretty, isn't it!" (Which is true, and because of the way it hangs, it does give me a different shape than some of my clothes.) Because she meant well, and I didn't need to go into all of this with a passing business acquaintance. Several of the women in my department are dieting, and they might have liked that compliment. 

How do you address compliments that make you uncomfortable?

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Real Ladies can keep it together


Simply Be cardi , boots, and tank, Walmart leggings.
You guys...it's here!! The trailer/teaser for Star Trek Into Darkness with Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain!!!!  My mother raised me on Star Trek, both the movies and TNG, because she's a total sci-fi nut. Plus, you know how I love Sherlock, and I loved the new Trek movie. (Shut up, haters, it was awesome.)



Cumberbatch has such a lovely menacing voice. I would pay buckets to be menaced by him in person. With Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban and...okay, who is that blonde who's taking up so much trailer time looking freaked and taking away time? Alice Eve, I'm guessing from the IMDB cast list. She DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A CHARACTER LISTED.  Everyone's speculating on whether or not she'll be Carol Marcus or Elizabeth Dehner. I would just like her to not act like such a freaking weenie if she's in Starfleet, since she's in a uniform. Take some bravery lessons from Nyota, random character! Too many sci-fi women are just there to be mindless screamers. I would rather have a cast without women than one where women act like dummies.

I know they need to introduce some more ladies, since the Enterprise is such a bro-fest at the moment, but come on! Not a single glance of my beloved Chekov or Scotty? Nyota is awesome enough to pick up the lady-slack in a trailer. So, the message of the day is: learn from the Hawkeye Initiative. If a man looks dumb doing/saying it, don't have a lady do/say it.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

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?

Friday, November 30, 2012

Sock Dreams Socks for Christmas

Cardigan and shirt - Avenue, Pants - Walmart, Socks - Sock Dreams, Shoes - Target.

Socks socks socks. I like them nice and pretty and somewhat fancy. And I like to have knee-high socks that are able to fit up over my curvy legs (I'm glaring at you, big box stores). So, for Christmas, when my little Mama asked me what I wanted, after thinking, I decided that I want several pairs of socks from Sock Dreams. They even have a plus-size section (along with every other section in the known world)! So my knee-highs will comfortably fit up around my knees without strangling my legs. Also, they ship free and ultra fast (1-2 days from Oregon to Virginia!).

Do you have a certain present that you've asked for this year? Or do you get gift cards from your family? Or is it always a big surprise what you get?

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

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.

Fractured Grandmothers



Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. My little Nana (tinier than my little Mama at only 4'11"!) fell and fractured her pelvis, and bruised/cut herself all over. So I've been spending some time in the hospital with her and my Mama. The moral of the story is: get lots of calcium, and don't fall down in a furniture-crowded room. She managed to smack her head both on the front right above her left eye and crack it open on the back at the crown. Also, no one can stand pain like a little grandmother. They asked her about her pain level (1 =  no pain and 10 = worst pain imaginable), and she calmly said that it didn't hurt if she stayed still, but otherwise it was about a 7. But she didn't really need any pain medication, thank you. !!!!! I would have taken anything and everything they gave me. But I guess after 7 children, you get used to your pelvis being yanked apart! I finally managed to convince her that Tylenol 3 wasn't a strong pain medication, and that when it hurt, she could ask for that. Side effect of being a tiny Nana, pain meds make her super loopy and strange.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Ho Hey

Top and Cardi - Simply Be, Pants - Denim 24/7.
Enjoy!



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

EBEW Boootssss

Skirt, Cords, and Boots - Simply Be.
It's EBEW Boots! I've missed the last 7 billion Everybody, Everywear Challenges by dint of my horrible memory, and if today hadn't been boots, I would have missed this one too. But it's been cold and gross, so I've worn boots the last two days! The same pair, actually, a pair of black faux suede Viva La Diva boots from Simply Be. I've had them for 2 years, in black and brown, and they're fabulous. They're no longer in stock, but this pair (very low stock/sizes) is pretty much the same minus the fuzzy top lining and non-sueded. Yes, that is totally a word. The word on footwear from Simply Be is that boots are great, but the regular shoe sizes are cracktastic. As in, I should wear a size and a half smaller in their shoes than their boots. But they don't SELL half sizes. They do sell standard width, E and EEE, though, which is a blessing for my wide feet.

And now enjoy a poorly angled picture of me looking cranky and vaguely pregnant/potbellied today.


Sweater - Avenue, Skirt and Boots - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart.
Image 5687

Friday, November 9, 2012

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.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Words don't matter

YAY! The election is over, so no more political ads! (When you live in a swing state, you get approximately 4,000% more ads on TV and online than other states.)

Cardigan and Boots - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart.

In the spirit of leaving all political arguments behind, here's a video without actual words. cdza is a You-tube group that makes the most amazing music video experiments. This one is great; showcasing snippets of 26 songs over 47 years that use nonsense words. 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

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.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Hallo-boring


I didn't feel like dressing up in costume for Halloween, so I dressed up my twin french braids instead, with orange elastics (the easy DIY version here). It's festive, but I don't have to see the orange! (Tip o' the braid to Gracey, Mia, and Tia! I know you three will enjoy this color.) And now for my worst Halloween costume story: When I was a little bitty girl, my mama made me an excellent Native American costume. She made it cheaply, out of paper bags and markers, but it was fantastic and I was having a fine time trick or treating in it. Until...it rained and I got soaked. I still remember stomping wetly back into our kitchen and tearing off the wet bags with a soggy rip. In tears, I declared that I was "never going to be a paper-bag Indian again!" And I never was.

Sweater - Simply Be, Leggings - Walmart, Tank - thrifted.
The real highlight is my cool skull necklace. It's from Send the Trend, several months ago, and I restrung it (and probably should again. It's just between creepy and cute. It's so tiny that not many people notice it unless I point it out, which makes me feel like I have an awesome secret. And sometimes I make him talk to freak my sister out. Because that's always fun!



Sunshine Award!


Gracey gave me the Sunshine Award!

The rules for the award are:
  1. Include the award logo in a post and/or on your blog sidebar.  Done! 
  2.  Link to the blogger who nominated you.  Done! 
  3.  Answer 10 questions about yourself.  See below. 
  4.  Nominate 10 other fabulous bloggers and ask them 10 questions.  Man, this is the hard part... 
  5.  Link to your nominees in your post and let them know about the reward.  

Thank you, Gracey!! You're truly the sunshine on my cloudy days!

  1. Tea or coffee? An itsy-bitsy bit of cappuchino in a big mug of dark chocolate cocoa.
  2.  What would the name of your autobiography be? "I don't like people, but you're quite nice!"
  3.  Reality TV; guilty pleasure or sheer idiocy? Sad and annoying. Only exceptions: cooking shows and geek shows like Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs. 
  4.  Favorite James Bond actor? Is this where I admit that I haven't ever seen a James Bond movie all the way through? As an actor, my favorite one is Timothy Dalton. Random choice, I know.
  5.  Ocean or mountains? Mountains for life, ocean for vacations.
  6. Favorite author? EVERYONE. But in a pinch, or on a desert island, give me Jane Austen and Warren Ellis.
  7.  Thanksgiving pie; pumpkin, pecan or something else? Chocolate pecan.
  8.  What are your thoughts on techno music? Interesting, but not my cup of cocoa for long.
  9.  What is the last movie you saw in a theater? Looper.
  10. And, finally, because Halloween is tomorrow Today!, what is your favorite scary movie? The Watcher in the Woods!!! It is the bestest Disney kid's horror flick, and what my sister and I watched for every sleepover we had as kids. Plus, it has Bette Davis in it in her late 70's.
And now it's time for my questions. 
  1. What's your biggest fear, realistic or not?
  2. Favorite superhero movie?
  3. If you had to pick one genre to read for the rest of your life, what would it be? (memoirs, steampunk, cookbooks, what?)
  4. Is there a show that you just can't stop watching, even when it's bad and the characters do stupid things?
  5. If you could go forward in the future, what question would you ask your future self?
  6. What basic annoyance gets on your nerves more than any other (lateness, rudeness, etc)?
  7. Pie or cake? Or no sweets like a really annoying person I want to slap?
  8. What's been your best (or alternately worst) Halloween costume?
  9. What's the best band/singer you've discovered this year?
  10. What's the best thing that happened to you in the past week?
And I'm nominating these 9 ('cause 9 is my lucky number)
(and yes, some of these are complete dreams that they'll repost):

  1. Cammila of Dressed Up Like a Lady
  2. Carrie of Petal by Petal
  3. Chelsea of Bright Side Dweller
  4. Georgina of Cupcake's Clothes
  5. Holly Elise of Starlit Home
  6. Jen of Epbot
  7. Jenny (The Bloggess) of The Bloggess
  8. Jessie of Vanderbilt Wife
  9. Lilli of Frocks & Frou Frou
EDIT to add: Oh my sweet LORD. Jenny Lawson (the Bloggess) emailed me back after I sent her an email to let her know that I gave her this award. And I quote: "You so rock! Thanks!" My life is now complete, or will be once I print that out and frame it, since I'm totally lame and fangirly.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Welcome to the storm

Cardigan and Boots - Simply Be, Shirt - Avenue, Leggings - Walmart.
Sandy's effects have started hitting the mountains of Virginia. So far, we're just getting snow and rough winds. On Monday at least, it wasn't pretty snow, though. It was that gross snow/rain combo that melts on the road and only serves to sting your face as you run to your car, cursing your desire to wear boots that apparently have a hole in them somewhere since you now have a wet sock in one boot after shopping in a huge crowd for a munchkin costume and warm shirts for the kids to wear underneath their costumes on Halloween. (Side-note: Did you know that apparently little girls don't wear turtlenecks anymore? Or at least they don't sell them.)


Friday, October 26, 2012

Excited yet terrified

Cardigan and Tank from Simply Be, Pants from Lands End, Necklace from a street fair.
So. Big news! My sister and I have decided that we will start to look for property together! The idea is that we want either two built houses, or one house with room to build a little cottage for me. (Which should be easy enough, since we're looking for several acres of land as well.) Our own little commune! This is just a plan/looking around at the moment, but it's still enough to get me all excited and nervous. I really could end up living in my very own tiny house! If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I have a whole board devoted to tiny little houses. I'm obsessed with the idea of living in my very own little space that I've filled with books and it not being an apartment. Not to trash people who like apartments, but I don't like being surrounded by people. At all. I make an exception for my family, but that's it.

I've taken several home decor quizzes since Jen and I talked about this idea yesterday evening, and I keep getting odd results. I've decided that my preferred aesthetic is Pretty Stuff That is Not Overly Precocious or Sweet. (I made that up myself, you know.) Just...comfy stuff that's nice and not overly "done". Also, I want built-ins out the wazoo. Bookshelves up to the ceiling and a little bitty book ladder to get up there, so I can pretend I'm Belle. A little kitchen with open (door-less) cabinets.

The idea of me living on my own is thrilling. I'm 31 and I've never actually lived alone. Part of it is being close to my family, part is not having much money while doing things like getting my MLS and working part-time, and the rest of it is my epilepsy, of course. I don't take baths unless someone is in the house, because I could seize and drown. I'm looking at non-loft tiny houses (even though lofts are beautiful), because I would break several bones if I seized and fell out of a loft. Ditto the fact that I'm thinking about 1-story houses to avoid any stair related injuries. Even after living with it for 12 years, it's weird to have my illness affect such a basic part of my life as what type of house I can live in. Luckily, I love one-story shotgun style houses. But I'm ready to finish what I think of as growing up and building a house really appeals to me.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

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.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

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.

Friday, October 19, 2012

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.

I am... Are you?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Why do we wear makeup?

Barefaced, wearing lip gloss.
I know lots of women who wear makeup; more than I know who don't wear makeup. They wear it everyday, no matter where they're going or what the temperature will be. Some of them wear a "full face" of makeup, some wear "no makeup" makeup. Even though I would count myself as a woman who doesn't wear makeup, do I really fit into the makeup category since I wear lip gloss every day? This isn't really going to be an anti-makeup diatribe; I like makeup, I'm just not invested enough in it to wear it. I'm lazy on the subject on fixing my hair and makeup, so I will only wear makeup if there's a good reason for me to (a job interview, date, or acting on stage are all some good reasons). This is about self-esteem, and how makeup is often used to spackle over the holes we have in our self-esteem.

Are you a woman who wears makeup everyday? Do you just want to look fancy? Or do you have a skin issue that you want to cover? Any reason you want to wear makeup is a good one, I think. If wearing makeup makes you feel pretty, then I think you should. But the important corollary that goes along with makeup is that you need to realize that you're just as pretty without it. The problem arises when women feel that their faces are lacking, aren't pretty, without makeup. Magazines have taught us for years that unless we put on X, Y, and Z every day, we'll look like horrible sweaty beasts. But you'll just look like someone with no makeup on. 

All you have to do is pick which way you want to look. Either way is fine, the way to pick is the way that makes you feel good about yourself. And if you feel better with some foundation and eye shadow on, then slap it on! But if putting it on messes with your head and tears up your self esteem, leading you to believe that you can't be seen in public without any makeup...maybe you need to think about what you're trying to hide behind all of it. Figure out why you're uncomfortable with yourself, and if you do and are ready to pop on some eye shadow after your self esteem is back to normal, then by all means do it!

Feel free to discuss this in the comments, but any mean or hateful comments will be deleted.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

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!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

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.

Monday, October 15, 2012

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.)

Thursday, October 11, 2012

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.