Simply Grateful

Hay-loooooo err-body! Howdy ho, how’s it going? Well...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:41:34 -0500

Hay-loooooo err-body!

Howdy ho, how’s it going? Well hopefully, Tumblr has not forgotten me, as I have definitely not forgotten Tumblr or the blogosphere. I miss it! I have some updates to give you all, but I’ll get straight to the point.

First off, (super-belated) happy new year! :) I decided that this year, 2012, I am going to make some serious changes. I first decided to take a very big plunge…with my hair! Don’t get me wrong, I love having long hair, and its thickness can be both a blessing and a curse at times. However, for the past year or so, I have been contemplating getting it cut short…pretty short. As in, above my shoulders, but not pixie style. (Oh gosh, not sure if I’ll ever be ready for that!). But nonetheless, I have cut it! I have provided plenty of pics so you get the idea.

Another thing, my eyes continue to age. ::sigh:: I now have to wear two different prescriptions for my eyes. Yep, you heard right. TWO DIFFERENT prescriptions for my eyeballs. The eye doc even told me that my eyes are so “complicated” that they do not even make contact lenses that would be suitable for me. And I can’t wear progressive lens (or bifocals as my daddy still calls ‘em) because my eyes are not “bad enough” yet to require that. Eek.

So, here I am, in my new glasses! My new Chanel glasses, I may add. They are so divine! Yes, I know they’re quirky, but I wanted it that way. Most everything I do is intentional—in that I know I’m a very feminine, frilly, girlie girl so I thought that I’d like to balance that out with adding some very masculine looking frames. Believe me, I had this all planned before I even step foot in there for my appointment. I knew what I was going for. I still have my gorgeous Coach glasses from before, with new prescriptions of course, and it’s nice to be able to switch between the two.

Along with another important blog update is that I no longer have a functioning digital camera. :( I have my phone camera, of course, which I use a lot. but I don’t have an actual digital camera now. I found out I had a problem with it, and was told it would probably be cheaper to get a new camera than to pay to get the problem fixed with the one I have. There are so many things I’ve saving up money for though, so I’m not sure if I’ll be getting a new camera soon. So, this gets to the bottom line: I am not sure how often I’ll be able to post outfit pics. Boo. boo. I know that I haven’t been posting much, but I may have to revert to showing some older outfit pics that I’ve never posted and/or trying to post pics of what I’m wearing from a website.

And, I’m off. For now! :)

♥ x 1000,

Lar

Do you speak in "Vocal Fry"?

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:46:07 -0500

Do you speak in "Vocal Fry"?:

Read this article & listen to the audio portion of it ladies! Such an interesting concept…I’m wondering now if I speak like this…I tend to think no, but I may occasionally use some vocal fry.

I dunno about y'all...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:36:10 -0500

but these Cyber Monday deals are KILLIN’ me. I have credit at several places - meaning I can buy some things at several places online and not feel bad about it because I have credit there and/or a gift card to use. Woo hoo! However, being that I’m SUCH an online shopper (ok scratch that - I’m a huge SHOPPER! in store/online, you name it), I struggle with being able to keep myself away from such delicious consumer friendly fun. It’s not all wallet friendly, but hey, like I said earlier about the credit I already have at some stores…. O:)

Anyone else drooling over Cyber Monday?

Awww, this kitty cat reminds me of my sweet little “Kitty...

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:43:19 -0500

Awww, this kitty cat reminds me of my sweet little “Kitty Pity” I had as a child. Her actual name was “Rosie”, and I named her that because when I got her, the first thing I noticed was how pink and “rosy” her ears were in contrast to her snow white fur. I was the proud caretaker of her at the age of 4, prior to my knowing I was allergic to cats. Now that I know, I can’t have another cat, but seeing this picture reminds me of my sweet little kitty.

sarazucker: i am now the super-pleased-with-herself owner of...

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:11:02 -0500

sarazucker:

i am now the super-pleased-with-herself owner of this tom binns ring, which i obtained at a reasonable 50% off thanks to net-a-porter’s pre-black friday, facebook-based “secret sale.” here is my justification for making such a sudden purchase:

it’s on sale!

it’s not another purse!

i’ll wear it forever!

TOM BINNS!

After seeing this post in my dashboard, I said to myself…”wait, what? Net-a-porter’s having a ‘Secret Sale’ of 50% off?!?! HURRY!!!” So I clicked on the “secret sale” link to get to Facebook and “liked” the page, then scurried off to find my goodies. And here it is!

Antik Batik - set of cuffs! :) Yay! Had I not been feeling so frugal, I would’ve bought a few other items as well, especially the Tom Binns ring featured here (as it would go beautifully with my new cuffs). However, frugality won out…as it typically does. :)

So now, I urge you ladies to run to the net-a-porter sale!!!

Useless Things I Need/Want: Turtle Mouse OMG! Too cute!!! I...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:48:54 -0500

Useless Things I Need/Want: Turtle Mouse

OMG! Too cute!!! I looooove turtles! =)

”Gettin’ Drunk Off Books” by Jared Cunningham...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:19:02 -0500

”Gettin’ Drunk Off Books” by Jared Cunningham featuring Struan Shields

Too funny! Someone sent this email to me. I think it’s pretty hilarious. Considering I work in an academic/library setting myself.

Beats Antique - “The Lantern” I absolutely adore...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:25:44 -0500

Beats Antique - “The Lantern”

I absolutely adore this song, as well as this musical group. They are SO good. The album, called Tribal Derivations, is absolutely amazing. We dance to some of their music in Belly Dance class and it’s so great. Very sensual and moving.

Centering Yourself

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:57:50 -0500

Centering Yourself:

Yesterday was a really stressful day for me. I believe I’ve mentioned before on here how much I enjoy the website TinyBuddha. It’s chock full of articles that remind you to really live life and to stop focusing so much on the negative. I use it a lot when I am feeling overwhelmed, stressed, upset, frustrated, angry, or sad. Yesterday, I was in desperate need of a TinyBuddha article. Here’s the link to yesterday’s choice. It helped so much. Today, I felt like I needed one as well.

Useless Things I Need/Want: Shark Fin Shower Cap This is so...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:12:12 -0500

Useless Things I Need/Want: Shark Fin Shower Cap

This is so awesome for so many reasons. I use a shower cap occasionally (yes, just call me grandma!), and I can see myself donning this Shark cap rather than my lovely lavender one. I would probably laugh hysterically at myself for several minutes and then carry one with my day.

Treating myself to this block of deliciousness for my dessert. ...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:39:27 -0500

Treating myself to this block of deliciousness for my dessert. ;) I promise I won’t eat the whole thing!!!

Oh snap! "Doctor" Conrad Murray Found Guilty!

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:41:02 -0500

Oh snap! "Doctor" Conrad Murray Found Guilty!

My Class Ring! NC State University Alumni right here! :) Ok, so...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:06:49 -0500

My Class Ring! NC State University Alumni right here! :)

Ok, so maybe I graduated like…almost 5 years ago (eep!). When I graduated my parents gave me the choice of getting a really, super duper nice frame for my diploma or a class ring, and at the time, I decided my diploma frame. I couldn’t WAIT to hang that beautiful piece of paper up on my bedroom wall and I wanted it to look beautiful while up there, not in some cheap plastic $5 frame you get at Walmart.

So, anyhoo…I have been wanting my class ring for YEARS! I walked into the NCSU Bookstore during my break one late September day and saw the rings on display. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about my goals, my career, where I want to go in my life, and so seeing those rings really made me think. I decided to go over and take a peek, but knew I probably wouldn’t purchase anything. Well, lo & behold, I did! It was not an impulse buy at all…it was something I’ve been thinking over for years and I decided that I wanted to give this ring to myself as a present. A way to pat myself on the back for all I’ve accomplished since graduating from my alma mater, who I love so dearly! :)

PS. We beat Carolina this weekend in football!!!! 13-0 y’all!!!!!!! :D

Feeling so much better now...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:37:10 -0400

Without getting into much detail, Walter’s immediate, severe health issues have been mitigated at this point. He was admitted into NCSU’s Teaching Vet Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. He underwent a series of testing and even surgery. Thankfully, Walter’s pain immediately dissipated after his surgery and I was able to bring him home on Sunday morning. It was such a beautiful day - literally and figuratively.

It’s hard to talk about Walter’s health…through his ordeal last year, I never wrote about his accident in detail. Ok, scratch that. I did write about it, but I did not post it. It was too hard to. I would like to post about it one day, and I hope to. This time around, his ordeal was not as scary (for various reasons) as it was last time.

But I am grateful, so grateful, for Walter and the veterinarians and vet students at NC State University. I love NCSU for so many reasons, but as I’ve come to realize, their vet school is state of the art - top of the class. I am also so thankful for my parents’ support, both of me and Walter, and I do not regret for a moment ever having helped my baby out - even through two expensive surgeries.

♥,

Laura

This week has had a pretty bad start to it. Not that last week ended well either, which definitely...

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:51:32 -0400

This week has had a pretty bad start to it. Not that last week ended well either, which definitely plays a role into why I am feeling down.

My beautiful sweet darling dachshund, Walter, is having health problems again. At this point, I do not care to get into the details, but I am extremely worried about him. I am trying to stay calm and focus on the things I need to focus on right now, but it’s hard. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

♥Lar

Stressed. Today is sooooo stressful @ work. Ay-carumba!!!

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:33:25 -0400

Stressed. Today is sooooo stressful @ work. Ay-carumba!!!

Belated Blog Birthday

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:52:00 -0400

Happy {Belated} Birthday to my blog!!!!

September 29, 2008 - first blog post.

For my first post in God knows how long…I’ve decided I’ve needed to say something. It’s taken me awhile to formulate what I was feeling inside, and thinking in my mind, to what I am about to articulate in clear words.

I don’t post nearly as much as I used to. Sad, but true fact. I don’t post nearly as much as I’d like to. Again, sad, but true fact. And although I’ve been crazy busy out-of-my-mind kind of busy this past year, I have reached the conclusion that a whole other reason has played into why I draft posts, but don’t post them often. Or why I think of millions of ideas for posts, but never post them. I’m trying too hard to make my blog perfect.

Allow me to explain…

When I first started writing this blog, it was just a place for me to put pictures of cute things or something pretty, a place to share my thoughts, ideas, and opinions, a place to call my own—Laura’s digital scrapbook of life. But somehow along the way, I gained tons of followers, and while that’s great, it does put some pressure to produce ”good” content. And not just good content, it’s gotta be GREAT! I see all these other bloggers with super awesome, well thought out posts and graphic design that blows me away and…I wanted to be that way. I still want to be that way, but I realize that I’ve got to be me. I cannot scrutinize every post I want to put up for fear that it’s not like the bloggers I deeply admire. I think I got caught up in this idea that some very lucky bloggers get paid for what they do, *full-time*, and show up at fashion week in the front row and get photo opps with magazines, designers, and big name retail chains. I wanted to be that and the fear of NOT being that paralyzed me. How will I ever even try to get to that point if I don’t post anything? I have realized this, the error of my ways, and decided to put a stop to this. I wanted to make this announcement as well because perhaps someone else is feeling like that out there, and maybe they will understand where I’m coming from. Or, even if you haven’t experienced what I have felt, perhaps this will be a decent read for you and let you in to the lives of others. I still have goals and dreams for my blog (and my life in general, but that’s another story…), but I realize that I’ve got to get MOVING in order to do that. I cannot sit and stare at my blog and keep hoping that it’ll look cooler or that I’ll have H&M call me to do a photoshoot (haha). And another thing, when I read other awesome blogs, I cannot sit there wishing mine was more like theirs. I have promised myself to read blogs I enjoy and not get hell-bent over the idea that they are more successful than mine.

Besides,The whole point why I started this blog was just for me. When I first posted, of course I had no followers, just like everyone else. For awhile, I only had about 20 or so, but then it blew up and now the numbers slowly creep down. I won’t worry about that.

So cheers to my blog being around for 3 grand years, and many more! Here’s to releasing that (blog)self-conscious, being me, and posting away! :)

♥♥♥Laura

Hi Kiddos! Did we all enjoy NYFW (New York Fashion Week, for those who don’t know)?!?!? I know...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:36:05 -0400

Hi Kiddos!

Did we all enjoy NYFW (New York Fashion Week, for those who don’t know)?!?!? I know I sure did, even though I wasn’t exactly in the front row….but, in my view, watching streaming video of fashion shows is pretty much like first row, if not better. ;)

How are my little blog readers doing? I hope you all have not suffered too greatly at my expense ::tear:: I’ve been up to a lot, that I hope to be able to blog about soon enough! It’s not that it’s all a huge secret or anything, it’s just that I am really trying to focus on myself these days. My wants, needs, dreams, goals, etc. You know what I mean? It’s not exactly soul-searching, though believe me, I’ve had my fair share of that and then some, but it’s figuring out life. Figuring out the big decisions that impact you for the rest of your life. It’s exciting, but extremely daunting at the same time. And other times? It’s down-right lonely. Sad. Frustrated. Today (at least during this hour, haha), I am feeling chipper and upbeat. That’s how I usually am. Other times I am feeling the negative aforementioned feelings. Staying positive is something I try to do well with, and it’s something I think is extremely important too.

With Love,

Laura

littlelaur: this is your friendly reminder that as of today,...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:26:14 -0400

littlelaur:

this is your friendly reminder that as of today, you can shop zara online. good morning indeed.

Ok, so I already replied on Lauren’s post how much I loved this post, but this really picked me up today. We do not have a Zara ANYWHERE close by in Raleigh, North Carolina, and it’s kind of surprising given that we have a lot of other stores that have opened up here recently (past 5+ years) that are major. It’s not like Raleigh is the boonies or anything! I guess we’re catching up somewhat in the fashion department.

Anyways, I need a little help. Given that I own NOTHING from this store and have wanted to for years, what is are the sizes like? Is it “true to size”? Or is it like H&M where when it says EU 2/US 2, then that is actually not correct?!? In H&M, I used to feel like a cow, until I realized that others had the same problem I did in that the sizing was not exactly the same, even though it has the US size on it. Ok, please help me!

Next please…a TopShop for Raleigh?!? :) At least they have online shopping in the USA. :)

Hello my dears! How is everyone doing? I’m doing well I suppose. It always seems like there is...

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:44:47 -0400

Hello my dears!

How is everyone doing? I’m doing well I suppose. It always seems like there is so much going on at any given point, and I feel like I can’t keep up fast enough a lot of times. It’s like treading and barely keeping my head above water most days. Not to say I’m drowning, it’s just that I’m surrounded by so many thoughts and little projects for myself and my ideas and creativity and the relationships I have with those around me. It’s a wonder I have any room up in that brain for anything else.

And this weekend, I had things planned! I even made a shopping list (or a Seasonable Fashion Wish List like I do every season), and then made a “To-Do” list with some of the projects as on-going. But sadly, I ended up feeling sick on Saturday. That was day #3 of having a migraine and I finally ended that bad boy once and for all with a prescription medication. So both Saturday and Sunday, I basically sat around in my PJs watching TV, reading fashion mags, and hanging out with my puppies. Labor Day (yesterday) I ended up actually being productive! I had these lists and there I was sitting on my buns for two days because I was so pooped out from the previous week! Man, I worked hard and I deserved those two lazy days danggit! Haha. So by being “productive” yesterday, I mean doing laundry, organizing some things, and running to the mall (I need to write a separate post about that). I hope you all have a fabulous long weekend!

♥LarLar