T Minus, T Plus

Blue Day

2012-02-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was one of those days when it seems like everyone wore the same color to work. It amused us all, so we decided to all wear blue today. I love this sweater but I didn't want to just throw it on with jeans, so I decided to try it out with this grey pencil skirt. I really like the juxtoposition of the casual sweater with the professional skirt. I forgot to take a close-up pic of my tights, but they are not solid - they're a nice cable-knit pattern.

What I Wore That Was Blue:

blue striped sweater (Lane Bryant)
grey pencil skirt (Lane Bryant)
grey tights (Avenue)
black booties (Kmart)
earrings ($4 jewelry store in NYC)
ring (c/o Charming Charlie)

MIA

2012-02-06T14:57:00.000-06:00

In the three years that T Minus, T Plus has been around (3rd year anniversary coming soon!) I don't think I've ever gone more than a week without posting. But all of a sudden I find that it's been more than 3 weeks since my last post. Thanks to everyone who emailed me asking if I was okay or maybe on vacation. I wish I could say that I have been galavanting across Europe for three weeks, but sadly that was not the case. I've been in Dallas, going to work and not doing very much else. Longer than normal hours at work combined with a significantly longer commute has really cut down on my available free time. And once you add in a lingering fatigue and illness that I just couldn't shake, all I have done is eat dinner and then go to bed once I get home from work. Most nights I didn't even really feel like eating dinner, so I've accidentally lost 5 pounds.

I did manage to take a few outfit photos during that time, but not very many. And you aren't missing much with the unphotographed outfits, because it got the point that all I cared about was if I was wearing clean and comfortable clothes. Thankfully, casual clothes are 100% acceptable at my current job. But now that I am starting to feel better, I am looking forward to putting together cute looks again.

What I Wore While Going MIA:

studded jeggings (c/o Simply Be)
black tank (NY&Co.)
animal print tunic (c/o Sealed With a Kiss)
grey suede boots (Lane Bryant Outlet)
earrings (Rainbow)
necklace (Target)

BTW, I am loooooving my new jacket. I've been wearing every cold day and I get compliments on it every time I wear it. Everyone seems to like the unique shape. Me too!! And it keeps me nice and warm.

Makeup Fiascos

2012-01-12T21:46:00.001-06:00

I swear I wear makeup. Honest. Although you can never tell from my photos.

See, I was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding years and years ago. It was my 4th time being a bridesmaid that year. And after the photos from the first two wedding came back, we realized that all of the girls in the wedding parties looked drained even though everyone had looked lovely in person. At the 3rd wedding we talked to the photographer and the makeup artist (yep, the bride hired a makeup artist for us at that wedding). They informed us that we really needed to amp up our makeup if we wanted it to look good in the photos. So the makeup artist really slathered it on. I remember thinking that I looked like I had waaaay to much makeup on. But the photos were all amazing.

So, at this 4th wedding, where I didn't know any of the other bridesmaids (I was a friend of the groom), I shared my "wedding makeup wisdom" and convinced all these girls to pile it on. um...When the photos came back we all looked like little girls that had gotten into their moms' makeup drawers. Not good. I remember that I, in particular, looked like I should be working in a brothel. Although I must not have looked completely horrible, since I started dating one of the groomsmen that I met that night. Or maybe it was my charm. Or the copious amounts of bourbon we were drinking that made me seem charming. Ha!

Ever since then, I don't worry about my makeup in photos.

What I Wore That Included Makeup:

black jeans (Avenue)
green shirt (via Goodwill)
dotted cardigan (Lane Bryant)
belt (? off some random dress, I think)
green loafers ($4 Shoe Store)
necklace (Target new stock via Goodwill)

A New Dress???

2012-01-11T22:13:00.002-06:00

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "You look really nice. Is that dress new?" No, I've had it since summer. "Oh, I guess I've never seen you wear it." Uh...I probably wore it at least 10 times since I got it. "Hmmm."

I really did live in this dress on the weekends. It even made it onto the blog a couple of times. It's so sheer and lightweight, I wasn't sure if I could wear it during the winter, but I wanted to try. Tights, boots, and a jacket seemed the easiest way to do it, and I think it worked out pretty well.

What I Wore That Rand Forgot:

dress (c/o Torrid)
black tights (Avenue)
black boots (Avenue)
black jacket (Newport News)
brooch (Goodwill)
bracelet (Charming Charlie)
earrings (?)

Red, Black, & Grey

2012-01-10T21:32:00.000-06:00

We had a nice fire tonight and lounged around on the couches, soaking up the heat. Unfortunately, in the building stages of the fires, I tried to make a rather tricky log-swap manuever. And, uh, the log, which was on fire rolled right out of the grill and onto the rug. All the little coals singed tons of dark spots into the rug. It's a hand-me-down rug and not particularly in my style, but it's a very nice quality oriental rug and I hadn't really planned on replacing it yet. Guess that's the risk you run when playing with fire. LOL

What I Wore While Setting The Rug on Fire:

black slacks (Lane Bryant)
grey wrap sweater (Target)
red flats (Target)
scarf (Goodwill)
bracelet (Goodwill)
earrings (Target new stock via Goodwill)

Safari in the Office

2012-01-09T23:19:00.000-06:00

I absolutely loved this outfit all day long. You know how some days, you think you look really cute when you leave the house and then you catch a glimpse of yourself in a window and realize that you look horrible? Or sometimes you start out looking cute but everything goes limp and gets wrinkled five minutes after you walk out the door? I hate days like those. I always feel like I need say to people "I promise, I didn't look this schlumpy when I left the house. Trust me, when I'm being schlumpy, it's much worse than this." Or something along those lines. Well, today, I felt great all day long. Nothing got super wrinkled or drooped. I didn't spend all day readjusting anything to keep it in place. And, I was supremely comfortable to boot. In fact, I left work early because I felt so sick, and went straight home and laid down on the couch without even changing into comfy clothes. Bonus!

No outfit assessment from Rand on this one since I was covered up in a blanket by the time he got home. But I think I look like I'm going on a safari - in an office.

What I Wore While Taking an Office Safari:

I'm hunting...paperclips!

army green pencil skirt (Lane Bryant)
chambray blouse (Target via Goodwill)
earrings (?)
black boots (Avenue)
animal print belt (c/o Lane Bryant)

Preppy in Pink

2012-01-05T22:59:00.000-06:00

Let me just say, I hate it when this happens. I swear that this shirt did not pull when I put it on. But by the time I added the sweater and then sat around at work, the shirt settled into a decidedly puckered position. Not flattering and not appropriate! Oh well, you can't win them all. On the bright side, I don't normally dress quite this preppy. It took me back to my highschool and college days when Gap ruled and everything I owned was definitely preppy. Well, except for my birkenstocks. But I went to college in Austin and you were pretty much required to own birks in Austin in the early 90s.

What I Wore That Was Preppy But Pulled:

trouser jeans (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
blue check blouse (George via Goodwill)
pink sweater (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
necklace (Dana Buchman via Kohls)
grey suede flats (Target)
pink earrings (Old Navy)

Curly Q Scarf

2012-01-04T18:50:00.001-06:00

My sister-in-law has several of these curly scarves that she wears regularly and I always lusst after them. When I saw her over the holidays, she had on a black one and it triggered something in the back of my brain. Basically, it went like this (in my head). "I love that scarf. She has the greatest scarves. Man, I really need to get one of those. I wonder if I could just grab it off her neck and run for the door? Wait! Don't you already one of those, you idiot?"

Yep. I was so excited when I got one in my swag bag from Full Figured Fashion Week, but it wasn't really seasonally appropriate at the time. So I shoved it in with all my other scarves and forgot about it. For shame!

What I Wore After Not Stealing From My SIL:

black sweater (JCPenney)
jeans (Elle via Goodwill)
black stud flats (Gabriella Rocha)
earrings (??)
scarf (FFFW swag)

Accidental Twins

2012-01-03T21:05:00.000-06:00

When I got to work in the morning, the first thing I noticed was that the woman I sit next to was dressed very similarly to me. We both had on red shirts under camel colored sweaters, with skinny jeans tucked into brown boots. She was a sport and let me take a pic of her while we were grabbing lunch.

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "I like her outfit better. I like the button at the top of her sweater."

What I Wore That Was Really Similar to My Coworker:

red blouse (LYS via Kmart)
camel cardigan (c/o Simply Be)
jeggings (c/o Simply Be)
brown boots (Avenue)
purse (Old Navy)
earrings (Lane Bryant)
necklace (via Goodwill)

Unwrapping the Online Shopping Spree - Simply Be

2012-01-02T23:49:00.000-06:00

It's been so long since I did one of these - all my shopping has been at Goodwill lately. I hope you enjoy this video of my recent shopping with Simply Be. The items are linked on the original shopping post.

PS - I'm still trying to decide if I want to take that blue dress to a tailor b/c I love it so much and I know it will be perfect for work.

Satin Stripes

2011-12-30T20:45:00.000-06:00

I picked up so many cute tops from Goodwill while I was unemployed (seriously, much better thrifting mid-day, mid-week!) that I am still pulling "new" ones out of my closet. I love the burgundy, white, and grey stripes on this shirt. And the fact that it is satin makes it so much easier to layer under sweaters. I love layering but I hate all the shifting and arranging you have to do when you layer two cotton pieces on top of each other. It takes forever for me to get everything to lay correctly. But maybe that's just me. Maybe I'm getting dressed impaired.

What I Wore That Went On Smoothly:

striped top (Unique Spectrum via Goodwill)
denim skirt (Lane Bryant)
purple sweater (Dress Barn)
maroon tights (Hanes)
black peeptoe booties (via Kmart)
silver owl pin (via Goodwill)
silver necklace (swag from Full Figured Fasion Week)

Copycat: Zooey Deschanel

2011-12-27T18:41:00.001-06:00

I don't subscribe to any magazines, but I read a bunch of them while I am sitting in the doctor's waiting room. And I'm in that waiting room a lot. So, I'm generally up-to-date on celeb gossip, diet fads, etc. Last week I picked up a copy of People and accidentally came home with it. My accidental thievery ended up being a good thing, because when I finished reading the magazine at home, I noticed this picture of Zooey Deschanel in their StyleWatch section. It's hard to see from the scanned image, but her skirt has little specs of aqua and purple in it, just like my skirt. So I knew I had to do a copycat. After I had already finished my hair, I realized I totally should have done some faux bangs since she is known for her bangs.

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "I don't know what to say about that."

What I Wore While Copycatting Zooey Deschanel:

spotted skirt (via Goodwill)
black tights (Avenue)
black tank (NY&Co.)
aqua cardigan (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
black flats (Target)
purple necklace (c/o Torrid)
black watch (c/o Charming Charlie)

Online Shopping Spree - Simply Be

2011-12-22T20:55:00.000-06:00

I've been looking for a new winter coat and I found this amazing one at Simply Be. And, ahem, I may have picked out a bunch other stuff that I loved too. I can't wait until it all arrives!

Featured In: My Edit

2011-12-22T08:03:00.002-06:00

Do you read My Edit? If not, you should. Not only does she have fun style, but she's a fellow thrifter. You gotta love that. She's such a fan of thrifting that she has a regular post called "She Thrifted" where she featured other bloggers and their thrifted style. I am honored that she she featured me this week. Pop on over and check out her blog!

Walk Like a Egyptian (Hippie)

2011-12-21T20:32:00.002-06:00

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "You look like a hippie." What? I'm all shiny and have glitter on my shoes? How is that hippie at all? "You look like Egyptian hippie."

At this point I busted out laughing. Okay, I guess I see what he's saying about it being "hippie" since the shirt is cut almost like a peasant blouse, but the whole idea was just funny to me. I didn't have any jewelry on yet when he said that, so I selected my most "egytpian" looking pieces to go with his theme. LOL

What I Wore While Walking Like an Egyptian (Hippie):

jeans (Lane Bryant)
gold and black satin blouse (CATO via Goodwill)
gold glitter flats (via Ross)
necklace (via Goodwill)
earrings (Macy's)
door badge on a belt clip (c/o my job)

I've been taking my photos in the parking lot during the work day so that I have decent light. I don't like it. I keep getting busted by people and I'm all rumpled looking by then.

Is it Winter?

2011-12-20T20:50:00.004-06:00

My new office is like a sauna. (Did you just hear that like the guy in the Progressive commercials? I did. It's like a sow-na.) It's so hot that it is really making it difficult to dress seasonally appropriately. So today I dressed for the office. I froze my tushie off walking to and from the car. I know, I know. I should have worn a jacket, but that takes using your brain. And mine was still turned off when I left the house at 7am. Brrr.

What I Wore That Was Seasonally Confused:

blue tank (Old Navy)
cardigan (Target)
coral skirt (ASOS Curve)
blue pumps (Rainbow)
blue necklace (charity shop)
earrings (Erin of Work With What You've Got)

What I Ate Thanks to For The Love of Cooking:

* This chicken recipe is so amazingly easy and super delish!

Maroon Witch's Skirt

2011-12-19T07:12:00.000-06:00

I know I don't look anything like a witch in the outfit (please ignore all nose warts that may indicate otherwise, and I've photoshopped myself a nice normal skin shade, not my normal green, so go along with me here.) But I felt like a witch all day long. The long skirt and the pointy shoes started me off in that direction, but then I noticed that these shoes make me walk with my toes turned out a little bit. I'm not sure what toes pointing out has to do with being a witch but I know from many viewing of Hocus Pocus and other awesome documentaries that it factors in somewhere.

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "That's a great outfit for drinking red wine."

What I Wore While Swearing I'm Not a Witch:

skirt* (Ellen Richman via Goodwill)
blouse (Just My Size via Goodwill)
earrings (via Goodwill)
flats (Franco Sarto)

* This is one of those broomstick skirts that everyone wore in the 90s. Since it was a heavier fabric than those were usually made out of, I simply washed it a few times and then ironed it once and all the tiny crinkle pleats are gone forever.

Classy Not Sassy

2011-12-16T21:32:00.000-06:00

We had training today for my new job -background on the lawsuit, etc.- with the client, so we actually had to dress like lawyers today. I opted for this shiny new-to-me blouse because I love the color. I really wanted to wear some sassy, patterned tights and boots, but wasn't sure what the client would think about that, so I went for a safe, plain tights and pumps. I totally regretted it when I saw someone else wearing exactly the look I was interested in. Oh well, I'll have plenty of time to wear funky tights and boots on other days.

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "You look classy."

What I Wore While Being Jealous of Someone Else's Outfit:

chartreuse satin blouse (Talbots via Goodwill)
black pinstripe skirt (Lane Bryant)
black tights (Avenue)
black pumps (Nicole Miller)
purse (Jessica Simpson c/o TJ Maxx)
black necklace (via Goodwill)
earrings (?)

Bailing Friends

2011-12-15T23:51:00.000-06:00

I just started a new contract job. Honestly, I'm not super excited about it. It pays half what my last job paid and requires a 45 minute commute. I took it because a couple of my work friends were also going to be there so I thought it would at least be a fun working environment. Unfortunately, they both bailed at the last minute, and then I realized that I was also going to have to miss the holidays with my family. Sigh. Oh well. You win some and you lose some. Anyway, the dress code is "casual, office appropriate," so I'll probably be wearing lots of jeans.

What I Wore While Silently Cursing My Work Friends:

jeans (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
silky patterned blouse (CHAUS via Goodwill)
earrings (Target)
olive wedges (BCBGirls)

Leather and...Costco?

2011-12-13T23:01:00.001-06:00

I've had this leather skirt for a few months now, but haven't had an appropriate opportunity to wear it. Leather isn't exactly office appropriate and is a little dressy for sitting on my couch while unemployed. But I've had this outfit picked out for awhile and I finally decided that I was going to wear it soon. Did I wear it on a date with my husband or out to a holiday part? Nope. I ran errands with a friend and was the fanciest person at Costco. It was kinda like a holiday party in that I ate a lot of "appetizers". (ahem, free samples.)

What I Wore While Chowing on Samples:

red leather skirt (Avenue via Goodwill)
black tank (Avenue)
cardigan (Lane Bryant)
black tights (Avenue)
black flats (Target)
earrings (street vendor)
necklace, modified with ribbon (via Goodwill)

Conservative Plaid Skirt

2011-12-12T18:46:00.000-06:00

I picked up this skirt recently from Goodwill. I have been finding lots of stuff at Goodwill since I have time to go during the day, in the middle of the week. I wasn't immediately sure if I wanted to get this skirt. I like it but the pattern, color, and length all combined together into one very conservative article of clothing. But it was 50% off making it only $1.50, so I grabbed it. I had a hard time coming up with a look that wasn't dowdy, but I like how this turned out.

And then I spilled blue nail polish on my skirt and stupidly tried to get it out with pure acetone. Now I have a slightly dowdy skirt with a hole in it. Oops! But I am sure am glad that I only paid $1.50 for it and wasn't majorly in love with it.

What I Wore Before Chemically Burning a Hole In It:

salmon plaid skirt (via Goodwill)
red shirt (J. Crew via Goodwill)
orange striped scarf (via Goodwill)
pink and salmon necklace (LOFT)
brown tights (Avenue)
brown boots (Cloudwalkers via Avenue)

I'm a Purse Pimp

2011-12-09T22:47:00.000-06:00

I own too many purses. Waaaay too many. See, no matter my weight, they always fit. So I generally don't get rid of them unless they die. Usually this causes problems b/c my current closet isn't set up to accommodate so many purses, but occasionally my problem is actually a plus. Like today. My sister-in-law has a Christmas party to go to and she needed a fancy clutch, but didn't want to go spend a ton of money on something she would only use once. Enter my massive purse collection. She came over, grabbed 4 clutches to take home to try out with her outfit, and then took me out for lunch. She got a free clutch and I got a free lunch. Win-win! And when she dropped me off after we were done, she commented on the purse I was carrying, so I emptied it out and gave that to her too.

Bonus: She also took me to her favorite consignment store in Dallas. None of the clothes were my size, but they had amazing things, so I really enjoyed browsing.

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "You look like something out of Gone With The Wind." You should have seen me when I had my petticoat on underneath it. (It was too much, but I really wanted it to work.)

What I Wore While Pimping My Purses For Food:

pink & orange dotted dress (Robbie Bee via Goodwill)
orange crochet trim tank (Old Navy)
grey cardigan (B'Leev via Ross)
grey suede boots (Lane Bryant Outlet)
grey purse (c/o Lane Bryant)
pink earrings (Old Navy)
pink necklace (c/o Charming Charlie)
tri-colored cuff bracelet (Charming Charlie)

I did my hair following these instructions, but even though I used hairspray, it only lasted about 10 minutes. Oh well.

Bear of Forgiveness

2011-12-08T23:57:00.001-06:00

One of my oldest friends just had her second baby. She and I made plans to get together at her house so I could see her cutie patootie. I didn't want her to go to any trouble for dinner, so I ran to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner for a couple of nights. Or at least I thought I could run to the store. I ended up having to go to 2 grocery stores and it took 3 hours. How the heck does it take 3 hours to get ingredients for 4 meals (2 for her and 2 for us)?!?! I have no clue, but it did and I ended up being almost an hour late going over to her house. Good thing I showed up with a giant plastic bear full of animal crackers, so all was forgiven.

What I Wore While Spending 3 Hours at Grocery Stores:

studded jeggings* (c/o Simply Be)
green cowlneck sweater (Old Navy)
green earrings (gift)
olive leaf brooch (via Goodwill)
olive flats (Kmart)

* video review of jeggings and other Simply Be items coming soon!

Fire Fire Fire

2011-12-07T13:58:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to get our fireplace inspected and repaired for a few months now. I thought I had called to make an appointment early enough in the year that it would be no problem, but I was totally wrong. I should have called while it was still 100 degrees outside rather than when it was 80. But the day finally arrived and the news was good - we can remove the gas logs that are in there and have a real fire. I am so excited! I love a real fire. Hello, s'mores and reading by the fire, here I come!

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "It looks like a paisley barfed up pink*. That's paisley, right?"

What I Wore While Getting The Fireplace Fixed:

*My top is more of a fuschia/bright pink, rather than the purple it's reading in these photos.

paisley skirt (Target)
fuschia top (via Goodwill)
black cardigan (hand-me-down from The Other Tina)
black tights (Avenue)
black flats (Target)
pink, black, & white bracelet (c/o Poshlocket)
earrings (Charming Charlie)

What I Ate That Wasn't a S'more...Yet:

breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with raisins and fat free half and half, blackberries, hot tea
lunch: spinach quesadilla, tortilla soup, orange
dinner: healthy sausage, roasted cabbage, roasted sweet potato rounds, lemonade

Not a Mommy Blogger

2011-12-05T13:31:00.001-06:00

My hair chopping experiment was a total failure. I finally asked Rand to look at the back of it after I gave it a nice brushing so it would all lay evenly. um...yeah. It's about 2 inches shorter on one side than the other. Since I cut off the same amount of hair everywhere, it was probably uneven from breakage prior to me cutting it. All I did was get rid of the scraggly ends that were disguising the unevenness. Oh well. I'll make an appointment to get it fixed. Eventually. How sad is it that it's not a priority right now since I'm spending most of my time at home, so no one sees it.

I actually left the house today to go to luncheon for mommy bloggers that Once Upon a Family invited me to. I am not really a mommy blogger, but I do have a private trying-to-conceive blog that I've been toying with making public. So I didn't feel totally out of place. It was a nice luncheon and I met some fun people.

What I Wore With Uneven Hair:

camel slacks (Lane Bryant)
satin blouse (via Goodwill)
grey leather vest (c/o Ashley Stewart)
earrings (vintage)
necklace (vintage)
bracelet (Charming Charlie)
spectator pumps (via Goodwill)