Donna Draper

Glasses: Prada (ooh la la) | Necklace: gift from my parents | Dress: Anthropologie | Boots: Belk | Lips: NARS Funny Face

Okay, so a few notes on the things I'm wearing.

First of all, I have new glasses! I smudged them within five minutes of wearing them, which is par for the course for me. I feel very modern Mad Men in them. Trying on glasses is probably the only opportunity I'll ever have to wear things by the likes of Tom Ford and Prada.

Second, this dress was a Christmas gift from me to me, wrapped by my mom because I'm weird and like to buy things for myself for Christmas and then unwrap them. I stalked the green version of this dress online for a while but it was ridiculously expensive and I resigned myself to the fact that I would never have it. I ended up in Charlotte to get a new Mac power cable, and I swung by Anthro while I was at the mall and they had this colour version of the dress--and it was $40! WORTH IT.

Three--that pink thing on my arm is not some cool new thing. (If it is will someone please tell me so I know?) Over the weekend I went for a walk with my mom and on the way back I caught a glimpse of our neighbour's horse with her leg through the fence. We went down into her field to try and help her, and of course she bit me. Like the took a big old chunk of my arm. Nerves, definitely, but I wasn't too pleased. (We ultimately got her separated from the fence, thanks to a sharp pair of wire cutters.) I iced it but it actually turned slightly green--and I don't bruise, so greenish is bad for me--and it's extremely tender, sore, and slightly hard. I read online that KT tape sometimes helps with swelling and soreness, so I swung by the Cardiganland sports place and picked up a roll. So far, it's at the least stabilized the area and it doesn't hurt as much, so that's nice! And now I have a roll of KT tape in case (for when?) I get hurt running. Because let's be honest, when you run, it's bound to happen.

Two nine

Top: J.Crew | Skirt: JCPenney | Heels: DSW

I've made the leap (amble? inevitable drag?) into another age, from 28 to 29. I really like prime numbers, so I'm pretty enthused about being 29. I don't have any significant life plans for 29, except maybe probably moving in with my boyfriend, who very patiently listened to my strongarming ("I can't wait to get flowers for my birthday!"), and spending a likely very humid week with him in New Orleans in August. Lots of painting walls and decorating and gardening and all that cute crap that comes with living with the person you love. Maybe a couple more 5K races, if my knees can hold up (more on my first ever 5K later this week, I promise). Other than that: more work, more money, more (fewer?!) problems. One can hope. One can always hope.

Bells are ringing

Cardigan: J.Crew Factory | Dress: Old Navy | Boots: Belk | Lips: NARS Jungle Red

It rained like it was time to get the arc yesterday, and I had to pull out my boots to help my boyfriend look at houses. (He is buying, not we.) I realized partway through the day that I wasn't ready to give up boots yet, so despite a mostly nice day today, I clomped around work in these suckers. DON'T EVEN CARE. And it's a good thing I wasn't ready to give them up because they're really the only thing that first SIA this week. I was struggling to find the right thing to wear, and I ended up picking out an outfit that was motivated by the idea that this is what I would wear if I were in the painting. I'd be wandering around in the back.

For more outfits inspired by this week's Style Imitating Art pick, check out Jen's blog!

Dead trout

Cardigan: JCPenney | Dress: Dorothy Perkins, via Dani | Belt: Target | Heels: Pink Studio via Anthro (super old though)

Fun fact: when petals on Bradford pear trees start to wilt, they smell like rotting fish. The south currently smells like rotting fish.

Be happy you don't live here.

Protein party

Cardigan: Target | Dress: Dorothy Perkins, via Dani at DIYFATSHION | Belt: Target | Tights: Target | Flats: Target

I recently started eating Greek yogurt. I have never been a big fan of yogurt--I don't know why but I've never liked it--but I've been trying to cut down on my cholesterol/sugar intake, and one of my coworkers suggested Greek yogurt. And OH EM GEE it's basically the taste of sour cream with the consistency of cream cheese. Both things that I love. And there's fruit on the side! Is there anything NOT to love? I mean, aside from when it's gone, which is utterly devastating. Do any of you guys eat Greek yogurt? What brand do you eat? I've been in on Fage and the Publix brand (hell yeah) but I've heard mixed reviews about Chobani. Give me your recs! I can quit when I want! Whatever!

The return

Necklace: JCPenney | Sweater: Ann Taylor | Skirt: Target | Wedges: Target | Lips: Sonia Kashuk Poppy Nude

I'm baaaaaaaack! Today marks my very first outfit photos since surgery (not including the outfit I managed to pull on specifically for SIA a few weeks ago), and it feels good, even if my lens is busted and my remote is dying and my tripod crushed my finger. And perfect timing, too, since today is an SIA based on Parade, by Charles and Ray Eames. Jen is hosting SIA this week, so definitely check out her blog tomorrow to see all the inspired outfits!

Omaha

Necklace: made by T. | Dress: Ann Taylor Factory Store | Wedges: Target

HELLO FOOTBALL SEASON! I get derpy around this time every single year and my blinders go on and all I see is footballfootballfootball. I told my boyfriend that if he survives this fall with me, we'll be in good shape. I don't think he understands what I mean when I say 12pm-12am every single Sunday. Let's see how long he lasts before he snaps.

What to wear to a Nickel Creek concert

Nickel Creek, with Josh Ritter
August 14th @ 7:30pm
Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary, NC

E. wore:



I wore:



There are some musicians that you should just feel honoured to watch perform. Like Bob Seger, or Reba McEntire. Or Dolly Parton, or Queen (while Freddie was still alive, of course). There are artists who just take music and performing to a whole different level. It's a surreal experience--an unforgettable one.

Nickel Creek, to me, is like that. The honour that I felt sitting in my folding chair ten rows from the front as Nickel Creek came out onto the stage nearly swelled out of my body and into the air around me. I've been a fan of Nickel Creek since I was a middle school and I have wanted to see them for nearly as long, and when they broke up in 2007, I was crushed. I thought I had lost my opportunity to experience something great.

And then, this year, they got the band back together. And I about had a meltdown and bought tickets and then asked one of my all-time favourite people, E., to come with me, since she lives about 45 minutes from Cary. And she said yes, so we went! I was thrilled; I haven't seen E. since last August, and we haven't had time to chat much in the last few months. My mom loves E. and has noted once or twice that whenever I'm around E. she brings out something better in me. Stronger, wiser, nicer. She's one of three people with whom I can tolerate a long road trip. She never makes fun of my weird eating habits. Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like E.

So between spending my evening with E. and seeing some of the most exceptional musicians on the planet, I feel very honoured indeed.

Life lately

Cardigan: Target | Top: J.Crew Factory | Skirt: Talbots | Heels: Urban Outfitters

Summer has been hectic, to say the least; this was my first year at work kind of having control of our adult summer reading program, which was an encompassing program that covered all ten of our branches and involved a lot of work to put together--not that I'm complaining, because I love summer reading and I'm VERY proud of the program & how it came together. But it's kept me very busy! There are days where my boss and I will go home and she'll text me and say "are you as tired as I am?" and the answer is almost always yes. And although summer reading is over, there are still statistics to compile, reports to write, debriefing to do...and then my boss is going on sabbatical for a month. And my coworker (and my very good friend) C. has moved to Atlanta to pursue her Ph.D. in English literature. I cried when she told me she was leaving, and I'm crushed to see her go, but the amount of pride that I have for her makes my heart glow like a neon sign in the desert.

This is also my first summer in a very long time with a boyfriend. (I know you're all chomping at the bit to hear more about him, and I promise I'll do a post about him soon!) It's made things harder--we are technically long distance, although he lives a two hour drive away instead of a two hour flight away, like my last boyfriend did. We see each other most weekends, and sometimes even during the week. Having him to rely on for support when I need it has been amazing, but I've felt a bit of a struggle between the life I've had for the last three years of hanging out with my friends and doing whatever I want & the life I have now--the one where I actually have to consider what someone else wants. I've been on the road a lot since February, when we first started dating, replacing curling for the most part with visiting my boyfriend. We will, hopefully, not be so far apart for TOO much longer, but my time has been taken away from other things...like spending half an hour taking pictures of myself in an abandoned parking lot.

But oh, when I get the chance to take those photos of myself, how I cherish it. Right now, it's about the only time that I'm truly alone. A lot of my friends now will probably tell you I'm extroverted, but it's not exactly true--I like to be social and active, but I need a lot of time to unwind and separate from the world, and I don't get to do that very often. I miss the chance to document what I wear, and to be honest, I'm going to be repeating some outfits in the future so I can photograph them for the blog. I miss manipulating my camera, experimenting with framing, and being the only model I'll never have full control over. And most of all, I miss all of you. Having people who understand what it's like to do this silly thing where we take pictures of what we wear and put them online for other people to look at is essential to having the motivation to keep coming back, and I always get that from y'all. And you have no idea how much I appreciate it.

And also I'm really lazy, but I can get over that. The point of all of this is to explain myself, I guess, but also to just verify that I'm going nowhere. My priorities in life have shifted some, from school and curling to work and boyfriend, but none of it matters if I'm not wearing clothing. I'll keep wearing clothing, and I'll keep documenting it whenever I can. Like this outfit...for which I got the daylights bitten out of me by noseeums, but it was worth it.

Death by Martha

Pink scarf: JCPenney | Blue scarf: Target | Sweater: Target | Dress as skirt: Target | Tights: Target | Flats: DSW

I have taken more of an interest in cooking in the last six months or so. I'm getting better at it and feel capable of making a LOT more than I used to be able to make. (I am also the primary cooker in my family now!) I read food blogs and Google recipes and my recipe pinboard is the second largest one I have (clothes, of course, still hold first place). And my parents did get me the god of mixers, so my baking can go to an even higher level. (I've always been a good baker.) But since I want to inch forward with my cooking, I checked this out from work. And I have received no short variety of comments about Martha. But to be entirely fair to Martha, looking through the book, it's actually really easy to follow. She explains damn near everything about cooking, along with the basics of baking. So I raise my glass to you, Martha, for enabling me to make my friends even more jealous with my cooking skills.