Closet Organizing Ninja.

I didn't die, I promise.  But when life gets busy, my Mom Uniform blog posts are the first things to suffer.  

But I LOVE the few days right after deadlines.  You take a day to relax, NOT shower and stay in your jammies all day.  Like a sick day.  Except that you spend the whole day working on projects that you finally have time for.  The next day you get tired of living in your own filth and clean the WHOLE house top to bottom and then take a blissfully long shower.  And get dressed up, curls and all.  

Cardigan: Downeast

Tank: Forever 21

Jeans: Downeast

Shoes: Forever 21...this is getting weird....

Oh and guess what else I did?

Yep.  I organized my closet.  I haven't done this in years!  Who has time to organize their closet, let alone put away the basket of folded laundry that's been sitting in the hallway all week?  But my closet has been looking abominable for awhile now and I just couldn't take it anymore. 

Just look at that!  All the skirts and dresses are on the far left.  Next are jackets and sweaters.  Next to that are collared shirts, then long-sleeved, then short-sleeved, then tanks, then belts.  And all sections are organized according to color.  Everyone needs to do this once in awhile!  It really helps you to evaluate your closet.  And discover stuff you forgot about!  And discover stuff that you now fit into because you haven't cheated on your diet in two weeks!  

And while I was on a roll, I just went across the closet and organized Hubcaps closet too!  He thanked me.  Right before he passed out on the recliner because he pulled another all-nighter.  

Shoes-Ties-Belts-Scrubs-Short Sleeved Button Ups-Long Sleeved Button Ups-Polos-Jeans-Shorts-Scout Stuff-Jackets.  And of course all organized by color.  Yeah, I'm awesome.  

Life is good, my friends.  Life is good. 

You Can Look Good In Clothes!

Wow, sorry about the delay.  I am totally in over my head with projects.  I wish there were 20 more hours in the day (and that they come after my kids go to bed.)  I signed up for 30 in 30 but I don't think I can do it.  I've barely even showered this week.  Life is just crazy right now!  Not to mention that I sliced my finger open last night and it's making typing blog posts tricky.  

I fully intend to keep doing the posts I wanted to do, but I hope you'll bear with me if I don't post every day.  And I did the survey in a stupid non-calculatable format so I have to tally those results by hand.  Yay me.  

Dress:  Forever 21; $22

Tank: Old Navy; $4

Skirt: Gap, Thrifted; $5

Boots: Famous Footwear; $50

Scarf: Walmart; $5

I was watching "What Not to Wear" tonight and this Dolly Parton reincarnated girl was on the show.  After her makeover she looked SO much better (as they always do) but she hated her new look.  She wanted to go back to the over-madeup face, the huge bumped up platinum blonde hair, and her teeny bopper style.  You know why she did this?  Here's my theory:

You get used to a certain idea of what looks good.  For me, for a very long time, the only way I thought I could look good in anything was if I lost 10 lbs.  And even now that I'm dressing more for my body type which is helping so much, I still have to push away that idea about myself.  I will always want to lose that last 10 lbs, and I'm always trying to.  But if you are anything like me or the Barbie girl, you have to open up your mind to the possibility that you could actually look good in clothes how you are (without loads of make up, without Spanx, without huge bleached hair, without losing weight.)  You CAN look good in clothes, but you have to figure out how.   

That's my Soap Box for the night.  Good night y'all.   

Cutest Shoes Ever

Cutest. Shoes. Ever.

The shoes were the cutest thing about this outfit today.  I developed yet another illness (just a head cold) but it still leaves me uninspired. 

Snap up white shirt: Thrifted for $6, Gap
Pink lace tank: Old Navy, $4
Brown layering tee: Downeast Basics, $10
Jeans: Gap, $30 (special sale)
Belt: I bought it in Chinatown in NYC...pretty sure it was super cheap.
Shoes: Forever 21, $23:  Buy them HERE
Bracelet: I made it...Make yours HERE

I do like my feet.  

I don't like my toenails, but if I get a pedicure they are do-able.  One time in college this guy told my roommate that he thought I was cute but I had big feet.  

What?! 

I have average woman sized feet!  

Anyway, despite that, I still like my feet.  

And want to wear cute shoes on them.

Good thing, cuz I went to Target today and they were having a massive clearance on their shoes.  I got four pairs for $15!  

Serious score.  

Okay I really need to stop buying stuff.  

And if you haven't already, fill out this survey HERE!!!

The Pediatrician.

If you've been reading my Honeybear Lane Facebook page, you'll know that my two-year-old has had a bad cough lately.  Like barking seal bad.  I finally took him to the pediatrician today.  

I arrived late, at 10:10.  My appointment was at 10.  

Guess what time I left?  

10:30.  

White shirt: Walmart; Yellow dress top: Target; Jeans: Downeast; Scarf: Walmart; Boots: Old Navy; Headband: Forever 21

 My pediatrician is super weird.  He's this really big guy, like 6'5" and probably 250 pounds.  He always wears super tight tapered jeans and a polo shirt tucked in.  He has a big chin and nose like Leno and he kinda sounds like him too.  

But he's not a jokester.  

He's actually really intimidating.  He talks very fast and loudly and always says, "Okay?!!?" after everything.  The first time we visited him and I told him about my old doctor, he was disgusted at the things she'd prescribed.  

"What an idiot!" he'd said.  

So weird, I know.  

 So why do I go to him?  

Like I said, I left after 20 minutes.  

When you have two kids, quick doctors appointments are essential. 

I didn't switch to him because of that, it was a blind switch.  And I've often thought of leaving since he's kind of a jerk.  

"Hey, the jerk store called...they're running out of you!"

But the appointments are so fast that I barely even remember we went to the doctor. 

That's a win.

Picture yourself on a beautiful day.

Ahhh....Arizona in January. 
Just look at that lush, green grass and the swaying palm trees. 
Don't you all wish you were here? 
It's the perfect time of year for jackets and boots rather than coats and...boots. 

For some reason this time of year reminds me of fall. 
The fall that I don't get here in 'zona. 
I grew up in Utah which has the most gorgeous autumns. 
Fall here in Arizona means a slight cool down. 
Like as in going from 115 to 99. 
Not ideal.

But right now the weather is in the 70's and the leaves that don't quite make it to the stage of falling OFF the tree are a pretty golden color.
I like to pretend that it's October. 

Dress: Thrifted from Savers; Cardigan: Forever 21; Belt: Thrifted from Savers; Boots: Famous Footwear; Earrings: Made by me!  Are you getting so sick of seeing these boots yet??  Don't worry, I bought some spring shoes online.

And my husband said 'don't post these!'
So shh, don't tell. 
Because I'm 100% sure he doesn't read this blog. 
So here is my handsome photographer. 

He's hot. 
I have a little crush on him. 

So what do you think...enough with the belt already?  I tend to love this now.

Now I See Why Van Gogh Cut Off His Ear.

Van Gogh was the king of self portraits, no?  

Ashley taught us all how to do self-portraits.  I've done them with a tripod and timer, but never in front of a mirror with camera in hand.  It's kinda hard.  No wait, it's easy--if you don't care how much of an idiot you look like.

I don't have too fancy of a camera.  It's not a dSLR, it's a nicer point and shoot.  Me and Hub decided to compromise to save some money...although I totally wish we'd sprung another couple hundred for an SLR.  We both needed it a lot this year!

And one more thing before getting to the million pictures of me...I had more fun editing the photos than taking them!  So get ready for some weird effects, courtesy of me and PS actions.  They're just fun.

My outfit (tho you can't see it all, the bottom was just flared jeans from Charlotte Russe and I wore my boots under them.)  Shirt is Forever 21, Belt is thrifted from Savers, and Necklace is something I WON from a giveaway by Camille's Closet. 

This was the best I could do inside my apartment and without moving any furniture.  Not too shabby, eh?  And wow, my hair needs help.

By the way, I'm linking up this post to Ashley's Self-Portrait Linky Party!

The Thrift Shop.

Striped shirt: Gap; Cardigan: Forever 21; Belt: Forever 21; Jeans: Downeast; Boots: Famous Footwear

It's really bugging me that the picture on the left is more yellow than the one on the right.  Hubcap got home pretty late and couldn't take good outdoor pictures today.  I was sad because I liked this outfit and wanted to show it, so here are my self-portraits taken with a timer and a tri-pod.  A tiny tri-pod.  So that's why it looks like my two-year-old took these.  

This was just for fun...playing with some Photoshop actions

 Today was my first clothes-thrifting experience.  I've been to thrift stores tons of times before, for Halloween costumes, old frames and furniture, refashioning, and clothes for my kids.  But I never really shopped for myself.  Aaaaand I didn't find much.  But I still think I got some good items.

Pink Corduroy Skirt: Gap; White snap-down: Gap; Brown dress: Some random brand called Courtany; and two braided belts

Here's something funny:  I've always wanted a pink corduroy skirt.  Two years ago when I got back into sewing, that was one of the first things I tried to make.  I still have the pieces to prove it.  See, the patterns kind of lie about sizing and make you think that since it's labeled size 4,6,8 you could probably fit in it (since your normal dress size varies somewhere in there.)  But no, patterns have their own sadistic sizing and I was about halfway through making it when I realized there was no way in HADES that skirt was gonna fit.  And I stopped working on it.  

But now I have that pink corduroy skirt.  Yay!   

Hooray for thrifting! 

Standing in a Pile of Cat Turds

Top:  Forever 21; Skinny Belt:  Forever 21; Skirt: Forever 21; Leggings: Charlotte Russe; Boots: Famous Footwear

 Yep.  I'm writing about poo today.  

I was ranting to my two-year-old today about apartments.  (He's sometimes a good listener.)  There are so many things I loathe about living in an apartment.  And while this isn't my #1 complaint, per se, it's certainly up there.  

Animal Feces EVERYWHERE.  Seriously.  EVERYWHERE.  

I live in a very large apartment complex and it is surrounded by lakes and and beautiful landscaping...from afar.  Up close you can see duck poo, dog poo, bird poo, and cat poo covering pretty much every square inch of grass and gravel. 

The grass is where the dogs poop, the sidewalk is where the birds and ducks poop, and the gravel (aka giant litterbox) is where the cats poop.  

Can you imagine this scenario?  

W (my kid):  I wanna go outside!

Me:  Okay let's go for a walk!

Me:  Don't walk in the rocks, there's poo!  Don't walk on the grass, there's poo!  Oh watch out right there and there for more poo!  

These aren't great pictures.  What do you expect...I was standing in a pile of poo.

Back on the Horse

I'm back, baby!  It was a rough week, filled with lots of ups and downs of nausea and not-so-much.  It was the flu that wouldn't die.  And when I'm feeling queasy, the last thing in the world I want to do is get dressed.  Even when I finally got my new clothes in the mail!

White shirt: Walmart; Pink Tank: Forever 21; Jeans: Gap; Boots: Famous Footwear; Necklace: Macys

Why has 2011 started off so badly?  Seems like everywhere I turn something is going wrong with someone.  So much sickness and misfortune.  It's discouraging.  But here's what I say:

It helps us be thankful for when things are normal.

And it shouldn't prevent us from accomplishing our New Year's Resolutions.  I've been doing about 50% so far, which is pretty good!  I have all year though right? 

In other news, my baby (nearly 9 months now) is waking up 4 times a night and rejecting his second nap.  I think I'm gonna try to move him to one nap a day.  And as funny as this sounds, I'm looking forward to it.  Because he's a happy baby and that way I can do stuff in the morning! 

Therapy.

I've gone to therapy twice in my life.  I loved it.  The first time was in college when I was dating this total SHLUB who made me feel like crap and I was getting totally depressed.  I visited my counselor Scott for six months until I felt like there were no more issues to discuss.  This also coincided with meeting my beautiful husband who made me feel like a princess.  (Awww...)

The second time was the first year I lived in Arizona.  Lots of changes in my life warranted a visit to a therapist for two sessions.  After the second session and a ton of answered questions, I decided I didn't need to go back.

Therapy is so freakin' awesome. 

If you've ever considered going, you SHOULD.  Even if you really don't think you have much to talk about, you would be surprised at what you can learn about yourself.  Or others who might be giving you grief in your life.  When I went I just talked.  A lot.  And my counselors mostly just asked me 'guided' questions

 (Seriously: "...and how does that make you FEEL?")

Button up:  Gap; Cardigan:  Target; Pants: Downeast; Socks: Hubcaps!; Shoes: Old Navy; Belt-turned-Necklace:  Wet Seal; Headband: Forever 21

Blogging is like my new therapy.  I have always been a faithful journal writer, but there's something so great about writing to YOU.  I love hearing your feedback and encouraging words.  And you aren't afraid to tell me, 'hey yesterday's outfit was not the most flattering for you...'  because I need to know that!  I stare at myself in the mirror and am used to what I see.  

But when I see myself in pictures it's much more REAL..."this is how the rest of the world sees me?!"   

(And heaven knows my husband would never admit that I actually look fat in something.  Thank you for that, hubcap.)

Magnum...it's so beautiful! 

So keep up the honesty.  Even though I have to to hold my breath and count to 10...cuz I'm overly sensitive...It's Good For ME.

What I Would Wear

1.  Easy Peasy Blazer from Anthropologie

2.  Flower Ring from Forever 21 (Couldn't find original link, this one's close)

3.  Ruffle Bib Dress from Forever 21

4.  Orange Tights from Forever 21

5.  Kelly Green Shopper Bag from The Leather Store

6.  Praise Slouch Boots from Forever 21

Sorry, looks like I've been a little heavy on Forever 21...I promise I'll shop around some more! :)

Kinda Fat.

Button up:  The Limited; Tank:  Kohls; Pants:  Gap;  Boots:  Famous Footwear; Flower Clip:  Love Stitched

I'm kinda chubby right now.  I have an excuse...I had a baby 8 months ago  

(that still counts, right??)

And now I'm doing the thing that probably 99.9% of you are going to do this January...

Lose weight.  

I sufficiently crammed my body with chocolate and other assorted crap during Christmas.  

So I'm good to go.  

 (Hopefully that will stave off cravings for a good three months...)

Wanna know my diet plan?  {{Because diet is everything.  You can exercise all you want but you probably won't lose much weight unless you're eating right too.  Let's face it, we're not 16 anymore.}}

Eat under 1300 calories.   

My Fitness Pal is my calorie nazi.  I have their app so it's super easy to keep track of how many calories I consume.  They recommend 1400 calories to lose weight, so I'm going to aim for 1300 knowing I'll probably go over a little. 

Hubcap got me this awesome amazing cookbook for Christmas.

Buy it HERE

  Do any of you have this?  My mouth was salivating just flipping through.  The recipes look AMAZING, and all of them are about 350 calories per serving!  I think that's a great calorie amount for dinner, right?  

Right?  

Yes.  

So that is my diet plan...1300 calories and cook out of this book.  I have an exercise plan too, but that's for another post.  {{And PS I made my first recipe from this book...awesome!}} Hopefully I can lose 20 pounds and look amazing in this:

What I Would Wear

1.  Fresh Perspective Cardi from Anthropologie

2.  Forever Skinny Jeans from Gap

3.  Chambray Shirt from Forever 21

4.  Teardrop Pendant Necklace from Forever 21

5.  Woven Canvas Belt from Forever 21

6.  Hot Pink Peep Toes from Forever 21 

(Let's be honest, #6 is for fun and going 'out', who is going to Walmart in those heels?!)

Snow Day

My first outfit post!  

Things to note:  

1) The background is pretty amazing and is definitely not going to be this awesome every day.  

2)  My outfit is nothing revolutionary, but I'm living out of a suitcase still.  That'll end soon!

3)  After standing in the snow for less than 5 minutes, my feet were frozen.  Like didn't warm up for four hours FROZEN.

How would you wear this outfit?

Button-up:  Old Navy;  White tank:  Kohls;  Pants:  Anthropologie; Shoes:  Ankle boots from Old Navy;  Necklace: Dillards

Beautiful necklace that Hubcap gave me for Christmas...{{do I really need to see my neck this close up?}}

What I Would Wear

1.  Inner Lioness Vest from Anthropologie

2.  Poche Shirt from Anthropologie

3.  Rustic Twill Boy Shirt from J Crew

4.  Gray Skinny Jeans from Forever 21

5.  Black Feathered Headband from Forever 21

6.  Slouch Ankle Cowboy Boots from Old Navy (These are the same ones I'm wearing!)

7.  Arlene Beltstrap Handbag from Forever 21

Next up:  Driving for 12 hours in the car with two chiddlers, unpacking, restocking house, hustling my butt with new shop orders.

What are your new year's resolutions?

**Lose ten pounds ASAP!**

I Tried

I wore my first real 'trying' outfit today.  It was seriously cute, I promise.  And then I did my hair curly following Syd's tutorial.  And then the crap hit the fan.  So hubcap couldn't take my picture and I didn't even leave the house today.  So no one except him appreciated the effort!  But just so I remember for the future here's what I wore, in words (so lame, I know.)

Top:  Short-sleeved white button-up from the Limited, layered with a green pleated neck tank from Kohls
Pants:  Skinnies from Downeast
Boots: (technically not WORN since I was inside all day) Famous Footwear (you know the ones, Syd wears them all the time and I had to have them.)
Hot Pink scarf from Walmart

If I had more money I would have swapped out the scarf for some pretty long tied pearls.

And I need to remember this outfit too:

Source

{{My fail doesn't count since it's not 2011 yet.  Ha!}}