We had thunderstorms yesterday afternoon & evening which made the power flicker off & on-- which meant computers were unplugged to prevent surges & losses & everything else my computer nerdy husband says we have to do...sigh...
Not from yesterday's storm, but it is lightning over the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is where we live...Mountain thunderstorms are no laughing matter-- although having lived in Tempe AZ, I have to say Arizona thunderstorms & monsoons take the prize for utter terror & ear-shattering booms~*
Today thus far is gray but dry & warm. The hubs & I are off on an adventure to find things for Poppy's birthday celebration {or rather, his non-birthday birthday celebration, since he didn't want a party or presents for his birthday}. There will be pics later tonight/tomorrow morning. And I also have very intention of doing a belated Fashion Friday post~*
Thing 3 & I hit up the thrift store today~* Several good buys later, we are home & unwinding & working on Thing 2's homework.
No real post for today-- but tomorrow, oh tomorrow! My early day home, office hours over by 11, so plenty of blog time-- both to write {Fashion Friday woot!} & to catch up via bloglovin~*
It was a good day...though it feels it would be more suited as a Wednesday...or maybe that is just wishful thinking~*
Classes went well, & when my last class let out at 2:50, the afternoon was in full spring bloom. I wrapped my hair in a bit of elastic string that I found in the glove-box {I gotta remember to throw a hairband into my bag} put the top down on the TT & soaked up the sun on the way to pick up Thing 3 {Thing 2 has track practice}. She & I took pictures around the local Earthfare market while we waited for the hubby to get there around 4.
Cardigan/ Old Navy ; Dress / Thrifted ; Belt & necklace / Forever21 ; Tights/ TargetShoes/ Vintage Candies
We had a lovely snack at the market cafe, then picked up some ingredients for dinner. Hubby went to grab Thing 2 after practice while 3 and I cruised on home. A few bits of homework & a little housework later my wonderful mister made a delicious dinner. Now we are relaxing before dinner clean up ~*
Whilst the hubs giggles over the Xfinity on Xbox {we watch TV via our Xbox &/or computer both of which are hooked up to our television, and the Xfinity just came online here today}, I did a little ETSY browsing for today's ten treasures...
Inspired by the gorgeous day I went all spring-y in mint green and lavender, so sweet!
Obviously I love the color combo, though it is a bit too traditionally feminine {would I have to turn over my feminist card if I said girlie?} for my hubs...but then, creating pretty collection to look at without buying anything is what ten treasure Tuesdays are for!
Green grass, pink, purple & white flowers, bright blue skies...what color combos do you identify with spring?
Classes went well & I am very nearly caught up with HIST2020, which is generally a class that I am perpetually behind in...last semester I barely made it through the First Gulf War, which was very upsetting to me. I am fully aware that the vast majority of my students will never have another American history class after the required 2010 {US through the Civil War} and 2020 {Reconstruction to the Present day}. Our history has been so tortured by politicians that most students have no idea what our actual history is... is it the same done in other countries? I imagine it is fairly common political tactic or at any rate, it is a great way to manipulate people.
Pinstripe navy & white blazer / Thrifted, St. John's Bay ; Mustard Sundress / Thrifted, no label ; Tights/ Worthington ; Shoes/ Bamboo ; Belt / Forever21 ; Sunglasses / Gas station...cheapest I could find after breaking my last pair
My hubs had some awesome news-- he got 2 summer classes, both online! Woot! Online classes are rather wonderful. We create movies using window movie maker by making images of our powerpoints then recording our lecture as an audio file {we've done this separately as we've both had online classes in the past, though we've actually done a few classes interview style with both of us talking to each other}. The movies are then uploaded through the school web program, and students watch them according to the syllabi schedule. Each video ends with a question for discussion, then the students debate the subject on the class discussion board. Papers are done online and ...sorry, probably way more info than you care to have...just trust me, its cool. They are a lot of fun AND, best part, he'll get to be home while doing it. Yay!
He is hoping to pick up a traditional class too, but at least he'll be mostly home & there won't be much change in pay. I'm full time faculty, so I get paid the same every month year round, but he is an adjunct, so he gets paid per class during the semester. Usually our summers are lean because he goes from teaching 5 or 6 classes to teaching 1 or 2...but if he picks up a traditional class as well we'll be in the gravy as compared to past summers!
Mac likes to photo bomb...sigh.
The other bit of lovely news involves my beloved TT. He had a bit of an issue this weekend in as much as his left axle decided it no longer wished to cooperate with the rest of the car. That sounds terrible awful, but it wasn't that bad or expensive to fix. But after fixing the obvious bit, the mechanic called saying there was an error reading, and, to make a long story short, the brakes were about to explode or some such thing. And, even better, there was nothing he could do about it because they did not have the tools needed to work on the Audi {we love our mechanics, they are the best guys ever-- they are awesome}. Pandemonium ensued. There is no way we could afford a new ABS system. Hubs was tense. I was tense. The Things were tense. Poosh was okay, but then, he's Poosh.
Isn't he cute?
Anyway.
After spending a frantic Saturday trying to locate an Audi mechanic, surfing the web for more information on the problem, and talking to our regular mechanics {again, awesome guys}, we finally put a call in to Chill Joe "Muffin" McGee, Thing 1's boyfriend.
In addition to being an engineering major, good guy & general genius, Chill Joe is also the owner of an Audi TT that he works on as a hobby. One call from Thing 1, and he agreed to come over {from college...a few hours away...because he's just that Chill} to check it out.
Here he comes to save the day!
After looking under the hood, under the car & under the dash, then tentatively driving it around Chill Joe could detect nothing wrong. He gave us the number of his Audi guy {who is about 1/2 an hour away from us} and we tried not to panic as we waited to call on Monday. Which we did. Turns out, it is nothing. The error reading comes up if the system has been reset, which it was when the axle was replaced. We are good. Thank you Chill Joe "Muffin" McGee's mechanic, you are chill too~*
So to honor chillness, functioning brakes, summer classes & Mondays, today's musical selection is Sun is Shining, by Bob Marley-- a favorite of Chill Joe "Muffin" McGee, savior of all things Audi.
Click play, close your eyes, get chill, & enjoy what is left of your Monday~*
As my blog is defining itself {amazing how that works, eh?} it occurs to me that there are a cast of characters in my everyday life that deserve an introduction. I think it is always easier to follow a story if you know the players, and since it is Saturday, I thought it'd a good time for a roll call~*
I have two teenage daughters & one teenage son {the Things}. And with them come additional folks...allow me to explain.
Thing One~*
College student, English major, journalism minor. She has her own apartment a few miles from our house near the college campus. She bakes like a crazy woman and is thinking seriously of getting her BA then going to culinary school. Her boyfriend, nicknamed Chill Joe "Muffin" McGee is a wicked cool engineering major at a big university a few hours away.
Thing Two~*
Teenager & all around comedian. Great at history, a master of foreign accents, & an avid video gamer. His real calling is running. He has been a cross country star since middle school & just started track this year {came in 2nd in the open 800m, his first race of the season}. He is currently single~*
Thing Three~*
Teenager, soccer star & photographer extraordinaire. She takes the vast majority of the photos for my blog. Her boyfriend, who shall here-to-for be known as Stretch, is a charming basketball star from a neighboring high school {& good friend of Thing 2 as well}. He is 6'2", she is 5'3" which we all find endlessly amusing.
And she was wearing heels in this photo.
My Mom and Dad are big players in our lives. At present, they live about an hour away, but they are currently trying to sell their house so they can move closer {fingers crossed}. For now we try to get together as often as we can.
Mom is the artistic one. Phenomenal taste, a knack for predicting trends, a great interior decorator, designer & DIY'er, and my bestest friend. She is also a master of the "That's what She Said," gag...you'd never guess it to look at her, now would you & that's what makes it so funny~*
As you can tell from the photo, Dad is the wild one~* He is smart, a wealth of advice & support, the undeniable pater familias. His humor tends to be sarcastic & cerebral with a side of slapstick which the Things adore-- & he is the go-to guy if there is a crisis, panic or a need for emergency therapy~*
Together they are the always supportive dynamic duo of Noney {pronounced like honey with an 'n'} & Poppy, & they will often be seen at our family events...like the great unveiling of Stretch & Thing 2's Lego structure at Barnes & Noble~*
Next is my wonderful, glorious hubby.
He is a historian focusing on the Wiemar Republic of Germany. He works as an adjunct professor at two colleges at present. He is thoughtful, philosophical, brilliant, dreamy & absolutely hilarious. We met in grad school & were friends all the way through. He went off to Ole Miss to work on his doctorate, and we started emailing. Then phone calling. Then visiting. A few years after graduating we started dating & got married on the 4th of July a few years later.
I could absolutely not function in reality without him~*
Then there is me.
Full time American history prof, part time DIY'er. Clothes hound, bargainaholic, Mom, wife, daughter-- and the Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything since March 19, 2012. You know, the usual "general lifestyle" blogger m.o.~*
And last, but certainly not least, there is my beloved Cecilia
She isn't much, but I love her.
If I am not teaching, mothering or playing World of Warcraft, I'm working on something for Cecilia. She is one year younger than I am, and had been sorely and mightily abused by renters before we bought her. When I say she was trashed, it is a major understatement-- she looked like an abandoned crack house & she needed lots of love & she is my obsession. I can not begin to estimate the gallons of blood, sweat & tears that have gone in to her the last 6 years. We have literally redone everything-- and 99% of the work we did all by ourselves.
Why is she named Cecilia? Because back when I was pulling yet another all-nighter laying flooring & cleaning, KILZing & repainting paneling in a desperate attempt to make her safe for the Things to move in, all I had for company was a Simon & Garfunkel CD on repeat. And believe you me, at that time she was definitely breaking my heart & shaking my confidence daily.
This summer will be one of great work at Cecilia. Every summer is actually-- and I will be featuring our efforts on The Closet Intellectual.
So that is us, our family. There are others, of course, my husband's mom {who is wonderful, beautiful & so much fun!}, my sister & her family, a variety of wonderful kids my Things are friends with, our pets {Dogs: Doc, Alice, Rascal & Poosh; Cats: Boromir & Mac}and so many more & they will, undoubtedly, be introduced over time~*
Now you will know who I am talking about as we go on our adventures! Who holds the starring roles in your life? I'd love to meet 'em!
I was Stumbling and I came across a site that got me thinking...& now I am in the mood to dispense unasked for advice~*
No offense or anything to those who believe that there are dress codes for every decade of life, but I tend to wear what I like without really worrying about it...in case you haven't noticed.
The site I came across was one of those geared to 40something women. I love {sarcasm}websites that dictate what you are supposed to wear at what age-- giving all these completely arbitrary rules & regulations... This site in particular cracked me up {I will not name it because I think these sites, while amusing, are a large part of what is wrong with society & I don't want to encourage them lol}. So anyway, on this site women 40 and over send in pictures of themselves asking whether or not the outfit is age appropriate. Sigh.
Yeah, really. And women do this...
Nowhere did I see a picture of a woman wearing something that was age inappropriate...I did see several pics of women squeezing into too small a size, or wearing what can only be described as tramp gear, but it isn't inappropriate because of the woman's age-- one ought to realize that micro mini skirts, stretch pants, Lolita dresses & belly shirts look trashy on women of any age.
Seriously.
If one is a super model, one may be able to pull the above looks off in some sort of cutting edge editorial spread, but when that same outfit is worn in real life, well lets be honest, it is a bit embarrassing. Obviously people should wear whatever they like-- but the idea that the only reason the average woman shouldn't wear stretch pants with a belly shirt any place other than the gym is her age is just plain silly.
I am no expert, believe me, but I consider it a mark of achievement in today's world that I don't worry about what I want to wear beyond "does it fit," "is it cute," and "will it make me happy to wear it."
One of the most important tricks I've learned about personal fashion is that you need to know what you like. Are you a comfort over style sort of person? Do you like floral prints & romance or do you prefer clean & crisp? Maybe you are like me & are a mood at the moment dresser...
So how do you discover what it is you like? Do a little online window shopping-- use sites like Pinterest to save whatever you find appealing. Scour blogs, check out online mags, surf stores, meander. Periodically go back over what you save-- delete stuff that you saved on impulse because your friend, mom, sister, co worker et al. said it was cute. Get rid of items you think your significant other would think was "hot." {Dressing for the people you love is never, never, never a good idea...if all is well in your relationships they love you for who you are, not what they want to make you look like...but more on that in a later post}. Leave only what you like-- things that make you smile when you see them, things that you can imagine wearing while doing something you love.
Like making your daughter pose while you yell, "Now you are a lemming!" "Now an iguana!" "Now a ballet dancer with a leg cramp!"
Don't worry about whether or not the things you pin would look good on you-- the intent isn't to buy it. What you are looking for is the common elements. After you've saved a bunch, look over the whole board and look for common elements between the pieces. Do you have lots of ditsy floral? Is there a certain sort of sleeve that keeps appearing? Lots of dresses or do you pick pants? What colors keep appearing? Break the board down to common elements, and those elements represent your personal style~*
For example, I tend to have seriously eclectic taste, but there are common themes: I tend to prefer vintage {in both style and manufacture}, I lean toward the bohemian/nerdy, I prefer dresses & skirts instead of pants. I like little details-- the well placed bow, the hidden pocket, the pearl buttons. I'm not too in to pattern mixing {some people look cute in it, but it tends to grate on my nerve}, but I do like florals and plaids when mixed with solids. And I like telling a story with what I wear-- connecting everything together.
Oh, and while I like to be comfortable, I don't mind a little discomfort if I really like the way something looks~*
There is a link to my Pinterest site on the side bar if you want to check out what other pieces I've pinned. And while you are looking, set up your own account. Try it. Trust me. It works. And the real beauty of it is that you don't spend a cent while you are figuring out where your taste truly lies. Knowing what you are drawn to, what you like, is the first step to defining your own sense of style.
The other day I noticed that my gray hairs were starting to show. I usually color my hair my natural color sans the gray~*. But since I'm taking the summer off, I'm gonna just let it grow out for the next few months to see what I've got. I'm sort of hoping it will be something stunning like this:
Most people, after watching The Graduate, ponder the meaning of life & love & whatnot . I, on the other hand, saw The Graduate as a teenager on video & all I could think about was how I really, really hoped I would look like Anne Bancroft when I got older... sigh. I'm still crossing my fingers even though I've past her age in that photo by a few years already...
{If you haven't seen The Graduate, please do so now...seriously. Stop reading blogs &get watching. There are some movies you just have to watch to be considered a well-rounded human being & The Graduate is one of 'em}
I never got why so many people have a problem with aging. People who panic when they turn 30 or 40 or whatever-- why? It doesn't mean anything! Age milestones are arbitrary-- we can drive at 16, join the military at 18 or drink at 21 not because at those ages something magically happens to prepare us for those things, but because society decided there had to have some sort of age restriction. That is all.
Turning 30 doesn't mean something suddenly happens to you. You wake up 30 feeling the same as you did when you woke up 25...it is all sort of silly really. And I don't get it. Sincerely, I promise you, getting older is awesome.
The older I get, the less people can tell me what to do. The older I get, the less I care what people think. The older I get, the more possibilities I see. The older I get, the more beautiful the world becomes. It is wonderfully freeing. As Anne Bancroft said "I am what I am because of what I am, and if you like me I'm grateful, and if you don't, what am I supposed to do about it?"
You know when you were a kid and you couldn't wait to grow up because then you'd be able to do whatever you wanted? Now any 20 or 30-something will tell you that is just an illusion of childhood. At those ages you have a gazillion times the responsibility-- people depending on you, societal pressures to get married or get the right job, needs of your spouse, expectation of your family, stress, stress, stress.
Guess what-- as you get older, adulthood starts to turn in to what you had imagined it to be way back when you were a kid. It is wonderful. It is stunning. I adore it.
So to inspire you young'uns who are sweating the small stuff, I've cooked up these thoughts. Enjoy~*
Thing 3 and I went to the store today after class~*
The always lovely Thing 3~*
And I got to use my new camera *giggle*
Texting the boyfriend, who shall here-to-for be known as Stretch
We were both taking pictures...the people at the fabric store must have thought we'd lost our minds LOL
I got some fabric & grosgrain ribbon for an upcoming dress repair...I have a wonderful shift dress with a blue toile type floral pattern which I adore, but it as a tad shorter than I can get away with at work & I am going to give it a mustard border to lengthen it...it looks wonderful in my mind~*
Dress/Vintage 1970's sweater dress; tights/Target; Shoes/Colin Stuart
Thing 3 is still a better photographer than me...sigh...
Ordinarily I would have wishes today...little dandelion wishes, not gazillion dollar ones.... But life is most sweet today! Wonderful classes, fun shopping with Thing 3, hubby made delicious potato soup for dinner, my classes are prepped & ready for tomorrow & there is one So Long and Thanks for All the Fish cake that the Things saved for me ...all & all things are smashing grand.
So this Wishful Wednesday, I will leave the wishing up to you~*
No outfit pics today-- it was a long day {good, but long} & the allure of my sweatpants outweighed the cuteness of my outfit iffun' you know what I mean~*
I have a bit of a headache...I adore teaching, & obviously love my subject, but both can be rather exhausting.
which is why I drink coffee...&/or diet red bulls~*
It is what it is. Like history. You can't bend it to fit a modern ideology, you see. History is factual, not interpretive --you can interpret why something happened to a certain extent, but not what happened...what happened, happened...it is what it is. Sigh.
My office...at least, part of my office. The left corner of my office would be more accurate...& now I can leave work behind & properly "window" shop~*
So now I shall go shopping for treasures...I love etsy. Have I mentioned I love etsy? Cos I do. See you in a bit with ten wonderful treasures & not a headache among them~*
