Roses and Thorns

(Thrifted Blouse, Lucky Brand Shoes, BCBG Heels, Target Leopard Scarf, Tribal clutch courtesy of Marionrenee.com)

 The picture above is the prime reason why I need a permanant assistant who follows me around with a mirror to reflect the sunlight, fan me and adjust my clothes before I take pics so I won't have  problems like one sleeve up and one sleeve down.

I would like to add that I'm a thrifting beast. This vintage blouse makes me happy! I can't wait to find a waist pencil skirt to rock with this blouse. I didn't think I would like the high neck and huge bow but now I worship the look!

I haven't done Roses and Thorns in a minute so here goes.

Roses:

1. I am in the planning stages of 2 major projects and it's seeming to all come together (details later:)

2. I made an awesome turkey sandwich today. (bacon on any sandwich makes everything better:)

3. Watched an awesome episode of The Good Wife this week (Did you see it!?!)

4. I'm alive and well and so is everyone around me:)

Thorn:

1. Someone SPAT in my future stepdaughter's (Ms. Thang) mouth this week...IN HER MOUTH! FOR NO REASON (apparently)...and Ms. THANG did NOTHING about it!!! She's non-confrontational and it's totally out of character for her to be violent but I'm working on that:) BUT WHO DOES THAT?!? Why is any ten year old spitting on another ten year old!  IN THE MOUTH! That means that you had to time it just right to land your saliva in another person's mouth. Does she practice that at home or something!?!?

I was so mad but not for the right reason. I was mad that MS. THANG didn't knock that little girl's spleen out of place! 

Click here to read the real details of this spitting incident from my dude's pov:)

One more thing: Are you signed up with Shop It To ME? You should be! Click here! It's kinda like getting a heads up on an item that you've had your eye on for a while!

Shout Out to Good Times!

(Thrifted Dress, Thrifted KOOBA bag, Pour La Victoire booties)

Has this been a long week to anyone else besides me? Geesh!

 I wasn't ecstatic about the bootie with this dress. The proportions were kinda off for me...you win some,  you lose some. I don't hate the combo but I won't rave about it.

This dress is channeling TC from that episode of Good Times when the "handy man" was a girl who had a crush on JJ. Remember that episode!?! She was a total tomboy but sexed up her look for JJ! I know you remember that episode!

Well I found the clip...you can't tell me this dress doesn't look like a TC dress! That's my whole purpose in life...to dress like Good Times characters!

One Lonely Beastie I Be...

(sorry about the wrinkles...long day)

I went to a party this weekend. There was a dj, barbecue and dancing.

You're thinking I went to the club, huh? NOPE.

I went to my nephew's LITTLE LEAGUE football game!

All you soccer moms and little leaguing moms...I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS LIKE THAT!

(Thrifted Men's Shirt/Thrifted scarf/Steve Madden Shoes/Thrifted KOOBA bag)

I went to support my nephew even though he wouldn't know it because he goes out of his way to ignore me. He just gives me the side eye whenever I come to his games as if he doesn't want to be associated with the likes of me. He's such a hater!

Well, I noticed that there was music being played during this game but it wasn't half-time yet.

I look over at the side lines of the other team...THEY HAVE A DJ! A DJ!! With a turn table and all!

OMG! I was so in shock! Really, Little League football is like that now?!?

Here's a rundown of some of the songs that were played:

1. Freaks of the Industry (Digital Underground)

2. I'm Bad (LL Cool J)

3. Paul Revere (Beastie Boys)

4. Blow the Whistle (Too Short...yes...TOO SHORT!)

5. Planet Rock (Africa Bambaataa)

(Cheerleaders doing the Cha Cha Slide during half time)

I pretty much ignored the game at that point:)



 

And because I kinda lost my mind when I heard the Beastie Boys song...here ya go...ENJOY!

*Title of this post is the best line from this song*

GFS Feature: Christ Chic!

(Zara's Sweater, ANCIENT Express skirt because I haven't stepped foot in there in about 6 years)

I have an Italian friend who worships Elvis Presley and the Pittsburgh Steelers, loves raunchy gangsta rap, reads her women's devotionals while taking smoke breaks, prefers red soda, decorates for all holidays, likes to fight, exposed me to tomales, displays a Pink flamingo bird in her yard, is renting a moon walk for this year's Christmas party and watches that show Glee...faithfully. Is your Italian like my Italian? My Italian is awesome! What up Lisa!

Well, she shared with me that she watched last week's episode of Glee and apparently one of the characters went to a baptist church and got exposed to a whole new style of dress...CHRIST CHIC!

I immedately knew I was going to use that name for my postings of Sunday outfits. Doesn't it just fit!

I may have told her I that I was going to watch that episode this weekend just for reference but I'd much rather watch Sister Wives...because well...they are SISTER WIVES!  Just the title of that show cracks me up! Have you seen it? The dude/the polygamist is not even hot!

At any rate here is my Christ Chic look for today.  I kept it basic because I really just wanted to wear the hat. The purse...I needed a pop of color so I dug in a drawer and came out with this flower pin and pinned it to my clutch.

I'll announce the winner of the Shoe Clips Giveaway this week!

Busy Bee

(Banana Republic Tuxedo shirt, Anthropologie Dress, Kate Spade Shoes, Thrifted Scarf)

Today, I kinda felt important. I had places to go and people meet...which is rare if you know me in real life. I have a friend, let's call her the Puerto Rican princess (she makes me call her that:), who ALWAYS has somewhere to go! Always. I call her a soccer mom although she has no bambinos but she's always running here and there. Me...not so much. Work, home, grocery store, mail box...yeah...then work again.

Today, I...

1. Went to church

2. Cooked a kick a$$ Chicken Parmesan

3. Took the best nap that almost made me miss #4!

4. Met a reader of my blog who turned out to be the Don King of Ideas! She was so inspirational and motivating, I walked out of the Dessert Gallery singing the Reading Rainbow song "I Cannnn Do Anythiiiing...Take a look, it's in a book...Reading Rainbow!" (I went too far with the song but I know you remember that show!)

Thank you Ashley...I programmed your number in my cell so that means I'm no longer a friend in just your head!)

5. Celebrated my homie's bday with Sushi and Cake! Happy bday Arianne!

6. Hung out with my bestie/dude!

7. Accomplished a new scarf updo:)

8. Found a new way to wear this old dress.

(I was trying to show how I tied the scarf to do an updo..you can't really tell though)

This is what I wore to church. It's a tulip style dress I copped from H&M this summer.

Jessica Simpson Shoes/ Thrifted Blazer

This look from Style Sample is what inspired my retro look today. Click here:)

Juanette from Fashionnette-work reminded me to shop in my own closet! Thanks!

How did I do?

Undercover

 

(Don't forget to enter the GFS Giveaway! Click here!)

If a friend called me to come spy on her blind date and write down his license plates number...this is what I would throw on every time.

 Urban Outfitters Cap/Jeans

Thrifted Western shirt

Seychelles Booties

What would you throw on if you had only minutes to get ready to spy on your best girlfriend's blind date?

Roses and Thorns

Every week I have my students share their Roses and Thorns. Basically, they share something good and not so good with the class that happened during the week.  I tell them that if they share a thorn, they have to back it up with a rose. So let me practice what I preach...

Thorns:

1. Attended the funeral of a friend this weekend.

2. My car is starting to make bubbly stomach noises.

3. I almost lost my dog again today. I took him outside to let him do his business. I got distracted and went back into the house. I didn't notice he was missing for about 30 minutes.

4. Found out one of my students has cancer.

5. My feelings kinda got hurt this week...had an argument with someone I love. I hate when that happens...but what's the point of arguing with someone you don't love, right? RIGHT. Hopefully, that someone will get that I'm really an Angel on earth who wears pretty shoes and trips and falls and likes to skip (without falling, of course) down the yellow brick road of happiness rather than pick fights:) I digress...

*5 thorn limit*

Roses.

1. My dog is too stuck up to become homeless so he chilled in my neighbor's yard until I remembered that he existed. (He was a stray when I got him so I think he rebels against the thought of ever really running away)

2. I'm alive.

3. God loves and God forgives...and so shall I...within reason of course.

4. I finally wore this thrifted Indian silk dress that I got for 2 bucks earlier this year.

5. I finally got to the gym once this week to release some frustration...and then ate a fried chicken sandwich right afterwards. (That's gotta count as a double rose..no?)

6. I might have some interesting/fun news to share soon:)

7. I joined a church this Sunday.

8. I have yet to trip or fall this week.

9. I really enjoy my new job but I'm pooped every single day.

10. I'll celebrate my 35th birthday next Tuesday:)

*No limit on roses*

What was your rose and thorn of the week?

(The pics suck...sorry)

Most of these pics are cropped because my fake smiles were too obvious or I just couldn't muster up the energy to adjust the camera lens.

Every piece of today's outfit came from a thrift store.

The dress actually had long sleeves but I hacked them off. The sleeves were too reminincent of a Gordon Gartrelle shirt.

If you have no idea who Gordon Gartrelle is...please refresh your memory with this little clip. Fast forward to the 5:30 mark if you are in a rush!

Soapbox

I'm about to go on a tangent...be warned. I am about to talk about some rappers who have like 3000 times more money than me so don't feel bad if you have no idea who or what I am talking about...just look at the pictures, nod your head and smile:)

Did you hear that rapper T.I got busted again for a drug charge only a few months after being released from jail. T.I. might be the only rapper that I openly admit to liking because he is too cute and makes angry motivational songs that make me "buck my chest and throw gang signs in the car" on my way to work. Plus, he looks awesome in a suit and has no tattooes which I admire only because that goes against the grain of the look of a typical hip-hop artist. Bla bla bla...yadi yadi ya...I like him.

(I spotted someone watching me as I was taking these pics)

But dude, come on. You just got out of jail and you have the number one movie of the week! Why do people with talent and money find ways to screw it up? Meanwhile I'm poor and can't sew, hum, scratch a record or bake a cupcake without calling the fire department and I've managed to stay out of trouble. Geesh! And his woman was busted with him. They are taking this Bonnie and Clyde way too  far.

*raises hands and drops the mic*

End scene. No judgement zone back in full effect.

(Target Belt/Shirt; BCBG shoes, Thrifted skirt)

In completely unrelated yet wholesome news, one of my students surprised me with my favorite cookies today! DOUBLE STUFF Golden Oreos! I may have mentioned in class a time or two that Golden Oreos make me happy. We've been doing "getting to know you" activities and I told my classes that Golden Oreos are a major food group according to my personal food pyramid.

 In 1st period, kids kept asking me if I had seen Juan* yet and I kept looking at them like they were crazy. Juan* finally came to class and he had a bag of Oreos to give me. He even told me that he bought it with his own money! How cute is that!?!?

Needless to say Juan* earned the class the right to listen to music during class. I'm ashamed that I accept cookies instead of the typical "teacher" apple...but not ashamed enough  to give the cookies back:)

*His name isn't really Juan*