Summer Itch

Oh I love summer!  Is there anything more perfect then a day spent driving to the beach with the windows down and the radio blaring?  If there is, I haven't found it yet.

So much has been changing with me lately that I have a major itch to change some other things.

For instance, have I mentioned that I'm going blind?  Not really, but kind of, sort of, maybe.  For a good month I was convinced I was loosing it because everything was blurry.  I thought I was a threat to other drivers and I'd never be able to read my precious books again.  Dramatic much?  Sometimes.  However, it freaked me out enough to get my eyes checked.

Turns out, I have astigmatism in my left eye, so I can't focus very well on things that are far away.  The problem got super irritated by all the time I have to spend on the computer these days.  There is also a slight prescription over all, so the optometrist said I'm legal to drive without glasses, but if I wanted to, I could get computer glasses.  Yay?  Since my problem hasn't gotten much better and I'm straining all the time I figure it's time to break down and get some glasses for work and maybe reading.  Since both of my parents wear corrective lenses I know that it's only a matter of time. Because I read so much for fun I'm very dependent on my eyes.

I'd like something like this for cheap:

Another thing that is different is that I need braces again.  Again, you ask?  Yeah, again.  Long story short: I have permanent retainers (hate them passionately), top half of them broke, never fixed it (dentist directed), so top teeth are moving all over the place like a country bumpkin's dental dream.  I got quoted $4500 to have invisalign for a year.  That's a few thousand cheaper than traditional braces.  I was floored! 

I'm saving up all my pennies and hoping that it really won't take a whole year...that seems like a really long time to me because I don't have that much to move around.  Thinking about getting a second opinion from Steven's old orthodontist.  I know it's basically just cosmetic, but it super bothers me.  It's getting to the point that I won't smile in pictures and I love to smile.  I smile a lot!  I don't want to stop smiling, ever.  

Until I save enough, I'm whitening for the summer.  I love coffee and that's no secret.  I drink a lot of it since I'm always on the go and feeling drained half the time.  Even though the Crest White-strips are OK, they've gotten gross and slide around and you have to wear them 30 minutes.  I don't have 30 minutes of time like that just laying around.  So I'm doing the Crest 3D whitening tooth paste that promises to remove 90% of stains in 14 days and the Crest 3D whitening mouthwash and, shoot, maybe some strips since I bought a box in the winter. 

Tomorrow I have an appointment to get my hair cut.  It was a pre-scheduled thing, but I really want to come out with something cute.  A friend just went short and I want her haircut!.  We all know how I love some short hair...I'm resisting.  The shortest I'll go is mid-neck to shoulder.  Trying a new stylist because the last one I got really didn't understand that I don't blow-dry, I don't use product, and I don't have time to spend 20 minutes on my hair.  I comb, air dry, and go, and then I do my make-up in the car.

I also switched up my shampoo and conditioner to Organix.  Steven says I have the most on-again-off-again relationship (OK, he said affair) with hair products.  I've just decided to stop buying shampoo in bulk.  It seems like a great idea at the time, but unless you have a family of 5 you're never, ever, going to use up the shampoo you buy at Cost-co.  Ever.  So I'm on a more sensible track that will allow me to switch products without wasting a gallon of Herbal Essences (crap).

The most pivitol change is that I've lost so much weight.  I have gotten rid of half of my clothes with the remaining half being pajamas and workout clothes.  The other stuff that's left doesn't flatter me anymore because my body shape has changed.  I'm not sure what my new shape is, but this is a great time to put some adorable pieces in my wardrobe!

Things I must get:
1. 3/4 sleeve cardigans.  I own a lot of full-armed cardigans, probably too many.  However, I always end up rolling the sleeves up and I think that's a bit frumpy and annoying.
2. New purse
3. More ballet flats
4.Tank tops that aren't loosey goosey, cause I have one and it's going to get super hot soon.
5.Shorts I can wear to work.
6. New perfume and maybe some cologne for Mr. S cause I want us both to be fancy.
7. A suit, just cause I think I should have one.

Top it all off with a pedicure and I might just be ready for summer!

New Shirt!

I ordered this shirt from Urban Outfitters yesterday. I'm very excited to get it in for the summer. I also love that I got it for 13 bucks. Love a good sale.

Mail Stalker

I'm such a mail stalker. Thanks to the internet,I can find out instantly where a package is... like my urban outfitters goodies... they have a great tracking feature for users...or stalkers in this case.

For instance:


South Carolina!

I think it's so cool that our things can "travel." Gosh I'm a dork.

Too Cute For My Own Good

Ugh! I found these super-duper cute tights on modcloth.com, they're also available in brown. I love how they look with a pair of boots.

Wouldn't you know that they're $30 bucks...sigh. I won't be getting them any time soon. However, I love them so I had to share.

Sorry that I've dropped off the planet. My winter break has been pretty boring. I work, I come home, I clean, I listen to Weezer, I go to bed.

Things should pick up again when school starts Tuesday since I use this blog to procrastinate.

Etsy Find!

I found this on Etsy today. I'm kind of in love with it.

Long Story and DON'T panic

The other night I was trying on dresses to go with some new boots I got. I threw on one of my old "fat" dresses. It was so...maternity...shall we say.

Steven: That totally doesn't fit you. It's so huge I don't even think it would fit if you were pregnant.
Me: Let's see! (stuffs pillow down her pants)

Instead of running away screaming, my perfect boyfriend grabbed the camera, snapped a shot, and demanded that I blog about it.

I think it suits me, really.

I hate the Cold Cold Times

This weekend has been in the low 50's...so you know Amanda is super cold. However, it is a great time to do a Pashmina montage to tribute my faithful friend--the trendy scarf that isn't quite yet the frozen tundra wool scarf. Enjoy! And btw- that's a Pier 1 pashmina and we are getting them back in for the Holidays in a few weeks...stop by love doves.

What can I say? I love the bling.

Sometimes I like to torture myself and look at eco-friendly diamond stimulants. These are all from Carat*Baguette Princess Solitaire $325- I really like the shape of this one. It adds a little more to the style of the solitaire, but I do worry that it would be too much. I'm really a simple girl who doesn't like to draw attention to herself.


Trellis Princess $459- I love, love, love the band on this one. This picture doesn't show it but the side has amazing detail. I also really like the wide band. With my fingers I could pull it off. It has the impact without the flashy baguettes.
Knife Edge Princess Solitaire $397- I like the slim band on this one. It's simple, nothing fancy, just the basic ring. However, I worry about it being too thin. Not that I've ever had a band to a ring break, but I'd always be worrying if the band could support a lot of wear and tear.

Fall Fashion Picks:

1. The Vest. I love the tailored male look. A vest is a great way for me to mix and match for work since I can't wear any color.


2. The "riding" boot. I love the height of them as well as the fact that they are a flat; I don't wear heels. However, I'm finding it impossible to find a tall/flat boot locally. I'm excited to pair these with a knee-length dress and a scarf and head off to class--so I better find some soon.
3. The Turleneck. I've discovered I look horribly sophisticated in a turtleneck and I think I might need one in every color. Just maybe.
4. Some sort of yarn beret, or a beret in general. I really want a comfy, floppy hat since I look down right horrible in beanies.

Nightgowns

A week ago I got a nightgown on sale at Target that has "hoot-hoots" all over it. I love it! I also went into work wearing it this morning. I kid you not. I woke up 6 minutes before I had to be at work so I grabbed my toothbrush and a pile of clothes and ran out the door. I changed half of my clothes at a stoplight and did the rest in the bathroom at work. I don't like it when alarms don't go off... Ugh. So bad.

Today I found a Ralph Lauren nightgown in baby blue for $10 at Ross. We all know I love the Ross and the Ralph.

And I know it's so sad I went in looking for sexy night-time outfits and came out with mom nightgowns. Don't judge, laughs. Really they just didn't have anything and I need jim-jams.

Oui

Today I did a cute little french braid on the top-side of my head. I love it!

It makes me think I should be a little French girl named Sophie or something skipping off to school in the morning.

PS- I know I'm totally obsessed by the name Sophie right now. It's what I want to call every baby girl I meet. My fixation isn't helped by the fact that I'm reading The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling with a great character named Sophia who is pretty much perfection. I'm also falling in love with "Beauty and the Beast."

Literature is love right now.

I give you my new favorite nail polish: Candy Corn by Cover Girl.

I'm so excited for Halloween!

I may or may not have ranted about the new dress code at work, but in case I haven't let me tell you how much it sucks.

We can only wear the following colors: White, Black, Gray, Brown, Khaki, Olive, and Navy.
We can no longer wear sneakers and we also cannot wear any patterns-- that includes polka-dots people!

Kill me now.

However, I went to the Goodwill today (I'm not buying brand spanking new clothes for work) looking for old man vests. I found no vests (odd), but I did find this gray sweater-vest for $3.50 in great condition and originally from Target. I thought it was a steal. I will have to go back to find other slightly used finds.

I still have a stigma about second hand stuff... that was all of my childhood right there. We couldn't even afford jeans until I was in middle school. So now I have this horrible prejudice about behavior I think of as "poor." Ok, I know, I'm an elitist, but I want better out of life than what I came from and that's a trailer. True story.

Wardrobe. Staple.

So today at Ross I found a real live in the flesh pencil skirt complete with high waist, buttons, and just under the knee length... How stoked was I? It was also a size 10 when the hanger said it was a 12. It made my day that I got it up and zipped. It's a wee bit snug in the hips but this dress is incentive to exercise. It was $5.99 so I couldn't pass it up and the "spanx" to go with it. I mean girls in the 40's had their girdles so obviously you need a little something with a pencil skirt. Unless you're a supermodel and have no shape what-so-ever. And then what is the point of trying to exaggerate an hour-glass waist you don't have?

I totally feel like Rizzo in it from Grease. How do I still not own that movie? And if you didn't get the reference it means that Steven should watch out when I'm in this skirt cause I feel like a bombshell.

Ross is a cruel place. They had about 7 styles of Andy Warhol bags. Luckily they didn't have his banana bag... or my bank account would be $19.99 closer to nothing and my purse would be feeling lonely. Elvis was tempting though... sigh.

Give Me A Few Years

And I finally figured out how to do the little hair bump. Well I knew how to do a very high maintenance version of it, but now I know the everyday version. I think it's because I finally have hair that isn't over-processed and I LOVE it. My hair actually moves with me, go figure. Hair dye is the devil. Don't be tempted.

I also googled "hair poof." I would. It turns out it works better the less hair you try to poof. I like it.

In other news: I have my windows open. The weather is so freaking beautiful and cool I had to let the outside in. My apartment needs some air.

Bring on the fall!

Vintage Fabulosity!

If I ever go blind I think that I need some of these glasses.

That way I can be like all the kids in my parent's old yearbooks that I idolized as a kid. Flipped hair, headbands, cats eye glasses all my favorite things.

Vintageous has a lot of really cool vintage clothes and accessories besides the glasses. Check um out.

Hodge Podge

Ok, I am seriously behind on my blogging. Apologies to my "faithful few" but I've been trying to get school work done. Schoolwork is technically what I should be doing right now, but you know, I need some me time before I start on it again.

However, for a while I was blogging about 5 times a day. So if you have been away from my little world for a while, you might want to scope out the older posts. Hint, Hint.

I have so many things I need to blog about so I'm just going to roll them into one big installment.

1st: James and Caitlin's wedding was amazing! I had such a great time and it was such a beautiful experience. I got to catch up with a lot of people including my blog family Sarah and Caitlin. It was so great to see Caitlin again! She was so gorgeous in her dress! And it was even better to see James and Sarah and all of their family. I haven't seen James since before he shipped off to Hawaii and it was an honor to witness his wedding. I also haven't seen him that genuinely happy in a long time and that made my heart swell. The fact that Caitlin was the cause of that happiness made my heart swell for her too. James seriously could not have done better. Caitlin is so amazing and her wedding was so well planned and just beautiful. Congratulations to you both! You deserve only the best, and only the best together. And I promise I will be sending your present soon. It is sitting right here on my dining room table. I didn't want to send it while no one was home to get it. I always have trouble with the mail and the last thing I want is to have it returned.

2nd: My time at home was a very interesting experience. I ran into a bunch of people! Some were good experiences, others not so much. I found out a few of my old friends were expecting children! So many things have changed back home it is amazing. Lots of construction and lots of new shops. I had a very fabulous experience with a person I have "bad blood" with. My encounter with her kind of MADE my weekend back home so I will have to relate the story to cyberspace. Now this girl and I have never gotten along but for quite sometime she pretended to be my friend while simultaneously being a complete backstabber. We were only acquaintances through my best- best- best- friend who I take a great deal of care for and anything that concerns her concerns me. It's like a mafia situation of family loyalty. About a year ago, said nasty girl proceeded to tell my best friend that her mother (who really is the greatest woman who has ever lived, and should really be cannonized for the pure beauty of her huge and selfless heart) was a horrible mother even after she had known her for years and had been on the receiving end of all the amazingness of my best friend's mother. Most insulting thing to say EVER! So my best friend and I were finally like: "this is it, absolutely no communication with two-faced girl." And who do I run into at Starbucks? Oh yes: the insulting-one. I had a moment of pure bitchiness. Even though it was out of character, it was AMAZING! She tried to say hello to me like she didn't hate me like we were just old friends who hadn't seen one another in years. I gave her the most soul-stabbing look and she just turned away and never looked at me again. I loved it.

3rd: While I was at home I went through the remaining items I left at my parent's house. I found my 8th grade dance dress and I had to try it on. I haven't been able to fit into that dress since the 8th grade, eight years ago, and it didn't even zip up last summer. I tried it on just for kicks and IT FIT! I was elated! I brought it back with me to my apartment and now I need an excuse to get fancy! Where does one wear a ballgown these days?

On a side note: Oliver, the kitten, is driving me out of my mind! He will not stop attacking me. He's getting big enough that everything hurts. I've tried everything! Loud claps, loud "NO"'s, spray bottles: I mean everything. My latest tactic is hissing at him. I figure when he gets annoyed or doesn't like something he hisses, so the same body language might translate a little better. I dunno. I'm really trying but I'm also getting extremely frustrated and I've got more scratches and bites then I know what to do with. I'm getting warn out. He gets fixed next week so I'm hoping that will calm him down a bit.

SSB

Carrie Bradshaw once wrote that every woman has Secret Single Behavior. SSB is something that a person only does in private and never in front of a partner. With marriage, sometimes the SSB ends, other times, in the case of Charlotte it doesn't.

Tonight I was thinking about my previous SSB behavior and I realized that mine is dressing up as fancy as I can get, doing my make-up ridiculously and taking pictures of myself. I have never and will never do this in front of Steven (at least I don't think that I could, the thought of doing so makes me horribly embarrassed). Tonight I got bored and got all gussied up. It was incredibly relaxing and I had forgotten how much I used to do it when I lived in the dorms.

I was wondering, do we all have those little things we only do for and with ourselves? What are your Secret Single Behaviors? If you are married do you still do them, in front of your other half, or just wait until your spouse leaves the house?

Antiques Ahoy!

One thing I'm very excited to do while I'm back on my home turf is go to antique shops. Out here in the mountains they just haven't heard of antiques, at least to my knowledge. I love to scour shops for vintage fashions, mostly jewelry of the costume kind. I want to find a brooch for a specific purpose I have in mind. I'm not giving away that purpose just yet... but you might find out within the year. Hopefully there will be some good finds out there.

I don't think that my nails are going to make it to the wedding. Today I had to do truck and I didn't have any nail polish on to make my nails a little stronger. Now they're chipping between the layers of my nails, you know, like flaking? This makes me sad because I've been putting a lot of time into them. See how long and well shaped I've been keeping them?

I've came to the realization that it's just not "me" to do my nails. I can paint them from time to time when I want to pamper myself, but I like things in my life simple and practical. Long nails are not practical. You can't close your hands into a fist, you can't type with your finger tips, you scratch yourself, your constantly filing them and re-shaping them, and re-painting them. Too much work.

However, I am so close to my goal so I don't want to cut just yet! I also think that I need to be myself, and that is something I haven't been staying true to lately. A lot of that has to do with my work situation so I'm looking into finding a new job. There is just a lot of pressure to conform and I've never been good at that. I'm a weird one who is very sensitive to prejudices around me. I just need to find some hippies to work with who don't care if I haven't shaved in a while or if I don't wear make-up or don't style my hair every day or don't do my nails or don't eat meat and who don't make me extremely self-conscious. Yeah, I like it.