Hey jealousy

My mother once gave me a piece of advice: Pay attention to what you're jealous of because it will tell you what is important to you.

When I find myself feeling jealous, I try to take that jealousy and turn it into a goal.

Jealous of friends who get to travel? Save your pennies and plan a trip. Jealous of teachers when you interview them for education stories? Go back to school, girl, because you clearly can't get enough of it. Jealous of other writers? WRITE. That one got all caps.

And here's another thing: Every life has its burdens including the lives of those on the receiving end of your jealousy. Do I need to bring up Heidi and Seal? Because I will bring up Heidi and Seal. Those two crazy kids really seemed to have it all...

I guess I'm writing this post as a reminder to myself that jealousy can be positive. It can show you your priorities and therefore show you what you really need to be prioritizing. That said, I think any body-hating jealousy is just socialized in us as women from a very early age and is in no way positive. So ignore that. Breathe through it. Quote Ani to yourself. But being jealous of someone's job or travels or creative stick-to-it-ness? I think that can be clarifying. You want it? Make a plan and go out and get it.

In unrelated news, our owl now has pineapple hair. It's pretty awesome.

Black and white birthday

My birthday was earlier this month and I decided to buy a few happy-birthday-to-me presents. I was home sick and online shopping is just so gosh darn easy. My presents to me from me appeared in the mail recently. They are that cute little tote above. I heart it! I also bought two pairs of polka-dot mary janes -- black with white polka dots and white with black polka dots. What can I say? I got a thing for polka dots. And shoes. And mary janes for that matter. So really these shoes are a perfect storm of a present.

As for the background in these pictures, it's a formerly brown, dead space that has recently turned green and purple and bea-U-tiful. I have a crush on wisteria. It is the best. Even better than heart totes and polka dot shoes.

(shoes: Forever21, tote: Fickle Sense http://ficklesense.blogspot.com/p/shop.html)

Flowers

Robert and I walk through our small town's downtown almost everyday, and it is now filled with all these gorgeous, gorgeous flowers. It's such a sumptuous sight!

There I am wearing all black in contrast to the colorful, lovely flowers. My pop of color is provided by our city's flower budget!

 Sometimes, I wish I was a gardener, but I really don't think it's going to happen. I'm not the green thumb girl. Perhaps I could convince Robert he is a green thumb guy?

I guess I don't really need to grow my own flowers when everyone else is growing them and allowing me to enjoy them! Thanks to gardeners for all the beauty!

Sunshine spazz attack

This outfit is 100 percent thrifted. Pretty much everyday, my outfit is 90 percent thrifted, but there's always a pair of leggings or shoes or something that keeps it from being 100 percent thrifted. That's not the case here. Shoes, scarf and dress are all thrifted, and I threw them together to make a springy outfit. It's going to be 80 degrees today! Officially, it's still winter, but it feels like we're venturing into summer.

Hello to you yellow polka-dotted scarf. You are beautiful. Let's go out. 

 We took Sunshine for a walk. She can be a little spazzy. Spring has sprung and that means lots and lots of animals frolicking about. Sunshine is all about this...

As seen here. This is the crazy face I made when Sunshine ran after a squirrel. She's really strong for being so little. I had to hold on to that leash tight!

Dog on a mission. (Also: I want our house to have ivy like this. It is pretty.)

After Sunshine's spazz attack, we decided it was time to stop taking pictures and walk on home.

I walked home in these shoes. They're enjoyable. The above picture looks a little strange. If you can't tell, I'm standing on a wall that has climbing flowers. So many flowers this spring!

It took me a while to realize that it's St. Patrick's Day. I needed to put some green on! So I switched my shoes. Green flip flops on an 80-degree day? Sounds about right to me.

Blocking the color

 I found this lovely colorful dress at a thrift store right in time for spring.

It had an $80 replaced with a $60 price tag still on it and is pretty wrinkled. What is its story? Why buy it and not wear it? Why is it so wrinkled if it's not worn? I'm wearing it! Although, I guess, I need to do something about those wrinkles. 

 Or maybe not. Are dress wrinkles just a sign of a dress-life well lived? Of a dress aging naturally? No? It's a sign of a dress being left in a heap at the bottom of a closet? Hmm.

Well, now it has a new home, and it's seeing the sunlight. It's also been introduced to these shoes I thrifted years ago. I love them. They make me very, very tall and very, very happy.

Pillow Talk

Doris Day. Rock Hudson. Classic clean humor. Very soapy.

Guest blogging like a fancypants

Hey guys, I did my very first guest blog. It's like I'm a real-live blogger now! Thanks to Shakti for the shout out! Go check it out and explore her fun and fabulous blog while you're at it.

watercolor shirt, buckle shoes

I'm feeling healthier! And what do you do when you've started to kick the bronchitis bug? If you're me, you go thrift store shopping. And then you put on the pretty watercolor shirt you found and tell your husband to take pictures of you in it so you can upload them to your blog on which you're going to be all like "Look at my pretty, new watercolor shirt! You can't beat me bronchitis!"

Look at my pretty, new watercolor shirt! You can't beat me bronchitis!

These are my buckle shoes. They are also thrifted, although I didn't thrift them today. Sometimes, I aspire to look like a pickpocket/street urchin in a Dickens novel -- think the Artful Dodger. This dream will come true some day. It hasn't come true yet though. Pickpockets don't wear soft, silky watercolor shirts. Well, at least Dickensian pickpockets don't.

It is so pretty. It is so springy. I want to take it to museums featuring impressionist painters.

Happy spring! Happy thrift-store hunting!

Pho sure

I can't eat pho without making 1,000 puns. It's just the way it is. Pho real. Today, I had take-out pho for the very first time. I had no idea it would come all sorted out and lovely like this -- the rice noodles and everything else separate. How organized and adorable!

I am hoping that pho is healing. I hear it is. It's like chicken noodle soup but with more goodies in it. Yes to bean sprouts, basil, onions and some Sriracha sauce. Yum. This pho was from a new spot in our town. It's a tiny hole in the wall next to a gas station. It's called "Thai Pho Bar and Grille" and has karaoke, burgers and beer as well as pho and Thai food. Very fun.

Tagged

On the cold front, I have bronchitis and a terrible ear infection. The doctor asked me if I've been around anyone sick, and I told her I was a student teacher. "Well there you go," she said. Who gets an ear infection at 31? Me. And bronchitis. Hopefully, I'm on the mend. If I were to do an outfit post right now, it would involve some Dr. Pepper pajama pants. They're really pretty amazing pajama pants. 

In happier news, I was tagged by both http://talesfromthefarawaytree.blogspot.com/ and http://misssimmondssays.blogspot.com/ to share some facts about myself. Thanks for the shout out my new blog friends! (Visit their blogs. Their blogs are cool. Like the big kids in the back of the bus in elementary school. Remember how cool those kids were?)

Me at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Photo taken by Robert. 

Here we go...

1. Who is your most bizarre celebrity crush?
Steve Martin is super dreamy. He is cerebral and funny. I am all about Steve Martin. Did you know he dated Cindy Sherman, the photographer? He's an author too! And he collects fab, weird art. His memoir is funny and sad. You really can't beat funny and sad. Sure, he's a bit old for me, but you didn't ask for my most obvious celebrity crush. 


2. What is/Would be your karaoke song?
Madonna. 80s. Any of it. 


3. If you could invent your own course and teach it, what would it be?
Fairy Tales, Folklore and Myths, a Study in Awesomeness
or
Audrey Hepburn Wins at Life


4. Zombie Apocalypse weapon of choice?
We have a plan. It involves a friend's family farm. The problem is getting to the farm. Weapon of choice: My Volkswagon Golf. So good luck to us. 

5. What period in history would you most like to visit?
I just read "The Paris Wife" and recently watched "Midnight in Paris" so... it has to be Paris in the '20s. 


6. What's the most unusual food you've eaten?
Alligator or kangaroo. I apologize to my vegetarian readers. 


7. Have you met any celebrities?
James Franco. He went to my grad school the semester after I graduated (and apparently all other grad schools ever, that guy believes in education!). He made friends with some of my friends. Everyone thought he was super hot. This was due, most likely, to his super hotness (or the fact he was/is a rich, famous movie star). 


8. How long have you been thrifting/op shopping/jumble sale-ing?
Forever. Since childhood. Thank you mom for taking me to garage sales when I was a tiny, little thing.


9. Which childhood cartoon/tv program scared you the most?
"Jem and the Holograms" was my favorite. Not super scary, but those Misfits could be trouble!

10. What are 3 of your favourite books?
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. The Weetzie Bat Books also known as "Dangerous Angels" by Francesca Lia Block. "Just Kids" by Patti Smith. 

11. What is your favourite film?
Breakfast at Tiffany's. Despite Mickey Rooney. Because of "Moon River" and Audrey Hepburn.

Happy birthday to me

Well hello there. Yesterday, I was 30. Today, I am 31. So there's that.

I'm spending most of my birthday doing school work and freelance work but yesterday I put on heels and went out to eat sushi with my fellow. I wore some really great, thrifted, T-strap shoes. In this photo, Sunshine is looking up at me adorably. She approves of the shoes.

I like wacky prints. My best friend Sherrie convinced me to buy this dress for a party a couple of years ago. Thanks Sherrie! I still love it. I'm such a cheapo thrifter I sometimes have to be convinced to spend more than $20 on an item of clothing.

In other news, I still have a cold, I'm eating too many hot and spicy Cheez-Its and chocolate-covered pretzels and 31 feels pretty decent. I mean, it's a little sneezy/cough-y/stuffy, but I can deal with it.

(dress, cardigan, tights: Target. shoes: thrifted.)

Cranky canvas

Who is the cranky canvas? I am the cranky canvas. Why so cranky? I have a cold. It makes me whiny, cranky and tired. It's not the outfit's fault. The outfit did its best.

 It's comfortable. It has a fun, pink print. That cardigan could be described as cozy.

And the shoes? These are the best shoes. I call them my Hobbit shoes. Why? I'm not sure. Hobbits always go barefoot. Why on middle-earth would I call these my Hobbit shoes? I just do. I think it's because these shoes and Hobbits are both cute.

Look! A small smile. Perhaps the Dayquil just kicked in. My exciting plan for my Saturday? SLEEP. And then sleep some more. And then eat pho and watch Project Runway All Stars (Team Mondo)! And then take Nyquil and sleep some more.

(shirt and skirt: thrifted, shoes: Blowfish, cardigan: Target)