dress design for shabby apple dresses

this is my dress design for shabby apple dresses. have you visited shabby apple dresses? you should. i love them. modesty and fashion are not mutually exclusive and shabby apple is a great example of that. also, be sure to check out the yellow rose bridal because they also carry shabby apple dresses!!! if virtue is power, then virtue in action promoting modesty through fantastic clothing options!
anywhooo,
i have entitled my design "sundae picnic", because it was a treat to design. so punny.

as you can see, i am hardly the world's best sketch artist, but i've got vision. this is a one piece dress with the look of a three-piece ensemble.

the top half is a crisp white blouse with short sleeves, pearl button closure on the arm and a large inverted pleat on the chest with mulitple rows of pintucking down to the waist.
the waist has a large banded waistband in the fabric of the skirt and sits on the natural waist. it can either be worn with the belt/sash or sans belt. the belt/sash can be worn in three ways.
1. tied as bow on hip or front or back
2. tied as an obi sash in the front
3. add a large O ring and make it a belt. my vision is a natural wood ring.

i suggest that the colors of the belt/sash should include bright goldenrod yellow or animal print.

the full knee length skirt details include a large inverted pleat that mirrors the inverted pleat of the top only without the pintucking. the fabrics i envision for the skirt include a rich green floral print or a royal blue dupioni shantung (silk, but realistically polyester). for funnsies i would include a touch of tulle for shape and the great sound of the fabric rustling with the tulle. who doesn't love that?

my inspiration for this dress came from several classic movies. picnic with william holden(delish!), west side story and a little bit of the sound of music. the sound of music is probably best reflected in the green floral print.

add a pair of open toe heels in a complimentary color or print(houndstooth anyone?) and you are set!

it don't matter if you are black and brown

wearing black and brown together has always been one of my biggest fashion don'ts, right up there with not mixing metals and making sure to avoid the dreaded VPL. however, for about the last 5 years, my personal style mantra has evolved into, "it doesn't have to match, it just has to go". more than following exact rules, dressing should follow your gut; it should involve feeling. in my never-ending fashion magazine/internet perusal, i have noticed there is a way to make a definitive brown black combination work. it can be quite precarious and frankly, the prospect of purposefully not matching can be a daunting task. the effect has to be slightly haphazard, a bit thrown together, but at the same time, the individual pieces needs to look well thought out.

rules(or suggestions)

1. make an outfit equation. avoid 50/50 black and brown proportions. one color needs to be relegated to a secondary position, or an accent color. like a good movie, the supporting players in an outfit can make the most impact.

2. the shades of brown do not have to match exactly. varied tones add interest.

3. go with your gut.

4. have confidence in your wearing of black and brown.

5. if it makes you super nervous to wear black and brown together, ease into it. start small with a belt or leather bracelet. and if you worry about matching belts and shoes and purses, make it easy on yourself by choosing those accessories in completely different colors. like red or eggplant.

my theory explained on a two-year old:

tan/brown multi leopard print cardigan, green hooded front-pocket dress, black leggings, brown boots. (80% of this outfit is from target.)
ps-i also have started mixing gold and silver. when else will i ever wear my hard-earned young women's medallion if i am afraid of clashing with my wedding rings?

finally feeling lucky

i have been a reader of lucky magazine from the beginning. i knew that a magazine that bills itself as a magazine about shopping was right up my alley. for a few years a relished every issue. i found the articles interesting, the point of view fresh and the immense amount of photos, descriptions and suggestions welcome. however, in the past couple of years, lucky has lost it's luster. each issue has become more and more contrived. the editor's seem hell bent on making this magazine appeal to fewer and fewer people. i understand that i am inching my way out of the primary demographic by growing older and more sensible(it burns!), however i do feel that if a magazine is truly about shopping and the art thereof, more eternal truths about shopping should included in the expanse of the publication that apply to everyone, and not just to very skinny, tall, willowy, wealthy 20 year olds with no jobs, no children and no responsibilities. how can a magazine continue to be profitable when it only appeals to less than 1% of the population?
that being said, the september 2009 issue of lucky has been the best in years. however, it is not soley due to the genius of the lucky staff. the credit lies in the companies advertising the in magazine. so many retailers have been so hard hit by the recession, they are actually spending their coin on creating clothing lines that are versatile and wearable as well as affordable. a revelation!!! some of the best were from Kmart(gasp, so fantastic, very pleased), dillard's, macy's, forever 21, charlotte russe, payless shoes, target and the gap(really, the gap sells denim?).
lucky is slowing making strides towards this same conclusion. while many pages are filled with ridiculously priced items, more and more features are aimed at true bargain shopping. in prior editions many of their bargain pages only contained 5 or fewer items. or if they were pushing a feature on "everything under $100!", the items under $100 were going for about $99.95. pretension and exclusivity were key to their marketing strategy. that only works for a while as those of us who have been excluded or overlooked start looking elsewhere to meet out fashion needs. money speaks louder than words. frankly, lucky left me feeling unlucky.
i'll be the first one to say that i LOVE looking at $400 pair of leather stuart weitzman shoes. or a completely unreasonable cashmere ralph lauren scarf for $342 can make me swoon. fashion is supposed to be a touch ridiculous, it's a form of personal expression. however, not everything is a splurge-worthy. as fashion maven sarah jessica parker said at the launch of her own budget dave and barry's line, "fashion is a right, not a luxury". she's right. she's so right, she even had t-shirts emblazoned with that saying.

my very favorite ad from the september 2009 issue was from ann taylor loft. i was on the verge of tears when my eyes absorbed it's fashion goodness. simple. wearable. layerable. understated. and lots of gray. that will always win me over. the clothing is versatile and the ad a whole is a recipe of how to style your fall wardrobe. many of the items may look like things you already own. what makes this ad so special is how it subtley updates the classic look with a few trendy splashes. enticing women to spend because the things are in reach and won't destroy and entire paycheck or condemn your family to a month of pancakes and ramen.
for example, this is how females over the age of 16 should be wearing their jeans. skinny jeans are a great trend, but being realistic to your body type is more important. instead of a skinny jean, try a long straight leg with some stretch in a dark wash. anything too skinny will emphasize hip to ankle ratio rather than emphasizing beautiful curves. nobody wants to be an inverted triangle, looking like an overstuffed box perched on top of a broom.

love the shoes: wedges are my fave. they give neccesary height and elongation but don't take away balance.
love the boots: sophisticated and elegant.
love the hobo bag: the shape is reminiscent of 80s fashion without screaming molly ringwald.
love the sleevless drapey sweater: this one piece can update so many items you already own.
love the white blouse: really, do i even need to expound upon the obvious?
love the purple: autumnal but not drab. especially with the brown and gray combo!!!
love the hem options: the same cut of pants, worn so many ways, cuffed, cropped, tucked and out.

hurray for you ann taylor loft. hurray for you!!!

bienvenidos a miami

if you are not already watching burn notice, tune in for the summer finale thursday night at 9pm, 8 central. seriously, do yourself a favor and become a fan of this show. at our house, we started watching it because we thought it looked like a show that would be easy to make fun of. and it does have plenty of ridiculous moments, but it also has plenty of moments of pure entertainment value. each week as thomas and i watch it, i try and convince him of how we can make halloween costumes for ourselves of each of the characters. and if i want to portray something for halloween, you know it is hot stuff.

character breakdown:
fiona glenanne- ex-girlfriend of michael weston. she is part-time un-licensed bounty hunter, full time high-heel shoe wearer. fiona has a history of hijacking weapons for gun smugglers. she includes as her hobbies building bombs and blowing things up. she finds it neccesary to wear booty shorts and halter tops at all times.

actress gabrielle anwar portrays fiona. you may remember her from wild hearts can be broken(one of the best movies of all time) and a few choice sci-fi channel and lifetime movies.

5 degrees of separation- 1. gabrielle anwar portrayed sonora webster in wild hearts. 2.sonora webster was born in waycross, georgia. 3. thomas is the king of waycross, georgia. 4.thomas is married to me. 5. that makes me famous

madeline westen- chain-smoking den mother of the burn notice crew, real(fake) mother of michael westen.

in short. awesome character. maddie is always a treat when she gets to be included in the job. i for one, am so glad that they fixed her hair from season one. i want to buy an obnoxious amount of hoop earrings and pashmina scarves because of her. when are she and sam axe going to hook it up? for real?

michael westen- "burned" former spy who loves to wear pastels, especially pink. he apparently likes to live on the edge and he can't just take a job at mcdonald's. or at least if he wants to use his technical skillz, he should apply at geek squad. he lives above a night club, which is a running theme in the show.

michael has single handedly brought back the suit and i applaud him for it. not since miami vice has a suit been so cool and yet so attainable. and yogurt. one can never get enough active cultures. a small tub a of yogurt is the perfect accessory to the suit.

hopefully his spy skillz will help him beat his recent glaringly guilty DUI charges.

and my personal fave-

SAM AXE!!! this show would just be a modern macgyver without sam axe. i love this guy. he is what keeps the show funny and fresh. i want to name something sam axe just so that i get to say it everyday. "go answer the sam axe front door." "where the heck are my sam axe car keys". or perhaps make it my new expletive. "would you stop wearing your sam axe shoes on the sam axe carpet?"

sam is a former navy seal and he likes to bring that fact up in every conversation. he also seems to be a magnet for rich single women who like to loan him expensive cars. he mentions in EVERY episode some "buddy" that has loaned him something and has provided some crucial informations. my favorite sam axe quality(besides the floral shirts and linen pants and loafers. and gold chains. can't forget about the gold chains.) is his use of the pseudonym of chuck finley. whenever sam axe needs a cover, it will be chuck finley.

who is chuck finley? only a former california angel who was married to tawney kitaen, she of whitesnake music video fame. ms. kitaen was the playboy model who dated david coverdale, lead singer of whitesnake and she displayed a talent for doing the splits and other gymnastical feats on the hoods of cars. so it makes perfect sense for sam axe to use chuck finley as his alias.


"if the devil had a name it would be chuck finley" -sam axe

things that i have learned from burn notice:

-your phone can be turned into a tracking device/bomb/computer hard drive stealer/hand to hand combat weapon at any moment.

-once your phone has called a tapped phone line, all your phonecalls can now be tapped too.

-C2 is used to make explosives and it looks like a block of lard.

-pretending to be drunk or uneducated can get you access to a lot of places.

-if you are looking for a turncoat spy/informant/drugdealer/con artist/money launderer/ illegal modeling-sex slave business, try a night club.

-miami is crawling with former spies, arms dealers, and hit men from former soviet bloc countries.

-miami is secret spy world headquarters.

in short. watch this show. and rent seasons 1 and 2. today.

1993 called, they want their bodysuit back

were bodysuits all the rage at your junior high? because the were the fashion choice of champions at mine. georgeff-baker junior high had an overabundance of bodysuits. for some reason, we 12, 13, and 14 year old girls thought it was the coolest thing in the world to wear a tight, swimsuit-like top with our jeans all day long. it was the epitome of tacky. tacky with a crotch snap. i confess that i had one. i begged for it. it was long-sleeved and jewel-tone purple. the scallopped neckline was cut so that the buttons on the front were supposed to pull apart suggestively so that you could catch a glimpse of cleavage. fortunately(or unfortunately if you were a pubescent male classmate of mine) i have never had any type of bust and so a quick glimpse of my training bra wasn't ever going to happen.


fast forward 17 years(it causes me physical pain to type that). i receive the chadwicks quarterly catalog. it makes me feel ancient and uncomely that i receive a catalog that advertises hidden tummy panels and mom jeans. however, surprise of all surprises, they have some GREAT stuff!!!
i ordered this easter dress from chadwicks for about $40:
and that brings me to my most recent obession. i want a bodysuit. and chadwick's has them. there, i said it. i want a shirt with a crotch snap. but not just any old bodysuit, it needs to be a collared shirt bodysuit. i think it will be a great layering piece in the fall and winter. i love a crisp collared shirt and i hate that they always get bunchy underneath a sweater or jacket or come untucked from your pants or skirt. a collared shirt body suit is the perfect solution. even though a bodysuit goes against everything i stand for, i still want it. and it's only $29.99

the man in the mirror(or record player)

i used to own this exact record player circa 1986. i had a total crush on MJ and wanted to give him a book of mormon so that he could join the church and we could get married and live happily ever after. i also had a roommate in college who had the same dream, but only with justin timberlake and the rest of nsync. she was 20. i was 6.

i am currently wishing that i had held onto this gem of nostalgia. this beauty was fetching $270 before the king of pop became the king of pop, emeritus. the worth now could probably pay for any minor plastic surgery procedure i would like to get in the near future. a fitting tribute, right?

but on a serious note, does it mean that you are officially old when your favorite pop star of your youth dies? last night at my volleyball game, we dedicated our perfomance to the memory of michael jackson. at first we were BAD, as in good(it was a thriller, almost dangerous) and came thisclose to winning our first game. the second game we were still pretty good, but not like the first game. by the final game we were tired and not feeling very excited. we did our best to play well, but our age was showing. and then we beat it and went home to our families. it was like the king of pop was right there all along.

a final note, how many michael jackson RIP tatoos do you anticipate seeing in the coming weeks, even considering his more recent checkered HIStory?

reality tv=marriage kiss of death

since i spend a good amount of time each day frequenting various check out lines, i happen to read a ton of tabloid headlines. sometimes they are hilarious. sometimes they are completely inane. sometimes they are just sickening. the headlines and tabloid coverage that has been bothering me the most involve jon and kate + 8. the demise of any marriage is heart-wrenching enough, but having it played out on every magazine cover is enough to make a tabloid-loving. celebrity-lifestyle-hardened-cynic like me look for other hobbies. not to mention the fact that there are EIGHT innocent children involved. my advice for jon and kate is to run for the hills. just walk away from this mess and restart your family. eschew any dreams of further limelight and get back to real life. quit the show, quit the book tours, quit the drama and go back to raising a family and falling in love again. people don't just wake up one morning and fall out of love. it is a process. it is also a very hard and very long term process to keep a marriage together. jon and kate, go back to being regular employed people. it will be hard to not have tons of cash on hand from having millions of people invade your home and watch you, but i think you can do it. i know of several families with 8+ children that have been successful, happy and financially viable. money certainly doesn't buy happiness. this lesson has been played out time and time again.

reality show family casualties-

carmen electra and dave navarro- til death do us part: carmen+dave divorced after 3 years of marriage

hulk and linda hogan family-hogan knows best divorced after 20+ years of marriage

jessica simpson and nick lachey- newlyweds: nick and jessica divorced after 3 years of marriage

travis barker and shanna moakler- meet the barkers divorced after 1 year of marriage, then reunited and then broken up again, then reunited, then broken up...you get the picture.

the osbournes-the osbournes by some miracle they are still married, however, two of their children had stints in rehab before they were 18.

brett michaels-rock of love will brett ever find true love?

flavor flav- flavor of love are there really women out there this desperate?

adrianne curry and christopher knight- my fair brady i just don't have much to say about this one. come on peter brady, let's grow up.


the only people who will probably come out of their reality tv show with their marriage intact are the duggars. they seem to be the only reality family who hasn't changed who they are because of their tv fame. these people are the real deal holyfield. yes, they seem a touch narrow, but i do not for one second doubt their family's love and sincerity toward one another. my only concern is from the viewership: do people actually admire and enjoy the show or are the watching just because they think they are a bunch of religious fanatic yokels?
the duggars- 17 kids and counting

thoughts?

cancelled

i cannot wrap my mind around how some brilliant shows are cancelled after only a short period of time while other tv shows with little to no entertainment value CONTINUE to be watched and renewed. it's baffling. it's like the number of people who watch tv whilst using their brain at the same time it's getting smaller and smaller with each passing year. i just read a short list of shows that have been cancelled for next year and i am seriously concerned about the future of our country if this pattern continues.

JUST CANCELLED SHOWS THAT WERE WORTH WATCHING
1. my name is earl- i was totally shocked about this one. though my viewership has recently dropped off, i always thought this show was funny(often too crude) but had a mass audience appeal. best character-joy. she made horrible bleached out fake hair and trashy wal-mart chic shirts almost enviable. almost.
2. kath and kim-for real. this show was a highlight. i found pure pleasure in pressing record on the DVR for this one. funny funny stuff. while i loved both kath and kim, the best character by FAR was-derek, kim's extranged husband's big box technology store co-worker/sidekick. the scene where he was laying on his bed and reading twilight whilst doling out relationship advice was pure comic genius.
3. privileged- i wasn't really into this show but i know of several very smart and witty people who were BIG FANS(one gal in particular who was the biggest supporter of this show but she's a not fan of twilight. this is completely incongruent to me and makes no sense whatsoever.). i must say that i did really enjoy the clothing. and that's more than i can say about some shows i've watched.

the best shows on tv
1. burn notice- i had a dream a few nights ago that i was watching this show. i am that excited for it's return on june 4th. and it's quite apropo that i was dreaming about it since i can never stay awake during an episode, no matter how riveting, and i always have to watch an episode twice. i save my laundry folding for watching this show so that i can combat my chronic couch-sitting induced narcolepsy.
2. PSYCH- just plain awesome gus. nothing better on tv.
3. 30 rock- the only thing worth watching on must-see-thursday anymore. sorry, office. you've jumped the shark.
4. scrubs- LOVE IT. here's the caveat. will it be as good without drs. dorian and cox? not that i think either are the best on the show(turk is the BEST) but the ensemble chemistry is what does it for me.

shows that should be cancelled ASAP
1. parks and recreation- sorry, amy poehler. i think you are hilarious. but this show is not. and it's a darn shame that my name is earl was sacrificed to save parks and recreation. a crying in the night shame.
2. two and a half men- i feel dumber even making comments about this show. formulaic. predictable. overtly sexual without any creativity whatsoever. and i've not even made it through an entire episode. plus, all the people i have encountered who love this show make me wish for an early armageddon. was that too harsh?
3. american idol- don't hate me for this. i just can't get into this show. i only enjoy the audition episodes and the last 5 minutes of the finale. was anyone else shocked that adam lambert didn't win?

and while i'm at it, i'm still mad that these shows were cancelled:
cancelled brilliance
1. kevin hill- give taye diggs a chance!
2. veronica mars- proof that there are some smart high schoolers out there. not at my alma mater, but somewhere.
3. miss guided- a show created by ashton kutcher that had chris parnell from SNL playing the vice principal. awesomesauce.

what do you think? what have i forgotten? what are your faves? what should be long gone? what are you going to miss? can anyone defend two and a half men?

a couple thoughts and the white skirt challenge

while i absolutely love having a blog totally devoted to my own personal thoughts and deep insights, i find it terribly difficult to maintain. it kills me! i have thoughts all the time of awesomely bad blog topics yet when it comes down to typing them out, i just don't. and i thought a new year's resolution of weekly blogging would help, but it just increases the guilt. anywhoo, this is the sparkling gem of prose that i came up with for this week:

speidi wearing swine flu masks .
really. it's like they ENJOY being the butt of jokes.
there are SO many things i could say about this picture. the pigs jokes are just about to spill out of my brain!
*attention hogs
*swine-tastic flesh colored beard(not by the hair of my chinny chin chin)
*they shouldn't worry about spreading swine flu, there is no evidence that it is passed from animals to humans(get it? they're the pigs? haha)
but, i'll pare the thoughts down to one.
it's unfortunate that they are only wearing face masks and that they couldn't permanently wear full body masks to keep them from reproducing and creating little speidis.

kate gosselin
stop the insanity. so what about her husband's alledged affair. let's stop this hair crime! the spikey hair in the back is BAD. horrible. it's like a suburban mom's version of the mullet, tupperware party in the front, weed whacking yard project in the back.

it had me at hello

i love this white skirt, available from wal-mart for only $15 bucks! since i love white, this should be a natural choice for me. and since it is a full skirt, the white won't make me look like a whale like white pants and capris never fail to do. the pleating should help slenderize my hips and minimize the size of my thighs. my goal is to wear it once a week this summer, never repeating the top or shoes together. if it works i'll post pictures.

santa vaca dora!

apparently there has been some hub bub in the media about dora the explorer's new look. the article that i read online listed some of the complaints from parents against the tween dora doll.
"dora the street walker"
"a sexed up version of a children's icon"
"a poor example for kids"

are you intrigued yet as to what they've done to dora?

SANTA VACA DORA! you look like a typical 10 year old girl with long hair and cute clothes!!! for shame! i'll never let my daughter play with her now. i can't having her believe that anyone ever grows up!

seriously folks, if we are concerned about a new tween dora with no visible pubescent changes, a covered naval and zero make up, shouldn't we be burning the BRATZ dolls at the stake?

who are the BRATZ dolls being marketed to, tramps in training? the future "pretty women" of the world?

who is supposed to play with these heavily made up, botoxed, lip-injected, alien-faced wastes of good plastic? they've has so much plastic surgery that michael jackson is jealous of their non-existent noses. BRATZ dolls look like VH1's rock of love bus wannabes.
and as for barbie, while she may be quite voluptuous, she still looks employable. barbie has been a vet, an ice cream shop owner, an astronaut, a figure skater, and has served all 4 branches of the military, just to name a few occupations. at least barbie conveys the message that girls can have any occupation they want.
BRATZ are what we really should be in an uproar about. leave dora alone.

the legolas syndrome

dear robert pattinson,
this is an intervention. i only write this to help you. i think you are suffering from legolas syndrome. this syndrome can be classified as a person who can be found attractive or at least not repulsive in a movie or tv show and then in real life they are bordering on looking homeless or suffering from the bubonic plague. the illness is called legolas syndrome after legolas from the "lord of the rings" movies. i know of many females who felt the need to embrace pointy ears and archery after viewing orlando bloom as legolas.

however, after the LOTR trilogy wrapped, orlando bloom moved on to other endeavors. the box office bust "elizabethtown" was one of them. apparently mr. bloom was so upset by working with kirsten dunst(who wouldn't be?) that he decided to become a mechanic at your local auto body shop as displayed below. hello grease monkey. many girl's hearts were broken and numerous archery sets were returned to the local sporting goods store.

this brings me to you mr. pattinson.
i read the interview you gave in april's GQ. this article mentioned that you showed up looking less than appropriate; "His clothes smell like he has recently purchased them off the back of someone less fortunate than he." this was not the first mention of you showing up in public unwashed. i know that you are european but this does not mean that you need to be euro-trash. i understand the whole crazy hair schtick that you've got going for you and i actually kind of like it, but washing your hair often when you use hair gel is a must. it's right up there in importance with using a bar of soap and brushing your teeth(with toothpaste). you may even come to enjoy showering like the rest of the civilized world.

stylized robert pattinson=good

unwashed miscreant robert pattison=bad
as a supporter of your work, i enjoyed both harry potter and twilight, please please please make some effort in your personal grooming. i promise it will only help your acting efforts. if something doesn't happen soon i fear that you will end up making movies for the lifetime movie network. how do you feel about playing opposite tori spelling in a family drama in which a woman finds out she is actually married to her drug-dealing mafia brother who is also part-time pastry chef???

sincerely, heidiluxe

i HOPE she doesn't make this blunder again

like everyone else on the planet, i was most excited for inauguration day to see what michelle obama would wear to the numerous balls that she and the president would attend. good fashion should be completely bi-partisan, so what can more easily unite a nation than fantastic clothes?

my gut reaction when i first saw her was two words: toilet paper. i was completely disappointed. i was down in the dumps for about 30 minutes after viewing her inauguration night ball gown. i have really enjoyed seeing what mrs. obama wears and this night was no exception. i only wish she could have delivered.

mrs. obama is not a fussy person and i think the sparkles and flowers gave her the impression of being child-like or a bridesmaid. this woman is was the bride on tuesday and she therefore should be commanding the attention and respect of a bride, not her junior bridesmaid younger sister. or resembling the streamers on the get-away car.

according to designer jason wu,

"It's soft, feminine, but powerful; I wanted to convey all that in a dress. I wanted it to look like a sign of hope."

yeah, i HOPE she doesn't make this blunder again. i was hoping for something less flower child, more full-bloom rose.

ball gown pluses-

the color white. AMAZING color choice. her skin just glows. she should wear white everyday. that would stimulate the economy because women would be rushing out to buy white shirts to try and look half as fantastic as she does in white. (i also love to wear white. perhaps i should start a trend?)

the one shoulder strap. i love this on her. LOVE IT! she has amazing shoulders and this look displayed them well.

ball gown minuses-

the gauzy flowers. this just didn't translate well. it appeared unfinished.

the length. either she needed the dress to be bustled or she and the president needed to practice beforehand because they both looked like two robots stuck in glue as they both kept getting caught up in the skirt of the dress.

a related note-

i wish she had worn at least half her hair pulled back from her face. i think it would have been more formal and would could have gotten a better look at her dangly earrings.

the lemongrass inauguration suit was more palatable to my senses, but in some photos is looked decidely mustard, which is not a color i believe that the First Lady should wear. i tried to reserve judgement on the suit until i had seen several angles and screen captures, but something was just not quite right. mrs. obama is a tall lady and all the loose, heavy fabric gave her almost a couch-like appearance. if the sheath dress had been a solid fabric of the same color i believe the visual busy-ness would have been toned down.

loved the leather gloves.

and the brooch at the neck. i didn't like the sweater under the jacket and over the sheath dress. too much.

The Lunch Date Blouse GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Lunch Date Blouse GIVEAWAY!!!!

i want this! no one else is allowed to enter. the end.

resolute this!

i love making resolutions. it's just another excuse for me to make another one of my beloved lists.
in no particular order:
1. 6 o'clock am scripture study. get it done while i am alone and the house is quiet. hopefully this will also help me improve my sleep habits and get to bed earlier.

2. run 4 road races. half-marathon, 10k, 5k, 5k

3. no junk in january. i need to detox. this past month has been like an IV of sugar straight into my veins.

4. read 3 books per month. should be doable. this will keep me from getting dumber. i have a lot of people who like to help me with that. i need to actively combat their wiley ways. this includes my monthly book club book.

5. update both blogs weekly.

6. learn a new southern recipe every two weeks. i don't want to lose my touch.

7. two week menu planner. this has worked pretty well for me for the last two months and i think i have saved a considerable amount of money.

8. one week a month of thank you only prayers. last sunday's RS lesson inspired me to find more gratitude in my life. thanks to elder bednar for the inspiration on this one.

9. read Book of Mormon twice. real reading. even though i already know the ending.just kidding. i love to read it and i look forward to the challenge of trying to understand it more and more.

10. go to WOF and OOF. seriously. i can't believe that i didn't make an appearance at either place last summer. plus, it's a good incentive to get swimsuit ready. you never know when talents scouts will be looking for new models. i've got to be ready.

projects for 2009
1. create an acceptable outfit wall. i have a GOB of clothes that i never wear and i have no motivation to wear. this project includes photographing and displaying pictures of me in outfits that i like on the back of my closet door. hopefully this will help me explore my closet and rekindle my relationship with some of my clothes. i used to have a wedding dress wall. i figure i should do this with something useful and will help me simplify my daily life.

2. decorate and organize my home office. it's a wreck and if i want to accomplish some of the sewing projects i have tucked away in my brain, i need a clean area to do it. the box of 500 sewing pins dumped on the floor is sort of a safety hazard.

3. 365 photojournal. i saw this on someone else's blog and i thought it was a fun challenge. of course i will follow my own rules, but i think it would be interesting to have a picture from every day of the year.

motto for the year:
magnify the calling, simplify the work

and my fitness/healthy eating mantra:
85/15.
eating right accounts for 85 percent of weight management. exercise accounts for 15 percent of weight management. i can't let myself think that because i worked out i deserve to eat an entire batch of cookie dough.

eat healthy 85 percent of the time and allow myself junk 15 percent of the time.