fru-GAL

i'm cheap. frugal. not interested in spending too much money on a too few items. and i have been on a shopping hiatus since february. not too hardcore of a hiatus, but i have been using INCREDIBLE restraint. but on friday we officially sold our house after a solid month of delays and so i headed straight to the mall and to make a few purchases of items i have been dreaming about for months and months and months.

one item in particular that i have been dying over was the watercolor floral pastiche pencil skirt from jcrew. like a little bit of heaven. it's like we were meant to be because there it was on the CLEARANCE rack in my size smiling up at me on the day that i deemed appropriate to make a few purchases. 75% off $110. you do the math. holla!

and then i picked up this little V neck for $6 at la gap.

and i love mixing prints so i was happy as a clam at church today.

and yes, i do need a tank under this v neck. this surprised me too.

southern fried style

each time we have moved i am always fascinated with regional style. my first thoughts upon arriving in provo in 1998 was that girls loved stripey blonde hair and t shirts with a logos. jackson hole, wyoming was full of strappy tank tops and north face jackets worn at the same time. it was fun to hear my friend natalie's opinion of kansas city style when she visited me back in november. "lots of stylized hoodies." i don't own a single one, interestingly enough. when thomas and i moved to tuscaloosa, alabama back in 2003, i was overwhelmed with two major trends.

1. short booty running shorts and big billowy t-shirts just around campus.
2. almost cocktail dresses and sometimes even high high heels at football games. even in the cold.

today at the mcwane science center, i asked these girls to pose for a picture and they all clamoured at the chance. prime suspects in the southern girl uniform:

sorority girls and frat boys at a virginia football game:

from cnn.com

two georgia girls pre georgia game:

from redandblack.com

so, my question for you is, what is the regional style where you live? i'd love to hear it. truly, i find it so interesting. do tell.

and on a completely unrelated note-
tonight, i had a relief society meeting and pulled this outfit together. mostly because i knew that the only time i wouldn't be in air conditioning was the walk from the car to the chapel. i thought i could brave the heat and i wore a layered top and real live jeans tonight. i am a brave woman.

below the knee

i tried to do this whole "beachy" hair look and it more came out like "messygross". kind of like the oil spill in the gulf so i guess it could be loosely termed "beachy". i doubt i will be starting any new trendz with this hairstyle. i was running late to go see a movie with the fam and i decided to just blow dry big and spray and mousse everywhere and see if those fashion magazines that tell you how to do your hair on the fly know what they are talking about. they don't. while i do like big hair, i also like brushed hair. call me crazy. (CRAZY!)

doesn't my leg look like a barbie doll leg when you bend it the wrong direction in this one? creepy.

i have owned this linen dress since christmas and this is my first time busting it out. i despise linen but i just love yellow and i love the mod look of it and the price was soooo right. under $10 at tulle during one of their crazy sales.

fun pockets. almost like i'm pregnant. i didn't stick my hands in them at all just to avoid those prying looks. girl can't even throw up without somebody thinking you're prego.
i did spend a solid 30 minutes ironing it and i refused to let anyone sit near me during church in order to avoid wrinkles. that's why i call linen the devil's fabric. ironing it makes you curse. it's like the 9th circle of hell. so bad dante couldn't even write about it.

sweat suit

i confess, i haven't really been getting dressed for a week or so.
gym clothes, swim suit, hanes t shirt, night shirt, rinse then repeat.
the heat makes it difficult for me to plan an outfit that will last all day. after only a few minutes outside, i am a steamy hot mess.
i try and keep it all together by wearing as few layers and as lightweight clothing as possible. one of these days i am going to completely eschew wearing a bra. like all the old ladies in the locker room at the gym.

for fakes:

for realz or how i really felt after carrying a sleeping almost 3 year old more than a mile to a practice baseball field in 95 degree weather in 95% humidity:

zit happens!

i have found a product that i love. better yet, i love it and it works on both of it's advertised claims. fighting acne and fading acne scars. i'm pretty self-concious about my skin and i have quite a few factors contributing to my facial frustrations:
1. alabama's highly humid environment.
2. the fact that i get less and less sleep.
3. running. i was born to sweat.
4. my affinity to each milk chocolate chips by the handful(or bag).

neutrogena 2 in 1 fight and fade gel

i have been using it for 6 weeks now and i am a believer. after only a few days i noticed my skin was healing more quickly and i experienced a marked improvement of the appearance of my acne scars and the overall look of my skin. i don't think this gel possesses skin brightening qualities, but i do feel like my skin glows more. either that or the shadows on my face are lessened. it's not a miracle worker; i still have an ongoing battle with less than perfect skin, but i definitely would recommend this product to others searching for a solution. it costs about $8 for .05 ounces at wal*mart. well worth to me for the results i received.

some other reviews i read online stated that some noticed an increased drying of their skin. i didn't encounter that problem whatsoever but the main ingredient in this gel is salicylic acid so buyer beware.

black sabbath

today was my first day in my new calling at church serving as 2nd counselor in the young women's organization. i must admit i was a tad nervous and i wanted to present myself as a responsible adult(which is a struggle) and also someone who is approachable and unstuffy(but not in cough and cold season). so i went with my old reliable uniform: all black pleated hem shift dress, black knit 3/4 length cardi and skinny belt. and nude pumps because it is spring.

back in the good old days, my 3 dear roomates and i would dress in head to toe black each and every sunday. it was deemed, black sabbath. it was our classy rebellion and silent protestation against being ignored in our crazy student ward. it may have not had an impact on our student ward, but it certainly did on me. it solidified my love of my roomates and closet sharing and especially my affection for all black outfits. all black clothing ensembles are like second skin to me. i feel at ease and completely comfortable in them. and slighty macabre. if i ever launch a perfume, it would most definitely be called macabre. macabre by heidi. with a giant black atomizer and perhaps a black widow spider design.
which also brings me to one of my most favorite pieces of music, danse macabre by camille saint-saens. i've loved this song since elementary school when we had to listen to it in mrs. abernathy's music class and watch a film strip with dancing skeletons each halloween. i think it creeped all the other kids out but for me it was a love match. and who knew it would influence my sense of fashion?