sounds like a herd of buffaloes

i didn't feel like sneaking up on anybody this week so i wore corduroy pants as much as possible. corduroy pants are great because even if you eat really healthy and exercise a ton, you still feel like a herd of water buffaloes because you are so loud when you walk. and because i love to hear my husband call me huck finn, all week i cuffed my hem.

also, monday i also ran out of all my make-up and hair products. all of them. at the same time. so excuse my face. i don't mean to offend.
white t- target
gray vest- miley cyrus max azria for wal*mart
woven belt- fossil
goldenrod corduroy pants- gap
stacked heel gladiator sandals- kristin davis via tj maxx


i had to lighten this picture significantly. my run that morning was all in the sun and my skin got dark real quick. indian summer tan.

striped cardigan- express
t shirt- gap
belt- gap
corduroy pants- american eagle
woven flats- taken from my mother's closet and never returned
faux gucci purse- on the street in nyc(when i thought i could bargain)

gray shrug- kohl's
embroidered blouse- calvin klein a la dillards
black corduroy pants- american eagle
stacked heel gladiator sandals- kristin davis via tj maxx

and i had to buy this ring this week. had to because i was shopping with scarlett and she saw this hoot owl ring and she wanted me to try it on. and it got stuck. for quite a while. it required lotion to remove. needless to say, i had to purchase the ring. good thing scarlett has a thing for hoot owls.


and today:
my lesson i taught at church today was on optimism. and i was in a foul mood. funny how that always works out.

blue gingham button up- banana republic outlet

deep V sweater- gap

pencil skirt- jcrew

same old shoes as always- kristin davis via tj maxx

an early christmas campaign

i stumbled across these boots on urban outfitters. and they are PERFECT! it's as if i were melted and remade into a booty. (because i don't have a booty and that's what makes it so funny.) and they are a mere $78. so, really this post is for my husband(who doesn't even read this blog). he always says i am impossible to shop for. well, watch your feet because the hint just dropped.

click here for perfection: perfect

the heidi show

my kids crack me up. this is how our backyard has looked for pretty much the whole weekend. the soccer goal didn't even see that jeep coming for it.

white tie neck blouse- express
tortoise shell belt- new york and company
skirt-jcrew
enzo angiolini wedge heels- dillards

i spoke in church on sunday and i also taught the lesson in young women's. it was pretty much the heidi show. you know i sort of loved that. my lesson for the laurels was on self-mastery. so, in the spirit of living what i preach, i am giving up facebook for a week(possibly forever) and replacing that habit with crunches every time i feel the urge to sign on. facebook is pretty much the biggest drain ever and my abs could use the extra help, so i feel like this is a good trade off. i challenged my girls to do the same.
because it was the heidi show, i was having a "lucy! where's my white collarless shirt from fred segal? it's my most responsible looking outfit" kind of moment on sunday morning. (everything i learned about 90's fashion i learned from clueless.) thanks to this outfit and plenty of preparation, the heidi show went off without a hitch.

solidarity sisters!

"halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." cady-mean girls

the month of october and halloween are pretty much my favorite time of year. i like spooky. i like purple and black. i really like dressing up in a costume. and it's extra special when there is an event/holiday associated with costume wearing. but what bugs me to no end are those people that choose to desecrate such a "spiritual" holiday with what i like to call sluttony. sluttony is when women choose to be dressed down, as in underdressed, on a holiday dedicated to dressing up and being overdressed.

if you google "halloween costumes female", the first 3(appropriate for this blog) pictures that pop up are as follows,

kim kardashian as wonder woman:

a pirate costume, not a wench costume:

a "wizard":

all three pictures are clearly showing a love for costumes and imagination and have nothing to do with flaunting body parts(insert heavy sarcasm here). i think that if hermione granger had worn that third costume as her school uniform at hogwarts, there certainly would have been a different theme to the entire harry potter series. it would be more like harry potter and the chamber of dirty secrets.

so i say, solidarity sisters! we need to quash this uninspired and degrading trend! halloween is about creativity and gluttony. be beautiful, be ridiculous, be daring, but leave the unnecessary cleavage at home. make halloween family friendly again.

who's the boss?

when i wear this jacket i feel like samantha micelli.

the resemblance is uncanny:

jacket-mossimo for target

t shirt- target

silk scarf- my grandmother picked it up in japan in the 1970s

jeans- forever skinny from gap

red flats- byu bookstore

"eh oh, oh eh"

and to continue the 80's theme of the outfit, i just recently bought these forever skinny jeans from the gap. and i am pretty much thrilled with them. sometimes gap jeans are avoided because of their tendency to stretch out at least a full size. i haven't had that experience with these jeans and i have worn them almost constantly since purchase without washing. i bought my regular size. they are snug enough to keep their shape, but loose enough that i don't feel like my thighs are encased in sausage skins. actually, the only area of the jeans that really feels supremely snug is my calves. and i have huge, muscular calves so it wasn't too suprising. i think the BEST part of these jeans are the midrise waist. (marilee, this is for you!) everything is covered, there is no gapping for me and the pockets are still perfectly placed on my backyard so that i don't look like someone's grandma from behind. and they tuck perfectly into boots. i may need to go back and get the dark rinse. two thumbs way up gap!

funny shot of the day:

we are all skinny jeans fans here.

the weather is so delightful

i like modesty. i like what it represents; a person who is comfortable with themselves that they don't have to show everything. it's the way i choose to dress because of my religious beliefs. growing up and even now, it hasn't always my favorite thing because it is a more difficult way of dressing and trying to be fashionable. and being modest means that during the summertime, i am hot because i am more covered. but the benefits far outweigh the difficulties of modesty. knowing i am doing the best thing for me is the most rewarding part. trying to find shirts, skirts and shorts that are long enough, or shirts and blouses with sleeves and aren't too low cut has become my personal goal in life. i refuse to dress like a pioneer. modesty doesn't mean frumpy. modesty is anything you want it to be. embracing modesty means you can be fashionable, accessible and youthful.


due to alabama's crushingly delightful win over florida, i had to show my loyalty today while i was watching general conference.

blue collared shirt- jc penney?
NATIONAL CHAMPION long sleeve burn out t shirt- sports store in tuscaloosa, alabama!
animal print skirt- target
crimson tide heels that i just can't get enough of- tj maxx


*note to self- air dried hair is not as fun and carefree as i thought. more like gross and fuzzy. and this is the most awkward picture on earth.
animal print cardigan- old navy
pleated ruffle neck blouse- tj maxx
black skinny pants- tj maxx
red flats- byu bookstore


and i was totally jumping the gun on the boots and sweatshirt. but until about 1pm on monday i was nice and toasty. and after 1 pm i was overdressed and sweaty.

plaid woven button-up shirt- tj maxx
hooded kangroo pocket sweatshirt-target
black skinny pants- tj maxx
steve madden black leather equestrian boots- ebay

but i guess my most important reason for recording my modest outfits and trying to promote modesty in any way that i can is because i've got a little girl mimicking me all day long. and i want her to mimic me for good. and i love her to bits and i want to be a better woman because of her. and if i ever see an exposed thong on her, i will slap her silly and lock her in her room until age 40.

tight buns

tight buns seem to only exist on my head.
but that doesn't keep me from trying.

saturday it was 95 degrees. i spray painted furniture and vacuumed out the car and sweated like a porcine proletarian all day. and then i took the kids swimming.
today i woke up and it was rainy and cold. and fantastic. about 70 degrees for the high. a nice change. i busted out a jacket that i have had for at least 5 years but only wear once every other year. and today was the day. i also found that because of my spray painting adventure, my feet still had a nice black to gray ombre effect even after two showers and swimming. so hosiery became a necessity today.

and this dress doesn't really have a definitive color scheme. is it silver? is the pattern gray? what about the brown dots? and the black ribbon at the neck? and purple dots too? and the jacket? i don't wear it because the proportions are so off for my body. it's not long enough and the dress is too rectangular and this is starting to sound like a math problem. so i thought, pair it with whatever. it doesn't matter anyway. let's just slap some pattern on pattern. it will all work as long as i work it. it's not rocket surgery.
dress- target
hosiery- target
jacket- dillards
shoes- tj maxx
attitude- your mom

friday night lights

because i'm not watching enough football as it is.

thomas and i have "our shows". psych, burn notice, modern family, 30 rock. we made it through 7 seasons of 24 and we are waiting for season 8 to become available on netflix. i have a few shows that i DVR and watch whilst ironing so that i don't have to subject thomas to them(project runway, say yes to the dress). we did watch a few episodes of bachelor pad and laughed hysterically but also felt a lot dumber afterward. (plus, it was frightening to see so many adults who had never graduated from their high school mentality of being part of the "in" crowd) not much is good and original on tv so we tend to scour netflix for our shows. we have added to our repertoire is friday night lights. we love it. football and teenage angst. we just started season 2.

there are definitely some characters that are annoying(julie) and one in particular that i would love to see drive off a cliff(lyla) but the ensemble is great. and it's not all football and drama. i laugh in every episode. my favorite character is tim riggins. and not for the reasons you may think. he cracks me up. and he has the little-boy-lost-confused-face down pat.

my other fave character is tami taylor. perhaps it is her hair. i've had pretty much every hair color possible, except for strawberry blonde. i think i may go for it.

full hearts, clear eyes, can't lose! dillon panthers football!

hot for teacher

one of my favorite shirts has a hole in the front and an ink stain on the back. but i want to still wear it in a non-sweatpants capacity. so i nerded it up for teaching my church lesson today. i was actually trying to go for pseudo-goth-artsy-fartsy. i think i ended up with sunday-school-teacher-wearing-a-holey-shirt.
and then this morning thomas asked me why i was wearing brown shoes with a black outfit. they are red. bless his heart.

gap t-shirt

kohl's leopard print cardigan

target inverted pleat skirt

madden girl pumps a la tj maxx

saddle up

i am suffering from indecision. i like-ish these shoes:

they were a steal, $20, but i'm not sure if they are worth it. i love the saddle shoe resemblance, but i haven't been into the wingtip/brogue look on women. they are my favorite colors, black and white, but they do resemble my least favorite 90s trend, doc martens. i think i was the ONLY person in my high school who didn't buy into this trend. call me a non-conformist, call me cheap. after hearing a certain fellow student say that everyone who was anyone needed a pair, i knew i didn't because i was content with being nobody. (isn't it interesting how people you don't like influence you as much as people you do like?)

so. what do you think? they are fun and i like fun and i would love to wear them with knee length full skirts and patterned tights. but are they worth keeping if i have reservations? $20 isn't a lot, but it could go toward something else i love. convince me please. what are your no-holds-barred thoughts?

also, what trends did you specifically do or not do because of someone?

one of my other trends i totally bought into was way super stripey blonde hair in college. i think it was a utah thing because whenever i visited home, i was the only person looking like a blonde skunk.

mood swings are never as fun as park swings

i have worn this skirt twice since i got it for christmas. so that means we aren't in love. more like mutual toleration. i love the color and the high-waistedness. but not the length. i think i will chop it up about 4 inches so that it is just below my knee. and then add a naomi judd style petticoat underneath. maybe.

but the pocket are pretty awesome.

gap outlet puffed sleeved sweater

tulle blue full skirt

target red skinny belt

charming charlie floral necklace

jessica simpson wedge heels

and some mom-about-town outfits. today parking it up with the church ladies and their kids.
jcrew outlet t shirt

gap boyfriend chinos with custom paint splatters(which always garner stares but are awesome for those inevitable bleach stains).

target floral flats

faux gucci purse i bought on the street for $12 in nyc 8 years ago.

gap v neck t(i thought it looked like me. so i bought it and always do my hair curly when i wear it.)

target skinny cargo pants(which are great fun but they def stretch out a LOT)

walmart goldenrod sneaks

ps- pushing my kids on the swings. not my favorite thing. i wish parks had a giant family swing that was solar powered so that i could sit back with them and not have to worry about getting kicked in the gut by little people who i birthed. and that idea is my contribution to society for the week.

combating mom jeans since 2005

i love denim, but i think jeans are the single most difficult thing for me to purchase for myself. especially post partum. the body i knew for the first 25 years of my life changed forever after reagan was born. worse in some ways, better in others. one thing that i am constantly working on is disguising the accordian stomach and not creating a tummy shelf with my pants. but most important, avoiding the muffin top.
my formula for muffin top avoidance:
long, blousey fit t shirt + loose jeans with stretch +accessories for distracting the eye / just avoiding eating muffins in general =

and i wore my big wedges(which sounds crude but is totally innocent). sometimes when i wear big wedges out and about on errands and with jeans and shorts, i feel like fiona from burn notice. if she can tote around blocks of C4 for making explosives and shoot bad guys with high powered rifles from city blocks away whilst wearing big wedge heels, then surely i can handle dragging two kids around town in big shoes. and sometimes i want to shoot people, so wearing big wedges pretty much means i am in training for becoming a sniper.

and remember, muffin tops are for eating. not exposing.

waffley good

i feel like a lame-o loser. recently, i've only been blogging my sunday outfits and making almost zero attempt to take pictures of my everyday outfits. barf. which means i haven't been trying very hard at making my everyday outfits very creative. so. i vow to try a little harder. but not much.

sunday i wore one of my favorite dresses of all time. i've had it for 10 years. i wore this dress in my engagement photos with my husband, and we've been married for 8 years so this dress has seen a lot of daylight. love my husband, love my dress. a great combo. and, i am so stoked about wearing cardis so i threw one on sunday. it's better than the things i usually throw.
plus, i forgot to put the roast in the oven before church so i was stuck making a mammoth amounts of waffles and pancakes for dinner. good thing for my fam, those both happen to be my speciality. and lucky for you i'll share my recipes with you. they are worth it.

best waffles ever amen-

1 3/4 cups flour

1 T baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 egg yolks

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

2 egg whites

in stand mixer beat egg white until stiff. in separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and salt. beat in milk and oil. stir wet and dry ingredients until just mixed but still lumpy. add egg whites but leave a few fluffs of egg white. do not overmix. pour onto buttered waffle iron. when done lift off with fork.

pancakes hallelujah-

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 T melted butter

combine dry ingredients in bowl and mix well. in another bowl beat egg with milk. whisk egg mixture with dry ingredients and then mix in butter. if too thin add additional flour until desired texture is achieved. pour onto well greased pan. enjoy.

***not a staged picture***

ps- i dyed my hair black. super black. not just really dark brown. blackety black. it's a dream come true, except that i can't paint my nails black for a really long time. i don't want to be confused with a goth kid who drowns puppies.

autumnal anticipation

fall is my fave fashion season. and these are the items i want in my closet. for free if possible. but so far, none of my favorite items are free. but i'll keep trying.

french connection winter wings sweater like a glam sweatshirt.

french connection midnight stalks top

fun and floaty but would look so delicious with a winter white waffle weave heavy cardi and thicky thicky milkshake socks that poke out over flat boots. with a skirt. preferably gray(pssst carie, perhaps with H's new skirt?). but i guess some people like color too.

target skinny cargo pants i actually bought these this week. and i pretty much love them. i like them so much i broke my no-cargo-anything-ever-because-i-have-muscular-thighs-rule. they are great weight for transistion to cooler weather. which here in south carolina will probably be in january. and the best part? my receipt was $24 even.

gussto capri camel hobo for $390. yes, dollars not rand or yen. i'll dream for now. and when i start robbing banks everything will be different. but i just love this color with every other color on the planet. like a big pile of melted caramel.

jcrew crystal parade necklace i really hope claire's or charming charlie knocks this off for less than $20. because, "shut it down. i die. bananas." thank you rachel zoe. i want to wear this with everything and nothing. my underwear would look fantastic with this. get your mind out of the gutter.

animal print cardi from banana republic i want this so bad i can taste it. perhaps with the floaty french connection top??? just a thought.

tory burch howard wedge hiking boot start saving now. another great shoe to be knocked off as soon as possible. i'll be haunting bakers until then.

military style jacket from delias just for fun. but not combined with the cargo pants. no one needs a cargo suit. this would be great with a soft scarf and big, huge diamond studs.

the end. hurray for fall.