Five Thing Friday

Hi again, it's Friday! Hooray! Even though this was only a 4 day week, it was jam packed full of all kinds of work and interesting things. I'm definitely ready for the weekend.

Summer is right around the corner, well, it's kinda here in NC. The 90 degree days have begun and that means I spend even more time trying to figure out what to wear. I was trying to remember what I wore last year since I'm about the same size I was then and I swear  don't remember. Hopefully FB will show me or I might have to go through my intstagram and figure it out. I  have a bunch of loose shirts that I bought last year and yay for getting looser but boo because there's still 20 pounds between me and the summer wardrobe I have in the spare bedroom. OK, I'm rambling now. But it is a lovely segway into today's 5 things....Fashion edition. (queue the trumpets)

1. A few months ago, one of my friends starting selling Lularoe. For those of you who aren't familiar, they sell leggings, shirts, skirts and dresses. Each print only has 1000ish pieces made and they're distributed to consultants across the country so people end up losing their minds over popular prints.

I'm on a few of the BST pages and it's insane how much people will pay for a pair of leggings. Literally, $80+ for a pair of hard to find ones, and those might even be worn. People are paying $80 for used leggings! Look, I have no shame in paying a premium for leggings, but there's a bit of a difference between an $80 pair of Lululemon and $80 for a pair with pizzas on them.

Recently got these cut out crops from lulu. They're amazing.

But you know what, used leggings are nasty. I don't care if they were washed, they were right next to someone's va-jay. Like right there. almost touching. If not touching. It's like wearing someone else's underwear.

2. Romper / jumpsuit season! It is that time of the year again when you have to get completely naked to pee. I just really liked this picture and had to share.

I did draw a bra on the pic because girlfriend just had her boobs hanging out. I'm not modest in the least, but I'd wear a bra with my romper. Now it's more realistic. 

3. Going down another clothing tangent, Wednesday I had a terrible gym fail. I left work at 5:10 to get to a 6pm spin class, that's about 10 miles away. Nope. There was an accident on the other side of the road.

Kev was about 1/4 mile ahead of me and we were on the phone talking about how bad it sucked. Any who, I get to the gym, 10 minutes late and go to change. I only have 1 spin shoe. 2 running shoes and 1 spin shoe. Grrr. Then I don't have the correct undergarments. I had on some shape wear under the dress I was wearing which, well, you know if you've worn the full body version. So yea, just went to class late with what I had. Since I didn't get the entire class in, I stayed for yoga, lord knows I needed some centering and peace. Now I have a few pairs of... you know, in my bag, just in case. 

Again, why you shouldn't buy someone else's leggings. 

4. It's casual Friday and I rarely wear jeans. I'm actually in a skirt today. Lots of people ask why I don't "dress down" and really, I don't like jeans and most importantly, skirts are 8000x more comfortable than a pair of jeans. They just are and dudes don't understand it. Fine by me.

Funny story, when I was a trainer at the cable company I had to police people's wardrobes all the time. I had to send people home to change or to Walmart to buy a pair of pants because they weren't supposed to be wearing jeans or I could parts of them that should be covered. Don't even get me started on the shoes. I saw so many pairs of platform hoochie shoes, it was ridiculous.

One day, after everyone had left, there was a pair of stripper shoes under the table where one of them was sitting. How they got to their car, or forgot that they left their shoes in class, I'll never know. 

I asked the person who was sitting there and she said they hurt her feet but she had socks in her purse so she put them on, wore them to her car and left her shoes. Now, maybe I'm out of touch and not that hip, but, if your shoes hurt your feet so badly that you can't wear them while sitting for 6.5 hours per day, you need new shoes. 

5. Have you heard about "Chubbies"? They're essentially shorter shorts for dudes.

One of my folks came in wearing a pair and I thought I'd have to have an akward conversation with a guy about the length of his shorts. Over the course of the day, the rest of the team teased him mercilessly about his short shorts. We've never seen them again. Problem solved and Lara didn't have to get involved. 

Happy Friday!

Linking Up! - Meet at the Barre

Black Friday thoughts - I just don't care

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday! We left bright and early yesterday morning to dive to my parent's house and spend a few days in WV / PA. We made it here at 430, waited a bit for the turkey to be ready and enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. We have a few activities planned for the weekend, including a trip to the casino and the Pittsburgh Steelers game on Sunday.

Well, well, well, It's Back Friday and all across the land people are up and about looking for the best deals. Back in the day when I used to work in retail, I didn't mind working Black Friday. As a matter of fact, it was one of  my favorite days. I loved watching the crush of humanity and people fighting over the last turtleneck sweater. I would work my 8 hours or whatever and still go out shopping that night.

Main reason is that oddly enough, Black Friday is not a busy day for jewelry stores. Know why? Men. Men are the biggest jewelry shoppers over the holiday season and they wait until the last minute to buy anything. The week before Christmas is really busy and during the 2 days before Christmas jewelry stores will do 2% of their entire sales for the year. That's equivalent to the month of January. #themoreyouknow

The last few years I just haven't really had a reason to brave the Black Friday crowds. Here's why.

1. I value my time. Time is precious, I want to spend it wisely, battling crowds and waiting in line just isn't my idea of a good time. One year, Old Navy was having their crazy sweater sale and the line to check out wrapped all the way around the inside of the store, It took over 30 minutes to get to the front. Do I really need another $7 sweater? Probably not.

2. I think the sales cause us to be impulsive and get things we really don't need, I wasn't planning on replacing my towels but OMG for $8 apiece, how can I not? $9 Waffle iron? I don't make waffles, but what if I did? For $9 I might start making more!

3. I don't have a lot of people to buy for. Kev could care less about a discount sweater and the things I would buy him are usually found online or in stores where they don't really have Black Friday. I'll bake a crap ton of cookies and give them to mt employees, Kev's co-workers and out friends and pretty much everyone else wants gift cards.

4  Let's be honest, there is going to be some sort of door buster every Saturday morning from now until Christmas. If you miss one, wait a week and there will be another.

5. Amazon. I love Amazon prime. I can sit on my computer and order everything I need and have it shipped to my house. I don't need to fight the crowds ever again.

Let's be honest, after all of that, I'm absolutely going shopping today. I have my eye on a new pair of black boots and I know there are some great deals out there. :)

Happy Shopping!

Linking Up:
Meet at the Barre

Five thing Friday

Happy Friday!

I think we're all saying this, but how the HECK is it almost October already?? I took out all of my fall and Halloween decorations 2 weeks ago and put them in a pile in the living room. I thought I would only put out the fall stuff and on October 1st add the Halloween. Welp, it looks like that didn't happen. At least one corner of the house is decorated.

I love 5 thing Friday, mainly because it's Friday and 5 is a nice number. Not too many, not too few. My mild to moderate OCD appreciates it.

1. At work we only get to wear jeans the last Friday of every month. This is a huge departure from my old job where the engineers wore jorts nearly every day (jean shorts). It makes me wonder if I truly "need" all of the pairs of jeans I have in my drawer right now. Since today is jean day, I'm definitely rocking a pair and am slightly more casual than usual top. Then I realized I have to interview someone today. Ooops. You in your suit and me in my gray skinny jeans. As least it's better than an interview I had where the manager was wearing jeans and a ratty Bills sweatshirt (I got the job).

2. Wednesday for lunch my co-workers and I went to Cowfish for lunch, which is delicious and amazing. They told one of my employees,who was off that day, that we would be there. He showed up and sat at the bar in what I'm pretty sure were the same clothes he wore yesterday. Oh, to be 23 again.

3. I just realized that I'm on a work tangent but I really think the cleaning ladies have some serious ninja skills. The last 2 mornings I headed to the closest restroom only to find it being cleaned. I walked down the hall to the other one and I'm in there not even 3 minutes and she's banging on the door. WTH??? How did she make it there that quickly???

4. I bought a pair of pants last weekend and I'm afraid they mean that I've given up on life. They're burgundy dress pull on pants. (shame face) So let me back up, they're not knit (thank God) and a flattering cut. They came in numbered sizes, not S/M/L, so I bought them in an actual size (10), which might be the only thing that saves me. I have very similar pants from other places, they just have a button and zipper. These do not. I'm always wary of pull on pants. They're very forgiving and if you're not careful, they turn into the the only thing you wear. Buttons keep you honest.

5. This isn't new but I love me some People's Court. Judge Milian is my girl. Well, I've been DVRing them and watching in the evening sometimes. Then thing about People's Court its the station figures that since you're watching a court show, you must be interested in all things legal; from needing an attorney to filing for bankruptcy. They also run commercials for people who may be eligible to sue for past medical procedures. I've seen so many of them it's gotten to the point that I think I might qualify. I keep asking Kev if I've ever had a bladder sling or needed vaginal mesh. I have no idea what either are, but I might have them and can be compensated for my loss.

 

 Have a great weekend!

 

 

Pull on pants, would you wear them to work?

 

Linking Up!

 



EShakti Review - I wore cowboy boots

A few weeks ago I received an email from eShakti asking if I would be interested in reviewing their service and an article of clothing. We all know how much this gal loves shopping and new threads, this one was a no-brainer. 

I was provided the dress in exchange for a review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'd heard of eShakti and seen several of their dresses across the blog world. They're an on-line clothing store that really focuses on customization. You want the dress a little shorter, no problem! Have short Tyrannosaurus Rex arms like moi? Perfect, get the sleeves shortened. As a short, curvy gal, the idea of being able to make it just the way I wanted was really appealing. And, I'm one of "those" people. "How's this made, can I have it without sauce, can those veggies be steamed, is this butter or margarine, can I have this on the side?" Yea, I love making things the way I want them.

I as given a link with several different dresses and asked to choose one. I was really drawn to this blue print floral dress and could totally see it transitioning from summer to fall, especially here in NC. 

I can't say enough about eShakti's customer service, I had no idea what I was doing and they were so nice and patient with me. The dress came with cap sleeves and I first asked them to make them a little longer, then they asked if I preferred regular sleeves and even sent me a picture. Um, yes please! Not only did they give me different sleeves but they also made the dress short enough for my 5'3" self. 

For being specially made, it arrived very quickly and I couldn't wait to style it. Then the 95 degree days came, and the rain. I assumed that eShakti would prefer their dress not to be featured with boob and pit sweat so I waited. Finally I was able to get some pictures taken this weekend. Woo Hoo!

I first styled it for summer, just the dress and some nude wedges.

 

(and a janky foot. What am I doing?)

 Then I paired it with a navy cardigan and some cowboy boots.

People in the south love wearing cowboy boots with dresses. I really don't understand the trend, I mean, I think it looks cute and I love how it compliments this dress but why? It must be the northerner in me, we just don't get cowboy boots. 

Thoughts on the fit of the dress. I ordered a size up because I was paranoid that the sizing would be off. I shouldn't have done that. It definitely fit true to size and I should have gotten a size down, It was a little big in the hips and shoulders but still wearable. If you were more modest (which I'm not), you could wear a cute lace bandeau underneath it and not be so boobalicious. I loved the pockets and pattern is so different than what I usually wear. As Kev said, "Thank God you didn't get stripes" (but I totally would have)

All in all, working with eShakti was a great experience. Their customer service was fantastic and I really liked the dress. If you have a hard time finding things that fit you properly in the store, I highly recommend trying them out!

Have you ever purchased something from eShakti?

Would you ever have a dress customized?

Congratulations to Mary! You're the winner of the $25 Landry's gift card! I sent you an e-mail. 

 

Linky Linky with these awesome ladies! Fashionably Employed

Outlet trip

So, it's Tuesday and my PC is off with Compucom. Blah, blah HDMI port died on my laptop. It's lunch time during training and no PC means no catching up on emails, but it does mean blogging from my phone! Yay for you.

Since I have "clothes" in the title of my blog, it's about time I do some clothes posts. In hindsight, it probably should be cookies, cardio and coffee. Side note,

one day, at my old job, we planned a "fun day" where we gave put random things that started with a C and didn't tell them why. It started with cereal and chocolate milk, we did candy cigarettes, cap guns, Chinese finger traps, chicken fingers and Creed CDs. There was talk of clymedia but thankfully no one had that to give.

Alright, what did I get at the outlet mall? Let me tell you, I LOVE when people post pictures of their hauls. Either on Black Friday or from the grocery store, I seriously love it. 

As I was taking my poorly lit bedroom pictures, I was proud that stripes only made an appearance twice but I've apparently gravitated towards green this season. Huh, I'm usually more mustard this time if year.

I was pretty successful at Loft, Talbots and NY and Co. It was odd, I usual strike out at NY and Co and Banana didn't have anything. I always have a hard time walking out of Banana Republic empty handed, not this day.

First up, this sweater - top from Loft. It's a pretty real color and the arms and back are sweater material and the front isn't. Hard to explain but really cute on. I think I'm going to pair with a black skirt or pants.

This was $20 off and I got a Medium

I wandered into Talbots on a whim and found this dress marked down on the 60% rack. I think it ended up being $32. I got this one in an 8 petite which I'm definitely not. Talbots sizes things for people built like Bea Arthur and their regular skirts come mid calf on me. They're also generous in their sizing (and this dress stretches). I'm wearing it now with a black cardigan and a chunky black necklace. BTW, I'm on the lookout for a chunky sparkly necklace. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know.

Navy pants from Talbots because I've been looking for a pair for WEEKS. Got these in a 10-curvy (which I am) and they were also 60% off. Yay!

Super cute polka dot skirt from NY and Co. I'm not usually a fan of pencil skirts but Kev said this was a yes. I got the 10 because it's a pencil and this gal has hips.

Kev wasn't a fan of this shell but I think it'll be super cute with black pants and a 

Black cardi. Or some other neutral colors. I ended up with a Large in this one and I think it was 40% off.

I have a love hate relationship with the Loft right now. They vanity size and I know and ignore that fact. I can buy 8s there and keep up the facade. However, I'm looking at more blouse-type shirts and everywhere else I need a large. Not here. At the Loft I'm swimming in a large and the mediums are tight in the hips. Grrrr. I know, lose those 10 pounds and it won't be an issue. 

This top I did end up with the medium and it was 25% off. Cute colors for the fall.

NY and Co had a special on cardis, $19. I ended up with the emerald green one in a Medium.

Finally, the blouse I got from the Limited last week. It's black and blush strips and there are tiny polka dots all over it. Super cute and 40% off. I also got $25 in Limited Cash to use later. :)

That's all for me as my haul! 

Have a great Tuesday!

Outlets, yay or nay?

Love or hate vanity sizing?

Scenes from the Weekend

I'm not sure if anyone really cares about what I did on the weekend, but the over-sharer that I am can't help herself.

So, what did I do this weekend? Saturday I slept in and it was glorious. So lovely. Kev woke me up wanting to go to breakfast, and since I talked him into a trip to the outlet mall, I hopped out of bed and got ready. We decided to go to the Smithfield outlets which are south of us which meant we had a reason to go into downtown Raleigh for breakfast.

We went to Big Ed's, a Raleigh staple. They're only open until noon, so you can't roll in late. We got there and the line was out the door but thankfully it moved pretty quickly. 

They have all sorts of old farmy equipment hanging from the ceiling. It's cool, but I keep thinking of a horror movie where all of those things start flying off the wall and impale me. I have issues...

We got to sit at Big Ed's table. I guess he already came in that day.

I ordered one pancake. Apparently if you order and eat 3 of these bad boys, you get a t-shirt. It was delicious but I barely made it through half. I ate all of my bacon though, because that's how I roll.

After I carb-loaded like I was running a marathon, off to the we went. I had quite a bit of success at Loft, NY and Co and Surprisingly, Talbots. I was trying to convince Kev that my new job needed new, more professional clothes. He slightly agreed. :)

I think I'll do another post of what I got since this one is getting pretty lenghty. :)

On the way home, we stopped at Smithfield BBQ for lunch. I continued my carb loading and ate all the fries. Because I love fries. Fries and salt. om nom nom... I did eat the pork off my sandwich and tossed the bum. I forgot I could just get a pile of pork and fries.

After we got home it was a quick turn around to Walnut Creek Amphitheater to see... REO Speedwagon and Chicago. OH YES, WE DID.

I'm gonna be completely honest. I had low expectations for the show. It was $20 for lawn seats and Kev hadn't ever seen Chicago, so we figured, why not? Let me tell you, those old dudes ROCKED for like 3 hours. REO Speedwagon was really good! I was thoroughly impressed by how they hadn't lost it. 60+ years old and they put on a great show. Then Chciacgo came out and they KILLED IT too! Their horn players are 70 years old and amazing. I couldn't believe how good they were. We saw Def Leppard and Kiss a few weeks ago and it was just sad, Chicago more than made up for it.

Sunday morning I woke up, made pancakes and then it was time for....

 

YESSSS!!!!!!!! New Doctor Who!! OK, Like everyone, I'm wary of this new Doctor. I think he'll be OK, but I'm not sure, I mean it took me a while to warm up to Matt Smith, and he was OK, but I'm definitely a David Tennant gal. So, what did you think?? It was a pretty good first episode for a new Doctor but I found the plot lacking. And I didn't understand why Clara was so freaked out that he was old, she's seen all of his incarnations, this shouldn't be a surprise.

After my Doctor Who watching, it was time for a run. The weather was fantastic Sunday, a lovely, overcast 70 degrees, how could I not head out? Kev dropped me at Whole Foods and he took Cleo to the dog park. I ran there to meet them. By the time he drives there and I run, she's had about enough of the other dogs.

I was really happy with my time. It feels good to run in the mid-tens... for like a mile, then my lings disagree. I just have to get back into running shape. good news is I actually WANT to run. Last year I kept putting it off and off until I'd lost far too much speed and endurance. Not this year. I have my eyes on a sub 30 5k and a sub 2:30 half. This is the year!

WHAT WHAT??? NEGATIVE SPLITS!

I ended the evening with a trip to NCSU to talk about the alcohol policy. Good times. (It actually was, they were really happy with the changes)

Alright, off to another busy week! Hence the 9pm post.

What did you do last weekend??

Linking up!

Scenes from the Weekend

I realized I hadn't done a "Scenes from the Weekend" in a while. Lucky you. Guess what, now you get one. 

Friday I was slogging through a bunch of compliance courses at work. Not really a bunch, just one, but in my defense, it was a looooong one. And there wasn't any audio, seriously, I had to read through the whole dang thing. I was bored. Bored Lara = work selfies. 

Kev had a few things to do after work so I headed to Costco. Paritally to get some snacks for work, because during the compliance course I was thinking about snacks and how I should have something other than a jar of peanut butter in my office. I was also a little hungry and thought there might be samples. There were, bacon. I had bacon samples at Costco and bought 8 pounds of butter, a 78 pound bag of broccoli and some beef jerky. (I might be off on the weights.)

It was pretty tasty! Now I have 32 pounds of it for my office, and the zombie appoccaplise. Then we headed over to Tasu in Brier Creek for some sushi. Kev recently started eating sushi and it's opened a WHOLE NEW WORLD for us. 

He really likes the Merry Roll, which is my favorite roll too. It's a California roll topped with chunks of tuna mixed with spicy mayo. So good, he's even gone to get it on his own. Crazy. Tasu is awesome because bogo sushi. Sushi always tastes better when one of them is free.

I posted the pictures of sushi on Instagram, beacuse that's how I roll, and I don't really know the blog vs Instagram posting rules. Like, are people pissed when they see a picture on Insta and then again on the blog? But seriously, I don't think all 5 of you really care, right? Any who, shameless plug, check me out on Instagram, because I kinda love it alot and can't stop posting there.

After dinner we headed over to Staples beacuse I needed a padfolio. What, you may ask is a "padfolio"? Well, it's one of those leather folder thingies where you can put a pad, your pen and there's a space for business cards and stuff. I've been using a plain old notebook to take notes for years but I noticed that all of the other managers in the meetings have nice leather folder thingies and I have a composition notebook. I fell prey to the peer pressutre and had to get me one. At least I went with a snazzy silver one instead of the boring black. I still had to keep it real.

And we stopped at Dairy Queen and I got a swirl soft-serve, it was delicious.

Saturday Kev had a thing to do all day so it was just me and Cleo. I was going to go to Body Pump at 10:10 but I was up early and decided to head out for a 4 mile run instead. I thought I would beat the humidity, nope. I ran my normal route and on the way back, noticed that a church was having a yard sale, so I took a detour and did a little browsing. I didn't have any money and people were looking at me like I was some sort of sweaty freak so I left and finished the rest of my run.

One of the great thing about my nromal route is that I park at Whole Foods, which means that I can eat Whole Foods breakfast bar. Which I did as well as get some water and Vega recovery powder. I got home, showered and Cleo and I had eggs and bacon. Then I realized I FORGOT COFFEE! Seriously, how do I forget coffee???

I had to remedy that pretty quickly so Cleo and I headed to the dog park with a stop at Deja Brew first. I like flavored coffee. I don't drink coffee beverages because milk and soy make me said and there are only 2 places in the entire Triangle that have almond milk lattes. And I don't like the junk in the flavor pumps. So flavor coffee with half and half is the way this gal rolls.

We had a lovely time at the park, Cleo ran around then sat in front of me staring and panting. Then she'd stick her head in the water bucket, rub her face in the dirt and stare at me some more.

Fine, we'll go home. 

I dropped Cleo off and decided that while Kev was away, to the mall I'd go. :)

First stop at Teavana where I got a strawberry something iced tea. I also learned that they discontinued my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TEA. Berry Almond Amatetto is no more and I might have shed a small tear. I'm definitely a little bitter.

Oh my, 40% off at The Limited? WHAT???? (Calm down Kev) Super cute stuff for the fall but I just don't look good in button down shirts, I just don't. And I'm not getting them tailored. I just don't care enough.

Side note, I'm having a bit of a clothes crisis since starting the new job. I need to dress var more professionally than I have in the past and I have plenty of cute, one end of the business casual spectrum. In this job I need to be at the far other end. Meh. I want to be trendy but not dress like an old lady.

They just opened a Boston Proper and I kinda love that white lace tunic. It has gold and sparkles and I would wear it to Atlantic City and drink martinis and play slot machines.

I got home, Kev gor home and he wanted to watch the Steelers game. He called around to a few places and the Tilted Kilt said they had the game. For those of you who aren't familiar, the Tilted Kilt is Scottish Hooters. They just wear kilts instead of shorts. We get there and some random people greet us at the door and ask if we're here for the Lock and Key event, um, no. Inside the door is a billboard explaining that it's SPEED DATING. They give the guys keys and the ladies locks and something happens and maybe you get a date out of it. Kev thought I should sign up to talk to the single men so I would appreciate what a catch he is and how I should be thankful that I don't have to date anymore.

Anyway, they weren't playing the game but we learned that they apparently really want to be a Steelers bar. Le Sigh, it looks like there's more Scottish Hooters in my future if I want to watch a game this season. 

Since there wasn't any good football, we went on up to the Village Grill at Layfayette Village. I had some yummy Kinky vodka and Soda and the Mussels. Yum. I'd never had Kinky Vodka and it's some passion fruit infused boozy awesomeness.

Sunday was food prep, grocery and laundry day and I headed back to Deja Brew for my coffee since it's close to Trader Joes.

Hit the usual spots, Trader Joes, Fresh Market and Target, and made it home in time to change and get to Body Pump.

Got home, gave Cleo a bath and me a shower and it was off to NCSU to talk to the President and VP-Standards about their plans for mixers and date parties this semester. There were a few changes this year and we needed to start planning. We had a long talk about how freshmen couldn't control themselves at their first few parties and how they can mitigate the risk. Oh freshmen...

Back home and I decided to make PaleOMGs Italian meatloaf. So, as I was making the meatloaf, I had to chop up peppers and onions. I'm lazy and all my stuff is in big chunks. I kept thinking about Eddie Murphy Raw, where he wants a McDonalds hamburger and his mama says she isn't going to pay for McDonalds, she'll make a burger that's better than McDonalds. Get her the chopped meat, a green pepper, the onion and an egg. She chopped it all in big pieces, fried up the burger and put it on some Wonder Bread. He was crying beacause the kids were calling it a welfare green pepper burger.

I made a welfare green pepper burger, except it was an entire meatloaf, and it was delicious. If you like meatloaf, go make this and eat it.

That's pretty much it! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Where do you shop for work clothes?
Ever heard of Kinky vodka?
Eddie Murphy, Raw, tell me I'm not the only one who can quote it word for word.

Linking Up!