Copycat: Gender Bender

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! 

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for: my health, my family, my friends, how lucky my life has been, but today I really want to focus on one thing that I am especially thankful for. That is my husband, Rand. I mean, how could I not be thankful to have someone in my life that willingly does things like this:



A little backstory...

I wore this outfit on Monday. Then on Tuesday Rand took off his coffee-stained work shirt and threw on this black shirt so we could run off to grab a quick bite of dinner. I was driving, which means my purse either gets dumped into the backseat or into the passenger seat. Rand was in the passenger seat, so he had my purse on his lap for the short ride. I looked over at him and realized that he looked just like I had the day before. When we got to the restaurant, he posed for a copycat photo - complete with my purse. Bwhahahaha.

So I am thankful that this man has chosen to share his life, and his silliness, with me.

What are you thankful for this year?

Just Browsing: Halloween Costumes

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Costumes and candy, what's not to love?!?! I really like to make my own costumes. I usually go through my own closet to see what could be used to create a costume, or I go to Goodwill and dig up old prom dresses that can be transformed. One of my favorite costumes that I created years ago is my Dorothy costume. I made it from a vintage apron that a friend gave me, a white dress from Goodwill, and a pair of bridesmaid shoes that I covered in glitter. I've worn it so many times.

But not everyone likes to or has time to make their own costume. I've certainly been in that situation more than once over the years. So I've gone in search of a store-bought costume. Unfortunately, it has been hard to find plus-size costumes. But now there are more options for plus size costumes - some are demur and some are sexy, depending on your inclination. I've picked out some of my favorites, including a Dorothy costume, of course!

   

• Dorothy Costume (Target)
• Bumblebee Costume (Torrid)
• Gypsy Costume (Torrid)

    

• Pin-up Costume (Lane Bryant)
• Poodle Skirt (Target)
• Pirate Costume (Target)

Holiday Wear: 4th of July

When we woke up Monday morning, we didn't have any plans for the holiday. Rand decided that we shouldn't just sit around the house all day, so he took it upon himself to find something fun for us to do. And boy, did he find something unique!

What We Did For the 4th of July:

We scheduled a nighttime ride in a vintage 1941 troop transport plane (that later belonged to the President of Mexico). The ride took us and about 14 other people on an hour long ride around the metroplex to view firework displays from the air. Except for takeoff and landing, we sat on the floor at the back of the plane watching everything out one of the large windows. It was really cool.

What I Wore While Touring the Sky:

• white dress (c/o SavannahRed Curvy Couture)
• blue belt (taken off Old Navy shirt)
• brooch, worn at belt (via Goodwill)
• necklace (via Goodwill)
• flats (Target) (Similar)
• Lux De Ville High Seas Kiss Lock Red Purse (c/o Torrid)
• watch (c/o Tikkr)

What I Ate That Was All-American:

• breakfast: fried egg, turkey bacon, whole grain english muffin, oranges
• lunch: 1/4 medium thin and crispy pizza, grapes
• snack: apple, cheese stick, Balance bar
• dinner: chicken basil sausage, grilled potatoes, onions, and brocolli
• dessert: grilled peach with honey cinnamon yogurt

Work Wear: St. Patty's Day

So...remember how I was two weeks late posting about Mardi Gras? Well, jere is my St patrick's Day outfit and it's even later. You're impressed, right? I mean, I'm certainly impressed with my promptness. Can I distract you with a very blurry cellphone photo of Elissa and I drinking irish whisky and green beer? Aren't we cute and blurry? I swear we're blurry b/c it was dark inside and not b/c Rand had just done an irish car bomb. Yep.

What I Wore On St. Patrick's Day:

• skirt (Talbots via plus size consignment store)


• green blouse (Lane Bryant)


• necklace/ribbon (via Goodwill)


• rosette pin, used on necklace (Lane Bryant)


• shoes (??)


• glasses (c/o Strut)


• scarf (via Goodwill)


• earrings (??)


• shamrock cakeballs & lepruchan (c/o my office)

Holiday Wear: Mardi Gras

I know, I know. Mardi gras was a couple of weeks ago. I don't usually post my outfits the same day that I wear them b/c I find it's better for my marriage to try to do as much of my blogging as possible on the weekends. But when holidays roll around, I have grand ambitions to post the same day. um...clearly that did not happen here. (I've got a St. Patty's Day outfit for you soon too. Exciting, isn't it?)

What I Wore On Fat Tuesday:

• purple skirt (Lane Bryant)
• purple cowl neck top (Sears)
• green jacket (via Goodwill)
• gold necklace (via Goodwill)
• purple flats (via DSW)
• green earrings (?? maybe Old Navy)

Honestly, I don't really like the outfit very much. It's very meh. But I do like to participate in holidays and Mardi Gras is go big or go home, so I busted out all my purple and bright green.

What I Ate That Wasn't Fat Enough for Fat Tuesday:



The office was cram packed with king cakes, muffins, danish, bagels, massive amounts of desserts and a full lunch spread. I actually avoided everything, but I did get a piece of kings cake to look for the baby (but not to eat) and I found the baby! That meant a $5 gift card to Starbucks for me. Sweet!

• breakfast: power bar and Monster (healthy, huh?)
• lunch: tofu and veggies salad (Greenz)
• snack: plum (stolen from coworker so I could avoid the desserts), yogurt, babeybel
• dinner: homemade veggie pizza

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!!

What I Wore That Was Not Spooky:

This week, I came home from work to find a big box on my front porch. "The Other Tina" sent me a ton of clothes that she wasn't wearing anymore. And when I say a ton, I mean a ton. I swear, the box was bottomless. Wow. So far, everything I have tried on has fit me pefectly. Best part so far? She sent me a pair of dressy shorts just like I was looking for this summer. Whoo hoo!

• jeans (Avenue)
• black moccasins (Liz Claiborne)
• black tank (NY&Co.)
• black sweater (thanks to Tina)
• orange necklace (gift)
• book for the holiday (Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich)

Thank you so much for all the great hand-me-downs, Tina. You are so generous. I've been going through my closet to pick out some things to send your way too.

4th of July

Red, white, and blue! Fried chicken! It must be the 4th of July.

What I Wore On Independence Day:

• blue/white gingham skirt (Cato via Goodwill)
• white T (Target)
• red cardi (Eddie Bauer via Goodwill)
• red flip flops (Old Navy)
• seagull necklace (via Goodwill)

What I Ate Because You HAVE To on Summer Holidays:

• dinner: biscuit, corn, mashed potatoes, fried chicken

How I Started Off the Holiday:

• 9 mile bike ride in small Texas town

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Cinco de Mayo

Obviously, I'm behind on my posting, but this is what I wore on Cinco de Mayo. Since I live in Texas, you know it's a big deal here. We were house hunting, so we didn't get to partake in the margarita madness.

What I Wore While Considering the Suburbs:

• skirt, shortened (via Goodwill)
• brown faux wrap shirt (George via Walmart)
• leopard flats (Steven Madden)
• belt (via thrift)
• wooden bangle and wooden brooch (via Goodwill)
• earrings (borrowed)

Shamrocks & Cabbages

I hope everyone had a fun St. Patty's Day and didn't suffer any pinches. You know I had to pbust out this bright green jacket today since Rand keeps calling my leprechan jacket and my realtor jacket. How much more perfect can you get for househunting on St Patrick's Day?

What I Wore While Getting Estimates For House Repairs:

• black slacks (Lane Bryant)
• teal sweater (Old Navy)
• belt (Nine West)
• green jacket (via Goodwill)
• plaid shoes ($4 Shoe Store)
• emerald earrings (gift)
• blue bangle (Lane Bryant)
• pearl necklace (gift from a friend's grandma)
• clover brooch (via Goodwill - last week. What good timing!)

What I Ate That Was Not Corned Beef and Cabbage:

• breakfast: greek yogurt w/ mangos and strawberries
• lunch: bagel sandwich, carrots, cheese stick, grapes
• snack: mini reeses
• dinner: chinese delivery

Weekend Review

Wow. Talk about a weekend where my clothing was all over the place! It's a clear showing that my clothing is not all knee length skirt, cardigan, and belts. Check out everything I wore last weekend:

• Friday morning - suit for an interview
• Friday night - fancy dress for V-day date
• Saturday morning - Tshirt, hoodie, vest, and jeans for brunch with Erin and general weekend laziness
• Saturday night - purple, green, and gold for a mardi gras party
• Sunday - ugly jeans, ratty sweatshirt, step-dad's ranch jacket, and wellies for taking care of the animals in the mud and snow at the ranch

Thanks for the photo, Erin!

And because this post clearly doesn't have enough photos yet, here is a taste of what it's like at the ranch. This is a goat, calf, and kitten hanging out together. And yes, that kitten is licking the calf's face while the calf is being bottle-fed. They're best friends now.

CopyCat on MLK Day

So this is the inspiration for my outfit. Although, can you really call it inspiration if you are actually just copying the look with items from your own wardrobe as opposed to coming up with something new based on the vibe of it? I think not, so I correct myself.

This is the outfit I am copying. I don't know where it is from, which is too bad b/c I can't give photo credit. I'm pretty sure it's from a cataloge, and I think I stole the pic from someone else's blog a few months ago. I do that sometimes - just snag a photo and stick it in my "you should try this look" folder. But generally, I like to give credit where credit is due, so if you recognize this, please let me know.

EDITED TO ADD: Kimberly let me know that it's from Ruche's Winter Lookbook. Click the photo to link to their site.

BTW, this is the same black dress from my Black Dress Challenge. And this outfit was insanely comfortable. Plus Rand really liked it, which always makes me feel even prettier.

Anyway, we had MLK day off, so Rand and I went to visit his fam and to take his mom out for a birthday lunch. It's always nice to see them. But I did get my butt kicked at Scrabble. Oh well. I wouldn't have minded, but Rand won. And he loves to win, which just makes it all the more annoying. haha

What I Wore While Getting Stuck With the Q:

• black T-shirt dress (Old Navy)
• camel cardi (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
• black pashmina (via Ross)
• argyle socks (Target)
• brown suede boots (via swap)

What I Ate In a Small-Town Diner:

• breakfast: alternative bagel sandwich, navel orange
• lunch: french dip sandwich, chips, sugar-free cherry pie
• dinner: chicken and snowpeas chinese delivery

New Year's Eve

I don't know about you, but when I've got a big evening shindig, I generally look pretty pathetic during the day. I like to wash my hair in the morning and then just let it air dry. And I don't like to wear any makeup so my face is fresh for the evening. And I like to wear really comfy clothes to balance out the discomfort that can come from pretty shoes and tight clothes.

What I Wore To Get the Day Started:

• jeans (Ralph Lauren)
• purple tank (Lane Bryant)
• patterned shirt (via Goodwill)
• grey jersey cardi (via Marshalls)
• black flats (maurices)
• diamond necklace (inherited)

What I Wore to Victory Park:

• black sweater dress (Target)
• grey striped tights (Lane Bryant)
• black fishnets (Target)
• black boots (Cloudwalkers via Avenue)
• earrings & necklace (via swap)

This outfit is a little tougher than I would have liked. I prefer a little more glam look, but I couldn't find any heels that were comfotable enough for lots of standing. See, we went to this big Times Square-esque event at Victory Park in downtown Dallas and we thought we might be standing outside for several hours. So I opted for comfortable and warm boots. But as it turns out, we only stood outside for about 15 minutes. So I could have worn sexy heels instead. Oh well.

What I Ate on New Year's Eve:

• breakfast: almond butter on toast, pear
• lunch: chicken nuggets and fries (McDonalds)
• dinner: steak slider amuse bouche, tuna tartare appetizer, steak and lobster tempura, coconut cream pie (Victory Tavern)
• drinks: vodka sprites, red wine with dinner

What I Did While Watching Easy Virtue:

I worked from home this morning, so I wasn't really in a big rush like I usually am. So I plugged a movie into the VCR in my new workout room and stepped on the treadmill. I walked for 1/2 hour while watching Easy Virtue. I'm a sucker for anything with Colin Firth. And I really think I amgoing to like having a VCR with the treadmill. It makes it so much easier to get on it and walk, walk, walk.

Christmas #3

The day after Christmas we celebrated the holiday with Rand's family. Don't they have a pretty tree? I put on a skirt not because we were getting together with but b/c I felt sorry for Rand having to look at all the comfy pants, scrunchies, and general slobbery that I had been sporting the prior few days.

I tried layering nude fishnets over brown tights. I'm not sure I like the result.

What I Wore For Christmas #3:

• tan corduroy skirt (Ann Taylor)
• cream sweater (Ann Taylor Loft)
• brown wedge boots (Cloudwalkers via Avenue)
• brown tights (Target)
• nude fishnets (I don't know, but they are horribly baggy at the ankles)
• amber necklace (gift from Rand)

2009 Xmas #1

Well we had our first Christmas celebration of the year - at my maternal parents house. If youhad any doubts about me living in Texas, check the indian blanket and longhorn skull on the wall over the fireplace. And that tree may look average size, but it's over 8 feet tall. Our living room is HUGE.

It's pretty casual at the ranch, but I wanted to look a little nice for Christmas dinner with my family. I didn't take any outfit photos, but we did a family photo. Yes, that's Rand's hand on my waist. It's a nice accessory, don't you think?

What I Wore For First Christmas:

• jeans (Old Navy)
• pink lace trim cami (via Goodwill)
• floral cardi (Target)
• black flats (Simply Vera via Kohls)
• pink bead earrings (Xmas gift from last year)
• pink bead bracelet (no clue)

When Cows Attack

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "I love that dress on you." We determined that it's because it's a wrap dress. We both agree that wrap dresses are figure flattering. Shocker, huh?

I was so comfy in this outfit that I wore it to work on Wednesday and then again for Thanksgiving on Friday. Yes, my family does Thanksgiving on Fridays. Always. It give our huge family time to travel. And I do mean huge. This year there were only 32 of us. That was a decrease.

What I Wore Twice This Week:

• wrap dress (NY&Co.)
• brown tights (Lane Bryant)
• brown flats (Old Navy)
• tan cardi (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
• clear blue necklace (??)
• bright blue clip-on earrings (Goodwill)

Just for a little Thanksgiving fun:

We were out filling all the water tanks in the various pastures when the cows decided that we must really be there to give them treats. So they came running at us full force. It was hilarious.

Mother's Day

I've mentioned that I have a Shoe Shrine. Really it's just that it makes me very happy to see all my shoes, so they have a special place on one wall in my closet where I can see them all at once. My mom isn't really into fashion, but it occured to me yesterday that I might just get my thing for shoes from her. She mentioned that she had gotten rid of two pairs of Birkonstocks this week, which of course begged the question "how many do you have now?" 6. She has six pairs of Birkenstocks, so last week she had 8. And I'm pretty sure at one time she had 10. I know that Birks aren't fashionable shoes, but my mom isn't a fashionable lady so it's shocking to me that she cares enough about these shoes to own that many of them at once. And she told me that she really wants 3-4 more pairs, but thinks that she can't justify it right now. I love my mom.

Happy Mother's Day.

Cinco de Mayo

Today was a massive failure on several levels. First, we were supposed to have training on a new project at work today, but after three hours the internet (and therefor the training) was not available. So everyone left for a two hour lunch. We all came back at 2pm (which meant back to the parking garage) and before I even left the parking garage, we were all told to come back at 3. So I paid for parking and left again. Then at 3 we were all sent home for the day. So I got no work done and paid for parking three times. No es bueno.

Also, I was supposed to have a job interview today. It was cancelled. Can you tell it was a good day for me? At least I looked good. This outfit didn't translate very well (it's hard when you only get one photo with your photographer and you end up with a goofy look in your eyes). But it looked great in person. I felt very pulled together and very sexy 1950s secretary.

What I Wore While Paying for Parking Three Times:

• lavendar scoop-neck short sleeve T
• black pencil skirt (George/Walmart)
• purple/black/white jacket (Simply Vera)
• black belt (?)
• black patent buckle heels (Payless)
• black leather purse (Reaction by Kenneth Cole)
• grey pearl brooch (thrifted)
• silver/purple earrings (?? via Ross)
• silvertone bracelet (jewelry party)

What I Ate While Watching "Doubt":

• lemon pepper chicken
• brown rice
• snow peas with red bell peppers

What I Did With Erin Yesterday:

I promised to post pictures of our trip to hoop group yesterday and here you go! Erin kindly emailed them to me and I know she has some on her blog today too.

We really did have a good time together. Erin is a ton of fun. If you've got a fellow blogger in your area, why not try getting together? You know you have a least one thing in common. (and yes, Erin and I very briefly talked about our blogs and your blogs, and she may have shown me a Target purchase. Good times.)

St. Patrick's Day - For Real

What I Wore While Repeating St. Patty's Day:



I tried a little pattern mixing today with mt shoes and my dress. I'm not sure that I like the result in this case, but let's be honest, really it was an excuse to wear these shoes. I've had them for several months now and every time I put them one, I switch to something else. Not this time! I was gonna wear those suckers!

Also I tried wearing this wrap sweater in a different way. I really like the result. I feel like it framed my figure nicely.

• blue/cream wrap dress (Target)
• cream lace tank (Old Navy)
• green wrap sweater (Target)
• white shell bracelet (?? Target?)
• green stone & glass necklace (Lane Bryant)
• green stone earrings (??)
• green/blue/white plaid round-toe pumps (Bumper via $9.99 shoe store)

What I Ate While Having a Romantic Candlelit Dinner on the Front Porch:

• breakfast: 1 serving quinoa, 2 T Better'n Peanut Butter, 1 T dark chocolate raisinettes, 3/4 c strawberries, iced coffee w/ french vanilla coffee mate
• lunch: open faced sandwich with turkey buddig, string cheese, & cauliflower/potato mash, 1 celery stalk
• snacks: 1 SoyJoy, 2 cuties, 1/2 Wild Blue Lager
• dinner: stuffed bell peppers, 1 slice of homemade bread with 1 T butter

Total for the Day: 1768 calories, 6 glasses water

romantic candle lit dinner:

Rand made a request and who am I to turn him down. Don't ask. I have no idea.