Is it Winter?

My new office is like a sauna. (Did you just hear that like the guy in the Progressive commercials? I did. It's like a sow-na.) It's so hot that it is really making it difficult to dress seasonally appropriately. So today I dressed for the office. I froze my tushie off walking to and from the car. I know, I know. I should have worn a jacket, but that takes using your brain. And mine was still turned off when I left the house at 7am. Brrr.

What I Wore That Was Seasonally Confused:

• blue tank (Old Navy)
• cardigan (Target)
• coral skirt (ASOS Curve)
• blue pumps (Rainbow)
• blue necklace (charity shop)
• earrings (Erin of Work With What You've Got)

What I Ate Thanks to For The Love of Cooking:

• Southwestern Salad
• Green Chile and Pepper Jack Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast *

* This chicken recipe is so amazingly easy and super delish!

Fire Fire Fire

I've been trying to get our fireplace inspected and repaired for a few months now. I thought I had called to make an appointment early enough in the year that it would be no problem, but I was totally wrong. I should have called while it was still 100 degrees outside rather than when it was 80. But the day finally arrived and the news was good - we can remove the gas logs that are in there and have a real fire. I am so excited! I love a real fire. Hello, s'mores and reading by the fire, here I come!

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "It looks like a paisley barfed up pink*. That's paisley, right?"

What I Wore While Getting The Fireplace Fixed:



*My top is more of a fuschia/bright pink, rather than the purple it's reading in these photos.

• paisley skirt (Target)
• fuschia top (via Goodwill)
• black cardigan (hand-me-down from The Other Tina)
• black tights (Avenue)
• black flats (Target)
• pink, black, & white bracelet (c/o Poshlocket)
• earrings (Charming Charlie)

What I Ate That Wasn't a S'more...Yet:

• breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with raisins and fat free half and half, blackberries, hot tea
• lunch: spinach quesadilla, tortilla soup, orange
• dinner: healthy sausage, roasted cabbage, roasted sweet potato rounds, lemonade

Painting the Bathroom

My photos are in a little different order today b/c what I was doing for while exercising, inspired the rest of my day. Keeping in line with my plan to incorporate small amounts of exercise into my day to get me jump-started, I pulled out my old step and got sweating while watching HGTV. Watching all the renovations on TV prompted me to finally start repainting our bathroom (it's a hideous, dark color that doesn't match the tile at all). I've been saying I would do it for a year now, and I just got around to it. Way to go, Tina. I'm not a procrastinator at all, I promise. ha.

What I Did That Prompted Painting:



Yes, I was working out barefoot and in a lounge dress. What? Am I the only one who does that? Also, see that blur? I am fast. I can totally cram a 30 minute workout into 15 minutes. Or maybe my camera setting was too slow. Whichever.

What I Wore After Being Covered in Paint:

• dress (Susan Lawrence via Ross)
• cardigan (Axcess via Ross)
• flats (via DSW)
• earrings (Dana Buchman via Kohls)
• ring (etsy)
• paint roller (Home Depot)

What I Ate to Fuel Redecorating:

• breakfast: orange, low cal english muffin w/ peanut butter and sugar free jelly
• lunch: chicken and blackbean quesadilla w/ tortilla soup, orange
• dinner: porkchop, roasted sweet potatoes, squash and zucchini

Scarf Addict?

Hello, my name is Tina and I am a scarf addict. I've noticed that since I've been unemployed, my outfits have been really simple and I've been jazzing them up scarfs. It's perfect for this time of year. It's still to warm for long sleeves, but a t-shirt isn't always warm enough. Today I thought this fringed scarf would be a nice change of pace from my plain scarves. I'm not sure how I managed to keep the fringe out of the soup - twice, but somehow I did manage. Maybe I just chowed down too quickly for the fringe to have time to hit the soup?

What I Wore That Dangled Above the Soup:

• black slacks (Lane Bryant)
• blue T-shirt (Old Navy)
• scarf (H&M, gift from Kimberly)
• black sneakers (Converse via Target)
• earrings (Target via Goodwill)
• bracelet (?)

What I Ate That Involved Lots of Soup:

• breakfast: blueberry & coconut oatmeal
• lunch: 2 National Hebrew 97% Fat Free hotdogs with Whitewheat buns, Progresso Light Clam chowder, apple, carrot
• snack: none. too full from late lunch
• dinner: chicken & black bean quesadillas, Progresso Light Zesty Southwestern Style Vegetable soup w/ fat free cheddar cheese and 2 oz. avocado (basically I doctored it up to be tortilla soup)
• dessert: 1 ounce irish cream

What I Did that Accomplished Two Goals At Once:

Work Wear: Purple and Camel

We recently hired a handyman. I won't go into the details but it's been a fiasco and I'm not happy to admit that I resorted to raising my voice. I don't have a problem standing up for myself or dealing with businesses when things wrong, but I hate yelling. But yell I did. For 45 minutes. It was a nightmare.

What I Wore While Yelling:

• camel pants (Lane Bryant)
• purple blouse (Lane Bryant)
• scarf (via Goodwill)
• earrings (??)
• bracelet (gift)
• brown pumps (Manolo Blahnik via Goodwill)

What I Ate After Yelling:

• breakfast: grapes & hard-cooked eggs
• lunch: jicima, Sun Chips, apple, chicken sandwich
• snack: carrot, oranges, cheese stick, Balance bar
• dinner: chicken and asparagus risotto

Work Wear: Grey Patterned Cardigan

My neighborhood is in transition. It's mostly houses built in the 1920s and 1930s but more and more are being torn down and replaced with McMansions. They tore down one near me today and that means a big, yellow bulldozer as a backdrop.

What I Wore While A House Came Down:

• grey dress (Calvin Klein via TJ Maxx)
• cardigan (Lane Bryant)
• flats (Target)
• earrings and necklaces (via Goodwill and Macy's)

What I Ate Off The Grill:

• breakfast: 2 hardcooked eggs, fruit and spinach smoothie
• lunch: turkey sandwich, sugar snap peas, apple, Pop Chips
• snack: Halo bar, cuties, cheese stick, carrot, grapes
• dinner: corn on the cob, asparagus, grilled chicken, lambic beer

Work Wear: Chambray and Lace

I know I've been MIA for awhile. I've got a lot going on right now and my focus has been in other areas. I've been doing a lot of sewing and I'm a beginner so it takes a long time. And it appears that it edged into my blogging time.

What I Wore That Was Conservative and Lacy:

• lace skirt (City Chic)
• chambray shirt (thrifted)
• pumps (via swap)
• belt (off a dress)
• purse (Jessica Simpson c/o TJ Maxx)

What I Ate:

Work Wear: Calvin Klein Dress

After work Rand and I had tickets to see Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speak in as part of a lecture series at my law school. She had some great stories but was significantly more demure in both her manner of speaking and her dress than I had expected. It was a fascinating evening.

I wore all my new things from T.J. Maxx since it was just the right amount of dressy and conservative.

Rand's Daily Outfit Assessment: "You've got a lot of bling going on." I think he was talking about how sparkly my necklace was in person and how shiny the backs of my gold shoes are. Nothing says Supreme Court like sparkles and shine, right?

What I Wore Listening To a Supreme Court Justice:

• grey dress (Calvin Klein Woman c/o TJ Maxx)
• gold heels (Chinese Laundry via DSW)
• necklace (c/o TJ Maxx)
• purse (Jessica Simpson c/o TJ Maxx)
• bracelets (Lane Bryant) 

What I Before Listening to an Interview:

• breakfast: healthy McMuffin, cuties, iced coffee
• lunch: beef sandwich, apple, BBQ Pop Chips
• snack: watermelon, yogurt w/ blueberries, Balance bar
• dinner: broccoli cheese stuffed chicken, roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, lemonade

Work Wear: Blue, Green, and Black Skirt

I got a phone call while I was taking my morning photos, and this one that caught me answering the phone was actually my favorite. I rarely talk on my phone; mostly I use it for text messaging, directions, and browsing the internet. Rand is the same way. In fact, both of our phones really suck as actual phones. They are awesome for internet, etc. I find that quite amusing. Do you use your phone as a phone?

What I Wore While Chatting on the Phone:

• black tank (Avenue)
• black shirt (Lane Bryant)
• skirt (via JCPenney)
• heels (via Macy's)
• bracelets (all Lane Bryant)
• earrings (hand-me-down)
• brooch (via Goodwill)

What I Ate:

• breakfast: Fiber One, milk, and blueberries
• lunch: leftover chicken, orzo, eggplant, and watermelon
• snacks: carrot, apple, Balance bar, banana
• dinner: hotdog wraps, sweet potato fries, kale chips, lemonade

Work Wear: Parking Garage

Running late on Monday mornings is pretty par for the course for me. And since this was a normal Monday morning, I didn't have time to take outfit photos in my normal spot. Parking garage photos it was instead. It's a glamorous life I lead, let me tell you!

What I Wore In The Parking Garage:

• purple skirt (Lane Bryant)
• plaid blouse (Attention via Kmart)
• earrings (hand-me-down)
• necklace (borrowed from Kimberly of Fab Finds Under $50)
• shoes (via Target)

What I Ate:

• breakfast: egg and banana
• lunch: spinach salad, grilled shrimp, watermelon
• snack: carrot, Balance bar, apple
• dinner: crockpot chicken, orzo & spinach, eggplant, water

Work Wear: Studded Flats

I tried out some new-to-me curlers last night. I spritzed my hair ever so slightly with water and then put it up in the curlers and slept in them. Result? Big hair! Not as big it's been occasionally (hello, rag curlers!) but still pretty big. Oh yeah, the curlers were Curl Formers and I got them at Sally Beauty.

What I Wore With Big Hair:

• black slacks (Lane Bryant)
• white blouse (Target)
• black bracelet (made by a friend from a t-shirt)
• silver bangles (?)
• silver aligator bracelet (gift from Kimberly)
• green wooden bangle (Lane Bryant)
• studded black flats (Gabriella Rocha)
• nail polish (no clue, from the 90% off section of CVS)

What I Ate While Still Tracking:

Yes, I ate chinese. But I totally looked up the points and made sure that I was okay for the day. However, I did not actually put them into my tracker for some reason, so I don't have the specific points for everything today. Oops.

• breakfast: egg on toast, apple, grape tomatoes, coffee with creamer
• lunch: leftover rice casserole, snap peas, banana
• snack: blueberries, carrots, cheese, Balance bar
• dinner: chinese delivery

Work Wear: Black, White, and Red

Today I went for completely matching accessories and a very simple look. I really like how the red pops against the black and white. You can really tell why it's a classic color combo. It's simply but very striking. Is it nerdy that I especially liked that on top of the general matchy-matchy color, that the red purse and shoes were both patent? Extra matchiness!

What I Wore That Was Shiny and Red:

• black and white dress (Lane Bryant)
• red belt (off a City Chic dress)
• red shoes (Target)
• red purse (c/o Torrid)
• necklace (Target via Goodwill)

What I Ate That Was Just a Little Burned:

• breakfast: alternative bagel, cheesy eggs, tangerines
• lunch: pizza on Flat Out wrap, apple, carrot, Coke Zero
• snack: blueberries, balance bar,, cheese
• dinner: cheesy rice casserole
• dessert: Fruit Crisps

Work Wear: City Chic White Tuxedo Jacket

I am not sure why, but every time I photograph this white jacket, it turns out with a blue tint. The rest of the photo is in the correct colors. Oh well. It's a plain white jacket. Trust me. :) And I hit up my Pinterest board again for some hair inspiration.

What I Wore That Looks Blue Instead of White:

• black/white blouse (Lane Bryant)
• pinstrip pants (Lane Bryant)
• white jacket (City Chic)
• heels (Joan & David)
• rosette pin (Lane Bryant)
• earrings (Charming Charlie)

What I Ate That Was Healthy Once Again:

• breakfast: egg, turkey bacon, FF slice cheese, oranges, iced coffee
• lunch: turkey Flat Out wrap with veggies, pretzels, apple 
• snack: balance bar, figs, cheese
• dinner: squash and pasta*, white wine
• dessert: black bean brownies

* I use 1T oil rather than what the recipe calls for.

Casual Friday: Satin Dress

I didn't think I was going to be going into the office today b/c I had a doctor's appointment that had the potential to be an all-day thing. But it wasn't and they really needed me at work, so I went in, even though I wasn't really dressed appropriately. Satin dresses don't really cut it at law firms, even on casual Fridays. I didn't even have any makeup on. Oh well. I figured if it was imperative that I come in right away, then it was probably okay that I didn't bother going home to put on more appropriate office attire.

What I Wore To the Doctor:

• satin dress (INES via Sara of Bombshell Beauty)
• purple flats (via DSW)

What I Ate On The Grill:

Rand has become a grilling maniac. And now that I finally found the nutritional info for these sausages at one of our fancy grocery stores, I looove grilling them. They are so delish and so low in points.

• breakfast: bacon, cheese, egg on english muffin, cuties, V8
• lunch: turkey and veggie wrap w/ pretzels and tomatoes
• snack: cheese, bar, figs
• dinner: chicken sausage, eggplant, asparagus, wine
• dessert: grilled peach w/ tiny bit of blood orange olive oil

Work Wear: Neutrals

I find it amusing that half the things I am wearing today were given to me by other people. So, thanks to everyone else for making this outfit possible. :)

What I Wore Thanks To So Many People:

• slacks (Lane Bryant)
• plaid shell (via Kmart)
• jacket (Land's End, thrifted and gifted from Elissa of Dress With Courage)
• orange heels (Jones New York)
• clear necklace (LOFT)
• gold necklace (loaned from Sara of Bombshell Beauty)
• earrings (hand-me-down from Mom)
• sunglasses (Wanted)

What I Ate That Was a Beany Flop:


I've made black bean brownies before, but this time I had the bright idea to make them with sugar free brownie mix. Mistake. Big mistake. They came out thoroughly mediocre. But that's not gonna stop me from eating them this week.

• breakfast: healthy McMuffin, cuties, banana, V8
• lunch: veggie and turkey wrap, pretzels, apple
• snack: Balance bar, cheese, blueberries
• dinner: hoisin chicken, asian slaw, WW fried rice
• dessert: 2.5 black bean brownies

Casual Friday: Black Jeans

Holiday weekends always result in a very empty office by mid-afternoon. I jumped on the bandwagon and ditched out around 2:30pm. Let the weekend fun begin! Do you have any plans for the holiday?

What I Wore While Cutting Out Early:

• black jeans (Avenue)
• pink ruffle top (Yours Clothing)
• jacket (Lane Bryant via Goodwill)
• bracelet (c/o Lane Bryant)
• necklace (via Goodwill)
• shoes (Target)
• pin (Target)

What I Ate While Dreaming of Hot Dogs on the Grill:



I might sneak in a few healthy hotdogs on the 4th itself, but right now I'm sticking to my planned meals!

• breakfast: cheesy egg, Alternative Bagel, cuties
• lunch: pastrami sandwich, apple, grape tomatoes, carrots
• snack: Balance bar, cheese stick, banana
• dinner: cabbage & chicken stir fry, Crystal Light, brown rice
• dessert: WW english toffee ice cream stick

Work Wear: Purple & Olive

It's been awhile since Squinty McGee took over my face but he's back today. I get my beady little eyes from my father. I'm thankful for the nice full eyelashes and eyebrows he gave me (my mom has almost none of either) but I could do with some less sunken eyes. Ahhh, genetics, how fickle you are with your favors.

What I Wore While Squinting Like a Fool:

• grey pants (Lane Bryant)
• purple shirt (City Chic)
• green wedges (BCBGirl)
• necklace (Dana Buchman)
• ring (Charming Charlie)

This is a really blah outfit. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with it. It's just kinda average, which was all the effort I felt like putting forward. I think if I had bothered to do something with my hair, it might have helped, but as my scraggley ends show, I did nothing but brush it.

What I Ate That Was Too Small:

• breakfast: cheesy egg, banana, iced coffee
• lunch: pastrami sandwich, apple, grape tomatoes, carrots
• snack: Balance bar, cheese stick, banana, cutie
• dinner: WW garlic lamb, WW zucchini ribbon salad, leftover squash bread, red wine
• dessert: Newton fruit crisp (not pictured, but included in points above), WW english toffee ice cream stick
  

The lamb was originally a chop and I was supposed to have 4 ounces, but once I removed the bone I discovered it was really fatty. After cutting out all the fat and bones, I was left with 2.5 ounces. Not enough! Boo. So I ended up having a Fruit Crisp later.

Work Wear: Lace Vest

Now that summer has arrived, it is officially 1000 degrees in Dallas. It makes it so much harder to put together visually interesting outfits, I think, when layering isn't really a good option - you know, due to the potential of death by overheating. But this lace vest that Sara of Bombshell Beauty really adds some visual interest to an otherwise basic outfit. Thanks Sara!

What I Wore Thanks To Sara:

• black skirt (Merona via "The Other Tina")
• pink blouse (Lane Bryant)
• black lace vest (LucieLu via Sara)
• earrings (vintage screwbacks via Goodwill)
• bracelet (Old Navy)
• shoes (c/o Lane Bryant)
• sunglasses (Lane Bryant)

What I Ate on the Dreaded Day 3:

I always find the third day of healthy eating to be the hardest. I'm always starving. Due to poor planning on my part, I scheduled a really light dinner of a shrimp topped salad. Luckily when hunger kicked in, I had the so-so WW pasta salad leftover from Monday night, so I munched on that rather than getting into the snack cupboard or binging on random food from the fridge.

• breakfast: cheesy egg, Alternative Bagel, cuties
• lunch: pastrami sandwich, apple, grape tomatoes, carrots
• snack: Balance bar, cheese stick, banana
• dinner: WW asparagus & shrimp salad, squash bread, WW classic macaroni salad *
• dessert: WW english toffee ice cream stick

* I'm going to try to link to the recipes that I make when they are available online. A lot of these are from Weight Watchers online. I will include the link, but I don't think you will be able to see it unless you are a WW member. If someone can let me know one way or the other, I would really appreciate it. Also, I've pinned a bunch of recipes that I am planning to make on Pinterest, so follow me there if you are interested.

Work Wear: Orange & Blue

I woke up today at 3am. Not ideal, but at least I got work nice and early.

What I Wore While Being Very, Very Tired:

• blue wrap dress (Jessica London via Avenue) (Similar dress here)
• cardigan (Target)
• orange tank (Old Navy)
• necklace (thrift)
• brooch (Etsy)
• watch (Tikkr)
• shoes (Jones New York via DSW)
• purse (thrift)

What I Ate Despite Not Having The Correct Groceries:



I was missing a couple of the ingredients for the dinner I was planning to make, and was having a hard time coming up with a healthy alternative meal. Rand offered for us to order in and for me to just start over again tomorrow. Normally I would have jumped at the option, but I scrounged around a little longer and came up with enough stuff for a healthy, homemade veggie pizza.

• breakfast: cheesy eggs, alternative bagel, cuties
• lunch: 2 carrots, pastrami sandwich, apple, pretzels
• snack: Balance bar, cheese stick, banana
• dinner: lemonade, artichoke pizza
• dessert: english toffee ice cream stick

Work Wear: Thrifted Skirt

Time for another gas station photo! Such an exciting photo location, I know, but I was running really late to work so I decided to combine tasks in an effort to save myself 3 minutes.

What I Wore At The Gas Station:

• skirt (via Goodwill, appears hand-made)
• blouse (Lane Bryant)
• belt (came on a dress)
• shoes (Chinese Laundry?)
• earrings (via Goodwill)
• necklace (via Macy's)
• watch (Tikkr)

What I Ate While Actually Tracking Points:

I was really inspired by Kimberly's (of Fab Finds Under $50) weight loss. Despite having almost no time to have a healthy meal while we were in NYC together for Full Figured Fashion Week, she continued her steady weight loss. If you've been reading my blog since they beginning, you may remember that this was originally supposed to be a venue for me to keep ontrack with healthy eating and weight loss. The fashion was originally intended to be a side item, but over the years has become the main focus. I am okay with that. I really enjoy the fashion more than the food aspect anyway. BUT, I don't like that I've really slacked off in the healthy eating department. I met Rand and fell in love and gained 20 pounds.  So then I started this blog two years ago. I did pretty well for awhile and I lost 10-15 pounds. Then I got married and gained that all back. And then I got a new job where I am constantly surrounded by free food (I have free-food-itis) and I stopped biking and I gained yet another 20 pounds. Yep, I weigh 20 pounds more than I did when I started this blog with the intention to lose weight. Mildly ironic, I think. I've made some half-hearted attempts to get back on track and it stopped the weight gain but didn't really push me in the other direction. 

So I am calling myself out. 

• I WILL rejoin Weight Watchers (I actually did this already)
• I WILL plan my meals for the week in advance.
• I WILL track my points every day, even on "bad" days.
• I WILL make my splurge days fit into my weekly points, instead of having a free-for-all one day every week.
• I WILL photograph all my food, even when I am eating something unhealthy.
• I WILL not "start over next week" when I get offtrack. Instead I will pick up where I am and try to make healthier choices right now.
• I WILL not kick myself if I eat something I shouldn't. I am stubborn and contrary by nature, so telling me I can't have/do/eat something is sure to make me do it immediately, so I won't trigger that by making this a "only healthy all the time, must be 100% perfect" endeavor. That won't work for me.

So, wish me luck as I step back on the scale. And without further ado, here is my first food post in ages that actually lists the points of what I am eating.

• breakfast: breakfast sandwich, 3 cuties, V8
• lunch: pastrami sandwich, carrots, grape tomatoes, orange
• snack: cheese stick, mango, Clif bar
• dinner: apple chicken sausage, green beans, WW pasta salad (meh on the pasta salad), white wine
• dessert: Skinny Cow vanilla caramel ice cream cone