Day 3 of P90X

So.....newest P90X update.

Here's what you need to know on Day 3: although Cardio X didn't kick my butt last night like the Core DVD the night before, I woke up feeling stiff and struggling to get out of bed a bit more this morning. Also I've been doing the work-outs primarily at night and I have to tell you that as I was crawling into bed in the wee hours of this morning, I could still my muscles working/burning/whatever you want to call it.

Day 3 of the Lean plan was Shoulders & Arms, which once I completed the stretches/warm-up included at the beginning of each DVD I was feeling in much better form! The Shoulder & Arms combo wasn't too bad although we don't have any free weights yet so I just used 2lb canned goods. This work-out mainly focuses on what it says with a few exercises also engaging the legs and/or abs a bit. I felt like over all it was a good work-out although it felt strange not having any cardio elements and I contemplated doing the Cardio X DVD again......until I did the final part of today's work-out which was the Ab Ripper DVD and man did it make me SWEAT! Abs and triceps have always been my weakest body parts, so the Ab Ripper definitely kicked my butt.

And now I can tell you that three hours after completing this morning's work-out, my body is definitely feeling it. It was an effort (although not painful) to cross my legs when I sat down to eat. I'm making little entertaining-to-hub moaning noises as I walk around the house, but over all it's a good feeling---finally feeling muscles I haven't felt in a LONG time! :)

While I'm assuming that we'll probably take my buddy and his girlfriend out to dinner tonight, I'm hopeful it'll be somewhere with decent eating choices. I'm pretty sure I'll end up "taking tomorrow off" with having guests in town and my cousin's wedding, but then plan on jumping back into it on Sunday. This next week will be an intro into how well I can maintain with a more intense work week---always an issue for my eating habits too, as I tend to not eat much when I work long days.

But anyway, food for today so far:
Brunch:
Half a cantaloupe with cottage cheese
Two egg scramble w/ feta, onions, & spinach
Two whole wheat slices of toast w/ marionberry jam
Espresso w/ pumpkin creamer

And there you have it--Day 3! :)

One Green Change a Month

Sometime during the last two years our "green" behaviors have greatly reduced. Sure we're still doing some green things:

-We're enrolled in renewable energy options for our electricity sources
-We mainly buy organic dairy products
-Most frequently my personal care products are safer alternatives (Burts Bees & Alima make-up)
-Our recycling bin is frequently more full than the trash
-Hub canned his own salsa and we've made a few soups from scratch
-We planted & harvested from our raised beds this summer
-We bought the chickens to hopefully have good eggs
-Kitchen scraps go in the compost bin
-We switched to a HE front loading washer & eco detergent
-We buy about 1/5 of our food & home products in bulk
-The heat is set at 62 at night and no more than 64 during the day if we're home
....and I'm sure I could list a few others

However I/we have gotten out of the habit of a few things like:
-Cleaning with non-toxic products
-Using reusable tote bags rather than plastic
-Only using safer alternative personal care products
-Choosing second-hand rather than brand new
-Driving less
-Buying less
-Using less disposables (ziplocs, razors, paper towels, etc)
-Using less plastic everything
.....and I'm sure I could list a few others

Now I can't remember which blog it was where I saw the idea, but somewhere in the enviro blog-o-sphere someone wrote about the idea of trying to embrace a new "green" change for an entire month in the coming year. One change each month for the twelve months. You could continue that change beyond the month or you could just move on to a different one. I thought it might be a good idea (especially to try to re-embrace some of the behaviors that we already know are better) so I approached hub with the idea, and we've decided we're going to give it a try. I'm not entirely sure how it will work, but hopefully it'll help push us back into the right direction.

We haven't exactly laid out any plan, but the month of January is supposed to be "Only Buy Used" except for food & personal care products. The month of February is supposed to be "Buy Nothing Extra." And so far, that's as far as we've gotten.....but I did happen to pull out my reusable shopping bag for my grocery run last night, so hopefully that'll be one of the months too.

We'll see how it goes, but hopefully we'll stick with it and get back into some of our healthier and greener behavior patterns!

P90X Day 2

Just a quick update on day 2 of the new work-out program---at the very least it'll help for accountability and I've got a few individuals who have expressed an interest in knowing about it. (I'm always surprised by the family & friends who tell me that they're still regularly reading, even though none of y'all comment! ;))

I woke up this morning definitely feeling my muscles but they didn't really hurt--just finally felt used again! ;) I kept wondering how tonight's work-out would compare to last night.....and I have to say that it was SO much easier. I think it was partly cause tonight's Cardio X was 10 minutes shorter than the DVD last night and it had a variety of movements that were very similar to exercises I've already done before (yoga & tae bo based). In actuality tonight's DVD made me wonder if I shouldn't have done the Classic program rather than the Lean version (especially since I also noticed that the Lean plan is very similar each week where as the Classic is a bit more diversified), but I'm going to stick with the Lean option as I still think it'll have good results. I'm pretty sure this one easier DVD will be one of the few, and I'll be thankful for an easier work-out once a week! :)

Hub's tracked down a potential weight set on Craigslist so hopefully that'll pan out, especially since tomorrow's supposed to be Chest & Arms plus the Ab Ripper! Since we're supposed to have our Canadian guests (maybe ?), I'm going to attempt to do the DVD in the morning so I don't have to worry about doing it if/when they're here tomorrow. Still not sure how I'll manage Saturday's work out, but hopefully it'll get completed even with guests.

I'm also trying to make better eating choices. There's actually a spelled-out nutritional plan that comes with the P90X program, but as a vegetarian most of the meals don't apply and I prefer to eat based on what my body tells me that it actually needs. Although the work-outs definitely stress the need to healthily eat much and hydrate well. Yesterday I'd done a poor job of eating much of anything, but today I made sure to have better balanced meals even if I probably should have eaten more over all.

Late Breakfast:
Thin milkshake of coconut milk, almonds, peaches, & banana
Waffle topped with cottage cheese, pomegranates, & maple syrup
Espresso w/ pumpkin creamer
Afternoon Snack:
Sliced cucumber and carrot with hummus
One chocolate mint Hershey's kiss
Dinner:
Grilled polenta slices w/ chunky tomato sauce & feta
Steamed broccoli & cauliflower
Smoothie w/ coconut milk, pomegranates, blueberries, & frozen mixed fruit
Blueberry tea
Evening Snack:
Half a cantaloupe

And there ya have it folks--Day 2 completed!

Re-Organization is Totally Fulfilling

If there's one thing you should know about hub and I, it's that we both like change. A second thing is that we both tend to let little side projects stack up.

Now I don't know if it's that we're supposed to have house guests this weekend, the fact that we just spent two weekends with our somewhat pack-rat-like parents, or the reality that we've been living in this house for nine months now, but today was a day of rearranging and some project finishing. We'd already somewhat moved the furniture around so we could have the tree in the house, but today we swapped it around further and into a more cohesive arrangement. Our large red sectional is now in our front room (which I originally didn't want because our carpeting is a light blue.....however once you live with blue for months it starts to feel like a neutral), and our other couch and chair moved to the TV den area. Art work got moved around the rooms and walls and some new picture configurations were created. The area rugs also got swapped around to better match the new furniture arrangements. And for now we're both happy with the new lay-outs......well until after the next six months when we're again ready for something new ;)

I also finally took the time to print out a variety of pictures of our closest friends (thanks Facebook for granting me some great pictures!) and got them arranged in the collage-like frame I'd bought for that purpose months ago. It's nice to see the faces of some of our dearest hanging in the hallway and it's great to have the large frame finally off of the guest room floor!

We re-organized our entry area and cleaned up the shelf that sits there too. In addition, the rest of the Christmas presents were put away, books were shelved, the carpets were vacuumed, the house was dusted, the bathroom and guest room were given the once over, and baby cousin's wedding gift was readied.

Sometimes it's great to spend a day just plain re-organizing and ordering one's surroundings. Although there are still things to weed through (some of which I've been wanting to do even before we moved back). I finally took a bunch of my old financial papers to shred at work, but we've both still got stacks of magazines to go through and then recycle. I've got a bag of old batteries to recycle, a box or two of CDs and other junk taking up room in the garage, stacks of old papers on environmental topics I've been toting around with me for the last three years (including countless similar emails), we've got two old laptops to clean off and pass on, and I'm sure my closet could use another weeding through. Unfortunately all those items will have to continue to wait til "another day" however.

But for now I'm glad for what we did accomplish today and the house is just about back to feeling cozy again!

Time for A New Work-out Plan

Image from here.

So here's a confession folks: in recent months I have pretty much stopped working out. I can blame it on a crazy schedule, I can blame it on the weather, I can blame it on the lack of good sidewalks to run on in my neighborhood....but regardless of what I want to blame it on, the fact of the matter is that I've joined the hundreds of thousands of Americans who do not exercise. And that fact is one I have a problem with for two major reasons.

Reason #1: I'm a HEALTH teacher. While not every health teacher feels the need to practice what s/he preaches, it's something that I want and need to do for my own health and for the authenticity of my instruction.

Reason #2: I'm genetically "blessed" with a crappy metabolism.....and I also happen to have developed a taste via Granny and marriage for amazingly flavored foods (read: full fat, real butter, cream, etc). What this means is that if I don't work out, it doesn't take longer than about two weeks for the fat to start packing on...and that's even when I'm eating a much more balanced diet.

So these facts aside, over the course of the last term...I've started to pack on some fat. I won't use the word "pounds" because my weight hasn't really changed, but I've officially inched past my regular & ideal pant size. I still feel like I look okay, but it's not where I like to be on a regular basis.

Two of my past coworkers swore up and down on the P90X program (a series of 12 HIGH-intensity workout DVDs about an hour in length each one) and both looked fabulous because of the program, but until recently I'd barely considered it very seriously. In the last month however, I'd started thinking about other routine work-out options besides a gym membership or purchasing a treadmill, which led to my researching P90X and reading the reviews online. And after much thought I finally took the plunge the day after Christmas and ordered a used (read: reduced cost) set online.

The used dealer was a Portland location, so the package/program arrived today. I still have to get some basic free weights but we already have a pull up bar in the garage, and the other "extras" I'm going to do without. Amazingly the boxed set looks like it's brand new and has all the booklets still included.

Not wanting to wait around, I skimmed through the introduction booklet this evening and estimated that I should be able to pass the fitness test. (Hub on the other hand kept saying he wants us to follow the program to a T, which would mean actual body measurements & before/after photos......I personally just want my pants to fit correctly again and to feel like I'm in better shape.......) There are three different set ways/plans to navigate through the 12 DVDS and I decided to start with P90X Lean, which is more cardio based. Any of the plans run for 90 days and if we stick with it, I might consider doing the P90X Classic plan (read: more muscle) after completion of the Lean plan. There are a lot of things I like about the concept behind P90X, especially since many of it's foundational pieces are part of what I frequently lecture on when we talk about fitness (read: cross training for reduced plateaus/injuries; increasing intensity for better results; including cardio, muscle endurance & strength, stretching, and body composition into any fitness plan....).

So jumping right in with Day 1 today, I pulled out the first DVD for my "Lean" plan and turned it on.........and about 25-30 high intensity minutes later I pushed pause on the player and seriously almost lost my "cookies." (Although I was saved by the lack of food in my stomach due to not eating enough today.....Read: Not smart start....) After getting my heart rate stabilized and myself slightly cooled down, I pushed play and more or less completed the rest of today's DVD, which was a mix of muscle work & cardio....and way more push-ups than I've done in a while.

While the work-out totally kicked my butt (in a way it hasn't been kicked since my high school swim team days).......let me tell you, it also feels AWESOME. Even ten minutes after completing the DVD, my body & brain were on their own natural highs....and I was already reading up on tomorrow's work-out. We'll see how it turns out, but I haven't been this excited about a new work-out plan in a really long time......

PS. Heather M......you totally need to get a copy and be my Southern work-out partner :)

Quick Book Reviews

Image from here.

Here's what you need to know about the above book (which was our November book club selection): hands down it was one of the best books I've read in the last five years. It definitely would make it onto my top twenty book list. It's both a personal story, a story of social justice, a personal account of one of the individuals who contributed (unbeknownst to her) so greatly to our understanding of genetics and disease, AND also a history of much that has to do with genetics, public health, research ethics, etc etc. Now here's my word of caution: everything I just listed is pretty much everything I'm interested in, so I can't guarantee this book will be for you, BUT if you're interested in ethics, biology, and/or personal stories this book might be for you.

The book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks who contributed so greatly to our understanding of cells and genetics, although she contributed without necessarily given her consent nor without her family ever really being aware of it. This book provides an insight into who this fascinating woman was and what became of her family, while also investigating the ethics behind what her cells provided to health and research.

Image from here.

The title, reviews, and cover of this book had me from the moment I spotted it in our local Fred Meyer. The book was an incredibly fast read and mildly entertaining, but it just didn't live up to what I expected the book to be. Rather than ever really grabbing me as a reader, Klam provides a peak into her various relationships with her Boston terriers---the ones she owned, the ones she sheltered/fostered, and the ones she assisted in being placed in forever dog homes.

Image from here.

This book is a series of essays written by Steinem---a well-known and well-written feminist. Originally published decades ago, many of the essays were added to in the 1980s-90s. Steinem offers various perspectives on the passage, perspective, and relationships of the "female experience" while also challenging the stereotypes and language of what that experience actually is.

This was our December book club selection and while we selected to read a handful of the essays, I found Steimen's expose and first-hand account of posing as a playboy bunny to be both insightful and cunning. While my thoughts on feminism can be contradictory, it was insightful and telling to see how many opportunities are now available to females due to the feminist movement. Reading something from an older perspective also provided further reflection on where we've come and where may still have yet to go.

Image from here.

I've alluded to this book in other posts as this was my September book club selection, and here's what you need to know: it's not for everyone. ;) I have a heart for Africa, I enjoy books about journeys toward personal discovery, and this author lives in Portland.....so I thought it was worth a go and I have to admit, for me, I might have been able to read it all in one sitting. However I don't feel that this book is for most. This book is based on the author's desire to have one last hurrah/solo trip of discovery before finally marrying his long-time girlfriend, so he goes off to Africa to attempt to follow in the centuries old footsteps of a previous man who also crossed that section of Africa to demonstrate his worth in order to gain the hand of a wealthier bride-to-be.

What I enjoyed about this book was that it provided me with more insights into one person's version of Africa, it introduced me to a bit of history that most have never heard of, and it encouraged me to think on a deeper level, but in all honesty, it's a book I could have never read and been just as equally satisfied.

I'm also going to add in two reviews of two more books even though I have to finish them in their entirety, although they're both almost done.

Image from here.

This book I picked up from a lil' mom & pop book store in Natchitoches, LA (and blogged about here), which was one of our favorite little historic towns to visit. I've been steadily going through the various essays included in the book and have found it to be interesting reading of many of the various cultural women that are included in the diverse history of Louisiana. The book itself is a collection of stories from various authors based on women from all walks of life throughout the last 400 years of Louisiana history. Many of the stories are pieced together from various accounts as not a lot of written history exists, especially in a region where the worth of a woman was long based on her beauty and her partnership to her spouse. While this book is a bit more "textbook-ish" and has taken me a while to get through, I really have found it to be interesting based on our recent experience in that area of the nation.

Image from here.

This is another book I haven't quite finished although I've started it twice and haven't given up yet. It's not that it's not good, it's that it's the type of book that I'd read better in one or two days rather than trying to read little bits at a time. This story is the voyage of one Scottish man's walk across Afghanistan.....and during recent history. It's a story of his experience with the country, it's people, its various cultures, its joys and its hostility, and with its land. Since this is where hub spent his deployment, I've been interested to read something that so much more clearly depict what some of his experiences with the locals may have been like.

My current reading stack includes:

Image from here.

I picked this up on that same Fred Meyer trip which I lingered too long in the book aisle....and so far I'm LOVING this book, but then again its right up my alley: foreign travel, personal journeys, international social justice, women helping each other.

Image from here.

Which was my stocking stuffer from hub.

And.....

Image from here.

Which is our January book club selection if you want to read along! ;)

Christmas Gifts

This year the exchange of gifts turned out different than I had planned or expected. Any long time readers still left of this blog know that it wasn't that many years ago that receiving gifts at Christmas left me in tears, as my needs were already met and yet so many others in the world go every day without. This is a sentiment that I still hold in my heart, but somehow the ways of the world have grasped me back in their embrace---partly due to marriage, partly due to time, partly due to changes in surroundings, etc.

Long time readers also know that usually hub and I do not exchange gifts for any holidays, etc. So imagine my surprise earlier this month when hub mentioned that he wanted our return to Oregon for the holidays to be like a new start and he wanted us to pick things up for each other---hmmm, but seeing that hub rarely likes me to provide any material goods for him, I decided that it'd be worth it. We have a bad habit of spending a bit more freely than we should and of purchasing whatever we need/somewhat want during the month for ourselves, so to help this process, we put ourselves on a "no real buying anything for ourselves" freeze. Ironically we both ended up buying each other a book that actually really interests and then rubber liners/mats for our respective vehicles.....plus one other thing a piece.

The other thing that I wanted to do this year was not buy any gifts at all---instead I was going to donate a much larger amount to charity. However as it got closer to Christmas I started feeling guilty about not having anything at all for my sister's kiddos or my brother's kiddos. I still feel that we all mainly have everything that we need however, so I decided that this year we would assist in the procurement of tasty experiences for my relatives instead. Thus a gift card for Burgerville went to my sister's family, one for Olive Garden to my brother & his wife, Sizzler for Mom & Dad, and a multi-diner-option to my brother's family in Colorado. Maybe not "things" but still a gift they can use to treat themselves at some other time. Hub's family and their needs are very different than my family's, so this year we actually set them up with a membership to Costco & a gift card toward groceries there. We also still donated---a larger check to the gospel mission, clothes for the sponsored family, items for the deployment boxes, money in the offering plate, but in a sense we donated to our families' joy as well. I guess in some ways I need to still remember that AND begin to settle it internally a bit more---that even when there is such a need in the lives of others, that it's still good to bless the lives of those that we love too.

I also feel like I did a better job of being gracious about the gifts that I did receive this year and the thoughtfulness behind the gifts did not go un-noticed. Almost all the gifts we got were based on thoughts toward our needs and happiness---hand-made earrings & a bottle of wine, a waffle maker (my sister's old one & something hub's been wanting) & an amazing looking organic cook book, Dad's usual standby gift of special calendars, a shirt a piece, bathroom towels (although there might be some regifting here.....:)), a hand made key chain holder, a special used book to help hub with anatomy, cash, and then a fun flying helicopter for hub......not so sure that was a need but it brought my parents much joy watching him fly it around all evening! While we might have failed at mailing out any Christmas cards this year---the thank yous will definitely be written and going out soon!

And so it appears that somewhere between who I was at Christmas and who I currently am---there's been a compromise, but it too feels like it's an alright place to be this year.

(Although the best gifts always are and will continue to be....the multitude of memory making moments.......)

Merry Days are Here Again!

Christmas has come and gone and there have been oh so many memorable moments in the making between our two treks to the coast and a trek over to central Oregon.

Just some of the awesomeness of our holly-days:
---Hub & my shopping trip to purchase clothes for the family sponsored by my work center
---Dropping off the deployment care package boxes and seeing just how amazing people are in their support of our troops
---A holiday Christmas party with hub's "family"
---An entire afternoon with one of my local hometown gals
---Two weekends of quality time with my M&D
---Two days of time with hub's father & grandmother, including a delish salmon & butternut squash dinner cooked by hub
---A most amazing dog park in the middle of Bend, Oregon
---A quasi-shower/appreciation brunch for one of my best gal's & her beautiful baby boy visiting from Georgia
---Cuddly time with said "nephew" and moments in the presence his parents aka two of my dearest friends
---A four hour drive "home" with hub & one of my best friends from high school---it was the first time we'd seen each other in three years
---Plenty of doggie smiles and excitement from the back of the Sorento
---My cousin who willingly cat & chicken fed, mail gathered, and all other things which encompass caring for our house during our adventures away
---Hub & mom's cinnamon roll making
---Christmas afternoon/night with my brother & his wife, including watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
---Two trips out to see the amazing holiday light displays at the coast; one with hub's fam and one with mine

---An incredible beach afternoon with hub, the dogs, & my two gals and their families

---Actually putting the Sorento to it's use crossing the mountains, hauling 6 adults using the third row seating, and also transporting 3 adults, 2 dogs, and baggage on a separate occassion
---Participating in the bowling fundraiser to raise money for the "Mr" competition held by our high school
---Donating change in the Salvation Army red pails
---Hearing Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Feliz Navidad, plus a lil Bing
---Candlelight church services (during which hub dropped his unlit candle, which rolled down the tile floor to the front of the church.....)
---Seeing some of my previous church mentees
---Facetiming with my brother in Colorado & his boys
---Christmas texts with my sister
---Hunting down snow for the dogs to run through
---Mom & Dad's gorgeously decorated Christmas tree......and watching their kitten climb up it

---Dad calling the cinnamon rolls "mixed gender" aka with nuts or without......
---Our dogs running around M&D's back yard and tucked up in their beds in the back of dad's truck at night
---Dad's tarp strung up across the patio to give the dogs shelter from the rain
---Hub taunting M&D's kitten with his remote control helicopter they got him for Xmas
---Christmas carols in Sunday morning church
---Morning coffee with two of my high school bests
---Late mornings with hub & I snoozing in our matching twin beds ;)
---Mom's hilarious stockings hung on the chimney with care....and helping to fill them

.....and the listing could go on and on. But these moments are some of the ones that make me so incredibly glad that we could be back in Oregon for the holidays. Our first married Christmas actually spent with our family and friends, and I personally think it went incredibly well. Here's hoping next year's will be just as grand!

We've still got a family happy hour tomorrow and my baby cousin's wedding this coming weekend, plus drinks out with a friend of mine in town tomorrow night. Then we'll ring in the New Year with my buddy & his gal visiting from Canada and to finalize "break" we're hoping to get in a snowshoe trip with another of our favorite Portland couples too. THIS is exactly what I've been needing after the long fall term and it couldn't have unfolded any better than it did--I feel most fortunate and blessed.

Hoping each of you celebrated a wonderful Christmas surrounded by those you love and hold most dear. What a blessed season and yet what a wonderful season full of opportunity for us to GIVE. Love and hope to each of you!

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes

Clothes, clothes, glorious, and at times oh so hated clothes! There seems to be lots of chatter across the blog-o-sphere about clothes at times, and I've been waiting on a photo post for a while now (cousin you should be proud it's finally arriving!). Now note: I definitely do not claim to have style savvy. I love some What Not to Wear and since my oh-so-fun days of high school have gotten much better at dressing my actual body with its perks and flaws rather than attempting to hide it.....but we all have our good days and our bad days. I do enjoy helping other people move past a dressing/shopping rut, as I do think there is something about dressing yourself well in a way that best symbolizes and fits you that can in turn impact an individual's mood and outlook. Generally speaking I love a good deal, although I also refer to the CPW principle (cost per wear) and also try to dress in more timeless pieces that will get plenty of wear.

Since conversations around clothes usually also include conversations about body image, at times its great to know what exactly those perks are and what are the areas an individual is wanting to hide. Since I've started putting on a bit more body fat recently (although ironically less actual poundage), my breasts are slightly more emphasized (which I'm not so thrilled about being that I my general work environment includes being surrounded by males 80% of the time----hub tells me to rock them however my general inclination is to layer and slouch more). However the perk to somewhat larger breasts means that my body is a bit more hour glass-ish now. Beyond the boobs (which I always try to keep the cleavage covered!), I've got great calves and small ankles.....although as you'll see with our current 30-40 degree days, they're almost always covered too!

Ironically documenting what I wore for a week only further reminded me that I pretty much have a standard "uniform" that I wear on a regular basis---although I suppose this makes it easier to get ready in the morning! You'll also see why hub gets tired of the cardigan, because if I could wear a cardigan over a tank every SINGLE day....I completely would! The irony of documenting what I wore also taught me a) I should wear more jewelry/accessorize even when I think I have added something b) Iphone shots don't provide detail and c) I'm pretty sure I'll never move beyond the fact that I hate fixing my hair--brushing just became standardized in the last few weeks even!

So without further ado:

This picture is from last week actually, but I love a good wrap dress---talk about comfortable over a pair of thick tights and a cami!

Dress: Target clearance, Heeled Mary Janes: Nine West outlet purchase 5+ years ago

And here begins the cardi over a tank demonstration with my other standard go-to choice: heeled knee-high boots ;)

MONDAY

Blue ruffled chiffon tank: Target clearance (& resized by mom), Black cardigan: Target 5+ years ago, Gray & white pinstripe dress pants: Target, Black suede boots: JC Penney sale last year

TUESDAY 

Brown tweed pants: Macy's (& a gift from mom), Red tunic: Penneys clearance (& altered by mom), Boyfriend cardigan: Target, not pictured brown suede boots: JC Penney 5+ years ago

Was Going to Wear WEDNESDAY 

Went I with: WEDNESDAY 

Black pencil skirt: JC Penney, Turquoise ruffled cardi: Target clearance, Black ruffled button-up: Target (& resized by mom), Gray ruffled boots: Outlet boot shop, Gray ruffled tunic above: Target clearance

THURSDAY 

Same black pencil skirt, Shirt: Penney's, Boots: Penney's (this year)

CASUAL FRIDAY

(aka no clients/students) and also known this month as my favorite outfit..... ;)

Skinny Jeans: sigh.....Wal-mart (Louisiana), Same recent Penney's black boots, striped sweater: Target clearance

So this also tells me......most my wardrobe is from a) Target b) Penney's c) outlets d) thrift shops. I tend to keep a lot of pieces for quite a while and there are some pieces that I have my mother take in for me dependent on where I am in weight/size fluctuations (for the last five years I've pretty much stayed between a 6-8, but closer to my undergrad I was more a 8-12). The nice thing about running a seam down the side is that it's also able to be removed if absolutely necessary. While I don't buy clothes from the most environmentally friendly of places, I also hardly ever throw clothes away (unrepairable holes and major stains aside)---I use them for long periods of time, pass on to friends/family, or donate them to various thrift stores. I suppose I'm more budget conscious than anything, as out of everything pictured only three items were over $30 and generally I won't buy something unless I love it, its completely comfortable, and I can really see how I would wear it. The other irony of this week's choices: I apparently wanted solids mixed either with red or blue. ;)

So did this post teach us anything? Probably not really, but it was fun all the same and it also helped me to choose a few combinations that I haven't intermingled quite as much---variation makes me happy! ;)

Hope you all had a great week of inspiration!

What I'm Into

Following suite with SortaCrunchy.....although it won't let me link for some reason.

What I'm Into :: NOVEMBER 2011

On My Nightstand: Outrageous Acts & Everyday Rebellions (bookclub), Mountains Beyond Mountains, The Story of Stuff, Radical

Want to Read: Too many books on the shelf that I already own, including: The Tipping Point, Omnivore's Dilema, Inside of a Dog, Poisoned Profits, Where Men Win Glory, plus all the titles I have hanging out in list on my Iphone, including the following: How to Win a Race in the Rain, How to be an American Housewife, The Secret Lives of Dresses, In the Garden of Beasts, Outliers, At Home w/ Bill Bryson, The Other Wes Moore

T.V. Show Worth Watching:

• Dear Genevieve is my new HGTV favorite....if only there were more episodes available
• New Girl: This show CRACKS ME UP!
• ReRuns of What Not to Wear.....always timeless ;)

Movie I've Seen (in or out of the theater): No theatre going, but I did squeeze in one of my absolute holiday favorites at home: The Family Stone.....and hopefully we'll watch ol' Scrooge again this year.

In My Kitchen: Uh.....I made cranberry sauce for Tday, roasted veggies, and a crock pot full of vegetable/white bean stew that fed me for a week. Mainly we're continuing to survive on breakfast and coffee in the mornings and scrounging around for dinner.....although hub did make his great spinach & cheese ravioli w/ pesto over sweet potato puree. 

In My Ears: I've been listening to Christmas music for WEEKS but I also am loving a few particular country songs right now including Easy by Rascal Flatts & Natasha Beddingfield, Keep Me in Mind by Zac Brown Band, Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean, and Crazy Girl by Eli Young Band. 

Items of Note:

• The first ever Portland Baazar is next weekend. Dec 10th. Food carts, artisans, live music. Enough said.
• Still waiting for snow---nephews keep bringing on the snow dance.
• 
  

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month: VACATION & VISITORS.

December Gratitudes

Today I'm thankful for:

---Sunshine in the midst of winter flittering through leaveless trees

---Geese passing overhead en route to the South for winter

---A morning of working from home to finish some online tutorials

---Pay days and bill paying

---Playful doggies

---Reply texts from the hub

---Fuzzy socks and warm boots

---Two days of weekend

---Completion of the online course

This week I'm thankful for:

---Adorable pictures of "family" near and far

---Beautiful frosty mornings

---Quick defrost cars

---Efficient work days

---Fun and informative lecture evenings

---Preparation

---Burgerville's peppermint milkshake

---Two evenings of moments sharing with the hub

---New clothing combinations

This month I'm looking forward to:

---The end of fall term and grades inputted

---Christmas tree decorating

---Flexible work schedules and a few hours for "holiday"

---Weekend trips "home" to visit with family & friends

---Christmas music & advent in the moments of church attendance

---Stockings hung by the chimney with care

--Visits from dear friends

--Savings, savings, savings

What are you grateful for and anticipating this month?

Fill In The Blank Friday

Following suite with Lauren's Fill In the Blank Friday over at the little things we do again!

1.   The holiday season is     supposed to be about love, gratitude, and cheer.

2.   Snow makes me   feel like a little kid. I have been wishing for snow every day for about the last month. A few inches shuts the whole city down--I'm hopeful it'll happen sooner rather than later.

3.  The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is    the standard answer of soup, but this year I'm thinking some melty homemade Mac N Cheese sounds AWESOME!

4. Winter is the best time for    cuddling, warm fuzzy blankets, extra tea & coffee, fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls, soup, long sleeps, and snowmen.

5.  I can hardly wait for    a) my out-of-town friends to arrive for the holidays, b) holiday break from one job, c) our christmas tree, d) a few days back "home."

6.  When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to    pass on them. I and most people I know truly have everything they NEED. I'd rather give the gift of cheer & time, because that's the best gift of all.

7.  If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a    5.5. If I was going to have a LONG work break from both jobs, it'd be a 10....once the term is over I'll be closer to a 8. 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!