'Fashion February' 2014: Week 4

The theme of this week really should have been 'Flowy Tops to Cover My Insecure Belly'.

Don't you hate that we're getting to the time of year where every single magazine is yelling at you that you need to start getting 'bikini ready'? My tummy will probably never be classified as magazine-worthy 'bikini ready', but I'm still going to work my high waisted green floral bikini here in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, things have detoured. Here is what I wore this week. It is officially getting warm down here in the Old Pueblo so it's time to break out the shorts and the lack of shame about my lazy hairy legs. 


Saturday (3/22/14)

Accessorizing with make up, specifically a crazy bright lip.

Sunday (3/23/14)

The first of two Star Wars shirts I wore this week.

Monday (3/24/14)

My birthday bird sweater from my mother-in-law. It was actually featured on this week's episode of Glee. It was worn by Brittany, arguably the best and best dressed character.

Tuesday (3/25/14)

Yes, the end of the month is quickly approaching and my ambition for this project is quickly waning. I say actually putting on a necklace a step in the right direction. 

Wednesday (3/26/14)

Making my Millennium Falcon shirt work appropriate. Also, subtly sucking up to my boss because he also has this shirt.

Thursday (3/27/14)

While I do like this outfit, I did go to Target after work to buy a belt that went a little better with this outfit. All my belts are a little casual and rustic, so I found a simpler, classier belt.

Friday (3/28/14)

Maybe this is too much information, but my red pants are always the last thing I have left in my closet. So, if I'm rocking them, then it means I need to do some laundry. Fun weekend plans, I suppose.

I know there are technically three more days in March to style (which is why this is so much easier in February). I may finish out the month with a quick post next week, but I wouldn't count on it. 

Locks of Love: Done and Done

After writing my list of '30' for before I turn 30, I decided to get off my butt and do one of them. The easiest one? Cutting off my freaking hair.

Yes, this was an easy one guys because my hair had been really annoying lately. When it gets long, it eventually reaches a point where it commits hair suicide and starts falling off my head in large clumps. And since it would be better serving kids with cancer than my shower drain, OFF OF MY HEAD!

Here is the before:

And half an hour and ten inches of hair later...

Here is the after:

I'm still trying to figure out how to style it. I did get it to look like this the day it was cut and since it was adorable, I took a million pics.

With a big curling iron, it can look too much like a newscaster or a soccer mom.And since it's so much shorter now, I have accidentally used too much product. But I'm learning.

Hair is hard, guys.

'Fashion February' 2014: Week 3

Another thrilling installment of "Let's Judge Carolyn Based on How She Tried to Dress This Week!". Don't worry, I don't think anyone really judges but me. And you are judging, let's just keep that to yourself, ok?

Actually, scratch that! Constructive criticism go!

Saturday (3/15/14)

Classing up a slouchy dinosaur shirt.

Sunday (3/16/14)

Putting chambray with white shorts to avoid the dreaded Canadian Tuxedo.

Monday (3/17/14)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday (3/18/14)

I keep trying to make my pink sweater work with other colors, but I'm feeling pretty uninspired.

Wednesday (3/19/14)

My sister bought this shirt and didn't like it, so she gave it to me. Then, I wore it around my mom, aunt, and grandma and got a bunch of compliments. She was not happy. angdalkgnalg

Thursday (3/20/14)

Again, one of those pieces I have problems styling. I like to wear sweaters, and when that happens, this shirt with the cool shoulder detail just becomes a beige shirt. I will figure out how to make this work!

Friday (3/21/14)

And sometimes, it's nice just to keep things simple.

Grandpa

It's taken me several weeks to write this post and I only write about it now in the hopes of getting some sort of handle on my emotions.

At the end of February, my grandpa passed away.

It wasn't a complete shock, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking. He was 98 and his health had been declining the last couple of years, but he was still such a force of a man.

He played golf and ran on a treadmill, in cowboy boots, well into his 90's.

He was a ginger, even though his hair went white long before I was born.

One holiday, I think it was Easter, we were sitting next to each other on the couch at my parents' house. He turned to me and he said, "I'm so proud of all my granddaughters. They are all so smart. They will never need a man to take care of them." I don't know if I've ever felt more proud than I did in that moment.

When his sight and hearing started to go when I was a teenager, I was his unspoken guardian, making sure he didn't wander off too far or inadvertently buy himself another cowboy hat.

He had a tattoo on his right forearm. A lady's portrait in a rose. Growing up, I always thought it was my grandma. Turns out it was a Red Cross nurse he met when he was a teenager.

He was in the navy in WWII. As a sailor, he met my grandma while at port in Montevideo, Uruguay. She as thirteen years his junior. She took a boat 22 days to America to marry him. They were together almost 65 years.

My aunt came down Saturday to comfort my grandma. It didn't occur to me until I saw them together, but my aunt has been in her shoes since she lost her husband to cancer almost twenty years ago. She's trying to help my grandma get through this, but I don't think she ever will be able to. I come from strong stock, but it's not weak to be sad at times like this.

There are so many other little things I am going to miss about that man. Hanging in my hallway is one of the paintings my mom did of him. At first, I feared seeing it everyday was going to make the loss sting more, but it's actually been a comfort to me. Yes, it does make me sad, but at the same time, it keeps him in my heart and that makes me happy.

He didn't want a funeral. It's easier on my mom and my grandma this way, but I'm filled with all sorts of emotions I don't know what to do with. It's been a couple of weeks and it's getting easier, but I still need to find some way to have closure.

'Fashion February' 2014: Week 2

Here's a little recap of what I wore and what I did this week!

Saturday (3/8/14)

Spring date night watching the Banff Film Festival.

Sunday (3/9/14)

Styling glittery Tom's for a Sunday morning trip to the plant nursery.

Monday (3/10/14)

Let's just call this what it is. Urban Cowgirl. And it was soooo comfortable!

Tuesday (3/11/14)

Maybe my favorite outfit of the week. I love the combination of deep teal and gold.

Wednesday (3/12/14)

I tried this comfy, casual outfit and it just didn't flatter my figure. I keep trying to make this cropped sweater look decent, but it's really hard to style!

Thursday (3/13/14)

Realizing your wine colored tights are the same color as the tiny birds on this dress and having your shoulder break out so you hide them with a sweater. Maybe that's too much information...

Friday (3/14/14)

An attempt at combining masculine and feminine pieces (Psst. I haven't actually worn this outfit yet since I write this post on Thursday, but it's what I'll be wearing Friday and I hope it turns out awesome.)

Thirty Before Thirty

Last weekend, Dan and I went to the Banff film festival, which is a collection of outdoor short films. It's a great night and we were glad to get tickets to it from my dad for a second year in a row.

A film called '35' kind of resonated with me. You can watch it below, but it's about doing what you love and refusing to grow up.

 
And it hit me. I'm 27 years old and am I living for what I love? What am I living and working toward?

So, in a moment of panic, I decided to create a list. A list of things to work for and towards. Thirty things I wanted to do before I turn 30. The list started off fairly strong...

1. Run the Cinco De Mayo 10K
2. Run the Labor 8 Miler
3. Take a lay-on-the-beach-all-day vacation
4. Donate to Locks of  Love
5. Redo the floors in the house
6. Learn how to really drive stick
7. Learn how to use the sewing machine

...and then I promptly ran out of things. I came up with seven things. Only seven. Seven goals for the next three years. And if I really set my mind to it, I could probably do numbers 3, 6, and 7 in one weekend. There are things that are less concrete, like 'take better care of myself' and 'be more productive with my freetime', but really, only seven goals.

I had two drastically different reactions to my short list. 1) Wow, my life must be awesome if I have so few goals I need to meet. 2) Wow, I must be lazy and boring if I have so few goals.

You know, in a weird way, both reasons are quite motivating. I have so few things I need to accomplish so why aren't I spending more time working toward them? If I really got off my ass, I could probably do all of these things in the next six months.

And so I'm going to stop writing for now, move some laundry to the dryer, and get off my ass.

Fan of Friday: Week of 3/14/14

Yes, I know it's not Friday, but I've painted myself into a wee bit of a corner with my Fashion February posts being on Friday.

And yes, I probably should have just saved this until next month, but there no time for that, people! This is possibly my favorite thing ever and it's only (ONLY) available in March! I must tell you about them before this much too small window closes!

Mmmm, Lime Eegees.

God's gift to mankind. If you are currently in Tucson, go get one right now. And if you are currently in Tucson and have never had one, what is wrong with you?!? GO! Go get one!

Since Eegee's are purely a Tucson thing, let me explain a bit. Eegee's is a fast food chain and their signature frozen 'drink' is called an Eegee (pronounced 'E-G'). You can drink it with a straw or eat it with a spoon, but if you drink it with a straw you are doing it wrong and you will be mocked.

The texture is smoother than a snow cone, but thicker than an icee. And it will give you a brain-freeze almost instantaneously, every single time. 

They have three standard flavors: lemon, strawberry, and pina colada, as well as a rotating monthly flavor. 'Lucky Lime' for St. Patty's Day.

Seriously, lime is the best flavor and if I had a bigger freezer, it would just be stocked to the brim with part packs of lime Eegee's. Come to think of it, my parent's do now have a freezer in their garage. I bet I could hide a bunch in there and no one would ever know...

'Fashion February' 2014: Week 1

Back years ago when I started blogging, in the same time period, I also started trying to learn how to actually dress myself better. I gave myself a challenge in February 2012 to plan and style my outfit everyday in advance for a month. And then I posted about it every. damn. day.

It took a lot of work, but it did help me see my wardrobe and my fashion choices in a whole new light. At the end of it, I knew how to shop for myself better and throw clothes together with a lot less effort.

I really meant to make it an annual thing, but of course I blanked on it in 2013 until it was too late.

And again in 2014.

But March is almost the same as February, right?

So, I'm picking it up again. Just ignore the fact that the label 'Fashion February' makes no sense this time around. Also, this time, I'm just going to post a weekly recap of what I wore because I ain't got time for that (that being posting every freakin' day).

In an effort to break out of my jeans, cardigan, Converse's, and side braid daily routine, here's what I wore this week.

Saturday (3/1/14)

Date night outfit to celebrate our anniversary on a rainy Saturday. 

Sunday (3/2/14)

Perfect for a muddy morning walking around the anitque's fair.

Monday (3/3/14)

Simple outfit for a simple Monday

Tuesday (3/4/14)

Attempting to style the pink infinity scarf my Grandma gave me for Christmas.

Wednesday (3/5/14)

Amber is a hard color to break into an outfit.

Thursday (3/6/14)

Trying to break my new obi belt into outfits that don't include dresses

Friday (3/7/14)

Wearing 70's heels while making this floral dress work appropriate.

Third Anniversary

I think at your third wedding anniversary, you can no longer call yourselves newlyweds. We're not yet an old married couple and the seven year itch is still a couple of years off, so we're just married, I guess.

Anyway, if you couldn't guess, Dan and I just celebrated our third wedding anniversary. He pulled out the romantic stops and gave me chocolates and flowers and took me out for a cozy fondue dinner and a movie, Monuments Men. I have been complaining a lot lately about how we don't just date each other anymore and I'm pretty sure he just wanted to shut me up, but it definitely worked.

And since Valentine's Day had kind of been a bust around here, we overdid it a bit on the presents. He gave me a lily pearl necklace, a Jedi training manual, and some of our favorite movies, like Cherry 2000. I got him two Star Wars polo shirts and Bananagrams.

The hardest part of our anniversary is the tradition we established on our wedding day. Dan made a really nice wood box where we keep our wedding vows and we save our anniversary cards to each other every year in it. Probably puts a little too much pressure on ourselves to write something prolific and romantic.

Don't tell Dan, but sometimes I google 'how to write a card'. Girl only has so many original thoughts in her head after all these years...

Project House Update: Installing a Sliding Door

Remember when my effort to hang curtains sparked my desire to redo our master bathroom? Well, we finally started on it by replacing the sliding door in our bathroom!

Here's what it used to look like, the 'Before':

Choosing a door turned out to be an incredibly difficult process. Do you know how many options there are when it comes to doors? I really wanted french doors, but the opening is only six feet wide meant a two door french door would be very narrow and a single, center french door (you know, when it's just one window door with a surrounding windows) would be partially blocked by the counter. So, Dan won and we decided on another sliding door.

Then, there were still another million options, but I'll skip to the end. After three separate trips to Home Depot and sitting and weighing the options with their door salesmen, we decided on a 60 x 80 inch Andersen sliding glass door with privacy glass, white on the inside and dark bronze on the outside. Privacy glass so the freakin' ugly vertical blinds are gone!

And you know where this goes from here, right? The two engineers decide to install it on their own. Do you know how heavy and large a sliding glass door is? Once we ordered it, Dan started designing a jig to get home once the store got it in. Doesn't he look so proud that it got home in one piece?

And since I am useless when it comes to the heavy stuff (you should have seen me at Home Depot helping loading it onto the trailer. Oh lord...), Jimmy came over to help Dan install it.

First, they removed the old door...

...and painted the metal surround just in case you could possibly see it when the door was installed...

...and moving the new one into place...

...and shimmed it into the proper position

...framed out the exterior...

...and finally painted it. {Sidenote: when you buy Andersen windows from Home Depot, they can give you the color code of the window so you can match the paint for the trim.}

It's amazing how much more energy efficient this new window is. With the special sun film for Arizona, the afternoon sun no longer bakes the room.

There's still some work that needs to be done on the interior side of the door, but we don't want to finish framing it out until we've made more progress on the rest of the room. We plan on removing the bulkhead above the door, so we'll do a more permanent trim down the line. Right now, it's just a chamfered board, cut to length.

In total, one month to pick a door, another month to have it made, a full day to remove the old and install the new, a week to frame it out and paint it. It was so worth it, though. The difference is just amazing.

The only thing standing between us and just gutting this bathroom is finding our perfect vanities and we are on the hunt. Stay tuned...