So a Girl Walks Into a Comic Book Store...

That could be the beginning of an epic one liner about geeks and girls or whatever, I'm sure someone a lot funnier than I am could do something seriously funny with it but I want to focus on real life.

For instance, I'm pretty sure I gave that guy at the comic book store a heart attack. I've never seen some one look so shocked to see me some place. He totally even did a double take. Like, is this person lost and confused? Nooooo, just a geek looking to buy a comic book. I've been in a lot of comic book stores over the years, I used to frequent them rather often when I was in high school and early years of college but for some reason I kind of fell out of the comic book thing. Until last week when I decided I was missing the X-Men a little hardcore and decided to pop into the shop by my job. That guy's face, I will never forget it. My main mission was to pick up where I left with Uncanny X-men, which was like a while ago and apparently ended (more or less) in 2011.

A little late to jump on that band wagon again, but as luck would have it I'm just in time for Marvel Now! initiative. Basically, they're rebooting a ton of series and now is a great time to get back in to comics. I am especially looking forward to the new X-Men comic debuting in April. It stars and all female main cast, including Kitty Pryde, Storm, Rogue, Rachel Grey, Psylocke, and all time favorite Jubilee (who just happens to be looking to shape up to be the main character of the story)! Looking at the Marvel release calender is super unhelpful though. They don't have an official release date for the first book, but they do for the second. What's up with that? I want to pin it down so I make sure I get it as soon as it comes out!

I also want to pick up the Wolverine and Jubilee book, Curse of the Mutants. I'm totally looking forward to getting it. I would have bought it if they'd had it at the comic store, but they had just about every other Wolverine collection out there except that one! I'm going to order it on Friday as an early birthday present to myself. And of course, while I was browsing for that I might have saw about two dozen other comics I'd be interested in purchasing. Here's hoping I can contain myself to just two series and don't get crazy. Though considering all the options I'm not entirely sure that's going to remain true.

Look's like I'm going to give that comic book store guy another heart attack just by showing up again next week too. Poor man.

A New Year, A New Me?

That's a question, not a statement. Though it's not really a question either. The first part of my new year I spent celebrating with friends. I threw an awesome party, if I do say so myself. The decor was especially good. I made an awesome banner, which there may or may not be a tutorial of in the future. We'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully I can get myself together and write it. I also saw Wreck-It Ralph with friends on New Year's Day. It was pretty cute.

I know people usually make new year's resolutions, but I'm not really the sort. So I didn't make any, but I have been thinking about something for a long time. My weight. It's kind of a big number, it's the highest it's ever been and I don't love it. Mostly because I'm not fitting into the clothes that I love any more, which sucks. So I decided to be a little proactive and get on the weight loss bandwagon. And so far I've lost 2.8 pounds. Which is pretty great considering all I'm really doing is tracking my calories.

I use myfitnesspal, which is a smartphone app for android and iphone that tracks your food intake. You can also connect it with fitness apps to automatically log your exercise. I have my account linked to my runtastic pedometer app. I haven't really done much other than track calories, which apparently was enough incentive for me. When you make your account for myfitnesspal, you set your weightloss goal. The more you want to lose, the less calories you get for the day. I want to lose one pound a week, so the app says I get 1770 calories a day, if you exercise you can technically eat more than that, which I often do because I love food. But it does keep me from mindlessly snacking which is great and probably the place where I needed the most help anyway. I'm actually a pretty healthy eater, I love vegetables and I'm not a fan of red meat. But snacks, man do I love snacks. This helps me curb my snack enthusiasm, or at least makes me ask myself is it worth it. Most of the time, it is as long as I know I'll have time to exercise later.

I'm looking forward to seeing if I can keep up with this weight loss. My goal is to drop about 20 pounds. If I manage that, maybe another 20. But, I'd really be perfectly happy with just losing 20 pounds and being able to keep it off. I've never tried to lose weight before, so here's hoping this works!

Shopping Haul

I know that this is the season for giving to others, but sometimes you need to give to yourself too. Especially when you don't have any seasonally appropriate clothing to wear. Apparently I don't love sweaters. Well, really sweaters don't love me. My body shape looks awful in most sweaters, but there are some that I can manage. I found some today which I'm including in the haul along with some other purchases from recent weeks. Here we go!

I fell in love with this dress as soon as I saw it! I've recently embraced the whole peplum trend and it is awesome. What I thought would draw attention is actually the perfect camouflage from my biggest trouble area. This Red Peplum Surplice Dress from Torrid has a lot going for it. First of all it's red, which I love. Then it has my new favorite thing, the peplum. It also has a fitted skirt and surplice neckline, which is also nice. Basically, it's pretty much amazing.

Jennifer Lopez Swirl Surplice Dress via Kohl's

This is only a shot of the back, but you can see how cute it is! Floral (aka red) and peplum, my favorites! Floral Print Peplum Top with Belt and Black Lace via Deb Shops

Sequin Shoulder Sweater via Deb Shops

Mint Lace Back Sweater via Dep Shops (can't find this one on their online site) also got this one in black but it did not photograph well.

I'm pretty happy with these purchases. Can't wait to wear these! And, while I'm on the topic of fashion I am really excited about finding a new store in my area that caters to plus sizes. It's called Fashion to Figure and they have stores in New Jersey, Maryland, and New York. There's one close enough that hopefully next weekend I'm going to check it out in person. The clothes on the website look amazing and the prices are awesome. Hopefully the quality is just as good. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Organization

I'm not very organized. At least not in the traditional sense. I can almost always find anything I'm looking for, but good luck to any one else searching through my stuff to find it. I try to be organized though. I spend a lot of money on closets and bins and baskets, drawer organizers, and cabinets but in the end it doesn't really matter. Because I am a messy person. Still I am always proud when I manage to organize anything to that it actually works (easier). I spent all of Sunday doing just that to my closet/clothing.

I had strep in October and whatever organization that had been left over from the summer died a horrible, horrible death once I got sick. Along with feeling like death, I let all of my laundry and laundry baskets pile up. And pile they did. They took over half my bedroom. I wish I had taken a before photo because it was a hot mess. Clothes falling out of the closet and out of baskets and multiplying on the floor. I finally tackled that mess though and I managed to triumph. My closet is now more organized, though there are still something I would like to change. But most importantly everything has a place and everything is in it's place. All my belts are hanging up and not willy nilly every where. My dresses are hanging, my skirts, my pants, my shirts.

These might seem a little OCD, but I often throw things in my closet where ever they fit. This will definitely help me keep things organized and make it easier to find what I'm looking for. Plus, things are less likely to get lost in the closet's black hole area since everything has a place and it's easy to find it now.

Belts/Accessories area. You can see some of these things are from quite a long while ago (based on the styles/colors).

The closet all organized and labeled.

I'm really loving the labels!

And this isn't really in my closet, but it's next to it! And it's organization! So it counts, right? One of my many shoe racks. I love shoes. I wish I had more in unconventional colors. I usually end up sticking to brown/tan and black just because those are colors that are in my wardrobe a lot already and are easy to coordinate.



I also sorted through my mostly unused drawers and did some organizing there too. I got rid of some of my 50 sets of pajamas, some of which I've had since nearly middle school. Don't even ask me why they are still around! They aren't any more. I have a ton of things to donate. I also went through the cloths sitting in the back of my closet and tossed or donated anything that didn't fit or that I will never wear. My donation pile is rather huge.

All of this organization and cleaning always makes me proud of myself. I just wish I didn't have to tackle this job every time the seasons change. But, I can accept myself as I am. I know I'm messy and at least I try to be somewhat organized. I'll never be perfect, but I'll keep working on it. Hopefully someday the big closet clean out won't have to happen four times a year.

Now, on to the craft room! (I weep at the thought.)

Christmas Time Already

Has anyone else started decorating? I typically leave it to like a week before Christmas because I am super lazy (which is also why it tends to stay up until approximately March, but whatever) but this year I got a bit of a head start. I actually feel like I accomplished somethings this weekend. I started and finished my Christmas cards! Excellent. Photos of those and possibly a tutorial will be posted after I send them all out. I also started decorating for Christmas, so here are some pictures.

Zsa-zsa is helping me make Christmas cards by keeping my paper warm. This is completely necessary to the card making process.

One of two large snowflakes I made. I also made smaller ones which I painted gold. I don't like them as much.

This is my "gingerbread" village. I made this about 3 years ago, it's held up really, really well. It's quite cute. I think I might like to get model trees instead of using the paper ones it came with, but for now they'll do.

And this is where I'm putting the mini-tree this year. I think it looks cute with that little snow man and those two signs.


And, last but not least I will leave you with a view I had a few days ago while I was getting ready for work. This was actually a little terrifying to be honest. She was so sneaky!

A real ceiling cat. This is not the first time I've had a cat in the ceiling. Kujo is the one who knocked out and broke the light panel originally, Zsa is just following in his footsteps. ☹

Things I Love Tuesday

Things I love! There are always so many that it's hard to narrow it down to just a few, but I'm going to try!

Number 1: Little Chief Honeybee (Honeybee in the City)
This blog is so great! She talks candidly about all sorts of things and always, always, always has amazing pictures to share. She's a craft/business/lifestyle/fashion blog all rolled into one and she's amazing!



Number 2: This cute kitten!

Number 3: Half days at work
The last few days have been pretty stressful, but thankfully we have half days for parent conferences. Most of the time this wouldn't be something to exciting, but I really need the quiet time. My class this year has no volume control and even less self-control. I am always happy to get a little break from them.


Number 4:
I love pinterest! This is one of the best websites ever. If you haven't tried it yet, I would definitely recommend it. You can find links to recipes, crafts, cards/scrapbooking, DIY projects, tips on cleaning, health, fitness, clothes, and tons of other amazing things. The best part is that it's mainly done via images (or video) so you can see at a glance if something is worth checking into more or not. The only pitfall is that some people are not careful when they pin things and instead of pinning the specific blog entry they just pin the front page, which makes things kind of hard when you go searching for how to make something you pinned months later. But it is still worth completely worth it!


Number 5: My friends (for entertaining all of my crazy fashion questions)
For instance, do navy tights and nude shoes look ridiculous? The consensus seems to be no. Which is good, because I kind of like that outfit! Thank you all for putting up with my ridiculous questions. I appreciate it!

Things I Love Tuesday!

I don't know if anyone knows this about me, but I kind of love crafts. LOVE THEM. Crafts of all kinds, especially DIY artwork and card making. This weeks Things I Love Tuesday totally reflects once of those. Well, mostly anyway. This list definitely could have been way longer; I have pinterest boards dedicated to every one of these except the last one! But, I managed to whittle this list down to my favorites (this week anyway!). Next week I might show of my favorite card making tools, though I might want to wait until after Christmas! Anyway, on to this weeks Things I Love Tuesday! ♥


Number 1: Paper Chain Garland Backdrop

How easy and adorable is this? So simple! And the best part? It is so, so easy to adapt to any event. I'm thinking of using this for New Year's Eve decor.




Number 2: Map Art

I love art and I love maps, so this is a perfect combination. Plus, you can do it yourself! Even better. I'm looking forward to doing this after getting some great tips from that blog.




Number 3: Favorite Things Party

The Favorite Things Party is based originally on Oprah's Christmas special My Favorite Things. Now, it's a popular party idea that I really want to try! I just need to round up some friends to participate. Any volunteers?




Number 4: Gift Wrap

I love wrapping gifts and this website has so many ideas! I can't wait to use them.



Number 5: This beautiful black cat

I think black cats are the best. They're so adorable and one of my most memorable cats was a black cat, his name was Moon. I also just got two black kittens in April who are so adorable! I love them! ♥





Number 6: Popcorners

Nothing to do with crafts, but these are delicious! I was shopping and just randomly decided to pick these up. So glad I did! They are so yummy. If you like popcorn and/or chips I'd recommend them. They are the perfect combination of both. Try them!

What's In My Purse

So this is actually one of my favorite blog topics when I'm a reader. I thought it might be fun to do it myself! Of course, I realize I have a crazy amount of stuff in my purse. But, I'm my mother's daughter. She's always prepared for everything and I too am a girl scout in that respect. So without further ado, here's what's in my purse:

My beautiful Elle bag, Bath & Body Works Fresh Market Apple hand sanitizer, and my key chain complete with library and discount cards, house key, hair tie, and a Wildwood Dolphin charm.

Clockwise: My iphone, a necklace I bought Tuesday at Target, Rimmel London lip gloss in Captivate Me!, and medicated Blistex.

Top Row: Owl charms, Elle Pleated Wristlet, two flash drives, mini emery boards, camera case, 2 mini octoclips, sunglasses, ibuprofen
Middle Row: Tide-to-go pen, fine point sharpie, allergy medicine, NYC lip gloss in Rasp-berry Voice, mini medicine bag + neosporin (next picture is insides), hair ties, mini hair brush, microfiber cloth, note card from a student
Bottom Row: smarties, mini notepad, pay stub, hair clips, rubber band, bobby pin, reward cards

Inside the blue bag: hand lotion, mini deodorant (for preventing blisters), wet ones, pill case, sephora blotting papers, band-aids

I also usually carry a water bottle, but I'd finished it about 15 minutes before I decided to do this post, so no water bottle this time.

And I think that's it! Anyone want to share what they keep in their bag?

Things I Love Tuesday

Catbus Costume via jackloves I love My Neighbor Totoro!

This beautiful mask via weareyoung makes me want to get all dressed up and go to a fancy ball.

This cute cat via sologatos. Just look at that face, so cute!

And this ferris wheel via coeur-vacant makes me wish for summer again.

Being able to vote! Make sure you exercise your right to vote. Every vote does make a difference!

October Birchbox

So this post is really crazy late, but here is my October BirchBox. The only product that I really liked was the Jouer Lip Enhancer, which sadly I had to toss because I got strep throat while I was using it. And I really wish you could request no perfumes. I have really bad allergies so I can't wear even light fragrances as they end up giving me awful headaches. It's such a waste. :(


Anyway, this month's birch box included:
Jouer Lip Enhancer, theBalm® cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer, Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy La Fleur, Vitivia Vitamin capsules, and a LUNA Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter bar.


As I said, the only thing I really spent time trying was the lip enhancer which I did like. I had the Luna bar too, which was ok. I won't use the Juicy Couture perfume, that will eventually make it's way to Laura because I know she actually wears perfume. And I plan to try the luminizer and vitamin capsules, but haven't yet. I'm especially interested in the vitamin capsules because I do have some hyperpigmentation from acne that I would like to lighten up, so I hope they work!

If you want to see more pictures of the October BirchBox, feel free to read more.

Iphone 5 Covers

So, I took the plunge and decided to buy the Iphone 5 as I was do for an upgrade (like a year and half ago). I looked at the Samsung Galaxy 3s but that thing is huge! I didn't want to be carrying something so big around, that's for sure, so I decided on the Iphone. But, now comes the really hard part, picking a case. I've narrowed it down to 4 but I kind of want them all.

Pop! with Stand by Case•Mate in White/Marine Blue - $35

Fall Printables

I don't know about you, but I love having seasonal decor. The easiest way to change it up for the season is to change out your artwork or pictures. I have a few frames that are dedicated to seasonal (or sometimes general) art. The best resource for finding all the great things other crafters and graphic designers are sharing is, of course, Pinterest! I love pinning and have tons of boards devoted to different crafty (and lifestyle) things. One of my favorite boards though, is my printables board. So, today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite fall printables.

A Dry-Erase Thankful Tree via Jess Gordon Design

Pumpkin Word Shape and Silhouette Crow via Blooming Homestead

Owl Silhouette (plus 3 more) via Measured by the Heart

I Love Fall Print via The Letter 4

and last a compilation of Halloween 31 Halloween Printables via Craft Interrupted





There are so many great printables out there. I wish I had room to display them all!

6 Things Wishlist

Six things I've been wishing for this week.

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

Glamour Power to You Dress in Crimson - ModCloth

Leopard Print Sweetheart Strapless Top - Torrid

Elago Iphone 4s Cover in Sport Yellow

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Skinit Lauren Conrad Iphone 4s Case

Minnie Mouse Costume

So working in a school means that every year I usually have to come up with two Halloween costumes. Usually I spend all my time thinking up and executing my grown ups only costume and am scrambling at the last minute to come up with something school appropriate that doesn't end up with me dressed like a banana. I draw the line at fruit.

This year I decided to plan early and I figured that Minnie Mouse would be a safe (and easy) bet. I found this dress on ModCloth which I love and knew I wanted to own. The best part is that it's perfect for my Minnie Mouse costume too! I've never owned a pair of Crocs before, but I've heard they're super comfortable and these are surprising stylish. I got my pair on ebay, but if these are as comfortable as people say I might invest in another pair.

I'm all set for Halloween now (well I still have to wait for all the packages to arrive). I'm kind of excited. Though for the first time in years I'm not sure if I'm going to be having a Halloween party or not. I guess we'll see how the rest of the month goes.

Minnie Mouse by ephemerally featuring crocs flats

Miz mooz
modcloth.com

Gerbe
$44 - pret-a-beaute.com

Crocs flat
macys.com

Glove
amazon.com

Hair accessory
amazon.com

So, what do you think? Does this look like something Minnie might wear?