Productivity at Its Finest

By 11:00 this morning, here's everything I had accomplished:

• Cleaned the kitchen
• Brought Dela and Bridget to the dog park
• Dropped off the dry cleaning (I've been meaning to do this since January)
• Sold a few things at the consignment shop

Then after I made Bridget some noodles and put her down for her nap, I also called a bakery and ordered cake pops for the baby shower I'm hosting in a couple weeks.

The last thing I did was research my camera  little bit and play with some of the settings. All my pictures still look the same, though. Maybe someday I'll get a cool camera or take a photography class. Maybe not.

Phew, gettin' stuff done, gettin' stuff done.

Sweater: Target; Shorts and Boots: Kohl's; Sunglasses: Target; Watch: Zing Accessories

Running Update

Yesterday morning was probably my most successful run to date. I jogged the majority of the time, I wasn't in any pain really, and the dog didn't drive me crazy. In fact, since it's dark out during the time I'm running, I'm thankful to have the dog around just for some extra safety – not that where I live is unsafe, but you never know. Unfortunately, my morning started at 3:45 instead of 5 when my alarm was set to go off.

Before you give me too much credit, I'll admit that I've only been running about once a week lately. It's better than nothing, though, right?

Yesterday, I woke up at 3:45 to the cat growling at the dog, tried to fall asleep again, but then decided to just stay awake. I figured one more hour of sleep might just make me more tired when my alarm went off. After wasting time on my phone for a half hour or so, I got ready and got out the door a little after 5. Since I knew it was going to be a little chilly, I layered over my tank top a long-sleeved shirt I had bought about four years ago during the short stint where I dumped a lot of money into biking. It actually worked out perfectly since the biking shirt has two large pockets in the back where I stored my phone for music and a couple bags to pick up dog poop if need be.

Instead of listening to pump-me-up music, I decided to check out the new Ben Folds Five album I downloaded and go for more chill music instead. It worked out pretty well for me this time. Maybe I push myself too much when I have Foo Fighters blaring in my ears, or maybe I'm slowly becoming more in shape, but I felt like I was able to pace myself and not get as worn out.

Source

As for the album, I like every song I've heard so far, which is unusual for me the first time I hear new music from an artist I like. Normally, I have to warm up to the new stuff.

Although I warmed up quickly once I started running, I don't know how much longer this is going to last in the increasingly cold weather. I wasn't a fan of being cold during the five minutes of my warm-up walk. Very soon, I'll have to put on gloves and maybe buy some full-length spandex pants. Hopefully I can keep getting out there for the next month at least. I'm always amazed by how people run in the winter. Maybe I'll have to start going to the fitness center at work instead. Or maybe I'll just get fatter.

Safari Theme and a Question for You

Black Shirt and Skirt: NY&Co; Long-Sleeved Tee: H&M; Booties: Mr. Shoe

Bangles: Charming Charlie and Mexicali Blues; Bag: Michael Kors

I went with kind of a safari theme with this outfit. I've been wanting to wear this shirt again, but it's getting too cold to wear it by itself, hence the layering. Although I really like the shape and pattern on this skirt, I could do without the asymmetrical ruching detail on the left side. That's why it looks like there's a weird fold in the front of my skirt in these pictures.

In other news, this was not the most deserted place to take pictures at...I was thinking about picture location the other day. There are plenty of examples of bloggers who do a specific type of location well. Some have gorgeous outdoor shots in a variety of locations (Animated Cardigan); some have well-lit indoor shots in their fancy houses (The Chloe Conspiracy); some have metropolitan, street-style-type shots (Blonde Bedhead); some stand in the same place in all their photos (FutureLint). I guess I have a low budget combination of the first two. Ideally, I'd totally want to have a really sunny room where I can take all my photos inside, but our north-facing house isn't terribly conducive to that. But what do I know? I'm not a photographer.

My question to you - when you're reading blogs, what do you think about the location of the outfit photos? Do you have a preference? Do you care as long as they're of a certain quality? Or as long as the type of location is consistent? I'm curious. I'd like to at least aim for consistency, if I decide to change anything here. I know this is just a hobby blog, but I'd still like it to be a somewhat entertaining one. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Lot of Movies Watched This Week

Dress: Anthropologie; Booties: Mr. Shoe; Necklace: Charlotte Russe; Sunglasses: Target

I finally saw The Avengers last night when I bought it for hubs on Blu-ray. It was pretty good. In general, I don't like action movies. They bore me. But I don't mind super hero movies as much for some reason. It didn't hurt that The Avengers has plenty of eye candy.

We also watched part of Lady and the Tramp last night. I'm trying to slowly build up our Disney movie collection, and this one was on sale at Target yesterday. Plus, I'm trying to distract Bridget from wanting to watch The Lion King every single night. A couple nights ago, our pick was Shrek, followed by Shrek 2 (I know, not Disney), which neither of us had seen since it came out. It wasn't as good as the first one, but some of the pop culture references made me chuckle.

As for my outfit, this is the fourth time I've worn this dress on the blog, and I've attempted to style it a little differently each time by adding different accessories. I'm calling this one my "trendy" look with the collar necklace and booties. I almost returned this necklace, but I'm glad I didn't. I think it's cute. It's from Charlotte Russe, so it was cheap anyway. Next time I wear this dress, I think I'm going to layer it up and do a fall-themed look. I just remembered looking back at the last time I wore this dress that I mentioned it looks like a Star Trek uniform. Hmm, I still haven't decided on a Halloween costume, so....maybe.

Naming Colors

Source

It's gotta be a fun job naming colors. Crayola's got Inchworm, Macaroni and Cheese, and Purple Mountain's Majesty; OPI's got My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Don't Pretzel My Buttons, and Save Me; and Pantone has Croissant, Palace Blue, and Oxblood. For this edition of Bloggers Do It Better, we're celebrating fall's hot color, Oxblood Red.

Top: Anthropologie; Skirt: NY&Co; Boots and Bracelet: Kohl's; Belt: Forever 21

 It was a tad windy.

Best and Worst Emmy 2012 Red Carpet Looks

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching the red carpet coverage and the first hour of the Emmys with my husband. Although the only TV shows he watches are paranormal crime dramas + old-school sci-fi + The Big Bang Theory, he still stuck around to hear me yammer on about every single celeb that showed up on the screen while he interjected and asked why I didn't wear revealing red carpet gowns more often. Like, just around the house apparently...OK... It was fun educating him on who's on what TV show and who he might recognize from certain movies. Plus, there were enough Big Bang Theory cast member sightings to keep him entertained for awhile.

While schooling my husband on pop culture, I also compiled a list of my favorite and least favorite red carpet looks from the night.

Best

Kelly Osbourne in Zac Posen (source)

Her dress matches her hair! And she looks gorgeous and skinny! And she's wearing a trendy dark lipstick! This dress may have been a tad boring on someone else, but the styling is what really made this one of my favorite looks of the night.

Sarah Hyland in Marchesa (source)

I do love Marchesa. That is all.

Emily VanCamp in  J. Mendel (source)

I don't have much to say about this one either except I liked it right away. Her bow bracelet is pretty cute, too.

Julie Bowen in Monique Lhuillier (source)

She wasn't on my original list, but the more I saw pictures of her entire look, the more I liked it. The dress fits her perfectly, the bright color looks nice against her skin, and I like how she kept everything else simple.

Worst

Portia de Rossi (source)

I've gotten on board with jumpsuits on some people, and Portia could definitely pull off the jumpsuit look, but not this one. I hated it.

Ashley Judd in Carolina Herrera (source)

There was nothing good about this look - the hair, the style of the dress, the fabric and color of the dress, all bad. I take that back. Her clutch is cute.

Lena Dunham in Prada (source) 

I love lace, but not here. Her dress just looked too dark and too heavy. I still do want to see "Girls" on HBO someday, though.

Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano (source)

OK, putting this on a "worst dressed" list is a little harsh, so maybe this would belong on a "could be better" list for me. From what I've read so far, this one's getting mixed reviews. Christina Hendricks is gorgeous and sexy, but there was something about this dress that didn't work for me even though I love Christian Siriano. Maybe it was the belt, or the color.

Yellow dresses that I should've liked but didn't

Julianne Moore in Dior Haute Couture (source)

I'm seeing on blogs that most people loved this look. As much as I love yellow and full skirts, I think there was just too much fabric here. If it were sleeveless, or if the skirt was slimmer, I would've liked it better. I may be alone in my principles on this one.

Claire Danes in Lanvin (source)

Having been pregnant once, I don't like to criticize what pregnant ladies choose to wear. Being pregnant is hard enough. But I think the gorgeous Claire Danes could've dressed her bump better in this case. Maybe if the fold were a little higher it could've worked. I don't know; I wasn't a fan.

Honorable Mention - people I was excited to see

Anna Chlumsky in Christian Siriano (source)

I don't know why, but I thought it was fun to see Anna Chlumsky aka Vada Sultenfuss from My Girl all grown up and in the public eye again.

Mayim Bialik in Pamella Rolland (source)

Oh hey, Mayim! Come to Milwaukee again anytime! It did not escape me how she was strategically holding her one arm behind her body in most of the photos. She broke her hand in a car accident and was wearing a black brace on it.

Kaley Cuoco in Angel Sanchez (source)

Oh hey, I saw you in real life, too! And you're wearing a yellow dress I like! 

Melissa Rauch in Oliver Tolentino (source)

Not done with the Big Bang stars quite yet! Now for some men...

Jim Parsons (source)

OK now I'm done with Big Bang people. I also got to see a couple of my favorite male actors:

Tom Hanks (source)

I don't care if he has a mustache. He's Tom Hanks. He can do no wrong.

Steve Buscemi (source)

I can't explain it. I love Steve Buscemi as an actor. I'm still begging hubs to let me get HBO so that I can watch Boardwalk Empire.

Michael J. Fox (source)

For hubs, his favorite dude to see was the iconic Michael J. Fox.

And finally, a random one...

Jon Cryer (source)

I'm not really a Two and a Half Men fan, but I did like how genuinely surprised and in disbelief Jon Cryer was when he won the award for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Even if he was up against Jim Parsons.

What did you think of Emmys this year?

Go Pack Go

When I saw this week's Inspiration Monday picture, I couldn't help but notice that Olivia Palermo's wearing Packers colors. Since the Packers are playing today, I guess it's pretty appropriate! Go Pack! OK, I really don't care about football, and I had to check their schedule to figure out there was a game, but I can confidently say I didn't feel weird wearing yellow and green together around here. I just felt like a loyal fan. So there's that.

Cardigan and Tank Top: Old Navy; Jacket: L.L.Bean; Pants: Gap; Shoes: Vince Camuto;
Bracelet: Target; Sunglasses: Express

I only wore those black shoes, which have like 4-inch heels, for the pictures, and then I changed into flats for church.

Inspiration Monday

America's Next Top Model: College Edition Episode 5 Recap

I should've been worried about Leila being eliminated when they showed her talking so much at the beginning of the episode. Instead, I remained blissfully unaware until the end. There was a little bit of drama when Laura picked Kristin to join her in the Tyra suite instead of Lelia. I did feel bad for Leila when all the girls thought she was obsessed with Laura. I've been there, girl. That part gave me unwelcome flashbacks to sixth grade. Plus, Kristin's just kind of a B.

Anyway, then the girls got a visit from Alicia Keys, whose music actually reminds me of freshman year of college. I guess it was a nostalgic episode, heh. Alicia told the girls that they would be participating in a charity fashion show to raise money for Keep a Child Alive. The girls would be doing their own styling, the looks would be auctioned off, and the girl whose outfit raised the most money would win the scholarship money AND get to visit Alicia Keys on tour.

First, they practiced their walks in the house, where Leila struggled to impress Tyra. There was also a funny part where either Tyra or Alicia asked Brittany if she had a boo, and she was like, "Leonardo Dicaprio!" Haha, between that and her love of Disney, I'm pretty sure she could be BFFs with some of my BFFs.

Brittany (source)

At the actual fashion show, all the girls did pretty well. Except Leila. The girl who raised the most money ended up being Kiara, who was definitely the best one on the runway. Maybe this wasn't a coincidence, but she also may have been the most enthusiastic Alicia Keys fan. She picked Nastasia to join her to see Alicia Keys on tour.

Leila continued to be down on herself throughout the episode, but I guess I still didn't want to believe that she might be eliminated. She and Laura had another confrontation, and Leila basically called Laura conceited or something. Laura broke down crying because she had been picked on in high school for having famous parents, and all the girls seemed to side with her. Laura, you're an awesome model, but I'm still on your side, Leila.

Photo shoot time! The girls posed as cheerleaders while being hurled up in the air by four male cheerleaders. It proved to be as potentially dangerous as it looked when Allyssa cut one of the guys in the eyebrow when she was coming down. Kristin actually was a cheerleader, so she found the whole shoot pretty effortless. Nastasia, being the tiniest one, flew the highest and rocked it. As for the girls who struggled, Brittany looked extremely awkward, and Laura was terrified of heights. And then Bryan Boy showed up randomly.

Allyssa (source)

In panel Tyra wore a fierce cutout illusion dress. Most of the critiques were pretty expected based on what we saw from the photo shoot. Brittany and Leila looked awkward, Nastasia and Yvonne looked great, but there were a couple surprising scores from the judges. I didn't like Laura's picture, but the judges did; Allyssa's picture was eh, but Tyra gave her a high score. On the other side of the spectrum, Kristin's picture was pretty good even though Tyra thought she looked more cheerleader than model, but Rob lowballed her and gave her a 6. Teehee, I kind of take pleasure in how much Rob doesn't like Kristin. Evil.

Screenshot from full episode

The callout order was:

1. Nastasia
2. Laura
3. Kristin
4. Kiara
5. Victoria
6. Yvonne
7. Allyssa
8. Brittany

Eliminated for now: Leila

Here was my reaction as documented in my notes:

LOAD OF CRAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
PIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSED
SHE BETTER COME BACK!
WOW BRYAN BOY IS CRYING!

The previews showed a pretty cool video game challenge for the next episode. I'm not sure how it relates to modeling, but it'll be fun to watch. It looks like the girls are doing some kind of steampunk photo shoot, where Yvonne snaps at Bryan Boy.

Predictions:
For the win: Leila...oh, she'll be back.
Eliminated next week: Yvonne. Might as well admit that the previews have shown the eliminated person every week so far.

I'm an Aunt!

Here's the inspiration picture for this week's Style Imitating Art, hosted by Thrifted Shift:

T-shirt: William Rast for Target; Jeans: Kut; Boots: Vince Camuto via giveaway;
Scarf; H&M; Sunglasses: Express

Today, I became an aunt for the first time! My husband's sister, who lives in Arizona, had a baby boy! We even got to see him via Skype at the same time hubs' parents and other sister were seeing him! It was exciting. Bridget was more interested in seeing her grandparents than the baby, but I think she'll appreciate having a cousin as she gets older. Hopefully she'll have many more cousins to come in the future!

I'm also linking up with Marionberry's animal print Trend of the Month link-up on Wednesday.

Askew

No matter what I do, this belt and any necklace I wear always go askew throughout the day. For most of the day, I had the belt turned around backwards and under a sweater. I think super gluing the top thin strap to the back thicker straps might help. Or maybe I just like thinner belts in general.

T-shirt: American Apparel; Skirt: self-made; Belt: NY&Co; Boots: Kohl's; Necklace: H&M

After I put this on, I realized it was kind of similar to the Inspiration Monday picture for this week. Better late than never!

I have nothing interesting to say, and I'm distracted by Sesame Street right now. So...have a good weekend!

Inspiration Monday