Goodwill Tour--and Apron Giveaway!

(clockwise from top left:  short sleeve empire, pink stripe oxford, pleated button down, T-shaped sweater, pillowcase tank dress, short sleeve jacket, long sleeve empire, and balloon sleeve top)

Last Sunday on my way home from church, I accidentally found myself in the turn lane when I had intended to go straight.  I decided that since I had to circle back anyway, (and didn't really feel like watching the football game that was being viewed at home) I would check out the nearby Goodwill.  While I was there, I remembered the Clothing Wars challenge that Beth presented.  I giddily completed my entry for that (most likely making the staff and customers wonder why on earth I was hauling such a hideous assortment of items to the dressing room.), but I'll hold off on posting those photos for now, because I have my own mini-challenge for you, my readers--Read on!

Remember when I said a while back that the Mac and Me household was without a full-length mirror?  Well, we are still without one, but I have found it to be sort of helpful in a way.  On the days when I photograph myself, I discover certain things.  Things I wouldn't necessarily notice in a mirror.  For instance...some things don't look as good as I thought...some things look better than I thought...some things work/don't work together when I had previously thought otherwise, and some things are just plain boring.  I don't know why we see ourselves differently in a photograph than we do in a mirror, but I guarantee you it's true.

Anyway, I decided to apply my 'makeshift mirror' technique in the dressing room at Goodwill.  Here are some of the discoveries I made:

1)  It was easier to narrow down what I really wanted to take home with me (and I am a spendthrift with a part-time job so it had to be a VERY narrow list) when I took photos of what I was trying on.  If looking back at the photo made me think, "Yay!", then I knew I had a contender.  I'm sure some stores frown on this, but sometimes I need a second opinion and this was as close as I was going to get without asking an unsuspecting employee/customer/child playing in the nearby toy section.
2)  I discovered that I tend to gravitate toward empire-waisted shirts a.k.a. baby-doll shirts (but not like the 90's belly shirts!!) and plain cotton button down shirts (like preppy man-shirts for girls).  I decided maybe I should curb my penchant for both.  The former is something my mom would probably say "doesn't do much" for me...though I partially blame her and all her cute maternity tops in the 70's for the allure they hold.  The latter is safe for work, but becoming a little bit boring.

So...having said all that, I'm proud to announce that I went home with only one item.  My challenge to you is, which item do you think it was?  Tell you what.  I will send one green apron (pictured at right) to the first person who guesses correctly!  One guess per person...One additional guess if you choose to follow my blog (and are not doing so already).  Crafty, ain't I?  The rules are pretty simple.  Just leave a comment on this post and an e-mail address spelled out (i.e. sweatsuited at yahoo dot com) so I can get in touch with you!  I don't expect this to last long...I'm not that hard to figure out!

P.S.  As for the red cowboy boots and fedora, I can tell you I didn't go home with either of those (darn, right!?).  They were part of the Clothing Wars challenge so you'll be seeing them again soon!

Favorite Shoes

The Velveteen Rabbit of shoes.  Except, unlike the Velveteen Rabbit (near as I can remember anyway), there was a time when I had to let these go forever.  I started noticing that every meeting I went to (back in the days when I had a real job) smelled suspiciously like feet.*  A sad day for many reasons.

Anywho, they (Seychelles) don't make these anymore (also a sad day when I found that out), but someone is selling a slighly used black pair on ebay.  As much as I loved them though...I'm not sure I could handle the potential of someone else's foot smell showing up one day like an uninvited guest. 

How do you guys feel about used shoes?  Have you ever owned a pair of shoes you wore to death/sadly discovered aren't made anymore?

* My feet don't smell normally, I promise!  It's just that I wore these shoes THAT much.  And it's true what your mother told you...don't go without socks/stockings.

Awkward Fashion Shoot, or...How I Convinced Myself to Buy a Mirror

So apparently, in addition to matches, the newlyweds also neglected to purchase a full-length mirror when starting a life together.  Strangely, I have been living without one now for about a year and a half.  This strikes me as kinda awesome, as I used to be the person who never left the house without a comprehensive image study, usually followed by harsh words and an evaporating desire to leave the house.  Perhaps it's best I haven't had one for a while.  There have been occasions of late, however--mainly job interviews--when I have no clue what I look like and decide that it's necessary to know. 


Enter the self-timed photograph, my makeshift mirror.  A lame little photoshoot preserved for posterity and hereby exported to the world at large:

While it's a pretty handy little tool for playing 'What Not to Wear' with myself (left photo), I think I can say with some degree of certainty that I will never become a fashion blogger.  Don't get me wrong though, I'm a big fan.  To a former fashion magazine junkie who quit the habit out of increasing: 1) poverty 2) discontentment with actual life in comparison (or was it magazines in comparison to actual life?) 3) annoyance over fat pages of advertisements and depressing articles about the 47 ways to ensure your lover will never cheat (and the 21 ways to find out if he is)...the discovery of daily little fashion inspirations that are both free, free of the aforementioned annoyances, and a little bit closer to my reality (they thrift!)...is kind of sweet.

A few of my favorites...

1.  Adored Austin

2.  Kansas Couture

3.  Blue Collar Catwalk

4.  Jen Loves Kev

Reader (self) beware...hours seem to get swallowed in the oohing and ahhing over their photos!

P.S.  Yes, I know I'm a dork.  (Might as well insert this postscript after every entry from here on out).

Brrrr!

Brrrr + Texas = Weird, I know...But if there's one thing I've learned about living here, it's that you have an indoor wardrobe and an outdoor wardrobe.  Every day.  Mac teases me for changing my clothes so much, but it's not just me being indecisive.  Restaurants, coffee shops and stores (not to mention husbands) seem to keep the A/C just south of Arctic, so leave the sweater at home and you're in for a shaky meal/drinking/reading/browsing/shopping session.  Texas girls know this. 

Couple this phenomenon with a week of cooler, rainy weather which one of our pastors jokingly called "Faux Fall" (he's from Wisconsin and I think Mac and I were the only other people in the room who laughed instead of staring blankly), and you have my current state of mind:  Fall on the brain and in the house, 90 degree confusion outside.  Anyway, all this is to say...Hm, not much.  Just a glimpse into our surroundings and "Look Ma!  I made Chicken Tortilla Soup!" and "Look Sis!  I'm wearing the scarf you gave me from Russia (and I'm terrible at tying it)!".  I love Fall, even Faux Fall.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

You know the other funny thing about it all?  I think I see more pale skin here than I did at home (which sorta makes me fit in...right?).  I guess it's too hot to be outside so everyone hides and fades in the A/C.  Small irony:  I tried to resupply myself with sunless tanning lotion (speaking of all things faux) when we first got here, only to find that they only sell it for medium to dark skin.  ?.

P.S.  In accordance with my Fall brain, I plan to start a knitting project any day now.  Because Mac's not wrong that I am indecisive...I may have to ask for your help in deciding on a project : ]

P.P.S.  A word about ghosty hands (top photo).  They remind me of this video (proceed with caution), which Mac sent me the other day in an attempt to cheer me up.  If scaring me almost out of my seat = cheering me up, then...success!  Okay granted, we did have a pretty good laugh about my reaction hours later, but oh man...

Now Playing...

at a theater near you...

So, today I had a second interview for an amazing job, and got equally amazingly lost. So lost that I had to phone Mac, who was thankfully home and near a computer, a grand total of oh...4 or 5 times. I left 2 hours early for the interview, thinking I would grab some coffee with all that time to spare. All that time being, in the end, about 6 minutes. I am hopeless when it comes to navigating. Hopeless! 

To make things more pitiful, by the time I found where I needed to be, it seemed there was nowhere for me to park. So, I was left with nothing to do but park at a food joint next door, pray fervently that I wouldn't get towed, and walk along the highway to get where I was headed.  I guess it's nice that it had stopped raining by then*, although I was excitedly prepared for bad weather with the top half of my new little suit from a recent trip to ThriftTown (shown right).

You know what one of the worst things about interviews are?  The hours and days that follow when I go into Interview Critic mode:  Why on earth did I say that?  Why didn't I say that?  And I rehearse the whole thing over and over in my head, hoping I won't make the same dumb mistakes 'this time'.  It reminds me of my mom when she's watching a movie that she's seen multiple times before.  She always tries to warn the hero that something bad is about to happen, but invariably...the script never changes.

Well, enough of my rambling.  I'm just thankful I actually made it there on time and in one piece.  And I'm thankful for a very patient husband who was standing by to help me.  *Annnd, I'm very thankful I woke up to rain today!  Tomorrow, I shall tell you why.

My Cowboys Shirt

Reasons I love this shirt.  1.  It's a leftover from a superbowl/dressup party that has funny memories.  2.  My sister gave it to me.  3.  It came from Goodwill back home.  4.  It's been around a long time and I only recently rediscovered it in storage under my Grandma's spare bed.  5.  I'm a Texan now.  6.  My husband just happens to be a lifelong Cowboys fan.

That being said, I did not intend to leave the house in this shirt.  It's usually reserved for sleep and moving days.  However, Mac called this morning with an urgent errand request and so I left the house in well, glorified sleepwear.  Only trouble was, said errand put me dangerously close to ThriftTown, and I'm afraid I couldn't resist a visit.  Even in pj's. 

Possible reasons why I got funny looks at ThriftTown today.  1.  This shirt is awesome.  2.  I hadn't showered.  3.  I probably couldn't feign a decently convincing interest in football if I tried.

Oh well, it was worth it.  I scored big today.  Clothes for upcoming interviews (and hopefully an upcoming job...), short sleeved tops for the heat (Finally!  My Montana wardrobe left me sorrowfully unprepared), and a tripod with which I nerdily snapped this photo.