Here I Go Again...

I am attempting Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 challenge. If you are not familiar with it, you choose 30 items (including shoes) and try to make 30 different outfits from them. Also, you do not shop for 30 days. I tried this in the fall but I failed. So, here I go again!

This time I am more strategic about the clothes I am choosing and I am making my own ammendments.

Here are my ammendments to Kendi's rules:

1.  I go skiing every weekend, so weekends when I ski do not count towards my 30 items. So I will still be wearing the appropriate clothes and my apres-ski sweaters. 
2. On weekends that I do not go skiing, I will try try tryyyyy my best to follow 30 for 30. 
3. Winter weather advisory--I do live in New England where we have a new blizzard every week. Therefore, if it is a blizzard or redic weather, I can chance my outfit accordingly (such as adding warmer boots or add another layer). 

And now, my wardrobe for the next thirty days: 

Yes, I know, there are only 24 items. The other six items are in the wash/haven't been chosen yet. I'm thinking of adding another pair of shoes, 2 pairs of jeans, and some other things. Who know! It begins on February 1. 

HERE I GO AGAIN ON MY OWN (cue Whitesnake music) 

I'm Not a Label Snob but...

I want to preface this story with the fact that I never have considered myself a label snob. I am constantly thrifting and mixing. I'm not one to care who or what you're wearing. However, last night a strange thing happen. My girlfriends and I went out in an upper middle class town near by. (This is a town whose public school could rival a private prep school. Has two country clubs in the town. You're starting to get the picture, right?!)

We went to the townie bar where the locals hang out. Being an upper middle class town, you are sure to find some amazing fashion. This gentleman (who was quite a stud) started chatting it up with us. He was very well dressed in a button up shirt and jeans. He was polite and very nice. However, there was something I immediately noticed about his shirt. I wasn't about to call him out on it, but I couldn't help by continue to stare at it. I was wondering if my girlfriends were secretly noticing this too.

When the night is over and we are driving home, I finally bring it up. The one thing that had been bothering me. I finally said it. His shirt was from Structure. STRUCTURE!! Structure is what Expree for Men used to be. It hasn't been around for years! It struck me as odd that a stud from this affulent town was wearing a shirt from a store that hasn't been around for at least 10 years. My friend Trisha also noticed it. (Which made me feel better and less like a weirdo).

What do you think? Do you think I'm a weirdo for noticing his small Structure tag? Do you even remember this store?

Shirt: LOFT 

Cardigan: LOFT 

Skirt: F21

Tights: ?? 

Boots: F21

Necklace: My HS Medallion 

Friend Friday

It is Friday again. (woo hoo!) Last week I was slacking on the friend Friday questions. So, here I go again. I'll give myself snaps for trying this again.

In case you forgot, Friend Friday is something that Katy over at modlychic came up with. Each week she sends out questions about blogging/fashion and all the blogger involved answer the same questions on Fridays.

1. What technology do you use in blogging? 
I'm new to the blogging world therefore my blogging technology is very simple. My MacBook is probably my most advanced technology that I use. I have a simple point and shoot camera. It is indestructible! I mean it, it's drop proof, waterproof and freeze proof.

2. What computer and online technology do you use? 
I use blogger as my blog platform. It's easy to use and was very easy to start. As I said before, I use my MacBook. Therefore, I use iPhoto for most of my photo editing. Sometimes iPhoto won't load into blogger so when that happens, I also keep my photos on photobucket. This is because I am not on facebook, so I can easily email it out to my friends after events.

3. What is your process for taking pictures?
There really is not an elaborate process. Whenever I feel good, I take the picture. I started out taking pictures in the morning but then I decided, I didn't look or feel the best in the morning. Lately, I've been taking the picture when I arrive home from school. Sometimes, my mother takes the pictures for me or sometimes I use self timer. Or sometimes, I force my friends to have a photoshoot where ever we are.

4. When it comes to backdrops of your photos, what do you consider? 
In an ideal world, I would love to take my pictures outside. However, it being winter, that doesn't always happen. Right now I try to take pictures when and where I can. I try to keep the backdrops interesting but the angles in the house are all weird so there are only so many places I can go.

5. If you could splurge and buy one new piece of equipment, what would it be? 
I would love one of those fancy nancy dslr cameras. That would also mean, I would need to know how to use one. Those lenses give me the jimjams!

For my Brother Bear

My Brother (yes I capitalized the B because I like to think of his as Brother Bear from ther Berenstein Bears)...anyway, let's start this again. My Brother recently moved to the DC area. He called this morning (on yet again, another snow day) to ask us to send pictures of the amount of snow.

Last night Maryland received 6 inches of snow. Brother Bear said that it took him 3 hours to get home from work. Cars were leaving their cars on the side of the highway. He said it was pure mayham.

He tried telling people he works with that they are babies when it comes to snow and that 6 inches is not a lot of snow. This is the reason why I took these pictures outside near large piles of snow. Enjoy, Brother Bear.

How's the snow by you? Does it compare? Or are you lucky enough to live in a warmer climate?

Jeans: F21

Shirt: LOFT 

Cardigan: LOFT 

Boots: H&M

Necklace: F21

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarer 

Stylish Blogger Award

Being new to the world, I get super excited to know that people read this blog. I started it just to keep track of my outfits. I was super excited minuteobsessions awarded me this Stylish Blogger Award. And here it is...



Woo hoo! My first big sign that people read this. However, since I posted, there are some rules to this award. 

1. Share 7 things about myself. 
2. Pass the award on to more fabulous bloggers. 

Here are 7 kinda interesting things about me: 

1. I change my nail color every 2 or 3 days. (And I have my nail polish color coordinated in drawers). 
2. I went to an all-girls Catholic high school. For that reason, I own waaaay too many cardigans with front pockets. I blame this totally on my high school uniform. 
3. Surpringly, I hated dresses when I was younger. I was the biggest tomboy and didn't fall in love with dresses and skirts until high school. 
4. Growing up, I played softbal year round. I was a third baseman. (Hot at the corner baby!) I also totally miss team sports. 
5. I started out college as a biomedical engineering major. After that, I took as many classes as I could that would allow me to be on College Jeopardy. After, that did not pan out, I switched to Spanish. Then I studied abroad in Spain and when I came back I decided I didn't want to major in Spanish. I ended up with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. Only to get my master's degree in Elementary Education. Now I might even take more classes. Eek! 
6. I hate movies. I can't sit through them. I don't know actor and actresses. However, I read Perez every day.
7. The Cosby Show still makes me laugh every time I watch it. 

I pass the Stylish Blog Award on to you: 

Preppy with a Twist

College Prep

Just a Girl in the City

Delightfully Tacky

It's Snow Perfect

When I woke up yesterday morning, it was -4 degrees out. Eek! It was the first day that I wore real pants. (Hence the reason why I did not take a picture). I hate pants. I felt awkward and uncomfortable all day. But I was warm as could be.

Since it was a warm 11 degrees out today, it was back to wearing dresses. I opted for a sweater dress. I also wanted to try out my new colored tights. All day I thought these tights were more of a wine color but at lunchtime, another teacher pointed out that they match my hot pink water bottle. (I'm not a "pink" girl). I was shocked that I was wearing hot pink tights. Oh well, I survived another day. 

What are your thoughts on the tights, pink or wine? 

Dress: LOFT 

Tights: Kohl's 

Boots: Ralph Lauren

Sisters on the Slopes

Yesterday was the perfect ski day despite the below zeros temps. My sorority sister and I dressed warm, put in our hand warmers and hit the slopes. The cold scared away most of the crowds. We got a banging parking spot. The best part? NO LIFT LINES alllll day. We ended up skiing a million runs. There were blue bird skies and fresh powder. There was still powder by the end of the day! Amazing, simply amazing.

Tracy was very nervous to go skiing with me. However, she improved soooo much by the end of the day. I give her credit for every time she fell down, she got right back up and she was smiling. I would def go skiing with her again.

The only down side was that the bar didn't have Dr. McGuillicuddy's to help our ailing bodies. We stopped at Woodstock Inn for some great food and some growlers on the way home. Perfect way to end the day.

Side note,  my knees have been wicked sore after skiing the past few times I have done. Do you know any methods to strengthen my knee??

Baby It's Cold Outside

Today is another snow. Yes, you read that correctly, another day off from school. This means we will probably be going to school until the end of June. Hmph. I know, I sound like a brat right now. But I do enjoy going to school. We haven't had a full week since we got back from winter break. I want to be back into a rhythm.

School got called off last night. This is what I woke up to this morning:

The good news, skiing will be awesome tomorrow. I will be shredding mad pow pow with my sorority sister, Tracy. I can't wait. Tracy is a novice and is nervous but I have assured her that she is in good hands.

Since I was not expecting a snow day, I brought nothing home to plan for the coming week. That's a blessing and a curse. I have a lot that I should be doing, but it is stuck in my classroom. Instead, I made cookies. I made no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies from my friend at eat.live.run. They are still in the fridge, so I will let you know how they came out.

Updated School Uniform

Today I feel like I'm wearing an updated version of my high school uniform. While during the warm months, we had to wear our plaid skirts, once winter came, we were allowed to make the switch to khakis. I still hated pants, so I usually rocked the skirt all year.

My outfit today totally reminded me of what I might have looked like in high school if I went to school with boys. I hate to ruin the fantasy of Catholic school girls, but we were lucky if we washed our hair on a regular basis. (This may have been an over share).

I was feeling the high school vibe so I even wore a bow in my hair today! Such a co-ed move!

Turtleneck: Borrowed from Mom

Pants: JCrew

Necklace: JCrew (gift from Rayna)

Boots: Ralph Lauren

The Big Bang Theory

Introducing...BANGS!!! I woke up the other morning wanting bangs. Maybe wanting is the wrong word, I needed bangs. By the end of the weekend, I could barely keep myself away from the scissors. Yesterday when I got back from skiing, I called my hair dresser to schedule an appointment to get bangs. Well by the time she called me back, a few hours later, I had already made the first cut. Yep, you heard that correct, I cut my own bangs. I knew what I wanted and I don't think they turned out half bad. My hair dresser thinks I'm crazy, but I went to high school with her, so she's used to it by now.

So, what do you think? Like the new fringe? Have you ever tried to cut your own hair?

Dress: LOFT 

Tights: Old Navy

Boots: DSW 

You're such an Indian Head

Such a good girls weekend! We stayed at Indian Head in Lincoln, NH. It's a fun place to stay. It's very New Hampshire-y and while there is no more man in the mountain, there is the indian head. (Picture below).

We decided to ski only one day due to the fact that it was -1 degree at the base of the mountain today. It was chilly yesterday but we still managed to shred some pow pow. The visibility at the top of the mountain was rough. We could barely see the chair in front of us! I finally got a chance to wear my ski sweater that I borrowed from my dad. It was a big hit.

Patty Stanger (from Millionaire Matchmaker) said that a ski place is the top spot to meet single men. I would like to report that I did not find any single young men. I guess I will have to keep searching and keep skiing another week.

The sad news of the night was that our beloved New England Patriots lost.

The famous Indian Head

Low Visibilty 

MLK Weekend Getaway

<--- Here are my skis. Don't they look sad standing in the corner of my house? They are begging me to use them. They are right near a window and they look out and long to be on that fresh, soft powder that has fallen over the past few days. It has only been a week since their last use but they see new snow outside and want in on the action. Well skis, the wait is over. This weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. My girlfriends and I spend the weekend skiing, hot tubbing, looking at men and drinking beer.

The northeast got blasted this week with snow and I am hoping that the conditions are amazing. My lesson plans are finished for the week. I'll let you know the highlights when I get back on Monday night.

What are your plans for the holiday weekend??

Fashion Friend Friday

This week is my first being part of ModlyChic's fashion friend Friday. She emails out questions and we all answer them on Fridays. I figured its a great way to break up the daily outfits. Cheers to my first week. Here is a list of all the participants.

1. How do you determine what you will wear that day?
When I wake up on school days, I lay in my bed for a few mintues to think about what to wear for the day. I decide by mentally going through my clothes and deciding what I feel like wearing. I usually have a good grasp of what is in my closet. My mood totally effects my outfit choice because some days when I just want to be comfy and forget about fashion, I tend to gravitate towards a tunic and leggings and uggs. Eek! 

2. Do you plan outfits out in advance for a whole week, month,
weekend?
When I am feeling particularly stylish, I will go to my closet and try on new combinations. A few years ago, I began taking pictures of my outfits and cataloging them on my computer. When I started to tell people this, they thought I was foolish. My family got a good laugh out of this. But it is because of this, that I started a blog. 


I will say that when I go out on the weekend, I plan outfits in advance in my head. I try to think of different combinations. Sometimes if it is an occasion where there will be lots of picture taking, such as a sorority alum event or a concert, I will plan my outfits waaay in advance. While I would like to plan my outfits way in advance, but my mood also has a lot to do with what to wear. 


For example, I am going to the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys Concert in June and I already have an outfit planned. Yes I know, this is a little over-prepared but I like it. You are talking to the girls who practices packing before I actually pack a suitcase, just to make sure I am using the space most efficiently! 

3. Do you have any specific way of tracking outfits and items already
worn so you don't repeat?
Blogging actually has helped with this dillema. Usually when I see the outfit I wore, I can usually tell you what I did, what lesson I taught or who I saw on that day. By blogging my outfits I am able to track changes in my style and also make sure not to repeat outfits too often or with the same group of people. Snaps to bloggging. 

4. How do you discover new combinations of items in your closet?
(Trial try-ons?  Hanging items together?)
I have to admit to having trial try-ons. I usually blast my music and go wild. My closet is currently spread out through 3 different rooms, so its usually an event when I want to have trials. I also make sure that I have my hair and make up on so I get a read sense of what the outfit will look like. It's a great way to try different styles and to experiment. I was never a girly-girl growing up, so I think of this as catching up on all that lost time that I never played dress up! 

5. To streamline the process for 2011 what is one new thing you can do
to cut down your dressing time?

I need to make sure everything in my closet is visible and easily accessable. This will definately cut down on the time I spend searching through things. I also need to start tracking what I let people borrow so I know where my clothes end up. 

Otra Vez

Today I am blessed with another snow day! Eek! I know my father is livid that we have two (maybe even three) days off because it means more days tacked on to the end of the year. While I love summer, I also love winter. I am living in the moment and enjoying my day off. Right now, June is sooo far away that I can't even think about it. I figure I am lucky enough to get the summer off, I shouldn't complain about going a few extra days in the heat.

Yesterday I spent in my house reading and catching up on my celebrity gossip. However, after one day being couped up, I'm breaking free! I plan to go to snow shoeing and play in the snow.

My brother, who recently moved to DC, called yesterday to say that he missed the snow. I think I would miss the snow too. So Bry, these pics are for you. I hope its helps with your longing for snow.

If you look at picture on the far left, you can see a tiny bit of my car trying to peek through. 

Snow Day!!

Today is the first snow day of the year. Yesterday at noon time, school was canceled for today. We tried to keep it a secret from the students until the end of the day. But us, the teachers, were giddy and could barely keep it together. Today is a day why I love teacher especially in the north east. Since my parents are both teachers, we are all home today. My dad is planning on making a big breakfast. I plan on curling up on the couch with my Nook and my new book, The Kitchen House that I just bought. I bought it per recommendation of my friend over at eat.live.run. I hope it's a good one.

What are you reading these days?

Have a happy snow day!

Monograms, Pearls and Curls

I felt very collegiate/house wife today. I am in love with my monogrammed sweater. It was a birthday present this year and since then, I just want everything monogrammed. One of my colleagues mentioned that when I get married, I will need to buy new stuff. I tried telling her that I wasn't getting married anytime soon but when I do, that's what I expect from her. :o) Until that day when I marry Mr.Slightly-Overweight-Ex-Athlete (no joke, this is my ideal man), I will embrace my MLK monogram. 

I know what you are wondering, "Maureen, did you really wear an apron to school today?!" Nooo, of course I didn't. That would just be silly. When I arrived home today, I realized that I didn't take a picture this morning. On Thursdays, I cook dinner while the rest of the my family works after-school program. (yes, everyone in my family are teachers). Since I was already in cooking mode and wearing a cute apron, I took the picture with my apron. 

What do you think of my cooking style? 

Santini decided to make her blog debut 

As I am yelling at the cat not to knock down my camera

Skirt: LLBean

Tights: Target

Long Sleeve: LOFT 

Cardigan: JCrew 

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Today was my first day back from vacation. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Last night I had wicked bad case of the Sunday Scaries. (You know, that feeling in the pit of your stomach on the Sunday before work on Monday). As I woke up this morning, I remembered that my classroom can be boiling hot, so I dressed in layers. I was channeling my inner cow girl today. These boots are actually a size too big but I bought them because they were a banging deal.

Dress: F21

Cardigan: LOFT 

Belt: Borrowed from Mom (thanks)

Tights: Target

Boots: F21 

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope you all had a safe and happy new year's eve.  I spent my night in a casual manner. I'm not a big NYE person to begin with. It's too hyped up. I figure I can get dressed up in a sparkly dress and have a good time any night of the year. Instead, we invited some family friends over and had game night. It was a great way to ring in the new year. Can you believe it is 2011? 

I'd like to dedicate this blog post to my best friend Aly Sue. For years, she has always worn duck boots to bars and for years, I have always poked fun at her fashion choice. However, on January 1, 2011, I purchased my first pair of duck boots that I plan on wearing to a bar tonight. I like to give credit where credit is due, so Aly Sue, you were far ahead of your time. Such a trend setter!!

Sweater: LOFT 

Jeans: Express 

Booties: Sporto