Sporty Spice

Lucky for me, my job sometimes lends itself to casual/sporty attire. My Monday began with me teaching a Seniorcise class so my outfit followed suit. I debated about planning a post-class office ensemble (sometimes I do and sometimes I don't), but just couldn't bring myself to it this AM. SO...I was sure to at least put together a somewhat sassy sporty outfit complete with accessories that I won't repeat! ;-) Tomorrow is back to biz causal as I'll be attending a conference in the city.

Today's breakdown:

T-shirt- Lucy
Capris- Lucy
Watch- Polar FT4 heart rate monitor
Shoes- Puma (P.S. for any workout folks reading this, these are NOT shoes I would actually exercise in! No support and tiny toe box, but they did the trick for my one, low impact senior strength class and most importantly they matched my outfit!)
Earrings- can't remember where they are from :-( They are med silver hoops. I love my hoops so I can't keep track of where I get them all.

See you tomorrow!

J

Straight hair and a summer cold



Day 4- UGH!

I can't just neglect the challenge, so I chose to do it...just a little bit less fabulously. I've been living in my version of  sweat pants this weekend. I've been under the weather with a cold, but feeling badly enough to really lay low and rest up for two days. So here are my Aug 4th and 5th ensembles. I'm in uber-comfy and not all that stylish outfits with absolutely no accessories or makeup. Although Carrie Bradshaw might disagree, when I'm home sick, I'm not rocking pearls! I've been barefoot all weekend as well, wearing plain black old navy flip flops for my very infrequent jaunts out into the world- these WILL NOT find their way back into my outfits for the next 26 days, I promise. So here goes...tomorrow I'll be back to something a little more festive and I'm gonna see if my straight hair will make it!

Sunday, day 5-A little yoga to kickstart my immune system!



Breakdown of fabulous sick wear:

Day 4- t-shirt: Old Navy, capris: Nordstrom

Day 5- ribbed tank:Old Navy, cozy terrycloth palazzos: Target



Rules of Blue

I just LOVE the carefree birds on this necklace so I had to show you the up close detail!

 Day 3...I'm realizing that the first three days of this challenge have me feeling blue...well, wearing it! Not sure why! I do own many more color palates than blue, but I have had a penchant for navy lately. Funny because I used to not really love it nor know how best to wear it. I don't do well with rules so once the whole "navy as a neutral" thing started I was MUCH more comfortable pairing it with whatever I felt like. I especially love wearing it in the summer paired with white! So classic and a touch nautical. I know technically the rule "no white after labor day" is not enforced anymore ;-) but, I still prefer to wear my white between May and August! Being that it is Friday, I figured I'd don my white jeans and fun, breezy, top today.  Here is the breakdown for today's items:

Top-Old Navy
Jeans: Nordstrom (Kut )
Shoes- Payless
Necklace/earrings-Kohl's

Are you holding on to fun summer clothes and waiting for the perfect moment to wear them? Why isn't today perfect? Don't let the summer months pass you by having not worn all of your sundresses, wedges and tanks! If your work is slightly more relaxed than the traditional biz-casual attire, bring some of your weekend wear into the office. Happy dressing!!

XO
J

Day 2- The NORA Project

Funny enough, as much as I love clothes, picking out an outfit in the morning can be especially challenging and groan-worthy to me. However, even though it's only day 2, I was excited to pick my ensemble this AM- and I even picked the main part of it last night. Even though this is meant to be silly fun, I think it might actually help me to be more proactive about getting my clothes together in advance thus saving me precious time and tears in the closet in the AM! One thing that I've thought about highlighting here and not on FB is the fact that I consider myself a bit of a budget fashionista! :-) Anyone who knows me, knows I love to shop...for a good bargain! Many folks can't believe that something I've put together is from places like Old Navy, Target, Forever 21! Well to me, that's part of the fun! However, there are some pieces (like jeans) that I just won't compromise on- higher end jeans make the bootie look SOOOOO much better! I know I could buy fewer pieces from really high quality brands (and I do have some of those of course), but I love being able to shop frequently and add new fun, trendy pieces to my wardrobe. I also believe that I style them in a way that highlights what looks good about them and may make them look more pricey than they are! I've never been about flaunting labels or the latest runway fashion anyway, but I think I can still stay on trend and not break the bank!



Today's ensemble:
Dress: Old Navy
Shoes: Target
Belt: Kohl's
Necklace and Earrings: Bauble Bar

A Month...Maybe More of NO REPEATS!

Day one...No repeat August...AKA "The NORA Project" (it sounds better than "The NRA project"!! Joking with a friend (thank you, Corn!), we were wondering how long I could go without repeating an outfit. I think I could go a VERY long time (I'm not necessarily proud of this). So, we crafted a challenge...there's no reward or real reason- just to SEE what happens. For the month of August, my goal will be to not repeat any outfits. However, this challenge seemed a little too easy for me. So, my ACTUAL challenge is to not repeat ANYTHING! Earrings..shoes...clothing...maybe underwear- that's not a part of the challenge. :-) We'll see how it goes and I'll post my outfits here and on FB. Something fun to challenge my fashion creativity as well as help me recognize how much I can get rid of!! If August goes well, I'll keep it going for as long as I can! Who's with me?!?! Let's see how this goes...

Hi, my name is Jessy and I'm addicted to...COOK BOOKS!

Yes, I admit it...I'm absolutely, 100%, addicted to cookbooks. I LOVE them! I love looking at them, reading and flagging recipes, making grocery lists to make said recipes, and even planning them out with my weekly meals. So, what's wrong with this addiction, you ask? The troubling part is that I'm TERRIBLE at actually MAKING any of the recipes. Don't get me wrong, I do sometimes, but even the most "doable" ones seem to just remain flagged, but not created. Why do I do this? Does anyone else do this?! AND it's not as if I don't cook. I cook A LOT and even complain about getting sick of the same old meals. Is it fear? Lack of time? Lack of confidence in my ability? Lack of the right tools or ingredients? Percfectionism? Yes, yes, yes, yes and YES! Yet I still peruse and purchase(both in stores and virtually) cook books! I love the idea of new recipes and cookbooks. I have my fav authors (Mark Bittman, Elie Krieger, Tosca Reno, Rachael Ray, etc) and whenever they come out with a new book I want to add it to my collection immediately! I fantasize about the possibilities of new meals from these new cookbooks. Carlton and I enjoying fresh creations, perfect flavors and textures, everything coming out perfectly, my cooking "timing" being spot on so that everything is served hot together and of course, a healthy balanced meal full of nutritious deliciousness! The crazy thing is, "creating more meals from my cookbooks" has been a running new years' resolution for the last couple of years. So, I keep asking myself..WHY!??! I think I've figured it out...the fantasizing is more fun and easy that actually doing it! This can be true with lots of things in life, right? We build up the perfect ending only to be disappointed by things taking a different turn than we'd planned! The path to learning something new is tough and you don't always feel like a success along the way. The same can be said for exercise. You get all psyched about a cool new routine or class and then you get to the doing and it SUCKS! You're exhausted, feel slightly nauseaus, wonder how you're going to make up for the lost time, and you're super sore the next day. It's much easier to just think about a new routine and maybe even plan for it...buy cute new workout clothes, a fun headband, new ipod, etc. I guess the lesson here is to try and out of many honest tries, you'll have some successes. Those successes are worth it and can carry you through the blips of not-so-much-success. So I leave you with the truth that all the great chefs have had their fair share of "failure" and lack of delicousness in their cooking. Who am I to think that everything I make has to be perfect the first time around? I'm going to publicly declare that I will begin to USE my great collection of cookbooks more so that I can enjoy new foods and have fun in the kitchen instead of letting my old standards keep me safe and bored! I'm doing this to challenge myself, try new things, mix it up, and of course...to rationalize buying more cookbooks!

How the heck have you been?!?

Hello folks! It's been a "minute" since I've last posted. I've attempted a blog a few times. One time successfully writing three whole posts (2007) and another time or two where my attempts have been only in my thoughts, "...maybe I should write a blog?!" This time, I'm hoping my attempt is a bit more successful. A lot of folks blog and it's motivating me. Some people really have a lot of cool stuff to say, while others shouldn't waste the cyberspace with their thoughts. Either way, blogging can be a cool online journal of sorts! I'm assuming two whole people will read my blog: little momma and my bestie, Al. Thanks ladies! I appreciate your wholehearted support of anything I do! My purpose here is to share thoughts that I feel worthy of putting out there. They may be silly/funny, profound (well, let's hope!), or most likely, health related. I am very passionate about life and living the BEST version of yours possible. If this is only for me, momma, and Al, well then maybe I can help lend some inspiration to your day!

Here goes...again!
XO
J