New Job, New Clothes!

I decided to step out of the box and try on things that I like on the hanger, even if they weren't me. That blouse is especially not me but I thought it was really pretty on the hanger, but the flowy-ness of it is usually not my friend but it's actually flattering (I didn't get the ivory, there's a a taupe color which is what I got instead). Both of these dresses are 'me' but I'm not really a dress person. The yellow one is my favorite! Also, the denim sheath dress is not exactly the one I have, well it is but it's going back because I found one in the same vein that is much more flattering.

The Nurse Practitioner's New Clothes

It's time for a wardrobe make over. I am doing a major job transition and I think the new place might be a little dressier. I have kind of let things slide as I got more and more comfortable in my job at my current employer, I'm looking forward to cleaning out my closet and throwing away things that don't fit that I've been hoping to get back into. I have so much in my closet that I never wear.

I'm also kind of looking forward to reinventing myself. For example, I never wear skirts or dresses to work because the shoe issue confuses me. Being in a clinic, open toed shoes are not appropriate...so I guess pumps are the way to go but for some reason the whole issue confuses me and it just becomes easier to wear pants.

I'm going to try not to think about the cash involved and just go out and get the things I need. I can't really think of the last time I bought multiple items at once aside from cheap maternity clothes, but I think I spent less than $200 on that whole wardrobe. I think with the new job I deserve to splurge a little!

The pic on the post is one of my early purchases. Totally not something I would normally wear, but I really like the tie waist. I figured it wouldn't look very good on me, which is why I usually don't buy things like this but it actually looks nice. I didn't even wait for a sale, I bought it full price. Then, the day after, it went on sale but Banana Republic gave me a price adjustment for the difference. I really like it and I'm wearing it today, supposed to get up to 60 here!

Things I Want...

Double-cloth Colletta $298 at JCrew

My Name is Earl

Well, here in Massachusetts we are being told to expect some fall out from Earl. I'm crossing my fingers that we do get a nice storm, but I think the Y family is too inland to experience anything fun, although the entire state is being declared a state of emergency.

In other news, tomorrow is my birthday. I forgot about my new role as Mom and asked M what we should do for my birthday. Oh right. The plan includes feeding A, changing A, and putting A to sleep. That's ok though, she's the best birthday gift one could hope for, her smile will melt anyone's heart :)

My big plans for the weekend include a solo trip to Target to get a few essentials..I might also eyeball some clothes to get me through till I can really fit into my own pants again. Even though I've lost most of the weight, my pants are still pretty difficult to zip and button...things have shifted and I think it's going to take some time till they shift back, or at least to a point where I can comfortably wear my pants. I read another blog where the woman just had a baby, she said that it took her seven months before she felt reasonably like herself again. She gave up around month four and bought some pants to get her through, and without exercising or losing any additional weight she was able to wear her own clothes again at seven months.

Luckily, I also have a groupon for the Gap as well as a $50 gift card...perhaps my trip to Target will involve a scenic tour to the Gap as well.

Things I Want...

Pottery Barn Francesca Quilt

$199

LL Bean Signature?

Ok, what is this? I haven't heard of this before but received the catalog in the mail today. I was figuring I would see the usual somewhat frump ville fare of the usual LL Bean catalog but instead, it featured much more JCrew-esque threads. There were several things that I would wear, albeit after they are on sale at the end of the season because they also come with JCrew-esque price tags. Here are the things that caught my eye:

Darn, I can't save them as pics...guess I'll just post the links
Mohair Blend Cardigan $ 69 (8.3.10)
Heritage Nubuck Tote $149 (8.3.10)

Hair Cut At Last

I was desperate to get my hair cut before Ms. Y arrives; I imagine it will be difficult to extricate myself from the house for 2 hours for quite awhile. I called and my stylist couldn't get me in on a Saturday till 7/24 which I was sure, would be after she was here but I took it anyway and they added me to her cancellation list.

Delightfully, I got a call earlier this week that she could take me this Saturday at 330. When I got there, I noticed the door said they were only open till 3, but I was sure they told me 330. Guess what? She stayed open for me!! I love her. She apparently only works every other Saturday and saw that I was also on the cancellation list so she figured I must really need to get in. To add to her awesomeness, she dried my tshirt in the dryer after I got stuck in a massive down pour on the way in to the salon. She also informed me that she was actually going to charge me less for cut (I have curly hair and it has to do with getting relicensed to be able to do the cut that she's been giving me for nearly 7 years, she hasn't done it so she doesn't feel like she can charge for it), and she gave me a sample of some new oil that she thinks will help with the curl vs. humidity battle that is waged throughout summer.

In return, I tipped her based on the previous cost for the cut and then some for being so accommodating. She told me that she would be willing to stay open for me in the future, given the fact that I'll have a little one soon. She is so wonderful!!

I can never tell much about the cut till I wash it and style it myself...today we will see.

Lip Gloss/Stick/Tube Things

I have a small obsession with these lip gloss/tubes/hint of color/is it lipstick or lip gloss things....I have now tried a bounty of them and thought I would give you my opinion in case you too, spend way too much money on these little buggers and want the low down so you can cut to the chase. It's getting to be a 'perfect pair of jeans' situation over here....



L'Oreal-I tried to go to their site to find the exact name of the product but there site is not really to show off their products...it's more corporate-y. On that note, did you know that they own Maybelline, Lancome, Giorgio Armani, Kiehl's, and Shu Umera? Anyway, you get what you pay for with their version. It was probably $5-6 dollars and the most sticky concoction ever. Careful on a windy day with this stuff, it is like a venus fly trap to your hair. And really watch out if you have shedding cats. It's not pretty



Lancome Juicy Tubes-I got this duty free while crossing the border from Canada back to the US so I got somewhat of a deal on it. Definitely less sticky than L'Oreal but still has some stick factor. It has a nice tint to it, not too splotchy and not too nonexistent either. Sometimes I feel like things say they are 'tinted' and not so much.

Nars Lip Gloss-I was a huge fan of the potted lip gloss but that whole idea is just so unhygenic....why would you want to stick your finger (into a very sticky substance I might add) and then put it on your lips. I would prefer the help of a lip wand thank you very much. I still have some of the potted lip gloss but the sticker with the shade listed on it has long worn off so I found myself at Sephora this weekend looking for the closest thing...I tried one and unfortunately here is where I disagree with the term tint. I can't recall which color I got off the top of my head, but it's very glossy with little color. The good news about this one is that it is not very sticky at all. Just wish it didn't look clear.

Clinique Lip Gloss-I was drawn to this one because the color looked so dark in the tube but I was assured by the sign that it looked great on any lip tone. Call me a sucker. This one goes on rather splotchy, you have to really smack your lips together to get the color to even out and by the time you're done doing that, the richness of the color seems to have dissapated. The bonus? It's the most non sticky one of the bunch! Price wise it was the second cheapest. Perhaps I will revisit my local Sephora and try another color.....I try to have a rule that I have to wait to buy new lipstick until one has been used up, this rationale doesn't always work....

Surprised Indeed

Today I was thrown a surprise birthday shower at work....I knew it would be coming at some point but I had no clue it was today. My first thought was that it was so early to have a shower...but then it dawned on me that in only 2.5 weeks I'm full term. So no, it's not too early.

I had protested the shower early on for various reasons: interesting work politics, dislike of being the center of attention, lack of a true registry, a sea of obnoxious pink. I was told the shower wasn't about me, it was about little Y and there would be one regardless of my feelings on it.

The running joke with my coworkers was my distate for pink...sure pink accents here and there are ok but as soon as people hear you're having a girl, they go into pink overload and pink is totally not my thing. Pink is uninspired...pink baby clothes is to a baby shower as roses are to Valentine's Day. Let's show some originality!

After lunch, I suddenly noticed that I was the only one in my entire office suite except for my boss who was in her office with the door closed. I became suspicious also when I saw one coworker whispering in conspiratorial tones with another coworker even though I was the only one there. The icing on the cake was seeing a coworker running down the hall with a gift bag sneaking into the conference room. At least these tip offs gave me time to apply one last coat of lip gloss :)

So with the running joke being that I hate pick, the entire conference room was decorated in pink and the cake had hot pink frosting on it. I suddenly noticed that all of my coworkers were wearing pink and I had even complimented one of them on their sweater first thing in the morning!

I was really touched by the effort everyone put into the party and to the wonderfully thoughtful gifts. We were given a Target gift card with a substantial amount of money on it as well as cash from the late gift contributors. In addition, we got:

• a baby carrier
• lots of cute baby clothes
• hats
• socks
• burp clothes
• slippers
• books
• stuffed animals

It's unbelieveable how much people want to give you when you announce you're having a baby, I'm glad everyone ignored my protestations and threw me this great baby shower!

Ikea, I Wanna Love You

So, my mom flew out late last week partially in case I decided to go to graduation and partially because she was dying to see me pregnant and really wanted to partake in some of the baby shopping.

And yes, I did go to graduation but skipped the main ceremony and only went to the College of Nursing ceremony. In the end, I'm glad that I did go. It was nice to have closure and see everyone one last time. As predicted, my name was butchered even though we spelled it out on cards phonetically which the announcer read from....whatever.

Anyway, yesterday was Ikea day. Hubster, Mom, and I took the trek and found a bookshelf for M's recods, Mom and I both found duvet coveres (one and the same), we contemplated getting a dining room table but held off for now, and found a dresser, crib, mattress after much debate. By this time, my lower back and feet were killing me. We finally head to the warehouse only to find that the only thing in stock was the shelving unit M needed for his records.

I was so annoyed!!! My back and feet were killing me for nothing, to think of the time we wasted pondering this piece versus that piece when it didn't matter. We asked at the checkout and the woman told us basically that we would need to arrive early to have our best shot at getting the item and to check online first. Then she quickly told us that even though it says it might be in stock on the website, it might not actually be in stock when we get there because people might have it in their carts and haven't checked out yet. So basically, you're taking your chances.

So needless to say, the search continues for all of the baby gear. The whole point of going yesterday was to get this done and we have nothing to show for it. The plus side is that I read Baby Bargains so long ago that I couldn't remember if foam mattresses were better than coil, how to judge a good mattress etc. Today we are venturing to Target and Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory to finally get this job done. I will cry a thousand tears if we come home empty handed.

Finito, Fine, Finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the interwebs.....I'm pleased to inform you that I did survive and that I am in fact a Master.

My last day of having to do anything grad school related was yesterday (short of turning in my final clinical hours and evaluation). Yesterday, the graduate students had to present (either oral or poster, and who would choose oral that's just crazy) our capstone projects that we've been working on for about a year.

I presented it to about 4 people, it was a breeze. And it was extra breezy becuase it was the.last.thing. i had to do. Even if I royally screwed it up, I was still graduating.

There was a breakfast, the morning presenters, a few keynote speakers, lunch, awards and then I headed for the hills. The festivities went on all day but most of my class wasn't even showing up unti the afternoon so I felt that I had put in my time.

I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and trying not to fall asleep. I intended on buying a new wallet, I want something that's real leather but without logos and junk on it. That is surprisingly hard to find. Needless to say, I did not return home with one, but instead, some of my favorite towels from Pottery Barn. For some reason, the blue ones were on sale and it will actually match our upstairs bathroom.

I spent the entire car ride in this morning asking M, "Can you believe I'm done? I mean, really? That I never have to go back there again?" I think he can believe it as evidenced by the following comments ,"Well, it was bound to end at some point." and other such variations.

But seriously...I'm still incredulous and still fear that someone will tell me that I have to just one more thing before I'm done or that I've missed some major class I should have had....

Can you believe that I will have free time this weekend? Time that is free....not time that I have taken as free time that should have been used for studying so I feel guilty during this stolen time slot...but totally free!!!!

Diaper Bags...I know, really exciting

I started researching diaper bags last night and discovered that 90% of them are designed to look like you're carrying a purse. But what about pop? He's not going to want to carry that. I started searching for unisex diaper bags and came across basically one company called Diaper Dude that makes messenger style bags. I really want something that we can both use and honestly I'm more of a messenger bag person that a flowery purse person anyway.

This is the one that we're eyeballing. It has an insulated bottle holder, clips to hang it on the stroller, 3 pockets on front, middle compartment with zippered and mesh compartments, and then another zippered pocket with two elastic pockets on the back.

Sales!

Here are some things at Jcrew I would consider buying. They are having a final sale so this means I stick to only sweaters since I know the fit is pretty uniforma cross styles. These aren't the colors I would choose though...

$24



Ok, that's apparently the only thing! There are a few other things but even with 20% off the sale price, it's still not worth the price. I also question why they are selling something for $24...it's unheard of at Jcrew...

Edit: bought this sweater, got it for $20.99 in the final sale.

No Resolution Zone

M and I are really not the resolution types....maybe because we know we lack the willpower to make it till January 15 crossed with the fact that we both like to think of ourselves as noncomformists so if everyone else is doing it then we don't want to!

I tend to think of fitness especially as a top resolution goal for many people, so even though this wasn't particularly a resolution for us we are considering getting a treadmill. I have a super sweet deal at the Planet Fitness I go to, it was no enrollment fee and $99 for the entire year paid all at once when I joined. If you do a cost benefit analysis on joining Planet Fitness vs. owning your own treadmill, PF is going to come out on top. However, the sheer convenience of having it in my house is something I've always dreamed of.

We are looking at a few different models, I'm enamoured with this one lately:

It's a reasonable price, I never thought I would get half of these features for under 1k. It has programs, allows you to do an incline, the belt is 20 X 55 and it has a 2.5 something or other motor which is recommended if you want to run on it. It has a lifetime warranty on the motor and 1 year parts warranty where Nordic Track sends a technician to your house for any repairs rather than having to ship it somewhere. Sounds good so far....

Like

Pottery Barn-$24

Crate and Barrel-23.95

Like

Jcrew-$132

Interesting, it's now 10/13 and they have actually INCREASED the price to $148....must be gearing up for a 'sale'.

November 19-now on sale for $100

Eyeing...

Boden-Brondsbury Blazer $148

Boden-Marlybone $278

BR-Cotton Zip $125

Nordstrom-Trotters Margot Pump $90

Boooooorring...Yawn.

Last Friday, I got out of work a little bit early and thought I would head to my local retailer to see what the early Fall lines look like. What a disappoinment! I know I said this last year, but seriously, I feel like no one is putting any effort into designing the clothes. Maybe I need to shop at more inventive stores...maybe I'm just old.

Store after store, it was very basic clothes in very boring colors. I think I wrote a post almost exaclty like this heading into last fall. I should go back in look, my memory fails me in my old age. I went to Banana republic, same old same old and in the same boring colors they have had forever. Gap, another stand by, same old same old. Was slightly intrigued by an olive green v-neck which was $39.50, I of course have been shopping long enough to know this will come down at the end of August and I'll buy it then. I did see one very very soft flesh tone leather bag that I liked there, for the price of $168. That's a definite wait and see item.

JCrew sales finds

worth it?

Eco-Stim

Recent purchases: