What I Wore Wednesday

Have you started playing along yet?  No?  You should. There is nothing more motivating when you want to just roll out of bed, than knowing that you are going to be posting a picture of yourself on the internets :) Head to Lindsey's to see what other wonderful women wore this week.

I'm happy to announce that I did not burn my whole wardrobe, although it was seriously considered.  Instead, I am dedicating a portion of my lovely Halloween weekend to editing my closet.  Which is pretty timely since a mouse diseased vermin  has found its way into my box of winter clothes.  Maybe I'll get to do some shopping too?

This weekend was the Girls' Reunion Part II.  I got to see my bestie again, who flew in for our friend's beautiful wedding.  Which meant girls' night, which turned into girls' brunch, then Halloween costume shopping, the wedding, a lovely lunch, and some costume sewing.  Phew.  Already missing my Katie Holmes doppelganger, but so happy to have a productive weekend, this weekend.  I hope...

 Wednesday

{Spending some quality time with the fury}

cardigan: GAP old, pilly all over, love it to pieces

ruffle blouse: Miley Cyrus for Wal-Mart, yes!

pants: JC Penny's

shoes: constantly worn, Urban Outfitters

bored pupper: Idaho Humane Society

Thursday

{Not feeling so hot, no school, but I had to go get myself some pick me-ups}

black under shirt: GAP Body

gray tank: GAP

jeans: Old Navy

Friday

{borrowed from bestie's FB, so apologies for picture quality} 

Um, yes, this was Girls' Night, obviously.  That's my other skinny, lovely friend Allison.

swimsuit cover-up tunic: Target

cami: WetSeal (used to be my bestie's from high school...awesome)

leggings: WetSeal

boots: Macy's (birthday gift from bestie many moons ago)

Saturday

{also borrowed from bestie's FB}

At our friend's wedding.  Which had amazing. dance. all. night. until. they. ask. you. to. leave. music.

dress: White House Black Market  (wear #2, the cost is killing me less and less)

killer dance moves: I'll share my secrets...someday

Sunday

{sleeping off festivities, lunch date, sewing with burlap in a black fleece sweater, not pictured for obvious reasons}

Monday

{evidently my students didn't care for my boots since I was asked several times if they were hunting boots, gotta love working with kids with expendable incomes and all the time in the world to stay up on the trends}

jacket: Forever21

sweater: Cannot remember

skirt: Target

boots: DSW

earrings: old

Tuesday

{crazy weather/home BSU game, love our team, don't love having to repark my car in the middle of classes}

rain slicker: Old Navy

thermal tee: men's Urban Outfitters

jeans: American Rag (recently possessed after trip to see bestie)

fuggs (fake uggs): WalMart

interested puppers: corner gas station

Lovely Haunting

It's that time again, I'm playing along with Heather, the awesomely talented and strong-mama creator of Blessed Little Nest for Live Made Lovely (click on her adorable button to play along or see what others are doing to make their life lovely).

This is a bit of a belated lovely, but I'm enjoying my efforts made a few weeks ago to make our home a little bit of eerie for Halloween.  I love Halloween, I think because I love the fall and I love horror movies (only the classics, the new ones completely freak me out) and I love to dress up.  I wasn't ever that great at drama, although I definitely gave it my all, much to the dismay of the actual drama geeks (thank you Mr. Shaddick and the Meridian High School drama club for allowing me to participate, even if I was only cast as the widow in The Taming of the Shrew).  So Halloween gives me a chance to feel like an actress, if only for a night.

Halloween is also Mr. Cook and I's original anniversary, our dating anniversary, our "I think we should only see each other anniversary" (Mr. Cook's way of asking me to be his girlfriend).  He was a nerd and I was a go-go dancer, complete with an amazing and authentic afro.  We were a sight to see, unfortunately that hard drive died many moons ago so you all won't get to feast your eyes on that little bit o' lovely.  Suffice it to say even with Mr. Cook away I couldn't wait to decorate our first home.  

{our counter scape}

{amazing Dollar Tree finds}

{my take on this lovely tutorial, finally pumpkins that match my decor}

{I'm in love with this Scottish before-bed saying, I made it using this font, but all you need to do is click here and press print, and then of course burn the edges of your paper and terrify your puppers}

And of course I had to add some non-eerie autumn decor.  I can't show you my outside decor because it is currently inside due to gale force winds...even though we're land locked.

{I made this wreath with some lovely ladies, I'm not super happy about the way it turned out, but it took forever long enough so it is hanging proudly on the Cook wall}

{free-form flowers, alla me.  I know, I know you are begging me to open an etsy shop}

{in it's happy new home}

Hope you have a lovely week and a lovely Halloween.  Mr. Cook has his hulk mask in Afghanistan and I'll be a zombie Amelia Earheart.  

What I Wore & What I Wish I Wore

Um, super, so who has already fallen off their let's begin practicing for December Daily, which is practice for Project365, by documenting their outfit every day wagon?  Not you? Oh right, me.  Things have been a little crazy around here to say the least, the semester is in full swing and I am starting to do some of my own lessons, which is so crazy, fun, exciting, and nerve wracking.  And since my bestie's move to Seattle in September, I've already been to see her twice (eh hem, one of said trips was an epic mission to move her and her possessions in a two day fury mid-monsoon).  And a certain someone is home soon, which means I've re-found my nesting mojo and my get my "morbidly-obese over confidant woman" back in shape motivation (30Rock reference, I am not morbidly-obese...yet).  To boot, after a girls trip to see my bestie with skinny friend this weekend I'm re-thinking my entire wardrobe.  I mean thinking burn it all  donate it all and start over.  So please point me in a better direction, for the love.  

Friday 10.08

Um, no worries, you don't need to remind me what day today is, or that this was obviously from a different week.  I thought I'd include it because I feel like it was a cute outfit and in the direction I'd like to go...and it shows you my old hair, so you can be shocked by my new hair.  All you need to do is scroll down, which in my book burns approximately 3 calories.

tunic top (formerly a dress): Urban Outfitters

flower clip: Ladies' Church Retreat

jeans: Diva skinnies, Old Navy

flats: Urban Outfitters

Wednesday 10.13

old man cardigan: Urban Outfitters

t-shirt: Forever 21

flower clip: Ladies' Church Retreat

pants: Maurices

Thursday 10.14

Wish I would have worn:

{via here, here & here}

Friday 10.15

Skinny friend's debut, I know she is nice, adorable and skinny and works at The Loft

anorak jacket: Eddie Bauer (adore this jacket)

silk blouse with necktie: Express (purchased in Dallas with Mr.Cook for some evenings out)

jeans: "borrowed" from bestie (i.e. I never wear those any more, I'm sure I wouldn't notice if they made it home with you)

Saturday 10.16

Skinny friend would have to give you the deets on her outfit, but it was unbelievably cute- she always is

cardigan: legitimately borrowed from bestie

sheer tunic: also borrowed from bestie, she bought it at Target

infinity scarf: H&M purchased during last Seattle trip

jeans:  newly acquired "borrowed" skinnies from bestie

flats: Maurices

I had to show you this picture of my bestie, one, because those are my boots and I can't wear them with skinnies to save my life and two, she has an uncanny and I mean uncanny resemblance to Katie Holmes in this picture.  Yes, I have beautiful friends :)

Sunday 10.17

Wish I would have worn:

{via here, here, & here}

Monday 10.18

Wish I would have worn:

{everything from here except for the shirt from here}

Tuesday 10.19

head band: Claire's (yes, really, Claire's)

scarf: Urban Outfitters

sweater: Anthropolgie (majorly on sale last winter)

jeans: now my skinnies (don't worry they were washed Monday)

flats: Urban Outfitters

You should play along too, hop on over to lindsay's.  So, any takers?  Donate wardrobe and start fresh?  What style am I?  How do you love and wear the clothes you have?

What I Wore This Week

Have you started playing along yet?  This week wasn't as easy as the other weeks, the semester is in full swing and I am starting to feel overwhelmed!  Which unfortunately means some very bad outfits, so bad they were worse than my exam day comfies and I did not photograph them, for fear of having them etched in my memory forever.  So, yeah, there you have it.  Here's what I did wear and what I did photograph :)

Wednesday

{With all of my kids: the fury and my IRC kiddos- you can read more about them here}

Cardigan:  New loot from my Seattle trip, H&M

Dress: Target, I wear the heck out of this

Leggings: WetSeal (I know gasp in horror now, but they're awesome)

Boots: Target, inspired by Lindsey's Forever21 boots that I have been on the hunt for, these are a pretty close second

Thursday

{Scary day, not worth photographing, shudder}

Friday

{Ladies' Retreat, so so happy I chose to go this year, it was an amazing time to sit and be with God and be in the company of amazing women}

Blouse:  Liberty, Target (I was obsessed with this line, still may see if I can't find more of it on the internets)

Jeans: Aeropostale

Flats:  WetSeal (double gasp of horror!)

Flower:  Made by the amazing Ladies' Committee, conveniently matched my wild shirt

Saturday

Sweater: Gap, super good deal before the Fall season

Cami: OldNavy

Jeans: Aeropostale, not so good on the second day, i.e. I looked like I had an accident for the rest of the day, i.e. baggy bottom

Flats: WetSeal

Flower: Totally obsessed, I want more!

My sister and I:  Love spending time with this incredible woman, wife, momma and friend

Sunday

{Also scary bad, I cleaned my best friend's old apartment for approximately 7.5 hours and had myself a mini Bridget Jones marathon}

Monday

Sweater:  Looted whilst cleaning out apartment, yes Amy, I'll consider this payment :)

Dress: WalMart

Cami: Forever21

Flats: WetSeal

Tuesday

{Now wishing I hadn't photographed this, but I did}

Flower: I told you I am obsessed!

Sweatshirt: Forever21, also looted during cleaning day

Tank: WalMart, Hanes Men's undertank

Cargos: Express, hee also looted!

Flip-flops: FloJo's

Go check out the other amazing ladies at What I Wore Wednesday!

Life is Lovely

I had an amazing week last week, lots of things that made my life lovely and full.  One of those things is my work with the IRC through an after school program at the Boise Language Academy.  I cannot even begin to describe the heart I have for these kids, my kids.  I volunteer in the afternoons, for just a few short hours each week to tutor the students in English and participate in activities with them.  They are so incredibly grateful for the additional opportunities to practice English and I am so incredibly grateful to be around such amazing people.

{a little bit of lovely from my garden}

Last week was our first week, so we spent our tutoring time going over the rules of the program.  Then students interviewed one another and shared their responses.  Wow.  How easily we take for granted just being able to ask and answer the question "What is your name"?  And how blessed I am that my native country is America.  I think the thing that so many people do not realize about refugees is that they love their native country as much as we love America and because they have sought refuge within America, they will never be able to return to their native country.  My kids are between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one and have left behind mothers, fathers, and siblings to be in America.  My kids are happy to sit in desks an additional two hours after the school bell rings to practice English.  My kids have witnessed genocide, torture and the worst of humanity.  But my kids represent the best of humanity.

{can you believe the color of these?!}

As part of giving it over to God, I am trying to give him control of my desires too.  I think He's already done that in my switch to education (eh hem the semester before I would have graduated with a degree in journalism) and is continuing to do it through my marriage and my kids.  I told Mr. Cook the other day in a conversation on Skype that if he ever gets deployed again, I'm going to deploy too.  I want to teach in a refugee camp.  I asked him to put it on his list of things to think about, that one day after flight school, after we've been home and have just gotten to be us for a while that maybe we could go be with our kids together.  He said he'll add it to his list.  Just like I did when Someone asked me to put it on mine.

Head on over to Blessed Little Nest and share what's making your life lovely these days. 

On the road again

So evidently my little jaunt to Seattle to help my bestie move has caught up with me, those good intentions I had to post something other than my WIWW, fell in the cracks when I fell asleep at 7 PM!  And proceeded to sleep through my first class this morning, super.  None the less, here's my advice for an awesome road trip!

1.  Be sure to travel with someone you really like, this is definitely a must if you're driving more than 2 hours...especially if you are driving more than 2 hours in the middle of no where.

2.  Play the alphabet game, hopefully that someone you really like is also super competitive or well the alphabet game just isn't that fun.  Me and my best are super competitive so it works out well.  Final score 3:2, we had a tie breaking round.

3.  Bring your camera and give it to your companion to take pictures of lots of ridiculous things.

4.  Bring a phone with internet access so when you come across a word like cotlets you can look it up and feel better about yourself.

5.  Make frequent pit-stops to fuel up on beverages for the driver, also try to get a beverage that is from the place you're going, duh.

6.  Cheeze-Its.  

7.  Rain is also helpful, if you can schedule your trip accordingly, especially for the driver if they're even the slightest bit tired.  In fact you should probably make another stop and switch drivers when you're only an hour away from your destination because if they see the windshield wipers swoosh one more time they may enter the land of nod and never return.  or something like that.

8.  Make an awesome road trip soundtrack, preferably with a lot of angry girl music, if your companion is a girl of course.

9.  Go to the airport of where ever your destination is so you can remind yourself how much easier flying is.

10.  Unpack furniture (this only works if the purpose of your road trip is helping someone move) or luggage in a monsoon, just to refresh yourself after a long day of traveling.

11.  Go out and celebrate your achievements.

12.  Wake up and celebrate some more.  Say with some Noah's bagels and a trip around the city or you know where ever it is you go.

{photo of obscene t-shirt: a joke for Mr. Cook or anyone who knows him}

What I Wore Wednesday

I promise there is another post coming today, besides this one, there are 2 in fact.  My blog has not become all outfit this and outfit that, which is good because some of the outfits I should have never worn in the first place (exam day fashion plate for one).  But here we go again!

Wednesday

{or the day that Summer found out how much it was going to cost to fix her veneers and her bridge that she the bread in Italy managed to break, or the day it was a very good thing I took the picture before I left for the appointment and not after or I would have been unrecognizable}

cardigan: Forever 21, I wear it...lots!

t-shirt: Forever 21

skirt: Old Navy, I love it but it's so hard to find anything that works on top!

boots: Maurices

Thursday

cardigan: Lux, Urban Outfitters, I live in this thing!

tunic/super scandalous dress (which is how it was merchandised): Forever 21

tank: Forever 21

jeans: Maurices

flats: Target and they desperately need to be retired

Friday

{hanging with "my" kids}

blouse: target

tank: men's Hane's undershirt, Wal-MArt

jeans: Aeropostale

Saturday

{driving day with my bestie, she just moved to Seattle, got in late Friday and we are on the road early at an ungodly hour on Saturday to move her furniture}

rocking out to alanis morissette face: all mine

tank top: Urban Outfitters

sunnies: Forever 21

Sunday

{Sunday Fun-day playing in the city after a night of unpacking soaking furniture in the soaking rain and paying way too much for a Sapporo and sushi}

jacket: Eddie Bauer

scarf: Ann Taylor Loft- gift from skinny girl :)

t-shirt: Forever 21

jeans: AmericanRag, Macy's

shoes: bestie's since mine were still wet from the night before

purse: JCP, also needs to be retired, badly

*boys in the background: awesome!*

super cute Seattleite bestie: all mine, too

her style: super envious

Monday

{sad drive home by myself day, same travel outfit as Saturday, just a way more exhausted me}

scarf: Ann Taylor Loft, gifted by skinny girl

cardigan: Lux, Urban Outfitters

tank: Urban Outfitters

jeans: Maurices

flats: Urban Outfitters, almost dry

Tuesday

sweater (as Mr. Cook called it on our Skype date) / hoodie: Burlington Coat Factory

jeans: Maurices

flats: Urban Outfitters

backpack: you know you want one :)

Whew, there goes.  Come back later for my road-trip essential post and maybe another little something, something.  And go check out the other amazing outfits at The Pleated Poppy.