I'm down with NoImYoSeMo!

In case you didn't know, many bloggers participate in NoBloPoMo which is basically to post to your blog every day in November. (I think.) That seems like WAY too much pressure for me being the noob that I am. Thankfully, Slynnro has come up with an alternative for NoBloPoMo. She is suggesting NoImYoSeMo which stands for November Improve Yourself Month. I have been thinking about all the things that have been getting away from me and wanting to do better. Well, now I have a little motivation to give it a go.

I started today by taking my car in to get the oil changed and the tires rotated. I ran errands and then came home and made lunch. This afternoon, I started cleaning out my coupon pile and made a grocery list and meal plan for the week. I have a stack of coupon inserts that is literally a foot tall on top of my dresser. It is not cute with my decor people! I need to get rid of all of these coupons that are expired and just taking up space.

Here are some of my other goals for the month:

Clear the clutter from the kitchen, dining room, and bedroom.
Clean out my closet (Barbie or Nancy, want to come help? ;) )
Organize my bathroom and throw out old stuff I don't use.
Pack up G's clothes that are too small.
Clean out my car.

There are other things that I'm sure I'll add to the list, but this is what I've got on the brain at the moment.

The Saga of Miss Fancy Pants

Miss Fancy Pants is getting a trip to Atlanta! 

Unfortunately, she is traveling via DHL and not with me. Her wireless card is kaput. That means she refuses to talk to the internet without a direct connection. Who knows why she came to me so unwilling to talk wirelessly. I guess she really wanted a trip to Atlanta.

I should send her off tomorrow and then have her back within a couple of weeks.

So, posting is still quite slow. I bet you're glad I told you that since you probably hadn't noticed. ;)

This post is quite boring and I must go before I fall asleep on my keyboard. 

Perspective

I am still in computer hell, so I wanted to apologize for not updating any recently. The new computer, which I named MissFancyPants, was working right as rain for a little while, but then she refused to connect to the internet. I hope the geeks at Best Buy can convince her to talk to the interwebs because if not, I think I'll have to ship her back to China!

I haven't been taking pictures of my outfits lately because 1) I've been really swamped with work and life. and 2) I have no idea how to upload them to this computer. (the husband's MacBook). Seriously, I ordered the XP downgrade on MissFancyPants because I just don't have the time or energy right now to learn a new operating system! I do believe I'll be one of those little old ladies who never can figure out how to program her VCR (or equivalent electronic device). I am quite resistant to change because I'd rather spend my time doing more entertaining things than learning new gadgets.

The reason for the title "perspective" is that I have been all down in the dumps about a lot of things lately. I have a cash flow problem, but honestly, that should resolve itself in a few months. The thing that really put things into perspective for me was volunteering on Tuesday for a local organization that helps needy families get gifts for their children for Christmas. It is similar to the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program. I went to help take applications from a gigantic line of people. I took an application from one man who had 8 children! He had recently lost his job due to an injury, and his wife works only part time at a daycare. Their total monthly gross earnings are only $1760.00! FOR TEN PEOPLE! All this to say that even though I may be "broke" right now, I am not anywhere near the situation that many people in my community find themselves. So, whenever I try to get my pity party going, I just remember that I actually have quite a nice life, and a temporary squeeze is nothing like many people deal with on an ongoing basis. 

So, I'm off to Best Buy now. Cross your fingers that MissFancyPants will cooperate and talk to you, lovely internet!

Two Not so Pretty Pictures

I'll just lump these two together to get the ugly all out at once. 

The first is from Friday, 9/25/08.

I was all fired up to wear my new scarf. A score from Old Navy for $1.99! I got the top at Ann Taylor for $9 and the jeans I bought over 3 years ago when I was pregnant with my son. I've never worn them, but they were on sale when I bought them. I gained a bit of weight when I was sick because of the steroid packs so many of my pants are a bit too tight. :( The shoes are George.

My pendant is lapis. My mother brought it to me as a gift from her trip to Peru. It is beautiful, and I should try to wear it more often. I have bought several blue tops this fall, so I think this pendant will get a lot of wear this winter.

The only picture I took last week was from 10/2/08. I was totally stressed out all week and this picture shows it. ICK!

The sweater is so old. I bought it in college! It is from Express, and I think it is time to replace it. It didn't really give me the look I wanted. The top is from Banana Republic, and the pants are from Ann Taylor Loft. The shoes are the best part of the outfit and are Hype brand.

I hear hubs coming for his computer, so I'd better sign off.

I'm just about to finalize an order for a new laptop! 

Could you let me know whether you prefer the large photos or the smaller ones. I promise to pick a size and stick with it. I just wanted to play around a bit to see which was better.

Casual Wednesday (9/24/08)

I think this is the best photo I've taken for this little project! 

I was traveling half the day today to get to a meeting on Thursday, so I decided I could wear jeans to work on a Wednesday.  I just love that my boss is so easy on me!  For those of you who may not know me, I am my own boss and own my own insurance agency. 

Anyway, the outfit...I was concerned I might look like a Christmas package since I was wearing the red jacket (Sele from Dillard's) with a green tank (AT Loft), but I got lots of complements throughout the day. I think the splash of yellow on my Naughty Monkey shoes and my Big Buddha bag helped keep me from looking like an early Christmas. The jeans are from Banana Republic. I absolutely adore them because they are the trouser cut that looks a bit more polished than just a regular old pair of jeans.

I was so proud of myself because this tank top had a self belt that was really located in a weird location. It was too low for an empire waist and too high for my natural waist. Strange. So, I just took it off and tied it around my head! Voila! Instant headband. My mom wanted to know where I got a headband that matched my shirt exactly. I must admit, I got the idea from Kasmira's blog. 

For my meeting on Thursday, I wore the most awesome pink suit but was too chicken to get anyone to take my picture. Don't fret, I have a picture from last year. I call this my Elle Woods suit. I love it, but I was way too hot. This is a wool suit!

The suit is Etcetera brand and the shoes are BCBG Girls.

Not a Maternity Dress! (9/24/08)

 Wow that is big and blurry!  We do rush to take these photos because my office is located on a busy street.  People yell at us and honk their horns.  We feel like real idiots out there.  My assistant threatens to start a blog about all my little crazy things.  Too bad I've already beaten her too it. 

Anyway, she told me that she thought my new dress looked like a maternity dress! I was appalled. I thought it was cute. I got it at Ann Taylor Loft on sale + a 20% off coupon from my InStyle magazine. I love the colors! The bag is Big Buddha and the shoes are some crazy brand called Summer Rio. The reason I say the brand is crazy is because of the sizing. I usually wear a 9, but these shoes are size 7.5! My earrings were handmade by my awesome friend Vanessa. 

Here is a close up of the shoes: 

The Unexpected

This post is brought to you by the letters M. A. & C.  What does that mean, right? It means that my computer has bitten the dust. Waaaa! I am begrudgingly using my husband's snazzy MacBook, but I really don't care for it. I am in the process of ordering a new laptop since I actually need it for work. Yes, I have a job! I don't just take pictures of outfits and complain about my son.

I am considering a Lenovo ThinkPad T61 or a Dell Latitude 630 or 6400 if you have any advice. 

He seems to be hovering closer to his lovely computer, so I'll make this quick. 

I do have some pictures to share from the past couple of weeks, but I need to go. It is so sad to not have my computer.