#watchhungerstop

You might recall that I recently celebrated a pretty big birthday. As part of the celebration I created my ultimate 30th birthday wish list and included some crazy out of control items. Unfortunately, I didn't get that sailboat but I did get a glam necklace, some new kicks, a perfect potted plant, and the watch that I really wanted. I have the greatest family ever and really did celebrate a truly fantastic day that I will forever be grateful for. And I'm lucky to be grateful for so much more.

That blingin' watch that my kid sister got for me doesn't just help me look even more superfly than I normally do, it also helps the world in a little way by contributing 100 meals to the United Nations World Hunger Programme. Today is World Food Day and in an effort to promote the cause and help hungry people around the world, Michael Kors and the World Hunger Programme have teamed up once again. By flashing my wrist around on the interwebs, I'm helping out too and that makes me feel mighty good. Heaven knows I wouldn't even have a food blog if I didn't have food. Food is my passion and it makes me sad to think that there are people out there who aren't able to indulge and enjoy the way I am able to. Every little bit counts in the fight to end world hunger, education and promotion is important. So do what you can, even if it's just to take a moment to be reflective of what you have, and watch hunger stop.

bringing back(wards) an old trend

Fashion. I like to think that I'm pretty good at it and that, after thirty years, I've finally settled on a style that's all my own. It hasn't always been easy for me to look good or feel good about what I was wearing; those of you who were also born in the early 80s might understand what I mean. I went through a Punky Brewster phase before I wore a lot of hats and sunflowers a la Blossom, then I was a chubby middle schooler in the mid-nineties with baggy everything topped off with some flannel, evolving into a really uncomfortable chubby teen who couldn't squeeze into the microfashions of mall chain stores, gradually evolving into the early aughts punk and glam vision studded with vintage duds and ripped tights, before I finally settled into my current look. 

What is that look? Classically chic with a peppering of preppy. Think Audrey, Katherine, Jackie with a little pop of Ann Margaret. I would like to be able to look at a picture of myself and not be able to attach a date stamp to it (yes, I'd also like to be ageless.) I've learned when to cloak my curves and when to shake what my mama gave me. I know my modern day sizes and the vintage ones as well. I mix patterns like a pro and go from day to night with ease. Thanks to the clean lines of J. Crew, Jack Wills, Madewell, and Boden, the perky and whimsical looks of Anthropologie, and the preppy pop of Kate Spade, I'm able to pack my closet with pieces that I actually enjoy wearing over and over again. Like I mentioned in numbers 46, 47 & 48 on my dirty thirty to-do list, I like to dress age-appropriately with tailored pieces. That doesn't stop me from falling victim to some very trendy or throwback pieces (polka dots, military, rompers, yacht rock,) or from dipping into the archives and bringing in vintage or antique pieces. But I like to think I incorporate them well into what I've already got. 

One of the quintessentially vintage preppy looks that I absolutely love is the reverse cardigan... and I've decided to bring it back. It's so very ladies prep school circa 1950s and I love it with a bright pencil skirt and some beat up boots. Now my collection of cardigans (a cardigan collection is required of all MLIS candidates,) can do double duty so my wardrobe is even bigger! It's flattering, fun and a bit of a surprise. What do you think of the look?

Also, I made a super delicious supper tonight - pepper jelly grits topped with beet greens sauteed with onions, tomatoes and spices, topped with an over easy egg. It was simple, easy, maybe healthy and quick! I gobbled it up too quickly to take a picture of it, but that description of it pretty much says it all. Spice it as much as you like, sprinkle a teeny tiny bit of cheese on the grits, top them with the sauteed veggies, and finish it off with a perfectly runny egg that melds it all together. Breakfast for supper with a bit of Southern flare. Hopefully my frequent adventures in Southern soul cooking don't make me bust those back buttons! Back to training tomorrow.

it's a cat-astrophe!

waiting on my daily Shake Shack delivery.

Exactly two years ago today I woke up in a hospital bed with stitches, scabs, bruises and a broken leg. It was the awful cherry on top of a rough and tumble bad time sundae. I remember it all too well - shaken up, rattled, and no more rolling on my bicycle. But thanks to great friends, my amazing family, and plenty of ice cream I came out of it pretty strong - emotionally I was more self-aware and confident, mentally I grew out of my icky mindset, and physically I got stronger and more fit than I ever had been. I also created my greatest Halloween costume because of the break by dressing as a flamingo on one leg. Best costume EVER!

Well, who would have thought that the bionic gal with pins and screws and plates keeping her leg together, the lady who doctors told would maybe have a limp for the rest of her life, would only two years later be training for a 5k and hopefully a half-marathon?! I certainly didn't but here I am, running a 9:22 minute mile, a time faster than I could have even run in high school (not that that's saying much since I wasn't exactly a peak performer back then.) I've been running after work nearly every day and actually enjoying it. When I was in the woods for a hike last week I found myself walking faster and faster until I was actually running. In the woods! I never thought that I would be this excited about fitness, especially with all the hardware built into me and the potential pain it could cause but I'm thrilled with how well I've healed and how far I've come and I just wanted to brag a little bit to my darling readers (if there are any of you still out there.)

a cat-astrophe indeed. yikes, look at that snap!

But all is not well and healed and physically fit in my world. Last Thursday, nearly two years to the day  of my accident, as we were sitting down to our traditional first day of school supper of spaghetti and meatballs, my furry little knucklehead, Macaroni pulled a Jillian. His excitement over my famously delicious meatballs caused him to take a nasty spill off the butcher block and crack his tibia and fibula, just like me. Poor little guy has had a very difficult time dealing with it since he's, you know, a cat. But my buddy has calmed down, adjusted to his invalid life in a dog crate, has learned to stay still and is even in good seeming spirits. Plus he has the cutest little green cast with itty bitty sheep all over it. Hopefully he is like mom in more ways that just being noisy, always hungry, and accident-prone. Hopefully he'll heel quickly and miraculously over the next 6-8 weeks and I can run around the house with him once more. So if all of you could take those good thoughts that you sent my way when I was toe leg up and send them to Macaroni, maybe the little dude will be back to bug hunting and playing before we know it! In the meantime let's all stay happy and healthy! xoxo, me

poor little buddy... but seriously, how cute is that cast. on wednesdays we wear cat casts.

being Blair Waldorf

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I have what many people would call 'good hair.' It's curly without being kinky, not too thick that it's heavily weighed down but not so thin that it's a constant mess of flyaways, a chestnut-y brown color, and straightens easily (so long as someone else has the patience to break out the blow drier because I sure as heck don't want to!) But despite the positive perks of my coiffure, I don't always love it like I should. Maybe it's because my hair didn't curl until I was about 13 going from slight beachy wave to full on curl seemingly overnight. It terrified me and resulted in a year of slicked back pony-tails and overly moussed crunchiness. But as the years went on, my style evolved and my ability to bring out the natural prettiness of my curls grew up.

(via Rosie Powers)

Then my life took some crazy turns and I decided I needed a change. And that change was bangs. For the past year and a half I've had a moptop of curls finished off with a thick row of straightened fringe. It was cute, fun and very a la mode. But I'm tired over having every day darkened by a half mask of hair and since I've recently joined the anti-shampoo club, bangs just look greasy and matted; especially in these summer months when their plastered to my forehead while the rest of my tresses are uncontrollably growing and frizzing like Monica's mess when the Friends were in Barbados. Dry shampoo is amazing and serums are great, but neither will salvage my curls in this Mid-Atlantic misery. Baltimore summers are as bad as Brooklyn's, I've merely traded the steaming subway grates for a humid harbor. So choosing to grow out my bangs with all of these factors stacked against me is a daring and grueling challenge in which I'm constantly forcing myself to put down the scissors and resist the urge to give up and trim back the bangs.

There's only one thing to do when the humidity comes on and the bangs are growing out - embrace the headband! Like the calm, collected and ever regal Blair Waldorf, a headband can always be the perfect accessory. Paired with the always classy top knot or ballerina bun, my Summer 'do is done and I'm free to carry on throughout my day without any nightmares - birds nesting atop my head, eating half my hair, being whipped blind when attempting 'windblown.' As the bangs get longer I can attempt a few more looks, even the Katniss side braid. But for now, I'm keeping it sleek and simple, just like Blair. So for today's Wednesday look, I grabbed a purple scalloped skirt from J. Crew, a colorful tank from Target, and a simple black headband. Classy, put-together and chic, just like Blair. What are your go to hairstyles for Summer months or bad hair days? Do you have a favorite hair accessory or hair style icon? Let me know, I don't have the headband storage space of our fab Upper East Sider!

Bonus! I came across this hysterical Buzzfeed list today -- 31 Problems Only People With Curly Hair Will Understand. It had me giggling all morning and sharing with all my fellow curly girlies!

on wednesdays we wear...

In case you haven't noticed, I'm an irregular blogger. I wish I could blog with more frequency and keep all my darling readers (I'm talking to you, Mom) up to date on all my mealings and dealings, but by the time I get home from work and have supper and hang with honey, I've either forgotten to blog or have fallen asleep on the couch and can't blog. I'm trying to be better about it but, as you may have noticed, I still haven't quite gotten the hang of it. Well, for a little inspiration and motivation I've been perusing my blog roll, that one that I rarely check aside from the standard few that I check nearly every day. In doing this I once again stumbled upon one of my favorite fashion blogs - Librarian Wardrobe. It's exactly what it sounds like, Librarians looking fab at work, and I love browsing through it.

You see, I'm a Librarian... kind of. I went to library school and got my MLIS, but halfway through the program I discovered that I wanted to be an Archivist at a school and all of my focus switched from books to old papers and students and stuff. But since it's kind of tough to find any job in New York, let alone one as specific as School Archivist, I found myself working lots of smaller jobs - real estate law firm Records Manager, After-School Librarian, Assistant School Librarian, Assistant Archivist, regular Archivist, Non-Profit Women's Organization Cataloger, Organizer of Important Things, Chinese Restaurant Hostess, bakery assistant, etc. On top of being capable of handling all of these awesome positions, I like to think that I do it all whilst looking kinda cute. And I think that because of my Librarian title and my sweet sense of style, I'm exactly the kind of gal that could be (should be?) featured in a collection like the one kept by the folks at Librarian Wardrobe. But since I'm not quite ready to be the kind of gal that promotes her jazzy ensemble on someone else's blog, I'll just brag about it on my own!

A new weekly posting to feature some of my favorite outfits, accessories, hairstyles, and general stylish nonsense. Let's start with this little Springtime number that features my favorite fashion trend - mixing patterns, in particular stripes and florals!

None of these items are new (they've actually been staples in my wardrobe for quite some time now,) but when they were new, I found them at the following places: basic striped tank from Forever21, skirt by tibi New York, sweater by J. Crew, nude pumps from Target, the RayBans were a surprise gift from Honey.