Lauren From Texas

It’s Thursday night. Did you hear me? IT’S THURSDAY NIGHT. That means right now I am watching the Office. It also means tomorrow is Friday and then it’s the weekend! Furthermore, I can now eat solid foods. SOLID FOODS! This is almost too much excitement for one post! I ate two grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch yesterday. TWO. And today I ate a Classic Combo from Chick-fil-A, and I don’t know that anything has ever tasted so delicious. Since I am in such a good mood, what with the SOLID FOODS and everything, let’s play “Something Old | Something New”!

A few weeks ago, I got my hair done, and only posted one measly picture. BUT WAIT, then I made high and lofty promises of posting more pictures! Well, here they are. Better late than never.

Here’s what I wore today. I actually took these pictures a little while ago. It’s after 9pm and I have had a LONG day. I probably looked better earlier, before I was overwhelmed by fatigue and my makeup started to smudge. But guess what? I didn’t take pictures earlier. Deal with the fatigued smudginess.

I had a couple of appointments today, so I am a little more “dressed up” than usual. I think you know a) you work from home, and b) you should probably get dressed up more often (or maybe just take a shower daily) when you get semi-dressed up and your husband FREAKS OUT and won’t stop commenting on how good you look and/or following you all over the house trying to make out with you. Not that that happened to me or anything.

This is my new favorite hair style. It takes about 5-15 minutes, depending on if my hair is wet or dry. Either I use a blow drier or let it air dry, then take a curling iron with a big barrel (2″ I think) and curl all the layers under. Yesterday night, for my mom’s birthday dinner, I parted it down the middle and flipped my bangs out. I wish I would have taken a picture. My brother said: “Your hair looks good. Did you do something different? It looks like Farrah Fawcett. Isn’t she the one who died?”

Here’s a better picture of the layers. So easy to work with! When I’m in a hurry, I let it air dry and spritz a little John Frieda Dream Curls Curl Perfecting Spray to bring out the waves.

I topped my sleeveless blue turtleneck and brown pinstriped pants with a goldish cardigan for my appointments. It was a little chilly today and I thought it looked more “professional.”

Note: I am in desperate need of a camera. Photo Booth and iPhone pictures are only getting us so far.

Come to think about it, nothing about this outfit is new, except my haircut, and even that is about a month old. However, I would like to point out my fabulous diamond earrings; they were a Christmas present from Michael for our 2nd Christmas. I love it when jewelry has meaning or marks a milestone.

Speaking of milestones (worst segway/segue ever), is it just me, or has The Office been HILARIOUS this season? “DON’T CALL MY MOTHER YOUR LOVER!”

OK, time to snuggle.

Here we are. It’s Friday night, and I’m thankful. The weekend is here, which means I’ve survived yet another week. My plans for this weekend include: a whole lot of nothing, catching up on little projects/tasks I’ve been meaning to do, coffee with a friend (and helping plan her daughter’s 2nd birthday party!), a wedding on Saturday night, and a Pampered Chef party on Sunday at Chelsea’s house. Earlier, Chelsea emailed me and said this:

Speaking of, you need to know how to get to my house. You can google it but I’m going to give you directions BECAUSE I’M BETTER THAN GOOGLE.

Internet, that’s why Chelsea & I are friends. Because I work in SEO, and she is better than Google. Match made in heaven.

Fall weather is officially here; for the last few days I’ve been wearing a cardigan and drinking hot tea without feeling like my insides are going to spontaneously burst into flames. I even ordered a vanilla latte the other day, rather than my usual crack choice, iced coffee. What is it about fall that makes me want to sprinkle cinnamon on EVERYTHING? Hot chocolate? Check. Oatmeal? Check. Pepperoni pizza? Maybe not.

It’s not yet cold enough to wear my new boots, but when that happens, I will post some pictures along with a hilarious video Cio took the night I bought them. Imagine me, waddling through Ross (Dress For Less!) wearing boots that are hooked together with a piece of elastic. And yes, it’s every bit as awkward as it sounds.

Last night, one of Michael’s friends from high school came over for dinner. It was my first time to meet him, so there were all the typical questions. Of course the topic of my blog came up, and since he really didn’t know a lot about blogging, Michael began to try and explain it to him. Um, yeah. The blind leading the blind. It’s so adorable to hear Michael talk about my blog though. Even though he might not “get it,” he understands how much it means to me. You really can’t ask for much more. As the guy was leaving, he inquired rather hopefully, “Am I going to be in your blog??” YOU NEVER KNOW, DUDE. You never know.

Also. I have been having some weird dreams lately. Earlier today I tweeted:

What does it mean if you dream that you’re Tyra’s personal assistant?

My favorite response was from Erin:

Probably that you’re a freakshow. I mean that in an incredibly loving way.

Seriously though, y’all. What does it mean? I mean, there I was, driving around in a car with Tyra, and she is all, “Can you write up this thing for my website, and mail these Top Model pictures, and can we stop by the dry cleaners?” I think I’ve been thinking about ANTM far too much.

[via]

Speaking of CRAZY EVENTS, last night, Pancho woke me up at 1:30am acting like he had to pee. I groggily got out of bed, and took him outside to do his thing. We came back inside and as we were walking back to the bedroom he STOPPED right in the middle of the living room. Then he vomited. It was just water (TMI?) but still, I was not thrilled. Then he paused again. THEN THAT DOG PUKED UP THE BIGGEST PILE OF REGURGITATED DOG FOOD I HAVE EVER SEEN. Oh, but he wasn’t done. He started gagging AGAIN, and puked up a SECOND PILE OF DOG FOOD almost larger than the first. OK. He is 15 pounds. How he had THREE ROUNDS OF PUKE in him at ONE THIRTY AM is beyond me. So guess what I spent the next 15 minutes doing? Yeah, scrubbing puke out of my carpet. The whole time, I kept telling myself, “Lauren, this is what it’s like to have kids. Just relax. You’ll have to do this all the time when you have kids.” PROBABLY WHY I DON’T HAVE KIDS. Needless to say, I was extremely grouchy this morning.

OK! Enough puke talk! Time for something a little more fun.

Something Old | Something New

I didn’t manage to take any “whole outfit” pictures this week (mostly because I dressed really boring and/or sloppy and wore the same cardigan like 3 times), but I did try something new with my hair. Never in my life have I been able to french braid, but for whatever reason, not too long ago, I thought to myself, “Let me just TRY” and WHAT DO YOU KNOW? I am still terrible at it. The pieces are never same “thickness” and I can’t get it to look consistent. I did like how this turned out though – it’s as though it almost doesn’t matter that it’s a complete mess. After I finished the braid, I took the end and tucked it under, and secured the whole thing with about a thousand bobby pins, then sprayed it with half a can of hairspray (ozone layer? what?). Kind of a fun way to put your hair up on a casual day.

Confession time. I have an infatuation with keys. I have some giant wooden ones hanging over my front door, a set of antique-looking ones on my key hooks by the front door, and am obsessed with lock-and-key necklaces, especially when the lock is heart-shaped. I found these keys at Forever 21 (the same day I bought my leggings) and had to have them. Michael thinks they’re really gaudy (I don’t think he likes the two-tone gold & silver), but what’s wrong with a little gaudy every now and then? I love wearing them with a super simple T-shirt and cardigan.

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE! Here’s to good friends, time to relax, and hopes of pukeless nights.

xo

In case you haven’t noticed (because you are a) blind, or b) don’t read my blog AT ALL), I’m kind of a mess. I like to think that I’m organized, but truth be told, I have more “junk drawers” in my house than is healthy. Open my kitchen cabinets and risk an avalanche of pots & pans. My eyebrows are dangerously close to holding hands in the middle, I’m in desperate need of a pedicure, and so many things in my pantry have crystalized or taken a different form that I should really have my own geology exhibit.

Take this blog, for example. I’m not organized with it. AT ALL. Oh, I want to be. I have the highest of hopes. I think, “As long as I blog every other day, I’m doing OK.” But that doesn’t work for a perfectionist. It works on the days when she has dazzling ideas, but on the days she doesn’t, she sits on the couch and bites her nails and watches DVR-ed Biggest Loser and tries not to think about that fact that she hasn’t blogged for THREE DAYS. Are people still looking at her blog? Will people still like her?! DO PEOPLE EVEN STILL USE BLOGS or has there been something else invented since the last time she blogged?!?! Also, she talks about herself in third person. It’s an illness. I’m a sloppy perfectionist. I want things to be done perfectly, but if I don’t have the time to perfect them, I just don’t bother. Which is probably why I’m in therapy.

Recently, I have been observing some of my more favorite blogs. I have noticed that, for the most part, the bloggers seem to have a pattern, a rhythm. A PLAN. Maybe Monday they blog a recipe. Tuesday they blog something fashion-oriented. Wednesday is about design. You get the idea. The weird, OCD part of me loves that idea. The unkempt, disheveled part of me NEEDS it. So, I am introducing myself to a “blog schedule.” It will be like a regimen – as Julie Powell said in Julie & Julia, “It’s like AA.” Anyway, I’ll be starting it next week. Because I am a procrastinator, and I can’t stand starting something new at the end of a week. Kind of like when people say “I’ll start my diet on Monday” so they can eat donuts at the office on Friday. This blog post is my donut. Hopefully this new structure will kick my butt into shape, figuratively speaking. I’ll let Jillian continue to work her magic on my literal butt.

Speaking of Jillian, I cannot allow this blog post to pass without talking about the season premiere of The Biggest Loser. Let me say this, before last night (I watched it a day late, because that’s how I roll), I had never seen an episode of The Biggest Loser. I met my blog friend Chelsea earlier this year, and thought, “Wow, this girl blogs a lot about that show where people lose weight. I wonder why.” Then she brought it up one day in an email, and I was all, “Never seen it.” Apparently, that is sacrilege, and before I knew it, I had committed to watching the first two episodes of the new season. The agreement was if, after those 2 episodes, I didn’t like the show, I could quit and we could still be friends (we’re very dramatic). Well, I DVR-ed that sucker and finally got around to watching it last night. I am not going to recap the whole show, because Chelsea did a good job of that in her blog post yesterday. I will, however, say that I was CRYING within the first 15 minutes of the show. It’s really touching to see people who love their families so much and are so determined to get healthy. Also, it’s pretty hilarious, because Jillian yells a lot and people puke. HOW CAN VOMIT NOT BE HILARIOUS? OK, maybe that’s just me. Also, if you do the 30-Day Shred, it makes you realize that Jillian could be much, much meaner to you. Like, if she were standing over you yelling f-bombs and telling you she doesn’t care about your pathetic excuses. While you cry and vomit at the same time. See? Things could be worse. Quit whining about the Shred. But seriously, try Loser. If you don’t like it, we can still be friends. (But I will think less of you as a person.)

Here are a couple of the text messages between Chelsea and I that transpired while I was watching the show:

Me: “Let’s get fat so we can go on the show together.”
Chelsea: “You’ll change your mind once you see how Jillian treats them.”
Me: “I don’t know how you watch this with Stephen. Michael is not here but he would be mocking me.”
Chelsea: “I enjoy it more when I watch it alone. I can cry and eat M&M’s.”

I also texted my mother, who gave me a confidence boost:

Me: “Do you watch The Biggest Loser?”
Mom: “Not lately.”
Me: “I am watching it because I am a loser.”
Mom: “Did you tape it?”
Me: “Yes.”
Mom: “OK you are a loser.”

Then I drowned my sorrows in leftover Chinese food. There’s nothing like watching a show about weight loss while stuffing your face.

Alright! Glad I got that off my chest. Here’s a sneak peek at Thursday posts on the new “schedule”:

Something Old | Something New

I’ll post my favorite outfit of the week, and maybe just random things (new & old) that are currently making me happy.

Example:

I bought this dress a couple of years ago and loved it. Then I washed it and it shrunk. It’s still long enough to wear alone, but it’s kind of flimsy. Flimsy + short isn’t always a good combination. The other day, I was at Forever 21 and picked up these black leggings:

Perfect! I am sad to say I wore this today with silver flip flops. A fashion travesty. But then I carried my Coach purse and it made everything alright. I need some plain ballet flats – all of my flats are either patterned/embellished or a non-neutral color. Because I’m flashy like that.

I am OBSESSED with vintage rings. I’ve been collecting them for a few years. This was one of the first ones I bought. I got it for a dollar at a booth in Canton – but sometimes I like to pretend that it used to belong to Doris Day. The stone is oval and the color of smoke. Probably one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.

I’m drawn to oval and teardrop shapes, and am a fan of simple and understated jewelry (although I do like a nice glitzy piece every now and then). These earrings are marcasite and I stole them from either my mom or my sister, but I’ve had them for so long the law of reclaiming has passed and they’re mine forever. That’s how it works, right? And yes, that’s my engagement ring/wedding band – my husband has good taste.

I have been trying to give my hair a break lately. Washing, drying, styling, and highlighting really takes its toll. So today I let it air dry and added a little John Frieda Frizz-Ease Take Charge Curl-Boosting Mousse. It left all the natural wave but took away some of the frizz. I like how it turned out, but my favorite part is the minimal damage to my hair.

So there you have it. I’ll try to do a post like this each Thursday. Let me know if you have any products you want me to review or looks you want me to try – I’m always game for trying something new or different!

Also, once a week I am going to try to answer a few questions that have been asked either in my blog comments, on Twitter, or sent by carrier pigeon (I’m really not picky). Please feel free to fire away! No question is too personal. Well, probably, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

xo