Top: Anthropologie Lingered Lace Top

Leggings: Hue

Sandals: Urban Outfitters

 

"I was never one to believe the hype, save that for the black and white." - fun.  

 

If 2012 was the year of the mullet dress, 2013 is shaping up to be the year of the mullet top. These "party in the back" tops are all over the place right now. I must admit I'm not really into the ones that are your basic tee in the front and then have some crazy, kooky print on the back. They seem a bit disjointed to me. However, this little lacy number, I can get down with.

 

This top comes in many different incarnations on Anthropologie's website. There's the Lace Divide Tee in 4 options, the Lingered Lace Top I'm wearing here in 4 options, and there's even a emerald green one on sale.  I was very tempted to get it in a solid color, especially the green one on sale (because you all know how I love me some green), but I decided to step out of my safe, solid colored box and go with this black and white striped version instead. I know, how very avant-garde of me... Anyway, with black and white being the only colors in the top, I knew I wanted to liven things up a bit by adding some color on the bottom, and what better color to gussy up an outfit with than red?

 

Speaking of bottoms, I suppose I should be upset that my thighs are touching in all these photos. I've heard that thigh gaps are all the rage these days. I think that's one trend I'm just going to have to ride out. I love to get my eat on too much. Besides, who knows? If mullets can make a come back maybe, just maybe, fat thighs can too.

 

I was very hesitant about posting the following photo in one of my more recent posts because it didn't present my nose in the best light. However, it really showed off the detail of the print on the dress, so I decided to post it anyway.

A few hours later Jerry mentioned to me that he was surprised I had posted that particular photo. He thought it was a beautiful photo, but he knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't like the lighting on my nose. Maybe my Prozac was working extra good that day, because I was feeling all bad ass and was like, "Well, it's my nose, so, totes whatevs." However, the next day was a different story. I woke up in a panic over the fact that I had put a picture out on the Internet that showed so clearly the jacked up nature of my nose. I've held strong so far and haven't removed it from the post, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been obsessing over it. And, let me tell you, when I obsess, I go into full on research mode.

I started by pulling out old photo albums from when I was little to try to ascertain when exactly my nose went wrong, because I don't ever remember thinking something was wrong with my nose until Jerry started taking my pictures with that damn fancy camera of his.

Ok, so here I am at 3:

The picture is not the best quality, but it looks like a pretty normal nose to me. Cute, even.

Alright, how about 10 years later:

My eyes look different sizes thanks to some novice makeup application, but my nose looks normal.

On a side note, this was my natural hair color which just happens to look pretty darn close to my current color. Kudos to my hair stylist!

Another decade later, on my wedding day:

Again, pretty grainy photo, but it doesn't scream ugly nose. I'm more horrified by my eyebrows. 

Another side note: I only had 2 grand to spend on my wedding, and I spent close to half of that on a string duo. I wanted a quartet, but that was way out of my price range. I was not having a wedding without strings, so duo it was. I know, I know, first world problems. Quick, break out the violins...or in my case the violin (singular) and cello.

Anyway, let's look at a picture from a few weeks ago:

I don't have a problem with this nose either. WTF?

After combing through hundreds of old photos of myself, I concluded that what I've got here is a nose that only shows it's true nature in certain light, sorta like magic ink or vampires. This led me to ask myself the question: "Are there others out there like me?" Off to almighty Google I went to type in every celebrity name I could think of and analyze their nose...

There must be something about Bonnie because I found my first kindred nose on Ms. Bonnie Hunt. Girl is rocking that nose dent.

Molly Shannon - My Nose "Superstar"

Even Megan Fox, the epitome of beauty for many, had a nose dent once upon a time.

 After seeing Megan's before and after, I decided to turn my search to the more clinical side of noses. I wanted to know if there was a name for my "condition." It took a bit of searching through the millions of rhinoplasty pics out there on the Internets, but I finally found a nose similar to mine under the classification of "bulbous tip." Nice.

Wow! What a difference surgery (or Photoshop) made!  

"The ball of the nose (Greater Alar Cartilage) is actually made up of two halves with the lateral cartilage wedging between the two. This separation of the two halves is not always visible."

 

Eureka! I had finally found it! The separation between the two halves of my Greater Alar Cartilage is visible under certain lighting conditions. Not only did I have an explanation for my messed up nose, I had a fancy sentence full of medical jargon to describe it. I was imagining how smart I would sound when explaining my condition to others when it hit me - I had been seeing no further than the end of my nose.  I don't have a condition or some sort of disease that needs to be cured. I have a normal nose with normal anatomy. In fact, I found the above information and images on a website about drawing noses. Given that, I suppose I could choose to look at my nose as a "model nose." After all, our happiness and satisfaction in life really are dependent on how we choose to look at things. The ball (of my nose) was in my court. I could see it as ugly and flawed, or I could see it as beautiful and unique. I chose the latter.







Dress: Anthropologie Macrame Day Dress

Belt: Anthropologie Tiago Corset Belt

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Earrings: Anthropologie Rosalinda Tonal Drops

 

"Stop and pose again. Freeze for the camera then resume what you're doing. Where you, how you, why you, when - every little thing you do you document....turn a real thing into a million pixels." - Bronze Radio Return

 

My posts have been pretty few and far between for a couple of months now. It wasn't planned. It just sorta happened. In fact, I think this must happen to a lot of bloggers. I know many of the one's I have followed over the years have gone through a similar pattern of dwindling content that eventually fades into oblivion. I have no plans of following suit, but I'd be lying if I said I was into blogging as much as I once was. 

 

I've wanted to post more, but I just haven't felt motivated. For one, it's been hot as Hell here lately and the last thing I've wanted to do is go stand out in it and pose for pictures. Also, I've really cut back on my clothing purchases, so there's not much to show you that you haven't seen before. I thought if I broadened my horizons and blogged about aspects of my life other than fashion, I would be able to generate more content, but that has actually proven to be more difficult. 

 

Recent developments aside, I don't know if I will ever get back to blogging as much as I did at one time.  As I get older it's becoming less and less important to me to "keep up with the Joneses."  I don't feel as strong of a need to project a certain image anymore whether it be in the real world or the virtual one. I find myself letting the dishes sit in the sink a little longer, letting the grass grow a little taller, and waiting a few days longer to wipe off those grubby little hand prints from the storm door. So, if you hear from me a little less than you used to, take comfort in the fact that I'm just living my life rather than documenting it.

 

Stop and Pose - Bronze Radio Return

My kids party "themes" are never simple. They never choose the mainstream themes that one can find plenty of supplies for with a quick Google search. Oh no, they gotta be different. Let's see, the last 3 party themes I've been tasked with finding decor for have been Zombies, Minecraft, and Barbie Mermaid. All 3 required a lot of research and work, but in the end, they turned out successfully, so I thought I would share the results on here.

I always like to preface any post like this by stating the obvious fact that I am by no means a professional.  I've run across some blogs out there that have some really polished and breathtaking parties. Although, if I'm being honest, they kind of creep me out a little. I mean, everything is so organized and pristine and all the kids are dressed up in their Sunday best without a spot on them. Who are these people and what world do they live in? I'm lucky to get out alive at my kid's parties. Anyway, the point is, this here ain't no fancy operation, and you can no doubt find the same or better out on the Internets. Still, each party is unique, and I know that as a mom I appreciate anything I can find to help me with planning my kid's parties.

Up first, Zombies:

    

This party was held at the bowling alley, so I was limited to how much decor I could bring. Basically, the cake and paper products were my allowance, but I managed to sneak some "Zombie Tonic" inside. When my son said he wanted Zombies as his theme, I had no idea how I was going to find any decor for this party. Luckily, with the recent popularity of zombie movies and TV shows like The Walking Dead, I was able to find a set of Zombie-themed party supplies pretty easily. The real challenge with this party was the cake. There were so many different options I could go with: tombstones, brains, bloody stumps - the possibilities were endless. It was a difficult decision, but I ended up going with the 'ole head and hands coming up out of the ground cake. I recalled that my daughter (yes, my daughter) had gotten a Dr. Dreadful Zombie Lab kit the prior Christmas, and that it was basically this plastic zombie head that could ooze out all kinds of disgusting concoctions for children to eat. I thought it would be perfect for the zombie head portion of the cake, so I off I went to the local bakery with my zombie head in tow. The people at my local bakery are really great. They have listened patiently to all my crazy cake ideas over the years and never fail to come through for me. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, their cakes are delicious to boot.

Zombie Party Supplies and Neon Bugs - Birthday Direct

Dr. Dreadful Zombie Lab - Ebay 

Next up, Minecraft:

I didn't realize until I just posted these pictures how similar the Zombie and Minecraft cakes were. I'm afraid y'all will think I just told the baker to slap some grass icing on those suckers and call it a day. I assure you that is not the case. Both of these themes just happened to need grass on the cakes but that's where the similarities end. This party was my toughest challenge yet. Despite the popularity of the video game Minecraft among young boys, there is nothing out there in the way of party decorations for it. Somebody is missing out on a huge money-making opportunity here. (Edit: I just checked Google and there is now one site that sells Creeper balloons.)  With absolutely nothing out there to purchase with Minecraft on it, I had to get creative. I found a grass tablecloth that I thought would work well, and I went with plain jane plates and cups in shades of green and brown. I chose the squared-shaped plates in keeping with the pixelated world of Minecraft and silver utensils to represent mining tools. I made Creeper faces on the cups, gift bags, and balloons by cutting out squares and rectangles of black tape. Some of the helium leaked out of the balloons in transit to the party location, so the tape became a little wrinkled and my Creepers looked kinda sad, but the kids didn't seem to mind. However, the biggest challenge of this party turned out to be those little paper characters that are on the cake. You see, my kids like "stuff" on their cakes, and by stuff I mean something they can pull off and play with after the party. I wasn't going to get away with a Creeper face drawn on the cake or a photo of the characters rendered on it. So, off to Google I went again to try and find some Minecraft toys. Turns out, Minecraft doesn't have many toys associated with it either and the ones that were out there were not going to work on a cake. It was time to get creative again. I found a website that has templates of pretty much every character and item in the Minecraft world that you can print onto paper, fold, glue, and bring to life. Jerry and I spent every night for a week cutting, folding, and gluing what you see on the cake. It may not look like much, but it was a lot of work. It was totally worth it to see the look on my child's face when he saw his cake. 

Cake Characters - Minecraft Papercrafts 

Tablecloth, Tableware, Balloons - Birthday Express  

Creeper Shirt - ThinkGeek    

This party was held at our local water park and things were hot and hectic, so I didn't get many pictures of the decor, and the ones I did get are not that great. My daughter had requested a Barbie party with a Barbie cake and since the party was at a water park, she decided to go with a Barbie Mermaid theme. Once again, my child picked a party theme that has no party supplies available to purchase. I did find some for sale in the UK, but they didn't ship to the US. At least this theme did have some toys. I purchased the Barbie, Merliah, especially for this cake since she is the main character in the movie Barbie in a Mermaid's Tale. I stole the dolphin you see on the cake from my little girl's toy basket. I like that the cake is a twist on the traditional Barbie cake, and my little girl liked eating the icing of her butt. Silly girl! I picked up the seashell plates, pink cups, pink utensils, and the tablecloth online. The tablecloth was actually part of a Little Mermaid theme, but it didn't have Little Mermaid written anywhere on it, so it worked just fine for Barbie Mermaid. The best part of the party was when I told my little girl she was going to Disney World next month.  Jerry captured the moment perfectly!