Opinions?

I just finished reading the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy (by Suzanne Collins), which, incidentally, is called The Hunger Games. I put it off for a while, but I was stuck in bed with a nasty virus for the past few days and decided to bite the bullet. So, I'm wondering...have any of you read it and what were your thoughts and opinions? I'm bursting with thoughts, but I thought I'd throw the question out there.

Anybody want to chime in?

I've started working on the second one. It's quite the thought-provoker...

The Conscience Challenge

Good news! Amiee is back in the country! She has quite a story to tell about her adventures...hopefully, she'll be able to start chronicling them soon. Since she's gotten back, she has been jet-lagged, sick, and finishing up projects from the trip to turn in for class credit. And, she's also been doing all this from the comfort of the air mattress in our spare room/office. Bless her. (Qualification: we have a fancy shmancy air mattress. It's sort of like this one.) I don't know when she'll be able to get her character pictures up, but keep checking in here for her updates.

Even though she's been traipsing around Italy, I, as you know, have been firmly committed to our cause. And by "cause," I really just mean project. Here's my outfit from this week:

Note: I pose very awkwardly in pictures by myself. It's going to be a long year, if I don't learn how to pose better. This outfit looked a LOT better in person. Yikes.

This is another old school character that many of the younger generations may not even recognize. Also, I should note that I don't particularly like this movie, as it scared me quite a lot as a child. However, I like this character, and I had the clothing for it. Guesses? No?

Jiminy Cricket! I did not have the top hat, unfortunately, but I did have quite a few of the other pieces, as you can see in this handy-dandy breakdown:

Character: Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio

Outfit:
*Black blazer is circa 2006. I've actually worn it fewer times than a friend of mine from college; she needed one for several projects in college and ended up borrowing and wearing it more than me. I'm fairly certain that she actually had it in her room when the tornado hit, was able to get it back, and had it dry-cleaned before returning it. She's a great girl. Thanks to this project, I'm rediscovering pieces like this.
*Orange shirt is uncannily similar to the Disneybound board. I got it this past fall for about five dolla.
*Green scarf used to be Amiee's, but around Christmas, we went through each other's "I'm-going-to-give-this-away-unless-you-want-it" stuff, and I snagged this.
*Green earrings (that you can't see) are from Steinmart.
*Trouser jeans were a purchase near the very end of December 2011- before the No Buy rule took effect. Whew! (wipes brow dramatically)

Disneybound inspiration board:
I wore boots instead of Oxfords (mostly because that's what I have), but I think the top part of my outfit was pretty similar. Woo hoo!
Out of curiosity, were any of you Pinocchio fans? Or did you perhaps find the whole whale situation a bit frightening?

Also, we've decided that the month of February will be a theme month. It will also be a little bit off-book. Anybody want to take a guess? I dare ya.

Images from here and here.

Thoughts on wardrobe...

Not the Narnian kind, although I'm ALWAYS open to discussing thoughts on wardrobes and Narnia. I have a thing about it.

A professor at Union utilizes his Facebook account well, I think. He is consistently posting links to thought-provoking articles that help keep the ol' thinker sharp. Because he's a political science scholar, many of his posts are political in nature, but he also posts non-political articles. My theory is that he likes to find articles that tend to polarize people, thus sparking the intelligent debate that professors seem to love so dearly. He recently posted this one that invited lots of thought and processing. It's long, but I found it to be very interesting, especially as this year has Amiee and me thinking a little extra about our clothing. I know it's very much an issue in churches these days (and perhaps also out of churches, as it tends to be an issue that non-church goers see as a point of judgment by those within the church...points to whomever can decipher that thought) and found it to be a good read. I'm interested in any thoughts you'd like to share!

He also posted this one that I have no real connection with, really, but thought was entertaining. Happy reading!

The Pooch Challenge

I would like to interject that "the pooch" challenge is in reference to my character inspiration, not a comment on trying to get rid of the effects of too much Christmas eating or anything.

This week's character is ever-so-slightly more obscure than usual, and my outfit isn't quite as similar to the Disneybound moodboard as I usually go for. If you actually guessed my character correctly on the first try and without peeking, I'd be super impressed. I would also perhaps give you a prize.

The gray-black-white color palette was SO easy to pull out of my closet; I love my neutrals. This week, I was going for:

Tramp from Lady and the Tramp. Disclaimer: I was not going for the description of "tramp" or "trampy." I know I wore my tall boots, but come on, y'all. I was going for "classy street dog." How'd I do? Also, no one chimed in last week with any thoughts on what kind of creature Beast actually is...

Anyway, here's the weekly breakdown:
Character: Tramp from Lady and the Tramp
Outfit:
*Gray jacket from Santa this year (he got it from Dressbarn, if anyone was interested. On sale, too).
*White top...is the same as the top for Beast last week. It was clean this week. Promise.
*Black skirt is from (are you ready for this?) Old Navy, 2000. That's right. I've had that skirt for about 12 years. Am I being judged by anyone right now?
*Leggings are from last year, and the boots have been mine since 2008.
Disneybound inspiration board:

See what I mean about my outfit not really being similar to the board at all? In essence, I took the color palette and the color palette only. I did add my own touch to the accessories: the necklace I'm wearing is a necklace I got in Senegal that has my name on it in Arabic. Sort of like an identification collar without actually being a collar. If I get lost, at least whoever finds me will know what to call me. If they read Arabic, of course.
Any other Lady and the Tramp fans out there? I really loved it as a child. Jacques (the Scottie) was my favorite. And, because I was a child, I literally thought the parents' names were "Jim Dear" and "Darling."

Don't forget to stop by Amiee's blog sometime next week for her updates after her Italy trip!
Images from here and here.

The moral of the story.

Today, I had a task to do that I just did. not. want. to. do. At all. When I got the task finished, I felt that I deserved a reward. I went to McDonald's to get one of those gloriously large, $1.00 sweet teas (and an Egg McMuffin). As I was driving onto campus to get back to work, I finally managed to get my straw unwrapped and take a swig of my tea (note: I realize that "swigs" are unlady-like, but that's just how I drink my tea.).

I was HEARTILY disappointed.

Why?

They gave me UNsweet tea. I called Mom to vent (yes, it's that big of a deal...I promise I'm not always this shallow), and here was the best quote/words of wisdom from my mother:

"The moral of this story is that you should ALWAYS go to Chick-fil-A."

Right on, Mom. And, I did. I ditched that unsweet tea in the CFA drive-thru and thoroughly enjoyed my new and fabulously sweet tea (which I paid for in coins...thankfully, CFA workers are trained to be nice at all costs).

Jot that lesson down for the future, kids. It's always going to be true. Right, Peggy?

First Pinterest-inspired project

I mentioned several of my pre-Christmas Pinterest projects a few weeks ago, but I didn't mention my biggest project. One of the first projects I laid eyes on when I first got onto Pinterest was a t-shirt quilt. I have mentioned for years that I really should do that, but I lacked enough motivation or skill. The more I looked around at t-shirt quilt patterns on Pinterest, though, the more I started thinking, "I really should do that." Amiee and I had already gathered a bunch of our shirts from years gone by, which the intention of sending them off to a professional to have a quilt made for Mom, so I thought, "I can do that...right?"

I started looking at several different patterns, searching- in essence- for the one that was the least complicated and required the fewest number of materials. I found several that almost sort of met my "requirements," but in the end, I created my own template/pattern.

I started with fleece that I snagged for 50% off. Woo hoo! Throughout the process, though, I discovered that fleece probably wasn't the best decision. Fact: fleece is HEAVY and HOT. Lesson learned.

After that lesson was learned, I started cutting/pinning/piecing the t-shirts and discovered that we had too many t-shirts for just a one-sided quilt.

Idea: TWO-sided quilt.

Great idea, right? Well, sort of. It turned out ok, but it made for a complicated sewing process. Imagine me alligator-wrestling a huge blanket in and around a regular-sized sewing machine. There were many moans and frustrated sighs. The occasional yell of frustration. The good news is that I actually finished it for Mom in time for Christmas. Photographic evidence below:

Ta da! It simultaneously makes me want to start another one AND put another one off...we'll see how it goes.

The Rawr Challenge

I spent quite a while this week going back and forth over what this week's character should be. Unlike Amiee, my closet isn't quite as primed for this activity. I landed on one (albeit very last-minute), and I really like it.

Guesses? Hint: this wasn't an original idea...even just two weeks into the challenge...

I shamelessly copied Amiee's outfit from last week (with my own take on it, of course) and went with...

Beast! Also, do we know what kind of creature he's supposed to be, anyway? I've never really thought about it too much, but now that we're into this challenge, I'm paying a lot more attention to these things. What is he?

Breakdown this week:

Character: Beast from Beauty and the Beast

Outfit:

* Navy cardigan/shrug/wispy jacket-y thing from 2010 for almost nothing at Papaya

* White top from 2011

* Yellow belt from Kyleigh's clothing benefactress who passes along fancy designer duds that Kyleigh generously shares.

* Brown skirt from 2009 (I think my mom got it for me at Wal-Mart and brought it to me in Ukraine)

* Fancy brown boots also from Kyleigh's surplus stash. Thanks, Kyleigh!

Disneybound inspiration board:

I have to say, I loved this outfit so much (and shamelessly basked in compliments- you'd think I never looked cute, the way people commented!) that I'm going to have to work really hard to come up with outfits that I like as much.

Amiee isn't posting today, but, in her defense, she is scampering around Italy and doesn't have time (I take back my defense of her...we should all be jealous and hold her lack of posting against her. Who's with me??). However, I do happen to know that she packed carefully so as to take two characters with her. She'll be posting those two when she returns.

So- opinions? Who wins so far: Ariel or Beast?

Images from here and here.

Have I mentioned this before?

Where will we live?

I don't think I've mentioned much about the potential relocation plans Brad and I are in the midst of. Brad is in the throes of graduate school applications, which are beastly. His applications to all of the schools are extremely similar, but they all require tweaking of some sort. SO, he can't simply copy and paste. I was doing a darn good job of editing his applications at first; somewhere along the way (probably after the 32nd time of reading the same passage), I lost my objectivity.

He applied and was accepted to Duke Divinity last year, but after a lot of prayer, we felt that we were supposed to stay in Jackson for another year. That was fine by me, seeing as I LOVE my job and will cry big, ugly, crocodile tears when I have to move out of my office. It will not be pretty. Not because my office is awesome, of course. It's got new carpet...but very little other intrinsic awesomeness. I just love my job. Funny side note about my office, though: I have several things hanging in my office that have Russian script on them. I've had them in my office for basically the whole time I've had this job. At the end of last school year, a student (who had literally be in my office dozens of times) asked me, "Hey, is that sign in Hebrew?"

I tried not to laugh.

So, this year, Brad is applying to quite a few schools in quite a few different locations. Only one is located south of the Mason-Dixon line, which I find terribly ironic, seeing as Brad HATES (as in, LOATHES and DESPISES) cold weather. Good thing I have a lot of cold weather gear in my closet. Mercifully, the remaining 3 applications are due in the next week. That puts a lot of stress on Brad this week, but it means that we'll be done (I say "we," but really, my participation has been minimal) with the paperwork and will just have to do the waiting on the where-are-we-going-to-live-next-year responses from schools. As much as I don't want to leave my job and our church, I'm interested to see what state I'll call home next year (let's be real, though: I'll probably always say I'm from Alabama.). There are six different states in the running, so there's no telling.

The options are: Massachusetts, North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri. I'm taking votes and predictions, so let me know what you think!

Image from here.

All the things?

I've been meaning to blog about all the things going on in our life recently, but I've been doing lots of very dull and boring things recently. Things around the house. We've been back from our break for over a week now, and I'm just now catching up on all the grocery shopping, laundry, and Christmas de-decorating. I started with much gumption and gusto, but those qualities have since begun lagging and have recently become non-existent. As in, there are boxes of Christmas decorations scattered about the house, and I have no motivation even to corral them, much less make sure they get upstairs. In the same vein as a funny blogger (who frequently doesn't use wise judgment in her vocabulary and I do not endorse it) once wrote (i.e. drew), this is much what my life has looked like recently:

I've definitely started with a lot of momentum. LAUNDRY! GROCERIES! CLEANING ALL THE THINGS! I'VE GOT THIS!

This is what it looks like now:

Allie the blogger definitely captured how I'm feeling about things these days. No creative outlets. Just chores. Good thing I like Brad so much. And Kyleigh. She's our roommate for January. She's a good one.

Now, I'm going to think about the vacuum and how I should go get it out of the closet and use it on the fake Christmas tree needles...

Images from here.

And so it begins: The Water-Logged Challenge

Amiee and I have officially started our "No Buy 2012" challenge and have both debuted our first character-inspired outfits. Amiee already posted hers here, and let me tell you: it's adorable. She had her well-planned out for quite a while, whereas mine just sort of came together. Here's my creation:

Any guesses on who I was going for? Hint: the fact that I'm so well-covered is very ironic.

In tribute to my favorite childhood Disney princess, my outfit was inspired by:

Ariel from The Little Mermaid! Or, as Sebastian would say, "Ah-ree-ehl." Here's a breakdown of my ensemble:

Character: Ariel
Outfit:
* teal/rhinestone-y top from 2010
* sand-ish colored pants from 2010
* purple scarf 2008 (Molly brought this to me from Peru!)
* red purse 2008 (graduation gift from our friend, Gannell)
* I'm not sure this counts, but I'm wearing a baobab tree charm from Senegal that I thought might look ever so slightly like a sea fan or coral or something.
Disneybound inspiration boards:

Sorry that I didn't have any exciting teal jeans to wear...actually, I'm not. I wouldn't wear them. I did enjoy busting out my red purse, though! It's like discovering a long-lost friend. Sigh.

Who will we be next week? Amiee already knows...I'm still working on mine. :)

Images found here, here, and here.

New Year...New Goals (mostly)

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year. I barely stayed awake long enough. I know. Party animal. New Year is HUGE in Ukraine, and I always had to rest up beforehand. Ukrainians take their New Year partying seriously. I take my sleep time seriously.

Since last posting, I've updated and "finalized" my list of goals for this year. Let's see how well I do this time around (especially since I don't have a given like "get married" on this list...):

1. The biggest goal is probably the joint goal I have with Amiee- our clothing challenge. We're planning to post our weekly outfits on Fridays, so be looking for this week's outfit in just a couple of days.

2. Since I sort of failed at my "read a book a month" goal last year, I'm going to give it another try this year.

3. Because Brad and I like cooking and eating, we're setting a goal of trying (to cook) a new (to at least one of us) ethnic dish each month. Looking forward to this one.

4. I want to make a t-shirt quilt out of our Union t-shirts that we no longer wear.

5. I've been working on a scrapbook of our wedding cards. The goal is to actually get it finished this year.

6. I'd like to visit a new city (of interest...not just a small town that we stop through to fill up our gas tank) or state.

7. I have a set of beautiful antique dining chairs whose seat upholstery has seen better days. Reupholstery is on the agenda!

8. Three skills I want to acquire/strengthen this year: a) cutting Brad's hair b) calligraphy and c) skillful operation of a motor vehicle with a manual transmission (I can do this one, but it's very rough. Very rough.).

Those are the primary goals. I have several smaller goals, but these are goals I definitely want to see through. Hopefully, I'll have some kind of update on them soon...

In other- completely unrelated- news, I learned over Christmas that 20lb dogs can eat up to 250 lbs of WHITE chocolate before there are dangerous side effects. My parents' dog, Bingley (30 lb Corgi who I like to think of as part my dog), sneaked away from us, got into a package of Andes peppermint white chocolate mints, and ate 20 of them- wrappers and all! We immediately started googling what kind of side effects this would have on him and discovered the bit about 250 lbs and white chocolate.

Bingley seemed very satisfied with his choice of a snack. I probably would be, too...minus the wrappers.