All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

Dress-Apt 9 via The Second Showing; Tights-Target; Shoes-Blowfish

This is what I would have worn to my friend Stef's Pamper the Bride party tonight, if I'd actually made it there. It's a sad story about miss-communication. We have one car, and that usually works out well since we also have bikes. This evening that did not work out, as Trevor took the car to pick up dinner and go to the store, and came after the party had started. The party was an hour's drive away. So that was a no go. He says I never told him a specific time I had to leave, I'm sure I did. Since there were no witnesses and no recording devices present, we'll just have to let this one go.

I did really like the idea of the party. Instead of a traditional shower, guests were to bring their favorite bath items and the bride would have a full basket of goodies to take home. I decided on a bottle of wine as my contribution, because I love wine with my spa nights. Stef, I promise you will still get that bottle, even if I have to give it to you at the wedding.




I grabbed these bracelets from Maya's growing collection of bangles. The silver one is part of a set I got her in Cozumel last December. People told me that silver was cheap in Mexico, but these were ridiculous. I think they were less than a dollar apiece. The other two are from In Pink, purchased with a gift card I won from a giveaway on Adored Austin.

When I first picked up this dress, I really liked the print but was not so thrilled about the big heavy beaded design on the placket. But those were easy enough to remove and are now in my bead stash awaiting use in other projects.It also has pockets, and I am always a sucker for pockets on dresses and skirts.


Well, here's hoping nothing comes up that prevents me from attending Stef's wedding. I should make sure and have the conversation with Trevor about that ASAP.

Suburbia

This weekend we drove to Kansas City for Trevor's grandmother's 84th birthday celebration on Sunday. Kansas City has always amazed me with the sheer amount of urban sprawl. If you travel on I-35, you can drive the 40 or so miles from Liberty, Missouri, through downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and on to Olathe, Kansas, without seeing anything that looks remotely rural.

On Friday night, we stayed with Trevor's brother and sister in law. I was supposed to go play paintball with the family, but I had been out pretty late on Friday seeing my friend's band, so I decided to stay in and watch cable. When you don't have cable, it's kind of a luxury to get to sit around and watch some trashy reality TV on a Saturday and track the hurricane online.

Dress-Target; Shirt-Old Navy via Goodwill; Shoes-Converse; Scarf-Thrifted via Savers

I went over to a nearby park and got a few shots. I didn't stay too long, though, because the mosquitoes were out in full force. They aren't very plentiful where I live, and since I don't get bitten often anymore, the bites now tend to swell up and sometimes bruise.



I really like this dress, but I couldn't help but wonder if the whole look was too young for me. I chose this when I was packing because I knew it would keep me cool, but I'm getting to an age where I really wonder about age appropriate dressing. However, ultimately I don't really care. I wasn't going to be in any situations where I had to be taken seriously. I wouldn't wear this to work or court, but it's fine for a day where the most taxing thing you have to decide is where to eat dinner.



I included this one because it looks like I'm not really in the park, but in front of a green screen.


I got a few foliage shots, too. I'm in a definite amateur photographer totally fascinated by light kind of phase right now.





The park was deserted, which was weird for a Saturday in the suburbs. But I'll chalk that up to the heat and humidity and the infestation of rabid mosquitoes.

Clothing Swap Post At Softspoken

Today we're also guest posting over at Softspoken covering Maya's clothing swap last week. Head on over to check it out. Also, with the weather starting to turn, you might want to check out some of Rachael's beautiful hats, scarves and other lovely crocheted items in her store.

Lunch Time

I've made a commitment to start bringing lunch or a snack to work with me instead of relying on the vending machines or takeout. Each week I'll document how I did. Click here for previous posts.

Last week I worked full days Monday-Thursday and a half day on Friday. I was able to do a little prep work on Sunday that helped me out through the week. This mostly just consisted of pre slicing vegetables. I also used dinner leftovers for lunch twice last week, which was a huge time saver.


Leftover Beans and Cornbread, Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Banana, Cereal Bar

Tuesday I took Maya to Maid-Rite after her dentist appointment, which I talked about here. I'll be honest, as delicious as my greasy burger and fries was, I felt sluggish the rest of the day.

Leftover Pasta, Graham Crackers and Nutella, Apple, Orange

This pasta dish is one that Trevor makes every couple of weeks. It's pretty basic, using pear tomato strips, squash, smoke sausage, bell peppers and plenty of spice. He usually makes a large batch so there's plenty of leftovers.

Veggie and Hummus Wrap, Apple, Orange, Dried Fruit, Mixed Nuts

I made some hummus last week. My method is pretty simple. I just soak some chick peas for a couple of days in the fridge. First I cook them for about 15 minutes, then throw them in the blender with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, a few garlic cloves, sea salt, and pepper. It comes out a little chunkier than store bought hummus, but it's good and really cheap.

For my wrap, I combined the hummus with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper strips and baby spinach.

Chocolate Soy Milk, Cereal Bar

So this was week four, and it's definitely becoming a habit to put together a lunch before I leave. We'll see how well I keep it up once Maya starts school. I'm going to start getting up earlier so we can eat breakfast together, too.

The Fashion Lunch Set that I ordered from Tupperware has been a huge help. Since I pack snacks as well as lunch, I like the roomy insulated bag. My favorite piece has been the tumbler. It's easy to fill and throw into the bag, and it's easier to clean than a traditional water bottle.

You've still got a couple of days to enter the giveaway to win your own Fashion Lunch Set, so get on in there and enter!

Guest Post: Oisercage Loves Fall

Today's guest post is from Dyane at Oisercage. Dyane is an aspiring writer living our nation's capital. She blogs about travel and fashion, as well as movies, books and music. Her movie reviews are always sure to lend a fresh perspective. Her blog is also worth checking out for her gorgeous photography. For this guest post, I asked her to tell us about what she loves about autumn.



Photo Credit:
Tea
Soup
Yellow Trees
Honey

Scarves and Funky Tights are from my blog.



Thanks, Dyane! Please check out her blog, Oisercage. It's one of my favorites, and a fantastic read.

Damn Arkansan

Sometimes events in life coincide so beautifully. We're visiting Trevor's parents in Kansas City this weekend, and it just so happened that my friend Drew's band, Damn Arkansan, was in town.

I've been wanting to see them live forever, but they've mostly been playing close to Fayetteville.

Plus, my good friend Whitney was selling merch for them, so we got to hang out for the first time in years.

Damn Arkansan is going to be raising money to record, soon. After they should be touring. If they ever come near you, go see them. They put on a pretty damned good show.

The music is alt country infused with a lot of rock, and the show is incredibly energetic. They had the whole crowd dancing madly by the end of set.

I'll have more photos and video later, when I'm back on my own computer. I was just so excited I wanted to share.

So, again, that was Damn Arkansan. Check them out, like them on Facebook, fall in love.

Guest Post: The Sky Girl Talks About Packing

Hi there! This is Sarah from Up in the Air!
April and Maya are off on an adventure, so April asked me to fill in with a guest post. Since she is traveling, and I travel for a living, she thought I might have some good tips on packing for you. I’ve been a Flight Attendant Extraordinarie for almost four years, so I guess you could say I’ve picked up a trick or two along the way.

Some people are good at packing a LOT of stuff into a little suitcase. That’s not really my style. I like to pack light. I change planes sometimes 4 or 5 times a day and I have to heave my suitcase into the overhead bin before each of those flights. In addition, I don’t own a car, so I rely on public transit to get to and from the airport. I ride a bus for 10 minutes to take a light rail train that goes right under the airport. I love not having a car, but when I’m carrying my suitcase on and off the bus (usually in high heels!) I like to keep my baggage to a minimum: roll-aboard suitcase, small flight tote & purse. You’ll see flight attendants (especially the International ladies) with all that PLUS a garment bag, lunch box & laptop case. That’s too much for me. I once worked an 8-day trip around Asia with just my roll-aboard and purse. Now THAT is traveling light!



So I don’t have any magic secrets for fitting your entire wardrobe into one suitcase, but I do have a few tips & hints that might come in handy the next time you hit the road.

Plan before you pack! When I’m traveling for work, I have what I refer to as my Layover Uniform (jeans, tshirt, cardigan) so that makes it easy for me, especially when I know some of my layovers are going to be too short to even leave my hotel room! But when I travel on my own time, it gets a little more difficult. And I have been known to show up places with three white shirts for a 5-day visit and only a black bra. So I try to take a little extra time to plan out what I want to wear every day, down to the accessories. Some people make lists. I lay everything out on the bed. I’m a big fan of multi-wear items, like jeans and cardigans. And I always err on the side of caution when it comes to underwear. Every time I do laundry, I pretty much just put all my clean underwear into the suitcase. You just can’t go wrong with too much clean underwear!



If this job has taught me anything, it’s flexibility! No matter how much I plan, things can change at any second, so there are a few things I always keep in my suitcase, along with all that clean underwear. On that same 8-day trip through Asia, I was re-routed through Hawaii. My one and only trip to Honolulu and I didn’t have a swimsuit or a pair of sandals! I bought a pair of gaudy pink flip-flops on that trip and they’ve become known as my Emergency Flip-Flops and I only wear them on layovers. My suitcase has pockets along the long sides, so I keep the flip-flops in a plastic bag in one of those. Some other things that are always in my suitcase: my swimsuit (even though I never wear it), a phone charger (always a good idea, even if you‘re not a frequent traveler!), a small bag for my dirty clothes (shirts & pants can be re-folded, but socks & undies go in the bag!), a travel-sized spray bottle of Febreeze, lady time items, extra hair ties & bobby pins and eye make-up & Nail Polish Remover Pads (eliminates spillage and you can buy ‘em in bulk on Amazon!)






Keep things separate by using built-in compartments and other, smaller bags. I’ve made working out a priority, so even if it takes up a lot of space, I always pack my gear. There’s no two ways about it, though, it tends to smell and I don’t want everything in my suitcase to smell like sweaty shoes! So, I keep my gear in a cheapie nylon backpack that I picked up at a booth at the Minnesota State Fair last year. My suitcase has two mesh pockets on the inside of the front of the case, as well as the two aforementioned long pockets on the side. My clean underwear & swimsuit go in one of the mesh pockets. My other never-leave-my-bag items go in the other mesh pocket. This way, I can easily see that everything is accounted for, and can judge if anything needs replenishing!





If it’s liquid, put it in a plastic baggie. It doesn’t matter if you’re checking your bag to your final destination or tossing your suitcase in the trunk of your car for a road trip. The last thing you want when you get where you’re going is to open your suitcase and find that you’re shampoo has exploded all over your clothes. Avoid that scenario and learn to love the sandwich baggie. I like the kind with the slide tops and I use and re-use them until they get holes (and then sometimes I recycle them for my non-liquid items, like charging cords or nylons!).





Well, I hope that helps! If you have an questions, feel free to comment below or email me directly at sbares@gmail.com! Happy travels!

Throwback Thursday: Paleofuture

I had no idea what I was going to do for Throwback Thursday this week, until I came across this image on a friend's Pinterest.

Source
Human beings, always on the hunt to improve our lives, have always been interested in What's Next. History is strewn with images of these predictions of the future. Sometimes we get it right, like Mark Twain's prediction of the internet. Yet often we get it wrong, in the case of the much lamented lack of flying cars.

The image above is from Paleofuture, a blog dedicated to documenting past visions of the future. You can browse the blog by decade, from the 1870s to the 1990s. Here are just a few examples. Check out the site for more.

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This illustration from Harper's Weekly from 1881 showing the future of New York. I love that all the buildings are roughly the same height, and all feature Queen Anne style architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright was only 14 years old at the time, and most of the modern architects he influenced were not even born yet.


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From the 1920s, that ever elusive flying car. You know what I'd like more than a flying car, though? Teleportation, or the Holodeck, or pretty much anything from Star Trek. Except Romulans. Screw them.

Speaking of Star Trek, my favorite era for the retro future is the 1960s. We were finally really in space and that heavily influenced advertising and design.


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I have to say, though, that living in Wisconsin makes me really wish that this bad boy had come to fruition:


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Who needs a plow when you can just kill it with fire?


I love watching videos from the 50s and 60s, usually produced by appliance companies, showcasing the kitchens and homes of tomorrow. These would sometimes run on Nick at Nite or the Disney Channel when I was little, and even in the 80s, the houses and kitchens seemed incredibly futuristic.
Do a search on YouTube and you'll find plenty like this:



Another favorite is this film from the 1930s, showcasing designers' predictions of fashion in the year 2000. While there's a heavy science fiction and Greek influence on the clothes, they failed to predict butterfly clips, belly shirts, ultra low rise pants, and glitter eyeshadow. Bummer.

Southern Comfort

Being from Arkansas, I was raised on a pretty steady diet of all things fried, with some fantastic fresh fruits and vegetables to round things out. One of the things on my 32 Before 33 list is to collect my family's recipes and putting them in a book. I've decided that this is a perfect project for this fall and winter, and sent word to my family about what I'm looking for. I plan on doing all the photography myself, so that means a lot of comfort food and memories.

Of course, all the talking and thinking about family favorites led me to start craving a simple but filling staple: beans and cornbread. It's excellent with some fried squash, a thick sliced tomato and some sweet tea.



My mom told me that they ate beans and cornbread many times a week when she was growing up, along with fried potatoes, fresh garden produce in the summer and canned in the winter. I remember a lot of pinto beans in my childhood, but when I make it myself I prefer white. Sunday was my first time using salt pork instead of ham, and everyone loved it. One caveat, it definitely adds quite a bit of fat.

I eat my beans over my cornbread, with a generous amount of hot sauce. I like sweet relish also if we have it. Maya eats hers separately. Sometimes I doubt her Southern heritage, until I see her sopping up her over easy eggs like a champ.



Now let's talk about cornbread. Trevor is from Kansas, and before he moved to Arkansas, his idea of cornbread was the kind made from a Jiffy mix; very sweet and very finely textured.

If I'm in the mood for a corn muffin, then sweet is fine. But corn bread is bread, not cake. It should be made from scratch, preferably in an iron skillet. It really doesn't take too much longer to whip it up from scratch than to make it from a mix. Here's my recipe, adapted from the one on the back of the corn meal package. I compromise with Trevor and add some sugar, but not enough to make it too sweet.

1 cup yellow corn meal*
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk**
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup olive oil***

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Add milk, egg and oil. Stir until fairly smooth.
4. Pour in a well greased 8 inch iron skillet or 8 inch square baking pan.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

*If you can only find cornmeal mix, check the ingredients. If it doesn't contain flour, just keep everything the same but don't add baking powder and salt. If it does contain flour, I don't know what to tell you.
**If you must, you can substitute regular milk.
***Use regular olive oil, not extra virgin, as the flavor would be too strong. You can also use canola oil.

Easy peasy.

What are your favorite comfort foods?

Locals Only: Maid-Rite

I usually take Maya to lunch or for a snack right after her dentist appointments. After the most recent one, we decided to try Maid-Rite. It's located on the North Side, which I haven't explored nearly enough, and it looked to serve the kind of diner food for which I have a huge weakness.



I had my camera with me, but I had left the card in the computer, so I had to make do with my phone. I took the opportunity to play around with the Vignette app for Android. It functions a lot like Instagram, and was fun for the novelty.

Maya contemplates the menu

Anyway, Maid-Rite may be a fast growing franchise with slick, standardized new stores, but the La Crosse location is truly old school, which is why I'm totally okay with featuring it here. Plus, the chain was founded not too far away in Muscatine, Iowa, which is local enough for me. They're known for their loose meat sandwiches, but we were both in the mood for a cheeseburger. We'll save the specialty for our next visit.



The diner is tiny. I think there were about six booths and room for maybe ten people at the counter. The food was cheap and good, but in a better way than fast food. When Maya first bit into her hamburger, she said "It tastes like Granny's house." And yes, there was something about the seasoning on that fried burger with American cheese that was almost exactly like my grandmother's hamburgers.



The fries were delicious, and so was the apple pie we got to go. One thing I'd say that was negative is that my soda went empty without getting refilled, and our waitress never came to check on us.

All in all, I'd definitely go back to try the loose meat, and I may go to the other area location, a new store, to compare and contrast.

Popsicle Crafts and Tempera Paints

Dress-Derek Heart via Kohl's; Cardigan-Target via Salvation Army; Tights-Target; Shoes-Keds via The Second Showing; Scarf-Thrifted

I think this outfit gives off a definite "Elementary School Art Teacher" vibe, with the slightly boho clothes paired with sensible shoes.  I don't mind that at all.

Though this is the third outfit post in a row featuring a purchase from Fake Target, said outfits were not worn on consecutive days.  I've been eyeing this cardigan at Target since it was full price.  I think it started out at $29.99. It was finally on the clearance rack last I checked, but still $12.48.  So you bet I snatched it up when I saw it at the Salvation Army for $6.

You can check out another way I've styled this dress here.

I've got a crazy couple of weeks coming up.  I'm getting to work more hours, we're going out of town this weekend, and then there's that whole thing with Maya starting high school. I'm also trying to put together a mini tour for Angie in October, and a Labor Day party with my friend Chelsea.  So I don't fall short on content, I've got more guest posts lined up,  and I've finished up some other posts that I've been working on for awhile.

Guest Post: Pope Timothy on the Joy of Fall

Today's guest post is from Tim. We've been friends since he was in high school. I met him through his older brother, Bob. His whole family is super cool. He has the kind of parents that tend to informally adopt all their kids' friends. He's a writer, activist, and all around awesome guy.



I grew up near Chicago, a place that has actual seasons, unlike my current state of residence, which is Arkansas. I'm a big guy, and a hairy guy, so I sweat a lot. I've never much cared for hot weather, and spend most of my Arkansas summers completely nocturnal. It's now almost September, which means that fall is approaching, and I couldn't be happier. Autumn always has been my favorite season, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, I get to wear jackets and hoodies again. I enjoy wearing suits as well, especially going out to events and protests, and have attempted to wear a suit to events in this summer, only to have to strip down due to the unbearable heat. Also, a good jacket masks my big gut, and give me a bit more confidence.



Secondly, I love watching the leaves change color. Not because I think it's pretty or anything, but because I hate trees and love watching them die. (See: Society Against Trees).

Third, the web-forums that I browse are going to be a lot more awesome during school time. All summer long, the web is filled with kids on their summer break misusing memes, not getting all the good inside jokes, and all around causing frustration. Now they will all be forced to learn how to sit quietly and regurgitate facts like a good little consumer, and I will get to browse peacefully.

Fourth, all the shows I'm super addicted to will be coming back. Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, Bored to Death, and Doctor Who all start new seasons this fall. Fall also has the ridiculous advent of Fall Sweeps, which, to what I understand, means that the TV stations all search for the lowest common denominator to pump mind numbing sitcoms into our collective unconscious.

Fifth, Fall is the only season to get two official names, making it better than the other seasons. Yeah, that's right, Fall AND Autumn are both acceptable and widely used terms for this awesome season. Summer, Winter and Spring, are you even trying? We all know that when something has many names, it's because it's something that is awesome. (I invite you to think of how many words are used for breasts).

Sixth, my birthday is in the fall. This year I turn 31, so that means I can no longer be trusted, according to the lyrics of All the Young Dudes by David Bowie. I'm OK with this. I'm tired of people trusting me as much as they do anyway. Also, I'm pretty certain that Libra is the best of the zodiac signs, and all other Libras will have birthdays this fall, and enjoy being better than the other zodiac signs.

Lastly, I like to cuddle, and as I said before, I'm a big, hairy, sweaty dude. This doesn't bode well for summer cuddling, but in the fall and winter, I'm like a free space heater, and trust me, I take advantage of that.


For more of Tim's musings, check out The Official Blog of Timothy Bowen. (You can purchase his books there, too.

Locals Only: Vintage Vogue

La Crosse has myriad consignment, resale and thrift shops, but only one truly legit vintage shop, Vintage Vogue. It offers a wide selection of clothing, shoes and accessories at incredibly affordable prices. There is also a nice selection of vintage wedding dresses. I spoke with the shop's owner on my last visit, and she said that she keeps the prices down so that college girls can afford to wear vintage. Depending on age and condition, you can get some pretty nice dresses for $15-$40 with shirts, skirts and pants in the $7-$20 range.



The store is very thoughtfully arranged by decade, which I always appreciate. I tend to gravitate toward the 40s and 60s.


That wig box will be mine if it's still there on my next visit.


There seems to be a never ending supply of hats. She rotates stock fairly regularly, too, so there's always new fun stuff to discover.


Photos by Maya



Photo by Maya

The Western duds are grouped together, too, including boots, hats, square dance skirts, and snap front shirts.


Photo by Maya

Vintage Vogue is of course a first stop for many people as they start searching for Halloween costumes. I love the clown shoe print on this vintage clown costume. It's kind of meta.


Photo by Maya

There's even a section dedicated to military uniforms. I'm always on the lookout for some vintage sailor pants.

Recently I'd heard a rumor that the store was closing, but I confirmed with the owner that while the store is for sale, she is not closing it. This was great news, because even when I can't buy anything, it's always fascinating to browse.

Vintage Vogue
115 5th Ave. S
La Crosse, WI
Monday-Saturday 10AM-5PM

Stop, Focus, Breathe

Saturday morning I woke up in an incredibly irritable mood. It was perplexing because accourding to the calendar I shouldn't be irritable, I've been getting plenty of sleep, and I've been eating healthily. It was escalating to the point that I got in a silly argument with Trevor over something trivial, and was badgering Maya while she was trying to get ready for her clothing swap.
Worse yet, she had a friend over. Now, this friend has seen me at my worst, but I now how awful it is to be yelled at by a parent while your friend witnesses.

I didn't want my mood to affect the entire household, so I decided to escape the house for awhile to clear my head. I grabbed some coffee at the Root Note and headed to the farmers market.

Good, strong coffee with lots of cream, open air, heirloom tomatoes for a dollar a pound, and being surrounded by beautiful food and people excited about buying and selling it all helped lift my mood immensely. The rest of the day was fantastic. I need to remember in the coming months as the light fades that sometimes all you need is a little change of scenery to brighten things.












I only had $10 cash, $8 after the coffee, but I think I did really well.



Since I had all the ingredients, for supper I made this recipe that I'd had pinned on Pinterest since the beginning of summer. These were delicious and pretty easy, like hush puppies with a kick.

A couple of notes on my experience making them:
1. Her cooking instructions are spot on. Don't go bigger than a heaping tablespoon with your portions and keep the heat on medium. This makes sure they get brown but also get cooked through.
2. Don't be shy with the sea salt. It's a little harder to judge with sea salt because of the larger grains. Next time I'll make sure to grind it first and use a bit more.
3. I used a small iron skillet. This helps retain a heat at a slightly higher temp, but also meant I had to replenish the oil more often. Next time I'm going to try it with a Teflon skillet and see how that goes.
4. I added an extra avocado to the salsa, because we love avocado around here.
5. I served them with baked talapia seasoned with cumin, cayenne, garlic, salt and pepper.