27 at 27- Success or Failure?

Well, friends... I am officially 28 years old (how did this happen!?) and my self-imposed challenge has come to an end. So how did I do? Not terrible. Not perfect. Somewhere in the middle. Let's review!

1. Visit a place I've never been.  

2. Take a Class. 

3. Write a rough draft of a novel or short story. I'm not quite sure I can count this as a success because though I did write a few things this year, none were really completed. 

4. Exercise at least twice a week. 

5. Eat healthier.  

6. Try a new vegetable. 

7. Go to a concert. 

8. Save more money than I did last year.  

9. See a play. 

10. Try my hand at photography. 

11. Do a wine tasting. 

12. Eat at a restaurant I've never eaten at before.  

13. Try new kinds of sushi. 

14. Run a 5K.  

15. Watch Breaking Bad.  

16. Make a craft At our Christmas party this year, we decided to make wine bottle crafts (because my stockpile was becoming excessive) and paint Christmas themed paintings (simply because we've been wanting to paint things). 

17. Make a T-shirt quilt. Maybe next year. 

18. Attempt a new activity. 

19. Have at least one themed party.   

20. Bake a new kind of pie. 

21. Make a crafty map of the United States. 

22. Learn how to curl my hair.  

23. Go to a drag queen show. 

24. Have an Awesome 28th Birthday!  I decided not to have a party this year ( I was in no frame of mind for party planning) but instead have dinner at my favorite Korean BBQ place (and the only one I've ever been to) Honey Pig. After a very good dinner, we ventured out to see Georgia's only hockey team (??), the Atlanta Gladiators, play. Even though they lost in overtime, it was still pretty exciting. Maybe I should go back and replace one of my failed tasks with Attend a Sporting Event I've Never Attended Before. Oh well... 

On Sunday, my mom cooked lunch for family and friends. All in all I did have an awesome birthday!

25. Do something that scares me. 

26. Re-organize my closet area.   

27. Blog more!  

25 out of 27 ain't bad. And perhaps some of my ambitions were a little too ambitious for me. I'm considering make a 30 under 30 list but we shall see.

27 at 27 Update- One Month to Go!

A little less than one month out and still several list items to go. Time to buckle down and get things done! Maybe...

1. Visit a place I've never been.  

2. Take a Class. 

3. Write a rough draft of a novel or short story. Why do I have such trouble finishing my writing projects?

4. Exercise at least twice a week. 

5. Eat healthier.  

6. Try a new vegetable. 

7. Go to a concert. 

8. Save more money than I did last year.  

9. See a play. 

10. Try my hand at photography. 

11. Do a wine tasting. 

12. Eat at a restaurant I've never eaten at before.  

13. Try new kinds of sushi. 

14. Run a 5K.  

15. Watch Breaking Bad.  I finally sat down and watched the first two episodes of Breaking Bad. It's interesting, if not a tad bit depressing so far. I'll be curious to see how the rest of the show goes once I get around to watching it. (Tis the season for Hallmark Christmas movies right now!)

16. Make a craft and attempt to sell it on Etsy. Time to be honest with myself. My desire to be crafty outweighs my actual crafting ability. Therefore, I've decided that trying to sell something I make really would not be fair to an unsuspecting buyer who may be lured in by one good picture. So I'm changing this list item to simply make a craft. Our annual Christmas party is coming up this weekend and we have wine bottle crafts on our To Do list. If it turns out great, fabulous! If it's blah, I'm the only one who has to look at it. :)

17. Make a T-shirt quilt. This challenge may prove to be difficult given that I have not learned to sew or quilt, but I have plans to start this process with my grandmother's help.

18. Attempt a new activity. 

19. Have at least one themed party.   

20. Bake a new kind of pie. 

21. Make a crafty map of the United States. 

22. Learn how to curl my hair.  

23. Go to a drag queen show. 

24. Go glamping. The season for camping has pretty much come to an end. I still think it would be really cool to go glamping but I'm afraid we might get hypothermia trying to sleep outside this time of year. I am instead replacing this list item with Have an Awesome 28th Birthday! I have decided on a 90's theme so it should be easily an awesome party.

25. Do something that scares me. 

26. Re-organize my closet area.   

27. Blog more!  

27 at 27 Update and the 30 Day Plank Challenge

1. Visit a place I've never been.  

2. Take a Class. 

3. Write a rough draft of a novel or short story. 

4. Get in the shape I want to be in. So I've thought a lot about this goal and realized that this isn't something to be met in a year. This is an ongoing process. So instead I am officially changing number 4 to Exercise at least twice a week. I can't say that I have exercised twice a week every week this year, but I think I did pretty good though. Before my Zumba class ended, I was attending at least one (if not two) Zumba classes a week and a yoga class. I haven't become a total couch potato like I used to be so I consider this a success. Also, I have completed my goal of planking for 5 minutes! 

5. Eat healthier.  Now that we're nearing the end of the year, I can officially say that I have eaten healthier foods this year. I now cook broccoli and asparagus on a regular basis. Below is a dinner I made not too long ago of chicken, broccoli and quinoa. 

This is not to say that I eat all healthy foods. I do still enjoy my fried chicken salads, waffle fries and American Deli wings quite frequently. But I'm getting there.

6. Try a new vegetable. 

7. Go to a concert. 

8. Save more money than I did last year.  It's official, I have managed to put more money into my savings account than I did last year. Now, if only I could keep it going without taking any money out.

9. See a play. 

10. Try my hand at photography. 

11. Do a wine tasting. I haven't gotten the chance to do an official wine tasting, but I did attend a wine and chocolate party. We tried three different wines with various chocolates and cheeses. It counts!

12. Eat at a restaurant I've never eaten at before.  


13. Try new kinds of sushi. 

14. Run a 5K.  

15. Watch Breaking Bad. 

16. Make a craft and attempt to sell it on Etsy. 

17. Make a T-shirt quilt. 

18. Attempt a new activity. 

19. Have at least one themed party.   

20. Bake a new kind of pie. 

21. Make a crafty map of the United States. 

22. Learn how to curl my hair.  Being a hair stylist may not be in my future, but I think I've learned just enough about my styling wand to get by. I've curled my hair several times this year and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. At least, most of the time.

23. Go to a drag queen show. 

24. Go glamping. 

25. Do something that scares me. 

26. Re-organize my closet area.   

27. Blog more!  I think it's safe to say that I have blogged more this year than I ever have, which is a bit sad considering the number of posts I have :) . Hopefully one day I will find my niche and post at least once a week.

Less than two months to go with 5 challenges left!

27 at 27 Update

1. Visit a place I've never been.  

2. Take a Class. Photography 1 complete!

3. Write a rough draft of a novel or short story. 

4. Get in the shape I want to be in. 

5. Eat healthier. 

6. Try a new vegetable. 

7. Go to a concert. A few weekends ago I attended a Shania Twain concert. It was not quite what I expected. She was definitely not the Shania Twain I remember (what with the blonde hair and Vegas-style outfit choices) but it was entertaining. And she sang all of my favorites, which is the most important thing.

8. Save more money than I did last year. 

9. See a play. 

10. Try my hand at photography. Kinda killed two birds with one stone on this one by taking my class. It's still a work in progress but I'm improving!

11. Do a wine tasting. 

12. Eat at a restaurant I've never eaten at before.  


13. Try new kinds of sushi. 

14. Run a 5K.  

15. Watch Breaking Bad. 

16. Make a craft and attempt to sell it on Etsy. 

17. Make a T-shirt quilt. 

18. Attempt a new activity. 

19. Have at least one themed party.   

20. Bake a new kind of pie. 

21. Make a crafty map of the United States. 

22. Learn how to curl my hair. 

23. Go to a drag queen show. 

24. Go glamping. 

25. Do something that scares me. 

26. Re-organize my closet area.   

27. Blog more! 

I have around 4 months left. I'm worried about some of the items on the list, but I'm going to try my best!

Photography!

As part of my 27 at 27, I decided to take a photography class at a local college. The classes are offered on week nights at 7. I've had to re-arrange my fitness schedule, but other than that, it works out great. Well, except that I've had to kill 2-3 hours the last few weeks on Tuesday evenings between work at class. (My class is just down the road from my job and I live 35 minutes away so I felt it pointless to drive home just to come back.) My last class is tonight, but I start Photography 2 in a few weeks!!

I've finally learned how to use my camera, at least the basics, and have taken some pretty cool shots. 

I know I still have a ways to go before I can call myself a photographer, but hopefully I will get there someday. 

A New Book is Out, Must be Tuesday

Have you ever wondered why most new books come out on Tuesday? 

Well, I have. But never before did I use my favorite trusty search engine to find out. Until today.

I glimpsed on Twitter where Felecia Day's new memoir is coming out today...Tuesday. And for once I actually wondered 'why Tuesday' enough to look it up.

According to one source, book sales (like TV ratings) are measured by Nielson. And Nielson measures weekly sales from Tuesday to Monday (for some unknown reason). 

Another source stated it was so that retailers didn't have to unpack new items on the release date (Monday) and that Tuesday was the next closet day or something.

Other blogs and articles say there is no reason. Or simply that no one knows. 

Regardless of the reason, I plan to go out and purchase a new book today. And memoir just happens to be on my 52 week reading challenge. Speaking of...

I have made fairly good progress with my reading list. I'm over halfway there (having read 29 of 52 books). The problem now is that I'm running out of categories that fit the books I most like to read. Chick-lit! 

Here's a list of the books I've read so far and my rating out of 5 stars!

Getting Rid of Bradly	Jennifer Crusie	3
A Rural Affair	Catherine Alliott	3
The DUFF	Kody Keplinger	4
Don't Turn Around Trilogy	Michelle Gagnon	3
Fangirl	Rainbow Rowell	5
Everlast	Chad Michael Murray	3
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus	Mo Williems	5
When in Doubt, Add Butter	Beth Harbison	4
Hidden	Catherine McKenzie	3
Choose Us	Caylie Marcoe	4
Switched	Cassie Mae	4
The Gift	Deb Stover	4
Her Mistletoe Protector	Laura Scott	3
Love Thy Neighbor	Belle Aurora	3.5
Parting Chances	Caylie Marcoe	4
The First	Lisa M. Green	3
Shiver	Karen Robards	5
King Sized Beds and Happy Trails	Becca Anne	3.5
The Heir	Keira Cass	5
Beach Blanket Bad Boys	Linda Miller	4
What Alice Forgot	Liane Moriarty	4.5
Can You Keep a Secret	Sophie Kinsella	4
Day Shift	Charlaine Harris	4
Unexpectedly You	Cassie Mae	4
His Best Friend	Melanie Marks	2
A Dark Lure	Loreth Ann White	4.5
It's In His Heart	Shelly Alexander	4.5

Bear in mind that my rating is largely based on whether I personally liked the book, not simply if it was well written. For my reviews on these books, you can check out my Goodreads page. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18323405-mallory

Only 23 more to go! According to Goodreads I am two books behind schedule. Oh well! The rest of the list may be a bigger challenge, but I'm up for it.

Anyone know a good book that came out in 1987?

Dear Madam, Can you Change a Tire?

Women can do a lot of things. Anything we put our minds to.

But I realized last Monday that there are several important things I do not know how to do. And it's true that I didn't think of all of this just now (I already knew I didn't know how to change a tire) but being stranded on the side of the road will really get you contemplating.

I have had exactly two flat tires in my nearly 12 years of driving. The first happened about two miles from my house so it wasn't difficult to find someone to drive over and help me out.

The second happened today. On a highway. At 7:00 a.m. 30 minutes from my house.

As I sat there, looking at directions on how to use a carjack, I wondered/hoped someone would take pity on me and stop. After they didn't and I spent a bit second guessing myself and my ability to handle this crisis on my own, I called a co-worker to come and help me. He kindly obliged (and even took me to a gas station to put air in my spare tire after we discovered it was flat :/ ) and I really appreciated the help. 

But it left me wondering if I could have done it on my own. Now, in this instance, that probably would have been a no since I couldn't walk to a gas station and pump up that tire, but in a general sense... Could I change my own tire if there was no one to help? If no one stopped?

This also lead me to think about other things I don't currently know how to do. Like sewing a button on a shirt, running a lawn mower, repairing a leaky sink... I depend on other people to do certain things for me but what if the day comes when I am the only one around? Or I am the adult who is supposed to fix the problem?

I'm making it a goal to learn these skills (and others). If I do make a 30 under 30 list, I know what will be number 1.

Below is a Buzzfeed article I found on things every woman should know how to do. It's entertaining if nothing else:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesevilla/46-things-every-grown-woman-should-know#.ovlxpQWmP

Me Time

Last Thursday I took the day off from work. I had time I needed to use and thought, why not? I also didn't tell anyone I took off work as I was determined to have a little 'me time'. 

I didn't want to waste the day by laying around watching Netflix all day, so I got my butt up at 8:00 a.m. and set out for our local park.

I haven't run a mile in quite some time so I wasn't sure I could even still do it. But I was determined to try. Our park has a track that runs around it. In total it is 1 1/10 miles. I started slow, walking a full lap around, snapping a few photos.

I ran the entire next lap (yay!) and then walked one more lap before heading back home to shower.

After showering, my grandmother and I went to get our nails done and then went to lunch at Applebees. I love their lunch combos. I had a club sandwich and French onion soup ($8). After lunch we went to Walmart to pick up a few things and then headed home.

Still wanting to be productive, I washed dishes and clothes and picked up a little around the basement. I even managed a blog entry! By the time all of this was done, it was time to start cooking dinner. I'd been craving pasta salad all day, so I started with an Italian dressing based recipe.

I cooked a pound of pasta (this lasted for three days FYI) and then added red and green peppers, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and Italian dressing. It's very simple and very delicious. 

For the main dish, I decided to cook something a bit healthier. I made a lemon chicken and asparagus stir fry. I also made white rice to go on the side. I know white rice isn't the healthiest, but I like it. :)

You can find the recipe here: 

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/03/chicken-and-asparagus-lemon-stir-fry.html

After dinner, I decided to do something I hadn't done in quite a while. I took a bubble bath. It seemed like a great way to end my day. I had mixed up some sangria earlier in the day (sangria I bought from Sam's mixed with blackberries) so I poured a glass and lit a candle and relaxed in my (admittedly too small) tub. 

I made the water a little too hot so it didn't last as long as it could have but it was still nice. I read a few chapters of my book and sipped my sangria. 

Note to self: when I get my own house, I will get a bigger tub. Preferably one with jets. :)

All in all, I'd say it was a great day. 

Cleaning Out My Closet

I'm sorry, mama. I never meant to hurt you...

Just kidding. This is about an actual closet.

Since I've been buying so many new clothes and shoes lately, I thought it would be a good idea to re-organize my closet. 

As you can see from the before picture below, my closet is really just racks hanging on the wall. Since I'm in the basement, a closet for clothes was never built. This is one of many reasons I should keep my closet tidy at all times. Whoever walks into my bedroom can see it.

As you may notice, I have a tendency to throw hangers on the floor when I take clothes off of them. Bad habit.

My first step to a better closet was to pull everything down. I put it all on my bed in piles. Shirts with shirts, jackets with jackets, dresses with dresses, etc. (Side note- I do not hang pants in my closet. I keep them in drawers.) I then went through all of the piles and picked out which clothes I really wanted to keep.The rest went into the Goodwill pile. A good rule of thumb is if you haven't worn it in the last year, you probably aren't going to. 

I read up on hangers and discovered that these thin velvet hangers are really good for space saving. They also grip your clothes so they do not fall off like they do with wire hangers. No clothes pins necessary! I ordered the hangers pictured below from Amazon ($24 for 50 hangers) and I also ordered the suit hangers as well ($25 for 50). I ended up ordering a total of 150 hangers to accommodate all of my clothes. (Yeah I know...) I also purchased a pack of finger clips from Amazon for my skirts. ($7.48 for 20). All of these items ship free with Amazon Prime. 

I hung everything back up starting at the back right with my big winter coats. Next I put dresses. This was necessary for me because my shoe rack is too tall for them to hang anywhere else. Next came long-sleeved shirts, then short sleeved, then sleeveless. Lastly, I put my cardigans on the very end. On the right side of the closet I hung my jackets and a few ugly Christmas sweaters. When it gets colder weather, I plan to unpack the rest of my non-ugly sweaters and switch them out with my sleeveless shirts.

I decided to organize each section by color as well. This makes it much easier to find things when I'm hurriedly looking for a specific article of clothing.

I have all of my bags a purses stacked in the top of my closet, along with various hats I've acquired (for parties mostly). The bigger Thirty-One totes hold all of my purses, while my grey and white polka dot bin holds my wallets. 

I think the velvet hangers really clean up the look of the closet and make it seem a bit more spacious than the plastic hangers. I'm glad I made the investment.

Not only does it look better, but re-organizing your closet once a year can really aid in getting rid of clothes you don't wear. Though it doesn't look like it, I actually got rid of a whole trash-bag of clothes this go around. 

Lord help me if I ever get my dream walk-in closet. ;)

Confessions of a Possible Shopaholic

I used to be pretty thrifty. I was careful with my money and never bought anything that cost more than $30. I would have died at the thought of buying a bathing suit that cost over $100. 

So what's happened to me lately? Because that is exactly what I did. I seem to be having less and less problems spending more and more money on clothes and shoes these days. And maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing. I haven't dug myself into the horrible, inescapable depths of debt. Yet...

Maybe it's getting older and having more money to spend. And the fact that I don't currently have a house payment or kids. Or maybe I'm developing a love for fashion that I didn't used to have.

I've been buying a lot of things lately that don't fit my "style". My friend Hillary and I went shopping this weekend and we both purchased things we'd never seen each other wear. And we've been friends for 15 years (saying that makes me feel old...). I told her now was as good a time as any to re-invent our style. Or at least add to it.

I have a very eclectic taste in music. And maybe I've developed the same taste as far as fashion goes. Just this past weekend I purchased this vest from Guess ($60):

I saw it in the store and passed it by, thinking it was not something I would ever wear. But as we perused the aisles, I kept thinking about it. So eventually I went back for it. I tried it on not expecting to like it that much. But I loved it. 

Another recent purchase I made was my Lauren Conrad scalloped shorts ($33 at Kohl's). I bought them in black and in the pattern below:

It's been a bit of a struggle to figure out what top to wear with these but I love them.

In the past two weeks I've also purchased Lauren Conrad coated jeggings ($12 on clearance at Kohl's).

And this LC floral peasant blouse ($29.99 at Kohl's).

I also purchased a new pair of Yellow Box flip flops from Belk ($24.99) and a pair of rolled up jeans from Gap ($19.99).

So yeah...I feel like I've become a shopaholic. Although, to be honest, this is not a very recent development. My 20-odd Thirty-One and Vera Bradley bags purchased over the past three years can attest to that. But I've spent quite a bit in the last two weeks and sadly now have a hundred more dollars worth of things in my cart. 

So this is the part where I confess that I may have a buying problem. But I also have an evolving style so who can really put a handle on that? Aren't these items so cute?

I should just get them right?

City Fashion in a Small Town

I bought faux leather leggings today.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it kind of is for me.

I'm from a relatively small Georgia town. Not small as in we have one traffic light or anything but we're definitely no city. I never really venture to Atlanta, the closest big city, that often. I don't have a hopping nightlife or a job where dressing up is required everyday.

Therefore, I am conflicted. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to all things fashion (and a separate board for shoes!) and I've pinned so many cute outfits but...

I've never been what I consider "fashionable". I don't feel like I can suddenly take up wearing trendy clothes even if I want to sometimes. I've looked at a few fashion blogs, browsed Pinterest and various store's websites but I'm still not convinced I can pull it off. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like certain outfits are geared more towards big city girls. Although, looking around me, I do know people personally who dress fabulously so I know it's all in my head.

I decided today that I would Google small town fashion versus big city fashion just to see what came up. Here are a few of the small town results:

Plaid! 

Camo!

Though I am Southern and somewhat small town, I do not wear plaid or camo much at all. I think I have one plaid shirt maybe. Also, I don't own cowboy boots. I have often thought of investing in a pair just to wear to country music concerts but I still haven't. 

When I googled big city fashion:

Now I'm going to be honest. I've never seen Sex and the City. I'm not a huge SJP fan. And maybe I would be if I ever watched the show. But so far I haven't. Therefore, I can't appreciate fashion references from this show.

The one thing I'm in love with, fashion-wise, these days is faux leather leggings. I really like the edgy look, leather jacket, dark heels. But edgy scares me a bit. For several years I've wanted a faux leather jacket, but I've never found one just right. If I could ever pull off any look, I would want it to be this one.

In my fashion blog search I found this post on faux leather pants:

http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/how-to-wear-leather-pants/

It is from two years ago so I realize I may now be behind on the leather pants craze (oh well). But the jist of the article is that anyone can pull off faux leather if they do it the right way. I let this article convince me once and for all that I needed to buy those leggings that have been sitting on my wish list for months. I haven't gotten them yet obviously, but I'll update once I do. I think I have the right shoes. It's only a matter of the perfect top.

Another fashion blog I've discovered is http://www.hellofashionblog.com/. She's rocking some cute outfits. I especially loved this dress:




It's a bit expensive for me, but if I was going to splurge on a dress, it would probably be this one. 


So what exactly is my style? That's a difficult question to answer. I do most of my shopping at Kohl's, Old Navy and Target. Here's a look at some recent outfits of mine:

Everyday Look

When I'm not at work, you can usually find me in an outfit similar to this. Capris or shorts (or pants when it's cold) and a plain top. I've gotten most of my capri pants from Kohl's. I really like the way they fit. These are Apt. 9. I have a shirt like the one above in almost every color. It came from Old Navy. I like the way these shirts fit and they almost never have to be ironed, which is a plus. They cost around $10 usually. Sometimes $5 if they're on sale.

Night Out Look

I say this is my night out look. I've worn it once. But actually, it's the only night out I've had where there was cause to dress differently than normal.

The shirt and shoes both came from Kohl's. The jeggings came from Walmart. I was pleasantly surprised. They're not too thin (you can't see through them) and they fit really well.

Here's a closer look at the shoes since you can't really see them in the above picture:

Candies Fiji Boots, $39.99

I love the shoes. They do hurt my feet after a while (I'm flat footed) so I wear them when I plan to do a lot of sitting.

Church/Wedding Look

I bought this dress from Kohl's around Easter this year. It's Lauren Conrad (I've bought a lot of her clothes lately). Cost around $50. I've only worn this dress once so far, but I would definitely pull it out for a wedding. Not sure it does much for my pasty pale legs though. Oh well.

The shoes came from Rack Room and are quite possibly my favorite pair of dress shoes. I've developed an affinity for wedges. They feel better than heels to me. And these were only around $25.

I've also really come to love blazers. All during the winter season I wore blazers to work. 

I got this Lauren Conrad charcoal blazer from Kohl's on clearance for $28. It fits amazing. I can lift my arms without it pulling insanely tight in my armpits. 

And just to show that I do have colors other than black and gray in my wardrobe:

Just kidding! But seriously tho. Aren't these the best pjs ever?


So I suppose the point of this blog is...am I on the right track here? Is buying faux leather leggings a terrible idea? Can I be stylish, even if it's only in my own mind?

Also, what are other good fashion blogs I should check out?