Carne Asada

Instead of going to our Young Adult's group tonight, we had our small group over for some Carne Asada.  Yep, our whole group ditched bible study.  We're such rebels.

Doug and I are so blessed to be part of a group like this in our post college and pre-babies state.  I know that for a lot of couples, this is a lost time where it's really difficult to find a community at the same stage of life as you.

The end.

Well, not quite actually.  I just wanted to say that we actually told our pastor that we were having a bbq.  We didn't really ditch.  I'm only a rebel in my mind.

Second Chance Saturday

I finally pulled off another Second Chance Saturday!  Today seemed like a good day to bring back this outfit because it's raining today in LA, and it was raining the day that we took this picture.  Welcome back token "in front of Dad's fireplace at Christmas time" picture outfit.  My stepmom, Chris, does the best Christmas decorating.

The Good:

• I love this sweater.  I feel like I can throw it on over anything for instant chic.
• The sweater has enough detail that it can be worn with a plain black shirt and dark denim without looking boring.

The Bad:

• The black shirt that I am wearing underneath the sweater isn't form fitting, and the jeans are wide leg jeans.  Nothing is hugging my body or giving me any shape.
• Like I said, it was raining that day.  My feet were wet :(
• I've mentioned before that I believe short sleeved sweaters need to be layered with something long sleeved underneath.  Don't hold me to that.  I might change my mind.  
• My forehead.  It needs to go away.

Well hello there.

The Solution:

• I chose a more fitted shirt with long sleeves and my denim leggings to balance the loose sweater and to cover up my bare arms.
• Wet feet?  Solved.
• Bye bye forehead.  I got bangs.

My Little Surfer Boy

I'm ready for the weekend.  Ready for sweet Saturday morning when Doug goes surfing, and I get a sweet hour or two of quiet time.  I love to be alone.  I treasure the precious moments when I have the house to myself.  I can clean the house, work on projects, read blogs, and watch Lifetime in perfect peace while Doug does this:

Unfortunately, I don't have too many pictures of Doug surfing...  He will be verrrrry angry when he sees that I posted a picture of him on such a small wave.

Guilt

So...have you guys heard about the Railroad Revival Tour that Mumford and Sons is doing?  Well, Doug and I are going...I think...  We bought tickets right when they became available.  Little did we know that the concert would be sold out within an hour.  So now, we have these tickets.  Other people want these tickets.  And while I'm excited about the concert, I'm not going to lie, I'm also pretty tempted to sell our tickets for a neat little profit.  And then spend that night watching Mumford and Sons' videos on youtube instead.  Or, turn our profit into $1 bills, fill our bathtub up with them and spend the night swimming around in them.  Both are pretty good options.

Shopping Trip

I was worried that after my 40+ day shopping fast, I would run into the mall and just begin grabbing things at random.  I would leave the stores with bags full of treasures clutched to my chest cackling, "Mine, all mine."

That's not quite the way it happened, but I did splurge a little.  I bought new sandals to replace these beautiful babies, and then it proceeded to rain for the next two days straight.

The Gap had a 30% off everything in the store sale this weekend.  Since my high school girls are my role models, and their uniform is a crew neck sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and Toms, I decided that I needed this sweatshirt.  You know, to fit in and all.  I love the color, the zipper detail, and the casual style.  I also think that it's going to layer really well with a button down shirt underneath.  Doug's not super excited about this because by "a button down shirt," I mean "his button down shirt."  Sharing is caring.  Right, Doug?

Recap: Days 21-30

I'm not going to lie, having my whole closet available when choosing an outfit is kind of stressing me out.  It almost feels like there are too many options.  I really enjoyed doing the 30 x 30 with the exception of taking a picture of myself everyday.  Embarrassing.

Here's what I learned:

1. Spend the extra 30 seconds to accessorize your outfit.  I have a big tub filled with accessories and two drawers filled with scarfs that I hardly ever use.  I've been trying to add at least two accessories before I leave the house.  It adds polish to a look and makes you look put together.
2. Texture, pattern, and color are key to a stylish wardrobe.  Layering them is even better.
3. I tend to keep my articles of clothing in a "box." Example: a certain top only gets worn with a specific pair of pants.  Force yourself to try things in a new way.  Don't (necessarily) throw away something just because you feel like it's out of style.  It may still be a good layering piece, or it may look new if you pair it with something else.
4. When shopping for clothes, try to think of at least three ways you could wear the article of clothing using items already in your closet.  If you can't, you probably won't wear it more than once every few months.

I learned other things too, but that's probably enough for now.  Second Chance Saturday will resume next week.  I just can't convince my camera (or my husband) to take any more outfit pictures at the moment.

Doug and I are going shopping today!  We will be shopping mostly for a few birthday presents and bridal shower gifts, but I am also dying to replace these:

Gross, huh?  And want to know something grosser?  This picture was taken last April...as in a year ago.  And I still wear them all the time.

St. Patrick's Day

We passed on corned beef and cabbage this year and made Irish bangers and mash instead.  Then we added some grilled onions because they're delicious and some grilled asparagus because they're green.  Not to be a Trader Joe's freak, but the Irish bangers that they are selling right now are dee-licious.  Treats.

When Rachel called to tell us that she was on her way over, Doug had the great idea to surprise her with champagne dyed green.  Great minds think alike because Rachel showed up with her own bottle of champagne and a container of green food coloring.  I'm telling you; we have a connection.

Just Another Day

Yesterday I installed one of my seals at a waste treatment plant.  I don't want to be vulgar, but if you don't know what a waste treatment plant is, let's just say that it treats some of the sewage of Southern California.  It wasn't the freshest smelling facility I've ever been to, but it was a pretty fun custom design and a tricky installation that we did for them.  I definitely got my nerd on.  And one of my coworkers took at picture of me by my fancy design and emailed it to me.  All in all, not a bad day.

Day 30!

And. I'm. Spent.  Don't worry.  I wore this yesterday.  Today, I'm greening it up.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Day 29

Is anyone else in love with the pizza dough that you can buy at Trader Joe's for less than 2 bucks?  It's awesome.  For an easy and delicious dinner, Doug and I roll one out, throw on any toppings that we have in our cupboard, and voila!  Dinner.  Last night it was pesto sauce, sun dried tomatoes, black olives, artichoke hearts, and feta.  Pretty much gourmet, right?  And, it takes less time to make than it does for Domino's to deliver.

One recommendation:  Allow the dough to get to room temperature before you try to roll it out.  It will keep shrinking back up on itself if it is cold which gets REALLY aggravating.

Day 28

I gave up alcohol for Lent this year.  So, why does St. Paddy's day fall during Lent?  This was poor planning on the Pope's part.

Day 27

My Goal: To get my 30 x 30 done by St. Patrick's day.  Must. Be. Able. To. Wear. Green. 

Day 26

How to Make a Dress into a Shirt:

Step 1: Put on dress.

Step 2: Put on tights.

Step 3: Tuck dress into tights

Step 4: Put on skirt.

(Step 3 can be avoided if dress is shorter than skirt.)

Ta daaaaaaaa!

P.S.- Sorry for not doing a Second Chance Saturday post yesterday.  I was busy up in the mountains.  Taking naps, watching Disney Princess movies and pulling kids around on sleds.

Day 25

I haven't been so good about taking pictures this week.  Well..let's face it.  I haven't been so good about getting dressed this week... So, I decided to go through some old pictures and see if I could find outfits that were comprised of my 30 x 30. 

Here we are with my sweet baby sister at her 21st birthday in Vegas.  They grow up so fast...  Now she's graduating from college in a few months! 

Doug and I are headed up to Big Bear this weekend with the Young Adult's Group at our church.  Doug will probably snowboard while I stay at the cabin with the babies.  Mmm.. babies.  I like them.

Day 24

When I wear this sweater belted, it kind of reminds me of a smoking jacket.  That reminds me of this poster that I had on my wall when I was in 6th grade.  It was a close up of a posh-looking man and woman.  The man was saying, "Mind if I smoke?"  The woman responded, "Care if I die?"

Man, oh man.  I thought that it was hilarious.  There's nothing funnier than second hand smoke.

Day 23

Welp...it's been over 30 days...but I'm still not done.  At this rate, this is going to be a 30 x 60.  Darn those nights that I get home from work and change immediately into sweatpants.

Doug is growing a beard right now.  He knows I'm not a huge fan of it.  Yesterday he bought a beard trimmer and cleaned it up a bit.  It looks a lot better.  I was looking at him while we were sitting on the couch last night and said, "Your beard looks pretty good," meaning that the beard trimmer was a huge improvement.

He smiled and said, "Thanks Babe!  I like your sweatpants."  Liar...

Day 22

Is it bad that I only left my hotel once while I was in St. Louis?  Is it worse that the one time I went outside was to get into a shuttle to go to the Casino down the street?  You know what's definitely not bad?  The fact that I won $35 at the craps tables!  What else isn't bad?  This outfit.  I love it.

When I got back from my trip, Doug made homemade Oreo-type cookies.  Filled with cream cheese frosting.  Now, that's love (and "not bad" keeping with the theme of this post...I'm just saying...)

Day 21

Welcome back to Second Chance Saturday!  You've probably already guessed which outfit I picked to restyle.  Day 13, welcome back.

Now, even though we didn't like this, we have to be polite.  We don't want to hurt it's feelings.  We'll start with the good.

The Good:

• I love the idea of this sweater.  It's a unique color, a beautiful knit, and an interesting shape.

The Bad: 

• This outfit doesn't provide enough visual interest.  The colors are all too similar, and it comes off as very bland.
• The individual pieces of clothing don't fit together.  The turtleneck detracts from the cool neckline of the sweater, and the round toe of the oxfords with straight leg jeans make my feet look really weird.
• My chandelier earrings compete with the collar of the sweater.
• There is something wrong with the proportions of the outfit. 

For the last few days, I have been experimenting.  This outfit hasn't just received a second chance, it's received a third and forth chance as well (although the 3rd didn't get photographed...but don't worry...you're not missing anything.)  I've pretty much tried on every one of my 30 x 30 articles of clothing trying to figure out what works.  Honestly, I can't figure it out.  This is a cry for help. 

***HELLLLP MEEEEE****

Solution #1:

• The brown boots are a huge improvement over the oxfords.
• I chose a brown undershirt instead of a blue to tie in the brown.
• Something is still just not right.  What type of accesories would work with this? 
• Let's face it: this hat is a little bit ridic.

Solution #2:

• Again, I think that the boots are an improvement.
• The open neck shirt underneath the sweater draws more attention to the neckline.
• I like how pairing this sweater with black makes it look more grey.
• I tried to accessorize.

So...do either of these outfits deserve to be Day 21?  You decide!  Vote below.  I voted.  I didn't really.  But I thought if I said so, someone might give me one of those stickers.

Never mind.  Don't vote.  It didn't work out.  Better luck next time.

My List

What's up… this is Doug.

I don’t actually have a whole lot to write about… I’m pretty much lounging around the house while Lizzie is away.  Unfortunately, whenever she leaves, Lizzie always leaves me a list of things to do while she’s gone.  Apparently she thinks that I gonna just spend the whole weekend sitting on the couch watching Family Guy... oh well… she’s probably right.

Anyway, here is my list for this weekend… I think I’m doing pretty good so far.

Ted is our plant.

Recap: Days 11-20

Brrr...it's cold out here (there must be some Toro's in the atmosphere...)  So lame...but such a good movie.  In case you were wondering if I am taking pictures while I'm out here in St. Louis, the answer is no.  Why?  Well, I tried to picture the scenario in my head.  This is how it played out:

"Hey {coworker, boss-man}, do you mind taking a picture of me?  By myself.  Full body.  Make sure you get my shoes.  I don't like that angle.  Does this shirt make me look fat?"

"Sure Lizzie." (They like to make me happy.  I am, after all, one of only three women out of the 300+ sales engineers in the US.)  "What is this for?"

"My blog.  I take pictures of myself. And post them online.  Now, let's discuss how to grow the business in the pharmaceutical market."

My favorites?  Days 16 and 20.  Least favorite?  You'll have to wait until Saturday.

***A little edit: 
Most people at work know that I have a blog.  I blab about my life.  A lot.  I just don't think anyone actually reads it.

Day 20

This morning I left sunny California for the beautiful city of St. Louis, Missouri to attend my company's annual Sales Meeting.  I'll be busy the rest of the week "networking."  Ugh... I hate that word.  I prefer to call it "hanging out with my friends."  See, in my mind, all of my coworkers and customers are my friends, not people forced to work with me in order to keep their facilities in production.  I'll be telling Doug a story and say, "oh, my friend, {insert coworker}, {did this really funny thing}," and he'll say, "Uh... do you mean your coworker?"  Then I get real depressed.

Anyway, I scheduled a few posts before I left to keep you entertained the rest of the week.  And...rumor has it...Doug might be guest posting...the blog is called "Doug + Lizzie" after all...