Shine Challange: Pet Stories

This week's The Shine Project prompt isn't so much a challenge as a request to link up our pet stories.  You know, share personal pet rescue or cute pet stories.  Ashley, over at The Shine Project, just rescued a cute little dog, Oliver, from the pound last week and she's IN LOVE. 

It seems a bit kismet that I did the Kitties Series the same week as this Shine "Challenge".   It's sorta cool since the work is done for me.  At the same time, it sort of sucks because the work is done for me . 

I'm not sure I can come up with new stories about my loves.  At least, none that I can properly articulate in a post.  I, also, have no new photo's to share.  My 3 cats are not fans of photo shoots.  Most of the photo's I tried to take this week are all blurry because no one would sit still long enough for the camera to snap a shot.  Yes, 2 seconds is TOO long.  *Sigh*

So for the curious who are new or didn't stick around to read this weeks posts here are the links...

Parker

Cyrus

Remington

 

Shine Challange: Thrifting

Joining at The Shine Project 

 Our SHINE challenge this week was to put a cute vintage/and or thrifted outfit together.

I couldn't pull a full outfit together but I did go out and find a great steal on a never worn Old Navy skirt at the Good Will.  It was only $4.99. 

I'm having the hardest time finding a shirt that matches the salmon/coral/peachy color part of it.  I'm not loving the white with it but I'm not completely hating it. 

You know, I sorta am hating it.  There just isn't anything else to wear it with.

I totally love the skirt.  It's fun.

Plus, it's perfect to wear my Rocket Dog 70's Inspired wedges with. 

I've had them for 2 years or so and never get to wear them.

So any suggestions on what to wear color wise with this skirt?? 

Another great find I found a few weeks ago at the Good Will was a pair of cargo type bramudas from Old Navy.  They were $1.35.  See Old Navy never fails me...even in thrift stores.

I usually wear them with black but white works too.  Especially if I want to wear my green jade necklace from Target.  It's old but I love it. 

I actually wore these shorts with my bathing suit on our Lagoon day during vacation.  They were perfect since my suit is a dress & you can still see these guys when I'm wearing both.  Plus, they're great when you get them wet.

My most favorite thrifting find is something I got at our church rummage sale back in high school.  I don't remember what I paid for it but I do believe it was around $2.  I'm sort of known for loving ugly sweaters and this bad boy totally fits the bill. 

It looks like a vintage (for reals) letterman sweater from the 50's or something.  I'm betting some old man (like 90's old) donated it to rummage.  It's serious!  Just look at this yarn work.   

I may be weird but I'm in love with the color!  I'm not even sure what the color is.  I also can't tell if the line color is navy blue or black.  It can go either way at any time.

It's got that satin like lining in it and there is only one hole in it at the back of the pocket so it's no big deal.  It's been there since I bought it (1995 I think) and has been washed a hundred times.  I wore the heck out of this thing back then. 

It's seriously too cool. 

I love me some pockets and this thing has awesome pockets! 

As soon as it gets cool enough to wear this outfit I'm totally going to rock it.  Maybe go find some trouble around the neighborhood while wearing it. 

My new $4.98 Mossimo skinny jeans from Target.

I'm not a fan of this photo but I love how Cyrus looks in it.  He was jumping up onto the bed.  He looks crazy, doesn't he?!



I think a detox is needed!

Last week I decided I needed to do my own version of 30 Outfits 30 Days and instead of taking 30 items from my closet & making 30 outfits I'd make sure I wore something different for 30 days.  A new item each day.  I basically wear the same things each week.  There may be a day or two I'll change it up with something I found in my closet or probably something new I just bought (that will make it into the weekly mix of things). 

I, for one, need to stop spending money shopping.  Even if I got it for a really good deal.  Even if I REALLY want it.  Even if I am at an emotional low & need the therapy that shopping brings. 

NO MORE SHOPPING! 

At least for 30 days.

The ban would include clothing, jewelry, shoes & purses.  Oh, and scarves (they may not be wearable in 115 degree weather but they sure are on discount now-a-days).

That way I can look through my closet(s) and wear something I already have.   You know, that I already bought at a really good deal, while I was at an emotional low & did a little retail therapy.  I'd be forced to wear the things I see when I'm putting my worn week after week freshly laundered clothing away.  I'd actually have to wear the 4 (a guess not an actual count) different colored purple tank tops instead of just the one deep purple colored tank I love (as seen in last weeks WIWW:W1).

I may not have 30 pairs of bottoms to wear but I'm betting it's pretty darn close when I take into account dresses, skirts, capri's & jeans. 

It'll, also, make me work a bit harder in finding the perfect outfit so I'm not so lazy, which is why I think I get into a routine of wearing the same things.  Or into the habit to just go out and buy something new because I want to wear something different.  Buying new is always easier than figuring out something interesting in your closet.  At least that's pretty much been my philosophy.

I'm going on vacation this week and won't be back until July 6th and I figured when I get back would be a great time to start.  I haven't figured out how it will work on the weekends but I'm guessing they'll be exempt from the challenge as I only have a limited amount of "weekend" clothes or clothes that I can't wear to work.  I'm still processing the whole thing so I'll figure something out before I start.  Maybe after I do a full inventory of my closet(s) I'll notice I do, in fact, have enough clothes to do 30 consecutive days of a new piece of clothing for top and bottom for 30 days.

All I know is it couldn't have come at a better time.  In response to the blasted heat of the summer and the fact that my car does not have air conditioning and that I'm going on vacation for 7 days, I may have gone on a shopping spree this weekend.  I won't go into details, in case my sister is reading...I don't want to give her a heart attack or a major worry session about my finances, but lets just say I went to Old Navy, Ross and TJ Maxx.  Oh, and Kohl's but that was only after I returned some stuff to Old Navy.  

Here, follow my troubled logic here (and my troubled writing skills)...
See, I committed myself to a belt that could be worn with a few of the dresses I bought & with a few items I already had.  So I needed a belt & the one I bought from ON was too big.  I found a better one at Kohl's since ON didn't have the belt I wanted in my size (it was on clearance, as was the Kohl's belt).  I had a belt, sort of like the one I was looking for, but I apparently gave it away in one of my closet down sizes.  Reason #1 I have a hard time getting rid of stuff... I will need/want it later.  Anyway, the belt I got is a far better choice for me anyway.  How could I not go out and get a belt after that logic??

I now have 4 actual pairs of shorts in my closet.  Shorts.  Not capri's.  Not bermudas.  Not skinny jeans rolled up to show my ankles.  ACTUAL shorts.  That show leg.  And knee.  And my thighs.  I have avoided shorts that show thighs for a few years now (and all though high school.  Why I don't know because I had great legs back then.) but I just cannot take the heat anymore.  Don't worry, they are in no way shorty-shorts.  They are appropriate for both my age and leg fat.  I think.  I, at least, have talked myself into believing they look good and my thighs aren't horrendous eye sores to look at in them.  You'll have to let me know if I'm way off base or not.  Before you get scared... no, I did not buy 4 pairs of shorts this weekend.  I had 2 and now have 4.  Don't do the math.  Seriously, don't.  It'll half scare you if you do. 

As you can tell I'm not actually actively participating in The Shine Projects month of June's body image series.  Why?  I've been a major slacker lately and have not participated in the last 2 months SP's themes.  Lame, I know.  I get stumped and overwhelmed sometimes trying to figure out my way to participate and then just don't do anything.  Missing one week snowballs into the rest of the month as it all sort of goes together...as themes do.   

I sort of forgot the original point of this post.  It didn't really start out as what it ended up being.  Oh, well.  It is what it is. 

Here are 3 of my new purchases that I am LOVING!  (Seriously, don't judge me.  Some people are emotional eaters.  Or emotional cutters.  I'm an emotional shopper.  I know it.  I admit it.  And knowing is half the battle, right? 

Yes, I was a kid in the 80's... I can and WILL quote G.I. Joe. 

Man, this post is massive word vomit.  So sorry, I can't help myself today.  I'm blaming it on the fact that I worked in the office alone, by myself, all day and had a very small amount of human interaction.  Not that typing this is human interaction.  It is, however, interaction...of some sort...and I apparently NEED that right at this moment. 

If you stuck with this you are a true friend.  You also probably have too much time on your hands.  Having said that...LOVE YOU! 

Oh, and here are the photo's I promised a couple paragraphs ago...

My new coral purse.  Wanted from Ross

I Heart the rosette on it.  I think it's a key fob but don't really know.

A clue into how down with trends & the on key fashion knowledge I have.

New coral wallet to match my new purse.  Nine West from Ross.

My new wedges.  Dollhouse from TJ Maxx

5 inches, baby!

These are the puppies that are giving me new perspective today.  They made me channel my inner Amazon. 

 It's nice to stand with the tall people. 

Even if I had no one tall to stand with today.

This photo shoot was brought to you today by my boredom at lunch. 

When I was alone. 

All by myself. 

Bored.

Did I mention I was all alone?. 

Shine Challange: Earth Day The SHINE Way

This week, our SHINE challenge was to GIVE BACK TO THE EARTH

what we've taken.

Here was some ideas Ashley gave us:

Plant a tree, start a garden, go for a hike, clean a park,

pick up trash in your neighborhood,

recycle, carpool...

She also had some facts to put in perspective what we've been doing to our Earth.

Here's some facts about pollution:

 1. 40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes

are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

2. Vehicle exhaust contributes roughly 60%

of all carbon monoxide emissions nationwide, and up to 95% in cities.

3. Over 80% of items in landfills can be recycled, but they’re not.

Crazy, right!?

Since I'm an apartment dweller some of her suggestions are a bit impossible for me.  I'd have loved to plant a garden or tree but I'm not sure the apartment complex would have appreciated my random garden/tree planting screwing up their landscaping feng-shui, no matter if it was an act of kindness towards the earth or not.

Although, if you own your own yard today Lowe's is doing a

Million Tree Giveaway

so please go grab one & plant a tree!

When I lived in Phoenix I got myself a recycling bin & went on monthly(ish) trips to the recycling drop off center (in the midst of the PHX SkyHarbor Airport, which was a major pain in the butt & a very easy way to get "lost" IN the loop that goes around the airport for the directionly challanged, like me).  Then The Thrill (aka, the boyfriend) and I moved in together when I moved back to Mesa and the recycling bin sort of stopped existing.  

It is now a cat block so the little turkey's don't slink out the opening in the patio (to let rainwater out??) when we let them have some outside time.

It's been over a year and having lived out in the elements has made it a bit um...dirty.   We don't have hose access so washing it out isn't possible unless we bring it inside to the bathtub, which at this point isn't going to happen as 8 legged creepers are calling the inside of it a home.  I've been meaning to have The Thrill take care of that part of the cleaning process but it's been a crazy week & it sort of slipped by the wayside. 

I did manage to start a recycling pile next to the garbage can inside.  It was a pretty nice pile until The Thrill took ALL the trash out, being the nice "house husband" he is sometimes.  When I went to add to the recycle items after getting home from work I noticed the trash was taken out & my nice pile of recyclables was GONE.

So I reclarified my objective and started a new pile.  It's not as big or pretty as the last one but it's a start. 

I guess not too shabby for 2 days of collecting.

I've, also, found the Mesa Recycling & Drop Off Centers information.

They actually accept more items than the one in Phoenix did.  I can recycle plastic containers #1-7 now.  Before I think I could only do #1-4 so I think that'll help a lot more too.

Plus, the locations are a lot easier to get to.  This girl isn't going to get lost recycling anytime soon!  Not that driving around the airport for 20 minutes wasn't a fun time.  I can just think of other things I would enjoy more in 20 minutes of time.

It wasn't necessarily my intention but I ate at two "eco friendly" resturants this week. 

Sunday a group of us went and ate at The Olive Mill in Queen Creek. Where their farming & product offerings exemplify their dedication to the environment and the health of their customers.

Last night a group of us

(the same group, actually) went and ate at Joe's Farm Grill in Mesa, which is an urban farm where their farming methods exceed the standards for USDA organic.  The fruit, vegetables, and herbs they use are directly from their gardens...located right across from the grill.  

 It's beautiful & you can stroll down walkways surrounded by gardens.

  Of course, I was too busy at both places having fun so the thought of pulling out my camera to take pictures never crossed my mind.

I just noticed that I'm wearing green today.  It was unintentional but appropriate none the less. 

Happy Earth Day! 

Do you SHINE?

Join the SHINE Project

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! #3

Thanks to The Shine Project Giveaway I won a...

Here's what I chose with my Pretty Little Lion Designs GC...

Cinderella Ivory Teo Zinnia Flower Hair Clip

  

Night Sky Sammi Hibiscus Flower Clip

Starry Night Black Julia Scalloped Hair Blossom Clip

Ruby Red Julia Scalloped Hair Blossom Clip 

I love shopping when it's FREE!  Who am I kidding...I love shopping period!  FREE or when I pay a fortune.  Shopping is just plan fun!

Though, I am rather excited!  For one, I think these bows are so cute! Plus, I love Jillian's Pretty Little Lion blog!

So thank you Ashley @ The Shine Project & Jillian @ Pretty Little Lion Designs!!

P.S. - Please forgive all my exclamation marks but I get overly excited about things.(!!!!)

Shine Challenge: Spring Cleaning the SHINE Way.

This week's SHINE PROJECT was to pick a past project and COMPLETE it. 

I picked Spring Cleaning: The SHINE Way!.  I've already cleaned out my closet but have yet to actually drop my stash off anywhere.  It's sitting in my living room waiting patiently to go...and has been for a couple of months now.  

I realized this weekend that my closet could probably have another go through, it is far too full.   So what better way to motivate me in completing this task than making it into a SHINE PROJECT. 

My stash before:

My stash after:  

Here's what I added:

 See I even cut down on jewelry.  Less then I should but more than I wanted to.

  

 I still am having a problem slimming down my shoe collection:

The five shoe boxes just sitting waiting to be placed back are ones I selected to get rid of but changed my mind on or were talked back into.  *Sigh*  I tried.  I did give away about 6 pairs though.

Too many flip flops & hats??  Not if you live in AZ!

 

I'm having a hard time cutting down on the scarves too.  Some becaue they were made for me or given as gifts but most just because I LOVE them.  I did manage to thin out about 4.

I wanted to take pictures to document things but I am not the photographer I used to be.  Plus, it's near impossible to take photos of doing something when you are using your hands and don't have a self-timer on your camera.
 

This was my best effort, self portrait:

 Which is the reason there aren't more personal photo's on this blog.

The boyfriend isn't much help either, he takes photo's like this:

Blurry & out of frame.  LOL.  If it's not a fishing pole he can't handle it.

I was going to drop off my stuff at the GoodWill but then I remembered seeing donation boxes in the Walmart parking lot near our apartment.  There were 6 boxes waiting to be filled.  I decided to devide the bags up and put some in each box.  I ended up only placing bags in 5 of the boxes because the last one had a despenser door too small for anything to fit in it. 

Anyway, here's where the stuff went:

The Weldon House:

A large garbage bag as shoved into this one.

Big Brothers Big Sisters: 

I put a purse filled with shoes & jewelry & a grocery bag of clothes in this one.  The bigger bags didn't fit.

 Community Works of Arizona:

Finally a bin where my old suitecase (filled with clothes) would fit into. 

Go Green for the Cause: 

The other suitecase fit in this one

Each bin requested that all donations be in closed bags, boxes, etc., which I totally get but if they want people to actually donate then they really need to think about making their donation bin/boxes with larger openings.

Do you SHINE?

Join the SHINE Project