Your Shoes are Schmokin'

Riddle me this....what's black and white and red all over?
My feet in a great pair of black&white heels after teaching all day. Not that I have black&white heels, but the POINT here, people, is that after a day in heels (of any color variation), my feet usually are red and very sleepy.

Let's be real, they down right hate me at the end of a teaching day.
Maybe I should skip on the heel, but anything below three inches looks "awk" for sure on me.
Maybe I should just invest in wedges? If only heels weren't so damn cute!

SO then, SS, what's your game plan?

Against my better judgement (seeing as how 99.9% of the student body is taller than me), I may invest in some flats again. Yes, I rocked them during high school and throughout college. These days, though, if I can rock a heel, gosh damnit, I will. Now, though, it may be a smart idea to get some cute flats in the shoe closet....and one pair in particular has caught my attention and I'm drawn in fo' reals.

The shoe being ever-so loved at the moment? The smoker flat or slipper loafer. Really, whatever name you prefer works for me!

Here are some awesome pairs (& some have an awesome price to match!) to round out this week with a Five Friday!

1. Target Turquoise Flat ($20) -- I love anything blue and this is a fantastic shade to add that perfect P.O.C (as Mr. Brad Goreski says!) to any outfit. I could rock these with dark jeans and a silk blouse for casual Fridays!


2. Target Black Flat ($20) - Love the patent look with this specific style of shoe. Something about the mix of the two gives them a classic feel, like I stole them from my mother's closet. Easily paired with jeggings and a chunky sweater for Sunday errands. (I may or may not already own these bad boys!)


3. BDG Woven Tassel Flat ($40)- If I wear this trend into summer, these are great! They come in three different colors but the classic tan never fails. Great to pair with short cut-offs and a loose graphic tank & touseled beach waves for a mix of preppy and boho.

4. Charolette Olympia Kitty Flat ($585)- I don't normally go for shoes like this, but I couldn't not post these on the list when I saw them. SO freaking clever! These would be great with a simple white v-neck and printed skirt or jeans and a leather jacket to toughen up the feline effect.

5. ShoeMint Kathy Flat ($80) - I have yet to order a pair from ShoeMint, but I may have to now after seeing these...and they are selling out fast online! Like the previous pair, I am not normally a red-wearing gal, but the print is so fresh and funky....and on such a structured shoe? It's truly the best of both worlds. & apparently I am now in love with tassels on shoes, too!




I realize now that the last three posts I have done are pictures followed by blurbs. Not very original, but my mind has been so full of sccchtuff lately that I didn't even notice it until now. My bad. I will try to be a more innovative blogger ;) You know, like, later and whatnot. Not now. I need to empty my brain first!


Until next time, have a faaaaabulous weekend!.....................

The Thoughts of a Penn State Student...

Sometimes when I read the news, I often wonder about the people directly involved, the thoughts of those who are connected, in any way, to the story, because, more often than not, the story is told from those who are merely hearing it second-hand or are asked to give their opinion on the matter, as if one person's opinion is the solid, factual truth. Tisk, tisk ESPN, shame on you.

Let's be serious, I don't really read the news that often, as it bores me almost as much as it saddens me. The times I do take the time to read and/or watch, however, my mind goes to those who are involved, and I sometimes wish they would speak out in place of those who are being paid to do so.

I'm here to do just that today, and you are free to ignore this post as it is not superficial, has nothing to do with a beautiful sanctuary, and is serious in nature. I mean, serious starts with an "S" which is the letter that dictates the title of this blog, but I digress......

I am, forever and a day, dedicated to my university. If you are new (or not), I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in Secondary Education. "Wait, SS, you're, like, smart and teacherly?" Who would have thought!

If you have listened or read the news lately, you know my school has been under serious fire lately, we've been brewing in a steaming pot of turmoil and scandal......and for good reason. While I will not discuss the matters on my blog and while I will not go into details, you are welcome to google my school and the searches will--no doubt--lead you to news article after news article that has been haunting my school as of late.

I know many of you who read my blog do not call PSU your college home, but I do. Yes, do & not did. While I have graduated, I will forever be a Penn State student, something only a Penn State student can understand. We are family, past and present, and any one person can understand that a family is not chosen or hand-picked but rather formed through the years into one, solid unit. All families have hard times, some more than others, and we all have that awkward aunt who smells funny or the cousin who is convinced she's a vampire after one too many read-throughs of Twilight, but family is just that.....family.

I am sick and saddened and destroyed emotionally by the news, yes, but I am still not hurting as much as the victims and their families. However, if nothing rings more true, it is the fact that my university as a whole should not and cannot be discredited by the actions of a twisted and sadistic man and his hellish helpers. My school is not "wallowing in our filth forever" nor are we "forever ruined as a university for our actions." I'm sorry, "our" actions? As far as I am aware, I did nothing and knew nothing in this situation. I went to a school for a solid education, made friends, created a family, and enjoyed myself and my time at a school who has nearly been unscathed by the media for years....no, for generations. How dare you take that from me, from all of us who worked so hard to grow into good, upstanding citizens who could represent our school proudly. How dare you tell me I am wallowing in filth when I have nothing but a clean record, a pure heart, and a the strongest of pride for my university. Do not take down my university, my home when you know the actions only came from a troubling and disgusting man.

For those of you who know Joe Pa, you know him from the what the sports networks show you. We at PSU know him differently. We know he is the man who paid for our school to build a fantastic library on top of donating thousands of dollars more into our academic buildings to make our campus--our home--the best it can be. We know him as the man who lived just down the street from our university in a house as modest as himself. He is not "driven by power," not "bathing in the light of his fame." He is 61 years of dedication, passion, and love for the school I also love. He is not who they say he is....he is the father of this family, and every father makes mistakes, but this man did not react to his fortune or fame, he did not save a man just to save his football legacy. He did what he thought he had to do, and even if that is not enough, you cannot say that you have always done everything to the utmost....we are not perfect, we never claimed to be, despite what the media says about our school. We have pride but we are not conceited, we have strength but we are not too confident. We are not asking you to feel sorry for us, but rather, place your focus where it needs to be. This is not about football, this was never about football, and while I am upset that this man could not see through to his last game, I understand what had to be done. We are allowed to be upset by this, but by no means does that give anyone the right to judge us for our thoughts and emotions. For the record, as an aside, I am glad that our president was fired. His too-soon comment was without the appropriate, prior thought; it was severely careless, as he should not have spoken a word of his opinion when the issue was still so new, the wound was just inflicted, and he threw in salt. I never knew enough about this man to hate him, but I knew that he was just as careless with money, throwing dollar signs just about anywhere he walked, and now our university is paying dearly for it.....thank you for my enormous amount of loans, dear president. I am not sorry you were taken down in the scandal.

Do I think the man behind this scandal deserves life in prison? I think he deserves death for what he has done to the victims that have come out and for those of them waiting in the wings for justice and rightful punishment to fall on him. Do I think the men who lied in front of a court and in front of a judge deserve time in prison? Surely karma will do them in, and yes, they should be behind bars. Do I think the situation would have been different had the victims been young girls? Undoubtedly so, something that I have thought about many times. Do I think the situation would have been different had our university not had Joe Pa? Again, an easy answer, seeing as how the media has been waiting with bated breath for years to take him down with a story that would rock our university to its core. Would I have rioted in the streets had I still been a student there? Obviously, but more so "watching" rather than "rioting" which, I believe, is what 90% of those "rioters" were doing. The remaining 8% were there to create chaos and havoc and the other 2% probably just wanted to be on TV....hey, like I said, we are only human.

Despite the media claims, regardless of the man behind these acts, and ignoring those who are just spewing out hate and judgement for attention, I am here to say we are still strong, still true, still PSU, and while this story will not last forever, my pride in my university will.
"May no act of ours bring shame, to one heart that loves thy name, may our lives but swell thy fame, dear old State, dear old State."

Sunday Funday Gameday

Ok, so Gameday isn't actually one word, but guess what, Funday isn't a word at all, so there!

I'm not sure if it's the uber-girl in me refusing to deter from all things glam, but I'm not the type who rocks a jersey and sweats on game days unless I'm at home in the comfort of my bed.
This post idea came to mind as I was visiting my alma-mater this weekend and saw a plethora of far too many bad outfit choices.

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy supporting my team(s) during the weekend, even if it doesn't include an oversized jersey (I do own a kid's size PSU one that I rock under a cute jacket every so often, though!), so here are some outfits for you other girl-tastic ladies out there who want to show team spirit without looking like you stepped out of your boyfriend's/brother's/dad's closet!

I'm using PSU & Steeler colors....I mean, I'm not one to reveal my hometown or the state where I live (hello! most of you don't even know my name!), but this may or may not have just totally outed me. MAY OR MAY NOT, people.

we are......penn state!

#1 - Nautical meets equestrian meets PSU fan...a great pulled together look for an alumnus who doesn't want to blend in with the overly drunk juniors and seniors (and freshman and sophomores.....) but still show support for their favorite team.

#2 - Rainy game days are bound to happen, and most of the time they are cold. Add a sherling-lined jacket, wellies, and a cozy hat to keep warm but still look cool (yeah, I went there, cheese-tastic!)

#3 - A preppy look but with a boyish feel. Swap out the Sperrys for cute heels and toss the hat aside to transition this look into night.

& now for the city with more rings than yours ;)

#1 - For the fan who wants to play the card of, "Oh, there's a game today? And I already am sporting the colors? Well, go me!" When, in reality, you planned that shiz, be honest!

#2 - Again, another cold game day look. The boots, leather jacket, and leggings are always "tough chic" but the hat balances out the outfit to make you look like anything but a fairweather fan. (Cheese-tastic again!) Really, though, I need that hat!

#3 - This is similar to PSU's first look - a blazer and boots pull the look together, the t-shirt adds a casual feel, and the printed scarf shows your style still didn't go to the way-side just for game day's sake!

There you have it! Now you can use those same outfits and change in purple, blue, green or whatever your team colors may be -- they're casual and chic ways to show spirit without being like the rest of the crowd with their foam fingers and painted faces (or hairy painted stomach, vomit). It may be the (used to be) cheerleader in me who wore skirts while others wore homemade Hanes tees for the football games, but I like being put together even during football season. It's a southern thing usually, but I'm "making it weeerk" up here in the north ;)

Are you a PSU or Steelers fan? If not...then screw you. (kidding!)

As long as you don't hate my teams, we're still friends. 

Honestly, I am more of a college football gal than I am into the NFL shiz, but the more teams you "support", the more outfit ideas you can create ;)

Until next time, I'm off to bleed black and gold and blue and white.......that's a whole lot of colors bleeding together!

Twenty-Three Reasons to LOVE Life!

My title has everything to do with the fact that (SURPRISE!) I am the big 2-3 today - Happy Birthday to me! I know I have been posting about Easter and my boyfriend's birthday, but today is all about me, bitches! After all, that is how birthdays work (even when you're a twin like me and have to share the day!)

So yes, my birthday fell on a holiday weekend, so I had double the celebrations, especially since the boyfriend's birthday is exactly one day before mine....killing many birds with one stone here! If you read my Saturday OOTD post, date night was actually for both of us and we bought one another a couple of gifts before dinner and drinks; overall, it was a very fun night!

I have off again today due to the kiddo's spring break (last day, though, sigh), so I'm going on a mini shopping spree today, thanks to my wonderful and loving parents! Before I post what I buy (later today - edit to come after shopping!), I thought I'd share my gifts of makeup very first that I received on Easter and on birthday date night!

My first two Coastal Scents palettes! - 88 Warm Palette & 88 Metal Mania Palette

Benefit Perfect 10 Highlighter/Bronzer (have been dying for this!)

NARS Lipgloss in Orgasm

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette (also been dying for this!)

Sephora Clensing Brush (only used once but already love it!)

d.j.v. Fiberwig Lash Extension Mascara (random brand, I know, but it was under their "Top Selling Mascaras"....and, uh, it fucking rocks! Go buy it nowww!)

88 Warm Palette

88 Metal Mania Palette

I plan on going to Express, Forever 21, and H&M and perhaps a few others for the mini shopping trip. If you're interested in seeing that "haul" let me know!

UPDATE (4/26/2011) - Birthday fun is finally over...until Saturday when we go downtown, but that's for another post! Here's the "haul" as I mentioned earlier, with some "extra" gifts thrown in that I got from the boyfriend.

Photos below are taken from site because I like the way those photos look as opposed to my own - after all, sites take these photos to "sell" you the items, so they always look better than what my own camera can do, right? Right.

EXPRESS:

This is uh-mazing to me...so fun and just the perfect amount of "sparkle" (might need to click on the photo for zoom & full effect!) It has a great ombre effect, too, which I love in scarves. I'm pretty sure I need to keep up with the scarf posts, as I realized this weekend I have nearly 100 of them....no, not kidding, I admit I have a problem.

[also got a lipgloss there to complement my new favorite pale pink lipstick - no photo needed, right?]

FOREVER 21:

I have to admit, I'm quite short so I just recently got into the maxi look. I plan on wearing this on Saturday with my brown wedges. It hits the floor when I wear it so the wedges will only be seen when I walk. I kind of prefer it that way as to how it looks on this model. It's a very slimming dress, too, and the detail is very fun in person.

I showed my boyfriend this and he replied, "This is the [insert my name] shirt. You have so many of these!" He is right, too, but they are the perfect type blouses for "I have NO idea what to wear" days - we all have them, no? A fun, trendy print without being tacky. I was digging it. F21 is good at pumping these suckers out, too, so I go there often to stock up on the latest for work, nights out, etc.

The front of this tank is just black with a little side breast pocket (such an odd term), so I posted the photo that highlights the back. A simple black top with a bit of spunk - think it'll pair well with sassy skirts. Yes, just said "sassy skirts"....am I lame or what?

This knucle ring look so much more badass in person. It's a simple gold, not so brassy as it is in the photo, and it just looks "hammered" in for a vintage effect. I love knucle rings. They make my small hands look tougher!

Just a simple but chic ring to add a bit more spunk to outfits. It actually streches in the very back, which I typically hate because it gives the ring a very cheap feel, but this one only stretched under your finger (if that makes sense) and the sides are still structured, as you may be able to tell in the photo. Love the marbled effect.

VICTORIA'S SECRET:

Cat's out of the bag - I'm a nit lion! If you have never heard of Penn State, then we can no longer be friends...I kid, I kid! I typically do not go for the PINK's college or NFL collection, but I loved this shirt (left shows front, right shows back)...it's so simple, so cute, and no actual pink anywhere on it (I typically hate the color pink!) My mother actually despises PSU (but still let me go, God bless her!) so she nearly gagged when she saw I bought this with my parent's birthday funding, but hey, I am always going to be a nit lion...so it is perfect! Are you a PSU fan? If so, please let me know!! WE ARE... (okay, PSU rant done now!)

H&M:

Photos to come (currently at work and they didn't save correctly, so I'll have to reload them again, damnit. And yes, I'm blogging from work. I have free periods, no worries, I'm not failing our youth just sitting here typing! It keeps me sane to blog during my "free" time!) I got another maxi dress (tan with a peacock-like feather detailing everywhere) and a tan cardigan that is very grandma-chic!

SEPHORA:

In case you have not read my Skincare post (look below!), I mentioned I was going to need a new bottle. I normally don't want "normal" items as birthday gifts, but I love this stuff, so to me it was no question. Seriously, love.

I should note here that I fully condone the use of Philosophy products, no matter what kind of skin you have - they cover it all! Their "Hope in a Jar" has been raved about by so many people (including Oprah!) and I have never used one of their products and didn't like the way it worked. That being said, I've never used this before, but it's supposed to be similar to microdermabrasion but in a "gentle" wash. I'll let you know what I think of it - review to come? Who knows. Most likely!

This now ends our portion of the mini shopping spree. (Sorry, we just had standardized testing and I had to read that almost every hour for FOUR hours...."This now ends our Math Testing Portion...." Gag.)

Last but certainly not least, the boyfriend came over late last night to deliver even more gifts (I am the first to admit I am one lucky gal). So on top of the Sephora purchases he made for me on our "birthday date night" (posted above - sans Too Faced and CS palettes), he delivered these bad boys!

Urban Outfitters Kimchi Blue Wallet

I love everything yellow right now (hello, nails in OOTD post on Saturday!) so this was the perfect gift! He probably just got sick of me saying, "I need a new wallet!" everytime we went out. The card slots are a bit tight (that's what she said...stop, disgusting, moving on!) but I'm sure it's just the new-ness. My last wallet was much more card/space friendly, but this one is way cuter, so fashion defeats function in this one!

Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume Set (Perfume, Lotion, Mini Roller)

Yes, yes, yes, yesssss! I finally got it - and the ridiculous thing is he didn't even know I wanted it (when he's good, he's good). I have it on today and it just smells so fresh and fun and basically perfect. I am a fan of anything Marc Jacobs, but Daisy is my favorite of his scents by far! I was a giddy little child when I opened this!

So overall, turning 23 went pretty damn well! Like I mentioned before, we're throwing a bit of a bash Saturday downtown with all of our friends and family members (or rather, my family members since his are still too young for drinking), so I'll have to post my look with the new F21 dress on Saturday. Off I go to educate our world, as I only have a smidgen of minutes left in my "free" time. Do you have any of the purchases I mentioned above? If so, let me know what you think of them. Even if you don't, I'd love to hear your feedback!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and I apologize for the mammoth-sized update! Birthday post is officialy blown out....get it, like a birthday candle? The lameness never stops!