Revised Resolutuions

Back in January, I wrote about my resolutions for 2014 here. They aren't going very well at first glance.

1. Buy a house. We have not bought a house. We did make an offer on one, but it didn't work out. We are ok with that. In fact, some days we are ok with not buying a house at all for now. Stay tuned.

2. Teach myself to play guitar. Have not touched this one since approximately January 2. I move the guitar every now and then, but for some reason I am not feeling inspired.

So. These aren't going well. My vague eat healthy, cook, and workout is going well. I enrolled in an 8 week yoga class that I just finished and now we are gearing up to begin training for a new half marathon. [We are determined to have our best time: under 2 hours.] I have also downloaded a food tracking app to help me pay attention to what I am actually putting in my body and in recipes.

Now for the biggest qualifier of all: sometimes resolutions change and evolve. For example, the more we look at houses, the more we weigh what being a homeowner means. Does it mean not having as much money for fun vacations? Does it mean our lifestyle changes?  I am not sure, but through the process Stephen and I have started prioritizing being spontaneous and keeping a list of restaurants and places we want to go. This weekend we are going to hike at the Schlitz Audubon Center and next weekend we are going to explore Kenosha for the day because we want to. Our biggest resolution and priority right now is to spend time together and have fun.

Of course, a lot of that time together is spent on the couch watching TV. In honor of my always-present resolution to blog more, I'll entice you to return to my blog with the promise of a post about The Mindy Project and other television explorations.

In the meantime, a few thoughts on Friends, which is now over 10 years old and a television show I still enjoy, almost daily.

Leopard Print

While I read quite a few fashion blogs, I have not put my fashion thoughts into this blog. Generally I have stuck to food, books, TV, travel and the occasional holiday. I see my blog as an attempt to scrapbook my life. I know what I like in style (and I know I like to find it cheaply) but I am not sure I want to get into recommending clothing. BUT... when you find a great recipe and tweak it or add something new to it, you want to share it. So I think I can recommend a pair of shoes. Or at least a certain pattern.

I have slowly collected a few pieces of animal print over the years: a shirt, a scarf, a dress, etc. Almost every article I acquire quickly becomes a favorite. I used to scoff when "the experts" would suggest that you wear animal print, especially leopard, as a neutral. Well, my friends, I have seen the light. I now own leopard flats (which I have been rocking for over a year) and I have recently acquired a pair peep-toe leopard heels.

These leopard pumps cost me $15, were an impulse buy (I wanted free shipping), and they are actually comfortable. Thank you, Target. (They might still be available here.) They have pulled me out of my boring black skirt = black shoes rut. They have allowed me to mix patterns. For example, today I am wearing a navy polka dot skirt with my leopard pumps.

You know that one person in your office--or anywhere in life--who ALWAYS looks put together, cutting-edge, sleek, AND you don't think she wears make up or styles her hair? Well, these shoes make me feel like that...professional and put-together for $15.

Maybe leopard print shoes won't do it for you, but I recommend giving them a try. Or do you have another recommendation for that article of clothing that makes you feeling like a million bucks? I'd love to hear it.

PS I apologize for assuming a certain high-heeled wearing demographic in my readers. Posts like this will not be the norm but I love these shoes and I am so jazzed to be blogging - maybe I will post 3x this month.