Old Habits Die Hard

Oh geez. I already screwed up my new blog posting!  I guess I could attribute this to going back to work and teaching a new grade...but then that would be so easy and convenient.  Perhaps this will just be a Sunday morning thing.  Is that so bad?

So the patterns and prints worked out for me this week.  The feet and cute shoes, however, did not.  My.feet.are.cut.up.

Is this because I haven't worked all summer and been in habitual flip flop mode?  (I know I get very little sympathy for this.) Or is it the stifling, claustrophobic heat that makes me feet swell and sweat?  Honestly, by Friday I didn't care the reason...only the solution.  A 6 year-old pair of New Balance running shoes.  With socks.

And 3 band-aids.

Thus went my plan to overhaul.  I can't tell you, though, what a different comfortable shoes makes for my day.  Here is my conundrum...fashion vs. happy feet.

Also, I forgot about the fact that my kids have P.E. twice a week and I don't like being that teacher that doesn't participate.  But does that mean I dress sloppy twice a week?  How do I look cute and sporty at the same time? Help!

But back to screwing up my blog...I also didn't take pictures of the outfits to prove my overhaul project.  Part of that is due to me still trying to get myself back on a schedule that requires waking up early and somehow getting out of the door on time.  Add in a huge deodorant mishap on the first day of school, and a flurry of 8 outfit changes and you get.....no pictures.  When will I learn to put on deodorant like a big girl and not get it all over my clothes?

Chrystal didn't even need to ask why my brand new shirt was wet and hang-drying over the shower curtain.  She knows me.

However, I must stick with at least one picture per blog, and this is something I'm coveting. Badly.  It combines my love for chevrons, long necklaces, simple designs, and brass.  I want. I need. I crave.  Don't you 4 followers love it?

Till next time....

Color and Pattern Virgin

Alright, I've been seeing colored pants and jeans everywhere and I love them.  But here's my problem, I can't spend top dollar on anything, let alone a trend I'm not sure will last.  It took me forever to invest in skinny jeans because I didn't know how long the trend would last.  I now pay top dollar for them.  But colored jeans, I just can't.  So I did what I never thought I would do...I bought pants from Forever 21.

I've shopped there for years and have no problem with the store.  I just always bought shirts and accessories because pants have always been in a league of their own for me.  Being 5'8" with an inseam of 34" you realize you have to pay big money for pants that are long enough.  But with the skinny jeans revolution, magic happened.  Tall girls can wear pants too short for their legs.  That was a nice gift from the gods, don't you agree?  I know all my tall friends are nodding.

I'm still not completely comfortable in the pants, but I'm working on it. Here are some finds below.  My virgin attempt at colors and patterns.

And just to keep my "cheap clothes promise" here are the prices.  And as a note: I almost NEVER spend more than $25 on a shirt.  I can't do it.

Purple pants: Forever 21 $14.97

Green and blue pants: Target $19.99 on sale

Polka dot top: (with cute gold zipper in the back) Forever 21 $14.80

Green Bird shirt (with zipper in the back, too): Target $16.99  *more than I like to spend on a Target shirt but I liked it.

Striped Boatneck: F21 $10.90

Chevron Lucky Brand shoes: T.J. Maxx $25.00

Pewter alligator skin Lucky Brand shoes: Marshalls $30.00

Cat: Pasadena Humane Society $30....but priceless. (Unless it's 7 in the morning and she's running across my head. Then she's free.)

I had a super cute green pair of these Lucky Brand shoes in my grasp as well.  They were on clearance for $25 but I didn't get them.  I already regret it.

Also, I'm obsessed with chevrons.

How'd I do?

Proof is in the Pictures

No blog is complete without a picture.  I decided to include a couple pictures of my view from the 7th floor of my building.  I live in the Old Bank District on Gallery Row.  It's one of the oldest buildings Downtown and is always used for filming. If you've seen L.A. Confidential or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, you've seen my building.  Chrystal and I fell in love with the view and helped seal the deal on this place.  What do you think?

Overhaul. Revitalization. Humble Fat.

So obviously I've been gone awhile.  This is just like my diaries and journals I had growing up.  I would write an entry, swear to myself to do it regularly, and then not touch it for oh...2 years.  Sound familiar?

Also, in true Lauren fashion, I'm deciding to pick this up right as I go back to work after summer vacation.  That's right, summer vacation where I had ALL day and EVERY day to do nothing.  But all this time to waste time is what brings me here, at my kitchen table on a Sunday before I start work with nothing but my cat, coffee, and computer to join me.

In the last 2 years I've ridden a wave of loss, acceptance, grief, love, and happiness.  The things that make me happy are endless at this point.  My best friend and I fell in love with each other and it's magic. We moved to Downtown L.A. and in not-quite-a-year of living here we've experienced the strangest social interactions/observations we ever have in our lives.  Downtown is going through a revitalization of culture, art, food, and well....crackheads.  There are 10,000 homeless alone in Downtown.  It's heartbreaking, staggering, and intriguing all at the same time.  It's toughened me up a bit (I'm a scaredy cat who doesn't do well with confrontational situations or weird people in my space.  I grew up in Orange County.  What do you expect?) and at the same time continually reminds me of how lucky I am to have a bed with soft pillows, a roof over my head, and a kitchen full of expired food that I swore I would eat when I bought it.  I'm always strangely out of wine, however. Interesting.

As with the revitalization of most major cities, the people revitalizing it are usually the creative, artsy, risk-takers who aren't afraid to try new things...be it a loft next to Skid Row or amazing fashion.  I've been surrounded by these risk-takers and inspired by their fearless fashion.  Add an intense love affair with Pinterest and fashion bloggers and you have this point...

I've decided that the focus of my blog is going to be fashion that makes me happy.  I'm in the midst of a fashion overhaul.  I'm drawn to grey, black, and denim.  Solid colors.  Comfort. And cheap. Cheap. Cheap.  I'm ready to try things anew: bold colors from my head to my toes, interesting patterns, and strange pairings that somehow work (like french fries dipped in chocolate malts).  The only thing staying the same is cheap, cheap, cheap.  Did I mention I'm a teacher?

Disclaimer: I may also have to overhaul my wardrobe since this constant state of happiness has also come with 15 extra pounds.  Happy fat is what some people call it.  I call it "The-heavens'-way-of-reminding-you-you-can't-have-everything-fat."  Hence- humble fat.  Granted, I needed to gain the weight.  All the stress from the last few years just melted me away.  But I promise you this: It never feels good when you can't fit in your clothes.  Ever.  It doesn't matter how skinny you are, or the fact that you're going from a size 0 to a size 4.  IT NEVER FEELS GOOD WHEN YOU DON'T FIT INTO YOUR CLOTHES. Moving on.

So I'm probably not going to dress in an outfit and pose (humble fat reminder), but I'm hoping to post pictures of new finds I've purchased, wishlist items, and inspiration pictures.  Any and all comments from my 4 readers are welcome.  Even, "Girl...go back to grey, black and denim."

Here goes...

5-Letter Word for Joy

A finished crossword = happy.

 

Wordplay ("daily riser"-sun) = happy.
Done in pen = happy.
Favorite cookie as an answer = happy.
Only 3 mistakes = happy.
Learning new words:
3-letter word for "a little crazy"...fey
4-letter word for "breathing sound"...rale
4-letter word for "Plato's portico"...stoa = happy.
Enough quiet on a Sunday morning to complete a crossword in one sitting = happy.
Type A sustenance = happy.

When everything is up in the air and it feels like you don't know which way to go or how to respond to something when you're hurt, or how to respond when you've done hurting, knowing that there is one letter per box, with no gray area = just what I needed.

And this makes me happy.

Stars That Laugh

My. Favorite. Book.

Ever.

I decided with my free night void of grading (which is a happy post in and of itself), I would unpack some boxes...namely my books.  There's nothing lonelier than a bookshelf without books.

As I always do, I read through my favorite part of The Little Prince, all things "the rose."  I never tire reading of the tragic love affair between a rose too scared to love and a boy to young to know how.

Then of course I flip to the back and read my other favorite part, my namesake if you will.  It's almost as if "StarsThatLaf" is my alter ego.  The lover, dreamer, and innocent one to balance out the practical, grounded, and somewhat detached everyday version of me. This is the part I reread every time the book is in my hands.  Everytime I cry.  The little prince is leaving his friend, and by leaving, he is dying.  And these are the words he shares.

             "All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers,  the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems... But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them... In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night..You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me... You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh." 
— The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry


Even as I reread it here I am moved.  I want to be the person who comforts those around me, even in disparaging times, and leaves them with a gift of happiness that endures along with the stars.  What a lovely way to live one's life.

Ironically, this quote ends up comforting me most times.  When I read it, I feel the presence of my sweet friend who has passed, but left me with millions of laughing stars.  And this makes me happy.

Mucho Michelada

beer. lime. salt. tapatio. Worscheshireshirehshireshires sauce. (you know you can't spell it or say it either)

This was the first drink at the first restaurant in Maui.  Every hour after that, we waited until we could go back for another one.  Which is pretty similar to how we still feel about Maui...waiting to go back for more.

But in the meantime, this picture, this drink makes me really happy.  And I fully recognize that this is the white girl version, with Stella Artois instead of Negro Modelo.

I've been waiting to make one here at home for myself because I fear it won't taste the same, and who wants to ruin a good thing, albeit perfect thing?  Perhaps the breeze, the water, the mahalo, the Kobe beef cheeseburger, and the sea turtles swimming right outside the restaurant made this michelada what it is...and that's something I want to hold on to.

For now, I have this picture.  And that makes me happy.