The last remix post! 23-28

I'm finally done with my February remix challenge a la Kendi! Similarly to last time I tried this, I'm finding that I'm a little more creative with my clothing now that the remix is over, and I'm hoping that I'll be more discerning once I start buying clothes again, as well.

Mostly, though, I'm just SO glad that February is over! I'm ready for spring weather, sunshine and bare feet. March brings a lot of excitement (including a trip to California, where I am DETERMINED to go to Disney Land), and the possibility of a few changes in my life. I'm ready!

23

top - GAP, cardigan & shoes - Target, pants - LOFT

24

sweater - Target, scarf & bracelets - vintage, pants - LOFT, shoes - TOM's

25

cardigan & boots - Target, belt - F21, jeans - GAP, top - Charlotte Russe (?)

26

top, tights, socks & boots - Target, skirt - American Apparel, scarf - gift

27

EVERYTHING in this outfit is from Target. I need to shop somewhere else.

28

dress - modcloth, sweater - UO, jeans - GAP, shoes - Tom's, scarf - Lifestyles (local hippie emporium)

17-22

I'm writing this with my windows open and a spring rain falling outside. Birds are chirping, crocus are peeking their heads out of the soil, and spring has finally and truly arrived, bringing with it my annual tendency to devolve into cliche and read a lot of Wordsworth.

Anyway! Briel came to visit me this week, which was absolutely lovely and involved a lot of vegan Chinese and Vietnamese food, shopping at the fabric store, and watching every movie preview we could find in succession (this took about three hours).

I can't believe my 28 for 28 remix is nearly over (and, with it, the month of February!). I am more than ready for March to come, bringing with it leaves on trees, a trip to visit Jessa in California, and hopefully a final decision about where I'm attending grad school in the fall!

17

top - Anthropologie (sale), sweater - UO, belt - J. Crew, jeans - GAP, shoes - Target

18

top - GAP, sweater - F21, pants - Loft, shoes - TOM's

19

dress- vintage, belt - J.Crew, shoes - TOM's

20

dress - Banana Republic outlet, sweater - Old Navy, shoes - Target

21

top, tights & boots - Target, skirt - Boden (gift), belt - J.Crew, necklace - Anthropologie

22

dress (as skirt) - Modcloth, tights, boots & scarf - Target, sweater - Ruche

It looks like I spent a lot of time this week being sleepy and slightly frumpy at work. Also, I need to learn a new pose!

Going to the Zoo + a bonus outfit!

Last week I spent a day off at the zoo--admittance was two for one because it's February, but on the particular day that we went it hit nearly 80 degrees! It was a perfect afternoon of basking in the sunshine and hanging out with animal buddies.

16

shirt - Fossil, jeans - GAP, shoes - TOM's

10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15!

Here are my next six outfits! I've found that Kendi's Remix Challenge starts to yield really interesting results about halfway through... that's the point where you're really forced to start wearing your clothes in ways you'd never thought of before. I think this set of outfits shows that, since I've started to be a little more creative with my pairings and accessories. It also doesn't hurt that the weather has finally turned nice, so I'm back to being out and about, at work and in classes, interacting with the world and wanting to make a good impression through the way I dress.

Ten

blouse - Modcloth, cardigan - F21, pants - Loft, shoes - UO

p.s. You might have noticed that my original set of items to remix only included 27 pieces--this floral blouse is my 28th piece, which arrived about a week into February.

Eleven

shirt - Fossil, cardigan - F21, skirt - Boden (gift), boots - Target

Twelve

sweater - Ruche, pants - Loft, shoes - Target

Thirteen

t-shirt, sweater & skirt - Target, tights - Hue, shoes - UO, belt - J. Crew, pearls - ??

Fourteen

blouse - modcloth, skirt - American Apparel, boots - Target, belt - J.Crew

p.s. This was my Valentine's Day outfit? Is it hearts-and-flowers-y enough?

Fifteen

long-sleeved tee - Target, blouse - Anthropologie (sale/gift), jeans - GAP, shoes - UO

5, 6, 7, 8, 9!

Hey, guys! Contrary to what you might assume, I have NOT given up on Kendi's Remix Challenge. I just need to get caught up on posting photos! February so far has been COLD and I've spent so long snowed in that these outfits are probably not as polished as they could be. BUT it's finally warming up, the snow is melting, and the crocus are starting to come up! I'm not sure that I'm ready to make the big "spring is here" proclamation, but I'm crossing my fingers and I think we're getting very close!

Five

dress - Banana Republic outlet, cardigan, tights & boots - Target

Six

I think this whole outfit is actually from Target. Oops.

Seven

cardigan - Old Navy, top & jeans - GAP, shoes - TOM'S

Eight

top - GAP, skirt - American Apparel, cardigan - UO, tights & boots - Target, belt - J.Crew

Nine

dress - Modcloth, scarf (in hair) - vintage, tights & shoes - Target

Now that it's getting warmer, it should be interesting how these pieces transition to a different kind of weather. I'm looking forward to getting back to my regular schedule this week - work, photography classes, yoga, and writing/coffee dates with myself.

Curried Lentil Potato Soup

So, I'm snowed in AGAIN. Actually it's not so bad; we only got five or six inches this time so hopefully the roads will be clear in time to get out of the house tomorrow or at the very least so I can go to work on Friday.

I had a few too many sweets yesterday, so I was feeling a bit off all day today. I usually eat in a pretty healthy way, but lately the winter blahs have led me to seek solace in sugar and carbs a bit too often. I wasn't even hungry at all today, which trust me is not a usual occurrence.

I decided I needed to make an "everything but the kitchen sink" kind of soup... something warm and comforting on a snowy day, and a soup that would be full of all the veggies that I needed to use up. I started pulling everything I could think of out of the cabinets, and this is what I ended up with!

This is more of a method than an actual recipe, and could easily be adapted to work with whatever you have on hand.

Curried Lentil Potato Soup

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, diced

4-5 medium-sized potatoes, diced (I used Yukon Gold)

3-4 more diced veggies (I used half a bag of baby carrots cut into coins, the rest of a bag of green beans, rinsed and trimmed, and 3 summer squash, diced)

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

6 c. vegetable broth

3 c. water

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 c. red lentils, rinsed & picked over for stones

1 c. brown rice blend

Directions:

1. Saute onions & garlic in olive oil in a large stock pot until onions become translucent and golden. Add spices, being liberal with salt & pepper. Add carrots, potatoes, and other veggies, and continue to saute until veggies start to brown.

2. Add vegetable broth, water and tomatoes. Stir thoroughly & bring mixture to a boil. Add lentils and brown rice blend. Bring to a boil again.

3. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover pot and let simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally (soup is done when rice is done).

That's it! This was easy, comforting, and healthy--exactly what I needed!

Snow Daze

1. Of course I wore a skirt with my snowboots.

2. Just after the snow ended, my neighborhood looked like another planet.

3. Giant snow pile, featuring my mom and my dog Lucy for scale.

At first I was elated about the blizzard that engulfed, well, most of the country last week. It was exciting! We received about 15 inches of snow here, which was an all-time 24-hour snowfall record (since 1905) for Tulsa! However, the downside of living somewhere where snow like this never happens was that it took days and days for the city to dig itself out. I finally went back to work for the first time today, after an entire week at home. I was so ready to get out!

For contrast, here's the lunch I ate on a restaurant patio in 80-degree sunshine three days before the blizzard took place. I'm trying to soldier through, but I have to admit the midwinter blues are really getting to me. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house for lunch and a movie tomorrow, though, and to waking up early for a Skype date with a dear friend who's currently on the other side of the world.

Does anyone have good winter cheer-up ideas? So far I've bought plane tickets to go to California in March. That helped :) Next, I'm thinking I need to give myself a Valentine's Day pedicure and maybe read in bed with some Sleepytime tea.