Goodbye Oscar!

From the moment I met you, Oscar, I loved you. You were nearly new, you were lovely, and you were Lynsey's.

We had fun riding in you. We LOVED summertime! We LOVED having the top off.

It was sad when someone cut the back window. They didn't have to do that. They could have just unzipped you. I am glad Lynsey fixed you quickly.



It was fun when we went to the zoo in you...I'm sorry that I got red Popsicle juice all over the outside of you.


Then, Oscar, Lynsey needed to get rid of you. She still loved you though, so she sold you to me!


Oh happy day!


We had fun together. We drove around town with the top down and the Hootie and the Blowfish blasting!


You were good to me.


Then, someone stole your radio. Why did they do that??? They didn't even have the face plate. Now you have a gaping hole.


Then, I moved to California, and you were my only companion on that long ride.


Remember when we got stuck in Amarillo because of a snow storm in New Mexico? I know you do. Someone cut the back window while we were there. Again, WHY??? They didn't take anything...and they could have just unzipped you.


Oh finally! We made it to California. It was tough getting your little 4-cylinder self up that mountain! You did it though. You are a trooper.


Wow! There was that time up at Southridge that I slid on the ice and I was scared scared scared.


Guess what? I got you a new radio! Now you don't have a gaping hole.


Remember when you were part of the 4th of July parade at Astrocamp? You were looking good.

Now, oh wow, it was a short time but we are making our way back across the country. Now, we are headed to Kentucky!

Now your life gets a little dark, and I'm sorry for that. Wow! He hit you so hard. I didn't want you to have to go through that. He didn't even have a license. He shouldn't have even been driving! He had a choice between a tree and you, and he picked you.

I thought our time together was over...I told Lynsey about it. She was sad too.

Guess what though??? You were given a new lease on life! However, now you aren't white. You are now green. Your top is no longer black...it's brown. You are back though!!!

Remember the look on Lynsey's face when I showed her my "new jeep" and then told her it was you?

I'm sorry though, I can't find any pictures of you being green.

Now, we are moving again. You made the drive to Arkansas a-ok.

Wow, I took you for a long drive every day didn't I? Work was pretty far away. You were kind of expensive to drive, and paying $100 a week in gas just to get to work was getting old.

Then something happened. Your engine started giving you fits. You had a misfire in cylinder one. Nobody could figure it out. I had to drive you less because you were only getting 10 miles per gallon.

I knew it was time. I knew that I had to let you go. I didn't want to, Oscar, but I had to.

You were bought by someone that plans to give you a new life...yet again! How many lives do you have, Oscar?

Your new owner plans to put a new engine in you...you will be just like new.

Don't worry Oscar, Andy told the new owner what your name is. They won't change it. So, you won't be confused learning a new name. Lynsey was worried about that too...she wanted me to make sure the new owner knew your name.

This post is dedicated to Oscar, a wonderful Jeep Wrangler. May the rest of your life be long and full. You will be missed.

Oscar 1997-present

Ladies Room Fashion Show

So if you have been reading, you know I'm doing this on Fridays. I love it that I got this idea from Carrie. I love her blog! This week, I did something a little different. This week's fashion show includes myself, as well as a few of my employees! This is us today. I have about 16 employees, so this is just a few of them...I have a great crew. I'm not going to use their real names...I'm just giving you their first initial. I don't want any stalkers going after them!


So...here it goes!

This is S1. She is a hoot! She loves to wear stripes and jeans (so do I!). She wanted to look geeky in her picture. Did she succeed? What is she wearing?

shirt-daytrip from Plato's Closet
jeans- Boom Boom Jeans from TJ Maxx. (I'm serious! That's the brand!)
shoes-Adidas

Next, we have S2. She is a newer employee of ours, but she has been a shopper since the beginning!
vest-daytrip from The Buckle (She hasn't been working here that long... :)
cami-soulmates
jeans-underground soul from Plato's Closet (That a girl)
Shoes-Diba from Warren's

Here's K1! She was our very first employee. She was here when we were painting the walls. She likes to keep her hair color unique, and she likes to wear black. I applaud her for almost all her clothes being secondhand. I apologize for the picture being screwy.

scarf-vanity

necklace-hello kitty...not sure where

sweatshirt-plato's closet

tank-Miss Me from Plato's Closet

leggings-Plato's Closet

boots-Uggs from Plato's Closet

Now, here's me! I am decked out in my fav color to wear! Gray! I'm wearing my go to outfit...I know. I can rock many different variations of jeans, t-shirt, toms, scarf and cardigan.

Cardigan-ANA from Plato's Closet

Shirt-Doe from Urban Outfitters

Jeans-Silver from Plato's Closet

Scarf-Plato's Closet

Shoes- Toms from Warrens

This is M! She has been working for us for almost a year now, and she has a great sense of style. She always looks very well put together. Today was vest day at Plato's Closet...this is girl #2 in one.

vest-Plato's Closet

t-shirt-basic one from walmart or some place

jeans-charlotte russe

boots-decree from JCP

This is K2. She is very very new. This was her second day! I think she is going to be a great addition to our team. She needs some Plato's clothes though. Also, she is wearing vest #3.

vest-kohls

shirt-Charlotte Russe

Jeans-Miss Me from Cavenders

Shoes-Toms from Academy

Lastly, we have B! She is acting goofy in this picture. That's why we love her! She doesn't get to work nearly enough. School gets in the way. So we are always happy to see her. She was one of the first 4 employees. I believe she may have been the 2nd one I hired. I'm glad she is still around. She loves to SHOP so she always dresses pretty trendy.

Shirt-Deb

Jeans- A&F (and she didn't get them from Plato's???)

Boots-Plato's Closet

I think this was fun. Did you? I might just do this again.

the running skirt...

I ran a 15k on Saturday and I borrowed a friend's running skirt to try it out. I was curious about these because I think rocking out races in skirts would be kind of neat. I didn't really want to buy one because I wasn't sure I really would like it.

A running skirt? Let me tell you more about it. Underneath the skirt, there is a pair of compression shorts attached.


I usually run in tiny little compression shorts.


First off, what was nice about it was that I wasn't quite showing the world my behind. It was covered by a skirt.



Next off, I ran in it. I wasn't really sure if I loved it or not. There really wasn't a difference in the way they felt. I just thought maybe I didn't need that extra layer of material. I could just stick to my tight little spandex things.


Well then, a photographer snapped a picture of me. I saw it and decided I might just have to ONLY run in running skirts! I just love the way the picture looks with a skirt on. Much more flattering. I also like to run in mismatched socks as you can see. :) Now, pay no attention to my hair or the look on my face. :) haha.


I just think this is how I want to dress. I don't want to be a normal runner. I want to stand out. I want to be unique. I want to make a fashion statement. It just makes running a lot more fun. I like to look silly. Is it a good idea to make this a normal thing for me? Your thoughts?

Ladies Room Fashion Show

Try number 2 with Ladie's Room Fashion Show! I once again forgot to take pics of a couple of my outfits. None of this week's outfits were exactly a hit and a win, but I'm happy to have clothes to put on my back!

I love the dog shirt! The dog on it looks like Jessie Dog (My bro and sis in laws dog). I don't love the silly look on my face...something crazy going on with teeth. Also I LOVE the jeans!
Shirt- Forever 21 from Plato's Closet
Necklace-Plato's Closet
Jeans-Miss Me from Beauty's Boutique
Shoes-Sanuks from Plato's Closet

I like scarves because they take t-shirts and jeans and turn them up a notch. I think the outfit below is my favorite outfit of the week, and that's not saying a lot. (I actually did have 2 better ones that I forget to get pictures of...I know you are thinking yeah right. )
Scarf: Plato's Closet
Shirt: Doe from Urban Outfitters a couple years ago.
Jeans: American Eagle from Plato's Closet
Shoes: Chacos from Plato's Closet.

Ok, this isn't really an outfit I have worn yet this week, but I will be wearing it tomorrow in a 15k I do. It's going to be my first experience wearing a running skirt. We will see how it goes!

Shirt: my running club
Skirt: Vicki's
Socks: Deb

Ok, so that's why you don't wear shorts in in Jan! Oh pale legs! I like the shirt, but I don't think it looks all that great in this pic.
Shirt: forever 21 from Plato's Closet
Shorts: Lucky Brand from Plato's Closet
Shoes: Target from ages ago!

Lastly, it's not so much one of my outfit choices, but I thought I needed to leave you with this.

This is a normal Tuesday night for me. Don't let the penguin get you!

Andy's cakes...

Every year, for the past three years, Andy has demanded that I make him a ridiculous birthday cake. No big deal right? WRONG! I'm no cake decorator! I did learn just a tiny bit about it when I was in 4-H when I was younger.

Three years ago, I asked Andy what kind of cake he wanted, and he said an R2D2 cake. I said ok! I set out to Hobby Lobby and to Wal-Mart to buy supplies to do this. I made a lot of extra cake. My dad happened to be in Arkansas at the time, and he ate a lot of "cake bits" while I was making it. It didn't turn out half bad.

Next, Andy asked for a Boba Fett cake. It's his birthday, so I have to do it! It's part of what we do. Birthdays are a big deal. It's a day where the birthday person gets what they want. So, I set out to do it. Again, it turned out ok. I know, I know, I've heard it already, he is missing his antenna. Give me a break. I'm no professional.

Until now, the cakes were pretty easy to structure. It got a little harder this year. He asked for a Millennium Falcon cake. This was by far the hardest cake of the three. It's a little rough, and it took a looong time to make. It turns out I needed way less cake than I made, so we had a lot of extra. You know what we didn't have extra of??? Frosting! There is a ton of frosting on this cake. At least you can tell what it is supposed to be, right?


What in the world will he ask for next??