Shh... it's a secret

That I am telling the whole world. . .

How is it still considered a secret you ask?  Deal with it "because I said so" and no I am not Diane Keaton. 

So, here's the deal.  I'm finally going to tell you what happened!

I wrote a 50k novel in the 30 days of November (along with lots of other people, with the NaNoWriMo group, but they are not as awesome as me... cause it is me).  Long sleepless nights, endless staring at the computer wonder "WHAT am I DOING?!?", and wondering how truly terrible it will really be.

But alas, it is done and it is awesome if nothing else to be able to say, "I wrote a novel."

On to the reason you came:

Do you remember that shirt and pants that I wore for two days on a trip?

Well, here's it with the sweater.  Simple and easy and took up about the space of a small purse to pack: awesome!  ; P

Here's to wish you a happy weekend! 

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Thrifting vintage makes me feel like I am stealing

When get great finds I feel like Gollum... my back starts to hunch as I claw the item to my chest.  I don't pet it... most of the time.

This outfit wasn't any different.  The whole outfit is fully thrifted, thanks to ___ for challenging me to put logs onto the ever growing thriftaholic fire,... ok, save for the necklace: it was a gift from my grandmother.  I got the skirt, shirt, purse at a yard sale and the bracelet was in one of those piles of giveaway that have filtered through my home. 

By Rachel Abi

You can clean in this right?  I guess not but it is great for making your way through your small downtown to a great little spot to write... too bad to, I really wanted to clean?

My poor husband is stuck taking my photos everyday and it isn't his favorite thing...  I make his stop his early morning ritual to come out and take pictures of me in my outfits... and then I act silly, point in fact:

The sad face is because he told me I couldn't smile... so I did exactly that, NOT smile ;P

Travel with style?

I know that you are supposed to travel in business attire to be first choice for first class... I lean on the I want to be comfortable when I travel side but that's just me.

For our recent trip I decided to try and look cute instead of rocking Pj's... thought this was a bit more appropriate.  Rocked out my thrifted necklace and vest and was on my way.

By Rachel Abi

I also tend towards being cold on planes... why?  I don't know you should ask the airlines why they like it feeling like an icebox! ;P

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Just another one of those days... Get up and think: this outfit is going to work and oddly enough it does.  Well, kind of ;P

And yet another outfit made up entirely of hand me downs... got to love it!

By Rachel Abi

Wells are chairs, right?

The most irritating ring on the cell phone is blaring announcing that it is time to get up yet again... only I don't want to, I know such a change from the normal #sarcasm.  Walking to my closet I deem that despite my going and picking up durrock, for the bathroom we are redoing, I will dress up-ish.  Is it my fault that I want to feel pretty, at least a little, when going to get essentially concrete and wire mesh?  Ok, so I am crazy but I'm ok with it so it's alright.

Dressed and dragging my poor husband out the door behind me I look around our yard and think, "where should I go today? I know that well looks ripe for the sitting!"  

By Rachel Abi

I love having stories behind accessories.  The bracelet I am wearing was given to by my dearest sister.  She and I lived with each other and shared a room for most of our life and between arguments and irritations we are best friends.  For the first time in our life we were separated for 3 months when she left me for the beauty that is Ireland and when she returned she gave me this bracelet (and 2 shirts)... I can't wear it without thinking of her, and I love it for that if nothing else!

This is what I wore Wednesday: thank pleated poppy.

Chick fill moo

Now today is just a silly post.  Late to posting this but Chris and I went to get the most awesome thing: Free food.

Chickfila cow appreciation day!

Aren't I perfect.  Aren't I vogue chic?  Isn't it the most amazing outfit you have ever seen!

By Rachel Abi

I even blacked out an eye for the occasion! 

Flashing is never a good option

One night out for a group dinner.

Flash back 2 hours to when I am getting ready.  I look around and I spot those shoes, you know the ones.  Perfectly comfortable and cute all in the same.  I decided I want to wear those having no idea what that would mean.

I break through the skirts I have and come across my "stand-by" for those shoes.  But now what top?  

By Rachel Abi

Break out the hand-y-dand-y vest that works so well with pretty much everything: check.

But now I need bright.  Can't have summer without "Bright".

So out comes the bright leggings undershirt and bow!

I took a look in the mirror and decided that doing the cancan was the only option seeing as I was so Moulin Rouge

Play the accordion?

Each week I enjoy the challenge set forth by Clothed Much: Breaking rule and Meet Virginia Thrift a holics.  Take a casual silk top and put it with a polyester dress-i-er vintage bottom.

Recently I have seen accordion skirts everywhere on celebrities.  I mean everywhere.  Don't get me wrong I like them as much as the next but I was taken aback.  I haven't seen this many accordion skirts since the late 80's early 90's.  All the same about 2 months ago I came across one in a give away pile at a yard sale; I l love vintage and thrifty ness!  It took me a while to get around it but here it is.  I wore it for a birthday party we hosted for a close friend.  I had to get ready in about 7 minutes and I knew I wanted to wear my skirt so I Google image searched for some ideas and then tweaked it to make it my own. 

If you take a look at the link up above you can see the massacre that is our home after the party.  Eeek!

Written by Rachel Abi

Side note: my husband was raised in a military family and they are big on lawns and grass.  I was raised if it is green why fight it.  We have, after many discussions, come to an agreement: we will finish the inside of our house before we do anything outside so we have a nice large yard of beautiful different varieties of weeds!

The triple...

Just another day... but not another date.  We were super married and by that I mean we went on a triple date (us with two other couples).  Whenever we do this I think of all those cliche scene in a romantic comedy where there is one poor (not cause he/she is single but because of the jerks the married people usually are) single chick or dude a midst a horde of married couples all asking "so... who you dating"

As I mentioned before I pick one thing I want to wear well today it was the shirt and then the flower... so I found the skirt and necklace.  I left like the necklace was needed because I have yet to master feeling ok in color blocks without a diffuser. 

The visual makes me giggle inside every time.  If you haven't caught it yet I am a really imaginative person... I can't seem to help it you say man, swaddled, beach ball and I can't help but laugh... the picture is amazing.

By Rachel Abi

  Ps. I always felt like triple should have three p's... 

My back pack has jets...

So just another day going to the coffee house to take care of well... this and my other blogs (home, photo, and personal thoughts) then on to lunch with my dear husband, Chris.

When I pick out an outfit I do it very specifically.  What I mean by that is I find one thing I really want to wear.  You know that one thing that you like but you haven't found a way to wear it or simply you want to wear it a different way.  

This outfit wasn't any different.  I recently, and by that I mean that day, got this shirt, the I heart nerds, and really wanted to wear it.  Problem number one: it is a causal shirt and I wanted to wear a skirt (I don't own much to any casual skirt... well now casual enough to wear with a t-shirt anyhow).  Problem number two: it is a basically see through shirt (being summer layering, at least for me... bit hot natured, is out of the question).  So I sat, more figurative though crouching I did fall over on my rump a few times so I guess literal too, and peered longingly for something I didn't own to appear.  Alas that wasn't meant to be.  I was about to give up the plight of the "nerds" T when my husband saw me and says, "going to wear the vest over that, it's kind of see through?"  

It was  like a light bulb went off... I have NOOO idea where the this amazing realization hit me: I should wear my vest over it.  Solves both problems in one stride, and along the way I broke a fashion rule: T-shirts and dressy skirts or in other words if you are wearing casual be casual and if you are wearing dressy wear dressy.  I'm amazing I know... I just wish I knew where my genius really came from.

Written by Rachel Abi

Date night!

Date night at home with Chris.  We like to do dates at home to save money.  We don't have kids to work around but I do understand that sometimes it is hard to not just fall into the same things, of every day.  We like to set the table, light some candles, some nights we make a rule that the TV won't come on.  To each his own but my rule for dates at home.  Nothing fancy.  I lean towards comfort and something that makes me feel pretty, so that I can be comfortable when we snuggle (yes, we snuggle) on the couch and I still look pretty and feel pretty.

by Rachel Abi