Valentine's Day: Top 10

While Valentine's Day is nowhere near the top of my "Favorite Holidays List" (um, hello? Christmas and 4th of July?) it is nice to have a day that is dedicated to remembering what you love about the people around you. Valentine's Day seems to have become about "romantic" love, but I think it is important to revisit the different kinds of love. In the Greek language there are 3 main types of love: "agape"--which is unconditional love; ie. the kind of love that describes the love that God has for His people, "eros"--which is intimate love; ie. romantic love that is oftentimes celebrated on V-Day, and "philia"--which is friendship or affectionate love; ie. the love we might have for friends. I'm not sure how to express the kind of love that I feel for my "Top 10 Things That I {currently} Love" List, but let's just go with it, okay? Here we go! From 10 to 1, these are the things that I am {currently} loving:

#10: My Scarf Collection
I love all of my scarves. My summer scarves, my winter scarves, my wrap scarves...ahhh....I have one for every occasion. I pretty much never leave the house without a scarf, because if it gets cold, I have a way to warm up, if it starts to rain, I can cover up my hair, and if I need a little twist in my outfit, VIOLA! Scarves make it happen! LOVE!

#9: "Lovely" Perfume--by Sarah Jessica Parker
I first came across this lovely perfume while in college. Now, I am obsessed! It is sweet, and fresh, and not overwhelming. I tend to be kind of "scent-sitive", so when I find a perfume that does not give me a raging headache, I hold onto it with both hands!

#8: Leopard Print
As you know, I have a "thing" for animal print accessories/clothing/etc. These shoes were just too adorable to pass by. One of my student's was wearing these and upon seeing them I developed an immediate obsession with them. I am pretty sure that you will see a pair of these babies on my feet very soon :)

#7: Hair "Do-Dads"
I love a good headband. I absolutely CANNOT stand to have my hair in my face. There is not a day that goes by without me: 1. putting my hair in a ponytail, 2. putting my bangs back with bobby-pins, or 3. wearing a headband. AND, with all of the ADORABLE headband options there are out there these days, how can you go wrong??

#6: Etienne Agier brown and black boots
Ahhhhh. I think that just about describes the love that I have for these boots. I mean, I seriously wear them at MINIMUM of three times a week. THAT is how much I love them. they are versatile, comfortable, and stylish. What more can a girl ask for in a pair of boots?

#5: Forever 21.
This store changed my shopping life. And I would venture to say that it did the same for a lot of other people too. Not all of us can afford to shop on Rodeo Drive (or even SouthCoastPlaza for THAT matter), but Forever21 made is possible for the average woman to have stylish, trendy, and fun clothes for a good price. You can't beat that! I LOVE this store---it's the best place to buy trendy accessories that will probably break or go out of style with the turn of the seasons. Remember my "rule"? Spend less on the trendy stuff and more on the classic items--this way when something goes out of style, you won't beat yourself up about purchasing it, because you didn't spend that much to begin with. Comprende?

#4: All Things Sparkly
We can agree to disagree, but I will NEVER change my mind about this. Sparkles make everything look more special. Now, I am not saying that a WHOLE ENTIRE bedazzled outfit is acceptable [because I realllllly think that "less is more"] but a sparkly belt, or a sparkly headband, or a sparkly bracelet is 100% fabulous....just not all at once. Be careful on "over-sparkling"...we're not in 4th grade anymore, Toto.

#3: Nike Run Frees
Every person should own at least one pair of these shoes. Just for the sheer fact that they are SO COMFORTABLE. Also, Nike has some pretty awesome color combinations available in their current line of shoes. I have a pair of gray and pink ones that I LOVE. These are NOT good {at least for me} for long distance running. But they are good for cross training. Just "FYI". Get some!

#2: Tim Riggins, meet my readers. Readers, THIS is Tim Riggins.
Tim Riggins represents the "All-American Hottie" in my ever-so-humble opinion. He lives life by the motto of "No Regrets", he drinks beer, and did I mention the way he wears flannel? Mmmmmmm. And, the answer to your unspoken questions is: Yes, Tim Riggins IS a fictional character from a TV show called "Friday Night Lights", but that is neither here nor there. A hot, assertive, confident, manly-man NEVER goes out of style. {and having one by your side? always fashionable} I'm just sayin'.

#1: Family.
Remembering your roots and appreciating the people who love you--agape/philia style--will NEVER be trendy. It will always be in style. Like a Little Black Dress. My family is pretty much the coolest family there is. From my goofy dad, to my sweet mom, to my protective sister, to my wild and crazy brother, there is nothing more that I could want. These people are my first loves. And while I DO love a good leopard print, I don't love it more than them.

"Where there is love, there is life."--Gandhi

Apparently Matching is NOT High On my Priority List

"Your personality is fueled by the fascination you feel for life"-Fortune Cookie's speak the TRUTH!

Someone asked me what I learned from my 30 Day Dress Challenge, and I think that this striped tunic top-- seen in the below photo -- pretty much sums up what I learned. This shirt, like so many others in my closet, has only been worn a few times. So, as a result of my challenge I am now trying to wear more of my clothes, and not keep stuff that I KNOW I am not going to wear. I have a lot of great items in my closet, I just need to make sure to include them in my Fashion Rotation.

Matching clothes are overrated. I have come to realize this over the course of my 27 years on this planet we call "Earth". From the time that I was a very little girl, (apparently I went through a period of time where I insisted on wearing my "Whale Swim-Suit" over the top of every single outfit. The best part? My parents let me, and I am pretty sure THAT is why I dress the way I do now...) I never really liked matching my clothes. I broke every fashion "rule of thumb": I wore mis-matched socks, stripes with polka dots, mixed animal print with every other print available, wore white after Labor Day, wore brown black AND blue all together. The list could go on for pages and pages. Basically, I am a rule breaker---at least when it comes to my clothes. Over the past week I have worn several outfits that some might call "quirky". My sister calls most of these outfits my "Special Outfits"--this means that I am wearing something that is a little bit "off." And I am okay with that. Also, because I have been wearing my pink sparkly Converse every day, I have been trying to find stuff that goes with them. However, you know my rule about being too "matchy-matchy"---I'm against it! Therefore, I have been avoiding wearing other pink stuff and basically just finding a way to use them to accessorize my already---what some might call--weird outfits. Here is a sampling of what I was working with this week:

This is my "teenager outfit" as one of my students told me. Not sure if this is a good thing or not. Sometimes it is like I am incognito as I walk down the hallways at school. When I wear sneakers I am shorter than almost all of the kids--girls included. Mix in a pair of jeans and a cardigan and all I need is a backpack to be mistaken for a student. Another teacher in my hall is constantly yelling at me to "get to class" before he realizes that, OOPS! I AM A TEACHER!

Besides all of the pieces of clothing that I am neglecting in my closet, I also realized (after looking back at all of my pictures from January) that I did not wear my hair curly all month long! CRAZY! And curly hair is awesome and beautiful. If you have curly hair too, you should wear it curly! My favorite curly hair products are Tresseme Mousse, Frizz-ease Curly Spray, and Herbal Essences Spray Gel. I also use Herbal Essences curly hair shampoo and conditioner. I am trying to wear my hair curly more often because I always get a lot of compliments on it and it's a lot easier to wear my hair curly than straight!

Yet another example of my mis-matching clothes. This is my Sunday Swag outfit :) Gotta love a stripes and floral mixture. I will always be the "Weird Girl Who Never Matches"; thank you, fellow elementary school student who called me this in 2nd grade, I have you to thank for making me aware of my gift. I will continue to embrace it.

Same Dress. Different Girl or "How My MOM Wore my Dress"

You might have been wondering where I got my AMAZING fashion sense from. Well, here she is, Ladies and Gents! Judy Davis. She is amazing. And if you look VERY closely, you will see that she is rocking....yep....THE DRESS!!!! She had a party to go to and needed a FABULOUS outfit, so naturally she wanted to wear The Dress. I was more than happy to oblige....because to be completely honest, I love the Dress and would love nothing more than to see it enjoyed....by someone other than me! I don't know that I can ever put it on again. 30 days was JUST enough time to spend together!

Here's how she "put it together"---besides having some pretty hot "arm candy" (that's right, Phil Davis, that's YOU I'm talking about! Looking good Daddio!), she wore her gold heeled sandals, and an beautiful pink wrap. I think she knocked this one out of the park, folks! Doesn't she look great? She followed my advice and wore a POP! of color and also wore something that makes her happy (her husband on her arm, duh!) So, everything that I know about "beauty" comes from my mom. In this department, anything she says, goes. Here are a few choice "tidbits" of beauty advice--(besides the saying "God gave you TWO ears and ONE mouth, Ali, so that you will LISTEN twice and much as you TALK) that she has passed down to me (whether she knows it or not):

#1. Don't wear clothes that are too "snare-py". This means "wear clothes that fit". I can hear her telling me while going formal dress shopping for one dance or another, "Well sweetheart, that's REALLY pretty, but don't you think it's kind of SNARE-PY?" What she was really saying was "Sweetheart, that dress doesn't fit or is not flattering" but in her totally nice, Judy Davis way. She also taught me to sit down in the dressing room and see how my jeans felt, raise my arms over my head and see if my stomach shows when trying on a shirt, and finding a three-way mirror so I can see what my outfit looks like from behind. She is amazing people. Seriously. If you don't do these things already, START!

#2. MOISTURIZE and WEAR SUNSCREEN! I can't remember a time when my mom wasn't using her "MaryKay" creamy cleanser and putting on her moisturizer every single day. Her skin is luminous. She looks amazing. And it is seriously all because she moisturizes and wears sunscreen. She also rocks the "straw fedora hat" look VERY well. All part of her skin care regiment. Now, I must admit that I am not as dedicated to this cause as I probably should be, but I am conscious and I am trying. And that is half the battle, right?

#3. The third and most important lesson about being beautiful that my mom taught me is that True Beauty comes from within. Love radiates out of my mother, patience is her strongest virtue, she is a servant in the truest sense of the word. I look at my mom and see beauty and I only hope that each and every day I am one iota as beautiful as she is, inside and out.

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is only revealed if there is a light within."

--Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Also, one a sidenote: isn't it cool that my mom, who is about 26 years older than ME, can wear the same dress as I can? It just goes to show yet another thing that I have been saying since Day 1 of the Black Dress Challenge. And that is: wear what you want. Don't worry about what people are telling you in right, or appropriate, or fashionable. Who says that just because you are over a certain age that you aren't allowed to wear something? My mom is really good at wearing stuff that is age-appropriate but also fashionable--no "Mom Jeans" for her! If you can't tell, my mom is pretty much my style icon. I always ask myself "WWMT"? (What Would Mom Think?) You should do the same!

Pink+Sparkly: 2 Things that TOTALLY make you think "Super Bowl", Right?

So, because I have been the Cheer Advisor for the past 4 years, one would think that I know some things about sports. Well, let me tell you friends, you would be wrong. In order to actually know about the game, one has to watch the game, and I am just too busy watching the cheerleaders and chatting with my friends to watch the sporting event at hand. Duh. That being said, Me+TheSuperBowl=AJoke. Seriously. This year I spent SuperBowl Sunday at the Hanohano-Lira residence. We ate delicious food (Justin made the "Kevin and Bean" Buffalo Chicken Dip situation....yumm-oooo!) and enjoyed each other's company. It became painfully obvious that I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT FOOTBALL as the game progressed. Seriously. I call the uniforms "outfits", I never know who is on offense or defense (what does that even really mean??), I had no idea what "SpyGate" was, and I kept accidentally rooting for the Patriots (I had a bet going that the Giants would win!). Ahhhhhh, watching football--my favorite past time...NOT! My favorite part about SuperBowl Sunday (besides the yummy food) is the games! If you aren't playing game at your Super Bowl party, then you just aren't living right! A little known fact about me, Alison Elaine Davis, is that I am extremely competitive--but only when it comes to ridiculous, childish games. I could care less about the SuperBowl, the World Series, and yes, I'm going to say it--The Lakers; but when it comes down to SuperBowl Bingo, you know I'm going to do everything I can to get the "W"! And, duh, of course I did!

I won "SuperBowl Bingo" courtesy of the "Ferris Bueller Ad" box. Yahoooo!!!!! (Bueller? Anyone? Bueller?....LOVE that movie!) Apparently the winner of Bingo was supposed to win an awesome giftcard, but since I'm "not really a guest" (Thanks, Erin!) I didn't get to win anything. Besides a whole year of pride and bragging rights :) Yes, that's right, BRAGGING rights. Because of Bingo---I never said I was a good winner. And i'm definitely a sore loser---so good thing I won!

Erin thought it would be fun to play the super janky version of the Newlywed Game that she bought from the Cypress swapmeet on Saturday. So, of course there were 2 actual married couples and myself and the other random "single soul" ended up being partners. But, refer to above paragraph, I MUST WIN STUPID GAMES...therefore, somehow my partner and I managed to get the "W"! Woowooo! The questions were ridiculous, so it was 100% pure luck---and we capitalized on the fact that the married couples were cocky and sloppy with their answers. :) Don't go head to head with me at boardgames. I don't mess around. :)

Here are my shoes---just enjoying the SuperBowl. I love these shoes and I have been getting tons of compliments. The Converse brand is so iconic---almost everyone has had a pair ---or still has owns some-- at some point in their lives. If you have not had a pair, hurry up! Get on the bandwagon! Go to the Citadel! Awesome selection!

Hey Girl!

These shoes are so fun! They are the first (and so far only) thing that I have bought since I began my Black Dress Challenge. I got them from the Converse Outlet store at The Citadel last week. And, coincidentally, besides being SUPER ADORBS, they are going to be a part of every outfit that I wear this month. February is, after all, the month of L.O.V.E (and apparently traveling---more on that later....you'll have to read on to see where this month takes me!). I have decided that while my blog is most definitely about my clothes, it is more about the GIRL in the clothes. Does that make sense? So, this month my challenge is two-fold: 1. I will wear my pink sparkly Converse every day [they DO fulfill my "rules"...ie...sparkly, POP! of color, and I DO love them!] and 2. I will not wear one thing that is black all month long. No shirts, no pants/skirts/shorts...NOTHING! I am planning on being as colorful as possible! Let's see how this works out. On another note, with the new semester beginning on Monday, it is now the 4 year anniversary of the semester that I Student Taught. WOW! I can't believe that it's been 4 years since I took over for Mr. Mallory at East Middle School! All of my little rascals who were in my 8th grade English classes are now SENIORS! It can't be true! Wild! This must be kind of like how my dad feels when he runs into someone who was his student at South Middle School WAY BACK WHEN, who now has a son/daughter at Warren. IT's kind of crazy. In honor of this, I thought I would share a hilarious "tumblr" account (courtesy of Facebook!) called "Hey Girl Teacher!" [heygirlteacher.tumblr.com] and it has some pictures of SMOKIN' HOT CELEBS with HILARIOUS captions that relate to Girl Teachers. I chose a few of my faves to share with you. But, those of you who are "GirlTeachers" (or even if you're not!) will find this amusing---I swear! And if you don't, don't tell me...because I LOVE IT! Read on:

[how amazing would it be if Ryan Gosling were my next door classroom neighbor--love you Karen...even though you're not Ryan G!--and HE was the one watching my classroom every 25 minutes when I have to run to the potty???? True Story BTW...I drink a LOT of water!]
[do any other teachers (or significant others of teachers) sometimes feel like their students is all they can talk about at the end of the day??? My friend Erin and I had dinner with our friend Steph---who is not a teacher---last night, and she had to endure (and always does!) all of our stories....love you Steph!]

[This one is for you, Denim Guy! Thanks for all of those pairs of "Work Appropriate" jeans! ]

***Please check out this website; it is so funny and totally worth perusing. Does anyone out there have any "Hey Girl" ideas? Mine is "Hey Girl, I really like how you stepped up to teach that after school re-teaching class. You are ALL over Tier 2 Intervention." :)

Now THAT's a CLOSET

Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a family. This family had a mom, a dad, two sisters, and a brother. Said family moved from one house to another (against the protestations of the children) and these children were promised to each have their own bedroom, a swimming pool, and even more than one bathroom in the house! Wow! Well, the family ended up moving into a house that had THREE bedrooms--not four--and the kids were going to have to share. That is until the dad decided to split the one huge bedroom (which already conveniently had two doors, two light switches, and really was gigantic) into 2 bedrooms. Everyone had their own bedroom (yay!), they did have a swimming pool (even more yay!), and there were 3 bathrooms in the house (they never had to fight for bathroom time...triple yay!). And they all lived Happily Ever After, right? Wellllllll, mostly right! If you haven't already guessed, this little story is some what autobiographical, and I was one of the kids that ended up in one of the rooms created by splitting up a huge room. While it was awesome to have my own room (thanks for being so inventive, Dad!) there was one major problem---or I guess I would say "tiny" problem. My room did not have a closet. That's right. No closet. I had a cubby hole (seriously) and the entryway coat closet for ALL of my stuff. You all have seen the amount of stuff that I have, and it was NEARLY impossible to find a place for everything. No matter how many times I reorganized, how many trips I made to the Goodwill, or how many clear plastic container drawers/boxes I bought to store under my bed, I still could not get organized. And this was the story of my life. But wait...as with all fairytales, there IS a happy ending (as if this is such a SAD SAD SAD Story, right?) When my sister and I moved out, a major "it" factor for the place we ended up moving into was THE CLOSET SPACE!!! (at least for me....) The closet (s) ---that's right---two closets!---in my room have really been the best thing ever! You might laugh, but being able to organize all of my stuff has really changed my life. Admittedly, I am still not the most organized person, but at least I now have the space in which to take on this endeavor. Check out what I'm working with....
The above photo(s) is(are) of my clothes and shoes closet. I love the shelves above my hang up clothes, because that is where I put ALL of my high heels. I line them up and this way I am able to see every pair and can easily choose which ever ones I want to wear. My mom organizes her hang up clothes by color, short sleeve vs. long sleeves, and even puts her summer stuff away in the winter and her winter stuff away in the summer. She rocks. Now, I am not like that (as you can CLEARLY see from the photo), but at least I have stuff hanging up! And I DO try to organize and differentiate between dresses, skirts, denim, shirts, and jackets---within those categories, there is not too much organization going on---sorry Mom!
I have mentioned before my "accessories closet"...and here it is....or at least part of it! I have a whole "pole" dedicated to my scarves. You know how much I love my scarves! There are so many and they are so colorful! (My FAVORITE!) Some mornings I just stand in front of all of them and put one on and then take it off and choose another and then do it all over again. I have come to realize that having TOO many options makes things more difficult--at least for me! But don't worry....I'm not getting rid of anything! I love it all too much! (I honestly shudder to think what will happen if I one day have to SHARE a closet--eeek---with a husband...I already feel bad for him! Perhaps I should write in a "closet clause" into wedding vows? But let's not put the cart before the horse---or whatever that idiom is---I'm just going to enjoy MY space for as long as I have it!)
Besides being STOKED about my closet(s) when we moved out, I was also super excited about my "grown-up-girl" furniture. When we moved out, I purchased my very own "big girl bed"and dresser, and nightstand "set". It's such a pretty set and I just ADORE it. The dresser is huge and it is where I keep all of the stuff that I don't want/need to hang up. IE....gym clothes, Warren shirts (that's a WHOLE other blog!), socks, pajamas, etc. I try to go through this every couple weeks, because I really don't NEED 30 Warren t-shirts, or 17 pairs of pajama pants...and not having to dig through the drawers to find one thing is nice.
There She is. My Dress. What fun we had together, me and my Dress. We went some places, had some good times, and accomplished some exciting stuff. Despite all of this, I am not sorry to say goodbye. Lots of people DID notice yesterday that I was not wearing my dress, and could not believe that it had already been 30 Days! And, coincidentally I got quite a few compliments on my outfit that I chose. More to come on that later! I think I have a couple ideas for some new challenges up my sleeve. Stay tuned!