chop suey

 blouse: thrifted  // belt: no idea  //  jeans : Gap  // shoes: Wanted

Did you know that chop suey means odds and ends in Chinese?

So that is what this post about... odds and ends... and a random craving for Chinese food. (However, I do prefer Thai food to Chinese food-- jus' saying.)

Do you guys plan your outfits in the morning or at night? This girl here is NOT a morning person. Actually, for the longest time, the husband thought I was mad at him every morning... then he just realized I'm just "not friendly" in the morning.

It's not that I'm not friendly-- I just can't speak before I've had some time to adjust to being vertical rather than horizontal. (Coffee speeds up the process.)

Anyway, this means I lay my clothes out at night. Or plan my outfit at night. Honestly, and we're being real honest here, I get a nerdy sort of pleasure of staring at my closet, imagining outfits before bed.

Luckily the husband lays out clothes too so he doesn't think I'm too weird -- but usually that just means he lays out running clothes and a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. The husband wears the same thing everyday, (which is another post for another day.)

This morning I put on the outfit I had planned but then I second-guessed the belt.

Bright red? Really? Does it work?

And I decided yes, yes it does work. It makes me happy and if it makes me happy, it works.

Also -- random confession -- sometimes I tuck my shirt into the waistpant of my underwear so it doesn't creep up on me. I find it to be a much more secure tucking-in option. My mom taught it to me. And I'm sure some of you guys do it too -- but you wouldn't admit that on the Internet, would you?

happy friday friends.

xo, erika

inspire me monday - the messy room

Did you ever read The Berenstain Bears books?*

They were my brothers and my favorites growing up and for whatever reason, the book "The Berenstain Bears and The Messy Room" is one that always stuck with me (we also had the book on tape version.)

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The story is the tale of Brother and Sister's messy room and how they clean it up--moral after the story and all. But there is a dark part in the book when Mama Bear gets so fed up with the mess in Brother and Sister's room that she goes through with a giant box and starts throwing things out.

My craft room/the guest room has been a candidate for Mama Bear's rage lately. With a few craft shows, little time and other excuses, the craft room became the messy room.

And I feared that the mess, as it seeped out of the room and into other parts of the house, would turn the husband into a Mama Bear-box totin' guy threatening to throw everything out. He confessed earlier this week that the mess was stressing him out a little bit. **

I don't think I blame him.

So on Saturday I took the plunge. Turned on some music, piled my hair into a bun and began to sift through the insanity.

The end result?

A clean craft room, a spic n' span guest room that is a tad, well, inspiring.

*This is important: how do you pronounce Berenstain? "Bear-en-steen" or "Burn-steen." This is a silly argument in which both the husband and I believe that we're right. We even watched an episode on YouTube and it didn't help. 

**please not that I am not a messy person. I always do the dishes, clean the bathroom once a week and clean laundry only piles up weekly occasionally. 

balance

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Do you ever feel like life is precarious? Like when you get it all down pat, when you finally figure out how to juggle three apples, someone throw you a fourth?

Somedays I feel like that. 

Most days I feel like that. I am not good at balancing-- I do extremes. And right now I'm throwing myself into a new job, as well as my hair accessory biz and trying to fit in other things-- being a good wife, a good friend, and somewhat sane.

I think I need a little bit more balance but I haven't quite figured it out. I'm not too good at writing things down on calendars, or saying no when I'm tempted to say yes.

Do you have any tips for balance and organization? Or does anyone want to clean my craft/guest room? (it's a bit of a disaster...) ;)

what to wear

It's what you think it is.

A dress hanging on my closet door, just waiting for early morning. A slightly fuzzy photo, taken late at night. 

So, yes, I lay out my clothes before I go to bed.

And I've done it for years, most likely since kindergarten when I began insisting on dressing myself. In high school I went to the extreme, laying out every accessory and undergarment so I could roll out of bed and, without making any decisions, put on a coordinated outfit.

I can't make decisions in the morning. Believe me, I've tried. If I don't lay out my clothes, I end up staring into the depths of my closet, contemplating whether orange goes with purple or whether a hot dog would be a good idea for lunch. Like I said, I can't make decisions in the morning. (For the longest time, my husband thought I was angry at him a lot-- turned out I'm just not the friendliest before I've had coffee.)

Do you lay out your clothes? Have you ever laid out your clothes? Or is this something that only junior high girls and night owls do? 

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confession

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There's something about the Internet that calls for confessions.

Deep dark secrets. Anonymoity. You can post online what you would never ever say in person.

And so I am going to confess...

I don't wash my hair every day.

[gasp!]

In America, that's unheard of. In Europe and nearly every other country, that's the norm.

And I know that a lot of you are saying, "But I have to wash my hair everyday!"

No, that's just what you think. It's common knowledge that hair is better when you let natural oils, uh, moisturize it. You just gotta train it a bit.

My beauty secret?

Baby powder.

And I don't even use the Johnson & Johnson brand.

It's generic all the way baby.

Yeah, I know it's white, and it smells like it belongs in a nursery but honestly it's the cheapest best thing that works.

Just dab some in your hair at night, concentrating on your roots and where your greasies show up, and I promise tomorrow morning your hair will be baby fresh and any evidence of white powder will be gone.

What is your beauty confession secret?