Friend Friday: 10 Things

It seems like we're all a little short on time these days and have a little more stress than we'd like.  For that reason, I'm grateful that this week's Friend Friday post requires less thinking!

Katy writes: "Instead of questions on a specific topic, share 10 random facts that people might be surprised to know about you. Take whatever spin you like on it."

Well...my spin is going to be short and sweet since I really have to get the rest of the condo packed up today!

So here we go...

1. I sing with an entertainment company, mostly during the Christmas season, and one of our groups used to sing at the Magic Kingdom during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. My character was a doll named Candy Cane. Click here to see a video of my solo (disclaimer - this was YEARS ago and I'd like to think I've improved considerably since then!). Here are some OLD pictures - I'll try to post some from this year if we take any this December. 

2. I used to be in a baton twirling troupe when I was in elementary school.  I also used to play soccer and I took 10 years of dance lessons, got en pointe and then quit. I'm a moron. 

3. I have lots of fears: flying, elevators, water (I don't mean showers, I mean large bodies of water like oceans and lakes and yes I do know how to swim). I've been prayed over and prayed with and I'm working on it. I don't like being a scaredy-cat. 

4. I tend to be a neat-freak and super organized.  I don't get all worked up about cleaning so much as I do about putting things away and tidiness.

5. I have some serious self-esteem issues.  Also something I'm trying to work on. 

6. Cats are my favorite! I love them. I've always had a cat my entire life, sometimes two. They're the best!

This is also an  old picture - we don't have this chair anymore because it was UGLY. It was also a hand-me-down. :)

7.  My dream right now is to be a stay-at-home mom.  Considering that I'm becoming a single mother, I don't see that dream becoming a reality any time soon so the next best thing would be to find a job that allows me to work from home (without needing to use the phone because I really, really don't like the telephone!). I'd love to do something like writing or transcription or editing, but I would even take plain, old data entry at this point, if it paid enough for me to pay my bills. I just want to be with my daughter as much as possible. I love that little girl!

8. I'm slightly co-dependent.  And by "slightly", I mean that I'd rather not go anywhere by myself.  I'm a homebody so I do enjoy being alone at my house, watching TV, being on the computer, but if I'm going out anywhere I'd much prefer to be with someone.

9. My {ex?} husband has said about me that if I were bleeding from the eyes, I would probably still say, "Oh no, I'm fine, I don't need to go to the doctor." I tend to be a little too relaxed and nonchalant about things others would consider emergencies. Could be a good thing. Maybe. Sometimes.

10. I am so incredibly grateful for all of you, my friends that I've made since starting this blog and my "in real life" friends and family that take the time to read this and keep in touch with me. You've supported me, encouraged me, prayed for me and advised me. I don't think I would be able to handle this season in my life without each one of you. Thank you.

There are a few other things that I'd love to share with you and talk about but I really need to get started on the rest of the packing.  We've done so much but it feels like we still have TONS more to do in order to move tomorrow. 

And since I probably won't get to take pictures today, I'll just tell you that I'm wearing a black cotton sleeveless dress with a pink belt and leopard flats. Yay pink!

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 28

Hi friends!

I have so many things to share with you, but I'm short on time today. I've got some fantastic giveaways coming up sponsored by the fabulous ML of Twenty York Street, and as we're nearing the end of October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to remind you about the Mammogram Promise campaign. As Megan mentioned in an email to me, "We are now past 3,000 promises (>$3,000 for mammography research), but there is still money to be raised and tons of prizes still to be won! ...There is even a new, fun video (includes some nice eye-candy) that got made for MammoPromise which is a cute way to share with all the ladies in your life as well." If you haven't checked out the site yet, hurry there now!

This outfit is inspired by Hillary and the spectacular way she is able to style vests.  I've had this one for a few months but just didn't feel like I could pull it off.  I figured what better time to try than on the last "work attire" day of the Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness Challenge? It turned out pretty well, I think.  I like the subtle pattern mixing between the stripes on the vest and the pattern on the skirt.

I'm going to spend tomorrow packing up the rest of the condo (SO grateful to my friend April for offering to come help and have lunch with me and The Princess!) and then we move on Saturday. Sunday is church and then settling in plus some Halloween-ing. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post again until Monday, but I'd really like to try doing a recap post of the challenge outfits. 

Hope you all have a great Thursday!

Today's outfit:
Black/White Skirt: Salvation Army
Pink Top: Target
Vest: Ross
Black Heels: Payless
Pearl Bracelet: Gift from ML

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 27

Let's give Wednesday a round of applause, shall we?

We're halfway done with this week and that's a relief. Well...sort of.  I kind of feel like time is going by WAY too fast at the moment. 

The move this Saturday is coming too quickly and I still have so much to do.  I'm afraid my last six weeks at this job are going to be up before I know it. I've uploaded my resume to a couple of job search sites and have looked around at positions within my current organization, but there really aren't any for which I meet the requirements.  It's a little disheartening and slightly frightening.  

{Side note: speaking of resumes, if you need to have yours revamped, please visit Precision Resumes! They are professional, efficient and worked MAGIC on mine. They also offer a free review of your current resume if you're interested. Go check them out!} 

I'm trying to stay positive. This outfit, however, is not a reflection of that attempt at positivity.  This outfit is a result of lack of planning and inspiration. I'm also not entirely sure the cardigan truly qualifies as pink, but I decided to go with it anyway. I would've added a yellow belt too, but my only yellow belt also has orange in it and I didn't like it. I need to find a yellow belt.

Oy.  I really need to start brightening up my photos or taking them inside for now. I didn't realize how dark they were until I uploaded them and I don't have time to brighten them right now. Sorry!

And that's it for me today. I can't wait until things calm down so that I have time to start reading blogs again. Right now I'm spending my online time searching for jobs. So hey, if you have a few minutes, give me an update on your life in the comments so that I can get a little caught up with everyone.  I miss hearing about you all!

Today's outfit:
Gray Slacks: Forever 21
Yellow/White Top: Macy's
Pink Ruffled Cardigan: Plato's Closet
Gray Pumps: Payless
Necklace: Gift from co-worker

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 26

Have I mentioned lately how much I love pumpkin? I really do. I'm sitting at my desk (you know, the one that I have for just the next six weeks) enjoying some Pumpkin Spice coffee from the K-cups given to me by my generous mother-in-law (erm...ex-mother-in-law? I really don't like the way that sounds, someone give me a nicer adjective!) and while it might be a high of 90 today, the taste of pumpkin makes me feel like it's fall and that's really all that matters.




Along with the B&BW pumpkin scented candles and wallflowers. I love pumpkin.

At least when we move this Saturday the high will only be 81. Better than 90.

I'm surprised today's outfit didn't come to mind earlier this month.  This dress has to be one of the best purchases I've ever made because I wear it all.the.time. I wear it to work, to church, on nights out, on days at home, everywhere. And to think that I found it at Plato's Closet for about $8. Awesomeness.

I decided to use the polka dot belt for a little splash of pattern. The outfit turned out a little more sweet than I'd expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I'm not sure what's up with my bangs though. Sometimes I want to grow them out because that cowlick is so aggravating, but then my hair is so incredibly boring to begin with that the bangs at least add a little something.

You guys - we're coming close to the end of the Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness Challenge! And we have a few more joining us this final week so make sure you take a look at the list if you haven't recently. There were so many things I wanted to do throughout this month: featuring different bloggers, sharing stories, highlighting participants' favorite outfits. But, life happens and I ran out of steam (not to mention time). I'd really like to do this challenge again next October and hopefully can accomplish everything next time around! For those of you who are participating or did participate at some point this month, do you think it's something you'd do again next year?

Today's outfit:
Black Dress: Plato's Closet
Pink Shirt: Dots
Black/White Polka Dot Belt: Plato's Closet
Black Bow Pumps: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 25

You guys are the GREATEST.

I am humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude at the amount of support and love you've poured out to me in response to my last couple of posts.  I can't begin to express how much each and every single comment has meant to me and helped me to stay strong.

I'm so blessed to have you all in my life, albeit virtually for most but that's so much better than not knowing you at all.

Thank you.

This weekend was exceptionally busy and while I did sport pink in my outfits every day, I didn't get pictures to post. Sorry about that! Trust me though, I did wear pink.  Anyone who saw me can vouch for me.

The dress I'm wearing today is one that I've been wanting to wear again for a while. I really like it but didn't realize how short it actually is.  It would be appropriate in most normal office settings but in my office, our length requirements are knee-length at the shortest and although I'm being laid off from this position in six weeks, I'm still a professional and want to adhere to their rules and guidelines. So - I added a skirt underneath! I wasn't sure it would look okay but I think the black cardigan pulls it all together. Yay!

Okay I'm off to contact HR to see if there are any positions within the hospital to which I can transfer and start looking around for other jobs as well. I know that one day I'm going to look back at this season of my life, getting divorced and laid off all at the same time, as one where God prepared me for something exceptional. He's wiping my life clean to make room for new things. I'm trying to be excited rather than scared!

Today's outfit:

Black/White Dress: Macy's

Black Cardigan: Kohl's

Black Skirt: Ross (I think...)

Pink Belt: Salvation Army

Pink Heels: Plato's Closet

Pink Earrings: Beya

MORE Life News

Just when I thought I was getting used to the idea of settling into my new life as a working single mom, I got called into a meeting with my supervisor and her boss.

And I lost my job today. 

For those of you that don't know, I work{ed?} as the Clinical Research Support (basically the administrative assistant) for the Diabetes Research office of a hospital system. I've been here for two years.  I get Fridays off with my daughter and have cherished that.

Apparently there has been a decline in study and project proposals and they've decided without those funds coming in, they need to eliminate my position.

Right now, of all the seasons of my life, this is when I need this the LEAST.

They are generously giving me six weeks to stay and if I haven't found a new job at that point, I'll receive some type of severence.  The hope is that HR can find me another position within the same hospital system.

My main concern is finding something that will allow me Fridays with my daughter, especially now when I'm going through a divorce and will lose half of my time with her already.  I've already been concerned about making ends meet on my current salary; I'm extremely grateful for the amount I am paid and can't afford to take a job that pays anything less.

So...anyone know how I can work from home in a position that doesn't involve being on the phone?

Please pray for me.

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 21 - And Life News

Hi guys!

Thanks so much for your encouraging comments yesterday. You guys are the best.  You always leave uplifting and kind words for me and I appreciate every single one of you! Hopefully in a few weeks life will settle down so that I can reciprocate!

For my new readers, if you're not sure what BBCA stands for, click here to find out and see who else is participating!

A few months ago, I never would have considered layering this shirt over this dress.  This outfit, my friends, is a testament to the power of style blogging! I've learned so much and become much more creative through reading style blogs.  There are so many inspirational bloggers out there and I'm grateful to have found them and become friends with many of them, as well as with some readers!

I realized that I've never taken a detail shot with the pattern of this dress, so I took one today.  It's probably not the best quality but it'll work.  I hope.

Okay, now for the life news. *Deep breaths*

Most of you know that I've had a lot going on lately. While I'm not able to get into details and I'm not quite ready to talk about it too much, I'll just tell you that today on Facebook, I've changed my relationship status from "married" to "single". When I move in with my parents next weekend on the 30th, it'll mark the beginning of a new chapter in my life as a single mom. 

For any of you wondering, we are going to stay friends and have been spending a lot of time together lately to make sure our daughter knows that we're not abandoning her or each other. He's my best friend and he will always be my best friend - but this still breaks my heart into a million pieces. And before I start bawling uncontrollably, I'm just going to end here. 

Today's outfit:

Black/Blue/Green Dress: From my mom

Pink Top: Target

Black Belt: Salvation Army

Black Mary Janes: Wal-Mart (I think...)
Black Necklace: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 20

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

How are you all doing? How was Tuesday, what happened, what did I miss? Actually I've missed the past five days of reading and commenting on blogs, but I'll catch up again. Eventually. I can't believe I keep getting so behind. Hopefully once we're done moving and the dust settles on our new lives, I'll be able to come up with a new routine that'll help me stay caught up.

Yesterday I needed to take a day for some personal things. It was strange to not blog but it was also oddly freeing to have an entire day away from technology.

I've gotten emails and comments from people to whom I really want to reply - please, please bear with me and forgive me for not replying quickly. Or for weeks at a time! Under normal circumstances I try to reply the same day but life has been so crazy that I barely have time to breathe. I haven't had a moment to  sit down with my email and respond to anything at all for the past month or so.  Please know that if you've emailed me, I WILL respond! It might take me a few more weeks with the packing and moving and other stuff happening right now, but I will!

Today I'm back in pink! There have been a couple more blogs added to the Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness list of participants - go check it out if you haven't lately, make sure you're listed if you're participating and check out everyone else's blogs! You're all doing such a great job. 

I wasn't sure this breezy little summer dress could be worn at work (and in FALL) but I decided to take my own advice and just throw a cardigan over top to make it office-appropriate.  Functional, within code and comfortable. CHECK.

Sorry these pictures are so wonky.  It was still pretty dark out when I left this morning so we had to use the flash on my iPhone instead of my usual HDR setting.  I'm going to have to find an indoor spot soon, especially with the upcoming time change. Meh.

Hope your weeks are going well so far! Catch me up on what I missed yesterday!

Today's outfit:

Pink Dress: Ross

Black Cardigan: Ross
Black Belt: Kohl's (came with a different shirt)
Black Flats: Target
Yellow Necklace: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 18

Howdy!

See, I really am running out of greeting ideas.

Plus I just wrote a long, picture-filled post about the weekend.  I'm kind of worded out.

I'm also super busy and just as a head's up, I'm probably going to skip posting tomorrow.  I've got some personal things going on and will be taking the day off work, too.

I can at least talk about the outfit.  This is the dress I wore on Day 6 but this time I layered a skirt over it and skipped the tights.

Huh. Talking about the outfit didn't give me much to say either. Oh well, this gives you more time to catch up on everyone else's posts. :)

Have a great day everyone! I'll be back Wednesday!

Today's outfit:

Pink/Black Dress: Ross
Black Tank: Can't remember
Black/White Skirt: Kohl's
Black Pumps: Wal-Mart
Black Necklace: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: BBCA Days 15, 16, 17

I wanted to blog over the weekend, really I did, but once you see the pictures you'll see that I was pretty busy!

Friday: did a little shopping with my daughter in the morning, met The Beast for lunch, a friend came over during nap time, The Beast came home early and we brought The Princess to a birthday party and then to my parents' house while we went to another party.

Saturday: got up SUPER early and headed out to Islands of Adventure to walk the queue of The Forbidden Journey (the Harry Potter ride, for those of you wondering) but we didn't actually go on the ride.  We had some frozen butterbeers and then walked over to Universal to see the Moster Make-Up Show (HYSTERICAL) and see the Scare Zones that they set up for Halloween Horror Nights.  After that we went to my parents' house for family dinner and then we took the Princess out for a later dinner with The Beast's parents. I started out the day in leggings and a jacket, but those came off once it warmed up and I just stuck with the dress and boots.

Sunday: went to Panera for breakfast, brought The Beast to his gig while The Princess and I went to our church, then we went to SeaWorld where we met up with The Beast and his dad so we could take The Princess around Shamu's Spooktacular for trick-or-treating! That night, we put her to bed early and finished watching a movie.

I. Am. Exhausted. And we did not do any packing over the weekend, did you notice? Yeah. I'm starting to have anxiety issues.

So that was our weekend.  What did you guys do?

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 14

Hi everyone!

How's your week going so far? Part of me is glad that we're almost to Friday, the other part of me feels like time is moving way too fast.

I've really been wanting to wear scarves more often but I'm a complete novice with them. I only have a couple of lightweight scarves that are wearable in Florida right now; the rest are a little too heavy for the heat. So this is one of my attempts at wearing a scarf. I kind of like it but it doesn't stay put very well, I'm constantly tucking and readjusting. Practice, practice, practice.

So HEY - guess what?! ML from Twenty York Street is going to sponsor some Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness giveaways! She's sending me some pieces in the mail, two of which are duplicates of things that I own and have worn on the blog. I am SO excited!

Let's take a poll - if you could win any kind of giveaway, what would you want to win? A purse, a scarf, a piece of jewelry, a piece of clothing, a gift card, something else? What's your favorite giveaway item?

Today's outfit:

Brown Blazer: Kohl's

Brown Slacks: Charlotte Russe

Pink Tee: Target
Brown/Cream Zebra Scarf: From my mom - I think she got it at Big Lots, actually!
Pink Belt: Salvation Army
Brown Studded Heels: Wal-Mart
Pink Earrings: Wal-Mart

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 13

My mind is completely and utterly blank this morning.  I'm trying to come up with something witty or clever or interesting to say and it's just not happening. 

So, I'll post some pictures. And the link to the list of Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness participants, because we have a couple more!

And I'll ask again for more jokes.  Because I still need more funnies. Or tell me an interesting fact about yourself! Yes, let's do that too! I want to get to know you better, so talk to me.

Hope you're all having a good week so far!

I'm now considering that maybe the top is slightly too big.
Ya think? Heh.

Today's outfit:
Dress: Salvation Army
Pink Belt: Salvation Army
Pink Flats: Target
Pink Necklace/Earrings: Beya

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 12

I'm running out of clever greetings.  Actually, I don't think I had any to begin with but I'm never quite sure how to begin posts.

HI!!!

There, how's that? Better? Too much?

How was your Monday night? Did you do anything fun? I had a caroling rehearsal, which actually was kind of fun.  And it made me realize I should brush up on my music a bit more. Heh.

So today I decided to go with the pink and gray combo as part of the Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness Challenge. I was going to pair it with a black skirt but figured I would go against the grain and wear white after Labor Day instead. I'm such a rebel. Sorry the pictures are darker, it's dark out when I leave in the mornings now.

I don't have a whole lot else to say. Things are still busy.  Some things are really difficult to work through right now. I'll talk more about that in a few days or weeks or when I'm ready. We need to pack up the condo and try to move on October 30th.  Moving is always stressful when that's the only thing happening, never mind when it's combined with other stuff. 

Okay. Whew. Let's shake that off, shall we? Tell me how your day was yesterday! And while you're at it, tell me a joke! I need funnies right now.

Today's outfit:

Pink Blouse: Dots

Gray Cardigan: Gift from ML
White Skirt: Gap
White Belt: Wal-Mart
Gray Heels: Payless
Necklace and Earrings: Wal-Mart
Bracelet: Gift from ML

Daily MelWear: BBCA Day 11

Good morning, friends!

I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was super busy and the next few weekends are going to be super busy too. And I woke up at 3AM this morning for some unknown reason. Hate it when that happens.

So far it seems like the Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness list is growing by one or two participants every day. We began with 25 and are now at 35 participants! That's awesome! I hope that our posts are encouraging people to pay attention.

I received an email over the weekend from Megan with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance telling me about their Make a Mammogram Promise Campaign that they began on October 1st.  According to Megan, "By collecting promises, we're hoping to reiterate the importance of screening and encourage more women to take action towards healthier lifestyles. Also, for each promise made, $1 is donated by Safeway towards research to assists women in need to access mammography. The icing on the cake? Because we all know that squeezing sensitive body parts into pancake-shapes is not the most fun subject to talk about, we are also giving away some great prizes to sweeten the deal." If you're not familiar with the site, please click over and take a look. What a great way to be proactive AND help others to do so as well!

Today I went with my tried and true combo of black and white with a pop of color. We have a caroling rehearsal tonight after work so I wanted to be comfortable all day. I probably should have worn a skirt in retrospect but I didn't. Oh well. Next time.

Please don't forget to send me an email if you're willing to share your story as a guest post for the Blogging for Breast Cancer aWEARness Challenge.  I'd also like to compile a list of the best outfits for the challenge so if you have a favorite (either of your own or another participating blogger's), please send me an email with a link to the outfit post so I can get that list started!  It would also be really fantastic to hear if any of your posts have encouraged people to get mammograms who otherwise wouldn't have thought to do so. My email is {aworkingmomscloset at gmail dot com}.

So how was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? Do you have anything planned for this week?  Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers! I can only think of a couple, but you know who you are. :) Hope you have a great day!

Today's outfit:
Zebra/Black Blouse: Kohl's
Pink Tank: Plato's Closet
Black Slacks: Charlotte Russe
Pink Belt: Salvation Army
Pink Heels: From a friend (thanks Nicole!)

Daily MelWear: BBCA Days 8b, 9 and 10

Oh, Sunday night.  I should be enjoying this last bit of weekend but instead, I'm dreading the work week. Does anyone particularly look forward to their work weeks? 

This post is going to be a little bit photo heavy since I need to recap three outfits. Sorry! I just didn't want to get behind. I'm also exhausted and too lazy to figure out outfit details so I'm skipping that for this post. I hope that's okay. 

I blogged on Friday with the outfit during the day, but then we took The Princess to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween (it is GOOD to have friends in high places!) that night! It was SO much fun. We dressed her up as Snow White, didn't tell her where we were going and just drove to Disney. Magic. Seriously, tons of fun. 

Even though I'd already blogged one outfit for the day, I still stuck with the challenge and kept my pink on. I took some pictures at Disney of that outfit to share with you. I'd just bought that pink belt at the Salvation Army store, it's the same one as the red belt that I have that I also bought at the Salvation Army store. Perfection!

Then there is Saturday's outfit (we ran some errands and saw The Social Network, then took The Princess to Oktoberfest at Celebration where we stupid Floridians go to see paper leaves piped out into the street because otherwise, we never see autumn leaves. Pity us.). That was the second dress I bought at Ross last weekend.  It's long enough for work but I'll have to layer another shirt on top...even then I'm not sure it's entirely work appropriate because of the butterflies and stuff. It's a little too juvenile for work, maybe.

Sunday I took my girl to church and then we met up with The Beast at Islands of Adventure to finally catch a glimpse of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! It was crazy crowded so we didn't get to wander around as much as I would have liked. We didn't get to ride the Forbidden Journey either but we're shooting for that next week. What we DID do was try Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer and we ate at the Three Broomsticks! Oh yay. :) My pink in this outfit is the shoes and the floral statement necklace.

That's all for me, guys! I need to head to bed so I'm functional enough to work out in the morning! Hope you all had a great weekend!!!

{PS - I'm strongly considering taking my friend's advice and just marking all of my unread posts as read and starting fresh, because there is no way I'm going to catch up on 900 blog posts at this point. Do you guys ever find yourself this behind in reading and commenting? What do you do? How do you catch up? I can't even guarantee that with everything going on right now I'd even be able to stay caught up. There's more tumult and transition happening in the next few weeks, then more stuff in November and then we're full swing into the Caroling season when I'll *hopefully* have gigs most weekends. Ugh. I'm tired. /End rant.}