Friday, September 3, 2010

Friday Mishmash, aka MizFit's Post ;)

View from my home office (love that term!) window:
See anything unusual?
It's Kip! Middle of the day, sleeping right out in the open. Never had a cat who would do that - guess he feels very secure in our backyard!

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I find it interesting and strange that even if I have a later-than-normal breakfast, I'm still hungry for lunch right about noon. And I've even not let myself have lunch just to see if I'm really hungry or it's habit. Crankiness ensued. So I guess I really AM hungry.

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I brought out my exercise tube for my home workout the other day, and I've periodically stepped away from the keyboard (I'm trying to write more) to work my arms and get the blood flowing. That column that I pose by for my Fashion Friday pictures works well to wrap the tube around and do some of the exercises. I did 50 each of bicep curls, tricep extensions and pulls, and I have to say, that really got my arms burning in a good way! Will have to add more when I remember what else there is to do.

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You know what bugs me? Pictures of cupcakes. Not just cupcakes, but cupcakes with that thick, piped-on swirl of frosting. They're everywhere, from the ad on Wordscraper (that my cousin Jill and I play on Facebook), to Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. We don't have a cupcakerie (I thought I just made that word up but Googled to be sure and whaddya know? It exists!) here in my town, thank god - but you must know that I am very vulnerable to the power of suggestion and every time I see a cupcake I *think* I want one. And guess what? I don't really like cupcakes all that much...I'd go for a giant cookie if I really was going to splurge! Still, those darn cupcake have me drooling. And I'm being nice and NOT posting a picture because I don't want to lure anybody else down that path of sweet, sugary goodness...instead, I'll illustrate how I feel every time I see a picture of a cupcake:
Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhh, cupcakes!

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The other day I finally made this whole wheat pearl couscous - I wasn't sure what to expect of it since all I did was partially follow the directions (I used water and salt but no butter or oil for cooking it).
Jar minus one cup of couscous
Dinner is served: Pearl couscous, zucchini pasta and pork tenderloin.

I was pleasantly surprised - I liked the couscous! Of course, as you can see by the picture, I happened to dust it with some Parmesan cheese, but it would have been fine without. I didn't want it to feel slighted, though, since it was next to that yummy zucchini pasta (which I still haven't tired of, although I did manage to slice my finger on my peeler and I AM tired of that little wound opening up every time I bend my finger).

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And now, it's time for Fashion Friday - jeans edition! If you will recall, I bought this pair of $59 Ann Taylor Loft jeans for the bargain price of $4.88 when I was in California. I liked them but was a little (ok, a lot) unsure because of the light color...everyone always recommends a dark wash when it comes to jeans. But Barbara's sister Sandi (waves to Sandi!) convinced me that I looked ok in them - all I could see was my hefty thighs. So I finally had them hemmed, which brought the price up to $18 - still a bargain. I put them on and immediately focused on the thighs again. Took pictures and checked the viewfinder - yep, THIGHS. But a funny thing happened when I uploaded the pictures to the big screen (aka my computer monitor) - I liked what I saw! Who knew? Well, apparently Sandi...thanks, girl, for making me buy these!
Belted, with my Talbots origami ruffled shirt and boyfriend sweater.Without belt, because I knew some of you would want to see it that way. Now that you have, which would you choose?Close up of the origami ruffles. I have to say that I LOVED this shirt when I first got it and wore it a lot...then I washed it. Holy ironing problem, Batman! There are a ton of tiny tucks and folds (hence the "origami" part) and I am a terrible ironer to begin with - but give me something like this and I'm practically hopeless. This is after about 30 minutes of ironing, and it's still nowhere NEAR as nice looking as it did the day I bought it. The kicker is that it's machine washable! I guess I'm just not used to fancy clothes like this and assumed that machine washable meant I would actually be able to wear it without ironing. Not.the.case.at.all.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

28 comments:

  1. oh YAY for my post!!!

    okay.
    first Im so so very happy you are stepping away and writing more.
    are you enjoying the process of it all?
    and the shirt.
    I ADORE IT and actually dragged the child shopping this week and was thisclose to buying an origami ruffle (is that the technical term? :)) cardigan.

    she looked at me and said I DONT LIKE IT MAMA.
    but I look at YOU and think oh HELLS YES I WANT THAT CARDIGAN.

    washing troubles be damned ;)

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  2. The light wash jeans really suit you.. though I so understand about the thighs.. that's all I see when I attempt light color jeans. Great pairing with that ruffled cardigan too - I like both versions, with and without the belt. Like the belt version better :) Great going!

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  3. Wow! Shelley - I like this outfit better than anything I've seen so far. I think the jeans look CALIENTE on you! And anyone who can pull off ruffles at our age, well, I'm just sayin'.... Well done!

    Oh, and the couscous - discovered it about 7 months ago. Yummy! Goes with lots of things. I add a few tblspns of red sofrito (spanish base for soups) to give it flavor sometimes.

    p.s. - MizFit seems like the kinda gal who deserves her own post. :-)

    Have a great weekend! *hugs* from Orlando!

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  4. Couscous fan here! I adore those jeans and that outfit on you. Suits you perfectly and I prefer the belted version. The shirt is darling.

    Your cat looks like a wild beast sunning in your back yard!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  5. Fabulous outfit, and the woman wearing them looks great! I love coucous also. Have a nice weekend!

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  6. I vote that you take the darn shirt to the drycleaners from now and and let them work out the wrinkles. Love that outfit. In fact, I want it. In fact, you better never let me near your closet because you and I seem to like a whole lot of the same colors.

    Couscous is one of my favorite side dishes. I have a ton of recipes for it. If you ever want any, let me know.

    Happy Friday Shelley!

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  7. LOVE the shirt and sweater. You should try it with a solid belt, too. Looks great on you!

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  8. Like it best with the belt and thighs? What thighs are you speaking of? I do not see anything out of the ordinary right there, chica.

    And I make a mean cupcake. Really. Filled ones and everything. But I also make one pan of teeny tiny ones as well. Munchkin cupcakes, no bigger than a ping pong ball. For people like me!

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  9. I LOVE that your poses are progressing to more model like and with obvious confidence in just the past few months. The jeans are super cute.

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  10. You look fantastic in that outfit Shelley! I swear in the belted one you look like a model! And very happy :)

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  11. I love the outfit. The jeans looks perfect. I don't see anything wrong with your thighs. You looks great. I was wondering .... I hope you're not wearing that outfit yet. Isn't the heat down there unbearable right now? lol!! Anyway, if not, good for you and if it's still hot, you will look hot when the weather cools. :)

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  12. That's my favorite color of jeans! You look fantastic in them.

    And cupcakes--twins again. I never liked them that much and then I saw them and obsessed over having one. Never did get one and I got over it.

    And couscous. I think the only way I've had it is in a 'salad' with cool whip and fruitl. Mmmmm.

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  13. Definitely belted! Totally makes you look like a fashionista! :)

    I usually cook my couscous in broth for extra flavor. Also to coax my couscous hating husband to eat it.

    Have a great weekend!

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  14. Those jeans look AMAZING on you! I actually like the outfit with the belt on - it kind of ties the whole outfit together, and this is coming from someone who has zero fashion sense!

    Happy Friday - and thanks for your comment on my blogaversary post!

    Your FRIEND! :D
    Biz

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  15. You look great in those jeans. It always helps to take a friend withyou shopping. I also really like the belt and that orgami..sorry can't spell it.. top.

    I enjoy your fashion fridays...

    paula

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  16. I think the outfit is super, super cute...I wish I could figure out how to wear something like that too!

    And I like it both ways, but I think with the rufflerie (is that a word?), the belt makes it look nicer...

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  17. What thighs? Yours look great! Funny how are perceptions are so off when viewing our bodies from our head rather than from afar.

    And that eating thing? Same way here. I think my body is so conditioned that it gets foods at certain times that it will signal for them no matter how soon I ate before.

    Love kitty pictures!! need more

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  18. With the belt. Couscous-loving family here...:o)

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  19. Thank goodness - I thought you were going to say that the cat was dead...

    I'm consistently liking your outfits belted. It really seems to suit your figure and pull things together.

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  20. I have the same thing w/ late bkfsts and still hungry for lunch.
    LOVE the outfit, no opinion on with or w/out belt.
    The last picture looks like a picture from a magazine advertising the shirt, absolutely beautiful!

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  21. You’ve written so much on different things today that I wanted to comment on that I actually opened a Word document to write something after reading it :lol:

    I love it how your cat is lying in the garden.

    I love cupcakes but am glad that we don’t have anything like that in my town, nor do we have much of this in the whole country. I do bake them myself sometimes but haven’t lately as I can never leave it at 1 cupcake.

    I recently “discovered” couscous and I really like it. Like it so much that R. asked “couscous again?” :lol:

    That jeans look great on you. Dark washed always? Why? We can buy jeans in all kinds of washings and colors here.

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  22. When I 1st looked I thought you had like a mountain lion or something in your backyard.

    The outfit is to die for. I prefer the belted version as well. You look HOT my Dear! Holy ironing, Batman. Ironing is a lost art. At this house it's lost.

    Loved the Homer face. I feel the exact same way about those cupcakes pics. I don't really like 'em, but then I'll want one. The power of suggestion..DOH!

    Love the Friday mish mash!

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  23. Ok, I am not the only person obsessed with super-neat cupcakes. I can't watch that Cupcake Wars or DC Cupcakes or whatever it is called anymore. I'm sure they don't taste nearly as good as they look, right? Right??? ;-)

    I think the jeans are nice, you look great-very fit, and the sweater is a good color on you. I got a super nice pair of jeans today at Sam's Club made by Nine West-guess its not just shoes anymore-for $11. Nice dark wash and lighter weight, if you are in the market...

    Polar's Mom
    www.polarspage.blogspot.com

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  24. How big is that cat? He looks HUGE!!

    I like the sweater with the belt. That outfit is so cute! Love those colors together. You look great!

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  25. Those jeans look hot on you.
    I like the sweater both ways, I'd probably wear it belted if I was going out, or unbelted to the grocery store. But then again, you live in Texas, where women dress up and have big hair, and I live in Northern Minnesota, where women get fat so they can wear leggings and a giant t-shirt from 1993.
    You are allowed to bring your origami shirt to the dry cleaner's just for ironing. Just sayin'.
    Being Gluten-Free has it's benefits. As in, I no longer care about cupcakes, and if anyone offered me a gluten-free one, I'd say no, because it would taste nasty anyway. I did recently learn to make flourless PB cookies, which are pretty good, but my body really doesn't like that much sugar, so I think I'll skip them except once in a while.

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  26. I like it better without the belt. :)

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  27. OMG, your cat out in the dirt is hilarious!

    LOVE the outfit! The belt is my favorite look; it balances the sweet fluffiness of the collar nicely. Those jeans are FAB!! Trust, me there are no thigh issues. You look so slim and lovely in them.

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