Still Alive

Hey guys, I'm sorry I went MIA for a few days there.  I've been busy enjoying my time with family this holiday season, doing some shopping, and just relaxing.  Right now I'm working on cleaning out my closets (yes I have more than one), in order to sell and donate some clothing that I no longer wear.  I have been stumped recently for new ideas for outfits, and I think reorganizing and re-evaluating what I own, what fits, etc. will really help spark my creativity.

Hopefully, I'll be able to finish is up tomorrow or Wednesday and will have some before and after photos for you, along with some outfits.  I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far! 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

I'll be back this weekend with a new post!  

Return of the Jeggings - Plus Size Daily Outfit

Jimmy and I went out to lunch on Saturday, and I busted out the jeggings again.  These things are just so comfy!  I'm getting more comfortable with how my legs look in them, and thought I would try them with my good old flats instead of boots this time. I topped it off with a long sleeved tee and my purple cable knit cape, and it was a super comfy lunch outfit for a chilly day. 

 I'm not sure why I look so smug in this photo.  : ) 

Outfit Details: 

 Knit Jeggings - Lane Bryant

Green Tee - Old Navy

Purple Sweater Cape - Old Navy

Leopard Flats - Old Navy

Necklace - Avenue 

Thank you all for your encouragement on my last post.  I made it through my 12-hour shift still standing (but exhausted!), and with rave reviews from my instructor and the nursing staff.  I got a 10/10 on my last quiz, as well!  I have my performance exam on Tuesday, and my final Wednesday to get through, but things are looking pretty decent for a final grade of a "B".  Yay!  

Date Night! - Plus Size Daily Outfit

I already filled you guys in on the date Jimmy and I went on this past weekend, so I thought I would share with you what I wore.  

Sorry for the blurry photo.  Jimmy took it when we were leaving, and it was already getting dark outside. 

Outfit Details: 

Purple Dress - Old Navy (This is one of my favorite dresses.  It's so easy to wear and incredibly comfortable.)

Silver Belt - I've had it a few years, and don't remember where it came from.

Denim Jacket - Avenue 

Necklace - Fashion Bug (I think?)

Leopard Flats - Old Navy (These are fast becoming my go-to shoes!)

Bag - SimplyBe (won in a blog giveaway)

Just a heads-up, I probably won't be posting any outfits here until the weekend.  I have some posts planned, but I'll be wearing scrubs the rest of the week, so no outfits.  Blech.  

I'm counting down the days (6 actual school/clinical days) until next Wednesday, which is my last day of this rotation.  Then I am off until after New Years.  

It cannot come soon enough.

I have never, ever cried because of school before this quarter, but last week I had a little breakdown at my kitchen table after getting back an assignment that my instructor said she was disappointed in.  I keep trying and trying to please her, and it seems I can't do anything the way she wants it.  *sigh*

I have a paper and a journal that are due Friday, a four hour clinical today with a long and detailed care plan (28 pages) to do and turn in tomorrow (which means about 3-4 hours of sleep tonight).  Tomorrow, I also have a 12-hour clinical shift (I have to make up the four hour shift that I missed when I had food poisoning), which is going to kick my butt, because it's in the ICU and of course, these people are really sick and need care continuously.  So, I'll get home at about 8pm tomorrow evening, and have to study for a quiz that's set for Friday, which is basically over an entire unit.  Then next Tuesday, I have performance evaluations which are something we do every rotation where we have to take a short quiz, then perform a skill (e.g. inserting an IV) for our instructors to observe, then we have to analyze a made up scenario and decide what sort of problem the patient has and what types of interventions we would do to solve the problem.  Wednesday is the final.  I will be drinking Wednesday night, so if I start drunk tweeting, forgive me.  ; )

Trixie's First Birthday! - Puppy Photos!

Jimmy and I went on a long overdue date Saturday evening.  We went out to dinner, then went to see Due Date (Hilarious, btw.  I have been a big Zach Galifianakis fan since I saw him do standup about six or seven years ago.), then went grocery shopping.  That last part wasn't so much fun, but it needed to be done. Usually, Jimmy goes to the grocery by himself early Sunday morning because I hate it, and it always seems to cost more money when I go.  I was very proud when we ended up being five bucks under budget this week!  We even bought Trixie a new sweater for her birthday, since she's way outgrown everything we bought her last year. 

Speaking of, today is Trixie's birthday!  She is a year old already.  I feel like it's flown by.

This the first time I saw my Trixie-girl.  Not the most flattering picture of myself.

Jimmy gave me Trixie last year for Christmas.  She was hands-down the best Christmas present EVER.  He has friends who have a Miniature Schnauzer and a Miniature Poodle that they bred, and Jimmy got to pick out one of the puppies. 
Jimmy  had always told me that we would talk about getting a dog once I was finished with school, so it was a complete and total surprise when he walked in the door with this cute little ball of fur.  I actually cried in front of my in-laws.  I got her a few weeks before Christmas, and I'll never forget it.

 Trixie at my parent's house the night we got her. She was so tiny!  She was actually wearing a sweater that was made out of a man's sock! 

 My mom and Trixie the night we got her. 

 

Trixie at about seven weeks old, last Christmas.

 Her first snowfall. 

  Look at that crazy hair!  This was right before her first grooming. 

 Drinking from the sprinkler. 

 Lying on my belly, being cute. 

 Trixie today in her new sweater.

I'll be posting the photos of my outfit from Saturday night tomorrow.  : ) 

My Study Buddy

Yesterday, as I mentioned, I stayed in and studied for most of the day.  My animals were none too pleased that I was not paying attention to them.  My cat, Jinx decided that she was going to put a stop to it!  

"But, Mom, look at how cute I am!  How can you resist this?" 

And then she did this.  Sigh.  She's so lucky that I love her. 

What do your pets do that drives you crazy?  What do they do that makes you laugh? 

Btw, I did fine on my test.  Phew!

Study Day

Tomorrow I have an exam for my critical care class, and I am so nervous.  Despite my days of studying for the last test, I didn't do as well as I would have liked, no now I'm getting anxious that all my study time for this one isn't going to pay off either.  I think the problem I had with the last one was that I had too much time to look at it after I had finished it, and then I decided to change some answers.  Of course, I ended up changing the answers to wrong answers. Grrrr. . . .

So today I have just been hanging around and studying (and doing a bit of laundry).  I haven't showered or brushed my hair or done anything else to make myself presentable except to put on some lounging clothes.  

So here's what I've been wearing to study and do laundry:

lounge by * Courtney * featuring old navy tops

Old Navy Womens Plus Fleece Zip Hoodies, $20
Old Navy Womens Plus Straight-Leg Yoga Pants, $23
Women's Cozy Mary Jane Slippers | Old Navy, $5
Plus Racer Back Tank Top, $42

Purple and Pink - Plus Size Daily Outfit

I've been so busy and stressed out with school right now that I've neglected posting outfits lately, and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.  So here's my second outfit in two days!  

Outfit Details: 

White tee - Old Navy 

Printed Cardi - Old Navy 

Purple jacket - Avenue (last year)

Jeans - Lane Bryant 

Coral Flats - Born brand "Daffodil"  

Necklace - Forever 21

Bracelet - Avenue 

Earrings - Premier jewelry 

Check this out!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarf - Plus Size Daily Outfit

Check out Kimberly's blog this afternoon for details on this scarf challenge, and another photo of my outfit!  

We were having some wind issues, hence the weird bangs.

Outfit Details:

Grey Sweater Dress - J. Jill

Green Argyle Sweater - Target

Grey Tights - Avenue

Necklace/Scarf Thing - Check out Kimberly's blog for info! 

Black Shooties - Born "Gertrude"

 

365 Things I Love

#43.  Giving a compliment

I'm not one for empty flattery, but I will compliment you if you look/smell/act nicely.  

#44.  Sleeping

 It seems like the older I get, the more I enjoy sleeping.  I'm worried that once I'm 60 I'll only be up for a few hours a day!  

#45. Bread

Hello my name is Courtney, and I am a carb addict.


 #46.  Big Cozy Sweaters

 I am always excited when the weather starts to turn chilly and I can break out my thick comfy sweaters.  


#47.  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

  I actually made some for dinner tonight.  Yum!  

#48.  Watching Puppies Play 

Here is Trixie playing with my parent's Puggle-beast, Rudy.  My mom is always worried that Rudy is going to hurt her because he's such a big goof.  You can hear my sister at the very end of the video (when the dogs go to the side door) whining because she is stuck outside.  Hehehehe!  (Sorry, Kels!)

 #49.  Being Caught Up on Laundry

 This is what my laundry hamper looks like right now.  I just can't seem to get caught up lately! 

Sorry.

I have been such a bad blogger the past few days!  I was sick yesterday (food poisoning, yuck!), and have been so busy with school that I haven't had a chance to put together any posts.  I promise I will have a post for you this weekend!  

This is what I've been wearing: 

I swear, I think my school went out of their way to choose the most impractical, unflattering uniforms that they could possibly find. You know it's bad when the tiny little size 2 girls and myself look equally bad in this uniform.  I mean, come on, WHITE?!  I can't even wear a white blouse without getting something on myself, much less keep other people's body fluids off of a white uniform top!  (Sorry, that's probably TMI.)  And buttons.  Because you see so many scrubs with buttons.  I can't even tell you how many times I have sewn one of these buttons back on because they got caught on something. 

Enough of my complaining.  I just wanted to prove to you that I wasn't off enjoying a vacation or anything.  I've been hard at work, and without the pay! 

Dilemma of a Plus Size Blogger

Sometimes I feel as though being a plus size woman prohibits me from being as fashionable as those thinner and/or taller than myself.  Now, don't get all in a tizzy just yet.  Hear me out.  

Of course, there is the issue of being able to find affordable, trendy clothing in larger sizes.  This is always an issue, but this isn't exactly what I am referring to.

  I feel like with my body type (size 26, pudgy belly, 5' 4'' tall), I just can't pull off some of the fashions that look fantastic on my slimmer and taller sister fashionistas, (even those who are still plus size, but perhaps more proportional than I).
  I'm sure almost every woman feels this way at some point.  Some women have short waists and don't feel that they can wear belts, or some have larger busts and don't feel right in certain fabrics or necklines.  I have a big belly, so I feel like I can't tuck in my tops because it shows off my "pooch".  I don't like to wear tops that have hemlines that come far above my crotch for this very same reason.  I also never, ever go sleeveless, and won't usually wear sleeves that hit above my elbow.  This limits my wardrobe considerably. 

I also have short, chubby legs with large ankles.  Therefore, I don't usually wear any skirts that fall far above my knee, and I try to stay away from shoes that cut me off at the ankle, thus shortening my legs further. 

I also have very wide feet, and have a hard time finding shoes that are cute and comfortable at the same time.  Many of my shoes are only wearable for short periods of time because they squish my toes, pinch my heels, or compress my entire foot.  The last time I had my feet measured in a shoe store, the woman measuring me said that my shoe size was actually a 7.5 EEE.  You try finding some cute, affordable shoes in a 7.5 triple E.  If you do, let me know, and I will owe you my firstborn child.  I usually end up buying my shoes in either an 8.5W or a 9 because I can get my wide foot in there without them flopping off as I walk.

I see all of these gorgeous, curvy, women rocking some great outfits, but I feel self conscious if I try to use their outfits as inspiration because by the time I lengthen the top and the skirt, take the heels out of the equation, and add sleeves,  the outfit just doesn't look right. It morphs into something dowdy.

I don't mean to be such a bummer, this is just something I've been struggling with lately, and it's put a crimp in my outfit posts.  (I am also doing clinicals again, which means uniforms two days a week.  Blech.)  I hope I get over this malaise soon, because it's making me feel like crap!

Has anyone else gone through a similar phase?  How did you get through it?  Any advice? 

Leopard Print - Plus Size Daily Outfit

I've had these Leopard print flats for a while now, and haven't ever worn them for some reason. I saw Kyla wearing them the other day and thought I would take them out into the world finally.  

I actually started out the day wearing this outfit with the long cardigan, but decided when I got home that it wasn't quite right. . . 

So I changed into this vest instead.  I think the vest worked much better. 

Opinions?

Outfit Details: 

Cropped & Cuffed Chinos - Avenue 

White Pleated Blouse - A brand I've never heard of via Marshalls

Brown Leather Patch Cardi - Old Navy 

Brown Knit Vest - Avenue 

Bead & Shell Necklace - Charming Charlie

Leopard Print Cuff - Avenue

Leopard Print Flats - Old Navy 

I'm super nervous tonight, because I have my first big test for critical care tomorrow.  So wish me luck guys!