After my first, fantastic Stitch Fix, I decided I wanted to order again. I figured it would be a nice little Christmas present to myself to get some new duds. 

For those of you new to Stitch Fix, you may want to check out my first Stitch Fix review here. Basically, Stitch Fix is a subscription service that will send you five clothing or accessory pieces for you to try on in the comfort of your own home and with your own clothing to pair it with. Each Fix costs $20, but that fee is credited toward whatever you decide to keep. When you've decided what you don't want, you drop it in the prepaid mailing envelope, stick it in any mailbox, and mail it back to the company. You only get charged for what you keep, and you can get Fixes as often or as infrequently as you like. AND, if someone signs up based on your referral, you get a $25 credit! Not a bad deal, huh? 

New duds! 

Unfortunately, I found my box to contain some duds, although a few were thisclose to working out. 

I think a few things went wrong here. 
1. I specifically asked for cold weather clothing. Here in the Midwest, we're freezing our behinds off. But I'm not sure how aware of winter styles those who are based San Francisco are. 
2. I specifically requested a couple of pieces: a pair of fun colored jeans and a sweater dress. I think I may have pigeonholed the stylist into sending whatever she had on hand, instead of taking the time to read the rest of my profile to see what styles, pieces, and sizes might actually look best on me. 
3. I don't think my stylist, Catherine, looked at my Pinterest fashion board (they ask for it so they can get to know your sense of style). I even had some pieces from Stitch Fix pinned there, and it would have been a sure fire way to send me something I loved (and, would therefore purchase)! 

Regardless, I still really love this concept, and I know it's been a great way to try new pieces that I never would have chosen for myself!

The first look seemed promising! 

Not a lot of color in my items, but some cute pieces! 

Steeper prices than last time... but I also had two pairs of pants and a dress (I'll address the sizes later in the post)!

Ummm, what is this print? Animal? Vegetable? Mineral?

So, upon opening the box, I wasn't thrilled with this print, but I decided to keep an open mind as I started trying things on. 

Item #1: Renee C - Dorelle 3/4 Sleeve Fit and Flare Dress, $68

I have to admit, seeing it in the pictures, this dress is growing on me. I added a little blue belt to give the waistline some more definition, because just plain, I thought the dress looked very young. I like it, and the material is super soft, but I guess I was picturing more of a chunky sweater dress I could wear with leggings, and this didn't quite fit that bill. Still, it's cute, but a bit more than I'd want to pay unless I'm really, really in love with a piece. 

Item #2 41 Hawthorn - Selfridge Cowl Neck Long Sleeve Top, $48

The styling card suggested white pants, but the pants I have are a little big here (I should have gone with some skinnies instead!). Overall, I really like this top. The neckline is beautiful, and I feel like it really elongates my short torso. It's dressy enough to wear to work, but could also transition to a night out too. I think we might have a winner! 

Item #3 Under Skies - Karel Printed Stud Detailed Blouse, $48

Then came this. I just... I don't know that I have words for this shirt.  First of all, the pattern isn't remotely classic, romantic, or glamorous, the three areas I connected to most. It's very short, so it makes my torso look even shorter. And there is a WEIRD lapel on it (note that this is not a collared shirt - it just has random lapels thrown on) that reminds me of something out of a 70s disco. It's just not me. It quickly went back into the return bag. 

Item #4 Kensie - Joce Embroidered Dot Ankle Pant, $68

I had seen these pants pop up on other blogs, and the general sentiment was that they were running big. I think Stitch Fix must have taken that advice into consideration, because they sent me a size 0. Now, I may be small, but a 0 I am not. And while they did fit, they were one meal away from not fitting. Regardless, they had a super cute pattern (the dots are actually small flowers -- so cute!). Here's where the problem came in though. If I thought they were tight in the waist, they were even tighter in... the calf! So tight, in fact, that I don't think I even had them pulled up high enough on my waistline. I've never thought of my calves as being particularly large, but in these pants, they definitely were. I took them off quickly, mostly because I was afraid I was going rip through the calves if I walked around too much. One size up, and these might have been keepers. (Although, I did notice that Macy's sells the Kensie line, so I may have to go check them out to see if they have anything comparable there!). 

Item #5 Just Black - Adora Skinny Jean, $88

I added one of my awesome tops from my last Fix to show off the Just Black jeans. While adorable, these LITERALLY fit like a second skin. I could never wear them to work (hello, behind!). Additionally, they're about three inches too long (forgive the unpainted toenails), and for $88, I really don't want to put in any extra money into making them wearable. 

So, that's Fix #2! What would you keep if you were me? I need your help deciding! 

Interested in seeing what Stitch Fix can do for you? Check out their site, and see what you think! 

A confession: I cheated

Hello, and welcome to winter break! Today marks two more glorious weeks off from work. I'm very much looking forward to some down time away from grading, recording data, and offering feedback. 

Yesterday, I went to Chicago to see my college girlfriends and have a delicious cookie exchange. About a dozen and a half cookies later, it's now Sunday evening. :) And there's a lot to look forward to this week, but that's not what this post is about. 

This post is about cheating. 

Technically, I've cheated in my Runner's World Run Streak. Twice. 

Okay, so they weren't huge cheats... but twice now, I've ended up running in my house. And I don't have a treadmill. So what that basically means is that I've ended up running in my house. In place. For ten or so minutes. 

To be fair, trying to complete a run streak in northern Indiana throughout the winter is really freaking difficult. There have been way too many days of snow, ice, sleet, and frigid cold. I've tried to get in most of my miles outside, or, when necessary, on the dreadmill, but it's been difficult to get in more than one or two miles at a time. Ugh. Not exactly what I had in mind. 

But, with only ten or so days left in the streak, I think I'm going to make it! Bring on the rest of break! 

Craft day: Making an ornament wreath

Today, I was feeling Christmas-y. I wanted to do something fun that would also be productive. So, thanks to Pinterest, my interest was piqued in the form of an ornament wreath. It looked simple enough, so I set off to the dollar store, as the tutorial assured me I could make this wreath for only $10. 

The tutorial lied. 

After a completely unsuccessful jaunt to the Dollar Tree, I settled for Meijer, as the roads were slick, and I did not want to spend the bulk of the day running around from store to store. Meijer had everything I needed, but I debated how much of everything I would need. Note: You'll need more than you think. 

Supplies, slightly after I started working.

I purchased a 16" wreath form (a smaller one would have sufficed, but they didn't have one on the shelf), two tubes of large ornaments, two boxes of medium ornaments, and a box of small ornaments. I decided on silver, blue, and purple jewel tones, because I wanted to make something that could stay up through the winter and would still look appropriate. 

So, first, I separated the bulbs from their hangers. 

Bulbs!

Hangers, which stayed off the wreath. 

After they were separated, I hot glued a row of of ornaments to the inner ring with the stems up, and then glued a row to the outer ring, also with the stems up, before turning it over and starting to put more ornaments on the front. 

This is where I ran into the next problem. After putting all of the ornaments on the wreath, it looked something like this:

Umm, not exactly the look I was going for.

So, back to Meijer I went to get another round of all of the different sized ornaments. I wanted to go today, though, because I was worried the colors I'd purchased would be out if I waited (and they were on sale!). So, I came home, and continued adding bulbs to the wreath, and when I had finished, I had this! 

Boom! Ornament wreath! 

And, on the front door! 

Overall, I'm REALLY happy with the way it turned out! I think, in hindsight, I would have picked up just one more package of smaller ornaments. And I wouldn't have used the white, sparkly ornaments (I think they look like holes in the picture, but they look really nice on the wreath!). 

My wreath cost closer to $30, but I plan to take good care of it so that I can use it year after year. Happy camper here! Dinner is in the oven, I'm about to get down to some grading, and I did a great new leg workout today for skinny jeans.

Have you ever made a fun Christmas craft and it went differently than you expected? Or just me? :)  

#RWRunStreak (the first half)

If I'm going to complete a run streak in the frigid cold of Northern Indiana's winter, I figured it's best to document it. So, here, in all its glory, my running log from Thanksgiving Day to the half way point.  

Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28): I started the run streak with one slippery mile in the subdivision with my running pals Dan and my cousin Amanda. Thank goodness for running buddies! We took it WAY slow, but got our mile in with none of us falling! Win!

November 29: One more slippery mile with Dan around the subdivision. I wanted to do more, but it was way too icy. So, instead, I ran one mile and then did 30 minutes on the elliptical, plus strength. Hoping for a great run tomorrow! 

November 30: It was perfect running weather today! Totally sunny and 42 degrees led me to a fast and fun 5K. 

December 1: Not quite as beautiful today, and seriously lacking motivation. But, got my one mile in! 

December 2: Today I woke up at 5:20 a.m. so that I could run one mile before teaching morning Jazzercise. And then I taught Jazzercise at night too. A mile and a double on a Monday required some serious motivation! 

December 3: Tonight, I literally had fifteen minutes from when I got home from school until I had to leave for a pot luck dinner. I threw on running clothes and ran the fastest mile I possibly could around the neighborhood. I finished in 7:46, which I think is my fastest mile to date. Mini accomplishments rock! 

December 4: Early morning run before work. 

December 5 and 6: Both of these runs were a quick one mile on the treadmill before my Jazzercise classes. It's amazing how much more energy I have for my classes, though, when I've run a little bit beforehand! 

December 7: Will forever be known as the day I ran one mile with a tummy stuffed full of Chinese food. I'd be lying if I said it was a good idea to do this. But I wasn't willing to risk letting the streak go, so running with a full stomach had to happen! Will be trying HARD to avoid this in the future. :D

December 8: One more cold one outside this morning... but tomorrow looks like freezing icy rain, so it could get dicey. 

December 9: A quick mile on my parents' dreadmill. Too cold! Too dark! (Commence whining!) 

December 10: We got an early release from school due to a water main break, so I got in a quick mile in the cold (19 degrees) and sun (bonus!)!

December 11: A mile before morning Jazzercise. (Are you noticing a pattern here? I can barely get myself to run past a mile!)

December 12: Taught Jazzercise, then ran a mile. I was exhausted during Jazz -- maybe that one mile run has really been waking me up! I've had great classes lately! Note: I have only run more than one mile one time. Run Streak is on, but I certainly don't seem to be going above and beyond, now do I?

2014 Fitness Focus: Strengthening (i.e. I want Michelle Obama's arms)

The past... several years, I've had a major emphasis on cardio. In 2005, I started Jazzercising five or six days a week, and that continued until I started running in 2009. Then I cut back to three or four Jazzercise classes a week and a few runs mixed in there too. But lately, I've sort of just... stopped... seeing any great changes in my body. I'm still doing a ton of cardio, but I'm noticing that since hitting 30, things are changing, and not necessarily the way I'd like them to. 

Enter strength training. 

Helllllo, strength training! So lovely to see you! My Fitness Focus for 2014 is going to be on strength training. I'll still make time for Jazzercise (of course, because it will always be my first exercise love) and running (Day 11 of #RWRunStreak and still going!), but I think it's time to try something different. I'm kind of over cardio at this point, and need something fresh and new. 

Additionally, let's just be honest, I want to have Michelle Obama arms for the wedding. 

Get it, girl. 

What bride doesn't want to look totally cut at her wedding? This one certainly does, so that's the goal. Between my normal cardio, some weights at home, a few butt kickings at barre, and the help of my favorite trainer Janet, I have a feeling it's going to be a great year with a lot of muscle burning awesomeness! 

For now, a few of my favorite workouts I've been doing off of Pinterest. I like that I can do that at home when I have time, and typically with just a set of dumbbells (I don't have a bosu or exercise ball, so I just modify those exercises into something I can do with what I have!).

Pop Sugar Five Minute Arms Workout will kick the beejeezus out of your arms if your weights are heavy enough! 

Women's Health Total Body Workout is a great overall body toner. I've only done two rounds of it at a time so far, and that's been more than enough! 

Victoria's Secret Ab Workout I mean... it's a given that this is going to hurt. And it's also a given that I will never have the abs of a VS model. But that's okay. 

The Katniss Everdeen Workout I haven't done this workout yet, but it's got to rock, because it's Katniss Everdeen! 

Not haunted (a lesson on making lemonade out of lemons)

So, for whatever reason, yesterday was a really off day for me. I felt like I was tripping over my words all day. I didn't feel like my lessons went well at all. And I felt like I was running from one activity to the next to the next without ever really coming up for air. But it was also one of those great reminders that sometimes you have to make lemonade out of lemons. For example, yesterday was day six of my Runners World Run Streak. I seriously didn't know if I was going to have time to get even one mile in. So, when I got home from work at 5:40 and before I left at 6 p.m. to go to a pot luck with some of my favorite ladies, I knew I'd have to do it then. So, I ran as fast as I possibly could and 7 minutes and 46 seconds later, I was done. Boom! #RWRunStreak continues! 

Today was much, much better for so many reasons. But my favorite ones came after school when many LPHS students took part in a little lip syncing in my room. So great to see so many students having so much fun! 

Tonight, on my car ride home with carpool buddy Nick, he was telling a story. And while I normally hate interrupting stories, something caught my eye, and I had to do a double take. And then interrupt Nick to ask if he saw what I saw. He didn't see it. So tonight, I made Dan drive back with me so I could be sure I saw what I saw. And there it was. A For Sale sign that read:

Not Haunted.

And that's when it hit me that even when it seems like there's nothing else to offer, there's always some lemonade in there somewhere, in every single situation. At least this house isn't haunted!