Catching up

Hello all. It has been a busy couple of weeks. I went to Vegas for a few days (AMAZING) and came back to a ridiculous work load. This past weekend was donation day. We did some serious cleaning of the garage and donated a lot of stuff - including 5 bags of clothing from yours truly.

Unfortunately not everything was eligible for donation so I still need to get rid of some stuff. Maybe this is the year that I will find the dump in my town (I've lived here almost 30 years and I still cannot find the damn place).

In other news my ban is on a temporary hiatus while I deal with the side effects of dieting. Don't fear I have not returned to my old habits, but I will need to buy some things when I start to get smaller. Sadly all my old clothing fits but I suspect in a few months it will not. Since I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothing I will wear for a few months - I shopping sales when I find them. This weekend I scored some $10 jeans so I bought 3 different sizes for the future.

I am also making plans for a RADICAL shift in wardrobe reduction. I am jumping on the trend of making do with less and planning a perfect very edited wardrobe for when I am done dieting. I don't think I can go as low as 6 pieces but I want to try 15-20. Radical and kind of exciting.

In the meantime I am still editing my shoes and bags and wearing what I have.

Wear it: July 14, 2010

Today's outfit is pretty much baggy jeans and coffee stained top. I am, however, wearing this cute ring that I got on clearance for $6!

I am not a ring person at all. I don't even wear my wedding ring (confession: it is too small but even when I was thin I didn't wear it often). Nonetheless, this ring spoke to me and I'm glad I made the purchase. Even if I don't wear it all the time - I think the $6 price tag will lead to a "pennies per wear" result.

Wear it: July 12, 2010

I am so happy this shirt survived the great purge of 2010. I should have donated it because it was too tight a few months ago. For some reason I didn't, and now, it fits. Happy day.

Less happy was my decision to pair the shirt with grey jeans and black sandals (trust me it looks BAD). But from the waist up I look cute. And I'll take it.

32 Flavors of Shoes: Franco Sarto Orange Slingbacks

My BFF alerted me to these shoes when she bought them on super sale a few years ago. Like the lemming I am, I also purchased them because, hello, orange! sale! cute!

Soon thereafter, I broke my ankle and had to swear off heels. After my ankle heeled, either the weather or lack of pedicure kept me away from these guys.

This morning, however, the fates aligned and I am wearing them for the first time. Yay!

Ooops I did it again, wadrobe malfunction 832901

For no good reason I have a very large collection of gauzey black "shirts." Some of these were advertised as beach cover-ups, but, since I have not been to the beach since 2003, I wear them as tops.

This morning because:
A) It is 95 degrees out
B) I had been up since 5am
C) I am an idiot
D) all of the above

I grabbed one of these shirts and ran out the door. What I failed to observe was the fact that it is cut in such a way that there is a purposeful gap down the front. Super cute if you have a tank or bathing suit underneath. Not so cute when you are exposing rolls of fat, a worn out bra, and stomach scars.

I am not a religious person but I ask you all to send some prayers/wishes that I do not have to meet any clients today.

Wear it: July 6, 2010

I have been having some wardrobe issues of late because I have decided (was bribed) to lose some weight. I promise not to unload too much of that drama on you but it will affect my fast. Because I was so efficient during my wardrobe purge I don't have a lot of clothing left from the old days. Since I have a lot of weight to lose I will need to be very selective in making the bare minimum of purchases until I get back to my old size.

One solution to my dilemma. Dresses. I haven't worn a lot of dresses since I got fat but luckily I had 2 or 3 in my closet that survived the purge. What I like about dresses is that a belt can make a too big dress fit (or look not so bad) where as my pants just look stupid when they are too big.

This black and white shirt dress is going to get a lot of wear this summer. Sure it is polyester and was bought at the fat girl section of J.C. Penny's for $15 but it fits, is dressy enough for "light" court days (not a trial but a status conference perhaps), and can be accessorized to look (I hope) like I am not wearing it all the time (which I will be).

The lure of the $12 shoes.

I snagged these shoes at 6pm.com for $12 (75% off). I just couldn't help myself. For a $12 shoe they are very comfortable and, I think, pretty cute. Clearly not an investment shoe but I think I will get a lot of use out of them this summer.

Are you there universe? It's me, matilda's stuff

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I have too much stuff. Although I have been working hard on paring down, I still have too much. Decluttering and simplifying is hard work and, frankly, that is not my thing.

Five minutes ago the phone rang. It was the Salvation Army in need of clothing and furniture. Okay aparently the Universe is calling me on my BS and challenging me to step up.

So this week I am going to donate 30% of my clothing and all the furniture in the garage that I keep meaning to sell on craigslist but never get to.




I feel lighter already.

32 Flavors of Shoes: No name brand gladiator sandals

I never got the gladiator sandal trend (I'm not a sandal person because I almost never have a decent pedicure) but when I saw these for $17 I decided to give them a try. It didn't hurt that these were made for fat girls so they fit my chubby ankles. These are clearly not long term investment shoes but I think they'll be fun to wear this summer and I can toss them without guilt when the season ends or they fall apart - whichever comes first.