DD: Stripes

Jen and I are back with another Dynamic Duo post--and this one wasn't even really planned! A few weeks ago, I saw Jen's tweet that she had bought things from a ModCloth sale and so in one of our emails, I asked her what she got and told her what I got. It turns out that we had ordered the same top--this top. Normally, she and I shop online, decide on an item together, and then buy it; but not this time! I still smile every time I think about this inevitable coincidence. And just because I like to find meanings in things, I'd like to think that this top signifies just how much we've grown over the course of our friendship and of our Dynamic Duo adventure. We went from styling bows and being naive undergrad students to styling collared button-down blouses as a full-time New York City girl (Jen) and a graduate student (me). A lot of things have changed this year, but Jen has been and is always there for me. Sometimes I pinch myself, because what are the chances that I found some of my best friends on the internet of all places? I'm just so lucky to have her (and my other blogging friends) in my life. Sometimes, okay a lot of the time, I get so bogged down by the numbers of blogging: how many comments did I get, how many page views am I getting, etc. that I forget the best reason for blogging: meeting and connecting with people all around the world.

Since Jen and I are supposed to be sticking to budgets for a while, we'll be remixing old DD items, or instead of styling the same item, we're thinking of styling an outfit around a theme/color/article of clothing/etc. So if you have any ideas you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it! Have a lovely weekend!

Until next post,
Jasmine

my outfit:

cardigan - h&m

top - modcloth

skirt - urban outfitters

belt - h&m 

shoes - aldo

jen's outfit:
cardigan - old navy
top - modcloth
skirt - h&m 
shoes -   pink and pepper
bag -  oasap

Slowly Falling

It's officially Fall now, and it's been the perfect temperature: somewhere between 70-80 degrees. Some of the leaves are starting to change their colors though, so maybe the temperature will follow suit soon. Until then, I'm just going to pretend that it's still Summer! It was my mom's 50th birthday over the weekend, and we celebrated by shopping at Carlsbad Outlet. It was definitely worth the traffic on the way there because the whole family was able to find something. I scored a pair of navy trousers, a skirt, and this top--all for under $25! I haven't shopped at Pacsun in years, but when I got a giftcard to their store for Christmas last year from one of the kids at my old workplace, I was kind of stumped as to how to spend it. At the outlet, I found this pretty floral tank for $6, and so I'm going to slowly chip away at however much is left on the card. I don't feel bad for shopping anymore since I've found a way to make a little bit of money through tutoring/babysitting every week, but I still need to stick to a budget. I've been too busy to shop anyway with six classes and fieldwork. My schedule will finally be regular next week, and from there it's a marathon to winter break. It definitely gives me a peace of mind though to not be digging into my savings every time I buy something whether it be food, tea, or clothes.

Until next post,
Jasmine

cardigan - gap

top - pacsun

skirt - cotton on

belt - topshop

shoes - aldo

Past Fall Favorites

 

stuck like glue // mad for plaid



touch of pink // in cahoots



how lucky we are // florals in combat

I must be one of the few bloggers who doesn't look forward to Fall every September. As much as I love pie on Thanksgiving, I would much rather have beach days and the feeling the warm sun against your skin. I really resent the first day when it's finally too chilly to go bare legged and you have to pull on tights, because that's when Summer's truly over. I'm definitely in the right part of the country then because it doesn't start getting chilly until October!

Since I'm in CA, I don't have much of a Fall/Winter wardrobe. I just usually rewear my Spring/Summer clothes with tights. I'm trying to slowly get some colder season clothing though! With my first boot purchases, I think I grew to love Fall a little bit last year. It was just so fun to wear them with florals that I'm kind of excited to dust them off and wear them again. I also can't deny my love for cozy sweaters and my army green jacket. I looked back on my blog to get myself in the Fall mindset and some of these outfits are my favorite of all time. I'm definitely going to try and one-up myself this year, and with my new mustard yellow cardigan, I think I just might! Also, I've been dying to wear out the sailboat print scarf that I scored for $7 at the ModCloth sale. Bring it on Fall!

What are your favorite Fall outfits that you've worn? 

Until next post,

Jasmine

Transitions

The thing about taking blog pictures on the weekends and not on the actual day you wear the outfit is either you re-wear what you wore earlier in the week or you plan an outfit for the upcoming week. Well this outfit is the latter. With only two days of fieldwork this week, I can definitely wear this outfit when I have class. Since I started waking up at 6AM, before I drift off to sleep every night, I try to plan my outfit for the next day. With my bed facing my closet, it's not hard to just stare into its abyss until an outfit or two come to mind. Sometimes it works out, and some mornings I'm frantically trying on everything in my closet. This mustard yellow cardigan happened to be near a chambray top and I thought the combination of colors was perfect as a transition from Summer to Fall. Normally I lament and mourn the end of Summer since I prefer the warmer seasons, but ever since I got this cardigan last week, I am anxiously waiting for it to cool down so I can wear it with other Fall colors. And well, this 100-degree heat is starting to get a little old.

Until next post,
Jasmine

cardigan - h&m

top - forever 21

belt - h&m

skirt - american apparel

shoes - aldo

I'm Not Sorry

Starbucks is slowly eating away at my savings...

But I've realized that I actually really enjoy early mornings when the essence of nighttime still lingers in the air. The world is quiet and calm, yet fast-moving at the same time as I've joined the 7AM commuters on the freeway and the morning lines at Starbucks. It's as if we're trying to tip-toe so as to not wake the rest of the world in our morning routines. While I still prefer sunsets, there's just something about watching the sky going from dark to light that just makes your eyes a little wider and more focused as the world comes into view once again. It's a stirring that my first sip of tea will never be able to replicate.

I took this photo when Robert and I went to the flea market during Labor Day weekend. That weekend seems like it was months ago, but really it was only 12 days ago. Student teaching has become my entire world. Once the 8AM bell rings, the day whizzes by so quickly. I never realized just how much work goes into teaching. From the prep-time in the morning to the planning, reflecting, and grading after school, there's always something else to do or a student who needs something extra. But all the exhaustion from 10+ hour days is so worth it because our third graders are seriously so amazing. I wish you could meet all 34 of them. I may not have known that the iPhone 5 came out this week, but I do know that the personalities of any of these 34 kids beats the new iPhone any ole day. I may be one of the few people who doesn't own a smart phone with 3G or the latest apps, but I have the smartest students. They're all so bright, well-behaved, eager to learn, and sweet. On my worst days when I'm a little more than bitter about what I don't have, I just remember that I'm going to have the best job in the entire world, and when you think about it, what's having a new dress or the latest iPhone in comparison to getting to know and work with kids? The latest trends got nothing on these kids. They are the absolute best. My mentor teacher is equally as amazing. I just love how student-centered she is. She empowers her students and give them control of their learning. Our classroom is so democratic: the students vote and have a say in all decisions concerning structure and rules. And I must say that if our actual government was based on the classroom constitution we're writing, America would be a much better place with rules like "no hitting, punching, kicking," "raise your hand when you want to speak," "be nice to everyone," etc.

I've missed blogging and reading your blogs, but I can't say I'm sorry. I'm having way too much fun with my new little friends. It's making me anxious that the days are starting to get shorter. I already haven't been able to blog with the sun setting at 7PM, which is a shame because I have been enjoying what I've been wearing to fieldwork. I am starting to get used to waking up at 6AM and working 10+ hour days, so hopefully I can get on a schedule soon that allows me to blog more often. I will try to take some pictures over the weekend so I'll have stuff to post next week.

Until next post,
Jasmine

Sunday Morning

Robert came back home to visit me over Labor Day weekend, and it was the most perfect weekend I've had in a really long time. It was just so indescribably good to see him again in real life. On Saturday, we shopped for work clothes for him and just relaxed with a movie and online TV. On Sunday, we went to the Great Park flea market as soon as we woke up. I was trying to find some accessories or knick-knacks for my room, but I didn't find anything. Still, it was just fun going up and down the rows of vendors and looking at their junk/treasure piles. I kept seeing things that I would've liked to put in my imaginary apartment. I cannot wait to finish up with grad school and begin life on my own, and when I do, the first place I'm going to go for furniture will be this flea market. It was filled with so many possibilities. Robert was able to score a few vintage Batman and Superman comic books that he's super excited about. After the flea market, we grabbed Japanese BBQ for lunch. I then took him to see my fieldwork site, and next to is a cafe where we got some yummy pastries. To walk off our lunch and dessert, we shopped some more and I scored a pair of trousers from Gap for $17. I really liked my outfit that day. It was just the perfect outfit for the perfect day.

I wore this top again yesterday for the first day of school with our students, and I gotta say...our third graders are awesome! I've been so tired, but it's more of a good, happy tired.

Until next post,
Jasmine

top - francesca's collections

skirt - cotton on

belt - charlotte russe

sandals - h&m

bag - madewell

sunglasses - raybans

Little Reminders

If you've followed my blog for a while, you'd know that I'm a t-shirt addict. I have an entire drawer of my dresser dedicated to t-shirts, so when all the "Mints" starting coming out, I was really excited about StyleMint. I was lucky to have redeemed a tee on Chictopia via their rewards system, and since have been lusting over their super soft tees but couldn't stomach paying $30 for a t-shirt (however soft they are). So when I saw they were having a sale, I jumped and bought this t-shirt. White tees are a must have for me. I wear one every week and always pack one when I travel. I think it's become tradition that I buy at least one every year around the time school begins. I was obviously all about comfort and dressing to feel good that day with a white tee and my favorite skirt. I picked up this dainty ring from a flea market a few months ago. I really like how simple it is and how it doesn't annoy me like most rings do after a while.

I was feeling a little down last week so I decided to wear these bracelets that I've had for a while. They're just little reminders to have faith and hope that everything's going to be okay. Without Robert around, it's gotten kinda lonely. It's strange doing what used to be our usual things without him. I miss the little things--grabbing lunch, trying to convince him I need something while shopping, telling him things that pop into my mind that instant, etc. I've just been trying to focus on myself--working out, eating healthy, getting ahead in some classes, taking blog pictures on my own, and reading my stack of books on my nightstand. He did get to visit me over this long weekend so I'll be posting about our adventures soon. Today's the first teacher day at my fieldwork site, and tomorrow is the first day of school. Here we go!

Until next post,
Jasmine

t-shirt - stylemint

skirt - francesca's collections

belt - charlotte russe

shoes - aldo

ring - thrifted

bracelets - cotton on

watch - nordstroms