Friday, July 27, 2012



(in coordinance with Just Another Static Heart)

So, last week, one of my best friends, Danielle, & I went to the mall in the town I live in, and we had a BLAST! We actually ended up going twice in one week, if that tells you anything! Haha! We had so much fun and found so many great bargains! I was so excited, as I found 4 new tops for myself at cheap to semi-cheap prices! You see, being a plus size & well endowed girl, it is hard to find shirts that fit, especially around the girls if you know what I mean. I usually end up just going to the mens section at stores & buy shirts from there, as they are big enough to fit over my chest and stomach, as well as being made a bit better. I guess they do that because they figure men are harder on their shirts or something. I don't know. But, I digress. So, my friend & I went to the mall, and the first place we stopped at was Lane Bryant. Now, Lane Bryant is made for plus size women, however, they can be quite expensive, and I don't usually have that much money to spend there. However, we got lucky! At that time, they were having a clearance sale (matter of fact, the WHOLE mall seemed to be having one), which was the reason it caught my eye, so naturally, I start browsing the racks. While I'm off on one side of the store, Danielle is on the other, and all of a sudden, I hear her call out my name. I walk over to where she is and she has found this most beautiful, one shoulder top. Now, if you know me, you know I don't usually wear stuff like that, but for some reason, this top just screamed TAKE ME!!! Of course, I'm thinking, "Oh, it's not going to look good on me," but Dani absolutely insisted I try it on. So, rolling my eyes, I take the top into the dressing room & proceed to try it on. Oh my goodness. I LOVED IT! I could not believe how great it looked, and felt, on me! I went out to show Dani & the look on her face said exactly what I was hoping for. I looked FABULOUS! I couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror! Haha! Here is a picture of the top on myself, once I was at home:





This top is amazingly comfortable and beautiful at the same time (the above picture doesn't do it justice, as the color is a little muted). I'll add more pictures of the top on myself later on in this post, which actually shows the color better. The top is made up a very flowy/airy fabric (95% rayon, 5% spandex), yet it clings in just the right places. I love the way it drapes down in the front, kind of in a sweetheart neckline fashion, and the chain detail is not heavy at all, which surprised me the most, as I thought it was going to be uncomfortable resting on my shoulder. I honestly forget it's even there when I'm wearing this top! LOL! The chain detail is one of my favorite parts of this top, and even if you have to wear a bra with straps, you don't really notice it under the chain (as long as it's a dark color). The bottom of this top hits me just below my "pooch" (as I call it), which would be just below my waist, I guess. You'll see in the picture what I mean. LOL. Now, it may hit differently on other women though, as I am 5' 7" tall, so it all depends on how long your torso is. Also, if you have a bit of a tummy, like I do, this top may fit you differently. Luckily for me, the top hides most of the roundness of my stomach, but still drapes the way I expect it too (the top is a size 22/24). The little cap sleeve on the opposite arm is very nice too, so you don't feel like you're completely naked on the shoulders. It's not tight either, it's still just as flowy as the rest of the top. And I have to say, even though I'm not a huge fan of the color purple, I love the color of this top! It's not too dark, but it's not too light either! Kind of a violetish color. :) This is also a great piece to have in your wardrobe, as you can pair it with jeans & sneakers for a comfortable, every day look, or you can snaz it up with a pair of slacks, or skirt, & heels for a night out on the town!





So, after admiring myself in the mirror & getting compliments from Danielle about how I looked in the top, I went back into the dressing room to take the top off, which is where I caught a glimpse of the price tag. I about died...the price was $44.95. I wanted to cry as I put the top back on the hangar. I loved it so much, but couldn't fathom spending almost $50 on ONE top. I walked out of the dressing room with a sad look on my face, ready to put it back on the rack, when a sales lady walked by & overheard the conversation I was having with Danielle about how much I loved the top, but couldn't spend that much money on it. That is when I got the surprise. The sales lady said that they were having a special at that time, that if I "liked" Lane Bryant on Facebook, and showed them proof of it, that I would get 30% off my purchase price. Oh, how I could NOT pass that up! So I immediately pulled out my smartphone, got on Facebook, went over to the Lane Bryant page, and "liked" them. Then, I went up to the checkout counter with the top & Dani in tow, & explained to the sales girl behind the counter, about what the other lady had said, and sure enough, all I had to do was SHOW her that I had liked the company on Facebook, and BAM! I got the 30% discount!! :) So, a $45 top went down to $31. After taxes and everything else, I only spent $33. How great is that!? I couldn't have been more happy! I even had the gal at the counter cut off the price tag, so I could wear the top out of the store, I was so excited, and I couldn't thank Danielle enough for calling me over when she found the top. We continued on throughout the mall, and found many more bargains, but I'm going to leave those for my next Frugal Fashion Friday post! :) So, until next time, I'll leave you with this: it never hurts to bargain shop, and if you think something is a bit pricey, don't give up. You never know what (or who) may be waiting just around the corner! :) Until next time, take care & stay safe! :)

Later gators!

*Jolene*

P.S. Here are pictures of what's to come...




**I was in no way compensated by Lane Bryant or Facebook for this post.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Futile

The dictionary defines futile as:
1. incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful:
2. trifling; frivolous; unimportant.
 
Or, if you are a fellow Trekie like me, you may recognize it from the line spoken by the Borg, "Resistance is futile." (I mean, seriously, who doesn't love Star Trek: The Next Generation!?)

Well, that's how I feel about my efforts over the past few weeks. Futile. Nothing I have done has seemed to amount to diddly squat. A lil over a month and a half ago, I lost my job as a CNA at a retirement community/health care facility, and ever since then, I have been looking for work. I've been putting in applications & resumes left & right, but sadly, no one is offering me a position. I even got turned down for 3 jobs in 1 week. Yeah, that sucked! I did manage to pick up a PRN CNA job, which means when this company has clients, they will send out a call for someone to take the shift, & there ya go. As of right now, I have a recurring Saturday & Sunday shift with a lady, but it's only 6 hours a day. Which means, I'm not making very much money (even with my unemployment benefits), which means my poor husband has to bear the brunt of everything, because he's the only one of us with a full time, good paying job. Along with working 40 hours a week, my husband has to worry about the bills & which ones are going to get paid & which ones are going to have to be put off for another week (or more) until we have enough money to pay them. I feel bad every time he opens up a new bill (or a final notice) and I see the look on his face or hear the sigh come out of his mouth. I don't know what to say or do anymore when that happens. Besides going door to door, begging someone to hire me, I really don't know what to do anymore. I try to lessen the burden at home, by keeping the apartment cleaned up & tidy, but even that slips away from me sometimes. Plus, with me being home 90% of the day, our electric bill jumped by like $100 in the last month (yeah, I thought it was only by $80, but I was wrong). I try to only run one thing at a time, but some days it's hard to do that. Especially when it's 100+ degrees outside and our poor a/c unit has to run practically 24 hours a day! But, I digress. As I said before, I just feel like all my efforts are futile and it just makes me want to give up & throw in the towel, but I know I can't do that. I just wish there was something else I could do to take some of the burden off of my husband. I hate that he has to work so hard at his job, and comes home exhausted & hurting, and there's nothing I can do. I can't even really get him to talk to me about his day, as I feel like if I push it past "How was your day?" or "What happened?" he'll blow up & I really don't want to fight with him, as that's just more stress added onto an already stressful situation. I just really don't know anymore. I'm trying my hardest, I really am, but it doesn't seem like anything is coming of it...

*Jolene*

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

New look...

As you can see, I have an awesome new layout to my blog...which is all thanks to one of my best friends, Danielle. She is an AMAZING person, friend, designer, past life reader, Civil War Reenactor (which will explain her name on the website) and just all around the coolest! :) Heck, check her out for yourself! You can find a link to her blog at the very end of my main page, or you can click this link here: http://justanotherstaticheart.blogspot.com/ She is one of my very best friends and I don't know what I'd do without her in my life :) Of course, when we get together, we tend to spend a little bit more money than we planned on...like we did this past week. LOL! ;) It's all good though, and I can't wait to spend some more time with her on Saturday, after I get off of work. I don't get to see her very often, as she normally lives about 1 1/2 hours away, so when I get the chance, I'll jump at it! Love ya girl!

Today, I went and got a Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection in my back. I have had back problems for a while now, but lately it's gotten worse, and the pain in my back & legs has been near excruciating. It hurt to sit, stand, walk, or lie down for more than 5 minutes at a time. I went to my doctor a while back & they diagnosed me with a bulging disc in lower lumbar region, so I was referred to another doctor for this injection, and all I can say is, WHY DIDN'T I DO IT SOONER!? OMG, this injection has worked wonders!! And it's not even at it's fullest effect yet! That usually takes 36-48 hours, and I do still have some pain every once in a while, but I'd say I'm probably feeling 70% better than I was at this time yesterday! I'm just hoping that the effects of the injection will last for quite a while, and will give the inflammation in my back to heal itself.

Other than that, I haven't really been up to much lately. I've got a part time CNA position with a At-Home Health company, and I have a client that I visit for 6 hours a day Saturday & Sunday, so I'm grateful to be making a little bit of money. I'm still looking for a full time job, but so far, I haven't had any bites. Hopefully I will soon!

Well, I think I'm going to end this here, as I'm sweating like crazy in places I shouldn't be sweating (LOL), so I need to go sit in front of the fan for a few minutes & cool down. I hope this entry finds you all doing well, and I will post again soon! Again, go check out Danielle's site & see what she has to offer! :) Take care & stay safe!

Later gators!

*Jolene*