Author Archives: clearlycorinna

Boot Organizing

17 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in 40 Week Challenge, Home, Organizing

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This is not part of my 40 Weeks Whole House Challenge, which is going pretty well so far. I did this out of pure aggravation.

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Do you wish your boots were better organized?  So did I!  My boots were just thrown into the bottom of our front hall closet. and I was desperate for a solution.  I started seeing lots options (online, of course) using actual boot hangers and boot clips, but I couldn’t find any online that were reasonably priced.  So frustrating!  So I started  thinking and here is what I came up with.

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Tension shower rods, binder clips and these double hooked shower rings.  I got everything at Walmart.

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The hardest part was getting the tension rod to stay put.  The boots are pretty heavy  so getting the right mix (weight distribution) was a challenge too.  I decided to use 2 rods to hold all the boots.  Each binder clip holds one boot and each hook hold one pair.  So far it’s been up for about month and it’s working great!  G loves to hang her own boots, so that’s just an added bonus.  How’s your organizing coming?

I am in!

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by in 40 Week Challenge, Home, Organizing

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I need to get organized.  I can’t take it anymore.  I am going to try this program…The 40 Week Challenge!  It is designed to start at the beginning of the school year, but I am kicking it off this week.  It is free podcasts and emails linking you to Lisa Woodruff’s website, Organize 365. Who wants to join me?  Together we can be accountable, which is exactly why I am posting this — to be accountable.

Today, I am creating a Sunday Basket.  One child is going to a friend’s house, the other is having a friend here.  Should give me a couple of hours to sort.  I am supposed to go through my whole house and take all the paper and put it into a laundry basket, I’m guessing if I really took all the paper — it would fit into 5.  So I am going to tackle my downstairs and upstairs living spaces, but not my office.  That is for another week.  I’ll post a pic of my nightmare as soon as I gather this paper.

Day 1: Gathering and sorting, Pics of phase 1 (laundry basket) and phase 2 (secret closet/dumping ground).

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 Day 2: phase 1 and 2 completed.  From laundry basket craziness to this:

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Kids’ art is a whole different pile — which is huge.  I have a plan for that.  Hope to reveal it soon.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

13 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in Outfits

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Happy Birthday another love of mine, who gave his birthday weekend to the Hockey Gods!  We had a great time in TO!  Thanks to my family for taking all my pics for this post.  Poor M.  He’s so patient.  Both T and G are budding photographers.  We got them their own cameras for Christmas and they took pics of everything at the Hockey Hall of Fame!  Reminded me of when I was a kid and took pics on our vacations.  So happy we did that for them. Can you see my little guy getting into the act?

So this day was Hockey game in the morning, back to the hotel to relax for a bit, off to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and dinner at Famosa on Bloor Street West and party back at the hotel for kiddos and grown-ups alike. I love Toronto.  Need to go more often.

The great sweater buy continues!  When I saw his one on he rack a Marshall’s I was reminded of this post from one of my favorite bloggers and thought, I need to get his sweater!  I love the color and the detail of the yolk, so delicate.  And it’s 3/4 sleeve, which is my favorite. I am so sick of these boots!  but what are my options when it is freezing and slushy?  Just going to have to continue to make them work.  Maybe I need an alternate pair.. black, I think.  My jean leggings are GAP (here and here) and I’m wearing my beefy tee again (here and here).  It really is wonderful under these sweaters.  And my belt, this is a very old one, but I love it because it is that woven kind that can be adjusted to any size, waist, hips and anywhere in between.  Also, the buckle lays really flat so I can wear it under tops with out looking all bulgy.  I highly recommend getting one or two woven belts, they always fit perfectly.

Sweater / Marshall’s / telluride clothing co., Jeans / Gap / 1969 Denim Legging, Long sleeved Tee (old) / Target /Mossimo, Belt (old) / Similar here

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8 is Great!

10 Tuesday Feb 2015

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T turned 8 last week!  We all know how busy birthday weeks are and this was no exception, but I managed to get some posts out and this outfit just did not make it! The Great Sweater buy continues.  This is another one that I got a Marshall’s for a song– It’s Max Studio and you can’t see it in this picture, but it has little gold threads in it which change it from ho-hum beige, to cute sweater!  Skinny cords are old, Target, Converse (also seen here), Tee is also old, but I’m lovin’ the beefy cuffs and collar (also seen here).  Believe it or not, I didn’t wear a coat this day because I was just jumping from car to building and the sun was out (for a change) so it didn’t feel as cold as it has so the blanket scarf (also seen here) was enough to keep me cozy. And the boots.  Well, when you live it this climate, you have to sacrifice fashion at some level and the boots is where I have to draw my line.

Sweater / Marshall’s / Max Studio, Skinny Cords (old) / Target / Converse, Long Sleeved Tee (old) / Target / Mossimo , Scarf / Asos / no longer available, Boots / Dick’s / Patagonia

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Top Rated Playlist

04 Wednesday Feb 2015

Posted by in Running Music

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I haven’t added anything o this list for a while, but I just downloaded some new tunes for me and the kids and am newly inspired!  Some are obvious, others more B side track.

  1. Girl Almighty , One Direction (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) 170 bpm
  2. Live Tonight, Vito V Featuring Lukay 128 bpm
  3. In your Arms, Nico and Vinz 110 bpm
  4. Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars 116 bpm
  5. No Control, One Direction 143 bpm
  6. Clouds, One Direction 148 bpm
  7. Act My Age, One Direction (just a fun track with a bouncy beat) 136 bpm

Buffalo Benefits

30 Friday Jan 2015

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One of the great things about living in Buffalo is that there are massive sales on winter clothing long before winter is over!  I just bought a boatload of clearance sweaters from Marshall’s this week.  This is one of them.  This marsala high-low cropped sweater is American Eagle. You know I love my scalloped edge tank (seen here and here with the same jeans), and it is highlighted perfectly by the cropped front of this sweater.  And if you read my post from yesterday, you saw that I am dreaming of a higher boot…then I remembered today, I think I have a pair!  They are a chocolate brown and oh so much higher than what I am now used to, but mission accomplished.  Once again, my Basement Department Store is always open! They are so very old, I couldn’t even tell you when I got them.

Sweater / Marshall’s / American Eagle, Lace Tank / TJ Maxx / no longer available, Jeans / GAP  1969 Legging Jeans , Parka / GAP (also seen here)/ no longer available, Boots / old / Similar here, Watch / Target, bracelets / MantraBand (gift from my niece, Megan), Bag / TJ Maxx / (no longer available)

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Casual Layers

29 Thursday Jan 2015

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DSC03198DSC03194DSC03205DSC03211 I know I keep talking about layering but OMG, in this cold, there is no other way.  This outfit is so casual and comfortable it screams effortless! The star of the show is this sweater!  It’s ROXY and I got it just before Thanksgiving at TJMaxx thinking I would give it to a family member for our gift exchange, but as luck would have it, hubby and I both pulled male family members, so I kept it for myself!  It was meant to be. 🙂 The jeans are GAP Destructed Skinnys (also seen here with the same boots and here), White V-neck T (also seen here and here), Faded Glory, This corduroy Jacket is sooo old…Jeanstar (I think I got it at Kaufmans, that’s how old it is).  Boots are Artura Chiang (also seen here), of which I need a new pair, something higher, I think. Belt is old, Fossil (also seen here with the jeans).  Necklace is forever 21, inspired long ago by Reese Witherspoon.  The bag is another TJMaxx find some years ago, maybe 4?  It was not inexpensive (by TJ standards) but it is like butter and the strap is adjustable so I can wear it crossbody too.  It’s made by Fenn Wright Manson and a quick internet search looks like it’s one in a million.  Just goes to show that an occasional visit to TJ’s can bring treasures!

Sweater / TJ Maxx / ROXY, Jeans / Gap / Deconstructed Always Skinny, Jacket / Kaufmann’s / Jeanstar (old), T-Shirt / Walmart / Faded Glory, Boots / Lord and Taylor / Arturo Chiang (similar here), Bag / TJMaxx / Fenn Wright Manson Studios (old), Necklaces / (long) Forever 21, (short) Had it made, no longer in business, Belt / Belk / Fossil

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Hockey, Hockey, Hockey!

23 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by in Outfits, Thrift Store Finds

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DSC03128 DSC03130  DSC03132 DSC03134OMG, this was one of the busiest days I’ve had in a long time (as far as kids’ activities go).  2 hockey games in the morning, then another 3 at the Arena downtown, then out to dinner with family and friends and back downtown for the Sabres game.  Whew.  One outfit had to do it all…keep me warm, but also not too warm.  Layers of course.  I struggled putting this one together, knowing what the day was going to be like and not knowing how cold it was going to get, I wanted to be prepared. I hate being cold.  Looking at the pics now, I don’t love every aspect of this outfit as I did on that day.  But that is all part it, isn’t it?  Hit or miss?

Marsala is the color of the year, that’s just burgundy, right?  Well, that’s what I’m going with.  I have a couple of pairs of colored cords and they are such an easy way to add color to your wardrobe.  These are from Banana Republic (maybe 2 years ago).  The shirt layering is combo of a long white dress shirt, I bought just after I had T.  It came with a belt (shocking, I know) and I loved it because it hid all of my extra, post baby curves.  The sleeves are 3/4  and roll to short, but here I just left them rolled down and they perfectly matched the length of the striped dolman sleeve tee (also seen here) that is TJMaxx (2010). It’s a boatneck too, which I love.  I have a matching fabric belt for the tee, but I thought something more structured was a better fit (belt is seen here and here).  The next layer was an open front Cardigan (Kohl’s) from a few years back. And I topped it all off with my Lands End coat (seen here and here) and a trendy blanket scarf fro AE (seen here).

 A special thanks to my photographer, Gigi.  My girl is too cute, we had a good laugh trying to get a decent picture.

White Shirt / old (similar here and here), Dolman Tee / old (can’t find anything similar), Belt / old, Corduroys / old / Banana Republic (similar here at GAP), Cardigan / old, Coat / Lands End Kids (thrift store find), Scarf / American Eagle (no longer available online, but try stores), Boots / Chinese Laundry

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Volunteer Day

19 Monday Jan 2015

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Okay, this might be the last plaid outfit for a while.  No promises, though. 🙂

This day was filled with volunteering at the school.  Library in the morning and helping with a reading event at lunchtime.  Comfortable yet nice was the goal.  An easy shirt dress to the rescue!  This one is from that smokin’ GAP sale (the same one where I got this parka–60% off clearance price).  If you are going to get one, I recommend you go smaller than usual.  Gap runs big.  I am usually a small, sometimes a medium, and for both the parka and the dress I went with the extra small.  The dress came with a matching fabric belt, but I liked this studded belt (from my vast collection) better.  It gave the outfit just a little more interest. Layering is a must to battle this frigid weather.  This plain, white, long sleeved tee has a beefy quality (thick cuffs and collar) that brought a more casual feel to the outfit. Black tights and my ever present suede boots finish the look and for coat, I went with the Vince Camuto Boucle I bought at Marshall’s earlier this year (also seen here).

Shirt Dress / GAP, Coat / Vince Camuto, Boots / Chinese Laundry, Belt / old (I like this one too), Watch / Target.