OOTD

I don’t dress up to go out every day, I don’t work outside the home and I don’t drive so on days that hubby works I’m usually home all day. So, that leaves about 3 days a week that I actually get dressed to go out. I will take advantage of posting OOTD’s when I can .
So here is my OOTD today, and yes, hubby was playing the part of the “model photographer” and being a big goofball as usual!





Shoes: Walmart, in store, $15(2011)
Skirt: Ricki’s, in store, $7.50, clearance(2011)
Top: Reitmans, in store, $9, clearance(2010)
Belt: Forever 21+(sold out), $10.80(2011)
Necklace: Forever 21+, Helen Multi-Chain Necklace , $9.80(2011)
Necklace: smaller necklace is just a heart locket that says “Mom”, Christmas gift from hubby and the kids.
Earrings: these were a gift from the lovely sweet owner of Sexy Plus Clothing, she included them in an order I placed for a top(2011)
Bracelet: had this for about 14 years, bought from a lovely Native woman selling her stuff at a rest stop in Arizona, love buying stuff this way but can’t afford to travel
Ring: Forever 21+, bought in store(can’t find it on their website), approx $5(2011)

Jolene

My First OOTD

When I blogged before it was nothing about clothes but since that’s something I’m really into right now I’m going to try and force myself to get into pictures and do some of these OOTD postings that everyone is doing!

Yesterday after I got my Forever 21 order I got hubby to take some pics because I quite liked what I was wearing! So I guess that would make a good starting place! Excuse the goofy faces, hubby was trying trying to play the part of a model photographer and was making me laugh!

Boots: Payless Shoes(2007??) Xmas gift from inlaws
Pants: Forever 21+ Fab Skinny Jeans (Regular) in Indigo $14.20
Tank: Warehouse One, in store, 2/$20
Shrug: Walmart, in store,  $12
Jacket: Forever 21+  Destroyed Denim Jacket $29.80
Bracelet: Forever 21+  Textured Cuff Bracelet $5.80
Necklace: Warehouse One, in store, under $10
Earrings: can’t see them because of my hair LOL, but they’re Avon, couple of years old

I’m going to include prices when I can anytime I do an OOTD. I’m a cheapskate, so I’m told LOL. The almost $30 for that jean jacket is a LOT for me and I only paid it because hubby convinced me to and made fun of me when I said it was too expensive LOL. My limits for clothes for me are usually not to pay over $25-$30 for a dress, $20 for a top, $20-$25 for pants, $20 for a skirt, $10 for a piece of jewelry(unless of course it’s a “special” piece not for every day wear), $20 for shoes and $40 for boots. And even those prices are pushing it for me, I strive to look for under $15 a piece for any shoes/clothing I buy.

Jolene

A Review of Forever 21+

While I have been addicted to the internet since the first time I went online more than 13 years ago, I have never been a big online shopper. I have always done a lot of online research before purchasing items in a store, but other than mostly just books here and there I have never done much actual purchasing. I have had problems with my orders from both Amazon.ca and from Chapters.ca, so those experiences didn’t exactly leave me eager to begin much in the way of online shopping habits.

Well, it seems the excitement of finding out that there are great clothes for us curvy girls out there that I didn’t know about has been enough to give me the push to try some online shopping.  I was very nervous about it not only because of my past experiences of online shopping, but also because of the fact that it’s clothes that I’m purchasing. I can have so much difficulty finding clothes that fit me right by going into stores and trying stuff on, so I was definitely wondering if there was any hope for me ordering something when I couldn’t try it on first.

I decided to try and overcome this fear about a month ago when I found out that Forever 21 carries plus sizes, unfortunately I can only get them online as none of the stores here carry them. It still took me a couple weeks from my first look at their website to give it a try, I was assured by a girl in the store here that I could return the items in the store if they didn’t fit. So that and the fact that shipping is free if you purchase $60 or more gave me enough courage to place an order.

My first order I placed was for 2 dresses and 2 belts. I love dresses but have a hard time finding dresses that fit right , if it fits up top it’s too small around my midsection usually. And as for belts, I’ve never been a big belt person, before these the only belt I had was a ratty one I just wear with jeans, other than that belt I haven’t worn belts since my skinny days. Seeing all these blogs and all these lovely curvy ladies making belts look so good made me think why can’t I make a belt look good too!?!

Here’s the 2 dresses I ordered and one of the belts, try as I might I can’t find a pic of the other belt because it’s sold out and off the site, the second dress(the Maxi w/straps) I didn’t actually get in black(the Canadian site didn’t even have it in black ), but I got it in red.  All 4 of these items are sold out on the Canadian website now, though the strapless dress is so far still available in a coral color.

 

So, how did this online shopping experience go for me? Fantastic!! Both dresses are a perfect fit in every way and soooo comfortable! And I love the way they both look on, I feel they both make me look a little more slender even…..which I have never found a dress that could do that in the 13 years since I put on weight(13 years overweight and I have a 13 year old….see any relation there?? LOL). I have worn one dress twice so far and the other once….only because we haven’t had enough nice days for wearing them though. I really like the belts too but have only worn each once so far, I’m still having difficulties figuring out how to wear them. I’m sure I’ll be more likely to wear them in the fall/winter than in the summer.

One thing I learned in this order was about belts. I learned that you really need different sizes of belts. When I first got them I thought I was going to have to return them because they are both big on me, but then I realized that was only over a single layer of clothing and that’s not necessarily how they are going to be worn. The one is only slightly big so I can get away with it over a single layer but still wear over a couple of layers. The other belt is quite big but I did wear it over a tank and cardigan with jeans and it was a bit better fit, I picture it working best in winter with sweaters or vests that are a little heavier….if I ever wear them that is LOL, hot flashes tend to turn me away from thicker clothes even in Winter.

Anyway, holy moly, I warned you in my first post that I can ramble and here I go proving that to be true! So to sum up my first order, loved what I ordered, fit and all, and it came FAST! I placed the order very late on a Sunday night and it was here on Tuesday….very impressed!
My second order was just this week. This one was not as quick, there was a long weekend in there so that obviously delayed my order getting sent and then Purolator took longer to get it to me than the first one. I ordered last Friday, May 20, the order was shipped on Tuesday(day after the long weekend) and I received the order today, May 28.

This time I ordered Skinny Jeans, Jeggings, a Jean Jacket and a pair of tights. ….will post pics below. I haven’t tried the tights on yet, but the other 3 things….I LOVE!! Once again, fantastic fit….well, the jacket might be just a touch big, but I don’t think a smaller size would have worked. I wore it out tonight and it felt just fine!

So, all in all I am pleased in every way with my experiences ordering from Forever 21+, I also have gone into their store a couple of times to buy jewelry and other than the horrible and loud music(gosh, I must be getting old!) that I wish they would turn down a bit, the service and selection was fantastic…I just wish they would carry some of the Plus Sizes in the stores here, but as long as I can get free shipping(though wish it was for $40 or $50 instead of $60) and I can return the items in store so I don’t have to pay to ship them back(though I can only return for credit, which is fine for me because I can use it online) I’m happy to be a customer.

The only possible complaint I can come up with for Forever 21+ is that I do find some of their clothing a little ratty looking, I mean they have some pieces that are just gorgeous then next to it is something that to me serves no more purpose that being a cleaning rag….just my opinion. They also use a very skinny model in some of the Plus Sized clothes, I know most of us curvy girls can’t stand to see that….there are more than enough gorgeous plus girls out there that can model clothes meant for us. And one of the models looks like she is so pretty but they do her hair and make-up so awful that she looks like a child playing dress-up. So I do think they have some room for improvement in those areas. Their selection could stand to be a little bigger too, they do add a few pieces to the site most days, but some stuff sells out so fast that it really doesn’t end up increasing the amount of pieces available. Also, they obviously don’t have enough stock, the dress I got in red I really wanted in white as well(and would have loved in black too), but they were sold out so fast that you didn’t have a chance. Same thing happened with a couple of other dresses on there, adorable dresses and they were out in just a few days.

Ok, that’s it….I’ll shut up now LOL…..gotta learn to control my rambling….I’m a relatively quiet person IRL that I guess not having to be face to face with someone and deal with nerves the words just flow right out of me LOL! I don’t think I have anyone reading yet, but hopefully soon some people will find their way here .

Jolene

OMG Torrid, seriously?

Well, I might as well just jump right on into things and hopefully will gain some readers along the way …….it’s hard starting all over with a blog and trying to gain readers LOL.

Anyway, why “WTF Torrid”? Well, if you don’t know Torrid is a plus size store, I believe they have actual stores in the US, but they also have a website to order off of. Anyone in Canada who is plus sized knows how hard it is to find nice clothes up here, so I have started searching online to find nice stuff. Torrid is one of the sites I have checked out after finding out about it on some Plus Sized Fashion blogs. So, my problem? Not their clothes, they have a lot that I don’t care for, but have seen a few things I really like. Not their prices for the most part, yes they’re pricey, the cheapskate I am would never pay full price anyway and right now they have all their clearance stuff marked down further. The problem is shipping!

For an example, here is a top I really like:

Adorable, isn’t it?  Something I think my hubby would really like on me too. The regular price is $38, now yes I’m a cheapskate and don’t like to spend more than I have to on anything, but we are also a family of 4 living off just my husbands income, which while it’s better than it ever has been is still just enough to pay rent/bills/food leaving very little for other things, so I’m also a cheapskate out of necessity. So, this top is currently marked down to $9.98….of course these are US dollars so right now with the Cdn dollar higher it would end up ever so slightly cheaper.

So, I add this lovely top to my cart(and there are many more adorable ones too that I would love to order, for the same price), I go to the next step to check what they will charge for shipping. I have just placed an order for one online store which offers free shipping to Canada, I’ve seen others that have a flat rate in and around $10 or so….so, what does Torrid want to charge me for shipping for this one simple little top? Torrid wants to charge me $30 to ship this little piece of fabric that only costs $9.98! Yes, OMG Torrid, seriously!?!?

I have lived in the US before, yes it has been about 5  years since we came back home, and yes I’m sure shipping has gone up in that time just like it does in Canada every year. But something this small when I lived in the US would have cost me around $5 to send to Canada….really, if that, I sent a very large envelope up to here to my family that had books and frames in it and it barely cost me more than $5. So surely the cost of shipping has not increased that much in 5 years to justify $30 for something so small.

I LOVE websites that offer free shipping, love the ones that at least try to offer a flat but reasonable shipping rate, it shows that they want our business, that they want to attract us to their websites, and attract me it does! Even if their prices are high, if the shipping is good I will at least bookmark that site and keep checking for something I can afford. But any website who would gouge so badly for shipping obviously has no interest in attracting shoppers, especially Canadian shoppers, to their site.

So, sadly for this reason, I will not be able to  include  Torrid on my recommended shopping list for Canadians. And btw, I tried adding more items to my cart to see what it would do….just adding one more item, a top that was on sale for $7.48, the shipping price jumped to $33.50…umm, yeah.

 

Jolene

 

So, What’s This Blog About Anyway?

Yes, the one poor soul who has accidentally come across my blog is wondering wtf kind of blog is this? Well, I’m a believer that some blogs that cater to one specific topic are great, but I personally mostly enjoy reading blogs that are a little bit of everything. I want to get to know the person, especially if I am a regular reader, and by posting about whatever is on your mind is exactly how you allow your readers to get to know you.

So, I want my blog to be just like the blogs I enjoy reading, about a little bit of everything, whatever happens to be on my mind. I will have some key things that will probably be the bulk of what I post about like clothes, specifically plus size fashions, what I like to wear, what I want to buy, where I like or want to shop…..this topic falls under my new found desire to love my body for what it is, I’m not the size nothing I once was and to be honest with you, I don’t want to be! Sure I would love to trim a few of the bulges down, but for the most part I am learning to love my curves and I’ve recently realized that there is some really great and sexy clothing out there for women of my size, so as my boys are getting older and needing me less I’m learning to love myself for the first time in my life and fantastic clothes are just a part of that.

I also like to cook and bake, sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. But when I go through a loving it phase I have plenty of amazing recipes to share with others, and share I will! My family thinks I’m “the best cook and baker ever”,  so why not share some of the yummy recipes that I’ve accumulated over the years that have help make that possible.

Family, my family is my life so of course there will be plenty of posting about my family. My boys are in that horrible stage right now(no, for those of you with toddlers, that is NOT the horrible stage, trust me, you’ll be begging for ease of the “terrible 2’s and 3’s” once you hit the pre-teen/teen stage)….so there could very well be a lot of posting about how I want to pull my hair out/run away/curl up into a ball and cry my eyes out…etc etc etc……sadly that’s just the life of being a Mom to 2 boys at this age. I love my boys more than anything, and from what I hear my oldest has a couple more years before he hits the stage where I’ll like him again LOL. So some of the postings might be a little on the negative side with a bit of venting going on, but that could be what I need right now to help keep my sanity…..remember, my boys don’t go to public school so I’m with them ALL the time! LOL! No break for Mommy.

So, I think that about sums up what this blog will be about. I treasure my sense of humor, and it’s a part of who I am, so I’m sure you’ll see a lot of that shine through. I’m incredibly sarcastic, I have a very dirty mind and can be a little odd in a good way…..so take my posts as such, trust me if I have a very serious post you’ll know or I’ll let you know, otherwise it’s all about fun!

 

Jolene

Allow Me to Introduce Myself!

Well, here I am joining the blogging world again! It’s been a while and frankly I haven’t completely convinced myself that I’m ready for it, but what the heck, I’ll give it a try.

I’m a stay at home mom to 2 boys, Jman is 13 and Bear is 11, I have also been their teacher up until this point as we have been homeschooling for the past 7 years….I’ve hit my limit with that though(I used to be such a patient person before homeschooling LOL) so next year they will move on to online schooling and hopefully reduce a little bit of my stress so I can be homework helper instead of teacher and maybe finally focus on helping to contribute to the household income again, which has been on the back burner for some time now.

I am married to my High School sweetheart, Alex and I have been together for 19 1/2 years and married for almost 14 of them. We started dating when I was 16 and he 17 and have been together ever since.

I am a huge Nascar addict though I’ve tried to tame it a bit this year because I get to the point where I could sit and watch racing of any kind and it consumes way too much time during the summer that can be spent out doing things. So I try my best to watch every Sprint Cup race but only watch the other Nascar series and other types of racing if I happen to be home anyway. I’m gaga for Tony Stewart, I love his personality, he’s obviously an amazing driver when you look at his history, is proving himself to be a great businessman, and well “pretty boys” are great and all, but real women tend to have a thing for real men, and I consider myself to be a real woman and to me he’s a real man so has looks on top of all his other successes…..yes I know I’m married, and I’m married to a real man too! LOL

I’ve had other hobbies and interests but most of those have been pushed aside for things like Facebook, I used to think that was terribly sad but then decided what does it matter what I choose to spend my spare time doing as long as I’m doing something I enjoy. It just so happens that these days I enjoy sitting on Facebook digging up treasures in Treasure Madness more than scrapbooking, cross stitching or reading like I used to. I admit I’m addicting, but I was also addicting to each of my hobbies at one time, this happens to be the current one LOL.

Well, there’s a bit to start off with, if you haven’t noticed already I can be a little long winded sometimes. I’m lucky to be a fast typer and while it’s a blessing most of the time with so much done on computers these days, it can be a curse in others because my fingers can move faster than my brain sometimes and words have flown onto the screen before I even realize what I’m blabbering about LOL.

I welcome you to my blog and hope you will like what I have to say and become a regular visitor! I love comments but please keep them kind, I’m a kind and lovable person but I will not tolerate crap being posted as comments, if you don’t like anything I say that’s fine, it’s my blog not yours and just as I’m free to say as I wish you are free to go elsewhere and say what you wish, just don’t do it in my space….be kind to me and be kind to any readers I accumulate on this blogging journey.

 

Jolene