"Work Flow" by Guest Blogger Rosa

Hi Izzygetsbizzy Family!

I’m Rosa and Izzy has graciously agreed to let me be a guest blogger! So please comment below and let me know what you like and what you don’t like! Now, on to fashion!

 

My fashion inspiration comes from anything interesting, like going overseas and seeing different styles. Every time I go home to Greece, I am always inspired by their fashion as Europe is usually way ahead of the fashion curve. Sometimes a mannequin might grab my attention while other times my fashion choices are motivated by what is on sale. There are many faces to my fashion style and I hope to showcase that to you in time. My style can range from daring to dismal on any given day. I can be a colorful goddess or I can be a dreary gothic chick. The weather, my mood, and available clean laundry are all factors in deciding what I wear each day.

 

I know I have a punk rocker side because I always gravitate towards purple hair pieces, biker gloves, and fishnets. Crazy thing is I never actually where that stuff but you cant tell me nothin' 'cuz I keep buying it!
 

For the most part, I'm very comfy casual at work. Some may say classic but I really hate the idea of being boxed into a category. I stick to basics with a splash of bold colors and textures which are usually displayed through my accessories. I am somewhat of a shopaholic and my guilty pleasure is jewelry. I love earrings, chains, bracelets, and funky rings.

 

Today I want to a showcase a simple yet cute outfit I put together this morning for work:
 

  Top: Torrid (sold out), Pants: Dots
 

The top is a black Belted Peplum Ponte Top from Torrid which came with a very pretty pink patent leather belt. I paired it with some basic black trousers from Dots (Yes, they have plus sizes). I liked the pop of the pink but I didn’t want to go overboard with jewelry so instead I kept my jewelry gold and broke out my brand new spanking pair of Oxfords from Forever 21. Here is a close-up:

 

 Shoes: Forever 21 (sold out)
 

As you can see, the sole is pink which adds a cute feminine touch to a simple black work outfit. It’s really easy for me to go over the top with color and/or accessories so I did my best to keep it simple.

 

What do you think of the outfit? How would YOU rock it?

Girl, where have you been???

Hi Everyone!

Over a month (wow!) has elapsed since my last post and I want to apologize for being an absentee blogger. I've been experienceing a lot of flux in my life as of late and wanted to fill you in on what's been going on with me. As I mentioned in a previous post, I now have a new job which I am super excited about! I am a project manager for a hospital system outside of Boston and am working on things that I am really passionate about. Namely, patient-centered medical home development which is essentially coordinating care in a way that improves quality of care, improves health outcomes, and reduces cost. I'm working with some serious visionaries who all want to turn the current healthcare system upside down (hooray for troublemakers!). I've also been helping my son adjust to kindergarten which has been a bit of a challenge. He is in his 3rd week of school and is doing great for the most part. Despite the strides that he has made, I've had to contend with the negative treatment he has received from his peers and the consequences that this has had on his psyche. It's not easy to hear your six-year old say "I don't have friends" or "No one likes me at school" day in and day out. It's difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that this is about the age where social boundaries are established and "different-ness" is mostly received with a wary and fearful eye. Needless to say, I've been doing a lot of hugging and pep-talking.

My perception of my self has also shifted in the past several weeks. The stress from the transition between jobs and worrying about my son caused me to gain several pounds. I was also faced with the anxiety-inducing fact that my tenants were moving out and that soon I would have to pony up 100% of my mortgage. I couldn't stop eating. I still can't. My weight gain has resulted in feelings of inadequacy and failure and just general ugliness (inside and out). So what am I doing about my stankitude (stank+attitude)? I'm trying to put everything in perspective. Achieving perspective has been a journey in and of itself. It's hard for me to celebrate my wins when in my mind, my losses/faults/flaws are so glaring to the point of being palpable. I guess talking about my feelings is the first step though right?

Since I'm not wanting this post to be so depressing, I wanted to give you the heads up of a guest post coming your way soon by my bestie from another teste--Rosa. You have Rosa to thank for my post today because she's been in my ear like: "Damn son, what's up with your blog?". I've been so caught up with things goiug on in my life that I have completely ignored one of my biggest support systems--you all! But seriously, I thank all of you for sticking with me this whole time and showing me love--it's appreciated and means more to me than you will ever know...<3

On another note, have you seen the pro-Bama video from Samuel L. Jackson? Whatever your political leanings there is no denying how funny this is.  What makes me chuckle is how almost every movie he's been in contains the phrase "and I hope you burn in hell!" or some iteration there of. The vid is below if you want a good laugh (or at the very least, a  pronounced smirk). Please note that there is cursing and one sexually suggestive scene so view with caution. Shout out to my girl Ruthie for sending this my way!

Colorblock...

Hi!

I'm sorry about the inconsistent blogging but my life has been super crazy as of late! I recently got a new job! I'm super excited and start in early September. I will be working on some Affordable Care Act stuff with a major hospital system in the Greater Boston area.  It's a welcomed change from what I'm doing now which is more policy-based.  Also, my son is starting Kindergarten in the Fall and I am freaking out! He doesn't do well in large group settings and he has been placed in a classroom with about 23+ kids.  I've already had several meetings to devise his Individual Educational Plan and am not really pleased with the recommendations the school system has made with regards to his plan.  I can't help but think about the parents who do not know how to navigate the system and are essentially forced to go along with a plan that may not be right for their child.  That won't be me though.  The entire school system will know who I am when all is said and done!

So what inspired this outfit was the lack of clothing options.  Our washing machine is broken and I've been forced to seriously dig through my closet for practical pieces.  We are getting a new washing machine in a couple days but it's Lord-of-the-Flies-type chaos in my house right now!  I purchased this jumpsuit from Macy's over a year ago and could never figure out how to wear it since to me, it looked plain.  After much rifling through my stuff, I decided to throw on a bright pink sash I got from Marshall's.  The material of the jumpsuit is very clingy and has a slight sheen to it.  Shiny fabrics seem to accentuate everything so admittedly, I was a bit wary to put it on. 

Here is the jumpsuit on a model:

 Here it is on me:

Jumpsuit: Macy's (sold out)

Sash (originally a scarf): Marshall's

Shoes: Old Navy

Bug necklace: ASOS

Turqoise necklace: Urban Outfitters

Earrings: F21

Zig Zag Cuff: ASOS

Bangles: F21

Lippy: Dear Diary by MAC

If I had a do-over, I'd probably wear heels instead of flats (my flats are looking a bit worn...womp, womp)  and would have added a clutch. I love the fact this jumpsuit has pockets! I also appreciate the tapered leg because in my opinion, wide leg jumpsuits do not look as sleek and sexy.

And to close, I'm including a pic of Jessie from Toy Story because my daughter Ava sked me to! ;-)

(Seriously bootleg) Video Review: Torrid Stiletto Jean + some serious spookiness!

Hi!

As I'm writing this, I'm extremely frazzled.  I will tell you the reason why momentarily but I just need to gripe one second about my personal life.  Last year, the hubs applied for a position with the Boston Police Department. We were both elated when he got a call back several months ago to tell him that he was going to be considered among the pool of prospective recruits.  The process of being a prospective recruit entails a lot of document gathering, background checks, neighbor references, etc. Well, after working for the past TWO months to gather all the necessary paperwork for him (seriously, it was a mind-wracking process), he goes to his interview and is told that he has to be "bypassed" because of his driving record.  All that work I did!!!! For them to tell him that he would no longer be considered.  When he told me, I was deflated.  Seriously, you would've thought that I was the one who got shut down. Bright side (typed sarcastically)? He can reapply in 2015 because by then, the offenses on his driving record will have disappeared. *facepalm*

Moving on...I wanted to do a video review for Torrid's new Stiletto Jean because I didn't think that pictures would suffice.  There's been a lot of buzz about the jean and a host of blogger reviews about them.  You'll have to watch my video to determine if all this buzz is justified. It's also worth mentioning that I did not wash the jeans after wearing them the first time so they do not have that super fitted look of the first wear. Also, before you watch the video please keep in mind that the audio may not be so great (you might need to put it all the way  up) and that I did a really craptastic editing job.    If you can live with these two things (as well as my infernal "um's" throughout) then click away! Ready? Go!



Ok, so are you ready for me to tell you why I'm frazzled? Ok, so the video above is actually my second attempt at the review.  The first review was interrupted by some serious paranormal activity in my house.  It was one of those rare times when I was all alone (hubs took the kids out) so I decided to take advantage of the solitude and do a review of the jean.  Well, watch the video below and pay particular attention to the right of my face and the hallway behind me at about:35-:37. It appears that a ball is thrown and it makes a noise as it hits my floor.  If you reeeeeeally look closely (like near my right cheek, you can see an arm being raised as if someone is throwing said ball. Please note that this video has not been altered in anyway with the exception of shortening the footage so that you could view what I am referring to.  Also, I think it is worth stating that I was absolutely ALONE and that I don't keep any balls in the house.



WTH??? You saw it right??? What's even creepier is that you can hear the sound the object makes as it "makes contact" with my floor! I literally had to call my sister, dad, and mom over to my house so they could bear witness to what I was seeing.  NO ONE could explain it! If you care to hit me up with some possible explanations I'd LOVE to hear them because three days later, I'm STILL freaking out! Seriously, I've been sleeping with all the lights on in my house since this incident (don't laugh at me!)! I hope that my nerves calm down eventually but right now I'm a mess!