Technical Difficulties

Let me begin by giving a HUGE thank you to all my wonderful friends and family that have taken the time to read my little blog and leave comments or send me kind words in emails. I really can't thank you enough!

And I will follow that up with a HUGE apology for my radio silence over the last week+. I have no excuse other than I think I may have bit off more than I can chew in trying to start two huge makeovers at once. The work I am doing in my classroom is without a doubt more important to me than overhauling my wardrobe and style so I apologize for the lack of outfit shots as I was more consumed with classroom issues. I will, however, admit that I am proud of myself because I have been putting together awesome outfits each day for school (and both students and colleagues are noticing!) but I cannot figure out how to snap decent pictures each day...Technical Difficulty #1 Amber at Ambular Logic always looks gorgeous in her photos (I should've taken up modeling with her when we were in high school...ha!) as does Bonnie at Delusions of Grandeur whose shots look like they were done specifically for a style magazine in beautiful outdoor settings. I may have to get a fellow teacher to take a quick snapshot each morning and email it to me as I can't seem to get up early enough to get one at the house. How do other bloggers take their photos? Or rather, who takes them?

(I LOVE the Simpsons)

This past week has been especially trying as it was our first full week with students. Each day I came home more tired than the last which added to the problem of rousing myself out of bed early enough to do any sort of photography at home. The first two days were tiring just because I was getting back into the swing of teaching, but Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were exhausting for another reason...Technical Difficulties #2-78. I'm flipping my classroom this year which relies heavily on technology, namely the internet. For three days last week we had little to no access to the internet. At first I thought just my wireless signal had gone down so I plugged my laptop directly into the wall, no luck. Then I thought it was just something temporary, "It'll come back on. It's 2012, the internet doesn't actually 'crash' anymore." It wasn't. So I was unable to show the videos I had planned on showing each day (the ones I had spent all summer filming), I couldn't read my students' homework assignments (they are doing online digital assignments through Collaborize Classroom), I couldn't take attendance, or access my email. By the end of Friday I estimated that after only 6 days of actual teaching I'm easily 4 days behind schedule.

So I hope you can stick with me through the ups and downs of this year! If you're here for mostly fashion I apologize in advance as that will always come secondary to me getting stuff done inside the classroom and putting my students first. If you're reading to follow my journey on this year of high-tech (when it cooperates!), student-centered, Common Core Standards teaching adventure I promise there is more to come!

And as a treat for sticking around this long...my outfits from last week!
(On the floor, not on me, sorry.)

Monday

Shirt: INC (thrifted)
Skirt: Studio M (thrifted)
Shoes: Nine West (old)

angled pockets on skirt

Tuesday

Shirt: TJ Maxx (recent)
Skirt: Talbots Outlet (recent)
Shoes: Payless (recent)
Neclace: Target clearance (recent)

Yes, I got saluted in this outfit!

Wednesday

Shirt: Target clearance (recent)
Pants: The Limited (recent)
Shoes: Payless (recent)
Necklace: Gift from Mom

Thursday

Shirt: Ann Taylor (thrifted)
Pants: Ann Taylor (old)
Shoes: Target clearance (recent)
Necklace worn as bracelet: gift from Secret Santa

I wore the shirt tucked in per a comment on my last outfit with this top and it was super flattering. I'm not sure if you can tell but the pinstripe on this pant is also purple...meant to be!

 Technical Difficulty #79: Getting a new camera to take some decent photos!