shop-tastic.

i'm pretty sure that coats are not supposed to bring you down.  my winter coat was on its 7th winter and it was starting to make me feel like the kid at school who lives in the projects and who comes to school without a lunch.  winter's bad enough as it is.  a girl needs a good coat, for crying out loud.  or, at the very least, a coat that doesn't make her feel like she's "the ugly friend". 

what i was actually looking for was a parka but, after 3 winters of searching on and off,  i've yet to find my dream parka.  though the coat i did find is dressier than what i was going for, it was also half-price at simon's... score!  it's not like i didn't also need a dressy coat.  this is it:

i wear the bejesus out of my clothes (and footwear).  i despise buying things and not wearing them.  i used to do it when i was younger.  i can't stand knowing that the money could have been spent on something more useful.  so now, i have a rule: whatever i buy, i have to be absolutely, 100%, without a doubt sure that i will wear until it literally falls off me.  if i'm not sure, i leave it at the store.  if i keep thinking about it, i go back and get it.  anyway, my point is: i love my new coat!

i also got me some new kicks, yo:

they're summer-y but i figure that i work from home so nothing is stopping me from wearing summer-y shoes now if i want to.  plus, i'm going to cuba next month (yay!!!) so they'll get worn sooner than later.  i don't know why i'm justifying, they were $19!  thank you, plattsburgh target.

my last purchase this week: leggings.  i don't know what's wrong with me but i still can't get enough of leggings.  i wear them when i feel fat.  i wear them when i feel skinny.  i wear them for work.  i wear them to go out.  i just plain ol' love 'em.

i must have tried on 25 different pairs in the last few months.  i can't handle when they're made cheaply.  it drives me mental.  and though i love a deal as much as the next girl, i would rather have one well-made item than 20 cheapies.  so, finally, i discovered amercian apparel's high waist leggings.  the high waist makes me feel like i have a tighter mid-section than i actually have (bonus!).  plus, they're long.  at my house, long is good.

i got 2 pairs in black but i'm sure i could have gotten 7 pairs and it still wouldn't have been enough.

next up: new bathing suit.  lord, don't fail me now.