Jen Russum

Just Say No.

Just Say No.

I hardly want to write a fashion post. This is a very good thing. But the Type A in me wants to complete my 30 for 30 posts and tell you how I finished out my little shopping fast in May. Actually, truth be told, it ended with me sitting on the floor of my closet at midnight ordering necklaces off Etsy. Maybe I didn't learn that much about controlling my consumerism. But then again, maybe I did... Side note: The necklaces were ones I had been eyeing and avoided buying for at least six months, and I just happened to stumble across them that night when they were 40% off. I still wasn't going to buy them, until I realized the calendar had rolled to June 1st and I was no longer technically on a shopping fast. Maybe I'm weak... or maybe I am a very patient shopper. Anyway, the good news is that shopping doesn't appeal to me as much anymore. I've by no means erased that idol from my life completely, but I can see my heart changing and, along with it, my behavior. Because as much as I love, love, love shopping and finding a great deal and stocking my closet with new, pretty clothes, I have also realized that shopping is a life sucker for me. In the past six weeks of my life, I've learned that the actual act of shopping is not quite as fun for me as I thought it was... Let's keep it real though. Sometimes shopping is really fun. On that day when Anthro is having their biggest sale of the year or you hit up your favorite outlet malls with your sister or your best friend or you get to go splurge on an item out of your normal price range thanks to an unexpected gift card. Those are good days. But most of my shopping days don't work like that. They work more like this: I am out running errands. I spot Old Navy. I wonder if they have any good sales going on. I impulsively pull into the parking lot, justifying in my head how much I am allowed to spend if they have any deals {let's say... $20}, and pull my visor over my windshield to block my car from the hot sun while I run inside on this pointless errand. I wander into Old Navy, skim the front room and don't see anything too impressive. I squeeze my foot into a pair of cute wedges, even though there are none left in my size. Consider buying this smaller size since it's an open toe shoe. Talk myself out of that bad idea. Meander back to the sale section, poke through the racks, realize there is hardly anything new on sale since the last time I went to Old Navy {probably three weeks ago} and begin the walk back to my car in the scorching parking lot. Thankfully, I'm empty handed, but I just wasted at least ten minutes of my life and the gas it takes to turn my car on and off repeatedly. That is not fun shopping, friends. And it's a lesson my sinful heart has been slow to learn. But I am learning, praise the Lord. In the last week, although I did have the Old Navy experience described above, I also had a few small victories. One day I pulled into the Kohl's parking lot while out running errands, sat in my car looking at my phone for a minute, and in that 60 seconds, decided I wasn't really in the mood to shop. I turned my car back on and pulled right out of that parking lot. Sorry Lauren Conrad. And just yesterday, I was running errands around ASU and considered stopping in the obligatory Urban Outfitters that graces every university district, and decided it wasn't worth my time. I got into my car and drove home because it was too lovely of a day to spend my afternoon digging through hipster clothes in search of a clearance gem. And without further adieu, here are a few ways I mixed up some of my favorite pieces during my last week of 30 for 30. And this is probably the last time you'll see a fashion post around these parts for a while... The dress posing as skirt look. Short version. Cotton dress:: Nordstrom Rack // Eyelet blouse:: Anthro // Sandals:: Jessica Simpson //  Belt:: Old Navy // Necklace:: Nordstrom // Watch: DKNY The dress posing as skirt look. Long version. Dress:: Target // Striped tank:: TJ Maxx // Wedges:: Ross Necklace:: Nordstrom Rack // Belt:: Forever 21 // Bracelet:: Nordstrom BP The striped tank over cotton dress for dinner with my little lady friends.  The striped tank with jeans and hat {both Banana Republic} for date night with my man. P.S. I have no idea why my pictures are blurry. I took them with my nice camera and edited them the way I usually do using PicMonkey. Any photography experts out there want to explain why or give me any tips? *Linking up with The Pleated Poppy and 5 Days, 5 Ways* ... Read more

Who knew?

Who knew?

My best friend is a food mixer... She loves to mix weird foods together and eats them with joy. Her favorite thing right now is self-serve fro you with nuts and fruit and candy mixed together on top. It doesn't have to "go" together. I'm pretty sure one night at Bible Study a few years ago she tried to convince my roommate and I to try her Greek yogurt mixed with cottage cheese mixed with... something else weird. I can't even remember. No thank you. The food mixer and the food separator... I come from the other side of the spectrum. I should probably still use those plastic kids plates that are divided into sections... because that's how I like my food. Not touching. I mean my sauce can touch my pasta and my turkey can touch my mashed potatoes, but if my gravy drips onto my vegetables or my fruit salad touches my biscuit??? Not okay. I don't even like pineapple on my pizza. Fruit does not go on pizza, people. {Please refrain from making any "but tomatoes are a fruit" comments. That's different.} I also don't put syrup on my pancakes and I don't put milk on my cereal. It's not so much a taste thing as a texture thing. I hate the idea of my dry food getting soggy. Eek. I can hardly think about it. I use just a touch of butter on bread when needed and I try to stay clear of all condiments. Soggy food = gross. Which is why when I called my food-mixing friend a few weeks ago and announced to her that I now like yogurt with fruit and granola in it we both burst out laughing. Welcome to the 1990s, Jen, decade of the yogurt parfait. I'm only twenty years behind the times... You see, I've always overlooked the parfait as a meal option because I often see it sitting in the refrigerator case at Starbucks, and I imagine that the granola has been sitting in that cup of yogurt for days getting all soggy and gross... and I have never eaten it. Imagination wins. But when my girlfriends and I threw a baby shower last month, I realized after we put the menu together that we had no healthy food to serve for brunch. We had French Toast Casserole and Nana's Sticky Buns and Cinnamon Roll Cake and Hashbrown Casserole and it was all amazing and delicious, but I figured some women there might want something lighter or at least some type of food that contained vitamins to go along with all their sugary carbs. And so I went out the day before the shower and bought the supplies for yogurt parfaits. And my hypothesis was correct... I really did crave something healthy at the shower after one too many Biscuit Egg Puffs, and I did the strangest thing. I made myself a parfait... And I liked it. Vanilla yogurt, diced strawberries, and Just Bunches granola. I liked it, I tell you. In fact, I loved it once I realized that if I sprinkle the granola on top, it doesn't get soggy by the time I eat it, and I can add more as I go if I want. Amazing. And now I eat a yogurt parfait almost every day. I even added banana one time. Who am I? 21st century parfait-lovin' Jen. That's who. Almost all these pictures were taken on different days of the same week. That is how obsessed I am. Life forever changed. ... Read more

Lovely Little Things.

Lovely Little Things.

Hello fruit. You've been my favorite lunch food lately.  Hello, Lisa. This precious little baby I always take pictures of does have a mom. And it's not me... :) Hello hot chocolate. In Phoenix. In June. Sometimes you just have to.  Hello Hudson. Good job taking sermon notes. Hello brother-in-law getting married in less than two months! I can't wait for a new sister! Hello handmade Mexican popsicle. A wonderful $2 summer treat. Hello sweet kids. Babysitting you was so much fun.   Hello triple decker Ritz and Reece's s'more. You didn't last long. Hello fun package from Bits of Splendor. I love my new necklace. Hello new verse for the husband's sink. Hello #shereadstruth journaling. You've been so refreshing for my heart. Goodbye guacamole. I really should learn some restraint when it comes to your avocado-y goodness. *Linking up with Hello Hue and Life Rearranged. ... Read more