top three [08.09.2015]

black goes with everything - similar options here

medicine

• Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that is caused by an accumulation of endolymph (fluid). This causes hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus (ringing of the ears). Interestingly, a low salt diet and a mild diuretic help reduce symptoms for a large proportion of patients!
• If you ever experience a loud roar of the ocean in your ears after you've lost a significant amount of weight, you may have patulous eustachian tubes (I told you ENT has the best words - doesn't that sound like a Harry Potter spell?). The roar is synchronized with respiration because the middle ear is alternatively aerated too much and too little due to abnormally patent eustachian tubes. 
• I used to assume that ringing of the ears was something only you yourself experienced, but apparently there are both subjective and objective forms of tinnitus! Objective tinnitus (that that your doctor can also hear with a stethoscope) can be caused by vascular abnormalities (like an AV malformation or an aneurism), TMJ issues, or...patulous eustachain tubes.  

on the internet

• Sometimes you just have to wear something you love that others don't like - I personally love this dress (and background!) on Jessica!
• I bought, used, and love Frank's scrub last year, but it's a bit pricy. Grace's DIY version is a lot easier on the wallet, and probably even more fun to use!
• I'm always jealous of brunettes since you pretty ladies can pull of yellow so well - how beautiful does Lydia look in her cheerful dress? 

spotted

• LC always makes the cutest clothes - how adorable is this pleated dress (bonus, it comes in 4 colors, one of which is blue with white polka dots!)
• Ugh, how cute are these gold sandals? While they are currently 50% off (along with a bunch of other styles), they may still be a bit too much out of my comfortable price range for sandals...
• One of my all time favorite J.Crew Factory items is back in stock this year! It's currently on sale + 20% off if you spend $100 or more. I suggest adding this cute dress to your basket to also qualify for free shipping ;)

on franish

• on the blog: answering all your questions about blogging, like how much I make from it and how much longer I'll be running this joint
• on the instagram: while the boy's away, the girl will...study :/
• on the twitter: the best thing to come out of the Phish concert are the quotes

notable sales

• J.Crew: 30% off sale items + 50% off final sale items (code: COOLSALE, ends today)
• If you wear petites, the keeper chambray (one of my top five favorite items in my closet) is currently on sale!
• I love the brightness of this shift dress - it's perfect for dressing up or down!
• Neiman Marcus: contemporary items now on sale
• I love this linen dress (in both colors!) - plus it would be super cute with leggings in the fall
• These 7 For All Mankind shorts are now 30%+ off
• Shopbop: recent additions to sale
• Yumi Kim has some of the prettiest clothes out there, and a bunch were just added to the sales section!
• There are some seriously cute espadrilles on sale as well!

personal

• I had a bit of an extended weekend last week, so CR and I packed up the dogs and went to Wisconsin. I hadn't been home in over a year, so I was really just excited to see my family, be in an area I'm very familiar with, and see all the new changes in Madison! I met up with Jessica for drinks, saw many of my high school and college friends, and even met a reader outside of a Starbucks (hi Sam!). I'm not going to admit to being a bit teary eyed when we literally drove over the state border...but that may have happened.
• On Friday, I was somehow convinced to go to a Phish concert. CR is a big fan, and I'd heard so many stories that I figured I should see it for myself, and lets just say it was quite the experience. I think I'm a bit too straight laced and goody two shoes to be around so many drugs ;)
• CR's youngest brother and girlfriend stayed with us over the weekend, and we had such a great time hanging out. We haven't ever really had a chance to do stuff, just the four of us, since we are usually around the whole family. We went on a picnic, and then saw a double feature at the drive in - Vacation and Trainwreck. Trainwreck was definitely my favorite of the two - I know it's been getting mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it!

dresses are second best

Last week I said that jeans are my favorite article of clothing, and while that is totally still true, dresses are absolutely my second favorite. They are just so easy to throw on with a few simple accessories, and you're set. I don't like over-accessorizing anyway, so just matching leathers and a simple necklace are all I need to feel ready for the day.

Remember how I fell in love with that gingham dress a few months ago but could never get my hands on it? I was casually browsing through the sales section recently and there it was - only one left, and in my size. Fashion fate? Possibly. I also picked up this little striped number - it's currently 50% off, and will be perfect for my trip to Santorini (I promise it's cuter in real life - you can see it on my snapchat @fhasselhof)!

Dress: thrifted [similar below]

Belt: Gap [similar]

Shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

a couple of you have mentioned you wanted to know what my outfits look like with my white coat on, so here I am, in all my short coat glory...

and because my dress is from Goodwill (and apparently homemade!), here are a few current options out there. There's also this longer sleeved version, which would be perfect for once the temperatures drop!

one | two | three | four

"how much do you make from blogging" and other questions

Blouse: Banana Republic [similar short sleeved version]

Pants: The Limited [exact]

Necklace: J.Crew Factory [similar for < $10!]

Purse: Tory Burch c/o Shopbop [exact]

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Watch: c/o Daniel Wellington [exact]

How much do you really bring in via affiliate links every month?

I don't feel comfortable saying the exact amount, but lets just say that if I wasn't in school, I could make blogging be my full time job in the sense that it could pay the bills (but not much else). But, I am in school and I have loans because blogging income is not consistent, so the money I do make now has been used to pay off credit card debt (all gone now!), pay for Invisalign, and now is being saved up for a down payment for a house in two years. I always say that the money I make from blogging is a blessing and not a necessity, and I think that helps keep me in check a lot of the time when it comes to being too pushy with links.

I'm just starting out... and trying to work up the courage to take my outfit pics and post them online. What gave you the courage to start posting your own pics and do you have someone that takes your pictures or do you do it yourself?

top three [08.02.2015]

stripes forever [ps today is the last day the middle shirt is on sale]

medicine

• Scheuermann's disease is a disorder of the spine where the back of the vertebrae grows faster than the front, leading to a wedge shape. This leads to an enhanced kyphosis of the back. It presents most often in teenagers, and currently there is no known cause. 
• ENT has some of my favorite medical terms. Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss - nothing fancy, but definitely fun to say! The newest word I've learned is rhinolalia (this is how you pronounce it), which means having a nasal quality of speech due to a defect in the nose. 
• I never thought I'd actually enjoy ENT, but I'm definitely really enjoying my time on it. The surgeon I work with does surgery two days a week and office the other days. It's such a great mix of both surgery and patient encounters, with patients ranging from new borns to the elderly. If it wasn't so dang competitive, I would honestly consider it as a career because I could really see myself doing it. 

on the internet

• I love seeing one blogging friend be inspired by another - how cute is Katrina in this Ashley-inspired outfit? 
• Three easy steps to looking professional and put together in a print dress. I suppose the more I think about it, the more I also have "formulas" for how I get dressed. 
• Obsessed with this outfit on Jean - the accessories really seal the deal!

spotted

• I rarely wear heels (because I hate towering over people) but this pair makes me want to wear heels all the time. Kind of surprising for me, but I think they are so pretty!
• Now that it's August, that means my Santorini vacation is officially next month! I'm starting to think about packing lists, and think that this pretty blue + white number needs to be on it. Also on my wish list are these wrap sandals, which I think would be so cute!
• I'm kind of obsessed with this style top - it's basically a t-shirt, but slightly dressier, which makes it basically the perfect shirt. Plus right now they are 2 for $60 with a ton of patterns available. The black and light pink are definitely coming my way!

on franish

• on the blog: how a simple website has made jean shopping so much easier
• on the instagram: the goofier looking side of ENT (my pearls are old, but this set from F21 is very similar, and under $10!)
• on the twitter: a picture update on my invisalign progress. only 4 trays left!

notable sales

• J.Crew Factory: 40% off shirts
• How cute is this bib popover (in both blue and white!)? 
• Loft: 50% off certain styles
• This pretty lace skirt is perfect for both the summer and the fall 
• Not that I need another striped shirt (see picture above...) but I love the small unique pocket detail on this striped blouse
• Nordstrom: last day of the #NSale!
• I just ordered these leggings - the reviews rave about them, and for almost half the price, now is the time to try them out!
• This minimalistic watch would go with seriously everything - it's seriously so beautiful. 
• It's been 90 degrees here for weeks, so I can barely even think about winter coats right now...but this coat has me looking forward to cooler temps!

personal

• In preparation for some of my upcoming trips, I had been saving giftcards and money for a few months to buy this camera. My DSLR is too large to carry around everywhere, and so this is the perfect size to keep in my purse when I travel. I have also wanted to make a few more videos here that aren't made on my computer - any requests for video content? 
• CR and I drove back to the land of cheesecurds and spotted cow for a few days this weekend. I haven't been home in over a year, so it's been wonderful to see my family and friends again. We are mostly hanging out at my parents house, with a few trips to Madison planned as well. There really is nothing better than summer in Wisconsin!
• My first week on ENT has been really wonderful. My attending is so nice and I have really learned a lot from him in a short amount of time. He lets me see a lot of the patients by myself first to practice doing a more detailed head and neck exam, which I think will come in handy no matter what field I end up going in to. Like I said above, I never thought I would enjoy this speciality as much as I have been! 

jean shopping made easy

Jeans are absolutely my favorite type of clothing. I could wear them every single day, and be fine with never having to wear a skirt or dress ever again. The strange thing is that for as much as I love jeans, I hate shopping for them. It takes me a really long time to find some I like, which is why I rarely buy any. If they fit in the hips, they are too loose in the waist, or if they fit my thighs they are too short, or any one of those combinations.

A few weeks ago, Fitcode approached me to test out their site with no obligation on my part to share my experience. Free jeans that supposedly will fit me like I want them to? Sign me up. 

The way it works is that you take a super short (5 question) fit test to describe your body type, and then it tells you what jeans would fit you best. 

I'm Fitcode 710. The jeans include all my favorite brands like Paige, Hudson, Joe's Jeans, and all the jeans sold at Nordstrom. Once you pick out the style of jean you like, you can even see a video of them on someone with your same fitcode, which I think is genius because we aren't all size 00 models like on most websites. They then show you the different places you can buy the jeans, and for how much. It really takes all the work out of jean shopping for you.

I decided to go with this lighter wash of jeans from 7 for All Mankind just because I've always wanted a lighter pair, and honestly, I'm obsessed. While us girls with thicker thighs are told that dark washes are more flattering (which I do agree with), I think it's okay to mix things up sometimes. These are actually the only jeans I've worn this summer (when it's cool enough to wear jeans), and they really do fit me great. I didn't have to get the waist taken in, like I have with some other jeans I own. The fabric is thick, doesn't loosen up a ton during the day, and has just been holding up really well. 

Like I mentioned, Fitcode did not ask me to write this post, but I offered after having such a great experience with the process. I know how difficult it is to find clothes that fit you the way you want them to, so maybe this will help you out too the next time you are jean shopping!

Jeans: 7 for All Mankind c/o Fitcode [exact]

Tee: Nordstrom [exact, on sale for a few more days!]

Shoes: Jack Rogers [exact]

Watch: Michael Kors [save | exact]

july budget

Loft blouse top: originally $39 + 35% off = $25

Ann Taylor dress [reviewed here]: on sale for $120 + 50% off = $60

Nordstrom Tee: on sale for $16 (for only a few more days!)

July budget: $101 

Quarterly budget:  $119 in May + $195 in June + $101 in July = $415

Not too bad! I knew that July would be a really light shopping month for me as I spent most of it on my general surgery rotation where I wore scrubs from 4:45 AM - 5 PM+. With going to sleep by 9, and not spending as much time on my computer, there wasn't a lot of time to spend money! I do like the three items I purchased though. My favorite is definitely this eyelet dress from Ann Taylor. I got it during a pretty good promotion which is currently still going on, so if you are interested in this dress, I highly recommend it. You can read the full review here.

I purchased the black top last weekend when I was in Pittsburgh - I know it'll be the perfect layering top. I love the black on black look, and once I finally find a few cardigans, it'll probably be in pretty heavy rotation. If you are interested, I chose to stick with a large in this top. The medium fit me fine, but I liked the extra length that came with the large. 

The last tee is the striped tee that I picked up during the Nordstrom sale. I actually ordered the black + white stripes in a medium and white + black stripes version in a large. I preferred the looser look of the size large top - again, the medium was fine, but it did feel a bit tight in the arms. I was pulling on them the whole time I wore the shirt, so I knew it was definitely not the right shirt for me in that size! I'm very happy with the size large tee, and am excited to wear it on my days off (which I have just a few of coming up!)

I also ordered a few other items from the sale that didn't work out for me. This mixed media tunic seems really cute in theory - flattering v-neck, long sleeves, pretty colors. I totally agree with Audrey though, in that it is super wrinkly. I already hate ironing, and especially for a top that is meant to be more for my personal life, I didn't find it would be worth the effort. SO CLOSE though.

Last is this long open cardigan. I kind of knew that this wouldn't really work for me, but I wanted to try just in case (that's what free returns are good for!). I'm wearing a large here in the charcoal color. Besides the fact that I feel a bit ridiculous wearing a giant sweater while it's 90 degrees out (notice the shorts and tee below...), it wasn't very flattering on me. The dropped shoulders are never a good thing on me, and overall it was just a bit too big on me. I definitely am interested in this type of sweater for when it cools down (in three months) but if I'm going to spend $60+ on a sweater, I want it to look good on me!

You may notice that the Ann Taylor tunic I reviewed here isn't included. I actually found a hole in the seam a few days after I reviewed it, and had to return it. They didn't have any left in the store I was, so I was kind of out of luck. I'm pretty bummed, but there will be other shirts ;)

So I was a bit under for my quarterly budget, which is always a good thing! I may or may not transfer the rest of the funds into the next months - we'll see (I explained a bit more of my budgeting philosophy here if you are interested). I did put in a good sized order to Banana Republic this weekend with a 40% off promotion they had. I fell in love with this tuxedo boyfriend shirt over the weekend, and I can't wait to see how it works with my actual jeans and boots. I also saw these charcoal grey slim ankle pants in store - they only had 00, so I ordered both a 10 and a 12 to try on. Why is it so hard to find grey work pants?! Last but not least, I ordered this v-neck popover top in white, as well a pair of green shorts I realllllllly hope work out.

So that's me! What about you? I'd love to see how your budgeting worked out this week - please feel free to link up below, and as always, please let your readers know where they can find more budgeting bloggers!

snip snip!

Remember how I mentioned (....several times) that all my hair got cut off even though all I asked for was a trim? Well, here it is! It isn't really that horrible, but it has definitely taken some time to get used to! He kind of botched the cut itself too, so I'm just patiently waiting for my hair appointment in 4 weeks to clean it up. 

In other news, today is the start of my ENT surgery rotation. I actually have no idea what this month looks like for me, time wise, but I'm looking forward to do a slightly calmer rotation, especially since it's CR vacation month. I've heard this rotation is a lot of one-on-one time with the surgeon, so I'm definitely excited to get a bit more hands on and learn a ton. I also have my surgery shelf at the end of it, so it's time to start studying again. Good thing I have a real desk again ;)  Any of you who have taken the NBME shelf exams - any particular book you recommend? I already have this book, but am open to others!

Dress: Target [similar below]

Shoes: Jack Rogers [exact]

Belt: Gap [similar]

Watch: c/o Larsson and Jennings [exact]

My dress is several years old, but Target has tons of cute options. I love this shirt dress option - it's currently on sale, and it comes in four fun colors...but of course I love the black version ;)

one | two | three | four | five 

P.S. A few people mentioned that my pictures weren't showing up in Feedly - I think Flickr changed some things, and that made me change a few things, and then it all became a mess. I left everything this time - do the pictures show up now? Let me know if not! :)