top ten songs: Twenty One Pilots.

Before you think it, I’ll say it: I know I’m too old for Twenty One Pilots.

James and I went to a Twenty One Pilots concert in early 2017, and let me tell you: we were easily the oldest people there (aside from all the moms who brought their teenagers).

 Yep, way too old.

But I also don’t care.

Unlike most of the bands in my “top ten songs of” lists, I don’t have an “aha” moment with Twenty One Pilots. I don’t remember which song of theirs I heard first or which song I loved first. All I can tell you is that I love them. The lyrics are so raw and emotional, and so many of them voice exactly what I am feeling when I cannot voice it myself. Almost every song speaks to insecurities, which is particularly striking to me: I have all the same insecurities, but of course, I could not put my feelings into song so eloquently. It feels like they are speaking directly to me.

Here are, in no particular order, my ten favorite Twenty One Pilots songs.

Migraine

If you’ve ever had a migraine, this song will speak to you. If you haven’t had a migraine, consider yourself fortunate. A migraine feels like your head is going to explode out of your eyes. There is no fixing it: the only remedy is to sequester yourself in a totally dark and totally silent room with an ice pack and try to sleep it off. Even if you succeed in sleeping it off, you’ll likely suffer a migraine hangover the following day, which include smaller headaches and complete exhaustion. Basically, it’s terrible. “Migraine” describes a migraine perfectly in song: “behind my eyelids are islands of violence” and “my pain will range from up, down, and sideways.”

Ride

I don’t know what it is about “Ride,” but I think it is my overall favorite Twenty One Pilots song. With Twenty One Pilots, it’s always the lyrics – but “Ride” has such a bouncy melody with a touch of reggae. And the line “I’ve been thinking too much – help me” is probably the single statement that could best define my life.

Holding onto You

“Holding onto You” is a perfect example of Twenty One Pilots’ adeptness at mixing musical styles, which is something I very much appreciate about them. Their songs are not only lyrically interesting, but musically interesting as well. It’s not often you get both. And let me tell you – the end with its swelling emotions (“entertain my faith”) is STIRRING. This was the first twenty one pilots song I truly loved – this was the song that made me realize they were the band for me. I recently read this song is about holding onto good thoughts while trying to rid the bad ones, which is a constant struggle for many of us.

The Hype

I have to be honest: their latest album is not my favorite. Many of the songs don’t have the raw emotional power as their earlier work, and that’s exactly what drew me to them. That being said, there are a few gems, “The Hype” being one of them. While it’s also missing the vocal passion of some of the older songs, it’s got killer lyrics: “no, I don’t know which way I’m going/but I can hear my way around.” Plus, there’s a ukulele in the bridge. Amazing.

Stressed Out

“Stressed Out” was the first Twenty One Pilots song I had ever heard. If you asked me to pick one song that defines my mood on any given day, nine times out of ten, it would be “Stressed Out.” This song is about the transition from childhood to adulthood, which, for many of us, is much more brutal than we were lead to believe it would be. Life was so simple when we were kids, but all we wanted to do was grow up. But now that we are grown up, childhood seems like a dream: “out of student loans and treehouse homes, we all would take the latter.” “Stressed Out” also deals with the complicated feelings that come with being an adult: “I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink/But now I’m insecure, and I care what people think.” And of course, the pressure that comes with bills to pay: “Wake up, you need to make money.”

Clear

I am so in love with one of Twenty One Pilot’s earlier albums called Regional at Best. Alas, it’s not available in the United States and I can only listen to it on YouTube. I heard “Clear” on the Twenty One Pilot’s Pandora station, and I have been struck since the beginning. The vocals are so emotional in this song, especially in the last lines: “I will tell you what I can/but your mind will take a stand/I sing of a greater love/let me know when you’ve had enough.”

My Blood

“My Blood” is also from their latest album, and it is SO different from any of their other songs. It’s all synth-poppy and disco-y and funky and I love it. There is also some solid falsetto, which is a weakness of mine. Plus, it’s about being loyal to your friends: yet another relatable topic.

Lovely

This is my other favorite song from Regional at Best, and it makes me think of James and me. I suffer from some anxiety with a tendency for what I now know are called “thought traps”: things like predicting the worst, assuming that I am not particularly well-liked, wondering what good my actions do, and so forth. James is my number-one cheerleader, always telling me my brain is out to get me (true) and none of those things are true. “Lovely” speaks to that directly: “dear friend, here we are again pretending/to understand how you think your world is ending” and “won’t you stay alive?/I’ll take you on a ride/I will make you believe you are lovely.”

Trees

“Trees” has some of the simplest lyrics of all the Twenty One Pilots songs, but I think it is incredibly powerful. The vocals change from verse to verse, so even though the lyrics are bare, you know exactly what they’re saying.

Goner

I think “Goner” is about intense loneliness, which most of us have experienced at some point in our lives. This is a feeling that sticks with you. For me, it was on Halloween night when I lived in New Orleans in 2009. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and for the first time in my life, I was all alone on Halloween. A few people I’d met had invited me out with them, but they never called back. I lived in a poolhouse in someone’s backyard, with only an air mattress for furnishings. I sat on my air mattress in the dark, wearing the Halloween socks my mom had just sent me in the mail, and cried. That is the loneliest I have ever felt, and I will never forget it. “Goner” is the perfect musical representation of that feeling.

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As always, there are a few gems that did not quite make the list. I love “Hometown” and “Ode to Sleep,” “Guns for Hands” is particularly timely, and I think of “Car Radio” every time my car is quiet. “Be Concerned,” “Glowing Eyes,” and “Ruby” are three favorites from the Regional at Best Album. And let me not forget their eponymous album, with solid offerings like "The Pantaloon" and "Oh Ms. Believer." But to me, that’s a mark of a true favorite band: if you have to pick ten of your favorite songs, and there are still a legion of others you love dearly.

Don’t listen to Twenty One Pilots for a pick-me-up: the emotion and subject matter is intense, and it’s not for everyone. But if you share some of these same feelings, you will feel as though the songs are written for YOU. Twenty One Pilots speak to my anxieties and insecurities like the Killers did to my intense desire to leave my small hometown. It’s not often as an adult you can find a band that resonates with you as much (if not more) than those that did in high school, and when you do, it’s something incredibly special.

(If you'd like to read about my other favorite bands and my ten favorite songs of theirs, here you go:)

Queen

David Bowie

Simon and Garfunkel

the Killers

the Clash

ABBA

weird childhood memories: the Sunday School songs edition.

Like a great many Midwesterns, I grew up going to Sunday School – whether I liked it or not.

And I did not.

To the untrained eye, I was the picture of a good Lutheran. I was a blond haired blue eyed Scandinavian, to start. I earned perfect attendance through almost every year of Sunday School (which began at age three and continued through your freshman year of high school). I was in church nearly every Sunday. I went to church camp – both day camp and week-long sleep away camp. I was a member of Luther League. I was dutifully confirmed at age 15. 

Same face as the one above, but add nine years.

I taught Sunday School with my friend Bob for three years. I knew the correct answer to “go in peace, serve the Lord” is “thanks be to God.”

But on the inside, I was not buying a single word of it.

 

Classic fake smile.

A born skeptic, I was not convinced that some guy named Noah filled a giant boat with two of every animal while a vengeful God killed everyone else. I did not think women were created from some guy’s rib. I did not think some mystical dude in the sky was watching our every move. None of it made any sense to me.

So I bluffed my way through; feigning the part of the obedient believer. To me, church and Sunday School were just one more thing to get through… one more thing I wouldn’t have to do when I became an adult and could make my own decisions about how to spend my Sundays.

I'm on the bottom right, looking super psyched to be there.

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today.

We’re here to talk about Sunday School songs.

Sunday School was an hour every Sunday. From the age of three up until third grade, the first half of Sunday School was spent in the chapel, singing songs. The second half was spent in the classroom. When you became a fourth grader, you graduated into a full hour of Sunday School.

This story is about that half an hour of music.

The songs we learned to sing as small impressionable children have stuck with me forever. Some of them were pretty typical and harmless, like “Jesus Loves Me” and “This Little Light of Mine.” The warm-and-fuzzy lineup was pretty solid, like “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “I’ve Got the Joy Down in My Heart,” and “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” My favorite was “Something in the Garden,” which has nothing to do with religion at all. It involved a few lucky children choosing what kind of animals you would find in the garden, and then the entire group would make the corresponding songs.

We also sang about some very specific Biblical stories, such as “Father Abraham Had Many Sons” (which involved a sort of hokey-pokey type dance) and “Zacchaeus” about a tiny guy who sat in a tree to see Jesus. We all learned how to spell “Christian” by singing “I am a C.”

If you’ve ever set foot anywhere near an elementary Sunday School program, chances are you’ve heard these songs.

Sure, these songs were all good and well. The beaming Lutheran parents loved to hear their adorable Lutheran children sing them at the front of the church before a captive audience one Sunday a month.

There was a whole set of other songs, though, that left a weird taste in my mouth.

Leading the pack was Doug Larson.

Doug Larson was the bane of my Sunday School existence. He was/is a Christian children’s musician, and he made a living off touring the Midwestern Protestant church circuit in the mid-to-late 90s. My church would hire him every so often to come and hang out with the kids, teach them a few songs, and then perform them for churchgoers. My church also hired him for a week at a time in the summer to lead the annual day camp. 

I don’t remember if Day Camp was half a day or the whole day, but to me, it lasted FOREVER. My friend Sarah was my saving grace. She and I would sit together and roll our eyes in sync. We made up our own actions and interjections to some of these songs. It was the only way we could get through the day.

Partners in crime.

Doug Larson hated us.

He was a large man who gave a great face to adults, but left alone with us kids, he was short-tempered and ill-humored. Sarah and I would not have been any older than 10 at this point, and he could not understand why we weren’t taking the Word of the Lord seriously. By no means were we the only ones. What do you expect from a bunch of elementary-aged kids trapped in a church on a beautiful summer day? I remember Doug Larson screaming at us until he was red in the face. He told us that “Jesus doesn’t love children who don’t pay attention.”

Nice.

Doug Larson’s favorite song (and a big hit with the elder Lutherans with a taste for lame Scandinavian humor) was “Pharaoh Pharaoh.” Sung to the tune of “Louie Louie,” it tells the tale of Moses leading his people out of Egypt, but with interjections of “uffda” and “ya sure you betcha.” Even before my age was in the double digits, I found this to be trite.

The other Doug Larson staple was a song called “Clap Your Hands,” in which every verse involved some kind of action involving touching someone next to you. I am NOT a toucher, so this song made me incredibly uncomfortable. The actions all followed with “right next to you”: rub another back, shake another hand, bump another hip, and slap another knee (why “another,” I do not know).

For a time, my family was the proud owner of a Doug Larson cassette tape. 

THIS ONE.

I could NOT get away from Doug Larson. I would hide the tape on occasion to be spared another minute of Doug Larson’s falsely friendly voice, but someone always managed to find it. Doug Larson Mania eventually trailed off after the church paid him to do a program, but he flaked and kept the money. Or so the story goes.

(I would highly encourage you to check out Doug Larson’s site, which I found while researching this story. Each album cover has a link to audio clips of his songs, so you can hear the MAN HIMSELF singing these songs.)

https://www.douglarson.org/media-gallery

Believe it or not, Doug Larson wasn’t the only source of strange songs from Sunday School. Nearing the end of my Sunday School music career, we learned a song called “Awesome God.” 

It was a BIG DEAL. It was supposed to be POWERFUL and make you FEEL THINGS. It made me feel annoyed. Sarah and I gave it the same treatment as “Pharaoh Pharaoh” and made up our own actions. The chorus states that “He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love.” Sarah and I made wiggly fingers for reign/rain, pointed up for heaven, pointed at our heads for wisdom, made a muscle for power, and made a heart with our hands for love. But this time, the music teacher LOVED the actions and had us teach them to the whole group. Born from sarcasm, these actions may still be a part of Trinity Lutheran repertoire.

The final alarming song we sang was called “Lord’s Army.” This is one of the few songs I enjoyed singing as a kid, mostly because it was upbeat and not too Jesus-y. Looking back, though, it’s a bit unsettling. The song is about how we many never be in a real army shooting at enemies, but we are indeed in the Lord’s army (punctuated with a salute and “yes sir!”).

Looking back on my Sunday School and church upbringing, I am actually glad I experienced it. Spending so many years on the inside gives me an understanding of religion that I would not have had otherwise. I saw it less as a spiritual experience and more as a sociological study. I understand the group dynamic, and I understand a church’s strong role, especially in small towns like my own. I get it. But it just doesn't mean to me what it does to many others.

And that’s ok.

the story of the immortal orchid.

In 2015, James bought me an orchid for Valentine’s Day.

Lucky for me, my orchid is thoroughly documented on Instagram.

James and I were on our way home from a weekend in Minneapolis. It was Presidents’ Day weekend, so Valentine’s Day was just a few days past. We stopped at the Walmart in New Ulm for whatever reason (I have since quit Walmart altogether – it’s been about three years since I was last in one), and I spotted a display of teeny orchids in little Valentine pots. They were marked down to five dollars apiece in an effort to clear them out post-holiday. James saw me looking at them and purchased a happy pink blooming plant.

Fast forward a year and a half. I am a terrible plant owner (I know this), but I love to have them anyway. Few things make me happier than blooming flowers. Anyway, in that year and a half, I had more or less forgotten to water my orchid. The blooms had long withered and dropped, but the leaves of the orchid were still green. So there had to be some life in there, right?

RIGHT.

Out of absolutely nowhere, my orchid burst into bloom. It had arisen from the dead with absolutely no help from me. I was overjoyed – having been under the impression that orchids were difficult plants to nurture and raise, imagine my surprise when, after a year of neglect, my orchid bloomed just the same.

 I would like to say that experience turned me into a top-notch and attentive plant owner – that I faithfully fed and watered my orchid and gave it the care it deserved all along.

Yes, I did remember to water it more… but I was still pretty bad at it.

I don’t deserve this orchid.

But yet, it keeps blooming.

 My little orchid blooms once a year for about a month at a time, and I have no idea why. Each time, I am shocked. Each time, I take photos of it, convinced I will still somehow kill this unkillable orchid and will never see its gorgeous pink blossoms again.

My orchid is blooming right now. It’s got four happy little flowers on it now, with several more buds to go. They last a surprisingly long time, bringing me joy in the deep winter when I need it most.

 James is under strict instruction not to purchase expensive cut flowers for me for Valentine’s Day, my birthday, our anniversary, or any such flower-giving occasion. For one, he’s allergic to most pollens, so why should he suffer? Also, flowers are expensive AF. I’d rather spend the $50 on dinner and drinks. I love flowers, but I can’t stomach the cost. If James does get me flowers, I ask for a favorite (calla lilies, tulips, ranunculus, sunflowers), but don’t you dare spend more than $20. James says he’s been shamed by florists for this price limit a time or two, but I like what I like. I am perfectly happy with a bundle of flowers from HyVee, or, season permitting, wildflowers gathered from a ditch. That’s my style: free ditch flowers.

This year, James did not purchase an expensive bouquet. He did, however, bring me a TALL orchid from Target. 

It is gorgeous and full of happy pink blooms, like my little four-year-old diehard orchid. I am super scared of this big orchid – the little one is shockingly resilient, but will the big one survive my hands-off brand of plant parenting? James apparently has faith in me, as he bore witness to how well I did with the little orchid. I hope the big orchid is as forgiving as my little one.

Happy anniversary, little orchid. We’ve been together four years now, and even though I have failed you time after time, you have never given up on me. Thank you for being you. Here’s to another many years of me forgetting to water you and you blooming anyway. You are the best.

(Now that you’ve got an orchid sibling, I will try to do better. I really will.)

grievance corner: Mr. and Mrs. James Jarvie.

James and I have been married for almost six years now, and it’s been pretty fantastic. I have no complaints.

Actually, no. I do have a complaint.

Mr. and Mrs. James Jarvie.

I HATE THAT SO MUCH.

You know how everyone has a few things that are ultimately inconsequential but just stick in your craw and make you irrationally angry?

This is my number one.

Just thinking about it now is making my pulse accelerate.

When James and I first got engaged, I was planning to keep my last name. The name “Bjorklund” is awesome, after all. James was initially disappointed, but he grew to accept it. But a few months before our wedding, I changed my mind. I decided to take Jarvie as a last name and move Bjorklund to my middle name. This was to be my gift to James – a symbol that we were starting this chapter of our lives together as one family.

(I have a whole other rant about how women are expected to change THEIR last names, but that’s a topic for another time.)

So on our wedding day, I was no longer Calla Shelaine Bjorklund, but Calla Bjorklund Jarvie.

(I did make damn sure that we were NEVER introduced as “Mr. and Mrs. James Jarvie” on our wedding day – we were always announced as “James and Calla B. Jarvie.”)

And that was all good and well… until we started getting mail.

Upon seeing my first envelope addressed to “Mr. and Mrs. James Jarvie,” I LOST MY SHIT.

I went on a full-on raging tirade to James about how this form of address completely negates me as a person by removing every bit of my identity and reassigning it to him. While his FULL NAME is in that address, I exist only as “Mrs.” I am no longer an individual – I am just someone’s wife/property. That is not ok with me, nor will it ever be.

Now, I know I was reading too much into it – the people who sent me that mail certainly don’t think of me as James’s property. It’s society I’m railing against, and these poor mail-senders are victims of societal brainwashing.

The title of “Mrs. Jarvie” grates on me by itself. Luckily, I am not often in a situation to be referred to as “Mrs. Jarvie” – just every other week when I go to do story time at the Ellsworth school. I have been volunteering there for nearly five years, and over time, I have evolved from “Mr. Jarvie’s wife” to “Mrs. Jarvie” to the kids, so that’s something. But there’s the identity thing again. When I am Mrs. Jarvie, my identity is only in the Mrs. And a Mrs. could be literally anyone. “Jarvie” is my husband’s name. Where am I?

Poor James never intended for me to feel this way when I changed my name. Honestly, since we live in a small Midwestern town, even if I had retained my maiden name, guaranteed I would still be referred to as Calla Jarvie.

And what of my nonexistent/theoretical future children? That’s a whole other thing. They will be half Jarvie and half Bjorklund – that’s just how it works. But to give them the last name Jarvie makes it seem as though they are Jarvie and Jarvie alone. Will they also have the middle name Bjorklund? How do we show this is important?

So what do I do to fix the “Mr. and Mrs. James Jarvie” problem? Turns out, there’s not a lot to do. James and I have taken up what I like to call “the tiny rebellion.” Whenever we get a wedding invitation addressed to Mr. and Mrs. James Jarvie, we send back the RSVP reading “Mr. and Mrs. Calla Bjorklund Jarvie.” I would be shocked if that changes anyone’s perception, but it makes me feel better.

I also try and keep the “Bjorklund” part of me as visible as possible. Just because I am married does not mean I am any less Bjorklund. I include “Bjorklund” in my email signatures, on my checks, and on my business cards. Our return address stamp says “James and Calla B. Jarvie.”

I do want you to know I have no ill will to anyone who was happy to rid themselves of their last name and adopt their husband's. Some might revel in being addressed as Mrs. Whatever. That's awesome; good for you. All I want is for that not to be forced upon me.

The Jarvie in my name is an important part of my life, but so is the Bjorklund – and I don’t want to have to sacrifice one for another. I will always be a Bjorklund, but now I’m a Jarvie as well – and I love being both.

ten outfits under $35, part X.

It’s been some time since I have written an outfit post. It takes me longer and longer these days, not just because of the time it takes to take pictures of all these outfits, but that the outfits are getting harder to put together. I am facing a shortage of cheap shirts. Cheap dresses and pants/jeans are no problem, but weirdly, I just don’t have that many shirts that fall into that $10-ish price point that makes them right for this blog. I do almost none of my shopping at Goodwill or Plato’s Closet any more, mostly because I am now old and impatient. I am still an avowed Country Peddler aficionado, which you will see reflected in this post. Part of it could be that I am very particular about the shirts I wear – much more so than pants. Who knows. In any case, I still have ten outfits to show you today!

This is my tenth post where the outfits are $35 or less. You can find the other nine here, plus the very first two (in which I had different price points):

$40 or less
$30 or less
under $35, part I
under $35, part II
under $35, part III
under $35, part IV
under $35, part V
under $35, part VI 
under $35, part VII
under $35, part VIII

under $35, part IX

(You really should check them out and see how my style has evolved over the years; it’s kind of amazing. I’ve been doing these since 2013, after all.)

If you’re reading this now, you’ve probably been through my cheap outfit rules – so I’m going to quit going over them. If you haven’t, you can find the full set of rules in volume VII. But here’s all you really need to know: I’m into hunting bargains, and the total cost of each and every outfit is under $35.

Anyway, onto the first cheap outfits of 2019!

jacket – Country Peddler – FREE! (used credit)

jeans – AE – $29.97

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)

bracelet – Etsy/Michaels – about $4 for supplies

TOTAL: $33.97

Country Peddler has (fairly) recently begun carrying boutique clothing, and this jacket was a part of that line. I love army green jackets SO MUCH and floral embroidery SO MUCH. This jacket is nice and light and I could definitely get away with wearing it as a shirt. These shoes are nothing short of a miracle: I had LOADS of coupons from DSW, and I bought three pairs of shoes online one day (in the middle of one of their massive sales). Somehow, I ended up saving around $100, and these TOMS wedges would have been $90. So I got them for free. You’ll be seeing a lot of them in these posts. The bracelet is one I made with the help of some elastic and a bit of glue. Easy peasy – that is, until it breaks, but so far so good.

dress – Country Peddler – FREE! (was $18, used credit)

shoes – Target – $28.49 (25% off)

bracelet – Etsy/Michaels – about $4 for supplies

TOTAL: $32.49

This dress is a lovely Country Peddler find, and I am so into this color. I made this bracelet as well – when you can make your own jewelry, it’s amazing how many pieces you can make for not very much money.

sweater – Tyana's Boutique – $15 (50% off)

pants – Maurices – $19.95 (clearance, last ones left)

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)
Lake Superior necklace – gift from Mom and Dad

TOTAL: $34.95

Tyana's is a boutique here in Luverne, and they have great stuff. They also have GREAT deals in between seasons. I got this shirt (and a grey version just like it) on the 50% off rack. The pants were the LAST pair on the Maurices website, hence the price. I am a huge proponent of these type of pants – they’re comfortable, classy enough for work, but sturdy enough for librarians like me to wear to work and crawl around on the floor. I buy all my pants based on whether or not they’ll hold up when I crawl around on the floor. My necklace is a wire outline of Lake Superior - my second favorite lake in the world, and a great reminder of summer adventures.

jumpsuit – Niche Boutique in Nisswa – $20 (clearance)

shoes – Modcloth – $13.49 (clearance and 50% off)

TOTAL: $33.49

Ok, so the only jumpsuit I’ve ever owned before is a red polyester one from Goodwill that I bought when I was 17 and wore for Halloween. But jumpsuits are back! I tried this on in a store in Nisswa, Minnesota on a total whim. It was on the clearance rack, and why not? Turns out? I LOVED it. I tried it on and looked like a long-legged 70s goddess. When I came out of the fitting room, James’s mouth actually dropped open. If that doesn’t say “go ahead and spend the $20,” I don’t know what does.

jacket – Country Peddler – FREE! (used credit)

shirt – Beautique – $18

jeans – AE – FREE! (free jean coupon)

shoes – Modcloth – $16.79 (additional 40% off clearance)

TOTAL: $34.79

I have never owned a leather jacket before, and to be honest, I’m pretty so-so on leather in general. Wearing an animal’s skin is just kind of weird when you think about it. That being said, I don’t believe I have ever purchased a new leather item. I have had a few consignment leather bags and shoes, but never a jacket until now. It’s still kind of weird that it’s leather, but I definitely like how it looks. Plus, I’m supporting a small and beloved business, not the actual people who skinned the cow. That’s something, I think. Beautique is a boutique in Brandon, South Dakota, and I got this shirt on clearance. They stand out among the others, though, because they have free shipping with no minimum purchase. I LOVE THAT. The jeans came from that continually amazing free jeans rewards program that American Eagle does – I think these jeans would’ve been something like $70 otherwise. And you know me: you’re never getting me to pay $70 for jeans.

dress – Maurices – $26.57

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)

headband – Prairie Mermaid – $7 ($5 off coupon)

TOTAL: $33.57

I’m so happy buffalo plaid is a thing, because I love it and it makes me feel so cozy and Minnesotan. Plus, this dress is long enough (which is always a challenge), and it has pockets. Obviously, dresses are made a thousand times better if they have pockets. My headband is from one of the loveliest boutiques – it’s called the Prairie Mermaid, and it’s in Brookings. They have such neat stuff, and the décor in there is like being in an underwater flower garden. Seriously, go look next time you’re in Brookings.

shirt – Country Peddler – FREE! ($9, used credit)

pants – Target – $29.99

shoes – Modcloth – FREE! (came with weird heel, couldn’t exchange, full credit)

bracelet – Lucky Day – $5

TOTAL: $34.99

As a broad-shouldered lady, button down shirts are a constant struggle for me. They either stretch across my shoulders, resulting in front buttons that gap, or they are boxy and make me look like a business casual football player. This shirt miraculously does neither. My pants? I can indeed crawl around on the floor with them, making them perfect library attire. Finally, my bracelet is made of the inside of a real Norwegian sweater.

jumpsuit – Yellow Umbrella Boutique Bemidji – $34 (15% stitching flaw)

shoes – Modcloth – FREE! (came with weird heel, couldn’t exchange, full credit)
cameo earrings – gift from Mom and Dad

TOTAL: $34

Oh look – another jumpsuit! This one was purchased during THE SAME TRIP as the first jumpsuit. This one makes me look like a badass lady aviator – or that’s what I’m going for, at least. My earrings are hard to see, but they are lovely little blue cameos, and I am IN LOVE with them. I got them from Mom and Dad for Christmas and have already lost count of how many times I've worn them.

shirt – Country Peddler – FREE! (was $10, used credit)

cardigan – Amazon – $13.77 (5% discount)

jeans – Maurices – $19.50

shoes – Country Peddler – FREE! (was $22, used credit)

Minnesota earrings – gift from my in-laws

TOTAL: $33.27

If you’re counting, this is the fifth outfit featuring items from Country Peddler. This blog really is the Country Peddler show, but I find so many treasures there, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. These snapping cardigans have been a big thing for a while, and I really like them. Librarians are famous for the amount of cardigans we own, and I am certainly no exception.

dress – Chelsea’s Boutique – $34.95

shoes – DSW – FREE! (was $90, all sorts of coupons/discounts)

necklace – made by James

TOTAL: $34.95

This dress has been one of the more versatile things I own. I’ve worn it to work, to funerals, to plays, and on dates. Like my red buffalo plaid dress, this dress is both long enough and has pockets. Plus, they’re both so comfortable that it feels like wearing pajamas all day long. My necklace is a turtle that James made out of old watch parts. I love it, but its little fins are sharp and deadly. So don’t mess with me when I’m wearing my turtle necklace.

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Thanks for sticking with me through another set of outfits under $35! The next one might not be ready for another six or seven or eight months, but rest assured I’m always on the hunt for the next bargain.