Paralegal Career Dressing: Like a Rhinestone Cowboy

I know this is not politically correct career dressing advice, but nothin' brightens up your day - and everyone else's day you run into - like a few rhinestones.

Which are different from those bedazzle-stones, or whatever those things are that one bedazzles with. Bedazzles make people sad. Or at least me.

Merona stretch snakeskin print skirt ~ Target

Loft cardigan ~ Loft Outlet

Design History draped tank ~ old, probably Marshalls or TJ Maxx

Nine West wedges ~ Ross Dress for Less

Stretch ring ~ thrift store!

Stretch bangles ~ Walgreen & Loft making nice

I think my love affair with rhinestones began in college, when my hair was only an inch long, I had three or four earrings in each ear, I still looked sort of cute doing the Time Warp Again, and I saw the B-52s in concert when they were still young like me. I scored some awesome (but painful) antique rhinestone clip-on earrings at flea markets and wore them to class with torn up men's t-shirts. I had another pair of giant rhinestone hoops that screwed into my ears like special torture tools, but were so worth it. (I still have them. I might wear them to work soon...)

Lia Sophia convertible necklace can be worn like this or as a pendant.

So I still wander over to rhinestone everything, much to my kids' chagrin. I'm all, "WOW, isn't this great!" and they're all, "No. You. Are. Not. Buying. Those." Like we briefly switch roles for a minute, and they're the bad guy.

I made this really big in case you can't see the honkin' rhinestone ring :P

Speaking of kids, you know my youngest, The Teen, has sickle cell disease. I talk about it on the blog, because it's an inherited disease suffered by millions across the world, but many people have never met anyone with it. Tonight she's experiencing what will hopefully be a mild pain event or vasoocclusive crisis managed at home with fluids, pain meds, and rest. But sometimes we end up at the emergency room rather suddenly for IV fluids and morphine, and sometimes we end up in the hospital for much longer.

This is my, "Who's gonna make me go to work? The mortgage company, you say?" pose.

Sickle cell is a mean disease, and there's no cure. I want to fix everything, so it's hard for me to feel helpless when she's in pain. I don't often share music, but I'm sharing Rob Thomas's "Her Diamonds" video for all of you out there who love and care for someone with a chronic and painful illness.