Musings on the Mountain

Forever 21 Review: Polka Dot Palazzo Pants

2012-02-13T14:09:00.001-05:00

I'm home sick today. We had a 2 hour delay this morning from some snow this weekend, and I thought I could use that extra time to pull myself together--I even got fully dressed and put on makeup--but I just feel rotten. I was trying to convince myself that staying home was not worth the trouble of putting together sub plans, but reality won out (and by reality I mean my husband's convincing argument to stay home). I had no business going to school today. We have a random day off tomorrow (why? no idea...it's not like Valentine's day is a nat'l holiday) so that'll give me yet another day to beat this bug.

***

I bought these pants while I was on the school trip last week. We ended up having some free time between events, and there is a mall right next to where we stayed. Despite my usual tendencies to stay away from cheap, trendy stuff, I can never turn down a trip to Forever 21. You can find some hidden gems in there if you look hard enough. I didn't have to look too hard for these pants though. They were displayed in the front entrance of the store--and since my eyes are trained to light upon ALL THINGS polka dotted, I immediately started hunting for the rack where I might find them. I thought it was a maxi skirt at first and was strangely excited when I found out they were pants.

Polka Dot Palazzo pants

I sized up to a medium in these, and quite honestly could have size up to a large given the tiny, high waist in these pants, but I didn't want any more pant leg volume.

Cute (non-functioning) pocket detail:

So yeah, it looks like I'm wearing a polka dot maxi skirt, doesn't it? I'd like to know how the model above got hers to look like pants whilst standing normally, because for me to show you the leg separation I have to go like this:

I've already worn these once (actually the night I bought them!), with a turquoise J.Crew painter tee and a charcoal grey blazer. I don't have any other ideas yet...any tips? This is my first pair of Palazzo pants! They may look ridiculous, but I LOVE THEM!!!

What do you think of these pants? Have the polka dots gone to my head?!?!

C'MON!

2012-02-09T09:12:00.000-05:00

I do NOT need this temptation right now:

Elinor dress in polka dot

I have very little self-control when it comes to polka dots, and it's made even worse by the fact that I'm definitely getting sick (I woke up with my throat on FIRE this morning!) My resistance is weak when I feel bad! But how cute is this dress? The length is perfect (sooo happy longer lengths are coming back in style!), I love the neckline (v-necks have always been more flattering on my broad shoulders), and the sash tie at the waist looks super-slimming.

But how many polka dot dresses is too many? From memory, I have at least 3 dresses and 2 skirts with the lovely print. I've always loved polka dots and the retailers are killing it this season with the offerings they have out. I can't get enough of 'em! Should I fight it? Polka dots just make me so happy! :)

What do you think of this dress? Is there such a thing as too many polka dots?

Jinxed

2012-02-08T16:50:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I was at Walgreen's picking up some needed items when I came across a new Burt's Bees product, throat drops. I loooove Burt's Bees products, and even though I didn't need any cough drops, I bought these and ate one on the way home. Well, whaddaya know...the next morning I woke up with a sore throat. I think I jinxed myself. Maybe my body subconsciously knew that my throat would start hurting soon? Send healthy vibes my way. Teachers cannot get sick!

I got my inspiration for this outfit from this picture I found on Pinterest. Are y'all shocked that I'm wearing pants? and flats? I sure am. Maybe it's the full moon.

Top: J.Crew perfect shirt in Tartan

Sweater: J.Crew honeycomb cable

Pants: J.Crew matchstick cords

Shoes: Clarks flats

Flying solo

2012-02-07T19:45:00.000-05:00

I got nothing today. I sat here for a good 5 minutes, fingers poised on keyboard ready to type, but couldn't come up with anything clever or interesting for this post.

I do have a sweet story about the necklace I'm wearing. At the convention this weekend, a student came up to me at one of our meetings and said, "I got something for you when we went shopping today!" She handed me a package and this necklace was inside. She said, "I notice you always wear leaf jewelry, and I thought of you when I saw this." How incredibly sweet is that? It made me tear up. I'm such a softie.

Top: J.Crew tissue t-neck in eggplant

Cardi: J.Crew Jackie in honey glaze

Skirt: J.Crew perfect pencil

Shoes: Seychelles Her Majesty pump

Necklace: gift from a student

Have a lovely evening. I'm flying solo this weekend while hubby is away at a work conference. While I will of course miss him, it does mean that I get to eat brinner (breakfast for dinner) every night this week! Tonight I made these and tomorrow I'm planning to make these. All accompanied with wine, of course. Yum yum! :)

Review: Hana Air Blow dryer

2012-02-07T09:28:00.000-05:00

I was beyond thrilled when Missiko contacted me last month asking if I was interested in trying out and reviewing one of their products. I am a total hair product junkie, so it took me all of 5 nanoseconds to respond with an emphatic "YESSSS!!!"

I received the Hana Air Blow Dryer, which is supposedly one of their top-selling and top-rated blow dryers. Here are some pictures of the package I received:

So impressively packed! I loved all of the little extra goodies.

So how does the Hana Air Hair Dryer stack up compared to my old one (a Conair)?

Well I was a total nerd and compared the drying time of my hair between the two hair dryers. The Hana Air cut out a good 3 minutes! That may not seem like a lot, but every little bit helps when your hair is as thick as mine. I have very thin hair, but A LOT of it, so it takes a long time to dry. My arms sure do get tired! Cutting out 3 minutes is beyond awesome.

Positives:

The air flow out of this hair dryers is INTENSE--in a good way. It gets the job done.
The air gets hot, but not so hot that it fries my hair. I've definitely had dryers do that before and it ain't pretty. I also like the 3 heat settings--hot, warm, and cool. My other dryer just has hot and cool. Nice to have a middle option!
Dryer is sleek and lightweight
LONG CORD!!! I love this feature. I like having the freedom to move around in my bathroom without having the cord restrict me.
Of course, love the shortened drying time.
I get incredible results with this dryer. My hair has never had this much volume or been so soft. I'd invite you over to feel my hair, but that would be awkward...
Missiko does a great job with shipping. The package was beautifully put together, everything safely packed, and the shipping was very fast.
The Hana Shine Shield, sent in the package with the dryer, is AWESOME. It smells amazing and makes my hair so soft and shiny! It also is a great heat protectant when using the dryer and flat iron.

Negatives:

It is pricey. I don't know if I would pay full price for this dryer without some kind of discount. It's not that I don't think it's worth the $, but I just have a hard time paying over $100 for any kind of hair appliance.
Not sure if it's the fault of my house's electrical wiring or the power of the dryer itself, but every time I plug in the dryer I have to hit the red breaker switch on the plug. Not a big deal at all, but worth mentioning.
The switches for the air settings are on the handle and easy to accidentally hit while I'm holding the blow dryer. I sometimes hit them without knowing, only realizing when the air feels cooler. Again, not a big deal, I just need to be careful with my fingers!

I love using this hair dryer. It's almost a pleasure to dry my hair now! I love the volume and manageability I get using this dryer.

Missiko sells all kind of products for any hair need. They have a great selection of other blow dryers, including some by one of my favorite brands, CHI (I love my CHI flat iron!) The Hana salon also stocks some great products. I also noticed they sell Moroccan Oil products, which I've been wanting to try for a while now. You should check them out! :)

Thanks to Missiko for providing me this great opportunity to try out their products!

What happens in the fitting room...

2012-02-06T17:09:00.000-05:00

...should not stay in the fitting room!

I was going through some of my old fitting room pics last night when I came across this image:

I know I didn't mean to put these two pieces together. I rarely put real outfits together in the dressing room, but there are times when what I end up wearing together actually works, and many of those combinations are ones I probably would never have thought of myself! This is one of those looks. The green looks so good with the black and white pattern!

I decided to recreate this look today using my J.Crew perfect shirt in warm jade. There is a rip in this shirt near the bottom, so I'm really happy the skirt happened to cover it up! Glad I did not throw it out.

Top: J.Crew perfect shirt

Skirt: Anthropologie (cannot remember the name of this skirt to save my life! Anyone remember?)

Tights: Spanx reversible

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Ella Grace Oxfords

Hope everyone had a lovely Monday. I did survive the school trip this weekend--we had a good time. However, I was completely exhausted upon returning--thank GOODNESS we had a 2 hour delay this morning due to some ice. I've never been happier to get those extra 2 hours!

A three-necklace week

2012-02-02T17:23:00.001-05:00

I get really excited about putting outfits together that are colorful and fun, but rarely do I even think about accessorizing said outfits. I know, I know...I'm committing fashionista crime, but jewelry is such an afterthought for me, I'm surprised if I think to include it!

However, this week I wore a necklace with my outfits three days in a row--that's impressive for me!

Now everyone applaud for me...(I can hear the cheers now!)

Tuesday

Sweater: J.Crew Forever cardigan, hydrangea

Tank: Anthro reversible seamless tank

Skirt: Anthro Peppering skirt

Tights: BR

Shoes: Seychelles Password pumps
Necklace: LOFT

Wednesday

new boots! LOVE these:

Tee: J.Crew perfect fit crewneck

Dress: Anthro Noon and Night dress

Tights: Anthro

Boots: Clarks Gallery Etch

Necklace: BR

Thursday

Tee: J.Crew

Skirt: J.Crew double-serge in Nighfall blue

Tights: Nicole Miller

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Kara Rose

Necklace: Forever 21

Now that you're finished cheering, say a prayer for me. Tomorrow I (and 4 other teachers) are taking 65 juniors and seniors on a trip to a state convention for a club we sponsor. An overnight trip. 2.5 hours away from home. So like I said...prayers, pretty please? :)

Banana Republic Review: Polka dot dress and pencil skirt

2012-02-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've never been a huge fan of any store under The Gap umbrella. While I can't eloquently put into words what it is about those stores that I don't like, I do know that the overall aesthetic of the brands don't jive with how I like to look and dress. They lack quirk, color, and unique prints, and all of those things are what I love about J.Crew and Anthro. Clothing from both BR and The Gap also tend to not fit me well, hence why I stopped trying those stores.

Anywho, it goes without saying that the one thing that could pull me into a BR is a good polka dot print. I had seen pics and reviews of the pencil skirt floating around for a while, and I was curious to get a look-see for myself. Thoughts and pics below:

Dot v-neck dress

Wearing: Size 4

LIKE

This was a cute little dress. I tried this on directly after trying on the Dropped Dots dress at Anthro, so it was interesting to compare the two (I do think I liked the Dropped Dots better, though). I tried on a size 4 (my usual in other brands' clothing) and it fit, but was very curve-hugging and va-va-voom--I would not feel comfortable wearing this to school! I definitely need to try a size 6. At the time, the BR dressing room was packed with a line out the door, so I didn't bother trying another size.

Polka dot pencil skirt

Wearing: Size 4

LIKE

I also should have sized up to a 6 in this skirt as well (note to self: you wear a size 6 at BR!!!) It fit and zipped up fine, but again felt a little too curve-hugging as is. If I wanted to wear tights underneath, it would be a tight fit! I loved the look of this, though and it felt great on. However, the dots are embroidered, and I noticed that one in the front (not sure if you can tell from the pic) was already coming unraveled. This would drive me crazy if it started happening with the other dots. I am terrified of snagging my clothing! For this reason, I would only buy this on sale (if it makes it that far!) I'm holding out for the Madewell Polka dot pencil skirt that I saw in the Spring preview--it looks so promising!

What do you think of the polka dot printed items from BR?

J.Crew Review: Jardin skirt in Heart Throb print

2012-01-31T19:34:00.004-05:00

The Pleated Jardin skirt in Heart Throb print was, for some reason, the item I was most excited about with this most recent roll-out. I say "for some reason" because I am normally not a heart print kind of girl. Polka dots are as cutesy as I get. For example, the Heart Me Sweater from earlier this winter? I did NOT like one little bit. It just wasn't for me. So for me to go ga-ga over this particular item was a little odd, but ga-ga did I go, indeed!

I received the skirt tonight and immediately threw it on to take some pics for a review post. Of course, I will be dreaming up outfit ideas that are better than a simple tank, but simplicity may be best for the piece to really shine!

Fit/size: I am wearing my usual size 4 here. It fits just like my purple Jardin skirt from last year...a teensy bit snug in the waist, but not so much that it is uncomfortable or impossible to zip. It flares out at the hips and has a very full silhouette. In my opinion, it is not too full; rather, it helps balance out my midsection and (hopefully) makes it look smaller by comparison!

Color: Okay ladies, the background of the skirt is NAVY!!! I even had my husband look to confirm. This was even clearer when I looked at the skirt under the flourescent lights of my closet and by holding it up to both navy and black items. I think the shirt background looks darker, probably because of the silk fabric, but to me, the skirt is navy. The tank I am wearing with the skirt in the pics is also navy, for your reference.

Fabric: The skirt is cotton and lined with a polyester lining. I saw someone on the JCA thread mention that the lining is "noisy." I can definitely see how someone would think that. It does "rustle" a bit when you move around. To me, it is not a big deal, and I actually appreciate the poly lining a lot more than I did the cotton on cotton lining of the previous Jardin versions. This makes the skirt feel sleeker and will probably also help with the dreaded bunching issue. The waistband has a ribbon lining, but as you can see from the pics is full fabric on the front.

Print: SO ADORABLE I CAN'T EVEN STAND IT! And like I said before...I am not a "hearts" person at all. You cannot tell unless you get up close to it that the print is even made up of hearts. My husband even liked it.

Overall: I adore this skirt. This is a definite keeper for me. I'm thinking it would look so sharp paired with the Herringbone blazer in blue (since it looked so nice with the Heart Throb shirt in my fitting room post!) However, I'm not sure that I think it should be called the Jardin skirt since it is somewhat different from the one last year. The fabric feels different, the lining is different, even the shape is different, with more pleating in the front.

See it on Shopwithm here.

What do you think of this skirt? Love it or leave it?

Anthropologie Fitting Room: Lotsa dresses!

2012-01-30T08:30:00.003-05:00

Tried on ALL dresses at Anthro this weekend...lots of love going on here!

Dropped Dots dress

Wearing: Size 4

Wearing: Size 6

LOVE

I've been sweatin' this sweet little dress ever since I first laid eyes upon it. I don't think I have to tell you what it was that I loved about it! The reviews that this dress is tight in the chest are spot on. I definitely couldn't get the size 4 zipped up (even when I let out all the air in my lungs!) and the size 6, while I did get it zipped, was still a tight squeeze. Still, I loved this dress and, while I need another polka dot dress like a hole in my head, can definitely see adding this to my closet at some point. However, since I couldn't wear this until the weather warms up a bit, it only makes sense to wait on this to go on sale.

Embossed Basket dress

Wearing: Size small

LOVE

I have and adore the Noon and Night dress, which I guess is the sleeveless version of this dress; it's what made me a fan of the Gianni brand. I have wanted the gorgeous cobalt and kelly green colors of this dress for a while but haven't had the chance to try either of them on until this past weekend. Of course I loved this dress. Even though it is rather plain, it does lend itself well to accessorizing and playing with color combos. I will be snagging this, probably in the cobalt, once it hits sale!

Dropwaist mini dress

Wearing: Size small

PASS

OMG--as you can see in the first pic, I was horrified at how short this dress was on me! It looks fantastic on certain bloggers, but on me? Crazy-a$$ short and highly inappropriate. Raising my hands above my head made this dress truly scandalous.

Cloudrose dress

Wearing: Size small

LIKE

The print on this dress is truly gorgeous; it's like little cumulus clouds with wisps of color throughout. Have I ever told you all that I was obsessed with weather and becoming a meteorologist when I was younger? So this print really speaks to me. I loved the material and the cut of the dress, but the deep v-neck makes it a little risky for wearing to school. I would definitely have to wear a cami underneath, taking this down a notch from total LOVE. Can totally see myself buying this on sale, though.

Mina dress

Back detail

(not striking a pose here...just showing the way the sleeves are cut!)

Wearing: Size small

LIKE

This little dress is adorable! I love the print and the bright, cheery colors. I'm sure it goes without saying, but the comfort level of this dress is at nightgown caliber. Seriously feels like wearing jammies. What I don't love is the sheerness of the fabric. Holding it up you can see through the material. It's also a little short for school. However, for the summertime, it's a shape that is unique to my closet and other jersey dresses, and again...can't beat the comfort and colors. Love the little cut-out details in the back, too. Another sale-time buy!

Wearing: Size small

LIKE

These dresses are seriously like magic-dresses, aren't they? I fully expected this to look like a nightmare on me, but it somehow worked and gave me curves I know I don't have! However, this look is so not me. While it is fun, it's a pass for me, but I like the look a lot.

Mod Garden dress

Wearing: Size 4

Wearing: size 2

LOVE

Y'all, please explain to me why I love this dress so much?! I am inexplicably drawn to this dress and wanted to take it home with me so bad. If I was being reasonable, I would say to myself, "Self, the fabric is too shiny, the design is too 70s, and the top is too blousy." But all I hear is, "you love the fabric, you love the design, and you love how it fits!" I tried on two sizes, a 4 and a 2, and didn't notice a whole lot of difference between the two. Dare I say I could even try a size 0 to get the top to fit a bit better? The waist is a very stretchy elastic, so I think it could handle what I got goin' on. Anywho, adore this dress but of course wouldn't pay nearly $200 for it. I'm banking on it going on sale; fingers crossed!

What do you like from the Anthro reviews? Any dresses that you have tried and loved?

J.Crew Fitting Room: Early Spring 2012

2012-01-28T19:17:00.001-05:00

I'm down in Charlotte for the weekend and couldn't wait 5 minutes after getting into town to head down to the mall. It's always funny to me that, out of my two favorite stores, each mall visit the excitement of going to one or the other changes around. This time, I was way more excited to visit J.Crew (from the new roll-out, I'm sure) but last time I was very "meh" about even going to J.Crew and excited instead about Anthro.

Anyway, as I went into the dressing room today, the SA told me, "just so you know, the power in our fitting rooms just went out, so you may need to come outside to see yourself in the mirror." Um...okay? It was PITCH BLACK in the dressing rooms. I had a flashlight on my phone so I could at least see what I was doing, but since my goal was to take lots of fitting room pics for y'all, that wasn't going to cut it. I left, went to Anthro, and came back later when the power was back on. You can thank me later, because the entire post could have ended up with pics like this one:

Lovely, right? :)

I tried on some great stuff from the new rollout. Here are some pics and my thoughts:

Heart Throb perfect shirt

Wearing: Size 2

LIKE

I really do love this print. It is so fun and quirky, and it is the perfect seasonal print to take over where my Tartan perfect shirt left off. However, for me, the print is a little too much on the shirt. I'm not one to get crazy with prints on my upper half; I'm much more of a risk-taker wearing prints on skirts or dresses for some reason. This is why I like the skirt in this same print much better (it may or may not already be on the way to me! Squeeee!) I did like the material of this shirt a lot. It does have some stretch to it, making it really comfy and easy to move around in. The size 2 is one size down from my normal j.crew top size, so unless you want it really blousy, size down.

Schoolboy Blazer in Herringbone

Wearing: Size 4

LOVE!!

I really love blazers, but when I saw this online I didn't even give it a second glance. I didn't like the wrinkly fabric, and none of the colors jumped out to me. However, I ADORED this jacket after seeing it in the store and trying it on! This color is devine, and it actually looked great with the Heart Throb shirt! The lining was silky smooth, and it wasn't too wrinkly at all. I think it has to do with the color. The lighter colors in this same jacket definitely looked more rumpled. This has moved to the top of my wishlist!

Purple Paisley skirt (not online)

Wearing: size 4

LIKE

This skirt was pretty, but it didn't WOW me. I like the purple paisley pattern, but something about it just felt blah to me. I guess I needed more color to spice things up! However, this would be a nice skirt to wear on school spirit days!

No. 2 Pencil skirt in double-serge cotton

Wearing: size 4

LIKE/LOVE

I love this skirt because it's everything j.crew pencil skirts are supposed to be--perfect length, beautiful color, and impeccable fit. However, the cotton versions always show every little crease and that drives me NUTS! I really want this skirt in the casablanca blue color though...they didn't have my size in the store, but it seems as though that color is dark enough to hide some creases.

Crinkle Chiffon skirt

Wearing: Size 4

LIKE/LOVE

Another on the fence piece! While I love the look and color of this skirt, the fit was a bit off for me (I'm thick-waisted, so the waist was tight on me!) and I'm not sure that the quality is worth the price tag. I would definitely bite on this skirt once it hits sale, but FP? Nah. Beautiful skirt though (doesn't it look lovely with my socks? hehe).

No. 2 pencil skirt in gardenshade floral

Wearing: Size 4

LIKE

First, the colors in this skirt, while pretty, are NOT as bright and vibrant as they appear to be on the website. Disappointing! It's a lovely skirt and the fit is great, but it doesn't do anything for me.

Oh the top I was wearing in most of these shots is the Cotton Waffle Pullover in navy, size small. I definitely could have sized down to a xs. It was a very comfy top, but not worth FP!

That's it from my J.Crew visit; I have a ton of stuff to share with you from Anthro and even a couple of things from Banana Republic (the polka dots pulled me in)! Stay tuned...

Lazy colorblocking

2012-01-26T19:28:00.000-05:00

This was such a lazy outfit. I have been having such a hard time waking up in the mornings lately (but don't I always?) Even though it hasn't been super-cold outside, my body knows it's winter and therefore it really, really wants to hibernate (it also really, really wants warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies). Today was no exception, so I threw on the most comfortable option that took little time to think about. Don't you love when the outfits you deem "lazy" actually end up looking decent?

Sweater: J.Crew zip-front merino cardi

Tank: J.Crew favorite tank

Skirt: Anthropologie Water's Edge

Shoes: Birkenstock clogs (ohhh yeahh)

Necklace: Anthro Golden Pinnate (silver version here)

What did y'all see that you liked in the J.Crew roll-out this morning? I am in love (pun intended) with the Jardin skirt in heart throb:

What a FUN skirt! I would totally be That Teacher and wear this on Valentine's Day. Yes I would. Although I don't think the hearts are that obvious--they are kind of understated enough to not be overtly cheesetastic, don't you agree? Don't think I could do the shirt, although I am intrigued about wearing the two together as a "dress."

What caught your eye from the new roll-out?

Over the weekend

2012-01-23T09:44:00.000-05:00

My aim for this weekend was to do as little as possible to recover from my exhausting week, and it was mostly a success. I watched a lot of this show:

Have any of you seen it? It's a total guilty pleasure, but I am so hooked. I had heard a lot of buzz surrounding the show and decided to watch the pilot just to see what it was all about. Once I started, I couldn't stop, and I watched the entire season (what has aired so far at least) over the course of a few days. I love it. The show I want to try out next is this one:

Does anyone watch this? do you recommend it?

On Saturday, my husband and I wanted to look around at furniture stores in our area for some bookshelves. I have a TON of books, and the last two houses we've lived in had built-in bookcases that we obviously had to leave behind. Therefore, my poor books had been sitting in a stack in our loft since we moved in to our new place. I just couldn't disrespect them any longer! We started driving about an hour away to an area with a lot of furniture stores but couldn't find anything decent within our price range. On a whim, we decided to continue driving down the mountain to Charlotte where we visited the Mecca of cheap, cool furniture:

It was husband's first time to an IKEA, my third. I'd warned him about the immensity of it all, that you couldn't just pop in and pop out in an hour's time. He was totally overwhelmed but is now an IKEA fan for sure! We found exactly what we needed, too--it didn't take us long to have the cases up and running. I copied this idea from Pinterest to arrange my books by color:

(source)

and here is my version:

I love how this turned out! It makes me smile every time I look at my books.

What did you do this weekend? Anything interesting?

The Aftermath

2012-01-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

The aftermath of a super-long, exhausting day the day before includes the following:

-Hair slicked back into ponytail (hey, it's getting long enough to pull back!)

-Wearing Birkenstocks

-Wearing a skirt made of sweatshirt material

-Wearing a t-shirt

-No makeup (well, just a little, but less than usual)

-Serious under-eye bags

-Feeling like I was hit by a truck

I did jazz things up a bit by wearing a cardi in an unexpected color. I normally pair this skirt with similar, dark colors or neutrals, but felt like the turquoise would be a nice break from "normal."

Cardi: J.Crew Jacki cardigan

Tee: J.Crew boyfriend tee in plum raisin

Skirt: Anthropologie

This outfit was so seriously comfortable.

Long days ahead...tomorrow night is our parent night/open house and Friday I'm doing a tech presentation for teachers alllll day long. I am so looking forward to this weekend!

Have a great night! :)

It's only Thursday, I mean Tuesday

2012-01-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

Today has been one of the longest, most exhausting days I've had in a while. I think the only time I actually sat all day was during my quick 15 minute lunch!

About a week ago, our tech facilitator asked if I'd be willing to give a presentation at another school; I said sure, just let me know when and where. She threw out a few dates and I told her which ones I preferred, and then I never heard back from her for confirmation. I just kind of forgot about it since she never confirmed a date. Well, turns out today was the day she scheduled, and I was expected to be at the school for their meeting at 3:15. Thank GOD I actually wore something decent! I ended up having to piece together my presentation throughout the day whenever I got a free moment, but it ended up going very well (at least I think so). While I stressed out about all that, my classroom phone was ringing off the hook all day long, a newspaper reporter unexpectedly shows up during 2nd period to observe my class (he's writing an article on the iPads), I had an unscheduled, surprise administrator evaluation, other teachers kept coming into my room to ask questions or "just talk", and oh yeah, there were classes to teach. I am so exhausted I can barely move. Lord help my husband when he comes home and asks what's for dinner. I cannot believe it is only Tuesday...

(apparently I can only wear this skirt with polka dots?)

Top: Land's End Canvas

Skirt: J.Crew double-serge in flame

Tights: ??? Fleece-lined

Shoes: J.Crew Penelope Mary Janes

...and I'm out.

Now I'm a believer

2012-01-13T08:15:00.000-05:00

...in lipstick. This is coming from the girl who, last year, had only a few lip products (not even lipsticks) that were pigmented. I thought the tinted Burt's Bees chapsticks were as far as I would ever go. Call me a changed woman. Now I have quite a few shades, but my absolute favorite is the J.Crew Poppy King. If it ever comes back online, I will buy several to keep in stock--it is THAT awesome!

Without lipstick:

With it:

This is probably without proper application (still perfecting that) but you get the picture.

I so rarely have my purse upstairs with me when I'm taking outfit pictures, but I did today and wanted to show you all my favorite Christmas present:

Hooray! The Spotted Satchel I was pining for! "Husband" did well ;)

Shirt: J.Crew perfect shirt in warm jade

Cardi: J.Crew bling button in pine

Skirt: J.Crew Moss Tweed pencil skirt

Tights: Wal-Mart

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Kara Rose pumps

This was yesterday's outfit and there will be no outfit today--SNOW DAY!!! I'm actually stuck in my house because our new road still doesn't "exist" in most important databases (including USPS) and has not been touched by the salt trucks yet. I will definitely not be tempting fate by driving down the road because it's verrrry steep with NO GUARDRAILS. Awesome right? We're working on that...

Hotdogs, Sunrises, and Tartan fun

2012-01-12T08:09:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I promise I'm still around. I am still blaming my lack of posting, commenting (both on my blog and others) on my lack of decent internet. The connection we have is seriously worse than dial-up...so frustrating! I can't do much of anything save check my email at home (and sometimes that doesn't even work), leaving everything else I need/want to do to my iPhone and my school computer. Sigh...

It's been a while since I've posted an OOTD, so I have a backlog of outfits for ya. Here we go...

On Monday I looked like a hotdog...

Top: J.Crew Bettina cami

Cardi: J.Crew Jackie

Skirt: Anthro Peppered and Striped

Tights: ???

Shoes: Seychelles Her Majesty pump

I wanted to play around with colors to wear with this skirt, and the orange-y red Bettina cami seemed like a good fit. When the outfit came together, I felt like I was wearing ketchup and mustard, but the look was still a success in my book :)

On Tuesday, I caught a beautiful sunrise...

Blazer: Hand-me-down from my grandmother!!!

Dress: Anthro corduroy dress (can't remember name! anyone?)

Tights: Anthro

Boots: Target Kachiri

Seriously, how pretty is that sunrise out there? I love my new house. This outfit is nothing special, except I did get to wear one of my grandmother's "hand-me-downs"--this beautiful wool herringbone blazer! I can't remember the brand, but it was one of her blazers from when she was a schoolteacher. I cherish the clothes I have from her...it is so, so special to be able to wear them! And how cool is it that we are the same size???

On Wednesday I had some fun with Tartan...

Top: J.Crew Tartan perfect shirt

Skirt: Anthro (also can't remember name...sheesh!)

Belt: J.Crew skinny leather belt in cobalt

Boots: Target Kachiri

I wore my Tartan shirt plenty over the holidays, but didn't get photographic evidence to prove it. I'm going to extend my wearing of this shirt until winter is over...it's not just a holiday shirt in my book! This time I wanted to pair it with some colors I had not paired with it before. The neutral sweater skirt ended up being perfect, and the belt was a last-minute decision to pull some of those lines of blue out of the shirt. Kind of an odd pairing, I know, but I really liked the result!

Hope you all are having a great week so far!

Anniversary #7

2012-01-08T13:23:00.000-05:00

Today is my 7th anniversary with my husband--woot woot! 7 years ago today, we were sweating it out to the near 75 degree temps in SC. Yep, in January! Where we live now, it's usually snowing on this date! Last night we went out to a lovely dinner at our favorite spot, the place we've now gone for our anniversary dinner for about 3 years in a row.

Here's what I wore:

Dress: Anthropologie Across the Land dress

Sweater: J.Crew Honeycomb cable sweater

Shoes: Seychelles Code pumps
Also wearing the Poppy for J.Crew lipstick

It was fun coming up with a way to winterize this lovely dress. For some reason I really wanted to wear it last night. The twirl factor is so high...I wish I could wear it more often! I know it needed some accessories, but I was rushed out of the house since we had less than 30 minutes to get ready (our housing project for the day pushed our schedule back a bit!) The outfit turned out just fine without them...it was nice and simple and just what was needed for our nice night out.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

New Year, New Rules

2012-01-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but my husband is kind of neurotic when it comes to our budget. It's a good thing--it keeps us in check financially and helps us plan for the future. We each have a certain amount that we spend each month on our own stuff. This ~~usually~~ always ends up being clothes for me, and I usually end up eating into the next month before it has even started. This year, we are trying something a little different, something that at first, I was skeptical about but I've now warmed up to it (can you tell it was not my idea?)

This year, instead of buying things that we want ourselves, we'll be buying for each other. In other words, we'll each be creating a wish list, and each month, we'll choose items the other's list that equal the total amount we can spend per month--I'll buy something from my husband's list and he'll buy something from mine. This way, we'll get what we want, but it'll be a surprise as to what exactly was chosen from the list.

This is really going to help me keep my spending under control. So many times I'll buy something spur of the moment just because it went on a huge sale or popped back, and this is where I start to get out of control. This will not be an option anymore! Even though I usually catch up by year's end, it doesn't do anything beneficial to our monthly spending.

Here's what we're using to make it work:

This is a snapshot of my Wishpot wishlist. To use it, you download a button (similar to the "pin it" button or Polyvore Clip button) to your web browser. After inputing the information you want, it is automatically added to your wishlist. My favorite part is that you can indicate your priority from "thinking about it," to "I neeeeeed it!" and everything in between. You can then share this list with anyone you want, and they can buy items directly from the link in your list.

What I love about this is that I can put items in my list from ANYWHERE on the internet. This means my husband will not have to guess where to go to find my particular list of items since there are several websites I buy from often, and the direct "buy" link will make online shopping much easier for him. It's also really fun for me to do my "window shopping" to add to my list.

I'm excited about this new endeavor for us, and will probably end up having a monthly "what husband bought" feature. I think it'll be a lot of fun because it'll give us a chance to really think about what the other wants/needs each month. Of course, we're in the trial stages, so we'll see if it lasts the whole year!

What do you think of these new rules? Have you ever tried anything similar?

The second first day of school

2012-01-04T12:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the first day back for students (it was actually supposed to be Tuesday, but we had a snow day!) My school is on a 4x4 schedule, meaning that students have 8 classes a year, with 4 different ones each semester, so yesterday was like the first day of school all over again with new students, new classes, and a new teaching schedule. I think it will be a great semester, albiet challenging. In addition to a junior, basic-level course, I am teaching two senior honors courses, which means a higher course load and more grading for me. Thank goodness for my new teaching best friend Edmodo and my class set of iPads (still loving them!)--there are some really great tools out there to streamline my teaching and help keep me and my students organized!

It's hard to beat wearing a pencil skirt on the first day of school. Something about them tells the world I mean business, but the playful colors from J.Crew tell the world I can be fun, too. I actually started off wearing my perfect pencil skirt in bright plum, but decided at the last minute to switch to the gold color (thanks to a wee bit of pulling across the hips from my weakness for pumpkin things in the fall! Awesome.)

Sweater: Cashmere t-neck sweater from Bloomingdale's

Skirt: J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt

Polka dot tights: Merona

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Kara Rose pumps

I also wanted to share with you my lunchtime eating plan for the semester. I realized recently that my diet has been seriously lacking in the veggie department. It's not that I don't eat a healthy diet--in fact, when I told my husband I wanted to revamp my diet, he laughed and said sarcastically, "Oh yeah, because you eat TERRIBLY!" I eat a lot of fruit, whole grains, and lean proteins, but only the occasional veggie. I do love veggies, but I just find them harder (for me) to store in my fridge without spoiling (i.e forgetting) and figure out ways to include them in our meals. Over the holiday break, my mom shared with me her new favorite lunchtime item, Green Giant steamable veggies. They are seriously low in calories and fat, but have great flavor and are quite filling. These are my two favorite flavors so far:

They are perfect paired with the Minute Ready-to-Serve Multigrain medley. It's a cup of a brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, wheat and rye mix and takes 1 minute to heat up. Delicious! I have been eating this combination with one whole grapefruit for the last few days, and it's kept me surprisingly full. However, I would like to add some protein to the mix...maybe some almonds or yogurt? Any suggestions?

Three days late to the party...

2012-01-03T12:10:00.002-05:00

...but HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!! Hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the start of 2012. We had some friends over for a little fondue party on NYE. We did it up right with three courses of fondue (actually 4 if you count the double cheese course. Oh yes we did.) We ended up extending the eating for about 6 hours throughout the night. If you've ever had fondue before, you know how quickly you can fill up, especially on the bread and cheese part. We would have one course, then take a break and play a few board games, then have another course, then play some more board games. We ended up starting our dessert course around 1 A.M! This marks the first time I have stayed up until midnight for NYE in about 5 years...maybe longer. I am quite proud of myself!

I am still without reliable internet at my house, hence the lack of posts, OOTD pictures, and slow responses to your comments. I'm hoping to get this remedied soon, but I'm not holding my breath. AT&T U-Verse should become available in our area soon. Apparently the infrastructure was put in when they built our neighborhood, but the "switch" hasn't been turned on yet for access. Hmm...

So since I can't give you any real-time outfits or picture updates, here are a few of my favorite outfits from 2011. Included in these outfits are some of my wardrobe workhorses and favorite purchases of this past year. Clearly it was the year of the polka dot, fun, new color combinations, and thinking outside the pencil skirt.

*Sidenote: Looking back through these pics makes me seriously miss my longer hair...<sob>

In no particular order (except the order in which I went back through my archives...)

December

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew Tartan perfect shirt, J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt

(No November favorite outfit! This was the month I was sidelined with back pain and pretty much wore pants and sneakers the entire month...)

October

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt, J.Crew polka dot silk tee

Favorite purchase: J.Crew mary-janes (ebay)

*This might have been my favorite outfit of the year!*

September

Wardrobe Workhorse: Forever 21 pullover, Anthro Golden pinnate necklace, Bandolino Adiva pumps

Favorite purchase: ASOS midi skirt

*2nd runner up for favorite outfit of the year, despite its lack of color!*

August

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew jackie cardigan

Favorite purchase: Anthro Take Action dress

August

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew striped tee

Favorite purchase: J.Crew Jardin skirt

(Looks like I slacked off with outfits in the summertime!)

April

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew Penelope Mary Janes

Favorite purchase: UO polka dot skirt

April

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew Jackie cardi, Seychelles Password pumps

Favorite purchase: J.Crew Cecilia dress

*Wins award for favorite color combination!*

March

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew perfect pencil skirt

Favorite purchase: Joie silk polka dot tee

March

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt, Seychelles Password pump

Favorite purchase: Anthro Precious Particulars blouse

*This wins the award for most holiday appropriate outfit, as I wore this on St. Patty's Day!*

February

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew Haberdashery button-up shirt

Favorite purchase: P&S skirt

February

Wardrobe Workhorse: J.Crew Jackie cardi, J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt

January

Wardrobe Workhorse: Target Kachiri boots, LOFT scarf

Favorite purchase: Anthro Kindred Spirit dress

And here are some other favorite pieces of 2011 that did not make it to the fave outfit list:

Anthro Noon & Night dress, J.Crew Candy tweed pencil skirt, J.Crew paisley pencil skirt, Anthro Esmeralda dress, & Anthro Across the Land dress

I'm sure there are some I'm missing. Any of your favorites make it to the list? Any that didn't?

Again, happy 2012 everyone. Hope it's a great year for all of us! I have high hopes.

What's goin' on?

2011-12-30T16:23:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve Eve! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I spent most of mine down in SC with my family, and we came back up the mountain Wednesday afternoon. It's been so hard to wrap my head around the fact that I start a brand-new semester, with new students and new classes this upcoming Tuesday. It's like the start of the new school year all over again! Enough of that depressing talk...here are some random thoughts and new things that have been floating around in my head these last few days:

1. Huggable Hangers are the $#!%!
This was one of my big gifts this year from my parents. I have been wanting some of these hangers for a long time now, but my husband wasn't too supportive of spending money on them because he didn't believe in their claims. I think now he is singing a different tune, although he's a little nervous because it freed up some serious space in my our closet. Of course I did some before and afters:

Blazer and shirt section before:

Blazer and shirt section after:

Dress section before:

Dress section after (this is not all of them...I ran out of hangers!):

These are not true before and afters because I didn't have enough Huggables for all of my clothes. But the sections that DID get switched are pretty impressive! Now I need to tackle my skirt section, which is the most unorganized and messy thanks to the bulky skirt clips. How many of you have tried Huggable Hangers before? Do the skirt clips that come with the hangers work well?

2. Wen Hair care

This was another present from my parents (well, more from my mom). My mom has been using this stuff for a while now and has noticed a real difference in her hair. When I was visiting them a while back, I tried it out and was impressed. Can't wait to use it for several weeks and see how it changes my hair. Have any of you tried it before?

3. Joint issues, or, how I skipped to my 80th birthday

Over the break I bought two things that solidified my jump from 28 29 (seriously just forgot how old I am) to 80. I bought this dvd, in hopes that yoga can help fix my back issues:

And I bought some of these and have been taking them 3x a day (I hear it takes a few weeks to feel the effects, though):

I'm hoping with both of these things, my back will start to be consistently better. It's much better than it was a month ago, for sure, but I still cannot do many things that I could do before and that's really bothering me. In addition to my back pain, my knee, completely overnight, started popping quite loudly when climbing stairs, getting up from sitting, etc. I mean it sounds like someone is snapping their fingers it's so loud--painful too! Hoping the G&C w/MSM helps with that as well.

4. Poppy King Lipstick is my new fave

I stopped in the Charlotte J.Crew after Christmas to make some returns and was so excited to find the Poppy King for J.Crew lipstick there! I have been wanting to try it for a while now but kept putting it off. I'm glad I bit the bullet because it does look really nice--not too bright, like I was expecting it to be, and a lot more sheer than I expected too. Look for it in future pics!

5. The one time I've actually gotten dressed since Christmas day...

And also the one piece of clothing I got for Christmas (it was a banner year for housing stuff this Christmas!)

Free People tunic, J.Crew perfect-fit tee in spearmint, LOFT necklace, Seven for All Mankind jeans, Indigo by Clarks Water Row boots

I think that's enough random musings for right now. What do you think of the above items? Have you tried any of them? Hope you all are doing well!

Once a week Tartan: #3

2011-12-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

My take on the Tartan Perfect shirt is a little boring this week; so much so that I may attempt to wear this shirt twice in one week! I have a great outfit idea already, but the skirt I want to wear with it is currently at the cleaners until tomorrow. We'll see if I can squeeze it in!

In this outfit:

J.Crew Tartan Perfect shirt

J.Crew Jackie cardigan in pewter

J.Crew Trouser cords in slate gray

Indigo by Clarks Water Row boots

Funny how this fall/winter I have not been wearing my corduroys as much as I have in years past. Usually I am crazy about corduroy and can't wait to snatch up whatever color offering J.Crew rolls out each season. I have hardly worn any cords this season!

What did y'all score in the huge Anthro sale this morning? I could not resist getting the Peppering skirt that I previously bought and reviewed here. For $35 this skirt is a steal!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Top anchored

2011-12-19T08:40:00.002-05:00

I have 3 days left of school this week until I am finally free for Christmas break (4 if I decide to come on the Optional Teacher Workday--haven't decided yet). This week is our "remediation" week where students who failed their EOC exams come back to remediate and retest. If a teacher doesn't have EOCs in a class, like me this semester, only the kids who failed a class will be here this week. What are they going to do? Well, they can't make up work unless they had been absent recently and still have time to make up their work. However, in the case of my failures, they have near-perfect attendance, but just refused to do their work while at school, meaning--no make up work for them! Looks like it'll be a wash of a day AND week as far as teaching goes. Since I already have my grades done, I will be working on getting all of my Common Core modules done and making lesson plans for next semester's classes. For my students who actually show up this week, I'm going to put them to work cleaning my classroom! Hopefully it'll be a productive week :)

Here's today's OOTD:

Top: J.Crew Haberdashery stretch shirt (navy)

Skirt: J.Crew Candy Tweed pencil skirt (custom-made from a dress)

Shoes: Kate Spade Karolina pumps

Today marks the first day I've worn my beloved custom-made Candy Tweed pencil skirt. I've been having trouble deciding what to wear with it, hence the wait in pulling it out. I am NOT a pastels person, so pairing the already light colored skirt with a similar color was not going to cut it for me. I needed something that would "anchor" the whole look. To me, light on light would just wash me out and not make a statement. Last week, I had an epiphany to pair it with navy and I love the way it turned out! The navy acts as my "top anchor" to pull the whole look together. My Kate Spade shoes, aka "the shoes that somehow go with everything" rounded out the look. I may look a little silly for dressing up when we have all of 50 students total at school today, but oh well!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday! :)

PS: I just want to say "Welcome!" to all of my new followers! Thanks for reading :)

Better late than never

2011-12-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

Fact: If you congratulate yourself one day on not being late to school at all this semester, you will most certainly be late the next day. My excuse this morning was the classic "my alarm clock didn't go off" story; I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong (I use the "Nightstand" app on my iPhone--it usually works perfectly!!) I always double and triple check my alarm each night because I'm terrified of exactly this happening. Anyway, I'm actually quite impressed that I got dressed at all since I had exactly 20 minutes to make it out the door fully clothed, with breakfast and coffee in hand. Thank goodness today was jean day, and thank goodness I had already laid out what I was going to wear last night.

Top: J.Crew Blythe blouse in Fiesta purple

Vest: J.Crew Merino vest (from last year)

Jeans: J.Brand Lovestory

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks

Necklace: from my local Farmer's market

How pretty would this outfit have looked with this jacket? I know it's kind of "bright on bright," but I think the bright fiesta purple would look stunning with the turquoise:

Since I don't own this jacket, I decided to make do with splashes of turquoise on my nails and in my necklace. I liked the punches of color. Hopefully one day I can score this gorgeous jacket!

Gotta run! We're hosting a sushi party tonight at our new house. Fun fun! Hope everyone has a lovely Friday evening and wonderful weekend!

Once a week Tartan

2011-12-13T08:50:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I'm going to challenge myself to wear the Perfect shirt in Tartan at least once per week from now until New Year's Day. Not that it will really be a true challenge--I love this shirt and find myself gravitating toward it often during this time of the year. You can see how I wore it last week here.

How appropriate that I'm wearing the Noon & Night dress on the day it went on sale! I have already worn the mess out of this dress, so it was worth full price to me. Did any of you score it this morning in the sale? I would highly recommend it!

Shirt: J.Crew Perfect shirt in Tartan

Dress: Anthro Noon and Night dress

Tights: ??? Target I think

Shoes: Land's End Canvas Clogs

I did end up adding a gold necklace to this look after taking the pictures. The front of the dress needed *something*!

Have a great day everyone, and thanks for reading! :)

PS: Check out Behind the Dressing Room Door's FAB Anthro giftcard giveaway here!

Model teacher

2011-12-12T14:35:00.001-05:00

Most of my students shop at stores like Abercrombie, American Eagle, Aeropostale, and Hollister, so when they ask me where I got something and I reply with "Anthropologie," or "J.Crew" they usually have no idea what I'm talking about (neither do some teachers!) Today, a student in a club I co-sponsor told me, "You look like a model from an Anthropologie catalog." I was floored because, #1, a student actually knew about one of my favorite stores, and #2, what a compliment right? Then she asked me, "have you heard of that store?" I was like, "girl, please." I motioned to my outfit and asked, "where do you think this skirt is from?" While I don't think I look anything like an Anthro model (or any model for that matter) it was a sweet compliment that totally made my day (perhaps week/month/LIFE?)

Here's the outfit that garnered that compliment:

Sweater: Talbots scoopneck cashmere

Skirt: Anthropologie Easy Keeper

Tights: Spanx

Shoes: Seychelles Bergman pumps

I love this skirt and always have fun wearing it. It's another one that I feel drawn to pair with certain colors. Bluish purples seem like a natural fit, but I'd like to experiment with other colors. Plus, this sweater is too bulky to really work with this skirt. I tried tucking it in earlier to show off the waistband and pshhh...that was a mistake!

Hope everyone is having a lovely Monday (if there is such a thing!) We start exams tomorrow and they will drag into next week. We don't get out until the 22nd (technically the 23rd...optional workday!) Is it just me or did holiday breaks use to last at least 2 weeks?! Short or not, I can't wait for a break!!!

Predictable in pants

2011-12-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

This is a lost outfit from last week. I wore it on a day when my back pain was in high gear and I was getting over a cold. My office mate told me, "Well, I know you're feeling bad because you're wearing pants!" How predictable am I? But she was totally right. I did feel pretty crappy. Funny how our outfits reflect our moods, huh?

I was also predictable in the colors I paired with these pants. Navy is a natural choice. Next time I wear these pants, I want to try something a little more daring...ivory, burgundy, even purple, perhaps?

Top: J.Crew tissue t-neck in navy

Blazer: J.Crew navy schoolboy

Necklace: J.Crew

Pants: J.Crew Factory Blackwatch tartan trousers

Shoes: LE Canvas clogs

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Revelations

2011-12-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Well, we got a 2-hour delay this morning; no full snow day. Drat! However, it's for the best because a snow day would have meant Saturday school or extending the semester into our Christmas break. 2-hour delays are wonderful though. There's no rush to get out the door. I feel like I can actually enjoy my morning. Perhaps school districts should look into that as a permanent possibility? :)

My outfit today includes Anthro's Revelations skirt. Despite the abundant colors in this skirt, I always find it so hard to style. I guess it's because I feel like I have to stick within the boundaries of the given colors. You know...either pair it with mustard, purple, turquoise, or gray. I've pretty much worn it the same way every time I've pulled it out, with a few exceptions in footwear and types of tops, but the colors are usually the same. Any advice on how to snazz it up a bit? Or does it even need snazzing?

Top: J.Crew tissue t-neck in honey glaze

Blazer: J.Crew Factory herringbone

Skirt: Anthro Revelations

Tights: Hue

Shoes (hard to see): Indigo by Clarks Tangier

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Precipitation

2011-12-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

Has it been raining nonstop where you live, too? We've had constant rain since Monday, and it's starting to really put a damper on our moods. We are in the home stretch of the semester at school (exams start next week) and everyone is already cranky for many reasons, so the rain isn't making it any better. It's supposed to turn to snow tonight; I could REALLY go for a snow day tomorrow, so long as they don't have us make it up on Saturday!

My outfit today consists of a dress I bought at Old Navy ages ago. It's the most comfortable thing ever, made out of sweatshirt material, so it's perfect for a wet, dreary, gray day!

Shirt: J.Crew tissue t-neck

Dress: Old Navy sweatshirt dress

Tights: Spanx

Shoes: Seychelles Password pumps

Necklace: LOFT

We finally got Hulu Plus working on our TV, so hooray for catching up on shows! Last night I caught up on Glee and New Girl since the new episodes are available tonight. My husband and I caught up on all of our "together" shows too, like Modern Family, The Office, and Parks & Recreation. I think we're going to hold off on getting any kind of TV/cable/satellite service for a while. The only thing we'll really be missing are football games and Ellen (which makes me sad...) Do any of you just subscribe to Hulu+ and nothing else? Let me know what you think of it!

Back to you

2011-12-06T07:52:00.001-05:00

Y'all, I promise I have been trying so hard to get back to blogging. The move is now mostly complete. We still have a few things left at the old house that we're trying to Craigslist, but everything is at the new house--albeit in a messy state! Also, after about a week and a half of having no Internet and no TV, we finally got a service provider (who actually wanted our money, unlike some others) to hook us up with Internet. However, the only Internet speed available for our brand-new section of road is S-L-O-W, and it won't load many different websites...including Blogger and Pinterest. AHHHH!!! It's driving me crazy! I'm trying to figure out what to do, but in the meantime I'm going to have to load my pics on my school computer, which I don't really like doing, but hopefully it'll be temporary. I do have some older outfit pics stored on my home computer...maybe one day you'll get to see them :)

Top: J.Crew perfect shirt in Tartan

Skirt: J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt, ochre (similar here)

Shoes: Clarks

Notice I'm wearing flats? That would be the result of my back flare-up from a while back. I haven't really worn heels in about a month. Thankfully the back is feeling better overall; there are good days and bad days, but I'm still not willing to get back to my old self at the risk of making it go out again. Let me tell you...it's been super-frustrating trying to move into a new house and not be able to really do much! I cannot wait for the day when my back feels normal again. I miss exercising, wearing heels, being able to walk up stairs at a normal pace...you know, all that fun stuff :)

Hope all is well with you, dear readers!

One of these things is not like the other

2011-11-26T12:52:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post! Moving is still in process, but thank goodness we are in no hurry to get out of our old house (unless we find tenants soon!) my back is still hurting, but at least it's gotten no worse. What I need desperately is a professional massage to work out all the ish in there! We did "splurge" on a new mattress yesterday. Ours was super-old and disgusting, so it made sense to get a new one especially with the back pain I've been having.

Anywho, just wanted to show you all one of the things I'm most excited about at the new house. First, let me show you this:

This was my old closet.

And this...

...is my new one!!!!!!!

I am having a lot of fun organizing it. My husband *might* have a little space in it :)

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday! I am sick knowing that the Anthro sale was online too. I thought it was going to be in-stores only, so I wrote it off as impossible. I found out too late that it was online too, (and don't have wifi yet) and missed out on what I really wanted:

The Spotted Satchel

And of course now it's sold out :( I have been wanting it ever since it showed up online. So if any of you bought it during the 50% off sale and are having second thoughts, I'm your girl ;)

Anyway, y'all enjoy the rest of the weekend!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Checking in

2011-11-21T17:49:00.001-05:00

I've been out for a while, and part of that has been due to my back, which is still hurting and has actually gotten worse. I've been to a physical therapist and felt better for a skinny minute, but now am back to hurting. I'm going back again Wednesday, but I think the next step will be to try to get an MRI. Even though the PT said he didn't see any bulging discs, I want to be on the safe side.

Another reason I've been MIA is because of this:

What's that? Oh just the view from my NEW HOUSE!!!!! Yep, we closed today so it's official. Not like last time. This house is brand-spanking new and is everything we wanted and more. See...there's a reason the first house didn't work out!

I'll be back to give more details later. Please send some healing thoughts and/or prayers my way...it's really difficult to stay excited when the pain is so bad :( don't worry...I'm not doing a lick of anything relating to the move. No packing, lifting, nothing.

Hope everyone is doing well and has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

J.Crew Review: Waverly flannel-lined chinos

2011-11-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

Hello and happy Monday, dear readers. I have been taken out, so to speak, with some bad back pain that started this weekend. I basically stayed in one spot all weekend long and tried to stay in my desk chair at school today, but it has not gotten any better. I have no idea what I did to trigger it; the only thing I can think of is a level 2 Shred workout I did on Friday, but I don't remember pulling anything. At any rate, I can hardly move and OOTDs may not be happening much this week since I won't be able to stand in anything but my comfy shoes.

I did, however, receive my Waverly flannel-lined chinos today and was able to pull myself off the recliner to at least take some pics for y'all. I was really excited about these...I have mentioned before how I had the versions from years past but ended up selling them because they were not the right size. Purchasing these was a no-brainer for me. See pics and reviews below:

Fit: I am wearing a size 4*, my usual in pants. I'm not sure about the way they fit. They are looser than I expected them to be, but I don't know if I could size down to a 2. They are baggy around my hips (notice the creasing in the front), which is expected because I have a flass, but they are even loose in the thighs--a place in which my clothes are rarely loose! However, not sure if the looseness could be translated as "relaxed" or if it looks just plain sloppy. What do you think?

Color: This khaki color is the perfect shade. The picture online shows them as lighter than they actually are. I am very happy with the color.

Length: I have short little legs for being almost 5'7" with an inseam of 32". Unrolled, these pants graze the floor and rolled they are right at my ankles.

Material: Oh yeah, these are cozy! Love the flannel on the insides and the outer material is very high-quality. No complaints there.

Overall: The one hesitation is the fit. Maybe I'm being lazy but I really don't feel like reordering these in a size 2 to compare sizes. There's no way I could fit into a size 2 pant, right? Plus the 25% is now over. While I don't regret selling my other pair, I do miss my other flannel-lined chinos of yesteryear, so I would hate to give these up.

*EDIT: Whoa, I must be really out of it (muscle relaxers, anyone?) because I just noticed that these are actually a size 6!!!!!!!! No wonder they are loose on me! I will definitely be re-ordering to get the right size 4.

This is where you all come in...help me see the reality! ~~Should I try a size 2~~, take them back altogether, or keep 'em?

Scentsational

2011-11-11T13:37:00.001-05:00

I have NEVER been one to wear perfume. I remember in high school, I got the Abercrombie & Fitch scent because everyone else seemed to be wearing it. I used up about 1/4 of the bottle (maybe even less) and then it just sat unused until I eventually threw it out. I think I also had those ubiquitous Gap scents, you know...the weird ones like Grass and Dream? (anyone else remember those?) Years later, now in my late 20s, I have suddenly become interested in perfume. I think it's because I've realized that not all perfumes are flowery and sugary sweet. I was never interested in clearing out a room with an overwhelming scent, which is what I thought all perfumes were like.

Then, enter Jennifer Aniston. I love her. Have loved her since her Friends days. When I heard she was coming out with a perfume, I thought, "well I don't like perfume but of course I'll HAVE to try it!" (I'm such a nerd). A few months ago, in one of my Sephora orders, I was able to score one of those decent-sized samples of it, and I really do like it (and not just because it's made by Jennifer! Okay, not ONLY because...) It's what made me change my mind that not all scents have to be overwhelming and smell like flowers:

Jennifer Aniston

Then, during my recent shopping trip to Charlotte last weekend, I stopped into Sephora and sniffed a few other fragrances, just to see what else tickled my fancy. I spent a good bit of time looking at the rollerball section, which is where I found this:

Chloe Rollerball

I sniffed, I liked, I put some on, I left, and then I could.not.stop.sniffing my arm all the way home. I was entranced and had completely fallen under its spell. I could not stop thinking about it!

As soon as I got home I placed an order for it. Now, this being my first real fragrance, I have no idea how to describe it with all the top notes and what-not, all I know is that it smells amazing and I love the way I feel when I wear it. It doesn't smell like a typical perfume to me...it's mysterious and sexy and very feminine. I do still wear the Jennifer Aniston scent as well, and when my sample runs out I'll likely "splurge" on the rollerball for it, too.

Have you tried either of these scents? Are you a fragrance person, and if so, what's your favorite?

What a difference a blazer makes

2011-11-10T08:53:00.000-05:00

I have worn this dress before, but I wore it with a Jackie Cardigan and did not get very many comments about the outfit. Yesterday, due to the cooler weather, I decided to pair this dress with my J.Crew Schoolboy blazer in heather coral and some boots, and I got SO many compliments on this outfit! I guess the blazer and the boots really set the outfit apart from the other time I wore this dress?

Dress: Anthropologie Dynamic Zigs

Blazer: J.Crew Schoolboy

Boots: Indigo by Clarks Proctor

Loving so many of the j.crew new arrivals that came out this morning! I have to be good, so I only got one thing:

Waverly Chinos with flannel lining

A few years ago, I had a couple pairs of the older version of J.Crew's flannel-lined chinos--one navy pair and one khaki pair. One was a size 2 (too small) and one was a size 6 (too big), so I got rid of both of them and wished hard that j.crew would make more in the future. So glad they are back! Flannel-lined chinos are so very cozy and warm. I'm very excited to get these and hope that the Waverly style will work on me!

I was tempted by many other items, including the Liquid Dot skirt and the Fair Isle sweater leggings but will be a good little girl and hold off. What do you have your eye on?

***

Have a great day! Do any of you have a holiday tomorrow? I do--and I need it very badly!

J.Crew fitting room: fall 2011 pt 2

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Cropped city sweater

Wearing: size MLOVE
I have no idea why I loved this sweater so much, but I did. It may have something to do with the fact that capes/ponchos are huge this season, and this sweater is slightly poncho-like. Plus the color is lovely. Plus it was just so schmooshy. And it actually looks good belted on me, unlike every other thing in this world. And there was a 20% off sweaters promo going on (+ my educator's discount). Even though this is a size larger than my usual small, it still worked, imo. This came home with me.
*Dream dolman sweater

Wearing: size smallLIKE
I liked this sweater a whole lot more before I learned it was Dream fabric. Blech. However, I thought the horizontal ribbing looked so unique. This is such a great, slouchy sweater that I could see wearing a lot. If only that darn dream fabric weren't so icky!

Boy shirt in blue vintage camp flannel

Wearing: size 2LIKE/LOVE
I tried this on in this post but this is a size down from what I tried on. Sizing down did help with the shape, but I will still wait on a sale for this shirt. I do really, really like it. It's the colors!

Thermal henley in stripe

Wearing: size small

LOVE

I tried on the thermal henley in blue stripe in this post, but I wanted to show you all the in-store only fiesta purple color. If this wasn't such a casual shirt that looks like long underwear, I would totally buy this color for school spirit days. I will definitely be biting on this once it goes on sale.

Chainlink cable sweater in stripe

Wearing: Size smallPASS
The first pic, with its awkward stance, was to show you all how oddly shaped this sweater is. Can you tell how it poofs out around the waist? So weird and so unflattering! This sweater is 100% wool and you can tell. I couldn't wait to get this thing off--it was SO itchy. Plus the material was pretty scratchy. Definite pass for me. Liked the colors, though.

Unknown wool tank dress

Wearing: Size 4PASS
This looked so much cuter hanging up. On me, notsomuch. It made me look busty and top-heavy. It really just did nothing for my figure. It'll be cute on others, though. The fabric is nice...pattern is a checkered plaid wool (if I'm remembering correctly).

Blythe blouse in fiesta purple

Wearing: Size 2LOVELOVELOVELOVE
Yeah, I know I've already posted about this top. So what if I tried it on again? And so what if I went ahead and bought it? The SA said it was flying off the shelves in this color.........

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Anthro fitting room: other stuff

2011-11-06T13:35:00.001-05:00

Check out my post on Anthro dresses here. Here's the other stuff I tried on during my fitting room session:

***

Petaluma maxi skirt

Wearing: size small

LOVE

I only have one maxi skirt and I looooove it. It is perfect for those days when I want to be comfortable but don't want to wear pants and definitely don't want to wear a shorter skirt because my legs are hairy :) However, that particular skirt is too thin for wintertime--enter this skirt! This sweater skirt is amazing and feels like I'm wearing a blanket around my legs. The color is a deep purple/gray color that I can see going with a lot. The wide waistband makes for a slimming look, too. I ended up buying this!

Sailor stripe wide-legs

Wearing: small

LOVE

These pants were great, but the one thing I wished for was that they were a leeeeetle bit longer. I mean, c'mon...can a girl get a few extra inches, please? ;-) Other than the length issue, I loved, loved these pants. I've had them in my wishlist for weeks now because I really want some lounge pants that are fancier than Hanes sweatpants. These fit the bill perfectly. You can probably size down in these. My usual size small was a little loose, plus they will probably stretch out a bit. These are so much fun and really comfy, but I just don't think $78 is a reasonable price to pay for such simple pants. Will wait on sale for these!

Can't remember name of this (sold out online)

Wearing: size 4

LIKE

I know this was a very popular top for many weeks, but this was the first time I ever tried it on. I love gingham shirts, and I'm loving this green color. It is a very vibrant green. Fit was great in my usual 4. It was cute but not worth the $59.99 on sale.

Brushed lace pullover

Wearing: size small

LIKE

I don't know why this shirt was in the lounge section because I cannot see wearing this shirt anywhere but out as part of an outfit. It's gorgeous! The pale pink color was surprisingly flattering on my skin tone (I usually shy away from pastels!) However, the material felt cheap and the shoulders fit oddly on me. I would buy this on sale but not for full price.

***

That's it for my Anthro reviews! Anything catch your eye in this batch?

Anthro fitting room: fall 2011 dresses

2011-11-05T19:34:00.000-04:00

I went to Anthro today to return a TON of stuff that had accumulated over the past few months. And by a TON I mean 4 things, haha. Hey, those 4 items really added up! One of those items was the Fluted Ponte dress. Based on my gut feeling and some of your comments in this post, I realized it wasn't the most ideal dress for my shape. Today in the store, I tried on a bunch of dresses. Here are some pics and thoughts of what I tried on:

I don't see this exact dress online, but it is close to the Embossed Basketweave dress:

Wearing: size smallLIKE

This is by the same company that made the Noon and Night dress (which I have and love), and it has the exact same textured material as that dress. I really liked the colorblock look going on here, but not sure that black and white is my fave combination. Weird, right? since it is a pretty classic combination. I would love to see this dress in a more colorful combination. The v-neck was very flattering and I loved the sleeves on this dress. Pass for now but I did like this dress a lot.

Dulcie dress

Wearing: size smallPASS
I felt like an adult ballerina-wannabe in this dress. It did me no favors, hitting me at a really odd spot on my waist. The bottom was a little too poofy and tutu-esque for me and was slightly too short for me. I can see this being a lovely dress for a holiday party (and actually 2 women in the store bought this dress while I was there for just that purpose! hopefully not for the same party ;) but for me and my lifestyle...no thanks!

Flared and Cabled sweater dress

Wearing: size smallLIKE/LOVE
This sweaterdress is so lovely! I was so excited to see that my store carried it, although I wish they had the other colors available. I would have no need for this color since I own the Noon and Night dress in a similar color and style. I think the cut of this dress is very flattering. It hit me at a great spot on my waist and the bottom of the skirt flares ever so slightly to create a narrow waist. The length is also wonderful. Hooray for a decent sweaterdress length!!! That is so rare. I should have sized down in this, however, which is why I'm on the like/love fence. It was loose around my chest. The fitting room attendant didn't come back to ask me about sizes, so I just didn't bother. I think that an xs would have been perfect.

Alary shirtdress

Wearing: size 4LIKE
Here are some things I LOVED about this little dress: the fit (perfection), the corduroy material (so soft) and the length (right at my knees). This would be the perfect dress for me if it weren't for the print. I don't know what it is about this...I love nature and natural prints, but the print just is a little too much for my tastes. Plus, does it bother anyone else that some of the critters are upside-down??? Pass for me, unfortunately. I loved the Southward Stop shirtdress which is this same dress in a different print, but have not been able to track it down yet :(
*Back Porch dress

Wearing: size xsPASS
These next two reviews could also be titled "red sale dresses that fit me like a sack." Blerg. I can see why the Back Porch dress went to sale so quickly. What an oddly shaped dress! This is a size down from what I normally wear, so it runs very large. It is an extremely thin fabric for being released in the cooler months, although it does come with a thin little slip (that, incidentally, you can see the outline of through the dress!) You may not be able to tell, but the back of this dress made me look like I had a slab of back fat coming out--not flattering at all! Needless to say, I left this one in the store and would not even purchase it on super-sale! *Anaheim shirtdressWearing: size 4PASS
Well, I didn't even bother to button the last two buttons if that gives you any indication of how I felt in this dress. Another blerg. This might have looked better with a belt, but I didn't try that. I did not feel as though this dress was very flattering on me at all!
***What do you think of these dresses? Any that caught your eye, too?

Crewlet fitting room: Blackwatch Tartan trousers

2011-11-05T09:15:00.002-04:00

I went out to my local Crewlet for some retail therapy Friday night. I was hoping that I'd come across the Blackwatch Tartan trouser pants and was happy to actually find them! I am normally not driven to pants, but for some reason I love these and thought they would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe.

I am wearing a size 4 and they fit perfectly. Looks like the length is perfect, too--in the first pic, I stood up on my tippy toes to get an idea for what they would look like with heels. These pants are adorable and so festive and perfect for winter. They will look awesome with navy (of course) or even ivory.

Check them out on Shopwithm here.

***

And just for fun, here's a pic of the most adorable polka dot flannel pj pants ever: Wearing a size small here. I've never tried J.Crew or the Crewlet's version of flannel pants, but I've heard rave reviews. I realized yesterday that I'm still holding onto pj pants from HIGH SCHOOL--um, time to replenish, don't you think? :)
I ended up purchasing both of these, but who knows...I may change my mind (especially if something else catches my fancy during my shopping trip today!)
Stay tuned...I should have some more J.Crew fitting room reviews AND some Anthro reviews up for y'all later this weekend!

J.Crew fitting room: fall 2011 tops

2011-11-04T17:59:00.000-04:00

Even though I am not much of a separate tops kind of girl (I gravitate towards dresses and skirts, then find myself low on tops to go with them!) I ended up trying on nothing BUT tops at my visit to J.Crew yesterday. Here are some pics/reviews:

Vintage Thermal henley in stripe

Wearing: size smallLOVE
I was so surprised that this thermal tee was getting so much love out in bloggy land, but now I get it. This is a really comfortable tee and oh-so soft and plush for a tee. I can see this being a great layering piece to keep warm in the winter. I loved the purple color but didn't see it until after I had tried this on. However, I passed because $48 for a tee is way pricey. This I will wait on for sale time.

Colorblock minimalist sweater

Wearing: Size small
PASS
Um, this might be the least flattering sweater I have ever worn in my life! Blech...just blech. The colors are lovely and the material is nice, but the shape is all wrong on me. The mock t-neck look is clearly not my look. It also made me appear lumpy, and surprisingly enough, I have never desired that look :)

Crochet Lace-front tee

Wearing: Size smallLIKE
This is a cute little tee. I only chose this color to try on because I couldn't find any of the other colors. I am not really a pink person, but this is pretty. The fit is okay...it was a little tight in my arms, but fit fine everywhere else, so this is tts. The lace was pretty but looked a little cheap. Knit material is verrrry thin, and it'll show every lump and bump in the back especially. This was the tee that started the body hate yesterday :)

Jester sweater

Wearing: size smallLIKE
I have been wanting to try this sweater on for a while now and almost even bought it during the 25% off promotion. I am glad that I did not buy this, however, because it is way too thin for my liking. You can't tell from the pics, but you could totally see the outline of my (nude) bra underneath. No thanks! I also didn't like the 3/4 sleeves. If I'm wearing this in winter, I need full arm protection! While I love the colors, this is not worth fp for me. Pass for now.

Boy shirt in vintage blue camp flannel

Wearing: Size 4LIKE/LOVE
LOVE the colors in this. The blue is very vibrant! Others have commented on the very lumberjack-esque feel of the material, and I really didn't mind it at all. Yes, it is nubby and somewhat masculine, but I actually loved that about this shirt. I am a tomboy at heart, after all! The thing that put this shirt on the fence for me was the fit. I am wearing my usual 4 here and it just didn't look right. It looks weird across the chest to me; maybe sizing down would help?

Blythe blouse in fiesta purple

Wearing: size 2LOVE
I already knew I loved the Blythe blouse after trying it on before, and I am loving these new colors recently rolled out! This fiesta purple color is TO DIE FOR. The pics are not capturing its true color, but it is one of the most vibrant shades I've ever seen. Perfect for school spirit days, no? Left this at the store, but would love to own this one day!

Colorblock stripe long sleeve tee

Wearing: size XSLIKE
I was so excited to see this tee hanging up! The colors are so much fun and it looked like a great alternate striped-tee option. I sized down to a xs because it looked roomy. I probably could've stayed with the small because the xs was a little clingy. I was disappointed at how thin this tee was though. Another tee that showed every lump! I would only buy this if it were on super, super sale!
That's it! What of this batch of tops have you tried or liked?

One of those days

2011-11-03T18:58:00.002-04:00

I'm back from my day off and trek down the mountain for my doctor's appointment. I had an earlier morning appointment, which left me the rest of my day to meander around town, go to j.crew and the clearance center, and get my hair cut.

DUM DUM DUM.....

Yeeeeeeah...not thrilled with my haircut.

And it's one of those awkward situations where, in the chair with the glowing salon lights and the fresh blowout and everyone walking by saying, "girl, you look fab!" I thought that I looked fab. Hence why I didn't say anything at the salon. Then I got home and started messing around with it, and let's just say it's definitely not what I wanted. It's waaaay shorter than I wanted (I can hardly pull it back into pigtails, much less a ponytail) and the shape is all wrong on me. I'm really disappointed because it wasn't a cheap haircut, and it was supposed to be one of the top places in town. I live 2 hours away so it's not like I can just stop in for a quick fix tomorrow after work. What should I do?????? I am almost in tears thinking about it.

In addition to the bad haircut, I'm having a "fat day" where I feel like a tub o' lard. The dreaded weigh-in at the doctor's office made me wince (and I couldn't even blame it on heavy shoes). When I was trying on clothes in the jcrew fitting room today (I'll post pics of what I tried on later), I got so disgusted with my body. I know everyone has had those days, right? As soon as I came home, I popped in the Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred DVD--it's back on, baby.

On the plus side, I did score some really cute items at the j.crew clearance center, and surprisingly enough, neither of them are clothing items:

The gloves are made of the softest, most buttery leather I have EVER touched in my life. I just want to sit and touch them all the live-long day. The color is a gorgeous lavender..seriously beautiful. And they are cashmere lined. I think they were samples. They don't have a j.crew label but instead have a "Sermoneta Gloves" label on the inside. They were only $25 - my 15% teacher discount! The earmuffs are adorable and lined with sherpa--they were $10!

So that was my day...how was your Thursday? :) Do you have any advice on the haircut situation?

Anthro Review: Fluted Ponte dress

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Anthro's Fluted Ponte dress caught my eye as soon as I saw it because of the gorgeous gold color and retro styling. When Anthro unveiled their recent free shipping promo, it was all the push I needed to order this dress to see how it would work out on me. Check out the pics and I'll give you my thoughts below:

(with heels)

(with flats)

Material: this material is AWESOME. It is a ponte knit and is quite thick but extremely soft and luxe-feeling. You can tell this is a very high-quality fabric. It feels as though this will be a great fall/winter weight. Huge plus--this dress is machine washable!

Fit: I am wearing an xs, which is a size down from my usual small. Follow suit, ladies; this dress runs large. I read in reviews that the top was too loose and smaller-busted ladies would be sized out. I am a C-cup and I felt like it fit well up top; however, I am noting that the shape of the top portion makes me look a little more top-heavy than I'd like. The hemline is a little short on me. Not sure how I feel about that. I need to try this on with tights to see the full effect since I'd likely be wearing this with them. It also felt a little tight at my waist but, ahem, that is probably from my eating habits and lack of exercise and not from the dress itself.

Color: Beautiful, beautiful gold! I know some have said it washed them out, and even though it probably does the same to me, I love it. The only disappointment was that the belt is a dark brown, not black.

Overall: Still on the fence about keeping this, especially at full price. I do think this is one of those few dresses that, on me at least, looks better with flats over heels. I would like to see what it looks like with tights, too. Another disappointment is that this dress does NOT have pockets, despite the online description and what some reviewers have said. Weird, right? Wonder if they made two batches?

What do you think of the Fluted Ponte dress? Keep it or take back?

Hair cut ideas!

2011-11-02T15:04:00.000-04:00

I am getting my hair cut tomorrow! I realized yesterday that it had been 6 whole months since I'd last gotten it cut. 6MONTHS!!!!!!! That is just criminal, I tell ya. Please don't cringe too much. My hair has gotten so long--this is the longest I've had it in years. I have very fine hair, but I have a ton of it. The mass of hair in the back of my head especially makes it impossible to dry in a timely manner. I need the bulk taken out! There's just too much hair!

Since I have the day off tomorrow for a doctor's appt (in Asheville) I figured it was as good a day as any to book a hair appointment as well. I am actually trying a new place that has gotten rave reviews (any of you WNC gals heard of Wink Salon?) Here are some inspiration photos for what I'm thinking of doing to my hair:

While I don't want to go SHORT short, I do want to take some length off. I am also really wanting to keep my side-swept bangs--I've never tried that look with a shorter bob, and I think it'll look really fun!

What do you think? Any ideas or advice?

Post-Emma Blues

2011-11-01T19:19:00.000-04:00

When I woke up today, I was sad that I couldn't flaunt my fun red hair from my Emma costume (aren't wigs fun?) Seriously...I missed my wig. And I especially missed it because I woke up with gross hair that I had to slick back into a high bun. I also missed my OCD tee and a good excuse to wear germ-protecting gloves all day (flu and strep are becoming prevalent around school already!) To beat the post-Emma blues, I wore the second choice for my Emma outfit:

The smile was fake. Today was a long, exhausting day.

Cardi: J.Crew Jackie in Nightfall Blue

Top: Anthro Precious Particulars blouse

Skirt: J.Crew double serge pencil skirt in Nightfall Blue

Shoes: Seychelles Password pumps

Sweater clip (hard to see): Etsy

I'm wrapping up my long, exhausting day by eating my favorite chili and watching my favorite Tuesday night shows--Glee and New Girl. Hope you all have a great night!

Emma Pillsbury wishes you a Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:24:00.003-04:00

As promised, here is me in all my Emma Pillsbury glory...

The inspiration:

The recreation:

The hilarity and hijinks at school:

How great is this?! One of my colleagues dressed up as Sue Sylvester. She's gotten quite a kick at having a megaphone to use in class all day :)

Hope everyone has a great Halloween!

Halloween Preview...

2011-10-30T18:41:00.004-04:00

Did a trial-run tonight...

Stay tuned for the full look tomorrow!

Winter White

2011-10-28T08:15:00.002-04:00

From yesterday to today, we've experienced an over 20 degree drop just.like.that. Snow is in our forecast for tonight, and tomorrow the temps are not supposed to break 42. Winter is a stubborn little b#$%^, isn't she, trying to ruin our fall?

I was actually somewhat excited the weather got colder today because I really wanted to wear my new Flair skirt in plaid with my new Honeycomb sweater. This outfit might be a bit overkill in warmth levels (especially since I get overheated in my classroom) but oh well. I think it turned out to look so cute. However, in my rush this morning, I grabbed my ivory cable thigh-highs instead of my ivory cable tights and didn't have time to do more searching. I am going to be tugging them up all day long!

(ugh. need a haircut.)

Sweater: J.Crew Honeycomb cable

Skirt: J.Crew Flair in plaid

Thigh-highs: ??? Target I think

Boots: Aerosoles

Hope everyone has a great Friday and lovely weekend! We have friends coming into town this weekend to stay with us and go to the football game on Saturday. Send me warm thoughts! :)

Dress me for Halloween!

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Our principal has encouraged us to dress up for Halloween this year. I've never been one to get all dressed up in a crazy costume, so I was thinking that it would be perfect if I came dressed as Emma Pillsbury this year! I mean, it's not really that far off from what I normally wear...

So here's where I need your help--what exactly should I wear? Which outfit would be the most Emma Pillsbury-ish?

Emma Pillsbury Halloween Look by musingsonmtn featuring j crew cardigan

Which one do you like better? Or is there a better outfit option out there that I haven't thought of? I came up with these two outfits because Emma actually wore particular items on Glee, and I actually own them!

Of course, I will be wearing plastic gloves, and I think I will also carry around a bottle of Germ-X and a toothbrush to clean things with. I've also gotten a sweater clip from Etsy to go with the whole ensemble. What other props should I carry with me to help with the look?

Ragamuffin hair

2011-10-25T08:59:00.000-04:00

This week we are having some slightly warmer weather, so I'm using this as an opportunity to wear some warmer-weather clothing items for the last time this season. It's supposed to get chillier as the week goes on. I'm ready for the cold weather to make up its mind and stick around, although not so much ready for the snow that will inevitably come with it. I had such a hard time with winter the last couple of years that I am very ready for a mild winter to come. Unfortunately, according to weather folklore, we'll have a heavy-ish winter. Folks around here keep track of several random old wives' tales to predict the weather. One is checking the wooly worms in the area. Apparently the thickness and number of black stripes on the worm will predict the severity of the winter (and they are looking mostly black right now!) My personal favorite is the bean man; he puts a bean in a jar for every fog in August. Each fog (and subsequent bean) equals a snow "event," and the severity of the fog indicates the severity of the particular snow event. Last year, the number of beans equaled the number of snow events pretty accurately. How crazy is that? Have you heard any other weather folklore to predict the winters?

Just so you know, today I am having one of those bad hair days. You know when you wake up late, still having yesterday's hair (I went curly yesterday) and you don't have time to take a shower or straighten it or anything, so you just have to throw it up in a great big mess of a ponytail? Yeah, that's what's going on here. I'm not proud.

Shirt: J.Crew Factory end-on-end camp shirt

Skirt: J.Crew Paisley pencil skirt (Summer '11)

Shoes: Seychelles Bergman pumps

Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

No red

2011-10-24T15:36:00.000-04:00

Today we were supposed to wear red for my school's Drug-Free week. Can you believe I don't own a single red thing that is fall/winter appropriate? and I only have two red items for spring/summer (both dresses). I've never been a red person. It just doesn't work with my coloring, imo. I wore the closest thing I had to red--light berry!

Dress: Anthro Noon and Night

Cardi: J.Crew Forever cardigan in light berry

Shoes: Bandolino Adiva pumps

Necklace: Anthro Golden Pinnate (it now comes in silver--ooh!!)
Belt: Anthro Snakebite

Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend! We kept it casual this weekend, going to a home football game (homecoming!) and catching up on TV shows. Did any of you bite on the 25% off promo at J.Crew? I ended up getting this:

and this:

All classics, all staples that were missing from my closet. I don't need another midi skirt or another plaid shirt (but I would need them both if they come down in price further :) The skirt and the belt are on backorder, so it'll be a while before I get to try them on. At least the sweater is on its way to me...I already have plans for it!

Oh, and looky what I got!

iPhone baby! Where have you been all my life?

J.Crew fall promo--advice please!

2011-10-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad blogger! Only one outfit post this week? Pshaw...my apologies y'all. Let's chalk it up to the fact that the weather has been pitiful; we even got some snow this morning! Couple that with wind advisories, and you'll understand why only one outfit was blog-worthy this week!

So who else was super-excited to see the j.crew promo this morning? I haven't bought much from j.crew lately, besides my two new pencil skirts, but of course I am tempted with this deal. Here's what I have my eye on...

Liquid silk skirt in byzantine blue

I loved the liquid silk skirt when I tried it on a while back. Since I am loving the midi skirt "trend" right now (although I hope it's not really a trend and sticks around for a while) this one would fit right into my wardrobe. The color is gorgeous and looks like a really pretty, deep cobalt. Has anyone tried this one on IRL who can comment on the color?

Boy shirt in blue flannel

Gosh, I love a good flannel shirt. I have been drooling over some men's flannel shirts at my local outdoor store in town and jealous that they don't have similar styles for women. I adore the colors in this shirt and it looks so cozy! The only thing I'm worried about is the sizing...seems like this one runs a little large. Can anyone confirm this?

Jester Sweater

Loving the orange colors this season, and I always love a good argyle print! This would look awesome with the vibrant flame pencil skirt, no? Again, not sure about sizing.

Fisherman sweater in ivory

OR...

Honeycomb Cable sweater

I actually do not own an ivory sweater--crazy, right? I love the rustic-chicness of these. Hoping they don't pill too badly with the acrylic content--any thoughts on this? Is there one of the two that you prefer?

Double-serge pencil skirt in heather acorn

Here is another closet "staple" that I don't have--a camel-colored pencil skirt. I know this one would be a winner!

Have you tried any of the above items? What advice can you give me on fit, sizing, quality, etc? What items do YOU have your eye on for this promo?

PS: Tomorrow a dream of mine is coming true: I am FINALLY GETTING MY iPhone!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for my upgrade time to get here for so long, and it's finally here! It should be here by tomorrow afternoon. So long, crappy Samsung phone! So long, having to carry two devices around at all times (phone and iPod touch)! So long, having to find a wifi hotspot to check email, get directions, or look something up on the road--I am so excited!!! :) :) :)

Sky blue, grass green

2011-10-18T08:53:00.000-04:00

I'm back with an OOTD for ya! After an extended absence from school (I left Tuesday afternoon and came back Friday night) it's nice to be in "real" clothes again. I took nice jeans to wear for the conference, but I missed my skirts and dresses! This beauty was a nice surprise, coming about 3 months early from its backordered date. I'll take that! The combination of the skirt and this top came kind of randomly as I was trying to figure out what to wear. It's kind of like I'm wearing the sky on top and the grass on the bottom--my way of trying to squeeze in the last bit of summer in these early fall days!

Top: J.Crew suckered gingham perfect shirt

Skirt: J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt in veridian green

Shoes: Bandolino Adiva

So guess who came through my little ole mountain town yesterday? President Obama! He was driving from one speaking engagement to another and my town was the in-between. Unfortunately I was at school when the motorcade drove through, but I saw pics on Facebook that at one point he stopped literally about a block away from my house! He stopped at our local General Store and got candy out of the "candy barrel" (I'm hoping it was some of my personal faves...Bit-O-Honey and Mary Janes!) No matter your political affiliation, you gotta admit that's pretty cool! I just wish I'd gotten to see it!

Hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday!

J.Crew Review: blouson dress in Polka Dot

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

The blouson dress in polka dot was another item I tried on during my very very quick trip to J.Crew yesterday. I was so excited to see this in-store. It was the one item from my new arrivals picks that was there! Hooray for polka dots!

I am wearing a size 4.

Love, love, loved this dress. I know it doesn't look like much in the pics, but it was really flattering on. I was actually surprised that I liked it as much as I did because I am not a spaghetti straps fan. For some reason, these didn't bother me. I also love the shape of the dress. It is comfortable and hides my tummy! I would have to wear this with a cardi but of course it would look lovely with one.

This did not come home with me because I am counting on it going on sale. I also could not wear it right now since our weather has gotten considerably cooler, so paying $168 (I'm pretty sure it was $138 in-store though! Huh?!) for something I wouldn't be able to wear until next spring doesn't really make sense.

What do you think of this dress? Love or pass?

J.Crew Review: Flair Skirt in plaid

2011-10-13T17:27:00.001-04:00

During an extended break at my conference, I went with a colleague to the nearby mall. Thankfully there was a jcrew there! While they didn't have many of the new arrivals I wanted to see (well, none except the polka dot blouson dress, which I loved and will review later) I did catch the Flair skirt in plaid on sale! I was so close to ordering this skirt for FP before! It was marked down to $89 - 30% - 15% (teacher disc) making it like $57!! (still FP online, btw) Amazing. Here are some pics:

Please ignore my shoes and exhausted, disheveled appearance! I had been sitting in meetings all day! :)

Love, love, love this skirt. It is going to be perfect with tights and dark brown boots! For reference, I am wearing a size 4 here.

What do you think of the Flair skirt in plaid?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

J.Crew: New Arrival Picks!

2011-10-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

I'm currently sitting in a tech seminar and during one of our breaks, I noticed that j.crew had some new arrivals show up on the website this morning! What a bad/good distraction for me! :) Here are some of my favorites:

Ahh...some good ole classics. Polka dots, argyle, tweed! Love this time of year!

(links to come later...gotta get back to work!)

What are some of your faves?

PS: My double-serge pencil skirt in veridian green shipped early and is on its way to me! It was supposed to ship in JANUARY!!! So excited...gotta start dreaming up outfits!

Apple picking!

2011-10-10T09:56:00.001-04:00

This weekend, my husband and I went apple picking at a nearby orchard. It was actually my first time ever going apple picking (at least that I remember) and we had so much fun.

I am still without a camera, but I managed to sneak in some pics on hubby's iPhone:

As you can see, the fall colors are settling in up here! It's beyond gorgeous. I think our peak will happen next weekend.

I am at school for only 2 days this week, then I am heading down to Chapel Hill for a technology institute for a few days. I am really looking forward to it, but I hate being away from my classroom for that long. Last time I spent an extended time away from school (when I had the flu last year) I came back to complete and utter chaos that I had to clean up. Fingers crossed this time will not be as bad!

Have a great week, everyone!

When you don't have a camera...

2011-10-06T17:17:00.002-04:00

My husband is borrowing the camera this week for work, so I have been unable to take any outfit pics (which is a shame, because there have been some good ones!) This makes a good time to answer some questions from a tag. Jenni from Found in my Closet tagged me to answer this fun little favorites questionnaire:

1. Favorite color?

Can I have several? :) I love earthy greens, blues, oranges, yellows, and browns. I am an earth tones kind of gal :)

2. Favorite animal?
Hmm I don't know that I have one. While I am not NOT an animal person, I have a hard time picking out a favorite. I've always loved deer, though. They are so quiet and can be both solitary and group-oriented. They remind me of myself :)

3. Favorite number?

When I played volleyball I was always #10, so I will go with that one.

4. Favorite alcoholic/non-alcoholic drink?

Well, I don't drink a lot but I do love pumpkin ales and red wine. Non-alcoholic choices would be water and coffee. it's just about all I drink on a daily basis. To me, there's nothing better than an ice-cold glass of water! For a treat every now and then I'll have an Izze soda (grapefruit and clementine are my fave flavors!)

5. Facebook or Twitter?
I signed up for a Twitter account about a year ago and I still have no idea what to use it for. I check my Facebook all the time though, and I actually have two accounts: one for personal and one just for my students.

6. Your Passions?

Reading. Reading reading reading. I am passionate both about reading books myself and trying to instill a love for reading in my students. My dream job is to be a literacy/reading coach for a school!

I am also passionate about health, eating, good food and pumpkins :)

7. Your wishlist for this month?

See Polyvore below:

October Wishlist by musingsonmtn featuring a knee length pencil skirt

From J.Crew: I love the Flair skirt in plaid and the Double-serge pencil skirt in veridian green. I actually have the latter on backorder, which is cool because I can't afford to go ahead and buy it now but if I waited, it would probably sell out. I am also drooling over the new Double-serge Hacking jacket. How gorgeous is the turquoise color? I would wear the crap out of it! :) I also love the cobalt color of the skinny leather belt. I can see getting a lot of use out of it, even though it is a bright color.

From Anthro: I really need a good pair of lounge pants that don't look quite as sloppy as my sweats. A pair that I can throw on when I get home but if someone were to come to the door I wouldn't feel embarrassed! I think the wide-leg sailor pants are perfect! The polka dot purse is just one of the cutest things EVER. And um...those boots? Freakin' adorable. I need them in my life.

8. Favorite pattern?
I am obsessed with polka dots right now but always love a good plaid or gingham (can you tell from my Polyvore above?)

9. Favorite day of the week?

Tuesdays and Saturdays. Tuesdays because it is Glee night and my husband has "beer club" at the local pizza joint, meaning I get to eat brinner and watch Glee in peace! (he hates the show). Saturdays are an obvious choice! I am so excited about this Saturday in particular...we are going apple picking!!!

10. Favorite flowers?

I used to LOVE sunflowers when I was growing up, but that obsession has cooled off a little bit. I'm not really a flower person now (I prefer gardening veggies) but love all the random flowers that grow in the wild. I like to see the rainbow of colors and different varieties seen in wildflowers.

I am tagging...
Modern Mom from I Dream of Anthropologie
Rynetta from J.Crewismyfavestore
Molly from My Closet Travels (who is also having a jcrew giveaway!)

"It's such a vivrant thing"

2011-10-04T08:53:00.001-04:00

It came! It came! God bless the UPS!

I couldn't wait to wear this skirt. I've been dreaming up this outfit and color combo ever since I saw how cute the polka dotted top looked with the double-serge pencil skirts. I knew, even though I didn't try on the exact combo, that the vibrant flame would look fantastic with it. I was right, riiiiight???

Top: J.Crew Silk Polka-dot tee

Skirt: J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt in vibrant flame

Shoes: J.Crew Mary Janes (ebay find)

I had the rap song lyrics "It's such a vibrant thing" (by A Tribe Called Quest) going through my head as I was typing this post thanks to the color name of this skirt. As I went online to see who originally did the song, I learned that the lyrics were "vivrant," NOT "vibrant." Well, I don't know if that changes the meaning at all, but I do declare that this outfit is a "vibrant thing," don't you think?

Boots are Back!

2011-10-03T16:46:00.000-04:00

Anyone else get a cold snap this weekend? I heard in many parts of the country, perfect fall temps were to be had by many. My little corner of the world? Yeah, we didn't get the memo about fall because apparently WINTER wanted in on the party. Yep, we got a little bit of snow this weekend. Not much, and not enough to stick, but we definitely got some (the higher elevations got a little to stick!) Even though today wasn't as cold as this weekend, I still broke out my boots. I like dressing for colder weather way more than I like dressing for warmer temps, so I say bring it.

Tee: J.Crew perfect fit in spearmint

Dress: Anthro Refined cord shirtdress

Necklace: Anthro Golden Pinnate

Belt: American Eagle

Boots: Indigo by Clarks Proctor

So my J.Crew double-serge pencil skirt in vibrant flame is on the UPS truck for delivery today. I have been waiting for this skirt to get here for MONTHS since it's been on backorder, so I was so happy to see the status of "on vehicle for delivery" today. But what do I find as I'm pulling onto my street? "Road Closed" signs from some kind of road repair! Of course I was able to get to my house okay, but will the UPS man be thwarted?? I will be so sad! I was planning just the cutest little outfit for tomorrow with it... :(

I've got spirit, yes I do!

2011-09-30T10:44:00.000-04:00

Last time we had a school colors day, I was passive-aggressively "chastised" by two different people (one of which was my principal!) because I wasn't 1) wearing jeans and 2) showing my school spirit. Never mind that I WAS wearing purple (one of our school colors), but I guess not wearing a tee shirt equals no school spirit(?) If anything, I would say I had MORE school spirit because I actually put thought into making our school colors look nice in an outfit! Sigh...so anyway, today is Spirit Day of our Homecoming week, and I wore a t-shirt. However, I rebelled by at least not wearing jeans. My Jardin skirt is perfect for spirit days. It pretty much matches the color of the tee exactly! So far, no issues, but the day is young :)

Blazer: J.Crew Factory herringbone jacket

Tee: School spirit!!!! :)

Skirt: J.Crew Jardin

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Ridgefield pumps

Even my nails are purple! This is Essie in Carry On (a deep eggplant shade)

Happy, happy Friday!!!!

Update: The Candy Tweed dress/skirt

2011-09-29T17:37:00.000-04:00

Remember the idea I had a while back about making my too-small Candy Tweed dress into a skirt? I decided to try it out and took the dress to my tailor soon after I posted about it. She said would do what she could, and I told her to take her time on it since I obviously wouldn't be able to wear it for a while.

Well, I picked it up today and I am SO PLEASED with how it turned out! Ladies, take a look at my custom-made J.Crew Candy Tweed pencil skirt:

For reference, here is what it started out as:

And here is the finished product:

Yayayayay! I love it! My tailor did such a great job on this! When I picked it up, she said (in her thick accent) "Ooh, I had a time with this one!"

What do you think?

I'm so wacky!

2011-09-28T17:34:00.002-04:00

It's Spirit Week at my school, and today was "Wacky Day." Now, when I was a high school student, I went ALL OUT for Spirit Week. I was that girl. As a teacher, I participate every now and then, but this week I have just been too exhausted to put all I have into dressing crazily. So today, whenever people asked me where my wacky costume was, I told them, "c'mon, this is totally wacky for me!" It's kind of true...the print is a little louder than what I usually wear, and I rarely wear pink. There you go. I'm SO wacky, right? Ha. :)

'Scuse the messy end-of-a-long-school-day hair!

(not sure what happened in the top left there!)

Cardi: J.Crew Forever cardigan in light berry

Dress: Anthropologie Walkaways

Shoes: Missoni for Target pumps

A note on these shoes...this was the only purchase I made when the Missoni line launched at Target. They were really the only thing I was interested in...I've never been too impressed with the quality of clothing in Target collabs (although I hear this one is much better). These shoes are really cute for the price. The quality is Target quality for sure. These shoes are NOT that comfortable; I was hobbling by the end of the day, but they are really cute. Next time I wear them I will definitely need to add my high-heel inserts!

Emotions

2011-09-26T08:41:00.001-04:00

Whew, what a whirlwind weekend filled with a range of emotions. I got a call from my mother Wednesday night telling me my 86 y/o grandfather had been taken to the hospital after having a heart attack. He is no stranger to heart issues, but it has been 22 years since his last attack and bypass surgery (which is quite amazing in itself). From his bypasses, three are now totally blocked and two were 75% and 80% blocked. The report I got that night and Thursday morning was somewhat bleak given his age and all the factors surrounding his most recent attack. I went down to SC Thursday evening so I could be there for his stent procedure (and was bad teacher with my sub plans...all I could think to do was leave a movie!) On Friday morning, he had two stents place in the partially blocked arteries, and PRAISE THE LORD he got through the procedure like a champ. My grandparents are both very active; they play golf regularly and are on the road traveling in their Airstream almost more than they are at home. Thankfully the doctor told us that he could get back to his activities--with reserve, of course--within a few weeks. God is so good; many, many prayers were answered this weekend. I was just not ready to give up my papa!

So all of that plus the fact that I got back home last night laaaate means this girl is struggling on this rainy, dreary Monday morning. I will, however, leave you with a pic of something I picked up at Target this weekend:

Oh my goodness, it's a PUMPKIN PIGGY BANK! This was a no-brainer purchase for me, especially since I have needed a place to put loose change on my dresser for a while now. Plus it was only $10.

Hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things soon...hope everyone has a fabulous Monday :)

Discombobulation

2011-09-21T18:02:00.000-04:00

The last few days have been quite crazy. Lots of new things added to my plate (including two online grad-level courses that I am required to take...no I am not in grad school anymore!) that are making it really hard to concentrate on teaching. Overall morale is low, low, low at school right now. Really hope that the roller coaster ride that is teaching starts going UP soon!

The colors in my outfit reflect the mood of the weather right now. We've had some cooler, rainy days lately. It's making it really hard to want to get out of bed each day! Most days the only way I get out of bed is by promising myself a nap when I get home from school. I never follow through on that promise for what it's worth, but it does help me get out of bed :)

Dress: Anthro Kindred Spirit

Cardi: J.Crew Jackie

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Soup wedge

Necklace: F21

Okay ladies. I want to talk about lipstick. I'm a grown-@$$ woman and do not know how to properly apply lipstick. I feel like it makes me look like a clown, but since I am in my late 20s would really like to start applying makeup like I know how to do it. Can you tell in the above pictures that I'm trying it out? Here's what I need to know from you experts: first, how do you choose a color? do you try to make it match your clothes, or do you just choose one and run with it? Second, how should I apply it? Straight from the tube, or with one of those lipstick brushes? Do I need lipliner? and if so, do I have to get a different lipliner for each shade of lipstick, or is there one that will work for ALL colors? HELP A SISTER OUT. I am clueless and don't want to look like I'm a 5 year old who went through her mother's make-up stash.

PS: "Discombobulation" is one of my favorite words. It's so fun to say. Go ahead, say it.......fun right?

Old, cheap, and colorful

2011-09-15T09:50:00.001-04:00

No, I'm not describing myself :)

My outfit today consists of items that are old (for my closet, anyway), were very inexpensive at the time of purchase, and colorful.

Skirt: Bought at UO for $4.99 about 7 years ago. $4.99!!!!!
Cardi: eBay purchase, so newer to me but has had time in someone else's closet. I think I paid $15 for it?
Top: I got at LOFT for like $10 during one of their sales years ago. It actually has ruffles down the front beside the buttons but the pics didn't really pick up on that...

Cardi: J.Crew Jackie (ebay)

Top: LOFT button-down

Skirt: UO

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks Soybean wedge

Wish me luck y'all...I have an observation by my principal today during one of my classes. Unfortunately, even though I've been teaching 7 years now, when I moved states I "started over" in the NC system as a beginning teacher, so I still have to be observed 4x a year. No matter how long I've been teaching, it always makes me nervous to be evaluated. Fingers crossed everything will go as planned and my students will be perfect angels :)

Stuck in a rut

2011-09-14T17:31:00.000-04:00

You know when you first come up with an outfit idea and it just works so well that you can't imagine wearing any other combination of it? That is the case with my beloved J.Crew Cecelia dress in modern red. It just looks so perfect with mint/ turquoise that it's hard for me to NOT wear this combination every single time! Last time I wore this outfit, I wore my favorite Seychelles Password pumps in teal; this time, I knew my Anthro Band over Band heels would be perfect. Gotta wear these as much as possible before the weather gets too cold! Good gracious, I LOVE these shoes. They are sooo pretty and fairly comfortable for 4+" heels!

Cardi: J.Crew Jackie cardi in bright seaside

Dress: J.Crew Cecilia

Shoes: Anthro Band over Band

Not much else to say for today...except I am highly looking forward to washing my hair with my new shampoo and conditioner tonight. Is that sad? I've been waiting to get my hands on this stuff for weeks!

Review: Out of Print tees

2011-09-13T16:58:00.002-04:00

I have been obsessed with reading ever since I can remember. Before I actually knew how to read, I would read to my stuffed animals, read to myself in nonsense words, and when I was old enough to actually READ the words on the page, I would devour any kind of print I could find. I got onto a classics kick in middle school, reading Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice for the first time. The only time I remember getting in trouble in school was when I was caught with a novel on my lap under my desk during math class--oops! It seems natural, then, that I am an English teacher and that I have my master's degree in Reading Education.

Naturally, I was so excited to learn about Out of Print, a company that sells tees featuring classic book covers. Go to their tee list, and I'm sure even those of you who do not consider yourselves "avid readers" will recognize a cover or a title you read in high school!

Out of Print sent me a shirt to review, so I chose To Kill a Mockingbird because I'll be teaching it soon with my English 3 classes. How ~~nerdy~~ cool would it be if I showed up wearing this on the day we started reading the book? Here are my thoughts on this tee:

The tag/label is so unique and fun!

For each tee bought, one book is donated to Books for Africa.

Fit: According to the OOP website, their women's tees run a size small, so I ordered a medium, which fits perfectly. If you decide to purchase a tee, order one size up.

Material: 100% cotton and oh-so-soft. This will be the kind of tee that gets better with age. The cotton is pretty thin so it would end up being a good layering piece.

Design: This particular design was done in collaboration with an award-winning designer, Mikey Burton. I like the design a lot--it is really unique and the colors are a lot of fun. I love the turquoise background. However, I would have LOVED to see a tee done in the original book cover too.

Overall: I am hooked! I will definitely be buying more; I have my eye on Walden and The Great Gatsby (both of which I teach as well!) I'd love to buy this one for my brother. I do have one request, OOP...please, please make a Huck Finn tee! That is hands-down my favorite classic American novel (and one of the most beloved of all-time!) I know it would be a hot seller!

And check this out...they are currently collaborating with...wait for it...J.CREW!!!! A match made in heaven for me! Right now they just have tees in the Crewcuts line, but I have my fingers crossed that a collab with the men's and women's collections will be in the near future!

A huge "thank you" goes out to OOP for sending me this lovely tee. I am hoping that one day they will be willing to do a giveaway for my readers! Wouldn't that be fab?

What do you think of Out of Print tees? Which tee is your favorite out of their collection? Is there a book you wish had a tee? Share in the comments below!

I'm not really here

2011-09-13T09:18:00.000-04:00

Exciting news on the teaching front--I was one of five teachers at my school picked to get a class set of iPad2s for the remainder of the school year!!! I am so, so excited about getting them and trying them out with my students. I have a TON of ideas that I can't wait to integrate into my lesson plans!

Because I was picked, today I have an all-day workshop on 1-to-1 training (for you non-educators that means one computer/personal device per student to use at school). Our district is really hoping to go 1-to-1 in the next few years, so having these iPads will make me a guinea pig. I'm technically "here" at school but not here--we'll be in the library all day participating in this workshop.

My first thought was to wear jeans today, but honestly, I didn't think that would be all too comfortable since I'd be sitting all day. Jeans tend to dig into my skin after a certain amount of time. Instead I went with my fave maxi skirt (actually, my ONLY maxi skirt!) and paired it with my Jaspe hoodie since the library is always freezing.

('scuse the wet hair!)

Jacket: J.Crew Jaspe hoodie

Tee: J.Crew painter tee

Skirt: Anthro Maxi

Shoes: Chacos

Thanks to all of you sending "get better" vibes after my bizarre back injury yesterday. It is still very, VERY sore, but it has at least stopped spazzing out. It's actually a good thing I'm not teaching today and get to sit down for the majority of my day...standing up to teach all day yesterday was NOT doing my back any favors! Have a great day!

I should just go home

2011-09-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

Whew, what a morning already!

I got to school at my usual time this morning, then realized that I had early morning duty and was supposed to be in my spot 10 minutes ago. Oops! So I dropped of my stuff and went as fast as I could to my post so I wouldn't get "in trouble." So I'm standing there, in my high, high heels, drinking my coffee, and all of a sudden I feel a violent push from behind right at my lower back. Of course I lose my balance and coffee goes everywhere, and as I turn around, I see one of our Exceptional Children behind me giggling. I guess she thought it would be funny to push me...maybe she thought I was someone else? I didn't yell at her--she had an obvious mental handicap and I wasn't sure if it would frighten her--so I told her in a stern voice, "You don't push people," as she ran away.

After she left, my back started going into spasm. I already have bad lower back issues, and the slightest thing will set it off. Of course a violent shove right on the small of my back would do it. I left my post early and went upstairs to my room to stretch out, and two Aleeves later, it's feeling only slightly better. I'm very, very sore, and I can't really stand or sit upright. I knew my heels would do my back no favors for the rest of the day, so I ran to CVS during my planning period to see if they had any of those Dr. Scholl's Fast Flats. They did, but in my painful rush, I of course grabbed the wrong size, so I'm stuck in these 4 in. heels all day!

Then, as I was taking roll for 2nd period, a bug crawled out of my roll book. What in the world? Should I take it as a sign that I should just go home today?

Top: J.Crew factory end-on-end camp shirt

Skirt: J.Crew Ink dot pencil skirt

Shoes: Anthro Band over Band heels

Hope everyone else is having a better Monday than me :)

It's a different world

2011-09-09T15:33:00.000-04:00

I saw these images of high school students from 1969 on Tiny Dancer's blog today (originally photographed by Arthur Shatz for LIFE magazine) and was amazed. I wish high school students still dressed like this today! Look at the care students put into their appearance back then! These days, I see more sweatpants and hoochie skirts than I'd like! (Well, technically those hoochie skirts do show an amount of care into appearance, but you know...not the positive kind of care!)

I would love to see this country return to a state of conscious dressing, where no matter our age, gender, social class, or station in life, we all put thought into how we look. Enjoy the pics!

Aren't those outfits fabulous?

(and thanks, Tiny Dancer, for sharing!)

Noon and Night

2011-09-09T08:33:00.000-04:00

Many of you guessed after my recent Anthro fitting room post that I purchased the Noon and Night dress. Well, you all were correct! I loved this dress so much when I tried it on that I just couldn't leave it in the store. It also seemed to be selling pretty quickly in that particular store; there were only 2 left after I purchased mine. I can see why, too--the color is absolutely perfect for fall, and the material is perfect for cooler weather.

Speaking of cooler weather, we've had temps in the high 60s all this week (looove it!) so it was the perfect (how many times can I say that in one post?) time to go ahead and wear this dress. This might be the fastest I've ever worn a brand-new item...I usually like to let my new items stew in my closet for a little while so I can think up some outfits. Am I the only one who does this?

Dress: Anthropologie Noon and Night dress

Blazer: J.Crew Navy schoolboy (CC find)

Belt: American Eagle

Shoes: Indigo by Clarks

Necklace: Anthro Golden Pinnate (have worn this every day this week!)

Ah...so happy it's Friday. Even though it's been a short work week, it's been a long one in terms of work load. The only thing hubby and I have on the agenda for this weekend is the football home opener for our alma mater. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, so I am really looking forward to it! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!