inner kindergarten teacher

I think inside every teacher there is some nostalgia for those first and second grade teachers, the ones who wore sweaters with teddy bears on the first day and turkeys for Thanksgiving and snowmen in the winter.

Today was the closest teaching day to Halloween, and since I am not quite brave enough to wear a sweater with pumpkins on it, I compromised with a pumpkin-colored sweater.

None of my students noticed, sadly. I fed them Halloween candy anyway.

Hooray for tights and boots weather! I love this time of year. Look how pretty the rest of my backyard is.
Off to NYC tomorrow to visit my sister! Happy Halloween everyone!

Sweater: TJMaxx
White blouse: TJMaxx
Skirt: Merona, thrifted on Cape Cod
Belt: TJMaxx
Boots: GNW via Fred Meyer's
Tights: street market in Russia
Earrings: street vendor in St. Petersburg
Necklace: gift from my friends in Russia

Hmm. I am noticing two distinct themes in the sources for today's outfit.

Addicted to the boots

My dad's visiting for the week, so we went out to explore the Maine coastline this morning, and when I got back from class tonight he got to play photographer. He was pretty amused by the whole process.

I cannot get enough of these boots. I wore them today as well as yesterday (should have taken a picture, as the outfit was quite cute - oh well). I kind of like the slightly cowgirl vibe of the boots with a full skirt.

You can't see the tights very well in these pictures, but these are my new burgundy super heavy sweater tights which were so warm I ended up ditching the scarf and swapping the boots for my librarian-sexy heels before class started. These babies are going to hold up well to a New England winter!

Sweater: kersh essentials via Costco
Tank top: 3-pack at Costco
Skirt: Banana Republic, ages ago
Belt: thrifted (Goodwill)
Tights: Hue via TJMaxx
Boots: Madden Girl via DSW
Scarf: gift from my mom
Earrings: hand-me-down from my mom
Watch: Target

other new boots!

This past weekend, my sister and aunt and I all got new rain boots. I got the exact same pair as my sister, because, well, just look at them:

They make me smile.

For a rainy day of farmer's marketing and then cooking and studying, I wanted to try mixing them with this awesome plaid shirt I found on that same trip to TJMaxx last weekend.

I'm happy with the color scheme but not the proportions. I think I need something more fitted on bottom to balance out this voluminous top (slim pants, maybe?).

I love the colors of this plaid, especially the hints of yellow with the gray (a color combo frequently praised by E. of academichic).
And now, time for piles of homework. Happy weekend everyone! (C., we miss you!)

Plaid shirt: TJMaxx

Cardigan: kersh essentials via Costco

Denim skirt: Levi's via Sears

Gray leggings: Target
Rain boots: TJMaxx

New boots!

I built a whole outfit around my new boots yesterday. I adore my new boots. They make me feel cool.

This is also the first time I've worn spandex bottoms in public since I quit ice skating. I understand that I am way late to this particular party, but dang, leggings are really comfortable.

Do I look undergrad-y? Yup. Do I care? Nope! I was so cozy and comfy and still felt so posh and adorable all day - in class, curled up in a chair at the library, at the swing lesson...I want to wear leggings and boots and a dress forever.

In contrast, today's teaching outfit was kind of blah. I wanted to showcase this pretty scarf my mom bought me last weekend at the Wellfleet Oyster Festival, by using it as the color against some neutrals, but it's muted purples and grays itself, so it didn't really pop, even though it's sparkly.

I do like the scarf, though, and I am also really happy with these earrings I found at the same festival.

And anyway I am still high from the gloriousness of THE BOOTS. Wheee!

Yesterday:
Dress: Old Navy
Long black sweater: kersh essentials via Costco
White tank: ancient
Leggings: TJMaxx
Boots: Madden Girl via DSW
Scarf: gifted, from H&M
Watch: Target
Bracelet: gift from my sister
Earrings: Target

Today:
Skirt: The Limited, via someplace (Burlington?)
Blue cardigan: kersh essentials via Costco
White blouse: TJMaxx
Brown flats: Payless
Scarf: street vendor in Cape Cod
Earrings: street vendor in Cape Cod
Bracelet: street vendor in Hong Kong

double trouble

Today, I accompanied one of my friends to try on wedding dresses at the nearest large bridal shop - which happens to be the one where C. works! We had a great time helping our friend and eating a delicious lunch, then strolling around by the river before I headed back to campus to teach my evening class.

I tried some tone-on-tone orange layering for a sunny fall day, and C. kept it simple and classy with this beautiful scarf.

Across the street from the bridal shop is a DSW (I swear I did not know this when I volunteered for the trip!) and I picked up some great fall boots as well as these awesomely high heels.

They are so librarian sexy I can barely stand it. And thanks to the wide heel and padding, they are surprisingly comfortable. Shoe happiness!

Thanks for the great afternoon, C.! You make everything way more fun.


On B.:
Button-down shirt: The Limited via TJMaxx
Orange t-shirt: Forever 21
Belt: thrifted at Goodwill
Skirt: Levi's via Sears
Tights: CK via TJMaxx
Shoes: Ciao Bella via DSW
Earrings: street vendor in St. Petersburg
Watch: Target
Bracelet: gift from my sister

On C.:
Black shirt:
Jeans:
Awesome green scarf:
Boots:

more sad tales and hard-drive woes

I'm not quite sure why I thought my computer life would be back to normal by now, because it's not like I'm new to the world of computer problems. I guess I've just been spoiled for the past two years with good luck.

After a number of calls over the past week to Apple tech-support, they made me an appointment at the Genius Bar tomorrow. Tech-support guy thinks I'll need a new hard drive. I am starting to think he's right.

Hopefully tomorrow they will fix my computer and all will be right with the world. My pictures (sigh!), all my resumes and cover letters (ache!), and of course, all my papers and drafts of papers (sob!) will hopefully all be recovered, and I'll be free to post and frolick and tra-la-la all the livelong day. What I think is more likely is that I'll have to pay for a new hard drive, then pay to send out my old one to some place that recovers files from bad hard drives, then cry myself to sleep about how I could have just backed everything up in the first place, but now I have to pay extra money for all the things I just really don't want to lose.

Ah, complainy complainy.

But really? I think I need some perspective: I am not dead. None of my dear family members are terminally ill. I will earn gas money today when I work. The sun is shining. Yesterday it snowed and my brother and I thought it looked like a great time to put up our Christmas tree, so we did.

...I feel much better (especially thinking about the tree)! Ahh.

wedding!

For the past four days I haven't been blogging because I've been with my family on Cape Cod, celebrating a very special occasion - my mom's wedding! Yesterday afternoon my sister officiated and I played photographer in a very small, quiet ceremony at my aunt's home. So, as a special treat, I present one of my style icons: my sister C!

To make my summer-wedding dress more fall appropriate, I stole yet another trick from academichic and tied the sash around the outside of my cozy purple cardigan. My sister autumn-ized her summer dress with a mustard cardigan and pumps, and we both chose gold jewelry.

At the wedding, my mom gave me and my sister each a picture of my grandparents on their wedding day - when my grandfather was on leave from the Navy in WWII. My mom's new husband scanned the photo and spent hours restoring it in Photoshop. It's a memento that I will cherish for a very long time.

Congratulations Mom! We wish you and your honey every happiness.

On me:

Dress: small boutique in Cape Cod

Sweater: kersch essentials via Costco

Shoes: TJMaxx

Earrings: JCPenny's

On my sister:

Dress: Calvin Klein via Burlington Coat Factory

Sweater: H&M

Necklaces: street vendor in Brooklyn and inherited from our grandmother

Shoes: Betsy Johnson via Burlington Coat Factory

Brr.

It is getting pretty chilly around here. Time to haul all the sweaters and tights down from the attic! But I've got a big test later today so instead I will be cramming for that.

This morning I came across this lovely post from Sal of Already Pretty. In it she talks about some questions you might want to ask yourself when you feel the urge to acquire new things. She talks about some of the many reasons, both healthy and unhealthy, that people are driven to shop.

I know that I spend a lot of time looking at fashion blogs. Very frequently I see a look I think I could pull off (jeans over boots, for example) if I only owned skinny jeans/a flowered skirt/a wider belt/whatever, which makes me want to go out and buy that thing. But I think reading fashion blogs serves me better when it inspires me to look at what I already own with new eyes.

So, on this very chilly, very rainy day, I am happy to say that nothing I am wearing was acquired in the last six months, and I think only the jeans and the boots were acquired in the last year. Maybe it's nothing exciting, but I feel comfortable, confident, and best of all - warm!

Black sweater: Max Studio, hand-me-down from aunt

Burgundy button-down: Old Navy, ancient

Jeans: Banana Republic Outlet

Boots: GNW via Fred Meyer's

Scarf: gift from mom

Earrings: thrifted on Cape Cod

computer's busted

Are you there blogosphere? It's me, C.

Sorry about the absence on Friday...by computer is broken! No pictures for me until it gets fixed.

I can tell you, though, that what I wore was not really newsworthy. I bought a new sweatshirt and wore it for two days because I love it so much (it's red, from Old Navy, and says "Joyful" on the sleeve). Everyone thinks it's a Christmas sweatshirt, but it's not, it's just one in a series of word-sweaters that happens to be in a Christmas color, and just happens to be a Christmas-type word.

...Maybe it is a Christmas sweatshirt.

I'm not sure when my computer will be back in commish, but I'll borrow other people's computers to update you on my life sans photos.

Hope the weekend is going great for everyone!

Road trip!

Plan for today: drive to the other side of the state to hang out with my good friend S. Have dinner with her and several of her girlfriends. Mission: be casual but still put-together, on a sunny, windy fall day.

Did I mention windy?

Happy long weekend, everyone!

White sweater: Old Navy

Gray tank: 3-pack at Costco

Purple tank: ancient

Skirt: Banana Republic

Boots: Payless

Socks: TJMaxx

Necklace: street vendor in Washington

Bracelet: street vendor in Hong Kong

Earrings: hand-me-down from mom

Vestiness, take 2

So after Tuesday's vest experiment, I decided to break out the other vest I bought this summer - a pretty purple cable-knit, much more in my comfort zone!

With my new favorite soft corduroy skirt, and the lovely laciness of this blouse, I felt warm, cozy, professional , and a little bit romantic.

Today was just cold enough to break out my absolute favorite fall coat.

Every tiem I put it on I hear: bum dum da dum dummmm CARMEN SAN DIEGO!

White blouse: American Eagle

Purple vest: via TJMaxx

Belt: thrifted at Goodwill

Gray cord skirt: j.crew outlet

Brown boots: Payless

Bead bracelet: gift from my sister

Earrings: hand-me-down from mom

Necklace: gifted

Red coat: Old Navy

WCC wrap-up (again)

OK, I know I already did this post, but look at this cute little graphic C. made for me:

There are so many of me! I am amused.

Thanks C.!

bright shoes on a dreary day

There's so much I love about this outfit. Number one, though, is the jumper. For Old Navy, it's surprisingly well-made and fully lined. I used to have another one, exactly the same cut, but red/green/blue plaid. Unfortunately, the size was slightly off and I had to give it away. Ah well. I still have this one (and in truth, this one is the cuter of the two).

I sometimes wear it with a turtleneck, but that always ends up with me looking like a kindergartener. I do it anyway, but I think the dress with the white button-up looks much more adult.

Also, can we please talk about these tights? I feel like a Can-Can dancer! I'm not sure how much they do for my legs or the outfit, but you know what? I don't care. They are awesome and I love them.

So, even though it's raining today (oh wait, the sun JUST came out. phooey. I already took my pics) I think I'm brightening up the world with my cuteness.


Here's a detail on the ruffles:



The shoes are ever-so-slightly deeper than this pic. They aren't as candy-apple as the picture below suggests.
White ruffled shirt: Old Navy
Gray pinstripe jumper: Old Navy
Charcoal striped tights: Lane Bryant
Red mary janes: Miss Bisou via J.C.Penney
Red headband: Claire's

Vestiness.

This vest was another $5 TJMaxx find. I saw it on the clearance rack and thought, hey, this is that silly little vest all the teenyboppers are wearing. Then I tried it on. And...it was really cute. And flattering. So I brought it home.

But then, every time I tried to wear it, I got horrible 80's flashbacks and/or felt like I was posing as a teenager. Neither are good feelings, and I usually shoved it back into the closet. So today was a bit of a challenge to myself, to make this vest feel like me. Mixing it with my new favorite gray/purple/mustard scheme helped. :)

What do you think? How else do you lovely ladies out there style vests?

Sorry for the terrible picture quality - in real life this sweater is a very pretty fuschia color! See?

And the necklace is a very pretty green, like so:

Vest: TJMaxx
Sweater: Banana Republic outlet

Gray skirt: j.crew outlet

Flats: Target

Earrings and necklace: gifted

Watch: Target

four day recap

So, I was not a winner in this challenge. Friday I just totally crapped out. It was too cold for the items I had left to work with (the yellow cardi was warmish, but Friday I needed long sleeves, and I'd already worn the brown shirt twice), and I had to meet with an HR woman at David's Bridal, which meant wearing dressier items than those I had chosen here, and excuses excuses, I failed.

But I am pretty happy about the fact that I was able to pull off even four days of this challenge! And a challenge it certainly was! Next time I'll be able to better choose what would work and what wouldn't for five days.

Congrats to everyone else who finished and took part!

WCC: B.'s wrap-up

Here are my five outfits from ten pieces last week:

Ha, I sure do love that looking-down pose. I think I did a pretty good job of changing it up every day. None of these outfits scream "repeat" to me. I did rely awfully heavily on that white blouse though.

Things I learned from this challenge:

1. It is certainly relaxing to have my outfits planned out for the week. I spent a lot less time panicking in the mornings. But...

2. I missed the freedom to swap things out at the last minute or to add jewelry. That part is, well, really fun.

3. Red shoes go with all kinds of things!

4. I own waaaaaay more clothing than I need. I can get by on a lot less. Which I think is ultimately the moral of this particular challenge.

Which outfit is your favorite?

Apple Harvest Day

OK, I lied. WCC wrap-up will be later.

Despite the drizzly rain, E. and I checked out Apple Harvest Day, where we bought: apple cider doughnuts (my favorite), apple crisp with real whipped cream, and a bag of apples for $1. Yay for supporting local business!

I love me a cider doughnut.

Ha, the apple matches my sweater.

I found this bright cozy tunic at TJMaxx last year for $5, and am always trying to figure out how best to style it. Today I tried it with jeans and a brown belt. I've worn it in the winter with black dress pants and a long sleeved black t shirt too. Anyone have any suggestions?

Red tunic: Loverocks via TJMaxx
Gray tank 1: GAP
Gray tank 2: three-pack at Costoc
Belt: GAP, ages ago
Jeans: Banana Republic
Watch: Target
Earrings: Target
Apple: street festival!