Tweed Jacket & Topknot Bun

"Dear The Gazillions of Maple Leaves In My Front Yard,

 

"I'm sorry my kids and I spent all day Saturday raking you up into a large family leaf reunion pile, only to go running and jumping into you.

 

 ballet flats: J. Crew

bootcut jeans: Big Star

white V-neck tee: American Eagle Outfitters

scarf: gift

tween jacket: gift/vintage (Talbots)

 

"As you most likely are aware, we played with reckless abandon in your leaf piles for hours. We probably squashed many of your cousins and dismembered most of your aunts and uncles in the process. For that, I apologize.

 

 

"But my children had so much fun that I can't promise we'll never rake you guys up and do it again. In fact, there are so dang many of you guys still falling that I don't know if we'll ever see the grass in our yard again, even if I spend the next solid week raking and raking and back-break-raking.

 

 

"I originally intended this letter to be a thank you and an apology and a bit of an Ode to Leaves in the Fall, but I've all of a sudden turned kind of passive-aggressive toward the sheer infinite quantities of you guys in my yard. And in my bed, because my kids came inside after playing and laid on my bed and left millions of leaf bits ev.ery.where. (I'm sorry if that image pains you.) You're in my furniture, on my floors, in the bathtub, on my rugs. It's never ending.

 

"So. Out. Get OUT. Make like a tree and leaf. (pleaseandthankyou)

 

"Love, Brittney"

 

 

Shop similar styles below:

 

J.Crew Flats · Big Star Bootcut Denim · J.Crew Factory V-Neck Sweaters

2 wrongs don't make a right...but how about 14 wrongs? what then?

 shoes: steve madden. tights: forever21. skirt & shirt: gap. cardigan: j.crew. belt: thrifted (american eagle). scarf: gift (old navy).

 There's absolutely no method to this madness...and I'm afraid it shows. Yet, surprisingly enough, I couldn't feel more comfortable or presentable.

Which is a good thing, because I spent more than an hour at the school district office this morning for kindergarten registration...along with millions, nay - BILLIONS, of other people. I had no idea the entire state's population is swarming to my area and will be entering my child's kindergarten class, but I suppose it's true. I saw the number of people myself. And my eyes don't lie.

(Except when they read the caloric content on some delicious foods that I happen to want seconds of. Then they tend to omit a few numbers from lame categories like "calories" and "fat." Which is actually way more astute than I would expect ocular orbits to be. I should eat more carrots to reward them for their loyalty. Should.)

So. My daughter didn't get registered today, her very kindergarten (and, skipping a few minor developmental years, collegiate) existence is at risk of falling through the cracks. But don't you fret, because today's a lucky day for you all: Outtakes. Extra-awesome ones. Any by "awesome" I of course mean "please, readers, come back tomorrow...please...readers?...reader?...mom?..."

Happy Tuesday.

Want this look? Just throw on random stuff from your closet until you're dressed. Orrrr shop below. Either way.

More Gap...

Excuse me, waiter? I ordered a Wednesday, but you brought me a Monday...

 shoes: american eagle outfitters. jeans: kohl's. sweater: old navy. scarf: gifted (but old navy). earrings: hawaii.

You know how sometimes people start a comment by saying, "Not to be rude, but..." and then they go on to be, well, rude? But in their minds it's okay because they prefaced it with a statement that supposedly negates the rudeness? I'm TOTally busting out that logic today. Only mine goes a little something like this:

(ahem)

Not to complain, but (you all know what's coming here, right? Complaint therapy 101.) my life is so very busy right now, it's all I can do to remember to breathe. I'd delineate all the combining factors that are resulting in said busyness so that you'd all believe me and, yes, pity me, but that would take too much time. Oh the irony.

Not that I think I'm so cool and my life is soooooo important. But sometimes my To-Do requires the paper of an entire forest. Like now. Believe me, I wish I could stay and chat awhile...because you're all funny and sweet and your comments make my day and I want to respond to all of you. Thanks for your patience with me.

Happy Wednesday.

Want a throw-it-on-and-be-comfy-but-still-presentable look like this? Click below...

More Forever 21...

...but what if the shoe DOESN'T fit?

 boots: target. socks: smith's marketplace. skirt: gap. shirt: pocket's. belt & hairthing: f21.

This outfit isn't much to speak of. Not lots going on, other than the fact that I busted out wearing one of Pocket's workshirts. The good news is, I'm about 99.9% sure that the engineers down at his work aren't following this blog, so they'll never know. And if they ARE reading this, the fact that I'm wearing my husband's shirt becomes one of the least of our worries, now, doesn't it.

Today's jumping-off point: this grey wool skirt. It's well over 10 years old. And it's supposed to be a pencil-skirt-that-wraps number, but I can only wear it at my hips, making my bottom half look larger than I actually am. In keeping with the bigger-is-apparently-better theme of today, I thought I'd throw on one of Pocket's shirts and waddle myself around the house. Which, for the record, is kinda fun to do on occasion. Waddle, that is. 'Cept instead of bread crumbs, I'm throwing myself fruity tootsie rolls and catching them quite adeptly, if I do say so myself. Quack.

To balance out the masculine, I overcompensated with some bling-shine-boom: a sequinilicious (yep) skinny belt, an enormous jewel-encrusted-jeweled hairthing, and diamond stud earrings. Which are real. A surprise gift from xoPocketxo himself. And I l.o.v.e. them--perfect size, shape, and stone. Thankyouverymuch.

I considered adding tights today but didn't. Maybe I subconsciously wanted to show off my neon-translucent legs? Yeah, probably that. I just felt like socks today...but only socks that yelled "supersize me!" at the manufacturing plant. Which these obviously did. And I admire them for that.

Then I got cold and added a cardigan and took three more pics. The end.

Happy Wednesday!

[Addendum: If you'd like to check it out, I'm featured today on Jill's fabulous blog, Spoils of Wear. Thanks, Jill!]

Want this look? skirt boyfriend button-upcardiganboots

womens boyfriend button-up

So...you're SAYin' there's a chance?!

Shoes: don't recall. Jeans & turtleneck: Gap. Belt: F21.

It all started this morning, as I lay in my flannel-sheeted bed thinking about how comfortably toasty I was and wouldn't it be glorious to stay that way all day? (Answer: Yes. Yes it would.)

Alas, we're hosting a family gathering at our house tonight, and even though I had an excellent alternative idea to move the whole party into the bedroom and I could hostess from the comfort of said toasty bedding (an idea to which, when voiced hopefully by myself, Pocket didn't even respond. Just kept on whistling in the shower like I wasn't being serious or something. I was.), it appeared that I had to make a get-dressed decision. But what could I wear that would simulate toastiness AND be party-appropriate?

Dare I wrap myself, toga-style, in my penguin-and-polar-bear-printed flannel sheet all day? I have belts enough to keep it G-rated...or PG, tops. But my tentative hopes were sufficiently dashed as the whistling in the shower continued, uninterrupted. Drat.

Enter: the turtleneck. Although I've mentioned how I'm shaped a like a broad-shouldered box, I thought it might work if I added a skinny belt about mid-height. [Editor's note: After seeing today's pics of myself, I don't love this look, toasty or not. But now I'm committed.] Kept the hair up-and-out in a topknot bun because it serves three purposes: (1) I'm lazy and didn't want to "do" my hair today (heh), (2) I'm readily available as a librarian fill-in, which are probably in high demand this time of year, and (3) even though reason #1 is sufficient, I actually didn't want to lose all view of my neck in a forest of hair.

Pair everything with a pair of dark trouser jeans (that admittedly don't fit very well anymore...sometimes "wearing what you own" can be a downer when things don't fit!) and some animal-print flats. I love an accessory or two, but what with the super-shiny belt, I wanted to keep things basic. Which is why I stuck with simple diamond stud earrings and, of course, a single silver bracelet. For security. Because I'm 5 and can't go anywhere without it.

Happy Monday.

Feelin' bloovy...

Before we commence, please pretty please tell me you're humming Simon & Garfunkel's great hit, based on the title of this post. Are you? Good. And also, did you get the pun intended with "bloo"? As in, the color. But I wanted to spell it kinda like groovy. I know. I'm asking so much of your mental synapses for a Monday morning. Forgive me.

And also forgive my sweet 4-year-old daughter, who was up all night last night [Editor's note: Sometimes people say "all night" when they really mean, say, a fairly inconvenient 2 hours. Like intermittently from 1-3 a.m. or something. This is not the case here. Please take me literally as you read my lips: Up. All. Night.] coughing and throwing up. Poor little lamb. And, let's be just brutally honest here, folks. Poor me.

Regardless, a girl's gotta get dressed for the day. Even if not until 10 a.m. because I was, and continue to be, just so very tiiiiiiiired [Editor's note: You can see it in my eyes in these photos, can't you. And I thought I was hiding it so well, too.]. I'm not sad or depressed or anything, but blue just fit my mood today.

So. When you wake up feeling like a color, and when you're so tired all you want to do is make sure you can take a nap in whatever it is you end up wearing, it's not that hard to choose an ensemble. Long sleeves under a big baggy tee for the staying-at-home nature of the day. A big soft striped O scarf, just to add a bit of visual interest to the outfit but still stay within the self-imposed color constraints. Comfy comfy jeans, hair up and out of the way, and a wide black belt at the hips. Not sure why the belt ended up on my hips as it did, but I kind of like it. Helps to prove the baggy-tee point, you know?

I'm extremely comfortable today. And I'm going to spend some time appreciating said comfort in a subconscious state. Right about.....now.

Happy Monday.

On flipped up collars and sweet rolls

What say ye about an outfit's jumping-off point being a lovely coral necklace? Because that was mine. Given to me yesterday by my fabulous friend Brooke with delicious taste. I couldn't wait to wear it in an ensemble that would make it the star.

It's a perfect salmony-corally-pink, the one and only pop o' color in this outfit (minus the sash belt, which I'll explain in a minute). Mostly, I didn't want to deck myself all out in different shades of pink to go with the necklace today because (a) too matchy-matchy, and, more importantly, (b) that would turn me into a walking piece of valentine's day vomit. And I try to avoid that look whenever possible.

So I donned my faded black skinnies and a fully buttoned-up pinstripe lavendar number. I buttoned the top button so as to cover my neck and, hopefully, draw all attention to that great crochet detail on the top necklace bit. I figure there's a 50/50 chance of that happening. The other 50% probably goes a little something like "psst-check-out-that-girl-over-there-with-the-top-button-done-what-a-nerd-alert." I'll take my chances.

Unexpected & Maybe Awesome: The mix of tough (olive jacket) & feminine (heels) in this outfit. I added the jacket to neutralize, slash, downplay the lavendar. And, just because I was feeling sassy, I flipped up the collar. Add a pair of taupe mary jane heels (read about my mary jane obsession here), black pearl oyster shell earrings from Hawaii, and an attempt at a top-knot bun. [Editor's note: No, nothing died up there, people. That IS my hair, sadly enough.]

Ohp! Almost forgot. As you can see, I started out with a sash for a belt today. I don't know exactly why. But after a couple of pics, I realized I really didn't like it, so I swapped it out for a real belt. A shiny little skinny number, which I'm wearing now. Much better.

"That's all well and good, but what about the sweet rolls you mentioned in the title?" you ask. Nuts. I kind of wish you'd forgotten about that... Just like how I wish that I'd forgotten about them mid-photos this morning. But you didn't and I didn't. [Editor's note: Enter an instrumental take on "This Little Piggy"...]

Happy Tuesday.