What, this old thing? Yeah...it really is, actually.

 shoes: unionbay brand. pants: gap. shirt: somewhere in germany. cardigan: old navy. belt & necklace: downeast basics.

There's something pretty liberating about wearing a fancy cluster necklace with an industrial nylon belt. I feel like I could do anything today, if I'm being honest with you. Anything at all. Fly, see through walls, lasso bad guys with a magical lariat, call the public library to see if I accidentally returned my son's schoolbook there...ANYthing. You name it.

[Editor's note: I tried make the library phone call sound cooler by associating it with those other super-activities. Did it work? Does it sound like a way awesome thing to do? No? Drat. Well, the good news is that I actually DID take that book to the public library on accident, which means my son will be able to graduate 1st grade. *phew*]

[Assistant Editor's note: What Editor is failing to tell you all is that, embarrassing as this most recent book/library mixup might sound, it's not NEARLY as embarrassing as the time we "returned" library books into a local video rental return slot...and then accused the library of screwing up their record-keeping because we specifically remembered returning them into a drop box. HEH.]

 Want more embarrassing dirt on me? Here. Outtakes.

Can someone please remind me why I blog? Is it to publicly humiliate myself as much as possible, and since I don't see that many people during the course of my real life, turning to the Internet was the only viable solution? No? Well then...I have no response to that.

Happy Monday.

p.s. Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY -- it ends tonight!

Want this look? Click on the similar stuff below to check it out...

More Gap...

wide leg pants and yoga. c'mon, Opportunity. knock already.

 shoes & overshirt: american eagle outfitters. pants: gap. long-sleeved shirt, belt, long necklace, & flower clip: vintage. short necklace: forever21.

You know how, sometimes, something obscure and blurry and vague will nevertheless weigh on your mind? That was me, until today, and I realized what it was: should an immediate opening for a yoga poster child ever arise, I'd have no photographic evidence of my being the perfect woman for the job.

Until now (last photo in top sequence), natch. What a load off.

So. About this ensemble: is it just me, or does anyone else, on occasion, feel like busting out monochromaticity? Every month or two, I allsofasudden get the urge to wear one color, and one color only. And usually that color's blue. (Is there a Freudian interpretation in this? Please no.)

At first glance, everything in this outfit appears to be heavy solid-on-solid. But the pants have a subtle pinstripe, the long-sleeve layering tee has a sheer/opaque stripe going on, the belt divides the top half of me from bottom half, the crown braid and flower clip add a touch of whimsy and youth (do I sound, like, 80 saying that, or what?), and everything else just is.

Know what else just is? The eterna-crumbness of my dining room floor. I've come to accept it, to assign the floor-sweep chore to my dog, and to then ignore it. A trifecta of solution that screams win-win.

Happy Monday, friends.

Want this look? Sweet. Check out all the blue stuff you can get to have it...

More Gap...

mr. golden sun appears to be permanently indisposed...yellow sweater to the rescue

 shoes: steve madden. pants: gap. shirt: j.crew. cardigan: old navy. bracelet: downeast basics. pin: don't recall. earrings: hawaii.

 I'm looking for it, guys. My dignity, that is. Searching hard...

 Drat. It's gone. Quite possibly forever.

Dignity or no... it's Friend Friday! This week's topic is among my favorites: Gratitude. Here goes:

1. When it comes to me personally – I owe a lot of who I am to: My parents and siblings, natch, for their sculpting of me through my childhood years. My college roommates during those pivotal college years, who helped me figure out what really is -- and isn't -- important to me and my life. (For example: ISN'T: yellow landrovers, caffeine, and pleasing everybody. IS: loyalty, laughter, and clean cookware.) And, forever and ever amen, my husband and children.

2. When it comes to me professionally – I owe a lot of who I am to: My English professors who embraced my uniqueness and let me -- encouraged me to -- fly, the Grant Lab (my first career-centered job, right out of college, which taught me the ins and outs of real-life professional technical writing and set me up for the kid-friendly, flexible freelance writing I do now), and my husband whose support has been unwavering and perspective reassuring.

3. When it comes to the art of blogging, I’m grateful to these people for helping me through some rough spots: Heidi, who without knowing it has set the example for me of completely being ones own glorious and unique self on blog (her blogging resolutions for the New Year 2011 were what sealed the deal), Jill, a stranger who took a chance and asked to feature me when I first started my blog and who will always have a place in my e-heart, and (sincerely) all you style bloggists who are genuine and who put yourselves out there because you love what you do. It's inspiring. Annnnd...my husband, who smiles and supports me even though blogging & "style" per se aren't exactly his thang. (Ew. Gross. Pretend I didn't just type that.)

4. One blogging challenge I’m grateful happened because it made me stronger was… Adding Disqus. Ran into many problems installing it on my blog for some reason, but I learned some html stuff and patience and how to curse in my head but not out loud. All very applicable life skills.

5. To my readers, I’d like to say… Thanks, all four of you, for putting up with me, with my sarcasm, with my text-heavy posts, with my outfit blunders, with my silliness, and with my amateur self- or kid-snapped photos. Thanks for your comments, for making me laugh, and for following and visiting often. I think you're pretty great.

Happy Friday!

Want this look? Do a crown braid, then shop below...

More J.Crew...

better late than never...except for stuff like mold and rust. then i'd take never.

 Hahahaha. I'm sorry, but seriously...I can't stop laughing at the pic representing "3." Sometimes I crack myself up. Actually, a lot of times. Actually, that happens more often than it probably should, so says Pocket. I think he's right. But I can't help it. 

shoes: union bay brand. pants & shirt: gap. cardigan: j.crew. scarf: smith's marketplace. belt: thrifted. watch: target. earrings: gift.

 

Posting late today. I'm repainting one daughter's room so both daughters cans share the room so my son can move upstairs so we can maybe have houseguests for the next few months.

So I wore this ensemble for a total of, like, 1 hour today. I've been in paint clothes ever since. That's not cheating, is it? And, even if it is, I'm being honest about it. Which should cancel out any negativity you might feel from being betrayed. Let's all eat a pnut m&m as a token of peace.

Oooh, here's a psychological question for you all, once you've exhausted the chicken-or-the-egg bit: If someone tells the truth about their lie, are they honest or not? Annnnnd...yes, the chicken did come first. Absolutely.

Happy Wednesday! (what's left of it...)

Want this look? Here you go, help yourself...

More Asos...

very casual casualwear

 You should see the outtakes of me trying to make a #12 in one shot. Actually, you shouldn't. They're mildly depressing, because nowhere was a "12" to be found. And also, ouch on the contortions. You'd cry for me. After laughing very very hard. Thanks a lot.

It's Saturday, and my kids have been begging Pocket and me to please pretty please come build some block/lego constructions, the likes of which the world has never seen. You'll forgive me, then, for this very brief, uninspiring, and non-humorous post.

Because, you see, it's not just building with blocks. It's building the stuff of life. Like ultra bragging rights when the girls' structure ROCKS the boys'. So.

Happy happy Saturday.

p.s. If you missed it, don't forget to read my product review on a fabulous skirt from Kosher Casual. It. is. AWESOME. (ehhh...to clarify, "awesome" refers to the skirt. not necessarily the post. capeche?)

pandas & outtakes...but i WISH it was outtakes of pandas... way cooler.

Don't think about a panda bear. Hah! You totally pictured one, didn't you. Don't feel bad though, friends. I'm a Master of Mind Control. Like this: Don't think that the framed pic below is hanging straight.

 Did it work? It totally worked, right?... Aw crap.

 shoes: union bay brand. wide leg pants & shirt: gap. cardigan: j.crew. watch: citizen brand. earrings: hawaii.

 So many things to say, so little energy to type. What's a girl to do?

I'm going to trust that the majority of my readers are female (aside from the Mystery Synchronized Diver researcher...I tend to believe he's male. But that's just me.). Even so, I'm not sure how to tell you all how much I think periods really suck. But I'll try. How 'bout this: periods really suck.

Thus, today's ensemble had two purposes: (1) comfort. Like, the kind of comfort achieveable almost exclusively by wrapping up in a 90-year-old family heirloom quilt (there's no substitute. really.) with only one's mouth exposed so that rich dark chocolates can be (read: are) periodically (read: every minute) dropped (read: shoveled) in (read: in). Today's wide leg pants and cardigan? Definitely check-check.

Which makes me wonder if Mr. Rogers was usually in pain or something, to always have busted out the cardigan on his show, but that's another discussion for another day. [Editor's note: But what is a discussion for today is the fact that, even as a kid, I remember being annoyed by Mr. Rogers. Am I alone in this?]

Ahem. Today's outfit also had to include (2) no belt. No restrictive device anywhere, anyhow, for that matter. Unless you count a watch as being restrictive (I suppose one could feel that way...but I don't), then check-check again. Checkmate, in fact.

Speaking of...is it bad that my 6-year-old can whoop me in chess? Not kidding. Even when I try my best and give him hints (and/or give him false leading tips to get him off-track), he beats me. And you wanna know why? For some reason, in the thick of the game, I always forget that the king is more important than the queen. I almost always lose because I'm protecting that magical queen--forwards, backwards, AND diagonal? I mean, you just can't beat that kind of weapon. There's probably a deeply significant psychological interpretation for people like me. Like "weird."

Annnnnnd...a rare treat for all you loveable readers out there: Outtakes. [Editor's note: Not that outtakes are in and of themselves rare around here. Just the fact that I'm posting them is rare. But these were too good to pass up. And by good I mean lame. Natch.]

You're welcome. And happy Monday.

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i think i can...i think i can...i think i can...

shoes & shirt: american eagle outfitters. pants: gap. jacket: kohl's. bracelet: downeast outfitters. earrings: hawaii. belt: forever21.

One time I was in a class, and the instructor came in late, threw her bag down on the front table, and started yelling at us about what a crappy mood she was in. About 20 seconds later, she stopped, gathered her things, went out the door, and then came back in, smiling at everyone and telling us all how happy she was to be there. It was confusing at first, but later on we figured out that she was simply showing us what a huge difference an intro/first impression makes.

I say that as a preface to what I'm about to present to you: Firstly, that I'm totally happy today. I slept well last night, my kids are happy and being super cute, the sun is out, my quads are less sore than yesterday, and I've sneaked a few (handfuls of) pnut butter m&ms from my 2-year-old's "potty treats" stash. Like, seriously, it's an all-around good day.

I'll now disclose the second introductory truth: the fact that I am liking absolutely nothing about today's ensemble. 'Cept my hair, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't count as part of the "outfit." Overall, this outfit doesn't fit my mood, doesn't work in and of itself, and doesn't flatter. And I just discovered my pants are dirty. Sighhhh... 

No, I can't rock every daily outfit. But I think that's okay, because that makes the good ensembles that much better. Right, friends?...friends?...mom?... 

Anyways. Jumping-off point today was the grey shirt that you really can't see. It's got an embroidered neckline that I really like but that is proving difficult to dress. And I wore skinnies all last week so I thought I'd give them a break (translation: wash them) and go with some wide-leg trousers. [Editor's note: Apparently I prefer dirty ones, because, y'know, that's just classy.] I've also worn cardigans for many days in a row, and I plan on continuing to do so during much of the 30x30 challenge. Hence the jacket choice for today.

Braided belt, metallic flats, and a chunky bracelet that has nothing to do with the rest of the color scheme but that I thought I could maybe pull off anyway. And there you have it, kids: what not to wear, Britt-style. You're very welcome.

Happy Monday.

Want (to avoid) this look? wide leg pants olive jacket embroidered tunic metallic flats

More Gap...

because i felt like being a newscaster today. that's why.

Today's jumping-off point was these wide leg pants. Subtle grey pinstripe on that lovely is-it-blue-or-is-it-black? color, and we're in business. And I wanted something neutral but still an actual color on top: pale yellow button-up it is. Originally, it was topped with a baby blue short-sleeve sweater. But the sweater was smaller (translation: tighter) than the shirt was, so I looked suuuuper lumpy. No thanks.

I switched to this grey vest. At first I was hesitant because everything just felt so bland. But after adding a shiny turquoise and green brooch at my neck and my favorite shimmery braided metallic belt and a couple simple bracelets [Editor's ntoe: Because I'm a recovering bracelaholic. Actually, not even recovering. Full-fledged still ensconced in bracelethood and in serious denial that there's even a problem.], things felt more balanced.

[Editor's note: Oh, and...see those socks? Worn oh-so-confidently with my favorite flats? Yeah. That's because it's snowing outside. And while I naturally have a body temperature that rivals what's-his-werewolf in Twilight, I'm not in love with snow falling in my shoes and melting on my bare feet as I walk. So. Yep. Socks. We good here? Good.]

And with my hair straightened, I feel like a newscaster. Which makes me want to make an announcement. [Editor's note: 10 points for an excellent segway.] [Assistant Editor's note: Really? 10 points? It's like a pay raise!] [Editor's note: Don't get ahead of yourself...]

(ahem) Announcement: Recently, a man mentioned to Pocket, "I saw your wife's blog-thing the other day... Man, I'm glad MY wife isn't like that! I wouldn't have any money left to buy toys!"

Although I'm happy to be the cause of another man's reiterating his preference for his own wife (always!), I feel like I may have not made myself, and the purpose of this blog, clear. Let me do so now: This blog is based on the fact that I have many many old clothes that were gathering dust in my closet. Many of my clothes are hand-me-downs, or yard sale finds, or from high school/college days. My body shape has changed several times over the past decade, and therefore the majority of my wardrobe is comprised of hodge-podge, somewhat ill-fitting pieces.

The whole point in taking pics of myself every day (a somewhat embarrassing and extremely vulnerability-inducing endeavor in and of itself) is to show that a normal girl can still make do with what she has--she can look modern and appropriate and at least moderately stylish even with old stuff. It doesn't take a lot of money (which I don't have). It simply takes some thought and creativity. And a very big smile.

Happy Wednesday.