snakeskin may be a neutral, but my loathing of snakes isn't

I'm not a short person. I'm 5'8". That's pretty average, right? Maybe on the taller side of average?

 

 

I didn't realize how short I could appear, though, until I sat down to post these pics. Holy shortlegs, Batman.

 

houndstooth shoes: Kohl's (I think)

jeans: Big Star

snakeskin belt: J. Crew

paisley-ish shirt: don't remember

olive green jacket: Kohl's

 

I've had this jacket for a while now. I love its color and cropped length and the front pleating details. I don't love the short short sleeves (especially on my loooong monkey arms) and how it's not quite a military jacket but not quite a school-boy (-girl?) (-lady? yes, that must be right. school-lady. yep.) blazer, either.

 

 

All that aside, let's hear it for a (faux, of course) skinny snakeskin belt and some leather-and-houndstooth loafers.

 

 

The perfect accessories for any stumpy-legged non-military school-lady.

 

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Shop similar items below:

Prana Casual Jackets · J Brand Flare Denim · Skechers Shoes & Boots

{shared: Everyday Fashion & Finance, Get Your Pretty On, Her & Nicole, Kiwi Women's Style, My Fashion Forward Blog, Style Elixir, The Life of the Party Blog, The Mrs and the Momma, The Pleated Poppy, }

it may be real boring, but at least it's real

In my former life on this blog (as in, prior to my recent 2-year hiatus), I found myself altering my true style for the blog.

 

 boots: Target
jeans: American Eagle
shirtdress: hand-me-down
floral coat: Old Navy
 

I used to (subconsciously, I think, but still) add in all sorts of accessories and stuff just to make an outfit more photographically interesting than what I really wanted to wear.

 

 I think it's a combination of old age, self-discovery, integrity, and sheer laziness that helped me learn what my true style is now. In a word, it's simple.

 

 

Like it or not, what you see here now is completely what you get. Even if it's an outfit full of solid neutral chunks and wet shower-hair.

 

 

But this Mary Poppins carpet-bag of a canvas trench coat? This baby is real. I adore it.

 

 

Happy Monday.

 

 

Shop for similar styles below:

 

Halston Day Dresses · American Eagle Teen Girls' Denim · Dorothy Perkins Boots

Oh, this old thing? Just a little lumberjack-chic...

Yesterday our whole family got flu shots. And/or flu mist. Myself, I toughed it out and got the shot... and then flaunted said toughness for the rest of the day with a blue cupcake bandaid on my arm.

 

 shoes: Clarks Desert Boot

jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

striped boatneck shirt: American Eagle Outfitters

vest: Gap

 



Speaking of proactive health: I don't have an exercise routine, per se. I squeeze it in each day when I can. Which means that, some days, I don't shower until noon. Or night.

 

 

Today's looking like a 9-p.m.-shower kind of day. Which, apparently, means dressing like a lumberjack and letting loose the lion's mane of hair in the interim. I often wonder what other women/moms do when they sincerely don't a) have time or b) want to do their hair.

 

 

Me? I throw it in a side pony and embrace the Lady Lumberjack within. Or without.

 

Happy Friday.

 

 

Shop similar styles below: 

Miss Me Bootcut Denim · Blowfish Boots · J.Crew Factory Longsleeve Tops

{shared: Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins, Get Your Pretty On, Lamb Around, Life of the Party, My Girlish Whims, Style Elixir, Suburbs Mama, The Mrs and the Momma, The Pleated Poppy}

when the going gets tough, the tough do laundry

I'm having trouble thinking about anything to write about today.

 

wedges: 6pm.com (Eagle Mountain brand, maybe? I can't remember)

skinny jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

v-neck tee: American Eagle Outfitters

trench: Forever 21

sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

 

I suppose I could gleefully describe how I successfully completed the household's laundry. Everyone's stuff, washed and folded and put away. All of it. Except, now that I think about it, maybe there's still one more load in the dryer.

 

 

But if I leave it there until next week, I can still count this week's laundry done. Right?

 

 

Yes, this is my life. These are the realities I think about, people. You can't make this stuff up.

 

Happy laundry-day Wednesday.

 

 

 Shop similar items here:

Overstock Raincoats & Trenchcoats · Lumiani Wedges · American Eagle Teen Girls' Denim

{Shared: Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins, Get Your Pretty On, Her & Nicole, Lamb Around, Life of the Party, My Fashion Forward Blog, My Girlish Whims, Perfectly Coutured, Prowess & Pearls, Style Elixir, The Mrs and the Momma, The Pleated Poppy, Transatlantic Blonde, } 

American History 101 & some mixed patterns

I felt like an American flag today after getting dressed. Until I remembered that it's stars, not polka dots, on Old Glory. Phew. Crisis averted.

shoes: American Eagle Outfitters

plaid trousers: GAP

striped shirt: Lands End Canvas

polka dot cardigan: Coldwater Creek (I think)

 

I sometimes wonder if I'm too old for such bold pattern mixing. But then I remember that I bought this cardigan at a store that specializes in total Christmas-vest-wearing-teacher, mom, and even gramma gear. I think I'm a good decade or two below the targeted consumer there.

 

 

Which makes me feel young and wild enough to throw on a random plaid pants to complete the ensemble. I'm cuh-razy like that.

 

 

Honestly, I'm just hoping that the pattern trio is distracting enough that you'll fail to notice my fresh-out-of-shower, major-roots-showing hair. It's a complicated life I lead, people, chock full of deception and shampoo.

 

Happy beautiful Tuesday.

 

 

Shop similar items below:

Dorothy Perkins Tees · Sam Edelman Flats · Maison Martin Margiela Pants

{Shared: Coffee Beans & Bobby Pins, Kiwi Women's Style, Mom Trends, My Girlish Whims, Not Dead Yet,  The Life of the Party, The Mrs and the Momma, Transatlantic Blonde}

maybe I'm practicing being a pumpkin

I had a very witty and pithy blog post written to accompany these pics.

 

flats: J. Crew

jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

chambray shirt: J. Crew

orange cableknit sweater: J. Crew

 

The post was warm and endearingly clever and funny and would've made you all want to be my friend, even though I self-deprecatingly referenced Jay Leno's love for denim-on-denim and coined the phrase "pumpk rock" in reference to my sweater.

 

 

 Somehow the whole post got deleted. *poof*

 

 

So you're left with these photos, an incomplete pop culture reference of questionable style, and a view of my feet.

 

 

At least the flats are cute.

 

Happy Monday. (or is it?)

 

 

Shop similar styles & products below:

MICHAEL Michael Kors Crewnecks & Scoopnecks · J.Crew Factory Button Front Tops · CeCe Flats

{shared: Style Elixir, SuburbsMama, The Pleated Poppy}

Jeans and a Neon Belt

 Hey guys! I've missed you. It's been, what, a couple decades since I did an outfit post? Like, your children are college graduates and you now own a Buick since I last posted. Awesome. Congrats.

shoes: SO brand

jeans: American Eagle

belt: J.Crew

henley: J.Crew

sweater: Motherhood Maternity (I know, I know)

Today I lounged around the house and dodged snowflakes (!!!) while taking my 18-month-old's dirty diapers to the garbage can.

A freezing itinerary like this, in early October, calls for my busting out ultimate comfort-wear. And fancying things up with a neon belt. I dunno. Something about wearing a shiny neon accessory makes me feel like I could pass for a contributing member of society...



...until observant passersby spy my thick socks within my Toms knockoffs. Tacky, sure, but oh so warm.

I'm afraid I may be getting too old to care about style tackiness when it comes to the warmth of my toes. Which, I fully recognize, is a slippery slope that will inevitably lead to mu-mus and order-by-mail orthopedic shoes for everyday wear.

Which, speaking of...mmmmm...COMFY.

Happy Friday.

A.L.C. Cardigans · MICHAEL Michael Kors Belts · American Eagle Teen Girls' Denim

{shared: Fashion's Greatest Hits, I Have a Degree in This, Style Elixir, The Molly Buckley, The Foley Fam, Watch out for Woestmans, }

post is not in 3D. you're welcs.

boots: target. jeans: old navy (on loan). sweater: motherhood maternity. earrings: gift from here.

Take a good look, friends. Or don't. But these items were banished to the laundry room after my very sick little chickie of a toddler threw up all over me in the bathroom at InstaCare.

Pity me. Please. Then pity yourselves because you're seeing me in, yet again, the same 3 articles of clothing every time I do an outfit post. In fact, I've probably already posted this exact get-up already. Awesome. But here's the thing: my go-to outfits are not glamorous, they're not mind-bendingly inspiring, they're not particularly clever, they're probably not even be clean. (Wanna still be friends? No? Understandable...) Still, they're my bread-and-butter as a comfort-seeking pregnant mom.

(Mmmmm. Butter...)

I love wearing stuff that makes me feel pretty and feminine. But I also love wearing stuff that aids in, rather than competes with, the functions of my life. Like laundry and dishes and dusting (wait, that's a lie. I never dust.) and the occasional throw-up of a little girl who, at the moment, needs her mom's comfy lap and love more than her wearing of pretty heels and lace.

So. What do we all learn from this? Wear stuff that's vomit-proof. The end.

Happy Friday.

a zigzag scarf and a brush with death...or at least some squooshy mud

 boots: target. jeans: old navy. shirt: duo maternity. scarf: forever 21. earrings: etsy.

I know, I know...the boots-and-knee-high-socks thing has been done to death. But it's comfy and warm and covers up some of my water-retaining legs. So we'll just have to agree to agree-but-let-the-pregnant-lady-have-her-way for another month or two, mmmmkay? Thanks a mil.

I took my 3-year-old daughter for a walk this morning. She's adorable but has a stubborn streak that comes to a very vocal head when she's asked to do something outlandish. Like walk. So she rode in the stroller.

Our route led us up a small hill and then back down. Wanting to change things up on the way home, at the bottom of the hill I took a scenic route (read: death-defying brush with nature) along the canal. It was muddy, snowy, slushy, puddley (yep. real word. maybe.), slippery, bumpy and all things "-y" that would potentially cause one well-meaning but off-balanced soul wearing zero-traction boots to careen into the nearby waterway.

You'll all breathe an enormous sigh of relief, as I did, when our squeal-worthy rugged-terrain journey ended with zero fatalities and only one really muddy boot. Which, frankly, is a happy albeit fairly anticlimatic ending to this tale.

I know what you're all thinking: Why would she share such a pointless Story of Meh? What a waste of my time. Doesn't she know Nate Berkus is almost on? Fair enough, but in my defense, the alternative was a riveting story about how I chewed a hangnail on my super-dry thumb until it bled and now the bandaid keeps coming off. So.

You're welcome, and I accept your apology.

Happy Tuesday.

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I love shoes because they fit when nothing else does.

This is what I wore today, blah blah blah.

 shoes: converse. pants & hoodie: gap. shirt: duo maternity.

Anyone who uses the word "blah" in the first sentence of a style blog post (and then repeats it twice more) probably shouldn't be writing a post at all. And yet, here I am. And here you are. For what reason is a mystery to me, but my grandmother always told me to seize opportunities, so I will.

[Editor's note: Actually, she rarely told me that. Her words of wisdom were more like, "here's $20, why don't you go get us something yummy at KFC," and "you're my favorite grandchild." She was awesome. And KFC is, on occasion, delicious.]

Ahem. 

Despite the randomness of a hoodie and button-up combo (not to mention the chucks and khakis...shhh, there there), may I still brag about my tummy-toting self for a moment? Today's lengthy to-do list is all but finished (and I didn't even cheat and include stuff like "roll out of bed" and "put on deodorant" for once), I have a dinner idea and ingreds, and I finished the sudoku in today's paper even though my pencil was really dull and I couldn't find a sharpener.

PLUS I didn't say something snarky to the guy at the grocery store who s.t.a.r.e.d. at my belly during an awkward shopping cart approach-and-pass. Let's be proud.

Happy Tuesday.

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what's red & pink & tweed all over?

RED: check.

 PINK (about 12 shades): check check check.

 TWEED: check. 

 or, for you overdo-the-pink-on-V-Day purists, TWEED: UNcheck.

 shoes: converse brand. tweed jacket: talbots. scarf: gift. bracelets: forever21 & gifts.

Hey guys, it's Red-and-Pink day at Everybody, Everywear. Fitting for Valentine's Day, obv. I actually have a red maternity corduroy skirt that I contemplated wearing with this shirt, but I'm glad I didn't. Seemed a little too bleeding-pepto-bismol for me. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. Oh, wait. Yes it is.

You know what's weird? (Aside from the fact that my 3-year-old is developing an affinity for pickle juice. No lie. Ew.) I think pregnant bellies actually look better when you can see their real outline. Which is the paradox of the universe, but there it is. 

If I had my way, I'd drape myself in a canvas tent and call it good for the next 2 months. But there are others to consider. Like my husband. And the circus clowns who, frankly, need those tents to make a living. Speaking of...is it odd to wear red chucks with a tweed jacket? Probably. I mean, are we college-professoring today or boarding at the skate park? One just can't tell. Which, to me, makes the combination a little Unexpected & Maybe Awesome.

Happy Valentine's Day.

other cute red and pink stuff (maternity & regular):

More LOFT...

argyle sweater in green. life is good.

Argyle in cardigan form.

And a fake oversized gold watch that may or may not reliably keep time.

And some dark uber-flare jeans.

(Basketball-for-belly is optional.)

jeans & cardigan: gap. shoes: american eagle. watch: target. pink tee: vintage (translation: hand-me-down).

 What I've just given you, my friends, is a failproof recipe for dressing like a free-spirited study-hall-frequenting prepster chick, sans nerd glasses and freshly woven daisy crown. And, really, isn't that the look we're all going for?

Answer: Yes, yes it is.

Speaking of going for stuff, I could really go for a vacation to the Virgin Islands right now. Either that or a glimpse of the sun. One or the other, really, I'm not that picky. What, no sun in sight? I guess it's just you and me then, Expedia...us and the large glow-in-the-dark orb I carry at my belly these days. Y'know, for emergencies.

Happy Monday.

related stuff (maternity & regular):

More Gap...

what you see just might be what you get

boots: target. jeans: old navy. shirt: gap. sweater: motherhood maternity. earrings: gift.

I've decided something, and I'm clinging to it like a survivor to a liferaft. A college lit major to Shakespeare. An athlete to electrolyte-replenishing fluids. A macaroni noodle to cheese. 

What I'm clinging to is: joy comes in the details. This applies to life, to my relationships, to my goals, to what I'm wearing these days. For example: in the photo above, you might see a tired lady (check) in a worn grey cardigan (check) and some old boots (check). 

But you couldn't have noticed this sweet print of the shirt (my current fave): 

or these go-with-everything turquoise earrings (also my current fave):

It's these details that make me happy today. Supplemented, perhaps, by the three snickerdoodles I've consumed this morning. (And to think I'm surprised when my doctor mentions I've put on a bit of weight over the past four weeks.) No worries, though, because...have you seen my earrings, doc? 

Happy Tuesday.

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