Chickens, Children, and Clothes!

Now that I am not obligated to post daily, I think about posting more than I actually do it. I could go back to daily outfits, but it's too much commitment . Although, I am happy to report that I have NOT gone clothes shopping since my first couple of Goodwill trips. No retail clothing for me in 2011 so far! That said, I have been the recipient of some stellar "hand-me-downs", and 1 brand new Seven Ways Dress that was a gift from my very sweet and generous Aunt Diane. I have worn the dress at least three different ways, and I will certainly find many more ways to wear it! I consider it a worthwhile challenge. Actually, I think I'm going to wear it to my 20 year high school reunion this Saturday. I will post some pictures of the dress for sure!


I have still been trying to "mix it up" everyday, and think outside of my wardrobe box. I've been playing with my "new" old clothes, and having a great time!

The kids continue to amaze, confound, surprise, infuriate, and inspire me. I made it through spring break without harming myself, or them, so I am giving myself a "high five"! In truth, they are really delightful, and I am very lucky to have them in my life. They are abundant joy.


We also now have chickens in our backyard. 5 of them. I have been wanting chickens for a while now, and we received these chickens through a divorce. They are very cute, but they are a lot of work. (Sound like anyone you know?) I am still not sure about whether or not these visitors will become family members, but they are in a coop in our backyard for now!

Outfits:

Some of my outfits from the past few weeks. One of my very favorite items is a rad vintage Talbot's belt that my friend's mother gave me. This is the same friend's mom who gave me the clothes I donned in my Vegas post. Thank you again, Nancy!!! She also gave me the black skirt, pinstripe button down, and cream skirt shown here. Mustard sweater, blue shirt (top), and striped tee are all hand-me-downs from friends!

Also, Don't forget to send all of your pressing questions to the awesomely written column "BAD ADVICE FOR GOOD PEOPLE".


And, finally, I've included some photos of the kids because I've had some requests!!! Peace to you all! Thank you for stopping by!!!!

Rusty and Co.

HaHa talking on a mirror.

Siblings swing!

our new guests

Angels on Angel's Flight!

Cuties on a cart!

Mi Familia!

Today we had our annual "Festivus" party on my maternal side of the family. I must say, I have a truly awesome family! We had a wonderful time catching up, reminiscing, and eating copious amounts of  delicious food.

My cousins, my aunts, my uncles, my little cousins, mates of cousins, are superbly entertaining, and sweet and beautiful and lovely and we had a wonderful day!

I also got a very sweet phone message from a friend I've known for 28 years! She is the best, and I'm glad that I can still call her friend after such a long time!

HaHa stayed up until midnight. Could she be genetically programmed for late night shenanigans?! It is 2:55 a.m. right now and both Richard and I are typing away on our keyboards, finishing business we should have completed long ago...

I do know that writing when I'm in this state is not so hot. At any rate, family, I love you!!!

Outfit:

Going for a Christmas palate!

Shirt: Goodwill. I love this shirt. The print has birds in it!

Skirt: Goodwill. I love this skirt. It has sequins!!! Forever 21.


Shoes: American Eagle.

Clindamycin!

How could it be that so close to the finish line I am faltering? In part, I think it is because I am still experiencing the fallout of last week. Oh, and Charlie has strep throat, so I'm pretty sure that that is what HaHa had, but I have to wait to get her blood test results back to know if my hypothesis is correct. Apparently, it's going around...

Wash your hands!

As I mentioned yesterday, HaHa is in some crazy PTSD state, so I have been in constant stress mode. And now, as I sit here I realize I must wake her in mere moments to pour two and a half teaspoons of clindamycin down her throat. Oh well, I guess it's time to wrap it up!

Outfit:

When I threw this on, I kept having that nagging feeling that I've worn it before. Of course, that's understandable seeing that I am 17 days away from the completion of One Closet, One Year!!!
In actuality, I wore almost the same exact thing, but it was my gray striped shirt that I wore with this skirt. So, I did NOT break my rule! Ha!

Shirt: Friend hand-me-down. Forever 21.

Skirt: Goodwill. Forever 21.

Shoes: Goodwill. Kenzie.

Highs and Lows!

Today, I must say, I experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. My day started at 5:00 in the morning with a nurse telling me not to allow HaHa any food or drink because they wanted to give her a CAT scan in a few hours. I did not know why they wanted to perform this test, but it was so early that I simply went back to sleep. At 7:30, a new doctor came in to talk to me about the scan. I asked a few questions, and found out they had felt a rather large lump in the back of HaHa's throat. They had taken an x-ray, but it was inconclusive.
At any rate, the following 4 hours of not letting HaHa drink or eat while we were waiting for our pediatrician, the attendings, and the radiologist to decide whether or not a CAT scan was warranted, were a series of low moments. I won't even get into the fact that this whole ordeal could probably been avoided if HaHa's doctors listened to us more carefully, and didn't misdiagnose her in the first place (but that's another very long story).

Now the highs. HaHa did NOT get a CAT scan, we were discharged, and I got to celebrate my fabulous friend Jaime's birthday! Even though I was exhausted, I would not have missed the chance to celebrate this amazing woman! She really is the best! Her party was also the best and I got to dance and revel in the glorious company of humanity!

Another low: Seeing a limping raccoon with a missing tail run down my friend's block.

Another high: Richard and HaHa were awake when I got home at 1:00 a.m.!

Outfit:

Yesterday Richard brought a few jackets for me to wear so that I could avoid a repeat.

Shirt: Emma & Sam (same as yesterday).

Jeans: Goodwill. (same as yesterday).

Shoes: American eagle.

Jacket: Goodwill.

For Jaime's party I decided to go all out with my leisure suit madness. After all, it was a special occasion!

Suit: Goodwill.

Shoes: Patricia Field for Payless. I got these bad boys for 12 bucks!

Ouchfit!

Today I really hated my outfit. Perhaps it is because I got dressed in the dark. My outfit was giving me grief, and I wasn't really comfortable all day.

That said, It was not a repeat! This dress is going in the out pile as well. I realized today that empire waist dresses are not so great on me. It is very important to wear clothes that flatter your shape. I learned this on "What Not To Wear". Just kidding. I learned it through trial and error. I am very grateful for clothing. Thank you clothing. You are great. I love you.

But not today's outfit. I don't even like you. Sorry.

Outfit:

Dress: Goodwill.

Skirt: Goodwill. Forever 21.

Shirt: Clothing swap.

Tank: Old Navy.

Boots: Dansko.



My glass vase that I found at The G.W. (I am going to start calling Goodwill the G.W.)

Late Again!

We got invited last-minute to dinner because there was a broken freezer and food that needed to be cooked and eaten. Of course that means that we got home late and now I'm off schedule and I have sworn that I'm going to get to bed early, and now it is 11:04 and I have to cook shrimp so that it doesn't go bad and I have to make lunches and shower, and I feel my early bed time slipping away as I type...

So, on to outfit!

Outfit:

Striped shirt: Friend hand me down. Gap.

Pants: Goodwill. It has a matching jacket!

Belt: Goodwill. My friend's daughter called it a "whale belt".

Jacket: Friend hand me down. Aldo.

Shoes: Fit Flops.

Movin'!

I had a busy day. I took a writing class, and then I helped my Fresh friend move. It was a good work out! We walked up and down her flight of stairs at least a dozen times!

Anyway, I wanted to write about the writing class and all of the numerous moments of the class when I was laughing so hard I had to hold back tears, but I am dozing as I write this. I have to sleep. It's 12:40 a.m. Tomorrow is another day, and another post!

Oh, someone is using my American Idol costume to wear to a party. Imitation is the best form of flattery! And, it is an easy and fun idea! Happy Halloween ladies and gents!

Outfit:

Tunic: Goodwill.

Green shirt: Goodwill. Kenneth Cole. I think I will have to give this shirt away because the fabric is too difficult to keep clean.

Jeans: Friend hand-me-down.

Shoes: Miz Moos. I had to wear different shoes to go moving because I stepped in dog poop on my way out of the house.

This is not one of my favorite outfits, but sometimes I just need to go with flow!

Bad Habits Win!

In the battle of good and evil, evil has a way of rearing it's ugly head and giving good a run for it's money. I'll keep it personal. I went to bed at 3:00 a.m. last night.  Evil. Evil. Evil. And,  I looked evil when I arrived at work. Tired. Bedraggled. Sloppy.

Getting dressed when I am tired and late is rarely pretty. At least, I don't feel pretty on these days. Every time I happened upon a mirror today all I could think is: "You look like a tired mess." And I was. However, I held it together for the most part.

Next time I'll wear blush.

And by next time, I mean tomorrow. As I type this it is midnight o' eight. What am I thinking?! Why do I do this? Nature. Stupidity. Necessity. Last night I was up working. Now I am doing my post. These are things I have to do, and I have to do them now because at other times I am doing other things I have to do. I also realize that these wee hours are the only time when I am alone. No kids. No Richard. Just the hum of my broken computer, and the click-clack-click of the keys.

Outfit:

Print Blouse: Goodwill.

Sweater: Clothing swap. Express.

Skirt: Forever 21. One of my pregnancy purchases. Versatile, stretchy.

Shoes: American Eagle.

To Trails and Back!

We left the house at 10:00 a.m., and got back at 7. What a day! Hanging out at Griffith Park. Birthday party after that. Old friends, new friends, and very delicious food. So tired am I, I will do a post in pictures.

My camera is acting wonky, so my outfit photos are not so hot. Also, my battery died while I was taking my photos. I guess I took too many shots of HaHa eating cake. Excuses. Excuses.

Guess what?!  I got 75 days left people. I've been doing this for 290 days! That's 290 different ensembles and NO shopping!

Outfit:

Sweater: Goodwill. Lux. I love the flower detail. HaHa wore it when she spilled water on her shirt today.

Long sleeve sweater: Cousin hand me down. Forever 21.

Body Suit: Goodwill. Star Cody. I folded the top down so that it extended the waist of the skirt!

Skirt: Walmart. George. I got this skirt when I was visiting my mom. It was 5 bucks!

Party Favors.

Hair

Shoes: Mossimo. I wore my fit flops for our Griffith Park hike.

Conferenced Out!

There is something absolutely wonderful about parent-teacher conferences, and then, there is something absolutely exhausting that comes with talking non-stop for hours about important matters. I got to be on both ends of conferences this year, as parent and teacher. Both were swell.

I always feel guilty when I've done a short post, but It was a long day, and I had company over for dinner. Lovely company. My cousin made red-velvet cake balls. Yummy and unexpected.

One day I will write a substantial post, but for now I have to respect my limitations!

Outfit:

Lace shirt: Hand me down from friend. I think it must have been from a play or movie because it has no labels, but it has some numbers in black ink written on the inside.

Grey shirt: Another friend hand-me-down. I put it underneath so I would not show any skin at school.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Shoes: Miz Mooz by Gazith.

Deja-Vu!

I got dressed quickly this morning and as I sat in traffic on the 10, I had an "Oh-no!" moment. I was certain that I had miscalculated, and was wearing a repeat outfit. I knew I've worn this tunic multiple times. I knew also that I've worn this skirt more than once. But I didn't think I had paired them together. However, as I cruised in my car I had the sudden feeling that I had made a mistake and simultaneously ended my project. Although some have protested, if I repeat, it's over. Mark my words!

So, as I sat and wondered, I knew there was only one way for me not to fret the whole way to work. I called Richard. I knew the post I had in mind. It was the day HaHa wore my hat and put her hands on her face. I told him to look in May. He did. Not there. Try April, I said. He did, and he found the post, Death and Taxes (you can see why I was skered). I asked him to read the outfit details and when he did I knew I was safe. I dodged a bullet. This time...

The thing is, for the most part, I remember every outfit I've worn this year. Or, if I don't remember every outfit exactly, I remember what pieces I've worn with what. Somehow, in this addled brain of mine, I've managed to keep it straight. And I only check my photos if I think I've worn something together, which has only happened a few times. I'm kind of amazed. Especially since I can't remember most things. I chalk it up to sheer stubborn luck!


Outfit:

Tunic: Goodwill.

Skirt: Goodwill. Forever 21. I was going to leave it in nyc because it has a stain, but I figured I could wear it under things.

Shoes: Mossimo.

HaHa rockin' her "glasses". She is a funny bee! 98 days to go!

Brown Town!

Brown is my new black. Well, actually, I haven't been into wearing black since my early days in New York. I don't even own a pair of black pants anymore, although I used to wear them all the time. These days I love color, and prints, and brown. I love me some brown.

I think brown perfectly compliments so many colors. It is warm and strong, and it reminds me of chocolate.

And coffee.

And skin.

I am down with brown. And I have 99 days to go!

Please excuse the short post. I was literally falling asleep when I wrote this.

Outfit:

Ruffle top: Goodwill.

Purple shirt: Forever 21.

Brown pants: Goodwill. I.N.C.

Shoes: Predictions.

Sweet Beans!

Getting back into the full-time swing of things has been a pretty gentle transition. However, I realized today that I went from being with HaHa 24/7 to 7/24. It's really strange. Yesterday I had to work late and I barely saw her. It made me feel bad. I can't imagine not having spent the last year with my little HaHa bear. She is the sweetest bean in the world!

There are some other sweet beans in my life, and they are the children in my new class! Getting to spend time with them these past few days has been splendid. They are very smart and funny, and interesting to boot! I think I am going to have a blast with them these next few months. I am also working with a new teacher who is really great and a lot of fun. Good times!





Outfit:

Dress: Goodwill.

Shirt: Goodwill. James Perse. (same as yesterday)

Skirt: My mom gave it to me! Express.

Shoes: Predictions

Postponing the Post!

I have been sitting in front of the computer for an hour thinking about posting, but not posting. Let's call it: "Procrastiposting". The truth is, I am tired and I don't have anything illuminating to pontificate about. Another truth is that it is difficult to post everyday, especially after a late night "at the office". We didn't get home until 8: 30 and the kids didn't get to bed until 9. I could have fallen asleep with them, but I had to do my post...

So, short and sweet today, okay?

Outfit: I got dressed this morning with the intention of changing into my newly rediscovered sparkly bell-bottoms. However, as it got closer to the evening activities I realized that jeans were fine. And yet, this is one of the reasons I wanted to do this project: The Jean Trap. Wearing jeans everyday, just because it's easy... Oh well, I'll try to avoid jeans tomorrow! 

Shirt: Goodwill. James Perse. This is the first time I've worn this shirt this year!

Sweater: Hand me down from cousin. Mossimo.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Shoes: Predictions.