Blog-Drawl!

So I have gone one full week without posting! It feels very strange. For the first few days after my last post I felt as if I had a phantom limb that had been lost at sea... (Does that image make sense?) Coming home after work, and not taking photos of my outfits was surreal. It was also otherworldly not getting dressed without thinking about repeating. It still feels weird sometimes.

I also went shopping for the first time in a year! At Goodwill! My Fresh friend gave me a Christmas gift o' cash in order to go shopping at the G.W., so, of course, I had to go. However, I Still haven't bought clothing in retail.

I got four things:
           A creme sweater with metallic thread.
           A cap-sleeve jacket that also has metallic thread.
           A pair of black cargo pants.
           A navy mock-turtleneck long-sleeved shirt with gold  sequins!

I wore the sweater with the jacket on my first day back to school, and I wore the sequin shirt with the cargo pants on another day. I also broke into the garment bag so generously bestowed upon me by my lovely friend's mother! I made an outfit from her hand-me-downs, including an awesome belt, that I thought was very cute! I did wear my own sweater with it though! I am thinking of maybe doing a "Garment bag" series of outfits.  I have included a few photos of the aforementioned outfits. You can tell me if they're cool or drool! There's also a photo of HaHa in a handed-down cape-let, and plastic heels she got for Christmas! So cute!

I hope the first week of January went swimmingly for you all!

Here's to a happy second week!

On the Porch!

Just to be clear, dear readers, I do not think it's okay to leave a 5 year old child outside on the porch alone after 9:00 p.m., or before 9:00 p.m., for that matter. Even though some people have assured me that the chances of a child getting abducted are the same as getting hit by a meteor, I don't think the chance is worth taking. I know that most children get abducted or harmed by people they know, but leaving a child unattended makes it that much easier for a predator to prey. And, unfortunately, though it is painful to think about, there are people out there looking for vulnerable children.

So my poll was my attempt to find out if I am paranoid for thinking it's a bad idea to leave my children outside without an adult around, or if I am making a sane decision.

Based on the answers I got today, I would say that I'm in the majority. I think it is sad that our children are not safe outside their own homes, but let's face it; many times they're not even safe IN their own homes. Children because of their size and naivete, will unfortunately always be victims.

I have seen so many stories of children being harmed that it almost makes me want to never let my children out of my sight. But one can not sanely live like that, so one prays that life will be kind, and that one day humanity will evolve so much that no child will ever be harmed.Come to think of it, while I'm praying for evolution, I realize I should pray that one day NO human is ever the victim of violence.

It seems impossible to imagine, but one can always dream!

Outfit:

Sweater coat: Goodwill. Forever 21. This was one of the last things I bought before I started this project. I thought it would be a nice addition.

Shirt: I Heart Guts.

Dress/Skirt: Hand me down from Fresh Friend. Laundry by Shelli Segal.

Boots: Dansko. I bought these right after HaHa was born, and this is the FIRST time I've worn them.

Belt: Thrift store.

Strange Heat!

The weather is messing with my wardrobe challenge. Here I am getting ready to sashay into my fall outfits, and,-BAM! It's hot!.. East coast hot.
Desert hot.
Melt-my-head-off hot.

So, I have to stretch my summer style a bit longer than I'd like, but I guess it helps to keep me on my toes.

Today I got the best compliment I could get when I had two friends tell me that I "inspired" them to look at their closets with a "fresh eye". One on them said, and I quote, "I'm really challenging myself to find different combinations of tired pieces of clothing." The other friend said the outfit she was wearing was the direct result of reading my blog! Yay! That's what I want to hear! I was so happy! And so flattered! Especially since they are awesome powerhouses of femininity and style!





Outfit:

Shirt: Straight from my brilliant friend's company I heart Guts! Her designs are the best, and they're anatomically correct!

Skirt: I got this from a thrift store at least 9 years ago. It was a dress and I cut off the top. Silly me!


Shoes: Fit Flops.

 

Inception!

Richard and I just got back from the movies. This is a rare occurrence for us, and it was fun to sit next to Richard and watch him get excited as Cristopher Nolan's crazy plot unfolded. If you could call it a plot. More like a labyrinth, I think. It actually made my mind hurt at points, but it was entertaining.

We rushed right back home because I have to finish packing for my journey to New York. I have to leave at  6 a.m., and I still have things to gather. Even though we got home at 10 something the boys were awake. I guess this is good because I got to give them extra hugs and kisses, and say a proper good-bye.

On account of all this, I'm keeping this post short. I am also about to write tomorrow's post because I will be in transit and don't want to miss a post if I can't find internet, and what not. I will also be working with no tripod, a broken camera, and sweltering hot temperatures. It should be awesome! Stay tuned!


Outfit:

I forced the kids out of the house to go meet the honorable and talented proprietress of I Heart Guts.
She was kind enough to bring me some gutsy stuff fro my New York peeps! We met at Griffith Park and we had a lovely time!

Shirt: In honor of I Heart Guts, I wore a tee!

Sweater: This was a hand me down from a friend. When I left the house this morning I actually had two sweaters, but as soon as I got to the park I took one off.

Jeans: Hand me down from cousin! Gap.

Shoes: Predictions.

Comic-Gone!

Hey! So, I just got home (11:10). Bad accident on the 5 on the way back. I guess I left at the wrong time! Ah, well...

I really had such a great time! Highlights included hanging with the amazing ladies, and seeing the harmony that can occur in a place when everybody agrees that it's okay to let your freak flag fly! Or your geek flag! Or unique flag!... I also talked to Chris Hardwick, an I Heart Guts champion. I sounded like a complete idiot when I told him I loved his show "Remote Control". Of course, I knew he was on a dating show called "Singled Out", but when I was talking to this dude from G4 at the booth yesterday I mentioned the show and he called it "Remote Control". So that's how I ended up sounding like a complete idiot. Although, I do manage to do that on my own plenty well!

I also saw four beautiful girls adorably clad in custom made dresses fashioned from vintage bed sheets. I've included their picture because it fits in with one of the themes of this blog, I think. And, they just look great.

I feel like my writing has suffered the past few days, and it will suffer tonight because I'm about to close my computer and cuddle my daughter whom I haven't seen for four days! Blogs are important, but hugs from HaHa are more important! And, I have to get up to teach in seven hours!

Outfit:

This outfit was nearly identical to the outfit I wore in Manic Monday!, but the under shirts vary in color, and the jeans are different. One jean is more tapered, the other more wide-leg.

Shirt: I Heart Guts!

Under shirt: Forever 21. Same shirt as second day at the con.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Comic-Con-A-Rama!

Today, a post in pictures.


 Outfit:

Shirt: I Heart Guts.

Skirt: Forever 21.

Sweater: Hand me down from FRESH friend.
H &M. It is freezing in the convention center! I don't know how the girls in bikinis do it!

Shoes: Fit Flops!

Pollyanna fancied this guy in the skirt. He was very agreeable!

Me with the man of my 9th grade dreams, He-Man! I'm not kidding. I watched He-Man battle Skeletor every day!





Below is an I Heart Guts customer who wanted to show us her elaborate costume made all the more special by her black heart!

Comic-Con!

Wow! This Comic-Con is one amazing event! Costumes, characters, merch and sub-cultures, all milling about aisle upon aisle of convention center mania! Working at my friend's
I Heart Guts! booth was a gateway to a host of interesting folks.

Some of the people I talked to today included:

A renowned OB/GYN who has seen 12,000 patients this year. He also has a twin brother and a very sweet family.

A man who received a kidney from his mother 6 years ago, and is doing swell!

Another man who had both a kidney and pancreas transplant nine years ago. He is getting married next fall.

A girl who's mother is a sex-ed teacher. Said mother greatly embarrassed her daughter when she dropped a bunch of abstinence videos in front of a boy that was over who the girl liked. Her mother thought it would be funny. Said boy thought the mother was crazy!

An actor from HUNG. Not the title character.

Some girls wearing cat ears. And tails.

A boy with a tribble, and many, many others...

Outfit:

I have to wear a gutsy tee of course! Luckily I have a few of these to sport this weekend!

T-Shirt: I Heart Guts.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Shoes: Fit Flops.

Sweater: Hand me down from  FRESH  friend. H & M. It was pretty chilly here today, especially in the convention center!

Night Noise!

Last night, for some reason unbeknown to me, Hollis was up for about two hours. It was somewhere between madness and hilarity! She was singing, dancing and playing. She went over my facial features ad nauseum, poking me along the way, "Eyes, nooo, mow (like cow)..." She mimicked Richard's snoring, sat on my head, tried to go into Charlie and Leo's room, kept taking her diaper off, and entertained herself fairly well. I got out of bed three times to bring her back into our room. I didn't want to put her in her crib because I was afraid she would wake the boys or try to climb out. She has already attempted to climb out of her crib several times, and she is very close to succeeding. The girl is a dynamo!

Today the boys climbed on the front porch wall and she followed them right up without a moment's hesitation. It's about a two foot drop, but that doesn't scare my HaHa! When I think about it, this is the second time this week Hollis has been playing in the middle of the night. I think this night waking is part of her next developmental leap. She is starting to talk a lot and I think this is making her more restless. Last night I wanted to get the video camera to record her sounds and songs. But I was too tired to get up. Her little voice is so sweet, albeit a wee bit annoying when one is trying to catch up on some zzz's. Who knows, maybe tonight will be round three? I'll keep the camera close...

Outfit:

This is another outfit where four out of five pieces were given to me. The only thing I bought was the teal shirt which was a pregnancy purchase.

Blue sweater: From clothing swap. Express Studio Design. Seen in: Host Party!

Teal shirt: Forever 21.

White embroidered skirt: From the lovely Ayiko. Free People.

Green Belt: From Ella Moss dress given to me by the lovely Wendy, creator of awesome I heart Guts!

Coral skirt: From the lovely Lesley Alexander. Seen in: 100 Posts! I am repeating the coral skirt, red shoe combo! Oh well, I'm sure it's bound to happen again, I've got 252 more days to go!!!

Shoes: Lower East Side.

As I write this post the boys are in the backyard wrestling and going crazy on each other. I told them they had to go outside if they wanted to act crazy and they bounded out with glee! A 15 year old, 6 1/2 year old, and five year old boys going wild! Yikes! Hollis wanted to join, but I made her stay in and she cried. Poor little girl!

You can see Hollis playing in the car behind me as I take photos. I tried to take photos earlier in the day, but the light didn't work! Hollis' dress/shirt is from a thrift store too!

Funday!

Woah, boy, this is the latest I've ever published a post! I feel like a slacker, but I can't be a slave to my blog, right? It was a fun and busy Sunday. It started with waking up with the kids and keeping them in one room trying to stop them from using their natural volume level, which is the equivalent of shouting. I then came downstairs, made pancakes for the kids (we had our nephew sleep over last night), and rushed to get dressed before I had to get out the door to pick up pizza for band rehearsal.

Rehearsal went longer than it was supposed to, but we had a lot of fun and got to catch up. The people in the band are all very talented and they rock. I got to hear about Tim's second week on the "orange juice" fast. I had never heard of this one, but he has had nothing but orange juice for two weeks and he feels great. Previously, he had not been feeling well, which is why he started it. I also got to meet Marc's mom, who is a beautiful and looked too youthful to have a 30-something year old son. I got to hear about the new loves and new exes of some, and then we played and it was fabulous! Music is a balm!

I returned home and my wonderful and sweet friend Wendy (creator of I heart Guts) came by to visit with her amazingly adorable son. Soon after, another nephew dropped by for a quick hello and just as it was getting close to din-din, my amazing and dear friend Josh came by with his very sweet dog Eddie. Josh is the bee's knees and he is also the kids' godfather! I had to choose between blogging, or quality time with friends and family, so blogging lost. It is very hard for me to get dressed up on Sundays. I will try to get back to my project

Outfit:

Purple Tee: Coincidentally, Wendy gave this to me. It is from Crowded Teeth. This woman makes really cool stuff. Her site is great! I wore this shirt in Tuesday Review.

Purple Long Sleeve Shirt: Forever 21. I decided to go double purple in memory of fourth grade!

Jeans: From Cousin. Gap.

Shoes: Airwalk.

Sweater: Salvation Army. Express


This is Jordan who claims he is now taller than me. I say not quite yet!

Pizza Pajama Night!

I had to rush out of the house this morning to buy supplies for the boy's preschools' annual Pizza Pajama Night. I got a little irritated picking out an outfit today because it's a little hard to psych yourself into getting dressed up when you know that all you are doing the whole day is chauffeuring around people under the age of 7. I'm sure this is why there are so many "Mom Makeover" shows. What's the point of looking nice if you're going to get stained, and smelly, and see no one other than your offspring?

I just got home at 8:47 and I left the house at 10:00 a.m.! Hollis was a total trooper driving all over town. Lucky for me, it didn't start to pour until after I got the boys!

I think it's hard to tell that the shirt and pants I'm wearing are a chocolate brown.

Shirt: I Heart Guts.

Sweater: From cousin. Mossimo.

Pants: From cousin. Gap.

Jacket: From cousin. Mossimo.

Shoes: Wanted.

Manic Monday!

I got called extremely last minute to sub in Science. Of course, I had to get Hollis and myself ready in a flash. It is 8:18 as I write this and I need to be at school at 9! I had some technical problems with the computer (of course it always happens when one has to get out). Anyway, I am so grateful to have the work, that I have nothing to say but "Thank you!" and "Happy Monday to you all!"

I will write about my drawers later. I'm sure everyone is dying to hear about them!

Outfit:

Shirt: I Heart Guts. I'm going to be in Science class after all.

Pants: Cousin hand me down from GAP.

Shoes: You've seen 'em before. Wanted. Holes emerging in the soles, but I love 'em!

By the way, when Hollis hears the timer from the camera, she grabs my hand! She's a ham!!!

Iron Lung goes to Roscoe's

Good Morning! Day three. I was awakened by my daughter Hollis who handed me a "wah-puh"(diaper) and who, indeed, had a poop. I was very impressed with her take charge attitude and self awareness. Girls are so advanced. This is very exciting to me, because I'm going to start teaching her how to cook next week. I really hate cooking every night. Richard suggested going to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles since it was my mom's last day in California. I slapped this ensemble together pretty quickly based on comfort and the fact that I felt that after two days of wearing jeans I needed to mix it up. I could wear jeans every day and I know I am not alone. I think this is a very L.A. thing. My friend attended a fancy L.A. wedding and there was a guest in jeans.

This skirt is eons old. The A-line shape is perfect for my silhouette and I use it all the time for layering. I wear it alone in the summer, but it has a grommet on it which gets a lot of commentary. The shirt, was designed by my dearest and most talented friend Wendy Bryan. She is an amazing artist. I have drawings from 7th grade that she made while we were sitting in class that I've kept all these years. She used to design T's for a company called Yum Pop, but has since branched out on her own. I love her designs, and I've learned a lot about my organs from them. The dress I wear in between the aforementioned articles is a Goodwill find. I just loved the detail on the straps. I think the braiding goes perfectly with the silver braided belt my best friend just gave me that came all the way from London.