Baking in the Night!

Tonight I am baking, so that will leave me at another day of not being able to write anything of interest. However, I will still do my obligatory post and list the items I am wearing.

I am making brownies for the kid's teachers, and I am on my fourth batch so I am a little wonky. I did not get enough sleep yesterday, and I really want to go to sleep this instant, but I have to shower, and make lunches, and get HaHa down, and you know how one thing builds upon the other and the next thing you know hours have passed...

Two more days before winter break. The kids are absolutely nuts. It's amazing how wound they get. Makes me wonder about year round school. By the way, wearing a jacket and pumps, is a sure-fire way to get compliments!


Okay. Enough. Outfit:

White shirt/vest: Thrift store. Max Studio.

Dotted Shirt: Thrift store. I took the very puffy long sleeves off this shirt long ago.

Jeans: Cousin hand-me-down. Gap.

Shoes: Carlos Falchi. I love these shoes, but they are on their last leg!!!

Bedtime in Hades!

I cannot begin to tell you how horrible bedtime is at my house. Correction, I cannot begin to tell you how horrible bed time is at my house when Richard isn't home, which is most week nights. The boys, are tired and wired, and so am I.  But, the worst is HaHa, who literally jumps all over me demanding "Bah-bah! Bah-bah!" It is very difficult to read Harry Potter to your children while a two year-old banshee writhes all over you.

Tonight, after my polite pleas for her to wait until I finished reading for Bah-bah were ignored, I told her to go get chocolate from Jordan. Really. (That is my stellar parenting tactic). She leaped off the bed so fast it appeared as if she had wings. I'm not proud of it, but it did get her out of the room for a good five minutes. Jordan gave her three chocolate chips. And two more when she went back downstairs.

Unfortunately, the peace the chips brought to our bedtime reading lasted about as long as a chocolate chip.

I pray Richard makes it home before bedtime tomorrow!

Outfit:

Another rainy day, and another quickly thrown together outfit with the primary inspiration being "Don't repeat!"

Gold sweater vest: Thrift store.

Dress: Gift from friends.

Jeans: Friend hand-me-down. Express.

Boots: Friend hand-me-down.


HaHa and Lee-Lo have a pre-bedtime moment.

A Funeral and a Wedding!

Today I broke out two of my black dresses. I needed them to wear for two of life's most momentous occasions, on both ends of the spectrum of emotion.

The first was the memorial of the wonderfully enchanting and kind Irene Cagen Forrest. It was a moving memorial and it really honored the spirit and life of Irene. It also gave many of those in attendance some new memories to take with them as they left the service. I did not know Irene long, but I felt close to her very quickly. She is one of those people who is so willing to include you in her circle and her heart, if you want to join it!

We love and miss you Irene, but your spirit is keenly felt.

Now I am off to a wedding. I will be singing for strangers, but one thing I enjoy about performing at weddings is that the love is palpable. It is one of the happiest days of most people's lives, and it is an honor to be part of it!

Outfit:

Both of my dresses are thrift store finds.

Dress: The first was 2 bucks! I scored it at some crazy sale, and I altered it. It had a big ruffle across the top that I took off, and it also had a pointy hemline which I altered to make the bottom even.

Dress: The second dress was from the Salvation Army near my mom in Hanson, Mass. It is a Ralph Lauren gown, and I got it for 19 smackers! Pretty awesome, huh? I tied it with a scarf a friend gave me many years ago.

Shoes: American Eagle. I walked up the big hill to The Getty in these. They are SO comfy! 

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.

 

LAX!

Long story. Short post. That's all I can say for now as it is 12:33 a.m., and I have to get up at 6:30. It's a school night for goodness sakes! That said, you have to go with the flow and enjoy the now as much as possible.

I did. So now I am going to bed. And...

Oh!  The  Hanson's shirt, as my cousin pointed out is NOT 17 years old. It's Probably more like 13 years old, which means I bought it when I was 24. But, ohhh man, I can tell you- 24 feels like 17 years ago.

Apparently, someone who read this post also rocked the same shirt back in the day! Awesome! I guess I could ask her when she got it for confirmation.

Outfit:

Tee Shirt: From friend. Crowded Teeth (perfect for first grade!)

Sheer blouse: Thrift store. Very old.

Skirt: Hand me down from friend, which she got from a friend. Old Navy.

Shoes: American Eagle.

263 Days!

It's been 263 days of NO shopping, no swapping, no thrifting, no sifting (through racks of clothes, that is). I have been sifting through my closet, and I realize that when my time with this project is up, I am getting rid of a TON of stuff I've been holding on to for years.

For starters, I have a lot of clothes that don't fit properly. Because I've gotten so many clothes via handing down from friends, and clothing swaps, many of them are off in one way or another. Also, I have a lot of things I've kept for sentimental value, or because they are "nice", or "I might wear them someday". Whatever the case, come January, if I don't love it, it's gone!

Now, the main reason I was sifting through my closet this weekend is because I am attending a wedding on Saturday, and I was trying to figure out what I am going to wear. I tried on a few dresses, and I realized that they need to go. They just aren't me. I also tried on a bunch of other things and I realized that they aren't right either. For a gal who plans to wear her prom dress to a wedding this weekend (clothing nostalgia anyone?), this is a good sign. I think it's time to let some things go. I will, however, keep everything I love, and everything that fits.

By the way, I have gotten rid of tons of clothes over the years. Just the other day I was thinking about all those clothes. Hundreds and hundreds of items. Why did I ditch them? And, more importantly, why did I buy them in the first place? As I start to think about my future shopping adventures, I realize that mindfulness is order. I don't want to end up here again in a few years!...

Or do I?

Outfit:

T-Shirt: I got this in NYC at least 17 years ago. I thought it was funny. Today I had band practice, so I thought wearing the optimistic rockers would be a good idea!

Shirt (under): This was a hand me down from a friend. I threw it under my Hanson's tee because it has a low halter back. Lux.

Skirt: Thrift store.

Shoes: Fit Flops. 

Panic, Day 161!

I spent the morning baking banana bread and doing some house work. Very domestic!  I played with HaHa and then had to get out of the house in order to pick up camping gear from UCLA , where my brilliant and generous friend is doing research! I left on the early side, because I wasn't sure what traffic would be like. When I found the building I was looking for I realized I was half an hour early, so I decided to take my pictures in front of a beautiful tree I saw. I was not sure about the light and when I finally uploaded my pictures they were a mess! So please forgive the shabby photography!

Now, after I loaded the baby and gear into the car, I started to have the feeling that I was wearing a repeat outfit. So far, I have remembered what I've worn when I'm picking in the morning, and I thought I had this morning as well. But as I drove down the streets of Westwood, I got very, very worried. I knew I had worn these pants three times, and I started to think one of these times was with this shirt. What if I ruined my project just by being careless? It might happen one day, but now? It's too soon.

So, I drove home, which wasn't in my plan, and I scrolled through my blog looking at my outfits. I found the outfit that I had confused with the outfit I'm wearing today. I guess it's because both of the tops have lacy straps and there's a blue top and blue jacket. The other time I wore this flower top was in Tuesday Blues.  Phew! What a relief!

Now I need to finish my Picassa page so I can keep track more easily. When I was scrolling today I realized there are a lot of outfits I have forgotten. I am at day 161. I guess it's time to start paying attention! Also, if you don't mind, can you tell me if you voted Tuesday? I am just curious because the polls were dead when I was there. It's anonymous. I promise! Poll on the top right!

Outfit:

Flower shirt: This is from a thrift store. It was a dress that I cut in half.  

Pink tank underneath: Old Navy.

Jacket: Goodwill. Ann Taylor.

Pants: From Cousin. Gap.

Shoes: Miz Mooz.


HaHa was very intrigued by the mannequins in the front of Old Navy as we were promenading on the promenade. She held all of the hands, pet the dog, and pushed one mannequin over. But I caught it before it fell!