Give 'Em The Slip!

First of all, I must inform all of the kind and concerned people who contacted me, that Richard was NOT frightened by his fall. I guess I was projecting, as us female types are prone to do. It is also me projecting when I say that Richard would probably not admit it if scared him because he is too macho. Another projection? Richard fell into the hole on purpose because I had been nagging him about finishing the fence. Could I be on to something?...

Whatever the case, Richard is still hobbling around like a maimed animal and is moving at the speed of molasses. We'll see if he improves, or if he gets himself to a doctor... It is 10:13 as I type and HaHa is just now going to bed. I am nursing and typing. I see that she may be following in her parents footsteps. Last night, both Richard and I went to bed at 3:00 a.m. His poker pals left at 2:45, but what, pray tell, was my excuse? Perhaps it is that on account of all the kids, and HaHa's crazy schedule (not her fault-her sleep is always interrupted), I have to stay up late in order to get some much needed time to myself. Perhaps. One of the things I was up doing last night was washing and combing out my hair for the first time in a week. At any rate, I will do my best to get to bed by midnight! If that is my quest, then I must end here and wish you all a happy start to the week, and thank you for spending some time here!


Outfit:

Shirt: This shirt is similar to the shirt I wore yesterday, and they were both given to me by my cousin! I find it interesting that often we buy the same types of clothes over and over.  This shirt is by Converse One Star. It has a belt, but I wore it without. HaHa borrowed it!

Slip: This is from a thrift store. Not sure where. I have been collecting slips, and wearing them with jeans since high school. I love the contrast of the delicate with the rugged. I have at least seven vintage slips and I love them. There are couple that aren't even functional, but I just love the lace!

Jeans: Hand me down from friend. Express.

Shoes: Mossimo.

HaHa helping me make Dutch Babies for dinner. She loves to mix!

On The Fence!

Richard fell into a hole last night when he was moving the fence. It was about four feet deep. He hurt himself bad. Very bad. He was walking backwards holding one half of the fence and he stepped into the hole! He was bleeding and in so much pain that he, the man who "never rests", limped up to bed and lay down. He had to get up to work at 10:00 p.m., but I think it frightened him. Me too. He is still limping today.

Poker night is upon us, so I am keeping my post short!

Outfit:                                           

I knew I wanted to wear something that my FRESH friend passed on to me because I wanted to link to her very cool blog that she is now ready for the world to see! It is called Fresh Air Frolics and it is a smart and creative hodgepodge of really cool stuff. Here is an example of her clever mind: "i should be grabbing the world by the balls and smacking fools across the face with my ovaries. instead, i hesitate." She is always telling me about interesting sites and articles, and she has introduced me to some incredible music. She's amazing!

Dress: From friend. Laundry by Shelli Segal. This is actually the first time I've worn this dress. Taking the Ralph Lauren spring collection as inspiration, I am mixing something formal with something casual.

Shirt: From cousin. Mossimo.

Scarf: (Worn as belt). I got this at a thrift store in New York. It is very old. I couldn't find the belt that goes with the shirt, so I grabbed this. I thought the grays complimented the purple in the dress. Because there are some yellow tones in the scarf I added the yellow shoes. Go Lakers! (Although I wouldn't mid seeing Boston come out on top...)  

Cuff: This was given to me by a woman I worked for in NYC who had a home daycare. The two of us watched 6 two year olds, and a couple of older kids. I likened working with the two year olds to working with Tourette Syndrome patients in a group setting. We would dress 6 toddlers up in their snow suits and take them out in the snow to play for all of about 10 minutes before one of them would start crying or get cold or wet... Good times!

Shoes: Miz Mooz by Gazith.  HaHa's dress from Aunt Diane!!! So cute!

Comments!

I got all the inspiration I needed to post today from the comments section of this blog! This is a huge help as I have been in some kind of slump this past week.  First, my very beautiful, stylish and talented friend Laura said that my outfit yesterday reminded her of the Ralph Lauren, Spring 2010 Collection, which has a lot of "denim dressed up in an elegant, yet fun way." I was very flattered, as I always am when she compliments me (because she is the bee's knees), and I went to look at Mr. Lauren's designs. They were stunning! The delicate and shimmery T-straps, the mix of masculine and feminine, casual paired with formal, and the stunning fabrics, all were enough to make me want to run right out and shop! Of course I can't, but a girl can day dream right? Laura also said that she loves ruffles! I love ruffles too, and there are some truly gorgeous ruffles in the collection as well. Just dreamy!

The second inspiration came from another beautiful, totally stylish and talented friend named Carol. She commented that she, too has Spice Girls Chupa Chups circa 1997! I knew I loved Carol the moment I met her and now I understood why! You have to have a certain amount of specialness to save a bunch of suckers in wrappers adorned with the faces of the British lasses who first crooned those fantastic lyrics "all you have to do is zig-a-zig-ahh"! Carol also said that she and I are destined for A&E's Hoarders. It is always good to to have someone who "gets" you, and I definitely have hoarding in my DNA! Could this be why I have clothes from the late 80's in my closet?...

The last inspiring comment came from my beautiful and brilliant Aunt Diane. She is knowledgeable about many things, and she informed me that silverfish (and other creepy crawlies) cannot gather or spawn when there are cedar blocks around! She also said that she ordered some of these non-toxic life savers for me! Did I mention that Aunt D is also one of the most generous people I know? Just knowing that silverfish will no longer be a part of my life in the not too distant future fills me with glee! 

Outfit:

Red, White, and Blue.

White Shirt: Goodwill. Vintage.

Blue Shirt: Walmart. I got it when I was visiting my mom. It is one of the only stores in her particular tiny Massachusetts  town. I got this in the summer one year for 5 smackers! I think it was on sale because it is odd.

Blue Jeans: From friend. Express.

Red Shoes: Carlos by Carlos Falchi.

Attack of the Silverfish!

When I was choosing my outfit for the day, I opened my top drawer to fish out some undergarments and what did I see scurry about, but a silverfish?! I was mortified and disgusted and I proceeded to empty out every drawer in my dresser, and search meticulously through everything. I pulled the drawers out, vacuumed every crevice, and took out some non-clothing items that may have lured the silverfish there. One of them being a set of wrapped Goody hairbands circa 1975. The wrapping is crumbling and I don't know why I've kept them around for so long. I guess I was saving them for HaHa?... I don't know...

Actually, I do know. I loved the novelty of having "new" things from 35 years ago. I also have a bunch of Spice Girls lollipops made by Chupa Chups that I keep for the same reason. They are only about 13 years old, however. Maybe it is time to let them go...


After my encounter with the scaly visitor I called Richard and told him that we had to do something! The first thing was getting our paper problem under control. Silverfish like paper. Charlie is probably responsible for a third of the world's paper usage, and his papers are everywhere. We also have boxes of other people's paper we've been harboring. Richard also reminded me that we have books. He asked if I want to get rid of all of our books, too. That's just like Richard. All I want is a house where I never have to see a silverfish again!

Outfit:

It was Open House at Charlie's school, so I wanted to dress up a bit. I instantly reached for my re-styled denim dress, but feeling that my legs were not prepared to be shown to the world, I added this beautiful skirt as a bottom layer.

Tank: This was a hand me down from Pollyanna. Old Navy.

Denim Dress: This was a Goodwill find. It had two ruffles, but I cut one of them off. I also cut off the big puffy sleeves to reveal these little black wings. I, of course, am wearing it backwards, for nursing.

Skirt: From Cousin. Ralph Lauren.

Shoes: Mossimo. 

So Late!

I tried to perform my styling magic on the gorgeous Pollyanna, but I realized that it is easier to make outfits when you know clothes intimately and have a relationship with them. I found a few good combinations, but our photographer  had to go to a concert, so I will come back another day! I must also say that Pollyanna has a very fine collection of clothes. She has lovely pieces, with nice details, fabrics, and some classic prints. She also has some gorgeous shoes! I did not even get to see all of her clothes because we started playing with her adorable dog Jack, and HaHa and having girl time!

Anyway, on account of this girl time I need to publish my post in the next 16 minutes because it 11:44!!! I have to get it done before midnight! So sorry for the sloppy post!










Outfit:

Shirt: Salvation Army. I got this in high school. I cut the sleeves off and took the shoulder pads out, and today I'm wearing it backwards for nursing access.

Jacket: Old Navy. This is a maternity jacket and it is slightly too big. However, utility/safari are "in" for spring, according to my sources!

Pants: From Cousin. Gap!

Shoes: zoe & zac

Pics: Farmer's market, back room

Check out Erin's super-cute shirt below! Maybe it's hard to see?

Surreal Surreal!

I was at school today. I was working with a former colleague and current friend and we had a lot of fun. The class had a lot of outside activities today, so we had some time to catch up while we were editing papers. Good times!

When school was over we had a kindergarten visit day for Leo. The fact that my little LeeLee is going to kindergarten in the fall is quite amazing to me. What is also amazing is that he is going to be in class with some children who I met as babies because their older siblings were in my class! It is very surreal. Very surreal.

We had to bring HaHa to the visit and of course she was in rare form. Climbing on chairs, screaming  "No, Mama!", spitting cookies on Richard's leg, and being generally disruptive. Usually, HaHa is the picture of sweetness and calm, but today she could not be hemmed in by the expectations of her anxious mother. Oh well, I guess I better get used to it!

Outfit:

As I said I would, I am wearing yesterday's dress the way it was meant to be worn, as opposed to inside out!

Dress: Urban Outfitters.

Under Sweater: From Cousin. Mossimo.

Outer sweater- coat: Goodwill. Forever 21.

Boots: From friend. It was raining when I left the house. It was also chilly. Of course, by the end of the day the sun was shining! 

Aunt Janine sneaked a pink bow into HaHa's hair! She won't keep one on with me!

D'Oh!

Okay, so it's 9:58 and my friend just left, and it's poker night, and Haha hit her head and just fell asleep 20 minutes ago after being awake for the entire day, (save for a half hour nap en route to get the boys)... And I had a summer school meeting with the director, and then I came home and had to clean up and make dinner, and I am really, terribly disorganized and all of these are just lame excuses for why I do not have anything poetic or notable or interesting to write about tonight. And, that little monologue reminds me of something I might overhear on Grey's Anatomy while Richard is watching it and I am gagging on the sidelines because nobody talks like that and it is sooo cheesy. So what does all this mean? Chalk it up to writer's block or a bad case of PMS!

P.S. I think I may have found another lost member of The Brunettes!

P.S.S. My hair looks like one of Marge's sisters in this photo!



Outfit:

I think this outfit says "writer's block" too. As I said I had a "business meeting", so I tried to look semi-professional. However I kept my shirts loosely tied for better nursing access and I ended up looking sloppy.

Long sleeve blouse: Goodwill. Seen in Science is Real!

Green Blouse: Goodwill. Lux. Seen in Bieber Fever! Haha just happened to be playing with a matching Home Depot flag! She was also quite eager to pose (see below!)

Black Dress: I got this at Urban Outfitters probably around 16 years ago. It has cool beading on the front, but I'm wearing it inside out. Maybe tomorrow I'll wear it the right way. When I bought it, it was on sale for 50 bucks from a hundred, and at the time I remember thinking it was so expensive (I was a poor student)! This is the dress I was wearing the night I went into labor with Charlie. It's very stretchy (see swollen feet)!

Shoes: American Eagle. This is the first time I've worn closed shoes since I cut my heel. It was okay, but I might wear open heeled shoes tomorrow!

Happy People!

I have some work to do tonight, and Sunday is the day of rest, so I will fill my post with more inspirational lyrics from one of The Brunettes most heartfelt songs. Pollyanna reminded me of this forgotten treasure in the comments section. Forgive me if you read it already. It's called "Happy People":

You and I were like day and night
I would say it's wrong and you would say it's right
But we couldn't have gone on like that, fight after fight
We made up our minds to reunite
So we could be... (Chorus):
Happy people, Happy people
Happy people in the U.S.A
Happy People, Happy people
Happy people in the world today...

And another verse:

We can't go on with this hatred and war
Tomorrow I wanna wake up, open my door
And see the sun shinin' on people in the street
They'll be people I'd like to meet


'Cause they'll be...
Happy people, happy people
Happy people in the USA

Now tell me that doesn't make you want to join the band? Our first rehearsal will be in two weeks. As Pollyanna suggested, we will only be performing songs that were written in fourth grade!

Outfit:

Shirt/Dress: This was a gift from one of my many stylish friends. I love the colors and fabric. It was made in India and it is silk.

Jeans: Old Navy. I am wearing this long top over the jeans because these jeans sag way low because they are really too big. I got them right after I had Leo. I maybe was a bit bigger than usual, but of course I lost the weight quickly because I was a nursing mom with two kids under two! I really don't have any jeans that fit me perfectly. Maybe one day! 

Shoes: I did not wear any today! We had a little impromptu NBA playoffs viewing with Richard's family and they brought over pizza and drinks! I took the left over IBC Root Beer bottles (makes me think irritable bowel...) and put my mother's day flowers from my cousin in them. I think they look cool! How's that for recycling?!

Date Night!

Well, Richard and I had a sort of date afternoon. We dropped the two youngest kids off at the benevolent Aunt Janine's and headed off to the theater to watch Charlie perform in a school show. It was surreal to see my little boy dance on a stage that I have danced on many a time, many years ago. It was also nice to get a moment out with Richard as it has been a while.

Now we are going to watch a movie! This seems really mundane, I know, but it is something we don't do as often as we should. HaHa is only now starting get into a good sleep routine. Thank Buddha! Anyway, in order for us to get to our Netflix film that has been sitting in the mail basket for a good three weeks, I am going to end my post now!

Pollyanna didn't take any credit for our Brunettes' tunes, but I am certain she had to have written at least one line. Anyway, she gets paid to write now, so I guess it was one minuscule step on the road to professional writing!  Also, we got an offer from a lovely and brilliant guitar player and writer to jam with us, so maybe The Brunettes actually have a future. You Tube, here we come!


Outfit:

Sage Silk Shirt: Goodwill. Kenneth Cole. I got this when I was trying to "hide" a pregnancy pooch.

White tank: Old Navy. I am wearing it inside out because it is beaded.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Jacket: Clothing Swap. From the lovely Jamie! I am too lazy to go look at the tag right now!

Shoes: zoe & zac!

Necklace: This is a bracelet that I've looped a belt from a shirt through. Now that I am exploring my closet, I've begun to look at everything with an eye on its' possibilities.

Bieber Fever!

I've been hearing about Bieber Fever for a while, but it was only recently that I heard Justin Bieber sing and saw him engage in witty repartee with Oprah.  He was very charming and quite talented, I thought.  Besides his crazy hairdo, I could understand why young girls are obsessed with him.

What a lucky lad to be born in the age of You Tube. Where was You Tube when I was a kid? Pollyanna and I could have uploaded our "The Brunettes" songs! With our brilliant lyrics and dazzling personalities I'm sure we would have gone viral in a flash!

Just take the theme song (?) for our band: "Brunettes Have More Fuh-uh-un. I know it 'cause I am Wuh-uh-un (one). Brunettes have more fuh-uh-un. I know it 'cause I am one!" Sheer brilliance!

That song is second only to the toe tapping hit "Us". It goes like this: "We. We are us. We grow each day. Life can be easy, it can be tough, but, we have to take it either way." (By the way, Richard wants me to remind people that these songs are copyrighted and he is very litigious.)

Now, in our/my defense, we were in fourth grade and we were nerds. And, I am sure I was a negative influence on Pollyanna's lyrical styling. After all, she listened to the Beatles and Carole King. I listened to KISS-FM. Oh, to bring this back to the fashion side, we made our own Brunettes t-shirts with puffy paint. They were awesome! (By the way, Richard also questions the past tense use of "nerds" in referring to Pollyanna and me. Sorry Pollyanna!)

Outfit:

White shirt: Goodwill. Isabelle Marant.


Green Shirt: Goodwill. Lux.

Brown pants that look black in the photo: Goodwill. I.N.C. (fabric right)

Shoes:  zoe & zac

We Wear The Pants!

I was happy to learn that out of 36 people I did NOT own the most pairs of pants. I was surprised that most people (12) have under five pairs of pants. That seems like quite a modest number. Now I am curious to know how many pairs of jeans people have. I am also wondering if people included yoga pants, sweat pants, or if they were thinking slacks, cords, and seersucker bell bottoms. I don't know.  I guess I need to make my polls more specific.

I had a happy day after seeing Leo perform in his Spring Concert with his peers. It was adorable and included a folk dance where Leo danced with a girl! Afterward Haha and I strolled about and enjoyed the sights around the city. Everything was good up until the point where I drove for an hour in traffic to pick up Charlie at the Wadsworth Theater (located near one of the most congested intersections in the nation - Westwood and Wilshire), only to discover that the bus had taken the kids back to school. Therefore, I would be late and I did not have any numbers for the coordinators. Smart.

This was one of those occasions I was ecstatic that a) I had my cellphone. and b) it was charged. I called Richard and told him the situation . He said he could leave work and fetch Charlie. While I was on the phone with him I got a call from the parent coordinator asking if I had Charlie. I said "No" and became even more upset than I had been. Charlie was missing and it was my fault.

In those next 20 minutes where I did not know what was going on, I was struck by how I would do anything to have Charlie be okay, yet I so often feel annoyed or upset by his behavior. Why does it take something bad to happen to make me see the blessings I have in my life?

Charlie was in a friend's car. Richard got him and the parent who called me was forgiving of our error.  I was thankful and appreciative of the universe and family and friends. I must remember to always count my blessings!

Outfit:

Shirt: Goodwill. Lux.

Polkadot wrap: Thrift store.

Jeans: Hand me Down from Pollyanna! Express.

Shoes: Mossimo

Meet The Parents!

I have avoided wearing two different outfits in one day for fear of "running out" before my 365 days are up. I am 132 days in, by the way. That is a little more than a third of the way through! I can do it! I can do it! I think I can. I think I can...  Even if I end up looking like as total fool.


I actually contemplated wearing my "work" outfit all day, but I was meeting a bunch of ladies in the park for a group play date, followed by Leo pick up, then more park, then Charlie pick up, then more park, then off to a summer school open house at 5:30 to meet parents and answer questions about my summer class curriculum. Once I thought about the logistics of the day, I realized that wearing pants and Fit Flops until work time was the way to go.

I don't know why, but I've been having parenting issues. With the boys, I feel we are at a stand-off, and I haven't figured out how to speak their language and communicate to them that some of their actions are unacceptable. On top of that, Haha has been a total diva. Walking around saying "No!" to everything I do. She actually pushed my hand away today, as I was trying to protect her from falling. "No!" Listen Haha, you are supposed to be a baby, okay? Can someone please give her the memo?

Outfit:

Shirt and sweater stay the same.


Shirt: Forever 21. I got this when I was pregnant because it is long, and fit over my belly well. However, it is gathered at the bottom, which I am not feeling. I will either cut the bottom or only wear it tucked in.

Sweater: I think I got this at a store in New York called Conways. I got it a long time ago as a gift for Pollyanna. She was giving it away, so I took it back. I had the same sweater in blue and black, butI lost them. Today while I was sitting with the kids I took the pink threaded flowers off because I thought they didn't look good. 

Jeans: Hand me down from cousin. Old Navy.

Shoes: Fit Flops

Skirt: From Walmart in the tiny town in Massachusetts where my mom lives. George.

Tights: Hue.

Shoes: American Eagle.

This is how most of my photos look... really.


The picture of Leo was taken on one of our trips to the park. He was really picking up speed on that thing!