Ingrid, Not Inga!

I realized tonight when I was singing some more choice lyrics from the workshop I was in, that the Swedish girl who helped Maisy escape to freedom was Ingrid, not Inga. When I was talking to my friend about the play, I suddenly flashed on Ingrid's heart-wrenching song where she questions the morality of slavery and Maisy's owner, Mr. Jones: "Look out Mr. Jones, I won't stop now. Ingrid can do more than just milk a cow! You better watch out, don't run and hide. You'll be sorry- you're not on my siiiiide!"

The woman who played the part of Ingrid was an Equity Card carrying actress, as were many of the other people in the production. I couldn't believe that this is what professional musical theater actors had to do. This, as well as many other experiences in the theater, made me realize that, although I love me some musical theater, I did not have it in me to make a career out of it.

It was fun while it lasted though.

Now, on to fashion. Or un-fashion. A few times since I've begun this little project, I've left the house feeling fine, only to be horrified when I upload my pictures. Today was one of those days. I thought this outfit looked pretty cute in the mirror this morning, but in pictures, not so much. As I've been working with "new" outfits, I've developed a sense of what will work and be editorial. At least more of a sense than I've had before. I am learning as I go. Today, I learned that this sweater needs to go.

Any takers?

Outfit:

Sweater (it was chilly today): Clothing swap. J.Crew.

Dress: Forever 21. The top of this dress is really cool. I'll wear it when it's warmer!

Jeans: From friend. Express.

Shoes: American Eagle.

Most days, for the past nine months, Leo, HaHa and I have hung around the city of Santa Monica like vagabonds, waiting for Cha-Cha to get out of school. The little siblings have been troopers. Patient, flexible, and agreeable, for the most part. I am so glad the boys will be at the same place next year!

Rainbows!

A Sunday.
A movie.
A day off.
A play-off
game.

The Tony's.

Which made me think of a ridiculous workshop I was cast in many, many years ago in New York. It was at The York Theater Company. Now, I do not want to offend or disrespect any people involved with the creation and production of theater anywhere. I admire those people and I honor them. However, this production, which will remain nameless, was musical theater at it's cheesiest.

I was cast as a slave girl named Maisy. I had a mean and nasty owner who beat me, and I was befriended by a young immigrant girl from Sweden named Inga. I'm not kidding. Her name was Inga. I'll spare you all the details of the story, but I will tell you that it had a happy ending. Inga and another kind woman helped Maisy escape! When Maisy finally found herself out of danger and away from her evil master, she saw a rainbow, which was a "sign that everything's gonna be fine!"

The final song of the show was "Rainbow's". I sang it with the two other women. I don't remember all the lyrics, but it began: "Colors all together. Colors in a row. A spectrum all around you. A warm and special glow." If those aren't the exact lyrics, they are pretty darn close. This would explain why I did not invite anyone to the handful of performances we had. Maybe I invited my roommate, but that was it. I was embarrassed. I also felt sorry for the people who cast me, because I would almost crack up in every scene I was in.  Although I held it together for the performances.

Another song I sang as Maisy was about a bird. Maisy sang this song right after she was abused by her master: "I'd like to be a bird. 'Cause a bird has wings. A bird can fly away and choose the song she sings." Yes. This is exactly what would be going through my mind if somebody had just beaten me.

Anyway, I saw some things on the Tony's which reminded me that musical theater can be splendid when it's done well, but so, so horrid when it's not.

Outfit:

Cream knit shirt: From cousin. Mossimo.

Salmon Jacket: Forever 21.

Cargo pants: Goodwill. Mossimo.

Shoes: zoe & zac.

At The Races!

Today my dad thought it would be fun to take his kids to the race track. His middle son just got back to California yesterday by way of a leave from the Air Force. So what better way to celebrate than by gambling?! His eldest son is returning to his post in the Air Force tomorrow. His youngest daughter drove here from Arizona yesterday. His eldest child and his youngest child both live in California, so we traveled the shortest distance. My dad has five children! My youngest brother is the same age as my stepson.

When we got to the track my dad was set on picking horses for the first race. Charlie helped us, and once we had them all sussed out, my sister and I set off for snacks. Everything at Hollywood Park was not to our liking, so we decided to take off for Trader Joe's because my sister was craving hibiscus flowers.
While we were at the store we got a call from my father saying we had won the first race. Yay! However, the cashier taking his bet put "2nd Race" on the ticket. Boo!

Even though the cashier admitted his mistake, we could not get our money. My father decided, after talking to the higher ups at the park, that we were getting our betting money from the second race back, and getting the hell out of there! We coulda' been contendahs!

I still got to spend some time with my little sibs and my pop. That's just as good as winning some cash!

Outfit:

I finally did some laundry for myself! It's looks like I had  a Goodwill day!

Striped shirt: Goodwill. Banana Republic.

Polka-dot shirt: Goodwill. Forever 21. 

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Shoes: Mossimo. 


When Richard and I went to pick HaHa up from her Grandma Palver's she had these sweet little flowers in her hair! Her Auntie did it!

After Midnight!

This is the first time I have ever posted after midnight! I'm slipping, I'm tripping... I'm exhausted. I was going to write a poem or just put up all of the horrific photos I took today, but instead I will explain why it is that I am in this position.

Leo has a fever, so instead of driving up north to camp with his entire class today, he was home with me on the couch or in his bed all day. He did get a 40 minute car ride when I had to deliver something to Charlie's school. Fun, fun, fun! Because Leo was out of sorts, HaHa was doubly clingy and demanding. Fun. Fun. Fun. And, poor Leo is missing all of the fun his entire class will have this weekend before they all go off to different schools next year. They've been together 3 years. I feel very bad for him.

It's been a long week. The whole end-of-the-school year business is truly, down to the marrow, fatiguing. Especially when you have kids at different schools. Perhaps it will be better next year when the boys are at the same school. I hope so.

Outfit:

Since I was getting dressed in a pinch, I opted for a fool-proof way of not repeating: An unworn item! I did not get to photo taking until 6:15, so the light was not great. I came inside and did a few with flash, but I always hate the way those look. At any rate, this is what I wore:

Black shirt: Goodwill. Forever 21. This shirt still had the tags on when I found it at the good 'ol GW.

Green shirt: Old Navy. This is a maternity shirt that I still wear.

Jeans: Big Sunday. Bu from Malibu Jeans.

Shoes: Predictions.



Last night, when I brought the sleeping pad in for our camping trip, Char-Char proceeded to turn it into a character!

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!

Play Date!

Today,  I experienced the worst play date ever. My child didn't kick anybody in the head, or draw on the wall, or say and choice words. However, he did manage to throw up all over the play room carpet. Of course there was a linoleum floor a few inches away. And a bathroom within a few feet. However, Lee-Lo hasn't thrown up in years, so I suppose he didn't know what was happening. As soon as the grown ups were alerted of the situation, I immediately jumped up and tried to assess the damage. Child: okay. Carpet: screwed.

I happened to have some rags and bags with me from the picnic last night that I picked up the mess with. Then Erin gave me some more cloths and I got on my hands and knees to start the cleaning and scrubbing and spraying that would lead to a mostly clean carpet! However, just when I thought the dirty work was done, Erin discovered another pile on the play room chair!

I was horrified! All that time I was scrubbing the floor, the mess was just sitting there. That made it far worse than it would have been if I had immediately gotten rid of the bulk of the problem. So, for the next hour, I scrubbed and scraped and sprayed and washed, until I knew there was nothing more to be done. I also had to make sure Lee-Lo was staying away from the other kids, and staying calm. Ha! Right. I took apart the cushion on the chair, and let it sit in the sun. As I was laying out the fabric, Erin commented that the chair belonged to her 90 year old grandmother. D'oh! Could it be any worse?!

I guess it could have been worse. Erin could have been visibly perturbed. She was absolutely, down-right gracious. Leo could have vomited on a child. Or in a shoe. Or on a piece of art. Whatever the case, I just hope that next time he knows what to do and asks for help!

Outfit:

Flower Sweater: Goodwill. Lux.

Floral shirt: Goodwill. Clio.

Jeans: Goodwill. Gap.

Shoes: Not from Goodwill! Q'uelle surprise! Predictions.

June Gloom!

Today was one of those foggy, gray days. I wanted to read in bed and stay cozy, but HaHa had other ideas. We did read a bit though...

I  guess it was better I didn't lounge in bed because I had to vote, pick up Leo, stop by Charlie's school, then come home to bake cookies for a family picnic. My baking mojo has been off for a while,  so I decided to try a new recipe. We only had brown sugar, so I googled, "Brown Sugar Cookies". I found several recipes that were pretty much the same. I think they were all fashioned after a recipe from America's Test Kitchen.

They came out perfectly! Yay! It was a relief. By the way, as I am typing this (at 10:21 p.m.), HaHa, is hobbling around with two legs in one pant leg that she worked very hard to pull on. I think I will have to put this post to bed in order to see that she gets to bed. Oh, here is the link to the recipe, in case you're interested: Brown Sugar Cookies. I have been writing my posts later and later, so that I can fully focus, but I guess that just isn't possible tonight. I think HaHa is off schedule because she had a late nap on account of the picnic. Anyway, I better go. Sorry for the sloppy post!


Outfit:

Butterfly Shirt: Thrift Store. Vintage. I believe this is from the 40's.

Sweater: From cousin. Mossimo.

Pants: Thrift store. Moda International.

Shoes: Mossimo.

Yippee!

I got a call at 6a.m. to sub! Yippee!!! I immediately decided that rather than snooze for a bit longer, I should get up and get going. We made it out of the house a bit on the late side, and there was an accident on the 10, of course. The days where there are no accidents seem to be few and far between, unfortunately.


In honor of the elections happening tomorrow (today by the time you read this probably), I was going to write something political, but instead I would like to post something from the comments section in "Litter Bugs!" a few days ago.










Here is a picture of my outfit, and the associated quote: "Layna: Not trying to be cruel, BUT, if you want to clean up the environment you will get rid of those used-to-be flowers on your top! When I first saw them, before I read the explanation I figured that they had to be something one of the kids had made, and you promised to wear it; that would have been understandable. How bad can the stain be, that you opt to wear droopy-down rags over it? I have hundreds of fabric flowers, if you would like to replace the faux weeping-willows on your chest. Just let me know. Love,D" This was completely on the mark! It made me laugh, and the writer definitely has a point. I guess I'll be hitting someone up for some fabric flowers soon!


Outfit:

Black demi-cardigan: Clothing Swap. Old Navy.

Refashioned Halter-T: I found this London shirt at a thrift store in New York. I loved the image, but the tee itself was over size and unflattering. A lovely and talented friend did the handiwork to make it a keeper!

Polka dot skirt: My mom found this in a thrift store and she gave it to me many, many years ago. It's at least 17 years old! Express.

Red skirt: Hand me down from friend. Old Navy.

Shoes: Predictions.

I Love My Bike!

Today, I got a little time off, and I decided to go for a bike ride all by my lonesome! How much I miss the days of riding my bicycle all the time as my main form of transportation! I realized, as I peddled down the boulevard, that riding my bike is part of me that I need to remember. It reminds me that I am meant to move. It makes me feel alive, and free.

One summer, long ago, I had the good fortune to accompany a wonderful family to Orcas Island. When we there, we rode bikes everywhere. I had not been much of a biker before that, but afterward, I went back to New York with a plan to get a bike. I had been down in the dumps for a while, and I knew it would be good for my health. I told one of my best friends of this plan, and she offered her bike, Fajita, to me! It was as if my prayers were answered, and I started tooling around the city on two wheels rather than being stuck on the miserable subway. Of course, now I would give anything to have a subway as my main transportation source, but I digress.

Fajita changed my life. She brought me joy and greater health. I saw parts of the city I had never seen before. I met new friends. I lost weight. 20 pounds to be exact. All from riding. My diet stayed the same. I also got hit by a taxi, but that's another story. Another long New York story...

Outfit:

Keepin' it simple. It's the day of rest!

T-shirt: Old Navy.

Pants: From Cousin. Gap.

Shoes: Predictions.               

                                                                 I love HaHa bear!

Litter Bugs!

Yesterday, on my walk to the bus, I was struck by the amount of trash on our street, and the surrounding streets, and in the neighborhood in general. Disgusting. Infuriating!
 As a child I was part of a group at school that would pick up litter on the city streets. A teacher organized it, and I remember walking down Santa Monica Boulevard with trash bags and gloves. We were in elementary school, and we did not get credit for picking up trash. The teacher, I'm sure, didn't get paid extra for this labor. He did it, we did it, because we didn't want to see trash on our streets.

When I think about doing something like that today,  I know it would never be allowed. There's too much traffic now, and liability. I have done beach clean up with some of my classes, and it is satisfying. The children really love it, and there is a genuine sense of pride. That's the way I felt when we would do our street clean ups at school. Proud and responsible.

 The boys and I pick up trash when we see it, and we are quite diligent about it. However, where our street is concerned we have a problem: There is a junior high school down the block. Day after day, I watch kids stuff wrappers in our bushes, or drop paper as they pass. I can't imagine caring so little about the environment that I would just release whatever it was I was holding and leave it on the ground. It just seems so rude. And thoughtless. I wonder if their parents litter too, or if they would tell them not to drop their crap on the ground? I hope so, but I'm guessing no.

Outfit:

I was staying home except for a jaunt to the neighbor's house where a birthday celebration was taking place. When I searched through my drawers, I found this lovely top that I used to wear all the time. At some point it got stained, so I sewed these little red flowers on it that did not wash very well. I don't know why I've kept this top, I can't remember the last time I wore it... Maybe because it doesn't take up a lot of space?!

Top: Purchased in some small New York store ages ago. "Flowers" from Joanne's Fabrics.

Jeans: Big Sunday

Shoes: Fit Flops

New Parent Dinner!

In just mere moments I will be hopping on the bus with HaHa in order to get to school to do some work, pick up the boys, get them fed and off to Aunt Janine's, and meet Richard for our "New" parent dinner tonight. Leo is entering Kindergarten in the fall, so the school has a dinner for all of the kindergarten parents. We did it last year for Charlie, so we hardly feel new, but that's another story.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to wear for the dinner, something nice but somewhat casual. I found the perfect shirt, but didn't know what to pair it with. I decided I would wear a combo I've never worn before: Pink and Khaki. Now, I only have khakis because my generous cousin gave me two brand new (with the tags still on!) pair. I like them, and they are a great staple. Since I didn't want to wear the shirt all day, I opted to wear this "cover up" while I am doing my mom stuff. That way, I hope to preserve the integrity of the blouse.

I got this blouse at Goodwill for about 5 bucks. I have an addiction to anything sparkly and strange. I had to have it, and it has been sitting in my closet unworn for over a year. Gotta go! The Big Blue Bus beckons!!!

Outfit:

Cover up: From Cousin. Mossimo. She gave me two of these too!

Pink shirt: Goodwill.

Khakis: From cousin. Gap.

Shoes: Mossimo

Goodwill!

This morning, as I drove Leo and HaHa to the beach for a field trip, I happened to end up behind a Goodwill truck. There it was in the gray, gray light, telling me to carry on with my ridiculous project.  "Do not be discouraged", it said. "Keep on Trucking!" I love little signs from the universe like this.

When I woke up to get ready for the beach it was cold and overcast and I thought I might have a message on my cell phone saying "trip canceled." I did not. So we headed West. Much to my surprise, many of the kids were in their bathing suits, and they got wet! I, of course, was freezing, and I was happy I had a jacket and a scarf to throw over my sweater and "beachy" top. We had a great time, and the sun came out just when it was time for the children to go home!

I took the long way home. As we drove we passed a shop I had never seen before called Essential Chocolate. At the same exact moment on NPR's Bookworm a writer said the words "Essential, existential loneliness." My brain immediately linked essential-chocolate-loneliness. Could this be another sign?

Outfit:

Orange Sweater: From cousin. Mossimo.

Shirt: Old Navy. I got this in MA, a couple of summers ago when I was visiting my mom. I was pregnant which seems to have been a fertile shopping time for me!

Jeans: Big Sunday. Bu from Malibu Jeans.

Shoes: Fit Flops.

HaHa loved being with the older kids! Even in the freezing cold!

Double Duty!

As I was crawling into bed this morning at 5:50, my friend Erin was enjoying the very wee hours with her little ones. She got up at 5:20, to be exact. So there we were, two ships passing in the dawn. The night owl and the early bird, both inspired not only by our own natures, but by our little chickies. I won't go into the whole story of why I was up so late, but I will say that HaHa was up for two hours in the middle of the night. I comforted her, gave her water, rubbed her back, and put on music, but after about an hour I left her crying in her crib and went back downstairs to finish up some work. Imagine my surprise when I heard cries of "Mah-mah... mah-mah" approaching! Haha was apparently lifted out of her crib by her 5 year old brother. I had thrown in the towel, but her brother said, "H to the N mom. You're not gonna' leave this cryin' child in my room!"

So I held her, and she slowed me down. I waited a while then I gingerly placed her back in her crib. I finished my work, made lunches, sent a few emails, brushed my teeth, then lay my heavy head down at 5:50 a.m! The phone rang 10 minutes later, but I couldn't sub today because I had an appointment. Part of me wondered if I could have gone to work without sleeping at all. Probably not a good idea. It does make me wonder. I guess this is part of getting old. I can't do all-nighters anymore.

HaHa called me from her crib at 8:30. My outfit today reflects my fatigue and lack of inspiration. It also had two lives. My original creation ended up getting changed back to a more subdued outfit, because I was cold, and didn't feel up to whimsy. Blame it on the lack of zzz's!

Oh! The highlight of my day was getting to meet my amazing friend's new baby girl! She is beautiful and sweet and she had that new baby smell!

Outfit:

Embroidered Shirt: Thrift store. This is actually the bottom half of a dress I cut in two. I tied the ends to create the "top".

Grey sweater: From cousin. A comfy staple for me. I've worn it quite a bit, so I decided to wear it in a "new" way.

Jeans: Big Sunday. Bu from Malibu.

Shoes: Predictions.

See the double bags under the eye?!

Backtraking!

I realized after I re-read my post from yesterday, that I implied that the American couple in the movie were over-involved in their child's life.Which they absolutely were not. They seem like a really amazing couple and family, and, I have an insider tip that they had their baby at home and helped to start a co-op pre-school! So how's that for kicking some parenting butt?!  I also implied that American parents aren't interested in their kids, which, of course, is another absurd thing to say. I meant to say that just because two of the moms in the film were less "involved", they still were interested. I also realize that I should avoid generalizations. Always. Of course, I know many non- over-involved-yet-still-interested American parents of American kids.


What really struck me in the film were the sibling relationships and the way the Mongolian and Namibian mother seemed to not get too involved. Obviously, sibling rivalry/relations are on my mind. In Babies, the American and Japanese children do not even have siblings, so again, I should have chosen my words more carefully. I guess we see what we want to see in everything, and I honed in on the the two moms I wish I was more like!  Now, the Namibian mom does have 9 children, so maybe experience has made her wiser.

So the lesson I learn is to NOT make sweeping generalizations, and to not write posts of a critical nature in haste! Please forgive me if I did offend and kindly disregard yesterday's post! And go see Babies if you want to see an interesting film!

Outfit:

Wrap shirt: Same as yesterday. Thrift store.

Red dress: Goodwill. Old Navy. Seen in: Riddle of the Jinx! and Reality Check! (worn as skirt in both) I guess this is my third time wearing this! I'm going to have to start keeping count... but that's another project!

A line Coral skirt: Thrift store. I've worn this a bunch too. Seen in: The Pacific! and We are All Hypocrites! and Showers!

Shoes: American Eagle.