I Can't Complain

What I'm Wearing Wednesday: September 12, 2012

Sorry, no catchy title for this one - I was actually going to wait until the end of the week and do a Friday First Grade Fashion blog (nice alliteration there, eh? Thank goodness the 1st grade teacher picked Friday - I couldn't think of anything that worked with Thursday....), but I was running ahead of schedule this morning, so since it's Wednesday, I snapped a few pictures of my outfit.  I couldn't find my camera quickly, so I purloined the Bomber's, which is nicer than mine anyway, but not as festively orange. The cat box makes a reappearance this morning, too! Also, a glimpse of my shoes! Not quite sure how I managed that, but there they are.

Here are the individual pieces:

The pants are Banana Republic Martin fit cuffed crops, which I picked up on the clearance rack for next to nothing a few weeks ago. It's hard to see, but they're a navy checked pattern.  The shoes are Michael Antonio Gota in white. Yes, I'm wearing white shoes after Labor Day. This is South Carolina, it's still hot! Plus, I just like them.  Under the sweater is just a little gathered-neck t-shirt from Target and the locket is from Red Envelope. Mine has an H engraved on it. The earrings are my standard silver hoops.

The sweater is your basic navy blue cardigan. I'm a little embarrassed about the origins of this sweater, so I'm not going to tell you where it's from (although I'd fess up if someone guessed). Suffice to say, I originally bought this cardigan from Boden:

but it turned out to be entirely the wrong color, and looked dowdy on me to boot.  So I returned that one, got this one and saved myself $50. Go me. 

Here's how I look in all that:

I think it needs a scarf or something for next time. Also, I have a cute new 'do for fall, but it didn't translate well in this photograph, so it just looks slightly unkempt. I promise it's cute. And Pia, if you're reading this, I did what you told me to do, honest!!

I have a cute new outfit ready for First Grade Friday (What, you don't choose your clothes in an effort to impress a bunch of 6 year olds?!?) so stay tuned for that.

It's All a Matter of Perspective

The Bomber has had this bento-style lunch set made a company called Laptop Lunches since before he was even in school.  He picked the color of the set - a purple outer box with blue, green and pink inner boxes, and a purple insulated carrier - when he was about 4, and at the time he loved it, down to the cute purple name tag on the carrier. 

Apparently, though, once one has grown up to the geriatric age of six, one realizes that a plain purple carrier is no good, unless you want to be mocked at lunchtime by those with better (read licensed character-branded) lunchboxes.  Since I wasn't about to buy him an entire new lunchbox set, we compromised on getting a new carrier for his bento boxes.  He chose this one:

Nice, huh?  Look at how happy those aliens look, hangin' out in space, doin' their alien thing, chillin' with the planets, swingin' on the stars... well, you get the picture.

Since the cute purple name tag from the old carrier has long since been lost, and the new carrier didn't come with a name tag, Sunday afternoon I pulled out the Cricut and the laminator and whipped this little guy up:

He's a cutie-pie isn't he?  He's all smiley and friendly and just happy to be in space. He's even got his arms open for a big alien hug! Right? 

Wrong. At least if you're a six year old boy.  Last night the Bomber was talking to my sister on the phone, and the subject of the new lunchbox came up. "Mom got me a new lunchbox!  It's awesome - it has aliens on it! And she made me an astronaut with my name on it! He's attacking the aliens!"

ATTACKING? That sweet little astronaut! Attacking those cute little aliens!?!?  I see interstellar peace and love, he sees intergalactic war.

I guess it truly is all in your perspective.

What I'm Wearing Wednesday: Back to School!

Okay, today's WIW isn't actually about me, but "What the Bomber is Wearing" doesn't have that same alliterative ring to it.  Anyway, the Bomber was stylishly turned out today for his first day of 1st grade:

The shorts are boys' uniform shorts in navy, by Cherokee via Target. The shoes and socks are both from Lands' End - boys' Trekker shoes in Antique Olive, and boys' ankle socks in white. The belt is by Levi's, via Amazon Prime (because I realized the day before he was supposed to wear his uniform to the new parents' orientation that he had no belt) and his pack is an Original Backpack in red, from LL Bean.  He's also wearing his St. Peter's School embroidered logo polo shirt, but since that is an exclusive item available only at your local fine uniform store, I don't have a picture. 

Here's how he looks in all that:

What's he looking at? I don't know. It was virtually impossible to get a regular picture of him this morning, although I did manage The Many Faces of Bomber...

Sad:

Dismissive:

Crazy:

It's hard to believe he's already in 1st grade.  It seems like yesterday he was off to kindergarten:

(Imagine my horror when I realized he was wearing THE SAME OUTFIT as last year!!  Good heavens...)

Heck, forget kindergarten - it seems like only yesterday he was going off to his first day of "school" ever:

Where'd that tiny baby go? And more importantly, what's he wearing under that blanket?!?

And in case anyone is interested in what I was wearing, here's a rare picture showing my feet:

He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

And since you can't see the rest of me in that picture, here's a more familiar setting, complete with potted plant and a glimpse of my red Fake Spade bag:

Well, that's it for now - I've already got the okay from the new 1st grade teacher to come over and read once a week, so watch this space for 1st grade fashion reports, coming soon!

What I'm Wearing Wednesday: Outlet Shopping Edition

Last week Larry, the Bomber and I were in Hilton Head with Larry's family, which was awesome.  I'd intended to post a WIW of me in beachwear or lounging by the pool or something, so you'd all be envious and bitter, but I ended up being way too busy hanging out at the beach and lounging by the pool, so I never got to it.  On our last day on HHI, Larry and I left the Bomber with Nana and hit the outlets. I had a LOT more luck than he did, so I've been wearing outlet outifts all week.  Unfortunately, shopping at the outlets usually means no pictures of the clothes available online, so it's a pretty small montage this week. This is what I'm wearing:

As an aside, I really take the absolute worst photos, ever.  I took about 20 of them this morning and THIS is the best of them. Seriously. 

Here's the pieces I have pictures of:

Anyway, the shoes, which you once again can't see in the picture of me, are Michael Antonio Galatica wedges in a neutral. The skirt from the Loft outlet, and it's shades of purple, pink and neutral. The sweater is from the Ann Taylor outlet, and it's really a much brighter purple than it looks here. The cream cami underneath is from Banana Republic. The jewlery is mostly from the archives - I unearthed the necklace and earrings this morning in search of something with pinks or purples.  The ring is new - I bought it at the Bomber's school auction back in May. It's a mystic fire topaz - the picture doesn't do it justice, because it's really a great combination of flashing purples, greens and pinks, set in silver with little white stones (diamonds? CZ? who knows...) on the side.

The Bomber starts back to school in TWO WEEKS (how is this possible?) and has a new 1st grade teacher. Hopefully she'll let me come read every week, so I can do 1st grade fashion reports. In the meantime, I think I'll work on my camera skills.

What I'm Wearing: Shopping in My Closet Edition

It's not Wednesday, I know, but I thought today's outfit was worth blogging, since I rescued a dress I've had in the closet for almost 10 years, and made what I think it a really cute outfit out of it.   A few weeks ago I was looking for something new to wear that didn't involve my credit card, and I came across a dress I bought I for a wedding in Hawai'i in 2003.  I think it's a lovely dress. I'm not sure why I never wore it much - maybe because it's sleeveless, or because it was a maxi-dress before they were popular (again), but in any case, when I pulled it out this time, I decided to give it another shot. 

It's silk, from Coldwater Creek, and although you once again can't see below my knees, it's ankle legnth with slits up either side to about the knee.  Like these pants, this dress has gone through an entire cycle of fitting, being way too tight, briefly fitting again, and now being a little too big.  It has a tie in the back which keeps it from looking too baggy on me, but I'll probably bring it by Nick the Tailor's anyway, now that I've decided I like it.

The shrug is from Old Navy. I picked up a white one just like this to go with something else, and I grabbed the orange one, too, without having any concrete idea of what I'd wear it with.  The shoes I bought to go with a Boden floral dress from two years ago which I wear all the time but have apparently never blogged.  Anyway, the orange of the shrug is much brighter than the orange-y flowers on the dress, but I really think it works anyway.

The dress is so old that I don't have a picture of it, but here's the shrug and the shoes.  Shrug is from Old Navy, shoes are CL by Chinese Laundry, via Amazon:

 

And here's how I look wearing the dress in my office bathroom:

Also, since you hardly ever get to see them, here's my feet:

 

 

 

What I'm Wearing: Missing the Kindergartners Edition

It feels a litle strange to do a fashion report with reading to kindergartners first, and it felt especially strange to put on a new outfit, including especially cool shoes, without looking forward to my little shoe fetishists' reactions.  That said, I do have a fun new dress, and shoes that I've been dying to wear, so I guess I'll just have to soldier on without them.

The dress is from Synergy, by way of ModCloth, which may be my new favorite shopping site.  The shoes are Pin Up Couture, also via ModCloth.  And seriously - how cool are those shoes?  I knew when I bought them that my kindergarten buddies would love them, but I just couldn't wait until August to wear them.  The sweater is just a little cropped cotton cardigan from Old Navy, and the jewelry is all old favorites - Tiffany graduated silver bead necklace knock-off from Macy's, silver hoops from somewhere along the line, and my "Well Behaved Women" cuff bracelet, which was a gift from my friend Tara.

Here's how I look, minus the sweater:

The slightly awkward pose is due to me trying to show that the dress has an impossibly cute sash that ties in the back.   Also, I'd been meaning to blog about this for weeks, but in case any of you are worried that I am lonely without my junior fashionistas, don't be - I have this to keep me company:

(My version is not all blurred like that, obv....)  The kindergarten teachers presented this to me at the Bomber's graduation ceremony - I think they were deliberately trying to make me cry. (If so, it totally worked.) It's one of the last few days I went over there to read, and I think it's funny that she chose a day I was wearing navy and white - I coordinate nicely with their uniforms.  Anyway, I love it and keep it in pride of place in my office.  Whenever I feel blue, I take a look at that photo, and my day is turned around.

 

Kindergarten Fashion Report: The Final Chapter

That sounds ominously like a fourth or fifth sequel in a started-out-great-but-never-should-have-made-more-than-two slasher movie series, doesn't it?  :cue creepy music:  <scary sounding voice-over announcer> Just when you thought it was safe.... THEY'RE BACK! And more talkative than EVER BEFORE! :screams: It's... KINDERGARTEN READING TIME...IME...IME....

So today was my last Thursday reading time for the year.  Anyone who knows me knows that I don't adjust well to change, so I'm really feeling sad, but I'm trying to hold it together until next Thursday, when they have their graduation. Which seems a little silly to cry over, since he's literally just going next door (unlike last year's), but no one's ever accused me of being rational about this stuff. 

Anyway, I wouldn't normally have blogged this outfit - it's a little uninspired and badly needs some better accessories, but in honor of my last day of kindergarten reading, here it is:

The dress is brand-spanking-new, from Mod Cloth, one of my favorite sources for fun clothes.  This was out of stock forEVER, but it finally came back in last week and I pounced on it.  The shoes are oldies but goodies from Zappos, and the jewelry is just your basic floating pearl necklace and pearl earrings.  I love the retro vibe of this dress but it really needs something like a bright yellow belt, yellow shoes and some snazzy jewelry.

Here's how I look in it:

Once again, no legs, no feet and no cat box.  But the potted plant made another guest appearance.  (Which means it'll be the first to go when the slashing gets started...) Also, the junior fashionistas apparently did not share my opinion of this outfit as a little ho-hum.  I got a BUNCH of compliments, including a little competition between two of them: "Mrs. Bomber's Mom, I like your dress!" "Well, I like your dress AND your shoes!"  I love those kids...  I also got a big group hug at the end, which pretty much made my entire week. Possibly my month.

So that's it for the kindergarten fashion report.  This time next week, I won't have a kindergartner anymore - he and his classmates will be rising first graders!  Look out Mrs. S, here they come!

Kindergarten Fashion Report

I guess it's not technically a kindergarten fashion report, since the actual kindergartners were all wearing pretty much the same thing  - plaid jumpers or blue shorts with white shirts.  They did all look awfully cute, though. 

Anyway, today was my weekly reading day in K5, so I naturally wore a new outfit in hopes of impressing a roomful of five- and six-year-olds.  I realize this is bordering on pathetic, but a girl's gotta take whatever compliments she can get, you know?  And hey, it worked - when I came in I got a BIG chorus of "Mrs. Bomber's Mommy, I LOVE your shoes!" And "Mrs. Husband's Last Name, you look pretty!" 

(Almost no one there calls me by my actual last name, which I find slightly hilarious - yesterday when I was there helping out with Mother's Day cake decorating one of the Bomber's teachers announced to her class that they needed to all pay attention and go up when Mrs....um... when H-bomb's mother calls them.  It's not that she (and everyone else) doesn't know my last name, but it's such a mouthful, especially in comparison to the Bomber's last name, that no one wants to attempt it. I'm not complaining, it just makes me laugh.)

So, today's outfit was a big hit:

The tunic sweeater is from Boden. It is so super-comfortable, I want to wear it every day. I'd buy it in every color if it came in anything else besides tan and grey. The leggings are just leggings - from Delia's or Target or some other source of generic leggings. 

The shoes are Annie, and I found them when I decided I needed lime green shoes and Googled "lime green flats".   I knew that some day all those skills I've been honing doing legal research for the last 8 years would come in handy.  "Lime green flats" to find lime green flats - that's why they pay me the big money, folks.  I got them from Amazon for an absolute song, too.

Scarf and belt are both old pieces in my wardrobe.  The scarf is from a Bass outlet and the belt is so old, I can't even remember where I got it.  It's surprising how much use I've gotten out of a lime green chain link belt. The bracelet I bought last summer at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach for like a dollar. I love it way more than a dollar's worth, though. It's really cheerful and summery. And I got a serious compliment on it from one of the little fashionistas today - she told me she wanted one like that for her mommy. :)

Here's how I look in all of this:

You can't see my shoes, and there's no cat box today, but you do get a bonus picture of the potted plant in my office lobby. Come to think of it, the potted plant coordinates nicely with my outfit, doesn't it? Or.... I coordinate nicely with the potted plant. Which doesn't sound nearly as fashionable.

Just a few more weeks of school, which means just a few more weeks of ego-stroking...er, I mean reading to the kindergartners.  That's probably a good thing, though - the stress of finding something exciting to wear every Thursday is really starting to get to me.

Oh, and happy Confederate Memorial Day to all you crazy kids who celebrate it.  I have to work, but I hope you'll print some money or secede from the union or something, for me.

What I'm Wearing: Thursday Edition

My friend Stylishboots did an impromptu What I'm Wearing today (which was, as always, quite stylish), so I thought I'd follow suit, and do one, too.  Here's what I've got on today:

Jacket, pants and blouse are all from NY & Company.  The jacket & the pants are actually exactly the same color, despite the difference in color in the pictures.  I really try not to buy outfits exactly as they're presented by a vendor, but this one really caught my eye, so I look a little like a NY & Co. mannequin. 

Shoes are from T.U.K - I actually bought them a few years ago, but didn't feel like I had anything to wear them with.  I found them again in February, emptying shoe boxes for Valentine's Day mailboxes and suddenly I'm wearing them with everything.  As an aside, I wore these to story time again today and got comments from the bookkeeper, all three teachers and two junior shoe fetishists, plus the one who didn't comment but did fiddle with the buckles while I read.

The jewelry is new - the neighborhood tour of historic homes was last weekend, and we hosted two lovely sisters who make their own jewelry on our porch as part of that. They gave me the jewelry as a gift for hosting them.  As soon as I saw the stripey earrings, I knew what I was going to wear them with. They were also a big hit with the kindergartners, by the way. 

I didn't take a picture of myself at home this morning, so I had to resort to  pervy bathroom pictures of myself this morning - I hope you all appreciate my sacrifice.  Actually, because a major water leak upstairs, I couldn't even take pervy bathroom pictures in the bathroom on my floor - I had to go someone else's floor.  Luckily, I didn't get busted this time.   Anyway, I take pretty poor photographs, and I photograph pretty poorly, so it should be no surprise that I take incredibly poor photographs of myself.  This is, no kidding, the best of the lot:

I tried a bunch without the flash, but the lighting was too low and my hand too unsteady to get a non-blurry photo, so this one will have to do. It's a good thing I have this law thing to fall back on, since my career in self-portraiture is obviously not going to pan out.

The Clothes-Eating Abyss of Doom

I think pretty much everyone is acquainted with this place - if you're the parent of a school child or have ever been a school child, you've experienced it, even if you didn't know it at the time.  It's the deep and mysterious place where children's school clothes go, never to be heard from again.  It's happened to all of us at one point or another - a sibilant whisper, a hint of dank air and the slight scent of brimstone, and the abyss claims a small cardigan or a defenseless pair of mittens... 

I know the abyss exists, because there's no other rational explanation for the disappearance of the Bomber's two (three if you count the one that escaped briefly and then was almost immediately dragged back in) logo sweatshirts and now his blue, polyester, totally-devoid-of-style, no-one-but-a-school-child-or-a-door-to-door-vacuum-salesmen-would-wear-it tie.  

I know the abyss exists, because before the school year started, when I came to the realization that the H-bomb would be wearing the same clothes as at least half the people in the school, every single day, I dutifully labeled all his clothing so that we would be assured of always getting his stuff back, yet things disappear without a trace.  And I didn't settle for his last name scribbled in Sharpie on the fabric content label. I know better - ink fades, the label frays and eventually the clothing achieves anonymity. Then separated from its owner, devoid of its identity, the abyss consumes it. Which is why I went to the trouble of getting fancy iron-on labels - 1.5" white circles with a colorful rocket ship and Bomber's full name in bold black font. Like this:

(His actually have his name, but I may well order these for next year - they'd be just as effective....)

And these aren't those wimpy iron-on label strips our mothers put on our camp clothes that started peeling off five minutes after they were ironed on.  These things are made of a space-age polymer that melds indelibly into the fabric and can never be removed. NASA uses these to patch holes in the space shuttle's exterior. If a nuclear bomb hit South Carolina, there'd be nothing left in the resulting crater, except 20 or so white vinyl circles with burned fabric residue around the edges, and my kid's name on them.  (And the palmetto bugs, of course.)

Anyway, given the trouble I went to to label the kid's clothes so if when he abandons them in some random place in his classroom, they'll still be returned to us, there can't be any explanation other than a dark clothes-eating abyss of doom for where they've gone. Can there?