Grey, Cerise, and White on a Spring Day; Plus a Quick Review of the Featherweight Cashmere Short-Sleeve Cardigan!!!

Cerise, White, and Grey for a Spring Day!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew sweaters

Yesterday, over at J. Crew Aficionada, there was a JCA who asked about the featherweight cashmere short-sleeve cardigan. Many of you know that I just LOVE this cardigan. I currently own it in slate and in misty lavender (and if it goes on further sale, maybe spicy olive or melon). I thought, you know I need to wear the darn cardigan so people can see just how awesome the piece is...hence my outfit today. I wore it in the slate color today. The review is at the very bottom of this post.

It was cool enough for me to wear it. Anything above 72 degrees and the sweaters go away. I run VERY hot and even something this light would kill me in a very little amount of time in a classroom setting.

My polyvore is not 100% accurate. The pants are the same, but the tee and shoes a wee bit different.

The other pieces are the cerise Bistro pants from winter 2008 (J. Crew); the French Market tee with the pig on it from summer 2007 (J. Crew); and some peep-toe pumps in a slate grey from Nine West last winter (2007).


Here is the outfit, full-length. The pants keep getting looser and looser. YAY! Love it. That color still shocks me on how bright it is. Wow. I only get compliments when I wear them, so I must wear them well, but still...Can someone say "TOMATO?" The grey cardigan was chosen for two reasons: 1. I obviously wanted to review the piece today; and 2. It definitely helped tone down the overall outfit and it happens to match the shoes perfectly!



So the cardigan itself. You can buy it here from jcrew.com or from your local store (most seem to carry it). The cardigan is one of my favorite J. Crew pieces because: 1. I love the cashmere they used in it...so soft...may be the softest I have felt from them; 2. The overall shape is so pretty and feminine...I mean I don't see a bunch of men running around in short-sleeve cardis, do you?; 3. The ruffles that edge the placket and the sleeve openings are so sweet but without being exhaustingly twee; 4. The colors this cardigan comes in are so very pretty, even something as potentially dull as grey; and 5. I love the crystal buttons, so gorgeous and unexpected.

I hope this helps some of you. I bought a medium because I like to be able to have some wiggle-room...I don't like my cardigans to be too tight. (Plus, more cashmere means just that, more cashmere...mmm...so soft!)


Oh, look at my teeth...so shiny, polished, and flossed. Hmm...maybe I do actually practice good dental hygiene. What do you know? ;) (If you don't get what this sentence means, then just ignore it...if you do, just smile or chuckle to yourself.)

What to Wear to a Wake...on Very Little Energy...

Okay, admittedly this is a post that is a bit weird...what to wear to a wake, but after I posted my review of the necklace, I saw that people could benefit from what the heck to wear when you need to appear a very "certain" way.

I literally got off the plane from DC to CA and then with my family hightailed it to the hotel where I had about three and half seconds to get ready for the wake. Fortunately, I knew before I left what I was going to wear. The Tuesday before I left for CA (April 14, 2009), I wore a very similar outfit to school. You may remember it from this post. Since I hadn't worn it long and it was very fresh, I decided to just wear the darn outfit again (obviously with different undergarments, I am not a heathen). I changed it up, though. I wore a bright pink short-sleeved cashmere cardigan from J. Crew (Summer 2008) and the skinny patent leather belt in root from J. Crew (this winter 2008). I wore the grey Alessia peep-toe heels with this (figured it wouldn't clash with the belt too badly).

My main concern was to look nice, formal, yet more relaxed than I would need to be for the actual funeral. I think this outfit is exactly what is needed at event like a wake. (I went way more formal and classic for the funeral itself.)


Here is the full-length view.


Full-length view with the cardigan. The flash failed to fire properly, so I just pumped up the "fill-light" in picasa...that is why the image is so grainy.


Here I am with CW. She has only one piece of black clothing, so I knew I had to reserve that for the funeral, so I put her in one of Rex's old "formal" baby outfits...I realize she looks like a boy, but at least she was dressed right for the occasion. I forgot to put her bow in her hair (which definitely helps with the gender confusion).

Please bear in mind that I was EXHAUSTED when these photos were taken. The wake started at 10 pm Eastern time and we didn't get done till nearly midnight Eastern time.

I hope this helps some of you all out there who may be faced with such an occasion in the future.

America's Most Endangered Historic Places...

As many of you who have been following this blog for awhile know, I have a thing for mid-century modern things. I love it all...furniture, clothing, houses, and buildings. Many folks dislike this style because it is a bit "in your face," especially in the case of buildings of this style.

You can ignore someone's choice in furniture or clothing (because this is their own personal choice). To a lesser extent you can ignore mid-century modern homes because they have less of an impact on the public space than buildings (even though there are WAY MORE houses of this style out there than buildings).

You have no choice but to pay attention to a building, because they exist as part of the public footprint on a community. They are often very tall and imposing structures. The 60s was a time of over-the-top creativity, a pushing of boundaries in architecture. It is no surprise that buildings like this (Markel Building, Richmond, VA) were born in this time period.

Sadly, not everyone feels preserving these (admittedly) unique structures. So the National Trust for Historic Preservation has listed (as of yesterday) their take on America's Most Endangered Historic Places, and the list includes two mid-century modern buildings, the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, CA, and the Miami Marine Stadium in Miami, FL. Both built in the 60s and both in great danger of being torn down.

I can do very little on my end, other than inform a couple of you that this is happening. If there was a mid-century modern building in my area about to be torn down or listed as endangered, I would find a way to take action.

Now, I know this is not some of you all's cup of tea, but there are non-mid-century modern buildings and structures on the list as well.

Take a look at the American Historical Association's blog post about this. Good read.

Hope you all have a great (and enlightened) day!

By the way, thanks, Dad, for sending me this info!

Review of the Chain Bow-Tie Necklace!!

You will have to excuse my makeup and facial expression. I actually wore this necklace as an acccesory to my black dress for my Uncle's funeral. Because I knew I would be doing a review on this necklace, I had my brother grab a shot. Not my finest look, but whatever. A funeral is not meant to be a fashion show.

This necklace is still available on the J. Crew website. Today it is $44.99 and is an extra 20% off. That makes this necklace a pretty good deal. I actually like the necklace before it went on sale, but by the time I got around to buying it, it was already on sale (although for a bit more than you can get it today).

The necklace is very pretty and classic. I think this is one of the few pieces J. Crew has that doesn't scream "whimsy." I love whimsy, but for occasions like a black-tie event, a funeral, an opera, you need something more time-tested. This necklace fits the bill beautifully.

It has a nice weight to it...not too heavy...not too light. It ties in the back with the ribbon. The ribbon is a solid piece of fabric, with good care it should last a long time. It holds together with a very pretty set of inlaid "crystals" (whatever J. Crew calls the diamond-looking pieces they use) where the ribbon and chain meet.

I purchased it in a natural ribbon as black does nothing for me (you have proof of that with this picture). Both the black and natural ribbon necklaces are available for purchase here.

Ashley also did a review of the necklace here on her blog, Love It!

You can also tie the ribbon on the side and make the ribbon center-stage if you want to make the necklace more "fun" than "formal." :)

I hope this helped someone...especially if they were on the fence!

Our Hot Day at Riverbend Park...in a Boden Top!!! Plus, a Review of the Miss Trish of Capri for Target Sandals!!!

Boden Top for a Hot Day in DC!!! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com



This is the outfit I wore today to go take Rex to his Bug Walks and Critter Talks class. It is a lot of fun...they have all sorts of awesome creatures for us to check out...but today we needed to dress right for the weather. I don't know about you all, but here in the mid-Atlantic it was like 95 degrees. Insane. Don't worry--I LOVE this weather. Always have, always will. I don't know how my ancestors can be Scandinavian...I definitely did not inherit their love of cold weather.

The top is the Boden top I spoke about in the previous post. I ordered in 2007 after I had Rex. I ordered it in a 12 (size 8 here) but didn't realize that Boden truly means what it says about its sizes...they are true to their measurements. I couldn't wear it until I was almost 5 months postpartum. With CW I was able to wear it sooner, but of course, it was winter, so I chose not to. This is a light cotton button-up. Not the best material for keeping you warm. I bought it because I love the print so much!!! (Their prints are either love or hate. I love. A lot. But of course I love the Campo di Fiore print from J. Crew that a lot of people really hated...hmm.)

The capris are just some Target purchase for like 15 dollars. They are a color I needed so I bought them. They wrinkle very easily but suit this look and some of my other looks perfectly. Plus, if you are a dork like me, the fact that you can roll the pants to two different shorts lengths (bermuda and a slighter shorter bermuda--11 and 9 inches, respectively) really gets me excited. (Not chic in the least--haha--some of you will get that statement!)

The shoes are Miss Trish of Capri for Target. The review will come at the bottom, but they look so sweet with this outfit. No, don't worry, I did not take them out for the bug walk. They just came out for the other activities...some old J. Crew flip-flops went on the walk instead.


This is a close-up of the fabric and print. LOVE IT! The teal and red and white are so summery and fun. You will probably see me wearing this again, real soon. :) Plus, I am going to clip this to Polyvore...so expect some sets with it!


Okay, the Miss Trish sandals. They fit true to size (I wear a ten narrow). The shoe is a bit wide, but obviously I expect that if I wear a narrow. I almost went down to a 9.5, but am glad I didn't. My feet totally cover the foot-bed (which is all leather). The uppers are man-made. The red you see here is the true color. Very pretty color, almost a brick red. The starfish are also very pretty, in real life (unlike my un-pedicured toenails...but who has the time...not me). I was totally worried about the starfish falling off...but no worries, they are bolted in with hardware. You can actually spin the starfish...Rex is gonna love that when he discovers it! All in all, I have to say this purchase was totally worth it. 29.99 is a great price for something that is well-made and very unique.

I had first heard about these shoes from sparrowsandsparkles in her post here. I also happen to own the sandals with the turtle. :)

Have a great day!!!

Boden Sizing...My Experiences 101...

I have probably a total of 15 pieces from Boden, so not a whole lot, but maybe more than some of you other ladies out there (sorry men and children, I have NO experience in your sizes...smile).

First--quick story. I was told by my co-worker Patty that I needed to check out this British company Boden because her roommate received the catalog and all the ladies in it dressed like me (colorful, lots of prints, playful shapes, and comfortable fabrics). I was intrigued, but not enough to go out and check it out. Then it came...my first Boden catalog. I received it in 2005 and Patty was SO right...it was totally my style. Wow!!! Why couldn't they have had this when I actually lived in England for my study-abroad?

Now, back to sizing. I have over the past four years been pregnant multiple times, been postpartum twice, and have gone from a low of one weight to a weight forty pounds heavier. Right now, I am ten pounds away from the weight I started with in 2005 (which is where I want to be). Lucky for me my height and shoe size haven't changed! ;)

So, that said, I am 5'8" tall and wear anywhere from a 6-8 or xs-m in J. Crew tops (yes, I know, xs, what's up with that...). I also wear anywhere between an 8-10 in J. Crew bottoms. At my weight that I want to be, I wear a 6 top and an 8 bottom in J. Crew (although who the heck really knows--their sizing has been CRAZY lately--but a few years ago this was the case).

Now, onto Boden. They may seem expensive, but they are consistent in sizing and do use quality fabrics and finishes. When I was the weight I want to be (go away, last ten pounds), I wore a 10 top (equivalent to a 4-6 here) and a 12 bottom (equivalent to an 8 here). I also wore a 10 dress (equivalent again to a 4-6 here). Now, at the weight and size I am, I wear a 12 top (equal to an 8 here), a 12 dress (natch), and a 14 bottom (equal to a 10 here). Every once in a while, depending on the style and fabric of the top, I can wear a 10 top (4-6 here). I love that I also can check the specific measurements of the item in the description. I also love that the reviews are posted, both good and bad. (Saved me from purchasing a dress that said there was no defined waist--not a good look for someone like me.)

If you choose to buy from them, bear in mind the British sizing. As one of the commentors said...there is no traditional "6." Since I am not one to take chances and know that a good tailor can do a lot for a shirt that doesn't fit perfect, I always size up to a 12 (8 here) on top...

I hope that has helped some of you out. I am going to post the outfit I wore today a little later...it includes a Boden top from 2007. This top is in a size 12, by the way!

Enjoy yourself. Hopefully some of you will give Boden a try. Patina, I am so sorry about that bag. I know it will come...

Boden is Bodacious!!!

I love Boden (the British clothing company that makes cute, quirky clothes for the whole family) so much that I went looking for a Polyvore group to join. And, guess what? There is none!!! Or I should say, there wasn't one!!! I went ahead and created a polyvore group entitled Boden is Bodacious!!! Join if you are in love with Boden as much as I am...only one rule for sets: they must include at least one Boden piece of clothing or accessory!

Here is my first polyvore:

Fun at a Picnic with Boden!!! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Thanks for looking, and I hope you will think about making some Boden sets!!!

My Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 Outfit for School...

I was inspired by Ashley of the blog Love It (and I do Love It) in this post to find a way to wear my Paris striped scarf from J. Crew this last holiday season (2008). This scarf is awesome. It is a blend of linen and metallic thread with some cotton thrown in (I think). I purchased the beautiful muted yellow and silver color.

Since I needed to feel good about school when I was insanely busy (I was flying out to CA two days later and I had to get my grades in before I left), I knew I could dress the scarf up (it can also be casual).

It is no longer available at jcrew.com, but maybe some of the stores still have it? Or ebay?


The outfit I created without the cardigan. The blouse is from Macy's and is very stretchy and dressy. It is so comfortable it should be criminal to wear it...feels that good. The pants are INC pants bought at Macy's. Love the matchstick leg...which oddly enough works on my frame. The shoes are Isaac Mizrahi for Target (I miss you!) from last spring (2008). I obviously have already told you about the scarf.


Here is the outfit with the addition of the Tartine merino cardigan from J. Crew (fall 2008). I love this pewter color. The Tartine is a fun, yet very practical cardigan. For all of its ruffles, it works well with so many outfits!!! It was cold-ish that morning, so I knew I had to have something covering my arms...and this fit the bill.

I have many scarves just like this one...I hope to let them come out and play soon! I know it is a bit warm for scarves now, but at night the linen ones may work. :)

Have a lovely day!

My Easter Best (Well, Not Really)...but Still Points for Trying...(April 12th, 2009)!!!

I must have tried on five different dress and cardigan combos on Easter morning and none of them worked. So frustrating. I don't know what it was...everything fit...but most of them felt "off."

Until I put on a few years old Target dress and a VERY old cardigan from Chadwicks. Then it clicked. It looks so much fresher and alive than anything else I tried on that morning. The only J. Crew? My awesome Alessia peep-toes in root (love them).

Here they are--side by side--didn't really mean to put them this way, but whatever--looks good to me.

The dress is Merona and it is that stretchy, jersey type material that is so pretty and SOOOOOO comfortable. The cardigan is basic, but at Chadwicks prices (very inexpensive), so worth it. Best part? If the white cardigan gets stained (has not yet--I am a bit of a freak about stains), I won't stress too much because it cost so little. The shoes I have professed my love for so many times I could write a novel on them. ;)

So what do you all do when you find all your clothes feel wrong? I obviously go with tried and true as my backup. (Maybe I will create a poll to see what we all like to do.) Have a nice afternoon, everyone!

Fun Time on a Saturday!!! (From April 11th, 2009...)

I'm BACK!!! I have FINALLY organized my trip photos and actually managed to get four seconds of free time to think of what posts I need to do...right now I have 8 posts scheduled (including this one) and those don't even include the Paris catalog OR pics of kids OR review of the many theme parks we went to over the past month. Whew...I have a lot of catching up to do!

Here is the outfit I wore from the day before Easter...yes, that's right...over two weeks ago. Man...

I am not going to write a whole lot about it...(I have a lot of post to do)...but here is a basic description...

Cardigan: Citron Merino V-Neck Cardigan from J. Crew Holiday 2007.

Tee: DINO-MITE bejeweled tee from T. Rex restaurant (bought while in Florida).

Jeans: I forget, but probably my Levis or Eddie Bauer. Love my jeans but they sort of all look the same even if they don't feel the same (I know a lot of men don't understand this but every woman I know gets what I just said).

Shoes: Dusty Rose Juliet Patent Heels from J. Crew Spring 2009.

Look forward to more from me later today! :)

I am Back...Sort of...

I was able to comment (finally) on the posts that I created over a week ago...

I will be able (finally) to start really posting again tomorrow (if time permits)...

You all need to know how glad I was to have your comments in the back of my head when I was in California for the funeral last week. Support in any form is AWESOME.

Here are the two comments I made to the two posts I created:

From the post on April 11th, I wrote:

Hi EVERYONE:

I finally have a moment to thank you for all your comments. I really appreciate you all looking at my posts about my trip to Florida. I will eventually post all my pics from my quick trip to California, but I have to first put up pics from Easter Sunday and two of the outfits I wore that week. I also anticipate being able to put up more pics from the Paris Catalog (yay)...Also forthcoming are some sweet shots of the kids. I know some of you really have missed those!Thanks for sticking out my long absence...

From the post on April 14th I wrote:

Everyone:

Your prayers were so important to me and my family. We needed them last week. We all miss Uncle Jerry dearly. I am glad that I was able to get back to CA...if I hadn't been able to go I would have been very torn up...like I was unable to get complete closure (if you know what I mean). His love for kids is what keeps me together when I almost lose it with kids around me. Uncle Jerry rarely lost his temper with children (but often lost it with adults--so I knew he could get angry). As a teacher and a mom that quality of "keeping it together" is so very special. You all have been so patient waiting for me to post...I truly appreciate your understanding!

I have disabled commenting, not because I don't love your comments, but because I want to have you all post on future posts that actually have outfits or pictures or extra-fun stuff!!! :) HAVE A GREAT TUESDAY!!!

Part Four of my Florida Vacation...or Tuesday, April 7, and Wednesday, April 8, 2009!!!

First, I need to apologize for waiting so long to publish today's post. I had intended to post this on Sunday, along with my Easter outfit. But then I received the call...my beloved Uncle Jerry, who basically acted a lot like a grandpa, was on his way down. At 7:22 pm, he passed away in his sleep. We all knew his health was failing, but none of us knew when he would actually pass away. We are a very strong, faithful, Catholic family, so even though we have heavy hearts about losing him, we feel for Uncle Jerry to pass away on Easter is so fitting and special. He lost his own two children to polio when they were very small. I believe they were there waiting for him and welcoming him. And knowing how loved all of the children of our family were by him (it makes me incredibly sad that CW never got to meet him), I am sure when he saw his precious Donny and Margie, he had the biggest smile on his face ever.

I am heading out to California this Thursday morning. I am heading out with just CW. Sadly, Rex and Mr. Dina (thanks for the name idea, Gigiofca) cannot make it...too expensive. What is funny about all this? Mr. Dina rightly pointed out that CW and I are amongst a small handful of people who have gone to Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom one week and then to Disneyland the next. Walt would be proud. What is bittersweet? The last time we went to Disneyland was with Uncle Jerry for Rex's first visit ever (see above pic).

Okay...so back to the Florida outfits...these are the last two. Tuesday was really cold, but we had NO idea when we left. Lucky for us we brought a few jackets. We went to Universal Studios that day and saw a lot of folks wearing Universal Studios hoodies, coats, sweatshirts, etc. I think that is how these parks make money...they fool everyone into believing Florida is warm all the time and then getcha when it is cold. :) But we were prepared!

I had forgotten to put this outfit in my polyvore, but here it is...a lime green polo with crab critters all over it from summer 2008 (J. Crew), a pair of J. Crew stretch summerweight shorts (11" inseam) in dark honey (or something like that) from this season, and of course, the lovely critter flip-flops (I guess Tuesday was a critter day).

I don't really have a lot of time to write about Universal Studios, so I will have to post on the experience later. We did have fun...even though this happened (see next photo):

Yep...that's right, Dina got sun- and wind-burned. So did Rex and CW. Mr. Dina was fine...he wore a hat. So did you know that when it is cold but the sun is bright and closer to you that you can burn? Yeah, I know, all you ski-bunnies get that, but for a proud flat-lander like myself, it didn't even freaking occur to me.

I think I should have packed a green top for this outfit (would be a lot less jarring against my very pink skin), but how was I to know I would get burned? I had wanted to wear shorts or something other than this, but darnit, it was cold again. So out came my fly-home outfit early for our last day in Orlando (we went back to Downtown Disney...fun...review at same time as Universal, maybe...). The sweater is a cashmere short-sleeve top from Garnet Hill. Ladies, the cashmere in this sweater is probably a hundred times softer than the J. Crew cashmere. Admittedly it is a bit more expensive, but if you buy it on sale (like I did), it can be a reasonable price. Plus I love wearing cashmere on planes...it's cozy without being cumbersome. The pants are the chambray cocktail pants from the Pants, Pants, and More Pants post. They are definitely getting to be too loose. WOO! And, yep, the lovely critter flip-flops.

You all have a nice night and Wednesday morning. :) I will get back in my groove soon enough...it may just take awhile (darn grades...they take forever to do and have to be turned it at the absolute worst time for me)!

Cocoa Beach...Here We Come!!!

So we chose Monday (4/6/09) to be our "beach" day. Hmm...looking back, not very wise...but that is hindsight for ya. :)

IT WAS WINDY that day. WINDY!!! Hot, but my goodness, the sand was 'a flying at us.

We chose Cocoa Beach because it is fairly close to Orlando. That seemed wise at the time. When we got there not only did we face incredible monsoon strength winds, there was a riptide warning, and many, many people. Sigh.

I am a Polly Anna, though, and will not let the odds stack against me. Turns out for all the mess that we faced, it was an enjoyable day in the end. :) Yay for optimism!!!


Here is the outfit I wore to the beach. It includes the beautiful green flower tissue tee from J. Crew this spring (and still for sale), a pair of 9-inch inseam shorts in citron from J. Crew in 2006, and my lovely critter flip-flops you most recently saw here.

I love this tee. And washing it has seemed to take a bit of the length away, making it the perfect length on my hips. SMILE. :) I love it when washing it makes it better for me to wear and not worse.

I officially have a love affair with J. Crew shorts. They fit me like a comfortable glove. Their shorts fit model must be shaped like me (yeah, right, I think I have just lucked out). I think I own twenty pairs of J. Crew shorts. (Yes, in all colors including--SHOCK--neutrals!)


Once we got to the beach we got into our swimwear and hit the sand. What you see here is my cover-up. This is from J. Crew February 2008. Love it! Just what you need to keep your heiney from being exposed walking from the changing room to your towel.

Oh, and yes, my GORGEOUS fresco bandeau bikini is underneath...and NO...no one but my family and friends get to see it in real life. Gotta keep something a secret from you all! ;)

No one ran away screaming and yelling, so I will assume that I looked okay in it!


Because I am a fan of changing multiple times in one day, especially on vacation, I brought the cottage dress to the beach to wear afterwards. Originally I was supposed to wear it on Sunday as represented in the polyvore found in this post, but because I moved the Lisa dress to Saturday, I decided to move Miss Cottage to Monday.

As you can see, the dress held up pretty well. By the time this pic had been taken, I had worn it in the car for an hour which is why the skirt is so wrinkled. But this is not meant to be a fancy dress, just something fun and pretty for summer.

The dress made its original appearance in this post, if you will recall.

By the way, the shoes are my Earth sandals in bronze. These are great because the force you to stand properly because the heel sits lower than your toes. I love wearing them because I feel nice and tall (yep, just what I need at 5'8")!

I hope you have enjoyed viewing this almost as much as we enjoyed (eventually) our day at the beach! Have a great night, everyone!

Dina's Day at Disney (or How I Managed to Keep it Together at the Magic Kingdom)!!!

I have a tiny, teeny, little confession to make...I LOVE DISNEY. I have been visiting Disney in all its forms since before I was CW's age. I have been to Disneyland almost as many times as my years on this earth, and I have been to the parks at Disney World a lot, too. (I even went to Tokyo Disney when we went to Japan!) Is it any surprise that we made our way to the Magic Kingdom on our first full day in Florida?

Overall the day was great. Hot, sticky, and crowded, but still it's Disney!!! I decided to wear simple and colorful to make my day as awesome as possible. I packed a dress, too, for the dinner we would later eat in Downtown Disney. Maybe I am a freak, but if I am going to eat at a place that costs nearly $30 a plate, I am going to dress up (I was the only one in our group to do so, though).

Here is where you can see the polyvore of this outfit. You may notice that the Lisa dress moves from Saturday to Sunday...this dress is very packable, even after one full day of rides and fun at the Magic Kingdom. :) You will see it in the last photo of this post!


The outfit I wore in full-length (at the beginning of the day): Parisian Polo by J. Crew in tea rose; Striped Bermuda shorts by J. Crew in pink; and Critter Flip-Flops (from 2006?) by J. Crew, the critter is a flamingo on a olive green background.

The kids already look tired, huh? They made it through the day, though! I will tell you...Rex is sleeping a lot right now...I think to make up for lost sleep time while we were in Florida.

This outfit was so awesome for the day...very comfy and soft and casual but still bright and pretty. And the flip-flops were great for walking and standing around...my feet felt great at the end of the day!


Here is a close-up of the Parisian polo. I love this color and I think the longer placket is so nice and unusual...sets it apart from other types of polos out there. I am a huge fan of J. Crew polos...I must own ten of them, in all sorts of colors, from the past five years or so!

I have no idea why Rex is fascinated with the button-hole. That kid is fascinated by everything. I hear this is common for two-year olds, but since he is my first two-year old, everything he does is new for me, too!


I confess to having a great love for the chocolate-covered frozen bananas that all Disney parks sell. Every time we go to a Disney park, I have to buy one. As I have gotten older, it is the only snack I eat the entire day (I use to down like five snacks when I was younger), but mmm....what a snack to enjoy!

In this picture you may notice the addition of a no-hassle headscarf by J. Crew from last summer (2008). These headscarves have a lot of fans over at J. Crew Aficionada...and I agree. I ONLY wear them on days where I will be out the entire day, but for those conditions, these accessories are a perfect way to protect your scalp from the sun. I have to wear mine with barrettes or else the scarf will fall off...but not a bad proposition overall.

I love the stupid face I am making in this pic. I guess this proves I am not vain if I am willing to show this picture off! (It actually reminds me of pics I had taken of me at 13, when I had no self-confidence...)


Here is the headscarf close-up. You will notice that CW also has a headscarf of her own. On 3, everybody say "AWWWW!" It is actually Rex's old hat, but doesn't matter, does the trick, and she doesn't look too much like a boy. ;)

Here is the Lisa dress in Kelly Green. This was from Summer 2008. I bought it off ebay for NOTHING. :) And I love it. Slip on and go...very very convenient for travel. For those of you scared of the bright colors, I think it comes in black, too.

I choose to wear a cami with this because I am not a fan of showing too much off to the world. (Of course, I do have a blog about clothing, but you know what I mean!)

The sunglasses perched on my head? They are BROKEN. Rex ripped them off my head on Tuesday and they were toast. Sigh.

The necklace is a miraculous medal that my mother-in-law gave me A LONG time ago. Yes, I am Catholic. I wear my medal on travel days, holy days, and any days I need a little extra grace. :)

Have a great night and Saturday, everyone. Next up: Monday at Cocoa Beach!!!

Quick Update!

I have made comments on these following posts (and the winner is, mahali dot capris, world's best uncle, and quick hello from florida)...so if you are wondering if I have updated, I have. I am waiting till tomorrow to comment on the posts I made last night (that is what I normally do...I like to comment all at once...easier when you have these little ones scampering around all the time).

I have also fixed the problem with my "in real life" picture in this post. THANK YOU, KatyO. If it weren't for your comment, I would have had no idea that my picture wasn't there!!!

Have a great afternoon, everyone. More pics and posts to come!

By the way, you all don't have to comment on this post. It seems silly to have commenting on a post about commenting. ;)

Here it is...Outfit #1 for Trip to Florida!!!

You all have already seen the polyvore of this day's oufit, but just in case you haven't go to this post and see "Saturday." Oh, and so you know, that pretty green dress also shown as part of Saturday's outfit? Well, it wasn't worn till Sunday, so you all will have to wait to see me in it (I know, the anticipation is JUST killing you...heehee). ;)

I am glad I chose to wear this outfit on the plane...it was UBER-comfy. The cardigan is the same merino michelle cardigan in melon that I wore on April 1, see this post here. The tank is the J. Crew painted tank that I searched high and low for...and finally bought from some store in Connecticut. It is VERY long on me, but I think I will tailor the straps to make it a bit shorter. It is weird...for as tall as I am, I have a very short torso so even smalls are sometimes too long or large. (I definitely never have that problem on my bottom-half...sigh.) The pants are J. Crew Madison stretch chinos and even though they are a little big (should be retired), I decided to keep them for this trip exclusively for the plane...there is nothing I hate more that having a too-snug waistband when you can't get up and adjust (you all know what I mean). The belt is the darling skinny-belt from J. Crew this season. Its perfect hot-pink color works so nicely with this cardigan and tank. The shoes are Earth shoes, and yes, they are ugly, but I have to wear them...they are perfect for travel. I also have on a pair of compression socks. I suffer from something called MTHFR disorder, which basically means that my blood clots too easily, and that can lead to BIG problems on flights. Here is a great explanation of the disorder. You probably have heard the stories...young girl on flight...gets off flight...collapses...discovered that she has a huge clot in her lung...she dies because it was too late. I also have to take extra aspirin (I take one baby aspirin a day to thin my blood everyday without fail) during this time for extra-blood thinning power...woo!

Aren't the kids just precious? Yes, I did dress CW to match me. And no, Rex is NOT dressed yet. He is still in his PJs...smart when you have a two-year old just learning to eat properly with a spoon!!!

Up next will be the post with the outfits from Sunday (the day we went to Magic Kingdom and this awesome restaurant called T. Rex in Downtown Disney).

Have a great night, everyone!!!

Guava, Melon, and Yellow...Like a Yummy Dessert! (Or--One Outfit from BEFORE my Spring Break Began!)

As much as I love being on vacation, there is nothing that I love more than being back home. Northern Virginia, for all its faults, is a great place to live and spring here is glorious. After only five days of being away the tulips are blooming. Wow. Sure, the temps are supposed to be quite chilly this weekend, but when the tulips make it out, NOVA is ready for the good stuff...all that hot and humidity (which I LOVE and this is the reason Florida was so great). Of course I think I love the anticipation of the hot and humidity especially, which may be why a place like NOVA is awesome...we only get that type of weather for half the year (if that)...giving me something to look forward to the rest of the year. Does that make sense or am I just a little weird? I am also the type that loves the anticipation of a trip almost as much as the trip itself.

BTW, I probably won't be able to comment back on all your awesome comments till tomorrow...I hope you all will forgive me.

Without further ado, here is an oldie but goodie (wore it over a week ago, on Wednesday, April 1, 2009).

The polyvore is here:

Guava, Melon, and Yellow...Like a Yummy Dessert! by dinagideon featuring J Crew tops

This is the outfit on me full-length. I really like how the merino cardigan in melon looks with the guava tunic. I also happened to have the most perfect belt ever for this outfit...J. Crew (surprise) from four or five years ago. I have only recently begun wearing belts around my hips...love that my hips are thinner...enough that I can wear belts without getting the dreaded muffin-top look. The pants are cords by Lee Riders that I bought at Kohl's in fall 2007. The shoes are the buttercup colored perfect-patent flats by J. Crew from last fall.

Here is why I tucked in the tunic: I still don't feel completely comfortable with the hem of this top...it is still giving me the scrunched-up look and I really don't like that. Also, there was the added bonus of showing off the pretty belt, so I went with it!!! Here is where my initial review of the tunic is located.

Next up: Saturday's outfit for the plane and the first day in Orlando! (Or Outfit #1 from the trip...)

You all have a great day!!! I am so excited to be back...

Quick Hello from Florida!!!

We are having such a nice time down here...lots of sun, heat, and humidity. But since this is my favorite type of weather (I actually love DC in August), I am in heaven.

On Saturday, we arrived after a very uneventful flight (Rex and CW were awesome). Then we arrived at our friend's house and did nothing...it was blissful. Yesterday we got up, found our way to Magic Kingdom, and were able to ride four rides and walk around before we HAD to quit (yep, along with our two, our friends have two boys under 3--we have a travelling preschool). Then we ran over to T. Rex, a restaurant with a dinosaur theme. The choice for dinner last night was not by accident, Jim made reservations a while ago...after all, our #1 son is named Rex. Considering how expensive and themed it was we completely expected it to serve awful food but a good time. Well it turns out that not only was it a lot of fun and really well decorated, the food was really, really good. I had the Fillet Mignon and it was as scrumptious as the ones I have had at more expensive steakhouses. Mmm.

Today we are off to Cocoa Beach and it appears today will be less active...woo. Tomorrow will be a jaunt to Universal Studios (we have to go on the Simpsons ride). On Wednesday, the day we fly out, we plan on going back to Downtown Disney (where T. Rex is located) for the morning just to walk around and see the sites.

We will be back by Wednesday night, but I probably won't be able to post and/or comment back until Thursday morning at the earliest. (But don't worry, you know I always keep my word, even if it takes longer than I would like.)

I want to leave you with my Polyvore of the trip's outfits. Many of you have already seen this, but for those of you who have not, I felt like this post's pic could be of the set I created. I have worn these outfits without fail. I truly believe Polyvore has helped me with packing...it's official...I am not going back to the old way of packing...this is way better and way quicker. (By the way, I will post all of the in real life outfits when I return to NOVA!)

Have a great day everyone!


Spring Break in Orlando 2009! by dinagideon featuring J Crew cardigans

The World's Best Uncle...

Evidence #1: Peter willingly went to church twice to help me out last Sunday (after the JCA extravaganza at Pentagon City). He pretty much held CW the entire time (so I could kneel and go to Communion). I know I can technically go to church by myself with CW, but man the help was so nice.

CW fell asleep in his arms about halfway through. DARLING!!!


Evidence #2: I have nothing to add to this picture...it speaks the thousand words for me.

Mahali Dot Capris and Pacific Blue Polo!!! (Worn on MARCH 31, 2009.)

First things first, between my dealing with my favorite victim and the trip I made to Richmond yesterday, I have had very little time for updating my blog...this polyvore and outfit pics are from Tuesday, March 31, 2009.


Mahali Dot Capris and Pacific Blue Polo!!! by dinagideon featuring FOSSIL watches
Here is the Polyvore of the outfit. The shoes and watch and sunglasses are a wee bit different...but obviously it is a close enough fit!


Here is the outfit, full-length, on me. The J. Crew mahali-dot capris are finally at the point where I fit into them. Because of the way they are constructed (the waist is generous), the size 10s are a wee bit loose. Fortunately, the material is stretchy so the legs and hips fit well enough to compensate for a too large waistband. I love this pattern...so pretty and retro.

At first I was unsure what to match with these capris, but then this beautiful polo found its way into my home. It is the J. Crew classic pique polo in Pacific blue (or something like that). I have to order mediums in all polos because they are quite tight. Even the medium requires a bit of stretching of the fabric by me before I feel comfortable. But once it is stretched enough, it fits like a dream. And the colors J. Crew have in polos is inspiring. I also have the Parisian polos in crisp celery and tea rose (and they are coming to Florida with me).

The flats are the Etta Suede flats from Winter 2008 (J. Crew). The color is a mix of pewter and gold which is very versatile and the shoe's shape is flattering to my rather long and skinny foot!!! The necklace is the Erickson Beamon for Target Clear Bead necklace that I can't seem to get enough of lately!


And here is my super-hero, Rex, wearing his favorite outfit...Batman! :) Love it!

And the Winner Is...

Image courtesy: http://cgi.ebay.com/Lilly-Pulitzer-Fabric-MillionairesRow-2-Yds-FreeSHIPP%27-_W0QQitemZ360140616614QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090320?IMSfp=TL090320146005r35526

PINK, GREEN, AND KHAKI! It was close, but in the end the suggestion by FFM of wearing this color scheme in Orlando won out. Close to winning were the combos of orange, white, and deep pink; teal, yellow, and white; and even navy, teal, and yellow. My dad laughed at the color combos I picked out...saying, and I quote, "yuck, white, teal, and yellow," and my favorite, "orange, deep pink, and white remind me of sherbet...do you want to walk around looking like ice cream?" Well, whatever, Dad...you know, I am the one with a fashion-centered blog (though of course that is not my only focus)... :)

I have already picked out my outfits and they are ready to be packed. Hopefully I can even color-coordinate with my children (although I have no pink for Rex, but I think he has plenty of khaki and green).

So thank you for voting...I truly appreciate your input.

BTW, if you have left a comment over the past few days, I have finally found the time to catch up on my comments back. :) Thank you for your patience!

How to Deal with Victims...Some VERY Awesome Advice!

I never imagined that when I asked for "VICTIM" stories I would get such interesting stories, funny comments (esp. you, Miss Lexieloo and Shopaholicdiva1027 and KatyO.), and all around sympathy for my situation. It seems all of us here in blog-land have had our own share of dealing with these special human beings.

The best comment came in the form of advice...I appreciated these words because when I read them I was still feeling the sting from how quickly the situation with my favorite victim turned so quickly into me apologizing to her. The best part of the advice? DON'T ALLOW the victim to get off track...this is what they are looking to do to de-rail your force and focus and turn the conversation back to their favorite topic...themselves and how awful they have it...which then forces you to meekly apologize and then move away (sound familiar, AppGal?).

Before I show you the whole comment, I want to say I think we all should practice this advice. I have always been awful with confrontation and I rarely, if ever, speak up for myself (for fear of being seen as unpleasant). You all will pleased to know that today when my favorite victim started up again after I asked her, "will you be in class tomorrow so I can tell the sub," I firmly restated my question, rather than get into a conversation about why she has her schedule the way she does and how much it is ruining her life. I think she was stunned that I didn't take her bait. She actually answered my question, properly, the second time I asked her. Score one for me, and score one for this advice. So thank you very much, Ms. Anonymous...you have helped all of us. Please come on out and let us know your name so we can thank you properly!!! ;)

HERE IS THE COMMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY:

Victims are all the rage now. The media loves them. Their deflection techniques during conversation can be legendary. They can easily turn their own lack of responsibility into a conversation about YOU being a big old meanie. To them, every problem they have caused for themselves is actually the fault of the person illuminating the problem. They've used these techniques for years successfully through the art of deflection.

What is deflection?

They turn a conversation about something they have done wrong into a conversation about YOU being a victimizer. This makes you defensive, and you start defending yourself. Now the subject of the conversation has been changed.

The key is to stay on topic--They did something wrong. You have to stay focused, and strong. There is at least one of these victims in every workplace, and they are doubly difficult to work with if the Boss buys into their victimhood, or more commonly, the Boss pretends to buy into their victimhood in order to avoid dealing with the problem.

Victims make the silent promise that you will suffer if you push back. Pushing back can be risky at work, especially if you are I (at) the typical workplace, where NO ONE wants to get involved. Why? Because victims are known to be retaliatory. This is why bosses are loath to get involved, and want you to deal with it on your own. There's no easy answer. Sorry you're dealing with this. Unfortunately, many of us are, because the victims often threaten retaliation if you try to make them accountable for their actions. Sorry for the novel. END OF COMMENT...

(To this I said, novel? NOVEL? I am okay with a novel...I LOVE YOUR ADVICE!!!)

I hope this helps all of you...we can overtake these people...one at a time. Good luck standing your grounds, ladies!