OOTDs: Knee Socks and Jacket Weather.

Day: Monday, October 20, 2014.

Where:  Little Gym and School Run.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I knew I needed something that I could move in for the Little Gym, but I really didn't want to wear a full on fall outfit, so I dared to wear the (gasp!) knee socks (here at Boden) with a shorter denim skirt.  Of course it was going to be cool enough in the morning to justify a jacket, so I pulled out this lighter weight cashmere one from J. Crew that I bought on ebay (it was a sample piece, only one made, and sold for cheap!).

By the end of the day, I definitely didn't need the jacket any longer, but was still glad I had the Pure Collection cashmere turtleneck to keep me warm.  This year's version of this is here. 

As comfortable as I felt, though, I would pick that day to wear the skirt...the day the instructor asked us to do some pilates move on our back with one of the balls.  I did it as gracefully as I could, but yoga pants would have made that move a whole lot easier.  Sigh.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I like it, but I have always liked knee socks with shorter skirts.  I think this is a particular style choice, and if you really aren't into it, this isn't gonna be your thing.  But I love quirky preppy, so it works for me. 

These socks come in a pack of three and include a pair with squirrels on them (like on my Hartland dress!).  I hope to wear those out, but I definitely have to be careful on how I style those.  LOL.

Anecdote from the day:  Well, I did a pilates type move in a skirt...that was pretty much the highlight of my day.  I don't really live that exciting of a life.  ;-)

Day: Tuesday, October 21, 2014.

Where:  Bowling, Harris Teeter, and School Run.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Bowling requires me to have even better a range of motion than the Little Gym (Angus *normally* does all the work there), so I knew a skirt was out.  But dang it, I am not completely ready to give up sandals.  I knew it would warm up during the day, just like it did yesterday, so I made the decision to wear the sandals and the short-sleeve top, so I could at least pretend like fall isn't here by the end of the day.

That said, the jacket is pretty lightweight (I found it in the Zara girls section, it's a size 13-14), so I ended up wearing it all day, anyhow. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Definitely not the quirky preppy I did yesterday.  :-)  Still like this look, especially the shoes, top, and necklace.  I really want to pattern out this top so I can sew up other versions in some of my fabric in my stash.  I have some beautiful lighter weight fabrics that would look so pretty in this silhouette.  It should be fairly simple to do, just have to sit down and do it.

Anecdote from the day:  Apparently all the bowling ladies know about my sewing success.  The secret got out!  So while I may not be the *best* bowler in the league, I was feeling very loved over my sewing feat.  These are ladies that did learn how to sew when they were younger, so I know they know how much work goes into crafting your own clothes, so I doubly appreciated their kind words.

Okay, that's it for today.

Who's ready for a Boden Weekly Review Roundup?  I think I may be publishing one tomorrow.  If you have a review for me, you can email me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or you can leave the review at the Boden Reviews tab.

Talk with you all soon!

OOTD: Bright Orange Madewell and the Os.

We are a split decision family here in our house, but only during any Nats vs. Orioles games.  (When they play each other it is called the Battle of the Beltways, although we could call it Momma against everyone else.)

So why would I, a native of Northern Virginia be adamant in rooting for the Orioles over the Nationals, when the Nationals are our "home" team?

Well, if you know anything about baseball, DC did not have a team for many years between the 70s and the early 00s.  We had a football team, a basketball team, and even a hockey team, yet no baseball.

We had exactly one team we could root for and they were not so conveniently located an hour north in Baltimore (well it was an hour in 1997, the last time we went to B'more--for this Rush concert--it took us 2.5 hours to get there).  It didn't matter...if you were a fan of the boys of summer (fave Don Henley song, btw), you needed to head up 95/295 to see them playing in Charm City.  My fave boy of summer was always BJ Surhoff (showing my age there, lol).

One day my hubby came home and announced that Montreal was losing their team and they were coming to DC.  I was stoked but also a bit bewildered.  Would I forget my team?  Would I not root for them any longer?

Well, in most cases, yes, I do root for the new home team of the Nationals, but like most folks who grew up between Richmond and Baltimore in the 70s, 80s and 90s, when the Os play the Nats, the Os win out purely because of nostalgia.

They play each other a few times a year and I always pull out my Os hat and don some bright orange to let the world know my allegiance.  My hubby tolerates it, but only because I let him dress the kids up in Nationals gear.  (He did not grow up here.  Which I have no problem reminding him when he gets lost on his way anywhere in this area without me--the streets here are "challenging" to put it mildly.)

We were stopped a lot by folks, mainly other Os fans giving me a thumbs up and asking why the baby on my chest had a Nats cap on...it was fun, and it was nice to have a heated "frivolous" rivalry in the house.

My beloved Orioles?  They lost.  Sigh.  (Yeah, Mr. Dina, Rex, CW, and even darling Angus totally rubbed it in my face.)

I was not super heartbroken, though, had it been any other team going against the Nats I would have been cheerful at the win. 

I was inspired to wear this outfit not only because the shorts are the exact right shade of orange, but also because Madewell sent out an e-mail with items from the beach shack a while ago that paired these shorts with a hot pink top.  I so loved the look that I immediately purchased the shorts along with a bright pink v-neck that was on sale (the one in the e-mail was too pricey).

I plan to show off that image in my inspired by Madewell post that is upcoming, but until then, I will give you all a sneak peek at the bottom of this post.

Sunglasses: Anthropologie Gramercy Shades.
Tee: Madewell V-Neck Pocket Tee.
Shorts: Madewell Seashell Eyelet Shorts, size medium. (They fit true to size.)
Scarf: Anthropologie Noon Glow Loop.
Shoes: Bensimon with Liberty Fabric.

My hubby really likes me in braided pigtails.  I sort of thought he would outgrow that, you know seeing as I am no longer 18, but every time I wear them, he says, "I love you in pigtails."  Whatever.  :)

The wacky bird is the best mascot, btw.  It is rare to see actual orioles in these parts, so if I ever saw one in real life, I would probably be surprised that it isn't a big fat black bird with a grinning orange beak.  :)

This was Angus's second game as a Nats fan, and because he faced outward, he definitely was a favorite of many of the people at the game.  I think my favorite part is his fisherman sandals, so cute!

This was the image I was inspired by.  I also have the red sunglasses, again because it was less expensive than the ones I had been eyeing at J. Crew (a near $75 difference, btw!).

Okay that's it!

Do you have any family fun rivalries?  It could be anything...political, tv shows, etc.  Do tell!

The Blue Cardigan Times Two.

Happy end of the weekend, you all!

Right before Angus was born, I was able to go to the Fair Oaks J. Crew and spend some alone time just enjoying shopping with no kids around (well, sort of, lol, Gus *was* there).  I had seen the space dyed cardigan on line in the gorgeous blue/purple hue and although I wasn't sure it was me, it was always in the back of my head to look for it when out and about.  Well, I lucked out because it was at the Fair Oaks store, in my size, and on sale.  Yes, it was my "I am about to have a kid" present to myself.  And since he's a boy, the blue was perfect.  ;)

I wore it a few times postpartum around the house but the above outfit was its first official outing, to CW's dance class (if my memory serves me, it's been a few weeks since I wore it).

All the info on the pieces of the outfit are in the photo.  My favorite part of this outfit is my hair and the bag, which is a freebie from Clinique (Milly/Clinique often partner to create these giveaway bags and I like to use them as clutches).

The top has a ditzy floral pattern, the cardigan has the slight stripe to it, and the bag is a larger floral, but since the color scheme is similar the patterns ended up "going" together.

Later that night, we went to Potomac Mills as a family, and because (you all are gonna love this) my belly started to hurt, I switched from my tighter fitting cords to a much nicer looser fitting pair of loft pants in a cotton sateen.  God bless the roomier fit of Loft pants!

I wore the crewcuts top because Girlfriend (nickname for CW) said she wanted to match momma.  Since I know she won't be up for this much longer, I will just go with it for now. 

I made this face as Angus was staring at me (I was doing peekaboo or some such), and of course Mr. Dina was snapping the photo at the same moment.  Whatever.  It just shows that I can do other faces besides *smile* *half-smile* and *look pensive*. 

The sandals are a new Madewell purchase, the Crisscross Boardwalk Sandal.  I took a size 9 (they only have half sizes).  I really like the look and found them to be very comfortable for walking.  The ankle strap is a bit of a bugger, but only because I am not of fan of bending over and fiddling with buckles and such.  But the sandals are worth the extra effort.

BTW, CW's jacket is vintage Levi's from the 70s, this one was owned by Mr. Dina's sister.  Rex owns the one that Mr. Dina wore.

Okay that's it.  :)  I anticipate working on the Boden sale post soon (the extra 30% off select spring styles that I mentioned in the last post) and some other ootd posts.  One day I will eventually be back to normal posting!  One. day.

Have a great night!

Pink Jacket and Brown Top. Again.

Hi, all!  Thank you for your sweet Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays wishes over the past few days.  :)  I read them all and even though I can't respond (without a lot of effort, thanks teeny computer with no access to disqus), I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays right back.

Also, I read all the comments about Rex, and thank you, every one of you, who told me your own story, etc.  It was very helpful to see what has worked for you, what your life is like with your "energetic" toddler/child, and what isn't working.  So so appreciated!

I will continue to tell you all about the Rex saga, but for now, things are okay.  Not great, but with the extra empathy and patience we are trying with him, we seem to (crosses fingers) be on the road to normalcy (we don't expect--or want--him to overnight become the opposite of his personality).

So onto today's quick post.  Remember this post?  I wore the pink heather azalea Lexington Jacket with Boden's Silk Flower Top and jeans.  Well, I guess I really liked the pink/brown combo so a few days later I went with a similar combo...the heather azalea Bella Jacket (yes, that one!) with J. Crew's perfect fit swirling petals tank in cobblestone.

This is the outfit as worn out of the house.  The sunglasses and scarf are from Target (CW picked both of them out for me, in between trying on bits and pieces for herself--see bottom photo for proof of that).  The pants are really ancient Duo Maternity cream canvas pants, very comfortable and go nicely with the pink and brown/grey of the top half.

It was warm, though, probably too warm for the jacket, scarf, and Bensimon sherpa lace-up low sneakers I bought from Madewell recently.  With highs in the 60s that day, I felt a bit heated on my preschool run and it had nothing to do with Rex's teacher.  ;)  They are saying this is the fourth warmest December on record here in the DC area.  I want you all to notice I am not complaining.  I am such a weather wimp.

From the side.  I was so lucky to find the bella jacket on ebay a few months ago.  It was around the price of the original retail cost, but it was NWT and (almost) my size, so I bit.  I love this shade of pink, and I know that even if J. Crew was to re-issue the bella (like they did with the Lexington), they may not re-issue this herringbone version again, so I just re-budgeted that week so I could work it into my finances.

I am wearing the petite 6, which is nearly the right everything, except in the sleeves (har-dee-har, and my belly, but that isn't permanent).  The length of the sleeves are short, but I will take it so I can have a perfect fit in the shoulders and torso.  (And next year, lol, in the waist.)

The perfect fit tank is long enough to fit over my belly, even in the size small.  J. Crew's tanks and tees run really long, don't they?

The Bensimon sneakers are a size 41, which is about a size 10.  I thought the 41 would fit great, and they do, but I think I over-sized for what I suspected would be a fair amount of sherpa lining.  It is lined, but don't be fooled into believing it will be all thick like Uggs or even like what J. Crew does with sherpa.  I should have gone with a 40, but because it ties up, I just have to tie my shoes a bit tighter to have them fit well.

CW in the Target women's accessories department.  She loves trying all these on...the bag right next to her, btw, is really cute, sequined and all bow-ed up.  Go Target.  :) 

The sunglasses in the first shot were about $12 and are from Merona and the scarf is around $15 or so and also from Merona.  I can't find the glasses on-line, but I have included the scarf in my polyvore (below) so you can get more info on it.

Pink and Brown. Again. by dinagideon featuring cami tops

Above is the polyvore.

Umm, okay, that's all, I guess.  Before I go, two quick reminders/questions...if you have a review for me for this week's Boden Weekly Review roundup, can you either drop your link to your blog review in the comment or e-mail me at dinagideonATaimDOTcom...and on that note...when do you all think Boden will switch over to their second cut prices?  Last year it seemed to come a couple of weeks after the initial clearance, but I still haven't seen the prices budge (and I am WAITING for some of the pieces to go down in price, couple of my wishlist items are still too pricey at even their sale price). 

Have a great rest of your Tuesday, everyone!