OOTDs: Colorful Casual.

Been a bit behind in the ootd posting, so in an attempt to catch up will keep the copy brief and focus more on the photos.  If an item is still available, I will make mention of it, but in general, all of these items are older and definitely gone.  :-)

Outfit worn on March 3, 2015.  I went out that evening to G Street Fabrics with a friend after having some dinner with her.  I remember we were talking about the snowstorm that was set to come and wallop us a few days later (and it did, in epic form).

I wish my hair always looked like this.   Since I am not a stylist, I will just celebrate when the right combo happens.

None of the above is available, I have owned most of these for years, but the shoes can still be found at J. Crew Factory if you catch them on popback.  DO not pay $108 for them, though.  I got mine for under $40.

Worn on February 1, 2015.   This was a Sunday, but based on the outfit, I wasn't off to church (must have gone the night before). 

None of these are available, ancient clothing one and all (and clearly I love these corduroy pants).  There is a newer color of those Nikes available, in a grey, so much more of a neutral than my yellow pair.  :-)

Worn February 2, 2015.  This is a Monday.  Rex was still injured, so I was home with him.  I did something that day, if it is just me at home and no place to go, I don't bother with necklaces. 

(I just went to FB and found what I did that day--I met with the school and discovered that I would be homeschooling Rex for the foreseeable future.  No wonder I don't remember, I am trying to block the memory of that from my brain.  I mean I love Rex, and I love teaching, but together at home?  It's been a trial.)

The shoes are the same ones from the first outfit in this post.

The rest of the outfit is old, but I will point out that these are Lou's favorite pants from Boden, and when she saw them on me recently (in a photo on facebook), she asked if those were here favorite Boden trousers.  I happily declared that, "yes, indeed, they are."

Worn on February 4, 2015.  Again, no clue what I was doing that day.  Still home with Rex.  Going somewhere as I have on the shiny puffer down jacket, which is available at J. Crew still, btw. 

Worn on February 24, 2015.  It was a Tuesday and although I would normally be at bowling, that week I wasn't.  However, I did work on Rex's blazer that day, which I needed to finish by the 28th, so it is very possible I nixed bowling in favor of getting it done. 

The Turner pants are definitely still available in the solid shades, though these weirdly printed versions are gone.  (I bought them after finding I loved the Turner pant silhouette and these were only $25 or so.)

I wore this on January 3, 2015.  It was a Saturday.  I have on a necklace, so going somewhere.  LOL.  I love this cardigan from Anthropologie, it is called Jacquard Sweater Blazer, and like most items that I love from Anthropologie, is from the brand Moth.  It is not around, but the fact that it still has a page at Anthro means there are pobacks every once in a while.

Those jeans, btw, are so old, I have had them since 2003, and I will one day clone them into a pattern so I can so up additional pairs for me to wear, they are that comfortable.

Okay, that's all for now, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

OOTDs: Dressy Casual Teacher.

Last week, the day after I arrived in Mississippi, I wrote up a post on what I wear when I substitute the younger grades at my school.  (Overall pretty casual looks and very easy to wear shoes!)

Today, as I leave Mississippi (it's been ten days!), I figured I should finish off this round of subbing ootds with what I wear when I am teaching the older grades.  Although I like to dress up, the colder weather of late has necessitated the wearing of pants, so the only real dressy look you will see here is the day I needed to best represent the school, the last look, which is also the one look that is not technically from me subbing.  (I was there as a guide for the school, so I wanted to look really put together for the prospective parents.)

Next week and the week after, I will be subbing in my son's second grade classroom.  Hee!  I am looking forward to it for many reasons, of course.  Although I do tend to go more casual with the younger grades, because it is Christmas week festivity time then, I guarantee there will be at least a few dressier outfits to celebrate the occasion.

Okay, onto the outfits.

Day: Friday, November 14, 2014.

Where:  Subbing Fifth Grade.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I bought these pants when Angus was young, maybe six months old, and while they fit okay then, they fit exactly as they should now, so the little bit of extra pounds off has made a huge difference in comfort.  The handmade sweater is always warm and never fails me, so I am glad I made that one last year.  I need to make that pattern again, I think another sweater should be on my sewing table.

Though the coat didn't exactly match, I needed its' warmth that day, so not really worried about color matching.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Decent look, though with a better choice in outerwear, this look would have fared better on the "cool" chart.

Day: Thursday, November 6, 2014.

Where:  I was in for the older grades' Spanish teacher (there are two Spanish teachers--one for the youngins and one for the older kids)..

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  No complaints, at all.  Very comfortable, easy to wear outfit. 

Cool Factor: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Poor Talbots.  Though a purveyor of some fine looking items, it will never be cool.  ;-)  Therefore, though darling and pretty, the top dings the overall coolness.  Though if it read Zara, would you all be fooled into believing it was cooler?  Hmm...

Day: Wednesday, November 19, 2014.

Where:  Leading the prospective parents on a tour of the school, going to a moms' group, and attending my daughter's Thanksgiving Feast activity in the afternoon.  So not busy at all there that day.  ;-)

Ease of Wear: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  A very very slight ding for the tights not fully staying up.  I had to tug them up a few times throughout the day.  I wish these were control top, that would help keep them up on my frame a bit better. 

The Amy Dress (here on sale) was a champ, though, very easy to wear, and it surprised me at how well it wore in winter temperatures.  I did a second, more in-depth review of it at this Boden Weekly Review roundup.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love it, but it is pretty darn prissy, lol.  The shoes make it a bit cooler since the shape is a bit unusual, but really, this is very traditional and conservative, which was what I needed that day.

Okay, that's all for today.  I hope everyone has a great Thursday, and we'll talk soon!

OOTDs: Five. So Bright.

Day: Sunday, June 2, 2013.

Where:  7000 kids' birthday parties followed by a trip to a Moroccan restaurant.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This old school J. Crew dress (embossed cotton/seersucker fabric that they don't use anymore) is awesomely comfortable.  I especially love that it fits nicely through the bodice but is slightly flared at my hips.  :-)  One of the best pear-shape friendly dresses out there!

One point off because the Target shoes pinched a tiny bit (first time I had ever worn them).

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)   Well J. Crew has stepped away from the embossed cotton, so maybe that is a sign that it is no longer cool?  They did reissue my pineapple skirt, though, so maybe there is hope for the lovely embossed fabric in the future?

The necklace is my favorite bit, though, it was purchased at the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, and if you look closely, you can see that the shapes are taken from the natural stone steps you can see there.

Anecdote from the day:  We were invited to three separate parties for the kids that day.  Originally I was going to take Rex to the pool party for his *girlfriend*, then Mr. Dina would take him to Chuck E. Cheese's for another friend's party, then I would take CW to the SAME Chuck E. Cheese's for her friend's party later that afternoon.  Insane, right?

Thankfully, although sad for Rex, his two friends' parties were at the same time, so he had to choose.  He picked his girlfriend, lol.

The Moroccan food was delish.  Mmm.  Right before we got to the restaurant, it stormed like "woah."  (Hee, Joey Lawrence, hee.)  After the storm passed, and as we were walking to the restaurant from the car, we spied that rainbow you see in the third picture.  I love rainbows, so glad I grabbed the photo. 

 Day: Monday, June 3, 2013.

Where:  ???  I know that I was at home with the kids while I wrote the Boden preview picks post, but I know I wasn't wearing this outfit to stay at home.  I must have gone to dinner that night with Mr. Dina and the kids.  That seems right, but it's all fuzzy.  Must write these posts sooner.  ;-)

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The bodice of this Regatta dress is a bit large, and the shoulders stand off a bit from my shoulders, so I feel like I have to keep pulling the dress down.  After a while I got used to it, but in the beginning it bugged, so there's why I have the 3 there as a rating.

Cool Factor: (2 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Hmm.  Well those are really practical nude Cole Haan pumps and a white handbag combined with orange and white polka dots.  Not especially cool, rather pleasantly pretty, exactly right for my lifestyle, I suppose.

Anecdote from the day: Should have one and would have one if I had bothered to write a post on this outfit sooner.  I tell ya...

Day: Wednesday, June 12, 2013.

Where:  Winesday at Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I dig dig dig this Target (girls!) maxi dress so much, especially how easy it is to wear.  Can't go wrong with a nicely fitted jersey dress in neon stripes with just the right amount of give to be comfortable.

The jeweled flip-flops were very floppy since I bought them before I had the kids when my feet were bigger (???), but it wasn't awful or anything, so only a half-point off for them.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Well, I think it is cool, but I suspect the hi-lo hem is "out" or on it's way out, and neon may have played itself "out," as well, but at the Whole Foods, where hemp clothing, Capitol Hill business suits, and Toms are king, I think I brought it that day! 

Anecdote from the day: I love Winesday so much.  This was a typical Winesday, with my brother in tow, and our favorite employees working.  Only sad thing was finding out that our favorite employee, L., was leaving to go to another Whole Foods in PA.  Boo!

Day: Saturday, June 15, 2013.

Where:  Rex's kindergarten teacher's wedding, followed by Father's Day Dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I think this Lace Dress is a superstar, and it is very comfortable since it fits me to my curves (review here), but it is losing points because every. damn. time. I wear it, I snag a lacy bit on something.  Admittedly, my fault, but still...stop being so testy, pretty crocheted lace fabric.

(The one snag I had that day was pretty big, but thanks to the sewing shop ladies, I now know how to fix it.  It requires hand sewing, though.  So nice new machine will be useless for that one job.)

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Again, a dress in a bright color with shoes in a bright color and a light-colored handbag...I have a formula here, but not for "cool."

Anecdote from the day:  Oof, what a day.  I finished these pillows for his teacher's wedding present in the morning, visited the sewing shop to buy a new machine (now that I sew nearly daily, I think I have the actual justification for a machine that can do more, including embroidery and quilting--thank goodness for no interest financing), went to the wedding, then back to the sewing shop to tie up some loose ends, then to my dad's to cool down, and then to the Mexican restaurant to celebrate Father's Day. 

The last photo shows that my brother and I were enjoying ourselves WAY more than the rest of our family.  We blame the margaritas.

Day: Wednesday, June 19, 2013.

Where:  Winesday at Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This Madewell dress was a postpartum purchase so I could have something loose and nursing-friendly after giving birth to Angus.  It has become even more comfortable as I have lost more baby weight, but not so loose that I look like I am in a sack (thank you, belt!).

Don't adore the fabric, since it is a bit cloying and a bit wrinkle-prone, but I will forgive the dress since I could probably take a red-eye flight in it and feel comfortable.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Hmm.  I think the scarf is tied poorly, should have wrapped it more and in a circle shape...this version makes me look like a flight attendant.

Anecdote from the day:  My hair was so curly that day!  I washed it but didn't immediately comb/brush it, rather I let it air dry and this, combined with the *awesome* (sarcasm) DC humidity created the waves you see.  I sort of dig it, but it was not planned.

Okay, that's it.  Not sure how many folks are reading blogs on a Friday night in June right before a holiday week, but maybe a few of you will peek in?

BTW, Lands' End has a new promo out, 40% off Customer Favorites.  Haven't had a look around, but I have included the link below, as well as in the sidebar.

Early for Our Tenth Anniversary...

LOL.  We aren't all uber-ambitious trying to prove something by going out for our 10th anniversary a whole three days early, no, in fact, it turned out that someone else's 50th anniversary was far more important, hence turning our actual anniversary date into an "early-bird special."

Ten years ago yesterday (October 13, 2001), Mr. Dina and I were wed on a blissfully beautiful Saturday with nary a cloud in the sky and high temps in the 80s.  Yesterday the lovely weather was nowhere to be found.  In fact, on my way to meeting Mr. Dina for the 50th anniversary gala dinner for his work (sometimes work does come before play, and really...any excuse for me to get all dressed up is okay by me), there were TORNADO watches and warnings all over the area.  Nutso. 

Fortunately the cards were aligned to have our actual night out of celebration be on a similar sort of day to our actual wedding date.  On this past Monday, there were lovely temps and fairly clear skies, making for a lovely (not too cool, not too warm) night to have a lovely romantic meal at a French restaurant in Old Town (Le Refuge for those of you who know the area).

We wanted to give Mr. Dina a chance to try some real French food before we go to France next week (10 year of marriage to "Mr. White Tennis Shoes" means we get to go to Paris--hopefully the white tennis shoes stay home, lol).  He swears up and down he doesn't like French food, but from the evening we had out together, I would say he is lying.  He scarfed down all of his frog legs and part of my filet mignon (in a yummy pepper sauce) with room to spare (creme brulee also made an appearance at our table).

Anyhow, this wouldn't be my blog without photos of the outfit I wore to eat (very very) well...so without further ado, here it is.  You have already had a sneak peek here, I just made it more romantic and feminine and added a ton of makeup.

Just like the try-on in the J. Crew store, but I added Spanx hose and Cole Haan heels.

No food babies here (saw KDot in her similar outfit tonight using the term food baby and fell on the floor over the term, love it!), thank goodness for Spanx (seriously).

Added the Herringbone Bella Jacket in black (J. Crew retail version) to ward off any chill the restaurant may have had.  It didn't have a chill, btw, but the jacket seemed to work nicely with the overall look.  :)

The "Svetlana, spy from Moscow" smirk I am giving is optional, of course.  My hubby kept calling me that all night.  So funny.  "Da."

I did use the Poppy King lipstick from J. Crew.  I have to say the color is very nice for all skin tones, and can be applied lightly to full on, depending on the need.  I went somewhere in between.  The rest is Arbonne. :)

This look is Svetlana getting annoyed at hubby for mentioning how easy it would be to defect to the US, if that is so what she desires.

Mmm.  Frog Legs.  They taste like CHICKEN!

Happy Anniversary!  :)  You all will see the gifts in another post.

Red, Black, Brown, Cream. Yum. by dinagideon featuring patent leather handbags

Above is the polyvore of the outfit. 

Talk with you all soon, have a great night!