Boden: One Weekend Only! Clearance Items Prices Slashed!

Hey! 

Okay, so I see that the title of this post is a bit "used car salesman," but lol, this is actually a really big deal in Boden-land.  As the regulars of Boden know, Boden does not ever slash or reduce their clearance items.  There is never an extra % off (like the way Madewell, Loft, or J. Crew), and in fact, Boden is known to be quite stingy with their clearance items.  It has often been said that if you want something from Boden at a good price, you buy it in the last few weeks BEFORE clearance comes around (last season it was for between 40-50% off).  As crazy as this sounds, you will usually get a better price doing it that way than waiting for the *big* sale time.

Then last year (Fall/Winter 2013), Boden tried this new idea...for one weekend only they would slash prices SUPER low and see what happened.  Well, yeah, it was an amazing success, and items were flying off their virtual shelves.  But because Boden is Boden (and I do love them so!), on the day after the big clearance sale ended, all of the items went back up to their *normal* clearance prices.

Last year I was lucky enough to buy a coveted item of mine that was out of reach during regular season AND clearance time, the Jewelled Collar Sweater.  The weekend of the big clearance sale it went down to $30 from $100 (yeah, the $100 was the "sale" price).  You can see that here at the bottom of this BWRR.  So I can definitely recommend the big clearance sale!  :-)

(I do want to point out that while that sweater is still around, it is $90 this weekend, which gives me the big "huh?"  I don't get it.  That is one item they could reduce to $30 and be done with, if they just reduced it again.  Seriously.  But I don't make the calls, so there you go.  They are bound to have their reasons.)

This year there are a ton of options to choose from, but there is one item that is so low-priced that I love from this summer that I recommend all of you go out and buy it (well, if the dress suits your figure, of course), the Casual Jersey Dress (review here).  The navy blue floral version I purchased is $15.60!  Woah.  That's a pretty great price for what you receive!

Okay, that's it for now.  To get free shipping, you do have to have $50 in your basket, so bear that in mind.  The 15% off regular season items is still around, fwiw, too.

Anyone out there spy a really great deal they want to share?

Link to the sale (which also gives 15% off and free shipping) is below:
Shop Boden's Clearance Sale for up to 80% Off!

OOTD: Rosanella and Burgundy.

Before I start this outfit post off, I wanted to *briefly* mention that the 20% portion of the Boden diminishing discount sale will end tonight.  Tomorrow it goes to 15%, which is fine, of course, and par for the course in a diminishing discount way, but 20% off sounds pretty good to me.  :-)  I would say go for the 15% off tomorrow only if it is on an item you wanted but is sold out and pops back.  I wrote more on this sale here.

Day: Monday, February 17, 2014.

Where: Probably the grocery store, 'cause that is all I ever seem to do.  LOL.  No it was Target, which was stupid on my part (more in the anecdote section), and then to the school to pick the kids up from school.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Oh, such an easy outfit.  The only reason the point is knocked off is because I was a *tiny* bit worried that I would snag the pretty lace on the Rosanella Pullover sweater.  By the end of the day, the sweater still looked amazing, so yay! 

This sweater got really great reviews over at Anthropologie and sold out super fast.  You can find it on ebay, but as of right now, there is only one for sale. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  I feel so egotistical when I write that I think an outfit looks cool, but I felt like I really was working it that day, even in my harried state at Target.  Don't worry, there are plenty of bad attempts that are most definitely not cool to make up for all of the good, so I stay humble (most of the time).

Anecdote from the Day: The kids went to school on Presidents Day to make up for all the snow days they have had (they don't want to extend the school year) so I completely spaced that it was a national holiday in an area FULL of federal government workers, who ALL want to go to the Seven Corners Target on their day off.  Pulling into the lot I sort of noticed an uptick of cars, but it wasn't until I started going around the store that I realized not everyone there was either really old or stay at home moms like me.  Oops.  I don't mind crowds, I just feel like since I can shop in off hours, I should, to keep the stores from being over-crowded when everyone else has to shop.  Oh, well.

Okay, one last thing about that Target--they NEVER have buggies (grocery carts) at the entrances, and the ones in the parking lots don't work half the time.  I sincerely wonder where they all go.  I am not the only person who stares dumbly at the place where the carts should be, either, several other mothers of young children were staring despondently at the area.  Fortunately some nice lady gave Angus and me a buggy, but I tell you, if it weren't for the kindness of strangers...

Good night, you all!

OOTD: Halston Heritage and Retro Boden.

Good day, and Happy New Year, everyone!

Trying to start the new year off right by actually posting an ootd on the day I wear it, let's see how long this lasts.  LOL.  I give it a week.  ;-)

Find this darling "i heart Virginia" necklace here.  Read more about why I wanted this necklace from tru.che's etsy shop and not urban outfitters here.  I was so annoyed for tru.che that I immediately told my husband that this necklace would be a great Christmas present.  (He listened!)  I know the story of tru.che versus urban outfitters is old, but I feel like you can still show your support years in the future.

Day: Wednesday, January 1, 2014.

Where: Brunch at Louisiana Kitchen (home of the yummy Cajun martini) and my hubby's favorite comic book shop.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) Felt great in all the pieces.  Was a bit concerned that I wouldn't fit into the Boden dress since it had been years and one full grown baby boy since I had last worn it.  All fears were quelled once I found it slipped right on without any puckering or uncomfortable pinching.  Yay!  I made it a goal to not gain weight in Mississippi (no particular goals to lose weight, though) and was glad to find that the scale showed that I had kept my goal. 

The Halston Heritage coat is sublime, made from a cashmere/wool blend and lined in silk.  I found it at Mint Condition for a LOT LOT less than it originally cost at Net-a-Porter, so woo and hoo for a pretty, unique coat that keeps me warm, too.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Lovely, perfectly put-together ensemble.  Bit mumsy overall to be "cool," but the coat and sunglasses help a bit.

Anecdote from the Day:  Not much to report, really.  There is this guy at the comic shop that basically hates children, especially mine, since my husband often goes in there without me, and I am the "disciplinarian" of the two of us.  Anyhow, the owner is fine and has really started to enjoy the kids, and kind of laughs about it with my hubby, but the other lovely fellow had words with me today since I chose to sit with my darling girl on the floor (in my dress and heels, natch) and *carefully* read a book about the Miyazaki's art in the film "Spirited Away."  (Tell me that's already not kind of over-the-top nerdy of us.)  Anyhow, he was like, "NO...NO!  NO!!! Please NO!"  And I just looked at him like "really, fella?"  Anyhow, we even *more carefully* looked through it, the whole time he bore his tiny little angry man eyes at us.  And then of course I *very over the top carefully* put the book back.  I am not the one for karma, but a little part of me would like to hear that he went over to see if we had inflicted any damage on the book with our pedestrian fingers (we did not, btw) and in doing so dropped the book on the floor damaging the cover.  That would have me lol-ing.  But then I remember I {heart} the owner of the shop a ton and don't wish that fiscal damage on him.  But, still.  ;-)

By the way, my husband will purchase so many comics from this shop, I am somewhat sure that this fella's salary is paid for in large part from my husband's stupidly huge comic collecting.   That in no way means I condone my children acting like crazy fools, but they were very well-behaved today ('cause Momma disciplinarian was in the house).  Ah, good times!

Okay, that's it.  You all have a great rest of your start to 2014!

Boden: New Sale Frenzy! Everything Reduced!

So once again I was alerted to the new sale by the affiliate program, but even with the prior knowledge, I had no idea that the current sale running at Boden would be this awesome.  It turns out that the "25% off with free shipping" coupon code is not just 25% off or just "up to 25% off."  Instead it is "AT LEAST 25% OFF."  "AT LEAST!"  Love that!

And, to make things even more sweet, they have decided to restart the sale of the week promotions, with two going on this week.  The first part of the promo started today and takes 30% off dresses, shoes, bags, and cold weather accessories.  The 30% off expires on Thursday night.  Now here's what I recommend...if you had your eye on a dress, shoes, bag, or cold weather accessory, and it is a *popular* item (looking low in inventory or selling out), grab it at the 30% off since the item will probably go to 25% off once the sale ends on those items on Thursday. 

There is no double combining of coupon codes, though.  Can you imagine the absolute bedlam there would be if we could?  Ha. 

So you know there was a huge restock of items this morning.  There are popbacks in the Ingrid Coat (review here),  Chic Tweed Shift (review here), and the Heeled Brogue (quickie review here), to name a few.  So if something you had wanted had sold out previously, and you can grab it today, you will get a pretty decent deal since these items had sold out when the coupons were for lesser amounts. 

I know that this post is specifically about the current autumn/winter line at Boden, but I did want to remind you also that the Spring Preview 20% off code is set to expire today at the Preview site.  Apparently it was pulled early from the British site (thanks for the update, Lou!), making a whole lot of European and Canadian customers super ticked off, but as far as I can see, the American code (PRV3) still works.  I wrote a massive picks post on Saturday if you missed it.  (It is massive in part because I combined all my picks into one post.  Must split them up in the future!)

Okay, that's it for now.  I think that's enough, honestly.  LOL.

Link to the new coupon code (expires on December 13, 2013):


Link to the current "sale" (that ends on Thursday night):
Take 30% off Dresses, Shoes, Bags, and Cold Weather Accessories (plus Men's/Boys' Trousers) at BodenUSA.com. Four days only beginning November 18.

OOTDs: Excusez-moi, s'il vous plaît!

Day: Thursday, March 7, 2013.

Where: Preschool Run and Bowling.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Not a huge fan of the jeans with this outfit, since they are a lower rise and the Liberty twisted placket shirt kept coming untucked.  Annoying.  Eventually I just untucked the shirt and had a more "rumpled" look.

The Boden Cashmere Crew Neck Jumper ( new version is here) is wonderfully warm, though, and based on how much I have worn it since I bought it, I clearly made a good choice (I like how I styled it here best, though).

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  The color was "in" last fall, so I don't know if the deep burgundy (otherwise known by its yucky name--"oxblood") is still "in," but whatever, the bowling ladies literally gave not one fig (also a better word for this color than OXBLOOD).  I wear my clothing for me when I bowl, lol.  Although a few of them loved the necklace.  No one even notices the bag, which is by far the coolest part of the outfit.

So my gorgeous 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Satchel in aubergine is now being worn around town by everyone's FAVORITE FASHION blogger, Miss Atlantic-Pacific herself.  I know she totally saw it on me first.  {Snort.}

Anecdote from the day:  I am getting so much better at bowling.  I didn't do exceptionally well that day, but I definitely didn't do badly either.

They have a meatloaf special at the bowling alley on Thursdays, which includes meatloaf with brown gravy, new potatoes, a roll, a pat of butter, and some broccoli.  I am in love with it.  The meal is cheap, too, only $6.50 before tips.  I love that I can get honest to goodness "classic" American diner food and have the company of some pretty awesome ladies.  Next year I am switching to the Tuesday bowling league, and I believe they have another "special of the day" on Tuesdays, so I may have to find a reason to visit the alley on Thursdays so I can enjoy my new found culinary treat.

Day: Friday, March 8, 2013.

Where: McDonald's and Toys "R" Us.

Ease of Wear: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This outfit looks really cute and colorful, but not the best outfit for running around with the kids, including carrying Angus while holding CW's and Rex's hands while crossing a major local road (McDonald's is across the street from Toys "R" Us).  By the time I got to McDonald's, my skirt was hitched up because the tights create friction with the unlined skirt.  At least the coat, tee, and shoes felt great.  (The tee is from crewcuts, I bought it in the size 14 for me and a size 6 for CW.)

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Haha.  Not very cool, but I like it since I really love bright graphics in blue and orange and grey.  The color combo feels unique and is certainly not for wallflowers, but even still, the outfit is far too "fun" to be "cool."  Even if the tee has a French phrase on it...

Anecdote from the day:  I know I must have received looks for daring to cross that major road on foot instead of driving my car across the street, but man, it just rubs me the wrong way to drive less than a tenth of a mile.  When I was growing up, you walked anywhere that was under a mile from the house.  Period.

I do want to give a big thanks to any of the drivers who actually, oh, you know, stopped when they saw me and the brood crossing the street.  Surprisingly my orange coat and my crazy children must not have been visible to some of the drivers.  I suspect their vision was impeded by the lovely glare from their late model BMWs and Mercedes.  If I was so special that I owned such a fine vehicle, I guess my vision would be impeded, too.  Chortle.  ;) 

(If you do drive a BMW or a Mercedes, I don't mean you, of course.  It's just a shame that the vast majority of the time I am harassed by a vehicle--either as a pedestrian or as another driver, it is usually a BMW or a Mercedes.  Sigh.)

Alrighty, that's it, I have been laying low here at the blog, but not in my real life, where I am pretty much constantly moving.  All the time.

P.S. Just in case I don't update the blog tomorrow (very very likely), I do want to remind mini Boden and Johnnie b. fans that the big spring sale is going to end tomorrow night.  The coupon I have in my sidebar does not stack with the sale items, but if you use the coupon, you will get the free shipping.

Derecho Dina. Pleated. Blousoned. And Dressed.

A few of you wrote me (either here or through e-mail) wondering what was going on with my not updating the blog, considering I do tend to publish once a day. One or two of you even realized what likely was the issue, what I will from now on call "Derecho Dina."  (Oh, and I give you all who guessed what happened props for reading the national news...unless you are in this area, then you just knew what happened.)

(What is a derecho?  Here is your answer.)

The Washington Post is asking people name the crazy, awful, let's take down an entire region storm, and I recommend all of you name it Derecho Dina because...

1. It happened two days before my birthday on Friday.  My birthday, Sunday, also was the day we had planned for Angus to be baptized, which leads me to...

2. The whole house was full of relatives who really enjoy our company, but enjoy our company MOST when there is air conditioning (highs of 103 F recently, so you all know), real food in the fridge, lights on at night, and ways of staying cool when dressing in the morning.  When the storm hit us on Friday night, our house and a good majority of the houses from Baltimore to Richmond were in the dark, and in the heat.  Only some of those houses had "company."  ;)

3. I, being the Pollyanna that I am, tried REALLY really hard to be as positive and optimistic about the loss of electricity, after all if I was able to live through the snowstorm that turned me into an actual PACKMULE, then I could handle 6000 degrees (at night, on top of the bed, with no cloth touching my skin outside of my camisole and shorts) and no lights, right?

4. I did stay positive, but I did get a bit "frayed" (like the countless wires underneath the countless trees in our 'hood).  At one point, right before the baptism, when my dad and my hubby were both requesting something of me at the same. blessed. time, I actually said, out loud, "THREE, TWO, ONE, I AM GOING TO CALM DOWN RIGHT NOW."  And then I heard the sweet priest say, "excuse me, I think I need to pass by, if that's okay."  Sigh. 

5. It is now Monday, and they have an estimated date of FRIDAY or SATURDAY before they will get the power restored to us in our neighborhood.  I suppose when power line poles actually split in half, that is probably expected, eh?  ;)

6. I clearly am not in said house, thank goodness, and rather at a hotel in Arlington (I get to be a tourist in my hometown, holla!).  Soon I will shift to my dad's house (he had his power restored today).  And maybe, one day, my house will be back to normal, with a fridge full of non-rancid food (oh, what a joy that will be to clean), cool breezes enveloping my head (love you, ceiling fan!), and full access to things like the coffeemaker and telephone (welcome to 1981, everyone). 

So, that's my plan, let's get the derecho named after me. LOL. I am kidding, you all know that, right?
 

Instead of heading over there and naming the derecho that, I invite you in for a review.  ;)

I will show you a photo of what I managed to get on and wear on the Baptism/birthday day, even though it was so bleeping hot and humid in the house that my skin literally stuck to every household surface, like the walls. 

Sunglasses: Target.

Dress, Clutch, Shoes, and Belt: J. Crew.

This is the pleated blouson dress from J. Crew that was in the lookbook and was under a lot of scrutiny for being both at once really pretty and also really absurd for being constructed from polyester.  I agreed with most sentiments, but I still believe it is a lovely frock, utterly perfect for such occasions like birthdays, baptisms, and weddings. (All three of which will see this dress in action this summer!)  The polyester is resoundly ugh when putting it on in the 6000 degrees, but it does have something going for it...utter wrinkle resistance.  You see those amazing pleats all over?  Even through multiple hours of standing, sitting, kneeling, and praying, this dress came home and not a single pleat was out of place.  I have owned pleated skirts for years (yay Catholic school uniforms) and those always wrinkled out of position, but not this dress.  Plus it's pink.  And that's all that CW cares about.  Ha.

The dress is a size 6, which is fine for me, as it is loose through the hips and bodice.  Because of that I could use my waist measurement, which hovers around 28 most days (the waist on this is a 30, so it is comfortable).  I love the shape, I think the relaxed blouson and hips style really shows off the waist nicely, and a lot of women like to do that, which may be why this dress was hyped early on. 

(Other reviews: check it out on AJC here and on Notes from a Dressing Room here.)

The shoes are the Lena wedges, and like the model at Net-a-Porter, I wanted to try yellow with the dress.  When I wear the dress next time, I am going to wear a pair of strappy glittery gold sandals instead, which will likely look more chic, but since it was my birthday, I wanted to try something a little more out of my comfort zone (like the heat wave wasn't enough discomfort, chortle).

I took a whole lot more photos that day, but haven't had a chance to sift through and edit them all, but will likely publish them all in a birthday/baptism themed post.  The photos from the baptism are really sweet, Angus looks adorable in a bonnet. 

Obviously, I am not able to do as much as I can when I am at home in a normal situation.  But I will still try my best to be around and available, so if you do write or comment, and don't hear back, know that I am slowly working myself back to being able to do so.  Promise!

Night, night, all.  Stay cool.  If. you. can.  (Evil laugh.)

P.S. Boden ladies, no sale yet.  I can't believe it is taking this long.  Hmmm.  Maybe tomorrow?  ;)







OOTD: Kids Rule Our World.

I overdid it last weekend, you all.  ;)

Saturday and Sunday were overtaxing, in a good way, of course, but still overtaxing.

Rex finished out his tee ball season first thing Saturday morning, but because this is our world of three kids, it wasn't like we could just go home and be done with the day.  See Rex is now at that age where incentives (aka bribery) works really well to get him to try his hardest (aka what it seems every other kid his age does with no problem).  So this last Saturday we let him know that if he tried his hardest to play a great game (listen to the coach, watch the ball in play, run fast to the bases, etc.) we would take him to McDonald's for lunch.  McDonald's works every time.  Every time.  I think it may have worked on me when I was that age, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  McD's is crack for kids, more addictive, though, based on how many times a day my kids ask me when the next time they get to go to McDonald's is...today's count, 42.  (No.  Not really.  Only 6.)

After that, CW had a "fairy princess" birthday party to go to, and I was the one to take her, because as much as Mr. Dina likes prancing around with elves and other fantastical Hobbit-like creatures (and you all think I am kidding--the man has TWO action figure ROOMS!), he decided that these fairies at this party weren't manly enough for him, so I got tasked with the pixie dust duty.

Only then could I go home.  Angus joined me for the day, but then he always is with me, kind of like my driver's license, which I put to good use driving all over hell's half acre (also known as the NOVA suburbs).

I can only imagine how much more our kids will rule our world when Angus is old enough to have his own "firetruck and policeman" birthday parties of his own to go to.

Sunday was its own hootenanny, but I'll bore you all with that tale sometime later.  ;)

Open up the photo for more info on the pieces, but I will let you know that the Summer Shirt Dress is around again this year (I am wearing last year's version).  I suspect that some of the shades and sizes will make it to clearance (which should be happening soon). If you like it and would like to get it for a good price, I will definitely be announcing the start of the clearance sale, so definitely wait until then.

The shoes are the glitterati flats and because I am a sucker for CW and her adorable magpie ways, when the crewcuts version went on sale (with an extra 30% off), I got them for her, too.  And, yep, she wore them that day.  (Can you think of anything better for a fairy princess party?)

I like to smile.  So I took another photo.

Mr. Dina took this one of Angus and me.  I love him in these colors, just like Rex, he really does well in the lime green and aqua blue colors.

This is what Mr. Dina and I do at the tee ball games when we are bored.  We find ways of amusing Angus which amuses us. 

Rex got the game ball, so yep, the "incentive" worked. 

Fairy Princess CW.

You all have a great day.  :) 

Anyone else out there have any tales of excessive days out with your own rugrats?

P.S. I am going to publish the Boden Weekly Review Roundup tomorrow.  We have Rex's tee ball end of the season party tonight so I don't have enough time to get it all done.  If you have a review, though, and you would like to let me know, you can e-mail me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com or comment below.

ROYGBIV: Orange. Doesn't Rhyme with Anything.

Well, I guess I could technically have put in half of the outfits from the last ROYGBIV post because really what is the color modern red? Truly looks red in the near dark, but in actual light is a really good friend of orange. Probably best described as a "RORANGE" kind of color, little red, little orange. Whatever, I still love it, they could call it poopy doo creamsicle and I would still wear it.

I have two outfits for this post, but I already published one of them, so I will just link back to that post rather than re-posting.  *Because I am lazy.*

The photo has the info, but I will mention some bits about the pieces.

The sweater was really popular in blog land, but I seemed to keep missing it at its really good sale price, and since I knew other people were getting it for almost half off of the original price made me irritable (or it could have been the end of the pregnancy hormones which was when I bought it), I chose to wait until it was the price I knew I could have it at.  Of course I had to wait for a popback, but one morning, very early, I found the boatneck popover in my size and in the orange (TRUE orange) color.  Yay for patience and a being just a little bit crazy.

The rest of the outfit is old, old, old.  Just in case you all didn't realize it, I actually re-wear a ton of my clothes.  It may seem that I have new pretty shiny things all the time, but that is because I just like to show off the new and pretty.  :)  In fact, I rarely buy new pants or shorts.  Eh, just can't feel the love for most of those because most of those just give me sadness...when you can't fit into pants because your thighs are too big, it sort of makes wanting to get new pairs in favor of your old not really a great idea.  Dresses?  Tops?  They seem to fit fine, so I get more of those. 

Okay, rant done.  Don't know why I felt I needed to talk about it, I just did.  Do you have any piece of clothing that gives you sadness because you find it hard to work on your body?  I am really curious.  I sometimes feel alone in my frustration with my body.  Probably because I spend most of my time talking to my husband (he who is super thin and can wear anything) and my toddlers (they don't care if something doesn't fit, always amazes me).  Also do you buy certain types of clothes because they always seem to fit, regardless of other issues you may have with the rest of your body?

That necklace, the scattered glass necklace, is easily my most worn piece of jewelry.  LOVE.  J. Crew should remake that necklace for those of you who missed out on it initially.

I don't think I would ever do a pixie cut, but I am not overwhelmingly disgusted by my face with a short look.  (There is a bun in the back...was a preschool run day, so it made my life easier to have it up.)

End of the preschool run.  My hair and my sweater were still in decent shape.  The jeans were about to fall off, but they stretch out a LOT.  I love them, but I think I need to go to my non-postpartum pair (I have them in size 30, too, these 32s are for after I have the bebes).

This was the first time I had let Gus ride forward in the Bjorn, he loved it.  Mr. Dina says that it looks like he is a vestigial appendage of mine, like a third arm or an extra finger.  LOL.  I guess.  (Such a freaking weirdo, that's my hubby!)

Mr. Roy G. Biv presents Orange. by dinagideon featuring j crew handbags

Above is the polyvore of this outfit.

Okay, so this post has the other orange outfit.  That said, it did have an indigo piece, so I would have still been confused on which post to include it in, so I guess it is good I published it early so I wouldn't break my brain.  ;)

You all have a great day.  Talk with you soon!

A Night with the Nats.

It feels like a long time (minus the announcement of the birth of Angus) since I curated any sort of familial events on this blog. Of course I love the sartorial spin my blog has, but I do enjoy putting some of my other passions on here, namely my family and the fun things we get to do together. There has definitely been a reduction in fun times, but now that the reason for the fun times diminishing has been solved (my pregnancy, cough, cough), we can get back to the business of making memories. ;)

Rex was barely two months old when we brought him to his first Nationals baseball game (April 2007).  CW was around a year old, but that is owing in part to her birth date in September (she was born *just* at the end of the season in 2008).  Of course Mr. Dina was all gung ho to get lil Gus to his first game some mere two weeks after his birth, but my influence held some sway and Mr. Dina saw the ridiculousness of that request.  I gave in last week, Tuesday, when Gus had made it to a much more sturdy age of five whole weeks. 

This photo cracks me up.  If you open it up, you will see the insanity that is us at a planned event.  Starting from the left back, you will see Rex at the picnic table with the very friendly Deena (no joke) who had insisted on competing with him in a round of Angry Birds space (she on her phone and Rex on my Kindle--moms, take note, that KINDLE IS THE BOMB diggity for keeping kids amused).  Deena works at the park and from what I gathered she was on her break.  How awesome of her to be so sweet to my pumpkin.  If you have kids in this area and have not made it to a game yet, I insist you go, the park is uber-friendly to the children.  In fact, Deena mentioned that on Sundays kids get to run the bases after the game and get autographs (maybe we can get Jayson Werth's autograph after his hand heals?).

In front of the picnic table you see CW cuddling with her new Nationals stuffed animal. 

And then there's Gus and me.  He is feeling me up!  In his Bjorn!  How cheeky!

I am dressed (can't not tell you, right, lol?) in my postpartum "my it's sticky outside" best.  The visor (oh, yeah, I own a visor!) is team gear, the tank is J. Crew, the shorts are Mimi Maternity (still have a few pair I admit to letting linger in my dresser), and the shoes are Miss Trish of Capri for Target.

So you know, I had no idea how awesome this shot was until I got home and could zoom in on the individual happenings.  I think CW cuddling Mr. Nat made me laugh the most followed by how *inappropriate* Angus was being. 

Handed down from Rex, Angus was good to go with his Nationals skull cap.  He made quite a few fans that night, btw.  The folks sitting right next to us kept cooing at him. 

The little red pants, which are a perfect shade of red for the Nationals, are from J. Crew's Nature baby line.  These cutie pie pants were given to me by my sweet on-line Personal shopper.  I let her know that day that she helped us with Gus's outfit...unfortunately for little baby boys, most companies make three colors in their baby pants, navy blue, grey, and brown.  Yawn!

Okay, that's all.  We had a great time, and all of us made it back to the car in one piece.  I think waiting a few weeks for Gus to go may have been the key.  :)

BTW, the Nationals lost.  Sigh.  Of the games that week, ours was the only goose egg of the bunch.  We have all summer though to make sure Angus sees some winning!

Rough Day. Blegh.

Only thing keeping me going today.  God bless the Bahamas.  And cruises.

RESOLUTION:  

 Well, I didn't see my account was all flush with the money I should have, so I am now currently on the phone with a very nice British lady (sometimes I get an American, sometimes I get a British person when I call the US 866 number) who is "looking into the matter with her manager," who says that they have canceled the authorization for the whole amount. Well, good. ;) I now just have to talk to my bank. Will a lovely British lady or a smooth American gentleman help me with my issues when I call them? Doubtful.

So two thumbs up for Boden. Thank goodness. I didn't want to lose faith in good ole Johnnie!

ORIGINAL POST:
Okay.  So tell me.  Do any of you ever pre-order using a check card?  Well, I do.  And I must be downright stupid to do so because it turns out that some companies (cough, cough Boden, I am looking at you) will steal all your money "hold" not only the WHOLE amount of your pre-order but also ALSO the individual amounts of each shipped package.

Wha-wha-what???

Imagine...

You pre-order $350 worth of items.

Woo-hoo, right?

Nope.  Not only do the pre-ordered items come THREE. WEEKS. EARLY., they also will be charged twice.  So that $115 dollar dress becomes $230 until Boden decides to officially drop the WHOLE amount charge.

Okay, excuse me while I go weep.  And cry.  And go to the bank and say OMG...how much am I being charged?  You mean I am in NEGATIVE numbers because I was charged twice?  And now I OWE YOU...the bank...$72 in overdraft because I was charged TWO TIMES for that pre-order that came early EARLY and every day that a new "shipped parcel" ships and the original WHOLE amount doesn't clear, I will be charged an ADDITIONAL $72?

Excuse me,  I am off to go drink a WHOLE LOT OF WINE.  I guess I am going to take the bus home from the bank.  Good thing that Thai restaurant next door has a great wine list...

So.  Unless Boden clears my WHOLE amount charge tonight (which they swear they will do, come on CS Brian, don't let me down), I will be charged ANOTHER $72?  Oh, dear me, I need a massage.

Okay.

(The $350 is hypothetical, btw, just letting you have a visual):

$350 original order...

$125 shipped parcel #1...

$75 shipped parcel #2...

$150 shipped parcel #3...

$72 overdraft penalty #1...

$72 overdraft penalty $2...

means that I will be paying (if it doesn't clear and the overdraft fee is still there for two days)...

$844 for a $350 order.  I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I went ahead and purchased early, on my check card, because I was trying to be both a coupon user (20% off all preorders) and "fiscally responsible" by not using a credit card.  All I wanted was my order to ship properly, ON TIME, and not have any craziness associated with it.

Turns out this probably happens with credit cards, but because credit cards have billing cycles, you wouldn't even notice all this malarky happening because unless you are a big time financially savvy person, you don't watch your credit card balance daily, but I bet, like me, you are WAY on top of your bank account.

In reality, the most this hypothetical order would pay would be $350 plus $72 plus $72 which equals $494.  Let's see.  $494 minus 20% equals: $395.20.  Hey look at that!  Because of overdraft penalties...this hypothetical order would BE MORE EXPENSIVE than not pre-ordering at all.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Supposedly, the $72 charge (from today) will be credited.  I have sent a copy of my bank account debits, etc., but have I received word that I will get the credit?  Nah.  Good job, Johnnie B.  Let's really REALLY tick off a HUGE Boden fan.  (Like, hello???) Okay, update: Just received e-mail where they called me the wrong first name, but at this point, I have bigger fish to fry.  She was sympathetic to my issues but said that someone would get back to me by Monday with a conclusion.  Meaning nothing is set in stone and I could really be out that $72.  I feel sick to my stomach because I want to NOT use credit cards and because of that, I may end up getting hurt with way worse fees than what you would have on a credit card.  Le freaking sigh.

And supposedly, they will be taking that original WHOLE order amount off tonight.

IF I WAKE UP TOMORROW AND MY ACCOUNT IS STILL IN NEGATIVE NUMBERS, I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL PHONE CALL.  WHICH WILL BE PAID FOR BY BODEN.  LOL.  Maybe I will call collect.

"USA calling UK, do you accept the charges from an irate Virginian?"

Did I also mention that I forgot to put my car in "park," and my car upon me trying to start it told me I couldn't because the "steering column was locked?"  Yes, that reads to me: DUMMY, get your car out of "D" and put it into "P" before starting the car.  Stupid German vehicle.

I need wine. Now.  ;)

Anyhow, I will hopefully be all back to Boden bliss tomorrow, but for now, hit list time.

If you use a check card for any Boden pre-orders, caveat emptor.  CAVEAT EMPTOR.

NC and an MC...Plus a Bling Blossom!

Hey, all. Long time. My fault! Is it normal for a cold to last over a week...and...to completely wear you out? Or should I just blame the children? LOL.

I kid. In reality, I was already run down LAST week when I finished up the Fall into Fashion class and then ran off to North Carolina. Probably not the best idea we have ever had, but come on now...could I ever say no to seeing the amazing DJ Lance Rock and his crew from Yo Gabba Gabba? Yeah, I thought you all would agree. :) (Get it now? The title? NC--where we went, and MC--DJ Lance Rock? The Bling Blossom will be explained later...)

Also, before picture time...I got two more followers today! (Whee!) I have gotten probably five or six total in the past month, but here's the crazy thing...I would get a follower, go up to 228 total, then one follower would drop the VERY. NEXT. DAY, so I would be back to 227 (great show, btw). This happened twice! The new follower wouldn't be the one to drop, it would be someone else. So bizarre. I feel like I am Jerry Seinfeld, if I throw a dollar out a window, I find four quarters in a vending machine.

First full day in NC, same day we go to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live, I wear an homage to the great DJ himself by finding my BRIGHTEST orange tee. I chose not to be derivative this year. (Seriously people, click on the link. Trust me...find the second picture.)

Tee is vintage (using the term loooooooosely here) Pink Victoria's Secret. I never buy VS anymore, but loved this tee when I saw it four or five years ago. The jeans are the Amore Wash Ankle Toothpick Jeans from J. Crew, and the shoes are Cole Haan Janine Penny Mocs (as best I can tell). I scored all three for very little. I think the total outfit may be under $100. (Not saying much, I realize, but Cole Haans? Usually a pretty dear penny.)

Pics of actual concert time are at the bottom. ;)

Tie-Dyed Wednesday Skirt! by dinagideon featuring j crew skirts

Above is the polyvore of the second full day we were in NC. That day I wanted to feel pretty, yet comfy. I love the tie-dyed Wednesday skirt more than I expected to...really does work with many items in my wardrobe, including the four above in the polyvore. (And yes, that is the Bling Blossom necklace. And yes, I am probably the only person who bought it. Not full price. You don't have to stress about that, people.)

Sizes:
Top: Sparkle Waves Henley, in store only color of ivory, extra small.
Cardigan: Michelle Merino Cardigan, Light Pink (Blush), medium. I have had this forever. Such a lovely cardigan, like the forever and infinity cardigans, but a little looser and less long.
Skirt: Tie-Dyed Wednesday Skirt, size 6. Person who bought it before me was bigger than a 6, wore it, stretched out the side seams (they are ruined), returned it, I bought on pop-back, saw issue, and got over it. I think I will sew up ruined seams (yay, sewing machine!), but had this been any other skirt, I would have read J. Crew the riot act. Too bad I really really wanted this skirt.
Necklace: Bling Blossom Necklace. I loved it in the lookbook (was on very last two pages) but when I heard it was $175, I said, "for that?" "ooh, that's too much for me right now." So I waited, and watched, and waited, and watched. When it went on sale I pounced...with the help of the 25% off card that Mickey gave us. Thank goodness for great red phone service. So question is...do I love it? Yes, yes, I do. Since you all know me as a huge fan of statement necklaces, this one fills the same qualities...big, fun, not serious or conservative, and really, really bling-y. It isn't too heavy, and the rosettes are quite beautiful in real life. And considering my husband's tolerance for all things "weird" (read: he has no tolerance), the fact that he said NOTHING regarding this necklace means it's okay in his book.

Oh, there's my head. ;) Look at Rex back there, all ready to go.

Rex in his Brobee hat. He lasted about twenty minutes before he flung it off. He was angry for about an hour of the hour and a half concert because he thought it looked too much like a movie. REX HATES MOVIE THEATERS. Loud Audible Sigh. Fortunately it was really loud in the coliseum that day (huh, toddlers, bright lights, loud music, balloons, etc., what a shock) so his wails were drowned right out. Thank goodness he calmed down for part of the time so he could enjoy part of the show. Those tickets are expensive! Regardless, this is a really cute pic, almost rexdorable.

"Yes, they are mine, officer." (Replaced with "who are these darn rugrats?" when confronted with all manners of bad behavior. Unfortunately, Rex is my doppelganger so that statement only works in complete darkness.)

Foofa #1 (CW) finds Foofa #2.

Agh!  My original paragraph was here and now it is GONE!  Sob.  Said some nice things about how much CW LOVED the concert.  Included bits about her seizing up in happiness at start of concert; concert being like her version of catnip; how balloons made her glee-ful; how she helped spread love of balloons by getting balloons to kids who were so very sad and blue that they didn't get any; and how this photo is one of the only shots of her where she wasn't LITERALLY dancing in the aisles.  Sigh.  I guess my tired little synopsis will have to do.  I hate/love you Blogger.

And finally, one of my favorites from the show, the ever-awesome Leslie Hall (Super Fly, she is). Who is Leslie Hall? Well, you can read more here. And I highly recommend you watch this video clip of her from the show, and this clip of her slightly crazily avant-garde video.  I recognize that I have fallen into full-on Hipster Parent Paradise by showing you this photo.  Maybe I will be getting more followers from the hipster community (if they can bear my politics and my penchant for all things Taco Bell/Popeye's). 

Look forward to chatting with you all soon. :) Plan to get to comments eventually. Before November. Promise (and no my fingers aren't crossed. LOL.)