OOTD: A Squirrely Birthday.

Before I start this very quick blog post, I want to remind everyone that if you want to enter the NOVICA $50 giveaway, you have just over a day to enter.  There have been some great comments already over at that post, and thank you for opening my eyes to some beautiful items over at NOVICA.  :-)

Day: Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

Where:  Celebrating Angus's 3rd birthday at our favorite Mexican restaurant (and where we have had many birthdays before...here, here, here, and here, just for some quick examples).

Ease of Wear: (3.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Not really the fault of the Hartland Dress, but I was feeling a bit bloated that day.  And I think the babycord fabric shrunk a bit in the wash (not really shrunk, but went back to its original shape after being stretched out from being worn).  By the end of the meal I felt fine, but it was annoying at the start of the meal.

The margarita I had helped too, lol.

Outfit Details:  Hartland Dress is the only one available, here on sale at Boden.

Anecdote of the Day:  Angus usually LOVES the birthday song and anything with candles on it to blow out.  Well, at least until this night.  He hid his face away while the nice folks were serenading him.  He got over it the moment he saw that it was fried ice cream, though.  Fatty sugary foods...mmm.

Okay, you all have a great night!  We'll talk more later!  

OOTDs: 13 on the 13th and a Stunned Sewer.

Before I start the ootds post, I wanted to let you know there is a reason I am a "stunned sewer."  Turns out that I *won* the Fabric Mart Fashion Challenge.  Woah!  I honestly thought I was going to come in third, *maybe* second if I was really lucky, but nope, first!  I wrote this all over the place this morning, but I was really glad that I was sitting when I received the news since I had to compose myself, so weird, right?  :-)  I guess I was a tiny bit excited!

Nakisha came in second with her gorgeous interpretation of minimalism architecture, and Sue's amazing, yellow trench coat inspired by Pop Art came in third.  It was a true honor to be in the last challenge with them.  

I have a lot of thoughts about the competition, what I learned, what I experienced, and how the whole thing went, but I will save that for another time (I do want to dissect it, though, since the progress was pretty significant overall--more so than I expected it to be).  I do really want to say thank you to Fabric Mart for hosting the competition, the judges for all their thoughts and words about the garments I sewed up, and to my fellow sewing friends in the contest with me, it was wonderful to be part of such a cool thing with such gracious, generous, and gifted sewers.  And of course, I *know* so many of you voted for me, or left incredibly kind comments here or at my FB page, so thank you for that.  I had many moments where comments were what I needed to keep my head up high, since there were points in the challenge where I wondered if I should keep on keeping on...

Okay, onto the outfits...both featuring dresses I sewed up in the competition (there's the connection, lol).

Day: Monday, October 13, 2014.

Where:  To celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary, Mr. Dina took me to America Eats, which has moved from its downtown DC location (featured at this post and here at this post) to the Ritz Carlton Tysons (ooh, fancy!).

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I made this dress for me (read more on that here), but it is still a fancy dress worn with heels.  It won't be the most comfortable dress ever, but considering that normally dresses feel too tight in my hips, it was a nice change of pace to feel not restricted there, for once.  :-)

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love it.  I think I looked really nice, and I always, ALWAYS want my hair to look that good *why can't it always behave--WHIIIIINE!*. 

Anecdote from the day:  Driving to Tysons it was SUPER FOGGY out.  We have a few tall buildings in our neighborhood and there are really tall buildings (well, by DC standards anyhow) in Tysons, and the tops of the buildings were completely hidden behind the wall of fog.  I love fog, so I was really into it, but Mr. Dina was freaked out.

Yeah, we've been married for 13 years and it was awesome that it was on the 13th.  Wish it had been a Friday, too, that would have been even better.

Day: Saturday, October 18, 2014.

Where:  International Fair at the school.

Ease of Wear: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Yeah, this dress is so comfortable.  I am really glad I spent all those hours patterning out the original and sewing up a gazillion gathers (wrote the process up here).  Worth all the effort.  Such a breezy, lovely dress. 

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Very pretty and presentable outfit, and perfection for the weather we had here today (umm, gorgeous, with a slight breeze).

Anecdote from the day:  We have been a house of sick lately.  I was sick with the flu for a week and then both CW and I came down with laryngitis.  Unfortunately Mr. Dina and Angus now have it, too, and they are struggling.  Only Rex seems immune.  I bet he scares the germs away.  :-)  We had a good time at the International Fair, though.  One of my favorite families from the school are Ethiopian and they remembered how much Rex likes the yellow pea dish, so they made that special so Rex would be able to enjoy his favorite.  Isn't that so sweet?  What a nice and generous gesture. 

Okay, that's all for now.  Still pinching myself over the win, cannot wait to give another sewing project a go, and now that I have a bit more time, I think I will be tackling a coat or jacket, which I have always wanted to sew up. 

Have a great night!

OOTDs/Family Fun Time: Cleveland!

Every year, Mr. Dina wants to go somewhere out there in the big ole U. S. of A. to go see his beloved Saints play ball.  Last year he made it to both NYC and to Philadelphia to see them play, this year, Cleveland.  I personally think our annual trek to New Orleans to see family for the holidays should be enough for him, but, eh, I am not a football fan, so I clearly have no right to speak my mind.  ;-)

That said, it was a very lovely time this weekend in Cleveland, and even though I had a ginormous sewing project on my plate (just done today--more on that later--and YES, I did bring the sewing machine with me on our trip), I knew that I would have a good time.  'Cause really any excuse to go somewhere is fine by me.  Even if it is for football.  LOL.

Day: Saturday, September 13, 2014.

Where: The drive to Cleveland.  And any stops along the way, of course.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Very easy outfit to wear on a long drive.  The leggings I made to precisely fit my body, so of course they felt great.  The winner, though, is the Zara sweatshirt, so comfy and cozy.  It was actually kind of cold in parts of the mountains (we drove over them to get to Ohio from VA), so the sweatshirt was welcome warmth.

Cool Factor: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Zara is cool.  I think this looks really cool, but not especially over-accessorized. 

Day: Saturday, September 13, 2014.

Where: Corky and Lenny's, an apparent Cleveland institution.  I can see why.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This outfit would have scored a 4.5 except I was feeling really drained (it has been a pretty crazy couple of weeks 'round here), so everything felt off.  But at least the fun yellow flowers (photo floral sweatshirt by J. Crew) and silver Nikes perked me up a bit.  Well, that and the yummy deli food, of course.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  It's a cute outfit, bit plain barring the bright flowers, though.

Mr. Dina loved his gigantic corned beef sandwich, and so did Angus and his sneaky little fingers.

Day: Sunday, September 14, 2014.

Where: Sewing in the hotel room, a walk to the local Whole Foods, followed by an evening visit to B Spot.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  CW insisted I bring my giraffe shirt so we could match on our girls day (well plus Angus) while Rex and Mr. Dina were at the game (the Saints lost--I still am hearing about that, btw).  We wore this momma/daughter combo years ago.  LOL.

Anyhow, for as old as the tee is, and the pants (from Pure Collection--my very favorite traveling pants, btw), and the cardigan (Boden, here is a similar version this year), the outfit is SO COMFORTABLE.  Needed it, so yeah, very glad I brought these pieces.

CW did not wear her Elsa shoes out, though (the tooth fairy "visited" us at the hotel room and brought her those).

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Not especially cool, but CW loved it, so it counts as cool in her world.

That there is a very strong drink from B Spot.  It is made with an amazing bourbon.  Yum.

This was Mr. Dina's burger.  I am hungry right now, probably not the best time to be writing this blog post.

The next day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We have done this before, but in Paris.  ;-)  Wasn't wearing a RUSH shirt then, though.

RUSH!  Very deserving of their 2013 induction...

They had the ENTIRE catalog of RUSH music outside the wall of signatures hallway.  Amazing.  If Mr. Dina would have been more patient, I could have listened to more (and so could the kids).  Sigh.  Impatient men.

Rush is not my only "dinagideon is a teenage boy" infatuation.  I also have every Pink Floyd album, and like a ridiculous pimpled 14-year old, I know the lyrics to every Wall song.  *Yeah*. 

I think Rex may be the next candidate to listen to every Pink Floyd album based on this pose.

Mr. Dina loves Johnny Cash.

And as if eating amazing deli food, great tasting burgers and rum weren't enough, we also stopped at Melt on the way out of town.  Why they don't have Melt here is beyond comprehension and needs to be rectified immediately. 

And here it is, finally done...my entry for the Fashion Challenge #2 for Fabric Mart.  I have made this pattern before, but never in a non-printed, non-stretch material.  This took me forever.  I am such a slow sewer.  But it is a dark green wool gabardine that is fully lined, so it will be just perfect for this winter...

I will write up a blog post on this one tomorrow afternoon at some point, hand on heart.

Okay, that's all for today.  Have a lovely Tuesday night!

OOTDs: Stripes, Plaid, and Sequins. And Chicken for Lunch.

Good Wednesday, you all!

Before I get this parade of (two) outfits started, I wanted to see if you all would mind answering a question for me?  I was recently pulled aside by a good IRL friend, B., who asked me why I *never* gave myself 5 out of 5 in the "coolness" category in my ootd posts.  She's right, I rarely do, every once in a while I will, but usually I give myself a 3 to 4 tops.  There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. I use the term coolness to represent all personal style blogs out there, from young girls parading around in teeny shorts and oversized muscle tees, to older women wearing beautiful printed frocks and glamorous jewelry.  In the great grand scheme of personal style blogging, I very *rarely* manage to get to the peak of very cool, I would say I am lucky to get there three to four times a year.  I just don't have what some of these ladies have...they are, without fail, giving their sartorial "all" with every darn outfit they publish, and I just can't compete.  I am okay with that, really!  I love seeing beautiful clothing styled in lovely ways, so I don't begrudge anyone for bringing *it* to the table.

2. I also don't have a whole lot of confidence in myself, and I tend to not love outfits unless they are perfection on me.  I only will be willing to rate my own outfits super high for coolness if it fits my own higher standards.  That doesn't mean that I should only publish outfits that I deem the coolest since that doesn't really represent me, I am a SAHM with a substitute teaching part time job, and maybe being the coolest personal style maven blogger isn't the best goal for me right now, so maybe the "3" outfits are great, just not "cool."

3. I have seen an evolution in my style since this blog started way back in 2009.  Back then I just wore whatever, and most of the time it was cute SAHM style, but being able to see the outfits with a critical eye, after publishing, I realized what really did work for me, and what really doesn't.  I still struggle a bit with that, but I can say that I am now more able to put together outfits that fully represent my style, fit well, and yes, even can be "cool" sometimes, but if I am evolving, then the pinnacle of "5" should still be hard to reach, even if I am better at this style thing.

Anyhow, long story short...I do wonder if I should change up the criteria, especially since B. is not the only person who has asked me to "bump" up my scores.  Should I stop rating the "cool" against other bigger, more established, fashion mavens in the blogging world, and instead rate "cool" as how I am doing as a SAHM/substitute teacher out in the real world?  I don't know, I find it all so subjective.  I don't even know if I would rate myself high if I changed it up, since I still have a lot of issues rating myself high, even if I have "lowered" the proverbial bar.  I like the rating system since I am always challenging myself to dress better, but I don't think I deserve 5 out of 5 just because I happen to put on a sheath dress, a pretty necklace, and cute heels.  (And hello, there are really cool SAHMs/teachers out there that smoke me, style wise, everyday, and they make the bar high, too, even if they don't have their own style blogs.)   If the outfit doesn't make the mark in my mind, I don't think I deserve the 5, even if I am no longer competing with the likes of Ms. Atlantic-Pacific herself.

Okay, that's it.  And to show that I can give a 5 out of 5, the first outfit below is what I would consider a 5 out of 5, so see, I do think I am "cool" some of the time.  ;-)

Day: Thursday, March 27, 2014.

Where: Rex's doctors appointment and Harris Teeter with a jaunt to Chik-Fil-A for lunch.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  It was still cold last week, but bright and sunny, so I decided to wear something beautiful, but warm.  The Amelie dress (on clearance here, most current review here) is so warm since it is made from a merino wool blend, but also very comfortable since it has a fit and flare shape that nicely works with my figure.  The coat is an older J. Crew double cloth (called the Ingenue coat) that I purchased a few years back.  This was the right weight for the day, and it kept me nice and warm during the day.

I took a half-point off for the boots, which while comfy, were a touch too high, and by the end of the grocery run, I felt a bit pinched in the toes.

Cool Factor: (5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  This outfit is one of my favorites ever, and I normally hate black and brown on me.  I don't know what it is, but it all worked so well together.  I will try and replicate this look with other pieces in my wardrobe, but I can guarantee I will wear this exact look again next winter.

I think my new haircut and makeup help, I think that helps make the look appear effortless.  :-)

Anecdote from the Day: I love the annual physical days.  Those are the days where I take the kids out of school for the day and let them choose what we do.  Rex was so excited.  I asked him where he wanted to go for lunch and he said a local diner chain, but when I mentioned that Chik-Fil-A was on the way home, he immediately changed his mind and decided that was where he wanted to go instead.  (He LOVES their shakes, and I have to agree, those are really really really yummy.)  Rex is huge, btw, nearing 50 inches and weighing 60 pounds.  I don't think I made it to 60 pounds until I was in third grade.  I think he may end up being a really big man one day.  I told him if that happens he needs to carry me around like I used carry him when he was a baby.

Day: Monday, March 31, 2014.

Where: Taking Mr. Dina's parents to the airport, a local Peruvian chicken place for lunch, and the school run.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The outfit is fine, but the sweatshirt kept riding up in the back (never in the front, btw).  Darn it, all.  That's the problem with having a bit of a butt, all tops ride up in the back, and unless I size up to the point where my butt is completely covered (that would probably be a large in this top), I will have this issue.  But if I size up to a large, my entire bodice is clothed in far too much material.  Sigh.  I will just deal with it, but man do I envy those of you whose hips and bottom match their upper body. 

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.)  Neat mix of colors, textures, and shapes, but ultimately with the fit being a bit off, not as cool as it could be.

Anecdote from the Day: I grew up eating Peruvian chicken, so I didn't even realize this wasn't a common occurrence in other parts of this country.  I think I realized that it was a geographic anomaly when watching the Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" show about Washington, D.C., and he visited one of the local Peruvian chicken joints.  Huh.  Anyhow, if you are in the area, you definitely need to go to one of these, the chicken is amazing, the spices they use to cook them in are just on the right side of spicy, and every single piece of chicken I have ever eaten has been cooked exactly right, not too underdone (ewwwww!) or overdone.

Okay, that's all for now.  I hope your Wednesday continues to be awesome!

OOTDs: A Weekend's Worth.

Day: Sunday, January 12, 2014.

Where: Church.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) The dress was made by me for me (see this post on the process and more views), so it is very comfortable for me to wear.  I took a point off because the dress sleeves didn't comfortably fit in the cardigan sleeve, but that wasn't hard to fix, I just had to fiddle with them a bit, and I *hate* fiddling.

The Boden Suede wedges are comfortable, too, am pretty excited to receive the Mid-Heel Wedge in navy so I have another pair of easy wearing heels to tromp around in.  The Suede Wedge in Pewter is pretty similar to these that I am wearing, a bit lighter in color, but same height, etc., and it has the bonus of being in the clearance section right now, too.  :-)

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I am not knocking my outfit, but yeah, not super cool.  It's for church, and I wore a cardigan buttoned up so I would have a fairly modest outfit for mass.  (I had to, check out the back view of the dress had I not worn the cardigan.  No one at church wants to see me in that, trust me.)

Anecdote from the Day:  No big adventure, but I met a nice girl who is single and all manner of things adorable, and of course, I immediately went into my spiel about my nice, sweet, handsome, very Catholic brother.  LOL.

I also met a lady who has been going to my church for 60 years!  60!  I have been there for 28, which I know isn't a ton, but it is definitely longer than 85% of the people there have been there.  I have a feeling I will be doing things like her when I am in my elder age...talking with younger moms about my experiences with my three little ones.  I kind of look forward to that.  So wonderful that I could share a few moments of my day with her.

Day: Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Where: Birthday party for one of our family friends.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) Nothing was super uncomfortable enough to ding the outfit two whole points, BUT enough little things bugged me to ding it two points overall.

1. It was raining a lot.  There was even thunder.  Rain makes things harder.

2. I went to a birthday party with my two youngest, and because my youngest refuses to wear shoes, I have to cart his bottom in my arms when it is raining so he doesn't get his feet completely wet.  That means I get hot and bothered FAST.

3. The darn second button on the back of this adorable Lace-Trim Swiss-Dot Top kept coming undone, because the length of the hole is just a bit too big for the button.  It kept popping out, which led me to constantly asking my friend to redo it for me.  Blegh.

4. I know this isn't really a comfort thing, but the necklace I planned originally to wear with it just looked wrong, so I switched to a wool/cotton challis infinity scarf that I had sewn up yesterday morning.  I am glad it looked decent with the top, since my brain didn't want to have to bother with a third option.  LOL. 

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) For all my issues with it, I dig it, and think it looks pretty good, as long as we forget that I tried the blue Stella & Dot necklace with it first.

Anecdote from the Day:  The party was held at the same place where my kids went to preschool.  It was nice to go back.  Even though I am always in that neighborhood, I just don't get over to the center very often.  They had completely redone the soft play room with snazzy new toys.  The kids were over the moon about the party.

Back view of the top.  I was *this* close to buying the size Petite 6 instead of the regular 4, and seeing the back of this makes me think my instinct was probably spot on...I will keep this one, but for future reference, I will store that bit of data and just trust my instincts. 

See that second button there, btw, cheekily starting to pop out.  Yeah...

Day: Friday, January 10, 2014.

Where: Dinner at El Paso Cafe to see my Grandpa (he is in from Poland for a few weeks).

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) I purposely chose a more fitted outfit so I wouldn't overeat at El Paso, which is SHOCKINGLY easy to do there.  Gawd, that food is so freaking good.

Anyhow, all the pieces fit, but I know that my comfort level in the Boden Bistro wool crop go way down if I eat too much, so there you go.  :-) 

I still ate way too much, hence the 3 stars.  Ah, well.  It was worth it.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I like the curvier, edgier look I had that night, which for me is a rare occurrence.  I would rather be pretty and polished (like the church outfit) most of the time, and find my comfort level is highest in dresses, cardigan, skirts, tights, and low heels, but I have to try other things, and that is why I appreciate this blog so much.  In the (nearly--eep) five years I have been publishing posts here, I have really pushed my own preppy, perfectionist ways, allowing myself to be a bit more "whatever."  This look seems a bit girl band rock prep.  Yeah, girl band rock prep.  I like that. 

Anecdote from the Day:  Angus's look is because he just wasn't having the Mariachi band that was playing that night.  They were loud, very good, and not exactly Angus's cup of tea.  Poor fellas were trying so hard, too, they even played La Cucaracha for him, really putting the show on, and he barely managed a smile.  Boo, Tiny, Boo!  CW and I applauded big time to make up for Angus's surliness.

Okay, that's it for tonight.  Have fun the rest of your late Sunday evening!