OOTDs: Feeling Visible Where I Once Felt Invisible...

I am starting this outfits of the day post with a bit of a backstory so that I can properly explain why I chose these outfits to represent me for the Visible Monday (#130) linkup I am participating in with Not Dead Yet Style.  Basically to participate, a blogger must follow these guidelines (these are direct from Not Dead Yet Style):

1. Whoever wants to can join in! Just compose a post that includes any outfit, accessory, piece of jewelry, hairstyle, cosmetic or other adornment that makes you feel more confident, alive and visible that day.
2. Include a link to Not Dead Yet Style somewhere in your post. Please leave a comment, too, so we know you had a good time.
3. Go to the bottom of this post and click on the InLinkz button "Add Your Link". It should open a new page.
4. In the "Next Step", you crop the pic (easy tool) you want to display, and you're done!

So that is what I am going to do here, all four of the above.

But here is my backstory of "feeling visible where I once felt invisible."  I have been subbing at the school where my children go, and as many of you know, that is the same school I attended as a kid, too.  Here's the thing, I was a painfully awkward and shy young girl, due in part to who I am inherently, and due in part to the fact that I was being raised by a single dad.  I barely spoke to people, and when I did, it was to be the know-it-all who answered every single one of the teacher's questions.  I felt very uncomfortable around the kids my own age, instead preferring the company of younger kids (the kindergarteners and 1st-graders were so cute and sweet) and that of the teachers. 

I spent my days embarrassed by my circumstances...the messy uniform with not crisp pleats in the skirt...my tangled mop of wavy blonde hair that never was quite clean enough...the messy, weirdly shaped, and crooked teeth that only came out behind a smile every so often.  I dreaded being around my peers because every bit of me was up for inspection, and it always failed.  I still remember all the taunts thrown at me by every individual in the four years I was at the school.

So going back to the place where it all happened may seem highly suspect, but I assure you it is not.  As my PE teacher (she still teaches there!) said of me during my time there, "you didn't seem to care" regarding my treatment.  I corrected her later and said, "it wasn't that I didn't care, but that I couldn't care."  Regardless of my treatment by others and by myself (I hated me, too, often), I knew that the school itself fostered an environment where I became able to be the best me, in spite of all the various issues I had while there.  So I never once thought I would send my kids elsewhere.  But unlike my time there, I would make sure to ensure that my kids at least had a tiny bit of a leg up.  So I decided to not just be an alumnus, and not just a parent, but a part of the staff, too.

And since choosing that path, I have found such pleasure in the hallways and classrooms that once held both the keys to my successful future but also the skeletons of my sorry, pathetic past.  Now I walk in the school excited to be seen as me in my best form, happy to serve the needs of the students and the full-time staff, instead of being the *me* that *barely cares* because that is the most protective stance I can take.

And, yes, walking in there in a crisply pleated skirted dress feels pretty darn good, too. 

Day: Thursday, May 15, 2014.

Where: Substitute Teaching.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The Gingham Shirt Dress (see written review of the dress here if interested) held up well, and lol, the pleats did, too.  The dress may not have a lot of stretch the way my Riviera Shirtdress does, but it did have just enough through the crosswise fabric (the weave that runs parallel to the floor) to keep me comfortable.

The shoes are so pretty, but for all the pretty, by the end of the day, I was happy to take them off.

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) This is a ridiculously cool outfit for subbing.  I received a lot of compliments on the dress and the shoes.  Going to get this one washed quick so I can wear it again as soon as possible.

Anecdote from the Day:  One of the kids asked if my sandals were real snakeskin.  They are from Target, so it is faux snakeskin, or fauxskin for short.
 

Day: Friday, May 16, 2014.

Where: Substitute Teaching, with a quick walk to Harris Teeter after the school day ended.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The Nancy dress is so comfortable, and the pencil skirt lining that I complained about in the original review (here) has stretched out a bit making the dress very comfortable.

The only thing that I had any issue with was the shoes, since my feet got wet in the monsoon-like conditions we had on the way into school, and they pinched a bit on my way back from Harris Teeter after school (my kids were in an after-school class so I had *just* enough time to walk there and back).

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) One of the teachers said I looked like I was ready for the beach.  I replied, "if only."   :-)

Anecdote from the Day:  You know when you run into someone where you don't normally see them and think, "oh, how do I know them, and from where?"  Yeah.  That happened to me at Harris Teeter when I saw one of the parents from the school with one of her kids that I hadn't met yet.  So I sort of was all confused, but quickly caught myself before I appeared too much like a lost little puppy.  She had also just had a baby, but barely looks like it (some women have all the luck, I tell ya!), so that threw me too.

Okay, that's it for tonight.  If you have a post you would like to link up with Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday post, definitely do so, I would love to see what other people publish.  Don't know that I will do this weekly, but will definitely try to do it at least every once in awhile.

P.S. In case you missed it, Boden started a diminishing discount today and I wrote more about it at this post.  Below I have placed a direct link to the sale for those of you that need one.

OOTDs: Subbing in Decent Weather.

Hey, all!  It has been nearly three weeks since my last set of ootds.  That's quite a bit of time.  I love writing up the Boden sale alerts and new arrivals posts, but I find the ootds keep me on my toes, style-wise, since if I take a photo of it for the blog, I try a little harder in the morning to look put together.  Admittedly knowing that I wouldn't be publishing as many ootds in the last month has seen me being a bit of a slacker in my fashion, lol.  All good, of course, 'cause ultimately, who cares, but still, I look forward to getting back to it already.  :-)

These ootds will not include an anecdote.  Back when I was teaching full time and blogging (way way back in 2009), I tried hard to not tell stories of my days as a teacher and keep the posts about why I chose what I did for that day.  So now that I am able to more fully revive my teaching outfits (I have a backlog of about twenty spread throughout this year of subbing), I want to keep the outfits to why I like them for teaching, and keep quiet on anything that actually happened while I was teaching. 

I have changed my style since 2009, I am less bright colors/patterns/crazy combos than I was back then, but in teaching, I still like to "grab" the kids attention by wearing something bright and/or patterned.  Although I am not Ms. Frizzle 100% now, I still could definitely see comparisons being made.  (Especially in my pink apple print dress, which will be published in another post.)

Okay, here goes!

Excuse my bit of wayward hair up there.  Bad hair, bad!

Day: Thursday, April 10, 2014.

Where: Substitute Teaching 7th Grade.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) All the pieces worked well together and the shirt even stayed tucked into the cute J. Crew Factory skirt, which I definitely consider a bonus.  It was *just* chilly enough that I needed to wear a heavier cardigan, and this very old school J. Crew cardigan (2006) fit the bill.  The skirt is a stretchy cotton sateen and besides a little wrinkling, kept its shape and moved with my body and not against it.  The Target wedges pinched a bit by the end of the day, but I also didn't sit much, so that may be on me and not them.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Very pretty and conservative look.  I look like I am off to work, but not anyplace too stuffy.  The silhouette flatters my frame, too.

I had tried to figure out how to style the cardigan.  Upon receiving after purchasing it from ebay a few years back, I would wear it, but never liked the way I styled it.  Finally I have found a way to wear it and really show off its darling ruffles and very feminine style.

Day: Friday, April 11, 2014.

Where: Substitute Teaching 7th Grade, which did include a trip to the church twice for Mass and the Stations of the Cross.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Ah, the first edition of the very popular Boden Riviera Shirt Dress.  There is a version of it this spring (here), but I prefer the Gingham Shirt Dress (here and a very brief review of it here).  I wore this very dress the very first time I brought Rex to be evaluated for placement in kindergarten, and I still love it for exactly that kind of use, when I need to feel pretty but more covered up.  Also, with the way the flipping weather has been, it is nice to be able to wear something breezy and springy for once.  (The weather was in the low 70s--not warm enough to wear sleeveless but nice enough not to wear a jacket!)

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) It is very easy to overdo it when styling this kind of dress.  By wearing simpler flats, a basic bag, and a simple necklace, I allowed the dress to be the star, and that makes this look cool.

Day: Thursday, March 6, 2014.

Where: Substitute Teaching (can't remember the grade).

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This dress has a fuller skirt and a slimmer bodice, so it is perfect for my body.  I dinged a couple of points for the fabric (this is a rayon woven that is a bid rough feeling) and the weird very short sleeves (Boden's sleeves usually run long, too).

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Again, another nice covered up outfit that still manages to be less frumpy.  I think the ankle boots and dark tights make it look modern, but any more height on the ankle on those boots, I would easily become a school marm in the early 20th century.  :-)

This whole outfit would look way better, though, if I had my current haircut.

Okay, that's all for now.  I am glad I was able to sit down and write about the outfits again.

Have a great Thursday!

OOTDs: Shorting Out.

Phew.  What a week.  :-)  And what a week upcoming.  (CW turns five on Wednesday, and in addition to setting up for her princess party next Saturday, I roped myself into making her a Rapunzel costume from scratch to wear at the party, baking cupcakes for her classmates, and getting the house ready for her grandparents.  I'll be fine, right?)

Okay, so the paragraph above explains the meaning of the post's title, but I figured I would be all "puntastic" and at least show off a bunch of outfits worn recently that include shorts.  Oh, yeah, puntastic.

Day: Sunday, September 8, 2013.

Where: Dinner out.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  These handmade linen/rayon shorts are getting a bit big since I made the waistband too large for my frame.  Downside is that I will have to alter the shorts to wear them again next summer, but on the bonus side, they are SO FREAKING comfortable.

The sequin tee is fairly comfortable, but I am always a teeny bit stressed out that I will snag them on something.  So far, so good, but I know my clumsy ways all too well.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Even with the large shorts, the overall look is pretty cool, especially with the neon clutch.  The look seemed and felt effortless.

Anecdote from the Day:  I don't really remember much from that day, isn't that sad?  I know that it was a relaxed day, but other than that, nothing really to report.  I will probably remember twenty minutes after I publish this.  If so, I will just come on back and write what happened then. 

Day: Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

Where: Winesday/Rex's teeball practice.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well it was really muggy and hot that night, so although the outfit felt great at Winesday, the outfit was a lot of look to wear while trying to keep my three kids in order at the teeball practice (my hubby was at the Muse concert--originally I was supposed to go with him--sad face).  I ended up wearing the light cardigan with lace back because the bra I was wearing showed through the fabric of this Target top, but by the end of the practice, I sort of wondered if I could have just done without.  Would anyone have noticed?

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The look is decently cool, my brother loved the shirt especially.  He said he wanted a photo of me standing next to him wearing that top with the "Fun Times" arrow pointing to him.  Alas, we didn't grab that photo, but maybe the next time I wear it?

Anecdote from the Day:  I didn't post on September 11, because as much as I like posting, and had time to do so during the day, I didn't want to publish a fluffy post on that day.  I felt like silence was more appropriate. 

The day is getting easier to memorialize, though.  The first few years after the attacks, I would well up in tears multiple times during the day, but now that it has been twelve years, I find that I can pray and reflect on the day and all the lives lost without as much sadness.  Of course I am still distressed that the attacks ever happened, but like all hurt, the pain dulls over time.  (For more on my experience on the day of the attacks, read this post.)

Day: Thursday,  September 5, 2013.

Where: Little Gym/School pickup.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Very easy.  I love these shorts so much.  I have had them for years and years, and as long as I keep washing them carefully, I should be able to wear them for many years to come.  The top is also very comfortable, a gorgeously flowy top from Anthro that I got for a screaming good price last summer (on sale, natch).

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The top is definitely out of my comfort zone since I normally try to wear tops that highlight my smaller upper body, but I wanted to wear this top and was struggling with how to style it.  Finally, after trying on a few other bottoms, I found the sartorial sweet spot paired with these shorts.

Anecdote from the Day:  It took me a day or two to recover from the plane trip home with Angus, since he was a wriggly little monster for most of the flight.  By Thursday I felt good enough to get out the house with him where he could wriggle all he wanted at his "jump around the room" class.

He blows you all a kiss.

Day: Tuesday,  September 10, 2013.

Where: Bowling.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  These shorts are a weird fit--a bit big in the hips, a bit too tight in the waist, and a little too snug on the thighs.  By the second game of bowling, though, they had stretched out a bit and fit better, so they weren't awful to wear or anything.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love sherbert colors with white, it always looks so fresh and pretty.  This isn't a super cool look, but considering the way the ladies at the bowling reacted to the outfit, you would think I was wearing an outfit like this to play instead of a pretty basic SAHM summer outfit. Ha.

Anecdote from the Day:  I wasn't the only person wearing shorts to the bowling league.  However, the ladies who weren't wearing shorts, though, were all kitted out in long pants, long-sleeved tees, and cardigans.  I mean, yes, the lanes are air conditioned, but it was also 90 degrees outside that day, so hmm.  ;-)

I am now in a different league than last year, so no Dottie (my awesome 93 year old friend and competition), but I would like to report that I started off this year with some pretty decent games, and with an average score for all three games that leaves my last year's average in the D.U.S.T.  Yay!

Day: Saturday,  September 14, 2013.

Where: Fashion Sewing Club at G Street Fabrics.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  These lined wool shorts from J. Crew are comfortable enough, but I still felt like they were too short for sitting properly.  I don't like too much of my legs showing while I sit, so I felt a tiny bit on display.  It's my hangup, and likely no one even cared about my legs being on display, but I still felt weird.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Meerkats will always be cool.  End of story.

Anecdote from the Day:  That Rapunzel costume I mentioned above?  Yeah, it is torturing me because I want to make sure I match the pieces of the costume together nicely.  Originally I had a plan to use white velvet for the skirt and bodice front, with a poly taffeta in purple for the bodice and sleeves, and three layers of tulle (two of purple and one of sparkly white) as the overskirt, but then I cut the tulle and realized three layers of tulle stick together something awful and knowing how testy and persnickity I get when sewing, I knew I didn't have the patience to work with three layers of tulle.

So I had to go and buy some fabric at G Street that would work better, and OMG, the 2.97 remnant tables were stocked with all sorts of goodies, including a few yards of purple sparkly tulle, the exact right shade of color and sparkle that I had achieved with three layers of tulle together.  Only issue?  The color was just enough off from the purple poly taffeta that I had been planning to use for the bodice so I had to go and find another fabric to use for the bodice.  (I ended up buying a lavender wool gabardine instead.)

I also grabbed a few yards of some yummy poly jersey (like you see in J. Crew/Garnet Hill/Boden jersey dresses and tops), some swimwear fabric in turquoise, and some amazingly soft silver poly charmeuse.  I normally can't stand polyester, but most of the pieces of fabric I felt on that table felt a whole lot like silk or cotton sateen.  Apparently G Street receives shipments of fabric that are leftovers from New York fabric houses, and they regularly receive designer remnants which may explain why the poly I bought was so much different than the poly fabric I see at places like Target and Wal-Mart.  That doesn't mean that I have fallen in love with polyester, it just means I see the light that not all poly is created equal.  And at 2.97 a yard, I can't complain, either, especially if it means I can finish a darn costume by next Saturday.

Okay, all, have a great rest of your Sunday. 

BTW, I think Boden will be introducing its winter line this week.  It is timed poorly for me, though, since I don't get paid until later this week, so I suspect I will have to cancel most of my order, but I definitely am excited to see all the pretty items on my blog friends in their reviews!

OOTDs: Casual and Recent.

Hi, all!  Happy Sunday!

I am going to be back to publishing my festive outfits soon (have the Christmas Day one coming up), but I wanted to get these recent casual outfits published soon so I wouldn't forget that they existed in my albums.  I do that frequently.  In fact, soon I will get around to publishing a series on outfits I wore to travel into the city with my kids.  I take field trips with them around once a month, and we always travel by metro and do a ton of walking, so I have to wear something super comfortable (but still attempting my brand of SAHM style).

Okay, so here goes!

My brother and I were headed out to go somewhere (this was from a few weeks ago, so I blanking on where) with the kids, so I wore this stretchy Boden tunic from last spring over leggings.  (The tunic is long enough that once it gets warmer I can wear it as a dress.)

CW insisted I wear the Alpine boots from J. Crew (from last winter).  You'll see why in a few photos.

I am not playing with my ear, but the camera's timer was super fast and caught me mid-hair straightening.

The necklace is a piece from J. Crew from a few years back.

There is *just* enough pink in the tunic to wear the double cloth slim trench with it (review of it here, for those of you who might want to grab it on sale).

There's my reason for the Alpine boots.  Even though CW's circo brand boots are just about to die their last faux shearling death, she keeps wearing them and insisting I wear my matching boots.  (I did get her a nice new pair from Totes--JC Penney on sale--for Christmas, but she still pulls out these monstrosities.  Sigh.)

You can tell my bro took this photo.  He isn't really all that tall,  but the angle on this makes it look like he is taking the shot from a ladder.

I wore this to a little gym class.  I think I need stronger makeup when I wear this shade near my face.  I don't know.  It could also be the lighting in the room that day.  Anyhow, if any of you know what I can do to make my skin look more "fresh" when wearing burgundy, I would appreciate it.

I also struggle with belts worn at my hips.  Although I think these cords would have looked better with a belt, almost all belts worn at my hips ride up, even with the belt loops in place.  Agh!  Anyhow, if you have a fix for that, I am all ears!

The top is all sold out over at Lands' End Canvas, but this was one of the very few preppy offerings from them this last fall.  Egyptomaniac published a post PLEADING with Canvas to bring back the more traditional preppy stylings that made them such a standout a few years back.  I tend to agree.  I like a lot of what they offer, but can I see the items on me?  Not really.  I prefer classic with a fitted look and a twist, and LEC used to be that, 100%.  Now maybe 25% of their clothing is that way, with the other 75% looking like it wants to compete with Abercrombie.

Speaking of classic, those pearls were a gift from my dad when I was a teenager.  I think that's a "thing," to buy your daughter a real pearl necklace when they are teenagers.  I guess I will have to have Mr. Dina do the same for CW when she gets older.  (Or I might just give her mine.)

The bag was a present to myself.  I saved and saved and saved for months to buy the Pashli satchel (3.1 Phillip Lim).  I almost bought one from Net-a-Porter, but then saw this aubergine version for sale on ebay (the seller had purchased it from La Garconne) for about $200 less as a buy it now.  I made sure to have the seller e-mail me photos (so I could verify it was "real") and I grabbed it as soon as I opened the message from her.  (It is definitely real!)

Obviously the bag suits this outfit as it is an exact match for the top and shoes, but the color is a great neutral, so I think I will be using this as my bag exclusively in January and February (like my Andie bag was for December).

Okay, this was from a day when I was running around doing errands (that seems to be every. darn. day.--I live the exotic life here, people).

I love this coat by Elevenses.  I have had it for six or seven years now, and I cannot bring myself to sell it.  It is in great shape, has a beautiful interesting print, and fits well.  I suppose that means I should keep it, but I sometimes wonder if I am deluding myself, that this coat is so hopelessly out of style that people are snickering behind my back when I wear it.  (Well, no, that wouldn't happen here, especially since I usually wear it to Harris Teeter during "eldery people getting half-off groceries" day.  I don't think Edith and Chuck would really be all catty about my outerwear.)  ;)

Oh, these jeans.  I have put them in the giveaway pile.  I never imagined it was possible, but these jeans are somehow loose and uncomfortable at the same time.  I would have been better off wearing one of my bootcut pairs from J. Crew or 7FAM.

The ubiquitous Bubble necklace!  In white!  From Belk (Modern. Southern. Style. LOL.)!  For $25!

Hope you all have a great Sunday!  Talk with all of you soon!

OOTDs: Weekend at Skippy's.

So last weekend we were in North Carolina.  It was thrilling.  :)

No, really, it was a lovely time with our very best friends and their three daughters (yes, all three of mine were beyond happy--CW had girls to play with, Angus had girls to flirt with, and Rex had girls to torment).

Anyhow, it was a very brief weekend away, just a nice little journey to get out of dodge and out of our routine.

We happened to celebrate our 11th anniversary there, but beyond that, there wasn't anything over the top special, so I was able to bring the very bare minimum as far as packing goes, and with all the extra kids I pack nowadays, the less I can bring means the easier it is on me.  Blah.  One day I can go back to packing amazing clothes and shoes and accessories in multiple suitcases, but for now and the next eighteen years of my life, the less the best.

(Oh, who am I kidding, I never had amazing clothes and shoes and accessories in multiple suitcases...but one day, it will be the way I travel, oh, yeah.)

Here they are!

Wore this on the anniversary evening, which was last Saturday (10/13).  We came down from VA that day, but the traveling outfit on the way to NC was kind of boring, so you will only get a very brief glimpse of it later in this post.  And the only reason you are getting a glimpse of the outfit from the way home is because it has two J. Crew reviews.  :)

This outfit looks so professional, but underneath that amazing Robert Noble wool jacket (J. Crew--2006) is a very inexpensive Target nursing dress and Macy's necklaces.

The heels are from Boden last year, which I love having around, they are literally the perfect little heels for most occasions.

And there it is, the world's most lovely, cheap, comfortable nursing dress.  (Technically it is maternity, but because it is made from jersey it doesn't read maternity if you don't have a pregnant belly.)

Wore my makeup fairly bare, but definitely made the lips as rosy as possible without being too done up.

The next day we had church, so I wore this ensemble of navy and chartreuse.  ;)  (I didn't blind the folks at mass, I wore the jacket from the last ouftit during the service.)

The top is the Roll sleeve silk t-shirt from Pure Collection, the same one I reviewed here.  I tucked it into some spank shorts as I hate it when silk is so silky that it comes out of the skirt it is tucked into, but other than that, it was the perfect blouse for the longer baby cord midi from Boden.

That skirt, btw, is my very first purchase ever from Boden, way back in 2003 or 2004 (can't remember).  It is so old that the tag only has the British sizing (12 L, thank you very much).

Close up of the shirt, makeup, hair, and jewelry.  The jewelry is by Premier Designs, and my gal Rachel is the lady to go to if you are interested in any of these pieces.

With the jacket on so as to not disable the vision of reverent Catholics in the greater Greensboro area.

Next day we were headed home, and while I planned to be comfortable for the ride, the addition of the shrunken anorak by J. Crew turned out to be a good choice (last photo of this set of outfit photos) as it was definitely needed in the lovely drizzly rains we had that morning.

Anyhow, the outfit under the rain jacket was functional enough.  I really do love the Peter Pan Collar Tee (J. Crew) and was glad to have grabbed it before it sold out in my size (extra-small).  It does pop back on occasion, and if you like the look of this top and have a short enough torso to wear it (definitely runs short, even on me, it barely hits my high hip), this could be a winner for you.

It is super soft and the neckline and collar fabric is silk, so big thumbs up.  I know that J. Crew could have used a poly fabric (and am frankly surprised they didn't), so to pay near full price for it seemed reasonable enough (I think I had one of those 20% off coupons when I ordered it).

The Desert Bloom bracelet was an "on a whim" buy from the Greensboro J. Crew, where it was marked down to $29.99 and further reduced by 30%, making it a whopping $20.  I have now worn it twice since I bought it, so I would gather I made a good choice.

I just like the way this photo turned out.  :) 

The Leather Loafers are still available from Boden, btw, but on deep backorder.  I did a review of them here.  I actually purchased them for traveling, I find that I wear loafers on long trips, especially ones involving airplanes, as I can get them on and off easily through security.

The lighting was off in this photo, but you can get the gist of the jacket from what you see. 

It really is a "shrunken" anorak.  Much like the Peter Pan Tee, it is shorter through the body than most anoraks.  HOWEVER, I prefer that as my hips are wider than my bust and waist, and for an anorak to normally fit me, the bust and waist has to be huge to accommodate my hips.  But this one doesn't even hit my hips, just lays there on the top of my hips.  Awesome.  :)  I am possibly the only person this one worked for, which is why it is on super sale now (yay for super sales, I even got mine for a good price a month ago--that is how unpopular it is).

It is not the best at keeping water out (is canvas, not nylon), but for mild drizzle and wind, it will do the job.

OH, and for those of you wondering, I did happen to have a version of this back in 1992, the one that inspired this current version.  I also had a rain jacket from 1995 *still have it, in fact* that bears a passing resemblance to this one (but is red).

You can't see it from this pose, but it has side pockets where I could stick my hands in for protection.  And all those zipped compartments?  I totally used those, 'cause I'm a nerd, and see no reason not to...so the big one there in front?  Held my cell phone.  And the next time I wear it, I wouldn't be surprised if I stuck a size 3 diaper in the pocket, too.

Okay this one and the next three photos are just some fun shots from the trip.

I told you my "going to NC outfit" was boring.  I only put the info in the photo because who knows, maybe one of you is all, "ooh, where are *those sunglasses* from--must. know. right. now."

Okay, so why in the world am I posing with the Hamburglar and Birdie from McDonald's?  Well...it turns out that the South Hill, VA location was having a GRAND OPENING spectacular the very day we decided to eat there for lunch.  Oh, yeah.  My kids were in heaven...and omg, if you ever want amazing service from a McDonald's, you must go to McDonald's on an opening day celebration.

And, yeah, the folks at McDonald's totally loved Angus.  I think it was because he matched Grimace.

Speaking of Angus, look!  He is literally one big dimple.  I can't stand the cuteness!

(There were other photos of my kids from the trip, but to keep my friends' privacy in mind, I won't be publishing any of them here.  I know you all are cool with that.)

Guess where I am?  Steak and Shake.  Mmm...Steak and Shake.  Mmm. 

Okay so the rains are definitely a bother when driving, however, when you get to see this for nearly a half-hour of your drive (don't worry, Mr. Dina was driving, I took the photo from a non-driving position), it is totally worth getting wet. 

And that's it!!! :)

BTW, if you are interested in getting any last minute "Catch of the Day" sale items from Boden, the sale ends in less than two hours.  ;)  Thought some of you may want to know...