OOTDs: More Grey. More Casual.

It seems I could sum up Winter 2014/2015 with the words grey and casual.  Not that was my intention, it is just what happened.  I suspect I found I liked the way grey worked with my new red shade of hair, and so I just kept wearing it.  (Surprisingly, light pink seemed to work with the red hair, too.) 

Anyhow, now that spring is here, I figured it's about time to wrap up the season of grey and casual with one last post of outfits featuring grey and casual.

I also am turning over a new leaf in other ways, too. 

I have decided to get rid of the "cool" rating on my evaluations of outfits.  I think I started that to be a little tongue in cheek about the whole process of dressing up for others, but the joke got a little lost in translation, so I am moving on and nixing that part of my posts. 

I also have decided to join the year 2010 and join Instagram.  I already see I have fifteen followers, have no idea how that even happened, but okay then, lol.  If you want to join me there I have decided it won't be me showing off my outfits, but instead the outfits laid out in some way or another, with a direction to an IRL photo of me wearing it over here at the blog.  I think the pretty people wearing pretty clothing thing is definitely overdone at Instagram, and I cannot compete there at all, so I will let the objects do the work instead.  (I know the objects thing is overdone there, too, but at least I don't do the objects thing here so it is somewhat novel.  Somewhat.) 

I will follow people on Instagram, no problem.  But please, if you are going to follow me with the hopes that I follow you and then you unfollow me the next day, you know that's weird, right?  So don't do it.  I am too old for that crap.  ;-)

Onto the outfits!

Day: Saturday, March 7, 2015.

Where: Sewing Class.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  The top was more than comfortable, but I forgot it was a pullover and struggled a bit getting it on...then my daft brain went to the buttons on the front (under the bow) and said, "yeah, probably should undo those next time."  Turner pants--brilliant.  SO COMFORTABLE.

Outfit Details:  Eliza Coat (here at Boden), Turner Pants (here at J. Crew).

Anecdote of the Day:  I went out to G Street to go to a sewing class.  It seems that for the past three months anytime I went to G Street Fabrics, it snowed.  Sigh.  I was starting to get a complex.  If it snows when I go in July, we'll know something is up.

Day: Monday, March 9, 2015.

Where:  At home working on this sewing project (while attempting to home school Rex at the same time).

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I am wearing clothes that can be worn outside but are basically pajamas.  Very cozy and great for all the stooping and contortionist poses I need to get into to properly cut and sew up the garments on which I work.

Outfit Details:  None of these are available.

Anecdote of the Day:  Though I am glad I was able to home school Rex rather than him receiving an incomplete for the time he was physically not able to be in school, I found it very challenging teaching him.  It is far easier for me to teach him a classroom environment that at the table/couch.  I tip my hats to all of you successful SAHM/homeschool teachers.  Just because I am a fully certified teacher does not mean it worked well for this situation. 

Day: Wednesday, March 18, 2015.

Where:  Mom's group, a walk with Angus to the mall/Harris Teeter, and the school run.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I thought the Reese pants (these are an 8 Tall, which is basically the same size I take in the Turner pants) would be a home run, but they aren't as comfortable as the Turner pant.  They are longer, which is great, but the crotch depth and length isn't the same, and I find my shape suits the Turner more.  I will keep these as they are still awesome, but they are not as super wonderful, blah blah blah.

Amazingly, the Hotchpotch trainers were perfect for the long walk to the mall and the grocery store and then back to the school.  Really glad I chose these.  My mom's group friend really liked them, but she was also in a pair of neon yellow nikes, so she may be a bit biased to color.

Outfit Details:  Tilly Sweater (here at Boden, review here); Reese Pants (here at J. Crew); Hotchpotch Trainers (here at Boden, review here).

Anecdote of the Day:  I love my mom's group, it is wonderful to meet people in the same situation as I am, and because it is through the church, we know we have our beliefs in common, as well.  Plus all the boys are very active and a bit nuts, so all of the moms are real chill about their behavior, which doesn't always happen.  (My favorite being the moms of darling, sweet-tempered little girls who literally have never had the experience of the energy and moxie of the little guys--lol--they always are left struggling to decide whether or not to keep their little girl around that.  And to be honest, if I only had the experience of CW, I might be the same way. But on the flip side, I have friends who had only girls and two may be innocent as all get out, but one of them ends up having more energy and spirit than they boys.)

Hey!  It's the outfit from Instagram.  Shame the photo from the camera was so "off," color-wise (no amount of color correction seemed to help).  Sigh.

Day: Friday, March 20, 2015.

Where:  Substitute Teaching.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This is very sedate for me to wear, but I really just wanted an outfit of neutrals with the emphasis being on the pretty lacy texture of the peplum top and the lovely necklace.  All in all, a great, easy to wear outfit.  The Loft pants fit me especially well, too, need to see if I can replicate those in one of the fabrics I have in my fabric storage.

Outfit Details:  None of the pieces are available.

Anecdote of the Day:  I love subbing the "extras."  You know the "fun" classes like PE, Computer, Art, etc.  That day I was able to be with the little wee ones (including CW) for computer.  The way those kids get transfixed, it is a site to behold.  They literally can't stop moving two seconds before they sit down at the computer, but once the educational site loads, they become as still as a rock. 

Day: Monday, March 23, 2015.

Where:  Little Gym, Harris Teeter, School Run.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  It was cold enough to wear a coat, but I didn't photograph it.  Besides the fact that I am pissy that it is late March and I am still wearing a flipping winter coat, this was a perfectly fine outfit for a SAHM day.  I hadn't worn the sweater in a while, and though it is a cotton yarn, it has enough heft to keep me warm. 

Outfit Details:  None of these are available.

Anecdote of the Day:  I receive a text message from Mr. Dina last night wondering where some of the groceries were.  Whoops.  I left the non-perishables in the trunk.  I think he survived, but seemed a bit distressed at the lack of things to feed the children while I was away (I also went to a women's group last night after he got home from work).

Okay, that's it for now.  I have a really great giveaway from a new company to me (and probably you, as well) tomorrow.  Hope you all have a great evening!

OOTD: Maternity That Isn't.

I am trying something new with my ootd posts.  The review posts will stay the same, as will any "family photo" type posts.  I just find that because I am naturally inclined to constant talking here at the blog, my ootd posts are being put on the back burner because I can't find enough time in the day to post, since I know that writing and publishing ootd posts can take between thirty minutes and an hour.  That's fine if it is a Boden Weekly Review Roundup, but not so cool if it is a post that (by its very nature) should be brief.  I hope this new type of writing the posts helps me be more timely in publishing ootd posts.

Day: New Year's Eve Day, 12/31/12.

Where: Grocery Shopping @ Harris Teeter with all three kids and my stepmom.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The cozy Boden Cashmere Wrap* (currently part of the clearance section) is so lovely and warm, utterly right for the slightly windy and cool day.  The silk top is from my maternity days with Angus (first seen here and then here).  Because of the way it was designed and made, the top easily fits into my non-maternity wardrobe, since it looks like the empire waist seaming was intentional, and not like it is a maternity top.   The Loft pants are the Zoe fit, so they are very straight, but the stretch fabric fit fine over my hips.  I still need to lose about five pounds before the pants are utterly perfect, though.

*Did a review of the Cashmere Wrap here.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Well, the earrings help give this outfit an edge, and the retro velvet purse/clutch is distinctive, but the rest of the outfit is very safe and easy.  That said, maybe the fact that the maternity top is French helps a tiny bit?  LOL.

Anecdote from the day:  Let's just say I am very happy that I rarely have to go to the grocery store with all three kids.  Although there is one buggy with three seats, it was heavy and because the seat belts didn't work in the "kids seating" portion (the baby's one did, though), Rex and CW were able to escape their seats at will.  And of course everyone and their brother was shopping that day, so there were lots of near misses with other carts.  Fortunately, about halfway through the trip, my stepmom stepped in and took Rex with her to get a few food items.  :)

Okay, that's it!  Any of you former pregnant ladies use maternity clothing as an intentional part of your non-pregnant wardrobe?

P.S. Little birdies (everywhere, FB, e-mail, etc.) have let me know that there may be a drop of the new Spring line at Boden tomorrow morning.  You better believe I will let you all know when that happens.  I just looked over there, so you know, and there are "internal errors" aplenty.  I believe the process has begun.  

P.P.S. New BWRR tomorrow--lots of great reviews, etc., from my blog friends, so I will have something to deliver in the BWRR.  ;)

P.P.P.S.  (LOL, last one, promise.) Post took twenty minutes to write.  Woo!

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OOTDs: Fairly Recent, Too.

Oh, wow!  I am so bad at keeping up with this blog.  I have been out doing a million, trillion things for the birthday boy(s) weekend, so all of my plans to actually do any sort of posting has been put way on the back burner (behind the gumbo, don't worry, you'll get what that means that soon enough).  It's all good, though.

Thankfully, Gus decided not to join his brother by having his birth day coincide with his daddy's birthday, too.  Ugh...can you even imagine?  Three birthdays over the course of three days?  Wow.  Fortunately, I think Gus has plans to stick around until much closer to his due date.  Rex, fwiw, was FOUR whole weeks early.  Surprise!

I think I will just start with this weekend's party outfit of the day, and then move backwards from there.

Top: Pomkin Maternity.  Last blogged about here.  It is definitely still fitting, but it is a tighter fit.  :)
Pants: Liz Lange for Target.
Shoes: Boden Animal Bow Pumps.  Still plenty available in the clearance section. I did a review of these here.
Bracelet: J. Crew Enamel Cuff Bracelet. 
Headband: Anthropologie.

Close up of the fab Liberty of London silk printed fabric.  Love this!

All my makeup is Arbonne, I have been really enjoying "making up" lately...it is really hard to feel great when your body kind of hurts all over, so I at least try to feel decent from my neck up.  :)

Every year (and if you have read this blog for all these years it has been around you already know this) I spend an entire morning preparing my Gumbo for our annual "Mr. Dina/Rex" Mardi Gras birthday party.  Mr. Dina had a big birthday on Saturday, and Rex's 5th was yesterday (Sunday).  It is wonderful to be able to actually have the party on the actual bday, and this time is was Rex's turn.

The gumbo is in the blue pot AND the silver pot.  I use two pots because that is how much gumbo I am expected to make.  Yay (sarcasm alert)!  The gumbo this year tasted fresh, but the roux was not nearly deep enough of a caramel brown color, so I felt like the version I made was gumbo lite.  Every year I want something to be different...I am sure I will hit on it right one of these years.

Quick story...5 years ago I spent the ENTIRE day making gumbo for Mr. Dina's actual birthday birthday party (it was a Sunday again).  Everyone was there, super excited for the pregnant lady's gumbo, and I heard from more than one person...that boy is coming early.  I scoffed.  Yeah, I was also having some early contractions but because I failed to recognize what contractions feel like, I thought I was just "uncomfortable."  Turns out that I was in labor and the next morning Mr. Dina was transporting me to our hospital where our lives would be completely and utterly turned upside down for the next nine days (Rex came on that day, the 12th...but due to some unfortunate and MAJOR complications, both he and I ended up in the ICU--me--and the NICU--him).

Let's just say I was a bit nervous that it would happen again.  Yay for being wrong!

Tunic: Boden Maternity Crossover Tunic.  Boden has a version right now (the link will take you there), same basic concept, just a bit different prints and colors.  I am wearing a US 4 for those of you who are pregnant and curious about sizing.  Size up if you are a bit bustier.
Leggings: J. Crew.
Shoes: J. Crew Collection.
Necklace: Remember the History Store?  Yeah, it's from there.  The History Store closed their shops sometime in the mid 2000s.

We were headed to the doctor's office.  Pregnancy is going well, but the doctor has suggested I turn to Tylenol PM or Unisom for my insomnia.  I wish I didn't have to, but in the end sleep is kind of something I really like.  So I have to admit to a few nights of letting the blissful effects of this medicine (not together, of course) take its action on my weary self.

CW is in a crewcuts sweatshirt that I just adore.  Fortunately it is androgynous enough to work for Gus, too.  :)

Cardigan: Talbot's.
Top: Merona Maternity.  I didn't even know Target's home brand had a maternity line until I ordered this top at Target.com.  I honestly thought that it was Liz Lange until I received it.  FWIW, I love it, and if you want to take a look at their other offerings, click here (this link takes you to the Target Maternity home page--not just the Merona maternity page).
Pants: Mimi Maternity.
Shoes: J. Crew, Carrie Ballet Flats.  These are from 2005 or so, just in case the really pointy tips don't clue you in...
Necklace: J. Crew Tangled Treasure.

I liked how this outfit felt.  Very comfortable and it is nice to still be able to use non-maternity pieces like the cardigan in outfits.

Yeah, I am sort of addicted to Picnik.  It's fun to see how photos look with different layers applied, etc.  This is a combo of sepia, cross process, and cinemascope for those of you familiar with this editing program (it's free with a blogger membership).

Cardigan: J. Crew Ocelot.
Dress: J. Crew, Double V Jersey Dress.  If you recall the April 2010 J. Crew catalog, they featured a pregnant photographer in this dress.  I didn't know at that point if I would have another kid, but I definitely loved that J. Crew went there.  This dress is really soft and made with more than enough fabric to work at all stages of pregnancy.
Shoes: J. Crew, Lula Bow Flats.  This is a recent acquisition, but I kind of knew it would be love since I adore the Lula ballet flats in general.
Bracelet: J. Crew, in store only red beaded necklace that I wrapped around my wrist.
Sunglasses: Target.

More fun with picnik, but you can see the adorable bow on the flat better in this shot.

Close up of the cardigan, dress, and sunglasses.  Notice, no bangs!  Therefore this was taken before two weeks ago.  LOL.  I wore this out with my kids to CW's dance class, I believe.

You can see the necklace/bracelet best here.

Dress: Liz Lange for Target.
Leggings: J. Crew.
Shoes: J. Crew Salina Patent Flats.

I really like how this shot turned out.  Rex looks pensive and sweet here.  :)

Very simple outfit.  If it had been warmer out (for all the warmth we have had here, it hasn't been bare-legged warm), I could have just worn the dress with the shoes.

Close up of the design on the dress.  I like how the kimono-esque shoulders help balance off the whole dress.  Definitely need that right now.

No bangs here, either. 

I think we were headed out to dinner that night. 

Okay, thanks for staying through the whole set of ootds.  I should be back to daily posting this week!

If you have commented recently and I have not commented back, know that I will attempt to get to that as soon as I can. :)

Night, night, all!

Thanksgiving Maternity Wear Times Two!

Hi, all!  Happy belated Black Friday.  LOL.  :)  I hope everyone had a great time shopping the great deals.  I, unfortunately, had absolutely no access to the internet (it was on the fritz in a major way, and kinda still is, ugh).  So I did my Black Friday shopping the old fashioned way, in the mall and at Walmart.  Woo!

I did have a great Thursday, though, with all sorts of yummy deep Southern favorites like sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, broccoli and cheese and rice casserole (do you sense a theme?), and of course, the ultimate yumminess, stuffing.  I barely even touched the turkey or pecan pie.

We dress for dinner here but only just, so I didn't really need to bring it fully with a dress and tights and heels, so I decided to wear a maternity outfit I purchased in Paris (only clothing I bought, btw!) from a darling little (little is being ambitious) boutique called Mamma Fashion. 

I walked into the store and barely showing meant that I had to guesstimate if the items I chose would actually fit, but these pieces had the dual advantage of looking decent without a real belly, and now that I have a belly, look pretty good with...I guess it might have something to do with French women only buying quality pieces that will last a lifetime, so the shop only carried the items that truly fit that description.  I anticipate the top working well beyond my pregnancy and the pants appear to be the sort that can be tailored to work after your postpartum stage is up.

The top and pants are from a brand called Pomkin, and they have the rare (at least I have rarely seen this) plus of actually being MADE IN FRANCE.  That probably also explains the prices, which also explains why these two pieces are the only clothing I purchased over the entire trip.  ;)

Top: Pomkin Liberty of London Silk Fabric Tie Top, Size Small (FR 38).  This retailed for around 170 Euro, but it was on sale for 85 Euro and was the last one in the shop.  I felt like I had literally died and gone to heaven, here I am the biggest Liberty of London fan, AND on sale is one of the most exquisite tops (not even just maternity tops) I have ever seen.  In. my. size.  And my hubby gave me a thumbs up.  I might have squealed.  Yes, 85 Euros, even on sale, is a HUGE chunk of change, but I think you all get it, right?

Pants: Pomkin Career Full Leg Pants (Pantalon Drew Caviar), Size Large (FR 42).  These were 98 Euro, but the fabric is super soft and fit then and fits now.  It also didn't appear to be too small in the thighs but too big in the band which is often my issue.

The headband is from Anthropologie, the earrings are the J. Crew Snow sparkle earrings (which have been the MOST popular item I have ever clipped for polyvore, seriously every time I go on polyvore, it has been used by 20 women for 20 different sets), and the shoes are Nine West.

You can really tell here how this top can work both for pregnant and non-pregnant women.  The fabric is the Caesar design, more often known as the Peacock design (as the design is based on peacock feathers).  I have a few items with this pattern, but they are all from the Liberty of London for Target line.  I daresay the fabric on this blouse may be a teeny bit more exquisite.

I also happen to own a LoL top from Target that can also be maternity, same pattern.  :)  LOL at the LoL love.  I just think that one is less dressy, so can be worn a tad more casually. 

Close up of the snow sparkle earrings, headband, and the bow on the blouse.

You know what I did after the very filling meal, right?  No, I didn't nap.  We took a walk!  Of course!  I didn't want to wear heels and fancy pants and fancy top out so I switched to a Boden Maternity tunic called the Special Day Tunic.  I will be linking back to this on Wednesday for the next Boden Weekly Review Roundup, so here is a little on this tunic.  I went with my regular tunic size in Boden, size 6 (US size), and it fits well, and is very very soft.  I love the pretty pattern, it reminds me a lot of the Show Stopping Tunic, but is a bit more forgiving of a forever expanding waistline.

The leggings and shoes are a bit casual, but worked for the event.  I will probably wear the tunic with tights the next time and a cute pair of ballet flats.

From the side.  The nice thing is that this tunic could also work as a non-maternity dress if you so desire.  I feel like you had best wear super-control top tights, though, as any little bulge is going to be read as a pregnant belly owing to its baby doll shape.  Just a little PSA.


Special Day Tunic. Also comes in a blue and a pink version. Right now, with the continuing 25% off and free ship and returns (till November 30th), this tunic goes from $98 down to around $75. (I have placed a link at the bottom of this post for folks to get the 25% off...seems that with my internet issues lately, I turned out to be the one who MOST needed the access from my mobile phone, lol.)

I have added this top's photo to this post so I can clip it to Polyvore and create a chic maternity set. Yay!

Okay, all, better go, as I really don't want to press my luck with the internet...

Here is that link for the extra 25% off and free ship and returns at Boden:
Boden 25% off plus Free Shipping and Returns!