OOTDs: Some Regular Clothes. Not for Teaching.

Day: Wednesday, September 16, 2015.

Where:  School Meeting followed by Winesday.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This Boden jersey dress is very comfortable, I dig that it is tighter without being constricting.  It also has shaping at the top part of the dress, which draws the eyes up from my hips/bottom, aka my "trouble" spots.

Outfit Details: Dress, Boden; Shoes, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Target; Necklace, tru.che.

Anecdote of the Day: This was the last Winesday before I left for my cruise (on the 20th).  When I got back to town, the next Winesday there were threats of no more Winesdays (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) and a few of my most favorite employees had received the ax, even though they were all amazing and most deserving of promotions/more money and not firings.  Stupid Whole Foods.  The Winesdays are still on (phew!), but those employees aren't back.  Boo. 

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Tuesday, September 29, 2015.

Where:  Preschool, Swimming, Old Town Alexandria.

Ease of Wear: (4.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well, gee, I am basically wearing an adult nightgown outside, but because it is shirred just right, and not of flannel, I can wear it and not draw any suspicions.  The scarf helped keep me warm, though I ended up taking it off partway through the day. 

Outfit Details: Dress, J. Crew Factory; Sandals, J. Crew Factory; Scarf, Do Everything in Love; Sunglasses, Target.

Anecdote of the Day: I never had a preschool run where there wasn't a kid attached to me (either CW as a baby, or Angus as a baby), and wow, it certainly is freeing not having any children attached to me at all.  I really enjoyed swimming and going to Old Town with only myself to worry about.   

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Sunday, October 4, 2015.

Where:  Church.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I haven't worn a formal skirt in a while.  I felt compelled to wear this because it was so gross and grey out and felt like matching the skies.  It was fairly comfy, the skirt sits well on my hips and waist, and the tights, sweatshirt, and shoes fit with just the right amount of ease.

Outfit Details: Skirt, J. Crew; Top, Boden; Shoes, J. Crew Factory, Boden; Necklace, J. Crew; Tights, Lands' End.

Anecdote of the Day:  I liked the look, but I was surprised by how many Instagram friends liked it, too.  I never do these monochromatic/neutral looks, and I guess people were happy to see me in something other than eye-searing color and pattern, lol.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

Where:  Funeral of a childhood friend and a school meeting.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well I knew I would be walking to the funeral from my school since the parking is a bear around the church where the funeral was to be held.  I also knew I would have Angus in the stroller, so I had to wear comfy shoes for that, too.  Fortunately this older Boden Limited Edition dress is made of a jersey ponte, and the shoes are flat without being so flat that they are hard to walk in.  I don't wear this dress often, but I appreciate it for occasions like this, one where reverence and formality are key.

Outfit Details: Dress, Boden Limited Edition; Shoes, FS/NY; Earrings, Macy's.

Anecdote of the Day: My friend went to grade school and high school with me, and now I teach with her mom, who I have known forever.  I feel for her mom, so if you are a praying type, do send some prayers her way and for the rest of the family.

On another note, I have now seen five of my high school friends die before age 40.  I know death is part of life, but it seem so shocking to lose so many so young.  We didn't even have that large of a graduating class (~250).  

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Monday, October 5, 2015.

Where:  Very little done this day.  I may have done the school run.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Leggings, Sandals, and a Tunic.  Yeah, 'nuff said.

Outfit Details: Tunic, Boden; Leggings, Boden; Sandals, J. Crew Factory; Necklace, tru.che.

Anecdote of the Day: If I had something to give you, I would.  I know I was happy it had finally stopped raining, after nearly four full days of constant rain.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Tuesday, October 6, 2015.

Where:  Preschool, Swimming, Huntley Meadows for a walk, and the other school run.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I found the outfit most comfortable after wearing it for a bit.  The J. Crew Reese pants are great, but sit funny sometimes...it's like I have to find their sweet spot on my hips.  At least they come in a tall length so I can have proper full length pants.  It got really warm that afternoon.  Glad to have it, but wore the wrong top.  Oops.

Outfit Details: Sweatshirt, J. Crew Factory; Pants, J. Crew; Sandals, Birkenstock (can find them here at Amazon.com ); Sunglasses, Target.

Anecdote of the Day: I (heart) Huntley Meadows so much.  It is a local wetland/forest preserve that has a boardwalk over the wetland portion.  We always see something, whether it be a snake, a beaver, a heron, etc.  This time was huge numbers of box turtles out sunning themselves.  Every time Angus said (more like like loudly spoke), "ooh look at the turtles, Momma," they would dive off their sunning logs and go hide.  Can't blame them.  He would look terrifying to me if I was their size.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Sunday, October 11, 2015.

Where:  Lazy day at home.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I feel like I am on repeat here.  Loose fit pants, a sweatshirt, and some Birkenstocks.  'Nuff said.

Outfit Details: Sweatshirt, J. Crew; Pants, Walmart; Sandals, Birkenstock (can find them here at Amazon.com in gold and silver ); Sunglasses, A.R. Trapp.

Anecdote of the Day: My facebook feed was filled with Redskins chatter (SO BORING, GAW) or people exclaiming they had just run the Army Ten-Miler (not boring, but made me feel LAZY).  I need to go away from FB sometimes.  Better for my mental health. 

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, October 10, 2015.

Where:  Housewarming Party.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I love how polished this looks without being polished "feeling."  The Turner pants will always be in heavy rotation in my closet (every color I have fits well no matter what I am feeling that day, weight wise).  Even with the elastic banding at the cuff, they still manage to suitable for my version of dressy.  The linen Lena top is a bit wrinkle-prone, but manages to cut a nice shape without being too form-fitting.  (It actually swings away from my hips, so its a-line shape is perfect for my pear shape.)

Outfit Details:  Top, Boden (here on clearance, I took a size 6); Pants, J. Crew (they are now available in wool--yes, I bought them in grey); Shoes, Target; Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day: Our minivan's battery died.  We manage to get it restarted and went to the housewarming party.  It started again after the party, so we went to Joann's since I needed to pick up some patterns.  That's where trouble started again.  No battery power.  We found the nicest person in the world to take ten minutes of her time after work (she had just gotten off) and she let us jump the van with her engine.  I need to make sure to pay that forward big time.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

OOTDs: Suddenly in Summer.

Hey, all!  Happy end of July.  :-)

If you missed it, I am selling quite a few dresses and some swimwear from my great closet cleanout.  I will have more for sale next week, probably shorts and other summer type clothing.

Day: Sunday, July 26, 2015.

Where:  Church, then to La Madeline for lunch.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This linen dress by Boden is a perfect one for summer, nice and lightweight for the heat but still substantial enough to be worn to church or any other place where you may want to be dressed up without sweltering.

That said, as per usual with some Boden dresses, the hips started off a bit snug because the material hadn't stretched out enough to be super comfortable.  One hour after wearing the dress, the material had stretched a bit and it felt just fine!

Outfit Details:  Bow Shift, Boden; Birkenstock Madrid Sandals, sold out in this shade (Amazon.com has the shade in these sandals and J. Crew still has some of the mirrored Madrid available); Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  We have no kneelers at church right now since the actual church is being renovated.  We have to meet in the basement for mass instead.  I told Mr. Dina to go back into the house and grab pillows for the kids to kneel on, and he was all, "they can handle the bare floor."  That sounds like something I *would* have said.  In the end, sense prevailed and we decided to bring them for the kids, but not us.  (Our knees were fine.)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

 Day: Tuesday, July 28, 2015.

Where:  Harris Teeter.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Besides the fact that it was six thousand degrees with a gazillion percent humidity, the outfit itself was awesome.  I love this tank but struggle to style it, and was pleased to see how cute it looked with the shorts. 

Outfit Details:  Vacationland Shorts, J. Crew Factory; Tank, J. Crew Factory; Necklace, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Sandals, Madewell.

Anecdote of the Day:  We walked to the back of Harris Teeter and there on the floor was spilled beer, everywhere.  I joked with one of the employees that I needed a long straw so I could started to help them clean it up.  He informed me that it was Corona that spilled.  Mmmm, Corona.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, July 25, 2015.

Where:  Rex's Swim Team Banquet.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  I should have dressed up more, I just figured if the banquet was at the pool, it would be more casual.  For once in my life, I showed up not as dressy as everyone else.  It was actually a bit freeing.  :-)

The shorts are reversible, which is stupid cool, but the silky material rides up when sitting down and it required me to adjust a few times.  Blegh.  I hate adjusting!

Outfit Details:  Tee, WalMart; Shorts, TruthNYC (Marshall's); Birkenstock Madrid Sandals, sold out in this shade (Amazon.com has the shade in these sandals and J. Crew still has some of the mirrored Madrid available); Sunglasses, Anthropologie.

Anecdote of the Day:  Looking for a place to sit and hang out with other swim team members was redonk.  Even though none of the tables/chairs had anything to indicate they were occupied by human beings, I was repeatedly told by pinched face people that the entire tables/chair were occupied and that my five would have to go somewhere else. *When I say entire tables/chairs--I am talking tables that could fit fifteen.* I guess a smile or some gentle kindness would have helped the situation, but as per usual for the DC area (God bless my home and its influx of selfless folks, lol), it was all ME ME ME not YOU YOU YOU first and foremost.  Thankfully, a friend from the pool felt badly for us and let us pull up with him and his amazing wife and girls.  See!  I can crowd in (and am happy to!).  I guess in the end I was at the table that was the best one, anyhow, just had to find it.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Morning Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

Where: Lasagna lunch at my friend's house (I made it for her as part of a meal delivery).

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This was super comfortable. Kind of boring, but at least I tried a skirt, I guess.  ;-)

Outfit Details:  Tee, Target; Skirt, Lands End Canvas; Shoes, Boden.

Anecdote of the Day:  My friend wasn't sure if she was going to have us come over that day or one of the others, but I read that it was "National Lasagna Day," so I texted her and said, "well, it's national lasagna day, which means my offer of lasagna is even more appropriate."  She insisted I come that day after seeing that.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, July 29, 2015.

Where:  Winesday at Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Many Boden fans own this dress, the Adelaide.  There's a reason this one and its sister, the Blackberry, are so popular.  Super soft jersey, not too heavy for summer, pockets, cute styling, etc.

The Esska sandals always feel great, though they look fairly dressy, they can be worn for long walks due to their cushioning and shape.

Outfit Details:  Adelaide Dress, Boden (the Blackberry Dress is very similar); Sandals, similar Esska sandal from Amazon.com; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Necklace, Madewell (darker version is here).

Anecdote of the Day:  I took Rex with me to the Winesday, and we took the bus there and back.  He loved it.  I am so glad I found a way to get there and back without having to drive myself back (I am too much of a lightweight to drive after the tasting).  I hadn't realized there were that many buses that could get us to Old Town, but apparently there are quite a few.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Tuesday, July 21, 2015.

Where:  Rex's swim team practice while CW and I enjoyed the path near our house; Grocery Stores (of course); Summer Preschool run.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  This dress is awesome.  It has a fun printed rayon woven front and a super stretchy jersey back.  This means that no matter what, it will always fit, even if the rayon shrinks a bit.  Score. 

Outfit Details:  Harbour Island Dress, Boden; Sandals, Madewell; Necklace, J. Crew; Selina Sunglasses, Boden here.

Anecdote of the Day:  The walk was beautiful, but buggy.  This prompted me to buy lots of bug spray at Whole Foods.  Guess how many times I have brought it with me since last week?  If you guessed zero, you would be right.  Score one for attentive momma.  :-/

INSTAGRAM HERE of outfit.
INSTAGRAM HERE of walk.

Okay, all, that's it for today.  Talk with you soon!

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: Keeping Warm.

Happy Friday!  Not much to say but I do hope that everyone is keeping warm if they are in the US or Canada.  It warmed up a bit here today, but by a bit I mean freezing rain and high 30s, so not exactly balmy.  :-P

Two recent outfits are in today's post.  One is from yesterday, the other from Tuesday when our highs barely reached the teens, which is insanely cold for this region.

Day: Thursday, January 10, 2014.

Where: Target, School pickup, and Little Gym for the two oldest kids.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) I felt so comfortable and quite warm in this whole ensemble.  Everything fits exactly as it should and the layering helped me regulate my comfort level.  I kept the coat on for most of the day, but since it gets warm at the Little Gym, I ended up in the cardi/top/skirt outfit and kept my coat in the car.

The boots are the Dinah Mid-Boots from Anthropologie.  I ordered them on a whim in a size 9 (since that is what I usually wear from the Miss Albright brand--they run large).  I fell in love with them upon seeing them in real life, the bow at the side is twee, yes, but not overly so.  They feel more snug than other Miss Albright shoes I own, but nothing awful.  If given the opportunity to buy the Dinah boots in a 9.5, they might fit better (especially with thick socks), but even if all I wear with them are tights or thin socks, that's cool, too.  They seem to be sold out now, but watch for popbacks.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) This is a decent outfit.  Nothing so spectacular that the Sartorialist is gonna come and beg me to pose for him, but presentable and pretty. 

A lot of you have mentioned liking the coat I am wearing in the above photo.  That is the Alabaster tweed coat from J. Crew.  It came out in the Holiday 2008 season, and I was able to get it on ebay one day when I saw it for a pretty decent price. If you can ever get your hands on it, I highly recommend it.  They had a girls version and I would love to get it for CW, but so far, no luck.

Anecdote from the Day:  I have recently decided to try knitting because I like having things to do while I am just sitting around waiting, which I do a whole lot of in my life (nature of the beast for stay at home types).  Anyhow, the Craftsy class "Knit Lab" actually taught me how to knit.  I am TERRIBLE at it, but I know with practice I will get better.  And since I quite like the repetitive motion of it (reminds me of swimming laps, very calming), I have chosen to get to my kids' school forty minutes early to wait for them since Angus can watch the video player (hey, Boo Bah!) and I can knit. 

I don't want my first project on display since it is so ugly and made from a really crap acrylic yarn, but Rex is adamant that he will wear the scarf everyday, so I am expected to give it to him.  I said, "it isn't pretty, though."  He looks at me and is all, "Momma, I don't like to wear pretty things."  Ha!  Touché, son, touché.

Day: Tuesday, January 4, 2014.

Where: Harris Teeter and the School run.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear) Points off because in flipping cold weather I have to wear a super thick parka (even if it is cute--see it here in this photo) and the millions of layers below it to keep warm.  Harris Teeter was fine for the most part, but I started sweating in the pharmacy area since it was so hot.  The pharmacists were in shorts sleeves, that should tell you how warm they felt.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I don't know.  It's okay.  I think the hair and the boots look good, and I love my CoH jeans, but B-O-R-I-N-G. 

Anecdote from the Day:  I grocery shopped and picked the kids up.

I also talked to the butcher fella, who is really awesome and cool.  He went to the same high school as me, but was kicked out as a freshman over something really benign.  I remember that...they were so strict and we were expected to toe the line, else get kicked out ourselves.  I don't think it is quite that strict anymore.  My grade school (where the kids go) is still far stricter than other neighborhood public schools, but way way way less harsh than when I was a student there.  Lucky kids, lol.

Alrighty, that's all.  Have a great rest of your day!

Review: Boden Ingrid Coat.

UPDATE (Friday, 10/18/13 morning): It appears that Boden had a major restock of items last night, some completely sold out items are back in stock, including the black version of this coat.  The other colors are still gone, but thought I should tell you.  There are also some sizes and colors back in both the heeled loafer and the chic tweed shift (which I have in a size 8L and fits exactly right).  Good luck if you were hunting for a popback!

I know that this coat is super popular and was beloved by many during preview, so even though the darn thing is completely sold out (barring popbacks), I figured I would do a review for those of you than want to stalk this coat.  :-)

Ingrid Coat.  Size 6.  This is the electric pink color, and as you can see, it is pretty true to color for what Boden has on their site.  It really is a very lovely, bright, happy shade of pink, definitely not for the shy, and definitely not for anyone who feels pink has no place in a winter wardrobe.  (Obviously I do feel it has a place.)

This puppy is warm, its fabric is a lot like J. Crew's stadium cloth, 80% wool, 20% nylon, very thick, lofty, and soft.  I did NOT wear this coat out today, I would have died from heat exhaustion.  ;-)

They have no tall sizing, but I felt like the length on both the arms and the hem were fine for my height, if I were to quibble, I would quibble on the sleeve length, but it really isn't that big of a deal.

You will notice that all the photos of me wearing this coat I have it unbuttoned (even in profile and from the back).  When you get to the last shot, you will see why.

Side view.  Very flattering cut, might be a touch boxy, but it doesn't overwhelm my upper body even though it is a cocoon shape.  The bust darts are placed in an unexpected area, which may be why the overall coat has some shape, even though it is a fairly straight silhouette.

Back view.  Again, like the placement of the lines and how the shape just skims my curves.  Well, they skim my curves in an unbuttoned fashion.  Buttoned up, hmm...

Aw, there it is.  The one major flaw.  This coat was cut so straight through the hips that while the bottom button does do up, it is a tight enough fit that you can tell it is too small through the hips on me.  If I were in a place where I was required to button up in order to go outside in winter, I would be MIGHTILY ticked off since this coat doesn't do up on my pear shape, but fortunately for me, the weather in VA means most winter days I *do* go out in coats that aren't all the way buttoned up.  So while this coat is not a winner on me buttoned up, I do love it enough to not button it up and enjoy it unbuttoned (or only do the top three buttons).  But I will say that if you have an apple shape, or you are an inverted triangle, you will love this coat since it does seem to be made for frames like yours.

Hey, hers is unbuttoned too!

Ingrid Coat.  All sold out.  Check for popbacks, since they will come.

Stockholm Coat.  I think if you love the bright color of the Ingrid, desire its warmth, and are a pear shape, this one in coral could be a good option.  It's a shame that Boden didn't make more coats in this color (the Mia Coat is in this color, but it is shorter and more blazer-like).

Hope that helps someone out there.  :-)