OOTDs: Leo Scarlet.

Good Sunday night!

I have been a very bad blogger.  Wow.

Anyhow, not gonna even bother explaining, as I have a feeling you either...

a. don't care about my absence from blogging,

or

b. didn't even notice.

So, on that note, let's begin!

Last week my dad turned a pretty big "important" number, and as our wont in our family, we celebrate all big occasions with lots of eating out.  I think we, just our family, keep many of the restaurants in the Northern Virginia area open simply because we seem to always be celebrating someone's birthday, graduation, baptism, "good" days at school, etc.

And because we are clearly certifiable, we went out to eat with my dad, even though he wants to lose weight, two times, at lunch to a Mexican place, and to dinner at an Indian place.

But since this is a personal style blog, let's just say we had a great time, yummy food was had by all, my dad felt very feted, and November 9, 2012 was properly memorable.  ;)

Since I had church at Rex's school before we went to eat with my dad (the Mexican restaurant is three blocks from the school), I wanted to make sure that my outfit was properly conservative enough for the mass.

I originally had planned to wear booties, but they ended up being too clunky, so I changed them out for the ballet flats instead.  (I wore the booties with the second outfit instead.)

I wasn't sure if I wanted to wear the shirt untucked and slightly open over the Loft tee, so I tucked it in and took a photo.  In the end I went with the untucked version, but either way, the outfit would have been fine for this SAHM.

These skimmers from J. Crew factory are weird, btw.  I found them pretty tight at the waistband but more than fine at the thighs.  It is usually the opposite. 

The Liberty perfect shirt in Leo Scarlet is beautiful, btw.  I really love the colors and find that because there are so many shades within the pattern, this button-down works wonderfully with so many pieces I already have in my wardrobe.

It fits similar to the other Liberty shirt that I bought earlier this fall, so I am glad I went with a size 4.  I think it is a touch smaller, though, so if you find only your bigger size is available, you should be okay.  (It is on sale right now, plus an additional 30% off, at least for the next few hours.  This is how I bought mine.  I am THRILLED that I got this one for $70, definitely stings less than paying near full price.  I also picked up the adorable crewcuts shirtdress in this fabric for CW for Christmas.)

The necklace ended up getting broken, thanks to Angus.  He decided he wanted to play with it at church and in the process of pulling it, it broke where the ribbon and pearls meet.  It can be fixed, but because I know myself, it may be MONTHS before I get around to it.  Sigh.

Here we are at the restaurant.  The kids managed to all look happy and content while posing with the birthday boy.  I believe this was their present to my dad.  ;)

I was whispering for CW to be agreeable and to pose nicely, but the way the photo looks, it appears I am sharing a "mommy secret" with her.

And here is the shirt done up for a night out at one of our favorite Indian restaurants.

It was actually cool enough for the jacket, and the color worked quite nicely with the Leo Scarlet pattern.

Since the jacket and the shirt are pretty in your face, I toned down the rest of the outfit with neutrals, including the booties I scored from Target for $30.  These have suede uppers and are very comfortable, so definitely consider them if you like the look of booties but don't want to spend a lot of money.

This is last year's version of the sterling skirt.  I am so glad I chose to buy this one when I did, even though I was pregnant.  This one has a small waist and full hips, whereas the new one is more like a modified pencil skirt shape.

If you have a pear shape like me, it may be worth your while to try and find last year's version.  I took this in a size 6 and it fits exactly as a pear shape needs it to...no need for me to size up for my hips like I have to when purchasing pencil skirts.

One more view of the skirt.  The pockets are fab, and I found I was using them often over the course of the evening.

CW didn't change her dress, but she did change her tights and boots...because she could.  She will often go to her room, and I will think she is playing with her toys, and then she comes out all dolled up in a new ensemble.  She has recently taken to waking up and changing before she comes to find us.  This morning she pulled out her crewcuts Maritime dress (red/blue version), white leggings, and a pair of black boots.

This jacket is the Funnel Neck Jacket for those of you who are curious.  I did a review of it here.

Close up of the fabric next to the necklace.  Isn't that print so special?

Leo Scarlet... by dinagideon featuring flower jewelry

Above is the polyvore of the night outfit.

Alrighty!  If you did a review of this shirt, would you mind dropping the review in the comments?  I know that Gigi did one, but I am not sure who else did.

You all have a great night!

OOTD: Grandpa's Here!

A few weeks ago my Grandpa flew in from Poland with his wife (my step-grandma) to visit Angus for the first time. :)

I didn't necessarily wear this specific outfit for my Grandpa, but I figured he would probably prefer me wearing real clothes over pjs, so I put a teeny bit of effort into getting ready that morning (well that and the fact that I was actually going out to run errands, folks at Target would probably prefer me in real clothing, too).

If you open up the photo you can see the info on the pieces in the photo, but I do want to highlight the top for a moment.  This is the Jalisco embroidered knit top by Garnet Hill and while I normally don't buy a lot from this company, I have been gravitating towards their easier pieces lately, especially since this top I bought from J. Crew doesn't quite fit right and is a dead ringer for the Jalisco.  (BTW, if you want to buy the J. Crew one, I am selling it for $20 shipped--size small.)  That sucker sold fast!

This top is a soft jersey with embroidery all over the front.  I bought in an extra small, which is pretty loose, so I would say if you are tee-tiny, you won't be able to wear this top (I think Garnet Hill is like the Loft--quite oversized).

Speaking of the Loft, I adore these pants, very comfy, yet because of the straighter legs maintain the appearance of being fitted.  :)

That is the Andie Bag I am holding and I am so glad I was able to buy it from a JCA a few years ago.  Definitely one of my most favorite J. Crew pieces, ever.

No bag, front shot.

I have done that necklace as a bracelet thing before, when I wore this outfit.

And there he is, my grandpa, holding my son.  Four generations of Gideon, with only one XX represented.  Oh, you XYs...not enough princesses in my family. 

Okay, that's it.  Super quick post.  :)

Have any of you bought anything from Garnet Hill lately?  Am I the only fan out there?  (Never see any other bloggers wearing their pieces, maybe I am just looking in the wrong places.)

Boden: Lavish Tunic Plus Other Updates.

Oh, man.  The backlog...the BACKLOG!

I seriously have some ungodly amount of photos of ootds to publish, plus other info, etc. to relay and I just don't know how I am going to get it all done.  Gotta love being the sole source of food for the world's largest man baby.  (See photo of Gus with my dad at the end for proof.  I will remind you that Gus is barely a month old.)

Okay, so I will just try and kill a couple of birds with one stone...namely this post.

I had the chance to go out with my husband to see the amazingly wonderful film Damsels in Distress a couple weeks ago on an afternoon (yay! matinee!).  (Thanks, dad, for taking the kids!)

Since I had been not really dressing up beyond an hour here or an hour there (yay! sweats! postpartum!), I really enjoyed getting a dress on (no! need! for! nursing! access!) and chilling with Mr. Dina to watch a movie about other women who love to dress up, too.  (And solve problems...and talk about their problems...and get depressed...and create dance craves, etc.)

Dress/Tunic: Boden Lavish Tunic, Size 10.  This is from the limited edition line.  I had worn the light blue version last fall (size 8), but when I got this one on sale in December, I decided I needed to let the light blue one go (I listed it for sale--finally--at the JCA exchange this week).  This new size fits me better (especially through the hips) and the color really works better for my skin tone.  There is a similar Limited Collection tunic available now, the Beaded Embellished Tunic.
Tights: Assets.
Shoes: Clarks Artisan.
Purse: J. Crew Collection Frankie Bag.

Yeah, as much as I like the previous color, this one is deeper hued, and seems to look better with my fair complexion.  I think someone with gorgeous olive skin could wear the light blue really well.

No purse!  And when I did have the purse, there were no diapers (!), wipes (!), or a breast pump (!!!).  :)

Aww!  My dad is in heaven, and so is Angus.  He likely just ate.  Ha.

Look at Gus's legs!  Good gracious.  Any bets on height?

Okay...onto Boden updates (non-Boden fans, you all can leave now.  Chortle.)

1) I found an article recently about Boden and its infiltration into the American market.  I was really surprised by a couple of points.  It turns out that though we (readers of this blog) think Boden is taking over America, in reality, it has BARELY MADE A DENT.  They believe that the country is becoming more receptive to Boden's quirky styling and fun prints, etc., so expect that there will continue to be more media presence (like seeing their products in the pages of Marie Claire and Glamour), and expect that products will more often come from the Pittston warehouse instead of the UK (thank goodness for shorter shipping times, an issue for many of you).

2) Speaking of Pittston, a fellow blog friend, Carrie, let me know that the Boden outlet has officially opened in Pittston (a city close to Scranton, NOT Pittsburgh like I originally thought).  They have fairly regular hours and carry quite a few prior season's clothing.  I have not yet gone, but maybe one day some of my fellow MD/DC/VA Boden friends and I can make the trek?  The address is: 73 South Main Street, Pittston PA 18640.  Has anyone gone yet?

3) Finally, my Boden affiliate sent me a wonderful coupon for those of you that like to have an extra % off with free ship and returns.

Who doesn't?  I am sure even the girls in the Damsels in Distress movie like extra money back on their fab clothing purchases.  BTW, one of the girls in the movie is a DEAD ringer for one of the Boden models.  Here is the girl from the movie (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and here is the model (says Angela in the catalog).  Yeah, I thought so!

Okay, so the coupon is for 15% off and free ship and returns.  If you are a new customer, they will even throw in a beach bag to say thanks for trying Boden for the first time.  (Hey, if any of you do get it and are not new customers, would you let me know?  I have always been curious how well they actually track that.  I have received "new" customer promos before, and clearly NOTHING about me says new customer.)

If you are on a mobile device, the link is below, but if you are on a traditional computer, you can also find the link in my sidebar.  Enjoy!
New Customers receive 15% off and a free printed beach bag. Plus free shipping and returns!

P.S. I plan to do the Boden roundup tomorrow (yeah, I know I have said that before)...if you have a review or a link to your blog and you fear I won't see it (not an unfounded fear, btw), you can e-mail me the info at dinagideon AT aim DOT com. You all have a great night!

Baby Angus: Week One...in Photos!

Hello! Baby Angus is officially one week old today! :)

I want to say THANK YOU for all the incredibly sweet and kind comments left at the our announcement post.  I am full of gratitude that so many lovely people swing on by my blog!  You all are the best and I had a lot of smiling/tears of joy in my life after reading them...

We are surviving, but let's just say that I am not exactly in any position to be on the computer much. In fact, when I wrote the last post introducing Gus, I was full of the best painkillers (which is how I got it done). Ha.

Today is very much the first day I have felt up to getting out of bed for more than a few hours, and I thank God for that. I had a few nights of pain (even with the medicine) where I just was all, "can I really make it through the night?" I had those with the other two kids, but your body lets you conveniently forget them so you go on and have more children. Ahhh, instinct and evolution messing with memories.

I am going to keep this short and sweet and show off some of my favorite photos of the family from this week (no ootd photos, well, you know, there may be two from the past week, but for me pjs and soft leggings were on order for the most part).

Enjoy!

 

Gus, still at the hospital, on the last day.  I spent that whole day pretty much chilling with my little man.  It was great.  For a few moments my kids and my dad showed up, but for the majority of the day it was just the two of us.  I think he liked the peace and quiet.  :)

Last day at the hospital, took this shot of my dad, CW, Rex, and Angus.  LOVE this.  So sweet and happy!

Our "going home" photo.  Technically we left about four hours later, but CW, Rex, and Grandpa left a few minutes after this photo was taken.

It was nice leaving the hospital past 8 pm.  Very quiet and serene.  Gus has had few moments of that since arriving home.

Angus and Rex.  Rex is IN LOVE.  He is a great big brother.  All those issues we have had with our big guy in the past year or so have gone by the wayside.  Love that he can focus his energy into being a great big brother.

The three of them.  Two seconds after this shot was taken, Gus bawled his head off.  He was ready for--wait for it--more food from momma.  Anyone surprised?

Taken yesterday.  These blanket sleepers are awesome, keeps them warm but you don't have the worries like you do with actual blankets going over the little baby's heads.

This is darling.  I can't believe I managed to grab this photo!  :)

I did venture out on Friday to go get a refill of my medicine (have to pick it up from the office, controlled substance and all--ooooooooh....) and our first doctor appointment for Gus (he's in fine shape!).  We also stopped at McDonald's for lunch and because of my anemia (more on that in a different post--let's just say I may have needed a couple of units of blood transfused while in the hospital), I HAD to have the Angus burger, natch.  (Although even if I had a clean bill of health, I still would have.  Can't resist, I mean come on!)

This photo is of me with Rex after he was born.  I am a big fan of the putting babies really close to my face and squishing them with all my momma love.  ;)

Squish, squish, squish with all the love and CW. 

Okay, that's it! :)

I hope to be back to fairly regular posting in a few days, but obviously it is as the situation dictates. (Oh, the littlest ones...so many needs that directly involve my chest and arms. LOL.)

P.S. Boden decided to start their mid-Season sale this morning, which means that many items are an additional 15-35% off their regular price. This sale goes until April 13, so you all have time, but I have noticed some items are running low in stock. Having said all this, my 15% off coupon link with free ship and returns gives you the same basic deal on many of the sale items, so think of dipping in this sale if you see an item you were really interested in that is 20% or more off.

I will likely write a post on this sale either tomorrow night or Tuesday. :)

This mid-season sale does not come with free ship and returns, but the code in my sidebar and below will allow you to have free shipping and returns (but not stacking of the 15% on top of the mid-season % off, darn it!).
Save 15% at Bodenusa.com with Free Delivery and Returns!

Night night!

Introducing Gus...

He was early. (4 whole days before his scheduled c-section and 8 whole days before his "due" date.)  His birthday?  March 25, 2012. 

I did end up laboring! And I made it to the hospital with *just* enough time to spare. The c-section we had was neither scheduled or an emergency...it just fell somewhere in between.

His real name is Angus, which is way more popular of a name for boys and men in Scotland, Canada, England, Ireland, and Australia. In the US, Angus is beef, and real "manly" beef. :)

The nice doctor who gave me my anesthesia told me that this is not only the year of the dragon in Chinese astrology, but also the year of the black dragon, which is auspicious if you have a boy, as they will be especially manly. Guess he suits his real name, then. (Oh, and at 9 pounds, 3 ounces he showed us who is boss in the weight department besting Rex by 1 pound and CW by 2 pounds. Rex WAS 4 weeks early, but imagine if those two had been twins, ouch!)

I did end up having some complications, but I will get into that at a later time. That said, these people know my messed up delivery history and were very. well. prepared. for whatever my body decided to throw at them this time.

And now for some photos of his first and second day of life!

Rex and CW have been so excited to meet him that when the time actually came, I seriously felt like they thought of Gus as a rock star...and they acted like his groupies.

Rex held him and then CW.  Supervised of course.  Well, not by me.  I can barely move--THANKS MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY. 

Grandma and Grandpa were over the moon, too!  BTW, best babysitting grandparents in Virginia, just so you all know.  And I am surely not biased or anything.  ;)

He has blonde hair and really blue eyes.  He looks exactly like CW sometimes and exactly like Rex at others.  And then sometimes he will look exactly like both of them AT the SAME time.

He is at that age where he just likes to sleep.  (On my belly, of course, but every once in a while on an actual baby bed.)

He may have left the big baby belly I had for all these months, but that doesn't mean he has to leave the general vicinity.  If he had his druthers, he would be in this position all. the. time.

(Which I don't mind.  Might be super warm, but oh, so freaking cuddly!)

That's it for today and likely a little while.

Those Boden fans out there who know that for the past two Tuesdays I have published a post on the "Week's Temptation" will have to use my link in the sidebar to get to it today or visit last week's post for more information about this kind of sale in general.  I have a feeling all the Boden fans who come here and visit will understand my priorities over the next few days to a week or so (depending on recovery, etc.).  (Of course you would.  Imagine the person who doesn't understand.  LOL.)

You all have a WONDERFUL day.  I certainly plan to.  :)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! by dinagideon featuring leather pumps
We spent our Easter with Milly! :)

The moment I saw these dresses in the Spring Preview over at MillyNY, I was sure that I had found the Easter best for at least half of the family. I pre-ordered them, and while I gave both CW and I a sneak peek into how they would fit, I didn't actually let us wear them out until Easter actually came. 

On us, very early this morning.  No way were we going to go to the 9:30 mass.  I am done with the popular Christmas and Easter masses (it is really hard for the kids because all these people show up for mass only on Christmas and Easter and my kids act like crazy people because they aren't used to being smooshed by humanity when normally they have a WHOLE THREE ROWS to themselves).  No, sir, no how.  It is 8 am mass for all future C&E masses in the future.  Yes, Mr. Dina just LOVES that I put my foot down on that one.  LOL.  Can you tell he isn't quite the morning person that I am?  (Yes, that is a deep, dark secret of mine, I am *that* person that jumps out of bed with a jaunty hello and how are you doing...CW is our morning bird toddler...not Rex, never Rex.)

CW is in the 4T size, while I am wearing my TTS 8 in Milly (this dress is called the Colette Sheath Dress, which I gather is what they call any variety of dresses in this shape...last fall they had a tweed version of this exact dress).  I can never wear smaller in Milly, unless it is cut wider in the hip.  This dress is fitted throughout, with the exception of my bust...where as per usual, I might could have done with a little something something.

It has POCKETS!

I felt very January Jones in this outfit, especially with the gorgeous Cole Haan Carma Peep Toes in botanical green.  Hello, 1964!

And the back zipper takes 1964 into 2011.

From the side.  I like that this sheath is a bit longer than other Milly dresses, which can be a tad short.

I love family photos like this.  I couldn't exactly expect Uncle Peter (in the red shirt) to hold hands with Amanda (my stepmom), but it would have been really cool if he had.  LOL. 

Notice how CW's dress has a sash that ties in the back.  Aww.  :)

Ubiquitous makeup shot...not a ton on today.  Don't really feel like competing with the print. 

This is Rex hunting for eggs.  He is totally onto Mr. Dina.  We said, "Rex isn't it great that the Easter Bunny laid eggs back here?"  And he was all cool and suspicious and said right back, "No, Daddy, you put these eggs out here, you are the Easter Bunny."  CW has no problem believing that the Easter Bunny visited, even if that Bunny has a really groovy beard and is slightly grey-ing. 

Love it.  Easter Sunday is absolutely one of my favorite days of the year.  And this year is one of the best--you know it is like 88 degrees out there right now???

I sort of look like I am micro-managing his hunt, don't I? 

Love this.  Everyone smile now!!! :)

Mr. Dina (aka Bearded, Grey-ing Easter Bunny) with CW.  So cute!  :)

BTW, the last five photos were "fixed" by saturating the color, then going to Picasa's Picnik site and further "fixing" them with Film Grain and Cross Process.  I highly recommend both Picasa and Picnik if you want to have fun with your photos but don't have the time or energy to use a Holga or DSLR, etc.

Okay that is probably it for now.  :)

Sneak Peek:  I am going to be offering a free RE9 Advanced Cellular Renewal Masque with every $75 plus purchase made over at my Arbonne website starting tomorrow (expires Friday, April 29, 2011).  Be on the lookout if you want to take me up on this offer.

P.S. Those of you (mainly my lovely Canadian readers, it seems) who want to know more about my fun times at the Rush concert (plus outfits, of course) will need to wait, but I promise, the pics will be coming soon.  (I did have an amazing time.  Those guys really truly rock. every. single. time. I. have. seen. them.)