OOTDs: Ferns, Palms, Ikat, and Itty Bitty Florals.

Hey, all!  Happy Wednesday!

Before I get started, I wanted to let you all know that Boden rolled out quite a few new arrivals on Monday.  Because that was the day I was in "new" teacher training I wasn't able to get the news out right away.  :-)  That said, I am sure most of you figured it out already.  I have my eyes on a few items, and hopefully before the week's end, I can get a post done on the rollout in a proper fashion.  There is a coupon for 20% off mini Boden in my sidebar and at the bottom of this post, but it works for everything on the site, so enjoy it for you, too.

Okay, onto the outfits of late.

Day: Saturday, August 8, 2015.

Where:  Mini Golf in Manassas and dinner with my brother.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) J. Crew had that redonk 75% off sale recently, and the shorts were an impulse purchase (along with a pair in green).  They are amazing.  I sized to a medium since I wanted the extra room so I could pull them down to my hips so they wouldn't super short on me.  (I read they were running large, so instead of sizing up to a large so I could pull them down, I went with my "tts" J. Crew size of medium--though crazily enough J. Crew sometimes runs so large in bottoms I can wear an small.) The linen is substantial, the tie is not superfluous or silly, and the elastic is thick and comfortable.  If you are a pear shaped lady, these are your shorts.  Trust me.

The silk fern blouse was from a while back, and it was loose and flowy and just right for the searing heat and humidity that afternoon.  Playing mini golf in the middle of a parking lot with the sun blaring down on you is intense, but I didn't feel too gross or overheated.  (The top is a bit cropped, though, so long torso ladies, beware.)

Outfit Details:  Cropped Silk Popover Blouse in Tropical Fern, J. Crew here (also in a darling coverup that is more "in stock" and a bathing suit--I own and love that one); Drawstring Linen Shorts, J. Crew here; Shoes, J. Crew; Clutch/Bag, Stella and Dot here and chain for bag here; Sunglasses, Target (but then left those at home, d'oh, so switched to the ones in my car from Anthropologie).

Anecdote of the Day:  I was better at mini golf than I remembered, but it wasn't like I was some sort of superstar.  I got a hole in one, though, so for that, I celebrated.  Little things bring me joy, you all.

Rex used a knife to cut up onions at my brother's house (we were eating Mexican food).  I guess eight is a good age for them to learn that skill, but it's still weird to just let it go and be okay with it.  :-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Wednesday, August 12, 2015.

Where: Winesday at Whole Foods.

Ease of Wear: (4.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Oh I love this halter dress so much!  The back has a bit of elastic to give it some wiggle room, and the skirt is nice and full with pockets.  It is the perfect dress for a pear shape.  I am so glad I bought it all those years ago.  :-)  (It's been a while since I wore it, though, inexplicably...here I am in it with my long, no bangs, light blonde hair.)

The Esska shoes are awesome for long walks, since they have tons of cushioning there in the sole.  I desperately wish these were available here in the United States more readily.  I was only able to get these because Anthropologie decided to carry a couple of styles a year or so ago.  UK ladies, so jealous of you all!

Outfit Details:  Jakarta Halter Dress, J. Crew (someone has this exact dress in the same size for sale at ebay); Sandals, Esska; Sunglasses, Anthropologie; Necklace, tru.che here.

Anecdote of the Day:  I get along with most people, most of the time, even if I am a bit introverted at first.  I was finishing up the winesday portion of the evening, and about to start the shopping portion (usually yogurts, fresh produce, and some vitamins) when I saw a former roommate of mine from the late 90s.  It was so weird to see him just standing there.  I *know* he saw me but I pretended not to see him, I just couldn't make small talk and pretend like everything is okay.  He was fine for the most part while we were roommates, but at the end it got B.A.D., and I had to leave living there in a hurry, so seeing him was a bit jarring.  Mr. Dina has seen him a few times through the years, too.  Didn't see him last night at Winesday, though, and haven't seem him at the other ones, either. 

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Saturday, August 15, 2015.

Where:  Playdate at the park with Rex.

Ease of Wear: (4.75 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Contrary to what the photos show, earlier in the day I felt like such crap, and though I knew I needed to go this playdate with Rex for his class (he just loves seeing all his friends), I was struggling with a massive migraine (I only get these a couple of times a year compared to my pre-PFO surgery amount), and while the medicine worked to keep it from being too intense, it still was imparting some pain.  The Garnet Hill starlet dress is so soft and has such nice ease because of the knit fabric, that I at least didn't have to deal with digging waistbands or too tight hip areas. 

After I took a nap and used more medicine and an ice pack, we all went to dinner and I felt even better in this getup.  :-)

Outfit Details:  Dress, Garnet Hill's versions from this year here; Shoes, J. Crew; Bag, J. Crew; Sunglasses, Target; Necklace, Gift.

Anecdote of the Day:  I was telling one of the moms about my migraine and she said she suffered from them, too, and through that conversation, we discover we had both suffered strokes (mine of the mini variety) and we both had to have our PFO closed.  She is the only other person I have met who has gone through what I went through, I am so glad I opened up to here about not feeling great.  I have someone in my circle who "gets it."

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Thursday, August 13, 2015.

Where:  Cafe Rio for dinner.

Ease of Wear: (3.25 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) You ever have days where you feel a little bloated for whatever reason?  Well that day was one of those for me.  These shorts are normally my "go to" shorts since they always fit just fine, but they felt so snug that day, even though I could pull them down to my hips, etc.  I think I was just in a truly terrible state and nothing was going to feel good, outside of pjs or a easy knit dress.  But I had it in my head I wanted to wear the tee, and these shorts were the only ones that seemed to work, and it was too hot to wear pants, and a skirt wouldn't have looked right.  Grr. 

Outfit Details:  Tee, J. Crew; Shorts, J. Crew; Sandals, Target here; Sunglasses, AR Trapp (via J. Crew).

Anecdote of the Day:  Cafe Rio was really yummy.  I don't know that eating yummy salty Mexican food was the smart choice for me that "night of bloat" but man it tasted so good.  I should have better willpower, lol.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Tuesday, August 18, 2015.

Where:  Staples, then to Honey Pig Izakaya for dinner.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) This is a handmade dress so it is very comfortable.  :-)  Love the woven rayon for its very comfortable hand in the heat, though sadly it appears I didn't prewash and dry it enough to keep it from shrinking.  It has gotten a touch shorter and slimmer over the past year.  It hopefully will be done soon, but I definitely have to baby it when I wash it.

Didn't feel like contacts that day, so threw on my Bebe glasses, and unfortunately in our heat and humidity, they kept slipping down my nose, sigh.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Handmade; Factory Raffia Boardwalk Sandals, J. Crew Factory here; Bag, J. Crew; Necklace, J. Crew; Glasses, Bebe.

Anecdote of the Day:  Going to Staples to buy the kids school supplies on a Tuesday was smart.  We were the only ones there, which is contrary to the Target/Walmart runs we have engaged in the past.  We saved money, too, so I say go for it if you are a parent who is tired of getting places and finding 7000 other people and completely empty cartons of glue sticks, markers, etc.  Unfortunately the teacher stuff was kind of disappointing, so I will have to order some of that online.

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Day: Friday, August 7, 2015.

Where:  Another playdate, this time to say goodbye to a friend leaving the area for a while.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Boden does these kind of summer casual jersey dresses so well.  I would say Garnet Hill does it a touch better, but Boden is definitely in second place, and if they could up the "softness" level on their fabric, they would be in first place because their prints and colors are better than Garnet Hill's.

I have now put the Birkenstock sandals on their tightest setting on the strap, and now they fit perfectly.  I walked for a mile in them last night and they stayed on my feet perfectly.  Love these so much now that they fit exactly to my foot.

Outfit Details:  Dress, Boden; Birkenstock Madrid Sandals, this exact pair can be found here at amazon.com (amazon.com also has the shade in these sandals and J. Crew still has some of the mirrored Madrid available); Sunglasses, Target; Necklace, tru.che here.

Anecdote of the Day:  My son's friend's mom is another big Boden and Garnet Hill fan and we have a very eerily similar closet.  LOL.  Anyhow, she was wearing the Blackberry dress that night in yellow, and I knew it was her from 200 yards away.  ;-)

INSTAGRAM HERE.

Okay, that's it for me for now.  I hope to come back sooner than I did this time.  :-)

Remember if you want to try something from Boden's new styles, this coupon is good for those, even though it is marketed specifically to mini Boden.

OOTDs: Festive. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

Day: Monday, December 24, 2012.

Where: Grocery Shopping for Christmas Day Dinner at Whole Foods and Harris Teeter.  Is anyone surprised?

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The combo of eased pants, soft soft soft Pure Collection Gassato Cashmere Polo Neck Sweater, and ballet flats equals pretty without pain.  Even the belt is elastic, so no pinching.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I think the Oxford Jacket makes for a special addition, as does the sparkly Loft belt, but broken down, this outfit is *just* a step up from the regular old SAHM uniform I usually wear.

Anecdote from the day: It was so crowded at the supermarket.  I usually shop in the morning on weekdays, so I am typically the only person there under 85.  On that Monday, I was joined by everyone left in the DC metro area.  Surprisingly, even with the crowds, it was fairly pleasant.  I like to think that it's because the locals are all that are left, and the uber-ambitious types that come to DC from all the other areas of the country have gone back to their hometowns, but in reality, it is probably me that's different.  I have learned over the past year that irritation has nothing to do with the person irritating you, it has to do with the fact that you are allowing yourself to get irritated.  Since learning that I have decided to take a moment whenever I get irritated and remind myself that it is ME that is getting upset, not the other person doing something to ME.  (Because, I mean, really, who walks around a supermarket looking to piss off someone else?  Right?)  LOL.

Day: Monday, December 24, 2012 (evening).

Where: Christmas Eve Dinner/Presents at my dad's house.

Ease of Wear: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Ugh.  I thought I would be fine in this outfit, but I wasn't.  Everything fit fine, even the pants, but the spanx I put on kept doing this roll down from the waistband thing.  After an hour, I gave up and put on the black leggings I had brought with me (because I never do anything without backup on Christmas Eve after this incident, lol).  I will give these pants another go when I have lost the last five postpartum pounds.

The Lands' End Long Sleeve Meridian Cable Crewneck Sweater was a super sale purchase.  I think after all the discounts were taken, I ended up spending $15.  I had intended for this sweater to be worn with the Dublin Tartan mini (you will see in the next outfit), but when I got it I realized the color was a non-match.  In the end the color was exactly right for the Collection graphic print pant, so I wasn't perturbed.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love the look of this outfit.  I think with edgier hair and boots, this could be a winner.  The Boden necklace is exactly right for the look, and if I added a black leather jacket, I think I could bump this outfit up to a 4.5 of 5.  (Even with a Lands' End sweater.  Ha.)

Anecdote from the day: My childhood home is really small and was built in the late 1920s.  Therefore when you put three children, one teenage girl, three adult women, and three adult men in the living room, it is going to be cramped and loud.  At one point, you couldn't see the dark wood floor through the ridiculous amount of wrapping paper everywhere.  I tried to stay on top of that, but the moment I put one bit of paper in the trash bag, another piece of wrapping paper appeared.  I gave up after a while and decided to drink wine instead.

Day: Tuesday, December 25, 2012.

Where: Christmas Dinner at our house.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Ooh, very comfortable for being so dressy.  I love the city mini in Dublin Tartan.  It is a nice soft wool, with a bit of stretch (and a elastic waistband), and a very pretty plaid pattern. 

After I discovered that the color of the Lands' End sweater didn't work with the mini, I found this tee on super sale at jcrew.com.  It was about $11.  :)  It is also very smooth and easy to wear.  I sized up from my usual size xs to a s since I had read that perfect fit tees run small.  This was the right call, but if given a choice, I would want an inch lopped off the bottom since I think it runs a bit long.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Not especially cool.  It is great for Christmas, honestly, and it will be fab on my trip to Ireland (early April--yay air miles!), but again, not really anything special or edgy. :)

I do plan on wearing it with a navy sweater and no tights with a pair of boots, so maybe that will help "chic" it up?

Anecdote from the day: Woke up with a terrible migraine that morning.  Unfortunately I had a spate of bad headaches that week, and had run out of migraine medication.  I went to the pharmacist at the grocery store the day before (see the first outfit) and she said she couldn't get permission from the insurance to give me a refill just yet.  Sigh.  So I spent a good portion of the day in bed trying to get rid of the pain.  I did manage to wake up and open gifts with the kids, but as soon as I was done, I went back to sleep.

When I woke up, I got to cooking.  I like to think that when one bad thing happens, something good will happen to keep all the karma in proper order, so that day my bad was the headache and the good was my dinner, which turned out exactly right.  ;)

Day: Monday, December 31, 2012.

Where: New Year's Eve at our house.  We live on the edge.  I was surprised we didn't fall asleep at 9.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Mmm.  This was SO COMFORTABLE.

If you look at the outfit photo, you will see that the pants are from the Limited Express circa 1992.  I was going through all my old clothing deciding what would be donated, kept, or packed away.  I decided to wash these pants because I saw the elastic waist was still in good shape (that is the first thing to go, usually).  After washing and line drying them, I tried them on, and OMG, so freaking comfortable. 

Everyone was all, "ooh, you can wear the same thing you did in high school?" and I was all, "people, come on, it has a freaking elastic waistband, of course I can."  If I could fit into my jeans from high school, that would be amazing.  I don't foresee that happening as I was at least thirty pounds lighter, which is a lot of weight to lose.

Cool Factor: (2.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  No.  This is not cool.  This was my attempt at being festive without being in anything that had anything binding.  The Natalie studded sweater is the coolest bit of this particular ensemble.  My brother's girlfriend really liked it, and she has a neck piercing (ouch).  So that is why this outfit gets the 2.5.  Without that sweater, this outfit would have received a 1.

The "please, Hammer, don't hurt 'em" pants are so uncool.  Unless of course they are cool because they are so uncool.  But I am not twenty, and I am not seeing these pants as anything other than stretchy harem pants that happened to be living in my closet for longer than perhaps they should have.  I have seen the blogs that have the uber-stylish fashionistas* wearing retro 90s looks, but since I actually wore them un-ironically when they were actually really and truly in fashion, I can't really get away with it and call it cool.  Unless someone has invented a time machine that will allow me to go back to 1992 and be thirty pounds lighter.

*You know, the ones who go to Fashion Week for free and wear copious arm parties and tulle in the daytime.

Anecdote from the day: My brother usually starts his day at 4 am and is in bed at 9 pm.  His job has him working at 6 am most days.  On this Monday he had started at 6 am, but because finds my "purse" wine irresistible, by 11 pm, he was upstairs on my couch in the playroom asleep.  His date took it well, but the next morning, he apologized to her for not being there for her at the stroke of the new year.  I have no idea if there is bad juju from not being there for your special lady friend at the start of the year, but maybe he will get a pass since he was contrite and works hard?

Okay.  That is it. I think the festive outfits are done.  :)  My resolution for next year is to be more timely in outfit postings, but since I am the age I am, I know that if I don't keep my resolution it really isn't that big of a deal.  LOL. 

Boden OOTD and Review: Favourite Jersey Maxi and Tee Ball.

I am of the desperate sort that really enjoys dressing up time, but in my life two things work against that desire--I have toddlers and our summers are vicious, humid, over the top hot, and crank-making.

So last Saturday Rex had another tee ball game (in really "warm" conditions) and then we were going to go to Bethesda to get some yummy Cajun food at our favorite Cajun restaurant, Louisiana Kitchen.  I wanted the perfect outfit that would allow me to:

1. Stay cool.
2. Look nice.
3. Be casual enough that all the people at the park wouldn't wonder what the heck I was on.
4. Allow me to bend and move with ease to shuttle various babes wherever they needed to go...
and
5. Allow me to breastfeed (with a cover, natch, I am not that daring!).

Not too long of a list, right?

(Stay with me here with this anecdote)...well, a couple weeks back I had to go to Rex's kindergarten open house night, and again, needed dressy enough but also nursing friendly and I realized last year's Boden maxi dress was the perfect solution (seen on me here, I had got a pic from this year, but the card was corrupt and poof--!!!--all the photos disappeared).  The straps can be pulled down to allow easy access for Angus, but with the overall conservative feel to the dress, more than proper for the Catholic school Rex is attending next year.  (It is also my former grammar school so I have a reputation to uphold...)

I had wanted to give this year's favourite jersey maxi dress a try as I do so love the print, but it was sold out a LONG time ago in my size and colorway preference (4L/pink pansy).  One day the 6L in pink pansy popped back and I figured it was worth a try.  It eventually came (from BRITAIN on the Moldovan boat they send to get stuff to us in America), and I had my first chance to wear it out for reals to Rex's teeball game/yummy Cajun food getting.

Mr. Dina indulged my other fantasy, taking shots of me while I am "in action" versus posed.  If he has the time and the mood (he had both!) he will happily play along.  I know his limits, though, and don't go asking him to do it when he is on his way to work or I am on my way to preschool.  We have (fairly boring) lives, people!  :)

The dress is not all that long as you can tell from the photo.  I am 5'8" and it is at my ankles which means the skirt portion is only 40 inches from my natural waist (I am 42 inches from natural waist to the floor for reference).

If you are exceptionally tall with long legs, this will likely be even shorter on you, even in this longer length.

Many women are reviewing saying they are thrilled they finally have found a maxi short enough for them (it comes in petites and regulars, too).

I don't need a super long maxi, not especially practical for my life, so this suits me just fine, but the regular would have been too short.  (I got the regular last year after reading the long was really long, but this year Boden made them too short overall, they were likely overcompensating for last year's mistake?)

Back view.  It was hot last Saturday and the sleeveless, dipped back helped to keep me cool.  Bear in mind the weight of the dress is heavy (all that jersey weighs a lot), but it flows over the body (skirt area) helping keep air circulating.

Detail of the print.  It is the same as the print in the textured cotton skirt I last wore here.  I am a sucker for these bold, super feminine prints.

The sunglasses are the Gramercy Shades from Anthropologie (yay for a sale, I had been "eyeing" them forever) and the earrings are from J. Crew.

I actually added this crewcuts (Factory girls' french terry zip-up) jacket for sun protection, not because I needed to keep warm.  With my skin, I have to be VERY careful with sun exposure (many relatives of mine have had skin cancer--fortunately no melanomas).  (I also wear a lot of sunscreen, as do my kids.)

The sandals are a really old pair from Banana Republic.

We live on the edge of a forest, but the kids will take any opportunity to play in any forest they find.  This one is at the edge of the teeball field, and they happily and merrily switched between the grassier areas and...

Playing on the logs at the edge of  the forest.  Now I personally know what is in the forest (yummy poisonous spiders like the black widow, awesome poisonous snakes like the copperhead*, and big ole birds of prey like the hawk**) but I can't stop them from going outside, so I just let them know what they could see and have told them that if they see those critters, they need to come and find Momma and let her know they saw those animals.

Upon which time I am sure I will suffer a heart attack.  LOL.

*I have quite a tale about sitting down next to a copperhead--while pregnant with CW--four years ago at the end of summer.  Rex saw the whole thing from his stroller.  Mr. Dina used words I have never heard from that man's mouth.  So, yeah, I have a bit of history with scary things here in this area.  No, I wasn't bitten.  We would have had to rename CW Vipera if I had.

**Speaking of hawks, just yesterday one attacked our playroom window with its TALONS.  I am not even joking.  Then it realized that Angus was not going to be its dinner and moved on to harassing our neighbor's animals/living creatures with its SQUEEE-EEEH call and scary big wing span.  Yeah, we are all Animal Planet up in these parts.

CW didn't try to get on the big log, she was content to stay on the little log.  That's my dainty little girl.  ;)

I watched the game (this was before my "photo shoot") from the last row in the bleachers.  Angus still feels like he had the best seat.

Okay this photo shows both the best and worst parts of my day. 

Best--Umm, that is a cajun martini I am holding, and OMG, it is amazing.  Vermouth, Absolut Peppar, and a pickled okra.  YUM.

Worst--See the bags under my eyes?  Angus wouldn't let me sleep the whole night prior cause he was hungry...and I ended up getting a migraine from it.  Now I am not normally one to bother with martinis and migraines (there's a blog name for you all, lol), but I couldn't resist.  And for about forty minutes, while at Louisiana Kitchen, I felt a bit better.

But then I got home and looked at myself in the mirror.  Those bags you see up in the photo?  That is carry-on baggage.  Two hours later I had the full on "ma'am you'll have to pay extra for those oversized bags" eye bags.

So again, for forty minutes I felt great, and besides the OMG cocktail of awesomeness, I indulged in my most favorite mid-Atlantic treat, the soft shell crab po'boy.  If you have never had soft shell crabs, it is is a Maryland institution (that a few of us from Virginia will admit to loving) and are really only available fresh between May and August.

The construction of soft shell crabs for actual eating purposes is best left described by the experts, but be warned, if you are a bit nervous about "unusual" food, this particular dish may be a bit much for you.

Okay, that's all.  I am heading off to spend time with my Grandpa and won't likely get to the Boden Weekly Review Roundup until tomorrow, so if you have a review for me, and you think I may have missed it, go ahead and leave a comment here or e-mail me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com.

Talk soon!

National Wear Red Day! Two OOTD Special!

Background to this post:  I was diagnosed with having a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale) during investigations by my neurologist into my debilitating migraines.  Turns out that the most debilitating were not migraines but mini-strokes, caused by what she believed was a hole in my heart.  You can read more about this in this post.  I have since had that hole repaired, and have been on the mend for well over a year now.

I never even really thought about heart health other than being occasionally worried about high blood pressure (which does run in my family).  Having an actual "OMG, I have to fix my heart" occurrence in my own health history thrust upon me a real desire to put the word out there that women need to pay attention to their hearts more than they might realize.  For years and years, the focus on heart health was on men because they were the ones dying of massive heart attacks and strokes, and while women definitely were passing because of their hearts, supposedly the heart attacks and strokes were just not "massive" enough for anyone to really worry about it.

Yeah, they knew they were wrong, and have since changed course.  EVERYONE needs to worry about their tickers.  Although the chance of any one person having a problem with their heart is small, there is still things you can do to keep your own heart in good health.  Go to the doctor, get exercise, check your blood pressure, relax, eat well, and even if you don't think there is anything wrong with you, if you feel off, GET IT CHECKED OUT.  It actually took one of you (a blog friend) to convince me that a neurologist appointment was necessary.  And for that I am ever ever grateful.  And so is my heart.  ;)

I almost forgot that today was National Wear Red Day until a blog I read, Pumps and Gloss, published a post on it.  Upon realizing it was Wear Red day, I smacked my head because guess what I wore yesterday?  Yep, the new J. Crew Heart Throb Boy Shirt.  Wouldn't that have been utterly perfect for today?  Oh, well, at least it was in February (whole month is devoted to heart health, so I think I will wear red in some form each day).

I made up for it by wearing something red to dinner tonight, as did CW.  You will see those at the end of the post.

But first, let's start with the Heart Throb Boy Shirt outfit:

Went on the preschool run in this outfit.  Very comfortable, exactly what I needed (I have been feeling under the weather, I may have a cold--red nose, does that count towards "wear red?").  It was nice and warm, so no jacket necessary. 

Top: J. Crew Silk Boy Shirt in Heart Throb, Size 4, worn open.  Silk and spandex is a lovely combo, soft and wrinkle free.  Some may not like the texture, but I am a fan.
Tank: Liz Lange for Target.
Leggings: J. Crew Essential Leggings.
Shoes: Cole Haan.
Necklace: Fenton Fallon for J. Crew.

Really like the shirt opened, could show off my necklace that way.  :)

The sunglasses are from Target.

This shows the print nicely, plus the colors are accurate here.

Please do ignore my clutter on my countertops.  I swear on a stack of bibles that some of it is Mr. Dina's "action figure" collection (seriously!) and the other bits are the detritus from simply existing in a household of small children who eat more food than any other people I have ever met.  I ASSURE you that I am not trolling ebay so much that I am unable to clean.  The counters get cleaned, but honestly, if you all are noticing that and not anything else, well, huh...  Yeah, no words.  (FWIW, Ebay trolling is my Saturday morning activity.  I know, kinda lame, but we each have our thing.)

Heart Throb and Heart Health (Wear Red)! by dinagideon featuring vintage shades

The above polyvore shows off the outfit in its pieces.

And tonight's "wear red:"

Jacket: J. Crew Tuxedo Jacket.
Sweater: Liz Lange for Target.
Necklace: Tiffany's Paloma Picasso Open Heart Necklace.  Mr. Dina gave this to me as a wedding present, ten whole years ago. :)  Seemed appropriate to wear the heart necklace tonight.

Leggings: Madewell Convertible.  I have so much love for stretchy pants now.  I have so much pain in my legs and hips that these pants make dressing so much easier.  
Shoes: J. Crew Classic Ballet Flats.

If this outfit looks familiar, it is.  I wore it a few weeks ago.  I was too tired today to really put a whole bunch of thought into my outfit.  The jacket felt like an epiphany, which is kinda sad.  LOL.

But girlfriend really brought it.  CW is wearing a Muno dress, tiger stripe leggings, pink socks, and a pair of Circo (Target) shoes.

That's it.  Keep those hearts beating.  :)