J. Crew: Excursion Quilted Jacket Review and a Very Casual OOTD.

Oh, you all. For those of you who have been "with child" in the past (or currently), do you remember those days where it literally took every spare bit of energy just to get out of bed? This morning was one of those mornings. Goodness.

It is my fault really, I had a "dinagideon really truly is a fifteen year old girl" moment/meltdown/crying jag last night (will get into that in another post, let's just say it was nuts!) and didn't sleep well at all, but I am sure that Gus sitting right on top of my diaphragm doesn't help, either.

Anyhow, I had the mental energy of a gnat this morning, so I literally pulled together the most casual outfit I have worn outside in years. I definitely have had my share of pjs until noon and sweatpants at night in this pregnancy, but this is the closest I have come to seriously considering wearing my pjs and slippers out in public (*I know*).

But, um yum, I kind of dig the individual bits, especially the jacket which I got on sale a few weeks ago during one of J. Crew's ubiquitous promos of late.  It is not currently available on the site, but it could pop back, so I have included a link to it.

Jacket: Excursion Quilted Jacket.  Size small.  I confess, I actually bought this because Rex owns one from crewcuts and he always looks so cute and very "Virginia" when he wears his.  (Very "Virginia" is just my term for anything remotely "horsey.")

I chose to get a small after seeing multiple reviews of this on other bloggers (if you reviewed it, would you drop the link in the comments, many thanks!).  Lately I have been sized out of the small, which was my tts jacket/top size back before J. Crew went vanity sizing crazy.  Amazingly though, this jacket is sized exactly right, just perfect through the shoulders and length (including the arms, although I rolled them up to show off the wide hand enameled bangle in strawberry) but is not buttoning up over my six month baby belly (and I would never expect it to, either).  I say this because I have many MANY J. Crew items that are an extra small that are fine over my baby bump.  That is mind-boggling to me.  (Carriage coat dress, I am so looking at you...btw, that review will be upcoming on a future True Crew Love blog post.)

So if you are interested in this jacket, get your former tts top size (say J. Crew circa 2006).  If you don't know it, go up one size from your current J. Crew top size.

From the side.  Love the butt-covering length.  Also, the pockets in the front are almost false fronts for hand pockets (though not truly false as they are functional).  It is fab as you can keep your hands toasty easily AND you can carry things.

Rex has gotten back into posing for the camera.  He is wearing the Dinosaur T-shirt, which is currently on sale (almost everything at Boden is on winter sale right now, woo) for $16.  I think he likes the side photos the best because he thinks it is great that I am showing off my Gus belly to the world.

So the jacket can be belted in front, but really, I'm not going to even bother with that until next year.  So I have taken to belting it in the back with a knot, which is what I also do with my trench coat when I want to wear it open and yet maintain a vaguely feminine shape.  I love the jacket from the back, especially when belted like this.

This is a warm jacket considering its lightweight feel.  I believe it could be a fab layering piece with other jackets, but here in VA I most likely won't do that...it never gets cold enough to ever do that, really.  And if it does, I usually just say "screw it, we're staying inside."  I know, I am a big wimp.

The jacket classed up the joint a bit. Sans makeup (except the teeniest bit of mascara) and no jacket, I look, well, kind of sleepy. LOL.

The top is a Liz Lange for Target top (has a hoodie!) in xs, the pants are a pair of grey cords from J. Crew in a size 12 Regular, and the shoes are the amazing, awesome Upbeat Kitten Heels from Boden (also on sale, but this colorway is LONG gone).  The kitten heels were my only real nod to being even vaguely interested in style this morning.  Well, okay, CW's outfit is fun, too, but I had a much easier time dressing her rather than me.  ;)

I blame you, belly, for my current state of pregnancy induced hysteria and sleeplessness.  Look at how freaking high he is riding, too.  He is close to puncturing a lung.  Ha.

Okay, that's all for today.  Gonna eat some lunch now.

P.S.  I will be having a Boden Weekly Review Roundup tomorrow, but if you are a fan of Boden, the sale started on Sunday.  There are still quite a few goodies left, but the craziness of a Boden sale means that things are selling fast.  I have included a link for those of you on a mobile device (there is also one in the sidebar).

What I wore yesterday 2/12/09!

I purchased this Bahia merino sweater last January because I fell in love with the print. This print and the Campo de Fiore print (I have the sweater dress) were so special I didn't mind paying full price for them. (Although I think I got this sweater for 59.99 and not 88.00.) I also own the cross back tank and bikini in this print. I love that this sweater is short sleeves. I feel like it is perfect winter wear for me because I tend to run "hot." The pants are some pair of dockers that are really big on me now, but not so big that I have to retire them. The shoes are the Etta flats in grey and bronze from the Fall of 2007.

I couldn't polyvore this outfit because these items aren't present and I could use their clipper tool, but honestly, I teach, I nurse a baby, I raise a two-year old who has temper tantrums, and I attempt to keep my hubby happy. I will use the clipper when I get a little more time on my hands! :)


Here is a close-up of this print. I know many don't like it because it is garish, but I find the mid-century feel of the print spectacular. I love all things '50s and '60s so no wonder I gravitated to this...

Please excuse how tired I look. I obviously need more sleep! :)

The tales of a sick little boy...

Last night was rough. Here's the background...today we have parent-teacher conferences, so if there is any night I needed to get sleep it was last night. And of course last night was the night that I didn't get any sleep. It is all Rex's fault...poor little guy.

He loves to sleep in our bed and will often cry out for us around 1 am and because we are suckers for him, we totally let him join us. Well, last night, he was crying for real...because he was very sick. And we didn't know it until it happened. Any of you parents out there know what I am talking about...yep...little Rex has a stomach virus.

Not two minutes after getting into our bed, he throws up VIOLENTLY. All over our bed, sheets, bedspread, pillowcases, his PJs, even my PJs. And the smell...my goodness, it smelled like a frat house after a all-night beer-pong party. Eww...

So we get out of bed, take off the sheets, put on new sheets, get Rex fixed, etc. Finally we can get back to bed. Now I can't sleep for being all stressed about Rex. I am also stressed because I won't be able to sleep. Blegh.

You know where this is going, right? By the time I finally fall back asleep (around 4 am)...Rex wakes up again...and again pukes everywhere...but thankfully not as bad as the first time. Out comes the towels, out comes a new shirt for rex, and out comes another set of PJs for me. Sigh.

I think when all is said and done I got maybe 4 hours of sleep...down a lot from my normal 8. Ugh. I am doing okay right now (there is a wee break between parents so I can blog) but still...

Needless to say, I did not take a photo of my outfit this morning. I had great plans for my beautiful peacock maggie jacket, but alas, it deserves a better Dina when it gets worn.

Wish me luck. I hope Rex gets better soon...I hate it when he doesn't feel well. :(