The City that Never Sleeps...How Could They? Rex Was There...

I am not what you would call the biggest "Big Apple" lover. I think the city and all it has to offer is fantastic, but to get there is a pain, and once there it is REALLY crowded. I live in a house with no back neighbors and whole heck of a lot of forest for a reason...I like nature and privacy (yes, I have a blog, and yes, I get how that is a disconnect).

Having said this, I ended up having a GREAT time when we went to NYC over Father's Day weekend. It was a pain to get there, and yes, it was still insanely crowded (although not in the very lovely Upper East Side), but I think because I wanted to have a good time, I approached all of the possible things that could annoy me with more humor and positive energy. I think it worked.

Worst part of the weekend? Rex was an insane, crazy, slightly demented child while we were there. I am surprised the Guggenheim doesn't have us on their hit list after the multiple fits he had in that amazing building. Sigh. And then there was the whole breaking the wineglass trick he did at the hotel (it isn't a Jewish wedding, Rex). Double sigh.

Best part? Every single stinking person fell in love with CW. I don't know if she really is that pretty, but every other person we passed was so sweet and complimentary of her.

Another part I loved? Even though Rex was a mad-man, the New Yorkers didn't even seem all that bothered by him...God bless you all!

And of course...I LOVED the Collection stores on Madison and on Prince Street. The Madison Avenue one is the smaller, more "boutique" style store (read: tee-tiny), whereas the Prince Street one is HUGE and has its own accessories section (and a fantastic sale section).

I also got to meet the gorgeous Marietta at the Collection store, and although we were only able to chill out together for about an hour, it was a lot of fun. I hope that all you New York JCAs will have lots of meetings...what a perfect place to showcase your love for all things J. Crew. I also think the DC JCAs should take the train up and spend a weekend "crewsing" around with the NYC JCAs...can you even imagine???

Onto the clothing!

NYC City Trip--June 2009! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

My Polyvore is above.


For the drive up, I went REALLY casual. The top is from Disneyland, and I love this color. I also have a soft spot for surf tees...so when I saw this "Mickey" inspired surf tee, I knew I had to have it.

I have no idea why my hair looks this red. It must be this color and it really only shows itself in the natural lighting of the outdoors. I usually take my photos indoors and with dry hair. Hmmm...


So I got to the Guggenheim and after touring the exhibits in my surf tee and grey shorts (what better to run after Rex in?), I knew I wanted to "chic" it up for my trip to meet Marietta at the Collection store. It would have been flat out wrong for a JCA to show up there in non-J. Crew duds (although I did sneak in the Born shoes--forgive me, but J. Crew shoes are NOT made for walking). I REALLY like the way this outfit turned out. I didn't even think the matchstick jeans looked wrong rolled up. And can I express to you my LOVE for this necklace? It is divine and suits so many necklines so well.

BTW, my inspiration for this look was the beautiful Lauren Hutton in the (I believe) February catalog where she rocked this top with a similar cardi, pearls, and some capri chinos.


Ooooooh--we are so busted!!! We took this pic in the Collection store (Madison Avenue) and were promptly told that photos were not allowed to be taken. So ignore the mannequin, the sumptuous clothing and accessories, and focus instead on Marietta and myself. I loved that Marietta wore that cashmere vest cardi with a tank...I am so totally going to copy that look. I have that same cardi in orange, so I bet with a light pink tank, it would look awesome. Thanks for the idea, Marietta!

So what better to wear on a rainy Saturday night in NYC when you really have no plans to impress anyone and you have to wear a Bjorn anyway? This outfit is very pretty and practical. Once I was able to take CW out of the Bjorn I knew that people would like this top. The Caspian Blue color is so special...not navy, yet not a true blue, either. I hope J. Crew makes more in this color. I have a feeling it is one of those "universally flattering" colors.

Here is my girl rocking a black hoodie and sparkly white pants for NYC. Very chic for a baby. Just so you all know, the top survived being worn under the bjorn. The silk flowers are doing just fine!!!

I knew I was going to spend the entire day Sunday walking around so I HAD to be comfy. Yet I couldn't just slap something on. Anthropologie is very good at finding tops that can be practical but still allow you to be somewhat expressive. I was so excited to remember I had this top because...

I got to match CW!!! (Yes, I am a stupid nerd...)

This pic is from the hotel room. I really just liked it and wanted you all to see how much fun my kids were having. I hope the hotel recovered from our visit. ;)

Here we are somewhere near the Strand bookstore. Mr. Dina LOVES the Strand bookstore. I do, too, but not with kids. So guess who got to go to the store? Yep...not me. I guess I will pay more and have stroller access at our local (and very open) Borders.

So, all in all, a great time.

Have a nice day, you all!!!

New Poll and New Comments!!!

Yeah, we are tired of you, too.

Liberty Print Fabric and Shoes equals Color Explosion!!!

So first things first, if you have commented in the past three weeks, I have commented back. The last two posts I was actually able to comment back the way I like to...with personalization. YAY!

Secondly, I am starting a new poll today..."What is your least favorite J. Crew color?" Next week I will do "What is your most favorite J. Crew color?" I think a lot of us turn to J. Crew because we LOVE the colors they use in their pieces. The problem lately has been a definite lack of punch in their clothes. We have definitely been inundated with pale sweaters and lackluster tees and wishy-washy pants and tired shoes for the past few catalogs and new arrivals.

I sort of am okay with the more "muted" tones of the pieces because I for one have PLENTY of citron but I think many of us would like for J. Crew to bring back the spice.

This poll (this week) will definitely have some of the more questionable choices of color that J. Crew has put out (including my beloved citron) but will not include neutrals (doesn't seem right to do that to a color that is a base for so many of our outfits). I will throw a couple of the odder-colored neutrals in there (especially if it is a color they sell in a top--some of these colors look awful with most skin coloring), but I will stay away from the most common neutrals, black, white, navy, etc.

That said, please do comment your least favorite color (including neutrals) if I left the choice out of my poll. Or comment if you really dislike one of my choices...happy to hear it!

Please do keep it polite. I love a color that many people hate and I get that but no personal attacks like "dinagideon, you must blind, stupid, and a bad mother for loving citron so much!" Next week we get to spread our love for our favorites, but no spreading the hate this week. My blog, my rules. :)

Have a lovely day...

Two Outfits for Teaching School...I Wish this Post Was More Exciting...

I won't spend much time introducing these outfits, but I did wear them to teach, and they did the job...they were comfy, practical, and appropriate. Yawn.

One is a Boden dress from this spring (love the print) and the other is the lovely Jennifer Shirtdress from Fall 2007 (and in this shot from the Paris catalog).

Boden Dress for a Foggy Day!!! by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Here is the polyvore for the Boden Dress outfit.


Here is the Boden dress on me. Although I am tall, I ordered this in a 12 regular as opposed to a 12 tall. I only buy talls in Boden when I am buying a skirt or pants. The dresses are too tall in the torso for me to wear them. The shoes are from Nine West last year. Love them, very comfy, but alas with this outfit...looking a bit crunchy-granola. Heehee. :) The necklace is the Target one I first wore with this outfit.


I love this print. My hubby must have, too, because he grabbed this shot of it. I normally don't use his "silly" pics (of which there is one a day), but I liked this one. Kind of cool...

Catalog to Real Life... by dinagideon on Polyvore.com

Here is the polyvore with the Jennifer shirtdress.


Here is the Jennifer shirtdress on me. I look very RESPONSIBLE. Maybe too much...I think this outfit needs a better belt. That is a whole lot of brown. I love the necklace. I bit the bullet and bought the insanely pricey J. Crew one, but I did it with 20% off at least. And unlike some of you, I really LOVE the mix of clear and opaque pearls. The shoes are the awesome dusty rose Juliet pumps. The color is just delicious with the brown. :)


Here is my little superman. I think the only pjs he is missing from the superhero collection may be Spiderman. Hmm...maybe we need to go and get those.

Have an AWESOME Sunday. Ours is going pretty well so far!

Stuff for Polyvore and Many Thanks!!!

First things first...the last three posts I have written have had some amazing and very sweet comments. Thank you very much, everyone. I am afraid that when I comment back it will be another set of one general comment first and then specific answers to any questions asked in the post.

Second...I AM OUTTA SCHOOL!!! Although I am teaching three weeks of summer school (to kindergarten...squee), I KNOW I will have WAY more time on my hands than I did before. Obvioulsy not a ton of time (still have two babies/toddlers), but still I know I will be able to keep up with this blog much better than the past month! So YAY!!!

Third...I get annoyed with Polyvore because it is REALLY HARD to find things. So I don't pull out my hair, I am just uploading a bunch of pics of shirts, pants, and skirts that I own. Some of these uploads are of me wearing them (mainly tops), some from ebay (of things I have bought), and some from J. Crew that for one reason or another I couldn't directly upload to Polyvore myself. Sigh.

So either enjoy my tops, pants, and skirts, or move onto another post because really these pics are all kind of boring. :) SMILE!

Oh, if you want to grab these items from Polyvore, I should have them in my items later today!


From Macy's, Spring 2009, Charter Club.


From Disneyland, Spring 2009.


From Anthropologie, Spring 2006, forget the designer.


From J. Crew Outlet, purchased off ebay.



From Target, Spring 2009, Merona Collection. I have this in polyvore already, but need a better resolution copy.


From J. Crew outlet, Spring 2009, purchased off ebay.

From J. Crew outlet, who knows when, purchased off ebay (noticing a trend?).

From J. Crew outlet, who knows when, purchased from...shocker...ebay.

From J. Crew, Summer 2009, couldn't upload this pic to polyvore...annoying.

From J. Crew, Summer 2009, another impossible to upload to polyvore.

From J. Crew, Summer 2008, bought from ebay.

From Ann Taylor Loft, Spring 2006.

From Ann Taylor Loft, Spring 2006.

Ikat Short (In-Store Only) and Me from Who Knows How Long Ago!

So I still have 78 followers by some miracle. I have been absent from blogging for a long time! I apologize...sincerely.

My worst offense? Not commenting at all for the last three posts. I DO intend to comment back (I LOVE commenting back, that is why I am so irked by not being able to)...but my dear friends, please give me a few more days...

My second worst offense? No posting, either...and I have so many neat pieces to show off...like the Ikat print shorts that I alluded to in my last post (and you get to see today in this post). I also have worn the Jennifer shirtdress from Fall 2007 recently, and on my trip to NYC this weekend, I wore the rolling-ruffles tank with some fierce matchstick jeans and a grey cardi, plus I wore the same top as Heidi wore in this post and I am eagerly anticipating the time I will get to show how it looks on someone else. I also met the very pretty and sweet Marietta when I was up there...and I have an "illegal (not supposed to take pics in the Collection Store)" pic of her and I that I want to show you all. Sigh.

But here is my third worst offense...I am still NOT done with cleaning my classroom or grading. I am near the point where I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but man, it is AGONIZINGLY slow-going. Probably the worst I have ever gone through. I know it is because my life is full (superfluous you might say) of other wonderful things that have distracted me...but that doesn't make these last few days of my school any easier.

Oh, and get this...I was attempting to get some stuff down from the high shelves in my room...and just like in the movies, I FELL OFF THE CHAIR. ONTO MY ANKLE AND KNEE. I feared that I had twisted or sprained my ankle, and I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Thank goodness I didn't hurt my ankle, but for a few moments I was just like in that old commercial, "I've fallen and I can't get up..." Wow. When that happened I took it as a sign from God that I needed to take a break...and what a better break than to say "howdy" to all you all!



Ikat Print Shorts (In-Store Only)!!! by dinagideon featuring J Crew

Here is the polyvore. If any of you all have the shorts and use polyvore, you can grab the shorts from my items as you please!


I was walking to school this day, so bear that in mind...not the most awesome outfit I have ever worn, but certainly no "lamest outfit of the day ever," either.

I bet some of you HATE this print. And I get you, I do. I really only like it in certain pieces and on certain people. The orange Ikat is okay, the yellow is very very hard to wear, and the navy blue Ikat (as they have on the Collection dress) is GORGEOUS. I wish they made more in the navy blue and the orange, but nope, J. Crew loves its yellow IKAT!


Here is my sweet boy. You all see CW so often that I felt I needed to show Rex off a bit more. He hams it up so much his eyes disappear because his smile is so big. :) That makes me happy. I also want to point out that HE is HUGE. He is 28 months old and weighs 38 pounds and is 38 inches tall. I think we should get him into either baby ice hockey or baby Scottish gaming! What do you all think...should my son brandish a hockey puck or a caber?

Have a great couple of days. I probably won't be back until Friday at the earliest!

A Mish-Mash of Everything...Even I am Lost...

You know what? When it rains SO HARD that you can't even see four feet outside your window, it is CRAZY RAIN. CRAZY!!! That is what we have been having here in the inner-burbs of the DC area for the past twenty minutes (it is around 2:15 pm as I write this). Jeez-louise.

Onto my (LAST) weekend wear...part deux. My first weekend outfit was the insanely popular "owl-eye" miniskirt. I already posted it... Then I went ahead and posted my outfit from Thursday of last week because I like to confuse you all, obviously. I hope you all aren't getting whiplash from all my starts and stops.

I CANNOT wait until every last bit of my classroom is packed up, my grades are done, and I am outta here...anyone want to help? ;)


Please try really hard to only laugh a little bit at this outfit. I chose to put it up because well if I spend 50% of my summer at the pool it seems a bit disingenuous not to show what I wear to cover-up my swimsuits (NO, I will NOT show my swimsuits...sorry or Thank Goodness!).

This cover-up is from J. Crew, Summer 2008. So cute, right? Look at all the seahorses, crabs, and shells...precious! Obviously Rex doesn't really care for it...or maybe he was just ticked off because we weren't allowing him to do something dangerous (he always has a fit if we take away stuff that he shouldn't be playing with...you know, letter openers, permanent markers, ant spray, etc.). (We really have child-proofed our house but--and this isn't something they tell you--a lot of kids figure out the locks and things, thereby making the locks, etc., totally useless...sigh!)


Onto what I wore after the pool on Sunday...the blue, jersey, tie-front dress from J. Crew, Spring/Summer 2008. From what I read, a whole lot of you have this dress. Isn't it AWESOME? I love this color, especially...what a unique, vibrant, almost Tiffany-box color. The necklace is the yellow-glass bead ladybug piece from J. Crew this last fall, 2008. The wedges are from the Gap Outlet last spring 2008.

We were heading to church which is why I look all dressed-up.


This pic is for you all to see how sweet CW is (like you all didn't know this).

I have a picture of me and Rex that is very similar and which I had framed as soon as I printed it. When I saw this picture, I decided this would be the one I would print of me and CW to place next to the one of me and Rex. The one I have of Rex I look at daily (and hopefully will get up on this blog for you all to see), so I knew I wanted one of my precious little girl.



This is a picture of what my next post will include--the in-store only Ikat print Bermuda length shorts. This pattern is popular, but this seems to be the only piece that was done in this melon/yellow combo. Anyhow...I need to publish this pic so I can put it in polyvore!

You all have a great day. If you live near me...can someone pick me up in their boat? I am not sure our streets will be vehicle passable... ;)

The Double Serge Cotton Pencil Skirt...for Review and for Real Life!!!

Some of you...like the super-sweet Amy...have been waiting a while for this post!!! I am so sorry, my friends, for taking so long. As you know my weekend was chock full of family fun...the zoo on Saturday, and then the pool and church on Sunday. Yesterday I just had enough time to post the mini-skirt info (and by the sound of it...miniskirts ARE my friends...thank you all for the feedback). Today, and for this I do believe God will grant us teachers some grace, we went to a field trip on the National Mall (Air and Space museum, American History museum, etc.). Somehow...no one died...no one broke anything...the guards managed to not freak out when they saw us coming...

BTW, if you are in this area, there is a film being shot at the Mall. I so wanted to be plucked out of the crowd to be an extra. Sigh, maybe next time they will notice my inherent camera-readiness (snort...).

Onto the review...this outfit was actually worn on THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009. This was the same day my lovely coworker wore the orange shorts/white tee/grubby shoes combo that I talked about in this post.


Here is the outfit full-length. It consists of an Anthropologie top that I bought in 2006 (and have not been able to wear in close to 3 years...yay), the double serge cotton pencil skirt from J. Crew this spring 2009 (for sale here), and some Linea Paolo kitten-heel mules that I bought probably in 2004 from Nordstrom's.

The skirt is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. I had heard really good things about its predecessor (the double serge WOOL pencil skirt) over at J. Crew Aficionada but knew deep down there was something better for me. I love wool but honestly, because I run HOT, I can only wear the lightest of wool clothing (for instance, the Merino Michelle Cardigan is a perfect weight for me). Plus, I have a deep distaste for having to store wool. I have bags and plastic containers and a hanging implement in my closet for the storage of wool pieces, but it honestly drives me batty that such storage is required because of moths. Ugh. So the less wool and cashmere I have to store, the better.

I saw this for the first time in the May 2009 catalog and ADORED every single color it came in...especially the bronzed twig and slate colors. I decided to hold off on the slate until I tried the bronzed twig and I am glad I waited (more on that in a minute). I figured that if I could only own one of these skirts, I would want the bronzed twig because of it being a brighter neutral that would work so well with many of my summer tops. I went ahead and ordered in a size 10.

I tried it on and was happy to see it fit well. It was a tad big in the waist but the rest of it felt great. Then I wore it to school all day. This puppy stretches!!! By the end of the day, the skirt was very, very comfortable. :) It still looked good, but was very loose. So with that on my mind...I knew the slate skirt would need to be ordered in an 8. So an 8 I shall get.

So...here are the basic FYIs on this skirt:

Length (regular): Perfect on my frame, but bear in mind most of my height is in my legs. So if you are tall but have shorter legs you may need to hem this to get it to hit at the right length. Shorter ladies, I highly recommend the petites.

Colors: The bronzed twig is a bronze color but with a hint of a green...very special. I have yet to see anyone else do this neutral. It isn't khaki, it isn't brown, it isn't olive...just somewhere in between.

Sizing: SIZE DOWN. I may even find the 8, when I receive it, stretches out a lot. I won't get a 6 because I LOVE the comfort factor (plus it still looks good when I wear it a little loose). Or maybe I really am an 8 and keep buying 10s because of something psychological? Hmmm...

Price: At $98 (if you buy it outside of the secret sales), the price may seem high, but even at a regular price, if you wear it enough (which I anticipate a lot of us would...highly versatile piece and all), the price per wear would be very low.


Anthropologie Top close up...for polyvore, of course. :)


Linea Paloa kitten-heel mule...for polyvore, of course. ;)

Any further questions? I won't be able to post anymore today (million, trillion things left to do), but should be able to get to them tomorrow.

You all have a great afternoon. If you are in the Northern Virginia area, watch out for the storms...they appear to be a coming!