Party Time

New Year's Eve.  It is actually my least favorite days of the holiday season.  It comes with expectations of grand plans and parties.  I have lived up to those expectations in the past, but whenever I do, I end up having an awful time.  My best Eve's have been spent with best friends in small gatherings, with family playing cards, home cuddling with my love.

This year I am turning down a party invite, and taking the kids to Saranac Lake for First Night.  Then home for a cocktail, knitting, and movie on the couch.  No need to dress up.  I just wish Bill was home...

In the meantime, it doesn't feel like New Year's Eve.  The thermometer outside my window reads 70. Of course, it is in the sun and protected.  But the general air temp seems closer to 60.  And it is muddy.  Perfect day to wear my favorite Christmas present!

Cardi, J.C. Penney, a few years ago; turtleneck, J Crew; cords, Lands' End Canvas; boots, my new Bogs, thanks, Bill!

Final Exam

Thanks for following me for the last seven months!  It was a lot of fun looking back and picking my favorites for the year. When I first started my only goal was to starting making an effort to care about my clothes, and to begin putting more than 30 seconds thought into outfits.  I've definitely accomplished that, though I can't say every ensemble is great!  And I also learned to belt and think about different color combinations.  I want to work more on pattern mixing in the coming year...and on pants.  Not a single panted look among my faves!  I would also like to start mixing in more vintage and thrifted items...

So...let's look at the highlights!

June

I think this is my favorite because it's so easy, sexy and it reminds me of the great date Bill and I had that night.  And also of how creme brulee let me down.  But nevermind that.

July

Shorts!!  I love these shorts. And the wedges.  Can it be summer again, please?

August

This jacket appeared is part of many of my close second favorite outfits.  I think I like this outfit because it really was a big departure for me in terms of color and pattern.  This is why more thrifting is in my future...I mean I spent close to nothing on that skirt, so I felt free to take a risk.

September

And the belting.  This belt, which is reversible and grey and pink (and its sister which is black and grey),  are in constant use.  How did I never before see the joys of belting?  Especially on a body that's had two kids, where it can restore (or fake) a waist.

October

The perfect outfit makes me feel confident, pretty, and comfortable and requires no more thought after putting it on.  This is that outfit.

November

Colors!  I am having a ball mixing up colors that I wouldn't have paired in the past.  My new motto?  When in doubt?  Try it!

December

It's all here - the things I learned to love this year....the right silhouette, a belt, heels, color, pattern and texture.  Hell, my nails are even done!

See you in 2011!!

I Got the Blues

Sorry for the absence!  It was been a hard week around here...lots of effort required to unsuccessfully deal with lots of obstacles, mixed with general post-Christmas ennui and made extra sad by the fact that Bill left for Alaska for 26 days of work this morning.  

The swirl of activity around me in this picture pretty much sums up how the kids have been: amped on Christmas spirit and Christmas cookies. 

Dress, Hanna Andersson; sweater, Loft, gift from my Dad's wife, S.

What's a Century Among Friends?

A month or two ago, I passed a thrift store that I have never been able to visit without kids in tow.  Thrifting with kids?  Not easy.

Thrifting alone?  If I could do it more, I would probably get lucky!  

I hate trying on, but this dress was inexpensive enough to take a chance on, especially since I figured I could do some alterations.  Plus, elastic waist! 

Perfect fit!  And even Bill approved.  (At least when I tried it on first at home...this morning he made some crack about 80's vintage:  1880's.

Vintage Mark Fore Strike dress, Adirondack Attic, Keene, NY, $6; cardi, New York and Company; necklace, Pink; shoes, Adrienne Vittadini.

After

Note to self:  pictures BEFORE the party.  So the outfit is unrumpled, and the floor is free from toys.

Blouse, New York and Company; skirt, from TibetAsian, Plattsburgh, $16; boots, Madden Girl.

Cocktails and Conversation

Dinner party at the boss's house. My intention was to leave myself plenty of time to get ready...And you know how intentions go...

Luckily I already had an outfit planned before the 20 minutes I had to get ready!

And as planned, I layered more colorful tights.  Love it!!

Cardi, Lands' End Canvas; Dress, Dress Barn; Tights, cynthia Rowley; shoes, Adrienne Vittadini.

Layers and Bangs

I think my blog is rapidly swinging in a new direction...I am becoming a how to stay warm in the when it is in the single digits blogger.  It's the new thing.  You'll see.  Pretty soon you will be so sick of us all talking about our layers and our down and our polypropolene long underwear and our wool socks.  You're gonna be all..."GOD!  Do these people think people haven't been getting cold for thousands of years without navel gazing about it!"  You are just jealous.

So yeah.  Silk blouse and a tee shirt.  Giant thinsulate lined boots until my feet warmed up...which wasn't til after lunch.

In other news, the bangs are back!!

I am having a color conundrum though...I am feeling the urge to go darker.  Like the color of my roots.  But isn't that just mousy brown?  And who dyes their hair THAT color?

Tee, Lands' End Canvas; Blouse, Loft; skirt, Victoria's Secret; tights, Target; shoes, Madden Girl.

Flattery Will Get You Frostbite

When it is 6 degrees out, you get one picture where you face appears relatively normal.

And one wear you begin to look a little...hypothermic.

Yes, my bangs were frozen.

With all my belting, it felt odd to not belt this outfit.  I tried, but looked like Frosty.

Sweater, hand knit by my mommy 6 winters ago; dress, Soprano via TJ Maxx; boots, Madden Girl.

Why I Love my Husband, Reason #4565

This week my man and my little girl are off to the lower reaches of our great state, introducing her to the wilds of NYC (as opposed to the wilderness of the ADKs.)  And it finally snowed.  A whopping inch or maybe two.  

And that means dressing for the weather.  And the weather means cleaning off my car.  

Which I never ever do unless Bill is not home.  Because he does it for me.  He starts it.  He gets every speck of snow off.  He frets about my driving in it.  It is delightful, and just one of a million small things I love about him.

So pair this outfit with a GIANT down coat and boots, and that's what you would have seen at 7am, in front of my house.

Only problem?  Where the boots are now.  Under my desk.  At work.

Jacket, Victoria's Secret; tee, J Crew; pants, Gap.

Foresight is Better than Hindsight

Sometimes I have a little bit of foresight, and this morning, after a sleepless night with an ear infection and its boy, I was glad I planned and ironed a few outfits for this week.

This dress is gets more flattering with each button undone, so I can't believe it took me so long to decide to layer it!

Dress, Target; leggings, Target; turtleneck, Gap; Socks, Gap; boots, Madden Girl.

Haters Gotta Hate

Now hold it right there.

I know what you are going to say.  But before you speak, ask yourself this:  is your house built over an uninsulated crawl space?  Does your heat come from a wood stove in the kitchen or pour out of vents in the ceiling?  Do you keep the thermostat at 60? Can you consider bottles of beverages left on the kitchen floor refrigerated?

Okay, then.  Plus, they aren't Uggs.  They are made by Acorn and are six years old.

I was getting a little tired of having to thaw my ice cube feet in bed each night, so for a day spent cuddling with a sick little boy, picking up a few things at the grocery store, and baking cookies, I gave in an hauled these out from under the bed.

And I have been warm all day.

Boots, Acorn; cords, Lands' End Canvas; shirt, Gap; denim shirt, American Outpost; scarf, Lord and Taylor; sweater jacket, Context.

At the No Tell Motel

My hotel room in Watertown was huge and clean, but well lit it was not.  Better to hide the wrinkles from my drive, my dear!

I got many positive comments on my outfit at the office, but I felt compelled to tell everyone it was not what I planned on wearing to our event.  It may not have been professional, but it was cute and comfortable and that jacket is the warmest.  I lurve it and am thinking of creative ways to style it for a real day at the office.

Jacket, TJ Maxx; tee, Lands' End Canvas; belt and skirt, Gap Outlet.

Lake Effect Legs

This week I was off to Watertown for a cocktail party for our donors.  We totally lucked out, because we scheduled it for the day between a HUGE lake effect snow event and a deep, deep freeze. Which means it was sloppy underfoot and chilly, but not active snowing and above zero.  Fahrenheit.

So even though the event was two blocks from the hotel, I had some planning to do.  Because I was wearing shoes not conducive to slop, and I had a bunch of stuff to carry.  And I get cold.

It was time to take drastic measures.  Yes.  TWO pairs of tights.

I think the pattern over light grey was very subtle and kept it professional and subdued.  Next time, I look forward to a more interesting color combo!

Traversa Cardigan, J Crew; dress, via TJ Maxx; shoes, Adrienne Vittadini, via TJ Maxx; tights, Cynthia Rowley, guess where?  TJ Maxx! and Target; opal necklace, gift from my beloved.

Might as Well Jump(er)

This is me.

This is me trying not to slip and fall.

Can we talk about something?  Aging.  What's the big deal?  It happens to all of us.  I mention this because I was flipping through Lucky and saw a college classmate in an piece on dressing for your body.  She's had some success as a model and as a singer. She's not a household name, but I've seen her blown up to three times larger than life in a mall store window.  But her age, according to the article, is four years younger than what I suspect it actually is.  Even if she skipped a grade, and was born at the tale end of the incoming kindergarten class the age is still two years younger than what I would bet money on.

So, when entertainers lie about their ages, how does that come about?  Is it an agent's insistence?  Is it the  artist's choice?  And how many MALE celebrities do we suspect about lying about their age?

And why do some of the rest of us living less high profile lives, in careers where youth and beauty are less important, lie about our ages?

And why shave of a few years?  I would go for at least five.

It's bothering me, blog world.

Love,
The 35 Year Old Woman Who Is Dressed Like A School Girl.

Dress, Lands' End Canvas; turtleneck, J Crew; tights, Target: shoes, SE Boutique via DSW.

Gloom

What a gloomy day.  Even my office was too dark for a a picture after 11am.

In brighter news, I lost almost three pounds this week!  All from my ass apparently.

Cardi, J Crew; pants, Context; tee, from Suzy from France; watch, from my beloved for my birthday.

blergh.

I am engaged in some serious mouth breathing today, so please excuse lack of inspiration.

I wish we could wear pj's to work on Fridays sometimes.

Vintage Vintage

This jacket was my mom's in the 70s.  I have a picture of her wearing it when I was a wee one, which means it was more than 30 years ago.

And then it was mine.  I wore this a lot when I was in high school and college.  And it has since languished in the closet, growing dusty and musty, until I freed it and sent it to Phil, the dry cleaner.

My mom used to be able to button it.  I used to be able to button it.  Things have...expanded.

In other news my deck was an ice rink this am.

Jacket, vintage Chelsea; cords, Lands' End Canvas; cami, J Crew.

What a Yarn

My lovely friend Laura and I took a road trip today to the yarn store outside of Canton. What better to wear than a sweater! Bill may never get this one back.

Vintage Cowichan sweater; leggings, Target; boots, Madden Girl; turtleneck, J Crew; necklace, Taste.

Two Steps Forward, One Back

At work we have been doing a weight loss program based on something famous called Bait Splotchers.

I pretty much thought last week would put me in the wrong direction, but I only gained back one of the 2 pounds I lost the week before!  One thing this plan won't do for me?  Make these tights any longer.  They spent the day doing that awkward downward creep.

Cardi, J Crew; Skirt, Victoria's Secret; Boots, Madden Girl.

Feeding the Souls

This is what Thanksgiving is all about for me....making food to feed family and friends and enjoying the bonds of between us.

Other ways to enjoy family? Steal their clothes.

Cowichan sweater, vintage, I guess, since Bill bartered lobsters for it at Royal Male in Newport, RI in the 90s.; cords, Lands' End Canvas; Clogs, Dansko.

Americana

On Sunday I visited a museum I had never been to before...the Norman Rockwell Museum.  I never really went wild for Rockwell.  His work always seemed kind of hokey and kitschy to me. But I am proud to admit that I am now a Rockwell fan.  I found being in a room with his work to be really moving - I was filled with such a mix of nostalgia, optimism, patriotism, and love of humanity looking into all of those faces.  Good thing I had a tissue stashed in my bag!

The grounds were also beautiful...and a great place for outfit pictures, since no one was around.

This building is Rockwell's studio.

It's my new goal to take photos in better locations.  Great goal for life in the dark north in November!

Cords, Lands' End Canvas; cashmere sweater, Eddie Bauer; jacket, TJ Maxx; books, Madden Girl; scarves, Lord and Taylor and Eddie Bauer.

Presto Change-o

I had such a good plan this morning for an outfit.  An outfit that totally did not work.  So I grabbed the nearest thing that would work with my tights and shoes.  Because I was running really late.

But hey, it worked!

Would this skirt be less wrinkly if I wore a slip?

Dress, London Times; cardi, Lands' End Canvas; tights, Target; shoes, the favorites!; pearls, Grandma's.

Outlaw

Do I look like a rule breaker to you?  Didn't think so.  I am afeared of pattern mixing, for cripes sake!  When I do get caught breaking a rule, I feel like a total jerk.  Funny, I don't feel bad at all when I don't get caught!

But yes, I confess. I did take a picture inside an exhibit even though I was told not to.  But in my defense, I was not actually in the exhibit room, but on a balcony overlooking it! And I didn't use a flash! It was an honest mistake, I swear!  Still, I think the cuteness of this outfit helped me out, as the burly security guard did not chase me down and make me delete the picture.  Probably he though I could out run him in my superhero tights and boots.

Sorry, MassMoCA!  As evidence of my remorse, I won't even post the picture I took of the AMAZING Petah Coyne exhibit.

Oh, and I also admit to stealing the knee socks and boots thing from What Would a Nerd Wear.  She's linked over there

But one crime I am not guilty of?  Attempting to buy alcohol as an minor.  But thanks anyway, waitress at Mezze! My gimlet sure was delicious with the house cured sardines over leeks, celeriac and potato salad with a lemon mustard vinagrette!

Boots, Madden Girl; Socks, Gap; leggings, Targets; jacket, TJ Maxx; skirt and scarf, Victoria's Secret.

On Ice

I have  a cold and think this is a blessing.  I felt so bad yesterday that I missed a picture.  Which gave me the chance to wear the same cardigan two days in a row.  And with weather like this and a yet another long ride in the car, all I could think of a sniffly o'clock this morning was cozy  comfort clothes....like cords and a soft sweater.

Cords, Lands' End Canvas; cami and cardi, J Crew; necklace, MassMoCA; shoes, you know!

Commitment

I was so committed to wearing this ensemble after conjuring it in my mind right before sleep that I was willing to put it on WHEN IT WAS STILL DAMP.  Because, of course, at 7am it was in the washing machine soaking wet.  And I needed it on by 7:25.  

And while it was drying, I had a few extra minutes to wash and to "do" my hair.  Which basically mean I added jojoba oil and my curling creme when it was wet and then blew the bangs dry.  This minimally washing thing is so great, and my grease level is not wash worthy until at least day four.  Even with added oil.  I really recommend ditching the 'poo, curly ladies!

I also had some time to dig in the jewels...

Jewels, thrifted; skirt, Victoria's Secret; turtleneck, J Crew; blouse, Loft; tights, Target; shoes, DSW.

The Extrovert Alone

Okay, let's face it.  I just want to wear these shoes every damn day.  You won't believe me when I tell you they are extremely comfy.  And also warm.  They are the highest heels I own, and definitely the skinniest, but they have a nice rubber sole in front so I feel very secure and not teetery.

I keep saying my days of outdoor shots are numbered, but I keep getting more.  I can imagine that I will soon be retreating inside, or every outfit will feature lots and lots of down!

I hope the weekend is nice...I am headed early Saturday am for the Berkshires for some quiet time, some art, and some fine dining.  All by myself.  I really need alone time, and as any parent knows, it is all too rare.  I masquerade as an outgoing, company loving gal, but I am a classic introvert who needs solitude to recharge my batteries.   I sometimes think I am in a funny occupation for that, but I know a lot of fund raisers who are similar in that way.  I am lucky that my job lets me meet and talk with and learn about people but also gives me periods of reflection, writing, and planning - alone in my office.

I wonder what the fact that I like to take pictures of myself and post them on the interwebs for all to see says about me??

Dress, Lands' End Canvas; jacket, Gap; scarf, thrifted, 50 cents; shoes, Adrienne Vittadini via TJ Maxx.

Matchmaker

 I wore my newly knitted cowl yesterday and it is so soft that I was compelled to get it into today's outfit.  It's been warmer than usual so I thought I might get a last wear out of the wedges.  I had those two pieces...just had to decide what to put in the middle!

Nice upnose shot!  Better than an upskirt, I guess!

Cowl, hand knit by me, out of Catalina Alpaca Chunky; necklace, Taste; sweater, Victoria's Secret; dress, Soprano via TJ Maxx; tights, Hue; wedges, Nine West.

Bluebird Sky

Today was one of those days that make life in the North Country heaven.  Even if we do get six months of winter.  Sunny, bright blue sky, and WARM (for November, anyway!)

It was also the kind of day when I don't mind driving for hundreds of miles to visit a couple of donors! Of course it helped that they are wonderful people and we ate lunch in view of the Seaway.  

I also got to hit my favorite bookstore and the Potsdam co-op.

 And all in my new favorite shoes!

Dress, Hanna Anderson; Jacket, Stella Stars via TJ Maxx, $25; tights, Target; and Shoes, Adrienne Vittadini via TJ Maxx, $50.