Friend Friday: Holidays

Dress: Kohl's
Tights: Simply Vera
Socks: Target
Belt: Thrifted
Boots: Nine West
Scarf: Target
Earrings Turkey

Friend Friday! I feel like I haven't participated in one of these in a looong time! But, as long as I'm taking advantage of the library's free wi-fi, I figure I can squeeze this into my schedule. So, this time around, we're doing one of those old school questionnaires that I never could resist.



No holiday party is complete without: a little bling.
My favorite Christmas song/album: Bomba en Navidad by Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz. Clearly, I come from a different Christmas tradition. As far as songs that are more recognizable in the US, I like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" by The Barenaked Ladies
My favorite seasonal recipe: Pernil. It's the best thing that can happen to a pig.
The perfect New Year's Eve outfit includes: some hot shoes.
At the parties, I'll be drinking: water, as usual.
Eggnog, good or bad? I've never had it. I do love coquito, though.
Did you ever take pictures on Santa's lap at the mall? Yep.
Gingerbread Latte or Peppermint Mocha: Neither.


Worst gift I ever got: has never arrived.
Best gift I ever received: a wedding. (B & I got married in Puerto Rico on 27 December 2009)
My family has this weird tradition: We love watching Banco Popular videos at this time of year and remembering Puerto Rico.
My best bargain find for a gift this year: I'm making all my gifts this year, so probably the 69 cent beeswax at the natural grocer.
If I could only buy all my gifts from one place, I'd shop at: Potomac Mills.
Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman: Rudolph. I hate snow.
My favorite holiday memory: going back to PR for Christmas and seeing all the decorations. That or waking up on January 6th to see that the Three Kings had been by leaving gifts.
My favorite Christmas movie: A Christmas Story.


The best part about holiday decorations is: the fun lights.
Rip off the wrapping paper or neatly pull off the tape: I neatly pull off the tape and refold the paper.
Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life: I've never watched "It's a Wonderful Life"....
It doesn't feel like the holiday season until: I'm with my family.
All I want for Christmas is: lots of good family time.

BBCA 3 - Scarf it

Tee: Target
Skirt: Gap
Cardigan: Ann Taylor
Belt: came with a blazer
Tights: Target
Boots: Noble Town Vintage
Earrings: Turkey
Scarf: the chopped off hem of a thrifted and refashioned skirt

So, let me tell you the story of this outfit. I was looking for something to wear to church and I was going crazy because the mold! Oh my gosh! Why do things get moldy as soon as they enter this region! Mold, mold, mold. If you've never lived in the cloud rainforest in a house with no heating of any kind, let me tell you: stuff gets moldy pretty much instantly.


Every week or two, I go through the closet and pull out all the stuff that smells moldy or actually has mold growing on it, because, yes, that's possible. Sunday, thanks to the amount of rain we've had lately, I filled our hamper with stuff that smelled suspect. It made me want to cry (I think I wailed to B about "Oh my gosh, the MOLD!") and it also distracted me from the outfit that I actually wanted to wear.


Somehow, in the last few minutes before church, this came together. And guess what? It worked! I loved it. It felt fresh and fun. I know I turned some heads as I was walking home past the soccer field because of the tights. Of course, the floral head scarf was a close second when it came to attention getting.

Not quite awesome

Tee: Target
Dress (worn as skirt): some random store in Turkey
Boots: Steve Madden
Belt: Target
Scarf: Target
Socks: gift from sister-in-law
Earrings: Turkey

I want to like this outfit more than I do. I'm not totally sure what I don't like, I just know it's not my favorite. But my students loved it. They told me - and I quote - "You look AWESOME!" I think it's the boots.


I'm not totally sold, though. What do y'all think?

White shirt week day 4

Tee: Target (gift from A)
Cardigan: Ann Taylor
Tank: Banana Republic
Belt: Etsy (don't remember which vendor and it was ages ago)
Leggings: Target (gift from my sister)
Earrings: Turkey
Boots: Noble Town Vintage via Etsy

It's the last installment of my white shirt challenge, y'all. I still have mixed feelings about this outfit, though I did feel like a dancer while I wore it (especially when I lost the cardigan when I hung around the house). Feeling like a dancer makes me happy because (a) I love dancing and (b) am OB.SESSED. with So You Think You Can Dance.


Of course, I'm a perfectly mediocre dancer so this about as close as I get to feeling like a real dancer - you know, piles of thin layers with some flowy pieces.


Y'all, my husband and I have the house to ourselves for the first time, in, oh, forever. We had seven people living in our house for most of the summer, which was sometimes nice but often overwhelming. Not that we didn't love our interns (we did), just that sometimes I'd like to live with just my husband and our pets.


We're on our own for the next two weeks and I'm. So. Excited.

Head scarves and classrooms

Tee: Target
Cami: ?
Skirt: Gap
Belt: Thrifted
Boots: Nine West
Scarf: vintage - thrifted
Leg warmers: Target (and, yes, it's cold enough for leg warmers up this way)
Earrings: Target

So I pinned this tutorial and I've been OBSESSED since. True story, I have worn a head scarf four out of the past five days. Once, I even wrapped a belt around my head. It totally worked.


These pictures were taken at our school, which is also the community center. That's why it's so fancy. By "fancy", I mean pretty much the opposite. It's a big room and a covered porch that we've converted into three main classrooms, a computer table, and a "presentation" area.


Y'all, I may never complain about classrooms and school buildings in the States again. I mean, I think back to the good old days teaching in VA, when I had a classroom (after my first year as a floater), a cubby in the Foreign Language lounge, and a mail box in the main office. So many luxuries, y'all. So, so many luxuries....


P.S. I helped make that whiteboard behind me. Cuz I'm fancy like that.

Dress Your Best Week - Day 1: Waist not

Skirt: I made it
Tee: Target
Cami: ?
Cardigan: J Crew
Belt: Target
Socks: gift from my sister-in-law
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: Turkey

I'm participating in Dress Your Best week again this year, though I'm not sure how consistently the posts will be going up this week with our spotty internet. We'll see how it goes. Anyway, I'm hoping that most of what I'll be showing off this week will be different from last year's choices. For one, my body has changed in the past year; for two, I've been embracing my body in new ways lately. So for this first installment, let's talk about my waist.


True story: I discovered my waist through blogging and a fitting for my wedding dress. See, my mom and my sister are super curvy. They're pear shaped and I always envied their tiny little upper bodies and wide hips. I was convinced that I was a rectangle. And then the tailor at my fitting gave me three different numbers for my measurements and I was like, "Oh, I've got a waist!"


And then I forgot about that and started thinking I was a rectangle again until my readers and commenters told me I was crazy and I was actually pretty hourglassy. So I started looking at my pictures and looking at my body, and yes. There it was: the waist.


Maybe that's kind of ridiculous, but I know I'm alone in the slightly warped (or a seriously distorted) sense of body. And it's taken a lot for me to start to see myself in a more realistic way, and I wouldn't say I'm totally there yet, but I do feel like I'm making progress. So, yeah, this recently discovered waist is one of the things I'm celebrating this week.


Has anyone else discovered something positive about their body through blogging?

And just to keep this light, a picture of my adorable kittens:

Elefante on the left, Pirata on the right. Aren't they cute?

Thrifting and Muppet legs

Dress: Isaac Mizrahi for Target - thrifted
Tights: Target
Boots: Noble Town Vintage via Etsy
Belt: came with a blazer
Earrings: Target

While y'all are enjoying summer in the States, I'm pulling out my tights and boots. Rainy season is cold season up here in the Costa Rican mountains and I miss summer while I'm living in the land of eternal fall.


I scored this dress at a thrift store down in the city (where it's the land of eternal spring) for about $4. There are these "tiendas americanas" or American stores which sell used clothes and seconds from the States. There are none up where we live; honestly, there's nothing but a corner store up where we live, so when I spotted one while we were buying paint down in the city, I convinced B to go in with me. He doesn't like shopping unless it's thrifting, so it was a good day for both of us.


I love the hot pink lining on this dress because it was just the right amount of pop as far as color is concerned. I decided to play it up by layering my hot pink tights under the dress. My students were in awe. Is that all one piece? Is it like a jumper? How does that dress even work?! It was pretty funny to blow their minds with so much hot pink peeking out.


I have to say that this was the most comfortable I've felt with hot pink legs. Bright tights are one of those things that just freak me out. I like them on other people but I have no idea how to wear them myself. And yet, I felt like I was working them this day.


I love this combo, and I love that I have a new (to me) addition to my wardrobe. I'm envisioning this as a top at some point in the future or paired with a zebra belt and some sandals (when I go on vacation in July, certainly not up here in the rainforest).


I think I might be in love.

Target addict

Dress: Target (gift from my mom)
Cami: ??
Belt: Target
Cardigan: Target
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: Sarchí, Costa Rica

Y'all, I finally found some time to post pictures from two weeks ago. Or was it three weeks ago that I wore this outfit? I can't even remember, all I know is that we have not had sun like that in the mornings for a minute here.


All I know is that I still like this outfit. It's flowy and comfortable and a mix of neutrals (win-win-win, if you're playing along at home) and just happens to be mostly from Target. Sometimes I get dressed and later realize that everything I'm wearing is from the same store.


That sometimes feels like cheating. As a style blogger, shouldn't I be mixing things up? Showing you how I wear Target with J Crew and LOFT and vintage? Except I'm not usually that cool.


Tell me I'm not the only one who feels a little bit like a cheater when this happens. If I am, that's okay, too, though.... I guess.


Oh, and yes, that's just me checking out good old Volcán Poás. Seriously, that view is stunning, even if I do have to force myself to ignore the fact that it's been quite active recently....

River

Tee: Target (men's undershirt)
Jeans: J Crew
Boots: Aldo
Scarf: gift from my uncle
Earrings: Target
Watch: Target

This outfit is pretty much a variation of Saturday's look, but I feel like it's totally different. Less flattering, perhaps. Anyway, I woke up and it was gorgeous out! Quite a welcome break from the days and days of rain, and it was so warm, I could wear sandals. Of course, I also had to go down to our education center to meet with the students who are visiting from the US.


These pictures were taken on the trail down to the ed center. The other parts of the trail involve gravel paths, mud, and about 30 meters of cow poop thanks to the presence of a milking barn and I don't know how many adorable calves. Calves are insanely cute and all, but cow poop calls for rubber boots.


This is hands down my favorite part of the trail. That, behind me, is the Sarapiquí River before it grows into the giant river it is further towards the coast. There's something amazing about the rushing waters, the rickety bridge, and the rainforest that I just can't get over. I'm not outdoorsy at all unless we're talking beach, so for me to say that means it's pretty stinkin' amazing.

Leopard and B

Cardigan: Target (gift from my mom)
Top: New York & Co.
Belt: thrifted
Skirt: Ann Taylor
Boots: Nine West
Tights: Simply Vera via Kohl's
Earrings: Sarchí, Costa Rica

When Ashley over at A Fashion Fixation tweeted that Monday felt like a leopard print kinda day, I took note. And then I got lazy and gave B the job of styling me, based on leopard print, of course.


He vacillated a bit on the skirt, afraid that it was too "safe", but I told him monochromatic isn't totally safe, so it was cool. Then he decided I need a pop of color (he's learning, y'all!) so he added the green cardigan that my mom left behind for me. He also picked out the belt and boots. He thought about adding a scarf, but he decided it'd be too much.


I say this because this is a man who, when we first met, did NOT understand why I cared at all about my clothes. He didn't have the context for it and initially thought it was a purely shallow activity. We've had a lot of conversations about the cultural aspects of dress and style, and I think his perspective has changed considerably.


Not that he's putting a lot of thought into his own outfits as far as I can see, or that he's suddenly on the pattern mixing bandwagon, but he's definitely thinking more critically about it.

Mixing it up

Cardigan: Target
Tank: Ann Taylor (gift from Mom)
Belt: thrifted
Skirt: Gap
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: Kohl's

I love this outfit. There's nothing really special about it, but I love it. It was comfortable for walking to and from work and professional and presentable for actually working. So, win-win.


I guess when I really think about it, there are two things that I really like about this look.
1. The mixed neutrals. I love the black with accents in various shades of brown. It feels so rebellious to mix up that many shades of brown with the black base.


2. I love the juxtaposition of the ladylike tank, skirt, and cardigan with the rugged belt and boots. There's something about the combination of "Office appropriate" with "Just another day on the range" that appeals to me. Maybe it's the fact that I live next door to a lot of cows (and the attendant cowboy types) that's making that aesthetic my new favorite thing ever.


And y'all, I love these boots. Love them to pieces. That may deserve a "literally" soon, as you can see from the scuffed toes. What you can't see are the torn up heels (stinkin' gravel on the side of the road!) and the deteriorating lining on these boots, especially in the heels. I just can't let go, though. They're just too comfortable and, at least in my world, stylish.


Oh! I've got good news - we've (mostly) fixed our Internet issues at our place. We can't actually get internet at our house, because the petition for phone service has been languishing at the government office for the past ten years, so we've talked to our neighbors. They got Internet at their place, which we pay for. We're close enough to them that we can get decent service at our place from theirs, but they had the modem in the back of the house, so we finally moved it to the upstairs front room (closest to our place) this weekend. Success! As long as the rains aren't too bad, we've got signal.


I"m beyond thrilled.