Dreams

Jacket: Land's End Canvas (gift from my mom)
Tee: American Eagle (gift from my aunt)
Jeans: 7 for all Mankind - thrifted
Sandals: Simply Vera via Kohl's (gift from my mom)
Scarf: Target
Earrings: Target

So I totally built this look around this hair tutorial and my newly thrifted 7 for all Mankind jeans. It's a pretty simple look, but I kind of love it. Mostly because I found these jeans at the Americana for less than $4.


Let me repeat that: I got these jeans for less than $4. I did a little happy dance in the dressing room and told B that one of my dreams had come true: To find designer jeans in my size for some ridiculous price at the thrift store. I dream big, y'all.


I wore this outfit with the jacket for most of the day because it was so cold and rainy after eight in the morning. The sun was all, "I quit", and I shivered and cursed my bare toes and wished that our car would miraculously get fixed and come back to me because I miss him so.


Melodramatic? Perhaps. I just miss my shoes is all. My booties and I are longing to be reunited and that won't happen until we get the car back because that hill? Y'all, that hill is no. Joke.


On the plus side, I love this hair.

Untucked

Blouse: thrifted
Jeans: J Crew
Sandals: Simply Vera (gift from my mom)
Earrings: Turkey

This outfit was going to be more interesting. It was going to involve a leopard print belt and some heels, but our brakes are shot and the car's in the shop and I have to walk to work, so the heels were a no go. And then I started fighting with the top slipping out of my waistband when I tucked it in and the jeans bunching when I belted them.


So I said, "Bump proportions. I'm just doing this." And I put on some sandals and left my shirt untucked. Untucked shirts and I aren't too well acquainted and I often feel like a different person when I do this.


I do love this top, though. It was $.40 at the thrift store last weekend (direct from their 2 for 1 floor - yes, they have an entire FLOOR dedicated to 2 for 1 deals) and I couldn't resist the pattern or the yellow. I've got big plans for this top, many of which involve pattern mixing, because doesn't this look ripe for the mixing?


I'm also welcoming any outfit suggestions you might have for this top.

White shirt week day 3

Tee: Target (gift from A)
Dress (worn as a skirt): Victoria's Secret (gift from my mom)
Sandals: Simply Vera via Kohl's
Belt: Target
Earrings: Kohl's
Ring: swapped
Bracelets: gifts
Drama face: ?

Truth: I spent most of the day wondering about this outfit. I kept switching from "Hate it" to "Love it" like a crazy person. In the end, I think I kinda like it. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone in terms of silhouette and jewelry, and it made me get a little creative with stuff.


I mean, the bodice of this dress has a huge flounce on it which I had to tuck under so that I could layer appropriately. Also, I spent most of the day holding the skirt up like that so I could, you know, walk. Because that's kind of important sometimes.


B really liked this, though, and my students told me that they loved the skirt and that I looked like an angel. Win, win, win.


Also winning? My hippie hair. I've got two baby French braids along the crown and five baby buns in the back.


That and a couple fistfuls of bobby pins. I have to say, this might be the easiest thing to do with freshly washed hair early in the morning. It totally dries the way I want it to and it stays out of the way. That and it takes me all of seven minutes; I didn't time it, I just like the number seven.

White shirt week day 1

Blazer: Apt 9 via Kohl's
Tee: Target (gift from intern A)
Jeans: Elle via Kohl's
Sandals: Chaps (gift from my mom)
Earrings: Target
Scarf: gift from my mom via Etsy (don't know which vendor)

Last Monday, our intern A gave me this white top which was pretty much the white tee I've been searching for. I decided to wear it all week, and I did, though I only got pics of four outfits. (That was not a totally original idea. I read it somewhere on the internet months ago and I've been thinking about doing it since. If you know where I read it, let me know...) This might be one of my favorite looks of the week, though, for real.


It was comfortable and warm and oh-so-cozy, which was perfect for a day of meetings in a very cold building. Also, these jeans fit after a week of gorging myself on the cruise. Seriously, I ate like a crazy person.


I enjoyed every minute of it, too. We were long overdue for a get away and it was so nice to be able to spend time with my family - especially my sweet, sweet niece. I love that kid beyond words, I tell you. Also nice? Getting tan. (Bad Frances. Though, in my defense, I slathered on the SPF 30 AND reapplied. It's just that the Caribbean sun missed me.)

EBEW: Yellow and a return to my roots

Tank: Target
Cardigan: Target
Belt: Target
Dress (worn as skirt): Target
Flip flops: Ann Taylor
Earrings: Turkey
Bracelet: gift from our intern, A.

Another Everybody, Everywear post, y'all. It was hard to come up with this look - not because I don't have much yellow, but because I love yellow and I couldn't decide what to wear. Apparently it was Target day, though, so I reached for this dress. (P.S. Hey, Target, if you want to sponsor me, we can talk. If not, I accept gift cards....)


I got in touch with my roots today and visited a sugar processing plant. My maternal grandmother grew up in a town that was basically a sugar plantation / processing plant and my great-grandfather and great-uncle worked there in some capacity. I'm not sure of all the particulars, but it was cool to see this thing that was, for so many years, the driving force behind the Puerto Rican economy. And, yeah, we're in Costa Rica (two totally different countries), but it was really cool.


They also process coffee at this place - it's the oldest cooperative in Costa Rica - so we got a tour of that, too.


And yeah, I took pictures while we were on our tour and pretended that no one else could see me. Behind me are the machines that move the sugar cane and break it down into little pieces. And then they squeeze it so the juice comes out. Eventually that thickens to molasses and then they put it in the centrifuge and you get raw sugar. You guys! Sugar processing! It's so exciting!


Or maybe that's just me....

Sad story and upcoming vacation

Tee: Target
Skirt: I made it
Belt: Target
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Earrings: Turkey
Scarf: J Crew
Kitteh: Elefante

True story: late on the evening of the fifth, Pirata, our other kitten disappeared. We live in the country and there are coyotes and big herding dogs that just kind of...roam. One of them must've roamed off with our other kitten.


So, I'm pretty sad about it, and now probably way overprotective of our remaining fur babies, Kiku and Elefante. The irony is that she disappeared on a day when we were all home all day long.


Anyway, we're on our short school vacation here in Costa Rica. We're off until the 18th, and then we leave for our real vacation on the 24th. I. Am. So. Excited! Development work requires even longer hours than teaching, and I'm doing both, so, long, busy days. But! Vacation is in sight.


And vacations make me do the happy dance. Oh, yeah! Even if it's a little tempered by the loss of our sweet kitten.



ETA: Pirata came back on the morning of the 8th. I walked out to feed Elefante, and there she was, meowing away as if I'd run away.

Snug

Tee: Ann Taylor
Jeans: J Crew
Wedges: Nine West
Bangles: gift from my uncle and aunt
Earrings: Turkey
Sunnies: Puerto Rico

This is the kind of outfit I could only wear while coming off the high of Dress Your Best Week. I think I'll be celebrating my body in a slightly less intentional way this week because I'm feeling so confident and in love with the body I have. And it's weird to think that and type that because I'm not the kind of woman who likes to draw attention to herself (even though I share a lot of stuff with the Internet).


But yeah, I put this on expecting it NOT to work, but it did, and even though I was a little afraid of all the body-hugging pieces, I went with it. And then to top it off, I let my hair do the 1960s-meets-1980s thing it was doing all by itself. Because if I'm going for it, I'm going all out. Go big or go home, baby. That's how we roll in our house.


And these shoes? I love them. They're so old, y'all. I've had them for five or six years - maybe even longer. They remind me of some shoes that my mom wore in her engagement pictures with jeans a lot like these. Honestly, I kind of felt like I was channeling my mom circa 1981 in this outfit.


I wore this to go out on a date day with B. We went to the farmer's market down in the nearest city (15 plantains for $2? Yes, please), then off to the mall for a cheap lunch and some bookstore browsing. Then we wandered through the streets of Alajuela where we did a little thrifting (we scored some amazing pieces) and enjoyed ice cream cones. I love our date days.


Oh, and Happy Fourth, to all of you in the States (and my fellow expats). I'll be celebrating on the beach.

Classic

Tee: Ann Taylor
Jeans: LOFT
Scarf: Turkey
Earrings: gift from sister-in-law
Bangles: Banana Republic
Purse: Nine West
Sandals: Target

I'm really sad that I have exactly two good pictures of this outfit, because I'm a big fan of how it turned out. I've long been stumped by these jeans, but I think this look works. I got these jeans from my sister for Christmas and I've been kind of dipping my toes in the boyfriend jean looks, but this outfit felt like I jumped in. I might still be in the shallow end, but I feel that this is progress. I wore this on Saturday for a date day with B. We went to the mall while our coworker picked students up at the airport. We wandered around, looked at stuff we couldn't afford to buy, had lunch and dinner at the food court, and watched the latest Fast and the Furious movie because THAT is how much I love my husband. All in all, it turned out to be a good day.

Friend Friday: Shoes

It's time for another Friend Friday, brought to you by Katy of Modly Chic. I've been a real slacker about participating, but I couldn't resist this particular subject.

This week, we're talking shoes. (Cue choirs of heavenly angels here.)

1. What is your go-to pair of shoes?
I'm pretty sure this will come as no surprise, but I'm going to say my Aldo booties.

If you don't believe me, just click right here and see all the ways I've worn them. And y'all? I paid $45 for them at the outlet. Original price was something ridiculous like $130 or something, and there was no way I was ever going to part with that much money for a pair of shoes, no matter how perfect. Mostly because I'm cheap; I wasn't poor then, just cheap - now I'm both.
Anyway, the color and the just slightly funky style make them a natural for just about any outfit.

2. What goes into your shoe buying decisions?
I'm going to say I have a three-step process for buying shoes:

1. Are they affordable?  As mentioned above, I'm cheap, and I've gotten decent quality leather boots for $60.  I won't pay more than $80 for leather boots, $45 for pumps, and $30 for sandals.  Even then, they better last me forEVER because I want value.  Case in point: I paid $60 for these Nine West cowboy boots like, seven or eight years ago.  I can't even remember how long I've had them and they're still around and kicking.
   

   From 2010-09-30

2. Are they comfortable?  Y'all: I'm a teacher.  I'm on my feet all. Day. Long.  That said, I'm also shorter than most of my students - at least that was the case when I taught in the States - so I like heels to give me a bit of authority - more presence, perhaps.  They force me to stand up straighter and walk with more purpose.  I'm not going to sacrifice authority for comfort or comfort for authority, so I'm going to make my shoes give me both.  Pass the comfortable heels, please.  
3. Can I wear them with everything else I've got in my closet?  I've got very few shoes that I don't wear with skirts because we all know I'd rather wear skirts than anything else.  Yes, there are shoes that I need for specific activities (hiking or working out) but for the most part, I want versatile shoes.  Versatility, of course, has nothing to do with color in my world.  Bright shoes are easy for me to work into my mostly neutral palette.  

3. The majority of the shoes in your closet are what color?
Actually, right now, they're brown - shades of brown.  The shoes I've got back in the States though, are in a rainbow of colors that I miss more than I can adequately express.  (Dear red, electric blue, and yellow pumps: I miss you so.   Also, leopard print peep toes, I wish I had at least one of you here with me.  We could cuddle.)

4. When it comes to designer shoes what are your favorite brands and why?
Real designers, I don't even play that game because it just makes me wish I had stuff I can't afford (and would feel way guilty about paying for anyway).  As far as brands that I love: Nine West, Steve Madden, and Aldo for heels.  They just work with my feet - comfortable, walkable, stylish, and affordable.

5. If price wasn’t an issue, you’d own which shoe?
I've got two options for this one.
First, these Brian Atwood pumps:

source

Second, these Fluevogs.  These shoes win an award for being the first pair of Fluevogs I actually thought were cute.  

source

Wordless on the beach

Dress: J Crew
Sandals: Chinese Laundry
Sunnies: Puerto Rico
Earrings: Turkey
Bag: H&M

Y'all, my words can't compete with that sunset.

Color Rotation - Orange

Dress: H&M
Sandals: Target
Cami: Petite Sophisticate
Sunnies: Puerto Rico
Earrings: Turkey
Ring: swap
Bracelets: gifts
Purse: Nine West

So much color! I find red terrifying, so I skipped it and instead went with orange. Red-orange. For some reason, this color doesn't scare me at all. And yes, I realize that's weird.


Anyway, this was last Saturday, when we left the cold mountains behind and went to the city to get stuff we needed for the house (electric showers!) and to take some time off. B and I watched I am Number Four which we'd heard pretty much nothing about before buying our tickets.


Also, this dress is super old. I found that I brought a lot of really old clothes with me. I guess they're well loved; I also guess that I don't shop nearly as much as I used to think I did.


And on a completely unrelated note, we went to the fancy supermarket to see if I could find contact solution. Contact solution was unavailable, but I did find this product. Can I just say that I hate the first word of that product? It's so icky.


But check out the UPC! Ha!