Old outfit, new puppy

Tee: Target
Skirt: Ann Taylor
Belt: Thrifted
Booties: Aldo
Sunnies: Puerto Rico
Earrings: Turkey

Remember how I said I was going to blog more often? I'm a big liar apparently. I've been in near non-stop meetings as we prepared for the beginning of the school year (we finish in December and start in February here). Yesterday we headed to the US embassy to renew my passport, and then, because we're all about timing here, we decided to stop by the shelter and adopt a new puppy. Yesterday.

 

And today we started school. Like I said: timing. We're so good at it. She's the most adorable little mutt, and I have to say I'm pretty smitten with her, though Camila (that's her name) did keep us up last night with her whining. Y'all, I'm so happy to have a new puppy, although she's been pretty whiney.

 

Has anyone had any experience with whiney puppies? She does it even when she's wagging her tail, when I'm holding her, when she's playing, and when she's eating. I know she's totally traumatized after being taken away from the only home she's ever known, but it makes me feel like a bad pet owner. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

And of course, you will get a picture of the new baby instead of just me.

 

Meet Camila. So sweet and sleepy.

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.

A story

Top: Kohl's
Skirt: Target
Belt: Ann Taylor
Booties: Aldo
Scarf: gift from my mom
Earrings: Kohl's
Adorable kitteh: Elefante

So, yeah, this outfit is basically the flip of this one here. I'm fine with that because I can't even tell you how happy the combination of green and leopard makes me. If it works, it works, and I'm cool with that.


Y'all, since we moved to Costa Rica, things were hard. Like, really hard. The work hours are long, there's little distinction between my personal life and my work life, and we're poor. The rains get to me, especially because the rainy season lasts about eight months here. I wasn't sleeping well - I'd wake up from a nightmare and I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. The nightmares were nearly every night for about nine months. Nine. Months.


And then there were the headaches. They'd start in my shoulders, move up into my neck, attack my jaw, and settle behind my eyes. Sometimes they were so strong that I'd feel nauseated. To make things worse, they'd last for two weeks at a time. And this, too, went on for nine months.


I didn't want to eat, I cried all the time, I imagined that Kiku or the cats had been hit by a car, I had no energy to do anything besides my actual teaching. And it sucked. It really, really sucked. I felt like I didn't even know myself, and I hated what I was putting B through, because, seriously? This was not what he signed up for, this weepy, sickly, emotional mess of a woman. Even if he was beyond supportive and stuck with me and told me it was okay and I could cry to him whenever I needed, and he LISTENED! Even then, I felt awful.


So we went to the doctor and told him everything that was going on. It didn't surprise me, not at all, but it did make me feel validated somehow. I'd thought I was going crazy, becoming someone else, and his diagnosis made me feel like it'd be okay. It's depression. Big surprise, right? So now I'm on Paxil and I've been on it for about a month and I feel like myself again. And I haven't wanted to talk too much about it because of the stigma, but really? I'm talking about it because of the stigma. Because I've been around a lot of Christian circles where if you just trust Jesus it's alright, and I was trusting and things weren't okay. Because mental illness sometimes - often - has additional physical consequences. Because I know I'm not the only one who's gone through this and has been too afraid to see a doctor about it.


So this is my story, and even though I don't like sharing a lot of these personal things with the internet, I think it's important. And y'all, I feel so much better now.

Green and leopard

Turtleneck: Express
Cardigan: Apt. 9 via Kohl's
Skirt: Self made
Tights: Simply Vera via Kohl's
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law
Belt: came with a blazer

Well, I'm back in the mountains after four blissful days on the Pacific coast. And I'm back to work, though our post-exam schedule will be considerably easier for me. Of course, I'm trying to figure out what to do with all this spare time I have now. Any hobbies I should take up? You know, besides my pinterest obsession.


I built this outfit around the cold weather and the fact that I have laryngitis. And yes, I have taught with (mild) laryngitis. All it takes is an interactive lesson plan and some decent classroom management. And telling your students you're sick. They're always nicer when you tell them.


This really fit the bill for keeping me warm and had the added bonus of being comfortable and comprised of my favorite color (green) and my favorite print (leopard). Add my favorite booties and some funky fishnets, and I'm all set.

Rains and Lady Gaga

Turtleneck: Ann Taylor
Skirt: J Crew
Fishnets: Simply Vera via Kohl's
Booties: Aldo
Belt: Ann Taylor
Earrings: Kohl's
Brooch (on headband): gift from B's grandmother
Headband: gift from my mom

Y'all, this is not what people imagine me wearing when I tell them I live in Costa Rica. I mean, seriously. Cashmere? Turtleneck? Corduroy? Tights? Yes, please. Because it's freezing in the mountains as a general rule. So, I'm dressing for warmth.


The rains here have been the stuff of legend. It's rained pretty much straight for the last ten days, and it's been making the news because it's gotten so bad. Not sure how much coverage it's getting in the States, but it's crazy.


When I wore this to work, my students told me I looked like Lady Gaga, which made me question if they'd ever seen Lady Gaga's outfits because I look like a human and my heels aren't abnormally high. I thought maybe it was because of the big, shiny brooch on my headband (pinning something pretty on a simple elastic headband changes EVERYTHING!).


But no, they clarified that I only looked like Lady Gaga from the knee down. Scratch that, from knee to ankle. You know, Miss, because of those weird tights with the holes in them. Ah, of course. I get it now....

BBCA 5 - Friend Friday: Fall

Cardigan: J Crew
Shirt: Target
Cami: Target
Pants: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's
Scarf: vintage, thrifted
Shoes: Steve Madden
Earrings: Turkey

So this week for the visual Friend Friday, we're linking up our quintessential fall looks over at 260 Days, No Repeats. Of course, it's also the last day of my BBCA week, so my fall look also has a touch of pink.


I have to say that at this point, I consider myself an expert in fall looks. I've mentioned before that I live in the land of eternal fall, so I've built a lot of outfits around boots, cardigans, and scarves. To me, fall is about classic silhouettes, mixed neutrals, and piled layers.


I really like the simple white button up, navy chinos, and cognac flats, but I like them better with the purple cami, chartreuse cardigan, and patterned scarf. I love the pops of color peeking out, especially when all those pops serve to keep me warm.


Feel free to ignore my award winning under eye circles, mmkay? Let's talk about this scarf. How pretty are those pink and green and turquoise swirls? So pretty. Also, it keeps my ears warm and hides my crazy hair - both are bonuses in my world.

BBCA 4 - Belting

Shirt: Ralph Lauren, thrifted
Dress, worn as skirt: Target
Pumps: Zara
Belt worn as belt: Target
Belt worn as headband: Etsy (although the vendor is no longer around)
Earrings: Turkey

Apparently the way for me to get BBCA done is by tying stuff around my head, and I'm cool with that as long as you're cool with that. Actually, even if you're not, most of my pink is in accessory form, so this is how it's going to be.


Anyway, this outfit. I've seen a lot of midi skirts on the Internet - apparently it's the new thing this fall. I've had this dress for something like six years and it's terribly stretched out (and faded, though you can't tell in these pictures) to the point that it's a bit midi in length. I've been playing with the idea of wearing it as a skirt for a while, but I hadn't quite worked out all the kinks yet.


Anyway, it just happened to be hanging next to this top which I thrifted (for $1!) while we were back in the States in September. I keep meaning to ask my sewing teacher to help me take it in, but I'm way more interested in learning to draft patterns and make new stuff, so I haven't yet. I figure I can figure this out on my own when I'm reunited with sewing machine in December. I guess pairing two ill-fitting, loose pieces shouldn't be natural, but the color combo was hard for me to resist.


It took a bit of creative tucking, folding and belting, but I think I made it work. It's the silhouette I was hoping to recreate, and the crazy high green pumps keep me from being overwhelmed by the length of the skirt. That said, one of my students asked me why I was dressed like a pilgrim, so maybe the heels didn't mitigate the frump factor. Or the pilgrims had some hot fashion sense.


Oh, and just as long as we're on the topic of pilgrims, I think it's time for confessions of a closet nerd. When I was in second grade, I was a pilgrim for Halloween. I had a long, grey dress, an apron, and a bonnet. I thought it was the most amazing costume EVER and I may have worn it in third grade, too. I guess I've always been a fan of Puritanical dressing....


Less Puritanical, however, is the belt around my head.

BBCA 2 - Skirting the issue

Skirt: self made
Top: Sonoma via Kohl's
Belt: Target
Booties: Aldo
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law

Another BBCA post. This one came together pretty easily once I picked this skirt out.


I love this skirt. It's poorly made since it was my first sewing project (the hem is wonky, it's made from a thrifted curtain, and the pockets are barely functional), but it's still fun.


For some reason, this green top seemed to work with the colors in the print. I like the explosion of brights, and the silhouette of the whole look. Besides, it was work appropriate and super comfortable. Super comfortable, for real. This is one of those looks that I will probably repeat.

Reversed lace

Top: Turkey
Cami: Petite Sophisticate
Jeans: Elle via Kohl's
Shoes: Zara
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law

Hello, my name is Frances Joy and I am addicted to Pinterest.... I check it every morning before getting dressed and/or doing my hair. I wish I were joking, and I don't know how to quit - or if I even want to. This outfit? I pinned a similar outfit awhile back and I finally put it together.


I started with some dark wash jeans that are supposed to be skinny, but fit more like a straight leg. Then I grabbed my black, lacy top and put it on backwards. I like the white cami underneath because it gives me some contrast and makes the lace stand out. B wasn't as big a fan of this combo, though.


I considered putting a jacket or a cardigan on with this, but I didn't want to lose my new scoop back or cover up the lace on the front. Besides, I really wanted to wear this with that one blazer that's in storage in the States. When I'm back home in December I plan to wear nothing but the stuff that's in storage right now....


I also decided I needed a pop of color in the shoes, so the impossibly high green pumps it was. Overall, I loved this outfit. I felt very much like myself even though I was in jeans. I also loved the backwards shirt. Sometimes I get a little bored with my wardrobe and this kind of stuff makes me feel like I have new clothes.


It's the little things....

Boho

Tunic: Banana Republic
Jeans: Costa Blanca (thrifted)
Cami: Target
Wedges: Toms
Earrings: Turkey
Scarf: gift from my mom

In case you couldn't tell, I built this look around my new-to-me jeans. I mean, I've seen similar pairs online for way more than I ever want to spend on jeans, and I scored these for $4 at a thrift store.


I generally think this silhouette is (a) a bit too reminiscent of mid-nineties Frances Joy and (b) a little too much for my height, but I wanted to try the trend and these jeans make my butt look good. That's important.


I decided I wanted to wear these jeans with a flowy top and some heels. I chose this tunic because I haven't worn it in a while and it went well with my Tom's. The Tom's are important because I had to walk to work and they are ridiculously comfortable.


More comfortable than my jeans. Sigh. Stupid jeans. You do NOT beat skirts in my world of comfort.


Headscarves, however, are always a win.

P.S. This scarf is all kinds of tacky. It's got pictures of Venetian landmarks on it. I can't figure out of my mom actually bought it while we were there (doubtful) or if someone gave it to her. Either way, I love it.