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 1 - Family

Cardigan: Target? gift from my mom
Tee: Ann Taylor
Pants: New York & Co.
Scarf: gift from my mom
Brooch: vintage
Earrings: Target
Shoes: Steve Madden

Well, hello, y'all. Can I start by saying that sometimes a week off is just the right thing? It's been a rough couple weeks. Let me go ahead and confess that it's been a rough nine or so months since we moved. Things haven't been easy and the blog felt like one more thing on my to do list, which wasn't cool, so, a break.


But! I am participating in BBCA, started by Melissa over at A Working Mom's Closet (breaks are apparently going around these days...). I don't own a lot of pink; I don't really like it, but I did want to participate so I've been digging out my pink.


I love this outfit and I honestly built it around this brooch, with its pops of pink. When B and I were back in the States, his grandmother pulled out her jewelry box and let me and B's sister M take whatever we wanted. I fell in love with this brooch, and I love the sense of connection I have with B's family - now my family, too - when I wear it.


And, yeah, I think I've just come to a point where I feel like they're my family, too. Apparently it takes me visiting them four times to get to that point; that's the problem when the family lives all over the place.

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.

Dress Your Best Week - Day 3: Ruffles or bust

Top: Ann Taylor (gift from my mom)
Bolero: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Target
Booties: Aldo
Bracelets: gift from my uncle
Earrings: gift from my sister-in-law
Crazy face: not sure...

I feel like I'm pulling out the big guns with Dress Your Best Week this year. It's been harder to make my list, but I feel like it's given me a new and improved appreciation for my body. For today? My chest, and trust me when I say that this post might be the hardest (most awkward?) one for me to write.


I got my first training bra in third grade. Third. Grade. And it was not a "let's make you feel all grown up" kind of training bra experience. It was like a "Hey, mom, people at school are asking if I wear a bra" experience. Next thing I knew, we were at JC Penney's picking out 32AAs. In fifth grade, I was the only girl who had to wear a bra every day (and my mom told me it had to be EVERY DAY) which meant I got "plinkied" every time we had a bathroom break. Plinkies were when the other kids snapped the back strap. It was awesome.


By "awesome", I mean "mortifying", of course. Naturally, I was self-conscious because I was a kid who didn't know what to make of her body. As I got older, there were all kinds of rules about what I could and couldn't wear thanks to all I had going on in the front. No tank tops, definitely no spaghetti straps, cardigans or jackets to cover me up, no scoop necks, few v-necks, nothing with an empire waist, no tops with writing across the front, avoid embellishment across the bust, no woven button-up shirts...


That's a lot of rules, especially for a high school kid, which is what I was at the time. Some of those were my parents' rules and some were my own, but it pretty much guaranteed that I had no idea what to do with my top half. I'll readily admit that these days, I'm much more comfortable covering up, but at the time, I felt awkward and ashamed. I mean, I didn't ask for what I had, right?


But I feel like these days I finally have perspective on my chest. For one, I'm just below the national average, which makes me feel way better about my options. For another, I've stopped fighting it. This is the body I have, the only one I have, and I've got a chest that women will literally pay money for. So I thank the sweet Lord for what I've got and move on.


And I'll just go ahead and put some ruffles on 'em to make up for lost time.

Dress Your Best Week - Day 2: Thick skin

Tee: Target (men's undershirt)
Skirt: J Crew
Belt: Banana Republic
Scarf: gift from my uncles
Booties: Aldo
Bracelet: gift from our intern, A
Earrings: Turkey

Today, I'm celebrating my skin. This is a big step for me because I have not loved my skin for most of my life. This is another one of the things that I have learned to love about myself, mostly because it does its job. Skin is important, y'all.


So, when we moved to the States, Oprah taught my mom English. What I mean by that is that my mom watched Oprah to learn English. I thought Oprah was the most beautiful woman in the world, and I was pretty sure that in order to be beautiful, I had to be a lot darker than I was.


By the time I got to high school, I'd get a lot of "Aren't Puerto Ricans supposed to be darker?" comments. And though I knew - I know - that we come in a variety of shades, I felt like I was lacking. I was jealous of my sister's caramel tone, and I hid my skin, especially my legs, for many years because of their whiteness.


I don't know when things changed, when I got over the hiding and started showing off my skin and really caring for it - because it is seriously dry and flaky no matter how much cocoa butter I rub into it. I've been embracing my skin, though, in all it's (relatively) pale glory. I'm thankful that I can wear colors like green and yellow and orange. I'm thankful that jewel tones pop against my skin. I'm thankful that I rarely burn out in the sun, and that if I do, it turns to a tan the very next day. I'm thankful that white shows off my tan when I've got one and that I look good in black whether I'm tanned or not.


This is my skin. I'm finally okay with it.

Rockstar bling

Dress: Ross
Scarf: Target
Booties: Aldo
Sunnies: Puerto Rico
Bracelets: gifts from my uncles
Earrings: gift (from Guatemala)

My secret: when I don't feel like getting dressed, I reach for a dress. People think you tried, and you didn't at all.



Of course, if you spend any amount of time around these parts (and by these parts, I mean fashion and style blogs in general) that's neither news nor a secret.


I wore my favorite bracelets: this collection of embellished bangles that make me feel like a total rockstar when I wear them. I've had them since I was twelve (that's sixteen years, y'all) and they've always been this cool. My students were totally impressed with them - both the girls and the boys. When the boys are taken with your jewelry, you know it's totally cool.


And now can y'all help me figure out why I'm pointing at Kiku? Weirdest pose ever....

Tribute

Tee: Target
Jeans: J Crew
Scarf: J Crew
Belt: Banana Republic
Bracelet: Sarchí, Costa Rica
Shoes: Sperry
Earrings: swapped

So, I didn't even realize how preppy my sources for this outfit were until now, but I assure you, it wasn't intentional. What was intentional was to try to copy this look by Fer of Moda Fora de Moda.


Fer, sadly, is no longer blogging over at Moda Fora de Moda, but I highly recommend scrolling through her archives. My grasp of Portuguese is tenuous, but I really dig her funky style - completely different from my own. If she could teach me to wear jeans and skirts with sneakers, I'd so sign up for the course.


Anyway, I don't know that this is my best look, but it was practical for a day when I had to walk to and from work. It's probably two or two and a half miles round trip, and the way home is all uphill. Add to that my asthma and my heavy teacher bag and books, and it's the kind of walk that calls for comfortable shoes.


Y'all, our car is in the shop. It's been in the shop for the last two weeks or something like that. Last month it was in the shop for about two weeks, too. It's so lame. I've been telling the students that our car fell in love with the mechanic; I'm not sure if they're buying it, though. Say a prayer for the car, y'all. The rains have begun in earnest and it is a wet uphill walk these days....

Styled by B

Top: New York & Co.
Skirt: J Crew
Belt: Banana Republic
Cami: Target
Booties: Aldo
Bracelet: Sarchí
Earrings: Kohl's

Y'all, I have barely been able to get dressed this week. Putting outfits together felt like a chore. So, I did what anyone else would do: I asked B to pick out my outfit. And this is what he picked - including shoes and bracelet, not including earrings and belt.


My students were all like, "You look so elegant!" And then I told them that B picked out my outfit and they were amazed. Amazed! I have to say I was pretty impressed myself. It's very me and I like the pop of yellow in the bracelet against the plum of the skirt.


Have any of y'all had your husbands or boyfriends style you? How did they do? I'm thinking I might need to have B style me more often...


Also, get a load of that blogger bun! My hair is so big!

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!

I heart this dress

Dress: Ross
Scarf: gift from my uncles
Boots: Nine West
Earrings: Kohl's
Bracelets: gifts from my uncle and my aunt

This outfit is not original by any means. You can see it in different iterations here, here, and here. Sometimes a formula works and it should just be embraced, especially when all you want is to be comfortable and warm.


I like to think I mixed it up a little with this scarf, which my uncles gave me while I was in Puerto Rico. I have to admit that it's been my go to scarf since I got it and I love, love, love it. The colors and the print are pretty much everything that I look for in a scarf.


Y'all, I have to admit that the past few days have been beyond crazy. Thursday, I had a medical almost-emergency that coincided (happily) with the one day a month that the local clinic is open. Anyway, all was taken care of without much drama beyond the initial scare, and it was done free of charge after the thirtieth patient was seen. Because not only is the clinic open only once a month, but there are thirty slots available.


And then yesterday was spent trying to make some contacts in the local government. And then I got a comment from someone that was the kind of thing that reminded me that people think that I'm here on vacation for the next three years and I got so annoyed. Because I'm here working longer hours than I did back in the States (and I taught, so y'all know that the hours are crazy long for teachers, no matter what everyone thinks about teacher hours). I am not sitting on a beach with little paper umbrellas in my drink. I'm working in a disaster area. Things are not easy - transportation, shopping, education - none of these things are easy. But it's good work, and I'm really enjoying it, except not when people think I'm on vacation all the time. Because I'm not. It's just pretty and green in the place where I work.