My Kitschen

My kitchen looks like it was decorated by a kindergartener, and I love it. The 'theme' is travel, and the color scheme is 'bright'. My window curtain is homemade with a license plate motif fabric, and real license plates adorn the wall space above the cabinets. I have too many magnets from places I've been on my refrigerator to count. KitchenAid mixer? Fuschia. KitchenAid blender? Tangerine orange. Toaster? Turquoise. Coffee pot? Sadly, my bright yellow Cuisinart 'Guy Smiley Happy-Maker' (circa early 1990s?) has died, and despite every effort to find a bright colored replacement that brews a good cuppa, the new one is stainless and black. Industrial and cold. I am returning the beautiful DeLonghi bright yellow machine to Crate and Barrel because its performance was awful. My hubby and I have had many an argument about coffee pots recently; he is thrilled with the new manly-man pot. Me? Not so much.

Why, KitchenAid, why!!??

Your mixers come in so many bright, lovely colors! It's like the pretty colors are reserved for the upper crust appliances, while the bourgeois work horses (coffee pot, toaster) are mandated dull, standard, practical uniform garb. How about the option to custom order? (I've sent these inquiries directly to KitchenAid to no avail...) *sigh*. Feeling no love the new coffee pot. Maybe I can paint some bright paisley designs on it, or at least slap a smiley face sticker on it.

I broke down and bought the Technivorm Moccamaster (cha-ching!) thinking that if I can't be happy standing there watching my coffee brew, I can at least be happy drinking my coffee. I hope that some tweaking in the brewing process yields a better cup than this morning's. Again, no love.

One of these things is not like the others....









On a happier note, I got my J.Crew order in the mail Thursday evening. Love the Viv leather flats in rooftop red. They rock! Just the right shade of red. Sized up 1/2 size and they felt snug when I put them on, but as the day went by, they melted to my feet. The eyelet blazer I ordered will be going back. The gray one from last year looks much more appealing with the stripes of eyelet rather than an all-over eyelet pattern, imo. I will be watching eBay for a gray one from last year in a 12.

Spring break is finally here, Hooray! No work = more casual attire for me, and more than likely fewer OOTD pics. Although, I've often been critical of my weekend attire--why I can't be more fashionable when not at work? Maybe I'll try to motivate myself to post staycation OOTDs for some suggestions.

Here was my OOTD from Thursday, my last day with students:
J.Crew black capri pants, striped T-shirt and suede wedge sandals. Dinosaur Designs choker.

Thanks for reading!

Yellow, sunshine!

It was a bright, beautiful, sunny day today. The kind that just makes you smile. And, here I am at the end of it, one day closer to a week off. The challenge ahead: assessing student work and finishing grades BEFORE I leave school on Friday. We'll see how that goes. I am the Queen of Procrastination, after all.

My week off will definitely include a road trip up north to visit mom. These visits are always love/hate trips for me. The town I grew up in is one of a string of towns that are called the Iron Range. Booming at the turn of the century, the area is now suffering from high unemployment as the mining industry struggles to keep the communities alive. I play the 'guess which business has gone under since the last time I was here' game every time I roll in. Sadly, my hubby won't be traveling with me this time, as he doesn't have a week off for spring break, so I won't be able to enjoy the 'night life' and the fashion faux pas that nostalgically and triumphantly pay homage to past decades. (Fringe leather vests are alive and kicking in the small corners of the world, and not in biker bars, either; you go, girls! And guys! And grandparents!) What's to be expected when Walmart, Fashion Bug and Fleet Farm are the main retail clothing suppliers.

I do enjoy the slow pace of the small town life, though. For an hour or so. Then I'm searching for something to do. I usually bring knitting with me, as reading books seems anti-social, but my current (over ambitious) project on needles is a pair of fair isle leggings. I've got one cuff done. I had more knitted, but I ripped it out and started over (can't remember why) and it's been untouched since then. I love to knit, but man, is it expensive! I really don't care for those artsy obviously homemade sweaters the knitting stores display. If I'm going to knit, it's going to be something that looks like it came from a store. That necessitates expensive yarn. I quickly reassessed my opinion of retail prices for sweaters and other knit garments when I took up the hobby. A cashmere sweater for $100+ is actually not such a bad price (unless you can get yarn for cost). And I dread going into yarn stores because of the scorn I usually draw from the employees there who LOVE their craftsy asymmetrical sweaters with chickens or (and) stars on them, or baubles of fuzz and glitter woven in. They get frustrated with my "particularity" (as one of the kinder sales women called it). I like my particularity. I embrace it. I thank my chickens and stars for it.

But I digress.

One thing about the towns up north, the people who live there LOVE them. They are a tight-knit, hard-working, trusting people with integrity, the likes of which a big city doesn't know. (I like to think I have these qualities and thank my parents and my hometown for them.) Which brings me back to my mantra that life is too short not to love the things in your life. Power to them.

My OOTD:
(H2T J.Crew): navy capris, gray silk ruffle sleeveless blouse, yellow cardigan (with amazing yellow/white striped buttons), patent yellow driving mocs, patent gray belt. (Forgive my lack of item names--too tired to research tonight.)

Thanks for reading!

Last fling with some faves

Brrrr! Cold out there today. Hooray! I can have one last fling with my fave. jacket!

OOTD: J.Crew Oxford jacket, high-waist black skinny jeans, boy shirt in Thomas Mason fabric, black roadster boots, and black belt; Dinosaur Designs black long river rock choker.
When I got to work, I buttoned up one more button and pulled the choker to the outside of my shirt.

Tomorrow I'll be collecting one of two final writing projects from my classes; Thursday I'll collect the other. So tonight, I'm going to enjoy the calm before the storm. I hear a glass of wine calling my name...

Thanks for reading!

Brogues, Wingtips...classic shoes by any name are loved (by me) the same

OOTD: J. Crew Mini pant in warm redwood, J. Crew gray vest, Gap blue/white striped button-down, John Fluevog Gateway Caspian brogues in red & burgandy, J. Crew crystal brulee necklace in rose dust. And I threw on a J. Crew jean jacket because it's sooooo cold today! I love this look. I've thrown together similar outfits with some cute Liberty print neck ties. There's just something about a classic shoe!

One day down, three to go until spring break. Contemplating turning on the heat in the house tonight, but tomorrow's supposed to be back up to near 70. Might just hide under a pile of blankets with my pups. (The malls had the air conditioning running this past weekend...crazy!)

Thanks for reading! Here's hoping for a speedy and smooth week!

Wanted: the return of the kitten heel

My blue suede Cece ballet flats were returned on Saturday. They've been sitting in the box in my closet since I bought them (a bad sign for one of my purchases). Like, but no love. Also in the return bag: all three pencil skirts and the polka dot popover. I wore the green skirt one time, and the back seam near the back slit had come undone. Grrrrr! I sometimes wonder whether the quality of the first shipments of merchandise is far better than later restock shipments. ("Hey! They're buying it! Shift into high gear and get another ga-zillion made and into the stores by next week!")

Of course, I just couldn't make my return and walk out of the store. I tried on the Valencia pumps in rooftop red. Now these are shoes I LOVE, but I am totally convinced I'd not wear them enough to justify the price. (Lifestyle I want, but don't have.) Yes, I suppose I could wear them to work, but pointy red heels at school? And would I survive 9+ hours on my feet in them? Online bloggers rave about how comfortable they are, but are these women at desks all day? Or are they the 3+" heel-wearers whose feet revel in these moderate beauties? Needless to say, I left them there. I spy a pair on eBay right now...maybe at a lower price, the heels might be worth the risk... I loved the color and shape so much that I ordered the Viv flats in rooftop red. (And the eyelet schoolboy blazer in ivory, too.)

Kitten heel, J. Crew! Bring back the kitten heel!

I also bought another pair of shoes while I was there. The Lucca suede sandals in apricot mist. They fit the bill for a lower heel and a nude color. It was a toss-up between the Lucca sandals and the Olympia suede wedges, as both came in that 'nude' color. I thought the Luccas might be more easily dressed up or down.

No pics of my weekend outfits. Saturday I wore crop jeans, a gray striped button-down-the-back T-shirt, the red sophie peacoat sweater jacket and patent gray ballet flats. (Head2toe JC.)
Saturday night I downloaded The Hunger Games on my iPad and stayed up until 1:30 to finish it. (How's that for ocd?! This is why I can't/don't read for fun during the school year...) Not a literary masterpiece by any stretch, but it was interesting.
Today I am wearing sweats and am NOT leaving the house! : )
This past Friday's OOTD: J. Crew drawstring mini {LOVE} and silk ruffle cascade jacket, Kenneth Cole T-shirt, and J. Crew Liv gold patent ballet flats. Much better than Thursday.

1 week until spring break! Hooray!
Thanks for reading!

No outfit love today.

Okay, so I think my outfit today was, well, meh. It's the J. Crew pencil skirt in the warm jade color. I think it looked better in person than in the photo--the color of the skirt is really beautiful. But I think I look a bit under-accessorized. Lacy shirts like that are just hard to add to, imo. Maybe a brighter belt and shoes would've brought it up a notch?

Not much else to say tonight. 4th rainy day in a row...maybe that's it.
OOTD: J. Crew pencil skirt in warm jade, J. Crew lady-lace popover, J. Crew cream belt, Jeffrey Campbell shoes.

Thanks for reading!

A cheery Wednesday

So I did the big season exchange in my closets today. I have so many wonderful cold weather pieces! It's always sad to put them away for the year, despite my love of the warmer weather. Sadly, when I eyeballed the spread, I was not feeling any love. Skirts? Good. Shoes? good. Tops? Um... I have a TON of T-shirts, with and without graphics and detailing. I've got many long and 3/4 sleeve button downs that will work for a while. (We don't have air conditioning where I work.) And I've got many dresses that I'd classify appropriate for school only with a jacket or sweater, which I am also lacking in light weight, breathable fabrics. Sleeveless is not a great look on me from the back.

I'm sure that you ladies who work in air conditioned work places have many great options. No air leaves me with a challenging dilemma when putting outfits together. There really aren't many stylish tops that aren't Ts at J.Crew right now. I know many JCAs complain about the quality of their product, and when it comes to Ts, I have to agree. But for other items, I think they are still higher quality than their competitors.

I also enjoy the streamlined one store shopping experience. I don't want to have to search ga-zillions of stores and web sites for mix and match pieces. Somehow, JC pieces just work together. Putting another retailer's pieces with theirs seems, well, like cheating in a relationship. But I may have to be unfaithful and explore other options, I think.

There are the obvious options: Banana, Gap, Ann Taylor Loft. Rumor has it that quality and prints are improving. I have read many positive posts about Lands End Canvas, but the pieces I've bought from them don't seem to hold their shape as well, and seem to look (pardon me) cheaper than JC. And Talbots, although the quality seems comparable, just feels too old and stuffy. Not ready to go there just yet. J. Jill is too drab, and Coldwater Creek is too frumpy. Anthro is, in whole, just not my style. Their more trendy/artsy pieces are just too expensive. And H&M has cute options, but disposable quality.

What to do? I've got my eyes out for JC short sleeved blouses on eBay, but I don't find many in my size. Like I said in an earlier post, maybe some options are still on their way. Until then, I'll be the T-shirt queen, I guess. Any suggestions or leads would be appreciated.

OOTD: J.Crew: Linen schoolboy blazer, long sleeved navy boat neck T, Kauai Floral Penny Skirt, gold multi-chain necklace and woven-look bracelet. Shoes: Navy patent Steve Madden flats.

Thanks for reading!

Pet Peeves

Since I seem to be in a rather snarky place, I thought I'd publish a list of pet peeves, inspired by an event at school today. So let's start there, and I'll add as they come to mind:

Unjust praising to avoid "winners" and "losers". Our school has re-started a "Student of the Week" award. Before I proceed, please note the singular noun, 'student'. Published today: four students earning the award. Granted, I work in a high school and there was a student awarded in each grade, but what is the harm in recognizing one for truly exemplary and meritorious actions, and letting others aspire to achieve the same recognition. Rewarding four students somehow cheapened the integrity and value of the award, in my mind.

People who stop at the top or bottom of escalators. Really? How, in the middle of a mall, can people be totally oblivious to the other people around them? Step aside, people!

People who are unable to listen. We all know at least one. They have to have the last word, and are absolute masters at twisting any topic to be about themselves. The only sympathy they get from me is a general assumption that they are seriously lacking self esteem. Maybe I need to be a poorer listener. Or learn to hide better.

Sequels/Remixes. With very few exceptions, #2, 3, 4... are never as good as #1. Are there really no new ideas for movies, books, tv shows, songs, etc. out there? Or is the almighty dollar sign behind their creation? Exception: movie/book sagas when a whole story is divided into parts.

My husband's clutter. Enough said.

Bloggers who take crappy photos of their outfits. Wait, that would be me! Oops! : )

OOTD: Banana Republic denim skirt, J. Crew Impressionist Floral cami, J. Crew pink linen/cotton blend cardigan from summer '11, J. Crew gold belt, Ecco strappy wedge sandals.

Thanks for reading! (I'm not always so kvetchy.)

Another Monday bites the dust. Enough said.

OOTD: Almost all J. Crew: Watercolor Floral Schoolgirl skirt, Jackie Cardigan in ?laquer yellow? (summer '11), gray Bubble Necklace, Salina flats in buttercup, gray patent belt, Gap T-shirt. Inspiration: Apples & Pencil Skirts blog shown here.

It was a toss up between the yellow flats or a gray patent pair. I don't like being matchy-matchy with necklace/belt/shoes/purse. What do you think? Does the yellow work, or would a neutral gray or navy have worked better (Excuse my messy floor...)

There's a change in the weather a-brewin'! Looks like we might yet get a bit of what would be typical March weather here in MN. Spring Break is still two weeks out for me; it would be just my luck if we got a last winter blast on my week off.

Thanks for reading!

"How fickle is woman!" ~Gone with the Wind (Both apply)

I've been reading a lot of blogs lately about other women's obsession with J.Crew specifically, but with shopping in general. I have to credit quite a few of my recent purchases to visiting blogs. I have three triggers that will make me want to purchase:

1) I see the outfit on someone else online (or in the store) and it/they look adorable. Many items I like come to life when I see them on other people. Maybe that's why sites like polyvore and pintrest are so popular. My blue suede Cece ballet flats fall into this category. Saw them on an SA in one of the NYC stores.

2) I see an item has limited quantity or has sold out. This prompts an immediate quest for this "much sought after" item. This would be the Crystal Brulee necklace. I looked at those suckers so many times in the stores last fall thinking, "They're pretty, but not my colors." Now I've got two; the blue from eBay, and the rose on an online popback. And I grabbed the new version in gold a few weeks back, too.

3) Item @ "like" status is on sale. Especially "staple" pieces. This would be today's purchases.

Yesterday, I was in the store and could find nothing worthy of bring tried on. Today, I purchased three pencil skirts (warm jade, casablanca blue and royal purple) and the Jacquard dot popover. All formerly in the "like" category, but on sale today, except the popover-which I bought as a top that wasn't a t-shirt and could be worn with all three.

Not sure if I'll keep all three or not. Have to see what I (don't) have to wear with them.

Thanks for reading!

Warning: Rant ahead!

I have accumulated quite a few J.Crew pencil skirts. I love them all. But sometimes I feel like I pull them out of my closet and can't hit just the right note with the top pieces to go with them. The things I have are either too casual or the wrong colorways. So I went to the B&M store today to try to find some t-shirts that could be paired with a few of them. PPPPT to what is in the stores right now. And online, for that matter. Yuk. Is anyone besides me tired of that orangish-red color yet? And how about something other than stripes already? Maybe I'm just ahead/behind the trends (were there saturated reds/pinks/yellows/greens last year in anything thicker than a kleenex?) Maybe they're yet to come. I found one scoop neck 3/4 sleeved t-shirt, black, in my size in the clearance section. It's your luck day if you are an XXS or an XL, because that is all that is left.

I did try on the yellow cotton shift dress. The seaming in the front left something to be desired. Not quite fitted enough, imo. And the back looked worse. Is it stylish to have a zipper sewn on the outside of the dress? I thought it looked unfinished. And it was hard to zip up. To top it off, the dress I tried on had a snag in the fabric in the front, foreshadowing what could happen after a few wears. I pointed it out to the over-eager SA helping me who just looked and said "oh."

I stopped in Target today, to scope out the shoes and accessories. I just can't get myself to like their things! Maybe I look so infrequently that I just miss all the really cute shoes. The ones I find always seem to have something wonky about them--too much toe coverage, unfinished edges, plastic soles... I know they cost under $30, most even under $20, but when I buy shoes, I need to love them; even the trendy ones. I don't know that I've ever heard anyone rant about how comfortable Target shoes are. Who cares if they were a great deal if you wear them a handful of times and they look like crap or fall apart. Mom always said that the first things people notice about a person are their shoes and their teeth. I just wish the ones I love weren't so damn expensive!

Other than my blue suede ballet flats, my last new/expensive shoe purchase was in New York City. Every time I go there, I go to my favorite jewelry store, Dinosaur Designs. To get there, I have walked by the same shoe store, John Fluevog, and drooled in the window at the brogues. This year I bought a pair. LOVE them! And that's the way it should be.


Thanks for reading!

It's not easy being green

Green is my favorite color. Sadly, I find it hard to wear. I have no idea why. I have two pairs of green flats that have never been worn in my closet. The green items I own that have a life outside my closet are two blazers, two cashmere sweaters a pair of casual capri pants, and this sweater.
OOTD: J.Crew high waist black jeans, Gap short sleeved T-shirt, J.Crew linen sweater, J.Crew striped scarf, and Sperry patent loafers.

I do like the green/black/white color combination, but it certainly lacks creativity. (In my defense, sometimes it's hard to be creative on a Friday morning...) I considered a white or striped button down shirt under the sweater, but that just seemed too warm and stuffy for today. C'est la vie. Or, perhaps, with a nod to St. Patrick's day, Sin mar atá an saol!

Thanks for reading!

Holding on for Friday

OOTD
(Another head to toe J. Crew outfit): J.Crew Long No. 2 pencil skirt in sovereign paisley {love}, perfect shirt in navy, older ?navy/black? suede flats, mixed media (my name for it) necklace and gold bangle bracelets. Sorry the lighting is so poor.

This week has been exhausting. I was speaking with a colleague today about some of the challenges teachers face, sometimes daily. When one of our students is in 'crisis' and that crisis comes into our classrooms, we need to make quick and appropriate decisions about how to best address the students' needs (the one, and the all). After the immediate challenge is dealt with, we must spin back around and conduct the business of educating the other students without missing a beat. Who else has to do that regularly? The time we get to process and mentally heal ourselves comes much later, after the papers get corrected, tomorrow's lessons get planned, and our own families and interests get some attention. (How do teachers with children--how do single parent teachers do it?!)

We do what we do out of a love and genuine concern for the well being of our students. I wouldn't want any other job in the world. No two years, days or hours are ever alike. We are tasked with the serious and important work of educating sometimes 30+ diversely unique minds at one time. Elementary teachers are fortunate; the younger students who spend the majority of their day with one teacher often ooze adoration for their teachers. Teenagers? High school teenagers? Not so much so. We share one hour a day with them, and construct relationships and trust as best we can in the time we have. If we are lucky, they will return to say hello or send an email. More than likely, we live with the hope and faith that they are successful and happy in their adult lives, and that somehow we had a small roll in making that happen.

*sigh*
Thanks for reading.

Anti-climactic New Arrivals @ JC B&M

I decided, after receiving an email from my PS, to go check out the new arrivals last night. A complete waste of time, IMO. I really tried hard to find something to try on to make the trip worth it, but the only thing I could find was the Zip Front dress. Looked cute on, but the seaming around the neck curve had odd puckers. For $88, and despite liking the fit, weight of the fabric and style, it was a pass. Here's a photo IRL: (still trying to get the hang of taking pictures of my outfits...) I should've snapped a close-up of the neck. It was like the fabric stretched but the thread used for the seam didn't. I guess you can sort of see it just to the left of my phone.
And here are my past few OOTD Ta-Dahs.

...for today:
I got a lot of compliments on this jacket. Could've just been from my smile from wearing the jacket. Outfit: Banana Republic jean skirt, frye boots, JC Oxford jacket, JC gray "England" Tee, dahlia belt.

...and here was my outfit yesterday:Outfit: JC gray stretch capris, JC gray silk cami, JC Berry Trim Astrid jacket, JC dahlia belt, Born flats.

But wait! My photography gets worse! Here is a botched school bathroom attempt from last week:What can I say?! It was the only mirror in school that would work. (I felt strangely sneaky going into the bathroom with my camera to take a picture of my outfit...)
Outfit: (All JC) Viridian green wool pencil skirt, gray cable cardigan, gray/white striped ruffle collar short sleeve blouse, paisley necklace, black Roadster boots.

Hope my photography gets better with practice!
Thanks for reading.

Why I stalk eBay

Hello, Spring! These purchases from eBay arrived in the mail today:
Citrus lime? (neon yellow) tulip jacket

Berry trim Astrid jacket in plum

Cherry blossom Capri pants
(Photos from polyvore and google images)

I love finding older J.Crew items on eBay. Especially when I can get them at a great price. I've purchased many awesome items that have arrived with all tags in tact. I was skeptical about the Astrid jacket, but I fell in love with it as soon as I got it out of the packaging. It's a much deeper, more saturated purple than any picture I've seen of it. It really is a gorgeous jacket. And the tulip jacket? Well, it's a bit brighter than what I was expecting, but I love it, too. I'm willing to pay $50 or less on eBay for an older, quality jacket. It certainly is better than paying $150+ for a new jacket with no signature detailing.

Side note: did anyone see the "sample" plum Oxford jacket on eBay this weekend? I watched it just to see how quickly it would sell. BIN price? $450! It did have the 'best offer' option. Either way, it was sold in a day. Boy! I'm happy to see that some sellers are still offering reasonable prices for used items. Except for shoes...what's up with that?

Since I seem to be heading into a soft rant, I'll add that I find it distasteful for sellers to resell clearance outlet items (you know the items--black lines on the tags) for higher than the online/B&M sale prices. I have to believe they picked them up for a fraction of what they're selling them for; especially if they got them from a warehouse sale. Making an offer is almost always a joke. Shame on you greedy people! I guess as long as there's a demand, there will be a supply.

On a kinder note, any other eBay "regulars" notice the JC items often listed on the eBay seller's store, "Linda's Closet"? Where does she find this stuff? I've seen some very cool items in her eBay store.

Just sayin'.

It just never ends...

Another weekend, another mission...

Quest for:

I live right in the heart of Minneapolis, so there are 5 different J.Crew stores within driving distance to me without too much hassle. Each has its perks. I find the most awesome returns, usually in the clearance section, at the Edina store, and if I'm looking for a rogue size or color, Rosedale is usually my first stop. Mall of America is by far the largest store and easiest to get to, but sizes there sell out fast. But I digress. On a mission this weekend, I visited three.

On a mission, yes indeed. For the past two weeks, I have been putting the sapphire blue Cece suede ballet flats into my online shopping cart, then taking them back out again. Just couldn't seem to leave the suckers alone. I have never purchased a new pair of shoes from J.Crew, and I hadn't tried them on to check sizes anyways. So I headed to the Edina B&M to try them on. They didn't have the sapphire blue in my size. I'm thinking, despite liking the iris ones I've tried on to gauge fit and comfort, that maybe the price is just too high. Maybe I can find something similar elsewhere for less. Surely some store out there has a pair of royal blue ballet flats. You would think.

I searched high and low for two days at three malls, some thrift and consignment stores and online for another pair of royal blue ballet flats that I liked as much. Nope. So, I bit the bullet. Thankfully, Rosedale J.Crew had the color in my size. I really hope they'll be worth the money. With my teacher discount, they were $109.

Isn't it funny how a price point like that can seem extremely reasonable and at the same time outrageously high? I love the show "What Not to Wear" and have often heard Stacy consult buyers that the true cost of an item is the price divided by the number of times worn. I guess. This blue is NOT a staple color in my wardrobe, but I think it will look fantastic as a color pop with my oranges, reds, yellows... Maybe I should keep track and see what the end value is. Maybe not.

Sometimes I justify buying at full retail price with paying low prices in thrift/consignment stores. (This makes NO sense, as I am still spending more money for more items, regardless of the prices...) This weekend I found a pair of classic capris in light gray and an older cotton/silk shirt in blacks and grays in a paisley print. Total cost for the two items? $20. Not the greatest bargain ever, but not too shabby either. And, the two make an outfit--that hardly ever happens when thrifting. As I drove home from the mall today, shoes in tote, the voice in my head told me that my three purchased items totaled $122. Divided by 3 = $40-something apiece. Hm.

Shut up, voice.

A Grrrrrrreat Tuesday!

I love being a teacher and working with teenagers. Really. The past two days have been dull for me as my students were doing a summative assessment for our poetry unit--not much interaction or conversation. But I am excited about the progress they're making toward being skilled text analysts.

Temperature here today? 57! I had to take a walk down to the neighborhood bakery and get a cookie and a coffee. I actually sat on my back deck for an hour or so when I got home. We Minnesotans know to enjoy what we can while we can, as often we get a March blast that coincides with state basketball/hockey tournaments near the end of the month. The saving grace is that we know it will melt fast. Spring is bittersweet; love the birds nest-building and the budding of plants--hate packing beloved wool sweaters, blazers and boots away for the year. I'll have to make it a point to give the boot/sweater combo a last hurrah while I can.

On a side note, I dropped off some pants for tailoring yesterday and stopped in at one of my favorite consignment stores. They usually have a few JC items; I've found some of the best jewelry there. No jewelry, but I found the green J.Crew 'school of fish' clea tank from yesteryear.

Cute, cute, cute! The fabric is so soft! AND, it's got pockets! Not the 'school of fish' skirt I hope to find, but fishy just the same!

OOTD Ta-Dah!
Tuesday, March 6

J.Crew wool capris, J.Crew herringbone Bella jacket, J.Crew orange zebra striped sweater, J.Crew sequined tank, Ann Taylor animal print belt, White Mountain black suede wedges, Dinasaur Design necklace and earrings.

Thanks for reading!