Name That Creature on My Sweater!

Button-up: Maurices / Sweater: H&M / Skirt: Thrifted Ann Taylor / Booties: Blowfish / Jewelry: Gabes

Dear me, it's been a long time since I've posted. I've been terribly sick this fall so far. However, I'm finally starting to feel better, just as the trees are starting to tun! I've been craving fall trees and crab cakes, so I think we'll have to make a trip to the coast this weekend. And stop by a pumpkin farm and corn maze. It's not officially autumn until you've done that.

Meanwhile, can you name that creature on my sweater? I bought it on a fun family girls outing while we were in Utah over Labor Day weekend {at the fancy schmancy new City Creek Center, nonetheless}, and the family had a fun time trying to figure out what the heck it is. A mouse? A lynx? A gray fox? Anyhow, it's cute and cozy, and I intend to get a lot of use out of it this season :)

Though I was pretty sure I was about to die any minute, I managed two accomplishments since our trip last month. The rest of my time was spent zombie-ing it through school and sleeping on the couch with the Hound.

1.  We saved some of our fruit from the birds and deer. I didn't have it in me to make anything interesting, but there's nothing like fresh fruit from your back yard.

2. I  squeezed out a September style post for Frenchy. That was about it for style productivity, though, so I'm afraid the top photo is a repeat from that post. I talked about thrifting and working tweed into your fall wardrobe for both casual and dressy looks. For example, you could replace a cornflower blue animal-face sweater with cornflower blue heels to make the look up top a bit dressier. Check it out over here! And enjoy your autumn! May it one day be the longest season of the year. Oh that would be fabulous.

Heels: J. Crew via DownEast / Purse: Old Gap

Blanc, Blanche, White...and a Frenchy Announcement

Skirt: Express via Gabes / Blouse: F21 / Heels: J Crew via DownEast / Belt: J Crew final sale / Bag: Deux Lux via TJ Maxx / Necklace: Second Hand Brighton / Watch: Anne Klein

Yes, this is my third post in a row wearing mono white. I'm pretty sure my obsession has reached Take 5 levels. I'm very exclusive when it comes to candy bars. None other can beat chocolate/caramel/peanut butter/peanut wrapped pretzels.

Meanwhile, I've got some exciting news. { You craving that candy bar yet? } I'm teaming up with Frenchy over at Le Chateau des Fleurs to do a style post once a month.

Please excuse me whilst I pick myself up off the floor. I just made real deal partners with a real deal Frenchy, who even calls herself Frenchy. I'm ridiculously excited about this little venture.

For my very first post, I'm going to be talking about recycling summer whites for fall, with some fall trends to make it work. Here's how I restyled my outfit from up top for cooler weather:

Skirt: Express via Gabes / Blouse: F21 / Sweater: AE clearance ($8!) / Blazer: Consigned Michael Kors / Shoes: Blowfish clearance / Watch: Fossil

Check out 3 more examples over here at Le Chateau des Fleurs!

P.S. I just got that sweater not too long ago on the take an extra 40% off clearance rack.  My guess is that they're clearing out last winter's items before this winter. There are some sweet deals going on right now :)

I Wish...

Dress: Ruche / Sweater, Bracelet: F21 / Shoes: Endless.com (C. Label) / Belt: Consigned at Periwinkle / Watch: Gift (Fossil) / Tights: We Love Colors / Earrings, Purse: Gabes (Monet)

I wish I could wake up early and feel energized enough to go running. I wish I could come home right after work, flop on the bed with the Husband and Hound, enjoy a quick nap with the breeze floating in, wake up refreshed and ready to make a healthy meal, dine out on the deck, then spend the evening reading, relaxing with the Husband, and crafting { ha, like I know how to craft...but I do have hobbies, you know...or I used to, at least } until time for a candlelit bath and then bed.

But I can't. Because it's cold outside and running, warm breezes, and dining outside don't work too well in the cold. And because since I'm utterly exhausted from school and always stay late, we're more likely to have something frozen or quick to eat anyway. And instead of having fun or relaxing in the evenings, I spend them grading papers and planning lessons. Because I'm a first year teacher for the 3rd time. And I teach 5 different classes, 180 different students, and all levels.

Also, I'm not some pampered elf like Liv Tyler's pre-Aragorn { the Husband made me add that part } character from Lord of the Rings. Why didn't anyone tell me I couldn't be her when I grew up, living in the land of waterfalls and bliss?

P.S. In case any magical genies are out there reading this, I also wish that Hounds didn't shed. Just sayin'.

P.P.S.  Sorry for the gripe-fest. Sometimes I get overwhelmed. But then I wake up to scenes like this, with golden light illuminating the fog-shrouded mountain across the lake, and remember how lucky I really am. 

Don't mind our Hound cover on the sofa, with the pile of pillows underneath so she can prop up and enjoy the view.  

Sometimes I just need to step back and enjoy the view myself. Profite du jour*!

Linked up to G-Rated's Sunday Best again and The Pleated Poppy's What I Wore!

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*Profite du jour = Seize the day 

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Thanks to Ruche for featuring this outfit on Ruche's Style File!

Mme Consignor

 Skirt, Sweater, Coat:  Consigned at Periwinkle (Chelsea and Theodore, Pink Rose, Banana Republic) / Shoes: Gabes (Very Volatile) / Tights: We Love Colors / Bracelets:  F21,Christmas gift (J Crew final sale) / Watch:  Christmas gift (Fossil)

So, have I mentioned I started consigning? I'm practically a businesswoman now. Except that I'm a full time teacher instead. But never mind that. You can just call me Madame Consignor, Extraordinaire {optional, of course.} Boy, is it fun. Old clothes out, new clothes in. It's like shopping for free. Free. Doesn't get much better than that.

Although, apparently it does. Though I have gotten lucky at my local shop with a few unique finds like this silk dress and this silk top  and Scottish skirt, I never find the thrift-store designer gems that Jentine finds, like Donna Karan skirts, Diane von Furtsenbug, Victor Costa, and Marchesa dresses, sparkling wool sheaths and handbags, and so many vintage blazers your eyes will roll.

The biggest brand thrill I ever get is from J. Crew.  If I ever do see anything designer, which has only happened for me at Annie Cream Cheese in D.C., it's way expensive. Très cher* is not my cup of tea. Perhaps my problem is shopping mostly in consignment { That's where my credit is...}  Perhaps it's because I live in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps it's because when I do get to thrift in a more affluent area, I'm only visiting and luck requires repetition and persistence.

Whatever the cause, meanwhile I'll be happy with the opportunity to turn old clothes into new ones that are more practical for teaching and church anyways...

P.S.  While taking these photos, the Husband kept telling me that my sweater was partially tucked into my skirt. I kept telling him to never-mind that, thank you very much. Then he began to focus on the wrinkles created by the half-tuck, trying to convince me that there was, in fact, a problem. Um, no dear. Actually, I'm going for that effortless, I'm too chic and breezy to care, J. Crew half-tuck look. But thanks for pointing out my awkwardness.  

P.P.S. Speaking of being practical for church, this is what I wore to church yesterday, so I'm linking up to a new party!

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*Tres cher = Very expensive { I bet you knew that...}

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This post was featured on G-Rated's Sunday Best! Thanks, Chelz!

Francophone Friday: Oh là là

  Skirt, Bangles: France (Jacqueline Riu, beach town trinket shop) / Top: Charlotte Russe / Shoes: Buckle clearance ($7!) /  Necklace: J Crew Factory / Earrings: Gabes (Monet) / Headband: Nordstrom (Gift from super sweet Mother in Law!)

I'm starting a new series called Francophone Fridays. You can check it out here, where I explain it and will link up the posts. In essence, I'm featuring outfits with a piece from France and some little tid-bit à la français.

I decided to start with the phrase oh là là, since I use it so frequently :) See here and here, for example.

Ooh là là {notice the double o; it's important} is actually an English misspelling/ mispronunciation of the French phrase Oh là là {with one o}, which actually translates to Oh dear, Oh my, or Oh no! As Madame Lawless explains it here, "it can indicate surprise, disappointment, commiseration, distress, annoyance... any moderately strong reaction to something" and "can be strengthened with additional làs, always in pairs."

I heard my French host mom use the phrase with many là làs for various purposes: when she couldn't find her keys, when something spilled, when her son wasn't fast enough to set the table, when her kittens got into mischief, when she saw a pretty piece of jewelry in a shop {and again when she saw the price }, etc.

In English, where we say Ooh instead of Oh, it's more commonly used to express Oh wow! or to talk about something risque. We tend to take foreign phrases/expressions and make them our own.

So Frenchify your diction this weekend and take one of the many opportunities that are bound to come your way to exclaim, in your best Frenchy accent, Oh là là! Feel free to draw out that final là or tack on a few more là làs, then follow it up with a grandiose eye roll.  And voilà, your life will be complete! Or just feel more a bit more cultured. Either way, I promise it'll be fun :)

P.S. Post linked up here at Frenchy's French Obsession Party!

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This post was featured for the French Obsession Party! Merci mille fois*, Frenchy!

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*Merci mille fois = Thanks a million

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Waiting for Godot, I mean Spring

Trench: Gap Outlet / Skirt: Gabes (LOFT) / Sweater: Gap clearance / Tights: Kohls clearance / Boots: Bloomingdales (Burberry) There's an excellent story behind why I have Burberry rainboots.  It involves a high-stakes bet with the Husband...Guess who won?

Waiting for spring's warmth feels like waiting for Godot. Will it ever come? It snowed last weekend. Snowed. Now all it can seem to do is be cold and rain. Or even better, sleet.

You know, I was once in a mash-up play (don't you speak Glee?) that included Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Which was originally written in French, entitled En Attendant Godot. You just never know when something French will pop into your life. I wore a leotard and sat in an old tin trashcan for an entire scene. Oh, theatrical interpretations. Godot never comes, in case you didn't know. Spring dandy well better come. Did you hear that Mother Nature? It better come, or you'd better watch out. That's a threat, not a promise :)

To distract myself from the wintery weather, I went thrifting for a springy outfit. This was strictly retail therapy so I went to the price-friendliest shop in town with a limit of $7. At first there didn't seem to be much, but persistence paid off and amongst the acid washed mom jeans and old lady dresses I found the below Eddie Bauer skirt for $3 and lemony seersucker blazer for $2.

When I went to pay, they didn't take card! Quelle horreur*! I searched my car but only came up with a total of $3.32. I asked if she'd hold the items for a bit, and that lovely lady told me not to worry about it! So there you go, I stayed under half my budget and got a nice outfit that's waiting its little heart out for warm weather to show off its pastel colors and seersucker springiness. Despite the cold, I decided to challenge dear old Mother N and try it out this morning. And she put me right back in my place. It snowed. Again:

Skirt & Blazer: Thrifted / Tank: Shade / Boots: Zappos (MIA) / Necklace: Inherited from Grandma /  Earrings: Gabes (1928). Please excuse the dark photos. Mr. Sun broke through right as the Husband left for work. Hopefully he sticks around to melt this tiring white stuff.

Looks like she didn't mistake my threat for a promise. Guess I won't be challenging her again any time soon.

Post linked up here at my friend Tiffany's cute party, and here at The Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday (the rain outfit was Wednesday).

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*Quelle horreur = Oh no! How horrible!

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This post was featured on Making the World Cuter! Thanks, Tiffany!