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 :)

Cinque Terre: 30x30 Outift 13A

 

Swimsuit, Cover-Up: J Crew final sale ($9.99 and $14 steals!) / Top: Consigned CK / Belt: Ruche / Shoes: Privo

Today we're backtracking to finish the posts on our European trip and my Europe 30x30 from last summer. So let's pretend it's July 2011, and get this show on the road, shall we?

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I switched my Outfit 13 dress for a swimsuit cover-up and threw my Keens, a towel, and sunscreen in my backpack for our trek through Cinque Terre, five old Italian villages set on cliffs along the Mediterranean shore, just north of Tuscany.  You can hike a rugged trail along the coast between them, but there's also a train that goes through the mountains just inland.  We headed first to Levanto where we took the train to Riomaggiore, the southernmost village, so we could hike our way back up north through the five villages.

Riomaggiore sprawls through a ravine along the coast, with colorfully classic Italian houses tumbling up the cliffs on either side. If we go again, we'd hike up the hill to get a view of the village from above. This is what it looks like, but the station left us just north of it (left in the linked photo) on the other side of the hill, with the village out of view.  We saw these terraced vineyards, which are plentiful in this region, and didn't realize how pretty the city on the other side was.

Check out that sparkling clear-blue H20. Sheer perfection.

From Riomaggiore, we took the Via dell'Amore trail for a 20 minute hike to Manarola, the next town north. The Via dell'Amore, or Walkway of Love, was the first path to connect any of these 5 villages, built in 1920. Lovers from the two towns met here, carved their names on the rocks and cacti along the route, and began the tradition of locking a padlock around a rail to signify their love. Very charming, indeed:

After a look about the town, we detoured to a rocky area north of Manarola, where you get spectacular views of the classic, colorful city against the cliffs for which Cinque Terre is so popular.

This area also features the best swimming, and of course that is what most excited the Husband. Deep swimming holes beneath breathtaking yet manageable cliffs, and he's higher than a kite on adrenaline and excitement.

I might've been a bit scared at first. But people above were watching.

This one was small enough that I could dive. From here, we have no photos because we had to leave the camera on the rocks to swim to the better cliffs. We swam around some rocky points till we found an ideal cliff, about 40 something feet, with easy climbing access. We each went twice, and people on the trail above cheered and clapped for us, which helped me not chicken out. And also kinda feel like a rock-star. I'm pretty sure that's my highest jump yet.

The water was perfection. Amazing temperature and clear as the sky, though it was saltier than the Pacific or Atlantic. We took goggles to look at the schools of fish, urchins, and anemones. 

Views of Manarola. Photo on the right is taken from Corniglia.

The trail to Corniglia, the next town, was blocked due to landslides, so we went back to Manarola and hopped the train, which dropped us off at the bottom of the the Lardarina-- 382 brick steps up the cliff leading to Corniglia. And I'm not at all ashamed to say that I did it in my swimsuit. It was hot.

Corniglia is the best town for getting away from all the tourists, probably because of all those stairs. Also, it's the only one of the villages that sits atop a large really high cliff and doesn't have direct sea access.  There were lots of pretty vineyards and flowers, though.

Next, we took the 90-minute trail to Vernazza, which offered spectacular views of both Corniglia and Manarola in the distance. 

Vernazza is the most exciting of the villages thanks to it's natural harbor, shops, pedestrian-only streets, and castle ruins. It juts out on a tiny peninsula with vineyards along the hillside above.

Here we grabbed some of the region's famous foccaccia sandwiches {foccaccia originiated here, and pesto also originated in this region}, a spinach torte, and of course, some fresh gelato. This time I got peach along with my usual chocolate and strawberry. 

This shop's resident cat kept a close eye on us. You never know when a human is about to swipe a scarf. Or drop some food.

The last hike, to Monterosso, is supposed to be the longest and most difficult, but also feature the best views. But it was getting late after exploring Vernazzo, so we hopped the train again instead. 

In Monterosso, the Husband swam again while I waded in the clearest water in the world.

 Then we enjoyed the sunset light from the pebbly beach.

That's Vernazza all lit up by the sunset in the valley to the right.

For dinner, we had to try the sardines, for which this place is renowned, but they were pretty dang salty. We also ordered my favorite apricot juice, another foccaccia sandwich, and the best bruschetta in the world. Best ever, I tell you. Five perfectly toasted pieces of a grainy bread, brushed with the perfect blend of fresh olive oil and garlic, and each piece topped with something different: homemade pesto, tomatoes with amazing seasonings, tomatoes and pesto together, garlic, and sardines. I was sure I'd gone straight to heaven.

Apricot juice doesn't last long around me. Why oh why can't this become a staple in the States?!

It was the perfect end to a perfect day. At the end, we caught the train back to Levanto and made our way back to our cozy room at the Cuccaro Club for the night. 

Color Blocked, Finally

Dress: Consigned at Periwinkle / Skirt underneath: Charlotte Russe ($5!) / Shoes, Jewelry: Gabes / Belt: Thrifted

Um, I missed this month's Everybody, Everywear. And it was...are you ready for it? Color blocking. Yes, color blocking. The very trend I've been nominating and voting for for over a year, to no avail. Then it's finally chosen the one month I'm not paying any attention because of vacation. And just before I left for vacation, I found this color blocked dress at a local consignment shop for just a few dollars, wore it to school, and photographed it. It would have been so perfect. 

So here it is, my color blocked dress. What I love about this dress is that it's a bit too short. In the past, that would've stopped me cold. But I didn't flinch when thinking about throwing on this black skirt underneath, and voilà, the length works, and I've added a third block of color. Smack. Down.

I also love that it has pockets. Pockets on a skirt or dress are like whipped cream on hot berry pie. It just makes sense.

Back Logged

Skirt: Consigned at Periwinkle / Top: Banana Republic clearance / Shoes: Baretraps, Elder Beerman clearance / Belt: J Crew Factory / Jewelry: Second Hand Brighton

I've taken a lot of outfit photos since I began this blog, some in some pretty neat places. Europe (twice), a tulip field, the coast (too many times to remember), famous waterfalls, and a giant pumpkin fest, to name a few. However, most of them haven't been posted. And thus you have the story of my life.

I've always felt this pressure to journal, but when I first began to keep more than a trite diary as a kid, I pretty quickly felt like I couldn't keep up with writing about all the events I wanted to include. I ended up with a list of events to write about instead. And instead of crossing off all of the items on the list, I added to them. Until I no longer remembered most of the events well enough to record what I'd wanted. Then I got angry at my journals and tossed them all, along with my embarrassing diaries. Pathetic, I know. This was middle school / early high school.

Then I moved to photo journalism. I was going to make scrapbooks. 4-H camp, girls camp, cross-country and track, senior year, prom, graduation, Myrtle Beach for senior week. That was for high school. Then for university there was Debate team, RA days, my first study abroad, graduation again, moving to Florida and working at Disney, etc., etc. And it was all going to go into my fabulous scrapbooks. I built up quite the arsenal of supplies. When I worked for Disney I even used my discount at its holiday max to stock up. These supplies and pictures and empty scrapbooks are now sitting in plastic tubs, constantly staring at me across from my computer. Taunting me.

And then, ladies and gents, I began a style blog. How convenient, I thought. Documenting outfits on ordinary days as well as extraordinary events will help my new "journal" be more well-rounded. And the outfit part and style challenges would make it fun, so I would actually get it done. And what've I got? About 100 outfits over the past year that I've photographed but never posted because I never found time.

My goal for this summer was to catch up on the photo journalism and style blog. I want to finally be free of these weights. So here I am, with less than a month left in my very busy summer, and I'm just beginning. It's a daunting task, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. One day I'm going to be wrinkled and probably lonesome, and I want memories to relive, thank you very much. So I think I'll begin by finishing last year's Europe trip 30x30. Then I'll cover this years Europe trip, and we'll see where we go from there.

Meanwhile, above you have a fun outfit that's one of my favs. I've worn it several times, including last week, but the pics are from last August. I have no idea what happened on that day.

Shame on me.

A lot of blue...

Top: Thrifted (BR) / Pants: Consigned at Periwinkle (Gap) / Coat: Sound & Matter via DownEast / Shoes: Gabes / Bracelets, Belt: J Crew final sale

I love the surprise on someone's face when, after they compliment my outfit, I tell them it's all second-hand or purchased from a shop like Gabes or DownEast, which sells damaged, irregular, or overstocked items from other brands for super cheap. I get some kind of narcissistic, yeah-thats-right-I'm-the-bargain-shopping-queen kind of high.

Then I check out my less than desirable photo results { twilight shots are sooo difficult, but I had to work late that day...} and my pride is yet again humbled. Kind of like when I stride confidently up to a door, push insistently for several moments, then turn to the Husband and say, "this door is jammed," as he pulls it right open.

Somehow that seems to happen quite a lot.

Speaking of a lot, I recently introduced my students to the Alot. I just love him. And they've practically been begging for an intro. He's my most favorite hyperbolic creature ever. I'm pretty sure some of my students didn't get him. It's okay. Alots are known for being better at grammar than many high school students. They're better at everything.

For the record, I titled this post "A lot of blue" because I'm wearing two shades of blue...if you count my coat. Cold snap courtesy of the Cascades. Anyhow, two shades isn't really a lot, I know, but I'm going to humor myself that it is. My point, however lost it may now be, is that I'm wearing a lot of blue. I don't have a blue Alot. That would be weird.

Morning People

Dress: Thrifted / Button-up, Scarf: Consigned at Periwinkle / Shoes, Belt: Gabes

I thought this outfit perfectly represented perkiness, the morning absence of which has been on my mind lately.

See, I really wish I were a morning person. You know that psalm--“early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise?" Well, who doesn't want to be healthy, wealthy, and wise? So I went through a phase when I advertised that I was, actually, one of those perfect “morning persons." Then I tried my mightiest to be one. Turns out, that whole "make it happen" bit doesn't always work.

I can be a bit of a hardcore perfectionist. How's that for a self-denial oxymoron? My childhood nickname may possibly have been Miss Perfect. { It was.} And perfect people are morning people, right? So I needed to be a morning person.

I pictured myself bouncing out of bed like Cameron Diaz in the first Charlie’s Angels movie { I even got an i-Pod alarm to facilitate this }, tidying my bed, whipping up a super cute outfit and hairdo, then dancing my way to the kitchen for a breakfast of oatmeal, French toast, or pancakes with fresh berries and OJ while listening to NPR or checking the news. I’d take the Hound on a brisk walk then have spare time to catch up on housework or divulge in web surfing before heading to work. Doesn’t that sound lovely?

But I wasn't fooling anyone. Try as I might, I never succeeded.

Not even a little, tiny bit.

I still burn with shame when I hear that others read their blog rolls in the morning as they eat breakfast. Real people actually have that kind of luxury time in the morning? Perhaps I could, too, if I didn't hit snooze until the last possible minute before stumbling out of bed, half awake...

Then I brush my teeth and stumble through the kitchen in my pjs and out the door with the Hound, just long enough for her to do her business. I feed her and again traverse the kitchen, back to the bedroom, where I stare at my closet with no clue what to wear because I’m still too sleepy to care.  I may even crawl back under the covers until just a few minutes before I absolutely must leave. I rarely do anything interesting to my hair or tidy my room, and I never leave time for breakfast, news, Cameron Diaz-esque dancing, or web surfing. Still quite grouchy, I leave for the day. 

My “I’m a morning person” phases ran intermittently through high school and college. Eventually, I learned that if I wanted to look nice, I needed to shower and lay out my outfit the night before, to minimize thinking required in the morning. I doesn't seem to matter how early I go to bed; when I wake, I just can’t muster the inspiration to care. Exhibit A: my hair in the photo above. And the eh smirk that goes with it. Too bad I can't lay out my hair the night before, too.

So I guess you could say that I’m going to have a jolly time when motherhood rolls around. I say bring it. Maybe it will get my bum into gear and I’ll become that kick-a morning person I’ve always aspired to be.

Meanwhile, I hope all you morning people out there appreciate your early hour perkiness! I’m mad jealous.

P.S. Happy May Day! It's finally May! It's still a bit snappishly cold today, but we've got flowers and blossoms all over. This apple tree behind me is set to burst into bloom any day now. Yay for real florals!

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This post linked up to the Pleated Poppy's What I Wore party!
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Valentine's Date Night

Blouse: Vintage Oleg Cassini / Tank: Thrifted LOFT / Skirt: Express clearance ($13!) / Purse: Express via Gabes / Faux Fur Coat: Consigned at Periwinkle / Shoes: 6pm (TCP) / Watch: Fossil / Bracelets, Belt: J Crew final sale / Earrings: AE

After a few years together, date nights start to blend in with the norm { Yea. It happens...}  This is especially true when you live in the middle of nowhere and your husband rarely consents to ice-skating, which is the only fun feature your town offers. So for Valentine's this year, I put together few fun little date nights...

1. Make some peanut-butter play-dough-- mix PB, confectioner's sugar, dry milk, and honey-- and check out what's new on your favorite funny site. I Can Haz Cheezburger, Failblog, People of Walmart, or one of Ryan Gosling's many "Hey Girl" memes are all valid options { I like the Literary and Feminist versions, but dang. Handmade and Silicone Valley Ryan are a riot. } Use your play-dough to sculpt some of the funnier pictures for pictionary. Then eat them.

2. Take your Hound { any medium dog will do } to the playground. Put her in a kiddie swing and swing her. Pretend not to notice the staring parents of real kids. Then put your Hound down the slide. Clap with glee. Praise her vociferously. And don't forget to snap lots of pictures. Then stop suddenly and race each other to the car. Pick up some fro-yo on the way home and laugh wildly at the pics.

3. Pull a mattress or memory-foam topper in front of the television, make a fort, light a bunch of candles, and watch a favorite movie. Take turns giving massages and camp out for the night. Or for a month, if you're like us.

4. Teach your man how to apply your makeup. Let him make up categories and have his fun. Then have him teach you how to tie a tie. Bonus points for strapping him to the bed.

5. Play Blackjack. Strip Blackjack. You deal. Heh-heh.

Testing has proven these to be quite agreeable :)

 Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!



P.S. In honor of St. Valentine, it's Red Day over at Bloggers do it Better and Red & Pink Day over at Everybody, Everywear. Red & pink and I are bffs already, in case you didn't know. We went to school together today { and to church on Sunday-- I can't take outdoor photos on winter school days.}

We also went to school together yesterday and we went to a party this past weekend.

At Christmastime we attended an imaginary soirée together, and last summer we frolicked in a field.

We've even gone to the coast together.

{And tonight we're gonna play #5 with the Husband.}

It's getting serious. 

P.S. Express is having one of their "Take an extra 40% off clearance" sales right now! Could make a fun V-Day gift to yourself. Just sayin'!

Pre-Gaming for Cupid

Dress:  B. Moss / Blouse: Old Navy / Shoes: Ross / Earrings: Gabes (1928) / Silk Scarf: Consigned at Periwinkle / Tights, Bracelets: J Crew final sale / Watch: Fossil / Flowers: Bunco prize!

Valentine's is one of those holidays for which I like to sufficiently pre-game. The entire week leading up to the big day, I wear nothing but red and pink and make all of my food into the shape of hearts. I even make heart shaped Hound-treats. I dress our bed with pink sheets and a red quilt and leave candy hearts on the pillow. I "heart attack" all of my friends { including the ones out East-- impressive, huh? } and I make the Husband watch every Valentine's movie known to man with me. We listen to nothing but love songs in the car and at home.

Just kidding.I don't really do any of those things. I realize I did write an ode to herbal tea in my last post, but I promise I'm not really crazy :)

HOWEVER, I did get sucked into wearing red and pink a few times this year. I planned to go all rebellious with my new tangerine tango blazer over red, but that didn't quite work out as I planned. In classic Cassi style, I sabotaged myself right outta that one.

It all began during our staff meeting last week, when we found out that the meeting we have scheduled for after school tomorrow, the day before V-day, would be recorded. My principal eyed me warily and said I should spill what I intended to wear so I wouldn't show everyone up { I have this thing with dressing fancy, in case you haven't noticed...} I feigned astonishment and cheekily replied that I wear red and pink every day leading up to Valentines, of course. Before I knew it, it was agreed that we'd all wear red and pink.

Then we had our church's Valentine's party this weekend, so I decided to try out the outfit you see above, which I plan to wear to school tomorrow. I mostly wanted to test drive that head-scarf, to see if I can pull off what Kristine makes look so brilliantly effortless.

What do you think? Sorry about the random flowers. They were so pretty and matched so perfectly I couldn't resist...

Then Everybody, Everywear voted on the red and pink combo for their February edition, which happens to fall on Valentine's { I was pushing for faux fur...I just consigned a new coat for $4! } so I'll be decked out in yet another red and pink outfit on Tuesday. 

Looks like my tangerine blazer will just have to attend avec impatience*!

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*attend avec impatience = wait patiently

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Editor's Note: Evidence that red and pink is still going strong!

An Ode to Tea, à la Victorienne

Skirt: Consigned / Blazer: Thrifted / Shoes: Miz Mooz / Tights: TJ Maxx over We Love Colors / Belt: J Crew final sale / Necklace: Gabes (1928) / Bracelets: Gabes, J Crew final sale / Hat: Consigned Vintage at Periwinkle

Chère Tisane,

I think I love you. After a long, hard day, you provide comfort and warmth. You're almost as good as the Husband and the Hound in that department.

My crush began the first time I lived in France. Right around twilight, I sometimes enjoyed a tilleul at a café. And my host mom often had a nice infusion beautifully prepared in a glass teapot after dinner. In the states, where you're hard to come by in tilleul form, I turned to chamomile. Twinnings's Pure Chamomile = pure heaven. Occasionally I enjoy a one of your berry teas from Tazo or Stash. This past summer, I brought home a whole tin of your delightful flavors from Provence.

I was recently introduced your Celestial Seasoning's holiday line: Sugar Cookie {ever drink in a freshly baked confection?}, Gingerbread Spice, and Sugar Plum. I also met Stash's Christmas Eve {cinnamon, orange, and spearmint...aah.} I was starstruck, I admit it.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, I found Aveda's Comforting Tea, a delectable blend of licorice root and peppermint that somehow has this amazingly sweet, ever-so-addictive after-taste, even without sugar, that leaves me yearning for more. Addictive, I tell you, but oh so good.

So I thank you. Merci for coming in many delightful flavors. Thank you for coming in a one that doesn't require sugar. Thank you for being there when I'm down. Here's your ode {all good English teachers provide odes, do they not?}:

You are marv'lous and splendid.

You are fabulously great.

My tears and frustration,

you promptly abate.

While delicat'ly sipping you,

I don't feel as o'erwhelmed and sad.

While quaffing your goodness,

I foresee good times to be had.

Don't judge. I may be an English teacher now, but I did that in like .02 seconds, k? And that was in iambic pentameter. 

Kinda. 

Ok, not so much, actually...maybe if you read it with a British accent. But hey, at least I didn't "count the ways"...

P.S. Also, no, you haven't Rip Van Winkled through two seasons. It's not Halloween again already. I'm dressed like this because I was introducing a Victorian etiquette project to my seniors. We're planning a Victorian Tea. For real. Good excuse to throw on a vintage hat and newly thrifted blazer and call it a modern take on Victorian couture? I think so. And Victoria was known for her affinity to black, the poor thing.

Ta ta for now, lovelies. 

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 *tisane = herbal tea / tilleul = tea from a linden tree

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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!

Dognapper

Skirt, Top:  Consigned at Periwinkle / Belt, Jewelry: Christmas gifts (J Crew final sale)  / Shoes: Endless.com ( C. Label ) / Tights: Wal-Mart

I may or may not have stolen a dog last week. { Yeah, I did that. } I also put too much salt in my sun-dried tomato salmon Alfredo and forgot that no, I actually don't have a maid named Helga coming to clean my house. I was supposed to do that myself. It was a stellar week for me. The repairman coming by will just have to deal with crumbs around the frigo.

As for the dog, it was happily reunited with its owner. And I really didn't intend to kidnap it. I'd already gone to work once that morning and forgotten some important papers on my desk. As I was rushing home, I saw this lab playing on the railroad tracks that cross my road. Railroad tracks, people. Not far from a busy highway. I got out, looked around, saw no one, beckoned the dog, checked its tags, and called the owner. No answer. I opened the hatch of my car and it bounded right in. So I took it to back to school with me. Quite a sensible thing to do, if you ask me. All of the houses on my road save one are over a mile from the tracks, and I had no time to go knocking on doors.

Thankfully, the ladies in my school's office are dog lovers so they welcomed the stray right in and I got to class just in time.

So, remember how I said all the houses "save one" are far from the tracks on my road? Well, yeah. The dog belonged to that one.  Of course it did. 
 
And thus I went from dog-rescuer to dog-napper, all in the turn of one morning.  Class-tastic. 
 
P.S.  The Husband picked out the locale for these photos on an after-church drive. Suddenly, he pulls over and says, "right here-- this would be good for outfit pictures."  Every time I see those crumbs around the frigo I'm sure I've taught him nothing, but then he goes and does something like that, and suddenly I can't be mad about crumbs anymore, can I? 

P.S. It's Wednesday! That means it's halfway to Friday evening. Hooray!

 

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*frigo = refrigerator

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A True Story About the Husband and the Hound

   Cashmere Sweater, Skirt: Consigned at Periwinkle (Vintage Saks made in Scotland, Old Navy) / Bracelets:  F21 & Christmas gift (J Crew) / Leather Bracelet & Earrings:  DC Holiday Street Market / Crystal Necklace: Grandmother's

Once upon a time there was a lonesome non-Husband working his way through long hours of medical school in Missouri. One day, he saw an ad for beagle puppies and thought, "Hey, that would be fun!" Upon meeting the seller, he found a mess of tri-colored pups in the back of a pick-up. He paid the man $50, plucked out the wiggliest, squiggliest, smallest Hound-pup of the bunch, and put her in his car.

She whined and whimpered on the ride home till the non-Husband put her in his lap. Then the Hound-pup was very contented. They lived happily the next couple of years, learning to howl at rabbits and having adventures and such, providing one another quite good company.

Then one day the non-Husband had to go away for his internship and residency and couldn't take the Hound-pup, who was practically all Hound by this time. So she moved to Nevada with the non-Husband's brother, and then to Utah with the non-Husband's parents after the howling didn't work out too swell with the Vegas neighbors.

Meanwhile, the non-Husband completed his intern year in Arizona, and then went off to West Virginia for his residency. This is where he semi-met Girl by asking her to play football at a picnic. Girl declined, by the way, so he arranged to pick her up for a trip with mutual friends to jump off of a waterfall the next day. This was a surprise for Girl.  Pretty soon, the non-Husband was showing up at Girl's apartment and asking her to go for ice-cream. Where he told her stories about his Hound, kept her out to the wee hours on a playground, and tried to teach her to drive a stick at the end of the night. Girl is pretty sure that last part was because he didn't want the night to be over. She didn't either.

The weekend of Girl's birthday, the non-Husband flew to Utah for his sister's wedding. He'd invited Girl to go with him. He'd even offered to pay halfsies. But that Sunday was Girl's birthday and she was expecting family. And she'd only just begun to date the non-Husband, after-all, and didn't want to appear presumptuous.

The non-husband returned on Girl's birthday, bringing the Hound with him. They arrived in time to both be big hits with Girl's family. Pretty soon, the Hound was whining at the door for Girl after she left from visiting the non-Husband at his place. Then the Hound began staying the nights with Girl, whose job allowed her to walk the Hound throughout the day. It wasn't long before the Hound moved in with Girl, and not long after that the non-Husband became the Husband, and he moved in too.

And that, friends, is a true story of how the Husband became the Husband, the Hound got a mama, and the Girl found herself with a Husband and a Hound fighting for snuggle space in her bed.

  Clockwise from top left:  non-Husband and Hound-pup, Girl jumps off waterfall and is photographed by non-Husband on that fateful day, non-Husband becomes Girl's Husband, Hound takes over Girl's bed

And you thought this post was going to be about my outfit...

P.S. It's black and white day at Everybody, Everywear! C'est très chic, le noir et blanc, n'est-ce pas?*

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C'est très chic, le noir et blanc, n'est-ce pas? = Black and white is very chic, is it not?

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