In love with neutrals (and also apparently Target)

Sorry to be AWOL for a few days, I've been really grubby and not photograph-worthy. Argh.
Today it's gorgeous but cool outside, and I had a super busy morning. So I needed to be comfortable and ready for action... and that of course means that I reached for another jersey dress. This is a new one; I love the tone-on-tone stripes. But I had to wear leggings today (it's cool, plus I was spending a good chunk of time sitting on the floor with toddlers) and I wish I'd had a lighter or tan pair of leggings to go with the dress; the brown seems a little dark. Oh well. I'm still cuter than if I'd thrown on jeans and a t-shirt, which was my first inclination!

Brown cardigan: Target
Striped jersey dress: Target
Brown leggings: Old Navy
Bronze ballet flats: Target
Multi-tone pearl beads: gift from a friend

(Seriously, people, I'm like a walking Target ad here. Only the leggings are exempt, and really they could just as easily have been from the Tarjay as well... It's kind of silly actually because there is no Target within hours of my house!)

Where: music class, furniture workshop, doctors office, burgers/fries/ice cream with my son, work at home, cookout tonight.

Friday Hoedown

Okay, I'm not going to a hoedown. For some reason with the rolled up jeans and the espadrille wedges, I feel a little bit country. Or maybe it's because I just went down to the "Rib Fest" for lunch. It is not a place this vegetarian likes to hang but out summer intern wanted to try the Tennessee ribs so away we went. I tried not to gag when I saw the whole pig rotating on a spit. Super gag.

So yes, the outfit. Actually, let's talk shoes. In case you haven't noticed, I wear flats 113% of the time. Today I decided to go all CRAZY and wear high heal wedges. They are actually the only type of heals I will wear without screaming Uncle! I tried to put a closeup photo of the shoes but it appeared upside down and I didn't want to strain anyone's neck trying to look at them. So, trust me, they are cute.

The Wear:
Cardigan (remixed): Motherhood Maternity (Not. With. Child.)
Beaded shirt: Boutique in San Diego from a gajillion years ago
Camisole: Banana Republic
Jeans (remixed): !it Diva
Belt (remixed): C. J. Laing
Espadrilles: Franco Sarto

The Where:
Work, Rib Fest, eye doctor, grocery store, cookout

Bad in Black

Today I had to have my portrait taken for the local bar association picture guide. Because that it just what you need, a photo guide of local attorneys. Whoowee! We were told to wear solid colors or a dark suit. I came this close to wearing my fancy charcoal grey suit but then decided that no way, if I do not have to be in court, a suit does not go on my person. So there. Instead I decided to jazz up this black number with more black. See that creativity? Actually, I like this outfit. I feel a little bit like Joan Harris with the belt on. I just need the red hair and saucy attitude to go with it!

Tomorrow is casual Friday and I have a picnic in the evening. I need to step up my game, as SP did in this post, and move out of my comfort zone. I have some ideas brewing, it's just a matter of putting it all together.

By the way, I am proud that this post is relatively coherent and I am not wearing my dress backwards. Our two year old son had a sleep study on Tuesday and although I do not like the term "epic fail" that is the only way to describe the study, my lack sleep and I really mean no sleep, and the resulting crankiness of all parties involved. Be ye not so stupid: avoid sleep studies on two year old children who end up also having double ear infections!

The Wear:
Dress (remixed): Shabby Apple (I loves me some Shabby Apple)
Belt (remixed): Express
Shoes (remixed): Mossimo (I wanted to wear some red wedges but I thought my tiredness might result in falling.)

The Where:
Work, portrait sitting (gag,) meeting with clients, massage (High! Five!), home.

Two cookouts

So. This is the story of two cookouts - one we went to Sunday night, and one I hosted on Monday night. And two outfits. One of which I liked, one of which I did not. Shall we begin? Good.

This is what I threw on for a last-minute get-together at my aunt's house Sunday night. I had run half a marathon earlier in the day, and I was SORE. Still am, actually.
Anyhow, the skirt is a new purchase because I liked the color (surprise, surprise!) and the floaty fabric. But now that I see the photo, I like it a lot less. Maybe it's the combination with this shirt, but I look kind of matronly. Blech. Maybe I need to shorten the skirt. Or maybe I need to get rid of this shirt.

Tan square-neck t-shirt: Macy's
Coral print skirt: Old Navy
Coral and tan sandals: Bass
Pink beaded necklace: Kohl's

Where: last-minute cookout with family.

And this is what I threw on to host a cookout with neighbors on Monday night. Much better. This was the first time I've worn this dress and it works for me. I like the loose waistline because I could eat as much as I wanted and not worry about a big belly showing... and the hemline is a little shorter than I usually like, but I think it's okay. The loose silhouette makes me think of a early 1900s flapper dress, but I'm kind of enjoying that.

White floral dress: Old Navy
Coral and tan sandals: Bass
Pink and green beaded necklace: Baked Beads

Where: grocery shopping and hosting a cookout.

Bottle of red, bottle of white

I've been wanting to wear this exact combination of clothing for a while now, and just haven't had the opportunity until Saturday night. I was meeting some friends at an Italian restaurant for a night-before-the-big-race dinner, and it was both warm and rainy out. I hadn't gotten to break out these shoes yet although I've had them for a while. I like how they make my legs a lot longer!
I really love how this outfit turned out, and I liked how I looked. Although I did get some funny looks from older women in the restaurant. Ah well. Could have been the giant polka-dot coral flower in my hair.

Striped top: French Connection
Coral linen shorts: Gap
Nude pumps: Franco Sarto
Polka-dot coral flower: Icing

Where: spaghetti dinner with friends.