Long, Lean, and Green

Speaking of post-partum wearing of maternity dresses: kindly refer to Exhibit C. My husband's Bromance sent a package before Violet was born, including a teething bead bracelet, hilarious pacifiers (reading "Pull to Sound Alarm" and "Mute Button"), a sketch book for me, a pillowcase with his own face on it because he knew we were going into withdrawl, and this magical, magical dress. Ladies, this thoughtful man is single. How? I'm still not sure.

Anyway, I've been wearing this nonstop all summer long. It skims the lumpy post-C-section bits, has a perfect amount of stretch for boob access, cinches nicely in at the natural waist, avoiding the maternity mumu empire waist and the too-low that-would-never-fit-a-pregnant-belly waist line. Magic.

Grab a scarf of your choice for nursing cover duty and rock and roll.

Nice spit-up stain on the thigh, Violet. 

Standing Out on St. Patty's

I was so hopeful these jeans would fit still. I bought them on clearance in a size above my normal and dryer shrunk the crap out of them the last few years pre-pregnancy. Now that my hips got all wide and funky, they're a little too tight, but I couldn't not wear them- this springy color combination was begging for white jeans. And the most fun part is this weird little scarf in my hair has been my St. Patrick's Day go-to little bit of green(it has green cherries and little fuchsia vines on it) for years and years now and I just decided to go for the loud and bright complimentary look. And all my adorably reserved office mates thought it was the most awesome thing ever.

So, moral of the story is this: in the last week of work, wear whatever you want to and all your colleagues and every other Chinese person on campus will stare unabashedly at you and your pregnant belly. No disguising being one of the only white girls working at the University and dressing up anyway, let alone sporting a huge baby bump, so give 'em all something spring-like to stare at.

Mixing in a Bit of Spring

Not my favorite outfit, but I'm so happy I could finally get away with wearing this blouse with a long sleeved shirt underneath and jacket over top. I don't love that I still needed to wear booties with it, but I'll deal with it.

We finally made our way to Shanghai to hunt for the only H&M maternity section nearby last weekend. Up until then, this pair of maternity work trousers was the only thing I had that wasn't regular pants with a belly band. It's tough to sink a whole day into traveling the 85 km between Suzhou and Shanghai for errands. But, oh my gosh, was it worth it. With about 10 weeks to go, I needed pants with stretch!

Happy weekend to you all, friends! Hope you get to bust out a springtime favorite article of clothing and mix it with your winter gear. Maybe if we all collectively get into a spring-y headspace together, it will show up sooner. That's how that works, right?

 

Loud Fall Looks

A month between blog appearances is normal, right? Whoops.

So, what's been up in Suzhou, China?

1. My cool new job at the School of Music got really ridiculous really fast. I am now the International Recruitment Tour Manager for a joint audition/ recruitment concert tour in Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. Which is awesome. But it morphed out of a very casual concept and there's big holes in information and I'm still learning what got glossed over and what was a very informal arrangement versus a venue booking. Which has a lot of bearing on press materials. Oh, and we're only 30 days away from departure now. Way stressful and complicated for being thrust into management of a major project.

2. But, I get to travel with the group for all 6 cities! Many are brief stops (2 jam-packed days), but I will add three countries to my list of "been there's." That's pretty cool!

3. I also travel back to the US in mid-December to pick up my babies. My critters will have been MIA from my life and couch for almost 5 months. And it's been literally the worst. I am a pet owner, through and through. I'm meant to take care of fuzzy things and fall asleep with fur in my face. I'm beyond excited to have them here.

4. Other points of excitement for the trip to the US include buying coconut oil, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, and clarifying shampoo. My options for bathroom stuff here has been slim. Whitening lotion (my skin is plenty pale, thank you), creepy tonics to clean scrapes, and moisturizing shampoo which make my hair lay plastered flat to my head in greasy strings are not doing it for me.

5. Despite the crazy-busy of getting a brand new school up and running, life is good! We're adjusting, finding great places to eat, found our favorite veggie vendor, we're making friends and figuring our new city out. A few pop-over trips to Shanghai and Wuxi (for the nearest Ikea!), a little hanging out at local expat haunts, a lot of enjoying the fall weather.

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny...Sweater: Gap...Scarf: H&M...Bag: Longchamp knockoff...Shoes: Sperry via DSW

Lesson Learned

Just a hint of cool in the air. Living south-ish is so strange during the fall. The mornings are gorgeous, the afternoons are baking hot, the evenings turn me into a weenie, shivering and pulling my hands into my sleeves.

This jacket and I are still figuring one another out. It was my very last purchase in the States before we left for China (thanks, Ebay) and I'm very, very glad I own a great quality mid-tone trench. But, it's heavy weight and the belt loops are quite far back, so I'm always nervous that the belt is slipping out. Is that a legitimate qualm?

I have a bunch of other coats, jackets and blazers, as well as more shoes!, arriving soon in our shipment (which we had picked up in Houston in late June). We were supposed to receive it last Sunday before the week-long National Holiday, and the Customs tracking system even told our agent the paperwork was ready and customs would be open for pick up on Sunday, the holiday "make up" day... but the employees of the warehouse all decided to just up and take the extra two days off. So, we are rescheduled for a Friday delivery this week. Moral of the story: if you move to China, expect to pay an arm and a leg anyway, so cough up the cash to pack a third suitcase or just coerce your friends and family into bring two 50-pounders when they visit. It will take just as long to get your goodies by visit as it will by shipment.

Well, now we know.

Jeans: Gap Real Straight...Tank: thrifted...Trench: J Crew Madewell via Ebay...Shoes: Nine West...Bag: Longchamp knockoff

Whirlwind Week

Pants: Zara...Blouse: thrifted...Cardigan: Target...Shoes: Naturalizer

It's been a wild week and getting more nuts! We sold our Honda Fit on Tuesday (I cried. It was such a good car), and went to see my friend's dress rehearsal of Chinglish, which was an excellent play. A friend from Arizona was in town visiting his parents, so we went to dinner last night and ate a disgusting amount of sushi. We've been packing and selling things like crazy after we posted a bunch of things in the university's online advertisement forum. Poor Rob has spent two days doing nothing but answer questions like "Yes, it's a pretty standard crock pot. No, that tall shelf can't be shortened. Sure, you can come look at it, but it has to be before Friday at 10."

And that's because Friday afternoon is his Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. And Saturday at the buttcrack of dawn is Graduation. Which, by the way, might get rained out, so each candidate only gets two tickets for the Field House, and our group includes a spouse and two parents. (Oh, yeah, and Rob's parents are arriving tonight!) Bromance's family is here too, and his cousin is joining the group, so if we can't weasel our way into any extra tickets, his mom and I are going to spend our morning watching the televised version and drinking mimosas together. I sure would love to see them graduate since I'm so sick of student-hood, but spending time that way isn't a terrible alternative.

So, I'll see you all next week! Maybe. There's been a lot of friend time each evening, lots of arrangements to make, but at least we're getting it all done earlier than later. Phew, I'm overwhelmed and exhausted already!

Navy, Mint, and White

Jeans: Gap...Tee: UO...Blazer: Gap...Scarf: Suzhou (Rob's little token from his interview trip)...Shoes: Nine West Outlet

Um, so blogging took a back seat. Sorry 'bout that.

Stuff I've been up to:
Post-gala wrap up. Always.
The Orange Show "Un-Concert." I still owe you guys a little bit about that.
Garage Sale with our neighbors two weekends ago. Got rid of a handful of small stuff. We'll plan on another one June 1. Hopefully we aren't without furniture for too long!
I also packed up my first 50-lb. duffel bag. We're gathering boxes to do a slow shipment later in the year with books and winter clothes. Three months to go and our house is already a wreck.
This past weekend was the annual composer weekend away. Mmmm, sunshine and beers.
Lots and lots and lots of friend time. We haven't gotten much of anything productive done most evenings.

P.S. I have no idea why I don't wear this navy blazer more. It's lightweight, has nice slim sleeves, and is the perfect cropped length. It's a no-brainer. I also purchased myself glasses after my first vision check in a few years and went for these totally rad green hipster frames. Geek chic with a little flair, no?

5 Days 5 Ways Tops

I toootally forgot Franziska and Whitney's 5 Days 5 Ways was getting started this week! I'm so pleased to dive on in and join the lovelies hanging out. I thought since I've worn it recently-ish, I might feature my green tank because it's so darn cheerful. It's one of those items in my closet that I may not document super-often, but I wear it like crazy. My wardrobe is mostly neutrals, but daaaang is it easy to throw this bad boy on and look put together. Loose green tank and skinny jeans? Tucked in green tank with a pencil skirt and cardigan? Green tank, oatmeal cardigan and slim cropped trousers? All pretty regular go-to's for spring and summer. I kind of can't wait to bust it out again.

All Over the Place

Skirt: DVF, thrifted...Cardigan: Target...Belt: Target...Scarf: thrifted...Shoes: Naturalizer...Earrings: Etsy

It's been a weird week already, our Executive Director has been out for two days with a plague of some sort, we have an LOI for a grant due next Monday, a major grant pushed back to EASTER (Sunday due date, what?!) another application due the 1st. And, just for funsies, we're gearing up to man a volunteer-run art activity table at the bi-annual art festival this weekend. Ain't nobody got time for that! And then, Rob leaves early Sunday morning to drive to Tucson for the week because the weekend of the 29th, his dance collaboration is being premiered. I'll fly out late Friday night and we get to drive back together on the 1st. I can't even tell you how badly I'm tempted to "take a wrong turn" on the way home and wind up in CO or UT, just to play around in national parks for a while. Gosh, my heart belongs to the Rockies.

Good morning, scattered mind.

I think I'm just surviving on lists. And I'll write 'em wherever I can just to try to cement it in my head. Whatever, it's aaaaall going to be worlds better after April 11. The darn Gala's just gotta get itself done and over with.

Come hang out over at the Pleated Poppy, Because Shanna Said So, and Style Elixir!

St. Patty's '13

Jeans: Gap...Tee: J Crew Factory...Shoes: Chacos...Headscarf: thrifted...Necklace: Etsy

This headscarf has become my St. Patrick's Day tradition. It has green cherry motif on it. No joke. And since I legit love dark dark dark beers all the time, Guinness isn't really a big deal for me, so I have to find another point of thrill for the "holiday." This silly little scarf is it.

I got to spend a lot of the weekend hanging out with Homer, our neighbors' basset hound (up in the first photo). He and Miles are besties, but they wear one another out FAST. They spent several hours of togetherness mouth breathing on each other rather than really wrestling because they ran around nonstop for the first 45 minutes. He's only about 6 months old, but he's getting darn big. I really wanted to bring both pups to meet up with the Beer Golf Tournament on campus, but Homer is a little too much of a hound dog: distracted on long walks by his nose and lazy as crap. I would have spent lots of the time on campus literally carrying him around. Nope. That's 50 pounds or more.

So, Miles got to go. And Rob's Bromance brought me back the following tee from his recent trip to Ireland. Onto which I fumbled/caught/paddleball tossed/caught again/fumbled a cupcake into my shirt. With the full palm of my hand. You better believe I ate the rest of the cupcake mush. Miles licked the whipped cream frosting part for me. Day: made for my chow-hound.

Oops.

Complaining about Nothing

Dress: Target...Cardigan: Target...Scarf: table runner from Thailand...Shoes: Naturalizer

Maaaaan, I had a case of the Mondays yesterday. Woke up late, stayed in bed late, watched a few more minutes of Castaway (which we fell asleep to), didn't brush my overnight-dried hair. It's a good thing I treated myself to a ridiculous morning, the workday got going and we didn't quit until after 8. And then proofed and made mark ups to the invitation for our event over email until 11. Ick.

I would have given anything for a 2:30 nap. No luck. And I have a sneaking suspicion the rest of the week isn't going to let up. You know, March 1 deadlines and all. Double ick. No worries. I'll make it to Friday. I think.

Crash landing

Skirt: F21...Tank: Target...Sweater: thrifted...Shoes: Naturalizer...Bag: Longchamp knockoff

If one wears a green tank masquerading as a real shirt in the workplace, is one able to make up for it with a ridiculously bow-laden pencil skirt?

So, we had an incident yesterday morning. We had a leftover candle from the holidays hanging out in our very tiny linen closet and, while reaching in for his shaving cream, Rob knocked it off the shelf and onto the floor. It shattered. Big time. I was still in the shower, so my only way out of the bathroom to get a broom and clean up supplies was past the massive explosion of glass. It's really really nervewracking to try to avoid a floor full of glass shards while one is 1. soaking wet 2. wearing foggy glasses 3. trying to maneuver in a towel 4. trying desperately not to bump into the person whose foot is gouged by and covered in glass.

Clean up ended up going fine, but I'm very confident we washed a pretty fair amount down the shower drain. Somehow, wiping the glass off of my husband's foot with a paper towel seemed like a really awful idea.

Thrifted Skirt Refashion

Skirt: thrifted and refashioned...Tank: Old Navy...Belt: thrifted...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Necklace: who knows?

Thrifted and refashioned skirt?! Ohmygosh, I can't believe I sewed a straight line. Not only that, but I sewed TWO straight lines. You can't see it, but I folded the top down about 1 1/2" and then folded that in half again, sewing along the bottom edge to create the space where the elastic is slipped in. After the elastic was threaded through and sewn to the correct waist circumference, I stretched the elastic and fabric out and sewed another seam along the top edge of the elastic to keep it from flipping and bunching (it's about 1/4" seam around the top, seen above the belt) and to keep the top edge upright. I'm still a little shocked that I didn't need to enlist help or seam-rip out too many poor attempts. Am I getting better at machine sewing? 

Not likely.

By the way, here's how long, flowy, fluttery and 80/90's-tastic it started:

I'm spreading the magic and joy of my handiwork around the internets today: Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday and Rolled Up Pretty's Whatever Whenever Wednesday!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny...Blouse: via Buffalo Exchange...Shoes: Nine West Outlet...Belt: Target...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

I am absolutely not picking my nose in the detail shot.

My girlfriends are awesome. One darling friend joined me last night for pesto and pasta, caprese salad, avocado and cucumber salad, wine, chocolate covered strawberries (homemade by her!) and watching "Chicago." Tonight I have plans to accompany another friend to an art opening. Um, yes, yes, yes. I think the ladies will be banding together while our significant others are off studying like mad.

Happy Weekend, you all.

Bangs Trim

Skirt: Beijing seamstress...Tee: H&M...Belt: thrifted...Necklace: Target...Shoes: Seychilles via DSW...Clutch: gifted from Katie

I know it doesn't look like much, but my hair is 3/4 of the way to its intended summer style. It started out long, stringy, washed out and uneven. It was long, trimmed up and washed out via a Groupon for a cheapie haircut. It got a slightly darker color at the roots. And yesterday, I forked over an Alexander Hamilton for a real hairdresser to give some shape to my long, grown out bangs (The gal I saw is named Rita. Being in the hands of someone with that cool of a name just had to be a good omen, right?). My last step? Imma try an at-home ombre. I'm nervous but excited about how this turns out.

Not much else to say about any of this, so I'll give you a few photos of the tragic before and cleaned up after.

BEFORE:

AFTER: