Wrapping Up

Skirt: Target...Tee: J Crew Factory...Scarf: TJ Maxx...Belt: Target...Shoes: Naturalizer...Bag: Longchamp knockoff

It's been so. darn. cold in our office the last month. AC is my nemesis. My fingers are literally freezing after having them exposed and elevated to work on the computer. Solution? Dress like it's early spring: lighter, happy colors, worn in pretty extreme layers (there's totally two long sleeved shirts going on up there), along with an oversized scarf. Oh, yeah, and then die of heat stroke once you step out into Houston's 96 F, 80% humidity afternoon weather.


Guys, it's my very last day at work today. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and I'm definitely glad to be trotting off to China soon.

I won't say I'm not a little sad. This job has had its challenges- grants writing (but mostly grants reporting on Education and programs which I know nothing about) is hard. And diving into it with no prior experience and being given very little training made it tougher. But, I was surrounded by really good people, extraordinary work being accomplished, and, if nothing else, I was part of a shift in the the energy of the office after a few years of tricky office dynamics and leadership. If nothing else, I contributed to creating a cheerful and positive culture and working relationships. Was the position itself my best fit? Probably not. The Gala, streamlined branding and templates, and positive energy are things I'm proud to put my name on, though.

But, as of today at 5:00, I'm unemployed. Rather, I'm officially on vacation. Rob and I are going on a cruise to Belize, Isla Roatan, and Cozumel. And then we get one final week to soak up friend time and finish painting and cleaning this apartment that's been home for four years.

And then three weeks stuffed full of family time! I just saw my family during my brother's HS graduation a few short weeks ago, but I'm beyond excited for this.

And then we're getting onto a plane to move halfway across the world.

Move. Across the world.



Whoa.

Stolen from the Boys

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny...Button down: Target dude's...Trench: Target...Shoes: Steve Madden

I remember it distinctly... Christmas eve, my family did a cross-country and international webchat to exchange gifts and my darling sister had swiped the perfect buffalo plaid shirt from her boyfriend to wear as festive Hong Kong Christmas morning coffee attire. And, well, since I can't EVER steal anything from Rob (a 6'4" frame doesn't lend itself to shared wardrobe items with a 5'4" shrimp), I knew I was in for a hunt for a clearance dude flannel of my very own. I liked the small cobalt and black check, but ultimately decided it looked like a bruise. So, here we are, in a weekend errand outfit with perfectly oversized man-shirt in girly-colored plaid (no wonder so many made it to clearance) and nearing-death jeans. Total honesty? The trench and real shoes were only a fraction of the day... the majority was spent in Chacos and with one sleeve flapping and unfurled.

Whoa

Skirt: H&M...Tank: Target...Cardigan: Target...Belt: Target...Shoes: Naturalizer...Bag: Longchamp knockoff

It's been a wild week, thank goodness the first three have gone seemingly quickly. After my bummer of a complaint post earlier this week, I'm glad to say I've received a little better communication and a better vision of what I can do to be most helpful, which means my days are filled with catching up on effectively doing things rather than cycling through tasks that I only understand halfway. It goes faster when you're in the middle of a "good busy" streak.

Speaking of time going faster, there's only a month before the Gala. And only three weeks until we travel to Tucson for Rob's dance show premier (he wrote a major work that's being choreographed by Art.if.Act Dance Company, they're SO good.). Only three months until I'm done with work. Four short months until we're moving our things, what little we're keeping, back to Ohio. Down to about 18 weeks before we're outta here. Wild to think about!

Check back tomorrow for my fancy-pants look to go to the Ballet! The RITE OF SPRING!

Dressing for the Occasion

Pants: Zara...Blouse: Banana Outlet...Cardigan: Target...Belt: Target...Shoes: Cole Haan via  DSW...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Shades: via TJ Maxx

I've been thinking a lot about the word "appropriate." More specifically, about how very little I actively think about dressing appropriately for something but how nervous and anxious I subconsciously become about properly gauging an event.

When I talk about "appropriate" dressing, I'm talking about taking into consideration the event, the weather, casual or fancy? Need to impress anyone? Cheerful attire vs. understated, consider level of comfort and mobility, temperature, versatility. We all know I'm a grab and go kind of girl when it comes to dressing, so needing to be conscious of what I'm choosing to wear for an event quickly becomes a big darn deal. And I tend to yank out and hang back up several real duds before landing on something that I think is absolutely awesome. Fast forward about two hours into the wearing... and I'm either way overdressed, self-conscious of how trendy I look or too casual and weirdly okay about that.

But, each failure means I'm learning. Especially when I think "Neat, a concert to attend! I can wear something awesome and fashionable!" And then I realize (only upon arrival) that eeeeeveryone else attending the recital is a student... a sea of fitted tees and jeans. And me and my sky-high strappy sandals and awesomely large draped scarf are way out of place. What are your tips and tricks for dressing appropriately? What questions do you ask yourself to determine if you're on the right track for a specific event?

A Bright Spot in my Day

Skirt: DVF, thrifted...Tank: Target...Belt: Target...Cardigan: Target...Shoes: Steve Madden...Shades: Coach via TJ Maxx...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Every time I wear this skirt, I cycle through the same train of thought- "Holy poop, this skirt is awesome. Dang, I wish it was just two inches longer. Psht, it's a Diane von Furstenberg that some ding dong gave to the thrift store in just my size. In zebra print. It's not meant to be super conservative, so I just  need to shut my face and wear it proudly because it's zebra print. In just my size. And it's DVF. For only $5. Kate, you win."

I always get so excited for Wednesdays, most of the link ups I take part in are on Wednesdays, so I feel like my grab-n-go outfit mojo really gets cooking because I'm so excited about the sense of community swirling around. Between getting fun new pop-ins to my blog and the joy of finding new-to-me blogs through the link ups, it's a good-vibes kind of sunshine and rainbows happy day. So, to all of you, Happy Wednesday and thanks for being such a kick butt group of bloggers. You're all so fun!

Check out Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday!

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.

Artificial Sunshine

Jeans: Gap...Tank: Target...Cardigan: Gap...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange

I'm a fashion cheater. I'll own up to it. Like how I stole an outfit from myself (it's been barely 3 weeks since I wore this last) just to have a for-real sunny yellow look so I could participate in Marion's monthly challenge and boost my mood. Changing the color of your pants counts as a new outfit, right?

Thank goodness for my husband. If you actually made it through yesterday's whiny mess of a post, you know my Memorial Day Off was a major disappointment and Tuesday was a crabby continuation. My Guy convinced me that evenings were for fun and relaxing, so rather than continue to stew, I ought to cram my face with a spicy black bean burger loaded up with mushrooms, avocado and blue cheese dressing, cry my eyes out watching "Milk" for the first time to purge the sobby emotions from my system, blog to my heart's content and snuggle into bed an hour early. A much better attitude by the end of the night.

So, I'm cheerfully linking up with a few goodies this evening... Marionberry Style's Monthly Trend Challenge, Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday, All Lacqured Up's Work It Wednesday. I love the inspiration I find in these link ups!

Cars: A Tale of Misuse

Dress: Target...Blazer: Banana Republic, thrifted...Belt & Necklace: Target...Shoes: Nine West

I've decided that this week will be all about story-telling from my childhood. And here's why.

Amazing images from Shybiker's day at the racetrack made my mind wander back to kid-dom and the time COSI had a Speed Racers' exhibit about the physics of racing. The theme song got totally stuck in your head and over and over again the narration would remind you to "tuuuuurn toward the apex and accellerate out of the turn." Fine advice for a 10 year old. Many golf carts after that time were tested at full speed. And, no, we did not flip any.

This also led to the thrill of what I can only describe as the strangest afternoon of fun times with my dad and sister. My first car (when I finally started driving at 17) was a '91 Honda Civic with no upgrades at all. Manual, no power locks or power steering, no clock, no cupholders, we didn't spring for the passenger side mirror. But that car was magical. And one afternoon on the ride home from the grocery store that was barely 1/2 mile away, I discovered that if you scoot the passenger seat up and then hold the lever while dad accellerated, you rocket back like you're on a roller coaster. I made him stop the car and my sister and I piled onto the front seat and rode the roller coaster together over and over again in 20 foor increments of pavement. It was the best 1/2 mile car ride of my life.

And one of the strangest stories I've ever divulged to the internets. You're welcome.

Art Car Weekend

It's going to be an errand day- and I'm excited. Lots of packets and tickets to be delivered, long car rides around town, intermittent phone calls about a task or item forgotten. It's a strangely satisfying puzzle to get it all done efficiently and with the most pleasant route for a ride with the windows down.

And it's all happening because it's NEARLY ART CAR WEEKEND. This amazing Houston tradition is in it's 25th year and is so wonderfully nuts. The excitement and joy of the Art Car community and sense of fun and whimsy are not to be missed if you're ever in Houston during the second weekend in May. To read more about the history of the Parade or to see some of the cars, check out the website! Tonight, my guy and I are going to the Art Car Ball, which is the preview party in celebration of the artists and maaaany of them come in costume to match their cars, other guests just come in costume for fun. It's loud, wild, goofy and totally fun.

What kind of events go on in your town? Any awesome festivals? Strange parades?

Pants: Theory via Buffalo Exchange...Button-down: J Crew Outlet...Cardigan: Target...Shoes: Calvin Klein via Buffalo Exchange...Belt: Target

A Sigh of Relief

My dad-in-law is being monitored and out of crisis. A hospital stay will be longer-lived than he'd like, but at least he'll be receiving vigilant attention.

I'm still so worked up, I'm so sorry to not post more. Keep holding a good thought for my husband's family! We have a plan of action, thank goodness, so please send boredom and monotony up to Ohio for me... We don't need any more excitement or complications.

Pants: Gap Slim Cropped...Shirt: Target...Cardigan: Gap...Scarf: Liberty of London, thrifted...Shoes: Payless (very old)

Winners

Ever have a pair of shoes that you start off liking and wind up loving? That's these little snakey peep toes. Of all the animal prints, I've always had a soft spot for reptillian. And in Texas, I need peep toes to make it through summer. Well, I need to be barefoot to make it through summer, but this level of work-appropriate ventilation will have to do. Anyway, moral of the story is that these area  great silhouette, have a nice solid heel (Like these. Oh, snap. Those are cute, too.), and have just enough cush in the footbed to make them okay for all day. Really, truly, all day. I wore these bad boys for a unexpected tour of downtown San Antonio after my Guy, Bromance and I lost the Symphony's performance venue after having a drink post-concert. A mile or so later over cobblestone streets, I was still in shoes and still keeping up with Long-Legs Magoo (my husband) and Zippy Walks-a-Lot (Bromance).


Moral of the story is that I spent yesterday party-prepping in these gems. And by the end of the day, my feet were normal end of the day tired. And that's nothing to sneeze at.

Pants: Banana Republic...Blouse: thrifted...Cardigan: Target...Shoes: Nine West via Buffalo Exchange...Shades: Coach via TJ Maxx...Jewelry: Timec and thrifted

Another Zoo Day

Sunday has become Zoo Day for us- we live a short 1 1/2 mile bike ride from our apartment through Hermann Park to the entrance. I really enjoy going early in the day to see monkeys jumping around, big cat trainings, and phenomenal people watching. Example of the day: little blonde girl squealing her head off after jumping in and out of the fan with water blowing. She loved chattering into the fan but couldn't handle the spray right in her face. Too cute, too funny.

Oh, and I saw the male elephant poop and scratch his butt on a stone wall in the enclosure for 5 minutes. It was awesome.

Jeans: Gap Easy Straight (old)...Tank: Gap...Jacket: via Buffalo Exchange...Belt: Target...Shoes: Chacos...Shades: via TJ Maxx...Bike: Awesome

Unwelcome Excitement

Four points of unwelcome excitement happened yesterday:

I tapped my hot french press carafe on the corner of this sink and a chunk cracked out of the bottom edge. Boo hoo, no perfectly brewed-to-my-taste strong bold coffee for me tomorrow.
I was beyond busted taking pictures again. Who would have thought that the SAME neighbor with his pack of doggies would be coming out (still in PJ's) at 9 am?
A crated sculpture arrived unexpectedly at boss lady's house (we were told there would be a Friday arrival) and the first one of this sculpture's kind came from overseas broken into pieces. I wanted her here to inspect and be witness to the method of packing so she could hoot and holler at the shipper herself if something happened to it, but she'd been moral support at the hospital since 6 am for her grandson's leg surgery. So I hesitantly took on the task of uncrating this precious cargo.
It got hotter and hotter as the day went on and, upon getting the sculpture safely out of the crate and into the house (um, HEAVY.), went back out to help the gardener tidy up our disaster zone. I squatted down to pick up the dozens of screws and when I stood back up my vision went fuzzy then dark, I gripped the stepladder for dear life, hands shaking, body wavering. But I didn't fall. Thank goodness. I swiped a banana and glass of OJ and felt much better.

And I can't handle any more zany for a few days. Here's to a weekend filled with reading and remaining stationary.

Pants: Theory via Buffalo Exchange...Blouse: Gap...Cardigan: Target...Belt: Target...Shoes: Naturalizer

Week of Lip Gunk, Day Five

Boss Lady and Fam went to the coast for Easter. And I wore jeans to work to celebrate (That's clearly a logical conclusion). Here's some outfit improvement notes for my own future reference:
1. Two skinny belts are cute and fun, but maybe I should consider tightening them the same amount.
2. Dusty heathered sweaters are best worn with a contrasting bottom. I was too afraid to bust out my white crop jeans, but they would have been winners.
3. Pick a tank top that has a low enough neckline to sit below the loose neckline of said amazing heathered sweater- nude boring camisole peeking out is not a good look. And it drastically reduces the number of photos that are any good at all for blog use.

Aaaand to wrap up the Week of Lip Gunk, Day Five: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef. It's a good one- pretty highly pigmented peachy coral color without shimmery crap in it, a strange mixture of being very "there" color and being nicely blendable. I applied too heavily and ended up with gooey peach lips, but after a quick blot and a light second application, this was a lovely fresh color to brighten up my face. It's going to be an eeeeeasy summer favorite. I'm really glad my first excessive application didn't scare me away from this goodie.

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny...Sweater: Sparkle and Fade, via Buffalo Exchange...Belts: Target...Shoes: thrifted...Necklace: Target

Trying Again

It was so darn nice out this morning, I thought I'd brave the dog poo in the grassy spot between our apartment buildings and take my photos outside again. I got caught by the same neighbor. And I think I'm just going to have to choose to be "over it." Because I was able to use an infinitely faster shutter speed outside and that's aaaaalways a good thing.

Sometime this week I will be dying my hair. Dangit. And here's how it's going down:

I saw something in InStyle about eSalon.com doing custom formulations of dye, thought why not give it a shot and hope it doesn't turn my hair brassy. I'm not doing a sponsored post, just giving something new a try. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Adios, 2" long roots. You suck and will not be missed.

Pants: Theory via Buffalo Exchange...Sweater: Target...Scarf: via TJ Maxx...Shoes: MRKT via Buffalo Exchange... Bracelets: thrifted and Timex...Earrings: Target