Basic and Loving It

The summer weather is starting to wind down over here, and it's really been nice to toss on a pair of jeans and a short sleeved top and pop out for the day. Violet is a little heater in the sling, so we keep it simple and lightweight- one layer for me and only a onesie or romper for her, even if there's a little morning nip in the air. We snuggle in and keep one another perfectly comfortable. True, we've gotten a few rotten stares from Chinese grandmothers who think she's going to die a thousand deaths because she has no socks on, but she kicks them off every time we give them a whirl. Not worth it. 

PS, I know there's some ladies out there who can't stand their maternity wardrobe post-partum, but I'm still wearing mine and loving it. These maternity jeans fit crazy good, even if they have a full panel folded down

How I Spent July

Well, hello, dear friends! I wrote a little note to you all yesterday to tell you that we've successfully made it to Suzhou, China. Today is our fourth full day in the city and we're finally feeling a little more adjusted to the time zone, have the essentials handled for our new apartment, and have been able to order and accurately pay for several meals. Big successes, all around!

Starting July 30, we moved out of our sweet apartment in Houston and drove our last few belongings that would be placed in storage (favorite dishes, good knives, artwork, etc) along with our four large suitcases for the flight to China in a trailer behind the Jeep. We took two days to get up to Ohio, stopping along the way to spend the night with a dear friend from grade school who is living in Missouri. A visit and the stopping point couldn't have been more refreshing.

We spent three weeks with family and friends in Ohio and used our time to the fullest! Half-way through, my sister was married in a stunning and perfectly simple ceremony along Lake Michigan, and I was so grateful to be able to take part in her bridal shower, last minute preparations, rehearsal dinner, meet and greet time with her husband's family, and a little bit of family vacation time in the rented house after they took off to honeymoon. (I'm pretty sure I owe you all a thorough post, the wedding was beyond perfect).

We spent a rainy Saturday hosting an open house get together and a really great group of friends and extended family made the effort to come spend the day with us to catch up and say farewell for a while. In the age of Facebook, it sure is easy to check in on people, but there's truly nothing like spending time together. Other highlights of our time in Ohio included nephew visits, godson and best friend playtime, acquainting my doggy to life at my parents (we hope to bring both the beagle and our cat over in a few months), visiting and re-getting-to-know-time with my brother, who is now a big bad 18 year old adult, and a haircut from my favorite long-time stylist (nothing drastic, just took 3 scraggly inches off the ends and shaped it up, but I received exactly ZERO good haircuts in 4 years in Houston, so this was a big highlight).

In my focus to spend time with family, I preeetty much spent all three weeks in 6 articles of clothing, not including dresses for special events. Here's a little rundown of how I looked for the entirety of July:

Hope you all have had a good month (I've sort of been reading along with my favorite blogs, but I've been pretty technologically disconnected for a while).

Catch up with you all soon!

Taupe, Tan and other neutrals

Jeans: Gap Always Skinny...Tee: Gap PureBody...Sweater: Banana Republic, thrifted...Blazer: Gap...Boots: thrifted...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Shades: via TJ Maxx

There's something wonderful about grounding an airy, light palette look with warm cognac boots and a leopard print scarf. Yeah, the blazer gives it a little gravity, yeah, the jeans are a nice mid grey, but it's all pretty simple and basic with the grey bottoms and light grey loose sweater until you add a kick of warmth with the deep tan hue. Color theory, my friends. And balance. between an accent above and below the waist. The tan and taupe in that scarf work with everything, including my boots.

I've been pulling a lot of black lately for my new job, it's easy, ladylike and gives me a little credibility. This look was a nice break from the strict professionalism of pencil skirts and lends itself well to a day of hauling bookcases. Yup, that happened.

Have an amazing weekend, you all! Keep your eyes peeled for this easy peasy look on both Work Clothes, I Suppose Third Thursday: Knits and EB:EW Boots!

Raunchy

Skirt: H&M...Tee: Gap...Jacket: Armani Exchange via Buffalo Exchange...Shoes: Naturalizer...Belt: Gap...Necklaces: J Crew...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Okay, so I'm finally feeling disconnected from the Gala to share some amazing stories from last week:

Wednesday came and went and our catalog deadline was a big darn joke. As Boss Lady and I hacked our way through the list of descriptions to edit (she was mostly distracted all week and we pushed past the deadline laughing), we started noticing our verbiage got more and more inappropriate and raunchy. Who talks about a restaurant in terms of a secret rendezvous? We did. At 9pm on Tuesday. Who uses icky and demanding phrase of "Your John Hancock, please." in regards to $900 pen? We did. At 8:15 on Wednesday. So far removed from elegant and enticing. We won't even talk about the phallic references to the bullet casing necklace.

I would be remiss if I didn't say I really am glad for the exhausting experience of last week. For the first time in three years, Boss Lady placed a lot of trust in my writing abilities and pricing judgements to get the auction stuff done. Which is a big darn deal because she is a control freak. Whip smart, but a control freak. I maintained a positive, productive, cheerful, and relatively happy demeanor all darn week long, no small feat considering how close we cut so many deadlines. Boss Lady was crabby and tired, but we kicked serious arse as a team. Which I'm glad for. She's been known to hold it against people who "leave" and "wrong" her (aka taking a career advancing job), but I think my commitment and dedication to creative and decisive work in the last month won her over.

Thank goodness.

I do, however, think I'll have to do a better job of keeping auction items G to PG for my new job... they are in the business of arts education, after all.

A Very Baseball Weekend

Skirt: H&M...Tee: Gap...Cardigan: thrifted...Belt: Target...Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...

I just can't keep away from this skirt... or this cardigan. I know I've only worn it in photos a few times this season, but evenings, weekends and all the in-between times it's made its presence very well known.

My guy and I attended the kick off BBQ for the Orange Show Gala yesterday afternoon. I looove the event- we all decorate as many of the centerpiece features as we can, people watch to our hearts' content, stuff ourselves silly with lemonade, potato salad and ribs... Not a bad way to spend the day!

Aaand, BASEBALL! Our beloved Tigers are putting in their fair share of hard work and doing pretty well so far this post-season. My guy would pee himself if they made it to the World Series (actually so would I). The last few years, the marketing campaign surrounding the team has been "Who's YOUR Tiger?" to give fans a sense of connection to their favorite player. My Tiger was originally Magglio Ordonez (who went out as a free agent last year, but is unofficially retired after a season or two of building injuries. If you want to see his rockstar Home Run that sent the Tigers to the ALCS series in 2006, click here. At least watch until seconds 12-15... his teammate was cllllleeeearly excited). My  current Tiger is the adorable and super talented Austin Jackson. Ummm, just check out this insane running-full-speed-and-he-never-looked-for-the-ball-but-still-caught-it clip:

What's your team? Who's your player? And just a heads up, if you have stories about football or hockey, I'll gladly read them... but I can't get excited. I can't ever track the ball/ puck, who has it, who's passed it, what's happening. I guess you can't like a sport you can't see what's going on or figure out :)

Spill

Skirt: Target...Tee: UO...Scarf: gift from Katie...Belt: Target...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Bracelet: Target

It's still so hot here! A tee and stretchy skirt is really all I can handle wearing (though I will give a shout out to the earlier part of the week- two nights with the window left open for fresh air!). But, I do have control over using fall colors and warm-toned neutrals, even if the silhouette is still the same as what I've been wearing all summer.

PS, don't take your coffee out for pictures and expect in to stay in your cup if you're bouncing back and forth to your camera to set the timer. Does my car smell vaguely of java due to a desperate hand-wipe on the bottom of my seat because I didn't have napkins? Well, yes, yes it does. And will it be the first or last food item spilled and smeared? Nope, not likely.

Statement

Jeans: UO...Tee: Gap...Shoes: Steve Madden...Necklaces: thrifted...Pearls: Beijing vendor...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Ooh, turquoise necklace against mint... that could be fun but it's too long on its own. Maybe green-ish olive and mint... ugh, the proportions with the neckline are total crap. What. If. I. Wore. Both?! The 17 1/2 seconds of standing in front of my closet to figure out which statement necklace to wear for today's Trend of the Month Challenge were absolutely riveting. (Snark aside, I really do like how they look together. I don't like how heavy and hot 'n sweaty they are, though.)

Aaaand, since it's link-up day and, hopefully, a whole bunch of creative people are reading today, here's a little question: My photographer neighbor and I are ready to start planning, in detail, a faux wedding and DIY reception to build her portfolio. We plan to shoot it in the courtyard of our apartment building and I'll wear my J Crew dress... the rest is still up for grabs (Although we did toss around a few ideas about tone on neutral on tone with texture, maybe burlap, and a hit of yellow). If you could style a DIY reception, what color scheme, decor, details, etc. would you feature? BTW, we're steering clear of mason jars and cake pops. Too trendy.

I'm linked with Marionberry Style's Trend of the Month, Rolled Up Pretty's Whatever Whenever Wednesday and Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday. How 'bout you?

Weekend, the Good and the Bad

Weekends have been weird. I know I've chattered about pretty much nothing but my Guy being at school forever and ever amen to study for his comprehensive exams, but it's been pretty all-consuming for our little family. I keep reminding him of how awesome I am, I don't get whiney or moan about his absence, I've given him a pretty free pass to avoid chores for a while.

So, the logical next step is go to gallery openings to support a friend and meet up with new-to-me blogger friends who are no longer blogging. Duh.

Katie and I each wiggled into a fun little something (my light graphic tee and skirt) and went down to the Lawndale Arts Center to soak up a little culture and do some people watching. We met up with another friend and her girlfriend (who works for Lawndale and gave us a few fun tidbits about the artists and the installations. Katie and I went out together to stuff ourselves with some tasty TexMex (poblano corn chowder is really dang tasty). Not a bad Friday, at all. Saturday, my Guy and I had a leisurely morning, and at noon, POOF, he was gone to study again (until 10:30, poor thing). I made a lunch date with Natalie, who is a recent Houston transplant. She's just as lovely in person as she comes across in her blog (on an indefinite hiatus, lots of life stuff going on!) and we had a really nice time telling stories back and forth, stuffing our faces, talking about food and restaurants. I look forward to spending more time getting to know her.

Sunday: tragedy strikes. I think Eddie is on a once-a-year medical-issue schedule. She started showing symptoms of a feline urinary tract infection part way through Saturday and we knew better than to wait until Monday, so we found a vet with Sunday hours and took her in. Poor kitty had to make a 45 minute drive and get stranded for the day (they loaded her up with liquids so they could use a needle to get a sample. My heart aches for her). She's on antibiotics and on the mend, but her bloodwork showed high sugar, meaning my poor cat is borderline diabetic. Low carb diet for now, lots of fresh water, and we'll get more details from our normal vet when she goes in for shots in September, I hope just swapping food will manage the symptoms. I forget that she's getting older- she's so darn tiny and has such a sweet, young face, she doesn't look at all like a 9-year-old cat. I've had her almost as long as my Guy and I have been together.

I also noticed that my heart aches a lot more for her when she has emergent medical stuff than it does for the dog (who is far more frequently and fervently a turd/jerk). Does that happen with kids?

A Regular

Skirt: refashioned Gap dress...Tee: UO...Belts: Target...Shoes: J Jill via Buffalo Exchange...Necklace: Target...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Double belts. It's gonna be a thing.

Can we also marvel at how very pale my legs got during my weeks-long foray into pants? Yikes. You really can't tell where the shoe stops and bright white skin starts.

I met up last night with a bunch of the newly arrived back into town music nerds to a $.95 beer at the on-campus pub, Valhalla, while my Guy studied his guys out some more. I arrived and found my buddy who has moved away since he's done with classes (down to defending his dissertation orchestra composition, lucky duck) and we grabbed seats at the bar. And then the sea of who I can only assume were MBA's came rushing in. No joke, at least 60 mid-30's dudes in trousers and a light blue button-down tucked in, one button undone and no tie. It was like a creepy clone horror movie. I never got up the guts to ask who the heck they all were and why, like sheep, they were all trying to get a cheap beer together.

I've been doing a lot of spite drinking at Valhalla- first the Thursday of Orientation Week, my Guy and I took the dog and sat outside to be out and having a tasty beer in plain sight while the tiny freshman scurried back and forth on their O-Week scavenger hunt at 9:00 pm. And yesterday, I sloooowly sipped my beer at a prime spot at the bar while the herd of uniforms waited over 20 minutes to get a beer from the solo bartender. I'm a regular and I win, so my refill came before the line died down.

High Points

Pants: Gap...Tee: H&M...Shoes: Sperry via DSW...Scarf: Liberty of London, thrifted...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange...Shades: via TJ Maxx

Do you guys read Lisa's blog, Respect the Shoes? If you don't, you are missing out in a big way- she's whip smart, insightful, has the best self-deprecating humor, amazing outfits, even better content. She's hosted several Respect the Outfit posts in which readers submit their recent fave outfits or (better yet) photos of some pretty serious bloopers. I love 'em! Today is her Summer Staples offering and I sent a little something in. Check out all the lovely ladies who participated!

Well, it's already been an exciting morning here around Boss Lady's house... We've had on-and-off problems with the alarm tripping with no countdown to get it shut off when we enter in the morning. As in, use my key to unlock the door, swing it open and *WHOOPWHOOPWHOOP* the alarm has been tripped. Three times in the last month. Ridiculous. This is the first time it's actually happened to me, usually the sweet housekeeping gals are assaulted by the screeching, but I happened to be the first one in today. The alarm repair guys came out once a few weeks ago and, clearly, that fixed nada.

On three happier notes, the baseball game was awesome last evening- the stadium was pretty dead (and the Astros are the worst team in baseball right now) so we were spotted and featured on the Air Guitar Cam (!), I spotted a squirrel this morning scaling the side of our building like Spiderman, and we're meeting up with Roo, my Guy's "adopted" little sis from the composition program, for a farewell celebration tonight- she's off to UCLA for her Master's degree! I'm so proud of her.

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:

Minor Victory

Pants: Zara...Tee: UO...Cardigan: Gap...Belt: thrifted...Scarf: Target...Shoes: Nine West via Buffalo Exchange...Bag: D&B via Buffalo Exchange

Not much to say about this look- it's casual, it's minty, it was way too hot to wear outside for long periods of time. Good thing Boss Lady's home office is heavily air conditioned. Or good thing I remembered a lightweight wool sweater because I knew the house is heavily air conditioned. Whatever.

You'll be happy to know that my time at the Gym went well. I only had one minor icky encounter with a pimply undergrad at the water fountain where his gross, sweaty shirt brushed my arm. The rest of the time I was there I had relatively no one around me and could be terrible at using workout equipment without judgey glares. I even managed to get the elliptical that has the gear/fan/motor thing at the back (the machines with the movement in the front make me feel like I'm going to buck off of them). Day 2 this week was a success.

We're so near the weekend! Hang tight, everybody!

The Road Trip So Far

Hey, all! We're off early early this morning to visit Yellowstone National Forest. An extra 5-6 hours in the car, but totally worth it to see once-in-a-lifetime natural wonders like "Old Faithful." I really can't describe how excited I am about today's drive and all of the beauty we'll see.

A few more goodies from the road (B T Dubs, you can find me on Instacrack at katebmcclure for an abundence of food and landscape shots):