small style – playground edition

I actually had the little girls buckled into their carseats on Monday in plenty of time to go pick up carpool.  And then I realized the van battery was dead.  Why does stuff like that ALWAYS happen to me?!

Andy wasn’t answering his phone, neighbors weren’t home… I felt so stuck.  Oh, and the church office is closed on Mondays so I couldn’t get a hold of anyone at the school to tell them why I wasn’t there.  Finally I called my sister and she went over and I was able to talk to Madeline’s teacher.  She decided she could get some extra work done and the kids could all wait in her classroom.  I finally got a hold of Andy and he came home and jumped the van and then I was on my way.  Drama.

ANYway, we took the afternoon “off” and relaxed at the playground. I’m using those photos for today’s Small Style at Mama Loves Papa.

Arianna’s dress is Old Navy from last year and shoes are Pedipeds.

Madeline’s tank and shorts are Old Navy and shoes are from Simple.

Drew’s tee is from Old Navy, athletic shorts from Target, shoes are New Balance (from Shoe Carnival). Adelaide’s dress is Tea Collection (another of my favorites).

{small style}

G’morning! I’m linking up again with this fun little party.

Drew’s tee and shorts are from miniboden (my current favorite for boys who are hard on their clothes).

Arianna’s dress is an older line Matilda Jane (my favorite designer for girls), tee is from Target, and shoes are Livie & Luca (ebay).

My sisters came over for a little while yesterday and they have been dog-watching this little puppy. Arianna was very concerned about the leash. Funny.

For other Small Style, or to participate, visit Mama Loves Papa.

{small style}

Sooo, I can’t seem to write a coherent blog post these days but I totally can participate in this super cute mini-people party! Since, you know, kid clothes are my hobby…

(Kinda like What I Wore Wednesday but for the littles. Yeah, FUN.)

I took my two little girls to the children’s museum on Tuesday and met a friend there.

On Adelaide: dress is MJC, ruffle leggings are from Babies R Us, and jellies are from Old Navy.

On Arianna: tee and top are MJC, ruffle jeans are customs from Emmifaye Boutique (Etsy), and shoes are Livie & Luca.

She was running and tripped head first into the little mini picnic bench – nice forehead, huh?

Pearls are Madeline’s, I think they came from Walmart. I love how Arianna knew exactly what to do with them. :)

For other Small Style, or to participate, visit Mama Loves Papa.

(just… don’t laugh your head off)

Do you know how utterly ridiculous it is

trying to take photos of yourself

in a mirror maze?

(new haircut, by request)

I dress them crazy on purpose

So much FUN.

my new favorite

(let’s talk about something happy now)

A necklace from Christmas, found on etsy, made of brass, glass beads and chunks of natural rock like marble and granite. LOVE.

(‘scuse the dirty mirror)

It rained. I sewed.

I don’t typically shop for dresses while I’m nursing because, well, they just don’t (usually) work. I’ve been wearing a lot of pants to church, with the occasional skirt thrown in for good measure. (But mostly pants.)

Which makes me a little sad because I LURVE a good dress.

So I was thrilled to find this dress from Target because it is a button-down “shirt dress.”  (Great minds think alike, my fellow-nursing friend Sarah also bought one!)

(We don’t go to the same church, otherwise we might have to plan out a wearing schedule.)

Anyway, I ordered it from Target’s website and held my breath that it would fit.  It came two days ago and fit great except the length.  It was that weird in-between knee and tea-length that does nothing for me.  So I spent all afternoon yesterday hemming it to the knee.

Unfortunately as I was finishing up tacking down the lining, a fold of the dress fabric got caught up under the needle of my sewing machine and when I ripped that mistake out, there was a tiny (but gaping) hole.

(Congratulations, you just cost yourself two more hours!)

(And yeah, I lost my waistline with Arianna. Sniff.)

(I know you love the jeans.)

The other thing I did was add some elastic to the sleeves, so they are gathered and a little capped, instead of sticking out a little bit like they were:

(Yes my mirror is dirty.)

The best part is, as Sarah mentioned, the dress will go right through spring and summer. AND it was less than $40.

Sigh.

I love a good dress.

Shopping Consignment

On Tuesday I was able to duck into one of the local seasonal children’s consignment sales, alone.  (I cannot shop those ‘must-dig’ places with kids in tow.)

I stuck almost completely to looking for dresses.  I’ve found that playclothes are typically not worth the effort second-hand.  Consignors price them almost equal to buying new at Target or Walmart and thank you, I’d rather have new in that case.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the contents of the sale this time, but I did manage a few gems:

I paid $3 for this little smocked number (in perfect condition, too):

I get asked a lot about where I get my girls dresses. Now you know! My other tips are Ebay (search words like “smocked bishop” and the size), or buy them off your friends when their little girls’ clothes are too small. Also keep an eye at boutique stores for clearance sales.

High Time

Earlier in the week Andy mentioned that he had Friday off and a friend of his was coming up to go golfing during the day and would I like to have a girls’ night out later while they stayed home with the kids?

Um, excuse me, are you my husband? Because I’m pretty sure you just turned into Santa Claus.

(If you’re wondering how on earth a mostly-normal, reasonable man would volunteer for such a tremendously exciting Friday night, I should also tell you that his friend planned on bringing his Xbox. Whatever that is.)

(Men.)

So I got on the phone, posthaste, and talked two of my friends into dinner and shopping with me last night.

And, since I’m a fair friend, I told Nicky if she didn’t want to spend any money, she was welcome to sit and wait for us in the car.

I’m very thoughtful, I know.

After dinner we browsed Ann Taylor Loft and all three of us found some good deals. (So no, she didn’t take me up on my car-sitting offer.)

At World Market, I found a few fresh tea towels (because mine were just sad). I bought this green one on top:

And this bicycle/flower shop/Arc de Triomphe one on top:

The three of us at Starbucks:

And then I came home and found this, which made me fall on the floor laughing:

My living room rearranged to accommodate Xbox Fest 2009.

And now it’s Wednesday already

Yesterday, mid morning, I got a call from a friend’s hubby asking if I could help her celebrate her thirty-first birthday by going out to dinner with her that very night.

I told him I couldn’t promise anything, but that I would try. I called my sisters, angels that they are, and explained the situation and that it was totally up to them to decide if they wanted to help me out with the kids, yet again.

They did.

Since Tuesdays are Andy’s day off, I ran the errands on my list while the kids were napping, without having to hurry home for him to leave for work. I also just got a free $10 gift card to Ann Taylor for ten of my friends signing up to Shop It To Me (shout out to Jo-Lynne for sending it to me in the first place).

So I did a little turn around Ann Taylor. Hey, I had a good excuse. Leave me alone. (And I even found a cute something.)

I was really at the mall to pick up Madeline’s three-year-old portraits I had done of her a few weeks ago. (Never mind that it was three months past her birthday. She’s still three.)

They turned out pretty cute, so real-life friends and grandparents, be warned. Also, I’m taking Adelaide on Friday.

After I had fed the kids and wrangled them into their pajamas, my sisters came over and I got myself ready. Andy sings in the local “professional?” choir and they rehearse on Tuesday nights – which is why he wasn’t going to be home to keep the kids.

We had a really nice dinner. Nicky and her mom came, with baby Seb (wink to Nick), and then the birthday girl and two other friends.

And since I know you’re dying to know (work with me here), I wore the shirt I had found on sale at Ann Taylor that afternoon.

Shop It To Me may just be my new BFF.

Second-hand Shopping

Our area’s largest consignment sale started today, so I buzzed over there this morning, leaving the kids with Andy. It’s the kind of thing where you have to dig through a lot of rubbish to find a few gems, and in those types of situations, I can’t fully concentrate unless I’m alone.

I had to park pretty far away; a lot of the parking lot was sectioned off or marked as reserved. I walked in the door to racks upon racks upon racks of clothes and every kind of baby/child thing you can imagine, all “gently used” and fairly cheap. Also, several vendors had booths off to the side of new items (hairbows, boutique dresses, baby gifts, and the like. You know, EXPENSIVE).

The mailed flier had said NO STROLLERS but lots of people had strollers anyway. I kind of wished I had brought my umbrella one just to load up with stuff. As it was, I had to hold everything as I browsed. AWKWARD.

I mainly wanted to find a winter coat for Madeline and then maybe a few long-sleeved shirts for Drew (as playclothes). And I always have to scour clothing sales for cute dresses. Here are some of my fun and cheap finds:

A Strasburg fall jumper with a matching Gymboree turtleneck, $10:

And one for Adelaide (this one from Old Navy), I think $5?:

A Christmastime dress for Madeline, about $8:

A fall jumper for Adelaide (at least I think it will fit her), also about $8:

The coat I found for Madeline, $6:

(You can’t beat that!)

And this little ditty for Drew, $10:

(I found several other steals but they’re not really worth posting.)

Glad I went! And even gladder Andy was home to babysit!!

Because I love me some fashion talk

Big Mama is hosting a little Fashion Fiesta today so because I love me some fashion (and hypothetical prizes), here goes.

What is my everyday mom look? Well, for starters, jeans in the winter. I’ve never been much of one for the yoga pant, although I do own a pair that I actually like. But I wouldn’t want to give off any false impressions that I’m about to hit the gym or something.

I’m honest like that.

Really, I just feel better prepared (at least mentally) to tackle a day of dishes and poopy diapers if I’m showered, ‘got my face on,’ and dressed in jeans. And a cute shirt. Don’t forget the cute shirt. Earrings, optional.

Here’s an example of an everyday staple shirt for me (sleeves added in winter):

And no, I wouldn’t wear the necklace during the day. It would get ripped off and broken to pieces. Besides, I just returned that necklace. It hung kind of funny on an actual human neck.

But I would add this necklace if we were going to leave the house for an occasion that required a little accessorizing:

I just bought that shirt pictured above last weekend (along with another pinkish-lavender one) because they were 2 for $30 at Ann Taylor Loft. It’s those kind of staple pieces that I don’t mind spending a little bit more on since that knit is a higher quality and will last longer in my wardrobe.

Also, the darker rinse denim seems to be where it’s at these days. And it’s not about the money – wear jeans that look good and you feel good in. If they’re expensive, fine. But just because they’re expensive doesn’t mean they’re lookin’ good. Likewise, I’ve found some really great jeans for cheap (usually at Target and Old Navy).

I like to change the denim up a bit with capris in the spring and fall. And also, I do wear skirts and even shorts during the warmer months. I’m currently a fan of the city short (although it’s still a bit cool for that here). And I do realize they’re not for everyone.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying wearing this spring jacket, which I found at Target:

And also this shirt, which I wore on our not-so romantic double date last weekend:

The fun details:

(I wore it with my dark trouser jeans and those cursed wedges.)

Now, let’s talk about Sundays. We go to a church where it’s still appropriate to dress up a bit (which I like). So we do pull out the fancy on a weekly basis (which I also like; keeps us civilized). Here’s a current Sunday wardrobe example:

I wear it either with black pants or a knee-length, black skirt with a flared hem that I’ve had for a few years.

I do have a random picture of me wearing this, taken last Sunday. (I was going to crop out my head but Andy pointed out that you wouldn’t be able to see the matching earrings I just happened to have, purchased over two years ago. Gotta love those fashion coincidences.)

(Please excuse my pasty white winter arms. Ahem.)

And speaking of the bling, a well-placed pair of earrings or necklace can spice up an otherwise plain and basic top. A few more of my favorites right now:

And in my opinion every gal needs a big ole pair of these fake (ahem, I meant faux) earrings:

$8 at Walgreens, of all places.

Now, I realize I haven’t really said a word about footwear. And that’s because I’ve inherited a keen shoe obsession from my mother and if I opened Pandora’s shoebox, we might be here until I am old and gray.

See what I mean?

I blame my mother.

But you know what’s funny? The shoes I wear most are the cheap flips from Target.

Go figure.

[***In the interest of full disclosure, most of those shoes are from past birthdays and Christmases or from clearance racks across America. I promise I didn't use the milk money!]

For more Spring Fashion Fiesta, click over here!

Spring Bargain Shopping Network

I found this skirt on the clearance rack at Target for exactly $4.62.

The only problem? It’s supposed to be knee-length. On me, however, it hit about 2 inches below my knee. Which is just not flattering, no matter who you are.

But for $4.62, it was worth the home-alteration risk. I figured I could always go back and buy another one if I ruined it. I debated with myself about taking the inches from the top or from the bottom, but finally decided on taking it from the top. The box pleat with those ribbon trims would have been infinitely harder to move than taking off the top band and cutting the zipper. But it all worked out and see? I have a wearable skirt for spring that cost me $4.62.

This one was $4.98. And it was also an unflattering two inches too long.

For this one I only had to cut the bottom off and hem it; much more straightforward.

Definitely worth the $4.98, in my book.

A Good Day All Around

Today was quite full of good news. Apparently one of the other wine reps just upped and quit and the bosses dropped her accounts into Andy’s lap.

Let’s all say a prayer of thanksgiving. This family will continue to eat.

Andy came home a little earlier this afternoon and since I’m terribly concerned with his emotional well-being, I dropped everything and left him to babysit.

Because the second he walked in the door I realized I could potentially use him being home for the much-anticipated and all-important matter of getting my hair cut. So I flipped through the yellow pages, picked out the best-looking ad, called to see if they had someone that could cut my hair RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE and grabbed my keys. All in about, oh, 4 minutes.

A new haircut. It does a mama good.

And then I took advantage of being out alone and ran in the mall to exchange some jeans I had bought for Madeline (because I’m pretending fall is right around the corner). And as I neared the store I read “25% Off Entire Store!” Well, this must just be my lucky day. They even let me have the sale price off of my receipt even though I didn’t have all the items there with me. The difference was exactly -$3.61. But it made me feel better. I mean, that’s a whole half a pair of socks or something.

Oh, and today was my mom-in-law’s birthday. And I’ve been prepared ALL MONTH LONG! I might have mentioned it before. Anyway, so she just opened her present and as far as I can tell is really excited about making rice the modern way.

And I’m excited about my hair. A good day all around.

Like Twins, But Not!

Wow, three posts in one morning. Must be a record or something.

Anyway.

It’s really hard to having two girls in a row (especially after a boy) to resist buying all their clothes matching. Adelaide has all Madeline’s old clothes – which is way more than plenty. But when I see something cute for Madeline of course I really want to get one for Adelaide, too.

Because then they can match!

What Cute Shoes You Have, My Dear

Imagine, if you would, a young mother type who found herself with a whole week of free mornings (let’s say due to a local church teaching VBS). She would do what any other sensible mother-of-three would do and GO SHOPPING. EVERY SINGLE DAY.

And, NOT FOR FOOD, either.

Nicky, you are in France at the wrong time, honey. Everything marked down at ATL is an additional 40% off (which is, like, half the store). So. Even though I was there, um, YESTERDAY, of course I had to go back, TODAY. Because it’s TODAY and THE KIDS ARE AT VBS. That’s why.

And, though this might be a little embarrassing, I will add a little something else. The other night Andy and I went to Target. Love Target. Anyway, he bought me a cute pair of shoes. I will even add a picture, well, because they’re cute. And it helps explain some things.

Cute as they are, I made a terrible mistake in wearing said shoes to the mall this morning. Oh, they fit great at Target. Walking a parking lot is another story altogether. They were just too big and the backs kept flopping off my heel. Not to mention how TALL they made me, so I sort of had to bend over to push the baby’s stroller.

Oh yes. I was the ridiculous lady bent over her stroller with her too-big flapping shoes trying to walk slower to retain some semblance of poise. (And failing miserably.) I tried not to wonder what some poor husband banished to the bench outside ATL thought of me and my darling shoes. I know he secretly wanted to bust out laughing and mock me for my fashion nonsense.

Anyway. At least I have cute shoes.