What I Wore: Tax-Free Shopping Weekend

 

We had a tax-free shopping weekend the first week in August when my sisters happened to be in town.  I hadn't seen them in two whole years!  I'm telling you, my sisters are my favorite people to go shopping with.  It's too bad we live so far away from each other!  They never hover impatiently.  We all just have a silent agreement to allow the others to browse independently.  At the same time, we don't get offended if one of us wants to check out a different store while another is still shopping.  Do you have your favorite shopping besties?  

I took them to a fun shopping area in Little Rock where some of my favorite stores are located.  The kids tagged along with us that Saturday, so we brought along some lollipops and our Nintendo DS's.  Yes, my youngest sister and I both own them. (Anyone else out there?  C'mon, I know some of you do...)  I knew I wanted to be comfortable that day so I wore some comfy gray jeans, a lightweight sleeveless mint top, and a pair of simple sandals; all items that could easily be removed and put back on when trying on clothes and shoes.  My trusty backpack purse would allow me to shop hands-free, and held all the shopping necessities: my wallet, a water bottle, and the treats and DS for the kiddos. 

 

 

Middle sister wanted some shorts and was able to find a great pair on sale at J.Crew.  Little sister wanted some tennis shoes but DSW didn't have anything she liked this time.  I went ahead and bought a pair of petite dark wash modern skinny jeans at Loft. I've realized recently how important it is to buy clothes that fit me well, so I like Loft for it's petite section.  All three of us bought necklaces and posted a challenge for our friends on Facebook and Instagram to see if they could match the necklace with the sister.  It was interesting to see what people guessed. 

 

When I go shopping, I like to look somewhat put together, but not go overboard. One of my friends from college and I would joke when we'd see girls all dolled up at the mall and whisper, "DTK," to each other.  "Dressed to Kill."  As a mom who doesn't have a lot of time to go shopping by herself, I need a simple outfit for those quick changes in the dressing room.  On the flip side, I have also gone clothing shopping in just a t-shirt, shorts and athletic shoes and even though it shouldn't be this way, the clerks in some stores just don't always give you quality service when dressed super casual.  (Imagine the scene from Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts tries to shop on Rodeo Drive for the first time.)

What do you like to wear when you go clothes/shoe shopping?

 

P.S.  Linking up with Tucker Up for What I Wore Wednesday!

Happy Birthday, America!

An experienced blogger would have had her 4th of July post written and ready to post during peak posting hours earlier today.  Unfortunately, I am not an experienced blogger.  My allergies started bothering me last night so I didn't feel very well last night or this morning.  I was able to sleep in (thanks to Mr. How being the ever-so-helpful husband by feeding and tending to the children) then managed to get dressed for the day and pop some allergy meds.

Today was Day 4 of my summer remix challenge.  Since I am limited to 20 pieces for the month of July, I wanted to put together a subtle, yet festive, outfit for the 4th of July.  Here's what I came up with:

The navy tee and the white jeans are two of my 20 pieces.  Did I cheat by adding the red layering tank underneath?  I actually decided not to wear it after taking these photos.  I did paint my nails red though, so technically I was wearing red, white, and blue.  

You'll notice I didn't include my feet in the photograph.  I wasn't quite sure what shoes I wanted to wear.  Does anyone else have that same dilemma?  I posted a picture of this outfit on Instagram with red flats, but even as comfy as flats can be, I needed "comfier" footwear.  I really wanted to wear my white Converse, but we were spending the day at my in-laws' where I'm often running in and out of the house chasing the kids.  I would be taking my shoes off and putting them back on - Hawaiian style - so I knew tennis shoes wouldn't be practical. In the end I decided to wear my neutral sandals.  These sandals truly are the perfect footwear for any summer occasion. Sandals are as comfortable and casual as flip flops (or slippahs as we say in Hawaii) but also a little dressier, so if you're not quite sure how dressy others will be at your event, they function both ways: casual and dressy. 

 

My in-laws moved here to our neck of the woods a couple of years ago to be closer to the grandbabies.  Poppy How owns an antique truck and he drives it in his city's 4th of July parade.  My son, K.D.* and his cousin, Rosie, were able to ride with Poppy this year! 

After the parade, we continued with our holiday festivities.  First, we went to my in-laws' house for a cookout.  There were hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages and all the fixings.  Next, the kids had a blast playing outside in the kiddie pool and with water guns.  After that, we always feed the ducks in the pond behind the house.  For dessert, my brother-in-law made THE (pronounced thee) best homemade ice cream ever.  I dubbed him the Dairy King.  Finally, when the sun set we all sat and snuggled and watched the nearby city fireworks show from the driveway.  

Spending time with people you love and celebrating the freedom we have as Americans is what this holiday is about.  May we never take for granted the blessings we have in this great country God created for us. 

How was your 4th of July?  Did you put together a festive outfit?  Linking up with Mix and Match Fashion, Respect the Shoes, and The Modern Austen!

A Blank Canvas

The English teacher in me decided to use figurative language to describe my outfit today.  A white tee with jeans is like a blank canvas.  The possibilities are endless!

As I got dressed this morning, I knew that I'd be taking my kids to the library before lunch, and that I'd be going to a baseball game with my church's youth group this evening.  Since it was Day 2 of  the summer remix challenge hosted by Greater Than Rubies, I had to create an outfit from my 20 pieces I set aside for the challenge.  Denim shorts and a white tee seemed like a good outfit choice because 1) it's comfy and 2) it can be styled in so many ways.  

Although visions of accessories danced in my head, I opted for a super casual look with simple jewelry, neutral sandals, and an olive cap.  It's been pretty warm this summer and you just never know how hot it will be at a baseball game.  (And I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with third day unwashed hair.  Let's be real here.)

 

I've recently learned how important "fit" and "proportion" are when shopping and putting together an outfit.  During my "quest" I discovered that if I really want to look and feel good about what I wear, I need to choose pieces that fit me well and are proportional.  Audrey from Putting Me Together really helped me with this post from her Building a Wardrobe from Scratch series.  Before discovering style blogs, I would purchase clothing pieces based on name brand, color, price, and trend.  Too often I would buy things and not try them on.  Eventually I had a closet full of ill-fitting clothing that were barely worn!

I've also learned things about proportion from Audrey's series.  Merrick from Merrick's Art also has written several Babble articles about this topic.  These before and after photos are a good illustration. 

In the before photo, I wore the tee untucked, the shorts (which were a hand-me-down) are rolled down to their normal length, and I'm wearing black Converse.  While the outfit in the first photo is by all means comfy and coordinated, it's not very flattering for my 5-feet tall, momma of two, petite frame.  The second photo includes the same shirt and shorts, however the shirt is tucked, thus elongating the leg line by exposing more of the shorts.  The shorts are cuffed, thus elongating the leg line more by exposing more of the leg.  I then chose neutral sandals, thus creating the illusion of a longer leg as opposed to the black Converse that cut off my ankles. 

It's amazing how just a few tweaks like tucking in a shirt and a changing shoes can help to pull together an outfit.  And whether we like to admit it or not, looking good helps us feel good, and today was a good day! 

Linking up with Tucker Up and The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday!

Remix Rewear Restyle: Flashback

Now that I've officially joined the blogging world, I'm really looking forward to the writing aspect of it.  After all, I am a middle school English teacher.  And notice, I teach middle school, (I also took a break from the world of secondary education and taught third grade for twelve years) so PLEASE do not critique my grammar.  I am being open and honest with my writing here and I don't want to have to get all nit-picky about the mechanics.  That being said, I love to tell stories.  Just ask my students.  There are just so many things we can learn through stories.  Even the storyteller can discover some new things, too.

My friend, Caitlin, who blogs over at Greater Than Rubies, hosts a weekly link-up called Remix Rewear Restyle.  It encourages women to be creative and remix their closets with a different challenge each week.  I used to participate in RRR via Instagram when Caitlin first started it that way, but now she does a link up and I so I haven't been participating until now with this blog. 

This week's challenge is "Flashback."  The challenge is to "take inspiration from an old picture of yourself and show your new spin on a similar piece."  I really had to dig through my old photos to find something I could use for today's challenge.  When I was young, we didn't have all this fancy schmancy digitally enhanced technology like we have today.  Here's my inspiration photo:

Ah yes...flashback to those wonderful days of middle school.  (My students would get a kick out of this picture.)  Here's my story:  I was born and raised in Hawaii on the island of Maui and in the 7th grade I was in the band. I played the clarinet, and we went on a band trip that year to the island of Kauai. I believe this photo was taken at the Fern Grotto.  T-shirts and athletic shorts were apparently in style back then, as were white tennis shoes. Oh how I loved my white Keds tennis shoes! With or without laces. With or without socks. White, black, colored socks that matched your shirt and scrunchie - you name it, we did it all. 

During my recent comfy momma style quest, I was in search of comfy shoes that were still chic enough to be worn with different pieces and for different occasions.  Athletic shoes while albeit very comfy, are not so much stylish when paired with dresses and jeans.  However, Converse shoes are another story. 

I don't know why it took me so long to realize that the perfect comfy momma style althletic shoe is the classic white tennis shoe!  I paired mine here with khaki shorts and a gingham shirt for a little stroll to the park with my family. 

It dawned on me that this outfit would be a festive, yet subtle 4th of July look.  Instead of sporting head to toe red, white, and blue, you have some blue and white in the gingham and a red stripe on the white Converse.  These happen to be  the Converse One Star from Target, so mine really are American as they have the stars on them, too! 

Do you have a favorite style flashback story to share?  I'd love to hear it.

My Summer Uniform

 

To "style blog" or not to "style blog?"  That is the question.  By no means am I claiming to be any kind of "style blog" expert. I'm simply a woman who is learning how to balance all the different aspects of this life that God has graciously given me. Will I post some things about "style" on my blog?  Most likely.  Will I write posts on other things, too?  Of course.

Today's post does include photos of me attempting some very awkward "style blog" poses.  I did this to share with you that it really doesn't take much to put together a comfy summer outfit.  I wish I could go into detail about all the things I've discovered from style blogs about how to put together a comfy outfit, but this post would go on and on.  So today I'll just start with one of the simplest concepts: the uniform.

 

I am a middle school teacher at a private school where many of my students often complain about what they can and cannot wear to school because they feel restricted to a "uniform."  They actually do not have to wear uniforms.  I politely pointed out to them that they are required to follow a "dress code" and that teachers, as do all professions, have a dress code, too.  Whether we like it or not, all of us pretty much wear a uniform daily.

 

As I wrote in my previous post, in years past, my summer stay-at-home-mom outfits were mostly frumpy old clothes that were comfortable but not very stylish, thus leading to a lack of motivation to get up and do anything.  I've learned that in the summer, when I'm not teaching, I need to have a summer uniform, a similar concept to the uniform that I wear to work every day during the school year.  One of my goals is to be able to get dressed in five minutes in the morning.  In order to do this I need to have uniform pieces that can be put together easily to create an outfit.  I guess you could call these pieces my "go-to's."  I can grab any top and bottom and voila!  I'm dressed and ready to go!  If you get the right pieces that can easily be remixed (a.k.a. mixed and matched), you can even get dressed in the dark!

 

For me, my summer uniform consists of a comfy top and a comfy bottom.  Yes, I know that sounds vague.  Here are some of my examples:

 

Comfy Tops -

• nice t-shirts
• flowy tank tops
• lightweight casual button-up shirts

I like to get an assortment of colors and patterns and/or with interesting details.  "Fit" is also very important.  More about that later.

 

Comfy Bottoms -

• shorts/bermudas
• casual skirts
• skinny jeans/capris

Right now colored and patterned bottoms are all the rage; there are so many to choose from!

 

Comfy Shoes -

• sandals
• sneakers (such as Converse, Vans, Toms, etc.)
• flats

Again, all of these come in an assortment of colors and patterns!  So much fun!

  

Today's outfit consists of a striped V-neck tee with a cute little pocket detail, white denim shorts, and cognac strappy sandals.  This outfit screams "comfy momma style!"  Just add a matching cognac belt, a brown/gold wrap bracelet, some mixed metal earrings and BAM!  I'm ready to hit the Farmer's Market with the family, watch the World Cup at a friend's house, or have one of my students come over to curl my hair and paint my nails.  (I may or may not have done the last one.)

 

So do you have a summer uniform?  What are your favorite go-to summer pieces?  By the way, the top and the bottom that I wore today were on clearance and cost $1 each.  The cost per wear on these pieces is ridiculous!

 

 I'm also linking up with Putting Me Together and Mix & Match Fashion today!  Check out some other cute summer outfits there!