pumpkin everything

BCBG silk top, thrifted

Harper trousers, Old Navy

cardigan, Gap Outlet

necklace, gift

     Double dose of yellow! It's getting a little cooler here, which means staffing the carpool line after school is a little more pleasant. The arrival of fall also means pumpkin everything has been unleashed at Trader Joe's. I did pick up a jar of pumpkin butter - one of my favorite mix-ins for Greek yogurt - but managed to resist the pumpkin joe-joe cookies, the pumpkin cereal bars, and pumpkin bagels. 

lemonade

shirt, Old Navy

cardigan, Gap Outlet

pants, Macy's

    The other day, I taught a lesson that used lemons to teach scientific observation. After students made their observations, I had them turn the lemon in - the next step was to mix them up and have students find their lemon using their notes. 

    I half-jokingly instructed the kids to bid a "fond farewell" to their lemons as I came around with the plastic bag. I had to smile to myself as every kid held up their lemon in front of their face and told it goodbye. 

   I'm still reveling in working in a temperature-controlled environment - I always keep my black cardigan at work and wear it regularly. It is cooling down just a bit, and I find myself tempted to expand my cardigan collection. The three I own now, however, work well with my wardrobe so I will try to wait a bit. 

all ears and animal print

dress, Old Navy

cardigan, Gap Outlet

Cara graduated crystal earrings, Saks Off Fifth

D&Y scarf, Ross

     This outfit was inspired by Kate's styling of the same dress at A Journey in Style. I  initially thought about wearing it with my cobalt cardigan, but decided that yellow and an animal-print medley were more fun for the homestretch - Thursday of the week before Spring Break!
     While my students are beyond excited and already dreaming about a week off, to their credit they worked really hard yesterday on their opinion writing. It was a lot of work to guide them to fill out their graphic organizers correctly - I sent many students back to their article many times to reread and locate text evidence. To recognize their hard work, I did dole out a Life Saver candy to each student who finished his or her graphic organizer.
     I usually can't pull off belting over a cardigan; it makes me feel lumpy. But it's not so bad with the scarf. Admittedly, the outfit may have looked better minus leggings, but we've been enjoying a spate of cool, windy weather, and it makes me smile to be able to wear leggings, scarves and sweaters to work!

    I bought these ear pins back in December, but haven't worn them until now. Like the online reviews say, they do need occasional adjusting, but are otherwise comfortable and a nice twist on earrings. I'm still on the hunt for a comfortable ear cuff. I did buy a cute one at Forever 21, but pinches so much that I can only wear it for an hour or two. I've settled for wearing it like a brooch or threaded through the buttonhole on a cardigan.

rainbow

top, Forever 21

cardigan, Gap Outlet

trouser jeans, Macy's

glass pendant, gift

      I wore this to a weekend dinner recently and liked it so much I decided to repeat it for work.  This yellow cardigan has been the MVP of the first three months of 2015! It's perfect for adding a little pep to a work outfit.

    A while back, I saw this top on Forever 21's web site, and liked it so much that I went to the store to hunt it down. I can't resist a little fast fashion now and then ... although I abhor that their free shipping never includes my state.

a little sunshine and books

 Collective Concepts top, hand-me-down from cousin

cardigan, Gap Outlet

trouser jeans, Macy's

earrings, gift from sis

     The day before I wore this outfit, it was gray and gloomy all day. With that in mind, I picked an outfit in sunny hues for the next day. Turns out, the next day was bright and lovely! But who doesn't mind a little extra sunshine?

    I don't wear this top much, but every time I do, I appreciate anew the little patterns in the stripes.

    I just read a great children's book called "Crunch" by Leslie Connor. The author posits a world very much like ours, except there is a nationwide fuel shortage. This strands the main character's parents far away, and he and his siblings - ages 6 to 18 - must stick together until their parents return. I think it would be a great book to spark conversation about the future of our planet. It's also just plain fun to read - lots of very warm family relationships and a mystery to solve, as well.

hail to March and a few iPhone outfit photos

 Top: Bobeau cardigan, Nordstrom Rack; top and necklace, Forever 21

Middle: Old Navy floral top, Savers; Banana Republic gray cardigan, from Mom;

 lucite necklace, eBay

Bottom: Pleione lobster print tee and Carole agate necklace, Nordstrom Rack clearance; 

Gap Factory yellow cardigan

      
       I guess you're getting old when you find yourself commenting often, "Wow, I can't believe it's already 2014/February/March/almost April!"  But here we go ... I can't believe it's almost April.
      But before we welcome April, let's talk about March, which is a big month for my husband and I! The 18th is what I call our "meet-a-versary" -- the anniversary of our first date. The funny thing is, we went to this Thai restaurant for dinner, and we haven't been able to eat there since! Whenever we're in the area and pop in, it's inevitably closed. If I was a bigger romantic, I'd imagine that it was open just for that one special night ...
     March 30th makes one year since we got married, too. Sometimes I'm surprised that it's already been a year, and other times I'm surprised that it's only been a year. (Does that make sense ...?)
      Outfit talk: I think the middle outfit is my favorite, because before I might have shied away from pairing the necklace with a ruffled top. I really like how the necklace picks up the different hues in the top. In regards to the bottom outfit, I'm not usually drawn to nautical  themes - I have no interest in anchor-emblazoned anything - but I found the lobsters strangely whimsical. I'm already looking forward to pairing this top with my navy polka-dot skirt! 

Try-it-out Tuesday: iris and gold

silk top, thrifted

cardigan, Gap Outlet

bead necklace, Haitian Bead Project

     I bought this beautiful bead necklace from Haitian Bead Project, and it inspired this outfit. I like purple with .... well, just about any color, really!

 
     One of my favorite things about this necklace is the beautiful variations of color. It includes "true" purple as well as more reddish shades and the small yellow beads really make it pop.
     Whew, it's been a while since I put together a Try-it-out Tuesday post, but what's different about this outfit is that I built it around the necklace, and experimented with a punchy color combo.

  
      Friday is the last day of school before winter break, and one of the fun things we'll be doing that day is "Bringing Books to Life." I'm allowing the kids to dress up as a favorite book character, and I've already gotten wind that I may have several versions of Katniss and Rick Riordan characters in the house. I did have to tell one Katniss that she'll have to leave the bow and arrows at home and figure out a creative way to help people figure out who she is. 
      I'm putting my own costume (based on a picture book) together, although a lot is riding on my Old Navy online purchase arriving in time and fitting correctly! I also have to craft a few simple components, such as a pair of ears. :)

a scarf in the summer

Kahala silk-linen top, Macy's

Capelli scarf, zulily

same ol' jeans

cardigan, Gap

necklace, New Zealand

      I ordered a teaching resource off zulily recently, and to ease the sting of the $9.95 shipping fee, I decided to pick up something else. This scarf was the right price, even prettier in person, and will match so many things that I already own.
    It's amazing what a lightweight scarf can do to make air-conditioning more comfortable. I started off the second morning of training with it strategically draped to cover my shoulders, arms and back, and it kept me comfortable for the first few hours.

   
        The training I attended was pretty well-paced, with the sessions including short videos on various topics.  This was one of my absolute favorites because it's a reminder that school should be about so much more than math, reading, and test scores.

   

      Just one more from these amazing kids - can you believe that voice?? And I haven't heard this Amy Winehouse song before, but I think it's a beautiful riff on the jazz standard "Lullaby in Birdland."

dressing up chambray

New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted

enamel necklace, eBay

petite trousers, Banana Republic Factory Store

        I wore this for a substitute-teaching assignment a few weeks ago. It's always interesting to sub during the last week of school ... the students are SO not interested in anything academic and have sent their brains on vacation! Thus, we did some simple stuff. After the kids worked on their end-of-year writing assignment and some math review work, I taught the first class I worked with how to draw a very simple bird. They got very creative in accessorizing their birds - they sprouted hats, speech bubbles, clothing, and more.

turquoise and gold bracelet, Urban Sand

yellow cardigan, Gap Outlet 

  
    

     I am still excited about having thrifted this chambray shirt. I've paired it with black bottoms so far, but I've realized that it will work great with my skimpy-on-top maxi dresses, my houndstooth skirt, white jeans, and on and on ...

whatever the weather

Alfani dress, Macy's

cardigan, Gap

      The other morning, I asked my mom about the predicted weather for the day. Her answer went something like this: It won't be blazing hot, but it won't be cold enough to wear a sweater. In other words, she didn't know. ;)
       So as to be prepared for all weather conditions, I went with a shirtdress and cardigan. I like the look of belting a dress over a cardigan, so I tried it out, but as always, it made me look squat and stumpy. (Maybe it works better with a wider belt? Or maybe short-waisted people just can't pull it off?)
       I particularly like how this cardigan doesn't really match any of the dress print's colors, but it accentuates the chartreuse and plays nicely with the blues.

Try-it-out (Wednesday): brighter than the sun

      Kahala silk and linen top, Macy's

cardigan in "Sunspot," Gap Factory Store

necklace, Forever 21

     My mom calls Asian people "Orientals." This is standard practice in Hawaii, particularly among folks of certain generations, but in other parts of the United States, Oriental is reserved as a descriptor for rugs and chicken. ; ) I've tried to break her of the habit, but no luck yet. Anyhow, no matter what name we go by, I've always heard that Asians should avoid yellow because we've already got yellow/sallow undertones. (Click here for an amazingly encyclopedic post on determining your undertone and skin tone. I will admit that after giving this post a quick read and examining the photos ... I still can't name my undertone and skin tone. Does it suffice that I'm confident that bright and jewel tones suit me best?). 
      After becoming interested in style and fashion blogs, I changed my mind on the yellow question after seeing so many Asian bloggers rocking various hues of yellow. When my sis and I checked out the Gap Factory Store, I couldn't bypass this yellow cardigan. I thought it would be a great way to add a little sunshine to an outfit and would play well with all of the blue items in my closet.

     Random news: I hope you had a less eventful New Year's Day then we had! The first day of 2013 included one visit to the ER, two trips to the Chinese restaurant (they forgot part of our takeout order the first time), and the realization that the water heater may have gone kaput. Whew. I figure things can only go up from here.
      But back to the clothes: What colors do you suggest I pair with my new yellow cardigan?