shades of green

sweater, Tommy Hilfiger outlet

Black Rivet leather jacket, Wilsons

scarf, Zulily

Jolt pants, Macy's

      I'm so glad that I settled on getting this sweater in green instead of a neutral - it's nice to have a little color on a cold day. 

     Had a great Thanksgiving weekend - drove down to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving, and came back in time to bake a pan of oatmeal, accomplish the usual chores, start reading M.T. Anderson's "Feed," and enjoy two hours of aikido practice.
     It was a little rough waking on Monday, but it helped that my students had double specials - an extra hour to run copies and putter around the classroom helped me to ease back into the grind.
    Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it's time to think about Christmas decorations. I'd like to get a small artificial Christmas tree ... one of my favorite things about December is eating breakfast by the light of a Christmas tree! It makes those workday mornings a little more fun.
   

Hsi Lai temple, Los Angeles

fighting the cold

Banana Republic merino wool sweater, thrifted 

vest, Old Navy

Jolt pants, Macy's

J. Crew necklace, eBay

       Well, this is a first on this blog - an attempt at cold-weather dressing. My first time wearing wool - while I think this is the softest wool ever gets, I still found it a bit scratchy, particularly around the neck.  I do like this sweater, though; I found it in the men's section, and the fit is surprisingly nice. It's a decent length in the torso, the V neck is not inappropriate (hard to find when you're petite!) and the longer ribbed cuffs are cozy. I'm going to have start combing through the men's sweater section at the thrift store on a regular basis.  

      I'm still learning how to style these vests - I feel like from the waist up, this might read as more elegant than from the waist down (I wore sneakers, and the pants have cargo details). So not an overall successful outfit, but it was fun to put together.

flutter + edge

silk top, Off Fifth

Jolt pants, Macy's 

Fossil key necklace, Nordstrom Rack

pendant, craft fair

    
       I'm still learning to like blush pink, but I really like all the details of this top - the fluttery asymmetric hem and the pretty drape. I've always wanted to pair it with my skinny cargo pants - I thought the soft top might contrast nicely with the zippers and snaps.
 

      My classroom has an extra splash of pink this week, thanks to the lovely flowers shown below.
 My school celebrated Teacher Appreciation Day last Friday and one of my students brought me these two plants. I also got a card with thoughtful, encouraging comments that reminded me of why I wanted to become a teacher.

positively cozy

 New York and Company chambray shirt, Goodwill

Cable and Gauge cardigan and Coldwater Creek silk scarf, from Mom

Jolt skinny cargos, Macy's

       Goodbye to November, and hello to December! November was challenging in certain ways -- I felt really worn down by parent-teacher conferences for some reason. However, on the last day of conferences I was elated to hear that one of my students - new to the school and the state - loves being in my classroom and has even expressed a desire to have perfect attendance. I'm looking forward to December for several reasons - my birthday is coming up, I'll be attending a concert for the first time in years, and winter break is around the corner.  

      I kicked off my long Thanksgiving weekend with an awful allergy attack that canceled my plans to do some baking. While I'm still not feeling 100%, I did get to sew two Christmas gifts on Friday  while listening to Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack. On Saturday, I ended up reading David Levithan's "Everyday" in almost one sitting. Oh, and I also ate all kinds of delicious things, ranging from the most scrumptious Dutch apple pie I've ever tasted to pumpkin mochi to the usual Thanksgiving fixings. I stayed away from the hordes at the malls, but I did shop Macy's Cyber Monday specials online yesterday. I was pleased to find that I had some unused gift cards that covered my purchase!

sparkle on

CK Jeans pailettes tee and Jolt skinny cargo pants, Macy's

belt, from dress

          As much as I enjoy color, sometimes a good neutral outfit is exactly what I'm craving. A chestful of sparkly pailettes never hurts, either. 

        Today is the first day of parent-teacher conferences, which means I need to step up my outfit game a bit for two weeks. I think I've gotten fairly adept at putting together professional yet practical outfits, but I'll set aside a few of the more whimsical things in my wardrobe (shirts patterned with flamingos and lobsters probably don't convey much authority, ya know?). Meeting with parents always makes me a little nervous, so dressing confidently is a must. I'm looking forward to posting these outfits and keeping my blog a little more active.

        I've been eyeing this boxy jersey dress for weeks on Old Navy's web site, and stopped in yesterday to try it on. If I get this, I'll definitely go up a size so I don't have to worry about it being too clingy in the back. The silhouette is very different from what I usually gravitate to, but intriguing. I didn't get to try it with a belt - most online reviews say belting is essential - but I plan to stop in on Tuesday and try it one more time. I also tried on this sleeveless fleece dress, which I thought fit great and was so cute. I was surprised to see it described as fleece on the web site ... I thought it was a kind of knitty tweed instead. It wasn't particularly fuzzy or heavy, which is a good thing in my eyes - I think styled correctly, it could be worn year-round.

     Are you mulling over any potential purchases right now?

simplicity

Style & Co. ruched-side tee, Jolt black pants, necklace - Macy's

Gap belt, thrifted

    This is one of those outfits that I liked while wearing it ... then I came home, took a few photos, and realized I'm undecided on side-ruched tees. I think the bunched fabric around the middle can be unflattering from certain angles.

    A few snippets from everyday life with 25 fourth-graders:

•     The wording "at least" stymies them. I wrote on the board recently that they needed to answer "at least" 3 questions, and was asked by multiple students how many they needed to do.
•     I was reading to the class from a book and they asked how old it was. I checked the publication date and it was from 2002. This was deemed "pretty old."
•     A weird-looking bug crawled into our room on Thursday and caused quite a commotion during language arts. I ended up grabbing a broom and swooshing it out the door into the grass outside. (One of my students offered to stomp on it, but in the classroom I am a bug pacifist.)

 

      A white tee  is always touted as a closet essential, but I've found that for some reason mine go unworn. My colored and patterned tees seem to be the ones I reach for first. I like the idea of them - so simple! - but in reality I think I avoid them because I worry that they're too plain. However, with this outfit I think the necklace and belt made this outfit look a little more pulled together.

reconsidering: neutrals

edc top, from sis

Jolt pants, Macy's

Fossil key necklace, Nordstrom Rack

bubble necklace, InPink

belt, from dress

       This was an outfit that I've been eager to recreate since I first wore it for lunch over Christmas break. I'm not much for neutrals, normally, but I like the mix of charcoal gray, black and cognac. I wasn't sure about the cognac belt the first time around. However, I like that it's a lighter color, and I tried to tie it into the outfit with some bracelets.The sparkly little details - the beading on the top, the layered necklaces, the bracelets -- also add some texture and interest to what could be a very plain outfit.

     I'd been on the lookout for a pair of slim-fitting black pants for a while when I serendipitously found this pair in the junior's department. I had to size up to accommodate my massive thighs - a problem that Aya refers to as wushu legs. That means a belt is necessary, but they're cute and otherwise well-fitting.  Another candidate for the alterations pile that I likely won't tackle until the school year ends ...
     Random bits of goodness from the last week or so:

•    During my students' P.E. lesson, I jumped in and practiced kicking a soccer ball with my girls. I am the least athletic person around, but I have to admit it was fun. 
• On Monday I got back into running during morning recess. I sat out Mileage Club in January due to illness, so it was nice to get out there! I am not a fast runner, but I'm proud of myself for managing to run/walk three-quarters of a mile in less than 15 minutes. I'm the only teacher out there running along with the kids, but the kids seem to enjoy seeing me huffing and puffing alongside them! As I write this, my legs still hurt, but I'm looking forward to today's run.
• I'm currently reading "The Holographic Universe" by Talbot. Someone in my meditation class lent it to me, and it's definitely intriguing. I also finished "Winger" by Smith and am working on Roorbach's "Life Among Giants."
• I've learned to enjoy logging into my Mint account and tracking my transactions and purchases. It's oddly satisfying to see the little bar graphs comparing current spending to my monthly budget. I'm also trying to switch to doing more cash purchases vs. credit card transactions, in an attempt to rein in spending and limit new debt.
• I've spent $14.64 so far of my February clothing budget. I hope that since it's a short month, I can come in under budget again!