dabbling in dapper ... and Disney

chambray shirt, thrifted

vest, thrifted

trousers, Banana Republic Factory Store

bowtie, handmade using this tutorial

   This is my favorite Spirit Week outfit to date - dressing as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. I'm not much of a Disney fan, but putting together - then wearing - this look was so much fun! The camera didn't capture it well, but I am also wearing rabbit ears, made out of white pipe cleaners.  

    I decided to forgo the suit jacket due to the heat, which meant I needed a vest. I headed to my favorite Goodwill and found this lovely one. Based on the way it's finished inside, I think it's handmade. 

   This was a fun way to dabble in the dapper/boyish look that appeals to me so much, but isn't well-represented in my wardrobe.

   A number of folks weren't sure what character I was dressed as, but I was pleased to be recognized several times. Campus was awash with people wearing mouse ears, and it felt good to stand out.

bloom where you're planted

chambray top, thrifted

drapey twill pants, Old Navy

Kenneth Cole Reaction earrings, hand-me-down from sis

      I've been interested in trying out a pair of soft pants, but I tried on many pairs whose pocket placement made my hips look bigger. I tried these on at Old Navy in regular sizing and was excited to find out that the pockets worked for me. 

    I own a number of patterned skirts and dresses, but no patterned pants, so these are a great addition to my closet. (I have to confess, since buying these I also purchased a pair of shorts printed with tiny pineapples. And, they're light pink. Who  am I becoming?) They're lightweight and comfortable. After reading the online reviews, I ordered petite but hand-washed vs. machine washing as the tag says, since so many buyers reported shrinkage. These seem to have gotten just a bit shorter than I remember them being out of the package, but I wear fairly low shoes so it hasn't been a problem. I hope they don't keep shrinking, however! Perhaps I should have purchased them in regular and cut off a few inches, but they likely would still be sitting on my to-mend pile ...

    I was worried that my new pants would look a little too much like pajamas, so for my inaugural wearing I went with a more structured, formal top (well, as structured and formal as a chambray buttondown can be).  I wore this to grab lunch with my colleagues yesterday. I landed at my current school by chance - returning from two years of leave, I was placed there by the district and I knew nothing about the school - but over the past two years I've realized that I landed in a spot where I could grow. My colleagues are a great bunch - people who love kids, welcome new ideas, are willing to work hard and work together, and are ready to pick me up and encourage me when I hit setbacks. People who I've come to see as friends, people who I look forward to meeting for lunch during the summer. Teaching has its rewards and challenges, and I am beyond thankful to count my colleagues among the former.

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!

one cuff away from Wonder Woman

chambray top, thrifted

DKNY jeans, Macy's

necklace, Haitian Beads

      These pants did not photograph well at all, and this is the best I could do with some tweaking in PicMonkey. Nothing really special about this outfit, except that I'm wearing the silk cuff I made a long time ago! I never wore it on the blog because I figured out the standard metal cuff blank is too big for my wrist - it kept falling off. However, I inadvertently squished the cuff opening smaller because it got stuck under something heavy. Um, yay for disorganization and not putting things away properly?!??

    This silk tie cuff was a pretty easy DIY and a fun way to repurpose a thrifted tie. I'm not quite satisfied with how I hand-stitched one end (the rest was machine-stitched). However, since I bought an entire set of cuff blanks I'm looking forward to perfecting my technique over the summer. I'm actually tempted to sew a matching pair of cuffs and wear them a la Wonder Woman - some days in the classroom call for dressing like a superhero.

strive time and doughnuts

New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted

DKNY "Soho" jeans, Macy's

Cejon scarf, Ross

     I got a couple of nice compliments about the scarf - it was a fun alternative to a necklace and gave a casual Friday look a pop of color and pattern.
   

     I'm counting down the days until fall intersession! It feels like September flew by - I can't believe that I've been back in the classroom for almost two months. There are a lot of challenges and lofty goals being set, but when I get dispirited about what's required, I remind myself that all these challenges will help me grow as an educator.
     One thing I'm excited about is that for the first time ever, I enjoy teaching math. I haven't fully implemented all the components of math workshop yet, but I have been using "strive time." It's a short period of time when students are required to tackle the math on their own - they can't ask peers or the teacher for help. I was first introduced to this as "struggle time," but I decided "strive" sounded more positive, and it also tied in beautifully with this Hawaiian saying: "Kūlia i ka nu‘u" (strive to reach the summit.) I was thrilled the other day when I had the kids take an assessment, and one student pointed out that taking the assessment was just like working during strive time.
     I've also been focused on giving daily feedback to students on their math work, and it's thrilling to  see that the kids who benefit from this the most are those who are struggling or average. It takes me a good 30 to 45 minutes each night to go through their work on a word problem and thoughtfully respond, but I have seen definite growth. To celebrate, we had doughnut bites on Friday. Because at the top of every summit, there should be doughnuts ... ;)

    * I am really trying to not let this morph into a teacher blog, but at the same time, I find posting an easy way to document some of my thoughts about my (very engrossing) job. Also, I figure baked goods and pretty scarves have universal appeal.*

the endangered joys of snail mail

New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted

Halogen skirt, Nordstrom Rack

necklace and rings, Forever 21

        You are probably tired of seeing this skirt and shirt, but I'm not tired of them yet ... so here they are again. :) Looking at the photos, one thing I would change next time is to knot the necklace to make it a little shorter - I think a shorter length would be more flattering.
        Recently, I sent a small gift and a letter to a friend for her birthday. She e-mailed me yesterday to thank me, nothing that "you are my only friend who writes letters anymore, and it's such a blessing." Truth be told, I think I enjoyed writing the letter as much as she (hopefully) enjoyed reading it. There's something wonderful about sitting down with a pretty card or good stationery, a reliable pen, and ordering my thoughts, feelings, and experiences for sharing. E-mail is fast and cheap, but it doesn't compare to the joy of sending and receiving snail mail. There's nothing like taking a moment to trace the familiar lines of a good friend's writing and find out how they're doing.
        Many years ago, extensive written communication was a given - if you read novels set in certain time periods and places, the characters often exchange notes and letters daily. People also kept detailed, daily journals - it's been such a treat to get a glimpse of some of my favorite writers' day-to-day experiences. I wonder what we will use to get a similar glimpse into the lives of today's greatest artists and thinkers - Facebook statuses? e-mails? tweets? blog posts?
        Thinking back to my intermediate-school days, I marvel at how many letters my sister and I exchanged with friends. I can't remember what we wrote about, but I remember that they were written on folder paper, often meticulously penned in a glittery rainbow of ink, then carefully folded for in-person delivery. Do today's middle-schoolers still do this? Or have Facebook messages and texts supplanted the allure of glittery pens and secret folding techniques?

     
      When was the last time you wrote or received a "snail-mail" letter?

chambray, flowers, and a dose of randomness

New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted

Style & Co. petite dress and Fossil necklace, Macy's

      I've been liking longer necklaces lately, so I extended this necklace with a bracelet. The nice thing about lengthening it is that you get a peek at the charms attached to the clasp.

      I'm feeling random today, so here are some random snippets from my life (hopefully they distract you from the fact that I am wearing this chambray shirt again): 

      Random grammatical error that irks me: when people confuse "weary" and "wary." In other words, I am weary of people who are not wary of grammatical errors and are too lazy to do some basic checking to figure out the difference.

      Random thing I learned about myself: It looks like I will be a fourth-grade teacher next year, so I was browsing fourth-grade-teacher blogs for tips and projects the other day. What did I learn? I learned that I absolutely cannot follow bloggers who use the word "cray-cray," multiple exclamation points, and ellipses in every other sentence. She may be a great teacher with engaging lessons, but I'll never know - because her writing gives me a headache.

      Random obsession: Homemade chocolate ganache, eaten straight out of the container. Tonight I just might slather it onto macadamia nut shortbread. 

     Random wardrobe realization: I can't remember the last time I wore my beloved jeans (according to the blog, it was on May 6, although I did wear other kinds of pants since then). I suppose my jeans forgot to tell me that they were sneaking off for summer vacation -  they got spoiled last year when I sent them away for Jeans-free June. I love jeans, but it's great to make better use of my dresses and skirts. 

     Random new responsibility: One of my aikido instructors is out due to health problems, so as the senior student, I have taken over teaching the twice-a-week classes. I don't have much confidence in my ability to teach aikido yet, so this is a stretch, but sometimes not-so-comfortable but necessary experiences help us grow.  And, it's a wonderful feeling to give back to the club after having benefited so much as a student.

Want to tell me something random? Leave me a comment. :)

inspiration Monday: tripping over the details

The inspiration: Katharine McPhee

My take: 

New York and Company chambray shirt, thrifted

UK Style by French Connection pants, Sears

belt, from dress

Carole necklace, Nordstrom Rack

bracelets - gifted, InPink, HauteLook

Dansko "Calliope" sandals, 6pm.com

     I love this pants silhouette - but I'm not convinced it works for someone of my height. Add in the complication that I hemmed the pants just a tiny bit too short. Then I got wishy-washy about the accessories  and styling - shirt untucked, knotted, belted? Necklace or no necklace?

       I ended up wearing this as shown above - untucked, no belt, with a necklace. I belt high-waisted skirts and just about any dress without hesitation, but putting a belt over a top or cardigan - I think that it just emphasizes my short torso and throws off my proportions. Although I'm surprised that it looks better in the photos than I remember it looking in the mirror ... 

      The next time I wear this outfit, I'll try wearing it with both the belt and necklace. I think the waist definition from the belt balances out the ultra-flowy pants legs and the lighter color of the necklace breaks up the dark top and picks up the pants' pattern. Whew, that was a lot of overthinking for a simple outfit!
      (And while I'm sure you knew that last week included National Doughnut Day, judging from the photos, it was also National Touch-Your-Hair Day. Nothing like editing photos to make you realize that you need to mix up your posing just a bit ... )

I'm linking up with two birds' inspiration Monday! Check out the other creative looks here! :)

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 ...