a little kawaii, a little conversation

top, thrifted

cardigan, Gap Outlet

pants, Old Navy

  I scooped up this top on a recent trip to Goodwill. Yay for simple, cute tops that don't have gigantic armholes or necklines!
  Just returned from a very short but satisfying trip to Hawaii. I learned two things from wearing my very first vintage dress:

• Check all seams carefully. I noticed after picking it up from the dry cleaners that a back seam was unraveling and had to do some emergency stitching the night before the wedding.
• Reinforce all buttons! I lost a button during the wedding. Thankfully, it was at the end of the line of buttons vs. in the middle of the dress, but a bit of preventive stitching would have helped. 

     I had a great weekend - I got to do some serious eating with some of my favorite people, and am already looking forward to my next trip home in December. I also got to read quite a bit on the plane ride there and back - I'm almost finished with "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin.

    I accessorized the above outfit with my candy corn earrings, and they were a big hit. Most of the kids I encountered while on morning drop-off duty commented on my earrings! Being shy, I enjoy wearing accessories that garner comments - it makes interacting with people just a bit easier.
    I've already browsed etsy for fun earrings for upcoming holidays. Granted, the choices for Thanksgiving are limited - pumpkin pie, perhaps? - but there are so many cute options for Christmas ... gingerbread people, Christmas trees, Christmas lights ...

brain gym

relaxed peplum top and pants, Old Navy

J. Crew necklace, eBay

cardigan, Gap Outlet

     I'm not quite sold on the peplum yet - and according to reddit's femalefashionadvice forum they are "out" - but it's nice to have a plain white top. I have owned a number of white tops, from tees to buttondowns, and they always end up languishing in the closet, unloved and unworn. I know they're supposed to be a classic, but I always end up wearing something else because they seem so ... plain. My hope is that the peplum adds enough interest that I will get some use out of this shirt!    
      I read a book on the growth mindset last year, and am trying to take small steps to incorporate the growth mindset into my classroom. Once a week I post a "Brain Gym" math problem, which is supposed to be a challenge and encourage students to persevere and stretch themselves academically. Wednesday was not a Brain Gym day, but one of my students noted that while the problem wasn't as challenging as a Brain Gym problem, he felt as if his brain had "taken a jog around the neighborhood." Ha! So far I am liking this bunch. 

brights

blouse and Harper trousers, Old Navy

cardigan, Gap Outlet

       Bright pink and cobalt aren't colors I would usually wear together, but the print pulls it together, I think.  

       I'm headed back to Hawaii in early October for a short and sweet trip - going to attend a wedding and spend time with family. The wedding dress code is "aloha attire," and I don't own anything in aloha print. Thus, I've been browsing etsy and eBay for something fun and pretty. Here are a few of the pretty things I found ... can you guess which one is my favorite? It's the most expensive item on my eBay watch list, alas!

    

bouncing back to brights

Threads 4 Thought dress, Off Fifth

cardigan, Gap Outlet 

 I've been wearing a lot of neutrals lately. January's purchases so far include a black-and-white print top and a gray-and-white striped tunic, which means the neutrals streak is not over yet. However, in the middle of a short but jam-packed week, it was nice to revert to my comfort colors of blue and green.

     On my annual December pilgrimage to the outlet mall, I found this new addition to my collection of cotton dresses. It was a steal at 40% off! The fabric is soft, the print reminds me of India, and the cut is work-appropriate. I know it's hard to see in the photos, but the back hem is slightly longer and curved, which adds interest.

*   *  *  *  *

     A few weeks ago, my local craft store sent me a 40% off coupon. I decided to get a book that would teach me something new. I considered getting a jewelry-making book, but I wanted to take up something that wouldn't require a lot of tools. So I ended up getting a book on Zentangles, since all it requires is a pen and paper. It's been a fun, simple way to fit more creativity into my life. My hectic work schedule inspired this piece:

chrysalis

Evan Picone dress, Overstock.com (old)

cobalt cardigan, Gap Outlet

opal studs, gift from EKM

    This is an ooooold outfit ... from Spring Break in March, to be exact.  Why so dressed up on my vacation? I had a job interview. There were exactly 2.5 school librarian jobs posted this year (on this island), and I decided to apply for them all.

    It was an interesting experience. At my first interview, for a half-time position, I was equipped with a pencil, paper, a good half-hour to sit in the school's media center, and the directions that I was to sketch out my plans for the place. I am not a pro at organizing spaces - in fact, in my first classroom a colleague with this skill was generous enough to help me rearrange using the layout she had carefully determined for her room. I ended up thinking back on libraries I had seen and features I had liked about them, and incorporating them into my own design.

     While I'm still a bit disappointed that I was not offered any of those jobs, I realize that competition is stiff - it includes fellow recent graduates as well as experienced folks looking to move. It was heartening to hear that school administrators are starting to realize the value of librarians and an innovative library program.

        I went through my library studies fiercely hoping to never return to the classroom - not because I disliked being a teacher, but because I was so ready to become a librarian. In August, I will start my second year back in the classroom. For some reason, it's not my time to leave the classroom yet. By chance, I landed at my current school, which I like. I still dream about having my own library someday (soon), but for the time being I'm thankful to be fully employed again and to have an all-around good bunch of colleagues and students.

       A friend gifted me two pairs of opal earrings from her own collection a while back. I believe she picked them up on her travels, and they are gorgeous. I never really liked opals before, but after wearing them I've come to appreciate their subtle, almost eerie beauty. This photo doesn't do them justice - the stones come to life with peek-a-boo streaks of bright green and pink in the light. 

* P.S.: This dress was featured in my closet orphans post about a year ago!

*P.P.S.: What is something you are (patiently or impatiently) trying to bring to fruition in your life? It can be big or small ... I'd love to hear in the comments!   

to talk and to listen

Tee, Gap

Cardigan, Gap Outlet

Coldwater Creek silk scarf, Valentine's Day gift from Mom

petite trouser jeans, Macy's

necklace, Haitian Beads

bracelets, HauteLook and DIY

      TALKING: We went on a field trip to the museum on Monday. I think the students really enjoyed it, and it enhanced their understanding of our social studies curriculum. Fourth grade focuses on Hawaiian society and culture, and I thought it was neat that they got to handle some artifacts that Hawaiians used for fishing and making tools. I've only been to the museum with a class, but I'd like to go back during the summer and browse through Hawaiian Hall at leisure.
      On the way back to school, I was listening to my students chatter away, and I realized how many of them believe that "I talk, therefore I am." That made me wonder: what activity do I believe defines me? I'd have to say reflection, or maybe even the study of aikido. It's an interesting question to ask yourself if you haven't before ...

      LISTENING: Speaking of reflection, having students reflect, self-assess, and give feedback to others has always been an interest of mine. It's a natural interest, I suppose, since whenever I take a multiple intelligences test, one of my dominant intelligences is intrapersonal. I went to a training last week, and the trainer suggested that we ask students to reflect on what the teacher did that they found useful, and what the teacher did that was not useful.
      With that in mind, I had my students respond in writing to that same question after a math lesson. I consider myself a novice when it comes to teaching math, unfortunately - while I've seen big improvements in what I'm doing this year compared to years past, I know I have a long way to go! My self-assessment was confirmed by what my students wrote. While some students are still working on using details in reflection and didn't get beyond "everything you did was helpful," I had others clearly state that they wished I had done more sample problems with the class before having them practice the skill on their own.
        It's tough to realize that your instruction was not as effective as it could have been, but I'm taking their feedback seriously and will make some changes as a result.

  
      Whew, longer post than usual ... I guess being drop-dead tired this week makes me introspective? Or verbose? And it doesn't help that I've got a weekend full of work ahead, since report cards are due next week.
   How would you complete the phrase "I ________, therefore I am"?

a leaf of grass

American Rag Cie top, Macy's

cardigan in bright cobalt, Gap Outlet

same ol' jeans, Ross

turquoise bead bracelet, InPink

        My co-worker raved about the colors and pattern of this top when I wore it for a recent professional development day. It can only be worn with a cardigan right now because the armholes needs slimming - the way it gapes is very unflattering and makes me look wider than I am when worn by itself. Hurry up, cooler weather! I have quite a few cute shirts that need to be worn with a light cardigan to make them work-appropriate. I suppose that means that I should stop buying those kinds of tops, but that would mean I'd be stuck wearing crew-neck tees everyday ...
      Yesterday I didn't have any parent-teacher conferences, so I decided to do a few laps around the field at recess. My school has started a running program to encourage fitness, and the kids were amazed and thrilled to see me out there with them. I managed to do almost two laps (a half-mile) before the bell rang. One of my students was sweet enough to keep me company, although I think she was holding herself back to do so - I've seen her chug along at a determined jog around the field for the whole 15 minutes.
     It was wonderful exercise, but the one problem is that I am really allergic to grass, and the grass on the field was quite high. By the time I left work, I was fighting back sniffles and tossed down two allergy pills shortly after I got home. While Whitman said, "I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars," I'm guessing that he didn't have allergies ...

inspiration Monday: floral silhouettes

The inspiration: Emmy Rossum

My take:

     

Kahala silk-linen top, Macy's

necklace, Forever 21

camisole, Nordstrom Rack

cardigan, Gap Outlet

      I don't own anything similar to either the top or skirt Emmy's wearing,but her skirt's print reminded me of one of my favorite shirts. I've just realized that while I've worn this shirt quite often, I've never worn it with a skirt before! Adding that to my outfits-to-wear list. :)

       It's with great surprise that I start my last week of work as a math tutor. I really enjoy working with kids one-to-one, so I'm sad to see it end. 

       I have a job interview for the upcoming school year set for Saturday, bright and early at 8 a.m. This particular position has so many applicants that they actually asked us to staple a photo to our resume(!) As a teacher with a mere two years of classroom experience (a.k.a. total newbie), I know it's not likely that I'll be chosen, but I'm going to give it my best shot anyhow. I'm still determinedly hoping to find my dream job as an elementary school librarian, but nothing's materialized yet.

        I'm linking up with two birds' Inspiration Monday - see the other creative looks here. :)

2 blues and a green

dress, Old Navy

cardigan, Gap Outlet

sash, from dress

     One recent morning the guy and I headed off to the Department of Health to get our marriage license, and this is what I wore.

    I'm kicking off my Spring Break by getting my eyebrows done and going for a contact-lens fitting. I used to wear contacts in college, but I found that they dried out my eyes so much that I'd end up with massive headaches (by that, I mean no-appetite-just-want-to-sleep kinds of headaches). I'm hoping they've made some improvements in contact-lens technology over the last decade!
    Other things on the agenda: start wiring the brooches for the bouquet because I want to make an inexpensive test bouquet ASAP (fingers crossed that the wiring goes smoothly and doesn't take forever); figure out my final project idea for my online class; do a little reading for fun; and sew the sash for my bouquet (hoping the fabric arrives tomorrow!). One more thing I'd like to do is bake something scrumptious ... what better way to celebrate my last week of singledom, right? ; )