Look! Free Coffee

Today I was an observer for my workplace's candidate interview process.  To ensure fairness - that all applicants are treated equally, I sat in on the interviews.  This is a month-long process; I can see how it can get very gruelling asking the same questions over and over.  

I have on my usual workplace "uniform": skirt, top, jacket.  I went for total black and white which I think is one of my winter stand-by colour combinations (the other is brown).

The jacket is a casual faux suede with eye-catching white stitching and gold buttons.  It's also a very dark black.

It was rainy and since I also had some client meetings, I didn't want to wear my army boots, so went with Franco Sarto double-zip booties.  Whoever invented the double-zip shoe - kudos.  Soo easy to put on.

And why do I have such a silly grin?

Well, our coffee supplier decided to toss out their packaged coffee today - yes, toss out.  They were introducing a new seasonal blend, so out with the old, in with the new.  Such a waste.

I stepped in and volunteered to take it home.  There was quite a bit so I sent round a note for co-workers to help themselves.  Even so, there was a lot leftover -- quite the haul for a thrifty person like me!

today i wore:

flower shirt ... jacob

scarf ... ?

jacket ... st john

skirt ... jessica

tights ... dollar store

booties ... franco sarto

Giant Multi-Sweater

You know how each season you have a few items that you wear over and over because they are super comfy or just seem to go with everything?  Well, I think I found a repeat item.

This giant sweater has all sorts of fabrics and textures combined.  It's actually an XL size.  And it is sooo comfy.

Each sleeve is different, and depending how you wear it, you can twist the pattern to the front or back:

Even the back is different from the front:

It actually looks good worn backwards too.  I love it!

On another note: you can see I'm still looking for places to take indoor photos.  Might need to change the light in this room as everything is decidedly yellow!

today i wore

multi-sweater ... derin

skirt ... kenneth cole

tights ... dollar store

boots ... spanish army boots

Houndstooth and Oxfords

The hvac is back to normal, so I ventured out in a skirt again.  Just to be on the safe side I wore my houndstooth sweater-jacket which is thick and cozy.

Terri's Plaidurday post in which she wore her oxfords reminded me of mine so the shoe question was solved.  I was a little hesitant due to the heels, but went for it anyway.  

My doubts were not entirely unfounded - I did a lot of standing in the afternoon. 
It was meet the teachers day at school, so I took half a day off.  It was more organized this year; we didn't have to book appointment times.  The teachers were all seated in alphabetical order at desks around the room and the parents queued up by the ones they wanted to talk to.  It was great because you could look around to see which teachers had a long lineup and go visit with another in the meantime.

I'm always impressed with the teachers' passion for their students and the subjects they teach.

As it gets darker and wetter out, I'm looking for indoor places for the photos. Today I'm trying out a "take the photo on the stairs" pic - but am not entirely pleased.  But you can see that at least our home has corners of sunny mediterranean yellow even if it is cold and miserable outside.

today i wore:

turquoise t-shirt ... kenneth cole

houndstooth cardigan ... ?

scarf ... from the mercadillo

tube waist skirt ... jessica

tights ... secret

oxfords ... naturalizer

Dollar Daze

I went to the Dollar store yesterday to buy some wet wipes for my purse; I ended up spending $7 and got:

• a small box of wet wipes
• 2 long drawer organizers for chopsticks
• a notebook for my computer stuff
• a big container of baby powder
• AND this top:

I was quite pleased with the blouse - it's a sample; the tag on it said it comes in a lot of 80 pieces.  There were two, but the other one had a different colour print on top and did not look as nice.

So I decided to wear it with other Dollar store items:

 

It was flip-flop day at work, but I am not one to display uncovered toes at work, so I wore my Spanish loafers again.

I think the jeans are detracting from the overall look, but it's Friday and the whole department was in jeans or dockers.

Today I wore:

black sequin trim racer back tank - Winners - $3

black and white knit tunic - Dollar store - $2

jeans - costco - $16

shoes - spain - ???

necklace and bracelet - Dollar store - $1 each

Black is Black

Our family's plan is to watch one movie each weekend during the summer holidays and as expected with 3 males in the family we have seen Spiderman and Avengers. Last night we went to see Dark Knight Rises; if you like Batman movies, I thought this one was pretty good - Anne Hathaway is great as Catwoman. So I was still in a dark frame of mind and since it was a miserable rainy day, I thought something black would be in order.

This is the MNG top from the mercadillo in Spain worn with a turtleneck underneath and my basic knit skirt (Kenneth Cole) and my Docs.  I like this type of pullover semi-tunic tops and Big J does too.  Don't have to worry about belt buckles, ties or buttons.  Just a basic rainy day look.

For Visible Monday, and Monday Mingle I blinged it up with these accessories; they are from a liquidator's - but I think the necklace is Avon of all things.

They feel dressy and I'm never sure if I'm overdoing it.  But I like them, they look like stuff from another time don't they? 

Black and White and Red

As some of you may know, Big J and I have been trying to stick to a healthy diet with more fibre than we usually get.  Apparently women need about 25 grams of fibre and men need 35. 

So we've been at it for about a couple of weeks now - eating lots of healthy fruit and veggies, legumes, whole wheat, brown rice.  The best part is the fruit and the worst is the lingering odour of fish - we're also trying to eat less meat.

If anyone has a good solution to getting rid of cooked fish smell let me know!  In the meantime, since it's summer, we're going to try to cook fish outside on the barbie.

I don't feel any different on this diet, more full perhaps -  I already ate fibre and fish regularly but hubby certainly feels better.

I haven't lost any additional poundage since May so will have to either step up the activity level or reduce the fuel intake.

But, I am losing size I think - see that red Liz Claiborne belt in the photo?  I can actually fasten it one hole smaller now.  (I didn't, but could if I wanted to).


Today's outfit is all black and white prints with the red belt for the colour pop.

The skirt is the same Esprit one I wore back in February.  This time I added a sleeveless ruffly top, the polka-dotty scarf from Spain and a red belt.

Can you see the plums in the tree?  They are the small orange ones and are almost ready; they'll be a tasty addition to the diet.  We bought 2 plum trees years ago and get a big crop of fruit - enough for friends and neighbours.  They are in different parts of the yard so the fruit is ready at different times - makes for a longer yield period.

Like many of my skirts, this one is a touch big - I don't like tightness around the waist so tend to move up a size sometimes, but the floaty-ness was great for today's muggy weather.

Slightly Hypnotic

The sun is holding up today, so another spring-ish outfit - I know right? it's summer actually. 

 

We went out for dinner at the Keg which is a local steak restaurant.  Big J was very good and had a salad topped with grilled chicken.  I succumbed to a succulent steak.

 

 

Looking a little pained - the teeth (or lack) are still bothering me.  The mary janes are from Spain from maybe 7 years ago.  I love this style of shoe - reminds me of being a student for some reason.

 

The skirt is quite memorable so I've only worn it a couple of times.  On top of a crazy hypnotic print, this skirt is also asymmetrical and has an over-flap. 

 

You are getting sleeeeeepy ....

 

Not sure if I like the grey tights or not - they don't quite clash but seem a little solid looking for such a floaty skirt.

Today's post is linking to:

• Visible Monday
• Mannequin Monday 
• Monday Mingle

Faux Wrap Dress

Do you ever pick out something to wear in the evening and then the next day change your mind?  It happens to me all the time.  So it was with today's outfit.  Being Friday, my original plan was to do a dress with jeans look, and then I thought dress with footless tights.  But it just seemed a bit weird so I went back to dress with regular tights.

I wanted to wear a bright tee on the inside but the day started out drizzly and cold so I reverted back to a basic black turtleneck.  It looked a bit plain so added the obi thing which I've worn previously as both a scarf and a belt.

To match it all up I added my dollar store accessories (the necklace and bracelet), and at the last moment tossed on another scarf from the market in Spain:

I'll have to try experimenting with my look a bit more because this outfit got a lot of positive comments. 

The dress was $8 from Old Navy, but from about 5 or 6 years ago.  I find that I no longer like Old Navy; most of their clothing is poorly made and of shoddy material.  This dress seems to be an exception.  Seams are serged and it has held up well.

It's actually a faux wrap dress which is nice because you get the look without the hassle of having to worry about the dress flying open or gaping when you sit.

I only wish the cute flower print was on the outer panel instead of the inner.

Big Shoes and a Neck-Scarf Belt

A slight error in judgement in choosing today's outfit:  I based it on the sunlight streaming in through the window.  It was super sunny this morning so I hauled out something with short sleeves. Big. Mistake.

With 46 kmh winds, it was cold out.  Goosebumps galore. Luckily I went with thicker tights due to still having big (and lumpy) scabs on my knees. 

I don't usually like to have such a contrast with tights and shoes, but had a notion that the oval space made by the straps on the shoes would sort of match the oval pattern on the skirt.  You be the judge.

I've been looking for heel grips for these shoes because they are a touch big but $6.99 seems a bit pricey for two little pieces of gummy stick-ons.  And who knows when they will go on sale?

So today, I got some leather insoles from Dollarama - I bought men's size 11 (bigger insoles = more material) and my plan is to cut out some heel grips and stick them on using Big J's construction glue.  I thought of using leather pieces, but don't think it would be thick enough - the insoles have a bit of padding which should just work fine. 

Council Meeting

Today was another meeting day so I got to wear jeans again.  Here is the outfit:

This is in what Big J and I call the "rustic" part of the garden.  In the heat of summer, it is a cool shady refuge with green grapes hanging down.  Now though it's mostly twigs and bare vines.

I'm trying to wear more accessories and today sport bracelets from my Mom (left arm, worn with watch) and Mom-in-law (3 strands on right):

They felt a bit dressy for the jeans, but why not?

The jeans I actually thought I liked, but now that I see them in a photo, I think they need to be taken in a bit around the knee area.  They are those stretchy jeans that have a bit of lycra - they fit well first thing in the morning, but by end of day get all bagged out.

Classic But Fun

Although it's warmed up a bit, it's still a bit chilly in the morning and evenings, so today's outfit allowed me to doff the sweater-jacket if need be.

The houndstooth sweater is an old-old one from way back which has held up well.  I tend to forget that it's in the closet because it's hanging with the suit jackets which are hardly ever worn.  It's in better condition than the red one underneath which is literally at least 10 years newer. 

I wore it with another one of those tube waist skirts which have become a go-to item for me.  Tube waists let you enjoy a "comfort waist" without the look of elastic.  The best thing is that the skirt has pockets too.

And the fun item for today is the hair ornament.  If you look closely you can see that the red and clear ones are little Mickey Mouse heads!