Green bubbles

J Crew Jackie cardigan
J Crew Flowing Ponte dress (seriously, like going to work in your PJs)
Merona tights
Aerosoles shoes
J Crew bubble necklace (light pink on sale online, they had a ton of green in the Annapolis store)
LC Lauren Conrad bow earrings

Kind of Vintage

Theory Black Cashmere Cardigan
Autumn Cashmere Shell
Casual Corner Annex Skirt
Merona Tights
Michael Kors Shoes
J Crew Earrings

This skirt is 14 11 (I can't count backwards)  years old.  I bought it the summer before my second year of college.  I am sort of impressed it still fits and sort of annoyed by the weird pleating in the front that made it pooch out a little.

It's that time of year

...when you wrestle your child into submission in the hope that you'll actually be able to take a family photo while a grandparent is around to do it, so you don't have to go pay someone else waaaaay too much money for the privilege, and then when you get home you pray that the photos actually turned out.

So thank God:

Because this was probably the runner up:

I'm wearing the J Crew Factory Draped Sequin Top, by the way.

Like our card?  Make your own at Shutterfly, so easy even an easily distracted mom who hasn't had her afternoon wine yet can do it.  (Ours is the Big Bow card if you just want to be a shameless copycat.  JK.)

The Day Before...

Gearing up for the big trek to PA, trying to shake off a mini-disaster from earlier this week, and hanging out with CJ this afternoon:

J Crew Jackie Cardigan

Bella White Boatneck Tee 

J Crew Factory Winnie Pants

Steve Madden Black Ruffle Shoes

Earrings/Bracelet from an etsy seller who's no longer active

This afternoon we are watching a Muppet Christmas Carol (I KNOW, I KNOW, it's early, but at least it's funny...) and packing.  

Mad for Plaid

Due to 16 years of Catholic school (that's K-12 and 3 years at THE Catholic University), I have a natural aversion to plaid skirts, but I made an exception for this one--even though its colors are pretty much exactly the same as the ones in my elementary school uniform.

Adrienne Vittadini Cardigan
J Crew Perfect Boatneck Tee
J Crew Factory Blackwatch Plaid Skirt
Merona Tights
Bandolino Loafer Pumps
J Crew Twisted Hammock Necklace
Earrings by TheresaRose via Etsy

Relaxin'...

Immediately after debate stops for the semester, I get hit with a cold.  I don't know why this is still a surprise to me.  Still, last week was the last tournament for the semester, and so, like clockwork, I got sick at the end of this week.  Something about the end of that adrenaline rush.  So I tried to push through it yesterday, but today I just let it wash over me.  I did, however, have to make a Target run, but I kept it comfy:

J Crew Shawl Collar Sweatshirt
J Crew Perfect Tank
Joes Jeans
Converse Slip Ons
DIY "bubble" stud earrings

I Feel Pretty...

...at least I think that's what this face is about.  Today I headed out to Zaytinya (More tapas!  More drinks!) with my two college besties.  It took me over an hour to get home due to Metro single tracking...so maybe this is more of an exhausted face?

Bows and pearls and dots and silk...what's not to love?  

J Crew Factory Bow Charley Sweater

Banana Republic Polka Dot Silk Blouse

Joe's Jeans

Tommy Hilfiger Boots

Betsey Johnson Bow Earrings

J Crew Cobblestone Pearl Bracelet

I believe here I am being instructed to "hop like a bunny!"

I did, obviously.

Ladies' Night For Real

Last night actually WAS Ladies' Night...went out with the ladies in my neighborhood.  Hit a tapas-style place called Jackie's in Downtown Silver Spring.  Delish!  I got a little tipsy off of Mango-tinis.

J Crew Factory Draped Sequin Top (this is so cute, was thinking about it in the off-white as well.  Currently 40% off in store)
Joes Jeans
Gap Velvet Blazer (this is old...like 10 years old maybe...but has held up incredibly well)
Tommy Hilfiger Boots
Dooney and Bourke Bag
Vintage Rhinestone Brooch
LC Lauren Connor Bow Earrings (these are srsly my new faves, best $6 I've ever spent?)

Dotty, Again

I have a thing for polka dots, y'all.  I blame J Crew and Anthropologie and Kate Spade for enabling me.

Anthropologie Taikonhu Well Behaved Jacket
J Crew Flared Ponte Dress (I am IN LOVE with this dress, it totally plays well with others, I wore it with a cardigan over the weekend and now this jacket.  It is a wardrobe workhorse!  Wish it came in 10 other colors, I would buy them all.)
Merona Tights
Aerosoles Shoes
J Crew Earrings

Ladies' Night

Ok, well "Mother's Night" at CJ's school.  Same thing, right?  (Fewer drink specials, perhaps.)

Pouring.

Reading.

Moveable-alphabet-loving!

Adrienne Vittadini (Bon Ton house brand, I think?) Cardigan
Banana Republic Blouse
J Crew Minnie Pants
Bandolino Wedges
Kate Spade Bag
LC Lauren Conrad Earrings
Vintage Ballerina Brooch

And last Thursday's outfit:

Theory Cashmere Cardigan
Anthropologie Moulinette Soeuers Dress
Merona Tights
Aerosoles Shoes
J Crew Pearl Drop Earrings

I had planned to get some outfit pics this weekend, and then things went bananas and I totally forgot.  I am so so so glad the marathon is over...for now.  My adrenaline kick collapsed on Tuesday and I think I might actually have had my first migraine--if not it was honestly the worst tension headache I can even imagine.  So yeah, ready for a break in the worst (best?) way.

Did You Vote?

Today I think my cutest accessory is my sticker.

J Crew Lady Jacket
J Crew Director Dress
J Crew Twisted Hammock Necklace
Merona Tights
Kelly and Katie Flats

To take our minds off the election returns (and because we hadn't had a night out in ages), Tom and I went out to see Pitch Perfect, which I had really wanted to see but hadn't gotten around to yet--hilarious!  "This ginger needs her jiggle juice!" (New motto?)  We followed it up with our favorite Thai restaurant.

I changed, because a) it got really cold out after the sun went down, and b) the Director Dress is not a good "eatin' dress" (no stretch).

Theory Cashmere Cardigan
J Crew Perfect Tee
Citizens of Humanity Ingrid Low Waist Flares
J Crew Bow Necklace
J Crew Collection Envelope Clutch in Dot
Tommy Hilfiger Boots

Now...we wait and watch TV and go crazy on the internet.

Liebster Award

Thanks to Jeannie at Colorful Corporate who nominated me for a Liebster Award!  The rules are: you post 11 facts about yourself, then answer 11 questions posed by your nominator, then nominate 11 other blogs and ask them 11 questions.  Technically the 11 other blogs should have under 200 followers but I had some trouble with that...

So first:
1. I snort when I laugh, Urkel-style.  It is uncontrollable (trust me, I've tried).  My debaters rate how funny a particular joke/statement was based on my number of snorts, like giving a hotel a number of stars.

2. I am always always ALWAYS cold.  Unless it is over 80 degrees, I am wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt inside the house.  I only own 3 pairs of shorts because even in the summer I get really chilly.

3. I hate needles. When I was having CJ, it was like “C-section? OK. Three extra residents in the room to observe? No prob. Magnesium drip so I don’t have a seizure? Checks. You want to put an IV needle in my ELBOW?” ::faint:: (I really did black out. In my defense, they had stuck me in the hand 3 times and brought in a second nurse to puncture me because the first was inept, but still.) I fainted when I got my ears pierced the first time. Just not a fan.

4. I always feel guilty for whatever I'm NOT doing.  If I'm at home, I'm feeling guilty for not going to work or at least doing work at home instead of relaxing and resting up for my next string of debate stuff.  If I'm at work or at a tournament, I feel guilty that I'm not at home with my family.  And I CONSTANTLY feel guilty for how little I get to see my friends.  

5. I am a politics junkie--BUT I hate talking about politics.  I think some of that is because I take politics so personally that it's hard to debate it with someone I'm friends with.  Even if that person agrees with me about 95%, that 5% is so difficult for me to swallow and so tied up in my emotions, that I always find it easier to just agree to disagree and stop debating it.  Which is weird, because I'm a professional debater (well, a debate coach, but about as close as you can get).  

6. I really don't like how I look in most photographs--even the ones I post on the blog.  Usually I make Tom take at least 10-15 each day and even then I have difficulty finding one that I like.  

7. When I was in high school, I really liked Star Wars.  Like...a lot.  Not just owning the movies--I owned all of the novels and actually wrote my own 200 page novel (obviously never published, pretty sure the floppy disk is still in existence somewhere).  When I found out that Disney bought the rights and is making Episode 7, I literally shrieked, threw my arms in the air, and did a little dance.  Nerd Alert!

8. I am an unashamed car singer/dancer.  Not like mumble along to the words and wiggle a little, we are talking full-on belting it out, dancing like no one is watching, waving at the people next to me at stoplights who are staring.  I secretly hope to be discovered, Susan Boyle style, when Simon Cowell happens to be driving near me one day.

9. I drink a lot of coffee.  A LOT OF COFFEE.  Not messing around.  Usually 3 cups a day.  More than that and I get twitchy, less than that and I get headache-y and mean.  I should probably stop or at least cut back, but in the realm of addictions it seems fairly harmless.

10. Even though I am a big nerd/policy wonk, I am still also a girly girl...I love manicures and makeup and trashy celebrity gossip magazines.  And shopping, duh.  One of my debaters the first year I was at Navy asked me for an extra pen for flowing--I offered him the choice of pink or purple.  His response was "Oh my God, when did we hire Debate Coach Barbie?"  The nickname didn't necessarily stick (thank goodness) but I still think about that and laugh.  

11. When I lose something, I wander around mumbling the Saint Anthony prayer...and it works!  Try it sometime if you've lost something: "Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, please come down, something is lost and it cannot be found."  

Now, Jeannie's 11 questions for me:

1. What is your favorite place to get fashion inspiration? Magazines, blogs, pinterest? 
Definitely blogs--I don't really subscribe to fashion magazines, I get O, Real Simple, and Working Mother, which tend to skew a little older and more "corporate" in their readership.  I'm still fairly young and in academia, both of which mean I can get away with dressing a little less conservatively, particularly when I'm not actually in the classroom.  I am still easing my way into Pinterest...I'm almost afraid that I'll be full-on addicted!

 2. Cold, gloomy winter is coming.  What winter item or trend are you looking forward to wearing , to brighten up your days? 
No, you have it wrong: SWEATER WEATHER is coming!  It's my favorite time of year!  I wear a lot of cardigans anyway, so i think late fall and winter just takes my early fall style and adds a heavier sweater and tights.  On the advice of several people, I put together a fall "color story" which for me involves heavy doses of mustard yellow, blues, and purples.  So I guess sweaters and tights in those colors?

 3. What is your favorite all-season clothing item, that you can wear in the heat of the summer and the dead of winter? 
I am a dress addict.  You can wear the right dress by itself in the summer and layer up with the aforementioned sweaters and tights to make it more cold-weather-appropriate.

 4. What trend did you say "NEVER" to, and ended up loving? 
Skinny pants.  I am short and have what are sometimes called "chicken legs"--thick thighs, skinny calves--so I couldn't imagine that they would be flattering, but I now own 4 pairs of J Crew Minnie pants and I love them.

 5. On the other end of the spectrum, what trend did you love at one time, and now you say "I can't BELIEVE I wore that!"
I don't know if it's really a "trend", but in college I gained the freshman 15 and HATED how I looked, so I wore baggy jeans and men's sweaters for basically the whole year.  I was actually really really ridiculously thin when I graduated high school (weighed under 100 lbs), so looking back, I probably honestly looked good.  (Or at least that 15 lbs gained put me right at the weight that I'm at now, and I think I look pretty good now, so...)

6. What is the craziest thing you ever did in pursuit of an item you had to have in your closet? 
Nothing too crazy...probably just the patented "Ebay Overpay"...where I could have bought it on sale for less than half the original price, dither, miss out, and then buy it on Ebay for at or above original retail.  Classic.

7. Do you set a monthly budget for clothing purchases?  How do you decide upon a number?
Not just for clothes...we use Mint.com for our household budget and so my husband and I each get $300 in discretionary money for the month.  That's supposed to cover lunches and then any other non-household incidental expenses.  Usually that ends up translating to about $150 to spend on shopping.

8. Do you have any items in your closet that have lasted 5 years or more, that you still wear consistently?  If so, what are those items? 
I don't think that I do!  Honestly, I think my pregnancy/post-pregnancy weight shifts meant that I got rid of a lot of things.  I guess I have 2 pre-CJ suits in there that I've worn a few times since being able to fit in them again.  My style 5 years ago was much less colorful, because I had bought clothes in law school thinking I would be a lawyer and need a bunch of dark suits.  When I went this route instead, I continued to "suit up" as long as they fit.  So I've only recently come out of my fashion shell!

9. Have you always loved fashion, or is it something that became more interesting to you as you grew older?
Really only in the past 2-3 years.  I went to Catholic school K-12 and so wore a uniform pretty much every day, then had a few years of mostly jeans and tee shirts in college and law school (with some sensible Hillary Clinton-esque pantsuits for debate tournaments and internships sprinkled in).

10. What is your opinion on vanity sizing?
I love it because I'm vain.  Just kidding!  I'm actually vaguely worried I'm going to get sized out of some brands that I love.  It's ridiculous that I'm wearing a size 00 pencil skirt!  Brands should keep sizes where they are and expand the number of sizes that they make.  If today's 12 is 1996's 16, maybe we should go back to that old standard of a 12 and brands should make sizes 16 and 18.

 11. How closely do you tie self-acceptance and self-love to how you present yourself?
Wow...this is deep!  I know that I defintely feel better and more confident and happy when I look good (as subjectively determined by me, no other opinions required).  

Now for the blogs I've selected:

Mom Cat Diaries 

The Delightful Find

J Crew Is My Favorite Store

A Trail of Sequins

Tweed and Toile  (over 200)

Stuff Jewish Girls Like (WAY over 200)

I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess (also WAY over 200)

And...I ran out.  I don't think I'm supposed to re-nominate blogs who've already been nominated, though if I did I'd nominate Colorful Corporate, Apples and Pencil Skirts, Anthromollogies, and One Can't Get Over The Habit, so that would make 11.

Now for my 11 questions:

1. What is your favorite thing about fall?

2. How do you balance your "work self with your life me" (thank you, Liz Lemon!)--do you feel like you have a good work-life balance or do you feel like you are constantly playing catch up in one of those areas?

3. Do you have a favorite recipe?  What is it and why?  (Post a link if you can, if not just a description would be great!)  (This is obviously for selfish reasons...trying to diversify my arsenal...)

4. What is the most expensive thing that you own (besides your house/car/furniture)?  Was it worth it?

5. What is your least favorite current fashion trend?

6. Ok, now how about your favorite fashion trend?

7. What is your biggest "pet peeve"--something you just can't stand?

8. Do you have a mantra?  If so, what is it?

9. What is the one thing you never leave the house without?

10. What is your favorite book?

11. Who is your role model and why?

Birthday/Debate/Shopping Weekend

What's the best 31st birthday present a gal could ask for?

Going to a debate tournament, obviously.

Actually, this tournament was great.  Five of the seven teams we brought with us advanced to elimination rounds--one of them was advanced over by another team (hit each other in the bracket in octofinals), one team lost in octofinals, and the other teams all lost in quarterfinals, but still a great weekend for Navy Debate!

Thursday's outfit--my actually birthday, so I decided to wear my birthstone color, "golden topaz":

J Crew Dress
J Crew Merino Ruffle Cardigan
DKNY Tights
Liz Claiborne Flats

In addition to all the winning that happened this weekend, the midshipmen got me another gift:

(Ignore the crazy hair, we'd been debating for like 18 hours straight by the time this photo was taken)
J Crew Navy Tweed Jacket
J Crew Perfect Boatneck Tee
I Love Jesus A Latte Mug--via the Liberty University Bookstore
(Not shown: J Crew Navy Tweed Postage Stamp Mini, Merona Tights, Kelly & Katie flats)

Sunday's outfit, for a day of running around, coaching teams in elims, and driving six hours home in a van:

J Crew Merino Tippi in Argyle
J Crew Minnie Pants in Navy
Kelly & Katie Flats


The gift of the weekend that kept on giving?  We were at Liberty University, which is in Lynchburg, VA.  Guess what else is in Lynchburg, VA?

THE J CREW CLEARANCE CENTER.

Or, actually, centerS...because there is so much amazing J Crew stuff that they had to expand.  We left Thursday night to avoid traffic and rushing around on Friday morning, so I had several hours to take myself and some of the team (ok, just the girls) shopping.

I didn't take pics because I forgot my camera and the lighting wasn't great for phone pics, but I did manage to snag:

--Flared Ponte Dress--$40 (almost bought this at full price in store 2 weeks ago...glad I didn't...)
--Navy Director Dress--$40
--Navy Minnies--$20 (liked them so much I wore them Sunday!)
--Merino Argyle Tippi--$30 (ditto!)
--Pleated Skirt in Polka Dot Crepe--$40
--Collection Envelope Clutch in Dot--$40 (my loooooove...I thought I had missed you forever!)
--Lady Jacket in Double Serge Gray--$60
--Saint James Green Striped Tee--$40
--Navy Perfect Boatneck Tee--$15 (wore it Saturday!)

They had a lot of great stuff.  Almost got the lady jacket in the mustard color (didn't because I was worried it wouldn't end up matching my mustard double serge skirt, and I already have a bright yellow Maggie jacket), the tipped peacoat (but I just got a navy peacoat and the one they had was ivory, which is totally unpractical Mom Outerwear), and an Edie purse (weird size and some vaguely obvious scratching).  Also picked up some Christmas presents for my mom/brother/brother's girlfriend and a few tops for CJ to wear to school.  $12 for a crewcuts tee shirt?  Can't beat it.

Anyway...here's an adorable team pic:

All in all, a great weekend!  Working on my Liebster Award post--thanks to Jeannie of Colorful Corporate who nominated me!