in which nothing but blue skies do i see

I can't lie, I love the sunshine. I love that it is light out when I wake up and that I drive home into the sunset every evening (rather than the darkness). But these slowly changing seasons sure do stink up my ability to take blog photos. My usual spot was taken over by streaky blackout areas this morning as the trees reached their shadows toward the river. At least this spot was consistently bright (albeit blinding...). And you get to see the river behind me! See all the sheets of ice washed up on the shore?

(hat: stolen from mom; necklace: diy gift; dress: thrifted; slip: urban outfitters; tights: h&m; shoes: seychelles)

When I received this necklace at the Christmas gift exchange, I knew immediately that I would wear it with these tights. The outfit itself is pretty uninspired, but I wanted to go neutral/natural with the necklace and this is what came out. See the little heart-shaped beads? Pretty appropriate for Valentine season, if I do say so.

Anyway, I had good reason to be a little bit out of my element when dressing this morning--I was super productive last night! I made dinner, prepared my mail and packages for posting, finished and filed my tax returns (I love Turbo Tax), and then passed the 70,000 word mark on the novel (and, more importantly, I now know how I intend to end it, which I hadn't the dimmest idea about until last night)!

So yeah... I wasn't quite with it when I woke up, but there are more important things :)

in which i sing the song of chevron

This dress is one of my very favorites, but I struggle with styling it up in new and different ways, since the print pretty much speaks for itself.

(dress: h&m via plato's closet; jacket: uo via goodwill; shoes: seychelles)

Tonight is date night! K and I are going to get some Indian food (best ever) and I am excited :) Last night was so crazy and productive (laundry, pie-baking, hand-washing delicates in the sink...), I can't wait to just sit down and be served. This will hopefully include champagne. It is also technically our four year (!!!!) anniversary. We chose October 13 (a fairly good guess, we obviously weren't paying attention to the date when we originally got together--I only pay attention to dates when I have a regular job), but last year K said he didn't like the number 13. So... October 14 it is. :D (Hmmm I like the sound of October 15 better...)

The light in these photos is totally ridiculous. When I got to my spot it was completely overcast (my favorite for photo-taking), but halfway through the "shoot" the sun was shining like a screaming banshee through the clouds. Not ideal. And now, because it's Friday, I'll leave you with a poem that I like (about the best month ever).

October

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes' sake along the wall.

(Robert Frost)

in which the sun got the better of me

So, you may notice that I abandoned polka dots. But, in fairness, this is a new week. Maybe I'm sick of themes. I'm fickle like that.

(dress: forever 21; jacket: thrifted; boots: seychelles)

Simplicity is key when you're burnt to a crisp underneath your clothes. Please excuse my reddish hue. I spent most of my weekend like this:

...and I suspect that my 50 SPF sunscreen was not as waterproof as advertised.

Friday night K and I picked up some veggies at the farmer's market (beets, scallions, onions, garlic, cilantro!) and sat on our makeshift "stoop" (aka where the sidewalk ends) and drank some wine while the sun set. Our little "stoop chats" have become a bit of a tradition this past week, since we don't have a porch but we want to take as much advantage of this gorgeous weather as possible. We watched a movie (HappyThankYouMorePlease), which wasn't the best movie I'd ever seen but wasn't terrible, either, and hit the hay at a reasonable hour so we'd be well-rested for our fun-filled Saturday!

We woke up bright and early, had some coffee and eggs, and hit the Waterbury flea market (I bought earrings, a necklace, a clock--with hourglass!, a set of decorative suitcases, and a Moroccan lantern) before heading to K's "secret spot" so that he could fish and I could lounge around in the sun and read. I did end up jumping into the Winooski River (multiple times), which may have been ill-advised but felt incredible. When we'd had enough of the sun, we went home and showered, etc. before driving into town for dinner. After nearly an hour wait, we finally scored a table outside at Three Tomatoes Trattoria on Church Street, ordered some cocktails (hers: blood orange bellini, his: st. germain) and two wood-fired pizzas (Margherita and Primavera). It was an incredible evening, and K and I were in agreement that we must resist the temptation to run away to new places every weekend and spend more time enjoying our own little city.

Sunday was much of the same--we drove to the Reservoir, where K fished (unsuccessfully) and I basked (okay, baked) in the sun and then swam it off (rinse, repeat), also apparently swimming off my sunscreen, because BOY! am I red. I am so glad that I've been swimming regularly so far this summer--I didn't go at all last year, which was a travesty. I used to live in lakes and ponds during the summer months, and definitely lean toward the mer-persuasion. After enjoying creemees for lunch, I whipped up some spicy peanut noodles for a dinner party on Lake Champlain, where we were treated with a beautiful sunset over the water and lots of yummy food.

All-in-all, a wonderfully relaxing summer weekend--the very best that Vermont has to offer!

in which it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Today is gloriously sunny and warm, which makes up for the fact that Memorial Day Weekend is officially over. I felt like simplicity today, and I actually really like the idea of a LBD on a summer day, even if it does act as an oven (I like warmth). I also like poofy skirts lately, since hot weather tends to send me careening toward creemees and margaritas and neglecting any sort of exercise (although K and I did unwillingly walk 2 miles on the side of the highway after my spare tire popped in a pothole on Saturday afternoon--I am not going to dwell on that).

(dress: marshall's; shoes: kohl's; hat: uo; necklace: diy)

I'm excited that you guys are all over the Shabby Apple giveaway! Make sure to get your comments in if you haven't already--the contest will turn into a pumpkin at 12 midnight tomorrow!

Can I just say how happy I am that summer seems to have finally arrived? K and I visited the Waterbury flea market on Saturday and I picked up an awesome new picnic basket (complete with two plastic wine glasses in cylindrical basket appendages), which I cannot wait to take out in a field somewhere with some champagne and stinky cheese (or, more likely, to a riverbank so K can fish). Either way, champagne + stinky cheese + sunshine + book + badass picnic basket = heaven. Our Memorial Day weekend was a bit of a flop (mostly because of the whole tire debacle), but I fully intend to make up for it over the upcoming weekend (at least Saturday will be nice... hang in there, weather report! I like you just the way you are!). I did, however, get to do some shopping with mom for the Connecticut cottage (cabinets, flooring, appliances, oh my!), and K and I went to see The Hangover 2 (which was basically the exact same movie as the first but not as good). Next weekend: who knows?? Day trip? Drive-in? Sushi date? Bike ride?

in which i connect the dots

Hooray for navy blue and polka dots, one of my all-time favorite combinations! This outfit feels a little too close to Monday's get-up for comfort, but whatever. It's different. Best of all, I have a whole lot of polka going on. I've decided my new favorite thing is belting untucked shirts. I was going to tuck this one in, but my skirt is seriously too short when I pull it up to my natural waist and belt it instead of letting it hang on my hips. I like this better anyway.

(blouse/skirt/scarf/belt: thrifted; shoes: seychelles; socks: uo; ring: gift; earrings: claire's)

I feel like I should officially change the name of my blog to "How to Wear the Same Shoes and Belt Every Single Day," because that's basically what I do. This is an unbeatable combination, which I will never tire of. I hope you guys won't tire of it, either. For someone with such a serious affection for footwear, it's kind of funny that I go back to Old Blimey day after day.

It has been absolutely beautiful here this week, and while the stunning sunshine does render about half of my outfit photos useless due to silly squinting faces (I am a MAJOR squinter--I squint even on overcast winter days), I must admit that the blue skies and lush greenery can't be beat :) Happy Hump Day, everyone! We're halfway there :)