hump day and other hazards

I'm not feeling terribly talkative today! It's Wednesday, so, you know... not a whole lot going on.

Everybody's working for the weekend. Especially me.

(jumper: Bargain Basement; scarf: thrifted; necklace: UO; chambray shirt: Walmart; belt: Old Navy; tights: Goodwill; boots: ALDO)

Here's to getting over the hump!

the big dig: an anthropological study of the bargain basement

So sometimes I buy something and then I want to wear it every single day for the rest of my life (sort of like how I discovered this sandwich and now I want to eat it every single day for the rest of my life [this is underway]). The something I am referring to here is this scarf, which, combined with these leopard-print sunglasses, makes me feel like an anthropologist who has recently returned from some remote corner of the world with a bundle of artisan goodies under my arm (just pretend the sunglasses are made out of... antelope bone. Or something). There is something so very tribal about the mix of animal prints and ethnic patterns that I just love.

However, these high-waisted army green shorts shove me over into archaeologist territory. They'd be perfect for squatting around at a dig site, brushing off bits of porcelain or fragments of human skulls (!) and deducing this or that about ancient civilizations. Here I am, very thoughtfully contemplating this ancient iron staircase, preparing to deduce:

(cardigan/shorts/scarf/belt: Bargain Basement; shoes: Kohl's; sunglasses: UO online; shirt: Old Navy)

Did you notice that almost everything I'm wearing came from the Bargain Basement!? I unearth some serious treasure in there every time I enter. It really is like an archaeological dig, minus the careful consideration with which one might handle ancient artifacts. Eh, I suppose that allegorizing my thrifting as archaeology is a bit of a stretch... a more apt comparison might be to a hungry homeless person digging through a dumpster.

new furniture, new favorites

What a weekend! This is what I wore on Saturday, when K and I hit the jackpot at a moving sale in Shelburne. We hopped on to CraigsList before heading out for breakfast at JP's in Essex Junction (me: veggie omelette, homefries, wheat toast, coffee; him: the works omelette, homefries, english muffin, OJ) and saw that there was a great faux-leather chair up for grabs(among other things). We decided to go check it out.

We'd been keeping our eyes out for brown leather chairs in particular, because it's difficult to match much of anything to our orange couch. This one (though a little rough around the edges) was perfect! The woman having the sale then proceeded to walk us through her entire house and point out everything that she was trying to get rid of (apparently she and her husband are getting separated and they want to sell off all of the furniture that reminds them of their life together). We ended up walking out with the chair, an orange and blue floral loveseat (which we later bought a cover for), four blue ball jars and two gold-framed mirrors for the bathroom. All for a grand total of $75!

This is definitely the way to go when trying to furnish a new apartment on a budget. As long as the used furniture has no weird smells or questionable stains, why not? People often have really great stuff that they're only getting rid of because they happen to be redecorating their homes (or their lives, in this case).

(dress: Charlotte Russe; scarf: thrifted; bracelet: flea market; tights: Goodwill; boots: ALDO; sunglasses: UO online; ring [made out of a button!] from mom via a button store in France!)

mom

This is my mother. Isn't she gorgeous?

As you know, Sunday was her day, and we celebrated with brunch at my new apartment! It was the first time that K and I have ever had people over for any sort of gathering (the old apartment was too small and we've only recently started to accumulate furniture), so we were a little scatterbrained, but I think it turned out pretty well!

On the Menu

Mimosas

Green Mountain Coffee

Fresh Fruit Salad

French Toast (w/ real VT maple syrup of course)

Sausage/Bacon/Egg/Hash Brown casserole (I told you K was a gourmet...)

Sorry, no photos, I was caught up in the moment! Also, it was snowing. Snowing. Mother Nature must not have felt properly appreciated on her special day. Or would Earth Day be her special day? No matter, the snow has since melted and I was able to go for my morning run in the sun (PS: I realized [with the help of googlemaps] that I've been running five miles every morning [that I go], rather than the three I had somehow thought I was. Yay!

And now, a little tribute to the best mom a girl could ever ask for:

With her father, Bob (aka "Pumpy"), on her wedding day.

And with my father (still happily married after 25 years [and they don't seem to have aged a day!]).

Look at that purple jumpsuit! My how fashions come back around... I would totally wear that to a summer picnic, if I could pull it off. I must say though, I sure did know how to rock a diaper.

Love that suede coat! Very seventies-chic (because the eighties just weren't that cool).

This must have been taken when my parents were living in California. I know it was before they were married, because my father sold the motorcycle to buy my mother's engagement ring. I tell that story to everyone who will listen--it's so symbolically romantic!

Mom & me on the porch of our first house. I'm wearing a bonnet! By the time I was old enough to form memories of the house, it was in much better shape... probably because of this:

No, no, I didn't magically fix it up by being so incredibly precious. I do look rather excited about those building diagrams, though... maybe carpentry is my calling!

What it looked like on Mother's Day this year. Okay, so I'm exaggerating. But that's how it felt.

Nautical stripes and high-waisted, wide-leg jeans? She could have stepped right out of 2010--a timeless, classic look.

As my mother reads the paper, I bust a nut over the sale flyers... some things never change. Don't let her fool you, though. Where do you think my shopoholic tendencies come from?

I'm so proud of my mom. She's beautiful, intelligent, confident, and a genuinely kind and caring person (and stylish, of course!). I can only hope to be half the woman she is. For twenty-five years she was a full-time wife and mother, and she has truly made me appreciate what an important job that really is--so much, that I can't imagine doing it any other way when I have children of my own. And now, after devoting all of those years of her life to her family, she's finally doing something for herself: working full time as a Case Manager for Washington County Mental Health, and simultaneously finishing up her Masters degree in Counseling (and finally taking that trip to Paris!).

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. You're the Greatest.

and the living is easy

Glorious Friday fills me with gladness. And a sunny day, at that!

I feel like this outfit would be perfect for a lazy day spent lounging by the lake... reading in a rowboat, casting a line from shore to catch slippery fishes, chasing butterflies, eating bread and brie and grapes on the grass with a picnic basket by my side (and maybe a handsome man, if he's nice)...

I can't wait for summer to hurry up and arrive.

(shirt/shorts/belt: Bargain Boutique (total = $4.50); hat: UO; socks/shoes: Kohl's)

Also, I'm excited about this weekend! K and I are hosting our first little gathering in honor of Mother's Day. Because of our unfortunate furniture situation, it has to be BYOchair, but other than that, it will be lovely! We're having mom, dad and brother #2 over for yummy brunch on Sunday morning (finalized menu and photos to follow). Don't forget to tell your mom's that they are awesome!

imagine me and ewe

Yesterday evening was a gloriously sunny and warm seventy-something, so K and I took a little stroll around town and ended up sheep-watching from atop a grassy knoll. I love Vermont.

I decided to go back this morning to commune with my new woolen friends, but I guess they weren't expecting visitors. In fact, a few of them seemed rather alarmed:

I guess I can't escape the befuddled looks of passersby. Even the sheep know I'm doing something unnatural. I still feel a little bit more comfortable with their confusion than the bemused ogling of the auto mechanics next door...

K and I were discussing how awesome it would be to have sheep (or pygmy goats). It would probably be more awesome to have goats, because then I could make all the goat cheese I could eat (it's my very favorite). I'm not sure I'm adventurous enough for sheep cheese, and I'm definitely not industrious enough to shear them and spin their wool into yarn, so they'd be pretty useless creatures to own. But they're fun to look at--I love their precious, fluffy rotundity! (romper: hand-me-down from K's mom; cardigan: Ruche; tights: Goodwill; boots: ALDO; belt: thrifted)

Edit: Alice asked in the comments what Ruche is, so I've included a link to their website above. They have very lovely things!

ole!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! I wish I were celebrating with an enormous tray of K&Caitlin special nachos (one of my most frequent and indulgent indulgences) and uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco (!) fruity and fabulous frozen beverages of the strawberry dacquiri variety, but alas--I've been running my little legs ragged trying to climb back up the slippery slope I slid down during the winter months (and let's face it, since K entered my life and promptly affected me with his bad influence... why is it that men can put away pounds of food without it clinging to their bodies in strange ways??). The summit? A satisfactory state for bikini season. Until I get to my happy place, gorging on nachos on a Wednesday evening is not in the cards for me... I save those sorts of activities for the weekends :)

Despite all of the bad habits K encourages in me, he is good for some things... he got me this dress for Christmas last year (not to be confused with last Christmas). What an eye he has for color, right? He knows me so well...

The dress was rather lost in the small space that is my crammed closet, but I was immediately reminded of it when I saw this photo of Keiko Lynn on Weardrobe:

Because the dress is such a rich, goldenrod yellow, I wanted the scarf to offer a vivid contrast.

And yes, I wore brown tights with black shoes. I like to think I can get away with it because I'm a brunette, so one of my major accessories is always brown :)

Also, it's on days like this that I cry a tear or two for my long lost tube of vibrant red lipstick. I haven't had the heart to replace it just yet, but my lips are seriously lacking without it.

(dress: Le Sac, AA, gift; scarf: thrifted; shoes: GoJane.com; tights: Goodwill)

frou-frou choo-choo

I love living by the railroad tracks. It's kind of funny that we've just moved further down the line... from here:

to here:

...we're still well within listening distance of the chugging and the chirping of late-night train calls.

I wore this on Sunday. K and I spent some quality time thrifting in an effort to make up for Saturday's failed attempt at antiquing (which wasn't a complete bust, since I did pick up this cute little "makeup case" [aka, purse]):

...and enjoying a summer-weather favorite by the Burlington waterfront: creemees!

I wanted to wear this dress with cognac-colored oxford heels, but alas--I have none. The only pair of oxfords I have are open-toe, and they just looked too strange with the (essential!) white socks. So, Vera Wang wins again.

I went for a really long, satisfying run this morning. It's a wonderful feeling--like I'm finally getting some clean air into my body after sitting cooped up in a cubicle all day long.

I used to looooooove sleeping all day (and I do mean all day), but lately if I sleep past 9:30 my body starts aching and I feel like I'm wasting my life. Maybe because waking weekend hours really do feel like all of the life I get these days. I would really like to start getting up at 6 AM every morning--maybe doing some yoga, relaxing with a cup of tea, going for a run when I feel like it, savoring a bountiful breakfast--one of the things I hate most in the world is feeling rushed, and my schizophrenic sleep schedule inevitably ensures that I'm always waking up too late to relax through my morning routine.

We'll see, maybe I'll give it a shot. Next week :)

(dress: consignment; slipdress/hat: UO; socks/shoes: Kohl's; purse: antique)

PS: In order to get clear photos with nice contrast, I was forced to sacrifice the beautiful mountainous backdrop. So although it has been banished to the bottom of this post, I still feel it is necessary to include a dark&dreary rendering of Camel's Hump on that lazy, hazy Sunday morning: