When You Wear Pants This Loud . . .

 

. . . you can usually go one of two ways: the safe way and pair them with neutrals or the Screw It It's Friday and I Have a Full Agenda Like a Rock Star way.  Clearly I chose the latter. 

So yes, needless to say, I was in a mood to pull out all the stops today.  Why stop at leopard skinnies when you can also don highlighter peep-toes, a bad ass rock band tee, a suede blazer and, just for funsies, a bright polka dot scarf?  I felt like Steven Tyler.

And sometimes when you wear pants this loud . . .

You get hunted down by the mall manager asking who you're working with and what you're taking pictures of and informing you that you need a permit from the manager to take photos of stores . . . but it's ok to just take photos of yourself.

And sometimes when you wear pants this loud . . .

You watch Notorious-the story of Biggie Smalls-with your brother and decide to listen to Biggie in your car mercilessly all day.

And sometimes when you wear pants this loud . . . 

You get to end your night by making an impromptu pit-stop at a friend's house on the way home and you are just grateful for the good (old and newly introduced) people in your life in general.

And sometimes when you wear pants this loud . . .

You get home from a long day and find your oldest son waiting up for you and he might bend your arm enough to just fit in a couple quick games of Uno while he tells you about his day.

And sometimes when you wear pants this loud . . .

Suede Khaki Blazer-Wet Seal, thrifted; AC/DC tee-thrifted; Leopard Skinnies-Wal-Mart; Highlighter Yellow Two Tone Cap Toe Heels-Charlotte Russe; Studded Belt-thrifted; Earrings-gifted; Polka Dot Scarf-vintage

 You get invited to a fashion show by Nyndia Diligent!!!  You may remember her from one of the fashion shows I went to back in October.

It was at the Fort Collins Museum of Art and guess what?  Downtown was decked to the brim with the most gorgeous lights I've ever seen!  I give 'em mad props.

Here is a photo of Nyndia herself.  We both wore leopard!  Her show tonight was for her Resort Wear 2013. I was super impressed with her collection, as I was at the last show.  The pink cover-up below is one of her pieces.  

 She used recycled or re-used material for all of her clothes.  She got some of the fabric from a woman in Guatamala and some of it from thrift stores.  My kinda girl!

She had a bunch of yummy snacks and they all looked so nice.  Her boyfriend was helping to cater the show and otherwise.  Aw!  Isn't that sweet?

The cool thing about being from Colorado and going to a fashion show is that it is much more relaxed than I would picture in somewhere big fashionwise like Texas or New York or California.  I got to take quite a few shots.  It was really lovely.

A lot of the models that I interviewed several weeks ago were walking in tonight's fashion show, which was cool. 

I absolutely loved this orange suit!  And the bag is so great--perfect for a resort.  Nyndia made that bag this morning!  Can you believe it?!?!?!

And check out this short suit!  So cute!  I love the Guatamalan fabric accents in the collar and the shorts.  High-waisted and yellow?  Right up my alley.

This look was super cute and also perfect for a resort.  I love the olive green and the deep purple.  Of course, the collar adds it's own flair and you should see the back!  It has an open button back.  So.  Freaking.  Cute.

I loved the shear, the color and the cuts in this cover up.  So gorgeous.

The back of this blouse was what sold me on it.  So subtly sexy.  And perfect with the high-waisted skirt!

And here is Joelle, another model that I met a few months back, in some amazing high-waisted orange trousers!  And I love the detail on her cardigan!

Ok, these two weren't models.  And they aren't wearing Nyndia's designs.  But they were just too darn cute not to get a picture of.  Notice the bowtie on this handsome guy and this adorable suit in the hunter green?  Is corduroy.  Corduroy.  So cute.

And sometimes when you wear pants this loud, you blink and realize that November is so O-V-E-R . .

Threesome Thursdays--Cognac OTK Boots

 

These boots are only a couple of months old to me, but I've already worn them several times.  I was in the market for a soft brown, flat, tall boot for a while and when Charlotte Russe had their BOGO half off sale online, I knew it was time to take the plunge.

They were $40 which is pretty steep for me, but a decent price for a boot.  The color is perfect, the buckles are charming and they are comfy as hell.  They work great for skirts, dresses and pants alike.  Now if I could only get some more meat on my skinny legs to hold them in place, we'd be gravy.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

After the impromptu trip to see my niece's Christmas program last night and getting home super late, I apparently got all out of routine.

I usually leave my house at 7:45 to take my kids and the neighbor kid to school.  And I get up at 6:40 or so.  This morning, my brother (who is still staying with me thank GAWD), shook my leg at 7:45 to wake me up.

"SHIT!"  Apparently, I forgot to set my alarm.  Is it just me (and my best friend Chris) who automatically think of the part in Home Alone when this happens?  ("PETER! . . . WE SLEPT IN!")

I also forgot to set the coffee.  Major fail.  And I forgot to pack the boys' lunches.  Doh.  And, because I hadn't bugged the kids all morning to get dressed, brush their hair, etc., they hadn't.

Luckily, like I said, my brother was there to help with the kids and the rest the morning went off without a hitch.  

Also, I have found a new photo location obsession: the 29th Street Mall.  I have always shied away from it in the past because I was afraid it would be packed.  But I forgot I live in the Square State and we don't really have "busy" places.  And the mall is so pretty all dressed up for Christmas.  And apparently, we have an ice skating rink.  Who knew.

 Striped Pleated Dress-Gianni Bini; Polka Dot Navy Tank-Jersey, gifted; Orange Tweed Blazer-J. Crew, thrifted; OTK Cognac Boots-Charlotte; Watch and Earrings-gifted

Be Prepared

 

A billion bonus points for you if the above song is the immediate reaction you have when you hear or read the saying Be Prepared.  I do.  But maybe that's just me . . . and my sister . . . and every mom in the universe.

Anywhozle, today I found myself patting myself on the back for my unintended ability to be prepared for nearly any situation . . . also like any mom in the universe.  Go me.

For starters, my time frame for taking blog photos is quite limited.  I don't like to do it with my kids around.  Mostly because I don't want them to think I'm a freak and also I am even too chicken shit to pose in front of my kids.  Also, though, because when my kids are with me I want to spend time with them, not on the blog and we are usually running around and there just isn't time for blog photos.  That being said, my usual options for outfit photos are on my way to work, on my lunch break or on my way home from work. 

 That being said, I am usually quite prepared for nearly any situation when it comes to outfit photos.  I carry with me at all times a hoarding of AA batteries (I don't like the ones you have to charge . . . because I would always forget the battery, I just know it), have my tripod in my car at all times, keep that thingy attached to the camera that attaches to the tripod (I think that's its technical name) and even have "in case of" shit in my car (like the exercising leg weight I keep with my tripod to weigh it down in the event of wind).

So, Daryl's been out of town since before last week.  What this means is that my lunch time is a bit more leisurely in his absence.  That being said, I have more time to scope out new locations for photos and/or visit some old faves that are just too out of the way between the drive thru and my office.  Today, I was gonna go to a park that I love on the far west side of town.  It's about 12 minutes out of that way each way and that doesn't include park time, walk time, set up time and photo taking.  It's a commitment.

Well I got all the way there, parked, walked, found a spot, set up and took a photo only to realize  . . . I left my SD card in the laptop at home.  Blast!   Now I will have to wear this outfit again soon to get photos.  As I walk back to my car, defeated and trying to console myself with the fact that I have a decent backlog saved for such an occasion (again, prepared!), I remember . . . I have an extra SD card in my camera bag!

Amazed and taken a little aback by my accidental brilliance, I decided to take it one step further and scope out an all new photo locale down the road.  It isn't captured so well here (it was hoppin' today for whatever reason), be prepared (ha!) to see it more soon.  So, the crisis was averted and we can chalk this up to a win!

Remember how I said it was Daryl's last day on vaca?  Well he decided to pop in today and here I am in my You Give Love a Bad Name tee that I got for my 23rd birthday parties (80's themed cause that's how I do), striped socks and canvas wedges.  But, again, crisis averted--a)blazers and pencil skirts tend to make everything and anything look somewhat legitimately more professional and b) Daryl doesn't care anyways and actually does appreciate my style . . . even the questionable ones.

My new-to-me niece Brynn called me at work today too.  She had her Christmas concert tonight in Greeley (drive time from my house about 48 minutes) and wanted me to come.  Doh!  Conner had Kumon after work and to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to the thought of driving from work to get kids to Kumon to Greeley and back again not arriving at my house until 10:00 p.m.

But  . . .  I'm a sucker for kiddos.  Especially my family.  And even though it was short notice, my daughter and my niece Brynn (5 and 7) and my younger son and my nephew Bryson (7 and 5) get along swimmingly.  And my sister in law and I have gotten to spend a lot more time together and it rocks.  And my bomb mother in law was gonna be there.  So . . . we did just that.  And it was so awesome.

So there you have it.  A completely accidentally successful day of mishaps.  I should have bought a Powerball.

 Floral Pencil Skirt-Gap and thrifted; Black Blazer-A-List and gifted; Graphic Tee-thrifted; Striped Socks-Target; Canvas Peep Toe Wedges-c/o Blowfish; Earrings-gifted