A Mild December

One week ’till Winter break!  It’s been surreal though – we’re quickly approaching fall final exams, and it’s still 63˚F outside. It’s been a mild December. I’m still fall dressing, and my winter boots are still stored away. Except for that one freak weekend near the end of November, Denver has been darn pleasant! It’s still “no-socks” weather, so I’ve been wearing the crap out of these leopard print slides and cropped jeans. To winter-ize, I painted my nails last night with a holiday theme using nail art pens that B bought me years ago for Christmas. Also, I’ve been digging my new coffee thermos B bought me for a recent Sinterklaas party our Dutch/American friends hosted. It’s kind of the best coffee thermos ever, and if there is ever a stereotype about teachers, it’s that they drink a lot of coffee. I am one of those people.

These jeans are a new purchase from black friday when Urban Outfitters was having a buy one get one half off promotion. They are worth every penny though, because I’ve been wearing them over and over. I usually wear my denim about 3-4 times in between washes, and these are thick without stretch. So they hold up really well wear after wear without getting too baggy in the knees or the bum. Also, I’ve been digging looser fitting jeans with straight leg cuts lately. Maybe it’s getting older, or maybe it’s the changing denim trend, but I’m slowly getting off the skinny jeans train. Maybe this cut isn’t the most flattering or curve hugging, but I love the high waist (long torso/short leg strategy) and the little flare at the hem. My only complaint about these jeans is that they can cause a bit of cowboy crotch, and that they are just a tad bit too cropped. Either way, I’ve decided I’m over being weird about the crotch region with my pants. It’s just how my body is built, and its ridiculous to expect anything else.

THLT kent cardigan

THLT madewell kent cardigan

THLT Zojirushi coffee mug

THLT BDG kick flare jeans

THLT madewell cardigan

THLT HEMA soft matt lip balm

THLT urban outfitters kick flare jeans

cardigan: madewell – jeans – bdg – tshirt: f21 – belt: gap – shoes: banana republic – lipstick: hema (purchased in paris) – thermos: zojirushi

The First Days, Version 8.1

The first day of school for us here in Denver was a couple of weeks ago.  Years past, I always carefully chose my first day of school outfit – something that was serious and professional, while still laid back enough to signal that I was a real human being and not a robot. This year though, I spent maybe 5 minutes thinking about what to wear the night before. I’m looping with my kids this year – I taught about half of them last year for 10th grade Bio, and now again this year for 11th grade Chem. So these kids already know me directly or at least by reputation. They’re already broken in.

The first day back at my school is a freshman 9th grade only day, so I get the whole day free to myself in my classroom, working – which is glorious. So I chilled out in a loose top and stretchy jeans. For my real first day of school, I smarted up by wearing an Oliver Bonas dress that made me feel very “age appropriate” at 37. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’m still on the fence. Is there such a thing as age appropriate anymore? I think yes – but that’s a whole other ball of wax that will need to be tackled another day in another blog post.

THLT anthropologie swing top

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THLT anthropologie smocked swing top2

top: anthropologie – belt: banana republic – jeans: mother denim – shoes: target

THLT oliver bonas lexi dress

THLT oliver bonas dress

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THLT oliver bonas lexi dress2

THLT oliver bonas lexi jacquard dress

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dress: oliver bonas – shoes: target – lipstick: bo ho cosmetics in 103

Cusp of Spring

It’s warming up here in Denver, but it’s been a rocky spring.  Our garden was first pummeled by a late spring snow storm, only to get ripped to shreds by a hail storm a couple of weeks later! This set of photos are from the start of the month, in the thick of the weather see-saw that is spring in Colorado.

This shirt dress is from COS, picked up during my spring break trip to Toronto. It’s roomy, edgy, fun, and it HAS POCKETS! I wore it out to a girl’s night dinner, and I was asked exactly 4 times if I was headed to Denver Fashion Week after dinner by servers and strangers. That MUST mean something cool – right? The leggings are from Costco (they have heaps more than just food!), and they are the softest, warmest, leggings ever. More to come from Costco in the future. None of it is particularly fashionable, or glamorous, but very, very, practical.

On a side, note, B and I got engaged! more to come on that later.

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THLT COS shirtdress blundstone

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THLT COS shirtdress3

THLT COS shirtdress

THLT COS shirtdress2

sweater and dress:cos – leggings: costco – boots: blundstone – bracelet: julia szendrei

Vote!

I voted.  Did you? I’m loving the “Secret Pantsuit”group on my social media also,  Have you seen it? Are you a part of the group?  If I owned a white pant suit, I would have worn it today.

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glasses: warby parker – t-shirt: thrifted – skirt: j.crew – cardigan: uniqlo – tights: h&m – boots: franco sarto

Rossin Fuzzies

Rossin had on a collar today that I just couldn’t stop staring at during our grade team meeting today.  I just wanted to reach out and stroke it.  So I did just that on our way out and asked, “Is that real?!?!”  She was the perfect image of fall – a hint of summer and a hint of winter.  I felt envious as I looked down at my boring outfit for the day, but made some mental notes of how to start my transition into autumn (berry lipstick!).

As I hurriedly snapped some pictures of Rossin at the end of the school day, a few of our students just couldn’t help themselves and jumped in the shot with her. Sorry for the bad photoshopping, but my skillz are limited.

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