The News

There is a bunch of “new” here.  It’s Friday, and I have a lot of new things I’m obsessed with. I guess I’ve been feeling kinda spend-y lately – after all, December is when the best sales happen, and the only person I really buy Winter Vacation Presents for is B. So there is a lot of new to share here on the blog.

First up, is this t-shirt I picked up at a recent Trails and Ways show here in Denver.  Trails and Ways is a band from Oakland (the Bay Area!) that I first discovered watching PBS’s Farm to Table Family videos. I bought their album Pathology and seriously became obsessed with their single Tereza from an earlier album.  Trails and Ways recently released a new album, which I also scooped up promptly and have been listening to almost non-stop since.mother-denim-high-rise-maverick

Next up are my new glasses from Warby Parker.  I have seriously bad eyes, thanks to the Schenck lineage.  Both my sister and I have coke-bottle-thick prescriptions, and without my glasses or contacts, I can’t see further than a foot away from my face.  I’ve been wanting to get Lasik for some time, but my prescription only just recently stopped getting worse. I love the look of glasses, but with my strong prescription, it’s often easier just to wear contacts. This new addition to my Warby Parker collection though, are super comfortable.  They have nose pads, which help with the sliding down the nose problem. The frames themselves are also relatively light weight, which help with the end-of-the-day glasses strain. The kids really like them – I got compliments on them starting 1st period!warby-parker-hadley

New jeans!!  New and different! I haven’t owned a pair of jeans that aren’t skinny jeans in a really, really, long time. I saw these, and immediately thought Rossin – they’re the perfect kind of stretchy, comfy, funky but still adult-ish, 70s-ish style that I could easily picture her in. They’re definitely not the most flattering style for my long-torso-short-legs body type, but I still love them anyway. Mother Denim seriously makes the most comfortable jeans ever. These are my second pair of Mother jeans, and I will be on the lookout for more. They are ridiculously expensive full price, but affordable if you find them in the extra-sale section at Anthro.

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The jeans were a big hit with the kiddos on Friday. Right away, while in the halls herding children into first period and welcoming my own kiddos, one of my 10th graders looked at me and said with a laugh, “Miss!  You look like such a nerd today!”  My response was, “thanks!” and I really meant it.  At least 4 kids said “nice jeans, miss!” as the day went on.mother-denim-high-rise-maverick3

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Lastly, I bought myself a new coat. I wear my Arcteryx Atom jacket just about every day, but I wanted something a bit less technical looking, and with a bit more warmth. I stumbled on this coat at Banana Republic this last weekend and it was 40% off store wide.  I knew a coat like this would never make it to the sale section (it was already sold out of some sizes online), so after some internal debate, I snapped it up. I’m so glad I did too! It’s filled with down, and waterproof (I’ve yet to test that claim though) with a full faux fur hood. It’s so warm and super cute for around the city/to school. My Arcteryx will always be my favorite, but this one fills a different need.banana-republic-parka

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glasses: warby parker – t-shirt: trails and ways – jeans: mother denim – sweater and parka: banana republic – shoes: converse

The Mids

We are just about midway through the school year here in Denver – winter break is just around the corner.  The weeks in between TG break and winter break just seems to draaaaaag forever!  It’s crunch time for everyone at school.  Kids are just now worried about their grades and getting in heaps of late work.  I’m scrambling to serve each and every one of them while planning for their final exam review sessions, grading like a mad woman and trying to make as many “sorry, but your kid just may fail this semester, but here’s what I can do for them” phone calls as possible.  The countdown to a full 2 weeks off has started.  I’m working on convincing B to take a road trip back home to SF this break, but so far he’s not biting.  We don’t have anything else planned, so it’s either stay-cation or road trip.  I vote for an SF trip!

This is a new dress I picked up at Anthropologie over the Black Friday weekend.  It was on sale with extra % off so by the time I swiped my card, it was practically dirt cheap at $35 or something.  I got a lot of comments today, such as “Ms. Schenck, why you wearing an old lady dress?”  and “you look … different”.  At the same time, I also got more than a few, “I really love your dress!” and “where did you find that dress?”  So hits and missed over all.  I just know that I really like it and makes me feel even taller than I already am at 6ft.  I found a picture of what it looks like on the anthropologie model here, and it makes me think the dress is a tad too big on me.  Too bag = extra comfortable, right?

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dress: anthropologie – cardigan: super old free people – belt: f21 – boots: madewell

Mustard Mondays

I have new clothes to talk about!  Finally – I’ve been somewhat uninspired by the shops lately, so I haven’t been shopping much (for clothing anyway, I’ve been too spendy with the skincare and makeup).  This weekend though, the sales sucked me in.  I picked up these grey jeans (with a high waist that helps balance out my long torso/short legs combo) at Urban Outfitters to $15!!  I love a great deal.  The boots I got at H&M at the start of fall, and they’re really awesome.  Whether or not they will last past one winter, we’ll see.  The sweater is an oldie from my time in Brooklyn (last seen here and here).MustardMonday MustardMonday2 MustardMonday3 MustardMonday4

glasess: warby parker – infinity scarf: american apparel – sweater and jeans: urban outfitters – belt: jcrew – boots: h&m

As far as the whole having-a-life thing is going, we got a week off for Thanksgiving.  I flew out to DC to spend time with my family and I got to hang with my little niece in between naps and fits.  My mom and sister are speaking to her only in Mandarin, so I also got to brush up on my Chinese!  Practically no one in Denver speaks Chinese, so it’s gotten rusty from disuse.  My niece is just starting to talk, so she taught me that her favorite toy (which is a mother fox from IKEA) is called hu-li mama.  My mom speaks 4 different Chinese dialects, so at dinner times, my niece will say “good eats” in 3 of them – Cantonese, Mandarin and Fujian.  hou sic, hao chi, haw jia.

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Of course, we also had to take a pre TG dinner family portrait (minus my brother in law).

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Pumpkin

I miss the pumpkin ice cream from Mitchell’s in SF.  In it’s place, I’ve been making loads of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin-lentil soups and I’m wearing pumpkin.  It’s my favorite fall color, next to my bordeaux cheap-o lipstick.  Since B is away at a meet-up in Denver (I’m going for a quick weekend visit this friday!), I went shopping this past weekend and I did some damage at Madewell.  I swear I was just there to pop in to see what was new (yeah, right) till I saw the extra-30%-off-sales sign.  I’d just finished wasting brain cells watching “Sister Wives” on Netflix (I know, I know), and this top just screamed Mormon-chic.  Naturally, I had to have it.  By the way, everything seems to be a lot more online than in the shops – this shirt cost me $28, while online it is listed at $80 without any extra sale!  Ridiculous.

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glasses: warby parker – shirt and boots: madewell – skirt: j.crew – cardigan and tights: uniqlo

frenchie french

Brooklyn is having a warm couple of days – it’s practically a winter heat wave at 55˚F!  This ‘warm’ weather comes right on the heels of about an inch of snow just 2 days ago.  I’m just happy to have a break from my snow/rain boots.  I just bought this dress online from Urban Outfitters.  It came out a really long time ago (a year maybe?) and I loved it right away when I saw it.  I did not love the price tag on the other hand, so I waited.  And waited. And waited.  Just about everything goes on sale eventually at UO, especially if it’s an ‘online only’ item like this dress was.  When the price finally dropped down to one I was willing to pay ($50) I ordered it right away.  I’m glad I did too!  The dress is made by Sessun a french line carried by UO stateside, but also available through ASOS.  I love this brand – so frenchie chic.  This dress garnered many compliments, including “Your dress looks like it’s slinging Pepsi!”.

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dress: sessun via uo – cardigan & belt – j.crew – necklace: f21 – tights: uniqlo – boots: steve madden

basics round up part 1: the booties

When booties are your jam, you tend to stock pile them.  Part one of my closet basics round up, the bootie.

I picked up my newest addition to the group this past week when J.Crew was having their 30% off sale items promotion.  I “needed” a brown bootie in my collection.  When I got them, my sister exclaimed that “they look exactly same as all the other shoes you have!” to which I replied, “no they don’t, they’re totally different!  They’re brown!”

If I were not such a sucker for shopping and spending my hard earned teacher cash, I’d be more realistic and be fine with having one pair of boots that go with everything.  But no, I’m a product of this consumerist American society, so I have 10 – all well worn and in constant rotation.  We all have that one (or many) thing that we get sucked into right?  Well, the first of my many things is…the bootie.  I like small booties and I can not lie.

Even more ridiculous and consumerist, I lust after these, these and these booties.  They will be mine.  Oh yes, they will be mine.

top, then grid in order of age: j.crew aggie bootanthropologie inclined chelsea boot – zara studded cowboy ankle bootecote alexandra suede ankle boot – anthropologie woven clog bootiessteven by steve madden noahh boot dv by dolce vita jamison bootboutique 9 cooper boot – nine west – bp from nordstrom

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It was a brisk day.  To me, that meant it was time to bust out the nordic style wooden booties and match it with conflicting prints all around.  

Please note that I have a view of the ‘penis building’, so aptly named by Sara, from my roof.  My opinion of Brooklyn architecture has improved drastically with this gem of a nickname.

vest: uniqlo – thermal: f21 – coated jeans: urban outfitters – booties: anthropologie, found at nordstrom rack for an amazing $20 last spring

broken self-control

My self control function is broken.  So now I have a broken shopping ban. I tried!  I really did!  I just know B will say, “try harder” and shake his head in disappointment when I see him later this evening.  I just came home from Downtown SF, where I planned on just browsing (mistake #1) and checking out the new trends (mistake #2).  I broke the ban.

 

wallet naughtiness

I’ve been really naughty lately.  Naughty with my wallet. It’s hard to resist all the great deals all the stores have this month. I go out to do my christmas shopping, but then I end up putting up my conscience blinders and “forget” that I should be shopping for other people.

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darn you J.Crew for having such cute stuff on sale.  20111214-193448.jpg

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The yellow raincoat I found at Anthropologie on super sale.  I drooled over it when it first came out.  I’ve worn it to school these past three days. Comments I’ve received thus far from students (an other teachers!):

“good morning Ms. Bright!”

“What the hell are you wearing?  I’m blinded!!”

“That so cute!  Why don’t you ever look like a teacher?”

“it’s not raining in here. why are you wearing that.”

“Hi Ms. Schenck, you look happy today!”  that’s because I’m wearing a new coat!!!

To be fair, I did end up getting gifts for others.  Case in point:  got bambi some woodland creatures in sweaters as friends.  Never mind that they are actually candles.  And that they look so cute in my hallway!  Bambi loves her new friends!