33

Fossil cardigan, thrifted scarf, Bonjour Biqui dress, HUE tights, Sock Dreams socks, Frye boots

I was born on this day 33 years ago.

I was a bit of a chunk, so my Dad nicknamed me Bubble.

It’s funny, when I was younger I always thought about how much easier things would be when I was in my thirties. By that time, I’d be super confident, I’d know who I was, I would have NO FEAR. I’d be married with kids and everything would be perfect. Well, I am thankfully wiser, but I still struggle with insecurities and self-doubt. I worry about being a good wife, a good mother, a good person a good amount of the time. I don’t have everything figured out now, and I don’t expect to in my 40s or any other magic number.  And that’s okay.

*looks around*

Anywho!

It’s a lowkey birthday for me! And that’s how I like it. Here’s what I have planned: dinner at The Observatory, dessert at Saint Cupcake, and I’m going to pick out my own gift at the jewelers: charms for my pandora bracelet. *dusts off hands* That’ll do, pig.

I’ll also listen to this song, probably:

Also,  I just turned on the 33rd episode of Handy Manny for the boys. OMG, CAN YOU HANDLE IT?!

P.S. My awesome aunt is awesome. She sent me a slip for my birthday! Weeee!

And I know how to use them

Fossil cardigan and heels, Buffalo Exchange dress, c/o Sock Dreams tights, The Bridge gladstone bag

For a long time I thought that fishnets weren’t something that I could pull off. They attracted attention, and I liked to blend in. As I got older, I started to experiment with different looks and after I found a pair at Urban Outfitters for super cheap I bit the bullet and wore them to work one day. A little background: I worked for a home building business where sexual discrimination ran rampant. My male coworkers frequently took the company jet to Vegas while the women were expected to stay behind and hold down the fort. It was the worst job I ever had.

My boss walked up to me and let his eyes drift up and down my legs.

“Are those fishnets?” he asked.

“Um, yes.” I replied. “Is that a problem?”

His eyes met mine. “Fishnets are never a problem,” he said throatily.

I shuddered. Ew.

So it was back to opaque tights, usually of the black variety. A kitschy pair of Santa Claus socks that I received for Christmas one year opened the door to my obsession with patterned socks and knee high socks and thigh high socks and colored tights and naturally, shopping at Sock Dreams a lot. When they recently contacted me about modeling some of their tights I literally jumped for joy!

They were fishnets.

The fishnets in question are Philippe Matignon Retina Fishnet Tights, which are incredibly lovely tights of wonderful quality. When I started the initial pull I was worried that they wouldn’t fit – my thighs are pretty substantial – but I was pleasantly surprised. They stretched quite nicely, and over the course of the day I almost forgot that I was wearing them (almost, they are fishnets after all)!  I’m used to cinching up the band around my waist but these are crazy comfortable, no rolling or otherwise. I’m hard on my tights too, so durability is a plus. As soon as I pulled them on, one of my bangles snagged one of the strings but it snapped easily back into place with a little flick of my finger. I paired these fishnets with a more demure look, so that the texture added an edge to the outfit while still leaving me feeling modest.

I love them.

Thanks for the push, Sock Dreams! I wore fishnets to work today for the first time in years. I figure I’m safe, since I work with a priest.

 

Doctor, Doctor

Thrifted coat (Little Edie’s), Fossil cardigan and dress, Sock Dreams tights and socks, Gee WaWa boots, self-made monocle necklace, doctor bag (Etsy)

I’ve bought three doctor bags in the past two weeks. Two of them need a little work done but I couldn’t just leave them there. Andy’s eyebrows are now permanently at hairline level, “Another one?” he asks politely.

Last weekend I found this at Little Edie’s:

And this beauty is on it’s way to me from Bordeaux (Etsy):

Sigh. I just can’t get enough.

Little Bit O’ Sunshine

This weekend has been gloriously sunny AND warm. It’s distracting. I’d be talking to Andy and then I’d close my eyes and turn my face toward the sky and think, HOMG. Brain failure. Andy: “Did you hear a word I just said?” Me: “MERP.” Now I know why Portlanders forget how to drive when the clouds part. You forget the sun is BRILLIANT. Literally and figuratively.

At the playground:

Tulle jacket, Target sweater, Fossil skirt, DIY tights, otbt booties. Oh, and the baby is from my uterus. Say hello, Rio!

Total disclosure: I also brightened this picture. Because I could.

Fanny Pack

Tulle jacket.  Fossil shirt. Anthropologie skirt and flats. HUE tights

So. I bought these shoes:

several months ago on super sale from Anthro and while they are INSANELY cute, they are also more painful than the heels that I own. Basically, wtf. Why must it be this way Beetle Trinket Flats?!

That being said, I’ll keep them. Usually comfort > HOMGCUTE  for me but since they were a steal I feel better about damaging my back-ankle skin for the sake of such soft suede AND DID I MENTION THE BEETLES HOMGCUTE.

Here’s an outfit from a couple of weeks ago:

Thrifted sweater, shirt and purse (Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange and Little Edie’s Five and Dime). Sock Dreams tights. Gee WaWa boots.

I loved all of the different textures and colors of this outfit; I found this borderline ugly purse at Little Edie’s that I couldn’t leave behind, so buttery soft and strangely appealing.

It reminded me of a really well worn in motorcycle jacket.

Andy says it looks like a fanny pack. Yep.

Queen for a Day

Thrifted shirt (Etsy), Fossil cardigan, Atlantic treefox Crown badge

Thrifted skirt (Ladybird’s General Store *sniff*)

Sock dreams tights and socks, Gee WaWa boots

1. So you know when you go to a kid’s birthday party and you try to make awkward conversation with the other parents and fail? Just fail SO HARD? Oh, just me? Right. So, to make a long story complicated: I was talking to the mother of the little boy whose birthday party we were all attending. She mentioned that her father lived on our street, and I said: “Oh, where? It’s a pretty short street.” Turns out he’s our next door neighbor? Weird! We stood there nodding appropriately. This is where the conversation should’ve ended.

“You look like him!” I said.

Andy was shaking his head beside me. “No, it’s her father-in-LAW.” he said and my stomach made a pit stop at my feet. To make matters more awesome, the actual offspring of our neighbor (his son, her husband) decided to check in to the conversation at that moment.

“Oh. Gosh.” I laughed nervously. I had to save myself. “Um, you do look like him though. So I guess you could say you and your husband look like siblings. You know…”Aaaand exit stage left. To Andy’s credit, he just smiled at me sweetly as if to say, “Oh my dear sweet wife, at it AGAIN!”

Yes, when in doubt JOKE ABOUT INCEST. NAILED IT.

2. We went grocery shopping later. As I’m checking out at Trader Joe’s the cashier decides to try and make polite conversation with me. Doesn’t she know that’s a bad idea?!

“So, um…what are you weekend plans?” she asked.

“Well, today I went to a birthday party for a two year old. Awkward.”

“Oh, why was it awkward?”

“Well, you know. Having to make polite conversation with people. I’m not good at it.” Oh, and have I mentioned that I love self fulfilling prophecy?!

“Oh,” she stammered. “Really?”

“Yeah, I have this problem? It involves my foot and my mouth.”

And DONE.

But not really. We continued talking since she hadn’t finished scanning my frozen fruit. And then I tried to walk NOT RUN back to the car.

“You’re the only person I should talk to ever,” I told Andy as I slid into the passenger’s seat.

He smiled, already knowing where this conversation was headed. “What’d you do?”

I told him and he laughed and said, “Oh my dear sweet wife, at it AGAIN!” No, he didn’t. But he gets me. I love him.

3. And I love this show:

4. I’m trying my luck at selling some shoes on Ebay. Check it out if you wear 7.5!

 Toods,

Jen

Mottled Flowers

 

Thrifted sweater, Fossil dress and earrings, DIY tights (Sock Dreams), Gee WaWa boots

This is me playing around with my work iPad since it’s been a little wet on my favorite stoop.

Toods!

 

 

 

Le Random

Tulle jacket, Dizzee’s hoodie, Fossil shirt, J. Crew skirt, Sock Dreams tights, Unisa Ranier boots

1. Tulle had this amazeballs sale this past holiday season (50% off all jackets and coats, including those already marked down!) and it gave me the nudge I needed to finally buy this jacket that I’d had my eye on for several months. I love the ruffled back!

2. So I was looking at some of the google (spellcheck is pissed that I’m not using a CAPITOL G) search terms that people use to find my blog lately:

photos girls wearing saddle oxfords and panties

“dress stuck in”

wellies pregnancy

Consider me AMUSED.

3. DOWNTON ABBEY. Season Two, ya’ll. Finally.

Holy Crap, I love this show.

Ah, William. You are my favorite with that thing you do with your mouth that makes me want to clutch your head to my breast and fight all your battles (geddit?!). I love William so much that I’m afraid they’ll Wash him. Not with soap and water but you know. You know. *sob* Oh, Wash!

Cora, you are NOT my favorite with that thing you do with your mouth, what is WITH the pouting and Marilyn-esque delivery ?

Can’t resist Matthew and Mary, and because I can’t and neither can you, they’ll probably never get together just to make sure I PINE FOREVER. Oh, and tune in. Which I will. Because I am a fool.

4. Also? I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while:

Oh, swoon. This movie is so delicious. Utter perfection. I foolishly decided to (try to) watch the other (2 million) versions of Jane Eyre to compare them all. BAD IDEA. Couple of thoughts:

If Mia Waskowska is the best (and she is),

Anna Paquin is the worst. I mean, just look at that expression. Narrowed eyes? REALLY? Come now.

And William Hurt?

STOP.

I’m sorry, I have to cleanse my palette:

Ah. That’s better.

2012 and DIY OMG

First off, HAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPY NEW YEAR! Here’s how I rang it in:

I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes with my nearest and dearest, a movie I had no interest in watching previously but Bethany INSISTED. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least, might’ve even teared up a bit.

If anything, this spoonful of sugar definitely helped the medicine go down:

DAVID OYELOWO.

Heh. I amuse myself.

Anyway.

So I’m a little obsessed with Hansel from Basel kneepad tights, which I’ve mentioned before. I bought some once during an incredible sale from Anthropologie a while ago but sadly they didn’t fit (STILL BITTER)  so I settled for some brightly colored knee highs.

Here they are on my legs my first day back at work.

M and Z decided to join me in my head turning picture taking.

Cardigan and Skirt: ZARA. Shirt: Trovata (Gilt). Monocle necklace: Self-made. Socks: Hansel from Basel kneepad knee highs. Boots: Gee WaWa.

But I still want kneepad TIGHTS, you know? Because knee highs fall down and all that, and how annoying is it when that happens a million times a day? So when I found this blog post I was super excited! Then I GOT TO WORK.

My inspirations:

Marc by Marc Jacobs, Fall 2009.

Hansel from Basel tights, duh.

Here are my grey tights with a turquoise blue kneepad. They came out a little rough around the edges, but it was my first pair after all.

I tried hearts the second time around. I was expecting these tights to be a little lighter, more of a heather brown. But I’m still pleased with how the hearts came out, even if they are a little hard to see. BTW, I love my new jacket from Tulle ($30!)!

Both tights are of course from Sock Dreams (Foot Traffic Combed Cotton), and I used Jacquard Textile Colors as suggested.

Do you like to do it yourself?

Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with youuuuuuuu

Sweater and Skirt: Fossil. Polo: AE. Tights and Socks: Sock Dreams. Boots: Tretorn.

More chunky sweater goodness.

I’m so excited about my little-big sister Bethany, brother-in-law Josh and nephew Ezra visiting for Christmas! Can’t. Wait. It feels like ages since we’ve seen each other, but apparently we visited in March? What’s that good old trite phrase again? Oh, right. Time Flies. But it’s so true. River is a tank already and I’ve only got two* weeks left of maternity leave… oh, and I’m THIRTY-ONE now. I was too busy pushing out a baby to really focus long and hard on the fact that I am getting old…er.

Man, I’m such a whiner.

Not too much more to say so here’s my ever-growing Christmas/general want list (no pressure):

1.

OTBT Rockdale bootie

2.

ASOS Premium Belted Coat

3.

Happy Socks big dot tights

4.Miz Mooz Dorian flat in grey. Dorian Grey. HA!

*ETA: Just re-calculated and realized I have THREE weeks left. WEEEEEE!