New jewelry update

Ugh, short post tonight, y'all. I am TIRED. Coming back to school after a five-day weekend was pretty intense. I swear I saw real fear in my students' eyes when I attempted to teach them something (just as they saw the real fear in mine when I realized I had to teach them ... something).

Anyway, I wore two of the three things I received unexpectedly around Thanksgiving. Here they are:

You get crappy Photo Booth pictures because it's Monday

Here are the earrings my uncle and aunt sent from Buenos Aires. Pretty, no? I love the almost Moorish design of the metal (stainless steel, I believe) and the orange stone in the middle. Super-subtle, super-pretty.

You can see a chain hanging around my neck in the above picture. Because it was hard to get a real picture, I kind of tried to help:

So this is how the pendants look hanging from the necklace. But, as you can see, I'm holding the chain up pretty high. The charms themselves hit at around my belly button. They make an enchanting clinking sound when I walk. As I said before, this isn't really my usual style, but I'm so glad my husband bought me this necklace...

Anyway, I'm off to hit sleepy-time. Another long day tomorrow! And the next day! Until Saturday!

It's good to be a blogger

This has been one of those weeks where I've been really happy about my harmless little blogging habit. For one thing, I met up with my girl Kelly again for tea/pastries. It was such a fun few hours (Baby T was there, too!) and I know that I never would've had the opportunity to meet such a cool lady had it not been for our blogs. Yay for blogging!

Something else kind of nice happened this past week that had to do with blogging and I've been putting off writing about it for fear of not doing it justice. A little over a month ago, a nice lady from eShakti.com contacted me about reviewing a sample garment. We both agreed that it would be a challenge, due to my current condition, but the offer still stood and what can I say - I was curious; I've known about eShakti for a while now and I've never had something custom-made for me except for one salwar-kameez in Pune, so... I was game.

For those of you who don't know, eShakti is an online retailer which believes that every woman has the right to look her best. They offer sizes 0 to 26: you can choose to tweak the garment you choose to be made to your personal measurements (and even change the length of sleeves/hems around, if you so choose!) or you can just get the standard model. Isn't that awesome? I think it's an amazing store.

Now, I mostly drool over their dresses, but I've decided to put that aside until I'm more like my normal figure. I decided to be sensible and go with a cardigan (alas, it's no longer available online, so I can't link to it. Boo!). Well, after procuring a measuring tape for seamstresses, figuring out my measurements, and getting everything sorted, this week, my cardigan finally came and I was thrilled. I do have some reservations, though, but I think that was due to my own carelessness, rather than the company.

Whoah.

Stuff I wasn't too pleased about:

• I'm pretty sure the color was a little more turquoise online. I was slightly disappointed to receive a darker, more generic blue color.
• Some aspects of the cardigan don't seem to match what I remember asking for: I'm pretty sure I requested to have the cardigan made to hip-length. I know I have a long torso, but seeing that picture above, DAMN. That might be the shortest cardigan I own. And at this moment, being pregnant and depending a lot on leggings, this really limits the use I'll get from this. 
• I'm not a huge fan of the "bathrobe" effect that I get when you view me from the side. Again, though, that might be the nature of the 8-month-pregnant beast and most probably not the fault of the awesome company. 

Stuff I'm pleased with:

• The fit is pretty flawless, measuring issues on my part notwithstanding. This picture is the first time I've seen the cardigan from the back and I couldn't be more pleased. Love!
• The fabric is wonderful. It's a soft, subtle fleece that I can see myself enjoying for many years. 
• Contact with the company: the ease of ordering can't be beat, even when asking for a garment made to measure. Every time I had a question, Jennifer (the representative with whom I was in touch) wrote back immediately with patience and grace, even e-mailing me independently when my measurements didn't seem to make sense. Talk about your customer service.

So, although this cardigan wasn't exactly what I envisioned, I still really like it. Its overall look is pretty cute and it'll be a fun challenge to style it. I think I would've had more luck ordering it in a standard size and then making it work for me in my current condition, but at least I know that it'll be roomy enough for me if I ever return to my pre-pregnancy body. I mean, it's really cute, right?

I think that when I get back to a semblance of my old shape, I'll indulge in buying a dress from eShakti. No thoughts yet on whether it will be made to measure or standard size: I'll be a lot more careful with my measurements and my choices if I decide to customize it, but I know I'll get a good quality article of clothing whatever I choose. Thanks for this opportunity, eShakti!

*Note: eShakti.com contacted me to review a sample garment and sent it to me for free in exchange for the review. Apart from the sweater itself, I received no other compensation. 

Thankful and frivolous

People, it just turned midnight here, which means that it's officially Saturday and that my update comes eleven days after my last post. BOO. In my defense, though, a lot has been going on. Has it? Well, maybe a little.

ANYWAYS.

For my American readers, how was your Thanksgiving? Ours was lovely and I'm going to tell you about some of the highlights...

"We have so much to be thankful for," said my mother as we all raised our glasses of wine (or, in my case, ginger ale) to toast our meal. As I looked around the huge dinner table at my five-year-old niece and her four-month-old brother, I couldn't help but agree. My husband and I had had a tough week before Wednesday. Without going into too much detail, we had our first scare last weekend, which turned out to be a total ... I don't know ... false alarm? Well, it turned out to be nothing, either way, but we were fervently grateful that - as far as we know - we're bringing a healthy baby into the world. While I'm usually not one to, y'know, make a list about the things for which I'm thankful on Thanksgiving, this year was extra special.

And it didn't hurt that I got loot.

(Dudes. Can I ever not have a pure emotion tempered by common greed? Probably not.)

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the same day that we were told that everything was fine with the baby, my husband and I decided to take a walk, both to allay our cabin fever, but also to take the strain off my achy back, because - for some reason - my spine has decided to raise both its middle fingers to me. We ended up going to a nice neighborhood store which sells delightfully overpriced "cute" things. We bought a couple of onesies and my eye fell on a necklace that is totally not my style. But I loved it. Next thing I knew, my husband had bought it for me.

See? For one thing, it's a long necklace, which ... well, no. I don't really tend to wear those. But I fell weirdly in love with the little golden acorn and the (presumably?) maple leaf, so next thing I knew, the necklace was mine.

I'd planned to wear it during the Thanksgiving festivities the next day, but my necklines conspired against me. Anyway, at my brother's house during the festivities, my mom presented me with some stuff, including an article she had cut out about George Harrison, a magazine from my old university, etc... in a Tiffany bag. Which had a Tiffany box in it. Gleefully curious, I decided to postpone the craziness and pull out another small bag from the bigger bag, which was a gift sent from my aunt and uncle in Buenos Aires by way of my cousin, who had visited New York last month: new earrings!

Lovely, no? I can't wait to wear them out!

And then I decided to open the Tiffany box. And I nearly fell out of the sofa. My parents had remembered a wistful phone call I made a few months ago! 

Folks, meet my Ph.D. diploma. My parents got me this to celebrate me getting my doctorate (finally) in July. Although I'd been planning to ask for a necklace in this style for my 30th birthday, I decided not to because I'm soon gonna be in need of a new computer and I thought that would make a good joint Ph.D./Christmas/birthday present request. But my mom remembered and my parents went out and chose a cute size and model and bought it for me. Another long necklace in a mere 24-hour time span. 

How did I get so lucky?! 

Speaking of luck and Thanksgiving miracles, my husband agreed to show his face on this blog (not that he hadn't agreed before: it just hadn't come up) so that I could highlight a picture of us from yesterday. You'll see some old favorites on my part: leggings? Check. Grey boots? Check. Striped long cardi? Check. Spanish cape? Check.

Check it:

Photo taken by my dad via my husband's iPhone. Sorry for the small size: any bigger and we look blurry.

So in case you wanted to know what I was wearing while squealing over my new gifts, please refer to above. And in case you wanted to know how cute my husband is - well, there you go!

Anyway, my friends, I hope you're all doing well and enjoying your weekends. Lots more to write about in the coming week! 

How I wore it: it ain't easy being green

Last weekend, I received an order from Old Navy (maternity) and was proud of myself for wearing every single item on the same day. Yesterday (Monday) I decided to bust out the more colorful aspect of the order and blind my students' retinas. Check it:

Yay for bright colors and stumpifying jeans/mocs combos! The shirt would've been perfect, had the weather not warmed up again and my classrooms not been RIDICULOUSLY over warm. I sweat through it by the middle of the first block. Don't you love hearing those little details about me?

The other thing I did over the weekend was, as I said in the last entry, to finally get my hair trimmed. I told my hairdresser (Cheryl, my hair guru) that I wanted to grow my hair out, but had no preference over how it grew, as long as it grew. So she kept a lot of length, but got rid of a lot of bulk (and mullet! And cowlicks!). No one outside of my husband noticed except for one shy ninth-grade boy whose voice I rarely hear in Spanish class. Fourteen-year-old boys can be adorable, no? Anyway, I'm thrilled with the haircut and have been feeling much better about myself than I have in the recent past. 

Look at that lack of mullet and cowlicks! Look at those perfectly formed and non-crazily-curling sideburns! Cheryl is indeed a goddess.

Now I must be off. IFC is playing an 'Arrested Development' marathon - it's like they know us!

Hooded green tunic: Old Navy Maternity

Jeans: Maternity America, remixed

Moccasins: Minnetonka,, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

How I wore it: busy weekend

Dudes, I had such a busy weekend. Technically, I also had another four-day weekend, since we just finished our second (of seven) unit of the year. I wrote thirty comments and am not looking forward to doing it again in a scant five weeks. My husband also had a conference and concert that he spent the last few months organizing, so that was our weekend (or, if I may, the second half of my weekend. SMUG). Oh, and we had a house guest for the entirety of my long weekend. I need another weekend. Do you all feel sorry for me yet?

On Friday night, we had the conference to go to. I wanted to look nice but not too nice, because I wanted to save the fancy dress, fancy boots, and fancy contacts for the Saturday night concert (and, natch, I didn't get a picture of that). So I went with some new maternity leggings, an old favorite cold-weather dress, and my new Fluevogs:

Delighted after an evening of Xenakis.

I also got a haircut (FINALLY) a few hours before this picture was taken. I'll have a better shot of it tomorrow, I promise. Let's just say that I'm delighted to no longer have a mullet OR a million cowlicks. Also, looking at this picture has definitively proved to me what I've been suspecting: that my legs are a little swollen (OR I'm just gaining more weight than I thought. Could also be true). People, I live in constant fear of my feet permanently changing size. 

Would it be weird if I put my feet up on the desk WHILE teaching?

Charcoal dress: Banana Republic, remixed

Leggings: Old Navy Maternity

Boots: John Fluevog, remixed

How I wore it: semi-fancy Tuesday

Today I decided to wear one of my pretty maternity hand-me-downs again. The weather in the greater Boston area has been absolutely GORGEOUS, so I've been taking advantage of the opportunity to wear cute dresses without tights/leggings underneath. In fact, I wasn't wearing the cardigan you see below for most of the day, as it was TOO WARM:

If you clicked on the link from the last time I wore it, isn't there a noticeable difference in my girth?

There's not much to say about this. I didn't wear the burgundy Fryes this time because I wanted to keep it a little more staid for a normal school day. My cognac boots did fine. And they added some visual interest, along with the purple cardigan. 

I'm going through a little bit of a downward slump right now because, well, I keep growing bigger. And bigger. And I still have two more months of this, y'know? I just feel clumsy and cumbersome. It also doesn't help that I haven't had a haircut since late August and I'm just rocking the awkward hair stage right now. Fortunately, I have a haircut scheduled on Friday, so perhaps a trim might make me feel more myself. Although there's very little of me that makes me feel "like myself." Let me tell you, this baby better be cute.

Haha. I kid. I'm already besotted with her. 

Although I'd love it if she stopped kicking her mom's ribcage, MMKAY?

Purple cardigan: gift from mom, by way of Lord and Taylor, remixed

Burgundy dress: hand-me-down from a friend, Motherhood Maternity, remixed

Cognac boots: Steve Madden, remixed

How I wore it: slouchy

A weekend update! How novel and refreshing! I usually use my Saturday and Sundays as an excuse to do nothing and hibernate a little between each busy week. However, between last week's four-workday extravaganza (we had a freak snowstorm over Halloween weekend that WRECKED the power in a lot of MA suburbs, including the town where my school is located) and this week's THREE-day extravaganza (end of the second unit, which means I get to spend another four days grading - but in my house), I figured I could actually leave the apartment over this weekend.

Plus, my husband and I had an appointment at the hospital to take one of those all-day baby-preparation classes. Since I didn't really know what to expect for this nine-hour marathon, I decided to dress in a more casual version of my new favorite outfit:

Usually, I like to wear warmer colors with any boot that color (despite the obvious comparisons to Robin Hood / Peter Pan, a green top would've looked more natural to my eye, but maybe that's just me), but that blue top is so comfy and casual  and my suede fringed boots so soft and my beloved striped cardigan so cozy that I couldn't resist putting it all together and pretending that I was still asleep even while listening to a way too chipper nurse at 9 in the morning. 

Since I was already decking my feet out in suede, I decided to also pack my softest and slouchiest purse, one that y'all have never met:

Meet my thirtieth birthday present from my husband. You see, over the summer, he was agonizing because he hadn't yet gotten me a birthday present. Well, after all our travels throughout Greece, my awesome Pan Am bag died and I desperately needed a new carry-on for our flight back to the States. While we were killing time and looking for stuff at the Agios Dimitrios mall in Athens, I fell in love with this Zara bag (for men) and it became my husband's present to me. It's a total workhorse because it's huge and it's the only bag I trust on Fridays/Mondays, when I take all my stuff home with me from school to plan lessons over the weekend and then take it all back to school to live at my office again. 

Plus, since I was wearing black and blue and suede, I thought it only right to carry a black, blue, and suede bag with me. 

No one really noticed or appreciated it. That's okay. I was proud of myself...

Striped cardigan: Banana Republic, remixed

Blue dress/tunic: hand-me-down from a friend, by way of Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Leggings: HUE, via Lord and Taylor (Boston), remixed

Boots: Steve Madden, via Lord and Taylor (New York), remixed

Bag: Zara (Athens)

How I wore it: the usual

If you've been reading this blog for a time, you know that I quite maxi dresses. And you know that I love wearing them all year long. Just because I'm almost thirty weeks pregnant (tomorrow!) doesn't mean I'm gonna change. And why not wear a similar look that I liked from early this year?!

I wore a similar autumnal look with this same maxi dress and boots a few weeks ago, but I've been really gravitating toward burgundy recently, so my maroon sweater and red shell necklace seemed like obvious choices - making the whole effect similar, but with some crucial (I hope) differences. 

And that's me! Happy almost-Friday!

Cardigan: gift from mom, via Lord and Taylor, remixed

Grey dress: Old Navy Maternity, remixed

Boots: gift from husband, via a shoe store on Ermou Street, Athens, remixed

How I wore it: sniping husband's clothes

Internet! I missed you so much! I haven't updated in FOREVER and sometimes that happens and sometimes I have to chaperone Halloween dances and sometimes I come home late and am so tired that I just put on my PJs, eat, take a shower, and go to sleep. So, yeah. Sorry.

Today I was a little uninspired. I had a nice idea for an outfit, but I kind of changed it around when I got on the most important element: my husband's button-down. I don't know. I've been wanting to get my hands on this shirt for almost a year and I finally buckled down and wore it today. Over a tank top and jeans:

Perhaps not the most chic of outfits, but certainly comfortable and cozy. Maybe I should shop more in his closet. 

(Unfortunately, the length of the jeans and the height of my booties conspired so that the jeans kept on inadvertently tucking themselves into the booties. Not what I wanted, but I'm at a stage where I don't so much want to bend over to fix things a lot. Oh, well.)

Anyways, there's a lot going on and I'm sorry for not keeping you posted. I miss you, Style Nation! How's life?

Button-down: husband's

Tank top: Old Navy Maternity

Jeans: Maternity America, remixed

Grey booties: Aldo, remixed