Outfit: Striped sweater: JCrew Factory Store; Jeans: Gap; Vest: gift (Old Navy); Brogues: Target; Necklace: gift; Bracelet: Lela sidewalk sale
Enjoying an early lunch at the moment–salad from Panera and an episode of Party Down. Was at the private school this morning and have an afternoon at my building involving lots o’ IEP scheduling and evaluation writing.
Am headed to Milwaukee to see John Oliver later tonight. Saw him at U of I in 2008 (along with Rory Albanese) and he was hilarrrrious. Still sad to have missed out on Jon Stewart when he came to MKE earlier in the year, so this should ameliorate the feeling of deep loss just a bit. And tomorrow night Milwaukee will come to me—-Kristy & Maria are driving in for a slumber party o’ cupcakes & wine. Always grateful when city folks will make the trek to the ‘burbs!
Outfit: Olive shirt: JCrew Factory Store; Tuxedo jacket: LC Lauren Conrad; Jeans: Gap; Boots: Diba; Necklace: made by Anna
Had to wear my new necklace from Anna today! I got to pick from a whole bunch of them (originally made as gifts for my bridesmaids to wear on the big day) and couldn’t resist this mixed-materials one. They were all pretty darn stunning, though (she might be selling the extras, stylin’ friends!). I’m so spoiled to have such a talented hermanita. Can’t wait for her to graduate and have time to open an etsy shop or somethin’ (while rockin’ her new job at KOHL’S, of course!).
Time for an evening of relative laziness & cleaning—-am expecting more fabulous guests this weekend, this time from the land of cheese and beer, so I’ve gotta get the place in order. May take my first day off from the gym this week—it has been really crowded lately (end-of-January resolutioners gettin’ in there?)…and yet somehow justify eating the Ben & Jerry’s I bought today + a glass of wine? Lalalalalalala.
7pm addition: This was one of those days at work when things just felt right. Used my time efficiently and made my 8am kiddo an “Emily the train” book focused on prepositions (his favorite engine), managed to get data sheets ready for the assistants to awesomely fill out for my group in the classroom, modified a SMARTBoard activity for “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” and the kids wound up loving it, constructed and laminated some visuals to go with the story (laminating always feels like a “YAY I’M SAVING FUTURE ELENA TIME AND WORK NEXT YEAR!” accomplishment and it happens way too infrequently; things just wind up crumpled in the garbage). Need those days. Workin’ with kids on speech & language really is pretty darn fun.
Outfit: Sweater: Swapped (NY&Co); Lost Time Skirt: Anthropologie; Flats: Nine West (via endless.com); Headband: Target; Bracelet: stella & dot
Slower workday than usual. The private school was taping some sort of school-wide musical event (may have to go watch its debut next week; don’t really understand what they were doing…something with dubbed singing?), so missed seeing most of my kids this morning. Finished testing a kindergartner, got some paperwork in order. Added lots of pins to my “Speech & Language” board. Had the usual busy afternoon.
Off to the gym and then headed to the parentals’ for dinner & bidding Anna adieu—she heads back to NYC tomorrow for her last college semester. I finally bought my tickets for spring break yesterday. Big Apple, here I come!
P.S. Big thanks to Rachel for the Versatile Blogger award. Brightened my day!
Outfit: Striped tee & cords: Gap; Tuxedo jacket: LC Lauren Conrad; Boots: Diba via DSW; Necklace: stella & dot
YES: a clear sign I was slightly less of a zombie this morning—->a morning shower and blow-dried hair. Winning.
I was happy to bust out my new jacket again (didn’t even need an additional coat today—so oddly warm again!) and my favorite necklace. Easy Tuesday look. Cutest moment of the day: when one of my 4-year-old students walked in with a Starbucks gift card (coudn’t quite figure out the occasion, but accepted it gratefully). Thanked her dad at the end of the session, and he said “Oh no. It was all her idea. She said we had to get her teacher coffee, and I said I didn’t know what you’d like. She said we needed to get pumpkin coffee. I wasn’t sure where that was…so we got a gift card.” In the fall she used to always ask to sniff my (Dunkin Donuts) pumpkin coffee if I sipped it during sessions, so this was pretty adorable. I much prefer coffee to an apple a day.
Annnnnd now it’s time to go workout. Motivated to get there early for a) a hopefully empty gym and b) because I want to make cookies later, which requires time & some calories burned (I will eat cookie dough. This is completely predictable). Have a great night!
Outfit: Cardigan: LC Lauren Conrad (KOHL’S); Pants: Banana Republic; Black tank: Old Navy; Flats: Nine West (endless.com); Bracelet: stella & dot
Grabbed this cardigan on a shopping trip with Anna last week—sale + Mom’s coupon made it a good find. Always on the look-out for pieces that make dressing-for-work easy (especially when they have rhinestone buttons and chiffon trim!). I’m a little bummed—my bracelet got caught on it and ripped a hole in the sleeve today. So…will always have to be worn sleeves-rolled-up-style. Luckily that’s pretty much how I wind up wearing all cardigans.
Finishing up my cinnamon dolce latte and am off to the gym! Hope your week’s off to a good start. I’m hoping for an evening of reading Bel Canto, watching last night’s Downton Abbey, and an early bedtime. Just want to feel well-rested for once. Otherwise NyQuil and I may have to have a brief affair…
Last week’s winner was Sunday, with 30% of the vote. It was my favorite look, too! Thank you for your feedback.
This week’s poll has a few looks from the work week and one from the weekend. The last couple of weeks have been about trying out new pieces and mixing/re-mixing them with old ones. Love having some new items in my wardrobe! Suspect I’ll be wearing this tuxedo jacket a whole lot.
I’d love to hear which look was your favorite from January 17th-21st. As always, your vote is anonymous and any additional comments are very welcome!
I spent a lot of winter break seeing friends in Chicago…and now they are awesomely starting to make the trek to the ‘burbs! Laura and Andrea, two of my study-abroad friends, took the metra out to my stop yesterday afternoon for an evening o’ movies (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close at the theater, Midnight in Paris at home), Chinese food/cookies, and red wine. Ohh–and had to introduce them to a little bit of Luther to enjoy Idris Elba’s hotness. And we indulged in a little makeshift photo booth action, of course.
I’ve actually known Andrea since freshman year (we were random roomies, and also studied abroad together briefly in Barcelona). It’s crazy how many years and experiences we’ve now had together. Even when I don’t see either of them for months, the cliche is completely true—fall right back into our girl talk with no awkwardness. And Midnight in Paris was so perfect to watch together—after all, we spent part of our Spring break sharing a tiny hotel room in Paris, drinking bottles of red wine in front of the Eiffel tower and eating lots o’ bread and cheese. Back in Illinois, we kept the friendships going. Was remembering that Laura even lent me the dress I wore on Adam’s and my first date; Andrea predicted he would ask me out after seeing us together once. Good to be around people who know you, your former relationship…and have confidence that you’ll be okay (and share your shock/disappointment/anger re: what on earth happened).
Three cheers for girls’ nights. Relaxing with some Chipotle and Gilmore Girls at the moment. Yay for lazy Sundays.
I’m enjoying a lunch break at home and then headed back to work to paperwork it up (…which I could easily do from home. Ah, I dream of more flexibility. But am also aware I’ve got it pretty good, so complaining shall now cease). Planning on a low-key Friday night and am looking forward to a visit from my study abroad besties—Andrea and Laura—tomorrow! On the agenda: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (yes! loved the book!), Chinese takeout, lots of wine and desserts. Sounds like a winner.
And tomorrow night Milwaukee will come to me—-Kristy & Maria are driving in for a slumber party o’ cupcakes & wine. Always grateful when city folks will make the trek to the ‘burbs!
