Q&A

Hello! I am back from cold and cloudy Florida! Yes, it was just my bad luck to take a trip to the Sunshine State the weekend they were having a cold snap. I have pictures and outfits to post -- although they are not discernibly different from my weekend outfits here in chilly Chicago, LOL -- but while I am still settling in I thought I would throw out a post for my completely awesome readers.



Any questions you want to ask me, or each other? Any suggestions you would like to make about the blog, or requests for entries, or if you want an update on anything I haven't been talking about lately?

The manatee is collecting the mailbag, so feel free to jump in and ask anything!

Sugar High

This is the "candy bowl" at work. It's a freaking table of junk food, people. And I often spend an hour or two in meetings sitting in the tiny open space in front.

So you can imagine how well I am eating, right? I can't even eat the one healthy thing on the table, as I am allergic to raw apples.

Anyway, I am swooping in to answer some questions that came up in comments, and to generally kvetch about things. That's why you guys are here, right? Not for the fashion? :)

1. San asked about my wedding dress: it was a vintage dress from the late 50s/early 60s. I know now it's all the rage to wear vintage, but back in 1996, it was pretty rare. Truth be told, we went vintage because it was all we could afford at the time. When we renew our vows (an idle threat I hang over Hubby's head every couple of years) I'm going for broke in a new, modern, expensive dress. :)

The funniest part about the dress I wore is that there was a tear in the sleeve when I bought it, so my soon-to-be-mother-in-law offered to redo the sleeves for me. We brought it to Detroit for her to repair, and as soon as she saw it, she went running into her bedroom. She came out with HER wedding picture...in pretty much the same dress! LOL!!

It was made out of, um, I don't know, pretty thick and sturdy material, and it did have embroidered flowers on the front skirt. The front was also embroidered and had scalloped edging right at my neck. My mother-in-law did an amazing job finding fabric that matched the color and weight of the dress exactly for the sleeves, and she replaced the originals with something a little wider on the upper arms that came down to a point in the middle of my hand. I kvetch about the dress sometimes because it wasn't my dream dress, it just fit into our slim budget, but it was really pretty and it's stood up in the test of time. 

I had it preserved and boxed up, so if anyone wants a dress from 50 years ago, I got one for ya!

2. Anne asked if we were married at St. Ben's. Nope, it was Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Belmont. We lived in Lakeview back then.

3. Several people commented from my weekend posts that they would love to visit Chicago. I would love to show you around...but you better get here within a couple of weeks. As soon as it hits winter, it's a whole other ballgame, and winter here lasts until almost May. But our summers and falls make up for it.

4. Speaking of fall, I think the Indian summer is over, but we still have our windows open. Open! I am guessing we will start closing them this weekend. But the cool breeze and fresh air in the house is kind of nice for now.

5. I gave myself the week off from taking blog photos, but you haven't missed much. Remixes of dress combos you've seen, and me lamenting that all my pants are in the laundry. I am definitely heading into a pants revival this fall. A few more are on order from Gap; they had a big sale last week.

6. I have been vocal about my disdain for the furry vest trend, but the fur may have the last laugh in the end. I have also become completely obsessed about getting a faux-fur jacket this winter! I have a zillion tabs open that I need to pin up on Pinterest, but I am torn between getting something with a fur collar versus going all-fur. I really don't spend a ton of time outside in the winter, since I am a suburban commuter, so technically I could get a trendy type jacket like that and be a-okay.

Crazy, right? Someone talk me out of this!

Getting forgetful in my old age

Last night I plugged my camera in to my laptop, and was flummoxed when the camera blinked at me, "No Image". It took me several minutes to realize I had forgotten to take my photos that morning! Whoops.

Anyway, it was a standard Kristen uniform: my new mushroom Clarks wedge sandals, and my purple patterned Target dress, and my long purple Ann Taylor boyfriend cardigan. It's actually getting cool enough to wear cardigans! I also got an order from Gap (35% off sale) of a new pair of their skinny pants; I want to have at least one pants outfit for the fall, and I do tend to have a long of long tunics and sweaters. Plus if I pick up any of the Missoni ones in a couple of weeks!

++++++

Did anyone feel the earthquake where they are? As I said on FB, "No earthquake here, just a couple of idiots I'd like to shake."

We made light because it didn't seem to cause much damage, but I am glad that is how it turned out! Earthquakes are scary enough, but when they happen in places that don't often get them, they seem doubly frightening, don't they?

++++++


Daily Food Tracker: Tuesday
Breakfast: glop (pomegranate yogurt, berries, fiber one cereal squares)
Snack: mini candy bars
Lunch: tuna salad on wheat, chips (another lunch party at work)
Snack: yes, more of that stupid candy
Dinner: 2 ears of corn
Snack: turkey sandwich with LC cheese and muffaletta on whole wheat

Neither Hubby or I have been very hungry or motivated at dinner time the last couple of days, but we've been grazing through the fridge instead of ordering takeout. I am so glad I've been buying foods that we can just grab and go, like the corn last night. I am doubly glad though that I am not in the office today where that giant vat of mini candy keeps pulling me in. It seems like it's no big deal since they are barely even full bites, but clearly they are derailing me. This is the second day where they were my only snack all day.

+++++++




I have some crumbled peppered turkey bacon that I want to use up tonight. Any ideas what to do with it? The laziest one I have so far is to throw it in a salad, but I would rather find a better use...

+++++

San had asked which frozen pizza we liked, so when I stopped at the store to pick up more skim milk and berries I grabbed another one so I could remember the name. :) It's called Red Fork, and we really like the Bianca version best with mushrooms and kalamata olives. The chicken and gouda one is pretty good too! We find them at Whole Foods and Target.

Have a wonderful day, everyone! Stay away from the candy jar! (That advice is just for me.)

Reader Q&A

I've gotten a bunch of questions in comments lately, and since I am never sure if people come back to read any replies, I thought I would answer them in a separate entry. Hope you guys don't mind!

1. Kimi had asked about the gingham button-downs. I answered it partially yesterday; that isn't the one I returned to Old Navy, but I did consider it. As you noticed, they are a pain to iron, and they get pretty wrinkly. But they do it differently than regular cotton button-downs, and I do like the colors. Ironically, I like them better in casual outfits than I do work ones! I wore the blue one on Sunday with jeans and a black sweater and I loved it. In my work outfits I tend to fuss with them too much.

2. Anne asked about the no-chip manicure I got for the ball. It has now been a week, and while it is still mostly chip-proof, I did break the edge off one already, and another finger has an odd mis-coloring on it, like when you bump against a car but don't quite dent it. Overall, it's still in a lot better shape than a regular manicure would be, and it will probably last at least another week. The only problem with it is I really hate the color! This is just the wrong red for my skin tone, much too cool and bright. I do think I will get another no-chip again but with a neutral tone, just so I can judge it without prejudice. :)

3. Chrissy and Shiny asked about my long pearls, knotted two and three ways. Credit where credit is due, the technique for knotting those is all Angie from YouLookFab. Here is the post where she does her tutorial -- it's a must-see! It took me a few tries in Vegas over Christmas to get the hang of it, but I love wearing them this way now.

4. Gail asked about the lining on my new Target raincoats (which will get debuted tomorrow!). They are both lined with a slippery, non-cotton fabric, but the earth-grey one is easier to get on and off because the whole coat is of a similar fabric. It's kind of like a parachute, if that makes sense.

5. Sheila answered my question about a certain phrase: "Cooking with gas" is a real expression. It comes from the 1930s-40s, from an advertising campaign to get people to switch from wood stoves to gas stoves (the gas stoves being more "modern"). It's meant to convey that "cooking with gas" is really accelerated and apt to be more productive.

Lord, I am old. I really hope I got that one from my grandmother. LOL!

I think that was all of them. Sorry if I missed any questions -- ask 'em again in the comments and I will do another Q&A. Thanks!