MENTAL SPACE

Weight Loss Mission - Week 2 Update

2010-07-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how quickly this week’s just flown by. It feels like it was just 2 days ago that I had posted my 1st weigh-in…. and all of a sudden, I’m having to weigh in and measure myself yet again.

Where has the time gone?

But first things first, I must apologize to my amazing readers for being such a complete knob. Yes, that’s me. Me, the knob. I had meant to reply to your questions in inquiries but for some reason, the time just got away from me and next thing I know, it’s Thursday, time for another update and I still haven’t responded to your questions. I’m sooooo sorry. I promise I will get to your questions in the next day or two.

In fact, I’m even going to try to address some of them here – kinda like killing 2 birds with 1 stone... not that I would actually stone a bird. But I digress.

Anyway, here we are. Another Thursday. Another weigh-in, measure-up day.

Don’t take this the wrong way. I really look forward to Thursdays because it’s the day that I get to see how well my plan for the last week worked. So, it’s not a negative thing whatsoever. This week just crept up a little too quickly, that’s all.

So, how did I do this week?

Weight: 130.4 lbs (down by 1.6lbs from last week)
Body Fat %: 27.4% (up by 0.3% - but that’s not a bad thing really – I will explain more shortly.)

Bust: 33.5” (No change from last week – Thank God for that!)
Natural Waist: 28.75” (decrease of 0.25” from last week)
High Hip: 35.75” (decrease of 0.25” from last week)
Hip: 38.75” (decrease of 0.25” from last week)

So how am I feeling? Pretty good. I feel pretty good with my progress. I’m continuing to lose inches, albeit small, but I’m losing. So that’s good. I’m glad.

As for the increase in the Body Fat percentage…. At first, I wasn’t thrilled. My immediate reaction was… WTF??? But I need to remember that Body Fat Percentage (BFP) is a percentage of your body weight. So, while my BFP may increase slightly, my actual Fat Weight (what an awful thing to think about), may not have changed or may have decreased.

How you ask??? Well, let me explain.

When I began, my weight was 135.2 lbs and my BFP was 28.1%. This works out to 97.2 lbs of Lean Body Mass (which is comprised of Lean Muscle, Water, Organs, etc.) And my actual Body Fat Weight was 37.99 lbs. In short, I had 37.99 lbs of fat in my entire body at the start of my Fat Loss Project.

After my 1st week, my weight was 132 lbs and my BFP was 27.1%. This converts to 96.23lbs of Lean Body Mass and 35.77 lbs of Fat. In other words, I loss 2.22lbs of fat between week 1 and week 2. However, the downside was, I also loss 0.97 lbs of Lean Muscle in at the same time. (I’ll speak about the importance of maintaining or increasing Lean Muscle in a moment)

In my 2nd week, my weight was 130.4 lbs and my BFP was 27.4%. This works out to 94.67lbs of Lean Muscle Mass and 35.73lbs of Fat. So what I was trying to say is, although my BFP may have increased, my actual Body Fat did not increase. I loss 0.04lbs of fat this past week. Not good but at least I'm not gaining Fat. The truly sad part is, I am still losing Lean Muscle because I lost another 1.5 lbs of which none of it was fat.

So, why is it important to maintain if not increase Lean Muscle Mass? I have read, and I mean, read loads of articles that say that Muscle helps burn fat even at rest. So based on this theory, I don’t want to lose muscle. In fact, I want to gain muscle so that my body can help burn fat while I’m resting, sitting or even sleeping. Muscle is metabolic. Fat isn’t. So when I’m losing muscle, my metabolism slows down… which explains why when someone is on a diet, after the first couple of weeks, the weight loss really slows down.

So, what am I going to do to ensure that I don’t lose more Lean Muscle Mass, well, I’m going to try eating more lean protein like Egg Whites, Fish, Lean Steak, Chicken Breast with every meal and since I eat 5 times a day, I’m going to make sure that I have a lean protein every time I eat.

For those wondering what I eat, here’s a typical day for me.

I essentially eat the same breakfast daily at 7:30am – which is, 1 Cup of Fiber One Honey Clusters with ½ cup of regular Fiber One cereal and 1 cup of Low Fat Silk (Soybean milk)

At 10am, I’m usually starving, so I’ll normally have 1 Banana. But since I need to add more protein to my diet, I’m now going to add 2 Low Fat Yogurts as well.

I eat lunch at 12 noon and my lunch normally consists of a Lean Protein and Vegetables. Today, I had 3.5oz of Sirloin with half a roasted zucchini and half a bunch of steamed Asparagus.

I eat again at 3:30pm and my afternoon snack normally consists of 3 Egg Whites (no yolks) and 2 cups of fruit.

I normally have dinner at 6:30pm and dinner is usually a 5oz portion of Lean Protein, like Chicken or Fish, Salad with low-fat dressing and steamed vegetables.

If I am craving carbs with my meals, I will normally have Quinoa (pronounced as Keen-Wah) which is lower in Carbs but contains 4 grams of protein in 1 cup of cooked Quinoa.

While I’m not losing a ton of Lean Muscle Mass, I am losing some, so I’m going to focus on eating more protein in hopes that my body will slowly do what I want it to do.

So, how did you do this week? Were you able to get your work-outs in? Did you eat as clean as you possibly can? I could have eaten cleaner this week … but honey took me out to Goldfish in Yaletown for our 13th year Anniversary and I blew my clean-eating and fell off the proverbial wagon. But like everything else in life, I dusted myself off and got right back on the wagon.

I hope you’ll write and tell me how you did this week. We certainly need each other for support. Being slim is not natural nor easy for me. I have to work hard, very hard in fact, to be slim. So, let’s count on each other for support. Together we will persevere.

Be Fierce, Be Strong. Love Yourself. Love, Karen

What did you score today?

2010-07-20T12:35:00.001-07:00

I wasn't planning on buying anything... but I ended up purchasing the Rah Rah Rumba Skirt by Edme & Esyllte.

I had tried this skirt on during my last visit to Anthropologie. I really liked the skirt a lot, particularly the tiers. I was suprised really since I never like pull-on skirts because pull-on skirts always make me look FATTER than I actually am. The nip in at the waist and bulge out right under adding that dreaded muffin-top / spare-tire right around my belly button. Certainly not a look I am after.

But I was pleasantly surprised with this skirt. I would have purchased it on the spot unfortunately, they only had a size 10 (and that's what I tried on ... but I really needed a 6) so I held off.

For those looking for this skirt, please call Customer Service at (800) 309-2500. There is a glitch with Anthro's online system. When I tried adding the skirt (in the grey) to my shopping cart, I received a pop-up message advising that I've added more than what's available (or something to that effect anyway) so I picked up the phone and called CS. I was told that they've got 18 of the size 6 in stock. I also told them about the system glitch ... but when I last checked (4 hours after I initially placed my order), the glitch is still there.

If you haven't purchased this skirt, do! It's fabulous! It won't make you look fat. In fact, it's rather slimming and the tiers are so very sweet and pretty. And it's the perfect length. It comes to the very top of my knees and hides my knee fat (you know, the part right above the knee cap???) And to top it off, if you get it in the Grey, which I did, you'll be able to wear it with tights right into the Fall. Isn't this just terrific???

What a fantastic piece! ... But that was the only thing I got today. Nothing else spoke to me unfortunately.

So, what did you score in Anthro's amazing sale? Oh, I hope you'll share. I love living vicariously through others! :)

Have a fantabulous day my lovelies! Love, Karen

Weight Loss Mission - Week 1 Update

2010-07-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Bust: 33.5” (Loss 0.5” from previous week)
Natural Waist: 29” (Loss 1” from previous week)
High Hip: 36” (Loss 0.75” from previous week)
Low Hip: 29” (Loss 0.5” from previous week)

Weight: 132.0 lbs (Loss 3.2lbs from previous week)
Body Fat Percentage: 28.1% (Loss 1% BF from previous week)

What contributed to my success this week?
• Eat relatively clean – I ate clean this week with the exception of 3 occassions where I snacked on gummies. My gummie addiction is extremely difficult to break. But other than gummies, I didn’t have any other junk, ie. chips, ice-cream, etc.
• Worked out 6 mornings in a row – 45 minutes on the Elliptical each morning.
• Ate 5 small meals daily with protein at every meal.
• Stopped eating as soon as dinner was done. Did not snack after dinner.

This weight loss thing is a battle for me. It may come easy for others but not for me. I have to consciously work at it. But I tell myself, one day at a time. If others can do it, so can I. And if you’re following along on this journey with me, if I can do it, so can you! We’ll all do it together. We’ll cheer each other along. We’ll be each others cheering section!

So, that’s my Weight Loss update for week 1. If you’re on a weight loss mission with me, how did you do this week?

The Stresses of Pet-Ownership

2010-07-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: This post is about the stress I am experiencing as a BRAND NEW, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, PET OWNER. It is not about how I feel about our new Kitten. I absolutely love our new kitten. In fact, while I'm at work, I actually miss him and think about it. But that does not stop me from being stressed out. Going from not ever having owned a pet to now owing one at my age is truly a life-changing experience. I speak about the stress of such a life-changing experience. Please do NOT assume that I have a poor attitude towards my new kitten. Please do not tell me to return my kitten or give it up. That is not the issue I'm discussing here. The issue is my stress. And just because I'm stressed does not meant that I have a poor attitude towards my kitten. It merely means I'm stressed and that I am to learn to deal with my stress. That's all. Please do not read into it anymore than what it is.

__________________________________________________________

I’ve never owned a pet in my life. Unless you count a Turtle for about 3 days, a Chick for 2 days and a Puppy for about 4 hours.

Sadly as it sounds, I have simply never owned a pet for an extended period of time. In my childhood, it’s certainly not for the lack of want. I wanted a pet – a dog preferably, but would have settled for a pet rabbit, but my parents were fastidious about the pristine condition of their home. Despite the aid of a housekeeper, my parents refused to get my brother and I a pet. Afterall, we travelled frequently and they liked a spotless house.

When we had our daughter Kitty, I told myself that if she ever wanted a pet, I would consider it. But as she grew up and as I grew older and more set in my ways, I found that I was becoming more and more like my parents. I really didn’t want a pet in the house.

I like our house and our dark hardwood floors and light interior. I like a squeaky clean floor and that’s why I have cleaners come weekly to clean. I like our lifestyle where we can come and go as we please without the responsibility of pets. I like the fact that we go away on a couple of 2 week vacations each year and weekends away. I like having freedom.

Then one day, last December, while lying in bed, Honey turned to me and said, “Let’s get Kitty a kitten.” “A Kitten.” I replied. “Yes”, he said, “I think it would be a great idea. It would teach her responsibility and keep her company since she’s an only child.” I responded, “Let me think about it”, hoping that it was simply a passing fancy.

Honey and Kitty both brought up the subject once again in January 2010 and then again in February. And during our trip to Disneyworld, Orlando, we made a family decision to adopt a Kitten.

We returned from our trip in March 2010 and proceeded to work with a local Ragdoll Cat breeder for a Lilac Bicolor Ragdoll. While we waited and waited for the arrival of our little kitten, I was silently stressing about the pressures involved in Pet Ownership.

But each and every time my stress about our upcoming pet reared its head, I managed to talk myself out of the stress… to the point where I was rather excited about the arrival of our new family member.

Last Saturday, the day finally arrived where we were able to pick up our 12 week old Ragdoll Kitten. We drove out to Delta to our Breeders home and picked up our little Kitten. He’s darling! He’s absolutely beautiful. He’s smart (but what do I know, I’ve never ever had a pet before) and he’s soooooooo cuuuute!

The first couple of days at our place was very rough. He cried lots. He refused to eat or drink. He hid the entire time and wanted nothing to do with Honey or Kitty for that matter. He had numerous accidents outside the Litter Box. To top it off, our daughter Kitty was terribly upset. She cried that her new kitten didn’t like her. That made me very sad but I explained that the kitten had been taken from his family and brought to another family of giants and if that happened to her, she probably would be doing exactly what the little kitten was doing. She understood and felt much better.

It was a very rough. For the kitten and for us. I broke out in hives, on my forearm and upper arm, on my shins, calves and behind my knees. I even broke out along my belly. Kitty too had rashes on her legs and on her arms and she’s having sneezing fits – up to about a dozen each evening. I guess we’re all somewhat allergic to our new kitten…. Or maybe we were just stressed from our new kitten. We then found out on the 3rd day that Honey too is allergic to the kitten. (We didn’t know at first for the kitten wanted nothing to do with him. But after a few pieces of Pure Bites Freeze Dried Chicken Breast, the kitten was all over Honey) and that’s when his suffered full-blown allergies. Not only that, I’m sooooo very stressed out because I’m following our new kitten around our house fearing that he’s going to have another accidents or that he’s going to take that 12 foot jump from our foyer to the basement. He’s constantly meowing and wants to be carried everywhere. As soon as I put him down, he’s meowing again. We used to have such a quiet home. Now all I hear is meowing. I can’t workout for fear that I’m going to crush him with the steps on my Elliptical. I can’t put him in another room because I have an open concept house where only the bedrooms and washrooms have doors and putting him in another room meowing away while I work out will simply wake Kitty and Honey up. I know, I know. I sound like a whiny child. I’m sorry. But I am on edge every moment I’m at home so much so that I’ve got a painful stress knot at the base of my neck… and that’s only after 5 days. My friends have told me that all this will pass. But when???

After 5 days, Honey and I still aren’t convinced that we can become Pet-People. We are not bad people. We really aren’t. We’re just not pet people. He’s never had a pet his entire life. Neither have I. If we had had pets previously, we would have known what to expect. We honestly didn’t. We are so very set in our ways. After all, I’m almost 45 and he’s almost 50 (okay next year). We love the lifestyle we have. We love our home with all of our pale furniture. We are highly sensitive to smells and we suffer from allergies (to varying degrees). Kitty on the other hand is head-over-heels in love with this new kitten. She’s hugging it, kissing it, carrying it everywhere despite her allergies.

My home used to be my sanctuary. I have a high stress job and when I get home, I want to relax and get away from the demands of life. But now, I feel that I can’t get away from the demands at all. I have demands at work and I have demands from the kitten at home.

I know that the kitten will likely outgrow his demanding nature in time. I just don’t know if I can last that long. Please don’t judge me. Please refrain from thinking that I’m some horrible person or animal hater. I am neither. I am simply set in my ways. But I love my daughter so much that I would do whatever she wants.

If she wants to keep the kitten, we will keep the kitten. And if she finds that her allergies are too much to bear and want to give up the kitten, I will support her decision as well. Anyway, that’s the stress I’ve been under. It’s crazy, I know. It’s crazy that I can manage a multi-million dollar business but I can’t deal with the demands of a baby kitten. It’s just crazy!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I now understand what my parents were going through when they told me and my brother that we couldn’t have a pet. There is a lot of responsibility that goes along with Pet Ownership. Honey and I honestly thought long and hard over this decision. We really did. But I don’t think that we truly realized the impact this new kitten was going to have on our lives.

I guess we’ll just have to learn to deal with it. I guess I will have to learn to stop stressing… URGH! The Stress of Pet-Ownership!

I will be back shortly...

2010-07-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

I hope you're all doing well. I apologize for not blogging the last couple of days. I apologize that I will not be blogging for the next few days. I honestly don't know when I'll be back yet but I've got a bit of a stressful situation at home currently that's occupying most of my time, energy and mind and I'm unfortunately, just not in the right frame of mind to be blogging.

I'm sorry.

But I will be back soon.

Until the next time, Be Fierce, Be Strong, Be yourself. Love, Karen

Perception

2010-07-08T12:46:00.001-07:00

Earlier today, one of my staff came up to me and said that Jan (a guy from another department) came up to her yesterday and said this to her:

"Karen (referring to me) is all dressed up for work everyday. Would someone please tell her that there's no party?"

Isn't that one of the funniest things you've ever heard? I still chuckle whenever I replay that comment in my head.

Dressing up???? I thought I was being work appropriate.

I guess it's all perception. What one perceives as dressing up, another perceives as normal attire. It's no wonder that some people show up in spandex workout attire or club clothes with their boob up to their chin ... and think that they're work appropriate.

Perception. It's all perception, I say.

The Ugly Truth!

2010-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I FREAKING GAINED 10 LBS AND A WHOLE LOT IN GIRTH!!!

What the hell happened??? Okay, don’t answer that! I know what happened. Last summer I weighed in at 125 lbs with the following measurements:

Bust (without a bra): 32.5”
Natural Waist: 28”
High Hip: 33.5”
Low Hip: 37”

Crazy part is, I really wanted to get down to lose a little more – that is, to get down to approximately 120lbs or where I could start seeing some muscle tone or definition. Problem was, once I got down to 125 lbs, I : 1.) Eased up on my workouts; 2.) Stopped weighing myself; 3.) Stopped measuring myself; 4.) Stopped measuring my Body Fat percentage; thinking, okay, more hoping, that thinking, that the final 5 lbs were going to miraculously melt off me. Yeah, right!

My 5-6 day a week workouts dwindled down to 2, possibly 3 days a week. My 1 day a week cheat day (of being able to eat anything I wanted without feeling guilty) grew to 2 days a week, then 3, and then 7 days a week. I was cheating everyday!

I’d cheated myself into being fat. Fantastic, isn’t it???!!!

Well, no, not really. In fact, it sucks! Carrying extra weight around sucks!

This morning, on the way to Summer camp, my daughter made a comment that made me realize how much I’ve actually strayed from my old self. I don’t quite remember what triggered her comment but she said (ad lib) “You used to workout a lot. Nowadays, you just sit in front of the TV and eat Sour Key Gummies and Hawkin Cheezies. No wonder you gained weight.”

No shit Sherlock! If my 10 year old daughter can recognize what I’m doing wrong, why can’t I???!!!

That said, as promised, here are my sad measurements:

Bust (without a bra): 34 (gained 1.5”)
Natural Waist: 30 (gained 2”)
High Hip: 36.75” (gained 3.25”)
Low Hip: 29.5” (gained 2.5”)

That’s a total of 9.25 inches … and that’s just between my armpits and my rear. I probably also gained inches in my rear and my knees and my calves……. Now for my weight and Body Fat Percentage.

Weight: 135.2 lbs.
Body Fat Percentage: 28.1% (I used to be around 24%)

As you can see, I’ve expanded! But no more! That’s it! I’m on a mission. My mission is to some weight, but more importantly, girth. I need to lose at least the 9.25 inches I gained.

I haven’t quite figured out what my real goal is yet but I will do that in the next couple of days and once I do, I will post it here so that you too can be a part of my journey and hold me accountable.

Well, that’s it for me today. I know that I can do this. I’ve done it before so I can do it again. And this time, once I get there, I’m going to continue to maintain it. That’s the secret, isn’t it?

To be honest, on the most part, this weight gain thing sucks. It sucks big time. But I’m all for “looking for the silver-lining in everything”. So what’s the silver-lining, you ask? The silver lining is, thank God I found out that I gained 10 lbs now! It’s easier to battle 10 lbs than it is to battle 20lbs, 30lbs or even 50lbs. I’m grateful to have come to that realization now.

So….until tomorrow, have a fantabulous day my lovelies! Always be true to yourself. Love, Karen

HIWI - Anthropologie Seabound Skirt

2010-07-07T13:45:00.001-07:00

Hello my lovely readers! It's a fantabulous day in Vancouver. GORGEOUS! It's days like today that makes me LOVE, LOVE, LOVE where I live!

Here's my HIWI for the Anthropologie Seabound Skirt by We Love Vera.

Skirt: Anthropologie Seabound Skirt by We Love Vera
Tee: J Crew Perfect Fit Tee
Belt: Anthropologie Looping Lanes Belt
Jewelry: H & M
Purse: J Crew Andie Bag
Shoes: Nickles Nude Patent Leather Slingbacks

Do you own the Seabound Skirt? How do you wear it?

Have a lovely day girls! Love, Karen

I'm getting FAT! ... and it's pissing me off!!!

2010-07-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, when planning today's wardrobe, I tried on one of my J Crew pencil skirts that had wiggle hip-room last summer... to only find that I don't have any wiggle room this summer. In fact, the skirt on me made me look like a freshly cooked plumped up sausage in casing ... you know the ones, they pop when you pierce the casing? That was me.

Okay, it's not like I'm fat, fat! The skirt was a J Crew size 4 after all. The waist was fine on me, but the hips???!!! Oh My Gosh! That was something else! What's up with my hips??? Where did all this extra stuff come from??? When did it arrive??? What's up with me????

Okay, ... That was a rhetorical question because I know exactly what is up with me and my widening hips. I know exactly what I haven't been doing and what I've been doing and why I'm doing what I'm doing. So, as of today, I'm going to:

Eat Clean - in other words, eat less junk. Cut out the cheese and crackers before dinner, lose the Hawkins Cheesies as an after meal snack plus the ice-cream, the cake, the cookies, the Lemon Meringue Pie, ... even Angel Food Cake!
Work Out Regularly and in the Mornings - I used to work out solely in the mornings and lost 50 lbs doing that (and by eating cleanly as well) but then late last year, I became lazy. I started sleeping through my workouts. Feeling guilty for doing this, I started working out in the evenings but then I'd work late or have to attend some business function and all of a sudden, my 5-6 day a week workout shrank to 2 days a week. Sad, really! So no more sleeping in! Morning workouts it is for me!
Stop Buying Crap - I buy Crap whenever I go to the Grocery Store. Cookies, Chips, Gourmet Cheeses, Candies, Gummies - particularly Gummes! I completely have NO self-control when it comes to Blueberry Gummies and Cola Bottle Gummies. I am like the Gummie Addict! I will literally lock myself in a room with a good book and polish off bags of Gummies. I just can't stop myself. So, if I don't buy them, I won't be able to eat them, right? So, no more Gummies, candies, chips, cookies, etc.

As I was saying to one of my girlfriends earlier today, it's not like I don't know what to do in order to remain at my target body configurement. My problem is the lack of motivation to remain at my target body configurement. I've done this time and time again! Why can't I get it into my thick skull that getting to my target is not a race but a life-long journey... a life-style change. To maintain my target body configurement, I need to continue to eat clean and workout. It's not rocket science! Yet, I have so much trouble with this concept!

I'm tired of my yo-yo body size. Notice that I didn't speak about weight? I don't believe in weight, per se, because we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. While a portion of my goal is to lose weight, Weight alone, is not my goal. Why? For instance, I definitely don't want to be a light, high-fat percentage person. However, I don't care if I'm a heavy, low-fat percentage person... because I know that a heavier, low-fat percentage person will look smaller in girth than a light weight, high-fat percentage person. So I'm not concentrating on weight. What I care about is body size and how my clothes fit on me.

So, back to what I was saying, I'm tired with the way my clothes fit on me so I've decided that enough is enough. Effective today, I'm smartening up! I'm going to eat right, work out regularly and quit buying junk.

Now that I've said it, I'd better live by my words, right? Well, that's my purpose. You're going to hold me accountable starting today.

Tomorrow, I'm going to be posting my measurements. ~~Really? I'm going to be posting my measurements here tomorrow?~~ Yes, I am. I'm going to be posting my measurements so that each of you can join me on my journey to a smaller, more comfortable in my own clothes, me! I hope I don't live to regret this! lol!

Be sure to check back tomorrow! Until then, be fierce, be strong, be yourself!

Love, Karen

In the Event of an Emergency.....

2010-07-06T12:12:00.001-07:00

PLEASE SAVE MY SHOES!!!

As you know, it's always crazy hectic on the first day back at work.

I get in a little earlier than usual so that I can go through my emails.... 546 in total. I wasn't into my 12th email when the fire alarm sounded. I reluctantly left my desk and walked down the 10 flights of stairs down to the Evacuation Area.

With me was my purse, my sweater and my office key.

While standing around in the Evacuation Area waiting for the "all clear" before returining to the building (btw, it was only a drill), one of my collegues from a different floor asked me if I brought my shoes with me?

I looked at her quizzically ... honestly, not understanding what she was referring to. She said, "Your Shoes... you know, the ones under your desk? Did you bring them with you?" I said, "No, why?" She then responded, "If I were you, I would have brought my shoes with me. Afterall, you wouldn't want your lovely shoe collection to be burned in a fire, would you?"

Hmmmm.... I've never once thought about this, but hey, she's got a point.

As my regular readers know, I wear my fugly Orthodic shoes to the office daily. I just can't walk any distance in heels. But I love heels and I love my shoes. So, I buy lovely shoes and only wear them in the office. And instead of carrying them to the office and back home each day, I just leave my shoes at the office. And if I need to wear a particular pair on the weekend, I will simply bring it home with me ..... to only bring it back to work on Monday.

But I digress.

So, back to my office shoes. My collegue's right! I need to save my shoes!

In the event of an emergency, I'm going to ask that each of my staff grab one pair of shoes. That works, right?????

Okay... that was really just tongue in cheek. I guess if there's a real emergency, I'm going to lose my office Spring / Summer shoe collection.... unless of course, the emergency is in the Fall / Winter, in which case, I' will then lose that particular collection.

Either way, I will always have 1 other collection at home. And worse case senario, I guess I can always buy more shoes. That's what home insurance is for, right?

A collegue was very kind to give me this shoe rack. He even made up the sign on the right side of the rack. He thought it was funny. I found it embarassing at first. I'm okay with it now.

There's no more space on the rack so the rest of my shoes simply just go on the floor.

And here's a partial glimpse of my office with my Spring / Summer Office Shoe Collection under my desk.

Just out of curiosity, do you have a Seasonal Office Shoe Collection as well?

Have a lovely day girls! Love, Karen

I'm on Vacation ...

2010-06-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

If you're a regular reader of mine, you're probably wondering to yourself, what the heck is up with Crew_Girl_in_Canada??? She never posts 7 entries in one day. It's a miracle if she were to post 1 entry every couple of days.

And if you're thinking that, you're 100% correct. And no, I'm not offended. I know that I suck at blogging. But I'm working on being better at it. So, yes, you're right. I've never posted that many posts in a day but I'm going on vacation tomorrow and I wanted to make sure that I was able to share many of my reviews with you.

We're off to see Honey's parents in Southern Ontario and will not be back until July 4. To my Canadian friends, Happy Canada Day and to my friends south of the border, Happy 4th of July. (I know that I'm about a week early but I won't be around to wish you a happy holiday so I'm just doing it a tad early).

Have a fantastic week my awesome readers. I will be back soon to share my purchases and my crazy stories with you.

Until our next meeting ... Be Fierce, Stay Strong, Love Yourself!

XOXO, karen

Anthropologie Review - Perilla Dress

2010-06-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

style #18124172
$128.00

I've seen a number of Anthro Bloggers in the Perilla dress. And they've all looked soooo beautiful in it. And so, I had to try this dress on for myself.

Truth be told, I've never given this dress a second look the first time I laid eyes on it. It just didn't do anything for me. But seeing it on Ashley at Anthropologie Girl here and it looked just fabulous on her, I had to try it on.

And .... I looked far from fabulous. It was just Meh on me. And Meh was being generous. The dress just sorta hung there. I'm not sure if it's the fabric or the design or the color. Maybe I should have tried the other color. But something just wasn't doing it for me.

As for fit, I've got the size Small on. It fits well. The skirt is a tad long on me. If I had loved this dress, I would have to get the shoulders lifted so that the dress sits higher on my waist thus causing the skirt to lift a little.

Guess I won't have to do that because it just wasn't doing anything for me. So I left it at the store to be loved by someone else.

Have you tried the Perilla Dress on? What do you think of it? Do you love it?

Anthropologie Review - Tambour Blouse

2010-06-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

style #18684217
$98.00

The Tambour Blouse is very pretty and feminine!

There's so much to love about the Tambour. 1.) The Color: A pale Robin's Egg Blue. 2.) The details: dainty pleats and ruffles down the front of the bodice, the pretty little cloth covered buttons and the eyelet and embroidery detail on the skirt. In one word, this blouse is Beautiful!

As far as fit is concerned, this blouse fits large. So you'll definitely want to size down. I had originally tried on the 6 and was swimming in it. It was large in the waist and throughout the bodice. It was even large in the arms - which meant that the side of my bra was showing. Not good!

I then sized down to a 4 and it fits very well. Not tight. Just right. I wouldn't go smaller. For comparison purposes, I have a 29 inch waist and a 36 inch chest.

Pardon the fact that I've got the Swirling Particles Skirt under this top. The bubble hem of the skirt is making the blouse poof out in a weird and bad way.

So, have you tried on the Tambour Blouse yet? What do you think of it? I like it a lot but not enough to bring it home with me at full price. I can certainly hear this blouse calling me when it goes on sale though.

Anthropologie Review - Licorice Lanes Skirt

2010-06-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

style #18715235
$78.00

I look at this skirt and I immediately think of Licorice Allsorts. I LOVE Licorice Allsorts and the pretty pink and white parts remind me of my favorite part of Licorice Allsorts - the candy, coconut tasting parts.

The first time I saw this skirt online, I knew that I had to have it. But like all things in life, it's virtually impossible to have everything. Let's face it, if I bought everything I loved, I would honestly be broke and in-debt to my eyeballs. And like so many of you, I decided that I would wait for a sale.

As you know, I visited Anthropologie yesterday. Unlike some of you where an Anthro store is down the street from your office or half way across town, the closest Anthro store is a 3 hour car ride from me and it's not even in the same city or state for that matter. In fact, it's in a whole nother country.

It's a BIG deal to visit an Anthropologie store. I have to plan in advance. I just can't wake up and go. Hell! I have to bring a passport! So, it's never a, "hey, I've not nothing to do today, let's go to Anthro" type of thing. Anyway, I digress.

So after driving for 3+ hours, yes... I know, I said 3 hours but there was major road construction around the mall where Anthropologie is located and I had to take this detour and all which added another 20 minutes to my drive... but I finally arrived, pulled up to the front of the store and right in the front window, facing my car is the Licorice Lanes skirt.

It's like it knew that I was coming and so it came out to say "hello!". I immediately turned to my daughter and squealed, "Don't you just love that skirt?" To which Kitty replied, you mean the one that looks like Licorice Allsorts?

Oooooh! The battle was on. I was now battling the demon in me to keep from buying that skirt and bringing it home with me.

I stayed away from the skirt for as long as possible but finally caved to try it on.

As far as fit is concerned, it fits true to size. As you know, I normally wear between a size 4 and 6 skirt. I tried on the size 6 and it fits perfectlyl. Not too tight, not too lose, just perfect! The length is fabulous as well. It falls slightly below the top of my kneecap. This is important. I like my skirts to cover the top of my kneecaps. Why you ask??? Well, I have fat kneecaps. Yes, that's right. I hate that part of my leg that is slightly above my kneecap. It's fat. No one else can see this - trust me, I've brought it to many a people's attention, but they can't see it. But I can! It's there! Staring at me, day in, day out. Fat knee caps. Hate them! But I digress.

Since they cover up the fat part of my knees, I was thrilled! I had heard that this skirt fits short, but since I'm only 5'3.5" tall, it fits me exactly where I want it.

By this time, part of me really wanted to buy the skirt but the other part of me wanted to wait for a sale. But since I wasn't 100% sure, I asked that they hang on to it for me while I looked around the store some more.

They kept the skirt on the back counter - behind the cash registers. Everytime I walked by, I was certain that the skirt was taunting me, asking me to bring it home. In the bright and beautiful Anthro store, the colors of the skirt was stunning. The combination of bright coral, delicious watermelon, juicy bubblegum, combined with the black and the white, was impossible to miss. The colors are beyond stunning.

And so I caved. I bought it. My rationale was this. At $78, the skirt really isn't really pricey. Buying it now would thus allow me to wear it immediately. Had I waited for a sale, I would be shortening the amount of time I've got to wear it. Furthermore, had I waited for a sale, I would really only be saving $38. So I bought it.

What do you think of the Licorice Lanes Skirt? Do you own it? Have you tried it on? Do you like it? I can't wait to wear mine!

Anthropologie Review - Anthurium Blouse

2010-06-24T20:46:00.001-07:00

style #013282
$88.00

I had missed out on the same blouse in the Fall of last year and was determined not to miss out on it this time around.

By the time the blouse went on sale, all that was left in the Blue colorway was a size 4, 6 and a 10. Knowing that this blouse fits small, I ordered the size 6 in the Blue.

But when I arrived at the Anthro store in U Village and saw both the size 6 and size 8 sitting there on the rack, patiently waiting for my arrival, I immediately made grabby hands.

Not only did they have the blouse in my size in the blue, they also had it in the cream, so I tried both on.

This blouse certainly runs on the smallish side. While the size 6 fits in the waist, the upper part of the bodice - particularly the shoulder straps were loose. The blouse is designed in such a way that you simply cannot shorten the straps without damaging the design of the lace.

So I tried on the size 8. The size 8 is somewhat looser in the waist but because I am able to pull the blouse down somewhat, I was able to get the straps to sit nicely on my shoulder.

Between the Blue and the Cream colorway, I certainly like the Blue much better. The cream is nice but the blue shows off the details so much more.

Below are pictures of me in the Blue as well as the Cream.

I personally like the blue so much better - hence, it came home with me.

Have you tried the Anthurium Blouse on? What do you think of it? Do you like the Blue or the Cream?

Anthropologie Review - Stemmed Sweetbriar Dress

2010-06-24T09:42:00.001-07:00

style #18544882
$168.00

Like the Flight 'Round The Garden Skirt, this dress arrived the morning I arrived. Again, I was the first to try on this dress and everyone was dying to see what it looked like. I couldn't get the dress on fast enough - for I kept getting "have you tried it on yet? We're dying to see it."

As you know from this post here, I was prepared to join a Society just so that I could wear this dress. I was even going to learn how to drink tea properly - with my little finger sticking up and not spilling the tea on myself and all. I was almost prepared to join a bunch of old men if need be so that I could wear this dress and attend one of their Tea Parties. Luckily, I won't have to do any of those things now...

I had such high hopes for this dress. I was certain that it was going to be coming home with me yesterday. Unfortunately, I won't be adopting this pretty dress.

It's pretty. Very, very pretty. The Robin Egg Blue is gorgeous. The printed flower details is stunning. The style is beautiful.

It even fits true to size. I normally wear between a size 4 to 6 dress at Anthropologie and this dress was no different. It fits beautiful around the waist, the length was good ... but what the heck is wrong with my boobs????

I look like I've breast-fed about 18 kids... one after another, for 18 years straight!!! My boobs look like sad, flat, week-old Danishes on my chest. Can I look any flatter?

The SAs all agreed that I looked flat-chested in this dress. Really, you think???

I would say that this dress would look great on a larger chested girl. I, unfortunately, don't qualify.

Have you tried Nathalie's Lete's Stemmed Sweetbriar Dress? What do you think of it?

Anthropologie Review - Flight 'Round The Garden Skirt

2010-06-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

style #18647396
$118.00

I couldn't believe my luck when they told me that the skirt arrived the morning of my visit. That's right! It arrived just before I arrived at the store and I was going to be the first person to try this skirt on.

I asked for a size 6 and got a size 6. I double and triple checked the tag - both the hang tag and the tag on the skirt. Problem 1.) I couldn't get the skirt (which happens to be a full skirt btw, and not a pencil skirt - over my hips. I guess there's a first time for everything. I asked the SA for a larger size - explaining that I could not get the skirt over my hips.

She told me to wear it from the top - meaning over my head. Ummmmm... okay. I've never had to wear a skirt this way before ... but I'll try. Over my head it is!

No problem getting it over my head. That was the easy part. Problem now was the skirt was about 2 inches short of zipping up. Yes, that's a picture of me and a whole slash of skin between the edges of the zipper. And the skirt was short.

So, I asked for a size 10.... thinking that, for every size up, the width increases by 1 inch. So, if I'm 2 inches shy of zipping up, I'll need a size 10, right?

Er.... wrong. I need a size 8. Here's the size 10 on me (pictured below). It's lose and it's sitting a little lower on me. I should have tried the size 8 but it was just too much work in order to get the right size.

Tracy, the personal shopper at the store, confirmed that Nathalie Lete skirts fit on the small side. I guess they must because I tried on one of her dresses and they seem to fit TTS. So maybe it's just her skirt?

The skirt itself is very pretty. I love that there's pretty little beads sewn on the flowers. You can barely see it in the picture - but they're there.

It didn't come home with me unfortunately. I didn't like it enough to bring it home at full price. Maybe when it goes on sale?

Have you tried Nathalie Lete's Flight 'Round The Garden Skirt? What do you think of it?

Anthropologie Review - Floreat Clock Skirt

2010-06-24T08:41:00.001-07:00

I fell in-love with this skirt the very first time I laid eyes on it on Sara at You, Me & Anthropologie here. I knew right away, that I MUST have this skirt.

I love whimsical, unusual, different things. I love the look of Antique clock faces. I knew that I would be hard pressed to find another skirt like this, anywhere. So my mission began.

Knowing that I was going to be going to Seattle for the day, I called ahead to find out if they had the skirt and yes, indeed, they did. I got them to put it on hold for me so that I could try it on during my visit.

It was the very first thing I tried on yesterday and it didn't disappoint. It's stunning! It's fabulous! It's so me! I'm going to known as the girl with the clock skirt. People will say, hey, that's the girl with the clock skirt. I wonder where she got that fantastic skirt from. And I'll smile to myself because only you and I know exactly where it came from. Isn't it fabulous?

As far as fit is concerned, I normally wear between a size 4 or 6 at Anthropologie. In this Floreat skirt, I'm wearing a size 6 and the 6 fits like a glove. I tried the 4 on and it was a tad uncomfortable. So as to give you a better idea, I have a 29 inch waist (before eating, that is - for it expands exponentially after I eat). And since the skirt is full and poofy, there was no concern of fit in the hips.

The skirt is lined with a full hem topped with netting to give it extra poof. It also has a metal zipper. The waist band is 2" high and the skirt is gathered all around the waist. I like how the skirt is gathered. It's neither too full nor too flat. There's just the perfect amount of poof to bell-out the skirt and accentuate the waist.

I had originally thought that the clocks were printed on the skirt. They're not. They are actually embroidered on the skirt, together with the faces, numbers and hands.

It's darling! And at $118, I thought that it was priced well. I am normally a sale shopper - so for me to buy this skirt at full price is saying a lot about this skirt.

I love it! And I hope my awesome reader and newest friend Carly loves it too!

Since it hasn't shown up on the website, just in case anyone is looking for this skirt, the style number is: 18813535 (and that's for a size 4 - coz I'm reading it right off Carly's size 4 skirt that I had picked up for her yesterday). The size 6 style number is: 18813543.

Needless to say, it's come to live with me.... because I'm going to be known as the Girl with the Clock Skirt.

Have you tried this skirt on? What do you think of it?

HIWI - Tuxedo Front Cheetah Cami

2010-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

I honestly wish that it would warm up in Vancouver.

It's the first day of Summer and it honestly feels like the first day of Spring. Brrrrrr! Luckily, I haven't quite put away all of my early Spring clothes. With the slight chill in the air, my wardrobe is considerably larger than usual since I've got both my early spring and my summer clothes all in my closet at the same time.

Today, I had the opportunity to wear my J Crew Tuxedo Front Cheetah Cami. I haven't worn this cami for a while. In fact, I cannot seem to remember when I last wore it.

And since I was feeling particularly girly, I decided to pair it with a twirl skirt, fitted cardi and a large cabbage rose corsage.

The outfit is a little dark for the first day of summer, but it honestly doesn't feel like summer around here so I guess I could get away with it.

Here's how I wore my Tuxedo Front Cheetah Cami.

As shown online at J Crew

Here's the Cami with my favorite Club Monaco skirt. I love, love, love this skirt. Super twirly sheer organza piped with white, over a full tafetta lining. Cheapie F21 belt at waist.

Here's me with the above outfit but now with my J Crew Lea Merino Cardigan. Silk Flower Corsage is from H & M.

I think that this outfit looks so much more polished with the cardi and the corsage.

I also wore a double strand large pearl bracelet with this outfit.

So, that's my HIWI and OOTD. Hope you had a fantabulous Monday.

Tomorrow's my Friday. Yippeee!!! I cannot wait! I'm officially on vacation as of 5pm tomorrow evening. What do I have planned??? Well!!! I'm headed to Seattle for the day on Wednesday. I hope to go to both J Crew and Anthropologie. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sale either tomorrow or Wednesday at Anthro. Not doing much Thursday only because I've got to pack and get ready for our trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake on Friday. It's our annual trip to see Honey's parents. So I'll be gone until July 5.

But I'm way more excited to be driving to Seattle versus going back East. So, remember to check back Thursday for I'm hoping to post some reviews.

Until next time, stay true to you. Love, Karen

HIWI / OOTD - Around the World Dress

2010-06-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday Pretties! And Happy Father's Day to each of your dads!

I had full intentions of being around and posting earlier but it was one crazy weekend for me and my fam. You see, my daughter, who by the way is an awesome ball-player (and I'm not being biased - but I am a Mom, so pardon my lack of modesty) and her team were playing in the North Vancouver Fastpitch Championship Tournament.

We started off yesterday morning at 11am. They played against the Bobcats and won that game 13-8. They then played the Dolphins in the afternoon and again won that game 17-12. Although they may appeared to have beat both teams easily, it was still extremely stressful for us parents who were sitting on the sidelines cheering the team on.

Since our team won both games, they didn't have to show up at 9am this morning. Thank God for that as we got to sleep in (though I honestly don't think that 7:20am was quite sleeping in) but who's counting, right? Instead, the Dolphins played the Bobcats and the winner - the Dolphins met us in the Finals.

Kitty and her team played in the finals this afternoon at 1pm. After the first inning, they were down by 3 runs. They kept the Dolphins to only 3 runs in the 2nd inning, scored 5 runs on them and at the end of the 2nd, the score was 8-6. At the end of the 3rd, the score was 11-8.

Pretty good, right? Er... wrong... because that where the nail biting began. In the 4th inning, the Dolphins came back and scored 5 runs on us and kept us to only 2 runs. The game was tied going into the 5th. In the first inning, both teams scored another 5 runs each and again the game was tied.

We were only supposed to play 5 innings because this is 9 year old girls team. But since we were tied, we played a 6th inning. Again, both teams scored 4 runs each and the game remained tied.

We had now been playing for 3 hours straight and the girls were pooped. We were sure that we had to play another inning when the Commissioner announced that according to the rules, in the event of a tie after the 6th inning, the team who was winning in the inning before the tie automatically wins the game.

That means .... WE WIN! WE WIN! Okay. We essentially won by default but we still win! We beat the Dolphins yesterday and although we tied them in the last 3 innings, we did come back after the 1st and was winning in the 2nd and 3rd innings today.

How exciting was that???!!! I almost cried when they awarded Kitty her trophy. It was such an amazing feeling. I was sooo very proud of her and her accomplishment.

And so that you know that I'm not just being a proud mom, I was told by several other parents that the Dolphins coaches were very impressed with Kitty's pitching abilities. Go Kitty!!!

And that's why I hadn't been around much. But now back to my HIWI - How I Wore It - the Around the World Dress.

Here's the Around the World Dress on its own.

I paired it with a capped sleeve Ann Klein Cardi, the same color as the red in the skirt which, I think, truly brings out the red in the skirt. And to futher accentuate the waist, I've donned a cheapie F21 grey belt - which also brings out the grey stripes in the skirt.

Here's a semi-side view of my outfit.

So, how do you like how I wore my Around the World Dress? How do you wear this dress? I'd love to hear how you've worn it. Please share.

Again, happy Sunday everyone! I can't believe how quickly this weekend flew by. Luckily, my business week is only 2 days long this week. Yippee!!! I'll be on vacation starting Wednesday. I can't wait to be off from work.

Until the next time, have yourself a fantastic week. Be Fierce, Be Strong, Be Yourself. Love, Karen

My Anthropologie Wish List

2010-06-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

If only I had my neighbour's money.... I would honestly burn mine!

God knows that I need their money so that I can buy everything I want on my Anthro Wish List. And since they certainly don't appear to be wanting to give any of it away (which is rather selfish of them, don't you think?) - okay, you do realize that I'm only jesting, right? Or am I??? I guess I can only wish to have these items for the time being.

Dagmar Shirtdress
I can so see myself wearing this now and into the fall. The print is simply stunning! And the color. I'm certain the color will look fabulous on me, and on you too!

Time Gone By Dress
Isn't this loverly? Sigh... Just loverly!
I need to get this dress like I need oxygen to breathe and water to live. I neeeeeed this dress!

Tambour Blouse
I love the eyelets, scalloped hem, ruffles, pleats, sleeves, buttons, color.... you get my drift.

Flight 'Round the Garden Skirt
I love the dreamy designs of Nathalie Lete particularly when it's on a skirt and I can wear it about and show the world her paintings instead of having it hang on my wall or on my table. Okay, I guess I could hang this skirt on a wall or lay it on my dining table, but why do that when more people can see her pretty paintings as I parade around Vancouver in her skirt.

Stemmed Sweetbriar Dress
Another pretty and romantic piece by Nathalie Lete. This dress, a wide brim straw hat with a Large Ivory Silk Rose, and these shoes....

Dusty Roads Mary Janes

I know, I know, I've blogged about these already but I still haven't gotten them yet and I still love them and say that I must get them... But these and the Nathalie Lete Dress would look absolutely stunning at a Society Afternoon Tea Party. Don't you think?

Note to self: 1.) Must become part of a society - preferably a chic one with fashionably dressed women and not one with old stuffy men; 2.) Society must hold Tea Parties; 3.) Learn to drink tea without spilling it on myself.

Which brings me to my first throught, if only I had my neighbour's money, I would honestly burn mine!

If you have your neighbour's money, what would you buy? Would you buy any of these pretty things?

Happy Friday my lovely readers. Have yourself a wonderful weekend. Please check back later during the weekend. I hope to post pictures of the outfits I wore this week.

Be Fierce, Be Strong, Be Yourself. Peace to All, Karen

Belt Update ...

2010-06-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

So after declaring in this post that I was going to be buying the Weft and Warp Belt, by the time I actually got around to placing my order, my beloved belt was sold out! Stoopid! Stoopid! Stoopid!

I don't get myself sometimes. Why do I wait until something is sold before I want it? There is something about being "Sold Out" that makes me want something even more. I think it has to do with the fact that I can't have it. That must be it, right? Do you get like that? Anyway, I digress.

So, I ended up ordering it in a size L. I honestly don't need a large and in the back of my mind, I know that the large will be.... well, pretty large on me. But I had to have the belt. And so it remained like this for a few days .... until, a Medium suddenly popped back up on the screen. Whoooo-Hoooooo! A Medium. Just what I needed. So I placed my order. That was 2 days ago and I still haven't received a cancellation notice which is a good thing, right? Because that would mean that there's a really good chance that I'm going to get this belt in a Medium right?

Anyway, I now see that the Large is also sold out. It's completely sold out in all sizes. I doubt that I will need the Large. So, if any of my awesome readers is interested in the Large - when I get it, that is, please email me or post a comment in my blog and you're welcome to it for the price I paid plus actual shipping cost.

Anyway, that's the update for my belt.

Anyway, that's it for me this evening. Good night pretties. Have a fantabulous weekend. Be fierce, be strong, be youself. Love, Karen

More OOTD

2010-06-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more outfits that I wore this week. Please bear in mind that the weather in Vancouver has been sucking big time. We've had rain, more rain, wind, rain, clouds, rain, wind, rain, even more rain and today, cloudy, marine fog and some clearing in the afternoon. Perfect weather if I were a piece of moss that is. Hence, I haven't been able to wear my summer clothes yet and have had to continue wearing my warmer wardrobe.

Wednesday
J Crew Merino Scoop Neck Sweater
Club Monaco Pleated Polka Dot Skirt

F21 Cheapie Belt

F21 Cheapie Pearl Cluster Necklace

Thursday - an even colder day - that's why I look like I'm dressed for November.
J Crew Perfect Fit Long Sleeve Tee
Anthropologie Cafe Creme Skirt
Necklace - my own creation

Friday
Anthropologie Maeshowe Dress
F21 Cheapie Belt
DKNY Fishnet Tights
Anthropologie Winding Ruffle Boots
F21 Cheapie Necklace

Close up of the Maeshowe Dress, F21 Belt and Necklace

I'm just thrilled that this week is finally over. It was a very long and dreary week. I honestly need some sun because this cold, damp weather is slowly turning me into a Chia Pet!

Have an awesome weekend pretties! Love, Karen

OOTD - For a few days that is...

2010-06-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Me... pretending to be hip and cool.

Friday's Outfit

Anthropologie Thousand Tiers Dress
J Crew Lea Cardigan
Necklace - ,y own creation

Saturday's Outfit (Date night with Honey)

J Crew Dress

C & K Purse

Necklace - my own creation

Close up of the bodice and necklace. I LOVE this dress!

Dinner at The Boathouse in Horseshoe Bay.
Picture of my Belini Royale

Sunday's Outfit (Dim Sum with my parents)

J Crew Sequin Tee
J Crew Lea Cardigan
J Crew Skirt

My shoes for Sunday's Outfit
Navy Flats with Ankle Strap from Charles David (purchased during my Orlando trip)

Today's Outfit
Anthropologie Spotlight Tank
Cheapie F21 Skirt
J Crew Acorn Necklace

Dear Spammers ...

2010-06-07T17:14:00.001-07:00

Dear ~~Stupid~~ Spammers,

Please stop Spamming my blog. Neither my readers nor I are interested in X-Rated material. We're just not interested in anything you've got to say.

Please leave me and my blog alone. Better yet, ~~Fuck Off! DIE!~~ PLEASE GO AWAY!

To my amazing readers, as a result of these idiots, I have had to resort to moderating my blog. I'm now reviewing every comment before it gets posted. I hope you'll still posts. Instead of being instantaneous, it'll just take a while, but I promise that I will get to posting it.

So sorry for the inconvenience! Love, Karen

Honest! I only wanted to buy 2 things.

2010-06-04T13:22:00.001-07:00

I went to the Mac Pro store during my lunch hour. All I wanted was Fondation and Concealer. With Blair's help, I left with the Mineral Foundation and Mineral Concealer. I also left with the Lip Erase, 2 Viva Glam Lipsticks and 1 Mac Pro Lipstick, Blot Flim, Mineralize Blusher, Foundation Brush, 3 Lip Pencils to go with my new Lipsticks, and $300+ poorer.

I should never go shopping at lunch.

Happy Friday pretty girlies everwhere! Love, Karen

Things I DIDN'T Buy, Almost Didn't Will Be Buying Today....

2010-06-02T13:06:00.001-07:00

Cherry Juice Heels
Was $138.00
Now $89.95

I've been waiting for these to go on sale for months now. I was head-over-heels in-love with these shoes about 2 months back. I HAD to have them. As recent as a week ago, I was feeling I had to have these shoes. Now that they've gone on sale, my love-affair is suddenly over. All of a sudden, they're not speaking with me anymore.

Do I get them anyway? Just in case I wake up and find out that I'm still in-love? Or do I just forget about them and way away ... onto the next love affair?

Should I buy these? I haven't yet... just in case you were wondering.

Island Holiday Dress

Was $148.00

Now $79.95

How I love this dress! The belt, the ropes, the print, the color. Love it! Love it! Love it! I told myself that as soon as it went on sale, I would pounce on it. Wouldn't it look absolutely perfect on our next Mexican vacation? I was ready to pull the trigger this morning and suddenly it dawns on me that, I have almost the same dress. Okay, maybe not quite. Similar, I'm sure. I have a similar coral colored dress from Benetton that I purchased last year and wore once. It's about the same color ... okay, it doesn't have the stunning turquoise in it. And it doesn't have rope ties and it's not a halter. The only similaries, now that I think about it, is, at most the color - and then again, it's not really this color. I'm not making any sense at all, am I? I don't have this dress. I have a dress that's close but not this dress. I think I have to buy this dress.

Weft And Warp Belt
Was $44.00
Now $19.95

Love this belt! Who wouldn't? It's a skinny belt that's caught in a wide belt body. It's darling! Stunning and cute. And what about that color???!!! Love the color! It'll go with so much. It can be dressed up or dressed down! Which so explains why I must have this belt! I've been waiting for this belt to go on sale for a while now. Guess what? It goes on sale today and I've suddenly decide not to buy it. Why??? I was ready to purchase when it dawned on me that while waiting for this belt to go on sale, I had purchased a similar one at H & M. Now that I think about it, the only similarity with the two belts is the color. My H & M belt is really nothing like this belt whatsoever. It's woven with a buckle in the front... and it's NOT leather. However, it does have the same 3" width - in this case, all around - so unlike the Anthro belt. Since I don't have a belt like this, I've decided to purchase it. Hell, since I'm purchasing the Island Holiday dress, I may as well get this at the same time, right?

What did you buy or almost not buy today?

Hugs and Lots of good shopping wishes to everyone, Karen

Love is So Confusing

2010-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Don't you just LOVE these shoes?

The moment I laid eyes on these these little numbers, I knew that I had to have them. Dusty Blue Shoes...Swoon! But what size do I get? Not only are they NOT available in half sizes, they are only available in Euro sizes - right on the Anthro Website. WTH??? Depending on the designer and style, I can either wear a Euro Size 38 and size 39. So, What size does one order for this style????

This is so confusing.

La Spagettaria, Bob Newhart and the Newest Addition to our Family

2010-05-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day, my US based friends.

I wish I had the day off too! But Nooooooo, I'm at work! We had last weekend off instead. As far as I'm concerned, every weekend should be a 3 day weekend, don't you think???

I had a date with Honey on Saturday night. We went to dinner at La Spagetteria in New Westminister and then to Bob Newhart, playing at the Red Robinson Theatre in the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam.

Dinner was nice - but I had expected nicer. Not that there's anything wrong with the La Spagetteria, it's just that I had expected different. I was looking for authentic Italian cooking and I got The Spaghetti Factory.

I knew that it wasn't going to be quite what I was expecting when the half-liter wine we ordered arrived in a decanter the shape of a mini Milk Jug - only clear. The glasses were these teeny old-fashioned cut glass that's supposed to look like cut crystal that accommodated about 4 sips of wine. Interesting. Not what I had expected at all.

I was torn between the Tomato Bocconcini Salad and the Antipasto plate but when I was told that the Antipasto plate came with Tomato Bocconcini, I decided to go with the Antipasto. Unfortunately, they failed to tell the Chef that because my Antipasto arrived without any Tomato Bocconcini.

Our favorite dine-out meal is Italian. That said, I've had my share of Antipasto and the Antipasto plate here, was by far, the saddest one I've ever had. 4 thin round slices of Italian Cured Meats, 2 Mussels, 1 Clam, 4 slices of pickled peppers and quarter head of pickled Cauliflower sat on a bed of shredded lettuce. The meats were good but that was about it. There simply was no love happening on that plate of antipasto whatsoever.

My husband ordered his usual - doesn't matter what Italian restaurant he goes to, he always, without fail, orders the Penne Salsiccia. I ordered the Fettuccine with Scallops in a Saffron Cream Sauce. Both pasta orders were okay. They weren't bad. They weren't great. They were okay. They reminded me of pasta I would get at the Spaghetti Factory - big portion with little flavor.

The best part of my meal with my Creme Caramel. I LOVE Creme Caramel and they did it beautifully. The custard was smooth, creamy and satiny and this small delectable island sat in a puddle of rich, delicious caramel. The desert itself made up for the shortfall of our meals.

While I had a nice time (I love the company!), the food was mediocre at best. That said, I don't think that I would be rushing back anytime soon.

We left the restaurant and drove to the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam. Although it's been around for a while, I have never been to the Boulevard. Walking in immediately reminded me of being in Vegas - only smaller. Much, much, much, much smaller. Actually, even smaller than Reno, Laughlin or even Wenover for that matter. It was tiny, tiny, tiny. Miniscule.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when my husband announced that we were going to watch Bob Newhart's stand-up Comedy act. Upon arrival at the theatre doors, I noticed that I was the youngest person there. I was standing in a sea of silver-haired folks. Not that there's anything wrong with that!!! It was just different, that's all. I just hadn't expected that! Honestly, I didn't quite know what to expect. I guess I was expecting people our age.

There appears to be an "Aged" theme with our dates lately. A few weeks ago, on another Date Night, my husband and I attended The Eagles Concert. Awesome Concert! But yes, yet again, I was one of the youngest people there. It's either that we have "Old" taste or that we're old. When did I turn old???!!!

Anyway, back to Bob Newhart. He's very funny! The last time I laughed this hard was when I watched Russell Peters. I've always found Bob's humor to be a little drier but Bob had me in stitches from the moment he stepped on stage to his encore. It was an awesome show. But like all shows meant for old people, the show ended at 9:30pm. 9:30pm???!!! What the heck???

Anyway, here's what I wore.

Dress: BCBG Max Azria
Shirt: some F21 cheapie
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace & Bangles: J Crew

During the weekend, we also had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the newest addition to our family at the Breeder's place. Here are a few pictures of our visit with our little kitty cat. We don't have a name of him yet.

He's a purebred Bicolor Lilac Ragdoll. He was born April 12 and is 8 weeks old today! He's 2 days shy of 8 weeks in the pictures below. He's sooooo cute and sooooo sweet and we can't wait to bring him home to live with us.

Here's a picture of his momma cleaning him. He kept wiggling and moving around. I guess she must have gotten tired of his antics so she clamped her paw on him to keep him still so that she could clean him. How cute is that???!!!

It's so hard to get a picture of him. He kept moving. Sorry for the blurry pictures. His furriness doesn't help either since it makes him look even more blurry than he actually is.

Here's my daughter Kitty holding Kitty.

And more of Kitty and Kitty.

Again, more of the same.

He's soooo cute. I couldn't help but take pictures of him. And once I took the pictures, I knew that I had to share them. Sorry that there are so many.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Peace, Love and Joy to all. Hugs, Karen

Favorite Blog Fridays - Effortless Anthropologie

2010-05-28T09:15:00.001-07:00

fa·vor·ite /ˈfeɪvərɪt, ˈfeɪvrɪt/

–noun
1.a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference: That song is an old favorite of mine.
2.Sports. a competitor considered likely to win.
3.a person or thing popular with the public.
4.a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc.: favorites at the court.
–adjective
5.regarded with particular favor or preference: a favorite child.

I hope to make this a weekly post - that is to share with you, my favorite blogs.

One of my favorite blogs is Roxy's Effortless Anthropologie. Despite not blogging for the last 3 months, I continued to read Roxy's blog religiously. I LOVE Roxy's blog because it is my Encyclopedia Brittanca of everything Anthropologie.

I love that she shares news and tidbits about Anthropologie with me.

I can always count on her to let me know about Free Shipping before I even get my email from Anthropologie advising me of the offer.

It's her blog that I check out first for the list of Anthro Sale Items. For those who are not familiar with her blog (which by the way, I would find absolutely crazy since anyone who loves Anthropologie would have known about her already!), she spends countless hours putting together her list of sale items simplyl for the benefit of people like me. For that alone and nothing else, I am truly indebted.

But she does so much more!!!

I love her honest reviews of Anthropologie items - the good, the bad and the ugly. I love that she features guest reviews. Reviews are so very important to me only because I don't live anywhere near an Anthropologie store. Being able to see what an item looks like IRL makes a whole lot of difference to me and will often determine if I will or will not make a purchase. For this Roxy, I thank you profusely.

Her Sizing Guide found here, is amazing! I love how she explains in great detail the fit of each clothing line found at Anthropologie. By using Roxy's Sizing Guide, I have saved many a dollars from having to order, then return and only to reorder a size. If you haven't used it, try it!

I have 2 favorite days and 3 favorite things that I desperately look forward to at Effortless Anthropologie. The first is completely obvious, Tuesdays - when Roxy gives me the run down for the latest Sale offerings. Okay, this week, it was Thursday but you get my gist.

I also LOVE Mondays - for 2 very separate reasons. The first is for the Trade Market - where I am able to Buy, Sell and Swap for highly coveted or hard to find items. The second is for the Sale Guessing Game. I love reading about the Sale Guessing Game and making my own guesses as to what's going to be on sale in the next day.

Roxy, you certainly make my Mondays more enjoyable and my week so much shorter by making Tuesdays a joy to look forward to. Intersperse that with your awesome Reviews, gosh, my week is almost bearable. Thank you!

So my first Favorite Blog Friday goes to Roxy at Effortless Anthropologie. If you're already a regular reader, I'm certain that you will agree with me that she is the Anthropologie Bible. If you aren't a regular reader, well, you might just want to be one!

Peace, Love and Blessings everyone! Be Fierce, Be Strong. Be Happy! Love, Karen

OOTD - Pins & Polkas Dress

2010-05-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

And here's my OOTD. Sorry, this is the best I could do without having to take pictures.

Pins & Polkas Dress by crewgirl_in_canada featuring J Crew jewelry

Items in this set:
Outfits - Clothes - Anthropologie.com, $140
Women necklaces Crystal snowball necklace, $98
Fashion Jewelry & Fine Jewelry - J.Crew, $58

Format Change

2010-05-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering, no, I haven't been in Orlando for the last 3 months. We returned from our trip March 1. And while I had a wonderful time with my family and friends, I had lots of time to think about my life in general.

I realized that I was being spread way too thin - with work, home, extra curricular activities, etc, I simply wasn't able to do everything - let alone anything well.

So during my vacation, I decided to stop blogging. We returned and I actually stepped completely away from my blog. I did however, occasionally read other blogs I follow, ie. Effortless Anthropology, Anthroholic, You, Me & Anthropologie and Anthropologie Girls, I did not however, open or read my blog until now.

So for those wondering where I was, my apologies for being MIA.

And although I missed blogging, it I felt that it was for the best. Outside of work, I had more time to spend with my family, to truly relax in the evening (as opposed to feeling obligated to blog) and even take up a new sport - Golf.

Having been away for 3 months, I realized that I really miss blogging. I miss the avenue to express my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. I miss putting pen to paper - in this instance, finger to keyboard. I miss my blogging friends.

So, I decided that I would return to blogging but under new conditions. Albeit, new Self-Imposed Conditions. Please note that no one was imposing conditions on me previously .... but I would often feel guilty for not blogging or respond to posts, etc. These guilts would often stress me out.

I don't want to stress out. Blogging is my release of pent up stress. I don't want to be stressed from blogging. It wasn't anyone's fault but my own. I was creating all this unnecessary stress on myself.

So in order to come back, I told myself, NO MORE STRESS!

So, what does No More Stress mean? It means that I recognized and EMBRACE that...

1.) I suck at blogging regularly. I don't always have something to say. Some days, I have nothing to say. If I have nothing to say, I will say nothing and I won't stress out about it. I will embrace that I have nothing to say and leave it as that.

2.) I suck at responding to Reader's posts on my blog. I love, love, love reading what my Readers have to say. I love reading about other people's opinions, experiences, feelings, etc. I just suck at responding. So if I don't responding, please do not feel unloved. Just remember, it's not you, it's me. I suck at responding. But I promise that I will try to be better at it. The operative words here is TRY. I will embrace "trying".

3.) I suck at Time-Management. For the life of me, I can't seem to ever get my shit together to take pictures of my OOTD. 1.) I am constantly running late in the morning and can't find time to take my picture. 2.) I leave all of my shoes in my office and wear ugly walking shoes to work. Taking pictures of me in ugly Orthodic shoes do not make for pretty OOTD pictures. It does not show what my outfit really looks like - so why bother, right? 3.) I hate having to set up my camera daily and then unload the pictures in the evening. So, what does all this mean? It means that I won't be doing as many OOTD. This too would stress me out because I felt that I was disappointing my readers if I didn't do OOTD. Since I don't want to stress out anymore, I'm pre-warning all of my readers that there will be a substantial decrease in the number of OOTD. I embrace the fact that I lack time-management skills.

So, what does all this mean and what will I blog about? ... hence, the title for this post.

FORMAT CHANGE.

As you can tell, I've changed the title of my blog from My Delightful Obsessions to Mental Space; Things that Rent Space in My Mind. It will still be about things that I obsess about - ie, Fashion, Shopping, Travelling, Shopping, Food, Shopping. Okay, there will still be a lot of shopping - less about fashion, and more about shopping and sharing what I've bought, but also about things that occupy my mind - Friendships, Work, Relationships, Self-Growth, etc.

My new blog will be about things that occupy space in my mind - mostly useless things but on rare occasions important issues. I hope those are far and few in between.

I hope you'll enjoy reading my new format. I hope that you'll stick around to read about the voices that speak loud and clear in my head. I hope you'll share this new journey with me.

Until the next time, Be Strong, Be Fierce, Be Powerful. May your day be filled with laughter and joy, Karen

See You All End of the Month

2010-02-11T04:21:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I haven't been around for the last week.

It's been crazy the last week at work. And I mean CRAZY!!! I've had to put in 18 hour days for the last 6 days straight and I can't bearly think straight, let along walk straight!

I am sooooo in need of a vacation and I'm glad that I'm finally on one now!

It's been stressful. I walked in last night close to 11pm (from work) and was in one foul mood. I packed frantically and even got into a pissing match with Honey over nothing before falling asleep at 1am.

It's now 4:24am, I'm showered and I still have to finish packing.

So I have to apologize for not having read any of your posts this past week and also for not posting. It's certainly not for the lack of love but due to the lack of time. I hope you'll understand.

I also wanted to say that I'm going to be away until the end of the month. We're headed to Florida this morning. Our cab will be here in less than 25 minutes and I have still to finish packing. So, I bid you all a great couple of weeks.

I will have lots of stories to tell you when I get back.

Take Care my lovely readers. I will see you at the end of the month!

Love you all!!!

I'm In Love & OOTD

2010-02-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Good evening my lovelies! I hope this Wednesday evening finds you well.

I must apologize for being MIA of late. As always, I'm swamped with work, helping Kitty with her homework and trying to get ready for our Florida vacation.

I'm also involved with several product launches and new programme implementations at work ... so all around it's a pretty crazy time. While part of me feels that I should possibly get away for a 2.5 week vacation, the other part of me says that I must for if I don't, I honestly think I'm going to lose it! So yes, the vacation will do me good.

Furthermore, I honestly cannot handle the numerous Road closures as a result of the upcoming Olympics. My lovely 20 minute door to door commute from North Vancouver - downtown has now turned into a 40 minute nightmare!

To get to my parking lot, I kid you not, I honestly have to go through 3 Security Checkpoints in a span of about a kilometer. I understand that Security is necessary and is good, it's just a little too much for me to take at this point, that's all.

And since I'm now on a roll, Honey tells me yesterday that he's leaving for TO on Friday and will be back Wednesday! That's the day before we leave on vacation! Waaaaaah!!! With everything that's going on right now at work, with Kitty, the vacation and now Honey's not going to be around for 5 days, OH MY GOSH! That Vacation cannot come soon enough!

URRRRRGH!!!!!

Thanks for letting me get that out of my system. I honestly had no intentions of venting but once I got typing, man, it was like Verbal Diarrhea, it all came gushing out! Okay, that was a very bad visual. Sorry.

So, let's get back to me being in love. What a better topic!

So my boots arrived today! My Winding Ruffle Boots. And.... I ABSOLUTELY, FREAKING, 100% WITHOUT A DOUBT, OH MY GOSH, I'M OVER THE MOON IN LOVE WITH THESE BOOTS!!!

I remember seeing them sold on eBay for some crazy $400+ dollars a couple of months back. No doubt that they were a size 10 and that size 10s are very difficult to find; so, when I saw them sell for that price - in an auction that stated that Anthropologie was COMPLETELY sold out of them, I was hell bent to find a pair for moi!

I checked online and sure enough, the boots were no where to be found. I called CS and told the lovely CSR who answered that I was looking for a pair of the Winding Ruffle boots. Before I could even tell her the style number, she proclaims that she knows exactly the ones I was talking about. She asks me for my size and advises that they have one (1) pair. I asked her why the boots weren't online and she told me that their stock was so low on these boots and that's why they weren't online. I asked about the price and was told they were $258.

$258????

While they were a steal compared to the ones sold on eBay, they were still a lot of money so I decided to pass on them.

After obsessing over them for several days, I called back to find out that my size had sold out. I was "kicking myself" mad!

I guess it was all meant to be because about a 6 weeks later and after much obsessing, I found them in the Soho store, on sale, to boot! No pun intended!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these boots! They are by far, the most darling pair of boots I've ever owned.

I have muscular calves and most boots don't fit me. I'll be lucky if I can get them half way up my calves. But these boots fit me beautifully. I love these boots on sooooooo many levels. I love the distressed leather, the faux laces and definitely the ruffles. The ruffles - particularly how they curve around my ankles and up the side of my calves - Wow! Do I ever love that!

Anyway, here are a few IRL pictures of my newest boots. Having had a rough day, I just didn't have it in me to try to pretty it up with an outfit. I just wanted to show you how lovely these boots are. And the even crazier part is, I wouldn't part these boots for $400+!!! And that's saying a lot!

Do you own the Winding Ruffle Boots? If you do, what do you think of them? Don't you just freaking LOVE them???!!!

And here's my outfit of the day. I was plain boring in the lower half of my body so I didn't bother to take a full length picture. But I wanted to share my Lace Bebe blouse with you.

I don't normally shop at Bebe. It's simply not my style but I had to get this lace blouse when I saw it. This will likely be my first and last Bebe purchase.

One of the FFMs (Fashion Forward Managers) in my office commented that my blouse certainly didn't look like it came from Bebe. She honestly thought that it was Anthro. Come to think about it, I think it looks quite Anthro as well. I think the Antique Ivory shade coupled with the double lace detail on the sleeves and the hem reminds me of something one would find at Anthro. So here's what I wore today:

Lace Blouse: Bebe

Long Sleeve Perfect Tee: J Crew

Belt: F21

Pants: Reitman's

Knee Socks: Calvin Klein

Shoes: Oxford T-Straps by Report

Necklace: Ann Taylor

Well lovelies, thanks for putting up my my crazy rant this evening. I hope you love the Winding Ruffle Boots as much as I do. Until tomorrow, have a lovely evening and even lovelier Thursday.

Good Night!

Anthropologie's Luminous Boots by Miss Albright and my OOTD

2010-01-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday my Lovelies! I hope this Thursday evening finds you all well.

One more day to the weekend! Yaaaay!!! And 2 weeks today, I would have already arrived in Orlando and enjoying the warm Florida weather! Double Yay!!

2 weeks to our trip and I hav about a million things to do. The thought of it alone scares the wits out of me. I know that if I put my mind to it, I can get everything done. Problem is, I'm having difficulty putting my mind to it.

Okay. Enough about stressing myself out. I wanted to share one of my latest purchases with you.

Anthropologie's Miss Albright Luminous Boots.

So, what do you think of them? Pretty bright, huh???

I just can't seem to decide if I should keep them or not. They are so very unique yet so difficult to wear. With the exception of this Anna Sui, Cascading Foilage Dress, I honestly have nothing that would go with it.

Okay, I mean, it certainly goes with Black. Everything goes with Black. But with the Black, it's pretty LOUD! Only because it screams "LOOK AT ME! JUST LOOK AT MY SHINY AUSTIN POWER BOOTS!"

I just don't know if I can pull that off. I've had these boots for 3 weeks and they've been sitting in the box and I finally decided that I would take a picture of them and ask my awesome readers for their opinion. So, what do you think?

Would you wear them?

Don't they look almost like fabric? They're actually leather. Very metallic leather ... so metallickie that it looks like it's either Rain gear or made of nylon.

Long story short, I got them because they were an amazing deal. These boots were $258 regularly and I picked them up for $79.95. A steal, isn't it? I guess it's only a steal if I'm actually in love with them. If I'm not, I guess it's like owning a White Elephant. In this case, a very metallic White Elephant pair of boots that I'd likely not wear.

But hey, maybe someone can talk some sense into me as to why I must keep these boots.

So, be sure to give me your opinion.

Okay. On to my outfit of the day.

Here's what I wore to work.

Sweater: J Crew

Dress: Anna Sui Cascading Foilage Dress from Anthropologie

Necklace: My design

Tights: Calvin Klein
Shoes: Connie Mary Janes

I know you've seen these shoes already but I love these shoes. I know, I know, I seem to be in-love with every pair of shoes I own so let's clarify by saying, as far as cognac shoes are concerned, I LOVE these shoes. I love that they look vintagey. I also love the little cutouts on top of the toes. I love the fact that they are Mary Jane style. I love the wooden heel. I love the fact that they were under $30 for a pair of pretty leather shoes.

I just LOVE these shoes!

I love them sooooo much that I'm looking for them in an ivory / cream shade. I know that they came in this colorway last summer. Unfortunately, when I found out about them, they had already sold out. I also know that there are a few shoe fanatics amongst my amazing readers. So if any of you happen to stumble upon a pair of cream colored Connie Mary Jane in the same style, would you kindly let me know? I desperately want them!

I also wanted to thank each of you for reading my blog. It's having readers like you that keep me writing. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Well, that's it for me this evening. From my home to yours, wishing you a very lovely evening and a Fantabulous Friday!

Good Night!

Swoon List - hopefully to be a start of a regular weekly post.

2010-01-27T11:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday my Lovelies! I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me their thoughts on my Crazy Story Post yesterday and a huge thank you to lbi who kindly posted the link to a pair of Purple Suede Franco Sarto's. I never knew they came in Purple. But now that I know they do, stay out of the way girlies, those shoes are mine! mine! mine!

The purple Franco Sarto's will go with a ton of stuff I ready own and what a great pop of color too! I love them!!! Thanks again lbi!

Thinking that I cannot possibly love Anthropologie anymore than I do already, what do they do? They launch a line so incredibly pretty that caused me to forget that I'm a sale shopper. I had a temporary brain lapse where I had visions of me paying full prices for these beautiful items.

I'm serious when I say that this line is soooooo incredibly pretty that I'm seriously considering getting them now!

Okay, not right now, right now, but soon, right now. As you all know, I'm headed to Florida next month - in 2 weeks and 1 day to be exact (jumping around with joy!) and I'm going to make sure that I get myself to an Anthropologie so that I may try on these darling items.

Aren't they to die for????

I've decided that I'm going to start including item numbers to my Swoon items so that my awesome readers have an item number - should they need to locate the items by item number at a later stage.

So here's my first weekly Swoon List.

I love 3 things in this picture. They are:

Four Petal Cardi
style #010051
$88.00

Pollen Promise Skirt
style #020010
$198.00

Acrobatics Wedges
style #040025
$148.00

Bucolic Denim Skirt
style #020024
$98.00

Pictureshow Dress
style #013035
$298.00

Blazing Rays Dress
style #030009
$158.00

Collected Calico Dress
style #030010
$138.00

Grasslands Dress
style #030014
$138.00

Plains & Prairies Dress
style #030021
$148.00

Cherry Juice Heels
style #040039
$138.00

Acrobatics Wedges
style #040025
$148.00

Halfsies Heels
style #040021
$218.00

So my lovelies, have you had a chance to check out Anthro's latest offerings? What do you think of them? What's on your Swoon List?

Until tomorrow, have a very lovely Wednesday. May the rest of your week zoom by.

One CRAZY story and What I wore today.

2010-01-26T20:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Tuesday my darling readers! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful day doing whatever it is that you do.

First things first, I called my Doctor today to get the result of the Ultra Sound and unfortunately, they haven’t arrived so I’m still playing the waiting game. However, I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your kind words. I am truly grateful for your thoughts and your prayers. I will certainly keep you abreast of the situation as it unfolds.

Before I get to my crazy story, I’d like to share my OOTD with you. I must apologize for the multiple pictures of my Franco Sarto Mary Janes but I really love these shoes. They’re not only super comfy but classic as well. I wish they came in purple!

Here's what I wore today:

Sweater: F21

Cami: Smart Set

Skirt: Smart Set

Fishnets: Ellen Tracy
Shoes: Franco Sarto

Bracelets: Suzy Shier, The Bay

Now onto my Crazy Story.

I have a situation that I would love to get your thoughts on. I don’t normally enjoy writing about work since this blog is a means to get away from it all. But I have a situation that I would love to hear your thoughts. So, please don’t hold back and do let me know how you honestly feel about this.

The story I’m going to tell you is sooooo out of this world. You might actually think that I’m outright lying but it’s the honest truth.

A long time ago, in a previous life, this individual worked for me. She was a Temporary staff who assisted in the office. I had heard horrible things about her prior to coming into the department but chose to ignore them.

I should preface by saying that I’m one of those stubborn individuals where unless I’ve heard it with my own ears and seen it with my own eyes, it’s simply not reality to me; it’s merely someone else’s opinion.

Anyway, I was told of her atrocious attendance plus her BAD attitude but decided to give her an opportunity to prove herself with me. In the first 3 months managing the area, she called in sick half a dozen times. I called her in and told her that she needed to watch her attendance. I also asked for a Doctor’s note every time she was ill.

After our conversation she got better but then not quite 4 months passed and she reverted back to her old ways. I was ready to get rid of her when 2 other staff members went on Maternity Leave. (For my US based friends, we get 1 year Maternity Leave here in Canada). With the departure of both my staff, I didn’t quite have a choice, but to keep her.

We spoke yet again and she got better. In the meantime, she announced that she was getting married. Her wedding was 8 months away and she was on her best behavior, that was until her “to be husband” went to jail. (Oh My Gosh! Until this point in my life, I had yet to meet anyone who knew of anyone who had gone to Jail! I must honestly lead a very sheltered life! Anyway, I digress.)

With him in Jail, she would then ask to take certain afternoons off so that she could 1.) Visit him; 2.) See his lawyer to ensure that he would be out of jail in time for their wedding.

Luckily, her winner of a future husband, was released from jail in time for them to get married. Phew! Talk about luck, huh?!

With the exception of the dress incident (which I will get into much later), she got married without a hitch. Since my relationship with her was somewhat amicable at that time, and since everyone in our organization was invited to her wedding, we attended. It was a nice afternoon / evening, though I should mention that her verbal request for Cash as a wedding gift was a tad tasteless. Nonetheless, we all gave her cash – of which she told us she used to pay off debts (not wedding debts. Just debts).

She returned to work right after the wedding and spent the next 5 days arguing with the Caterer. She was upset with the Caterer because they didn’t leave her the leftovers from the reception. She threatened to sue them. Long story short, she got nothing from the numerous arguments.

I continued to keep her because 1.) We were on a hiring freeze; 2.) She worked hard when she was at work – problem was keeping her at work. Since I couldn’t hire anyone and seeing that now, I was 4 people short (2 still on Mat Leave, and another 2 on Short-Term Disability), I kept her on.

While she had done a number of functions for me in the department, I finally moved her into a more steady position. She was to be our Data Entry Clerk. She trained with 2 different individuals over a period of 3 months and assured me that she could do the job.

4 months into the new position of Data Entry Clerk, I started finding huge errors in her entries… and I mean HUGE!!! I spoke with her yet again and she assured me that there would be no further errors.

We tried it for another week and still the errors continued. I called her in and told her that if she continued making the errors, I would have to write her up. Unbeknown st to me, behind my back, she was running to “influential people” in a different area asking if they could assist her by making her Permanent in my department (remember, she’s a temp?). After our conversation, she ran to those “influential people” yet again and told them that I had threatened her and that she was working in fear. Apparently, I’ve got Gestapo tendencies. Imagine that!

We sat down yet again and I told her that I would personally work with her and train her to be the best that she could be. That lasted 2 days for the mistakes continued, but now, worse than ever.

I had had it at this point so I called her in and told her that I was appointing someone else to do the job. Hearing this, she immediately said, “I really don’t want to do this job anymore. I hate it and I have no interest in learning how to do this job right.” I was appalled. She is after all a Temp.

She told me that she lacked attention to details. Really??? I never knew!!! She told me that she only excels at what she enjoys doing. No Kidding!!! She then went on to say that the mistakes she made were due to stresses in her life, specifically that her husband has not worked since before he went to jail. Sorry honey, you make that bed, you lie in it.

She then brought up the details about her wedding dress. Remember I told you that I was going to tell you all about her dress?

When she decided to get married, she decided that she was going to wear her sister’s wedding dress. Her sister was getting married 2 months before her so why buy another dress when you can wear another for free. I’m really cool with that. (I’m honestly not being facetious). So after her sister’s wedding, I spoke with her every 2nd day asking if she’s tried on the dress yet. She would reply, no she hadn’t. She was trying to lose weight for her wedding. Every second day I would ask if she’s tried the dress on, and every second day, she would respond, no not yet.

Anyway, the day before the wedding, I asked her if she had tried on the dress yet and again she said no. But she was certain that it wouldn’t be a problem and that all would be well.

When our organization showed up at her wedding, she was wearing a completely different dress than the one her sister wore (we knew because we’d all seen the pictures). When we asked her what happened to her sister’s dress, she told us that on the morning of the wedding, she tried on the dress and it was waaaaay too tight so she called around to her relatives and luckily found another dress to borrow.

The reason she brought up the story of the wedding dress was to tell me that nothing fazes her. She’s one of those who simply rolls with the punches.

I see the Wedding Dress fiasco as something completely different. Here’s a grown woman (by the way she’s 40+) who can’t seem to get her act together. If she can’t get her act together for THE most important day of her life – her wedding, how can she get it together for anything else – particularly a job that she does not care about???

The most important day of her life and she’s searching for a wedding dress to borrow on the morning of the wedding????!!!

Is it just me or is there something terribly wrong with this picture???

So, why am I telling you this looooooong story, well, several months after our last conversation, I terminated her. Today, she contacted me and asked if I would be a job reference.

What????!!!!

She certain has good qualities – problem is those qualities aren’t work related. She’s a fun-loving, party-hardy, free-spirit. She has problems with her attendance, her attitude and her aptitude for accurate work.

I’m trying to dig deep on this one. I don’t wish her any ill… but I cannot possibly give her a glowing reference, or reference in general.

Now, isn’t that one crazy story???? I honestly wish I could tell you that I made that all up but I can’t. It’s all true. So, what would you do if you were I?

I hope you'll all pipe in. Maybe I'm just biased and can't see the forest from the trees. Hence, I'd love to hear what my lovely readers think.

From my home to yours, wishing each of you a Happy Wednesday!

Good Night!

OOTD and we'll find out what's wrong with me soon.

2010-01-25T21:08:00.001-08:00

Good evening my darling readers! I hope this Monday finds you well.

I started my day off ultra early this morning. I had to get an Ultra-Sound done at 7am. You see, I've been getting this gawd awful pain in my upper abdomen of late (okay, not that late - since it really started in early October. Yes, I'm anti-hypercondriac as my mom's a major hypercondriac - so I try to put off going to the doctor's as much as possible). Anyway, since this pain simply wouldn't go away, I finally decided to go see my family doctor.

After examining me, she explains that it could be one of 2 things. A Bacterial Ulcer - eeeew! How the hell did I get a Bacterial Ulcer??? or .... Gall stones. Gall stones???? Since I'd done the breath-test for the Bacterial Ulcer, I had to go in for an ultrasound of my Gall Bladder.

Anyway, by the time I get to the Ultra Sound clinic this morning, I'm having a full blown attack - I'm almost doubled over in pain. I explain to the Ultra Sound Tech that I'm having one of my attacks. She asks me where the pain is and proceeds to do the Ultra Sound.

After about 30 minutes, she tells me that I must contact my doctor tomorrow for the results. Hmmmmm... that didn't sound very good. So, I'm now playing the waiting game. I guess I will call my doctor around noon tomorrow to find out what the hell is wrong with me.

I guess I should have done this sooner. We're 2.5 weeks away from our trip and I certainly wouldn't want a full blown attack while we're away on vacation. Anyway, no good in fretting about it now. I will just have to wait until tomorrow to find out what the heck is wrong with my upper abdomen.

So, back to more important things. My OOTD and these shoes.

Sorry for having quite so many pictures of these Budding T-Straps but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Budding T-Straps! They are a tad big but otherwise, darling!

Green Dino, they finally arrived!!! Whoot! Crazy as it sounds, I ended up with 2 pairs of the same shoes. I had placed an order with Customer Service - thinking that there was no way they were going to find a pair for me - so I started my own search. I didn't get a notice from CS so I assumed that they couldn't find me a pair. Lo and behold, when I got to the Receiver on Saturday, there were 2 pairs of the same shoes waiting for me! Crazy!

Anyway, I was able to sell one of the pairs today.

Aren't they Cuuuuuuute?????

Okay... back to my outfit.

Long Sleeve V-Neck Tee - J Crew

Cardigan - J Crew

Skirt - J Crew

Belt - J Crew

Tights - Dim

Shoes - Anthropologie Budding T-Straps

Well Lovelies, just curious, how many of you love the Budding T-Straps as much as I do? Also, do you find that they're running a tad big? As you can see from the 2nd last picture, those shoes are pretty large on me. They kept slipping off all day. I didn't get a chance to get insoles but I must do that before I lose a shoe crossing the street!

Well, that's it for me this evening. I need to go tuck Kitty into bed. Until tomorrow, I wish you a Terrific Tuesday.

Good Night!

A few Anthro purchases that didn't quite work out

2010-01-24T19:35:00.001-08:00

Hello Pretties! Happy Sunday! I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.

It was a bit of a crazy weekend for me ... but that's really no different than usual. I'm grateful to be able to get away from the craziness of work and to spend some time with my family.

I didn't do any shopping this weekend ... which really is a good thing since I've been buying like crazy lately and my credit card truly needs a bit of break.

Although I have purchased quite a bit recently, not everything I've purchased worked out. Which I guess is a good thing because if everything fits and looks beautiful, gosh! I'd be seriously broke!

Here are a couple of things that didn't quite work out. First up is the Twilit Skirt.

I soooooo badly wanted the Twilit Skirt to work. It's a stunning skirt. Gorgeous fabric, darling ruffles at the pockets and a slim fit. Unfortunately, my body wasn't cut out for the skirt. While it was too snug through the hips, the waist was huge. My measurements are 28.5" waist and a 37.5" hip and the 6 wouldn't work. In order to fit, I would have needed to gain an 1.5" inches in the waist and lose 1.5" in the hips. In other words, in order for the 6 to fit me, I would have needed a 30" waist and a 36" hip .... which tells me that the skirt is better suited for those who aren't as curvy. Sigh!

Like I said, I love this skirt and while it looks great on me while I'm standing straight up and not moving, but as soon as I moved, the skirt would ride up and bunch up around my hip. What's the chances that I wouldn't move during the day? Unfortunately, it's slim to none so this skirt is going back.

Me standing very still. Skirt looks good around the hips.

Again, me standing very still and the skirt looks great around the hips.

Slight movement and the skirt bunches up.

I honestly don't need the bunching to attract any more attention to my hips .

My next dud purchase was the Gathering Together Dress. I fell in-love with this dress online. I love the color, the design, the style. However, once I opened the box and held the dress in my hands, I knew immediately that my purchase was a mistake.

The fabric is much heavier in person. I had expected a light, flowy dress but instead received a much heavier one. The color is stunning but everything else falls short of my expectation. Firstly, this dress is unlined. As a result, it sticks to my tights. There's nothing I hate more than fabric being stuck to my tights.

Then, there's the fit issue. I had read that this dress fits large. Knowing that it did, I ordered a size down. However, even in the size 4, this dress was huge. I could have easily gone down to a 2. The other issue is the slip-on design of the dress. This dress doesn't have a zipper. It really should.

I honestly think that if this dress were made of silk, was closer fitting through the body and came with a zipper, it would have been stunning. The fact that it was a pull-on, it needed the extra fabric through the body in order to maneuver the dress on. Any tighter and I honestly think that it would have been a disaster when trying to don the dress. But the looseness to get it on becomes an issue once it's on for it's just too baggy and too shapeless to look fantastic.

Unfortunately, this one is going back as well.

Finally, the Ossified Sweater Coat. The Anthro description should have read, "Sleeping On Snow's corporeal creation exhibits abstract chunky Lamb-Shanks accents and a body conscious structure reminiscent of a Line-Backer."

This sweater coat just didn't work for me. I purchased it in a small. The chunkiness of the fabric coupled with the braiding made for a poor combination on me. Having had the opportunity to have now tried on this sweater, I can honestly say that this sweater would only look good on a very thin or emancipated person. Anyone with any curves or meat on their bones would honestly look like they've put on about an additional 20 lbs. I can truly say that to look 20 lbs heavier is not a look anyone, other than the truly thin, is after.

This too is going back.

I look like a Piggie in a Blanket

Size view isn't too bad, but it's not good either.

Oh My Gosh! I definitely look like I'm packing junk in my trunk!

I shop so that I may look and feel more attractive. These 3 items unfortunately did not make me look nor feel more attractive. Some in fact, did the exact opposite. The last one made me feel like I was ready to be stuck in the oven. Definitely not a look I was after.

Have you purchased any "duds" recently? Do share your stories!

Well, that's it for me this evening, lovelies. From my home to yours, here's wishing you a very lovely Monday and to a fantabulous week! Good night!

OOTD, er... it should really read OOTW

2010-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

My apologies, my deepest and most sincere apologies my pretties.

I apologize for not being around much the last few days. It's been pretty insane.

Not only am I swamped with work; I'm also helping Kitty with her science project - we had to build a Biome in a Bucket - in this case, I had to re-create Antarctica in an Ice-Cream Bucket showing the lifeforms above and below land, complete with snow; plus plan our Florida trip which is coming up in 3 weeks exactly.

Actually, 3 weeks today, I would be in Sunny Warm Florida. Yippee!!! I can't hardly wait!

2 whole glorious weeks in the Sunshine State away from the rain. Heaven!

While I didn't quite have the time to blog, I did however, manage to take pictures of my outfits that I wore this week.

But before you see the pictures, I need to apologize for the vast number of pictures I have below. The reason there are sooooo many is because I couldn't seem to get my act together to blog so I'm doing an Outfit of the Week Post as opposed to my usual OOTD. So, here's what I wore.

Today, Thursday, Jan 21

Top: Wind Rippled Tee from Anthropologie (one of my newest purchases)

Skirt: J Crew Sharkskin Skirt (which I recently had altered shorter - which looks way better)

Belt: F21

Tights: Ellen Tracy
Shoes: Franco Sarto

Wednesday, Jan 20

Top: Anthropologie

Sweater: J Crew
Pants: Reitmans'

Necklace: One of my own designs
Shoes: Nine West Chanel Inspired Sling-backs

Tuesday, Jan 19

Tank: Banana Republic
Sweater: J Crew
Skirt: Suzy Shier

Tights: Ellen Tracy
Shoes: Franco Sarto
Necklace: Heirloom

Monday, Jan 18

Dress: Anthropologie
Sweater: J Crew

Tights: Calvin Klein
Shoes: Connie Mary Janes
Necklace: F21

Friday, Jan 15

Tee: J Crew

Sweater: J Crew

Skirt: J Crew

Tights: F21 (I LOVE these blue tights!)

Shoes: Anthropologie Flaxen Wedges

Necklace: F21

So, that was what I wore this past week my pretties. I'm thrilled that tomorrow's finally Friday. It's been a loooooong week, but at the same time, it passed so quickly. I started taking some pictures of my "dud" purchases this evening and I will be posting them shortly. Do come back to check out why some of my Anthro purchases didn't quite work on me.

From my home to yours, wishing you a lovely evening and a fabulous Friday!

TTFN!

Whoot! Today's Anthro Purchases

2010-01-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

I am beyond thrilled today.

I woke up this morning to an awesome Anthro sale. While part of me was hoping for a sale, another part of me was thinking.... "I've been waiting sooooo long for some of these things to go on sale, I doubt very much they will anytime soon." And I was soooooo wrong!

Okay, some of my most coverted items still haven't gone on sale but Oh My Gosh! I've been waiting for some of these things for soooooooooo long and they finally went and sale and I snatched them up immediately.

Bustling Avenue Dress
Reg $148
Sale $69.95

I cannot believe this dress is finally on sale! It's on Sale! I almost have to pinch myself. And seeing on the sale page is like being in a dream. It's almost sureal. And it's mine! Mine! Mine! Finally!

Winding Ruffle Boots
Reg $258
Sale $129.95

I can't wait to receive these boots. I've been waiting forever for these and I'm beside myself that I was lucky to have found them in a size 8. I can already picture myself wearing these with about a million outfits. Okay, maybe not a million, but a lot.

Verite Dress
Reg $158
Sale $79.95

I really love this dress. Let's hope I can pull it off. Afterall, I have the perfect tights (pindot tights) and shoes (Flaxen Wedges) to go with this dress. Unfortunately, I don't have the Tick Tock Cardi. I need to find that Cardi! Damn!

Juxtaposed Sweater Jacket
Reg $98
Sale $49.95

There's so much I love about this jacket... the color, the off-kilter zipper, the pom-poms, the braiding, the pleated collar. And only after I ordered it, that it dawned on me that this sweater had 3/4 length sleeves. Argh! Let's hope it works. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm sure it's no secret that I'm thrilled to bits with my purchases. I'm trying desperately not to be too excited because I've purchased a few duds lately, ie. Gathering Together dress (Yuck!) along with a few others. I'm hoping that I'll love these in person as much as I love them online.

Well Pretties, what did you buy today? Please share!

OOTD

2010-01-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

Good evening my lovely readers! How are you this Thursday?

I need to apologize for another short post but I'm swamped at work right now and just don't quite have the time to post but... I really wanted to share my outfit with you.

Here's what I wore today:

Sweater: Anthropologie's Elodie Cardigan

Blouse: J Crew
Belt: F21

Skirt: Banana Republic

Tights: Calvin Klein Black Herringbone
Shoes: Rapport's Espresso Oxford Heels

Bracelets: Suzy Shier

Coat: J Crew
Bag: Burberry

Boots: Franco Sarto

It was pouring when I left the house this morning and heels were completely not suited for the walk between the car and the office - hence the boots.

I'm thrilled that tomorrow's Friday! Yay!!! I can't believe how quickly this week's flown by. Have a lovely Friday my dahlings! I promise to write more tomorrow evening. Until then, Happy Friday!!!

Partly Cloudy Top Review

2010-01-12T21:39:00.001-08:00

Happy Hump Day Loveliles! Only 2 more days to the weekend. Yay!!! Don't know why I'm so darn happy for the weekend because I honestly have nothing planned.

Anyway, I had the opportunity to try on the Party Cloudy Top by Floreat on my last trip across the border to Anthropologie.

Based on the online picture alone, this top is sooooo cute. I really like the unusual almost circular ruffles at the chest, the delicate embroidery along the hem as well as the darker-tone waistband which truly helps define the waist. But that's where my infactuation for this top ends. But before I speak of the top, let's discussing sizing for a moment.

Now having had the opportunity to try on a number of items at Anthro, I am confident in saying that I generaly wear between a size 4 and a 6 at Anthropologie.

In loser fitting designs, I easily wear a size 4 and sometimes a 2. But in more form-fitting or corset-type designs, I have found that a size 6 fits best. I own the Monochromatic Corset Dress in a size 8 only because it was the only size available and I had to get it altered to better fit me. I think that a size 6 would have been perfect, had it been available, and it would have help save me some money in alternations. Although it may appear that I've digressed, I do have a purpose with this information.

So back to the Partly Cloudy Top. Seeing that I would normally wear a size 6 in a fitted top like this one, I grabbed a 6, slid it on to only find out that 1.) Either I gained some girth during my Anthro fitting session - which I will attest that I was no way eating and munching my way through my pile of clothes) or; 2.) The design was small - which meant that I should have sized up or 2.

Seeing that it certainly wasn't dining during my fitting room session, I'm confident in saying that one certainly has to size up in this top.

As you can see from my "tubby" 2nd picture, I was certainly unable to zip up in the size 6. And seeing that the gap is approximately over 1" in width, I honestly believe that one would have to size up by at least 1 if not 2 sizes to get a good fit.

And since I wasn't overly thrilled with the look of this top in person, I didn't bother with trying on the larger sizes. It's not that I didn't like the top, I just liked it better online than I did in person, that's all.

So my lovelies, have you had an opportunity to try on the Partly Cloudy Top? What do you think of it?

So New York!

2010-01-12T20:31:00.001-08:00

Well, that's what I was attempting to channel anyway.

I woke up this morning to a most dreary day. Pouring rain! Perfect weather for ducks, that is. Since I had a lunch meeting, I wanted to ensure that I was professionally dressed but with a twist.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I'm really working on not wearing black. I used to wear a lot of black and on lazy days, when I don't want to have to think too hard about what to wear, I often find myself falling back on basic black. So, I should preface that despite the fact that my outfit was black, I did however, put quite a bit of thought into it.

So here's my outfit:

T-Neck: Old Navy

Skirt: Suzy Shier

Flower: F21

Belt: F21

Bracelets: Suzy Shier
Tights: DKNY
Shoes: Report's Oxford T-Straps

Sorry for the short post this evening but I'm bogged down with work. But be sure to drop by tomorrow for a review of the Partly Cloudy Top.

So until tomorrow my dahlings, have a wonderful evening and an awesome Wednesday!

Pins And Polkas Dress Review & OOTD

2010-01-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies! Happy Monday evening to you! Only another 4 more days until the weekend and only 1 more sleep until a possible Anthro Markdown. Life IS good!!!

Although I am not expecting much from Anthro tomorrow (with regards to a markdown), I can only hope that there might be a small one to at least, entice me to shop.

Do you have a a Markdown Wish List?

I certainly do ... only because everyone knows that I am a Sale Shopper and will only buy when my most loved and sometimes even if they're not most loved but "so worth it when on sale" items are marked down.

So yes, I certainly have a list and they include:

Scalloped Cloud Skirt
Scalloped Dot Skirt
Night Blooming Dress
Bustling Avenue Dress
Plaza Cardi
Snowmelt Cardi
Converging Roads Sweater Dress
Cafe Creme Skirt
Sidewise Denim Skirt
Verite Dress

The list is actually a lot longer than this, but these are the items that I'm hoping will be going on sale sometime in the near future. (A girl can only hope, right???) Tee Hee Hee!!!

Anyway, I wanted to share the Pins And Polkas Dress with you. I tried it on during my last trip to Anthropologie on New Year's Day.

I should preface by saying I absolutely LOVE Moulinette Soeurs. For some reason, her dresses seem to fit my figure well. I also love her fabric choices and her designs. As such, I could not wait to try the Pins And Polkas Dress on.

My measurements are: 35.5" / 28.5" / 37.5" (I know, I know, I guess most people either round up or down but I personally think that the half inch makes a difference - but that's JMHO).

The fabric is very soft and luxurious and I love the print, but for some odd reason, I don't know if I love it. I like it, but I don't know if I love it. BTW, I tried the size 6. I can't seem to put my finger on it but I'm just not sure if maybe the length is throwing me off or maybe the print's too bold on me (not that I would ever shy away from large prints!) but for some reason, it's just not talking to me. Now that I'm looking at the pictures once again, I'm definitely thinking that the length is throwing this whole look off. Seeing that the length can be shortened easily and cheaply, I can see myself wearing this ... so yes, I could see myself getting this when it gets marked down.

Have you tried on the Pins And Polkas Dress? What do you think of it?

So here's what I wore today:

Sweater: J Crew Lea Cardigan
Tank: Drenched Helenium Tank (size S - just in case anyone was wondering - I really could go smaller but it was sold out)
Pants: Reitman's Wide Leg Cuffed Trousers
Trouser Socks: Dim - Nude Netted Knee-Highs
Shoes: Connie Mary Janes (I love these shoes and re-picked them up a couple of weeks ago after returning them the first time)
Necklace: My very own design

That's it for me this evening. Until tomorrow night, wishing each of you a happy Tuesday and should there be any markdowns at Anthro, wishing you lots of luck in finding what your heart desires.

Good Nite!

My Latest Arrival & OOTD

2010-01-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

Good evening Lovelies! Happy Friday! I hope you're all doing well.

It was a bit of a rough day at work so I'm extremely glad and grateful that the weekend is here. I love the weekend. Despite the fact that we're kept pretty busy with running Kitty around to her swim, gymnastics and ski lessons, the fact that I'm away from the craziness of the office makes it all worth it.

I have to remember... I work to live.

So after picking up Kitty and then off to our regular Sushi restaurant to pick-up take out in the driving rain, I was pretty much pooped when I arrived home. I literally dragged myself out of my car, up our porch and suddenly, ........... my life takes a dramatic turn. It's immediately better.

Why?

Because, sitting by my front door is an Anthro Box! My Thousand Layers Dress has finally arrived! (Doing the happy Anthro dance in my head. I couldn't possibly do the Anthro Dance on the spot because I was weighed down with my handbag, my lunch bag, 2 Take Out bags of Teriyaki Chicken for Honey, and Sushi and Sashimi for Kitty and I, and my umbrella.)

I turned off the alarm system, placed everything down, grabbed my box and headed straight to the bedroom. I honestly couldn't wait to try on my dress!

As you all know, there isn't an Anthro store anywhere near me. The closest one is 3-1/2 hours away and in a different country. The closest one to me in Canada is a 14 hour drive away. Hell, it may as well be on Mars for that matter. And while I've loved this dress, I've only ever loved it from afar. Hence, I could not wait to slip it on.

I am pleased to report that this dress is lovely. Very Lovely! The jersey fabric is velvety soft and dreamy. I had read that the layers of fabric masked one's imperfections and while I had hoped desperately to believe it, I just wasn't sure how those layers wouldn't add bulk to my frame.

Well, having now tried it on, I can honestly say that the reviewers are correct. The layers on this dress certainly help camouflage my unsightly rolls. But not only that, those pretty layers didn't add bulk to my frame. I LOVE this dress!

Do you own the Thousand Layers Dress? What do you think of it? If you don't, would you consider buying it?

Anyway here's my outfit of the day. I woke up to a heavy downpour and since it was Friday, I decided to dress down for work.

Tee: J Crew
Sweater: Anthro's Gumshoe Sweater Coat

Jeans: F21 Skinnies
Boots: Roberto Viranni
Necklace: F21

I LOVE my Gumshoe Sweater Coat. I had been lusting after this coat for a while but refused to buy it at full price. So after weeks of stalking this coat, my mom decided to buy it for me for my birthday. If she hadn't, I kid you not, I would still be stalking this item.

It's my second time wearing this sweatercoat and I get lots of compliments on it - ranging from the design to the color. Despite the fact that I loved the purple out of the entire lot of colors, I was a little hesitant about getting the purple because I think it screams Prince. But having tried on all 4 colors - the Black, Ivory, Brick Red (called Wine online) and the Purple, I can honestly say that the Purple looks best on my complexion.

But the Purple, coupled with the rest of today's get-up, ie. Skinnies, Knee-Length boots, I could not help but feel that I was part of Robin Hood's Merry Gang of Men - but a female version. Either that, or a swash-buckling female pirate. Either way... I still loved the look.

Just for your information, I certainly don't look overly Pirate-ish or Robin Hood-ish when I pair this sweater with a pencil skirt. The look in fact is quite becoming... sorta Professional with a Dramatic Flair.

From my home to yours, here's wishing each of you a wonderful evening and restful weekend. And should you be shopping, happy hunting!

Pssst! Wanna hear a secret or two? & OOTD

2010-01-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hello Lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful day.

I certainly had an interesting day and I'd like to share it with you.

I'm sure we all "dress" for various reasons. Some dress to impress, others dress for their boyfriends, husbands, lovers, and some, like myself dress solely for myself and NO one else. And that's the very truth!

Why am I telling you this? Well, the thing is, there's this man, an older man, okay he's old, downright old - not quite one-foot-in-the-grave-old, but old enough whereby he really shouldn't be working anymore old but for some freaking stupid reason, which I won't get into, is still working. And by the way, doesn't really work for all he does is a whole lot of nothing. But that's a completely different story all together. But I digress.

So this Old Man, for the sake of annonimity, let's call him OM (is that too obvious? LOL!), but let's anyway, honestly thinks that I dress for him. Yes, he freaking thinks that I dress-up for him. I think that his Toupee is on so tight that he can't possibly think straight. That's what I think! But again I digress.

Anyway, he comes into my office today and says, "My sources tells me that you look particularly pretty today and I had to come check it out for myself". He takes one look at me and then says "You look lovely but I don't think those shoes (He's talking about my Anthro Flaxen Wedge Heels) go with your outfit." I looked at him and said, "You know, OM (okay I didn't call him Old Man - I called him by his real name - but remember, for the sake of anonimity, we're calling him OM, right?) I can certainly appreciate your opinion, but I happen to really like the way I'm dressed today. I particularly like the fact that my shoes don't match my outfit yet compliment it well." OM begins to protest by telling me what he thinks would go better with what I'm wearing, when I stopped him in mid-sentence and say, "I'll let you in on a little secret OM. I don't particularly care what others think of what I wear. That's their opinion. I wear what I do because it makes me happy. I dress for myself and only myself!" Well, that shut him up pretty good for he immediately changed the topic.

Let me tell you why OM thinks that I'm dressing for him.

When I was first hired to manage at my current organization, I was rather heavy. As some of you may know, I've lost about 50 lbs from my heaviest weight. When I started work, I had only lost about 20 lbs and wore primarily black baggy clothes. I had big, unstructured, undefined, clothes that came in about 100 shades of black.

OM would often come into my office (remember, I told you that he does nothing) and tease me about being in mourning. I ignored him - as far as I'm concerned, the guy's an idiot. But I digress. Anyway, 6 months after I started, I had lost about 40 lbs and was starting to feel comfortable with my body. Let's face it, I was proud to have lost all that weight and wanted to show it off. Around the same time, I found J Crew and all its' amazing colors. In no time, I was wearing clothes that showed off my figure and colors that made me happy.

For some crazy reason, OM thought that he finally influenced me. I kid you not, the man is completely dillusional. But again, I digress.

So for the record, I dress to please myself. I honestly don't give a rat's ass what OM or anyone thinks of my outfit or my shoes for that matter.

But on the QT, I think I was probably more bent out of shape this time more than any other time because he insulted my Antho Flaxen Wedge Heels. I LOVE these shoes. They are by far my favorite shoes and I cannot seem to stop wearing them. And he insulted them. He may as well have insulted my only child for that matter and my reaction would likely have been the same. Okay maybe not. But that freaking Old Man drives me insane. I tolerate him on good days. On bad days, I want to throw his toupee out the 9th floor window and have him jump after it. Oh dear! Did I say that out loud? Anyway, I am very attached to my shoes. Can you blame me? They're absolutely lovely!

Okay, so the story above isn't really a real secret as many of us do dress for ourselves but I do have a real secret to share.

After having spent so much money between Dec 23 and yesterday, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't spend anymore ... not until we go to Orlando next month, that is. Here's another secret before the secret I was going to tell you. The secret is: I suck at keeping promises to myself.

So, having made this promise to myself that I'm not going to buy anything for the next 33 days, what do I do? I buy a seriously coverted item that I've been hunting for forever.

Having read Roxy at Effortless Anthropologie's blog about finding hidden links, here's the link to her post if you haven't read it already (by the way, I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her blog and one cannot be a die-hard Anthro addict without being a fan of her blog - that's just my humble opinion by the way), I was scrolling through the October Catalog online when I found the Polaire Vest.

Do you remember the Polaire Vest? It looks like a Vivienne Westwood creation. I LOVE that vest and have been kicking myself forever for having missed out on it. Anyway, I followed Roxy's instructions and found that Anthro had a Medium in stock. I remember reading that the vest fits small (which means that the Medium would be perfect to wear over a shirt, t-neck, etc), I immediately picked up the phone and called CS. They tell me that the system says that it's available but in very limited quantities - read 1 left - but if I'm interested, I could buy it. Am I Interested? Does the sun rise in the East every morning??? Damn right I'm interested.

I place the order. She tells me that I'll either receive a shipping confirmation or cancellation notice within 24-48 hours. After holding my breath for about 30 hours (okay, I didn't really hold it that long for I would really have passed out by then), I called to find out what the heck was going on. She looks at my order and says, "It's shipped!"

SHIPPED!!!

The Vest that I've been coverting forever was Shipped!!! There I was doing the happy dance in the middle of my office. I swear that my staff sometimes thinks I'm nuts. But whatever!

So that's my other secret. I bought the Polaire Vest when I wasn't supposed to be doing any more shopping. Isn't that an awesome secret???

And my outfit for the day:

Blouse: J Crew
Sweater: J Crew Lea Cardigan
Skirt: Club Monaco (one of my non-surprise Christmas gifts I got from Honey)
Tights: DKNY
Shoes: Anthro Flaxen Wedge Heels
Necklace: Ann Taylor
Bracelets: Both from J Crew

Anyway, that's my day today. Do you have any crazy secrets you'd like to share? We certainly don't have to name names. Acronyms like OM or FI (Freaking Idiot) and the like would definitely suffice.

Well, until tomorrow, have a very lovely evening darlings and Happy Friday to all of you!!!

Anthro 2nd Markdowns & OOTD

2010-01-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

Good Evening Lovelies! So did any of you further partake in the Anthro or J Crew Sale today?

I woke up this morning to further markdowns on a handful of Anthro items. J Crew on the other hand had new additions to their Final Sale section.

While I didn’t find anything new that caught my fancy with the 2nd markdowns nor with the new additions to J Crew’s Sale page, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my recent Anna Sui Cascading Foliage Dress had another markdown. This dress was originally $218. It was then marked down to $109.95 and then to $49.95 – that’s when I purchased it and today, it went down to $19.95. Can you freaking believe it??? An Anna Sui for $19.95! I was just beside myself!!!

Were you able to get a price adjustment on any of your purchases made in the last 2 weeks?

I’m wearing my Sprightly Skirt for the first time today. I really LOVE this skirt. It’s sooo adorable. I love it even more with my Flaxen Wedge Heels which were 100% inspired by Maria at Infinite Whimsy. They are by far my favorite pair of shoes and will likely be until my Budding T-Straps show up. Then again, they may still win hands down. I love the unusual Mustard Yellow shade and the double straps around the ankles. My only complaint is that it takes so darn long to buckle these shoes up and to take them off. You see, I wear boots on the way to work and change to my shoes while at the office. In fact, I leave all of my shoes at the office. Luckily I have my own office as I have about a 15 pairs of shoes under my desk. But I really wanted to share these shoes with you so I brought them home tonight so that I may photograph them with my outfit.

So here’s what I wore today:

At the Office

On the Way to the Office

Sweater: J Crew's Lea Cardigan

Tank: J Crew's Perfect Fit Tee

Skirt: Anthro's Sprightly Skirt

Tights: Calvin Klein
Necklace: J Crew
Coat: J Crew
Boots: Franco Sarto
Shoes: Anthro's Flaxen Wedge Heels

Well Lovelies, until tomorrow, I'm wishing you pleasant dreams. Have a wonderful evening.

Scoop: Cross Your T-Strap Heels

2010-01-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

As you know, I'm on an Anthro Shoe kick ... okay Shoe kick recently and for some crazy reason, cannot seem to stop buying shoes.

So while on the phone to Anthro Customer Service today, I found that these Shoes, the Cross your T-Straps Heels which were regularly $90 are now $44,95! I'm not sure when they got marked down. Regardless, ... Oh My Gosh, what a steal!

Unfortunately, they don't have it in my size. But I know that there are other sizes still available online as well as in the stores.

Since I know that some of you have expressed interest in these shoes, I thought I should share the scoop with you. The Item number is: 940082.

Do call Customer Service quickly if you're still searching for a pair of these. Good Luck!

I will post my OOTD later today. Have an awesome day girls!

My Latest Anthro Purchases and OOTD

2010-01-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? I was up at 5am, logged onto the computer by 5:03am and was placing my first order at 5:15am.

I've decided that I've completely lost it. This Anthro obsession is even worse than my J Crew obsession. It's like a drug addiction. There I am, hiding in my office, with the lights turned low and whispering into the phone so that I don't wake honey or Kitty. I certainly wouldn't want them to know that I'm calling Anthro at 5am! That's right! Freaking 5am when everyone else is still sleeping or working out (which I should have been) or having breakfast. NOT shopping. Certainly NOT Shopping!

So what did I purchase? Well, my first call was for:

Wind Rippled Tee in Grey
Ossified Sweater Coat
Pin Wheel Tights in the Brown Motif

My second call was for the Budding T-Strap Shoes. That's right! I finally caved and purchased them. As you all know, I've been just over the top obsessed with these shoes. I decided over the weekend that regardless if they're marked down or not, I was definitely going to be buying these. They're like the Scalloped Cloud Skirt. I've been waiting for that skirt to be marked down forever too and it still hasn't moved an iota. Like the Budding T-Straps, I might just have to bite the bullet and get them at full price. Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, I honestly had expected to wake up this morning to find out that they're still the same price and to go ahead and buy them at the full price. I had certainly not expected them to get marked-down. So when I called to do my charge send, I found out that the price had dropped to $69.96! Oh My Gosh, it almost made me want to buy several pairs of the same shoe immediately. Why? Hell, I don't know! The fact that they were on Sale made me lose my Sanity temporarily. Anyway, I only purchased the 1 pair.

Hey, PrettyFace (one of my lovely blog readers), if you're reading this and you want them, call, call, call customer service. They are still pairs floating around. I have a list of stores carrying the size 8. Give me a shout and I'll send you or post the phone numbers. Just in case you missed my previous paragraph, they're $69.95 now!

Again, thanks to all of my fantabulous readers who piped in on the Thousand Tiers Dress, I purchased the said dress in the Grey.

All in all, I made 3 separate orders. I can't wait for my "stuff" to arrive. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

In the meantime, here's today's outfit:

Sweater: J Crew Primrose Cardigan
Tank: Banana Republic
Skirt: J Crew
Belt: Forever 21
Necklace: Forever 21
Tights: Ellen Tracy
Shoes: Franco Sarto

So, what did you buy today at the Anthro Sale? I hope you'll share. I love hearing about your purchases.

Well lovelies, I hope your day was as fun as mine. Until tomorrow, have a wonderful evening!

Thousand Tiers Dress. Help Desperately Needed.

2010-01-05T12:05:00.001-08:00

Darlings, I desperately need your help. I have both these dresses on hold at 2 separate stores. Problem is, I don't want to buy both but can't decide which one to get.

I love the Grey because the details are so much more pronounced. The grey is also more casual looking.

I love the black because it's such a different take on the LBD but then the details are not as noticable. The black is also dressier.

I don't need dressy nor casual clothes. I just want this dress because I've been waiting for it to go on sale forever. Originally, I wanted it desperately in the Grey because I was convinced that the Grey is THE ONE. But now, I'm not sure.

Have you tried them on? Which color do you like better and why?

Also, one stooopid question, does this dress ride up if worn with netted tights?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

Will it be on Sale tomorrow? ... and OOTD

2010-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one or are there more like me?

You know... the ones that wait anxiously for a hint of the next Anthro Sale. Oh My Gosh, I kid you not, I'm worse than a kid on Christmas Morning. I literally wait on pins and needles for scoop of the next sale.

Let's face it, with my Anthro addiction, there's just no possible way that I can buy everything I want so waiting for a sale is truly the way to go for me. It allows me double my buying power when I shop during a sale.

There's a bunch of things I've been on the hunt for for quite some time now and I keep hoping that they'll go on sale. Some of the things I want will be on sale, however, not all.

Here's what I was able to find out. (Now, please don't quote me on this. This is just what I was able to find out after much digging):

The following items should be marked down tomorrow. Unfortunately, I don't know what the prices will be:

Verite Dress

Head in the Clouds Cardigan

Nell Pants

I was also told that a number of "dressy" dresses will be on sale tomorrow.

These items, though I have been coverting them for ages now, unfortunately will not be marked-down.... URGH!

Scalloped Cloud Skirt

Ice-Capped Blouse

Scalloped Dots Skirt

Bustling Avenue Dress

Anyway, that's just a quick update on what I was able to scoop out tonight. I'd love an update if you hear of anything new or if my source is off.

Is there anything you'd hoping to score on sale tomorrow? Is there anything you've been holding out to buy until it gets marked down? Please do share!

Here's today's outfit. I would normally take my pictures in the morning before I leave the house but I was finding that it's impossible for me to try to take pictures in the morning because I'm constantly running around like my head's cut off so I've decided to try taking it in the evening. My outfit's looking a little sad after a day at the office.

T-Neck: Old Navy
Skirt: Smart Set
Belt: F21
Tight: Aldo's
Shoes: Oxford T-Straps by Report

Well lovelies, tomorrow ought to be a very exciting day. I cannot wait to see what Anthro unveils on sale. For those of you looking for specific goodies, good thoughts go out your way so that you're able to score exactly what you want.

Please do come back and tell me what you scored. Have a lovely evening. Good Night!

My Latest Anthro Scores!

2010-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sure it's no secret since it's super obvious now, but Anthropologie is officially my latest obsession. And man! I am in-love! I love their designs, I love their service and I love their sale prices! Particularly their Sale Prices!

I used to shop at J Crew lots but then I got bored with their clothes. Don't get me wrong, they still have lovely clothes but I wanted something different. J Crew, while classic, appeared to be rehashing a lot of their designs in different colors.

And then I found Anthropologie. Wow! I love their designs. It's classic, yet whimsical. Modern yet with a twist of Vintage. It called my name and I came running!

And.... their Sale Prices are awesome! I love the fact that many a times, when an item is marked down, it's automatically close to 50% off the original price. Yes, I know, this could mean that the items were overpriced to start off with but the frugal Sales Chick in me says, "What a Deal! Scoop it up!" And so I do!

So when I walked into Anthropologie this morning and saw a sea of Sales Racks right at the front of the store, it was like I died on the spot and was transported to Sale Heaven. It was amazing!

There must have been a dozen long racks of sale merchandise. But not only where these items on sale, I was actually getting to touch and try on these items for the first time.

Imagine this. My experience with Anthropologie is similar to meeting a celebrity. Day-in-day-out, I'm only able to look at the pictures of the clothes online. Since there's no Anthropologie near me, it's impossible for me to walk into a store, pick up an item, feel the material, try it on for size and decide if I like it. No, for me, it's all a visual experience.

I look at the pictures online, try desperately to figure out what size will fit me, pick up the phone to call customer service, place my order and wait 2 weeks for my items to arrive. When I have to wait this long for an item, often it's very anti-climatic when it does eventually arrive.

So, when I am able to walk into a store and see an item that I've seen online, it's like meeting a celebrity for the first time. My heart skips a beat, my pulse race and my legs turn to jelly. It's an amazing experience!

As I go through the racks, I'm amazed by the number of things I've been looking for that are still available in my size. So what did I score today? Well...

Inverness Trench - I love this coat! The fabric is somewhat thick - perfect for the fall and early spring. It's beautifully lined and has the most awesome twirly skirt. I purchased this in a size 8. I could easily have fitted a size 6 but unfortunately this was the only one left so I scooped it. And while I was paying for this, I noticed a couple of customers eyeing this coat. Sorry ladies, hate to disappoint but this one is coming home with me.

Cascading Foilage Dress - I had been looking for this dress for some time now. I first saw it on Kim at Anthroholic and thought that it looked absolutely lovely on her. But by the time I got around to really falling-in-love with the dress, it was no where to be found. I was certain that I had lost out until I saw it at U-Village today! On the rack were 2 Cascading Foilage Dresses. What are the chances of that??? I picked up the first and it was a size 8. My heart sank. I was about to pick up the other dress when out from behind me, a hand reached out and snatched it. I was sooooo close! Darn it! So I picked up the size 8 ... just in case it fit. While walking around the store, I asked one of the lovely SAs if she had it in a smaller size and she told me no. Those were the last ones. After looking around the store for some time (okay, if you must know, I was there for 3 hours - yes in the same store for 3 hours! I'm sooooo embarassed!) the same SA walked up, called me by my name (don't you just love that???) and told me that someone had just returned a size 2. Oooooooh! I squealed! I'll try it please! The size 2 was perfect, perfect, perfect! So I purchased it. The original retail price was $218 and I got it for $99.95.

Sprightly Skirt - This is one darling little skirt. I've been on a skirt hunt lately. I've noticed that I wear way too many pants in the winter and have made up my mind to wear more skirts. I love the weight of the fabric. It truly holds its' shape well. The waist sits right at my natural waist and gives me a pretty hour-glass figure with it's cinched waist. I got this in a size 6. Moreover, I think this will lovely simply lovely with my new Budding T-Strap shoes that I'm going to be getting shortly.

The sweater to the right of the Sprightly Skirt is a Cotton Cardigan with beading around the neck from J Crew. Sorry, I don't know the name of it. I got it because it was inexpensive for a basic grey cardigan with a little sparkle on it. Just an FYI, J Crew is currently offering an additional 20% off their Sale merchandise - thus making all of their sale merchandise Final Sale.

Seasonless Skirt in Black - I had to re-purchase this skirt. The last one that arrived came with a busted zipper so I repurchased it in a size 6. I love the way this skirt sits on me. I couldn't really try it on with the busted zipper when it first arrived. So, trying it on today was like trying it on for the first time. I love, love, love the skirt. Despite the extra folds of fabric, I think this skirt is very slimming. I can't wait to wear it with a black t-neck, funky netted tights and my new Report Black and Cream T-Straps. This wasn't a steal like my other 2 purchases above but at 50% off, it was definitely coming home with me. I paid $49.95.

Floreat Blouse - Sorry don't know the name. My biggest score of the day was this Cream with Black Flocked Polka Dot blouse. I've never seen it on the website before and have absolutely no idea what it's called - so if any of you should know the name of this blouse, please kindly let me know what it is. Thanks in Advance. This little blouse is absolutely darling. It's got little capped sleeves, ruffles down one side of the front and flocked polka dots the size of a dime scattered all over the blouse. I can see myself wearing this lots - on it's own, with a t-neck under, with skirts and with pants. It's soooo cute. And at the whopping (I'm being facitious) $9.95, I couldn't possibly walk away from this top.

So darlings, that's my score for the day. I think I did pretty good, wouldn't you say? I love every single one of my purchases.

Have you scored anything from Anthro lately? I hope you'll share your stories. I love hearing about your great-deals!

Have a lovely evening! Good Night!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T20:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year my darlings! My apologies for the late post but there's a very good reason for why my post is so late.

Firstly, I wasn't feeling overly well yesterday when I returned from the office. For some reason, I was running a low-grade fever and had the chills. Since I wasn't feeling so hot, I went to bed. Sad as it seem (considering that it was New Year's Eve), I was in bed by 8:30pm.

I awoke this morning at 5:30am and was feeling much better so I decided to go shopping. That's right. Shopping. No, not in Vancouver... since no store would be open for at least 5-1/2 hours so I decided on a spur of the moment to go to Seattle.

Crazy, huh?

Well, I should explain that it's really not that spur of the moment. I had originally planned on a Seattle shopping trip on Boxing Day. For my lovely friends south of the Canadian Border, that's the day after Christmas. It's sorta like Black Friday - only a Canadian Version. Prices are slashed and bargains galore.

Despite the huge sale here, I decided on Christmas Day that I would go to Seattle instead. However, when I awoke on Boxing Day, I wasn't feeling very well. The stress of the holidays had overwhelmed me so I decided to stay home and read instead. Which was really a good thing because I was feeling so much better on the 27th and went shopping at Park Royal instead.

Shopping at Park Royal was great with the exception of my horrible experience at BCBGMaxAzria which I spoke in detail here. But let's not rehash that all over again.

Despite doing a little bit of shopping on the 27th, I somehow didn't quite have my fill so I thought that maybe I should go head to Seattle on January 2nd instead. But then I thought... hey, how about the 1st?

Not knowing exactly which day I should plan my trip, I decided to check out the Mall hours for both days and "just in case" I decided to go, I would then know which malls are open.

All along, I had planned on going January 2nd, but then, Honey reminded me that the cleaners were coming on the 2nd and he hates being around when they are here (yes, unfortunately, that falls on my shoulders - letting them in, leaving and then paying them and letting them out.) I don't understand why he has an issue with help but whatever.

Since he was going to be golfing today and since Kitty is away at my parents, when I awoke this morning, I decided that today would be the perfect day to go to Seattle.

And off I went.

The weather was absolutely horrible. Driving rain and huge wind gusts. I was having difficulty keeping my vehicle on the road but I was determined to shop. Only 1 mall in the Seattle area was open - and that was University Village. Perfect since it has both a J Crew AND an Anthropologie. Absolutely Perfect!

I made it in slightly under 3-1/2 hours and walked into Anthropologie at 10:15am. As soon as I walked in the store, I knew that my trip was soooooo worth the effort. The sale section was H.U.G.E!!!

It was like I'd died and gone to Anthro Sale Heaven! I had a blast here and got some amazing finds.... of which I will share with you shortly.

After that, I stopped in J Crew and Victoria's Secret.

I left the mall at 3:30pm and arrived home at 7pm. I'm mentally exhausted. Driving 7 hours makes me mentally tired. But my trip was soooooooo worth it.

So as you can see, I had a real good reason for the late New Year wishes. Well my darlings, I hope your New Year's day was exciting as mine. From my home to yours, here's wishing each and everyone of you a very Happy, Healthy and Wealthy 2010!

CHEERS!!!

Arrrrgh! I can't stop obsessing over these shoes!

2009-12-31T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with these shoes. I truly am and have been for a while now. They look sooooo cute on Kim at Anthroholic and on Maria at Infinite Whimsy.

I want them! I want them! I want them!

Question is.... What should I do? Do I buy them? Do I not? I've only purchased 4 pairs of shoes in the last month. And I think that subconsciously, I've been buying other shoes only because I really want these ones and for some crazy reason, I won't buy them - only because they aren't on sale. If they were on sale, heck, I would be all over them in a second.

In short, the lack of sale is holding me back from buying them.

I've never seen them in person nor have I tried them on. Have you seen them in person? Have you tried them on? What do you think of them?

So, what should I do? Do I wait for a sale or do I bite the bullet and buy them now? Please chime in.

A Shopper's Nightmare!

2009-12-29T15:53:00.001-08:00

We all know how much I love shopping.

Let's face it, shopping to me is an experience. It an experience on all sensory levels. It's a feast for the eyes, it makes my heart race, my palms sweat (okay, maybe not my palms - but certainly my heart pulpitates faster) and my mind swirls amidst the racks of clothes, the array of shoes and the multitude of accessories.

Shopping is a hobby I take seriously and throughly enjoy. And up until yesterday, I have always enjoyed my shopping experience... that was until I decided to shop at BCBGMaxAzria in Park Royal North.

Never in my life have I ever been treated so poorly. Let me rephrase. It's not so much about how they treated me but more about how they didn't treat me. In short, they treated me like I didn't exist, like I wasn't there, like they could see right through me altogether.

It was a very strange experience really... something I've never experienced before and wish never to experience again.

Having looked through the racks of clothes, I found 3 cute numbers to try on. I walked to the fitting room only to find that all of the rooms were full. I had no problem waiting. But during the wait (of which I waited a full 20 minutes) not once did anyone acknowledge my presence or tell me that the next fitting room was mine. Nothing.

At least 4 different Sales people walked in and out of that fitting room and not one made eye-contact. No one said Hi. Not one said anything. However, they had no problem speaking with all of the other girls and ladies in the fitting room. One interesting note, all of the women in the fitting room plus 3 out of the 4 sales people who had walked in and out of the fitting room were of the same ethnic background. They all spoke the same language and were very comfortable with one another. However, again, none spoke with me.

Maybe it's because I was of a different race. Maybe it's becuase I looked like I couldn't afford anything in the store (but didn't their mom's teach them not to judge a book by it's cover?). Or maybe it's because they were all too busy to acknowlege me. Regardlss of the reason, I certainly felt discriminated. I don't know exactly know what I was being discriminated on but it was certainly the weirdest and oddest experience ever.

Needless to say, I left without buying anything.

Have you shared a similar experience?

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas my lovely readers! It's a gorgeous morning on the West Coast. It's cold and frosty and it's not raining. That itself is an amazing gift on it's own!

I wanted to share some pictures taken last night after we got home from Twilight service at our church. Kitty wanted desperately to open some presents and I had to fend her off. Thankfully, I did it very successfully. Phew!

In past Christmases, Kitty has had a lot of trouble going to bed on Christmas eve night. I don't blame her. Afterall, it's soooo very difficult to sleep knowing that Santa's going to be coming down the chimney, into your house and leaving a bunch of presents for you, right?

Luckily this time, Kitty didn't have any trouble falling asleep - though it was pushing 11pm by the time she did go to bed. I went to bed shortly after that, only to be woken up at 3:30am by Kitty asking if we could open presents. ARGH! 3:30am!

Since she was having difficulty sleeping, she crawled into bed with us. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well and I honestly feel like I've pulled an all-nighter and I still have a turkey dinner to make for my family. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I love this time of year. I love Christmas and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way!

We've opened our gifts (and yes, I got everything I wanted plus a couple of surprises - I did tell you that I don't particularly like surprises, right? Yes, I will be bringing a number of things back, and no, Honey's not offended) and Honey and Kitty have now gone skiing (we live 5 minutes from the bottom of Grouse Mountain), so I thought I'd jump on the computer and wish all of you a Merry Christmas now that I have the entire house to myself.

Last night, while at church (okay, truthfully, this past week particularly) I've realized how truly blessed I am. I am so very blessed with an amazing husband, a phenomenal daughter, the most wonderful and giving parents, a generous brother and his fantastic wife, my job and my staff and my boss, our home, .... our life. I am so very grateful to God for his great blessings. And I know that I honestly wouldn't have any of these if not for Him. For all of these and so much more, I am truly, truly grateful this Christmas.

From my home to yours, I wish each of you, my darling readers, a very blessed Christmas. Enjoy the day with your families, my lovelies!

My Christmas List

2009-12-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

I'm one of the hardest people to shop for.

I admit it. I am extremely difficult.

Unless I picked it out myself, chances are, I will return it to either exchange it for something else or better yet, get a refund and spend the money somewhere else.

I'm terrible that way. But I can't help it. I've been this way for as long as I can remember.

My husband calls me Rachel... and I don't blame him.

About 3 weeks ago, Honey called me and said, "Your SIL is looking for gift ideas for you. I have no idea what you want so would you please put a list together for me and email it to me?"

Thinking that I was putting the list together for my SIL, I email Honey this:

Jingle Socks from Old Navy. They are very soft, warm and fuzzy.
Sophie Kinsella: Shopaholic and Baby
Madeleine Wickham – The Gatecrasher
Candied Rose Eau De Toilette 100ml from L’Occitane (I really want this because it’s a Limited Edition scent!)
Jingle Pajamas set from Old Navy – Tank top with Flannel Pajamas Pants.
Old Navy Printed Flannel Pajama Sets with long sleeve Pajamas Top and matching pants.
Fashion Socks from Reitman’s
LuluLemon Luon Headband
7 lb free weights (2 – one for each arm).
Blending Foam Sponges from MAC Make-up
MAC eyeshadow – Carbon (Black for eye lining)
MAC Brush Cleaning Solution

Problem is, I didn't know that after my SIL picked out what she wanted, Honey was going to use the list and buy me stuff from my list.

I only clued in when he called home one Sunday morning while shopping at Old Navy. His call went like this...

Honey: "Hi Honey, so where are those Pajamas you said you wanted?"

Me: "They're at Old Navy."

Honey: "Yes, I know but exactly where in Old Navy?"

Me: "They're near the cash register."

Honey: "But I don't see them..... (muffle, muffle) er... excuse me, my wife wants these jingle pajamas for Christmas. She says that they're supposed to be here but all you've got are socks. Do you know where they are? (returns to me) And... what color do you want?"

Up to that point, I honestly didn't know that I was getting pajamas. So thanks honey for the awesome surprise. But at least, I'm getting what I want, right?

Oh, did I tell you that I don't do Surprises well? I like knowing exactly what I'm getting and it's always got to be exactly what I want... otherwise, it's going back.

A few days later, Honey asks me what else I want since my list is mostly Stocking Stuffers. Seeing that this is my chance to get what I really really want, I tell him, "Don't worry about it, I'll just pick up what I want and you can wrap it up for me, okay?"

Honey's just thrilled with the fact that he doesn't have to fight mall shoppers and traffic and all the hassle of buying things that he thinks I will love and to only to find out that I've returned it, so he jumps at my offer.

So what did I buy? I guess I should have asked him how much he wanted to spend ... but here's what I got. (Yes, I know that I shared most of these with you darlings already because I told you all about them before but... I was feeling kinda guilty having shopped so very much that I simply just wrapped up everthing I had previously purchased. So sorry if these goodies seem like you've read about them already.)

From Anthro:
Monochromatic Corset Dress
Gathered Together Dress
Twilit Skirt
Seasonless Skirt
Elodie Cardigan
Drenched Helenium Tee
Snow Queen Dress (this was a last minute add on - it still hasn't arrived so I'm keeping my fingers crossed)

From J Crew:
Saturday Knit Dress (this too has yet to arrive)

From Club Monaco:
Black & White Wool Plaid School-girl skirt
Multi Size Polka Dot Pleated Skirt
Black Ruffled Cardigan

Tights:
8 pairs of Tights from all over

Shoes:
Flaxen Wedges from Anthro
Report Retro T-Strap

I packaged all of my gifts (with the exception of the Snow Queen Dress and the Saturday Knit Dress from J Crew) and handed them to Honey yesterday. He looks at the pile of stuff and says to me..."And how much did I spend on you?" I didn't answer because I didn't hear him. (Okay, yes, I chose not to hear him).

Since I know that I'm getting awesomely cool presents that I love and won't be returning, I can't wait to open my presents on Christmas Day.

Are you as difficult to buy for as I am? Do you buy your own presents? What are you desperately hoping to find under your tree?

I Always Love a Win-Win!

2009-12-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

Although I know that I shouldn't be buying more stuff - ie. dresses, shoes, jewelry, accessories, purses, etc, I desperately hoped to wake up to a sale at Anthro today. And... Anthro didn't disappoint. Thank you Anthro! :)

I woke up at my regular time to work out but instead of working out, my legs walked me over to my office, my fingers made me turn my computer on and my brain made me search out Anthro to find out if there's a new Sale.

With my heart pounding and my head racing as I scanned the pages of sale clothes that appeared before my eyes, I quickly realized that there's been a markdown.

A NEW MARKDOWN!

Yay!!! I love markdowns! So instead of working out, I scrolled through the new markdown, figured out what I wanted and proceeded to make my purchase with the very nice customer service rep at Anthropologie.

Luckily, there wasn't too much I wanted. I only purchased 3 items. So, it's a win-win, right? There was a markdown and I still didn't slaughter my credit card. It's all good. So here's what I purchased today:

Gathering Together Dress

I love the look of this dress.. the halter style neckline, the tiers on the skirt, the ruffles around the bodice and particularly the key-hole opening at the neck. Oh and lets not forget about the stunning shade of green. I love it!

Crop Pattern Dress

You know, I didn't realize that that there's a swatch of bright colors down the back of the dress until I had placed my order. Crazy, isn't it? Now, I'm just not sure if I like it or not. I guess we'll see once the dress arrives. I love the colors and the design from the front. I even like the back A LOT! But I just don't know about that strip down the back.

Do you own this dress? Have you seen in person? What do you think of it? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Seamless Skirt

My last item was the Seamless Skirt. I desperately want the Grey but it's sold out in my size so I ended up getting it in black. I can see myself dressing this so many ways and I think that it would be so cute with a fitted top and a wide belt.

So lovelies, what did you buy today? I hope you'll share. Have a terrific Tuesday my darling friends!

Crossing my Fingers...

2009-12-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been an Anthro apparel markdown for 2 weeks come tomorrow and I'm keeping my little fingers crossed that there will be a markdown of sorts.

Now, there's been a markdown for housewares ... pretty plates, mugs, measuring spoons, bedding, etc (all the pretty things to make you feel so ever feminine in your own home)... but none for clothes and Lord knows, I love clothes and can always use a bunch more new dresses, skirts, sweaters, tops, pants, jackets, coats, tights, accessories, shoes.... the list goes on.

And while I desperately, desperately soooo want a new markdown, the reality is, a new markdown, should it happen tomorrow, would be a double-edged sword for me. On one hand, there's so many pretty things that I want to buy.... and take my word for it....there are so very many!!!

But then, on the other hand, I'm thinking, I really shouldn't be buying anything else. (See, that internal psycho voice is going at it again!) Afterall, I've purchased a bunch of shoes, and there's been a couple of orders through Anthro so really I should hold off... (BTW, I wrapped those all up for myself for Christmas - so after Christmas Day, I'll take pictures and model them for you. But take my word for it, they're all sooooo pretty!)

So while I really want a good sale, part of me kinda (a teeny, tiny part of me, that is) wish that there isn't a sale tomorrow (for my sake since I have little to no self-restraint when to comes to sale shopping) because I will want to buy EVERYTHING that's on my wishlist.

It's sooooo hard but I simply can't resist a good sale.

So lovelies, what do you think.... do you think that there'll be an Anthro markdown tomorrow or do you think that they''ll hold off another week to coincide with the post Christmas markdown?

Oh Man! I think I have a problem!

2009-12-04T17:08:00.001-08:00

Houston, we have a problem.

No, really, we have a problem. A Shoe Problem. And the crazy part is, they all kinda look the same, don't they???!!!

For some reason, I cannot seem to stop buying shoes. I honestly don't understand what's going on... but all of a sudden, all I want to buy are shoes.

I wonder what this means psychologically? Does anyone know? lol!

Anyway, back to my shoes. As you all know, a few weeks ago, I bought a bunch of shoes and I couldn't seem to figure out which ones I should keep and which ones I should return. Anyway after much deliberation, I decided to keep the Franco Sarto Grey Suede Mary Janes (of which I've worn tons at work already) only.

I ended up returning the Calvin Kleins only because they were terribly expensive. Through a wonderful reader, I found out that Lord and Taylor had them for $47.99. I refuse to pay $145 for shoes that I can get for $47.99 so back they went. I also return the Connie shoes with the darling cutouts only because they were too uncomfortable in the toes. I also returned the twi Fergalicious pairs because .... well, okay, I don't know why I returned those except that I didn't like them anymore. And I also returned the Connie pumps only because they were downright boring.

So to replace the ones I returned, I ended up buying the following shoes. The first 2 pairs are from Shoes.com. Those haven't arrived yet. I purchased them the day before Thanksgiving and I guess they're on their way to me via some small island off the coast of Good Hope. I hope those arrive soon.

The next set of 3 were purchased last night off the Aldo website. The prices were soooo darn good, I could not say no to them. I haven't had much luck with Aldo shoes in the past. For some reason, they've always hurt my toesies but let's hope that this time, they won't.

Jessica Bennett
Havana - Cream Patent with Brown Embroidery

Report
Claudia - Black and Cream Oxford T-Straps

Equia
Multi-color Camel Mary Jane

Zelaya
Cognac Oxford Mary Jane

Tessaoua

Black Patent Oxford T Strap

So, what does my recent obsession with shoes mean? They must represent something significant that's lacking in my life and that's why all I'm wanting to buy are shoes. Well, okay, I'm buying other things as well ...but that's normal. I just don't normally buy these many pairs of shoes in one sitting. What's up with that????

OOTD

2009-12-03T21:08:00.001-08:00

Here's today's outfit. I didn't realize that I hated the tights until I saw the pictures. Oh well. Anyway, here's what I wore:

Cami: Smart Set (Yes, I'm wearing one under the Ruffled Henley Shirt)

Shirt: J Crew

Skirt: J Crew

Belt: F21

Shoes: Franco Sarto Mary Jane (I wore these at home for the pictures but changed to Grey Suede Mary Janes in the office)

Necklace: F21

Ring: F21

Tights: DKNY (which I now dislike for they look weird on my legs)

Well lovelies, have a fantastic weekend.

My Latest Anthro purchases

2009-12-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

I honestly learnt my lesson from a couple of days back. So when I called Anthropologie last night looking for Sale items that set my heart a flutter, I knew that I needed to pull the trigger and I needed to pull the trigger N.O.W.

One of the reasons I was able to purchase quickly this time because I was given actual garmet measurements. My biggest pet peeve with purchasing at Anthropologie versus J Crew is that at Anthropologie, you can't get actual garment measurements. I tried. I honestly did. I called the toll-free Customer Service number and no one there could give me actual garment measurements.

Considering that I don't live anywhere close to an Anthropologie store, it makes it very difficult to buy when there are so many different manufacturers involved and where fit differs from one designer to the next.

One of the reasons I LOVE buying from J Crew is that they offer actual garment measurements. And although I don't have a store near me, getting such measurements has helped me immensely in the past and has curbed returns because "it didn't fit." I love that! I honestly wish that Anthropologie offered this service.

Anyway I digress.

The first store I called had the Four-If-By-Sea Skirt and the Elodie Lily Cardigan. They didn't have the Drenched Helenium Tank nor the Twilit Skirt.

The second store I called at the Helenium Tank and nothing else.

The third store I called had the Twilit Skirt and the Elodie Lily Cardigan but were missing the other 2 items.

The fourth and final store I called had Everything I wanted AND... they also had a tape measure!

They had a tape measure! What a brilliant idea! Can you believe that the first 3 stores did not own a Tape Measure? I find it most odd that a clothing store wouldn't own a tape measure. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I expect too much.

Anyway, the 4th store had a tape measure and was able to measure the garments for me. Which I was extremely appreciative. And because she was able to provide measurements, I was then able to make my purchases with little hesitation.

Okay, if you must know, the voices were still going on in my head but they weren't as loud today. They were kinda muffled .... I think that "Buy, Buy, Buy!" side must have tied the "Don't Buy, Don't Buy, Don't Buy" side with the tape measure. lol!

Anyway here's what I got:

Elodie Lily Cardigan

I purchased it in a size Small. I was originally thinking that I needed a size Medium. The medium measures up to 38" across which meant that I would be swimming in this sweater. The small measures 34" so I went with the small. Isn't the tape measure awesome???

Drenched Helenium Tank
I would have preferred the XS but settled on the Small since they didn't have an XS in stock.

Twilit Skirt
I originally thought that I needed a size 8 or 10. But based on the measurements given, the 6 or possibly the 4 would have done the trick. I got the 6 only because I would rather have it larger than too small. It's certainly easier to take it in than to try to make it larger.

Four-If-By-Sea Skirt
Did you know that the waist on this skirt measures up to be the same as the waist on the Twilit skirt even though I'm getting a size 8 in this skirt versus a size 6 in the Twilit? Crazy isn't it? Being a shorter skirt, I decided to size up to an 8 so that I can hip it versus having it on the waist.

I can't wait for my goodies to arrive. With that order, that makes it 2 separate Anthropologie orders that should arrive in the next week... I can't wait!

Just curious, did you buy anything from the newly posted Anthro sale?

Confessions of a Clinically Psychotic Shopaholic

2009-12-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Okay, we all know that when it comes to purchasing anything, I'm downright a freak.

I'm a freakazoid.

I'm a psycho-maniac who can't seem to make up her mind, whatsoever.

I constantly fight with myself when it comes to my purchases. Part of me desperately wants to buy, buy, buy and the other part of me screams No, No, No. You don't need it.

And then, I have my super logical, practical, frugal husband saying, no, you don't need that. You already own "X" number of _______ (fill in the blanks). It's practically a recording. I and we go through the same thing everytime I stumble upon something I don't need yet want. Which is truly the cause of today's lowest low and highest high.

As you all know, Anthro had a huge markdown about 2 weeks ago. Prior to the mark-down, I had already been lusting after the Monochromatic Corset Dress. And when it got marked down, well, I knew that I had to have it. I called the U Village Store and had them put a size 8 and size 10 on hold for me. (I honestly didn't know which size was going to fit and I would rather have it looser than so tight that I could not zip it up). I asked that they hold it for me for 2 days ... which they kindly did.

But then those internal voices started up. Buy it! No, Don't buy it! Yes, Buy it! No, you don't need it! No, No, No, I definitely want this dress! No! No! No! You do not need this dress. After all that back and forth, I decided to leave the dress.

Fast forward 3 days. I'm still lusting after the darn dress. So I called the store up and thank goodness they still have both sizes. Again, I had them put it on hold for me with the full intentions of getting them. But once again, those stoooopid voices started yet again. Buy it! No, don't buy it! BUY it! NO! You Don't Need It! Back and forth I went... like a freaking verbal tennis match... all happening in my head. I sometimes wonder, with all that chatter, how the hell can I function normally???!!! This internal fighting lasts an entire 2 days ... at which point, the dresses are now back on the sale rack and I still haven't made up my mind if I'm going to buy the dress.

It's now 10 days since the dress got marked-down and I'm still head-over-heels in love with the dress. My husband catches me longing for the dress on the computer and he asks, "shall I get that for you for Christmas?"... remember, this is the same guy who told me 10 days earlier that I shouldn't get the dress because I really didn't need it.

I take his question as a go-ahead and get the dress so I call the store back. Incredibly, they locate BOTH dresses (what's the chance of that???!!!) and tell them to hold the dress for me until Monday (yesterday). I was certain that I was going to get the dress. Now, Monday comes and goes and I still couldn't seem to commit. So, in short, I didn't call back to purchase the darn dress. (BTW, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not only completely psychotic, I am also completely commitment phobic, but I digress.) Then this morning, it suddenly dawns on me that I cannot live without the dress so I call the store yet again.

But this time, my luck had run out. The salesperson I spoke with told me that they had put out my hold items and while the store had only been opened for 2 hours, my dresses were gone. GONE! They were no where to be found! They were gone forever. Some other lucky girl (whom I absolute hated, despite not knowing who the hell she is) has got my dresses.

I begged the Anthro Sales Rep on the other end of the phone to look around the store to see if she could find them. She looked, returned and said No. The dresses were gone! I re-described the dresses to her (of which she said she knows exactly what I'm looking for) and asked that she take another look in the Holds section per chance that she had overlooked them. She puts me on hold, looks yet again and returned with a resounding NO. The dresses weren't there. They were gone! GONE! THE DRESSES HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING! Seeing that it was completely my fault and that she was starting to lose her patience with me, I thanked her and hung up.

I was ready to burst out crying. I was positively depressed. I wanted those dresses and it was completely my fault that they were gone. Gone! No where to be found - GONE! I call another 5 stores and no one had them. I was devastated. Completely devastated! I felt like a complete Idiot. I am such a Loser!

An hour goes by and I decide to call the store back and speak with the original salesperson who had helped me out a few days ago. She comes on the phone and tells me that she's heard about my story and she's terribly sorry that the dresses were put back. I tell her that it's not her fault and that it's completely my fault because I couldn't commit.

I asked her to take one last look around for me per chance that she finds it. As she's about to put me on hold, I hear the other salesperson - the one who told me that the dresses were Gone, Sold, Gone Forever... but my salesperson retorts by saying, I'm just going to take one last look again. She puts me on hold for a few minutes ... which by the way felt like years... and returns to tell me that ....

SHE FOUND THEM! They were put back in the Sale Section but they were definitely there. Both sizes!

Had I been able to crawl through the phone, I would honestly have hugged her to death! She found my dresses! My Dresses! After that fiasco, well, I wasn't letting these dresses get away from me this time. These dresses were Mine! All Mine! The voices in my head stopped. I knew that I had to get them. This was God saying... Get these dresses. How many times must I find them and put them on hold for you before you get them??? Just Get The Dresses Now! So I did.

And I got a couple more. Besides the Monochromatic Dress in a size 8 and a size 10, I also purchased the Bull's Eye Dress in a size 6 (let's hope this fits) and the Chiffon and Tweed Dress in a size 8 and a 10 (I understand that it fits small).

I have come to the conclusion that I am completely insane. Completely Certifiably Insane! Besides my darling readers, I truly wonder, how many other people honestly know how insane I really am? Hmmmmm.....I wonder.

Anyway, here's today's purchases:

Monochromatic Corset Dress - Size 8 and 10

Chiffon and Tweed Dress - Size 8 and 10

Bull's Eye Dress - Size 6

Let's just hope that these dresses now fit. It would sooooooo suck if they don't!

OOTD

2009-11-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

I honestly wish that it would stop pissing down rain. But then again, rain's better than West Coast wet heavy snow so, ..... on second thought, rain is A-okay with me. Here's today's rain-inspired outfit.

Blouse: Club Monaco

Cardigan: J Crew

Belt: F21

Pants: Reitmans'

Necklace: J Crew

Boots: Nine West

Sorry this is so late in the day. Have a fantabulous Tuesday lovelies! Only 4 more days to the weekend.

Anthropologie - A Few Pretty Wants

2009-11-30T16:40:00.001-08:00

Waltzing Daphne Blouse.

I love this blouse. It's so pretty yet so delicate.
For some reason, it reminds me of a Japanese Garden.

Embroidered Thicket Blouse

I love the Waltzing Daphne Blouse but ...
I L.O.V.E. the Embroidered Thicket Blouse.
The details are absolutely amazing. One word. WOW!

Vines & Buds Cardigan

What a pretty cardi! I love the color combination of
Taupe with orange and cream and olive AND the baby blue.
How unexpected and so very very pretty.
Certainly possesses influences of Oilily. Me want!

Gumshoe Sweater Coat

I own it in the Purple. But look at the Wine! What a stunning color!
I have yet to wear my Purple. Should I return the purple and get the Wine?

Skyfall Dress

Loved it the first time it popped up on the site.
Loved it even more in Roxy's review here. I'm loving this dress!

Horizon Line Dress

Love the Scalloped hemline. Furthermore, I love Orange.
The Orange-Scalloped combination is killer!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2009-11-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

I know it's a tad early to put up the tree and to decorate for the holidays but we kinda had to do it tonight because we're entertaining the next 3 Saturdays straight and if we didn't do it tonight, we're simply just not going to be able to do it at all.

We flip flop between a real tree and an artificial tree. This year, we decided to use our artificial tree since it's going to be almost impossible to have a real tree up for 4 weeks. Moreover, no one's selling real trees yet.

Our tree is primarily decorated with Handmade Ornaments purchased from Craft Sales. I love Craft Sale ornaments. I can remember the very first Craft Sale ornament I picked up many years back. It's a teeny tiny baby Jesus wrapped up in swadling cloth lying on hay in a little rattan donut with a curly metal wire and a star attached to the end and the word "Joy" on the star. To this day, I still love that ornament. But tonight, I found the little star lying at the bottom of my ornament box. The little "Joy" star fell off! I glued it back immediately and once again, looking at it, it brought a smile to my face.

My favorite ornament is one that I call ... "My Crazy Angel". It's a little handmade cloth angel with twigs for wings and tuffs of wool for hair. It's sooooo ugly that it's downright cute. I bought her the same time I got my Baby Jesus ornament.

I don't know about you but I love unwrapping the ornaments each year for they bring back fond memories... like the Golf Clubs and Golf Shoes ornaments I purchased for Honey the one year we were at Niagara-On-The-Lake or the hand-carved Wooded Reindeer with only 3 legs. ... it did have 4 legs originally but one fell off and for the life of me, I never did find it and so it will remain my weird 3 legged Reindeer forever.

The holiday season is just waaaaay too short in my opinion and I just want to cherish each and every moment of it. And so tonight my friends, my holiday season begins as I put on my first Christmas CD of the season and hang my last ornament on the tree.

This is the start of my most favorite season of the year. Enjoy this most blessed of seasons my lovelies.

OOTD: Anthropologie - Color Drenched Dress

2009-11-25T20:12:00.000-08:00

I fell in-love with this dress when I saw it on Kim at Anthroholic here. I knew right then and there that I needed to get it. It looks fantastic on her and I was hoping that it would do the same for me... and in my humble opinion, I think it did it's job. :)

I have on the size 4. Knowing that this dress fits large, I ordered the size 2 and then called back to add the size 4... just in case I didn't fit the size 2. Well, they both arrived and yes, this dress fits large. I was certainly able to fit into the size 2 very nicely but decided to keep the size 4 instead. Which reminds me that I must still return the size 2.

Anyway, the reason I kept the 4 instead of the 2 is that the 2 was just a tad too short for my liking and I'm just not that comfortable wearing it that short. The 1/2 inch difference in the length made a huge difference for me.

Anyway, I wore this to work and received numerous compliments on it. Everyone I met loved the lace trim on the bottom of the dress. They found it most unusual yet stunning. And this is how I wore it:

Dress: Color Drenched Dress, Anthro

Sweater: J Crew Lea Merino

Jewelry: J Crew Acorn Necklace

Tights: Calvin Klein Microfiber Tights

Shoes: J Crew

Shoe Overboard!!! Advise Needed Please.

2009-11-23T14:01:00.001-08:00

Mary Anne Mary Jane (Caramel)
by Connie
$58.00

*** Note: The pictures above are NOT the color of the shoes I bought. The style is exact but I purchased mine in a Caramel shade. Sorry, I just couldn't find a picture showing the caramel color.

Brenda (Black)
by Connie
$40.00

Essence (Dark Grey Suede)
by Franco Sarto
$91.00

Orianna (Black Suede)
by Calvin Klein
$126.00

Rocco (Taupe)
by Fergalicious
$65

Rocco (Black)
by Fergalicious
$65

I've gone a little Shoe Crazy in the last couple of days and I need your help.

Which of these should I keep and which should I return?

I've noticed that I have a ton of plain pointy-toed shoes and I don't want pointy-toed shoes anymore. I'm tired of them and I want new round-toed shoes with details. Lots of pretty details.

Cute, darling, round-toed Mary Jane Shoes or T-Strap Shoes that make my feet look small and dainty, so grown up yet so girly.

So, I went shoe shopping and shoe shopping I did! I ended up with 6 pairs of shoes.

The reality is, I cannot possibly keep all 6 pairs. That's just tooooooo insane! So, I've decided that I will keep 3 pairs. But which 3??? Please help me decide.

Do I keep the...

Mary Anne Mary Janes by Connie? They are all leather in a delicious Caramel shade with cut-outs in the front. I really like these because they remind me of something I might find at Anthropologie. They are somewhat eclectic yet preppy. I really like these.
Brenda Round Toe, Stack Heel Pumps by Connie? These are basic black pumps. I like the round toe and the Stack Heel and I was thinking of going to the Cobbler and getting him to sew on heavy Grosgrain Ribbons on them so that I'm able to tie them into a bow thus creating a ribbon-tied Mary Jane style. I like these because they are cheap and because I can turn these into a pretty ribbon-tied Mary Jane style.
Essence by Franco Sarto. I really need a pair of Grey shoes. I don't like the 2 that I current own and I want new ones. I like the suede on these. I also like the round toe and the mary jane style. The heel too is very cute. But they're not cheap. They're not expensive but they're not cheap. They are, however, comfortable and very pretty on.
Orianna by Calvin Klein. These are very pretty. They make me feel all grown up. They are dressy and classic. But they are the most expensive of the bunch. They are regular $148 and are currently 15% off.... and that's the only reason why I got them. While they are pretty, they do not have a round toe, per se. The toe is Almond shape but I love that long, sleek stack heel.
Rocco in Taupe by Fergalicious. I never thought that I would like a T-Strap but I really do. They are soooo cute and somewhat unusual. T-Straps haven't quite caught on yet and I soooo want a pair. The heels are high, high, high but there's a built-in platform on the front of the shoe so the heels ends up being only 3.25" tall - which is soooo manageable. I like the Taupe but don't know if I will get as much use from it as i would the black.
Rocco in Black by Fergalicious. The black is so practical. I can soooo see myself wearing these with so much in my closet. But these aren't leather. They're pleather and at $65, that's pretty expensive plastic.

So, what do you think? Which shoes should I keep and which should I return? I would like to keep a pair of black ones for sure. I think the grey would work nicely in my closet as well and so would the caramel. But I also like the taupe T-Strap. Do I get Mary Janes, T-Straps or plain jane regular pump style? Do I get ribbon ties put into the cheap Connie pumps thus creating my own style?

Your opinions are appreciated. Please chime in. :)

Anthro Monochromatic Corset Dress

2009-11-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

I soooooo WANT, WANT, WANT, WANT, WANT this dress.

Isn't it simply stunning? It is borderline costumie yet so very chic. I fell in love with this dress several weeks back while perusing the Anthro website but at the full price of $188, I was certainly NOT buying it. But then...

It went on Sale. TODAY. It's now $99.95. And all of a sudden, I can justify buying it ... even though I still have no place to wear it to.

However, my intent is to wear this to work. I honestly think it could work. Originally I thought of throwing a black cardigan over it but that would completely hide the fantastic lace-up corset work on the back of the dress...

And then, it suddenly dawned on me. I would actually pair this dress with a tissue-weight long sleeved T-Neck top, black opaque tights and a pair of black high-heeled Mary Janes. I saw the perfect pair of Calvin Klein Mary Janes the other day that's calling my name as I walked by. When I get this dress (and trust me, it'll be very soon for I currently have a couple of sizes on hold) I will have to run out and buy me those very chic CK MJs.

I honestly think the Black T Neck would make this dress more wearable during the day, don't you agree? How else would you consider making this dress Office appropriate without detracting from the design?

I understand from the reviews that this dress runs small - at least 1 or 2 sizes smaller than usual. So my next question is, what size should I get? I'm so new to Anthropologie so I haven't quite figured out my size yet. But it would appear that I'm between a 4 and a 6 - depending ont he design. So, should I just get the 8 then? Have you tried this dress on? What size would you recommend I order?

Anthro Wants

2009-11-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Oooooh! It's like Christmas. Well, it feels like Christmas when you wake up to find that Anthro's having another Mark-Down! Yay!!!!

So here are a few things I'm soooooo scoping. Should I? Should I?

Monochromatic Corset Dress
Was $188
Now $100

Bull's Eye Dress
Was $158
Now $80

Ruffles Upon Ruffles Tee
Was $78
Now $40

Are you coveting these items as well? What did you buy?

OOTD

2009-11-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

My apologies that this is a day late. Here's Casual Friday's OOTD.

Sweater: J Crew

Tank: J Crew

Belt: J Crew

Necklace: Forever 21

Pants: Old Navy

Shoes: Franco Sarto

Anthropolgie - Organize Chaos Tank

2009-11-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

As promised, here's a few IRL pictures of the Organize Chaos Tank.

I purchased it about a week ago during a visit to Anthropologie at U Village.

This tank fits true to size. I normally wear a size XS in J Crew and have found that I wear between a Small and an XS at Anthropologie - depending on the design.

I purchased this tank in a XS. I would have prefered to have gotten a Small but unfortunately, there were no small sizes left. There was a Medium which I tried on and it made me look very, very w i d e. I then tried on the XS and found that while it fits nicely, it was just a tad snugger than I would normally wear my clothes. But since there was no smalls to be had, I purchased the XS.

The fabric is very soft and very comfortable. The ruffles are only found on the front while the back is a solid piece of fabric. I really like that the back has no ruffles for it allows the top to follow the curves of one's body.

The top is a classic tank style in the front but has "sundress" like straps on the back.

From what I can see, it came in 2 colorways - the brown and the black. I would have liked to have gotten the brown as well but again, that wasn't available and both colors are sold out online.

I can certainly see myself wearing this all year round; with a cardigan over top in the cooler months and on it's own in the warmer months. It looks as pretty with a skirt as it does with pants.

I wore this to work on Thursday and received numerous compliments on it. Details on my outfit follows the pictures below.

Enjoy the pictures.

And here's what I wore to work on Thursday:

Top: Anthropologie Organize Chaos Tank

Cardigan: J Crew

Jewelry: Forever 21

Pants: Banana Republic

Shoes: Nine West Ankle Booties

Club Monaco - Extra 25% off off Sale

2009-11-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Starting Today - November 12 to Monday, November 16. Unfortunately my US friends, it's CANADA ONLY.

A Few Anthro Lusts

2009-11-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Like those delicate shiny balls on a Christmas Tree, these little heirlooms are begging to be brought home and treasured.

Garnet Glow Dress

$188

Glimmering Magnolia Dress

$188

Snow Queen Dress

$288

(I Want, I Want, I Want this dress. I have no where to go but I want this dress!!!)

Scalloped Dots Skirt

$98

Daisy Quarters Skirt

$248

Pressed Buds Cardi

$248

Are any of the darling items on your Lust List?

A First!!!

2009-11-09T16:01:00.001-08:00

It's happened! I've finally had my first Anthropologie experience!

Don't get me wrong. I've looked at the site many times before but for some reason, have never pulled the purchase trigger. I've even been to Anthropologie once before.... last summer, that was. I stepped in the store, looked around, tried on a couple of dresses, found nothing that fit me and left.

And then, last Thursday, during Kitty's term break, during a visit to Anthropologie at U Village, I made my very first ever Anthropologie purchase.

Actually, I bought 2 things but it's really just counts as my first purchase.

Since I'm still somewhat new to Anthropologie, I should mention that I just love the store. I love the eclecticness of the clothes, jewelry and the furnishings. It's so quaint and precious yet modern with a twist.

Anyway, after trying on about a dozen items, I finally settled on 2 pieces. The Organize Chaos Tank in the black and white colorway and the Endless Pleats Cardigan in black. I would have purchased the Teal but unfortunately that was sold out. But the Black was very flattering and showed off my curves nicely.

Endless Pleats Cardigan

Organize Chaos Tank

I hope to take a few IRL pictures over the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

I honestly hope my Anthropologie visit does not turn into another one of my obsessions.

In my next life...

2009-11-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

Organza poulette party dress

$995.00 item 20964

If I returned as an ostrich, this is exactly how I imagine I would look like.

FREE SHIPPING! @ Forever 21

2009-10-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

I've turned into a bit of a Forever 21 freak lately, thanks to Chloe, ABC and Anthroholic.

While I love quality, the reality is that, I can get 3 quantities for the price of 1 quantity. That's right, I can buy 3 F21 tops for the price of 1 J Crew top... as such, I've been stocking up on F21 instead.

So, when I got this email today telling me that they're offering Free Shipping with NO MINIMUM, well.... I just had to share it with everyone.

But please don't make the same mistake I did. I didn't read the fine print and tried to put an order through today and couldn't quite understand why the heck the system wouldn't remove my shipping. So I called F21's Customer Service line and was told that the Free Ship offer starts tomorrow... Oct 31, 2009. Silly me!!!

To get free shipping, please be sure to use this code: F21FRIENDS

Free Shipping with NO Minimum ends November 2, 2009 at 11:59pm PST. Good in the US and in Canada! Enjoy!!!

Olympic Gold Medal Plates - An Evening to Remember???

2009-10-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

My wonderful readers had told me to go in a Cocktail dress... but for some reason, I decided that I was going to wear a long formal gown. That was, until 10pm on Thursday night - 2 minutes to bedtime, when Honey said the dreaded words...."you're not going to be wearing that, are you?"

Don't you just love those words? Words that make the hair on the back of my neck stand-up and go "What's wrong with what I'll be wearing???!!!"

Long story short, I decided to wear what all my wonderful readers suggested. A LBD - strapless that is, with an A-line skirt and tone on tone sequins and embroidery down one side of the dress and along the front and back of the hem.

It was understated and elegant. And seeing that the event took place right after work, most of the other women too were wearing their LBD. There were about a handful of women who wore long gowns... which made me turn to my husband and say, "I'm glad that I didn't wear my long dress." ... of which I immediately regretted because he turned and said, "And you think I know nothing about fashion!". Pfffffff!!!

We got to the Westin Bayshore at 5:15pm - just in time for the VIP Cocktail Reception. Unbeknownst (don't you just love that word???!!!) to me, not everyone was invited to the Reception, we were, because we were guests of one of the Sponsors. We had some wine and some appetizers before we headed to the hall where the Gold Medal Plates were held.

I was originally told that dinner was sit-down - but I was obviously misinformed for dinner was far from sit down. It was more like ... herding cattle - only with amazing food and drinks.

There were a total of 10 stations - one for each of the competing chefs. The chefs had to come up with a dish to complement a particular bottle of wine. No 2 chefs had the same wine.

We then moved from one station to another - getting a substantial wine taster and a plate of the chef's creation. I remember the first 3 stations vividly - unfortunately as the number of wine tasters increased, the faster my memory faded - so much so that I cannot remember what Rob Feenie created that evening. I remember his palette cleanser Sorbet but not the actual dish. Sad isn't it? It's even more sad seeing that Rob Feenie won the Gold Medal of the evening and despite reports of what he created, I simply cannot remember the dish.

How embarassing!

Some of the evening's highlights. I met Tracy Cameron - Women's Rowing Bronze Medalist in Beijing. I even got to hold her Olympic Bronze Medal in my hand. I was suprised at how heavy it was. I was also very suprised to see that it wasn't all bronze and that it was inlaid with jade. It was absolutely beautiful - and likely the only time I will ever hold an Olympic medal in my hands.

I also met Steve Podborski, downhill skier, Silver Olympic Medalist. Seeing that my glass was empty, he offered to get me another glass of wine. What a sweetheart! Honey thought he was flirting with me. He was just being nice, I'm sure.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening and what an experience to be had! (I just wish I that remembered it all)

To whom it may concern....

2009-10-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

With respect to the email you sent me today at the office, it of my opinion that you are:

Mean-spirited
Petty
Immature
Unprofessional
Unkind
Biased
Incompetent
Overly-Emotional
Unlevelheaded
A Big Bully

Before you start accusing me of any wrong-doing, you might want to do some research. Hearsay is NOT research. You need a reliable source. Your current source of information is suspect.

Instead of accusing me of any wrong doing, why don't you first begin by asking me for my side of the story. That's your downfall. Your immediate assumption that everyone is out to get you is so wrong. I am sadden for you.

I honestly was going to say, KISS MY ASS! But I won't stoop to your level. So I'm just going to ignore your email.

Should I or Should I Not?

2009-10-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with this. Isn't it lovely? The Gumshoe Sweatercoat is calling my sweet name. Should I buy it or should I not? It's going to look just darling on me... I just know it!

What should I do?

Fashion Advise Needed Please

2009-10-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

URGH! I need help.

I just found out that Honey and I will be attending the Gold Medal Plates Fund-Raiser on Friday, October 23, 2009. It all sounded awesome and amazing until I realized that ..... it's this Friday. 4 days from today! Eeeeek!

What is the Gold Medal Plate? click here for more info

Gold Medal Plates is the ultimate celebration of Canadian Excellence in cuisine, wine, entertainment and athletic achievement. Celebrating in six cities across Canada in 2009, Gold Medal Plates will feature superb wines and the premier chefs in each city, paired with Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes, in a competition to crown a gold, silver and bronze medal culinary team in each city, and subsequently nation-wide.

Founded in 2003, the goal of Gold Medal Plates is to raise substantial funds for Canada's high performance athletes, while celebrating Canadian excellence. Since 2004, this event has received tremendous support and accolades all across Canada, and generated a combined net total of $2.8 million for Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes!

The competing chefs include:

Angus An, Gastropod Catering & Maenam Restaurant
Andrea Carlson, Bishop's
Rob Feenie, Cactus Club
Don Letendre, Elixir
Dale MacKay, Lumiere
Tobias McDonald, La Belle Auberge
Pino Posteraro, Cioppino
Dino Renaerts, Diva at the Met
Vikram Vij, Vij's
James Walt, Araxi

I'm soooo psyched about this event. It'll be like Iron Chef on Steriods! All of these chefs are amazing! And.... Rob Feenie competed and won Iron Chef America! I can't wait to eat their creations, that's for sure!!!

So what's my issue?

My issue is this. Honey got the tickets today and it reads "Black Tie" or Cocktail attire. There is a VIP Cocktail Reception, formal sitdown dinner and Silent Auction, all to be had on this evening. The event starts at 5:15pm and I have to go directly from work.

So, my question is, should I go Black Tie - ie. long formal gown, or cocktail dress? The invite also reads to wear Red to show support of our Olympians. I don't own a red dress and I'm not about to run out an buy one ... just for this event.

We're also expecting Rain on Friday... so trudging around downtown from the office to my car is going to be a bitch in a long formal gown.

What should I wear? HELP!!!

This is sooooo WRONG on sooooo many levels!

2009-10-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Giverny Day Coat

We chose an Italian mill renowned for its artistic forte to create this Impressionist-inspired wool just for us. The silhouette is clean and cropped with minimal seaming (a work of art in itself). Wool blend. Shawl collar. Removable and adjustable self-belt. Bracelet sleeves. Back vent. Fully lined. Hits just below hip. Part of the J.Crew Collection. Import. Dry clean.

A work of art. Okay... I'll give JCrew that. I guess Art is truly in the eye of the beholder. And since I can't appreciate it, I guess I must be uncultured. Oh well.....I can live with that.

This coat is soooooo wrong in soooo many levels. At first glance, I thought that it was a cropped jacket - which lead me to think "why would anyone want to buy a cropped Winter Jacket?". Then it dawned on me that, Nooooooooo, it's not a cropped jacket, it's actually a coat with a different colored lower half - which lead me to think, Oh My Gosh! How ugly is that???!!!

And that doesn't even take into account the sleeves. Here's a coat with cropped sleeves. Who in their right mind (okay, maybe if you live in a warm clime), would spend $695.00 on a coat that has cropped sleeves ... AND looks downright U.G.L.Y. (it ain't got no alibi), it's UGLY!

Call it art, Call it whatever. I'll call it, I won't be buying this for sure ... even at 99% off!

Care to pipe your thoughts about this item? I'd love to hear them.