C is for Cashmere....(and cashmere is for me....)

Yes, I have kids but I remember Cookie Monster's song from when I was little.  Well...as a grown-up...today it was "c is for cashmere".  Fall has officially arrived - with cold and rain.  Down to the 40's tonight.  Yeeps.  We actually turned the heat on tonight and I gave our bed its usual fall makeover, swapping out the percale sheets and thermal blanket for flannel sheets, fuzzy blanket and a down quilt on top.  Yum...can't wait to go to bed tonight.

It was definitely a day where I was thankful that I do work from home, as I was hanging out in a big cozy sweatshirt.  And then tonight, I had a PTA chair dinner to attend, so cashmere was the only way to go.   Out came last winter's dark slate cashmere turtleneck (yes, I was that chilly, size M btw) plus black Minnies (8T) and black Born Lovely flats, and a stack full of bracelets - crystal shapes, gold link, crystal supernova.  It gave a little sparkle to the outfit.  (Any sparkle will do. It's a great base outfit for pretty much any kind of accessorizing.) 

Then some gold hoops and a ponytail and I was good to go.  Anyone else read the Percy Jackson series?  Yes, I am a 38-year-old woman and I like to read some juvenile fiction.  I say it's just because of the kids...  Anyway, in the 3rd or 4th book, where the author starts talking about the "Party Ponies"?  Always makes me think of this hairdo.  It's my party pony (in other words, my hair's been down all day and I need to do something different with it).

To recap the evening - lots of fun catching up with friends.  And I stayed cozy the whole time.  Success!  I may have to pick up another one this season.  I'm digging that heather cobblestone and heather saddle color.  Sigh, I know, more neutrals.  Maybe I need to swing over to the warm honey.  We'll see.  But it's late and I'm itching to crawl into my cozy bed.  Good night!

Polyvore from this evening:

10/4/10 by HeidiGblog featuring crystal bracelets

The DC JCAs Go Legal

Saturday night, a group of DC JCAs decided to gather for dinner, even though it was technically a few days before the next JC release. Plus it was Slastena's birthday (see her post here - I feel honored to be a part of the best birthday ever). And we do love to celebrate...

Let me say, first of all, major kudos to Legal Seafood at Tysons Galleria. I love them anyway because they have the best rolls and they are the *only* place around here where I can reliably find steamer clams on a regular basis - and they are probably my fave seafood ever from years of eating them at the Lake in CT when we would visit my grandparents. It was the Friday night standard...steamers out on the big picnic table, overlooking the lake.

But back to Legal...we had originally planned to meet at Coastal Flats at regular Tysons until I called and the hostess told me that they can't accommodate a party of 9 at 1 table. So we pretty much switched to Legal at the 11th hour. When Rosa and I got there at 4:30, they were able to give us a table for 9 at 5:00, our meeting time. Then, when Slastena arrived with 2 more friends in tow, they expanded our table - graciously and smoothly and without complaint.

Summerilla needed to be gluten-free. Not only did they have a gluten-free menu, they had gluten-free rolls, the manager served her food personally just to assure there was no cross-contamination, and she even had gluten-free croutons on her Caesar salad. (See her post for pics.)

Then Cleo had some issues with her fish being overdone, and they were actually, *gasp*, interested and concerned. Speaking of Cleo, she (finally) just started her own blog, which we are all very excited about. Check out Trousseau Adventures here.

And at the end of dinner....the checks...yes, I just said "checks." With an "s" at the end. The waitress, without us asking, gave us all separate checks (except for me & dinagideon, since we split the Dover sole). How easy for us!!!

So again, not to fawn too much over the restaurant, but steamers & rolls aside, that was one of the best customer experiences I've had in a while. Bravo! I'll definitely be back.

Outfit-wise...charcoal cashmere turtleneck, black TALL Minnies (how I adore thee), gray fireball beaded necklace (aka the Ugly Betty necklace), gray beaded bracelet, clementine pearl garden bracelet, and Born Lovely flats. Comfy outfit for the evening. And blah, blah, blah...back to the outing.

And what JCA meal is complete without a little shopping? After dinner, we headed right across the hall to J Crew, natch. Once in, dinagideon spied the Crystal Rock Necklace discussed, I mean dissed, on the mothership last week. (#26074, $128) Well, of course she had to try it on. Not only were the proportions *perfect* on her frame, but the colors were absolutely gorgeous with her outfit. Simply stunning in person, the picture doesn't even do it justice. Granted, if we put this on darling, petite Rosa, she might have tipped over. But don't let me talk you into it...dinagideon is hoping you stay far, far away so that this necklace will go on sale and she can scoop it up for a deal. Now shoo...all of you.

The canvas shopping totes were hot items for purchase this time. Me? I picked up an Anthropologie top on sale that I tried on when Rosa and I popped in there before dinner.

And of course, there's always time for a group picture after shopping...

From left, Cleo, Kelly, Rosa in DC, 3-Penny Princess, dinagideon, me, Summerilla, Drewablank.

Thanks for a great evening, ladies!!

Polyvore from Saturday:

02/20/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Thanks for the Mammogram, Ma'am

I still need to catch up on blog reading in a BIG way, and have several posts to do, but thought this was important enough to trump both of those. On Tuesday, I had my first mammogram.

Yay. I know...funny word. It usually conjures up funny cartoons of metal vices and all that. But let's get real, ladies. It's important. A lot of my friends (via request from their doctors) are starting to get an initial baseline mammogram before they turn 40.

I realize there was all the hoohah and what not about the "study" (I use the term loosely) that came out this past fall from the U.S. Preventative Studies Task Force (don't get me started on that name) that women don't need mammograms until age 50. Now, speaking as a math major and former actuary, I can relate an old saying...there are 3 kinds of lies: Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. (I love math humor, don't you? It's just so ridiculously dorky.)

Conveniently enough, a new study from the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) came out (oh, you mean the people who do this for a living?) - the day before I was scheduled - affirming that the original guidelines were correct, that the screenings do save lives, and that the previous November study was flawed. You can read all about the newest/original guidelines here.

Gigi had a fantastic post back in mid-December on health, especially on women's health. I assume most (all) of you read her blog religiously - but if you don't, you should read this. Now, I'm not a doctor and I don't pretend to be in spite of years of viewing ER and Grey's Anatomy. But I do trust my doctor. And if she recommends it, I'm going to do it. As Gigi discussed in her post and the resulting enlightening comment thread, and as I'll say here today - you need to take care of yourself. You need to be your own advocate. If you don't do it, who will? Don't let fear stand in your way, whatever your issue or issues may be. Sure some of these tests aren't as fun as a Saturday afternoon picnic, but they're ALL better than the alternative.

So you want the nitty gritty on the mammogram? Really, not that bad. (I understand the curvier ladies may disagree, but you all actually fill out your bathing suit tops, so we're even.) I will say that going to a Radiology center that uses digital imaging made for a less unpleasant experience. The tech (so nice, so kind, lots of explanation, very gentle) told me that with digital, you have 10 lbs less of pressure. I didn't ask how many pounds of pressure it actually was. The other advantage to digital is that they were able to read the images right there and give me my (all ok) results, so I didn't have to come back. Those of you in the DC area, I highly recommend Shady Grove Radiology in Germantown.

Honestly, I think getting dental Xrays is worse - ugh, those little rounded but sharp cardboard corners digging into my gums? I always have to ask for the numbing gel. Not that this is an excuse for neglecting your dental health. Links between gingivitis and heart disease...and all that.

What did I wear? Well, you keep your bottoms on, so it was boots for warmth and boyfriend jeans for comfort. Like I said, it wasn't *that* bad, but still...comfy bottoms help. And then a nice cozy cashmere turtleneck on top - yes, it feels just like a hug. This is the divine dark charcoal or dark slate? J Crew cashmere turtleneck (#99166, orig $158, got on promo for $99, online $119.99, some on FS+20% off in store for $99.99) that I got with some birthday money from my parents. Love love love this. I've probably worn it about 4 or 5 times in the last month (yes, I know, I've been bad on posting and on pics, but getting better now that the holiday are fini). I do love this charcoal/slate color that J Crew has.

Sizewise, I got an M. When I was at my B&M on Tuesday ( yes, errands after mammogram - lots to post on that soon), I tried a light gray on in store - I don't think it was the light heather gray that appears online - it seemed a good bit lighter than that, but I didn't look at the tag. Anyway, I felt the much lighter M in the cashmere turtleneck looked, er, lumpy on me...even with a cami. So, at $99.99, plus 20% off but FS, I left that one there. However, the dark gray is just fab. One of my fave JC colors. And I am so happy I got it. I know I should have done more accessory-wise that day, but didn't feel like it with the mammogram. Plus, with a yellow Winnie on top, who needs more? (I will note that it's a great backdrop for just about any necklace.)

So...to sum up...take care of you. Lecture over.

And Polyvore from Tuesday...

01/05/10 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew