Moving Minnies into Fall...

J Crew Minnies (#18850, $79.50). Do I really need to wax poetic about them again? Fun in the warm weather with a tee and flats or sandals. But now that the weather is getting cooler (I say ironically as we are going to have a high of 74 degrees today)...such a great fall/winter pant. Yes, they are cropped as can be on me...but that's why God invented boots. Or someone did.

I took an 8 in the Minnies, and they have worked quite well. I *did* wash them - both pairs (coal & black) last week and they bounced back just fine. I did a delicate wash with some other dark clothes (like fine gauge sweaters and tissue tees) and used Woolite - or rather Target's generic version. Then I put them in the dryer for about 5 minutes on fluff and laid flat on a drying rack. I don't think they shrank at all; they just went back to original shape. So yes, you can wash your Minnies - this may be especially good news for those of you who got the british khaki color. Also, in case you didn't read it here or elsewhere already, they are available in store in navy.

Here are a couple of my latest Minnie looks for fall.


(left) Wednesday, 10/14 - Cool day but not too cold, so still sticking the ballet flats. This sweater is one of the cuddliest I own - from Ann Taylor Holiday 2007. It's just like a big hug. Pairing it with a more fitted tee and the black skinny Minnies helps manage the bulk.



10/14/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

(middle 2 pics) Thursday, 10/15 - Cold & rainy (the start of the weekend deluge...) All I can tell you is that my feet stayed warm and dry all day in the Minnies & boots. So comfy! And the Minnies stayed totally tucked into the boots all day. Will be a winter staple, that's for sure. Here I have the chunky star cable popover with the coal Minnies. I have to say that I am thrilled with this outfit. You know how you try on a piece of clothing and sometimes you have an instant outfit pictured in your mind? When I first tried on the Minnies, this was the exact outfit I pictured. Hope you like it...you'll be seeing it a lot this winter. I do love the bracelet sleeves of this sweater - perfect for showing off something sparkly (just like the one in my giveaway - have you entered?), but a long sleeve tee or turtle will later perfectly underneath later when it's colder. And that's the Kate Spade purse I got at the outlet last December. I have no idea what it's name is or whether it's "real" retail or outlet only, but I love the combo of the brown leather with the dark brown patent trim. And it's lined in leopard, so it's always fun to peek inside. (and dina will probably fuss if I forget to mention the Dina hoops, so yes, I am wearing them too.)

10/15/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew


Saturday, 10/17 - Still cold, raining, etc, etc, etc.... Minnies & boots again for sure! This time, coal Minnies with black boots - plus cream cashmere long sleeve tee. Again, my toesies were warm & dry all day long, thank you very much. Kept the jewelry simple with stud earrings and a pocket watch necklace - mine is from AT Loft a couple of years ago. And yes, I'm pretty sure I had at least 3 cups of tea that day.

10/17/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew

Up tomorrow...Minnies for 80-degree days. Just kidding...I think it's only supposed to get to 79.

You May Be Right...I May Be Crazy...

Yes, today, I wore white jeans... on a rainy day... with a puppy. (But it just might be a lunatic you're looking for...) Ok, I'll stop quoting Billy Joel songs. So here's the thing, you know I just recently ordered the J Crew chunky star cable popover sweater. And ohhhh, it's so soft (by now, you all know how tactile I am). So I was kinda waiting for a chilly, rainy spring day to try it out. And dark jeans just looked too winter-y with it.

So I'm not going to complain about the rain. I got so much gardening done this weekend in the beautiful weather we had. Would much prefer the rain today... And I got to wear the new sweater. Oh yeah, I do have a 17-week-old Labradoodle puppy...in the rain and the mud. Well, what can I say. The sweater was fabulous. And the white jeans made it until 4:00, so 7 hours of wear. And it actually wasn't muddy paws that did me in, it was some tummy dirt - didn't dry her off well enough. My bad. Jeans have been sprayed with Shout and are sitting in the washer soaking. They'll be fine.

So as I got dressed, I realized how many different accessories would work with the sweater. Oooh, this is going to be fun, come fall! It shows off bracelets really well, but I opted for no bracelets since I was up at school volunteering in kids' classes this morning. And quite a few of the chunky necklaces worked too, including the Erickson Beamon bubble necklace. But I chose a gold and pearl chunky necklace, detail at the right. It was actually my grandmother's (my mom's mom, who passed away this fall). The value is sentimental, not monetary. It works really well layered with the J Crew twisted crystal necklace. The full story is that after my grandmother passed away, my mom put together some of her costume jewelry for E to use for dress-up, and I actually swiped a few necklaces from the stash that are fun (like the turquoise beads I wear).

Polyvore for today:

Wearing Today-You May Be Right...I May Be Crazy-04/20/09 by HeidiGblog featuring Old Navy tank tops

And wet dog pic for the day: (BTW, she doesn't get to hang out on the bathroom rug anymore because today Lucy discovered the fun contained in a roll of toilet paper. Yeah... that was entertaining. One more door to keep closed.

J Crew Cotton-Cashmere Bouquet Cardigan

The sun finally arrived back in town today. Welcome, stranger! April showers bring...flowers...on your sweater? Clearly in my world, anything is possible. Anyway, thought I would pull out the J Crew Cotton-Cashmere Bouquet Cardigan that I got last Friday. (#12728, orig $78, curr $59.50 online, in store $49.99 + Mickey's 25% card)

So my original idea was to copy the look above, with my yellow Anthro limon necklace, lighter jeans, and well, add a tank because, um, yeah, you all don't want me flashing belly. So I went with that. But I'll be honest, partway through the day, I swapped out the necklace for my twisted crystal necklace doubled with my Anthro typeset initial necklace and put my hair up in a ponytail. I don't think my yellow worked as well with the putty cardi as the sour lemon color of the necklace in the catalog pic. Plus, this is so much better with hair up if you have longer hair to really show off the pretty pretty bouquet. (and I don't have the fab wavy beachy hair of the model) But...I did try. And I love the cardi. So happy. Perfect weight for a day like today.

First try (that yellow necklace just does not photograph well against my skin) and trying to make sure the hair does not cover the bouquet:

And adjusted:

Polyvore Set of all the day's variations:

Wearing Today-04/16/09 by HeidiGblog featuring J Crew sweaters

In other news, here's a peek at the J Crew Chunky Star Cable Popover sweater. I am so going to love this in colder weather. Although, honestly, I almost could have worn it this morning when it was on the chilly side. It is so not itchy at all. Just completely, totally soft. Love love love. And did you notice the cutie kangaroo pocket?

And since Lucy was being a pain while I was doing pics, I grabbed her for a quick shot. Look how she's grown!

Final Look at Lenten Shopping Ban, and a Look at the J Crew Short Sleeve Broadcloth Stretch Shirt

Well, as I said before, I just didn't do as well as I'd hoped to on my Lenten shopping ban. I was so good for so long. I think I could easily do a month again, but after that, it gets hard. I started down the slippery slope with the DC JCA outing. It was fab, but I did make a few decisions there that, at the time, in my gut, I knew were the wrong ones. I also should have actually made more of a list of what I was looking for, because that got me when I did returns/exchanges.

I went to JC last Friday - on Good Friday, no less - as I told you all. I did get the Cotton Cashmere Bouquet Cardigan (#12728, orig $78, curr $59.50 online, in store $49.99 + Mickey's 25% card) - which I am definitely keeping. Look for it here probably tomorrow. I got putty and I do love it. I have been loving my Library Shawl Cardi, and this is similar (knit & color), just more dressed up. (Back to Friday's Putty Question - what other colors do you like with putty, besides my usual white & navy?)

I returned the too-large Jackie cardi in misty lavender and they were out of M at the store. (See A Bigger Closet's post today - she is wearing this cardi with the shell and looks gorgeous!) And that sent me on a lavender hunt because I wanted that color. So then I ended up with the Short Sleeve Broadcloth Stretch shirt (#13326, $59.50), in sweet lavender, in a size 8, which is a size smaller than I usually take in shirts/jackets because of my broad shoulders. From the front it was ok. Then I went to take pics at home, and as you can see from the back, it's just not working. Those wrinkles are from me walking across the room from the camera after I hit the timer. Dina got it in the blue stripe at our DC JCA outing and is planning to wear as a little jacket. It looked fantastic on her I would like to wear it open or closed. And it's almost $60. Ok...$45 with the Mickey card. But considering how much I *HATE* to iron and given my usual style, I'm thinking this should really go back - and not just to exchange for a size 10.

In the end, I was able to order via red phone, with my 25% off, thank you very much since it was not in store, the Jackie cardi in M, so that should be on its way here shortly. I was just semi-flustered as I had the kiddies with me Friday, and I don't think I was making the best choice for me. What do you think about the lavender shirt? Especially since I was able to order the Jackie in my correct size and it shipped...

Of course, I wasn't done after the J Crew outing with the kids. As I posted about also on Friday, I had to go to Target to do Easter baskets and got sandals and a necklace, for a total of about $45 more, which is a bargain, but still...

And Sunday, I ordered from J Crew again. History - When I first started checking out the JCA blogs, I found Gigi's fabulous blog. And was so sad because she was on semi-hiatus when I found her. Thankfully for all of us, she came back after the holidays (collective cheer!!). Gigi is an encyclopedia of IRL pics of, well, everything. (and hilarious to boot!!) One of the sweaters that I always loved and coveted that she had tried on was the J Crew Chunky Star Cable Popover Sweater. As you are probably guessing, it popped up in the Sale section this weekend. I first saw it Saturday and tried to forget. Kept thinking about it. Checked size - L. Referred to Gigi's blog. She sized up, check. Told myself, as I was mulling it over in church on Easter, that if it was still around late in the afternoon, I would do it, and it would be a sign. (I'm very big on signs as you can probably tell - I've seen Sleepless in Seattle *way* too many times.) And did I mention it was $49.99, down from originally $128? Yep, I ordered it. Expect to see it here when it arrives. And if the order mysteriously cancels, and JC orders are wont to do? Yep, again, a sign, and I won't look for it again. (Update - as I was typing this, I got the email that it shipped. yes, a sign. and yes, I know I need to own my actions more - see note at bottom about extending my ban)

All of which brings me to....I am going to extend my shopping ban a little longer. I think I need to continue the re-focus a bit as I have clearly gotten off-track. Plus given the vet visit this week with Lucy, I'll be dropping enough money there. I do think this isn't a short trip. It's a journey towards a better understanding of self and habits.

Maybe I was a little nutty because the kids have been home for a week, but they do go back to school tomorrow. My eating habits haven't been so stellar this week either. Not too bad, but not where they should be. So I will continue to work towards my goal of a better and more balanced me. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

Don't forget, input requested on (1) colors to wear with the putty sweater and (2) thoughts on the shirt. Thanks!!