White Spring

This is one of the dresses I bought the other week here. It is so comfy. The skirt has its own lining so it is not see through. I added a white scarf and my new favorite necklace on top of the scarf. The necklace is also a purchase from here. I like the touch of green brown with all white. I was going to wear denim sandals but liked the neutral effect of these tan colors instead. Since it was chilly in the morning I added my utility shirt and tied at the waist.

White Maxi Uress - from Turkey

White Scarf - Boutique in San Diego

Green Stone Necklace - from Turkey

Tan Sandals - Victoria's Secret Catalog

Utility Shirt - Gap

Today's Activities: Today was some kind of worker's holiday today and since the house we are staying at is very central all the propaganda was supposed to happen where we are. So, decided to leave the neighborhood early in the morning and escape to Grandpa's house. When we left at 10 AM the street was filled with hundreds of policemen. Spent the morning at Grandpa's area, took the kids to the boardwalk by the bay. They get a kick out of watching street kitties come and go. Since we lugged to CD players and two lullaby CDs both kids took good naps there. In the afternoon we strolled his neighborhood shops. My kids get so much attention because of their super blonde hair. They definitely look totally foreign but then my son speaks perfect Turkish so people love it. Later that day after dinner I took the kids home and then came back to Grandpa's house to hang with family and my older cousin visiting from Istanbul.

Pixie Dust

So, I wrote this combo on my list as pink skirt, navy vest and misc tee. So, in search of misc tee decided to go with this Tinker Bell t-shirt I bought last Sunday from the farmer’s market. I bought it to wear during one of my disney trips. Loved the bow in the back and the ruffle sleeves. It is original disney. Bought it for 5 TL which is $3.50. It is cute with th pink skirt. And I like how the ruffles peek out of the denim vest. The betsey charm necklace adds to the whimsicalness of the whole outfit.

Denim Vest – Forever 21

Tinker Bell T-shirt – Disney

Pink Skirt – Victoria’s Secret Catalog

Denim Sandals – Steve Madden

Charm Necklace – Betsey Johnson

Today’s Activities:

Left my daughter with the housekeeper and took my son to a Turkish Children’s play. It was more geared towards older children but my son loved it. It was the perfect combination of ‘talking’ and ‘singing and music’. My son is crazy about music so he loved it. And it was an educational play too. He sat through the whole thing and we walked all the way there and back without a stroller. In the afternoon took them out for ice cream then a trip to the toy store. Than killed an hour playing on the grass by the bay. Left them home with the nanny at night so I can visit and spend time with my Grandpa.

Grey and Blue

I feel like there was an inspiration for this combo but can’t remember when and where. I got this tee couple years ago from here (Turkey) . Can you tell I like graphic girl designs on tee’s. Love that this was is grey and black with a touch of red. The coral colored belt looks red when worn this tee. Wearing this combo with light blue pants is my ‘unexpected’ factor. I think it looks cool. The pants are old so they are a bit high rise which is cool cause that is making a comeback. The only problem is they are no belt loops so the belt moved a lot during the day and I had to keep adjusting. But the nice part of that was I didn’t have to unbuckle and buckle when going to the bathroom. Just pushed it up on my waist.

Again got my hair done professionally but don’t like this style as much. They only use a round brush and blow dryer here. No curling or flat irons. So, when you want a wavey look, you get these old fashioned curls. I think it will look better tomorrow, but next time I am asking for a flat look. Or I might take my flat iron with me. It is still less hassle than blow drying myself. This time I left at 9:30 AM while my family was still at home with the kids and was back before everyone sat down to breakfast.

 Grey Tee - from Turkey

Blue Pants - Ann Taylor

Coral woven stretch belt - Anthropologie

Black Sandals - Boutique 9

Chunky silver chain necklace - Off Fifth

Today’s Activities:

Had our first playdate in this country. My mom’s friend’s daughter (who is my age) lives 2 apartments down. She has a 6 year old son and a 3.5 year old daughter. The Daughter was at day care but the son was at home due to spring break. It was nice to be inside a house that was kid friendly with LOTS and LOTS of toys. My kids were on their best behavior since we arrived. Trevor did not even want to leave.

Unfortunately her son is not used to playdates as we are so he struggled a bit sharing his toys but we managed. We are going to try to see if her daughter will make a better playdate companion next time.

In the afternoon wen to our final Dr’s appt to confirm my daughter’s ear infection and allergic reactions are gone. Then visited my Grandpa with the kids for a few hours. To make it less tiring on him had a nanny take the kids downstairs for a little while to play outside. Had dinner there and came back before bedtime. Want to continue the ‘sleeping through the night’ trend for at least a week before trying anything new.

OBSERVATIONS:
I remember now how living in the city completely wears out your shoes 10 times as fast living in San Diego. I witnessed this when I lived in NYC after college and had forgotten. These black sandals which happen to be the most worn shoes since we came are already starting to look old and they were brand new!

City Sights

This is another one of those inspired combos. Inspiration photo below. I wore this top last month with boyfriend jeans. It felt more crop then but with these pants it was perfect. I even did the half tuck to expose the belt. Wore the flat sandals during the day and the heels at night. Didn't really need to chance shoes but I just love this with the heels so wore them just because. This necklace is a cheap one but like its look.
Have to do a short post today cause it is super late already...

Boxy red and white striped top - F21

Cargo Pants - Gap

Leather cognac colored belt - Limited

Heels - Michael Kors

Flats - Victoria's Secret

Necklace - Forever 21

White watch - Michael Kors

Today's Activities: Met family members to walk to the convention center and playground. In the afternoon finally did the horse carriage ride. My son has been seeing them line up a block from where we are staying. Had to leave the stroller at home so it was a tiring afternoon, but they loved it. My son kept thinking the cars were going to hit the horses. He kept yelling 'watch out horsies'. Another funny thing today, a little cat (there are lots of cats and dogs on the streets here) jumped in the stroller under seat basket area. We were able to get the kittie out. My son than got down to the cat's level and told him in Turkish that was not his stroller and he should go get in his own stroller. Then he knelt down even further and asked 'did you understand me' again in Turkish. It was hilarious.

Green Plums (and almonds)

So, I will explain my title at the end of the blog but since I wanted to talk about green plums I decided to wear green to go with that title. I bought this dress a few years ago from Mango when I was visiting Turkey again. My inspiration came from a style magazine talking about wearing a utility jacket over dresses. I love the idea and have many dresses to apply this concept to. This dress had a seflt bet but instead I used a soft black leather belt with a gold buckle to pick up the gold in the bib necklace. The black sandals look like boots which helps create the rugged look that goes with the utility jacket. This was one of my favorite combo's I packed for the trip. I initially tried wearing the dark grey skinny jeans under them cause the weather was a little chilly and the skirt was a bit too mini but it looked weird so just went with the original thought. Not sure if you noticed but my hair is blown dry professionally. I love that here. It is not really worth the effort to do it yourself. They have a hair dresser pretty much every corner. The pros take less than 10 or 15 minutes to blow dry your hair perfectly straight or wavey and charge as little as 5 TL which is $3.50! I mean who can beat that. Of course the challange is kids. So, I went when the kids were napping and there was someone home.
We visited the suburb town of my city Izmir which is called Karsiyaka. Rode the ferry which was fun for the kids. Met a relative there who took these great photos. Finally got some scenic photos. If only I had the time and someone to help I could take amazing photo shoots here for my outfits but it is a miracle as it is that I get to do take what I take.

Utility Shirt (worn as a jacket) - Gap

Green Jersey dress - Mango

Black leather belt - can't remember from where

Black Sandals - Boutique 9

Bib Gold/Silver bead necklace - Kohl's

Gold bracelet watch - Ed Hardy

Today's Activities: After another horrible night where my daughter woke up at 2 AM and never went back to sleep found the courage somehow to go with the plans already made. Took the ferry to the suburb town. That was interesting. We walked to the pier with the stroller, but to get on the ferry you have to climb 5 iron steps then make a small leap into the boat. Thank goodness there are always plenty of employees for every task and Turkish people are known for their hospitality so two guys immediately litfted my quite heavy double stroller with both kids in them into the ferry. Same thing when we got off. The suburb is not much different than the city just a bit of change of scenery. We did find a playground very close to the pier where my son can at least interact with kids his age and run around. Then we had the classic gyro meat for lunch. The cook lifted my son so he can help cut the meat that turns and cooks in this huge upright skewer in front of the heat. Smells delicious. Our relative met us there. We came up with an idea to do a blog post showcasing her boutique and the amazingly unique items she sells. So that is going to happen in the following months. The afternoon was pretty boring. Went to another Dr's appt for my daughter but that was actually fun for kids cause the Dr's waiting room has a huge carpeted play structure area. Then walked around to a jazz concert on the bay and came home for a quiet dinner, baths and bed. Not meeting the family today since we are all exhausted.

This is where we had lunch. The lady holding Juliet is my aunt's housekeeper she came with me to help out since I wasn't sure how the boat ride would go. Those things we are drinking are called 'ayran' they are made with plain yogurt. My son loves it.

This is right by the pier when we arrived. The vendor behind us is selling 'smit' which are these hard crusted round seasame covered bread things. Again a big hit for my son but unfortunately once he eats half of that he won't eat lunch. :( I am going to remove that stroller bar as I noticed it blocks my daughter's face in every photo!

OK, SO THE TITLE...

We are for once here during the season of green plums and green almonds. You can't find these anywhere I have been to. In U.S. plums are only sold and eaten when they are ripened into a red/purple stage. But, in Turkey we eat them when they are small, green and sour. We pour salt over them and bite into the juicy cruncy sour taste. They are called 'eric'.  My son, who as you have guessed by now has a very adventarous palatte like me love this fruit, but we have to hide salt as he tends to go overboard with it.

So, you know almonds as dry brown tear shaped nuts. So, do we but we also eat them when they are still soft and white and in their furry crunch green outer shells. Again they are eaten with salt. You eat the whole thing, the green part and the soft white almond part in the middle. In a few weeks they will start selling the slightly harder seed part of these almonds on ice cubes. I will be sure to photo and blog about that too.

I opened up one of them so you can see what it looks like inside and the white almond seed in the middle.

Playing with Pink

So realizing I have 1.5-2 months in the city and only 15 outfits combos that can be worn in the city on my list I have to get creative. This was a combo that was suppose to go with jean shorts. Wore it with jeans and added a scarf I bought midday. It looked cute without the scarf as well but when the weather gets hot and I take off the jacket I lost that "touch of pink with black and white" look I was going for. So, when I saw this scarf as I was walking back from the hair dresser for 3.5 TL which is $2.40 I couldn't resist.
This combo again shows how much I have changed the way I mix and match clothes. Before, I wore this jacket with a hot pink tee or tank underneath and hot pink shoes. Either with jeans or white capris. Now I liked the way black and white designed tee looks under the pink.

And here is how it looked without the jacket:

Went with the necklace over scarf look again:

Pink and White Striped Jacket - BCBGMax Azira - Century 21 in NYC

White tee with black girl design - Forever 21

Skinny Jeans - Forever 21

Black Sandals - Boutique 9

Pink Scarf - from Turkey - $2.50

Necklace - F21

Today's Activities: Finally a good night where both kids slept and the nanny woke up with them so I could sleep in which was a dream. My mom took my son to the summer town to visit the house there and her cousin, so I took my daughter shopping for couple of hours. It was a lot of fun. I love the stores here. Just looking at the windows is so much fun. Everythign is layered. I saw this great look where you wear a 'liner skirt' with ruffles or lace trim under mini skirts or dresses. Love the look. Unfortunately these 'liner skirts' were at an outragous $50-$60 range! I am determined to find cheaper versions though. I think they would be the ultimate solution for those skirts and dresses that are too short to wear with the kids.

Anyway, I did purchase some cool stuff shown below. In ther afternoon took my daughter to the Dr's again trying to fight her allergic reaction. Afterwards went to a mall called 'Kipa', grocery shopped than joined my son and mom and my uncle's restaurant in the mall for dinner. Visited Grandpa for a little while before taking the kids back home for bed time. Long day...

Here are today's purchases:

This is a great summer maxi dress. I love the all white with small eyelet details. The back of the bust area is elastic for great fit. I am envisionning this with jean sandals and a denim vest. Also with a cool necklace and rose thongs etc... Cost $24.

Loved this denim dress the minute I saw it. I love its style and the dark rinse color. Denim is so in and I have been looking for a cool denim dress and a shirt. Finally found the dress. My vision for this is red scarf with tan or black sandals. For fall it would great with tights and long boots and a jacket.  This cost $21.

Went inside this crazy tiny store covered from wall to wall with hair accessories. That is all they sold. Half of the wall was for kids! So many cute things to choose from but since my daughter's hair is only long enough for a single barrette only looked at those.  I have been searching for a white one forever. This one looks a bit big but on her it looked cool. I also wanted a red one and only could find this plastic style. It is not my favorite but cute enough. 'Hello Kity' is really big in Turkey so thought that would be cute. And the three flannel plaid ones were darling for fall/winter I thought. These ranged from 50 cents to a $1.50 each.

Punch of Neon

Not much on the agenda today so braving a mini skirt outfit. Found this t-shirt at TJ Max when I was looking for something else. Liked the neon colors which is so 80's and totally in right now.
The skirt has a self tie belt which I kept on for day time. And I had my flat black sandals on during the day as well. For night time added the high heeled booties, pink belt and gold necklace and the blazer jacket. The skirt was a bit too mini though. Every time I sat down it was revealing too much. Might not wear it again at least not in the city. Should be fine for summer town with bathing suit underneath or something like that.

Black Boyfriend Blazer Jacket - Newport News Catalog - $49

Neon animal print tee - TJ Maxx - $6

Black rayon full skirt - TJ Maxx - $12

Pink Belt - F21 - $7

Gold necklace - F21

Black Booties - Juicy Couture - Zappos - $200

Today's Activities: Had a better night last night. Daughter slept until 7 AM, Son woke up and claimed he was not tired and did not want to sleep but too exhausted to even hear him and he eventually did sleep. Was able to get him back to bed early morning so he slept until 9:30 AM! Took the kids to boardwalk grass area to run around after breakfast. Then did a stroll at the local weekly farmer's market which has much more than food. Some purchases from there is below. After solid naps went to my Grandpa's house where the kids went out for ice cream and then dinner there.

Here we are with my aunt during the day walking towards the farmer's market. This is the street my Aunt and Uncle's apartment is on which is where we are staying. It is closed to traffic and has ton of shops and restaurants and behind us heads directly to the bayside boardwalk (Kordon) within 1 block.

Purchases:

Bought these two geniune semi precious stone necklaces for 25 TL each so around $20 each. I also bought two tee's but forgot to photo them. May be tomorrow. I am also looking for cool items I can do a 'give away' to my follwers very soon. :)