Lemon Drop

I actually wore a slightly different combo this morning for the first part of the day but left my camera at home by mistake so no photos. In the afternoon wore this top and changed into these sandals. I had seen yellow with cargo somewhere and liked the look. The gold earings are new and an early b-day present from my aunt. I like how the color of these sandals match the pants so much that the ankle cuffs look like a continuation of the pants.

Yellow shirt - Mango

Cargo Pants - Gap

Leather Belt - Limited

Necklace - Forever 21

Earings - gift from aunt

Sandals - Victoria's Secret

Today's Activities: Left pretty early for Turkish standards and caught the 9:15 AM ferry boat. It was just my aunt and I and the kids. After a short boat ride we waited for the zoo bus at the pier bus stop. It was already scolding hot. Got on the bus with no problems with my double stroller in tow. Took 45 minutes to get to the zoo since the bus stopped at every stop. It was a super hot day but the kids had a blast at the zoo. We caught the 2 PM bus back. Unfortunately this bus did not have wide enough doors for my stroller and it was a bit of a hassle to get it in without folding it. We managed though and the ride was much shorter with fewer stops this time. Got to the pier just in time to catch the ferry back. We washed up the kids and put them down for a very late but much needed nap. Late afternoon they were rested and ready for more adventure so we concered more festival concerts. It is amazing how much attention the kids get here. They must have had 20 different people take their photos. Of course they absolutely drink up all the attention. My son now actually poses like the way I pose for my blogs! Came home for a late dinner and put them down a bit later since they woke up so late from their naps. Tiring but fun day.

Ruffled Plaid

Wearing my Mom's blouse today to get some new combo's under my belt. Styled the blouse with a stretch black belt, necklace and sandals. Looking at the photos, might have gone much better with my dark grey almost black skinny jeans, but too late. Took these photos late afternoon.

Sheer plaid blouse with ruffles - Barrowed from Mom

Stretch belt - Forever 21

Skinny Jeans - Forever 21

Black strappy sandals - Boutique 9

Today's Activities: Went out on a mission to find a puppet theater as part of festival's day 2 but walked for a mile with no luck of finding any activity. Once we realized there will be no show stopped at a real cute cafe with a huge garden. My son played around the pond area while my daughter napped and we shared an ice cold lemonade. Afterwards on our way home we ordered homemade food that was very good and affordable from a nearby restaurant. Ate lunch at home and put the kids down for a nap. Did some grocery shopping while they napped. It is getting pretty warm here and very tiring to walk on the streets. When the kids woke up we left again for more festival activities. Found a fun concert given by high school bands. Then went to a Korean show as a separate activity from the festival. But my daughter was impossible at every event shaking the rope that blocks the stage, screaming, wanting to crawl towards the cords and speakers, touching trash cans. Same way when we got home for dinner. She is just 100% hands full child. My son might be loud and active but he does not damage things most of the time or himself.
Finally got them to bed on time to take a deep breath and hope for a less tiring day tomorrow.

Layered Dresses

Finally wearing the outfit I attempted to wear the day it started to rain and had to change. Utilizing a eyelet summer dress as an inside layer to a shirt dress. I love the look of eyelet peaking out. I could have opened the top too but was alone running with the kis today and did not want to worry about cleavage. This outfit was once again pretty comfy with the kids. The inside dress keeps my legs covered when I sit and both are cut streamlined so they don't fly when there is wind. The shirt dress has side as well as front pockets which I love for stashing wipes, tissues, keys and lip gloss. :)

Shirt Dress - Koton outlet

Inside Dress - Mango

Belt - Limited

Sandals - Victoria's Secret

Necklace  (gold cascading bird) - internet

Today's Activities: Left early for the legal medical dept to finalize the accident report from yesterday. Of course this is Turkey and there was no procedure to anything and after my mom yelled and scream we made sure we did not loose our turn. Got home in time for lunch and naps. After hosting some visitors at home I took the kids out. For the next 3 days there is a local festival here. We first saw a comedy theater show on the street. My son watched it with amazement although I doubt he understood anything as it was not kid content. Then we listened to a great concert. Both kids danced on the stage area and everyone loved watching them. My daughter would crawl and stop and clap her hands. My son has developed all sorts of new moves. Then we sat at a pub (yes, with kids) because it had tables facing the parade and had dinner there. Amazingly the kids behaved really well. Then we saw a kid theater show which was the best. They allowed all the kids to stand up front. My son even made a girlfriend and held her hand during the whole show. We came home just in time for a super quick shower/bath and bed time.

Spring Flowers

Going totally spring today. This t-shirt was a designer purchase from New York City's Century 21 years and years ago. I wore it a lot the year I bought it but then years of pregnancy, weight gain and nursing it was collecting dust in my closet. It is very crop but with this waist high skirt it is perfect. The zippers are adjustable to fit your bust size. If you are going to carry a baby it is not most functionaly since the zippers would hurt but with kids my age it was fine. The purse was a cute purchase from Forever 21. I loved the colors, design and the chain strap. The bow is such a cute add-on detail. I originally wanted to wear my adorned denim sandals but thought the silver colors of the chains on the sandals would clash with the gold zippers on my shirt and the gold chain strap of the purse. These cream sandals are OK. If I had access to my vast shoe colleciton probably could have picked something cuter but with only 5 pairs to choose from this had to do. And this outfit is 8th combo for this pink skirt. I am very happy to get such use out of this skirt.

Flowery T-Shirt with Zippers - Versace - Century 21

Pink full skirt - Victoria's Secret

Suede ankle cuff sandals - Victoria's Secret

Chain purse - Forever 21

Today's Activities:
Went to the famous bazaar (Farmer's Market) of a town called Bostanli. They abbreviate it as BosPa (Bostanli Pazari). We took the verry from my aunt's house. Here is a photo of the ferry:

First you go through the food section. Took some photos of the fresh fish and amazing tasting fresh bread:

Above was a guy selling socks. He was so funny wearing them all pinned to his clothes. Too bad I didn't take photos of the clothes section. Not sure why. Guess I was too busy looking at stuff than taking photos. You will see my purchase photos below. After the market, we came home to put the kids down for a very late nap. Left them with the housekeeper and went to a baby shower (but after birth). It was at a very fancy place almost like a wedding. Unfortunately on our way home we had a minor traffic accident. We were sitting in the back and both my mom and I hit our heads and as a precaution they took us to ER to do all sorts of tests which all came negative. It was a long night to say the least.

PURCHASES:
 

First is the lace dress below:

It is fully lined. I love the neck, skirt and sleeve trim is also lace. My family seems to think this can even be a suitable dress for a wedding. May be still with booties and long chain necklaces etc... to rough it up a bit.   This was 30 TL ($19).

Below is a Zara dress I found. I plan to find a similar peachy color scarf...Got this for 15 TL ($10).

Below are the 3 beach towels we got. Obvioulsy the daisy and the pluto are for the kids. They were 10 TL ($7). My LV towel which is bigger was 12 TL ($8).

Also bought a few pieces for the kids and a scarf and leggings etc... All were under 5 TL ($3) each...

Last minute cameo

This was put together out of necessity. We stayed an extra night at Grandpa's house unexpectedly and I had to create something out of my mom's closet. She had lost of matching outfits but I wanted something I can layer. This is a strapless cameo cotton dress. Strapless is too bare for the city so decided to wear my cream top from the other day and the same belt to add interest. I added the earings after I got back to my aunt's house. It was actually a very comfy outfit. And cameo is great with the kids as it hides stains really well.

Cameo cotton strapless dress - mom's

Cream satin front cotton top - Bebe

Cream/Green with bronze chains belt - Bebe

Gold/Silver/Bronze earings - Mango

Beige ankle cuff suede sandals - Victoria's Secret

Today's Activities: Woke up super sick this morning. Good think I had picked this outfit the night before cause I didn't want to see anything this morning. Barely got ready and left the house to come back to my aunt's. Unpacked while mom entertained the kids outside. After lunch and naps (only daughter napped) still not feeling great I took them out. First joined mom and her friends at a cafe but they barely survived  so took them to the grass area by the water. They have a blast there. My son running after his ball and my daughter crawling at her heart's desire.  Killed time till dinner there.

In the midst of pigeons

Another combo from my list for this Target Jean Paul Gaulthier dress. I think this is 4th combo I have created with this dress. There is one more yet but will have to wait for U.S. since my platform purple heels were not packed. This vest also was a great purchase as it is a great layerin piece. I saw this ‘using scarf as a belt’ idea in the lucky magazine. Since both the dress and the scarf have prints it is also using the trendy ‘mixing prints’ idea. Denim sandals with rhinestones add a touch of sparkle. My new purple stone necklace is perfect with this outfit I thought.

Dress – Jean Paul Gaulthier – Target

Vest – Forever 21

Scarf (worn as a belt) – Gap

Denim sandals – Steve Madden

Necklace – farmer’s market in Turkey

Today’s Activities: Exploring my grandpa’s neighborhood (I still can’t bring myself to say the word ‘late’). Walked all the way down to a playground that is in the middle of a pretty park. My photo shoot was there. After lunch and naps at home we walked there again. In the afternoon hour it was filled with kids that were out of school. Jam packed my mom and had to watch the kids at all times, but they had a great time. We ordered fish again for dinner. The kids absolutely love the fish here. May be cause it is served like a fish on your plate vs. a piece of square meat in the States. I definitely feel it is much tastier than ocean fish.

Here is a photo from the park with my cutie pie in pig tails:

Here are some cool old buildings I spotted while walking. They left the houses as is and built apartments on top…

Tired Soldier

Had no time for photos today so taking photos late at night and of course I don't look all that great. I had originally bought this cream top and green cargo pants and the belt from Bebe as an outfit. The top is too crop for comfort so I wore another tunic length tank top underneath. But the pants were driving me crazy. They are way too low and constantly ride down. My mom says I can get belt loopt sewn here so I can belt it. I might try that, cause I really like the style of the pants. The weather also got really chilly in the late afternoon so I barrowed my mom's khaki jacket. I like the layers of neutral colors on top and on my feet anchored by the hunter green pants.

Cream Ribbed short sleeved top with satin front and trim - Bebe

White Tank Top (worn underneath) - Target

Green Cargo Pants - Bebe

Cream/green belt with bronze chain detail - Bebe

Tan ankle cuff sandals - Victoria's Secret

Khaki Jacket - Armani Exchange

Today's Activities: Had a big late breakfast with family in the morning. Took the kids for a stroll to the Sunday farmer's market. Bought a cute night gown for 10 TL (approx $8). After a light lunch and naps, we came to Grandpa's house with the kids. My daughter gets into everything here so took them outside to minimize the damage to the house. My son runs around like crazy now. He recently took a liking to ball playing. Loves to throw it in the promanade between people run after it and throw it back. Gets good exercise. After dinner at Grandpa's house took them out again for ice cream. Spending the night here for a change.