Orange with Pink

Oh, yes it is shorts weather here in southern CA. Just when we thought we were getting close to fall weather we have a heat wave that will bring summer back this coming week.
Saw this unusual color combination in a Magazine (see photo below):

Not that I was super crazy about it but since I had items in both of these colors thought it would be a cool experiment to pair them. I think it would have been better if I had a brown cardigan instead to anchor these colors. This thin faded gold shrug is another super old item, so is the dusty pink camisole. The orange shorts were a F21 purchase 3.5 years ago. I seem to always find different ways to wear them every summer.  The outfit would have looked killer with my mom's thick strappy brown sandals I wore all summer in Turkey but without access to them and with kids these suede ballet flats will have to do. Wore a very subtle goold necklace but a bold burnished cuff bracelet. Oh, got to wear the gold and rhinestone anklet since finally I am wearing a non 'ankle cuff' shoe.

These two shots look identical but they are slightly different...

 Tree in our front yard:

Pink Camisole - Arden B

Orange Shorts - Forever 21

Gold Shrug - Forever 21

Thin double brown belt - Forever 21

gold cuff - Charlotte Russe (recent purchase)

Brown suede ballet flats - Steve Madden

Anklet - From Turkey

Cascading bird necklace - ordered online after a photo in lucky mag years ago

Today's Activities: Forced son to go back to bed after his 6:30 AM wake-up call and managed to sleep until 7:40 AM which as many parents will know is considered 'sleeping in'. After showers and getting dressed we headed straight to my mom's for a family breakfast. Kids love going there cause there is an abundance of bacon which I never cook myself at home. They ate heartily and played inside and out. My stepdad took them for bike rides and to a park. We even stayed for a quick lunch (poor mom) before heading home for naps. When they woke up went to my good friend's son's 1st BDay party. It was outside (the weather was perfect) and they hired that kid band we always watch as entertainment. Kids had fun running around and dancing and playing. Since it was a pretty late afternoon party the food we had there counted as dinner so came home pretty late just enough time for baths and bed time. Than did loads and loads of laundry and helped my husband pack. He is leaving for India (for work) for 3 weeks!!!!

Mixing Patterns

I was quite happy with how this all came together today. After last night's struggle it was nice to have an outfit come together with ease. I just had the strapless and the pants and shoes on my list but thought adding the jacket, hat and the scarf would make it even more interesting. These pants were bought eons ago from F21. I love that you can tighten them below the knee. They look good with a strapless number like this one or a white simple ribbed boy tank too. My high heel juicy boots would have been much better but with kids had to settle for the flat ankle cuff sandals instead. Normally I would be against strapless with the kids but this one is super tight and stayed put all day. It warmed up pretty quickly (we are expecting a heat wave here this weekend) so didn't use the jacket all day. I had bought this hat for the beach but it is also a great spring/fall hat as well. The scarf is a new purchase from closet. Loved its soft texture and the white birds on the black background was so cute. It came loose during the day and I just let the ends hang and that looked cool as well. I love how that pattern and the stripes in the pants and the animal print jacket all go together. With so many patterns going on didn't want to add too many accessories. Just a black watch and a white/silver ring.

White strapless top - Alloy Catalog

Animal Print Jacket - Forever 21

Striped Pants - Forever 21

Ankle Cuff sandals - Boutique 9 (Zappos)

Hat - some store in PB San Diego

Scarf - Closet

Watch - From Turkey

Ring - Swatch

Today's Activities: Took the kids to the favorite mall first to the play area then to ride the train. Later we walked over to the lawn area to watch a kid concert while having snacks. Afterwards went to the food court and met up another mommy and kids for lunch. My cousins and stepdad joined us. Had the kids sleep in the stroller with great success and shopped while they slept. Mostly assisted my cousins but did manage to score a $10 glitter tank, brass color necklace and cuff from Charlotte Russe. When the kids woke up went to another mall for some soft pretzel and lemonade snack. My stepdad came again to hang out with the kids while I returned some items at Nordstrom rack and of course bought more stuff for the kids. My mom and step dad were generous enough to take the kids to their house (we were going to go there for dinner anyway) while I went to costco and back at home to put everything away. Met my husband at home and drove to mom's house for a last family dinner before my cousins leave late tonight back to Turkey.

Struggling with Pink and Gold

I title this as such because it was a total struggle tonight putting this outfit together. My husband got tickets to his sold out company event last minute and we couldn't get a hold of family members to babysit until the very last minute. I had to get ready in a rush and just had no idea what to wear. It is not fall yet here so a lot of the items on my list were out. I felt I shouldn't do too revealing so all combo's with my seriously mini skirts were out. Then figured this was a concert and there would be a lot of standing so anything with stilettos or tight heels were out. That narrowed it down to just a few combo's. This was a combo I actually liked but when it came to topping it with a jacket I struggled. First went with navy blazer which was cool but then couldn't find the right necklace gold tone necklace. And lets face it without the right necklace the whole outfit was just blah. So then decided to totally just go with all gold. This jacket's cut was perfect with the cami. Pink is not the best color to wear with gold but this burnished bronzish gold kind of works. Layered necklaces and bracelets to match. This super old TJ Maxx find purse was the final perfect addition.

Of course there was no time to take photos beforehand. These were all taken at the end of the night in the parking lot by my husband!

Boyfriend Jeans - Newport News Catalog

Pink linen and silk cami - La Redoute Catalog

Gold Jacket - Trina Turk (from TJ Maxx)

Lace up peep toe boots - Juicy Couture (Zappos)

Leather purse - Hype (TJ Maxx)

Gold Necklaces - F21 & Nordstrom Rack

Charm Bracelet - Victoria's Secret

Bracelet Watch - BCBG

Gold Bangles - 24kt gold from Turkey

Today's Activities: It was swim and music class day, but the morning swim class does not start until 10:30 AM and that feels like a vacation for us to leave that late. I did 2 loads of laundry and put it away and cooked a crock pot meal and still managed to leave early enough to stop at a craft store on our way to buy supplies to make my son's art project for preschool class. After swim we met family at TJ Maxx and had lunch outside. After naps left just early enough to stop for coffee at a cafe that has a train table play area before our music class. After the class the whole craziness of trying to find someone to watch the kids and get ready while occupying kids started. Left after my brother and dad got here to meet my husband at his office then took the shuttle to his huge company event. He works for a company that has 12,000 employees so this was like attending a public event except everyone was in plain clothes as they had come straight from work. We had a good time though listenning to Dave Matthews and just enjoying being out just us.

Here is the big sign on the stage. You might not have heard of the company name but just look on the back of your cell phone (with the exception of i-phone) and you will see the same logo!

And here is Dave Matthews:

Ruffle Boots

Love today's combo because it combines some very very old pieces in my closet with some new ones. These cream colored boots are super old. They are from the Newport News catalog among the very few pairs they sell that is actually real leather. I bought them but hardly wore them because at the time boot cut jeans were in style and these do not look great if the ruffles are covered under pant legs. They were totally meant to be worn like this over leggings or skinny jeans so you can see the cute ruffles. And this purse is a classic Dooney & Burke style. I knew it would eventually be in style again (or a vintage collector's item in time) so I kept it. It goes great with the boots and small enough to use as a wallet purse for a day. The thin denim shirt is a summer purchase from Turkey. It sure can use some ironning. I didn't realize it was this wrinkled until I put it on and it was too late. This shirt is great. It is very comfy and yet slim fitting so I can wear it untucked without looking bulky like my old denim shirts. The denim leggings are my newest purchase. I was looking for a pair and was totally willing to get a cheap one from F21 but then found these at Guess sales rack 50% off the sale price. Then as I was paying for them the cashier said I had a $15 credit in my guess loyalty card so they came out to be $16 which was awesome. Since they are super dark it was great to pair with the ligh colored shirt for a 'denim on denim' look.

Denim Shirt - from Turkey

Denim Leggings- Guess

Purse - Dooney & Burke

Cream leather ruffle boots - Newport News

Glass black and blue ring - gift from a family friend

Watch - Bulova

Bracelet - gift from husband

Today's Activities: Took the kids to the mommy and me preschool class. So funny to see my daughter imititating all the older kids and trying to do everything they do. I cooked again while they napped and after they woke up and had snacks we went to a trial gymboree class for my daughter's age for a change. As I suspected though she is so used to attending older classes that she didn't enjoy that much being with just her peers. It still killed one hour and allowed them to burn a lot of energy playing there. Did a quick shopping trip to Target (next door) then came home for dinner with husband and my dad. I did wear these heels by the way all day as they are pretty comfy and I didn't have that much walking to do.

A little military a little utility

Aaah finally some fall like weather to break out my new boots and a combo from my fall/winter list. Seriously I have been so tired of this in between weather we have been having. It is not warm enough for summer but not cool enough for fall clothes. I had been dying start wearing my fall combo's but it is just so hard to break out tights or boots in San Diego. So easy to break out flip flops or shorts when the first signs of warm weather shows up, actually you never put away your summer clothes here. But fall/winter is a whole other story. Well today was drizzling a bit and definitely chilly so did not look out of place in boots. I am upset how the photos turned out cause the colors didn't really come out. They were not as blended as they look here. You might recognize these pants as I wore them all summer after getting belt loops added in Turkey. They are extereme low rise so had to have belt loops so I can wear a belt to hold them in place. I actually like that they are cynched to a capri length cause they give the lace up rugged boots full exposure. My mom couldn't beleive these were brand new as they already look old but I love them. They give the exact rugged look I was going for. They are also faded brown so they can go with blacks, greens etc... I have them under A LOT of combo's these coming seasons. The v-neck tee is also very old. Got them as a non wrinkle piece for under suits when I used to work and travel a lot. Happy to be still getting use out of my last season purchase: the utility shirt which I use as a jacket. And notice my new wallet/purse? Finally decided on the Juicy Couture one after all and completely moved into it today. Also swapped my diaper bag as well. Today was an offiicial switch to new fall bags day! :)

Green pants - Bebe

Cream v-neck - some odd brand I do not recognize nor do I remember where I got it

Utility shirt worn like a jacket - Gap

Brown rugged boots - Steven by Steve Madden

Animal print wallet/purse - Juicy Couture (I just bought this online but now can't find it on their website!)

Today's Activities: My husband left at 5:30 AM for a day trip to San Fran so I was on my own getting both kids ready and fed and lunches and snacks packed before leaving at 9 AM. We drove a little further than normal to meet the outdoor pre-school class at a park. Funny how I take the kids to the park all the time but after 30-45 minutes they are done. Here though with 20 other kids their age they played for 3 hours. Of course they also did an art project and circle time songs as well. It was great. Of course they crashed hard for naps afterwards which is when I cooked and did all my 'purse switches'. When they woke up we took it easy played and had snacks. Then took them to the indoor play place (Kid Ventures) we are members of. I love this place. I can actually sit, drink a cup of coffee and have a few moments in between playing with the kids to browse a magazine or have a chat etc... Today my mom stopped by so I even had more free time. Came home for dinner and baths. My husband won't be coming back till late.

Here is my daughter posing with me... The light is a little better in this photo.

Don't you love her cardigan? Got it at TJ Maxx for $12.

Coral not red

I loved this combo when I came up with it and put it on my list. It just hasn't been the right weather to ever wear it. Today was one of those weird days, one minute sunny and hot, the other sunny and chilly and then totally overcast and cold. So, it worked and I never needed a cardigan. These capri pants are soooo old. I had them for nearly 9 years. Bought them at a full price from Bebe but wore them all the time the first few years. Then it was in the closet forever. I wish they had more tapered legs for this outfit but loved that they were mid rise and that low rise cause it allowed me to cynch the belt right at my waist which I think looks great. Now, adding red to black and white and stripes is nothing new. But, this is coral not red and I think that makes it a bit more subtle and interesting. Love how this belt and the necklace totally match. That was total coincidence when I purchased them. Again did not really wear these shoes during the day but wore my similar looking ankle cuff flat sandals instead. For jewelry went very minimal with just the all black watch and the big black rose ring.

All photos taken by my stepdad in front of their front yard...Mom is a true gardener.

Black and white striped top - from Turkey

Black capri pants - Bebe

Coral woven belt - Anthropologie

Coral bead necklace - Charlotte Russe

Peep toe lace up boots - Juicy Couture (from Zappos)

Watch - from Turkey

Ring - F21

Today's Activities: Wow, posting actually on the same day. My husband left in the morning to go to a charger game with for his friend's b-day. I picked up my mom and with the kids went to an art festival in Coronado. I love exposing the kids to art. They get to see statues, pottery, paintings and furniture. We pick out all the animal, food and shapes they would recognize and talk about them. They also got to make hat art from paper bags but then of course refused to wear them. Tried to get them to nap in the stroller with no luck this time. Went to La Jolla and left daughter with my mom while I took my son to a Jr theater play called 'Pinkalicious'. It was a kid play but apparently it was seen as a girl play as my son was the only male kid in the audience. Of course he loved it as it was a musical and it was a tiny theater so they were dancing and acting right in front of us. He actually used his inside voice to ask me what was going on at times I was so proud of him. Afterwards we met my stepdad, sister and cousins and went to Pacific beach to walk on the boardwalk. Kids had fun time playing in the sand and walking on the boardwalk high wall. We had vietnemase for dinner near the house before heading home for a much needed bath.

Here is a group shot on boardwalk:

My mom, son, me, cousin, sister, daughter, step dad and cousin in-law.