Category Archives: fashion

Baking Adventures, Halloween, and New Shoes

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It had just been one thing after another this week! Last Sunday, I picked Annie up and we made some tasty things with my new Kitchen Aid Stand mixer.

My new mixer.

My new mixer.

We munched on dim sum while we baked and I had a lot of fun. We made an orange bundt cake, cranberry orange bread, pumpkin bread,  spicy cinnamon pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins,

Our baking results

Our baking results

Work was busy this week, with two rounds of testing for the teens. We often get home around 6 and often I just want to crawl straight into bed with the pups when I do finally get home.

On Thursday a few of us grabbed italian food for dinner. We got grand total of 3 trick-or-treaters. Quite frankly, I was disappointed we didn’t get more at our new place. But the three that did come, we loaded them up with candy!

My students were sleepy and off task Friday, which was a bummer for them since a lot of work was also due. I stayed later than planned at work getting ready for the next round of CAHSEE next week.

I met up with Annie at ValleyFaire and we shopped! With payday on Thursday I wanted to splurge a bit! I had picked up a treat for myself last weekend, but when I finally opened the little brown Kate Spade bag (most of you know exactly the bag I am talking about!) my new bow bracelet was twisted/bent! So our first stop was Nordstrom’s, where a nice young lady switched it out for a new sparkly one. This is my new bauble!

My new bracelet.

My new bracelet.

I tried on a pair of Uggs because my old pair is so old and well-loved and really not fit for anyone outside of the pups and my roomie’s eyes. Of course, they did not have the correct size for my giant feet, so I settled on ordering them. (Thank goodness Nordstrom’s doesn’t charge for shipping!) Can’t wait for them to arrive!

We wandered over to Sephora,where I picked up a Smashbox eyeliner cream I had been eyeing. I use their Photo Finish Light primer, and i love it!

My primer.

My primer.

It makes my make-up last, and it seems that it make my makeup stick better. I’m normally a warm person, and halfway through the day my make-up is gone. But a friend had recommended this brand, and they are my go-to primer now. I had also heard good things about the eyeliner cream, so we played around with it. I convinced Annie to try some of their products as well, since we have similar type of skin.

Next stop on our shopping spree: shoes, shoes, shoes. I always think of this Kirsty MacColl song that my dad and I listen to. It is called In These Shoes. It is really a fabulous song. You should listen to it.

While Annie got sucked into trying on lipstick at Chanel, I looked at shoes. With my giant feet (and toes) I often have to order shoes, and pray to the shoe gods that they fit. More often than not, I end up returning them because they gape, pinch, or otherwise look odd. I found a pair of Corso Como heels that I liked, and also ordered a pair of black boots by them in the hopes that they fit as well.

The new heels

The new heels

The new boots.

The new boots.

Currently some of my work shoes are not as comfortable as I would like. I am looking forward to having some happier feet.

Sorry for the lack of posts, I was having issues with my laptop suddenly shutting down randomly. I had my tech guy at work do his magic and it seems to be fine now.  I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday!

Love,

-S

All In-Vested

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A few weeks ago, the Roomie and I hit the mall on the first day of a long weekend. We did some serious damage! The Roomie walked away with a super cute red vest from Gap, and she raves about it. I was jealous then, and still plan on getting a red one myself at some point. I picked up my first down vest last year from J.Crew and now I am totally on the vest train! Pinterest has been showing me all sorts of cute mixes of collared shirts, sweaters and vests in cute but bold color schemes. I like wearing vests because they keep me warm in the morning, but later in the day they are easy to take off when it warms up.

I have been loving these vests, and have really been holding back on getting every single one of them!!

J.Crew

J.Crew

J.Crew

Gap

Gap

 

Banana Republic.

Banana Republic.

 

Do you have any vests? Do you love  them as much as I do? Do you like any of these vests? Would you get any of them?

I am thinking about making a board on Pinterest solely for outfits involving vests!

Love,

-S

Gold Dots Errrywhere

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Ever since I saw this gold notebook in a Kate Spade email, I have been seeing gold dots everywhere.

Initially I was like eh……over-rated!

BUT, they have been growing on me. And…now, I love them. I’m not really sure how it happened, but they are officially awesome.

Like these:

How do you feel about gold dots? Have you caught onto this crazy style?

Love,

-S

Backyard Photos, Reflections and Forgotten Memories

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I swear, as I am getting older, my memory is getting worse! Remember when I talked about making lemon bars for my friend’s wedding? Well, Robert came over and took some photos of me both in the backyard and getting the lemon bars prepped.

I completely forgot that he had sent me the final set a few days before my New York trip. Silly me. Here is another example of how ridiculously talented my best friend is. #bestfriendsforlife

In case you missed his other shoots, they are here and here.

This one is my favorite:

Watch: Miami Beach

Dress: Anthropologie (similar here and here)

Earrings: Kate Spade

Necklace: Kate Spade

Shoes: Steve Madden Flats 

The mornings are crisp and cool here in California, and mellow into a beautiful sunny 70 degrees by early afternoon. I love being able to pull on my boots and a cardigan in the morning, but still enjoy the sun on my face as I leave work.

What do you love about where you live?

Love,

-S

Shopping, My 25th Birthday, Dinosaur Muffins and Cooking on Sundays

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This week was insanely busy, which is why I have not had a spare minute to post about everything.  I hope that with time I will get better at balancing work and blogging. If you have any tips, let me know!

The Roomie and I had a five day weekend from school, which was perfect timing as my birthday was smack dab in the middle of it!  On Thursday we slept in, to the gloriously late hour of 9am. We did a few things around the house and then went off to the mall. The Roomie and I found many cute things. We scored at pretty much every store.

Our shopping haul.

Our shopping haul.

On Friday I hit the gym, and it provided a much needed round of happy endorphins. Since I started working full time, getting to the gym every day has fallen to the way side. Starting in a week I hope to build it back into my routine. From the gym I went to my parents house to get Lightroom 5 set up on my mom’s and my laptop. For dinner we grabbed tasty greek food at Opa’s in downtown Los Altos. We had tickets to see Les Mis at the Saratoga Theatre, where two friends of mine were in lead role. I look forward the most to shows with actors I know personally.

After another glorious sleep-in, I set off for the grocery store. I picked up some snack but most everything was for my birthday party later that day. Around 4, people started trickling in, and we munched on tasty Mexican tacos and guacamole. We drank margaritas and horchata and enjoyed the warm evening air. We took a group photo, and I had everyone sign the frame that I would eventually put it in. People drifted in and out, and it was a glorious melding of friends, food and fun.

I made pumpkin spiced dinosaur muffins!

I made pumpkin spiced dinosaur muffins!

Our group photo.

Our group photo.

This morning after the Roomie and I tied up the house I wrote my thank you notes for my birthday gifts. We went over to the Castle and I tucked into cooking with my dad. We made ham and shrimp croquetten, mac’n’cheese and quiche lorraine. After a long round of dishes ( i swear we used every cooking utensil possible!) we tasted the mac’n’cheese. It was delicious and I look forward to munching on it after a long day at work next week.

Tomorrow I will be babysitting the whole day and Tuesday we start back  at work. I have one day of teaching, and then I fly out at the crack of dawn (have I mentioned I hate mornings?!) for my cousins wedding in upstate New York. More details on that later.

How was your weekend? What did you do? How do you balance getting you time and getting your errands done?

I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Love,

-S

The Help, Dress Pants, and My Bow Ring

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On Sunday the Roomie and I watched the Help. I read the book a while ago and loved it, but hadn’t seen the movie. I am a fan of Emma Stone, so she was the real reason I had wanted to see it. The acting was fantastic and the storyline was touching. It was a great way to spend a sleepy Sunday afternoon snuggling with the pups.

The Help

The Help

As a substitute I was able to get away with a casual wardrobe. But now that I am teaching full time at one school I have noticed how formal the rest of the staff is. They rock the formal attire.  I look nice, more dressy than anything else, but definitely not business casual all the time.

So friends, tell me the skinny. Where is the best place to buy dress pants? Typically I avoid them because I don’t feel like I know how to buy a pair that fits well. If you have a favorite pair, where are they from? What do you like about them? I know that I want them with belt loops, because I almost never wear the two pairs I have because they lack beltloops.  Suggestions on how they should fit, colors you love wearing, how to know if they fit will all be greatly appreciated!!

My Kate Spade ring arrived Monday, and I love it! Thanks for convincing me to get it, it makes me feel so elegant! (If you missed that post, I talked about this ring here)

Love,

-S

Work, Thirsty Thursdays and Loafers

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Things at the new school are going well. I have a lot of catch-up but I think that once I get the hang of things it well be a good fit. All of the staff have been welcoming and helpful, which makes me feel more comfortable. The kids are settling into things, but we still have a long ways to go (my classroom is a mess!).

Today, there was a few of us that grabbed a bite to eat after work. We met up at San Pedro Square, the cute downtown section of San Jose. Roomie and I shared a pizza, salad, guacamole and crunchy tortilla chips. Unusual combination, but it was what my stomach wanted, and I was not going to argue with it. The food was yummy, and it was nice to see the other teachers relax and unwind together. Sometimes seeing people only at work makes it feel a bit impersonal, and this was great chance for me to get a better understanding of how interesting and cool some of my coworkers really are.

Last year, I was a bit idealistic and wore heels very often as a substitute teacher. It didn’t take very long to see that at some the campus’s (ahem, Los Gatos!) were too hilly/multilevel/had metal grates for my heels to be comfortable for the whole day. Soon I switched to flats, and found some loafers later in the year that became one of my go-to pairs along with my Sperry‘s.

Anne Klein

My Anne Klein go to loafers

Finishing a workday with happy feet make me approach the next day in a more upbeat manner.  This year, I have continued in the same comfy shoes vein. Flats and loafers are the way to go when you are standing or walking all day long. Fortunately enough, loafers have hit the fashion world and have been given a makeover. Some of the ones coming out for fall are pretty cute. Which ones do you like?

Sole Society Cambria Tassle Loafer

Sole Society Cambria Tassle Loafer

Tory Birch

Tory Birch

 

Steve Madden Zunni Leopard

Steve Madden Zunni Leopard

Tropez Cotton Anchor Flats

Tropez Cotton Anchor Flats

 

Sperry TopSider Westwood

Sperry TopSider Westwood

 

I think all of these would look great with a decent pair of skimmer jeans, and a crisp white collared shirt.

 

Each of them has a very different feel! Would you wear (or buy!) any of these? What would you wear with them? Any suggestions on how to pair them up with things already in your closet?

Love,

-S

 

Crisp Mornings, Pea Coats, and Desserts to Die For

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It is now  cold in the mornings when Roomie and I get up. I have been putting on a cardigan and a warmer jacket just to get through that first hour or so until we are all set in our classrooms. The days are still warm so its all about wearing layers. For example, yesterday, it was about 50 when we left for work and about 84 during the middle of the day.  I pulled out my pea coats and while I usually pick my go-to black option, I have my eye on a picking up a new one. The only problem is, which one? They are all pretty cute!

J.Crew Majesty Peacoat- Charcoal

ShopBop-Toggle Coat

ShopBop-Toggle Coat

 

Michael Kors

Michael Kors

I saw this on a blog that I follow and I keep coming back to it. It sounds very impressive to make, but I imagine it tastes fantastic!

Ultimate S'more Anniversary Cake

Ultimate S’more Anniversary Cake

How is the weather for you? Are you enjoying fall so far?

Love,

-S

Horchata,Lemon Bars, Rings, and Inspiration

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Yesterday in the midst of the baking frenzy I started a batch of horchata going. The recipe is by David Lebovitz one of my fave’s and I love making a batch over the weekend to keep me happy during the busy weekdays.  The recipe is the kind you start one day and finish it the next. I am looking forward to a big glass of this later on. Yum!

Today was another day full of baking. An old high school friend has her wedding coming up next weekend. She asked a few of us to make desserts as they decided not to go with a wedding cake for everyone, and instead are doing small bites. So I tackled the third trial run of macaroons (the most successful to date!) and the first trial run of the lemon bars for the wedding. While they turned out tasty they will need some tinkering, so they might be made again this week before the final batch is due on Saturday.

Our tasty macaroons.

Our tasty vanilla macaroons.

This is how they will be served at the wedding on Saturday.

This is how they will be served at the wedding on Saturday. Cute yes?

This silly pup kept us company the whole day, and had a grand time catching all the crumbs. We tired him out eventually!

The Crash monster finally tired enough to sit in his bed.

The Crash monster finally tired enough to sit in his bed.

After dinner, I was sitting on my bed finishing signing all the paperwork for my new job. It was such a large pile, that eventually Nala got covered up. (She loves being covered; the sheets, warm laundry, my paperwork!)

The roomie got a kick out of the paperwork on Nala.

The roomie got a kick out of seeing all the paperwork on Nala.

I keep coming back to this classy little ring (i really like it in rose gold). Normally I wear a ring on each hand. On one, I wear my graduation ring, recent Christmas Gift from my Dad. On the other I have an owl (I’ve always loved owls and other fowl jewelry) from Therapy. Therapy is this chain near us with a few locations in Palo Alto and another in Los Altos. But this ring would be such a nice touch for whenever I wanted to dress up a bit. What do you think?

Kate Spade- Skinny Mini Bow Ring

Kate Spade- Skinny Mini Bow Ring

I saw this on Pinterest the other day, and I like everything about it, the pearls, the gold, the calligraphy, everything!

I love this.

I love this.

What is your favorite quote? Anything that makes you feel like you can tackle anything? Where do you draw your inspiration from?

(For me, it usually involves Kate Spade, I love everything about it!)

Love,

-S