See Spot. See Spot run.

This is only the second time I've worn this cardigan...hmmm, I wonder just how many different punny titles I can come up with involving spots, dots or other references pertaining to the pattern? The possibilities boggle the mind :)

Today my spotted cardigan and I are on the run, out early this morning to do errands and now home for a pit stop before heading back out again.

See Kayleigh. See Kayleigh run. See Kayleigh run in her spotted cardi from Target, along with the jeans. The top is from Kohls, see Kayleigh wear it before in 2 other colors, green and lavender.

Now see Kayleigh accessorize her spotted cardi with a dollar store necklace and discount bracelet. See Kayleigh run in her secondhand Franco Sarto Maryjane pumps.

Funny Kayleigh. See funny Kayleigh say, bye-bye.

(I hope I'm not the only one out there old enough to remember the Dick and Jane books, because if so, this whole post makes absolutely no sense!)

I've been cheating on you

I have a confession to make. I have two other blogs.

No, really, it's not you; it's me. I just have needs that a fashion blog alone can't fill.

:D Sorry, couldn’t resist, lol.

All kidding aside, these two other blogs are actually recent creations. They are not wardrobe or style related in the least. They are both for my writing – I want to be/am a writer.

One blog is a journal type of thing...poetry, essays, ruminations and the odd bit of whatever else pops into my head. It’s called, “Miscellaneous Brain Music”. I think it will be nice to have a distinct place for snippets of writing & various thoughts.

The other blog is “1000 Words Each Day”. This is essentially a place for a novel in progress (she said hopefully). A few times a week I'll post some of the VERY rough drafts from my daily work. It keeps me motivated to continue as I see the pages accumulate there, rather than just as a list in a Word file or as stacks of paper scattered on my dining table. The entries are not in story order, just slapped up there as written, almost like little vignettes. We’re talking totally no frills, very raw. I may sometimes go back and post edits & changes -- so it’s also transitory.

So, there you have it. Please feel free to check them out, leave comments – or not. If you just want to continue tuning in to this blog alone that’s absolutely wonderful too, I’m happy for the company along the journey on any branch of the path.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled style blog :)

See ya Tuesday with an outfit pic, hope everyone had a great weekend!

Off the deck!

It seems like ages since I took a picture elsewhere in the yard, doesn't it?

Today it is supposed to be in the high 60's, so we're going off to enjoy the weather this afternoon. Perhaps a park, a walk on the beach by the lake, not sure -- I just know the kids, DH and I need to get out and celebrate the lovely warmth!

The shirt is from Kohls, the green shoes and distsressed jeans are from Target. I'm wearing the same necklace as Wednesday -- a gift from my mother that just never seems to photograph well, but it is a fave of mine and goes with nearly anything I own :)

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend -- enjoy!!!!

Radioactive

Snow?

Heck, no bother, I can always melt it with my radioactive shirt, lol!

Ok, truly, the shirt is a bright green, but it's not quite as glowing as this picture depicts. I got it at Macy's and have two other colors (but of course)...it's a faux layered piece that is a great thing to just throw on and go.

I promise, this is the last picture with snow in it till next winter :)

Have a bright and glowing day everyone!

DMV Blues

Ah yes, getting one's license renewed can be oh so much fun -- NOT!

Today I've been to the DMV twice...and it's a 30 minute ride each way. Apparently my SS# doesn't match my name in their computer -- it's still in my maiden name. Except that I've been married for over 15 years, physically went to the SS office to change it, and this is the 3rd or 4th time this has happened to me at the DMV. So I had to go all the way home for more documentation. I know what you're thinking...you are thinking I should have learned by now and brought every single document that exists proving I am who I say I am.

Yes, I should have. What's your point?

:) Oh well, national security and all, I guess.

ANYWAY, to move beyond my little rant, lol, I had to get the whole family ready and out the door this morning to go with me because the kids both desperately need shoes and the best shoe store is near the DMV. I needed an outfit that was a total no-brainer. This fit the bill :)

The blouse is from Target and goes with practically anything and everything since there are so many colors in it, yet it is also fairly neutral since the pattern is small. The jeans are Target as well, and the Sofft Maryjanes are secondhand. The cardigan is from NY&Co, and I wore it for the color in case I needed a new license picture (I didn't). The necklace, barely seen, is a gift from my mother.

Hope you all have a wonderful, completely frustration-free day!

Three strikes they're out!

These are three photos of what I thought were BAD outfits. The minute I uploaded each one of these pix I decided not to post them and changed clothes. Brave soul that I am, I've decided to share them anyway...mainly because I didn't have a new picture today, lol, but also to share my mistakes...that's part of the journey, after all.




Here's a great example of why taking pix can be a beneficial tool in discovering how things really look. Mirrors can be deceiving. This sherbet colored cardigan added way too much bulk and the color combo was a little off on me. I felt frumpy & top heavy :(

















And this is why I don't wear hats.


Actually, that's not the worst part, although it's not good, either.


Look at the darting on the jacket -- there's some sort of weirdness that makes it look like my breasts are oddly situated and hanging a bit lower than they are (trust me, between breastfeeding, huge weight loss & simple gravity I don't need the girls looking any lower than they actually are, thank you very much!)











Ok, this last outfit doesn't look too bad, especially since it was only my second adventure in tucking a blouse in. Granted, I'm not crazy about the tights, but that's no big deal.


What was the problem? It was totally impractical to wear unless I planned on standing up the entire time I was in it. Sitting or moving much at all caused things to become twisted or untucked, belts moved in unflattering ways -- just not a real world ensemble.

But DH liked taking the picture ;)

Ok, that's enough bad outfit photos for one post, wouldn't you say? See ya tomorrow with something better (she said hopefully)!

Made with love

So, today I have a bunch of errands and an appointment, no time to snap a pic -- but I planned ahead, Virgo that I am, and whilst I wore my kinky doo on Thursday I also took a second photo.


This is a new top from Kohls, I have it in green and liked the cut so decided to try another one, but I'm not sure about the pastel color. I kinda like it, tho it could be a little washed out...opinions?





The necklace is REALLY, REALLY special...my daughter made it when she was barely four years old. DH took her to a specialty bead shop and she picked out every single bead herself, strung it together exactly the way she wanted it and then all the shop keeper did was put on the clasp. I adored my husband for thinking of the idea and was tickled by the image of him walking around the store with her while DD chose each and every bead she wanted, a long process to be sure. And the look of pride on her face when she presented it to me, a real necklace made by her, well, it is my most treasured piece of jewelry.

Have a great day everyone, see ya tomorrow!

Happy Ostara!

Ostara is an old Germanic name given to today, the first day of spring aka the Vernal Equinox. This is the springtime holiday my family and I celebrate, similar to Easter (in fact, the word "Easter" is derived originally from Ostara). Our festivities include the familiar bunnies & baskets of goodies, too.

I hide trinket filled plastic eggs 'round the house and when they are all finally found the children get to open a singular large wicker egg brimming with jelly beans, marzipan chicks and a dark chocolate bunny. They also each have a basket filled with little toys wrapped in pastel colored tissue paper...nothing too big or expensive, just odds and ends and favorite things.

We have another little tradition that the kids think is particularly fun...at some point, weather permitting, we go outside with bells and drums and stamp our feet, shouting to wake up Mother Earth from her winter slumber. This is probably almost more fun than the toys since they get to be as loud and rowdy as they want (my poor neighbors!)-- it's also self defense because it's a GREAT way to burn off a sugar high, lol.

The big holiday meal consists of eggplant lasagna, a colorful spring green salad and good, crusty Italian bread. For dessert there's orange carrot cake baked in an individual egg shaped cupcake tin so we can all decorate our own with pastel colored frostings and sprinkles. It's messy, but oh so good :)

All in all it's a fun day and the weather promises to cooperate. (I'm actually writing this the night before and scheduling it to post all by itself, fingers crossed. )

So, may the promise of this season for rebirth fill you with vitality and joy. Wishing you and yours a hoppy first day of spring and an egg-cellent weekend!!!! See ya Monday w/an outfit pic :)

Going kinky!

With my hair, that is ;)

This is what my hair looks like if I don't blow it out and let it dry naturally -- well, "natural" being a relative term...I repeatedly scrunch it up with my hands while it's wet and once it is finally dry I add about 5 or 6 random pin curls using a small barrelled curling iron, just to make it look more even.

This style can be fragile and fickle -- humidity, high winds and active small children can wreak havoc on my doo when it's done this way. But once in a while I get the urge to go kinky, you know?

The cardi is NY&Co. the tee is JC Penney. Distressed jeans are Target as well as the green platform wedge sandals. The necklace is from Kohls, not sure where the bracelets are from.

Have a great day!

Virtual spring cleaning

I'm doing a bit of spring cleaning today, so not really dressed for a photo. While I was at it I thought I might get rid of the last few straggler unused pix from my photo file.

I honestly don't know why this photo didn't get used. It's not an interesting outfit, but it's not a bad one either. Go figure :)

The tee is from JC Penney and so is the necklace, the distressed jeans are Target, as are the boots. The navy cardigan is from Land's End.

I hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick's day yesterday, see ya tomorrow!

Éireann go Brách!

Ah yes, 'tis St. Pat's Day (she said with her best brogue)...and I am indeed wearin' a bit 'o the green, don't ya know (excuse me, my Irish lilt is showing)

Anyway...

I am actually Irish on both sides of my family, as well as Welsh & Scottish on my mother's side and Dutch on my father's, with a few other things tossed in for good measure in small doses. Obviously I look like I come from some sort of Celtic or Germanic ancestry, certainly, as do my children...though in true American melting pot style our last name is very clearly Latino since my husband is partially of Spanish descent. My kid's can lay claim to both St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo :)

The green cable knit sweater came from Kohls, the blue blouse underneath from NY&Co. The jeans are Target as are the brown short boots -- might be the last time for short boots till next fall, too, the weather is still chilly but it seems time to put away the winter duds :)

We'll be chowing down on some delish Irish inspired treats to celebrate. Have a great day, Éireann go Brách and I'll leave you with this Celtic blessing...

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

PS: as an after thought, here's one of my own old poems, Celtic in nature:

Brighid's Song

You are the cauldron and it’s hearthstone home

Both water and wellspring from whence it’s drawn

You arethe seed, the bloom, the fruited vine

A hopeful sharpened plow, the waiting fallow field

You are the green shaft of grain and the nourishing dark loaf

The Smith’s glowing forge and malleable iron both

A swift pointed arrow and the unknowing mark it seeks

The pen, the unsung words, the terrible white page, still blank

You are the candle and the flame it bravely bears

You are the mirror gazed upon…and the reflection seen

Dot calm

I took this photo yesterday but haven't had a chance to post it till now. I've been running around getting ready for the Vernal Equinox on Friday -- we celebrate that as our spring holiday, complete with goodie filled baskets, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. Oh, and in case you might be wondering what a non-egg-eating vegetarian has for a spring holiday meal? Eggplant Lasagna, but of course, lol!

Wasn't too sure about the polka dot cardi when I tried it on at Target. The blouse I had on that day didn't do it justice and I was afraid it might be too busy. But with the teal tee from JC Penney and some simple jewelry I really like the serene ivory & gray combo.

The jeans are from Target as well, and the Maryjanes are secondhand.

See ya tomorrow...oh, and what with a name like Kayleigh do you suppose I might be wearin' a bit o'the green?

I'll miss you...

This could be the last time I wear these skinny jeans till next fall. Since they are black velvet they don't seem quite right for spring and summer. Not to mention that I've discovered skinny style pants look best on me tucked into boots rather than with any shoe, heel or flat. I think the bulkiness of the boots balances out the snug porportions around my more generous hips, thighs and tush :)

Today was cold enough to pull them off, but being that we're nearly halfway thru March and spring is inevitable, I think this is it. So farewell, black velvet skinny jeans, till we meet again.

(Suddenly I'm hearing that old song, "See You In September")

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

One Skirt Three Ways Challenge -- Day Three

Today is the final day of this challenge, put forth by the lovely Jane from the wonderful blog WorkThatWardrobe. Her clever idea was to take a single skirt and wear it three different ways. For my skirt I chose a navy Chino mini from Target.

Today is sort of somewhere in the middle of the other two outfits -- not for a cold day like when I wore the peplum sweater on day one, but not for hot weather like the tee and sandals I wore on day two, either. I have to admit I felt a bit daring wearing boots without tights...just who the heck do I think I am, lol? It reminded me of go-go boots from the 60's.

The blouse is from JC Penneys, as is the bracelet. The brown boots my favorite Merona Karla from Target. The chain is vintage and belonged to my mother, a woman who was pretty daring herself in her day, she wore hotpants after having two kids and looked darn good in 'em. (the chain doesn't show up well in the photo, but I've worn it before).

I think this challenge was genius in its simplicity because it showed me how versatile a single piece of clothing can be. Truthfully, if I'd chosen a longer length skirt it could have been even more mulitpurpose, going from a day to an evening look or from casual to corporate.

And I must add....I am planning to go on vacation in June and I can tell you this -- between the Capsule Wardrobe Challenge and now this one, Jane has single handedly made my packing enormously easier, not to mention my suitcase will undoubtedly be much lighter!

Thanks again for this One Skirt Three Ways Challenge, Jane, as always you have the BEST ideas for challenges and I can't wait to see what you come up with next :)

One Skirt Three Ways Challenge -- Day Two

The lovely Jane of WorkThatWardrobe put forth a clever challenge once again, take one skirt and wear it three ways -- today is my day two.

Yesterday I paired this same skirt with a purple sweater, but in fact this is more how I pictured wearing the Merona Chino skirt from Target when I bought it -- as a simple, casual, mom-on-the-go type outfit for summer weather. Navy is a good neutral for me so it will go with lots of my things. And queen of multiples that I am, I have the skirt in green, too :)

The green knit shirt is from Kohls and the green slingback wedge sandals are from Target -- they're very comfortable, too. The blue beaded necklace is a dollar store find.

I'm off to enjoy the warm weather today -- in the high 60's!

One Skirt Three Ways Challenge: Day 1

Well, that gorgeous and stylish Jane from the clever blog WorkThatWardrobe has done it again. She's come up with yet another innovative challenge idea -- namely the One Skirt Three Ways Challenge. Essentially you wear one skirt three different ways on three consecutive days. I thought this was another brilliant concept and am really looking forward to trying this.

So, the skirt I chose is this navy Merona Chino mini skirt from Target. I bought it recently with an eye towards summer, thinking this would be an easy piece to wear with t-shirts or blouses for those steamy hot days. I must admit, I was a little hesitant to go for a mini at my ripe old age, but it's not as short as I thought it would be and as casual wear during the warm months, and then with colored tights in the cold ones, it still looks age appropriate, IMO.

Speaking of cold months, today it is cold & damp, in the low 40's, so I'm wearing it winter style with tights, brown boots, and my purple peplum sweater. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and warm in the mid to high sixties, so this works in my favor to show the versatility of this piece (nice when the weather cooperates, lol).

Have a great day everyone!

Neither rain nor sleet nor...

...damp March drizzle, shall keep me from my appointed blog :)

It was bound to happen, yet this is the first time since I started Fashionably Later, back in November of 2008, that the rain has interfered with an outfit photo. Amazing, huh?

So, it was teetering between drizzle and downpour this morning and as soon as I saw a lull in the torrent I dashed outside while DH took the photo standing in the open door. There were three pix, frankly this was the least bad, lol.

The coat is from Kohls, the umbrella from Target, as well as the distressed jeans.

Now, if you'll excuse me I have some errands to run....

"Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, what a glorious feeling I'm happy again...."

Same shirt, different day

I wore this brown blouse from JC Penney's on Wednesday under a green cardigan. It's got a great shape and is very basic so it goes with alot of my clothes.

The printed skirt is from Target and I've owned it for almost a year, yet this is the first time I've worn it on the blog. I confess, it's too big in the waist and I have it pinned, but a trip to the tailor and new elastic would remedy the situation better and since I bought it off the clearance rack for only $4.98 it's well worth the cost. Comfy, easy & cheap -- can't beat that!

Speaking of comfort, the much-worn brown boots from Target are ultra comfortable, I could walk for days in them. I will miss them once the warmer weather arrives. I think I'm a cold-weather person (as evidenced by so many outdoor pix throughout the winter, lol!)

The necklace is from JC Penneys and as I mentioned once before, it seems to go with a ton of stuff. I tend to do that with jewelry -- wear a piece to death for a while and then move on, more so than with clothes. I think once you have a pallate of colors established in your wardrobe, no matter how vast, more and more of your stuff seems to work together and be easily interchangeable. A good thing for a busy mom :)

Anyway, I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend -- we're in for some 60 degree weather 'round these parts which will be nice, especially for the kids...even if it means giving up my boots!

Expanded rear view

The funny husband strikes again :)


A strong gust of cold wind caused me to turn my back and brace myself. Never turn your back on a funny husband with a camera.

Once again the dare was laid down, and once again I accepted to prove I'm not as vain as he thinks I am (I am of course, but that's beside the point). Thus the expanded view you see here of both the back deck and my posterior.


I'm dressed to rent a truck and thought it would be fun to take a picture of what one wears to rent a truck. To the right is the picture I would have posted.


We're renting a van, incidentally, to clean out the basement and take a bunch of stuff to a thrift store for donation, nothing particularly exciting...although I happen to find the thought of a cleaner basement thrilling, I'm sure that's just me, lol.


Have a great day, and may the wind be always at your back (tho, without a cameraman present).

Green & brown, going to town

I'm heading off to the other side of town today, which may not sound like much, but when your town is nearly 100 square miles, it can actually be a bit of a jaunt.

The power has stayed on (yay!) and internet & cable have been reliable too, so things are back to normal, well, whatever that means, lol.

The green cardigan is from NY&Co (have it in red & teal, too) the brown Liz&Co blouse from JC Penney, as well as the necklace -- which seems to go with nearly everything and I've been wearing it to death. The distressed jeans are from Target as well as the brown boots. The dark red purse is from Kohls.

Someone emailed me and asked why I never showed my bag, so I made an effort today. I always forget to grab it when we go out for the photo :)

Snowbound!

Although that's little excuse for my hair, lol :)

Yes, March decided to come in roaring like a lion, dumping over a foot of snow on my little burg. Between power outages and no internet we were roughing it -- aside from heat when we lose power we also lose running water since we have a well with an electric pump.

(In fact, after I uploaded this photo and wrote the blurb above I was still unable to post until now -- and I'm going to hurry up and get this up before I lose internet access again!)

So have a great day, see ya tomorrow!!!