Rainy Monday

Today I'm wearing:

Shirt: Lacoste
Capris: Jones & Co from Costco
Shoes: Clark's
Jewelry: Pearl and gold necklace from The Bay, Joe Fresh gold link bracelet from the Superstore

Relaxation sets in

Last night RDog (formally known as DH) and I went on our first beach walk of the season. There is something about the beach that makes me feel so relaxed. Even as we were driving and nearing cottage land, I could feel tension leaving me. It's a great feeling. Our walk last night reminded me of our engagement pictures that we had done on the same beach about a year ago.

As our first anniversary nears, I'm doing a lot of thinking about what was going on a year ago. This was a high stress week a year ago!

Booby-licious

Dress: Joe Fresh from last summer
Shoes: Clarks
Bracelet: Claire's

I'm not feeling this outfit today. It's weird to see me in flats; I'm so used to heels now. I have to try to cool the heels for a bit. Some of my toes have been numb off and on for the past month. The doctor thinks it might be because of my shoes. :-(

We might go visit the in-laws tonight. Every year they rent a cottage near us for two weeks and they arrived today. I think I'll have to change before we head out there. This dress is booby-licious and makes me look slightly knocked up. My in-laws probably don't want to see me like that!

In My Back Pocket

Today I'm wearing:

Dress: Smart Set (and it is OLD)
Tank: J Crew
Belt: Forever 21
Bangle: thrifted from EBay
Shoes: Clarks

Last night I gave myself a pedicure using my new bottle of OPI polish. I was inspired by the last J Crew catalog in which all the models were sporting orange nail polish. The shade is called "In My Back Pocket." I think it's the perfect summer shade.

I heart summer!

As my husband pointed out, today was my first real day of summer vacation. He was back to work and I was on my own. I had a great day. DH took me out for lunch (his idea). He works downtown and has many places to choose from for lunch. He also gets a full hour lunch hour. I sometimes get bitter. My lunch is often 5 minutes of me shoving something down my throat and I rarely get the opportunity to leave school for lunch. So his invitation made me happy.

After lunch, I hit the mall and treated myself to a five dollar coffee at Starbucks. I picked up a new pair of sandals that I ordered earlier this week from SoftMoc. Clarks sandals for under $30; can't beat that. I also stopped by Gap and picked up some new underoos for myself and DH. I love Gap under-things. The day was full of "me-treats".

Tonight DH and I are BBQing and relaxing outside with a couple of beverages. It's been a great starting day to summer.

Here is what I wore today.

Untitled by KDot on Polyvore.com

And in real life:

Skirt: J Crew
Top: Walmart
Shoes: Naturalizer wedges
Purse: Coach
Headband: Forever 21
Sunglasses: Aldo

Wear your sunscreen!

Now that school is done for the year, my outfits are going to be more casual. Looking at today's picture, I realize that I need to work more on accessorizing. Casual shouldn't mean boring!

I'm wearing

Golf shirt : J Crew
Shorts: Banana Republic
Shoes: Naturalizer

It's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday we drove to a nearby city where DH was scheduled for surgery early this morning.

DH noticed a funny red dot on his lip a couple of years ago. After it got bigger, DH had our family doctor refer him to a dermatologist. It took a long time (almost 9 months) to get a dermatologist appointment but once he was in, the doctor quickly biopsied it and found out it was a basal cell carcinoma. It sounds bad because it has the "c-word" in it but really it is the best kind of "c-word" to have. The doctor referred him to a specialist for a Mohs Surgery.

The surgery involves removing a layer of skin and analyzing it to see if contains cancer. If there is cancer, another layer of the skin in removed and analyzed again. The process is repeated until no more cancer is found. It can be quite the long process so we went in there this morning prepared for a long haul. But the doctor took a look at DH and told him he wanted him to try a chemo cream first. There is an 80- 85% chance that the cream will be enough to fix the problem. I hope it will be because the area is right on the border of DH's fantastic lips. He was really concered about his lip being disfigured.

This type of thing runs in DH's family. He will most likely be prone to more in the future. We are both going to change a lot of our habits which means more hats and sunscreen. I can't believe we both used tanning beds only a year ago in preparation for our wedding day. Never again!

I'm done!

Today was my last day of work for the summer. No more school for two months! Woot, woot.

I wore:

Cardigan: Tommy Hilfiger (found last weekend at the great sale price of $13)
T shirt: Old Navy
Capris: Liz Claiborne
Shoes: Naturalizer

I've been wearing these jeans a lot lately. It is has been rainy and cold and I refuse to wear full pants until the fall. It hasn't really hit me yet that my summer break has started because the weather doesn't feel like summer yet. Hopefully the rain stops soon.

I've off to celebrate with my teacher friends. Have a great day!

Oh my pretty

A few months ago during our vacation in Mexico, I spied a great summer bag in Coach. (Why is it that there is a Coach in Mexico but not in Canada?) It was fabric and had bright fun colors. I loved it but at $260, I wasn't ready to bring it home. Today, while DH was in Future Shop, I checked out Winners and found this.

It's not the same pattern but it is fabric and full of fun colors. And it was only $100. So it came home with me. Welcome to my closet wonderful summer purse.

Lazy Sunday

Cardigan: J Crew
Tank: Martin & Osa
Capris: Liz Claiborne
Shoes: Clarks - I'm still working on breaking them in
Jewelry: Joe Fresh Fireball necklace

Happy Father's Day!

He still has the mustache today and it is still cool! I feel fortunate to have such a great Dad. He is the greatest man I know, even my husband cannot top my dad.

Outfit of the day

Skirt: J Crew found on EBay
T Shirt: J Crew
Shoes: Clarks
Jewelry: Starfish necklace from The Bay

Clarks are usually so comfortable but I am having a hard time breaking these ones in. My feet are like rectangles; short and wide. These shoes are causing some major pinching but I am determined to work them. Does anyone have any tips for stretching out tight spots in shoes?

Desert pizza is not clean eating . . .

. . . but it sure is yummy.

Summer Reading: Testimony by Anita Shreve

With school soon ending, I think my blogging material will be making a slight shift. My fashion choices are going to be more casual as I am not working so there may not be many exciting outfit of the day pictures. It will just be me in that day's tee and shorts or skirt. I 've decided to mix it up and start adding some other topics to my blog to make it more personal. I have a pile of books I am planning on reading this summer and plan to post about the notable selections. The first book in my pile is Testimony by Anita Shreve.

I'm a big fan of Anita Shreve's novels so when I saw her new book in Costco last week, I snatched it up. This book is quite different than her other novels. The Amazon description reads:

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora's box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices--those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal--that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment.

It opens by describing a sex video that four teens have made. It is a bit graphic. The scene takes place is a school and the video was discovered by a teacher. As a teacher myself, it kind of creeped me out. I hope my students are not doing the type of things that were going on in this novel!

The story not told from one point of view, but instead is told from many different character's perspectives in an interview format two years after the novel's events. That made it difficult to get into. Usually when I start a novel, I get really into it and sometimes end up reading all night. It took me a couple of days to finish this one. By the end, the novel did get better. It has a twist and a somewhat shocking ending.

For those looking for some summer fluff reading, this book may be a good beach read. But it is not a happy-go-lucky novel. It's hard to get into at first, but it does get better so stick with it.

Report Card Day

Today was report card day. I was happy that all of my homeroom students passed the year. It was casual day but too hot for jeans so this is what I ended up with. Looking at the pictures, I'm really not digging it. I almost didn't post it. What was I thinking with the black shoes!

Skirt: J Crew
T-shirt: Polo
Shoes: Clarks

I found out I am switching classrooms next year so I started the moving process today. It feels like I am moving to the school ghetto. My new room is in the basement and it is dark and very dirty! It is going to take some work to make it cheery.

I also found out what I am teaching next year. Even though I have a history degree, I have taught grade 9 English for the past two years. This year I had three sections of grade 9 English and one section of grade 10 history. I much prefer the history and hope to move up to grade 11 and 12 history. I will have to wait at least another year for that move. Next year's teaching assignment includes three sections of grade 9 English again and one section of grade 9 social studies. Oih, that's a lot of fourteen-year-olds. I shouldn't complain though; my school district has massive cutbacks and layoffs planned for the fall. I feel pretty lucky to have my permanent contract and a guarenteed job. I just got my permanent contract in September; lucky timing!

Graduation

Last night my school had its graduation ceremony. The key to any grad ceremony in an old school in June is to stay cool. I wore a cotton dress that I bought last year for my day-after-the-wedding outfit. It matched our color theme of black and white.

Dress: Walmart
Shoes: Karen Scott
Purse: Coach

What I'm Wearing Today

Skirt: Fairweather
Top: Banana Republic
Shoes: Reitman's

After seeing this picture, I have doubts about my tank. It really makes my chestal region pop out! The great thing about taking daily pictures of my outfits, is that I can really notice what looks good and what doesn't. This tank might have to be a layering piece from now on.

Here are my new shoes that I found at Reitman's for only 12 dollars!

They are canvas and super comfy. I think I will get lots of use out of these this summer.

What I Wore Yesterday

Skirt: J Crew
Top: Walmart (Sshhhhh, don't tell)
Shoes: Reitman's
Bracelet: Forever 21

Yesterday was a crazy busy day so I didn't have time to post. Today will be busy too but I am almost done. 3 1/2 days of work left!

Prom Time

Tuesday night was prom night. It was great to see all the kids spiffied up. The prom dresses were beautiful. There were many princess dresses in bright colors. I don't remember the girls dressing up so much at my prom. Some of the dresses were fancier than my wedding dress!

Prom also gives us teachers a chance to dress up. I wore:

Bill Mackie dress found at Winners
Expressions shoes from The Bay
Beaded clutch purse than my grandmother found in when spring cleaning her church! It's a beautiful vintage purse in great condition.

Outfit of the day

Skirt: J Crew
Top: Banana Republic
Shoes: Naturalizer
Belt: thrifted
Bracelet: bought from a vendor in Mexico

Strawberry Fields Forever

Dress: Espirit (thrifted)
Tank: Martin and Osa
Shoes: Naturalizer

I spend my day alone in my classroom cleaning and packing so I dressed for comfort. This dress is super comfy and cool. The print has little strawberries and leaves on it.

What is business attire?

My husband's boss has been nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year so we have an award ceremony to attend this week. The invitation said "business attire". That's easy for the boys. DH has a new Hugo Boss suit that he has been itching to wear. But I am not so sure what to wear.

Help! What does business attire for the ladies mean?

Falling off the wagon

Cardigan: J Crew
Skirt: J Crew
Tee: Old Navy
Shoes: Expressions from the Bay
Jewelry: Necklace found from a beach vendor in Mexico, link bracelet from Joe Fresh, bangle bracelet from Shoppers

The skirt and the cardigan are both new purchases. I stayed away from J crew for a couple of months, after realizing the amount of damage it was doing to my credit card balance. However, in the last week, I have fallen on the wagon and hit the ground hard. Hopefully my husband does not read today's entry. I really need to be good for the next month because in July we are going Outlet shopping. Woot! I need to save my money for that trip.

Spanxing it up

Today's outfit is brought to you by Spanx.

I have finally admitted to myself that I have gained weight; 13 pounds, in fact, since last year. I need to go back to my clean eating ways.

Today's outfit

Dress: Sears
Belt: Reitman's
Shoes: Naturalizer (I do have other shoes, but I really, really like these wedges)
Jewelry: Suzy Shier

Reading is fun!

Cardigan: J Crew
Dress: Reitman's
Shoes: Franco Sarto
Belt: Forever 21
Jewelry: Necklace from Forever 21, bracelet from The Bay

My newest Forever 21 order arrived last night and I couldn't wait to try out some of my new find. I love this brown Fab Wide Elastic Belt. It's my first elastic belt and I love the close fit it achieves. The Flower Cluster Necklace has been featured on many blogs and it is a keeper. I received many compliments on it today.

The shoes were quickly changed this morning. I barely made it across the parking lot into school. The heels are very high and my foot slides down as I walk. There is little room at the front so my toes stick out between the straps in a painful way.

Below is a picture of my surroundings.
I set my camera on my computer desk and stand in the doorway of our computer room. My husband is a dork so we have many computers. The bookcase is my part of the room. The stack of books on the floor is part of my summer reading. I can't wait to spend my days drinking coffee in the sun and reading for fun!

Knee caps are gross

Dress: Martin & Osa
Shoes: Chaps wedges from Kohls
Jewelry: Necklace from Claire's, bracelet from last summer's cruise

I hate my knee caps. My limbs do this weird thing where they extend further back than most people's. It can sometimes look gross. I have a little bit of over-extension going on here.

It's stinky time

The honor of my 100th post goes to Kitty, my little fur diva.

She has caught her favourite toy, which I call the "stinky". I think this toy has been dipped in rotting fish guts. It smells gross but she loves it.

Thank you everyone who takes the time to read my blog. You are all helping me on my journey to becoming a more fashionable KBear.

Last Class Bash

Skirt: Martin & Osa (currently on sale for 24.95 plus 30% off - a good buy)
Top: J Crew
Shoes: Naturalizer
Jewelry: Suzy Shier pearl and bow earrings

Today was my last teaching day. I still have two weeks of work left but the hard work is done. I made it through year two and haven't gone crazy yet!

Dang, that's cute

Skirt: Mexx
Shirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Expressions from The Bay
Jewelry: Pearl Cluster Necklace from Forever 21, sapphire tennis bracelet found on EBay years ago.

I love the shoes. I was craving metallic shoes for awhile and finally found these a few weeks ago. It was their first wearing, so they did not make it through the day but dang they are cute.

Ruffles, victoria style

J Crew Victoria Ruffle Cami in cerise
Reitman's linen pants
Naturalizer wedges

I added a pearl cluster bracelet after taking this picture.

I received so many compliments on this cami. Hopefully, I can snag one in another color at its new reduced price within the next couple of days. I think an ivory version would be great under a cardigan.

The Flight Attendant Look

I've been wanting to wear a scarf for awhile. They are out of my regular comfort zone so I knew I had to find a very plain outfit and let the scarf be the only color. This is my way of easing into the scarf wearing thing. I tried to do that today but it turned into the flight attendant look. One student came into my classroom today and asked me if I was going to point out where the exits are located.

My scarf use is a work in progress.


Dress: Mexx
Scarf: Mexx
Shoes: Karen Scott

Return to thrifting

When I was a child, we didn't have a lot in terms of material possessions. The majority of my clothes came from Frenchys (an Atlantic thrift store) or were hand-me-downs. When I got my first permanent teaching job, I vowed to buy only new clothes. Recently, a few bloggers have made me start to change my mind. What I Wore and What I Wore Today are two very different bloggers but they both find great things at the thrift shop. They have convinced me to return to the thrift store. I really like the same store my mother took me to as a child, Frenchys, because all the clothes are imported from the United States. There are brand names to be found that us Canadians do not have easy access to, like J Crew. Today was the first day I wore a Frenchys find. When my vice-principal complimented me on my cute dress, it gave me an extra thrill because I knew that the dress cost only $5.

Dress: thrifted from Frenchys
Cardigan: J Crew
Belt: H&M
Shoes: Naturalizer
Jewelry: navy and gold bangle from Shoppers Drug Mart (Canadian version of Rite Aid), my swatch, and ever-present diamond pendant wedding necklace