Back to work

Today was my first day back at work. I knew it was going to be a long day of staff meetings so I dressed for comfort.

Golf shirt: J Crew
Capris: J Crew Cocktail capris (I'm in love with these pants)
Shoes: Keds wedges
Necklace: Suzy Shier
Watch: Kenneth Jane Lane. I bought this in July but it was the first time I wore it as I have not worn a watch since June 23 (the last day of school).

It was a long and tiring day but it had a bright spot this evening. RDog came home with these:

Awwwwwww . . . He started a tradition on my first day of teaching by bringing home a gift of pearl earrings. Ever since on the first day of school, I always get a little present. He's a keeper!

Woe is me!

A bit plain today but I was feeling a wee bit hungover and didn't have a lot of energy.

Tee: J Crew
Pants: J Crew Cropped chino . These started off a bit tight but loosen as I wear them.
Belt: Gap
Shoes: Aerosoles
Bracelet: Banana Republic

I'm back at school on Monday so last night was kind of my last hurrah to summer. It goes by so fast. Woe is me!

What I Wore Last Night

Last night I went out for dinner and drinks to celebrate teacher friend J's birthday. She is exactly seven days younger than me. It has been very cold and windy here so I couldn't wear my usual skirt. My latest J Crew order arrived yesterday with these cocktail capris so of course I wanted to wear them.

Cami: J Crew
Capris: J Crew
Bracelet: Banana Republic
Shoes: Banana Republic

It was chilly so I had to throw on J Crew's Georgia cardigan in a light gray. J knows me well. I walked into the restaurant and she said, "New clothes?" I nod. "Bought them online didn't ya." Another nod from me. My name is KDot and I like to shop.

Newest Want:: Patterned tights

The latest J Crew catalogue arrived in my mailbox today. There are so many things I love, but what really stuck out for me was the patterned tights.


So pretty and so versatile. They look subtle enough that I could wear them to work. I need these babies!

Have any bloggers out there tried these? I'm wondering how they fit tall people (I'm 5'10" and sometimes have a hard time finding tights that are long enough).

A whole lot of color going on

Cardigan: J Crew
Tank: J Crew
Belt: H&M
Skirt: Sears
Shoes: Rampage

I found this skirt last week when I was going through some of my remaining big clothes. This one almost made it to the donate pile but then I remembered that I hadn't worn it yet and decided to try it on. It is a teenie bit big but nothing a belt couldn't solve. I had previously not known what to pair this skirt with. It has got a lot going on. My first instinct would be to go with a white shirt so I decided to do the opposite. It's a lot of color but I like it. I was tickled when I realized how much this outfit cost; under $50, including shoes and the belt. That doesn't happen very often!

Freeport Finds - the stuff

I didn't expect much from the J Crew outlet as, in the past, I have found it to be over priced for an outlet. Still I was a wee bit disappointed to find no good sales. In most of the other factory stores, there is a percentage off of the tagged price. In Banana Republic, for example, the items are tagged at lower prices than a normal store then there is 20 - 60% off on top of that. There was nothing like that in J Crew. I find better prices online in the sale section. I love J Crew, but I am cheap. So all I bought there was this cute rose tee.

It's modeled on the bed next to the cats' stinky toys. I was feeling lazy.

Both RDog and did a lot of damage in Banana Republic. I don't have a lot of clothing with pattern so when I saw this blouse, I had to have it.


It is suppose to fit in a loose way but I'm not into that so I was able to size down to an XS to get the fit I wanted. It makes this normally medium sized girl giggle to see the small tag.

I also had lots of luck with Banana Republic's accessories. I found some cute bracelets ad a necklace.




I also had some great finds at Coach. Most things were on sale with an additonal 50% off and I had a coupon for another 20%. I found this lady.

I also bought a bag for my 16 year old cousin for Christmas. She is going to flip!

I know some bloggers are not a fan of Coach but here in Atlantic Canada we are a little bit behind the times and Coach is a big thing. Everyone knows Coach but because there are no Coach stores, they are hard to find. When they appear at Winner (our version of TJ Maxx), they are sold out in hours. I get people coming up to me in the mall and grocery stores complimenting me on my Coach bags. The girls are school always notice them too. They're like,"OMG, Miss has a Coach bag. She is ballin'." No, they really don't say that and I don't know what ballin' means but they do comment on my bags.

Finally RDog was able to find an item from his wishlist.

He looks smoking in them too, like Mad Men smoking hot. RDog, does that make up for all the times I make fun of you on my blog?

Freeport Finds - the shoes

RDog and I are back from our mini trip to Freeport, Maine. We had a great getaway. It's a cute little village with quaint shops, yummy restaurants and of course, great outlet stores. I am at a max for clothing. I think my closet hanging bar is going to snap. The bar in my second closet fell out down last week because of the huge weight. So I focused on accessories in my shopping.

First off, the shoes. Oh the glorious shoes!

I've seen a lot of Cole Haan shoes on some lovely bloggers so I had to check it out when I spied the store. I love these babies. I love that they come with a dust bag. Dust bags make anything better.

These are from Banana Republic. They were just sitting there in the clearance section with my name on them and they were a shockingly low price.

From Burberry, these were another pair that was an outrageously low price (90% = me likey). They also have a dust bag which increases their special quotient.

And finally, I found these Keds at Kohl's for 80% off. See a trend here. I like the sales!

How I just need top find a place to store these bad boys. I have FOUR areas for shoe storage! Eeek.

More to come on my other finds.

I'm back with more shoes

Capris: Liz Claibourne
Tee: J Crew
Tank: Smart Set
Shoes: A2 by Aerosoles

The shoes are one of my purchases from the weekend. I found them in my mad shopping dash at Kohl's. RDog was getting tired during the drive back from Freeport, so he stopped in Bangor for a break. I dashed into Kohl's with two things in mind: shoes and the lovely Simply Vera necklace that Chloe has been sporting. In real life, the necklace was too much necklace for me to pull off. I zoned into the shoes and found these. My Kohl's visit was completed in under 15 minutes. Aren't you proud, RDog? In the past, my mother and I have spent hours in Kohl's. It's a great store that I wish was in Canada (just like Target, J Crew and a gamillion other stores). Anyways, here are my new shoes.

RDog thinks they'd be perfect for wearing on a boat. I think he just said that because he's trying to convince me that we need to buy a boat.

More coming up on my other weekend finds.

What I Wore Last Night

Wrap Top: Cassis
Skirt: Cassis
Shoes: Karen Scott
Cat: Ruby

Last week I popped into Cassis, a store I really like that is sometimes a bit pricey. They had an extra 50% off their clearance and the sale had just started. Weee! I snagged this skirt, which is my deal of the summer. 100% silk, regular $89, but I got it for $7.50! The top is also silk and was $15. Next time I wear the skirt, I'll play a bit more with color. Of course I farted around too much reading logs yesterday and was rushed getting ready.

I also wore the feathered headband I found at Smart Set yesterday for 25 cents. Excuse my ginormous forehead.


RDog did a little posing last night too. He got really into it, perhaps inspired by my shouting, "Work it, work it," and, "You sexy bitch."

RDog wore:

Shirt: Klaus Boehler
Pants: Gap
Shoes: Feet First
Tie: Hugo Boss
Belt: Lacoste

Hmm, I'm not sure about the belt with that RDog.

We had a yummy dinner and then met up with some teacher friends for drinks. When we got home, I got this:

The inside says, "And frankly, he just didn't match her purse."

So true, so true.

RDog bought me a tripod for my blog picture taking. A subscription to Clean Eating is on its way and so is this; my very own bubble necklace. He follows orders well because it's everything I wanted!

This weekend, we're taking a mini trip away. RDog is pretty busy at work and wasn't able to take a vacation during my summer time off. We had planned on going to Boston during his vacation but will have to make do with a long weekend to Freeport, Maine. We've been before in the winter but never in the summer. It's a really cute village so I am looking forward to exploring it in the nice weather and going to the outlet stores of course! They have all the stores and brands that we don't have here in Atlantic Canada. Our favorites are Banana Republic and Burberry. There is a J Crew outlet but I've always found it to be super expensive for an outlet store. Of course, no trip to Maine is complete without a trip to Target and my favorite junk store, Mardens.

But I don't wanna grow-up!

Dress: Jessica from Sears
Belt: H&M
Necklace: H&M
Shoes: Naturalizer

Today is my 28th birthday. I don't like how quickly 30 is approaching. A few weeks ago, my hair dresser found a gray hair. My scream echoed throughout the building. I told her to memorize my hair color because as soon as more grays pop up, she will be re-creating it. Eeeek! Another sign that I am getting older, at a get-together with friends last weekend, I found out everyone has life insurance except me. So now I guess I have to take the grown up step of getting some so my cats can eat after I'm gone.

Despite the aging and death talk, I'm having a great day so far. I've indulged in a few treats (Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich and a red velvet cupcake from Second Cup - yum). I did a bit of shopping. I found a really cute feathered headband at Smart Set and it rang up as 25 cents. Sweet! I was in my car driving and looked up to see the Snowbirds flying by. It was nine planes flying super close together. Very neat! RDog is taking me out for dinner and drinks tonight so I'm off to get all spiffied up.

My J Crew sale purchases

I've been doing pretty good with toning down the shopping but this week with J Crew's 20% plus free shipping sale and 2 J Crew gift cards, I felt free to get my shop on. Here's what I found.

My sale purchases by KDot featuring J Crew

I also got a Garden-lace shift dress for $7.99 and a pair of linen pants for RDog (I couldn't find them on Polyvore). All this for $151. My gift cards added up to 140 so I really only spent $11. Hopefully Mr. Post-likes-to-charge-me-duty-man will not catch this package.

Psst, RDog, did you see that I only spent $11 AND I bought you something? That totally deserves a present.

Goodbye old friend

Tank: Martin and Osa
Skirt: Walmart
Belt: RW (For any Canadian teachers out there, RW is having a great sale this week. All teachers get 20% off their purchases of $85 and more.)
Bracelet: Forever 21
Shoes: Clark's

Today's skirt was purchased during the great Walmart $1 sale of 2004. It was July and huge amounts of Walmart's clothes were marked down to a dollar. This was my favorite skirt for a long time. I even managed to squeeze into when my weight ballooned up. I just wore it a lot higher on the waist. The skirt is getting faded and I think this will be it's last wear. Goodbye old friend, we had good times together.

My scarf rings are here.

I blogged a few weeks ago about wanting a scarf ring. I've been building up a collection of scarves, most found in thrift shops, but have no idea how to wear them. I thought a scarf ring might help out but could not find one at a price and style that I liked. Finally, I scored on Etsy. My scarf rings arrived today.

They are vintage and very pretty. I will have to wait until school starts again to put them into use. In a small way, I'm looking forward to going back to school. It means I can start dressing pretty again! I keep on getting comments about how dressed up I am and it's getting tiring. Seriously folks, all I wear is a skirt and top and people tell me it looks like I am at work. Just because I'm on vacation, doesn't mean I have to dress like a slob! Rant end.

Anywho, I'm looking forward to adding these rings and my scarfs to my fall wardrobe.

I feel so special

Skirt: J Crew
Blouse: Ricki's It looks a bit purple but is actually navy.
Bracelet: Ricki's
Shoes: Naturalizer. I purchased these with my 15 dollars off birthday coupon and got them for 15$ (they were regular $100). Weee! They are really similar to this but in navy.

Today I went out to lunch with RDog, hit the dentist and then did some errands at the mall. Three random people stopped me in my travels to tell me they liked my skirt and ask where I got it. I feel so special. Great deals at the mall, by the way. It's the season of summer markdowns.

Martin & Osa - New Arrivals

This email from Martin & Osa popped in my inbox this morning:

I'm not sure if I am really special or if everyone on the planet received this email but I headed over to M&O's site to check it out anyways. There were, of course, lots of basics, but a few things stuck out for me.

Shawl Collar Fleece Cardigan

"Fitted like a blazer + fashioned like a cardigan, this versatile shawl collar knit is a modern update in a plush blend of super-soft fleece." This looks super cozy but still appropriate for my school with its wildly inaccurate heating system. I always need a stack of sweaters in my desk.

Autumn Print Belted Cowlneck Dress

I love Martin and Osa dresses. This one is so pretty. I don't know if I would get any wear out of it in my climate where the fall turns cold fairly quick.

Cap Sleeve Scoop-Neck Ponte Dress

This dress would be a better option for Canada's climate. I could add in some tights and a sweater and be all set.

There were lots of other great things like this that I will keep my eye on. Of course, I will be waiting for all of the above items to go on sale before purchasing. I love extra 30% off sales.

Meh

Dress: Who's That Girl found on Beyond the Rack
Shoes: Merona
Bracelets: Ricki's

I'm not really digging this outfit. I bought the dress on impulse during Beyond the Rack's clearance sale. I don't think I really like it. Next time I wear it, I'm going to try it as a skirt and layer another top over it. I think that will make it better.

Anyone else out there impulse shop online and regret it later? It seems that I only make purchases like this online, it doesn't happen in a real store.

Goodbye dirt!

Capris: Liz Claiborne
Blouse: Mexx
Shoes: Jessica from Sears
Necklace: Forever 21

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. With the heat and the construction, I haven't felt like wearing anything other than my ugliest home clothes. Today it is cooler and there is only a bit of construction going on, so I hope it is the start of a return to old habits. The men are coming by this afternoon for a few final touches and then the house will be done! I'll be so glad to have the mess and the dirt gone!

What I Wore Yesterday

Skirt: J Crew Nicky
T-shirt: Gap
Shoes: Naturalizer

Speaking of Naturalizer, I received a birthday card in the mail from them.
The $15 dollars can be taken off sale merchandise as well which means I can probably score a good deal. Woot, woot.

RDog, don't forget my birthday is in exactly 2 weeks!

Lessons learned from the Bay of Fundy

Yesterday was a holiday so RDog had the day off. I'm not sure why it is is a holiday. I've always felt that it is because people want to have a long weekend in August. Anyways, I'm not complaining. We set off on a long country drive and ended up on this beach along the Bay of Fundy. We were so far in the country, there wasn't even a Tim Hortons. Gasp! Faced with all that nature, we decided to go for a walk on the beach.

RDog, being the delicate city creature that he is, walked to the end of the wooden boardwalk and declared, "that's enough for me." Me, being the adventurous small-town girl that I am, spied a bend in the rocks ahead and wanted to go exploring.

My goal: the clump of rocks to the right.
Plotting a course through the rocks and mud. RDog hooked up the camera's super lens as my pile of rocks and the bend in the water were farther away than I thought.
The little red dot is me. I made it eventually. I discovered a few things from this walk.

1. Bay of Fundy beaches are muddy, but yet rocky.

2. Do not wear shoes you like while walking on a muddy, rocky beach.

3. Walking on rocks while bare foot hurts.

4. Walking on mud while bare foot is gross.

5. Around the bend was the prettiest red wooden covered bridge.

It was a great day.

Mad Men Prettiness

The newest edition of Vanity Fair has a Mad Men spread of photos of Jon Hamm & January Jones. I must share because they are so gosh darn pretty (the actors, the pictures and the clothes).



Jon Hamm + no shirt = daaaaamn!
He is a fine looking man.

Weeeee, a new purse for me!

Tank: Martin & Osa
Skirt: cheapie from Fairweather
Shoes: Old Navy
Clutch: Danier Leather. I've been eying this for awhile. Danier has a great sale on now. I popped in last night, saw the sale and saw that there was only one clutch left in white. That was enough motivation for me. Weeeee, a new purse for me!

Kitty, meet Ruby

Kitty: "I like to sniff bums."
Ruby: "Was your face just in my butt?"
Cat introductions are going well.

All By Myself

Today's outfit is comfy and perfect for lounging around the house.

Dress: Smart Set
Tank: Martin & Osa
Flippy Floppies: Clark's
Belt: Gap

The belt was the only thing I bought at the Friends and Family sale. There wasn't much in the Gap, just some dark cardigans, jeans, and gray dress pants. Everything was blah.

This weekend it's just me and the cats. RDog went home to his parent's house for the weekend to celebrate his mother's birthday and to visit family friends who are in from Alberta. I have to stay home because Ruby (I think that is the official name for new cat) needs medication every 12 hours. As well, there may be some workers around the house who will need to be let inside. They also lobster fish and that season starts soon so they want to get this job done. I'm glad they have motivation to finish because I've had enough of this mess!

So I'm going to be super mega bored this weekend which will probably result in random posts every hour. I hope everyone else is having a better weekend!

Mad Men Tour of the Costume Shop

I found this video on Mad Men's costume shop. I can't wait to see this season's outfits. Just from the few pictures that have been released, I can already see a change as the ladies move more into the sixties. The dresses are less poofy, the hair is starting to flip out but everything is still fantastic. I wish I had some of those dresses in my closet!