Best Compliment Ever

Yesterday I played hooky, and after therapy I walked 8 blocks to the Trader Joe's. I did this at 1pm when it was 109 degrees, for the love of Mike, and I went to Trader Joe's because there was more shade on the walk then the way to Sprouts. Also, Torched Goodness, the mobile creme brulee truck was at the farmer's market until 2pm with Honey Orange Creme Brulee. I know what's important.

So after I loaded up on goodies at Trader Joe's, I had them call me a cab (I had forgotten my phone). And who picked me up? Wilfred, the cabbie who has given me a ride before! So I climb in and let him know where I'm going (which is partly how he recognizes me) and we chat for a few and then he asks me, "Are you an American?"

"Well, yes--why do you ask?"

"You are always dressed so nice! In a skirt! Out here no one dresses up, they just throw on anything!"

"Thank you!" You are so sweet!"

I was wearing a purple t-shirt and a stretchy gray skirt with black sandals and a tan straw hat, for the record. Nothing special, but hey, a girl needs all the appreciation she can get.

Things One Could Spend Money On

I can't tell if these shoes are awesome or ugly. I think the striped ones are okay, but not the flowered ones

And $50 sunscreen? I'd like a free sample of that!

Hot N' Sweaty Summer--The Everything Else Edition

Right. So I did buy the tiger print skirt and I wore it Monday. First thing out of my two closest work friends' mouths was "Whoa! That's not the typical Kerry skirt, but that's a good look, Kerry!"

I also bought a similar full skirt in a bright grassy green, and I love it too. I feel so sophisticated. I promise I will get Aces to take a picture of me.

That's not my dog. Rocky is the dog I dogsat for last month. He was very sweet, but that was the only good photo I got of him.

I heartily endorse Benefit's "They're Real!" mascara--I got a sample, and I feel it is amazing. I think it gives me subtly longer eyelashes. Doll eyes!

Other than that, all I do is work. Which is part of why I am looking for a new job.

Updates

I followed Genevieve's advice and bought the good house blend from Echo Coffee. Aces introduced me to this place a few months back and its my new favorite--much better than Royal Coffee, and only a 10 minute bus ride. It makes some good iced coffee, but I still have to work on proportions.

And Old Navy! I wore a skirt I purchased from them on Friday, one that I haven't even washed and as I was smoothing my skirt after visiting the ladies', it tore. Not along a seam, but the actual cotton jersey fabric just let go. I had to staple the edges together to be decent enough to walk home and change and not show my hiney to all and sundry. I have contacted them to give it back and get a refund; this is just ridiculous and I want my $30 back. So be wary of Old Navy!

Oh, and you heard about what's been going on here in Phoenix, land of 118 degree days and gigantic haboobs. I missed the dust storm entirely, but Genevieve sent me pictures. Well, my apartment complex has slid a few more degrees into decrepitude. One of the olive trees split in half last night and could have killed someone. They started to clean it up before I could take a picture, but as it was one of the larger trees round here it made me sad. Our pool is now padlocked due to a warning from the Maricopa Environmental Quality Division because the water quality was so bad, and the Fire Department also have issues with the flimsy construction of the gate. Way to go! I might move. I don't use the pool, but this place is getting me down.

What I've Been Up To: The Sartorial Edition

First off, feel free to weigh in on what I am currently stalking--Talbot's tiger print pleated skirt.

So what I like to put on eye makeup in the evening when I am stressed out by work. Yes, I realize that is a little odd. But it's kind of meditative, putting on eye makeup. I am practicing cat's eyes eyeliner, a look that will never play at the office. I currently really like this specially priced summer palette, Stunning in Sayulita Yes, I did buy some makeup after saying I wouldn't because of the cost of the kittens. But it makes me look so healthy!

I also bought 3 pair sandals and a pair of sneakers. I may have to face up to the fact that my feet are actually wide and not normal width. I bought a pair of sandals in W, and wore them yesterday with no blisters. Hmmm. You mean that breaking in shoes is not supposed to be an arduous process in which you scab up your feet.

I also bought some cheap clothing from Old Navy and hate myself for it. It really is flimsy fast fashion. Two cotton cardigans and a tunic are handwash only because the fabric is so thin that the washing machine would destroy it. The clothes themselves are nicely designed though.

So, what have you all been doing to make yourselves prettier?

I Bought Dresses

I've fallen into a work clothing rut recently. Except for meetings, we have been allowed daily business casual since the Legislature has left town last month. I have a variety of casual skirts but felt like I could get something more flattering and professional looking. So I did some online shopping.

This dress in dusty coral looks like a day dress or a date dress.

This looks professional enough to wear to an update meeting with the Department this summer.

And this is on backorder until August, but it is one of my great colors and cheap.

I went the plus size route because frankly, I was suspicious of that Due East Basics dress.

In Other News...

This weekend was boring, but I will tell you about it anyway as it is my blog and what other source material is there? I cleaned the apartment. The vacuum scares the cats, and my carpets are a filthy mess of vomit and poop spots that I treat with cleaner. Oh kittens. On the plus side they are now all box trained.

I took Willa to the vet yesterday for an exam and to also see why she continually shakes her head until you can hear her ears rattle. $170 later she is vaccinated and free of ear mites, however I cannot tell whether the look in her eyes is marvel from how much she now hears or sadness that the voices in her head are gone.

This weekend I made healthy carrot cake muffins for breakfast this week. They'd be even better with a bit of butter on top, but one has to cut corners somewhere in the interests of weight loss. I also made my famous vegan potato salad, so I have lunches for all this week.

In fashion news, I am lusting after the Cascade Dots Dress from Ann Taylor, but in the interest of fiscal prudence am wondering if I can carry off the cowl neck on the Pretty Parisian Dress from Down East Basics. Opinions?

My Fashion Fixation: Dresses For Bicycling

Once I realized that yes, wearing "comfortable" clothes to exercise made me more inclined to do it, and that in crazy Kerry fashion I am most comfortable when dressed up, I started looking at exercise that could be done in clothes that made me feel good. Which lead to yoga (because the pants make you look put together) and biking (because you can do it in a skirt).

I was inspired by Ms. Bitchcakes, who bikes on her own fashion terms, which include fishnets, heels and bustiers. And urban chic bicyclists as seen in the Times. See? It can be done.

A couple of recent looks I like:

I bought this dress in the store marked down even more than the sale site. Why it works--it's made out of t-shirt jersey cotton, and the empire waist gives your abs plenty of room to contract while the skirt is long enough to maintain modesty, but short enough not to get in the way of the pedals and chain.

Pockets! This eShakti dress with the paperbag waist has deep pockets so you can carry your keys and wallet while you bike up to LGO for a latte.

I feel so Edwardian and modern biking in a dress. Votes for women!

A Quick Bit Of Fashion Talk

Jezebel had a thread several months ago about the challenges of dressing yourself when you have large breasts. The comments are long but a great resource for ideas for shopping outlets, particularly for lingerie.

By the way, Figleaves is having a big sale.

And I have a new favorite cosemetic: Benefit Eye Bright. A little dab inside the eyes and it does help to give me even larger anime character eyes.

Note To Self--Stop Buying From eShakti

Here's the thing: I love the way the clothes look on the site. I had an easy experience returning items. The clothes are pretty well made, in my estimation. But this is the third dress I've ordered that looks terrible on me. Mainly because I think they design on a form where women's hips start about 3 inches above where mine do. So everything is empire waisted on me and awful. I never thought I had a long torso before.

The shawl collar dress was also darker than it appeared on the site and had a manufacturing defect (a buttonhole was missing). It would have looked great if the hips were in the right place. My blue cambray denim skirt looks good though. And Aces has been very happy with what she's bought.

So no more buying online. Which is good as it wrecks hell on my budget.

Jumped The Gun On My New Dress

Damn it, eShakti came out with that dress in better colors! Aces and I are debating on whether we both want the dress in Harvest Pumpkin, which may lead to embarrassing accidental matching sister outfits.

Opinions Wanted--Dress Edition

Of course it's on clothing. I am loving onthis dress. Any opinions? Yes, I can always return it, but that's an expensive habit. I think that I can make it modest enough for work. Do you think the color would work on me? It would warm up my skin tone. The tan has a lot of red in it which would be flattering. And I think it would give me a vavoom look.

My 8th grade graduation dress was a sailor dress in a similar style, which is part of the attraction.

eShakti Certificate!

Been wanting to try eShakti? This code gives you $12 off your order: KE46LH

What Is It That Elvis Costello Sang?

"The angels are gonna steal my red shoes?" Or just Cookbook?

Input Needed

So you know the buttons and bits of thread you get along with clothes sometimes? How do you organize them in case you need them later? I have a stack on my desk but think I could use a better organizational method.

And I agreed to make a dessert for Tuesday group lunch. Strawberries are on sale, I have eggs, lemons and carrots. Any low-cost, fairly easy ideas? I can make lemon curd and cake again for the sugar rush, or lemon pudding. Or carrot cake. Any other ideas? It will be hot here, but they did turn on the a/c recently.

New Haircut

Megan jazzed it up a bit--a little shorter and more textured, and she changed the part. This is because my hair grows really fast in summer, and because summer means HATS.

Dress A Friend Monday

April Showers For Mel by gimlet featuring Seven For All Mankind jeans

Items in this set:
Navy scoop neck cuff top, 7 GBP
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DRAPED BLAZER at Yoana Baraschi in BLACK, CITR, $250
7 for all mankind Rocker Boot Stretch Jean, $215
Fluevog Viardot-g/c Viardot, 285 CAD
Mark Davis Dorothy Vintage Bakelite Bangle with Mozambique Garnet and..., 890 GBP

For Mel of Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Your Boyfriend. Notice how the umbrella matches your blog's background color? I started with that and your joyous colors, and went with the jacket because of its 70's disco/Victoriana touch. I added the orange because I love both olive and orange and blue and orange. Scarf is completely optional, but it may be cold in Cleveland in April, you know. Fluevogs will elevate your feet and make it easier to avoid puddles. I followed up on the orange touches with the jewelry.

Follow along at Cookbook's and Wende's blogs.

I Put A Bright But Stinky Foot Forward

I am not doing Wardrobe Therapy, but felt like sharing a recent purchase that rocks my world.

I have these shoes in Berry, but I want them in Lime. They are surprisingly comfortable.

They go very well with my mod swirly ribbon belt and a pair of jeans I have that are too long and need to be hemmed, and my new suit where (surprise!) the pants are too long and need to be hemmed. My large variety of reddish/pink sweaters and shirts look great with these combos.

I also want these.. How vintage chic!

Dear Government

Dear Government,

I know you are very interested in propping up the economy by getting people to buy houses and extending unemployment benefits. And "Cash for Clunkers" also gave the economy a bump higher then meth. But fripperies help the economy too! Would you front me some cash for this? Or these (size 8.5)?

Come on, in absence of a workable health plan I should get something.

Best wishes,

Your citizen,

Kerry

Cute Shoes, Huh?

But they don't quite match anything, and for $55 I can't quite bring myself to keep them.