Scenes from a lazy Christmas Day

Hopefully by now, Peeps, you've all cleaned up the torn wrapping paper, you've turned off TBS' marathon of A Christmas Story, and you've had your fill of fabulous Christmas goodies and foods. By now, I hope you've cozied up on the couch to watch a football game, with happy kids and their twenty-million gifts surrounding you in a fabulous, cluttered, turkey sandwich-induced coma. Ok, well that's my Day After Christmas Dream for you, anyway.

Thought I'd share some of our favorite images from our Christmas day here in Hawai'i Nei yesterday. I keep thinking last Christmas we were in Rome, this Christmas was in Hawaii... What does the next year hold? We'll just have to see!

A glass seahorse ornament on our tree. I *heart* this thing like you just don't know and I pity the fool who tries to take it down before New Year's Day.

An ornament we bought in Europe at a Christmas Market last year. It made its Christmas Tree Debut this year and couldn't be prettier...

Christmas morning cupcakes for my Little Guy.

Little Guy's masterpiece of a gingerbread village. It's a little rough, but still so sweet!

Conspicuous Consumption at its worse. Now you know where my J.Crack dollars went this year.

*Sigh* The life of an only child, though not for long!

Santa brought a Little Guy-sized surfboard this year. Now he can catch some waves with Daddy.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Kelly's Mad Science Birthday Party, the New House & some crazy news.

What a week, peeps. I need to sit down and have a drink just thinking about it -- but I won't, and more on that later. Well, first we moved into the new house and that has been hectic. We had two moving trucks show up with all our furniture and belongings from Japan, and then two days later were barraged with two more moving trucks filled with things we've had in storage for the past 4 years -- aka, everything that we had decided not to bring to Japan when we moved there. I am awash in boxes.

But despite that little setback, I spent the first week setting up the public spaces and the most important private ones. So I'm proudly here to say that my living, dining, kitchen and bedrooms were set up and ready for use. Above is a photo I took of our family room set up. While living in Japan, we (ironically) acquired tons of Chinese antiques, so we tried to mix them with our furniture from the pre-Japan days. I've thrown in a cowhide for flair. I've always had a flair for the dramatic.

Speaking of dramatic, after 7 days of mad unpacking skills, we threw the Little Guy a Mad Scientist birthday party. Here's a photo of his Candy Lab. We had a mad scientist come and enthrall the kids with great feats of chemistry, including making cotton candy and their own slime.

I had found some beakers online, and filled those and some plastic, kid-friendly test tubes up with jelly beans, m&ms and other fun goodies. The kids had a blast and the Candy Lab got wiped at the end of the day.

& if that's not enough to make you tired --- We found out we are expecting another little one! Peeps, our Little Guy is 7 now. Hubs and I were President, Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms of our own One-&-Done Club. I'm sure it's like riding a bicycle and we'll get right back in the swing of baby things, right? We're excited to no end and really surprised, but we feel so blessed! We get to top off the year with exciting news and a growing family.

& if it's a girl, there's a Crewcuts wardrobe waiting for her. :0)

I Want to Get Off the J.Crack

Ladies, is J.Crack a "Gateway Drug?" & I mean this with all seriousness. This is something I've wanted to post about for awhile, but haven't had the time to really sit down to discuss with you all. As I sit here amongst a closet full of Tory Burch Reva ballet flats, Kate Spade suede wedges, and Gucci sunnies, I am pondering how I went down the path of $300 sunglasses without batting a Latisse-infused eyelash. It all makes sense, right? I mean, J.Crew is at the mall, it's not a "serious" fashion brand, it's a mall brand -- a catalog at that. But the Crew's prices are steep sometimes, and their Collection items can cost a pretty penny.

So when you buy a pair of J.Crew ballet flats, for instance, at $190 (just throwing a number out there for argument's sake) and a dress for just under $200, the numbers start to blur. Well, I know for a moment in time they blurred for me. & I thought nothing of doing this on a weekly basis. So when your shopping budget is in the arena of $500 - $1000 a month, you find yourself moving on to the next level --- Diane Von Furstenberg starts looking like a decent price. & you wonder why you haven't paid more attention to the sale rack at Neimans before. & then at some point, you move on from the sale rack and are moving on to bigger and better.
I've found myself here, peeps. I start to think I'm slumming it when I go to the Gap. Or when I land in Banana Republic! P'shaw!! They're dresses are $150 at Full Price!!

At some point soon, and I'm so ready you have no idea, I want to get back to reality. When I thought that $98 for a polka-dotted pencil skirt that wasn't lined was absolute highway robbery. Or when I thought that $68 for a hammered silk tank was just for suckers (do you even know how many hammered silk tanks lie in the dimly lit recesses of my closet?). I want to be a simple girl! I want to get off the J.Crack.

Santa Baby, Slip a Tiffany & Co. Handbag Under the Tree, For Me...

Absolutely, hands down, the number one gift I'm pleading with Santa to bring me.

TRT: TIFFANY REVERSIBLE TOTE

Reversible tote in suede and metallic leather with palladium-plated solid brass hardware. Detachable zipper pouch included. Leather tab closure. Double strap, 10" drop. Size large. 14.5"W x 5.5"D x 13"H. Made in Italy. SKU 26499763

$595

Available online and at select stores.

A Glimmer of Hope: J.Crew's Holiday Roll Out

*Sigh*

There may be hope yet, peeps, for J.Crew. I'm going to go on the record and say that Holiday 2010, though not 100% fabilis, is a standout compared to the rest of the year. I may just want to buy a few things full-price. I haven't said that for 11 months, so this is a day that may just be my turning point. It's like that scene from the first Sex in the City where Miranda and Steve have to meet on the bridge. She's hoping he's there, he's hoping she's there, and then... well, you know the rest. Let's hope there's a glimmer of that hope for the Crew et moi.

*Cue the Al Green music!

Dusted Sequin Shift Dress, $275

Perhaps I've been watching one too many episodes of Boardwalk Empire, but this dress is a fabilis, fabilis option for a Holiday Party. I find it tres speakeasy. With hair done in a loose, side-done chignon and red lips, this is something I would consider. I also believe it's Collection. Always an added plus for a J.Snob.

Starry Night Cardigan, $128

I know we've seen (and own) a plethora of sequined cardigans, but I like this one for the jacket effect, and the dreamy chiffon at the edges. I also like the three-quarter sleeves and the punk way the model's styled with just black moto pants and a grey tee. I would want to wear it with a white tee, those moto pants, and a pair of fab heels for a sit-down party, or slouchy and flat moto boots if I'm expected to stand all night.

This, peeps, is wearable. Finally.

THIS is wearable?

Really, now. Really. This, peeps, is being sold as wearable. This is something I am supposed to covet. In my humble opinion, if I was 15, and Urban Outfitter's website was down, and I was desperate for an outfit that was different, I would still despise this. This is what I get for not paying attention to the website for a few months. I get this. I don't even know how to describe this outfit, but I can tell you, this is probably the most flattering angle. & there are a lot of outfits like this on J.Crew these days. I wouldn't touch it with 40% off. I wouldn't touch this if Charlotte Russe made a knock-off for $24.99. & $248 for this skirt alone, peeps? Do you know what I can get at Ann Taylor for $248? Lots, peeps, lots. & the Hubs wouldn't make fun of it, either. Well... the hubs could. But for damn sure, he would make fun of me less for a teeny fashion faux pas at Talbots or ATL before I don this number.

Just Call Me Johnny Cash

Contrary to what I post on my blog, in my real wardrobe life, I'm like the Black Widow. All black, all the time. It's the root cause as to why my blog posts on outfits are few and far between --- because I'm usually in black --- and its the reason that I'm thinking about creating a strategic plan just for my wardrobe choices. Because how many black dresses does a girl really need? Someone needs to do a gap analysis on my closet. Tell me what I'm missing and then remind me why I shouldn't buy anymore black dresses. But Lord knows I just can't help it.

Secondly, everyone knows, black doesn't photograph well. It looks boring. It can come out grey. Or it can be like my sorry photos: out of focus, blurry, and down and out crummy.

[Please to excuse my blurry and crummy photos.]

My rule of thumb has been that if I wear a black dress, I pass on the outfit post because a black dress is no fun and I've had no good luck with photographing them. Today, I had to make an exception to that rule, because this dress, ladies, was worth the trouble. At $80 on the 40% off sale rack, I won't go into how long I've been stalking this dress. In my work world, the black shirt dress can do no wrong. & this one hid 95% of all my bumps I would want camoflouged and can keep it business during the day or make it fabilis at night.

[Using my Jedi Mind Tricks, you will ignore my dirty mirror. Pretty please.]

It's an Ann Taylor shirt dress, lined, and with sleeves that roll up three-quarter style. It has a draped assymetrical cumberbund across the waist. It does not wrap, button funny, or have odd buttons running down the front of the skirt. In essence, it is my perfect black shirt dress. & take it from me, ladies. I am the Queen of the Black Shirtdress. I have millions. But this little pretty, it's my favorite. This week. He he.

Changing the subject, I thought I'd photograph some of the orchids blooming in my mom's yard. How gorgeous are these??

Purple dendrobiums, you complete me!

♥

Serengeti is a Neutral, I'm Sure of It.

I'm very sure this is a neutral color. Either that or I've gone off the deep end and am considering it so in my off-kilter universe. These are my patent leather Serengeti Juliet pumps from J.Crew, of course. & I wear them with everything from white dresses to eyelet skirts, to anything with a solid color. First, comfy as all heck. Second, I never fail to get a compliment out of these. Hawaii women love these shoes!

When this particular pair dies, I'll have to go scout eBay for another pair.

Worn with the Schuyler dress, a J.Crew flower cardi, and my much destroyed and loved J.Crew men's belt.

♥

Dusty Rose Spectator Pumps: You Finally Belong to Me!

I have to show off my Fall 2008 Spectator Pumps in Dusty Rose I got off of eBay for under $10, still new. Ladies, you have no idea how baaaadddddly I wanted these shoes when they first came out. & I stalked them on eBay season after season, thinking of their dusty pink perfection. You could almost call them neutral. Couldn't you? Or is that a stretch?

♥

The sequin cardigan from last fall, with some bling-eriffic necklaces.

Paired with a simple back skirt from Ann Taylor. Their tropical weight wool? Perfect.

The Case for the Harem Jumper... in 2010, in the Fall, at a Baby's 1st Birthday

Yes, I wore a harem jumper. Say it with me, ladies. Harem. Jumper. With the bubble necklace! I sometimes act trendy on rare occasions, even though technically, harem jumper is not in my preppy-love-jcrew lexicon I've become fluent in over the last few years.

On another note, this was worn not-in-the-summer, after Labor Day, and with a cardigan.

mm. hmm. You're really feeling it now, I'm sure.

But Ladies, I have to say, there is a place and time for the harem jumper.

I think it's actually cute!

& can I tell you I was comfortable?

Like very comfy? & I felt very free and cute?

& I got compliments.

Let's not forget I am in Hawaii (perpetual summer, hot, humid, tradewinds that necessitate a cardigan from time to time)... We have no fall months. No changing colors of the trees. No seasonal changes. But instead, the upside is that I get to wear harem jumpers in every season of the year!

Harem Jumper: BCBG

Sandals: BCBG

On a festive note, how cute is this candy bar at the party? The theme was sweets and cupcakes and I think the candy bar fit in perfectly with the party.

Great ideas for my own shindigs in the future.

I had a blast. So did the jumper. Consider it, ladies! It's outside of the norm, it's trendy, but so are candy bars at parties, but they look great!

♥

Fashion Night Out in Honolulu, plus New to My Closet

First, I'm going to apologize for being MIA. With going back to school, my Little Guy and his myriad of activities that I am primary chauffeur for, and oh yeah, that little thing called work, I've been a little bit preoccupied. But I'm here and I've got a bunch of posts lined up that will keep me present in the blogosphere for the next couple of weeks.

First up, Fashion Night Out was a couple of weeks ago and moi, being of a fashion-minded nature, had to attend. Between some lovely champagne bubbly at Club Monaco (love that store), great deals at J.Crew, and an excellent cause at hand, Fashion Night Out was a hit and I can't wait to attend next year!

Live models in the window at Louis Vuitton. Ugh, to be tall and thin and modeling such gorgeous bags!

Hubs trying his best Zoolander impression, whilst carrying my purchases and keeping our Little Guy busy. You gotta love a man who can multi-task like that!

A copy of the flier that acted as our map. It outlined every activity, deal and highlight of the night.

My purchase of the night at J.Crew. A great dress that was on the sale rack. I went right by it at first, thinking I didn't need a dress like that. I had just told myself earlier that day that I needed to stock up on basics, not fabilis pieces. (hmmm... writing that down just now, it didn't sound as great as it did in my head when I originally had the thought. Not the best wardrobe strategy.)

Well, with a simple black eyelet dress in hand, I strolled around the rest of J.Crew looking for pieces that would go with this dress instead of the one I had in my hand. At that point, I knew it was meant to be mine, so I put the other dress back and grabbed this one instead.

With some help from the CS, I found the most perfectly destroyed leather belt. Why oh why, ladies, do we covet things that look this old and ugly. My saving grace is that it was on sale. But I find myself reaching for it over and over since I've bought it, so, perhaps it wasn't a crazy purchase after all.

Paired with a cardi from Tar-jhay, my Fashion Night Out purchase makes its debut.

♥

We spend our Labor Day with Sea Turtles

Besides grilling burgers and celebrating the end of summer, Hawaii has its own little regional quirks. Like sea turtles basking in the sun. We spent the morning at a beach on the North Shore of 'Oahu amid tons of sea turtles. Wanted to share some of these with my friends in the blogosphere.

Hubs and The Little Guy, striking a pose

Enjoying the View

Another one, enjoying the water, looking for a seaweed sandwich

Having the run of the beach

Happy Labor Day!

Yes, We're Dating. Out with the Old and in with the Anthropologie.

In typical NoJcrewinJapan overthinking, I am contemplating aloud what I've got in my cart. Yes, we're dating. Me and this glorious outfit pictured here. I am so enamored it's borderline ridiculous. I can only tell you, my bloggy gal pals. Even the Hubs will think I'm off my rocker. Ever loved an outfit so much you visit the damn website habitually -- daily even -- just to see the outfit? The last time I acted like this? Fall 2008, J.Crew ---> when spectator peep toe mary janes, thigh high grey socks, and bug pins ruled.

Now, I find myself under the spell of:

The Van Wrinkle Sweater, $118

and the

Tweedy Leaves Dress, $158

In particular, I think I'm drawn to the fall colors of both pieces, as well as the skirt on the dress. In theory, it should work with my body shape, which leans towards a pear-shaped apple. I like that the dress nips in at the waist, but is easy in the tummy and hip area. & I love the look of that sweater open, a la the styled look in the first photo. It's something different I can add to my wardrobe. & did I say how much I love the look with the tights? *le sigh*

Next up:

The Distant Chirping Chemise, $58.00

Let us discuss the absolute dress-like qualities of this piece -- too cute!

Can you picture with a cardi or little sweater? & I have tons to go around, given my J.Crack addictions of the recent past (As my logic goes, any gal who's got an affinity for J.Crew has more than her fair share of cardigans in her enviable closet). I am envisioning with my distressed brown men's leather belt, also from J.Crew, and a pair of very cute sandals.

& finally:

The Pittore Dress, $158

The Pittore Dress gets an honorary mention. Style, cut and everything else in between, it is my hands-down favorite. I am in loooooooove with this dress. The issue comes from my body shape and the straight cut of this dress. We just weren't meant to be, and for that I am a bitter, bitter lady.

What do y'all think about the Anthro roll-out? Anything on your wishlist?

Paris on the Brain

Recently went through some photos on our external hard drive and found some beautiful photos of Paris the Hubs took this past Christmas. *Sigh*, just looking at them makes me want to hop on a plane (or three, I'm in Hawaii after all). I need to plan the next trip, but with buying and building the house (where prices are definitely not modest), it's just so hard to think about travel. But I still have Paris on the brain... Where are my Carla Bruni cd's? Maybe that will suffice for now... Enjoy!