easy peasy

Today I dressed in a flash.  But I am comfy and happy with the outcome.

Grey dress for a grey day

It is an overcast Monday here.  the sort of day where you wish you could wear pajamas all day.  I am tempted to hide at home and catch up on grading, but I have a few things I need to do on my office computer.  And while I don't have office hours today, my students have a problem set due tomorrow, so I am sure there will be a lot of unscheduled drop bys.

I got this sweater dress in September of 2008 at H &M.  It is as comfy as one can get, which is exactly what i wanted on this dreary Monday.

Anthropologie at Salvation Army

I know, I know, I am always raving about the Goodwills in Charlotte.  But I have had some excellent luck at Salvation Army Stores as well.  Today I was way on the other side of the city for a weather balloon launch with my students and on the drive down there I passed a Salvation Army Store I didn't know about.  So on the way home I decided to stop.  At the Goodwills in the Charlotte area, everything is the same price basically....pants, skirts, sweaters, and tops are $3.79 plus tax, and dresses and jackets are $4.99 plus tax.  But at the Salvation Army Stores each item is individually priced and tagged.  (They staple the prices right on....annoys me when they staple right through silk!).  Tags are different colors and different prices.  Certain days of the week certain colored tags will be half off.  The weird thing about this system is that who ever is tagging the items tends to have no idea their actual worth.  I have bought 100% cashmere sweaters (one with a store tag still on, and one J Crew) for $1.99, but I have seen shirts that originally retailed at Walmart for under $10 tagged at $4.99.  I have found some great things at Goodwill (like this Anthropologie skirt) but today the Salvation Army Store put Goodwill to shame when I found this Anthropologie sweater:

It was brand new!  Here is a close-up of the Anthropologie tag right by the Salvation Army tag:

Yup, I paid $3.99 plus tax for this brand new sweater.  I often make up stories for the clothes I find at Goodwill and the Salvation Army.  I decided this sweater was a gift (hence the price cut out of the tag).  But the gift recipient could never bring herself to wear it, as it seemed too girly for her taste with the pink colors, floral like pattern, and ruffles.  And thus it ended up at the Salvation Army,  for me to find.  My girly side will proudly wear this sweater.  Perhaps tomorrow for my brunch date?

This sunny little Ann Taylor Loft sweater, also came home with me from the Salvation Army for $1.99.

I am convinced that every thrift store has at least one steal of an item waiting for me, if I only have the patience to find it.  But today the Salvation Army thift store had two gems waiting for me.

evaluation day

Today is my peer teaching evaluation.  We have them done once every semester.  I have one of the "old boys" in the department doing my evaluation, so I decided on something that was classic.  Talbots silk skirt, Talbot's cardigan, red ribbon came with the skirt.  The shoes are actually a burgundy velvet.

My aunt got me to try on that skirt at the Talbots outlet in summer of 2009.  She convinced me it was classic, and it was a steal at about $10.  The cardigan was purchased this fall with birthday money and was also on super clearance ($7).  It truly is classic, and I am glad to have it in my closet.

somedays I just want to wear pajamas to work.........

.......but alas, while academia is pretty casual, I don't think I can wear pajamas to work.  While I didn't teach today, I was proctoring an exam for a colleague, so decided I shouldn't look like one of the undergrads in my pajamas.  So I went for something that felt like pajamas.

These boots are super comfy!  I got this dress off of ebay this past summer, and while I like the print I felt like it was a lot of print, and it hung on me like a potato sack.  Plus the side zipper sticks out funny on the one hip......as if the sipper is too long (why does a stretchy t-shirt material dress have a side zipper anyway?) So this dress has sat in my closet, and was starting to be a regret purchase.  But with a ribbon to add definition and a drapey cardigan to hide the hip zipper issue, I really kind of like this dress.  And it really felt like I was wearing my pajamas all day as the dress is basically a giant t-shirt.

a little joe in the a.m.

This proposal mid-semester is brutal.  But it has to be submitted by 11:59pm tonight.....hopefully it doesn't take me till then.  I teach from 11am-3:15pm.....so heading in early to get as much proposal stuff done as possible before I start teaching.  Hence the coffee.

The sweater is 100% cashmere scored at Goodwill.....who doesn't love cashmere at under $5??????  I still think these pants look more flattering in person than pictures.  Could be that I am still in just socks, and in the real world they hang better because I am wearing heels and have better posture.

high ho, high ho proposal writing I go

I have a huge proposal due tomorrow......so I am comfy as it will be a late night.