Frazzled mommy style

Both of these outfits represent the frazzled state I've been in lately.  Campbell has been potty training herself (hooray!), but is experiencing lots of constipation from witholding (boo!).  She is cranky, doesn't sleep well, doesn't eat well, and is just overall miserable.  I, in turn, am exhausted and frustrated, which does not make it easy for me to get myself dressed in the morning!

Outfit #1 is a combo of Gap and Loft pieces.  You can tell I'm frazzled in this picture because I didn't iron my pants.  Oh well, I sit at a desk all day anyways.

 Gap Perfect Khakis in Pavement, size 8

 I have to do a quick review of these pants 1) because the picture on the Gap website just doesn't do it justice, and 2) the reviews on the Gap website are really mediocre.  These are fabulous pants if you are a bit curvy.  I have found that the waist is very flattering; it sits below your natural waist, but isn't incredibly low cut.  The legs are definitely a wide leg, but not nearly as much as they are shown on the website.  I think if you are very slender, these will swallow your legs completely, but if you have a little thickness to your thighs (like me!), these are incredibly flattering.  I purchased these in the long length and they are definitely long enough to wear with higher heels and platform sandals.  I am planning on purchasing them in the regular length to wear with lower heels and flats.

Outfit #2 is one of my favorite frazzled mommy outfits, mostly because I feel like I'm wearing pajamas.  And it is even better that I get to wear this to work!  Campbell jumped in this shot, and then stood in front of my for every other shot, until she bumped her head on the counter and subsequently threw a temper tantrum.  Remember, frazzled mommy.....

 Express Sweater tunic and leggings

Here you can see my favorite boots in the world.  These are the Seychelles True Story boots, which were a Christmas gift from the hubbs.  I am completely addicted to Seychelles (post on those forthcoming), and these boots are absolutely fantastic.  They are made of a very soft leather, and have a small heel.  Best part is that you can wear them as over the knee boots by just unfolding the cuff.  Ryan ordered these for me from Piperlime, where they are now on sale!  I wear between a 9 and 9.5 in Seychelles.  These are a 9.5 and I think I could have gone slightly smaller, but the 9 would have been too snug and would have taken too long to stretch out. 



Tomorrow is Friday and I'm so happy for the weekend to be here!  We have a wedding shower to attend for a couple that is absolutely wonderful-- plus, their wedding is the reason we are going to the Bahamas next month! :)  Any big plans for the weekend?

A taste of Spring!

We had temps in the mid 60's here in the RVA, which meant I could break out some of my new Spring items. 

I had some Christmas returns to make at JCrew a few weeks back and honestly couldn't find anything I was dying to have.  I finally settled on the Waverly Chinos, and I'm pretty pleased with them.  I was a huge devotee to the Cafe Capris for years, but the cut is a bit more slim this year and I just didn't find them as flattering as years past.  It could have just been my mood that day I was shopping, though.

 JCrew Waverly Chinos, size 8, (no idea what color... I didn't save the tag, and it isn't listed online, but it is a slate blue-ish color)

Loft Pansy Blooms Ruffle Shell, Small

Gap Shirred Shoulder Cardigan, Medium

I'm really loving the Loft shell.  The colors are fantastic for Spring; lots of coral and pinks, with hints of burgundy and seafoamy/pale mint colors.  The collar stands up a little with ruffles, so it adds a little to the neckline without looking bulky.  The cardigan is another one that I mentioned in my previous post- I'm obsessed with this cardigan.  Very lightweight, but it isn't flimsy and wears nicely all day long. 



 Lucky you, I took this picture in the morning before rushing out the door.  Make up and hair is nice and fresh... you don't have to see two days of me looking run down and ragged!

Like I said, I'm pretty happy with the Waverlys.  They have a nice cut, but I think I will only wear them rolled up.  The length is fairly short, I think.  The item description says it is a 32" inseam, but I honestly think it is closer to 31".  That said, if you are a bit more slender in the hip and thigh region than I, you could pull it off unrolled with some cute kitten heels or flats.  The Waverly Chino kept it's fit all day long, especially in the rear.  I was chained to my desk on the phone all day long, and I did not end up with a saggy rear (which often happens to me and chino-style pants).  I don't know that I'd pay full price for another pair, though, so if you are considering them, I'd suggest snagging them when they are on sale.  There just isn't anything that makes me go "Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhh" enough to pay full price, you know?



We head back to the wintry temps tomorrow, so it will be back to jeans and sweaters for me.  This taste of Spring has me yearning for skirts, dresses, and fun sandals, so I'm dreading the cold after this tease.  Did anyone else get to enjoy the warmer temps today?

Beautiful Boden

Many thanks to Dina over at My Superfluities, I was introduced to the wonderful, beautiful world of Boden.  For those of you who have not had a chance to shop Johnnie Boden's fantastic designs, you must go visit now .  I really can't think of a good way to describe it, but the colorways are amazing- beautiful prints and colors that you just don't find in many stores here in Richmond, especially at this time of year.

After an excruiatingly long, crazy day at work, I came home to a beautiful polka dot package from the fantastic folks at Boden.. hooray, my order arrived!  I purchased the Pool Party Tunic and the Printed Cotton Skirt.  I'm beyond happy with them!

First up, the Pool Party Tunic in the Rosebud Pavilion colorway.  This is so very reminiscent of Lily Pullitzer, for a fraction of the price.  Definitely a tunic, this beauty hit me mid thigh, but the slits on the side will prevent it from being worn on its own.  I plan on wearing this on my trip to the Bahamas next month, and then throughout the Spring and Summer over some skinny cropped jeans.  (Please excuse the worn down, ragged look of my hair and makeup... that's what a 10 hour work day will do to ya!).

 Got this in a size 6 and it fits like a glove.  Loose, but still snug in the right places to keep it from looking shapeless. The cotton has a nice feel to it; not super sheer and has a good weight.  I feel like I stay away from tunics because they tend to only look good on super slim ladies, but I think this tunic has changed my mind!  I'm pretty curvy (small natural waist, but wide hips), and I feel like this is incredibly flattering for my body type. 


Below is the Printed Cotton Skirt in the Multi Palm Beach colorway.  Again, very reminiscent of Lilly.  I love a good A-line, but again with the wider hips, I have a hard time with them.  They are either too big in the waist or to tight in the hips.  Johnnie got it right with this one.  The cut is fantastic.  The skirt fits snugly at my natural waist, and doesn't pull a bit in my hips.  I purchased this skirt in an 8 regular, and again, a great fit.  The skirt hits me right past the knees and I think will look great with flats or heels.

I think I would probably wear this cardigan with the skirt, but I'm not sure.  I went a little overboard this month at Gap on this great item.  It is the shirred shoulder cardigan, and I think I bought it on sale with an additional 40% off, so it came to maybe $13.  Do I even need to say that I have four (different colors, of course)?

 A side shot of the skirt.  I feel like this is always an important piece of how a skirt fits.  I have a little pooch that is feeling impossible to get rid of after the baby, so I try to find items that complement my stomach rather than make the pooch more obvious.  This skirt does that nicely.

What do you think?  For those of you making Boden purchases this spring, what are you planning on getting (or already purchased)?  If you haven't seen Boden before, are you thinking of checking them out?

Cleaning out my closet

I'll admit... I've gone a little overboard with the shopping lately.  As I was cleaning and doing laundry, I realized that I am hoarding clothes that I no longer wear.  I have some items up for sale- I'll leave them here for a week and if they remain unsold, I'll take them to ebay!  A lot of these items are designer labels, and are completely authentic.  I am listing them at super low prices because I need to get them out of my closet!

All items include first class domestic shipping (international?  just ask!).  I will sell these on a first come basis, so the first person to email me will be the lucky buyer! I will send you an invoice through Paypal. I've noted the designer and as much information as I can remember/gather on the item up for sale.  If you need to know specifics, let me know. 

Email tiffany dot a dot norwood AT gmail dot com .  Please make sure you include the item you are interested in purchasing in the subject line.  Thanks!

Item 1- Citizens of Humanity Jeans; Naomi #065 low waist flare.  Size 28/6 - $30.00
Wore these maybe 7 times before getting pregnant.  There is some slight wear at the hem, but in looking at the rear pockets, I think that is the style of the jeans.  These are standard length and have not been hemmed. 

Detail of pocket and hems.

 Rearview

Item #2- Gap Perfect Bootcut Cords from Holiday 2010.  Size 29/8 regular length. $15.00
I think this is the "Stone" color.  These are brand new without tags; I purchased these and they were a teeny bit snug.  Took the tags off, and never ended up wearing them! 

 Item #3- Boden blouse, size 10. $10.00
Purchased late Winter 2010.  This came with a cami, but I cannot find the cami for the life of me.  I think I recall the cami being really short because I always wore a different cami underneath.  The blouse has lingerie securing straps.  100% silk; more of a greenish olive color (the photo makes it look more brownish olive).  Worn maybe 3 times.

Item #4- Kimchi and Blue pink and white striped blouse.  Size Medium. $8.00
The material is a heavier, woven cotton, with an elastic cinched waist.  Comes with a belt of the same material to fashionably cinch the waist.  Worn less than 5 times.

Item #5- H&M Black poplin skirt, size 10. $8.00
Worn once.  Skirt has a rear zip and hits (me) right above the knee.

Item #6- Lucky Brand Corduroy Skirt, Size 29/8.  $8.00
This skirt is gently used (I've worn it maybe 10 times over the course of 3 years).  Skirt hits mid-knee and has a front kick pleat.  Front slit pockets, but no rear pockets.

Item #7- JCrew Black Cotton Casual dress, Size Medium. $8.00
This dress is of a heavier cotton, with a notched v-neck.  The v-neck is a bit low cut, so I've worn it with a cami or tank underneath.  Ties either in the front or back.  I'm not sure of the name of this dress, and it appears I cut the tag with the style number out of the dress. Hits (me) mid thigh.

Item #8- Loft Chiffon Rosettes cardigan in Champagne, Size Medium. $7.00
I think I *might* have worn this cardigan twice. 

Item #9- Diane von Furstenberg black low cut cotton dress.  Size 6. $17.00
This is a fanastic dress for spring and summer.  Flowy cotton (not jersey, definitely heavier), with on seam pockets.  There is banding at the waist that stops right around your belly button.  The dress is definitely low cut in the front and back.  I wore it out to nice dinners and dancing, and have also worn a cami under it with a cropped cardigan on top.  Dress hits at the knees.

 Item #10- JCrew Factory Cafe Capri. Size 6. $18.00
These are brand new with tags. 

 Item #11- Isaac Mizarahi for Target black lace dress. Size 4.  $8.00
Brand new with tags, purchased sometime in late 2007.  Very pretty dress, and I'm sick that it doesn't fit (even after all these years).  I remember it having a very Audrey Hepburn fit.  Comes with a wide grosgain ribbon belt.  Fully lined.  Hits right below the knee.

Item #12- Diane von Furstenberg wool wrap dress. Size 8. $20.00
The classic DVF wrapdress.  I loved it, but felt that it runs just a smidge small (if you are a slender 8 it would work for you.  I'm a bit more curvy, so it looked a little too provocative for my tastes).  There is a teensy pin hole right near the left breast pocket (see 2nd pic), which isn't noticeable when you are wearing it.

I have a couple other items I am gathering up to sell as well.  If I find that selling items through this venue works well for me, I will do it more frequently.  Happy shopping!

Nail biter

I used to nibble on my nails growing up.  Gross.  In high school, my mom would take me to get acrylic nails to keep me from biting my nails so my hands would look somewhat decent.  It was difficult to keep up with, and not mention fairly damaging to my real nails.  I eventually grew out of biting my nails, but never kept them painted because a) it was too much work for me, b) they always looked kind of sloppy, and c) the paint never lasted.

I had heard about Shellac 14-day manicures and finally decided to try it out this past fall.  I am now addicted.  I am in the salon every 2-3 weeks getting my nails done because these manicures are A-MAZ-ING.  Things I love about the Shellac manicure, in no particular order:

1. Great colors- my salon has maybe 20-30 different color options.  You can also layer and top the colors with glitters or shimmers, so you can create your own polish or style!

2. Fastest dry time- seriously, the moment my manicurist is done painting my nails, I can reach right into my purse and grab my wallet.  No nicks, smudges, or ruined manicures.  Mommies and every other woman on Earth can appreciate the luxury of not having to sit and not touch anything for 30+ minutes for fear of ruining their manicure.

3. It lasts- I have gone 3 weeks with one of my Shellac manicures before.  It was a fair light grey shade, so the nail growth wasn't as obvious, but they didn't even chip!  Like I said... amazing.

4. They are YOUR nails- No filing your nails down to the base layer and then adding acrylic nonsense to your nails.  No machines or drills are used to prep your nails; just emery boards, nail files, and a buffer.  To remove, you soak off the polish and then buff your nails ( I leave this to my manicurist, though she's told me I can do this at home if I need to).  They aren't weak or ruined if you decide not to do another manicure.

Here is a (not great quality) photo of my most recent manicure (Thursday):

I did a layering option, where we took a darker color and put a layer of chunky glitter polish in between the two coats of the darker color.  The dark color is called "Bella's Vampire", which is a purpley-plum color.  The glitter coat is called "Wateredge", which has chunky large glitter pieces with a ton of teeny-tiny silver glitter.  I think the combination is much more appropriately named as "Bella's Vampire", since Edward glimmers in the sun, like this nail combo does (I'm such a Twilight geek!).

If you haven't had a chance to try a Shellac manicure (some salons also use Gelish, which is the same thing, just different vendor), you really should give it a shot!

*Note: I am not being paid by Shellac, Gelish, or any nail salon or spa for this blog post.*

2010 in Review- The Quick and Dirty

So one of my New Years Resolutions is going to be better about keeping up with this blog.  Pretty much since August/September, I have been MIA because of, well... life!  Before jumping into 2011 (wait, you mean we're already 10 hours in.... crrrrrud.  I'm already behind.  Story of my life.), let's see what 2010 brought to the Norwoods;

We started the year with me pretty much hating my job.  Ok, maybe not "pretty much"... let's get rid of the qualifier and say yes, I could not stand my job and was ready to leave the world of teaching.  I resolved to make it as best I could through the rest of the school year and find something newASAP.

The rest of the year went something like this...

- Ridiculous amounts of snow in RVA.  Love!
- Ryan coached baseball.... I passed the time with job hunting and shopping. Campbell continued to develop her super-sassy attitude in preparation of her second birthday.
- I turned in my resignation in April! :) Love!
- Campbell turned 2 in May. 
- The end of the school year came in June.  I peaced out as quick as I could!
- We spent time all summer grilling and enjoying our beautiful patio that was installed in September 2009.  Lovely summer days in the backyard (plus mosquitos... blech).
- Campbell and I lived at the pool! 
- We enjoyed a wonderful, but unseasonably cool, week in the Outer Banks in July.  Right before leaving, I had a very promising interview with a local law firm.
- Upon returning from vacation, I received a job offer from said law firm and quickly accepted.
- Begin the whirlwind of the fall... Ryan picked up with baseball season again, and I began to work 50+ hour workweeks at my new job.
- October brought a promotion for me to analyst at the law firm, a wedding of one of my most wonderful college girlfriends, and my 29th birthday (last year in my 20's... ahhhhh!).
- Baseball crept to an end in November... just in time for our 4 year wedding anniversary and Thanksgiving!
- Snow in December.... crazy work weeks for me.... and a white Christmas!  Time with family (my sister flew from California for the holiday!)... utter craziness and driving all over the greater Richmond area.

*Sigh*  It was a good year!  I resolved to be happier in 2010 and it definitely happened.  We've been busy, which is always good.  I forsee good things, and more blogging, in 2011... it's a new decade y'all! 

Are you there, blog? It's me, Tiffany.

Sorry for my severe absence.  I really have SO many things that I want to post about, but it has been utter madness around here. First off, my computer crashed so I'm using Ryan's.  I hate his computer. The keyboard is way too big or spaced out, or whatever.  And you have to literally PUNCH the keys to make them type.  So here I am, typing away at a sentence and it is taking me FOR.... EV... ERRRRRR. Ugh.  Secondly, I started my new job on the 23rd.... we are so insanely busy at work that I've worked way beyond my shift hours to get stuff done.  I will certainly enjoy the paycheck, but my days are going by so quickly because I'm spending so much time at work.  Oh, and not to mention, I sort of got a semi-promotion of sorts about a week and a half into the job.  So now, I'm supervising/training people to do what I did for about a week and a half.  I'm about 90% positive that the promotion is not temporary (meaning, that when all the new people are done starting ((we get about 100ish people starting at my place of work every couple of days)), I do not think they will place me back in what I was originally doing),  but I guess there is always the possibility.  I really enjoy what I do though.... both the first position that I was hired to do, and now the increased responsibility.... so even if the "promotion" is just a temporary one, what I'm doing under those responsibilities is a huge resume builder, so I'm good all around!

I gave up on the Couch to 5K program.  The program taught me that I am not a runner... and that the only running I will likely ever do is when I'm running from something trying to attack me.  So it's back to the ho-hum elliptical until SportsQuest (the new sports complex around here) opens.  I'm hoping that they will have better equipment than the gym I currently work out at, or that they will have a greater variety of classes and times.  Right now, I'm trying my hardest to get up and go to the gym at 5 am every morning, Monday through Friday, since the time I get home from work is typically so varied... but it's a tough go.  I'm working so hard at work that I have found that I need sleep SO much more than when I did when I was teaching!  Here's to trying though.... it has to burn some calories, right?!

So I'm hoping that in the coming week, I'll be on the road to getting my computer back.  Once I do, I have loads of pics to upload.  And, I want to follow in the footsteps of some of my fellow blog buddies and clear out my closet by selling some gently used clothing here.  I have some stuff that is pre-Campbell that I just don't have the faith I'll fit back into ever again (thank you hips, for permanently moving approximately 2 inches wider).  That being said, if you are a size 6(ish) and like Diane Von Furstenburg (spelling?) dresses and Citizens of Humanity jeans, be on the lookout hopefully in the next 2 weeks.... I'll be cleaning out my closet!

xoxo :)