MOMents

Hello Weekend!

Old shirt from Marshall's,
Loft Shorts, Target belt,
Havaianas from Gap

I was left to my own devices yesterday to take pics, so this is what you get...a little peek into that place where you know what happens!  (That would be sleeping, by the way.  And obviously watching t.v.)

This is what I normally look like when just running errands to the Bank/Target/TJMaxx/Ross/Grocery Store that are all conveniently located within a five mile radius from our neighborhood.  Nothing special on this menu.  Just a t-shirt, bottoms (which usually aren't short-shorts cuz these tree trunks might scare some folks), and a good ol' pair of Havaianas.

Now, if I had to go six miles away from home, then maybe I would dress up.

Anyway, I spent the day in the hot-as-Hades sunshine with This Guy:

This Guy, who wanted to take the pictures for me...but only while he was doing his Power Rangers Ninja moves.  ("Umm...thanks, but that's okay, Preston.")

This Guy, who after his PK4 assessment this week was introduced to scissors, so I bought him a pair of kid-friendly ones to practice cutting with.  And now, when I ask him to go outside to ride his bike, he tells me he's busy b/c he has "paperworks" to do (read: cutting up paper).  Oh, and he's also asked me several times to cut the cat's whiskers. 

This Guy, who, while laying in bed and watching t.v. with me two days ago, discovered a new, um, "feature" of his...you know...and, out of genuine curiosity, asked me, "Mom, where did this come from?  It's tall!"  (Trust me, although I was trying not to laugh, I was totally taken aback, too!)

For you moms out there, do you remember when you first got pregnant, THE go-to text that everyone would tell you about was "What to Expect When Expecting"??? 

Yeah, I looked through it, but didn't refer to it as much as I thought I would. 

But I'm wondering now if they ever come out with a version that covers What to Expect From the Unexpected? 

Cuz I may need that one.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th Everyone!

Color Block Party!

When I was a sophomore in high school, my mom took a friend and me to a school function.  While in the car, my friend and I were all hyped up listening to music. 

My friend yelled out, "Party over here!"

I yelled out, "Party over there!"

And my mom...who is not quite..."hip"...looked around nervously and asked, "Where's the party?"

Ahahahahahahahaha....!!!!

The only reason I'm sharing that is because after I typed out the title of this post, the word "party" triggered that memory.  I'll never forget that moment.  My mom was serious, by the way.

Anywayward, my sister told me the other day that she was getting bored of my blog b/c I wasn't posting any pics (this was the sister who tortured me by the way...surprised?).  So, to keep her from drumming up some way to scare me to death (just kidding), I'm going to comply.

Pay no mind to the differences in skin tone.

It's the same chick in all three pics. ;)

This was worn during the last month or two of the school year.

I never posted it, though. I had a hard time working with this top....which, by the way

I scored at Loft a few months back for less than $5!!!

(The shorts are from The Limited, the shoes are old Nine West, and the little red thing by my left foot

is a piece of a twizzler that P threw at me...whose kid is that anyway?!)

My second time wearing this top was this past Friday.

I hung out all day with my little homey, P. (OK, I'll claim him.)

We were going to take him to see Cars 2 that evening, but, duh, it was opening

night, and we didn't get tickets in advance. Can you say, "SOLD OUT"?

I stayed with the white bottom combination (linen shorts from Loft), but tried to throw another color in the "party" with the turquoise.  On the fence about this one.

Here's another color-blocked top. I actually wore this today! (I haven't said that in a while!)

The top is from Gap (from several months ago) and the jeggings are from Loft (also a few months ago).  I realized, after seeing myself in this outfit with flat sandals,

that it is oh-so-necessary for me to wear heels (thank you, Steve Madden).

Or else, I look like a block.

And not a color-block.

Just a rectangular block.

And I don't party with squares.

Tagged...In a Good Way

Yesterday, my post was about tags.  Today, this post is in response to a tag...just without the embarrassment attached to it!

So, I've really come to enjoy the social aspect of blogging, and it feels as though I've been able to connect to people of similar personalities, styles, and even lifestyles that I would normally not really have the opportunity to do so otherwise.  With that being said, Tiffany (from Breakfast With Tiffany...in case the link I've attached to her name isn't showing up on the post) is one of the bloggers whom I would consider a BBB (best blogger buddy).  Whenever we have exchanges, I feel like I'm talking to someone that I "know". 

A couple of weeks ago, she tagged me to do a post.  I'm a little late on doing this b/c it was during the last week of school, and I think that I was pretty much operating in a semi-comatose state.  Anyway, thanks, Tiffany, for tagging me...and here goes:

If you did another blog, what would it be about?

Hmmm....I love home decor shows, magazines, websites, etc., so I would do a blog about that.  When we were having our house built five years ago, I had a binder with plans, ideas, inspirations, etc.  on what I wanted to do with the house.  Sadly, hardly any of that has come to fruition....(maybe it had to do with us finding out two months after we closed that one of our rooms would have to become a nursery....???)  So, anyway, had I known about blogging back then, maybe I would have transferred all of my ideas from my little binder to a little bloggy.

If you could change your name, what would it be?

Eesh!  When I was younger, I hated my name (Kischma, is the "real version"...like
"Wish -muh"...yeah, the "c" throws folks off a lot).  My brothers and sisters all have regular, five or six-letter names, and I always thought that I was the one who was disliked cuz I ended up with a name no one has ever heard of (plus, my sister before me used to tell me that my family found me in the sewer and adopted me...mm-hmm, she tortured me in other ways, too, but that's not the question at hand).

Anyway, when you're five, six, seven years old and your teachers NEVER pronounce your name correctly (and one of them just ends up calling you "Kiss"), it's kinda hard not to wish you had a different one.  My name was originally going to be "Candy", so I used to always wish that that was on my birth certificate.  Buuuut now in retrospect, it is (as Tiffany mentioned about her own name in her responses)..."stripper-ish".  Now that I'm older, I'm good with Kish.  Let's just not talk about my middle name....

If you could be born again, would you like to be a man or a woman?
A woman. 
Without a doubt. 
Besides, I'm a pretty ballsy chick anyway!  ;)

If you could realize one wish, what would it be?

Ay-yi-yi....that's tough.  I guess it would be financial security for my family and for my son once he is older.

If you had a power, which one would you like to have?

Hmmm...I would have the power of mind reading.  So that when I'm standing in front of a class and teaching, I can tell what's really going through the mind of my kids...or with my own kid at home when he's playing by himself and is deep in thought...or when my husband is zoned out in front of a doggone video game.

If you had to buy a lot of perfumes from one specific brand, which one would it be?
I'm not a big perfume person, like Tiffany.  However, one that I have right now that I love, but hardly wear, is Gucci Flora.  I also like the new Issaye Miyaki fragrances for women and men.

If you had won a holiday, which place would you like to go to?

I was born on St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands.  Out of my whole family, I was the only one who didn't get to grow up there (we came to Texas when I was two years old), so I missed out on the first-hand exposure to my Carribbean roots.  What's even worse is that I haven't been back since, so that's where I would choose to go.

That's all folks!  Hope you learned something new!

Things I Learned From My Closet, Lesson #2

Me, when I was in college:

Big (and very tight) booty.
Big (pre-baby) boobies.
Big (huge!) ego to match all of the above.

With all of that goin' on, imagine me, at 20, sauntering into a Latin dance club one night with my girlfriends,  wearing a very tight somethin'-somethin' that showed off all of my...

assets...

and just knowing that I was the effin' bomb.

After getting stamped at the door so I wouldn't be served alcohol,  I was preparing to run/walk to the ladies' room to wash off said stamp so I could get to the bar and order that Whiskey Sour one of my girlfriends introduced me to.

Instead, I got called back by one of the big, surly guys at the door.

As I turned around and strutted back to the guy (ready to turn him down cuz he really wasn't my type anyway), I thought to myself,

"Dang, Kish, this dress is working already! I bet he and the other guys were talking about me when I walked by.  Don't blame them." 


Smiling nicely anyway, I stood in front of him, watching as he leaned forward preparing to throw his mack-daddy lines to me (no doubt).  I listened intently as he whispered into my ear,


"You have a price tag hanging out the back of your dress."


!!!!!!!!!!!!


Fast-forward now to a few months ago:
After a harrowing half-hour in the fitting room of the Gap with P, I finally gathered my child, my wares, and my wits and made it to the register.

While in line, a young lady, standing with her boyfriend behind me, gently tapped me on my shoulder.

Guess what she told me?

"Umm...ma'am, you have a tag hanging out..."

And guess what I did?

I began:
Thanking her quickly...
Ripping the tag off...
Thinking, Did she just call me ma'am?...
Trying to save face...
And mumbling some excuse in which I use P as the reason for my flust-rations and my inability to leave the house appropriately.

Then I began panicking because the dress I was wearing was also from the Gap...
What if she/they thought I put the dress on while in the fitting room and now I was trying to steal it?


Luckily, in both situations, I wasn't arrested for underaged drinking (and can you be arrested for being a stupid egomaniac?) or for shoplifting.

But I did take away a lesson which I'd like to share with you today:

Don't forget to rip those tags off and have a happy day!

(By the way, I no longer have that twenty-year old ego...or twenty-year old body, for that matter!)

Black Friday Find - Designer Boots

Here's another installment of a great deal that I've gotten.  Sorry that it's not something recent that you guys can jump on, as I actually did a post on this item earlier this year.  (I tried to insert a link to my post from Jan. 21st, but for some reason the link is working.)

It was late night on a weekday.
I was laying in bed, talking to M, and perusing internet sites.
I hadn't been to the DSW site in a while, so I checked it out,
Clicked on the "Clearance" link
And then
My eyesight began to get foggy.
There was a loud ringing in my ears.
My fingers felt numb.
A bit of drool uncontrollably escaped from between my lips and
The air  was becoming too thick to breath in.
Basically, I lost control of all of my senses.

Over a pair of designer boots.

Ever heard of Marc Jacobs?
(oops. sorry. loss of senses again.)

Truthfully, it wasn't just the boots that had gotten me so excited that I couldn't sleep that night.

It was the price of the boots.

See, at that time, I Googled the boots and found them selling elsewhere on the internet upwards of $500.  I even saw them priced for over $600 on a couple of sites.

But that night.

Just for me.

These babies were marked waaaaay down.

What: Marc Jacobs Grey Suede Boots
Where: DSW.com
When: January, 2011
Original Price: over $500
Final $ Paid: $108.19 (after taxes, no S&H)
Total Saved: hundreds!

(sorry. 'nother moment.)

So, I know that this isn't a pair of $2 trousers, but can you blame me?

I mean, I like a good deal, but I also like quality stuff, which is oftentimes associated with overpriced name brands (but not always necessarily the case).

I certainly wouldn't consider myself a label whore though.

But a discount whore? 


Definitely.

Anyway, as much as I had been wanting a pair of grey tall boots (since I saw a pair of Cole Haan boots that were also over $400 a year before), I am thinking of (professionally) dying this pair black.  DSW actually did have black leather boots at the time in this style, but I was all woozy over these grey ones that I didn't consider buying both pairs.  Regardless, I want to dye these black to also have a contrast with the wood sole/heel (which the black leather ones did not have). 

What do y'all think I should do?  Grey?  or Black?
Thanks for your input and have a great weekend!

Happy Daddy's Day to the husby's, bf's, bro's, unc's, etc.

Lace Me Up, Baby

Fedora - Target
Dress - INC, Macy's (c. 2006)
Shoes - Guess, Ross (2011)

Yesterday's post was about laces.
Today's post is about lace.

Wow! What consistency she has!

So, anyway.  Where am I going in this outfit?

Everywear.

And for whom am I wearing this outfit?

Everybody.

Everybody, Everywear, that is!


Today's feature is lace.  I've worn this dress before here, so I tried to do something differently for this post.  I tried it as a tunic with jeggings and a "blouse" with shorts.  Sadly, neither of them were likable...so this is what you get! 

It's hard to tell, but I "fluffed" this dress over the belt quite significantly in order to create the "mini effect".  It's also difficult to tell that the entire dress is made of lace over a knit-ish-type of "underdress" (that's how I describe it), and it hits about mid-knee.  I was attempting to make it look more like day-wear, which is something that I would not associate with this dress at all.  I was glad to be able to participate today because, sadly, I really don't own anything else with lace.

Wait.  I do own some lace underwear...

(just kidding...I wouldn't scar(e) you guys like that!)

Have a great day and be sure to check out the other stylish ladies at Everybody, Everywear!

                                                    

Things I Learned From My Closet, Lesson #1

If you're walking prancing around in your closet (or wherever)...

while putting outfits together...

while wearing 4" platform lace-up booties....

Tie! Your! Laces! Up!

My closet taught me this lesson last night:

I was prancing... 

Stepping (on my laces)...

Stumbling (trying to regain my balance)...

Falling (a lot faster than I expected)...

Landing (nice and hard)!

Oh, but it gets better...

When I landed, I didn't just hit the floor.  Nooooo....I landed on top of the several other pairs of shoes that I previously pranced around in! (Can you say "ouchie!"  Well, I didn't...I said some other words...) 

So, today's lesson is:

 Have a great Monday!

Black Friday Find - $67 Savings

So, the title of this post is derived from a bedtime brainstorm that I had a few weeks ago as I was considering what to post about for the summer.  Initially, a year or so ago, when I was just considering blogging, my goal was to share some of the great deals that I get in stores such as Gap, Banana Republic, and wherever else that I shop at regularly but don't pay regular prices.   Since I'm still trying to find a good "fit" with this blogging thing, I haven't really found a comfortable way to do this regularly.  'Til now, maybe?

Enter stage left:  "Black Friday Find" (still working on a title)
 
I'm not one of those chicks who waits until Black Friday to venture out and get the best deals ever.
Uh-uh.  Black Fridays, for me, exist whenever possible.

Like two weeks ago.

Yeah, I know.  Obviously, two weeks ago, it wasn't Black Friday.  Heck, it wasn't even on a Friday, but I still got this great deal:

What: Beige Silk Marisa Trouser
Where: Loft
When: May, 2011
Original Price: 69.50
Final Price Paid: 2.44
(yes, you did read that correctly)
Total $ Saved: 67.06!

I mean, geez!  I still can't get over that!  I don't think I've ever paid two dollars for a pair of pants!
Ev. Er.

I live for deals like this, though.  I mean seriously, after I came across those pants, you better believe I scoured every nook and cranny of those sales racks looking for my next hit deal.  Serious adrenaline rush.

Anyway, I'm thinking that this may be the basis for my summer posts.  Would you wanna join in on the fun?

Is there one item that you've gotten a ridiculously insane deal on recently or in the past?

Really Strange and Very Perplexing

   

{Dress - Mossimo, Target (recent purchase); Tank - The Limited; Sandals - Ann Marino, DSW (old)}

Sooo...I went to school today.  BUT only to drop off a library book. 

It was when I pulled up to the front of the school that I saw the strangest and most perplexing thing:

there were four kids lolling around the front of the building.

My first thought was, "We're not having summer school here..."

My second thought was, "...waaaaaayyy too early for registration..."

And my third thought was, "...so why in the he** are these kids here?"

Interestingly enough, three out of four of the kiddos were mine this past year (great kids, by the way), so after I jumped out of my car I was greeted with salutations and hugs (as though we haven't seen each other in forever...which has really only been all of, ummmm...four days?)

Still stuck on my third thought, I decided to ask out loud, "What in the heck are y'all doing here?!"

And you know what they said?

"Nothing.  Just hangin' out."

!!!!!!???????!!!!!!???????

REALLY???? 

AT. SCHOOL.?????!!!!

DURING.  SUMMER????!!!!

I really can't wrap my brain around that one.  What do y'all think? 

Too much sun exposure already???? 

Anyway, this is my first outfit post for the summer, and all thanks to M!  Today was his birthday so we escaped from P and had a late lunch at Pappa's Seafood Restaurant.  He enjoyed huge shrimp sandwiched between huge French bread (aka a shrimp poboy), but his biggest gift (only slightly larger than that humongous poboy) was wrapped in green and black stripes.  Can you guess what it was? 

Good guess.  ;)

Still Alive

Just so y'all know, I'm still alive!  The past week has been spent winding down the school year, so needless to say, uh, I was pooped.  But, I survived!  And on my first day of summer today...I spent it at a workshop!!! Yeeeeaaaaa!!!???

And I don't know what was up with Blogger and/or Google, but for the past week or so I haven't even been able to comment on your blogs b/c of the constant loop back to my Google sign-in screen once I hit the "Post Comment" button...it was very frustrating.  But if any of you are having a similar issue, I unchecked the box that said "Keep me signed in" on the Google sign-in screen and have been able to post comments...for today, that is.  We'll see what happens tomorrow...

Anyway, since I don't have to get dressed (up) everyday, I'm not sure what I'll be posting now. 

Hmmm...Well, would you like to see me in my pj's, "house clothes", and uncombed hair?

You sure?

I mean, I can kinda see it now:  "Messy hair Monday"..."Tank top Tuesday"..."Wonderful Wedgie Wednesday"..."Crusty-eyed Cutey" on Thursdays...and "Neighborhood Freak Friday". 

Still not sure?

Well...I just may have to surprise you...

Wanted: WBD

  

{Button-down - very old Express; Skirt - Gap; Shoes - Steve Madden}

First of all, WBD doesn't stand for a Wittle Black Dress.  Or White Bustier Dress.  Or anything else that I can't creatively think of on my own right now.

I used to think that a crisp, white, button-down shirt (WBD) was a must-have piece for every woman's wardrobe.  There are many attitudes that this type of blouse can create for an outfit.  Sexy.  Confident. Playful.  Coy.  Serious.  I could keep going on, but I'll refrain (mainly because of that lack of creativity thing right now). 

I still think that a white button-down is a staple, but doggone it!  Why is it so hard to find one that fits correctly in the shoulders, chest, and waist...has the right length...doesn't move when you do...but also doesn't keep you confined so that you can't even raise your arms?? 

Perfect WBD, where are you?!?

If you come across the Perfect WBD, please immediately report its whereabouts to:
KC @ me-myself-and-style.blogspot.com

A reward will not be given.

But a thank you will.

Come Rhyme With Me

{Hat - so old, I forgot; Jacket - Gap (very old); Top - Kenar, Marshall's; Pants - Gap (2010), Shoes - Steve Madden}

Feel like rhyming what I say.

Just tell you a little about my day.

A buck for Hat Day, and wore this hat.

Was likened to an artist, a kid, and an Italian man who's fat.

Started off with a faculty meeting...

Got to see overall assessment scores for Reading.

Before finding out who didn't pass the test,

Followed our meeting with a retiree breakfast.

One bite of a kolache. That was that.

Ridiculous pain.  Time to get that tooth looked at.

First period was lots of fun.

Took third outside to get some sun.

Thought there was gonna be a pizza party, so skipped lunch.

Then came fourth period...you know about that bunch.

Realized pizza was the next day.

During sixth, tummy got a little "rum-blay".

During seventh, kid gave some attitude, then gave more.

Had to put him in his place.  MY name's above the door.

Hadn't had kids stay for tutoring in a while,

But had two today, so stayed 'til five.

Left soon after that, burned outta the parking lot.

Stopped at the sitter to pick up my tot.

Came home and did my "after school thing".

Now sitting here, typing. Aaaand dozing.

Tried hard, but kinda fell asleep.

Really should be trying to fix something to eat. 

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe

Cook? Fast food?  Yes or No?

Either way, gotta go.

Happy Wednesday!

Role Figure... of Speech

     

{Jacket - Gap (old), Top - TJMaxx, Shorts - Express (old), Shoes - Bandolino (old)}

Have you ever been in a situation where you're around a bunch of children and, heaven forbid, you had to be the adult?

As this school year comes to a close, so will the end of my (unofficially titled) "Tales of My Fourth Period Class" series.  The following just may be the last installment....

So....in reviewing Figures of Speech today, I asked my wonderfully creative and exuberant fourth period class to come up with an original figure of speech.  Since that was pretty tough to do, most of them recited ones that they've heard before ("The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree"...  "Raining cats and dogs"...you get the picture.)

Oftentimes with this group, I "allow" (read: they do it anyway) them to share freely without having strict parameters...you know, like, raising hands, waiting to be called on...those type of school-related-freedom-sanctioning-rules-that-are-set-in-place-to-promote-an-appropriate,-controlled,-and well-behaved environment. 

Anyway, while the conversation ensued and I briefly turned my attention to my computer, a volcano of laughter erupted.  I turned and looked around at the sea of faces that were ALL cracking up. 

One kid fell out of his seat.  Several were doubled over.  Even the quiet ones were laughing their butts off. 

And with this group, I'm the kind of teacher that says, "Hey!  What did I miss?  What's so funny?!" versus "Silence, everyone!" (or something like that which promotes an appropriate, controlled, and well-behaved environment).

After I was able to get the attention of one student (who sits next to my desk), I finally learned what was so funny.

One boy across the room had quietly whispered an "example" of a figure of speech to another boy, who always takes any opportunity to gain attention, and thus blurted out the "example":

There is a poster.

Of a squirrel.

With a caption stating,

"It's all fun and games

until somebody loses a nut."

(insert dramatic pause to allow for your reaction)

Mmm-hm.  Yup.  That's what I'm workin' with.

Although, you know, I have to be honest. 

My initial response was to laugh.  (come on, it is kinda funny...but sorry if that's not up your sense-of-humor-alley)

My second-initial (and simultaneous) response was to recall that I am the adult in the room and should act accordingly.

My third-initial (and simultaneous) response was to press my lips together to keep any semblance of a smile or laughter from escaping.

Then, I tried to give the "stink-eye" to the two boys across the room, but then I had to look away because the "originator" of this "example" was sheepishly looking at me, unsure of whether or not I would laugh or "wrath", but then looking at the sheepish expression on his face was just as funny that I wanted to crack up at that, too, but I knew that if I did the kids would mistake it for me laughing at the "example" which I originally thought was actually funny but had to supress my laughter cuz I'm the adult in the room).....(remember?)!

(sigh)

So.  I turned back to my computer without saying anything for a moment.  At that point, everyone had quieted down as they, too, were curious as to what my response would be (you could feel the nervousness settling over everyone now). 

As the adult in the room, I gathered my composure and with my most mature-sounding voice, I said, "Let's move on." 

Yeah, I know. 

Heavy. 

I mean, I had no choice. 

I had to come down on 'em really hard. 

After all, I was the adult. 

And I had to make sure that I maintained an appropriate, controlled, well-behaved environment.

Hmph.

Basic Counting

         

{Cardigan - Ralph Lauren from Macy's ('10), Tee - Loft, Skirt - Gap ('11), Shoes - Nine West ('10?)}

So, this is a quickie (post, that is).  Hope your day went well, but I feel the need to unwind with some exercise.  Here's my day in a (hopefully, somewhat entertaining) nutshell nursery rhyme:

One, two...
...buckle my shoe kept fallin' outta my shoes. (great deal. last pair. one size too big.  you know me...)

Three, four...
....shut the door rushed outta the door.

Five, six...
...pick up sticks Awards Day success.

Seven, eight...
...lay them straight left at 4:15, didn't stay late!

Nine, ten...
...big fat hen wake up tomorrow and do it again. (minus the Awards Day part)


All right, I'm working with little creative juice here...

I would keep going, but I just realized that I'm counting in the wrong direction!!  I should be going backwards from five...as in five more days 'til summer freeeeeeeeedoooommmm!!! (count me in on that!)

Adjustments

Bonjour!

If you know me, personally or through previous posts such as this and this, then you know that I can't pass up a good deal.  Meh, call me crazy.  But anyway...

See this dress?

Well, one day about a month or so ago, I ran into it.  It was on a sales rack. 

For $10.

Did you hear me?

TEN DOLLARS!!!!!!

So, I think it would be safe to say that just about any woman (who wasn't afraid of a bit of a print), would eagerly try this on.  So I did. 

Tsk tsk tsk.

You know, I wonder about the Gap sometimes.   The cut/fit of some of their items truly perplexes me.  On the hanger, this dress was hot.  On the model, this dress is hot.  When I tried this on, it was hot...but it was just the outside temperatures, that is. 

On me, this dress was (as my students would say) an Epic Fail.  Actually, there was no fit.  I tried on the smallest size and every part of the dress just hung or sagged.  Even the reviews on Gap's website for this dress were not favorable.

But did that stop me?

Nope.

Staying true to my I-Really-Just-Can't-Pass-It-Up-Cuz-It's-Only-(insert number here)-Dollar Disorder, I bought the darn dress.  And that's because I had plans for this (not at all) little number.

You see, while in the fitting room, I had (at least, what I felt was) a creative moment.  I decided that I could actually get two items for the price of one!  Below, is the first item:



       
See?! An infinity scarf!!!  (I'm giggling right now!)

I cut the dress in half, and made zero adjustments to the top portion.  Okay, so it's a little uneven.  I thought that I could just tuck the sleeve parts in/under, but throughout the day, they kept peeking out, as you can see in all three pics.  It may look a little crazy (one person asked if it was a part of my dress and a student asked me, "What is it?"!...I'm glad I have a sense of humor).  Anyway, I love it.  {From the three pics, I couldn't decide which "look" to go with this morning, but I ended up going with the third b/c the cardigan was long enough to cover my boo-tay.} 

As for the second piece, I'm going to have to wait a little while longer to debut that...my mom is converting it into a skirt!  I was so proud of myself when I came up with this idea....I felt like I could actually be a credible "creativ-onista" (mmmm-hmm, that's what I said)!

Buuuutttt...there is still one thing that just doesn't sit well with me.

Two days after purchasing the dress, Gap had an extra 40% off on sale items...!!!  (And you know me...)
But unfortuately, I was so caught up in percentage signs that I forgot that I could have brought the dress back for a price adjustment...and it was still in my car!!!  I'm still mad about that, actually.  Call me cheap.  Call me crazy.  But I could have saved an extra four dollars!

Huh. 
That's one gallon of gas, which that, my friends, is crazy.