Tag Archives: Boden

No love lost between me and February 14th

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All I can think about right now are the 40 or so Valentine candies that I have to prepare for the kids to take to school tomorrow.  I have bought the ones that have the little cards with them so all I have to do is write each child’s name on them, but still it is a chore hanging over my head.  I have to say I hate Valentine’s Day.  Here in the U.S.  it seems that it is much more than a day for lovers, it is a day to send everyone and anyone a piece of candy, a card, or some other gift of appreciation.  MM and I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day, we see it as a horribly commercial day and another ploy by companies to get you to part with your money.  I can’t bear the idea of sitting in a restaurant trying to be romantic on a Tuesday night with every other couple in Atlanta.  Firstly, if you ask me, love should be celebrated everyday and shouldn’t require one day a year to be devoted to it.  It just perpetuates the stereotype of men running around trying to please their wives/girlfriends, and fearing that if they don’t spend a fortune on red roses they will be in ‘the dog house’ for the rest of the year.  Secondly, February 14th is a day that is dedicated to Saint Valentine by the Catholic Church – not a day for us all to go out and buy heart shaped candy.  Call me miserable by all means – but see how you feel when you are told that you must send in a gift for every child in your children’s class.

Maybe I am scarred as Valentine’s Day just brings back memories of the pressure I endured as teenager, desperately hoping I’d receive a Valentine’s card.  I used to hate getting the bus home on Valentine’s Day as there would always be a few smug girls ‘struggling’ and giggling, carrying one of the huge oversize cards, bought by some lovesick boyfriend off Bury Market.  I never got one.  I remember one year actually having a ‘boyfriend’ on Valentine’s Day.  He bought me a card and then wrote an inflated price on the back of it to suggest the more he spent the more he cared…I know you might be reading this, and won’t name names, but don’t think I didn’t figure out your cunning plan!  Anyway, my point is that there is so much pressure in the years to come regarding Valentine’s Day, why introduce it for kindergartners?  They have plenty time to be concerned with it – please let’s leave it to the amateur lovers out there that feel they need to prove something to someone…

Okay now that is off my chest let’s talk about the Grammys last night.  My absolute favorite performance was Bruno Mars – what a great show – I was grinning from ear to ear watching him move.  Sir Paul McCartney was pretty dreadful in my opinion – come on Paul you don’t even need to do this anymore surely?  Overall I think they handled Whitney’s death pretty well – I thought L.L. Cool J. hit the tone perfectly at the start of the evening as he honored her and proceeded to remind everyone they were there to celebrate.  Congratulations to Adele on taking home all six Grammys that she was nominated for.  I haven’t seen her sing yet though as I could barely keep my eyes open after Sir Paul’s snooze inducing performance.  One last rant though, why oh why is Chris Brown still getting t.v. air time?

It’s another frigid day here and knowing I’m going to be sitting in a heated office most of the day makes it more difficult to decide what to wear.  Rather than basing my choices on the temperatures, I opted to try and provide some cheer for everyone with a bit of color.  I love the Boden colourblock tunics, they are so comfortable and easy to wear and today I have paired the violet one with Boden black leggings and my favorite Frye Jane Tall boots – all topped off with my black Patagonia Downtown Loft jacket which is so warm and yet doesn’t necessarily look like I should be out climbing a rock face.  A good thing really as I won’t be going near any today.

Boden colourblock tunic, Frye Jane Tall boots

Civic duty.

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I was so hoping that I would get chance to post yesterday but I was on Jury Duty and didn’t get home till late.  I can’t believe that I got summoned for duty after only 18months as a U.S. citizen – maybe they have a list of us newbies that they know will be keen and eager to take on their civic duty?  I was really happy to do it, and actually I was quite looking forward to it, but little did I know what a convoluted, chaotic day it would turn into.  Firstly getting to the Court House in Downtown Atlanta for 8am is no mean feat – what with getting ready, kicking the kids out of the door, driving to Turner Field, connecting with a shuttle bus, security screening etc. etc. I was lucky to be on time.  Then once you are there you have no idea whether you will be called or not, so I armed myself with 2 books which could be read in a day if needed – boy did I wish my new iPad was here!  As much as I love ‘proper’ books they’re damn heavy!  Then as I was getting stuck into Enigma by Robert Harris (brilliant book…) the alarms went off and we were evacuated for an hour or so.  I was happy to be out of a potentially dangerous situation but bloody cold standing in Woodruff park for over an hour.  It turns out there had been a suspected domestic in a parking lot nearby where shots were fired and after a shooting in the Court House a few years ago I guess they are more vigilant than ever.  Eventually we were back in the court house and I was called immediately for duty.  They call 14 jurors and then the prosecutors and defense select six to stay on the panel – I was one of the six.  So our case didn’t start till almost 2pm.  It was a minor offense – but obviously we still carried out due diligence and we ended up deliberating for almost 3hrs.  I hadn’t realized that a majority wasn’t sufficient so we had to keep going till we were all unanimous – I wish I’d learned some skills in the debating society!

books

So all in all a long day, but thankfully it was spent in the comfort and style of my Boden Joyful Jersey dress in black, and the warmth of my Boden quilted jacket.  Smart, comfortable yet understated – perfect for jury duty!

Today I was happy not to have to venture far – the only thing on my list of ‘to dos’ was to get some new swimming goggles (we have a black hole in our house where all children’s swimming goggles disappear) and some soft towels for swimming lessons as the YMCA’s are ‘too scratchy’.  My children don’t know they are born and I now sound like my Mom.

My lovely Husband took me out for lunch to our favorite Mexican where I devoured enchiladas and a margarita (I’m so crazy) – it’s my guilty pleasure on the occasional Friday lunchtime, and a welcome break before pandemonium that takes over again at 3pm with swim team training for my daughter.  I vaguely remember days when all I thought about on a Friday was getting ready to hit the town – how shallow of me;)

margarita

It’s damn cold here today and will be even colder this weekend so I am enjoying my Boden tunics – today it’s the funky knitted tunic from SS 2011 with my Boden leggings and Boden black wedge boots (currently in the clearance).

Funky knitted tunic, wedge boots

My pop of color is thanks to Opi‘s Nicki Minaj collection and the color is a fab turquoise called Fly – very fun and I suspect it will look even better with a bit of a sun tan in the summer!  Roll on sunshine!

OPI_Nicki_Minaj_Fly

Sexy and I know it.

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I’m feeling pretty virtuous today after a trip to the gym at 7.15am.  After a couple of days off it was good to get the legs moving again on the treadmill.  Though I mostly dread the treadmill I do sometimes enjoy cranking the speed up and doing a bit of interval training to see how fast I can go, and how often, before I feel like dieing.  I often wonder how and why some people jog in the gym while trying to read a book or a magazine.  For me the gym is all about pushing as hard as I can and sweating as much as I can – what’s the point otherwise?  After Super Bowl Sunday and seeing LMFAO with Madonna I had downloaded a couple of their singles.  Their tongue in cheek humor appeals to me and I loved running to “Sexy and I Know It” this morning – perfect gym music.  The video comes with a warning though – there are lots of Speedo ‘action’ shots:)

Both children were very excited this morning as they headed off to school in their new New Balance sneakers.  MM is appalled that I am converting them into New Balance fans but I assured him it was purely coincidence and they did actually select their own on Zappos.com.  My son did, however, look a little like he should be heading off to the computer science lab rather than daycare with his Dee Dee Ramone hair cut, New Balance 993s and Mini Boden baggies hiked up above the waist – he may have inherited my nerd genes…

I’m once again trying to wear as much knitwear as possible before the weather warms up for good here.  Another brand which I am obsessed with is AllSaints.  It’s purely coincidence that their flagship store in in Spitalfields where our flat is, but still provides another reason for my loyalty.  I love their knitwear – most pieces drape beautifully, have biased cuts, raw edges and external seams.  Very urban.  We don’t have a standalone store yet in Atlanta but there is a great concession in Bloomingdale’s (ask for Charlie or Alex), and I also buy a lot off their website.  Today I am wearing their Cerulean long black cardigan, a basic black tee from Express, Hudson signature bootcut jeans in Elm wash, and my black Bloomsbury boots from Boden.  A look that is completely at the other end of the spectrum from yesterday’s, and one that probably reflects more of my true style.  I feel comfortable and sexy – what else can a girl ask for on a Wednesday?  Must remember LMFAO is ironic.

AllSaints cardigan, Hudson jeans, Boden boots

By design.

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My general dislike for Tuesdays was exacerbated this morning by a 7.30am dentist appointment for my daughter.  It’s bedlam trying to get myself ready and get everyone out of the house in time…but we made it and all teeth checked out well – phew – no embarrassing explanations required for lack of parental supervision while brushing.  Well needless to say the mad dash this morning for the dentist meant no preening and photo taking in front of the mirror today, but I will tell you I spent a day feeling quite preppy in my slate Boden straightleg wool capris (an absolute bargain at $38 in the sale), Boden mercury crinkle shirt, Boden grey wrap jumper, and Tory Burch grey flannel Revas, topped off with my Boden black quilted jacket (also available full price in the new SS range here) as there was a little nip in the air this morning.  Tuesdays have always been my least favorite day of the week – probably stemming from my sixth form days when they started with triple physics with Mrs. Wells.  She used to dictate so fast I developed callouses on my middle finger – odd to think of in these technology driven days when I can barely hold a pen never mind write with one – I am so used to typing.

After the chaos of car pool, ballet lessons, daycare run and drive home I was excited to be greeted by some belated Christmas presents.  MM and I have always loved Alessi products.  We were fortunate to be gifted some for our Wedding presents and the somewhat stylish, if not functional, Philippe Starck juicer still has pride of place in our kitchen, next to the spaghetti holder.

Jucy Salif, Alessi

Well my FIL has very kindly bought me a lovely tea strainer for my loose leaf Fortnum & Mason’s tea which I can now enjoy prior to a enjoying a stiff margarita mixed in my new cocktail shaker – very exciting.  Now I just need some great cocktail recipes to experiment with.

Te o, Tea-strainer Alessi

The new tea strainer.

Alessi cocktail shaker

Found in almost every bar in the world…according to Alessi.

I still love Madge

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I still can’t believe the Giants won – the team I am rooting for hardly ever wins.  It’s not that I’m a huge Giants fan (Falcons obviously) but I do like to see Tom Brady lose – forgive me all you Patriot fans.  I managed to stay awake long enough to see Madonna in all her glory.  I thought she was amazing and her entry was spectacular – though I do have to remind myself that Madge came first and therefore she can’t be accused of copying Lady Gaga.  Her performance was fabulous with some fun guests and I loved the ‘mash-up’ with LMFAO.  ‘Vogue’ reminds me so much of my university days when I would listen to ‘The Immaculate Collection’ on vinyl over and over again, and I always forget what a brilliant song ‘Like a Prayer’ is.  In fact I’m off to iTunes once this is published to download it.  Oh and I would die for those boots, and of course to look as hot as she did in them at 53.

Madonna Superbowl

So on the most popular day in the U.S. to play hooky I was up bright and early, ready for another Monday – sort of.  My legs are flipping killing me after my long run yesterday so I was in need of my comfy clothes again.  But refusing to wear sweats out of the house I selected my Hudson jeans, Boden Canterbury tunic, Boden long line cardigan from SS 2011, and my Tory Burch musk Eddies.  The tunic is another that I bought early in the AW 2011 season and then returned, only to buy again at a bargain price in the sale.  Along with the multi acorn colorway (shown here) I also bought the coal stencil rose, and both, along with the other colors, are still available in the sale for $34 – you’d be crazy not to take a peak.  They had many mixed reviews, and yes I did have to size up due to the snug fitting empire waist, and it is a little more cleavage than I would show in a corporate environment, but I love them and no one in the office mentioned me flaunting my ‘assets’ – and trust me they would.

Canterbury tunic, long line cardigan

 

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Remove brain and relax.

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Now I am a sucker for reality t.v. – all the Housewives franchises and anything else that is on Bravo, I love HGTV and of course now I am hooked on American Idol again.  Gosh writing that sentence felt like part of a rehab program – I’m cringing reading it back!  Last night American Idol had their last episode covering the first round of auditions – normally the most excruciating to watch, as I hate it when they show the crappy singers for the purposes of ‘good t.v.’ – but you know what – I think I ‘appreciate’ Steven Tyler a little more each time I see him – that’s so wrong isn’t it?  It has to be said that on a Thursday evening (my ‘Friday’) there is nothing more relaxing than curling up on the sofa with Tennyson, one of our boxers, sipping a glass of vino, removing my brain and watching American Idol.

Tennyson

Tennyson, my love bug.

Friday is the first day of my weekend.  I must say if I were President (not feasible – and not only because I wasn’t born here) I would make a 4 day week mandatory.  Probably not great for the deficit or GDP – but it would be great for morale.  Working that 1 day less a week has had a huge impact on my personal happiness.  Oh, I should mention that school would absolutely remain a 5 day week – otherwise my 4 day week might not be so great!  These days my Fridays are spent procrastinating a little longer with Matt Lauer and my coffee, indulging in a long shower and taking my time deciding what to wear, then I normally run some fun errands around town like Target and Trade Joe’s, followed by a long lunch.  Even after the school bus has arrived I manage to fit in a nice short workout while my daughter does swim team.  When spring and summer come around I like to skip the errands and head off on my bike for a good ride while everyone else is off the roads and I can’t wait to get in the saddle more often again.  Mondays to Thursdays allow me to use my intellect and enjoy adult company in the office, then my ‘free’ Fridays provide some ‘me’ time, ultimately meaning that I enjoy the ‘family’ time more at the weekend.  I feel very fortunate – and sane most of the time thanks to this schedule.

So today, before heading to Trader Joe’s to sort out some food for Superbowl Sunday, I picked out my Boden straightleg wool capris, a fairly old but hardly worn Marks & Spencer Per Una pink sweater, last year’s Boden cropped washed leather jacket, Tory Burch black patent Eddies and a necklace from H&M.  Even though it is my ‘day off’ I still like to make a bit of an effort every time I head out of the house.  The wool capris keep popping back into stock in the clearance and I think they are well worth the $38.  They fit a little higher in the rise than I would ideally like but I find them very comfortable and flattering.

Boden straightleg wool crops, Per Una sweater, Boden leather jacket, Tory Burch Eddies

This week has been busy at work for both of us so tonight MM and I are having a lovely home cooked Thai curry.  I love Friday evenings when we can just put some music on, enjoy a glass of wine and cook together.  Let’s hope the children cooperate!

Thank you H&M…

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It’s 69 degrees in Atlanta today and we’re gripped by Spring fever.  Everyone around me in the office seems to be planning trips somewhere – except for me…I’m getting itchy feet listening to them book their flights and chatter about sunshine, hotels and cocktails.  This time last year I was getting ready to head off to London for a week of fun and frivolity – I think I need to plan another city break with some girlfriends!

Sunday is Superbowl and while I’m not a huge football fan I, like many others, enjoy the partying, the food and the general sense of occasion.  This morning The Today Show gave us a sneak peak of some of the Superbowl commercials that will air and all I can say is thank you H&M I shall be replaying this often on YouTube!

Last night between the parenting and party planning for my son’s birthday, I managed to paint my nails – this time Smokin’ Hot by Essie – a lovely deep purply/grey.

Smokin' Hot

Mr. UPS swung by as well to deliver my new Boden Essential wedges.  I ordered the red and truffle and they are cute, but not only do they fit small, I do think they are a tad pricey for what they are.  I love the suede but I think if I am going to get some wedges I may get the now famous L.K. Bennett Maddox…so off they go back to Boden.  Another influencing factor is that there is a 14 week wait for the next size up – what is going on with Boden’s stock levels this season?

Boden Essential Wedges

The springlike weather influenced my clothes today and I am wearing my Boden Pretty Top, Boden LE sparkle pocket cardigan (which is SO soft – I love it), Hudson Collin jeans and my grey flannel Tory Burch Revas.

Boden Pretty top, Hudson, Tory Burch Revas

See you tomorrow – I’m ready for Friday!

Today I was mostly wearing…

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I headed to the gym this morning the first time for a while – it was lovely and quiet at 7.30am and I managed to kill myself on the treadmill for 30mins.  As much as I love running outdoors I can’t abide the treadmill but with impending rain here today I thought it was a safer bet.  To keep me in the ‘zone’ I returned to my youth and cranked up the volume of some club classics including the The Collaboration “Do It Properly”.  Danny Rampling is a bargain on iTunes!

Knowing I was heading out for lunch with a friend I wanted to wear something comfortable and fun so I opted for my new Boden Mariner jumper, Hudson Collin jeans, Boden biker jacket from SS 2011, and my Tory Burch red Revas for a pop of color.  It was fun drying my hair today – it must have taken only a minute – I love it!

Boden jacket, Mariner jumper, Revas

Lust for Life

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Yesterday was brilliant.  We had a fabulous meeting with our daughter’s lovely teacher – I love her candor and humor, it’s very refreshing.  I’m so proud of my little girl it makes me teary eyed.  In order to try and engender the association of achieve and reward we went out to our favorite diner for dinner and had milkshakes all round, it was a lovely family evening.  We were all exhausted afterward though, so it was an early bedtime for the kids and another recorded episode of Downton Abbey for me:)

It was a struggle to get out of bed this morning and I didn’t have time for an invigorating run due to a hairdressers appointment.  Armed with my photos of Ginnifer Goodwin I arrived and demanded my shorter cut.  My hairdresser is fabulous and always seems to understand my descriptions and then refines them to best suit me.  If you are in Atlanta and in need of a great hairdresser, who is humorous and conversational too, then seek out O’Neil at Van Michael in Virginia Highlands – you will love him I promise.

To coordinate with my shorter style I wore my Gap black jeggings, Frye Shirley Strappy Short boots, AllSaints Char jumper and my lovely Boden military jacket.  MM encouraged my shorter style, though has since made comments suggesting I should be in Roxette or that I’m channeling David Bowie’s Berlin era – maybe I’ll try a more feminine look tomorrow:)

Bowie Low

Similarity?

Boden military jacket

Before haircut.

HaircutHaircut

After haircut.

 

Is spring here already?

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This time of year in Atlanta presents a real challenge when it comes to dressing.  This morning it was below freezing yet this afternoon will be in the mid to high 60s…I also had to think a little more carefully as we’re off to see my daughter’s teacher this afternoon for a ‘conference’ – just a regular update on performance – but I still feel I should make a little bit of an effort.  So I opted for Boden’s clearance revelation, the Retro tunic in pink, M&S brown cable tights (kindly sent by my wonderful Mum – some things just can’t be matched over here – tights and Mums!) and the brown piped shoe boots, topped off with Boden’s dark brown leather blazer, currently in the sale.  The belt is a couple of years old from Target and I like to wear it sometimes instead of the knitted belt that came with the tunic.  The tunic is a lovely knit and pretty warm – and this winter I have discovered the joy of wearing a dress and how much more comfortable they can be than jeans every day.

Now off to school – let’s hope I don’t show her up…

Retro pink tunicRetro tunic with leather blazer