Tag Archives: Express

Jet lag.

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Uuuurggh suffering from jet lag and my 4 year old is waking up at 3am thinking it is 8am aaarrrgggh!  Thankfully tomorrow is the 4th so we have a day off to enjoy the pool and fireworks and celebrate our Independence as all Americans do – just a tad odd that it was independence from the Brits.  When both children asked to wear red, white and blue today I did think about their England shirts – but only for a moment.

So tomorrow we’re up early (or late if you are my son) to go and cheer on the runners in the Peachtree road race which will no doubt have me desperate for a run – so a good job I just registered for another half marathon!  Then off to the pool followed by burgers on the grill and then peering over the trees to watch the fireworks.  I always enjoy Independence day but not so much when it falls on a Wednesday – it’s harder to justify taking two days off work…

On my return I have been amazed to see how much work has been done on the house – new windows are in, new floors are stained and the tub has even arrived!  Only about 4 weeks of work left hopefully so we are off to IKEA on Friday to investigate closet fixtures and fittings – very exciting.  I’m ashamed to say my new walk in closet is almost as big as my old bedroom in the UK:-/

Due to the ongoing work I found myself this morning with no full length mirror so my lovely daughter kindly obliged – I think I need to get her to stand on a stool next time – photos are never flattering when taken from below chin level – I look a bit startled!  Today I am wearing my Zara off white jersey blazer (their sale has started but to be honest I don’t think the reductions are great so I haven’t been tempted by anything), H&M spotty skirt from a couple of years ago and a black tank from Express, along with my Tory Burch black Emmy sandals which you can barely see.

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Bon voyage!

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So sorry for the lack of recent posts – it has been bedlam getting ready for our trip!  I’d have thought by now I would have packing for a trans-Atlantic trip down to a fine art, but oh no, this time I have some how managed to fill 2 enormous bags for 3 of us whereas previous years I’ve managed with one bag alone.  The unpredictable British weather does not help – plus I need black and taupe ankle boots, and black and neutral ballet flats, casual sneakers, running sneakers and flip flops just in case:)  I reckon if I could carry it all I’d make full use of our allowance of 3 bags but I’m not entirely sure they would all get in mum and dad’s car back in Manchester – in fact I’m not even sure 2 will…I’ll just have to sit on the roof…I’m sure as hell not sacrificing my closet.  MM did ask when I thought the leopard print capris would get worn in Bury…well you just never know do you?!

I also have 3 iPads, 1 iPod touch, 1 shuffle, 1 MacBook and 1 iPhone to carry – Steve Jobs really was a genius.

So here are 2 outfits from over the weekend that I shared by FB and Twitter in lieu of posting the blog – lazy I know.  The first is from Friday.  I went to get a haircut in the morning and knew I’d be running errands for most of the day so comfort was key.  It’s the first time I wore my Sam Edelman leopard print Petty boots and I adore them – they are on sale on Zappos.com right now – you must have these in your closet!  They looked fabulous (note overwhelming modesty here) with my orange J.Crew shorts, black Express tee and Zara black jersey jacket.  I’m embarrassed to say I now have this jacket in black, off white, fuchsia and jade.  I just love them.

Saturday night my fabulous man took me out to our favorite place for dinner, Abattoir, for a farewell dinner.  One too many prosecco cocktails were imbibed and too little food which resulted in a stonking hangover on Sunday – hence no photo from yesterday as it was spent horizontal on the sofa in sweatpants, watching recoded Euro 2012 matches:)  After a good sweat this morning and a mani pedi with my girl I am now throwing the remaining items into my bags ready to leave for Atlanta’s new international terminal.  I believe there is a new El Taco there where the kids can have some nachos and I might have a cheeky margarita!  See you in England on Tuesday!

Saturday evening’s attire: Zara jade jersey jacket, Zara harem pants, DSW Levity peep toe boots, white Express tank, YSL clutch (cardboard courtesy of contractors!) – photo a bit fuzzy given MMs haste to get out of the house!

Tipsy:

My girl and her mani pedi:)

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TGIF.

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Note to self – must go away without MM more often…the reason being I get wined and dined before I go!  Poor love I know he will miss me and the children and he is being so sweet taking me out a few times, without the children, so we get some time together before I leave for the UK on the 18th for 2 weeks.  We’ve always been very independent and I know he’ll be fine without us – he doesn’t fall into the usual stereotype of being useless by himself – he’s a better cook than I am, always runs the dishwasher and loves to read so he can catch up and a few books while I’m gone – oh and the European Championships start today – so who am I fooling about reading?  Every game will be DVRd and watched I know for sure!  In fact is it possible that is why he suggested we left the country for those 2 particular weeks?…Hmmmm cunning….

So before he sits down tonight to watch the first games we’re off out to lunch at Local Three – it’s a fabulous local eatery with a menu based around local and seasonal fare – they do great ‘small plates’ too so it is a fun place to go and share lots of different offerings.  The lobster salad sounds particularly good!

This weekend will be spent – by me at least – moving all my clothes and possessions from the bedroom to the basement bedroom where MM and I will be relocating to while the master bathroom, bedroom floors and walk in closet are under construction.  It all starts on Monday!!  I’m SO excited about the work starting, but running up and down stairs with arms full of swag does not fill me with joy.  Oh well it will be worth it and who knows I may find more items to eBay!  I may start trying to design the interior of the new closet too – IKEA have some brilliant modular solutions I’ve got my eye on.

So for lunch – what to wear?  I wanted something casual but not too casual as I’m getting tired of throwing a tunic on over a bikini at the weekend…so I opted for my lovely green J.Crew chino shorts, Express white tank, and my new Zara printed jogging jacket – I’ve gone for a nude shoe, Tory Burch Emmy sandals, so as not to overwhelm the look – the flowers and green are already pretty vivid!

Have a fun Friday!!

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Red, white and blue.

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It’s rubbish weather here in Atlanta today – dark and dreary, such a shame after a fabulous weekend, but easier to bear now I’m back in the office.  We had a fabulous time at Virginia Highlands Summerfest – the weather was perfect for mooching and watching some great live music.  I was in awe at a group of 14-16 year olds rocking out on stage – called ‘My Homework Ate My Dog‘ – they were brilliant – and it got me thinking about how to introduce music lessons to my two.  I think music is so important and there is evidence that reading music can also help with numeracy.  I was reading basic music at elementary school and playing the recorder, and then I graduated to the flute which was challenging once orthodontics started!  I really think understanding rhythm and reading music can boost your appreciation of music and we always have some sort of music playing in the house – anything from Led Zeppelin to Robyn to Mahler.  So maybe I should start them with piano lessons?

Brightening up the day today and sticking with the patriotic theme I’m wearing my Boden long sleeved Breton, Boden Effortless cardigan in radish, white Express Zelda crops and Tory Burch Eddie flats in Tory Navy.

Oh and one final very important note the Boden Autumn preview is out for women!!! In my opinion this is THE BEST season of clothes I have seen from them.  Very ‘on trend’ with a retro, younger vibe – I’ve already placed two orders!!!  My most favorite items are the Scoop Neck Tunic, Loulou dress, Cable knit dress (I’ve only ever previously bought 1 Boden dress!) and Skye jumper.  Enjoy browsing and until June 25th there is a 20% discount.

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Summer jackets.

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I was inspired to write this after Kat at Doesmybumlook40.blogspot.com highlighted the gorgeous Zara printed jogging blazer – which I admit I bought after seeing it in person yesterday – resistance was futile especially with a piece so versatile.  Kat has opened my eyes to Zara – it’s one of her favorite stores and we have one here in Atlanta but I rarely venture in, but as she has warned me I think I may now be hooked.  Even better news is there is a HUGE one at Barcelona airport so if I haven’t managed to spend my holiday money each year I know exactly where to head before the gate for the flight home:)

The jacket is simply gorgeous and such a vivid print – it will look amazing with jeans or white pants – or even these fabulous red Editor pants from Express that I’ve had a while and are now a steal at $36!  One tip – if you are in store looking at the jackets make sure you look at the back to see how much print is there – I picked a couple up and there was more white than print on the back which may be preferable for some – but I managed to pick one out that had a good balance of print on the back of the jacket.

So while I was in Zara I took a peak at their other jackets.  I love a great summer jacket, though it’s definitely more difficult to get away with in the 90 degree heat of the South.  Having said that I’m always in an air conditioned house, office, car, restaurant, mall etc. so I always seem to be carrying a lightweight cashmere cardigan around with me.  What better way to sharpen up a look than a fab lightweight jersey jacket instead?  Starting at $80 a pop these Zara jackets are great wardrobe staples and can be worn with shorts, skirts or skinnies for a great polished look.  My favorites are the following:

Fuchsia jersey jacket:

Jade jersey jacket:

Short blazer with pockets – gorgeous with just a white tee and jeans:

Piped Fantasy cardigan – I love the detail and lining:

Not surprisingly I did leave with one more jacket – I swear it literally accosted me and held me at gun point so I had no choice.  I’m wearing it here (Zara white jersey jacket) with J.Crew linen harem pants from a couple of years ago, a pink Loft tank and my ever faithful musk Tory Burch Eddies.  I love how sharp the jacket looks instead of a cardigan – very chuffed – thank you Kat you are a bad influence and I love it!

Oh and yes I ordered the blossom tipped blazer from Boden – shhh – I had some account credit sitting waiting to be used – I will model it as soon as it arrives!

 

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A birthday, some shopping, a proposal and a hangover!

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What a brilliant weekend!  SO much happened but I’m quite relieved it’s over now as my liver couldn’t take much more partying…my stamina isn’t what it used to be.  Simon and Karin (I now have permission to use names!) arrived on Thursday and of course we had fun catching up over wine and good steaks.  It was 1.30am when we eventually made it to bed which I knew was going to be bad news for Friday…and of course Friday was my daughter’s 6th birthday so I needed to have my game face on!  I dragged myself and her out of bed in time for the school bus thankfully, after opening gifts – the Barbie camper was very well received.  The day then began to unravel itself as one of rushing about madly – from dropping cupcakes off at school for the birthday girl, to shopping and lunch with our guests – to finally helping out at the end of year party held by our lovely school bus driver.  I had to engage brain and get my mouth to work properly chatting to all the other lovely moms who were there…I was beginning to run out of steam.  Fortunately the evening was finished off with a huge chocolate cake for the birthday girl and a Chinese takeaway – boy those dumplings were enjoyed!

Ready for shopping in AllSaints tank, Gap black jeans, AllSaints Bonny Cuban boot.

A very excited 6 year old.

This might be the time to confess that my diet was not maintained at all over the weekend…major fail…but I’m back on the wagon today.  I did get a workout in on Saturday morning and then I took Karin shoe shopping while Simon and MM watched the Champion’s League final.  After a very successful haul of 4 pairs of shoes for Karin and a new pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses for me, we cracked open some cava and began getting ready for a night out.

Glad rags: AllSaints Pipali tank, Express Zelda white cropped jeans, Levity shoes, Steve Madden clutch

We went to our favorite restaurant, Abattoir.  We’ve been often enough now that we are treated as regulars – the staff are so friendly, welcoming and patient thankfully, as we were quite a loud and raucous table.  Festivities took an exciting turn when Simon decided to propose to Karin!  I say decided – I do hope I didn’t force the situation – I have a habit of being a bit like a dog with a bone when I’ve had a drink – so I’m not sure if I cajoled, persuaded or forced a proposal but Karin said yes and everyone seemed very happy.  So I’m looking forward to a trip to Sweden next year for a summer wedding!  Simon texted me yesterday from Chicago with a photo of Karin wearing a beautiful diamond engagement band from Tiffany’s.  Good job Simon:)  Karin and I stayed up till 3.30am on Sunday morning chatting with mojitos…so yesterday was a little fuzzy to say the least.  Thankfully spent horizontal, parenting by the pool.

So back to normality today with only 2 days left of the school year – hurray!

 

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Window shopping.

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With the impending house renovations I REALLY am trying to curb my personal spending.  It’s hard though.  Sometimes I try to ‘bulk’ buy at the start of a season and tell myself ‘right I’m done now, I have this season’s closet, no more purchases needed’.  It never works.  I should know by now that the canny retailers keep us coming back month after month, or week after week in some cases, as their new items hit the stores.  I thought that by ceasing my visits to the mall this would stop me from seeing anything new and therefore my austerity measures would be intact.  Only problem is I use my computer every day and for some reason when I need a break I find myself visiting BodenUSA.com, US.AllSaints.com or today it was Zara.com.  I’m an online window shopping addict – or should that be just shopping addict?

Several things unfortunately caught my eye today that I am now lusting after.  This gorgeous top is from AllSaints and is the perfect little number for summer cocktails.

Paired with these Petrel Brodie jeans in vintage pink it would look fabulous.  I actually want these jeans in all the colors available and I’m planning a little trying on session soon with my favorite AllSaints employee, Charlie, at the Bloomingdale’s concession in Lenox Mall!

I was inspired to visit the Zara website after visiting Doesmybumlook40.blogspot.com blog by Kat back in England.  She also got a mention in the Daily Mail article and I love her style – very urban chic and she accessorizes brilliantly.  She loves Zara and though we have one here in Atlanta I rarely go in there.  Now unfortunately I have discovered that their website is brilliant and what’s even better is that free shipping is standard – hooray!

It’s their shoes I have particularly fallen in love with.  These black pumps are just gorgeous and are on my wish list.

Now these sandals were on my wish list but as I kept flipping back to them this morning I managed to convince myself that $50 for a pair of fabulous looking sandals was too good to miss – so they are now heading my way courtesy of UPS.  I need to earn more money as I want them in every color.  I hope they fit as I find sandals really hard to buy – I have funny sticky out toes and they get stuck in strappy sandals and hang out of the sides – an appalling look, so I’m hoping this single strap at the front will keep my little toes safely ensconced.

I now feel horribly guilty about ordering them as we just went to pick granite out for the new bathroom and kitchen counter tops.  Of course the granite we like is the most expensive – surely $50 sandals won’t stop me getting the granite of my choice?

It’s raining here today so a bit cooler than it has been.  I decided to take advantage of it and wear some jeans while I can.  These are dark green legging jeans from Gap, worn with a snake print tee shirt from Express and my black patent Tory Burch Eddies.  My studded cuff is also Tory Burch.  I car pooled with MM today so was lucky enough to have a photographer – thanks honey:)

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