Personal Style

Cross Examined At Breakfast

/ Ally Bean / 16 Comments

I walked into the kitchen the other morning wearing five pocket straight leg jeans and a t-shirt.  I was carrying my sweater to put on after I ate breakfast, but before I went out the door.  The following conversation ensued.

~ • ~ 

Him:  You have sparkles on your butt.

Me:  [shaking my tail feathers]  You like?

Him:  There’s shiny stuff on your back pockets.

Me:  [reaching for the carafe and pouring myself a cup of coffee]  Pretty, huh?

Him:  What are those sparkles doing on your butt?

Me:  [pushing him aside to get into the pantry]  They’re fashionable.  They’re just there.

Him:  Does your sweater cover your butt?

Me:  [ripping open a breakfast bar and biting into it]  I dunno.

Him:  Well, if it’s long enough your sweater will cover the sparkles on your butt.

Me:  [taking another bite of breakfast bar]  Yes, and if it’s short enough you’ll see all the shiny on the pockets.

Him:  Is that what you want?

Me:  [eating my last bite of breakfast bar]  I don’t care.

Him:  Here, put on your sweater.

Me:  [putting on my sweater]  Okay.  How’s it look?  Sparkles or not?

Him:  Your sweater covers part of your pockets.  You’re only half shiny.

Me:  [slurping my last slug of coffee]  Okie dokie then.  I’m a sparkly half-ass.  It’s confirmed.

Him:  Why’d you buy those jeans?

Me:  [grabbing my purse from the floor where I’d put it beside my canvas tote]  I bought them because they were on sale.  I don’t care what happens on the backside.  I don’t see it.  And they fit really well.

Him:  Hmmm.  Yes, they do.

~ • ~ 

And this my friends is what it’s like being married to a lawyer.  He can’t just say “pretty.”  Oh no.  He has to get all the details first.  Establish a fact pattern.  And then he’ll comment.  If he’s in the mood.

Okay, Let’s Be Clear Here

/ Ally Bean / 11 Comments

I was shopping in the Lands’ End section of Sears last week.  Working in the section were two friendly woman who helped me find sizes and colors.  They were great.

Because of their help I found lots to buy– which meant that it took them a long time to take the shoplifter tags off my clothes, to fold the clothes, to swipe the price tags, to subtract the sale discounts, to re-calculate the total, and then to put the clothes into the shopping bags.

Naturally we got talking while all this was going on.

We agreed that Lands’ End 100% cotton tops– of all sorts– are just about the best thing ever.  I mentioned that most of my Lands’ End tops are for daily wear, but that I also buy a few larger ones to use a tops with flannel jammie bottoms.  I find that the turtlenecks, in particular, are very cozy in bed at night in the winter.

Well, both women began to laugh– and out came a story.

Earlier that day a customer had said the same thing that I did… and then she had gone on to explain in-depth why she liked to wear these tops to bed.  Apparently, she liked the Lands’ End 100% cotton tops because that meant when she got up in the morning she didn’t have to get dressed.

Instead, she just put on a large sweatshirt over her sleeping ensemble, added shoes and a coat– then went out the door on her daily errands to places like the grocery, drug store, post office.  In fact they told me, she said that winter was her favorite time of year because she could wear the same clothes for 24 hours straight!

Eww.

People tell me lots of stuff, and usually I kind of have an inkling of where the story is going, but this one caught me unawares.  I started laughing wondering if these women thought I might be doing the same thing!  I couldn’t talk fast enough to assure them that I don’t wear the same Lands’ End 100% cotton shirt around the clock.

Nope, not me.  I, at least, keep my Lands’ End 100% cotton shirts divided between daytime wear– and nighttime wear.  ‘Cuz I’m classy like that.

[Hello FTC!  Long time no see.  As usual I want to assure you that I didn’t receive any monetary consideration for writing about something that I just happen to like.  So you need not concern yourself with me and my sweet little bloggy.  Okie dokie, then?]

Macaroni

/ Ally Bean / 6 Comments

Busy week.

√  Now that the rain has stopped and the sun is out, the work on the backyard continues.  Noisy, messy work involving lots of rocks, stones, dirt– and mulch. Heaps and heaps of mulch.  This project has dragged on for too long.  “Just get it done,” she screams inside her head.

√  I’m spending about 3 hours per day in the car driving Z-D to work and back.  It’s all interstate highway or downtown driving at rush hour.  I’m a suburban babe, so this sort of driving is a bit stressful for me.

√  We’re social butterflies this week.

  • Drinks and dinner with friends from long ago who we bumped into while walking into Lowe’s.  Go figure.  Decided on the spot that we needed to get together for dinner to catch up, so on Sunday night we did.  It was great fun.
  • Dinner with one of Z-D’s former co-workers who is in town.  Always good to hear what this guy is doing.  He’s smart, interesting– definitely not one of the sheeple. Hallelujah!
  • Ballgame as business guests.  I like suites.  I like tasty food.  I like free beer.  This event aims to be the trifecta of good times for me.

√  Got my curly hair cut shorter yesterday.  It’s more like the Keri Russell hairstyle that everyone hated years ago– which I always thought looked good on her.  I’ve got lots of layers with more curl and wave going on now.  Kind of kicky.  Less predictable… if that is even possible!

Later.

Oh, You’ve Got To Have Friends

/ Ally Bean / 9 Comments

I found this photo when I was going through some boxes of stuff that I’ve dragged around with me for years.  I’ve been in an organizing mood of late.  Most of the stuff in the boxes was of no value, but this photo– well, it’s a classic.  Worthy of note.

It’s a photograph of my third grade class.  I’m the girl in the middle of the front row holding my hands behind my back.  With long blonde hair.  Sporting a lovely pair of cat eye spectacles.  Tres chic!

Looking at this photo I have no idea why I’m not wearing a cute little plaid dress like the other girls.  I had lots of them, but for some reason I’m standing there in a shapeless jumper.  My mother worked when I was a kid, so maybe this was the only outfit that was clean that day for me to wear.  That could be it.  Or maybe I forgot that it was photo day and put the jumper on instead of something cute.  That’s probably more like it.

I have good memories of third grade.  Mrs. Bosh, our teacher, was enthusiastic and fun. The kids in my class were silly and goofy and friendly.  I remember adoring arithmetic & science, and that we did the coolest art projects.  I remember despising spelling tests, while thoroughly enjoying music class.

I also remember receiving my first Nancy Drew book that year.  It was a birthday present from the girl on the end of the front row nearest to the teacher.  I still have the book in fact.

But what I remember the most about third grade is that we played lots of games on the playground– and we included everyone.  No cliques.  No clubs.  No snobs.  That’s what was coming our way in fourth grade.

Of course, we didn’t know that yet when this photo was taken.  We were still just a bunch of happy kids.  Friends.  Wearing our best clothes and smiling for the camera.