quick and dirty: the usual suspects

I don't know where this day has gone. As I write this, I'm thinking to myself how amusing this saying is, like there's some island where all the lost and dearly-departed days go when they die before their time, before their hours were satisfactorily saturated with enough accomplishments (i.e., grocery trips, cleaning, thinking, breathing...you know, that stuff). It's sad, very sad. But enough with my drama. The title of this is "quick and dirty" for a reason: I have some where to be this evening and the house still needs, uh, to be picked up (actually burned down because it's so godawful messy, but I know I shouldn't joke about such things, so this wasn't a joke, okay..wait, I mean, it was a joke...no burning going on here, oh god, here I go shoving the ginormous proverbial foot in my ginormous trap). And I can't promise to deliver on the "dirty" part, but I just like the sound of "quick and dir-taaaay." If you haven't guessed, I'm easily amused, which comes in handy being a stay-at-home-mom and all.

So, what I did promise this week was fashion. Sigh. You know, I'm actually a little stressed. Earlier today, I was like, "Oh my gawd, Jennifer, you said you would write a post about what?!!!??" I was gnawing my finger nails to the quick at the thought of it. Because, I mean, I have such a vast readership, you know, that I know the masses are waiting (with respirators) for "Jen's Fashion Week." Easily amused. Didn't believe me the first time, huh?

So, here goes nothin' (except fashion, maybe).

I have always envied people who could put together a great outfit with seemingly no effort at all because well, they have this innate sense of style. Maybe you're one of these people. If you are, you should stop reading here and redirect yourself to peoplewhohavestyle.com since you obviously aren't going to learn anything new here. In thinking about what in the you-know-what I was gonna post this week, I thought I should start with the ones we all know and love: the Targets, Old Navies, Gaps, etc. You know, usual fashion-for-the-masses suspects. During a somewhat recent trip to one of the aforementioned fashion for the masses (FFTM...what is up with me and acronyms lately) stores, I vowed, walking out, that I would not shop there for at least 6 months because everytime I did, I ended up having the same pair of shorts or top as the first six people I saw on the street as I left FFTM store X. If you're confused by all the flailing letters, stay with me. Coherence usually finds favor with me by mid-draft.

Okay, so where was I. Oh, right, swearing off FFTM stores. Well, I can't do it. I just can't. For one, these stores offer things that are not only affordable (important for a SAHM) but much more stylish for the price than probably was available to our mothers and grandmothers who just had to be talented and make a good bit of their own clothes. And at nearly 30, I don't feel as idiotic shopping in these stores as I would in the Abercrombie-esque environs. Because I don't own a surfboard. So, if you are looking for me this weekend, I will probably be combing the racks, todder and hubby in tow, at our neighborhood Old Navy and Target to jumpstart our Spring wardrobe. Also, SD's sister is a hard-working manager at an Old Navy store, so gotta support the fam, you know!

And since no post is really complete without pictures, I found these adorable shorts for Eli at Old Navy online last night, and he's in a size 18-24 months if anyone is interested...hint, hint.

Also, my friend Jean, mommy to the sweet and adorable Eva Rose, purchased this colorful Spring dress, which according to her fits well, and according to me may help ressurect her from her poetry-writing slump. But she's a talented poet, so I think she can do it without the dress. But in some other article of clothing, of course. I'm not advocating nudist poetry here. Unless that's the kind of thing you (the general term, not you personally, Jean) go for, of course. I am definitely not here to judge or stand in the way of creative expression. And I will stop here with this little digression before I run out of feet to stick in my face.

Finally, I love this dress from Target online, but I promised you fashions to hide that pesky arm flab, and this is certainly not one of them. Maybe I'll do some push-ups tonight?

P.S. I'm not proofing this, so if you find typos, that'll be the "dirty" element that was lacking.