Elephant |

I was on my own in Las Vegas and decided to go shopping and try on some of Anthropologie’s newest offerings. This is what I wore to Anthropologie and on my trip out by myself. It is an H&M lace top, Free People Lydia Maxi Skirt, Simply Livly Turquoise Necklace, and a more recent sale belt from Anthropologie.

Oddly, this outfit made me feel braver.

I think it was all the darn ruffles.

Don’t ask why.

I’m weird.

The first dress I tried on was one of the two items I added to my wishlist (the other being a pair of jeans). I really, really like this Ijada Stitched Shift dress.

I really, really disliked the price tag. At $248, I will have to wait for a good sale. I have a size six on in the picture. It zips on the side bust and I could not zip it all of the way. Since, I was all ready there. In a dressing room. At the store. With a size eight. Just a few steps away. I…

Decided not to try it on.

Yep.

It is more fun guessing.

Or more lazy.

So, now I imagine I am a size eight in this dress, but I have no idea if it is true.

Aren’t my reviews helpful?

I also tried on this Cissie Embroidered Dress. I thought it was okay. I really like the pattern and everything. But there was just somethin’ that did not call to me. This was a size six. I thought it fit fine.

I have so many similar items to this dress in my closet all ready. And the hi-lo thing is just not doing it for me. An unfortunate no for me. I am sad about this one, because it is cute.

I also tried on the Grafton Marled Jacket with the dress. Because I liked the pattern in the store. I would not really wear these two items together in real life.

Well, unless I was in a closed room. And the other cardigan I wanted was ten feet away. Then we all know what my choice would be.

I am wearing a small here. If I purchased this, I would buy a medium. But this cardigan did not make it into my wishlist, so I will not be purchasing it. It was too bulky for me. Now I am seeing that they call this cardigan a jacket. I could examine the whys of that further, but I won’t.

I love the Savant Swing Dress. It has been on my wishlist for what seems like forever. I had not seen the grey version of it in real life before this picture (I own the black and white striped version). Can you feel the love?

I am wearing a small here. The sleeves were impossibly tight. The store did not have a medium. I definitely need a medium. If they would have had it to try on…

Wait for it.

This will be shocking.

I would have.

I had loved this Patula Maxi Skirt on Morgan from See Mo Go a few weeks ago. I could not wait to try it on myself.

Morgan rocked this skirt. It is so pretty on her. I was not in love with it on me. I am wearing a small. It fit fine. This was the only shirt I had in the dressing room that I thought might work with it.

Which means it did not go with it at all.

It never occurred to me to use the shirt I wore into the dressing room.

Again, not examining the whys of that further.

Let me distract you from my pasty legs (and insanely messy contents of my purse) by telling you that this white shirt is the same Anthropologie Flounced Tee I tried on with the skirt above. And that is why the skirt styling will make even less sense to you.

Kind of like myself.

I really hate shorts. Like hate them. With a fierce passion. I think very few women can pull them off. Without cutting their legs into frumpy stumps. But these Finchley Pleated Shorts had elephants on them. In a gorgeous olive pattern. I am wearing a size eight here. The shirt is a small.

And I wanted to forget my shorts-naysayer in my head.

These were not good on me. They did not make it into my wishlist. But they are adorable.

I think. Gosh, I cannot believe I am going to say this.

But, I think many women could wear these shorts. And it would be cute. And I would like it.

Groan! That last admittance did me in.

Have you tried on anything you love lately? Added anything to your wishlist? Please tell!

P.S. Two nights ago I went to San Diego and while I was there I tried on even more pieces at Anthropologie. I ended up purchasing this Songbird Skirt in my usual size six. The review for this baby is behind two more review sets, so it will probably be two more weeks before I get to it.

But I knew some ladies wanted to see it. And when I want to see something, I love when someone shares. So, here is one of my pictures of the skirt. The waistband is super stretchy. But the sides are not. I do not think I would size down in this. However, if you are inbetween sizes, I would probably take the smaller one.

Sorry about the lack of smile. I thought this was the picture that best depicted the length of the skirt. Hope this helps! : )

P.S. I also did Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part II and Free People Spring Reviews.

I love reading children’s books. There is something comforting and familiar about them. They almost never have a bad ending. They just make me happier. “The Magician’s Elephant” is no exception.

For the last two weeks, I have read a bit of this children’s book at night to my son. And to my husband (he says he likes to listen to me read). I realized recently that the last book I had read out loud to my son was when we read a Harry Potter book together almost two years ago. Two years! I could not believe it had been that long. I made a lazy conclusion in my head that insisted that if my children could read chapter books by themselves, they no longer needed me to read to them. And that is a shame. And a pity.

I started this children’s book by myself. But the writing was so marvelous, I had to share it. So, I began reading a bit to my son and husband every night. My daughter would have none of it. But she and I read the same teen fantasy books and discuss them, so I was okay with it. A little sad, but okay.

“The Magician’s Elephant” is the tale is a story about a magician who brings an elephant crashing down through the roof of an opera house and cripples a noble woman in the process. He did not mean to. He only wanted to provide her with lillies. But he also longed to do real magic.

In a different part of the city, little Peter has sought out a fortuneteller whose prediction to him was that he must follow an elephant to find the sister he believed to be dead.

And so it began. The intersecting lines of many lives all interwoven around and through and to the elephant.

The words in this book are gorgeous. It is only 201 pages long. Or two hundred and a half pages long, as my son would say.

The book is illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. The illustrations are a bit dark. But because Kate DiCamillo’s words are so descriptive and beautiful, I liked that the drawings were murky and dreamlike. The illustrations did not mess with the pictures that Ms. DiCamillo had all ready painted in my head.

I would be reading aloud and a sentence would catch me off-guard with its eloquent beauty. I would find my voice cracking and my vision blurred not by sadness but with the great emotion that her words brought forth.

Now this. This is a beautiful writer. And this. This is a beautiful book.

It is a book that will become a classic. I am sure of it.

The true magic in this book are in the sentences. She put words that I never thought to pull together and made them harmonize and sing. It was the music my soul did not know it longed to hear.

You cannot rush through this book, even though it is an easy read (actually there were surprisingly large words used for a children’s book). To rush through this book would be to miss the magic resting on each page.

My son turned to me when it was over moved beyond words. When I prodded him, he responded, “that was the best book I have ever read.”

I am glad he enjoyed it as much as I did.

I also have ordered “Flora and Ulysses.” It is a book also by Kate DiCamillo and I plan on beginning to read it to my whole family (my daughter is not getting out of a great book again) later in the week. I am making it a goal to read out loud to my children more. I had forgotten how enjoyable it was. Just because their ages are now in the double digits, doesn’t mean they are too old for it.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any other marvelous children’s books for me to read?

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

Elephant

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part I

Reading: “The Magician’s Elephant”