A Mythical Creature

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What would you do if you met a mythical creature in real life?

Would you run? Panic? Take pictures? Scream? Laugh? Cry?

Here is what you need to know about these pictures. Five minutes after they were taken, my husband and I went to our favorite Cuban restaurant to get a coffee.

I had chosen my dress that day because I wanted something fun and fantasy-like.

I chose the tights, because I could.

One day purple legs will be all the rage, you’ll see. Or is that just another fairy tale?

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At the restaurant, we saw a real-life mythical creature.

One that made me blush and then quickly leave. But for now, let’s look at pictures of Jenni without any coffee. She is a beast, all by herself.

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This dress is old. It was called The Myths and Legends Dress from Anthropologie. I love the creatures on the dress. I think they are plain ol’ animals but I like to squint at the pattern and pretend that the deer are unicorns. As one does. I found my dress on eBay a few years ago. I would link to a similar dress, but I do not think there is one out right now. If you are looking for whimsical clothing, I have this shirt in my wishlist in two different colors and I purchased this skirt last week (review coming on Monday).

The purple tights were $1 last year in Nordstrom Rack’s clearance bin (I cannot imagine why) and the boots can be found here.

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If you are into the fantasy genre, then you might understand that I did not buy the dress strictly for the fantasy creatures. I actually purchased it for the tower-like fortresses (um, the designer might call them something odd like…trees) in the middle of the forrest pattern.

They remind me of where druids dwell in the Shanara fantasy series by Terry Brooks.

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Wearing this dress always makes me feel a tad bit braver and a touch more childlike. The brave feeling turns out to be a farce, as we will see further down, but for now we can still believe.

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I wonder what is behind this door?

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Ancient druids practicing magic?

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In five minutes, Jenni is going to wish she could figure out how to melt into this wall.

But why?

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Because as I was sitting in the restaurant enjoying my hard won coffee, someone walked into the restaurant.

You know how they always say kids are amazed when they see their teachers outside of school? As if they were seeing a magical creature come to life?

Well, that is exactly how I felt when my gynecologist walked into the coffee shop as I was innocently drinking my coffee. My good looking gynecologist. With his family.

Here was my dilemma. I could go say, “hi,” but would he have recognized me? And then his four kids (in their teens and twenties) would have turned to look at me. And know. In that coffee shop. That their dad had seen all of me.

With my husband next to me.

Too many people had seen me naked in that coffee shop. There were only ten of us in there. I did not like the number equation.

So, I did what any person would do when confronted with a real life mythical creature.

I left as quickly as I could.

Went home and booked my overdue doctor’s appointment (because I believe in signs).

And am patiently waiting to see the fearsome creature in his natural environment.

Without coffee. Kids. And clothes.

Exactly the way I would greet a unicorn. Just so ya know.

Don’t Be Afraid

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We are going to talk about boutiques.

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I used to be terrified of boutique stores. I thought they would be too pricey for me to shop at. I was worried the owners would be snooty. I was scared to go in. But all of that changed a couple of years ago. I finally went into a few boutiques in my town and I was surprised to find their prices very reasonable. Especially their sale pieces.

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I purchased this skirt from a local boutique (very similar skirt here) for a great price.

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I recently bought my black fringe booties from the same store. They run a little big. I am usually a size 8 in boots and a size 7.5 in sandals. I took a 7.5 in these. I have found a better deal for them on Amazon than the price that I paid. I should have priced them out before purchasing. Ah, well. You can’t win them all.

And I love these booties.

Plus, I supported a local small business. The owner makes the best videos trying on clothes. Many a nights she has entertained me while I drink wine in bed. Wait! That sounds bad! I mean I watch the clothing videos whilst drinking wine in bed. Alone. Forget the title of the post. Maybe you should be afraid.

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A good rule to live by is not to spend a lot of money on basic pieces. I buy all of my long sleeve tops, like this one, from Target or H & M. They are usually less than $10 on sale.

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All of my local boutique’s earrings are $10. I loved the brown ones I wore with this outfit. The bangle was a local consignment shop find for $1.

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I need to remind myself to step outside of my comfort zone more. Now and again, I like to explore the world around me. If you are drawn to something then try it out. You might be surprised. And you will be supporting a local small business, as well.

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Do you shop your local boutiques? I think the thing that prevents me from doing so more often is time. It takes time to really go through the items and not have a clear idea what you are looking for.

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But I think it is worth it. You might find a new brand you like. A new cut for your body type. Or simply a new friend in the store.

It is nice to not be afraid anymore…of boutiques.

Zombies, on the other hand, are still terrifying.

*I shared this on The Pleated Poppy.

*this post contains affiliate links. Clicking on or purchasing from certain links will provide a small income for zombie repellant this blog.

This post was edited using the app Afterlife’s Meadow Filter at 50%.

Ollie and Me: On The Prairie

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Ollie loves car rides.

No. I mean really, really loves them.

He doesn’t care where you take him. He just likes to get into the car and go.

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The sad part is that he is so short he cannot really see out of the window. This does not bother him. Ollie is a glass half full kind of dog.

On this day my husband decided to take him a little bit past the house. I asked my husband if I could join him and perhaps get some pictures of the outfit I wore that day.

He agreed.

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Ollie did not.

When we got to the location I decided to see if Ollie wanted to pose with me.

You would think based on the photo above that he was not so happy about this (seriously though, how funny is that face? His is pretty hilarious, too).

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I decided to show him how much fun taking pictures can be.

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He decided he really, really liked getting his picture taken.

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I think it is because he got a lot of love.

Who am I kidding?

He always gets a lot of love.

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Dare I say it? It looks as though he enjoyed it more than a car ride.

Blasphemy!

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I think he might be happier than I am with this outfit, too. I paired my grey dress from this post (which has become a layering piece ’cause I shrunk it) with a flannel skirt (similar here) and fringe vest (similar super fabulous vest here) that I scooped up for $10 each at a consignment store last winter. The belt was from Anthropologie.

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If you have a dog do they like car rides or walks better? What is your best score at a consignment shop?

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Ollie did so well taking pictures with me that I might do it again soon. It was much more fun than taking pictures by myself.

And the best part was… He got to get a ride back home.

His modeling fees are odd. But cheap. I pay him in car rides.

No need to tell him we were going back that way anyway.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy and Because Shanna Said So!

*two more photos that did not make it to the blog post can be seen on my Instagram Account (thegnomelover).