Late Summer Love Dress

20140719-121316.jpg

I know it is not really “late summer” yet. I would say we are smack dab in the middle of summer as far as time plotting goes. However, Late Summer Love is the name of this dress and since I spent hours minutes staring at these outfit pictures trying to come up with a title and nothing came to me. Well, we went with the name of the dress. And when I say “we”, I mean “I”. Just like when I say “late summer” I mean “middle summer”. Unless I actually mean late summer but at that point I would probably call it early fall.

We are a walking contradiction.

For instance, sometimes I will have to layer something underneath a short dress or I feel naked. Other times, I will leave the house in a dress my husband mistook for a shirt.

20140719-121401.jpg

I do not know why some pieces of clothing garner different rules than others. It is a conundrum.

20140719-121506.jpg

This is off topic (if we were ever really on one), but my son calls this pose my chicken pose. That makes me laugh. Or rather squawk.

We took these pictures the other day at my daddy’s apiary. In the second picture above this one, you can see some old hives. I grew up wandering these paths.

20140719-121601.jpg

I love this picture. It is probably my favorite outfit picture my husband has ever taken. I am not sure why. But it is such a candid shot, because I did not know my husband had started shooting. I like that I am fixing my gnome. It reminds me of being a little girl on that very road.

Although my mother never would have let me wear a dress that short.

20140719-121713.jpg

My husband agrees with her.

I will pair this dress with leggings, tights and maybe even jeans in the wintertime.

20140719-121822.jpg

Back to my son’s earlier observation: What would happen if I made it to the other side of this road?

20140719-121918.jpg

Whatever the answer, I hope I could get there without flashing anybody.

20140719-121955.jpg

I love the lilac tones in this dress mixed with the yellow. I purchased this dress with my birthday discount and a gift card while it is on sale.

And although it is short, it has really cool sleeves.

That is important.

20140719-122104.jpg

‘Cause when you’re marching to your own beat, it’s nice to be able to do it with a little flare, regardless of the name of the season or the stance of your pose.

Do you have odd rules about clothes? Do you ever contradict yourself?

I do not know why I do. Squawk!

Embroidered Doll Dress

20140708-152053.jpg

I have something I want to say.

“I LOVE THIS DRESS!!!”

Sorry, that was slightly unnecessary. But it is true.

I do.

20140708-152107.jpg

In, fact, I cannot seem to stop staring at the gorgeous embroidery. As demonstrated in my accidental pose above. It just makes me so happy. I had patiently waited for a sale on the Embroidered Peasant Doll Dress, and when it reached more than 60% off, I asked for it for my birthday.

It is short.

In fact, when my husband took these pictures, he exclaimed, “that dress is RE-E-E-A-A-ALLY short!”

This is coming from the guy that never notices if the entire back of my dress is unbuttoned. I knew it had to be a little too short if he was making a proclamation. I tried not to flashback to all of the bending and reaching I did at the grocery store in the dress, the day before. All of this to say, from this point on I will now be wearing a slip under this dress.

Modesty: it’s a virtue a necessity at my age exercise level.

Anyway, I wish I had gotten a close up shot of the neckline. It has little red stitching with the blue.

20140708-152123.jpg

In the last two photos, I have a hidden little gnome on my person.

It happens.

However, on the ride home, my husband informed me that my gnome bore an uncanny resemblance to my nemesis…

Elf On The Shelf.

And now he is back in my house. And he is surrounded by his multitude of brothers, because he came in a pack.

And I am trying to not freak the freak out.

Maybe I need to go look at this dress again.

20140708-152146.jpg

Ahhhhh, here we go. Isn’t that embroidery lovely? It definitely does not in any way remind me of creepy little dudes in red.

And that Scalloped Monogram Bracelet is now on sale at Anthropologie. I own one with my initial and one with my husband’s.

20140708-152223.jpg

Don’t worry.

I’m simply spinning.

I am not running away in terror.

20140708-152201.jpg

But I will be watching my back… Just in case.

What do you do about dresses that are too short? Do you wear them anyway? Or do you pair them with pants or a slip? I think this will be cute with tights in the winter, but what color should I wear?

*these photos were edited using the App Afterlife’s Meadow Filter.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Lavender Farm

If my husband’s favorite part of our Maui trip was The Crater, then mine would have to be Maui’s Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. At only $3 a person and free parking, it is a bargain to get in and wander the beautiful property. They give you a map and a treasure hunt piece of paper that you stamp as you walk through the grounds (I recommend adults do this as the prize is age universal). My son LOVED this.

20140614-115810.jpg

This picture was taken on the drive up. The drive is just beautiful.

20140614-120319.jpg

There are many different paths. I like the name of this one.

20140614-115935.jpg

And, of course, lavender farms means pictures of lavender.

20140614-120616.jpg

We wandered through trees.

20140615-145811.jpg

And up high. The views on the farm are incredible.

20140614-120200.jpg

I even had a Buddha friend to keep me company.

20140614-120354.jpg

Beautiful flowers.

20140614-120131.jpg

And creepy girl flowers.

20140614-120240.jpg

My husband and I split a lavender scone. I wanted a picture, but he ate half of it before I could get the full thing.

It was really good.

20140614-120442.jpg

Now. My favorite part. I love chameleons. And we were lucky enough to spot three Jackson Chameleons while we were there.

20140614-120100.jpg

My husband said he’s never seen me so happy.

20140614-120513.jpg

But, how cute is this little guy?! Those horns! He is a baby. And I was madly in love. I could have spent the whole vacation up there playing with those lizards.

What are your thoughts on chameleons? Have you been to a lavender farm or eaten anything with lavender in it?

Outfit details: this dress is an older Anthropologie dress called Espejoa Mini-Dress. I am wearing the dress backwards. I would rather a keyhole be in the back. The closest dress I can find to it now is this dress. The shoes are Gentle Soul’s tall gladiator sandals and the necklace is Simply Livly’s Turquoise Necklace.

*These photos were edited using the app Afterlife’s Sailor or Bay filters (depending upon the darkness of the picture).