On Top Of The World

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We just got back from Maui, late Thursday night. I will be doing a little trip report next week (I still have yet to write it. I have to get my kids ready to leave today. They are embarking upon a week long camping trip with their grandparents. I am hoping this alone time will allow my brain the capability to fill pages with stories and get me caught up on comments and reading my favorite blogs!). I managed to do some outfit photos while I was there.

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My favorite thing to do on vacation is to just drive and see where the day takes us. This usually does not disappoint. We found ourselves in the vicinity of Maui’s Haleakala Crater and so we decided to make the drive up the mountain. Usually people make the trek up for sunrise or sunset, but we are not planners. I think both events would be worth it. Although, I cannot imagine making the drive in the dark, especially with the bicyclists on those tight turns.

This picture above was taken on the drive up. It starts off gorgeous and green and then turns red and barren as you drive higher up the volcanic rock.

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We got to the top and it was gorgeous. Truly breathtaking. You can see above the clouds. It feels wonderful and oddly like being a part of “The Never Ending Story.”

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Yes, I wore this dress to the top of a volcano where everyone else was dressed in hiking gear.

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And it was kind of awesome! Well, maybe I did regret not bringing a sweater. It was cold! But spontaneity sometimes calls for a little discomfort.

The dress was a clearance buy from Free People that I featured here a few months ago. It is sold out now, but they have a slightly similar one here that I very much want. And underneath it, I am wearing my favorite slip in the world. It is the Free People Trapeze Slip. It looks like they currently have a similar color to my seafoam colored slip. I wear mine at least once a week. While I was in Maui, I saw three different women wearing this slip (all three women had on different colors and all three women were at three different places) as a swimsuit cover-up.

The necklace is Simply Livly’s Turquoise Necklace.

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It was so high. It might have been the highest I have ever been except for traveling in an airplane.

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One of the most amazing sights is peering down into the crater. It feels so untouched and I told my husband that I could still believe there might be dinosaurs amongst us peering down into that valley. This was my husband’s favorite part of the trip. He could have stayed here all day.

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And honestly, I could have, too.

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It was peaceful and not as cold as it was at the very top of the mountain.

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I did a little twirl and I think it looks like I was flying.

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Speaking of flying, we spotted a ton of owls on Maui. For some reason it is not something that I had pictured when I thought of the island. This little guy was the third one I spotted on the drive back down the crater.

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Have you been to the top of a volcano? Was it windy and cold? Did you bring a gnome friend?

It’s The Little Things: Summer Wine

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I did a post awhile back about my favorite red wine.Then I wrote about the time my husband came home with a bottle of wine named after the girl of his dreams. And I thought that would be it for my posts on alcohol. But who are we kidding? Or rather whose blog is this?

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It looks like someone else likes my wine, too.

My husband recently went to the store. And he came home with a pink moscato. And I was slightly disappointed inside. Not because I don’t like moscato. Because I do. I really, really do. For those of you who are not wine drinkers, moscato wines are usually very sweet and they often have a low alcohol content. And, of course, that was the reason for my sadness. I consider a wine with a low alcohol content, a waste of calories. There is much logic and perhaps sadness to that statement.

Nevertheless, it is true.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw that this moscato had a 9% alcohol content. The alcohol content is still not as high as a typical bottle of red or white wine. But it is higher than the 6% I had seen in previous moscato wines I have tried.

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Is it just me or is Murphy way too interested in this wine?… I think he’s guarding it!

And it is so good. It is perfect for summer. Sweet. Cold.

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Yep. That is definitely my dog.

The brand is called Barefoot. My husband purchased it for $5 a bottle at Albertson’s, because it was discounted if you bought six or more. He also bought their regular white moscato and a red moscato. I have not tried those yet, but the awards on the label look promising.

It’s the little things: adult beverages for the summer at a great price.

Do you like sweet wine? Have you tried this brand of wine before?

I Learned Something New

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I went on a date night with my husband a bit ago and I learned something new. Not about him, of course. Although, there are still moments when I do and those are pieces of information I savor. No, I learned about a new species.

I went on a date night and discovered a new species!

How and when does that ever happen?

Perhaps my great to the trillionth grandfather was Christopher Columbus. Or perhaps I need to get out more. Or read more. Or…

Let’s just skip the possibilities, they are too endless.

We’ll get to what I discovered, but first and much more importantly, what did I wear?

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I wore jeans. I wanted to get dressed up, but I didn’t have it in me that night. So, I just wore what I had worn all day. The dress is the Free People Mamounia Dress. I purchased mine from Nordstrom Rack for $50 (the link goes to a different store). I broke my rule for one piece of jewelry by piling on a bunch of bracelets and necklaces. I was exhausted on this day and nothing keeps one awake quite like the jingling of jewelry on one’s wrists.

Or gives one quite as big of a headache.

I ate a granola bar before we left. ‘Cause I was starving. I knew I would turn into a beast if I did not eat something before we left.

The Jenni Beast was not the new species I discovered. Besides, she was discovered long ago. You can tame her with food. Compliments. And clothes. This is important information to have if you ever see her in the wild. She is quite destructive.

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We went to my favorite restaurant. It is outdoors and has beautiful views. The price is right (we split a bottle of wine, an appetizer, a pizza and two desserts for $63 before tip). There was live music playing in the restaurant. The food is fabulous. My favorite in town.

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We ordered our beloved fries for an appetizer. They take the chef three days to make in a secret recipe.

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We sat in the garden. On the beautiful landscaped slope next to me, a poppy plant was being tugged on by its roots. It scared me at first, but then it was comical as we realized it was probably a gopher having dinner. It must have been a rebel gopher, because it is illegal here in California to hurt the state flower. We can’t pick it. I assume you probably can’t eat it either. But could the gopher have gotten high from the roots? Would it be like opium? These were the questions we asked each other over dinner.

Okay, those are the questions I asked my husband. To which he replied, “No.”

Darn. I had imagined a happy, plump little gopher in his hole kicking back and deciphering the patterns of the dirt in his tunnel.

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He took pictures of me happy after wine.

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And contemplating a gopher high on drugs.

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I did not take a picture of our barbecue chicken pizza, but it was yummy. My husband and I had a handshake over our deal when we both discovered we hate red onions on our pizza. So we shook on never ordering them on it again.

And it was heavenly.

But we did get pictures of our two pretty desserts we ordered.

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Here is where I introduce a new species. You thought it was a Druggie Gopher, didn’t you?

Nope. It was indeed a Hummingbird Moth!

A Hummingbird Moth!

Now, when I took these pictures, I assumed this was a baby hummingbird. At first I thought it was some kind of bee, but it moved too fast and was not shaped like one. We determined it was the smallest hummingbird we had ever seen. Even the masculine guy at the table next to me locked eyes with me and made a pinching motion with his two fingers to indicate how tiny and adorable the cute little hummingbird was.

Or he wanted to crush my head with his fingertips. One can never be sure.

Our side of the restaurant was enthralled with the little guy. He zipped by my head and hovered in front of me for the briefest second.

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As we were leaving, we saw a colony of what we thought were miniature hummingbirds flitting in and out of the flowers. They were adorable. I even got a picture of one.

It turns out hummingbirds do not like to gather nectar together. Hummingbird Moths do. I discovered these little facts here and here after I searched for “Tiny Hummingbird” on the internet. It turns out if you think you see the tiniest hummingbird you have ever seen or even a baby hummingbird (baby hummingbirds cannot fly), you are actually observing a Hummingbird Moth. There are twelve hundred varieties of the Hummingbird Moth and they live all over the world! The one in the Western half of the United States (and the one I saw) is the Snowberry Clearwing (isn’t that a lovely name?) and the Eastern side of the United Stares typically hosts the Hummingbird Clearwing. The Hummingbird Moth is also less skittish than the hummingbird and will let you get close to it.

What a cool, fascinating little creature.

I never knew these existed. Did you?

Also, I am curious. Where did you go on your last date night? Do you dress up? Or do you wear jeans?

Outfit Source List: Free People Mamounia Dress, Anthropologie Pilcro Flares (old), Bracelets from H & M (old, similar here), Anthropologie layering necklaces (old, similar here), and Lucky Brand Emmie Silver Flats.

Feeding My Etsy Beast: Vintage Maxi Skirts

I posted about a Vintage Maxi Skirt that I own on Tuesday. I felt bad that I could not link to it, because it was vintage and one of a kind. I had an idea. I found some maxi skirts that I think are gorgeous in a variety of sizes being sold on Etsy. Being vintage, it makes sense that these items sell out quickly. There is only one of them. Often times buying vintage means a cost savings, as well. There are many bohemian beauties I have my eye on at retail price in chain stores, but I cannot afford them right now. Vintage can mean getting something cool for less. It means no one in your town will be wearing that garment the same day as you. It is also being green. The sizes will vary. If you click on a link and it is sold out, I am sure more vintage items will pop up soon.

I am not affiliated with the sellers of the following skirts in any way. I have always had a beautiful experience shopping on Etsy (I have purchased from over 100 sellers), but please shop at your own risk. I have had contact with each of these sellers (in requesting to use their photos) and they were lovely. I would advise reading the product description carefully before purchasing. Most vintage pieces are nonreturnable.

Suzanne, from the blog Style Files, styles vintage pieces like nobody else. She is fun and sassy. I love her style. She wrote a super helpful post entitled “Top Tips For Shopping Vintage.” In fact she has a section on her blog devoted to vintage tips. I highly recommend checking it out.

I thought it would be fun to show some pretty vintage maxis that have caught my eye lately:

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Who can resist a fun green maxi skirt? This Sweet Green Floral Skirt is from Sunny Lizard. The waist for this one is thirty inches. The brightness of this skirt makes me long for days spent drinking lemonade by the pool. Great summer find.

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I love this Red Eyelet Skirt from Vintage Stew. In fact, it is on my personal wishlist. The only reason I did not scoop it up was because I have a very similar short red skirt all ready in my closet. This skirt features a 28 inch waist.

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I like plaid all year round. There is just somethin’ about it. This Colorful Plaid Skirt is so pretty. If only I had a twenty five inch waist to be able to wear it. It is being sold by Indie Style Society.

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I saw this amazing find and if I had a 34 inch waist, I would scoop it up. I love anything sky related. This Cool Zodiac Skirt is sold from the shop Bumblebee Buck. The pattern is awesome.

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Polka dots! I recently snagged a sweet white and black polka dot Free People maxi skirt at Nordstrom Rack. This reminds me of it. Except this one is vintage, so it is cooler. This Red Polka Dot Skirt has a 30-35 inch waist. It is being sold by the shop Pendulum Vintage. I love the sweet buttons on this one.

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I think this skirt is the closest to my vintage find from yesterday. The waist stretches to 24-29 inches. It is the Black Floral Appliqué Skirt from Cocoandmillie. I would style it exactly as seen here. It is exquisite.

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This Aztec Bird Skirt is so interesting. It is being sold from Red Hat Vintage with a high waist of twenty eight inches. I am been obsessed with pink lately. And this one is no exception.

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I love this Sunshine Skirt from Brass Giraffe Vintage. This skirt sports a 26 inch waist. I love the colors. My grandma’s favorite colors were green and yellow and I have found myself attracted to that combination lately. This eye candy fits the bill.

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This Strawberry Appliqué Skirt being sold from Victoria Westbury is amazing. I love the fabric with the cool design. Even though this skirt has a small fabric flaw, I think it is gorgeous. I love it shown with the red shoes here. It also has the best red polka dot ruffle underneath.

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Last but not least, is this Gorgeous Green Skirt. It is just a little too big for me with a twenty nine and a half inch waist. I love the colors of this. I think this skirt worn with a black t-shirt and long green necklace with silver sandals would be amazing. It is being sold from Momo Deluxe Vintage.

Do you shop vintage? What do you look for? Do you like this feature? Are you an Etsy addict like me? I love browsing the beautiful shops.