A walk in the park...

So, I pulled a long summer dress out of the closet for this one. I know, I know... the temperature was hovering around the freezing mark, and I could see my breath in the air. Dresses ARE allowed all year long though. That's why stockings and cardigans were invented. :)

Dress {worn as skirt}: Forever XXI // Shirt: H&M //

I love playgrounds. They are so bright and cheery. While I was here, I wondered why playgrounds are frequently made in primary colours.

Shoes: Zeller's [RIP] // Tights: Tag //

This dress is pretty scandalous in summer. It has two very long side slits. It has a short under-dress while the rest of it is long. And it has a cut out in the back. Maybe I'll show you its true form in the summer. Here though, paired with tights, and a shirt... it seems appropriate for everyday (autumn) life.

As you already know, I heart* these shoes so much. I hope that Target will be as good to me as Zeller's always was.

Necklace: Tiffany's {gift from Erin} // 

I had to zoom in to show off my curl(s). Straight hair is a blessing and a curse. haha. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Le Road Trip

by Vivian Swift

I adored this book. I love a good romance and all things French, so it was an obvious sort of love.

"Flâneurs are found in abundance in Paris, lolling in its scenic cafés and strolling aimlessly along its beautiful boulevards."

Swift's book is sort of a travel diary meets sketch book meets guide book. It details a trip to France with her new husband, and compares it to her visit there before as a young teen. She gives the reader travel tips for surviving a voyage to France.  At the same time, Swift seems to talk to the reader as if he or she is also experiencing life in the cities and towns of France, along with herself. 

Vert-de-gris: the official colour of Paris

 She illustrates her travels beautifully, and peppers them with thoughts, connections, sentiments, and quotes.  It's as if everyone can experience France and French culture in his or her own way with Swift providing the framework.

St Malo, France.

Swift describes lunch as a five course meal; the fifth course being "le nap."

I have been to France, both its famous big cities and its quaint countryside villages. I loved Swift's vivid descriptions of these places as well as her relationship with her husband. I found myself chuckling at her remarks about travelling with a loved one, and identifying with her feelings.

I wholeheartedly recommend this unique book.  If you've never been to France, you'll probably want to go after reading this.  If you have been to the beau pays before, you may find yourself longing to return to the country of love and its city of lights.

♥ Meg xoxo

Indoor recess all week . . .

Last week I was complaining about indoor recess. A lot. I mean, it rained every single day, the kids were stuck inside, and everyone was miserable. That was the worst thing that happened to me because of the hurricane.  I didn't lose power, my home didn't flood or burn down, and I wasn't left cold or hungry. Some trees came down in the area around my school.

fallen trees...

My miserable week was nothing compared to my neighbours to the south. My thoughts and prayers are going out to those people who experienced loss of any kind due to the storm.  

Boots: Charlotte Russe // Tights: CK //

Necklace: Forever XXI // Skirt: Urban Outfitter's // Sweater: thrifted // Shirt: H&M //

Some goals I have for this week include:

1. appreciate the people and things I have in my life

2. stop complaining so much; things could be way worse. . .

♥ Meg xoxo

Radio Iris

by Anne-Marie Kinney

I chose this book because it had corrugated pages, I liked how the cover felt, and I was unsure about the content of the book from the summary on the back cover. It told me nothing really useful or descriptive about the plot. I was intrigued.

"This neighbourhood is hers and not hers. She comes here five days a week, drives here, knows where to find the nearest dry cleaners, record store, place to buy gum. But she is a visitor. She has never walked these streets in flip flops."

Kinney tells the story of 25 year old Iris, a receptionist who knows nothing about her boss or about his company. She is a dreamer who frequently loses herself in daydreams, memories from her childhood, or songs on the radio.   Kinney writes about the mundane: traffic, groceries, emails in an extremely creative way. She is able to find beauty in these everyday occurrences.

Iris is lonely and lost, yet happy with her life. She becomes obsessed with a stranger in a neighbouring office. She writes hidden messages around her office and neighbourhood with a Sharpie.  She forgets about her own birthday. 

I liked Kinney's novel about Iris, but felt that I wanted more once it was over. Although this story is a novel, I felt like it was a short story; readers learn so much about Iris in this one moment in her life, but never get to see the big picture. It made me wonder how people see me in one moment of my life. 

♥ Meg xoxo

Trick or treat!!

I hope that you all had a super awesome Halloween yesterday. I absolutely adore Halloween. I mean, when else is it socially acceptable to dress like mad people?

M and I usually start talking costume ideas in August. Costumes and outfits are some of the few things in life that I actually like planning.

Coat: Forever XXI // Hat: thrifted // Dress: vintage //

Along with our group of friends, we were the kids from the television show Recess this year. I was Spinelli. This costume turned out to be super easy to make and everyone loved it.

Socks: Spencer's // Boots: Steve Madden at Town Shoes //

Spinelli's red and yellow striped socks were the hardest thing to find for my costume. I ended up getting  red and white striped socks and dying them yellow. This was the second wear for my costume; the yellow was brighter the first time around :)

"We're all Ashleys too!"

Spinelli and I are both preeeetty hard core. Nbd. 

Don't eat too much candy today!

♥ Meg xoxo

21. The Story of Roberto Clemente

By Wilfred Santiago

I don't really know anything about baseball. At all. Last year, I thought that Roberto Alomar was dead. He isn't.

To be honest, I chose this graphic novel from the autumnal display in the library, which involved orange books. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

"It's not a bad pitch if I hit it."

This story isn't just about baseball. It is about one man and the obstacles he overcomes in his life. Jumping back and forth between the USA and Puerto Rico, we see pieces of Roberto's story come together. The stories range from childhood experiences in the 1930s in San Juan to Major League Baseball games in the 1950s.

I have to say that I knew nothing about Clemente before reading this book. Now, I feel like I understand him and his story. He left the land of his birth to follow his dream of playing baseball professionally. He dominated on the diamond, played passionately, and had impressive record-breaking statistics. Santiago brilliantly depicts Clemente's life as Latin American player in the USA, his struggles with English and his consistent homesickness. Clemente never forgot his family and his home; he is national hero who took care of his own.

Coincidentally, I just read that Roberto's family paid a visit to Roberto Clemente Academy in Detroit today. Read more about their visit here.

♥ Meg xoxo

"But Debbie... pastels?"

Oh Morticia Addams... how pastels offend you.

Usually pastels are saved for Easter dresses. I thought that I would wear them in October to mix things up.

Shirt: Forever XXI // Pants: American Eagle Outfitters Outlet // Belt: Garage //

Polka dot PANTS. Finally, my wardrobe is complete. Okay, that's a lie. But I am in love with these pants. Most often, polka dots on pants are saved for the pyjama section. Here they are on a pair of cropped jeans. ♥

Heels: Charlotte Russe //

I kind of love all things "Tiffany" blue. Why wouldn't I love heels in the colour?

I think that it is okay to wear jeans to work for casual days, but not to dress them down too much.  I like pairing jeans with heels on Fridays to keep up an air of professionalism. I mean, wearing a pair of Converse with this outfit would work on the weekend but, from Monday to Friday, it might have people confusing me for a student. . . 

Happy [rainy] weekend!

♥ Meg xoxo

PS. Watch Morticia's reaction to pastels here. 

The Lover's Dictionary

by David Levithan

"Trying to write about love is ultimately like trying to have a dictionary represent life. No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough."

This book is not a dictionary.  It is a collection of words, which happen to occur in alphabetical order.  Each word is joined with an anecdote or sentiment about love and relationships, which is linked to it.  Readers find themselves attempting to piece these emotions together to form a narrative. It is impossible.

I loved this book. It was so charming.  I read it all at once, even before I had gotten home from the library.  It speaks to the delicious madness that is real love. It was messy and unorganized. It was real. 

♥ Meg xoxo

PS I just found out that, along with Rachel Cohn, Levithan wrote Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist! Love. 

Black and Yellow

No, no. Not a song about the Steelers, nor about the Ticats... my outfit today!

Shirt: Vintage // Dress: Vintage

I guess I was having a vintage-inspired kind of day.  Last year, one of my students was complaining about having to wear hand-me-downs.  When I introduced her to the term "vintage," she came to love her second-hand clothes. I always think about her when I pronounce that something is vintage.

Leggings: Tag // Boots: Winner's // Umbrella: a gift from T

Have I mentioned that I love these boots? Because I do. They're so cheery and polka dotty for a rainy day!

Headband: Claire's //

Polka dots and a bow? Love.

Sidenote: Check out the fog in the background. Creeeeeepy.

♥ Meg xoxo

Withering Tights

by Louise Rennison

"It seems like a really mean world, where some people get born with average knees and proper corkers and some people can't even find a category for their head in a magazine. Like me." 

Tallulah Casey is a 14 year old emerging artiste who is spending her summer break in rural Yorkshire.  She is enrolled in a summer drama program which acts as an audition for the following school year. Withering Tights chronicles her adventures in the wilderness of Yorkshire, her new eclectic group of mates, and her first experiences with blokes.

Tallulah is a laugh a minute. She thinks her knees are too high.  She peppers her speech with quirky sayings, that she invents.  She tries to have the same "northern grit" as the Bronte sisters, while rooming with her host family in the "squirrel room."

Rennison is delightful to read, as usual. I adored her debut series on the confessions of Georgia Nicolson, and was very excited to find that Rennison was now writing about Georgia's cousin, Tallulah.

If you like Brit humour and slang, teenage drama, and laugh out loud dialogue, check out any of Rennison's books. Start with Angus, thongs, and full-frontal snogging to meet Georgia, or Withering Tights, to meet Tallulah. Both girls are full of wisdomosity on all sorts of subjects, such as fringes, dances from Och Aye Land, and snogging scales.

Toodle pip,
♥ Meg xoxo