Uniform

When I was a 16 year old exchange student, commuting to a girls' high school in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, just next to Kenrokuen, I wore a sailor uniform everyday.  Does the description "sailor" work in English?  It was navy blue with maroon stripes around the sailor collar bit and a maroon scarfish tie-like thingy we had to wear around our neck.  Oh, and don't forget the lovely knife-pleated navy skirt, much too long for most of my fellow students' liking.  

At the time, I thought the wearing of a uniform was an exquisite punishment, calculated to squash any creativity that might embody itself in an interesting outfit.  Now, as a parent, I'm highly in favor.  Sure, uniforms can be expensive, but just think of the decision making power saved each day!

Perhaps some of this was in my subconscious this week because though I dutifully switched out pieces each day, when my pictures are lined up like this, I think I look rather uniform.  

Maybe not on the first day recorded, when I wore trousers.  Had to do that so I could join Koji and his friends for some rollerblading after their last day of school as second graders.  It was great fun!  

Above right you see my hostess of goodbye party look.  One highlight of the party, if you ask me, was the pork carnitas, which I made for the first time.  I like to live on the edge like that.

Sunday I lived on the edge by taking this (VERY BLURRY) photo with my left hand while holding me bag.  This outfit was actually better without the sweater, in my opinion--but I spilled coffee down the front of my shirt at church and I had to make up for it somehow!

This photo from yesterday was taking in a personal shopper dressing room.  More on what I was doing there later.  

Today's outfit was just right for the Fantabulous Weather we had.  Seventy eight?!  In March.  OK, I'll take it!  My kids thought it was SO hot, they had to put their swimsuits on and go out to the trampoline for a meeting with the hose.  

Forgot to tell you which items were thrifted etc: how about this scientific answer then?  Most of them.  

Until next time, don't be uniform!

One Year Later

The Great Tohoku Triple Disaster hit one year ago today. 
As ever, I long to go and help, if there is anything at all I can do.  God, in His wisdom, has not sent me there yet.  Perhaps He never will.  If nothing else--though I truly believe there will be something else--I was given the privelege of fundraising on several occasions last spring.  I pray those funds are making life easier for someone in Tohoku even now. 
And I anticipate, almost with trembling: from this horrible tragedy will come opportunities, things, events and people so gloriously from God they will nearly blind us. 
So I say, go Jesus, go Holy Spirit, keep on with what You have begun from this.  
Amen.

Momentum

This past week it took me till Sunday to get around to taking my picture. Also, specially for WIWW, a confession: in the three preceding days I spent at least one in a track suit.  Gasp!  It was comfortable.  And I think I may have even exercised or something.  The outfit pictured above was put together so I could take the kids to a birthday party at Make A Messterpiece.  You know a gathering is a success when a two year old is still talking about it days later...and you know an outfit is a success when you realize that your trousers, shirt and sweater all came from thrift stores.  And you know your photo taking has made an impression when the aforementioned two year old has to take a photo too (please scroll down to the previous post!). 

Blue Monday.  Sorry, nothing else to say.  Just kidding, I better admit that on this day I got an awful lot of free food, first at a goodbye lunch for a friend, next at the Official Residence of the Consulate General of Japan.  And I better also admit that I did NOT wear these psuedo Uggs when I visited the OR of the CGJ, not to worry!

Once I got rolling with my pictures, I didn't stop: Tuesday, the day after all that free food, I was feeling chubby so I went with stretchy skirt and voluminous shirt.  Here's hoping my matchy match clogs and police looking shades helped me pull it off?!

And three days of digital recording gave me the kick I needed to take this photo today.  The theoretical high temperature gave me a springy feeling; alas, I spent much of the day shivering because of the blasting wind.  Ah, well, the flowers on my leggings gave me some hope of spring.  Here's hoping your coming week is blooming! 

Like Mama, Like (Two Year Old!) Daughter

It *only* took her 37 tries to get this shot. I'm not kidding.

Expect Good Soup in Three Months

Betcha didn't make miso with your friends yesterday, but I did. Kinda weird for me to be all nanny nanny boo boo about it when the thought of making it or even the thought of eating it or even wondering what it is or even knowing that it exists has never even occurred to you before. So let me desist with lording it over and just say, if you've ever played with playdough or in a sandbox and thought that was a pretty good time, well, I think you would like this. But you might also agree that the part where you have to wait out the THREE MONTH LONG FERMENTATION PROCESS is not that great. Are you good at waiting? I guess anyone can be, as long as they really want the thing they are waiting for and believe the waiting is necessary. Who knew that miso could be such a philosophical topic?!

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday....Oh Bother

Last Thursday, I had the brilliant idea of taking my picture in the oval mirror every single day so that this week's WIWW would be a complete record, a thorough reporting of my sartorial adventures. So I took these two pictures that day:

Comments: the oatmeal-y color of this sweater is right down on the bottom of my list of colors that I like/colors that flatter me.  But I bought it anyway, the other week at Salvation Army.  Obviously, it was a low risk investment, being $3-4.  Also, it's wool. 

Further comments: also, it crosses in the front and ties, and I cannot resist the assymetrical.  In this rare close up shot, please also note my scarf, which is actually a piece of fabric from Mood Fabrics.  I wish it wouldn't curl up like that but I'm too lazy to finish the edges. 

AAAANNDDDD then I completely forgot all about my resolution to record things thoroughly and thus took no photo on Friday.  Good grief Charlie Brown.  

Then on Saturday I managed to snap this: 

Comments: the sum of the whole is better than the parts of this outfit. Does that make any sense? In other words, it looked decent while I was standing arranged in front of the mirror.  But when I went out for karaoke (see previous post), this wool sweaterish thingy was WAY TOO HOT and the shirt I had on under it was not that good.  :-(  At least I had a good necklace.

Comments: Erm. AND my every day intentions rapidly devolved to every other day. Here's yesterday. I was so determined to take this picture that I did it first thing in the morning before my head was ready to be seen, thus, you get headless me.

Comments: It's Leap Day today, and I feel rather grumpy which seems at odds with the gift of an extra day. Blech. Trying to pull myself up and out by wearing purple and pink and more importantly, praying for the work of God. Amen. Anyway, all my blathering about which day I took which picture etc reminds me that if you haven't yet taught your kids the names of the days of this week, you must use this song. It's also adaptable to Japanese. Seriously.

Top of the World

Saturday night, the chorus group I'm in celebrated a sad thing in a happy way.  Three of our members, summoned by their husbands' companies, are moving back to Japan.  Wouldn't it be silly if a chorus group of (mostly--exception, me) Japanese ladies marked a special occasion by doing anything other than karaoke?  Wouldn't that be the most foolish thing ever?

Well, not to worry, because from 5 pm until 1:30 am, we were out dutifully fulfilling your expectations.  I like singing Japanese songs because it's harder, but the truth of the matter is my chorus group friends seem to want to sing English songs with me.  In the same way I feel like I'm a somewhat competent singer when we sing together (I'm not a very good singer!!  But I'm in the chorus anyway because I just like to sing and they haven't kicked me out...), I think they feel like their English pronunciation is more accurate when they sing with me?  Maybe?  So, among others, we sang:




Yes, I snuck a Japanese song in there.  Yes, I took the photo on top and it's too dark.  Yes, I must publish this post or fall asleep on my computer.  Good night.