Book Review - The Chaperone

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty was another pick for my Literary Junkies book club.  The title and cover made me think it wasn't really my type of book (plus the endorsement by Paula McLain, author of one of my least favorite books, The Paris Wife).  Then I learned that it takes place partially in my hometown of Wichita, KS!  I was more intrigued, because anything to do with Wichita is extra interesting to me.

The story is built around Louise Brooks (famous actress of the 20s and 30s, but I hadn't heard of her before).  She's 15 when the story starts, and needs a chaperone to take her to NYC for a dance class opportunity.  Cora Carlisle is that fictional chaperone, and is the actual main character of the book.  I really liked the first several chapters.  Cora was uptight, but likeable, with an ulterior motive for going to NYC (which we learn shortly).

Cora's background story was so interesting and definitely pulls at the heart strings.  Then about halfway through, the book took a turn.  I just got frustrated.  It was like the author thought it wasn't cutting-edge enough, and she had to go back and add a bunch of random stuff to make it more scandalous.

This is how I imagine it going.  (Spoilers in white font, so read them at your own risk!)

The author is writing about Cora in NYC.  She thinks it would be better if this could be a love story, but she doesn't want Cora to cheat on her husband.  How to get around this moral dilemma?  I know, we'll go back and make the husband gay!  That will solve everything!  And none of the children ever notice that their Dad and Mom both have boyfriends around all the time? 

Anyway, I enjoyed probably about 65% of this book, but the extra 35% felt so contrived that it kind of ruined it for me.  I am kind of interested in reading Louise Brooks' memoir now, although it sounds like she had a pretty rough life.

Have you read this?  What did you think?

Meant to Be

Once upon a time (about 2 years ago), I decided that I should buy some green skinny jeans.  It seemed like an easy enough task, but I could not find any that were the right color of green, that fit properly, and that were in my price range (like less than $20). 

Then on Black Friday (2013), I was shopping at Old Navy and saw these Sweetheart jeans in the perfect green color.  For some reason, I convinced myself that I shouldn't buy them, and instead bought 2 pairs of shoes, 3 pairs of tights, a skirt, and a cardigan (all of which I really like).  But I left the jeans.  Why did I leave the jeans??

Anyway, I kept thinking about the jeans, but didn't have a chance to go back and figured they would be gone.  After Christmas, I had to return some duplicate items to Old Navy, so I hoped I would find the jeans still there.  Victory!  There was a big stack on the sale table.  $10!  But they had every size except mine.  I tried on a size up and a size down (because Old Navy sizes are never exact), but neither were quite right.  I asked the worker to run a search and the other store near me had my size!  So, I put them on hold and drive across town to get these jeans.  And then I was doing the 30X30, so I couldn't wear them.

So there's the very exciting story of how I finally got my green jeans.  And of course, they were the first thing I wanted to wear after the 30X30 was over!  I decided to borrow one of my favorite green skirt outfits, which was inspired by this pin.

Speaking of exciting things, I'm super pumped for next week, because I'm joining forces with 5 of my favorite ladies to host a week long red and pink Valentine's Day extravaganza.  That may be overstating a bit, but we will be wearing red and/or pink every day next week, and there will be a link up, so you can join in!  See, it's so exciting!        

Today I'm linking up with Heather for Pinned it & Did It AND with Jenn and Ginny for their new Style Swap (even though I can't find the original post for my pin). 

Sweater: Urban Outfitters
Top: H&M
Belt: Gap
Jeans: Old Navy
Boots: Steve Madden

30X30 EPIC RECAP

Well, I survived my very first 30X30 remix challenge, and now there's a HUGE recap post to share!  Here are a few random thoughts:

• It was WAY easier than I thought it might be.  
• It wasn't that much different than my normal mode of getting dressed.  I already wear the same items over and over again.  I can see how this challenge would be very difficult for a blogger who rarely repeats an item. 
• My biggest problem - laundry.  There were days when my outfit was pretty much decided by what was clean.  I can usually get away without doing laundry for a couple weeks, because I have a lot of clothes.  With only 30 items, I ran into the problem of limited clean clothes a few times.  
• I didn't rely on scarves and statement necklaces as much as I thought I would.  I really expected to be grabbing bold accessories every day to add something new, but I didn't end up doing that very much at all.  

Here are my 5 favorite outfits:

And here are my 5 least favorite outfits: 

Because I'm a nerd, I kept an excel spreadsheet to help me remember what I had worn throughout the month.  Here are my items with the number of times worn:

No surprises on my most and least worn items.  The black boots were worn half of the time!  And my leopard print pumps were only worn once.  There just weren't many days where I could get away with non-boots.

My pink stripe dress and polka dot popover landed in the ironing pile at about the halfway point and never made it back into the closet.  A good reminder that I should avoid clothing that requires ironing!

My excel spreadsheet also has outfit ideas on it.  I have 17 outfits from these items that I didn't end up wearing.  So I could keep going for at least a couple more weeks if I wanted.  I won't, but I could.  I'll just save those 17 ideas for days when I need inspiration!

The main thing I learned is that when it comes to my closet, it's easier to decide what to wear when I have less to choose from.  And I should really focus on buying higher quality pieces that are very remixable.  I already knew this, but the challenge confirms!

I'll have to try again in the summer!  I think it will be more difficult without all the layering options!

#30 - Finished

Well, this is my last outfit of the 30X30, so I'm free to wear anything in my closet now!  It actually wasn't that bad, but I'll be happy to have a bigger pool of items to choose from.

I feel kind of tough with my black jeans, boots, and jacket!  But the pink blouse bring it into Andi territory, so I don't feel like I'm in a costume.

Jacket: Target
Shirt: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Necklace: InPink
Boots: Steve Madden

#29 - Boot Mix-Up

One problem with having the same pair of boots in 2 colors is that you are more likely to get confused and wear black boots when you meant to wear brown boots.  I have no idea how I ended up in black boots on this day, but I didn't notice it until I was in a meeting at 3:30.  Sitting at my desk, I don't see my shoes, but sitting at a meeting, I was surprised to find that my boots were not brown, as intended, but black.

I think the outfit is still okay, but I would have preferred my brown boots.  I also realized that this outfit is basically the same as #5, but with my vertical striped dress instead of the horizontal striped skirt.  I'm so creative!

Cardigan: J.Crew factory
Dress: Old Navy
Scarf: H&M
Belt: Gap
Boots: Steve Madden

#28 - Pretty or Stupid?

When John is playing photographer, I can never tell if the pictures are good, or if I'm making strange faces or awkward movements.  On this particular day, I said "Do I look pretty or stupid?"  He replied "yes."  I'm going to assume he didn't hear the second half of the question.

Cardigan & Skirt: Old Navy
Top: Gap
Necklace: Bass
Tights: Target
Boots: Steve Madden

#27 - Football!

Apparently, there's some big football game going on today!  I used to care about college football a little too much, but in the past 10 years, my level of interest in football has pretty much gone to zero.  The Super Bowl just seems kind of ridiculous.  I haven't been impressed with the commercials or the halftime show in recent years.  So, chances are good I won't watch at all.  I mean, it's possible, but not likely.

That said, I hope Peyton wins.  I got to see him play a couple times in Indy, and it would be fun to see him win with his new team.

Cardigan: Gap
Shirt & Skirt: Old Navy
Pearls: gift
Boots: Steve Madden