Lovely Lunch Date

{My mom and I loved this painting of two kitties. It was positioned over a neighboring booth.}

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This afternoon, I had the pleasure of joining my mom for a much overdue lunch date. We chose to visit one of our favs, Cafe Provence, in Prairie Village. And it sure didn't disappoint! We started with a variety of salty olives (pits included—the read deal!), and my mom had a delicious peach carrot soup and the goat cheese salad. I chose the chicken crepe, complete with mushrooms, fresh green beans and a yummy beurre sauce. (And I remembered to take pics this time, before I cleaned my plate!) It was a wonderful afternoon with delightful food and of course, marvelous company. Je vous remercie beaucoup pour le dejeuner, manan!

{Starters}



{My mom's fresh salad. Yes, that is a ball of rich goat cheese, and yes, it was so gooooood!}

{My chicken crepe. I may have been a few bites in before I remembered to take a pic. I couldn't resist!}

I Scream, You Scream...

{Thank you, Baskin Robbins}

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Happy first official day of summer! What better way to celebrate then with a scoop of bubblegum (my all time fav!) on top of strawberry lemonade sherbert? Yum!

Little Letters

{I need to remember this}

(Just to clarify, I totally stole this idea from the rockstar diaries.)

Dear Pinterest,

You totally make my day, week, month and year. You may be somewhat distracting, but I love the (p)inspiration. Thank you, Pinterest inventors. You rock.

Dear Uncle Clark,

Thanks for taking care of my lawn so I am not the white trash neighbor. The yard looks fantastic. (I’m sure my neighbors, who spend hundreds of dollars on lawn service and have perfectly sculpted shrubbery, appreciate it as well.)

Dear radio stations,

Please stop playing “Call Me Maybe” and “Brokenhearted.” They get stuck in my head and make me want to pull my hair out. Also, anything by Katy Perry can be permanently deleted from your playlists. Thanks.

Dear OPI,

Thank you for creating the shade “Charged Up Cherry.” The bright coral color on my toes is totally making my day right now.

Dear Lo,

Please bring back Lo&Mids. I so enjoyed your creative posts and artsy musings. XO

Dear parents of the overly privileged and arrogant student,

Thank you for calling me a “rotten and unfair teacher,” but I’m not changing the grade your son earned this semester. (Yep, earned, not what I “gave” him.) Tell me, how is it “fair” for me to give your son special treatment, just because you caused a ruckus? Have a wonderful summer, raising your kid who will no doubt end up living in your basement forever because he is in no way equipped to live in the real world without you to call his future professors, bosses, and anyone else who presents adversity in his overindulged life. (Yep, it’s finals week, folks…my least favorite week ever.)

Dear Marcel the Shell (with shoes on),

Thank you for always brightening up my day. You’re pretty charming and I think there should be more videos of you on Youtube.

Dear summer,

You can’t come quick enough. I’m countin’ down the hours.

{Come on, summer}



Swinging Spring Looks

{A cover look from The Great Gatsby}

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Spring is upon us! Finally, finally, the sun is out and it’s already 56 degrees this morning. While the winds may be whipping around today, I’m hoping the balmy weather sticks around for a while. This semester, I’ve had a bit more time to myself and had the chance to indulge in some fun reading time. I chose to revisit one of my favs—The Great Gatsby. I had forgotten how distinctive Fitzgerald’s style of writing was. The images and descriptions of the parties at Gatsby’s marvelous home is always my favorite part to read and reread. The champagne, the singing, the revelry…the dresses! The 1920’s were such a decadent time. It’s no wonder the fashion from this time period keeps inspiring designers today. Check out Ralph Lauren’s 2012 spring line. Beautiful, soft pastels and clean whites, hats, scarves, feathers and fringe…these models would be right at home on the lawn of the colossal mansion of the literary tycoon. With the remake of the movie coming out this year (can’t wait!), what a perfect time to soak up this iconic swinging era.

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{Spring looks from Ralph Lauren. How beautiful is the blush color on the right?}

{Loving the white fringy feathers and pastel floral prints}

{I think this is my favorite...the beading and feathers are simply stunning!}

Jason Wu for Target

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I’ve gotta say, I love Target. Who wouldn’t? They have everything you need. And a ton of things I didn’t even know I needed. The best part about Target is finding that random accessory, or pair of shoes, or picture frame, or rug for my bathroom, or new brand of laundry detergent I didn’t even know existed. I always feel happy when I leave Target. The worst part about Target? I don’t think I can get out of there without spending a minimum of $100. Sure, I always come out with something darling and desired, but when I planned on running in and grabbing nail polish remover and Kleenex (or kitty food and Diet Coke…you know, whatever random items I need), dropping $100 on my darling and desired items sometimes can add up. Anyway…I digress.

One of the reasons I adore the superstore is the GO International promotion that features major league designers at pee-wee prices. (Yep, that was a baseball reference. Check me out.) As mentioned in a previous post, I have indulged in several of the affordable designs featured at Target. (I attempted to support Missoni, but holy moly, those items FLEW out of stores! I couldn’t even find the geometric print candles or weird printed storage boxes in the aisles.) Presently, I’m loving the looks from the current in-house designer, Jason Wu. The colors are bright and fresh for spring, the cuts of the dresses are flirty and fun, and I adore the girly floral prints he incorporated. (Shop the looks here.) But my fav thing about Mr. Wu’s clothes? That darling black cat, featured in his commercials and print campaign. How cute is that red bow tied around his neck? Simply charming.

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{Kitty love}



{Diggin' the stripes}




{I think I need that mustard colored blouse. And the striped shift.}



{So ready for spring!}

Sweet Stocking Stuffers

While running around this weekend, trying to finish up my Christmas shopping, I ran into my fav stop, Anthropologie, to pick up a few girlie gifts for my pals. An hour of admiring knick-knacks and home decor (I want-slash-need this and this) and obsessing over the window instillations (they had hung old-fashioned mini picture slides from clear wire, and the colors in the pictures reflected in the sun. Gorgeous and totally original idea! I’m kicking myself for not snapping a pic) later, I finally picked out gifts for my gals and was about to head out when I was drawn to the Lollia section. This lovely line promotes soft, floral-y fragrances in perfumes and indulgent handcremes with beautiful packaging. My current fav is the “In Love” fresh petal scented handcreme, but I also love the “Wish” fragrance. They're both so light and just make a girl feel pretty. Santa, if you’re reading, feel free to stuff my stocking with any of these lovely smells!

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{Lollia "In Love" Handcreme-love this flowery smell}



{Lollia "Relax"- a sweet lavender and honey scent}



{Lollia "Wish"-the sugared pastille scent smells good enough to eat}

Bootie-licious

Shoes have always been a weakness for me. Growing up, I developed a passion for buying new shoes at any chance I could get. My closet at home was overflowing with footwear, organized by color and style, of course. My dad fondly (I like to think) referred to me as Imelda Marcos, the Pilipino woman known for, among other things, owning over 1,060 pairs of shoes.  Now, my collection wasn’t quite comparable to hers. At first (I’m thinking middle school here), my closet was full of Doc Martens (clunksters!), assorted Nikes and bright pairs of Old Navy flip flops (why own only one color when you can own 15?). In high school, I added platform foam sandals (really?), clunky-heeled boots and chunky-heeled oxfords to the mix. By the time my college years rolled around, the styles had materialized into pumps and skinny stiletto-heeled boots (chunky heels were sooo out!). I managed to find several shoe stores in the Manhattan, KS mall that offered brightly colored pointy-toed pumps (the ‘80’s were making their way back around, and I didn’t even know it…or care) that I would rock with my Gap and Hollister jeans (sigh) at the local bars, or pair with trousers or dresses for chapter on Monday nights. My collection included a pair of pointy white pumps with small metal grommets around the toe (my mom was appalled when I wore those to church for Easter Sunday) and multiple candy-colored patent pairs of stilettos. I had a pair of powder pink heels that I was in love with. I wore those babies out…literally. (The soles came off the sides of the shoe. I’m thinking the cheap pricetag may have had something to do with the construction. Remember, I was on the college budget—most of my cash went toward “textbooks”…AKA cocktails at Porter’s and Kites.)

Yep, I have always had a flair for footwear. Now that I’m standing on my feet all day, one would think that I would now favor flats and perhaps even sensible clog-like things with orthopedic arches. How wrong you would be! I still rock the heels and wedges to school as often as I can, and one of my latest purchases (in addition to those Tory wedges that I did end up buying!) has been a reincarnated pair of booties that seem eerily familiar, yet updated. I was all over the heeled oxford trend back in middle and high school, and I’m completely into the latest version of men’s wear-inspired footwear. I found these grey, suede lace-up booties at (of all places) Old Navy (no flip flops this time). I’ve been itching to jump on board the bootie train since last winter, and I’m thinking these completely fit the bill. Plus, bonus—they were an affordable $34.50. I’m thinking I’ll pair them with cuffed boyfriend jeans and a blazer, or maybe with a belted dress and cardy. I heart fall footwear!

*Update: I wore these darling lace-ups below with cuffed dark jeans, a white tank and a navy cardigan with accentuated shoulders to school last Friday. While the booties weren’t the most comfortable, I did get many compliments on my look!

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{Old Navy Women’s Sueded Oxford Ankle Boots}

Totally Tory

I’ve been wild about Tory Burch since I first purchased a pair of white patent Miller flats several years ago. (These are sandals with her "two T's" logo cut out on the top, and always kind of wanted to lay out in the sun with them on so I could have the Tory logo tanned on my foot.) While shoes and handbags are the extent of my current collection (accessorizing pieces are about all this teacher can afford at the moment), I love love love the bold patterns and bright colors of her dresses and blouses and her equestrian-inspired blazers and boots. While I would love to pick up this or any one of these items to mix into my back-to-school-wardrobe, I figure I better save my pennies for an item I can get plenty of uses out of. (This is typically how I justify my “big purchase” items.) These Julianne wedges would be perfect for both school and play. I’m totally loving the buttery-tan color for fall, and as I run my wardrobe through my head, yes, yes, these shoes would compliment absolutely all my clothes! While I’m keeping my fingers crossed that these beautiful shoes will go on sale soon (or miraculously show up on Gilt), I’m thinking I may have to snap them up for my one big fall splurge.

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{Lovely, lovely shoe...}

Scent-sational

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{How can these ads not make you smile?}

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I would have to say that my all-time favorite smell is a whiff of just-cut pasture grass out at my parents’ house. Or… Biolage shampoo. Or… Gain Fresh Apples laundry detergent. Okay, no; my ultimate fav is the fresh grass. It reminds me directly of everything my childhood summers entailed: sunny days outside (there was no Nintendo at our house); picking vegetables in the mornings; spraying the hose on the trampoline; picking wildflowers; playing (which ended up as mostly fighting) with my brother down by the treehouse. When I’m home in the summertime, that fresh, green scent always takes me back.

Perhaps this somewhat “rural” upbringing inspired in me my love of fresh floral fragrances when it comes to what I want to smell like. My all-time favorite perfume of the moment is IF by Apothia. I discovered it a few years ago when Standard Style used to carry the brand. To my chagrin, they have since ceased to stock the lovely scent, but I’ve had luck finding it here. It’s very light with white floral tones. Another fav also available on this site is Kai. I adore the lilac-y fresh burst of the lotion and body butter. However, my day-to-day signature scent is Clinique Happy. I know, I know; it’s kind of a “starter” perfume for most, but I’ve worn it since middle school and will still randomly get compliments on how yummy I smell (sometimes welcome flattery; sometimes I wish the creepster at the bar would back off). The sleek, minimalist design of the bottle and the bright orange-colored packaging can always make me smile. I’ve dabbled in the likes of Happy Heart and Happy in Bloom, but always seem to go back to the original. What can I say? I guess it just makes me happy.

Easy Reader

I finally had a chance to make it to the library. As an English teacher, it’s kind of a prerequisite that I actually must enjoy reading for pleasure, and hitting the public library has been on my summer to-do list. During the school year, I am usually swamped with the required “classics” (a.k.a. books loaded with symbolism and generally loathed by the high school population that is being forced to read them), plus then grading the novel packets and literary analysis papers that correspond with said “classics.” So in the summer, I take advantage of my free time and indulge by perusing the easy stuff—light, entertaining reads that I can usually breeze through in a day or two. Now, these types of reads are typically best enjoyed when I’m perched by the pool soaking up some rays, but lately it has just been too hot to even venture outside for extended periods of time. So, I decided to try out the local (and air-conditioned) library right down the road from my house.

While somewhat small, the Cedar Roe Library provided several new tomes for me to check out. I hit the YA section (trying to find some recommendations for the male population of my students who really aren't into reading), but the best discovery came while browsing through the adult fiction stacks. Schooled, by Anisha Lakhani, was a lighthearted and amusing read, especially for a high school teacher. Not only did it include several of elements that rank high on my list of entertainment-value (a New York City setting and lots of fashion descriptions), but it took the reader through the challenging world of an unsuspecting and ill-equipped teacher at a prestigious prep school on the Upper East Side. While I could relate to many of the demanding and stressful situations the teacher encountered, it was the witty writing and detailed scenes that made me fly through the pages (and made me miss the acclaimed series Gossip Girl even more). Definitely a new fav on my book list!

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{I heart summer reads!}

Think Pink

Welcome to The Pink Polkadot! This site is an outlet for creativity, design, fashion, anything I'm thinking or doing at the moment (and it won't all be pink). However, to get started, I figured I'd showcase a few of my favorite things *pink*.

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{Pretty and refreshing...I prefer this to plain ol' lemonade any day!}

{Positively pink peonies}

{Posey-colored balloons are always a hit on my birthday}

{A pink cupcake always trumps a not-pink cupcake}

{OPI in Bubblebath...my go-to shade for manis}