Happy Easter from the Geeks!

Happy Easter!  I hope your Easter Sunday was a joyous one, surrounded by loving family and sugared up kids. 

As you can see, we really stepped up our outfit coordination this year by going for full-out matching dresses- which we found at The Children's Place, if you're interested.  There is a whole line of dresses for girls available in store that have "Mom & Me" tags on them to denote that you can find a matching style for Mom online.  A word of warning, though- the fit on my dress was a little off, too tight at the waist and much too loose in the bodice.  But it was fine for one fancy day, and with some strategically placed safety pins and a sweater, you can't really notice.  As I couldn't seem to find a tie in the right color for little Peanut, I did something crazy and sewed him a vest, from scratch!  It's fully lined, the perfect pink, and has big black buttons (that are only for show- I didn't have time to worry about button holes).  I may post a tutorial in the coming weeks if I find time to create the graphics to accompany the instructions.

This is a difficult week for us in the Geek household because our beautiful girl is spending her spring break at Mammaw and Papaw's house!  She's having a blast already and this is good for all of us, really, but it was very hard to fall asleep last night knowing her bedroom was empty.  Baby Brother liked the novelty, at first, of having the house to himself, but was not amused at bedtime tonight when his goodnight kiss from Big Sister was blown across video chat instead of squished in person.  We're antsy for this Saturday when we get to reunite and hear about how Mammaw's house is so much more fun than being at home.

How was your Easter?  What are your spring break plans?

Much love,
The Geeks

Fashion Adventures: Sweater Skirt

So remember that time I turned an old dress into a skirt for Chief?  Well, I did it again, only this time I used an old green sweater.  Once again I used this tutorial from Make It and Love It, only I also added a bit of lace trim to the hem just to boost the cuteness factor.

Last time, she wasn't so eager to pose for pictures.  This time, she saw me taking pictures of those pumpkin pie brownies and came up to me and said "Take a picture me!"  So we went out into the backyard because it might be December, but don't tell the weather that, and she smiled and waved for the camera.  She wanted to dictate where she would stand and how she would pose, and fashion bloggers, take note- this little girl can strike a pose like the best of them!  Enjoy the results of our photoshoot!

Shirt: Target
Skirt: Handmade
Stockings: Target
Boots: Shoe Station

Have you sewn anything for your little one lately?

Much love,
The Geeks

Fashion Adventures: M-I-N-N-I-E M-O-U-S-E

...I feel like Minnie deserves her own theme song, too.  Is it just me?

One of my birthday presents this year was a gift card to Kohl's, and I knew exactly what I wanted to buy with it- a dress from Lauren Conrad's Minnie Mouse collection.  Because it's been out long enough for everything to go on sale, I actually scored two- including this adorable sundress perfect for a simple Independence Day celebration.

As we made our way inside at the end of an afternoon playing on a swing set with our tireless toddler, Mr. Geek insisted on an impromptu photo shoot.

"You know you want outfit photos of this dress for the blog," he said.  I think he really just wanted an excuse to keep playing with the new camera lens.  Either way, it is an adorable dress- so take a look!

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

Shoes: Apt 9 via Kohl's

Earrings: gift

Watch: Kate Spade

Yup, it's officially my new favorite summer dress.

What's your favorite outfit for hot summer days?

Much love,

The Geeks

Fashion Adventures: Mother's Day in a Tutu

So.

I bought a tutu.

No, I'm not enrolling in ballet classes again.  I bought a tutu for everyday wear.  Well, not every day.  Fancy days.

Mother's Day was a pretty fancy day.  Mr. Geek and Chief took me out to a delicious brunch, they gave me a beautiful new watch, I got to relax all afternoon, and we went to church in the evening.

And I got to wear my new tutu!

Chief went shopping with me when I bought this outfit at Kohl's, and I was really hemming and hawing over whether or not to actually buy the skirt.

"Is Mommy too old to wear something like this?" I asked her in the dressing room as I checked to see if it made my butt look too big.

"No!" she said forcefully, grinning at me from her stroller and kicking her feet.

Well, okay then!  I guess I'm allowed to wear a tutu.

sweater, skirt, shoes: Kohl's                                                                                            on her:
pearls: gift                                                                                         sweater, dress, shoes: gift
watch: Kate Spade                                                                                                socks: Kohl's

We clean up pretty good, eh?

What did you do for Mother's Day?  (Which, yes, was over a week ago, and I'm just now blogging about it.  Hush, I've been busy!)

Would you wear a tutu as everyday wear?  (Well, as fancy day wear.)

Much love,
The Geeks

Fashion Adventures: Easter Sunday

As you're reading this, we're on our way to Florida to spend a week on the beach, sitting around and doing a whole lot of nothing.  We are so excited for the prospect of an empty schedule, sunny skies, and a complete lack of responsibilities (and traffic!).  But first, we have to conquer airline travel with a toddler under 2.  Wish us luck!

We cleaned ourselves up real nice for Easter Sunday yesterday, then we went out for a delicious steakhouse lunch.  Somebody refused to take a nap, but she helped us pack our bags, and then she went and played on the playground with Daddy for over an hour, going down the slide and sitting on the swing all by herself.  I can't wait to see how she enjoys the sand and the ocean!

On Mrs. Geek:
Dress: Macy's
Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes

On Mr. Geek:
Suit: Express Men
Shirt and Tie: Kohl's
Shoes: Off Broadway Shoes

On Little Miss Chief:
Dress: Carter's
Headband and Stockings: Target
Shoes: gift

How did you spend your Easter?  Do you have any plans for spring break?

Much love,
The Geeks

Fashion Adventures: I Made Her a Skirt!

Today's Fashion Adventure is all about the cutest member of our family:

This little girl!

See, I had this white halter dress with a ripped seam along the back zipper, and I was going to repair it one day when I realized- this would make a really cute skirt for someone I know.

As with all simple sewing tutorials, I found this one on Make It and Love It.  I simply used a size 2T skirt as a guide to cut the skirt off the dress (adding a little bit extra to create a waistband).  Then I folded that extra length down to make a pocket for some 3/4" elastic.  I cut the elastic the exact measurement of the sample skirt's waist, fed it through the pocket, then overlapped the ends by 1" and stitched them together.  (Use that link above to get a more in-depth tutorial with photos.  It's super simple!)

Daddy called halfway through our photo shoot:

Onesie (which is officially too small now, I've finally come to terms with that): Zulily
Leggings: Koala Kids via Babies-R-Us
Skirt: handmade

Have you ever made any clothing for your little ones?  Isn't it gratifying to see someone wearing something you made yourself?  (Even if you didn't have to hem it, because you used the hemline from the dress...which isn't cheating, for the record, it's using your resources...)

Much love,
The Geeks

*all photos are personal*

Fashion Adventures: I'm So Fancy

...and now you have that song stuck in your head.

You're welcome.

A sorta-kinda "resolution" of mine this year is to dress a little more thoughtfully for work (and everyday, but mainly for work).  The dress code in my office is a very loose interpretation of "business casual", meaning most people show up in jeans, Chucks, and a collared shirt every single day.  (As a woman, I can get away without the collar- some sort of cute sweater or something.  Just not a t-shirt, unless it's a Friday.)  This is to be expected when one works IT, and since sleep is a premium in the house, I really do appreciate that I can roll out of bed and throw on the first thing I see in my closet and still be considered office-appropriate.  I especially love that nobody bats an eye if I decide to skip my make up.

But I've found that if I'm dressed nicer- even if that outfit still includes jeans- I tend to be in a better mood.  And I need all the help I can get to be in a good mood at work nowadays, so if I have to get up a little earlier in order to actually do something with my hair, I think that's a sacrifice I need to make.

Normally nobody notices what I'm wearing, but if one of the handful of women in the office shows up in a skirt- a dress, no less- then everybody notices.

"Why are you so fancy today?"

"Do you have an interview?"

"Do you have to give a presentation?"

"Seriously, who are you interviewing with?"

Nope, nothing special about the day I wore this outfit.  Just a Monday.  Just felt like it.  And you know what?  When you wear gold sequins on a Monday, that Monday sucks just a little bit less.

earrings: gift
blouse, dress, tights: Kohl's
necklace: Francesca's
watch: Kate Spade
shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction via Off Broadway Shoes

Does the way you dress affect your mood?

Much love,
The Geeks

*all photos personal*

Fashion Adventures: Do Leggings Count as Pants?

I'll be honest with you- up until a couple of weeks ago, I was firmly on Team Leggings Are Not Pants.  And then I bought this amazing, beautiful, comfy sweater, and was about to wear it with jeans...when I spotted these ridiculous faux leather leggings in my closet.  I've only ever worn these leggings under a dress (and then only maybe twice total) but I thought I would give this outfit a try...

AND I LOVE IT.  I'm not even sorry.  This is probably my favorite outfit in my wardrobe right now.

I think this is technically the "basic white girl uniform"- all I need is a Pumpkin Spice Latte and I'd be good to go.  No, I'm not in college anymore and no, I've never been in a sorority.  I have a baby (who is almost a year old!) and a husband and a full-time job at a desk in a cubicle where a little bit of my soul dies everyday.

I'm a grown up.

And I'm wearing leggings as pants.

And I may just do it again.

earrings: gift
necklace: gift
sweater: Kohl's
blouse: gift
watch: Kate Spade
leggings: Decree via PLNDR
boots: Target

So where do you stand in this epic debate?  Can you wear leggings as pants if you're a grown up?  (Or at all?)

Much love,
The Geeks

*all photos personal*

Fashion Adventures: If Turtlenecks are Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right

I took outfit photos last week for the first time in a long time, and I'm really excited to share the pictures.  They're not particularly good pictures- it had rained all day and the pictures are a little wet and dark- and I'm still a total cheeseball when it comes to posing for these things, but they're proof that I'm pretty much back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  I haven't officially weighed myself, so I could still be carrying an extra pound or two, but everything fits the way it fit before I got pregnant, and that's good enough for me. 

So I'm not going to say much in this post, just let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

Earrings: gift
Sweater: Macy's
Necklace: gift
Watch: Kate Spade
Bracelet: gift
Jeggings: Cato
Boots: Shoe Station

When did you finally drop all your baby weight?  I had expected about 9 months...but it's been almost a year.  Close enough!

Much love,
The Geeks

*all photos are personal*

Fashion Adventures: Pretty Much Spring (Almost)

Seeing as how the last time I posed for pictures in the dress, Chief was with me...I figured she should be with me in these pictures, too!  (Except I was carrying her in my belly at the time, not in my arms.)

I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how freaking ridiculous the weather has been the past few weeks.  A couple of feet of snow, then temperatures in the 50s and 60s, then another few inches of snow, then 60s again.  Go home, winter- you're drunk.

We're supposed to hit 70 next week, so maybe winter is finally over, and spring is finally here?

Looking through these pictures compared to the last set of outfit photos, I noticed that I'm definitely smiling more when I'm holding her.  And how could you not? 

I definitely look...better when I look happier.  Maybe I would feel better about the way my body looks if I smiled more?  Like I said a couple of weeks ago- approaching life from a more positive perspective makes for a better life!

So rather than drone on and on about how I still have too much pudge, I think I'll just let you enjoy some pictures of Chief being adorable.

 

On me:
earrings: gift
dress and belt: Calvin Klein via Ross
watch: Kohl's
sandals: gift
sweater: New York and Company

On her:
sweater and dress: Carter's via Kohl's

I mean seriously.  SO CUTE.

So, Chief is the cutest baby ever, right?

Right.

Glad we settled that :)

Much love,
The Geeks