Some summer days are so hot and sticky I end up taking two showers each day. My uniform has to be light and breezy and my hair — unfussy. I’ve adopted this slightly too big summer sundress as my uniform, alternating it with other sundresses. Because I am slowly but surely getting back down to a size where my jeans will fit again in the fall, the dress is becoming baggier day by day. But still comfy and effortlessly chic, (I think).

I’ve worn these Urban Outfitter sandals to death … even so-called “comfort sandals” are not as comfy:

Mine are silver

My hair is left to dry naturally and ends up wavy. My makeup — usually a light touch is needed in this heat, but I can’t help but make up my eyes.

I’ll try to take a full-length photo of the dress later …

I’m loving this new tote bag from Target.

 Yesterday I walked to the market and inside its roomy interior was able to fit red onions, yellow onions, tomatoes, cheese, bagels, cream cheese and all the other items I usally cart around in my handbag: wallet, cosmetic bag, two journals, reading glasses and so on.

I liked my black Hot Mama dress so much that I decided to get one in a more summery color — green.

I found this one on ebay for 1/3 the price of my black dress.

But I love them both.

I’m just going to apologize right off the bat for this post. My book situation is out of control. Pure chaos. Overflowing with library books, books I’ve bought and books I’ve borrowed. For some bizarre reason, all of the books on my waiting lists at the library all decided to come in at once. Several are in the exact same genre of the novel I am writing: girl crime reporter, so they are really considered research.

I have included pictures of them all (see the second to last picture for an idea of the chaos), but I will briefly give a summary of those that I have already read. I  read and loved Foreign Tongue by Vanina Marsot. I recommend it to all Francophiles.

Am currently reading Villa Mirabella from one of my favorite authors in the Italian-American fiction genre, Peter Pezzelli. For some reason, possibly that the main character is a man in his 30s, I keep losing interest in this one.

The one that has me completely caught up in the character’s world is Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. One of my bookclubs chose this and I borrowed it, so I am making it priority one so I can return it and let someone else in bookclub borrow it. (My second bookclub meets this week and I will have a new book from them, as well, just to add to the madness!)

I also finished “Which Brings Me to You” By Steve Almond and Julianna Baggott. I must say the whole concept of a book based entirely on correspondence was intially a complete turnoff, but the writing is so wonderful I ended up completely engrossed and loved the book. I can’t wait to read more by Baggott.

I also read Becoming A Writer (Dorothea Brande) and On Becoming a Novelist (John Gardner). Both were so-so, I guess. I also read Mark Bittman’s Quick & Easy Recipes and copied down a few of them. Behind that book in the picture you can see some photocopies I made of recipes from the French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. I think I copied about 5 of them for future reference before turning the book back into the library.

The other books on my nightstand (Cheri and The Things They Carried and the New Yorker anthology) are all books I bought, so I may not get to them for quite some time since I have to read the library books which have due dates first!

As you know my favorite (and probably the most popular posts) have been the two series I did on my Chic Friends. Here is another fun way to participate in something similar. It is called the Summer of Dresses. Check it out. I just sent them my first picture. My friend Clever Kate told me about it. She has worn a dress or skirt every day since May 1.

Summer of Dresses – wear and share

www.summerofdresses.com

H&M Dress (thrifted for $2.79 this week)

Express dress (thrfited $8)

Casual

Dressier

Thank God for skirts and dresses. They hide a multitude of sins.

Forgive me Facebook friends for repeating this, but it just must  be said.

I bought this little dress yesterday. It was one of those moments in the dressing room that I mention in my book where you  have that AHA moment, that YES! twirling around moment where you know with absolute certainty that you are buying the item.

So I stroll out and over to the counter, but alas, no credit card — part of my frugal strategy to spend only cash that I conveniently forgot about in that moment.

The two wonderful, helpful salesclerks took my personal info (including address for future mailings) and then told me that I could call in with my credit card number when I got home and they could do one of three things in leiu of packing up the kids in car seats again and then unloading them back into the store to get the dress:

1. have it shipped to my house for free

2. call and they will meet me in the parking lot with my package so I can keep kiddies in the carseats

3. DROP OFF THE DRESS at my HOUSE since they see I live on the way home for both of them!

WHAT!???

Yeah, the name of the store is Hot Mama and they can also be found online. Have I told you those two clerks are my new BFF? Love them and that store.

I opted to just head back to the store and bring the kids inside again where they spent a few more moments playing with videogames, crayons, coloring books and munching goldfish.

That store is a mama’s dream!

Menu:
Breakfast: 3 tablespoons whole milk yogurt with granola; cafe au lait
Snack: latte
Lunch: romaine salad with blue cheese crumbles, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper; small square of dark chocolate
Dinner: olives, small wedge of cheese; tacos; wine

Vacation did me in. So did winter. So did falling off the wagon with my good eating habits. My jeans are too tight.

I am carrying way too much weight on me right now, so I need to do some recasting.

This blog is very helpful because it makes me accountable to track my eating. I also spent the weekend re-reading The Fat Fallacy by Dr. Will Clower. Love this book. It has simple tips that really make a difference in taking off and keeping off weight. I also walked for miles this weekend, which made me realize my Target or Urban Outfitter flipflops are really not working in this area.

I’ll try to start back regular posting soon. I am going through a bit of a metamorphis in how I spend my time and have been evaulating my blog. I still want to keep it, but may do something different with it in the future. Thank you to everyone who reads this and gives such great feedback and shares inspiration and other ideas. If you have any thoughts on what you would like to see or if you would like to see it remain the same, I would appreciate hearing from you, either in the comments or by email: mammaitaliana23@gmail.com.

I’m not sure how many outfit posts I’ll do because frankly, only this skirt and two other ones fit me — I will be wearing them A LOT until I get some weight off. My goal is to fit comfortably into my jeans again.

Thanks again.

Menu:
Breakfast: small dish of whole milk plain yogurt with banana slices; cafe au lait
Lunch: bowl of leftover taco salad; pellegrino
Dinner: spaghetti with pesto (finally have some basil in my garden); corn on the cob; snap peas cold; green salad; wine; small sliver of gruyere

Rebecca Beeson Tee (thrifted)
Apt. 9 skirt (thrifted)
Urban Outfitters sandals
Silver cuff
Silver Virgin Mary pendant

It was fun to be in California, but I’m so glad to be back home.

When I arrived, I had my half of the CSA farm share waiting:

There are lettuces, turnips, kohl rabi, sweet snap peas, broccoli, bok choy.

Last night for dinner I made a stir fry using a bit of everything except the lettuces. I added olive oil, plum sauce, korean bbq sauce and soy sauce and served it over brown rice. I had a glass of wine with it, as well.

Today:
Menu:
Breakfast: 2-3 tablespoons whole milk plain yogurt with 1/4 banana sliced, blueberries and strawberries sliced; black coffee (out of milk)
Lunch: 1 piece of pita bread with about 3 tablespoons olive hummus and a green salad with oil and vinegar
Dinner: To be determined. I thought I would just get this post out early. I’m going to a fun fish cafe with my husband to celebrate our 15 year anniversary. I looked online at the menu and this is what I will probably have:

starter: prince edward island mussels in champagne cream sauce
entre: blackened diver scallops served with blue cheese mashed potatoes and topped with pico de gallo
dessert: creme brulee
wine: Zemmer Pinot Grigio

Gap Shirt (thrifted) Ann Taylor shorts (thrifted) Ralph Lauren slides (thrifted)

This may be the first and last time you ever see a post with me in shorts. I wish I would have had the penchant to wear shorts when they looked better on me.

For some reason I am in love with this new (thrifted) Gap top and can’t think of any other way I want to wear it except with black shorts ….

In the Chic Friends post, Christine from the Red Geranium said the one essential item every woman should own is a trench coat. She wrote:

“A trenchcoat/really fabulous coat.  If you have to run out to the store you could be in pajamas underneath and nobody would know!  On the outside you would still look as chic as Audrey Hepburn!”

I would add: a trenchcoat and some lipstick will fool anyone:

Case in point:

Every once in a while I run out of milk and will basically roll out of bed and go to the corner market for the milk for my coffee and my kids. This market is only two blocks from my house and carries affordable organic milk from a local dairy.

Part of la bella figura means that I throw on something acceptable to wear — usually a trench coat and a dab of lipstick. I was glad I did.

So that one day I got there when it opened  — at about 6 a.m. — I ran into my husband’s cousin at this corner store. (My husband’s family is that big and like that, even though we live in a big metropolitan area). So the next time I woke at 6 a.m. and needed milk I put on some lipstick again, thinking I might run into him again and didn’t want to look like I just rolled out of bed (which I had).

Of course he was there again! (What?!) I told him, “Hey! I put on lipstick in case I ran into you again.”

Yeah, it came out wrong. My point was how odd it was to see him there again.

His response: “I don’t know why you did that, it’s not like we’re going to be kissing or anything!”

Yes, he has a droll sense of humor.

This morning I needed milk once again. I had on black velvet sweats and a black t I had slept in. I threw my trench coat over it, slicked on some lipstick and headed out.

This time I didn’t see anyone I knew, but it sure was easy to just throw that trenchcoat on and I’m sure no one suspected I just rolled out of bed.