I picked up this Gap dress at the thrift store this week for $7, along with another $7 red dress.

I was wearing it at the pool and another mother stopped me:

“Excuse me, I just have to tell you that dress is gorgeous on you.”

How sweet.

for my absence. I have a book post I want to run, but I had the bad luck to spill an entire cup of coffe on my laptop the day after I was given a giant freelance project with a tight deadline … I’m underwater right now scrambling to finish the project with borrowed equipment … but hope to post again next week …

K

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)

Those of you who are Facebook friends with me (http://www.facebook.com/labellafigura) may have seen that I am on my annual vacation to visit family in California, so  my posting may be sporadic.

I’m enjoying spending time with family and today I am heading up to camp, fish, kayak and drink gin and tonics at the lake.

I’ll try to check in every once in a while.

This post was inspired by a thread on the French Chic group about French refrigerators versus American ones. I subscribe to the Anne Barone philosophy of maintaining a slim pantry, which means frequent shopping for fresh items.

Here is a look at my food stores right now:

This is my pantry, essentially, my food cupboard. It contains dried pasta, canned whole tomatoes, tomato sauce; tomato paste; blue corn chips, peanut butter; dried chilis; dried beans, sugars, flours, salts, coffee beans and oatmeal.

Pretty self explanatory what you see here: vinegars, yogurts, butter, condiments

Yep, that is box wine with a regular bottle of wine behind it. You’ve come a long way baby. Box wine is vastly improved from when I was a kid in the 70s (so I’m told!)

Also milk,eggs,  juice, water, fresh fruit, tortillas, pita bread, some Italian sausage defrosting in bag on bottom shelf, some salami and cheese in one drawer; a bunch of different lettuces from my CSA share in the crisper, think that is about it. Also, my husband bought a bunch of juices I would never buy (I just don’t have money in my grocery budget for something like that).

Usually after my quarterly Costco trip this has more frozen meat and frozen whole chickens, but it is getting slim. Also, usually have a big container of Haagen dazs but hubby went shopping and got the drumsticks — his favorite. Also used my extra bonne maman jars to store homemade chicken stock.

concentrated juice, some coffee beans, corn meal, breadcrumbs and ice packs (I have two little ones)

open cupboard by stove

Spices, oils, vanilla, honey, things I use every day when cooking

Fruit Basket/Platter

Self explanatory

American Rag top – Levis jeans – Frye boots – silver hoops, chain and bracelets

Do you like my new Wonder Woman cuffs? I’ve been talking about them for quite a while and finally found some I like.

Here’s what I wore yesterday, but not super thrilled with the combo. Still like the shirt with my shorts best:

I couldn’t handle having huge pictures of my face on this blog so I’ve deleted them~; )

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.

Soprano top (thrifted) - Target skirt - Urban Outfitter sandals

On My Nightstand: I have two stacks this week. The first is my writer’s reference books I’m reading. The second is the fiction stack.

 The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauer – I’m about half way through this. At first I didn’t want to keep reading, but now I’m glad I did. It’s a little, teeny, tiny bit too sentimental, but I’ll keep going. 

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver– I was on the wait list at the library forever for this one. Now that I have it, I’m not itching to read it, but will because it has a wait list so I can’t renew it and have to turn it in in about 10 days.

Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells– I borrowed this from my SIL, so probably won’t read it in a hurry as I have other books with due dates.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson– Bought this at the thrift store after seeing on FB that an author I love – Marisa de los Santos is reading this author.

The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte — I adore this author and snatched this up at the thrift store. Also in a holding pattern until the library books and book club books are read. I can’t complain — I love having TOO MANY good books waiting beside my bedside to read! I am going to bring this with me on my vacation to California in a few weeks.