day one hundred eighty-one...the final day!

yay! i made it! today marks the end of a long six-month journey. what started off as a fun and slightly frivolous project turned into more than i ever could have expected. i've definitely stepped out of my comfort zone more than a few times...

if you take a look at the total box, you will see that wardrobe dresstruction raised $1305 for almost home! a special thank you so much to the person who pushed me over that last milestone today...amazing! i will be heading to kingston very soon to give them the grand total.

a final thank you again to everyone out there who supported this project with money, clothes, interviews and encouragement. you kept me going and showed me that what started out as a little project could turn into something amazing.

and i have to say an enormous thank you to everyone at almost home - the reason why i started this project in the first place. you provided a home for me when i needed it. you provided comfort, necessities and a place of warmth and generosity. what you do is amazing. i will never be able to fully thank you enough. i hope this project will help towards keep it going for others when they need it most.

you never know where life will take you.

and now - at last - time to get un-dressed...

*****

today's look while saying a final farewell to my dresses:

it doesn't really matter what i'm wearing or what it costs...

day one hundred seventy-six

i was listening to the radio the other day and heard an ad for a mattress company. so what, right? well, apparently they have a pillow expert. is this an actual job? does this person have a business card that actually reads "pillow expert"? i wonder if there is a secret place somewhere in the world that has a pillow school that hands out pillow expert diplomas.

it's probably the same place you go to learn to be a magic carpet rider.

maybe it's just me, but don't you just know when a pillow is good and when it's not? some people prefer a firm pillow, some prefer soft. some prefer feathers while others prefer synthetic fill. some like a small pillow while some like a full-on body pillow. don't you just try them out until you find one you like?

i imagine that in this particular store, you walk in casually looking to set yourself up with a new pillow because the one you currently own is too firm/soft/ratty/lumpy. you are approached by the pillow expert who leaves a faint trail of stardust in his wake. he offers you a tray of gnocchi and marshmallows (his favourite snacks). like a fine storyteller, he explains to you the origin of the hand-picked duck feathers that were bred in an exotic-sounding country specifically for you to lay your head on. he pulls out charts outlining the quality and thread-count of each pillow. you are amazed by the intricacies of the pillow world that up until this point you were completely oblivious about. you buy the perfect pillow hand selected by the pillow expert and go home and feel like you are sleeping on a cloud.

at least that's what it better be like. last time we bought new pillows, i flung my head into each one while they were still on the shelf, and The Husband actually lay down on the dirty store floor testing them out.

fine, point taken. this is the last time i will mock the pillow expert.

*****

today's look while wishing i owned a magic carpet:

flowered dress over dress: remade by me from a skirt donated by coral sproule for this project - thanks! (free)
green tie around waist: from dressing gown (free)
jeans: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)
green crocheted hat: value village, a year old ($4)
brooch worn on hat: jacob, about four years old (about $15)
brown sandals: aldo, about four years old (about $80)

grand total:
about $99.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred seventy-three

today, i'm going to steer you on out of here and over to the end mark...

steve (the lovely writer of) approached me recently to do an interview about this project. i happen to like steve, so i said sure. he's been a great supporter of this little endeavour, and one day he might even will work for interview. if you want to learn more about the cause and effects of this project, the fashion goings on, the fundraising, and the dresses themselves, you should definitely check it out.

think you already know everything? then go over there and check out some of steve's writing.

because i said so, that's why.

*****

today's look while getting all bossy:

blue silk scarf around waist: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)
brown sandals: aldo, about four years old (about $80)

grand total:
about $80.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred seventy-two

i have never been good at traditional math. i liken math to a foreign language that i will never understand. i remember one specific incident when i was in grade three and we'd been given a math test. i had no idea what to do, so i thought the teacher would appreciate a lovely pencil drawing on the page instead of some badly-done long division. i drew a robot out of geometric shapes, you know, all art-with-an-ode-to-math style. i put a lot of effort into the drawing. as it turns out, my teacher didn't appreciate it at all and i was reprimanded. this didn't exactly endear me any further to math.

but when it comes to my own version of math, i excel. for example, i can translate my day today into math and come out with the right answer:

1 morning stomachache + 1/2 cup of coffee + 2 pieces of raisin toast + 1 peed-on dress + 1 long day + 1 summer solstice party + 2 plates of food + lots of happy kids + 1 tired kid 1 1/2 hours late to bed - not much night left = 1 very tired me.

see? i can even do fractions. but maybe you'd rather i just draw you a picture instead.

*****

today's look while contemplating implications derived from the effects of quantum physics:

jeans: value village, a year old ($20)
brown sandals: aldo, about four years old (about $80)

grand total:
about $100.08

day one hundred seventy-one

a couple of days ago, i came across this article. it's so hard to give credit where it's due because i am kind of voracious when i'm on the internet. it's all, first i'm just going to check this site for a second, but then i'm invariably grabbed by the hand and led off to another site, and two hours later i'm sitting hunched over the laptop squinting, contorted like a pretzel, and can't even remember what i was doing on the internet in the first place because, you know, there are interesting things beyond this square glowing object. (that was a convoluded note to self. must ignore the internet more and reacclimatize to reality. and stop interrupting so much. ugh. it's bad-mannered and annoying).

where was i again?

oh yeah, the summer of dresses. i love this idea! go figure. dresses are just so easy and comfortable. there's no matching to do - just add some accessories - or not - and you're done. there was a full year when i was a little girl when i refused to wear anything but dresses, even though in my daydreams i was a wild tree-climbing tomboy.

so just as my six months of wearing certain dresses is coming to an end, i won't be ignoring dresses altogether...just these particular ones.

*****

today's look while wishing a happy day to all the amazing dads out there:

white t-shirt under dress: smart set, about three years old ($10)
green silk tie around waist: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) - thanks! (free)

grand total:
$10.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred sixty-eight

i can't get enough of this relaxation thing. no really, i actually can't get enough. i think the other day must have been a fluke. i just always seem to have my head at least two steps ahead of what i'm actually doing at any particular moment. and that is why i am writing to you tonight from a hammock. because everyone - even people like me who can't do math - knows that hammock = relaxation, right? it's as though the holes were designed specifically to help drain away the worries of the day....

so i should be feeling pretty relaxed, right?

sure, except for that subtle but always-imminent feeling that i might fall onto the ground at any moment. this could be partly due to the fact that i am sort of sitting upright in order to type, so i haven't quite achieved the (literally) laid-back feeling i'm after. also while you're over there, i can't reach my drink. plus there's the fact that i am right now serving as a human appetizer to a bevvy of bugs - but i think everyone's heard just about enough of that out of me this week.

i think this was a better idea in theory. apparently relaxation appears to require quite a lot of effort.

*****

today's look while trying to achieve a zen-like state:

black dress under dress: smart set, about two years old ($30)
beaded bracelets: a mix of some from smart set ($5 for a set) and others donated by my friend vanessa for this project - thanks! (free)
grey material around waist: donated by my sister for this project - thanks! (free)

grand total:
about $35.08

day one hundred sixty-five

please don't take this personally, but you're really starting to bug me. i know you can't help it. i might even be leading you on a bit, wafting past you trailing the alluring smells of dinner that my husband cooks each night. but then you get too close. you sit with your arms on my back or my neck or my leg. and then i feel the horrible zap through my skin.

you bit me...and now i want revenge.

it's a close race. i swat at you, but you keep lunging back at me. i try a spot of shadowboxing. you win the rodeo prize for sitting on me the longest without letting go.

but in the end, i always win.

take my advice: there are much better birds out there for you to chase.

*****

green tank top over dress: can't remember origin, a year old ($30)
jeans: donated by coral sproule for this project - thanks! (free)
brown sandals: aldo, about four years old (about $80)

grand total:
about $110.08

day one hundred sixty-four

do you hear that sound? it's the sound of me exhaling in a rare moment of genuine relaxation. i feel as though i have been short on time lately and long on things to do. but this morning, i won the child jackpot. tenzin slept in until 10:40 am. it was getting so late, i was reaching the point of wondering if i should wake him up. yeah, i know, dumb idea. sleeping babies and all. so i let him keep dreaming and cleared every item of my to-do list, and do i ever feel better now.

although i usually don't condone such things, if you were feeling so inclined you could practically eat off our floors, they are so clean. dishes were done and put away (by me for once)! thank you notes were written and are sitting in actual addressed envelopes ready to go in the mail. a gazebo was moved and a rather large picnic table dragged into it. some fun was had too - some guilt-free tv watching and lots of playing with t in the short time he spent awake today.

did i ever need that. now i'm off to shower. cleaning up to-do lists is a very dirty job.

*****

today's look while off to make a new list:

black t-shirt: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)
green material around waist: recycled from an old t-shirt (free)
zipper bracelet: made by me out of recycled zippers (free)

grand total:
about 8¢ (just the cost-per-wear of the dress!)


kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred sixty-one

the last thought i had before my head hit the pillow last night was how amazing it would feel to sleep in. ironically, this morning i jolted awake five whole minutes before i was supposed to leave for work. turns out the alarm was set but the sound wasn't. unfortunately one doesn't work without the other in terms of performing the needed function of waking me up.

i bolted out of bed, disoriented and confused. i slapped on some makeup, ran something through my hair, power brushed my teeth, and threw on the first thing i saw in the drawer. i heard tenzin say "mama" on the other side of the wall. i was torn: go in, say hi and leave two seconds later causing certain upset or bolt up the stairs and out of the house before he could see me. i chose option number two and felt guilty about my choice all morning.

i drove to work blanking out several minutes down the highway which is always disconcerting. how exactly did i get from a to c without remembering much of b? without any of the usual caffeine streaming through my body, i assume. i jolted to when i saw a dead deer lying on the side of the highway. that's two this week.

i walked down the road to mail a letter in the afternoon. i was waiting at a light and after a moment realized that i was humming. out loud. great, now i've become a crazy girl who hums out loud in public.

i came home. the sound of gunshots was ringing through the air. where exactly do i live?! i don't think i will ever get used to that sound. i went outside to take my daily picture. tenzin decided to come with me. he thinks it's really funny waiting for the timer to go off and then having the picture taken. so the sound was gunshot! laugh! gunshot! laugh! the poor hunter was likely thrown off his game. oh well, hopefully we saved a deer.

soon it will be time for bed again. another day is winding down. tonight i will still dream about sleeping in, but i'll be double-checking that the sound's turned up this time.

*****

today's look while in a bit of a fog:

green t-shirt over dress: donated by marci bruyere for this project - thanks! (free)
brown sandals: aldo, about four years old (about $80)

grand total:
about $80.08

day one hundred fifty-eight

one of my favourite pasttimes is thinking about what other people are doing right now. like, for instance, at this very moment someone somewhere in the world just:

* was born
* got on a plane to go on holiday
* tried something for the first time
* broke a promise
* met their fate
* committed a crime
* played air guitar
* lost their last penny
* experienced brain freeze
* died
* rode a roller coaster and puked
* made a good decision

or maybe even all of those things in one day.

*****

today's look while wondering what just happened to you:

green top over dress: giant tiger, about three years old ($15)
jeans: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)

grand total:
about $15.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred fifty-two

random thoughts from today:

* it is actually malarky that a watched pot never boils. just this morning i watched. and it boiled.
* my wrist has been quite sore for the past couple of days. i'm fairly sure it's due to some previous nerve damage, but i kind of wonder if it's from those cartwheels i was doing the other day.
* if you hurt your wrist doing a couple of cartwheels, does that mean you're starting to get old?
* i wonder if anyone actually ever feels their current age.
* i need to work on my patience level. i get anxious if the computer isn't fast enough, but i still count on my fingers, so it's still faster than me.
* is 34 too old to still be counting on your fingers?
* when it comes to superpowers, i'd rather be able to fly than have x-ray vision.
* the person who invented time was, in my opinion, probably really smart but also likely annoying about it.
* he probably didn't count on his fingers.
* what???????? is up with this?

that's all.

*****

today's look while swinging around:

black dress under dress: smart set, about two years old ($30)
bracelet made by me out of secondhand zippers: (free)

grand total:
about $30.08

day one hundred fifty-one

five months down, just one to go! here's what my dresses and i have been up to in the month of may:

* shared with the class
* did a book report
* told you things you might not know about me
* got something off my chest all passive-aggressive style
* wrote a love letter
* had not one but two potential (perhaps maybe) celebrity sightings
* spent an awful lot of time in the car, talking about cars, and/or looking at cars
* expended extreme amounts of willpower

i can't believe there is only one month left. i am so amazingly grateful for the two generous donations i received this past month. my hopes for the final month are to raise even more money for almost home and to enjoy the final time of this adventure. it's been equal parts fun and challenging so far. please help me spread the word!

*****

today's look while gearing up for the finale:

purple dress? super-sized t-shirt? nightdress? under dress: the dump (free)
jeans: value village, a year old ($20)
butterfly-print scarf worn on head: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)

grand total:
about $20.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred forty-eight

in addition to really needing wanting some new shoes, my hair is in serious need of some attention. it's turning into a cross between [insert your favourite hair band member circa 1980-something here] and ugly betty (the especially early episodes). if had only had three words to describe it in its natural state (ie: when i catch a glance of it in the bathroom mirror first thing each morning), i would choose: straw-like, poodle-y and yikes. there's not much helping it at this point. although haircuts are against the rules, for my own sanity i should probably get some sort of appointment booked to make myself feel like i'm at least trying to do something about it.

i have a feeling july 2nd is going to be a busy day.

*****

today's look while admiring other people's hair:

blue t-shirt over dress: liquidation world, about eight months old (about $10)
jeans: liquidation world, about a year old ($3)
black platform shoes: aldo, two years old ($125)

grand total:
about $138.08

day one hundred forty-six

so that box over there to the right seems a little stuck lately. i think it's time to put out a little appeal again. i'd love to give almost home even more money for all of the amazing work that they do. they do so much for so many people every year by providing a warm welcoming home for families with sick children. i honestly can't tell you how much of a difference that makes when you are going through an uncertain, stressful time. when so much of your time is spent in a hospital with your sick child, it's such a relief to have a place that gives you a little bit of respite from all of that at the end of the day. there are so many selfless people there that keep the place going, and i would be grateful for any kind of boost to my total - no amount is too small. there are exactly five weeks left...

*****

today's look while getting lost in the dark:

jeans: value village, about nine months old ($20)

grand total:
about $20.08

day one hundred forty-five

this heatwave is a killer. i think my brain is melting. mmmmmmmm...ice cream.

*****

today's look while trying to keep my cool:

black t-shirt: stitches, about four years old ($5)
blue beaded necklace: value village, about four years old (about $7)
pink flower in hair: recycled from a secondhand shoe and made into a ponytail holder (free)

grand total:
about $5.08

day one hundred forty-three

hey, it's kind of late. it was just kind of one of those perfect lazy yet fairly productive summerlike days. the kind of day where you're pretty much in a tired haze all day. the heat and humidity have turned your hair into a nest atop your head, but you're too distracted by other things to care. today we gardened inside and out. we set up a sandbox. we had a picnic on the lawn. my feet have never been dirtier. seriously gross - but happy nonetheless.

*****

today's look while the heat goes to my head:

blue t-shirt: from a clothes swap party a year ago (free)
silver and blue beaded bracelet (not visible): donated by my friend vanessa for this project - thanks! (free)

grand total:
about 8¢ (just the cost-per-wear of the dress!)

day one hundred thirty-nine

happy friday everyone! oh wait, what? it's not friday yet? well, my internal body clock (body calendar?) sure seems to think it's friday. this week is kinda kicking my butt. maybe it's because it's feeling a whole lot like summer out there now, and the heat is filling my head like a helium balloon. a couple of nights ago, i fell asleep on the couch at 9 o'clock. 9 o'clock! oh, i remember back in the olden days (otherwise known as the nineties) when i thought nothing of going out on a wednesday night, staying out till the wee hours and then hauling myself to work the next day. and maybe repeating the next night. eesh. those days are long gone...oh, but they were fun.

*****

today's look while choosing which toothpicks will best hold my eyelids open:

flowered dress over dress: remade by me from a skirt donated by coral sproule for this project - thanks! (free)
grey tie around waist: donated by my sister for this project - thanks! (free)
jeans: stitches, four years old ($30)
black ruffled platform sandals: if footwear, a year old (about $110)

grand total:
about $140.08

day one hundred thirty-seven

there are 44 days left. not that i'm counting. okay, fine, you caught me. there are forty-four days of brown-dress-wearing ahead of me. full disclosure: it's starting to lose its appeal a teeny bit lately. i mean, sure, you don't really have to think about what you're putting on in the morning, but then i can't just wear the brown dress on its own or i would really be bored, so i still have to think about things a little bit.

i used to wear black all the time. as in every single day. as in if you were to open up my closet, all you would see were black tops and black bottoms. and if you opened up my dresser drawers you would see more black tops and black sweaters. maybe that's the clincher. i've actually started wearing more colour in the past couple of years, so it feels a bit drab and boring wearing brown every single day. but that's the main reason i didn't choose a black dress - because i didn't want to be wearing "boring black" every single day for six months. but now the catch is that it feels as though i'm wearing boring brown every day instead.

oh well, only forty-four days left, like i said. and in the end, i know it will all be worth it. it's for an amazing cause. but if anyone wants to put a boost in these last few weeks, the donations sure help make it all a lot less boring.

*****

today's look while being eaten alive:

black dress under dress: smart set, about two years old ($30)
retro necktie worn around waist: donated by my dad for this project - thanks! (free)
black ruffled platform shoes: if footwear, a year old ($110)

grand total:
about $140.08

day one hundred thirty-three

my day starts in a horizontal line. a slight blip on the clock zaps like lightning straight to my brain, and my body resists each movement required to make itself vertical. my legs carry me up each stair like a slinky in reverse slow motion. the scribbles that form my early morning thoughts slowly unwind into a clear picture as the caffeine works hard to unscramble them. the day has begun, and just as soon as it has been unscrambled, my head is pumped full of sound. sounds of songs on the radio, sounds of voices recounting the news, sounds of birds and the wind and rain and cars.

i spend my days immersed in the world that takes place outside my cocoon. i return to it in the evening. i sit folded in the car, hovering above ashphalt as the wheels under me transport me across the ground. my head is still pumped full of sound.

my body unfolds itself out of the car and i open the door to my cocoon and hear the sounds of mama!, sounds of dinner cooking, sounds of keyboards and the tv and my thoughts loud and clear.

time winds down, and the moon climbs up into in the sky. my legs carry me down the stairs like a slinky. the thoughts in my head slowly deflate and turn themselves back into scribbles. my eyes are closed now. i am horizontal.

*****

today's look while having a quiet moment:

pink t-shirt over dress: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)
white skirt under dress: the dump (free)
silver bracelets: secondhand (free)

grand total:
about 8¢ (just the cost-per-wear of the dress!)

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352

day one hundred thirty-two

it's a very canadian night tonight around here. The Husband is watching a hockey game, and i've got a bubble bath date with miriam. sorry, i'd write more, but i don't want to keep her waiting.

*****

today's look while stepping away from the internet for a night:

grey t-shirt under dress: donated by my sister for this project - thanks! (free)
grey tie around waist: also donated by my sister for this project - thanks! (free)
jeans: donated by kimberly's deja vu boutique (details below) for this project - thanks! (free)
beaded bracelets: mix of some donated by my friend vanessa dewson for this project - thanks! (free) and some from smart set ($5 for a set)
black flats: payless, about two years old ($20)

grand total:
about $25.08

kimberly's deja vu boutique
sommerville centre, 6835 highway 62 north (1 mile off the 401)
belleville, ontario k8n 4z5
613.966.3352