Worn{A Little Bit of Love}

Happy New Year! The first full week of the new year has been pretty hectic around here. My daughter and son-in-law were visiting from Virgina, we celebrated my son, Zach's 21st birthday and this weekend I had my first big flower job of the year! And while there is a little bit of post-holiday sadness, it feels great to get back into some sort of routine.   

Like most of the country, it's been cold AF(do the kids still say AF?!)here. So unless it's a must do immediately kind of thing, we're staying in!  And that means I've essentially been living in flannel pajama pants and t-shirts. This week the temps have reached have a downright balmy 40 degrees! With today promising to be in the 50s, I decided it was time to come out of hibernation and get properly dressed. 

This sweater is a new favorite and the boots always make me feel instantly pulled together!   

Do you have something in your wardrobe that makes you feel instantly pulled together?  

worn{heart of gold}

I've gotten really good at figuring out how well something will work with my wardrobe before buying it. I once read some arbitrary rule that proclaimed you should be able to wear something with at least five existing items in your closet before you consider buying it. I'm not sure where I read it or why it stuck but it seems reasonable. And while I don't treat it as a hard and fast rule, when adding things to my cart if can't pair it with a few things I already own or see me wearing at various everyday activities, I'll pass on it. 

And then, there are some things you buy that speak to you on a spiritual level so you click "confirm order" and immediately try to figure out how many things you can pair with them because if loving it is wrong, you don't want to be right! These shoes, in all of their shiny, rose gold glory, are one such purchase. I've been wearing them nonstop since they arrived and mostly with jeans because Mother Nature suddenly remembered that November in Ohio should be cold. How rude?!! I can't wait to wear them with some of my favorite dresses when it warms up a bit. 

Today was a quiet day around the house so I'm keeping it simple with a sequined embellished sweater, leather look leggings, and gilded sneakers. You know...wardrobe basics.

worn{fair isle and flares}

There's something about fair isle sweaters and flared jeans that gets me every time. Maybe because it reminds of the glory days of American ready to wear fashion, the 1970s. A decade that had the whole sporty, effortlessly chic thing happening for it. Perhaps it's that on this day, election day. A year to the day that my country broke my heart, I'm longing for the idea of what we used to be instead of the reality of what we are. 

worn{date night}

I haven't been on a proper get a babysitter, get dressed up and go into to town night out with my husband in a long time. On a recent and very warm Saturday night, I headed out with the husband. 

If I'm being totally honest with you, getting dressed is a struggle. I'm not happy with my body or my weight right now. Putting on a pretty dress and a pair of heels to go out with my husband used to be something that I looked forward to doing several times a month. These days the opportunity to go it is rare and instead of jumping at the chance to do it, I kind of dread it. It's hard for me to feel good in something when I'm uncomfortable in my own skin.    

I bought this dress a few years ago at Forever 21 of all places and it's been a go-to ever since. It's short and flirty. The low back is sexy without being too revealing and the shoes, what? Doesn't every girl have a a fur trimmed strappy sandal as one of their wardrobe basics?      

The event we attended suggested "street chic" as the attire. For two forty something, suburban parents, I think we nailed it ;)   

Skirting the Issue {worn}

I haven't put much effort into myself lately. As my anxiety increases, it becomes very easy to cancel plans and opt to stay home and have "pajama days".

Over the weekend I had some time to myself. The boys went to a birthday party and I got myself dressed and out of the house. It was a gorgeous afternoon and for the first time in a long time, I wore something not for it's practicality but solely because it made me ridulously happy!    

This skirt has been a favorite for a few years. It seemed the perfect thing to thing to say goodbye to summer.  I love these shoes! They used to something I'd wear every day. I considered them "sensible". Ha! Oh, how times have changed.  

I love staying home with Rowan. It's exhausting but I wouldn't trade this season in my life for anything else in this world. But, on this beautiful afternoon, as I sat in the sun reading a book and drinking a glass of rosé, I remembered the person I used to be and she made me smile too. 

So, let's toast the changing seasons both literal and metaphorical. Cheers!  

The Girl in the Glasses

I've worn glasses since the second grade. So, more than 30 years. I never really had the urge to wear contacts. 15 years ago, I briefly worked for an optician and was able to try a pair for free. I lasted one night! Nope! Not for me! Glasses are a part of who I am and I feel weird without them.

However, glasses are expensive! I've been through periods where they were not covered by insurance and because I have a fairly intense prescription I would end up covering the entire $300-$500 cost out of pocket! Thankfully vision insurance now makes our out of pocket cost minimal but what's a girl to do when she wants a variety of cute frames to suit her mood but the insurance company will only spring for one pair per year?! Buy them online, of course! A few years ago I took the plunge and ordered my first pair online and I haven't looked back-no pun intended! 

Last week during one sleepless night, I got into my head that I needed new glasses. Not just any pair of new frames, but pink ones! I headed to Zenni where I've purchased four of my last five pairs to see what they had. My requirements are always the same- plastic, slightly oversized and square. It took me five minutes to find I pair I loved! It took me another minute to find the same frames in another color that I wanted too! In less than 10 minutes I purchased two complete pairs of prescription eyeglasses for under $20($17.46) and that was with shipping! They were in my mailbox 7 days later. I love them both! The ones on the left are little greener than I thought they would be but because the frames have the appearance of frosted glass they are more of a sea glass color-very soft and pretty. The pink are just fun!  Now that I've satisfied my need for pink glasses, I have to go back and buy the pair of heart shaped sunglasses I've been eyeing;) 

Blue Jean Baby {worn}

We've reached that point in summer when it is H O T and H U M I D. There's no way around it. So I choose to ignore it! There's no way around being hot so you might as well wear what  you want!  The top is 100% silk so it breathes! It was a thrift store score which means I'm not too afraid to wear it when I'm on mom duty. The jeans are my favorite high rise super stretch jeggings from American Eagle which means they're thinner than regular denim. The heels didn't last the whole day but I remained cool and relatively pulled together in this look. 

Can I talk for a minute about this Coach backpack? It's at least 15 years old, maybe closer to 20. It's so old I can't remember when I got it but look at how amazing it still looks! If you would have told me when I bought to haul around the crap of my young kids 15 or 20 years later it would be serving the exact same purpose I would have thought it was a joke. But, here we are. The more things change, the more they remain the same.   

Easy like Sunday morning {worn}

My anxiety seems to be in overdrive lately and part of taking care of myself is knowing my limitations and being realistic with my expectations. So, easy is my word for the summer! If it's not easy, it's not happening. Catch me in September for everything else!

And so, a favorite dress, a pair of sandals and big hair that doesn't require me to plug in my flat iron or curling wand all summer! It's taken me a bit to get used to it. I love big, beautiful natural hair but I'm still unsure of how I feel about it on me! On one hand, I like straight hair because my face is round and full and I've always thought it helped thin it out a little. But, on the other, I want to enjoy my summer without spending so much time straightening my hair into submission. 30 minutes start to finish and we were out the door on our way to Sunday brunch! 

Posh Frock {worn}

For the first time in a long time, I bought a dress! I didn't buy for a specific event. I didn't buy it after carefully considering its practicality or whether or not it was toddler-friendly. I bought because I loved it! And, when I put it on it made me happy! 

The dress is part of the Victoria Beckham line at Target. When she made the switch from Posh Spice to fashion designer there were lots of eyerolls. But even the naysayers have to admit, she came, she saw, she slayed! I had high hopes for her Target collab and she nailed it! Everything is solidly constructed and the fabrics she used are high quality, particularly for the price point. It's the first time in a long time that I've wanted to buy everything from a Target designer collab! And, if you have a baby or toddler girl...OMG...there are so many adorable things to buy!   

Simple {worn}

The weather has been all of over the place and I'm a little hesitant to declare spring weather is here to stay but, I think it may be here to stay! 

If my winter uniform was leggings and oversized sweaters then my warm weather go-to is an easy dress. Last week we enjoyed some summer-like temps and I took the opportunity to reacquaint myself with some of my favorite dresses. 

I'm guilty of falling into the same pattern as lots of other moms. When you spend your days at home with young kids worrying about getting dressed in something other than what is easy and comfortable is not something high on my to do list. It was nice to throw on a dress and remind myself that I'm more than Rowan's mom, soother of tears, meltdown manager, tiny shit hauler!

This outfit may have reminded of my pre toddler mom life but I quickly remembered why all of my favorite heels have been moved to the back of the closet! These lasted for approximately 15 minutes before they were swapped out for flat sandals!

Real talk...this is what 75% of the photos look like when you're trying to take blog pics and you have a curious 3 year-old! "mama, mama...this?" "smile, mama"