Family Musings

Last Fall I did something unusual. I wore the same dress for 31 days in a row. There are lots of reasons why I chose to do it and you can read about them in the first 2 posts I wrote, covering week 1 and week 2 of ODP11 (as it became known). It was an exciting fashion experiment for this unfashionable momma who is sitting in her pj's as she writes this post, even though it's almost 2 PM! For those of you who cheered me along or did the project with me, thank you. It made a huge difference to know I wasn't the only person who had to look at the same dress on the hanger each morning and try to find a way to make it new to me again. My friends Karissa , Ida, Cathy , and Shawna Lee all shared wrap up posts a long time ago and now it is time for me to add mine to the list. First, the pictures from the last 2 weeks of October 2011. Day 13, 14, 15, 16 Day 17, 19, 21, 24   There are several days missing from the last week and that is primarily because I was re...

Don't you just love it when an idea becomes reality? Me too! At the beginning of October, I posted about a possible re-design of my entryway . And over Thanksgiving break, Bruce turned my plan into reality! I am really pleased with the hooks we chose. They match the brushed nickel on the door knob and give a spot for a light back pack and a coat. We used 1x3s for the trim plus bulls-eye corner pieces to add a slightly decorative touch. Our not-so-little secret is that the entire thing is attached to the wall with Liquid Nails. Each piece was attached separately and we have to be careful that nothing really heavy hangs on it. But for our purposes it is absolutely perfect! What's your most recent home improvement project? I'm thinking I'll start working on the kitchen next. Do you have any good, inexpensive ideas for interesting backsplashes?

I love accessories. They can make any outfit go from just plain to something that looks like you actually care about how you present yourself. Something as simple as a single scarf can show that you put some thought into what you put on that morning. Recently, I was contacted by Versona Accessories to shop at the grand opening of their newest store in Lakeland, FL. Armed with a complementary $25 VIP gift card, I set off with both my girls to see what I could find. Initially, just from browsing around the Versona website , I did not have high hopes of getting too much out of my $25. They do not sell their items online, which means there were no prices. And my mom always taught me that if you have to ask how much something costs, you probably can't afford it. Plus, everything looks very nice so I knew it was going to be out of my price range. I. Was. Wrong. Versona Accessories is an amazing store to shop for just the right accessory. When I walked into the store the first se...

Another week of wearing the same fuschia dress every day is over. And I still like the dress! The half-way point is almost upon us and I haven't duplicated any looks yet. Plus, I still have more ideas from my closet. I've really learned that my closet is more versatile than I thought it was. It's really hard to say, "I don't have anything to wear," when I can make the same dress look so many different ways. Last week, in addition to showing you my daily outfits, I also shared with you my creative reason for participating in the October Dress Project. This week, I want to share another reason I took this challenge on - to practice humility. But I have a confession to make. I haven't felt very humble about my dress at all this month. Besides the taking and posting daily pictures of myself in the dress, I'm also getting a lot of positive feedback about how I look. It's hard to be humble when I am getting so much positive attention (which I...

It's so convenient that I decided to share some of my fashions with you last month . Because now, you'll be treated to a whole week of outfits all throughout October. That's because, as I mentioned last week, I'm participating in the October Dress Project . There are many reasons why I have committed to wearing the same dress for 31 days in a row. I'll try to share one reason each week, in no particular order. Last year I dove into the project because it seemed like a fun challenge that could break up some of the humdrumness of my daily life. And while it will do that for me again this year, one of my real reasons for participating is to work on my wardrobe creativity. I want to make a good impression each day when my husband comes home. By no means does this mean I have to fake anything, but it does reflect my belief that home should be a haven. And that means he doesn't need to walk in the door to a disaster zone, in the living room or on his wife. I just...

For years, I thought that I couldn't wear belts. My perception of the plus-size figure caused me to shy away from anything that came close to nipping me in or being close to the skin. Then I started noticing Shauna's blog, Penny Chic. She had a plus size model or two and they rocked the belts. It was amazing how they could pull it off. So, I started experimenting with the very small collection of belts in my closet. And I realized that they actually really work for my figured. It really helped when Penny Chic offered a Just My Size belt giveaway . I won and the belt arrived yesterday. With my new belt in hand, I dragged my husband outside to take some pictures so I could show you how the belt changes the way I look. (Plus, you get a sneak peak at my October Dress Project outfit for day 3!) See what I mean? The picture on the left makes me look a bit frumpy. And the middle picture is definitely an improvement. But the last picture... that's the winner! In my ...

I did a little better this week at trying to appear "put together." It will never happen 7 days a week since I stay in at least 2 and some days are morning rush out the door doesn't allow time for anything other than throwing on my mommy uniform. Playdate Chic Shirt: Old Navy, old; Cardigan: No Idea;  Shorts: Lane Bryant clearance; Belt: Wal-Mart, $4; Bracelet: Accessory swap; Necklace: Fancy Flea, $3  Sweet Sunday Chic Top: Kohl's, someone else paid for it; Earrings:  Premiere; Necklace: Sterling Grace; Hair Flower: 31 Purple Power Chic Dress: Wal-mart, $12; Leggings: Target, old; Belt: Thrifted, $0.70 The next four weeks of fashion are going to be entirely different! I am participating in the October Dress Project and will be styling the same dress for 31 days! But I'm not the only crazy one! There are 18 other women in Lakeland doing the same thing. Last night we participated in a photo shoot with Nate Mundell Photography . Here is the sh...

Inspired by some blogging friends, I've been trying to bust out of my jeans/capris and t-shirt/blouse routine. And since I'm always texting or calling them to ask if something works, I though I might give them a bit of a break and ask all of you. My idea is to post a couple of what I think are my fashionable outfits each week and let you politely and constructively chime in with your thoughts. This week, I have only one picture. It is the outfit I wore yesterday. I like this outfit because it includes a skirt, which I really do prefer wearing. I also like the accessories because I know how boring this outfit was before I added them. Skirt - Kohl's clearance, Shirt - Local Consignment Shop, Belt & Necklace - Lighthouse Thrift Store, Bracelet - Accessory Swap, Hair Flower - 31  I picked up several belts at the Lighthouse Thrift Store this week and this one is my favorite. Not only did it only cost $0.70, it is brand new and genuine leather with a chocolate brown s...

What exactly should you get your husband as an anniversary gift for year 13 ? Especially in a year when the schedule is as tight as the budget. The traditional list for anniversary gifts suggests lace. And I can think of some fun ways to interpret that for a husband... but none that I would blog about. The modern list for anniversary gifts suggests textiles or fur. Let's just say, I didn't go that route either. Instead, I gave him something very unconventional. He wasn't expecting it and it still made him smile the next morning when he saw it. What is this magical gift that makes him smile the next day and I can still blog about? I cleaned our master bedroom. Shocking. I know. I'm living on the edge here with my wild and crazy gifts. Seriously though, if you knew what I had to work with, you'd appreciate the 4 hours I spent working on the room to make it look like this: The scroll work piece over the bed is new to us and I finally hung it up. This sort ...

Every now and again I write a blog post but for a variety of reasons, decide not to publish it at that time. I was looking through my draft posts this morning and found this one from about December 2009 (3 months after Mary was born). I went to the mall this morning  again and experienced pretty much the same thing that I wrote about at that time. I figured it was okay to share the story now and don't really know why I didn't a year ago. ************************************ When I was checking out at a local department store the other night, the impeccably dressed, stylish, and decidedly size 6 cashier asked me, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" To be polite I affirmed that I had, rang up my small purchase, and moved on. But.... here is what I really wanted to say: "No. I didn't. I was unable to find a single piece of clothing in this store that didn't make me look like the cow I have become. I not only weigh more than I did 3 years...

It isn't often that I seek out products to review. I receive enough PR emails that I can typically pick and choose my opportunities. However, when I heard about Curly Girl The Handbook and that an expanded second edition was coming out soon, I contacted the publisher. Much to my delight, they sent me a hot off the presses copy to review along with travel sized samples of 4 Deva Curl hair products. Plus, they offered three more books to giveaway to my readers! I didn't expect to love the book as much as I do. But from the very beginning, my eyes were inundated with pictures of curly haired women with gorgeous locks. Never in my life can I recall seeing so many people with beautiful, bouncy curls. It was like hair heaven for me. In the past I've experimented with giving up shampoo . And you've born with me as I shared the results. But I never had staying power. And eventually I decided to add some fun, purple highlights to my hair , so I thought dropping my no-poo rou...

I love my purple hair. It makes me happy. It is an ice breaker with strangers. It keeps me from being pigeon-holed as a typical suburban, conservative stay at home mom. But I miss my no 'poo routine . I liked using baking soda and apple cider vinegar to clean my hair. It felt a little softer and was cleaner. However, the purple highlights mean no baking soda in the hair. It would strip all the color I just spent money putting in. So what to do... how should I keep my curly hair soft, manageable, and lovely? I only wash it on average twice a week right now because otherwise it gets dried out. I was doing some random blog hopping tonight and found this book called Curly Girl: The Handbook . And it sounds like exactly what I need. What really got me is that one of the bullet points on the cover is the "No Shampoo Epiphany." So mom, you wanted to know what was on my Christmas list. Well, now you know at least one thing. And you can just print the order confirmation fo...

Purple highlights were something I had been considering for a while. And finally, I did it. They make me happy every time I see them. Even though they seem super obvious in these photos, I don't think they are. It was just really bright outside when I took the pictures. To get these highlights done so they would be a bit subtle, I had the rest of my hair dyed back closer to my natural color. It looks darker than most people are used to because I had all over blond highlights before. To get such an intense purple (the color you see is after 5 washes), Elysia had to first stripped the color out. I am very happy with these highlights and definitely will be brave enough to experiment with color some more. Who knows, maybe I'll get a tattoo or some piercings next! Who says 32 is too old to have fun?!

"Grateful not only for the blessings I can count, but for the ones that can not be measured." For a few years now, I've slowly collected some Thanksgiving decorations in a frugal way by only buying them after the holiday. All with the good intentions of using them the next year. Well, you know what they say about good intentions. Good. (Because I don't, what do THEY say about good intentions?) Anyway, after a major reduction of goods was attempted when we moved to Lakeland in 2008, I fought to keep my holiday decorations on the promise that I would use them and not forget about them. Guess what happened. Yep. In 2008 I didn't decorate for Thanksgiving at all. I didn't even put up the 3' pre-lite tree I bought for Christmas. So this year, lest I be forced to give all of my Thanksgiving decorations away, I am using them. And I might even add to them when the post-Thanksgiving sales make everything 75-90% off. For those of you who are interested, here ...

After my quick success sewing up a few skirts for myself last week, I decided to tackle a small project for Charlotte using my sewing scraps. I sincerely had no idea what I would end up making her when I started. A dress? A skirt like mine? A summer shirt? I just started throwing some pieces together, trimming them, and adding a couple more pieces until I liked it. I added some eyelit to dress it up a little too. Fortunately, I had a willing model and these photos are the result.        This dress is so far from perfect it is funny. I can't even begin to list all the mistakes and problems with it. Overall though, I like the concept and will try it again with far better execution. What do you think? What do you do with your sewing scraps?

Why does it have to be so hard for a short girl to find well-fittting maternity clothes? Seriously? Is it too hard to make maternity clothes in petite lengths? I don't think I am asking too much here folks. After finally being frustrated with the state of maternity clothes for short people, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I made myself 5 new skirts (inspired in part by my friend Katie ) with on sale fabric. Each of these skirts cost me about $5 and took less than 35 minutes to make (once I got the first one done, which required 2 redos). Are they going to win an award on Project Runway? Not a chance. Tim Gunn would be all over the fact that I used black thread for all three skirts. But the first two skirts were black and I was too lazy to switch the thread out. However, they are long enough for me to sit on the floor tailor style while playing with Charlotte and still cover me. Plus, I made them super comfy, giving my belly plenty of room to grow. To the right i...