You Make It Work

Dress – bought in Spain
Boots – Threadsence
Belt – American Eagle
Earrings – F21

A tripod, a backyard, a remote control, and a curious toddler equals some fun shots, but also some shots in which the blurred face of your baby girl investigating the beeping light takes up most of the frame.  
When you’re a mama, you got to make it work!  
I’m slowly learning that art.
It’s a work in progress.
Quote of Today:
“She’s delightfully annoying!”

Scene Stealer

Top – Maddy…K
Shorts – Ruche
Shoes – Payless
Earrings – handmade gift 
There I am trying to take some outfit shots and Drake up and walks in and pees in them again!  That dog is such a ham and scene stealer.  I just love him.
Happy anniversary dear Husband.  You’ve survived in the same house with me for 8 years, and I haven’t smothered you for your snoring…yet.

Quote of Today:
“Hang in there.”

If The World Never Hears Of Me…

Hat – F21
Dress – Ruche
Shoes – I forget
Belt – Came with a dress
… at least I was happy.
Sometimes I think that’s all I can hope for. 
Other days, I strive and fight to carve out my own little piece in the collective consciousness. 

What is this need in us to push forward and etch our mark on the soft, drying concrete of the world in order to be remembered by the generations that come after?  
Is it a knowledge of our own mortality? 
Or is it a fear of our own unimportance?

Random Sundays: Can I Borrow These?

She’s starting early.

In My Skivvies

*This was originally a guest post on another blog, but I wanted to share it with you as well*

I’m talking about your skivvies today!  As a fashion/style blogger I read other blogs for inspiration.  Lately, I’ve come to realize that no blogger, not one, has talked about their underwear.  Underwear can make or break an outfit, but it’s something no one talks about.

I honestly think that sometimes, it’s more important than your shoes!  Now, don’t worry.  You’re not going to see any photos of me in my underwear.  Just ’cause I wear it, doesn’t mean I want to show you.  But I will talk honestly about it.

With shorts you might think you can wear anything you like.  But these shorts are made from a soft material that glides.  So if I wore those simple cotton undies that cut my bum *oh come on!  You know you have them!* it would look really bad.  These required seamless panties.

Also, you should note I don’t wear things unless I absolutely have to.  I know some women swear by them and find them super comfy.  I’m not one of them.  No thank you!

Loose dress like this?  Same deal as the shorts because it’s a silky material.  The material would show my bum and hips cut into as I moved and that would ruin the line.  Now I can pose just so for a photo, but I’m talking about real life.

Now here’s an outfit you can wear your cotton, “today-is-laundry-day” underwear with.  This dress has a full pleated skirt and is made from a stiff, heavy cotton.  This puppy isn’t showing anything!  In fact, I’m wearing my plain, pink cotton undies right here.  That’s riiight!

Okay, now this dress was a challenge!  I wore a nude strapless bra since the dress spaghetti strapped.  And I wore nude, tight booty short underwear.  In this case I did too good a job.  See, the dress is slightly sheer, and when the light shone just right you could see the outline of my body giving the distinct illusion that I’m nude underneath.  So even though I was totally covered up beneath it, I looked very exposed.  This dress is an example of intentionally choosing the wrong underwear.  In this case, I’m going to wear this dress with a half slip so that it’s visible that I’m not indeed nude.

Hope you liked getting underneath the hood of a fashion blogger!

One Single Moment

Top – hand me down
Dress – Zara (less than $20 on sale!)
Boots – Threadsence
Rings – Ruche and Threadsence
Hat – F21
Necklace – bought in Spain
There are days I just feel beautiful.  Days where all the imperfections on my body are no longer present, where the societal pressures are for one perfect moment held at bay.  A perfect moment frozen, where I am a beautiful creature without pride or arrogance, but just in honest appreciation of the being that was created me.  For one shining moment I see myself as I was intended.

I wish I could capture that feeling.  Bottle it.  And give it to every young woman, to my daughter, so she can stand in appreciation of her self.  Always and forever.

Quote of Today:
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring” – Marilyn Monroe

Egg Zeppelin

Top – Ruche
Shorts, Sunnies, and Earrings – F21
Shoes – Payless
Practicality does not necessarily have to be boring, predictable or dull.  This was a necessary practical outfit.   I went to photograph a show, called Egg Zeppelin, and I needed something that allowed me unrestricted freedom of movement, would keep me cool, and still have a certain level of professionalism about it. Did I mention that it needed to keep me cool?  It was hot, humid and sticky outside!
True Story:
We have to keep a close eye on our coffee cups in this house.  
The second you leave one unattended Baby Girl is drinking from it like a dying man in the middle of a dessert who’s been given a keg of water.  
Who knew that unsweetened, bitter coffee was baby heroin?

A Touch Harsher And Louder

Top – H&M
Skirt – Moon Collection
Shoes – Payless
Earrings & Sunnies – F21
Necklace – gift from Poland
I’m in one of those moods today.   You know the one.  Life is a bit surreal.  Problems seem abundant and much more difficult to deal with than they probably are. Sounds are a touch harsher and louder.  The lights are just off and not quite right.  It’s one of those days in which it is best to retreat into a bubble of your own making, surrounded by your favorite shows, a cup of tea and whatever else gives you comfort.  
I’m going to do just that, when I get the time.  Right now, I’m on single mother duty because of another one of Andrew’s business trips and will indulge those fantasies just as soon as Baby Girl is asleep.  For now, the hope of my favorite show and a cup of tea will have to carry me through whatever the day has in store. 
I know tomorrow will be fresh and I’m sure I’ll come up with another crazy idea that will have me giddy with glee.  
And that’s something to get excited about. 

Quote of Today:
“Are you saying…..oh no, you’re saying ‘truck.’  That could be embarrassing in public.”

Trick Question

Dress – Trashy Diva
Shoes – Payless
Necklace – gift from Poland

You know that question women ask, “Does this make me look fat?”  It’s a trick question.  It’s a trap, and there’s no easy way to navigate out of it.  So Andrew asked me the male version of this same question while we were watching the Olympics, “Would you rather I have a gymnast’s body or a swimmer’s body?”  There’s no easy way to navigate that one.  Just walk away, head into the kitchen, pour both of you a nice scotch and change the subject. 
Thank you Laphroaig peaty scotch for getting me out of that one.

p.s.  I’m so glad you all like the Coffee Talk Vids – more coming up next Friday, August 17th.  In the meantime, might I suggest checking out the July LookBook Video or watching me in Posthuman?

Quote of Today:
“And God promised men that good an obedient wives would be found in all corners of the world. Then he made the earth round…and laughed and laughed and laughed.”

A Dress To Travel In

Necklace & Earrings – Ruche
Dress – bought in Spain
Shoes – Payless
Some items, like this dress, are just magical.  They transport us to another time and have so much history in them that you just feel completely different when you don them.  Every shift, every movement, every graze of my skin by this fabric remind me of something new long forgotten.  This dress was new when I bought it, but it spent so many days on the beach in Spain with me, so many sips of port on the Portuguese coast, so many rays of sunshine were imbued in its every thread while walking the paths of Greece, Spain, France and so many others that I can feel the sea, the wine, the memories in its very aura.  
Since then, it has become my travelling dress.  Every trip taken from the moment of purchase has involved this patch of fabric.  Not just because it travels well, but because I can’t imagine taking a trip without my old travelling companion. 
Camera, passport, and a dress to travel in. 
*These are the last outfit shots hanging out on my computer from my B.C. trip.  I thought it was about time I posted them.  In the background there is Molly, the fabulous dog who was my Drake the Dog substitute while I was away.  Granted she’s about three gazillion times the size, but just as cuddly.*  

Quote of Today:
“‘Cause I’m watching men jump,” said my Husband.
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