All about me

Tag, I'm it!

The lovely and talented Mervat from the clever blog, The Writing Instinct, has tagged me. Here's how it goes:

1. Respond and rework. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.

2. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

What is your current obsession?

Blogging :)

Good fika place? (That would be coffee to us non-Swedes)

My dining table, first thing in the morning. All the better if I can manage to get up before the kids & DH and be alone with my notebook and pen in front of me, waiting to see what thoughts pop into my head, drinking coffee and staring out my window.

Do you nap a lot? No, if I nap I have trouble falling asleep at night…I am prone to insomnia.

Who was the last person you hugged? My children, both at once, while sitting with them on the sofa watching Thomas the Train.

What’s for dinner? Chickpeas w/spinach, tomatoes and garlic, maybe over brown rice -- it was delish :)

What was the last thing you bought? Aside from food, a waterproof tote bag for my books

What are you listening to right now?

The sound of my kids gleefully running back and forth from one end of the house to the other, getting their ya-ya's out before bedtime.

What is your favourite weather?

I like it cool, early spring or fall, and I like gray days – not rainy, just soft gray. Everything looks brighter against a gray sky.

What’s on your bedside table?

I don’t have a bedside table, but there are bookshelves nearby. On top is a glass bowl filled with bracelets, an alarm clock & sound machine, and a mirror resting against the wall. The shelves are filled with books.

Say something to the person/s who tagged you.

Mervat, I’m enjoying getting to know you via your blogs SOOO much! Your writing is so rich and layered, and I keep poking around and reading back posts, always finding lovely little gems. Thanks for tagging me :)

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?

That’s tough. It would probably be in Wellfleet or Truro, Cape Cod MA, but I could see living in a small city too, some sort of brownstone or townhouse in a quaint neighborhood.

Favorite vacation spot? Cape Cod, see above.

Name the things you can’t live without.

Well, my DH & kids aren’t things, but I sure couldn’t live without them. In terms of objects…books, my computer, cardigans, coffee, white wine, valerian, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, oh, and chocolate. Did I mention chocolate?

What would you like to have in your hands right now? A finished manuscript for my first novel!

What is your favourite tea flavour?

I go through phases with flavors, but my all time fave is regular run of the mill Tetley with lots of milk and sugar the way my grandmother used to make it for me. Although now I use soymilk and Stevia.

What would you like to get rid of? All the residual clutter in my basement, anxiety, and about 10 lbs.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Truthfully? For an hour I would just like a glass of wine and either some alone time with my husband, or with my computer to write ;)

What did you want to become as a child?

I commented on this topic on another blog (the blue kimono) recently, but I do remember wanting to “make books” as a child and writing down little stories. I would fold them up into booklets and make construction paper covers for them. I wish I still had them.

What do you miss? (This is Belette Rouge's question)

Being able to experience empty silence, without anxiety.

What are you reading right now? I’m almost done with a novel by Roxana Robinson, “This is my Daughter” and I also have been skipping around in a couple books on writing.

What do you fear the most? (Andrea’s question)

I'm a thrombophiliac, so I fear having a stroke and being incapacitated. I don't fear death, much, but I don't like the idea of being an invalid, or not being able to pursue my passions, or most of all not being essentially "me".

This is the one I (Kayleigh) changed: What piece of clothing would you most like to own that you don’t have?

I would like to have comfortable, non-leather, turquoise blue wedge platform sandals. That or the perfect green, cotton, short-sleeved cardigan for summer.

Admit one thing you feel awful about. Once you have written it down, you are no longer allowed to feel bad. My (Mervat's) question

Since I can’t feel bad about it once I write it, I’ll choose something fairly innocuous. I had to reschedule a doctor’s appointment and did it at a time usually reserved for one on one time with my daughter. I’ll make it up to her, so I should stop feeling bad about it…right….now!

Here’s my (Kayleigh’s) added question: What have you let go of?

My own answer: perfection.



I tag the following bloggers, though I can't say for sure they haven't already been tagged at least to my immediate knowledge at the very minute I write this, they haven't been:

Shallow Coffee, notSupermum, Udarata Kella, Style Klutz , My Shenanigans , I need a makeover , Already Pretty, Africana 's Wardrobe Diary

Rainy Days and Mondays

Ok, I know it's not Monday -- but I took these pictures yesterday, so it still counts. They are both bad pictures of a good coat, so I'm hoping that the two added together will equal one decent view.

The trench was bought at Target last summer, off the clearance rack for about 15 bucks or so. It is a lovely peachy coral color -- the blurry picture is more true to the real color than the clear shot w/the flash.

There's something very cheerful about a bright trench like this on a dark rainy day...helps you remember that pretty spring flowers need those torrential April showers. Plus, I'm very easy to spot -- no chance of me getting lost in the fog, lol!

The umbrella was from Target too, and the waterproof tote bag is from Borders (where the rest of my money goes that doesn't get spent at Target, lol!)

Have a peachy keen day -- see ya tomorrow!

Just in time

Egads, busy day, very late to get this posted!

Right after we snapped this photo the torrential downpours let loose -- and it's supposed to continue until late tomorrow. My timing was good, tho, because I managed to get to the market and back, AND lug in all the groceries first. Oh, and I got the mail, too. A perfect (and dry) trifecta :D

The blouse is from Kohls and I love, love, love the watery blue & green colors. The cardigan is from NY&Co, the jeans from Target and the plum Sofft Maryjanes are secondhand.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend replete with perfect timing!!!

PS: Busy day coming on Monday, might not get a picture up until Tuesday. See ya then :D

Why am I here?

A recent post over at the thought provoking blog, “the blue kimono”, really struck me. The delightful Sallymandy posed the seemingly simple question, “Why do people post photos of their clothing?” What struck me in particular was that I didn’t really have a clear answer at first, yet I’ve been doing just that for almost 5 months now.

I guess my own answer to Sallymandy’s question all started with, believe it or not, watching an episode of “What Not To Wear”. I’d been aware of the show’s existence prior, but never actually seen it. I had made assumptions about it, though…it was sexist, mean, touted unrealistic ideals of beauty, focused too much on women’s appearances and there was quite enough of that already, etc. I've blogged about how I lost alot of weight a few times before. Yet I still didn’t always feel so hot about how I looked. Suffice is to say my body image was severely out of whack and the last thing I needed was some stupid show to make me feel worse!

However, when I happened to watch the program I found something unexpected. Bottom line -- they didn’t really criticize the person’s body, just how they’d been dressing it, how they presented it. And it wasn’t about trends or keeping up with fads, it wasn’t about being some slave to fashion. It was actually the opposite, it was about making a woman’s own particular body look good, celebrating her positive features and making her feel better about her appearance, which inevitably made her feel better about herself.

It may sound grandiose, but it seemed to me that dressing well could be an act of empowerment, and it belonged to every woman, no matter her size, age or wallet capacity.

That was HUGE for me.

Size didn’t matter, fit did. My body is what it is, and it was bound to change throughout my life anyway…all of our bodies change, our appearance is never static. I just needed to find the most flattering clothes for my individual shape and I could take some control over what I saw in the mirror. Whether we like it or not we each make a statement about ourselves based on how we appear, without even saying a word. Unless we live in a cave, that matters. It's not about being perfect or matching some arbitrary ideal. It's about attitude and reflections. How we present ourselves speaks volumes about how we feel and what kind of person we are. The good news is the impression we make is actually up to us.

So, the journey began. During the course of this process I discovered blogs, blogs by real women with real (and beautiful) bodies, wearing real clothes. They inspired me more than words can express. They continue to do so, every day – and I know for every one of them there are dozens more inspirational women out there finding strength in expressing themselves via their clothing choices in a world that can, sadly, twist that act into something negative…yet they, each in their own way, keep it real and beautiful.

I realized that if I could gain all of that from some TV show and a handful of blogs that maybe others could benefit from seeing me go through my particular journey, knowing that I am just like them, a regular woman with “flaws” and body issues, just trying to dress myself to my best advantage as an act of self-love and empowerment.

And so here I am.

I want to deeply thank the wonderful Sallymandy for making me really think about all this and find some clarity for myself. What a great, poignant question she posed...there are no doubt many possible answers…each as diverse as the lovely mosaic of women’s individual styles.

Blizzard!!!

Ha, made ya look -- April Fool's!

It's nice and sunny, no snow in the forecast :)

This gray Croft & Barrow shirt from Kohls is more of a winter one, so it's the last time I'll probably wear it till the fall. Spring is sometimes bittersweet, you have to say goodbye to seasonal clothing you've come to rely on frequently.

The aqua cardigan is from NY&Co, the pin was from an Etsy destash purchase and the heart locket was a gift from my mother.

The jeans are Target, the gray Maryjane Franco Sarto pumps are secondhand.

I hope everyone has a great day -- and that's no foolin :)

Meltdown & family history

The nice thing about sleeting ice storms is that if the weather warms up just a tad then it turns to rain & the slushy mush melts away....meaning no snow on my deck! Thus the shoes :) In fact, this was taken earlier and now the sun is shining and there's barely even a trace of snow left.

These are all pieces I've worn before and some of my faves. I love the argyle sweater vest and the green pin tuck blouse together, both of which are from NY&Co. The camisole is from a discount store -- I think?

The denim pencil skirt is Old navy and the tights are Target. The plum Maryjane's are secondhand. The pendant is a trinket from my late paternal grandmother. I put it on the chain it hangs from now, tho. (sorry, no close-up, the pic didn't take, darn it!)

This grandmother, called "Me-Me" by us, was an antiques, vintage & collectibles dealer. Throughout her career she did flea markets, auctions & antique shows, as well as appointments...and also had a permanent booth in one of those antique malls in South Jersey. Mind you, all of this took place after my grandfather died -- she began this venture in her 60's and worked well into her 80's, nearly right up until her death. Talk about reinventing yourself!

She dealt mostly, but not exclusively, with furniture, china & glass, lugging it around in a giant van packed full to the roof, going off every weekend hither and yon to the various shows. People marveled at her fortitude, to say the least, lol. This was no delicate "little old lady" -- she could be tough and often lacked tact, usually saying whatever was on her mind. Me-Me was shrewd and no nonsense, always looking for a bargain. But she had a good heart and people respected her.

I'd like to think she'd enjoy this blog and seeing some of her jewelry every now & then. No doubt she'd have plenty to say about my outfits, lol, and not all of it flattering. But I think over all she'd be totally tickled with the idea of me reinventing & rediscovering myself. Yup, Me-Me would approve :)

Have a great day -- see ya tomorrow!

A casual, comfy, cold confession

Ok, really it's not so much a confession as an explanation, but the word 'explanation' didn't fit my alliteration (tho that did just sort of rhyme!)

Anyway.....I didn't wear the outfit in yesterday's photo. It was mostly an experiment. And I admit that I wasn't 100% confident in the ensemble, tho I do think it has major potential. Plus it didn't meet the needs of my day.

This outfit is what I actually wore. I needed tried & true, comfy & casual plus warm. This fit the bill and was colorful to boot :) Underneath it all? Yup, my warm Cuddl Duds are keeping me toasty per usual!

The sweater is Chaps from Kohls and yes, I have it in another color (more confessions, lol). The jeans are Ralph Lauren, the brown short boots are my practical & sure-footed Aerosoles , which I've blogged about before.

The scarf came from one of those "girl" stores in the mall -- you know the ones, all pink & sparkly with Hannah Montana plastered all over everything. My 7yo DD isn't into any of that, but she does deeply love pink. So when I spotted a pair of fuschia snow boots in the window I ventured inside to look around. She got the boots and I picked up this scarf for myself.

We're having a snowy & sleety mess of a day so I'm staying in -- see ya tomorrow!

Changing a leopard's spots

Yesterday I revisited a blue dress and made what I think was a better outfit by pairing it with a cardi in a contrasting but neutral color not actually occuring in the print of the dress.

That got me to thinking about a leopard patterned blouse I bought last year. I loved the animal print combined with the prim ruffled detail. However, all the outfits I've tried to create with it just didn't look right to my eye; I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that was hitting the wrong note. It was the color, surely...but why?

Once, when I went to buy a carmel colored coat from an upscale consignment boutique, the owner told me it was a mistake because it matched my hair too much. I happen to love that color and often gravitated towards it. But as soon as she said that about my hair it became crystal clear she was right -- completely engulfed in carmel, topped further with my own amber locks, would be totally overwhelming.

It dawned on me the same holds true for most leopard prints -- all those colors echo the golds & browns in my hair along with my pale beige skin tones. So I tried pairing the blouse with first a chocolate brown and then a black cardi...but it was still too much in the same color family and didn't do the trick.

Perhaps there needed to be a stronger contrast in order for the colors to work?

And that brought to mind the ever fashionable Karen from the blog Of A Certain Age. During the popular Wardrobe Capsule Challenge put forth by the lovely Jane of WorkThatWardrobe back in December, Karen mixed patterns & color in a way I never would have thought of by combining a leopard cardigan with a printed blouse & fairly bright blue skirt -- here, see for yourself. Well, I wondered if a similarly colored blue cardi I have would make a leopard print more suitable for my complexion.

This photo is the result -- what do you think? I like it! Tho I might try a different necklace next time...something a little more bold, simple & singular.

Many thanks, Karen, I never would have thought to try this if not for your lovely & creative ensemble. I love this blogging community...inspiration abounds :)

Blue printed dress - revisited

I've worn this dress from Chadwick's twice -- and not been all that happy about how the outfit turned out each time. See for yourself: here & here.

Sometimes we need expand our view and step back from our style choices to get a different perspective of a particular garment. This was one of those times for me. I saw the blues in this dress and originally just thought blue cardi or jacket to go with it. Although I did use brown for the accessories, for whatever reason I felt compelled to repeat or pick up the blues in the other layers I chose.

But since the brown boots worked so well, and since I really hated both sweaters with it the other times I wore it, I decided to go for my tried & true brown cardigan and see what happened. It worked MUCH better and this is the best incarnation of the outfit yet, IMO -- don't you think so?

The beaded necklaces & bracelets are from a dollar store, the brown boots are Target. The cardigan is Paul Richards from Macy's and the belt was thrifted. The ring was actually a quarter at a local garage sale.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Tag, I'm it!

I've been tagged -- and I'm a tag virgin, so it's my first time :) The gorgeous Kristen of Shallow Coffee is the culprit, and now here's what I had to do:

Show the 4th picture from the 4th folder in your pictures. Then tag 4 more!

The Rules:
1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

The required picture actually turned out to be one of my faves, so I'm very happy to post it. This was taken about 2yrs ago when my kids were about 5 yrs old & 5 mos old, respectively. DD was (and still is!) thrilled to be a big sis & dotes on DS to no end, which I think you can see by her happy little face in the photo. Yup, I'm a proud mom :)

Just for the heck of it I also went into my outfit photo folder and pulled the 4th picture from there. It was a reject, never used. If you look closely, you can see the reflection of my DH in the window. You can also see that my poses have improved somewhat, lol!

Ok, here are my four tagged blogs:

Style Klutz

notSupermum

Already Pretty

Africana's- Wardrobe Diary

Can't wait to see what you all post :)

Thanks Kristen -- this was fun :D

Have a great day & a great weekend everyone!!!!

Layered chocolate

Gee, the post title makes me sound like a cake :)

I'm actually referring to the fact that I am wearing multiple layers of chocolaty colors -- even right down to the unseen long johns, my now trademark Cuddl Duds.

The short-sleeved, chocolate brown sweater is Simply Vera, Vera Wang for Kohls. I adore the color and the faux layered look but the cut is a little boxy -- I probably wouldn't purchase it if buying now. I've learned so much while doing this blog about what shapes are most flattering to my body that I'm a bit more picky about that. However, under a nicely cut cardigan it looks totally fine so it will still get some use.

Speaking of the cardi, I also wore it on Friday. I really do consider this one of my favorite go-to pieces, especially when I don't even have time to think (like today!) Incidentally, it's from JC Penny and on sale now for $14.99 if anyone is interested. It comes in 3 other colors, too, just FYI.

The jeans are my VERY oft worn Ralph Lauren. The brown short boots are What's What by Aerosoles Embrace. They have a chunky heel so are great on potential slippery days when you want safety without sacrificing at least a little height. Perhaps not the most fashion forward footwear, but they are uber comfy and being nondesript aren't a major outfit detraction, either.

The wooden beaded necklaces are interesting -- both sets are African, the larger one was purchased in a museum shop, the smaller set was actually found years later by my DH in an abandoned office. I know their origin because both had detailed tags which I did save, but cannot seem to find for this writing.

Good gosh, for a woman w/no time I sure went into alot of detail about my simple little ensemble today, lol! Oh well...have a wonderful day everybody!