Thoughts of the Day
My life has qualified me as "experienced" on such topics as Army life, parenting, mental health, loss and grief, multi-tasking, and adapting to all things new (good, bad, or indifferent). I will share my thoughts on these topics and hopefully you will find some calm in the chaos knowing that others have been where you are.
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Does My Outfit Offend You? & Link Up On the Edge #61 with Gamiss
Does my outfit offend you? Yes, this outfit. A modest midi length dress for fall. With a flouncy layered skirt and a plain black knit top. Perhaps the print is too much? Probably not. The mustard cardigan too bright? Doubtful. The simple gold leaf necklace? How could that possibly be offensive? Maybe it’s the lace up low block heeled pumps? But how? *This is a sponsored post. This dress was given to my by Gamiss in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. *Dress: Leaf Print A Line Ruffle Plus Size Dress ($21.66) c/o Gamiss. Maybe I have misinterpreted your look of disdain as your…
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What Lies Within: Peacocks, Spirit Animals, and The Tarot Cafe with #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #38
You know that old adage never judge a book by its cover? It is a truth universally acknowledged but quite often forgotten in practice. Without my waxing very philosophical in this post, I am going to show you why this saying is so important for the survival of kindness among the human race. *This post is sponsored by Zaful. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. Cape: Chiffon Peacock Design Festival Long Hooded Cape ($11.49) c/o Zaful. There’s a cafe in my small town. It’s called The Tarot Cafe. As one approaches the entrance of this unique and mysterious coffee house, you are met with a seemingly dark and…
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How To Wear White When You Have Dirty Little Boy Children
Originally, I was going to title this post How To Wear White After Labor Day, but then I thought, “Eh. Everyone is posting that topic in September.” And then I realized that the passing of Labor Day never prevented me from wearing white anyway. What caused my hesitation about white outfits was my dirty little boy children with their filthy little paws, their tendency to spill, and their all around grimy boyness. Therefore, due to my personal experiences, this is a much more appropriate way to approach the topic of a white outfit. *Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the winner of my Homecoming Dress GIVEAWAY from JJ’s House.…
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Inspired by Random-osity: Peaceful Retreat
Tamar of Random-osity shared a post about the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago. It was a short post with beautiful photographs of the cathedral both inside and out and it included very few words. But these words struck a chord and sent me deep within myself and searching the furthest recesses of my memory: “[I]t’s a stunning architectural work that I found to be my peaceful retreat early in my college years. The second I entered the main chapel I sighed and felt at peace.” *This is not a sponsored post. And so the thought process began: When was the last time I had a peaceful…
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Be Your Own Art with Zaful
This post is inspired by a comment that I received from a dear friend last week in response to The Appropriate Trap. Her name is Hallie and she and I were very good friends many years ago back in our days of singledom. Marriage, kids, careers, moving, and life in general separated us long ago, but with the power of social media we have remained connected. I think of Hallie often as she always inspired me creatively especially with regard to fashion. (She and I also have 2 matching tattoos which tends to keep her close to my heart as well.) *This post is sponsored by Zaful and DressLily. All…
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The Appropriate Trap & Link Up On the Edge #60
There’s a lot of talk in the blogging community as well as in the fashion world about where women of a certain age fit into the whole spectrum. And by a certain age, I mean my age, or midlife, or any age over 30 really. We are told by society what’s appropriate at our age as far as our style goes which includes everything from our clothes, our shoes, our hair and makeup. In fact, it is being dictated exactly how we should act, feel, and present ourselves once we cross that threshold (30 years) into official “mature adulthood”. Whatever the hell that means. I figured it was high time…
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How To Feel Like a Million Bucks in an Eleven Dollar Dress
I have been planning this post for quite some time (these photos are from my professional shoot done back in July with Sarissa Marissa Photography), all the while planning to title it “How To Look Like a Million Bucks in an $11 Dress”. But something in that title was not sitting well with me. Who am I to say that I look like a million bucks? It felt sort of pretentious and arrogant. And that is so not me. Plus, how I look is completely subjective to the viewer’s eyes. And I am never one to dictate to anybody what they should think, perceive, feel, like, or dislike. But I…
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Nine Must-Haves for Starting Out On Your Own
Now that summer is coming to a close and students are heading back to school, there is an entire population of young people who are about to embark on the scariest adventure of their lives: starting out on their own. This first step into adulthood can be quite overwhelming and somewhat intimidating. And let’s face, there is no manual. There are no books of how-to’s and what-to-expect’s that cover everything you need to know to prepare you for the obligations and responsibilities of what adulthood holds. So as a follow up to my Letter to Myself at 18 Years Old, I am going to share my own personal list of must-haves…
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Happiness is the Journey with Happiness Boutique
Have you ever heard someone say that they are trying to be happy? I never quite understand this when people I meet express that they are exerting a concerted effort to be happy. Does it really take all that much effort? Or is it simply a choice? Can’t you just wake up in the morning and decide that today you will choose happiness? *This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I understand that we have bad days. Everyone does. And sometimes a perfectly good day can be completely derailed by a series of unfortunate events. A perfectly good day can even be perfectly ruined by…
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In Search of the Extraordinary & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #34
This post is going to be more than just about spreading the kindness. I am hoping to spread awareness, share information, and possibly even gain some knowledge. First, I have to provide you with a little bit of background information. *This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I turned 43 years old this year. My husband is 36 and my children are 6 and 4. The most important people in my life are much younger than me. My father died at the age of 54. My mother at the age of 57. That is 11 and 14 years older than I am right now.…
