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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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.…
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We Failed as Vintage Housewives with DressLily
A few weeks ago, Amy and I decided we were going to spend the entire day trying to be vintage housewives. So we put on our best vintage inspired dresses, added our favorite shoes, and spent the day lounging on her porch while the children played in the yard. *This is a sponsored post. DressLily provided me with this dress. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. Amy has a copy of the infamous Good Wife’s Guide hanging in her kitchen. If you are not familiar with this guide, it is rumored to be an article that was published in May of 1955 in a magazine called Housekeeping Monthly.…
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My Favorite Time of Year: Back to School with Zaful
I have always loved the beginning of the school year. For as long as I can remember, the whole process of getting ready for the new year to start was just so exciting to me. Shopping for a new wardrobe and school supplies was my favorite part of the summer! Clearly, I have always loved clothes, but I also have forever had a fascination with pens, paper, notebooks, and other similar items. But I also looked forward to the beginning of every new school year with the expectation that a new year meant a new beginning. A chance to try things a little differently than the year before. An opportunity…
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The Message Beneath Your Hat: The Transformative Powers of Headwear with Rosegal
There is power in a hat. It creates a sense of mystery. A sense of style. It gives the vibe of confidence. And strength. It makes people notice. And wonder. And even question. Who is that under that hat? Are they hiding from something? From someone? Or are they just hiding something? *This is a sponsored post. I was given this hat in exchange for a blog post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. “I have a hat. It is graceful and feminine and gives me a certain dignity, as if I were attending a state funeral or something. Someday I may get up enough courage to…
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The Zyrtec Itchies & A Zaful Dress
I have a little story to share. And a cute little dress from Zaful. Hopefully, it is helpful to some. The story. Not the dress. Although I do hope you like the dress, too. It was gifted to me by Zaful to share with you all. *This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Back to my story. The information I am about to share would have been quite helpful to me had I known. But I found out the hard way. It seems that the popular over the counter allergy medication, Zyrtec, is quite physically addicting and you can experience some horrendous withdrawal symptoms when…
