Going Green

Today, my mother in law texted me and asked me if I'd ever considered blogging about any healthy meal recipes I use to cook for my family.

I giggled upon receiving it.  And promptly texted her back to let her know that I really didn't think anyone would be interested in the boring meals I prepare for my family.  :)  Trust me, there's really NOTHING for you to learn from me when it has to do with the kitchen.

She was referring to a pretty significant lifestyle change that we made a few years ago...  You can read more about it here:

Food Challege

In looking through the ol' archives, I discovered that was four years ago.  I remember it quite clearly... freaking out after watching the documentary, Food, Inc.  I've mentioned that I'm a person of extremes??? I went through my pantry and refrigerator and purged nearly everything.  I researched and studied and shopped.  All organic fruits and veggies.  Some organic meats. Organic milk.  That year, the boys received all organic candies in their Easter baskets.  I looked for more natural hygienic products:  soaps, shampoos, deodorants, toothpastes.  I even threw away all of my perfume.  I started buying toilet paper and paper towels from whole foods stores, because I learned that the standard brands actually used BLEACH to whiten their products.  Ick.  I got rid of any plastic in our cupboards and replaced it with glass... (which my siblings just LOVE, because they're so nervous that their little ones might break something during a meal...)  I started looking into alternative cleaning products, that had naturally based ingredients.  And don't even get me started on sunscreen.

In other words, I drove myself insane.  I felt like I needed to catch up!  What had I been doing all this time, poisoning my family????  How could I not have known????  All of my babies wore disposable diapers, for goodness sake!!!!

Well, as usual, time passed... I chilled.  

I just couldn't keep with it all.  Every article I read, I learned something else I needed to avoid.  Hello, living-in-a-bubble.

So, maybe my next few posts will consist of some of my findings... Anyone who tries to make healthy lifestyle choices for their family has their little tricks of the trade.  :)  Some things may be more important to one person than to another, depending on whatever given variable.

And since I'm bored with my fashion posts, there's no reason not to mix it up.  :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"Bet Ya Didn't Know":

History of St. Patrick's Day

Fun with green this weekend.  :)

Blue

Today was a lunch date with my sister-in-law.  We don't get to visit with my husband's brother's family as much as we'd like.  They only live a couple of hours away, but the calendar seems to fill up and days fly by and before we know it, it has been months again since we've seen them.  Today, my SIL had to drive to our area for an appointment, so we were able to fit in a quick lunch before she headed home.  Here we are:

And here's what I wore (I'm actually starting to bore myself with my outfit posts... maybe it's already time to move on????.....)

Tshirt:  Target
Vest:  2nd hand
Boyrfriend jeans:  JCP

 TOMS

 Bracelet:  DIY

 Headband:  Target

80 degrees???!!!!

Oh my goodness, no sooner did I post about spring being on it's way, we got hit with a couple of days in the lower 80s!!!

Seriously.... I'm not ready for this yet. Give me a few weeks in the mid 60s.... That sounds lovely.... But I will NOT say I'm not enjoying the sunshine and the open windows. :) As you see, it's supposed to drop the rest of the week and be rainy, so I have every intention of enjoying this while it lasts.

It was a perfect day to have lunch outdoors, in the shade, anyway, so I met up with my gorgeous bff, Shelly, to fit in a little friend time before our kiddos hit spring break!!

She LOVES these warm temps. And she's breaking out those pretty, bright colors to show it! Check out her darling outfit today!!!

I "heart" her...

Not putting away my jeans quite yet. :) but I brought out this fun, flowy polkadot top. My parents gave it to me for Christmas, and it's a great "in between seasons" top.  I LOVE polkadots. :)

I've also been enjoying these out the last couple of days. Love a good, comfy pair of flipflops. My friend, Heather, introduced these lovelies to me last summer. 

fiTflops

I don't know their claim as far as getting you "fit," but they're super comfy and I love their sparkle.  :)  I'm guessing I'll put them away for tomorrow, but they'll be worn a LOT more in weeks to come.  :)

Glasses

Some wear them for fun... Sadly, I actually need them.  As a fairly young child, I was diagnosed with an astigmatism, but it wasn't until the last five to seven years ago that I realized I was only going to age myself more quickly if I didn't stop squinting at everything.  I can't wear contacts every day, so every year (or at least every other) I get my annual checkup at our eye doctor, and I usually end up with a new set of frames. This has been the progression over the years.  :)

2009

2010-11

2012-13

2014 (my new frames, as of today!)  :)

Brrrrr!!!!

I love the chilly weather.  Truly, I do.  I love bundling up in layers and boots and warm hats and scarves. Winter clothes are just more interesting, in my opinion.  Our cold days have extended into March this year. You never know what you're going to get in good ol' MO.  In looking through some of my old pics, however, I did get a twinge of longing for greener grass, watching my boys play in the pool, lying on the deck with a cold drink in hand and listening to the radio.  It'll be here soon enough.  But here's a little flashback from last couple of summers.... just for funsies  :)

Bright colors, sun dresses, sandals... I do enjoy those things.  :)  This last pic is of my SIL, wearing the dress we got her for her birthday.  :)

Join the FUN!

To my friends and sibs... like your outfit that day?  Or find a great deal?  Send me a pic!  Here is what I've been sent so far.  :)

This is my brother's beautiful wife.  She wore this last weekend, probably for a family outing, would be my guess.  :)

She even gave me the rundown of each item!  :)

black sweater:  JCP clearance
printed top:  Deb clearance
leggings:  Dots
boots:  TJ Maxx

And this is my longtime bff.  She cracked me up when she sent me these pics.  She said she was working some serious layers that day... I only laugh, because for her, those layers are just as much to keep her warm as they are to look cute.  The girl is ALWAYS freezing.  :)

So, let me break this down for you, from the best I can tell:

Hat and scarf are obvious.  I'm pretty sure she has on a sweater, a longsleeved T, a skirt, skinny jeans beneath the skirt, and boots.

And she was probably still chilly.  :)

Just running errands...

Nothing extra exciting here.  Just a normal, cas, mom-running-errands day.  Jeans... again. :)  Layers.  Comfy.  Classic.

Sweater:  2nd hand
Tshirt:  The Loft clearance
Scarf:  Walmart
Jeans:  Walmart
Bracelet:  a "just because" gift from my BFF  :)  (She had given it to me just that day... said it reminded her of me... AND I LOVE IT!)

I LOVE these boots.  I wear them a lot in the winter; and I have, especially THIS winter.  I love that they make any outfit a little more contemporary, and they're really great in snow and ice. Cute AND functional.  YAY!

Boots:  Sketchers

Frumpy much???

When I put on this outfit, I was thinking "loose, flowy, but comfy and fun."  When I saw it in the pic, I thought, "EW!  FRUMPY!"  I suppose you can make your own decision... and I don't hate it so much that I wouldn't wear it again, I'll be honest.

Sweater:  ??
Blue scarf:  Target
Black tunic/dress:  Walmart
Jeans:  Zulilly
Boots:  Sketchers

Play with color!!!

A few weeks ago, I went on a mission to figure out whether I have cool or warm skin tones. I had never really thought about it before.  I knew which colors I usually got more complements on, or which colors washed me out.  But I wondered if knowing specifics might be a conducive way to go through my closet and get rid of things that were less flattering, as far as their color goes.

These were some of my discoveries.

My research led me to believe I have a cool skintone.  So, I've been trying to pay better attention to that aspect, even in choosing my haircolor ... for the week.  :)

Don't be afraid of color!  Sure, I appreciate a good, solid gray, and LOVE black and white, but even accenting in color can make an outfit more interesting.  Again I'll say it:  ACCESSORIZE!!!!!  Scarves, hats, even your makeup can be more interesting when you experiment with different colors.

Now, this is going to seem way self indulgent... I don't mean for it to be.  I take a LOT of selfies.  The reason being, is not to constantly admire myself conceitedly, I assure you.  :).... but to document color!  I often send them to my sisters, when I try a new eye look or change my hair... again.  I like to be able to go back and see what I like better than something else... It's also pretty funny to see some that make me think, "WHY did I leave the house like that?!!!"  :)  I thought I'd share a few, just for the sake of encouraging you to enjoy the plethora of vibrant colors out in the world!

Clearly, I like to mix things up.  I have to say, that most of these pictures were probably taken within the timespan of a year or so... Again, if you have the nerve to do it (and my stylist friends and sister will DISAGREE with me wholeheartedly on this)... but it's not the end of the world to buy a box of haircolor and experiment.  I LOVE to go to the salon and get 5 star treatment on my hair, but if I did that every time I wanted to change it, it would get quite expensive.  Sometimes it works out.  Sometimes it doesn't.  It's just hair, ladies.  :)

Much less permanent are some colorful eyeshadows, a new eyeliner, or lip gloss.  If you like things a little more simple and subtle, that's great, too!  It doesn't mean you can try new things.  You can always wash it off if you don't like it.  :)  And it never hurts to add a bold scarf to make a plain, black top more interesting.