This Life, Redefined...: Francescas

Monday, July 2, 2012

I'm Melting...

Well, now, that was a...warm...weekend, huh? Steve went to some pub/anniversary/beer celebration on Saturday, and I couldn't get Brigid interested in doing anything other than playing games in her nightgown, so Saturday was a complete waste of time. And then on Sunday, we attempted a trip to the pool, but that was a bit of a failure, because the water couldn't have been cooler than 95 degrees, which is slightly less than refreshing.

But, I had power all weekend (except for a random three hour window early, early Monday morning, around the same time we lost power last weekend, too, oddly enough, but that doesn't count...), which is more than a lot of the east coast could say, so I'm not complaining.

Still...It could cool off any day, now.

T-shirt: Motherhood Maternity

Cardigan: Banana Republic (outlet)

Skirt: Motherhood Maternity

Bracelets: Target

Shoes: Francesca's

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Flattery

I wore this outfit to work last week, on the day that I happened to have a dentist appointment in the afternoon. In addition to telling me that I looked 24 (which, I don't) and that she could tell I flossed every day (which, again, I don't, unless she meant flossing every day in the week leading up to a dentist appointment, which I totally do...), the hygienist asked me if I worked in fashion. Because she'd never think of pairing polka dots with a red skirt, so she was really impressed that I had.

And all I could think, in addition to thinking this might be the nicest, most over-the-top-enthusiastic dental hygienist I'd ever encountered (which I think might be saying a lot, because I've met some really enthusiastic dental hygienists in my day...but this one gave me TWO tubes of travel toothpaste AND a small sample bottle of Lysterine, in addition to the typical toothbrush/floss combination, so she totally wins), was that I needed to introduce this poor woman to some fashion blogs. Because pairing red/black/white/one pattern is nothing compared to some of the amazingly awesome ensembles I've seen across the internet.

But hey, a compliment is a compliment, and I'll take it. I just need to make sure I'm on my game when I head back in six months...

I don't want to disappoint her, after all.

Blouse: H&M

Cardigan: Express

Skirt: Banana Republic (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: Francesca's

Don't forget, eShakti is offering $20 off of any order through the end of the year, when you use the promotional code NOTAHOBBY0811.

The discount code is not case sensitive. Only one gift certificate can be used per order. The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This discount code is not applicable on our Overstock category. This cannot be combined with any other offer / discount that may be active during this period.

Also, you can find my post about the skirt the company sent me to review here.

2014 List

1) Send more mail...thank you notes, birthday cards, and 'just because' messages.

2) Be nicer, in general, to my husband and family. They deserve a much less crabby me than the one they were stuck with for most of 2013.

3) Make more of an effort to communicate with the long-distance people in my life. I got away from facetiming with my sister on a regular basis, and I miss it. Plus, now that she's making me an aunt, I think it's even more important that we get back into the habit of seeing each other every week. I do not need her new baby asking 'are you SURE you have more than one sister?', just because Aunt Mary lives in Indiana and Aunt Tara lives all of the way in Georgia.

4) Call or email or even text my friends from college more than I do now, which is hardly at all. Just because we can pick up after not talking to each other for months like no time has passed at all does not mean I should keep letting all of those months pass without the talking. I'm afraid the picking back up can't keep happening in a friendship like that.

5) Do one fitness/health related challenge each month. - You know all of those '0 to 1,000 sit-ups in just 30 days!!' kind of schedules that pop up on Pinterest all of the time? I'm going to start doing those. One each month. Fifteen minute plank? I'M COMING FOR YOU. I'm also throwing my meat-free/sugar-free/alcohol-free months in this category, as well.

6) Run another organized 5K. - It was so much more fun than I expected. Minus the running up a hill part, anyway.

7) Renew my vows with Steve, in Vegas, by Elvis, for our 10th anniversary in October.

8) Create an art wall somewhere in my house.

9) Organize a workspace for me

10) Attend The Blathering in Seattle. - Charleston was such a great time, I'd love to make it back for the Seattle trip.

11) Read at least two books a month.

12) Take Brigid camping.

13) Find a yoga studio and start taking classes regularly.

14) Write something, anything, not blog related.

15) No spending money on new clothes this year. Using gift cards and rewards points are fine, but I need to get out of the habit of spending money on new stuff, just to make myself feel better. I swear, shopping is my addiction, but the high I get from buying a new sweater probably isn't enough to justify the amount of money I spend on clothes I don't need.

16) No buying anything at all unless I absolutely need it. I have a bad habit of stocking up on things at sales (candles, lotions, make-up, beauty products), even if I have a cabinet full of the same stuff already at home. I will use the cabinet full of crap before I add more crap.

17) Be more consistent in updating my family blog, because my parents give me a hard time when I let it lag, and my personal blog, because I'm not as happy with myself when I let it lag.

18) Find a general practitioner and get a physical.

19) Post at least one picture a day on Instagram, to get myself into the habit of taking more pictures of my sweet girls, since I find entire events have passed where I've forgotten to photograph said events. Like Christmas. Sadly.

20) Get a haircut. - You can laugh at this one, if you must, but I did not get one single haircut in 2013. In fact, I haven't had a haircut since before Caitlin was born in November of 2012. I do not even know how this happens, but I know it must end. Soon. I think a Locks of Love kind of donation might be in order. My hair, it is long.

21) Make an effort to get to know the neighbors. - I tend to not get dressed/leave the house on the weekends, and this extends to not fraternizing with anyone who lives near me, because I'm afraid people will judge me for my make-up free, sweatpants clad weekend laze. I should probably get over that.

22) Write more thank you notes. - I am terrible at writing thank you notes. I should not be so terrible.

23) Buy new rugs for my new house. - The sunroom and foyer, in particular, need something fun.

24) Be more fearless in forming and maintaining relationships. - There are many times where I think of something I want to send to someone, whether it's an email, text, card, or what have you, and I don't, because I'm afraid I've maybe overestimated whether we have the type of friendship where I can do something like that. I don't want to worry about stuff like that anymore.

25) Put together an Advent/Christmas activity calendar for Brigid and Caitlin. - I did that for Brigid when I was home on maternity leave after Caitlin's birth, and it was so much fun. I didn't get the chance to do it this year, and I feel like I missed out on some part of the excitement of the season. I'm bringing it back.

26) Institute a once-a-month date night with Steve. Or date lunch, I guess, if necessary.

27) Institute a once-a-month girls' night, whether it be with my old college roommate, my SiLs, or the neighbors. I should get out of the house at least once a month with people who do not live in my house.