thoughts on Memorial Day, comfort, and weather

Did everyone have a nice long weekend? It's such a great way to start off the summer - with a holiday weekend. But the end of the summer is a little harder to take, I think - another holiday weekend to mark the end of a season of outdoor fun and sunshine. Can't a Colorado summer last forever?

However, the real reason for the three-day weekend is not to celebrate the start of summer or to get started on lawn work - it's to remember those who have passed while defending our freedom. Hope everyone remembered to thank a veteran and fly those American flags high and proud.

Switching gears, here's a casual outfit I wore recently. I've reached the point where pants are pretty uncomfortable, so this is one of my last looks to share with pants. Instead, i'm opting for dresses and skirts. And when I'm at home, the Mr.'s gym shorts, boxers and t-shirts (his side of the closet has become a treasure trove of comfortable clothing options).

This general uncomfortable-ness has made me thankful that this baby is due to arrive any day now in the early summer, so that 1) I'm not in my last few weeks/months in the heat of summer, and 2) I'm not trying to wear tights/leggings/sweaters/boots in the cold of winter in my last few weeks/months. I think each season of the year has something to offer pregnant women at different times of their pregnancies, so maybe I'm just biased and feeling really lucky and only seeing the silver lining as I end my gestational period.

That being said, we've still had some cold & rainy weather here in Colorado, mixed with very nice sunny & warm days. Talk about keeping me on my toes...do I store the long-sleeved newborn-sized onesies? What about the really warm fleece sleepers?

*all items are part of my Maternity Capsule Wardrobe

fringe-y vest

This fringe-y vest is a recent acquisition (read about it here). It's just outside my normal style of things I wear comfortable and easily. As such, I'm still trying to figure out ways to wear it. First up, a black tank dress. Next up - maybe over some shorts and a tank?

Maybe you already knew this, but let me enlighten you - it's a little tricky to find ways to wear festival-inspired style when shorts and other summer clothes (tank tops and short, flowy dresses) aren't something you can wear to work everyday. And turns out, I spend a decent amount of time at work (ya know, 40ish hours in a week).

So, I'm open to suggestions for making this vest appropriate for work. Any ideas for me??

dress: American Apparel

vest: c/o Aéropostale

striped tank: Target

black sandals: Kohl's

taupe & gray

All of the taupes and grays.

All of the knits.

And all of the scarves.

This day was frigid cold, which called for a warm sweater and not one, but TWO scarves. I had a surprise coffee date with my best friend, and she kept gushing over my taupe and gray ensemble. And to be honest, it's something I didn't put much thought into, but I knew I liked both colors, and thought "They look decent in home decor, so why not on a person?"

And, ya know what? I like how it turned out.

However, I'm hoping I don't have to wear this heavy of a sweater (or two scarves) until next winter. Fingers crossed!

oh oh, and linking up all over the place:

Jersey Girl, Texan Heart

Cappuccino and Fashion

A Touch of Tartan

Stylin in St. Louis, Living in Color Style, and Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

I do deClaire and Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

sweater: thrifted (GAP)

gray skinnies: c/o Aéropostale

striped scarf: thrifted

oatmeal scarf: handmade

ankle booties: Old Navy

the sweater saga, part 4 + sweater #13

part 1

part 2

part 3

of my Sweater Saga

So maybe I've got a backwards American dream - I don't want a bigger house, I don't want a bigger car, or a bigger yard, or a bigger kitchen, or even a much bigger closet space.

We purchased a new (to us) car about a year ago, and we had a discussion about a 10% car - we shouldn't buy a car for specific functions that we will only do about 10% of the time (i.e. driving to the mountains, hauling, home improvement projects). That led us to my little Saab sedan. In the past year, there have been 2, maybe 3 times, where I've said "I wish I had a bigger car, like an SUV or truck, for this." One was getting beadboard home from The Home Depot, another was driving in the snow - specifically getting over a small drift in the road. Turns out, my little car does great in the snow, but lacks clearance. But if the weather and roads are that bad, I probably don't need to be going anywhere, anyways.

I've started applying the 10% idea in a lot of other areas: recently, my in-laws came up for a belated Christmas celebration and we broke out our electric turkey roaster, making the total number of times we've used it 3. For us, that's a 10% appliance. It’s nice to have, but rarely gets used in my kitchen.

We don't even inhabit all of our house - with extra bedrooms, an extra bathroom and a half, and a basement and garage, we've furnished spaces. Sometimes I think our house is a 10% house, at least for now. 

to be continued...again...

shirt: Ann Taylor

sweater: thrifted (GAP)

velvet pants: J. Crew Factory

necklace: WalMart

boots: c/o Aéropostale

Mr. Picks Mondays: Shades of Blue and of Gray

This week, the Mr. chose the dress, and I included everything else - it wasn't warm enough JUST YET for bare legs and arms. Soon, my friends, SOON! However, I think the different shades of blue, gray & taupe play off of each other nicely, dontcha think?

SHOP THE LOOK...OR SOMETHING SIMILAR

dress: thrifted (Old Navy) similar below

cardigan: local consignment shop

booties: Old Navy similar below

M.O.A.

When I was in Minnesota earlier this month, I made sure I went to THE MALL OF AMERICA.

THE MALL OF AMERICA (aaaaaaahhh!) has everything. Every store you could ever imagine or dream of. And several food courts & coffee joints to keep you shopping all day. While I did spend several hours there, I didn't end up getting anything for myself - I got some shirts for my husband, and a belated Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. So, I klumped around in my super warm (but very heavy) snowboots, carried my extra layers all day and didn't even get a shiny new outfit to show for it! I kid ;)

We entered the mall through the Radisson Blu attached to the mall, and they had this nice fireplace area with these funky Hershey's KISS shaped chair/couches. Naturally I had to take some pictures. 

On the escalator up to the mall, I asked my Dad to hold my purse so I could readjust all of my layers. He was holding my purse just "so," so I tried to snap a pic of it, but he was too fast for me. So, instead I have a nice picture of my cute parents, instead of an incriminating one of my Dad.

Dad: you take selfies on my phone, I post them on the internetz. them's the rules.

linking up:

Work Clothes, I Supposed for Third Thursday Threads

shirt: Old Navy exact below

sweater: thrifted (GAP) sort of similar below

pants: Aéropostale

boots: SOREL exact below

SHOP THE LOOK