we've got to hold on to what we've got

song of the day: 'livin on a prayer' by bon jovi

sorry paige, but i'm basically stealing your post idea. you don't mind, do you?

in the beginning, i didn't plan for this blog to be a place to talk about my self, my issues, or really anything that was going on my life. i just wanted to post pics of my outfits and maybe inspire someone else with my fashion prowess (i'm chuckling a bit here). but as i got to reading other blogs where the author is more transparent, i realized that those were my favorite daily reads. and i loved them not only for the style inspiration, but also the connection i made. and i think that's the key. we women (sorry dudes that may be out there) crave connection. we love to find commonalities and something in someone else that makes us say 'yeah, me too.' we like to know that we are not alone whether in our style of dress or in our way of thinking. and really that's why i enjoy this blog so much. i love writing posts and reading all of your posts because you are my friends. i've gotten to know you over the last months. and that's fun for me :) matt has asked me if i thought about only blogging a few times a week and i gasped. like he was asking me to stop talking to my bffs! ha! but it is nice to have this blog and all of you lovely readers. it's good therapy for me, that's for sure.

and that will segue into the latest on my mom. she was able to go home from the hospital on saturday and i spent the day with her yesterday. she looked great and had an amazing attitude. she was just tired from the seizure meds they have her on. but last night around 11:00, i got a call from my sister saying mom had another seizure. this one was worse. there aren't too many answers right now, but i just wanted to put that out there because you guys have been so amazing and supportive.

details:

tee-gap

shorts-vintage

shoes-target

when my faith i feel it

song of the day: 'crush' by dave matthews band

you guys are so amazing. thanks for all the well-wishes and prayers for my mom. she's doing great but may have to have surgery to remove an aneurysm behind her left eye. yeah, sounds pretty awful. but she has a great attitude about it and an amazing peace. thanks also for just letting me talk about it, for listening to me. i mean, i don't expect everyone to always read what i write, but it's kinda therapeutic to put all this stuff out there, like a super public journal. you hope someone reads it and offers advice and wise counsel. but a lot of times, just a willing listener is the most helpful thing of all.

anyway, enough of the heavy stuff. the weather today is unbelievable! this morning was a tad too cool for my taste, but it's perfect right now. i decided to throw on a cardigan over my tank before leaving the house though. unless it's pretty close to 100 degrees, i can easily get goosebumpy.

what do you think of my bag? i bought it like two years ago on ebay. it was touted to be a vintage balenciaga. i don't know for sure. i've tried to research it but didn't find out anything much. i don't care, cuz i LOVE it, but am still a bit curious. any thoughts?

details:

tank-target

shorts-vintage

bag-'vintage'

shoes-cynthia vincent for target

heart of the house

song of the day: 'the heart of the house' by alanis morissette

last night a little before 10:00 i got a call that my mom had to be life flighted to the hospital. it was thought she'd had a stroke. and that's all the info i got. i got off the phone with my sister-in-law and immediately started shaking and sobbing. when you get a call like that, your mind instantly goes to the worst of places, or at least mine does. see, i lost both grandfathers to a stroke, but there was no way i could handle losing my mom. i called my dad and he was on the way to the hospital in his truck. he was a mess. he just said, 'i don't know what's going on. i just want her back.' my brother and sister both live about 30 minutes from there so they went over to be with my dad and wait to hear how mom was. i was just sick. then finally my brother texted me a picture of her, sitting up in bed holding on to dad's hand. she was doing great! she had to undergo loads of tests and scans. this morning, they concluded that she didn't have a stroke but a seizure instead. she's still in the hospital, but has regained the use of her arm and the sight back in her eye. there's lots of things the doctors still need to find out, but for now, she's okay.

i am unable to even put into words how thankful i am that she's okay. i'm so blessed to have such an amazing woman for my mother. i've never been so scared in all my life, just thinking that maybe she wouldn't be a part of it anymore. it does put so many things into perspective, and makes me value her all the more.

so just remember to grab hold of your family and let them know you love them. it's so very important.

details:

sweater-vintage

jeans-bdg, urban outfitters

sneakers-vintage

won't be long til summer time is through

song of the day: 'all summer long' by the beach boys

this morning was almost cold. so many of my friends on facebook were saying how wonderful it felt and how excited they were for the cooler temps. i'm a bit sad. while there is something kind of exciting about the change of seasons, i guess i'm not quite ready to say goodbye to summer. true, i won't be sweating through my clothes any time i drive somewhere (oh my, i sweat through jean shorts the other day, jeans! denim is no match for my intense butt sweat), yet i can't help but hang onto these last long warm days.

the brooch i'm wearing is from matt's grandmother. she passed away last winter after battling breast cancer. but before she died, she set a few brooches aside to give to me. it meant so much to me that she thought of how much i love vintage things and knew that i'd appreciate them. so today i wear this one proudly in honor of her.

and just so you know, the big birthday yesterday was super fun. it looked as though a jedi threw up in our living room. there were so many star wars action figures and legos and posters laying around (we're totally obsessed these days). we even had a star wars party at the pool over the weekend. because i'm the best mom on the planet, i totally didn't take any pictures, but i'm sure these memories will stay with us for a lifetime.

details:

romper-vintage, etsy

blazer-vintage

shoes-target

this woman's work

song of the day: 'this woman's work' by kate bush

well, today is milestone number two. six years ago, my life totally changed. at 4:37 am, a precious little boy entered our lives and completed our family. i was exhausted and depleted. everything was very surreal. and i couldn't take my eyes off of him. it's kind of a strange reality to hold on to a person that you and your husband created. a tiny, helpless baby that is 100% reliant on you. i won't lie, it was pretty hard in the beginning. but i can't imagine my world without him in it.

oh, and i got my hair cut yesterday. short and sassy. not unlike myself.

happy birthday, isaiah :)

details:

blouse-vintage

shorts-thrifted

shoes-vintage

well versed in etiquette

song of the day: 'killer queen' by queen

see? i told you i was going to try and take pictures from other places around my house. this is another alley just a block up from my building. i like this one because it's lined with pretty flowers.

i bought this dress from barefoot & vintage and i couldn't wait to wear it!!! i love it so very much. the color is just perfect and i love the sleeves and pleated skirt. paige has such a great eye for vintage. i saw this on her blog before she listed it but i was smitten with another dress at the time. when she posted it on her etsy and i got to really look at it, i knew this was the one for me. i think i bought it within like 10 minutes of listing! a very good decision, i'd say.

the concrete was literally burning my arms in this picture. it was so freakin' hot! you may not be able to tell but i was barely putting my arm on the step because i was so afraid to actually get burn marks on my flesh. yeah, it was really that bad.

details:

dress-barefoot & vintage

shoes-cynthia vincent for target

RIP favorite shoes

yesterday morning i put on my favorite shoes, checked myself out in front of the mirror, and headed out the door. it was just like any other day. i wasn't being particularly harsh with my shoes. there was no running or rock climbing or even trudging through field or stream. i merely walked the few blocks to my shop. it was a very hot day and i was terribly sweaty when i opened my shop door and stepped into the air conditioned coolness. maybe it was the abrupt change in climate? i don't know. but i do remember my shoes feeling a bit roomier and more comfortable on the walk over. so i proceeded to do my normal opening routine and then sat down to eat lunch. that is when i noticed the first telltale signs of decline. and well you can only imagine that it was all downhill after that. so sad, so very sad. matt suggested i bring them in to get fixed but i'm not sure it's worth it since i only paid $5 for them. i am certain i have gotten my money's worth. still that is little consolation. i will miss my little brown oxfords. a moment of silence, if you please.

but hey, it gives me an excuse to shop for a new pair! always look of the bright side of life :)

for the beauty, splendor, the wonder of my hair

song of the day: 'hair' from the broadway musical

i'm not trying to brag or anything, it's just part of the song :) anyway, i was asked about my hair and how i tame it. well, there are days it cannot be tamed no matter what i do. it can be pretty unruly, wild, and have a mind of its own. but really all i do is wash it with whatever shampoo we have around, stick it up in a towel turban for a bit to soak up the excess water, then put some paul mitchell smoothing super skinny serum in it while still wet and let air dry. if it wasn't for that serum i would not leave the house without it up in a ponytail. that stuff is gold in my opinion. i have very coarse and frizzy hair by nature but that serum makes it manageable. plus, air drying is key. i used to blow dry it and that was the worst thing ever for my hair. it stinks cuz i'm always going places with wet hair, but it's better than the alternative. so there you have it! the secret to my wild, curly/wavy locks.

and i just want you to know, my little kindergartener had a great first day. and so did i :)

details:

blouse-thrifted

skirt-target

shoes-vintage

it's a bittersweet goodbye

song of the day: 'i'm not gonna cry' by corey smith

you know when i was having my crisis and talking about all these milestones coming up in my life and how i was feeling overwhelmed and strange and whatnot? well, the first milestone is today: my sweet boy starts kindergarten. it's kind of a big deal. this is a new stage of his life and one i can't be totally a part of. this is the beginning of letting go. and for me, i'm watching not only my first, but my only child grow up and be independent. it's both exciting and terrifying. i mean, truly, my heart is full to overflowing seeing him get ready for this next step in his life. but i also know that i'm slowly being replaced. yeah, it's a pretty big deal. i know a lot of you can't relate, but you may be in this situation in the future. and i'm just gonna warn you now, it's one of the sweetest moments.

details:

sweater-thrifted

shorts-fancy treehouse

shoes-vintage

bag-vintage

he looks pretty excited, no?

i'm writing 'bout the book i read

song of the day: 'the book i read' by the talking heads

sorry for the less than brilliant outfit today. we had rain yesterday and it was a little bit cool (hence the jeans) but the afternoon was back to hot (hence the tank). but even though this outfit isn't all that, i did find a pretty amazing piece at the local thrift!! a YSL blouse for $5!!! what the heck? that never happens to me. but i'm fairly glad it did. i admit i thought someone was playing a joke on me. i mean, YSL in siloam springs?!? especially since there was a sad looking homemade striped dress that was $7.50. i know, crazy.

so the next question i received was about my favorite book. well, my favorite other than the outlander series by diana gabaldon, which if you haven't read them, my stars you need to do it now!! i'm embarrassed to say how many times i've read the first couple books in the series (4 times! ok, maybe i'm not THAT embarrassed). i am in love with jamie and claire. they are like my family. i've even gotten a few others obsessed with the books as well. one of the joys of my life is to get people reading those books. anyway, so my next favorite is 'the time traveler's wife' by audrey niffenegger. if you're looking for some good classics, you should try 'jude the obscure' or 'tess of the d'urbervilles' by thomas hardy. another good book and a super easy read is 'like water for chocolate' by laura esquivel. that's a really good one if you're also into cooking because there are recipes at the beginning of each chapter. i just started anne rice's 'interview with the vampire' last night. i've never read any of her books so i'm excited to get into this one. did you guys know that i have an english degree? yep, i do. totally not using it though. so i'm curious to know if any of you have a favorite book. let me know!

details:

top-thrifted, old navy

jeans-juicy couture

shoes-vintage

bag-thrifted