Future Planning and Fall Floral

I admit this with a heavy heart, but summer is over for the most part.  Fall is here.  Brisk mornings.  Often chilly and windy days.   Although I love fall fashion and all the layers, it's always bittersweet to say goodbye to summer.  We have officially returned to school and so far so good, but for the kids its only been a couple of days.  Usually I would have my fall magazines, and be browsing the shops both in person and online but this year I am really struggling to be enthused about buying anything.  I am not really sure why the funk, but it's not so bad for the pocket book.  Hahaha.  At this moment I am all about using the pieces in my closet and giving them lots of spotlight.  A simple dark floral top, paired with some jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt, is the perfect way to transition from our carefree summers to a more structured fall.  I love a moody floral print for a top, dress or a blazer.  

I wore this outfit when we decided to make a Dairy Queen visit with the kids a few weeks ago.  You guys, BLIZZARDS are delicious!!!!!  Seriously, it's been years and I had totally forgotten that they were that good.  The DQ is across the street from the University and we decided to take a stroll through the deserted grounds.  It's sad to see it so quite, while I remember the energy and vibes of young people milling around the grounds, especially as we begin a new school year.  Our University grounds are gorgeous and walking them is always a treat.  As we were walking my girls were both asking so many questions about the different buildings, the process for getting into University, where people live, how many classes you take, how long you go, etc.  My oldest is 13 and it was really neat to hear her saying things like "When I come here"and "This is going to be my building."  That kind of talk tells me that she sees herself as a university graduate.  That she feels confident in herself as a learner.  That she has high hopes and expectations of herself.  No, we don't need them to go to university.  But I do want them to know that there are many options available to them.  That they have possibilities and that we will do our best to support them.  Also, like most parents I do want to know that they will be able to support themselves and choose paths that hopefully they are always passionate about, but that we also have to work hard to achieve our goals.  My 13 year old has her sights set on veterinarian school.  She would love to work specifically with horses, but is interested in all the animals from small/pet like, to large farm animals.  Not sure where this will all go, but I am happy that she is having a positive dialogue about her future.  

My youngest, was in awe of all the buildings and even though she doesn't have a clear goal at this time, I mean she is only 10 LOL, she knows that this is a possibility.  I think of so many children that don't know that this is an option, and even more importantly that it doesn't feel like an option.  That go through high school not having that even on a choice board.  So I write this because I am grateful that my girls do.  I am grateful that we will be able to support them, no necessarily pay for their education fully, but still support them emotionally and financially in some ways.  I am grateful that these are the stories they tell themselves.  

Here are my top fall floral picks for you!

Floral Top (RW & Co)

Ruffled Chiffon Dress (H & M)

Floral Blazer (Shein)

What are your weekend plans?

The Fuzzy Cardigan

Last winter I splurged on this Pink Martini cardigan from a local boutique in the city.  When I saw it I was initially drawn to it's fuzzy but  classy look. I know, fuzzy and classy just don't make sense in the same sentence but they do in this cardigan.  I remember showing my best friend, she gushed and said, "Bo, this is exactly like the carpet that I want for my new house!"  Now you might think I would be offended but Amber loves interior design like I love running, so it was a huge complement actually. 

 

I kept the outfit really simple because I knew the sweater is a draw on it's own and people always want to touch it.  I did throw on a fall, floral scarf to do a bit of pattern mixing but kept everything else simple. 

 

 

Shop this post:

Sweater from Pink Martini (Similar/Wish List)

Maroon Pants (Banana Republic)

Nine West booties old (Similar)

 

Stay connected by following me on Instagram and Bloglovin

 

Linking Up With:

Monday- More Pieces of Me

Wednesday- Blended Blog & Get Your Pretty On

Thursday- Elegance and Mommyhood

Friday- Threads for Thomas

 

 

 



Betty Rubble Style (Cheetah Print)

Welcome to Bedrock!   I am Betty Rubble.   (if you are unfamiliar with that it's from the Flintstones)  On Wednesday I wore this little cheetah  number to work and had many compliments but leave it to a man to say,

 

"Bo, it's not Halloween.  Why are you dressed like Betty Rubble?!?" 

 

Yes.  I guess I kind of do look like her but I am okay with that.  LOL.  In fact, I think this might be my Halloween costume for this year, throw my hair up in a ponytail, throw a bone into the mix, and call it a day. 

This dress is fabulous for so many reason.  First off, it's an awesome print.  Second, and more importantly, it's the comfort of the dress that really sells me on it and keeps me grabbing if off of the hanger.  It has a tiny bit of stretch in it  so that you can get in and out of it with ease, and though it's fitted through top half, it flows out at the waist.  The length is perfect for wearing to a business-casual office or into a classroom. This dress is comfort disguised as work attire. 

 

 

I love gold accessories with the cheetah print, like this statement necklace I snatched up at a garage sale last summer.  I also decided to pull out my amber bracelet that I received from Europe as a gift some years ago and play with different shades of brown. 

The day I wore this outfit just happens to be the same day that winter arrived here in Saskatchewan.  I dug out my spicy mustard sweater  to keep me cozy and warm. 

 

I plan to ware this same outfit again this weekend for Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving).  Happy weekend everyone!

Week 2 of the Capsule Wardrobe- Spring is Here!!!

Oh boy, it's been so busy around our house.  I seriously need more hours in a day to get everything I need/want accomplished.  It didn't help that we all went down with the flu last weekend, one by one, from Thursday to Tuesday it was puke palooza in this household.  We are all on the mend now, thank goodness. 

 

Anyway, I am linking up with the Blended Blog to attempt to style their prompt this week, a graphic tee.  My closet is primarily filled with work clothes and old shirts for around the house, so I only have ONE graphic tee, I know I need to invest in some, and it's not  a cool saying or anything but I wear it all the time as part of my mommy uniform.  This weekend was no different, I pulled on my graphic Guess tee, white jeans, comfy Roxy shoes and off we went to Costco! (FYI, I hate going to Costco but it's got to be done).  Be sure to check out how others styled this prompt. 

Costco trips are completely overwhelming and entirely too much work!

My spring wardrobe capsule is working so well.  I love getting up in the morning knowing my outfit is ready to go, no thinking necessary.  Check out week 1 worth of outfits here. 

Week 2 Work wear

This week my two favorite outfits were:

 

1.  Jumpsuit.  I love everything about this jumpsuit!!!!!  In fact I have discovered that I  love just about any jumpsuit/romper I have tried on.  They are comfy and easy to dress-up or dress down. Throw on a blazer, heels and some jewelry and it's perfect for work or date night! I snagged this one on sale at the Bay in December just before we heading to Cuba for vacation and have been dying to wear it since. I wore it out a few weeks ago, when we still had snow and then recreated it last week, without the snow! 

2.  Old stripped dress.  I was debating whether to place this in the donate pile when I was planning my capsule but choose to stick with it at least for this season.  I find this dress is super comfy but because it hugs all your curves you have to be feeling good about your body the day you choose to wear it.   Little miss wanted to be part of the fun and get in on some pictures. 

Silly faces

Shop this post:

1.  White Jeans (similar) Gap

2.  Graphic T-shirt Simons  (Yes, please)

3.  Romper (similar)  Bay

4.   Stripped dress (similar)  JC Penny

 5.  Roxy shoes Roxy

Spring 2016 Wardrobe Capsule

I took the plunge two weeks ago and created a spring capsule wardbrobe. Lately  I have been feeling overwhelmed by all the  choices in my closet  and the process of getting dressed on busy morning ends up putting me in a bad mood.  I am of the philosophy, "less is more".  When I have stuff everywhere, I quickly become over-stimulated, can't make a decision, and struggle with where to begin.  A part of me  screams in frustration on the inside and the other part of me has a desire to crawl into bed and hide under the blankets.  During such times my strategy is generally to, a) go for a run and clear my head, or b) walk away, make a list and then tackle the items based on  the order they are on the list.

My process:

 

1.  After looking on pinterest for inspiration, capsule wardrobe example,  and reading this article I decided to include the following items in my capsule wardrobe:

             6 t-shirts                        

             6 blouses

             5 pairs of pants

             5 bottoms (skirts)

             5 dresses

             5 sweaters/outwear

I didn't not include my daily wear, like lulu pants and cleaning shirts, my jewelry, shoes, or workout clothing.  

 

2.  I pulled EVERYTHING I own and  began separating the items into fall/winter and spring/summer wear.  I placed my fall/winter stuff away into storage and my summer stuff that didn't make the cut in this capsule into a large plastic tub in my closet. I also made a huge donation pile and shipped them out of the house.  I was overwhelmed and exhausted by this step!

      

 

 

3.  Out of my sprint/summer stuff, I started to pick my pieces out for my capsule.  I especially focused on items that I could wear to work, as most of my week is spent at work, but also keeping in mind that I like to have a few items for date night, and mommy wear.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  I sorted and downsized until I had my wardrobe down to the list above.  Everything else got placed into my summer container in my closet so that the only things in my drawers and closet are more or less the wardrobe capsule.  

5.  I organized and created my work wardrobe for the week with Polyvore so that I can just get up and get dressed.  I always think about what my days at work will entail, (will I be in meetings, working with young children in classrooms, providing Professional Development, etc), and what the weather prediction is for the week.    

 

 

 

What I learned:

Through this process I realized  I had a LOT of stuff!  I am not even a hoarder, I donate stuff all year round but apparently not nearly enough.  For the first time ever, I have an nearly empty drawer in my dresser.  I LOVE IT!!!  I feel happy seeing neatness and organization in my closet and drawers.  I am worried about lasting three months but I feel pretty sure I can make it with this wardrobe at least for two months.  I also found out which pieces I love the most and which ones I need to replace with different pieces.  I feel confident that I wont just be buying random pieces but will be much more focused.  

One of my favorite outfits this week was my coral pencil skirt, chambray shirt, little brown belt as an accessory, statement necklace and comfy,  Nine West, nude pumps. 

 

How do you organize yourself and your closet?