3 Things.

Here’s another addition to my Things. series: 3 Things I miss about Portland.

1. ODOT.  You guys know what ODOT is?  Granted, I am hyper aware of such things due to my husband’s work in the commercial contracting industry, but ODOT is the Oregon Department of Transportation.  All of those lovely “Road Work” and “Flagger Ahead” signs, cones, flaggers in orange and yellow with signs, detour signs, reader-board signs…SIGNS!…the men and women who tell us drivers where to go and when to slow down…yeah, you know what I’m referring to now.  Probably the most annoying part about summer in Portland, Oregon is all of the road work.  OK–you get the picture.  So we don’t have that out here.  No CDOT no MassDOT with SIGNS–just pure chaos.  Actually what they do have is a poor lonely police officer in a hat waving around in the middle of the road.  What?!  One person and half the time you can’t even see them until you’re about to hit them!  Now, I am not one to be lobbying for more government involvement in my life, but let’s just be honest, when a a huge back-ho is digging out a hole in the side of the road with no cones or warning signs and then decides to go rogue and jump over the curb and drive into on-coming traffic, you are starting to wonder where in the world is the government ;-)

2.   Cost of Living.  Now, if you are a native to Oregon and have never left, this may come as a surprise to you, but you pay much less for your utilities than the average American.  Large rivers and Natural Gas are some of the wonderful God-given resource to North America and is what gives the Pacific Northwest specifically an incredibly low cost of living.  It’s what keeps you from paying through the nose when comes time to heat your houses, cool your houses and cook your meals.  You may think you already pay a ridiculous amount of money during the cold & warm months for your gas bill but let me just put these feelings to rest:  our monthly heating oil bill was $600.  Yes, folks, a month.  That’s not in Yen, that is the gold standard we’re talkin’ and Tyler and I are longing for the days of cheaper energy.  It’s not like the stone age out here, but the majority of the homes in these older communities are still on heating oil and we don’t have the Bonnevlle Dam to give us a lower power cost.  In fact, we are ranked 49th in the country for the price per kilowatt, just above New York and Hawaii…let’s just break it down:  we pay at least 1/3 more out here for almost everything.  Food is ridiculous.  I walk into Stop and Shop, the so-called cheaper grocery chain and I end up buying generic food for Whole Foods cost.  It’s insanity.  Gas.  It’s a good 20-30 cents higher than crossing the  boarder up to Massachusetts.  Clothing.  Taxed till kingdom come.  And don’t even think about buying a gun.  It’s all a little maddening (if you can’t tell…) ….I’m not even going to go into income taxes in this crazy state–it’s the 3rd highest in the country–right behind New York and New Jersey.  AHHHH!!!!  I’m stopping now.

3. Restaurants.  Oh please don’t tell me you don’t know Portland is one of the top Foodie cities in the country?!  Because it is.  Ranking in the highest in almost any online poll or food article, Portland has 24 restaurants per every 10,000 people–that’s 10th in the country per capita!  Pretty crazy when you think about it.  I had just always assumed that’s how every city was–wrong.  It’s not even close to that kind of quantity or quality in Connecticut.  When someone gives you a suggestion for a restaurant it’s right up there with Applebee’s.  Dear goodness, give me some good food that my table and booth don’t smell like!  And a menu that doesn’t include fried cheese, Cobb salad and pizza.  I will admit the obvious, we don’t get out much, so it is actually working in our advantage out here. But it’s just sad, people.  Just sad.

TGIF

Happy friday!  Ah, it feels good to be a the end of the week.  And even better when it’s warm and sunny outside–prime time for a little BBQ and inflatable pool time.  That’s right:  inflatable pool.  We were soo tempted to buy one of those above ground pieces of work, as most homes have around these parts, but we decided against it…we happen to be one of the only homes in our neighborhood without a fancy in-ground oasis and I hopin’ we get in on some of that action this summer when they see us dying in the humid heat of New England!  But until then, inflatable heaven is what we got.

Dub, walkin!!! (See our fabulous pool in the background?!)

It was Dub’s birthday May 1st.  Oh dear, with the third one you actually have to kinda be reminded that a birthday is coming up–seriously, this last year has gone by so fast it just doesn’t even seem right that he’s that old!  No worries, we didn’t forget and we had a great celebration outside on our deck–well, the four of us did.  Poor little Dub was so tired he could have cared less about his double decker sprinkle cake, he just wanted to go to bed.  Didn’t even want to taste it.  That’s ok, we ate it for him :)  Along with growing up, Cody lost his first tooth the other morning and has one about to give way any day.  Isn’t 5 a little early?  Oh dear…so big!

Yes. This is on my car.

We have Little League t-ball tomorrow–third game of the season and we are loving it!  Apparently we are in the “official” Little League program.  I had always assumed it was a universal term for younger boys playing baseball, but it’s more like Q-Tip.  You know, where we call every little cotton swap a q-tip, it is actually a brand name.  Got it?  Yeah, I’m learning.  And coming from a non-baseball watching or interested family, I am finding t-ball is the perfect arena for me (and the boys) to get my feet wet :)  This is serious stuff.  Opening Day was like it’s own holiday here in Somers–in previous years there was a parade that went through down-town Somers on Main St., but this year we marched through a mile long stretch that landed us right down onto the fields where a prep-rally of sorts was held and free hot dogs and chips were handed out to all who attended: t-ball all the way up to the Big League divisions.

The banner that led the way on our march.

As all of us were lining up for the ceremonial march I was marveling at the amount of people there and the excited expectation of all of the parents and players.  And, to my surprise, I really enjoyed the march.  I really enjoyed the prep-rally.  And I really enjoyed our little 20 min, everyone-gets-a-turn-2-inning game :)  I’m not sure if this is how all Little League season openers go, but I thought this was pretty darn special.  How we love this little town in The Woods!

B taking his first swing–a natural if you ask me (or Tyler) :)

Hangin in the outfield.

With the weekend just about here, I thought I would share with you a side dish that is one of our family’s favorites!  Well, not just a favorite, but basically a staple in the spring/summer months.  By the time mid-April/beginning of May rolls around jalepeno, cilantro & lime are in our meals at least 3 times a week.  And if I’m being perfectly honest, it’s more like 5 times a week–I LOVE these flavors.  Fresh and bright–perfect for asian/Thai dishes and of course Mexican food!!  It may seem weird with this combo of feta, walnuts, corn & jalepenos, but do not let that keep you from enjoying this unexpected dish.  Plus, it could not be any simpler to make!

I did not create this delicious dish, nor will I ever claim to have done so with any recipe that I share!  So here you go:

Feta, Walnut & Corn Salad  (Real Simple 2009)

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
  
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 ears)
  
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled Feta (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool and roughly chop.
2. In a large bowl, combine the corn, jalapeños, lime juice, oil, walnuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with the Feta before serving.

XOXO

8 Maxis under $99

Oh my goodness, I think spring has come to stay in New England! I can’t tell you how good it feels–the trees are finally starting to bud, our grass is green–it’s just beautiful. And as soon as the temp goes up my maxi dress comes on.  Hanging around the house in a glorified moo-moo is pure happiness, let me tell you!  I’ve got one on right now.  Seriously, if you don’t have one you are missing out on one of the most versatile pieces of clothing you’ll ever have in your closet.  You can wear a jean jacket, a button-down shirt, a cardigan; flats, heels, wedges–almost anything with it to dress it up or down.  Today it was a little breezy so I put my on jean shirt with a belt and threw on my Toms, BAM! I went from mama at home to running errands.  It’s perfect.  And as long as these miracle dresses are in, I’m keeping a nice collection of them ready at hand :)

I found these 8 maxis all under 100 bucks.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  Obviously stripes are a big trend this year as well as as the floral print, and don’t be afraid to go bold with color!  When you are choosing a style, it’s important to consider one with shape, such as a tie-in waist or a belt, or if it doesn’t have a waistline, add a belt.  Because, even though wearing a long tube of fabric is a fabulous excuse for not having to try too hard in the morning, we don’t need to look like a frumpy bumpy because we lack shape!  (A critical difference between a moo-moo and a maxi :)).

My favorites are #2 by Sabine.  It’s a bright, pretty floral with pleating in the skirt.  Very feminine and very wearable.  And #5 by Michael Stars. It’s a perfect basic black maxi with a built in (stretchy!) waistband and a cute racerback.  Probably will be purchasing it soon…oh and I like #1 too… :)

1. Caslon Racerback Jersey Maxi Dress $68

2. Sabine Santorini Pleated Maxi Dress $89

3. Gap Striped Drawstring Maxi Dress $69.95

4. Michael Stars Horizon Wash Scoop Neck Midi Dress $69 (more colors)

5. Michael Stars Racerback Maxi Dress $98 (more colors)

6. Gap Striped 4-1 Dress $59.95

7. Target Mossimo Women’s Crossover Maxi Dress $29.99 (more colors)

8. Sabine Cecily Printed Maxi $89

Familiar.

Us walking a mile to the terminal at Boston International…yes, yes we did this.

Well, we had quite the time in Portland, Oregon this past couple of weeks!  It was a non-stop ride of visiting and talking and eating and busing around children to see all of our long-lost family and friends!  It was good to be back but we just didn’t have enough time.  I didn’t get to see two-thirds of the people I’d hoped to nor did I get to have much time with my sister, but there was just too much to do.  I left more tired than when we arrived and praying we survive the trip home.  I guess it was just too much to ask to reconnect with everything in just 12 days.  BUT the boys had a blast with grandparents and cousins.  It’s always the hardest to see them with their cousins and then have to leave again…

My sister’s son, Cooper reading to Dub during his milk time :) Precious!

Coming back from Portland has revealed much about our family.  Example: 6 hours on a plane with an 11 month old is ridiculous.  Absolute insanity.  I was inches from needing a straight jacket and a padded room.  Screaming, yelling, food throwing, coffee spilling, changing diapers, kicking, dancing, walking up and down the aisle…I’m pretty sure Dub tried to run away from us.  And if he could have spoken English out of those loud vocal chords, he would have been yelling, “help!”.  It was so bad on the flight out, the flight attendant came over to help us. She held Dub for about 40 mins.  Humbling.  I think we’ll pay for someone to take him next time we fly…

He was a little happy after we got off the flying torture chamber.

We also learned that we like things quiet.  Ha!  I mean, we really like just being together.  In my very first post I write about how “This is Just Us.” and when writing that I really didn’t understand how much it would be Just Us.  We are alone!  But more than that, I didn’t realize how much I would truly come to love Just Us.  Moving out here to The Woods, we were basically forced into a life of solitude, but by coming to Portland and now finally being back home, Tyler and I have realized we have grown to appreciate it.  I was craving familiarity when we arrived in Portland.  Something that made me feel–well–normal, I guess.  I grew up in Portland.  I can drive around town with my eyes closed.  The smell of the air, the kaleidoscope of lush greens everywhere you turn (let me tell you, it is not green out here–not yet at least), family homes and dinners, church and friends…BUT, walking into our colonial home on a hill, with the things we’ve collected over the last 6 and half years, and the sounds of B and Cody running on the hardwood throwing paper airplanes and Dub pushing his toys through the kitchen–that was familiarity.  That is what is normal.

An interesting lesson to learn.  My family of 5 was not the only thing I had considered as home.  I had a whole life built in Portland.  Lifelong memories and experiences, friends that are incredibly dear to me and a family that is a support system I had relied upon all my life.  That is gone now.  A lot of that was wrapped up in my own identity as well (I’ll probably touch on that more later…).  And rather than feeling like a foreigner in this New England town, we’ve actually found a home.  It’s quite surprising, to be honest.  Oh, we’re coming back to Oregon.  No doubt about that.  But I am just so thankful and blessed to know that Tyler and I, Cody, Bradley and Dub, we all just like being together, and that is what makes our family, this place, familiar.  I know there are a million cliché quotes and sayings that allude to this fact, but in all reality do we really know that?  I guess it was something I needed to know :)

Us at the Ross Farm.

We have made it just over 1/3 of the way through this Year of Training and we are learning much as we go.  Thankfulness and contentment are two biggies for me.  And I’m probably at the height of that in my life right at this moment.  Who knew?  I certainly didn’t expect it.  What a wonderful thing it is!

XOXO

Bare feet.

Anyone out there as anal as I am and deep clean your house before you go on vacation or a trip?  Perhaps it was built in to me when I was young because there was nothing like walking in from the garage into our sweet, clean home from a long, hot, tiring drive.  I can vividly remember the way I found comfort in that smell.  And now that I have my own household, I realize that there will be no sweetness in the halls of our home without some serious cleaning and organizing. There is plenty of busyness that happens once you arrive home from a trip:  laundry, laundry, laundry.  Oh and laundry.  There is putting things away, scrubbing dirty little bodies, and ordering pizza–well, because as you try your hardest to get rid of all of your food before you leave, you have no food when you return.  I love to know with the madness of our return, we have a clean and tidy house (and clean sheets!) and one happy mama.

 

So, much cleaning & packing will ensue today and the boys can barely stand to wait another 30 hours before we fly out to P-town! It’s quite the juggling act when traveling with a 5 year old, a 4 year old and an almost 1 year old…let’s just say, at these moments of our parenting lives we wish we had leashes.  And perhaps helmets–for us.  Flying out of Bradley International Airport right outside of Hartford doesn’t give us a direct flight and we opted to drive an hour and half up to Boston for a non-stop ride into PDX.  There was much deliberation in coming to this decision, but we were not in the mood to have a 3 hour layover in Chicago or Atlanta with our traveling zoo. And this time we bought Dub his own seat.  Last time, well, was a nightmare.  So he gets his own personal space and we are going to strap him down in his carseat.  Yes my friends, a carseat: a legal device that allows you to buckle your children down in a chair for a period of supervised time. Bam.

Yesterday marked the first time since we moved to New England I didn’t wear slippers.  Freedom!  I actually prefer to wear something on my feet inside the home–better for the hips and back (yes, I sound old, but I’m broken), but I don’t have any flip-flops for inside yet and let me tell you, it felt wonderful to be without my fuzzy house shoes!  Besides the bedrooms, this house has hardwood throughout (and some tile), so it’s a must to have warm feet to keep from freezing in these harsh Connecticut winters.  It was 75 degrees yesterday–I had my striped tank maxi on and my white bare feet out in the open!  So thankful for this change of weather.  The day before I relaxed in the sun while the kids played in the yard…

 

It’s a wonderful experience to live in the woods. We have 17 windows in our downstairs alone and the view is just beautiful.  We can see the sunset from our in the living room!  The chorus of birds that greet us in the mornings energizes the body to get moving and enjoy the day.  And I love that they are all new bird sounds!  I’m not even going to pretend like I know what they are, but we seem to have the party lawn for a flock of Robins in the neighborhood.  We’ve got some good worms.  The bare trees that line our property are starting to bud red berries–I am excited to see what they turn into!

The boys exploring on an empty lot in our neighborhood.

Oh, that’s what those are for!

And just as we predicted, the second we found spring out here, we’d fly back home to the rain.  Yes, rain.  But who cares.  We are anxious to get back to family and friends!!! Here we come…

XOXO!

Portland bound!

Yesterday we made the bold decision to give a an end date to our time out here in New England and declared we will move back to Portland before Christmas of this year!  Crazy.  With kids in private pre-school and Cody moving into Kindergarten next fall (!!!) re-enrollment time is upon us.  And now, being in the interesting position of not really knowing what 2014 holds for our family, decision making needs to be prayerful and precise–oh, and quick!  So Tyler was asked to give an actual end date for the boys at the school here, and he did:  the start of Christmas break will be their last day and we will continue their schooling in West Linn at the new year.  So weird to say it and know it for sure.  But very exciting!  Tyler’s job will be wrapping up and going through punch lists & certificate of occupancy stuff (stuff, as I am trying to sound so proficient in construction terms–I’m getting better :)) in December and if need be, he can stay out here for a couple of weeks to finish it up or fly out as need be, but as our family is concerned we will officially return to the Great Northwest and enjoy Christmas with family.  I don’t dare to be announcing forever and ever amen to this story line, as this family knows, our plans rarely have anything to do with much that actually happens.  The Lord is the only one knows what’s up next…

But if we are to move back, we are preparing as much as we can for what we think is in our future:  buying a home! It’s been a desire of my heart since we started growing this crazy family, and the real possibility to lay down roots in a home that we can make our own is on the horizon.  To be perfectly honest, I am giddy at the prospects!  The housing market in Portland is on a slow but a bit of an increase in price and most of what is for sale in our hopeful city is either a million dollars or built in the early 1990’s and need a little (or a lot) of work.  Seeing that Tyler does not own Howard S. Wright, neither have we won the lottery while out here in Connecticut, we will pick the latter option and renovate.  I CANNOT WAIT.

So let’s just indulge a little bit and go over some of my favorite design options I have been hoarding recently.  Just as with my clothing, my home decor style is simple and classic, with bits of rustic glamour, and of course whites, creams, blues and black.

Love the use of windows along the backside of the counters with the gorgeous casework–lots of light for all those gloomy Portland days.  Of course these are completely unrealistic as no house built West Linn in 1992 has windows like that but the overall idea of windows behind the sink rather than cupboards is what I’m going for. White inlayed cabinets and sleek modern hardware keep the kitchen from looking too country.  The marble counters are stunning but totally impractical, so no marble for us but I want to keep it white.  (But seriously, if we could afford it, I’d take a marble slab backsplash in heartbeat!!) A couple of glass front cabinets will open the space and keep it airy since our ceilings will not be 18 feet.  A farm sink?  Well, I’m not sure if it’ll be worth the cost but they sure are beautiful.

Bathrooms…so many options but this is a great example of elements I want:  the white and grey throwback floor tile, white and grey subway tile on the walls and shower, white furniture-style vanity with marble top and wall sconce.  I do however want to replace those small mirrors for one big gigantic one. Oh, but you can throw in that massive, beautiful chandelier too if you want.

I am totally diggin’ this easy, cheery informal dinning room.  Great colorful chairs, white table legs with what looks like a dark grey stone top, blue and white striped rug (I’m a total sucker for stripes–obviously.) and hits of fresh green. Now I’d replace that chandelier but I love this look.  Love it.

Dreamland, remember?!  But it’s so important to know what you like.  There are so many options–too many sometimes–and when make big decisions like remodeling the house you’re going to living in for the next 20 years, you have to able to narrow your style down and make decisive decisions. It’s waay too easy to be overwhelmed by all that is out there.  The more you become familiar with what you want, the more enjoyable the process is.  The same goes with clothes, you need inspiration and then you go find your look in your price rage!  Plus, I just like looking at this stuff :)

I could admit that I have already chosen my floors, hardware, door styles, windows, and light fixtures but that would be ridiculous so I won’t…

So!  The Ross family will be back in home in late December!  And better yet, we’ll be in town next Thursday to visit–so excited!!

XOXO

Update.

…it’s been a while since my last post…let’s just be honest, it’s been a bit boring around here.  Nothing much to report.  WAIT!  My mama came to visit!  No, I didn’t forget–seriously–but if I was to write an entire post about my mom, well, I’d start crying, you’d start crying, my mom would start crying and it would be one big mushy cry fest I am not emotionally prepared for.  Because, let’s face it, I miss her and you all know that already.  So that’s my excuse.  Emotional instability and laziness.

So I’ll recap for you.  My mom’s visit was the usual:  talks about the Lord and our walk with Him, mornings on the couch with coffee while looking through house inspiration and clothing, special Starbucks goodies, a ridiculous amount of storybook reading to grandsons, shopping and of course a painful display of our limited brain resources that resulted in a lost car and 40 mins of wandering a massive parking structure wearing heals–shhhhh!  If you won’t tell, I certainly won’t.

My mom and I had the Saturday all to ourselves, and after much research and a couple app downloads we decided to forgo our dreamy train ride to Boston on St. Patrick’s Day weekend for shopping 20 mins outside the city–hey, it was really cold and we’re German/Norwegian, not Irish.  We’ll make it there, I promise.  But girls gotta shop!  With GPS in hand, we took the back roads through one of my favorite little villages in Connecticut called Stafford Springs as we headed up north to Massachusetts. It is an absolute passageway back through time.  We managed to sneak some shots out of my Suburban window as we rolled through the town…

The day was perfect.  My mom and I did some epic shopping and historic amounts of talking and could have done it all over again the next day. Though, we were extremely exhausted by the time we got home and devoured homemade pizza like we hadn’t eaten in weeks.  (We may have been extra tired due to misplacing a vehicle for 40 mins and wandering, but no one is admitting anything.) Needless to say, we had the most wonderful time while she was here.  And it was hard to see her go.  BUT in 2 weeks–2 weeks to this day–I’ll be back in lush, green, squishy and apparently sunny P-town!  What?  Sun?  I read it’s supposed to be in the mid-70s this weekend.  It’s like global warming is real–HA, just kidding!  That’s just my jealousy showing because it snowed a bit this morning.  You may say I am obsessed with the weather but when you have three boys in your house at all times outside is the promised land.  Full of glorious running and jumping and yelling and throwing and exploring and much, much tiredness and happiness all over crazy boy’s faces. Moms, you know.

Some polka dots from our shopping trip!

I mentioned in one of my last posts loneliness has been knocking at my door each day and one of my steps toward freedom of such weightiness might be trying out a gym.  Well, I did and I joined.  Crazy cheap–too cheap to pass up with a great unlimited childcare program: only $30.  And like most women I go to the gym for the classes, and they offer a couple that focus on Pilates and Yoga and there is a class like Pump (if you’ve been to a 24 Fitness).  I had been going to a so-called Pilates studio twice a week at night and you can only imagine how lovely that was for our family–I rush to get dinner ready and done for the family before 5:00, Tyler opens the garage door, I throw Dub & his brothers at him and say, “Thank you, and may the odds ever be in your favor.”  Finding this gym was a great way to solve a bunch of discomforts in our household and as equally as important, stay up on Pilates.

…So a little background on the Pilates obsession…because I have one, but it’s for a healthy reason :)  I started Pilates last September, four months after I had Dub.  Some of you know I had severe pelvic issues while pregnant and have a history of chronic neck and back pain–SO my mom, who had been doing Pilates for a year, suggested that I try it for rehab.  By that time I had pretty much exhausted every possible medical doctor, procedure and medication on the planet for relief, so I thought, why not? I learned that the focus of Pilates is on pelvic and core strength–exactly what all of us mamas don’t have after we have babies–especially after multiple babies!  We hunch over, our abdominals no longer hold in our stomachs, and our pelvic floor is well, ruined (just think going to the bathroom…).  It also just happened to be the same areas that were causing me much pain.  After a week of 3 sessions, I could already feel a huge difference in my posture and stability.  My pain was greatly decreased and it was without medication or bed rest!  Hallelujah! I was an immediate believer in the power of Pilates–and as my mom and I like to say, I drank the juice and will sell it to anyone who will listen :)  It’s amazing.  By the time November rolled around I was pain free and a new woman.

If you are interested (and you should be!) make sure you go to a Stott Pilates certified trainer.  There are countless non-certified studios and instructors (a couple of them at my gym here) but if you don’t start with the real deal you will most likely hurt yourself and fail to see any visible results.  Which is a shame because, ladies, I have never had this much muscle definition and purposeful strength.  For any of you Pintrest lovers out there, almost any of those posts that include 10 Ways to Firm Your Post-Pregnancy Tummy or The Ultimate Leg and Butt Workout or 20 Moves That Will Give You That Summer Body (blah, blah, blah–ek!)–any of those, they are basically spin offs of the Pilates workout.  It works wonders and once you start you will never go back to any normal, average body strengthening workout again.

I was not paid for my unabashed endorsement of Stott Pilates but I could be.

Pilates love-fest over.  For now…

All that to say, I am enjoying my gym time and go almost every morning.  It’s just a nice reason to get out of the house and get a break.  Plus, I like to workout and always have–well, I’ve always liked to compete, but now since I’m waay too old to be on a team (and that’s ok :)), I compete with my self and that is fun too…weird?  Sorry…a little insight into Dani…

I should rap this puppy up…

XOXO

Pilates Resources:

Ageless Body Conditioning Pilates Studio–this is the studio I went to in Lake Oswego, OR  amazing instructors!!  I miss them dearly!

Stott Pilates Official Website-tons of resources and DVDs

Club Sport–if you are a member at Club Sport they have some great instructors.  My mom goes there and I have been to the classes as well.  A great resource if you already pay the fees :)

What to wear.

You didn’t actually think I’d have a blog and not mention fashion, right?  And it’s definitely time we chatted about what to wear with spring quickly approaching and our bodies itching to get out of wool sweaters and rain boots. New England may have been blasted with 18 inches of snow the other day but the sun is out, it’s 50 degrees and I am ready to talk clothes!

Let’s get real: I am addicted to navy.  It’s all over in my house, my kid’s clothes, my husband’s clothes, my clothes…some might call it a problem–okay, it’s a problem–but if I work it right, navy is not a problem but a personal style…and THE best time of the year for a navy lover is spring.  You can’t talk about spring fashion without mentioning the nautical influence.  Navy and white is so fresh, youthful and classic–it’s perfection! So I chose to go with the nautical theme but without being too overtly preppy or monotonous by adding details like polka-dots, sequins, and a sweet ruffled detail on the jacket.

I know you may not have the same style as me but here is the overall advice:  these 10 pieces represent a collection of items that can create multiple, complete outfits.  Buying clothes can be expensive and draining.  Finding what fits and staying on budget all the while looking put together can be hard to accomplish.  These are 10 items that will focus you in on what you need to look for while interjecting your own personal style.

Let me know if you have any of your own fashion questions/concerns–I LOVE to talk fashion so send them to your friend out here on the East Coast!

1.  Jacket–Leather Jacket w/ ruffle detail, Zara

2. Day dress–Cameo A-Line Dress, Ted Baker, Nordstrom

3. Tank–Sequined Drape Tank, Madewell

4. Printed silk blouse–Geometric Print Blouse, Mango.com

5. Embroidered/lacy top–Crochet Front Top, Ark & Co., Piperlime.com

6. Shorts–Pleated short with structured cotton, J.Crew

7. Wedge/platform sandals–Sandals, Mango.com (these are similar, since I chose these, they have been sold out!)

8. Flats–Darby printed loafers, J.Crew

9. Skirt–Dots Print Miniskirt, Mango.com

10. Ankle/cropped colored pant–Mini Pant, J. Crew

Thank you, Storm David.

Well, there’s at least 1 1/2 feet of snow out there and now, and at 2:30 pm, it has finally stopped.  We basically got all of our snow over night and this morning.  It’s amazing how much snow we get out here–it felt like we had our own little piece of the mountain on our front lawn today.  With Dub down for a nap the rest of us snuck out for some snow time :)

XOXO

Ground Hog Day.

The snow is really starting to swirl around out there!  Another Nor’easter has hit us and promises to bring a bunch of wind and around 8 inches of snow in the next 48 hours.  Apparently we are getting one more storm in before the beginning of spring.  The snow was almost completely melted from our lawn and bam! here we go again.  I don’t mind the snow, but my body is just aching for some warmth–and when I say warmth, I mean anything in the 40 degrees range would be great.  I see commercials for Atlantis and Pins of the Greek Isles and a surge of pure, fleshly jealousy and covetousness erupts out of my being and I black out, come to, and find my hand inches from purchasing a flight to the Bahamas.  Seriously.  That close.

 

We found a church!  It’s hard to find one in a foreign land, especially since we don’t believe in 80% of the church denominations around here.  As you could imagine, this greatly decreases the amount of possible candidates.  We tried one about 6 weeks ago and the experience was, well, awkward at best.  Eh, we never went back.  But sitting in front of our TV watching recorded church sermons really gets draining and then our 5 year old asks: “Mom, why didn’t we go to church today?”  So after being called out by our own son, last Sunday we started pumping ourselves up to try it again.  Here we go!  Here we go!  Couple jumping jacks here, a few chest bumps there–we were preparing for the 45 min worship service made up of 3 songs that run in and out of each other as a keyboard somberly plays in the background and a pastor that talks more about himself than the actual bible, when–praise God–angels from heaven descended and brought Tyler to the Calvary chapel website.  YES, there’s one in West Hartford!  Where’s West Hartford?  Oh–45 mins away.  Dear goodness. Good thing we did our exercises because 45 mins one way is quite the haul for the 5 of us.  BUT we thought nothing could be as uncomfortable as the last place, and if its an epic fail, we always could go to the mall…an adventure, remember?  Yes.  That’s right, we are on a year long adventure–here we go!

 

Ha! Well, we made it and loved it.  Thank goodness! The service is held at a school, with herds of young families and kids, and a pastor who teaches on the bible and through the bible.  We knew the instant we walked in that West Hartford high school that this is where we were supposed to be.  The Lord is so good.  We didn’t realize just how much we missed it.  Missed talking with others about the Lord.  Missed seeing other people excited to know God and worship Him.  Missed being of like minds.  We are totally considering helping with Easter…

Though I wish friends and family were automatically inserted into this church equation, they are not and I can feel a pushing to open up and not be the new kids on the block for long.  I hope it works :)  As you might have already assumed, the New England honeymoon has worn thin.  And strangely enough I have found myself locked into a mind-numbing Ground Hog day.  Same thing every day and every day the same thing.  Friends and family?  Yeah, we’ve got none of those here.  I might be a self-professed homebody, but I do enjoy social interaction during the day as do most human beings and at the moment that is non-existent besides the occasional “How do sharks get on land?” and “The baby pooped!”.  Yeah, all of us mums have this…BUT it’s just strange (almost maddening) when you finally leave the land of toddler isolation and branch out to the land of the living only to be thrusted back into cave dwelling.  People, I had just started to make friends in p-town–now nothing–eek!!!!!

 

Ok–no self pity. Just being honest.  And it was inevitable.  Of course it was going to hit me in a big way, especially since I’m a mom, a girl and well, alive.  It’s just what happens next that’s important.  I’ve been invited to a mom’s group on Tuesday with some of the mom’s from preschool…oh man…do I have to?  I’m thinking about joining a gym–perhaps getting out of the house and sweating might go a long way…anyone have a wedding or an event they want help with?  …that trip to the Bahamas is looking better and better as I type this…

XOXO