No Dress Today…Not Much of Anything…

I’m sick and sulky.

Wondering whether a housecoat counts as a dress?

Husband wanted to take close-ups…but uh, uh…not today.

Sorry everyone, I don’t have a dress for you today.  I’m sniffling, sneezing, stuffed up and my throat is really sore.  In other words, I’m siiiick!  Today, I most likely will not even get out my pajamas…unless it’s to shower and get into fresh pajamas.  Oh, and to top it all off, our washer broke just 30 minutes ago!  Right in the middle of a load of laundry!  Have we got bad luck or what?  So, Husband has to go out and shovel the drive, and then we’ve got to purchase a new washer ASAP.  With a baby in the house laundry is a must.

Hope your day is going better.  Leave me a comment about your day…I need to live vicariously through you today!

Dress 7: Cashmere and Robots

The raw image of the dress
Dress – Thrifted; Cardigan – Gap; Belt – borrowed from Mom; Leggings – Forever XXI

Okay, so I’m really sick everyone.  Bad cold, and I wish I could just curl up on the couch and watch tv all day.  But that’s another one of those little “luxuries” that dissappear once you have kids.  So, I’ve been dragging my butt around the house doing stuff all day and I feel Poo-ey.  And to add insult to injury, Baby has my cold of course.  Good times!  So today I’m in trashy jeans and, yes I know, my Lulu hoodie.  But have no fear.  I have prepared for just such situations!  I wore this dress earlier, and didn’t post it because there was already so much to blog about.  So I thought I’d save it just in case (and yes I have a couple more up my sleeve).  So here it is…something to keep you busy while I try to kick this cold’s bum!

This picture was taken upstairs in my Mom’s house – it’s just too darn cold outside.  This dress was a bargain find, and no I don’t remember where exactly.  But it’s a cashmere blend which means that yes, it’s incredibly soft.  Though I like fashion, I’m not a total slave to it – comfort is essential to me.  And this dress is all that.  I’m not too crazy about the retro pattern on it lately, but it’s just enough interest when covered with a nice cardigan.  My hair’s a mess in this pic, I just hadn’t had time to do it.  The most I managed is to wash it – sorry but that’s what it’s like to be a Mama.

I’ll always be on time and in the right place!

This is the pendant that I wore with it – for all of 5 minutes.  I quickly realized that with Baby there is no possibility to wear a long necklace, unless I mean it to be a toy for her.  So off it went, back into the jewelry case, for now.  But I thought you’d at least like to see it.  The nerd in me does a little cartwheel when I see this necklace.  It’s a compass, a watch, and a robot!!!  Every geek’s dream. I’m waiting for it’s eyes to glow red and say, “By your comand.” (That’s a Battlestar Galactica reference by the way).  Speaking of BSG – can I please be reborn as Tricia Helfer in another life?

So what do you think?  Trash, stash, or save?  I’m leaning towards trash, but I need your help to decide.

Dress 6: Don’t “Bond…James Bond” Me

Black dress, red lipstick = priceless

Husband pretending to be Mr. Photographer ruins my “all-cool” composure.  Dress – H&M; Leggings – Forever XXI; Boots – Browns Couture; Lipstick – Joe Fresh “apple”

Okay, so first off I know I said I don’t like turtlenecks, and that is still the general rule.  But as we all know, every rule has an exception.  And this dress is the exception to that rule.  I love the simplicity and retro feel of this dress.

On a side note, you must, must get yourself at least one pair of these tights. They’re nylon leggings from Forever XXI but I consider them tights because they’re a little too sheer to not have your butt covered. They feel great – not too tight and not too loose, and they make your legs look good – which is always a plus!  They’re about $5.50 a pair and they come in several necessary colors! I got them not too long ago in a few of the colors and already am in love.  If you like to wear dresses and skirts year round I recommend investing a few pairs of these.

The red lipstick is the main fashion accessory here.

I was thinking earlier that this dress makes me feel like a Bond Girl.  But then I got to thinking about it, and no, I don’t want to be a Bond Girl.  I’d want to be Moneypenny.  Think about it.  Yeah, she’s just the secretary, but she’s witty and resourceful and much smarter than the Bond Girls because she never sleeps with Bond.  All the other women sleep with him and are either dead in the next act, or if they survive to the end, they’re gone by the next movie.  Moneypenny gets all the flirtation and fun without dying or dissappearing.  So yeah, I’ll be Miss Moneypenny – Bond is fun to look at but he’s far too fickle for me anyway.

Sell, stash, or save?

Random Sundays: A Little Bit Blue

Walking onto my brother-in-law’s street

Today was a hard day.  It wasn’t hard because any one thing in particular happened.  It wasn’t hard because because of the people I met or interacted with.  It was hard just because.  A lot of crap has happened lately (which I’m not going into because frankly I don’t want to go into the, “Woe is me!” thing, and because I know others have it much crappier) and it’s just got me down.  Maybe it’s also the time of year so I have trouble focusing on the joyful things.  But yeah, I’m feeling a bit blue. So, hopefully, you’ll pardon today’s brevity.  Better short and sweet, I think.

We went for lunch at my Brother-in-Law’s house.  They’re not there but my In-Laws are watching their boys so we went there to visit with them and to have dinner.  It was good.  Seeing family is always good.  But I think everyone was stressed and tired – or maybe I’m just projecting.

My Mother-In-Law checking a label

We had a good dinner and the kids all hung out. I was ravished having skipped lunch, so things tasted especially good to me.  You know nothing tastes as good as when you’re starving – doesn’t matter what it is – whether plain bread or juicy steak.

On the way home.

After we got home, Husband watched Baby while I took a really hot shower.  Now Baby’s put to bed and I’ve just finished a half glass of wine.  Maybe I’ll have another half glass.  Wine makes a blue day better!

Goodnight everyone!  See you all tomorrow!

Dress 5: Hippie in the Snow

The sun in its meager glory

The view from my back patio

Good day all.  This is the morning that I woke up to: snowy, dreary and cold.  I have to say that I love the look of snow and watching it fall, but I hate (emphasize hate) the cold that has to accompany it.  I’ll tell you who gets a kick out of it though, Drake the Dog!  He loves to run around and hop around in the snow.  We call him our black, snow dolphin.

Drake the Dog gallavanting around in the snow in our backyard

Today’s a lazy day in that we don’t have any work and we feel lazy.  But so far we’ve cleaned the floors, cooked Baby food, done two loads of laundry, brought donations to Value Village, had a run, and put away the Christmas decorations.  Further, there is currently another load in the laundry and Husband is making Chicken soup.  So yeah, no lazing around here!

Humming “Age of Aquarius, the Age of Aquarius. A-quar-i-us.” Dress – Forever XXI; Jeans – somewhere in Europe; Scarf – Jacob; Sweater – Smart Set.

Dress five in the dress challenge brings me back to the first couple of months that we had Baby.  Boy, I don’t miss those days!  I wore this dress a lot during that time.  It’s cotton so it was perfect in the blistering heat, and the empire waist is forgiving to a post-partum figure.  Today, I felt like being all relaxed so I paired the dress with my wide leg jeans, threw on a blue cardi, and topped it all off with a skinny scarf.  I feel very hippie-ish today (yes, I know that’s not a real word).  Did you notice I cut my bangs?  Probably not, it’s not that big a difference, but I did.  And yes, that’s me standing on my futon.  How else is a girl going to get the whole outfit in the shot?

Sell, stash, or save?  Sorry, this time I’m not asking you guys. I’m making the final verdict on the dress here: save!  It’s just too comfortable!

Whimsy Isn’t Just For Kids

Today is one of those days.   You know what I’m talking about.  Those days you don’t want to get out of bed, when everything is such a huge effort and you just don’t think you have it in you.  Yeah, it’s one of those days. So, I’m taking a small break in my dress challenge.  I’m a new mom, you have to cut me some slack.

When at home I don’t want to get all crazy dressed up, but I also don’t want to look too much like a slub.  Nor do I want to fall into the Lululemon trap – much as I like my Lulus, they are strictly for working out and the occassional outing.  So jeans are a great standby, they’re comfy, and relaxed but not too grungy.  And these Guess bootcuts are my favorite pair. They’re the faithful jeans that never make you feel bad.

I got this top for a super cheap price and think it’s my new favorite around the house piece.  It’s comfy jersey and very stretchy (great for feeding baby) and it’s a little whimsical.  We don’t have enough whimsy in our lives.

Dress 4: Blame It On The Dog

Drake the Dog is such a media hog!

It’s really all his fault.  What’s his fault?  Everything!
Cardigan – ShopRuche; Dress – can’t remember; Boots – somewhere in NYC

This morning I had a wonderful coffee date with three fabulous moms I met through a mommy group.  We get along great and it’s always wonderful to see them.  It’s fantastic to have a group of women who are going through the same thing I am at the same time.  We chat, and talk about baby stuff and no one is bored ’cause we all have kids.  It’s not like talking about babies to people who don’t have babies – they just don’t care!  And I don’t blame them, I didn’t care before I had kids either.  That’s just how it goes.  Anyway, we chatted and had a great time. 

Anyway, remember how I told you have dresses from waaaay back?  Well, this is one of them.  I bought it when I was in grade 11.  That’s right, in High School! I actually own two very similar dresses – same style, just different pattern and color – both of which I bought at the same time.  And I just love them.   Sometimes I go off them for a while and shove them to the back of the closet but eventually I return.  This dress is like that one boy you can’t seem to get over – except that this dress won’t break your heart! 

So sell, stash or save?  Definitely a save!

Dress 3: Why Don’t You All Kick the Bucket Then

The Dress

Styled for winter

Cardigan – Jacob; T-shirt – Smart Set; Belt – American Eagle; Dress – bought in Lagos, Portugal; Boots – Feet First

Okay, I actually wore this dress yesterday but since I already posted yesterday with a dress look I decided to wait and post this one today.  I wasn’t sure about the whole thing until I was in a store and the lovely salesperson said that she loved the color of my skirt.  Yay! I love the color of the dress too.  It’s what originally attracted me to it.  And I also love complements!  But who doesn’t right?

Sell, Stash or Save?  This dress is definitely a save!

Now onto something a little different. 

Everyone seems to be writing a Bucket List.  Everywhere I look it’s bucket-this, and bucket-that.  Frankly, I’m against it.  It’s not that I’m against living your life to the fullest and fullfilling goals and dreams.  It’s that I’m against doing it out of fear.  And the bucket list comes from fear – the fear that you’re not going to live the life you want before you die, the fear that your life will lack meaning, the fear that you won’t do/achieve what you want to do.  It assumes a negative – that you will die without something (having done or experienced something).  Chances are you will die without doing everything you ever wanted – that’s the nature of being human.  So if you set yourself up like that – you will die dissappointed.  Fear is not a good starting point. 

Why can’t we switch gears and look from joy?  Be joyful about what you have right now.  Be joyful about what you have achieved.  And be joyful about what you want to achieve.  Write your goals.  Write the things you want to see and do.  But do it from joy.  Look forward to it with glee.  Not a dread that you may die before you do it all, or that you have to do it all because you may die.  Do the things on your list because you want to have the best life ever.  Do those things because you want to experience meaning and wonder.  Do it because life matters – not death.    I’m going to write a Life List.  I’m going to die, everyone is eventually, but will everyone really live?

Dress 2: A Slice of Football

Me trying to look cool
And failing!   Dress – H&M; Scarf – thrifted; Cardigan – H&M; Boots – Feet First; Leggings – Forever XXI

Okay, the dress challenge continues.  This little number was worn last night on air.  And the best part of working last night?  Spending time with our camera operator, the lovely Olivia.  She rocks!  She’s the only woman I know who can pull off a shaved head and a headband with a leopard bow!  Not at the same time, but I wouldn’t put it past her to do that either.  Yes, I’m talkin’ you up Olivia *she reads this blog*.  We watched trashy TV during our break and I commented/heckled throughout the show.  We used to watch HGTV; I was obsessed when I was renovating my house *read: gutting it out completely and rebiulding*.   Now when I say I watched HGTV I mean I watched it like a sports obsessed man watches football:  I yelled at the screen, I trash talked the players, and I criticized their plays.  Now that the house is over I turn to SLICE – trashy and terrible reality TV.  Yes, I know.  I KNOW!  But I can’t help it.  It’s the vice that I indulge in once a week.  And yes, it’s my new football.  Pass the chips.

Waking Up In The Morning Is Hard To Do

All I could manage today

Sweater – C’est Moi; Shirt – Reserved; Leggings – Forever XXI; Leg warmers – Legs Beautiful

6:15 am: Baby’s banging on her bed like a bongo drum.  Just five more minutes Mom…oh wait, crap, I’m the Mom and I don’t get two minutes, much less five.  No, I don’t want to be up.  But as I’ve learned recently, when you’re a parent it’s never about you.  So up I get, throw baby over one shoulder and head downstairs.  Baby goes onto the floor on her blanket with her toys, while I feel an irresistible pull towards one particular kitchen cabinet – where we keep the coffee…

Sort of awake now, thanks to Coffee Tree.  Love their fresh roasted coffee – I need to see an oily film on my cup or it’s not really coffee, you know? It’s not that I’m a coffee snob, it’s just that if I’m going to indulge in a vice I’m going to do it right.

Now I’ve got to work up the motivation to shower and get dressed.  Suggestions?  What gets you going in the morning?

joannahaughton

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