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Summer Fashion – Beauty, Style, Color – Tips for Every Woman

19 Jul

Photo via Sydney @ The Charming Tyrants

Summer Series – Day 2 – Summer Fashion

I’m so very excited to introduce you to Laura of Broken Poet.  She’s a lovely woman who has a passion for fashion and style, but also has a fabulous perspective on beauty, inside and out.  Not long ago she gave us an enlightening and refreshing talk on real beauty (She ain’t pretty, she just looks that way), and today she is going to help us with summer fashion. 

Heaven knows I need a little help.  How about you?

Please don’t miss her Vlog.  She makes the best!  And she has a wonderful little Etsy shop, so be sure to visit. 

Welcome Laura!  Thank you for being my guest.

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SUMMER FASHION

I’m super excited FringeGirl asked me to be a part of her summer series!
One thing that I really love about summer is the easy, care-free vibe everyone gets.  You are no longer strategically bundling up in layers to prevent frostbite; you can relax, just slide into some flop flops and go.  It’s wonderful.
So, in the free & easy spirit of summer I want to share some summer fashion tips/suggestions & beauty products that I love.
But, right before I do that, just a friendly reminder to WEAR SUNSCREEN!

I don’t care what kind you buy, just wear it – faithfully!

I love UV Essential SPF by CHANEL.
It makes the best make-up primer: it’s not greasy, has no smell, helps make-up stay put, makes skin feel velvety soft & look brighter.  I love it so much I would still wear it daily in an alternate universe where there is no sun.

Now, on to the fun stuff!
COLOUR (yes, I spell it with a u, so does the Queen. I feel I am in good company)

I always try to wear more colour in the summer, whether it be my clothing, my nail polish, my accessories, or my make-up.  This may be due to the fact that for the last 6 years of my life my work dress code has either been 1. All Black or 2. Black & White.  If you also have dress code dilemmas than get ready, I’ll talk more about dealing with dress codes in the summer below.
If colour-coordinating is not your strong point then paint chips are your friend.  Seriously. The Benjamin Moore website could be a fabulous tool for you.

 You can select a specific colour like in the frame below
and then it will recommend 2 colours to compliment it!
Not sure about the 2 accent colours, click  ‘more colour combos’ amd it will suggest 2 more.
Or, you can see what other shades match to make a monocromatic outfit
Since lime green, excuse me, “Margarita”, is not a colour that maybe anyone could pull off let’s look at it
It suggests pairing it with either  a dark slate gray or soft mushroomy gray.
Either of those neutrals could be worn by just about anyone.  If you love that green why not find a skirt in the shade and wear one of the accent colours on top.       Or, maybe go head to toe in a light gray khaki with lime shoes or a bag as an accent.
 Another way to wear colour is with your make-up.  This is the time of year when you can push the envelope so to speak with your make-up.  Put on a bright, but sheer lipgloss or balm.  Wear a colour lighter and brighter than you would for the rest of the year.  Anything lip product says ‘sheer’ or ‘tint’ is your friend in the summer.  Be brave, be bold, be bright!
One colour that I love in the summer is a M.A.C lipstick called Perpetual Flame in the problongwear lip creme formula.  Warning: it is not sheer!
I wear it with either a hot pink liner or sometimes the Magenta liner also by M.A.C. shown above.
If you’re really up for the 3B’s, here’s a funky eye make-up look you could try.
It’s a fun look for a beach party or outdoor concert.
I also like bright polish on my toes in the summer.  I’m usually found in dark nail colours, all those ‘almost black’ shades.  But in the summer I tend to lighten up.  I keep my fingernails pretty bare and neutral and let my toes pop!  Nails are also a great way to wear a trend colour that you may not be bold enough to wear in clothing, like bright yellow or electric coral.
either a bright colour or neutral shimmer…and usually just one colour at a time :

Now. some tips on summer dressing:

Maxi dresses and skirts are really in.  If you’re petite like me (I’m only 5’2″) you can still wear maxis!
The rule with petite dressing is that if you go long you have to really commit, I’m talking ankle bone.  Alternatively, if you go short, kneecaps should be showing.  If your hem hits somewhere in between you just look even shorter than you are.

I’ve used the same blouse so that you can see how one piece can be dressy or casual.  Also, blouses are great in the summer for many reasons.  Find one that is at least 80% cotton.  They breathe.  It’s so nice on a hot day.  Also, the shape of a blouse is really flattering as they skim over any lumps and bumps.  Take a look at these same outfits with just a white fitted t-shirt

The blouse smooths away my tummy area and the jacket camouflages the area.
Committed to the comfy white t-shirt?

Cardigans & blazers work well too.  I added a bright scarf to the blazer because I wanted to bring in some colour.  I love the khaki green, but I need something brighter by my face.  If you know ‘your colour’ find it in a scarf!  You will gets lots of mileage out of it.
Are you, like most of us, on a budget this summer?
Then think outside the box.
I can wear this skirt as a strapless dress.  I added the belt that came free with the purple blouse because I felt that it made this look more like an outfit…and less like I just pulled my skirt up to my armpits.
This might be an example of a summer work outfit in an office casual environment.  Shorts can be work appropriate in most offices if the material & style is right.  These are cotton, black, and on the longer side.  Denim short shorts are not going to be welcomed in most workplaces as professional.  These capris are a great alternative if shorts aren’t allowed & you don’t like skirts. Fabric is key for keeping these seasonal.  I have seen fall capris for tucking in knee high boots – these are usually a heavy fabric like a wool blend – definitely avoid them this time of year.  A warning with capris – as you can see in my photo, they do nothing for petite legs.  I for one don’t mind because they’re comfy and often practical.
Wearing a sandal with a heel helps counteract the short vibe – just make sure they don’t have an ankle strap.  That’s just too many horizontal lines cutting up your already short leg.

Either of these would give height and elongate the look of the leg.
(silver are unknown, black are Michael Kors)

When I start to crave summer colour at my black and white workplace I bring it in through accessories.  Ask if wearing a colourful scarf is allowed.  What about coloured shoes and purses? Wear some fun colourful costume jewelry, nail polish, and nothing cheers me up and brightens my face more than a bright lipstick.
I’ve worn this ensemble to my black and white dresscode  workplace many times.
I not only have a scarf, but a pink broach too.  My nails are a hot fuchsia colour and my earrings are dangly and made up of various pink shades.  I chose to stick with a black belt and sandals.  I chose a raffia belt to go with this cotton dress because to me it’s more of a summery material.

Last but not least, some of my favourite summer things – fashion wise!

Hat with a brim – essential.  I also have a really wide brimmed hat that I wear at the beach.
Scarf – to use as a headband or ponytail holder.  Or, tie one around a hat to coordinate it with your outfit.
Spin Pins – those Goody hair accessories are the best!  They make a fab messy bun and they’ve just come out with minis!
Dry Shampoo and Natural Bristle Brush – just spray this dry powder directly on your roots and then brush out.  Takes away that greasy, stringly look of 2nd or 3rd day hair.  It’s also great for adding volume even if your hair isn’t dirty!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post!  I’m curious about all of your favourite summer fashion items.  Please let me know what they are in the comments.

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Thank you Laura!

I absolutely love your style and I so appreciate your post.

BUT

Dear blog readers, I have transgressed Laura’s rules repeatedly this summer.  In fact, after she sent me this post, my exact words to her were…

“Laura, you broke my heart forever!  I am the girl in the comfy skirt and t-shirt…like every single day in the summer time.  I think this post is just for me, because I also have tons of skirts that hit just to the top of my knee or just below.  My legs are way too flabby to wear a shorter skirt and I never actually hem a skirt.  You know?

I’ve been faced with my own fashion failures and am dying the death of a frump.  I’ll try to ramp things up a bit, but I’m not sure I’m ready to break up with my t-shirts.”

I offer you proof, but don’t be quick to judge until you start showing your photos.
It’s like my uniform every single day of summer.  A skirt and a twenty-five cent junk t-shirt that I rummaged out of a yard sale.
I do much better in the winter.
Kinda.
How about you?  What’s your basic ‘uniform’?  Come on, spill the beans….
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Laura is a wife, youth leader, blogger, make-up artist & and wannabe image consultant.  She works daily to empower women of all ages by teaching clients to simply enhance their own naturally beautiful features.  To her close friends and family she has become the go-to authority on what to wear and her closet has supplied many an outfit for everything from Halloween costumes, graduation dinners, weddings, and the ever popular “theme days” at various workplaces.

Follow along as she writes on the random happenings of everyday life and occasionally shares beauty tips and tricks at her blog Broken Poet.

Don’t forget, Laura wants to know “all of your favourite summer fashion items”. Let her know in the comments!

I’m linking this post to What I Wore Wednesday at The Pleated Poppy.  Go visit for more fashion inspiration.

 

Your friend and fashion disaster,

PS. Yesterday I posted at An Army of Ermas.  I’ll be honest, I need some comment love over there.  I’m sharing a recipe, but I’m not much better at cooking than I am at dressing, so read at your own risk.

On Rotten Raspberries and Summer Fun

18 Jul
Photo courtesy of Sydney, The Charming Tyrants

Summer Series – Day One

Today I’d like you to help me welcome Shannan from Flower Patch Farmgirl.  I’ve got to be honest with you, I adore Shannan’s blog, her sweet little kids and their antics, and her heart.  She has a beautiful spirit and lavishly gives her love away.  I am blessed every single time I read her blog.  When my blog grows up, it wants to be just like hers.

Welcome Shannan!

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Right now, as we speak, there’s a little box of raspberries in my fridge. I absolutely adore raspberries. It always feels so decadent and splurgey to buy them, and right now, at $2 a box, there’s really no reason not to.

The problem is, I love them so much that I don’t want to squander them.

I like knowing that they’re in my fridge and as soon as I eat them, they’ll be gone.

So what do I do?

I wait.

I look at them every time I pull out the milk or the lame old grapes and I smile just a little. Until one day, I’ll notice that they look a little mushy. They looked so good when I brought them home! Wait – when was that? I’ll do the math in my head. I’ll realize I’ve waited too long and then I’ll force the best ones down and pitch the rest.

Trust me, I know. I’ve been down this road before.

So, it seems I have a habit of idealizing a good thing. I want it to be perfect, that good thing.

This year I made my first Summer Fun list.
(Idea courtesy of Meg Duerksen at Whatever, but you already knew that.)

I made this list months ago and it seemed a bit optimistic. Maybe just a touch overzealous.

I almost kept a few things off because I didn’t want them on the list if it wasn’t really going to follow through. I wanted my pretty list to be perfect and then I wanted to carry it out perfectly.

In the end, my saner self shoved my crazy self aside and I listed up with abandon.

We have four weeks of Summer left and we never did make it to the Silverhawks game, but we found a few new (old) parks that were pretty rad.

The strawberries didn’t grow this year, so we didn’t make jam. But we did pick buckets of berries and package them up for some of our favorite people.

We made it to the beach once, but it wasn’t Silver.

I got pecked on the head at the zoo.

The Chief was just as good in our underwear as it would have been in our jammies.

We have yet to paper mache, decoupage or craft robots from cans, but we have taken a whole lot of bike rides.

And who the heck knows how many books we’ve read, because I’m not writing them down this summer.

(photo via my honey)

Of course, there’s still time. Maybe we’ll make it to the Drive-In yet, but if not, our Winnie the Pooh matinée will suffice.

Summer is for dreaming. Big dreaming.

But it’s also for plucking up every single day and LIVING.

I’ll keep checking things off and mentally adding new things on but I’ll also wind back over and over and chuck the list.

Also? I’ll eat the raspberries, because they won’t be on sale forever.

Shannan Martin is an ordinary girl who searches for and finds beauty in the everyday. She’s the wife of a man who thinks all of her jokes are funny and who regularly indulges her late-night, thinking-out-loud ponderings.  They have three funny babies, Calvin, Ruby and Silas, who came to them across rivers and oceans. Together, they are embarking on a fresh adventure and are confident that God will meet them there.

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Shannan, thank you for joining us and reminding us to enjoy our days, eat the raspberries, and have a little summer fun.  I didn’t pick any strawberries this year, mostly because of last year’s mishap (for the love of strawberries), but I’m going out right now to buy some raspberries!  :-)

I’m over at An Army of Ermas today sharing some fun in the kitchen and giving you all a simple recipe that I created myself.  Yes, go ahead and be scared.

The Road Trip that Made me Wash My Daughter’s Mouth with Soap

11 Jun

Today I’m over at An Army of Ermas reminiscing about everything but the kitchen sink.  Come join me on a road trip from Maine to Florida and hear about the totally gross and completely disgusting thing FringeKid did on a trip to the bathroom.

After that lead, who would wouldn’t want to go read my story!

For me, road trips began…

My brother and I eagerly climbed up into the back of our 1977 burgundy Oldsmobile Station Wagon.  Because vacations of my childhood always began in the pre-twilight hours when most of the world was tucked into their beds, my parents folded down the back seat, giving us a queen size snooze through New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia.  We never closed our eyes; surprises awaited us, every mile a new adventure to discover.  My mother packed everything we owned.  At seven years old, I heard the kitchen sink cursed more than once; however, packing forty-two bags, a grill, an adult size cooler, two children and the kitchen sink was acceptable.  Wagons could hold anything a family packed, even my four-foot Raggedy Ann.
Click HERE to finish the story.  It gets slightly more interesting I promise. :-)

Take a Leap & Visit Me

4 Jun

If you’d like to read my review of the book Still Alice, I was featured a couple of weeks ago on Fancy Little Things.  I should have told you the day my post went up, but well, I’m bad with dates.  I wish I had a better excuse.

Click HERE for the review.

Take the leap and come visit me at Fancy Little Things!

Happy Weekend.

She Ain’t Pretty, She Just Looks That Way

11 Apr

Today I’ve invited Laura from Broken Poet to be my guest.  She’s a beautiful woman inside and out, and I couldn’t think of a better person to teach us about true beauty.

Please give Laura a warm welcome.  Leave her a comment and let her know what this “chat” means to you.  Also, don’t forget to visit her blog.
Thank You Laura, for being my guest and graciously teaching us how to be beautiful.

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We live in a society that is very focused on physical beauty and perfection.  I happen work in an industry that is completely focused on physical beauty and perfection.  Appearance is everything.  One boss I had ordered me a trial sample of ProActive Acne Treatments and gave them to me at work!  I was a little hurt that she thought I needed it.  I’ve had a job where in the dress code is written “Hair and make-up must have a  neat and well groomed, contemporary look and should reflect the current trends in the industry. There is no restriction on hair color other than it be fashionable.

Who decides what’s fashionable, who decides what perfection is, what  beauty is?  In a world with a multitude of ethnicities & cultures why does beauty have to mean 5’10″, no hips, no bum, & blonde?  The notion is completely ridiculous.

I know in my head that just because some magazine says this is beauty it doesn’t make it so, but that doesn’t change the fact that part of me wants to be seen as beautiful anyway. I’ve had customers come in to my workplace in the past and say to me “what’s the name of the other girl I saw last time, you know, the pretty one” (true story).

I instantly hear a little voice that says “you’re not beautiful, you’re short, could stand to lose 15 pounds, and have acne scars all over your face”.  I can go all day and feel wonderful, but hear that comment, spoken without any malice, and I feel awful.

Why is my self-esteem based on other people…people I don’t even know?!  Why do I  want to be ‘the pretty one”?  Why is being perceived as pretty even important? Who am I trying to impress?

I think that is the real question at the heart of this issue “Who am I trying to impress“?

Now, this is where I might lose a few of you.  I’m gonna get all biblical on ya, but I would ask you hear me out, because you may be surprised by a few things.

God knows that we are human and therefore look to our peers for approval but He wants us to look to Him and Him only.  One of the 10 commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3).  What do you think that means?

I understand it to mean that anything or anyone we make more important than God in our daily lives becomes a god to us.  If I spend more time stressing about my looks than I do worshiping or meditating on God, then I’ve made my vanity a god before God.  If I spend more time worrying about whether or not people think I’m pretty  that I spend reading my bible and praying for others, I’ve made other people a god before God.  Not cool.

Deuteronomy 4:24

“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

God doesn’t want us to put other things/people before Him for our own good.  And do you know something?  If he’s God, and smart enough to create the whole world and everything in it, I think he’s worth listening to and taking seriously.

I know from experience that the more I think about my looks, the more self-pitying and depressed I become.   It turns into this vicious cycle of  “I’m not pretty, I’ll never be pretty, no one will love me….etc.”  It just gets worse and worse and more and more irrational.  Who wants to live like that?

God wants us to be full of his joy and so has given us simple instructions on how to live joyfully.  He’s saying, “Don’t care more what other people think of you, just think about how much I love you” aka, have no other gods before me.  Isn’t that wonderful?

If, in those first moments of feeling badly about not being picture perfect, we turned our thoughts to our loving God, we would be comforted by simply considering the amount of love He has for us and wouldn’t even have to go down that spiral of self-pity and depression.  His instructions are often very practical and simple like that.  He wants to save you from all that nonsense.

God does not judge us on our physical appearance, heck, He gave us our bodies and wants us to treat them with respect.

Remember that show “The Swan”?  I always thought it was such a horrible concept.  All these women “win” the opportunity to have numerous plastic surgeries to make them beautiful and then they vote for the most beautiful woman!  Imagine going through all those surgeries and then being told “sorry, we’ve done everything we can, but you’re still not pretty enough”.

I think it grieves God when we complain about the body He designed for us.  Think of all the cool things about your body.  Take the fact that we need to eat food to survive.  God gave us taste buds so we could enjoy the food we eat.  There are so many different foods and flavor combinations!  And, he made it even more interesting by giving different people different tastes.  How cool is that?!  A God that even cares if we enjoy our food.

So, I’ve established that God is who we should trying to impress. How do we do that?

The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:3-5 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a ‘fat day’  I spend waaay too much time picking out what clothes to wear so that I can look thin, or even trying to find expensive brand name clothes so I feel better about my self. Think about that.

Why do I try to feel better about myself by plastering someone else’s name on my body?  God’s name is above all names (“have no other gods before me”), there’s no point in trying to fix something without him.

I went through a phase of dying my hair to find that ‘perfect’ shade and getting funky hair cuts.  My thinking was “ok, I can’t lose 10 pounds in an instant, but I can change my hair in one!” and so I just kept changing, which didn’t help anything in the long run.  The ‘new hair cut high’ wears off after a day or two, everyone’s seen it, there’s no more compliments to be had and then what? 

God says focus on being inwardly beautiful.

When we realize there’s no one worth trying to please more than him life becomes so much simpler.  I know we can’t just over night decide we don’t care what people think, but the cool thing about God is that when we commit to being obedient to Him, He’s faithful in helping us honor that commitment and it becomes easier and easier to do his will.  Other people’s opinions don’t seem to matter as much, because, big picture, we don’t answer to anyone else but God.

Your beauty should…be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Think about Naomi Campbell for a minute.

Gorgeous woman.  Tall, slender, photogenic.  Her looks have made her millions of dollars.  Now, remember the cell phone incident of 2007 where she assaulted her maid by throwing a phone at her?

Read about it HERE.

To me that speaks volumes about her personality.  She throws violent temper tantrums, how is that beautiful?

Think about the late Elizabeth Taylor.

Stunning.  Wildly successful film career.  Always looked so glamorous.  She was married eight times!  Does that sound like someone who was content or full of joy?  I think not.

Think of Mother Theresa.

Old, wrinkled, and poor.  Worked tirelessly for those less fortunate than her, for those who no one else would love.  She put others above herself and her God above everything.  THAT is true inner beauty.

Ever notice that once you really get to know someone you see their personality more than their actual appearance?

My husband is a pale red-head, going bald, and has what may be the ugliest toenails in the world. But, I find him incredibly attractive.  I see his kindness, his love, his peace and gentleness when I look at him.  I don’t even register that most people wouldn’t classify him as a ‘hottie’.  I fell in love with HIM, not his looks.

That co-worker I mentioned above, you know, the pretty one?  She’s selfish, mean-spirited, and vain.  I’m not saying that out of spite, but having worked with her for a long time I don’t see her as pretty, I see her as sad, and desperately clinging to her looks (at 25 she is contemplating Botox) because that’s all she thinks she’s worth. We are all worth so much more.

If we give God’s way a chance, I think we’ll all find that it’s better to be known as loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled (aka. no cell phone throwing).  We will still have our “fat days” or get the “blues” but if we can stop the cycle and focus on God’s love instead, on having the characteristics He finds beautiful, we will be victorious over all that self-doubt and self-pity.

Now, I’m sorry if I lost you with all those scripture references and assuming you believe the God I speak of even exists.

So I present The Northern Pikes and their video “She Ain’t Pretty (she just looks that way).  They are not Christians, but the truth is the truth, and these guys ‘get it’.

Laura is a make-up artist, blogger, youth leader, and wife.  She works daily to empower women of all ages by using make-up to bring out the beauty she sees within and teaching clients to simply enhance their own naturally beautiful features.
When not holding a make-up brush she can most often be found curled up on the couch watching Audrey Hepburn movies or trolling the internet for vintage hats, wigs, and dvds of old musicals.

Follow along as she writes on the random happenings of everyday life and occasionally shares beauty tips and tricks at her blog Broken Poet.

A Lesson From My Car

5 Apr

“What’s wrong with the car?” I nervously asked my husband.

One hand gripped the seat and the other held on to the door handle while our car fishtailed through three inches of slushy snow. My husband pulled over, attempting to locate a mechanical malfunction while brushing persistent flakes from his face.

“I don’t know what it is.” He said. “We’ll just drive slowly. There’s nothing we can do right now.”

Night settled across the sky, our thirty minute drive stretching to sixty. Emergency lights blinked out a S.O.S at twenty miles an hour. I prayed. I prayed we wouldn’t plummet over the cliff’s edge so close to the road. I prayed our kids would live to see gray hair. I prayed I would get to wear the new summer blouse I just bought.

I thank God each day for His protection. Turns out we had a bad tire. The bad tire plus the swirling snow and slush covered roads caused each of our back tires to pull in a different direction. A car cannot move forward when each tire treads its own way, pulling free of the others.

I’ve been thinking about how so many marriages are just like the tires on my car. Each partner pulling in his/her own direction and getting nowhere.

……………………………………..This is a partial post. To read more click HERE.

I’m over at Adding Zest today.  Come visit!  I’m getting lonely.

You may think I’m neglecting my blog, but really I am I’m not.  I just can’t talk in two places at once.  Actually I can, but I’m too lazy to post twice in a day.

I’ll be back here tomorrow!

Good Morning Monday

4 Apr

I’m writing over at An Army of Ermas on this fine, very rainy, Monday morning.

Please come visit!

If you’re not familiar with the site, it’s dedicated to Erma Bombeck.  You’ll enjoy all the funny stories written by various talented ‘Ermas’.

Have a good Monday and I’ll see at An Army of Ermas!

Food, Fashion, Affection on Friday

11 Mar

I’m over at Adding Zest to Your Nest today talking about marriage, specifically showing affection within a marriage.

If you want to come visit me, click HERE.

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Now we’re going to talk Food and Fashion, because I’ve been making killer turkey sandwiches and walking through the mall.

First the food.

Turkey and cranberry sauce isn’t just for Thanksgiving.  I’ve been making turkey sandwiches that would make the pilgrims proud.  FringeMan says I can make a sandwich out of anything, and he’s right.  Maybe I’m really Swedish, I heard Swedes are in love with the sandwich.

I like breakfast sandwiches, cold lunch sandwiches, and hot dinner sandwiches.  Bread and cheese can transform any piece of dull protein into a taste sensation, providing you have good bread.  Good bread is essential.

I’m lucky I live in New York, because New Yorker’s make great bread and don’t even get me started on the bagels!  You just can’t match New York’s bakeries.  Having said that, you can find some good bread in the bakery section of many supermarkets.  My supermarket actually gets bread from a local bakery, so all is good.

Once I have good bread, I smear a little whole berry cranberry sauce on one side of my sandwich.  Then I layer a healthy portion of Romain lettuce hearts, followed by some oven roasted turkey breast, and a slap or two of Swiss cheese.

And if you throw it a panini pan and toast it all up, heaven on your plate.  It’s as good as going to Panera Bread.

So how about your sandwiches?

How do you like them??

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Now for Fashion Friday…

The color of DULL.

I told you we went walking through the mall yesterday, and as much as I’d like to say I power-walked the center aisle, I did not.  I meandered in and out of every store, picking up kids dresses and browsing through new merchandise.

When we left GAP, my daughter said, “Why do grownups only wear dull clothes?  Why can’t they have petty stuff like kids?”

At first I thought “DULL” was an odd choice of words for my nine year-old, but looking around, I realized she is absolutely right.  The colors of spring are a bit dim.

Now I may be making an early observation.  You see, we still have a hefty amount of winter duds lying around.  It seems no matter how drastically to you cut prices on sweaters, nobody wants them in March.  It’s downright depressing to buy a heavy cable-knit on the cusp of spring.

Are you seeing bright, happy colors and prints in your mall?

Or are we all destined for a fashion depression?

Just wondering.

I did make one purchase in the mall.  FringeKid is my demise.  I’m strong alone, but she has a way of talking me into making silly purchases, like the rings on special 2/$8.

She got a snake and I got an owl.

And yes, that is my fuzzy red robe.

And double yes, I am concerned that my only daughter has a thing for snakes.

If you were hoping to get tips and real fashion advice, you visited the wrong blog.  You’ll have to head over to Big Mama’s or Musing’s of a Housewife.

If their fashion posts aren’t up yet, give them time.  They’re reliable shoppers. ;-)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Please don’t forget to pray for Japan.  These catastrophes are heartbreaking.  While I sit and ponder spring fashion, they are fighting for their very lives.

 

 

It’s Because of My Nose

25 Feb

Earlier in the month, I was over at Adding Zest to Your Zest talking about smelly things.  Since I didn’t have my computer, I couldn’t let you know.  So now I’m letting you know.

If you care to read, click HERE.

My Dog Does Chicken Voodoo

8 Feb

By Laura Conley

I passed out on the bedroom floor near the doorway from being super ill.  I awoke hearing my dog, Hunter, whimpering over and around me.  I couldn’t raise my head, which was face down on the blanket I was wrapped in, dampened from breaking my umpteenth fever.

With all the voice I could muster I called out, “Ray! Can you let Hunter out?”

His reply, “I just let her back in!”

So I realized her cries were the Lassie come rescue type.  She worried about my positioning on the floor, facedown and barely breathing.  I raised my hand and patted her on the head, assuring her I was still alive.  With my face still on the floor, I raised my hand to feel some strange thing by her mouth.  In my dazed and confusion I didn’t think much of it.

Maybe the kids did something funny to her collar and something was dangling from it.

That’s been known to happen.

Maybe her collar frayed.

I felt it again.

I hadn’t even opened my eyes yet that morning.

Hunter continued to make weird noises and prance around my head.  Ray walked toward the bedroom and yelled, “Ohhhhh!  Hunter has a full chicken leg in her mouth!”

It was not the kind your dog might drag out of the kitchen garbage you see.  It was part of a torn up chicken she killed outside.  It was the chicken leg and foot dangling from her mouth.

Ray says Hunter was performing Chicken VooDoo over me.

I am too tired and ill to even be grossed out.

Laura is a friend of mine and she agreed to be a guest on The Domestic Fringe.  She’s full of funny stories, but she’s got her hands full with a husband, three energetic and creative children, and a multitude of pets.  She doesn’t have time to blog herself, but she’s always welcome to share her funnies here.

Feel better Laura!

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