simple style...and a jazzy ride down memory lane

 shoes: cato brand. shorts: banana republic. shirt: j.crew. necklace: forever21. watch: citizen brand. pin: don't recall.

I play the piano. Did any of you know that? I used to be quite good. Not to brag [Editor's note: A preface which is unfailingly, 100%, and always followed by a statement of boast.], but I really was talented back in my teens. Won a few medals, one of which was of a golden hue.

Convinced? No? Dah well. Regardless, I had a few minutes to myself this afternoon and spent them running through some of my old music books on the piano.

(Sure, I had laundry and dishes and grocery shopping and cleaning and a zillion other things I should've been doing. But sometimes a girl feels like being rebellious. My internal rebel just happens to pound out classical music. A sohpisticated rule-breaker. Like how I envision Ms. Zeta-Jones to be.) (Because there are soooo many things she and I have in common...)

*ahem* ANYway. My piano teacher would always write the date I started learning songs at the top of the music page. I died today when I noticed one of them, on a very technical and challenging piece, was 1994. That, my dears, is SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO.

I still think I'm like 18 years old, so you can understand my jaw-dropping flabbergastic...ness. So. Be kind to this old woman. I'll probably be that lady going 18 MPH on the freeway, like, tomorrow. Oooh, but want to know what else happens tomorrow? A major hair change. Something fitting for my newly discovered old age. Like a tight perm and a bluish tint. Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see.

Happy Wednesday, you young whippersnappers.

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post-camping, a mascara wand looks pretty fancy...

 shoes: thrifted. reversible skirt: gap. shirt: j.crew. belt: husband's. hair barrettes: don't recall. watch: target.

 Please notice which shoes are on which feet on my 2-year-old below. She dresses herself, p.s. In a word: colorful. :)

Hey guys, I'm back from the camping trip. It was awesome on many levels and un-hygienic on many others. Amazing to me how, at the first footfall into campground territory, I'm all about the 18-second-rule for eating off the ground, letting (who am I kidding...encouraging) my kids to pee on trees, and feeling incredibly refreshed after using a single baby wipe as a daily shower. But I'm back, my washer & dryer have been running full-tilt since Wednesday night, and I'm making up for some serious unbrushed teeth time.

Anywho, more on my disgusting camp habits later. (You're welcome.) It's Friend Friday! Today's topic is: Locational Influences.

1. What part of the world do you blog from? Utah, in the United States.

2. If you had to describe the overall mode of dress for where you live what would you say? I'd say that, overall, people dress conservatively. And, for most, a few years "behind."

3. Do you fit in with the status quo around you or do you break the mold? I feel like I dress conservatively but with flair and/or unique style. So I fit in but don't blend in, if that makes sense.

4. If you have lived or traveled to another part of the country/world did your clothing choices evolve? Not really. I've traveled a couple of times in Europe and different states in the U.S. and pack more for weather or travel itinerary than for "fitting in." I don't buy clothes that are otherwise abnormal for me just for a trip, in other words.

5. If you had to describe your style by naming a specific city, what would you be? Okay, this is probably totally lame, but I'd say Twisp, Oregon. It's this dinky little town we drove through once on a family trip when I was little, but the town was totally unique and proud of every last square inch of itself, if my memory serves correctly. There. Hard question. But fun to think about.

Happy Friday!

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SOMEtimes, though, it just might be better never than late...

I'm sniffing the plethora of flowers in the photo below. Now, knowing what I do about what my face looks like when I do this, I may never catch a floral aroma again. You're welcome, casual observers who inhabit the world.

 shoes: forever21. pants: gap. shirt: j.crew. bracelet & earrings: hawaii. necklace: don't recall. flower hair clip: downeast basics.

So I have a million and one excuses, guys, for not posting for a few days. All of which require 18 minutes' worth of back-information, beginning with "I was born on a cold December day..." I'll spare you all and blame it on Blogger instead. Deal? (Answer: I see your deal and raise you a sympathetic nod.)

I know it's Sunday today, and I was clothed for church (*phew*). Funny story [Editor's note: I should never preface a story like that. It only gets expectations waaaay too high. I should've simply said "A story" or even just started into the recall with no preamble of all. I realize this, yet I trudge on bravely regardless. I know. So brave.]:

I work with the children at my church, teaching them songs and stuff. One of the visual aids I was using had a mom paper doll that my 5-year-old had colored for me. She (the mom) happened to have green hair. Fine, whatever, I love color and creativity, so that's just great. A cute 7-year-old at church chose the mom paper doll from the pile and replied, all adult-like, "She must be a mom of our times." Oh, must she? Because, apparently, all the cool moms have green hair.

On an unrelated note, I don't know if I'll be taking photos of my head/hair anymore. And also, I have no idea what happened to all the green food coloring...

Happy Sunday!

a whole lotta nothing

skirt: american eagle. shirt: j.crew. necklace: gift. bracelets: forever21 & burntsiena designs.

You know that song that goes, "Today I feel like not doing anything, I just want to stay here in bed" or whatever? He goes on to sing about how he's too lazy to get dressed or answer his phone...and then some inappropriate stuff that I had to change the channel on. 

Still, the idea of doing nothing remains. And, not to brag, but my day today makes THAT guy's day look like an 18-hour shift of intense ER-esque overtime. Me? All I have to show for today is the fact that I'm barefoot. Because our car is in the shop and is costing virtually $millions$ to get it repaired. So I'm shoeless and under house arrest. Both of which kind of make me a non-consumer and, thereby, a financial contributor to our household today.

My husband will be so proud.

Know how else I'm super helpful and frugal? I'm off to whip up some flour and water into dinner. Which may not sound delicious until I tell you this: it'll also have expired baking cocoa sprinkled on top. So. I just hope you're taking notes, people.

Happy Thursday.

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does this mess make me look lazy?

 shoes: cato brand. skirt: don't recall. shirt: j.crew. necklace: gift (downeast basics). belt: thrifted (american eagle). bracelets: forever21.

This week I'm grateful for:

- getting some fabulous loot from The Body Shop from this adorable blogger's giveaway.
- laundry days that are filled with my workout clothes (because that means I worked out! every day! *faint*)

- campfires + nathan's hot dogs + marshmallows + some long roasting sticks + my little family x bug spray.

- a new math-games website that is so fun, I stayed up until 5:30 a.m. playing it because I couldn't quit. Yes, you read that right. 5 hecking 30. My husband was dying at me when he woke up...about 20 minutes after I called it a night.

- nature.

- automatic sprinklers.

- potty-trained kidlets...even (especially?) when they wander around our laid-back summertime house in nothing but panties. Cutest.Thing.Ever.

- a laid-back summertime house. Which is noticeably messier than our school-time house. But way funner. Because the freezer pops are plentiful and the bedtimes vague.

- kids who sing.

- dead mosquitos. Especially those swatted by my own hand. Makes me feel like I'm giving back to the universe, in my own small way.

- cortizone cream.

- playing and laughing with my husband and my children.

- when my son (who is hard to please at the dinner table these days) gives dinner a coveted "two thumbs up." Yesssssss.

Happy Sunday.

I think Cinderella was onto something...

 sandals & bracelets: forever21. pants: gap. belt & necklace: vintage. shirt: j.crew.

You guys, I can't even begin to explain to you how odd today was. You know that movie Groundhog Day? Nothing like that, other than it was strange. And I hope hope HOPE I don't have to relive it, because strange things happened. Like the fact that I got sucked into a 1-1/2 hour vacuum demonstration in my home in the middle of the afternoon when I was supposed to be working on a Fathers Day gift with my kids.

And the girl doing the demo (a.k.a. trying to sell me a $3,000 vacuum) reminded me that dirt stays in the bottom of carpet and eventually starts eating it. And, when I didn't gasp or shriek or do cartwheels or sign my name in blood to buy 14 of her products, she asked me, "And that doesn't gross you out?"

Sure it grosses me out if I think about it. Kinda like eating meat. (Don't think about it...it really is disturbing.) But there are a million other things to think about sometimes. Like the deliciousness of pnut m&ms. And the perfection of a mildly breezy spring day. And the fact that I'd rather hang out with my growing-up-too-fast kids than follow them around with a vacuum to keep the dust mites at bay.

Besides, maybe dust mites are cute and friendly and helpful. Maybe I'll channel my inner Cinderella and stitch little shirts and hats for them. And teach them to steal cute accessories. Woah. THIS idea just got brilliant...

Happy Thursday.

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