a nurse's dress and a couple of ponytails

shoes: steve madden. dress: gap. belt: thrifted for my son's pirate costume, then stolen for myself. necklaces: random places. 

 This week I'm grateful for:

- swimming pools.

- surprise visits from family. And planned visits. And any visits, for that matter.

- hearing "Mom! This is the BEST BIRTHDAY CAKE EVER!!!" from my son...annnd his party-attending friends. (Minus the "mom" part, of course.)

- this blog. And you adorable readers.

- Roald Dahl. The man was a genius storyteller.

- a healthy body. Which might not last long, because I'm also grateful for...

- ...eating ice cream and cake for many days in a row. Sometimes multiple times in one day. I know. I win. And by "I" I of course mean "my blooming fat cells."

- a 2-year-old who pretends to "read" a scripture verse and always starts with, "And it tame to pass..." and usually involves Jesus, a king, a queen, and a monkey. And a swimming pool or bathtub, one of the two. And she's utterly, adorably sincere.

- fresh salsa and "hint of lime" tortilla chips. If you haven't tried those, run -- don't walk -- to your nearest grocery store and pick up a bag. Those puppies are DELISH.

Happy Sunday.

Does this dress make me look fat? (Correct answer: Actually yes. Yes it does.)

 Sorry about yesterday's lack of post. No, really. I'm sorry. Mostly sorry for myself, though, because now I have to actually figure out today's date (previously, the date = my 30x30 number). My poor brain. Hey, don't roll your eyes at me. These little things add up, people.

 shoes: union bay brand. tights & jewelry: don't recall. leg warmers: amazon. dress: gap. belt: thrifted. cardigan: j.crew.

This week I'm grateful for:

- paint rollers.

- beautiful blue sky peeking through the snow-laden branches of barren trees.

- a 2-year-old's trying to find her sister and calling out: "wheh IS you?"

- windows from which I can watch my children playing in the snow. Should I have been out there playing with them? Probably. But I'm the one who kicked them out into the "fresh air" in the first place, so I'll score myself a half-a-point in the Mothering Department. And anyways, we all enjoyed some hot cocoa afterward, so that gives me another half-a-point...right?

- the children's book Olivia. Don't think I could get sick of reading that one to the kiddos. And believe you me, I would've been sick of it by now.

- a mr.-fix-it husband. Who would vehemently deny the title. But it's true.

- our home.

- snickerdoodles.

- family & friends. Sounds totally cliche, doesn't it? Like, you're probably skimming by now and are thinking, "blah blah, family friends big whoop reeeeal original." Or, actually, you're probably not even giving it that much thought. Regardless of how stale it sounds, I couldn't mean it more genuinely.

- my cell phone.

- simple things.
- smiling to myself at the irony of almost ending this list with "my cell phone" and "simple things."

Happy Sunday! 

Want this look? Or do you, like me, feel it makes the wearer look chunky & stumpy and will therefore pass on copying it? Don't blame you at all...but either way, here are similar pieces below:

More J.Crew...

weekly gratitude

booties: steve madden. tights: don't recall. dress: gap. belt: kohls (paired with a skirt). bracelet & necklace: gifted (but...f21 and downeast outfitters) 

Tatiana over at Love, Life, Lace had a brilliant idea to start a weekly gratitude movement. I'm a little embarrassed that it took a movement for me to think of things to be grateful for. Nevertheless, this will be a weekly installment here on A Day in the Life Too...

This week, I'm grateful for:
- my 3 kidlets: winkin, blinkin, and nod. and how cutely they play with each other lately. and laugh super hard at my jokes and dinner-making dances. that kind of from-your-gut-laughter won't last forever...i give it approximately 4 more years, tops, before they start getting embarrassed of me, in public and private both. thus, i soak.it.up.
- odor-neutralizer-and-carpet-cleaner-in-one. don't ask.
- having married a man who I miss when he's gone and kiss when he's here. lots on both counts.
- aveeno lotion. "24-hour relief for dry, itchy skin." they ain't kiddin' around.
- my laptop. and my wireless mouse.
- flannel sheets. even ones printed with penguins and polar bears in annoying neonesque colors. i would be a frozen corpse today, discovered in bed between icy cotton sheets, without them.
- cheese.
- God. and the fact that He knows and loves me in all my insignificantness and lameness. that is an incredible truth.
- fingertop bandaids. we actually ran out of these, so i tried to patch together my own when i hurt the top of my finger. which is why i'm now re-grateful for the real deal.
- high-def. (what? who you callin a "man"?)
- free samples at the grocery store. especially in the bakery section. helloooooooo artisan bread.
- ooh. artisan bread.
- the ability to forget, while i'm driving, that i'm driving a minivan. in my head it's a sleek silver beamer. that happens to smell like french fries and periodically blast "puff the magic dragon" while transporting the 3 aforementioned kidlets to and fro. okay, i guess it's always a minivan, in my head and out. but it runs, dangit, and for that i'm grateful.

Happy Sunday.

Just a pleasant sabbath day...circa 1940

I love Lucy, anyone? At least, that's kinda what I felt like today. And loved every minute of it.

So here's the deal. I got this dress a few years back, and I love it because it appears very simple but it's got a lot going on. Like a thin black pinstripe, full skirt, full-front buttons, a matching sash belt, tuxedo-ish pleats on the bodice, and a demi collar. (Okay, actually, I've never even heard of a demi collar. TOTally made that word up, but can you see what I'm talking about? A collar that isn't really a collar? What's that called, anyway?) I've always worn the dress with the matching sash belt and called it good.

Not today, my friends. I needed COLOR today. So I pulled out my trusty cardigan-o'-brightness and, if that wasn't blinding enough, added a silky red sash for shine. And polka dots. And shine.

[Editor's note: I'm naturally built like a square. A big hunk-o-box in girl form -- no waist, no hips, no chest to speak of. So. I wear belts to pretend I have a girlish figure. Sometimes I worry that I'm just emphasizing the fact that I am, in fact, a box. But today I got over it and wore the belt anyway because, hey, box or no, who can resist a little polka dot action every now and then?]

Ahem. Anyway. In the true spirit of midcentury womens wear, I added a feminine pearl necklace. And the closest thing I had to a corsage. (Recognize the flower? I wore it in my hair here.) And some --surprise!--bracelets. Pull on some classic black houndstooth tights and my trusty chunky mary janes, and we're good to go.

[Editor's note: I feel like I owe you all an explanation about the shoes. I know chunky mary janes are out of "season" or whatever. But I have an especially soft spot in my heart for all things mary jane. Period. Including those with chunky heels and unsightly rounded toes. I've had these shoes for years and still love them. So scoff all you like, you fashion purists, but I wear them happily and will probably continue to do so for the next 23 years, much to the embarrassment of my kids. I hope.]

[Assistant Editor's note: The Editor can occasionally be a pompous windbag and was becoming such in the course of this post. I've sent her to the office kitchen to find a cake to nibble on while I wrap up here, which, without Editor, should take about two seconds.]

Happy Sunday.