to crop or not to crop... not even a question, really. CROP.

 shoes: unionbay brand. jeans: old navy. shirt: american eagle. sweater & bracelet: downeast basics. watch: target. necklace & flower hair clip (which you can't see): gift. 

[Editor's note: These pants are a smidge too big, but perfect for a lazy rainy day like today. In the pic above, you'll notice my left hip looks like it has some cuh-razy double-jointage. Although that would be cool, I have no such claim to fame. The belt hits below my hip bone, and the top of my pants poke out below. Make sense? Ease your mind? Good.]

Hey guys, It's Friend Friday! Today's topic is: Inspiration... (If you're interested, you should check out tons of other people's responses here.)

1. Which celebrity (celebrities) do you look to for fashion inspiration? You guys are all not going to believe me, but I speak (type) the truth: I don't know squat about celebs in general. It's embarrassing, actually...but apparently not embarrassing enough that I change the fact. Heh. BUT that's not to say I get dressed in a bubble--I'm sure that certain celebs have sported (and, consequently, made "fashionable") some of the types of clothing I wear. I just don't know who they are or what the items were. Otherwise I'd for sure give them lip service. Which they probably wouldn't want from a celeb-noramous (celebrity + ignoramous) like me anyway. So I guess we all win...?

2. When it comes to your own personal style, what inspires you? Comfort inspires me. Classic looks inspire me. Color combinations that I see in nature and home design inspire me. Ironic balance inspires me (i.e., fanciness + rusticity, chic + cozy, delicate + chunky, etc.). J.Crew inspires me. (Is that so base of me to admit? You guys. You know me by now that I'm here to keep it real. Take me or leave me, but don't doubt my frankness...unless I'm being sarcastic. Then you should all just ignore me.)

3. How do you hope to inspire your readers? I hope my readers see me as I am -- a normal girl who's got some kids and some clothes and who tries to have fun with getting dressed. I'm no fashion guru or model or anything of the like. Several of you are floored by that last statement, I'm sure, so I'll pause and let it sink in. [Editor's note: Kay, that's an example of sarcasm. Ignore and move on.]

4. Outside the realm of fashion who/what inspires you? The simplistic part of me wants to say my husband (who is my rock and all things perfectly fitted for me) and home design (Celerie Kemble!). But if I were stranded on a desert island and had only one thing to be inspired by, it would be, without hesitation and all kidding aside, my Savior Jesus Christ. Which is a little heavy for this blog. So. With all due respect... I'll move on.

5. And since Idol is ending… Which songs inspire you? Holy incriminating. Okay, fine. John Denver's Annie's Song, Jon Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer, REO Speedwagon's In My Dreams, James Taylor's Shower the People you Love with Love (or whatever the title is), Moulin Rouge's Your Song (originally Elton John's, I think?), the Anne of Green Gables soundtrack, pretty much everything Karen Carpenter sang, and many others that I either can't think of or am too embarrassed because I feel totally granny-licious by the information I've already given you. 

Happy Friday!

Want this look? Shop below...but get the jeans a bit big to do that covetable hip trick...

More Old Navy...

Sunday. Snowday. Whatever.

boots & belt: kohl's. skirt: thrifted. sweater: american eagle. coverage tee & necklace: downeast basics. bracelets: don't recall.

This week, I'm grateful for:

- having enough random food in the house to throw together a decent meal or two without having to go grocery shopping. (Have I told you how much I don't love grocery shopping? Yes? Well, fine.)

- snowtime with kids. Including showing my 6-year-old what being "whitewashed" means...

- and his being a good learner. I'm still getting snow bits out of my left ear and nostril.

- family time in general.

- kissable 2-year-old cheeks. I wish I could freeze time. Or at least her kissy cheeks. But that would be gross and, therefore, counterproductive in the kissability. So.

- unexpected mail.

- a 4-year-old determined to earn herself a certain zhu-zhu pet and, thus, becoming my personal slave. (Note to self: Write Mr. Zhu-Zhu a letter of gratitude for selling such kid-covetable merch...)

- spring break. Sleeping in. Staying up late. Doing nothing productive but many things worthwhile.

- starburst jelly beans.

- easter egg hunts as pasttime in the living room.

- a husband who knows of all my faults and lameties but who pretends to know of none.

- parents coming back home from Sweden in fewer than 3 months.

- pencil sharpeners.

- kid shampoo+conditioner in one.

Happy Sunday, my friends.

i'm a simple girl with simple needs...wearing simple stripes

 shoes & brooch: don't recall. jeans: old navy. tank: motherhood maternity (yes, you read that right...but don't go jumping to conclusions...you'll be sorely disappointed 9 months from now with no baby in sight). sweater & belt: forever21. watch: target.

You know your priorities are intact and that you are successfully passing those ideals onto the next generation when your 2-year-old spies a mini muffin tin and exclaims, "A cupcake machine!" 'Cept it actually comes out sounding more like: "a tuptate maseen!"

Good girl. Never mind practicing proper pronunciation...apparently what we're hardcore about is our bakery/pastry bakeware identification around here, complete with flash cards, pop quizzes, and "the strap" if they get one wrong. A little harsh, you say? I prefer to think of it as "tough love."

My 4-year-old is turning 5 tomorrow and is having a birthday party today. A girlified feminine flowery dainty pastel-laden thing. The excitement in the air is tangible as we await our first presents guests. Which is absolutely true as long as we replace the word "excitement" with "one billimeter away from going off the birthday-freak-out edge." And, no, I've never heard of a billimeter either, but I'm pretty sure it's veryveryvery small, and that's the analogy I'm looking for.

Know what else I'm looking for? The perfect banana split. Which is irrelevant but true nonetheless.

Happy Saturday.

Want this look? Check out the stuff below...

More Asos...

it's the final countdown (cue 80s synthesizer: dihdle-EE-duh, dihdle-EE-dih-duhhh...)

Mission: Accomplished. It's with mixed emotion that I've approached today. On one hand, I'm ecstatic that it's over. On the other, I'm giddy.

I'm going to title the next photo sequence: Fidgety.

 shoes: steve madden. knee-high socks: don't recall. skirt: kohl's. black shirt: thrifted. striped sweater: american eagle outfitters. belt: forever21.

Next photo sequence: Gid-Kid.

I kind of think this outfit falls brutally short, and while part of me wants to end the 30x30 challenge on a high note, the other 110% of me (a) doesn't want to do laundry just to retrieve some other items that would've worked better, (b) can hardly contain myself because Pocket gets home from his DC work trip today, and (c) is completely okay with being a little off. It just proves I'm a normal human being (albeit a quirky one...).

So. On an unrelated note, I decided that wearing platform shoes of any kind while it's snow-raining (snaining? bingo.) is brilliant because one's foot is an inch above the ground and, therefore, has a high likelihood of staying dry throughout a sploshy toddler-juggling sludge through the grocery store parking lot.

I didn't want to go grocery shopping today, mind you. I wanted to stay nice and warm and dry in my bed and watch HGTV all day while my kids entertained themselves and the dog. But I've developed an unfortunate habit of running out of food while Pocket's gone. "Dinnertime, kids! Cornflakes and celery tonight! Go easy on the milk...we have exactly 1 tablespoon for everyone. That'll double as dessert, too. Enjoy!"

Actually I think a mother (*coughmecough*) should earn bonus points for being able to keep all her children alive on crumbs and apple peels for four days. Sure, I could've gone shopping, but what's the fun in that? I tend to get creative when I'm limited. Like, how else could I have discovered that craisins on toast would make a delicious snack? (Disclaimer: I don't actually know if it would; it was going to be today's snack had I not gotten groceries. But if you want to give it a try and let me know, by all means...) It's kind of like doing the 30x30 challenge--'cept someone could actually die doing the 30x30, so you've gotta be careful...

Happy HAPPY Thursday.

p.s. I added a shiny new feature at the top of my homepage. Check it out and let me know if you're interested in being added.

p.p.s. I really did learn some good things while doing this 30x30 challenge, and I'll expand on that tomorrow during my recap post.

Want this look? It's perfect for navigating the snainy weather...

More Forever 21...

"A" my name is Anonymous...

 boots: target. jeans: kohl's. shirt: gap. sweater: american eagle outfitters. watch: citizen brand. necklace: don't recall. belt: Pocket's.

Dear Anonymous from Yesterday's Comments,

Thank you! I've been hoping that my blog has a happy-energetic vibe, because that's the way I try to live my life. Mmmm...for the most part, anyway. I'll admit to some slothful tendencies at night, when all I want to do is veg in front of some sort of screen within arm's reach of unhealthy snacks and pnut m&ms. (Those have protein, so I consider them a health food...I'm sure you'd agree.) 

As for your begging about my not doing the numbers: I know, right? They do seem a little juvenile and...well, odd. And, at this point, we've seen pretty much all the variation of numeral-contortion that my rickety old body can produce, so it's nothing new. I'd love to stop doing them. More than anybody. But I'm cursed with a stubborn streak that, once I start something, I tend to finish it. Dang it.

But, my dear Anonymous friend, I promise you this: if and when I participate in a 30x30 again, I won't do the numbers. Then you can keep visiting this energetic blog and not be annoyed. Have we got ourselves a deal? It seems like a win-win to me.

Love, Brittney

p.s. Is it hard to go through life with a name like "Anonymous"? Poor thing. That's okay, though...my older brothers called me "Tank" for the first few years of my life. So, y'know, it could be worse for you.

Everyone else: Happy Thursday!

Want these clothes but not the poses? You got it...check out the cute stuff below:

More Old Navy...

a barbie by any other name (not even 2nd cousin "barb") wouldn't smell as sweet.

Contrary to popular belief, the number two isn't as easy to replicate as it might seem. Don't tell me you haven't discussed this with at least three of your closest friends, either.

shoes: steve madden. jeans & striped sweater: american eagle outfitters. shirt: j.crew. watch: target. earrings: hawaii. flower barrette: forever 21.

A few days ago I was playing barbies with my 4-year-old, and the pillow was Mermaid Rock, and the barbies were going to have a party there. My barbie tried to get the party started by getting her groove on (she has some sweet dance moves. like me. I could rock a dance floor. and have. and will again.) [Editor's note: Which would all be absolutely true if I wasn't lying...]

Anyway. Layla's barbie politely informed mine that, "Sorry, we don't dance at this party."
Mine: "Oh. Okay." [Long, awkward barbie pause.] "Soooo...what do we do?"
Layla: "Um, I dunno. Talk about gowns?"

So that's exactly how our barbies partied. In fake high-pitched southern drawls that, coincidentally, my daughter and I both naturally use for barbie's default voice-over.

Fast-forward to my hot date with late-night TV last night (sure missing Pocket around here. Especially when I remembered, too late, that today's garbage day and I didn't take the trash out.) and an old episode of What Not To Wear, when someone quoted Coco Chanel as saying something to the effect of, "When you get dressed, put everything on, then take one thing off."

I have no idea if this is true or not. But I will say this: I almost busted out a necklace with today's ensemble, but then I didn't. I think Coco would be proud. In fact, her people totally called my people today to express just such a sentiment. FINE, they didn't. But they wanted to, I just know it. Regardless, you all can start calling me Brittbritt. In high-pitched accents. Obviously.

Happy Wednesday!

How I last wore these pieces: boyfriend jeans, striped sweater, mustard shirt.

Want this look? Check out the stuff below...

More LOFT...

the bold & the beautiful. or, at least, the bold & the could-be-grosser.

shoes: steve madden. skirt: gap. slouchy tee: american eagle outfitters. sweater: j. crew. watch: target. hairthings: smiths marketplace. tights, belt, & necklace: don't recall.

Remember how you learned how to ride a bike when you were 5 and then you got a flat tire or your chain rusted when you were 8 and your dad was going to fix/replace it but even though he meant to he never really did so you didn't ride a bike at all for a few years and then your friend had a sweet bike that you wanted to try out, and you hopped right on and you could totally ride a bike again even though you hadn't done it forever?

No? Just me? Oh. Well, anyway, I thought that doing this blog would be like that...two days off, then back in the saddle no prob. Nope. When I went to take my pics this morning, I couldn't think of a single pose. Except a cartwheel. Which, if you think about, would have been less than ideal in this particular ensemble. 

So I did what I always do when I'm stumped: I ate. A balanced and healthy breakfast, complete with a snickers bar or three and a bowl of cheerios. And a banana. And maybe some yogurt, I'm not sure. And juice and a bit of bagel. By the end, I was 5 pounds heavier and ready to rock'n'roll. Let this be a lesson to you kids out there. Somehow.

Today I wanted to wear these new shoes I got on my trip. And this bold striped sweater. I originally paired the sweater with a lavendar button-up shirt and a denim pencil skirt, but even though it looked okay (I think), I just wasn't feeling it. So I took away the collared shirt and went with this slouchy tee. Backwards. No, seriously, I wore it backwards because the front-side was a little too low on its own, and I didn't want to wear a cami because that would add aNOTHer stripe/color right at my neckline.

Thank you, inventors of tagless shirts.

You're going back to check out the pics now, aren't you, because now you know the shirt's backwards and you want to see if it looks weird. Yes, armed with that bit of knowledge, your brain might tell you it looks a little odd. But I'm okay with it. Because I jogged more than 15 miles yesterday (beautiful race! loved it! thanks for your sweet comments about it, you guys!) and drove about 6 hours home and slept next to my increasingly attractive husband, which has a way of putting things like backwards slouchy tees into perspective.

So. Add dark tights and a belt about the same hue, a supersized gold boyfriend watch, and a simple single beads-on-a-chain necklace. I was totally comfortable at church today. 'Cept when my 2-year-old stood on my lap (a.k.a. sore quads) to see who was speaking at the pulpit. But that had nothing to do with what I was wearing.

Happy Sunday!

Want this look? striped sweater   khaki pencil skirt   taupe booties   boyfriend watch

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