Style Post::Week 1::Ms. Business Casual

For my first official style post in collaboration with Bianca Portraits, I wanted to be reaaaally real with you and show something I would wear everyday as a momma. And normally I don't stay the same way all day, if I have a meeting or engagement early in the day--you can bet your bottom dollar that I am NOT wearing my outfit the same way later on at home.

First up is the more formal of the two, I paired some simple skinny black jeans, with a vintage blazer I received in a gift swap, & a C&C California top via gilt (for $12!) I'm not really a formal person, even when the occasion calls for it--so I like to do stuff like cuff the sleeves on my blazer. For this outfit I had long sleeves underneath and I thought it was fun to cuff those as well.

I accessorized with some bright golden yellow wedges from Target that I got for my birthday last year, a braided belt from American Apparel (99 cents!) & a vintage crab pin.

Between sales, gifts & thrifting I got the whole outfit for under $35. That is another thing I hope to share in upcoming posts--dressing on the cheap, without looking it. (Well, I like to think I don't look cheap. haha!)

I love the small details in outfits, so adding quirky pins is a must for me. They're like little mascots on your collar.

Second is my, time to relax-- "I'm a mom!" look.

All I really did is take stuff off, I lost the blazer & belt--pulled my hair out of the way and into a messy top knot & added a simple vintage clutch (plus now you can see my cute little bow earrings, sadly I lost one in KC.)

Realistically, this is when I would be taking those sky high wedges off and walking around barefoot chasing after my crazy hooligan!

There is something refreshingly simple about a loose, meant to be wrinkled top. I love dressing like this to run errands or grabbing coffee.

So there you have it! One outfit two ways.

Ps. I'm a little nervous about these posts since I don't consider myself a "fashion blogger," but fashion is near and dear to my heart and I consider it one of the biggest ways I am able to be just me. I don't spend a lot of money on clothing, so you won't see a bunch of "this season" clothing or whatever--but I will try to show how I mix it up in my everyday life, and maybe some whimsical totally unrealistic shoots too--because gosh darn it, those are fun!

And sorry for SO many photos--Paula had so many great ones for me to choose from, I couldn't help myself & kept adding them on. A big thank you to Bianca Portraits!

Connect with me on these sites:

Lookbook.nu

Shoeternity

Chictopia

baby sister love...

I call her my baby sister.

(photo credit: KBK)

She's definitely not a baby anymore though. She's 18 and will be (gasp!) 19 in May.

Even still, she'll always be baby sister to me.

I can clearly remember when she was born and we went to see her in the hospital. I was four and I sat with my mom on the hospital bed and cried little happy four year old tears. That might have been the first time I had cried because I was happy & proud.

A couple of days ago she came and spent the day with Cash and I and we had a lovely relaxed visit. She is such a good auntie to Cash and really loves on him. And duh, she's also just a good hang and a fun person to have around. She's going to college, working 2 jobs (as a dance teacher & at a ceramics studio) and is one of the most responsible chicks I know.

You see, I just gotta brag on my baby sister.

Because I still cry at the thought of how happy & proud she makes me.

love you keekers.

all right stop, collaborate and listen...

I am happy to officially announce that I have begun a little collaboration with my friend Paula over at Bianca Portraits. I think we are both excited to spur each other on toward our creative goals and ideas.

While I am looking forward to the product & outcome of our partnering--I am even more encouraged by having the support of a fellow 'dreamer' and creative mind.

To celebrate our first shoot & the start of working together, I put together a little brunch.

Nothing says "let's create pretty stuff together" quite like a delicious and nourishing brunch.

With so many possibilities ahead of us (and so many choices of food for future brunches) I can't help but let my imagination run away with itself. I am looking forward to a colorful and inspired spring & summer!

Up first, we are working on style posts for the blog.

Go and check out Bianca Portraits on Facebook, there is a sneak peak of our first shoot!!!

food love

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I am excited to say that I will be making a more concentrated effort to share the little changes I am making in my living habits to nourish our family. It is a big undertaking to "back track" over all of the "advances" modern society has made in the avenue of family food life.

I have never questioned if loving my family is the right thing to do, but what if I could love them through food? And by that I mean: stuffing them full of quality, unrefined, unprocessed nutrition. I am certain this is going to be a difficult path to take--we travel a lot, we live on a small budget & have little time to devote to a new project--but I am convinced that it is worth it.

By no means do I imagine that we will eat "perfectly" or not make any mistakes. But I know that we will find the right little niche for our family's taste & lifestyle. Here we go!

To start, I will share a recipe that I changed around to fit my March (no sugar month) plan. I found a simple recipe for banana & oatmeal cookies and put a little spin on it.

Decidedly right off the bat I wanted to replace the sugar in the recipe with raw honey & there is a simple method for doing so: 1 cup white sugar = 3/4 cup honey + 1 tsp baking soda (to neutralize acidity.) I also had to turn my heat down 25-50 degrees (from the original recipe) down to prevent over browning.

Here is what my recipe ended up looking like:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 cup raw honey

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas

1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats

preheat oven to 350.

mix all dry ingredients together.

in another bowl cream together butter & honey until fluffy, add egg, oats & banana.

add dry ingredients in.

portion out tablespoon size onto cookie sheets & bake for 10-12 minutes

(or until edges start to brown.)

yields 4-5 dozen.

These cookies are not only healthy, they are moist and delicious. Don't be confused though--honey is still a sweet treat and should be treated as such--moderation ya'll!

"I saw you lingering still..."

I spent some time in Kansas City recently: there was some sickness, some missing of my sweeties, lots of work & also a bit of fun thrown in. I can't talk about finding the silver lining enough. Seriously. Even though there was plenty to get me down--I could find even more to be thankful for. I hope I never forget what a lucky lady I am.

::trader joe's flowers, julie's memoir, me being sick, performing arts center in KC, picking my teeth, present for the hubs, flower headdress, bagpiper::

Had the best first day home today with my little love bug, it is incredibly perfect weather in these parts. When husband got home we three spent our time exploring town and looking for "puppies and squwirr-Elles!" Afterwards we picked up our favorite hotdogs, gave Cashy a bath, had a sing along and called it a night.

Lucky indeed.

A little note

I've been sick the last few days and now I am out of town on a work trip (still sick.) Its kind of a bummer because I can't talk at all and I'm having a hard time swallowing--and my whole job is talking to consumers. Eek!

I hate being sick, but I hate being sick and not being at home even more. Plus I really miss my boys.

Say a prayer for my voice if you think about it. I would be so grateful.

dinner party

We started our weekend off with a sweet little dinner party that included my sister & her husband (+ their 3 kids) and our friends John & Christin (+their 2 kids.) Add in me, Owen and Cash--and we had an equal number of adults & kiddos.

It really ended up lovely. I was expecting it to be sheer chaos with all of the little ones--but they handled it quite well. We had a most delicious & nourishing meal + a yummy dessert (and it all fit into my no sugar in March plan. hooray!)

I had spaced the 4 older kids around the table between adults, but somehow they finagled their way into all sitting next to one another. :) They just love each other.

It was a great experiment, and I would recommend it to anyone that has dinner party + kids anxiety. Just plan ahead and try to be flexible to whatever comes up.

cheers!

ps. husband wrote a blog of note today.