Bye Bye Bonus

"Yeah - the sensible thing to do would be to tuck some away and do an extra mortgage payment. Soooo...I'll meet you at Nordy's around 1?" I said to my Mom as we plotted an afternoon away, free of guilt and full of frivolity.

Like any other year, the spring bug had bitten, the catalogs of shiny, flowery items convincing me that nothing in my closet was up to snuff and the whole house needed redecorating. Given we'd checked one of those boxes by moving into a completely new home, it was time to tackle the daily wear stuff, starting with the basics:

A new, fresh face for spring:

MAC Lipglass in Heroine - for that pop of color I adore
in spring and a good second to my usual bright pink

MAC Bronzing Powder in Matte Bronze - because a cubicle chic
still needs to look like she gets some Vita D

MAC Eye Shadow pods in Purple Times Nine - a good variety for
making those greenish eyes pop 

Vince Camuto's Lavette Peep Toe Booty - the go with everything, comfy, on-trend
from work to weekend and comfortable splurge

Updating the underwires: with Natori's Feathers Contour and a
the Hidden Glamour underwire - comfy, feminine and...unstretched!

Couple this with the desire for some cute activewear, some Anthro candles and sandals and say buh-bye to that bonus.

But hey - YOLO - right?!

Happy spring shopping!

A Missed Fix

"Yes please. Let's postpone it by a week to ensure it arrives at the new house," I said hurriedly into the phone, another message from the movers beeping through on the other line.

In just minutes the ever-so-helpful customer service team at Stitch Fix was working its magic, moving my package arrival date to accommodate the new digits just a mile away. Thrilled to see it was anticipated on my birthday, I counted down the days, looking forward to the brown box's arrival.

Hey - a girl has to have priorities in a move.

Needless to say, when I went to tear it open, practically ignoring our cake guests, I was quite bummed to find:

Skies are Blue Kinzi Henley Knit Top: Note the darling gal wearing this is
about 1/3 of my size and has a short torso and great arms. When I pulled this
baby out, it looked remarkably like my third grade photo with my
white jean shorts. Plus it requires a tank underneath. Pass.

Though the pattern seemed promising, put it all together
and it felt maternity or fetched from hip Grandma's closet. Pass.

This one was so crazy I can't even turn the pic correctly! Accentuated my
already significant hips, bland colors and felt outdated. Pass

Also in the beautifully branded box were the Tyran open cardigan that could've fit in the category of "wore in grade school" with some Kut distressed jeans that could have been promising had they gone beyond my calves.

So, either my regular stylist and I are off, I'm just not digging this spring's trends (I didn't even adore Nordy's spring catalog - gasp!) or my plan to stick close to Abby Wood Wear to make me look presentable is coming into play. Either way, SF and I are on a break for awhile. And more to come on Abby - swoon!

Here's hoping your boxes continue to be full of delight! And thank gah for multiple styling options...since these suckers were introduced, a gal forgets how to dress herself.

Happy dressing!

Same Ol' Stunt

"Mom - hey mom! It's only one more day until St. Patrick's Day! That means the leprechaun is going to come back! And bring us some gold! I hope it's in my bed this time..." the Big said excitedly, zero breaths escaping between sentences.

Recently I attended a home party meant to inspire and sell products to enhance family traditions. Mid-way through the event, I think I blurted out something like: "Wait - where's the lesson on how you get them to CARE?!" which was met with some giggles of understanding and perhaps a few blank stares. Living in a household of three boys, there's a quota on hugs, sentiment and talking about days. But the party planner happened to be a BoyMom who had this same experience gave the advice: "You may not think they're into it in the moment, but you'll realize it when they say 'where's the birthday plate we always use?' or 'we can't start Easter dinner without saying what we're thankful for,' you know you've created a tradition."

Remember this and aligning it with the fact the printer still isn't assembled in the new house, I got to work in handwriting the exact same notes as last year, with hopes the Big with the steel trap mind wouldn't recall exactly what they said.

They're sloppy, the shamrocks look slightly phallic and I had to make two trips to the store to actually remember the pot of gold (Rolos), but it will all be worth it come morning. The joy on their faces, the excitement in their voices bouncing off the walls and the millions of questions around how big a leprechaun actually is and how did he get into the house will be something we won't forget.

So just remember, when you're pulling the same ol' stunt, it's called a tradition. And someday they may thank you for it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!