15 Weird Facts About Me

I realize that I tell you all about what I do, and I do a lot of unsolicited advice giving and how-tos in this blog, but I haven’t really told you anything about me, so I’m going to do a 15 Weird Facts about Me edition.  It was recommended in a “‘How to Write a Blog” blog, and the questions to answer came from “Light by Coco.” I’m just dork enough to give it a shot.  Anyway, this is me:

• I’ve always kind of wanted a nickname, but I’ve never really had one.  Sometimes my mom calls me “Les.”
• I have a weird habit of making up new lyrics to songs to sing to my baby.  I do this one all the time, from “I’m Sexy and I Know It:”  

When I walk through the park

This is what I see.

Everybody stops and they’re staring at me!

I’ve got little chubber cheeks and I ain’t afraid to show it.

I’m a baby and I know it!

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle yeah!

• I’m terrified of zombies.  I kind of jump into my bed, just in case there’s one wanting to bite me hiding underneath.  I always check the trunk of my car before I get in because I think maybe one is hiding there, waiting to eat Alice.  No kidding!  So scary.
• The song I love but hate to admit that I love it is “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred!
• My biggest pet peeve is entitlement.
• My nervous habit is shrugging my shoulders up to my ears and holding my breath.  I have to remind myself to breathe and relax my shoulders when I’m nervous.  I also pick at my cuticles and have since I was a little kid.
• I sleep on the right side of the bed.  Alice sleeps with us, and she sleeps between me and the wall, because Dan has flying elbow syndrome at night!
• My first stuffed animal was a cartoonish donkey thing, and my mom had me name it when I was only a few months old, so its name was “Ahgoo.”  I also still have my first teddy bear named, “Old Teddy.”
• I don’t often go to Starbucks unless I have a gift card, but I order a grande flat white when I do.
• The beauty rule I break is, I don’t wash my face before bed sometimes.  Then I wake up with mascara under my eyes and look like my greatest fear (see above)!
• I face away from the faucet in the shower.
• My weird body skill is that my elbows bend backward.

• My favorite comfort food is pizza.  Plain cheese, with the thickest crust possible.  Also, cake.
• My go-to exclamation is “O-M Gosh!” or “Dude!”  So sophisticated.
• Right now, since it’s not safe to have blankets when Alice is sleeping with me, I have to dress warmly for bed.  I wear sweatpants and wool socks with one of Dan’s oversized thermals.

Don’t you just feel like you know me now?  Thanks for reading!

Project 333: The Finished Capsule- Winter 2016

By golly, she’s got it!  I want to remain comfortable, be able to nurse easily in public, and look a little bit more put together than I have been lately.  The capsule wardrobe is done...officially...NO.  TURNING.  BACK.  Ok, here we go…

Tops

1. White patterned tank by Merona at Target
2. Gray oversized tank from The Gap

I probably won’t need tanks in March in Colorado, but if I run out of nursing tanks they’ll be good to have.  I’m also chomping at the bit for spring and summer, so I really want to believe I’ll need them!

3 & 4.  Gray and black striped tee and solid black tee by Apt 9 at Kohl’s

The sleeves on these come almost to my elbows, which is more flattering on my arms, I think, than the regular short-sleeve length.

5-8. V-neck long-sleeved tees in white, black, royal blue, (not pictured) and forest green (I don’t know the actual names for the colors, this is just what I call them) from PINK by Victoria’s Secret

These are, in my opinion, the perfect t-shirts.  They’re so soft and light, but still warm.  Alice loves to rub her cheek against my shoulder when I’m wearing these tees.

9.  Gold, long-sleeved top from Banana Republic

For when I feel shiny!

Bottoms

10. Lee Classic Fit Jeans

Pre-pregnancy, Baby!

11-13.  TekGear yoga pants in black

I still wear yoga pants most days.

Layering and Outerwear

14. Oversized cardigan from Gap Body

Cozy, comfy.

15. Knitted poncho

16. Oversized, wool cardigan from Banana Republic

I’ll use this instead of a jacket on warmer days

17. Black, puffy coat

For the last of winter.

Accessories

18: Infinity scarf from Kohl’s

Will also work if I ever decide to cover when I nurse, which I usually don’t.

19. Cashmere sarong

A gift from my father-in-law last Christmas.

20. Silk and cashmere sarong

A gift from my father-in-law the Christmas after we were married.  Incidentally, this is one of my go-to pieces for flying, because it’s big enough to wrap up in on the plane.  We’re not traveling this season, but I thought I’d mention it.

21. Light scarf

A gift from my friend Christin.  This is interesting.  She doesn’t use gift wrap.  She wrapped a gift for Alice in this scarf for me.  I love this idea!  I think I’ll try it for myself at some point…

22. Flannel scarf

23-25. Black, structured cloche hat; Gray and black, floppy cloche hat; Black beret

The beret is so that I can pretend I’m French!  Just kidding.  Sort of.  Also, I know this photo isn’t great, but it was taken during nap time after vaccinations.  See the napping photo bomb?!

26. Brown, leather bag from Clarks

I know, everything else is black, but I don’t have a nice, black bag that’s big enough.

27. Black belt

You can change the whole feel of an outfit with a belt.  This one happens to be a hand-me-down already, and this month may do it in for good.

28. Earth-tone belt

Jewelry

29. Pink pearl necklace and earring set

Maybe I should count this as two things, but I almost always wear them as a set, so I’m not going to.  P.S. Don’t they look so pretty in this picture?!  They were a Christmas gift from my husband the first year we were married.  We couldn’t afford them, but I love them.

30. Vintage earrings from T.J. Maxx

I coat these with clear nail polish because they’re costume jewelry and I don’t want them to turn my ears green!

31. Silver bracelet

Shoes

32. Dansko Tennis Shoes

Ummmm…

33.  I’m sure I’ve forgotten something that I’ll panic about when I realize I didn’t include it.  That’s where this spot will go.

What do you think? Is it worth taking some pictures of how I combine the pieces and posting? Barring that, this is the last you'll hear of this until the end of the quarter. The idea is, after all, to put it all together and forget it, so that my mind is free to do something else. See you in the next post...

Project 333: The Rules

I’ve had a cold that has sapped all energy and motivation, so I’m still not finished preparing my capsule wardrobe for my first go at Project 333.  By the time I get it done, it’ll be time to create a new one!  In the meantime, I want to talk a little bit about the criteria.  The following rules are taken directly from the “Be More with Less” website:

The Rules

• When: Every three months (It’s never too late to start so join in anytime!)

• What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.

• What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear,  and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout)

• How: Choose your 33 items, box up the remainder of your fashion statement, seal it with tape and put it out of sight.

• What else: consider that you are creating a wardrobe that you can live, work and play in for three months. Remember that this is not a project in suffering. If your clothes don’t fit or are in poor condition, replace them.

So, my plan right now is to create a new capsule quarterly.  If I find that this time frame doesn’t work well with the seasons in the Denver area, I may reconfigure it.  Though many seem to choose not to include one or more categories (like jewelry), I will be including all of them listed above (clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes).

I will mostly be following the not-to-be-included rules as written.  If you are familiar with Colorado, you know that it WILL snow in March, but not everyday, so I’m not counting my snow boots, even though I’ll wear them if need be.  I wear my wedding rings and my opal ring (Alice’s birthstone), as well as my watch all the time, except in the shower and pool, so they won’t count.  My karate gi (uniform) and all tees that go underneath won’t count.  Undergarments and nursing tanks won’t count, nor will pajamas, but I did pack away most of my pajamas into storage to be “shopped” later as the ones I’m using wear out.

My running shoes have been serving as my everyday shoes, but I recently started feeling kind of frumpy dumpy, so as I create my capsule wardrobe I’ll be finding easy, comfortable ways to elevate my look a bit.  Ergo, I’ll be replacing my running shoes with my Dansko tennis shoes for everyday wear, and relegating them back to the treadmill where they belong.  They won’t count, but the Dansko shoes will.

Yoga pants are still my go-to when it comes to daily routine, and I don’t plan on changing that, so though they are workout clothes, they’ll have to count because I wear them outside the gym.

I think that’s about it.  Alice is napping off her second round of vaccinations, so I’m going to count out the rest of my capsule and make it official!  My next Project 333 post will give a list of pieces with photos and describe the strategy I used to make my decisions...like and subscribe and stay tuned!

Project 333: The Why

If you’re just joining me, I’m currently participating in Project 333 an online challenge to wear only thirty-three items for a three month period.  The idea is that all your clothing can fit into one suitcase or “capsule.”  Therefore, the clothes you choose to include for your three months is called a “capsule wardrobe.”  

I’m choosing to do this for very specific reasons.  Minimalism is, apparently, in vogue right now, but I didn’t know that until I started this project.  Actually, that fact almost turned me away from doing it at all!  (Here’s where it gets personal, people!)  You see, I have used clothes for years in a desperate attempt to appear “cool.”  I have chased “cool” most of my life, in fact.  Ever since my crush, John King, told me in the fourth grade that I was a “hell no” girl (yup, this was in the fourth grade!) I’ve had a bit of a complex about my appearance, my “cool,” and generally my worthiness to be loved (I know, I know.  Boohoo.  This post gets happier, so stay with me!).  

BUT GOD.  But God found a way for me to realize how silly this really was.  He, in His infinite wisdom gave me my wonderful, adorable daughter.  Through pregnancy and being a momma to her, I am coming to learn that, sob, it’s not all about me!  

Yeah, yeah.  We all know I love Jesus...what’s that got to do with clothes?  I was still focusing on ME.  Me, me, me.  How will I appear to people?  Do I look like I tried too hard (the answer to this, by the way, is this: if you stood in front of your mirror for two hours, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU TRIED TOO HARD!)?  Do I look sexy enough?  Do I look conservative enough?  I’m wearing green, but my eyes are blue...is that okay?  It’s really laughable!  I was buying lots of clothes, wearing only a few things, feeling good in practically nothing, and spending way too much time thinking about my own appearance.  You know what the Bible calls that?  Vanity.

So, what do I hope to get out of Project 333?  Let’s face it.  It’s fun to challenge myself in this way.  I get to play with my clothes in a way I’ve never done before.  I get to pack things away so that, hopefully, I feel like I’m getting new clothes when I create a new capsule.  If I’m not spending money on a bunch of low quality items all the time, maybe I can save up and treat myself to one truly nice thing every once in awhile.  I really expect to enjoy the whole thing, but it’s more than that.  The long and the short of it is this: worrying about clothes and my appearance in general has taken enough of my time and money.  What could I do with the time and money I’ll save when I forget about it?  

We’re about to find out, people!

Baby Products: What I Had vs. What I Used

When I started planning my baby shower, I was super excited about putting together a registry, but I had no stinkin’ clue what to put on it!  I read a lot of blog posts on the subject, took some advice from friends, and finally came up with a passable list.  Some of it was awesome (Avent Orthodontic pacifiers, Sophie Giraffe teether, Safety 1st Easy Saver Diaper Pail, and the Graco Pack n Play)!  But some of it didn’t get used much.  I also found that I wished I had more of certain items that I ended up using often.  Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful to all my friends and family for their generosity, I just didn’t find uses for everything I thought I needed.  Let me tell you all about it…

• What we got:  Receiving blankets  
• The deal is: They aren’t big enough to be swaddles.  They aren’t absorbent enough to be burp cloths.  They aren’t warm enough to be real blankets.
• What I’d like instead: Toddler prefolds.
• Why?: Because they are the perfect size and absorbency to use as burp cloths.

• What we got: Many, many muslin swaddles.
• The deal is: We used a few for swaddling, covering while nursing, and covering the bassinet for naps, but we didn’t need more than 3-4.
• What I’d like instead: Summer Infant SwaddleMe Original Swaddles.
• Why?: They’re easy to use in the middle of the night, and ain’t NO baby gonna break out of those things!

• What we got: Tall bottles.
• The deal is: We never have to feed her more than 4 oz at a time, so an 8 oz bottle is silly.
• What I’d like instead: Just two-three short bottles are plenty.
• Why?: They take up a lot of room in the kitchen, and we rarely use them anyway, since Alice comes with me to work.  She really only has a bottle while I’m at karate.

• What we got: A superfluous amount of baby towels.
• The deal is: I do laundry regularly.  She bathes twice per week.  We don’t need ten towels!
• What I’d like instead: I can’t think of anything bath-specific to replace the towels, but I could use more warm blankets.
• Why?: I’m starting to use them in lieu of coats unless it’s freezing out.  So much easier than putting her in the coat, taking her out to strap her in the car, putting the coat back on, then taking it back off when we get inside.  What a pain!  I prefer to wrap her in a blanket, then drape it over her lap in the car.  Add a cute hat, and we’re rocking!

• What we got: A gazillion cloth wipes.
• The deal is: We just don’t need as many as we have.
• What I’d like instead: More changing pad covers.
• Why?: The Free Pee.  Alice likes to pee as soon as I get the nappy off of her butt.  I’m constantly having to find something else to cover the changing pad.  This is the only use I’ve found for the receiving blankets (see above), but they bunch up and fall off, so they’re not ideal.

• What we got: Sleeveless Sleep Sacks
• The deal is: I’m sure they would have been fabulous in the summer, but they’re not warm enough on their own right now (in February).  It’s inconvenient to have to pull them all the way off, then undo the jimjams, change her, redo the jimjams, then put the stupid blanket back on, so I don’t like them over Sleep and Play outfits either.
• What I’d like instead: Sleep Sacks with sleeves.
• Why?: We use them as jimjams right over the nappy.  One zipper = easy nighttime changes.

Did you have anything like this?  Do you actually have a use for receiving blankets?  Are you out there?  Please like and subscribe if you found this helpful!