Weekend Wear (the tunic)

"Hey!!! Lady, get your lazy butt up and out of bed.
You have blogging to do!
I would do it for you, but you know, I'm a Poodle."



I am up and ready for anything!  Here is one of the my favorite maxi dresses that made
it through the "Great Closet Clean-Out 2011".   I got the glasses from
Tifosi....They are white and called "Lust".....need I say more?
(Thanks Kathy-I <3 these glasses)


 You were probably expecting some tailored outfit with a cardi with tags that say "Ann Taylor".  Nope.  This is unstructured, paired with leggings and fun silver jewelry and a chunky belt.  Glitz and still Glam!  Yay for change!  Boo for the weird things my camera is doing with the lighting.  Lets pretend that I meant to do this for effect, ok?  lol

The tunic top is a great addition to a wardrobe because you could throw this over a swimsuit at the pool
or beach.  Then again, it can be dressed up for an day of shopping or evening at
the hippest restaurant in town.  Yeah, I just said "hippest".  LOL

I think my favorite thing about the outfit is the gladiator sandals from ATL.  Hey, I have a thing about the store.  And these shoes just make me feel super cool.  And they catch the sunlight when I walk and sparkle which just makes me feel happy.

See how fabulous a tunic can be?  And they are perfect for travel with a knit material
because they just do not wrinkle.
What?  You are asking why I am shopping if I just cleaned out my closet?
Uhmmm....because.....oh yeah, I need some red in my closet for color.

Thanks for all the emails and Facebook messages about my last post.  It would appear that a lot of people out there are in need of a good closet cleaning. 
Stay tuned because I am working on the "Anatomy of a Closet" to help you out.
Or, I could just travel around the country and visit each one of you for a personal purging.....
Ok, that sounds like fun to me!!!

Spring Closest Clean-Out!

I threaten to do it, then I put it off, then.....yeah.

But finally I got in, got down and got dirty and decided to do a real closet clean out

and see what was in there!

What finally prompted me to invade, divide and conquer?

Kaja, my 9 year old, and my photographer, popped up with this comment the other day:

(She was taking my picture for the blog and I asked about my outfit),

"Well Mom, to be honest, it's like all the other days.  Very nice, usually blue and totally predictable."

PREDICTABLE?!!?!!!

I am 47 and that is the very word I did NOT want to hear.

And off to the closet I went.

Well, lets see...both green, one from ATL and one from Ann Taylor.....both could have been worn by Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music"
I am starting to see what you mean Kaja

I do love black and white skirts...but one has sequins, one has pompoms at the bottom and one has tulle and one.....
r i g h t.....oh my.

These are like the exact same skirt except one is Banana Republic and one Ann Taylor
Sigh....I keep buying the same dang stuff!

Shades of gray much?  Geez Lise!

I liked this best.  Bought at 3 different times, 3 different places
BUT...the same ATL sweater...just different colors.
Oh my.   The black one still had the TAGS on it!!!  Seriously? Yes.

Onward and upward! 
The real problem is that sometimes we get into a bit of a rut.
I learned quickly that I love neutrals and do not own one RED piece of clothing.
I do however own a mass amount of black, white, blues and CORAL (my fav!)
And that's about it.  All nicely tailored pieces and predictable.
This is not necessarily bad,  but I do not want to be HO HUM!

I finished the job and purged my closet!  I donated a lot, took a bunch over to "Sassy Pants" consignment, and turned over a new leaf.
I now know what is in my closet now so I don't waste $$ on duplication.  I have a list of a few items that would add
a pop of color and fun to  my wardrobe (ie: red stuff, or something).
And the biggest thing is remembering how I got here.
By not listening to friends when they said "You don't need another one of those."  LOL

Yes, this is me.  I'm cute, but I just don't listen!
I can't wait to start showing some of my re-worked wardrobe.
If you need an idea for a weekend project......Tackle your closets!!! 
Go girls!



Taking It To the Maxi!

Baron is getting used to this photo taking.

  I was looking for a great dress that I could wear to the pool, beach, (no plans to go, but hey, a girl can always hope) to dinner, a luncheon....so basically the perfect dress.  It also had to be cool so it would stand up to the southern heat!  Not that southern women sweat, because we don't....we glisten, honey.

The search was on.  I finally decided on a maxi dress, but some felt a bit too formal or the fabric wrinkled too easily which is not good for travel.   And with 4 kids, I really hate tags that say "Dry Clean Only".

Then I checked out the LOFT outlet and fell in love! 

With the dress, naturally.

The colors are complimentary for EVERYONE!  The dress was light and airy, and the price was just right.

Then I found a perfect cardi for cooler evenings and mornings.  I was sooo happy!

Is it possible that they are a perfect match to this amazing Coach bag?  Why yes.

Kaja has designated herself as my official photographer and did a bit of surfing of blogs to sharpen her skills.

She LOVES "posing Mom".  How fun for a 9 year old to get to tell her Mother what to do!!



Kaja directed me to pretend to be watering my plants!  I was like "With my purse???"
I think my daughter has been watching to much Nick at Nite!
Even June Cleaver and Donna Reed didn't have their purses for watering tomatoes....maybe gloves though.



Banana Republic sandals- clearance

ATL- necklace: recycled

Coach purse/scarf: gifted

So, this weekend I am going through my closet for the big "Spring Clean".  It is time to see what I really have, what I don't need, what doesn't fit, etc.  So far I found a sweater I bought on clearance 2 Years ago and it still had the tags on and had NEVER been worn!  I can't wait to see what else is in there!!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!!

I don't have a sweet story like Lise.  But I do have a picture of me and BOTH kids, which hardly ever happens. They just refuse to be in pictures together. They would like everyone to think they hate each other, but I know that deep down they do love each other. I have proof that once upon a time, they weren't scared to show affection for one another. How CUTE are they? This is my favorite picture of the 2 of them. They are 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 here.

Yesterday, Leah and I went to the funeral of the dad of one of her best friends.  It was unlike any funeral I have ever been to. It wasn't stuffy and reserved. It was joyful and vibrant and alive and just amazing. I didn't know this man, but by the time that funeral was over, I was truly wishing I had. I feel like I missed out on knowing an extraordinary individual. 

It also marked the first time Leah has worn a skirt EVER. She's worn a dress a couple of times since she was 5 but never a skirt. I thought she looked so pretty. I probably won't see this again for awhile.  The dress I have on was bought like 3 or 4 years ago. And the shoes were bought this year at Goodwill. They look like they were made to be worn together, don't they?

I hope you all have a wonderful and Happy Mother's Day!!

My Message For Mothers Day



Lise and Josh

 Today I was prepared to write something memorable to all the Mothers out there.  But the weeks activities got in the way of me finishing (and trying to pass a kidney stone...and YES you did need to know that, LOL) I was frustrated not to be able to get back to writing.  At some point lost my ability to be a Mary Poppins Mother and raised my voice at Josh.  He was hurt and taken off guard (I blame the kidney stones) walked into the house, ripped up something and dropped it quietly in the trash.  Wrapping my arms around my little son, I kissed his forehead and apologized for losing my patience.  He, in turn apologized for his earlier behavior.  I told him I loved him and went to leave. 

About 30 minutes later Josh comes to find me with something in his hands.  It is the Mothers Day card he made for me and had previously thrown away.  He found Duct Tape and put it together!  He hands it to me and says "It's not perfect anymore, but I think you can still see that I love you too."

I cry.

We sat on the sofa looking at this perfect little treasure.  I explained that this may be my favorite gift ever because it shows very plainly how life is.  We are not accepted because we are perfect.  To the contrary, we all suffer tears and breaks, but to those that love us, we are always accepted and LOVED.  (Especially by Moms!)  :)

See?  This is STILL a beautiful card!

Look at that beautiful hand print!

Josh, I love you!  And to all the Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts...etc  who love unconditionally....

Enjoy this special day!

Mom and Josh

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
from
SOUTHERN COMFORT!

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!

Cinco de Mayo—or the fifth of May—commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867). A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.

I just like to use it as an excuse to drink Margaritas! Unfortunately, there will be no Margarita drinking for me today. I have to work and tonight, Leah has Honor's Night. Oh, well. My coworker, Laura, did bring in some yummy Mexican layered dip! YUMMY!!! And we'll be having tacos for supper.

Any of you celebrating?

Sombrero: Cherokee, NC. (I know, weird, right?)

White shirt: Ann Taylor Loft clearance

Pin striped capris: Christopher & Banks

Shoes: Payless

Have a fabulous day, y'all! Someone drink a Margarita for me!!

Even Flo got into the spirit with us today!! (But she won't give me my hat back!)

Fashion To Take Stock In

The Stock Market can be a guessing game.  So I choose to invest in great pieces that will carry me through many occasion's.  And finding them at thrift stores?  Priceless!  All the pieces in this outfit came from thrifting and (including the purse) the whole look was under $30!  WooHoo!

Skirt:  Sigrid Olsen

Sweater: Ann Taylor

Purse: Nine West

Shirt:  Ann Taylor

Hot Pink belt (pink and yellow?  oh yeah!) thrifted

Pin:  Made by the fabulous Leah Hollet!!! It was a gift and perfect!

So, you may be wondering why I am talking about stocks today.  Well, my son Josh and two friends made up a team to compete in the "Stock Market Game".  It is a great opportunity for children to become educated in commerce and business.  And they won for their region!!!  So we got a trip to Atlanta for a program and awards.  I am so proud of these boys. And may I give a shout out to their Honors teacher, Mrs. Brychell, who is amazing!!!  Teachers do NOT get enough love.

 The name of their team was "Men In Green" and their t-shirts had a gold $ sign on the back (thanks Teresa).

Josh and Mom (who is so very proud)  at the Depot at Underground Atlanta

Josh, Daniel, Mrs. Brychell, Zac

Kaja and Mom (Yes, she got to come!)

Our Star guest speaker and Falcons running back

Since Josh and his team did so well, I found out what the main money makers were that they invested in.  It turns out that they thought outside the box with "Game Stop" and "WWE"!!!   I was like "You can invest in wresting????  Seriously???"  LOL!

But, as I said, I take stock in the fact that the best market to invest are thrift stores!