What I Wore Wednesday: Need More Color

Hello again! I hope your Thanksgiving was just what you wanted it to be. We spent the holiday visiting my parents and my sister's family. Nine kids 10 and under make a lot of noise! We had a great holiday. The outfits I'm sharing today are actually not from last week, but they are from since I last posted for WIWW. They feature too much black and not enough color, so I will work on that (and again, I wore cute clothes other days and just failed to take pictures).



I wore this to run errands. Lily was going to school that day and did not wear my brown boots out of the house. She is good at the photobombing obviously. The boots are from 6pm.com and were a great price. They are a little wider in the calf than I would like but I know I won't find anything else at a competitive price. They are soft and comfy. The cowl neck oversized sweatshirt is from Target (can't find a link). It is so comfortable! I feel like with the right accessories and coordinating pieces it is not sloppy but cute. It is also warm. My jeans are skinny jeans from Old Navy that seem to not be skinny enough. Might look for new ones eventually. Allora Handmade necklace, silver cascade earrings, and a cute ring you can't see.



I don't remember where I wore this outfit. I think to take Caleb to sacrament class, and would then wear to Mass, except half of us were sick and we ended up sleeping through Mass. Oops. White shirt from Target, as is the cape/sweater thing. (I clearly don't know what to call it.) Jeans are Common Genes from JCPenney. I've had them forever and need new ones, but we all know the appeal of those jeans that are perfectly broken in. Turquoise necklace and earrings from Francesca's Collections. I had been looking for a simple, plain turquoise necklace for a long time and was so excited to finally find one. I like that it adds a bit of color to the outfit. Oh, and my boots are a few years old and I still love them. Michelle D from Dillard's.

Visit the Pleated Poppy for more outfit inspiration.

Just Write: Not Sick

I was doing that thing where I was sick but not acknowledging the sick. You know the one, that mothers (and sometimes dads and sometimes anyone who just can't be sick) do. I was powering through the needs to be done and putting on the not-sick face.

I took 3 pretty girls for haircuts and smiled and enjoyed the few minutes of watching each one alone while also standing in the middle of the salon so I could see all of them. I couldn't believe how long the oldest girl's hair was. Even when we cut it it is long and shiny and who is this grown girl in the chair? Still needing a booster, so not so grown but oh so close.

And so I went through the weekend. Not sick, not sick. Except I was and so Travis stepped in and did all the stuff. Made the meals, kept the kids quiet, gave me the rest that I needed but wouldn't admit to needing, at least some of the time.

And my family hummed around me, being a family that is large and loud and busy and normal, but also startlingly miraculous, in little ways and big ways that we don't even notice most of the time. A gentle word here, a trick to make the baby laugh there. Somehow knowing what was needed and doing it.

And in the sickness that wasn't sick I slowed down and let them be and it was just what was wanted. Not perfect, but perfectly us.

Go to The Extraordinary Ordinary for more writing.

Just Write: Writing about Writing

I missed writing and linking up last week. I had thoughts swirling in my head. I wrote bits and pieces of things in my head as I went through my days. I never slowed down enough to write them though. Or if I did, I judged them unworthy of publishing. Silly, since this exercise is all about just putting the words out there, rough and imperfect.

It still startles me that I can miss writing. I've never kept a diary or journal. I've rarely felt a build up of words, waiting to tumble down and out. But lately, they are there. Unformed, vague, but thoughts that want looking at, that want release.

I love reading other entries, seeing what has sparked a stream of words for someone else. I seek inspiration and encouragement. Sometimes just a feeling of "me too" or "I have been there" and less isolation.

It's all still so new to me, this writing thing.



Visit Heather of the EO for more entries.

What I Wore Wednesday: One Cute Outfit

I only have one picture to share for this link-up, but it is a cute one,  I think. I have figured out how to use the timer on my camera. so maybe I'll have more in the future. You can visit The Pleated Poppy for more outfit inspiration. The idea is to encourage us to put a little effort into our wardrobe, even on days when we are not doing much outside the house.



I wore this outfit to a baby shower. It was a cool day, although I was a little warm by the end. The skinny jeans are from Old Navy, the white tee is from Target, the sweater and boots are from Macy's. Sweater this year, boots last year.

I'm trying to find more outfits for my boots. I love them, but I didn't wear them enough last year. I like the sweater trend, but I have to look for things that don't overwhelm my somewhat petite frame.

Quick Takes: As Random as it Gets

Good morning friends. The whole idea of a Quick Takes post is to write short entries that do not warrant their own blog post. Sometimes mine have a theme, or are connected, but not so much today. Consider yourselves fairly warned.

1. I'm getting my hair cut and colored today! I usually get it cut every six weeks, but budgetary concerns forced me to reschedule so that it has now been 8 weeks since I got it cut. When you have short hair like mine it is important to keep it cut often. And my color is definitely ready for a refresher. I only highlight, so I can manage the longer time between colorings without it looking too terrible. I always think I am going to change the color and/or the cut and then I never really do. I'm too afraid to go really short and that is really my only big change option, since I already have short hair. Anyway, I know I'll feel like a new woman regardless of how big a change I make.

2. Tomorrow night we are having our first ever sleepover birthday party. We don't do individual parties for the kids because it is just too expensive and impossible to plan. We have a big family celebration in October (except this year in November) and the kids get plenty of presents from grandparents and cousins. But, we decided that a 10th birthday gets the full party treatment. Taylor turned 10 last month and we are finally having her party. 10 girls were invited and they are all coming! I was surprised there were no conflicts. We plan to decorate cupcakes, I'll do nails, and they can watch movies. Nothing too fancy because I'm just not that kind of mom. Taylor and Madeleine are very excited (Madeleine is friends with all the girls too and of course included) and have made a few plans of their own. Travis and the other kids will stay out of the house for a few hours and then come home and go to bed in our room, so as to not crash the party. I'm pretty sure I'll need lots of coffee on Sunday.

3. I did some browsing around the mall yesterday. I'm on the hunt for things to wear with the brown boots I bought last year to wear with skinny jeans tucked into them. I tried on several sweater dresses/tunics but there was not anything that I just had to have. Target had a dress I liked, but I didn't buy it. I did go to DSW and looked at all the pretty shoes that I have no reason to buy and wear. I wish I had a need for fancy heels, there are some really beautiful shoes out there.

4. I'm going to Blissdom 2012!!! This is very exciting for me. I've wanted to go for the last couple of years, but it has not possible. I was hoping to pay for it this year with my extra income, but circumstances have led to that not happening. However, after some talking with Travis we have decided to make it work. You have likely noticed that my most frequent posts have been the Just Write exercise. I am really trying to develop that style of writing more and I think Blissdom will be a great source of inspiration and direction. So, in February I will go to Nashville for 3 nights! It will take a bit of coordinating to get it all worked out for Travis but we have good friends and family who will help I'm sure. I'm just so excited. I hope to finally meet some of my favorite bloggers that I've been reading for 5 years now!

5. I'm still in a baseball depression. My Rangers lost the World Series. They were one strike away from winning it twice in the same game. Just when I thought I was moving on I read an article about it in a magazine and got all sad again. I'm fairly certain I take my sports too seriously.

6. I have cooked a real dinner every weeknight this week. I know many of you do that all the time. But with sports going on we always had at least one night where dinner was sandwiches. This week Travis and I have made grilled pork tenderloin and sides, tacos, smoked sausage and sides, and smoked chicken and sides. I think tonight we will have spaghetti. All easy meals, but still hot and fresh and planned. It feels good. I've found a lot of great recipes via Pinterest.

7. Benjamin is 18 months old tomorrow. I'm in complete denial. I still call him the baby. I think I always will. He is walking and sort of talking and just generally being a joy. We are blessed.

Works for Me Wednesday: Amazon Wish List

I can't get the code for the cute graphic to work, but I'm joining Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family. See the link at the bottom of my post!

Hello. Probably a lot of you already know about Amazon Wish Lists, but I just discovered the feature. Or I just started using it. So we have six kids and generous family that likes to give them gifts. I used to send links to individual items in an email to each person, but that is tedious and hard to keep track of. Enter the Amazon Wish List.

You create a list and when you find an item you want to put on the list, you just click the "Add to Wishlist" button. Easy! And, you can install a button on your browser toolbar that allows you to add items from other websites to your Amazon Wish List. So I can easily add American Girl items to the list. There is a place under each item in the list to put comments, so I can make a note of who would like the item and what size they would need if it is clothing. I shared the link to the list with the interested parties and hopefully holiday shopping is easier for everyone (including me!).

Go visit Kristen for more great tips.

Just Write: My Lily

Her whiney-ness had been at 11 for oh so many days. And I wondered if I counted how many times she says "Momma" in one day what the number would be. A lot. Really a lot. And I know it is a gift and a treasure that I have her little voice calling to me. But don't you sometimes want to shed yourself of the "Momma" title? Maybe just for a few minutes?

Whining turned to just plain hyped-up, three year old girl energy yesterday. Oh so much laughing and silly jokes and questions and even more "Momma." We went trick-or-treating and at every house "TRICK OR TREAT, HALLOWEEN!" said in the loudest voice possible. I think people on other streets could hear her. And the people with candy laughed and maybe gave her extra and every time she had to show me what she got, as she ran away from the door with a "Thank You" tossed back towards the generous soul.

And then this morning she is already planning what she will be next year. A butterfly, I mean a fairy, and she holds her arms out and moves them up and down every time she says "butterfly" or "fairy" and I smile and put the image in my mind, savoring the enthusiasm and urgency for a day that is now a year away.

Tomorrow, or even later today, we will butt heads and I'll be frustrated and then I'll see those little arms moving up and down in my mind and hopefully I'll see that Lily and put away my frustration. She is so full of life. I need to let her life fill me up.

Read more writing at The Extraordinary Ordinary.