Day 1: 21 Day Challenge

I am going to try the 21 Day Challenge at Freckles in April. With the start of school & a little more free time to myself I want to try to actually get dressed & put together every day. Hopefully this challenge will give me some motivation. There are little prompts for each day, remixing is encouraged, and Kayla is a fellow Arizona girl - so hopefully I'll get some inspiration on how to wear more than a skirt and tee without melting into a puddle. I know I'm no fashion model, but I do love to shop, read fashion mags, and lately a bunch of fashion blogs & websites. I will try not to be embarrased and hopefully I can cover my well-rounded shape with some decent outfits.

Day 1: Remix (choose 1 item that will get thrown in at least three times in 21 days)

These jeans & white linen shirt are the J.Jill ones I blogged about in my last post. The white shirt is so versatile & you'll be seeing more of it in the next 3 weeks. I found the Bass loafers at Savers for $5 and they will get a lot of wear this fall & winter.

Accidental Purchases

Have you ever accidentally bought something? You know, you don't intend to shop, and you weren't planning to buy something, but somehow you come home with new things anyway. Last weekend I was on my own, as my sweet husband took our three boys out of town (you're the best, honey!) and I was indeed shopping. Hard to believe, right? But I was only looking for a wallet, as mine is falling apart and I keep losing important things like pennies and receipts. I was only looking for a wallet and managed to get in and out of several stores quickly without finding a wallet and certainly without buying something extraneous.

Then I walked into J. Jill. I've been there once or twice before, but never bought anything. I loved some of the looks up front which included linen items - I'm a sucker for linen. And as I headed to the back where they keep accessories like wallets, I naturally ran my eyes over the clearance racks. And since I liked what I saw I looked closer, rummaging through my own size. Since I am... curvy... and short, I often have problems finding things in my size and that are flattering on me. And there were several things on that J. Jill clearance rack and they accidentally came home to live with me. And I love them. It helped that all clearance items were an additional 40% off. If only they had wallets. But here are the new items in my closet:

J. Jill Authentic Fit Skinny Jeans    Skinny jeans are a bit hard for me, but I like them and my previous pair just wore through into holes in unseemly spots. These new ones are very dark & look nice - no distressing, whiskering, or holes. And they were about $20!

J. Jill Shimmer Linen Skirt    I completely fell in love with this soft grey, linen skirt when I pulled it off the rack. But it was a size too small. The sales person said they didn't have my size and that I should try it because they ran a little big. And she was right! On me it falls all the way to the tops of my shoes - a true maxi skirt. And the little, gold, metallic weave through it dresses it up a little and I noticed it helps to hide spills and stains. Of which I have many. Totally my kids fault.

J. Jill Linen Camp Shirt    They had quite a few linen shirts on sale and I tried on several and decided on this one. I love how they are crisp and soft at the same time and I favor cuffed and tabbed sleeves lately. Linen shirts are so classic - especially white.

We are Defiant!

Mom Select came through again with another amazing new toy - just in time for us to host a summer party for my boys and their friends. Defiants 4x4s are mini trucks that are almost as tough as the real thing. They have working headlights and two gears and have afforded my boys hours and hours of fun since our party.

We had ten boys here between the ages of four and eight and the Defiants were a hit with every one of them. We had straight floor races, trick races, curvy course races, and head to head action to see who could knock the others out of the way. The boys loved playing with the tall hill set, and also the flexibility of building their own courses and terrains. We must have gone through dozens of configurations during our party.

I love that although the Defiants 4x4s trucks are really cool, it still leaves most of the play to my boys' imaginations. They can be creative with the sets and their interactions between each other. The trucks are easy to use, easy to change batteries (AAAs which last about 3 hrs of serious play), and have held up well to hard play - even went we went camping and the Defiants ran through lots of dirt, rocks, and rough outdoor terrain. That's not to say we didn't lose the grills, headlights, and other embellishments on the body of the cars. Those fell off really fast, but my kids didn't care.

 

I think Defiants are a good bridge between plain vehicles and remote control vehicles. Plenty of room for on-their-knees-creative-fun, but can still run through the course by themselves. I would recommend these for boys (and any girls that like trucks) between ages three and ten. They are really fun for all ages. I admit to setting up a few tracks myself and running my Defiant through. These will keep us busy all summer!

Dream Trip

My darling, patient hubby and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in August - coinciding with the first day of school actually. And since we'll actually have all three boys in school at least half a day, I'm dreaming of a romantic lunch and some time spent at the temple, remembering the covenants we made to each other ten years ago. And then in September we are planning a lovely trip to the Seattle area, where my husband served a mission for our church. We want to see Victoria and hike in the Hoh Rainforest. We want to eat and shop and enjoy uninterrupted time together.


But this morning all my thoughts have changed. Seattle is out. Now I want to go to Paris! And I'm crossing my fingers that Jordan Ferney will be the one to get me there. Jordan is generously hosting a giveaway on her fab blog, Oh Happy Day, and the winner receives a 7 day trip to Paris. You can enter here, but please don't because I need my chances improved just a little. ;)

My New, Natural Look

Even though I love my mineral makeup, in powder form, I've lately been looking around to find an old-fashioned liquid foundation. I used to buy Estee Lauder and have several friends that love Bobbi Brown but I have a hard time bringing myself to pay the $30 plus price tags, despite my light use.

So when, as a BzzAgent, I received a tube of Cover Girl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation, I happily started trying it out. And I was immediately impressed. I love the silky formula that goes on just like moisturizer but doesn't get too oily. The spf 10 is nice, although I wish it were a little higher. Despite the fact that the shade I was sent was way too dark for me, I happily went around with that tell-tale line under my jaw for a couple weeks until I made it to the store to buy something that matches my skin tone.

I like the low price, the high availability, and the frequent sales and coupons from Cover Girl. They don't always have my favorite make up products, but they are reliably good. For example, BzzAgents also sent me the NatureLuxe Gloss Balm. Once again, the color was awful for me, but I kept it by my desk and just started using it as lip balm when I felt dry. And I liked it. Probably not enough to replace my favorite Avon, but I'm always looking for lip products that feel great and have lots of color options. So I also picked up a tube of this in a good color for me. And suddenly I have a great, new look for summer. Thanks BzzAgent and Cover Girl!