I Could Wear That!

Do you ever see fashion trends and think, I could wear that? Not just but maybe sort of pull it off? I've been paying attention to these new crochet sweater trends. That's usually a little too hippy for my simple style but I like the way they're being down played. Below are pictures of 2 of my favorite celebs (a kardash and the Hills LC) sporting crochet sweaters in simple, classic ways...

I found one I loved the other day. It's simple, understated, and it's zips up the back a detail I love on sweaters. And so I put together this outfit for my trip this past weekend including the new crochet sweater I bought (because lets be honest it's way too hot to wear it in Tampa anyway):

Anyone else digging a celeb trend this spring you might actually be able to wear?

Love,
B

Review: Fashion to Figure Skirt

Hello loves,

Those of you who follow me on twitter/facebook know I was thrilled when Fashion to Figure gave me the opportunity to review a piece of clothing from their company. Many of you know that I have been plus sized the better part of my life and so I understand the struggle to find fun, attractive, figure flattering plus sized clothes. Since I now wear a 12 (sometimes a 10 on a skinny day) I still technically fall into the plus sized category so I was happy to give it a go.

I was allowed to pick which item I'd like to review and keep. I picked the geometric print skirt I'm about to reveal because it seemed functional for both work and going out. I also could instantly imagine myself wearing my red Michael Kors heels with it, which won it bonus points. A few days later it arrived in the mail and I was thrilled with how well it fit! Even with a belt, it's comfortable for both standing and sitting for a few hours at work (I'm a threat to take anything I belt off while I work).

Here's a close up of just how well it fit:

I needed to make it professional for my work day so I paired it with a Caslon cardigan and added one of my favorite red necklaces to jazz it up and bring out the red skinny belt that came with it, as well as the previously mentioned Michael Kors heels.

I scoured the whole Fashion to Figure website with a plus sized coworker and we were both astounded by their stylish selection as well as their unbeatable prices! If you haven't visited their site before you should take the time to browse, the skirt I received was less that $30!

My second favorite item after the skirt was this ribbed ponte dress which is listed for only $42. Even their shipping is flat rate and $5. I was pleased to find and to share this company. I have heard time and again from friends, coworkers, and fellow bloggers how hard it is to find affordable, stylish, flattering plus sized clothes. It seems to me, the search is over!

I couldn't totally keep this under wraps for the few days between the skirts arrival and this post so as a result I've already promised Jess she can borrow it first! Also, Amber told me via twitter she has a clutch headed her way from Fashion to Figure now, which I can't wait to see! Make sure you check out their website and let me know what piece you would have picked to review.

Love, B

Spring into Style.

I'm already obessing with dresses for Spring and Summer. We've pretty much bypassed the whole spring thing here in Tampa and gone straight for seeking out ways to beat the heat. Here's a few looks I love from stars recently featured in People Stylewatch:

Love the sandals with matching belt here. Florals aren't always a great look on me, especially in print that tiny but they work for Gwen with her long lean bod.

I love all things Reese. She's adorible and the way she dresses just makes me love her more. I'm obsessed with nude shoes and with my coloring bold, solid colors is a good look for me. I would wear this outfit exactly how she has if I could (but obviously, not as well).

Yellow is one of my all time favorite clothing colors. I don't wear alot of it but this dress just might change that. I love this dress on her and look how tan her legs are? I will be rushing to my pool to lay out first chance I get. Those shoes aren't me, I would probably go nude on those as well.

Hope you all are having a great weekend as I'm living it up in Indiana. Back soon.

Love,
B

5 DIY Projects.

Pinterest really has me thinking about DIY projects. I like to be hands on. I've tried several times to talk myself into buying a groupon for a maid or for a month of meals but in the end I always back out. I like to do things for myself. There's some sense of satisfaction in completing projects, on my own.

Pinterest is DIY on crack, though. I can't imagine doing EVERYTHING by hand instead of buying it. Ever. Time is money and most the time I'd rather spend the money to save the time. But I sat down the other day and thought what would I consider doing myself, either for the fun of being hands on or for the money it would save. Here's a few ideas I got from pinterest that I DO want to try:




Enamel Painted Vases. I love these and the blog post I've linked to boasts that she found the vases at the dollar store. This would be a fun project that could jazz up book shelves quick. I also love the idea of being able to custom make the color you want to go with the room.

Freezer Crock Pot Meals. I pinned a while back a blog where a woman teaches you how to make crock pot meals, in ziplock bags, to freeze! Then you pull them out, toss them in the crock pot and ta da!...dinner. I love this idea. It's a DIY version of Dinner Done, in my mind. This seems worth the time and effor tto me especially if you made a few at a time on Sunday afternoon.

Homemade Laundry Soap. I think laundry soap is incredibly over priced and am constantly annoyed by spending money on it. Not only would this be a fun project and a money saver but I actually think this could be a cute house warming gift, if you put it in a pretty glass bottle (like a large wine bottle) with instructions. I've agreed to help a friend do some spring cleaning in 2 weeks, I think I will try'n make a batch before then and give her some as well.

Body scrub. I never would have thought of this myself but DIY body scrub makes so much sense to me. After making my own face exfoliator last week, I'm really rethinking this and liking the idea more and more. Again, this would make a great gift! You could mess up the kitchen making a few at a time and have them onhand for guests, gifts, or at home spa nights.

Homemade Seasonings. I think seasonings are a big fat waste of money - so I love this idea. I want to make these for myself as well as possibly as gifts in the future. I think this would be a cool thing to receive from someone!

What DIY projects has pinterest inspired you to try? Was it worth the effort? Did it really save you money?

Love,

B

Honestly Me.

Honesty is something we all battle, isn't it? If we're too honest we hurt people's feelings or seem irresponsible and maybe even a little self-obsessed. If we're not honest enough people think we're snobby or stand offish. Where is this delicate balance that keeps us truly ourselves without bringing down anyone's wrath?

I was discussing this with Candy the other day. And here's what I've pinpointed in my own life. I'm a blogger with an active facebook and twitter account. I share my flaws, every silly, ridiculous thing I do, even occasionally my make-up-less face but somehow people still don't really think I'm being honest...or maybe it's not that people think I'm lying so much as that I have this additional, secret life.

For the past four years I have lived my life as an open book. I've shared about my struggle with IBS, the hardship of enduring the public criticisms of my Dad's job, my financial downfalls and successes, my weight loss journey, and a slew of personal moments. All of that and at the end of the day people still want to read between the lines.

Who am I secretly dating? What's REALLY going on with my Dad's job? Where was I actually at on Friday night? Which friend was which blog post about? Is every tweet or facebook status I write really about someone else? When I post song lyrics are they really about my secret love life?

I hate to disappoint you all with my epic failure at being that kind of interesting...but this is it. What you see and read here IS me. I'm quirky and clumsy. I'm passionate. I'm more than a little whiney, totally OCD, and extremely goal oriented. When I say I want to be single right now I don't actually mean I'm on a husband hunt and naming my future children. When I say that I love living in Tampa but want to see the world - that's what I mean. When I write about my adventures or misadventures that is the way I see them.

I reserve the right to withhold info on two things: my dating life and details that aren't mine to give. Things are always crazy with my family and the football world and I can't always give you the intimate details of that. I go on dates - some good, some bad ...but it's rarely fair to expose the innocent or not-so-innocent young gentlemen who take me out. I wrote perhaps too openly about my last serious relationship and since then I've taken a big step back. Some things belong to me.

I keep very few secrets because in my experience, they're hard too keep. If you choose to keep secrets choose your secret keepers with care. For me, I find it's easier not to have them. Then when people talk about you (and we all know that's unavoidable) at least they aren't revealing anything you wouldn't have shared yourself. While I think it's fair to reserve the right to say 'that's not your business' on certain issues, I've saved myself a lot of headaches by not trying to block people from my life.

This is me. I've never pretended to be perfect. I don't want to be on anyone's pedestal. I don't want to be your hero or savior. I don't desire to be in the spotlight or to be the talk of the town. What I want is to be open and honest.

There's a catch to this though. When people ask me about blogging this is where I take the time to caution them. When you're real about your life it welcomes people's opinions, good or bad. People will take this opportunity to love you or judge you as often as they like. I've been fortunate enough that I've made far more friends than enemies and while people like to make the occasional anon post about the fact that I've read Harry Potter and I call myself a Christian - for the most part my experience with blogging has been positive.

I'd be lying if I said I don't care what people think, because I do. Naturally, I want people to be pleased with me and I enjoy the encouraging words more than the criticisms. But you take the good with the bad. When you share your life with other people you'll get a whole range of responses. At the end of the day you have to filter them and remember who's opinions matter most.

So for all my fellow bloggers who are putting themselves out there on a regular basis - you have my respect as well as my love. It's tough to be honest these days and it's not always rewarded. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of your worlds and to know you. I also commit to believe that you are who you say you are and not to make up whole alternate lives for you.

Love,
B

Book Club Friday - The Paris Wife.

I haven't linked up for Book Club Friday in a hot minute so I thought this week, while I will be out of town on Friday anyway, would be the perfect opportunity!

The Paris Wife was book number 24 for me in 2012 and a refreshing break from the 1-2 star Kindle reads of late. I marked it a 4 star read on Goodreads after finishing it before work on Wednesday morning (I hate when library due dates are looming over my head going into a vacation).

This fictitious story about Ernest Hemingway and his first (of four) wives, Hadley, fascinated me. I've read about half of Ernest Hemingway's published work including: The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and I believe the Sun Also Rises (sounds familiar but I'm not positive I've read it). Having read his work I would have pictured his personality almost exactly as author Paula McClain writes him - dramatic, dark, selfish, and brooding.

Well written and strikingly realistic for that time period, in Paris, I found this book really enjoyable. Not a light, summery beach read by any means but a true literary work of art. I found is refreshing she didn't try to paint Hemingway as a favorable light but rather played into what we know of his dark, alcoholic lifestyle. Also, the way she carries you from his first wife towards who will later be his second wife is believable and gracefully composed.

A story of life, love, betrayal, infidility, alcoholism, and the artist plight - McClain really impressed me with this one. I also enjoyed the inclusion of other writers I admire from Fitzgerald (of The Great Gatsby) to Gertrude Stein.

Amazon describe it this way:

A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises. Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.
A heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, The Paris Wife is all the more poignant because we know that, in the end, Hemingway wrote that he would rather have died than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley.

Love,

B

It's Ok Thursday.

It's ok...

...to be really excited for pedicures tonight.

...to be sure that the ladies at the pedi shop are talking about me when they speak in other languages. Fine, my feet are awful - say your worst.

...to be getting pedi's and eating sushi tonight instead of preparing for my trip, la di da.

...to be unable to leave a dirty or messy house because you'll spend the whole trip thinking about coming back to it.

...to want to be away, with your best friend, pretending everything hard in your life doesn't exist.

...to be glad you have another trip next weekend, so you won't cry as hard when this one ends.

...to care more about which books you're going to pack then what you're wearing.

...to think it's really odd you quit dying your hair in December and it's been growing out the same color you use to dye it. I feel like that's probably unhealthy in some way.

...to refuse to spend more than 20 bucks on a haircut.

...to feel really good about yourself every time you update your progress on Goodreads.

...to hate laundry, the dentist, and getting other people's pet's hair on you. (random list, I know but this is MY it's ok Thursday and I'll do what I want!)

...to fail. Sometimes we all fail at this, that or the other thing and that's ok.

...to forgive without being able to forget. Forgiving is sometimes a process and a series of choices to continue to let go.

...to crave change. Sometimes we all just want a change of pace.

...to take medicine when you need it. It doesn't make you weak. (this is really just for me because I'm a freak).

...to buy yourself fresh flowers from time to time.

...to want a maxi dress even though you're too short to look good in one.

...to wish you didn't have a big head because then you could look cute in a fedora. I'm wearing one anyway in Haiti. Watch out!

...to call your (male) neighbor to break into your house because you're worried your straightner is on.

...to be misunderstood.

...to care what other people think (we all do).

...to feel honored when people tell you, you look like your parents - my parents are good lookin folks!

...to miss your family every day but be thankful for a life you love, far away.

...to need therapy and a support group to survive the departure of your best friend to another state (tear).

Love, B