misconception

sometimes i wonder if this blog

leads the readers to believe

that i look totally awesome

all the time?

does it?

i feel like that projects an unobtainable

and depressing result.

i want women to feel like they have a reason

to be stylish.

i've been thinking about what i want my readers to 

feel when they read.

i want you to feel like you can

have personal style with out giving up

comfort.

i want you to feel good in what you're wearing

when you leave your house.

i want you to want to put effort into 3 out of 5 outfits.

does that make sense?

i don't look cute everyday.

some days i want to wear

our local uniform.

and when i see other girls around

town wearing it...

i think they look cute.

you can't show your personal style everyday...well

maybe you can but i can't.

confession:

in my closet right now, i'm in possession of

zero

of the current trends.

shocking? 

i chose to buy a pair of skinny maternity

jeans when i was in CA and they took up all 

of my money.

(p.s. they were the most i've spent on jeans in my entire life $70)

as much as i want some moto boots

a military inspired jacket

a furry vest

and a new bag

it doesn't always play out.

anyway, i wanted to make sure you readers knew i was

real and not some girl from oregon

that looks super put together and tells you what

to wear and that i have all these unreasonable  expectations.

i'm regular.

confession:

all though it's because i'm pregnant...i wear the

same shirt two sometimes three times a week.

shocking?

well, it's a cute shirt, i always get compliments on it

and honestly, it's expensive to buy a whole

wardrobe for fall when you're pregnant.

so i've bought a few things that i really (really) like

because i know that i'll be wearing them over and over.

does this make you feel better? 

it makes me feel better that 

you know the real me...i don't look like i stepped

out of a magazine 

(all though my hair does now :)

i look like a mom that looks cute when she picks up

her kids at school

(if at no other time)

i'm a mom that wears jeans and boots

to run errands and not yoga pants.

i put in earrings, curl my eyelashes and put on mascara.

(and deodorant too).

~

i'm going to try and do a few more posts this week

buuuuut 

my daughter has a 5 day weekend

and when my girls are home 

i don't usually write.

as always, if you have any fashion questions leave

them in the comments!

the moment you've been waiting for...

well, who knows if that's true

i like to live in my delusion that

you're sitting on the edge of your seat 

for my crappy cell phone pics.

as previously mentioned

(in the previous sentence)

these pics are questionable.

so just a refresher, here is what i look

like when i blow dry my hair:

yikes.

so here's my cell phone pic

right after i got my hair did:

and these are when i got back to my aunt's

and took some pics in a bathroom:

ok.

so here's the dl.

we started a little after 2pm and finished around 5pm.

my aunt had a little fan going to whole time

so i didn't smell anything

and nothing got in my eyes.

i had a great experience with it

and when i have it done again

(yes, i'll totally do this again)

i will request a fan.

when the stylist is baking/flat ironing in the keratin

she/he has to count as they go so there

isn't a ton of talking towards the end of the process.

it may have taken longer on my because:

a. my hair is longish

b. i have more hair than anyone...seriously.

i like to think of my hair as the consistency of 3 or 4 hairs in one hair

and the amount is like 3 or 4 hairs coming out 

of one follicle.

bam. a lot of hair.

afterward my hair was bone straight...i mean straight.

the straightest i've ever seen my hair.

even after a regular blowdry and flat iron at the salon...it's never been that straight.

since my face is getting fatter

(i am pregnant y'all)

i was a little self conscious about my super straight hair

you can't wash for 48 hours

(my aunt said she doesn't get why it has to be 48 hours but whatevs)

so i had this done on friday afternoon

and i washed my hair sunday night

i attempted to blow dry most of it before bed 

but i have zero stamina

so i got 80% of it dry and went to bed.

as i was drying it i expected it to get bigger

but it never did.

it stayed the same.

i had normal people hair.

(tear)

so when i got up it was slept on looking

and the parts i left wet her kind of wavy 

but not frizzy.

it took my 5 mintutes to flat iron it

and another 5 to get it salon perfect looking.

10 minutes.

it normally takes me 45 minutes or more to flat iron it.

and that does not include the blow drying time.

here's a pic in the afternoon,

this is me waiting to pick up my oldest from school.

i also learned that there are several different

brazilian keratin treatments available.

i had only heard of brazilian blowout

(as i think we all have over the mast month or more)

i had the g jarrah keratin treatment.

something to note about the different treatment options:

Brazilian hair treatments may have different names and slightly different descriptions depending on the manufacturer of the product and how they market their Brazilian hair solution.

However, all of them infuse the hair with keratin and utilize a range of chemicals to open the cuticles and allow the keratin to be pushed onto the hair.  Some of the treatments utilize formaldehyde and some use aldehyde or similar compositions.

i also learned that the brazilian treatment

lets you still wear your hair curly if you want.

you can do anything you want with your hair still.

when i wash my hair next i'm going to let it air dry and see what it does.

overall, it was worth it for me.

very worth it.

my hair is really hard to work with and i like to look

good but it's really hard for me to 

work up the energy to get my hair decent looking.

99% of the time i wear it in a ponytail.

booooring.

i look like i have salon quality hair now.

plus it's shiny and soft on top of that!

in my area the treatment runs around $200

i don't know if i would shell out much more than that.

i think if you are interesting in it

you can shop around,

as long as you person is certified they know what they are doing.

plus my salon here sent me $40 off for the month of october.

so make sure you always sign up with your salon

through their emails and on their facebook page.

let me know if you have any more questions in the comments.

i'm baaAAAaack

hello lovelies!

i'm back from my awesome weekend

of awesomeness.

i know you're probably on the edge of 

your computer chair waiting for

pictures of my awesome 

brazilian treatment.

buuuuuuuuuut.

you're going to have to keep on waiting.

because,

1. i don't  know how to get pics off my phone

and that's where all my pics of my hair are

from right after i got my hair did.

and

2. i'm busy today.

but i will tell you this:

it took my 10 minutes to straighten my hair today.

10 minutes.

and it looks salon quality.

no joke.

and until i get my pics up and my full review

here is the 

best

conversation

i've

ever

heard.

as i was getting my hair did,

the hairdresser next to us came over and told us this 

conversation that just happened

between her and the man who's hair she was cutting.
the parts of this real conversation are played by

a hairdresser (woman)

and a seemingly regular guy.

hairdresser: "do you have a lot of bums in your neighborhood?"

man: "what is "bums?"

hairdresser: "umm, homeless people."

man: "no we don't have bums but...we do have people

that drive domestic. i saw someone the other day 

driving a chevy."

for real.

these words actually came out of his mouth.

best thing i heard my whole trip.

pdx

i'm off to california for my awesome

belated birthday weekend.

brazilian blowout

here.

i.

come.

as soon as i have pics i'll put them up.

i get back on sunday.

have a great weekend friends!

what's in a name?

michael kors fall 2010 fashion show

ahhhhh, i do love me some michael.

were you able to pick out things you can do to emulate this style?

did you notice:

double belts
sweater hats
thick strapped sandals
multiple textures
messy ponytails
close cut tops with looser trousers

knee high socks

neutral slightly metallic make-up

you can take things from runway shows 

and work them into your current wardrobe

to work the trends.

a lot of these things

are easy to find on your own.

(ie: sweater hats, knee high socks etc.)

there are a lot of belts available

that are already doubled to make

it even easier if you don't think coordinating two

different belts is something you could do.

and of course finding strappy gladiator heels is

easy these days.

brands here

here's a written tutorial for a messy ponytail here

and a video here

i hope that makes it easier to 

dissect your favorite runway shows

and create your own look with

the pieces you love.

are there regional uniforms?

is there a uniform where you live?

something that all the ladies wear and is excepted?

here in oregon this is it:

black yoga pants or leggings

check.

some sort of ugg or ugg look-a-like

check.

north face jacket or comparable black fleece

check.

ponytail

check.

there's nothing wrong with this uniform,

right?

it's comfortable, it goes with our weather

and guess what...whenever i wear something

like this...

i feel cool.

i live in a college town and this is what

90% of the girls on campus wear.

i feel young, cute and cool when

i wear our regional outfit.

is it fashion?

perhaps, where i live.

is it fashionable?

nah.

does this uniform say anything about you?

no way.

some days are easier if you just put on the uniform.

some days are easier when you dress yourself up too.

even if it's just to run a quick errand.

i'm the only mom picking up my kid after school

wearing skinny jeans and knee-high boots.

and i like it.

it's not because i'm young...oh no, no, no, older moms.

it's because i put in an extra 2 minutes to pull on my 

jeggings and cute boots instead of old jeans and sneakers.

is there a uniform in your part of the country?

this is what i think it is in california,

i haven't lived there for a very long time

but i imagine this is the uniform:

is that too regionalistic?

;)

is there a uniform where you are?

do you work it into your wardrobe?

they say it's your birthday

well maybe not yours

but it's totally my birthday.

hellooooooo.

(scrubs...love it, miss it)

so as a treat to you

(which isn't actually a treat at all)

i'm showing you what i got for my birthday.

yay, i know you're totally thrilled.

the best thing about getting older

and being married for a while?

you don't have to play coy on your

birthday anymore.

i flat out told my husband exactly what i wanted.

birthday list October 13th, 2010:

brazilian blowout

black hunter boots

maternity clothes

and this is what i got:

bam.

i bet you thought i didn't get anything i wanted but

like i said, after years of marriage 

and years of getting older,

there's no use in not being completely honest

about what you expect on your birthday.

it's your birthday!

even though thousands of other people

have your same birthday it doesn't

mean that you're not special!

it means you should go to 

even more length to have your family

and friends know that you're 

totally awesome and special

and the day you were born

was the best. day. ever.

too much?

eh. i love birthday's 

and i love my birth date.

how cool is October 13th?

the coolest.

i turned 13 on FRIDAY October 13th and had a party with 13 friends.

totally cool.

also, my husband is flying me to CA to have

my awesome amazing aunt give me 

a brazilian blowout.

and i'll get to see all my so-cal family that 

i haven't seen in

for-ev-er.

i'm soooo excited!

i leave next week.

alone.

no kids.

thank you husband and bff that gave him the idea.

let's face it, all of our husbands need a little nudge

and that is what bff's are for.

p.s. happy birthday to my grandma too!

we have the same birthday! 

because we're totally awesome.

your q's answered

i'm back.
yay.
and feeling much better.

in my absence a reader asked about family photos:

"So...I have outdoor family portraits this weekend. 

Is there is any chance you could put 

together a post on how to dress for these things? 

Pretty please? 

It's making me crazy trying to get 

everyone to coordinate without being too matchy matchy."

but of course.

with modern family photos it seems to be all about

dressing in bright "look at me" colors

and they all seem to have that 

effortless look about the clothing.

i take pictures on the side as well

and i think the most important thing in family

shots is that you don't loose the essence

of who your family is.

ie: my oldest would never (ever, ever, ever,) wear a dress

so i would never put her in one just for family pics.

i want her to be comfortable but of course

i would still have a say in what she's wearing.  

here's the first thing that popped in my head:

clothing details here 

playing on colors in some of the more colorful outfits

is key to great coordination.

i tried to get clothes that had the same colors...but you get the idea.

moms shirt plays on:

big sis' leggings, pink in sleeves

little sis' pink in dress.

moms scarf plays on:

blue in both dresses and in big bro's shirt
dad's sweater can be lighter and coordinate with big bro

or can be darker and bring in big sis' dress more.

 little sis' tights play on:

big sis' dress and possibly dad's sweater. 

does that make sense? 

you don't have to do these coordination's exactly

(this is by no means a rule)

but it gives you an idea how you can bring out different 

colors with different pieces.

coordinating sisters can be easy when they dress in the same section.

buying tops at the same store can also make it easier.

places like target and old navy make it easy to find

coordinating clothing for girls:

 all these shirts are from old navy

and you can get the rest of the details here 

i did another girls dresses idea

because well...girl clothes are more fun:

 all these dresses "go together" in some way or another

it just depends on how "loud" you want it to look.

now for boys...i'll admit i have no experience in 

dressing little boys but luckily there clothing choices

aren't as hard to choose from:

  i think the boys shirt should go with a color in one

at least one of the sisters dresses,

and mom should have an 

element of it or dad should.

or both, but not so much that it looks matchy.

boys clothing details here 

 there's also a little bit of light blue in big sis' dress

that goes with big bro's shirt and then that can tie

in moms blue shirt too.

clothing details here

but the number one rule i tell moms

it's all about you.

if you aren't comfortable

if you don't feel good

if you don't like what you are wearing

if you don't feel fabulous and gorgeous

then no matter how many shots

or locations you go to,

you aren't going to love the family picture.

and to add onto that, your husband doesn't care

what he looks like.

in my experience, your kids always look cute

your husband never cares what he looks like

and you scrutinize your own face/body in every shot.

i give all moms special permission to find that outfit that

makes you feel gorgeous before you even look

for coordinates for everyone else.

i hope this was helpful and gave the reader

and others tips on family photos.

p.s. i don't know what's going on with blogger

but it's publishing my print in smaller font...sorry ladies.

i hope it works itself out, no matter

how many times i edit it, it looks the same.

i'm calling in...

i'm taking a sick day ladies.

my sinuses feel like they are popping out of my face 

my throat feels like a cat scratched it all night

and every time i breath in it feels like i sniffing dry ice.

be back in a few...days.

source

p.s. above picture is not me.

p.p.s in spite of feeling like above photo

i wore a cute outfit...even though i wanted to wear

sweats...tomorrow i'll be wearing sweats...until i

go out in public.

back that thing up

i received a question about

what type of boots to wear when you

have shorter legs...as to not make your

legs look even shorter.

the first thing to consider is that "tall boots" that are in

stores will probably be too tall.

look for boots that look shorter.

(but not short boots)

short boots could make your legs look stumpy.

ankle boots and boots a few inches above your ankle

will cut your leg length.

here are some tips:

 click here for boot details

and of course,

try on, try on, try on.

you never know what could look amazing,

especailly if you have special circumstances

(ie: shorter legs, longer legs, bigger calves etc.)

ridic, possibly and, doable.

it seems like there is always

an item that you love

in the stores

but

it costs...a lot.

there's always a knock-off, right?

something close, looks good

but the price looks even better.

here's a few:

ridic, possibly and, doable!

how about a lovely riding boot?

p.s. the length of the middle boot

could be good for someone with shorter legs.

a trench coat for the upcoming wet season?

a lovely silver cuff?

a classic open black cardigan?

 metallic polish for the masses...

there's always an affordable way to get something you love

whether you wait for the sale

or hunt for something cheaper,

there's a way.

fantasy friday

how about some ridiculous gloves?

some amazing

and some amazingly ridic...

...and why not through in a fur?

these skeletal hand things are described as a "hand belt"

i have zero ideas what that is or what it means.

do you know?

have a great weekend, happy fantasy friday.