Unintentional Post-Thanksgiving Detox

I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon, coming at you from the other side. Not to be dramatic, but I nearly died yesterday. Thursday night, after stuffing myself with Thanksgiving dinner, I started feeling nauseous. Not an I'm-too-full nauseous either. I felt out of sorts all day Friday, and then Saturday was terrible. It's bad enough to be sick, but it's not like I could stop feeding my baby, so every two hours I had to pull myself together enough to nurse, and it was just NOT FUN. I'll let you imagine for yourself.

On the plus side, I can count on less than two hands the number of things I've had to eat since Thursday night, so I guess I'm in the middle of an unintentional Thanksgiving sugar detox to get me ready for Christmas cookies. (In case you're wondering, I have been drinking lots of clear fluids, and shockingly my milk supply doesn't seem to have been horribly affected. R doesn't seem to be any worse of wear either, so I guess those articles you read about the miraculous antibody capabilities of breast milk are true.)

On top of that, we had an ice storm, and our power was out all day, so we were camped out at my in-laws, who live a mile from us and did have power. Nothing like being sick at someone else's house, am I right? So that's how the past few days have gone. I'm hopeful that things are on the upswing now, although the mention of food still makes me want to run to the bathroom. But I seem to be keeping things... in, and we have power again, so my freezer of breast milk lives to be thawed another day.

In other news, our fifth annual turkey trot was a success! Every year, my family puts on a local Thanksgiving turkey trot in our neighborhood. (If you're interested, I blogged about our humble beginnings here.) We've steadily increased our numbers each year, and this time we had over 950 runners for a timed 5k and untimed 1-mile fun run. 

We do everything from ordering and designing shirts to medals to getting water and bagels at the finish to organizing volunteers. It's quite an undertaking and pretty stressful, but it's always a fun time too! All the money raised goes to benefit North Texas Youth for Christ.

R was an absolute trouper the entire time, and I still can't believe it went so well with her. But then again, when am I going to stop being surprised by her? She's the best. (Later that evening it all caught up to her, and she had a very rough time going to sleep with lots of screaming involved, but we can't all be on our best behavior all the time.)

All things considered, it was a pretty memorable first Thanksgiving as a family of three! I hope yours involved less sickness and ice than mine. There's a lot to be thankful for this year, not the least of which is a working heater and the ability to keep food down.

T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L

Today I'm joining Kiki's linkup for an old-fashioned acrostic to share what I'm thankful for. I'll be taking a break next week from the blog to focus on family and soak up my rapidly depleting time with R. And also do some work stuff, I guess....

I am really excited about the upcoming advent season and hope to share more about that with you in the coming weeks. I ordered the Naptime Diaries advent calendar and plan to join in with Samantha's advent photography. Jordan and I are really wanting to be more intentional about the advent season in a way we haven't been in the past! p.s. Laura is hosting a giveaway of an Advent devotional from She Reads Truth! It closes tonight!

T- Time with R

It has been an absolute joy to spend my days working at home with R. I do not take it for granted, and even though it has been very hard and tiring, it has also been very wonderful. She makes me so happy every day! Plus, bonus! My arms are getting toned. Seriously. We weighed her when we were at my parents' last weekend, and we're pretty sure she's up to 13 pounds!

H- House

Jordan and I have been in our house for almost five full months and we LOVE it. Are there a lot of projects we still need to do? Of course. Is there furniture we still need to buy? Definitely. But it has been a huge blessing to have a house to bring R home to, and we are so thankful. FYI: I blogged our house tour here.

A- A Job

I am extremely thankful for my job! I've been there 2 years now, and I am really enjoying it. I love what I do and I enjoy my coworkers. Not everyone can say that, and even though I wish I could stay home with R, I am thankful I am not going back to a job I hate, because that would really be terrible.

Plus, it's become clear that I need a job to support my online shopping habits. 
TOO MANY CUTE BABY GIRL CLOTHES. TOO MANY HAIR BOWS. Someone stop me.

N- Nursing

I am so thankful to have been able to exclusively nurse R for over three months! I know many people would love to nurse and aren't or weren't able to, and I am thankful that I have had a large supply that seems to keep her fed. I find myself only needing to pump out of necessity (if you know what I mean) than because I feel like I need to build up a stash. I plan on exclusively nursing at least until I go back to work in January, and ideally we would like for me to mix in solids with nursing until she is one year old.

On that note, this is not in any way a complaint, but nursing is hard work! I don't think I truly appreciated all the nursing mothers out there, but seriously. It's tough! I'm hungry and thirsty around the clock, I've had to deal with a few blocked milk ducts (super painful), and it can be hard to schedule sometimes, especially when you're on the go. Still, I am very thankful to be able to nurse. Cuddles with R and hey, it's free!

K- Kindness

The news is terrible, and every day it seems like there are more horrible stories of hatred, not forgetting of course the recent Paris attacks, which were truly awful and heartbreaking. I love seeing people come together and be kind to one another. My blog post about how to be a good friend shares a good reminder of a great way we can be kind to others and show we care about them. With the upcoming holiday season, it's easy to get caught up in a busy schedule and focus on all the things we have to do, but we should also not forget to take time to show kindness to others around us, especially those who may feel sad for one reason or another this time of year.

F- Family

R's baby dedication last weekend was a lot of fun! My parents drove up from Texas, and Jordan's parents were there too (they live in the same town as us), and after the service on Sunday, we all went out to eat! I am thankful our parents get along and that we have such great examples of godly marriages and parenting to model ourselves after.

U- Unlimited water supply

Since R has decided that milk hurts her stomach, I have been cut off from 1 of the 2 beverages I drink on the daily. I used to go through a gallon a week by myself. I heart milk. so much, but now that our love affair is over, I'm guzzling water all day long. I often think back to my time in Nicaragua last summer and how blessed we are to be able to turn on a faucet and have as much hot or cold water as we want!

L- Legs

I take my health for granted way too much, but occasionally I am reminded just how thankful I am of healthy legs that take me wherever I want to go. They've run marathons, walked circles around my house with a crying baby, and basically been the best thing ever. Yay for legs! Plus, you might not know this about me, but calf muscles are my favorite ever. They are something I always notice about people. Is that weird?

So those are just a few things I'm thankful for this year, but of course there are so many others. I'm also thankful for YOU who come and read my blog and comment and email me about my posts. Blogging is a really fun hobby for me, and I hope I've kept it interesting around here even after having a baby! Thanks for sticking around.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a great week filled with family and friends and lots of laughter and thankfulness for all that God has given to us. Is anyone braving the Black Friday madness?

What are you thankful for?

Covered Goods Nursing Cover: Review

I'm really excited to collaborate with Covered Goods to share with you about their awesome nursing covers. They offered me a nursing cover at a discounted rate for me to try and review. There are no affiliate links in this post.

I had previously heard of Covered Goods but never really investigated their covers until a friend of mine showed me hers and told me how much she loved it. I was excited to get mine in the mail and try it out. 

Here is what I love about this nursing cover: it's four products in one! The fabric is soft and stretchy, and you can use this as a nursing cover, infinity scarf, car seat cover, or shopping car cover. I have also used this as a light blanket over R's legs while in the car seat. The genius is that you can wear it as a scarf, and then boom! You're ready for nursing almost instantly. Plus you should already know how much I love scarves.

The top opening around your neck is smaller than the bottom opening, which stretches to go around the baby. I love that it covers all the way around my body so I don't have to worry about my stomach or sides showing if I'm out in public (not that I nurse in public if I don't have to, because I'm still super awkward about it). I feel like it's full coverage, but I can easily peek in and see R if I need to, which is really important to me.

I would absolutely recommend the Covered Goods nursing cover to anyone and think it would make a great gift for a baby shower or for Christmas coming up!

Click here to shop!

4 Tips for Fitting a Workout in a Busy Schedule

*Image via

Since sharing with you about my triumphant (ahem) return to post-baby running/working out, I've had several people ask me how I'm able to fit in a run or a workout with my busier schedule. I'll take your compliments about how awesome I am, but honestly it's not as impressive as you think. I often feel like I'm doing the bare minimum, but then I realize that something is better than nothing and that makes me feel better.

I wanted to share with you a few quick tips that I keep in mind to help me stay motivated. These aren't rocket science, but hopefully these will help you as a good reminder!

1. Don't procrastinate

The #1 most important rule for me is to decide to go for a run and then actually do it. I've found that if I decide I'm going to go for a run or do a workout but then spend the next ten minutes getting distracted by the TV or checking social media or just procrastinating by tying my shoes really slowly, I'm more likely to just say forget it. If you have a workout scheduled, don't get home and wander around. Put on your workout clothes and get on it.

2. Remember that a short workout is better than no workout

Like I said before, something is always better than nothing. These days, I don't have a lot of time to fit in a run or a workout. Sometimes I have a small window that will only allow time for a mile or two. But which is better? Going for a two-mile run or sitting on the couch for those twenty minutes? Don't say "but it's just..." There is no just. Anything you do is better than not doing anything, so fit in a short workout if you can!

I mentioned the "30 Days" app I downloaded to work on planking. That is a couple of minutes out of your day to work on building up your core. Here is one of my favorite arm workouts, and it takes ten minutes. If you don't have time for a high-intensity workout that will get you all sweaty, pick a very small activity like that! I often will just randomly do squats in the middle of the living room. Seriously, something is better than nothing!

3. Give yourself grace to skip a day or two or five

Let's be honest. No one here is going to run in the Olympics any time soon. We are not elite athletes who are paid endorsements to run or workout as their job. Sometimes you just can't get a workout in no matter how much you want to. I myself often miss days of being active because by the end of the day I realize I just didn't even think about it and now I'm in my pjs and you can just forget about it.

Don't beat yourself up about it or look on your Instagram feed and cry over all the photos you see of other people working out. Give yourself grace and realize that at the end of the day, you did your best to fit in what you could. Sometimes that involves working out, and sometimes it doesn't. Either way, you're doing great!

4. Find something YOU like to do

Finally, make sure that the workout you're trying to fit in is something you enjoy. Sure, working out is hard. It makes you hurt and sweat and get cramps, but the burn is a good kind of pain. Just make sure you are enjoying yourself while you're at it. Don't like running? Try swimming or biking! Don't like those either? Try out a yoga class or Barre 3. There is something for everyone. Don't waste time forcing yourself to like a particular workout, or you're always going to dread it and will never have any fun.

So those are a few tips from me to you! Like they say in High School Musical, we are all in this together. Working out is hard but worth it.

p.s. You might also like these past posts found on The Lady Okie Blog:

-How to Start Running (a 7-part series)

-Run 5 Miles in 50 Minutes (a treadmill workout)

-4 Do's and Dont's for New Year's Fitness Resolutions

-Running Advice for Nonrunners

Please chime in and share any tips that have worked for you! Or, if you have a favorite, short at-home workout, share in the comments!

R's Baby Dedication Verse

This coming Sunday, we are dedicating R at church. She is not being baptized or anything like that. All a dedication means is that we are bringing her before our church to say that we will raise her to love the Lord and that we are recognizing that she is God's first and ours to hold on to for a little while. We pray that she will grow up to love Jesus and one day ask him to lead her life. At that point, she will choose for herself to be baptized. 

As part of the dedication, we chose a verse for her, and our pastor will read it out loud to the congregation. There are a lot of wonderful verses in the Bible to choose from, but we decided that we wanted to find something different from the ones that are usually picked from 1 Samuel or Psalm 139. Here is what we chose:

I love this verse because it is something we will be praying over her life. God loves R even more than we do (hard to imagine!), and I know that he is rejoicing over her and that he takes great delight in her.

And of course we take great delight in her as well and thank God every single day for this precious life he's given to us to raise.

I also want you to know that no matter what you've done or what you believe or who you are, God takes great delight in you, and he rejoices over you with singing. I hope that gives you peace and brings you comfort like it does to me.

Month Three

Month One

Month Two

R is three months old! Someone pinch me. It feels like she's always been here and also like she just came, if that even makes sense. Let me tell you: it. is. exhausting. having someone to care for 24/7. A few days ago, Jordan's mom kept R for an hour or so, and Jordan and I were like what is this free time?

I went grocery shopping, in case you're wondering what kind of foolery I got into that night. Speaking of apples (insert ode to Honeycrisp), I made an absolutely delicious meal last month. Jordan wasn't as gaga about it as I was, but don't listen to him. I'm telling you it was good. I'm actually making it again this week. Get the recipe here.

Okay, so back to R. She's a doll, I tell you what. I thought Daylight Savings Time was going to kill me, but actually she slept through the night that Saturday of Fall Back and every night since! I mean WHAT. I haven't had a solid 7 hours of sleep since I got pregnant (because when you're pregnant, you wake up every hour to pee all night long; I don't miss that one bit). <<--- EDIT. I wrote this about her sleeping a few days ago, and since then she has most definitely not slept through the night, so never mind about that.

The big news this month has been R's activity mat. (We have this one, in case you're wondering.) Before a few weeks ago, we would lay her on it, and she was completely uninterested. But then one day instead of crying or looking around, she stared straight up at the toys hanging above her and smiled! Ever since, we lay her on it a few times a day, and she is so happy! 

Just in the last week or so she has started raising her arm up to bat at the toys. She's learning. She is figuring out that her arms are attached to her body, and she can manipulate them to touch things around her. It is the absolute craziest, most wonderful thing to watch. AKA MY BABY IS A GENIUS. Jordan and I are always sure she's a prodigy until we realize these are normal developmental milestones for this age. But anyway. She's awesome.

In similar fashion, she discovered her hands this month, and she now likes to shove them in her mouth. Sometimes she'll shove both fists so far into her mouth that she gags herself, which makes a terrible sound but now we're more or less used to it. But with the hands in the mouth comes her tongue sticking out and lots of drool! It's not quite as bad as some of my friends' babies, but she is starting to soak up her shirts with drool, and her tongue is almost always sticking out.

This month something fun happened... she started talking! Talking for a baby, but you know what I mean. She is definitely saying things to us with little baby coos, and it is the cutest! We keep wondering what her voice is going to sound like. Although at this point I'm okay with her not being able to talk... I'm not sure I'm ready for toddler sass and the "why?" question 86 thousand times a day.

She loves to push down on her legs and stand up, and she likes to be held facing out so she can see what's going on. We're pretty sure she's going to be a feisty little girl! Her eyes change from blue to brown and back again, so we aren't sure where she'll land. As far as her hair, in some lights it definitely looks like it might be red. Jordan has red all over both sides of his family, so it's a definite possibility!

R is still wearing 0-3 size clothes, although some of them are getting snug. She didn't have a doctor appointment this month, but we're guessing she's around 22" tall, give or take, and 12-13 pounds (birth weight was 7lbs 9oz / 19.5"). I'm still exclusively breastfeeding her, and I don't seem to have a supply problem at this point. She eats every 2-3 hours around the clock, except for a good long stretch at night (praise!).

We've decided that milk and yogurt upset her stomach, so two of my food loves are out for the foreseeable future. I can't be too mad about it, because look at that face. Now, if she decided chocolate chip cookies hurt her stomach, we might have a problem.

I'm trying to soak in every minute of her squishy goodness, but I'm also trying to find time for me. It's been three months, and while I do NOT have this motherhood thing figured out (does anyone ever?), I do feel like a fog of sorts has lifted and we really are finding a new kind of normal. She's not on a schedule yet, but her fussy times are much more predictable, and usually we can figure out what's wrong with her and calm her down relatively quickly. (Key word: relatively)

So that's where we're at right now. R still likes car rides, bath time, and walks in the stroller. And we've added the activity mat to the list. We thank God every single day for her and are just smitten. I love having a little girl! I may or may not keep buying nonessential baby girl clothes online. I seriously need to get off some email lists. Apparently I need to be a working mom to support my shopping habits. College fund? Who needs that when you can have bows and headbands in 15 different colors?

For anyone who is interested, I compiled all the little iphone videos of R I've taken over the last three months and put together a little video. YES, I'M A FIRST-TIME MOM. I realize I probably won't do this for future children, but videos are a fun way to see change and growth in a way pictures can't show sometimes. I definitely haven't watched this 102 times already. I swear.

If you can't see it, watch it on YouTube here. 
(p.s. Make it to the end, and there's a funny outtake.)

Happenings

Month one of working full time at home is complete, and I have two full months to go! It would be an understatement to say the ability to work at home for these few months has been a huge blessing. I am so, so thankful for this extra time with my little bean. We are truly having so much fun together.

I am still taking her to work with me at least once a week, and so the bathroom selfies are still happening. Someone on Facebook said they couldn't see R at first and thought I was making a pregnancy announcement.

HAHAHA.

No.

But OMG can you even imagine?

In case you forgot where we came from...

Someone stop me. Actually never mind don't. It's funny.

I'll save the rest of this for my month three baby recap (later this week hopefully), but R is just the absolute sweetest baby. My mom told me recently that I'm bound to have a crier next time, because this girl, you guys. She melts my heart.

I've been running pretty consistently lately, which has been great. I've seen a lot of improvement in my times and my overall fitness level, and I really can't take much credit for it. The weather has been amazing lately, and it just makes you want to run. I have no idea what I weigh because we don't have a scale, and I've never cared much about what it says. It's all about how I feel, and right now I feel great! (Insert: I wrote that paragraph last week and now I haven't run all week, so yeah. But I try to take R on a daily walk, and I dusted off my pullup bar again, so there's that.) *Some people asked me what the app is that I'm using for my daily plank. It's called "30 Days" and I got it for free off the app store on the iphone.

I was talking to my mom on the phone a few days ago, and she said, "You sound really, really good." So I don't know if I've been in a bit of funk lately or maybe some postpartum blues or whatever, but I not only have been feeling good physically, I'm more optimistic about this whole daycare situation. I mean, lots of people put their kids in daycare! That's why there are waiting lists six months long--because lots of people work! In the blog world, it sometimes seems like everyone is a stay-at-home mom, but in real life there are so many working moms. Sure, about once a day I am crushed by an overwhelming weight of The Mom Guilt, but otherwise I feel like maybe I can do it after all.

We found a daycare at a church that is on my way to work, so I will be the one dropping her off and picking her up AND since it's fairly close to my work, I plan on going to visit R/feed her during my lunch hour! So that makes me really happy that I will have the chance to see her if I want, and I'm just praying that we will know if she is being taken care of well while we aren't with her.

^^^We took our Christmas card picture and I ordered our cards because yes, I am insane. Don't feel bad. You're not behind; I'm just obsessed with all things pictures. I ordered them from Minted again, because free envelope addressing. Use my referral link >>here<< to get $25 off your first purchase of $50! You're welcome for the sneak peek of our outfits.

And finallyyyyy.... if you didn't have enough pictures of R and I already in this post, here's one more. I got really excited when I finally figured out how to carry R in the Moby wrap! I've tried it a bunch, but it would also slide down after approximately 3 seconds and just never felt very secure, but this time I carried her around for 45 minutes while she took a nap and it was perfect! 

These are the things I get excited about now. Mom life and stuff.

Okay, so before I sign off I'll share a quick Jordan story because this post needs some beard.

^^^ Less than amused about our Christmas card photoshoot.

Jordan had a funny moment last week... he told the guys at work he could do 100 pushups, so of course they dared him to do it right then, and of course he tried to because boys. He got to 60 and then said (direct quote), "My triceps broke." 

Then later he woke me up in the middle of the night that night complaining about not being able to move his arms and that he was pretty sure his bicep had ripped open. 

I told him to go back to sleep and that I did not at all feel bad for him. 
Hashtag married life.

The end.

p.s. It's November, which means it's almost Christmas tree time, which means I'm reminding you about one of my favorite family stories from two years ago. You should go read it. Click here. You're welcome. 

On Making My Own Baby Food

I got this book foreeeever ago from Blogging for Books, and I'm finally posting about it! At R's two-month checkup (last month), our pediatrician said that at four months we can start talking about feeding her juices and those cereal puff things that dissolve in her mouth. Jordan is ridiculously excited about the prospect of feeding her real food. He's tried a bunch of times already to feed her (jokingly, but I know he's actually serious). I, on the other hand, can barely wait to start freaking out about her choking on tiny chunks of food. *sarcasm

I'm definitely not above buying baby food, but I have heard that making your own really isn't that hard! Allison has a great post with some helpful tips, and I know a few friends who make their own as well. (EDIT: here is a post I wrote about some of our favorite products since starting to introduce foods to R!)

I am looking forward to trying out this book when the time comes. As it states in the introduction, "The Amazing Make-Ahead Strategy will guide you through six steps to create three months' worth of wholesome, delicious, nutritious baby food in three one-hour blocks of time."

The Amazing Make-Ahead Baby Food Book provides a sample menu, shopping list, and mise en place plan, or you can create your own menu using the whole foods of your choice! I'm sure you could totally just wing it, but the list maker in me thinks this book will be really helpful, and I love the concept of freezing the meals in cubes for easy preparation when the baby is ready to eat.

I'm so glad I got the chance to check out this book! If you're interested, you can find out more information here.

What do you think? Would you want to try making your own baby food? Do you think a book like this would be helpful?

*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review, but all opinions are my own.*

p.s. See also my post on Introducing Foods to Your Baby

A Style Post (Sort of)

Outfit: Sweater (Brickyard Buffalo) / Jeans (MissMe) / Boot cuffs (Target) / Boots (Kohl's)

I don't talk a lot about style here on the blog, mostly because I don't really feel like I have much of one. I mean, obviously everyone has a style, but I don't feel like mine is anything to blog about.

To be honest, I used to be really insecure about my sense of style, and I still am a lot of the time. I spent my high school days dressed in sweatpants, and I specifically remember my mom telling me she was worried about me and that I should at least try to wear jeans sometimes. I consider sophomore year of college to be when I started dressing a little better, because I met and became friends with a couple of girls who were really pretty and dressed cute and who had giant wardrobes, and they let me borrow their clothes because we were all the same size.

I used to really hate shopping, and while I still don't consider shopping to be one of my favorite activities, I've found it's much more enjoyable now that I know more about what type of clothes I like and feel good in. I still feel like I'm not super fashionable and mostly behind on what's currently "in," but then again if wearing leopard print furry booties is in, then I'm okay being out. Typically I buy something new every couple of months (if that), and then once a year I hit up the outlet mall and spend $100 or so on new stuff from one or all of the following: Loft, Banana, Gap, and JCrew.

I'd say my style is best described as "athletic." I am often told that I have an athletic look, this usually by people who are just meeting me and ask if I like to run and/or workout. I want to say, "What tipped you off? My messy bun or my Nike shorts?" Because seriously, 90% of the time, that's what I'm wearing.

When it comes to colors, anything in the red/orange/yellow side of the wheel are a no go for my skin tone. Blues, greens, and purples are the colors I look the best in, and I find myself gravitating toward blacks and grays as well.

I remember when skinny jeans were all the rage. I swore I would never wear them, and now they are my favorite pants to wear. I have a pair of MissMe brand jeans that my mom found at a thrift store for around $30 (they can be $100 and up!). I wear them all. the. time. In the fall and winter, I love pairing skinny jeans with boots and some type of sweater. In the spring, I wear the jeans with flat or flip flops and a t-shirt or light jacket.

^^^ Our Christmas card picture two years ago. Yep, those are the same jeans and boots! Shirt from Banana Republic Outlet. Here is another one of my favorite fall outfits.

I love love love cardigans and scarves. I hate when my neck is cold, and I've found that scarves can serve double duty for keeping me warm and dressing an outfit up or down or just making it look different when you're wearing practically the same thing. Same with cardigans. If you need proof, see: below.

Jeans: MissMe / Cardigans: (left) Target, (right) American Eagle / Shirts: (left) Target tank top, (right) Old Navy t-shirt / Scarf: Old Navy

In case, you couldn't tell, I am a cheapwad when it comes to spending money on clothes, and I don't mind wearing the same thing over and over. (Remember when I bought a total of like 10 new things for my entire pregnancy wardrobe? Yeah.) Stitch Fix is huge in the blog world, and in case you don't know what that is, it's a monthly subscription box where a stylist chooses clothes and mails them to you to try. I would totally try it, but I absolutely cannot get over the outrageous cost of the clothes. I'm not at all judging anyone who gets Stitch Fix boxes, but the day I spend $80 on a pair of pants is the day I start using emojis and messing up my use of you're and your. What I'm saying is that it ain't gonna happen.

It shouldn't surprise you that one thing I absolutely will shell out the $$ for is athletic gear. I have two Under Armor long-sleeved, half-zip running shirts that I bought from Dick's for $50 each, and they are 100% worth the money. (Full disclosure: I had a gift card so I didn't technically spend my own money on them but still. I would not hesitate to buy another or recommend them to anyone.) Another problem area are sweatpants and sweatshirts. They call to me. Say my name, say my name. 

I just bought this ^^^ sweatshirt from Target last week. The first time I saw it was a month ago. It was $30, and I said heck to the no. But then I gave it the googly heart eyes every time I went to Target for the next two weeks, and I'm pretty sure I had a dream about buying it, only to be woken up right before I made the purchase. When I saw it for 25% off last week, I knew it was a sign. Thank you, Cartwheel! I've worn it almost every day since in the mornings when it's cold.

I have my mother's giant calves, so there is definitely a preferable length with it comes to dresses and skirts. If they hit right about the knee, it's usually perfect. (See also the dress I wore to my brother's wedding a few weeks ago!) I like higher necklines and am careful about cleavage. I also prefer dresses that hide a normal bra. Strapless bras just don't work for me and are just plain dumb. Bras in general are dumb but also necessary, so I can't complain too much. At least we aren't wearing corsets anymore!

So that's a little bit about my style. It has definitely evolved over time, but a few things have stayed the same: 

1) I like neutrals and blues/greens

2) I feel most comfortable in jeans/sweatpants and t-shirts/sweatshirts

3) I like to layer (so I have cardigans and scarves in almost every color)

p.s. I am not wearing makeup in about half of the above photos. I do wear it sometimes, but I also fully believe you are still beautiful even if you don't wear makeup.

What colors do you look best in?

What one word or phrase would you use to describe your style?

What types of clothes do you feel more comfortable in?