Life with Flowers

    The daffodils are blooming in the woods.  Daffodils are quite dear to me; they remind me of so many sweet childhood moments: of Easter eggs hunts, a pretty new dress each year and a floral hat, of the first bouquet of flowers which my grandmother always brought to me, and of the very special spring two decades ago when I looked out my car window at all the rows of blooming daffodils, while I was on my way to the hospital to become a mother myself.  But, beyond the special memories, I admire the simple daffodil because they're also so hardy that they push their way through all the dead leaves, and weather the spring frosts just to be the first golden tokens of springtime.  They're determined to bloom where ever they are planted.  It's a life lesson for us all.

    Flowers are a frivolous thing to some and a necessity to others.  Growing up, my dear sweet little grandmother surrounded herself and her home with flowers.  She planted them in every possible sunny spot or had them potted and sitting in every sunny window.  My dad recently complained how hard it was for him to mow around all her flower beds and how he tried to convince her that it was stupid and pointless to have so many flowers to take care of, "they were nothing but a nuissance," he remarked.  I love my father very much, but I'm afraid he missed the point entirely.  

    My grandmother's life was so very sad, I can't imagine her life without flowers; I can't imagine her without flowers.  How much more bleak and lonely her life would have been without her flowers to care for and bring beauty into her world in return.  I can't image how bland, how dreary her home would have been without all her flowers, and how very mundane her days would have rolled past without her flowers to care for, without the anticipation that there was one place in her life where she knew her hardwork would pay off.  

    And as I get older and my life changes, I find that I am in a season now, where I can't imagine my life without flowers.  We don't always get the lives we want, there's no guarantee we'll even get the lives we work for or deserve.  The best we can do is make the most of what we're given.  If life gives you a barren land, plant some seeds and care for them until they grow; make the desert bloom.  If life gives you a cage, make it so gilded and comfortable that you forget about the bars and all the wild birds look on in envy.  An empty life can be filled with meaningful work, even if it's only meaningful to you, and joy and contentment will inevitably blossom from it.

 Outfit Info:  Elena Dress in Pink Toile from Worth Collective, shoes from VIVAIA, necklace is handmade by me.

When Will You Be Worthy?

A friend recently commented that she would like to wear dresses, like I do, but she just couldn't bring herself to spend any money on anything nice until she "lost this weight."  So, instead, and only if she absolutely has to, she buys cheap clothes that fit very poorly and then hates her body even worse.  She feels frustrated and hopeless, and less motivated than ever to reach her goals.  I wish this were an isolated incident, but I've heard this same scenario so many times, and it breaks my heart, mostly because I've been there and I remember how awful it feels.  My simple question to myself when I walked in those shoes and now to this dear lady and every single other woman like her is:  When will you be worthy?  

It seems like so many people are waiting until they think they look perfect before they will dress themselves in a way that says they value their body and their own self.   As though being stylish is only for people in a certain size range.  I understand that in the past, there weren't a lot of size options, but now there are.  The fashion gates are truly open now for those willing to walk through them, the trouble is, you have to think highly enough of yourself (in the very best sense of that word) to be able to do that.  

Perfection is an unachieveable goal.  Even with all the filler and plastic surgery out there, no one is perfect.  Rather than waiting for that magical "one day" when everything is perfect, I would encourage you to do something that feels very counterintuitive to someone with low self esteem:  Value yourself first and peace will follow.  There's something to be said for being realistic, in looking in the mirror and saying, "I'm not perfect, but I have value.  I. Am.  Worthy.  Right now, right here.  In this body, in this moment, in this life."   In other words Dress the body you have right now, and dress it well.  Dress for the life you want.  Dress the way you've always wanted to.  It's not just spending money; it's investing in yourself.  And you're worth it.  You are worthy; so, act like it by dressing like it.

Outfit Info:  The Rosebud Dress from JessaKae, Shoes from VIVAIA

All the Little Things of Spring

Since I've already given you the run-down of what to expect from Worth Collective, I'll devote this post to talking about all the things I'm excited about this spring.  It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was doing my fall bulb planting of daffodils, hyacinth, and allum.  This is my second autumn to plant these flowers; the first year was a trial run to see if they would even grow here, and since it was successful, I plan to make it an annual thing.  

The flu has passed through our home and it was rough.  Seems like we always get sick in that home stretch right before spring.  We're still coughing a bit, but otherwise we're getting through it as we always do.  There's really nothing like a little time sick in bed to make me appreciate my good health and the good weather.

I've cleared out the garden and flower beds for the new growth and got my peas and turnips planted too.  I've also spent a couple of very exhausting Saturdays raking up all the fall leaves and strategically burning them in areas that need the stubborn and resilient undergrowth to be tamed.  I'm desperately trying to make this little hilltop home a verdant paradise, but oy, is it hard work.

I have been planning a little springtime tea party for a few family members and thanks to all those snow days, my house is decluttered.  So, I have spent the last few windy days doing a little decorating indoors.  I am so pleased with how things have turned out, I'm even more excited to have company.

Our baby chicks are thriving and soon we'll be building a new chicken house with an improved ranging area.  This one will be mobile so that my girls always get fresh scratching ground.  And it's nearly time to move all the indoor plants out to the greenhouse or onto the front porch so that they too can enjoy fresh air and a little more sunshine.

Spring is here and this year I have so many projects cooking, I cannot wait to get started.

Outfit Info:  The Catherine Dress in Cream Blue Floral from Worth Collective, Shoes from VIVAIA, Necklace is handmade by me

Worth Collective Dress Review

As part of my Low-Buy year, I am trying to shy away from shopping so much in general, but I have kept some room in my budget for the occasional purchase.  After hearing the buzz in one of my FB groups about Worth Collective, I decided to head over and see what they had to offer.  I found two pretty little dresses that I wanted to try and then found a 20% off promo code to sweeten the deal.  So, let's dive in to a few key features about Worth Collective.

1. Shipping.  My order shipped the following day and arrived within the week.  Already we were off to a good start.  Also, orders over $175 ship for free.  Pretty much buy two dresses and you'll get free shipping.  My order was minimally packed, so if you hate all the plastic bags and wrapping, you should know they put both dresses into a single bag.

2.  Sizing.  As far as size inclusivity goes, I tend to save that term for shops that offer XXS ~ 6X.  While Worth Collective offers XS to 3X on many styles, there are also plenty that only have Small through XL, so I can't exactly say they're size inclusive but I do appreciate that they're trying.  Believe it or not, many shops out there don't offer anything outside of Small ~ XL.  You won't really see them featured here on the blog, because they never carry my size.  Having said that, I ordered XS in both dresses and they actually fit extremely well, so I'm happy.

3.  Purpose Inclusivity.  This brand does something I really love, and that is that they recognize that you may want a beautiful dress for all the various roles you may play in your life.  From a woman of any age who loves to wear a pretty dress, to pregnancy/bump friendly styles, to the need for clothes that accomodate the way your body continues to change during nursing, motherhood, and beyond into the menopause years these dresses seem to be versatile in their design to allow for a changing body.  One way this is accomplished is through the liberal use of elastic throughout.  I cover this topic more in the video below.

4.  Quality.  So far, I have washed, ironed, and worn these dresses and they've held up beautifully.  The prints are lovely and the fabric on the Mary Elizabeth in particular is very nice.  I love that they have so many 100% cotton dresses (which are also 100% cotton lining!).  Synthetics are dead.  They're hot, itchy, and uncomfortable.  Natural fibers are where it's at.

5.  Price.  On my first order, I found a 20% off promo code through sites like Retail Me Not, and then as a thank you, I was emailed another promo code after my first order.  I'm not affiliated with this brand, so this is something that is potentially open to all, and definitely is what helped me make the decision to-buy or not-to-buy each time.  Dresses here range from $78 ~ $198, with most dresses falling at about $150 or less.  It does seem a little high to me, but with free shipping and a promo code, it feels about right.  I chose the Mary Elizabeth because it reminded me so much of the Selkie Day dress but at 1/2 the price and it has pockets!

In summary, I'm very, very happy with this shop.  Are there some things that could be improved?  Yes, but just a tiny bit.  Over all, I think they're doing a great job and I'm happy with the whole experience.  In fact, I decided to use my thank you promo code to get a couple more dresses, one of which you've seen in my Dark Cottage Core post, the other you'll see in my upcoming posts.  My video review is posted below.

Outfit Info:  Mary Elizabeth Midi Dress in Blue from Worth Collective, shoes are old from Charlotte Russe.

Dark Cottage Core

    I'm absolutely mad about toile.  Wallpaper, shelf paper, upholstry and yes, dresses.  A beautiful blue toile day dress is what drew me to Worth Collective, but I found a couple of other beauties while I was there that also caught my eye.  Since WC sent me a 20% off promo code as a thank you for my first order, I decided to bring home this black and ivory toile beauty and the other as well.  I like to think of this Amalie dress as a dark cottage core.   

    Each of the dresses I purchased are 100% cotton and they're both pregnancy and nursing friendly.  Those days are long gone for me, but love the comfy fit.   I did find this style is a little more flattering for my shape when I added a belt.  In fact, I wore this outfit out to dinner after our little photo session here and as we were walking to our table a mother and teen daughter nearby gasped when they saw this dress and exclaimed, "Oh!  How Pretty!"   Already getting positive feedback on the Amalie and it was my first time to put together an outfit and wear it.  I can't wait to see what else I can come up with.

Outfit Info:  Amalie Dress from Worth Collective

Mindfulism = A Seasonal Wardrobe

It began as a typical Sunday morning.  We slept in late, and then Mr. B decided to make French Toast for breakfast.  After some time eating and chatting, we went our separate ways to begin the day.  Then the electricity went out.  We waited a few minutes for it to come back on, but it didn't.  Since most of my plans involved electricity for vacuuming, sewing, or blogging, I had to think of something else to make sure I had a productive day off.  I suddenly realized that we were over half way through autumn and I hadn't put away any of my summer things and had really only brought out a few fall items.  Well, taking down/putting away clothes and getting out/hanging up others is something I don't need electricity for, so I set to work.  I suddenly realized that I hadn't really been keeping up with my Changing of the Garb challenge that I set myself last year, so I thought we would revisit it in this post.  

I've been watching a lot of minimalism videos to help me through my No-Spending Challenge and there is something I have noticed.  Minimalist wardrobes: some of them are stylish, but all of them are super boring.  Yes, it's easy to decide what to wear when you only have 5 things in your closet and they're all beige or white, but seriously, does that bring you joy?  If it does then keep it up and I really don't care, but it wouldn't work for me at all.  I need colors, I need options and I need more than just 5 things in my closet unless it's a survival situation.  And even then,  I might have my leaf dress for summer and a nice deer skin for autumn.  I kid of course, but it does  nicely segue way into the topic of this post.  Mindfulism means having a seasonal wardrobe on rotation.  

Unlike Minimalism in which you have only a few pieces of clothing and then layer or de-layer depending on the season, and unlike Maximalism in which you just have all your stuff all the time and more affluent maximalists even have entire rooms devoted to their wardrobes, Mindfulism means having a selection of pieces that you rotate out every few months as I have just done on this rustic, electricity free Sunday morning and just in time for the spring season.  

I believe it was last year that I began a little experiment which I called "The Changing of the Garb."  I decided that for a whole year I would rotate my wardrobe every three months in order to get the most wear out of everything.  How did it turn out?  Well, the results were mixed.  Everything was going along just fine until two things happened:  First, during a particularly hot week of the summer, a gas can full to the brim expanded in the heat to the point that it exploded in the storage shed where I keep all my off-season clothes.  Gasoline spilled all over the floor and fumes filled the air for a week at least before we realized what had happened.  By that time the fumes had permeated almost all my storage tubs making everything smell like gasoline.   

Thankfully nothing was ruined, but it did mean that every time I wanted to rotate my clothes I would have to launder everything or else walk around smelling like a Quik-Stop.  So that was one thing.  The other thing was that I began taking classes and working two extra jobs at the beginning of the year so I no longer had the free time each week to go through my closet, take out the old, fold it up, stow it away, and bring out/launder/hang up the new. 

During the summer, I completed a massive clothing clean-out, which made it loads easier to maneuver around my storage shed and find what I am looking for, but I am far from done with my work out there.  To be honest, I could probably stand to give away double what I have already if I truly wanted to get down to just the basics, but I don't want just the basics.  I want my lovely, amazing wardrobe, just as it is right now, which is to say, only containing my favorites even if that is still a lot.  However, I don't really need anything more, not for a very long time, and I have begun the one-in/one-out policy to keep from having an over-abundance ever again.  So, now that I have done all this wardrobe weeding, I have decided to go back to my wardrobe rotation.

Keeping my wardrobe on a seasonal rotation helps to maximize wear from all my pieces and keep me from getting bored with my clothes and wanting to buy more.  I look forward to all my lovely clothes each season, just like seeing old friends come back for a visit.  A seasonal wardrobe doesn't have to be large and you don't have to keep everything.  If you wear something for three months straight you may find that it is worn out and ready to rotate for something new, and that's perfectly fine.  The point is that you use what you have and have only what you love and will use.  That's Mindfulism to a T.

Outfit Info:  Yorkshire Soft Corset and Yorkshire Day Dress from Selkie Collection.  Quipid Heels from ModCloth are so incredibly old.

Decluttering--Take 2

After seven years (possibly more) of choosing to hold onto things instead of regularly decluttering, it was certainly a goliath task to undertake, not just of physical effort but mental and emotional as well.  I am definitely one of those people who attaches memories to her clothes.  More so than photos really, my clothes are souvenirs of moments in time, so getting rid of them was incredibly difficult, but I knew that in the end, I would feel better, lighter, if I just let it go.

Seven garbage bags of clothes later, I did feel better, so I sat back for a couple of months and enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment.  But, over time, I began to think of things that could also have gone into the donation bag and eventually I decided to complete another no-spend challenge and adding to that the challenge of getting rid of an additional two trash bags filled with clothing.  While I did complete a declutter of some books and other areas of my home during this time, I'm not terribly sentimental about much besides my clothes, so while it still felt good, it wasn't quite the emotional challenge that the clothing was.  I also don't really hang onto or collect much besides clothing, so this is definitely the area in my life that needed an overhaul the most.

Decluttering is never a one-and-done kind of task.  It should be part of a regular home and lifestyle maintenance, but if you can't afford the time and energy, then once or twice a year should suffice.  I remember it being part of the traditional spring and fall cleaning at our house when I was growing up and something I desperately need to reincorporate into my life.  But, since I was so fresh on the heels of a major declutter, I really didn't think I would have anything else to let go of for a year or so.  After all, I had thoroughly gone through every single piece of clothing I owned and made the decision to keep or part with it.  And yet, the thoughts kept coming to me, "do I reeeally like that?  Maybe I should donate X to someone else so it doesn't just sit there on the shelf."  

So, with the decision to begin another spending freeze, I decided to once again go through everything with a fine tooth comb and ask myself the following questions: 

1. Have I worn it in the past year?
2. Do love it?
3. Is it serving a purpose? 
4. Would I really miss this if it were gone?

And because I had challenged myself to fill two more huge bags, I tried to be really picky about how I felt about each piece and how well it fit into my life.  There was one blouse in particular that was so darling and even my girls voted to keep it, although they personally weren't interested in wearing it, but the fact is, I hated the fabric.  I hated how it felt and how staticky it always got and that's why I never wore it.  So, it didn't last in the second round of eliminations and has now been  sent to someone who will love it and wear it and doesn't mind the slippery fabric.  As much as I do like the blouse, it felt way better to give it to someone who will really love it.

Over the course of one month, I have in fact filled two more trash bags with clothing to give away.  I briefly tried to sell a few pieces, but in the end, I always get caught up browsing on Posh when I sell, so I decided it would be counterproductive to my no-spend challenge and opted to just donate them instead.  And, guess what.  I feel even better the second time around that I did the first.  It's getting easier, I'm getting more space, and my wardrobe is really turning into just the pieces I truly love

Outfit Info:  Delia Dress from Ivy City Co  Use my referral link to sign up and save off your first purchase,  J Crew Cardi from ThredUp, Shoes are old from ModCloth