Queen Anne's Lace

I found this page from an old Childcraft book--my favorite Childcraft book in fact--the book of poetry.  One year for a school reading challenge my teacher agreed to let me memorize this poem about Queen Anne's Lace along with several other poems, mostly about wild flowers, and recite them in front of the class in lieu of reading.  I did it.  Little seven year old heart pounding, I stood in front of the class and recited each one.  I was the only kid to employ this method, and even though it wasn't enough to win me the competition (the victory went to my arch rival who was similar and yet truly superior to me in every way, but at the time I was convinced she had cheated) to this day I still have those poems memorized.  I suppose it helped that I kept that book and read it a million times over to my own sweet children when they were very young.  Still, I think of this little poem each June when the Queen Anne's Lace are in full bloom, brightening every field and hillside.

Shopping Info: Pinny from: SHEIN, Free People Sydney Blouse, flats from ModCloth

Forget Me Not

It's so easy to get caught up with calendars and schedules and screen time that we forget to make time for the truly important things.  We get so busy just getting through the difficult parts of life that we forget to stop and enjoy all the beauty of it.  I'm just as guilty of it as anyone.  That's why I've started clearing space on my calendar and making appointments for little things, quiet things, like the first day of blueberry picking.  

Our local berry farm just opened today and we were there at 7:00 a.m. to pick a pint and munch a few.  It was still a work day for me, so we had to get up extra early, but it was worth it for this first taste of summer and the lovely memories we make each year running through the field in soft stillness of early morning, laughing, eating, and enjoying life together.  I thought this Forget Me Not Dot Abigail Dress from KarinaDresses was just perfect for berry picking on this lovely morning.  A beautiful hue, cool and stylish, and just the right length.

 Shopping Info:  Abigail Dress - Forget Me Not Dot - $108.00 from: Karina Dresses, Vivacious Vibes T-Strap Heel in 38 by Chelsea Crew from ModCloth

Countryside Bistro: Part One

I had an idea that I wanted to try.  I saw this gingham top and thought it would go nicely with my handmade Paris Ville dress, but then also thought it would go just as nicely with my A Date with Paris skirt from Chicwish.  What to do?  I couldn't decide on one, so I'm going to do both and let you decide which is best.  So, today is part one and part two will follow soon.

Shopping Info: Top from Shein, fabric by Michael Miller

Wisteria and Whimsy

Most of the time I'm writing about "Be Appropriate" and "Does Your Look Say What You Want it to," and I think I should practice what I preach by striving in my daily life to be appropriate, but that doesn't mean there isn't any room for a little whimsy.  So, every now and then I like to wear my cat ears headband out and about.  I put together this look today and wore it with and without the headband.  Comment below to tell me which one is your favorite look.

Shopping Info: Top from Shein, Classic Simplicity skirt from ChicWish

One Last Stroll Through the Buttercups

The season's almost at its end and the heat of summer will soon be here.  But, before the days get any longer, the sun gets any brighter, and the flowers fold their petals up and sleep until another year, one last stroll through the buttercup fields.

Shopping Info: Dress from: SHEIN

Meditations on Peace

Lately I've been reading Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.  I've admired his writings for years, but this is the first time I've ever sat down to read more than a paragraph or two.  One thing that struck me was, and I'm paraphrasing heavily here, a section in which he stated that people are always trying to escape chaos.  They go to the countryside, they go to the beach to get away from it.  (How funny that 2000 years ago people were still going to the same places on vacation!)  Aurelius said what we need is not to get away to find peace, but to create peace within our own minds and then we can visit that place for a moment or two right in the middle of any chaos and find rest from it.  This is such a foundational truth to deliberate living.  I couldn't agree more with that sentiment and creating inner calm and organization to my thoughts is something I have been striving for since I was only a teen. 
However, I also find that it helps not only to create an inner calm, but to also create calm spaces if we do need a retreat that lasts more than a moment or two.  My home is a home of peace, where, in spite of having two teens we have (relatively) little strife.  That takes work!  Creating and then maintaining peace takes a lot of work.  Chaos is the easy road and that's why it is so common.  Not only that inner and relational peace, but for the last two years I've been slowly working at transforming the wild forest of my yard into a little hideaway and now, I think it's there.  The last little touches are in place and I can find rest and respite from the chaos of the world without having to go any farther than my own back yard.

Shopping Info: Dress from: ROMWE

Singing in the Rain

I like to sing.  I'm terrible at it, really, really, awful, which is why I only sing when I think no one can hear.  People do hear it occasionally, and they always think I sing because I'm happy, but it's actually the other way around.  Sing first and happiness follows.  Something in my brain says, "Oh, she's singing, so I guess we're happy," and then I am.  Try it and see if it doesn't help the next time you're feeling glum, which by the way is a lot more common when it's raining. The next time a storm rolls through, don't get down, instead, tell your brain you're happy anyway by singing a song.  

Shopping Info: Community Brunch Dress from ModCloth,  Sunglasses from: SHEIN

Gingham a Go-Go

I saw the cutest outfit the other day and decided that I had to try it out.  It was some news show or other, the kind on the weekends that's full of the fluff people find interesting before their coffee has kicked in.  I have no idea what they were talking about, but I did sit up and take notice of the dress the journalist was wearing.  It was black and white gingham, with a black crop cardi, black espadrilles, and a yellow gingham belt.  SO cute!  I didn't exactly have all of those items so that I could make an exact copy, but I got close enough and I love this look.  I can't believe I haven't thought of putting gingham on gingham before!

Outfit Info: Skirt, top, and flower purse from: SHEIN,  Flats from Charlotte Russe, Samba Sash from ModCloth