In the Garden--Cultivating My Casual Style

I mentioned a couple of posts back that I'm working on developing some style in my casual outfits. Do you ever reach points with your wardrobe where things just aren't working? Well, I had reached that point with warm weather casual wear. Maybe it was the extra-hot weather meaning I had to dress for Summer early or maybe since I started this style blog in October, I really didn't pay attention to how I dressed last year at this time.

It's pretty simple. Just a hot pink t-shirt from Croft & Barrow, black denim crop pants from Cato, Sandals from Target. The necklace was a gift from my sister-in-law. All thrown on for a day at church and a walk in a garden. This time I managed not to plow through any flower beds or blow any tires on the way there.

Thrown Together

I needed a quick casual outfit for work one day last week. I knew we were mostly going to be moving stuff and taping off trim to prepare for painting our office. It didn't have to be painting clothes but needed to be comfy stuff I could bend and move in all day. Yes, I admit the scarf came off almost immediately because bending and scarves don't mix. Still, I put it right back on when I left for lunch because it was so cute.  I really thought there was no way it would look good with the striped shirt but somehow it worked . . . at least in my mirror. So I went with it. I'm still getting used to scarves that aren't for the deep winter. They are fun for Spring, but let's face it, I live in Georgia. Scarves will be off my list of possibilities by mid-May.

Sprucing up a bit

You might have noticed that I've been neglecting the blog slightly. Well, I have a project going on right now--painting my office. Two volunteer youth groups from local churches came and started painting it for us. Now we just have to finish the work. It was great but it took up two of my recent weekends. So to make up for the lack of outfit photos, I will give you a glimpse of the work so far. Loving the colors and of course I've always loved the high ceilings and old fireplaces. 

 

The background of this one is the crimson kitchen. My co-worker and I both have husbands who want all walls neutral. So we went nuts on color at our office. So much fun!

Outfit Photos Are Like Potato Chips

Betcha can't take just one! I admire some style bloggers who have a clear vision of what they're doing. Some take one outfit photo, usually in the same place each day. Simple, yet effective. I considered whether I should take the same approach, but decided at least for now that it's just not me. I really am all over the place just like my blog. I love wandering and can't sit still, have a million interests and go exploring daily if possible. 

That's the positive side, folks. The negative side of it is that I want to be an awesome photographer but am still learning. So I take a bunch of shots. Then I fall in love with several and can't pick just one. I mean, look how the lines of the picnic tables and shelter come together. I tell myself that digital photos mean I can delete them all and start over, but I tend to save them as if I'll never get another chance. What is up with that?

Colorful Relaxation

What could possibly be better than a hammock? One of my favorite memories is from a college trip. We loved relaxing in hammocks at language school in Costa Rica. It seems like such a tiny part of the entire experience, but ever since then I've said, "Someday I'm going to have a really nice hammock. You know, not like the stringy skinny one we take on camping trips or the lame ones on a frame. No, I wanted a really colorful "hangy" one. Notice how I make up words when needed. So much easier than actual eloquence!

I found this one at TJMaxx for $14. So my hubby actually went out after dinner and quickly hung this one for me. Unfortunately, I think our deck is going to need some reinforcement before we use it regularly. It felt very Avatar-ish-- like those big leaf hammock things they curled up in. Ahhhhh!

Kite Flying Day

What do you do when a crazy-warm spring suddenly gets cooler and really windy? When you have a perfect day that looks like this? You fly a kite. Unfortunately, I got no photos of the kite but it's the dollar store Spider Man variety. And yes, I really did wear this to fly it. Our black cat Ash watched it the entire time and pounced on it anytime it hit the ground. This just might be the only kite I managed to reel back in and put up for later. Of course if it had been expensive, it would have gotten hung in the top of a tree or sailed away!






I'm debuting my new glasses. I wanted some a little more trendy, but I looked totally goofy in some of the more fashionable ones. Maybe I'll try out some wild ones from one of those website with cheap glasses.

Gold, Fit-Flops and Pet Bloopers

I love the elegance of the outfit and the basketball goal. I chose not to crop it out because, well, this is my real life. Boys, basketballs, dog hair, and laundry.

 Foot Time
Excuse the Fit-Flop knock-offs but after being on my feet for several hours, these dogs were barking. For people without RA, I try to explain my limited allotment of what I call "foot time". Even my husband doesn't totally understand but he tries. Basically my feet have a very limited time they will allow me to stand up before severe pain kicks in. As you can imagine this makes things like cleaning house, museum visits, and Christmas shopping complicated. Since I only have a short standing time allotted for the day, I literally have to choose between things like grocery shopping and house cleaning. If I take a walk (healthy, right?), then I may have to forgo something else later. It doesn't sound like a big deal until you realize all the stuff that usually requires standing like doing laundry/dishes, attending a party or cookout, grocery shopping, talking to a neighbor, playing catch or frisbee with the kids, etc.

I few years ago when my family was going to Disney World, I actually phoned ahead to see if any accommodations are available for people who can't stand for long. "No, I can walk but standing for long periods causes severe foot pain." Response? Crickets chirping! Maybe they thought I was just some slob trying to get one over on them, but they had no solutions for someone like me other than whatever their fast pass thing is called. If I didn't require a wheelchair, that just didn't compute apparently. I survived with a good bit of pain and sending my family on rides without me because of long lines. Next time I think just using a wheelchair might be advisable,depending on how bad my feet are acting up. I'm not down on Disney because they seemed very willing and able to help if I were unable to walk. They are legendary for their customer service, but they just didn't understand my special needs at all. If I hadn't lived it, I probably wouldn't either. I really didn't intend to get on my soapbox just because of flip-flops! On to more silly fun.

Turn and Face the Camera
Once again the pets hijacked my home outfit photo session and reminded me why I love to seek out other locations. First there is the dog butt in the background of an otherwise perfectly good photo and then the cats strolling in front of my shoes.

How Many Cats are required for Cat Lady?
I figure I would be one cat away from "crazy cat lady" status if I weren't married since we have 2 outdoor sweeties and one cranky geriatric indoor/outdoor cat. My son tells me you must be single and have at least 4 cats to be a "crazy cat lady". I don't know who sets the standards for that but O.K.