I’m going to be candidly honest. Over the past year or so, I have accumulated a little extra insulation. Over 20 pounds worth…Partly due to my own bad habits and partly due to some thyroid issues I’ve been working with doctors on over the past couple of years.

It has been difficult for me to adjust to this new body. I continue to shove my new body into old clothes which is just no good for my already sinking confidence. I keep saying to myself the weight will come off soon enough, like it always does. But it seems to like its new home…

Until I can get my lifestyle worked out and bring a lot more healthy habits into my life, I’ve chosen to look for staple clothing pieces in a larger size so I don’t feel like a loaf of bread overflowing its pan in everything I own!

I was forced into purchasing my first new staple piece, jeans, because 1) the one pair I was down to physically hurt to wear, and 2) I bent down to pick up a box and a hole ripped in the knee. (Insert monkey covering eyes emoji here.) It was truly only a matter of time before something burst open…I’m happy it was at my knee since I was at work.

On the evening of the jeans explosion, Joel went along with me to Plato’s Closet to look for a new pair. It is jeans day at work until after the new year, so I had to find something. Plato’s always comes through for me and this visit was no exception. I tried on four different pairs in larger sizes than I have purchased in the past and found my favorite jeans EVER.
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These. Jeans. Old Navy Rock Star Mid-Rise Jeans.

To make things even better – they were only 8 DOLLARS! Are you kidding me with this? They are stretchy but have a traditional jeans structure/feel – a step above jeggings. They go up a little higher on my tummy/lower back, which I am all about right now. I really like the dark wash. And the best part? They don’t hurt me when I button them up!

With a bandana (that I found in our garage when we moved in) and a pair of ankle boots (from Old Navy that I have had for years) my outfit was complete. I felt like a completely different person.

We must be gentle with ourselves in times when our body image may not be at its peak. There is a level of acceptance that needs to take place at every stage, which is different for everyone.

Even though I may not feel comfortable with my body right now (a lot of the discomfort also comes from accepting the fact that I’m not honoring my body the way I should), I am grateful to it for keeping me alive. Getting me around. Sheltering my mind and soul (and internal organs!). It deserves to be appreciated at the very least. And if I have to go up a jeans size (or two), that’s OK. I am honoring my body as it is in this season, and clothing it in a way that is now comfortable – both physically and emotionally.

Although I like really busy (normally floral) prints and bright colors, there are times when I love pairing classic black and white pieces.

Truly, nothing beats a tailored button-up tucked into pixie pants that fit just right. I wore this outfit to work and felt effortlessly pulled together.

The shirt was given to me, the pants are from Old Navy, and the flats are from JCPenney.  All three pieces are items you can find anywhere, at anytime. If you enjoy thrifting, I can guarantee you could pull together a look similar to this at a place like Stuff Store or Goodwill.

​Here's a closer look:

If you're like me and gravitate towards the "wild side" of fashion - don't forget that classic pieces of clothing exist for a reason - they are timeless examples of how to look chic at any age, during any period in time!

After a weekend of play in Chicago visiting "The Rolling Stones Exhibitionism" I was feeling very rock and roll! 

I absolutely love the Stones' logo. There's something very rebellious and naughty about it. Two things that I am not, but wish I was. So wearing it on my clothes at least makes me feel like I am.

I've been into old t-shirts a lot lately - especially my husband's old t-shirts! This is one of his. I combined it with a pair of Old Navy ripped jeans I've had forever, some black flats and my new favorite accessory, a classic, navy blue bandanna.

I received several compliments on this look on our way home. It was extremely comfortable to travel in, made me feel like the punk rock city girl I am at heart, and paid homage to my guys, The Rolling Stones.

​Weddings, graduations and getaways are in full swing. We're already booked every weekend through July!

Our first big event was the wedding of our sweet friends, Ryan and Sarah. The whole affair was simple and classic. Good weather, good ceremony, good company. I was in tears watching Sarah come down the isle to the song "Here Comes the Sun" in her lovely dress, her dad on her arm, smiling from ear to ear, with the sunlight glowing through her blonde hair. And the vows. The most genuine vows I have ever witnessed. I love love - and these two together are spilling over with it!

I kept it light and easy with my outfit, taking inspiration from Joel's outfit for my accessories.

The shirt I wore is actually a shirt dress! It was a tad bit too short for a wedding, so I opted to layer a longer, more appropriate, skirt over it. The shirt dress is from JCPenney and the skirt is from Old Navy. To tie my outfit with Joel's, I chose a caramel brown (my favorite tone of brown) leather belt and heels. The belt actually came with the shirt dress and the shoes are also from JCPenney. All discount finds at the time I am sure!

I ended up matching quite nicely with my hubby. We enjoyed our evening together so much. I count myself lucky that he is mine everyday! Here's a picture of us in all of our cuteness!

Oh hey, Spring! May flowers and sunshine have me dressing in full color almost everyday. This outfit is just one example of the fun combinations I've been putting together.

​The floral shirt and nude flats are Target finds from a few seasons back but they normally always have similar products on hand, like this shirt and these shoes - modern spins on classics that are always in style. The pants are a major score from Old Navy for only $3.00. Always check the sales racks. I was about to spend $30+ dollars on similar pants, but found four pairs of really nice, structured ankle pants for under $12 total! 

Here's a close-up of the outfit detail:

How are you dressing for Spring?! 

Joel labeled the outfit I'm sharing today as my "riding outfit." I see it! Thus the title. But unfortunately, no horses were ridden in this outfit.

We were asked to dress "business casual" for our volunteer duties at the Grout Museum over the weekend, so this is what I came up with. An outfit that is young, comfortable, and as Joel pointed out, very "equestrian."

The houndstooth blazer I have on is my tried and true. It is from H&M and has been one of my go-tos for probably a good eight years now. The reason I like it so much is so much is definitely the print and the cut. The print transitions really well from casual to professional. The cut adds shape to whatever outfit I'm wearing. I also machine washed it as needed and it has held up really well over time. I don't have the money to dry clean everything, so it's been nice to be able to wash it on my own.

I paired the blazer with a navy blue, semi-sheer button up with a collar from Old Navy. The pants are black jeggings from Old Navy. The brown boots are ones you've seen before in previous posts (and are on their last leg...so, so sad) from JCPenney. I'm a big fan of wearing black and brown together. A lot of people don't like it, but I look at it this way - wild cats have brown and black stripes/spots - it is a natural color combination!

Here's a close-up of the blazer print and collared shirt:

And here's me and my dog, Madison. She wanted in on the fun!

Fall is my favorite season and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. When both things pass, I tend to feel a little down. So to curb my impending sad feelings, I decided to dress up a bit on Thanksgiving.

The outfit I wore is styled similarly to my last post. Same scarf, same belt, same boots. But can we appreciate this dress?! Another beautiful find from Orange Possum.

This dress was warm, flowing, and forgiving as my belly grew larger from all of the indulgence. I tried something new with the triangle blanket scarf (that I got many compliments on). Instead of wrapping it around my neck, I chose to drape it over my shoulders and belt it at my waist. It ended up looking like a long vest from the front.

​I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday full of love, memories and gratitude!

There is something truly marvelous about the right shade of mustard yellow. I am not a person that wears very much yellow, but for shades of mustard, I make an exception.

I caved and made a trip to Orange Possum in Hampton. If you read my previous post, you know that I was fighting the temptation to visit this store due to the overwhelming number of amazing pieces they have in right now. The dress I'm sharing today, along with the scarf, is featured in image four of that post. I just had to have that outfit!

They only had size large left in the dress, which was actually perfect. The material is very comfortable, but clingy, so anything smaller may have showed off lumps and bumps I didn't need anyone to see! I believe that you can fix anything with a belt, so as you will see, I belted this dress off to give some shape to the silhouette.  The large also fell better in the skirt - long enough for work and it hit in just the right place on my legs so I look a foot taller than usual!

I wore this to work and ditched my standard heels. I paired the dress with brown tights and ankle boots from Old Navy. I topped everything off with the triangle blanket scarf I purchased at Orange Possum and was very pleased with the outcome!

I do not condone illegal activity. But I also do not condone the cost of movie concessions! That's why I resort to smuggling in my own goods when I know I'll be craving a sweet treat.

Shhh...don't tell...but I committed my latest offense this past weekend!

In the cute little getup I'm wearing below, I had just enough room in my jeans pockets and give in my t-shirt to carefully conceal my candy.

In the Fall and Winter, I wear my motorcycle boots 80% of the time. I got these boots from LBL on Main Street in Cedar Falls, one of my favorite stores. They have a lot of well-made, edgy options. My jeans and t-shirt are from Old Navy. And my flannel (funny story) is actually from the little boys' section at Target! I've found some gems in this section throughout my lifetime (I started shopping there sometime around Junior High). They have some cute options (that fit my style, not all) and the price is always right!

​Now that I look at this photo again, I kind of look like a little punk that would smuggle in sweets...I bet they knew I was guilty all along!

I don't only wear business attire! Although I do normally like to be "dressed up" in some form, I keep it casual on occasion, especially on the weekends. 

If you were to stop by my house on a weekend, you'd definitely find me in some form of stretch jean or legging, t-shirt or tank (normally band oriented), a baseball cap or bandanna, and always, my white Chucks. 

I've included photos of two outfits from this past weekend below. Joel and I did a lot of adventuring around Iowa and Wisconsin, so I wore outfits that were acceptable for several different scenarios.

The first outfit includes my aforementioned Chucks with a pair of wool shorts from Old Navy and Ramones t-shirt from Kohl's. 

The second outfit is Old Navy head-to-toe! The flats are snakeskin, the jeans are my favorite pair (I cannot wear them without at least one person asking if I need money to buy proper pants), and the grey t-shirt is made of a super comfy material that helped hide my belly after eating waaaay too much delicious food...