Saturday, October 10, 2015

Day 8: My Take on a Wardrobe

There will be a lot of people talking about about capsule wardrobes-- there are a lot of different takes on in and it can be a little bit overwhelming. When I have done the different 7x7 challenges I have found it hard  because I don't want to feel limited in my choices.. Though, there is definitely such thing as too much choice when it comes to a wardrobe. I don't know about you, but I know for a fact that there have been times when I have thought that I would love something and wear it all the time only to find out that I don't wear it that often or even worse it is still hanging in the closet with it's tags still on.

I had a new postpartum body to dress and none of my clothes were fitting in the same way anymore. So, I did a huge closet purge-- it is continually a work in process because obviously I couldn't get rid of all of my clothes at one time. My focus became not necessarily on how many items or what types of items; but rather pieces that I love. These items need to be able to be remixable-- gone are the days of only wearing it in one perfect outfit, they need to fit my lifestyle. I have an almost two year old so these items need to be machine washable and very movable. I demand a lot out of my clothes because I also work outside of the home. I don't have time for high maintenance clothing.

It has been a process of learning but over the next week I will be talking with you more about how I have simplified my wardrobe. I think my wardrobe and my style will continue to evolve.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Day 2: Sweet Treats

I love fall treats, but I don't have a lot of time or patience for baking. It is a problem when you love treats, but don't want to spend the time or money to get them.

Skip to my Lou has a great Snickerdoodle recipe that comes from a cake mix. It takes me 30 minutes to get all of my cookies made. They are super easy, super delicious and I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't like them. They are a great chocolate or pumpkin alternative this time of year-- especially while the rest of the world has gone pumpkin spice crazy!

Thursday, October 1, 2015

October 1st means Fall is Here!

Today is October 1st. That means it is the first day of Write31 originally started by The Nester... I participated last year, but I wasn't 100% successful because Little Man got really sick. So this year I have 5 topics that I am going to write about with the common theme being simplicity. These are not topics that I am an expert at, but rather they are topics that I am interested in learning about. I am taking a journey of finding balance. Week 1 is about Simplicity in the kitchen-- making easy, family friendly recipes or any tricks that I have learned along the way.

Since it is now very fallish it is time to start eating fall things! I have a huge love affair with 1 pot meals, I find them to be really easy and they don't create a ton of dishes either. I am trying a new lasagna skillet recipe as my base from fivehearthome.com-- I don't have all of the ingredients but I can easily sub them for the same thing in a dried spice form.

Here is what you will need:
1 (28 oz can) petite diced tomatoes
water
1 (8 oz can) of tomato sauce
1 T olive oil
5 cloves of garlic minced or 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes
1 pound ground beef
8 oz of pasta or 6-8 uncooked lasagna noodles broken up
1 T each of basil, oregano, thyme, and parsley mixed
1/2 cup + 2 T of grated Parmesan
1 cup cottage cheese

Here are the directions:
Step 1 Pour the can of diced tomatoes into a 4 cup measuring cup--I'm using my very large pyrex measuring cup. Add enough water to measure it to 4 cups.

Step 2: Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium heat ( I have a deep stainless steel pan that I use), Pour 1 Tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Swish it around by tilting your pan. Add your garlic, red pepper flakes and stir for 30 seconds. Add ground beef and brown. When done drain. Add in 3 Tablespoons of spice mixture.

Step 3: Add pasta to the meat. Pour your tomato mixture over the noodles and meat, without stirring. Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium-low heat... Cover and stir every 5 minutes. Add more spices if are necessary. Cook time is 20-25 minutes. After to you get everything on the stove it would be a great time to help the kiddos in your world with homework! I would throw in some buttermilk biscuits or crescent rolls in the oven at this time!

Step 4: Remove from heat and add your cheese. Adjust any of the necessary spices. Before serving mix your cottage cheese. Allow to rest for five minutes. While your lasagna is resting get everyone to the table, that does take 5 minutes in of itself.


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

31 Days of Simplicity


This for Write 31 I will be writing about simplicity, but I am going to take a different approach to it. For each week I am going to have a different topic that I am focusing on-- and I will write everyday about how I have gone about I have simplified my life in that area. Everything will be tested by me and I will let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly about what happened that day. 

As I write for that day I will come back and add the link to this page so we have once spot to follow along with. 

Week 1:Seven Days of Simplicity in Preparing Food. 
Day 1: October 1st Means that Fall is Here!
Day 2: Sweet Treats
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

Week 2: Seven Days of Simplicity in Fashion
Day 8: My Take on a Capsule Wardrobe
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

Week 3: Seven Days of Simplicity in Life with a Toddler
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20 
Day 21

Week 4: Seven Days of Simplicity at Home
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
Day 28

Week 5: Seven Days of Simplicity in Fall
Day 29
Day 30
Day 31



Friday, January 23, 2015

More posts coming to the blog near you: SOON!

There is a reason why I like to keep things a little bit more loose. He is almost 11 months old, and been sick for the last week. Poor Little Man, he is finally starting to feel better. He is currently sleeping up in his room, and this mama will shortly be sleeping up in hers. I am still going to start taking and posting fashion pictures and I have a couple of different looks that I would like to try and do a review on. We will get back into the swing of things. Thanks for sticking around through this rocky start!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Those Nights When NOBODY Sleeps!

Blogging on Monday turned out to be a terrible idea! Little Man decided that he was not going to sleep hardly at all that night. I got 3 hours of sleep that night, I am not even joking. I am suprised that I was even remotely functional. I wasn't the most chipper, happy-go-lucky person in the world, but at least I was alive and functioning. 

The thought came to me, there has to be other mom who are getting so little sleep and feel like they look like death warmed over. So, I am on the hunt for great ways to look fresh in the morning when you didn't sleep regardless of what the reason is. I have found some promising ideas. I will continue to keep looking and will post the links with commentary soon!

xoxo,
Mrs. Bookworm

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Flaunt it Friday: A Remixable Wardrobe Experiment!

Sometimes we just need to put our wardrobes into perspective and look at what we do have and love opposed to what we don't have. I need clothes that are cute and easy to care for. Almost everything I own is machine washable. I only have a few items that are "dry clean only".

I was reading a blog post entitled How to Plan, Organize, and Shop for Your capsule Wardrobe, which helped me see capsule wardrobes differently. While a lot of capsule wardrobes focus on having these particular clothes-- the emphasis in this particular post was to have appropriate clothes that fit your lifestyle.
Not every wardrobe is going to be the exact same. Example,  if you work as a personal trainer you will have way more workout apparel than someone who spends the majority of their time at work in an office.We have huge temperature fluctuation throughout the year and so I will need to have some pieces that are specific to that period of time. Winter coats, hat, scarf, and gloves, shorts etc are all part of a four season wardrobe.

Following this model, for 5 capsule wardrobes one would need 5 completer pieces (blazers, cardigans, vests, denim jacket etc)
15 tops,  10 bottoms, 5 pairs of shoes, 5 bags, and approximately 15 different accessories.

Completer pieces: denim jacket, red vest, teal vest, turquoise vest, black blazer, brown blazer, blue and white striped blazer, gold cardigan, teal cardigan, black & white cardigan, teal cardigan, brown sweater, emerald cardigan

Tops: red wrap top, gray sequin sweater, black T-shirt (2), gray T-shirt, gray Aztec print T-shirt, concert t shirt, white top, leopard print top, graphic sweater, tan polka dot tie blouse, chambray shirt, black long sleeve tee, navy and cream blouse,

Bottoms: black maxi skirt, black pants (2), gray patterned pants, dark gray pants, dark wash jeans (2),  black pencil skirt, khaki colored dress pants

I also have 3 dresses that are black and white. They are not the same style.

I will be using these piece to make outfits to provide some encouragement and to give me a reason to practice remixing my wardrobe... Fridays (or Saturdays) depending upon how the days goes will be for Fashion... I will be starting a new series called Fashion Fridays. I will post some pics and talk about what has gone really great and what has gone terribly terribly wrong. I hope that you will join me as I figure out a hot mama wardrobe!
XOXO,
Mrs. Bookworm

Thursday, January 8, 2015

My Favorite Things

Here are my favorite things and any one of these things will make for a great day, add all of these together and it is pretty much an amazing day!

1. Creme de menthe blended mocha in the summer, and hot mochas in the winter.
2. Carmex chapstick with a pretty lipstick over top. My fave lipstick is by Mary Kay,  my color is appleberry. Carmex has been my stand-by chap stick for years!
3. OPI Nail polish! I love pinks, but I have a dark purple called vampsterdam that I want to try!
4. Jeans! I spend the majority of my time in dress pants, skirts, and dresses.
5. Purchasing actual CDs! I jam out in my car with LM. I have listening to Christmas music recently on the radio but will be switching back to alternating between Jason Gray and Taylor Swift
6. Sleeping in!

What makes your day that much better?

Monday, January 5, 2015

Five Ways to Love on Your Mama Friends!

I am a new mama, and I will be the first to admit that this is one of the hardest gigs that I have ever had. I have had a lot of jobs over the years... Some days I feel like a rock star, but most days I feel like I am the worst mama in the world. I don't have it together and I have a lot questions about things that other parents magically know. This post is inspired by a conversation that I had with acquaintances that don't have kids or weren't sure how to weather the newest things going on in their friends life... here are some ideas that I had about how to love on your friends who are new/ first time parents.

  1. Leaving my house on a Friday night is too much work! After a crazy work week quite honestly it is the last thing that I want to do most weekends. However, I would love it if a friend wanted to come to my house! There are a lot of things that we can do after Little Man goes to bed... TV marathons, watch movies, craft, or even just surf YouTube and Pinterest together. Quite honestly any movie that you want to watch that has come out since 2013-- I probably haven't seen it yet. Bonus points if you bring pizza, a snack, or wine.
  2. Send your friend a text/ Facebook message, or call them on your lunch break. If their lunch times doesn't align with yours leave a fun message. I am not always great about contacting friends, because I feel like half of my brain is missing most days, but I feel so loved when someone takes the time to connect.
  3. When my son was three weeks old one very brave friend came for the weekend. She was there to meet my son and help me out. She did things really basic things like washing dishes or snuggling my son so I could shower or nap. It was phenomenal! She even volunteered to get up and feed him a bottle one night so that I could have extra rest. This was a huge thing for me, because part of recovering is trying to figure out how you are going to do it all. Ask her specific questions like can I vacuum for you or do you need milk at your house. It makes all of the difference in the world.
  4. Invite your friend and her kid(s) out do something. The reality that a lot of people won't get out of the house without their kid(s) very often... your friend needs adult conversation! IF you invite may family to some sort of gathering, you are providing them with an outlet and that much needed adult time without the guilt.
  5. Make a conscientious effort to talk about something that has nothing to do with be a parent. It is great to get advice on that stuff but sometimes I just want to talk about anything else. I don’t want to lose sight of who I was before my bundle of joy entered my world.

Nothing lasts forever, and this zombie like state that your friend might be in will eventually disappear. What kinds of things do you do with your friends who are new/ first time mamas?

Friday, January 2, 2015

A New Year means new fashion?

The New Year is suppose to be a time of reflection and hope... looking back at the year that is wrapping up and looking forward to a new year. We can big events coming,  but we didn't necessarily see all of the details as to how it will play out. An example of this i when Little Man was born this past March. We knew that he was coming, but we were unsure of how it was going to go. There are so many different variables. We have loved being parents, and Little Man is definitely someone to cherish. Parenthood is also an example of constantly evolving. We are not the same parents that we are today as we were hen he was born and we will continue to evolve.

The same thing could be said for a closet-- my closet will continue to evolve, and not just because I am continually purchasing new clothes. Honestly, I don't have time for that despite what others seem to think.I can remember very clearly what happened while wearing certain pieces from my closet. They will forever be a part of that memory, but there other times when it was nearly as important.  I have had some really beautiful and creative outfits that I have loved and have worn repeatedly. I also have those outfits that are not my favorite and probably will never wear again, but at least I  tried something new. That is the nice thing about my closet. Things are remixable and can be worn several different ways. Not just in the outfit that it was purchased for. This last year has been a year of learning-- in 2013 I needed to create a remixable wardrobe because I was pregnant and I couldn't wear larger non-maternity clothes anymore. They didn't it right and they were uncomfortable. I translate that knowledge into my 2014 wardrobe, thankfully some of my clothes still fit after I had my son, but unfortunately some did not. I have realized that it is not a race and have been slowly working on building my wardrobe. My plan is to add another pair of jeans, maybe two pairs. I have one pair that fits and that I like, but I spend a lot of my time in work clothes, so I don't need a ton of pairs-- but it would be nice to have more than one pair. I also am lacking sweaters. Which I find interesting. I live in the midwest, but in fact do not own a lot of sweaters. I do not know how that has happened, so I will be adding a couple sweaters to my wardrobe. Especially now, as all winter items are on sale!

I felt unsatisfied with my closet before. It didn't feel very chic or impressive-- I often feel like I didn't have anything to wear. My clothes need to make sense for what I do everyday! For me feeling  chic doesn't necessarily mean sky high heels and little black dresses. My clothes need to reflect that the majority of my time is spent at my job, teaching children... and when I am not at my job I am with my son who is just now figuring out that he likes to "Move it! Move it! Move it!" I spend a lot of my time on the floor, dancing, and all sorts of other things.. so I need movable and flexible clothing. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy a beautifully created ensemble-- even though it might not be easily washable or practical. 

I feel like I have a really solid base, other than my jeans and sweater situation. They are pieces that are easily added in. I will probably have to replace some items and I am on the hunt for some shoes to add to my collection. This year-- my goal for wardrobe is to conscientious about what I am purchasing and making sure that these items are remixable and are easy to care for.

I hope you join me as I learn how to make my wardrobe work for me! Happy New Year, Friends!