Looks I Like: April & Rachel

Sisters April and Rachel have great style to begin with, and they took it to a new level with favorite finds from the fall Book Club Clothes Exchange. I like the military inspiration to April's shirt dress, and the wide belt around the waist is a look I keep wondering if I can emulate.

I wish I had a picture of the back of April's dress.
The belt has awesome detailing!

I feel like I see lace pop up here and there in fashion, but I'm not quite sure I know how to work it into my wardrobe - or even if I should! I think this evening look works, especially on Rachel. Is there a rule about lace, day vs. night? Maybe that would help me focus on how to incorporate into my wardrobe...

Wondering if Rachel wore this to the
wedding she attended this weekend?

Amy from Stella & Dot styled both April and Rachel with jewelry and with handbags, which were buttery soft. Rachel and I agreed on how handy the Soho Wristlet was. I always have an issue with holding my handbag and juggling a drink or food. This solves the issue all together! Confirmed: these are looks I like!

Looks I Like: Alexis

Are you following Alexis on her blog, Lex and Learn? If you're not, you should; and if you do, you know why Alexis is my style guru. Here's Alexis in her favorite find from Book Club Clothes Exchange, a stylish, neutral-colored cardigan.

I learned a long time ago via What Not To Wear (I love that show) about the importance of a "completer piece" like a cardigan or jacket. I'd like to add some more "completer pieces" to my closet lineup, as I think they can help pull a look together and can make a variety of outfits more work-appropriate.

I'm not sure the sleeves shown here would be good on me - but the length hitting at the hip is a must, I've discovered. Anything shorter and I'm constantly pulling down and longer makes my body proportions all off...

Alexis paired her cardigan with the Marrakesh Bib Necklace from Stella & Dot. I told you she had great style!

Looks I Like: Tori

Because she recently got engaged and was the belle of Book Club Clothes Exchange (not to mention a very lively model...), I am starting my series of "Looks I Like" with Tori and her favorite find from the exchange, a cute sundress, which I recently mentioned in my Decoding the Dress post as a dress style that everyone must have according to Real Simple's Never Buy The Wrong Thing Again.

She's ready for a beach party...

She already looks like a blushing bride!

Way to work the Stella & Dot ring!

She's an animal!

Tori has great arms, which in my opinion are key to this style of sundress. Since I haven't been kickboxing in awhile, I'd probably pair this with a cardigan or jacket (I feel like a bright contrasting color like yellow or purple would be sort of fun) to make it work a little better for me.

A few pieces of Tori's jewelry were styled by Amy McDowell of Stella & Dot. Like the look? You can get it here:

• Camilla Ring
• Prosper Bracelet

Friends + Finds = Fashion

Part of the timing for my personal style makeover (in progress...) was driven by my semi-annual Book Club Clothes Exchange extravaganza. A few years ago my friends and I realized that we really loved one another's looks, and when one person tired of a favorite item, there were always a few ladies waiting in the wings to give the beloved garment a new lease on life. So was born the Book Club Clothes Exchange.

In addition to being "green", it's given us all a little more courage to let go of favorite items. After all - who doesn't want to see their beloved jeans that no longer fit go to a friend who is going to rock the look, and probably call you each time she does to let you know how grateful she is? Oh - and the price is right on all items at the exchange (free!) and anything that doesn't find a home goes to charity.

This year we added a new element, inviting awesome Stella & Dot stylist Amy McDowell to join us to help accessorize our new looks (and participate in the exchange, of course!) I'll be featuring photos of each girl and her favorite look in the coming days, but in the meantime, here are a few previews from the exchange itself. We had more clothes than ever before and tons and tons of fun (but that's just a given...)

Highlight of the exchange included toasting Tori's engagement (that's her on the right)
while traveling Europe a few weeks ago. Sarah's was the lucky one who got to cozy with Tori
while she spilled the beans on the big moment.

Laura & Ashley pillaging the skirt section of the exchange.
Note Ashley's laser kitty tee. Not part of the exchange,
but a find that someone is surely "eyeing" for the future. Get it, "eye"ing...?

We had to know that Tobie would be drawn to the sporty pants!

Jessica digging in to the shirts, and looking awesome post-baby!

April in action!

Amy Claire Wild lives up to her name.
Awesome tank donated to the exchange...

In addition to fashion, other statements are made at clothes exchange.
One of us works for Planned Parenthood.
Wonder if that's the same person who brought this shirt? (Answer = yes. Awesome.)

Friends = Happiness

Book Club - Aug. 30, 2011

I belong to the world's best Book Club. It's filled with girls who mostly met through work - but we have a few "outsiders" who came via friendships and sisterhood (the real blood-sisterhood kind...). Not all of the outsiders we've invited to join us stuck and we recently declared book club closed - no more new applications accepted (at least for now...). We're happy the way we are - and we make one another so happy it's hard to measure.

No matter how bumpy my life gets - and goodness knows it's been bumpy lately - I know I always have my girls to turn to. Our lives have changed thanks to marriages, kids, divorces, moves, breakups, new jobs and many other life events, but at the end of the day we still have one another - and we just make one another smile. If I need a hug - I know I will get it from my girls. If I need a celebration - I know they'll be the first to raise a glass. I will still never forget the girls coming the "roost" the day we found out that our old dog Cowboy was going to leave us. I also won't ever forget dancing with my girls at my wedding - in the middle of a circle of pure love.

Tonight we held Book Club at Carrie's house. Just days off of planning the biggest event of her life, Carrie hosted a fantastic book club that incorporated our fairly recent tradition of round robin updates. From purely happy updates to "the world is finally looking up" updates we gathered in a circle and toasted each one. Whether life hands us lemons or whether we're furiously making lemonade we always have each other. Friends = happiness and I am so lucky to have an over-abundance of both in my life.

Simple Pleasures

Here are some photos from the past few months to help catch you up to speed! The photos are a lot more fun than any narrative I could come up with...

Birthday Pirate - clanging dog bowls so all in the land know to celebrate!

Learning to play baseball with Daddy while visiting family in New York.

Fun at Aunt Laura Ann and Uncle Tony's house!

Exhausted - aren't those tiny feet and diaper bum the cutest?

Big smiles for visiting Aunt Tiffy!

Meeting Great Grandma M for the first time.

Friends

I am lucky to have probably the best group of girlfriends any person has ever had. Tonight we gathered to celebrate Carrie's birthday, and in another week the gang (some of it anyway), will gather to celebrate Laura's passage into the fabulous forties! She is the first in an upcoming string of mentor/mentee partnerships we have created to escort one another into our next (and surely most fabulous) decade. I'm grateful for my mentor, Terri, and look forward to mentoring Carrie into the next decade when it's our turn.

I look back at what we've shared and it's amazing what this group of girls has been through. We've shared in the joy of first dates, weddings, new jobs, new homes, babies, exciting life opportunities (Seymour Flight Plan anyone?), and more. We've helped one another through some down times, too, including breakups and lost loved ones (pets and people included - I still remember everyone gathering at my house the afternoon that Cowboy had to be put down).

It was "book club" that brought us together (my husband still always wants to know what we're reading... I don't know that Facebook or US Weekly count as books, so I use the term "book" club loosely), but it's our love for one another that keeps us going strong. Every time I fell the slightest bit down I'm rejuvenated by some time with my girls. Thank you all for being an important and constant part of my life! I couldn't be more blessed to count you all as friends.

New Year's Eve Party!

This was Baby F's first New Year, and he was lucky enough to have a pretty date, Baby S, to share the evening with! While they didn't stay up until midnight - it was midnight somewhere when they put on their matching jammies and hit the hay. Someday we'll use these photos to embarrass them when they're off to prom!

Cherub's Giggle

If you know my mom, you know that she's very creative and that she also really loves spending time with Baby F. This year for Christmas she married her creativity with my dad's current job at Water2Wine  to make a fantastic gift they named Cherub's Giggle.

I should have known that after a clandestine "photo shoot" with his Mimi that Baby F would be starring in our cherished Christmas gift - customized bottles of pinot noir and pinot grigio. We loved this gift and promptly consumed the wine which was delicious! I'd highly suggest this fun, custom bottle idea if you're in the market for a unique gift for a friend or loved one.

Tasty Treats

I love cooking and baking - as discussed on this blog before - so I really like making tasty treats for friends and family at the holidays (and it doesn't hurt that there are often leftovers for me!) This year I decided to go all out on fudge, and made a few flavors. Only one flavor completely tanked (pumpkin fudge - I definitely did something wrong in that recipe...), but the others were delicious and I have one more batch to make - this time maple - which I hope tastes as heavenly as it sounds.

In the meantime, if you're looking for a good fudge recipe here are the ones I used with a few editorial notes:

• Favorite flavor of the year: peanut butter fudge. This recipe was truly easy and the texture was perfect. Several of my friends said they ate the entire bag I gave them before they even had a chance to put it away. I want to make another batch just for me!
• Close second favorite flavor: candy cane fudge. Although my final product didn't look anything like the photo (my candy canes were inside the fudge, not on top), it was delicious. On the topic of looks - against my better judgement I used green food coloring with this recipe. I would actually recommend against using any food coloring. I selected multi-colored (red, white & green) candy canes for the recipe and they actually looked really nice against the original white of the batter. When I make my next batch, I'm keeping it au naturel.
• I am usually a huge chocolate fudge fan - but this recipe wasn't my favorite. Don't get me wrong, it still tasted divine and I still gave it out as gifts, but it was a little dry & brittle for my liking. All of my woes were likely caused by chef's error, but I'll probably go back to the popular Fantasy Fudge recipe next time.

Baby F is, of course, too young to take part in the cooking or tasting of these treats - but I do have him around in the kitchen often and wonder if he'll grow up with an affinity for cooking. I hope so, because I think a man who knows how to cook (or at least one who's willing to clean up the dishes) makes a great catch!

Holiday Treats to Holiday Lights - A Day of Giving

Today was a day of giving. It started when I delivered holiday treats and cards to Baby F's teachers at school, then handed out goodies to my coworkers. This evening I got to help decorate a cottage at Tennyson Center for Children, and capped off the night by making some food for tomorrow's teacher appreciation luncheon at Baby F's school. Whew!

Most moving for me today was helping to decorate the cottage at Tennyson. If you're not familiar with the organization, they provide services for abused and neglected children. GroundFloor Media has supported Tennyson for many years, and we decorated cottages last year, too - so maybe it's being a new mom, but interacting with the kids there this year was totally different for me. I couldn't help looking at their darling, eager faces and wondering how on earth they end up in abusive or neglectful situations. How could a parent do that to their child? I simply cannot imagine, but I'm so glad that organizations like Tennyson exist to provide a safe space and healing treatment for these kids.

Watching the kids get so excited about the decorating process, and hearing from them about their own holiday traditions (one girl hung her very own ornament which she said was "very old" - she received it on her first birthday nine years ago...) reminded me what the holidays really should be about. The kids were so eager to open the stockings we brought for them and watching them go through the small gifts inside again reminded me to be so grateful for all that I have - most importantly a loving family and friends.

I haven't started Christmas shopping yet, but am encouraged every day the holiday draws more near to focus on giving to those less fortunate. This year - and again, maybe it's being a first time mom... - but this year I would much rather give back than receive. It's what the Christmas spirit is all about.

Locked & Loaded

I cannot believe it - but my holiday treats are ready for delivery tomorrow to Baby F's teachers and to my co-workers. And - on top of it all - I completed an entire delivery of holiday treats for Zach's office earlier this week! Only one treat went horribly awry and actually ended up in the trash (it was that bad...), but the rest are tasty and ready to bring holiday smiles to people's faces. Details and recipe links to come!

Next up? Holiday cards... Goal? Stuffed, addressed, stamped and ready to hit the road by Monday. Stay tuned for progress updates!

From Russia With Love

Today was a very special day - I got to meet Laura and Greg Aden's little boy Jackson who they just adopted from Russia. What a darling, vibrant, happy and outgoing little boy! And did I mention ACTIVE? Oh boy... I need a nap thinking of how tired I'll be chasing Baby F around when he's Jackson's age!

I adore Laura for so many reasons (you should know that she hired me even though I spilled coffee all over her beautiful, winter-white outfit almost five years ago now...), but we became closer over the past few years sharing in the trials and tribulations of trying to grow our families - me struggling with infertility and her with the ups and downs of trying to adopt. What a blessing that today we're both fulfilled in having achieved our dreams of growing our families to include happy, healthy little boys! What a difference a year (or two) makes.

What strikes me the most on the battlegrounds of infertility and adoption is that sometimes the people who want babies the most - those who would really make the ultimate parents - are those who face the highest hurdles. Both infertility and adoption come at a high price (emotionally and monetarily), and some try and try at both avenues only to run into road blocks along the way. Not to mention the other side of the story - the sweet kids like Jackson who would love to join a loving home and have no understanding that there are loving parents out there, it's just not quite so easy to put two-and-two together.

My wish tonight is that all those out there struggling with whatever barriers exist between them and a loving family will have the strength and resources to overcome those barriers. No matter what their future family looks like, I can say from experience that in the end it's worth the struggle.

I'm in the Navy!

I spent a blissful afternoon with my BFF Jody today celebrating our two birthdays (she on Nov. 20, me Dec. 4 - just two weeks apart!) We first stopped at Common Grounds for a delicious sandwich and some drinks, then on to the Oxford for mani/pedis. Believe it or not, this was Jody's first pedi and she loved it!

I saw an ad for something in a magazine recently where the girl had navy blue nail polish - so I decided to give it a try. OPI has this cool color called Russian Navy, and I love it! I got it on my toes and fingers and it looks really cool. Only problem is that it's not very forgiving, and I already have a nick on my finger nail that you simply cannot miss. Oh well - it's going to be fun while it lasts!

While the afternoon was lots of fun - nothing can beat the giant smile and jumping around "welcome home" that Baby F did when he saw me walk in the door! That kid is really cute... Wonderful birthday weekend all around!