Taking Advantage

... of the last of the warm weather, anyway.

Which really is just silly, because I can't WAIT for it to be cold. Late fall and winter are my absolute favorite times of year. The smells, family, holidays, decorations, chill of the air - everything. I love this time! But last Sunday, it was in the low 70s and I could still get away with bare legs and no jacket. My gifted Forever 21 floral dress hadn't made it out of the closet in quite a while, so I decided to give it a last tights-less spin of the season.

dress: Forever 21 (gift from Rachel)

shoes: Gap via Whitney

necklace: Zales, 2007 Christmas gift from Hubs

belt: came from another dress

(full Little S. outfit post)

So, I'm having a weak moment about my hair cut. I *really* miss my long hair! I'm so thankful that my locks are healthy and that it only takes 10 minutes to dry and flat iron or curl now, but the cooler weather is making me really wish I had pretty, long, thick hair for hot rollers and side swoops. Hindsight, right, my friends?

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: Therapy & Florals

There's a good chance that I'm going to need therapy to get through next week.
Let's just leave it at that.

I may or may not be wearing a dress I've kind of been DYING to own, today. Thanks to my sweet friend Rachel, of State of My Heart, a dress I'd been drooling over from Forever 21 finally became mine. And I'm so in love, it's not even funny. How perfectly Spring is this baby? THANK YOU, Rachel!

 dress: Forever 21
shoes: Lower East Side (stole 'em from my mom!)
belt: New York & Company
photography prop of the day: cutting board on top of trashcan
I'm starting to get pretty crafty, aren't I?

 

Holy colors, right? More, please!

Awkward:
- Coming to work when everyone knows you're leaving. And it seems like they're happy about it.
- Dropping Little S. off at daycare and making small talk with her provider for the first time in two years. Because she's mad. Or sad. Or something.
- Talking to my trashcan, telling it to take photos at a better angle this morning. Yep. That happened.
- Waking up in the middle of the night to get water and not remembering how the cup of water made it to my bedside table upon waking up.
- My skin. And how it hates me. But I can't figure out why.

Awesome:
- Learning that sometimes it's okay to not please everyone when you're doing what's right for yourself.
- Chasing dreams. And catching them.
- Watching my daughter read all of the letters on four different recycle bins, yesterday.
- My homemade chicken pot pie.
- Amazing amounts of support from my friends and family about my new endeavor.
- The sweet contest I've got going on where you get to STYLE ME for my new job!
Ahem, go enter, please!

For more Awkward & Awesome, click Sydney's cute little self right below and link up or read other bloggers' weekly overshares!

p.s.- My best friend, Jackie, is holding an amazing Mother's Day giveaway at Jackie Ranson Photography! Better check it out, fast!

We Love Colors Wednesday: Rust

Good morning, lovely readers! If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that it's my favorite day of the "bleek" (blogger week), We Love Colors Wednesday! I've been stoked about this post since Saturday because as soon as I received this GORGEOUS dress in the mail, from Happyness Magnet, I knew it would be the perfect frock to pair with my rust tights!

You may also be happy that these photos were taken the day I got my bangs, so the stylist made them look much better than I can. :)

navy and orange chevron dress: Forever 21, gifted by Happyness Magnet

heather blue cardigan: New York & Company

rust tights: c/o We Love Colors

short boots: Soda, via Shoe Department

bicycle necklace: Barberry & Lace

... and that dang hair tie I can't seem to part with

I wore this on 4.9.11 to go out with Husband and some friends.

But I promise, I'm wearing it, again, today! I just have a different cardi and am sans tights because I actually shaved my legs for once. It's a momentous occasion that was in need of bare legged celebration!

FTR: I'm also wearing a navy cami so I don't show what my momma (and pregnancy) gave me at work.

I had a dream last night and I woke up with such a feeling of fulfillment. To realize it wasn't real was kind of disheartening. Picture this:
I'm on the front porch of a light blue, early 1900s farmhouse. The porch is painted white and wraps all the way around the house. I'm watering the hanging basket flowers and Little S, who is about five years old, is chasing her little brother. He looked about two, had on blue jean overalls without a shirt underneath, and a head full of blonde curls. Little S kept saying, "Momma, look at my baby brother. He's runnin' fast!"
And they were both running, barefoot, through our big, green yard.
Just imagine it...

Color of the Moment: Coral

I've been reading and reading and reading. And in all of my magazines and several of the blogs that I follow, coral is all over the place, again. I thought it would overstay its welcome, overflowing from Spring/Summer 2009 into 2010. But here we are in 2011, and coral isn't going ANYWHERE.

Which is really excellent news, because after reading Suze's "How to dye your clothes" post, I just haaad to get myself some red pants! Everyone's doing it! And I love red pants! And I have this crappy cream pair that I hate and won't wear because the color and fabric combo is very unforgiving. Perfect for dying! Except... these pants were a poly-blend. I knew, after reading Suze's tutorial, that polyester and poly-blends didn't grab dye very well, so I was prepared for a fail. I didn't really care too much about the pants, anyway.
Instead of a fail, though, I got this gorgeous Springy coral color!

floral top: Target (clearance, woo!)
pants: New York & Company, dyed by me!
sandals: Target (I plan to wear these almost every day)
necklace: F21, gifted by Happyness Magnet
polish on toes: Wet 'n Wild's Blazin'

Sadly, one of the only two photos that wasn't of me falling over or of my rear end was this one... 

And you can only imagine how pleased I was to share it with you!
Also, ahem, Mister Photographer, sir... I need your help to remind me that removing my hair-tie bracelet would benefit future photo shoots, immensely. pleaseandthankyou.

Oh! I got bangs! For those of you who don't follow me on twitter and/or facebook, you probably didn't know that, yet. So, here they are, after a day at work, 90 degree heat + humidity, and lots of wind. Sorry their debut isn't much fancier. I think I'm going through a quarter life crisis and I needed a big change that wouldn't prove to be detrimental to my health or well-being. Bangs did the trick and I love 'em. Just kinda wish that I was going through my crisis in cooler, dryer weather. 

I loved dying clothes so much that I already dyed a shirt that I've not worn due to it being the ugliest color on the planet. Can't wait to show it to you, soon! That one actually turned out the expected/intended hue!

So, I went out with Husband on Saturday night and met a few friends, including Mr. Mansome, himself. I was appalled at how women are dressing themselves for attention. I mean, I've so been there. College was a giant experiment. And I was once the girl who thought that leaving little to the imagination would land me a hot guy. Yep... maybe so, but not a good one. So Mansome's wife and I came up with a very important list for:

"What Not to Wear When Looking for Quality Companionship" 

-aka- How to Land a One Night Stand

1. Dresses/skirts easily mistaken for shirts

2. Boobs so fake that they hit your face

3. A thong bikini in public... not at the pool or beach

4. An orangey tan

5. Make-up that will have to be removed with a chisel

6. A piece of clothing so tight that it's mistaken for body paint

7. So much hair product that your hair could rival the Eiffel Tower

8. Taylor Momsen-esque eyeliner with a cocktail dress

9. Shoes that are as tall as the Washington Monument and could also be worn while giving a lap dance

10. Looking like you could be taken out with the Tuesday morning garbage.

Obviously, that's just our take.

A Royal Blue Disco Ball for SBS Awareness

You may have caught my tweets and facebook requests asking you to wear royal blue, today. Maybe you didn't, but I'm asking you, here! Please wear one item of clothing or accessory in the color ROYAL BLUE before the end of April and email your photo to my dear friend, Happyness Magnet, at stateofmyheart {at} gmail {dot} com.

April is Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month and Happyness Magnet lost her 10-month-old daughter, Madilyne (Madi) when a licensed child care provider shook her to death. Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is very serious and much more common that we think or would like to admit. If you are a pregnant mother-to-be, I plead with you to watch the video about SBS when you are in the hospital. Your nurse will give you the option. I said, "No, thank you. I would never shake my baby." And thankfully, I knew better. But some people truly don't and some people let their emotions, sleeplessness, and frustration get the best of them, leading to a time when they don't even notice what harm can be done by hardly a shuffle.

Happyness Magnet is bringing SBS awareness to the surface, discussing the risks with families across the country. Since the passing of Madi, my friend has created Shaken Baby Support, which as grown from 100 to 5500 families strong in five years. She organizes yearly vigils or families who have suffered a loss due to SBS, and will be streaming this year's event LIVE on April 15, 7 p.m. ET. For your friends, family, and loved ones, I ask that you tune in.

 image via

This post is in NO WAY meant to scare you. It's meant to help spread awareness and prevention. In support, I ask that you post this blue ribbon, in memory of children lost to SBS, on your blog for the month of April. If you want to link back to Happyness Magnet's story to help support her journey to peace of heart and success in educating families and supporting those who have lost children, I know she would be so touched.

sequined dress: Charlotte Russe

grey ruffle cardigan: New York & Company

black pumps: Bandolina via Ross, birthday gifted by Rochelle

long crystal bead and chain necklace: Christmas gifted by ML

lucky horseshoe necklace: Birthday gifted by Jen in college!

blogger bun that's mega huge: Inspired by THIS post of Collette's

I've been *patiently* waiting for an appropriate time/event to wear this sequined stunner to work. As soon as I read Happyness Magnet's post, asking us to wear royal blue in support, I knew this was the number to help bring awareness. What better way to raise questions and get a chance to speak when people are asking me why the heck I'm wearing a disco ball to the office? I got to wear my favorite dress AND I'm raising awareness everywhere I go, today. 

Take THAT for a win-win!

 

Last night, Happyness Magnet caught one of my pins on Pinterest, via a tweet. She wanted to buy me a dress I've been coveting for weeks. I declined and declined and hesitated, as my tweet was a sarcastic remark, like most things that come out of my mouth. When she told me, "You'd better send me your address or I'm not sleeping, tonight!" I adhered. She told me she wanted to celebrate my motherhood. During the wee hours of the morning, I was forwarded a confirmation email from Forever 21, including FIVE items from such a giving lady. All I could think was, "I am blessed. I don't know what to say..." I realized that I gave my dinner leftovers to a homeless man on the corner of the two busiest streets in town last night. And this was Karma... the good kind. So, pay it forward, my friends. And stay tuned for Pay it Forward posts in the future. I hope you'll all join me, not only in supporting our friend, Happyness Magnet, and all of the families affected by SBS, but also by making this little world of ours a happier place because of random acts of kindness.

It sure does feel good.

So wear your royal blue this month and please send an outfit photo to

stateofmyheart {at} gmail {dot} com

before the end of April.

Photo submissions will be used in a Royal Blue Roundup to help bring awareness to the blogging community!