Motherly Duties

Since Sunday I've been staying at my brother's house, taking care of Lucie. Both Chris and Missy had work trips out of town and asked me to help out. How could I say no?

We had tons of fun and I really enjoyed the quality time, especially in the morning, I had with her. I know I'm biased but she is truly the sweetest thing alive. How she makes monkey noises, waves goodbye to me when she's in her crib and ready to go to sleep, how much she loves Buster and the special kisses she gives to her Tia Mellie (that's me!).

And while I have no idea if I'll ever be a mom, it all feels very comfortable to me to be around her - to feed her, change her diapers, snuggle with her while she drinks her juice before bed. I'm so lucky to live near her and get to be such an active part of her life. I know that I'll love Baby Sileo #2 just as much but that's hard to imagine right now.

Last night, Devon, Jen and her two girls, Larkin and Layne, came over for a play date after work. Larkin and Lucie are 6 months apart and we threw on their bathing suits, lathered them up with sunscreen and bug spray and placed them in the 4 inch deep baby wading pool. They basically ignored each other but it was fun to have them together and have time with my friends. All while drinking a beer.

We were wondering if all moms relax with cocktails once the kids are safe in bed or playing with other kids? Did my mom do that? Was she enjoying a beer while I enjoyed my juice? I mean I totally understand why. Being a mom is exhausting and I have so much respect for my friends that do it full time.

So from one maternal home to another, I'm back at my house with Buster. This time, instead of changing diapers, I'm killing a fly. Buster (and I) hate flies. They are so annoying and he, literally, hides under the bed. So I feel that it's my duty as his dog-mom to make this problem go away. And, as it did with Lucie, it feels great to know that I can take care of those I love.

For My Fans

Thanks to my fan (yes, just one - Amber), I'm going to blog about something a little different - fashion.

Many of you may know how much I love clothes - looking at them, buying them, watching them be made. Some of you may even know that I was the President of DECA (Distributive Educational Clubs of America - honestly I still don't know what that means) when I was in high school. To me, it meant that all the Fashion and Marketing classes I took in high school fit into this and in order to do some of the things I wanted to do in school I had to be in this club. And, per usual, I'm not very good at sitting back and watching someone else lead. So I became President and immediately introduced the idea of fashion shows at school. We did several - around different seasons and events. Yes, I even competed in 'buyer' events across the state of Virginia. It was so much fun and what led me to declare my first major at school as Fashion Merchandising with a Marketing minor.

This major lastly exactly one semester. I took economics and realized that I didn't really want to understand all the rationale behind clothes making, I just wanted to own and wear the clothes. So I went into social work. Which, ironically, never really affords me the type of money I want to buy all the clothes I want.

So therein lies my history for loving fashion. I continue to still love clothing, watching Project Runway and What Not To Wear, reading InStyle (the only magazine I subscribe to) and shopping. I'm also very organized, so how my clothes look in my closet and in my drawers is very important to me - some may say it's anal - but I just think they're jealous.

First, you must know I have two very small closets. Both are packed with my clothes. The first thing I did before I moved into my house, was construct the closet organizing. That should tell you something. I didn't have cable, a washer and dryer or an alarm system but I had closets (you may refer back to one of my first blog postings for this).

I organized my clothes by style and color. So within each style, there are multiple colors. For example, the short sleeved shirts are arranged by color as well as the long sleeve shirts. The dresses, however, are mostly just organized by style (would I wear this to work or not?)

I also have been working on transitioning all of my hangers to nice, wooden hangers. It's amazing how much nicer this makes your closet look. Sure, it takes up a bit more room but that allows your clothes to breathe and not get too wrinkled. You can get great wooden hangers from Ikea and make your closet look like your very own boutique.

I know that I'm not always the most avant garde dresser or perfect accessorizer and I know that I still have a lot to learn but I do have some general rules I follow that I'll pass on:

1. Don't match too much. It's okay for things to 'go together' but you don't need to dress like small children do.
2. You can mix and match patters and textures - in fact, I love how this looks.
3. It's ok to wear black with blue or brown or a combo of the above.
4. Know your body type and dress to accentuate that.
5. Limit wearing crew neck shirts. A v-neck or scoop neck shirt is always going to look better.
6. Find what works for you. Yes, being comfortable is important but is that just taking the easy way out? Dressing up doesn't have to be uncomfortable (yes, that's for you Kelsey!)

So those are my words of wisdom. Most of them have been stolen directly from other fashion icons - like Stacey London and Tim Gunn. And, believe me (and Devon who has cleaned my closet with me many times), I make mistakes For awhile I had a problem with owning too many graphic t-shirts. Why a woman in her 30s needs shirts with pandas, owls and birds on it is beyond me but I'm strangely attracted to that.

Now if only I could figure out how to buy more clothes without spending more money. It may be time for another clothing swap - anyone interested?

Ideas Please!

So tonight I got an email from my mom asking where my blog was and telling me she missed reading it. I was both touched and saddened. I've been so busy with work lately - literally working 12 hour days - that blogging seems like the last thing I've had time to do. But that's the part that makes me sad. Because while I love my job, I don't want it to be my life. In full disclosure, work has been overwhelming lately. I'm feeling more stressed out and inadequate than I ever have but I know I'll get through it. I'm grateful to have such great learning opportunities.

But enough about work (as if I don't think about it enough already....)

I wanted to prove to you all that I have done things besides work in the past few weeks. Here are some pictures of my Austin friends and me in Alabama at Haley's wedding. It was such a great event. I truly can't believe after attending (and being a bridesmaid in) the number of weddings I have that I haven't grown tired of them. I love weddings and will be well versed in them once my own rolls around.

So if you all have anything you're dying to hear from me about - updates, thoughts, musings, suggestions, etc. - do tell! Because my creative juices are running low right now.

Colored pictures looked great when we first got to the wedding reception:

And then we started to sweat a bit so Black and White photos worked better:

If she does say so herself, she 'sure is a pretty bride':