This week we went out for a delicious and expensive sushi date because it was Jake's birthday. I could have sushi every day probably. I love my husband for everything he does, but especially for getting me hooked on the good stuff. ;)
I've been wearing a lot of menswear (courtesy of Jake) and adding feminine touches like jewelry or a nice hair style. It is super comfortable and makes me feel put together still.
Also, I went shopping with Cassie of My Hull Heart and I will probably go back and buy everything I looked at while I was with her. She is so stylish and has a great eye for a bargain.

Brands: H&M (striped menswear tee, dress and booties), Soel Boutique (silk trousers), The Aquatic Ghost Colony band (Graphic tee), JCrew (dotted blouse), Forever21 (flat brimmed faux leather hat). Thrifted: skirt, sunhat, shorts.

a reminder: i'm good at some things.

I am not good at

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being consistent

cleaning

throwing things away

cooking

I am good at

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drawing

doing my hair

putting outfits together

having dance parties with Talia 

watching movies with Jake

being nice to people

sleeping

You guys, sometimes I have such a hard time doing the dishes. Or the laundry. Or basically any chores in general. I feel so guilty about it and wonder why I turned out to be such a slob. Yes, it's more important to have happy kids than a clean house... but there has got to be a balance right?

Anyway, today I was so angry at myself while I was doing the dishes. Like, angry-tears-mad.
Afterwards, I took a deep breath and I thought... I'm not good at some things, but I'm good at others.
So life isn't so bad.
Besides, that's what life is for: to be bad at some things. To pick which ones you want to work on. To be happy with what you've got going.

I want Talia to grow up knowing that she has weaknesses, but also being proud of her strengths and accomplishments. She is the most valuable little person in my life, and a lot of other people's lives, too. I don't want her to ever forget that; so why not do that for myself?

So...sorry husband, for being such a drama-bomb about my faults. And thanks for laughing at most of them; it helps put my emotions into perspective. Really. Even though I get mad at you sometimes. :)

I went to A Midsummer Mingle last Saturday, hence the Oaxaca dress again. I think I will probably wear it once a week forever.

Technical sidenote: I use a fashion sketchbook to do these each week. I'm pretty good at figure drawing (3 semesters + 2 of just the face structure), but I want to focus on the clothes. The croquis provided make a weekly series like this a super attainable goal. I'm all about that. :) 

Brands: Flor de Luz Shop (Mexican dress), H&M (pink blouse and blue jeans), vintage (green flower print skirt), Target (blue sweatshirt), Banana Republic (brown heels), and a few unknown (grey pants, striped shirt and sandals. I just forgot where I bought those...)

#amidsummermingle

photo cred: Merrilee from the Mer Mag blog

Last night, these lovely ladies  threw a party to celebrate the arrival of summer.
(In order from left to right: Brittany, Meta, Eva, Sarah, Merrilee, and Melanie & Alma (not pictured))

A few of my dream summer essentials made it into my wardrobe this week. The silk floral pants, the leather flat-brim hat, and the Mexican dress have been all over my pinterest lately and now they are in my closet! I love when that happens.
Also making their first appearances this summer season: the t-shirt/skirt combo and the head scarf (that I still feel self-conscious wearing in public but whatever).

Brands: Soel Boutique (floral trousers), Forever 21 (sunglasses and leather trucker hat), Flor de Luz shop (Oaxaca dress), Hot Topic (Black Sabbath t-shirt), Boden (orange skirt), HM (head scarf and skinny jeans), Down East Basics (braided V-neck shirt).

Style Inspiration #3: Tinge Floral

I recently had the privilege of working with Ashley Beyer of Tinge Floral to illustrate a photo from a gorgeous styling shoot she put together a while back. 

Thanks to my six year old neighbor and The House That Lars Built blog, I feel like I had a really great hair week, which made my outfits ten times better than they were. I believe in the power of good hair (it's my third biggest pinterest board); it's a magical thing that does not happen too often to this girl.
Happy Monday!

Brands: H&M (dress), LuluLemon (striped t-shirt), Gap Menswear (lavender t-shirt), Forever21 (pink blouse), vintage (skirt), JCrew (belt).

bathroom stories

Having a baby severely limited the privacy settings on my life.
Everywhere I go, she goes. Everything I do, she watches (and maybe copies).
I mean, I still try to keep her out of my lingerie drawer and stuff, but when it comes to bathroom business, I have completely given up.

This is my sister

She's on a mission in Chicago and I couldn't be more happy for her and her happy, happy life.

Last sweater outfit and first t-shirt + shorts combo. Making way for full on summer!

Brands: Anthropologie, H&M, J Crew, Mayberry Vintage, Target, Nike, and a lot of thrift finds.