school, kids, self

Let's have a proper update, shall we?

Well, we aren't homeschooling this year. Not sure if I said that here or not. I had all our curriculum and what not picked out, but when it came right down to it, it's just going to be too much for me to homeschool Canon and Ephraim and making sure they are also getting the social interaction as well as routine and structure they need, and be working on potty training with Doyle AND be taking care of Hickory and still be able to keep up with all the household duties. I will always be the first to admit that I am *not* Super Mom and I need help. It takes a village after all. Tonight is their open house, tomorrow is Canon's first day of 1st grade and kindergarten orientation with Ephraim, and then Ephraim's first day is Friday. Just because of his age they are making him due kindergarten despite the fact that he's already done it at home. He's probably more ready for first grade than Canon is, actually.

Saturday, we're all being blown away in a hurricaine. John says we should be doing some sort of hurricaine preparations, but I have no idea what that entails. I'm an Oklahoma girl. Handling tornados, I know. Hurricaines, not so much.

I've totally fallen off the wagon with Couch to 5k. I liked it at first but once I got to week 4, I had some issues. A.)my knees really started hurting and B.)I started getting really bored with it. It was fun when it was like, run 2 min, walk 2 min, but once the run times started increasing and the walk times decreasing it got boring. I guess I liked doing the intervals more than just run run runing. *shrug* It's also pretty boring on the treadmill, but that's probably just something I need to power through for now.

Hickory is wonderful. He sleeps 8 hours straight at night, then takes two 3 hour naps during the day. He has a rather serious countenance just like Canon did as a baby. He does smile and coo, but he's no where near the social, smiley guy that Ephraim and Doyle were.

It'll be interesting to see how Doyle does during the day without Canon and Ephraim to play with. I'm going to have to start going to playdates again. Ulch. I always feel like I have nothing in common with the other moms other than mom stuff, which is fine, but sometimes I want to talk about anything OTHER than kid related things. Know what I mean? I'll probably sign us up for MOPS again.

I've been getting back into sewing, which is awesome, because I still don't fit into my old clothes (most of which aren't nursing friendly anyway.) I finished some awesome 1930's-esque trousers over the weekend, and have everything cut for a high-waisted pencil skirt, just need to start on it. I'm itching to get back on the path of vintage-inspired style. I STILL haven't gotten my hair cut and it's driving me nuts, especially now that it's in that post-partum shedding stage. The stuff is everywhere!

Only 3 months, 2 weeks and 3 days until we move back to Oklahoma City!!!! (But who's counting, right? lol.)

What I Wore Today

Just a quick snap I took this evening of my outfit for the day. I'm 25 weeks pregnant now, but this outfit could easily translate to someone not eating for two. I wore this all day long to make a quick run to the store and then to tackle the absolute filth that had taken over my bathroom. (I did end up taking off my cardigan while cleaning because it got a little warm.) Over all though, it's a very mom-friendly outfit since everything can be thrown in the washing machine and my hair was out of my face. Further proof that just because it's not the 50's anymore, it doesn't mean that you can get things done and look good doing them!

The leopard print rose was my blossom of the month this month from Belle Blossoms. It's not something I'd normally pick since I tend to choose more natural looking flowers, but it's so fun! Sometimes you just need something that packs a bit more punch, you know? My snood is also from Belle Blossoms. I'm totally stoked that she's carrying snoods now, since around the house I'm constantly bending over to pick things up or change a diaper and having my hair in my face drives me crazy, but I don't want to rock a pony tail all the time either. Today it was quite windy out for North Carolina, but typical of Oklahoma weather and the snood was great for looking cute without my hair flying all over the place. I have a feeling snoods and I are going to become fast friends when we move back to Oklahoma at the end of the year.

snood and leopard rose- Belle Blossoms
glasses- Vintageous
cardigan and maternity jeans- Kohl's
tank top- Target

Outfits.

Just playing a little catch-up on things I wore this weekend, as well as what I'm wearing today.

Friday:

Just running some errands in my new skirt. My hair was pretty frizzy and wild, but I didn't really want to go out with rollers in my hair, and the errands couldn't wait.

Friday night my husband and I had date night, so I had to kick it up a notch. I was in such a hurry to finish getting ready that I cut my head off and didn't have time to redo the picture. The blouse and jeans I got at Kohl's and the heels from Shoe Carnival. I didn't end up wearing the heels for the night though because they kept slipping off the back of my heel and the last thing you want when wearing 5 inch heels is compromised stability. I'm determined to put whatever little pads and grips I have to on these shoes to make them work though. They are too sassy not to find a way to make them wearable!

Saturday:

A simple cotton dress for running errands and a trip to the park! I gotta say, it's a pain to iron all that skirt and a complicated bodice such as this, but so worth it. I knew the day promised to be hot and humid, so I back combed my hair at the crown and then put it in a pony tail with a leopard print scarf I made from scraps of fabric left over from making my leopard print pencil skirt.

Now, mind you I'm not always dressed to the nine's. So for a little balance of reality, my outfit du jour:

Well, there it is in all it's glory. House dress, slippers, hair in rollers and no make-up. Gotta keep it real.

all for a day's work

Several months ago, I heard a story of a husband and wife who were going through marriage counseling. The husband was saying that on the days that his wife stayed home and didn't go anywhere she was always wearing ratty sweat pants and over-sized t-shirts and had her hair in a messy pony tail, but when she knew she'd be leaving the house to go to a meeting or get together, she'd put on something nice and fix her hair and make-up and that he wished he could come home to the put together woman more often. The wife replied that she didn't see the point in doing it on the days she didn't go anywhere because no one was going to see her.

Who was her husband? Was he "no one"? That story has really stuck in my mind and resonated with me. My husband and I have been together for seven years now and have three children- all boys. He has watched me give birth to all of them, two of them completely drug-free births to 9 pounders. Needless to say we are comfortable with each other and he has seen me at my most unglamorous. I know that I am his standard of beauty, but I still want to be the best that I can be, so every morning I get up and go to the gym. When I get home, I make lunch for the kids and I, and after lunch is over I make a point to clean myself up. For me that usually means rolling my hair, putting on some make-up, and changing into a dress or blouse/skirt combo. Don't get me wrong, I don't always look like I'm on my way to a cocktail party, but I am a big believer that you should never stop dating your spouse, and during the brief time that my husband and I were dating, I made sure I looked good.

This is what I'm wearing today. I made this skirt the day before Easter Sunday and it's probably one of my favorite things in my closet. It's red denim with an awesome cross hatching all over in white. It's flattering, it's comfortable, and can be worn just about anywhere. The apron is there to protect my outfit from the hazards of house cleaning. I saw this fabric online YEARS ago and just had to have something, anything in my wardrobe made out of it. It's boomerang barkcloth for crying out loud! How could I NOT be completely in love with it? Finally a few months back I was browsing through Boojiboo because I wanted another apron in my rotation, and I pounced on this one.

Now, I'm not saying that every wife needs to have on a pencil skirt, heels, and red lipstick when her husband comes home. I'm not saying that at all. What getting "cleaned up" looks like for me, may not be the same for you. Maybe you are more of a laid back, jeans and t-shirt gal. That's fine! Be who you are! This isn't about being something that you aren't, but about making the most with what you've got. This also isn't something that my husband or anyone else has pressured me into doing. No one has ever told me that I need to look a certain way when my husband comes home. This is just something I do because I want to do it. I want to look nice for my husband. Men are visual after all, so why not try to look my best? I don't do it because I want my husband to love me, but because he already loves me, even at my worst. But just because he's seen me at my worst, doesn't mean he needs to see the worst of me every day.

FO: leopard pencil skirt

Being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until two days before the show to start any actual sewing of this skirt and then had to rush to get it done that day because I knew that was the only time I had. As is the case in those situations, the skirt is far from perfect. You do NOT want to see the zipper or hem up close, let me assure you. Thanks to the print, though, you don't really notice the imperfections unless you are looking for them.



I'm not sure if I sewed the seam allowances a little bigger than last time, or if I've gained a few pounds (which would not surprise me at all with the way I've been eating lately), but the skirt is pretty snug in the waist. We had a two hour drive to get to the show and I had to unzip a bit just to be comfortable and less concerned about popping a seam! (File that under: You know you're wearing a wiggle skirt when...) My husband said I was setting myself up for failure with a skirt I couldn't really sit in and shoes that hurt my feet (mental note: get ball of the foot pads for these pronto!) but hey- I felt cute and that was all I really cared about. I'm going to have to spend a little more time at the gym before this skirt goes into my regular rotation of clothes, but it's worth it I think.

glasses- Vintageous
camisole- Express
skirt- Vogue 8604
shoes- Lucky Lou

Introduction and Project.

Hello world. My name is Dott. I am a wife, a mother, and a fan of all things retro, specifically from the 1940's up through the atomic era. I love the juxtaposition of the glamor along with simplicity. That I can create my own homemade glitz is certainly appealing as a stay at home mom to three spirited little boys under the age of 6. Why, at this very moment I am sitting here typing as I cold set my hair in sponge rollers. This year is the year that (at my husband's urging) I have decided to fully embrace a more classically glamorous, retro lifestyle and here is where I will document it all.

A current project I have decided to jump in on, is Self-Stitched September 2010. I read about this on the Sew Retro blog (and again, at my husband's gentle nudging) have decided to participate! This will be quite the challenge for me since I just recently got back into sewing clothes after many years of doing nothing in the way of creating for my own personal use. However, I had been wanting to sew a new pencil skirt to wear to go see Reverend Horton Heat play on Thursday, so it seems the perfect kick-off to start getting more handmade duds in my wardrobe. I think it will be a lot of fun and also a great learning experience, so, let the September prep-work begin!!!!