Embroidered Jeans and Pompom Clutch + 11 Current Feels
Before we talk about my outfit we have to talk about the wall, obviously. I found this mural of The Dude driving to get my car serviced and immediately filed it away as a have-to for a future blog post -- and here it is! The rest of the building is super colorful and kind of trippy...not exactly the right backdrop for a bubbly OOTD shoot featuring pompom clutches and bubble gum earrings LOL!
The day we took these photos we loaded up the car with several options to shoot around town, most of the places on our list conveniently located in West Asheville. We went here first and I almost didn't have the courage to keep smiling and snapping away with the rubber neckers and onlookers enjoying a frozen treat at the ice cream shop in the parking lot. But thus is the life of a blogger and you just have to shrug it off and laugh...especially when the backdrop is so amazing!
I feel like I'm literally trying to slough off the winter blahs in every way I know how and that definitely includes wearing lots of fun colors, sometimes all at once. These Zara jeans went on sale after Christmas for $20, so given the price point and how much I love embroidery, I took a chance. With all the design going on and the cropped flare silhouette, they kind of intimidate me but dang it I'm tired of skinny jeans all day, every day, so I'm pushing myself to wear them and when I do, they make me happy! They make planning the rest of your outfit fairly simple since you don't want to go too heavy with bells and whistles and wind up looking like a parade float.
This pompom clutch is a holdover from last season THANK GOODNESS because rarely did I need to carry a true hand bag last year with an under-one-year-old baby who was breastfeeding 'round the clock. I loved it with this outfit for the small pops of color but it's really such an easy way to add a little something extra to spring sundresses. Which I plan on living in since I don't need to wear button fronts at all times anymore -- yippee!
(If you're reading this and you're breastfeeding, it's really not all that bad and I highly recommend embracing off-the-shoulder tops and dresses with elastic around the neckline. Makes easy access a breeze and you don't have to fiddle with buttons!)
PS, I just have to say that I also bought these nude pumps on sale from Zara and while I love them and think they're the perfect nude heel for me...y'all. Pumps are basically flip flops on me. They will NOT stay put on my feet! I load them up with Dr. Scholl's and still they don't feel right. I have a couple pairs that have worked out for some reason unbeknownst to me, but at this point I'm tired of trying to make it work. I'm just a Gretchen trying too hard with her fetch pumps and Regina is telling me to shut it down. I far prefer a heel with an ankle strap or some such security to keep my foot properly in the shoe (you know, which is kind of the point), hence why I linked to an ankle strap pump in my shopping links.
PPS, Dr. Scholl's is the only brand worth a toot when it comes to shoe inserts. I've tried a few other ones -- Amope and Fancy Feet - and they lost their stickiness within an hour of wearing my shoes. Womp womp.
PPPS, Target: Please do a better job restocking your Dr. Scholl's products. They're sold out for a reason and no one wants that other nonsense.
***
This week, I'm bringing back an old standby from my college days when IM statuses were a "thing" LOL! Every week I'd write three things I loved and three things I hated. I always kept it light, the most serious things ranking really high on my twenty-something list of "I can't evens." Now a lot older (hopefully a lot wiser) I really try not to use the word hate so flippantly because it's a pretty powerful word. I don't want to be like the Little Boy Who Cried Wolf and throw around words only to desensitize myself and those around me to the true impact of said words and our reactions to them.
Remember when I said I was an over-thinker? I know my truth ;)
But anyways, on any given day I'm laughing or shaking my fist at the most random, often mundane things! A few things I'm currently feeling all the feels about and some things not so much...
Loving...Feud: Bette and Joan! I love All About Eve so I went into the show feeling pro-Bette Davis but Jessica Lange's performance as Joan Crawford (nee Lucille LeSueur, as it turns out) is making this a battle a split decision for me.
Researching...tell-all old Hollywood memoirs! Give me more glimpses into the age of studios and screen sirens! I realize the irony (I guess it's irony...my mother-in-love can tell me for sure) of wanting to know all the gossip about an age that I know nothing about because there were no TMZs or US Weeklys to do all the dirty work and I probably love that era because of how little I know. But I'm mad for details on Bette, Joan, Greta, Marilyn, Jean...basically everybody called out in the song Vogue.
Cursing...my sad out-of-shape body. I tried going running for the first time in over six months and I was out of breath and had a cramp before the first song even finished on my running playlist! My calves were also pitifully sore. I did just join the Y and am looking forward to all the awesome classes they offer...when I get up the courage to A) leave Harlow in any form of daycare for the first time and B) attempt to exert that much energy and not collapse. I went for a run on Monday while our nanny was helping out and cannot believe how gorgeous the view is from the Reuters Y cardio center! All those rolling mountains...hits me right in the heart. Maybe that's why I still couldn't run longer than one song...at least it was a longer song :D
Celebrating...that I made it out of Target with only one unnecessary purchase this week and that's with all the adorable Easter decor staring me in the face right as I walked through the door. Said purchase? A vintage-style tank with The Doors on it. Perfect with leggings for all those run-walks I need to go on (see last paragraph).
Unashamed...that I despise The Bachelor/Bachelorette and I cannot understand why it's so popular. I can do blooper videos all day, every day, but watching an actual train wreck of a human being parade in front of a camera in some sort of desperate grab for fame masquerading as a search for their soul mate? Gross me out.
Confused...did Facebook change the way your status updates look in everyone's news feeds? What's with the color block and chunky text? Every time I see one at first glance I think it's a juvenile meme or something. Which is just as well because I'm not really on Facebook that much anymore...anyone else burned out with it?
Delighted...with Sesame Street! It's Harlow's new favorite and I have to admit I enjoy watching it, too. Their spoofs on adult pop culture are amazing! So far I've seen them adapt The Hunger Games, Jurassic Park, and Orange Is The New Black. They even had a Mr. Mustache and sent Piper to The Shoe -- literally she went and sat inside a gigantic boot BAHAHAHAHA! They're so clever and their messaging is so, sooooo happy and positive! But don't get me started on any of that Caillou nonsense...
Disappointed..at The Tonight Show lately. I loooove Jimmy Fallon -- I think the world needs more people like him -- but the sketches have felt so forced and unfunny lately. I was glad to see him play the egg game with Paris Jackson the other night. Speaking of Paris, she's a knock out! That choppy blonde hair looks amaze on her! Did kinda feel like she didn't want to discuss her dad tho....
Looking forward...to our trip to the zoo this weekend! We're staying at this very remote lakefront resort which is JUST the mental detox I need. Then we're driving to Asheboro to the NC Zoo and meeting my grandfather and Mike's dad and stepmom. My grandfather took me to the very same zoo when I was tiny so this is a pretty special event for our family. I can't wait to see Harlow's reaction to all the animals...and of course...I'm holding out hope that we'll hear a lion or tiger roar LOL! Always at the top of my zoo wish list.
Working on...my inner critic. If words were punches, I'd say I beat myself to a pulp on a daily basis. My default stance is I could be doing better, I should be doing better, why am I not doing better? So like I said...I'm working on it with my life coach (my words) Aleka and adding her podcast on this very subject of the inner critic to my feed.
Embracing...my nightly entry in my Gratitude app. Working through burnout and trying to create more "space" in my life and in my mind requires a shift in focus for me that starts with a more positive mindset. Taking a minute each day to think about what made it good is so happy. Sometimes I know it when I'm actually experiencing the moment, and other times it hits me in hindsight. One feature of the app I really like is you can upload a photo each day to go with your entry. I love that if I'm writing about something cute and simple that Harlow did I can include a photo showing her in that moment.
xxBrooke