An Update and a Throwback

I haven't blogged in a while. I suppose I could blame it on being busy, now a mom of three, but the truth is that once a little bit of time goes by without writing, it's easy to just let more and more time go by. The thought of playing "catch up" with my blog, and then once again explaining why I've been gone, and then committing to be "back at it" and the added guilt once I, once again, am not "back at it", all just makes it quite complicated. Truth is, I've just been thinking about other things lately! I've been focusing on my kids and my family. My pregnancy was a whirlwind and the subsequent 6 weeks since Mason was born seems like an even bigger whirlwind!

There are so many things I've been wanting to sit down and write about. There are products I've been using that I want to share with you (some I love, some I hate) and there are moments with my kids I've been wanting to immortalize in print. There are reviews I've been asked to do, products that have been sent to me that I've used and planned to report on, and of course, Mason's birth story that I'd love to share.

However for now, while I work on compiling the different projects I have in store for this blog moving forward, I thought I would scale it back just a second from the fashion and the makeup and the sarcasm and, in light of my oldest son's sixth birthday a few weeks back, and me becoming a new mother again just a few weeks before that, I'm going to paste in an excerpt from an old blog entry from a personal blog (a journal, really) from four years ago, on my son's second

birthday. Not only do I feel the same way about my son as I did then, but it's all multiplied by three. So here's a little throwback for you all! Enjoy!

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On this very day, two years ago, my body was housing a little miracle. I would have him on February 28, 2009 in the late morning. My whole world was going to change. From that second forward, I was no longer the same person. Something innate, divine and remarkable changed inside of me. A rough, brazen albeit sensitive soul had spent nine months being shaped and refined into a mold worthy of the name 'Mommy'. That day, I was entrusted with a gift. This gift was unlike any I had received before. I was given a soul. This soul was my responsibility to shape and feed with wisdom and knowledge-attributes that, ironically enough, this new little soul would be teaching me. Heaven sent me a gift.

Heaven sent me an angel. I named him Landon.

I wish that I had words in my vocabulary to even come close to describing what it is like to be a mother. I've never been one to lack eloquence, but my angel of a boy is the one thing in my life that has rendered me speechless.

I love him, not only because he is my child, but because of who he is. He is a good, good person. He recognizes when someone's feelings are hurt, and he is the first to hug them. He knows when I'm sad or not feeling good, and without asking him to, he'll bring me his teddy bear or his blanket. He kisses his Buzz Lightyear and Woody toys goodnight each night. He tells me about Jesus, and that we should be soft in His house. (Reverent at church.) He knows how to kneel down and fold his arms, and he knows that before he goes to bed, he is to say his prayers. He is polite, and says "Please" and "Thank You".

Aside from those and countless other beautiful attributes my sweet son has, one of my favorites is that he is an incredible judge of character, which is a testament to the people in his life that he loves. 

Can you believe, that despite all of the words scrawling from left to right across this page, I might still feel at a loss for words in regards to my feelings about my son?

Well, I do.

I am in awe of him. I am in awe of my Heavenly Father for the mere creation of such a being as my sweet son. My love for him, regardless of anything that I might have the creativity to type, has rendered me my own kind of speechless.

Thursday Threads: Time Machine Edition

It's been a while since we've had a Thursday Threads!!

Lately, I've been realizing that so many of my day to day outfits seem to follow a decade-themed trend and I don't even realize it. I think that's one of the things that I love most about fashion: it's about taking what we know, adding a twist to it, and making it something new!!

Here are a few of my takes on the "then and now". The most interesting part is that I put together the outfit ideas for "now" before I ever even searched for the "then". I'm amazed at how similar we dress today! I absolutely love it.

The 50's and 60's

If you ask me, the 50's and 60's were fashion's best decades. The skirts were perfect, be they slim and pencil or full and cinched at the waist (how is this ever not flattering?!), they were higher than the dropped lines of the 20's, and when women did wear pants (more towards the 60's) they were tapered and skinny, much like the "skinny jeans" we can't live without now. Women were sexy without being skimpy and Vogue was having a hay day. And don't even get me started on Coco Chanel.

Then:

 

(Above) This is my Grandma Bonnie in 1952. I love the red lips and long, curly bob. Not to mention the tiny details in her top. So many variations of this are so pretty right now. 

(Above) Right to Left: Aunt Lindy with my mom in the stroller and Grandma Bonnie with my uncle in the stroller. Circa 1968. Grandma's button up and tapered pants are definitely a precursor to lots of my favorite looks right now.

and Now:

 

I adore how vintage some of these outfits look, but they're still so trendy. And the rose/mauve with canary yellow? Yes, please! I could talk about my love affair with 50's and 60's fashion all day. What's more 50's than polka dots and Chanel red? They had it right. What's more 60's than a bow and lace? 

The 70's 

For the time, the prints and colors seemed loud, though they're washed out compared to the neon that would follow a few years later. Necklines got lower, platforms got taller and my personal favorite, the patterns got bolder. 

Then:

 

(Above): My grandma is the hottie in the white skirt and black collared top. 

and Now:

There's no denying the roots of these looks. We just don't even realize it! That being said, you will never catch me dead in a denim jumpsuit. Never.

The 80's 

When we think of the 80's we usually think of some pretty awful color combos, neon nightmares and horrendous hair. I think that was more of the glam 80's. Not everyone dressed like Madonna, just like not all of us dress like Ke$ha or Lady Gaga. The first few pictures are pretty extreme, and then the last few are things you might see on any given day. Isn't my mom such a babe? No wonder my dad was always chasing her. She's looking flyyyy!

Then-The Extreme:

Then-The Reality: 

(Above) The cast of 80's tv show, Thirtysomething. Note the cuffed, destructed boyfriend jeans. We love that right now! And the blazers and tights with an over sized sweater are so cute when it's cold, too!

 (Above) My mom (in 1985) is rocking two different trends that we all love. The colored (in this case white) bermudas and high, cinch waisted shorts. And she looks pretty great in front of my dad's old Firebird.

(Above) Here, Grandma Bonnie and Mom both show off great waistlines, and the length and cut of my mom's jeans are so flattering, as opposed to whatever it was that happened to all of our jeans in the 90's.

 (Above): Despite the toothpaste and curlers, my mom is such a babe! Stripes? Yes, please. Gold jewelry? Sign me up. That tiny little waist? Nope, this isn't photoshopped. She's that hot. 

and Now:

I have probably two dozen variations of the above outfits hanging in my closet right now! I'm a sucker for converse, especially their neon collection as of late, and the slight (but calmer) version of an acid wash in the denim is really cute. I don't know what is more 80's about the second outfit; the Keds or the high waisted shorts. I'll take them both in bulk though, thankyouverymuch. And who doesn't love destructed jeans and a blazer? Thankfully, the 80's have been tamed down a bit from the over the top bangs and blue eyeshadow, but you can't deny that we're lovin' our neon lately, we're rocking the Ray Ban's, our lipstick is getting brighter and  we're stackin' up the bracelets. We're tucking in our tops, we're mixing bold colors, and we're moving away from the horror that was low rise jeans. I'm just glad we ditched the scrunchie.

So now that we've returned from memory lane, I can't help but think that when I get dressed tomorrow, I'll be thinking about what decade inspired my clothes! 

Tell me what your favorite decade was for fashion! Which one was the worst? I tag you all to write a similar post and let's link up with it. I want to see your looks!

-L