It's Done--Gone Private

So, this feels a little weird, but also, WHEW!

Esp. because after I posted those somewhat vulnerable/embarassing photos of myself, I checked the blog stats and see that readers from "My Plastic Free Life" have been visiting, thanks to comments I leave on that blog occasionally.  I don't want random strangers evaluating how that red top flatters my breasts and belly or not!

So this blog is now officially a cozy little space, with a cozy little readership.  And to make it extra friendly, I thought I would introduce you all to one another in this first private post. : )

Let's start with the far-away readers:

My mother Nancy and father Ron, recently moved from Illinois to Alabama.
My elder sister Rebecca, in Alabama.
My little sister Allison, in Virginia, is not a blog reader, but she's welcome anytime she ever stops by.
My Aunt Marty, in Illinois, my mother's only sister, who occasionally stops by for a visit.
My dear Susan, in Colorado, one of my best friends since high school.  She's the reason I started blogging.
A fellow blogger and sister-in-Christ Gabe, who has a military husband and so moves around. At the moment she is somewhere with cacti and lizards, so I'm guessing the West/SW. ; )
Dottie, whom I just met when she emailed to get on the invite list, who lives in Texas and sounds a lot like someone I would like to sit and have tea with. : )

And then there are my nearby readers:

My dear Becky, the friend God first gave me when we moved to CA.  She's the reason we go to Vintage Faith Church, which her husband helped begin. And I might be one of the reasons she started homeschooling. ; )
My dear "Rosa," another friend, whose boy and girl are "special same age friends" with my Smiley and Happy, and who also goes to Vintage.
Terry, my homeschool liaison with our charter school, who is a dear, Godly woman in my life.
Sara, my friend and fellow homeschool mom, with five kids almost the exact same ages as mine, and who also goes to Vintage.
My friend Alberta, whose daughter is Sunny's "special same age friend," and who is the reason I started homeschooling.
Ashley, who has been co-leading SoulKitchen--the ministry for women at our church--and who just welcomed her third sweet little child into the world.
Audrey, who I have served on SoulKitchen with this past year, and who just started homeschooling her own three kids.

And then there are my special guests--the women who inspire and challenge me on a daily basis, some of my fellow blog writers.  The main reason I did not want to go private was because I love leaving encouraging comments on their blogs as I follow along with their life stories, and I wanted them to always be able to come visit me in return if they wanted.  Not because I have anything to offer them, but just in case they want to know who is this woman who keeps saying "with love from California." ; )  A few of them knew I was going private and asked me to add them, but then I just went ahead and invited the ones I had email addresses for.  I don't expect them to stop by, but I just want them to be able to.  It helps keep this space feeling like a sunny kitchen, where I can welcome these women for a cup of tea and a chat:

Dorothy in MN, aka "Urban Servant" (MN)
Kari, from "Coffee Catharsis" (MN)
Linda from "Mommy Linda's" (CA)
Jane, who I just recently realized also blogs, over at "Small Deeds"
Keri, from "Creating My Own Little Nirvana" (MA)

I'd like to invite a few more ladies from my sidebar too, such as Lisa from "One Thankful Mom" (ID), Julie from "Not Just An Ordinary Life" (MN), and Barb from "Losing My Mind" (MN)  but I don't have their email addresses. . . At least Lisa and I are facebook friends, so she can find me if she wants me, and Dorothy is a "sista" to Julie and Barb, so again they can find me if they ever want to. : )

And lastly, there are a couple of ladies who I don't know, but who sweetly asked to be readers waaaaaay back when I had a scare a couple years back and temporarily went private to make sure my MIL had not found me.  When I knew all was well, I went back to "public," but now going private again I've left those two ladies in, not knowing if they will ever come back for a visit, but wanting them to be welcome if they do. : ) Elle, Carrie, if you are still here, please say hi!

Of course I will add whomever wants to read, but I think this is pretty much the party from here on out.  Welcome, all of you, and thank you for loving me and wanting to keep coming by.

xoxo

Blessed, aka Lisa ; )

It's a Fashion Show of Things to Go!

There are more things I want to write about that last topic. . . and I am setting the date for going private. . . but in the meantime, how about something not at all serious?  I'm in the mood for levity, and fashion, and cleaning out my closet--so I thought it would be fun to show you all some of the things I am finally letting go.

Let me just remind you that I am the anti-hoarder.  I enjoy nice things, but in this tiny house I have to be brutal at times choosing what nice things will earn their space, and I get so much satisfaction from letting things go (just as much as keeping only things that are useful or make me/my family happy).  So this past week when I was switching out the summer clothes in my closet for the winter ones, I realized I had some things in my closet all summer long that I never wore.  Like not once.  Clothes are only worth the valuable closet real-estate if I wear them, so I decided to take a step back and try to figure out why I didn't--and I realized that I am starting to feel the urge to dress "my age." 

So even though some of those outfits have long been my FAVORITE, I think are just too young for me now, and I wonder if I will ever enjoy wearing them as much as I did before.  This means it may be time to let them go, even if that makes me a little sad too.  But as my upper arms get saggier, and under my eyes gets baggier, I just don't feel good in those outfits anymore.

I also have never liked my legs, esp. the lower leg, and while skirts that hit above the knee are the most flattering for my leg shape (I'm pretty bowlegged from the knee down), they also flaunt my super pale, usually stubbly, starting-to-show-spider-veins legs.  Now I am not ashamed of my legs--they serve me quite well, and I refuse to let anyone tell me they are inadequate somehow because they are not tan and perfectly smooth!--but I also feel like there is no reason to put them on display when doing so does not help me feel more beautiful.  I feel more attractive in long skirts, and think long skirts suit my age better too.

**Disclaimer--please do not take ANYTHING I am writing and think these same things apply to anyone else!  I'll bet you look great in short skirts!   I am speaking only of my own style preferences, and the ways I feel about me.  The clothes I am drawn to are in certain styles, and some of them are rather unusual, and some of them I think I have outgrown.

So, enough talk.  The fun part is showing you!

Blouse and skirt both by Odille, from Anthropologie many years ago.

This outfit has long been my favorite FAVORITE.  I bought the two items from Anthropologie on sale so many years ago I can't even remember when, not expecting them wear them together because the pinks just don't match.  But. . . somehow I tried them together, and kinda liked the effect. . . and in no time this became an official outfit.  I would sometimes wear the skirt with a black t-shirt or tank too.  It is so pretty and floaty, and surprisingly practical--this was one of the few summery items of clothing I had years ago on the long road trip to Illinois and back.  I wore it driving, packing, doing pretty much anything!  I even remember distinctly having it on while hiking around Devil's Tower National Monument. : )  Pink is not my usual color of choice, so it has been fun to have such a nicely made piece to liven up one of my favorite colors to wear, black.

But.  The skirt has always been a little too big for me (like it rides on my hips), which has been convenient when I gained and lost around pregnancies.  But I am just a little tired now of having clothes that don't fit quite right.  I could have it taken in, but considering the whole bare leg in short skirts thing, I am not sure it is worth it.  Finally, I just wonder it is just one of those things I am unconsciously not reaching for because it no longer feels like "me." 

The blouse I might keep.  I just love it SO much, and it looks great with jeans.  Also, it developed a substantial tear in the fabric behind one arm years ago, and my brilliant mother repaired it so well you can't even tell--so there's real love invested in it! 

But.  I have other tops I wear with jeans and don't really need this one.  The tear behind the arm happened because it was a little snug when I stretched my arms forward, and so even though it has enough give now for most activities, it is not necessarily good for things that involve reaching forward. Like emptying the washing machine and dryer.  Like getting things out of the cupboards.  So it ends up being a blouse I put on for Sunday and then take off when I get home.  This is ok. . . but I do want to think about how much I will really wear it if I give up the skirt I have mostly worn it with. . .

A last funny story about this outfit:  I took it to IL for my 20 year high school reunion (don't we take all our favorites to those things?), and my two besties Susan and Mina and I had so much fun laying out clothes and planning out outfits for the various reunion events.  When they saw this outfit, they both vehemently said, "Uh, no."  They said the top was ok, but definitely not with the skirt.  I didn't mind their opinion--I knew it was an unusual combination, and trusted their fashion sense, and was glad for their honesty in the face of such important fashion events. ; )

But.  Back home in Santa Cruz, CA, only a few weeks later, I wore the outfit to a baby shower, and received at least three spontaneous compliments from women there.  I then received compliments at church, and elsewhere.  Every time the women did not just say, "you look nice,"--no, they specifically said how much they liked the two pieces together.  It was just cracking me up--because it was clear that while Mina and Susan knew what the rest of the world finds fashionable, they clearly did not have a pulse on our unusual area--an area where you routinely see bumper stickers with the slogan "Keep Santa Cruz Weird." 

More of my, um, "style."  I can't even remember where I bought the top, and the skirt I found either at Macy's or Ross--can't remember which.

Here is another favorite outfit--I even wore it to my sister-in-law's wedding rehearsal.  It was cuter back when I had boobs, but I still find its shape flattering.  I LOVE how it makes me look slim while not making me  suck in my tummy!  So I might keep the top, as it looks cute with brown pants. Except the only brown pants I used to wear it with have long worn out, so technically I don't know what I would put with this top except jeans.  And again, how many tops do I need to go with jeans?

The skirt is nothing special to me, and I just liked it because it was fun with the top--another mismatched yet complimentary pairing that I have enjoyed.  But I think it just looks a little too youthful for me now.  Now that I think about it, I might like the skirt with a different top, and would not feel it is too young. . . but since there's that whole legs showing thing. . . eh.  So maybe it really means it is the adorable and flattering top that is really too youthful. . .

And here's the final thing I wanted to show you:

Top I bought at a consignment store I think two summers ago.  Jeans I bought at Goodwill, which I LOVE and am wearing until they completely fall off my body.

This is another top that is a great color for me, and I thought was very flattering, emphasizing my miniscule bust and de-emphasizing my tummy.  I found it at a time when I was recovering from my last baby and really did not have many clothes that fit me, and it was just a few bucks, so it was worth buying.  But.  It is synthetic, which is just not my favorite to wear (all the previous clothes have been 100% cotton, except the black blouse which is rayon).  The only clothing items I have to wear it with are a long black skirt, which I admit looks a little outdated (call me weird, but not outdated!), and jeans.  And you can see, it's not the most fabulous on me with jeans. So even though I still like the top, I don't think I wore it once all summer.

So, there you go!  I'd love to hear what you girlfriends think of the pieces and my "too young" theory.  If there are any pieces you really like on me, please say so, because I'm still on the fence with some of them.  But please do NOT just say nice things for nice things sake--time for friendly opinions!  I'd also enjoy hearing your thoughts on your own wardrobes. Are there things/styles you have decided you are just not going to do anymore?  Do you tend to hold onto favorite things even though you don't wear them?   How do you pick your clothes? 

I'm in the mood to talk fashion, so if anyone else is in a similar mood, bring it on!