Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung, people. It sure has sprung. Daffodils! Flowering trees! My allergies! Short sleeves! All signs of spring!

I'm wearing these shoes with tights a lot more because boots with leggings are too much, but bare legs and sandals are not even close to enough. Let me tell you though, tights are maybe the most annoying piece of clothing ever. (My mother says pantyhose are worse, which made me realize that I've never, ever worn pantyhose. Do people still wear pantyhose? Is that still a thing?)

Look at me and Thomas in our stripes (mine go a little off kilter when holding a baby)! I just did a some online shopping for the little guy. He needs some spring duds too! Springtime = shopping. Is it annoying or awesome that Thomas grows out of his clothes every three months? I've decided awesome because I like shopping, and I like to see my baby boy growing! Happy spring to you!

Style Icon: Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington was dapper. Now that was a man who could wear a top hat.

He was also a man who could wear a suit and smoke the heck out of a cigarette (Smoking is bad, kids!).

All that said, his best accessory was a piano. (But let us also note the socks! Look at the music legend's awesome socks!)

Have I mentioned how he can wear hats? Also: I usually hate tiny, tiny mustaches, but I make a giant, giant exception in this case. Duke Ellington, you are such a fabulous, stylish man you can even pull off a pencil-thin mustache. That's not easily done. Way to be awesome.

Chagall

I love Chagall. This painting reminds me every relationship needs a rock and a balloon.

Style Icon: Westley from The Princess Bride

Um. Westley in the Princess Bride was a major crush of mine since childhood. Who doesn't love a man who shows his love by responding to all requests with "As you wish"? I mean, that's just dreamy. Plus his hair fell into his eye and that was kind of a big deal for me.

Plus he was a pirate, which meant he wore a pretty pirate-riffic outfit for most of the movie.

The only thing I can't forgive is that tiny, tiny ponytail.

Oh, and I really hated his mustache...

So really I'm all about Westley at the beginning of the movie and find his hair -- both on his head and facially -- a little underwhelming. But this movie is about true love! True love can overcome anything! Even death! Even tiny pony tales and pencil mustaches!

Dreams

"Be open to your dreams, people. Embrace that distant shore. Because our mortal journey is over all too soon." -- Chris Stevens from Northern Exposure

Remix - Word Dress

I love this dress so much. So very, very much. I refer to it as my "word dress," but the only word super obvious on it is "JAM." (Can you spot it?) Really, it's a letter dress A dress full of letters. I love letters! Of course I do! I'm an elementary-school literacy teacher! And so I love this dress.

It looks good from the front and it has a fun back.

It fits a surprisingly large number of body types (all body types belonging to this one body at one time and another). Look at that wordy baby belly!

It just begs for layers and can handle almost all North Carolina weather.

The only time my dress was not absolutely 100 percent fabulous and perfect was when I wore it in a snowstorm Um, put on some pants, girl. It's cold out. Save the dress for another day! But, yeah, you must admit it looks good against the snow. So really, still 100 percent fabulous! Word dress remixing for the win!

Basic

Pink skirt. Blue-green teething necklace (baby approved). Basic basics. Basically.

(I hate when women are called "basic." Like really, really hate it. It's so derogatory, dismissive and sexist. I'm boycotting it. Also: I like pumpkin spice everything. So there.)

Style Icon: Diana Ross

Subtle is not a word you use to describe Diana Ross. Simple or minimal or even classic? Not so much. She's a more is more kind of girl, and I love it. (More hair, more eyelashes, more muppet-fur-esque esembles.)

No Muppets were harmed in the making of these outfits. 

My favorite Diana Ross is '70s Diana Ross. Don't get me wrong - '60s Supremes Diana Ross is also great and '80s and beyond Diana Ross is rocking (and her hair, man, her hair is never disappointing), but there is something so delightfully excessive and epic about '70s Diana Ross. As seen here. Muppet fur forever. 

Style Icon: John Updike

I bought/read/wrote about this book in grad school, and I thought John Updike was such a cutie (and, you know, a good writer too).

There is a part of me that wants to dress like John Updike. Like, I always want to be wearing a baggy sweater. For the rest of my life, just throw me in baggy sweaters, and I will be happy. (Unless I am in North Carolina in the summertime. No one is happy in a sweater in North Carolina in the summertime.)

Doesn't he just look so fabulous and bookish in his fabulous, bookish sweaters?

Yes, yes he does. And he actually is fabulous and bookish so the sweaters speak the truth. (Also I might need some blazers and tweed hats. Seriously. I think I could rock this look.)

Birthday Girl (Or more accurately, Birthday Grown Woman)

It's my birthday today! I'm 34! I've decided that I'm going to wear a lot of cowboy boots in my mid-30s. That's just what's going to happen.

The only problem is shoving my feet into them. Boot straps are there for a reason. That's what I learned this weekend.

Also wearing in my mid-30s: Stripes. Sweaters. Basic black shirts. Some gray skinny jeans. You know. Normal stuff. 

Happy birthday to me! I'm going to celebrate by trolling eBay for more cowboy boot booties! (Not really.)

... (Okay probably really.)

Loving it

Lately I've been loving...

1. Cowboy booties. My gateway shoes lead to more serious cowboy fair as seen here. Yee ha!

2. Thomas is such a big boy! He's sitting up and playing so much and crawling backwards (and backing himself into corners!). So cute, that kid.

3. Daffodils and snow. What a lovely combination!

So much snow

 Some winters we get zero winter weather. No snow. No ice. No nothing. Some winters, it's 70 degrees on the regular. (This winter actually. On Wednesday it's supposed to be 70 degrees. So yeah.)

We are very happy to have had a little of the white stuff. Just a smidge. The power stayed on. The roads were cleared pretty quickly. Robert went to work, but Thomas and I got one snow day together last week, and it was really fun. We went outside to take these pictures and then spent the rest of the day inside because snow, man, it's so wet and cold!

It's also so pretty. So undeniably pretty. Snow is way better than ice. I love the way it perches on the branches all white and pretty and temporary.

I know lots of people hate snow, and I would probably be one of them if I lived up North instead of down South, but I live where I live, and I love what I love, and what I love is snow!