StitchFix #7... Brought to you by the number $8...

So, this StitchFix box came at a bad time for me. I really shouldn't be spending any money on extras right now, but I had been so busy that I had forgotten it was scheduled until it was too late to do anything about it. As it is, it came and I want to share with you all the lovely things I got! 

Melinda was my stylist once again, and even though I only kept one item, she did a great job sending me things that were within my scope of interest! :) If you are reading this, THANK YOU! If you are some random new Stitch Fix stylist, you have big shoes to fill! Let's begin!

Ignore my hair. Because, it's kinda all over the place.

Stitch Fix Collective Concepts, Katelynn Polkadot Dress, $88

I really wanted to like this Katelynn Polkadot Dress. I wanted to love it in fact. And maybe looking at this picture again, it wasn't as frumpy looking as I FELT like I looked in it. It was lightweight and would be easily dressed up or down. But like I said, I kinda felt frumpy in it. The print was fun, and it totally worked with my desire to have some more black and white pieces. However, my need for black and white has ended and I just didn't LOVE the dress. So... it went back.

Kut From The Kloth Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean $78 & 41Hawthorn Lana Lace Detail Blouse $58.

If you look in my closet, you'd know- this chick LOVES a sleeveless top! However, that's the problem with this top. It's sleeveless. Needing to keep myself in a reasonable budget and thinking about the fact that we are officially into must the dreaded cold weather season... it had to be skipped. Bummer. Because I really liked it. I think this picture makes it look more royal, but in person it is slightly purple-y looking. It's beautiful.

I have been LONGING for a pair of Kut From the Kloth jeans... and I finally got them. They fit PERFECTLY. Except... I don't like cuffed pants really. And I REALLY don't like distressed jeans. I hate the pose here, because you can't see that they were distressed more on the left leg. I'm sorry. My bad! They really are AMAZING jeans. I hope that Melinda can find me some cleaner looking KFTK Jeans for future fixes.

Kut From The Kloth Siena Cropped Pant $58 & 41Hawthorn Moni Geo Print w/Camisole Blouse $58

I have received the Moni top before (That would be in Fix #5!) and I wanted to love it- but that shirt fit funny through the shoulders. I saw this on my list again and I was hopeful that maybe this would work better for me. Sadly... it did not. I loved that the sheer shirt came with a cami and this cami had adjustable straps- WIN! It fits perfectly, as long as I don't raise my arms at all. So sad, because I really love the look of this shirt. 

And last but not least- these amazing Kut From The Kloth Siena Cropped Pants!!! LOVED these. The fit is perfect and they are a great color that I don't have in my closet right now. They fit just as great as the Kate Jeans, but they are a lightweight chino material. Perfect fall and early spring piece for SURE! So, thanks to a credit from a friend starting her StitchFix journey, I bought these pants to add to my wardrobe. You can see with my short legs the "cropped pants" are really more ankle length, but I think it still works. 

So, that's my latest Stitchfix! If you are interested in signing up, please feel free to use my referral link! 

If a couple buys a house...

The children's book "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" is probably one of my favorite stories to read. Because it's just so darn true. You rarely can just do one small thing without it snowballing. Not that it's a bad thing- but it just shows you that one small action can lead to more and more. 

For me, this was never more evident than when we decided to buy a house. I mean seriously. The whole storyline works VERY well with this adult context added:

If a couple buys a house, 

then they are going to want some furniture.  

And if they want some furniture,

They will probably want a lamp. 

And if you give a family a lamp, 

then are going to want a place to sit. 

And if the wife sits down, 

she may notice the walls need to be painted. 

She will start to question all of the lighting options. 

And she will want some pictures on the wall to look at. 

And if you paint the walls, 

the wife will realize she needs an area rug. 

And when you get to Home Depot to buy a rug, 

the husband will need a grill cover for the new grill that he bought.

And if buy a grill and cover, 

then the couple will have to invite friends over... who are also buying a house. 

Thanks to my good friends Merry, Jenny and Shayna for contributing to this blogpost. And be sure to check out Shayna's blog, Faith, Trust, & Disney Dust! She's a CASTMEMBER at the Walt Disney World Resort, working at Disney's Hollywood Studios Park. 

#5 is fine!

Welcome back to another StitchFix review! 

First things first, lets review that we will be moving and that means a NEW school to be cheering for on game days! Anchor Down, Vanderbilt University, here we come! So, I asked my stylist for clothing that would work for an SEC Football game. She definitely gave me some great options, so let's check them out! 

Time Out! If you don't love the SEC, then you might be a little lost in some of my post today- I apologize now! I am a HUGE Georgia Bulldogs fan, but now that we work for Vandy, I will proudly wear my black and gold! 

I LOVE this dress! I am keeping it, even though Houndstooth is a big Alabama print (Thank you Bear Bryant!) I still think it's a great option for game days and I can see myself wearing this with tights and boots later in the fall as well as with sandals or flip flops in the summer. It's lightweight and comfortable! LOVE!

 Collective Concepts Ash Houndstooth Dress  

I was SO excited about the shirt, but bummed about the jeans. In a previous Fix I had received a pair of Henry & Belle jeans and I had returned them. Yeah, they are nice, but they are PRICY. So, I was a little concerned about getting another pair. And once again, I was not blown away by these jeans. And you know what else? The pockets on the front are FAKE. Which means there is NO way I was going to like these jeans. They just aren't mom friendly. 

41Hawthorn Moni Abstract Chevron Stud Detail Blouse/ Henry & Belle Abana Ankle Length Skinny Jeans 

This top. Ya'll. I really want to love this top. I love the pattern. I love the gold studs. But I'm thinking the problem must be that I need a large and this was a medium. Sigh. I'm just not thrilled with the way the top pulls across the front and then it pulls on my arms funny. Worst part was it was hard for me to get off myself. :(  But it really is beautiful. Maybe I will request an exchange? 

Print of the 41Hawthorn Moni Abstract Chevron Stud Detail Blouse

But I FINALLY GOT MY EMER PANTS!!! I have seriously been upset at myself ever since my first Fix for sending back the Emer pants that I got in that box. They were plain black, so it wasn't what I was looking for long term... so it was the right decision. BUT. I wanted these pants. I'm SO incredibly excited to have them! They fit perfectly and they will be PERFECT for game days! I just need to find a cute gold top. Any suggestions? 

41Hawthorn Moni Abstract Chevron Stud Detail Blouse/ Margaret M Emer Printed Cropped Straight Leg Pants

Print of the Margaret M Emer Printed Cropped Straight Leg Pants

My stylist also sent me a beautiful necklace- which is hard for me to get past, because I really am more of a silver girl. But the Vandy colors are Black and Gold, so momma needs some gold jewelry! I dunno. I'm trying to decide on this... 

Bancroft Leighton Metal Bauble Necklace 

So, here it is! Fix #5! I really wish the jeans had been a more affordable pair, but even after my current credits and the "buy 5 discount" the total for this fix is $249.50. WAY more money than I'm ready to spend. So, I think I'll just be keeping the dress and the Emer pants! 

Wine & Paint

I have wanted to a wine and paint party for SUCH a long time. When my friend Sarah shared a photo on Facebook from The Art Party Studio I knew I had to sign up!

I was super excited to get to the studio and make my ballerina! When we came in, each place had a canvas with the top penciled in, a plate with the paint, 2 brushes, a large cup of water and one paper towel. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I don't like my food to touch on a plate- so you can imagine my surprise and sadness when they literally refused to give a second plate to mix colors. I thought it was a really odd thing to be a stickler about- but if I go back to this studio, I'm seriously bringing in my own paper plate. I'm sure others will think that this isn't a big deal, but it really bothered me. 

We painted  background. My color turned out a bit more purple than the instructor's, but that's okay, I liked the color. 

But then she had us cover with a blue. This is where I started kinda going on my own. I decided I did NOT want to cover up all my pretty purple and in fact, I think I wanted more pink at the bottom.

 She had us add a green color to the top and that made me pout some more. I instantly didn't like the green. What can I say, I'm an individualist. Haha. I blended it in as well as I could and moved on... 

We got to the FUN part! We started the skirt. I had SO much fun with this! I made my skirt VERY full and created lots of layers! We also, went in and painted the top part white- this took several layers to cover up where I had crossed my pencil lines- the instructor had said that wasn't a problem... but I felt like I had to do quite a bit of painting to really cover those lines.

We then added in some blue to the skirt and made swirlies around the waist and were the flowers would eventually go with the icy blue that we created. As I put in the blue, I realized... I didn't like that too much, so I added some pink to my skirt. With this hanging in my daughters' bedroom, I knew they would want it to be more pink than blue! 

 After the blue swirlies we made small swirls with a light green. 

After the green, we did a brown in the middle of the green. I trusted the instructor this time, but I didn't like it. I knew we were layering, so it worked out well in the end. 

On top of the brown, we placed the white, yay we covered that yucky brown. It did add the dimension needed, so I guess it wasn't a bad thing. 

At this point, we mixed just a little pink in with my white and going back over the white. We also added some random white lines in around the flowers coming up off of the skirt. I added a few more last minute pink spots to my skirt and I was done! 

We had SUCH a good time. Even if I'm a rebel and totally changed up some of the things the instructor wanted us to do just made my painting better in my opinion! I'm super glad I finally got to go and this painting is hanging in my daughters' play room. They LOVE how it turned out! 

Stitch Fix Bummer

So, earlier this week, I got another Stitch Fix box. Of course, I was looking forward to it and couldn't WAIT to get home and try everything on. I was so bummed because this box was just NOT working for me. :( But I want to share the items in case anyone else sees something that they like. 

This was the note from my new stylist... Danise... Let's just say I missed Melinda. :( I'm not sure what a "jean challenge" is- but I said I loved the last pair just wanted something a little more affordable than $200. Loved that she looked at my notes though. I do think she tried- but she missed the mark. Gave me lots of bright colors... just not in things that were my style. 

This top had a cute pattern, but I didn't like how high-up the neckline was and it was just a bit short. It hit at an odd spot and when I lifted my hands, it would lift up a bit. Also, it was sheer but had lace details along the bottom. If I wore a tank under it, you'd miss the lace detailing. 

19 Cooper Farrah Crochet Trim Blouse ($64) & Just Black Johanna Distressed Skinny Jeans ($78)

These jeans... Sigh. Okay, so they were a little tight, but my biggest complaint is the distress on them. I have never been a big fan of distressed jeans. I know some people love it, but I nearly ripped them in half when my foot went through the knee holes! YIKES! It's just too much. 

Just Black Johanna Distressed Skinny Jeans ($78)

The denim was incredibly soft and I think I would love a pair that had a cleaner look.

Just Black Johanna Distressed Skinny Jeans ($78)

Okay. This top... Sigh. I am 5'3"- kinda on the short side. So, I sometimes wear petites. Clearly, I don't need petite tops! LOL This shirt was WAY too short for me! I'm not sure I loved it anyway, but it certainly wasn't being purchased! 

Collective Concepts Mufasa Tie-Front Top ($58)

Muffin Top anyone? 

I'm a mom. I need a mom bag. If I go on a date with my husband, I make him carry my lipstick in his pocket. I have NO interest in clutch bags. I need a handle. It's not the size- it's the fact that I need to be able to put it on my shoulder when I'm trying to wrangle kiddos. But I suppose this bag is cute enough. Just not practical or worth the money for my lifestyle. 

Urban Expressions Adelade Woven Fold-Over Clutch ($48)

It did open up quite a bit...

Urban Expressions Adelade Woven Fold-Over Clutch ($48)

I wanted to LOVE this dress. But I'm not sure how the stylist thinks this would be able to be worn more casually. It's a fairly heavy and well constructed dress. I just felt like it was a bit more formal than I wear on a regular basis. Oh and it was on the hanger, because it was pretty snug through my hips. I figured you'd get a better idea this way. 

Andrew Marc Brodee Dress ($98)

I still love StitchFix, but I had to send EVERYTHING in this box back. It is a bummer, but I'm not wasting money on purchasing something I didn't love. I also think it sends the wrong message to the stylist when people purchase something only to sell it. 

Stitch Fix #3!

Have I mentioned that I'm totally loving my StitchFix? I'm loving that more of my friends are getting fixes and we can share our experiences! I was in retail for years- so I know how important it is for someone to suggest something for you to wear that is outside of the typical choices for yourself. Sometimes that out-side-the-box thinking is just what you need! 

This box... well, I know it's not a 5/5, but I'm not 100% sure yet what pieces I will be keeping. Maybe by the end of writing this post I will know? We will see. I don't want to lose my credit that I have since a friend signed up- that's $25 FREE towards a purchase. Happy birthday to ME! 

I do know for a fact that my stylist, Melinda (If you read this- HI!) is looking at my pinterest board, and that's awesome! However, I think I need to be more careful about what I pin. How do I know that? Because I have pinned two maxi skirts- but more because I liked the tops in the pictures and not the actual skirts themselves... but I'm never quite sure how I feel about Maxi dresses/skirts. 

Melinda suggested these two items to go together. I think if I was taller, this look would work- but I feel a little frumpy in this. I like the top okay.. 

Manna Tie Front Knit Top and Marilyn Mix Striped Maxi Skirt 

I love this top. It's totally my style and I love the colors. Funny because someone on a Facebook Group mentioned that they were disappointed with getting this shirt in their fix. I think the print is fun and it's so soft! 

Edmond Chevron Print Henley Shirt 

The jeans... oh these jeans. I actually really like them. But I'm NOT paying $178 for a pair of denim capri's. I just can't. They are very soft and comfortable. The fit was pretty good- I could probably go up one size and feel a little better. But $178? Nope. I can't even justify the cost... 

Kent Cuffed Carpi Jean

THIS top is probably my favorite. I'm pretty sure this is my birthday present to myself! (Seriously, it was my birthday this week!) It's a great summer color, the chevron print is fun and it's going to be great layering piece. 

Papermoon Cordelia Chevron Tank 

So... maybe a 2/5? No firm answer from me yet. I'll update and let you know! :) 

Oh yes, StitchFix!

Oh yes. This is going to be about my new LOVE AFFAIR with StitchFix. Seriously! 

A few months ago, my friend, Cluttered Mama found StitchFix. After seeing her lovely clothes and how easy the process seemed to be, I decided to jump in and sign up for my own StitchFix. Seeing that I am in the middle of nowhere and hardly call Walmart a "good" choice for clothing, I thought it was well worth the $20 sign up fee. 

My first box wasn't a total bust, however- I didn't LOVE any of the items. Here's the deal. StitchFix isn't cheap. But it's not suppose to be cheap- these clothes are good quality and classic. However, I decided I would only purchase items that I loved and I would use the items that I liked as a starting point for actual shopping trips in the future. So, here is my first box- I apologize now, for not having the names of the items. I think I actually threw away my first set of cards. 

Loved this sweater- but I already had one almost identical. Also wearing pants that I loved but decided not to keep them- since they were really expensive for a basic black pant when I have a dozen pair in my closet. Emer Brocade Print High Waisted Cropped Pant & Heubert Space Dye Open Cardigan

LOVED this top, but Navy? Meh... Colibri Sleeveless Top

Liked this scarf, but not in gray. Emily Lightweight Chevron Infinity Scarf

I kinda liked this shirt, but I wasn't crazy about the color combination. (Pomelo) Priya Graphic Chevron Print

So, all in all, it wasn't terrible. I am still thinking I should have kept the pants... but I just couldn't justify another pair of black pants for almost $100. 

Today, my second box came in and I'm SO glad that I stuck with it! I'm keeping the whole box. EVERYTHING in this fix is perfect. I just cannot wait to wear this stuff! 

Each fix comes with these cards that help you work the pieces into your wardrobe. 

Holden Scoop Neck Blouse- how CUTE is this Navy and Hot Pink shirt?! 

Ernesto Striped Fitted Dress- This dress feels so nice and comfortable. The pattern is fun and makes the basic black and white NOT basic! 

Colibri Paisley Print Sleeveless Top- AHH! I was SO excited because I loved the one from my first fix, but I wanted a brighter color. My stylist delivered! 

Leanne Infinity Drop Earrings- Might not have bought this  on it's own, but I do love them.

I also got the Daisy Mini Skirt and I love that as well. However, it came in a Large and it's just a little snug on me right now. Hopefully, it will give me the motivation I need to start working out some so I can get into it and feel comfortable wearing it. It sits higher up on the waist and the length is still past my fingertips, so it's not too short. I think it will look GREAT with my Holden hot pink top as well. I will go ahead and tell you that after my $20 credit (the styling fee you pay to get started is credited back to you on your first purchase!) and the discount for buying all 5 items, my total was just over $150! I'd say that was a GREAT purchase for these items that I am going to be LOVING this summer! 

My tips are the same as anyone else that has done a StitchFix! Be honest in your questionnaire, build a good Pinterest Board (feel free to check mine out!) and communicate with your stylist on their website. It's so simple and I just can't tell you how fun it is to receive these clothes. Being a mom it's nearly impossible for me to really take my time to shop for myself. I love having someone else pick out the items and ship them to me. It's totally worth the investment and I'm happy to recommend this service! Please, feel free to use my referral link! When your friends use your referral link, YOU get a $25 credit towards your next fix- this is really a win-win! 

Why I love Disney... Or why I don't care if you don't want to visit Walt Disney World.

Growing up, my family life was less than ideal. Of course, everyone wants to imagine their childhood has a blissful time where life was easy and perfect, but even with a pair of rose colored glasses firmly in place, that's just not the case for myself.

Recently, I was asked to share my life history. I shared growing up without knowing my biological father, moving around a lot, emotional and physical abuse I suffered from my mother and how I have worked hard to get to where I currently am in my life. At the end of my spiel, someone asked "Wait- you love Disney and that NEVER came up. How does that fit into your history?" Great question.

As I stopped to think, it felt very easy for me to answer. The Walt Disney World Resort provides amazing experiences that I know my kids will never forget. And even if they forget, then I can remind them with the thousands of photographs that I have from our four family trips. I want happy memories for my kids. Memories that I didn't have from my immediate family. I want my girls to be happy and secure knowing that even when things are tough, that we can still stop and have fun and enjoy each other.

Selfie in front of Spaceship Earth! 

Not only do we have our family vacations to Walt Disney World, but a few years ago, I applied for the Disney Parks Mom Panel. To my surprise, I was accepted into the second round of the process- which according to my vast research (hours spent chatting online with other applicants) isn't very normal. While I did not make the panel, it actually helped inspire me to look at my life and think about other dreams that I had set aside.

I LOVE making client's wishes come true! 

At 32 years old, I decided to go back to school for MY dream. Cosmetology. My mother had never liked the idea and squashed the chance I had to attend Cosmetology school right after I graduated high school. Would I have decided to do this without the Walt Disney Company? Perhaps? But I really do believe that getting that close to working for Disney inspired me to reach out to ALL dreams that I have in my life. Now, I'm working in my field and a small business owner. Had you asked me even 3 years ago, I would NOT have believed you.

Another dream of mine has been writing. I have enjoying writing this blog- but lets face it. I've been less than committed to this small little blog. I've always enjoyed social media outlets- BabyCenter and the DisBoards were two places I was able to write and connect. About a year ago, I was asked to join the team at Magical DIStractions- combining my love for Disney and writing. I'm amazed at how our team has come together and how my passion for writing has bubbled to the surface.

I'm so grateful for the path that my life has taken as I have gotten older. It's been a lot of tough work and hard decisions. Nothing in my life has come easily- but honestly, I wouldn't want it to be easy. Perhaps I wouldn't appreciate where I am now if I didn't have to work to get where I am today.

So, don't go to Disney if you don't want to go- that just means less crowds for me. I'll be saving my pennies and looking forward to our next family trip.

Choosing to NOT be overwhelmed.

How does one become addicted to social media? I suppose that I have to be careful in this, since I am writing this on a blog, which one could argue is a form of social media. But I need to get the feelings out, and I haven't kept a diary in years. Plus, not many ever read this. So it's kind of like my own diary.

Our church has just finished a series titled Overwhelmed. I work in the children's church twice a month, so I feel like I have been missing out on some important messages. One thing that I have been feeling lately is overwhelmed with working and social media.

Taking on the responsibility of starting my own business by booth renting has added a new stress that I was unprepared for after graduating. I had PLANNED to work at a corporate salon. I had PLANNED that I wouldn't need to bother with booth renting for a while. However, God always seems to laugh at my plans... After all, I never planned on living in the Cornfields of Illinois. I had happily decided I would live in the south all of my life. I have lived in SEVERAL Southern States. In fact, it's easier to tell you the Southern States I have not lived in (VA, SC, LA, TX and AR, rather than list the ones I have.

I'm a very social person. I enjoy being around people and I love having lots of friends. I often say being a best friend is a tier not a position. I have lots of "best friends" because I have moved a lot and had new starts. So you can see that "social" media would be something that I would be totally into, right?

Social media sucks you in and gives you a false sense of community. Not saying that there isn't a community there to have, but at the same time, an online community isn't the same as flesh and bone. It's hard to read and understand the typed word, so intent and meaning is often missed. It's easy to find people you can connect with, yet do you really know them? Do they know your heart? Do they see how much you care and do they return that same level of love for you?

Every time I move, I find myself falling deeper into a social media trap. Funny thing, I haven't moved recently. I just fell into the trap of being overwhelmed by social media. I need to take a break and breathe. And so I am. I even deleted the FB and Twitter apps from my phone. It's very hard- it is SO easy to tap and click. I have about 800 statuses or tweets floating around in my head. But I need to take the break. I need to remember what is important is my family.

Another year, another trip!

I'm so lucky to have a family that enjoys traveling to Disney Parks as much as I do. I never intended for our family to end up at Walt Disney World so often. I thought when we took our first trip in 2010 that we'd go every few years. However, that quickly changed and we have gone again in 2012 and 2014- not to mention a "girls trip" with my best friend this past summer. Now, we are just weeks away from another trip for our family and I'm getting so excited and antsy!

We decided to make this trip a surprise for our daughters and it's been quite an adventure keeping quiet. I'm hoping that we can make it. We've told them that we were going to the "big city" and that we'll be watching the new Cinderella movie at a fancy theater that has a restaurant. Both of those are truthful statements. LOL We will be spending the night at a hotel in the big city... near the airport! LOL  And then we will be heading to the AMC Fork and Screen at Downtown Disney to watch the Cinderella movie one night.

But the hardest part has been keeping quiet. The girls have been on a kick watching as many Disney Park videos as possible. Thank you YouTube for providing literally hours of entertainment! It's going to be amazing to see their smiling faces when we wake them up early to head to the airport!

I'm hosting a #DisneySide @Home Celebration!

I'm so excited! 

I have been chosen to host a Princess themed preschool party! My two princesses will be so excited to host a practically perfectly princess party! Thanks to my friends online, I learned about the #DisneySide @ Home Celebration  and decided to join. Since I have this blog and I barely use it, I figured I better start using it a little bit. This party is really the perfect fit for my family's #DisneySide, since my two girls think they belong in princess dresses 100% of the time! I bet the hardest part of the day will be picking out the dress they plan on wearing! I can't wait to start planning.

I promise to start sharing more of my personal life, our life with the band, my #DisneySide and my professional Cosmetology stuff!

I have just finished my cosmetology program at Lake Land College and will be starting my new career very soon! My favorite

For more about my #DisneySide make sure you check out Magical DIStractions