Capsule Wardrobe :: I Tried

July 28, 2016

In my constant mission to not have stuff piled around that we don't need I tend to frequent Goodwill. Once or twice a year I will take everything I haven't worn in a year straight and send it off for someone else who might want it. 

When it came time for my last GW round I thought I'd take it a step further and jump on the Capsule Wardrobe bandwagon. 

I watched YouTube videos, read blog posts, and just over all searched.

If you aren't familiar with the idea it's an attempt at a minimalist wardrobe. You only keep a "few" items for each season and rotate your clothing.

In theory it's great, especially for someone with a lot of clothing and shoes.

When I really got into it though, I noticed something... I don't even has enough clothing to create a capsule wardrobe.

Seriously.

The shoe suggestions in many blog posts had me laughing, they had a lot of shoes. A lot. A. LOT.

So in my attempt to get rid of things I noticed something, to follow this I'd have to buy things.

Not happening.

Especially since I'm still battling that last 10 of "gained when weaning" weight.

Since the Capsule Wardrobe concept just clearly wasn't going to be a new way to purge, but instead a reason to spend, I scratched the idea.

............................................

Instead I just donated what I wasn't in love with anymore, and actually purged my t-shirt collection that looks more like rags considering the age of them and the damage working out does to shirts.

So what do I actually have? Let's talk about that.

2 Seasons, we live in a very warm place so dressing for 4 seasons isn't necessary.

Jeans :::: 1 super skinny, 1 slim leg, 1 boyfriend, 1 bootcut 
Tops ::::: (14) enough to have a different one for 2 weeks [winter and summer, a few extra for season specific]
Dresses :::: (8) enough to wear a different one every Sunday for 2 months [only about 5 total for winter]
Pants :::: 1 skinny leg khaki, 1 bootcut khaki, 3 linen pants, 1 black pant
Shoes :::: [winter] 1 brown ankle boot, 1 grey ankle boot, 1 tall brown boot, 1 black tall boot [summer] 1 brown sandle, 1 black sandle, 1 birkenstock sandle, and 1 pair of cheap flip flops [year round] 1 black heel, 1 nude heel, 1 tennis shoe, 1 boat shoe, 1 pair of Toms

I also have a few scarves, 1 vest, and a couple sweaters to layer pieces. There's also 1 coat, 1 rain coat, 1 snow jacket, and 2 dresses for dressier occassions - one nude and one black. I also have a couple pair of leggings. 

That's about it. Very basic.

After taking over 3ish closets in our Monroe house and having to move to a house with 3 closets I had to downsize. Then we moved to an apartment with 2 closets and downsizing had to happen again. Now I split a closet with Jeremy. Downstairs we keep our everyday wear/work clothing and upstairs we split the guest room closet with dressier clothing.

I've learned to buy things in solid neutrals to be able to buy less expensive clothing and wear it more often. I have a few tops and dresses with designs that are memorable, but overall if you stick to neutrals people generally won't notice you are re-wearing something. My students just refer to my outfits as my uniform. I can usually be found in the same style pant with the same shirt in a different color at work. My main color choices also tend to be black, nude, blue, and grey. There are a few pops of color in there, but I generally avoid white. I sweat a lot and white shirts tend to stain really quick.

So there you have it, why capsule wardrobes didn't work for me and what's actually in my closet. 
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Meal Pinning Monday

July 26, 2016

Notice it's Tuesday evening before this post is going live.

That should be an indication of how my week has been going. If you're curious, Snap Chat will give you all sorts of insight into my going to places the wrong day, screaming children, and why I'm using milk of magnesia on my face.

All sorts of things people.

If you're curious I'll do a post about the milk of magnesia.



[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Wedges

Tuesday - White Chicken Chili

Wednesday - leftovers

Thursday - Wings & Fries using this recipe

Friday - Tomato & Sausage Risotto

Saturday - Chicken with Thyme & Garlic with Roasted Carrots

And for a fun meal >>>
Sunday - Philly Cheesesteaks
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Green Bean Salad

July 22, 2016

I came across this Green Bean Salad this summer and having made it a few times I can tell you this, it's amazing. 

Anything that's really easy, requires my kitchen to not heat up, and tastes delicious is a keeper in my book. 

Last night I made this in about 30 minutes (cutting 2 lbs of green beans really extended the time) during nap time to take to the Celebrate Recovery dinner. Easy people, easy. 




Start off my blanching a two pounds of green beans for about 3-4 minutes.


While that's going, mix all of the other ingredients together in a large bowl, except for the feta. 

Lastly, toss in the drained green beans and feta and stir until the green beans are well coated. 


Green Bean Salad

adapted from Reshaping It All

Ingredients:
2 lbs of green beans, stems removed
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp diced red onion
1/2 cup silvered almonds
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 minced cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Blanch green beans in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain and submerge in ice water to stop cooking. In a large bowl combine tomatoes, red onion, almonds, olive oil, red wine vinegar, basil, and garlic. Toss in green beans and feta, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. 

** To make a smaller batch, halve all ingredients except feta, almonds,  and olive oil. 
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Meal Pinning Monday

July 19, 2016

A day late and a dollar short?

Between errand running, a bad storm, and having to write my welcome letter for my class (deadlines people, sad face) I managed to cook but totally miss blogging.




[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Eggroll in a Bowl

Tuesday - Balsamic Roast with Carrots & Potatoes

Wednesday - Leftovers with Broccoli

Thursday - Making Green Bean Salad for a Potluck

Friday - Melissa's Chicken Hash from the Whole30 Book

Saturday - Beefy Ratatouille

Sunday - Chicken Bacon Ranch Skillet with Fries
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Friday Favorites

July 15, 2016


I finally got to wander Home Goods while my mom was in town. Their random food section is on point people! Like, ON POINT. I feel like I judge stores based on their random food section. 

About 4 years ago I was ordering Kombucha by the case off of Amazon while my favorite of all time --- Synergy --- was in the process of lowering the alcohol content from their brand. Kombucha Wonder somehow landed on my radar and I bought a ton. I haven't see it in person ever, so coming across it at Home Goods was dreamy. 

Plus they also had some red currant juice, which you typically don't find here (in this country really). That was something I became particularly fond of when I was in England 100 years ago. 


Harrison had discovered outside, or at least how to request he go out there. 

He's a handful of toddler, nothing new. 

What is new is that I finally ordered a Wifi SD card for my camera. I got the Toshiba one by the way. I'm seriously loving that I can get these photos to my phone so easily to share with everyone, plus I think it encourages me to tote around my big camera more. 

I do feel as though I'm cheating on Instagram, but let's be honest... most people seem to be posting heavily edited pics these days. Like honey bun, you should be posting more than just what a professional took. Quit pretending to be perfect. 

End fancy photo rant. 


While my parents were in we hit up a local pool. It had a lazy river, therefore my life was complete. 

This was Harrison's first time in a pool since last year when he was teeny tiny. He loved it, like beyond loved it! I thought he might get fussy at naptime, nope. The child passed slap out floating in his puddle jumper down the lazy river. The second time around I found a tube for us, he had to have stayed this way for 30 minutes solid. 

I'd also like to have a moment of silence for the disappearance of my youthful skin. Pre-25 I could tan like a pro and not even get a touch of burn. Post 25 I had on 70 from head to toe and still burned. The baby on the other hand, he had on the same stuff as me, reapplied just as often, and came out with that Puerto Rican skin tone I use to know and love. 

What is happening skin? Why did you stop loving me at 30? 

Also that swim suit... it's circa summer 2000 or 2001 and Speedo. Clearly we got our moneys worth since it still looks brand spanking new. I'm just glad teen Emily had the foresight to get one with tummy control. The post baby body thanks you. 


 I really don't know how this happened, but I am obsessed with Tati on YouTube. Her makeup tutorials are wonderful, she has a bunch of drugstore products she tests out, and she's just really funny. 

I'm typically not a makeup obsessed person, but she has given me a ton of ideas about how to change what I'm already using and what products I might want to try out. 


In other news... after watching a zillion YouTube makeup videos it appears that everyone loves the concealer that I've been using for 5 years. Look at me being ahead of a curve for a change. 

Since I brought my Tati channel love I thought I'd share this again, especially since it's been at least 3 years since I really touted it out on the blog. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer is truly awesome. I use it every time I wear makeup and top it with some ELF HD powder to bake it. I actually pulled this particular photo off the interwebs so you could see the swatches. I like to buy fair, light, brightener, or neutralizer depending on what is on the shelf at Wal-Mart. 

We all know they never have everything stocked. 

I also use this for the highlight on my nose and cupids bow. 

Next on my face list is to update my night cream, start using eye serum again, find a glycolic acid face wash, and start using foundation. I've been a BB cream gal for a long time and I think it's time for more coverage for days when I wear more makeup. 
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Chocolate Chip Lace Cookies

July 13, 2016

There are a few preferences in this family when it comes to cookies, my mother likes lace cookies, Jeremy likes traditional chewy chocolate chip, and I love oatmeal raisin. 

Honestly there are few cookies I'll say no to. I just want them chewy. 


The idea of lace cookies is great, but the super crunch just isn't my speed. Jeremy actually thought he wouldn't like these because he thought they would be crunchier than they were, he ended up loving them. 


These chocolate chip lace cookies will make the regular chocolate chip cookie lover happy with their chewy-ness and satisfy the lace cookie lovers as well. They are honestly the perfect mix of crunchy and chewy.

Before we get to the recipe let me throw it out there that I think my oven runs a bit hot. So check your time, when I make these I sometimes have to adjust between batches so that some don't burn.


Chocolate Chip Lace Cookies

Makes 1 1/2 dozen
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp old fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2 tbsp Grapenuts Cereal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla, combine. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chips, almonds, oatmeal, and Grapenuts. Don't overbeat. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets, leaving 2" in between cookies. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes until cookies are browned but still chewy. Allow to cool on parchment paper before removing. 
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Meal Pinning Monday

July 11, 2016

It's the last week of summer before Jeremy goes back to work, can we just have a moment of silence for summer ending.

All the sad face emojis over here!

In other news, wheat and dairy are still out of the diet in an effort to get back to where I was after the Whole30 in January when I was completely off my allergy meds.



[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Monday - Spaghetti, with zoodles for me & pasta for the crowd

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday - Eating Out

Thursday - Burgers & Fries (but a Burger Bowl for me)
(Click the link, the widget didn't work)

Friday - Turkey Tacos (more of a taco salad for moi)

Saturday - White Chicken Chili

Sunday - Honey Mustard Chicken Wings with Fries
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Meal Pinning Monday

July 5, 2016

Well, the 4th is over and as I promised a friend... I'm Whole30-ing with her this month. 

Let the fun begin. See also, detoxing from dairy. 



[What is Meal Pinning Monday?]
MPM is how I meal plan for our little family. I once spent a lot of time searching the web and my recipe books hunting for new recipes and ideas for what to cook every week. Then, Pinterest came along and made meal planning much easier for me. Every weekend I look over what I have pinned the prior week and decide what I would like to cook and make my grocery list from these recipes. MPM came about as a way to share what I am cooking, and to also see what others are cooking every week to hopefully get even more dinner ideas from other bloggers. If you don't pin your recipes feel free to just share what you are cooking.

Tuesday - Chicken Picatta with Cauliflower Rice (with pork cube steak I got on sale!!)

Wednesday - Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry with Veggies

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Grilled Chicken with Veg

Saturday - Caramelized Pork Hash

Sunday - Beef Kofta with Salad

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Friday Favorites

July 2, 2016

Yes, I'm aware that it's Saturday. 

It takes awhile sometimes to get it together around here. 

Y'all one is a fun age, like a thousand times better than pooping 12 times a day and being a sack of potatoes stage. Can I just birth the next one to be one?

We took dude to the splash pad this week, he loved it and I'll spare you the pic of myself that Jeremy so lovingly posted on social media. It was definitely a pic for us and not a pic I'd like people looking at. See also... end of nursing baby weight that won't leave. 

Harrison is obsessed with water though, and I thinking of getting a sprinkler when we go shopping today. 


Please tell me someone else is in love with Jessie James Decker's YouTube tutorials! Well she put out a lip kit this week that was way more than I'd ever spend on a lipstick... and luckily I had something in my bag that was a pretty good match. Ignore the Snapchat filter, it changed the color a bit. 

My dupe is --- Jordana lipliner in Tawny & Maybelline Matte in Daringly Nude 655


How do you like the new baby lock system at our house? 

It works wonders and is a great alternative to not being able to find what we actually wanted. 


How I'm just going to Drug Emporium in Lafayette I'll never know. The husband and child weren't nearly as impressed, but it carried all my favorite brands that I have to order online usually. Hey Wish Garden, I'm looking at you. 


In nerd news, am I the only Anglophile crazy enough to take an eCourse from Univ. of Reading this summer? It's on Royal Food and Feasting... and they give recipes. 

Who's making a Tudor era tarte recipe this Sunday? I am! 

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