Get Over It

sweater: TJMaxx, coat: J.Crew, booties: Ann Taylor, bag: Kate Spade, hat & scarf: Gap

It's easy to fall into winter blues, especially in January. Nothing is happening (except getting my credit card statements and realizing I spend too much over holidays) and it's absolutely frigid outside. But you already know that. Everyone (and I mean, everyone) is complaining about how cold it is and how we cannot wait until summer. Then summer comes and we can't stand the heat and the humidity. So which one is it? I have nothing to complain about. I'm sitting in a nice, warm house with peacefully asleep baby and a wonderful husband who's nodding off as I type this. Millions of people around the world don't have even half of what I have and that's something to be thankful for. Yes, winters are cold and how is that a news? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm tired of complaining. I'm tired of hearing people complain and I'm tired of myself getting caught up in it. It's January. Temperatures are below zero. Get over it.
So what's new with you?

Style {Motherhood Challenges Series}

Personal style is defined by who you are as a person. Style is not the latest brands or designer labels but something that makes you, well, you. It's personal and very unique to every individual. And although there are guidelines for looking groomed and put-together, I don't think that being a mother is an excuse for sloppy personal attire. 

Finding your own personal style and knowing what works well for your figure is something that comes with time. As a mother, I have seen my style evolve and change to accommodate my growing responsibilities. I love wearing dresses because they are a no-brain outfit. I adore above knee skirts and high boots (as you can tell with my latest outfit posts) and quiet frankly it's possible with an infant in tow (granted I only have one).

One thing is for sure - I seek comfort and ease of movement with all my outfits and limit amount of jewelry in my everyday wear because those tiny chubby hands love to grab onto everything. I still love pretty sequin tops and never shy away from a great pair of heels but it's knowing how to style them is the key.

Having classic, versatile, high quality pieces makes it possible to mix and match to your heart's content. Here are a few of my picks for a functional mother's closet. 

Casual...

shirt, jacket, jeans, watch, bracelet, crossbody, booties

Classy...

blouse, sequin top, skirt, tote, bracelet, pumps

Buckwheat Pancakes {Recipe}

In an effort to eat healthier this year, I'm experimenting with a lot of different unorthodox ingredients, like buckwheat flour. Traditionally, Russians eat a lot of buckwheat but growing up I absolutely hated this grain. Now, however I have grown to appreciate its delicate taste and learn to make it in a lot of interesting ways. I bring to you a very healthy, filling and absolutely delicious recipe for pancakes. Make these on your day off or for a family brunch and you can skip making the eggs because these are very filling.

INGREDIENTS

vegetable oil for coating the pan

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I make these 100% buckwheat without putting all-purpose flour but they have a lot stronger taste)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 egg 

1 cups buttermilk (or whole milk)

METHOD

1 Heat a well-seasoned griddle, cast iron skillet, or stick-free pan on medium heat. The pan or griddle should be ready for the batter as soon as it is mixed.

2 Whisk together the dry ingredients—the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda—in a large bowl. In Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and start stirring. Beat the egg with a fork and stir it into half of the buttermilk. Add the buttermilk/egg mixture to the dry ingredients, then slowly add in the rest of the buttermilk as needed to get to the right consistency for your batter (you may not need all of the buttermilk, depending on what type of buttermilk you are using and the brand of flour). Stir only until everything is combined. Do not over mix. A few lumps are fine.

3 Put a small amount (a half teaspoon) of vegetable oil on the pan or griddle and spread it around with a paper towel to coat. Ladle the batter onto the hot surface to the desired size, about 4-5 inches wide. (A 1/4 cup measure will ladle about a 4-inch pancake.) Reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the pancake to cook for 2-3 minutes on this first side (DO NOT speed up the cooking time by increasing the heat as the pancakes will burn very fast) Watch for bubbles on the surface of the pancake. When air bubbles start to rise to the surface at the center of the pancake, flip the pancake. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until nicely browned.

4 Keep your pancakes warm on a rack in the oven set on "warm," or stack them on a plate and cover with a towel as you make more. Spread more oil on the pan as needed between batches of pancakes.

Recipe adopted from here

Interesting Links {Volume 2}

Here are some interesting reads - everything from touching and inspirational to step-by-step hair tutorial. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

1. People who have style practice some common sense habits in this post.

2. Easy-peasy way to curl your hair without curling iron .

3. Hair tips that everyone needs to know.

4. I made this recipe twice and it's absolutely delicious. A must try for a weeknight dinner

5. A very controversial blog written by one of the most articulate Russian preachers. After reading couple of his posts (example here and here) I've been blown away by his credibility and knowledge in many different matters.

6. Why you should get a divorce in 2014. Read it before you jump to conclusions

7.  Only because we are freezing to death in subzero temperatures, that doesn't mean it's not sunny some where. I want spring to be here already so I can wear this outfit.

8. Would you get a set of boudoir pictures for your lover? I mean this is such a gorgeous setting and Valentine's Day is coming up very soon.

9. A cool house.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Lady With A Hat

sweater: H&M, skirt: thrifted, booties: Ann Taylor, scarf: Old Navy, hat: NY&Co

I can't seem to get out of a closet rut with some of my favorites - skirts, comfy sweaters and even pajamas. It's not a bad thing, learning to creatively re-mix what I have but at the same time, it gets old. I mean for you guys, right? Again with this skirt. It's the delicate balance of wearing my own clothes and wearing something new every time, which means more shopping. Speaking of shopping, January has been brutal (on my budget, I mean) and awesome in other ways. Free of holiday bustle we are spending time with family and enjoying each other. I hope you are having a good day and thank you for stopping by.

Favorite

sweater, glasses: H&M, skirt: J.Crew, boots: gift from Belarus, scarf: Joe Fresh, bag: Kate Spade

When I find something I really like and that fits me well, I tend to wear it for days on end. Case in point, this skirt. It's warm, comfortable and just the perfect length for everyday errands, or even going out to dinner. The weather has been mild lately, and I'm loving it. No need for parkas but it's still cold enough for a light blanket of snow and chilly air. If the winter would stay like this for the entire five months, I would enjoy it a lot more. Besides the milder weather, there isn't much going on here. So I hope you gals (and boys) have a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by.

Jonathan //10-11 months//

I just realized that with holidays and all, I forgot to write Jonathan's 10-month post. I guess, mama got a little carried away with it all. 

There aren't that many changes taking place right now but dear boy, you are so fun right now. You take interest in everything that's going on around you and absolutely love books. It's the very first toy you will reach for. You are still crawling and, although you walk with only one hand holding on to mine, you don't have any intentions of walking any time soon. You get around so fast in your walker that you have no incentive to start walking on your own. However, your babble definitely resembles more grown up speech and you are repeating syllables all the time. 

The only thing you don't like is when I feed you. You, Mr. Independent, want to do it yourself and it's a struggle to feed you every time. You are very particular about taking your sweet time with chewing your food and unless you are very hungry, you will not eat anything. Honestly, this stage is the most fun (except lunch time when I get a little frustrated). It seems like you are starting to understand more and more. 

I love playing with you and taking you in arms right after your nap, when you still want to cuddle. Or when you fall asleep in my arms while having your bottle. It's those sweetest moments when it's just you and me that I will cherish forever. 

Happy almost 1 year old!

Feeling Blue

shirt: Joe Fresh, sequin tank: LOFT, blazer and pants: H&M, booties: Liz Claiborne, watch: Target

Every year, after I put all the Christmas stuff away, I start feeling blue. January is the worst month ever. There are no holidays, nothing exciting going on, just cold ans snow. Lots of it. My New Year's resolutions, to be honest, are failing miserably. Shame on me. But here's to a new week and keeping up with my goals. 

First up, healthy breakfast of buttermilk buckwheat pancakes. Yum! (Recipe coming soon)

Next, devotions and off I go.

Hope you are having a good day and thank you for stopping by! 

Thoughts On Feeling Like a Failure

I have been thinking a lot about what have I accomplished. Not just in the last year but in my entire life. Looking at other women my age and those even younger, at those with, what seems like, better marriages and celebrity-worthy closets I got jealous. I started feeling pity for myself because I don't have a thousand people following after two years of blogging, every item in my closet does not have a J.Crew label on it, my husband is not a freelance photographer who takes pictures of me for living and my baby's outfits are not Instargam-worthy.

I'm just a married girl with baby in tow who has a blog. I write half legible sentences of incoherent thoughts and post pictures of simple outfits. That's it. I'm not sensational or original. In most cases I look to Pinterest and other blogs for inspiration. I carefully plan out all of my blog outfits and take a million pictures of baby for that one cute grin.

And so I've been feeling sorry for myself just a little bit for a couple of reasons. I don't have a career and I'm not rising to the top of corporate ladder. I haven't made a huge following for my blog and I don't have very inspirational thoughts. I don't have a 'wow factor' with every outfit and I cannot afford Valentino rockstuds. (Google it if you must). Feeling like I don't have anything to show for my life, like I haven't accomplished much has taken over me.

It's easy to feel inferior and like a looser by looking at other people's blogs, families, business, children or what have you, through the prism of social media. Most of the time we do not see the whole picture. We get caught up in the covetous state of mind because let's face it, our culture pushes for it. I see a lot of 'currently coveting' posts and none 'look I'm happy with what I've got' posts because we are always looking for more. That makes us compare our lives with others' and when it doesn't line up with a tiny snapshot of reality, we feet like we failed.

That is absolutely not true.

Behind heavily edited pictures, polished looks, staged family photos and perfect lighting there are people. People who have faults, who fail and who don't have it all together because I surely don't. And that's OK. It's OK to be ordinary and just myself. It's OK to be living an ordinary life, raising babies, loving my husband and growing old. It's OK to be grateful for what I have and do the best I can with the life that God gave me.

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise

 (2 Corinthians 10:12)

Goals

I know, I know... I'm almost a week late with this post but here it goes. Every year I make some kind of resolution. Whether it is to read Bible more or exercise three times a week, inadvertently I seem to fail, oh I don't know, the second day. I've made some personal goals by taking stock of 2013 and re-examining the year.

01. KNOW THE LORD

Many of us, as Christians, know of God and what He represents but we don't take the time or put enough effort to really know Him. I'm one of them. It's easy to go through the motions of church, ministries and talk of Christianity but a lot harder to actually live it. I don't want to get more spiritual or have better prayer life (although both are good), I simply want to know Him better.

02. GROW A STRONGER MARRIAGE

Every so often I pledge to spend more time with hubby, have meaningful conversations and go on more dates. In reality, everything else gets in the way and now with a baby in tow, it's even harder to make time for each other. This year it's going to be different. It is not just an intention and good thought, but a realization that good things take work. More work than I have put in it so far. 

03. BE HEALTHY

This is a big one. It's not just to exercise every day or go on a diet but have a healthy life style. Everything, from what I eat to what I watch on TV, has to have a positive impact on my life to be part of it. To be healthy means not just be free of physical illnesses but have a positive state of mind and well being.  

04. TRAVEL 

I love to travel and see new places, especially with the ones I love. Be that a short drive to a neighboring town or trip abroad, living to experience interesting places is the new goal. I have one life to live so need take advantage of the time and youth while I can enjoy it. Oh the places I will go!

05. LIVE IN THE MOMENT

I'm a master at planning. The moment I wake up, I have a plan in mind -  what I'm going to do that day, that week and even month. This year I'm determined to live in the moment and be present with my mind in every minute of every day. I want to enjoy every moment of my life without worrying that it doesn't fit into a well devised plan.

P.S. We are in frozen country right now so outfit pictures aren't coming your way anytime soon. The only thing that I'm wearing right now is a puffer jacket and rabbit hair snow boots. Yes, it's that bad.

That's all for now!
Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas Recap

Christmas Eve at my mom's house...

My sister with her daughter...

The ladies with the babies... Can you tell they love each other? 

The only decent picture from opening presents ordeal...

It was a mess... Someone had to step in... 

She loves her first doll...

Jonathan with his auntie...

Me with the stinkers...

This may be a little confusing. From left to right - my niece Zoe, my cousin Andre and my son Jonathan. Yes it's an interesting family we have ;-)

Christmas day at Sergey's parents... 

Goofing around... 

Love my sis (in-law) can you tell?

Family picture time. Again. 

To recap - Christmas was fun this year. It was also hectic, and loud, and fast, and sweet. It was mostly very different from all the other Christmases we had. Having our own baby and two more on my family's side, Christmas Eve was nothing short of exciting (to say the least). The plan was to let babies open the presents, feed and put them to sleep so adults could have a nice sit down dinner. That didn't happen. Nobody wanted to sleep and everyone was up. Christmas Day was spent at my in-laws house and it was nice. Festive lunch, opening of presents and sitting by the fireplace until late at night. After the much needed break from blogging I'm ready to start the year, with some changes and goals in mind. 

Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!