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)