Spring/Winter Wardrobe 201

Last year around this time, I posted about how Spring had sprung "in theory", but certainly not "in practice".  Well, whaddya know, it's doing it again this year.  This weekend it was both a balmy 70 degrees and a snowy 25.  This, my friends, does not a happy dresser make.

I was hoping I wouldn't need to combine my winter woolens with my new fresh airy Spring wardrobe AGAIN, but alas, here we are.

Which brings me to today's lecture:  "How to combine Spring and Winter wardrobes:  Part 2"

Lesson 1: "It's sunny and snowing…does this mean the devil is beating his…??"  I'll stop you right there.  Yes, you may have thought this was impossible, but in CO, anything is possible, and it happens more often than you may think.  Throw on your favorite jeans with a cheery painterly cardigan and a sunny yellow coat.  All this bright color will make you less depressed to put on your snow boots for one last run (hopefully) of the season.

Lesson 2: "I have a hot date tonight…and I'm freezing.  Can I wear my sweats?"  Answer: no, you can't.  You spent the money on that amazing maxi dress with the flirty jeweled plunging neckline, and you're gonna wear it.  This is where the perfect mix of "hard + soft" will work wonders--pair it with a warm leather moto jacket, nude suede booties, and a precious minaudière, and you're good to go.

Lesson 3: "It's a beautiful Spring weekend, but the whipping wind is bitter cold!  Don't make me put on the wool coat again…"  You're right.  For your sanity, put away that wool coat!  Instead, keep your warm cozy wool scarf on, but pair with your new floral moto jacket, preppy striped trousers, and your trusty leather ankle boots.  Just the right amount of winter gear to shield you from the icy breeze.

EXTRA CREDIT--Lesson 4: "I bought my 8 month old a ton of adorable spring dresses but I may get child protective services called on me if I let her out in only these.  Help me not go to prison!"  Okay, calm down.  Layer her warm winter tights under her new happy dress to keep her legs warm.  Throw her lined coat on top to keep her body toasty, and her leather booties on bottom to keep her toe-ies warm (because these are the ONLY SHOES that will stay on her feet).  Precious.

Hopefully, I never have to give this lecture again.  Come on Spring, you can do it!  

--mel

Day Drinking

A couple months ago, I went out to brunch with a friend and fellow new mom at one of our favorite haunts.  As I shuffled into the booth, late of course, I breathlessly ordered my normal brunch beverages: "black coffee, ice water, and a mimosa, please".  That's right, my normal brunch beverages.  As in, I order these things pretty much every single time I go out for brunch.

Note: when you have a child, brunch and happy hour are usually the best times to go out and be social with friends.  During happy hour, I suppose the adult beverage is a given.  However, for me, at brunch, it's a given as well.

Anyway, my friend started her beverage order in quite the same way--"coffee, water, and…do you guys have beermosas?"  My eyes lit up like a kid on christmas morning.  Beermosa, you say?  Am I that out of the loop??  Where have I been all this time sipping away at the normal, boring, yet still delicious, mimosas of our grandmother's era, when this glorious concoction known as a beermosa waited for me on menus across the land for me to conquer?!?!?

Fast forward to a few weeks later on my birthday when my family and friends took me out for a delicious brunch and when the waiter came to take our drink orders, I started mine in the same way--"black coffee, ice water, and…"--I caught myself before I finished my own boring sentence.  I asked him about the great beermosa of lore and he said, "Let me see what I can whip up."  He brought back a huge glass of freshly squeezed blood orange juice and a cold can of crisp Belgian white beer.  This, my friends, was the beermosa elevated.  I was in heaven.

All this being said, with the discovery of the beermosa, my eyes had been opened to the possibilities of new and exciting beverages to accompany me on my adventures in day drinking.  No longer was I held captive by the comfort and ease of the good ol' mimosa.  I had gotten a taste of the new world, and I wanted more.

So, here are a few other delicious looking concoctions that might just accompany my "black coffee and ice water" in the near future.

1- Burnt Sage and Blackberry Sangria.

2- Autumn Cider Mimosa.

3- Tequila Watermelon Popsicles.  (a.k.a. the more socially acceptable "jello shot")

Cheers!
--mel

World's Most Ethical Companies: H&M

Recently, the Ethisphere Institute released it's annual list of companies that "truly go beyond making statements about doing business 'ethically' and translate those words into action".  There are several categories of business represented in the list and thankfully, a good showing of American-based companies as well (Levi-Strauss & Co.; Gap Inc.; Ford Motor Company; Google, Inc.; and the list goes on).  

Refinery 29 made a good point that this list of ethical businesses still doesn't take into account manufacturing and labor practices which, I agree, should certainly be included in the qualifications for an ethically run business (read about Ethisphere's scoring qualifications here).  However, H&M, one of three apparel companies included in the list, has been paving the way in the retail world for their use of recycled, sustainable, and organic textiles in their products recently and for that, they should certainly be applauded.  (Read about all of their sustainability practices here.)

So!  If there ever was a good time to go shopping, it is now!  Below are some of my Spring favorites from H&M.

Check out the rest of Ethisphere's most ethical companies so you can help support businesses who are working to better themselves and therefore the world economy as well.

--mel

(clockwise from top left)  tunic with lace detail // light pint lyocell tank top (part of the CONSCIOUS collection) // lyocell cargo pants (part of the CONSCIOUS collection) // pink ballet flats // baby girl white floral sneakers // girl's leopard swimsuit // pink patterned bowl // black storage basket // notebooks 

spring

Well, they say that Spring has sprung.  

I say…"they" have straight up lost their marbles.

As I sat down to type this, it was snowing outside my window.  Yesterday, I was wearing rolled up jeans and a cardigan.  Tomorrow it's expected to be sunny and 65, which in CO is the equivalent to the perfect day.  

For us here in the high desert, Spring is shaping up to be pretty much "by the book" so far.  These crazy mood swings are always par for the course for the beginning of Spring.  So, while I'm not exactly surprised, it doesn't change the fact that I am still longing for a consistent stretch of cool and sunny days.  Perfect days, if you will.  The days when I can finally put away my snow boots and heavy coats until next year.  The days when I can plan on going outside a couple days in advance and not have it literally snow on my parade. 

Until then, here's a little collection of what my Spring-colored dreams look like.  Hope this helps to put you in a sunny mood as well.

XOXO

--mel  

Loeffler Randall "Emma" d'orsay flat  //  Harriet's Haberdashery children's patchwork quilt dress

springy crocheted cacti  //  floating balloons from Railsberry

Eugène Séguy Insectes  //  Adventures in Dressmaking natural dye dress    

Petit Backstage  //  Averie Cooks Funfetti Sugar Cookies

Faribault Woolen Mill Co.

First of all, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your tremendous response to my last post.  I was blown away by all the amazing stories I was told both here and on my Facebook.  I can't tell you just how wonderful it was to connect with all the mamas out there who have been on a journey like mine.  You all are amazing.

So, let's keep hanging out, shall we?  I've got another suggestion for you today:  WOOL.

how to feed a baby

Congratulations, you had a baby!  Planning on breastfeeding?  Perfect!  It's the most natural form of feeding your newborn!  Your body knows just what to do!  Your baby knows exactly how to do it!  Your milk will come when it's called!  Hallelujah, you got through labor and now you're smooth sailing through infancy as your perfect body perfectly perfects the perfect art of perfect food for your perfect baby who is perfectly able to tell you when he/she needs your perfect food for their perfect life!

Ahem.

For those mamas out there who experienced breastfeeding like the above explanation, I envy you, because that is certainly not how it happened for me.  And for the first few weeks after I had NC, I had convinced myself that I was the only new mama in the world who had trouble breastfeeding and that for some reason, I was just ill-equipped.

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I want this to be a safe place for us to discuss the real issues facing us as human beings, and today, as new mamas.  Not all of my posts will be this "graphic", but today, that's just how the cookie crumbled.  

So without further ado…How to Feed a Baby in 5 Easy Steps

at my suggestion

Well, hello, my dear internet cosmos.  It's so nice to run into you again.

Five months ago, my life changed.  Since then, I've been busy trying to learn how to live as a new person.  Someone who now has two bodies, two hearts, two brains, two breathing sets of lungs.  Someone who now has another being to take care of.

Turns out being pregnant wasn't the only time I would hold this other being inside of me.  In fact, I do so now.  Maybe even more than before.

When I was pregnant, all I had to worry about was how I took care of myself, and that would trickle down to take care of this thing inside of me.  But now, it's not just about me anymore.  Now I take care of myself, and I take care of a new being.  Now, I take care of a new life.  My daughter, NC.

Needless to say, it's been a transition.  Parts of it have been the most difficult of my life.  Others have been the most joyous and ecstatic moments I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.  Luckily, the second kind have far outweighed the first.

Anyway, I've thought a lot about this blog during my time away.  What is this space?  What do I want to fill it with?  While navigating the beginning months of motherhood, I've learned a lot about myself, and a lot about what I would have wanted to read about before I embarked on this journey.  I've also learned a lot about what my real priorities are now.  The things I find truly beautiful and inspiring now are in a big way, much different than they were before.  Some things are the same, but so much has changed.

For example, I realize that this space is not merely here because someone named "D" suggested it.  This time, I'm here truly for myself and at my own insistence.  I'm back because I realize that I have a lot to say, and it's me who is suggesting to myself that it may just be time to let you all hear it.

So, this blog is no longer "at D's suggestion".  Now, it is all at my own suggestion, a collection of ideas put forward for your consideration.  Everything here is my own opinion put forth to you in hopes that you find it as appealing and inspiring as I do.

I hope you enjoy the continuation of this space, and that you find meaning in my explorations as I do.  I expect the content will be just as varied as before, with a much needed added dose of reality.  I want this space to be a safe place for exploring the real feelings and struggles that come with being a woman, a wife, a working outside of the home/working from home/stay at home mom, a human member of the global community.

So, my first suggestion is for you to join me.  I can't promise anything except that it will be an adventure.

XOXO
--mel

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