frumpy {frocktober, day 13}

I lightly complained about having a cold yesterday but today's elevated cold kicks yesterday's in the tush.

I feel completely wrung out, and this morning my nose was so clogged up I couldn't even taste my pumpkin spice creamer which was basically the cherry on top of a rather crappy morning.
I went through an hour-long meeting trying not to be a sneeze monster, resorting to discreetly wiping my runny nose on my sweater sleeve. I've totally grossed you out now. I'm so sorry.

Did I mention I was leading the meeting, and that "discreetly" is more of a wish than a fact?
An unfortunate tendency I have when I have a cold is to be incredibly stuffy for about an hour or two, and then be violently seized with a conga line of sneezes. Usually a dozen, loud and unstoppable. I can try to stop them, but that just hurts my already pained face. The sneezes are somewhat of a relief, but they just keep coming. Afterward I usually feel like I did after I got my wisdom teeth out. Where am I. 

One time I was seized by one of these awful episodes while driving on the freeway and I suddenly became very aware of how life-threatening a sneeze attack can really be.

All of that to say, I am wearing dresses that feel more like pajamas and taking great comfort in stories. When I'm sick all I want to do is read or binge-watch my favorite TV shows. I'd love to just lounge around in a cotton gown in front of a fireplace like Danielle de Barbarac, but I'll also settle for the little patio setup of twinkle lights we created for my birthday party. I just started listening to an audiobook of The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling!) and am really enjoying it so far.

I've also been diving back into The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. It's a rather stunning story, full of the great mysteries of Venice, Italy. It's a true story but it reads like fiction, full of strange characters and a rather charming (and occasionally baffling) look at the intricacies of Venetian existence. I'm pretty enamored with it. Because I've been there, reading this has been giving me an even greater appreciation and understanding of the city. It is so unique.

I'm so happy to have the actual book in my hands, because I can mark my pages and underline passages and loan it to other people. I love my Kindle and Audible apps but there's still nothing like an actual hardcover books in your hands - especially when it's one you love. I endeavor to someday have a beautiful hardcover bookshelf of my favorite reads.

i'm ready

This has been quite a powerful week for me.

Mostly because I've had a sort of epiphany of change, taking the steps that are necessary to be what I want to be.

Fit, healthy, long-nailed.

I stopped biting my nails towards the end of 2013. It just happened, like suddenly I realized that if I wanted to stop biting my nails, I should just stop biting them. What a crazy world. I've been biting and tearing my nails for my entire life (well, I don't know about little baby Caitlin, but most likely she was biting everything she could get her hands on, including her own hands). Why?

Here's the truth: Dusty bought me some amazing super-glitter OPI nail polishes for Christmas. So I started painting my nails pretty much every night, completely enamored with them, wanting to try different patterns and colors. And I stopped biting my nails because they were so pretty. 

I suddenly had the will and the reason to allow myself long, strong, beautiful nails. 

I'm never doubting the power of glitter again.

The other part of my epiphany is that I've started working out almost every day.

Why haven't I always been doing this?

The epiphany part is that I actually enjoy it. I enjoy it because I grabbed a friend to do it with me, and it's a game changer when you start looking forward to meeting up every night -- to laughing while you do jumping jacks to a cheesy workout video, to having awkwardly great conversations while running outside, wheezing and so out of breath, so cold that your tears are freezing to your cheeks.

Then you celebrate and feel amazing and grab your water bottle and say, "see you tomorrow!"

All the while knowing that your body is changing and getting stronger and is so sore the next day because of a job well done. What's more straight forward than that?

Dusty and I started doing Herbalife last year and have really been enjoying it, and it has helped us lose some weight and feel so great. It has also inspired us to eat better and eat out much less (I also have to thank eMeals for that, which I'm so happy with that I would gladly do a million commercials for it. It's on Groupon right now, go buy it ASAP! It'll change your life. You can thank me later.)

But being healthy and fit is more than that, it's intentional and it's active. 

I'm not gonna lie, I have fallen into the typical marriage weight gain category. Both Dusty and I have slowly but surely gotten further and further away from our little high school selves, when we first fell in love and we were just babies, petite and darling.

I think part of it stemmed from moving away from Arizona so soon after marriage, and being really homesick out here in Virginia -- there were a lot of Taco Bell nights, trying to cling on to something comforting and homey (and fatty). 

We look back to pictures of our first year or so out here in Virginia, and we just giggle in embarrassment. 

I'm not truly ashamed, though, nor do I regret those inevitable pounds.

Because they were well-earned. By date nights, cuddling, sleeping in on Saturdays. By happiness, contentedness, (alright, and definitely laziness). By TV-show marathons and pajama nights. 

By a time when all we had was each other and some cheese. 

What a glorious time it was, my friends. I remember, and I won't forget.

But now I'm ready -- I'm ready to be an adult, to give up Taco Bell, to be healthy, for myself and for my husband and for my future children. To keep up with things and go on those hikes and run around the park and be at my very best. To finally decide that all of it is worth it, and anything that used to keep me back was just silly. To find that glitter that inspires me to action. 

I'm ready.

5to5: weekday remix

I've seen several fashion blogs do remix posts to showcase a particular item of clothing in multiple outfits.
Remixing is a great way to challenge yourself to draw inspiration from the items in your closet!

Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky has some great "Remixology" posts that have served as my inspiration for this "5to5" project.
I reference her blog often, because it's one of the only blogs I check on an almost daily basis. I love her unique style and her thoughtful posts.

In any case, I decided to grab 5 standard items from my closet and see how I could create 5 different outfits out of those items.
I've learned a lot over the past year or so about how to utilize one item for many purposes, and I'm always intrigued by new challenges.

Yesterday my barista at Starbucks said, "Okay, I have a question for you: do you ever wear the same thing twice? I've served you for a while now, and I don't think I've ever seen you in the same outfit."

I took this as a pretty great compliment, because I've tried my best to keep my wardrobe fresh!

The Five: 
1. A neutral blazer
2. A maxi skirt
3. Colored denim
4. Lace top
5. Polka-dot dress

I chose items that I feel like everyone has (or maybe should invest in, if not!) in their basic closet collection.
These items are great staples for the spring, and are easily transitioned into other seasons as well.

Accessories: classic sunglasses (similar!) from Ruche / bow belt from LOFT / white bow flats / lavender crossbody bag (similar) from Target / mint crossbody bag (similar) from Primark in London / Cookie Lee necklace + bracelet / Noon earrings (shop!)

Outfit 1:
Dress (shop!) / Blazer (similar) : LOFT

This is classic workday attire.
It completely slipped my mind until I started working on this post that this entire first outfit is from LOFT!
While I bought/received all of the items at separate times, they work pretty well together!
I love this new polka-dotted dress, it reminds me of 101 Dalmatians. The dots are imperfect, with a smudged quality that reminds me of the art throughout one of my favorite Disney movies!

Outfit 2:
Dress: LOFT (shop!), Top: Ruche

I love the idea of layering a lace top over a dress.
It's so feminine, and adds a lot of opportunity to dress up a few casual dresses for a more elaborate look. Add a belt at the waist for some more silhouette definition and you're good to go!

Outfit 3:
Skirt: Primark in London, Top: Ruche

I also used a solid navy tank to wear under the lace top.
I'm still unsure how I feel about maxi skirts/dresses. They always feel a bit too dressy for me, and that's possibly because my work is so casual.
I picked this skirt up on our trip to London because I'm a sucker for stripes, and I also am eager for more touches of navy in my wardrobe. I look forward to experimenting with more remixes of this one!

Outfit 4:
Skirt: Primark in London

I absolutely love the idea of using a longer skirt as a dress!
It may not work for every long skirt (and I'm not a huge fan of strapless anyway) but I think playing around with colored cardigans and big necklaces would be so fun with this striped pattern.
It would be so easy to transition this look from workday to date night out with just a few accessories. So many options!

Outfit 5:
Colored denim: Ruche, Top: Ruche

Outfits 1 and 5 are probably my favorite out of them all, and seem to be the most "me".

I really love my coral pants. They were my first pair of colored denim, and every time I put them on I remember how much I love them. They're so comfortable and bright. I look forward to wearing them more and more this spring!

This was my first attempt at taking my own pictures via tripod, and I was too scared to venture outside of our apartment (these were taken on the strip of balcony behind our row of apartments).
I'll hopefully be attempting 5to5 posts every couple of weeks, so until then:
What are your thoughts on some of these outfit ideas?