sleepy says {frocktober, days 17-20}

I think both my husband and I have come to realize that we're completely at the mercy of fatigue these days. We've spent every weekend working tirelessly on getting our house ready to move in, and as a result, we feel drained at the start of every week. The week days go by in a heavy blur. I've gone back to my coffee addiction, surprise surprise! Starbucks detours have been frequent. Every evening after work, we're torn between our desire to be productive and our even weightier desire to try to catch up on the rest we've been missing out on each weekend. The sleepiness usually wins out. We're pajama-clad before dinner and in bed as soon as we can manage it.

Thus, my lack of daily blogging. Every night I make a mental note to take and edit photos so I can post them the next morning - but this week they've piled up on me once again. I can't believe it's already Friday again. I honestly feel like I didn't even live through this week. It was all a dream. Someone else went to work for me and I stayed back home inside my own head, content to exist in a haze. 

In 1 week we'll be heading to North Carolina for our Fall getaway to see our besties from law school, and having that to look forward is so delightful. I hope you all have had a much mightier week, full of energy and inspiration. Enjoy this past week of Frocktober outfits below (remix info is at the end of the post). 

Remixes:

Outfit 1: Dress | Outfit 2: Green Cardigan

Outfit 3: Purple Cardigan

Outfit 4: Dress 1, 2, 3 // Denim 1, 2

backyardigans {frocktober, day 15}

It's the weekend at last! Friday was a good day. Work has been a bit interesting the last few months, but things finally seem to be settling in to a new normal. Friday felt like a solid step forward, which is hopeful and refreshing. The same can be said for the house progress. This weekend will be a big one. It's going to give us a really good idea of when and if we can move in this month.

The main setback to us actually diving in and living there full-time has been the kitchen. Specifically the countertops. We are doing our own DIY renovation to the majority of them, which will hopefully take place in the next week or so... we're attempting to do concrete. I'm not sure if I've said that out loud yet. But we're going to try our hand at sculpting our own concrete countertops! Wish us luck. A lot of luck.

The tricky part, though, is that we need our island countertop (which holds the kitchen sink) replaced and lengthened so that it can accommodate bar stools. So no DIY attempts there. We've been trying to hire a local guy to do the work for us, but it's been a slow process. After a week of back and forth, we finally have an installation date: November 5th.

As I said, this weekend feels like a definite shifting point. There's a spark in the air. The biggest projects are done (more or less), and we have dates in place for the rest. We'll actually be moving in a few loads of furniture either today or tomorrow, which does wonders to making it actually feel like our house. On Thursday we went over to the house and took these outfit photos (this dress was given to me ages ago by a friend, and it was always too long - but my belly width has perfected it!), and I actually thought of it as my backyard. Making that shift from strangers/guests to true backyardigans feels mighty fine.

 

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.