Billie Jean

Wedding Anniversary

Hello,

Today marks my two year wedding anniversary. I find that on a day like this, it is similar to how you wake up on your birthday, ya know, all excited. Although now, when I wake up on my birthday...I wish I woke up younger, not older. Ha! Anyways, because Joey & I are here in Baton Rouge by ourselves, we couldn't go out on a date just the two of us. Which is fine because Tory is a cute third wheel. I matched her in pink with me & just like last year, I decided to wear a white dress. Wearing white on your wedding anniversary is probably something that a lot of other women do, but I hope that it is a tradition that I uphold every year. I like the idea. Most of the photos didn't turn out well, which is disappointing mainly because today is so significant. Honestly, I just styled my outfit wrong. All wrong. And of course, I didn't realize it until I saw myself in all the photos. Also, Joey hates taking photos, especially with a squirmy baby. 

I am so fair skinned and wearing a white dress with all light colored accessories just didn't do much for my ensemble. I really need to add a necklace that popped, as well as a belt & some heels. My dress is literally a white canvas, I needed to paint. To play. But that is what happens when you're in a hurry, getting yourself dressed while at the same time trying to get a baby dressed & keep her out of every cabinet & drawer ...all while carefully applying my pink lipstick. I really adore this pink floppy hat though. Can't wait to wear it at Orange beach next week! ....a vacation?? What, I forgot these exist! Anyways, today was sweet. We went out to a Mexican restaurant here in town and I have to say that it was not very good. As was expected. I mean, I'm from Texas. I've had some of the best Tex Mex ever. Good drinks though.

It is funny that last year we went out to South Congress in Austin for our anniversary & had Mexican food then too. Joey & I are dreaming of back home. Want to be there SO BAD! On a more positive note...my wedding ring almost fits again. So yippee! I have SLOWLY but surely been losing weight & inches. I'd say in another couple of months, my ring will fit perfectly again. Today was the first day that I've worn it in a long time. It was nice. I really hope to be posting my wedding photos tomorrow. I always forget how beautiful they are. And, I will be putting together a giveaway to celebrate my two years! So stay tuned! Until next time. 

eShakti

Dress: c/o eShakti, Sunglasses: Kate Spade, Shoes: Kate Spade

Hello, 

eShakti is where you can find real fashion for real people. How awesome is that? And how refreshing is it to finally see fashion related companies supporting women of all sizes? It doesn't stop there. These companies really want to show their full support for EVERY one of their customers by offering custom sized fitted dresses! For someone who is losing weight like me, I am constantly "in between sizes." I always opt for garments that come in small, medium or large sizes because I have an easier time fitting into them as opposed to number sized clothing. As I lose weight, I can wear a size medium longer than I could a size 12 or a size 10 because a medium will still fit me whether I am a size 10 or a size 6 (but that is just my body). There is a wider range. But if I could buy something that fit me perfectly now, while I am at the weight that I am, I will do it. 

How many of us find a dress or piece of clothing that fits in one place but is too tight or too big somewhere else? Frustrating to say the least. I can only imagine how women feel who are petite! There are always women who come into the store & have the hardest time finding jeans or a dress that fits! They always have to buy pants that are too long or a dress that is too big in the shoulders & end up taking it to the tailor to get it to fit just right. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could get a dress sent to you already tailored to your exact measurements? Yes. Even if you aren't petite, for the most part, your clothes don't really fit you to a T. Not one dress is going to fit everybody perfectly. If there is ever a chance to get something tailored, I think it is worth it, no matter your body type.   

I have partnered up with eShakti to bring you this sponsored post! When I received my custom fitted dress in the mail, I didn't waste anytime before I put it on. Oh boy was I happy with the results. With this being my first time ordering anything from this company, I had no idea what to expect. And I am very pleased. Not only did the dress fit like a glove but the style of dresses they have on their website are so darn cute! I had a hard time picking out which dress I wanted! Everything is so "up my alley." Retro inspired indeed. This dress is the only dress that I own that fits flawlessly. Taking the 2 extra minutes to put in my measurements under the "custom size" tab at the bottom was worth it. And it only costs $7.50 for this feature! My personal experience has been so positive that I would recommend this company to anyone. Scouts honor. Oh yeah, and the prices are pretty swell as well! Very affordable. So why wouldn't everyone order a fabulous dress that they can get custom fitted to their body at a reasonable price? I don't know!? Thank you eShakti for this gee-golly-good-ole time! You can also find eShakti on pinterest & facebook. 

Now, can we please talk about this photography done by Natalie Mancuso ? Seeing as how I had this fabulous dress that I needed to shoot myself in, I needed some extra fabulous photos. So, with that said, I partnered up with my dear & sweet friend, Natalie. Her photos pretty much speak for themselves. I don't even need to go on about how great they are, because I am pretty sure that you have already decided that on your own! I also wanted to publicly say how thankful I am that I not only got the opportunity to work with Natalie but that I am so thankful to have met her! She truly is a beautiful person inside & out. Genuine & kind hearted. She is an amazing support system & true friend. She has an amazing photography business & I think anyone would be crazy not to hire her here in Baton Rouge!! A true talent. I only wish to be as good as her one day! You can find her website HERE & her blog HERE!! All of these photos are copyrighted so please don't take or use them unless permitted to! All photos were provided by Natalie (thank you). Photo shoot location: Rural Life Museum. 

This is by far one of my favorite posts. Thank you both eShakti & Natalie for helping me out! Until next time. 

Snow Cones

Hello,

You know that scene in Mean Girls when Karen is looking in the mirror & she is putting rhinestones in the shape (letter) of a "K" on her chest & then she turns around...and you realize that she had put them on backwards? Yeah, I had one of those moments today, obviously as you can see that my Texas necklace is on the wrong way. Ugh. Story of my life right now. Just can't seem to get anything right these days. If it isn't my necklace then it is my skirt getting stuck up in my underwear & me not even knowing about it, walking around for all eyes to see. Yup, that happened. Like two days ago. In public. Anyways, today was a relaxed one so we decided to go get snow cones for a late afternoon snack. I got the Bahama Mama flavor, Tory got CLEAR Strawberry (thank God for clear flavors) & Joey got Tutti Frutti. Yum! 

This jumpsuit is one of my favorite "go-to" pieces right now. I always recommend it at the store, especially when I am helping women who are in love with maxi dresses. This jumpsuit is easy. You just throw it on & go. Simple. And it speaks for itself, so you don't need to add too much. The very first time I wore it, I had on a simple pair of gold sandals & a jean jacket. I loved it. But also this jumpsuit allows for a little fun. You can definitely go wild & play around, like with this Panama hat. LOVE! You can see how I styled it HERE before on my Instagram account. Actually, I think I'm going to just go ahead & post the photo here too! Until next time. 

Which outfit do you like better?

Hippie Mama

Hello,

When getting ready to go to the park today, I wanted an outfit that was both easy & fun. Ya know, something that didn't require too much thought. Effortless. I think that's why I love maxi skirts & dresses so much. They are easy, right? I then instantly think of Rachel Zoe and her "fashion bullshit" episode where buyers were saying that maxis don't sell. And I have to agree with Mrs. Zoe, maxis are EASIER!

After a day of cleaning, the last thing I wanted to do was put on makeup & fix my hair. So, I took my hair out of a bun, put on a little bit of lipgloss, threw on this skirt & tee and on my way we went. I love when I only take a matter of minutes to get ready & make it out the door without any problems. That actually rarely (pretty much never) happens. Tory's outfit I am a little excited about because it is from DVF's new line for Baby Gap! Last year when her line launched, I totally missed out.

And since ya know because "I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom" (mean girls quote)...Tory has her Freshly Picked moccs on, duh! I do have a confession to make about this ensemble...I must give fashion credit to Lindsay, one of the other (& main) personal shoppers here at Anthro in Baton Rouge. She pieced this outfit together last week when we finally got this printed maxi skirt in. I bought both of them separately, not with the intentions of ever wearing them together (I wasn't sure if they worked quite well together), but I'm really happy I put this on because I really love it! So thanks Lindsay for the inspiration! Until next time! 

Blue Jean Baby

Hello Honeybees, 

Joe & I have been trying to fix up our backyard lately. Adding a bird-feeder (is that one word or two?) from Anthro, along with a llama planter & a beautiful yellow Moroccan style candle holder that we plan on hanging from the porch ceiling. Now that the weather is starting to get warmer, we are wanting to spend more time outside as a family, Tory approves. She LOVES being outside! Her summer fashion is quite on cue with the sandals & denim overalls, dontcha think? Love her little Salt Waters! I have matching red ones. I feel like that is a common trend amongst Mamas & their little ones. Her overalls I just couldn't pass up on when I saw them at Gap, especially since they were on sale! I really want a pair of overalls for myself! Why do they get such a bad rep? We have some at Anthro but they aren't very flattering on me. Hm. Until next time! 

P.S. Since I made an Elton John reference I can NOT get that song out of my head now! I am also thinking about how much Tory really is a tiny dancer. She loves, loves to dance! Love you Elton. "Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band..."