Valentine's Day Peach

Happy Thursday!  We're a month into the new year...how are your resolutions holding up?  Did you make any?  Normally I don't, but this year I wanted to shake up my exercise routine, so I decided to start swimming two mornings a week with my husband.  George's interpretation of "morning" is 5:30am (mine is more like 7), but I'm happy to report that I haven't missed a swim session yet!  Once I drag myself out of bed, it's nice to have my workout over with so early in the day.

I'm happy to be working with Peach again, sharing a few pieces from their Early Spring Collection.  I love the pretty pastels in this collection, and once again Peach has created high quality pieces perfect for the gym, work or play.

The Kristina Seamless Leggings and Seamless Tank are just right for my yoga workouts.  The high waisted leggings are comfy and don't roll down, no matter what pose I get myself into, and the tie dye print is so fun.  The tank is also seamless, isn't too form fitting, and comes in six pretty colors.

Both pieces have held up well through my long workouts - a definite bonus when it's 104 degrees in the studio!

What are your plans for Valentine's Day?  I'll be in Canada visiting my work wives, so I know we'll be doing something extra fun.

Years ago, I made a fun gift for Thomas while he was away at school.  I'm sharing it again today, because I think it's perfect for any young adult in your life!

Since Thomas has been away at college, I've tried to send a care package once a month.  And with Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to do something special.

However, he doesn't like chocolate very much.  What?!?  I know.  I'm not sure he's actually mine.

A few weeks back, I saw an easy idea that I knew would be right up his alley. Honestly, give the kid some cash and a gift card for food and he's happy.

The first step was to remove some of the chocolates from the candy heart.  I felt it was my duty to sample them, since it would be a shame for good chocolate to go to waste and all.

Next, I folded up dollar bills in different denominations and taped them into the empty spaces.

Finally, I added a gift card to his favorite restaurant, boxed the heart up with some home made cookies, and sent it off.  The college kid gets money, and I got to each chocolate.  Win win.

Too Legit To Quit

Happy Thursday!  How's your winter going?  Has this felt like the longest January ever?  Seattle reached 25 straight days of measurable rainfall today.  The record is 28 days, and it looks like we will crash right through that one.  Yay us!  Spring doesn't arrive until March 19, which is 50 long days from now...

The only thing to do is wear something fun to cheer myself up!  

Tshirt, Bomber Jacket, Jeans

I'm quite sure I wasn't this cool in the 90's - the decade of small children for me - but I felt pretty legit in this outfit from Belong Lifestyle.  And how about my fun vinyl sneakers, a gift from my lovely friend Catherine?

Moving on...can someone please explain the whole Enneagram thing to me?  I'm seeing it all over my social media feeds.  Is my Enneagram number something important that I should know?  Which test is the best one?  And once I know what it is, what do I do with it?  Help!

Have a great weekend, friends!

Try The Trend: Snake Print

Happy Thursday!  Nope, not Wednesday.  I'm a day late...but I'm here!

How do you feel about the snake print trend?  I was very hesitant to give this one a try, because I REALLY don't like snakes.  Or their skin.

I started out small, with a pair of snake print booties.

Booties, Dress

As long as I didn't look at my feet, all was well!  And then Deena brought this snake print skirt into the shop.  I love the length and the color, so here goes nothing.

Skirt

Since it's a neutral, it can be worn so many ways - from dressy, to casual, to work appropriate.  The verdict is in, and apparently I can wear snake print.  Just remind me not to look down.

Skirt, Tshirt

How's your winter going?  We're in the wettest, dreariest part of the year here in Seattle.  I was in serious need of some vitamin D, so when Thomas had to make a short trip to Southern California, I decided to tag along.

It was a lovely two days!  Although the temps were a little chilly, the blue skies and brilliant sunshine were just what I needed.  

We drove up to San Luis Obispo, which is where my parents went to college 55 years ago.  After touring the campus and cute downtown area, we headed to Pea Soup Andersen's for lunch.  When I was young and we road tripped from San Francisco to LA, we always stopped here for a delicious bowl of split pea soup.  It was just as good as I remembered!

I'm not sure when we'll see the sun again, so hopefully these memories will tide me over until then.

Have a great weekend!

Being Kind - Even To Yourself

Happy Wednesday!  I'm in LA with my son on a little adventure, enjoying some sunshine while it snows back home.  

Do you like to try new trends when it comes to fashion, or do you stick with your tried and true outfits?  I tend to wear (and buy) the same things over and over again.  Being a part of Belong Lifestyle has helped me step outside my comfort zone.  For instance, I've never worn a body con dress before.  And I found that I really liked it!  There are so many ways to style a body con dress, and with this turtleneck poncho, it takes on more of a skirt look.

Dress

And these colorful jeans.  It's always been good old blue denim for me.  But I got so many compliments on this red pair, and they'll be perfect to see me through winter and as we transition to spring.

Red Jeans

Did you choose a "word of the year"?  I never have in the past, but as I kept seeing them in my social media feeds, the word "kindness" popped into my head.

The entire world has gone a little crazy right now, and it seems that we could all use some common kindness.

Kindness to our friends and family, kindness to strangers, and even a little kindness towards ourselves.  And it doesn't have to be a huge gesture.  Small acts of kindness are so easy to perform each day, and they can have a big impact on those around us.

I've always tried to be kind, but in 2020 I'm going to be more conscientious about kindness, and make it a part of every day.  

Have a great week, friends!

A Vision of Belong

Well, it's Wednesday and I'm actually here!  It feels like a win already.  My plan is to blog once a week, sharing a combo of fashion and whatever else is on my mind.  Thank you so much for reading my words.

Have I mentioned Belong Lifestyle a time or two?  If you missed my big announcement, you can read it here.  This month marks the one year anniversary of Deena and Abbie's big adventure, and I'm thankful every day that they asked me to come along.

Jacket, Dress, Booties

During January we're running Daily Deals every day, offering free shipping (even to the US), and sharing the celebration with all of our customers.  The IG photo challenge is off to a great start, and every week we draw a winner for a Belong Gift Card.  There's still time to participate...

2019 was a great year, and we're full of new ideas and ready to grow.  We have a big vision for this little business, and I hope you'll come join us.

Speaking of vision, have you ever made a vision board?  I did one last year on my own, and was surprised at how many of the things I included actually came to be.  My sister and I decided it would be fun to take a class and see what might happen by putting a little more thought into it. 

Plus there were snacks, which is always a bonus.

The instructor started by having us take 15 minutes to write down 50 goals we have for 2020.  They could be big, like travelling to Italy, or small, like making the bed everyday.  Coming up with 50 things was harder than I thought it would be.

Then she talked to us about manifesting, goal setting, and being specific about what we want.  Next we used our list to come up with the five MOST important things, and then tried to group the other goals under the main ones.

Finally, we spent the next hour creating our board, using our list and pictures, magazines, stickers and markers.  In the end, my vision board truly represents where I want to go and what I want to do this year.  We ended the evening with a 30 minute guided mediation, and I left feeling refreshed and ready to take on life.

It's always fun to spend time with my little sister, even if her vision board was prettier than mine.  Yes, I know it's not a competition.  Yes, sibling rivalry still exists, even when you're an adult.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  Hope you had a good holiday.  It's hard to believe that 2019 has come and gone - the second half of my life is speeding along at record pace (and yep, I'm assuming I'll live to 100 like Grandpa Ed).

As always, we had a year of ups and downs.  Conner bought a house, Thomas graduated from college, and George and I keep plugging along, trying to figure out this empty nest thing.  As soon as I feel like I have a handle on it, I realize that I actually don't.

It's also hard to believe that I haven't blogged in three months.  Busy days turned into busy weeks and here we are...again.  But I miss My New Happy, so I've been giving some thought to what I should do going forward.

I don't want to give up blogging completely.  I enjoy putting outfits together and sharing what's in my heart.  Just maybe not three days a week.

So for the foreseeable future, or until things change again, I plan to spend some time here once a week, posting on Wednesdays.  We'll see how it goes.  Thank you for continuing to follow me.  See you next week!

Sweaters and Fall Fun

Happy Thursday, friends!  I survived last weekend's family reunion, although the house is still a mess and I need sleep.  Luckily, the next weekend is in sight!

One of my favorite things about fall style is the sweaters.  This year, it's all about chunky knits, pretty colors, and fun textures.  We couldn't pass up the trends at Belong Lifestyle, and brought in some beautiful, unique sweaters from the brand Woven Heart.

Black Denim

This Nicole Turtleneck is my favorite.  I love the color blocking, and it's so soft and warm.  It also comes in the Shaunacey, with a rust, cream and royal blue pattern.

The Alison Cardigan Coat is a close second.  It's a heavier weight Chenille woven, with the most beautiful colors.

Denim

And finally, the Lisa Cardi Coat.  I love the fuzzy weave and open jacket fit.

Denim, Booties

Don't forget the favorable exchange rate with Canada, which provides a sizeable discount to US customers.  On the Belong Lifestyle landing page, use the top drop down menu to switch to USD and it will show you current prices.  Also, shipping is a standard $5 for US and Canadian deliveries.

Have a great weekend!