Your Lenten Word

Back in college, the church on our campus would have a basket full of pebbles chilling in the entraceway during the first week of Lent. Each pebble had a word written on it, much like the words you see above. It was a tradition in this church for all passersby to pick out a random wordified pebble, this word becoming your focus for the upcoming 40-day spiritual journey. I always liked this tradition and enjoyed having this physical reminder (i.e. the pebble), this call to focus, sitting and staring at me for all the days leading up to wonderful Easter.

I decided to take this tradition and youth-ify it a little so I could introduce it to my teens at youth group this Sunday. Seems like a great way to kick off Lent to me!

The teens have all been told to bring a palm-sized pebble to youth group this weekend, but they're not sure what it's for yet. I like to keep 'em in the dark sometimes. Makes it more fun.

After a guided meditation, in which the teens will imagine themselves in conversation in Jesus, they'll take a look at this word splash I created and pick out the word they feel Jesus calling them to the most. Whether it's something they need more of (wisdom, strength, joy), something they need to work on (chastity, forgiveness, patience), or something they just feeling calling out to them (blessed, nourish, justice), the hope is that they'll hone in on one word and just know it was specifically chosen for them by Jesus as their Lenten focus.

Once they choose the word that is really speaking to them, they'll write the word on their pebble and take it with them as a reminder of the word they've been called to pray and meditate on for the next 40 days.

After creating the word splash, I found myself excited to share it with all of you, and for a few reasons...

1.) Isn't it pretty??

2.) Ok, more importantly, isn't this a great little Lenten tradition? If you're feeling called, I encourage you to say a quick prayer, take a look at the word splash above, and pick out the word that Jesus is calling you to most this Lent. It may take a minute or two, maybe even just a millisecond, but I'm sure you'll connect with one special word, and that word will lead you somewhere special this Lent.

3.) Sometimes I feel like the options for Lent can be overwhelming. Give up this, take on that, be a perfect angel, pray every second of every day or else you're DOING IT WRONG. The truth is, that's not the truth at all. But it's all too easy to take on too much and lose focus in the middle of all this Lenten hubbub. So if you're like me and you just need an overall unifying theme (i.e. word) to keep your focus this time around, hopefully praying for and discovering the perfect word meant for your Lenten journey will be helpful. And fruitful. And God-ful. Amen.

And if you do pick out that perfect word, I encourage you to write it on a pebble or in your journal or on your mirror or just somewhere good. Pick a place that will continue to remind you to stay focused on your God-given word during this Lenten season.

I'll be praying for all of you, for a peaceful, prayerful, and fruitful Lent.

+:o)

March Stitch Fix

In which I go on my fashion tangent again.

Welcome to part 2 of my Stitch Fix adventure!

Missed out on Stitch Fix adventure part 1? No worries! Just click here. That'll catch you up.

I can't even tell you how excited I was when this Fix arrived earlier today. I was at work when Mr. FedEx guy dropped it off, so John snapchatted me a pic of the box with lots of colorful squiggly lines drawn around it. I squealed at the sight of that pretty brown and blue box. Lucky for me, my shift was basically over, so I packed up, zoomed on outta there, and rushed into the apartment to open my magical box of fashion surprises.

Yayyyy!! So many bright, pretty colors this time around. And a dress! And a blingin' necklace! 

Just like last time, my stylist included a personalized letter and little styling diagrams for each piece. 

I didn't waste any time. I tried on the first piece, grabbed my camera, basically threw it into John's hands and said, "I'm ready for my close up!" Let the fashion show commence...

41 Hawthorn Cordova Chevron Front Dress - $68
I was so excited when I read this Fix had a chevron dress in it because I LOVE CHEVRON! But then, when I actually saw this chevron pattern, I wasn't as excited. It just looked fuddy duddy to me. I tried it on anyway, but my opinion didn't change much. Though I really like the cut of the dress -- it's very flattering on my large-chested, medium-waisted figure -- I just couldn't get past the busy-ness of the chevron. And also, the arm holes were a bit too low; they revealed some of my bra under my arms. How un-classy. With all that being said, I'm still not 100% sure I'll be returning it. The husband just so happens to LOVE this dress, so I'm a bit torn. Hrmmm.

41Hawthorn Cherise Cotton Tab Sleeve Henley Shirt - $54
Love the color. Love the fit. Love the flowiness of the material. Love the way it's cut on the bottom. Lots of love for this pretty piece. Big win in my book. Almost definitely keeping!

Collective Concepts Cathleen Dot Print Lace Detailed Blouse - $68

So I'm still undecided about this top, but it keeps growing on me more and more. The color is unlike anything I already own, so it would fill a hole in my wardrobe. I like that. I also love the lace detail in the back and how it ever-so-slightly peaks over the shoulders on the front. I also love the crazy polkadottedness. And the slight cap-sleevedness. I only wish it were a teeeeny bit longer. And a tiiiiny bit cheaper. What do you think? 

Bay to Baubles Holbrook Pearl & Square Stone Statement Necklace - $38

Still modeling my Collective Concept's blouse in this pic, but mainly trying to show off that blingy pearl and teal necklace. I'm really loving teal jewelry these days, so that's a total A+ homerun for me. And I've always loved pearls too. This pearl/teal/gold combo is seriously making me happy. But I'm not sure about the wideness of it. It seems the beads just go from one side of my chest to the other. Is that normal? Stylish? Or is it just weird? I can't be too sure, but I still think it's growing on me. I see myself wearing it with a lot of tops and dresses I already own. Now to decide if it's worth the moolah.

Uttam Boutique Chancy Dot Print Cardigan - $88
I really wanted to like this cardigan. I thought the polkadots were adorable and the colors were cute too. However, as you can see by my facial expression in the left-most picture, something funky was going on with the top of the cardi. TMFS: Too Much Fabric Syndrome. Seriously, why was it overlapping so much up top and then spread so far apart on the bottom? While I really wanted to like it, the fit just made it a big no. Oh, plus $88 is just WAY too much to spend on a piece like this. So, I'm sorry, but see ya later patriotic cardi.

And here we have just a few more pictures of me trying on my Fix items. They recommend styling the items a few different ways when you try them on, so here we have me rocking my favorite navy blazer with two of the items, and then I went a little polkadot crazy in that picture on the right. I wanted to see how the blouse looked when it was tucked into a pencil skirt. And now I know. 

"Show me 'sexy tiger,'" said John as he snapped this lovely gem.

This last one's a special treat for you. I've always wondered what the behind-the-scenes changing area looks like after a Stitch Fix modeling sesh. (If you're curious, you can see other ladies trying on their Fixes here.) Because I imagine it's a bit of a disaster, much like our bedroom right after my little fashion show. But the mess is worth it! Because having your own personal stylist who sends you special boxes of clothing in the mail is so much fun!

So, what'd you think? Any advice for what I should keep or return? No hurt feelings if we don't agree! I'm just curious! I'll be mailing off my returns on Friday, so if you want to possibly persuade me, you'll have to do it by then. 

Stay tuned in the comment section if you'd like to know what I end up keeping. I'll post something there once I send off my returns.

I can't forget my usual plug -- if you'd like to order a Stitch Fix for yourself, click here. There's no pressure to do this AT ALL, but it does get me a $25 referral credit if you order through my link. Yayyy for extra clothing budget money!

Thanks for joining in on this wardrobe adventure with me! I haven't ordered another Fix yet, but I'm definitely considering it. I'll be sure to post about it if I do. Because this is one of those Big Happies for me. Hope you don't mind. :)

Update
I ended up keeping three pieces -- the pink dot blouse, the blue henley shirt, and the teal/pearl/gold necklace. I was about ready to send back the pink blouse, but then remembered that I had a $25 referral credit from one of my good friends who ordered her Fix a few weeks ago. So the cost was just a bit lower than I was anticipating and that made it seem worth it. Overall, I'm really excited about all three pieces! Yay!! Totally can't wait to rock at least one of them at work today. Annnnnd I couldn't resist... I'm signed up for another one on May 1st! 

Little Happies -- Our First Link-Up!

After posting my first Little Happies post, lots of encouragement poured in. It was so sweet, ladies! Thank you! 

Two bloggers posted their own Little Happies -- ecce fiat & Grace of Adoption -- which I loved reading! Then, several of you suggested turning it into a link up. I researched the process a bit and it seemed pretty doable. The final push came from Amanda over at True, Good, and Beautiful. She emailed me and really encouraged me to make it happen. 

Amanda's husband, Jonathan, created the beeeeautiful graphic you see above (seriously, round of applause for that one!) and through lots of emails, Amanda helped me sort through the nitty gritty details. 

We've decided Little Happies will be a weekly link up on Mondays! Weeeee!!

Now, I must say, I'm a little nervous to commit myself to this. However, my life is so full of little joys, especially now that I'm really trying to notice and appreciate them. So I have a feeling I'll have enough to post about each week. Plus, I figured, if I have to skip a week here and there, you can always still link up to an older Little Happies post. 

As for the number of Little Happies in each post -- I was thinking of five, just like I had in my original post, but then, the more I thought about it, the more I realized, you can't limit happy! So if you have only one Little Happy to share this week, that's awesome. Have a hundred? Well, that's awesome too! No matter the number, we'll all be happy to share in your little joys with you. 

And as for who's invited to join in -- everyone!! Infertility bloggers, adoption bloggers, mommy bloggers, food bloggers, life bloggers, whatever bloggers! 

The only thing I ask is that you keep your Little Happies truly little. What I mean by that is: while vacations and babies and engagements and new cars and new jobs and new houses are all great and well worth celebrating, they're a little too big for what we're trying to do here. Little Happies were started because I felt I was too focused on those Big Happies in life, just waiting my life away, hoping for the big things to happen. I felt it was time for a change, so I decided to turn to the little things to find my joy. And I hope that's what you'll do too. Plus, it's not like your Big Happies can't be posted about in their own special, separate posts. :) 

Overall, I'd really like to approach these posts as little prayers of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father. I hardly do this enough, and when it comes to the little things, well, let's just say God is definitely not getting the praise He's due. So for each Little Happy I post or just notice in my every day, God will be getting a big ol' thank you from me from now on, as He should have been getting all along. 

So, here we go! You asked and now you shall receive. One Little Happy link up, coming right up... 

-- one --

How'd you spend your St. Valentine's day? This is the second year in a row my husband was working late for the holiday. So, for the second year in a row, I hosted a Parents' Night Out fundraiser at our church for the youth group (the teens are great babysitters!). Instead of hanging out at home by my lonesome, I got to play with tons of little cuties the whole night long. These two girlies were my favorite. They would randomly just come up to me and hug me over and over and over. I hardly ever spend time with little kids, so I was more than happy to do it that evening and put my mothering skills to good use! Plus, we raised a bunch of money for the youth group, so win win!

--two--

My youth group kids crack me up. We had a game night two weeks ago and this group decided to play Heads Up. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while! My cheeks hurt from smiling! If you have an iPhone, Heads Up is also an app. I highly recommend downloading and playing with a crowd of friends. You'll definitely giggle lots. 

 -- three --

John wanted to go for a walk after I got off work one afternoon, so we went to our favorite little park and walked laps around this lake, chatting about life and blogging and adoption. Despite the gray skies, we had such a lovely, peaceful time. His cute hat makes me smile too. 

-- four --

I have no idea where it came from, but I've got a serious decorating bug all of a sudden. I just want to buy furniture and posters and wall art and mirrors all the time now. What is this about? I'm not even that good at interior design, so it's not like I have any reason to enjoy it. Weird. But I am digging the fruits of our interior design labor. 

This is one of our recent projects, and I love it. That little stand has turned into board game central; I love that it's so organized now. That mirror was on super sale at Target -- win! The fresh flowers are just gorgeous; I think we have a reason to buy fresh flowers more often now. (Hear that, dear husband?) And that cute framed pic was one of Johnny's St. Valentine's Day presents -- bears hugging each other. Does it get any cuter?

This fancified nook is the first thing we see when we leave our bedroom each morning. That wall used to be completely blank, so it's a lovely treat now and a huge improvement for us. 

Which room shall I tackle next? 

-- five --

I'm serious about this anti-inflammatory diet now, folks. Really. You all must hold me accountable! I really want to go all in for the next two months to see what happens. Can you help me stay on track?

One thing that will be helping me lots is this new pizza joint: Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza. It's kind of like Chipotle, but with pizzas instead of burritos. You pay one set price and then, with all the toppings laid out in front of you to choose from, the pizza dude behind the counter piles on the toppings you pick out. They pop your creation into a brick pizza oven and a few minutes later, you have this delicious beauty staring at you, ready to be devoured.

How is this going to help my diet? Well, they have a delicious gluten-free crust, you see! I put pesto, mozzarella, andouille sausage, broccoli, bacon, jalapenos, onions, feta, scallions, and bbq sauce on this one. Can't wait to go back and create my next one AND not feel bad about it. Because it's anti-inflammatory-diet friendly! Tummy is happy.

-- six --

After I had a particularly rough morning, Johnny decided to spend the afternoon at work with me. I told my coworkers it was "Bring Your Husband To Work Day." They knew I was kidding, but my work is so flexible about have him there with me, so long as I'm productive, they don't mind him being around. 

He drew me a little diddy on my Buddha Board and told me it was how his brain felt about reading about adoption. He was a little stressed by the adoption profile and some paperwork we still have to do and all the adoption books he's trying to read now. So an exploding brain surrounded by exclamation points summed up his feelings well. Ha! He makes me smile. 

-- seven --

This one's kind of a bonus Little Happy for ya. With Ash Wednesday coming up this week, I figured it was perfectly appropriate. A friend shared it with me and it made me chuckle. 

PS - I know I mentioned that this is going to be a Monday thing, but if you'd like to join in and can't write a LH post today, don't sweat it. :) The link up will be open for two weeks, so you have pleeennnnty of time to write your LH post and still participate in the link up. Today, tomorrow, Friday, whenevs. I just look forward to reading along!  

An InLinkz Link-up

Not This Time, Girly

I really thought this month might have been it.

There were so many signs.

An old friend I haven't seen in over a year said she had a dream about me. I was pregnant with 6 babies.

I almost fainted during the Our Father at Mass this past weekend. I got really hot and clammy, my face apparently turned green, I had to walk out of Mass with my husband supporting me, just to go sit on the bathroom floor and almost throw up.

I craved cheese. A big platter of cheese cubes. It was all I could think about for days.

I opened a closet and it was incredibly stinky. Though my friend didn't think so. He asked, "Maybe you're pregnant?" And I wasn't even mad. It just made me believe it even more.

And my body was not acting normal.

Everything ached. Every single muscle ached. Especially my lower back and neck and shoulders.

And I made it to P+15. PEAK PLUS FREAKING 15!!! I hardly ever make it to P+13, so P+15 was some kind of miracle.

Two days late, my body was being weird, friends were dreaming about me pregnant, stuff smelled gross, I had a craving, I almost passed out, I almost puked!!!

And then...

I got my period.

*head hits wall*

I was silly for letting myself think anything was going to be different this time around.

Actually, the logical side of me was all like, "It's probably just the HCG injections causing all the weirdness. Don't get too excited." So I didn't. But I still got a little excited. And so did my husband. He said he was happy at work all day yesterday because he thought there was a chance this was it.

His joy just breaks my heart.

Though, in all of this, here's what makes me most sad...

Fear.

More than anything, I was so scared every. single. time. I went to the bathroom these past few days. Afraid of what I would see. Afraid of letting everyone down yet again.

And I was afraid that even if I was pregnant, I would still feel the same way every. single. day. until that baby was born. That every trip to the bathroom would be a nightmare waiting to happen. Having to say goodbye to our sweet baby long before we even get to meet him.

Fear is so... scary! I don't want to be paralized by fear. I just want to go out there, grab life by the horns, and live the heck out of it all. Screw fear! Who needs it!


design by Emily Schneider

Sigh. Easier said than done.

Anyway, the good news in all of this is:

There's nothing like CD1 to kick your adoption-profile-making-butt into gear. And that's where I poured all my sad, angry, tired, frustrated energy. Our adoption profile. Tweaking every last picture, triple reading every caption, rewording half our blubs, reviewing it again and again and again until it was pretty much perfect. And now it's done. I ordered it this morning and the photobook gnomes are working on it as we speak. Ahhh! Feels good.

Oh, and I ended up finding a coupon for 60% off our order, so that was a sweet surprise too. Just the little pick-me-up I needed.

Oh, oh!! And my March Stitch Fix shipped today, so there's that too!

I'm gonna be ok, friends. Really. I'm a-ok. I just wasn't expecting to ever get that close without it actually being it for us. But maybe it's just a sign that my medications are really starting to work? That we're getting closer? That my body is slowly healing and with just a few more cycles, we'll be there?

Yes, please?!

Whatever the case may be, I'd prefer slightly less rollercoaster-y cycles in the future, thank you very much.

And now that I know my body can make it to P+15, next time that happens, it won't be as exciting. But I'm sure I'll still probably get a little excited. 'Cause that's just silly old me. This girl can't help but dream.

*rolls eyes at self*

The Adoption Profile is...

... still a work in progress.
 

Just as I feared, it's taking us forevvvverrrr to get it done. And it's not just because we want it to be the perfect representation of who we are as a couple. We also were told we had to change the format after we thought we were almost finished.



A screen shot of our masterpiece-in-progress.

At first we just though it was a typed 2-page letter with pictures interspersed. So I found lots of examples of "dear birthparent" letters with pictures and got to work. Once we put the mostly finishing touches on that, we found out it's supposed to be more like a picture book with lots of captions and little word blurbs. So our agency let us borrow an example from one of their couples (they've already adopted 4 children!!) as a guidline and we got to work again.


We're using SnapFish to make our profile. You like?

Let me give some advice to those out there who are thinking about adoption but haven't gotten this far yet:

Take lots of pictures! Lots and lots and tons and pounds of pictures!

Of all the components of our profile, pictures have slowed us down the most. I happen to love taking pictures, so we actually had a lot to choose from, but we still had "holes" in our story, pictorally speaking.


My dear husband, summed up in 2 pages.

So this past week has been spent taking the pictures we wish we had already taken.

We needed to take more pictures of our aparment, which wasn't too hard, but we had to clean it first.

Then we needed more pictures of us doing our favorite things: cooking, playing games together, going on walks, etc. Also, not too hard. It just took time to bake cookies and then play a game together and then go for a walk. Oh, and we also needed to find someone to take the pictures for us. More on that in a second.

Then we needed more pictures of us with babies, which has proven to be most difficult, as we don't really know many babies who are readily available as picture props. You'd think my husband, who works at a children's hospital, would have tons of pics with babies and kids, but (rightfully so) they don't allow the hospital staff to take pictures with kids without written consent. So that left us digging through all our old pictures and just settling with low-quality iPhone pics of the two of us with my niece. It's a good thing she's cute.

And unless there's anyone out there who'll let us borrow their baby for a weekend of photographizing in Memphis, that'll just have to do.

I kid mostly, as our profile is supposed to be an accurate representation of John and me. And baby stealers we are not. But it would be nice to be able to show birthparents that we actually do like being around kids.

Finally, we needed some updated "us" pictures. We have a bunch of beeeeautiful professional pictures from our wedding day, but those are 2.5 years old now. And John wasn't rockin' his hipster glasses, long hair, and beard that day. Plus, I'm sure birthparents would like to see me in more outfits that just my wedding gown, even though it was very pretty.

We didn't want to shell out extra money for new professional pictures. While I'm sure they'd be great, we would much rather save the money for pictures of us with our adopted newborn. :)

So we asked a good friend, Rachel, if she'd spend an hour snapping pictures of us using our decent camera and she said yes!! Sure, we bribed her with Mexican food, but I think it was a fair trade.

We thought a cute little park with a pond was a nice backdrop.

We started our photo sesh around 2pm, so the sun was very bright!

We had to face the sun so that we didn't end up with lots of shadows on our faces. 


You may think he's smiling super big, but really he was wincing in pain from brightness of the sun. Hehe.

After some practice, we started to figure out how to smile and keep our eyes open and look cute while staring into the sun.

Switch sides, stand in front of a tree, smile.

We faced away from the sun for a second to get the lake in the background, but the shadowy faces came back.


So we faced the sun again and came up with this cute pose.


Note the sunglasses.

And then we went for a little walk, hand-in-hand.

And then I danced a little because photography is fun, weather is beautiful, and life is good.



Allow me to introduce you to our talented photographer:

Thanks for your help, Rachel! We heart you!

So we're still not done with the profile. We've got some more picture placing and tweaking to do. And we still have to write a short and heartfelt "Dear Birthparent" letter for our first page. But we're hoping to have everything finished by the end of this week. Mostly because: 1.) I don't like this task hanging over me and 2.) SnapFish has a 40% off coupon for photobooks that expires after Friday. A silly reason to finish our profile? Sure. But at least it's motivating me.

And at least we have more pretty pictures to choose from now. One step closer!



MYTH: Adopting Will Make You Pregnant Instantly

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that one lately, well, I'd have a bunch of dollars.

As we continue to share the exciting news of our home study approval and our plans to adopt, it seems the average folk just doesn't know what to say. Except one thing. There's this one line most folks seem to have on auto-response.

"How exciting! Once you adopt, you'll probably get pregnant right away, because that happens all the time!"

Which leaves me standing there, distracting them with a pretty smile, so they don't see my eye twitching, as I wonder if I should be the one to break the news to them.  

What news you ask?

Oh, just this news...

Only 3% to 10% of infertile couples go on to have a biological child after adoption.  

And also...

Those numbers are exactly the same for infertile couples who stop fertility treatments, but don't go on to adopt.

Meaning...

Whether you adopt or not, you are just as likely (or unlikely) to have a biological child during your lifetime.

Ahh, it feels so good to say that to someone.

These are the facts, people! Sure, the studies aren't perfect. They're not easy studies to do. But they all tend to point to the same important truth. Adoption or not, your chances of conception stay the same.

So just 'cause your friend's sister's aunt adopted and then got pregnant a month later, doesn't mean it applies to all of us. In fact, it definitely won't apply to most of us. 

It's the exception, not the rule! 

Plus, what you're really, kinda, probably not meaning to, but definitely implying is...

"Just go ahead and adopt so that you can move on to having that biological child you always wanted." 

Or, in other words: "Biological is best!"

And that hurts my heart.

Like an adopted baby is some how lesser than a biological baby.

Sure, adoption will have its challenges. It's not nearly identical to having a biological child. I get that.

But a baby is a baby is a baby. And our child is our child.

So for us, no matter where that precious babe comes from, he or she is going to be loved, and cared for, and part of our family unconditionally.

No, not my newborn! Meeting my niece for the first time back in 2009.

I feel like I need to add, I have absolutely no idea where our path will lead us. I could be pregnant right now. I could be pregnant 2 months from now. I could be pregnant right after we adopt. I could be pregnant never. Though, the truth is, according to our NaPro doctor, our chances of conception are good. Really good, in fact. But that doesn't change the statistics.

What I'm trying to say here is, even if we do get pregnant right after an adoption, try not to think of us that couple who just needed to adopt to get pregnant. Instead, think of us as that couple who pursued adoption even though we knew we'd probably get pregnant. 'Cause we're really open to both. Give me adoption or give me conception. I'll be happy either way. And I'll be doubly happy if we get both!

Can I ask a few favors?

If you've said "you'll probably get pregnant after you adopt!" to me before, first off, no worries! It's seriously a-ok. Clearly this is a widespread misconception about adoption. So I can't fault you for believing it. And honestly, I didn't (and still don't) know how to respond when it came (comes) up. So I guess I'm just as guilty at spreading the misconception by not correcting it.

But in the future, whenever you encounter someone interested in or actively pursuing adoption, there's probably no reason to bring up pregnancy. Just leave it out of the conversation if you can. Instead, you can help your friend talk through his feelings if he's still on the fence about adoption. Or you can celebrate with her if she's excited and on the adoption journey.

I guess that's all I'm really looking for when I share our adoption news. Excitement! Celebration! Encouragement! Love and joy!

So let's celebrate adoption! Just adoption. Not the possibility of pregnancy after adoption. Just adoption. Because that alone is worth celebrating.

Oh, and let's stop spreading silly myths while we're at it too. ;)

My First Stitch Fix!

(Please excuse me while I go completely off topic for a second and tell you about my recent fashion adventure.)

Have you heard of Stitch Fix yet?

No?!!!

I hadn't either until about a month ago, so no worries. I'll catch you up.

Allow me to explain...

Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service. You sign up on their site, fill out a personal style profile, and then, when you order a "fix", one of their stylists picks out 5 clothing/accessory items they think you'll love and sends them to you in the mail. Once you receive the items, you have three days to try them on, decide what you want to keep, and then send the rest back. And if you decide to keep all 5 items, you get 25% off the whole order! Each time you order your fix, it costs $20, but that money is applied to any items you keep.

Making sense so far?

When I first heard about Stitch Fix, I was pretty excited. You see, me and clothes shopping don't always get along. I have a bit of trouble finding pieces that I really like, mostly because I have a big bust and a small booty. So typically shirts are either too baggy all over or fit perfectly everywhere except my chest. And pants just have a little too much fabric around the zipper area. Sigh.

That's why Stitch Fix got me excited. Because I tell them what styles I typically like, my usual sizes, what issues I usually have (boobs and butt), and what I'd like to spend, and then they do the hard work of picking out the perfect items for me. All without me leaving the comforts of my own home. How's that for personal service?

My first Stitch Fix arrived a few weeks ago. I opened the magical box and was greeted by these beauties...

Gahhh! Love! Love the colors. Love the styles. Love that purse. Just love.

Also love that they include a little insert that gives styling tips for each one of the items.

And then I lovvveddd putting on a fashion show for my husband as I tried the items on.

(Ahem, please excuse the low quality pics AND the mess of an apartment in the background.)

41Hawthorn Ivy Tulip Print Tab Sleeve Blouse - $68

I threw this baby on right away because I could already tell it was going to be my favorite. I don't really have any blouses in my wardrobe and had been trying to find a nice one for a while. And then, much to my surprise, my person stylist picked one out for me! Win!! It's just perfect. The fit, the flowiness, the adorable tulip print, the rolly sleeves, the weight of the fabric. (Like my fashion jargon? I'm clearly an expert.) Exactly what I was looking for and more! So obviously, this one was a keeper. Oh, and I've worn it at least 5 times since I got it. So yeah, it's great. 

Dear John Sabrina Denim Leggings - $78
You also see me wearing a cute pair of denim leggings up there. Honestly, the fit was perfect. And they looked pretty great on. I imagined myself wearing them with lots and lots of other items I already have in my wardrobe. BUT, I pretty much already own this same item, only in a slightly darker color. AND I couldn't justify spending that much on a pair of stretchy leggings. Plus, I wasn't 100% sold on the faded coloring. So back they went to Stitch Fix land.

41Hawthorn Abrianna Longsleeve Knit Cardigan - $48
I really wanted to like this one. Like I said, I was in love when I first opened my Stitch Fix box. Everything looked so wonderful! So perfectly my style! But as I tried things on, my opinions changed. Case in point, this cardi. Sure, the color was nice. And yes, I'm kind of obsessed with cardigans and pieces you can throw on top of other pieces. But this one just didn't do it for me. I thought it made me look chesty. And kind of like a sack of potatoes on top. And I wasn't quite sure of the length. So my mind was easily made up. See ya later, cardi.

41Hawthorn Corinna Striped Dolman Top - $48

I reeeeeally wanted to like this one too. The fabric was soft, the color was different than anything I own (so it would have filled a hole in my wardrobe), the fit was oh-so-comfortable. But again, I felt like a sack of potatoes. And no one should wear clothes that make them feel that way. See what I mean? My face says it all. I just looked like I was wearing a parachute or something. Drowning in extra fabric. Which can sometimes be cute and fashionable. But here it was just no. So I sent this one back too. 

Street Level Lana Stud Detail Quilted Crossbody Bag - $48

While I was still showing off the Dolman Top, I modeled this little bag with it. The bag was honestly love at first sight. But then, at second sight I thought, "Do I really need another crossbody bag? I already own like 4. And do I really like the studs? I think the studs are throwing me off. Yeah, the studs just aren't 'me.' Sorry, studs. Sorry, crossbody bag." And that was pretty much that. So the bag got sent away too. Even though I still think it was pretty cute.

Soooo, that was my first fix! What'd you think? 

Here's what I think...

Was it perfect? No.

Was it fun? Absolutely!!

Was it worth it for just one cute blouse? Ummm, most definitely!!

Are you going to do it again? YES PLEASE! Already signed up for my next one. :)

All in all, it was a great experience. After you try on your items and decide what you're going to keep and what you're going to return, you go on to their website and tell them what you liked/didn't like about each item. That way, they have a better idea of what you're looking for next time around. They say each fix gets better and more "you" with time.

You also get to request items for your next fix, if you'd like. I told them I'm interested in a fun necklace and a jacket for spring in my next fix. So we'll see what comes of that! 

If you're loving everything you see here and you're interested in getting your own personal stylist, you probably want to check out their website for even more details: Stitch Fix.

Just want to be honest here, if you sign up using that link, I'll get a $25 toward my next fix. No, no, no... I really promise I'm not trying to get free money from you here. I honestly just wanted to share my fun experience with all of you. But, if you're interested, I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw my referral link out there and give myself the possibility of getting a little bit of extra clothing moolah.

I should also note that my husband and I are not frivolous, crazy spenders when it comes to our wardrobes. Do we buy nice, slightly expensive items from time to time? Sure! I'd say that blouse I purchased from my fix was an example of that. But to us, these pricier-than-average items are investments. By spending a little more for a nicer item, we're reducing the number of times this item needs to be thrown away and replaced. We also set ourselves a clothing budget each month, so when we want these more expensive items, it takes time and shopping-spree-less months to save up. Meaning, you've got to work hard and save for those fashion treats. And that works for us!

Anyway, thanks for joining in this little fashion journey with me. If you'd like to see what comes in my next fix, stay tuned. It should be arriving in early March!