Happy Halloween!!

Hey y'all! Hope you had fun yesterday! We sure did!

Traditionally, Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, but this year I took time and effort to create a costume. Not to brag or anything, but I thought it turned out awesome!! Inspired my my favorite 90s movie, Clueless, I was Dionne, Cher's best friend!

I remember going to the theater and seeing this movie in 1995, and it has been a classic in our household fro 20 years. I can quote the movie almost line by line and I was so excited to be Dee!

Nose ring and all!

Since last year, I knew this was the costume I wanted to recreate. However, the black and white plaid pattern is hard to find. I  searched for months but couldn't find a suit with a matching blazer and skirt. Sewing is not my strength, so making a suit was out of the question. I found a flannel shirt that the perfect pattern and bought 3 of them. I made a skirt with 2 of them, and wore the third as the "blazer". The white hat came from Party City, and I used black ribbon and 3 red roses to make it look like the one in the movie. The knee high socks, white cami and red sweater came from Target, and the patent leather shoes came from Payless. Couldn't forget the nose ring, which came from Claire's.

Trick or treating!

The final touch was the Nokia phone! It was my husbands first phone from 1999! What-ever!

I plan on being Dionne for the next 3 years, since it took me so long to get all the elements of this costume together. Anyone wanna be my Cher?!?

Ugh! As if!!

Always,

astreia

Fashion Friday 10.16.05 || Twinsies

Happy Friday y'all!

Let me be clear... this is the first time I have ever had any desire to dress like my child. But the outfit was so cute and coincidental that I couldn't resist. For us to have 4 items of clothing that were almost identical was some freakish accident. But the results are awesome!

These boots were made for walkin'!

Amaya likes to hike her socks waaaay up her legs! I guess it's her signature style!

 The concept is simple: white tank, skirt with a print and denim vest (the "completer" piece). I jazzed it up with cowboy boots because hey! Who doesn't love a cute pair of cowboy boots??

Seriously, I don't make it a habit look like my daughter, but she was just too adorable! 

My vest and tank are from Target, along with Amaya's vest, tank and boots. My skirt is from Old Navy and hers is from Osh Kosh B'Gosh. Rack Room Shoes has so many cute and affordable boots, and that's where I bought them.  

The whole idea, like always, is to keep it simple and effortless. Three pieces, cute boots and you are good to go. Here's the rundown of where you can get some of these items.

Amaya:
boots
vest
tank
skirt

Mom:
vest (in the darker wash)
skirt
tank
here is the page for several pairs of boots at Rack Room Shoes. I have the Coconuts Gaucho, but they don't have the dark color anymore :(

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Feel free to let me know what you think!

Have a great weekend :)

always,

astreia

Fashion Friday 10.09.15 || Spanx you very much!

A super cool mommy friend of mine requested this topic for the blog: 

SPANX! Yay or nay?

What do you think???

I am YAY all the way baby! Especially after I had the twins, there was no amount of sit ups or crunches I could do to get rid of that post-baby pooch. In winter of 2010, Jesse and I were invited to a wedding in April of 2011; only 7 months after the twins were born. I wanted to look nice, but everything I tried on that was even remotely form fitting showed the pooch. There was a lot of internal conversations about it: 

"Do I really need them?"
"It's not really that important."
"Why do you care so much about how you look?"
"People will know you just had the twins so they won't care."
"The pooch is a sign of motherhood... like a battle scar. You're a hero!"

Then one day, Jesse and I were out and about and we stopped for gas. I went inside to use the potty and buy some water. The cashier looked at me all lovingly and said, "Oh my goodness! When are you due?"

I. Was. Mortified.

I smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm not pregnant, but I did just have twins." The cashier was clearly embarrassed and very apologetic, but once I got back in the car, I burst into tears. 

No more self talk...I went the next day and bought some.... and it was life changing. Yes, it's a bit of a struggle to get them on, and I had to take some deep breaths afterwards, and sometimes I had to sit down because I got light-headed....but it was so worth it. They instantly slim you, they hold you in snug and smooth lumps,  bumps and panty lines. Over time, they loosen up, so I was happy once I stopped having shortness of breath. The first pair were the kind with the bike shorts. The waist band came right under the bust line and the shorts stopped about mid-thigh. I actually liked them the best. The second pair was purchased about 6 months afterwards. This pair was the same at the top as the others, but there was a panty attached at the bottom. That pair wasn't my favorite only because you see the panty line, but they were both effective in keeping my tummy tucked.

I wore out the ones with the shorts about a year ago. I definitely got my money's worth over the course of 4 years. Truth be told, I still wear the other pair. If I am wearing a form fitting dress, it helps keep me snug and tight and looking right!

Before I put this together, I poked around on their website and they have a ton of stuff! Bras, bodysuits, hosiery, slips and a bunch of other stuff. They even have Spanx for MEN! 

Here is a little history about the company that I pulled off the website: Spanx founder Sara Blakely was getting ready for a party when she realized she didn’t have the right undergarment to provide a smooth look under white pants. Armed with scissors and sheer genius, she cut the feet off her control top pantyhose and the Spanx revolution began! With a focus on solving wardrobe woes, the Spanx brand has grown to offer bras, underwear, jeans, pants, active and more. SPANX also shapes the world by focusing on their mission: To help women feel great about themselves and their potential.

Check it out their website here for their full line of products. Spanx are sold in most department stores and Kohl's as well. Just like any other product, there are other styles from other manufacturers out there. I have only tried the original Spanx, but that's not to say another type isn't as good. 

Hope this helps you! If you have a cool story to share, please feel free!

always,
astreia

Please let me take your picture

I haven't been feeling good the past few days so I've been staying at home, and watching lots of TV. I've been watching Long Island Medium on DVR and I swear I cry at every persons story. Every single one! The older I get, the more I realize that our days are numbered. I think about my mom and my in laws getting older and it's very difficult to imagine what life will be like when they aren't here. I also started to think about my Granny. Her birthday is today, so that's what prompted me to write.

Josie Bell Mitchell passed in 2006, right before Jesse and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. Her death took us all by surprise because it was so sudden. She wasn't sick and she wasn't in an accident; she simply went to bed that night and didn't wake up. For a long time I held on to a lot of guilt for not calling her more often to tell her I loved her and for not visiting more often. We had just moved back to Jacksonville earlier that year and her house was literally 10 minutes away. Why didn't I come by more? Why didn't I make more time for her?  I guess I figured she would be around longer than she was and I took that for granted.

Our church is doing a series on the next generation, so we have been having deeper talks with the kids about God at supper time. One of those conversations rolled into a discussion about families. The kids are intrigued by who is who's mommy and who is who's brother and Auntie M and Auntie Tracie.

"How many cousins do I have again, Mommy?"

"So Grandma is Daddy's mommy and G-Ma is your mommy?"

"Is Uncle Greg your uncle too, or just my uncle?"

The kids are so proud to have so many people in their family and they have so many questions.

"Who is your grandma, Mommy?" I got quiet for a split second, and said, "Let me show you".
I thought it would be cool to find a few pictures of her so I could share them with the kids. I looked through album after album and I only found two pictures. Only TWO! I didn't even take a picture with her at my wedding, and damnit do I regret that every day. I cherish the photos I have, but man! If I could go back and do it over again, I would have taken more pictures with her so my kids could have seen what a beautiful relationship I had with her.

Mother's Day around 1998. JB is the Silver Fox in the middle

My college graduation 2000

Since we've had kids, I take way more pictures than before. My husband thinks I'm crazy and he cringes every time I bring the camera out. I have told him and my kids, that one day, I feel like it will be harder for me to remember things, and I'm documenting moments now so I have something to hold on to later. However, there are people in my family (primarily women) who dodge my camera. My mom doesn't think she's photogenic. My mother in law doesn't like how her skin looks in pictures. My aunt thinks she's too heavy. [Now that I think about it, my Granny didn't like pictures either.] In a way, these pictures become our history. They can and should be passed down to our kids, grandkids and great grandkids.

As our pastor says, none of us will make it out of here alive. Do I think pictures are the most important thing in life? Of course not. I encourage you to spend as much time as you can with the ones you love! Cherish it! Enjoy it! Soak up those moments! But in the event someone asks you to take a picture with them; your child, your mother, or your husband, give it some thought before you say "no". Most people don't realize how important pictures are until they are all we have left.

Love you, JB and I miss you every day. Happy Birthday

always,
astreia

Fashion Friday 09.25.15 - Curvy is the new Skinny

Hey, hey, hey! I don't have a cool look to post today... I have something better! Inspiration!!

A lot of women have said to me, "It's hard for me to find clothes because of (insert your reason here)." One of the most common reasons I hear is "They don't make cute clothes for full figured girls". I hate to say it, but I agree. I went into a few stores this week, and there aren't as many options for plus size ladies. However, there is hope! I did some digging online and found a few bloggers that can help.

Curvy Girl Chic- If Allison looks familiar to you, it's probably because you have seen her featured in People Style Watch, Marie Claire, Glamour, and Seventeen Magazine. She's a California girl with a great eye for color and trends.

Musings - Thamarr (pronounced tag-marr) always looks fantastic and her style is budget friendly. I subscribed to her blog a couple of months ago, and I am digging her style. Fun fact: she lives in Jacksonville!! Love a local girl who can rock it!

Plus Size Princess - I just found Cece's blog and I love her motto, "don't wait on your weight". She offers fashion advice, health and fitness tips, and her stories on dating in NYC are hilarious!

These women are fierce!! Once you learn how to dress our bodies, we can make clothes work for us. That's just what they have done.

No matter what our size, we all have insecurities and we all have things about our body that we wish were different. I realized a long time ago that this body isn't gonna change. I will never be a size 2 and I will never weigh 110lbs like I did when I was 12, but that's okay! I'm older, wiser, and though my bottom may be big, it's mine, and I love it. It's time we embraced our curves!!

My hope is this will help someone today! Get out there and get shopping!

always, 
astreia

Recycle cart, smecycle cart

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday!

If you are a St. Johns County resident like us, you should have received a new recycle cart a few months ago. Super exciting, I know! Although the 2 black bins we had when we moved in was sufficient, it was nice to see this bright blue receptacle being dropped off on our driveway. Plus, the new trucks would pick up the cart and dump it all by itself. My truck-loving younger son thought it was the coolest thing ever!

However... the thing is HUGE! In the months we've had it, we have never filled it up, not even after 2 weeks of missing recycle day. It's bulky, cumbersome, and the kids had a hard time maneuvering it.

One day while we were on a bike ride, my husband noticed a house with a smaller cart on their driveway. I asked one of my neighbor mommy friends about it and she said, "Just call this number and request a smaller one".

Easy peasy lemon squeezey! In less than a week, we received our pint sized cart, and I gotta say, it's pretty freakin' awesome. It's just the right size for the amount of things we recycle each week, but the best part is....

It's kid-sized! My kids love doing chores (at least for right now) and the smaller cart makes life easier. I'm all about raising responsible kids, so doing chores at our house is a daily activity. Whether it's helping collect the trash cans in the house on garbage day, putting away their own clothes on laundry day, or sweeping up after a meal, teamwork makes the dream work in our home.

If you want to switch yours out, call Republic Services at 904-825-0991. They will pick up your big one and swap it out for a smaller one!

always,
astreia

the size difference is significant!

Perfectly kid-sized!

** Yep... this was pretty random information. 

But if you didn't know, now you know!**

Also, I have joined some other bloggers at TOP MOMMY BLOGS, so click their icon to find other blogs that may be helpful to you!

Have a fantastic day!

Fashion Friday 09.18.15

It's Fri-YAY! My favorite day of the week because I get to share my passion for fashion :)

This week's look is a lot like the last: simple and chic. V-neck tee and white jeans. Done! What makes the outfit super chic, is the accessories and of course, the confidence you have when strutting through town.

The tee shirt is from JCPenney and is on sale right now. ONLY SIX BUCKS! It's awesome because it doesn't have too much stretch, so it won't hug you in the wrong places. The white jeans are the  Straight and Narrow Jean from JCrew Factory outlet and probably the only style of jeans I will ever buy from JCrew. Truth be told, shopping for jeans is not my favorite. It can be challenging to find jeans that are my style and fit comfortably. I'm not a fan of low rise jeans or super skinny jeans. Hello! I'm in my 30s and have 3 kids! The super low, super skinny trend is not for me! These are more of a straight cut, and are not super tight on the leg. Another great thing is they have the perfect amount of stretch and don't stretch way out like jeggings. The rise is a tad lower than I would like, but not terrible. Better stock up on these before they sell out!

To complete the outfit, throw on a simple black heel, bangles,  a cute ring and sunnies. Boom!

easy, breezy Sunday brunch outfit

vibrant clutch paired with simple heels

The clutch is from Nine West, but it was from three seasons ago. Any colorful clutch would work, as long as it coordinates with the top you choose.

a few accessories to polish the look

The ring is from Express and the bangles are from Forever 21. Most shops have inexpensive jewelry, and gold is timeless. However, if you like silver or rose gold, rock it! You can even mix metallics!

Let me know what you think! Please leave a comment or question below and don't forget to sign up to receive blogs in your email! Have a great weekend!

always,
astreia