Pattern Play for Memorial Day: The Past and Present in Pictures

Dress: Sonoma, Kohl's; Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

The old but still awesome (to me, anyway) Happy B-Day USA Barrette Brooch.  Because July is just a gelati away. 😏

Cherry barrettes: SHEIN; Bow: Carole, JCPenney

Bow bangle: Holiday Lane, Macy's; Red bracelet: Guess, Macy's; Ring: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Flag necklace: Michaels

Bag: Betsey Johnson

Sandals: Katy Perry Collection, Zulily

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Michaels

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Cherries from another time on one of the husband's timeless cutting boards.

Dress: So, Kohl's; Bag: Simply Vera, Kohl's

More Michaels.

Anchor necklace: Charming Charlie

BAND-AIDS and case: Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Modcloth

Sneakers: So, Kohl's

Top: Amazon

When I got pregnant, I said that I would never wear a body-con, i.e. tight, maternity dress that ostentatiously showcased my bump.  For me, it would be tasteful A-lines all the way.  And for the first eight months, it was.  But then I saw a form-fitting, blue-and-white-striped maternity T-shirt dress in (where else?) Kohl's, and all my carefully constructed resolve went out the window.  What can I say?  My wardrobe options were dwindling, and it would be nice to have something new to wear for Memorial Day.  So I got it.  I topped it with a red floral blouse I already had (also from Kohl's) and wore it to yesterday's family BBQ.  And everyone was like, oh, you look pregnant now!  In a nice way.  Because I do.  No shame in this bump game.

Then today it was off to Michaels to buy a photo album for the hundred plus prints I ordered from Shutterfly.  During one of my baby prep classes, the instructor told us how one woman brought horse posters and horse-shaped string lights to the delivery room because she and her husband ran a ranch, and horses were it for them.  (She also told us to buy a birthing ball from Dick's because Dick's has the best balls; I'm still proud of myself for not laughing.)  Naturally, I thought about what might be comforting for me to see when my time comes, and the answer was obvious: color.  Lots and lots of color, as captured in the pics I took for this blog.  So last Sunday, I went back through the years, picked the best ones, and made my order.  They arrived Saturday, and I love them. 

Lastly, I guess I should mention the BAND-AIDS.  As in, what's a pic of them doing here?  I got the case for free at Target a couple of months ago while stocking up on bandages for my glucose monitoring.  The design had such a groovy, '70s lifeguard vibe that I took a pic to post for the unofficial first day of summer.

So that's Memorial Day -- the maternity way -- in a nutshell.  

Specifically an almond shell, as almonds now make up most of my diet.  

Not Quite Through With Red, White, and Blue

Bag: Amerileather, Zulily; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Deep Blue Twee Necklace

Bad: INC, Macy's; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Flag Swag Necklace

Nine West, Kohl's

Top: XOXO, Macy's; Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth

American Anchor Necklace

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Some stores already have their fall stuff out.  And to that I say boo hiss!  Because here at The Tote Trove, we post Fourth of July flare a week after the Fourth.  Some may call it procrastination . . . but I call it reliving the moment (and also, yes, procrastination).  So it's with pride that I display these baskets of hot-off-the-grill red, white, and blue baubles:

Baskets: Michaels

I just love these baskets, which I found at Michaels for half off just before, not Fourth of July, but Memorial Day.  (See?  My procrastination knows no bounds.)  

Who knows.  Come December, I may channel Blink-182 and have Halloween on Christmas, festooning my tree with ghosts instead of gumballs.

Well, ghosts with gumball eyes.  Because it's not Christmas -- or, for that matter, Halloween -- without an unhealthy dose of high fructose corn syrup.

Memorial Day: Memory Lane and a Mushroom

Bag: Amazon

Top: Wild Fable, Target; Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target; Ribbons: Michaels

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection DSW

Bouquet: Michaels

I can't believe it's already Memorial Day!  I couldn't think of a better way to kick off this unofficial first weekend of summer than by reading beach book queen Elin Hilderbrand.  Endless Summer is a collection of short stories, extra chapters, and alternate endings to some of Hilderbrand's most beloved novels.  I very much enjoyed this, in Hilderbrand's own words, Choose Your Own Adventure approach to fiction.  I especially liked the extra chapter for Golden Girl, which reveals heroine Vivian Howe's ups and downs at the famed Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.  Her struggles undoubtedly mirror Hilderbrand's own at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and I loved seeing this glimpse of what it must've been like for one of my favorite authors to become the consummate storyteller we know today.    

Of course, it wouldn't be a holiday without festive fashion too!  For yesterday's family BBQ, I donned last year's never-before-worn, fruit-print LC Lauren Conard dress and my brand-new Jessica Simpson wedges.  The wedges' height was just what I needed to lift the (on me) floor-dusting dress from the ground.  The mushroom bag is an oldie but goody -- although a poppy would've been more appropriate.  Maybe I can find one before next Memorial Day and reenact my holiday hitchhiker pose.

I hope your weekend was filled with things that you love, setting the tone for a sensational summer! 🌞🌈

Chicken, Cheese, and a Handful of Zzzzzzzzzzzs: Fighting for a Bite of Bob's Burgers

When I heard that The Bob's Burgers Movie was coming to theaters this Memorial Day, I almost broke my pandemic-induced, going-to-the-movies boycott.  Because I do like to see stuff on the big screen, and this just happened to be that unicorn of a movie that hooked both the husband and me.  The wacky misadventures of the struggling, burger-joint-owning Belchers crack us up every Sunday (his favorite character is big cheese Bob; mine is awkward oldest kid Tina).  

We love the offbeat jokes and burger puns (so much so that one Christmas my sister gave us this Bob's Burgers cookbook), and the husband is spot on when it comes to figuring out the names of the guest voice actors.  So, braving the masses to get our buns into those seats seemed worth it.  Nevertheless, I ended up chickening out (and probably, as is usually the case, eating chicken).  But that was okay.  Because The Bob's Burgers Movie started streaming on Hulu this weekend!  The husband and I settled in front of the TV with, not burgers or even chicken, but pizza and got ready to laugh.

So, how was the feature film version of America's favorite carnivorous cartoon?  Well, it's hard to say because for most of it I was asleep!  It was more my fault than Bob's -- Friday nights, after working all week, I usually curl up and collapse.  But the parts I did see seemed less hilarious than the thirty-minute shows we enjoyed.  The husband said that he felt the same, and he stayed awake the whole time.  

Still, maybe I'll give it another try.  On a Sunday.  And with a cheeseburger.     

Memorial Day Mandate: Put Your Best Foot Forward

Dress: ELLE, Kohl's

Bag: XOXO, ROSS; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target; Yellow and red bangles: B Fabulous; Rainbow necklace: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Red and yellow necklaces: Wet Seal; Rainbow bangle: Nimia's Boutique; Bow barrette: Carole, JCPenney

 

Fruit barrette: Whimsies, Craft Fair; Red and white barrette: B Fabulous 

Red top: Lily Rose, Kohl's; Yellow top: Forever 21

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill; Bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Necklace: The Tote Trove; Ring: Francesca's; Sunglasses: Amazon

Fabulous Felt Yellow Folk Flowers Barrette

Top: So, Kohl's

Flowers: Michaels; Ribbon: Craft drawer

Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily; Bag: Macy's Backstage: Sunglasses: Amazon; Strawberry Necklace: Betsey Johnson, Macy's; Flag necklace: Michaels; Ring: Wet Seal; Blue bangle: So, Kohl's

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Bag: Amerileather, Zulily; Bangle: Burlington Coat Factory; Bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Bow: Hobby Lobby; Ring: Betsey Johnson, Amazon; Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Red White and Chew Necklace

Can you believe it's Memorial Day again?!  It feels like I was just taking down my Christmas decorations.  Of course, that's because I was.  We had a lone holiday wreath on the window until very recently.  A bird had built a nest in it and the husband, good soul that he is, didn't want to disturb it.  But then the nest emptied, the husband took the wreath down, and we put it all behind us (and also in the trash; after six months on the roof, that wreath was rank).  Which meant that we were more than ready to chow down on hot dogs and hamburgers at my parents'.  

I wore the first outfit, it being the most festive but also family friendly.  And I couldn't help but think that it was my rainbow wedges' first trip outside my yard.  I got them two years ago despite the section under the toes being made of canvas.  I usually shy away from fabrics and suedes in that area, as they tend to get smudged with what I'll delicately refer to as foot residue.  But then, below the ankle hygiene has always been important to me.  When my sister and I were little, my mom often sang, "Marguerite, go wash your feet, the Board of Health's across the street!"  Not because our feet were particularly dirty, but because she was that kind of mom.  To her credit, we never had to go to the emergency room, let alone the Board of Health.   

Shoes: Impo, DSW

Anyway, when the husband and I returned home, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my piggies had left only the faintest of marks.  It was nothing that a little soap and water couldn't fix, but as I scrubbed, I thought, look what this pandemic's done to me.  There I was, all atwitter at having to expose my precious shoes to the world. 

If there's a lesson here, then I'm not sure what it is.  Don't be afraid to get your feet dirty?  The promise of pie is worth wardrobe risk?  If you love your shoes, then set them free, and if they're meant to be yours, then they'll stay blemish free?

I don't know, and maybe I never will.  Only one thing's for certain, and that thing is this:

I'm not putting up outdoor wreaths next Christmas.