A Big Bench and Some Not So Little House on the Prairie Dresses

Top: Self Esteem, Macy's; Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Shoes: Impo, DSW

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Barrettes: Goody, Target; Necklace: The Tote Trove; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target; Embellished bangle: Now-defunct mall boutique, Blue bangle: So, Kohl's; Yellow and red bangles: B Fabulous; Pink bangle: Say What, Zulily

Socks (because everything else gets billing below!): St. John's Bay, JCPenney

Skirt: Modcloth

Top: Derek Heart, Macy's (now with blue and green tissue paper!)

Boots: JustFab; Bag: Nine West, Ross; Purple Potpourri Necklace; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Sunglasses: Target; Arm warmers: Gifted; Purple flower barrette: Claire's; Rings: Express; Blue flower barrette: Gifted

Dress: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's; Bangles: B Fabulous; Maple Mix Barrette Brooch; Saguaro Central Necklace; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Ring: Charlotte Russe

Top: Jessica Simpson Collection, Belk

Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection, DSW

Boots: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Zigzag bangle: Strawbridge & Clothier, Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Floral bangle: JCPenney; Yellow bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Red bangle: XOXO, Ross; Rings: Mixit, JCPenney; Bag: Delia's

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Llama Mama Necklace, Other necklaces: The Tote Trove; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon

Bag: Dolls Kill

Belts: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Yellow bangles: B Fabulous; Fuchsia bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Blue ring: Delia's

Fabulous Felt Cactus Barrette, Fabulous Felt Sweet Strawberries Barrette

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

As you can see, I've finally, (insert groan-slash-drum-cymbal-sound), fallen for fall.  I started out in sandals and ended up in boots.  Just yesterday, I was getting dressed to go out to buy beads when I realized that the purple LC Lauren Conrad dress I'd planned to wear (and that'd been waiting in my closet all summer) would be little comfort against the cool air.  No matter; I just layered my trusty black and white pin dot turtleneck underneath it!  It too is from Kohl's, and I've had it for fifteen years.  I distinctly remember buying it along with two pairs of l.e.i. jeans (who else had those?), one red, one royal blue.  The jeans are long gone, but the turtleneck remains a true blue outfit saver.  

Anyway, autumn often means prairie skirts and dresses, and I had fun making the most of both.  It was also good to finally bust out two unworn Jessica Simpson pieces, namely a top I ordered from Belk's and shoes I got free from DSW.  Well, they were free in the sense that I used my Rakuten rewards to buy them.  Which isn't really free, since I had to spend to get the rewards in the first place.  Still, it was nice to slip on the patchwork-print peau de soie pumps with my green POPSUGAR dress knowing that they were a "gift" I got for shopping. 

And now that I've babbled on about my wardrobe ad nauseum, it's time to explain what I'm sitting on.  It's a bench -- complete with sliding doors for storage -- that the husband made for a customer!  He's since moved it from our office to its new home, and the customer was so impressed that she thought the husband bought it.  I was a little affronted by that and said I should've taken video of him slaving away at it so we could send it to her.  But the husband felt no need to provide such proof.  A calm soul through and through, he just took the compliment.    

I'm sure Pa Ingalls would've done the same. 

Blood Test Blues Beget New Shoes -- And Also Happy Endings

I'd just read a book that left a bad taste in my mouth (I've endured many a dud that I've spared you) and was in need of something super sweet.  Enter Kerry Winfrey's Just Another Love Song.  It's about a small-town girl and the high-school-sweetheart-turned-country-music-star who got away.  They meet again fifteen years later while planning the annual summer fair, an event bursting with bake-offs and corndogs in a charming if sometimes caricatured tribute to the Midwest.  Now, it isn't the best romance I've ever read.  It's not even the best Winfrey romcom I've ever read (that would be Not Like the Movies).  But it was amusing and cheerful and soothing.  And with that other sordid story still fresh in my mind -- plus a trip to Lab Corp looming -- it was exactly what I needed.  

Indeed, as the phlebotomist prepped me, I was already buried in its pages, prompting her to ask if I was okay. "Yes," I said, still not looking up, "I've got my book friend here."  I actually uttered those words: book friend.  But I didn't care.  Because through years of trial and error, I've learned that books get me through icky stuff, however weird and antisocial it may seem to others.  So a shoutout to all the authors out there who weave worlds to take us out of ourselves -- and our less-than-ideal day-to-days.

And also a shoutout to Samantha over at PinkBopp and The Big Hair Diaries, who generously shared the Amazon link for these adorable blue flats: 

Shoes: Amazon

I know, I know.  I'm supposed to be on a buying ban.  And one month in, I still am (as recently as today, I resisted 10% Rakuten cashback from Kohl's; how strong am I?).  But for me, getting blood drawn always means getting a small prize, and I wasn't about to deny myself because of some self-imposed fashion fasting (especially because I'd had enough of actual fasting).  And these ten-dollar beauties were just the thing.  Cute and retro, they remind me of the earlier 2000s when I last had a pair, marveling at their cloud-like comfort as I crawled the mall.  Now the mall is mostly empty storefronts and subpar pizza.  Although to be fair, even in its heyday, food court pizza wasn't that great.

So that's how buying the blues -- and reading about a guy singing the blues -- made me feel anything but.  

Just Another Love Song may be just another romcom.  But to me it was a symphony.  

Blossoms and Berries: Me In-side

Bag: Mix No. 6, DSW

Headband: Candie's, Kohl's; Ring: Mixit, JCPenney; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily; Socks: Zulily

Ornate Ovals Necklace

Shoes: Betsey Johnson, DSW

Barrettes: SHEIN, Sunglasses: Amazon, Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Bangles top to bottom: XOXO, ROSS; Target; B Fabulous; Amrita Singh, Zulily

Crop and skirt set: Almost Famous, Kohl's

Red Confection Affection Necklace

Bag: Old Navy

Sundress: Xhilaration, Target

For months, I saw SHEIN listings pop up in my Pinterest feed without knowing what SHEIN even was.  Then Samantha over at The Big Hair Diaries posted some super cute clothes she got from the site, and I was like, okay, I'm listening.  By the time my sister ordered a bunch of costume jewelry from the very same and was singing its praises, I knew I couldn't wait any longer.  I had to check it out.  

So onto the Internet I went, and there. was. so. much. stuff!  The sheer volume of barrettes, bags, bangles, etc. (because, yes, as always, accessories were my prime destination) was nearly sensory overload.  But I gritted my teeth and dug my heels in and told myself, you will persevere.  And I did and scored this stuff:

Everything was incredibly affordable; the whole haul totaled just over fifty dollars, which was enough to qualify for free shipping.  Plus, Rakuten gave me five percent cashback, which, as always, was an excellent bonus.  I'm so happy with everything, especially the cherry and strawberry heart barrettes I'm wearing with the second outfit.  SHEIN is such a fun place to shop!  It reminds me of a store on the boardwalk, or a flea market stall with the kinds of funky finds that I always imagined but never found.  I'll definitely be back.  Thanks for the tip, Samantha!    

And now, on to the handmade portion of our program.  I really surprised myself with this Red Confection Affection Necklace:

I've had these puffy fabric "hard" candies for ages; I used to use them to make barrettes.  But then the other night, I thought, what if I used one in a necklace?!  I wasn't sure if the jump rings would support it on the chain, but lo and behold, it worked!  I'm so psyched about how this necklace turned out that I may make some others.

And then buy more barrettes to match. :)

Office Flowers are Always Open

T-Shirt & Jeans, Amazon

LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Betsey Johnson, Macy's

This post is about flowers and fruits and veggies and purses (see above carrot barrettes and veggie sweater.  For the record, fashion is the only way I let peas infiltrate my life).  It's also about my home office (a.k.a. the cactus room) where I write these posts, online shop, and pay bills with stamps like an old lady.  But you already knew that, right down to the stamps. 

Flowers make great metaphors.  Especially roses.  As in, "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" and "Every Rose Has its Thorn".  Even this week's episode of "The Unicorn" (a sitcom about a widower named Wade [Walton Goggins] that I once watched ironically but now genuinely like) had a game called rose and thorn in it.  In an effort to help Wade's seventh-grader daughter Grace open up, his friends Delia (Michaela Watkins) and Michelle (Maya Lynne Robinson) suggest this exercise in which each person shares one good thing that happened that week -- that's the rose -- and one bad thing -- yes, that's the thorn.  And although it didn't ultimately work out -- Delia and Michelle had to reminisce about their own middle school misadventures before Grace finally spilled about her boy troubles -- I found the idea appealing.  So here are some of my roses and thorns from this week.


Roses:

I sold two brooches, one to someone in Arkansas and one to someone in Pennsylvania.

I got a box of free stuff from Kohl's.  No, they haven't decided to reward me for all the blogging I do about their products.  The loot was gratis because I had a "big fat check" from Rakuten and opted to upgrade it to a Kohl's gift card.  Which means it technically wasn't free because I had to spend a lot to get the cashback.  But it made me happy.  So, rose it is.

Thorns:

"This is Us" wasn't on.

My left thumbnail tore below the quick.  Ouch!


Playing rose and thorn is a good way to get stuff off your chest.  Or, even if you play it alone, a way to remain grateful.  For me, it comes in handy when life hands me something more seemingly insurmountable than a week without Jack Pearson's wisdom.  It reminds me to stay positive.  And open to the good stuff.

Like roses.  And '80s hair bands.