Stitch Fix No.12

I've been dying to share with y'all what I got in my 12th fix which marked my one year anniversary with Stitch Fix!  And ironically, one year ago today is when I shared my very first blog post about it.   My goodness.  I love looking back and seeing how my taste has evolved and my look has changed over this past year.  I think that has come with finally learning to be comfortable in my own skin.  I'm loving my 40's.  I'm loving getting on track with my health and grasping the fact that our body "flaws"are exactly what make us unique and beautiful. I'm at the age where I've learned to just accept certain things that are inevitable.  Crows feet, loose skin, gray hair, pouchy areas….I could keep going but I think you get it.  I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not just "letting it all hang out", lol,  but I'm good with them.  I'm taking better care of myself now than I've ever had before and I've made some major changes in the way we eat and exercise around here.  I'm at a place of really appreciating this "shell" the Lord has given me for a season.  This temporary tent I have as I'm passing through.   In short…I like what I see now when I look in the mirror!  Not in a vain way but from an appreciative heart seeing my reflection in an eternal light.  And it is really liberating!  This new freedom spills over into the way I dress now and that confidence makes my true style shines through.

I also think that this year of receiving boxes filled with clothes from a total stranger whose job is simply to style me even though she doesn't know a thing about me other than my body measurements and all the outward stuff has been really interesting…in the best kind of way.   It has encouraged me to try new things that I never would have before.   And 9 out of 10 times I liked the look.  More than anything though,  through answering the questions in my profile so they can "get a feel for who I am" and as I've had to be descriptive in my explanation as to why I did like the clothes I kept and I why I didn't like the clothes I sent back, it has helped me to really focus on my style and not just fashion. There is a major difference.  I've discovered that one good piece of clothing that is quality and fits great and makes you feel great wearing it, is better than a handful of trendy pieces that will be dated this time next year.  It has been a fun journey.  You can check them all out if you'd like to.
 (my hair has evolved along with my style. lol) 
Fix 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

   Fix number 12  was my favorite of all my fixes.  I loved everything my stylist chose for me.

First up (and my absolute favorite) is this gray boyfriend tee.

I know it looks plain jain but I wear it with everything.  It's got a dressy, kind of stretchy fabric and it's a little longer in the back.  I love it!

I threw this kimono on with it to dress it up a bit.

And yes, I totally still wear my white jeans after Labor Day.

  I love the simplicity of this look but with a little fun on my feet.

Next up was this coral pink open cardigan.  

Honestly, this was my least favorite thing as I was pulling them out of the box.  I thought it was ho-hum and not anything to write home about….that is until I tried it on.

It is super comfortable and very flattering.  I love the fabric. It's a bit stretchy and it's a little on the fitted side.  At first, I didn't think I liked the fact it has short sleeves but actually I LOVE that it does now that I've been mixing it up with stuff in my closet. It's perfect in the summer heat when you want to wear a little something more over your tank top.  

This is just another example of why it's so fun to have a stylist.  

I would have never looked twice at this, much less tried it on.

The third piece in the fix was this embroidered tunic.

I adore it! It can be worn a ton of ways. The denim vest is from a previous fix. It's probably the 80's in me but I throw that little baby on with all kinds of stuff.  I also like it with the shrug too.  I'm think it's gonna look so cute with boots…which I will be busting out soon by the way!

The fourth piece was the black leggings I'm wearing.  I love that she sent something so practical too.  These are great quality and they hold me in in all the right places. 

I wore it here with jeans.

I also recommend having a cute grand daughter at your side.  That immediately makes everybody look cute.   :)

And the last thing was this top. It has crochet right down the middle of it.

I tried it on here with a shrug so I can wear it into the fall….

But my favorite look for the top is this.  And I miss my tan.

Oh hey hot  husband/photographer of mine.

Ain't he a cutie?

Sometimes we match. Not on purpose. But I think it's cute when it happens.  Like this day.

Well what do you think? 

 Did you love what my stylist chose for me as much as I did?

I thought she nailed it.  

If you'd like to try it out yourself, you can click here to get all the details. Or email me with any questions. (honeyholden25@gmail.com)  In a nutshell it works like this. A personal stylist will select five pieces of clothing and accessories based upon your profile that you fill out.  You pay $20 for your stylists services.   If you keep any of the items, the $20 will be credited to the cost of what you decide to keep.  If you don't like any of it, you pop it all back into a postage paid bag they provide and send it back in the mail within 3 days. The stylist will then keep the $20.  It's easy peasy.

Another cool thing is that you can earn referral credit and build up enough credit to purchase your clothes!   It won't hurt my feelings if you use my referral when you sign up.  But if you don't, that will be ok too.  I'll still love you. xxoo

    

Coming Full Circle….and a few things I learned along the way

I can't believe that I am even typing these words, but my oldest grand daughter started kindergarten this year.  Life has truly come full circle as we celebrated this milestone in her life.

I mean it was just yesterday that it was her mom who was posing for pictures of her first day of school.

There has been quite a few milestones since this picture of Elizabeth.

When she lost her first tooth…her first sleepover…her first trip to the mall with a friend without me…getting her drivers license… her first date….her first dance….graduation….when she got married….when she became a momma.

And over time I've learned a few things since that first time of letting my child go.

Letting her be away from my constant care and influence and be surrounded by other people whom I didn't know. And a new authority figure who would do things differently than me.  Who would be the one who would praise her hard work.  And console her when she fell down…

I remember that feeling of unknown all too well.

I haven't figured it all out since that season in my life but here are a few things I did discover along the way.

• There will be teachers you love and teachers you don't.  God will use them all. 
• The world will not come to an end if you don't send homemade treats to the class party.
• It's ok to sleep in every now and then and be late.
• That pair of hideous shoes she is insisting to wear with her outfit ain't a hill worth dying on. (think second grade Elizabeth and those knee high tube socks, long shorts and big t-shirts)
• You are not a bad mom if you let your kids eat lunch in the cafeteria or ride the school bus. (although, a word of caution…after round three of the dreaded lice we quit the bus after we discovered they sat three to a seat and tried on each others hair accessories on the way to school. After we nixed the bus, we never had a bug problem again. We all survived and none of my girls died from embarrassment. Three rounds of lice is no joke.)
• If you forget to send in money (or are flat broke) for that school tshirt, book fair, ________, …..your child will not die from being the "only kid in class who didn't have one" syndrome.  This is a hard one but I promise they do survive.
• And apparently if you send your kids in wrinkly clothes that need to be ironed and their friends tease them about it all the time, they will survive that too.  (some things you don't find out about until your kids are grown and they tell you and then briefly you are mortified and then you both laugh til you cry so it all works out in the end)

I also learned how to trust God in ways I've never known.

I learned that praying over a matter is far more productive than complaining about it.

That the greatest thing we could ever do for our children while they are in school is storm the gates of heaven in prayer on their behalf.

While my girls were still in public school I was part of a ministry called Moms In Touch. (it's now called Moms In Prayer)  There was just four of us who met faithfully every week for one hour and prayed for our children, the other students, the teachers, the principals, and anything and everything that took place on that campus.  We watched God do the seemingly impossible.  We pleaded with Him for the salvation of teachers and students and watched Him answer our prayers.   We watched Him honor our prayers over school activities that were unwholesome just dissipate due to "lack of student interest".  We witnessed our children have victory in academic struggles and work out "situations" with classmates without ever having to get involved….just four moms bringing our petitions and concerns week after week to the Father's throne and laying them at His feet.  

The teachers knew we were praying for them too.  Each of us would take a different teacher to pray for by name and we would send a card of encouragement to them.  Many would often give us requests to be praying for specifically.

I will forever be thankful for those three other moms who saw the importance of prayer.  Yes, we were all involved in the other aspects of school too….doing our part to volunteer on campus in various ways such as the PTA and stuff like that.  But there was never anything else that I  participated in where I saw such results, nor gained the peace, in the midst of all kinds of situations that involved my girls through their years of school, than I did when I prayed for one hour once a week with three moms who were warriors.

Now please excuse me while I kick into grandma mode for a second and share a few pictures of my little kindergartner.  As of the writing of this post, we have made it through 2 successful weeks of school.  Our after school FaceTime chats hearing her tell me about her day are my fave.

(her amazingly talented mom took these pictures)

Four generations.
Aka:  Rosalyn's personal prayer warriors.

There is a lot that I still don't know about life. I pray I'm a willing learner until the day I die.

But the main thing that I do know now that I didn't know then is Jesus.
Knowing Him is a game changer. 

He makes all the difference in everything.
I can't wait to see what His plans are for this little lady He has given our family on loan to guide and teach and pour truth into her little heart and mind.
I know it's gonna be amazing.

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11