Sunset

Yesterday morning, we had planned to go do the second of our mini-shoots for me to submit to Lee Jeans as part of the Life In Lee photo contest. Unfortunately, we woke up to clouds everywhere. Sometimes, clouds are good for photos, but I had something specific in mind that I wanted to try, and it required sun.

By evening, it was still pretty hot, and we were debating whether or not to head out that night, or this morning. I told Justin that I really thought sunset would give us the best light opposed to sunrise, and that I just wished that there was a great open, empty field closer to home for us to give it a try. He pointed out that there was--at (his sister) Kelsey & Stump's house. I hadn't even thought about that, but we headed over after dinner, set up that tripod, and y'all...I'm kinda loving some of what we got!

As I mentioned in the post about our first mini-session one of my frustrations with using a tripod is that it's harder to nail exact focus on the eyes like I normally like. I thought about that some more, and decided that I wanted to try some back-lit photos with a lens flare-- because of the nature of back-lit photos, their focus isn't as sharp, so I thought that it might help make the softer focus of using a tripod look slightly more intentional.

Sometimes, having the opportunity to do photos like this is really important for me--in stepping outside my normal comfort zone, I did something that I don't normally do. These aren't technically perfect, but they make me all ooey gooey inside...and how can that be wrong when it comes to a photo?

What do you think? Which would you pick to be submitted to the Life In Lee contest?

Also, don't forget to enter the contest yourself--especially you Katie, since I know you already wear Lee Jeans!


Here's how it works--take a photo or two of yourself just doing life. The only requirement is that a pair of Lee Jeans must be featured somewhere in the photo. Then go to Lee's Facebook Page to submit YOUR photo for a chance to win a trip to NYC, $500 spending money, and $500 towards the purchase of a new camera! Not too shabby, eh?

Disclosure Stuff: Justin and I both received a pair of jeans free of charge from Lee Jeans as part of this campaign. However, as I mentioned last time, I actually already love Lee Jeans and purchase them on my own accord--so in the above photos, Justin was wearing his freebies from Lee, but I was wearing a pair of Lee Jeans that I already owned. Still, I'm blessed that Lee offered me the opportunity to receive a pair for free (thanks again Chelsea!) as part of participating in this campaign. Lastly, just for the record, neither of us received any other form of compensation from Lee or any other source for this post.

Family ♥

While I love to be behind the camera taking pictures, I have a little bit harder of a time being in front of it. Still, the number of photos of all three of us since Lizzy was born are pretty pitiful in number, and that's something that I'm trying to change.

Recently, I was given a great reason to step outside my comfort zone and get in front of the camera. I'm participating in the Life In Lee photo contest--and as part of it, I decided that I wanted to try and submit a photo of all three of us together. So, we're going to be doing several mini-sessions over the next few days using a tripod!

The photo contest is open to everyone--the only requirement is that a pair of Lee Jeans must be featured in each photo. If you're interested, check out Lee's Facebook page. The prizes? Awesome. They include the likes of a trip to New York, $500 spending money, and $500 towards a new camera on Amazon.

Anyway, after going out to dinner, we attempted our first mini-session tonight. Can I just say that it is HARD to shoot using a tripod when you're used to being able to move about behind that camera? It's also much harder to nail that focus on the eyes. Still, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be pushed outside my comfort zone in more ways than one, and I've already learned a ton of tricks to try out at our next mini shoot Friday morning. And more importantly, I'm grateful to have a few more photos of all three of us!

Is it just me, or does the side-view of this top make me look pregnant? FWIW, I'm not pregnant. Also, I think I deserve some serious kudos for thinking 'that top makes me look pregnant' rather than 'I look pregnant'...it seems like a small difference, but it's kind of a major thing for me.

Darn you top.

Anyway, any votes on which photo out of this set I should enter? I think the second one is my favorite.

*Disclaimer Stuff: Justin and I both received the jeans that we are wearing in the above photos free of charge courtesy of Lee Jeans. That said, I purchase Lee Jeans on my own accord fairly regularly, and really like them. I probably would have entered this contest and written this very post whether or not we received free jeans for doing so, but I'm blessed that Lee offered me the opportunity to receive a pair for free (thanks Chelsea!). Lastly, just for the record, neither of us received any other form of compensation from Lee or any other source for this post.

30 in 30: Week 2

I said this last week, but this weather has really been throwing me for a loop. I'm just not used to needing to wear sweaters and long sleeves in June! Consequently, I added extra items into my wardrobe most days this past week--I was getting tired of the black long sleeve/ black cardigan/ black fleece, which were the only semi-warm clothes that I had included in the wardrobe. I'm simply not willing to add them in to the 30 items because I know (hope) that it's going to finally get hot here any day.

So, I guess I cheated. Or made exceptions. Oh well...it's still been a positive thing because knowing that I have to take a picture of myself has helped motivate me to actually get dressed most days instead of just kicking it around in yoga pants. It's also making me think a little more about my wardrobe--what I love, what I love for other seasons, and what I could probably give away.

Tuesday 5/31
Lizzy and I met Justin for dinner at a local burger joint and then went grocery shopping. This was my attempt to be comfy, but maybe a little cuter than the usual jeans, sweatshirt, and tennis shoes that I normally wear for our big grocery shopping trips. I decided that these jeans would be a temporary placeholder in my 30 items until the weather warmed up and/or I found another pair of shorts that I like.


Wednesday 6/1
Honestly, I was exhausted Wednesday morning. I literally threw a belt and boots over my pajamas...so nothing that I wore was from the plan. I don't usually wear leggings out in public because I don't think they're particularly flattering on me, but oh well.


Thursday 6/2
Headed to Mom's Group. Everything I wore today was from the plan! Also, I debuted my glitter shoes, which I love!


Friday 6/3
Went to my little brother's graduation. Everything other than the cardigan was from the plan. Found some new shoes...I know they're wannabe Tom's, but I thought they were cuter than Tom's, and they were on super clearance for $5, so I bought them in turquoise and yellow.




Saturday 6/4
No picture. This is becoming a trend for Saturdays. I think I wore jeans and a sweatshirt.

Sunday 6/5
Went to church. It was actually sort of warm all morning! I was self-conscious about the jersey material clinging to my stomach, but it looks like I'm actually okay.


Monday 6/6
Spent the day running errands. Found a pair of shorts that will replace the second pair of jeans for the remainder of the time on the plan.

DIY Glitter Flats, Cobbler in Mason Jars, & Other Fun

I mentioned awhile ago that I had seen DIY glitter flats on {We Are Not Martha}. Since Justin got paid on Tuesday, I figured it was a perfect time to go get that Mod Podge, glitter, and some flats (which I scored on clearance for $5). While Lizzy was napping, I set up shop.

Not gonna lie, while I was in the process (i.e. upper right hand corner), I was a bit worried that it might end badly. Also, it took me WAY more than the four coats that most of the tutorials I've read have cited...but I think that may have been due to the fact that I used super-fine glitter and also didn't use enough of it mixed into the Mod Podge until about coat 4. I decided not to use all the available colors to do rainbow style, but to keep in the turquoise/purple/pink family (with a little green, silver, and red mixed in here and there). I probably could have taped off the sole, but oh well. A lot of tutorials also recommended spraying them with some sort of clear coat. I figured that I'd start with just a clear coat of Mod Podge (I hadn't seen that recommended anywhere) and see how that works for starters.

I kind of love them.

Justin spent the day sleeping on the couch.



I made Taco Soup with ground turkey for dinner.



And blackberry cobbler in mason jars for dessert. Justin doesn't love when I do cobbler in mason jars, but I like that they're pre-portioned so I eat less than I would if I was scooping it out of a bigger baking dish.

I use this cobbler recipe from {Pioneer Woman}. I just add about 1 tsp vanilla to the batter. Please note though that the recipe calls for self-rising flour--if you don't keep self-rising flour, you can make it by adding 1.5 tsp baking powder and half a teaspoon of salt.


Ladle the batter into the mason jars, filling 1/2 way to 2/3 full. I usually do 6-7 of the jam size (half-pint?) jars.



Spoon blackberries on the top of the batter. If desired, sprinkle the tops with a little more sugar. I baked at 350* for about 50 minutes rather than the full hour, but keep an eye on them after about 40 minutes. Tops should be golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle should come out clean.

Love this idea for summer BBQ's!

And there you have it...my yesterday in photos!

Houston, We Have A Problem...

The last few days around here have been COLD. Like, jeans and a sweatshirt cold. Rainy, terrible, blanket cold. This cold front required me to dig up some cold weather outfits for Lizzy, and in doing so, I came to the realization that my poor child is going to suffer from PANTS TOO SHORT syndrome, just like me.

Seriously. Even though my kid is almost 8 months, she's still wearing 3-6 or 6 month clothes. I pulled out a pair of 6 month pants, and they fit her in the waist, but were a good inch too short in length. I tried a pair of 9 month pants, and they were long enough, but just fell right off her non-existent butt.

I'm not exactly sure what my cutie pie is going to do come fall when wearing capris is probably frowned upon. Maybe I just need to get her an awesome pair of boots and let her rock the boots and leggings look all winter, because if the leggings are tucked into boots, you won't be able to see that they're an inch too short. Or don't they make skinny jeans for babies? Maybe that would solve all kinds of problems.

I'm sorry in advance baby girl. Being tall kind of sucks--good luck finding wedding dresses, prom dresses, jeans, sweat pants, etc. At least you have a momma who can sympathize!

These Are Not My Pants

Last night, after band practice was canceled, J and I decided to go visit with Kaitlin's parents, Jon and Bev. We were talking about the usual stuff. 

What should we do for dinner? 

Do you need to take a shower before we go? 

I'm not sure, but I THINK there's a clean pair of your jeans in the dryer. 

And then I went back to burping Lizzy, and didn't think much about it until I saw this: 

It took a minute to register. Where in the world did he get those jeans? Because my husband does not wear tight clothing, unless they're Wranglers. Then it's okay, apparently. I don't get it, but whatever. Anyway, I saw my wonderful adorable husband wearing jeans that were quite tight, and I wracked my brain to figure out what was going on. 

And then it hit me. They're MY jeans. My favorite Gap Long and Lean jeans.

Or they were my jeans. They were my pre-pregnancy jeans. Scratch that, they were my pre-pre-pregnancy jeans. {Also known as the-jeans-I-will-never-fit-into-again}

And then my mind went through a huge mix of emotions in a split second: 

My husband is weird. 

I CANNOT BELIEVE he fits in those! 

It is NOT FAIR that he fits in those and I don't! 

It is NOT FAIR that my husband could eat bacon every meal of the day and still fit in those! 

I want another pair of Gap Long and Lean jeans.

Oh God, I will never be able to wear Long and Lean jeans again!!!

And then just in the nick of time, when my thought process was really starting to deteriorate, my sweet, funny husband did this: 

And I couldn't help but laugh. Hey, at least someone is getting some use out of the jeans, right?

What's better than bacon?

I think I've mentioned before that Justin loves bacon. Like, seriously loves bacon. I can't tell you how many times I've made something for dinner, and he'll say, "This is good, but do you know what would make it better? Bacon."

Justin and my dad discovered Jim Gaffigan awhile ago, who does a whole bit on bacon, and since then, the bacon obsession has increased exponentially.

Justin also recently discovered CafePress, and today the following arrived in the mail--bacon garb for himself, Lizzy, and Jaxon (Kaitlin and Jesse's son who is due this summer). Also included in the picture is a bacon wallet, courtesy of my dad. Yes, you read that correctly. A bacon wallet. I didn't even know such a thing existed!

Now I'm trying to decide which t-shirt to order myself...in college, my nickname was "Giraffe" because I am tall and exceptionally clumsy. There are a TON of witty giraffe t-shirts that I've almost ordered. My favorite is this one that Lisa found, but it's out of print. Sad day.

Shop With Me--Old Navy

First of all, I really don't understand this:

Really? Really?! I thought the "Rompers For Adults" trend finally ended two years ago? 

These are even more outrageous: 

 

Sometimes I just don't understand what's in style these days. {PS-That statement cracks me up because I vividly remember my dad saying that when I was in middle school and wanted to buy some Converses).

On to what I like--where were these last summer while I was pregnant? Though, they may come in handy this summer as well with the nursing business. 

I'm still tempted (again) to order these Gauchos from you since they actually come in Talls. Does anyone have them? Do you like them? 

 

If you had a $50 Gift Card from Old Navy, what would you buy? 

Struck Out.

This morning, I decided to do some online "window shopping" for some REAL clothes.

I know, I know...it will still be quite awhile before I'm able to really fit into regular clothes again. But I am EXCITED. And for the first time in quote some time, I was actually letting myself look at regular clothes this morning.

Only, I have not found even a single measly shirt that I like so far at any of my go-to inexpensive places (Target, Kohls, Old Navy, Gap, etc). Heck, even my most favorite jeans in the world (Gap Long and Lean) seem to only come in weird washes this year. I'm disappointed by your spring collections designers!

Have any of you seen cute stuff this year that won't break the bank? 

Pregnancy Post: Week 30

Although I look stoned in this picture, I assure you, I'm not!

Well, 30 weeks already. That's crazy talk. Seriously. Especially when I think about the fact that almost every weekend between now and mid-December is booked up with stuff to do! I know that with Thanksgiving and then Christmas, these last 10 weeks are going to fly by.

The Lizard now weighs approximately 3 pounds, and I have a feeling she's in a somewhat transverse position, because I feel most movement on the sides of my tummy...AND in my ribs. It isn't too bad most of the time, except when she hits the one rib that I fractured rowing. That HURTS. I have also been having almost non-stop back spasms, which has made things a little difficult this week. There is just no comfortable position to be in.

What else...we have our childbirth class/hospital tour all weekend. I'm hoping that it's actually helpful. At least the sheet specifically says to show up in your pajamas or work-out clothes. Heck yes I will!

Speaking of comfy clothes, I picked up a pair of dress pants at Motherhood today that I actually like and are long enough (though, I'm going to see if my mom can let out the hem even further). Motherhood only carries two styles of pants in 34 inch inseam. For any other tall girls, here's a word to the wise for the future--the twill dress pants are CRAP. They fit funny, wrinkle easily, and just aren't very flattering. Today, I picked up the bi-stretch pants and they are much better, and actually feel like pajamas. I am thinking about picking up the gray pair as well. [Still, please bring back your maternity pants in extra-long length Gap! I hate being stuck in flats all the time. Plus, it makes my back spasm more!]

Not much progress in terms of the nursery, except we have a coat of primer on the dresser that used to be Justin's:

I am hoping to get the first coat of paint on tonight. I'm doing the first coat with a brush to see if we can get away with using a brush, or if we need to borrow the paint sprayer. It cracked me up to prime it, because I kept coming across all the things Justin and his sister had written on or carved into the dresser. I remember my brother carving into all the furniture, but I don't remember doing it myself!

In other news, Justin and I have started compiling a list of songs for a CD/playlist for Lizzy. We wanted to make a CD of non-kid songs that we want her to know or be sung. Some of them are just our personal favorites, some have significance in our relationship, etc. Here's some of the list so far:

Somewhere Over The Rainbow- sung by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
Love Without End, Amen- by George Strait
Que Sera, Sera- sung by Pink Martini
Gracie- by Ben Folds
Three Little Birds- by Bob Marley
Wonderwall- by Oasis
Then- by Brad Paisley
If I Had A Million Dollars- by Barenaked Ladies
Everlong (Acoustic)- by Foo Fighters
Baby Don't You Cry- Quincy Coleman
Kristine's Lullaby- Jodi Shaw

When we were talking kids songs, I was *shocked* that Justin didn't know who Raffi was! I wonder if he didn't recognize the name, but would recognize the songs?

PS- Right now, it's 4:44pm on 11/4 :) Of course, you won't see this post until tomorrow, but I thought it was fun!

I'm really tempted...

To go pick up this maternity coat from Target. It's $40. I do have one maternity coat, but it warm, and the one above is wool. I also do have a regular pea coat that I can still wear unbuttoned, but because I'm wearing it unbuttoned, it just looks like I'm huge instead of pregnant.

What's a girl to do? Probably not do anything for weeks, until I finally decide to buy it and discover that they've already sold out in my size...

Today Is Not My Day

Forgive the blurry camera phone picture.

I was SO, SO, SO excited to wear my new maternity pants from RG Maternity that are 36 inch inseam pants. Also, they were cords, which I have never owned because they were not long enough! It was the first freaking day wearing them, and they got stepped on, and look what happened.

Damnit.

I am going to try to ghetto sew them back together, but I am not very hopeful.

Brief Guide to TALL Maternity Clothes...

This post could also be named, "A Brief Guide to Maternity Clothes for Tall Women Who Don’t Want to Spend a Fortune."

I am tall, and also have quite long legs. My legs are so long, that once (before I was pregnant) when I asked a sales associate at Macy’s if they had any dress pants in my inseam, she laughed at me. Most pants came with a standard 32 inch inseam to 33 inch inseam, or maybe a 34 inch inseam if I was able to find a “long”. Because of this, I was essentially only able to order pants with a 36 inch inseam online from the “tall” section of various stores such as Gap and Old Navy.
When I became pregnant, I was happy to see that many different retailers including JC Penney, Old Navy, Gap, and Motherhood Maternity carried maternity pants in “long” or “tall” sizes. However, I quickly became disappointed to discover that when it comes to maternity, “long” and “tall” didn’t mean what they once did pre-pregnancy.

What I quickly discovered was that in maternity clothes, a regular length inseam varies from between 30 inches, to 32 inches if I was lucky. Apparently, clothing manufacturers believe that women shrink in height during pregnancy. In maternity sizing, a “long” or “tall” inseam typically means 33 inches, very occasionally 34 inches.

Now, you can certainly find 36 inch inseams from brands like Paige Premium Denim or Rock and Republic, but I just can't afford to shell out $150 on a pair of maternity pants. I don't plan to be pregnant for 12 years of my life people! Plus, I need dress pants for work, not just jeans.

To date, I’ve found the following websites that offer maternity pants in a 36 inch inseam or longer at fairly reasonable prices. Hopefully this will help someone else out!

Tall Girl Shop (http://www.tallgirlshop.com/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=maternity): They have 2 or 3 options for black dress pants online, though they’re often out of stock in one or more sizes. Consequently, I’ve never actually been able to purchase any! I’ve been told that they have a great selection in store, but there is not one single Tall Girl Shop store in Oregon, so I haven’t been able to verify. Definitely worth a shot, though be forewarned that I’ve been told they run small.

RG Maternity (http://rgmaternity.com/): This online site has several pairs of pants AND several options for tall shirts online. This is the only place to date, that I've found maternity shirts in long lengths. They’re fairly spendy, but I’ve occasionally found a pair on sale. I have ordered a pair, but haven’t received them yet to be able to review the quality or fit. What I do like, is that they say their pants often actually run LONGER than 36 inches so that they can actually be put in the dryer!!! Pay attention to the sizing charts, because they don’t totally line up with other stores like Motherhood Maternity, so you may not be the size you’re expecting.

Mommy Long Legs (http://www.mommylonglegs.com/): This is a brand new online site that offers pants right now, but looks to eventually offer shirts as well. They only have a few options for pants, and the sizing appears to vary greatly between the pants offered. I’ve been told that this site runs very, very small in terms of sizing.

Mom’s Maternity (http://www.momsmaternity.com/): This site currently offers one pair of pants in a 37 inch inseam. They don’t seem to have many sizes in stock at any given time, but they DO have plus sizes in the 37 inch inseam, which is nice if that's what you're looking for (I imagine finding plus sized maternity with a 36 inch inseam is almost impossible!).

Shop With Me...

So, over the weekend, one of the things I hope to do is to throughly weed through my closet. There are already tons of clothes that don't fit me, and they just need to be put away in my new best-friends, which are Space Bags. You know, the kind you vaccum all the air out of? Anyway, I've begun to look for a few maternity clothes. I totally envy all of you that were/are able to spend the whole time in yoga pants and comfy tees. Unfortunately, since my job includes court appearances, I also need some clothes that qualify as business-wear. Also unfortunately, my weekend stuff tends to be MUCH more casual, so I also need some super casual stuff that I can wear on the weekends, and will transition as best it can through the hot summers all the way through January.

To make things even more difficult, I am almost 5'11. Finding pants with a 36 inch inseam was difficult and spendy before. Now, it's absurd. I usually wear a 36" inseam. I have only found ONE online store that sells maternity pants that long (RG Maternity). Still, they don't have many options. Apparently, us tall women aren't supposed to get pregnant, or if we are, we're supposed to live in high-waters the whole time. I can occasionally get away with a 34 inch inseam if I only wear them with flats, wash in cold, and never ever dry them. I now have one pair of dress pants and one pair of jeans from Motherhood, but I'm not sure that will be enough.

Whew. Anyway, here's some maternity clothes that I actually like (but probably won't ever buy because they're too spendy):

(Old Navy)

(Old Navy)

(Old Navy)

(Gap)

(Motherhood)

(Motherhood)

PS- Why are so many maternity clothes pink and blue?

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...

Well, we began our New Year's with a tradition called the Polar Bear Swim at a local river. Justin has participated for the last 3 or 4 years--and VERY maturely decided to sit it out since he still hasn't recovered from his bronchitis. I told him on New Year's Eve that I would prefer that he didn't participate this year, but that the decision was his. Yay Justin!

Here's James and Ryan just prior to jumping in the freezing cold lake. I grew up with James, and he's also cousins with Justin's best friend. And as of two days ago when Justin's sister's divorce from her crazy ex-husband was finalized (it's been pending for about two years), I believe that she and James are officially dating.

Ryan apparently thought it was cold...I'm SURE it was.

Justin and I watching. Excuse the greasy gross hair...we crashed at J's parent's house the night before and didn't have clothes, hadn't showered, etc.

Logan has learned how to say "cheese" for the camera. And now he does it ANY time he sees a camera. Too cute.

After that, we headed home. What I SHOULD have done today (since I'm not lucky enough to have tomorrow off) is laundry. However, apparently doing laundry on New Years Day means that in the next year, I loved one will be "washed away"...i.e. killed. I'm not usually one for superstitions, but I just decided not to chance it. So instead, I finally went through my closet and took out all the things that didn't fit, J accidentally shrunk in the wash, etc. If you remember, I took two HUGE bags of clothes to Goodwill not too long ago, and I also gave away a box to a single mom that I work with. Today, I cleared out two more apple boxes worth of clothes. I called Renee to see if she wanted to look through them before I took them over to Goodwill. She's shorter than I am and also much skinnier, so she lucks out when J or I accidentally shrink my clothes. I think she ended up with about a box of stuff, and I'm excited--I LOVED a lot of the things, and I'm just happy that someone might actually get some use out of them instead of having them sit in my closet and never be worn. That said, I still have an almost full closet and probably five loads of laundry (obviously not all my clothes) to do. What I really think I need to do is to rotate out summer and winter stuff--I keep the same things in my closet all year round.

Anyway, despite all those clothes, I only have two pairs of dress pants for work. Even though money is extremely tight this month (it's our first month actually paying the mortgage payment), J and I were anticipating having to buy me a pair of dress pants at some point this month. When I saw that Gap was having 50% off their dress pants today, we decided to go ahead and do it today so that I could get two pairs out of the deal.

Tomorrow, I'm off to work (BOOOOOO!), and then to the gym afterwords. I went to the gym on Wednesday and did the bike (I'm not sure that I'm up for a spin class yet, but I AM supposed to be biking). It absolutely KILLED my knee. It hurt so bad, and I wasn't even going that hard. Nevertheless, I made it through 30 minutes. My goal for tomorrow is 45. We'll see.