Keepin’ It Real April 2014

We are one third of the way through this year? How is this possible? April flew by. Flew by! Here are the random things that happened in our lives this month. If you missed last month’s “Keepin’ It Real” post, you can find it here.

One of my most exciting random things that happened this month and nobody knew about except me was, Patrick Rothfuss and I posted about coins on the same day! What are the odds?

And, okay, his post is eloquent and sweet and meaningful. And, gosh, informative. And also slightly scary (because I have a copper sink! Argh!).

And my post is disturbing. Crude. Gross…

But hey, I’ll take it!

20140428-183452.jpg

Speaking of my post, I do not know what I ended up doing with that dime. I put it somewhere safe.

This could be anywhere.

And everywhere.

And quite possible how it ended up where it did in the first place.

Before I worry about that, I am hoping I simply slipped it into the good old American hiding place: my underwear drawer.

This could also be how it ended up where it did that day, as well.

We will probably never know.

But now that I have given you these two scenarios, I fear a repeat.

Only dime will tell.

20140428-182542.jpg

I found a stack of Tory Burch shoes at Nordstrom Rack. None of them called my name, but I thought some of you ladies (or adventurous men) would like to see a giant pile of these discounted shoes!

20140428-182628.jpg

This is what the aisle of Target looked like the night before Easter. Not a plastic egg to be found! But there were many frantic mommies and all you could hear was, “They have no eggs?! Where are the eggs?!”

I might have been part of the mass hysteria!

It never pays off to be a procrastinator.

20140428-210110.jpg

This is what our Easter baskets looked like.

20140428-211610.jpg

20140428-211541.jpg

My husband LOVES dying Easter Eggs. He tried two different methods with the kids this year, including shaving cream. He preferred the traditional method.

20140428-151030.jpg

20140428-151219.jpg

Outfit outtakes.

20140428-210203.jpg

While we are on the subject of outfit outtakes, let’s delve into the nitty gritty. This outfit post for this picture won’t be up for awhile, but look at what happens when I try to leave the house?! In trying to take better outfit pictures, I spun myself right into a cactus on Monday! I think it would have been worse if dorky me hadn’t been trying to protect this bracelet. Who cares about a hand? The bracelet was not harmed. Whew!

And I didn’t even scream…or cry.

The photographer on the other hand?!

He might have flinched a little. ; )

Believe me, the outtakes for next month all ready have a funny picture!

Also, it makes the question, “You know you’re crazy a blogger when?…” easier to answer. You know you’re a blogger when your first thought is not to pull out the needles sticking out of your skin but rather to take a picture of them!

20140428-211512.jpg

My grandma used to make us buttered spinach noodles all of the time. And we loved them. I found fresh spinach noodles at the store and could not wait to feed this to my family. They did not like it… Yet! I am not giving up. I will keep making them. They are good for them. I think spinach noodles are delicious! How cool would this meal be on Saint Patrick’s Day?

20140428-210634.jpg

Oh my gosh! Saint Patrick’s Day! I forgot to show you what I served that day in last month’s “Keepin’ It Real.” Green rice! This was much to my husband’s chagrin. I have a bad awesome habit of dying random food fun colors. I like to make his life interesting. I may or may not have been wearing my denim maxi skirt at the time. ; )

Did you do anything fun in the month of April? Have you tried spinach noodles? Ever fallen in a cactus? Please share!

Gonna Try Harder

20140428-142741.jpg

I’m boring and I’m bored. How ’bout you? I’m kind of tired of pictures of me. But what can I do? ; ) I unwittingly started a fashion blog and I am having too much fun to quit.

But I am tired of pictures of me standing in the same darn place. Sure it is easy. And I am lazy. So, it works. And I will continue to take pictures in front of my fireplace, because of both of those descriptions, but also because I happen to love my fireplace. And the lighting is good there.

But I am going to try to shake things up a bit. Take different pictures around my house.

Maybe even.

Oh my gosh. This is a biggie!

Maybe even leave my house now and again.

I tried that in my post on Sunday.

This is another attempt. In the pictures, I am wearing my Anthropologie Chevron Skirt (slightly similar skirt here and here), Anthropologie Lunation Tee, and Anthropologie Sandals from last year, Anthropologie… Okay. Just assume everything is from Anthropologie. ‘Cause it is. This includes the Star Necklace from Christmas and Layered Corset Belt.

Hmmm. That was all ready super boring. Sorry about that! On to the pictures!:

20140428-142404.jpg

Ha! Okay! Well, I couldn’t resist the fireplace. It is my comfort zone.

20140428-142329.jpg

I made my husband and myself Pepper Bellies for lunch. It was just the two of us at home with the kids at school. I thought it would be fun to get a cooking picture. This is my daily grind. ; )

20140428-142709.jpg

I loved the color of the wood on the library ladder with this skirt.

20140428-142826.jpg

And another.

20140428-142926.jpg

Let’s try a chair. (Note: I have a stalker in the background).

20140428-143209.jpg

Here comes another stalker.

He’s cute!

20140428-143236.jpg

Oomph! He got me! We need to end this now, because I am about to be attacked again (see who is sneakin’ up behind me?!)!

Where else should I take outfit pictures? I am much too shy to do it obviously in public. Which space did you like the best? I need all of the help I can get! : )

P.S. I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Reading: “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore”

20140427-210036.jpg

I had not heard of this book until I wrote a book review for “The Magician’s Elephant.” A sweet reader had nicely commented saying she had just finished reading, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.” I was intrigued. I liked the sound of the title. It had good reviews online.

I was even more intrigued after I purchased the book and another sweet woman wrote me telling me to look at the book in the dark. It has a cool little unexpected effect. If you have the book at home, try it.

“Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore,” by Robin Sloan, is a quick quirky little book. It won’t change the world. It won’t even change your world. But not all books need to do that. It is still a worthwhile read.

The characters in the book are well laid out. The writing is well done. I very much enjoyed reading it.

The story begins with a young man named Clay, who is in desperate need of a job. He finds employment in a 24-hour bookstore owned by an odd little man named Mr. Penumbra. Clay is in charge of working the night shift. His job consists of tracking the clients that come in to the store and writing down the events of the night.

There are two parts to the bookstore. There are the “regular” books you would find at any brick and mortar bookstore. But there are more. There are dusty tomes of books written in a code that Clay has agreed he will not look at or open.

Could you do that?

I could not.

And neither can Clay.

Which is what Mr. Penumbra is counting on.

In opening the forbidden books, he finds an intriguing path into a secret society. And a mystery is born.

20140427-210115.jpg

The neat part about this book is that it delves into areas you do not normally associate with science fiction or fantasy genre books. It explores the world of the internet. It also looks into the amazing company of Google, which was fascinating.

There were some flaws. Such as, all of the help Clay receives from his friends who happen to have the perfect resources he needs to solve his mystery. It was incredibly far fetched. Too perfect. But that did not really bother me. The ending was different. I cannot decide if I was disappointed by the ending or if it was perfectly wonderful. It is not the typical ending. But then again, I liked that this was not the typical book.

If you are looking for an easy, fun book that will make you smile, I recommend reading this book.

Have you read this book? Are there any other books I should be reading right now? What are you currently reading?

* The link for the book is an affiliate link. Purchasing the book through the link will result in a small commission for this blog.

Colima And See What I Did

20140426-002516.jpg

Last year, Anthropologie sold the Colima Skirt. It came in many colors. I believe the final count was six. But I could be wrong.

I bought two of them. And then I could not figure out how to style the darn things. The skirts were pretty. But the hem that I thought I would like, proved to be a challenge. And they were a bit too clingy and see through.

The other day, I had an epiphany.

Why not wear them together?

Why not create the hem I wanted by layering the two together?

20140426-003254.jpg

So I did.

20140426-002854.jpg

I love them worn this way. Together they have become my favorite maxi skirt.

20140426-002825.jpg

And the spin factor cannot be beat.

20140426-003211.jpg

Trust me.

20140426-002602.jpg

If you missed out on the Colima Skirt last year at Anthropologie, you are not out of luck. Modcloth is carrying an incredibly similar version of it in blue. They call it Sway by the Sea Skirt. It is $49.99. The original price for the Colima Skirt was $118. I am trying to decide if I need another layer to mix up the colors. Because that price is great.

I have also seen this skirt being sold in a variety of colors on eBay.

The top was a random clearance find at Nordstrom Rack last spring. It is by Cloth and Stone. You can find similar chambray shirts here and here.

Have you ever layered two skirts together? Did you end up liking the end result? What other top could I pair with these skirts?

Honesty is the best policy: The links above are affiliate links. This blog may receive a small compensation when a link is either clicked on or purchased from.

P. S. Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister, Mandi! : )

And

I shared this on The Pleated Poppy and Effortless Anthropologie.