Things I Love Thursday // 10.14.21

Celebrating Lulu

My mother-in-law, Linda (who we call "Lulu"), moved to Charlotte from California in March. We are so lucky to have her near after all these years on separate coasts. Her new place is less than a mile from our house and visits are often. She comes to soccer and volleyball games to watch the girls, takes care of them when we are out of town, invites us over for brunch, happy hour, and dinner... it's just really lovely to be able to take her out to celebrate her birthday. Cheers to another fabulous trip around the sun!

Pocketed Long Skirts

I just bought two new skirts from Amazon. They are light-weight, elastic banded, and a great length. I love the (faux) tie at the waist and the large pocket details. I've already worn them a few times and they are easy to pair with a t-shirt, a french-tucked button down, or a light sweater. I bought one in black and one in sunflower yellow. (They definitely needed to be steamed when they arrived.) You will also need to wear a slip with them, as the fabric is a thin blend with a light linen texture. I have no idea how well they will wash but I have no intentions of putting them through the dryer! I though the slight difference in hem (from front to back) might be a little weird --but it's not at all. My rear end manages to make a nice shelf that balances everything out. LOL The thing that's weird is the name of the company! What the heck??

Travel Steamer

To get my skirts looking great in just a few minutes, I busted out my new travel steamer. This little iSteam is awesome! We own a big Jiffy J-2000 (worth every penny) that we've had for a decade; however, our current house has no laundry room and the washer and dryer are two floors away from the bedrooms. Our big steamer is supposed to live in the guest bedroom closet but every time I pull it out to use it, it ends up living in my master bathroom (right in front of the door) or on the second-floor landing outside all of our bedrooms for literally MONTHS (possibly 8-9 in a row). So I decided that, because we could use a travel steamer anyway, this smaller one could serve double duty: travel and small jobs. In other good news, it fits nicely on the shelf in our under-sized master closet! I can't believe I waited 8+ years to buy one this size. (p.s. I don't know why there are towels in this ad. Please don't be a person who steams your bath towels. If you have that much free time, pick up a good book.) 

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Clog Sandals

To go with my new steamed skirts, I bought some cute clog sandals. I have a difficult time with the traditional mule style, as my arches are too high. I saw this peep-toed pair of Swedish-made Mia "Greta" Mules last weekend when I was out shopping with Staci and fell in love. Unfortunately, the boutique did not have my size --which was probably for the best because I didn't really need another pair of heeled, neutral, peep-toed sandals. But THEN... Ben chewed one of my favorite shoes that very night! I took it as a sign from the universe and set about trying to find the boutique shoe online (at the time, I didn't know what brand they were). It wasn't too hard to find the exact pair --but it was really tricky to locate my size in the color I wanted --sold out everywhere. And then I checked Amazon. Yahoo! While poking around there, I saw THESE Sandgrens in a soft gray "stone" color. #willpower

sandals, shirt, pants, sunnies

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

There is something so intimate and enjoyable about listening to an author read their memoir --unless it's Matthew McConaughey reading Greenlights, which I just could not get into. (But perhaps that's a story I'll save for the day I start cataloguing Things I Hate Monday.) Anyhoo... this wonderful book, Crying in H Mart, was published in April of this year and has received a fair share of attention. Zauner, singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Japanese Breakfast, is a Korean-American who grew up in rural Oregon. She writes of grief, family, food, and identity with unflinching honesty that is somehow both brutal and tender. I loved it!

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