I’ve been feeling kind of stuck in a rut with my skinny pants, 

especially since I’ve had a ten pound weight gain…

To boost my self today, I opted for my Diane Gilman

black trouser jeans.. I haven’t worn them in quite awhile

and really do love the elongating look and the way they balance out my hips…

Using the same color top creates a column of color that also helps to elongate my petite height. 

I must add that I should have done pics at another location rather than in front of the puddle, but it’s become a habit where I stand, especially on a day like today that was cold and with my nasty sinus pressure headache….

I tried this look with a statement necklace ,

but didn’t like how it competed with the red-orange tipping in the sweater…

I love this sweater that I found over the summer at Burlington…

I highly recommend Burlington for quality sweaters at great prices..

I was quite happy with my changing up the silhouette of skinny jeans to these.  

Hey, that’s twice this week with my boot leg cords… 

I did wear skinny jeans for bowling yesterday,

but came home and had a headache and just never got pictures done..

Dear Readers, Changing silhouettes keeps me going and happier in styling outfits, this makes sense of a blogger who sees outfits as her artistic expression.  I use to do a lot of crafting to keep that element of expression in my life, but homeschooling makes that less possible.  I am very much looking forward to my daughter’s Spring Break at the end of February, as she is depending on me to help her create her dream Elsa costume for an Anime convention in Boston this Spring.  You wouldn’t believe the number of materials she’s explored and rejected… I think she is set with two patterns, because the top and this and the bottom of that didn’t suit her desires… I am so happy that she has this convention to look forward to as she really works so hard at school and is very focused , not great at creating the balance that I dream of for each of my children… I keep talking to her about tools for happiness and I think it’s starting to sink in… This parenting thing really doesn’t ever end, and I quite enjoy taking a back seat to feeling responsible and just offering advice to be taken or not… I feel so blessed to have one girl in my life and cherish every part of our journey together. 

Gratitude

I am grateful that my daughter sent my youngest text pictures of the lake she walks by daily…(It’s so important to me that the older children keep in touch with their younger brother) 

Here they are..

She loved the ice and water mix that she saw on Tuesday,

she described it with wonder and awe as I was on the phone with her…

This was taken on Thursday of the same lake after the snowfall…

For a girl born and raised in Virginia Beach, this is not something she takes for granted..

I am grateful that my daughter is in awe of nature and quite often refers to the beauty around her.

I am grateful for a call from my son, even if it was about missing mail, his voice made me happy despite my sinus pressure headache..

I am grateful for the Dr. Phil show today, talking about Mama’s boy, and the conversation with my 14 year old, wondering why any mother would want that for their son.  I am proud that he sees that I want to give them wings to fly! 

I am grateful for my strength  in dealing with my son’s reluctance with homeschooling this week, he’s gonna be mad when he has to homeschool  this weekend, but gotta nip this in the bud!