What I Wore Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for her fabulous "What I Wore Wednesday" meme. This meme is designed to give women accountability and encourage them to get out of their daily sweats or pajamas or rut that they're in and document what they wore each day and post it to their blogs.

I don't have a full week's worth of pictures here. Monday my oldest son left to go back to his out-of-state college (sniff!) and so I forgot to take my pic and Tuesday I just never got around to it. Nothing exciting, just repeats of what I've worn before!

Wednesday
Blue/black tank: Costco
White tank under: Target
Black shorts: Dockers
Black flips: ???

I should work at Costco. I was there looking at clothes and a lady looked at me, held up the ruffly tank above and said "Hey, you're wearing this same tank top!" I told her I was and that I loved it because it was so comfy and that she should buy it, and she bought it on the spot. Costco owes me.

Thursday
Lime green tank under: Costco
Orange tank over: Costco
Blue shorts: Costco

This was my small attempt at color blocking, using the colors that I have. O.k., not really. I just needed to get dressed. Note that they're all from Costco. I happen to love buying clothes where I buy food, doesn't everybody?

I almost died this day. That's right. My youngest son finally got his permit (do you hear the angels singing?).

So I took him over to the church and let him practice a bit in the parking lot. Let's just say that he got his gas pedal and his brake mixed up.

Did I mention I almost died this day?

As we were accelerating towards the tree and I was hollering "PUT ON THE BRAKE!" he was saying "Which one's the brake?"

Um.....that would be the pedal that you are NOT stepping on, son.

Friday
Navy tank under: Target
Lime tank over: Costco
Green/Navy plaid shorts: LFL, thrifted
Green flips: thrifted

Yes, this is the same lime green tank I wore the day before. Don't say ewwwwww, because it's not like you've never done that, right? Besides, today doesn't really count because I'm wearing it over instead of under, right?

Saturday
Mint tank: Costco (?)
Plaid shorts: Walmart

This is summer's last ditch effort to make it on the map. I think it got tired of hearing my youngest son whine "Where is the sunnnnnnnnn?" and so decided to break it out this last week.

Sunday
White top: Old Navy, thrifted
White crops: Sam's Club
Silver flips: ???

So I wore this outfit to church and then afterward went out to lunch with my family and some friends. If you know me IRL you know that I talk with my hands. A lot. If I had to sit on my hands I couldn't talk......

Anyway, at lunch I was telling a funny story and managed to knock my diet pepsi into my lap. Because that's how I roll.

On the way home I dropped off a friend at her house and somehow managed to get grease on my cropped pants as well. I guess the pants felt left out because they weren't stained and so wanted some attention. They're very happy now.

I don't know why I keep wearing white!!!!

Making Your Home Sing Monday: Good Habits/Bad Habits

Welcome to the Making Your Home Sing Monday meme! Every day you are doing something to make your house into a home for yourself and your family (if you have one). My point with each Monday post is, what are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing?

It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money....the opportunities are endless.

Here's one for ya: Make a list of your good habits. Now, make a list of your bad habits.

Now, write down what kind of home you want to have. Happy? Clean? Well-organized? Frugal? Messy enough to be relaxed but not bad enough to need a bulldozer?

How do you want to live when you're at home?

What kinds of sounds do you want to hear? What kinds of smells do you want to smell? What kinds of meals do you want to eat? What kinds of sights do you want to see?

Do you see yourself as making a home for the ones who live there, or for the ones who occasionally visit there?

Now look at your good habits. Are they getting you to where you want to be? Are they pointing you in the right direction?

Look at your bad habits. Are they helping you or hurting you?

For example, let's say that one of my goals is to have a happy stress-free meal with my family. But suppose one of my bad habits is that I don't even think about dinner time until somebody asks if we're eating dinner that night.

What if I use the dinner time hour as a time in which I vent to their father about everything the kids did that day, will that make dinner time happy? Or what if I use the dinner hour as a time to complain about work, the neighbors, or my mother in law?

Suppose one of my home goals is to have a family night one evening a week, but what if I never actually sit down, choose a night and plan it? What if I want to stay caught up on my laundry, but I use that time to play on the computer instead?

Do you ever notice that sometimes we can have high goals but little discipline and low expectations of ourselves? Ever notice how we can say that we never have enough time for the things that we say are important to us, and yet our actions show what is really important?

Some "busy" things are good things, but they're not always the best things. They aren't always the best use of our time.

So this week I'm making my home sing by taking a look at my good habits and bad habits. If my good habits are not getting me to my goals of the happy, well-running home that I want to have, why aren't they? Is something interfering?

If my bad habits are hurting me and keeping me from reaching my goal, why am I allowing them in my life?

Take a look at your habits this week. Are they making your home sing or scream? Who's in control here, anyway? You are! Get with it and kick those bad habits to the curb!

What are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing? Please go here for instructions and/or ideas and come back here to link up to join us today! Please do not put your own "Making Your Home Sing Monday" Linky on your blog. As always, please don't forget to link to this post. Also, please don't forgot to leave me a comment!

If you want to use your blog header or profile picture, use the "from the web" button on your right (after you click to link up). If you want to use a picture from your computer use the button on your left (unless the picture is on your blog). Please let me know if you have any problems with linking up.

Today I Learned....

Today I learned........

.....that cleaning solution works better if you spray it on the bathtub ring instead of your arm.

.....that the car drives better without the emergency brake on.

.....that I really can't carry everything in one hand.

.....that that annoying sound is my phone ringing because my hubby is trying to reach me.

.....that the "snooze" alarm is less annoying if you actually press it instead of trying to ignore it.

.....that you can't ignore the "snooze" alarm.

.....that you shouldn't ignore the "snooze" alarm.

.....that my human children "shed" more than my furry children.

.....that saying "I'm sooooo hot" doesn't sound right, even if the temp IS over 80 degrees outside.

What did YOU learn today?

What I Wore Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for her fabulous "What I Wore Wednesday" meme. This meme is designed to give women accountability and encourage them to get out of their daily sweats or pajamas or rut that they're in and document what they wore each day and post it to their blogs.

Wednesday
White tank under: Target
Blue tank: Costco
Brown shorts: Walmart

Not exciting. In case you're wondering I don't really need two hands to hold the camera for this shot. It just gives my other hand something to do other than posed on my hip.

Thursday
Black tank under: Target
Ruffle top: TJ Maxx
Shorts: DKNY, thrifted

Well, I finally got out of the bathroom! I've always thought I had a lot of light in my house until I started trying to take these pictures.

Do you love the candle holder without a candle in it? It goes with the picture frame that doesn't have a picture in it. Well, it does have a picture, it's the picture of the unknown family.

Friday
Navy tank under: Target
Floral shirt: American Eagle, thrifted
Shorts: Polo-Ralph Lauren
Necklace: Thrifted

Back in the bathroom again. Running late and a bathroom picture is easier to set up.

I always get Friday and Saturday mixed up. My hubby has Fridays off, so Friday seems like Saturday to me so in a way, I get two Saturdays. But then Sunday comes and I am never ready for it because it was supposed to come on Saturday so isn't it really Monday?

If this made sense to you I apologize, please send me an email and I will schedule you for a therapy session right after mine. Then we can go out for diet pepsi and ice cream afterwards. You're buying.

Saturday
Pink tank under: ???
Blue tank over: Costco
Plaid shorts: Aeropostle, thrifted

This is what you look like when you sleep late on a Saturday morning and your out of town relatives call and say they will be at your house in 15 minutes. Turns out they got the date wrong and they were supposed to come next weekend. However, we love them so all is good!

Sunday
Dress: Thrifted
Black tank under: Target

I think that I have worn more dresses this year than I have in the entire last five years. Maybe in my entire life. I never wear dresses. O.k., almost never.

You see, a dress requires a commitment. You have to promise to love, honor, and shave your legs. I don't know about you, but I just haven't been sure that I am ready for that kind of a serious commitment yet.

Tuesday
Lilac tank: Costco?
Shorts: DKNY, thrifted

I am sure that yet another tank top and shorts is thrilling. But THIS tank is special. I wore it inside out to the mall and didn't even know it. No one in my family noticed either.

I usually do a mirror-check before I leave the house (not to mention take my WIWW pictures) and I think I did it with my eyes closed that day. I don't know if I should be concerned or even surprised that my sons didn't notice it was inside out. I am shaping future husbands here, people.

Making Your Home Sing Monday: Choose To Be Grateful

Welcome to the Making Your Home Sing Monday meme! Every day you are doing something to make your house into a home for yourself and your family (if you have one). My point with each Monday post is, what are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing?

It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money....the opportunities are endless.

Some days I don't feel like making my house sing.

There, I said it.

My youngest son's graduation party is next weekend (it's a long story but we couldn't do it until now). We have someone coming to stay at our house for a couple of nights. My mother is going through her storage boxes and trying to scale down 87 years of her life into just a couple of boxes.

My house looks like it threw up all over itself.

With people coming you would think that I would have the motivation to clean, clean, clean! You would think that, right?

But I don't want to make my home sing! I want to be crabby and eat chocolate and drink diet pepsi and curl up with my puppy and read a good book.

But I have two choices: I can choose to be crabby and ruin everyone else's day (or week) including my own, or I can choose to be grateful.

I have a lot to be grateful for. So do you, I'll bet.

Even in the midst of difficult events it seems like there is always something that we can find to be thankful for. I've told you before about my brother's diagnosis of terminal cancer. Even in the midst of that and all the sickness and pain, he finds something to be thankful for each day.

We all can. You can be thankful for your loving husband and children. You can be thankful that you have food on the table that day. You can be thankful for shelter over your head. You can be thankful that the pain isn't any worse. You can be thankful that your mother-in-law doesn't live with you full-time.......whatever you have to be thankful for, be thankful for it!

That doesn't mean that you have to act pollyanna happy that your dad just died or that your husband just lost his job or that your teenager is rebelling.

But if the Lord is taking us through a difficult season of life, do we have to make it worse by rebelling against it ourselves and making it more difficult with our own behavior and pulling away in bitterness and anger?

We need to have an attitude of gratitude. It's a choice that we make to be thankful. If we can't be thankful for what we have, let's be thankful for what we don't have!

It's hard to be crabby and unhappy when you are choosing to be thankful for something.

Choose to have a grateful heart today and make your home sing!

What are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing? Please go here for instructions and/or ideas and come back here to link up to join us today! Please do not put your own "Making Your Home Sing Monday" Linky on your blog. As always, please don't forget to link to this post. Also, please don't forgot to leave me a comment!

If you want to use your blog header or profile picture, use the "from the web" button on your right (after you click to link up). If you want to use a picture from your computer use the button on your left (unless the picture is on your blog). Please let me know if you have any problems with linking up.

What I Wore Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for her fabulous "What I Wore Wednesday" meme. This meme is designed to give women accountability and encourage them to get out of their daily sweats or pajamas or rut that they're in and document what they wore each day and post it to their blogs.

Wednesday
Black tank under: Target
Blue top: Hand-me-down
Jeans: Bullhead, thrifted
Tie-dye shoes: Keds, thrifted

I keep telling myself that I am going to find another place to take pictures other than the bathroom. Nothing says "classy" like posing in front of your toilet, unless it's posing ON your toilet.

I wonder if my husband would mind if we put the toilet by HIS side of the bed. That way I'd have more room in the bathroom for my pictures. Hmmmm, I wonder if he'd mind moving to a bigger house so that I could post better pictures with better lighting?

Thursday
Turquoise shirt: Walmart
Black cargo pants: Liz Claiborne, (Costco)
Black flips: ???

Back in the bathroom again for more pictures. But technically, I can't say "back in" when I never really left, right? And of course, it never even occurred to me to toss on a necklace or earrings.

Please notice the patch of purple to my right. That is a purple shirt on a hanger. I brought it into the bathroom to wear, changed my mind and never put it away. I hang up or put away my clothes every day, except the purple shirt (which I forgot about obviously). Please keep an eye out for it in the rest of the pictures (not literally, please....ewwwww).

Friday
Navy blue tank: Target
Navy blue cardi: Van Heusen, thrifted
Taupe capris: Gloria Vanderbilt

I just noticed that I wore a blue shirt three days in a row. It may be a different shade of blue each time, but it's still blue. Seriously, how could I wear blue three days in a row and not even notice????? (Did you see the purple shirt?)

Saturday
Turquoise Tank: ???
Scarf: Fashion Bug
Jeans: Levis 515 bootcut
Belt: Walmart

Oh. My. Word. I wore blue AGAIN. What is WRONG with me, people? How much blue does any one person need to wear? I guess I am not giving much thought to what I'm wearing and it shows, because I keep reaching for blue. What color do you automatically reach for?

By the way, please don't try and wash your eyeballs out. I need to clean the mirror. (Did you see it again? The purple shirt, not the mirror folks).

Sunday
Black/blue top: Thrifted
Black pants: Calvin Klein
Black flips: ???

Did you notice the blue??? I was so proud of myself for "not wearing blue" that day until I saw this picture. I forgot about the blue band and tie belt.

Now, I want you all to step away from the computer right now and go smile at yourself in the bathroom mirror, but make sure of two things:

(1) Make sure the mirror is NOT clean
(2) Make sure that you take a picture of yourself while smiling

While you are smiling make sure of this:

(1) That you aren't smiling too much because you don't want people to think that you're just ten seconds away from going all psycho on them and pulling a "Here'sssssss Johnny!" (o.k., I never saw the movie but I did see that scene in a trailer or something once).
(2) That your shirt is all pulled down proper and not bunched up somewhere looking stooooopid.
(3) That the door is locked so that your family doesn't walk in on you and wonder why you are taking pictures of what you're wearing. If they ask, just say that you are so close to your clothes that you want a picture to remember them by.
(4) That the garbage can isn't too full, the toilet seat is down, and there aren't towels or socks on the floor.
(5) That you're close enough for a picture but not too close so that it's blurry.
(6) Now relax and smile and try to take a good picture.

That is why I usually hide behind the camera or chop my head off...... (still there, you just can't see it. Again, I mean the purple shirt, not my head, although that's there too.)

Monday
White tank under: Target
Navy blue cardi: Van Heusen, thrifted
White capris: Sam's Club
Silver shoes: BCBGirls, thrifted
Navy polka dot belt: Thrifted

I wore blue AGAIN and didn't even realize it. I really wanted to wear that polka dot belt. I have no idea why. I just felt the need. So I had to find something to wear with it, unless I wanted to wind up in jail.

Yes, this is the same cardigan I wore on Friday. I have pretty much given up on the whole "blue" thing and accept that I need therapy for my blue obsession this week. (Well? Do I even need to ask?)

Tuesday
Black and white shirt: Walmart
Black shorts: Dockers

Dear Blue, I am sorry but today I broke up with you. It's not me, it's you.

Yes, I really looked this bad, but the song "Clothes Just Want To Have Fu-unnnnn" was going through my brain (with apologies to Cyndi Lauper). Every time I wear these shorts I feel the need to tell you that YES, I know that they are too big (so is the shirt, for that matter). Thank you.

At this point, the purple shirt is beyond being noticed by me. It has ceased to be something left out and has moved into the "decoration" category. The same category that purses, jackets, shoes, tired teenagers and dust bunnies become when they've been allowed to hang around too long without being put in their place. (Please look for the shirt in next week's post because I can't guarantee that I'll remember to put it away...)

Making Your Home Sing Monday: Is It o.k. To Force Them Back Into The Nest?

Welcome to the Making Your Home Sing Monday meme! Every day you are doing something to make your house into a home for yourself and your family (if you have one). My point with each Monday post is, what are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing?

It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money....the opportunities are endless.

This is the first August in 16 years that I don't have to make out my lessons plans for homeschooling. That's because my youngest son had the nerve to graduate this last spring and he's starting college in the fall. How rude. We will have two in college this fall. Is it o.k. to force them back into the nest?

So, after 16 years of planning and preparation and sacrifice and tears and laughter and pulling my hair out and pure joy and pouring my life's blood into his brother and him homeschooling, it's suddenly all over.

Sniff.

Did I mention 16 years?????? O.k., just wondering.

Sniff.

So, what happens when it's over? What happens when you have a season of life and then it's over?

Do you just give up and die? Do you wail against the winds of change? Do you beat your head against the wall and cry "Chocolate! I need chocolate! Now!!!!!"

No, to the first one. Maybe a little to the second one, and definitely yes to the third one.

You're welcome.

Things will never stay the same with children. From the moment they are born they begin to grow and change and fight to be independent and go their own way and climb out of the nest, even as you're holding on to them kicking and screaming.

O.k., maybe not figuratively but definitely emotionally. Well, maybe a little.......

The first time my oldest got his brand new driver's license and drove away with his younger brother in the car, I told my husband "There goes my heart." It felt like my entire life drove away in that car.

Even so, I have enough balance in my life to know that I am going to be o.k. when the last of my children leave the nest. I have not gone so far as to lose myself in my children that I don't know who I am anymore.

However, it doesn't mean I won't miss them though. And it doesn't mean that there isn't fun and joy in discovering new things to do with the time that used to belong to them.

This week, make your home sing by finding a little piece of yourself that still belongs to you and pamper yourself a little. Take a bubble bath, read a magazine or book, go shopping without the kids (gasp!). Have fun and then go home and hug your babies a little tighter, because they will be grown before you know it.

Trust me.

Sniff.

What are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing? Please go here for instructions and/or ideas and come back here to link up to join us today! Please do not put your own "Making Your Home Sing Monday" Linky on your blog. As always, please don't forget to link to this post. Also, please don't forgot to leave me a comment!

If you want to use your blog header or profile picture, use the "from the web" button on your right (after you click to link up). If you want to use a picture from your computer use the button on your left (unless the picture is on your blog). Please let me know if you have any problems with linking up.

Attack of the 50 Foot Spider....

Me (jumping up and down and squealing and freaking out): "There's a spider on the table! There's a spider on the table!"

Hubby: "You're bigger than it, honey."

Me: "I don't care. Get rid of it. It's him or me. Choose."

Hubby: (Chases after the thing)

Me: "Did you get it? Did you get it? Lie to me."

Hubby: I'm not sure. I think it went down the side here (editor's note: where you can't get it because of the wall, etc.) At least I'm being honest. I think I maimed it though."

Me: My hero......

What I Wore Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for her fabulous "What I Wore Wednesday" meme. This meme is designed to give women accountability and encourage them to get out of their daily sweats or pajamas or rut that they're in and document what they wore each day and post it to their blogs.

Wednesday
Silver shoes: BCBGirls, thrifted
White top: Old Navy, thrifted
White crops: Sam's Club
Blue necklace: ???

I love all white, but wearing white at any time is just an accident waiting to happen. Dirt has been known to literally fly out of the woodwork and attack me. Grease, mud and sometimes even blood magically attach themselves to my white clothes. I am a DIRT MAGNET when I wear white.

Thursday
Brown tank under: ???
Beaded hoodie: BCBG Max Azria, thrifted
Shorts: DKNY, thrifted
Flips: Walmart

It's been hot in the afternoons but cool in the mornings, thus I needed a little something extra to throw over my shoulders. As I left the house for the land of air conditioning I asked my youngest son to grab my brown hoodie for me. You would have thought I asked him to grab a snake.

He recoiled and looked at me like I was crazy and I said "Don't you look at me in that tone of voice." And he said "A hoodie? You want a hoodie?" To which I said "Yes, please." And he was all "You seriously want a hoodie in this heat?" and I was all "You grab that hoodie before I grab your face and twist it until your ears are where you nose should be" and he was all "A hoodie?" and I was "Just do it, mister."

O.k., maybe most of that never happened but he DID look at me strange when I asked him to grab it......

Friday
Top: Target
Jeans: Hydraulic, thrifted
Extra 5 pounds I've gained: Chocolate

I usually cut my head off or stick a camera in front of my face, so I thought I would show you that I DO have a head. See? It basically looks like any other head. It's round. Not unlike a ball. Only with hair. And on a good day, makeup.

Saturday

Top underneath: Target
Striped shirt: Route 66, thrifted
Ruffled Jacket: Contrast, thrifted
Jeans: Bullhead, thrifted
Belt: Thrifted, I think

We went to a picnic in the park this day, and so I dressed in layers. It was cool and cloudy in the morning, and the weather never really warmed up until we left, so I didn't need to do my impression of a snake shedding its skin.

I was hugely disappointed because I had been practicing molting all morning.

Sunday
Floral shirt: Ami
White top under: Target
Capris: Gloria Vanderbilt
Blue sparkly flips: ???

I thought I would vary my "standard" pose a bit and remove my arm from my waist. It is a tricky maneuver, because you want to get the arm high enough so it's off your waist, but not high enough so that the viewer is looking right at your armpit. It took all day to figure out how to do it, but I think I pulled it off.......

I have hair bling. See? It's a glittery blue. My youngest son took this picture, and he has given up asking me why I ask him to do strange things, like take a closeup of the blue tinsel hair-flair. After the whole hoodie crisis (I'm calling it "hoodie-gate") mentioned above, he no longer questions me. I think he's scared of me. He should be. I know where he lives.

Monday
Top: Walmart
Jeans: Levi 515 bootcut

I have this shirt in purple also. I fell in love with the shade of blue, and went to two different Walmarts to see if they had it in my size, but they only had it in larger sizes. So I shook my head and sadly walked away.

A couple of weeks later I was at Walmart and they still only had the larger size but this time I decided it was meant to be and I had to have it and size is only a number, right? and bought it anyway. We are very happy together.

Tuesday
Blue top: Chaus, Sam's Club
Cardigan: Liz Claiborne, thrifted
Jeans: Hydraulic, thrifted

Another "hide behind the camera" shot. When I take these pictures I suddenly get all self conscious and weirded out.

Suddenly my smile looks strained, my eyes get all bugged out and pretty soon you wouldn't be surprised to see a photo of me with the caption: "Danger. Wanted for questioning. Use extreme caution when approaching her" under my picture.

I feel the need to tell you that I am not wearing the same shirt two days in a row. Not that there's anything wrong with that and goodness knows I've done it.....I just didn't do it today.

Making Your Home Sing Monday: Don't Wear Your Perfection Hat

Welcome to the Making Your Home Sing Monday meme! Every day you are doing something to make your house into a home for yourself and your family (if you have one). My point with each Monday post is, what are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing?

It can be an attitude or an action. Motivation, our attitude, baking, encouraging our husband or children (if we have either one), organization, cleaning, saving money....the opportunities are endless.

Do you avoid having people over because your house isn't "people ready?" Have you ever said "Once we get the living room painted, or new furniture, or the garden weeded, or the outside of the house painted, or the kitchen finished, or the house cleaned up, or the bathroom updated or (you fill in the blank) we will have people over."

How is that working for you? Are you working on any of those projects? How long has it been since you've entertained your friends or family? Are your children allowed to have their friends over or do you keep putting it off?

We have had some friends for years and had them over to our house many times. We have never been invited to their home. Don't get me wrong, this does not bother me at all. But they don't "entertain" because they feel that their apartment is too small. Even for two extra people.

I have had several friends who live in a house or an apartment who say the same thing. However, I have also been invited to get-togethers in the small apartment or homes of other friends, and yes, it's cozy but do you know what? Everyone has an awesome time!

Because it's not the size of the house that matters, it's the size of the heart. And when your heart is open to having a good time, or being a good host/hostess, than THAT is what people will notice.

I have a tendency to feel like I need to make my home "perfect" before people come over. When you focus on perfection, you can take the joy right out of entertaining, because things will never be "good enough." Some of us tend to over-think it too much, and pretty soon we are so stressed out with entertaining that we can't relax and enjoy our company while they're here.

When I go to someone's house, I don't care if their grout has been scrubbed, or if their closet is organized, or if their couch has a rip in it, or the pillow is stained. I also don't care if their housecleaning isn't perfect.

I am just blessed to be invited over, and have fun talking and laughing with my friends. I try and remember that when I invite people over to MY house. I try and remember that they are there to see ME, not my house. This helps remove some of the stress that I can feel before people coming over.

My cousin and aunt dropped in a couple of days ago. My cousin is a professional organizer and let me tell you, she is good. You should see her home.

She came over and we went into the family room, where there are boxes and boxes of stuff. My oldest is home from college over the summer, and he had to pack up all his stuff from his dorm apartment, as they weren't allowed to leave it there. So all his boxes and college stuff are in the family room.

My mom lives with us too, and so we are a lot more cluttered now since we had to make room for her stuff as well when she moved in. That means the exercise equipment and hubby's study furniture is now in the family room, instead of what is now her room.

I made some comment to my cousin. My cousin commented "That's o.k. I'm not wearing my organizer hat today."

I loved that!

So this week, don't wear whatever hat keeps you from extending hospitality to others. Don't wear whatever hat keeps you from seeing your home as a place where others can be welcomed and have fun and be blessed by your generosity.

Don't wear your perfection hat, invite a friend or two over and have some fun in your home this week. Why wait?

What are you doing or going to do today to make your home sing? Please go here for instructions and/or ideas and come back here to link up to join us today! Please do not put your own "Making Your Home Sing Monday" Linky on your blog. As always, please don't forget to link to this post. Also, please don't forgot to leave me a comment!

If you want to use your blog header or profile picture, use the "from the web" button on your right (after you click to link up). If you want to use a picture from your computer use the button on your left (unless the picture is on your blog). Please let me know if you have any problems with linking up.

What I Wore Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for her fabulous "What I Wore Wednesday" meme. This meme is designed to give women accountability and encourage them to get out of their daily sweats or pajamas or rut that they're in and document what they wore each day and post it to their blogs.

Wednesday
Grey & White striped shirt: Old Navy, thrifted
Gray pants: Old Navy, thrifted
Gray leopard flips: Walmart

This outfit may not be very exciting to look at but man, is it comfy! The top is soft and stretchy (which is a goooooood thing, right? Especially at lunch time) and the pants are very comfy. In fact, they are so comfy that I forgot they weren't jeans and wiped my hands on them.

Come on, you know you've done that, right? You get something on your hands, like crumbs, and not a napkin in sight and, well........jeans are dark.......please tell me you've done that. If not, you know you want to.

Just make sure you're wearing jeans first and not light gray pants. Which are too short for you. Which hopefully no one noticed how short they are. Until you blabbed about it on your blog. Because you're cool like that.

Thursday
Pink tank: ???
Plaid shorts: Aeropostle, thrifted

You wouldn't think that someone could make a pair of Aeropostle shorts look ugly, but I managed to do it! I take great pride in my ability to take a cute outfit and "ugly" it up a bit with my awesome senseless fashion. I mean, fashion sense.

Yes, this is how I wore them, wrinkled top and all. I'm thinking of carrying a sign that says "Wrinkles are beautiful" or "Wrinkles for President" or something like that.

If I'm not embarrassed to go out in public wearing a paint-stained sweatshirt and paint-stained and ripped jeans, then you KNOW I have no qualms about wearing a wrinkled top. Just sayin'...... Besides, isn't there some children's t.v. show called The Wrinkles or something?

I did try to "cute" it up a bit by adding a scarf........but the scarf just hung there saying "What am I doing here?????" and it looked a bit odd in 80 degree weather but whatever. I am willing to suffer for fashion, people.

Friday
Dress: Kohl's
Sandals: Thrifted

I wore my swimsuit and running shorts most of Friday. I didn't take a picture of it because it has to do with national security. The nation will sleep far more securely without seeing a picture of me in a swimsuit. However, I wore this dress to a wedding that night.

Saturday
Black tank under: Target
Grey/Black ruffle tank over: TJ Maxx
Black shorts: Dockers, thrifted

If you look carefully you will see a very full garbage can in the corner. Isn't that lovely? If you check the previous pictures it will be like a time-lapse camera and you can see the progression of it each day. Not only that, you get to see the sink and part of the toilet.

Just part of the entertainment, folks. Nothing says "classy" like taking a picture in your bathroom so that everyone can see your garbage and toilet. I am classy like that.......

You will be happy to know that I DID wear clothes on Sunday but I forgot to take a picture of them. I am in my pajamas as I write this, and I pretty much refuse to get dressed again for a picture just to show you what I wore. I'm lazy that way.

Just trust me that I did get dressed, and no clothes were harmed in the writing of this post. I have a motto: "No clothing left behind."

Monday
Plaid shirt: Target
Jeans: Bullhead (I think)
Flips: ????

The garbage can is empty and it just breaks my heart that you don't get to see it. I know it breaks your heart too.

Well, that's it. Nothing exciting. I'll bet your clothes are cuter than mine, so why don't you join us?