Chasing Away the Winter Blues - Week 2

 

My little series this month centers around styles and ways to chase away the winter blues that often accompany long weeks of cold and gray skies. For those of us who suffer with Season Affective Disorder, anything to give us a bit of a lift is well received. Last week I talked about wearing bright colors. You can see that post here. Wearing bright colors, not only gives us a lift because it makes us look light and cheery, but it reflects light into our faces and light is one of the essential things missing in these winter months. 

Another thing I like to do when I am feeling blue is force myself to get out of the house and do something different. Saturday was my 53rd birthday. My two daughters Rebecca and Rachel decided to plan a day out with me. 

We started our day, getting our make up done by my younger daughter Rachel, who is a make up artist. You can see her Instagram page here

The first pic is me getting made up and the second is my eldest. And yes I was taking the pictures with her fancier-than-mine, camera! Rachel was already done before we got there. While Rebecca was being done, I took a picture of another cutie. 

Rebecca added a few other cutie pictures of Rachel's pets.

Here are the three of us read to shop!

We went up to Ann Arbor, MI which is less than an hour away. Since it was lunch time when we got there we went to a famous Ann Arbor eatery/deli called Zingerman's. 

When you first walk in you see a typical deli with glass cases full of a wide variety of meats and cheeses. We didn't stop for a look, but continued further into a maze of walls, doorways, signs and displays, to the ordering station for lunch. The menu was on the walls up close to the ceiling and held every possible configuration of beef, pork, turkey, chicken, fish and so on. A bit on the pricey side we ordered the small size of our sandwiches and we were glad we did. 

Rebecca ordered the chicken while Rachel and I got turkey. It was amazing. It was all we could do to open our mouths wide enough to take a bite. The bread was grilled and crispy and the toppings varied from avocado and tomatoes to pesto and peppers. We certainly did not need the large size. Ha, ha.

After lunch we headed to Arborland Center, a strip mall that houses stores like DSW, Marshall's, Maurice's and Ulta. Recently I won $100 in gift cards from Jodie on Jodie's Touch of Style, for Nordstrom. Seeing as we do not have a Nordstrom in our town and the fact that I like to try things on, especially at a store I have never shopped at before, the girls did the online research and found a Nordstrom Rack at Arborland Cener. 

I did find a few nice things at Nordstrom Rack, which I plan on featuring in a later post. Rebecca even found a nice, warm winter coat to replace her old one and Rachel found some make up and a jacket for her son. Success!

After Nordstrom we ran across the street to a thrift store. My girls learned their love of thrifting from me. They both are trying to keep a budget and being able to get clothing at thrift stores really helps. Rachel found a cute stained glass lamp for $10 and I found a velvet, knee length jacket from J.Jill for only $6. 

Since we still had a few minutes before we had to head south to meet the men for dinner we stopped at Maurice's. I had never been in this shop and it was cute. The clothing seems to span generations which I like. There were things my daughters would wear and things I would wear and the prices weren't too bad either. Click here to check out their online site; Maurices.

This was one of the cute dressing rooms at the store. The clerks actually write your name on the door. Rachel got two pairs of pants for work. Rebecca and I didn't buy anything, not because we didn't want to. I will definitely be visiting this store again, either in person or on line. 

I had Rebecca snap a few more pics after we got back so you could see my outfit for the day.

The outfit consisted of black knee high boots, dark wash skinny jeans, charcoal gray cowl neck top, maroon fly away cardi and a retro styled fringe necklace.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me and my girls on my birthday, chase away the blues, excursion. I had a good time with my daughters. And that night for dinner we met my husband, son-in-law and grandson at a favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. 

Thanks for visiting the blog and be sure to leave some love in the comments section below, or follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. 

Check back on Thursday when I will reveal an Awesome Accessory that I got for Christmas. Have a great day.

Monday linking up with Catherine of Not Dressed as Lamb. Tuesday linking up with Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, and Jess of Elegantly Dressed and Stylish. Thursday linking up with Nicole of High Latitude Style. Friday linking up with Nancy's Fashion Style

Me? A Fashionista? Get Serious!

When I began seriously thinking about starting this blog, I laughed at the idea of talking about fashion.  My adult daughters would back me up when I say, I have not always been a fashionista.  I still have a long way to go. And posing in front of a camera, don't make me laugh!  Seriously, I am the one, who in every picture, has some strange contortion of the mouth. Either food is involved or I am talking passionately about something. I mean really!  Every picture. My husband of 28 years assures me that I am a beautiful woman, but the camera has yet to agree with him.

Photo credit: Rebecca Trumbull

With a new found interest in fashion, I began looking at magazines, noticing what people were wearing and perusing a number of blogs centering on women after 40. I am no expert, as I have already confessed, but I am fairly certain many women over 40 don't look like many of the bloggers that are posting pictures out there. Granted, I have only looked at a few blogs, but so many of them are pictures of thin, attractive women who are able to pull off skinny jeans without worry. This only fueled my desire to create a blog for actual women.

I am one of those women.  I am slightly (okay, so maybe moderately) overweight, my skin is beginning to look  like parchment and my hair feels more like dry grass than silk.  I am not a fashion guru and I have no desire to walk the streets of New York City in high heeled booties.  Sneakers, yes, or even a pair of stylish riding boots, but heels?  No way. Working part time, parenting adult children, loving on a grandson and working at a marriage, my style has developed just as I have developed as a woman.

Most of my clothing comes from second hand stores, although I do have a few favorite retailers that I will mention at some point. I am so new to blogging, I am still figuring out how it works, so bear with me. Rather than give you incentives to buy what I buy, I would like to encourage you to shop in your own closet. Most of us have too many clothes! God bless you women out there who don't like to shop. It is an addiction just like sweets and I hope to eventually get on that wagon too!

My desire is to show you how to feel good about yourself whether you work outside the home or inside the home; dress in suits or jeans; use top of the line make up or none at all.  The truth, ladies, is that God made women His piece de resistance. That's right, you are a jewel. Granted, some of us need more buffing than others, but I hope that you will find things on this blog that will help you shine.