I have to confess that I am doing pretty good checking off the items on my list of to-do’s.  I took the afternoon to arrange my Pinterest Boards, no small feat. I still have quite a few proposals to finish, but the web sites are done, the wallpapering finished, the new vintage wedding furniture cleaned, the washing done and clothes put away, the entire house cleaned and the organizing tasks finished.  See, I told you that I have been busy!  I haven’t felt this great in months!

There is something about finally having some time to myself to get things accomplished.  Don’t get me wrong, I miss the weddings and they will come soon enough, but for now, the time to reflect and work as needed is quite welcome.

I will always continue to fight the agisms that I hear from friends, family and the media; Growing old….It is your age…..you are not a spring pup….is is only the passing of time…..etc.  I say crap!  I am as young as I feel and I feel 20 today!

I have to say that it is refreshing to see this.   It is hard to compete with stick thin actresses and models that we are supposed to aspire to.  I wish women and men would understand that we don’t leave the house airbrushed and have our own hairdresser come and do our hair every day.

We are real-life women who break nails, have bad hair days, don’t like to wear makeup when we are home, would rather live in t-shirts and jeans instead of hard to breath designer clothing, blow dry our own hair, clean our own homes, do laundry and go to work.   In short, real life women don’t always wear a size 0 or 2.  But……. Real life women are absolutely beautiful.  I will take Marilyn Monroe’s size 14 any day!

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Down is under plumage — the layer of insulation underneath the feathers of ducks, geese and other water birds.  Lightweight and fluffy, each down cluster has thousands of tiny filaments that radiate outward and interlock, creating tiny pockets of air.  These air pockets are what keep warmth in, enhanced by your body’s own heat. At the same time, down “breathes,” allowing air to circulate and wick away moisture.
Goose down clusters are highly sturdy, keeping their shape for years. This resilience, along with down’s light weight and powerful insulating properties, are what make it such an appealing fill for blankets, comforters and clothing. [Reprinted from The Company Store]

Images courtesy of Decor Pad

These will look perfect on top 

So today, we spent some time with the two of them before we head to Sedona tomorrow.  [Yes, I cried when we left them--mom's are allowed to show emotion and miss their babies!]  Christina wanted to show me a fun store in Phoenix close to their apartment – Charming Charlie.  OMG!  Where has this store been my entire adult life?  Why don’t we have one in Des Moines?  I am in love with this store!!  Better yet, I am in love with my new daughter – she is one smart shopping maven!

Where do I start?  Purses for less than $40.00, fabulous bracelets that start at $10.00, pins, necklaces, earrings, clothes too adorable to begin to mention; fur jackets, boots, shoes, headbands, I can’t begin to list them all here.  Prices that you cannot complain about, and the best part; the entire store is color coded!  There was even an entire wall dedicated to sunglasses.  How long do I have to shop and do I really have to pay the mortgage this month?

Images from Bridal Buds  | 247 Koesters