I suppose I should make up for lost time! Too many days went by during September when I didn't get anything posted. That's so odd for me, because honestly, everyday there is something that happens or something I hear or see that affects me. So many diet-related circumstances...
This weekend, I'm going on a road trip with my sister. From Boise, Portland is a seven hour drive. We'll leave on Thursday, and come back Sunday. She and I are both watching what we eat, so this won't be one of those road trip like we used to take. No bags of chips, and packages of cookies. No Quick-Mart stops for big energy drinks or Starbuck's Mocha Smoothies.
We'll be on our best behavior. And when we get to Portland to our cousin's house, we'll have to be careful not to get into that vacation mode. That always trips me up. Being in a different place with different food choices. So fun to taste, but difficult to monitor.
The following week, my son and I will fly off for a weekend in California. Considering the reason for the trip, I might find myself eating off schedule. My Mother's 80th birthday party will be on the 25th, and that will be a sit-down dinner, so there's little chance of over eating there. But other than that, I'll plan on carrying a couple of 100 calorie bars with me in my purse. My son likes those, too, so we should be set for the weekend.
In preparation for my two jet-set weekends, I decided to do a little shopping, but the first thing I had to do was purge my closet... again.
Out went the t-shirts I've been hanging onto. For so many years, my casual attire consisted of men's jeans, big t-shirts, over-sized sweaters, and sweats. Holy cow.
Now, my closet is mostly devoid of those items. These days, my closet has sweet little tops with lace and satin bows. There are button-up blouses and cute cardigans. These days, if I own something with spandex, it's because the spandex/cotton mix hugs the curves, and these days, the curves aren't so bad!
Back in the day, the spandex clothes were a necessity. Without stretch, I wouldn't have been able to fit into a lot of my clothes.
Those big spandex pull-over tops are next to go. At this point, they are somewhat of a crutch, but I don't need them anymore, and they'll be in the Goodwill box soon.
So once my closet was thinned out, it was time to update the wardrobe again. Considering I don't have any dresses that fit, aside from a couple of 1990 Spiegel Catalog numbers, I decided to hit up Ross and TJ Maxx. I can't go to my Mom's special party in an ill-fitting denim dress circa 1997, now can I?
Going to TJ Maxx first was so much fun! With me, there was Bunna. Nice to have him along to give me the boyfriend point of view. With us went his sister, and their mother. They both have great taste, and it was an honor to have them help me pick something out.
The problem is, I wasn't considering the time of day of my Mom's party. It's an afternoon affair, ending at 7 pm, so the cocktail dresses we were picking out weren't going to be appropriate. But that didn't stop us from loading the cart with 10+ dresses and putting on a fashion show for Bunna! :-)
I was so happy with everything I put on. Some were size 14, some were size 12, and there was even one size 10 that fit, although it was a stretchy spandex blend. I came home with three top choices, but I wasn't done looking yet.
The next day, on a whim, I stopped in Ross to see what they had. I found so many, but came home with another three. Uh oh... time to make a decision.
In my everyday life, there's not a lot of opportunity to wear dresses, so having six in my closet seemed overkill.
But even with six to choose from, I still didn't feel like I had found my dress. What I had were six contemporary dresses, ranging in wearability from cocktail parties, to work, to lunch with the girls. But none said, "Mother's Birthday Party" to me.
On a suggestion from Bunna's sister, I decided to go to Dillards yesterday morning. Their summer dresses are being clearanced out, and some were 70% off! That's my kind of sale!
It didn't take me a minute to see it. The fabric was perfect. The style was fabulous. It said "Garden Party" all over it!
I tried on 3 or 4, but my favorite kept smiling at me from the hook in the dressing room. It was meant to be. And at a markdown price! From $89 to $26! Perfect!
So now, I have my party dress. What a relief. I realized that I had brought home so many dresses to begin with, because I was just so thrilled that they fit! How many years had it been since I could walk into a clothing store and grab a 12 or 14 off the rack, and have it fit like a dream? Way too long...
But honestly, I was like a kid in a candy store. So many dresses, all fitting and looking great. What an awesome trip to the store that was. The hour I spent in the TJ Maxx dressing room, with Kevin's family there to help me with sizes and opinions... it was just great. I'm thankful for the way they made me feel. I felt like myself again.
I'm looking forward to packing my bags this weekend, and next, with clothes that look good on me. I'll have a different attitude when I get dressed now. I'll have a lot less adjusting and posing, trying to make my clothes cover me. They don't have to just cover me anymore. Now my clothes can show my true personality.
And one more thing: I'm truly thankful that my job requires me to wear a uniform. Because otherwise, I could seriously see myself on a first name basis with the clerks at TJ Maxx.
This weekend, I'm going on a road trip with my sister. From Boise, Portland is a seven hour drive. We'll leave on Thursday, and come back Sunday. She and I are both watching what we eat, so this won't be one of those road trip like we used to take. No bags of chips, and packages of cookies. No Quick-Mart stops for big energy drinks or Starbuck's Mocha Smoothies.
We'll be on our best behavior. And when we get to Portland to our cousin's house, we'll have to be careful not to get into that vacation mode. That always trips me up. Being in a different place with different food choices. So fun to taste, but difficult to monitor.
The following week, my son and I will fly off for a weekend in California. Considering the reason for the trip, I might find myself eating off schedule. My Mother's 80th birthday party will be on the 25th, and that will be a sit-down dinner, so there's little chance of over eating there. But other than that, I'll plan on carrying a couple of 100 calorie bars with me in my purse. My son likes those, too, so we should be set for the weekend.
In preparation for my two jet-set weekends, I decided to do a little shopping, but the first thing I had to do was purge my closet... again.
Out went the t-shirts I've been hanging onto. For so many years, my casual attire consisted of men's jeans, big t-shirts, over-sized sweaters, and sweats. Holy cow.
Now, my closet is mostly devoid of those items. These days, my closet has sweet little tops with lace and satin bows. There are button-up blouses and cute cardigans. These days, if I own something with spandex, it's because the spandex/cotton mix hugs the curves, and these days, the curves aren't so bad!
Back in the day, the spandex clothes were a necessity. Without stretch, I wouldn't have been able to fit into a lot of my clothes.
Those big spandex pull-over tops are next to go. At this point, they are somewhat of a crutch, but I don't need them anymore, and they'll be in the Goodwill box soon.
So once my closet was thinned out, it was time to update the wardrobe again. Considering I don't have any dresses that fit, aside from a couple of 1990 Spiegel Catalog numbers, I decided to hit up Ross and TJ Maxx. I can't go to my Mom's special party in an ill-fitting denim dress circa 1997, now can I?
Going to TJ Maxx first was so much fun! With me, there was Bunna. Nice to have him along to give me the boyfriend point of view. With us went his sister, and their mother. They both have great taste, and it was an honor to have them help me pick something out.
The problem is, I wasn't considering the time of day of my Mom's party. It's an afternoon affair, ending at 7 pm, so the cocktail dresses we were picking out weren't going to be appropriate. But that didn't stop us from loading the cart with 10+ dresses and putting on a fashion show for Bunna! :-)
I was so happy with everything I put on. Some were size 14, some were size 12, and there was even one size 10 that fit, although it was a stretchy spandex blend. I came home with three top choices, but I wasn't done looking yet.
The next day, on a whim, I stopped in Ross to see what they had. I found so many, but came home with another three. Uh oh... time to make a decision.
In my everyday life, there's not a lot of opportunity to wear dresses, so having six in my closet seemed overkill.
But even with six to choose from, I still didn't feel like I had found my dress. What I had were six contemporary dresses, ranging in wearability from cocktail parties, to work, to lunch with the girls. But none said, "Mother's Birthday Party" to me.
On a suggestion from Bunna's sister, I decided to go to Dillards yesterday morning. Their summer dresses are being clearanced out, and some were 70% off! That's my kind of sale!
It didn't take me a minute to see it. The fabric was perfect. The style was fabulous. It said "Garden Party" all over it!
I tried on 3 or 4, but my favorite kept smiling at me from the hook in the dressing room. It was meant to be. And at a markdown price! From $89 to $26! Perfect!
So now, I have my party dress. What a relief. I realized that I had brought home so many dresses to begin with, because I was just so thrilled that they fit! How many years had it been since I could walk into a clothing store and grab a 12 or 14 off the rack, and have it fit like a dream? Way too long...
But honestly, I was like a kid in a candy store. So many dresses, all fitting and looking great. What an awesome trip to the store that was. The hour I spent in the TJ Maxx dressing room, with Kevin's family there to help me with sizes and opinions... it was just great. I'm thankful for the way they made me feel. I felt like myself again.
I'm looking forward to packing my bags this weekend, and next, with clothes that look good on me. I'll have a different attitude when I get dressed now. I'll have a lot less adjusting and posing, trying to make my clothes cover me. They don't have to just cover me anymore. Now my clothes can show my true personality.
And one more thing: I'm truly thankful that my job requires me to wear a uniform. Because otherwise, I could seriously see myself on a first name basis with the clerks at TJ Maxx.
That dress is gorgeous - you are going to look fantastic in it! I totally understand buying so many dresses...it's just such an amazing thing when everything fits!!! Getting dressed IS a lot more fun now, for sure.
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