Modcloth saved the day >>>

The day before yesterday I had a super girly moment.  It was the morning after a long day of not feeling so great and alot of general sluggishness...  While drinking my coffee I remembered these super cute things I just received from Modcloth, but then quickly realized I had absolutely no reason to get dressed up.  All I was going to be doing was packaging orders and going to the post office that day.  Then... I remembered that it shouldn't matter.  I work from home - which equates to long days spent in pjs alot of the time... and I also remembered a friend telling me a long time ago, that it helped her productivity (she also worked at home) to get dressed for the day, even if she was just going to be home.  And it worked!  After I did this fun photoshoot, I was ready to go for the day.  No more lounging around with my coffee in hand scouring the internet.  It was a great reminder that you dont have to be going somewhere to have an excuse to dress up and feel cute.  And by the way, I had wayyyy too much fun with the amazing lighting coming through my window, so there are alot more photos than usual in this one!  So... if you are ever feeling sluggish while trying to work at home, try this trick and see if it works!  A half hour spent getting fixed up could result in lots of productivity that makes up for it!

<<< outfit details >>>
Doors tshirt - thrifted
belt - gift from my bestie
skirt - handmade by me
tights - Target
ring - Forever21


This lovely doll was handmade by my Nanna.  I just adore her.  I just realized I have yet to name her.  I thank an appropriate name would be Olive.  So.... meet Olive :)

After I was done playing girly girly dress up, I didnt want to walk around my house all day in heels, so I threw on some shorts and cons.  I thought this could show you a super easy way to transform an outfit from day to night, or vice versa.  Do you ever go on dates and by the end of the night wish you just had some tennis shoes to throw on?  This is the perfect solution. 

Speaking of which, I think its time for to go get dressed for the day again!  Ive got lots to do :)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
*My boy is having a 15% off sale in his shop all this week!  Just enter the code 'XMAS15' at checkout to receive the discount.

*I will be closing both of my shops after friday this week, so if there is something you want before then, you might want to snag it!  Ill be spending those two weeks creating on my own time, enjoying the holiday season, making xmas gifts, sipping hot chocolate, hopefully building some fires in my fireplace, you know, those kinds of things.  Oh, and lots of reading and writing :)  xoxo.

PEACE,
Laura

Blowfish Shoes Giveaway CLOSED >>>

Im very excited to be giving away one pair of Blowfish Shoes of your choice to one lucky winner. Not only are their shoes adorable and stylish, they are the most comfortable shoes ever! Im completely obsessed with mine. You can see me wearing them here, here and here.  


To enter:
Simply visit Blowfish Shoes and let me know which pair you would pick.

extra enteries:
share on twitter
share on facebook
share on your blog

please leave your email address as well.

PEACE,
Laura

James Update + Daily Threads >>>

On thursday James had his doctor appointment with a new neurologist since his old one retired. We were very nervous about this, one b/c we loved his old doctor and just knew he couldnt be replaced, and two you never know what might change. For those of you who read the post about his meds awhile back and are wondering what happened with it all... We are still in limbo but its looking very good. He has been on the generic now for about 5 weeks or so and has been doing fine. There has been a bit more fatigue, stuttering and confusion, but its hard to say if its the meds or his stress. We ended up LOVING his new doctor. She is a gem from what we can tell. Super thorough, very sweet and seemed to have alot of previous experience with patients on this particular drug. We are about to get his blood levels tested to really be able to tell if the medicine is doing what it is suppose to, then we can rest assured from there. If so, not only will we not have to worry about the drug going up to $800 a month, we wont even have to pay the usual $65 a month, it will only be $5! Hallelujah!  We should know all of this within the next 2 weeks. 

And for those of you just dying to know what I wore to the doctor's office, ha ha, here ya go!  I snagged this shirt from James' shop.  Its one of the first ones we made and no one has bought it yet, so, well its mine now!  You snooze you lose!  I was so excited its was cold enough outside to finally wear my knitted scarf I got as a gift a while back from the lovely Tiffany of That Girl Crochet.  She picked the perfect color for me!

<<< outfit details >>>
glasses - GlassesUSA.com // knitted cowl - That Girl Crochet // cardigan - goodwill
striped tunic - Skyline Fever // leggings - walmart // socks - target // boots - Blowfish

PEACE,
Laura

Book Inspired: Self Image >>>

Welcome to a new little series Im welcoming to my blog.  Book Inspired.  Do you ever read things that just really make you think and you just want everyone you know to read it too???  I do all the time, so I thought Id start sharing little tid-bits of reading inspired things, along with what it means to me.  Id love for these posts to be inspiring for you, so I invite you to leave in the comments what it may mean for you as well.  And if you feel you would like to do a whole blog post on the subject for this post, leave me a link in the comments so I can see!

Everyday for the past few weeks Ive been reading pages from the book Wisdom of the Ages (60 days to Enlightenment) by Wayne Dyer.  I highly recommend it to everyone in the world!  Today Im going to share the one on Self Image.  I read this one last night and it resonated with me deeply.  Ill start by writing the quote he highlighted in this post:

"This is the true joy in life:  The being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.  The being a force of nature, instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.  I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  I want to be thoroughly used up when I die -- for the harder I work, the more I live.  I rejoice in life for its own sake.  Life is no 'brief candle' to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
~George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

The way this resonates with me...  The word self image goes so much deeper than how you see yourself in the mirror, what you wear everyday, or how you think you appear to the people who see you.  Ive been pondering alot lately to myself about the idea of whether or not I am fulfilling my little purpose here on earth.  After losing my dad, it has opened my eyes up so much to the idea that we as humans have this need inside ourselves to feel purposeful.  With my mom being gone, and both of his kids grown up and living their own lives, I think my dad really lost his sense of purpose in this world.  Not that he didnt have one, I think he just lost sight of it.  And as much as I know in my heart Im fulfilling my purpose of art, using my gifts that have been given to me to my fullest at this moment in my life to the best I know how, I still wonder.  I feel there is a much deeper purpose brewing inside me, and Im just not sure what it is.  Do you ever feel those wheels churning inside you, driving you towards something greater, but just not knowing what that is yet?  I guess Ill know when I get there, and along the way, Ill be keeping my eyes open as much as I can.  

As the quote above talks about being a force of nature, and not someone who sits around and complains wishing things in life were better for them... Dyer talks about how we all know people in our lives like this and its our choice to remove ourselves from situations where negativity and complaining take over the conversations.  And to catch ourselves when we are about to complain about how tired we are, or things we dont feel like doing, and to stop and say nothing instead... and eventually those feelings tend to lessen or disappear b/c we are not giving them any energy.  And to put energy into rejoicing in life for the sake of life itself.  And to ignore criticism.  He quotes one of my favorite Albert Einstein's quotes:

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"

By allowing ourselves to break free from our own negativity or that placed on us by others around us, we can allow ourselves to open up to the ideas and possibilities that this world has for us.  It can drive the fear away from us, and all of the blocks we place in front of ourselves to keep from fulfilling our own life purposes.  Im happy I read this, as I think this is all something to strive for and work on daily.  And when I say life purposes, I think sometimes we (including myself) tend to get lost in the idea that this must be something big and heroic.  But I do believe that is far from the truth.  I think it is finding the things in this world that we truly enjoy, that in turn creates love and helps other people (physically or emotionally or spiritually or whatevs).  This could be being a mother, a writer.... really anything you can think of, whatever is true for yourself.  And it could be many many little things.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings and thanks to Wayne Dyer for putting together an awesome collection of thought provoking quotes and writings.  Im sure Ill be sharing alot from this book.

 PEACE,
Laura