Stripes & The Lily Stitch Review

Anyone that knows me, knows I love stripes! It's my favorite pattern of all time. Polka dots are up there for a close second. I just think stripes are so classy. I hate spending money on clothes that are trendy and will be out of style within a few months. But, stripes never go out of style. Thank God, because I think half of my wardrobe is striped! :)
This is my all-time favorite dress I bought from the Ann Taylor outlet a few years back. It is so versatile and I can mix and match a million different colors with it! Today, I was feeling bright and sunny, so I paired it with yellow. :)

Dress: Ann Taylor Outlet
Heels: Marshalls
Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack
Necklace: Rue 21
I had to get one with my little man since he matched me!

God blessed me with two handsome boys!

I also wore stripes this past week to school. I told you I have lots of striped items! :)

Maxi: JCPenney
Shirt: TJMaxx
Cardigan: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Bealls
Necklace: Fred Meyer

I was asked to review some baby items by a sweet lady named Gail, who is opening up a new Etsy shop The Lily Stitch that sells custom burp cloths, bibs, and blankets. She made my little guy a cute and very soft matching bib and burp cloth set! I loved the material and how big they were. Luke can be quite the spitter-upper so burp cloths are a MUST! I definitely recommend her products! :)

And one more Lukeygram to say good bye and thank you for reading! :) Can you believe how big this munchkin is getting!?? 10 weeks already!!! (And yes, I'm brainwashing my child to know that I'm the best! ;)

The Modern Man

If you've been following my blog for a while now, you would know my purpose is to help ladies not get stuck in the jean skirt, t-shirt, pony-tail, & tennis shoes rut...Well, I also hope by helping ladies become more modern, that their husbands feel the need to "modernize" their wardrobe as well.
I am blessed with a husband who doesn't need me to help him get dressed, actually he usually helps me get dressed! My husband was a missionary's kid to Mexico his whole life, so he didn't have nice fashionable clothes growing up. He had second-hand, Wal-Mart clothes that people gave them. When my husband moved to America to go to college, he started buying his own clothes. He starting studying GQ and advertisements to see what was in style for men. When we were in college, guys would always tell me I was dating the best-dressed man in college. I agree. He is seriously the best dressed man I have ever seen. :)
So many pastors, missionaries, and laymen are still wearing their shirts and ties from the 90s! It's not only feminine to dress nice. Men need to know how to wear a suit and pair ties with shirts. So, since I have my very own GQ model living with me, I asked him to give men some pointers on how to be modern and look sharp.
Suits

First, make sure your suit is the right size. Any major department store can measure you and fit you for the correct size suit. Your suit shouldn't overlap in the front, but it should be able to be buttoned comfortably. Your jacket should not be pulling in the back or across the front. Your pants should not be bunched up at the end, but should rest comfortably at the top of your shoe and fall to the bottom of your heel. Every man that wears suits regularly should have a gray, navy, and tan suit. Keep it simple and classic with suits!



Dress Shirts

Stay away from bright solid-colored shirts. (Especially ones with matching ties in boxes, actually stay away from ALL boxed shirts/ties!) You should have shirts that match all your suits and that are remixable with many different ties. Try to keep it to classic colors, white, blue, and light colored patterned shirts. Never dry your dress shirts. That makes the collars deformed and the color fade. Hang up and iron your shirts. Nothing worse than seeing a man in a wrinkled dress shirt.


Ties

Graphics, words, cartoons, etc... are a NO-NO! Keep it classic, with stripes, polka dots, or solids.





Dress Shoes

Square toed dress shoes are not "in" right now. Instead, look for round toed brown dress shoes. Cole Haan are the most comfortable and nicest leather. Here's an example of nice dress shoes.


Jeans/Casual Wear

Look for darker wash jeans. Make sure your jeans fit correctly. Not super relaxed, but not skinny jeans either. Find the perfect happy-medium. Currently, my favorite jeans are Buffalo Jeans. Don't forget you can always ask your wife for her opinion.



Causal Shoes

No tennis shoes with jeans! There is a difference between casual wear and active wear. Tennis shoes are meant for sports/working out. Find some nice casual brown shoes. Sperry's or Toms are a great casual shoe.

Lime & Coral

It is still SO hot here in sunny Florida, so I'm still wearing sundresses and sandals, while every one else is already busting out their boots and sweaters. I actually can't wait until our fall kicks in, so I can wear all my warm, autumn colors! But, for now I'm still bright and summery! Today for church I wore my new dress from Maurice's. I think I only paid $6.00 for it! (I found it on the 75% clearance rack.)

I am starting an 8-week FIT challenge starting tomorrow to try to shed these last 20 lbs. that need to go! My goal isn't really the weight as much as it is to fit back into all my skirts! My wardrobe is VERY limited right now, as I can only fit into 4 or 5 of my skirts. So I'm wearing a lot of dresses and buying a few more "bigger" pieces here and there. I just really don't want to spend a lot of money on bigger sizes, because I KNOW I will not stay this size. I am determined to get back into my old clothes! :) So, pray for me as I start my new HEALTHY lifestyle change tomorrow! And, hopefully you will get to see my pre-pregnancy pieces start coming back into my posts! :)

Dress: Maurice's
Cardigan: Ann Taylor
Necklace: Forever 21
Sandals: Fred Meyer

Also, here's my church outfit from Wednesday! I LOVE this new skirt I bought at Old Navy! It's so comfy, go get one!

Happy 2 month birthday to my little man! I can't believe how big he's getting!