Year in Review: 2014

Okay, so I'm a bit late to the New Year's party. It's pretty much March now, I know. But I can't let 2014 go flying by without taking the time to comment on what a MOMENTOUS year it was for me and my little family. So I'm going to share a few photos from 2014, and just point out a few changes that took place last year for us.





Probably the biggest event of 2014 was when I quit my traditional desk job and started my online shop. HOLY COW. This was a scary, scary decision, and even though things have been tough lately I have to say I think it's the best choice I've ever made. Working for myself has been so freeing, and at the same time, soooo hard. You have to really be your own motivator when you're self-employed, and there's no safety net if something comes up. If you make a mistake, you're the only one to blame! But you also call the shots, have full creative freedom, and set your own schedule. To me, that's really worth it.





I also took a cross-country road trip last year! I had never visited the Western United States before and this trip was really, really amazing. It's hard to believe that this country could be SO different from one coast to the other. The landscape is totally different, even the air, the plants, the animals. Plus I spent a ton of time with my mom and 89-year-old grandma, as they were my tripmates! We definitely became closer, which is wonderful in of itself.





We adopted our second kitty, Aengus! This is kind of related to our road trip, since I actually got him from my second cousin in Missouri (whom I had never met before!). He's been an amazing addition to our family, albeit a rather feisty one. He's a lot of work! But we love him, and it's hard to imagine our lives without him now.





We moved from our previous rental home into a townhouse, which has actually been an amazing blessing in disguise. At the time we were very upset when we found out we would have to move. We loved our house, especially our nice spacious yard and screened-in porch! But our current home is definitely a better fit for us. It's smaller, which makes it easier to maintain, and we went through an intensive de-cluttering stage right when we moved, so we really only have things we need or love!





There were some sad events in 2014 as well, of course, but I think it's important to remember what things we have in our lives to be thankful for. My husband and I are very fortunate. We might not have a lot of money, but we really want for nothing essential to life. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary in 2014, and life just has a pleasant glow of hope to it. Here's to another great year!

Fancy Pineapple

WOW-- time got away from me there! Like I promised earlier, in an effort to be more transparent and open, I'm just going to tell you the truth. Things have been STRESSFUL. My husband's hours at work have been temporarily slashed, and since we live paycheck to paycheck, I have spent the last few months scrambling to rake in as much supplemental income as possible. Basically, it's felt like standing on the precipice of a cliff from morning 'til night. We're definitely not out of the woods now, but all I can do is have faith that God will carry us through this too.





I've started a few part-time work at home jobs to get a little more money coming in, but my first priority is still my SHOP! You may have noticed it's solely eBay based now. I found that's where I was doing the best, so I moved everything over there. Please check regularly, I'm constantly adding new things! As always I try to keep prices very reasonable and have a selection of larger plus sizes available whenever possible.





Pretty soon I'm also going to start selling some hand embroidered items via Etsy! Nothing has been stocked yet, but here is a link to my shop there if you want to keep checking back! If you follow me on tumblr or twitter, you'll have seen a few images of stuff that I'm working on. I definitely want to put some fat positive pieces in there, so if you're into it, keep your eyes peeled!





Also, I just have to slow down for a second and say this: I couldn't have made it this far without the help of my readers. YOU GUYS. You are amazing and I appreciate you all. Please know that every kind word reaches my heart and stays there. :)





These outfit pictures are actually from November-- eek! They have been sitting on my laptop that long. I know, for shame. But still. That fancy pineapple sweater is pretty amazing, right?





coral jeans, lys c/o kmart. fuzzy pineapple sweater, thrifted. floppy fedora and wedge booties, kmart.

Another Year, Another Hairstyle

WELL, it has been a bit since my last post! I'm really getting into the swing of things with my boutique, and it's definitely demanding on my time. Part of the difficulty is figuring out what works and what just doesn't. But that's part of the fun, too! I'm learning and growing and moving forward, and it's really an exciting time in my life.





On October 6th, I turned 27! As a kid I never even thought about what my life would be like by that age, but I have to say that it's better than anything I ever dreamed about. I love that we're in a place where I can now work from home and be my own boss. I feel more confident and beautiful than I ever did as a younger woman. I see my 30s on the horizon, and I can honestly say that I'm just feeling positive and hopeful that this will be the happiest season of my life so far.





As you can see, my hair is DARK! I love it so much... it was a birthday gift to myself on the 6th, haha. My amazing hairstylist Jodi mixed a custom color for me. It's dark chocolately brown with violet mixed in there. When I'm in more natural light the purple really shines. I think I'm going to keep this color a lot longer than the last. I'm really enjoying playing with different color palettes now that I'm not a redhead.





Oh, and I almost forgot! I got new glasses, too! I love them, they're giant. I have a little cartoon cat version of myself that I've drawn since my early teens, and she wears glasses just like these. So I had full on nerd out when I got them in the mail.







Here's to another year! I hope it's the best one yet, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you guys!





peter pan collar dress, thrifted (target). red wedges, shoeocean.com. green studs, gift from my grandma.

Comfy Homebody

As I've discussed before, I now work from home. I run my online boutique, and also sell things on eBay and Etsy! While this is super fun and gives me a ton of flexibility, I have to admit that I don't exactly get dressed to the nines every day. Most days I don't even wear shoes! So I wanted to share this outfit just to give a little glimpse into my daily life.





There's really not much more comfortable than a breezy maxi dress. Plus, it's cute! I like the mustard ikat print on this one.





I still shower and get dressed even though I do a lot of work from my couch. I just can't wake up and feel productive without a shower and a fresh change of clothes.





What about you guys? Do you do your best work in sweats? I'm not dissing the merits of coziness!





mustard ikat print maxi dress, ross. dangly spike earrings, target.

Belted Stripes and Thanks!

I wore this to take my kitten to the vet and to mail some packages for my new customers! I'm so excited that things are starting to take off for my little shop. It took a lot of nerve for me to quit my job and start this new chapter of my life. The last few months have been a whirlwind of anxiety and nervousness and hopefulness. It's finally starting to look like this may actually work, and I feel the need to pinch myself just about every five minutes.





Being able to work from home and pretty much set my own schedule has taken so much weight off my shoulders. My anxiety level has been markedly less as a direct result. I just feel so eternally thankful for everyone who has supported my shop for making this life change possible for me and my husband. Please keep checking back as I plan on adding more and more things all the time.







Today was my new kitty's last visit to the vet for a whole year. I'm STOKED! It's been a long couple months with him. When he first came to live with us he had a really gnarly upper respiratory infection, along with a whole host of parasites. We couldn't get him vaccinated and fixed until we cleared up his other issues, and it took almost a month just to get his sniffling and cough to go away. But now he's healthy and happy (and neutered)! He's my little 5-pound lovebug, haha.





Hope everyone's week has been great! Mine has definitely ended on a positive note. :)





striped bejeweled tee, wedges, and belt, ross. acid wash skinnies, f21+. spike ring, chubby cartwheels.