Stitch Fix #2 - March 2016

After getting my first Stitch Fix back in January and keeping only a pair of jeans, I was excited to receive my second Fix. After all, I'd been hearing that your stylists only get better as time goes on, as they are able to analyze your likes and dislikes and get better at predicting your style.

This was NOT the case this month.

I requested a pair of boyfriend jeans, a pair of non-denim pants, and something girly to wear to my daughter's first birthday (!) tea party. My stylist listened to the words that I said (including the fact that I needed MACHINE WASHABLE clothes), but I still lacked anything that was at all my style.

 

Loveappella Caly Cold Shoulder Crochet Detail Knit Top, $58, Returned

Uh...what? My stylist, Brianne, suggested this top would be perfect for my daughter's tea party. I don't think so. The whole thing looks too young for me, if not completely "ghetto." I was actually a bit excited to get this top because my sneak peek doesn't really show the cutouts and the colors were way more muted, almost a pastel. This thing shows up bold and bright and hello!!! Returned without a second thought.

 Mavi Elin Button Down Top, $68, Returned

I wanted to like this one. I really did. And for a brief half a second, I thought about keeping it. I love the colors. I love the style. I love the looser cut. I didn't love how it fit me. See that weird bump on my shoulder? It does that every time I put my hands on my hips (which is a lot). But mainly it was the cut of the elbows. I could hardly bend my arms. It fit fine everywhere else, but was super tight around the elbows (I promise I have very skinny arms, ya'll). No matter how much or how little I rolled the sleeves, I couldn't make it work. Sent back. :-(

London Times Rilee Lace Dress, $68, Returned

I really loved how this dress fit me. It was super flattering. You can't really tell from the picture, but the top part is completely see-through. Loved that too. It had a bit of stretch to it, so it was pretty comfortable. Didn't love the lace pattern. It looked like a 1990's tablecloth. And there was a really weird flower applique around the waist that made me feel even more like a third grader.

Margaret M Emer High Waisted Trouser, $98, Returned
Guys. These pants were almost $100. ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. For that! There is no fly, no pockets, no detailing, nothing. Just a legging made of rayon/poly blend. You remember how you used to shop at like Wet Seal and 579 in high school? And everything was like $10? These pants felt like they came out of one of those stores, but some marketer blew the price up. I couldn't get them off my body fast enough. And they do NOTHING for me. In the end, I suppose I have no one to blame but myself. These technically fulfill my request for "non-denim" pants, but what I was picturing (something like an olive green chino that would pair well with a denim jacket) was not what was delivered.

Kut From the Cloth Kate Distressed Boyfriend Jean, $88, Kept
I practically requested these by name, so I was super jazzed to see them in this fix. Thankfully, they did not disappoint. I love the distressing and the lighter wash. There's a little stretch to them, which helps for when I'm crawling around on the floor with Baby Bear. If I had to complain about one thing, it's that the waist does seem a little big at times and kinda sags when I crouch down, but I have this problem with practically every pair of jeans out there, so I chose to ignore it.

All in all, I have been telling myself I need to fill out my jean collection (There is a pair of maternity jeans in my regular rotation!), so I can't consider these two fixes a bust. I just hope that eventually I don't hit a wall once I have a closet full of pants but can't bring myself to spend $50 on a top.

Stitch Fix #1!

At the encouragement of my wonderful husband, I decided to take the plunge and join Stitch Fix! For the uninitiated, Stitch Fix is a clothing subscription service that lets you try on stylist-selected clothes, bags, and shoes in the comfort of your own home. You simply pay a $20 styling fee (which gets credited toward any purchases you make), fill out a style profile, and the package shows up at your door. From there, you have three days to decide what you want to keep. You send back whatever you don't want in the prepaid mailer.

Being a stay-at-home mom, I was wary of Stitch Fix, because it seems to cater more toward working women in search of a work wardrobe. The clothing also costs more than I usually spend on clothes. But I'm at the stage of my life where I feel that it's worth it to spend a little more if I'm going to get something that's more stylish and of higher quality than my typical Old Navy clearance finds.

I'm also at the stage of my life where it's really hard to just go shopping when my wardrobe needs a little boost. I'm either trying to placate my sleepy/hungry/teething baby or I need to wait until my husband has a weekend off so I can take some time to make a run to Style Encore.

Well, my first fix came in last week, and I can see where this is addictive.

 My stylist, Heather (I love saying "my stylist"!), sent me a personalized note, which is always a nice touch.

 Bancroft Nora Hammered Coin Bracelet, $38, Returned
 I actually really like this bracelet. It's stretchy, so it slipped over my hand without any buckles or clasps and it had a really chic "boho" look to it that I loved. To be honest, if I hadn't gotten anything else, I definitely would have kept this. I just felt that I could find a similar thing somewhere else (T.J. Maxx or Old Navy) for way cheaper (like $20).

  
Skies are Blue Dorian Embroidery Detail Blouse, $58, Returned
I loved the color and the boho feel of this top, just like Heather said I would, and I almost kept it. First of all, there's the price. I know the average price of Stitch Fix items is around $55, but I just felt that $58 was too much to spend on a "date night" top when I don't really get that many chances to wear the other nice tops I have. Why pay nearly $60 for another one?

Then, there was the fit. I love loose tops that I can pair with skinny jeans (they hide my leftover pregnancy belly), but this hung just a bit too large on me. The bust darts didn't even make it to my bust. Maybe this was how it was supposed to fit, but regardless, if I'm paying $58 for something, I need it to be perfect.

Oh, it was also a little itchy and the instructions said to hand wash.

Skies are Blue Loni Open Back Detail Knit Top, $48, Returned
When I snuck a peek at my Fix, I was disappointed to hear that I would be getting an open back top. Going braless is NOT an option for me. But when I took it out of the box, I noticed that it's not completely open backed. Point for Heather! The problem?

 My bra still showed anyway. It showed in the back. It showed in the underarms. It just hung out all over the place. I was able to make it work with another (non-nursing) bra, but that would mean I might not get to wear this shirt for another 6 months.

And while I love red, I felt that this particular shade didn't go with my skin tone. I'm Lebanese and Mexican on my dad's side, so I have quite a bit of yellow undertone in my skin. Warm colors make me look a little sick. (Note to stylist: Jewel tones work the best on me.)

All of that would have been forgivable, even the price, if the washing instructions didn't say HAND WASH. Grr. I specifically made a note in my style profile saying that I would NOT KEEP (yes, it was in caps) anything that I couldn't machine wash. I'm fine with "hang to dry" or "lay flat to dry" but I throw everything in the wash, guys. And I would have risked it with this shirt (I thought long and hard about it), but it was rayon and the Almighty Google informed me that machine washing rayon was probably a bad move. Not worth it.

 

Skies are Blue Hovelli Embroidered Detail Knit Top, $44, Returned
Alas, I cannot think of anything good to say about this top. Granted, it looks okay in the picture here, but that's just it. At best it was just okay. It fit like a too-large T-shirt and the embroidery detail looked like something my grandma would wear. Yes, my grandma is a very stylish 81-year-old, but she's still 81.

Guess what the washing instructions said? You guessed it, HAND WASH.

Kut From The Kloth Dayna Skinny Jean, $88, Kept
Needless to say, I wasn't holding out much hope for the "Toothpick Skinny" jean, but Heather was right. The stretch in these jeans makes them super flattering and super comfy for crawling around on the floor with Baby Bear. I could do yoga in these things. (Sorry about the bad lighting, and don't you love the random tuft of dog hair? LOL! Shlomo is a Corgi mix and sheds year-round.)

I didn't think I needed another pair of skinny jeans, but these are way comfier and also not maternity, LOL! So my maternity jeans will be retired so that these can step in.

They're also machine washable. ;-)



I wasn't expecting to love everything in my first box, so 1/5 isn't bad. I also understand that I'm probably very hard for them to style because a) I'm so cheap thrifty, b) I don't need a "work wardrobe," and c) their website straight up says that most of their inventory needs to be hand washed or dry cleaned.

Bummer.

Time will only tell if Stitch Fix is right for me. Right now, I get Fixes every other month (I was going to choose once a season, but my husband talked me into getting them more often. Isn't he awesome?) and my next Fix is due on March 17. I can't wait to see what's in store!

Lilah's Quiet Book

I finally finished Lilah's Hanukkah gift: a felt quiet book! There are so many cute ideas on various different blogs (some of you ladies are geniuses!), so I adapted my favorites for my skill level (and came up with a few ideas of my own). I drew my own templates freehand and put the book together with a combination of sewing and hot glue (mostly hot glue). Take a look and see what I created.

God is Nesting

Those of you who have read this blog for a while (or who know me personally) know that I've been through the ringer when it comes to faith in God. I've been angry at Him. I've attempted to get back into reading my Bible. I stopped reading my Bible (for a year), then—recently—started again.

You may also know that I'm currently expecting (any day now!) our "rainbow baby," and have been furiously nesting (everything but cleaning, really) in preparation for her arrival.

Well, today, I came to the realization that God has been "nesting," too.

Stocking Up for Baby

Peep is due in less than 3 weeks, so I've been seriously, hard-core hoarding nesting.

One of the main things I'm focusing on is trying to make sure I'm all stocked up for when our little girl makes her debut. I'm going to be sleep-deprived. And nursing. And sleep deprived. And probably going to feel like I got hit by a truck after labor and/or a c-section. Did I mention I'll be sleep-deprived?

Simple "I-Don't-Have-To-Think-About-It" Baked Ziti

Confession time: I like cooking delicious dinners for Hubs and "Peep" (as my dad is calling her), but I hate having to constantly reference a recipe all the time.

I much prefer those times when I can just throw something together willy-nilly without thinking about it and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the end result will be amazing. This Baked Ziti does that for me.

Best Books of 2014

I had previously been addicted to Fiction Connection (when my local library still had a subscription) because it was the best way to find books recommended to me based on other books I had read and liked. When they stopped offering Fiction Connection through the library website, I was forced to drift aimlessly through the stacks, and through Pinterest suggestions, until I found a gem. This year, I discovered Book Seer. You type in the title and author of a book you like, and it suggests 7-8 others that you might enjoy. The interaction is quicker and clearer than visiting Amazon and the suggestions all seem to be slightly related to the book you just read, but not exactly like it. I always hated when I liked a book, but a website recommended a book that was essentially the same one I just finished. Um, I don't need to read it again. For example, after The Humans, Book Seer recommended The Martian. See? Similar, but not exact.

Pregnancy Survival Kit

 
When my sister-in-law was pregnant with her oldest (my nephew, Jordan), I remember wanting to buy her something to commemorate the occasion. No, I didn't want to buy HIM anything; everyone does that. And, as cute as those little onesies are, what is a newly pregnant mom supposed to do with it when all she wants to do is sleep and stop feeling sick?

How to Plan a Perfect Wedding (in Half the Time!)

When D. and I got engaged on April 8th, 2007, I knew I was in for a whirlwind of wedding plans, but I had no idea how stressful it could be. It was my first wedding (and my last!), and all of the wedding timelines I found online were over the course of a year.

A whole year to wait until I was married? No, thank you. I wanted to be married NOW, danggit!

But of course I didn't want to get married over the winter when it was cold (even in Florida, we get pretty cold weather in January/February), and getting married too close to Thanksgiving or Christmas was out of the question. So that left October, which meant ::gulp:: 6 months to plan a wedding. Not a backyard wedding or an elopement with a little party afterward. A full-on, cut-the-cake, hire-a-band, wear-a-crinoline type wedding.

Can it be done?

Spoiler alert: It can. While working full-time.

Easy, Cheesy, Calzone Pizza

A few months ago, I added calzones into our dinner rotation. I used a great pizza crust recipe, I used ricotta and mozzarella cheeses like a typical Italian place, but there always seemed to be something...off. 

Either there was too much crust and not enough toppings, or the flavor was just too flat. I even tried dipping the calzone in garlic butter, but it wasn't the same as those amazing calzones we get from our local pizza place.

And then I had a brainstorm.

A Special Announcement

To paraphrase J.M. Barrie, this news shouldn't be written in ink (or bytes), but with a golden splash. D and I have finally caught our rainbow baby, a little girl, due to arrive on April 5, 2015. (Easter Sunday!)

We had the anatomy scan on Monday and we were both very nervous about the results, as this was about the same time we discovered Ava's birth defects on one of the worst days of our lives. This time, however, everything looks PERFECT. I finally shed a tear of joy (the first in this whole pregnancy!) after counting the right amount of fingers, toes, and bones (on each limb!), seeing the diaphragm, and finding out that we are having a girl! 

That last part kind of shocked me. I had been about 75% sure it was a boy. I even started calling the baby "Chuck Norris" (you know, because it was kicking my butt!). Oops. Sorry, baby. 

The news was especially joyous and timely because it came the day before Ava's second birthday. I had asked Ava to pick out her own siblings and to make sure they get to us somehow. I definitely feel that this baby is a gift from God as well as her big sister and I can't wait to meet her!

After two years of heartbreaking grief, I am so ready to have something to look forward to. No, this new daughter in no way replaces Ava or "redeems" her loss. We will always feel her absence terribly and will always wish that both of our girls could be here with us. But a new life brings light to our darkness. She will bring happiness into our grief, mingling with it, but not defeating it.

Homemade Goo Gone

Mason jars are mad popular on Pinterest.

Seriously, if you've spent more than 5 minutes browsing through Pinterest, chances are—amid the mustaches, baby pictures, wedding photos, and Nutella recipes—you'll see at least 6 pins featuring Mason jars. 

I love them, too, because I think storing pantry staples and greens in a Mason jar is a much more attractive option than a frumpy zip-top bag or dirty Tupperware container. And when your pantry and fridge are attractive, doesn't that make cooking (and eating) more enjoyable? 

But we don't have room in our budget for a pallet (Ooh! Pallet crafts!) of Mason jars...especially when you can get the same thing (basically free) from your recycling bin. 

I have now saved about 5 glass containers that held everything from pasta sauce to maple syrup. The only problem is the labels. Not only do they look ugly, they keep you from seeing what's inside and mentally throw you off when trying to take "what should we make for dinner" inventory. 

The solution? Homemade Goo Gone!

Chicken Apple Sausage

I'm so proud of myself, guys. I developed this recipe on my very own!

It was inspired by a recent trip to Cape Cod. (Sandwich, Massachusetts, to be exact. Yes, that is the real name of the town.) A breakfast place we went to offered chicken apple sausage instead of regular sausage, which always thrills us. We LOVE sausage, but no longer eat pork. You wouldn't believe how few places have turkey or chicken sausage on the menu. Even Publix's chicken sausage is stuffed into a pork casing.

I came home from that trip with total culinary inspiration and whipped up a batch of chicken apple sausage patties for dinner the other night. I took one bite and was SO proud of myself!

Why I Don't Believe in Bumper Stickers

A post came up on my friend's feed the other day (because apparently Facebook thinks my own feed isn't enough distraction for me). The post had a picture of a van showing some window decals and bumper stickers and went on to talk about how someone had asked the van's owner about the stickers and had some questions about them. The original poster was very excited that she got the chance to talk with this person and explain what her bumper stickers (and therefore her philosophy) were all about.

No, it was not a religion. 

Passover Macaroons

I spent the first few years of our marriage kinda freaking out about Passover every year. What meals could I make? What meals could I adapt? What would I have to give up?

It took a few years to get the hang of it, but I think I've gotten the whole diet pretty figured out by now. My husband and I are (semi) kosher (we eat white meat with dairy, but not red meat). We also follow the Sephardic rules of Passover, which means we do eat rice and corn and don't worry about getting the "special" Coke. After all, the Bible just said no leavening, not "no grains." (If grains weren't allowed, then matzo wouldn't be either! It's made from flour!)

Tonight's dinner was actually gluten heavy, because we managed to eat before sundown, but I managed to Jew it back up with one of my favorite Passover treats: coconut macaroons.

What Gay People Need to Know About Christians

In recent years (well, probably since forever, really), there has been a lot of debate about gay marriage. You know this already. You know there is the one side that supports gay marriage because this is an enlightened age and we have no place for hate and judgment. You know that there is the other side that is against gay marriage because they are hateful and don't understand anything beyond their own nose. 

You've got it all wrong.

How to Cope With Losing Your Baby

Step 1: 

Cry a few times.

Step 2:

Throw a lovely memorial service.

Step 3: 

Spend a month or two journaling and staring introspectively at the ocean.

Step 4: 

Take an exotic vacation with your husband to learn to have fun again.

Step 5:

Have "another baby." You know. The one everyone keeps reminding you that you can have.

Step 6: 

If previous steps were ineffective, take antidepressants.

You're right. I'm so NOT serious about this.

Is There Really a War on Christianity?

My husband and I consider ourselves to be moderates (not heavily liberal or heavily conservative), but we do watch mostly liberal news networks. (GASP! Shun the non-believers!) Whether you agree with our choice of dinner-time programming or not, I find that it unveils a lot about what's wrong with the GOP (and, because we watch The Daily Show, we hear a lot about what's wrong with politics in general).

And, sometimes, it gets me thinking.

Collectible (2.24.14)

I was watching a TV show
where a man owned a comic book,
a "collectible."
He was hoping to sell it,
but only for a million dollars.
"How much is it worth?"
he asked the expert, who answered
with a snide little twinkle in his eye,
"As much as the buyer is willing to pay."

Now,
I'm not that interested in comic books
or collectibles,
but, as a woman,
I know how it feels to be valued
based on whether enough people want you.
I know that you can be Limited Edition,
autographed by the
Author Himself
but if you have any "imperfections"
(the kind that prove you have an identity
or a past)
you might as well be thrown away.

My daughter was born missing
three toes
a radius bone
an ovary.
Her diaphragm was a tattered scrap of paper
torn out of the first chapter of her life.
She was the collectible comic book
that has been opened and read and pored over,
touched and loved until she fell apart,
her insides literally spilling out into a plastic sheath
that held her together.

The doctors had offered to take her off my hands,
cheap.
But she was worth so much more than that
and not because
I wanted her.

My daughter and I
are not collectibles.
You are worth more
than a comic book.

Our value lies
not in whether we are wanted
but in whether we
Are.

Do DIY Cleaning Products Really Work?

I like to think I hit a healthy medium when it comes to being "green." I drive an SUV (not even a hybrid one), but I get on my husband's case a bit for wasting paper towels and foil. So when it comes to cleaning, I'm all about DIY cleaning products because they're cheap and the ingredients are readily available. The whole "non-toxic" thing is an added bonus. But more important to me is cleanliness. After all, if you're not getting your house clean, does it really matter how much money you're saving?

Somehow, I stumbled onto Melissa Maker's blog over at CleanMySpace.com. And lemme tell ya. This lady knows her stuff. She actually owns a cleaning company in Toronto, but decided to put her expertise on the web where everyone can benefit. I trusted the cleaning maven to tell me that DIY products were the bee's knees, but also wanted to try it out for myself.