Resilience and Liking What I Wear

If you have been following my blog these last eight months

you know I have been dealing with a lot of things of late.

It's definitely been a challenging season of life to say the least.

And recently the word that sticks with me is 

Resilience.

And the importance in life

to become resilient.

What I have learned from not only surviving a marriage betrayal

but  coming out the other side

with a much more loving marriage

is that I am stronger than I thought.

My mother's death three weeks ago

has definitely been a challenge.

As well as witnessing the pain left behind in those I love.

But  I am more committed than ever before

to grow stronger

and 

become resilient.

At my age

I have a limited time left on the planet

I want to make each day count.

I want to focus on the good and beauty in life.

I want to be able to weather life storms

with strength, grace and courage.

I am more committed than ever to not only

Self Care

but

Mental Health

 as well.

I am proud to say I have 

and 

regularly see a therapist.

Life is hard.

And I want to do everything in my power

to do life as well as I possibly can.

I know for me not only is a therapist helpful

but so is working out regularly

and 

eating healthy.

I need to start my days 

every day

with quiet reflection

and 

Intentional Gratitude.

I choose to put my focus on all of the good in my life.

And on the days that grief comes rushing in so hard

I am taken down

I will give myself grace.

I will not be afraid to feel the hurt and loss.

I will stop and accept it as part of life.

but in that same moment

I will remind myself

I won't always feel the pain.

I will remind myself ...

I am resilient.

I am loving.

I want to live my life well.

Find beauty.

Help where I can.

Learn to be light and love.

And do you know what helps me everyday

with all of this ...

Liking what I wear.

I know everyone might not be able to relate

but being able to choose what I want to wear

is like a soothing layer of protection 

from some of the hard parts of life.

Some days

like my mother's funeral

it feels like a protective armor 

when I need it most.

So that I can stand up with a loving tribute

to the women who taught me the importance of 

Self Care.

Some days

getting dressed

is simply 

a reminder that there is beauty in life.

Other days 

it's a simple diversion.

Choosing what I wear is something

 I can actually control and impact.

On the good days

it is truly a creative outlet for me.

I can dress to express

who I am that day.

But the point is

for me

liking what I wear

is not just 

Self Care

but part of my 

Mental Heath Investment.

Life can be hard.

I want to be resilient.

And on a lighter note

speaking of the importance of

Liking what I Wear ....

How fabulous is this summer dress from

Soft Surroundings!

You can find it HERE

It's made of linen 

with silk gussets.

The halter top is tied with a silk scarf at the neck.

It's perfect for a summer stroll or date night.

I styled it with a full slip underneath.

I like the feeling of a swish of fullness at the bottom.

The bone bracelets are my designs 

that are in stock in my shop.

My basket is imported from Africa.

My hat is one of my favorite Frank Olive designs.

The shawl is a favorite vintage find.

So for me 

I can truly say 

a creative wardrobe

and 

Liking what I Wear

is both 

Self Care 

and 

an investment in my own

Mental Health.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Summer Entertaining

Last month I  did a summer birthday party for our youngest son, Hunter

who turned 22!

The inspiration piece for the party

these fabulous enamel cups from 

the Hearth and Home  Magnolia line at Target.

I wanted the decor to have a masculine vibe

and 

the black and white color brought it home.

I have been pretty smitten with the whole

Hearth and Home Magnolia collection 
since the dishes came out.

I have been collecting little by little for a few months now.

It's crazy how updating a few daily use pieces makes my heart so happy.

Adding a little more everyday joy!

The family birthday party

was a perfect excuse to add in the black and white textiles 

form the collection.

I left my dining centerpiece made up of

driftwood

air plants

and 

quartz candles as is.

It added the perfect cool, fresh look I wanted.

and the centerpiece played perfectly with all the place setting textures.

I used the tea towels from the collection for oversized napkins.

I mixed and matched several for added interest.

For appetizers I did a beautiful cheese board.

I have been so inspired by

 Suzanne of the Crazy Blond Life!

She does the most beautiful boards I have ever seen!

You can find her  amazing post HERE.

Whenever I entertain I like to bring in fresh garnishes from my garden.

for the bar glasses I simply pulled out a wooden tray

lined it with another of the coordinating tea towels

and 

added lemons and rosemary
 for a fresh finish.

The birthday dinner was Italian inspired.

I hired my darling daughter and accomplished entertainer in her own right

Ellis of the Ell Blog HERE

to make 3 different types of lasagne.

These Chianti bottles were as much added decor as poured table wine.

Another of my party styling go to is using

 an over sized champagne bowl

filled with ice, lemons and rosemary

to present all of the bottled drinks.

The crostini's were another of Ellis's creations.

An easy and visual  passed appetizer.

Because we had a lot of people at Hunter's Birthday dinner

I did two cheese boards.

To accommodate  all of our guests 

I set our big farm table in the backyard as well.

For this table I used the large check tablecloth

from the same

 Hearth and Hand Magnolia Collection.

I really loved how the two table coordinated 

but were different at the same time.

Fro the backyard

I used the blue rimmed enamel cups.

My centerpieces were sweet and simple

using vintage bottles with a single peony in each.

No birthday dinner would be complete

without a 

Birthday Cake!

This beauty is from our local Von's Pavillions

made magnificent with these amazing tapers!

I first was introduced to these amazing candles by my dear friend

Andrea of The French Basketeer HERE

I bought them at Ace hardware in Laguna Beach of all places.

But you can order them online from the maker HERE

This completes my 

Summer Birthday Party recap.

I hope I was able to inspire you 

to entertain in your own backyard!

Wishing my 'baby' a great year of 22!

Now it's on to finishing all of the wedding details

for his marriage to his gorgeous fiance' in just two weeks!!

You can see his  beachside proposal HERE

and 

their engagement party HERE

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Hello Monday ... Hello Gratitude

It's truly been a rough 2 and a half weeks here.

My mother died on June 8th.

We buried her five days later.

Five days after that my dad ended up in ICU.

But the good part of that is

my dad is  now back home.
And I am ever so grateful.

My mother had a beautiful funeral

 full of friends, family and love.

I was able to speak a heartfelt tribute to her well lived life.
I will write more about that
when it is easier for me.

I am a very big believer in the power of 

Intentional Gratitude

on any given day.

But especially the really hard ones.

And I also know during life's big storms

how  very important 

it is to come up for air

and 

reframe your life narrative

as graciously as possible.

The older I get

the more I know it up to us on a daily basis

to not only look for the good

but do it where we can.

Not only for the benefit of others

but for our own self preservation as well.

I am ever so grateful for the support of friends and family

these last  2 1/2 weeks.

Especially my darling daughter and youngest son.

They have both brought remarkable spouses into our family
who have also been tremendous support.

I am especially grateful

during this exceedingly difficult time

Jeff and I are closer

and 

more solid than ever.

A true testament to all of the work

we have both done in rebuilding our marriage these last seven months.

If we hadn't made it such a priority

these last couple of weeks could have really undone progress.

Instead

I have been so reassured with our commitment to each other.

So many times in life

the darkest days 

can help shine beautiful light.

If we take the time for intentional gratitude.

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy
as you style your life

Soft Surrounding Grand Opening

I was invited to be a VIP Media Guest for the 

Soft Surroundings Opening 

here in Southern California!

So of course I was excited 

when I got to pick something to wear to the opening.

I chose this wonderful

Floral Embroidered Jacket

And I was excited to style it with my own

SoCal  flair.

I added my new wide legged denim

with my favorite white shirt

for a  versatile white base

I have been working with Soft Surroundings for several years now

because they are a brand with a mission statement 

I can really get behind.

This page from Soft Surroundings PR kit is the same
Self Care Sentiment
that I am always talking about here on my blog.

Besides the company's mission statement
 I am always  also  impressed with the quality of the clothes

for the price point.

Take for example

the inside of the jacket with it's

perfectly cut accents Inside!

So when you wear the jacket open 

it has a wonderful finish.

And always a favorite of mine ... pockets!

To play up the Asian styling of the jacket

I added my antique Asian basket for my purse

as well as long Chinese tassel earrings.

My oversized Free People glasses 

finished my look.

My favorite part of wearing an all white base

without the jacket 

it's an entirely new look.

As much as I love any look I wear

I always love having a couple of versions of my outfit for a day out.

Soft Surroundings 
opened in the Mission Viejo Mall here in Southern California

bringing their total store to 65!

In a time when even long established brick and mortar stores

are closing 

Soft Surroundings
is  opening new stores like gangbusters.

I truly believe that not only do they sell quality items

but they are talking to a long forgotten demographic.

Their store opening had lines around the corner

and 

I heard so many women say how they drove over 2 hours to be there!

Soft Surroundings has been around since 1995 beginning as catalogue shopping

so they  know their customer well

I saw one of my favorite books amongst their gift items.

Did you know Soft Surroundings does home good as well.

They believe 

like I do

that your home should be your sanctuary!

I was most excited to see their vast beauty section.

Definitely a one stop shop for middle age beauty products!

There was so much to take in and learn about!

As I have mentioned before

I turn 60 next March

so I am on the hunt for all the great products I can find

so to find so many of them under one roof makes my heart race!

They now even carry my favorite line of skin care.
I have been faithfully using
Erno Lazlo
since I was 18.
I found it at Neiman Marcus when I was researching skin care
for one of my Fashion Merchandising classes.

I still remember a gorgeous woman in her 60's
with the most amazing skin and style.
she told me she had always used Erno Lazlo.
I decided then and there
that's what I wanted.
I realize now all these years later
I am just about that woman's age.

This is one of the many products from 

Soft Surrounding

 that I am interested to try.

I am determined to make this next phase of my life

My Best Life Yet!

So I am actively researching

new products and ideas

and 

soul searching

to make sure I do just that!

I want to do this for myself

and 

also to show those coming behind me

that getting older can come with a bounty of gifts!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Hello Monday ... Hello Gratitude

Hello Monday!
Hello gratitude!

And boy do I appreciate things settling down here

so I can spend more time focusing on the good in my life

and

all the simple joys along the way!

  

I had a delightful visit to one of my favorite home and garden stores

Roger's Gardens.

I came away with the cutest coffee cup and saucer!

I enjoy using it every morning now 

during my coffee, candles and gratitude

before the sun comes up 

morning ritual!

And talk about simple pleasures

how cute are these reading  glasses by 

Caddis

I will tell you more about them and the fabulous company that makes them in another post!

I am so excited to know

Soft Surroundings

now carries my favorite skincare line

Erno Lazlo!

I have been a loyal Lazlo user since I found it in Neiman Marcus 

when I was 18!

Now that' true  brand loyalty!

Speaking of Soft Surroundings

I went to one of their store openings on Friday.

I'll share more about that tomorrow!

Since I replenished my skincare

I decided to fluff up my cabinet.

I lined the whole inside with some hand made paper I got at 

Roger's Garden's.

I cut it to measure and tacked in on with a glue stick.

It was a quick under an hour project

that makes me happy every time I open my cabinet!

The last couple of months I have been working on updating 

some interior pieces

as well as my outside rooms.

I am loving so many 

Opal House Collection 

at Target.

Like this bamboo chair I added to my

guest room/ closet for my brights.

I got a couple  of new pillows from the same collection.

I also took down a wall sized map

that was left over from the kid years.

Now I have a new wall to hang my accessories!

Not only do I love seeing them

it makes it so much easier to style outfits

when pieces are out in the open.

When my kids started moving out

I literally grieved for each one as the left

and 

for quite some time.

I am now securely on the other side of that hill

and 

definitely appreciate all of the up sides of having 

children grown and flown.

Like finally having great closet spaces

and rooms for my clothe collections.

I really believe you have to intentional with your 

daily Gratitude

and 

focus on all the good.

My black and whites are all kept nice and tidy in the grey room.

I also have a rack in there where I can pull outfits together 

for the week.

I am ever so grateful

that it really feels 

like we are once again 

getting our life in order.

I think a little fluffing the nest

can really freshen up your spaces

and

add in daily joy and beauty.

I am also getting so excited for 

the upcoming wedding in July!

When my youngest son Hunter will marry the love of his life.

Lots of beautiful memories to be made!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life