Pattern Play for Memorial Day: The Past and Present in Pictures

Dress: Sonoma, Kohl's; Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

The old but still awesome (to me, anyway) Happy B-Day USA Barrette Brooch.  Because July is just a gelati away. 😏

Cherry barrettes: SHEIN; Bow: Carole, JCPenney

Bow bangle: Holiday Lane, Macy's; Red bracelet: Guess, Macy's; Ring: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Flag necklace: Michaels

Bag: Betsey Johnson

Sandals: Katy Perry Collection, Zulily

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Michaels

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Cherries from another time on one of the husband's timeless cutting boards.

Dress: So, Kohl's; Bag: Simply Vera, Kohl's

More Michaels.

Anchor necklace: Charming Charlie

BAND-AIDS and case: Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Modcloth

Sneakers: So, Kohl's

Top: Amazon

When I got pregnant, I said that I would never wear a body-con, i.e. tight, maternity dress that ostentatiously showcased my bump.  For me, it would be tasteful A-lines all the way.  And for the first eight months, it was.  But then I saw a form-fitting, blue-and-white-striped maternity T-shirt dress in (where else?) Kohl's, and all my carefully constructed resolve went out the window.  What can I say?  My wardrobe options were dwindling, and it would be nice to have something new to wear for Memorial Day.  So I got it.  I topped it with a red floral blouse I already had (also from Kohl's) and wore it to yesterday's family BBQ.  And everyone was like, oh, you look pregnant now!  In a nice way.  Because I do.  No shame in this bump game.

Then today it was off to Michaels to buy a photo album for the hundred plus prints I ordered from Shutterfly.  During one of my baby prep classes, the instructor told us how one woman brought horse posters and horse-shaped string lights to the delivery room because she and her husband ran a ranch, and horses were it for them.  (She also told us to buy a birthing ball from Dick's because Dick's has the best balls; I'm still proud of myself for not laughing.)  Naturally, I thought about what might be comforting for me to see when my time comes, and the answer was obvious: color.  Lots and lots of color, as captured in the pics I took for this blog.  So last Sunday, I went back through the years, picked the best ones, and made my order.  They arrived Saturday, and I love them. 

Lastly, I guess I should mention the BAND-AIDS.  As in, what's a pic of them doing here?  I got the case for free at Target a couple of months ago while stocking up on bandages for my glucose monitoring.  The design had such a groovy, '70s lifeguard vibe that I took a pic to post for the unofficial first day of summer.

So that's Memorial Day -- the maternity way -- in a nutshell.  

Specifically an almond shell, as almonds now make up most of my diet.  

This is Your (Beach) Life

Elin Hilderbrand's The Five-Star Weekend had been sitting on my bookshelf (horizontally, as all my as-of-yet-unread books do), since Christmas.  It's Hilderbrand's second-to-last novel, and I wanted to savor it.  Kind of like how you "savor" a box of salt water taffy by hiding it in your pantry for months and then plowing through it all in one sitting.  Because that's what happened once I finally cracked Weekend.  I couldn't put it down until I'd greedily gobbled the last lobster roll, swim, and sunset.

Newly widowed Nantucket influencer Hollis Shaw is looking for a way to break free from her funk.  So when she hears about something called the "Five-Star Weekend," she's game.  The idea is to invite one friend from each decade of her life: her teens, '20s, '30s, and midlife (in her case, '50s).  So that's what she does, even though her relationships with these women are shaky.  She's semi-estranged from one, two are enemies of each other's, and one she met only online.  What ensues is three days of fabulous food, fashion, and --of course -- fireworks.  

My favorite thing about Hilderbrand's books is how she gets inside her characters' heads.  I always feel like I know them, flaws and all, making me care what happens.  It was the same with The Five-Star Weekend.  As the online outlier put it:

' "The thing I love best about reading fiction is that it gives you a way to connect the experiences of your own life to the larger world." '

Precisely.       

I guess wisdom can come from Internet weirdos. 😏

Pink Lemonade Parade: Markers and Muumuus

Tunic: Cool Melon, Zulily; Kimono: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

The yellow rose of Jersey.

Dress: Nine West, Kohl's

'80s-rific Sharpies I found in my office.

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Cowgirl clip: Wild Fable, Target

Big necklace and bow bangle and choker: Simply Vera, Kohl's; Fringe bangle and barrette: INC, Macy's; Collar clip: Hobby Lobby

Vest: Lisa Frank for XOXO, Macy's

Dr. Brown's has come to town.

Kimono: Love by Design, JCPenney; Bag: Elly & Ella, Zulily

It seems that I've entered my muumuu era slightly ahead of schedule.  But June is just around the corner, and so is this baby.  My docs tell me that I'll be induced as early as June 6 on account of my oldness.  They should have a definite date for me later this week.  It's all happening. 

Until then, I'm living the Whac-A-Mole life of completing one baby prep job only to have five pop up in its place.  That and the paperwork of pregnancy, i.e., making calls and filling out forms to continue my benefits.  But I still make time to read, craft, and blog to block out the impending assault on my body.      

Because it takes a village to raise a mom.  And that village is a self care retreat.

Viva la Meutre Mystère: An American in Distress

I see London, I see France, I see some girl's underpants.

Well, not really.  But almost.

On that uncouth note, here goes my review of Leslie Meier's second-to-most-recent Lucy Stone mystery, Mother of the Bride Murder.  When Lucy hears that her oldest daughter is engaged to a wealthy Frenchman, she's over the moon and convinces the whole family to flock to France for the big day.  But once in croissant country, even the blissed-out mother-of-the-bride-to-be can't deny that there's something strange about Jean-Luc's family and their creepy chateau.  Then Lucy's grandson goes fishing and hooks the body of what looks like, well, a hooker.  The Stones become suspects faster than you can say sacré bleu, detained at the chateau with nothing to do but try to figure out whodunit.

Over the years, I've noticed that Meier has a knack for stripping accounts of glam getaways to their grim guts, and Mother of the Bride Murder is no different.  It echoes and even references the unfortunate events of her French Pastry Murder, serving as a not-so-subtle reminder that international travel isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Then again, neither is marrying a dude who puts the "harm" in "prince charming."

Mother's Day Replay

These days, it takes me a little longer to do everything.  But I couldn't let Mother's Day pass without commemorating it with a post.  Especially because it was technically the first one with my mom and me and baby girl -- albeit in utero.  It's hard to believe that this time next year I'll have a nearly one-year-old.  And that I'll know what people mean when they say stuff like, "Until you have a child . . ."

So, Mom, thanks so much for having me.  And for being here for my own mom journey.

And also for promising to bake me a cake once baby girl arrives.

I really miss cake. 

Shower Hour

Dress: kimi + kai, Belk's

My sister and me.

Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Bunny: Michaels

Bag: Madden Girl, Macy's

Blouse: Bongo, Sears

Big bow barrette (belt): Kohl's

Mommy and me.

Why not kick off Mother's Day weekend with the baby shower that my mom threw me last weekend?  It wasn't a surprise -- which was what I wanted -- and was held at my cousin's restaurant, the Maplewood III.  Everything was beautiful.  My mom outdid herself with the decorations, as did my cousin with the food.  Most importantly, opening all those bottles, onesies, and teethers made me realize that a tiny new person will come to live with the husband and me very soon.     

Even as I write this, I can feel baby girl kick.  All of my doctors say that she's "a very busy baby," and one even asked if I'd had caffeine!  (Just for the record, I hadn't.)  It's amazing to think that she's got her own little life going on in there.  Even if I'm a little worried that I won't be able to keep up with her once she comes out.

That said, I know I went overboard with these pics.  But I couldn't decide.  Because the ones at home are all perfect and posed, whereas the ones at the shower are more natural, right down to my outfit unraveling.  Yet all of them are part of my story.  Because as with most things in life, the truth -- and the true me -- fall somewhere in the middle.     

This is the kind of corny kernel that baby girl can expect to hear regularly.  All I can say is, kid, get used to it. 😏🎀👶

The Amore Way: Love, Italian Style

When I settled in with Jill Santopolo's Stars in an Italian Sky, I knew it would be wonderful.  I'd enjoyed her haunting The Light We Lost and her moving More Than Words, so her latest, which is historical fiction, was bound to be just as heartfelt.  And it was.  Perhaps even more so.

When Vincenzo walks into Giovanna's father's tailor shop, Italy is still recovering from World War II.  But Vincenzo and Giovanna see only each other.  Even if Vincenzo belongs to a nobility losing its hold on an increasingly democratic Genoa, and Giovanna is just a shopkeeper's daughter.  Their attraction is so strong that not even Giovanna's sister's warnings can keep them apart, and soon Vincenzo, a talented but frustrated artist, arranges to meet with Giovanna in secret to paint her.  

Meanwhile, in modern-day New York City, another passionate couple grapples with family tension.  Cassandra and Luca are newly engaged but have different dreams when it comes to their wedding.  Then something happens to further complicate things, making them question whether they're destined or doomed.

Embroidered with a whimsical wardrobe (not only is Giovanna a dressmaker, but Cass is a fashion exec), Stars in an Italian Sky is a love letter to love and family and how the latter binds (and, yes, sometimes constricts), even as it endures through the decades.  Nostalgic and bittersweet, it celebrates the best things in life -- as well as the risks that make it worth living.   

New to View: Familiarity Breeds Content

Cardigan: So, Kohl's; Tee and jeans: Sonoma, Kohl's

Cherry Lightning Necklace

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Hair clips: So, Kohl's

Shoes: Cherish, Zulily

Toadstools and Tulips Necklace

Bag: INC, Macy's

Hat: Amazon

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW; Socks: Xhilaration, Target

Dress: Nine West, Kohl's

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Cressida Crescent Necklace

Sweater: Poof, Marshalls; Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Starry Light Earrings

Medallion necklace: Banana Republic; Pendant: Nine West, Kohl's; Sunglasses: Party City

Headband: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and maybe with most things that's true.  Like people who start out as fun but end up shredding your nerves into razor-thin cheddar.  But when it comes to other things, putting the same-old on repeat is a comfort.  Which is one of the reasons I wore my Easter hat again.  And also why I love reruns.

Whether I'm testing my glucose, walking in place, or editing pics, it's reassuring to have The Golden Girls, Friends, or The Office humming in the background.  Partly because I already know what's going to happen.  Partly because no matter how complicated a fix Rose, Ross, or Michael get into, in the end, they make it through okay.  But also, paradoxically, because every time I see an old episode, I learn something new.

It's funny how something as "dumb" as TV can give you much-needed perspective.  

Kind of like how a ridiculous hat can help keep your head on straight.