(Photo by Simone Anne, via Death to the Stock Photo.)
This time of year always finds me a little uninspired. I think it’s that normal post-holiday slump, plus the weather has been especially awful these past few weeks. I’m a Texas girl, so sunshine keeps me going, and without it, I can feel a bit down. When I taught middle school, our principal would remind us that February was the lowest point in teacher morale, but that things got better from there. I think I just need to get over this winter hump and I’ll be feeling better soon. Here’s to warm spring sunshine and fields of wildflowers!
This weekend, I didn’t do much blog work at all. No photo shoots or research. I think the break is good, and I’m trying to find new sources of inspiration, too. I guess this is a blogger version of my weekly links, but these are things I’m looking forward to soon.
Raven and Lily’s new spring collection is out today, and I’ve seen a few snippets of it on Twitter. Here is the lookbook, which is lovely.
Passion Lilie’s new collection debuts March 1st, and their lookbook is also quite beautiful. Nothing like fair trade dresses to make me think of spring!
I really love this unique necklace from Oh My Clumsy Heart, and I’m hoping it’s back in stock very soon.
I’m almost halfway through Mockingjay, the third book in The Hunger Games series, and this fashion site is so much fun. It’s also incredibly well-done!
We signed up for our first delivery from Greenling, a local food service, and I’m excited to try the produce when it arrives on Wednesday. I hope to post about it soon.
I’ve got the entire fourth season of Downton Abbey on Amazon, so I’m actually ahead of the game when it comes to the Crawleys. I really wish Sherlock was longer (it’s so good!), but I’m hoping to catch Benedict Cumberbatch in August: Osage County soon. He even speaks in a southern accent.
The Winter Olympics start Thursday and I feel so conflicted. These are my favorite games, but I almost never watch live TV these days, due to my little guys and blogging, so I don’t know how much I’ll catch. Plus, the politics are especially awful this year, too. I might have to make due with recaps. Will you be watching?
The Oscars are March 2nd, and I’ve actually seen some of the nominated movies this year! Plus, there’s still time to see more.
I think that’s enough on my plate to keep me going until spring, and I’ll be sure to update when I find new inspiration. How are you getting through the winter?
(Snow on our sandbox.)
This week was really crazy, with the freezing weather and recovering from being sick. The boys were inside entirely too much, and we are all looking forward to warmer days ahead. This weekend should be brighter. Tonight is brew night, and then we’ll try to get outside a lot on Saturday and Sunday. Since we’re not football people, we might finally try the new In-and-Out Burger on Sunday evening, just for fun, because it won’t be crowded. Here are some things that caught my attention this week.
Our local school districts dropped the ball with weather-related cancellations this week.
The Burns Window Project, in honor of beloved Scottish poet, Robert Burns.
An amazing art installation featuring members of the New York City Ballet.
Brokeback Mountain is now an opera!
A stunning photography blog.
Debehams’ new catalog and some thoughts on its diversity.
Why Stephen Glass can’t become a lawyer in California.
Bigfoot was in San Antonio all along!
“Old Spice sprayed a man on my son!” I can’t stop watching this.
Have a fabulous weekend!
(Almost an inch of natural hair growing in. It’s not so bad.)
I can’t believe I’m posting a selfie collage, but I wanted to do a quick hair update as I’m growing out my grey hair. It’s been about two months since I last dyed my hair with dark brown color, and one month since I had my regular highlights applied. I’ve got about an inch of root growth now, and you can definitely see it. The grey is more evident in certain lighting, and to me, it’s still pretty subtle.
My original plan was to use highlights to mask the infamous “skunk line” as the new hair grows, but I’m rethinking that idea now. It seems really counterproductive to apply more color that I don’t want, only to watch it fade and grow out so quickly. I need to have a little talk with my stylist, but I really want to avoid more color as long as possible, grow out my hair naturally, and use deep conditioners and a clear glaze to add shine and moisture. One thing I’ve definitely noticed in this process, so far, is the dryness. I’m sure it’s partially due to the cold weather, but I’m not adding the layers of color now, which do contain moisturizing ingredients at my salon.
I’ve had great luck with coconut oil, and I can apply some as a deep conditioner in the shower, or use a little on wet hair as a smoothing and styling tool. I have to be careful, since I have oily skin, to avoid using too much oil, because it causes my roots to look oily as the day goes on. This is definitely a learning process, and I’ve already had to make some changes to my old hair routine.
The pictures above show my hair this week, and I normally wear it down, as shown on the left. It’s long enough now to pin back into what I lovingly call “The Pam Beasley,” and that was my signature hairstyle throughout the late 90s and early 2000s. In fact, I dressed just like her in my early teaching days, with knee-length skirts, button-up blouses, and sensible flats. It’s funny to me now, but my style has changed a lot since then, just like Pam’s did.
I’m so comfortable in my own skin these days, and I’m excited about this new hair adventure. Just last night, my mom asked me to “caramelize” my hair again, her phrase for my dark hair and caramel highlights. I told her I can’t, that my hair just grows it out a month later, and she asked if I’m just going to “let it go.” Yes, I guess I am. And it feels really good.
I’m not letting myself go, by any means, but I do find this process freeing, in so many ways. I’ve spent countless hours looking at pictures of grey haired women, and I’m excited to become one, too. In reality, I’m not letting my hair turn grey at all. It’s already there, and now it can shine through.
I’ll be sure to update from time to time on any changes I make, so stay tuned!
