Five things on Friday.

Happy Friday, friends. 

Here are few things I've been thinking about this week: 

1. I got a Stitch Fix today. 

This one was extra special because it included elephants and was styled by sweet friend Andrea. 

Seeing as how my work wardrobe consists of t-shirts (one of my many job perks), it's fun to pick up a piece here and there that I LOVE. 

2. Libby is about to be eleven. I can't handle it. I'm not ready. Somebody hold me. 

3. Hollyn is seriously rocking this whole kindergarten thing. 

It's been the most natural transition for her, and the girl hasn't missed a beat, even with missing three days two weeks ago to have a second set of tubes put it and her adenoids removed. 

4. Our new house-- to put it mildly, WE ARE LOVING IT. 

You know when a house just fits your family? That's how I feel about this one. Throw in the fenced backyard and awesome neighbors (including FOUR other kindergarten kiddos-- how does that even happy?!?), and I'd say this is just about as good as it gets. 

5. I finally finished Gilmore Girls. 

*Insert a moment of silence.*

Loved it and will probably start rewatching it after Labor Day. 

Yes, I'm serious. 

Here's hoping you have big weekend plans. 

Lee and I are hitting the road to do a little post-birthday, no kids allowed celebrating. 

Stitch Fix October: My Seventh Fix and What Happened to Fix #6

Oh. My. Stars. 

Things have been crazy lately. 

Crazy in a good way for the most part, but crazy nonetheless. 

I'm loving Hollyn being in pre-school until noon every day. 

She has so much fun and is learning all kinds of new things (girl can write her name like a champ), and I'm able to work on Noonday and adoption without feeling the guilt of not engaging her every minute. It's a wonderful win-win for us, especially with the Holiday shopping season and our homestudy renewal both in full-on go mode. 

But, let's pause from all that for a minute to chat about Stitch Fix. 

First things first, have you heard about Stitch Fix? 

Stitch Fix is a site that pairs you with  your own personal stylist. 

You schedule a box to come to your door, insert your style likes and dislikes, and wait patiently (or not so patiently if you're like me) for your first five items to arrive at your door. 

There is a $20 styling fee, but if you keep even one item, that $20 is applied to your total.
Don't like anything? No problem. Just send all five items back in the prepaid envelope. 

Love it all? Keep it and take 25% off of your total. 

They do NOT pay me to write these posts; I just do that because it's fun and sometimes brings referral credit my way, which I think we can all agree is wonderful.

So, if you do recall, Fix 4 was not my favorite. 

Fix 5 was redeeming and won me over with that super cute top. 

And then came Fix 6-- it was awful. 

Totally not my style, so much to the point that I  didn't even take pics and possible said things like 'Please do better next time or peace out' in my review. 

That brings us to Fix 7: 

I was happy to have Jinnah as my stylist again. 

I think we're really starting to get somewhere. 

That has to be hard, you know-- picking out clothes for someone you've never met or even seen in real life. 

But, Jinnah did really well this fix, and EVERYTHING has fit like a dream-- how they manage that is beyond me, but I'm certainly not complaining. 

Item #1: MYSTREE BRAND Finna Quilted Jacket  {$78}

I have to admit that when I saw the words 'quilted jacket' on my account, I was a little skeptical. 

Not usually a fan of the quilting, but I think this piece is so cute! 

It fit really well, looked super cute left open, and was very comfortable and well-made. 

Unfortunately, I have a solid jacket that is very similar to this and couldn't justify keeping it. 

I may or may not still be somewhat sad about this. 

Item #2: SKIES ARE BLUE BRAND Praxton Detail Split Neck Blouse {$48}

I think this top is really classy. 

It fits great and will be perfect with jeans or dressy black pants or a skirt for church. 

I also have nothing like this in my closet and think this piece is great for three of the four seasons because of the color. 

Status: Kept and planning to wear it to church this coming Sunday. 

Item #3: MAVI BRAND Freida Ankle Length Skinny Jeans {$118}

I actually suggested that Stitch Fix send me some ankle length jeans because ankle length for the rest of the world is just about perfect on my five feet even self. 

This fit perfectly, were really soft, and were the perfect length. 

However, I just kept a pair of black pants in Fix 5, so these went back. 

Item #4: LEVEL 99 BRAND Rik Cropped Ankle Zip Skinny Jean {$128}

These were hands down the most comfortable, soft jeans I have ever put on my body. 

However, I recently bought a pair on crazy big sale at the Gap and can't get past the zipper. 

I think that's a really cute look on tall, skinny people. 

I, however, am neither of those things. 

So back these went. 

Item #5: SWEET RAIN Toma Floral Print Short-Sleeve Blouse {$44}

I think this blouse is adorable. 

Love how feminine it is and don't own anything floral, so this one was a keeper. 

A FEW THOUGHTS: 

Stitch Fix is fun. 

I love getting mail and trying on new clothes in my own home with my own shoes, jeans, and accessories. 

I look forward to getting the boxes-- it kind makes it feel like Christmas once or twice a month. 

If I keep an item or find a new style I'd like to try, that's great too. 

I would HIGHLY recommend you try it. 

It's great for the busy mom who don't want the drama that is a toddler in a dressing room or for the woman who is trying to find some new, fun pieces that stretch her current style, or for the girl like me who lives over an hour away from the nearest mall. 

Welcome to life in small town Mississippi. 

Can I also say that a Stitch Fix gift card is at the top of my Christmas list? 

Because it is. 

Stitch Fix July and August: My Fourth and Fifth Fixes

First things first, have you heard about Stitch Fix? 

Stitch Fix is a site that pairs you with  your own personal stylist. 

You schedule a box to come to your door, insert your style likes and dislikes, and wait patiently (or not so patiently if you're like me) for your first five items to arrive at your door. 

There is a $20 styling fee, but if you keep even one item, that $20 is applied to your total.
Don't like anything? No problem. Just send all five items back in the prepaid envelope. 

Love it all? Keep it and take 25% off of your total. 

Okay, so now that we've covered the bases, let's cover the fixes, as in fix 4 and fix 5. 

Confession:  I didn't love fix 4. In fact, I almost didn't post it with you. 

I was in a funk the day we took these pics, and I'm just not loving them. 

But, for the sake of being transparent with you, I'm sharing them nonetheless. 

For this fix, I was pretty vague in my requests. 

I'm usually pretty specific, directing my stylist in terms of what I'm hoping for. 

But, since this was my fourth fix, I felt like they had a pretty good handle on my style and wanted to give them a little more freedom, so I just told them I was really digging the Boho look and loving all things Anthropologie (I mean, aren't we all?). 

Let's see what Katie, my stylist for this fix, came up with:

Item #1: PIXLEY brand Indianan Chevron Print Mixed Material Tee {$44}

So I really do like this shirt. 

It's cute and fun and fits well. 

However, you may recall that they sent me almost an identical top in my second fix. 

So, while I really did like this one, I just didn't feel like I needed two of them, you know? 

So, this one went back.  

Item #2: TART brand Noell 3/4 Sleeve French Terry Shift Dress {$88}

I liked the colors and stripes on this one, but I felt like it was too short and unflattering. 

The cut of the arms was off....and so was the price. 

While I didn't hate this one, I didn't like it nearly enough to keep it. 

Needless to say, this one went back.

Item #3: RENEE C brand Rosenberg Dip-Dye Cross-Front Top {$54}

This was another I didn't hate. 

I liked fit and felt like it was flattering for the most part. 

I loved the sleeve length (we all know that 3/4 sleeves are my all-time favorite). 

It was very soft and obviously very well made. 

Unfortunately, I just wasn't a fan of the tie-dye look, 

and I just couldn't say for sure that this would be a piece I'd gravitate towards in my closet. 

Unfortunately, this one went back as well. 

Item #4: JUST BLACK brand Dean Ankle Zip Skinny Jean {$78}

Stitch Fix, enough with the ankle zip. 

Please no. 

And white jeans? 

This mom doesn't think so....neither do my thighs, 

which would barely fit into these suckers. 

Back they went. 

Item #5: LA MADE brand Lou Striped Hi-Lo Dress {$138}

A few things to mention about this one:

1. Try not to be jealous of my killer tan; I know it's a bit intimidating. 

2. I did mention in my note to my stylist for this fix that I'd like to try something hi-lo, so I was excited to see this one in my box.

Now about this dress---

the bottom line is twenty pounds ago, I would have loved it. 

However, this curvy post-baby body of mine is just not rocking it. 

It was super comfortable and the cut was great,

 it was just a little too clingy around my mid-section for me to commit to it. 

Do I even need to tell you that I sent this one back too? 

Because I did. 

Overall thoughts? 

This fix just wasn't my favorite. 

While it was good in theory, the prints and cuts just weren't working for me. 

There's no denying that the pieces were all very well-made and would work great for someone else. This is the first fix where I've sent everything back, which means I lost my $20 styling fee that is normally deducted from your total when you check out.

 Can we all agree that that's not cool? 

However, since Stitch Fix credit is the only way I shop these days, 

I just couldn't justify applying it to something I didn't love, didn't feel comfortable in,

 and wouldn't wear often.

However, I still believe in Stitch Fix and made a few changes when requesting fix #5. 

For the fix, I took a totally different approach when writing my notes to my stylist. 

For this one, I requested five specific items I've seen on other people's blogs or Instagram: 

Fit and flare dress 

Embroidered top (I actually requested just anything embroidered, but I secretly had this top in mind)

Floral top 

White top 

Black pants 

I made sure to tell my stylist that while I'd love for her to actually include these specific items in my fix, this was really more of a generalization of what my ideal fix would look like. 

I also requested Jinnah to style this fix. 

I'd heard that you can request certain stylist, and I loved the fix she put together for me in June, so I decided to request her and just see what happens. 

Well, it was an ask and you shall receive kind of fix, complete with Jinnah as my stylist. 

Here's what she put together for me: 

Item #1: RENEE C brand Magdalena 3/4 Sleeve Elastic Waist Print Dress {$68}

This dress was light and airy, had a fully lined skirt, and fit great. 

I just didn't love the print. 

Call me picky if you will, but I only buy things I LOVE, whether I'm paying via credit or not.

And this was just a little too busy for my simple style. 

This one is headed back to Stitch Fix. 

Item #2: COLLECTIVE CONCEPTS Denova Mixed Material Floral Print Blouse {$44}

Look familiar? 

It's the exact blouse I requested. 

Just like I thought, I loved the fit and cut of the one. 

Loved the soft, jersey sleeves. 

BUT, I didn't realize in the other picture that this top has a metallic sheen to it that I just couldn't embrace. 

So, while I'm glad I tried this one on and would love to get something like it in a future fix, I sent this one back too. 

Item #3: RD STYLE brand Analisa Twisted Seam Mixed Knit Sweater {$68}

Can I get some bonus points for trying this sweater on yesterday in the sweltering heat that is Mississippi in August? 

Liked the print. 

Like the cut of the front. 

Just found it a little too bulky for my body.

This one went back as well. 

Have you given up hope yet? 

Well, don't. 

I actually loved these next two pieces. 

Item #4: MARKET AND SPRUCE BRAND Xander Short Sleeve Woven Back Sweatshirt {$54}

Item #5: KUT FROM THE KLOTH Danny 5-Pocket Knit Pants {$68}

These are in fact, the exact black pants I requested, and I love them. 

While I realize you can't see too much of them here, trust me when I say they're about as good as pants can get. They have the cut of jeans and feel like leggings. 

Yes, please. 

These are staying with me. 

And this top? 

LOVE IT. 

I was a little skeptical when I peeked at my receipt before my box came and saw the word 'sweatshirt', but it's all kinds of comfortable, feminine, and fun. 

This one is mine. 

Like I've said before, I'm not so much looking for a fix with five things I can't live without. 

If I can get just one or two items I love in each box, I'm a happy girl. 

These two items made this fix well worth it, and I still have some credit to spend thanks to those of you who have signed on using my referral link. 

THANK YOU BEYOND THANK YOU for that, by the way!

And if you've blogged about your fix, please share a link in the comments. 

I'd love to take a look at your post!

Overall thoughts? 

Jinnah is where it's at for me, so I've requested her again for my next fix. 

I look forward to my fixes and really love trying things on at home. 

I've already scheduled my next fix, and can't wait to see what Jinnah (hopefully) picks out!

And if you made it to the end of this post, a high five is headed your way.

 Way to hang in there, buddy.  

Stitch Fix July: My Third Fix

This week has been busy. 

Like crazy busy. 

Like stay awake until 3:30 this morning and still not get it all done kind of busy. 

But, I'm taking a break from busy for a few minutes to share my latest Stitch Fix with you. 

It's what friends do, right? 

Not sure what Stitch Fix is? 

No problem. 

 Stitch Fix is a site that pairs you with  your own personal stylist. 

You schedule a box to come to your door, insert your style likes and dislikes, and wait patiently (or not so patiently if you're like me) for your first five items to arrive at your door. 

There is a $20 styling fee, but if you keep even one item, that $20 is applied to your total.
Don't like anything? No problem. Just send all five items back in the prepaid envelope. 

Love it all? Keep it and take 25% off of your total. 

So far, I've gotten three fixes, kept five pieces, and paid a grand total of $0.00. 

(You can see my first fix here and my second fix here). 

Yes, you read that correctly. 

My precious mama sent some Stitch Fix credit my way. 

I got my first fix, loved it, and blogged it. 

And then, you know what? 

People started signing up through my link. 

And each time someone signs up through my link, I get $25 when their first fix ships. 

The cool part? 

YOU can earn credit too!

Just sign up, schedule your first fix, and start sharing with your friends. 

So, no, Stitch Fix does not ask me to write these posts, 

nor do they pay me (although that would be fun). 

However, I do hope that my Stitch posts help you better understand the concept of a personal stylist in a box on your doorstep. 

For me, style is something I've really struggled with since having children.

I knew who I was in college. 

I had a definite style. 

And then had babies, and the college body I called my own was no more. 

I felt like I was too young to continue shopping in the places I shopped pre-baby, 

but I didn't feel old ENOUGH to shop at other places. 

Also, the size 2-4 body I was accustomed to? 

If you see it let me know because I've been looking for it since Libby was born.

 For the record, she's nine now.

 So yeah, there's that. 

For several years, I felt like I had a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. 

Can anyone relate to that? 

There were just so few things that I felt comfortable and confident in. 

Getting dressed was a challenge, and I don't know about you, but there are so many things I'd rather spend my time doing other than crying because I can't seem to get dressed without some sort of clothing drama. 

While feeling like a five foot tall toddler having a meltdown was fun and all, 

I'm so thankful that I'm FINALLY getting somewhere in the style department. 

And now, at age thirty-four, I am FINALLY finding my style. 

And Stitch Fix is seriously helping.

Let's see what they brought my way this week, shall we? 

Okay, so for this fix I told my stylist that it's hotter than the blazes here in Mississippi, 

so please nothing too hot or heavy. 

I also asked for some pants (always on the hunt for those. It's hard being short sometimes.) 

and another dress. 

And she delivered. 

The personal note in my box is one of my favorite parts of this process. 

I love hearing why my stylist picked what she picked. 

Item #1: UNDER SKIES brand Joya Floral Print Split Neck Tab Sleeve Blouse {$38}

There were several things I loved about this piece. 

Love the way it fits. 

Love the neckline. 

Love how breezy it was. 

Wasn't sure about the print and colors. 

I wanted to keep this one but just couldn't quite get past the pastel tones enough to commit to it and wasn't sure I'd really wear it. Also, I've kept a tab sleeve blouse from both of my previous fixes, and I want to save my credit for something I think I'd get a little more wear out of this Summer and in the early Fall.

Item #2: 41Hawthorn brand Anabelle 3/4 Abstract Chevron Belted Dress {$88}

Ok, so I didn't try this piece on for you...or the next two pieces. 

It was for your own benefit, trust me. 

This dress just wasn't doing anything for covering up all of my parts. 

However, I saw a picture of it on a girl who wasn't quite so....ummmmm.....full up top, and it was adorable on her. 

I like the print on this one, love the sleeve length (elbow length sleeves are my all-time favorite), and green is my favorite color. 

I just think someone at Stitch Fix underestimate the size of my......well, you know. 

Item #3: JUST BLACK brand Dean Ankle Zip Skinny Jeans {$78}

Again, I didn't try these on for you. 

They fit; it's just not pretty. 

I honestly thought these weren't going to go on, and I was even more concerned about getting them off. 

The word 'skinny' in the description-- apparently they are pretty darn serious about that. 

And the ankle zippers? 

Why must we go back there? 

Needless to say, while these were obviously very well made and soft as butter, they were a no-go for me and all of my thighs. 

Item #4: 41HAWTHORN brand Wrenn V-Neck Jersey Top {$48}

Remember that newfound style of mine I was just referring to? 

Well, 'clingy' isn't invited to that party, and neither is this shirt. 

It just did nothing for me and hugged me in all the wrong places. 

It was soft and could be a pretty versatile piece for the right girl. 

I'm just not her. 

 Item #5: COLLECTIVE CONCEPTS brand McKinley Abstract Printed Short Sleeve Blouse {$68}

Spoiler alert: I KEPT THIS TOP. 

In fact, this may be my very favorite top ever in the history of ever. 

It is literally the most comfortable thing I own. 

This top makes me want to find and excuse to get dressed and go somewhere and do something fun. 

So, while the rest of this fix may not have been rocking the free world, this top made me want to schedule my next fix ASAP. 

I'd rather get one piece I absolutely LOVE and can't wait to wear in each fix than get several pieces I like but won't want to wear very often.

OVERALL THOUGHTS? 

While this box may not have been perfect, they were certainly on the right track, and there were definitely things I liked about each of the pieces. 

I was honest and thorough in my feedback (I think that's key), and for my next fix I focused on directing my stylist to what stores and styles I'm loving now rather than requesting certain types of clothing. We'll see if that brings about good results when my next fix arrives at the end of July. 

Wanna join in on the fun? 

Yay!

I'd love to refer you. 

Simply follow this link to sign up. 

And let me know if you have any questions. 

I'll be watching the comments and will answer any questions there in case others have the same thoughts or concerns. 

And, just for the record, the photos in this post were taken in my backyard by my husband while I tried not to sweat buckets and get carried away by the mosquitoes. They may or may not have been the size of small birds. Yes, I'm serious. I felt like a buffet. The things we do for the sake of fashion.