So, before I left for Ethiopia, I told you about my new skirt from Fresh Produce.
And now that I'm home and have washed the grime off, Brent and I went out back, in gale force winds, to take pictures of me with jet lag, in my new skirt.
Me, in a jersey tiered skirt
jersey tiered skirt, in pebble
it just makes you want to dip your toes in a waterfall...
work it, work it
new skirts cause euphoria!
even wild animals will like you in a new skirt!
For perspective, here's me in an old skirt:
Do I look even remotely "fresh?"
I'm kidding. I live in skirts, so I should be able to give a valid opinion on this one. And here it is: This skirt is 100% cotton and made in the USA. As opposed to my other tiered skirt that is 100% poly and made in Vietnam. My new skirt is cool and goes with everything. My old skirt is hot. Yes it also goes with everything, but it is looking old and raggedy. My new skirt I can't wear in Ethiopia because it is too short....but I believe Fresh Produce has some long ones, should I decide to go back in the near future.
If I were buying, I would buy it in the grey color they advertise it in. I thought that might be what "pebble" was. I was wrong. If you buy it and you buy "pebble," know that your candy cane striped panties will show through. I dig the light tan pebble. I just also want one in grey. When I ordered this skirt, I ordered a medium. It fit for three days of wear. Then I washed it. And went to Ethiopia. And barfed up six pounds of belly fat. I think I will order they grey in a small. I'm not sure if wear/wear/wear/wash made the difference or the weight loss did. A medium fit perfectly based on their size charts and my weight at the time. But if you are on the border of two sizes.....I dunno, maybe size down. In the skirt, anyway. It's stretchy.
My vote: Fresh Produce clothes jersey tiered skirts are pretty rad. And I want more.
Not a skirt wearer? Fresh Produce has other stuff, too. I like the BFF top.
I'm joining Jules in her Friday Everyday Things where we remember a simple thing that makes our life sweeter.
I know it isn't all about food, but for today, mine will be. For about a week I've quit shuddering at the cost of produce and just bought pretty much anything that grows that my children have asked for so "fresh" produce abounds (my parents with their garden are laughing right now). Today I munched on bing cherries that cost more than gold and I enjoyed every bite.
I've also been reading about the superfoods (of which dark chocolate is one) so I've tried to eat more of those. I grabbed a dark chocolate and popped it in my mouth. Before I had the chance to swallow I was practically gagging. It was so sweet and rich. After my light sweet snacks of fresh fruit all week it was just too much.
So while I might be thankful for chocolate in January, today I'm thankful for cherries. And for the wonderful people who pick them, package them and ship them to my store.
My sister emailed me last night and asked, "How am I supposed to know what's going on if you don't update your blog? Are you excited? Or just overwhelmed?"
Yes.
Frankly, you would not even believe the week we're having. For those people who've been to World's of Fun in Kansas City, picture the Mamba. And then picture it with only that really big arc, over and over. There's your clue.
For the rest of you.....rollercoaster. A big one. Which, incidentally, means the highs are really high. Unfortunately, the lows keep coming.
Let's just say.....taxes. Potential sale of a company. Picking up a new child. Dirty house. Traveling husband. Adolescent children. Fear of the unknown. Lost money. Credit card max outs. And God arriving on the scene at just the right time, because, of course, He was never gone in the first place. In addition to the camp physicals, 3rd grade programs, orthodontia appointments and random 30 mile trips to Wal-mart (I know, I'm not even going to talk about it right now.) that are my typical existence.
And on that note: new topic. Fresh Produce clothing.
I got an email a couple weeks ago asking me to review an item of my choice and the skeptic in me said, yeah right. I get asked to read books for my blog. No one offers me clothes. Except, lo and behold, my new favorite skirt showed up in the mail on Tuesday and it has been on my body ever since. And I'm not just saying that because someone offered me free clothes. It is seriously my new favorite item. It is not the color I expected. It is shorter than I expected. But it goes with everything. I'll tell you more about it in a new post, either tonight or tomorrow because they obviously want me to linky it up. But it was a decent segue into my real topic of the day.
Actually, no it isn't. I thought it was because my brain works like that these days, but you might not get the connection. Anyhoo....
Ethiopia.
I am dreading the flight. I'm dreading the black boogers. I'm dreading communicating with my non-English speaking child. I'm dreading going back without my friends. I'm dreading brushing my teeth with bottled water.
But let me tell you what I'm not dreading.
Wearing two skirts and one pair of shoes for a week. Not wearing make-up or doing my hair. Springing my kid out of there. Exorbitantly tipping the coffee man. Over paying the street vendor. Bringing shoes for my Ethiopian friends. I'm not dreading handing out 100 dresses to little girls who have never had a clothing choice in their lives and 75 shirts to little boys who have never owned anything without a hole.
I'm looking forward to practicing generosity and lowering my expectations.
Ethiopia wears off over time. Unimportant things seem important again. And I'm ready for my crash course in "we have it so good."
