Closet Overhaul Update

So it happened.  Well, it's still happening.  The start of the overhaul was shockingly easy and quick.  The above stack of clothes were in the toss/donate/sell pile within about 5 minutes because none of them passed the "Do you absolutely love it?" test.  That pile was about double in size by the end of the morning and all of those items marched off to a local consignment store yesterday.

Last night I went through my chest-of-drawers and weeded out ancient t-shirts, PJ/lounge pants, and other items that are in decent condition to be donated to the Goodwill.  A few things just went straight into the trashcan.  My project for tonight is to start the Herculean task of trying on all of my spring clothes that I got out of storage last weekend and giving them some tough lovin'.  And then my shoes...that's the part I'm dreading the most.

Still, it felt GREAT to drop off those big bags of stuff at the consignment store and I feel like I still have more brutal honesty in me to narrow down the ranks even more.

Then comes the fun part! Filling my closet with the clothes that I actually need/will wear/will be flattering on me {I'm using the term 'need' loosely here}.  The downside to all of that brutal honesty is that my closet looks like I've been robbed.  I am pared down to the basics and the items that I love and wear over and over again.  At least that's made it easy to identify what I need to purchase.  Right now, here's what that list looks like:

pencil skirts {especially in basic colors like khaki, black, and navy}

ankle-length/cropped pants {in all colors and a few fun prints}

long cardigans {in all colors}

button-front shirts {in all colors and patterns}

sleeveless shift dresses {in all colors and patterns}
work-appropriate jackets/blazers

several pairs pantyhose in a color very close to my skin tone

jeans {2-3 pairs}

fun blouses {work-to-weekend}

skinny belts

black pumps

black flats

nude pumps
play clothes {a.k.a. weekend wear}

Any one out there have favorite brands/styles of these items?  Petite readers: have you found any jeans that work for you?  Jeans are my enemy.  You can't have them hemmed more than a 1/2 inch because they don't taper or flare properly.  It seems like every pair of designer jeans I try on is made for tall ladiezz. Suggestions? I used to love shopping, but now I kind of get exhausted thinking about it.  Any help in narrowing down the selection would be tres helpful!

Hiking and Picnicking

Last Sunday was the first real spring day we've had, so we packed up the dogs and headed for the nearest state park.  It turns out that hiking with two extremely curious dogs makes for very full hands, so the above pictures were the only ones I managed to get. 

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But fortunately some people on the interwebs were kind enough to share their photos, so you can see how beautiful it was! We want to go back without the pups so we can tour that gorgeous historic home on the property.  That view made the burning I felt in my legs all day yesterday totally worth it.

We also packed a picnic, but we were too busy scarfing down our lunch to be bothered with pictures.  I made these sandwiches

{they were just OK}

and brought these chips {the best chips EVER and made not too far from where we live!}

{BBQ for him, Chesapeake Crab for her}

and packed it all up in this nifty picnic cooler set.  My mother-in-law gave us one of these Picnic Time Malibu coolers at one of my showers with our monogram on it.  We used it for the first time on Sunday and I'm kind of obsessed with it. It has everything you could ever need, including a handy compartment for wine bottles, plates, napkins, utensils, wine glasses, a cutting board, a cheese knife, and a bottle opener.  GENIUS. At the time, I wasn't sure we would ever use this, but now I'm dreaming up all the different picnic opportunities this baby will afford. Love it. 

It felt so great to be outdoors again and to do something active {read: something other than watch DVR'd reruns of 'The Americans'} on a Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait to go back again, especially since all this hiking will come in handy for quickly approaching bikini season!

Menu Monday

 A lot of good, not great, recipes graced our table last week.  Solid weeknight recipes that may or may not earn a repeat on our menu rotation.  

Spinach Manicotti in Creamy Tomato Sauce {Everyday Food December 2010}

This one will probably earn a second look.  It was relatively simple to make, although stuffing the shells is a huge pain.  The lemon was a wonderful addition to the filling, but I felt like it needed a little more flavor.  Maybe some garlic? It was a little bland.  But a great, filling Meatless Monday meal that was pretty inexpensive.  With some adjustments, I think this could become a standard.

Tex-Mex Pork {Cooking Light December 2010}

Meh. I had such high hopes for this meal and it did not live up to them at all.  All delicious ingredients but combined it was underwhelming.  Although M did enjoy the leftovers with some scrambled eggs the next morning.  All told, I didn't like this enough to make it again.

Fresh Salmon-Cilantro Burgers {Cooking Light May 2009}

Winner! We LOVED these burgers.  I would add a little more flavor to the burgers with some garlic and I would add jalapeño to the flavored mayo as well.  They would be good with some sliced avocado on top too.  Very easy to make, very minimal clean up, SO delicious!

Almond-Stuffed Chicken {Cooking Light March 2009}

Another meh. I thought this was going to be amazing and it just wasn't.  It wasn't bad; it just wasn't worth the work and the cost of Boursin.  We won't be having this again.  I'd much rather have the rollatini I posted from last week.

Bon appétit! 

The Great Closet Overhaul of 2013

source

One of the items on my 101 in 1,001 is to be able to better define my aesthetic in fashion.  In order to do that, I need to tackle another item on the list, which is to scrutinize the contents of my closet and donate, store, or toss the items I never wear.  To take it a step further, I also need to identify which looks work for me and which looks don't and I need to make a list of what clothing items I need to purchase.

As I mentioned yesterday, my wardrobe is in major need of an overhaul.  I'm a classic example of the first world problem of too many clothes and nothing to wear.  Here's my MO: I see something cute/trendy/on sale, I'm too lazy to try it on in the store so I buy it, try it on at home, it's not really that flattering but I never get around to returning it.  Or I try it on in the store and ignore the fact that it's not all that flattering because it was cute/trendy/on sale and buy it anyways. Then it hangs in my closet after one or two wears {in which I confirm that it is definitely not flattering} and taunts me.  Or {my worst habit} I buy work pants that need to be hemmed because I'm such a shorty and they never get to the tailors. Seriously, I currently have 5 {!!} pairs of pants that fit this definition, some of which were purchased 3 years ago.  {Here's where I hang my head in shame.}

I also have a hard time parting with my poor-decision purchases because I think, "Well, I spent the money on them, so I should keep them." Of course, this logic is ridiculous. The money is spent whether or not I keep the items in question.  So that brings us to today.  My goal for this weekend is to truly clean out my closets.  That means try on EVERYTHING.  Be brutally honest with myself about what looks good and what doesn't.  About what I love and what I don't.  About what I will ACTUALLY wear and what I won't.  There will be four piles: Keep.  Donate.  Toss.  Repair/Alter/Clean.

Then comes {for me anyways} the really hard part: following through.  I have to actually take the Donate pile to the Goodwill.  I have to bring myself to toss the clothes that are not fit to be donated.  And most important, I have to take those clothes in need of some TLC to their appropriate places by Memorial Day weekend.

I have to say I'm invigorated and excited just thinking about this.  I don't know what it feels like to open my closet door and not feel a lot of guilt because 90% of the items in there aren't being worn.  But I'm also majorly nervous because I'm a little afraid I won't be willing to be as harsh as I need to be.  Do you have any advice for me?  I know that for everyone of you who's a closet hoarder like me, there have got to me some expert closet editors out there!

I'll be back next week with the results...

Recent Purchases

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A couple of recent spring clothing purchases that I'm loving.  The bonus is that they're ALL on sale right now.  {The J.Crew skirt doesn't appear to be available online in my pretty green color anymore, but maybe you can find it at your local store?}

Any additions to your spring wardrobe that I should add to my list? My wardrobe needs an overhaul in the worst way!

Popcorn Monkey

We spent our Easter Sunday in Middleburg with my parents.  We had some time to kill before our brunch reservations at The French Hound, and we spotted a sign for a shop called Popcorn Monkey across the street from the restaurant. M and I have been to Middleburg many times and this was our first time spotting the new Popcorn Monkey store. What a discovery!

It's in the basement of an old house and the owner, who is so sweet and helpful, whips up fresh batches of popcorn in every flavor combination he can dream of.  We went home with salt and vinegar, wasabi, banana chocolate drizzle, Texas tornado, and a combination of ranch and buffalo wing.  I was partial to my wasabi, but the Texas tornado was the favorite of our group.  It tasted like a taco!

The good news is that Popcorn Monkey ships.  We've already got out online cart filled with new flavors to try {Loaded Potato and Dill} and another helping of Texas tornado.  I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the elusive Black Truffle flavor.

 For those of you with a sweet tooth, they have a chocolate peanut butter M&M mix that looks amazing, as well as kettle corn, chocolate-covered cherry, and cinnamon toast flavors.

I have a feeling we'll be making many more trips to Middleburg to hit up Popcorn Monkey. If you're in the area {especially you Northern VA and DC people}, you have to go by and try some!

Menu Monday

FINALLY getting a Menu Monday post up on an actual Monday! Victory!

Thai Chicken Pizza {Culinary Couple}

Why are you reading this?  You should be whipping this up for yourself RIGHT NOW. I know M was a little skeptical when he saw Thai chicken pizza on the menu and honestly, I was a little worried too.  That was ridiculous because this has now won a space on my favorite weeknight meals list.  It's that good. Go make it. FYI, I used my favorite crust recipe from Budget Bytes.  Her recipe says it makes 3 crusts, but it only makes 2 in my experience.

Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe {Everyday Italian}

I used the recipe that is in the Everyday Italian cookbook, so I'm not sure what's going on with the tomato sauce recipe here.  It's definitely not in the book.  I loved this with 2 caveats: you do NOT need 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  More like 1 tablespoon MAX. And 2 bunches of broccoli rabe would be fine, but it would make this recipe more of a broccoli rabe and sausage dish with a little pasta thrown in.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but what you see about was only with one bunch of broccoli rabe and it was plenty.  Made enough for excellent leftovers!

 Chicken Rollatini with Zucchini and Mozzarella {Skinnytaste}

Major yum.  We will definitely be having this again.  It came together much faster and easier than I thought it would and it was WAY more flavorful than I was expecting.  Also a major hit with M.  Two of these little guys apiece + a side salad was more than enough for dinner.

Potato Sourdough Bread {Southern Living 1995 Annual Recipes}

see last Friday's post for recipe

EHRMAHGAWSH. SO GOOD.  These two loaves came out of the oven around 5:30pm yesterday and half a loaf is already gone.  There is just nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread. My mom's tips: Only add 1/6 cup {eyeball half of a 1/3 cup} of sugar, otherwise it's far too sweet. Start out only adding 5 cups of flour; you can always add more, but you can't take it out.  I used about 5 1/3 cups + what I used to knead the bread {approx. another 1/3 cup}.  You don't HAVE to knead the bread, but you get more of a cake-texture without kneading. I would actually knead it a little more than the recipe calls for to get a true bread texture.  Honestly, I was surprised how simple this was to make.  I'm planning to make another two loaves this weekend and once I feel like I've mastered it, I'm going to attempt cinnamon bread!  Yummmmmmmmm.