Corduroys and Sweater Vests...

I love the change of season...and I'm going to admit something really shallow...one of the main reasons is because I buy new clothes.  I have this picture of my little boys sitting on the table next to my computer.  I love this picture so much that it hurts.  I remember this day vividly.  We were going to church.  It was Fall. My sister-in-law was working for The Gap, and we had picked out their new fall church outfits from there.  Corduroys, sweater vests...ugh...I just love it.  After church we were going to a long-time family friend's home and fair in Western Massachusetts.  We brought home oodles of apples from their trees, from which I made applesauce the following week. We enjoyed a hay-ride and watched the tractor pull.

I wish I didn't love clothes so much. I've always loved shopping, planning out outfits, mixing and matching. Really, the picture of the boys was about their new clothes. I just thought they were so cute.  But what I remember now, was not so much their outfits, but about the day.  About my active, silly, loving, innocent, wide-eyed, rough-housing sweet little boys and our young family being together.  I love the lessons that we can learn from reflection.  When you're older...you have more memories to reflect on, and so that is my Sweet Fringe Benefit today.  

I need to remember its not about what you wear, but about what you've done with the day. I like to think that I'm more productive if I'm dressed and ready to go.  Truth is...I do most of my house tidying in my workout clothes.  Yard work gets done in workout clothes.  True productivity happens in grubbies.  But when the physical work is done, a quick shower and great outfit helps me move forward with the day.

I feel a little sheepish describing my outfit today.  It's really about the people I interact with, the service that is rendered, the knowledge that is gleaned each day. Not how I look.  But again, in my experience, I have to feel good about myself in order to reach out to others. Yes, as usual, it's all about me (nod, nod, wink wink).

CAbi blush boiled wool sweater, Loft burgandy blouse, Joe Fresh Houndstooth Corduroys, Banana Republic Statement Necklace, Frye Shooties.  The boiled wool sweater from CAbi is new.  It's a cold-feels-like-winter kind of today in Tennessee, and the old New Englander in me is trying not to turn the heat on.  The sweater is toasty warm, but flowy and comfortable.  

Someday I will figure out how to make my love for shopping, planning out outfits, mixing and matching in to a business.  But I need to remember the events of the day...more than the outfit of the day.  Lessons to learn.

Nanette