Surprises in big and small

“Pick blogging back up? Make it a weekly update?” says I. “NO,” exclaim the hands of time, “you mustn’t dream silly dreams! Here, let me dump more than enough to keep you busy within a 24-hour period. Get used to it, this is your summer.”
So things get in the way from blogging, I get it. But I do miss keeping up with it on a regular basis. It gives me time to reflect, create, and invigorate. Days go by when I put outfits together that I really like, but there’s no time to snap pictures of them, I'm just going about my day (thinking I’ll remember to recreate it. PAH. Right.). Well, regardless… I will do what I can. Even if Darling Dentelle is resigned to few and far between posts.
As I mentioned, I have plenty to keep me busy during the remainder of this summer. I am taking two online classes which more or less consume my morning hours. It’s absolutely doable and I’m thrilled to complete them from home rather than in the classroom, but it requires devoting the proper amount of time. My evenings and Saturday afternoons are dedicated to rehearsing for the musical at the local arts center here in Manchester [this is the part where I boast and exalt my current theatrical endeavor in which I am currently involved]. I have been incredibly blessed to land the role as the Baker’s Wife in Sondheim’s Into the Woods, a musical/character I have been particularly fond of for the past couple of years. The moment I was offered the role as the Baker’s Wife figuratively kicked me in the chest, as it is an enormously huge deal to me. I felt fairly confident about my audition, but I had a hard time believing it when the cast list was formed nonetheless. It has been a beyond incredible experience thus far and will only continue to grow to something phenomenal. I urge everyone to make plans to see it, and not because of bias… it’s just going to be that good.

 

 

 

 

Between school work and rehearsals, I have chunks of free time that swiftly become occupied by whatever events or people that reserve the spot. But sometimes days I expect to be left empty are suddenly filled out of nowhere. Last week, I was preparing to leave for the night’s practice when I heard the doorbell. Not expecting visitors, I reluctantly answered the door only to find my friend from college, Libby, awaiting me! She lives in Virginia and had sent no previous forewarning of a visit in the slightest; this was one of the biggest shocks and most pleasant surprises I’ve had! Erin and I, as we had done for our friend Ariel on her visit a few weeks ago, took Libby around Manchester. We went to lunch at the Patch Manor tea room, where the pictures were taken. It’s one of the quaint gems Manchester has to offer and is run by Erin’s aunt.

 

Dress: Old Navy, cardigan: Forever 21,
shoes (altered): ModCloth, scarf: thrifted
necklace/purse: Charming Charlie,

 




The denim dress I am wearing is my summer staple. It’s very easily my favorite piece lately. I lucked out and stumbled upon it deep within a sale rack at Old Navy, snagging it at a stellar price. Remixing with it is a dream: I have paired several over/under shirts, cardigans, jackets, and skirts with it, accessorizing accordingly to dress it up or down. What I love most about it, however, is its simplicity; it doesn’t require anything under it, it’s breezy and comfortable, it’s precious. Especially for rehearsals, throwing it on before running out has been super convenient.
Ok, enough about the dress. The shoes have a renovation story! Due to the realization that I owned too many pairs of lace-up Oxford style shoes, I decided to remove the laces from my cream Oxfords and fill the holes with “studs.” I placed brass paper fastener brads in the lace holes, lightly took sandpaper to them for a more rustic worn in look, and voila!, they are now slip-ons. A practical decision on my part.

 

 

 

 

  

It’s that time again for me to begin making the next big decision about life. After this upcoming year at Florida College, I will be transferring—somewhere.
Anywhere?
*cue anxiety*
I’ve been weighing my options, and where I do end up may be an unexpected surprise, you never know. By Christmas of this year, I must have a concrete idea of what I’m doing, so everyone (including myself) will have to hang tight until then. I have a hopeful, positive disposition regarding the choice that needs to be made. And ultimately, that’s all I need.

Prepared for Smooth Sailing

As many times as I have begun a blog entry with complaints, emotional struggles, and difficult decisions, I'm finally at ease. I can break the pattern of late and share much lighter subjects today, because believe it or not, things really are beginning to make sense. There definitely are days that hold more weight than others, but I can now look ahead to the future and feel a general excitement about what I hope is in store.
Besides figuring life out, I think getting to be laid back for a change has made a huge impact on my disposition as well. These last couple of weeks have been so easy going! I've been able to enjoy spending a lot of time with my girls, getting coffee together and talking or hitting up Target. I love them so much and have no earthly idea how life would continue without them.



Dress, shoes: Mod Cloth, cardigan: Papaya,
tights: Target, purse: Charming Charlie,
 necklace: gifted



One thing that has got me all about the future is *brace yourself* planning for having a family. Now, "family" is a broad term. It applies to having a career, a husband, a place for my[our]selves that I can decorate and make personal, setting roots... but it also means having children and establishing family dynamics as a whole. With the holiday season slowly creeping up, I've become engulfed by ideas and traditions I want to set for my own family one day. And even beyond the holidays, I think about the kind of things I want to do as a mother on a daily basis. Don't judge me! I just come across inspiration things that I tuck into the back of my mind to save for later (Pintrest is one of the biggest offenders). Thinking about making life exciting and fun for my future kids fills me with joy.

I personally believe I will be an unbelievably cool mom. I will ensure that my house is a lively house, always kept open to friends and parties, a place where my kids' friends feel welcome and people can stop by whenever. At least once a month, my family will have a "get cultured" day where we either go out to eat new cuisine or do something artsy, like visiting a museum or watching a play. I'm also dead-set on making a weekly family day where the chosen family member of the week gets to decide what movie we watch or game we play. It will be a loud household, in a good way, where there is ongoing music playing (or I'm singing) and laughter and conversation. You may think I'm merely talking big talk and that none of this will actually play out the way I intend by the time I have children, and maybe you're right. However, I'm pretty set on making my parenting work the way I want it, and therefore will work very hard for it when the time comes. For now, I'm just a single college student who wants to eventually stuff her children into a large shirt. One day...

This is a similar, yet different, take on the Maiden Braids hairstyle I tried out a few weeks back. I used four strands total, two on each side of the head, rather than a singular piece. Instead of twisting the hair, I actually braided them. Then the leftover hair in the back got pinned up. It was a somewhat lengthy ordeal that took the night before to create, but the outcome was pleasing. The "maiden braid crown" look is refreshing and unique, and I'm rather glad I discovered it.

I am digging fall in Tampa. It's all the cool, sweater-wearing weather without the miserable nasty elements involved. I can comfortably wear layers because I want to, not because I have to in order to avoid hypothermia. Putting on a pair of tights under a dress or skirt, stepping out into the crisp air and warm sunshine... aaahhh. Feels wonderful. I've had so much fun figuring out how to blend my pastel colors (like rose, sage, coral) with fall layering clothes.

Spring prints + darker colors = my kind of fall