Pull-on Jeans!

My friend Andrea inspired me. She's been walking for exercise all summer long, nearly every single day. Andrea walked so much so, that she wore clear through two pairs of sneakers ! Now that is A LOT of walking! Her story really motivated me to get moving too, and about a month or so ago, I began walking on our treadmill everyday. It's fantastic. I've come to find that pushing yourself, and having a sweat each day, really helps you to feel good -body and mind!

I've been walking seven days a week at a moderately fast pace, incline level eight,  for at least twenty minutes. That's a minimum of 140 minutes of cardio per week, just ten minutes shy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's recommendation of 150 minutes of aerobic activity over 3-5 days a week. (My God that was a long, run-on sentence with too many numbers.)

 I guess my activity is spread over seven days instead of five, but come on, I'm actually exercising! 

On top of the 20 or so sweaty minutes on the treadmill each morning, I'm now taking walks many evenings. Tonight's walk was about an hour long. It was brutal though, being 90 degrees out, even at 7:00pm! Whoa.

This evening's walk was just as interesting as all the others. I saw many many things through the heat and the haze, all in shades of greens and yellows!

I saw wildflowers........

And the creek that I played in as a child.

I saw the trail's end, or the beginning. However you look at it.

I saw another wild apple tree.

And cattails and lily pads at the pond.

Also, majestic statues in the cemetery. 

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I've talked a lot in the past about my love of dresses. They're pretty and feminine and make getting ready so easy. And, especially in the fall and winter with a warm pair of tights, a dress can be as comfortable as wearing pajamas!  All. Day. Long.

I don't care for following fashion. Not at all. I prefer to just be me!

And while I enjoy trying to look like a cute and fun version of me, I have to admit, making sure that my clothes are comfortable comes to the top of my list. And this is one of the reasons why, I HATE JEANS!

They're just so uncomfortable! Ugh! I hate the feeling of waistbands. I can't stand stiff fabrics and like I have mentioned before, the number one reason that I hate jeans: DROPLETS!!!!!!

I absolutely CAN NOT stand when it rains and drops of rain and water from the ground get on your cuffs. And then, the cuffs get your shoes wet, and even worse, your socks wet. ACK! Just typing it makes me squirm. There HAS to be something wrong with me.....

So with dresses, you can wear warm tights and long, puffy coats and then SUPER warm and WATERPROOF boots. No droplets on me!  THANK GOD.

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BUT..... I'm so odd. And I need to get over it. Get over my aversion to jeans.

ENTER..................... PULL-ON JEANS!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please allow me to introduce to you, the most non-annoying feeling jeans EVER!  The "Paley" by Jag Jeans!

NO! THEY ARE NOT MATERNITY JEANS!

I can ACTUALLY deal with these puppies. Look at that smooth, wide waistband. Feel the soft denim stretch. Can you saw PA-JA-MA JEANS? Only they won't bleed indigo dye all over your husband's tan leather seats, and the knees won't bag.

These Jag Jean are actually very nicely made. They're good quality, don't fade in the wash, do not lose their shape after wearing. I'd say in the end, worth the $70 a pair.  If you're valuing them for comfort though, I'd say that they are worth 1.3 million dollars a pair.

I found mine at Nordstrom and also on Zappos, but you can find Jag Jeans many places, including on their own site. Also, keep an eye out for deals, they're not difficult to find.

I have two pairs now. I bought my pair last year in a petite size. I like them very much, but oddly, I feel like they are just a tiny bit too short. This is strange because I'm only five feet tall. I might have shrunk them in the dryer at one point though.

So, this time around, I decided to order them in regular sizing and hem them to my liking. 

Wait until you see this most awesome hemming trick ever!

Ok, so, how would you like to hem your pants using THE ORIGINAL HEM on your jeans!? In fact, not only can you keep your original hem, but it's SUPER fast and easy!

I watched this short video on Youtube on how to take up my new jeans in this awesome way. I LURVE it SOOOOO much!

Isn't that GREAT!? It worked like a charm! And, in fact, my sewing machine is on the fritz, so I had to sew by hand, but it was still quick and easy.

Measure, pin and press.

Sew.

Done!

 Cat Photo Bomb.

A couple more things that I want to tell you before I fall asleep........

1.) Jon built a workbench for the garage! All that there is left to do is prime and paint the base, stain the table top, and then attach it. Didn't he do a good job so far? This is his very first carpentry project! Well, since boy scouts. Tonight Noah and Jon put casters on the bottom of the table and primed the base.

2.)  Today my new Susan Branch 2014 calendar came!!! Susan Branch, for those of you who don't know, is a lovely author and illustrator. I've loved Susan's work since reading her books as a child in the 80's. My Mom had one or two. What stands Susan apart is that she paints in beautiful water colors and hand letters and hand paints all of the writing in her books! You'll just have to take a look and see.

I live by my wall calendar. I use it much much more than the calendar on my computer or my phone. My calendar is mounted on the wall in the kitchen. I've used my good old favorite, the Sandra Boynton Mom's Family Calendar for many years, and can't recommend it more. Her calendar come with huge daily spaces to write all of your activities down on, and a pocket, where I always keep my big permanent marker.

I absolutely LOVE my Susan Branch calendar, but when it arrived, I was surprised to feel a little sad to finally give up the Sandra Boynton calendar in January. They've just always been hanging on my kitchen wall! I might get a 2014 Boynton as usual, and because Susan Branch's calendar is so pretty, I might hang it in our little front room/office, right next to my desk. Then I can just sit and stare at it and enjoy. :)

AM I A DORK OR WHAT!?

So excited about calendars! Let's be excited about calendars! Omg.

3.) Because we were  I was talking about dresses earlier. Here is a dress update and a recommendation....

I swear to you, I am not a big shopper. I really really am not. I try not to shop for clothing too often, and I love finding deals. This summer, I didn't buy much, so that I could focus more on fall/ winter clothing. I'm trying to to do this all thoughtfully, balancing quality with versatility and value.

Anyway.....

Right now, Boden is having some good sales going on! After sadly sending back the super comfortable, but too high- cut Libby Dress,  I ended up purchasing teh Ruby dress in Pewter Posy!

It is very comfortable, flowy and flattering. The only thing is, which I can't believe I didn't think of....it's not long-sleeved! I need pieces that can take on multiple seasons. I'd need to wear a sweater with this dress to wear it in the winter, which is fine, but I don't currently own something that matches. I'll have to consider it.  My rule of thumb though.....ONLY BUY IT IF YOU"LL WEAR IT 52,000 times!!!!

On a side note.... I've been looking for a white or off- white cardigan forever. Something to keep me warm and to throw over most anything. ( Except the Ruby dress.)  ;)

I found this Keepsake Cardigan at Boden and I just love it!

Ok, last shopping thing, I promise. For several years I've been wondering about Garnet Hill and their in-house brand of clothing called.....um...Garnet Hill. It looked like cute stuff, and always comfy. So, I finally decided to try one of their simple jersey dresses.

It arrived today, is very very soft and comfortable, AND I love one, little, hidden feature. You can't see it in this picture, but underneath the crisscross of fabric in the front, is a scoop neck layer. So, if the top accidentally opens, like many cross-front dresses do, you just see a layer of the same fabric underneath. Good thinking!

The dress was too big, and I was bummed to have to send it back. But, they have free shipping on exchanges, and when I called Garnet Hill, a very helpful woman processed my order and was sending a new one to me right away, so that's good!

Well, it's time for me to go read my new calendar and hit the hay!

Calendars! Let's party!

Sweet dreams internet pals!

xoxoxoxo,

Lauren