
Hi, Honey! I’m Home!
Catching Up
Happy day, reader dear!

I’m back! Thank you for your patience with me during re-post August! I really needed a blogging break: partially for a mental vacation, partially to spend time with family and lean into thanks for our new grandson, Gabriel, and partially to get the Beta Test for our new Style Explorers/Style Camp up and running. That’s a lot of partially-s! I could probably use another few weeks, but if I did that, there’d be no other breaks, and I want to schedule a week at Christmas and another week in the spring.
Lest you think I’ve been laying on my chaise eating bonbons, let me fill you in with what’s been happening with all those partially-s!
Mental Vacation
After two plus years of working 40-60 hours weekly launching a business, blogging three times weekly, and generally being my own one woman show (With a couple of awesome tribes behind me cheering me on!), I was dreading every alarm clock and ring of the phone. I love what I do, but keeping all the plates spinning (like so many women and men everywhere) was feeling like the proverbial hamster wheel. Or as Winnie the Pooh puts it “I’m flying! Like Owl does… How do I stop?” It was time to give myself permission to stop before I spun around gracefully three times and landed in a gorse bush.

Gabriel (Happy Sigh…)
Our new grandson, Gabriel graced us with his presence on August 5th. He is thriving, mama is recovering well, and daddy couldn’t be more proud and in love with them both. It’s just a little overwhelming watching your children become parents. It’s definitely a time filled with pride and excitement. The blessing of grandparenting is being head over heels with this little man before he ever showed us his face, and the opportunity to share in all the love he brought into the world. Now if I could just figure out a way to get my mitts on Baby Gabe every day… (No. Stop. I will not be that overbearing. But I want to be!) Sorry, no picture here. I want to respect his privacy. He’s perfect, lovely, and has a headful of dark hair!
Style Camp
No bug spray or sleeping bags needed… Why camp? Because I remember camp being fun, and I think that style should be fun, too!

Earlier this summer, I got a wild hare about an online style program for women who want to explore their style with the encouragement of a style professional, but either don’t have one nearby they want to consult, or just aren’t ready to make the leap for a one-on-one consultation. Hence, Style Camp! I have a group of 15 ladies Beta Testing the program for me, and I am so excited to be Closet Play-ing with this international bunch of women of varying ages and interests. Thank you Style Explorers! You make this technology adventure fun and rewarding. This week we began diving into Color. The next three weeks will explore Personality (dip our toes in the water), Body Shape, and Accessorizing. I have found that these four keys can make a big difference in our style without a huge investment. You know me; I am all about using what we have!
Thinking Fall
Now that Pumpkin Spice season is once again upon us, I am thinking about my fall wardrobe. I am ready for a color overhaul! I love the color palette I have been wearing for the past six months (I kept the same palette for both Spring and Summer) but need a change… I grew up in a dramatically four season climate (Wisconsin) and fall means more intense colors and more texture. I’ve been saving looks and pulled out my storage boxes during August. I really want to work with what I have and see how I can create new combinations to get the update I am craving.

Here’s some of what’s going away…

And some of what’s coming in…
Even the front door is getting a facelift! (Now to figure out the other wall…)

How has your summer (Or winter, my Southern Hemisphere friends!) been? Are you looking forward to the next season? Are you feeling the need for a refresh for the coming season? Do let me know in the comments below! I love to hear from you…
Stylishly yours,
