School Picture Day

Thursday of this past week was school picture day at Ethan's school.  Oddly enough, Jac had his school picture taken before school even started on 6th grade registration day.  I found it ironic that he had his 6th grade picture taken before he had yet spent one day as an actual 6th grader.  Picture day for Ethan has historically been an "event."  While some kids could care less or spend very little time thinking about what to wear, Ethan is cut from a different cloth.  Pun intended--and by the way--he's cut from my cloth.

Case in point, his school picture from two years ago, in first grade.  A couple days before when I mentioned picture day was coming and suggested he start thinking about what he wanted to wear, he immediately responded, "I already know what I'm wearing."  Now, knowing Ethan as I do, the fact that he had put so much forethought into it already was not surprising but it still gave me a little thrill just knowing he cared so much about it.  On the other hand, I knew that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to talk him out of whatever ensemble he had cooked up in his mind.  He said, "I'm wearing a tie and my sandusky."  I know what you're thinking--at least one of the things that you're thinking.  "What on earth is a sandusky??"  Ethan couldn't remember the word "sport jacket" and so he called it a sandusky.  I knew he had a navy one and a red one in his closet--hand-me-downs that had been given to Jac but that Jac had never quite...appreciated the way Ethan had treasured them.  So, on picture day I made sure he had an appropriate shirt ironed, helped him with his tie and 'sandusky' and told him repeatedly that since it was supposed to be like 90 degrees that day it would be perfectly acceptable to take off his jacket, tie, and even dress shirt if he got too hot.  He was wearing an undershirt under his dress shirt, obviously.  At the same time I was thinking to myself, "His teacher is still forming opinions of her students.  Maybe I should send her a note just to give her some insight into Ethan and his wardrobe selections."  In the end, I didn't.  I just send my first grader off to school with his older brother and a prayer.  The prayer was mainly for his protection as 6-year-olds in sport jackets and ties at the bus stop and on the playground probably have a higher statistical incidence of injury.  Here he is in his carefully selected ensemble.

When they returned home that day I pulled Jac aside and asked him how the other kids reacted at the bus stop.  He said, "Mom, everyone loved it.  They kept telling him how nice he looked and how cool he was dressed."  You see, Jac was as leery as I was of sending Ethan off to school dressed up to this degree, but in regular Ethan fashion, everyone just thought he was cool.  The coolest thing about Ethan is that he wouldn't have cared in the least what anyone said about his outfit.  He dresses for himself and no one else.  If you're wondering, he returned home the same way he left--with his ensemble intact.  He was nearly covered in sweat but he couldn't bear to remove any of the items, even for recess.  He's reprised this outfit over the last couple years for other dress up days at school.

Last year was pretty uneventful but this year had it's own funny moment.  He wore a green and white small checked long-sleeved Polo dress shirt and the first thing he said to me about picture day was, "Mom, you will never guess what they served for lunch today...Bar-B-Q!!  Can you believe it?  Bar-B-Q!!"  He said that Dr. Sefrit, his principal, said, "Well, that wasn't very well thought out."  Giving elementary school students Bar-B-Q on picture day.  I asked Ethan if he had gotten any on his shirt and he said, "No way.  I got the chicken nuggets and dipped them in BBQ sauce but didn't get any on my shirt."  Apparently, his teacher had encouraged all of her students to stay away from the BBQ.  Lindy thought that was pretty funny--the lunch ladies all working furiously to make more chicken nuggets since there would likely be a run on those over the BBQ.  He also said he was a little surprised that there was a kid in his class more dressed up than him.  You see, he's gotten used to being the one who will always be overdressed as opposed to underdressed for whatever occasion presents itself.  I could hear the pride in his voice as he described what the other boy was wearing--kind of like he had a prodigy who now appreciates the finer points of having style and respect for how you present yourself.  This aspect of him is hard to distinguish between whether it comes more from his father or his mother.  I like to think it comes from me but I married Lindy for more than one reason...his ability to dress with the best of them being one of them.

Accessorizing with Attitude

At first glance you might think this post is about wearing your accessories with "attitude."  If that's what you thought--you're right--at least somewhat.  If you are going to wear that outlandish scarf or that chunky, sparkly jewelry or those floral-print shoes then you better wear it, girl!  Don't be afraid to take a risk once in a while.  Don't be timid or apprehensive or make apologies if someone gives you the stink eye.  If you're going to put it on then you better wear it--don't let it wear you.  That's one way to accessorize with attitude.

Not too long ago my husband bought some unusually bold print shirts that are a little out of his comfort zone.  I'm proud of him for branching out, but you have to understand that this is a man who can wear a suit and tie like nobody's business but he's most comfortable in his Levi's and striped polo shirts or some version of blue-striped button down.  Most of the time when he comes home from shopping I'll have something clever to say like, "Well, honey, you absolutely needed another blue striped shirt.  I'm so glad you didn't pass up that bargain."  I'm being sarcastic, of course.  In the hot summertime he feels most comfortable in plaid shorts and a t-shirt in a coordinating color.  He's been on a t-shirt kick this summer searching for shirts that blend nicely with all of his plaid shorts.  Our three boys have jumped on the plaid shorts bandwagon and if you saw us out in the summertime you would likely find the four of them sporting their plaid shorts.  I've learned over time that plaid shorts are not really something I can wear well for reasons I won't mention, but you would find me nicely accessorized, of course.  Anyway--I digress--back to the story of him buying this bold print shirt.  He had it on and he was a little apprehensive about it.  I liked it and I knew he liked it but he was just unsure about wearing it.  So, I said, "Uh uh.  You are not wearing it unless you are going to wear it with pride.  This is a shirt where you will not be able to let it wear you.  You have to own it.  Go big or go home."  This isn't an exact quote because this was several months ago, but you get my drift.  He did wear the shirt with pride, and in turn, I was proud of him for branching out.  It was definitely not blue striped.

I could end my post there with that nice little story about accessorizing with attitude and many of you would say, "Ah, that's just Robin being her Robinesque self always contemplating accessories."  You wouldn't be too far off base there but it isn't really my ultimate point in this post.  More important than wearing that shirt or that jewelry or those shoes is the ultimate accessory that you wear all the time--your attitude.  It's not so much about confidence as it is your outlook on life and the circumstances you face every day.  Each day is filled with decisions and the most important one you will make most days is regarding what kind of attitude you will choose.  I'm not talking about putting on a fake smile when you're really boiling inside.  I'm talking about matters of the heart and choosing to be joyful regardless of what you face each day.  The Bible says, "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS and again I say rejoice."

This is something I learned from my parents early on and I'm trying to take those opportunities to instill this valuable quality in my children every chance I get.  When I was a little girl and didn't get my way my Dad would say, "I'm not going to change my mind.  It is the way it is and now you have a decision to make.  You can choose to be miserable the rest of the day or you can choose to be happy.  The choice is up to you."  That's not an exact quote because that was 30 years ago, but you get my drift.  I know that there are some things that we probably thought as children that we wouldn't ever say to our kids, but this is definitely one that I use with my kids.  They get over stuff pretty quick so I don't have to use it very often, but I think that's because Lindy and I have set that expectation for them from early childhood.

The truth is that we are going to face things every day that may not turn out the way we would choose.  Those things may be beyond our control but what isn't beyond our control is our attitude and how we decide to respond to the people and circumstances around us.  If you're a Christ follower I believe we have an even greater responsibility to maintain a heart that is right with Him and an attitude that is a silent witness to those around us who might not know Him.  None of us will ever "arrive" in our relationship with God, but instead, I know He uses every day situations to test us and see what kind of attitude we will choose to wear as our accessory.  Over time I have learned in my own life that when I keep a good attitude the situation may not change but my perspective towards it will.  When I choose the right attitude somehow God will turn the situation around for good and He will help me to see what His plan was all along.  He's cool like that.

So, before you put on that cool glitzy belt or those fantastic royal blue boots or that Mr. T. necklace pause a minute and look on the inside.  What attitude is there that is shining through on the outside?  It might not always be easy, but I know you can do it.  After all it's completely up to you how you Accessorize with Attitude.    

Fall Fashion and "To Wear It Or Not to Wear It"

OK, so it's no secret that I have an affinity for clothes, shoes, accessories, makeup, and anything--really--to do with being a girl.  It's a good thing my husband knew what he was getting when he married me.  He has a sister who's a lot like me, so he was prepared for the preoccupation with all-things-fashion.  I'm not sure when my love of all-things-fashionable began but I know I came by it naturally.  If you knew my mother and her sister and their mother you would understand me a little better.  My grandmother was a woman who was always stylish and put-together even until the very end.  On the day she died my Mom was able to be with her and she said my grandmother asked for her lipstick and mirror so she could freshen her lip color.  (If you see pictures of all the women on my Mom's side of the family we will be wearing bright lipstick.  That's how you can pick us out of a line-up).  I guess she wanted to look good when she met Jesus.  I get that.  If you saw pictures of me following childbirth--all three times--you would find me looking just as I do every other day.  It's a little crazy, I know, but I wanted my babies to see their mother in her natural state--makeup on, hair freshly highlighted and styled, etc.  You get the picture--and those pictures live in infamy.  I have to think that this side of "me" is what made me acceptable as a wife to my husband's grandmother.  She had grace on me and accepted me--and it's just as possible that she would not have accepted me--because I married her precious Lindy.  My mother is 70 years old and still shopping at American Eagle.  She changes her purse to match whatever she's wearing, she has "vintage" shoes and jewelry that still work today and I hope to have half her style when I grow up.  I also hope she passes her wardrobe, jewelry, accessories, shoes...down to me someday.

Looking back at pictures of me as a child I was always workin' one style or another.  We didn't have much money but I wore my colorful hand-me downs from my cousins (who are cut from the same cloth) and my Kmart blue-light specials with pride.  A few years ago someone was teasing me about wearing my knee high boots with great frequency in the winter and I brought a 2nd grade class picture to show her that even then I was sporting the high boots.  I'm so glad they came back in style for the general population--if you know what I mean.

So, now that the season is changing the foremost thing in my mind--related to changing seasons--is fall fashion.  In the spring when spring and summer fashion starts to appear in the stores I am taken in by the pastels, floral patterns, bright colors, and the mere thought of pulling out my white skirts and pants again.  I'll get back to that in a little bit, but I will say that my favorite part of summer fashion is sundresses.  They are comfortable, you can dress them up or down, pair them with a sweater or shrug when a sundress might be inappropriate, wear them with sandals, flip-flops, or kitten heels, camouflage the extra BBQ you ate at your last cookout....  They are the perfect summer fashion item.

In the fall, the item I am drawn to when all the muted colors, blacks, and grays start to appear in the stores again are sweaters.  I'm not a big fan of fall and winter but beautiful sweaters almost make it worth suffering through those long months.  I also love jackets.  I don't love wearing them, but if you have to wear them you might as well have cute ones.  The worst part of fall and winter fashion is closed-toed shoes.  :(  My friend Jenn and I probably push the envelope with flip-flops and wear them far too long into fall.  When the snow flies we put them away because otherwise we might look a little silly.  Other than my high boots I really don't have much affection for shoes appropriate for winter wear.  I do have some adorable pink snow boots and I wear them when the occasion arises--with a pink sweater, of course.

Now on to "To Wear It Or Not to Wear It."  What is "it" you ask?  If you guessed white after Labor Day you guessed right.  The Monday before Labor Day I came to work wearing white pants--and other clothes too--but the white pants are the focus here.  My co-workers commented on my outfit that day and Cheryl said, "I bet you're wearing white because you only have a week left until Labor Day to wear it."  Cheryl's a smart cookie and she was impressed that she knew me well enough to know the thought process behind my chosen attire for the day.  I was impressed too.  I told them that they could just expect to see me in white every day for the next week.  I even wore a white skirt to church on the Sunday before that Monday and let it be known to my friends and family that I was taking advantage of the limited time.  I did wear white every day--even white jeans on Friday--until Labor Day weekend.

Is there really still an unwritten rule in 2010 about not wearing white after Labor Day?  Am I old fashioned with my fixation on fashion facts?  Is it just a worn-out midwestern style myth?  Does it really matter in the whole scheme of things when we think about what's really important in life?  Not one bit.  If you wear white until Christmas I won't think any less of you, I won't judge you, and I won't gossip about you to my friends.  I will love and appreciate you just the same.  Meanwhile, my white pants and skirts will be making their way to their winter home in the basement.  Old habits die hard.  I guess I'm just a traditional girl, but come Easter, watch out!!  I'll be wearing my white with pride.

In a later post...a fashion experiment I found interesting and might consider trying myself.  It's a tough one, I assure you.

Coming Soon...A Post on Fall Fashion and "To Wear It or Not to Wear It"

Check back later and it will all make sense.  FYI:  I've opened up the commenting section to make it easier for anyone to make comments...not just those with google accounts.

This Deserves Repeating

In the fall of 2009, the year my husband turned 40, I spent countless hours creating a book for his parents to give to them for Christmas.  The title was, "40 Years with Lindy" and chronicled his life--beginning with their wedding pictures and ending with current photos.  I was able to add a lot of text to the book and iPhoto made the whole thing a breeze.

I wrote a long piece in the beginning of the book as an Introduction and I've decided that in celebration of his birthday yesterday I would post it here.  If you're my IRL (apparently that's blog speak for in-real-life) friend you've probably already seen the book.  If you haven't and you're curious I'm sure my mother-in-law would be happy to show it off.  So, here's just a small window into who my true love is in real life.  Happy Birthday, Honey.

It has been my joy to create this book chronicling the first 40 years of Lindy’s life.  I present it to his parents, Ron and Deborah Carnett, in appreciation of a job well done.  You have raised a son who honors God above all, is wise and compassionate, a mentor to many, steadfast, talented, a jack-of-all-trades (and master of none, as his Dad would say), but--most of all--the love of my life (it really was love at first sight) and wonderful father to our three boys.  Is life always easy with Lindy Carnett?  You know as well as I do that it isn’t.  Just like the life lived with Robin Carnett can be exasperating, (I can be a little high maintenance).  But, life with Lindy is full of excitement, quite a bit of the unknown, and plenty of fun.  I mentioned that he was talented and that aspect of him really couldn’t be captured in this book.  He plays the trumpet, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums, and “Almost Paradise” on the piano.  He can fix almost anything, even a tooth that needs to go back in the socket while Mom-the-nurse, lies on the couch hyperventilating.  He builds stuff, he knows computers (but will only help you out if you own a Mac--it’s the principle of it), he skis, golfs really well even if it’s only once a year, and is a really outstanding budding photographer.  He’s a loving brother who couldn’t be more proud of his two beautiful sisters.  He’s also a pastor who has gifts of teaching and mentoring.  Lindy’s 40th year is also significant because it’s the year we lost Nana (she’ll always be Nana to me).  She would love this book.  She adored Lindy and will be greatly missed.