That side-eye oh-yeah-it's-Sunday-morning feeling, after much festivizing yesterday. Still having that feeling after Mass, because more company is coming over this afternoon, there isn't a single room in this house that isn't a landfill, and I'm too tired to get up out this chair.
But I did get up and go to Mass, and here is what I wore:
Somehow, even though I wore it Christmas Eve, my blue bamboo long-sleeved swing dress has managed to stay clean, which is more than I can say for all my other dresses. Did a round of handwashing this morning: Sierra, Camellia, and my burgundy bamboo swing dress, which I wore yesterday, all had incurred spots of various kinds. So now they're all drying, and I'm wearing the blue "Fauxwena" dress as a top with this distinctly springlike skirt, which matches the weather, and my green cotton cardigan. Everything secondhand but the boots.
Brooch a Christmas gift from my husband. This pull-through side ponytail is fast becoming my go-to hairstyle: the restraint and polish of an updo, the ease of doing virtually nothing at all but put a scrunchy in my hair.
UPDATE: The company event (one person) was actually fine. We got the house sorted out a little but wound up sitting on the front porch since the weather was so warm. Kids were all out all afternoon, rollerskating then going to Mass, then grabbing some dinner. One son went hiking with friends, then to Mass, then home, where I have charcuterie stuff out on the kitchen island for whoever happens to be hungry whenever they happen to be hungry. Sitting on the couch with Dora, who's glad to be out of jail –– she spent a lot of time crated while my mother and brother were here. At this point, though, she's fine with all the kids and the son-in-law, so life can be a little more normal, which is a relief. She is taking her feelings out on the stuffy duck and occasionally on my wrist while I type.
ALSO: Just a few more days until my No-Buy 2022 commences. Not surprisingly, I've been taking stock of my closet, in and around all the Christmas preparations and devotions, and considering needs and desires and what really needs to go.
I have purged a lot. Once the house starts to empty out and I have time on my hands, I plan to sort my outbox into two categories:
*items to resell (anything remotely upscale-ish in excellent condition, or otherwise worth the bother of posting on Poshmark)
*items to donate (a larger category: clothing in basically good used condition, but not really worth the bother of reselling)
In the new year I plan to start putting sellable items up on Poshmark, though the challenge really will be not to shop while I'm doing it!
Meanwhile, with some Christmas money, I have been doing a little online thrift shopping. I have bought two more secondhand bamboo dresses of the same make as my two current swing dresses. I like them, they're easy to take care of, they're comfortable and nice to wear, for non-investment prices. The two dresses I bought –– one in purple, one in the same dark blue as the dress I wore today –– are short-sleeved versions of the same style. If my long-sleeved dresses are vaguely similar to Wool& Rowena in style, these would be like the Maggie. I am envisioning these mostly as everyday dresses, and good for summer hiking as well as the beach. They should mix well with other items in my wardrobe. With these dresses in my closet, I can move along my old blue non-natural-fiber microfiber swing dress which has seen a lot of action and is starting to pill. I'm still pondering possibly buying another Wool& dress, but I dunno . . .
I've also bought an Ibex merino tee in a lovely grapey purple. I'd love to buy some merino leggings as well, but am not sure I will before the end of the year. I do have leggings . . . and/or I could look for another pair of bamboo ones, because I like the ones I have an awful lot.
What I'm looking for overall in my wardrobe:
*comfortable dresses that are good to live in day to day, because I'm not wearing pants much.
*clothes that will work for hot weather, of which we have a lot (see current weather report, for instance), but will also work with layers when it's cold.
*basic styles and shapes that are good for everyday, but with accessories and shoes can be elevated for dressy occasions
*clothes that work for outdoor activities like hiking, without being an entire separate "outdoor" wardrobe
*natural fibers that breathe, wick moisture, and are at least somewhat thermally regulating
*pieces that work with lots of other things I have, so that I can shop my closet for a satisfying variety of outfit possibilities
Caveats to my no-buy year:
*If I need underwear, including a slip, I'll buy it
*If something gets really ruined (these things happen), I will buy a replacement
*If somebody wants to give me a clothing item as a gift, I will accept it with pleasure
Anyway, I've been talking about this challenge for months now, and at last it's staring me in the face. Stay tuned!