Lauren Casper » Traded Dreams

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how to show love to families with special needs children

February 25, 2013 No comments

It’s true that all children (and all of us) are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. Each of us is unique with our own set of gifts, goals, interests, and talents. But some children come to us made with a little extra dose of special. The world may label them “disabled” or “deformed” or even “special needs” but we who are blessed to love them know what they really are: made perfect in the image of a loving God.

I remember going through the list of special needs our agency sent us when we were in the process of our first adoption. We had to go down the list and check what we would be willing to accept and cross off what we would reject. It was the single hardest thing we had to do in our adoption. I agonized over that list because with each label I didn’t just see a medical diagnosis… I saw the face of a child. I saw a little one who desperately needed a mommy and daddy. How could I say no?

Sarah asked me to share what friends and family can do to show love to families with children who need extra care. Please click here to continue reading how to show love to families who are blessed with special needs children…

Filed Under:Amniotic Band Syndrome,Arsema,autism,polysyndactyly,sensory integration disorder,special needs
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Dear husband, sorry for stealing all your clothes… (link up!)

February 21, 2013 4 comments

Dear Firmoo,

Thank you so much for sending me a pair of your glasses to free to review here on my site. It was especially fun for me because I don’t wear prescription glasses – so seeing what I look like in a pair of “trendy” frames was a lot of fun. So my honest take – since you asked – is that the frames are comfortable and cute. The pair I chose are light weight and didn’t pinch or give me a headache. I love that you have so many to choose from on your site and that I could upload a picture of myself and “try on” a bunch of frames before I chose which ones to order. The only thing I didn’t super love is that the glass was somewhat hard to see clearly through. Because my frames were “fashion” and not prescription it just dulled everything rather than enhanced. Those who order prescription glasses from you won’t have that problem. But it’s not such a big deal because I can just stick them on top of my head on those days that I throw my hair up in a pony tail or top knot. My all time favorite thing about your company is that you offer the first pair of frames FREE to customers. I’m all about a good deal so this is awesome! So yes – I definitely recommend your company to my glasses wearing friends! Thank you for the opportunity to review your product!

Signed,

a happy reviewer

and sort of related (ish)…..

Dear John,

Thank you for letting me steal your clothes all the time. I don’t know why but I love wearing your shirts (see above). Raiding your side of the closet to add to my wardrobe is just one of the many perks of being married to you. I know you say you hate it when I steal your pajama pants and comfy socks and tees… but I think you really love it. No matter how many pairs of cute pajamas you buy me I will still take yours. And no matter how many pairs of cute socks with fun designs you buy my I will still wear your socks at night. I know it doesn’t make any sense to you so I’ll try to explain — your clothes are about ten thousand times more comfortable than mine! Your pajamas are just softer and nice and loose and cozy. Your socks are thicker and loose and comfy. And when I wear your shirts (dressed girlier by wearing them with skinny jeans and a bow in my hair of course) I feel closer to you. It reminds me of college when you would leave me a sweatshirt of yours before you went back to VMI. I could smell your cologne and I would wear that thing to death. I still missed you like crazy but somehow you didn’t seem so far away. You might have thought that once we were married I wouldn’t need to take your shirts anymore but you thought wrong. I still want to feel close to you even when you’re right next door at church or five minutes away at school. I like sharing every single part of our lives… even your clothes. So now you know.

Love,

your clothes stealing wife

 

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Filed Under:just for fun,open letter campaign
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February 22, 2013 - 1:32 am

Christina Steward - Hi Lauren, Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I’m so glad you did because it brought me here and I’ve read through probably 30 posts already. I just couldn’t stop once I started. You have the sweetest story and it has truly blessed my heart. You’re children are so precious! I made sure to follow you so that I can get updates. I look forward to reading more. Thanks for sharing your life on here!!

February 22, 2013 - 9:48 am

Lauren Mills {mercyINK} - LOVING your new open letters link up! Too fun! Thanks for inviting us to join in :) -the other lauren ;)

February 22, 2013 - 10:09 am

Lee Ann - Lauren, I hate hair frizzies too. I have natural curl and my hair does like when I flat iron it (which I do almost every day). Living in Memphis, I can definitely relate! :)

Lee Ann

February 22, 2013 - 8:43 pm

Daisy Girl - Hi there! I came across your blog through Mercy Ink. I plan on linking up in a second. Thanks for hosting this!!! So, what do you do or use on your hair to get the more natural look? So pretty!!

How I do my “quiet time” – I don’t.

February 21, 2013 19 comments

You can call it quiet time, prayer time, Bible time, devotional time, or any other term you want to come up with — it’s all the same thing: time spent with Jesus. 

I don’t have a weekly or daily schedule for my time with the Lord. I don’t have a fancy method or even a simple method. I’ve tried so many strategies in the past and they’ve all worked for a week or two and then failed. My life and my days are so very fluid.

I’ve tried to wake up early and have 20 minutes to sit and read the Bible and pray. It didn’t work well for me. First of all, I’m not a morning person and it takes me a cup of coffee and good long while to wake up. I kept falling asleep in my chair or on the couch when I tried “Jesus time” first thing. I’ve sat in many a Bible Study and women’s group while someone told me that this is the only right way to do it. I’ve felt like a failure and a “less-than” Christian. 

I tried evenings and mid-day times. I’ve tried to sit and meditate on God’s word for at least 20 minutes a day. I’ve tried praying alone in my room for a set amount of time each day. I’ve even tried setting a timer because one Bible Study told me to. So when these things didn’t work out for me I felt like I wasn’t as close to or connected with the Lord as my fellow sisters in Christ.

But then I tried something that you won’t read about in Bible Studies — I threw out all the “strategies” and methods I had been told are the best or most biblical way to do it. I sat down and asked God to show me what he wanted from me. The answer was simple and freeing…

God wants all of me all day. God wants my thoughts, my conversations, my friendships, my marriage, my motherhood, my ministry, my blog, my facebook account, my rest, my meals, my dreams, and all the moments in between. God doesn’t just want my time — He wants me. 

My relationship with Him isn’t about carving out 20 minutes for “quiet time.” It’s about praying for grace in the midst of dealing with a tantrum. It’s about thanking him (and really and truly meaning it) when I sit down for a meal. It’s about enjoying the friends he’s given me and encouraging them to live for him. It’s about loving my husband in a way that shows God I honor him and appreciate the man he’s given me. It’s about thinking pure and Godly thoughts. It’s about honoring him through my writing, my voice, and my interactions online. It’s about loving my children. It’s about looking for ways to show Jesus to a hurting and lost world.

My relationship with Christ is not meant to be reserved for 20-30 minutes in the morning. I don’t simply start my day with Jesus and then go on and live the rest of it totally self-sufficient. Rather, I try to spend each moment relying on him. I try to actively involve him in the one thousand tiny decisions I must make each day. I’m learning to make prayer a lifestyle and an ongoing conversation rather than a few quiet moments to start and end the day. 

So how do I do my quiet time? I don’t. I wake up each morning and stumble out to get a cup of coffee. I try to be thankful for a new day even if it takes me 30 minutes and one hot shower to get there. I talk to him all day long and when I can find time when my husband and children don’t need me I sit and work on a Bible Study, or read a devotional,  or think about a passage of scripture and how I can practically apply it to my life. Every day looks different and that’s okay because one thing remains the same: Jesus and I do each day together… every moment. 

This isn’t to say that I don’t think it’s important to try to find focused time in each day to read scripture or do a devotional and pray. I just wonder if constantly being on the quest to find the perfect “quiet time” method is really what we ought to spend so much of our time time worrying about. Maybe rather than asking ourselves how we can do our time with Jesus we should ask ourselves how we can be with Jesus… and if you’re his child you already are.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

Filed Under:faith,keeping it simple
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February 21, 2013 - 1:43 pm

Whitney - I totally agree with you! I used to feel all beat up because I couldn’t get a solid chunk of time – and then I realized, I don’t even go to the BATHROOM by myself! So, for Bible Studies, I leave my book open on the kitchen counter and read a paragraph or a question and normally I then run and grab a munchkin! I get back to it when I can and write my answer to the question and proceed throughout the study and passage that way. :) It would drive someone less ADD crazy…but it actually works really well for my mind.
I also have a Bible Verse (that speaks to what I’m struggling with) written on an index card right next to my coffee pot and stove. (I’m those two places A LOT!)

Thanks for the ideas on how you do things. :)

February 21, 2013 - 1:44 pm

Rachael Andrews - I hear you and I LOVE this post. My conversation with God is all day every day. I love to study His word, but I remember when the kids were little it was so hard to carve out time for intense study. We try to stick with our weekly study related to our lifegroup, I do spend much more time in the Word now, BUT it’s a relationship, and when you love someone, it’s not just a 20 minute visit in the morning, it’s all the time!

February 21, 2013 - 1:48 pm

Chelsea Mills - Lauren, thank you ever so much for writing this. The Lord has walked me through the same thing. Truly doing life with The Lord is what He wants. He wants a nitty-gritty, day in and day out, desperate for grace and delighted by peace relationship with us — not a carved out coffee date here and there relationship. And when you do get the “coffee date” with Him, you treasure it more, and even that is so much deeper because you’ve been laboring and rejoicing together. :)

February 21, 2013 - 1:51 pm

Brianne - I love this idea! I’ve also tried many different ways to “carve” out my time but with small children things are always changing and what worked for me one month just didn’t work the next. Recently my morning time has been turned upside down with two littles who’ve decided to wake up when I wake up. At first I was really upset that I was loosing “my” time with Jesus. You are so right – Jesus wants our every moment – not just a little here and there!! Thank you for your sweet perspective on our time with Jesus!

February 21, 2013 - 2:08 pm

heather cloudt - Thank you! I awake in the morning and have four sweet children right in my face. This is even before the sun comes up. I love it! But often feel myself judged because I do not “religiously” have that time first thing in the morning. But I have found thru the years like you said – he wants every moment. He does not want me waking up at 5:30, “giving” him 30 minutes only to be disgruntal with my husband and children and friends all day. This does not mean to push him aside but rather bring him in all day long!

February 21, 2013 - 2:26 pm

Shelby - Amen!!! So well said. I can not stand “Bible studies” that put us all back under the law. Such a waste of time feeling guilty – I know, I have done it too. The best thing we can do for our children and the best example we can set is to love Jesus and love our husbands – ALL the time, not shove them in a box for 20 minutes per day. Yes, I wish I had more uninterrupted prayer time, I crave it – but, I can’t make it happen no matter how hard I try. That’s why ALL of my good deeds are like filthy rags, but it is also why He came. It is not a “religion” – if it were, we wouldn’t need the cross. Living a thankful life is what I strive for and you can’t put that in any box.

February 21, 2013 - 2:48 pm

Prudence - Lauren, thank you so much for your transparency in this post. I know that feeling of guilt at not having a specific set-aside time on most days. It’s refreshing to read your view. And it’s very encouraging.

February 21, 2013 - 2:56 pm

Cassidy - Thank you for this post!! I have struggled through the same feelings of guilt. And you know, that should have been a sign in the first place – why would God make me feel guilty for DESIRING to spend time with Him and not being able to carve in a straight 20 minute prayer/bible reading time?! Our God is not a God of condemnation. He desires a relationship and all day, every day is the key! Thank you for speaking the truth. No matter how counter-cultural a lot of people believe this is.

February 21, 2013 - 3:17 pm

Jamie - Lauren – You are an inspiration! Thank you for sharing this truth!!!

((hugz))

February 21, 2013 - 3:33 pm

Emma Sweat - I feel like I have been waiting to read this my whole life. Thank you so much for writing this post! Being on a constant quest for the perfect quiet time can become such a distraction. I love that you said we should be thinking about how we should be with Jesus. Not just a few minutes at the start of a day, but all the time. I recentely lost my little baby Ezra, on the day he was born. And one thing God has shown my through this difficult time, is that I need him all the time. In every moment! Trying to include the Lord in my one thousand tiny choices each day has been so peaceful for me. Thank you for writing this and “giving us all permission” (because someone has to say it) for our time with the Lord to look different from the typical quiet time. God created each one of us differently and we are all going to have different ways of connecting with him.

February 21, 2013 - 5:01 pm

Taylor - Thank you so much for this Lauren. I’ve felt discouraged so many times when I begin a new quiet time routine only to never stick with it. You so clearly put my feelings in writing and it’s so encouraging to know that others feel this way too.

February 21, 2013 - 8:08 pm

Shaina - THANK YOU for sharing this!!! I have definitely felt like a “bad Christian” for not doing 20 minutes in the morning… Or any such quiet time routine. I love what you said about doing ALL DAY, everyday with Jesus, and enjoying that focused time when you can make it!

February 21, 2013 - 9:19 pm

Lindsy Wallace - Beautiful Lauren. Thanks so much for the reminder.

February 21, 2013 - 10:36 pm

Mama Mimi - This was so encouraging to me I can’t even tell you. Thank you for posting your thoughts and your heart on this. I literally just finished a blog post that touched on this subject (although it hasn’t posted yet and not sure I want to, lol) so this was just God timing that I chose NOW to read this post. I saw your link to it on FB earlier and decided to wait to read it. Or GOD decided for me to read it later…. ;)

February 21, 2013 - 11:43 pm

franchesca - THANK YOU for writing this. I’ve never had any method work for me for too long either, and have felt like a total failure too. And then it leaves me feeling defeated most of the time because I didn’t carve out the first part of my morning like everyone says you should. I’m so glad I read this, and that I’m not the only one who falls asleep trying to read in the morning! I am so not a morning person either lol. Loved this post.

February 22, 2013 - 2:14 pm

Heather - Wow, this is a GREAT post!! I struggled with this for years until God really pointed out this scripture to me: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18(NIV)
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

This is what God wants us to do!! Pray continually and I LOVE how you spoke it in your post! I don’t want to DO my time with Jesus, I want to BE with Jesus all the time! I don’t think it’s wrong for those who want to carve out that particular time in the morning, that is great if that is what works for them…as long as they are praying continually as well, for this is God’s will for us!! Thanks for the great post!

February 23, 2013 - 5:44 pm

Emily T - This post is so refreshing and calming to my soul, now I know i’m not the only one that has recently taken this approach.

February 26, 2013 - 11:56 am

Kristin - I so could have written these same thoughts and feelings! I just wanted to say thank you for sharing! I honestly through your post and a few other things this week realized and I really believe He’s trying to tell me to quit worrying and feeling guilty about if I’m doing it right or wrong! Like you, He is a part of every moment, but I was believing the lie that I wasn’t doing the right thing by not having “quiet time”.

March 5, 2013 - 1:57 pm

Ann - Amen:)! I can so relate…

when God re-writes your story

February 19, 2013 19 comments

I was sitting on the couch way too invested in the fictional lives of the characters played out on the screen in front of me. Thanks to Netflix I can enjoy T.V. shows that have been off the air for awhile. Lately I’ve been super into The West Wing. Yes I’m a dork. It’s okay — I’ve learned to embrace it. There are two characters who I’ve thought would be a perfect couple since the beginning. I told my husband early on that Josh and Donna are in love and they just don’t know it yet.

So when I watched Donna’s SUV get blown up by a roadside bomb during her trip to the Gaza strip I sat staring at the screen with my jaw dropped. I actually said out loud, “They can’t kill her off the show!! She and Josh haven’t gotten together yet! They can’t do this to him!” And there I was – baffled and furious with the writers. When the episode ended (by the way — she didn’t die — just got seriously injured) I sat thinking about my reaction. All of a sudden it hit me. How many times I have had the same reaction in my own life?

It’s a familiar feeling. Frustration. Disbelief. Confusion. Hurt. Helplessness. Those moments when I make the same demands of the Writer of my story hit me like a ton of bricks. Sitting in the car on the way home from yet another doctor’s appointment… “No, God, you can’t do this to me! You can’t take my dreams and plans! It’s not fair!” Laying on the couch after being ordered to bed rest for weeks… “Why God? Why me? Why would you make me broken?” Staring out the window on a beautiful sunny day, “I don’t like what you’ve given me Lord — I don’t want this suffering — I want them back. Please let me have my babies back.”

One especially painful day years ago I turned to my sweet husband and through a river of tears I wailed, “I don’t want this to be my story. I never wanted my life to go this way.” Oh the confusion and agony of not knowing what the Writer is doing.

I’ve been there. I know that pain. I know the disappointment and devastation when God takes an eraser to the dreams we’ve written for ourselves. It feels like our hearts just might stop beating. I’ve wanted to just fly away home. I know.

But if I’d given up I would have missed God putting his eraser down and picking up his pen. I would have missed the rewrite. I would have missed the glorious redemption he had planned all along. I would have missed the healing, the grace, the mercy, and all the gifts that came with my suffering.

I still dream and plan. Sometimes God allows them to stay in the story he’s writing. But sometimes he still picks up that eraser and wipes my dreams out. It hurts. I grieve a bit. But I’m learning to trust. I’m learning that he’s a far better author than I could ever hope to be.

So when I dreamed about my child’s future but the doctor told me it now includes autism I can tell you I cried many tears. I wept in my sister’s arms. I sobbed on the phone to my mother. I stared into my husband’s equally stunned and confused face and wondered what on earth God was doing.

But I had learned by then that it was okay to dry my eyes, and lift my gaze to heaven. “Okay God, what are we doing here? What are you writing for my little boy? It’s going to be amazing. Help me trust you.”

One might think that all the times God has taken an eraser to my dreams would cause my faith to waver and my trust to be broken. It might seem logical to the world that I would walk away from him. But the opposite has proven true. I’ve now learned that when my plans are interrupted God can be trusted with the rest. I’ve learned by experience that his plans are better. FAR better.

Trust the author of your story. He writes the most amazing, adventurous, glorious, and redemptive works. The stories include pain, and even suffering, but they are beautiful. So when He takes an eraser to your dreams it’s okay to cry and wonder and struggle — but I promise you it’s okay to trust. God knows what he’s writing is better than anything you or I could come up with. Embrace that. Embrace the story He’s writing for you.

Filed Under:autism,faith,miscarriage,pregnancy loss,special needs
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February 19, 2013 - 10:01 am

*Ashley Lou* - And, again…I am reminded of the faithfulness of our God when we think it is all crumbling away. Thank you for always posting with such honestly, even though (I know) it can be terrifying to be so open. It really is changing someone’s world…

February 19, 2013 - 10:03 am

Sarah - This is SO good to read. Though not in the same way, we’ve experienced the “death” of some different dreams only to see God work in ways we couldn’t have imagined. I remember about a year ago reading about Abraham sacrificing Isaac (or, you know, almost), and I remember feeling similarly to Abraham. I felt as if God had asked for us to be willing to give him the dreams we had, even though we felt that they were God-given, and allow Him to do what He would in our lives. I have to go back to that often, but I’m so thankful I’m not in control.

February 19, 2013 - 12:44 pm

Kate @ The Ferguson Family 4 - Yes, yes, yes!! I love this post from the bottom of my heart! Thank you, Lauren!!

February 19, 2013 - 1:14 pm

Ani - Beautiful, Lauren. Thank you.

February 19, 2013 - 1:56 pm

Amy - LOVE this post. I too love the story that has been written for my life. Although it has not always been easy to live it out, it has brought me to where I am today and I am so thankful for that. The great thing about our stories being written by God is that we all know the ending and it is definitely a happy one. :)
Love ya,
Amy

February 19, 2013 - 3:38 pm

irune - Lovely post! As Ashley Lou said “It really is changing someone´s world…” Thank you for your words.

February 19, 2013 - 4:07 pm

Sarah - Oh dear, the tears! I’m still in the midst of the storm waiting for the sun to shine through. But good things are on the horizon, I can feel it. But sometimes when I feel especially discouraged I look to the example God has given me in you. What a testament of faith and courage and redemption. I love you Lauren. Thank you once again for your beautifully written words. <3

February 19, 2013 - 4:55 pm

Patty - Lauren, this post was something I desperately needed to be reminded of. I’ve been walking thru a heart wrenching trial for just over a year, and it has taken me a while to come to a place where I can accept this as Gods story for me. There are days when it’s still a struggle, a lot of days if I were to be honest, and yet, God has shown himself to be good and faithful time and time again. I’m so thankful for people like you who are open and honest about your struggles, encouraging others along the way. I enjoy your blog so much. God bless.

February 19, 2013 - 5:17 pm

Sarah - Love, love, love this! So true in my life too!! Will be sharing with all the women in my life!!

February 19, 2013 - 6:53 pm

Shelly - Beautiful! Reminds me a little bit of Job’s story. Like you, Job had every reason to curse God and walk away, but He instead chose to lean even more on His Father. Even though Job never got all the answers to the painful questions in his life, He still trusted God and was given a greater understanding of who the Writer of his story really is.

February 19, 2013 - 8:48 pm

Tiffany - Wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

February 19, 2013 - 9:01 pm

Lindsy Wallace - Sister I could’ve written this same post only interjecting my own dreams and God’s re-writes of our story. I agree with you completely. HIS story is so much better than anything I couldn’t written for myself!

February 20, 2013 - 9:19 am

Megan - Thanks for these encouraging words today… so perfect for me to hear!!

February 20, 2013 - 10:00 am

Chelsie - Learning to “trust” in general can be so hard at times, especially if you have been through a heavy upbringing. Although, having gone through it all it is proven like you said, “when my plans our interrupted, that God can be trusted with the rest.” Thank you for this sweet reminder. Beautiful post!

February 20, 2013 - 4:52 pm

belle - bot did i need to hear this said out loud today! thanks for the reminder. i too am sorely let down and disappointed in the way my life has turned out (different reasons of course. i’ve made bad decisions that have cost me dearly and was completely unaware that they were wrong at the time). i have begged on raw knees for the opportunity of a do-over. thanks for the encouragement. He really is still in control and He is faithful!

February 20, 2013 - 11:08 pm

Ashley - This is beautiful! I’m so thankful for the story that God is writing for my family, even though it’s been painful at times. God is faithful!

February 22, 2013 - 2:16 pm

Heather - I linked to you in my blog post today! Just wanted to let you know! This post really resonated with me!! Thank you so much!

February 23, 2013 - 12:12 am

Megan - Thank you for this post! As I’m lying around the house recovering from a hysterectomy at such a young age and desperately waiting on a referral I’ve had all those emotions this week. I feel guilty for doing so, but reminded daily and especially by your post that God is writing my story, not me. Thank you for touching my heart tonight.

April 23, 2013 - 10:42 pm

Jenni - I am new to your blog after seeing your post on FB yesterday. God works in mysterious ways. I read this post with tears streaming down my face. I cannot tell you how much I needed what you have written. My husband and I have been TTC for 7 years. We have had multiple failed treatments including IVF twice and 2 miscarriages. We are at a cross-roads. We are trying to decide between IVF again or adoption. I’m hoping I can do what you have said in the post and let God write my story! Thank for this post!

my second stitch fix + fashion shoot with the kiddos

February 17, 2013 10 comments

Friday brought me some happy mail! I got an email from Stitch Fix earlier in the week telling me they had shipped my second box of goodies. I checked the tracking number on Friday after lunch and saw that it was out for delivery — I checked the porch about every ten minutes after that!;)It finally came and I couldn’t wait to open it up and see what my stylist had chosen for me this time! If you haven’t signed up yet do it today! So. Much. FUN!

This time I asked for all tops, some stripes, chambray, and a blazer if possible. I had fun doing a little photo shoot with John taking the pictures and the kids all playing around my feet and photo bombing like crazy. I am super awkward with things like this so the kids help make it fun and loose!

First up, the Natural Life Corinna Striped Dolman Top…

This top fit me perfectly and I like the stripes, but I didn’t love the color or the style. I’m not a big fan of the dolman fit on me and the color was more rust than pink. So this one goes back.

Next up is the RD Style Sage Striped Sleeveless Sweater Vest…

I really wanted to love this. My husband’s exact words were, “you look hot in that! you sure you don’t wanna keep it?” haha I like the colors but I’m not an enormous fan of the high in front/low in back hemline. Also it’s a sweater vest but I’d more likely wear it as a tank and I definitely don’t want sweater material when it’s hot enough to wear a tank. But it fit great and I did like it. I just didn’t love it — so not a keeper.

Then comes the Frenzil Hi-Lo Jersey Loose Tee…

I loved the colors, the stripes, and the material of this top. But the high in front/low in back is what really frustrated me. I almost didn’t try it on. But then I did and liked it but  still didn’t love the style. Then I tried it on again and took pictures in it and now I’m super torn. Every time I put it on I like it even more. It’s realllly comfy too. What do you think? Keep or not?

For the chambray request they sent me a Kut From The Kloth Daumier Dot Cotton Chambray Blouse…

I was disappointed in this one because I’ve seen this same shirt at Target. I like it. It’s cute. But it’s not the chambray I had in mind and it’s about $30 more expensive than the Target top. If I wanted this shirt I’d just go to Target. So this is getting sent back.

I saved my favorite for last — the blazer. They sent me a Very J Doreen French Terry Blazer in mint green.

Swoon. Seriously I adore this! It’s exactly what I wanted. I didn’t have a color in mind but this one is perfect on me. I love that it’s casual enough to pair with jeans but also nice enough to go with a dress or skirt. I also love the hidden detail when you roll the cuffs up — pink striped prettiness! This one is a keeper!!!

So I’ve been sent two Stitch Fix boxes so far and I have been so happy with everything they’ve sent! The clothes all fit me well and I’ve had great selections to choose from. Seriously loving this!!! Clothes aren’t super important but they are fun and girly and I’m all about that!

You can find my first Stitch Fix post here and then you can go sign up to get your first fix here!

Filed Under:just for fun,stitch fix
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February 17, 2013 - 8:12 pm

Elizabeth - I think you look great in the loose tee, but I know that I wouldn’t wear it. I would think it was cute, but never actually take it off the hanger to wear because the short front would bother me. So, I guess it just depends if you think you would actually WEAR it. :-) LOVE the blazer on you! And really, you look great in ALL those clothes!

February 17, 2013 - 8:21 pm

Shannon - Lauren, I think you great in ALL the tops. But I know that feeling when you’re just not “feeling” it :-) But the one top that you asked if you should keep it or not….KEEP IT. Happy shopping!!

February 17, 2013 - 8:42 pm

Chelsie - I love the Frenzil Hi-Lo Jersey Loose Tee on you! I want one for myself. I just went on and signed up, I’m now on the waiting list. Can’t wait to order stuff! You are so pretty in all of it!

February 17, 2013 - 9:34 pm

alison - I love the mint blazer with Jeans! You look great it everything!

February 18, 2013 - 12:12 pm

Kaye - I am so jealous! I signed up right after your blog and am still on the waiting list!

February 18, 2013 - 12:15 pm

Lauren - you should get off the wait list this week!! I think it’s about a 2 week wait – so any day now! ;) Can’t wait to see what you get!!

February 18, 2013 - 11:51 pm

Joye - This is so fun :) I’ve been seeing stitchfix everywhere! I love your honest post about it, what you like and what you don’t. I’m all about getting my clothes for cheap, so I’ve been hesitant to try it. But you look GREAT in everything they sent. Especially that blazer!! Love it :)

February 22, 2013 - 2:22 pm

Heather - I love the idea of this but it’s really around $75 PER ITEM??

February 22, 2013 - 9:54 pm

Lauren - Heather – the most expensive item I’ve ever been sent was $78. The average price range is closer to $30-$50 — but because of the affiliate program I get a huge discount or items for free. :) The blazer was $78 and I got it for $8! Gotta love that!

February 25, 2013 - 3:45 pm

Judith - I’m sold! Loved your post. Signed up and was on the waitlist for less than 24 hrs. Thanks!