OOTD - The Knitting Lesson (SIA)

It's time for another Style Imitating Art!  Jen, of Librarian for Life and Style, picked this lovely piece for today's inspiration:

"The Knitting Lesson" by Earnest Bieler (1908)

This was a lot of fun to center an outfit around, and gave me an opportunity to wear a hat that I received as a gift, but don't wear often enough.  It echoes the patterns on the little girl's hat in the painting, and also has another great story behind it.  Want to see it?  I know you do:

Not only is the hat adorable, but it comes from an awesome company called Krochet Kids.  If you haven't heard of them before, you should check them out.  They're a fair trade company that "work[s] with highly vulnerable women who live in poverty stricken regions of the world. [Those areas are in Peru and Uganda.] [Their] program empowers women with the resources to rise above poverty. Forever."  (from their What We Do page)  It only made sense to include this hat in the outfit, since it was made by a company that caringly teaches it's artisans the craft of Crochet (which is almost the same as knitting, only different.)  They also have scarves, tees, and other goodies on their site.  I'm especially in love with this sweater.

I kept the rest of the outfits simple with black and blue to echo the grandmother's outfit.  I even included a scarf I made myself, with some adorable buttons that were a gift from my MIL.  Actually, as I looked at these pictures earlier, I realized a lot of the pieces from this outfit were gifts from my family, which just makes this outfit even more special!

Outfit Details:
Top: free via clothing swap
Jeans: thrifted, $5
Hat: gift from SIL
Striped Bracelet: gift from MIL
Charm Bracelets: DIY (tutorial here)
Scarf: DIY with gifted buttons from MIL
Shoes: thrifted, $2
Grand Total: $7

If you'd like to see other outfits inspired by this painting, be sure to check out Jen's blog tomorrow for the SIA round-up!

Life Lately

OMG, it's been like for-e-ver since I last posted!  I promise we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, life's just been kinda busy lately!  I figured I'd give ya'll a little recap of everything going on in our life so far.

Baby A:

Little man is growing like a weed.  He's also developed quite the personality, as evidenced here:

I'm loving having another baby in the house!  It's been so fun seeing this little guy develop and grow. I can already tell what a friendly and active little guy he's going to be!  As soon as he's awake (and not hungry or constipated... hey, it happens), he's nothing but smiles and wiggles.  I must've done something good in life to deserve a kid as cute as him! ;)  And speaking of cute:

Little A

This girl.  She just cracks me up!  She's in the typical two-year old stage of 'I do it myself' (with EVERYTHING, aaarrrrghhhh!), she has decided to be a tiny vegetarian for the moment, and she basically copies everything big sister does as she flounces around the house in a tutu.  She's just the best.

Big A

I just went last week to drop off paperwork and register this girl for KINDERGARTEN! *sniff sniff*  I'm already hoarding the kleenex that I know I'm going to need this fall when she actually starts going to school.  It's going to be harder for me than her, I'm sure.  She's already so outgoing that being in a classroom with a bunch of other potential friends is going to be heaven for her!  I'm having a hard time believing that the kid that first made me a mother is going to be five, since it feels like I had her like 6 months ago.  That's just one of those mama conundrums though; I feel like I just got her, and that I've had her forever.  *sniff* Now, where are those kleenex?

Changes

Kindergarten isn't the only change on the horizon.  We're about to move into a new place in the next month or so!  The rent on our current home is about to raise a bit above our budget, so we're looking at moving into a more cost-effective home.  So, if you notice that my photo background changes next month, that's why!  In the meantime, I'm going through a major purge so we don't have to move as much stuff, and my 365 days of stuff challenge may be moved up a bit!  Speaking of which, I promised ya'll updates, so here's what I've gotten rid of so far this year:

2 packs of too small diapers, an unused baby blanket, and two boxes of too-small clothes

I reorganized my beauty products on a snow day, threw out the expired and unused ones, and repurposed the old caddy for cleaning supplies

This was the big one!  I cleaned out my closet, which translated into 4 boxes of clothes and one box of shoes and purses.  

And, from my first trip to donate, there's cups, books, puzzles, and a basket that all made their way out of our house!

THM

The final big change that I'm embarking on is a personal one, regarding taking charge of my health and eating habits.  I'm starting a new way of eating called Trim Healthy Mama.

Link to buy via Amazon

I can honestly say, this is the first time I've actually been excited about starting a 'diet.'  Part of the reason is this isn't really a diet, but just a new way of picking healthy foods.  I've realized recently that I've been making some poor choices when it comes to my eating, and it shows.  And I'm not talking about my weight, either.  My mood swings, fatigue, and general lack of excitement have been a big factor lately, and are not helped in the least by my steady diet of convenience foods and general "I'm allergic to excercise" mindset. with the occasional salad thrown in when I feel guilty about the massive amounts of Oreos I've consumed.  If I stick to this plan, which is really well explained in this blog post, and don't end up losing any weight, I'll still consider it a success, simply because I'll be weaning myself off of a diet of refined sugar and reliance on pre-package food with the help of a Biblically sound eating plan.  Plus, I still get to enjoy awesome desserts like this Lemon Butter Cake with Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese frosting.  And who wouldn't want that?

All in all. we're in a season of change here in the Holt house, and it's gonna be great.  Although, I'm not convinced anything could be as great as this little clip of cuteness:

I should get back into a more regular posting schedule once the moving craziness is over and done with!  If you'd like to know what's going on in our house in the meantime, your best bet is probably my Instagram (where all the pics from this post were found, btw.)  Until next time!