Some of my absolute favorite times during the year are the summer holidays that I get to enjoy with my husband, family, and friends: Memorial Day, the 4th of July, and Labor Day all hold different variations of the same kind of fun. There's the area's classic hot and--major!--humid weather, getting to sit together and watch baseball games, relaxing on the screened-in porch, visiting the pool or the beach, and then, of course, there is always the anticipating of holiday get-togethers and the amazing food that inevitably accompanies these kind of special days.
What isn't there to love?
At my parents' house, summer holiday dinners will always, always involve a few staple items on the menu: Dad's absolutely out-of-this-world barbeque (barbecued ribs, to be precise), Mom's fantastic homemade potato salad, fresh corn-on-the-cob, and usually a nice side dish of caprese salad. I always look forward to these holidays, and the food is no small part of that! I'm not going to lie--I'm a fan of almost any kind of barbeque. My preference is North Carolina style, with a generous dose of savory-sweet, tomato-based sauce; St. Louis style comes in at a close second place, but that's also due to a family background loyalty thing. ;)
The other thing that I enjoy about summer holidays is...you guessed it...the amazingly fun summer fashions that start cropping up everywhere at just about that time of the year. This year, for Memorial Day, I went with one of my recent favorite trends--mixed prints--to help make up my outfit.
These aren't the exact things that I wore--for the most part--but they're close enough. I certainly wish that I owned that skirt. It's adorable, isn't it??? Anyway.
The top that I wore was actually a tank dress that I bought on sale last summer at Target. I love how the neckline is scooped in both the front and the back; it's both cool to wear in the sun and the humidity, and it's really quite a flattering and easy-to-wear cut. The belt I bought from Papaya, which is another great store to find great accessories such as stylish, on-trend jewelry and belts for super-low prices. My skirt was bought from the thrift store...gotta love thrift store skirts! What I like about the style of this skirt is that a) it's pleated, and b) it's falls to a nice mid-calf length, and c) it's made out of a super-light cottony material, so it doesn't cling or smother in the slightest.
As for accessories...well, I didn't go with anything elaborate. I wore a pair of earrings and a necklace that Mr. Darcy gave to me, my $5 Walmart sunglasses (score!), and my wedge heels from Target. For makeup, I kept it simple too: mineral powder foundation, bronzer, blush, brown liquid eyeliner, and a bit of coral lipstick. Yes, in the summer, I'm sticking to my liquid eyeliner. It works! ;D
Beyond the fun of enjoying great food and putting a new outfit together from my already existing wardrobe, this Memorial Day was wonderful just because I got to be at home with the people that I love. Mr. Darcy and I got to stay with his family over the weekend, and we got to see my family too, while we were in town. It's memories like sitting in the kitchen and talking to Mom and Dad while dinner was being made...watching with flashlights for the family of flying squirrels with Mr. Darcy and his dad in the darkened backyard...catching a few James Bond movies on television during a lazy afternoon...getting to go to lunch and shopping with my mother-in-law...sitting and laughing and talking during dinner with my family...and getting to wake up on a holiday-off and just enjoy being where I am...it's memories like those that add beautiful, colorful snapshots to life. Moments that you'll never forget and that you'll always love.
Now, I'm done rambling. ;) Until next time!
À bientôt!
Cait
No comments:
Post a Comment