it’s raining {southern maryland photographer}

The thunder is booming outside, rattling and shattering our peace. The lightning is fiercely piercing our windows. But it’s still too quiet. Because Kleiny girl isn’t barking at every grumble. There’s no whimpering from the bathtub. No one yelling for her to stop. No pacing up and down the floor, nails click-clacking, pace increasing as the thunder rumbles closer. I miss my sweet Kleinerhund, tiny puppy girl, sweet Kleinybear. The thunder must be her, just saying hi. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 sweet klein of the roses

august stitch fix {southern maryland photographer}

It’s somehow August already. And I’ve somehow had the flu since Saturday. And my Stitch Fix arriving today made it better as much as it could! If you don’t know about Stitch Fix, go backwards in this blog and read up! The short: $20 gets you a personal stylist. This lovely gal with gather five items based on a profile you complete and ship them to you. IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME WITHOUT YOUR CHILDREN SCREAMING ABOUT HOW THEY JUST WANT A PRETZEL, you can try on the items. And you can take up to three days to mull it over, if you need three days. Ship back what you want in the pre-paid envelope. Keep what you want and checkout online. If you keep all five, besides the super awesome bonus dance you do in your bedroom to celebrate, Stitch Fix gives you 25% off of your entire order. HELLO SAVINGS.
Without further ado…
stack
Oh “the stack”. It’s so pretty folded up tight with the paper wrapped around before I voraciously tear into it like a rabid cheetah.

But the treasures it holds!
Such as:
Marilyn Schiff Vara V Cuff
I think we don’t need many words to describe this darling. Keeper for sure.
cuff

Just Black Dean Skinny Jean
So, “Just Black” is a Stitch Fix – only brand. And the ladies that blog their gear totally RAVE about these things. And I get it. They’re soft, and just enough stretch where we need it most. Except there are zippers. So torn…
jeans

jeans zip
I don’t like zippers at the ankles of my jeans. 🙁
And they bunch since I’m such a shorty:
jeans ankles 2

jeans ankles
As Graham said: “they look great on you mom; you can unzip them and cuff them and wear boots, right?” *Swoon*. That boy.
UNDECIDED.

Sweet Rain Toledo V Neck Blouse
I immediately was drawn to the colors. Bright and fun, this shirt felt right for me. And then “the four” chimed in and told me how ridiculous I look. Well nah-nee nah-nee boo-boo, I’m keeping this even if you hate it and I look like a coloring book threw back up the crayons!
jeans & aztek

aztec

19 Cooper Jazz Embroidery Detail Blouse
This shirt is so great in so many ways. Even “the four” told me it looked pretty (typically I don’t have a fashion show for them, but they were home sick with me, too!). I can see this going to work for the rest of the summer and transitioning with a blazer or sweater in the fall. But, there are two hiccups I’m having: notice anything in the middle of the embroidery? And: bra straps. This will require a new bra. I hate bra shopping and Stitch Fix doesn’t offer that service…yet!
jeans & black

black
UNDECIDED.

Lastly is the Pixley Ellie Elephant Print Blouse. My girl Holly noticed this on my Pinterest inspiration board, and I do love this little blouse. It fits well, as most Pixley items tend to fit me perfectly. But I just…I don’t know. I don’t feel like I’m in LOVE, I’m just kinda in like and will probably ignore the phone calls/texts after the first date. And I really want to call my clothes back after the first date.
jeans & elephants

elephants

Happy Stitchmas in July {southern maryland photographer}

Do you know yet about StitchFix? I’ve hashed it out for the last few months, so if you’ve followed I won’t bore you again, but for the ‘new guys’, here’s the short of it:
Go to StitchFix [use my referral link so they give me an affiliate credit, if you don’t mind?]. Fill out a questionnaire, which takes 10-15 minutes, tops. Schedule your shipment. It’ll cost $20 for the service, but that $20 gets applied to any of the five items you keep. Keep all five and get 25% off the whole thing. It ships. You try on the five pieces, even if you think you don’t like them straight out of the box. Send back what you don’t want within three days in the prepaid envelope. That’s it! GREAT service.

stack
When I pulled this out of the box, *swoon*. The colors are my kind of colors!

I had plans this month to have photos of myself in all of the pieces. The mirror I planned to use for said photos of myself in said pieces? A child or a dog managed to step on my mirror after it was somehow knocked over, and so it is shattered. Maybe I even stepped on it? Anyway…

Without further ado:
Bancroft Gisella Hammered Fan Necklace
necklace1

necklace2
Love. I like simple pieces that don’t require much more than me slinging it over my neck. This one is even better than that. It’s two-sized so I can wear smooth side or hammered side. YES. But it also has little latches that slide so the chain can be extended or shortened. So necklines on shirts suddenly don’t matter. So much goodness.

Skies are Blue Fowler Mixed Material Knit Top
SAB top
Basic Tshirt you think, right? Except the sleeves are not cotton. They’re awesome. Great for looking polished on the weekends or being dressed up a little bit for casual Fridays at the office.

Pixley Malynn Asymmetrical Soft Moto Vest
pix vest
So let’s talk about this top for a minute. In “the stack” it was zipped up to the neck. And since it crosses the body to zip, it was a little confusing. And I was having a “WTF were you thinking, Holly?!” moment. And then I saw the zipper. And the crease in the fabric. Yep, this is one of those things I would 100000% never ever grab for myself if I was shopping – ha, like that ever happens [soapbox: this is another reason why Stitch Fix is SO GOOD]. Anyway, Holly pushed my boundaries and re-established new boundary lines. This will be great for work and weddings and weekends and bridal showers and and and…

Pixley Messi Lattice Neckline Knit Top
messi
I pinned this one to my Pinterest board and was stoked to get it in my box. I know a bunch of other bloggers have noticed similar ones at Target for a lower cost. So let’s address that and I’ll soapbox a little. If I go to Target, I swear there is a gas in their buildings that force you to buy things you had no intention of purchasing before arrival. So it could be true that the shirt is half as expensive. But let’s be real: it will cost more than the shirt alone because there will be cute sandals for “ONLY $24.98”. You all know what I’m talking about. Not to mention that requires actually stepping foot into a store. And trying clothes on. While getting laundry detergent. With kids and a husband. Yea, no. So back to the top: Love it. Will wear probably a million times.

Last but not least:
Kensie Thea Dress
kensie
My birthday is this month so I told Holly in my stylist note that I wanted a random splurge item. And boy did she deliver. This one I had not yet seen on all the StitchFix blogs I follow and I was pleasantly surprised. This dress feels like it was cut for my body. It’s so perfect. The colors are glorious. Purple never was a favorite color, but it tends to be one that works best with my complexion and hair/eyes. I can wear this to work. I can throw on some flip flops and wear it grocery shopping. I will love this forever.

If you haven’t tried StitchFix yet, why are you waiting!?!? Treat yourself. For the cost of three cups of overpriced coffee, you can have your very own personal stylist. Get with it ladies, you NEED this! And you don’t have to get a shipment monthly. You can get just one. Get one a quarter. Get one monthly. One every 2-3 weeks. Heck, I’ve seen some ladies that have two accounts so they can get one for work clothes and one for weekend clothes and they come every 10ish days. You can set it up for clothes only or allow accessories — I asked for no earrings and no purses/bags. I may add earrings after a while, but I tend to just leave the same studs in daily. And no purses — I know my limits and I’m far too lazy to swap out bags to match my clothes thankyouverymuch. You should really get on the bandwagon because you’ll squeal when you get the shipment deliveries, too, even if you don’t feel like you will.
xo

Beach vacation. Part 1. {southern maryland photographer}

130 crmtea Dad
“The Boys” did a lot of fishing. This is my dad.
217 b&w Dad
He caught a shark. Well, they all caught some, but this is my dad. With his shark. <3 169 dad

170 dad
A storm rolled in while they were fishing. The sky was CRAZY. These two images are completely untouched, merely converted from RAW to jpegs.

119K
My handsome husband in the waves throwing out his line.
FISHING DAY ONE, COMPLETE.

Stitch Fix Friday {southern maryland photographer}

So my favorite day for myself every month was yesterday! If you don’t know about Stitch Fix, you’re missing out! You can read about it in my prior blogs, but the short of it is: $20/mo for a personal stylist. Five items show up tailored to your online profile and through styles you post on a dedicated Pinterest board. Keep any or all of the five items. The $20 goes to the cost of anything you keep. You get 25% off if you keep all five. THE BEST.

I have to just dive right in; this month was so good!
So this totally cute box shows up at my doorstep.
box

And inside of it is a stack of lovely goodness.
stack

And this note from my stylist.
card

With styling cards providing much-needed outfit inspiration!
card full

Without further ado:
Black Dear John Lillie Short
I can’t lie. When I saw these in the stack, I just groaned. Loud. I requested specifically from my stylist (the totally awesome Rock N Roll Holly who clearly knows me better than I know myself!) some shorts for an upcoming week at the beach. On my exercise journey, I’ve reshaped how my body looks & feels, so the bermudas on my lumpy butt aren’t necessary any longer! But I also am not a booty-short fan. I’m a mother of three in my thirties; ain’t my thing. Anyway, the shorts — I’ve also never liked denim shorts. Except, does that tag say “Made in the USA”? Except, how many times has Holly proven me wrong before I learn to just trust her? So on they go. And here they shall stay! They fit beautifully, the right length, they aren’t too thick anywhere, and they are actually kinda cute. WAY better than I expected when folded into “the stack”.
shorts
VERDICT: KEPT.
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Black Renee C Zia Printed Maxi Skirt
Let’s just say YES immediately. This is the first thing that caught my eye and I immediately tried it on. I didn’t even change my shirt (which, suffice it to say, did not match the skirt at all!). Maxis are always so tricky for me because I’m short, and while some are okay with a wedge, sometimes I just want to wear some damn flip flops. This skirt, oh this skirt — yep, works with bare feet so it’ll definitely come in handy on vacation over a bathing suit! Yep, hanging up already!
maxi
VERDICT: KEPT.
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Off-white Market & Spruce Corby Knit Tee
Meh, I knew right away that I did not love this shirt. It’s a weird mix of graphic tee and really thin, cute, awesome non-sweater sweater. If it didn’t have the French on the chest, I’d be in love. It fits beautifully (of course it does; this brand was apparently made for my body, even through the changes) and feels pretty great. I kept it. I’m still not sure it’ll stay here.
merci
VERDICT: KEPT (but may consider tossing on the facebook BST site as there’s an apparent demand)
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Coral Collective Concepts May Chevron Print Knit Back Top
Second on my body out of this box, and second 100% sure keeper. Yes, it’s kinda boxy on me (you can see the form of it when it’s hanging). Yes, it offers no shape to anyone. However, this allows for fitted bottoms and belting. And it works with the new shorts I didn’t know I’d love. The color? Oh swoon. Yep, she’s already stowed away as a staple.
chevron
VERDICT: KEPT.
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Black 41Hawthorn Queensland Dolman Jersey Top
This is the softest thing I’ve ever felt. I was glad to see black, just plain ol’ black, because that’s where my heart always goes! And I’ve received so many wonderful bottoms over the months (I’m already on fix #8!!!), plus the things I already had, so this black worked out perfectly. I just don’t want any more Dolman tops. This is the third in my fixes and that’s enough for me. 🙂
dolman
VERDICT: KEPT.

Another five for five, Ms. Holly. I want to tell you to knock it off, but let’s be honest: I LOVE IT.

doTerra days are happy days {southern maryland photographer}

Yesterday, I received my doTerra essential oils order. I believe in the power of nature and what nature has to offer and use as many homeopathic remedies as possible. Yes, my family sometimes smells like hippies but we are healthy and strong and I am a firm believer that doTerra keeps us that way.

If you’re interested in how essential oils can help you, please visit my site: http://mydoterra.com/alisonecurtis
You can read, research, and order oils and accessories, and I highly recommend it! We started with the Family Physician kit and I’ve slowly added. My recent order was some replenishing, some new stuff to try. And here they are!

1
I love the bottles and I’m so excited for my diffuser!

6

5

How cute is the FREE gift!??!?!
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