Good Morning and Happy Friday!

I hope you have some time this weekend set aside just to enjoy life! I must confess,  the warmer temperatures bring thoughts of spring and… ice cream to mind! Like heading to a place with all the toppings and options! My brother and I were talking the other day, he used to work at a Baskin Robbins when he was a teenager, and he said they had an employee contest for whoever sold the most ice cream in a day, they got a free scoop themselves 🙂 but
he said it was only in a dish… the cones cost too much! Ahh the days of our youth!

Today I have some more fashion from the photos I took with my friend Kaleigh. Kaleigh is wearing this great white denim jacket with black jeans and a black tee and I love her animal print scarf! Its kind of fun how it coordinates with the white blouse, and dark vest that I was wearing!

I love this adorable shot of Kaleigh, I love how it shows off the boots she was wearing, the stacked heel in the boots is so big this year… I am seeing stacked heels again in sandals for spring, too! I also love the snappy crisp white jacket, wouldn’t that make a great piece to add to your spring and summer clothing? A classic for sure! Black and white always looks so amazing! And it would be super versatile for bright colors as well!

Confession time (just to make you smile), when I first saw this picture above, it reminded me a little of “The Reverend Mother” in Sound of Music when she sings, “Climb Every Mountain”. Yes, I have been singing it this morning!

The duster length vest I am wearing was actually sold as a summer piece last year, paired with a sleeveless white summer blouse that was tunic length… the one they showed it with had a belt around the waist which is a great idea as the one I am wearing feels maybe a little bit “billowy” but I still like the crisp contrast (and I owned the blouse already) so bada boom bada bing… nothing like shopping your own closet! I am wearing my favorite black “TOMS” boots again, they have these cute black leather tassles on the back of the heel, so I grabbed my black saddle bag with a tassle, and a tassle necklace I have and just let the Bohemian feel take over!

I included this shot so you can see the back of the vest has this pretty woven detailing on the back of the shoulders. I purchased this vest at Anthropologie. They have some really special and unique pieces, and its a little pricier than I normally spend, but of course I had a coupon/sale! And I knew this was a piece I could use all year! I like that its a duster length too! Kind of get that “groovy” feeling tapping into my youth a bit!

These are great transitional pieces for this time of year, when our temps are on a roller coaster keeping us guessing!

I also wanted to take a moment to just talk a little about family. These are my parents, Doug and Joyce Shanks, and I absolutely adore them! My mom is 86 and my dad is 87, and they have been married almost 68 years! They have 6 kids, and 16 grandkids, and  7 great grandkids with probably many more to come! I have learned so much from them, but most important, at the very core, is that they love me. That is where the roots are the deepest. My father is such a delightful lover of life! He genuinely loves all people, and is always coming up with new ideas, and implementing them! And my mom is a rock full of wisdom and as long as her heart beats on this earth, she will be there for you if you need her. Both are extremely hard working, intelligent, and just love all people, (and animals too!).

A dear friend of mine told me a few years ago that she took a day every week to go spend with her parents, and that is some of the best time she has spent in her life. I realized she was right, and so I began doing the same thing. Don’t you love having mentors in your life?  So now I make it a weekly commitment to travel to see my folks. We shop, we go out to eat,  we take on projects around their house, go for drives, and sometimes we just sit and visit. But it has brought such a sweet blessing to me, and its precious time I will hold in my heart forever!

Here is my mom holding her dear sweet little chihuahua “Gracie”, all snuggled in my mom’s jacket, which is exactly where she likes to be more than any place in the world! My mom is also sporting a lovely chevron necklace!

And here is my dad holding a picture of himself as a teenager. I love this shot, because every one of us still has hopes and dreams, desires for fun and adventure, longings for companionship and love, all those bits of gold in our heart and soul are just as real today as they were in our youth, and every bit as important, even if the outside has changed a bit.

And dear reader, my encouragement to you is twofold this fine Friday. First,  think of someone in your life, maybe you have not talked to in awhile, and just give them a call and have a chat about some little thing you remember. You can start with, “I was just thinking about that time when…” and I know you will make their day, and maybe bring a smile to your heart as well!

And second, lavish yourself a little bit this weekend. Maybe work on those dreams you’ve tucked away. You are so worth investing in. And your ideas are one of a kind, and worthy of your life’s investment! I hope one day all your dreams really do come true, and oh how I will be there cheering you on!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Love Always,

Amy

“Climb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream!”

~Oscar Hammerstein II