Hi There! Happy Friday! I’m so happy its the weekend! 

We had so much rain this week, and as I said the other day, our woods in the back yard is like a small pond. Kasey runs through it all at top speed, splashing like a speed boat.

This week was an interesting week for me as far as the styles I am sharing. I love bright colors (if you have followed me more than once you would probably pick up on that!) But this week nothing I am trying is in a bright color! It just kind of worked out that way, and it honestly blends in with our weather this week! But in my heart is a wild bright bouquet of color as warm as the Arizona sun!

So with that, lets get started! Thank you to Troy this week who took photos for me. He is so patient, and Kasey loves it when we do photos as a family! (totally serious, she gets way excited when she sees the camera come out! Its like a game to her! And she might get a treat out of the deal!)

So first up is a “BP Knit Moto Jacket “. Yep you read that right! Its knit, but the fabric is such that it looks like a faded black denim or weathered leather. The fabric actually has some stretch to it! And only $69!

It runs true to size (maybe a whisker big). And it is so comfortable! You might even call it “athleisure wear”. If you have been avoiding a moto jacket because they can be stiff or a bit confining, this is the jacket for you! It drapes beautifully. I am wearing it with a black v neck tee, and denim, and Toms Leila black booties .

This would be the perfect jacket to take on a trip! It would be totally packable!

In all of today’s outfits, I have a necklace from Stella & Dot, a layered necklace and I am wearing the two shorter layers. I love this particular necklace because it features pieces that look like vintage coins. I love that look! And the layered necklace gives me plenty of options for different outfits.

I got to thinking this morning, where did the leather jacket begin? I mean, its been around as long as I can remember, I think of James Dean and Marlon Brando and motorcycles. So I googled it… Thank you Google. It seems they first came on the scene in WW1, a bomber jacket, for pilots in Germany. Then, in the 1920’s, Harley Davidson designed one for motorcycles that sold for $5.50. There was a rather cool looking photo of Amelia Earhart wearing a leather bomber jacket with her autograph and dated “1926”, I think the Smithsonian has at least one of her flight jackets. In WW2, pilots received leather jackets, and just as the nose of their planes would be regaled in art meant to look like fierce teeth and a gorgeous babe nearby, the back of the jackets became a canvas for these young men, and often would have them painted with similar themes. I read that many young men came home and put their jackets in the closet because they didn’t want mom to see it! I’m sure she was just glad they came home! And then you think of the leather jackets in the 50’s (my mind thinks of Fonzie!) and then the 60’s and Elvis and the Beatles And who could forget Grease, with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John? Or Tom Cruise in Top Gun, or Blondie and  Madonna wearing leather jackets! Right on up through the last 20 years, where now they make them in all sorts of fabrics and price ranges but there is still an iconic cool factor when you put it on! And anyone can wear them! But I digress… yet again!

Next up, a hooded cardigan by Free People I’ve been wanting to try: Lemon Drop Hooded Cardigan by Free People 

I bought a small, as reviews said it was running large. I really like this I think more than any of the other rose pink sweaters I tried this year. Its just a preference thing. I paired it up with this bag ($68) and Jeffrey Campbell  booties, (I purchased them at the Nordstrom Sale last summer, and got a great deal- will watch for that again this year!). While mine are sold out, they are almost identical to this pair.

Nordstrom describes it as a “Pointelle Knit” – I didn’t know what that meant so I looked it up (thank you, Google, again… ) “Pointelle knit is delicate looking fabric that is woolen or knitted and has little eyelet holes to create the appearance of a lace.” So there you go! I put it with this pink tee from Free People, which is a great layering tee, and comes in lots of colors. I think this cardigan would also be really cute with a white tee and black or gray leggings.

It would also be super cute with distressed jeans and some Uggs.

Its light weight, and just a pretty piece! I love that it has the hood, too!

Next up is an army green hooded jacket by Sanctuary

I think this green is here to stay… its been around now so long, and it has this quality of blending just as easily with edgier looks, more feminine looks, or simply with a white tee and a cute pair of sneaks. Jackets like this are so functional! Layered up, its the kind of thing that you could choose to wear inside and out.

I bought a Large, but it honestly was too big. The cuffs on the sleeves had an adjustable button to make them smaller and even with that on the smallest option, it was still quite large. I cuffed them up for photos so as to make it not look too big. I would definitely order at least one size down.

The jacket is that perfect weight for spring. Almost like a very soft sweatshirt. One thing to note, it buttons rather than zips. I do very much like the hood. Big enough to pull over “Big hair” on a rainy day! (I have big hair and we have lots of rainy days!)

The color is so flexible and on trend. I’ve seen many ladies wearing it with black lately, and I really like that look, so I chose to put it with a black tee. But it would be adorable a hundred ways. I was thinking how you could put a pretty floral scarf or top with it and a bright bag and change it completely!

It would also be cute over a tee shirt dress! Black? Stripes? Absolutely!

I have a red plaid blouse I would like to try it with, and a chambray… I think either would work!

Its such a flexible piece, if you are looking for one of those pieces to add that goes with everything, this might be a good option!

Well, thus ends another week, and by next Friday, March 2018 will be here! Can you believe it?

These are the days we begin to hunger for spring! Winter has wrapped her arms around us for so long, and in our hearts we know its close… the miracle of spring to come again, and we long for it! The tease of warmer temperatures slip in and out all the while we know we have “more time to do” with winter. But the winter, even though it is sometimes hard to bear, is an important part of this circle we go through. For even as the trees have succumbed their leaves and it seems that nothing has escaped this long slumber, underneath our very feet a miracle is in the making. As sure as each life sustaining beat of your heart is a miracle, so is the miracle of nature. Even now. Each season plays an integral part, exquisite and beautiful! All under the same sky! And as the very tiny shoots of new life are invisible, but under the ground, new things are just around the corner for us too!

Brace yourself and prepare for incredible things on the horizon! Prepare by making good healthy choices, by ever learning and growing, by reaching out to make a new friend or extend a hand to someone who could use it. Dream new dreams, and prepare by putting plans in place for your dreams! Chase them with the heart and soul that’s been in you since you were 8 years old and before! You were created with a perfect plan and it originates in perfect love, and those dreams are there for a reason. That’s true for all of us!  Living your life with faith, hope, and love is always in season!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Whether that sun is shining bright or if the temperatures are up or down, wherever you find yourself this weekend, may you also find joy!

I’ll be back Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

Each moment of the year has its own beauty.    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson