Happy Friday! Its a lovely morning here in the Mitten State of Michigan! Things are starting to green up around here, slowly but surely! The bulb plants are blooming and its such a delight to see those cheerful daffodils and tulips greeting us all!

Last week I got so many lovely notes from you all encouraging me as I decided to try giving up Diet Coke. Good news… 14 days straight without a Diet Coke! My substitute… water!

So I have mentioned a few times that I  started a Facebook Group for people who want to try and include exercise as part of a lifestyle change (because I need it desperately, so why not make a party out of it?) I’ve been doing pretty well, usually taking walks with my doggy for my exercise. Anyway, this week, on Tuesday morning I was simply walking across the room with no shoes on and stubbed my toe and broke it! My very first thought was, “My exercise group!” No way would I let this stop me! So I found some youtube videos for getting exercise with a foot injury! No kidding! They are actually pretty challenging, and I am working muscles I haven’t worked in a long time!

We have over 100 ladies in our group from all over the world, and we share how our day went if we were able to get in some time for exercise. The group is called “Thirty for Thirty” (targeting 30 minutes of exercise a day for 30 days) and if you would like to join, you can check it out here: Thirty For Thirty

So on to the Fashion part for Fashion Friday.

My fashion challenge of the week: how to handle staying fashionable with my shoe choices with a broken toe! So they gave me this shoe/boot to use at the ER, and the doctor and I were planning a small side gig we could start bedazzling them with beads and studs and such! But get this… they only gave me one boot! Now I may be new to fashion, but even I know your shoes should match! Anyway, I did go buy a pair of sneakers a size up and in wide so I could get my foot in it. But for this week’s styles, I wanted something a little bit nicer. But a high heel was definitely out. So I found a pair of Clark sandals in my closet with adjustable straps… so that is the shoe choice for every outfit this week! Good ole Clarks! The perfect choice when your foot hurts!

And first up, a striped double breasted jacket from TopShop!

The crisp stripes are just so cheerful!

This will date myself, but remember the movie “Mary Poppins”? Dick Van Dyke wears this super cheerful striped jacket in it when he sings, “It’s a Jolly Holiday with Mary”, and its such a happy song! This kind of reminds me of that!

This isn’t my first shoe choice, but it fit, so in my book its perfect!

My bag is a really fun red bag from Topshop, the Peony Studded Shoulder Bag. I love red, and I love the shape of this bag! The flap over the top is actually a suede, so you have different textures on the bag as well. I love it!

Next I have a jacket that has stolen my heart! This fiery red distressed denim jacket from Nordstrom, get this… only $59!

My necklace is a fantastic statement necklace from Stella & Dot, the Essential Fringe Necklace, and at $59, its a win every time!

My bracelets are these lovely cuffs from Stella & Dot that you will use over and over. The Rhett Cuff, ($49) so comfortable and light on my right hand, and the Vera Bracelet ($69) on my left hand, stunning woven strands of vintage silver beads. It is good to always have some really nice go to bracelets for your outfits.

My hair dresser, Kat Wright from Tacari Salon in Plymouth, MI is both a miracle worker and a fashionista. I showed her a pic of the jacket I was wearing this week and asked what she thought for underneath, and she suggested black, and I love it!

The jacket is really comfortable. One thing to note is that there is some distressing on it, which I happen to love, and my father loves to make remarks about going down to the tractor store to get me jeans without holes in them 🙂 I love those conversations!

And my last piece to share this week is a Studded Denim Jacket from Topshop.

It’s oversized, they called it a “trucker jacket from faded cotton denim”. So Voila! Fashion ala trucker style!

This jacket is a little longer, which is nice for a change.

And the studs everywhere make a declaration to celebrate life! I love that!

If we can intentionally make time to stop and simply celebrate how good this life is, it can really supercharge your battery! Weekends are perfect for that! My sister Stacey is going this weekend to watch her 2nd son graduate from college. She is so excited and proud! Her son Chase has worked really hard and is such a great person! Stacey dropped by here about an hour ago looking so beautiful and full of that excitement that happens as you are ready to embark on something truly joyful! She wanted to borrow a gold necklace for her trip, and it was like God handed my a big wand of cotton candy as we talked girl talk and outfits and I showed her the jackets for the blog (and she tried them on, she looked fantastic!) It was just maybe 10 minutes, but it was such fun to talk about happy things.

Sometimes when your life has some heavy stuff going on, it can be really hard to switch gears to enjoy a happy moment. Yet it is so good for us to fill up on joyful moments! It helps us be stronger to carry through the challenges! I encourage you this week, stock up on those golden moments and celebrate life! We don’t need to wait for our birthday to celebrate! We can celebrate each and every day! Just look at the signs of springtime everywhere… its a miracle! Buds on the trees and birds singing their little ole hearts out! We can celebrate the warmer temperatures! Children outside riding their bikes- no snow to slow them up! People everywhere getting out and embracing life! And let that wonder at the miracle of springtime well up in your heart and smile that beautiful smile of yours and simply embrace the beauty of this life that we have been given!

I’m so glad I get to do this life with you!

Have a fantastic weekend, my friend!

I’ll be back Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?   ~Neltje Blanchan

Places I link up:

Jo Lynne Shane My Life and Style 

Northwest Mountain Living and Style 

Sharing A Journey

Fashion Should Be Fun  

Not Dressed As A Lamb