Rainbow Chips Deluxe Cookies are Evil

Random, I know. This will be a random post as well, because it's 0545 and I haven't slept a wink. The day started off reasonably well enough...kids liked their Valentines, I got some editing done, went to get weighed and discovered I'd lost another four pounds. For the past three weeks (well, the past YEAR, really, but only seriously committed the past three weeks) I have been participating in a physician's weight loss program. Basically, I pay a weight loss "specialist", who happens to be an MD, to teach me how to put my body in ketosis, which promotes weight loss. I get a shot in the butt of some fat melting gibberish and an appetite suppressant and make my weekly promise to deprive myself of any and all carbs. The whole thing became a necessity after three years filled with divorce, stress, illness after tonsils being taken out, steroid therapy due to a throat polyp (and I couldn't even sing like Adele if my life depended on it...what gives?), much too much wine and good ol' fashioned laziness. The program works. I mean REALLY works. After two days of initial protein loading and no carbs, you really don't crave carbs anymore. The no wine part kind of stinks, but I'll get over it. I've lost 14 pounds in two weeks. Awesome, right?

Well, then this evening Jdad was trying to reach into his truck to get out the flowers he bought me for Valentine's Day and slipped out of his wheelchair onto the wet pavement. We gathered him back up into his chair and all seemed fine. He did complain of a little pain (which is pretty abnormal since he can feel nothing from the nipple down) but he said it was more like back pain so I didn't worry too much. He got ready for bed and laid down and then asked me if I thought it was weird that his leg would do "this". "This" turned out to be his knee bending at a 90 degree angle TOWARD his thigh. Holy cats. Yes this is weird! His leg was totally misshapen and swollen. We jumped in the van and flew off to the VA where they promptly affirmed my suspicion: a complete fracture of his left femur. Not to be the simple type of guy, he also threw in a hairline fracture of the right femur. Luckily, there didn't appear to be any internal bleeding as there often can be with such a large break. They decided to admit him and have it surgically reduced in the next day or so.
I left feeling quite sorry for myself. As I fed the dogs I saw the bag of Rainbow Chips cookies on the counter. There they were, just innocently beckoning me to give in.
And so I did. I ate four cookies. Don't think I even really tasted much, but I'm sure they were so good.
The aftermath...notsomuch. Ten minutes later I am ready to puke. Seriously ready. I feel like I literally ate 14 lbs. of cookies.
We can solve that problem, though. Diagnosis: emotional eater!

Sooo, how've you been?

I've had a lot of readers ask. Obviously, we've had some major life changes around here in the past few years. I had posted about it and then took those posts down. I thought I'd post them again, and then reconsidered.

I guess now I feel okay posting about it because I think it's important for people to know that divorce isn't the end. It just isn't. My exhusband and I had been married for almost ten years. When we married, I was 23 and he was 40. LOTS of age difference, lots of difference in opinion. I, naively, thought I could change him and make him less opinionated, less angry, more fun, more sympathetic and empathetic toward other people. After ten years, I just stopped trying. I spent a LOOOONG time faking it because as a young woman my mother did insist to me that sometimes in marriage you just need to fake it to make it work. I get that. I just couldn't let my kids be constantly exposed to his brand of insanity and think that was normal. Couldn't let them think that talking about certain people or treating certain people differently because of the color of their skin was okay. It's just not. I couldn't fake it anymore.
So, I walked away. He was shocked. I guess he didn't want to accept that there was a problem, or that he had possibly done anything wrong. Ok, fine, but I was done.
The kids and I moved out because he refused. After a few weeks, I reconnected with an old flame on facebook. We talked and talked and talked. All of the immaturity that had existed ten years prior was gone and all the good things we loved about one another remained. Our relationship continued to flourish and we started dating long distance. The fact that he was no longer a super sexy athelete and was now a paraplegic as a result of a car wreck didn't phase me a bit. He was still super sexy to me and even more sexy was the way he treated me and the way he loved me and my kids.
All that time, my exhusband and I remained friends. We vacationed together with the kids (and the new boyfriend) and really had an amiable break up. He finally admitted that we really were done and had been for a long time.
Last January, several months after my divorce was final, Jeremie and I got married. He lives in Virginia now and owns his own insurance company. Our day to day is that of a normal family of four and sometimes five when the kids' dad is over. We all get along really well and are hopeful that the kids' dad will find his own someone special.
I think a lot of people WANTED there to be acrimony in our life and tension and stress and drama. It simply wasn't the case and for the kids' sake I am so thankful.
So, here's telling you that while divorce sucks, and there are terrible consequences for families and children, it can be done civilly and families can move on and get along. Just keep the kids' best interests at heart and you can't fail. They are the most important product of your marriage and they deserve your best go at it.

More Fun with WHAT TO WEAR...

This time, I chose a family vignette. I love photographing families, but I hate the standard white shirt and jeans look. First of all, white is an almost impossible color to photograph and get right. I know all brides are cringing now! It's not so bad for brides, but when you get an entire family wearing white shirts, ESPECIALLY when there is sand, sun or the surf to reflect of off, it can be an exposure nightmare!

So, I've taken another watercolor look and transformed it into real life. I've listed my sources below. Have fun and remember, if you have a different combination of or more/fewer children, you can always go to the sources I've used and add or subtract items from the same collection. They are more likely to be coordinating and not matchy matchy! You'll probably have to click on the images to make them bigger...or you can head over to my photography blog Jennifer Thiers Photography to see a larger view!

For Mom:
A lovely figure hugging blue dress from Boden USA, a J. Crew cashmere cardigan, J. Crew Mona Suede pumps (you could also do a tall boot and it would look amazing!) in burnt sienna, and a Tory Burch Painted Wildflower Scarf.

For Baby Sister:
Gorgeous green dress by Janie and Jack and white cardigan by Janie and Jack. Fringed bootie by Olive Juice Kids.

For Big Sister:
Girls Twirl Time dress by J. Crew Crewcuts, Girls patent tortoise flats by Crewcuts, Cardigan from Crewcuts, tights from Olive Juice Kids and beret from Olive Juice Kids.

For Big Brother:
Boys supima argile half zip sweater from Brooks Brothers Kids, Khaki pants from J. Crew, Chukka Boat boots from Brooks Brothers kids, and Band stripe trilby hat from Crewcuts.

For Dad: Classic white oxford and gingham tie from J. Crew, Suede Hybrid Jacket from Brooks Brothers, Levis 505 Regular fit for Brooks Brothers Jeans, and Red Wing for Brooks Brothers antique cactus Iron Ranger boots.

This outfit could go straight from the photo session to church, a social event, or even just to the movies. Have fun!

What to Wear...no longer a mystery!

As a photographer I often find myself in the awkward position of stylist. Oftentimes my clients bring several outfits or pieces of clothing and ask for my advice. I definitely know what photographs well...I'm just not the greatest at pulling it all together! In steps this fantastic photographer's fashion guide! One of my favorite vendors has just started putting these out and I am in love. I love the stylish look of a watercolor, and also that it allows a little room for artistic license when picking and choosing outfits. They give you a basic color palette to work with so you aren't completely tied down to specific pieces. Genius! I thought I'd give it a try and see how long it would actually take me to pull together some of these looks online. It was a breeze! So here's my own, homegrown version of a polyvore outfit for you guys!

I'll be posting these on this blog as well as my photography blog, www.jenniferthiersphotography.com. I think they will be such a huge help for my clients!

First, we have the professional style guide...

Love the color combo so much! I've done my own version, adding a little texture and a few different options...

Here's the cost breakdown:
Men's Burberry Wool Overcoat: $1600 (don't let your chin hit the floor ladies...this is an INVESTMENT PIECE...it will last years and years and be worn over and over)
Men's J. Crew secret white shirt: $64
Men's J. Crew Broken in Chino: $59
Men's blue cashmere J. Crew v neck sweater: $198
Men's Alden for J. Crew suede boots: $470 (again, an investment, but a worthy one!)
Ladies' Tulle Alexa Coat in Yellow from Nordstrom: $59
Ladies' Tory Burch long sleeve lidia polo: $125
Ladies' J. Crew Pencil Skirt in decadent red: $98
Stuart Weitzman platswoon pump in nude: $298
I have two belt options: for the gal who wants a little trendier look, the skinny calf hair belt from J. Crew for $60...for the girl looking for a more classic look, the J. Crew multistrap leather belt $ 55

All great options whether you're having your photo taken, going out to dinner, a football game, or even after dinner cocktails!

Elva Fields

I wish I was one of those really put together girls. You know, the ones who wear cute little skinny jeans, flats, a perfectly pressed silk blouse under a belted cardigan? Super cute (I would actually settle for clean) hair and finished off with just the right piece of jewelry? Yeah, I'd like to be that girl.

For all of you out there that feel the same way, or if you actually ARE that girl (lucky you!) then you will love Elva Fields. I stumbled upon this website and fell in love with the pieces. They are so unique and classy. Edgy but classic at the same time. Big and chunky and yet delicate and sweet. I even love the dangly earrings, and I'm not a dangly kind of gal. You could pair these pieces with a sharp business suit, a charming cocktail dress, or a pair of jeans and a sweater. Either way, you can't go wrong with one of these gorgeous pieces.

Enjoy!

It's almost time...

For Matilda Jane! I LOVE Matilda Jane and my daughter loves wearing their clothes. They are soft, colorful, edgy, and simply make you happy when you're wearing them! You can't help but be a fashionista when you walk out the door in MJC. Over the past year I have had a couple trunk shows and amassed a great deal of MJC. I LOOOOVE their clothes for photography. The layers, the textures, the colors, should I go on? Oohh, la la!
I simply cannot wait to see their latest collection! The show debuts on February 1st and I will have the trunk the entire next weekend. Can't wait to host as many shows as possible!

What's in YOUR kids' lunchbox?

I had to post this photo to go along with this blogpost. I saw a little ditty on Good Morning America that talked about these overachieving mothers in Japan that made their kids homemade sushi and fabulously decorated food for their lunch boxes. I guess when you're all packed in like sushi in your house this is FUN? notsomuch.
I don't know about you guys, but my kids are the polar opposites when it comes to lunches. Babyboy LOVES to eat the school lunch. He insists that when I pack, he never has enough to eat. I must say, his school has a lunch buffet that is to be reckoned with. We're talking salad bar, delicious homemade hot protein, super fresh veggies, home cooked desserts, milk, fresh juice. You name it, they've got it. That's what I'm paying the big bucks for, right? He definitely gets more food variety at school than he does at home and I'm 100% cool with that. Love it.
Babygirl on the other hand, is a creature of habit. She does NOT like the idea of a lunch line AT ALL. She wants to know what is going to be on her plate everyday BEFORE it's there. Sooo, here's her daily spread: pre-packaged fresh grapefruit with a stevia pack for sweetener, waffle pretzels with an individual pack of Jif peanut butter, chips with an individual pack of salsa, a bag of mini oreos, 3 biscoff cookies, and a bottle of water. That's it. Everyday. While I'm cool with the nutrition part...she's getting fruit (grapefruit), veggies (salsa) (hush, it's close), protein (peanut butter) and then water, I still feel like she's missing a MAIN DISH. She just refuses to eat a sandwich or a salad and she won't take leftovers from the night before no matter how much she loved them. What to do? How do I mix up the lunch offerings without upturning the apple cart?