Nienie

Here is the story of me and shopping...never really loved it.  Being overweight most of my life made it not so fun.  I like it a lot more now that I can walk into any store and try just about anything on.  I don't feel like I'm very good at it though.  Fashion these days is sort of horrifying anyway with the skinny jeans and colored denim.  No thank you, I'll pass! I already lived through the 80's once!
James loves to shop.  Strange for a boy, I know!  He loves to take me into a store and then pick out clothes for me to try on.  I comply because his response when I walk out of the dressing room is always something along the lines of, "Whoa!  You look smokin' hot!"  I will try on clothes all day!  He likes to go the expensive stores.  I'm all about the Target, Kohl's, Old Navy, with the occasional splurge at the GAP Outlet.  I like to think that we balance each other out.  He loves to shop, and I don't.  He will spend a pretty penny on something that is good quality, and I will panic and go try to find something similar at Kohl's for half (or more) the price.
So the whole point of this post is the outfit below...

I actually bought the skirt on my own at Costco (yes, Costco...for $29.99...which was even a little hard for me to spend).  I had no idea what top I would wear with it or what sort of top I should even try to find.  I just liked the skirt.  My plan was to get something cream to match the polka dots.  I don't think outside the box when it comes to fashion.  One day James and I were at the mall and I explained my new skirt to him and asked what I should wear with it.  He suggested a bold colored shirt...bright yellow, red, or coral.  Well, we all know I will never wear red, so yellow or coral it was.  We found this very cute top at the J Crew Outlet.  It cost a pretty penny (even at the outlet for 40% off), but it fit so well and was so soft and pretty (100% silk).  I made the purchase and then kept the tags on it for several days thinking I should probably take it back and find something similar for cheaper.  Eventually I decided to just go with it.  I had just gotten a sweet bonus at work anyway!  Deep breathing!
I showed this picture to Amy and the first thing she said was that I look like Nienie.  Could a girl ever be paid a higher compliment?  For those who don't know who Nienie is, she is blogger Stephanie Nielsen.  I read her blog every single day (nieniedialogues.blogspot.com).  She inspires me in so many ways.  She is a burn survivor and wife/mom extraordinaire.  Not only has she overcome tremendous (beyond anything I could ever imagine) trials with grace, humility, and poise, but she is an incredible wife to Mr. Nielsen (as she calls him), and five cute, active kids.  If I am half the wife and mom that she is someday, I will be a success!  I love how candid she is about the struggles of everyday life but the beauty of woman- and motherhood.  She has incredible fashion sense too!  I can't even comprehend how her brain thinks to put together the outfits that she wears or that she dresses her kids in.  Now I have an outfit where I can at least sort of look like Nie!  I may just let James pick out all my clothes from now on, but we will have to be at Kohl's or Target!  My bank account can't afford such expenditures on a regular basis.  And come to find out, the shirt is dry clean only.  Who has ever taken something to a dry cleaner?  Not me!  James will have to start handling my dry cleaning too!