Ageless Style: April Showers!

And a thunderstorm maybe…

It’s the third Thursday of the month, and I’m joining the other ladies of Ageless Style with a new style challenge!  Leslie from Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After chose April showers. Last month, Jodie of Jodie’s Touch of Style selected sweatshirts. I was really interested to find out why since she lives in Arizona! In case you’re unfamiliar with this group, each month, one of us picks a theme. We then create outfits with that theme or trend in mind. Since I’ve joined the group, we’ve styled holiday looks, Very Peri (Pantone’s color of the year), booties, ponchos, and cardigans. You can find my looks here, here, and here. I have had lots of fun checking out my closet(s) to find items to match the challenge!

Indiana Weather…

Until we get to actual summer, our spring weather can veer from snow (yes, we had snow on Monday) to very warm (80s predicted for this Saturday). These days, I don’t worry quite as much about getting dressed for the day because I can easily change into more weather appropriate clothing. When I was teaching, though, it was all about the layers! My classroom was cold. The part of the building where I was located was in the newer wing (haha…it was built in the 60s). But, I was at the end of the hallway. In order for the classrooms at the other end not to turn into saunas, the heat flow had to be turned down. So, my room was always cold…until the weather turned hot! And, then we just baked! We didn’t get air conditioning until the last few years I taught. I remember planning my back to school wardrobe around the shorts I would wear! That building was replaced last year (I think or maybe the year before) with a completely new building. It’s weird to me that my classroom doesn’t even exist anymore. But, I digress!

Ahem, Indiana weather…

It is usually chilly and a little rainy in April in Central Indiana. This year, it seems to have been even chillier and rainier than usual. We have had a couple of thunderstorms. I love listening to thunder crash and rain hitting the windows at night when I’m all cozied up in bed…as long as there aren’t any tornado warnings! Our grass is already lush and green. Nigel has even mowed it twice in the last week! Like many other places, Hoosiers like the old joke…if you don’t like the weather, just wait a/an (insert time frame), and it will change. The thing is…it’s not even a joke! Unless you’re deep in the middle of a specific season, the weather can change rapidly from one extreme to the other in a matter of hours.

April showers…

My daffodils are up as are the hyacinths. My creeping phlox is beginning to bloom. Everything else is still kinda dead looking. I have two kinds of hydrangeas…old growth and new growth. The difference in those is when or even if you prune. If your hydrangeas are old growth, you should try not to do much pruning at all. The new blooms will come from that old growth. If you have new growth hydrangeas, it’s fine to prune. I think my hibiscus bushes are the same way. Four of them break off right to the ground and come back up in late spring. The other two (which are spreading quite nicely) do not break off and bud from that old growth. In case you can’t tell, I absolutely adore flowers! I also have columbine in various colors as well as Asiatic lilies (if the bunnies don’t eat them) and yarrow. There’s some Russian sage and salvia which come up and smell quite earthy…one of my favorite scents!

April showers, Marsha…

My point is I need those April showers to get my flowers going! Along with these perennials, I also plant marigolds from seed harvested in the fall. I also buy several bedding plants. I usually buy wax begonias, blue salvia, and whatever else catches my eye. I really like New Guinea impatiens and geraniums but rarely have much luck with them. Another plant I really like is cockscomb. My Grandma Luderman always planted these from seed. I can’t even grow them from plants!!! I wish I could have convinced Nigel to give me a large area to just plant rows and rows of flowers before he had the yard irrigated. Ah, well…he does like the Boston ferns I hang both in the front and back. Last year, I bought a Kimberly Queen fern. That plant covered my glass top table on the front porch!

The theme, Marsha, the theme!

As you can probably tell, I didn’t take my photos on a rainy day. We’ve had plenty of them, but it just never occurred to me to take the photos then!! I wasn’t even 100% sure what I was going to wear. I had thought to get all artsy and put up a bunch of different umbrellas. I couldn’t find my favorite, though! I was going to borrow my daughter’s Hunter boots and splash in some puddles but never got around to asking. We haven’t had any good puddles for a couple of weeks anyway! This umbrella themed cardigan seemed perfect!

The Lewk

I was almost positive I would end up wearing this cardigan. It’s a few years old and comes from the Talbots Charming cardigan collection. Here is a cute option. Each year, they manage to put out some really nice prints. My tank is also old and from Talbots. The last time I was in a Talbots outlet, I was surprised to find their Charming cardigans were 100% cotton (and at a lower price point) while the regular store’s version is a cotton/rayon blend. My pants are from Old Navy. I have several pairs of these. They wash and wear wonderfully. I get them in a petite medium. This pair is a hair shorter than I like, but I just wear them lower on my hips. My daughter calls these shoes (similar) my potato shoes! Needless to say, she doesn’t like them! You can probably see the moleskin I’ve attached to the back. This is the second pair of these shoes I’ve had from Josef Seibel. They are so comfortable, but the backs were a little stiff hence the moleskin! The necklace and earrings are old and from J Jill. I know some of you are not big fans of J Jill, but I have to say their jewelry is always top notch and at a fabulous price point!

Something new at MitM!

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. As of right now, I do have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

Isn’t it funny how we almost always default to talking about the weather when it appears we have nothing to say? I know I do. “Hey, Joe! Whatcha think about this sunshine?” or “Say, Suzie, rained enough for ya?” I suppose it’s because the weather is always there and rather uncontroversial. So, can we talk? Do you have April showers or funky weather patterns? Is it cold where you are or is spring slowly inching its way toward you? Please leave a comment or two, and we’ll have a conversation! Thanks as always to my lovely subscribers (oh, and one handsome one as I think my brother actually subscribes to the blog)! I do appreciate you!

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, Being a Wordsmith, and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I’m also a co-host on the Weekend Traffic Jam (here).

And, now for the good stuff!

Here are links to all of the lovely ladies in the Ageless Style collaboration. Please do visit them on their various media. Also, please join the party and click on the link below to share your rainy day wear! Join the party even if you live in an arid climate! Link up with us, visit a couple of others, and leave a comment!

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Bo ~ Bo’s Bodacious Blog
Blog / Instagram /Pinterest / Bloglovin’

Carrie ~ A Simple Lovely Life
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Joanne ~ My Slice of Life
Blog

Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style
Blog | Instagram | Facebook |

Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle
Blog /Instagram

Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |

Rosemary ~ Distinctly Southern Style
Blog / Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook

Robin ~ Hello I am 50ish
Blog / Instagram / Pinterest / Facebook

Join us, won’t you?

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