I have been so discombobulated this month, and I have no idea why! I was bound and determined Valentine’s Day was on a Thursday. Do you ever get something solidly in your head, and you are so very wrong? Luckily, something clicked for me because I realized this was the third week of the month! That means today is the third Thursday of the month. It’s time for another style challenge with the women of Ageless Style which is a group of women of all ages and styles. Every month, on the third Thursday, we post our looks based upon a prompt chosen by one of us. This month was my turn, and my choice was rather open-ended! Random Acts of Kindness Day is this week. I thought it was on Thursday, but it’s actually on Saturday! Last month, Leslie of Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After chose sumptuous fabrics. Prior to that, we have worn skinny jeans, layering essentials, what to wear for a fall occasion, back to school looks, fashion on a budget, and many other ideas. If you’re curious, you can find some of my looks here, here, here, and here. Please do visit the other hostesses of the link party (oh, yes, there’s a link party) at their various sites!
Random Acts of Kindness Week…
Strangely enough, I couldn’t find any information about the reason Random Acts of Kindness Day is on February 17th. I did find conflicting information on where and when this day began, but I’m not sure it really matters. This article says it began in Colorado and spread to New Zealand. Other articles say the day originated in New Zealand. We certainly could do with a lot more kindness in this world every day! But, in case you want to really celebrate it, you can find ideas here and here. I wrote a post about Random Acts of Kindness Week last year. You can read it here.
Holiday sweaters…
When I was teaching, I had sweaters for Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day. I spent hours scouring the internet for these special sweaters and bought many of them on eBay. Even before I retired, I gave several of my Christmas sweaters away. At one point, I had one for every school day from Thanksgiving to Christmas. After retirement, I gave more away, including my Valentine’s Day sweaters. I know many people find them tacky, but I find them delightful! And, yes, I know that makes me sound like everyone’s grandma!
What I wore…
I thought I’d find something with “Kind” on it, but then I decided I’d use a Valentine’s Day sweater for a couple of reasons. One is I already had the sweater. Another is it’s covered in hearts which symbolize love. Finally, I just couldn’t come up with anything that was better than this sweater! One of the things I really like about this sweater is the 3D aspect. Many of those hearts are felted little puffs! Add in the heart shaped paillettes and I was sold! The only thing I didn’t like about it when I was teaching were the 3/4 sleeves. My classroom was always cold, and it never occurred to me I could wear long sleeves under it! I’ve really evolved, haven’t I? I added a pair of Talbots jeans and an embroidered red tee from J Jill. This tee is actually a tunic, but I didn’t want it hanging down so I just doubled it up underneath.
The Lewk!
Once upon a time, Nigel would buy me a sterling silver heart for every year for Valentine’s Day. Somewhere in this house, I have an entire velvet box of them! But, could I find them for this photo shoot? Nope! This is one of them. One other year, he bought me this cute sterling silver Hershey’s Kiss™. A few weeks later, I found “matching” earrings at Target! They, of course, are probably in that box with the other heart necklaces! My clogs are old and are from Born. I bought these after my first foot surgery because I thought they had good support (hahaha)! They are extremely comfortable even if they are looking a little worse for the wear! I think they look like a milkmaid’s shoe!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I feel a little like I should apologize for such a basic look! After all, this was my pick for February! I love this cute little sweater and think it is a fabulous advertisement for being kind to others! So, can we talk? When did you first learn about Random Acts of Kindness Day/Week? Have you ever been on the receiving end? Will you “celebrate” this holiday? Please leave a comment or two, and we can talk! I will respond as soon as possible. Since you won’t receive an email notifying you of my response, please check back in a day or two!
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Thank you!
I really do appreciate each and every one of you…subscribers, commenters, and those who email! You make my day! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
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, and I do deClaire and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties! Just a note…Traffic Jam will be back in March in a little different format!
And, now it’s your turn!
Please link up your favorite posts about kindness, love, Valentine’s Day, DIY, baking, gardening, fashion…you name it…as long as it’s family friendly! Here are links to all of the lovely ladies in the Ageless Style collaboration. Please do visit them on their various media. Link up with us, visit a couple of others, and leave a comment or two! No worries if you don’t have a blog, just look around! You may find a new blog just waiting for you!
Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Bo ~ Bo’s Bodacious Blog
Blog / Instagram /Pinterest / Bloglovin’
Joanne ~ My Slice of Life
Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle
Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Rosemary ~ Distinctly Southern Style
It’s a pretty little sweater! I never was one to wear holiday themed sweaters when I taught but I always like ones that can be worn on a holiday and at other times too. I think this one fits the bill.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thanks, Mireille! Oh, I think I would have worn these kinds of sweaters even though I wasn’t a teacher! I just love to be different!
That is the cutest sweater! I love all the little hearts.
Thanks so much, Amy!
I like that you shopped your closet for this challenge – the heart sweater choice was just right. Teacher style is its own animal, isn’t it? When you’re dressing to connect with kids and keep their attention, you can end up dressing differently from people in another profession. I can see how your holiday sweater habit would be something students would notice and be curious what you’re going to wear next!
Hahaha!!! You are so right, Sally! When I was in college, we were actually encouraged to buy such things for that very reason. I wrote this in a post once, I think. I had some girls who tallied the number of days in a row I wore a dress or skirt! They just weren’t used to it! But, flowy skirts and dresses made for a much easier time sitting on the floor and reading with them. Even though they were fourth graders, they still enjoyed sitting on the floor with their teacher!
Thanks, Sally, for coming by!
That sweater is so so cute!!
Thanks, Joanne! It’s a little much for most places and people, but I like it!
I just love the 3-D hearts. I would have snatched that up too.
And isn’t it funny how we come to the conclusion of what we can/can’t wear with something and never really analyze it?? Then once we do something different it’s like that “I should have had a V-8” moment (gosh am I dating myself or what, haha?)
Anyways, I love how you were the boss of your clothes by tucking up the tunic too. Bravo, Bravo!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Thanks, Jodie! I had about five Valentine’s sweaters and thought I’d kept more than just this one! Obviously not! Oh, I wouldn’t have worn most of what I now wear when I was teaching. It is funny how we evolve!
Your sweater is darling and perfect for random acts of kindness day! The 3D hearts are so fun! Have a wonderful weekend!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thanks, Jill! I had a couple others that I gave away which were almost as much fun!
This is a great look, Marsha. And no need to apologize for “basic”, this outfit is anything but that. Besides, what’s wrong with normalizing basic?
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
Thanks, Rena! You are right…there is nothing wrong with basic…I’d be in a lot of trouble! I think I sometimes get caught up in the “I have to do more for the blog looks” frame of mind!
What a cute sweater! I feel that way about 3/4 sleeves, too. I’m always cold! But you have the right idea about layering underneath!
Thanks, Laura! It’s funny, but I just wouldn’t have done it back then! Now, I don’t care…if I’m cold, a layer is going underneath!
Sweet friend, I just realized I never visited this post. I remember being captivated by the way you looked in another recent post. And meant to come back to check out this post but failed to do so. Love the red cardi with the hearts. Perfect interpretation of the kindness prompt. And you look especially lovely in red. You created a great look for the recent SIA series. I do miss participating in that and 10 on the 10th but LIFE is rearing it’s ugly head again around here. So, my blogging days may be hit or miss once again.
Hope you find your box of hearts. It would be fun to have a whole charm bracelet of hearts. PC has given me a number of hearts over the years, too.
Thank you, my dear friend. I hope you are able to deal with whatever is going on. It seems, sometimes, we are heaped on with lots of things, right?
I was glad to pull out this sweater for this prompt though I had some others that were even better. I narrowed my Valentine’s sweaters down so that I had room for them in this new house. And, I hope I find that box, too!
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