Mother's Day

mom:  dress (Hatley, Blossom of Lexington c/o non-Lexington avail HERE), hat (HM, similar HERE), rings (Lagos, Anna Beck), bracelets (Morton James Cuff, Omar + Elsie Coordinates Bracelet, Kate Spade), sweater (GAP)

kiddos:  all clothing (Hatley, Blossom of Lex c/o non-Lexington avail HERE, HERE), shoes (Converse High Tops, Toms), all Hair Accessories (Remington c/o)

You two.  You're the reason I get to celebrate this day.  You are the reason I strive to be better.  You give this wild ride of life meaning and purpose.  You make me so happy.  You make me laugh.  You make me cry.  You strengthen me.  You teach me.  You give me courage. You challenge me.  You love me.  I love you.  

Happiest of Mother's Day to all Moms.  But especially to mine.  Mom, it wasn't until I had these two nuggets that I truly "got" all you are, all you did, all you sacrificed for Steph, Jarrod, and me.  Amazing doesn't do you justice, Mom.  If I'm half as good as you were and continue to be, I'll be doing a damn good job.  Love you and wish we were together today.  

Two other shouts out go to Kristin Tatem of Kristin Tatem Photography and Rebecca Kent of Blossom--two amazing, hard working moms whom I also call friends and who made this post possible.  KT, you know I love you & your mad skills, and Rebecca, I adore your spunk and fabulous threads you clothe me and the gals in!  Enjoy your day ladies!  

PS:  Let me briefly talk shop because I know I struggle with finding hair accessories that both the gals and I can agree on.  One it's gotta hold their manes in place (they've got very thick heads of hair thanks to my mother).   And two, it must be comfy and cute--and I use that term loosely since my big gal is such a tomboy, God forbid it's girly or cute.  Thankfully Remington has tons of adorable options that satisfy both me and the little ladies.  Headbands are ridiculously comfortable with no behind the ear complaining, and the barrettes actually hold their hair in place--it's a miracle I tell ya!  Cute, comfy, and functional--thank you,  Remington!  

Enjoy your day gang.  Moms, kick your feet up and relax--you deserve it, you're doing a wonderful job!

photos courtesy of Kristin Tatem

Behind the Lens

all images c/o Kristin Tatem

You have a fancy camera.  You have hopes of capturing images that have that editorial, crisp, yet blurry in the background feel.  You take said fancy camera for a test drive..and nada--no blur, no crisp, no magazine worthy, hell, barely even Facebook worthy pictures...it ultimately ends up on an auto setting and your dreams of becoming a photog are quickly diminished.  Not any more, gang, not any more.  I am truly so thrilled to be announcing the launch of my girl's, Kristin Tatem, online  class, Beginners Photography Class.  I have taken this class live twice and I am telling you, you will be amazed at how she explains how to get your camera to work for YOU--many lightbulb moments indeed.  Truly, the proof is in the pudding--just scroll through my posts and you can see the passion she has behind the lens--kid knows what she's talking about--and in turn, I now take better pics of my little ladies.  Moms who want to capture moments with their children, bloggers, business owners (think Etsy), and aspiring photographers will all benefit from this Online Class.  And because it's Christmas and I love giving stuff away, The Beginner's Photography Class is giving away one FREE ONLINE CLASS to a 

s + s  reader.  Entry rules are simple and stated below.  Giveaway will end next Wednesday eve--make it a good one--outfit post coming to you manana!  

ENTRY RULES:

-you MUST like Beginners Photography Class on FACEBOOK

-extra ENTRY if you Pin ABOVE s + s collage using PIN IT button in upper right corner of image

-PLEASE leave comment below stating how you entered, EMAIL ADDRESS and What you would like to takeaway from class (ie:  mom wanting to take pics of kids, better blog pics, etc)

Cheers to the Weekend

dress (J.Crew), vest (J.Crew), satchel (Cambridge Satchel Co.), chucks (Converse Hi Top Version), shades (Ray Ban), bracelets (Adele of Lexington, stella & dot), ring (Anna Beck & Lagos), watch (Tag Heuer)

Cheers to a fantastic weekend!  We had a quintessential summer evening last night full of fireworks, s'mores, swimming, & catching lightening bugs--couldn't have been more perfect!  This Frock has definitely been put to good use this season (I'm about to toss it on after posting this as a matter of fact).  Enjoy the weekend with your friends & fathers!  Sending lots of love to my wonderful dad---love you Big T--you are the best of the bunch!  Make it a good one! 

photos courtesy of Kristin Tatem

Navy on Navy

jacket (GAP), skirt (F21), tank (J.Crew), shoes (Michael Kors see Similar), necklaces (Target pearls, vintage gold), handbag (Michael Kors Hamilton), watch (Cartier), shades (Ray Ban), bracelet (Stella & Dot), ring (Lagos)

I'm having a major love affair with navy right now.  I mean really, it's always been there, but it's at an all time high currently.  It's kind of ridiculous considering color is all the rage this spring--don't worry gang, I'll cheat on neutrals soon enough!  Pattern mixing is still going strong this spring and my advice when doing a stripe pairing--make one more subdued than the other (ie: the tank under the bold striped jacket).  

Two other orders of business.  Numero uno, I 'think' I've decided to grow out the locks--just to a chin length shaggy bob--so this serves as your warning--horrible hair days to follow!  Have you ever grown out a hair cut this short?  It is horrid, gang, truly--you want to grab scissors on the daily (which I'm not saying I won't do, but I'm going to try my darndest to push through the ugly). Secondly, remember my Kristin Tatem PSA?  Well, if you Lexingtonians are in need of a new headshot for your biz, make sure you join myself & Kristin this Friday for a day of pampering & styling--she still has a few slots left so make sure you take a gander HERE for the deets!  Alright kids, make it a good one!

photos courtesy of Kristin Tatem

KTP PSA

You know I love her.  You know I trust her to bring my rigs to life.  You know I've trusted her with capturing my sweet gals since they were babes.  She's Kristin Tatem and I will plug the heck outta anything this kid does.  She is amaze behind the lens & lucky for us Kentuckians, she just so happens to be hosting a Day of Pampering headshot event for fellow business women in the Bluegrass.  I will be there helping and would love nothing more than to meet y'all and help style your headshot.  Take a gander below on the deets and take note--she's holding a Giveaway for a free slot--stop it! Speaking of Giveaway, Congrats goes to Jennifer P (Goldilox74)--You won the Stella & Dot necklace!  I cannot thank you all enough for participating....We have another fun giveaway coming up in two weeks--stay tuned!  

Per my gal, KT:

Calling all the passionate business ladies of the bluegrass!  This event is for you!

Spend the day getting dolled up and styled up for beautiful modern headshots to use on websites, marketing materials or whatever your heart desires!  Perfect for realtors, bloggers, business women, pageant head shots or mommas who just want to glam up and take a beautiful portrait!

Mix and mingle with other like-minded ladies as you sip champagne and get pampered with professional hair & makeup. For a final touch, stylist Beth Parker of Seersucker & Saddles will help accessorize with darling Stella & Dot jewels!

While we are at it, lets throw in some more networking!  If you would like to give your business a shout out, all participants are welcome to add some juicy goodies to the swag bags!

Join us March 22^nd at Greenbrier Country Club.  Morning and afternoon session slots are available.
Wanna bring a friend?  Book together and I will make sure your session slots are close!

Includes:

Professional Hair and Makeup
All kinds of pampering
20-minute outdoor photo session
Private gallery of 5-7 images to choose from
Your favorite 3 images on a disc

Price $225

Mild Mannered

 

coat (Zara, SIMILAR on sale for $50), skirt & tee (J.Crew, LOVE this shade), shoes (Pour La Victoire), belt (J.Crew), necklace (BaubleBar/Atlantic-Pacific Collection), shades (Michael Kors), clutch (Treesje, DARLING option for spring), bracelets (J.Crew & Voce on Clay), ring (David Yurman), watch (Michael Kors)

Mild temps in the Bluegrass yesterday & today!  And while it literally should be illegal to show my casper-like stems in public, I just couldn't resist embracing the 'warmth' sans the tights!  This look is certainly one that will transition perfectly into the spring.  Remember THIS & THIS?  Just a little illustration of how we can sport the tweed & stripes moving into the warmer months (which let's face it--we got a ways to go)!

Little housekeeping note, per the advice of Jill, I (think) I have implemented a new 'comment' platform (I heard lots of issues with peeps not being able to comment on the old one, and quite frankly, I had difficulty replying, too) called Disqus.  Give it a whirl as I LOVE getting feedback from y'all and I do my best to reply accordingly (just know I read EVERY tidbit)!  

Also, in cased you missed it--getting my purge action on and parting ways with my lovely Gucci Positano Tote, feel free to take a gander (and bid)!  Stay tuned as I'm feeling the need to cleanse my closet.  Alright gang, make it a good one!

photos courtesy of Kristin Tatem

My Brood

The Parker Family | Lexington Photographer from Kristin Tatem on Vimeo.

I couldn't resist sharing what is already my most cherished keepsake of my crew.  We embarked on our annual family Christmas photo session with my gal, Kristin Tatem, several weeks ago.  Not only have I relied on this insanely talented friend for my blog photos, but she has also shot my ladies since they were babes.  Oh my goodness did she outdo herself and give us the ultimate gift, this video montage of our session that day!  To have this precious time in my children's lives captured on film is beyond invaluable.  I will treasure this forever, Kristin, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I dedicate this post to you, missy, as well as the folks that helped make it extra special, Blossom of Lexington for the precious Tea clothing, Barker's Christmas Tree Farm, Geneva Harris, and most importantly, my precious family--I love you all from here to the moon!

You all have a wonderful weekend--I hope you enjoy this little slice of my crew! 

children's clothing courtesy of Blossom of Lexington

children's wellies Hunter