once in a lullaby

I've been in a terrible movie rut lately. Every once in a while, even though I'm a HUGE movie fan, I go through dry spells where I listen to music, watch the news, binge watch tv shows, and catch up on reading, but consume basically no films whatsoever. This whole month I only logged five movies on letterboxd. FIVE. Meanwhile I watched the entirety of Community. Twice.

I've been a big fan of The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock for a while now but for some reason I could never get into Community until recently. I love it sooooo much now, though. Troy is my favorite, and I love the Dean. And I have a terrible crush on Jeff Winger. Ughhhh. I have such a weakness for characters that are mean and cocky but also have a sweet side and a good heart underneath the rough exterior. I love the narcissism episode when his "swagger has a new swagger" *falls on the floor like the Dean.*



I also just finished binge-watching The Santa Clarita Diet (for the second time) which is probably my third-favorite currently-running comedy. (First place goes to The Good Place, Second place is Brooklyn 99) I love that somehow Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant are total #couplegoals while simultaneously killing people as a team to get human meat for zombie Drew.

It's weird that I always end up feeling a little guilty during these non-movie spurts, like as if I'm cheating on my favorite pastime lol! But the heart wants what the heart wants, and right now that seems to be Joel McHale in aviators and Drew Barrymore eating people. C'est la vie!

shirt - vintage | skirt - c/o modcloth | shoes - bait footwear

long story short

I AM WEARING SHORTS!!! This is a big deal to me. Like I said last week, I haven't worn a bathing suit in public in about ten years. I also haven't worn shorts since I was in high school. I'm so self conscious about my thighs, the only times I *have* worn shorts, I've layered tights underneath so that it would still hide my legs. But I keep coming back to one of my favorite Mindy Kaling quotes - "If you've got it, flaunt it. And if you don't got it? Flaunt it." I'm flaunting it this year, whether I've got it or not lol!

My insecurities haven't been so wholly conquered that I'll be wearing shorts every day, but it's nice to give myself the option again. I wore jean shorts for a walk in the park last week and nobody stared at my legs or shouted at me to cover up my dimply thighs. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had built it up to be in my head. I think we all have insecurities that we obsess over, but to everyone else we just look like normal human beings. We need to look at ourselves that way, too!

playsuit - asos | shoes - ralph lauren

flower power

I am such a sucker for daisy stuff. I chalk it up to either my 90's upbringing or the fact that it's my Grandmom's favorite flower. But I can't resist anything that's daisy shaped, daisy print, or, well, actual daisies. I have a few little pots of them (fake ones, but still) sprinkled around the house.

Anyway, I'm just obsessed with the print on this dress. It's also available as a bathing suit and I'm SO tempted! I've been wearing black bathing suits layered under dresses or opaque cover-ups for like ten years now but I think I'm beginning to experience that thing that everyone says happens when you hit your thirties -- I honestly do not care what other people think about how I look. I think this is the year I finally just go in the ocean without hiding my body under multiple layers. It's crazy to think how long I've gone without feeling the sun on my thighs or feeling warm ocean waves on my stomach, all because I'm so hung up on what other people think of my cellulite or jiggly arms. Not anymore!

dress - c/o modcloth | sweater - old navy | shoes - bait footwear

sunglasses - oui fresh | brooch - my shop

a day at the beach at home

This was what I wore for Mother's Day this year. My mom and grandmom love the beach, but neither of them really like going anywhere for Mother's Day, especially places where there would be holiday crowds (like the beach.) So I gave them a "day at the beach at home" instead!

I started things off by giving everyone sunglasses to wear on their head (since we'd be "at the beach" indoors) and started this youtube video for a background soundtrack of beachy noises like seagulls, waves, and wind.

For decorations I got inflatable beach balls from the dollar store (and blew them up manually since I couldn't find our air pump *still coughing two weeks later*) and used them as a centerpiece. I got sand castle buckets, filled them with ice, and used them for sodas and water bottles. My brother let me borrow his collection of conch shells and we placed them all around the kitchen. And I found really cute Jersey Shore themed plates (the location, not the show, lol) at the grocery store. I couldn't find them online but these are really similar.

I made homemade fudge and candy and dressed up the kitchen counter to look like a little boardwalk candy shop! I even pretended they had to order by the pound, lol ;) For dinner my dad and brother cooked on the grill, and for dessert I got churros and funnel cakes from a nearby take-out restaurant and just heated them up in the air fryer when it was time to eat.

My favorite part of the day though was when we played games! I made my own version of the frog boardwalk game with these frogs, and giant ping pong paddles I got at the craft store. I set up three giant bowls on our coffee table in the living room at varying distances, and marked how many points you'd get depending on how far away the bowl was. Then each person got four frogs and had to try to get them into the bowls. It was SO fun, and my mom and grandmom really got into it! After that we played ring toss with pool rings from the craft store and bottles of water placed at varying distances again. When it was all over, I added up the points and everyone got to pick prizes! I got some stuffed animals at the dollar store and strung them up on the bookcase in the living room, with different animals having different point values.

We all had SO much fun, and my Grandmom even said it was the best Mother's Day ever! It might have even been more fun than a *real* day at the beach, lol!

dress - joanie | sweater - forever 21

shoes - ralph lauren | sunglasses - amazon