Minimalista.

To bring a bit of clarity to my 2015 word, I should mention a few areas of my life in which I am aiming to improve.  The short list: being content with having less, health, and finances.  Let's start with the idea of having less.  Alex wrote a great post about comparison in this day with the internet, specifically social media, being such a prevalent aspect of our lives.  Admittedly, I desperately struggle with comparison syndrome. To begin working through my condition, I significantly parred down the number of blogs I followed; I unsubscribed from a ton of email lists.  Nonetheless, I still battle with the comparison trap daily.  A beautiful Instagram of my favorite home has me searching the internet for a specific, out of my price range, blanket that will certainly "complete" my living room.  That 40% sale JCrew just tweeted about?  Well, I obviously have to find a piece for my spring capsule wardrobe (which won't begin for another two months).  I have much to be desired when it comes to rehabilitating this comparison problem.  Nothing a little discipline can't fix.

Minimalism seems to be a hot topic.  My Pinterest feed has been bombarded with articles about minimal lifestyles, capsule wardrobes, and DIYs.  Last October, I decided to remedy a bit of my spending habits by trying my hand at a capsule wardrobe.  I learned a lot of lessons, and one was that I enjoyed not wasting as much time shopping and searching through my closet on a daily basis.  As winter rolled around and I planned for my second capsule, I did not do such a great job.  I practically ended up buying an entire new wardrobe thus making anything I saved in the previous months null.  I'm going to save the spending conversation for another day, so my point is that living with less clothing made me feel happier and more like me (due to my refined and true style discoveries).  If having less in my closet impacts my life in this way, what would be the impact of narrowing the clutter in other aspects of my life and home?

D and I are in the process of prepping our house to put on the market to sell.  This has created the perfect opportunity to organize and de-clutter our home.  We are stage one hoarders, so this process takes an immense amount of time and energy.  After completing three rooms, we have already learned so much.

It's ok to keep special items with memories attached.  I have so many things that have sentimental value.  I constantly think that I would love for these things to still be around if I have kids/when I die.  It is ok to keep these items but just store them!  We have an attic for a reason.  We got a lot of large boxes and plastic bins, then threw everything in them.  It was that easy.

I don't need that extra notepad from Target because it's cute.  It is becoming more important to me that most things I own have a purpose.  I can buy more notepads if I ever run out (which may never happen at the rate I've stocked up in the dollar section).  Just as I learned via my capsule wardrobe experimenting, a sale does not mean I have to buy.  Now does that candle on clearance have a purpose?  Yes!  With four pets and two litter boxes, candles are a necessity in our household.  Everyone has different needs, but I am attempting to buy more purposefully to reduce my clutter.

Less really is more.  Our living room has large built-in bookshelves which I adore.  I love having books and displaying them.  Over the course of the nine years D and I have been together, we've accumulated quite a few books and gotten rid of little to none.  After donating maybe 30% of the books and taking down almost all of the vases and random decor, our bookshelves look amazing!  We have said numerous times how this decluttering process actually makes us want to stay in our house longer.  It makes me appreciate the beauty of the house I fell in love with four years ago.

What steps do you take to live minimally and purposefully?

The word.

I have desperately wanted to take time to resurrect this space with the entrance of 2015.  Something, or lack thereof, has been holding me back.  It's not a lack of time; I have plenty of extra that I choose to fill with reading and exercising and sometimes Candy Crush.  There is much in my life that I could bore you with: painting our bedroom, getting a house ready to sell, running another half marathon, yoga challenges, and so forth.  Nonetheless, there is still something holding me back.  I believe I'm missing a little inspiration.

The welcoming of a new year always ignites a spark within me.  It is cliche, but I find no fault in embracing a fresh start.  This time around I didn't think too hard about resolutions.  I'm pretty content with my health and exercise routines.  There wasn't really one single thing I was drawn toward fixing or changing.  I have been thinking about my overarching theme of this year for half of 2014.  I'm turning 30.  For me, it simply feels like a milestone, but a big one.  It will mark the decade of so many new decisions and changes.  For this reason, I want to make 2015/the year of 30 awesome.  Instead of a single resolution, I'm choosing a word.  

After much thought (and a little extra time as it is now the second week in January), I think discipline is exactly what I want to focus on this year.  While I'm so happy with most things in my life, I definitely have a few areas I want to refine and improve.  It takes discipline and dedication to truly make a change.  If I want to keep this space alive, I need discipline and direction.  With that, I say bring it 2015!

Autoimmune Protocol :: Making the decision.

I revealed the reason why I considered starting the Autoimmune Protocol, but the process of making this decision was really difficult.  One might think that if someone has a health issue he or she would do anything to try and remedy or alleviate the problem.  As a lover of food and eating, I struggled with many emotions and logistics of actually following through with the AIP.

The Emotions.

Food and drink is a big part of my life.  Even though I cut out most fast and processed foods a long time ago, I still eat out often.  D and I enjoy food.  We bond over trying new restaurants.  When we travel, our favorite activities include trying new drinks, visiting breweries, and exploring the restaurant scene.  Food makes me happy.  Meals and drinks with friends is really something special and social.  This aspect of my life, our lives, makes completing a Whole 30 or AIP elimination so hard.  During my last Whole 30, I often turned down social engagements with friends or with D because it is too hard to be around the alcohol (or numerous people drinking around you) and choose appropriate items from menus to eat.  This aspect of an elimination diet is depressing for me.  I also knew that doing "another" strict eating plan would cause some friction between D and I.  He and I have different eating habits, and he gets tired of having to work around my restrictions.  

Then there was the fear.  Fear of the possibility of my body not tolerating my favorite foods: eggs, tomatoes, coffee.  Peppers, cumin, chili powder: goodbye taco nights.   Nuts: not my beloved Larabars!  The thought continues to linger (especially now that I've seen results after eliminating these foods) that I will lose a food that I love so much.  The mental battle between what I loved more, my (seemingly cosmetic afflicted) body or my food.  Seriously, the struggle is real.

[Why should I have to give up delicious, healthy foods like a caprese salad?!]

The Logistics.

You may remember that I am a pescatarian.  This has always made completing a Whole30 difficult.  After all my research for the AIP, I felt like it was going to be extremely difficult to complete the protocol utilizing only fish.  For this reason (and also hoping to appease D a bit more by making additional carnivorous dishes), I made the decision to consume meat while on the AIP.  There is plenty of research or opinions claiming that meat (organ meats specifically) help to heal your gut, but I have not messed with a lot of it.  My plan was to make the best meat choices I could: buying grassfed and locally as much as possible.  Of course, this is expensive.  BUT it has improved my success and progress on the AIP.  

I'll be providing a more thorough update on my body's healing and progress on the AIP next week!

Have you ever had to give up a food for a health reason?

What food would you have the hardest time giving up?

I've been keeping a secret.

I mentioned last week that I started the Autoimmune Protocol diet.  Referred to as AIP, the "rules" of the eating plan can be found all over the internet, but I love this simple description from AIP Lifestyle.  Before I began my journey, I thoroughly scoured the resources of The Paleo Mom, Autoimmune Paleo, and A Clean Plate.  I've gotten ahead of myself.  Why in the world did I even think I should start this diet?  Even D reminded me that after my last go at Whole30 I said, "I'm never going to do this again."

Insert my secret.  Since I was a teenager, I have struggled with an embarrassing problem.  I have cysts or boils that pop up on my body.  They typically appear in well hidden but increasingly embarrassing spots such as my buttocks and thighs.  I delayed speaking to a doctor about my problem until I was in college.  The dermatologist sent me home with a special soap and no formal diagnosis.  After that embarrassing and unhelpful experience, I never bothered with consulting another doctor.  In the past few years, the problem has gotten worse.  More "spots" (which I call them and admittedly sounds better than boils) continued to appear, and they would take forever to heal.  About a year ago after having a painful spot appear in my groin area, I decided to do some research and again consult a doctor.  My doctor suggested a warm compress for the groin spot and asked no additional questions.  I continued to research on my own, and my internet research led me to believe that I suffer from Hidradenitis Supprativa.  Primal Girl is the online "expert" on the disease and provides a thorough description on her blog.  I understand that self-diagnosing myself is silly, but I truly feel that my symptoms are exactly what she describes.  I refuse to be on antibiotics or medications for extended periods of time, but I understand if this altering of my diet does not alleviate my condition I will likely need consult doctors.  I believe that I have Stage 1-2 of Hidradenitis Supprativa (HS) which I consider lucky.  There are many who suffer from the affliction to the point that it hurts to sit, stand, walk, etc.  I have only spoken to maybe three people ever about my affliction (and two of those were within the last year), but I believe in spreading awareness.  I know I am not the only one to be ashamed.

I finally hit the point of having enough.  I'm tired of being embarrassed when changing at the gym.  I no longer want to feel forced to wear running capris instead of shorts.  I want to feel comfortable walking around naked!  I'm proud of the body I have worked so hard for, and I don't want to have to hide parts of myself.  I knew it was time to make a change, but the decision didn't come lightly.  It was time to take control of my health and well-being.  Many suspect that Hidradenitis Supprativa is an autoimmune disease and can be treated with the proper diet.  I'll be posting more on my AIP journey later this week.

Do you have an Autoimmune Disease?
Have you ever tried the AIP?

Fall capsule round-up + life.

 [1.6 outfit :: Denim on denim, but I actually didn't love this scarf paired with it.  It didn't leave me feeling very "fall" inspired]

 [1.7 outfit :: The warm weather is so hard to dress for (with only one pair of shorts and a long skirt).]

 [1.8 outfit :: This white pull-over is one of my favorites.  Plus I'm getting a million compliments on all my jewelry.]

 [1.9 outfit :: I actually hated this outfit.  This shirt was too short with these ponte pants, but I had nothing else clean and had worn all my other pants that week.]

 [1.10 outfit :: This shirt.  Love.  The material is thick and the style is perfection.]

[1.11 outfit :: These shoes.  Perfection.  Also, I switched to gray skinnies as the night progressed because it got cold at the beach.]

[1.12 outfit :: This is literally the first time I've ever worn closed-toe shoes with a maxi.  And it was ok!]

[1.13 outfit :: I wish I could find these joggers again because I would get so many more pairs.  They fit so well!  I randomly snagged the only pair on clearance at Gap.  I'm scared to style more than a tee and sneakers with them though.]

[1.14 outfit :: This maroon is my favorite.]

[1.15 outfit]

[1.16 outfit :: First time breaking out the tall boots.  As nice as Frye boots are, they have zero support in the soles. Note to self: add inserts!]

All pieces can be found on my original fall capsule post.  I'm definitely enjoying having a minimal closet.  I'm learning that there is certainly no need to have an obscene amount of clothes in my closet.  It makes life so much easier to have less.  That said, I do miss buying new pieces.  There are a few things I want now, but I know they won't be practical for my winter capsule.  I am getting a bit bored and concerned with the pieces I have.  The weather is getting really chilly in the evenings at school, so I'm considered switching out a bottom or two (ie. the maxi skirt doesn't feel practical going all the way through December).

On another note, I've signed up for my next half marathon in February and will be running with my bestie (her first half!).  I'm also in the process of following a 30 day elimination using the Autoimmune Protocol Paleo diet.  The first week has been extremely challenging, but better than the Whole 30 in some ways.  So no alcohol or coffee.  I'm scared to see how this month goes...

Fall capsule round-up 1.1

In an effort to document my capsule experience while not trying to be a fashion blogger (because I'm certainly not), I'm doing a weekly round-up of my outfits using my up picture snippets.

My lifestyle is very casual and easy. I literally have no dress code for my job and typically pair jeans with semi-nice tees. This works for me, and I love having a capsule full of casual pieces which can easily be worn from day to night and on weekends.  So far the most difficult part has been preparing for the 80 degree days we've been having in Raleigh.  I prepared my fall wardrobe with the idea of having plenty layers in mind, but I didn't consider a lot of warmer days.  Many of my pieces are thicker materials and long sleeves which don't fare well for hot days outside with students.  Raleigh is looking at another upcoming warm front (low 80s as the week progresses), so I'm interested to see how I'm feeling after another week of this.

After cleaning out most stuff from my closet (I just didn't feel the need to remove every single non-capsule item from my big bedroom closet), I will admit I was scared.  Those are the only shirts (plus two vests) I would be "allowed" to use for three months!  It's not pictured but I have my sweaters folded on the rack above, but this looked sparse.

[1.1 outfit :: Jean shorts//Gap | Navy tee//Gap | Green Workshirt//Madewell | Gray Sneakers//Converse | Tote//Madewell]

This was the perfect warm weather outfit for work and play.  It may even be one of my favorite pairing so far.  It's comfortable and easy.  My classroom stays freezing, and the workshirt was a perfect layer to keep me cozy inside.

[1.2 outfit :: Dress//Madewell | Leopard loafers//Target]

This was my first time wearing this dress, and I was a little unsure of the fit (the waist tie hits at an awkward spot for my body shape).  Before even walking out of the gym, I got compliments!  I continued to get compliments all day and my co-workers kept noting how cute I looked.  The compliments boosted my confidence in this dress and I styled it up with a simple gold bangle (like this one).  The con?  These loafers are probably a half size too small for my feet and after an entire day they really hurt me.  When you only have five pairs of shoes, size and comfort is key.  I may need to replace this pair (with these JCrew beauties?).  I am excited about styling this dress in different ways throughout the season.

[1.3 outfit :: Stripped dress//Gap | Studded booties//Target | Tote//Madewell | Necklace//Madewell]

This dress has always been a favorite of mine.  The sleeves roll and can be secured with a button, and the fit is loose.  The fabric is a bit thick for a warm, sunny day.  I dressed it up a bit with a pretty necklace and again got tons of compliments.  It seems when I'm true to my own style, people notice.

[1.4 outfit :: Plaid shirt//Madewell | Destructed skinnies//Gap | Studded booties//Target]

I headed out for some day drinking with D at the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in town.  This outfit was so comfortable and easy.  I curled my hair and didn't need any additional accessories.  I adore this shirt because it's lightweight.  I rolled the sleeves for the day, put them down in the evening and layered with my favorite new jacket.  

[1.5 outfit :: Tee//gifted | Dark skinnies//Gap | Plum sweater//Gap | Gray sneakers//Converse]

This is the perfect outfit for a chilly Sunday of running errands (and picking up Chinese food to-go).  I love the long length and open-front of this sweater.  It's thin, so it makes it a perfect layering piece.  

I'm finding that my signature style is easy and comfortable.  I love adding a simple piece of jewelry to make an outfit look a tad-bit nicer especially since I don't spend time curling my hair on week days.  I am learning that my shoe choices may be an issue.  It's not quite time for tall boots+socks, but my Converses & loafers hurt my feet when wearing them multiple days in a row (it's possible my sneakers are a half size too small as well), and I'm still waiting on the arrival of my Vans sneakers.  I'm still looking forward to the variety of outfits I can mix and match though.

What is your style?

Do you wear some shoes for the sake of "style" even if the fit isn't perfect?

The capsule wardrobe.

As I continue to get older, and hopefully more mature, I keep learning about myself.  I have recently discovered that one of my greatest faults is my management of money when it comes to shopping.  When I first learned about this capsule wardrobe trend, I thought, "no f-ing way."  There was not one part of me that wanted to go three months with no shopping and only use a select number of clothing pieces.

Then I started researching the idea more.  And I started kind of falling in love with the idea.  My closet was jam-packed with so many clothes that I did not know what I had.  Half the time my clothes stayed packed from trips or in piles because I simply did not need them.  This was a problem.  I'm mostly a thrifty shopper, and I buy primarily from clearance and sales racks.  While this can be a good thing, it left me with tons of clothes that I just didn't love (and also did not fit my style).  Who needs closets full of mediocre clothing?  

I finally decided to do something about it.  I followed Caroline's recommendations and took every single thing out of my closet.  With little abandon, I narrowed everything down.  I ended up with about six trash bags full of clothes.  I had remorse on only one piece of clothing (and actually ended up adding that one to my fall capsule).  I did keep a container with "maybe" and/or "keepsake" pieces (I just can't let go of that shirt I wore on my first date with D).  With the minimal amount of pieces I kept, I was able to hang up all of my clothing (aside from sweaters) and it was liberating!  I've had such an easy time picking out clothing.  Now I feel confident that a minimal clothing lifestyle is going to make my life easier and hopefully curb my spending habits.

I've been prepping my fall capsule for about a month.  There's a feeling of excitement knowing that I have "special" clothing items waiting for me.  I know my capsule will be an experiment, and I'm not sure what my end feelings will be.  Will I hate all the clothes after a month?  Will I have to constantly do laundry? Will I be good at mixing and matching?  I'm trying not to focus on the what-ifs and instead maintain the goals for my fall capsule:

Spend less money on clothing.

Buy a few quality, well-made pieces.

Establish my own personal style.

And with that, here is my fall capsule that will run from October through December.

Gap Legging Jeans (similar) | Gap Dark-Wash Legging Jean | GapFit Stripe-Panel Pants (similar) | JCrew Factory Gigi Pant

Gap Boyfriend Shorts | Old Navy Maxi Skirt (similar) | "Leather" Leggings (similar) | Gap Jeans

JCrew Chambray | Gap Popover Shirt (similar) | Gap White Tee (similar) | Gap Light Chambray Popover Shirt (similar)

Graphic Tee (similar) | Gap Tee (similar) | JCrew Striped Tee (similar) | Gap Sweatshirt

Madewell Workshirt (similar) | Gap Cardigan (similar) | Gap Cardigan (similar) | Old Navy Chunky Sweater (similar)

Madewell Anorak Dress (similar) | Gap Striped Dress (similar) | Target Blazer | Gap Vest

Gap Open-Front Cardigan | Madewell Texturework Sweater | Target Cardigan | Madewell Cargo Vest (similar)

Target Anorak Jacket | Old Navy Jean Jacket (similar) | Madewell Stripeset Tee | Madewell Ex-Boyfriend Shirt

Target Leopard Flat (similar) | Converse Sneaker | Target Studded Midi Boot (similar) | Frye Shirley Boot | Vans Leather Sneaker

Not all items pictured are the exact pieces I have, but this gives you an idea of my color scheme and style.  Since I work with children and have to be outside on a regular basis, my wardrobe needs to be pretty casual.  October through December can be tough months in the south in regards to predicting the weather.  I made sure to choose lots of pieces I can layer for the changing weather.  If you're interested in doing your own capsule, I would definitely recommend downloading Un-Fancy's free wardrobe planner!  It has been extremely helpful along the way.

Do you have a capsule wardrobe?

Do you dress minimally?

What am I missing?