A Break From The Normal...

5 Fashion Looks Everyone Woman Must Have According to Tina Heilman

They have not asked me, but if anyone in the "industry" asked what looks every woman should have in their closet, aka fashion repertoire, this is what I would tell them:

1.) Something Edgy

2.) Something Soft

3.) Something Glam

4.) Something Casual

5.) Something Masculine

(<---- 4 out of 5 are pictured here)

Edgy:

I define edgy as something that makes someone else grin, smile or guffaw when you catch their eye. Faux Fur, Pleather, Sequence, Shear, Garish, or Bright colors. You can mix and match , if it seems completely incongruous...voila you've accomplished the right look. Edgy is by far the easiest look to work and if you don't have the budget, buy a crimper and some L'Oreal pigment loose shadow... any metallic will do, add a tank, jeans, high heals or boots... ergo Edgy.

Soft:

This look takes a little more work because if you take a misstep, it may come of as frumpy or boring... (2 looks that did not make this list). Its also a little more expensive, this requires going to Ann Taylor or Banana Republic, however, this is a great day to evening look. I like pastels or soft fabrics, in fact I have a beautiful Kenneth Cole patterned charmeuse-y skirt with intersecting gray, lavender and cream lines , A-Line, and you can go from the office to your favorite restaurant and feel perfectly at ease. You can rock a ruffled shirt with flat front pants and put on your best pointy shoes or ankle strapped pumps.

Glam:

This look is almost as fun as edgy, here is a full head to toe look. Hair, full make up, eyebrow gel, lip gloss, uncomfortable but showstopping shoes and a tailored dress are a must. If you have a fur or faux fur shrug WEAR IT.... a long stranded necklace or chandelier earrings (not both) are a must, not to mention the over sized ring. Think demur...and run in the opposite direction, the look is opulence, hence the term GLAM. I think the picture of my Bebe Jealous shoes at the top of this entry capture the term Glam nicely.

Casual:

You would think that you just need a beat up shirt and jeans... WRONG. And don't get me started on women who wear the wrong heals with jeans, there is a reason jeans come in different lengths. Not many girls can pull off the baseball hat and college Alma mater shirt... this is why we live in an age of cougars. The older ladies figured out, nothing is effortless... Ok, so jeans with the appropriate wedge or slight heel sandal and a fitted button down shirt or tank with the right bra and simple bracelet and small earrings. Make up should look as minimalist as possible. Comb the eyebrows, simple blush (I recommend O Glow by smash box) and the faintest eyeshadow, mascara and light lip gloss. You should like the aforementioned college girl but without the walk of shame.

Masculine:

Blazer, button down tailored shirt, tie, striped pants , this look is strong and sexy. Sure men will say a skin tight dress is hot, but a fitted shirt with slacks, heels and a peak of decolletage is the real deal.

I apologize if you were looking for another entry about how adorable my son is. Rest assured, he is still the cutest most wonderful little boy. Just consider this my "mommy time out."

One year later....

Sorry that its been a year since I last posted.. we've been busy.

So my mom tells me that I need to start planning Holden's big 2 NOW, and its not until March. I find this a little unsettling as I plan on being as "that" mom, not THAT mom. The difference is that I feel I should try as much as I can to keep Holden grounded. I feel this can best be accomplished by being "old school" about his upbringing as much as possible. I held out until just now to introduce television to him. I did not make the 2 year recommended milestone to do so and I do feel a little bit of guilt about this. So I'd like his 2 year to be just a bit more than his 1 year birthday. But mom is already pushing me to get all the decoration and guest list...sigh... we'll see.

But as you can see Holden enjoys the simple things.. look at this photo, he found a container box and entertained himself for at least an hour.














In the next photo Holden is working it out on the balance beam at the Little Gym. Here he is with Forest, who is a little controlling but Holden really likes him. This little gym is great, they have these songs where they sing "its time to put the (insert item) away at the Little Gym. We use it around the house and Holden sings "tiiiiiimmmme" and actually puts things away. GENIUS. Holden is so fearless and I couldn't get a photo but he can walk the beam by himself. He also can work the uneven parallel bars with help from Forest.



We have other news too, I got another new job and I'm loving it, I'm a Health Coach. This means I call people for insurance companies and try to keep their asthma or copd under control so their insurance company doesn't to pay a fortune for emergency visits, etc. I'm still M-F with 1 Saturday a month and I work with a team of an exercise physiologist, a dietitian and a nurse. I get all kinds of advice as far as diet and working out. After watching entirely too much "reality" tv, I've decided to become ridiculously thin and working with all these healthy people helps. Steve is starting on home improvements again and installed 3 fans so we no longer live in utter darkness. Our house was built in the 60's and the only lights are in the kitchen. So we've been living with just the light from lamps...which is not much at all. (oh yeah, we moved from the Gayborhood to the suburbs....but its got its perks.)

Hopefully it won't be a year until my next post because I need to update you on our last trip to Kansas for my sister in law's wedding. Those pictures should be amazing!!

Holden likes to use the new mantle Steve made to do pull-ups. This is a video from the mantle's perspective. If you are having a bad day watch this video a few times...it'll make you laugh.

One small wobbly step but then voila!

Christmas Photos

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures from our visit to Clay Center for Thanksgiving. Once again we flew into Manhattan, and I think our days of driving 9 hours are behind us. Holden enjoyed his first Thanksgiving and had fun playing with his cousins. Riley was a real sport and helped Holden get around the house while Steve and I helped Sally with the meals. Clayton and him had quite the conversation on the last day, they were there. I don't know what was said, but they seemed to enjoy their time together. Holden had a battle of wills with his 2 1/2 cousin Shelby and almost lost a finger as he tried to take her necklace.

(<---The before picture , notice the red necklace......)

I predict we will have more of these occurances in the future.

Holden met Santa as he flew in on a Cessna airplane on a remote location. Later that evening we went and saw the lights which made Holden so happy he fell asleep! Holden received some pre-Christmas presents, including his first K-State hat from Aunt Connie. We figured since he was trying on hats, he should try one of G-pa Bob's derby hats. I think he looks rather fierce but you can judge for yourself.

On the last day Aunt Connie decided to introduce Holden to the piano and he seems to have some natural talent.

Finally, we returned home to Dallas, where Holden could resume his normal day-to-day activities, like eating his mom's cellphone on the rug.

Halloween

Tonight, as I watched the Biggest Loser I finished Holden's first Halloween costume. Its also the first thing I've ever sewn/made by hand. I actually was kind of fun and didn't take that long... I'm thinking I might like this sewing thing. My mom helped a lot, she helped me with the bobbin and all that jazz, and honestly in the beginning I didn't think I'd make it through. I thought I'd chuck the whole idea and just go buy something. Steve likes it so much he thinks we'll put Holden in it all the time. I'm thinking Thanksgiving would be a good time to test this theory, see what happens when I stroll through airport security with my little monkey.

Besides modeling mommie's latest fad, Holden is doing really well in his swimming lessons. He also is cruising right along and has figured out how to sit down or as we call it "go boom."


I love this picture, he looks like an actual monkey clinging to his G-ma Mary.