Jay Miranda

Good Taste, Mom Life, Homeschooling

Motherhood in Bloom

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Motherhood is vibrant and vulnerable. It’s not for the faint of heart. Moms need to love wholeheartedly. They need patience made of steel. They need to be nose wipers and philosophers and chocolate chip pancake makers. They need be able to hold tiny hands and little by little, let go.

There’s the thicket of day-to-day mom life. Then there’s the blooms; the moments of joy that make you think “I’m part of something wonderful.” This Mother’s Day, I’ll be pregnant with my second baby and I feel so incredulously blessed. My husband and I always look back on our daughter’s infancy with nostalgia, but we eventually made peace with the idea that our family’s baby days were behind us. Then life—quite literally—happens.

Mother’s Day might just be my favorite holiday. I picked this dress from Chaps because it’s perfect for Mother’s Day celebrations: vibrant, beautiful, and in full bloom. Bougainvillea pink makes me happy and I’ve never met a flutter sleeve I didn’t like. Not to mention it’s got stretch and it’s on sale!

There’s nothing like a dress that captures a mood (or highlights a growing baby bump.)

Share this look with a mom who loves classic, feminine style, or pick this dress up for yourself!

Happy Mother’s Day!

In collaboration with Chaps
Photos by Jessica Castro

 

 

Sunshine Dress

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Spring’s pop colors are cherry red, lilac, pink, and yellow. All through winter I wore a lot of black and gray. But the prospect of days warming up made me want to try something new for spring. So I decided to aim for a sunny shade of yellow! Here’s how my search went.

First, I thought of a style inspiration: Solange. Her style is modern, color saturated, often wearing simple shapes but with interesting prints, textures, or dimensions. Next, I went to eBay and searched my size + some of my usual favorite brands. So maybe, “ASOS dress US 16” or “Torrid dress 1” depending on the brand’s sizing system. That’s how I came across this bright yellow animal print dress.

Please let me keep it real: I LOVE eBay. Just recently I’ve used it to buy things as varied as leather cowgirl boots (for my daughter,) a replacement Blu-Ray of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (for my husband and me because we were marathoning all the movies; highly recommend,) out-of-print books, and this dress.

I know a lot of us associate eBay with bidding (which is fun) but it turns out 88% of items sold are Buy-It-Now. That’s how I got my dress: one click and straight to check out. Here are a few more favorites for your sunny days ahead:

 

In partnership with eBay Fashion

Photos by Jessica Castro

 

 

Spotted: Talbots Spring Plus-Size Fashion

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Outfit details: Crepe spot dress, Crepe tie sleeve blouse, Knit jersey pants

This spring is ladylike and full of classics in black, white, and navy which can be softened up for day with bright, fun accessories. I got a chance to play with Talbots’ new spring collection, available through size 24w. You’ll definitely want to check it out. It’s full of easy-to-wear silhouettes, dots and stripes, jersey, low heels, and pretty details. Basically, this is for the modern classic lady who wants to look lovely and stay comfy. Um, me.

I know some of us can feel a little shy about prints, especially in plus size fashion, but there’s really no need to worry. There’s no print you can’t wear. Unsure how to mix your prints? A dress like this with dots in two sizes takes care of that for you. Side note: this dress drapes beautifully and is such a relaxed way to look dressed up. If you want more definition, just add a belt in a fun color. It can be hard to find plus size dresses that fit just right because plus size women comes in different shapes. This dress will work on a variety of body types and that makes me happy.

Back to prints—need your clothes to be versatile but want to breathe fresh air into your style? A pretty, printed top will work with your go-to neutrals and can be dressed up or down. If dots aren’t your cup of tea, Talbots has SO MANY stripes for spring. All your nautical dreams can come true.

Oh! Can’t forget accessories. I fell in love with these comfy ankle-strap heels, this scalloped purse, pink gem necklace, and these pink tortoise sunglasses. Once winter fades and we put away our coats, our accessories can really sing. (If you love this little bag, you need to see it in yellow zest.)

While in the store, I got to see more of Talbots’ new Knit Jersey System of Style. It’s all about versatility and comfort. Jersey is definitely a springtime staple: light, stretchy, wrinkle-free. Mix and match with what you already have in your closet and you end up with lots more outfit ideas. I’m wearing the cropped pants here and got to try on a few more styles in the dressing room. So good for your travels! SO SOFT. You know those days when you just want to wear soft pants? I know them well. I love anything that helps me look pretty and polished, effortlessly.

One more thing! Talbots released this really lovely plus-size mailer. You can flip through it here!

#Sponsored by Talbots  #ModernClassicStyle
Photos by Jessica Castro

 

Roasted Winter Vegetables + Sauteed Spinach Bowl

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Veggie bowl with beets, carrots, fennel, onion, and spinach, over rice

There are days that I crave veggie bowls. They make a great, easy lunch—especially if you’ve roasted your vegetables on the weekend and have them ready to go. I love winter vegetables! The combination of carrots, fennel, beets, and red onion is lovely. For my bowl, I made a batch of rice and added sauteed spinach. I squeezed lemon juice and sprinkled sea salt over everything. It was very satisfying on a chilly afternoon.

This feels like the kind of bowl you’d enjoy on some hilltop cottage overlooking a wintry sea.

I’m always trying to eat more vegetables. It makes a lot of sense to me to eat a plant-based diet. They’re packed with healthy nutrients. I’ve also noticed that when my meals are geared toward vegetables, my grocery bill is smaller. While I’m not quite willing to stop eating meat entirely, I do like maximizing veggies.

Winter vegetables: beets, fennel, red onion, carrots

I roasted the veggies for about 30 min @ 350 but next time I think I’ll up that to about 375. I used two roasting pans. It can be smart to separate your beets into one of them since they’re so dense and might need a little extra time.  I sprinkled the vegetables with olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, and paprika.

Since I’m still in my wintry mood, I’ll leave you with this poem:

When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go

by Matsuo Bashō

When the winter chrysanthemums go,
there’s nothing to write about
but radishes.

 

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