On Sundays I Smile - Week in review August 7th

On Sundays I review the past week and I Smile. I share these moments with you.

I spent three glorious days thrifting this past week. I ran into all sorts of intriguing, downright confusing things. Things that not only make me question the taste level of most Americans (teddy bear and flag sweatshirts? Floral shortalls?) but scratch my head in wonder how certain items ended up being donated. Such as this accordion. A Goodwill employee informed me that it's embellished with carved ivory, mother-of-pearl, semi-precious stones and inlaid wood. It's practically a piece of art. Thought I have zero desire to play the accordian, I wanted to take it home and display it.

There was also this green crushed velvet coat with fur trimming that essentially speaks for itself. Now this I would have bought, but it had some quality control issues (as my friend Tina likes to say.) Sad face.

Yesterday my boys tested for their green belts in taekwando. The testing process involved me standing around for three hours in a hot gym as they went through their routines and broke boards and showed off their athletic prowess. They passed, and preened for pictures as I cried silent hot tears of sadness that my little guys are growing up so fast.

After taekwando we went out to Baskin Robbins to celebrate. I had soft serve with chocolate sprinkles. Because apparently I'm five.

Then, to cap off an already perfect day, the family and I hauled ourselves out to Mesquite to take in some rodeo. This, my friends, is something to experience. Put it on your bucket list. You know how I was saying on Friday that the idea that all Texans wear cowboy boots and belt buckles and Wranglers is a cliche? Well, in Mesquite the tradition is alive and kicking. These two gentlemen are exhibiting a perfect example of the clothes you see at the rodeo - slim, high-waisted Wranglers, cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and giant belt buckles.

Then there's the rodeo itself. Calf roping, bareback bull riding, chuck wagon races, bucking horses, side saddle trick riding. This stuff is serious, with a complicated grading system. Country music and the smell of manure and leather wafts in the background, with thick Texas accents peppering conversation. I love every minute of it.

And finally, to bring this post to a close, I present to you a photo of my dog. Because he's adorable and has the largest nose on any canine.

Now it's your turn: What are some things that made you smile this week? Grab my button (created by Kate of Divergent Musings - HUGE THANKS to Kate!) and blog about your Sunday smiles; share your weekly smiles in the comments; or smile just because it makes you feels good. 


While I'm smiling, catch up on this week's posts from Dress With Courage:

• I described the time I went for my first bra fitting and got felt up;


• Pondered a recent New York Times article and explored the correlation between dress codes and tribal dress;


• Wore a pretty thrifted coral dress;


• Talked about why forgiving yourself means giving up all hope for changing the past;


• Found a silk J Crew dress while thrifting that made me feel like a slinky 40's movie star;


• Concluded my series on writing a great blog post with Part Four: Final editing;


• Answered questions regarding regional influences on fashion for Fashion Beauty Friend Friday;


• and took inspiration from Project Runway to wear a crop top and circle skirt.

I had one considerable blog accomplishment this week:

• My post on tribal dress was featured on Already Pretty's Lovely Links. Huge thanks to Sal. I wasn't sure how well-received or understood that post would be. 

As always, thank you for supporting me by following my blog, continuing to leave thoughtful and introspective comments, and dropping by every day. I am so appreciative that you all are here.

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