Okay, so I have been on this capsule wardrobe kick for three whole days. I picked three main colors: black, red, and white. The reason for picking those colors is that I had the most of these to work with and I didn't want to buy anything for this little challenge I have set for myself. I don't have any pictures yet but I will share with you the items I have chosen for this challenge. Just so my readers know, there are a few constraints to my wardrobe for personal and religious reasons. I only wear skirts and dresses. Tops must cover the elbow and have a higher neckline, so I layer a lot. I do not wear jewelry of any kind. Okay, on to the list!
Skirts: 1 black dressy skirt, 1 black casual skirt, 1 zebra printed skirt, 1 black and white swirl pattern skirt, 1 linen skirt with pink, red, and orange flowers, and 1 red, navy blue, and tan striped nautical inspired skirt.
Tops: 1 red drape top, 1 leopard long sleeve cotton blouse, 1 vintage red, yellow, and navy blue flowered button up blouse, 1 white silk dressy blouse, 1 black and white polka dotted twinset, 1 flowered cardigan, and 1 thin knit black cardigan
For layering pieces I have: a long sleeve black shirt, a long sleeve white shirt, a black tank top, and a black and white polka dotted tank top.
I have one black suit jacket.
Purses: black and white purse, straw vintage purse with red and green, a red dressy clutch, and a black dressy clutch.
Shoes: black flats and red flats. I do have a pair of black heels but they won't be used too much due to medical issues.
Scares: a zebra print scarf and a leopard print scarf
Flowers to use in my hair or as a brooch: black, leopard print, and a black and red flower
So, that gives me a total of 30 pieces. I am setting a one month challenge to start with, but if it works then I may continue a little longer. The rest of my wardrobe has been put into the back of the closet and these are the clothes I will wear for the next month with the exception of a one night event that was planned and an outfit purchased for several weeks in advance.
Should something need to be replaced during this challenge, then it will be but other than that, there will not be anything added to this wardrobe. This should be an interesting experience.
Southern Ladye
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Long Time, No Speak!
Hello all! It has been a LOOOONG time since I have posted anything to my blog. I read blogs everyday and comment, but I just don't take the time to blog myself. A lot has happened since my last post, and I will not bore you with the details. However, I am going to share something with you that I have been giving much thought to and I finally decided to take the plunge.
I have been doing a lot of reading about capsule wardrobes. Now, I don't have a walk in closet, but I do have a pretty good sized wardrobe. The last time I went through it, about three months ago, I had well over a hundred pieces and that did not include shoes or accessories of any kind. That was straight up clothing. I had SIX black skirts. Who needs six black skirts? Apparently I did because I wore every. single. one. of. them. So, I cleaned out my closet and had a yard sale. I still had about 70 pieces of clothing in my closet. Then something happened last week that really kicked this off…
I went on vacation for seven days and could only take one suitcase with me. ONE SUITCASE and I had to share it with my husband! What's a girl to do? I spent quite a bit of time trying to mix and match things so that I could get it all in. I had to have a total of 10 outfits because this was church camp and we had two services a day and as hot as it was, you didn't wear the same outfit twice.
So, after managing that, I got to thinking. Could I go through my closet and pick out 'x' number of items and live with just those items? After reading about a capsule wardrobe from the blog The Girl with the Star Spangled Heart, Thoughts on Living with a Capsule Wardrobe | The Girl with the Star-Spangled Heart: Thoughts on Living with a Capsule Wardrobe I decided to try it for a month. Last night, I weeded out 30 items and that includes shoes and accessories. I'll be sharing that list of thirty items in the next few days.
My blog is about all things simple. Capsule wardrobes are about as simple as it gets, so let's see where this goes.
Southern Ladye
I have been doing a lot of reading about capsule wardrobes. Now, I don't have a walk in closet, but I do have a pretty good sized wardrobe. The last time I went through it, about three months ago, I had well over a hundred pieces and that did not include shoes or accessories of any kind. That was straight up clothing. I had SIX black skirts. Who needs six black skirts? Apparently I did because I wore every. single. one. of. them. So, I cleaned out my closet and had a yard sale. I still had about 70 pieces of clothing in my closet. Then something happened last week that really kicked this off…
I went on vacation for seven days and could only take one suitcase with me. ONE SUITCASE and I had to share it with my husband! What's a girl to do? I spent quite a bit of time trying to mix and match things so that I could get it all in. I had to have a total of 10 outfits because this was church camp and we had two services a day and as hot as it was, you didn't wear the same outfit twice.
So, after managing that, I got to thinking. Could I go through my closet and pick out 'x' number of items and live with just those items? After reading about a capsule wardrobe from the blog The Girl with the Star Spangled Heart, Thoughts on Living with a Capsule Wardrobe | The Girl with the Star-Spangled Heart: Thoughts on Living with a Capsule Wardrobe I decided to try it for a month. Last night, I weeded out 30 items and that includes shoes and accessories. I'll be sharing that list of thirty items in the next few days.
My blog is about all things simple. Capsule wardrobes are about as simple as it gets, so let's see where this goes.
Southern Ladye
Monday, June 23, 2014
Hello! It's Been Awhile!
I have not posted since November of last year because my life has been crazy for quite a while! In May of 2012, I became a grandmother to a beautiful little boy, who just turned one and keeps me running! He has become mobile and wears his poor mother out! We just found out last month that we are going to be grandparents again in January. My daughter in law is hoping for another boy, but I am secretly hoping for a girl, but I will be thankful for whichever the Lord decides to bless us with.
I am still working on becoming less dependent on things and learning how to do things myself. My new skill is learning how to make no knead artisan bread. Now, I have been making bread for a long time, but it is the traditional white bread that can become a little time consuming and I don't have a lot of time, especially during the school year when I am teaching my kiddos, 'cause you know teachers aren't finished when the bell rings at 3:00! Especially with the new Common Core coming in to play. In my district, K-2 has already been doing Common Core, but we still have a lot to learn, but that is a totally different topic. Anyway, back to the bread, which I know the no knead thing as been around for a while but I just found it online and it is SUPER EASY!!!! It literally takes me five minutes to mix up and then I leave it in the bowl, covered with plastic, and go on about my business for the rest of the day. Twelve hours later, when I am ready to make dinner, I take it out of the bowl, form it into a ball and make sure the top is smooth, and pop it into a 450 degree preheated oven in a COVERED pot for thirty minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes and that is ALL! Seriously, this is the easiest bread ever!
Ok, so here's the recipe I used:
3 cups of all purpose flour. (I use 1 cup of wheat and 2 cups of white, but you do it however you want)
1/2 TSP of instant yeast. (That is not a typo, it really is 1/2 teaspoon)
1 tsp. table salt OR 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups cool water. (I usually have to add just a little more to make it "wet" enough)
Ok, so mix all the dry ingredients, add the water, stir just until blended. The dough should be "wet" so you might have to add just a touch more water. Not enough to make it soupy, but sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or, if you don't have any, pop it into a plastic grocery bag and tie it shut.
Leave it on the counter and go about your business. The recipe says let it sit for 12-18 hours but that is just an estimate. I let it sit exactly the 12 hours the first time I made it, but now it's just whenever I get ready to make the bread.
When you get ready to cook, preheat your oven to 450 and put your baking dish in the oven to heat up. Now you can use just about anything to bake your bread, as long as it has a cover. I use a cookie sheet with a metal bowl turned upside down over the dough. Works fine. You use what you have on hand, because what's the point in spending a fortune on a specialty pot in order to save money on bread? I mean, if you just have to have it, go for it but I used what I had and it worked for me. It's up to you.
Ok, so the recipe says bake 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes covered to get a nice, crisp crust. It works, but to me the crust is a little too thick and hard, so I actually only bake it covered 20 minutes and then about 20-25 minutes uncovered. You just have to play with it to get the crust you like.
This bread is SO good when I pair it with honey butter. I take a stick of REAL butter and sit it on the counter to soften while the bread it baking. Then I add about 2-3 TBSP. of local honey to the butter and mix well. (I really just add honey until I get the taste I want, so this is just a rough estimate). It is so good.
There you have it. Easy peasy artisan bread, which sells for around six bucks a loaf in my neck of the woods and it costs me maybe a dollar to make. Sounds like a keeper!
Have a blessed week.
Peace,
Southern Ladye
I am still working on becoming less dependent on things and learning how to do things myself. My new skill is learning how to make no knead artisan bread. Now, I have been making bread for a long time, but it is the traditional white bread that can become a little time consuming and I don't have a lot of time, especially during the school year when I am teaching my kiddos, 'cause you know teachers aren't finished when the bell rings at 3:00! Especially with the new Common Core coming in to play. In my district, K-2 has already been doing Common Core, but we still have a lot to learn, but that is a totally different topic. Anyway, back to the bread, which I know the no knead thing as been around for a while but I just found it online and it is SUPER EASY!!!! It literally takes me five minutes to mix up and then I leave it in the bowl, covered with plastic, and go on about my business for the rest of the day. Twelve hours later, when I am ready to make dinner, I take it out of the bowl, form it into a ball and make sure the top is smooth, and pop it into a 450 degree preheated oven in a COVERED pot for thirty minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes and that is ALL! Seriously, this is the easiest bread ever!
Ok, so here's the recipe I used:
3 cups of all purpose flour. (I use 1 cup of wheat and 2 cups of white, but you do it however you want)
1/2 TSP of instant yeast. (That is not a typo, it really is 1/2 teaspoon)
1 tsp. table salt OR 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups cool water. (I usually have to add just a little more to make it "wet" enough)
Ok, so mix all the dry ingredients, add the water, stir just until blended. The dough should be "wet" so you might have to add just a touch more water. Not enough to make it soupy, but sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or, if you don't have any, pop it into a plastic grocery bag and tie it shut.
Leave it on the counter and go about your business. The recipe says let it sit for 12-18 hours but that is just an estimate. I let it sit exactly the 12 hours the first time I made it, but now it's just whenever I get ready to make the bread.
When you get ready to cook, preheat your oven to 450 and put your baking dish in the oven to heat up. Now you can use just about anything to bake your bread, as long as it has a cover. I use a cookie sheet with a metal bowl turned upside down over the dough. Works fine. You use what you have on hand, because what's the point in spending a fortune on a specialty pot in order to save money on bread? I mean, if you just have to have it, go for it but I used what I had and it worked for me. It's up to you.
Ok, so the recipe says bake 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes covered to get a nice, crisp crust. It works, but to me the crust is a little too thick and hard, so I actually only bake it covered 20 minutes and then about 20-25 minutes uncovered. You just have to play with it to get the crust you like.
This bread is SO good when I pair it with honey butter. I take a stick of REAL butter and sit it on the counter to soften while the bread it baking. Then I add about 2-3 TBSP. of local honey to the butter and mix well. (I really just add honey until I get the taste I want, so this is just a rough estimate). It is so good.
There you have it. Easy peasy artisan bread, which sells for around six bucks a loaf in my neck of the woods and it costs me maybe a dollar to make. Sounds like a keeper!
Have a blessed week.
Peace,
Southern Ladye
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Name Change Again!
I have decided to go back to the original title of this blog. I love teaching, but that is not my only focus so I am just going to use my blog for all of my interests. I hope this has not caused anyone a problem, but this should be last change I make for a while!
Peace,
Southern Ladye
Peace,
Southern Ladye
Monday, October 21, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
My New Name....
I have decided to change the name of my blog to Down First Grade Lane simply because I am very focused on teaching right now. I may add a personal blog later on, but that is not really why I want to blog. I have been devouring teaching blogs all summer and have gleaned a LOT of useful information from them that I can use in my classroom and so I decided to jump on the teaching blog bandwagon. Granted, I have no idea what I am doing, but hopefully that will change with time. Too bad the blog fairy can't just wave a magic wand and make me the best blogger in the world, but if that happened then I probably would not appreciate all of the work that goes into making a great blog. Anyway, my blog will now focus on what I am doing in my classroom to help my kiddos. Welcome to any who wish to join me on this crazy adventure.
Peace,
Southern Ladye
Peace,
Southern Ladye
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sorry it's been a while...
I have not blogged in quite some time because it has been super busy! I have spent a lot of time looking at other blogs and I realize I have a lot of work to do to get my blog even halfway decent! My current craze is teaching blogs because, well, I am a teacher and I am always looking for new ideas. The only problem I run into is when I am looking at all of these cute, creative, artsy blogs with all of these cute, creative, artsy activities, then I get depressed because I am not cute, creative, or artsy. *Sigh*. On the flip side, I have gotten a TON of ideas that I can use in my classroom. When I was getting ready for the school year, I got all of my decorating ideas from pinterest and teaching blogs. Want to see a pic? I will post a couple.
These are pictures of my calendar time bulletin board and my classroom library. We have a jungle theme this year. Don't you just love the zebra bean bag and rug? I do and the kids do, too! Well, that is all I have time for now. Have a great week!
Peace,
Southern Ladye
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