5 Wifey Laws

Hey there Rose Heads!  I'm sorry that I've been an inconsistent poster!  I've been trying to learn how to be a better blogger. This is my second blog and I'm figuring out the direction I want this space to go.  I have a crafting blog and the vibe and posting schedule with that is so different.  So, I hope you'll continue to bear with me as I refine and define What Rose Redd Said.

Now, as you know, I'm married.  I have been for almost six and one half years.  During that time, I've learned a few things.  I'm emphasizing FEW because I'm not as seasoned as some of you!  Here are a few things that I have come to do that ensure my sanity while being married to the man of my dreams.

1.  Tell the truth.

Okay.  Sounds simple right?  Well, it's not.  It's very easy in a marriage to cover up your true feelings for the sake of the other party.  I say, make your feelings known.  Remember, this is your partner for life.  Let him know how you feel about how you make love, how he speaks to you, the frequency of his friend's visits...whatever it is...be, unequivocally HONEST!

2.  Keep yourself up.

I don't mean spend eleven teen hours in the gym and eat cabbage all day.  I mean, wear some cute clothes around the house.  Dress up when he takes you out, even if it's to Applebee's.  Keep your lingerie game on point.  Don't forget that you are his queen and I've never seen a shabby looking queen.

3.  Make things easy on yourself.

Don't try to prepare a five course meal every night.  Learn how to make soups, casseroles and other dishes that don't require a lot of effort.  On busy days, you want to be able to feed your family and enjoy them without having a ton of clean-up.  ALSO, this stops you from having an unpleasant attitude because you're over worked.

4.  Be a passionate love maker.

If you're going to roll your eyes and suck your teeth while you all are making love...just don't do it.  Do it when you're going to be in to it.  Don't fake the funk in bed...funk it up instead.  Wait..that didn't come out right...Lol!

5.  Keep yo' friends and family out of your marriage.

Listen, if you need to vent about something your hubby did, vent to someone you KNOW is not going to cause conflict between you all.  A lot of times when you're already over it, mom, dad or whomever is holding a grudge.

NOW, ON TO THE PHOTO PARADE!

Us at 22 years old!  LOL!  So in LOVE!

Age 23...and matching! LOL!

Wedding vows...

We IS MARRIED Now! :)

The reception attire...we came in to "Let's Get Married"! LOL!

I loved our cake!  The reception was on the 25th floor of a building downtown Atlanta.  We had a panoramic view of the city!

Two year wedding anniversary!

Three years of wedded bliss!

First family photo!

Date night!  Four years under our belt!

Second family photo!

  

Family photo '11...



Oh What a Day...What a Day, What a Day...

Hey Rose Heads!  You know Friday is my day to vent so, I'm going to lay it all out there!  (In my son's voice) O-tay...

It's hard trying to balance being a wife, mother, employee, blogger, crafter, friend, sister and daughter.  Some days I just let the day carry me around as if it were a giant undulating wave bouncing my tired body hither and tither.  Then there are other days where I'm organized beyond organized.  Those days I feel powerful, masterful and confident. 

Typically, my day goes like this:

At 6:00am Picard (our three year old) comes into our room ready to start the day.  I'm like...

I just want him and the alarm to stay quiet for maybe 30 minutes or more.  Is that too much to ask?  But, then I look into his sweet face and I'm ready to tackle the day...and the world...and Dora...and Diego...and Thomas...and Yo Gabba Gabba...

At 7:30am Terence (my husband) and I are carpooling to work through that heinous ass Atlanta traffic.  I'm driving because I drop him off first and then head on to my job.  I enjoy our laughter and conversation on the way to work but, if he checks me about my driving one mo' 'gin!!!

By 8:30am I'm sitting behind my desk, giving everyone my "corporate voice and smile".  It's show time, money making time.  There are a lot of things I like and appreciate about my job however, crafting is my passion.  I'm working on making that transition.  I get tired of playing that corporate game sometimes though. "I'm sorry, did you just ask me if my hair is YARN?!?  GTFOH!"  Sigh...

By 12:00pm, my hubby has sent me a sweet text telling me how good the lunch I made for him was.  I'm floating on his compliment cloud and can't wait to pick him up after work to get our baby...

By 2:30pm I can no longer will myself away from chocolate.  It's time to feast on the beast.  I'm always drained by this time and I'm always ill-prepared with snacks.  So, I eat chocolate or Flaming Hot Cheetos and a Grape soda...I'm such a walking cliche.  BUT..then I feel guilty for doing that...damn it! 

By 3:30pm, I'm either writing a blog post on my crafty blog Two Tears in my Bucket, or on this blog.  I try to follow all you guys and more folks so I can learn, grow and carve my own identity out of this Blogger clay.  I'm typically distracted by some great tid bit I've found and I feel enlightened that I've learned a new thing...

By 5:15pm, there is SOMEONE needing SOMETHING that they COULD HAVE asked for at the beginning of the day.  Since I'm on a tight time schedule with picking up Picard, I've got to peace out.  Sucks for them...

By 6:45pm, I'm back at home with the Washington Men, happy and fulfilled.  I may not have everything I want right now but, I certainly have everything I need.

Thursday Random: Fashion Focal Point with Tailored Wardrobe

Hey Rose Heads!  I'm back again with another Fashion Focal Point challenge with Renee of Tailored Wardrobe. 

This challenge is meant to inspire YOU to create an outfit based on the Fashion Focal Point.  Link it up in the comment section here on my blog OR on Renee's blog.

This week, it was Renee's go to select the focal point.  She chose a L.A.M.B. clutch that is retailing for $119.99.

Now, you all know that I can't buy a clutch for over one hundred dollars.  My budget won't even allow me to pretend like could afford that.  Here is a cheaper alternative:

This purse is vintage from THIS Etsy store.  It's selling for $10.83!  Now, of course it's not an exact  replica of the L.A.M.B bag but, the texture and the color are there.

So, now on to this outfit...

THE JUMPSUIT:

I'm a fan of the jumpsuit but, I must admit I don't wear my back and shoulders out so, I don't even own a strapless bras *GASP*.  I'm getting over it though and this ASOS jumpsuit may help me do it.  It's made out of a breathable, black jersey fabric, the pant legs are tapered at the ankle giving it a smart pencil pant look.  Plus, with a price point of $43.12, you can't go wrong. It's versatile, comfortable and fly!

THE BLAZER:

I love blazers and cardigans.  Especially the polka dot ones!  If you're looking for a comfortable statement blazer, try this one from Forever 21+  I tried it on in the store in a XL and it's comfy and feels good.  At a price point of $29.80...I'll take it!

THE SHOES:

What is that?  VELVET?!?!? I'm a fan of mixing it up with my shoes.  Some expensive, some not.  These are $34.98 on clearance at ALDO. 

THE JEWELRY:

$3.80!  BOOM!  Forever 21 strikes again!

And again!  $8.80

And one mo' 'gin!  $8.80

Make sure to stop by Renee's blog and see what outfit she has created!  Don't forget to link up in the comments if you're interested in playing along!



I'm NOT spending THAT on kid's clothes!

Hey Rose Heads!  Have you been on FB and seen the UBER fashionable children?  You know, the little boy with the yellow skinny jeans, polo shirt, stripped shirt draped over the shoulders and loafers?  Or, the little girl with the green dress with the ruffle in the front, sandals, a cross the body purse and shades?  Well, if you haven't...check them out...

I don't think there is anything wrong with dressing your kids like this BUT...it's EXPENSIVE!  I refuse to buy expensive things for Picard.  He plays, gets stains on things, rumbles and tumbles and I don't want to invest a lot of money into his clothes.  ALSO he's growing!

Here is a list of other reasons I'm not going to spend an arm, leg and two toes on his clothes:

1.  I don't want him to think that he has to spend a lot of money on clothes to look nice.  We all know that's a lie.

2.  I don't want him to be spoiled.

3.  I want him to learn how to shop (not at three of course) and how to make his dollars stretch.

4.  I want him to be humble.

5.  I want him to know that as long has he is neat, clean and well groomed, he will present himself well.  The label matters NOT!

I struggle with wanting to be sharp all the time.  But, at the end of the day, I have to be able to pay bills, take care of home and car repairs, put gas in our cars and...well...live!  I have to remember the importance of being thrifty.

Now, I shop for him at Children's Place, Gap Kids, Old Navy, Dillard's and anywhere else I can get a good deal but, if it's going to break the bank.  It's not gonna happen.

Plus, my baby is CA-UTE anyway! :)

See what I mean about the dirt?  Happy sigh... :0)

These are the Pieces of Me...

Hey my oh so lovely Rose Heads!  I'm really bad about taking photos when I need to.  I mean, when I'm flyer than fly, I don't take pictures.  What is that about?  So, instead of showing you what I have on today (which honestly is a repeat of something I've already posted...just with different shoes), I'm going to show you all the Random photos I've taken of myslef over the past few days.

This was me with my NEW NEUTRAL lipstick that I got from the Cover Girl Queen Collection.  It's called "Mocha Locha".  It would have been nice if the rest of my face was beat but, eh, what are you gonna do?

This was me at work.  It's almost nothing I love more than cardigans.

I bought these from Dillards.  They are Gianni Bini.  Love his shoes.  I own several pair.  Go to Dillards and check them out.  I think they're exclusive to Dillards.

I love vintage hair.  Clearly.  Oh and stripes and cheeta print...why not?

That cami is from one of my Fave places!  Forever 21+  It was 9.50 it has a little pocket too.  Perfect for work and play!

More Gianni Bini shoes!

Loc swoop!  I hate when people think I have braids or sister locs.  I have had locs for 12 years and I work hard to maintain them...don't play with the locs!  That's my mama's necklace she bought while thrifting..circa '86.

I washed my hair and put it up!  I love my shop...www.goodhairshop.com BUT...I was broke so, I used their product line NUMA to help me get right!

Alright...that's it!  Peace y'all!

P.S.  Did you see our First Lady last night?  What an inspirational, passionate, articulate and graceful woman she is!

Let me show you what a Washington Labor Day looks like...

Hey Rose Heads!  My husband and I have an almost three year old son named Picard.  We named him Picard after Jean Luc Picard of the Star Ship Enterprise from Star Trek Next Generation.  So, it made perfect sense to take him to his first Sci Fi Parade...the Dragon Parade! 

Well...

It turns out that there were waaaay too many folks out there.  We couldn't see a thing!  Picard was agitated, I was agitated and Terence was too cool for school (as per his usual).  So, we decided to take a nice leisurely stroll around Atlanta instead...

Oh!  You know you can click on the photos to enlarge them...just sayin'.

You only see Picard and I because Terence was taking all the pictures!  We won't let that happen again.  So, what did you do for Labor Day?