Sunday Snippet: The Summer of the Sundress Edition

I confess, I got nothin’ for this week–I mean seriously, between editing gigs and revisions and book promotion and book signings (That’s Lizzie and me at Whyte Horse Winery last Sunday!), and getting into discover for book 1 in my new Dykemans of Rivers Edge series, my brain is exhausted and empty. So… I guess I’m going to tell you about something fun that I discovered this summer… ya ready?

This summer, I’ve rediscovered dresses. Okay, so not fancy, like-we-use-to-wear-to-church dresses. You remember those? They required ironing and pantyhose? No, not those dresses. I’ve found sundresses. Cute, knit ones that have an empire waist and come in fun colors. This is news only because I haven’t worn a dress in ages. It isn’t that I’m not perfectly feminine, I totally am. I’m into all things girly–mani/pedis, makeup, curls. But when you work at home, it’s hard to motivate yourself to dress up much.

My “go to work” clothes are pretty much the same every day—yoga pants, a tank top, and a hoodie. The only thing that changes is the length of the yoga pants—long for fall and winter, capri-length for spring and early summer, and skorts for hot summer days. I counted them the other day. I have 5 pairs of yoga pants, 4 pairs of yoga capris, and 5 skorts. And except for the skorts, they’re all the same colors—black and navy blue—and all the same fabric and basic fit and design.

This isn’t a coincidence, they all came from Sketchers or 32 Degrees, and they’re the best, most comfortable pants/capris/skorts ever! These things wear like iron, never sag at the knees, and have kept their shape through too many years of regular laundering, and so far they’re still available online. Usually, falling in love with an article of clothing is the kiss of death for me. Once I find anything at all that I adore, suddenly, it’s no longer available. They just stop making it. So I’m a little wary of telling you about these sundresses.

Oh well, I’ll tell you anyway because these are too cool to keep a secret. When I was at Walmart one day early in the summer, stocking up on shampoo, conditioner, cleaning supplies, and coffee filters for the lake cottage, I spotted a truly darling sundress—a simple tiered, empire waist with a lightly gathered skirt that hits me right above my knee. (I don’t have a pic of me in it, so click the link and use your imagination.)

The best part? (I mean, besides the price tag.) It looks terrific, even on me. I say “even on me” because I’m rather…shall we way…bosomy. Not a complaint–I like that I’m well-endowed, but it doesn’t always work well with empire waists. It just happens that this little dress works–big boobs and all. I loved it so much, I bought two more in different colors, and yes, I know it’s the same dress in different colors, but they’re so cute and comfy and they look so great, who cares?

I’ve worn the dresses on several different occasions this summer. How lovely it’s been to feel dressed up without doing the whole pantyhose, heels, fancy-schmancy route. (Yes, I’m aging myself because I know pantyhose went out in the nineties, but when we dressed up back then, we wore them.) It looks like I’ve gone to some real effort when all I’ve done is toss on a sundress. I’ve always thought wearing dresses all the time was something only old ladies did. But hey, maybe my grandmother was on to something. These dresses are cool and comfortable, and I’ve gotten loads of compliments on them. It’s funny, but wearing these feminine, pretty sundresses has made me stand taller, walk straighter, and has even put a little swivel in my step. I’m likin’ it. Yup. This has sorta turned out to be  my summer of the sundress.

Gratitude for this Week: Time with Grandboy up at the lake (He’s learning to drive the golf cart and kicking butt!); time with Son and DIL up at the lake; we finally got the deck repainted and set up our table and umbrella; Coffee and breakfast on the deck; revisions are moving along; sundresses!

Stay well, enjoy these last days of summer, be kind always, and most of all, mes amis, stay grateful!

P.S. Carmen Cook will be doing a reading from Make It Real at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST) on her Readings from the Revenge Garden Instagram Live feed. Hope you’ll tune in for a quick snippet from Joe and Kara’s story!