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Coffee Talk 11.05.17

Well, if I ever needed an extra hour of sleep, it was this weekend. I’ve been out late the past three nights in a row, and that’s a lot for this early bird to take. I am usually in bed by 9PM.

We saw Phantom in Philly on Thursday night and didn’t get back home till midnight, we went to the football game on Friday night and then I was up late visiting with my mom, and last night we were out till midnight at a Hooters concert. In addition to that, my mom and I covered the better part of the King of Prussia Mall (it is HUGE) with the girls yesterday morning, then we walked all over the campus of West Chester University with my son in the afternoon. Whew! To say I’m beat is a gross understatement.

So the concert was fun. It’s always rather hilarious to see a crowd of middle aged people dancing like it’s 1985. The band is still good, and they put on a good show.

For those who don’t know, these guys are all from the Philly area and South Jersey so they definitely play to that at their local concerts. They ended the show with Beat Up Guitar, which was perfect…

I may leave this place tomorrow
But my soul is here to stay
In the town that rocked the nation
Philadelphia, PA

In the town that rocked the nation
Philadelphia, PA

As you can imagine, the crowd loved that.

So we’re supposed to get our family pictures taken this afternoon, and I have NO idea what we’re going to wear. NONE. You know how most people plan this sort of thing for weeks, buy new clothes, coordinate with layers and accessories to make it interesting… not us. I’ll have to go through our closets here in a few minutes and figure it out.

I realized something as I was shopping with my girls yesterday. My kids are plain janes like their mother. To put together Pinterest-worthy family photo outfits, you have wear a lot of layers and accessories, and we just don’t dress like that. Sure, I’d have fun buying vests and hats and scarves and coming up with fun combinations, but that’s not us.

My girls are happiest in jeans and a pullover sweater (sound familiar?) and I’m lucky to get my son out of sweatpants. He doesn’t even own a sweater or a button-down shirt right now. While I would have fun coming up with creative outfits for our pictures, I want to look back at our family pictures for the years to come and see us as we were, not as some Stepford family I created for the purpose of a great holiday photo card.

All that to say, I’ll be going upstairs in a few minutes, and I’ll put together some simple outfits from what we have in our closets. They’ll coordinate, of course, but they aren’t going to win any awards for creativity, and that’s just fine. That’s us.

On that note, I better get a move on! Before our pictures this afternoon, we have church and a brunch reservation. Have a blessed Sunday, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

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27 Responses

  1. Hope your pics turn out well! I take 1 posed family photo a year on Thanksgiving morning on the front lawn with a digital camera on a tripod/self-timer. My only rule is no patterns and the shirt must be clean. 🙂 So we have bare feet, jeans, shorts, whatever, but at least we don’t clash! And it’s awesome to see how our family has changed in front of the same tree over the years! And best yet – no stress over it. Have fun and Happy Sunday!

  2. Bravo to you!  I learned that lesson while my kids were in their teens …. it’s who we are right now, this year!
    They weren’t spectacular photos every year but we sure love looking back through the different phases now that they’re grown up!  We laugh and those photos bring back so many fun+fond memories!

  3. Boy, reading what all you have done since Thursday night makes me tired.  And add the time change on top of it.  It’s great reading that you don’t have your family wear something that isn’t who y’all are, for your family pictures. You’re not trying to keep up with the Jones’!  I do hope y’all will be happy with the way they turnout. Have fun!

  4. Three late nights would wipe me out, too. Fun though! 
    I found if I forced my kids to wear something that was not their style for a family photo that it wasn’t the best outcome. Not a great picture if there is a sourpuss in the group, is it? I love seeing these family shots were everyone is colour coordinated but it just wasn’t happening in my family. Too many different personalities, 
    I guess. Get dressed, smile and have fun while creating this memory. 

  5. I volunteer with Dress For Sucess and when I am helping a client find the right interview outifit, I always look to them. Because if I suggest something they are not comfortable with, then they won’t “shine” in the interview. It’s about finding what makes them feel the best. I can push a little to get them out of their comfort level, but in the end it’s about bringing out the best in them. Your blog helps me help them so thank you!! 

    1. Kathy, I too use to volunteer at DFS and your statement is absolutely true. They definitely had to feel like themselves or they wouldn’t do well in their interview. If our location in San Antonio wasn’t so far from me, I’d definitely be helping there again because I really enjoyed it. Sounds like you do too and thank you for making a difference and helping others to shine ????

  6. Sounds like a fun weekend and I’m sure your pics will be great and will show the beauty of your family inside and out. A few weeks ago I met my husband in Las Vegas after a conf he had and we celebrated his 60th bday. It was 3 days of walking, shopping, (a little gambling) and we went to the Elton John concert but by the 3rd day I was so ready to come home lol 
    So I know how you feel. 

  7. My children are still teasing me about a chambray shirt family photo from the 90’s, lol. I know your family photo will be wonderful, Jo-Lynne. Happy Sunday to all!

  8. I prefer the Christmas photo cards that don’t look staged:  perfect outfits, perfect hair styles, perfect children, etc.  “Real” family  photos are the best!

  9. You’re so lucky to have seen the Hooters! Glad they’re still making music. The performed at my high school in Wilmington, DE in 1985! 

  10. Hoping you get some rest this evening, and glad you had so much fun! Sometimes the simplest turn out the most lovely because you can focus on the faces of the people dear to you! Hope it goes great! 

  11. I think the best family photos are the ones not fussed and stressed over. I love that you are just being who you are !! Last year my parents took an amazing photo of our family on the beach in Santa Barbara, California. Amazingly we all coordinated, even though my daughter had on a hoodie and I had my crossbody purse on. The colors we had on complimented the ocean and sky. It wasn’t planned and that’s what I love !! No stress for any of us!! We had it made into a large canvas above our fireplace. Good luck with your pics!! Have a great Sunday! 

  12. Spunds like a fun wedkend! 
    We did our family portrait 2 weeks ago today. I took my Mom shopping to buy a shirt that would fit in with what my hubby and i wore colorwise. Luckily, he told me to pick his shirt out so i was able to coordinate with mine. Our youhest son aand my M-I-L coordinated and our son and D-I-L did. I think it all looked ok because I instructed everyone to wear jeans. Cant wait to see your pics and ours!!
    Have a blessed day week.

  13. Thank you for this post.  I stress just getting everyone to show up for the picture! This year it will be…here are your three color choices….do what you want! It will be an interesting reflection of styles!

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