READER QUESTIONS

READER QUESTIONS is without a doubt the most popular series on the blog right now, and I love that y’all are all nosy, just like me.  Listen, I get it!  My favorite posts that other bloggers do are the ones that give a little peek into their lives or a little look behind the scenes.

So, how did this series come to be?  I get questions from y’all every day via instagram, facebook, e-mail etc.  I save some of them for posts like these when I think they are answers that lots of y’all would want to know.  And then a couple of weeks ago I asked for reader questions on instastories, AND Y’ALL BROUGHT IT WITH THE QUESTIONS.  I’m only answering a fraction of them today, but I’ve already saved a lot of questions for next month’s post.

If you submitted the question on instastory, then your little question box and avatar will be in today’s post.  If you direct messaged me or just e-mailed me, then I will just include your question and your name in italics.

Here are several of the most popular questions/answers from previous reader question posts in case you want to catch up.

*Question:  How do you maintain your weight?  Click HERE.

*Question:  Are you still a speech therapist?  Click HERE.

*Question: How did you and your husband meet?  Click HERE.

*Question:  Do you keep everything you order or do you return it all? Click HERE.

*Question:  Do you want more kids?  Click HERE.

*Question:  What’s your favorite shampoo and conditioner?  Click HERE.

*Question:  What are your Top 5 purchases of all times / what is your top recommendation ever?   Click HERE

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Now, before we get started on the new questions, I want to announce the winners from the giveaway last week!  432 of you left comments on the Top 10 STMT READER FAVORITES post, and 3 names were randomly chosen.  These 3 winners need to e-mail me at pinteresttoldmeto@yahoo.com in the next 48 hours to claim your prizes.  What do you win? The Sims Stone Necklace!  This is by far the most worn necklace in my closet for at least 3 years running.  You can choose ivory, turquoise, or black.  (If you didn’t win and you want to still order one for yourself, use the code STONESTEAL to get the necklace for  $20 – regularly $42.)

WINNERS:  Michelle Brasil, Brittany Lancaster, and Monica Kertz

Congratulations, ladies!  E-mail me!

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Hi, there!  Such a good question!  I actually have no idea how frequently Nordstrom does markdowns, but I do try and check for new markdowns and new price matched items each and every day.  I know that y’all love SALE ALERTS, and I get so excited when I find a great sale item, especially if it’s something that that I’ve previously highlighted on the blog.  The affiliate network I work with also sends me sale alerts on items that I’ve previously marked as a “favorite”, so I also get notified that way!  And I’d like to thank y’all for making sure I know about sales too! I get lots of e-mails and facebook messages from readers that want to make sure I know about a new to sale item.

I checked last night, and found that my favorite blingy bracelets are NOW $41.80 / regularly $70.  They are really beautiful and extra sparkly in person.  I love these bracelets and have regularly worn them several times a week after getting them this past summer.

rainbow bracelet (make sure you are shopping the Sheaffer Sims trunk show and type “Vida” in search bar) / blingy bracelets

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I keep seeing wide striped cardigans all over instagram and pinterest, but they are all sold out every time I try to purchase one.  I think they look so cute with jeans and a simple tee.  Help me find one! – Savannah

Savannah! I know just how you feel.  Every time I saw a blogger wearing one from Madewell I tried to buy it, but it was always sold out!

Well, I have one for you that is currently available!  And it comes in plus size too!  I’m wearing a small in this picture, but it runs big, so I’m going to size down to the x-small.  I will say, if you are super sensitive to fabrics, you might want to wear a long sleeve tee with this cardi because it isn’t the softest.  (The shoulder seams hang off of my shoulders in the small, so I definitely recommend sizing down).  I size up to a medium in these tees for a relaxed fit.

colorblock cardi (plus size version)/ v neck tee / necklace / earrings / similar boots ON SALE / leather tote courtesy of Barrington

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This next one is a question I got from one of my besties, so I just took a screen shot of our text.

My friend Kasey has been dreaming about the Dyson dryer.  I told her all about mine when we went to lunch over Thanksgiving, but before making such a big investment, she needed to hear from me again.

Instead of texting her back, I called her.  And I told her I thought the dryer was 100% worth it.

Is it incredibly expensive?  YES.  But not only does it cut down drying time (which is like giving yourself the gift of time!), it also makes your hair look better.  My hair is shinier, more manageable, and looks healthier now that I’ve been using the dryer for awhile.  And to be honest, I thought it looked better AFTER MY FIRST USE.  SERIOUSLY.  I felt like it was shinier and had less flyaways.  I was able to tell her with complete certainty that I thought spending her gift cards on the dryer was WAY BETTER than spending it on clothes.  I mean, we wear our hair ever single day, and this dryer will help us look our best all the time.  I wash and dry my hair about every other day, so when I looked at it that way, the investment didn’t seem quite as daunting.

I directed her to the post where I reviewed the dryer for her to read all my thoughts.  My dryer is actually a refurbished dryer from eBay, and I have had NO TROUBLE with it at all.  It’s been perfect!  So, if you’re really interested in saving some money, you can always buy it there!  However, since Kasey was very unsure about buying it and not convinced it was going to be worth the money, I suggested she might want to buy it from Nordstrom.  I felt certain she was going to love it, but since I was telling her it was going to be worth it to spend $400, I liked the peace of mind that a Nordstrom purchase would provide her.  And right now they have a deal where you can get 3 full sized OUAI products with it for free!

Kasey hadn’t used the dryer yet because she had a hair appointment scheduled, but she will use it over the weekend and I will keep you posted!

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Do you have haters?  If so, how do you handle them. – Eliza

Eliza!  This is the great question!  I will say this, most of the people I’ve “met” because of the blog are lovely, supportive, and very kind.  That being said, there are people out there that don’t enjoy me personally or don’t enjoy the blog, and they want me to know it.  That was really hard for me at first (I’m a people pleaser by nature and want everybody to like me!), but over the last several years, I’ve made peace with the fact I can’t please everybody.

I will occasionally get overly critical or hateful comments, and I just delete them.  I really strive for the blog to be a happy space, and giving these types of comments “air time” would just bring everybody down.  Now, if somebody e-mails me directly with a constructive complaint about the blog, I’m happy to respond to them directly!

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I love the Caslon leggings that you posted while back, but I can’t find them anymore.  Help! – Samantha

Hey, Samantha!  Okay, so I’ve got bad news.  I’ve heard from a handful of readers that they called Nordstrom, and the Caslon leggings are no longer in production.  HOWEVER, a couple of those readers also let me know that they think that the new Amazon leggings are a really good replacement.  They are high waisted, have the really wide waistband, and the material seems to be similar as well.

Here’s a shot of me in them just last night!  This cowl neck sweater  is a part of my next Amazon haul that you’ll see in a couple of weeks, so y’all are getting a sneak preview now.

I wore this outfit to a nice dinner last night with the family, and I looked totally put together (but felt like I was wearing pajamas).  The sweater is crazy soft and not clingy at all, which makes it perfect for leggings.  The leggings stay put, aren’t see thru, and launder perfectly!

cowl neck sweater / leggings /leopard cross body bag / my favorite earrings / similar boots ON SALE

Get The Look For Yourself Here:

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Hi there!  Like many of you out there, I basically have a handful of go to recipes that I repeat frequently.  The fastest dinner for us is tacos.  I typically make a big ol’ batch (we prefer McCormick taco seasoning), and we eat off of it throughout the week with nachos, taco salads, etc.

Another one of our favorite go to dinners over here is grilled chicken.  We simply marinate the chicken in Italian dressing overnight and then just throw it on the grill.  We typically serve with a baked potato (often a sweet potato for me) and some roasted veggies.

Nothing ground breaking over here, but my guys are picky!

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I’ve received lots of awesome e-mails over the last couple of months from y’all that have tried Brandless and are loving it!  Today I’m partnering up with them again and sharing some some of my new favorites. Click HERE if you want to check out my first post with Brandless.  In that post, I share a couple of recipes and give you lots of information about the brand and the products.  In a nutshell, Brandless provides better for you products and almost everything is $3!

I’m putting a couple on today’s post, but you will really want to check out my insastories later to see what some of my new obsessions are (I’m looking at you Salted Caramel Cookie Thins and Dark Chocolate Fruit and Nut Trail Mix).

This cashew and edamame mix is my new favorite salad topper!  It’s crunchy, chewy, and full of all sorts of good for you stuff.  I’m eating it here with a regular house salad with organic Italian dressing….but I’m excited to try it with a more Caribbean/Asian inspired salad with mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits, organic dried cranberries, and sesame ginger dressing.

This time around I also ordered the whole wheat spaghetti and the roasted garlic pasta sauce.  I loved both the pasta and the sauce.  These are both winners that I will definitely order again and again.

I tried one of the soups for the first time too.  The organic butternut squash soup is delicious, and it made for a great light lunch that was obviously super fast to prepare!

Other products that I talk about in insastories:  organic quinoa and organic garbanzo beans (I’ll be making a great quinoa salad with these!), and an assortment of nuts (I’m loving the roasted-salted cashews, almonds, and pistachios!).

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I know I’m really late to the party, but I want to buy my first Kendra Scott piece.  What do you recommend? – Debra

Hi, Debra!  As you know, I have lots of Kendra Scott jewelry that I’ve collected over the years.  I think my most loved (and most worn) items are my Elle earrings.  I have them in gold, turquoise, white, and abalone – and I reach for all of them all the time.

And look at these GORGEOUS elle earrings!  They caught my eye when I was at the mall right before Christmas, and I couldn’t believe how beautiful they were.  The static picture doesn’t do them justice, so you need to head to instastories to see a video I took of them in store, which I’ll load sometime today!  These earrings are the “Dichroic Glass / Gold”, and the color of the earrings changes as different colors and light hit them.  They are truly stunning.

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My favorite item purchased because of your blog last year (and I purchased a lot) was actually the Abercrombie pullover.   I would love for you to start featuring Abercrombie on a more regular basis. – Kathy

Hi, Kathy!  I realllllllllllly love that pullover too.  I loved it so much that I actually purchased a dupe in another color off of Amazon and was hopeful I would love it as well.  I didn’t, so it got returned without me ever showing it.  This Abercrombie one is SO GOOD.  For size reference, I sized up to a medium.

I’ve had some other readers express an interest in more Abercrombie finds, so I’m wondering if this is something that lots of you would be interested in?  If so, please sound off in the comments.  Actually, if there are other stores you would like me highlight, leave those in the comments too!

I hopped around on Abercrombie yesterday and found some items that I definitely would like to try.  Look at this darling leopard hoodie and these adorable knit New Balance sneakers.

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The above question is actually from one of my college besties, Jamie!  She has 3 kiddos, they are about to get a dog, and the family can’t decide on what breed or how many.  I talked to her earlier this week, and I was totally upfront about the fact that the puppy stage was brutal.  Chris and I literally took turns each night like you would with a human baby.  I’d sleep upstairs with Carter 1 night and he would stay downstairs with the pups to let them out at night and then get up with them in the morning (which was typically about 5:00 a.m.).  And then the next night, we’d switch.  We had totally forgotten how hard the puppy stage was with Scout, so I really can’t say if 2 is that much harder than 1.  I will say that twice as much hair is wayyyyyyyyy worse than I thought it would be.  Still, we absolutely love having 2 dogs.  We will never have just 1 dog again.

Click HERE to see the post where we announced that we got two pups instead of 1.  But be prepared to see some seriously adorable images of a boy and his pups.  In that post, there’s also a link to the video where we told him that we got two.  It’s one of my favorite memories of all time.

This is a pic I grabbed a couple of nights ago.  I was sitting in the recliner when I looked over and saw this sweet scene.  Carter loves the boys so much.

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Hey, Greywoodmama!  Working with brands is something I only dreamed of after I started the blog, so I’m thrilled that I get to do so now!  It’s because of you guys (my loyal audience!) that brands won’t to work with me, so thank y’all for that!

I would say that my mindset about working with brands has stayed the same since the beginning.  I’m very discriminating about the brands/companies I work with, and I always have been.  I only say “yes” to companies that I truly love (and think that y’all will too).  I’ve been lucky enough to do collaborations with companies I’ve shopped at for years such as Nordstrom, Loft, Ann Taylor, and GAP.

I’ve also been introduced to some “new to me” brands over the years that I’ve fallen in love with such as Kopari (click HERE to see my previous Kopari posts) Colleen Rothschild, Barrington, Accessory Concierge, and Soma.   When I was approached by Kopari, Colleen, and Soma, I had never used their products, but I was very interested and thought they were all “on brand” for the types of items that we all like.  I now use the Kopari all natural deodorant every day, and I’m totally ordering the new charcoal toothpaste).  Click HERE for my thorough review of their natural deodorant. Spoiler Alert:  I absolutely LOVE it. The Soma vanishing line undies are some of my faves, and my skin is better than ever thanks to Colleen.  Not a week goes by that I don’t carry a Barrington bag at least once, and I use their make up bag and sunglasses case each day.

I will also say that there are a couple of brands I’ve partnered with in the past that I no longer work with.  Even though I liked their products, their customer service was lacking, so I stopped working with them.  When I partnered with them, I knew I could stand behind their producta, but it wasn’t until readers started having bad experiences with returns that I knew I could no longer endorse the companies.   And I haven’t since.  I take customer service just as seriously as my recommendations.

This past year I also started working with eBay and Macy’s, and I’ve loved getting to know their brands and finding some great deals!  I hope to continue to work with them this year as well.

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I don’t, even though I know it’s better for the clothes to follow the laundering instructions. But I will say that some of my items start getting shorter and shorter with each wash.  If I feel like they’ve shrunk a little much, I will dry for 10 minutes, and then stretch them out and hang them to dry the remainder of the drying time.  This helps stretch them back out a bit.

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Hi, Emily!  Yes, each blog post takes quite a while to put together.  And you’re right, ESPECIALLY the Bachelor recaps.

I actually get questions similar to this a lot, so I thought I would walk you through how some different posts are created.

A couple of examples follow:

*COLLAGE POSTS:  A simple collage post takes the least amount of time, but it still usually takes at least 3 hours.  When I get the theme in mind for a collage or I’m trying to round up sale items, there are several steps.  It usually takes at least an hour to find the products that I’m excited to share.  Then I grab the links, save the images, and either make the collage myself or call a graphic designer I work with (shout out, Blake!) to put the collage together.  If it’s Blake creating the collage, I typically tell her my “vision” and sometimes will even sketch out what I want it to look like.  After the collage is made, I take another hour or two to do write ups on each of the items highlighted, and then I link each item to the source.

*SPONSORED POSTS:  A sponsored post can take anywhere from 5-8 hours.  Again, I start by shopping for the post and deciding what direction I want to go.  Sometimes I do this online and sometimes I do this in store.  For example, when I was preparing for my Ann Taylor post, I went to the store to shop and spent 2 1/2 hours there deciding what 3 outfits I was going to feature.  My nearest Ann Taylor is 1/2 an hour away, so with shopping and driving, I was already 3 1/2 hours in.  And I actually bought more than I needed, so I still came home and worked another hour or so on styling all of the pieces to come up with my favorite 3 outfit combinations. I booked a professional photographer for this post, and we shot for about an hour in downtown McKinney.  For the next step, I look through the shots and decide which ones I want to feature.  I then save those shots and load them in to the post.  After loading the pictures, I typically write all linkable items above the pictures and hyperlink them (ex. shirt / earrings/ moto jacket / jeans / boots / bracelet / bag).  After all that is done, it’s time to sit down and write the post!  This can look a number of different ways, but the writing process is a long one for me.  I write, rewrite, revise, read again, and then revise again.  So, as you can imagine, sponsored posts are very time intensive.

I hope this answers your question!

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Hi, Debbi!  Without hesitation, I recommend the Wit and Wisdom Ab-Solution jeans.  They come in tons of styles and colors as well as plus size options, but the ab-solution technology is a game changer.  The waistbands have a really wide piece of elastic in them, and they slim you out, while still being quite stretchy and allowing you to breathe.  The waistbands are mid rise and perfect.  I’m telling you, you will look comfy and feel great!

I also highly recommend the stretchy Kut from the Kloth cords.  I love them and my mom LOVES them (and she’s 72)!

As far as shirts ago, the Trouve everyday v neck sweater is a great option.  It’s a cute cut with a v neck that’s not too deep, and it doesn’t hug the body  at all.  I think it’s perfectly oversized, but it’s not sloppy.  They recommend sizing down, but I went with my regular size for a relaxed fit.  It’s 40% OFF right now, but sizes and colors are definitely picked over.  I hope your size is available in a couple of colors!  This is a great basic!

I  would also suggest a great relaxed fit military jacket and an open front cardigan that you love.

Here are some military jacket options.  Just click on what you are interested in:

This draped open cardi is a great option!  It’s on special and ONLY $25 today, regularly $69.50!  Incredible deal!

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Hi, Kelli!  Fun question!  I only own 1 designer item, my Louis Vuitton bag.  When I first got my bag (around 5 years ago I think), I didn’t put it on the blog because I was afraid people would think it was ridiculous to spend that much on a bag.  However, I eventually showed it and now it’s in tons of my outfit pictures.  And I could be forgetting since I’ve had it for so long, but I don’t recall ever getting a negative comment about it!  The only other “designer item” I own is AG jeans, but I’ve blogged about those quite a lot.

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Another great question!  I can’t speak for everybody, but I can say why I have!

There are actually several reasons behind my decision to start featuring Amazon fashion.  First and foremost, I’ve had pretty frequent reader requests to try out Amazon clothes.  It’s totally daunting to shop on Amazon since there are so many brands and so many choices, but everybody loves to shop on Amazon since so many people are on Amazon Prime.  The demand was great, so it made sense for that reason.

Also, I watched several of my blogger friends do Amazon hauls for several months, and they always found some great items.  However,  I knew from what they said that the posts  were a lot of work.  Couple the fact that they were a lot of work with the fact that my current affiliate network didn’t include Amazon, and I just made the easy choice to not do them myself.

Once Amazon was added to my network, I decided I would try it for a month.  I wanted to see what I could find and see the kind of feedback I got from y’all.  Well, the post was super popular!  And although it was definitely a lot of work, I ended up with a small group of items that I really loved at really great prices!

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This is an easy one!  My parents named me Lauren Sheaffer, but they always called me Sheaffer.  My full name now is Lauren Sheaffer Sims.

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I continue to get lots of e-mails from y’all about the Amazon items that I recommended in the December Amazon post.  Adrienne is a reader who especially loved the tortoise shell resin earrings!  She sent me this picture (isn’t she DARLING?!?) and said I could use it on today’s post!  In my next haul, you will see me in the green earrings as well because I just couldn’t stop myself from ordering them.  I also ordered these red floral resin hoops and love them (under $10!).

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Carter is a picky eater, just like his daddy.   He doesn’t like pasta, rice, or any sort of casserole.  It’s like we aren’t even related.

He’s great at eating at eating a variety of protein.  He loves steak, chicken, pork, brisket, burgers, chicken, and eggs.  He also likes certain fish and has recently started eating shrimp.

It’s the fruits and vegetables where we struggle.

For veggies, he eats raw sugar snap peas and raw red bell peppers.  And for fruit, he eats apples.  But not just any old apple.  The boy only eats Honeycrisp apples.  He also loves mandarin oranges, but he doesn’t like fresh oranges, and I don’t feel like canned mandarin oranges really count.  He doesn’t hate bananas, but he doesn’t like them either.  Still, I need to be better about making him eat bananas every so often.  Other fruits literally make him gag, as do other vegetables.

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We aren’t huge travelers.  In fact, at 10 years old, Carter has never even been on an airplane!  Every vacation we’ve ever been on we’ve driven (ex. San Antonio, Port Aransas, Galveston, even Florida).  Our absolute favorite place to get away to is the family ranch.  It’s about 2 1/2 hours away, and it’s the perfect place to get away as a family and unplug.

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This is a hard one because I have different pairs of shoes for each season.  As far as shoes that can be worn the majority of the year, I have three that I wear all the time.

The Sam Edelman Felicia flats (I have them in classic nude, cognac, and leopard),  Shoreline Converse, and a great pair of sneakers.  This year I’ve loved my neutral Adidas I got at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, but I stained them while in New York by wearing them in the rain one day with really dark wash jeans.  The dark blue rubbed off on the tongue of the sneaks.  Speaking of, does anybody have any suggestions to correct this issue?

I did just order this pair of black sneakers (great reviews and ON SALE right now).  I have a sponsored post coming up at the end of this month with the New Year/New You theme, so I also ordered some cute work out gear (I’m so excited about this relaxed zip hoodie in coral) and this Nutribullet!  I’m excited to get my healthy eating back on track, and I’ll be sharing some favorite smoothie recipes on that post.

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This is an interesting idea!  I will definitely have her look around and see if there’s anything that she would like to try!

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That’s it for today!  As mentioned earlier, I already have several questions ready to go for my next post! Remember to leave comments if you would like to see more from Abercrombie or any other retailer that I don’t regularly feature!

Filed Under: Fashion 51 Comments