First of all, I want to start off this post by giving you an update on my sweet dad. My goodness, last week was rough, but we are so thankful for the progress that he has recently made. Here’s a little summary….
He had the bypass on Tuesday, and the surgery went great! In fact, they did a triple bypass, fixed his a fib, and also fixed a leaky valve they didn’t know he had. We were over the moon, and even though we knew recovery from open heart surgery was going to be really hard, we were so happy that they had fixed all of the problems that had been making him feel so terrible for so long.
So, Tuesday went well, but everything started going downhill after that. It’s all too much to write, but he wasn’t himself at all. He was sleeping a lot, and when he was awake he was often very confused. He wasn’t able to communicate very well (had a lot of word finding issues and was saying a lot of stuff that didn’t make sense at all). Sometimes he could tell you our names and other information that he should obviously know, sometimes he couldn’t. He failed 3 swallowing studies, so they put a tube down his nose to feed him. He was also having these blank staring episodes, and everybody was wondering if they could be sub-clinical seizures. We were worried, and neurology was worried. They ordered a cat scan on Thursday to look for signs of a stroke, but they didn’t find any. We were so relieved! However, he still wasn’t showing much progress, and his doctors (and us!) were still quite worried. They ended up ordering an EEG and an MRI to look more deeply into what could be the cause of his continued confusion. We learned Sunday morning that the MRI didn’t show any signs of stroke either! We are still waiting on EEG results, but because of his tremendous progress over the last 3 days, we aren’t nearly as anxious about the results.
Wednesday through Sunday is really just a blur to me. However, I would say that Saturday morning is when we really started to see Dad coming back to us. He was much more aware of us, much more lucid, his ability to communicate had improved greatly, he passed his swallowing study and was finally able to have liquids (he’d been begging for water for several days!), and he was also starting to gain some strength back. On Friday he wasn’t even able to sit on his own, and by Saturday afternoon he was able to walk with a walker (and some assistance from the nurse) about 60 feet! AMAZING!!!!!!! The progress continued yesterday, and we are all just so pleased and proud at how far he’s come.
Dad has a long recovery ahead of him, and he’s still in the hospital at this point. We hope he moves to an in patient rehab soon, and we look forward to seeing continued progress. We are beyond grateful for all of your kind words, and especially all of your prayers. We believe in the power of prayer, and we know that God is The Great Physician. We are so thankful to all of the members of his medical team that have been taking incredible care of him (one of his ICU nurses was even a blog reader! Hi, Catherine!), and we are anxious to get him home when he is ready.
So, all that to say, this is why I didn’t have a post on Friday! I had been at the hospital all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday….and although I had prepared it before the surgery and it was almost completed, I was just never able to finish it up and have it ready to publish. So, today you are getting the post that was supposed to go live last Friday. It’s Part 3 of READER QUESTIONS and the final installment of READER QUESTIONS WEEK! 😉
If you missed the first 2 posts, you need to check them out! To find the difference in age between me and my sister, click HERE. If you want to know about a new long sleeve tee I found that I’m obsessed with, click HERE! #itslikebuttah
Let’s get started!
READER QUESTION #9:
Have you ever seen I Mom So Hard on facebook? I don’t think you’ve ever talked about them, but I think you’d get a real kick out of them. Lots of love, Lisa
LISA!!!!!! I’m straight up OBSESSED with I Mom So Hard. OBSESSED. I want to be friends with these ladies, and I reallllllly think we could be if we met! I can’t recall if I’ve ever talked about them on the blog, but when I watch them, I do so with a smile plastered on my face, and I’m always laughing out loud. These girls are real life friends, and they do short little clips (under 5 minutes) on different topics. When I see they have a new post up, I GET FREAKING GIDDY.
I Swimsuit So Hard is my favorite one, and the last line gets me every single dang time. One of the funniest sentences I’ve ever heard IN MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE. Warning: it has language, but it’s worth it. 😉
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READER QUESTION #10:
I’ve been a reader almost since the beginning, so I’ve heard you talking about all of the blardigans now for years. Problem is, even though I desperately want one for myself, I just can’t justify spending over $100 on a piece of clothing that I will probably just wear inside the house. Do you have a more affordable option for something that’s kind of like a blardigan? – Nancy (Blardiganless in Seattle)
Well, Nancy. I laughed out loud at “Blardiganless in Seattle.” Your question is a great one, and I’ve received several just like this over the last several years. I completely understand that the price tag of a blardigan is a bit eye popping at first! However, I promise you that if you did a cost per wear analysis at the end of a year (heck, at the end of a couple of months), it would basically be paying you to wear it, even if you never even wear it out of the house. YES. IT’S JUST THAT GOOD.
I do have a recommendation for you in a minute 🙂 ……
But first, I feel compelled to tell you that I’m afraid I can’t give a recommendation for anything that’s as amazing, wonderful, and delightful as the blardigan without the price tag. The cozy factor simply can’t be replicated with anything but blardigan fibers, woven by angels.
BUT! I did find this chenille hooded cardigan that is oh so soft and cozy, and I feel like it maybe comes kinda close. Ish. And the price tag of $45 is awesome and not nearly as shocking.
Personally, I do wear my blardigans out of the house, but I know not everybody does. This one can be easily worn out of the house with jeans and boots (as seen below), but you could also cuddle up with it with your pj’s at home! I’m a little worried that it might pull easily, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will hold up well! There’s only this one color to choose from, but it’s a really pretty blush. And since blush and grey is one of my favorite combinations….
blush sweater / tee / tassel necklace / earrings / similar grey jeans HERE and similar distressed grey jeans HERE / wedge over the knee boots in “mushroom”
Get The Look For Yourself Here. Just click on what you are interested in:
Here’s the cardigan again mixed and matched with a different outfit.
I’m wearing a small in the swing tee that I first showed you on Wednesday. I feel it’s necessary to remind you that IT’S LIKE BUTTAH. It comes in 6 solid colors and 2 striped colorways as well! The jeans are the pajama jeans, and the cardigan is heavenly. So basically, once you get dressed, good luck going anywhere. You’re pretty much still comfy enough to just crawl right back in to bed!
blush sweater / swing tee / tassel necklace / earrings / earrings / pajama jeans / booties
Get The Look For Yourself Here:
One note about the above top, I received this comment on the blog last week. I MEAN. SOFT AS A KITTEN’S BELLY. Hysterical, Denise. And also very true!
I just received that Bobeau swing tee this week (in black) and “buttah” is no understatement! Dang that shirt is soft as a kitten’s belly. ???? I love it so much I’m trying to decide which color (or colors??) to get next. – Denise
Also….I feel like it’s my civic duty to let everybody know….there’s a new blardigan in town, y’all. I told you guys about it last week on facebook, and the darker color sold out lickity split. But the pretty cream is still available. It has a shawl collar AND POCKETS! And I love the overall shape.
And the baby blardigan has some new color options, including this cocoa/pearl heather. It’s a really great neutral.
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READER QUESTION #11
Hi, Sheaffer! Several of my friends and I have been reading your blog for a couple of years now. We were talking about the blog in the teacher’s lounge one day, and we were wondering how you shop for the blog. Do you go in the store or do you order online? Do you show us everything you order? What is your process? – Shellie and the 2nd grade team
Hi, Shellie! These are excellent questions! I used to do a lot of shopping in store, but for the last couple of years I’ve been mainly shopping online. There are pros and cons to both methods.
The main pro to shopping in store revolved around the fact that I had less returns to deal with, because I do not enjoy dealing with returns. Cons included the fact that there’s less inventory in stores, they were sometimes out of my size (since it’s a popular size), and the lighting wasn’t always good for pictures (and the mirrors were most often really dirty). Ha!
The main cons to shopping online follow: 1) paying for shipping and 2) the high volume of returns I make every couple of weeks from my online orders. Packing up and organizing the returns takes a lot of time because I like to make it as easy on the sales associates as possible. Organizing and making the returns is without a doubt my least favorite part of blogging!
Since standard shipping (and returns) from Nordstrom is free, this makes shipping costs a non-issue when ordering from Nordstrom. (However, I sometimes choose the $9 2 day option if I’m ordering something that I need quickly for an upcoming post. I even sometimes utilize the $15 1 day shipping. I know that $15 is a lot to pay for shipping, but sometimes I need things really quickly, and Nordstrom’s 1 day shipping is MUCH more affordable than all of the other stores). Most other stores I shop from have free shipping when a minimum order is met, and I typically meet that minimum. I don’t know why, but I get soooooo annoyed when I have to pay shipping. #nordstromhasspoiledme #iwishtheloftwouldtakeapagefromnordstromsbook #andanthropologie
Now, about the returns. Most people don’t realize this, but I order a ton of stuff that never makes it to the blog. I truly only show you items that I love and that I think lots of you ladies will love as well, which means that there are a lot of things that you never see. At one point when I first started blogging, I thought about showing those items too (kind of as a warning), but I quickly realized it would take way too much time and effort to highlight things I didn’t even recommend. Anyway, I took a picture of my dining room a couple of weeks ago just to give you an example of what I mean about one of my orders.
These were all items that I received on one day. I can go days or weeks without ordering or receiving anything, and then one day, I might have a humongous order like this show up. See the tall stack of items on the table? Everything in that pile was all returned immediately. I can’t remember everything that was in the stack, but I do know it included a camo dress I was just sure I was going to love (but it ended up looking a little too skanky for my liking), a pair of high low ripped hem skinny jeans that were way too long for me, and a bomber jacket that made me look the Michelin Man. 🙂
The items hanging over the chair on the left were solid “MAYBE”s at the time. Since the picture was taken, several of those items ended up going back as well after I tried to style them in outfits (and didn’t end up loving them)…but I kept 4 of the items in the pile (the like buttah tee, the not fitted denim jacket I showed you last week, this $25 striped tee, and this J Crew button boatneck sweater that I’ll show you on Wednesday)! And do you see the 4 necklaces on the table? I only kept 1 of them. The other 3 went back before ever making it to an outfit. Two of them looked cheap to me, and one of them was too long for my frame. And do you see the 2 pink cardis? One was already in the return pile and 1 was a solid “yes”. I knew I wanted a pink cardi, so I ordered two from two different brands, hoping that one of them would work. The one hanging over the chair is the one I ended up highlighting above as a less expensive alternative to a blardigan!
I hope my long winded answer gave you some insight into how I do things around here!
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READER QUESTION #12:
Morning, Sheaffer! Are corduroys still in? xox, Meredith
Great question, Meredith! YES! They ARE still in! And great news…………they are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more stretchy and comfy than they used to be.
I got these Kut from the Kloth stretchy cords 2 years ago I think, and they are maybe the pants I reach for the most during the winter months. They are warm, but not too thick, and they are comfy as all get out. I know lots of you fell in love with these bad boys too. They have 326 5 STAR REVIEWS, and they come in 10 colors! And ladies….they are incredibly flattering. #SOLD
I have a size 4Petite in these pants, and I’m almost 5’4″. The petite length on me are the perfect ankle length for flats and booties, and I love that there’s not a lot of extra material that I have to stuff into tall boots! Some people report sizing down, but I preferred to stay with my regular size.
You can use the code STMTSAVE10 for 10% OFF your Barrington order!
black turtleneck option / skinny stretchy cords / axis tote c.o. Barrington / MUST HAVE boots
Get The Look For Yourself Here:
And they also have this great boot cut style! I ordered the grey for myself, and they are supposed to arrive this week. I wear my grey skinny jeans ALL THE TIME, so I’m excited about having a different grey pair of pants to throw into the rotation.
I have a question for people who work in an office environment, would these be acceptable for you to wear during the week?
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READER QUESTION #13
Help me, Sheaffer! I need a chambray shirt. I used to have one that I loved, but it finally bit the dust. I find that there are tons of outfits that I still want to wear one with, but I just can’t find one I like. Help! -Bethany
Bethany, I do have one that I love! In fact, I have two that I love. One is from J Crew Factory and the other is from The Gap, but sadly they are both no longer available. 🙁 I got the one from The Gap after my one from J Crew Factory started to not stay buttoned because the button holes were so worn out! Ha! What I love most about both of them is the fact that they are popovers and the buttons don’t go all the way down. I would love for J Crew and GAP to bring them back, because I know y’all would love them too!
agate pendant necklace / necklace (type in “engraved bar”)
I searched high and low for a popover that is currently available to share with you, but I haven’t been able to find another popover style. DANGIT! I did find this one from Dillard’s that I like, even though it isn’t a popover. I love the color, fit, and style…and I do promise to keep looking for a shirt like the ones I’ve loved for so many years.
If you ladies know where I can find a popover denim shirt, please let me know!
Although not denim, this shirt caught my eye while searching “popover” at J Crew. And Girls! EVERYTHING is 30% OFF right now with FREE SHIPPING at J Crew!
That’s it for reader questions today, but I have a couple of sale items I want to share before I go!
Like this floral mosaic blouse that is 40% OFF. The floral pattern, the lace accents, the split neck, and the shirred yoke back…IT’S ALL GOOD. I’ll be wearing it with grey jean, regular denim skinny jeans, and boot cut jeans. I also think it would look great with nice dress slacks. Click HERE to browse all of their new arrivals, all at 40% OFF.
Here are some other things I’m crushing on from LOFT that are ALL ON SALE:
And these over the knee suede boots are ON SALE for ONLY $84.96!
Click HERE for all the sale items at Colleen Rothschild. The gel cleanser, the salisylic treatment complex, and the clarifying detox mask are all products that I use and love!
Anthropologie’s SALE IS ON SALE. Click HERE to take a look around!
And if you hop over to Ann Taylor, it’s 50% OFF of EVERYTHING!
All right, that’s it for today ladies! Have a great Monday!
Susan Jeffries says
I was out of town last week and missed your blog(: I am so glad your dad is doing better. Thanks for this post! I love the blardigans and my 16 year old daughter and I were them almost on a daily basis all winter! I just bought her the blanket for Christmas too!! Hope you have a blessed week.
Erika Slaughter says
A kitten’s belly?! I’m still laughing about this! LOL!
Amber says
Hello lady,
My dad had the same surgery about 3 months ago. It takes time. He will be leaps and bounds ahead in just one month. My opinion- I think the anesthesia and the trama on the body causes the mind to kinda “drift” for a while. They just seem a little slower in all things. That’s the best way I know how to explain it. Continued prayers for you Dad, Amber.
Jan says
Glad your dad is doing better. I’m sure that was a scary time. Praying for a speedy rehab recovery. Are the Born riding boots that you are wearing in the cords picture, the brown full grain leather? I thought they were called cookie dough or something like that.
Sheaffer says
Hi, Jan! You’ve got a great memory! Last year there was LOTS of confusion over boot color. The ones I ordered were in fact called “cookie dough”, and they looked A LOT lighter online than the ones that actually arrived at my house. Even though they were a different color than I was expecting, I loved them so much that I kept them. I think mine must be the brown full grain leather. xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
Kristen says
Soooo glad to hear about your dad! How scary that must’ve been! Quick question, did I somehow miss the joe fresh review? I couldn’t remember when you said you’d been talking about their clothing 🙂
Sheaffer says
It’s next week, Kristen! Monday, I think. I have lots of pieces I’m really excited about!!!!!!! xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
Narci says
That new Blardigan looks amazing with the fun collar! 🙂 Love it!
sydnee says
Wonderful news about your dad! Great Q&A post, especially on your shopping process.
Design by Sydnee | A Lifestyle Blog
Karen Ward says
So glad you’re daddy is doing much better!
Sheaffer says
Thank you, Karen! xoxo
Nikki says
NANCY – Just do it… pull the trigger on the blardigan. I promise you won’t regret it! I waited and waited before ordering the original blardigan and once I got it, I immediately wished I’d had it for the entire winter. Now I also have the hooded blardigan with pockets and I love it even more. Do it, you won’t regret it!!!
PS: Sheaffer, so glad to hear that your dad is on the mend.
Kim says
Yes, and I would add to this–get it when they’re on sale! They’re always (I think?) in the anniversary sale, which is when I got mine, and they will likely be on sale in November, which is when I got one for my mom last year. I get not wanting to pay full price, but just time it right and wait for a sale. I have the baby blardigan and I think it was maybe $70 in the sale. And I love it!!
Hollie says
I agree with all of this – buy the blardigan! You can wait until it goes on sale for Christmas or for the Anniversary sale to make it more reasonable, but I promise you that either way, you’ll be thrilled. I have the original blardigan, but I am a bigger fan on the baby blardigan. I have two of them (so far, ha), and I like the fact that it has pockets, and the fold that keeps your neck warmer. I wear my baby blardigan out of the house all the time. Just do it 🙂
Sheaffer says
I know they are always in the anniversary sale…but I hadn’t realized that they often go on sale in November! SO WORTH IT. xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
Rachel says
Hi, Sheaffer!
I’m so happy to hear that your dad is doing better. Even though we’re adults, when our parents aren’t well…we’re still their kids and it’s scary to see them uncomfortable. I’ll continue to send positive thoughts your way.
Yes, those cord pants would be acceptable in my workplace. I’m a teacher so as long as we don’t wear a skanky camo dress ????then we’re all good.
What size did you get in the pink cardigan? Did you find it TTS?
Thanks for answering your reader’s questions – these have been fun posts!
Sheaffer says
Hi, Rachel! Yes, I’m wearing a small, so it’s true to size for me! xoxo
Cheriese says
Oh Blardigan, how I love thee! Honestly, I wear mine every single day of the year! Amazon has the Barefoot Dreams Calypso Wrap blardigan for $92 with free shipping for Prime members. It’s not a huge savings but it’s something.
Julia K says
So glad your Dad is doing better! Have you ever tried the wit and wisdom absolution twill skinny pants? Do they run the same as the jeans?
Thanks!!!
-Julia
Sheaffer says
I haven’t tried them Julia! Sorry I’m not help! xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
Lindsay says
#iwishtheloftwouldtakeapagefromnordstromsbook –> #andalltheLoftshopperssaidAMEN
Renee says
When you didn’t post on Friday I feared something was really wrong. So happy to have you back and to hear your dad is improving. You are so fortunate to have each other.
heidi says
oh my gosh.. I love ‘ I mom so hard’ in fact i am going to see them next week in concert with a bunch of girlfriends, i can hardly wait!!!!!!! my favourite is the Spanx one then the swim suit, oh how i love them LOL
i love this series, it’s been really fun to read!!!
April Parrish says
So glad your Dad is making progress! Continued prayers for him and your family!
Kate says
What a lovely post! I was wondering, do you still work in speech therapy? If so, how do you go about combining your two jobs?
Sheaffer says
Hi, Kate! I’m not currently working as a speech pathologist. I did balance the two for several years, and it was incredibly difficult. I’m still keeping up with my CEUs and renewing my licenses, so I’m sure I’ll go back at some point! xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
Pamela says
Hi Sheaffer! So sorry to hear about your dad’s health challenges. Praying for the best!
Check out this DENIM POPOVER TUNIC from Target. I got it and think it might be long enough to wear with leggings. I would love your input on it if you decide to try it.
https://www.target.com/p/women-s-any-day-tunic-a-new-day-153-indigo/-/A-52474245#lnk=newtab
Sheaffer says
Hi, Pamela! I just published two other comments recommending this one as well! Thank you!!! xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
Carrie says
So glad your Dad is finally on the mend! I did just buy a denim popover at Target that I have really liked. I wanted more of a tunic length I could wear with leggings so I purchased one size larger so it would be longer. I’ll try to link here:
https://www.target.com/p/women-s-any-day-tunic-a-new-day-153-indigo/-/A-52474245#lnk=sametab
Sheaffer says
Hi, Carrie! Somebody else recommended this one too, but I thought it looked too shiny online! IS it not that shiny in person?!?!
Pamela says
Not shiny at all! It’s just a classic blue denim color. I think you might really like it!
Missy B says
I second that! It’s not shiny and so much cuter in person. I normally wear a women’s size Medium and I had to order up a size. However, I am pretty busty.
Carrie says
No, not shiny at all! And very, very soft. I had one just like it from Anthro and paid 3 times a much. It’s a good find!
Jen says
I bought this about a month ago from Target for a trip and had no idea how trendy I was being! haha It def. runs small so size up, but it will work with leggings.
Kerri says
First off, happy to hear your Dad’s on the mend!
Went to Ann Taylor this weekend. I work in a Corporate office all week so I needed more “work tops”. My mom had bought the Ann Taylor Breast Cancer Donation card, so on top of the 50% off, i got another 25% off! It was fun to see the total go from $588 to $219! I think I did well and got a lot of fabulous tops to mix and match for the office!
Jenna says
Target has an awesome popover chambray tunic! It looks really shiny online but feels like buttah in person!
https://www.target.com/p/women-s-any-day-tunic-a-new-day-153-indigo/-/A-52474245#lnk=sametab
Sheaffer says
Thank you so much for the recommendation, Jenna! I had actually seen this one online during my search….but I didn’t like how it looked shiny!!!!!! So, in person it’s not shiny?
Jenna says
Nope! No shine – woo! It’s a little darker blue in person too!
Cheriese says
Super cute popover but It fits kind of funky. I’m typically a S or M and I had to size up to a L, and then it just didn’t fit in my shoulders.
Becky Barker says
Great Is Thy Faithfullness!! Thank you for the update Sheaffer! Will be praying for continued healing for your Dad and strength for all of you.
XoXo Becky
Michelle Nordstrom says
Please tell Nancy aka Blardiganless in Seattle to check QVC. They quite often have clothing on easy pay where they ship it to you and you pay so much a month instead of all at once. In fact today all clothing and shoes are on easy pay.
Check Banana Republic factory for a denim popover. I got one there in July and am waiting for the weather to cool down to wear it.
cassie {hi sugarplum} says
Praise God for your dad’s amazing progress!!!! We’ve been praying for all of you!! xoxo And love this Q&A series…such a smart idea given the number of questions we get! And I love that pink and oxblood combo on you!!
Keisha Dawson says
Praise the LORD!!! I’m so thankful for the progress your dad is making. I will continue to pray for complete restoration!
Kathleen N says
I am SO happy your dad is on his way with recovery…I hope the anticipated test results help to explain what has been going on for him post-surgery. Prayers continue!
I also want to share that if your only issue with your beloved J Crew Factory chambray shirt is loose button holes, then you might want to have a tailor look at it. A tailor might be able to reinforce the button holes so they are more reliable again…ugh, nothing quite like a poorly-timed-button-undo!
Erika Mills says
I just got a new short sleeve chambray popover from…wait for it…TARGET! Their new line line “A New Day” had it and it was on sale for like $15. It’s SUPER soft (actually majority of that line of clothes is!!) and fits great for me. I have a larger chest so alot of the normal button downs or pop overs pull weird. I know you don’t do Target but I would suggest snagging one before they’re sold out!
Sheaffer says
Hi, Erika! I totally do Target if I find something I love!!!! Thanks for the tip! xoxo, Sheaffer 🙂
The Mommy says
The Mom So Hard swimsuit video is fantastic! The Baywatch comments cracked me up.
Colleen McTeague says
I’m so intrigued by this blardigan! I’ve been contemplating getting one for years! But have you tried the Barefoot Dreams robe? Or do you have any robe suggestions? I’m really looking for a thick, warm, and cozy robe for winter! Thanks Sheaffer!
Sheaffer says
It’s a lot thicker, and still very cozy Colleen! I know lots of people have it, but I prefer the blardigans. I throw them on over clothes or lounge wear all the time, and that would be harder to do with a robe. But like I said, I know lots of people have them and love them! xoxo, Sheaffer
pt says
Just wanted to tell you that I have those corduroy pants in 4 colors… I wear them to my office all the time (perfect for cold weather!) and love them! They’re pretty stretchy, but true to size for me.