Hi dear gals! I’m so glad you’ve joined me here at Dressed for My Day for coffee. Let’s catch up a little!
Warning: This is kinda long. Oops!
It has been A WEEK! Of course, I’ve been cleaning out closets and drawers and cabinets in preparation for our big move to Cincinnati, Ohio, later this month. We’ve been getting the house ready to start showing it. Our realtor is very positive and hopeful, by the way. If you’d like, I could certainly use some prayers for the speedy sale of our home.
But in the midst of preparing for a move, I wanted to cover the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. No, I didn’t have to. But I truly enjoy this sale. So I wanted to.
As I drove to Phoenix yesterday (that’s where I am still this morning), I thought about why I like this sale so much. I remember as a teenager going shopping with my mom on Saturdays at least about once a month. Even if we didn’t buy much, we both just enjoyed browsing through the mall and having lunch out at a little soup and sandwich shop called Cashin’s.
Especially in August, I remember shopping for school clothes with mom. I’d prepare even then by perusing my Seventeen magazine for the latest colors and trends. In fact, a couple of years we went to a Seventeen magazine fashion show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta in early August. I can still remember the “winter white collection” they featured one of those years. It was full of yummy, warm white sweaters, leg warmers and jackets.
I think somehow even window shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale evokes the excitement and joy of those teen experiences for me. It brings back the anticipation I felt as I thumbed through and dog-eared my Seventeen magazine, the taste of the French onion soup and roast beef sandwiches I shared with my mom on school clothes shopping trips, the thrill of sitting in the Fox Theater with my friend Michelle and hundreds of other teenage girls and the fun of trying on chunky sweaters and leg warmers (!!!) in August.
So there ya have it. That’s why I hunkered down and worked so hard on my Shop My NSale Looks Inspirations post for yesterday and my Shop My NSale Favorite page. It honestly wasn’t because it’s just a part of the fashion blogger “play book.” And it wasn’t because I’m just trying to push an over-hyped sale on you. I just love anticipating fall by enjoying a pre-season look at the fashions. And I love my mama!
At any rate, I spent a restful evening in a very quiet hotel here in the Phoenix area and I feel so much more like myself today. I shopped the sale online yesterday and then shopped some in the Scottsdale Nordstrom in the afternoon through evening. It was exhausting but fun to navigate the sale in the store for the first time.
Today I’m going to do some fitting room sessions in other retailers so that I have more of a variety of posts for you this next week. And then I’m heading home to continue on with cleaning out and packing up and getting ready to move.
By the way a lot of the stress I’m experiencing these days isn’t just from all the physical work of moving and blogging about the Nordstrom sale. You may or may not identify with this, but when you’re married to a pastor and you’re called to a new church, there’s just a lot of emotions. As I’ve shared before, we absolutely love our church here in Arizona. So announcing our departure has been very hard. Very hard. At the same time we are anticipating plugging into our new church family in Ohio with great joy. So there’s this enormous push and pull of emotions. And at the same time we have people in both places whom we care about deeply. And they’re having lots of emotions, too! It’s just a lot.
Okay, enough rambling.
I do have one more thing I need to tell you. Several of you sweet readers have suggested that I take some time off or reduce the number of posts I put out each week until we’re through the move. Thank you for your sensitivity and assurance. Indeed, I probably will reduce the number of posts. I’m not going to set a new schedule or tell you a new number because who knows what my schedule or Internet availability will be. But yes, you can expect to see fewer posts occasionally for a while. Thanks so much for understanding.
You gals have a blessed and beautiful weekend!
Sales Worth Checking Out
ANN TAYLOR // 50% off tops, 40% off dresses, 40% off pants, 30% off accessories with code BEATTHEHEAT.
BANANA REPUBLIC // 40% off your purchase, no code needed.
BLOOMINGDALES // Take 25% off your purchase when you shop with your Bloomingdale’s credit card, or take 20% off no matter how you pay on items labeled LOYALLIST SAVINGS.
CHICO’S // Up to 70% off select styles.
GAP // Extra 20% off your purchase with code FORYOU.
J.CREW // 40% off your purchase with code FRIDAY.
J.CREW FACTORY // 60% off 3 or more sale styles, or 50% off one or two sale styles with code MORESALE.
J.JILL // 30% off your entire purchase with code SUNSTYLE. Cardholders get an extra 5% off every day.
LOFT // 30%-50% off almost everything, exclusions apply. Check out my Loft Favorites in The Shop.
MACY’S // Black Friday in July Sale! Take 25% off with code JULY.
MICHAEL KORS // Now get up to 70% off in their semi-annual sale.
NORDSTROM // The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is now open to cardholders, and their summer clearance sale is open to all.
OLD NAVY // 30% off your order of $75 or more, or 20% off any size order.
TALBOTS // Up to 60% off original prices in the Red Hanger Sale PLUS cardholders get an extra 5% off Red Hanger Sales and Steals & Deals when you use your card.
Blessed for My Day
Do you ever doubt God’s goodness? Intellectually, I don’t. I believe what God’s Word teaches me about the good character of our God. But emotionally, sometimes, I do. Sometimes I don’t feel like God is being good to me.
That’s when it’s important to intentionally meditate on God’s character. I love Psalm 145 for praising God and rehearsing His goodness. This Psalm reminds me that God holds close those who feel like they’re falling, provides all of our needs and even satisfies our desires, hears us and treats us kindly, among other things. When you begin to feel like God isn’t being good to you, I encourage you to read this powerful Psalm out loud.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made. ~ Psalm 145:8-9
Your reference to a Seventeen magazine really hit home! I remember combing through the pictures like it was yesterday. I have loved makeup and fashion from a very young age. My mom and I used to go to Dillard’s tea room on our shopping outings. Their frozen fruit salad was to die for!! Cherished memories…thanks for bringing them to my mind this morning.
Praying that your move goes well. Also that there is someone that will be sent to you and family to purchase your home.
I could ask one thing from you a prayer also that with my husband loosing his teaching job in the spring of 2020. That God will lead us in the right direction and right decision in the jobs he is looking at. We have been in this position before and GOD was so good to us during the time.
You have a Blessed Day.
Prayers heading your way for a speedy and smooth sale of your house. And for strength and comfort for you (and your husband). Take the time for self-care as you’re going through this both emotional and physical time. God Bless!
Kay, I will definitely keep you and James in my prayers as you prepare to make the move that God has put before you. And I will say a special prayer that the AZ home will sell very quickly. Oh, how I used to love Seventeen magazine. We did a lot of our shopping at the Rich’s in downtown Atlanta and would eat lunch there as well. Precious memories, for sure! Definitely back off on the blog posts while you are in the process of moving, if it will ease some of your daily stresses. While I will miss them, I totally understand and will be even more excited when you do have the time to post. God bless y’all!
Praying for God’s grace, strength, and peace for you as you face all the tasks and emotions involved in this big move!!
Oh my!! I used to love Seventeen magazine, I kept all my issues for years. I agree totally that a great sale is so much fun, whenever I am in Scottsdale I make sure to visit Nordstrom. Prayers for a speedy sale of your home.
Hi Kay, I posted earlier that I just went through the same thing (pastor’s wife, just moved to new church.) I just want to say I’m proud of you. It seems like you are balancing well and productively taking the steps God is laying out before you. I’m your invisible cheerleader!
Thanks so very much Debbie. I really appreciate your encouragement and blessing. ?
I did received Seventeen but it was the opposite for me ! I was very fortunate my aunt made my clothes (4 other nieces as well I!!!) .My aunt took me every Saturday to the fabric store and would allow me to pick my fabric (with my magazine in my hand) and/or the buttons,etc… I f there was not pattern we bought and send to my grandmother and she copied the dress I wanted from the magazine!!! My grandmother was an amazing clothes designer!! She could make anything with fabric with or without a pattern!! This is my most precious memories of them both !! My other grandmother also made clothes and also knitted many beautiful blankets!! I know I was a very lucky girl and young adult!!
Hi Sandra. You were very blessed indeed. My mom sewed too, but she pretty much stopped sewing for me at the end of grade school. The women in your family were obviously very talented to be able to duplicate looks in a magazine! Thanks for sharing your sweet memories. ?
Hi Kay! I loved Seventeen Magazine as well as school shopping with my Mom. I grew up in a rural area, so going to a big city mall was a full day outing for us. Those really big shopping trips were a family event,. What fun memories I have with my parents! Now I am making similar shopping memories with my teenage daughter, life truly is a beautiful circle. 🙂 Glad to hear you are feeling more relaxed since your outing in Phoenix. Moving is a crazy, emotional, exciting, and stressful time! Your words “push and pull of emotions”really sum it up. Wishing you and your family the best!
Thanks so very much. I’m determined to try to take things one day at a time and stop putting so much pressure on myself. But then again some of the pressure isn’t coming from within. Thank you for sharing your memories. Very precious. ?