It has been the most jam packed last few weeks, with a Both Hands Fundraiser completed (video here!) and  trying to get regular life back in order once the dust settled from that. We are waiting on China to send us our letter of acceptance for our adoption, but right now all it seems like there’s a long line of people waiting for that letter and not much word from China since before Chinese New Year. It’s a tough wait, especially because we’re so close now!

My parents have a large, swampy backyard at their house near Bangor. As you can see, in Maine it’s still winter. This is typical for us and provides Mainers much material to complain about, believe me! So while I would like to be wearing some springy, lighter weight clothes, I’m still layering on coats and jackets and wearing cords! Waiting isn’t my favorite, but I’m doing my best to make the most of it.

Hope you got the Pride and Prejudice reference in the blog title. Classic line from a classic work. I prefer the 5 hour long Colin Firth /Jennifer Ehle version of the movie personally!

Thrifted J. Crew jacket and Eddie Bauer cords (similar here), old Express lace top (similar here), antique family locket (Etsy has some pretty options!), and much traveled practical shoes!

I loves clothes, but sometimes it seems so superficial to me to focus on things like outfits when there are so many people around the world with basic needs going unmet. I guess when you adopt, and you do your research and study to become a good parent (plus extra if you’re like me), it kind of wakes you up to all the wonderful blessings the average westerner has, and makes you wonder a little how you could be so privileged when SO many others are not.

That being said, I’m thankful for what I have, and the fact that I can share it with others, especially my son someday! People are truly the most important.

My brother took these for me in the Bangor Public Library. It poured rain outside while we enjoyed the scholarly hush of the library. Parts of the library are really lovely, and it’s a great place to spend an afternoon if you’re around Bangor. I love libraries. They’re free and full of books. What’s not to like? Out of curiosity I looked up the history of the BPL and found that it was the largest library in Maine until a fire in 1911. So I guess much of what I know and love about the place was built in 1913.

I’m basically always cold. And I live in and love Maine. That’s difficult sometimes because it requires me to layer A LOT. The plus to this is that layers can make an outfit more complex and visually interesting–even a simple, neutral, one like this.

Thrifted sweater (Banana Republic),  thrifted shoes (Born), old leopard scarf and Old Navy jeans, glasses are Tiffany brand (and prescription because I’m blind as well as nerdy 😉

We’ve got blizzard conditions here today, friends. Snow day for us Mainers! These photos were taken near our home before it got really windy and began to snow harder, so they look pretty peaceful. In a way it is quite peaceful when the storm rages outside and you can sit indoors with a cup of something hot and watch the snowflakes whirl.

When you live in a cold climate you have to learn to layer effectively so you don’t freeze. This outfit is pretty basic, but I like the little bit of sparkle on the headband. Adds some shimmer to an otherwise practical item. As usual most of the items I’m wearing were thrifted. Score!

Old coat and thrifted jeans (Gap) and thrifted vest (Atmosphere). boots from Khombu (similar here). Headband from TJ Maxx (similar here).

I’m Robyn. Nice to meet you! I’d like to show you around my life here in my home state. In my opinion there aren’t enough average sized women showing their personal style, so I want to help change that. As a size 10-12 I think I qualify as pretty average. I’ll also show some of my efforts to make our home pretty on a budget. Currently my husband, Jerry, and I are in the process of adopting our first child (yay!!) from China, so I will talk about adoption here as well. Thanks for stopping in!

Thrifted vest (Tahari), shirt (Banana Republic), and boots (Hushpuppies). Locally made leather cuff bracelet. Parka from Northface (old, similar here). Earrings are awesome and they’re from Nickel and Suede.