Winter Capsule

Life got a little crazy for awhile! We had new flooring installed all throughout our downstairs and that project and Christmas really snuck up on me! Preparing for both all happened at a time when all I wanted to do was sit at home and snuggle our baby, which didn't make it any easier. I felt a little bit like I was being dragged back into responsibilities outside of caring for an infant a little too soon and all I wanted to do was dig in my heels and resist it. That definitely didn't make the stress level lower any in our household! But we survived, and we have beautiful new bamboo flooring now and a perfect first holiday with baby boy in the books. I hope yours was just as fulfilling and wonderful!

But now the real world is calling even more...it's back to work for me on Monday. I feel a little better mentally about handling it, but ask me next week how many times I've cried. :) Back to work means back to more than the few items I've been rotating through for the past 2 months. I pulled everything back out to try on and see what options I even have available for my next closet "capsule" (I still refer to it as a capsule even though I don't limit my number of items included!). The not fun part of that process is that there are still many many things in my closet I'm not comfortable wearing until I get a little more toned! But on a positive note, it was a little fun shopping my own closet and being reunited with some old favorites that pregnancy prevented me from wearing.

So what made the cut? Anything that doesn't cling to my stomach, lots of layering options that I intend to use this time around (because even hormones that make you feel like your internal temperature is higher than normal can't win against winter temps, right? Please tell me I'm right...), button up tops, and skirts. During my pregnancy I had a bit of a skirt aversion and relied on dresses. Nursing and then pumping while at work each day definitely had to be considered and I have to say that I'll really miss my dresses since most of them aren't too conducive to meeting the demands of breastfeeding. These options will be what I currently plan to rely on through the end of February. I plan to link up with Anne and Jacqueline throughout that time to talk about how the capsule is going even though this capsule will take them all the way through March. My hope is that by March my body will be healthier and had more of a chance to recover from pregnancy and that I'll be ready to embrace some new options. 

Because I typically move slowly in the mornings and that will no longer be an option, I've already put together some outfit ideas for my first week and have hung them together in my closet with the hope that organization will keep things moving in the morning! Here's a little sneak peak about the types of looks I'm thinking will work best...

thanks to Sam's post for the tips and inspiration for setting up these pictures!