Pocketful of Joules

Every year on my birthday, I post an annual birthday picture. Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have already noticed my new photo because I switched out my sidebar blog photo with it… but here it is.

Me at 42:

If you feel like doing a little clicking, here is 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, and 36.

It’s kind of funny going back in time and comparing the photos — and this serves as a nice reminder for myself to NOT go back to that super dark brown haircolor I had at 36. I feel like over the years I’ve gotten more comfortable in both my skin and my style choices.

With that being said, each year I set up my tripod somewhere around my house and I use my remote shutter to snap away. When I load the photo choices onto my computer, it’s inevitable that I hate them all. My eyes look too tired, or one of them is too squinty, or I gained a few pounds and my face looks too round.

I sit there and beat myself up for all the little bits that make up a human.

Then, I move the photos that I absolutely hate into a “nope” folder and I’m usually left with two or three that are okay. And I look at them a bit and maybe I adjust the lighting on the photo (I NEVER photoshop myself) and I think…okay. I look nice. And I walk away from my computer to do something else, and then I come back later.

And I think, YUP. That’s Me. And I’m great. I’m healthy. And I’m happy.

And I’m 42.

I’ve been hoping since Jack was born that he’d turn into a bookworm just like his mommy. While he’s not quite in the burying-himself-in-books stage, we have been reading a book every night before bedtime for the past 7+ years. Back in April, I shared that his favorites included Pete the Cat and Dogman (read the post here) but now he has a new favorite series: The Bad Guys!

I had stopped by the library on my own to pick up a book on hold when I decided to do a quick loop of the kid’s section to grab a few new books. I saw a bunch of Bad Guys books, so I grabbed book 1, 2 and 3 and brought them home. Holy Guacamole, Jack LOVED them!

Here’s a list of all of them with links to the paperbacks which are typically about $3 each. You can also stick them on hold at the library like we did!

The Bad Guys (#1) https://amzn.to/32FcDVV

The Bad Guys in Mission Unpluckable (#2) https://amzn.to/2NYgN79

The Bad Guys in The Furball Strikes Back (#3) https://amzn.to/34BjEZE

The Bad Guys in Attack of the Zittens (#4) https://amzn.to/32Ff8aH

The Bad Guys in Intergalactic Gas (#5) https://amzn.to/2QbPOYw

The Bad Guys in Alien vs Bad Guys (#6) https://amzn.to/306vHPv

The Bad Guys in Do-You-Think-He-Saurus?! (#7) https://amzn.to/2QbJmRo

The Bad Guys in Superbad (#8) https://amzn.to/32F3H2J

The Bad Guys in The Big Bad Wolf (#9) https://amzn.to/2LvKzOZ

These books are for kids in 2nd – 4th grade and center around “bad guys” trying to act like good guys. The graphic novels center around Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark and Legs the tarantula. There’s a bunch of kid appropriate ‘potty’ humor that had Jack and I cackling out loud!

We read a few chapters every night (they are a little more challenging for him, so I read to him and he follows along) and we burned through all three of the books. We went back to the library to grab more and at this point we’ve finished the entire 9 book series and we are impatiently waiting for more.

Jack has already asked me to add the whole series onto his Christmas list and it looks like #10 will be coming out in December!

Have you read The Bad Guys books yet?

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

I think it’s pretty clear that I wish I was a Rockstar.

I mean, give me a pair of studded motorcycle boots, some dark denim and a microphone and I’m a happy girl! As it is, my day job is NOT being an actual Rockstar, so I do need to dress a little less Living on a Prayer and more Marketing Queen.

With that being said, I like to add a touch of fun to my clothing… so when I saw this sad denim jacket for just $8, I thought I could refurbish it a bit.

It already had some fun bedazzling going on the shoulder area, but it had lost some of it’s fun with just splotches of glue left behind.

First things first, I bought a pack of 100 black metal studs. I searched and searched Amazon for the exact kind I wanted – I didn’t want them to be too pointy, or too flat… I wanted the Goldilocks of metal studs. And I found them here: https://amzn.to/2NYfmph for just $6.

I used my pocketknife and scraped off the remaining glue, as well as ripped off any other loose bedazzled pieces. Then, I just started adding new black studs. They have four super stabby bits on the bottom of them, so I poked them through and then used my pocketknife to squish the pointy bits down.

I’d then rub my finger over the squished inside to make sure that it wouldn’t catch on my clothing or stab me and did some extra squishing when necessary.

Then I kept going. And going. And going until I felt like I had enough studs on the jacket.

Here is my finished product:

And here it is on me:

I wore it to work last week and then left it at the office so I always have a topper to keep me warm on those chilly office days. I mean, a jean jacket looks good with basically every outfit… but a STUDDED jean jacket makes me feel like a marketing ROCKSTAR!

Disclaimer: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Cable & Gauge Gray beaded cardigan, $8

Poshmark sales post:

I bought a pretty black beaded Cable & Gauge cardigan 7 years ago when I was pregnant with Jack because I wanted a fun way to make my boring maternity tops look a little snazzier. Well, that sweater has been in heavy rotation, so I decided to do a little Poshmark search for something similar. I came across this grey version for just $8 and it looked to be in perfect condition, so I went ahead and snapped it up.

Here it is in action:

It is exactly what I was hoping for and I plan on wearing this lots and lots with dresses and tops throughout the year.

Good HYOUman Sweatshirt, $30

Poshmark sales post:

I was walking through Nordstrom a few weeks ago and a display of Good HYOUman sweatshirts and t-shirts caught my eye. I went over to fondle them (of course) and they were so freaking soft that I wanted to throw one on and immediately snuggle up with my dog. I saw this one and this one. Instead of dropping $74 on a comfy-at-home shirt, I added the brand to my Poshmark stalking list. Within a couple days, I saw this one listed for $36 and I made a $30 offer which was accepted.

Here it is in action:

As I’d hoped, it’s PERFECT for lounging!

Rebecca Minkoff Maddox Booties, $76

Poshmark sales post:

This one is my score of the season! I’ve been in love with these badass booties since last year, but could not justify the $195 price tag. They would occasionally pop up on Poshmark and sell for $90 – $120, so when I see a pair in my size I’ll “like” it and wait to see if the seller sends me a better offer. I got lucky this time and the seller offered me a private discount of $76 and I hit BUY so fast I’m sure their head was spinning.

Here they are in action:

I’ve already worn them once and they certainly add a little skip to my step.

Have you had any recent Poshmark scores? Feel free to share in the comments!

If you’ve been meaning to try out Poshmark, I have a special invite code that you can use. Just open a Poshmark account and enter the code POCKETFULOFJOUL to get $5 off your first order.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. If you choose to use my special Poshmark code to sign up for an account, you will get $5 off your first order and I will also get $5 off a future order.  This post contains ShopStyle affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you