tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91439548238258269662012-05-27T16:51:33.482-05:00I'm Megan, a Southern wife and mama to two, transplanted to suburban Chicago. I'm passionate about inspiring women to laugh and come alive with joy in their own skin. I do this by sharing glimpses of the most joyous aspects of my own life: marriage, parenting, cooking, decorating, personal style and more. I think of FriedOkra as a place to relax on the porch with my good friends. Welcome!Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.comBlogger748125Friedokrahttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-82827893992768873882012-05-26T10:05:00.000-05:002012-05-27T06:31:20.648-05:002012-05-27T06:31:20.648-05:00

You know what? I just might. I've never been afraid of a floral. Remember those big ol' Laura Ashley bubble suits of the 80s? I was the first girl in my high school to latch onto that trend and have my mother whip one up on her trusty Singer. I wore it with Keds. And matching crew socks. Of COURSE. I wish I could find a picture, y'all. I weighed all of about 72 pounds soaking wet in high

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-86722433582792755802012-05-25T04:30:00.000-05:002012-05-25T07:23:55.140-05:002012-05-25T07:23:55.140-05:00

Last week my old high school classmate Sonya left me a message on Facebook saying that she likes my style posts and wishes she could come shopping in my closet. She went on to say that she's making some transitions in her life and she wants to reinvent herself and freshen up her look. I can't even begin to tell you how happy she made me by saying that. Major happy. Skippy, jumpy,

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-32909809198440921112012-05-23T04:30:00.000-05:002012-05-27T16:51:33.491-05:002012-05-27T16:51:33.491-05:00

You never ask, but I can only assume you wonder. I take my outfit pictures, obviously, on my camera phone, because it's always in my hand anyway, so why not use for something besides a mirror to check for green stuff in my teeth and interwebby umbilical cords to the husband and my "girls?"  And I use Instagram because after taking the picture, I can add a fancy filter that instantly cleans my

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-47653633161006232502012-05-21T06:00:00.000-05:002012-05-22T08:44:20.167-05:002012-05-22T08:44:20.167-05:00

Precious, precious times, these. If you're following me on Instagram, you already know I take a millions of pictures of my little boy sleeping. They're almost all blurry and dream-like, because I usually capture them with the camera on my phone in sneak-up, throat-lumpity moments of joy and bliss. See, Peabody's sleeping face delights me because it reminds me of an important lesson I learned

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-50901740814645976312012-05-18T04:30:00.000-05:002012-05-18T04:30:02.886-05:002012-05-18T04:30:02.886-05:00

One trend I've seen in all the style magazines lately that I absolutely adore is the crisp white dress. Interestingly enough though, I haven't seen one styled on any of my favorite go-to style blogs, so I wonder if maybe it's just me who's really digging the look. Or maybe it's that like me, no one else can find the perfect white dress for her lifestyle or budget. While I love the style of the

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-4117536005156002702012-05-16T09:21:00.000-05:002012-05-16T09:21:31.060-05:002012-05-16T09:21:31.060-05:00

Happy Wednesday. Last week's outfits have no discernible theme at all except that they made me feel sassy and flirty and fun. Especially, of course, the skirts. I'm really into the ruffled skirts right now, and I love how the style has an element of playfulness while still being totally wearable even at 40-something. Or maybe I'm kidding myself. But they FEEL wearable, and I guess that's

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-58765353001872210472012-05-15T10:43:00.000-05:002012-05-15T14:33:58.590-05:002012-05-15T14:33:58.590-05:00

Hey Mama? Mummy? Mom? Mother? Mumma? Come here.  I want to whisper some words into your ear. Stop beating yourself up. Stop being so hard on yourself. Please.  You're not the only mother who loses her $#@& sometimes.  WE ALL DO IT. I'm around Moms all day. We all start off with small-talk and pleasantries, but it's always just a matter of time before the Mom-worries begin to flow: "Only

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-43132017813547427772012-05-14T09:48:00.001-05:002012-05-15T14:34:11.749-05:002012-05-15T14:34:11.749-05:00

I looked at my calendar today and nearly fainted dead away when I realized that the end of school year looms only 13 days away.  (Digs around for a paper bag to breathe into).  And then I got to thinking and remembered how last summer went by in a blur.   Way sooner than I expected, I found myself wondering, as I was putting Bean on the bus those cool early-fall mornings, where the months went,

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-64336709217238711312012-05-09T10:38:00.000-05:002012-05-09T10:51:37.417-05:002012-05-09T10:51:37.417-05:00

My eyes can't get enough of the vibrant colors of spring. I'm completely in love. I just reorganized my closet this week by color, so it's this cool rainbow, and now every time I walk inside, BOING! INSTANT HAPPY! See what I mean? After a closet reorg, I find I'm able to "see" my clothes better. Pieces that I've been overlooking or even wearing quite a bit get reframed in a new context

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-68961651952255172732012-05-07T04:00:00.000-05:002012-05-16T13:11:54.792-05:002012-05-16T13:11:54.792-05:00

Peabody (staring sadly out the window as storm clouds gather, thunder booms and the first few drops of rain splatter and pock dry sidewalks with lace-edged spots.): Oh no-o-o-o... now we never gonna get ta go ousside. Bean: Oh, well. Back to blowing dust off tables, I guess. Si-i-i-i-i-i-gh. (Then Bean took a deep breath, blew on my bedside table, and created a dust storm that conjured up

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-35260204625027193062012-05-02T04:00:00.000-05:002012-05-02T04:00:01.936-05:002012-05-02T04:00:01.936-05:00

Last week was as unseasonably cold as March was unseasonably warm. I feel like I should be wearing these outfits this month after wearing the outfits below last month, but Mother Nature? That's one fickle little wench. So here I am, still shivering, still layering, still trying my best to make eskimo warm look Miami cool. I'M RUNNIN' OUT OF IDEAS HE-E-ERE, MIZZ NATURE! Wednesday: Oh

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-14080290009690291602012-04-30T10:09:00.000-05:002012-04-30T12:25:21.764-05:002012-04-30T12:25:21.764-05:00

It's Monday! For me, Monday brings a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate. It's the day I need to remind myself to take a deep breath, both literally and figuratively, define or re-define my priorities, adjust and clarify my mission (or just re-focus on my mission) and determine my strategies for getting done what needs to be done over the course of the next seven days. It sounds so

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-45084154474867498532012-04-26T04:00:00.000-05:002012-04-26T04:00:01.377-05:002012-04-26T04:00:01.377-05:00

I loved the ideas y'all had for incorporating neons into our wardrobes a bit more subtly, and also I ma-a-ay be a wee tiny bit addicted to Polyvore, so I bopped around last night while Al was in his man cave and put together a few more outfits that rock the brights in a way that won't burn anybody's retinas or dent anyone's dignity. bright bottoms by friedokra featuring skinny jeans

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-86082822785907896642012-04-25T09:00:00.003-05:002012-04-25T09:21:37.017-05:002012-04-25T09:21:37.017-05:00

I missed last week's What I Wore post because of the stinkin' chicken pox. (What I Wore last week was all about Soft, Loose, Whatever Won't Scrape Off the Scabs on the Pox. EW!) But I do have outfits from the week before that, you know, way back when I had the will to live. (I have it again. Still not much in the way of a will to actually get dressed, but I finally made myself do it anyway

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-33821542910571701362012-04-24T11:41:00.000-05:002012-04-24T15:50:14.799-05:002012-04-24T15:50:14.799-05:00

So, this crazy 80s-flashback neon trend? Yes or no? I ... I just don't know. I have really fair coloring, so if it's not exactly the right bold shade, I look limp and washed out. And I'm really a more classic dresser, tossing in a tip-of-my-hat to extreme fashion-forwardness here and there. I find I need to go easy or feel awkward and not-like-myself when it comes to the really out-there

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-88366348517763238082012-04-23T10:25:00.001-05:002012-04-23T11:03:36.958-05:002012-04-23T11:03:36.958-05:00

Good gosh. It's been quite the few months. So much sadness lately. I'm digging out now (I hope) from the depths of it all. You know how your soul gets overwhelmed, and you need to surrender to it all, everything, and just sink down, down, and down into this abyss, the emotional depths, the dark murky bottom of yourself to lick wounds and bind up your heart and find your hope again? But

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-27566041099225957372012-04-18T08:22:00.000-05:002012-04-18T15:50:26.515-05:002012-04-18T15:50:26.515-05:00

I met my friend Megan Tietz in mid-summer 2007, when our elder children (both daughters) were still toddlers, and have loved sharing with this genuine, loving, talented lady all of the joy and confusion inherent in mothering your first child. We've both gone on to add second kids to our families, and Megan subsequently labored to deliver one more -- the beautiful book I want to share with you

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-25038378073425849542012-04-14T09:04:00.000-05:002012-04-18T15:46:05.995-05:002012-04-18T15:46:05.995-05:00

Have you gotten into the mint trend yet? I think I thought I was gonna be a hold-out, but then I bought this tiered skirt (below) from Garnet Hill, and it's all "Get me a mint sweater, lady." (It's rare, but when my skirts talk, I listen.) Did you hear? I've created an actual FriedOkra Facebook page where I'll be sharing photos, links to blog posts (mine and those of my own

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-23458079727723402252012-04-13T09:58:00.000-05:002012-04-13T09:58:23.866-05:002012-04-13T09:58:23.866-05:00

Happy Friday! Hope y'all have had a fantastic week and that an equally fantastic weekend lies ahead for each of you. I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I've created an actual FriedOkra Facebook page where I'll be sharing photos, links to blog posts (mine and those of my own favorite writers/bloggers) and other goodies I've found on the internet, my Instagram feed, recipes,

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-33896739030437468592012-04-12T11:53:00.000-05:002012-04-18T15:48:02.508-05:002012-04-18T15:48:02.508-05:00

I wonder how many blog posts there are rattling around out there with this title? I could write you a novel about our trip, but sometimes it's just better to show you than tell you. (Okay, there will be words too.  This is ME after all.) The view over the dunes from behind our beach house.  We stayed in Cape San Blas, on the Gulf Coast, not far from Panama City.  The weather chose to grace

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-34483358069027471272012-04-11T07:43:00.002-05:002012-04-11T07:43:18.896-05:002012-04-11T07:43:18.896-05:00

It feels great to be somewhat, semi back into the normal routine around here.  Things've been a little crazy with spring break and some other life stuff that's going on, but there's light at the end of the "which way to normal?" tunnel now. It's been a bit nippy here for the past few weeks, as evidenced by my attire.  You're actually seeing extra days here since I didn't post last week.  

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-57276239625941173582012-04-09T11:39:00.001-05:002012-04-10T13:35:28.729-05:002012-04-10T13:35:28.729-05:00

Yesterday, Easter. We awake to a bright day of crisp blues and lush greens, kids eager to dig into baskets and show their parents and one another their haul of bunny loot. I fold myself onto the floor behind them and watch, laughing at their enthusiasm. I answer questions and exclaim delight. Al makes his coffee and sits quietly at the kitchen counter with his laptop, studying his playlist

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-69961454452552888382012-03-21T09:51:00.000-05:002012-03-21T09:54:51.631-05:002012-03-21T09:54:51.631-05:00

It's warm!  Do you call it Indian Summer when it happens in March?   Whatever you call it, I love it. Do you ever look through Victoria's Secret clothes catalogs and kinda want to order one of those BODIES to stick your head on?  Yeah, me too.   I have a love/hate relationship with VS.  I love some of their clothes (the more modest ones, typically) and hate with the fire of 100 Mexican suns their

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-51300509391987080982012-03-16T10:35:00.000-05:002012-04-18T15:48:51.873-05:002012-04-18T15:48:51.873-05:00

I'd prefer to be outside these gorgeous afternoons we're having of late, not only because I love to feel the fresh breeze on my lily-white limbs and soak up the newly-lingering hours of sunlight but also because it's easier to drag my children inside when they're bone tired and scrunchingly hungry than when they're still knee-deep in the joys of friends and fun.  Staying outside later in the

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9143954823825826966.post-6962491228309582022012-03-14T10:27:00.000-05:002012-04-18T15:49:28.920-05:002012-04-18T15:49:28.920-05:00

Skin care and skin care products fascinate me, and they pretty much always have. Even as a fairly young girl, I spent hours pouring over the vast (then, and much more so now!) array of soaps and creams and pastes and goos and their packaging and promises in the back corner aisle of the local drug store.  I have less time to spend researching and pondering such things these days, but I still

Megan (FriedOkra)http://www.blogger.com/profile/14008925325073263825noreply@blogger.com11