Mountain Material Girl: {Cebee}

She is a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter and a friend.  She balances two boys (or three, counting her husband), and manages to walk through this life with grace and a full heart.  As our first Girls of a Feather MaterialGirl feature, we cannot emphasize enough that her beauty starts from within.  Our beautiful, gracious friend Cebee.

1. Do you have daily rituals?

I start the day with coffee, as many of us do. I end it with red wine. In between is a gratifying mix of caring for my boys, carpools, and as much time with my friends and family as I can squeeze into a day. I suppose the two things I do almost each day, without fail, is exercise and read. I am a yogi. I started doing yoga a decade ago and a day doesn’t feel complete if I don’t attend a class, stretch or hit the basement with an old Bryan Kest yoga DVD. My mind and body function optimally when it’s a part of my day. I also try to read every afternoon while my son rests and just before I go to sleep. I love getting swept away in a good book.

2. How do you bring style to your daily life?

I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a stay at home mom…house manager…housewife…whatever you want to call it. As a result, my style is very comfortable. Yup, I’m a proud yoga pant wearing mom. I do, however, make sure that I “get ready” every day. I may be wearing workout attire, but I pair with a cute T-shirt, a jean jacket, a vest or a scarf. That is my daily uniform.

3. What is your favorite wardrobe staple?

Of course, I have several, but most of the ones I will mention I have owned for a very long time. I guess this would be a good time to explain my philosophy on fashion, and life in general. I would say I’m kind of a minimalist. I share a 10’ wide closet with my husband – it holds all of our clothes and shoes. No overflow into spare bedrooms. I believe in quality over quantity, so I buy what I LOVE and I don’t buy a lot. I have four pairs of jeans. A pair of jeans may be $$$$$, but I’ll wear the hell out them, keep them for 8 years and then turn them into cut-offs. In fact, we all have a ‘one in, one out’ policy at our house. You get a new shirt, you put one in the “give away” pile. It works for us.

So, back to the original question, my staples are classics…a great jean jacket, a sporty vest, pearl earrings, a chunky scarf, a pair of Ray Bans, a bold ring (mine happened to belong to my husband’s grandmother and I wear it every day) and Rainbow flip flops. I also never leave the house without my shearling slippers. My friends know that if I come over for dinner, my slippers will be in tow.

4. What are your 3 beauty essentials?

I use Hyaluronic acid, followed up with Oxytokin moisturizer on my face just before bed. It’s magical. My favorite perfume is Lacoste Touch of Pink. I’ve worn it for years and still am obsessed with the scent. I never leave the house without some nude lip gloss.

5. What do you eat for lunch?

I typically make a veggie loaded salad with either chicken or salmon. Sometimes I grill cabbage or bake a sweet potato. In the summer, which is very short here our town, I have a garden with various types of lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, onions, squash, strawberries and raspberries. There is nothing more gratifying than going into my backyard and making an entire salad out of our very own crops.

6. What do you do to feel your best?

I look in the mirror each day. For the most part, I think I have a pretty positive attitude, so when I begin to doubt or become overly critical of myself or others, I really think about it and try to figure out why. I also get an overwhelming sense of peace when I think daily about gratitude and remind myself of all the things in my life that I’m grateful for, even when life gets messy.

As I mentioned before, fitness and yoga are key. I try to get plenty of rest as well. Spending time with my boys makes me feel so happy and fulfilled. I make sure to let them know every day how loved and important they are to me. I have a very caring and thoughtful husband. He makes me feel good about myself and the contributions I make to our family.

My girlfriends bring so much joy to my life. Some of them live here and I see, text or talk to them almost daily. Others live in another city or even across the country, but I don’t know what I would do without those special relationships. Being a mother is the most rewarding part of my life, but I so look forward to sharing a glass of wine with friends while kids play. We lift each other up, reject the mommy guilt, and help each other out when we need it.

7. Who, or what, has inspired your style?

I have never considered myself very stylish. In fact, I had to chuckle when I was asked to participate in this fashion feature. Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered. I know what I like and gravitate towards it whether it’s trendy or not. When a new J Crew catalog shows up, I want one of everything. I just love the simplicity of that label. Confidence in my individual style has increased as I’ve gotten older and figured out who I am and what’s important to me. I hope my style reflects how I feel….happy, fun-loving, healthy and hopeful.