fresh produce - Stuff Parents Need

Wearing a Sweater in Summer

If you live in the South, then the idea of wearing a sweater during the summer is beyond crazy. It is muggy, the heat index is often in the triple digits, and the sun is beating down on you without mercy for about 12 hours each day.

That is, except for this summer. Here in Chattanooga, we’ve had days in July that barely got past 80 for the high. And we’ve had evenings and early mornings in the low 60s. It has been pure bliss, and has inspired me to go outside of my summer wardrobe comfort zone and try something that folks further up north get to experience: the summer sweater!

My friends at Fresh Produce, a clothing company for women that I will tell you more about shortly, sent this cozy retreat top and I was SO nervous to even try it on. I mean, it’s July, people! This just can’t be happening!

But look at me! I went outside last week in this outfit early one morning, and I felt super comfortable in it. What a treat!!!

I paired the sweater with a white tank top I’ve had for ages (something underneath it is a must, as it is semi-sheer). I added a necklace from LOFT (no longer for sale, sorry) and my rockin’ aqua pants from Stitch Fix.

This is my first time ever wearing Fresh Produce, and if the brand is also new to you, let me tell you a little bit about it. The brand has been around nearly 3 decades (so we are contemporaries, though I’m a bit older!). It has a few key trademarks: vibrant colors, original prints, and comfortable clothes. This company is proudly made in the USA, and it also has a line of clothing for children.

The color inspiration for Fresh Produce comes from the coast, and the vibe is everyday style that all shapes and sizes can feel confident and comfortable in.

I will say that when I first received the piece of clothing in a size medium/large, it was MUCH too big on me. Now, I typically wear a size 10 or 12, so I was confused about why it was so huge. We exchanged the piece for a size extra small/small and I sweated it out while I waited for it to arrive. Because you guys, I NEVER wear those sizes! But that’s the size I’m wearing in the photos.

I asked the representative I was working with if this was vanity sizing to the extreme, and she explained that the sizing might have to do with the unique dying process at Fresh Produce. Everything is first pre-shrunk, and then it goes into a very high heat dying process. Each piece of clothings is individually dyed, and sometimes pieces that are closer to the heat source will vary in size from pieces that are further away. The process they have is what gives their clothing that amazing vibrancy, but it also means that from time to time, a piece of clothing might not seem consistent with its labeled sizing. Exchanging the product was an absolute piece of cake, just in case you were wondering!

From Summer Sweater to Winter Whites

Now that I have broken through a fashion barrier and worn a sweater in the summer, I fully plan to break another fashion barrier and rock this sweater throughout the fall and as much of the winter as the weather will permit. White sweaters just might be the new white t-shirt!

Do you live in a part of the country where you can wear a sweater during the summer? Or will you wear white in the fall and winter months? Definitely add a white sweater to your wishlist if you don’t already have one. They are surprisingly versatile!

Thanks to Fresh Produce for providing the cozy retreat top in exchange for me sharing my honest opinions, which I have provided.

For the last 3 1/2 weeks of my pregnancy, I was on bed rest. One of the key areas that was affected was our ability to get dinner on the table. Fortunately, we had friends and church members step in to help us out, and we had very little cooking that we needed to do.

Unfortunately, I went to the grocery store the day before I got put on bed rest, so I had crisper drawers full of produce that were more or less forgotten about. About 2 weeks after I bought some romaine lettuce, I went downstairs just to throw it away, because I remembered that it was in there, and I just knew it was stinking up the entire refridgerator.

Much to my surprise, I discovered some lettuce that looked as though it had been purchased 2 or 3 days earlier, not 2 weeks before. I give all the credit to the Bluapple, which has a home in my crisper drawer and works very hard to keep all our produce fresh.

Here’s a basic rundown of why your produce goes bad so fast, and how the Bluapple helps out. Produce makes ethylene gas, which has the function of promoting uniform ripening. But when concentrated in a crisper drawer, the result is often that food over-ripens quickly, leaving you literally throwing away your money.

The Bluapple absorbs ethylene gas for up to 3 months in a crisper drawer, and helps keep your produce fresh much longer. It is definitely working in my crisper drawer, and it will work in yours, too!

You can purchase a set of Blueapples for $9.95 and a 12 month refill kit can also be purchased for $9.95.

Win it!: THREE lucky Stuff Parents Need readers will win a set of Bluapples!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.