30 for 30: Day 6 - when I MET THE PIONEER WOMAN!

me & Ree - so worth the wait in line! and the drive! and the time off from work!

Last week, The Pioneer Woman came to Colorado on her latest book tour (A Year of Holidays - recipes for a whole year of holidays, beginning with New Year's Day, and ending with New Year's Eve). 

You better believe I went. And I got a picture with her (above, from my Instagram. 

And she signed my newest cookbook (and my previous one, too).

My sister-in-law introduced me to her sometime last year, and I'm so glad she did (thanks, KB)! P-Dubs has THE. BEST. recipes. Seriously. Everything I've made from her book is a HUGE hit at our house. I read her blog daily, and have her show on The Food Network set up to record on our DVR every week. I like to think we would be best friends in real life. Can I tell you I was SO awkward when I met her? I feel like I know so much about her, and she has no idea who I am 

*sigh*

I even took the afternoon off of work to make it to the signing, and my best friend came with me, and patiently waited in line with me. She's such a good friend - those are hard to find!

I could go on and on about how much I love the Pioneer Woman, but I'm going to suggest you check out her blog/cookbooks/show - let me know which of her recipes you make (and subsequently fall in love with). We're hosting Thanksgiving at our (NEW!) house, and have already drooled over the Thanksgiving section of her new book. And Christmas. And New Year's. And Valentine's Day...

my best friend is such a good blog photographer - she "directs the shot" and helps pose me

I was really proud of myself for this outfit for several reasons:

1) I don't care to wear tights, as I think they're uncomfortable. However, I wore these all day, and even longer than I normally would, as I didn't get home and into my pajamas until waaay past my bedtime.

2) I did some MAJOR print mixing here. Stripes AND houndstooth?? I patted myself on the back for this one. 

3) I think I look a teensy bit Parisian chic, which is something I'm obsessed with lately. We were sitting in the "fashion" section of The Tattered Cover (the location of the book signing), gleaning as much information about Paris fashion & becoing "tres chic" as we could without taking the new books home with us, as both of us agree it's more important to buy food and gas than books about clothes...

*sigh*

Someday...

thanks for coming with me, L. I really had the best time <3
also, I'm sorry I have blurry picture taking skills

linking up over at Simply Lulu Style, because I LOVED meeting the Pioneer Woman, AND spending the afternoon/evening with my best friend :)

Green & Neutrals-ish

I wore this layered look several weeks ago, before I started my 30 for 30 for the month of November. It's an emerald green 3/4 sleeve top, a down vest, a pretty ombre-esque scarf, that goes from light green/mint to peach and back, skinnies, and my tassled loafer-y flats. I love the color of this shirt, but needed a bit of warmth, so I'm really glad I had a plain white down vest to throw on for some extra warmth. The scarf added another dimension of being monochromatic (check out how many trends I've got going on!) I've had it in my queue for several days now, but remembered I need to share it with you so I can link up with Walking in Memphis High Heels, The Fashion Canvas, and Style Cusp, for their weekly Trend Spin Link Up - this past week was "jewel tones," so I thought this pretty green shirt fit the bill pretty well - dontcha think?

shirt: Old Navy

vest: thrifted (Aeropostale)

scarf: from my best friend's springtime trip to Europe

skinnies: GAP Outlet

shoes: Target

Mint, meet Python. Python meet Mint AND 30 for 30: Day 5

I wore this outfit a few weeks ago, back in October. I saw this lady on Instagram wearing mint pants and a leopard top. Now, I DON'T have a leopard top, but I DO have a python print top. So, I substituted the python for the leopard. And was pret-teeeeeee pleased with the results. This is something I would never have thought to pair together. 

Where do you get your outfit inspiration? I've started taking screenshots of some outfits on Instagram so I can look back and be re-inspired when I'm picking out my clothes.

Day 5

this is a wool sweater. I was "shivering." you know, cold weather & a wool sweater go together like peas & carrots

I thrifted this sweater a few weeks ago at our local Habitat for Humanity. It's from GAP, and is VERY warm, since it's made of wool. Almost too warm - I was warm (and a bit too itchy) all day, even with a soft tank underneath. I like the fit (the boatneck collar *swoon*) and the color of this sweater, but am hesitant to wear it again until it's REALLY cold, so I don't overheat walking from the copy machine to my desk. Also, I think the person who had this sweater before me folded it in half longways - the middle puckers just a wee bit where the fibers "cross." 

Or did you not even notice until I pointed it out? ;)

linking up over here

30 for 30: Days 3 & 4

Day 3

I did some necklace layering, and wore a fancy new bracelet from my mom / from Lia Sophia

This ensemble spent the day at my in-laws house, watching football reading and taking naps. Did I mention the naps? The naps were great - the bulldogs agree, too. Hard to see in the pics above, but I was wearing my olive green skinnies. They are so. comfortable. Perfect for lounging, napping, and reading books instead of watching football...

Day 4

this whole getting-dark-before-5-thing is really cramping my style. BIG TIME. so, a goofy pose to brighten up these dark & orangey photos in our entryway...

Again, hard to see my pants in these pictures, but these are my navy corduroys - never would have thought to wear them with this sweater before (aaah, before, when I had full use of my closet). Now, I have to look at things differently, squint a leetle bit, and take a creative license and assure my husband that my clothes DO actually go together :)

30 for 30: Days 1 & 2

Day 1

Day 1 of my 30 for 30 challenge. I chose my 30 items late on the 31st of October, and threw this together in the morning - not too bad for the first day ;)

Day 2

 

my Dad took these pictures for me, right after we had dinner last weekend.
this is me asking "do I have anything in my teeth?"

I LOVE this necklace I got at a consignment shop #truelove

Last weekend we made a trip to visit both sets of parents. They live pretty close (I could make it home for curfew in about 13 minutes), so we get to see both sets of folks. And this trip, we really DID get to see everyone - we got to see our good friends, M & L, who just moved back to our beautiful state after having spent the last year and a half out east. We are SO glad they're back - we missed them so much!

More headed your way, including a post that lists my 30 items for the rest of this month. Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Some of us were in costume...

Cali was a princess, and Turbo was a shark. Clever, huh?

I wore this black and orange get up on Halloween last week. I thought I could at least dress like Halloween if I wasn't going to don a costume. This top is the other orange item I own (orange just isn't my color, however, "Pink is my signature color." Name that movie!). 

from my Instagram. aren't they just too cute? 

Hope everyone had a great Halloween and a nice weekend - we didn't have trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but we did have a very nice weekend visiting friends and family out of town.

I have picked out my 30 items for my November 30 for 30, but forgive me for not posting about it yet - some of the items are in the wash, and I've got a backlog of several outfits from October to share with you. I AM completing my challenge and taking pictures though, so please be patient with me - I will share! Promise!

Also, get excited for me! I'm meeting The Pioneer Woman tomorrow! Her latest cookbook came out last week, and a stop in Colorado is on her book tour - yessssss! I'm taking the afternoon off and can't wait to meet Ree, and have her sign my cookbooks. And become besties. Nobutseriously. I can vouch that every single one of her recipes is TO. DIE. FOR. Trust me :) 

shirt: Kohl's

scarf: thrifted

jeans: GAP Outlet

flats: Kohl's

Turbo's hat: WalMart

Cali's crown: WalMart

Cali's tutu: Target

Green Pants and Furry Treats

turtles for good luck!

A few weeks ago, my best friend had a HUGE bag of clothes she was ready to part with, and she gave them to me. I pawed through them and pulled out my faves. Among them, these green pants. 

Can I say I'm in love? 

The color, the fit, even the length - we are a true match made in heaven. Why hadn't she given them to me sooner?! I guess she was wearing them? I digress.

Anyway, I was thrilled, and I have a few other goodies I snagged that I'm going to share with you soon - I have to think up new and creative ways to wear them, first! She gets a kick out of the different ways I wear her old stuff (this is definitely not the first time she's shared her closet with me).

I realize today is Halloween, and I'm not wearing a costume. So un-festive, I know. It's not that I dislike Halloween - the opposite, actually! I especially love seeing the creative & thoughtful costumes that people put together - I get the biggest kick out of people watching, and I consider Halloween to be the championship. However, we don't get trick-or-treaters where we currently live, so, it's a little tough to get into the "holiday spirit" when you know that cute little kids in costume won't be coming by for some candy! But, I'm not a total party-pooper - my work is having a little Halloween potluck, and I'm bringing...

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DEAD MICE!

EUUUUW! 

GROSS! 

Except for not! 

Except for the part where they're delicious!

They're jalapeno peppers hollowed out and filled with cream cheese, then wrapped in bacon and baked (I know some people call them "jalapeno poppers", but "dead mice" is SO much more appropriate for All Hallow's Eve). I leave the stems on, so when they're all done, they really do look like little dead mice. They're pretty time consuming (I made them for FOUR hours straight last year), but SO. YUMMY. And they're always a hit, so the appreciation (and praise! and thanks!) is well worth the effort. If you're interested in the recipe, let me know and I'll be sure to post it and share. 

it begins with hollowing out the peppers, which takes FOREVER.
wear gloves. DO NOT touch your face. eyes. anything.

see the little "tails"?

there they go...

Hope you have a great Halloween today! Any great costume ideas?

shirt: Express via Marshall's

pants: my friend

scarf: Aeropostale

flats: KMart

linked up over here