M.O.A.

When I was in Minnesota earlier this month, I made sure I went to THE MALL OF AMERICA.

THE MALL OF AMERICA (aaaaaaahhh!) has everything. Every store you could ever imagine or dream of. And several food courts & coffee joints to keep you shopping all day. While I did spend several hours there, I didn't end up getting anything for myself - I got some shirts for my husband, and a belated Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. So, I klumped around in my super warm (but very heavy) snowboots, carried my extra layers all day and didn't even get a shiny new outfit to show for it! I kid ;)

We entered the mall through the Radisson Blu attached to the mall, and they had this nice fireplace area with these funky Hershey's KISS shaped chair/couches. Naturally I had to take some pictures. 

On the escalator up to the mall, I asked my Dad to hold my purse so I could readjust all of my layers. He was holding my purse just "so," so I tried to snap a pic of it, but he was too fast for me. So, instead I have a nice picture of my cute parents, instead of an incriminating one of my Dad.

Dad: you take selfies on my phone, I post them on the internetz. them's the rules.

linking up:

Work Clothes, I Supposed for Third Thursday Threads

shirt: Old Navy exact below

sweater: thrifted (GAP) sort of similar below

pants: Aéropostale

boots: SOREL exact below

SHOP THE LOOK

when traveling to Minnesota

wearing at least 6 layers. plus a scarf. and snow boots.

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw that I went to Minnesota a few weeks ago during the really really cold weather that covered most of the US over/right after New Years. 

And it was cold. 

Bone chilling, make your nose hurt to breathe cold. 

So, what does a Colorado girl who's used to snow one day, and 50 degree temps the next do? 

Pack as many warm articles of clothing into her suitcase, and wear the rest on the airplane. 

I've got 3 more outfits from this trip (plus pics from my cousin's wedding!) to share with you 

over the next few days.

I wore my warmest pants: corduroys. And a Christmas present from my sweetie: SOREL snow boots. Get this, the name of this style is "Joan of Arctic."

Bahaha. 

Too clever. 

Anyways, they'll keep my tootsies warm up to -25 degree temps, and they've got fur on the top. 

Plus, they're black AND brown, so my black vs. brown dilemma won't be an issue.

*whew*

So, I wore the boots on the plane. Plus the outfit you see above. And carried my down coat and vest in the airport. The boots are crazy warm, but after wearing them all around the frigid Twin Cites for several days in a row, my feet were a wee bit tired. 

Having all that warm & fuzziness makes for heavy footwear (and tired feet & legs - guess I should start working out more).

My extended family got a kick out of teasing me for wearing so many layers. One uncle called me "Anne-ook of the North." Hey, when it's cold, I don't mess around. #layersplease

So, look for a few more extremely-cold weather outfits. Although I was thoroughly chilled in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I'm glad that I got to practice my layering "technique" and look of "snow bunny chic." And of course see my cousin marry his lovely bride, and the rest of my sweet fam, too!

t-shirt: WalMart sort of similar below

button-up shirt: thrifted (Old Navy) sort of similar below

cardigan: from a friend (Banana Republic) sort of similar below

corduroys: thrifted (Joe Fresh) sort of similar below

scarf: Aéropostale

down coat: Coldwater Creek sort of similar below

snow boots: SOREL

CHECK OUT SOME SIMILAR ITEMS BELOW

Mr. Picks Mondays: Blue Under Gray

When you wear a dress, tights and a blazer, what do you add so that you don't appear TOO dressed up for your pretty casual office?

A big chunky scarf that serves two purposes: 

1) to keep you warm; and 

2) dress down your tights, dress, and blazer combination.

Oh, and to pair with the cute outfit your husband picked out :)

dress & belt: Target sort of similar below

blazer: Aéropostale sort of similar below

boots: Rack Room Shoes sort of similar below

CHECK OUT SOMETHING SIMILAR

The Liebster

You saw this outfit in a picture on Boxing Day - a lunch date with one of my best friends. We stopped on our way home to take these pictures just before the sun went down. It's easy for me to get annoyed at our crazy, ever-changing weather in Colorado, but beautiful 60 degree days in December (and January. and February.) and really pretty sunsets & drives remind me that this is a beautiful place to live.

************************

Last week, I was nominated by Paige over at Life's a Party - Dress Like it for The Liebster Award, which is given by bloggers to new blogs with smaller followings but lots of potential. Thanks so much, Paige!

The rules of The Liebster Award:

- Mention the person who nominated you with a link to their blog (check!)

- Answer the 11 questions they asked (below)

- Nominate 11 other bloggers with a smaller following, but a lot of potential (I would, but to be completely honest, I don't know know 11 other bloggers with a smaller following than myself - I follow plenty of other bloggers, but I don't know 5, let alone 11, that are smaller than myself. We all have to start somewhere!)

- Create 11 of your own questions for them to answer (see above)

- Notify your nominees (and again, see above)

Here are Paige's questions for me to answer:

1. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Hmm, definitely spelling & grammatical errors

2. Where is your dream vacation?

Somewhere on a beach

3. Statement necklace or arm candy?

Statement necklace - I just got several more this past week at Old Navy!

4. Where's your favorite place to shop?

Hmm, anywhere with pieces I love [that I can afford!]

5. What is one thing in your closet you could not live without?

Any of my skinnies

6. Why did you start blogging?

Several reasons: 

1) to help to develop my personal style

2) I love reading other blogs, so I thought "Why not?"

3) to make me dress up a bit every day, rather than jeans and a plan t-shirt

4) I have a lot of clothes, so what better way to wear them and then share them? 

7. What's your favorite phone and/or tablet app?

Instagram - lovelovelove

8. What's something your readers probably don't know about you?

I'm driving a new (to me) car, and I just love that it's a sports-meets-luxury car...it goes fast...and it's awesome

9. Favorite fashion trend?

Print mixing

10. What's your biggest blog goal for 2014?

To grow. growgrowgrow.

11. Favorite TV Show?

We don't have cable right now, so I'm watching re-watching all of Ugly Betty on Netflix

sweater: Aéropostale

leggings: Target

boots: Rack Room Shoes (sort of similar below)

SHOP THE BOOTS (sort of)

Mr. Picks Mondays: Navy & Plum

The Mr. chose the blue sweater dress, and I chose the purple plaid for underneath and the plum patterned tights. Looks like for the past two MPM he's got me in a dress or a skirt...I'm sure my mom is loving that! Side story: when I was really little, I would only wear dresses or skirts. Every day. 

Then, from fifth grade through high school, I hated wearing them. I think it has something to do with the fact that I have a love/hate relationship with tights/stockings/pantyhose/whatever you want to call them - yes, I have many pairs, but no, I don't find them very comfortable.

I'm coming around to them though. I'm seeing lots of value (and excitement!) in being able to wear skirts & dresses in the winter (I'm late to this game, I know!). And seems like whenever I wear them to work with boots lately, I tend to stay a bit warmer than I do in pants. Odd? Yes. Or maybe it has something to do with the outside temperature...and consequently the temperature in my drafty, exterior-walls-only, drafty office?

Either way, a sweater dress is one way to make sure you're adding variety to your winter outfits. In winters past I've just done pants & sweaters, with the occasional vest or blazer. But THIS year, I feel like I'm really mixing it up, and staying warm AND fashionable AT THE SAME TIME!

linking up:

Still Being Molly for Funday Monday

Fizz & Frosting for Mix it Monday

Style Elixir for Style Sessions Fashion Link Up

Vodka Infused Lemonade for Tres-Chic Fashion Thursday Link Up

sweater dress: from a clothes swap (Target) sort of similar below

shirt: from a clothes swap (American Eagle) sort of similar below

tights: WalMart sort of similar below

boots: Rack Room Shoes sort of similar below

SHOP MY LOOK (or something sort of similar)

shirt & tie

Recently, Paul Fredrick contacted me about their Spring Clothing Line for 2014. Having never heard of them before, I did some research and I really like what I found on their website. They are a menswear retailer, offering a variety of mens styles, ranging from more casual shirts to suits & ties, accessories (engraved cufflinks. love.), and they carry big & tall sizes and styles for the taller guys in your life

(I've got two who stand about 6'2"). 

What drew me in to their shirt collection was the bright colors, and the sharp looking patterns. Oh, and they have non-iron shirts - hallelujah (as the designated ironer in our house, I love his non-iron shirts a whole lot more than the ones that need a press)! And then, the way they're paired with the ties. There is some really impressive print-mixing going on (and above, too - I am digging the whale tie). 

  

Being married to a man who wears a shirt and tie almost every day, and having a brother and dad who do as well, I know that if they see a shirt and tie combination they like, that is most likely the way they will wear that shirt and tie themselves. So, why not show them some great combinations that might be something they (or you!) would have never thought of? They'll look pretty fashion-forward at the office, in the boardroom, the courtroom, or wherever their day takes them.

Paul Fredrick guarantees a perfect fit, offers free exchanges and easy returns.

Be sure to let me know what shirt and tie combination you pick out for the man (or men!) in your life! I'm thinking some of my Mr's work shirts need an upgrade...

seeing [blue] dots

my photographer started doing weird things...

like making shadow puppets...

clearly not amused

I call these my "disco ball" earrings

Piggybacking off of my post from Friday, this is what I wore on Christmas. We had a quiet Christmas, just us two (four, if you count the pups), then had some friends over for dinner. We drank glühwein (a German spiced wine), ate yummy food, had delicious homemade Kahlua over vanilla ice cream (divine, I tell you), and played Cranium & Rainy Day Golf.

Maybe I'm just postponing boxing up all of our Christmas decorations, or that we've been busy every weekend since Christmas, OR that we just celebrated belated Christmases with both sets of parents this weekend, but I have to wonder, why is everyone in such a hurry to be done with Christmas (my mom and mother-in-law excluded - they left the trees & stockings up for us)? 

Seems like the preparation and anticipation and start in October (after Thanksgiving for myself), and come 26 December, as soon as gifts are exchanged and the eggnog all drunk up, decorations are put away and Christmas cheer has to wait another year. It seems almost taboo to think about it after that day, let alone talk about it to some people. It's on to the next consumer driven holiday, Valentine's Day (don't get me wrong, I like V-Day, but let's be real, folks - we can all be a little bit guilty of "BUY ALL THE THINGS!" during Christmas). I'd like to advocate for less consumerism and less hype about Christmas & peppermint mochas & stockings & who has the best lights or the best tree - isn't the point of it to celebrate Jesus's birth, and spend time with loved ones? This weekend with both sets of parents, and last weekend with my extended family really drove that home for me - it's about spending that special time with the people you love, not the gifts, or who spent how much money, or whether or not you got that ONE thing you REALLY wanted, but didn't really NEED. Going forward, I plan to be sure that my actions jive with the words I've just written - easier said than done, I know.

So, in the words of a wise man who called himself Dr. Seuss...

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! 

My intent was not to offend anyone who loves the holiday season - these are just my thoughts & reflections

top: Ann Taylor

pants: Aéropostale sort of similar below

shoes: Kohl's sort of similar below

earrings: Kohl's