Not A New Year's Eve Outfit Post

posing. you don't take pictures of your clothes in your basement?

As the title of this post suggests, this is not a New Year's Eve Outfit Post.

Why?

I do not have a New Year's Eve outfit planned. 

I do not have a NYE outfit because I made a big girl, executive decision to be responsible and not party til the wee hours of New Year's morning. It could have something to do with the fact that I have to leave my house before 8 am the 1st day of 2014, or that my Mr. has to leave the house even earlier, or that I really dislike New Year's Eve. You'll have to guess which "excuse" is the real reason for my lack of festive-ness (hint: it's not the last one).

Why am I leaving my house before 8 on the 1st day of 2014? Why, I'm flying to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, you see! One of my cousins is getting married to a swell girl and I'm looking forward to witnessing their vows, dancing the night away at their reception, seeing my extended family & family friends, freezing my toes off in snow-covered Minnesota, and stuffing my face with wedding cake.

Here's to hoping my snow boots & parka match my fancy party dress!

Happy New Year! 

Here's to the end of 2013, and looking forward to 2014!

Cheers!

dress: Nordstrom

blazer: thrifted

scarf: thrifted (Target)

belt: Target

tights (FLEECE-LINED! you know I love 'em): GG Boutique (local)

boots: Rack Room Shoes

linking up:

Style Elixir for Style Sessions

Mr. Picks Mondays: Obnoxiously Festive

The handsome Mr. picked out the sweatshirt dress, and I chose the RED tights. Because, if you can't be obnoxiously festive this time of year, when can you? Besiiiiides the 4th of July, obviouslyyyy.

I kind of love MPM because my Mr. tends to pick out stuff I don't wear too often, and it forces me to get creative. He also reminds me of some goodies hidden in the recesses of the pretty little room I call my closet

P.S. Get ready for some good ole' American pride this February - the 2014 Winter Olympics start in 6 weeks!
USA!
USA!

sweatshirt dress: WalMart

tights: Target

shoes: Kohl's

linking up:
Still Being Molly for Funday Monday
The Style Record for Monday Must Haves

Layered Schweater

If you want the truth, I wore this outfit several weeks ago, during the cold snap I already told you about. And since it was cold, you guessed it - I layered up! I put a chambray under the sweater, and am wearing AT LEAST two pairs of socks beneath those (worn) UGG boots you see. And then, when we were running errands that day (and "exposed" to the elements), I added a heavy black scarf, down vest, down coat (with the fux fur-trimmed hood UP OVER my head), and my earmuffs and gloves on. Fashionable? More like marshmallow-ey. But quite warm & cocooned!

I really like this sweater, especially with my faux leather-stripe leggings. I'm wearing them above, but didn't get any detail shots, so you'll just have to take my word for it, my friends. The sweater is just slouchy enough for the weekend, but chic enough to look put together, dontcha think? I've worn it once or twice since (without a collared shirt underneath), but with the same leggings...! I need to come up with a new way to wear it...any suggestions?? I got some great ideas the last time I asked for help - so, haaaaaalp!

sweater: Aéropostale

chambray: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

leggings: Aéropostale

boots: UGG (gift from my sweetie, SEVERAL years ago)

Mr. Picks Mondays: Belated Black & White

I realize this latest installment of Mr. Picks Mondays is a few days late, but, as Wednesday was Christmas, my schedule has been all sorts of catawumpus. I've been thrown out of wack - having time off from work has allowed me to take a nap (almost) every day, lounge, have long lunches with old friends, and snuggle with my pups in the middle of the day. 

Let me just say, I'm loving having a few extra days off.

My Mr. pulled this out of the closet for me to wear. I'm really trying to "winter-ize" my white pants and wear them into winter, but they are such a mental hurdle for me! I just want to wear them with loose & flowy summer tops and sandals. I KNOW it's possible (and even chic!) to wear them in the winter, I'm just having a hard time making myself comfortable with it. Any tips?? And also, I tend to spill anything&everything on white pants, so, there's that...

Actually, let me clarify what I said above ^ My Mr. chose the polka dot top and white pants. I added the blazer, shoes, and the striped top underneath for some black & white print mixing - adds a bit of dimension, dontcha think? ;) 

polka dot top: thrifted

striped top: Express

blazer: thrifted (Target)

pants: Old Navy 

flats: Kohl's

linking up with...
Simply Lulu Style for What I'm Loving Fridays
Two Thirty Five Designs for Casual Friday Link Up
Style Elixir for Friday's Fab Favorites
Simple Sequins for Fashion Item Friday

Boxing Day

The outfit I'm featuring today is what I wore in our Christmas card this year. After celebrating Thanksgiving (round 2) with my parents, we stepped outside to take some pictures in front of our new house with the pups.

While the pups are darling, squishy, and oh-so-sweet (I'm typing this with both of them snoozing snoring under my desk), they don't seem to understand "posing" for a picture, so we had to cut the animal actors after just a few shots, and focus on us people actors.

My Mr. picked out his purple gingham-esque shirt & jeans, and I figured I should coordinate (I mean, Christmas card pictures - hellooooo!), so I threw on a chambray & a purple scarf. I went with the same color family, so we weren't TOO twinsie-ish...on Thanksgiving Day, we both ending up wearing plaid button ups...

Big thanks to my Dad for snapping our pics - he likes to pretend he's a professional photographer and *snap snap*

away ;) Some of them are a bit grainy, but that's what happens when you crop

BIG pictures down to a smaller size.

In other news, we celebrated a very quiet & laid-back Christmas at our house, just the two of us, plus 2 bulldogs. We had friends over for dinner, and then, I received the best Christmas gift today - I got to see one of my very best friends! 

She lives in paradise with her husband, and I don't get to see her nearly enough. We met up for lunch at a place where the husbands could be entertained while we caught up (for hours!) - Dave & Buster's. They flew back to Colorado for the holidays, and I'm so thankful I got to see her & her husband for just a few hours - I was on Cloud 9 as we drove home after our lunch date.

So, A, thanks for "kayaking across the ocean" so I could see you and hug you!

xoxo

great minds must think alike - we both wore slouchy sweaters, skinnies & VERY similar boots

In other other news, I'm being featured on Simply Lulu Style for this week's What I'm Loving Fridays Link Up, so be sure to check it out!

Christmas Card pictures

chambray: thrifted

purple scarf: gift

black skinnies: Aéropostale

boots: KMart

his outfit:

shirt, jeans & shoes: Kohl's

pink sweater & leggings : Aeropostale

boots: Rack Room Shoes

Merry Christmas

This is the Christmas card we sent out this year, and as it's now officially Christmas (mountain time)...

Merry Christmas to you and yours

from our little family to yours

Stripes on Dots

I don't know that I would have ever done such "large scale" print mixing before I started this blog in March - I mean, my top AND bottom in different prints?! This is the girl who used to match EVERYTHING (by match, I mean shoes to belt to bag to earrings - and the. exact. color.). But, here it is!

Too much? Too risky? Or just right?

linking up with:

Two Thirty-Five Designs for Casual Friday

Still Being Molly for Funday Monday

sweater: Express

pants: Old Navy via Plato's Closet

boots: Rack Room Shoes

Layering

I wore this during the cold snap I mentioned yesterday. I had a long sleeve shirt under my chambray, which was under my heavy (and very warm) sleeveless cardigan, and topped off with a big scarf. 

Oh, and warm socks - those boots, although cute, are really not conducive to keeping my toes warm.

linking up with:

Simply Lulu Style for What I'm Loving Fridays

DC in Style for Monday Bloom

chambray: Lauren Conrad via Kohl's

sleeveless cardigan: gift from my mama (Eddie Bauer)

olive skinnies: Aéropostale

scarf: Aéropostale <-- one of my new finds!

boots: Rack Room Shoes

Cold Snap

Recently in Colorado we had a cold snap. By cold snap, I mean the temperature didn't get out of the single digits, or even teens. For DAYSSSS. Denver set record-breaking temps (so many days in a row of a really cold temp; coldest temps for so many hours; temps for this early in the season - I used to work with climatologists, so I'm in "the know").

And I know it's winter, and it's almost Christmas, and why am I whining about cold weather when I live in a mountain state (that's a can of worms I don't think you want to open #beachloverforlife #everytimeitsnowsiwanttomovetothebeach)? However, 40 degree days are a whole lot different than barely freezing temps, which are a whole other ballgame compared to temperatures that stay in the single digits for days on end. When it's that cold, it hurts to breathe, and your nose hurts after being outside for 2 seconds. Forget about dashing outside for a quick second without your coat - you'll be a popsicle before too you can get back inside.

So, what's a girl to do when she experiences temperatures that usually wait until January or February to show their ugly faces? Several things:

1) sweaters
2) multiple sweaters
3) scarves
4) down vests over sweaters
5) sweaters UNDER down vests UNDER down coats
6) start the car a good 10 minutes before she needs to leave
7) lots of coffee/hot chocolate/warm drinks & blankets
8) not venture outside. for any reason.
9) make sure the puppies go in & out really quickly, so they don't freeze their little wrinkled selves
10) whine a little bit and dream about moving to Florida, specifically the Gulf Coast

while I DID all of the above, I've also decided that by having the appropriate "gear," I can save myself a lot of coldness. i.e. coats, sweaters, scarves, and new snow boots (an early Christmas gift from the Mr. - they're essential so I don't complain to him about how my toes are cold, even though I'm wearing 3 pairs of socks).

Interested in seeing my cold weather gear? I'll be honest, cold weather clothes make up way more than half of my closet, and our coat closet is quite full of coats for all different temperatures. 

Any other good strategies for dealing with the cold? And I mean REALLY cold, like "Since when do we live in Siberia?" cold?

sweater: J Crew (thrifted)

scarf: WalMart

jeans: GAP

boots: Rack Room Shoes

Mr. Picks Mondays: Bbbbblue Sweater

I like blue fair-isle so much,  I have two of these sweaters - this one, and
the same print & style in dark navy & light pink

When my Mr. picked this out for me, he really had it easy. When I come up with an outfit that looks good and I want to wear, I hang it up in my closet and loop a little brightly-colored foam 

door-hanger over it. 

This was one of those outfits - he hollered to me: 

"What if it has a thing on the hanger?"

"That means it goes with what it's hanging with."

"Sweet. You're wearing this."

He's all about keeping it simple. That's one thing I love about him.

Two more things before we call it a day (I'm wiped, and my comfy bed is calling my name).

1) I have a hard time styling this sweater and its navy & pink cousin - it's a short cardigan, so I don't want to wear anything too form-fitting, but it's a snug fit, so I can't wear anything very thick/heavy under. Any more suggestions besides a button up?

2) Just want to share that I haven't been able to wear these jeans in about a year, as they were too snug. However, with clean eating & lots of self control, I'm able to fit into them again. Ta Da! :D

sweater: American Eagle - Aerie

button up: J CREW (thrifted)

jeans: Old Navy

boots: UGG

linking up:
The Style Record - Monday Must Haves
Still Being Molly - funday MONDAY
lowercase letters - miscellany monday
Watch out for the Woestmans - Watch What I'm Wearing
Not Dead Yet Style
Claire Justine
Join the Gossip

Purple Pants, Polka Dots, and a(nother)...Bulldog Shirt?

Cali loves blog pics. but mostly shirts with her silhouette on them

I think the title of this post really says it all. The only thing I didn't mention up there is that these purple pants are my only pair of coated/waxed denim, and I wore black boots.

This bulldog shirt was another Black Friday find. I spotted it at J. CREW Factory weeks ago but didn't pull the trigger. But when I popped in on Black Friday Thanksgiving Night, only a few shirts were left, and only one in my size. 'Twas fate, my friends, 'twas fate. Oh, and isn't this polka dot cardigan fab? You know I luuuurve me some polka dots, so really, 'twas a no-brainer - and I'm a fan of those, especially when it comes to shopping. 

However, when I showed it to the Mr, he said it looked like something I already had. 

I asked to clarify:

"Something I already have? Or something I would wear?"

His response:

"Something you already have."

"Oh, honey, I sure don't have a black & white polka dot cardigan in my closet. 

However, this one will fit right in..."

shirt: J. CREW Factory

cardigan: J. CREW Factory

pants: Kohl's

boots: KMart

linking up:

here, here, here, and over here

check 'em out!