Topping it off

110, 109 more days to go...

Weekend wear...I was wondering what I could top my skirt off with this weekend to make it as low key and comfy as possible. So Saturday, I wrapped myself up in a colorful wrap sweater and some knit tights for running errands. It kept me warm and the wrap could be adjusted as I ate most of the candy that I was trying to buy for Halloween tomorrow:)

Sunday. Halloween! My costume this year was nonexistent. I had several ideas, but just never found enough time to make it. But that's okay, the plan was to go to a party at a M and B's house to hand out candy to all the little trick-o-treaters in the neighborhood. I do have this ridiculous sweatshirt with ears attached to the hood so I thought today would be appropriate to have it on in public. Plus, it kinda matched my skirt that I've been wearing all week. As for the trick-o-treaters? My favorites included an adorable Super Man and Wonder Woman outfit on a two-year-old and his slightly older sister. Seriously, too cute. And there was some kid dressed up like a haunted house...he wins the most creative and high tech award of the night:)

Happy Halloween and Happy Week ahead:)

Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways

115, 114, 113, 112, 111 more days to go...

I often spend money on wow items for my closet...an intricate top, crazy shoes, formal dress. They don't often get a lot of wear...I'm not going to show up at the dog park wearing my formal dress in crazy high heels. So I've been thinking a lot about my staples...things that didn't cost too much but I find myself wearing all the time. For example, I've noticed that I've worn my navy cotton canvas JCrew skirt a ton since I started this challenge. It's comfy, matches everything, and doesn't really wrinkle...what more could a girl want? So this week, I decided to try all the different ways to dress up and dress down this go-to skirt. The skirt cost like fifty bucks and I've worn it like a hundred times, so cost per wear is practically free:)

Monday: Work Appropriate: gold tank and red cardigan from Anthropologie, gold loafers from Stuart Weitzman.


Tuesday: Preppy Classic: blue crew neck and rose gold necklace from JCrew, Chanel scarf tied as a belt, and patent peep toe flats by the Original Car Shoe.


Wednesday: Rainy Day Casual: beaded antler tee shirt and whale wellies from JCrew, leather belt from Banana Republic.


Thursday: Bold and Graphic: orange sweater, beaded necklace, yellow grosgrain belt, and bright mary-jane peep toes all from JCrew.


Friday: Glitzed Out: sequined tank and camel pea coat from JCrew, plaid button-up and leather belt from Banana Republic, and black patent pumps by Prada.


Now all I have to do is figure out how to make it into weekend wear....

Night!

Out of Towners

116 more days to go...

The morning after....we were all SO exhausted. We would have loved to sleep in late and grab some greasy, sugary, not-so-good but oh-so-good for us brunch but that was not in the cards for us. The guys had to head into the city for some errands so Becca and I decided to ride in with them and walk around downtown. The day was gorgeous, warm and inviting:) Becca, who is so sweet and radiant, has not bought anything for herself in five years....yes, FIVE years! And here I am complaining about my measly one year. I know that not everyone has a need to wear cute dresses and shoes all the time, but deep down I think she secretly wants to:) So it was a makeover day! I LOVE makeovers (just ask my poor sister who has suffered through countless and slightly disastrous makeovers). We went to Anthropologie (my fav)...tried on a million dresses and tops and settled for an adorable fit and flare dress with a cowl neck (so cute!). I figured if I can't shop, I can at least help someone else shop. We then stopped by JCrew and found a ruffled cardigan with a bit of shimmer and bought a pair of black ballet flats from Payless....she looked perfect. The weather was so lovely that we didn't need to get tights or jackets. I wore a white tee shirt, black cashmere zipper vest and some green driving mocs....nothing fancy but still comfy and nice.

Pajama-rama

117 more days to go...

Party time! Nick's party started last night with the arrival of Tyler and Becca. Becca and I, being the reasonable wives, went to bed early last night so that we could prepare for the craziness of today. The boys, however, finished off an entire bottle of Scotch and crawled into bed around 4am. This is what they looked like this morning:

I admit, they look pretty darn happy:)

So the theme of the the birthday party is Breakfast and Pajamas. Breakfast is Nick's favorite meal of the day and who doesn't like wearing PJ's?

Some people didn't have pj's (?!?!?) (I'm looking at you Garnette and Kristin)...but I think this trend should be one to stay. I literally went upstairs and just fell asleep after the party. I'm thinking that every party at our house will now be a pajama party.

The party was awesome (even though the Phillies lost)! And the food turned out great which is always a good thing. Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating with us. Nick and I love you guys soooo much! Happy Birthday Nick!

Long Weekend Ahead

118 more days to go...

It's Friday! It seems as though I'm always announcing that it's Friday but announcing it's Monday just doesn't seem as exciting. So, it's Friday! I've got a looooooong weekend ahead of me...lots of planning and cleaning and cooking to be done for Nick's Birthday Party. We have some friends from Vermont arriving here in Philly tonight so we'll see how much actually gets done. As for the outfit, it is definitely my casual Friday look: jeans, loose button down shirt, and I eventually threw on some flats to go with it.

Still Mad

121, 120, 119 more days to go...

I'm still on my Mad Men kick....Tuesday was all about Betty. Who doesn't not like the cute suburban housewife look? A strand of champagne pearls, plaid shirt dress, and ruby red Mary Janes were all I needed.

Wednesday, I went for another sheath but this time topped it off with a lace trimmed cardigan.

And Thursday? Maybe a little Peggy? A white button down and a heavy felt wool skirt might get a little boring so I added a pair of lipstick red lace ankle socks to peek out of my ankle booties.

Mad woMen

122 more days to go...

Anybody watch Mad Men? The first time I watched it, I fell asleep. The second time I watched it, I fell asleep half way through. Then someone's foot got sawed off with a John Deere tractor in the middle of the Madison Ave high rise and it all of a sudden became really interesting. Last night was the season finale so this morning I had visions of the show's wardrobe fresh in my head. One of the best parts of the show is that the women wear amazing clothes. Not that I have any 60's clothing but I was inspired to find some form fitting sheaths, Jackie O' oversize shades, strand of pearls, and high heeled pumps...there's gotta be something in my closet. For today I did manage to dig up a Fall colored sheath (it totally looked like something Joan would wear), paired it with some navy pumps, and topped it off with a striped blue pea coat.

Little Fish

123 more days to go...

Nick and I had a date night at Fish tonight. Not sure if you guys recall, but 'our' restaurant use to be Little Fish (the best most adorable place ever). It would still be 'our' restaurant had it not shut down due to the building around it crumbling down. There are so many reasons to love Little Fish and I loved Little Fish for all those reasons. We were regulars there so it's nice to know everyone when you walk in. We never have to order anything, just ate whatever the chef makes that night (still haven't had a bad dish yet). And the restaurant is tiny, like 8 tables total so they serve everyone at the same time which is something I so enjoy. So, after they shut down abruptly, I was reluctant to try Fish (their sister restaurant). The atmosphere just wouldn't be the same...but push come to shove we were there tonight.

It was awesome:) They recognized us immediately and we instantly felt at home again. The food was still amazing: Oysters on the half shell, lobster spaghetti, skate with coconut rice and mussels, halibut with carrots in butternut squash soup, mahi mahi with cherries, celery root puree, smoked bacon, coffee glaze, and for dessert: raisin bread pudding with maple whipped cream and caramel sauce. Hello! And the best news was that Little Fish would reopen just a block from their original location with a similar tiny setup....yay! We have 'our' restaurant back and now we have a back up just in case.

Date night outfit was a little sundress..I heard it was going to be the last warm night of the season...cashmere cardigan and some little gray booties. Nothing fishy about that:)

Right as I walked through the front door, my sister (Jennifer aka Bean) called. (My nickname for her was Jenny Bean and eventually shortened to Bean.) Bean is in Tahiti right now doing some research which mostly sounds like an extended vacation to me. But anyways, she told me that she got to swim with wild humpback whales today! What the what?! That is just amazing. I want to swim with humpback whales...in the ocean...in Tahiti. Bean, you better find some way for that to happen again next month when I'm there (love you, miss you):)

Home Wrecker

124 more days to go...

Things I wanted to do today: 1)Go to Bloctoberfest (I'm a sucker for food trucks, especially ones that serve hot dogs topped with mac and cheese) 2)Go Shopping (can't, but still want to) 3)not watch baseball.

What I did do today: 1)No block party, no food truck, just worked on the house 2)Went shopping...at the hardware store (not as much fun as I thought it would be. Wait, I never thought it was going to be fun) 3)Baseball game is still on (and I think the Phillies are not winning which makes for a very unhappy husband)

I'm glad that you guys can't see the renovation of our house because it looks like pure destruction. We are DIYers (more like home wreckers) and it's been quite the learning process. The good news is that there is no longer holes in the ceiling and all the live wires and pipes are covered.

Today's outfit was a gray cardigan, cargo jacket, boots, and some worn in jeans. I certainly wasn't going to get all dressed up to go buy Spackle and a box of nails.

Birthday Boy

125 more days to go...

Happy Birthday, Nick! My Love is officially 30 years old today! All he ever wants to do on his birthday is get comfortable at home together, unwind, cuddle with the dogs, and have dinner. That's okay with me cause that's all I ever want to do on a Friday night anyways:) We won't be having a party until next weekend so we just had cupcakes together to celebrate.

Look how adorable he is..doesn't look a day over 25 if you ask me:)

I broke the laces off my favorite pair of high heeled boots this morning (boo.) In a hurry to catch the train, I found another pair in my closet that I hadn't worn before but the heel was the right height for my too long jeans. So I quickly slipped them on and was out the door. The suede Cole Haan booties had Nike Air soles, or so they said. I'm pretty sure that they're lying because they were probably the most uncomfortable shoes in the history of shoes. Oh, the price we pay for...wanting to look taller?

That's not important. The important thing is it's Nick's Birthday! I love you!

Back Home

128, 127, 126, 125, 126 more days to go...

I've never wanted to be back at home as much as I did this weekend. To make a long story short, the family affair was just as bad as I thought it would be. Not that I don't love my family because I absolutely do...they're awesome. I guess under the circumstances it was just overall stressful. My big fear about crying while reading the eulogy was true. A nightmare. I'm not one of those people who have cute cries. I'm a full on, all out, snotty, sobbing, choking, gasping, quivering kind of crier. Hence, I don't like to cry in public. Nobody needs to see that. Well, this past Sunday, everyone got to see it. Let's just say it sucked.

So it was good to get back home:) I've been meaning to go through my closet and find all my Fall and Winter clothing but haven't had the chance. So the transitional outfits haven't been anything to write home about. Kinda boring. But hopefully I will get to cleaning things out next weekend.


I did get to wear my new old Chanel pumps:) This is a good start.

An un-welcomed Friday

129 more days to go...

The beginning of the weekend is always a welcoming time for me to unwind and relax. This Friday is not so much that. Earlier today, I was told that I was to give a eulogy at my grandmother's funeral on Sunday. First of all, I hate public speeches....seriously hate it. I get all nervous, turn red, start talking really fast (which is crazy fast because I naturally talk fast already). Second, I burst into tears at the thought of my grandmother's death...so as much as I hate speaking publicly, I hate crying publicly even more. So stressful!!!

At least getting dressed this morning was fun and relaxing. I found a cropped linen pea coat and my black pumps. Overall look, cute and Fall-y. I'm sure you will all have better weekends than me...so enjoy:) See you guys next week.

Classically Fall

130 more days to go...

I need to spend a weekend cleaning out my dressing room, putting away my warm weather stuff and restoring all my cool weather wear. Since this is the first week of noticeably cooler weather, I've been slowing pulling out my Fall wardrobe. Fall is my absolute favorite season. Who doesn't love scarves and jackets and sweaters and boots?! Today, I wore some skinny jeans, a cashmere cardigan, high heeled booties, a lightweight short trench coat, and of course Fall wouldn't be complete without a cup of hot chocolate in my hands:)

Bootie Call

131 more days to go...

It's the season to wear booties, yay! And plenty of booties I have. Green ones. Grey ones. Red ones. Brown ones. Patent leather ones. Suede ones. Stiletto ones. I just saw some Louis Vuitton ones in a magazine ad that were amazing but I guess she won't be joining my collection anytime soon...

Re-Boot

132 more days to go...

Finally found that big ol' sweater I've been longing for all week (well, since yesterday). It's another unseasonably cold and rainy day in October. I was tempted to break out my winter jackets but then thought it might look kinda silly...although I did see someone wearing gloves and a hat today (it did look kinda silly). I also found a pair of all weather hiking boots that I've not seen in a couple of years. There's little nibble marks on them from Benten (my little pup) so besides putting a smile on my face today, they also kept me warm and dry.

The weather has been matching my mood lately with the passing away of my grandmother. I certainly hope that it clears up soon as I'm ready to be moving on from all this sadness and mourning. Every show on television seems to be dealing with the topic of death and/or loss this week...I say, enough already! I'm dealing just fine without all the outside reminders. The funeral is this weekend and hopefully it will be a good time to remember, share, and re-boot.

Little Sailor

133 more days to go...

Nick called me his little sailor today...I thought it was such a cute of-the-moment nickname:) Everyone automatically associates stripes with all things nautical. It happened to be the only non-wrinkly long sleeve shirt I could find on a whim. Considering how frigid it was today, I wish I had found a great big sweater instead, but I thought the outfit was really cute.

Julia

140, 139, 138, 137, 136, 135, and 134 more days to go...

Early this week, my grandmother Julia passed away. My first reaction was complete shock and then came the sadness. After feeling really blue for a few days, I started to remember all the memories I had of Grammy...there were lots, she did raise me after all. I found a picture of me and Grams below...of course I was in a sweatshirt:) It was my first week freshman year at Virginia Tech and she had come to help me settle in. We had this crazy complicated relationship but am grateful for the way she helped shape me to become the person I am today.

My Grammy's favorite things were silver nail polish, perfume, and fancy jewelry. I can't say that I'm really into any of those but they will always make me think of her. Obviously, I've been in mourning all week. I didn't bother taking any pictures since I didn't really bother getting dressed (I must admit I was a bit of a mess)...mostly just curled up with my sweatshirt. Next week will be better. I'm glad that Grams and Grampy are finally reunited:)