Old Navy

OOTD: Transitions

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Dress | Shoes | Necklace | Earrings | Bracelet 1 | Bracelet 2 | Work Bag

The calendar says it’s fall, but as usual, Indiana weather has its own ideas. We’ve gone from 80s to barely 60 within a few days, and we’re supposed to hit the 80s again all in the same week. As much as I’m itching to get out my plaids, flannels, and wools for fall, it’s just not practical, so I’m making it work with transitional pieces and accessories for now until the weather catches up.

I’m ecstatic that Old Navy brought back my favorite swing dress from last year – so much so that I’m debating what color(s?) I’ll be getting it next. This dress is perfect year-round; just throw on some tights once it gets cold, and you’re good to go. As a heads up, I had to size down from my normal last year, so you may have to do the same.

I finally got in on the lace-up flats trend, and my favorite part about these is that it isn’t hard to find them for less than $20 thanks to Target’s sales. (Ahem, like right now.)

This is definitely an outfit I’ve worn more than once over the past month, swapping out the flats for booties (like these or these, depending on the occasion) and rotating my ever-present Kendra Scott necklace and earring favorites. I know that as the temperature keeps falling, I’ll be reaching for this dress – and whichever color I get next – to pair with a cardigan, tights, and over-the-knee boots. It really is the best!

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How I Spent My Summer

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White Pants | Shoes | Purse | Earrings | Bracelet 1 | Bracelet 2 | Lipstick

Good news, guys, I’m still around! My Labor Day weekend has kicked off with a trip to the Minute Clinic to find out my husband has a sinus infection and bronchitis, so I thought it might be a good time to explain my absence while he hopefully sleeps those antibiotics into his system. You may notice a bit of a change of scenery there in the background there, as we’ve started redoing our bedroom this summer! I’m obsessed with the changes so far, but that’s a post for another day.

I said awhile back that I needed to press pause, and at the time, it was because I was just too overwhelmed with work, training for the half-marathon, and just general life stuff. Although my training ended, work didn’t start to slow down until very recently. I was so exhausted by late nights (the kind where your husband asks if he was dreaming or were you actually on the phone with your coworker at 1 a.m. – yikes), deadlines, and everything else we had going on this summer, that the idea of getting back on my computer and blogging was just too much. I missed it and still took lots of pics though; my phone is basically an “I should blog about this” graveyard.

I’m excited to say that things have finally slowed down enough that I think I’m finally able to make my return. I’m ready to share outfits, recipes, and all of the other stuff I’m excited about again. To make up for a complete lack of posting all summer, and in honor of the time-honored tradition of starting the school year by sharing all of the details of your summer break. I figured why not finally share some of my photos, so get ready to scroll!

Run 317 Circle

My cousin and I ran a 5k through downtown Indy less than 2 weeks after the Mini Marathon. The Run 317 series goes through Indianapolis neighborhoods, supports local charities, and comes with two beers at the end from Thr3eWiseMen! This one started and ended on Monument Circle – so fun!

Indy 500

We went to the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. It was an awesome day with our friends and family. It was also HOT, so this one is me in all of my sweaty, unfiltered glory.

Colin-Liza Wedding

We celebrated the wedding of one of our oldest friends (Colin, my chili-adoring bestie)…and thought we were still young enough to close down the bars in Bloomington like college kids (we’re not). If you’re ever in B-town, check out The Big Cheeze! True love is your husband surprising you with a grilled cheese at 2 a.m.

Happy Camper

We spent a weekend in Chicago catching up with old friends and celebrating one of my best friend’s baby shower. The picture is a little blurry, but the look of pure joy on my face is because the Happy Camper is a bar with tire swings. Beers with friends from high school, pizza, and tire swings made it basically the best thing ever.

Run 317 Mass Ave

We did another Run 317 in the Mass Ave area of downtown Indy, and this time my sister joined us for her first ever 5k! It was the kind of ridiculously hot and humid day where you sweat just standing still, so they had to turn it into a non-timed “fun run,” which was just fine for us. We have one more Run 317 left in October, so hopefully my sister will be joining us again!

My very favorite weekend of the year every year is Dave Matthews Band weekend with my husband, brother-in-law, and our friends. Dave plays two shows in Indy, and each night is a totally different show and setlist, so we go both nights. Our first night was up-close and personal in the pit so you can really see the band, and then the second night is on the lawn and dancing barefoot on our blanket (although that part is more just me…). It was SO HOT – are you noticing a theme here for this summer in Indianapolis?

Alyssa Wedding

August kicked off with my cousin’s wedding and an after-party at our house that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. I have a lot of cousins, and I LOVE hanging out with all of them. It was so much fun, and will definitely be a night we remember for a long time.

First Anniversary

Speaking of weddings, we celebrated our first anniversary on August 15th! I cannot believe it’s been a year already, time truly does fly when you’re having fun. I honestly planned to do so many wedding-related posts about how I got ready for our big days (we had two weddings: one on 8/15 at a church with just our family, and one that was a great big party with our family and friends on 8/21), but we’ve already been over my lack of posts. Now that we’re getting ready to ramp up planning my sister’s wedding, I fully plan to share my tips, tricks, lessons, and memories from ours as we go, so stay tuned!

Speaking of our anniversary, Kendra Scott just happened to open a store in Indianapolis the weekend before. My sweet husband knew I’ve been lusting after this necklace forever, so he played detective to find out when exactly they’d be opening, and he even figured out that if we went on opening day, I’d get this (perfectly Colts blue) bracelet for free! Isn’t he the best? Did you know that if you go to Kendra Scott during your birthday month and show your ID, you get 50% off of a piece of jewelry? August just happens to be his birthday month, so it was even more of a bargain. You can guess where I’ll be heading in October!

So that was our summer in a nutshell. Can you believe it’s already September? I love summer, and it’s my favorite season, even when it gets ridiculously hot. I have to say though, I’m ready for the calm that comes with fall. Fall means calmer schedules, bonfire and chili nights with our friends, football Sundays (and the snacks that go with them!), and so many other great things. I love my sundresses, but I also love the fashion that comes with the cooler temperatures.

Thanks for bearing with me while I took some time to re-group, and I promise to be a much better blogger in the weeks and months to come.

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OOTDs: Easter (Weekend) Lillies

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Dress | Clutch

Some weeks are just crazy and busy, but this week was just plain challenging for all sorts of reasons. Needless to say, we were ready for the weekend. It’s no secret I’ve been ready for spring weather and spring clothes, but there’s no better time than Easter to rock all Lilly Pulitzer, all weekend.

On Saturday, we went to a couples wedding shower for an old friend and his awesome fiancee. I knew I wanted to wear this tunic dress I snagged during the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale back in January – it felt like I’d ordered it forever ago and I’ve just been waiting for it to get warm enough. The day started out pretty chilly (it was a rough run that morning), so instead of the sandals I hoped for, I stuck with with booties. Note to self: I really need some closed-toe espadrilles for these in-between days…and just in general. Fun tassel earrings and my monogrammed clutch were all I needed to complete my party outfit.

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The shower was super fun and eventually transitioned from your pretty typical wedding shower to just hanging out with some of our oldest friends. My friend, Amanda, and I have been besties since the first day of first grade when we got lost together before the school day even started (true story). She, Colin (the groom-to-be), and I all went to elementary school together, and then my husband joined the group in middle school. Colin’s house was where we’d all hang out, and Amanda made my husband and I admit we liked each other during a 7th grade field trip, so to say we all go wayyyy back is an understatement. It’s also why we’re apparently incapable of getting through a normal photo together without laughing hysterically (though I’m sure the margaritas didn’t help much either)…this was the best of the bunch. The boys’ antics haven’t changed much since middle school either!

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Dress (similar) | Cardigan | Shoes | Earrings

The only downside of the Lilly After Party Sale is that you end up waiting so long to get to wear your new treats if you don’t go anywhere warm during the winter. I’ve been waiting since the August sale to wear this Bentley v-neck dress,  and it was totally worth the wait as the perfect Easter dress. (It’s no longer available, but this one is pretty similar.) My heels are favorites from J.Crew Factory – they’re amazingly comfortable and go with literally everything. And yes, my Kendra Scotts again, because they also go with everything and I have no self-control. We were staring directly into the sun for this series of pics, which is why we’re all squinting and the boys were being ridiculous.

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This year, my mom put together an Easter egg hunt for us to do after mass, but it was no ordinary free-for-all egg hunt. Each of our (color-coded by person) eggs was filled with pieces of a poem we had to unscramble. Once the poem was unscrambled, you had to solve your riddle to figure out where your Easter basket was hidden. You can see our intense concentration as we all tried to solve ours (I figured out mine first!), and the whole thing was pretty funny.

Hope you had a gorgeous and happy Easter weekend!

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Half Marathon Training: 4 Weeks

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The picture isn’t my prettiest, but yesterday officially marked the end of week 4 of my half marathon training. While I’m still 8 weeks away from the big day, I’ve also realized how far I’ve come in the month since I started.

The first time I stepped back on the treadmill, I couldn’t even make it through a full mile of running. I suppose that’s what I get for thinking I could do a half marathon when I hadn’t actually worked out in a solid year. There’s still a good amount of walking happening, but yesterday I ran 2 miles straight through, and ended up running 3.75 of my 5 total miles. Even with the walking, I wrapped up my whole 5 miles in just barely under an hour (59 minutes and 38 seconds, to be exact), keeping me nicely on pace for our starting corral time of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

My cousin has decided to take my sister’s spot, and um, I forgot she used to be a real runner. Real runner, like her first training run the other day was “only” 4.5 miles at my best pace per mile on a good day. So this should get interesting.

Luckily, I’ve made another running buddy who’ll be running with us. Like me, she’s just in it for the experience, so our goal is simply to have fun and cross the finish line. Regardless of our pace or our finish time, I know the three of us are going to enjoy the adventure.

My Go-Dry seamless long-sleeve and compression capris are the remaining items I snagged from my trip to Old Navy a couple weeks ago. I’m still just as in love with the performance, and I stepped a bit outside of my comfort zone with the bold pattern of these pants. I also had to break down and get an “expandable waist pack belt” to carry my inhaler and epi with me while running. Let’s be real though, it’s a fanny pack.

The real stars of the wardrobe show are my new running shoes. I was really trying to get through my training using my old shoes, but last weekend’s training left my feet hurting so badly, I had to spend the rest of the weekend in sneakers. I thought I was ok by Monday…until I tried to do my run Monday after work. An abbreviated run and trip to our local running store, The Blue Mile, later, I learned the searing pain in the balls of my feet and the lightning bolts going up my shins to my knees were a sign that my old shoes had had enough. Turns out, even though I hadn’t been putting in this kind of mileage over the past 4 years, the shoes had still aged and broken down. I knew trying to save myself the cost of the shoes could end up costing me a lot of future pain, so I bit the bullet and invested in these babies, and boy am I glad I did. These Mizuno Wave Enigmas are honestly the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn in my life, and running in them feels soooo much better!

Eight weeks and lots of miles still to go!

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OOTD 3.7.2016

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I’ve been so excited to share this outfit all week. Yes, all week, because it’s been one of those weeks. I thought I’d post Tuesday, or Wednesday, or…you get the idea.

I said last week I was ready to pull out my Spring wardrobe, and I wasn’t messing around. One of my favorite bloggers/Instagrammers, Sara Matthews (check out her blog, Lilly and  Leopard!), has been posting adorable outfits with this blazer for as long as I’ve been following her, and I’ve been drooling over this blazer for just as long. I’ve been working on adding more blazers to my wardrobe, but the issue is those things can be pricey. Not this striped beauty from Old Navy though. It’s already super affordable, and I was able to snag it for an extra 30% off a couple weekends ago, making it a perfect Spring steal. I knew a Monday meeting day would be the perfect debut, and I couldn’t wait to wear it. I also can’t wait to wear it again, so expect to see (a lot) more of this one. (PS, the reviews are right, go down a size from what you’d normally wear.)

When I went to pull out some of my Spring dresses, I knew exactly the dress I wanted to pair with my blazer. This coral scalloped shift from J.Crew Factory has been a favorite since I got it last Spring. So much so, it was my Easter dress and I wore it for our engagement pictures. It’s a perfect shift for wearing to work, and for just about everything else you may need a dress.Easter 2015Engagement Portraits -93 copy

After a crazy week, I was elated to hear my husband say his thoughts on dinner Friday night were to go to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Chile Verde. It’s actually owned by my sister’s fiancé’s family, and is some of the best Mexican food you’ll find in Indianapolis. They even let me customize my favorite enchiladas to be shrimp instead of chicken since it was a Friday during Lent. Chile Verde has become a staple in my family – and I mean my whole, extended family. They don’t mind when we need to make a reservation for an intimate family dinner for 20+ (I have a big family), and they’re amazing when we want to get carryout catering. Full disclosure: I skipped my scheduled workout for this:

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Don’t worry, I still did all of my other training this week, and have 5 miles to put in today. Sometimes, you just need some beer and queso.

If you look closely, there’s also a tiny peak of my first wear of one of my dresses from the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale in January. Who else is ready for Spring dresses?

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OOTD 2.29.2016: Fitness Edition 

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As I’ve continued my training for the Mini Marathon, one thing I learned pretty quickly (other than the limits of my asthmatic lungs) is that there’s a good reason all of that fancy workout gear exists. In college, random tshirts and leggings leftover from dance classes and show choir rehearsals were just fine for the half-hearted time I occasionally logged on the elliptical at the gym. My workouts after college got a bit more serious with regular Zumba classes and ballet barre method Pilates, but even then a loose tank, sports bra, and some leggings were all I really needed. Last week on the treadmill, I realized my (drenched) concert tshirt and few remaining pairs of athletic leggings just weren’t going to cut it anymore.

Though I’d love to just go nuts in Lululemon, that’s not exactly in the budget right now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely earning a Lululemon treat with all this training (I’ve got my eye on some things…), but for now, I needed to restart my workout wardrobe with a much lower price tag.


 After my miles on Saturday, I decided to swing into Old Navy on whim to check out their activewear selection, and I was not disappointed. I might actually be a little obsessed. The whole store was 40% off for the day, so this pretty blue seamless long-sleeve and my striped compression capris were an absolute steal! All of the moisture-wicking, breathable goodness for what ended up being about a quarter of the price of all of the various brands I’d been looking at for gear. If you haven’t checked out Old Navy Active for your workout clothes, you definitely need to!

As a training update, it’s going. This whole asthma thing is no joke, and learning the difference it makes when I’m running outside in the colder air can be unbelievably frustrating. I go from feeling good and lasting longer running on the treadmill, to not even making it through a mile outside before I need to walk. My husband reminds me that it’s still early in my training and the most important thing is getting in the miles to keep building up, whether they’re walking miles or running miles. Moving forward indoors (even though I still think the treadmill is miserable), just to feel like I’m going backwards outside can be annoying. But I’m still going, and I know I’m getting a little better every day, even when it doesn’t always feel like it.

At least now I can put in my miles in cute workout clothes too!

OOTD 2.24.2016

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It seems that despite my best efforts to be done with winter clothes, Indiana is not yet done with winter. Womp womp. 

Today was a return to temps in the 30s and snow tonight (remember when it was 72 degrees just four days ago?), but fear not, we’re supposed to be in the 50s by Saturday and 60s by Sunday. This is Indiana, after all. Transitioning weather calls for transitional outfits, and although I posted a version of this one here, part of what I love about it is you can change the outfit up just by changing the scarf. 

Today was a black-and-white plaid blanket scarf from Old Navy last year, but it can just as easily be swapped for a lighter and brighter scarf when the days get warmer. Draping the scarf lengthwise around your neck and belting it gives a bit of a polished, faux vest look, while secretly keeping you warm and cozy at your desk all day. A basic black long-sleeved top  (like I said, I may have a slight obsession with black tops), my favorite Minnie pants from J.Crew, and some black pumps provide a sleek base for the outfit. Topped with my faithful Kendra Scott earrings, monogram necklace, and this pop of bright pink lip color I can’t get enough of, and I was ready for the day. 

Here’s hoping this is the last of the winter things for awhile! 

  

OOTD 2.18.2016: OTK Boots & The Office

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We’ve officially reached the point in February when I am so over winter and winter clothes, I can’t stand it. When the temperatures first dropped in the fall, I was excited to pull out the wools, tweeds, darker colors, and tights. Now? Over it. Soooo over it!

Today wasn’t nearly as warm as tomorrow is supposed to be (62 degrees! A heatwave for Indiana in February!), but I decided to ditch the tights and go for bright colors, despite the temps in the 40s. That’s where my beloved OTK boots came in.

The key to OTK boots at the office ensuring you’re not showing much – if any – skin. OTK boots can pack a whole lot of va-va-voom, which is the opposite of what you want for your standard 9-to-5 office environment. I never wear mine to work without opaque black tights and/or as much coverage as possible to tone them down, usually in the form of a knee-grazing skirt. Since I was boycotting my tights today, coverage was extra important.

My fit and flare dress is a few years old from Old Navy, but a good fit and flare is always a comfy classic. This one also comes to my knees, so only a centimeter or so of skin would show when I was walking, meeting the coverage requirement. Not satisfied with the bright dress alone, I had to add in my Lilly Pulitzer Murfee scarf (a birthday gift from a sweet friend a few years ago), and my hot pink Kendra Scott earrings. I topped it all off with some bright lipstick. For being described as a balm, the color of this bareMinerals “Lip-Oil Balm” sticks around all day.

Bring on spring!

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Girls Weekend and Indy’s Bacon Fest!

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There’s nothing better than a weekend with your besties, am I right? The weekend kicked off at my house on Friday night with wine, cheese, masks, nail painting, and all sorts of other girly fun together.

GirlsNight-Cheese

I love a good spread of meats, cheeses, hummus, fruits, and veggies. They’re easy to pull together, and they never fail to look fancy without too much effort (you know, when you actually bother to put the hummus and salsa in bowls instead of leaving them in their plastic Trader Joe’s containers – whoops). This ended up being our dinner for the evening, paired with a few bottles of wine, of course. Then came face masks, painting our nails, and a Hulu marathon while my husband hid out at let us do our thing.

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We knew Saturday would be full of food at Indy’s Bacon Fest, but that didn’t stop us from starting it off with a breakfast of toasted bagels, avocado, and a lesson in poaching eggs from my friend Erin. I can’t wait to see how many eggs I ruin trying to recreate this little bit of heaven, but I’m obsessed with a good runny yolk and anything avocado, so it’ll be worth the effort.

The main event for the day was Indy’s Bacon Fest, an event featuring bacon and “pork inspired” products from 20 local restaurants, beer from a local brewery, and so much deliciousness. It was the second year of the event, and I’m SO PROUD of my sister’s best friend, who has organized the whole thing both years. Baconfest-SarahKristiBaconfest-shirtBaconfest-MeSarah2Baconfest-girlsfood

Have I ever mentioned that one of my husband’s favorite things is a photobomb? All. The. Time. The day included samples like BBQ Sorghum Glazed Bacon from Bent Rail Brewery, Bacon Glaze Donuts from Jack’s Donuts, a Potato Bacon Terrine from Union 50 (my favorite of the day), and so many other amazing things. We were absolutely stuffed trying everything, but luckily it was a perfect 60 degree day that allowed us to go sit outside on the patio and enjoy an afternoon in the sun – so rare for Indianapolis in January!

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Don’t worry, that Indiana Pork tattoo on my sister is temporary…even though we may have tried to tell our mom it wasn’t. Our beers for the day were from Tow Yard Brewing Company, and I was a big fan of the Goldie Hops Golden Ale.

My striped shirt is on sale for less than $15 at Gap, my blanket scarf is probably one of my most-worn accessories, and of course, I think I’ve made my feelings about my Pixie pants pretty clear by now. Kaitlin’s buffalo plaid vest is also on markdown right now at J.Crew with an extra 40% off, and I love it so much I may need one of my own.

After Indy’s Bacon Fest, we took a nice (long) walk in the gorgeous weather to Hotel Tango, a craft distillery that’s one of our favorite places to grab a cocktail. Although we intended to go out to dinner and out on the town Saturday night, we ended up ordering in Thai food and keeping things pretty low key. We did learn that the whole use white wine to get out spilled red wine thing really does work though. Life lessons.

Our weekends together are my favorite, and it felt like forever since our last visit after the summer full of wedding festivities meant lots of play dates. Weekends with your college girlfriends are like food for your soul. Can’t wait for the next one!

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Girly Saturday: Brunch & Antiquing

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I had a girly day yesterday while my amazing husband and father-in-law were at our house fixing our water heater. It’s been rough for the past few weeks – you had to choose between lukewarm-to-scalding hot water with zero water pressure, or lots of pressure with ICE COLD water. Luckily, my father-in-law is super handy, and he was able to show my husband how to fix the blocked valves and save us from spending a ton of money on a new water heater. The difference today was incredible, so thank goodness for parents who are constantly helping us figure out this whole homeownership thing.

Now, doesn’t that brunch look amazing? One of my best friends moved to Indy a few months ago, so she’s definitely helping me stay cool and try fun new restaurants. Yesterday we went to Milktooth, and what you’re seeing is the most incredible grilled raclette, cranberry, and walnut grilled cheese, drizzled with black truffle honey and topped with a local duck egg. The other girls had a spaghetti squash pad thai pancake (so good!) and the “Milktooth Double,” which was a double burger that our friend said was amazing. Of course, it’s not brunch without cocktails, so I had a French 75, and the other girls had a michelada and beer mimosa. If you’re ever looking for great brunch in the Indy area, Milktooth is absolutely worth the trip and the wait (it’ll be packed, expect a wait).

After brunch, Kaitlin and I went antiquing to find fun things for our house and her apartment. It was my first time really going antiquing, and it was crazy seeing all of the different things in the stalls. I picked up the wrought iron part of an old clock face (shout out to Kaitlin for seeing it tucked in the back corner of a booth and letting me snag it) and this fun old vase. I think the clock piece will be an awesome edition to the gallery wall we’re trying to put together.

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We had actually planned to go to a different antique mall, but ended up missing the turn, so we decided to try out a place my father-in-law recommended instead. We followed up antiquing with her coming over for an evening at our house of takeout, wine, and standup comedy on Netflix, so it was a pretty fantastic day.

Because I knew we’d be walking around a lot and be outside, I tried to layer up and dress for the unexpected.

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It was a day for a plaid tunic, comfy cardigan, my favorite charcoal Pixie pants, and pink Hunter boots just for fun. My monogram is probably my most worn piece of jewelry – not counting my wedding rings, of course. I actually got my pink Hunters about five years ago in the shoe sale room at our local Von Maur, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw other bloggers talking about how Hunter had a “new” pink color last fall that was exactly the same as my old ones. My plaid tunic and cardigan aren’t exact matches, but are still super cute steals from Old Navy. The Pixie pants are marked down to $50 with an extra 40% off right now, making them an amazing deal at $30, so go, go, go get some!

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Today I stocked up on supplies for upcoming craft projects and we’ve got another cold weather favorite planned for dinner, so look for projects and recipes coming soon!

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