Weekly Drool: Sweater Weather!

Ok, I am in love with this weather here in the upper Midwest.  It is finally sweater weather (SJ&YP note:  can we dub that term sweather?)! Now I can sport my boots, skinnies, and sweaters with pride and without people looking at me like I am crazy!  I have some gorgeous items in my closet that are begging to be let out. 

Last Friday was really my first chance to truly enjoy sweater weather.  Since Littlest and I were running errands to get ready for Biggest’s first sleepover (9 little girls, YIKES), I took advantage of the chance to throw on a favorite sweater.  Yes, I do dress cute when I run errands.  Sometimes.  OK, I am trying to practice what I preach better than I used to. 

So Friday I was all gussied up with lots of places to go.  I was feeling kind of cute, wanting to snap some pictures of the outfit for the blog when I realized, I had no adults around to do it for me.  By the time Hubby would be home, I would either be swarmed with kids or a hot mess from getting party ready.  What was a girl to do?  Call a professional!

I am lucky to be buddies with an amazing photographer, Mel at Studio Threesixty5.  I am even luckier to be able to get her on the phone while she is in the middle of moving into a new (absolutely gorgeous) home.  She was gracious enough to agree to snap a couple pictures for me on her phone so I could blog them. 

Check out her amazing pictures, taken on her iPhone, no less.  Imagine what she can do with a normal camera!  Oh, and while you are at it, check out the outfit.  I think you will agree sweater weather deserves to be the weekly drool.

It should be noted that Mel was not the only photographer we had on hand that day.  In order to distract Littlest for a few minutes, I gave her my iPhone to play with.  Little did I know that Littlest was a budding photographer.  Please note:  the photo below was not edited at all, not even cropped.

 

Well everyone, sweater weather is finally here.  Go forth and snuggle up! 

 

Sweater by Free People

Jeans by Hudson

Sunglasses by Kate Spade

Purse by Francesa’s Collection

Necklace by Harriet Isles

Earrings - vintage (from my mom)

Fall–In Love.

*sigh* Do you smell that?  It is the smell of pumpkin spiced lattes at Starbucks.  I think we all know what that means……fall has finally arrived.  Sure the weather here in the Twin Cities may not be in agreement with this, having been stuck in the mid to high eighties for the past few weeks, but the calendar says September, dang nabbit! 

So, now that it is officially fall (at least in my head), I am so ready to embrace the latest and greatest fall trends, working them into my wardrobe and onto my face.  Of course, I will always remain true to my love of skinny jeans and boots, but here are some of the new things I am dying over.

• Leather.  Yes, I know I already did a blog post about this, but in a post CAbi party haze, I am still dying for it.  I may have splurged and bought not one, not two, but three leather accented items at the party, having shown restraint and put the fourth (a pair of fingerless leather gloves) back.  In my defense, I needed a new pair of leggings, and these just happen to have a leather trim on them.  So that makes them on trend and needed, right?  Also, I really needed the leather pencil skirt…..and a-line skirt.   Those are basics….
• Booties.  Because what else will I wear with my new leggings and skirts?  There are so many amazing pairs out there, how does a girl choose?  Oh wait.  We go to DSW and pick up several pair.   Now if only I can get hubby onboard with that idea. 
• Olive green.  This is the new neutral, treat it as such.  I love this look in denim, jackets, shirts….even nails and eyes.  One of my favorite neutral, everyday shadows right now is Earth Angel by NARs (naturally, picked up at Sephora).
• Cat Eyes.  For awhile, I was rocking this look.  Then I got tired of it.  Now it is back with a passion and I am totally feeling it.  I have been spending tons of time on Pinterest and am totally feeling this look.  I personally find it easiest with a great liquid liner like Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Liner or Two Faced 3-Way Lash Lining Tool.  Well, that and practice, practice, practice.  But trust me, it isn’t as hard as it seems. 
• Matte lips.  Sure I just got a great six pack of glosses from Buxom, but I am still anxious to work the matte lip.  This will be a challenge for me, since I have a love for shiny lips (which, incidentally, are easier to maintain).  Thankfully, I also have a great love for Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar.  My newest love is the Vintage color.  Note to self:  make sure to exfoliate and moisturize the lips like crazy. 

Of course, I am sure there will be more things which will pop up on my love list.  Be sure to stay tuned.  Now that the weather is cooperating, I might just start posting outfits again too!

See you soon, peeps.  Off to grab something pumpkin flavored!

Weekly Drool - The Great Minnesota Get Together

It is that time of year again, one of my favorite signals to the end of summer, the Minnesota State Fair. Last year, I took Biggest as part of a Mommy-Daughter day.  We had snacks, rode rides, saw the sights.  You name it we did it.  This year, I am headed to the fair with both kidlets in hopes of making some memories.  Yes, I know the next two days are going to be the hottest of the summer, with the heat index reaching over 100 (which for the Twin Cities is pretty damn hot).  They don’t call it the Great Minnesota “Sweat” Together for nothing.  We have a plan which includes going early, lots of water, and sunscreen.

Even with my dislike of heat, which inevitably creeps up to uncomfortable levels during the fair every year, I absolutely adore the Fair.  I have gone since I was young.  To me, it is the ten best days of summer for several reasons. 

• It is a great place to people watch.  Let’ be honest.  Who doesn’t love to go out and observe people in public?  We all do, say, and wear crazy things.  Last year, we saw a little girl lose her first tooth in a line behind us.  Every year, you find stressed out parents, screaming kids, people crowding into small, hot spaces just to see the heads carved into butter!  This year, I might try filling out a State Fair bingo card.  I think I can be a winner!
• It is a great place to eat.  Truth be told I like to eat.  It takes a lot of fuel to keep this curvy body at my current fighting weight.  (Yup, I went there).  The State Fair is the place where you can find almost anything you want (on a stick, of course) and can eat yourself silly.  My preference is to share with others, so I don’t overeat…as much as possible.  Hell.  I still overeat.  At the Fair, we all do. 
• It is a great place to make memories.  I remember going to the Fair in high school with the marching band and trying to go through the Haunted House with the boys we were crushing on.  We used to hang out at the KDWB boom box.  When I went with my parents we would spend what felt like forever watching the Vitamix demo or the guy who makes salsa (even though my dad already had the salsa machine).  Now, I am making memories with my own kids (click here to read about last year’s trip with Biggest).  I can’t wait to see what memories they share with their own kids in the future. 
• It means summer is ending.  Yes, you can gripe at me all you want, but some of us are not summer people.  I love fall.  Besides, you know what the beginning of fall means, pumpkin spiced lattes at Starbucks.  Be honest, you know you want it.

It’s About That Time.

It is getting to be about that time again.  The seasons are changing.  Sure, it is over ninety degrees the past few days, but I choose to ignore that fact.  Fall is coming.  With it, change is coming.  As anyone who knows me (or who has ever looked at my personal Facebook profile pictures) can tell you, I love to change things up, especially my hair. 

For the past six months, I have had the same haircut.  That might be a record for me, with the exception of the bowl cut my mother forced upon me from birth until fifth grade (where I thought a permed mullet was a great idea.  Story for another blog post.).  Even my exceptionally talented stylist, Tracy, was getting antsy for a change.

I know changing hairstyles is scary to some, but I like to think of my hair as an accessory to my face and my outfit. As my styles change, so must my hair.  In the spring, I feel fun and light.  I like to make my hair the main statement piece of my ensemble.  In the fall, I don’t.

So tonight, I had a hair appointment with Tracy.  I have given some thought the past month to what I would like to do next.  Even while I sat in the chair, the conversation in my head was something like this:

Of course, I rarely listen to the voices in my head….actually, that’s not true.  I love the voices in my head.  We have great conversations.  So the next thing you know:

(SJ&YP note:  Anyone else hearing the jeopardy theme song right now?)

 

 

DRUMROLL PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

The mohawk is gone!  The bleach blond is gone!  Enter, the fabulous strawberry blonde pixie.

Love.

 

And now fall can begin.

Weekly Drool: Leather!

Anyone who has seen me knows I have a love of a look with a little bit of edge to it.  That is why I am so excited about one of the biggest trends for fall, leather.  Now, I am sure some of you might be thinking this is going to be some biker chic trend which can’t be easily worn by a mom.  God forbid a mom wear leather, right?  Wrong!  This is a great trend which can be worn for a night out, for a day at the office, or even running around with your kids! 

Check out Libby, one of my fabulous co-workers.  She wore this to work last week and it was so adorbs I had to snag a pic.  I love how she pairs the fitted (vegan) leather peplum top with a comfy flowy pant.  Adding the chevron underneath gives it a little extra pop.  Adorbs for a night out with the hubs or girlfriends.  Of course, she was perfectly comfortable running around at the store all day too.

Peplum top by Sanctuary

Chevron top by Tychee

Sabrina Pant by Supply and Demand

Yesterday, we were playing with a new dress we got in the store.  Leather is outside the box for Kacie, another Hot Mama stylist, we thought it would be fun to take some risks.  She was gracious enough to try on the dress and let us style her up.  Since Kacie is a future law student, we wanted to show how work friendly this piece would be.  Adding a knit cardigan and a belt really softened the look but still kept it polished.

Leather Dress by Jack

Santana Open Cardy by Wooden Ships

Around Town Adjustable Belt by Cole Graye

Antique Gold Pearl Necklace by Harriet Isles *(SJ&YP favorite)

Beige Tear Drop Statement Necklace by Mia Berkley

Now I am sure the idea of wearing leather for a night out is easy to accept.  Wearing it for a work, slightly easier to accept.  Wearing it with your kids?  How do you do that!  Simple.  It is all in the details.  Literally.  Just do this:

And add something like this:

And viola!  You have a comfy mom-friendly way to wear leather.  See?  Trendy, easy, and comfy.  What could be better? So there you have it.  A fun option for fall which can be worn almost anywhere. This is why I am drooling over leather.

Leggings by CAbi

Jeepster Pullover by Free People

Stripe Toosaloosa Hard Candy Cuff by Free People

Geometric Smoke Crystal Pendant by Harriet Isles

 

(SJ&YP Note: When I saw the leggings above (by CAbi), I immediately booked a CAbi party.  The fall line is adorbs!)

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far.

Before Biggest and Littlest were born, I always wondered who they would take after.  Now that they are here, the answer is clear.  Those are my girls.  Sure, Biggest looks way more like Hubby than me and Littlest is my mini-me.  But when it comes to personality, attitude, and style?  Those kids are 100% their mother.

Good luck with that, Hubby.

I knew I was in trouble when Biggest was three years old.  I came downstairs to go to work and made the mistake of asking her how I looked.  She gave me the elevator eyes, cocked her little blonde head and said, “Huh uh.  Nope. Go upstairs and change.  But keep the boots, because I like those.”  I will be damned if I didn’t go back upstairs and change.  She did approve of the second outfit though.

 

Since then, Biggest has kept her opinions on style and asks to dress me almost every morning.  She is forever digging through my closet, picking out my jewelry and undies, making requests for me to build outfits around a particular pair of shoes or (almost always) sparkly top.  Some days, I take her suggestions, other days are a swing and a miss (at least in my opinion, never in hers).

Now Biggest has a partner in crime.  She has Littlest.  That small girl has entered the “I only wear dresses and skirts” phase of her life and refuses to leave it.  Yes, Biggest went through this (briefly), but I don’t foresee and end in sight for Littlest.  She is the ultimate girly girl, and will fight to wear style she wants.  

Honestly, I don’t argue with them anymore.  I save my fights for things like family or special events and pictures.  As long as they are dressing weather appropriate, I say go for it.  Why fight their sense of style?  Besides, they both have a healthy dose of stubbornness in them.  Hmmm….I wonder where they get that?!  Oh yeah.  From me.

Naturally, this means trouble when it comes to the most basic things like shopping or going in public.  They love tutus, lace, sparkly, makeup, whatever they can get their hands on.  Even the reading material they keep in their bathroom (something they learned from their father) reflects their tastes. 

They have especially found a sucker in Cuz.  Visiting her at Sephora is the best time ever for the kidlets.  Since Cuz doesn’t have little girls, she dotes on mine, so they are always walking out of the store with a bag full of perfume samples, sporting the sparkliest lipsticks and lip gloss they can find.

On Sunday we visited Cuz at work.  Since she hadn’t seen Biggest and Littlest for awhile, she must have been feeling especially lovey.  Next thing you know, this happened:

Yup.  That is my six year old getting all dolled up with eye shadow.  At least she picked a shimmery grey.  Littlest went for the brightest, sparkliest blue she could find.  We were able to talk them out of the mascara and eyeliner but they conned us into blush.  It was awesome walking out of the mall with them.  I felt like one of those moms on “Toddlers and Tiaras.”

I can’t wait until Hubby gets a turn to walk around with them like that.  Good thing they have already trained him to paint their nails….with special designs too.  Again, good luck to you, Hubby.

Going Glamping.

I don’t rough it.  That is not something I enjoy.  The idea of staying somewhere without flushing toilets and hot showers does not appeal to me. Neither does carrying all my possessions on my back for miles through the woods.  It is amazing to me that anyone would want to do those things.  But one thing I still like to do?  I like to camp. 

I know you are asking, if you don’t like to do those things listed above, how the heck do you like to camp.  Well, I like to go glamping.  Yes, I will sleep in a (big, big) tent.  On an air mattress.  At a campground with flushing toilets.  And showers.  And electricity for my blow dryer.  I will rough it and put my mascara on using a small mirror in my tent. 

Yes, you can take the fashionista out of the city but you can’t take her styling products or she will hurt you.

Last weekend, we went camping with my sister and her family.  Since Auntie Carrie is about as outdoorsy as me (i.e. she drinks on patios and eats at the occasional pizza farm), it was a good match.  Hubby and I had never taken the kidlets camping before so we found a close campground and booked it for only one night.  So off we went!

I am sure you are all reading this, wondering what I wear when I go camping (someone at work actually asked me). No, I do not wear my Prairie Underground to the camp, mostly out of fear a spark from the fire would burn a hole in my favorite hoodies.  Yes, I do dress more casual when I camp, but still have to look presentable for photos. For those who are wondering, I was wearing jeans, sneakers, an AC/DC Junk Food shirt and an oversized Lake Okoboji sweatshirt I stole from Auntie Carrie.

I am also sure you are wondering if I will share the tips which make camping such a great success for us.  Being the thoughtful blogger that I am, here is my best advice:

• Once you arrive, it is important to set up camp.  It is always important to make sure you teach your kids how to create atmosphere at the campground using lanterns, tablecloths, candles, and McDonald’s toys.

• Having your kids help set up your two room tent is important as well.  Don’t forget to teach them to take your shoes off on the rug outside the door, so as not to track dirt into the tent.  Also, don’t forget to remind them NOT to jump on the cots you borrowed from the neighbors or your air mattress which now has a slow leak (I wonder why….)

• Of course, we needed food for the trip.  Being that there were 8 of us going (4 adults and 4 kids), we would need lots, right?!  Hopefully, 5 bags of chips and 3 bags of donuts is enough for our 24 hour jaunt.

• Once camp is set up and the adults have had a beer, find a way to occupy the kids.  We found it helpful to take them to the campground beach which only gets about 2 feet deep.

• Make sure to keep the kids busy at the beach with adorable photo ops while the men go back to “get dinner started” (or drink beer, whatever they are really doing).

(Biggest)

(Littlest)

• Make sure you take a cute selfie, just to add balance to all the pictures of the kids.  Don’t be afraid to take a couple and pick the one you like best to Instagram.  You can always delete the others.

• Once the kids are worn down a little (or you would like to make it back to camp before all the adult beverages are gone), head back to your campsite.  Try not to lose anyone along the way.  That stinks.  Trust me.
• When you get back, you will be hungry.  Make dinner! I personally prefer pudgy pies or hobos.
   
  

• If you can, find someone else to cook, while you relax.  You cook enough at home!
   
  

Shoes:  Jamie by Dr. Scholl’s

Jeans:  Crop Muse by Hudson

• Once it gets dark, make sure you give the kids glow sticks.  That way you can find them in the dark.  Plus, it entertains them for the last twenty minutes before you send them to bed so you can drink beer around the fire.  If you are really lucky, they will put themselves to bed!

• The next morning, make sure to start off with a healthy breakfast.  I prefer to give the kids donuts and yogurt to give them strength to help us pack the car back up. 

 

So there you have it.  The SJ&YP tips for making your glamping trip a great success.  Now you can be outdoorsy like me.