Mac and cheesiness

You know what's nice in the middle of the week? Having a holiday potluck lunch party.

Purple jeweled headband - Nordstrom, Purple cardigan - Banana Republic (Present from...Mom or Sister!), Silk blouse - J.Crew (warehouse sale! A different silk blouse!), Cheetah belt - dEliA*S, Patterned skirt - Anthropologie, Boots - Naughty Monkey

What a fun break! And I got a present--a French press! Oh, how I love my coffee.

What else do I love? Besides pockets?

Mac and cheese! I made Paula Deen's creamy macaroni and cheese, mainly because I like providing hot dishes, and it's oh-so-easy when you have a slow cooker appropriate dish! Also love:

Swingy skirts! Which I tried to show here but instead I look crazy.

So back to a normal pose.

Camera shy

So sometimes when I take my own pics, I like to experiment with poses and facial expressions.

A coy "look at my outfit" look: Hat - H&M, Denim jacket - Gap, Pink sweater - Martin + Osa (oh, how I miss you), Purse - Burberry Prorsum, Maxi dress - Gap Outlet, Clogs - Frye

This pose and face says, "Attitude."

While this next one clearly says,

"I was trying to spin around and nearly tripped on my giant clog."

Had a fun night Tuesday meeting the family and a new friend for dinner. We had yummy Mexican food and maybe a margarita or two.

The "I need to do something with my arms" look.

It's nice to look forward to Tuesday night plans! It makes the beginning of the week less painful. Hope everybody else is having a good week!

Patterns, colors, and teased hair.

I felt like colors today!

Pearl necklace - Present from Parents, Striped sweater - Gap, Skirt - Anthropologie, White watch - Michele Watches, Bracelets- Uniquities, Boots - Miz Mooz

Probably because I woke up to a gray, cold Monday.

I considered tucking in the sweater--what do we think of it like this, though?

The outfit could have been improved upon, but I was mainly happy with it. Pattern-mixing always gives me a boost.

And skirts with pockets, of course.

And new hairstyles! I teased it quite a bit, put in a thin black headband, pinned back the top and side sections, bunned the rest, but left out some of it for a pony.

I was at least pleased with my hair.

Have you tried a new hairstyle lately? Do share. I love trying new hairstyles!

Fave of the week: December 3-December 9

It's an oldie but goodie--my fave outfit is from Monday:

I liked so many other outfits from this week--Wednesday's knee socks and clogs, Thursday was quite different for me, and Friday's accessories. But this dress was my first real foray into patterns, and it should get a shout-out. Popping against simple black tights and booties and highlighted with a gold cardigan and accessories, this dress is super easy to wear and also easy to style up.

Do you love turtlenecks?

This is a super similar outfit to Friday's.

Silver flower (in hair) - Nordstrom Rack, Blue sweater dress - Arden B., Black leggings - Roots, Boots - Gentle Souls for Kenneth Cole

Different hair accessory, different color sweater, different type of leggings.

But essentially the same.

I forgot how much I liked this sweater dress until I wore it on Saturday out to lunch with friends at the mall.

I need to wear it as a top under a skirt or something.

The turtleneck, the sleeves, the rich color--just lovely.

Have I talked about how much I love turtlenecks before? Because I do. Love them.

Patterns ahoy

It's been extra cold the last few days, and I was still in a birthday mood, so I had to pull out my own birthday present...

Scarf - Burberry (the birthday present, from Husband), Floral shirt - the Limited, Blazer - Nordstrom, Belt - dEliA*s, Jeans - Gap, Boots - Naughty Monkey

I have long wanted this scarf, and was very lucky to get it as a present.

It's made up of the softest blue, pink, purple, cream, and brown.

I played off the little bit of pink in the scarf and put on this shirt, then thought, Great, I can wear my brown blazer!

I never realized how little brown I had in my closet...until I couldn't find anything to go with this blazer!

The beige in the floral shirt plays with the beige and brown blazer. Beige and brown...what does that remind us of?

Leopard print, of course! Throw in the belt!

I get extra time on weekends to experiment with my hair too. I did two French braids, one on each side of my head, meeting in the middle for a low ponytail. I was trying to do the boho braid, as featured on the beauty department, but I didn't start with wavy hair and didn't tease it properly. Ugh, so many hair pics make me want to get long bangs.

Happy, relaxed birthday

This is a busy season with holidays, work travel, and birthdays for me. But I have to let that stress go and just enjoy the festivities, including and especially Friday's birthday.

Multi-colored headband - Target, Sweater dress - Arden B., Coat - Gap, Leggings - Arden B., Boots - Gentle Souls for Kenneth Cole

I loved seeing the family--eating, talking, and laughing. We ate yummy Italian food, then came back to the house for ice cream cake and coffee.

Happy birthday!

That was after a whole day off from work so I was extra relaxed and happy. That is just the thing to do during this season--take off extra days!

And do not check your work email!