The boots are back...

Winter was abnormally warm. We hit 80 degrees in February/March, and it was lovely. And I happily packed my boots away for the spring/summer, because it was just way too warm to wear them.

And then April hit.

And it has been cold, cold, cold. It's either 70 and rainy, with that damp chill that I so hate, or it's 60 degrees, and we have a wind advisory. It's nothing compared to those poor people getting hit with mountains and mountains of snow today, of course, but it doesn't make it any less necessary to pull the boots back out of their boxes.

One of these days...

Dress: BCBG Maz Azria (from Dillards)

Sweater: J Crew (outlet)

Boots: DSW

Luck of the Irish

I am half Italian, without a single drop of Irish blood in my body, but I also went to Notre Dame, which means that St. Patrick's Day is something like a religious holiday to me, purely by association. And as such, I wore green every day last week.
It's just something I do, I guess...

(Also, I think I'm more likely to actually post outfit shots if I take them with my phone, because I'm probably going to remember that I want to take pictures when my phone is all I have, but I'm still trying to figure out the quality aspect of things. I'll get there. Maybe...)

Dress: I don't remember, but I know it's from Dillards

Sweater: J Crew (outlet)

Boots: Another brand I don't remember, but these are from DSW

Tweed!

I am not a huge fan of winter. I don't like cold weather. I don't like gray skies. And I really, really don't like icy winds.

I like fall. I love November and December, because I'm a holiday nut. But once January hits? I'd like to skip forward to May, thank you very much.

But there are a few things about winter that make it a little more bearable in my mind, if you're going to insist that I be out and about in it...

Tights and boots are awesome, obviously, as are scarves and fun hats. A pretty winter coat? Yes, please. Starbucks in cold weather is kind of perfect, too. And then there's tweed.

I love a pretty tweed.

Of course, even with this list, it's still only enough cheer to get me through to February, maybe the beginning of March, at the most. Then I'm just kind of over it all and want nothing more than to start planning a beach trip effectivie immediately.

But, I guess it's a start...

So, help me out...what are your secrets for surviving the dreary weather? And if your answer is 'I live in Florida or California, so it's no big thing...', then I might be moving in with you in a couple of months. I clean up after myself really well, I promise!

Dress: Tahari (from Dillards)

Cardigan: J Crew (outlet)

Belt: Target

Shoes: Nine West

Sore

After doing really well through the first half of the year with eating right and exercising, my healthy plan has gone completely off of the track over the last couple of months. And while part of me just thinks that since I'm going on vacation in two weeks, I might as well wait until I get back to start things up again, the other part of me knows that I'll feel better if I try to try to ease myself back into things now.

And that would make perfect sense, if I could figure out the 'ease' part of things. Instead, I found a fantastic Nike app for my iPhone with a bunch of work-out options that involve cardio and strength training, with limited equipment, so I can do it while I'm watching the Bachelor Pad (Monday night's trashy t.v. of choice) or last week's Project Runway on DVR (last night's work-out background noise) in my family room. I kind of love it, except that it's totally kicking my butt, and it was all I could do to pull my poor body from bed this morning.

I might just have to call tonight an off night and search for a decent yoga app to do before bed, instead, because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be physically incapable of doing any sort of lunge anytime soon. It's about all I can do to sit in my chair without falling over on the way down.

As for getting back up again? That's going to take some work, I think...

Dress: Max & Cleo (from Dillards)

Sweater: J Crew (outlet)

Shoes: Nine West

Monday Rush

I am tired. The weekend? It's not really the time to relax that it used to be.

It has now turned into the time to cram as much as possible into the few free days I have. And that is not as pleasant as the previous scenario.

Ah, the joys of parenthood and being an adult and all of that fun stuff.

So, when the weekend rolls into Monday morning, and I've hit the snooze alarm fourteen times, and I am running beyond late, and I just don't have it in me to properly plan or accessorize, I feel like you can't go wrong with a dress and a cardigan...

Dress: Tahari (from Dillards)

Cardigan: J Crew Outlet

Jewelry: No idea!

Shoes: My trusty Nine West heels...seriously, I wish I had 10 pairs of these darn shoes.