Day 6,7,and 8..

It's been a busy weekend. Saturday the Drama Teen(who is no longer a Teen) flew in from Virginia. And on Sunday we had the Family Christmas Celebration at my Mother in Laws.

So Here are the outfits for the last 3 days.....

Sunday:

Dress-Tucker for Target

Belt-not sure

Tights-Apt 9-Kohls

Boots-not sure..Payless? maybe..

and here with a Cardigan from H & M. I got it last year.

This is the first time I've worn this dress even though I've had it for a couple months...this is one of my problems...I buy things and hang them in the closet or shove them in a drawer and forget about them. Or save them to wear for a special occasion that never really materializes.....So I finally found a special occasion to wear it for. Christmas at my Mother In Law's. I LOVE it and felt wonderful in it. I don't usually wear belts either, but they seem to be 'in' these days and I've been wanting to try using some. I loved how this belt worked with the dresss. I actually tried a different one that I got from Anthropologie. It was stretchy and had a flower closure...but it wouldn't stay clasped and then finally just fell apart...I'm kinda ticked because it wasn't cheap and I expected more from Anthro.

Here we are at my Mother In Laws. Me , the Drama Teen and the Commander with our  Godson.

 Monday:

 Gray Old Navy Sweater-had this a few years.

Levis-Have had for YEARS.

Monday was a relaxed day that I really didn't want to 'think' about what I'd wear. This is an outfit I wear all the time. I have a couple of these Jeans, and a few similar sweaters that I usually just throw on without thinking about it. I'm trying not to wear too many of my 'go to' outfits too early on. Want to make sure I have a few fallback outfits for days like Monday.

Tuesday:

Sweater Dress-JCPenny

Leggings-Not sure..Shopko? maybe

Another lazy want to lay around in my pajamas type day. It snowed last night. Commander has the day off and we just hung out at home putting our Christmas presents together. Just wanted to be comfy. I got this dress earlier this fall and again, haven't worn it yet. Didn't really like the fit.. It's a little too body concious. Shows too much. So at this point it's definitely an 'at home' only outfit.

P.S. These are NOT the same leggings from the other day....luckily I have a few pairs of Black Leggings.

Drama Teen and Commander spent most of the weekend assembling these.....

Day 5-No Repeats

Another busy day. Commander decided we needed a few more gifts for a few more people...so although I 'thought' I was done, I had to venture out  today....on a Saturday....during the Holidays.....the last weekend before Christmas! I wasn't thrilled! As much as I HATE shopping during the Holidays(especially on weekends) I HATE driving on icy , snowy roads even more....and in my Wimpy "Southern" Truck( has rear wheel drive-soooo not good on snowy , icy roads.And it doesn't like the cold so it stalls at every stoplight!Ugg)So anyways ..that has been my day. Now I'm cooking up a Sweet Potato Casserole for our Family Christmas Celebration at my MIL's tomorrow. And hopefully later tonight we'll be picking up the Drama Teen(who's not a 'teen' anymore) in Milwaukee...I say 'hopefully' because her flights been delayed out of DC now, for about an hour and we're not sure she'll make it to her connection in time.

On to today's oufit:

Plaid Tunic-Gift from the Co-ed last Christmas.

Gray Sequined Sweater- I think it was from Target-YEARS ago.

Dressy Denim Trousers-Target-a few years ago.

Socks-not sure, I think I got them at Goodwill(they were still in their package)

I like the top , it's comfortable and I love the colors. I've noticed that Plaid Tunic type tops seem to be popular on a lot of the Style blogs so I think I'll hold on to this one. The Gray sweater I've thought of giving away a few times. It's pretty but just doesn't fit right. Of course, sequins seem to be 'in' right now too, so part of me wants to keep it...but I'm just not sure. Love the pants, used to wear them ALL the time. Lately they've been forgotten in my closet. Definite keepers though. Will wear them often once the Challenge is over.

I did some shopping today and made the mistake of wearing these Gray Suedish Flats...NOT a good idea when the parking lots are all Dirty Slushy Wet Messes! I'm not sure I really even like these shoes very much anyway. They were cheap Walmart Slipons and I'm just not crazy about the way they feel and look. They're comfortable but they feel too much like I'm walking around in Slippers, which might seem like a 'good' thing to some people but I'm not really into them.

 Later , if and when, I get to pick up my daughter from the Air Port in Milwaukee I think I'll wear these.I can't remember where I got them...Payless? maybe? They have a little bit of heel but are pretty comfortable.

Day Four -No Repeats

 Purple Cable Sweater-Target(Last Year)
Black Ruffle T-Shirt(underneath) -Walmart (Last Year)
Brown Cargos-Not sure..had them a few years.
Socks-Handknit, gift during a Sock Swap I participated in a few years ago.

I Like the sweater and wore it alot last year. Last year was my 'Purple' year. I wore a LOT of Purple....I love the socks as well. They are fun to wear and very warm and comfy. The pants I'm not too sure about. They fit 'ok' but I don't know...they're a little uncomfortable...they sit a bit below the waist and give me a bit of that "muffin top" feel. Maybe if I lost a few pounds they'd feel better( they were a little tight, not uncomfortabley tight , just slightly) But then again, I worry that if I lost a few pounds then they'd probably fit too loose and constantly be falling off or at least feel like it. I think it's mostly that the rise is wrong for my body. So these may not be sticking around. I really like them and like the way they look. But they just don't 'feel" right. I'll try them again in January when I've hopefully lost a few pounds and see how they feel. If they still feel wrong, then they'll go in the Goodwill box.

Today was another slouchy type of day. I meant to get to the Post Office but it didn't happen. Commander DID take me to dinner though. We went to the Clubhouse in our Neighborhood( we live on a Golf Course with a Clubhouse restaurant) It's so great to have this place right up the street. It's like a two second drive for us, which is great on these cold winter nights when you really don't want to go out or go very far.

Busy as a Bee...

What a busy day today. I didn't go anywhere but there was so much to do here at home. I spent the day wrapping and packaging gifts. Wasn't able to get to the Post Office(didn't have Genius Boy's full addy) so I'll have to mail everything out on Monday. Hopefully it will all get to it's recipients on time! I'll have to mail everything Priority. Then I spent the rest of the day working on BIL Scrapbook and FINALLY finsihed! Hopefully Commander will be home soon and I can convince him to take me out for Dinner.

I never really got around to blogging about our Housebuilding progress much. So I'm sharing pics of the scrapbook of the whole process. From Breaking Ground to the End Product.

Comfort-Day Three

 Sweater-Express(Last Year),Gray Turtleneck-Target(last year, I think), Leggings-Shopko

I chose today's outfit because I really wanted to be warm and comfortable. Normally I'd just wear sweats(This has been the case WAY too often since I moved here, and the main reason I want to do this challenge) so I decided to put together an outfit that would be just as warm and cuddly. I dug this sweater out of the Goodwill basket! Not sure WHY I was planning to get rid of it. I lived in it last year. It's way more comfy than any of my sweatshirts and MUCH cuter. Took me a while to find it, I looked everywhere for it for the last week . Finally found it today.

Today was a creative day. Spent most of the day working on this Scrapbook for my BIL-the one who helped CDR build our house. It's a scrapbook of the whole process.

Day Two No-Repeats

I apologize again for the crappy picture....Gosh I wish I could take really awesome Style Photos like all those cool Style Bloggers do! But alas, my camera sucks(getting a new one for Christmas) , my abilities seem to suck, and I don't have anyone to take my photos for me....Commander would look at me like I had two heads if I asked to take pics of my outfits every day. Every once in a while I can sneakily get someone to take a pic of me in one of my outfits but even then it's hard because they don't usually think to get the WHOLE outfit in the pic and I can't explain that I WANT the whole outfit in the pic without them thinking I'm totally weird......so here's my Day Two pics.

Didn't get my pics done until the sun had started to set, which didn't help with the quality of the pics.

Walmart Sweater-bought it a month or two ago...first time wearing it. Just hadn't gotten around to it. I actually really like it, now that I've finally worn it. Too bad I can't wear it again for about a month!

Grey Knit Pleated Skirt-I've had this one for a few years ...I think I bought it at Steinmart in VA.

Grey Diamond Pattern Tights-Target...I've had these for YEARS...love them....very warm.

Fake Motorcycle boots-Walmart...last winter, only worn once before.

No Repeats???

Ok, so I know I haven't been the most prolific blogger as of late....but......I'm ready to jump back in  bloggy pool! And what better way than to start a challenge? Yeah , I know, I 'start' these all the time. Not sure I've ever 'finished' one, or even made it half way or even past the 2nd day!!!! But I'm going to give the good ole college try! I've spent the last few days perusing over the the blogs of some awesome Style Bloggers that participated in a 30 for 30 Challenge. This challenge just ended, though, so I Pretty much missed the party....

But....there's this new Challenge that is right up my alley. The No-Repeats challenge. Granted I'm about a day late for this one too and therefore can't be an Official Member but figure I can still play along. I've actually wanted to do a challenge like this for a while. Since moving to WI I've gotten a GOOD look at my wardrobe and wow...I mean ..I knew I had a LOT of clothes and shoes..but really I'm shocked at how much I really DO have! Sad thing is I don't even wear half of it. Like most people I only wear maybe 20% of my wardrobe 80% of the time. I've seen a few other Challenges where the paricipants don't shop at all for a specific amount of time....some for a few months, and some for a whole YEAR even. Part of me would like to try that ...but I'm not sure I'm really ready for that yet..LOL

The No-Repeat challenge seems like something I could handle...and I think I could even handle not shopping for the duration. To be honest, since moving to WI I haven't had the inclination to shop as much as I used to. Partly because I live out in the Frozen Tundra and don't have many decent stores nearby to shop at. And I'm not crazy about driving very far on snowy, icy roads. I have been enjoying a little bit of Online Shopping, but I find I'm a little more careful and don't make as many impulse purchases online.

So for the No-Repeat Challenge- as you might have already guessed, the idea is to wear soemthing different every day for a month without repeating the main components of your outfit(tops and bottoms) . Accessories and shoes are Ok to repeat. Actually there are two ways to participate.
 1)You can wear things more than once but not together...In other words you can wear a pair of jeans more than once...just not with the same tops. ( this is mainly for those who don't have enough tops and/or bottoms to not repeat at some point)
2) You don't repeat ANY article of clothing other than accessories and shoes. ( If you think you have enough tops and bottoms to get you through the month) I'm ashamed to admit I think I have enough to get me thru a few months maybe even the whole year, yikes! And if it weren't winter I'd probably have enough shoes to get  me thru as well.

So anyway....I'll be trying option 2. And as I stated earlier, I'm a day late already..so even though the challenge is from Dec. 13th to Jan. 13th,mine will be from the 14th to the 14th.

Here's a little button linking to the Main Challenge page so you can read up on it and get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

And Here's MY First Outfit for Dec. 14th 2010

Not a great Picture...sorry.

Grey Old Navy Cords-I think I bought these two years ago. I don't wear them much as they are a little too big. I think I'll probably be giving these up this year.

Teal Long Sleeve T-shirt-Energie, from Shopko-I bought a few of these this year for layering under sweaters and stuff...but I'm not crazy about the way they fit. They ride up alot and I'm always fidgeting with them , so these will probably be going as well.

Orange Sweater New York and Co-Christmas Gift from my girls a few years ago. I really like this sweater but need to find more ways to wear it.

Dr Scholls Cloggs -wear them ALL the time in the winter.LOVE them.

Bah Humbug!!

Sooooo..I had every intention of sharing my Holdiay Decor with you all today. Namely my Beautifully Decorated Tree.......








Um Yeah....

I give you this!!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!

Ok...yeah...I know..It's been a while....So it's December 1st and we are starting to get into the Christmas Spirit around here. Thanksgiving was wonderful. We hosted at our New House this year. Drama Teen(who is a Teen NO more) was flown in for the festivities.

The day after Thanksgiving we made like the Griswalds...and went in search of the perfect Tree to chop down. Ok so maybe not sooooo much like the Griswalds..we didn't trudge thru the snow, Freezing our eyeballs off. But we did  find the perfect Tree and She's a beaut!

I'm really trying to get into the Holiday spirit this year and try to have a nice Peaceful Christmas. One of the blogs I've been following has this great idea for reminding yourself to keep the Peace this year. Starting today she says to light a special candle every day this month and let it remind you to calm down and say a prayer nto create a sense of Peace in everyday. I think it's great and I'm stealing her idea. So for the month of December I'll be lighting a Candle every day to remind myself to take it easy and not overdo the Holdiays.

This is the Good Life

Ahhhh. A Whirlpool Bath, some good Wine, and a few pieces of Dark Chocolate! Yeah! THIS is the life!

How to Impress Homer and His Buddies...

Commander now works at a Nuclear Power Plant(Hence the reference to 'Homer'..hmmmnn maybe I should change his nickname to Homer instead of Commander?? Nah) Anyway, last night he told me he it was his turn to bring the baked snacks tonight(he's working mid-shift--HATES it). Well luckily for him he A.) asked me a day ahead(believe me..there are times when he doesn't mention until we're climbing into bed that he needs baked goods to take to work the next morning...I am NOT a Happy Camper on those nights!!)and B.) I just happened to have a some Peanut Butter Cookie Mix in the pantry and some Hershey's Kisses leftover from the last time I made Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies.....Lucky him!

Years ago, Pioneer Woman did a post about making these in mini-muffin tins instead of just making cookies on the cookie sheet and I loved the idea. So today that's what I did. They turned out awesome and I'm sure all of CDR's co-workers will be impressed.  It's amazing, sometimes, how impressed people are by some of the easist, simplist things I've done. One year I made Christmas Cookies with those Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Rolls( the ones with a picture in the middle-Rudolph, Santa, etc.) I rolled them in little noparaels, and sliced and baked. One of my neighbors was totally impressed and wondered how I got the picture inside the cookie!!LOL!

Anyway, I had fun making these today and realized I should bake cookies more often...they are really so easy and there are so many variations. I've been wanting to bake more, but with it just being the Commander and I these days we usually end up wasting half the Cake or Pie if I bake one, because we can't eat it fast enough. But cookies? I think those we'd have no problem eating up , plus  they can be packaged and saved for later. Christmas is coming and I should start baking and freezing soon. I need to get out the Christmas Notebook and start prepping for the Holidays. I also figured out what I want to give friends and family as gifts this year. I think I'll make up some of those Cookie Mix in a Jar, and add a pretty handmade Doily and maybe even package them wtith a Bamboo Spoon and some handmade Potholders.(The idea came to me as I was stirring the cookies) I need to start crocheting now though if I'm going to do this.....

Pure Chicken Heaven!

Oh-My-God! This meal was one of my best in a looooonnnnnggg time! And it was sooo frickin' easy! I will definitely be adding this one to my repertoire. I hardly ever buy a whole chicken, I've been more of a boneless chicken breat type person, but I really loved how this came out, and it's a much better deal to buy it whole like this......so far we were able to have dinner tonight, tomorrow CDR will bring some leftovers for work, and I still have a big container of mostly breast to make another meal, and I'm thinking ....I'm going to try to make chicken stock out of the carcas!! Woo Hoo ! Look at me, all home-makerish!..LOL

A Little French Cooking

Ok, So a few months back I ordered a book on Amazon by Dorie Greenspan. It wasn't actually 'out' yet , so I had it on hold to be shipped as soon as it was published. I recieved it about a month ago, but hadn't tried any of the Recipes yet. I've been soooo looking forward to having my new kitchen so I could cook scrumptious meals like the one I'm making tonight. I've really been obsessed with All Things French for quite a while now( Heck really, my whole life---I'm French Canadian/American BTW), and really wanted to make something 'French" ..so I started pulling out some of my French cookbooks(I have quite a few) and noticed my new Dorie Greenspan Around My French Table cookbook and thought, why not? I quickly found a ton of recipes for Roast Chicken, and seeing as how I had recently bought a whole fryer chicken , I decided to make the first recipe I saw. It seems very simple so I'm sure I can't go wrong with it. It's roasting in the oven as I type and OMG, the smell is INCREDIBLE right now! Oops, there goes the timer....need to go add the veggies so they can roast too..be back in a sec!

There , I'm back. Added a few potatoes, and carrots. Opened a bottle of wine and had a quick snack of some Raspberry Asiago Cheese..YUMMM. I've never really been much of a Wine drinker, but since moving here, between having a ton of really good Wineries in the area, and the close proximity to a SIL who LOVES wine , I'm starting to become quite the Connoisseur. As I mentioned I'm obsessed with All Things French and have been trying to incorporate a bit of French Chic into my life. What could be more Chic than sipping on a glass of wine while inhaling the wonderful aroma of a Roast Chicken in the oven?