Welcome to Narnia!

This was one of the top memories made over Christmas break and the above picture of the outing was such a hit on Facebook that I decided to put up more pictures. We went up on Skyline Drive (part of the Shenandoah National Park) where the road was closed due to ice and snow and helped ourselves to the winter wonderland at hand. We hadn't done this since I was a little kid and it was like passing through the wardrobe and into Narnia. I miss the city but rural living has its perks!

 Setting out on our journey.

We went back a week later at night and could see planes circling Dulles from this overlook. WORD!

EPIC Icicles!

Arriving at the Tunnel. 

The other side of the tunnel. If you look carefully, you'll see some "mountain goats" right above the tunnel. ;-) It was harder to get up there than it looks. One slip on the ice and...well.....

We haven't had enough snow since to go back but I'm optimistic that one of these years it will happen again. 

Snow Day

The grass is always greener! Or in this case, the snow is always whiter.  When I lived in Chicago, the first winter was magical. I hadn't seen that much snow in years. The second winter was fun but by the third I felt like I was trapped in a snow globe. Now I'm back east and wishing for snow so much it hurts. So when we had a small snow/ice storm over Christmas I was over the moon with excitement and dusted off my arsenal of snow clothes.

Me trying to rock the snow bunny look. 

A moment with my little brothers and the family cat, Cherry.

Wool Shirt: Pendleton (Stolen from my Dad!), Leggings: JC Penney, Wool Socks: Gift, Boots: London Fog (Rack Room Shoes), Coat: Ralph Lauren Polo (Plato's Closet), Snow Pants & Sunglasses: Not sure, Wool Hat: Gander Mountain

Holiday Recap I

Turtleneck: Ann Taylor ($3 at Goodwill!), Belt: Steve Madden (Gift), Pants: GLO (Kohl's), Shoes: Thrifted, Watch: Timex (Target), Bell Necklace: $1 at an Arts & Crafts Festival, Socks: JC Penney

The holidays require all kinds of festive wear and being able to remix a wardrobe is essential. Here is how I went from polished for work to relaxing at my family's house. My brothers teased me for my bell necklace. "You look like you're a forty-year old mom!" Well it's Christmas, I'm relaxing at home, and I'll be festive if I want to!

Wintergreen

Happy January! I'm still going through all the holiday photos and preparing a holiday fashion recap, which I hope to have up by this weekend. In the meantime here is an outfit I wore for a casual lunch out with the family over winter break. I love vests because they keep the core warm while leaving the arms free to move about however they are often either very sporty or very fancy. This was a nice "in-between." I had never used grey nail polish before and decided to give it a try. Still not sure what I think but it did go nicely with this outfit.

Sweater: Hand-me-down from a friend, Shirt: Peeble's, Scarf: Wal-Mart, Jeans: Unknown, Boots: Kohl's, Watch: Timex

RED all over!!

Typically I cannot handle the holidays without going shopping for cute holiday clothes. This year shopping is clearly not an option....but it feels SO GOOD. Last Christmas I wore these red jeans with the same shirt but had never tried adding the boots and beret. I recently went with my parents to the local Christmas parade and wanted to be festive while staying warm. This ensemble worked perfectly.

Wool Beret & Scarf: Wal-Mart, Coat: Kenneth Cole (Gift from my cousin), Shirt: Kohls, Pants: Old Navy (Thrifted), Boots: Macy's, Gloves: Isotoner (from JC Penney), Purse: No idea. I've had it for years and dug it out of my closet for another try!

Fall for All (Seasons)

I know we are deep into the Christmas season but I wanted to share this outfit I wore Thanksgiving weekend because I think it works all throughout winter.  My younger brother just bought himself a unicycle which made for a humorous photo opportunity. Then I took the chance to pose with my grandmother, a classy and stylish woman whom I have inherited quite a few vintage pieces from.

Blazer: Thrifted, Sweater & Belt: Kohl's, Skirt: B. Moss, Tights: JC Penney, 

Shoes: Thrifted, Pin: Irish Shop just outside Chicago

Purple gets Professional

Yesterday I was in the mood to wear something really professional to work. My students noticed and responded with "Wow, you look nice today." "Thanks kids...so what do I look like the rest of the week?" :-)

The pictures aren't the greatest quality this week. I took them with my phone which apparently doesn't turn out so smashing indoors at night. But nevertheless I didn't want another week to go by without posting. Stay tuned for some holiday outfits that I put together from clothes I've owned for a long time and yet never thought to combine. It can truly be fun shopping from one's own closet!

Headband & Scarf: Target, Shirt, Skirt, & Purse: JC Penney, Tights: Can't remember, Shoes: Thrifted