Christmas in Clothes

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So, The Nutcracker? Yeah. Call me an uneducated ditzy fool, but ??? I guess I was completely oblivious to the fact that ballets have NO TALKING in them!!!

“Hi. I’m Jenni. I can’t sit through two hours of nobody talking.”

I am a three year old.

This is payback for all of those times my children would not stop talking and we would play the “silent game.”

Those ballerinas were all, “Silent game this!”

Only without actually saying that.

Okay. Okay. It wasn’t completely silent. There was a live orchestra which was fabulous. I love an orchestra. I took my son down to the pit to watch them set up. That was my favorite part. And his, too.

I have taken my children to musicals all of their lives. I guess I just was not prepared for the ballet. This is odd, because my mother has been dancing since she was a child. Pointe and everything. Heck, I even took consistent classes for eight years (don’t look so shocked). My mother has since moved on to hip hop, but ballet has always been a part of my life. Of course, I had not gone to see it since I was a little girl.

There were parts of it that were incredible. So gorgeous and pretty. Truly breathtaking. It is amazing what some talented people can do with their bodies.

But in the future I will know.

I am too immature to go.

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And yes, I am a total fraud in my ballerina dress (also worn here).

Silently sobbing.

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This was what I was going to wear to the ballet.

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I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that almost every single person was dressed up for the ballet. This is such a big difference from going to a play on Broadway, where only half of the people are in evening attire. This was my other favorite thing about the ballet. The ambience and the outfits.

Only I did not wear this to the ballet.

I wore this on Christmas Eve to host my family. Except, I was cooking all day, and I forgot to take my apron off until after dinner! So, apron + boots = disheveled crazy. Kind of like this post.

The skirt is my Emeline Skirt formerly worn here. And the top is my Peony Applique Pullover, previously worn here.

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Let’s sidestep chasse’ away from the hot topic of ballet and move into a topic I am much more comfortable with.

Gnomes.

And dressing like them.

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I do not know why, but this outfit does remind me a bit of the little fellows. Perhaps it is the cheerful colors. Perhaps it is because I am surrounded by gnomes. Perhaps it is because I had just seen The Nutcracker the night before and I was delirious.

I paired my Anthropologie Threaded Tides Dress (purchased for $10) with my red cardigan from many years ago. I remember I first bought this cardigan, because it was called Guinevere and that is one of my favorite names in the world. It is like “Jennifer” (derived from Guinevere) only more pleasant to say in a lilting way.

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The belt is a recent clearance purchase from Anthropologie called Layered Corset Belt. The boots are vintage from the flea market. The white sweater tights are from Nordstrom Rack. The earrings are from Modcloth.

What did you wear this week? Have you ever played the silent game? Are you “winning?”*

* Winning this game does not result from one being silent. Winning this game occurs the moment you convince someone else to actually play the game.

Tip: Don’t ever play against a ballerina.

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

More Outfits

I am finding myself buried in a backlog of outfit photos. This is making me a little stressed out. How did this happen? I asked myself.

It seems pretty simple, actually. I wear clothes everyday. I almost always take a picture of what I am wearing (except today. I am wearing my nightie. I will even cook dinner in it. And eat dinner in it. ‘Cause I’m fancy like that. And a day without leaving my children without scarring delightful memories is not a day I want to be a part of). I post up to three outfits per week. Well, the math speaks for itself.

I thought I would share some more outfit photos I have. Two were taken two months ago. One was taken a few days ago.

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I do not know why it took me so long to share this outfit. It is one of my very favorites. The dress was a sale find from Free People called Got You Hooked Maxi. I also have it in blue, shown here. I was not going to own two, but then this dress went on clearance. Really happy with this purchase. Of course, it is sold out now, because I am so slow with my outfit posts. : (

I can layer this dress over every long slip in my closet. I will post a picture (as soon as I take it. I have worn this combo all ready, but my photographer/husband/not-a-real-photographer was out of town) soon of how it looks with a peachy slip. That is my favorite combo.

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I bought this black Michael Korr’s tuxedo shirt from Nordstrom Rack many months ago on the clearance rack. I really like the length. I simply paired it with jeans and a necklace gifted to me from Simply Livly on Etsy. Similar style, but different color here.

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I paired the Free People Long Sleeve Swing Dress (last winter I fooled myself into thinking I could wear this as a dress. Um, no. I cannot imagine the view people got from behind last season, even with tights. Now, this “dress” gets worn with skinny pants only) with my J Brand Moto Pants in olive that I got from Anthropologie for $20.

My shoes! Oh! I am so excited about these! They are the Born Topanga boots I found at Nordstrom Rack two weeks ago. The pattern is a textured wool. I believe the fabric is taken from a Mexican blanket. The cheapest I see them online is from 6PM. They also come in a dark brown color.

I wore my Corallina necklace from Anthropologie with this. It was only the second time I wore this piece. This is my last reminder of my unflawed necklace. As I was walking, one of the strands broke and beads scattered everywhere. I am so sad. But I am now just wearing it sans one row of beads. It is actually more comfortable, because it is lighter. Silver lining and all that.

What has been your favorite outfit you have worn lately? And are you spending at least one day this weekend in your pajamas like me?

* I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Striped Terry Blazer

I purchased this Anthropologie Striped Terry Blazer on a major sale months ago. And I am just now getting around to sharing the pictures of how I am styling it?! I believe this was in August. Or September.

One of those months. They all blend together, kind of like the three pounds I gained this week from the three pies I ate. Dinner tonight? Salad. Oh. Who am I kidding? Is a Snickers bar a vegetable?

“Sigh.”

The major selling point to me with this blazer (besides the price tag) was the material it was made from. Terry cloth? It invoked images of bubble baths and showers. Plus, it had stripes. Grey stripes! Red stripes! Yes please.

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First up we have the blazer styled with a simple orange embroidered tee I purchased years and years ago. I actually own this shirt in three different colors. I bought a mustard colored one from eBay for $4 last year. The jeans in all of these pictures are from The Gap ten years ago. The boots are vintage from the flea market. I chose to include two pictures, so we can see the weird poses I make with my hands. They like to do odd things for my pictures. I think they are trying to spell “p-i-e.”

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Then I paired it with a bright blue henley.

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The crochet tank was $15 from Marshall’s over the summer. And the floral tank was $10 at Nordstrom Rack in the spring.

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I like the mix of patterns and textures here with the blazer.

Do you wear blazers with jeans? How do you make them more casual? Did you know terry cloth could be worn outside the house? Or the bathroom?

And what did we decide about the Snickers bar?

It’s definitely a root vegetable. Right?

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

Meatball Sliders

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The situation is: I hate meatballs. Or at least I thought I hated meatballs. The very name grosses me out. I do not like how dry they can be. How very meaty they can taste. They sometimes can feel like an obstacle on your plate.

However, my husband loves meatball sandwiches. And I love my husband. I decided to branch out. I decided to have a “ball.” Turns out, I do not hate meatballs. I just never had one I really liked. Until now.

Of course, I still hate the name. But that is for another day. Here is how I made my meatball sliders.:

This recipe makes 8 sliders. This is perfect for my family of four. However, I would double this for any larger crowd.

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Meatball Ingredients

1 pound ground pork
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup dried unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup diced Onions
2 Tbsp. butter
Pinch chili flakes
2 Tablespoons of Dalmatia My Mom’s Red Pepper Spread (I found mine at Vons in the refrigerated section. I know Amazon also carries it if you absolutely cannot find it, but the shipping price is crazy)
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 clove or 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic (I use the pre-chopped kind)
1/4 tsp. dried italian herbs

Other ingredients:
1 jar pasta sauce
8 oz. mozzarella
8 Small rolls or buns

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

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Pour pasta sauce into small saucepan. Simmer on low heat, while you move onto the next step.

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Sauté onions for eight minutes in butter on medium-low heat until soft. Stirring occasionally. During the last minute, add minced garlic and then turn off burner. Put in mixing bowl. Allow to cool for five minutes.

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Mix all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. And, yes, say it with me, “Ewww!” Remember to take off any rings.

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Scoop meatballs onto parchment lined baking sheet with ice cream scoop or one of these handy dandy large cookie scoops.

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Line ’em up.

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Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. They should no longer be pink inside.

Set meatballs aside.

Turn oven to broil.

Open rolls. Lightly butter each side. On a separate baking sheet, line them up. Mine took two batches.

Broil for 30 seconds to one minute until lightly toasted.

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Remove from oven. Place the tops of the rolls aside.

Turn pasta sauce burner off.

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With the other bottom half: Take a meatball. Smoosh it with your tongs. That’s right. Get all up in there. Remember how messy it made your hands and give it heck. Place it on a roll. Cover it with pasta sauce. Cover it with cheese. Repeat.

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Place in oven and broil for approximately thirty seconds to one minute until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown. Watch this! It can get burned very quickly!

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Remove from oven. Turn oven off. Cover meatball creation with the other half of the bun. Plate it. Now, this is the part where you serve it with salad and feel better about the meal you are about to eat. Except, I had no salad. So, I served it with chips (um, potatoes) and melon slices.

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And oh my goodness! These are one of my new favorite things to make! Easy! Delicious! My husband said they were the best meatball sandwich he has ever had. I love when that happens!

Enjoy!