Two-lle Sisters

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When I was a little girl my parents would reiterate over and over that one day, when my sister Mandi and I grew up, we would be friends.

I felt that was about as likely as finding a yellow brick road outside of our house.

And believe me… I looked.

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We are four years apart. The same amount of time that separates my own two children. But it must have been a gender thing. Or a personality thing. Either way we could barely be in the same room together growing up.

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But grow up, we did.

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And my parents were right.

Don’t ever, ever tell them that I said so, though.

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Because having a sister is the best thing ever. I love Mandi with all of my heart.

Although there is one thing that is irksome. Her hair. It is naturally that color and I have to dye mine. Sigh. Lucky girl.

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But editing these pictures was the most difficult task I have had with this blog yet. It is hard enough getting a good enough picture to post on the internet of one person, but two people? Impossible.

I love the picture of my sister here. Me? Not so much.

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But isn’t that what being sisters is all about? Teaching one to be less selfish. To think of others. To learn to share.

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Nah. It’s about having an insane amount of fun.

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We could not stop laughing at these gnomes. She mentioned somethin’ about their looks. It had me in hysterics. It was a very unprofessional photo shoot.

Did I say we grew up? Scratch that.

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The cameraman was second guessing his marital partner choice “career” choice.

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Thanks Mandi for taking pictures with me! I love you! And hey, I am missing my pink gnome. I don’t suppose you know anything about that… Just kidding. I think it ran away. Too much sisterly love… Or gnome jokes.

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Do you have siblings? Do they make you laugh like nobody else? Isn’t it wonderful?

Outfit details:

On me: Free People Tutti Fruitti Slip (sold out, similar here and previously worn here), Anthropologie Pullover, vintage boots, Anthropologie earrings, World Market Bracelet

On Mandi: Anthropologie Puckered Placket Turtleneck (old), BCBG tulle Skirt (sold out, similar here), Black Fringe Booties, Anthropologie Bracelet

Maroon Foggy Fire In The Snow

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I took five outfit photos the day it snowed at my house this year. It had not snowed in years and it was too good of a photo opportunity to pass up.

Eck, I am such a blogger.

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This outfit ended up being my favorite.

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This is surprising to me for several reasons.

Mostly because I hate. Yes, hate. The color maroon.

I don’t know where this hatred came from. But it is there and alive and well. And I just learned that marsala is the 2015 color of the year! Which is pretty much a fanciful way of saying “maroon.”

Oi.

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Maybe the fashion gurus are on to something. Perhaps it is the name. When I purchased this Free People Embroidered Fable Dress two years ago, this color was called Mulberry. I like that name. Let’s think of some more.

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Foggy Fire.

Lusting From Afar Red.

Sunset Sangria.

Yes, I like all of those.

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I get more offers to buy this dress than any other item in my closet. The color is discontinued, but honestly, I love the grey color they have in it right now, too. The sweater is an old Anthropologie item I purchased from a sweet reader last winter. They had a a similar sweater this year that is now on sale. I loved that one when I reviewed it and would have picked it up if I did not all ready own and love mine.

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What is your least favorite color to wear? Mine actually isn’t maroon. It is brown. I guess I like cheery colors. But now that I can rename the offenders, I am liking their sultry offerings. Perhaps 2015 is the year I change my ways.

Or perhaps not.

It’s too maroon to tell.

Anthropologie January 2015 Reviews

I was having a bad face day. It’s how it goes, I guess. You know when you either sleep wrong on your face or eat too many salty delicious treats the day before and somehow you wake up and do not recognize the puffy monstrosity that greets you in the mirror? Perhaps one side of your cheek falls more to the right or your eyes are dull and blurry. Hmmmmm. Maybe that’s just me. Either way, I was not in the shape nor the mood for pictures on this day because all of those things seemed to occur at once that morning and no amount of mascara or powder or pushing of my skin could put gnome lover back together again. Groan.

My family and I had traveled to the museum the day of the reviews (hence the weird hand stamp in the pictures below) and spent hours wandering hallways and stairs and corridors reading plaques and looking at bones. My eyes were tired. My soul was weary. But when my husband pronounced that he wouldn’t mind if I ran into the Anthropologie on the way home, I gladly took him up on his offer, bad face day and all. I happened to have a gift card on me and I was itching to get into the store since I had not been in a physical store since October. Gosh, can you believe that?

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I ended up buying a sweatercoat (and a tree skirt that for some reason I decided to sling across my shoulders in an upcoming outfit post. The tree skirt is the raddest thing ever. Especially if you like to pretend you are a superhero. And who doesn’t? It is sold out online, but it was showing sold out online when I purchased mine in store so I am sure some stores might still have one. I plan on keeping mine out year round as decoration on my couch when I am not flying around the house).

And before we get to the good stuff, the camera case in the pictures is new after last year’s case finally died in a pool of olive oil. My purse is a cavernous monster of random food products. It did its job and saved my phone in its last moments. RIP pink bunny phone case. Welcome to your worst nightmare, new floral dreamy phone case. I hope you like cheese.

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I had to snap a picture of the finished wreath I helped contribute to when I went to make pearblossoms at the holiday workshop a few months prior. I use the word “contribute” loosely as I crumpled about ten pieces of paper and painted them.

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I had been eagerly awaiting this Floral Fit and Flare Dress to hit sale so I could scoop it up. However, once I tried it on, I did not feel the same way. I have large arms and the sleeves on this were very tight on me. I am wearing a medium in this picture. Granted, I did gain weight in the last year, but medium is still my size in dresses. I love the pattern of this dress. I love the fit and flare of it. I like the cute patterned underskirt, but I ended up removing this one from my wishlist. I knew I would never feel quite okay with the sleeves.

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Liz of With Wonder and Whimsy had previously reviewed this dress and I think it looks better on her than myself. I have also seen girls rocking it on Instagram so I think it is going to be one that needs to be tried on in person.

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Let’s get to it. Or rather cut to the chase. What does that even mean anyway? I really need to start looking things up before I go and rattle off different sayings. Where was I? Oh right. Two kids. Two years of nursing. Years of bad bras. I almost relived every moment of those things when I turned around to look at myself in the mirror in this dress. It is very low cut.

I thought it would be okay. A long maxi. Neutral black. Easy peasy.

But, unfortunately The Entrada Maxi Dress wasn’t for me. It accentuated all of the things one does not want to see when one looks at oneself in the mirror. I do not think this is the dress’s fault but rather my lack of love for the gym. I usually stick to bright colors. This dress was a pass for me for many reasons. I am in a medium. I can see the voluptuous woman looking marvelous in this dress. Or even the tall and thin.

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Not for the shocked and saggy.

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I almost didn’t show this dress (the Marled Swing Dress). As I type this, my evil mind is thinking, then don’t show it. Nobody will ever even know that you took these pictures. You don’t have to show them. Just don’t put this dress review in.

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But how could I resist not showing this beautiful picture?

I was very excited to try this dress on. I loved the pattern in the store. It was so different and cool. But the pattern placement when on was not flattering on me. I was so disappointed. It made me look lumpy. This made me grumpy. But it has good reviews online so the right body type will look great in this dress. My body just wasn’t it.

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Now we’re talkin’. Oh, I knew I would love The New Moon Tunic Dress the moment I saw it online. But something stopped me from wishlisting it. I think it is that I all ready have so many items in my closet that are so similar to this.

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I like everything about it. The easy shape that will flatter a variety of body types. The color. The embroidery. I just don’t need it. Want, yes. Need, no. I sized down to a small in this. It is definitely an item to size down in. Of course, I read online that this might not be the case if you are busty so if that is the case for you, you might want to try this on in the store. Oh! And I did find this dress a bit itchy. Not unbearable but the material is scratchy. So if you are sensitive to such things this might be a problem for you.

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I like The Cowled Swing Dress. It is easy. It is comfortable. If it had any other color other than maroon as its border I probably would have wishlisted it.

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But it does. And maroon is not my favorite. I am wearing my usual size medium in this dress and I maybe could have sized down to a small because the body of the dress is voluminous. I would not want the arms to be tight, though. Therefore I would probably stick with your usual size unless you have thin arms.

This is a dress you would wear to run errands or grab a quick sandwich with friends. It is pricey for a loungelike piece. I would not ever wear a necklace with a cowlneck. But this would be pretty with some fun wooden earrings. This will be a great dress on so many women.

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I had seen this Blanket Cardigan everywhere on Instagram. I am not one of those girls who cares if she is wearing the same thing as someone else. I am not one who cares if a friend and I buy the same thing. Liking something is all that matters. Besides commroderie in clothes is fun. So I could not wait to try this on after I saw it so prettily worn by so many women online.

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I did like it when I tried it on. It is a bit bright, even for me. I also own a few pieces in this pattern from discount stores, so I was not in the market for a similar sweater. I am wearing a medium here. This would be great with black. I also think this would be flattering on the more voluptuous with the panel that dips down.

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I had seen just one of these peeking out at me on the sales rack at the store. I always avoid the sales rack typically because if I have not wishlisted it before then I do not allow myself to buy it. And since I watch the sales so often it is rare that I need to look at the racks to see if something I am watching hits sale.

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I was surprised by this ruffled sweatercoat (previously worn here). I had not noticed it online. My store only had a small and I nervously tried it on. I was so happy and relieved that it fit. Petites will probably be sized out of this if they cannot find it in the petite sizes. However, size XL might fit a higher size than it usually would in this store and that would be awesome. The boiled wool is not scratchy as it has been in years past. It is soft. The ruffles cascade down the front and the shape nips in at the perfect spot on the waist to create a flattering very feminine silhouette. Even though it is in the maroon family, I still liked it. I plan on wearing mine with jeans and my ruffled skirt from 2013.

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Have you tried on anything lately? I have not been in the shopping spirit. I just have enough. I think. Well, except for this dress from Free People that makes my heart race but I think would be too tight in the arms for me. I do have Christmas gift cards to spend at Anthropologie and have been scoring some popbacks of things I have wanted for months at great sale prices. I used the other part of the one from my mom (Thank you!) that I used on the ruffled sweatercoat above for a popback of The Tasseled Maxi Dress that I had wanted for a long time. And I used another gift card from my dad and stepmom (Thank you!) for a popback of the Bimini Earrings, Draped Plaid Top and a pair of Freebird Boots (retailed for $295 but popbacked for $60! Woot!). Now I have my sister’s (Thank you!) burning a hole in my pocket. I hope I can get equally amazing deals with it!

Ruffled Dreamy Madness

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“It’s snowing!” My husband’s excited shout filled the quiet and dark house as he happily exclaimed from the kitchen. He had gotten up to do something and was surprised to see a vast white landscape of snow looking at him through our backyard window.

I grumbled something unintelligible and rolled over in bed.

This was not the first time my husband had shouted odd things in the dark. Remind me tell you about “the pipes” one day.

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Lights began to come on one by one throughout the house.

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My husband burst into our bedroom and gleefully exclaimed, “I’m going to wake up the kids!”

Before I could stop him, he bounded down the hallway. I heard him wake the kids up and tell them to quickly get dressed in warm clothes. “Quick! We have to beat the sun! It will all melt once the sun comes out!”

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On his way outside, he stopped in our bedroom again, “Why don’t you get ready and we could take some pictures for the blog?”

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I turned into my pillow. If only I could get back to my dream. I was climbing a stadium full of people. Brad Pitt had waved me up to the top. He stood up so I would see him. When I got there he looked at me in disappointment. This did not dissuade me.

I quickly grabbed his head. Not his face. Not his hand. Nope, his head. And I jerked it down towards mine. Then I kissed him. Or made him kiss me. Either way it was awful. He was dismayed. I was dismayed. This was not the way it was supposed to go.

If I could just close my eyes again, maybe I could redo that scene…

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But the lure of my family playing in the dark in the snow broke my Brad Pitt concentration.

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I sighed and sat up. Then I got ready as fast as I could. Faster than one runs up stadium steps to get to a waiting Brad Pitt. Faster than one jerks Brad Pitt’s unyielding lips to their own. Faster than the dismayed look upon a one Brad Pitt’s face can chill thy blood.

So, I got ready fast. Brad Pitt fast. Not quite Tom Cruise Mission Impossible odd-running fast, but close.

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I put on the same clothes I had worn the day before. These Mothers Jeans are my favorite. I own two pairs. I got mine on a popback in 2013, but it looks like they came out with ones without the distressing because these have the same name as the ones I purchased. They are great for girls with a wide hip to waist ratio. I am hoping to snag another pair at a great sale price one day. I am in Brad-Pitt-love with this ruffled sweatercoat that I just cannot get enough of (I think it might be sold out online but you might still be able to find one in a store if you call around). I purchased it on sale during their 25% off sale sale promotion. It is the plum color. In case you cannot tell. The pictures are a bit fuzzy… like a dream.

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What is Brad Pitt like in your dreams? Is he a seat saver? An unyielding tease? A disgruntled victim? Have you ever gotten ready in a hurry? In the dark? To take pictures in the snow?

I’m not sure I have either.

It might all have been a dream.

P.S. I shared this on The Pleated Poppy and Reasons To Dress.