Monday, January 19, 2015

OOTD: Back-to-School





Vest:  Ladies Micro Fleece vest by Gone Greek   || Sweater:  Land's End from J.C. Penny || Jeans: Arizona jeans from J.C. Penny  || Scarf: Lilly Pulitzer's horoscope scarf   ||   Bracelets & Bangles:  left hand – gift, right hand –Lilly Pullitzer’s Alpha Xi Delta bangle  || Earrings: old

Special thanks to my ever-constant, ever-willing photographer… My mother. 


My spring semester started last week! As much as I dread the loss of freedom to homework schedules and assigned reading, I am very excited for this new semester. It is shaping up to be one of my busiest, fullest semesters yet, but also one of my most rewarding! The courses I am in are challenging, engaging, and peak my interest daily. Emerging from this semester will remind me that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to, while also having fun! An important college lesson: you can be successful and have a little fun now-and-then. Balance is key!

Most of my courses are online, which presents its own sets of challenges. My only in-person courses are chemistry and chemistry lab, whose challenges go without saying. With so many courses online, I spend most of my days in pajamas and yoga pants unless otherwise required to wear something else. I have a strict “if I don’t have to be out of the house, I am going to be comfy” personal motto – and nothing is more comfortable than comfy fleece pajamas.  If they made yoga-pant dress pants, I would probably never wear another pair of jeans or khakis. Spending most of my life in comfy-clothes means that every “outing day” becomes a special treat. Dress up time!
Sometimes I think the only reason
I keep doing fashion posts is
so that I can pose with my
munchkins.
For the second class of the semester, I wore this casual but classy combination.  As I said in my last, brief post I joined a sorority at my college this past semester, Alpha XiDelta. I couldn’t be happier about that decision! (There will be more on that later.) Since joining, I have bought many a few Alpha Xi Delta-themed items, including this Ladies Micro Fleece Vest by Gone Greek. I love it. The color is phenomenal. The fit is perfection.  The quality is 100%. Beyond that, the company was great and easy to work with, they answered any and all questions I had in a timely manner, and the vest exceeded every expectation – I highly recommend them!


Annaliese from Southern Belle In Training, who also happens to be an IRL friend of mine, has recently gotten me hooked on Lilly Pulitzer. She has loved Lilly Pulitzer for a long time, but I have been a resistant convert.  I have to be honest: I am not normally a patterns person. AT ALL. Color, I love, but patterns I avoid passionately in my wardrobe. I never understood the Lilly P love! However,  seeing Annaliese wearing Lilly P patterns or displaying them in accessories won me over.  I adore Lilly P’s Alpha Xi Delta pattern, as well as a few other select ones I have seen. Finally, I understand the obsession!

The first week of January Annaliese helped me in draining the rest of my Christmas money on Lilly P products by telling me about the major sale from Jan 5-6th. I snatched up an Alpha Xi Delta’s wristlet and tote bag, as well as the Alpha Xi Delta bangle and the Libra horoscope scarf, both of which are shown here. Not normally a spender, I cringed at the expense initially. And then I rejoiced! (A $300+ value for FAR less than that. I didn’t pay more than $86 for everything! You cannot beat a deal like that.) Having received them in the mail I can safely say – I regret nothing. They will get more than their fair share of use. And I will be happy to do it. I love everything thing I bought.

My little cuddlebug, Peaches, helping
me to fashion my Lilly Pulitzer
scarf and bangle.
This scarf might be my new favorite accessory! It is light weight, the color is bright but soft, it is as soft as a baby’s blanket, and the pattern is perfect for spring and summer – or warming up a cold winter day.

Basically the take away here is: massive love for Gone Greek and Lilly P. Go check them out if you haven't already! (Edit: Lilly P is coming to Target stores across the U.S., Canada, and online at Target.com on 4/19.)

So, what about you? What did you wear on your first day back to school?  What’s your favorite bargain buy? What’s your favorite accessory?



Wednesday, January 14, 2015

I Live!

*calls across the abyss* “ARE YOU STILL OUT THERE?”

That was quite the vacation from blogging!


The first day of classes brought a small
 snow storm this semester!
Hello from the land of negative temperatures! 


It is an extra-cold winter in New England, without the added beauty of snow.  Hi Polar Vortex, long time now see, how you doin’? Our snow quantity has been pretty small in my area which I should be excited about since I don’t like the cold, but I am not excited about because recently it is actually colder when it isn’t snowing. Bring on the snow! Please!

The high today was 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

When I left at 7am this morning, it was -9 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dear friends in warmer climates: ship me your above 32 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.

You might say I have taken to hibernating. Indoor activities only. Lots of warm clothes. Many snuggles with my cute and adorable pups. When I hibernate I go into an extreme form of hermitting which often includes avoiding all friends and technology in favor of other projects I have been needing to accomplish…and Netflix. The cold brings out Introvert’s need to be nourished.

While I wish I could say this is 100% the reason I have neglected this blog space, I cannot. For the past few weeks, yes, this hibernation has contributed to lack of posting, but overall it has not been the sole culprit. Here’s the thing: I have been living IRL – In Real Life. And boy, it feels good!

Sometimes you need to lay aside the digital life for a while and remember what it feels like to not live your life via Google-search. Through the frenzy of last semester and the whirlwind that became my winter break, I made the conscious decision to do just that. Many wonderful changes have occurred in my life as a result: I joined a sorority at my college, I have made new friends and grown closer to old ones, for the first winter break in a long time I was always on the go, I have a few at-home businesses in development, and so much more.

Recapping the last few months is too difficult to do over the span of one post. Instead, I am introducing a new, temporary blog series - Throwback Thursday edition. Throwback Thursday is used all over Facebook and Instagram to recapture and remember moments, usually in the form of pictures. This mini-series will work the same way. Each week, I will recap over something(s), revisiting them so that you can see (and so that I can get caught up on back-logged posts!).

Stay tuned, Doodles!