Snow Day

No Repeats, Day 26

It's been snowing here all day today.  I'm working from home, so not having to go out in the snow makes it much more enjoyable.  I've got a pretty slow work day today, so after having a girlfriend over for lunch, Jude and I went outside to play in the snow.  I think catching snowballs might be his favorite thing to do ever.




Turtleneck Sweater: Gap
Skirt: Loft
Sweater Leggings: Target
Boots: Sporto via Piperlime
Coat: Gap
Hat & Gloves: Eddie Bauer

First Snow!

We had our first real snowfall of the year here at TCC Midwest last night!  It did snow earlier this week, but it actually stuck this time.  I'll be back with outfit posts tomorrow (and catching up on all of your blogs later today!), but in the meantime, enjoy Jude and I in our snow gear.  Well, me in my snow gear.  Jude is too excited about the snow to bother with practical winter outerwear.

Have a great weekend, StyleNation!

Coat: Gap

Hat: Moosejaw (2007)

Gloves: Eddie Bauer

Boots: Sorel via Sierra Trading post (2007) - I LOVE these!

Jude's leash, harness and collar: Pet Smart

Recycle bin (which coordinates well with Jude's leash): City of Chicago

30 for 30, Day 21: Back to the Grind

I don't know about you, Stylenation, but it was nearly impossible for me to drag myself out of bed this morning.  I was pretty tired after a busy, family-filled weekend, so 5:30 came especially early today.  On top of that, I think I must have caught Rad's cold, because I've been sneezing and sniffling all day.  Ick.  It's been so hard to get back to my work routine after 5 days off, but I managed.  Today's outfit is nice and simple, which is perfect for those kinds of days where you don't want to get out of bed.  And being 70% done with the 30 for 30 Challenge, I'm glad I even have the flexibility for easy, fall-back outfits at this point.

How's your first day back after the holiday going?

Sweater (item #21): Loft

Pants (item #19): Limited

Shoes (Item #28): Naturalizer

Necklace: Ann Taylor

Hat: Target

Coat: Liz Claiborne (2006)

30 for 30, Day 15: Brrrr!

You know that expression "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes?"  Yeah, that's totally how Chicago is feeling right now.  It was 65 here yesterday, so naturally when I woke up this morning it was only 27 out.  I knew cold weather was on its way, but knowing never makes it easier.  One thing that makes winter more bearable is that I've amassed a pretty good coat collection over the years, so here's another outerwear shot for you.  I snapped this while taking some recyclables out to the alley this morning (glamorous, I know).  I've been seeing Lisa from archivechicago post pictures of her Chicago alley and this morning it just clicked that, duh, I have a similar Chicago alley that's pretty much always empty.  No chance of my neighbors spotting me here.  Which seems weird, since it's a lot less private than the back yard. 

To fight the cold today, I donned a nice warm sweater, and some heavy, lined pants (these were on Sal's list of Winter Weather Must-Haves and seriously, the lining does make a difference - and it just feels nice!).  Get used to this kind of pairing, because it is my default winter-wear.  I should probably work on spicing that up this year.

Stylenation, how can I keep my winter-wear looking fun and different?

Coat: New York & Company (2008)

Scarf: Gap

Hat: Apt. 9 by Kohl's

Sweater (item #8): Gap

Pants (item #19): Limited

Shoes (item #28): Naturalizer

Nude fishnet trouser socks: Target

Scarf: Embellish

Brooch: Etsy

Day Off

Happy Friday, Stylenation!  Jude had a vet appointment this afternoon, so my fella and I decided to both take the whole day off.  The way things have been going for me at work lately, I definitely needed a day off, and fella hasn't been off since July, so he was more than overdue.  First, we went to Hot Doug's for lunch.  Hot Doug's is pretty well-known here in Chicago, and I've never been there and not had to wait at least half an hour in line.  I had hoped that going during the week would be better, but apparently lots of people are off on Fridays, so we still had to wait.  But it was well worth the wait for some chicken sausage, andouille, ribeye sausage and duck-fat fries (thank goodness I had my annual cholesterol test earlier this week instead of, say, tomorrow).  We just got back from the vet, and we're headed to our neighborhood theater to see The Social Network in a little bit.  I love days off.

Jude's best photo-crash yet

Having said that lots of people seem to be off work today, I should note that my neighbor is off.  I didn't realize he was home until I saw him looking out his back window after I snapped these pictures.  Woops.  He knows I have a food blog, so maybe it's not too weird that I'm taking self-portraits.  Right?

There's nothing too exciting about this outfit - just a casual outfit, perfect for running around town.  But keep in mind, prior to joining Stylenation, I probably would've gone with jeans, a t-shirt, my gym shoes and a hoodie.  When I started contributing to this blog way back in February, I think I noted that while I have no problem dressing for the office, casual wear is a little tricky for me.  So I think I've finally gotten a good handle on that.  But come to think of it, I'd probably wear this to work on a casual Friday too.  I'm wearing this sweater with my Gap long & lean jeans and an adorable twill pea coat that I picked up at Target earlier this fall.  

What's your perfect day off?

Sweater: Loft

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Puma, via 6pm.com

Jacket: Target

Brooch: Etsy

Bag: Kohl's (circa 2008)