Thanksgiving Living

Autumn aesthetic.

Squirrel girl.

Charlotte's new favorite book.

Hallway harvest.

Coat: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Mom's place settings.

Mom's tablescape.

Top: Madden Girl, Macy's; Skirt: ModCloth

Garland: Michaels

A can-do Thanksgiving.

Bag, pouch: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Acorn ring: Decoration from some old dessert

The holidays are never perfect.  Still, I sometimes often succumb to the hype that they should be.  So this Thanksgiving, in addition to the posing and pageantry, I'm serving reality.  

In this last pic, Char Bar has collided with my lipstick for the third time, staining her clothes.  And I'm handling it with my usual grace and equanimity.  Granted, a makeup malfunction is a bogus thing to bemoan -- especially considering my sister missed Thanksgiving because her youngest was sick.  But in that moment, my micro-misfortune was magnified, blocking out all thoughts except momlife is hard.  

Three slices of pie later, I was feeling more zen.  So much so that I remembered something.  Five Thanksgivings ago, I was gearing up to start fertility testing, which I started but never finished.  The whole thing made me panicky, and I decided it wasn't meant to be.  And now here I was with this beautiful baby.  Sure, she snatched my bookmarks and deprived me of sleep and flung her pears on the floor.  But I loved her more than anything and couldn't imagine life without her.

So Charlotte, you're what I'm thankful for, this Thanksgiving and every Thanksgiving after.  

Also that for Christmas you can wear red, camouflaging the lipstick.     

Saddle Baggage: Greener Pastures

Top and skirt: LC Lauren Conrad: Kohl's

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's

One of my old leaf barrettes.

Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Dress: Candie's, Kohl's; Top: Madden Girl, Kohl's

One of my oldest necklaces.

Bag: Mix No. 6, DSW

Coat: ModCloth

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Tights: A New Day, Target

Boots: Penny Loves Kenny, Amazon

Go for the Golden Girl Necklace

Top: A. Byer, Boscov's

Lyla Sage's Wild and Wrangled: A tale of lovers with luscious locks.

Bag: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Scarf charm: A New Day, Target

Green seems big this season.  Emerald, jade, and evergreen are springing from racks like leaves.  Then again, I've been seeing lots of burgundy too.  So maybe it's more of a Christmas thing and not a trend.  Either way, I'm in.

I especially love when green winks at western, like in my equestrian blouse.  When I saw it in Boscov's, I was immediately transported back to the '90s.  Tween me had at least one turtleneck sporting a stable motif, and I thought it was all the rage.  So I bought the blouse.  Because it was fun and fed that nostalgia.  Even if it also brought back memories of getting made fun of for my outfits -- and for saying things like "all the rage."  It was a nice reminder that my world has grown so much since then.

And that believing in your style -- and yourself -- is the happy trail Holy Grail.

Little Leopards, Every Flair

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Sweater: On 34th, Macy's

Shoes: Madden Girl, Amazon

Bag: Amazon; Sunglasses: Nordstrom Rack

Sweater: Candie's, Kohl's; Skirt: Vanilla Star, Macy's

Bag and charm: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Boscov's

Jeans: Wild Fable, Target

Socks: Macy's

Tee: Rebellious One, Macy's

Heart and Rainbows Necklace

Bag: Madden Girl, Macy's

Barrettes: SHEIN; Clips: Wild Fable, Target

Leopard's for rebels.  Leopard's for ladies.  Leopard's tacky.  Leopard's classy.  In other words, leopard's a neutral.

Because no matter what kind of cat you are, there's a little leopard in all of us.

Book Crooks and Crusaders: Reading Between the Lies

When my sister chose Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave for book club, I was disappointed.  Although I enjoyed the series about a single mom and romance writer-turned-PI, the last one we read, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, got really gruesome.  But I started reading Digs Her Own Grave anyway, wondering if the title would prove to be prophetic in more ways than one.  Here's what I dug up:

They say that fish and visitors stink in three days.  But Mrs. Haggerty is a whole new class of crusty crustacean.  After she's sprung from the slammer, her grandson dumps her on Finlay and her nanny Vero.  Yet the fact that Mrs. Haggerty allegedly did not murder the man exhumed from her rose garden isn't the most disturbing thing about the octogenarian.  It's that she's been judging --and spying on --- Finlay for years.  But things go from annoying to alarming when Finlay's ex-husband is arrested instead.  Although part of Finlay would love to see Steven behind bars, she ultimately doesn't want the father of her children to end up with a teardrop tattoo.  So she and Vero do what they do best -- set out to solve a murder.

What follows is the usual roller coaster ride of hijinks and danger.  And also, this time, a book club.  Mrs. Haggerty becomes a tough love Mary Poppins to Finlay's kids.  Teen hacker Cam and Finlay's flamboyantly dressed agent Sylvia add to the chaos.  But it's hot cop Nick who commands our attention -- and Finlay's.  Their on-again, off-again romance is very much on and becomes more layered.  That said, the tale is more mystery than thriller, making it my favorite in the series.  Which is a plot twist I didn't see coming.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is as compelling as it is complicated, widening the feminist lens through which the series is filtered.

And, of course, reminding us to keep our friends close -- and our neighbors closer.  

The Great Indoors: Camera Crew Who?

Coat, top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Hulla-Ba-Blue Necklace

Catching some rays.

Hair clip: Kate Spade New York for Target

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Socks: Amazon; Tights: Zulily

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Dress: Zulily; Top: So, Kohl's

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

View with a hue.

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Tights: A New Day, Target

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Shoes: Nine West, Amazon

More leaves, because Y not?

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Bag charm: Michaels

Headband: Headbands of Hope, Kohl's

Now that Halloween's history, I'm back in my regularly scheduled fall fits.  And it feels cozy, like eating apple pie in front of a fire.  A fire in a fireplace, that is, because there's nothing cozy about camping.  Unless you have a double deluxe, vanilla-slash-lavender-scented Porta Potty like Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary.  Which is the sort of reference you'd expect from someone who does her stargazing via sitcoms.

Anyway, I was adventurous enough to try one new thing, namely taking my own outfit pics.  It recently dawned on me that I don't have to bug the husband every time I need a glamor shot.  Because nothing says mother of the year like interrupting your baby's breakfast to catch the best light.  So I ordered a tripod, took a bunch of bad pics, and got good enough to take some I could live with.  Spoiler alert: it isn't easy!  Especially if you take your show on the road, which I haven't had the guts to do yet.  So kudos to all of you who've been the cameraperson since day one.  I'm in awe of you.

And of anyone brave enough to bunk with bears.