Oodles of Caboodles and Others

Marabou Maven Necklace

Bag: A New Day, Target

The magic of Macy's (their tagline at one point!).

Hair claws: Wild Fable, Target

The cover of my new (albeit unopened) sketchbook.

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Tights: Amazon

Polka dot cami: Wet Seal; Zebra shrug: Bar III, Macy's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Coat: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Skirt: Wild Fable: Target

A local taco place I haven't tried yet.

Lace top: Xhilaration, Target

Eyes on the Skies Necklace and Bracelet

Shoes: Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, Marshalls

Barrettes: Wild Fable, Target

Skort: So, Kohl's

A Caboodle is always a thoughtful gift.  Despite the recent The Sex Lives of College Girls episode where Whitney rejects the peace offering of one from Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet, and yes, she's Timothée's sister!) as an apology for kissing her ex.  Kimberly is the geek of the friend group, so the Caboodle is meant to be cringe.  But unlike Whitney, I was stoked to receive not one, not two, but three Caboodles for my birthday!  The sky blue one is almost exactly like the first Caboodle I ever got, which was for Christmas when I was eight.  I remember my (boy) cousin scoffing that it looked like a tackle box.  As if!    

In another nod to '80s/'90s nostalgia, I included this shot of the Memphis print headbands, soda-flavored Lipsmackers, and Let's Go to the Mall book I got for Christmas.  The book is an " '80s seek and find."  So, a Where's Waldo of Walkmans and wayfarers.  I can't wait to get into it!    

You know what else is very '80s/'90s?  Show-and-telling my gifts.  

Which is just the kind of uncool thing that Kimberly might do.  

A Play on Nerds: Monsters are Murder

Whenever I settle in with one of Laura Levine's Jaine Austen mysteries, I know I'm in for the Godiva of treats.  Just like Jaine before downing a pint of Chunky Monkey or her cat Prozac poised to inhale her Minced Mackerel Guts.  So when I opened Death by Smoothie, I was set for a feast.

Jaine's latest gig is as a script doctor for computer geek lovers-turned-lottery winners.  They're over the moon to be producing a play of their favorite sitcom, the all-but-forgotten I Married a Zombie.  Yet the duo's dreams are dashed when their talentless leading lady makes an enemy of everyone on set -- and threatens their romance.  So it's no surprise when someone poisons her green smoothie, recasting the undead diva as dead.

Jaine thought she had her hands full resuscitating the script.  But things get really dicey when her neighbor Lance enlists her to find out whodunit.  His actor boyfriend is a suspect, and if there's anything that love-a-holic Lance can't abide, then it's losing his soul mate du jour.  So Jaine dusts off her detective hat and does some digging.  That is, between emails from her wacky parents, hijinks-jammed job interviews, and entertainingly awful dates, all while fueling herself with another Big Mac and/or buttered bagel.  Jaine's sleuthing -- and life -- make for the most deliciously cringeworthy in the cozy genre.  There's no PI I adore more.

Luckily, I can enjoy Jaine's antics for capers to come.  Because despite her dangerous pass time -- and diet -- she has more lives than Prozac.   

From Yesterday to Today: A Very Y2K Birthday

Top: Current Mood, Dolls Kill

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

This Monday, my birthday, blew by in a blur of snow and a rash-induced doc's visit for Char Bar.  But that was okay because I had the good fortune to celebrate with my whole family on Saturday.  Also, because a handy dandy cream made that pesky rash go away.  

Anyway, although I turned 43, in one way it felt like 18.  I'm of course referring to the Y2K vibe of my outfit.  It certainly couldn't be anything else, given that some days I feel a hundred! 🤣  

I've had the top, which is Current Mood from Dolls Kill, for a few years, and the bright pop art graphics and fitted mesh remind me of tops I wore my last year of high school.  However, I snagged the skirt which, in my opinion, has even more of that '90s-meets-aughts-space-age feel, just this year from Macy's for -- wait for it -- $6.76.  I liked it so much that I ordered two more, one in black and one in gold.  I love when old trends come back again.  

Just like I love that the older I get, the younger -- and trendier -- I want to dress. 😏🎂

Settling the Score With 2024: Festive Fit and Fiction Finale

Dress: ModCloth

My mom's Christmas cookies.

Coat: ModCloth

Boots: Impo, Macy's

Sweater: Pink Republic, Kohl's; Boots: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Bow: Target

Pillow: ??? This is my parents' house. 😏

Dress: Xhilaration, Target

A print from a top not in this post.  Because sometimes you need an extra filler pic.  Anyway, it's from ModCloth.

Shoes: Betsey Johnson, DSW

Necklaces and bangles: Kohl's, JCPenney, and B Fabulous

I can't believe that another Christmas -- and year! -- are done and dusted.  It went by in a blur of color and chaos, but for once I have to say that it was a contented kind of crazy.  Thanks, Charlotte.  

That said, no book reviews or other reflections today.  Just a wish that you have a wonderful last day of 2024 and embrace your own kind of crazy in 2025. 🎉🎈     

Second Act Pact: Put a Little Love in Your Art

I was so busy this December that I almost forgot to read Jenny Bayliss's latest.  Known for releasing a heartfelt romcom each Christmas, the Brit lit wit  never fails to make me smile through my Santa-induced stress.  So when I spied a lone copy of Kiss Me at Christmas while tornadoing through Target, I snagged it. 

Teacher-turned-pastoral care worker Harriet Smith is in dire need of a change.  Overworked and underappreciated, she's always on call and haunted by the one student she couldn't save.  And this Christmas her nerves are especially fraught because her daughter's spending the holiday stateside.  Lonely and vulnerable, triple-cardigan-wearing Harriet embarks on a one night stand.  Then, fresh off the walk of shame, she finds her most at-risk students, a.k.a. the "famous five," playing hooky in the abandoned Winter Theater.  

When her students get caught, she takes the blame and, per the eccentric old woman who owns the theater, cleans it up to avoid charges.  Yet what starts as community service snowballs into a production of A Christmas Carol.  Harriet leads, inspires, and energizes the famous five, a local theater group, and various disenfranchised community clubs including refugees, treasure hunters, and self-proclaimed "lonely farts" into putting on the best show ever.  Also, there's the guy from Harriet's one night stand, who just happens to be the eccentric woman's lawyer.       

It's nice when Christmas has a sense of humor.

Still, Kiss Me at Christmas is more than a romcom.  It's about self-care and community, two things that sound as though they'd be at odds but are, oddly, intertwined.  Because it's only when Harriet allows herself to be at peace that she's able to bring peace to others.  And yes, perhaps, fall in love.  

Big-hearted and hilarious, Kiss Me at Christmas is Bayliss's best book yet.  Because everyone deserves a second act.  Especially at Christmas.

A Very Merry ModCloth Christmas

Teardrop Pop Necklace

Pants: Almost Famous, Macy's

Santa, garland, wreath: Michaels

Top: Collectif X, ModCloth

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's; Boots: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Pillows: St. Nicholas Square, Kohl's; Blanket: Cuddl Duds, Kohl's

Top: ModCloth

Skirt: Almost Famous, Kohl's; Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Bag: Madden Girl, Macy's

Top: ModCloth

What better way to spend Christmas Eve Eve than to wear some merry ModCloth outfits?  Their midcentury vibe put me right in the holiday spirit, which at this stage in the game is code for it's too late to worry that everything isn't done -- or done perfectly -- so just kick back and enjoy it.

That said, I hope you have a very merry and stress-free holiday, no matter what you do -- or what you wear while you do it. 👗🎄🎁