One for the Books: Christmas Cowls Just be Claus

Scarf: Target; Coat: Jou Jou, Macy's; Jeans: Vanilla Star, Target

Scarf: Zulily; Bag: Macy's; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection, Zulily

Dress: Planet Gold, Macy's

Okay, these neck nuzzlers are more scarves than cowls.  But whatever you call them, on New Year's Eve Eve, Santa style's headed back to the North Pole.  I wore the first outfit to run errands (long live holiday leopard!) and the second to last night's family Christmas party.  That's when I got these three lovely books (among others!), Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon, Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta, and Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks.  Books are my favorite gifts to give and get.  

Luckily for me, Santa's as scholarly as he is stylish. 

Mid-Century Modern Merry

Top: Candie's, Kohl's; Skirt: Almost Famous, Kohl's; Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth; Brooch: The Tote Trove

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's

Dress: Modcloth; Wrap: Macy's; Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW; Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's; Earmuffs: Betsey Johnson for Trolls, Macy's

Ornaments: Wondershop, Target

Bag: T-Shirt & Jeans, Kohl's

Sometimes even I don't feel like getting dressed up -- or, quite frankly, getting out of my PJs.  And that's where the flat lay comes in!  Today seemed like a good time to do a few -- with a nod to mid-century-modern-merry-slash-nifty-fifties-Noel.  These girly styles make me think of a simpler time.  You know, before feminism, instant oatmeal, and the internet.

Maybe the fifties weren't quite so nifty.  

Now excuse me while I go make a JELL-O mold with leftover Christmas crab cakes.

A Horticulturist's Holiday: Planting Kisses and Kindness

No holiday reading list is complete without a book from Jenny Bayliss.  Last year I enjoyed A Season of Second Chances, and the year before that The Twelve Dates of Christmas.  So when I found Bayliss' Meet Me Under the Mistletoe on Amazon, I was delighted.

When Elinor "Nory" Noel leaves her beloved secondhand London bookshop to attend her friends' wedding in her hometown, it's with mixed emotions.  The week-long celebration is being held in a castle and will put her back in the thick of her private school circle.  Nory attended the prestigious school on scholarship, and despite her bond with the seven students who helped shape her formative years, the disparity in their social standing has always made her feel a little bit less than.  What's more, she comes from a family of proud working-class tree farmers, and part of her has always felt that attending private school created distance between them.  Finally, Nory and her friends are mourning Tristan, whom they lost to suicide last year.  They knew that he suffered from depression, but didn't realize how deeply.  Nory, who has weathered her own bouts of mental instability, feels his absence keenly.  And then she falls into a wheelbarrow of manure and comes face to face with her frenemy, Isaac Malik.  

Isaac is the castle's head gardener.  He's also Nory's brother's best friend.  Yet although Isaac has nothing but disdain for Nory's wealthy pals, he's very taken with Nory.  And the feeling is mutual.  With their shared background in plants and love of reading, the two have a lot in common.  At one point, Nory defends her massive book collection by saying ' "Keeping books is not hoarding!  . . . It's protecting history.  The written word is the key to the secrets of this world and all the worlds that live in our minds." ' (Bayliss 202-203)  As their romance, ahem, blossoms, Isaac trusts Nory enough to tell her that his great-great-grandmother's employer stole her original artwork and passed it off as her own.  Impetuous and passionate about justice, Nory burns to right this wrong.  But Isaac is private and doesn't want help from Nory -- or her influential friends.  What happens next will determine if Nory and Isaac's relationship has the grit of a winter garden, or if it's as fragile as a summer rose.       

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is so much more than a Christmas romance.  In Nory, Bayliss gives us a multi-dimensional heroine who's dealing with a lot.  Although festive and sometimes very funny, hers isn't a Hallmark world where conflict melts like chocolate chip cookies.  It's a hothouse of holiday expectations haunted by the mental health struggles that people face all year, but especially in December.  You can't help but want good things for Nory, a sensitive bibliophile caught between her roots and the dazzling world of privilege just out of reach.

I don't know about you, but I'll never look at mistletoe the same way again.

So This Was Christmas

Sweater: Mossimo (for men!), Target; Hat: Nine West, Boscov's

Christmas Eve in my tropical snowman sweater.

The half-frozen river in front of the seafood market where we caught (okay, bought) Christmas Eve dinner.

Dress: Who What Wear, Target; Bag: Violet Ray, Kohl's

Maxi-ing out on leopard for Christmas Day at my sister's.  

Two of my PinkBopp rings.  I wear the Christmas one every December, but this year I thought why not wear the rose one too?  It was perfect for the neon Noel vibe I had going, and my three-year-old niece got a kick out of it. 

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's; Jeans: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Bag: Gap

And, finally, my day-after-Christmas bargain from Michaels.  (And yes, for some reason, more red leopard.)  

Because every house needs a Santa head with candy canes coming out of it.

Just as every winter-averse woman needs to keep the holiday magic going as long as she can.  

Santa's sleigh may be sleeping 'til next year, but here at The Tote Trove, Christmas is just getting started. 😀🎄🍬

Yule Log Hog: Merry Christmas Eve

Maybe someday I'll read a cozy mystery without having to tell the world about it.  But that day is not today.

That said, I recently enjoyed a trio of yule log-themed whodunits: Yule Log Murder by Leslie Meier, Death by Yule Log by Lee Hollis, and Logged On by Barbara Ross.  Each featured a less-sinister-than-usual murder or alleged murder (it is, after all, Christmas), as well as yule log recipes.  One log was peppermint, one was chocolate, and one was raspberry chocolate.  I ignored them all, instead indulging in this vanilla strawberry version that the husband just happened to bring home from the grocery store:  

He saw it while getting the essentials, thought, should I?, then doubled back because of course the answer to all confection-related quandaries is "yes." 

That's us in a (chest)nut shell.  We never met a sweet story or treat we didn't like.

Speaking of which, I hope your Christmas Eve is as delicious as your favorite dessert.  For us, it's the beginning of a week of holiday activities, so we're hunkering down at home (it's frigid out there!) to feast on seafood and cookies.  

It's what Leslie Meier would've wanted.

Christmas Cocktail Party

Dress: B. Darlin, Amazon; Garland: Michaels

Necklace and barrettes: INC, Macy's

Dress: Rampage, Macy's; Garland: Michaels; Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Red bow: Carole, JCPenney; Blue bow: Hobby Lobby; Merry Kitschmas Necklace: The Tote Trove

Tights: Isadora, Zulily; Shoes: Penny Loves Kenney, Zulily

You know I don't do cocktails -- or parties.  But there's something about a little black dress that screams "Wrap me in garland!"

So I did.

That's all.  You can go back to wrapping fruitcakes and Furbies.  

Candy Cane Lane . . . but Make it Kooky

Once upon a time, candy canes came in only peppermint and sometimes, if you were lucky, cherry (which I loved because of their rainbow stripes).  But nowadays you can get them in almost any flavor, as evidenced during a recent outing when I picked up these:

That's right; you're looking at a soda lover's paradise of 7UP, Dr. Pepper, and A&W as well as -- wait for it -- that American classic, Twinkies!

When I saw these exotic offerings, I couldn't pass them up, even though I still had an unopened box of Hershey's mint candy canes from last year:

Believe it or not, I haven't sampled any yet.  They must remain "mint" in box, safe and secure in my underwear drawer, until December 24.  

Because that's when the Christmas treat train leaves the station . . . 

. . . and goes off the rails until New Year's.    

Season's Heatings: Romance to the Rescue

In need of ho ho ho's?  Then call in the bros!  Yeah . . . that didn't sound right.  But it is an on-brand way to introduce Lyssa Kay Adams' A Very Merry Bromance.  It's the fifth and latest novel in the Bromance Book Club series, which features a friend group of prominent Nashville men who read romance novels to learn more about women.  Which is a very cool concept.  Because what woman doesn't want a man who's in touch with his -- and more importantly, her -- feelings?   

In A Very Merry Bromance, it's country music star Colton Wheeler's turn for a lesson in love.  And the object of his affection (and okay, yes, erection) is no-nonsense immigration lawyer Gretchen Winthrop.  Gretchen is a gloomy Gus, and Colton is charisma personified, and they lean hard into the opposites attract trope, going so far as to joke about it.  It's all very meta and exactly what you'd expect from people who read romance as -- and these are Adams' words, not mine -- (life) manuals.  Not that Gretchen's entirely on board with it.  She's downright snarky when Colton turns the tables and asks her to study a bodice-ripper, and not only that, but one set during the holidays.  The original Scrooge, Gretchen despises Christmas (again, I can't take credit for this, as there's a whole A Christmas Carol comparison thing going on in this book).  Not because she thinks it's frivolous, but because her uber-wealthy but cold family never even let her decorate a Christmas tree.  

Now, A Very Merry Bromance ranks pretty high on the scorch-a-meter.  But it's also sweet and heartfelt.  There's something sexy about a guy going into Santa in shining armor mode, especially for a woman more than capable of taking care of herself.  Because that means he's not doing it because he thinks she's less than.  He's doing it because he cares.  And because everyone -- even the biggest, baddest, on-the-right-side-of-the-law lawyer, needs a little help (and Christmas magic!) sometimes.

So if modern-yet-still-old-fashioned romance is on your Christmas list, then look no further than this fiery fairy tale.  Full of fun, family drama, and fa-la-la-la-la-ooh-la-la, A Very Merry Bromance reminds us why Christmas is the season for sparks.  

Christmas Couture: Think Pink

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Christmas Cactus Barrette Brooch

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon

Sweater: Sweater Project, Marshalls

Red-y for Christmas Necklace

Bag: Macy's; Skirt: Kohl's; Bangles: B Fabulous; Bracelet: Parade of Shoes; Ring: Charlotte Russe

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Betsey Johnson, DSW

Two Trees Barrette Brooch

Let There be Christmas Lights Necklace

Red Bow Wreath Barrette Brooch

When it comes to festive fits, red and green are go-to's.  But pink is pretty merry, too.  Which is why I used it to make this year's seasonal barrette brooches -- and then kept the Christmas party going with blush sequin separates and fuchsia accessories.  Talk about rosé all day -- or month!  

So thanks, December (and Kohl's and Hobby Lobby and DSW) for giving me yet another reason to be self-indulgently silly.     

It really is the gift that keeps on giving. 🎀🎁

Breakin' All the Rules This Jule (P. S. That's Danish for Christmas)

Ornaments: Hallmark

Contrary to this pic, Amy E. Reichert's Once Upon a December isn't about birds.  It's about time travel and raw meat sandwiches.  Sort of.

Like Reichert's The Kindred Spirits Supper Club, December takes place in Wisconsin.  And apparently in Wisconsin, it's customary to eat "cannibal sandwiches," which consist of rye bread, raw onions, and raw ground beef.  Which is just . . . yeah.  All I can say is that it's not something that ever came up on That '70s Show.  Hello, Wisconsin indeed!

But you don't want to kibitz about beef.  You want to talk about time travel.  (At least I assume you do, unless you've already cut and run in search of something thoroughly cooked to gnaw on.)  

Astra Noel Snow is a thirty-seven-year-old divorced librarian with a circle of friends and a dog that are her everything.  Still, she'd really like a special someone.  And when she walks into a Scandinavian bakery on the outskirts of the Milwaukee Christmas market, she thinks she might have found him.  The guy serving up cherry kringle isn't just cute and sweet, he's vaguely familiar -- quite literally the man of her dreams.  At least that's what Astra thinks at first.  But as she gets to know Jack Clausen, she slowly realizes that she's met him, not in her dreams, but in real life, once (or twice) upon a December.  Entranced and intrigued, Astra puts her librarian skills to use to research the bakery and other shops in the enchanted alley known as the Julemarked.  What she finds makes her question everything, changing her life forever. 

Haunting and mystical, Once Upon a December gifts readers with Christmas magic as out-of-this-world as Jack's signature kringle.  As charming as it is strange, Reichert's yuletide universe explores and celebrates the mysteries of the space-time continuum and of falling in love.  And as a fan of Christmastime, time travel, and romance, I'm here for it.

Raw meat sandwich (and its little dog too!) notwithstanding.

Light Plight Turned Delight: Christmas is Coming

It's no secret that I get overwhelmed by Christmas decorating.  Because unless you want to hang your garland along with a year's worth of spider webs, first you have to clean.  And if you're anything like me, then once you start, you realize just how disgusting your house is.  It's a real if-you-give-a-mouse-a-Christmas-cookie situation.  Nevertheless, yesterday I started decking out the fireplace, then moved on to the tree only to discover that my (albeit ancient, slightly leaning, floor model) pre-lit specimen needed a little more hot buttered rum (hashtag drinking-puns-from-a-teetotaler).  Good thing I already stocked up on lights:  

Lights: Sylvania, Hobby Lobby

Then again, I bought these to replace the extra strands that I add (I like a lot of lights), which had also died.  Sigh. 

Yet despite my borderline bah humbug attitude, I don't hate Christmas.  Oh, no.  I love Christmas.  And so I want it to be special and can never do it (or anything else I care about) halfway.  Is it any wonder that one year I got so stressed out I didn't put up a tree at all?!

When the husband got home from work, I told him about our low-wattage situation.  And he said, "Did you plug everything in?"

Um, what?  Wasn't there just the one plug?

Evidently not, because in a blink we had this:

Which just goes to show that things are never as bad -- or as dim -- as they seem.  Also that, like a toddler, I shouldn't be trusted with outlets.  

Anyhoo, time to bust out the ornaments!  The newest are these cacti and French fries, just a few of my favorite things. 🌵🍟

Ornaments: Wondershop, Target

So, here's to merry mishaps that melt into, not springs, but succulent surprises.  

And to jacking up the electric bill Griswald style.  

Crime Fiction Affliction: Making it Write

My sister's book club pick was Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, by Elle Cosimano.  It's a murder mystery, so I was into it from go.  That said, it's a little grittier than my usual cat-lady-slash-vigilante whodunit fare.  Allow me to explain.

Finlay Donovan is a writer and single mother who's losing at life.  Her ex-husband is a nickel-and-diming Lothario, her kids cause constant chaos, and her romantic suspense novels barely pay for pizza.  To top it all off, now some rando at Panera thinks that Finlay's a hitwoman and wants to hire her to kill her husband.  And she won't take no for an answer.

I don't know about you, but this makes my worst day look like lunch at The Plaza.

Cosimano's style is sharp, irreverent, and dare I say sassy.  She takes us on a raucous ride involving mob bosses, sexy cops, and one fast-talking babysitter.  By having Finlay fight writer's block and crime, Cosimano elevates the starving artist trope to survival.  

Also, there's a sod farm. 

I'd be lying if I said I was more comfortable with Finlay than her small-town sleuthing sisters.  But I enjoyed the faster, flashier pace in Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.

Because sometimes even country mice need to take a side trip to the city.   

Sunflowers and Roses

Skirt: Celebrity Pink, Marshalls; Bag Nine West, Ross

Tights: Worthington, JCPenney

Top: Say What?, JCPenney

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Maple Mix Barrette Brooch

Top: SHEIN

Cardigan and tee: So, Kohl's; Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Necklace: The Tote Trove

Love bangle: Boscov's; Black bangle and flower ring: Mixit, JCPenney; Pink bracelet: Crown & Ivy, Belk's

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Sunglasses: Target; Big necklace: INC, Macy's

Tights: HUE, Amazon

Top and skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Floral bangle: Zulily; Black bangle: Petite Sophisticate; Zigzag bangle: Bloomingsales Florist and Gift Shop; Other bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Heart ring: Delia's; Bag: LC Lauren, Kohl's

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target; Top: Decree, JCPenney; Headband: INC, Macy's

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, Amazon

Blazer: The Limited

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Lipstick: Revlon ColorStay Matte Crayon, Mile High, Walgreens 

Tights: HUE, Amazon

Leah Leaf Necklace

Kimono: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Scrunchie: So, Kohl's; Pink necklace: H&M; Other necklace: The Tote Trove

Bag: Ella & Elly, Zulily; Bangles: Mixit, JCPenney; Ring: Express 

Sweater: So, Kohl's; Jeans: Universal Threads, Target

Boots: UNIONBAY, Kohl's; Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's

Necklaces: The Tote Trove.  Also, the best -- or worst -- in photobombing, courtesy of the husband.

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bags: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Cream bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Coral bangle: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Pink: Don't Ask, Zulily

Boots: LC Lauren Conrad

Sunflowers and roses aren't really for fall, even if these golds and fuchsias are.  But then again, by most people's standards, it's not even fall anymore anyway -- it's Christmas!  Leave it to me to go all in on autumn just as everyone else is hauling out holly.  

Speaking of the holidays, the great shopping ban of (a very small portion) of 2022 has ended!  Blame it on the biggest shopping season of the year or on my having willpower as weak as flat root beer, but I made it a whole three months until I caved and bought the above LC Lauren Conrad dress, boots, and bag to wear for Thanksgiving.  Still, brief as it was, the exercise gave me a chance to style what I had in new ways and also to be a more sensible splurger (the words "sensible" and "splurger" being, of course, relative).  But best of all, my new outfit inspired me to make this Big Pink Bow Barrette Brooch, a variation on the necklaces I used to churn out years ago:  

Big Pink Bow Barrette Brooch

While I was thinking pink, I decided to try a new lipstick too, namely this Revlon ColorStay Matte Lite Crayon in Mile High.  Although I was hesitant to sub out my usual (also Revlon) Super Lustrous Creme Cherries in the Snow, I have to admit that this Barbie shade's a nice alternative.  Also, bonus of bonuses, it tastes a tiny bit like birthday cake frosting.

So here's to celebrating summer flowers all fall.  And to pushing off the poinsettias -- at least until January.