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I think something that style blogs often fail to show are the 'everyday' outfits we sport. I definitely have a favorite 'uniform' so to speak for work every day, especially with the chilly days and wavering office temperatures. It goes something like this.
  • Cardigan, probably from J Crew Factory
  • Knit dress, most likely one of my 6 Sparkle & Fade skater dresses (love them)
  • Tights, perhaps some fun tights since said knit dresses are solid colored
  • Flats of some sort
  • A ring or two
  • A scarf, probably this red/blue/orange/gold/purple pashmina my mother in law got me
  • One of the less dressy or long coats I own
  • Satchel like purse. This Fossil purse has been a standard since I got it - it's small enough for everyday use and keeps me from carrying way too much.

I was lucky that this day at work was the perfect day for a photo shoot - randomly 60 degrees and strangely foggy for a Thursday in December. It was nice to go outside and take my coat off and not freeze. Harrisburg is appropriately grey for winter - I wonder if I will ever make it somewhere that isn't just 'grey' all over for 3 months of the year, as all the places I have lived fit into that.

Also, I'm not texting in my photos. That's going to be life from here on out as my cell phone is now my camera remote.


cardigan :: c/o august wrinkle remixed
belt :: anthropologie remixed
tights :: target
oxfords :: born remixed
ring :: kiel mead remixed
scarf :: gift (similar on ebay) remixed
coat :: loft remixed
memoir flap satchel :: c/o fossil remixed

I adore chocolate cookies - especially thin, crispy ones. I also love mint. So when these mint M&Ms were on sale in the Target Cartwheel app, I got the great idea to create some thin, crispy, yummy cookies. These are perfect for the holidays!


I love getting new jewelry, especially around Christmas. There is something about having giant, sparkly things around the holidays that makes me really happy. This can be evidenced by my increase in purchasing gold, glitter, or otherwise gem like things in December. When JoJo Loves You, an independent jewelry store in Boston, contacted me about a review, I got really excited for something sparkly to come in the mail. I kind of fell in love with all these photos (and as we were shooting with my dad's Nikon over the weekend, really surprised I got them to take this well), I kind of needed to share them all. I LOVE these earrings - they were perfect to wear to a fancy dinner at Jeff Ruby's Precinct with my parents for our birthday. They are inexpensive too - around $30 - so a really great gift. They are running a HUGE holiday sale though right now through the 15th (12.13.2013-12.15.2013). Here's the deals (which are really good, basically 3 for the price of 2)
Blings: 3 pairs for $60
Mini Blings: 3 pairs for $50
Oval Blings: 3 pairs for $50
Navette Blings: 3 pairs for $50
Party Blings: 3 pairs for $60
And you can  Mix & Match...meaning the 3 pairs can be 3 different styles!
Go shop the sale-there is free shipping over $100!


Here are what shots we got at the Precinct. With the light leaving fast, my family waiting inside as they wouldn't seat us without Jason and I coming inside, and the general fact we were using a camera we didn't know well, they turned out alright for what they are! And dinner was delicious :D


coat :: target remixed
cardigan :: halogen via nordstrom rack remixed
skies of ore dress :: anthropologie now on ebay remixed
tights :: old navy remixed
foxfire wedges :: anthropologie remixed
bag :: emma fox remixed
aqua bohem bling earrings :: c/o jojo loves you

I love dogs. I love dog related things. So why not put them all together in one post? This new tee from Anthropologie went perfect with my new custom Teemo necklace from Crave Jewelry design! Plus, it's been awhile since I have had both pups in the photos. While visiting Cincinnati, my pups have the time in my life in my parents yard ( which has some strange strain of grass that turns brown in the winter making it super attractive - kidding - but cushy ) sniffing new scents, barking at every thing that passes, and in general being pups on vacation. See that bay window in my parents house in the background of some of these? Teemo just lounges in it all day. You can see how thrilled he is to be modeling in these photos - stupid momma ruining his relaxation spree.


hat :: handmade remixed
creature feature tee :: anthropologie
astral swing skirt :: anthropologie remixed
tights :: old navy
kate spade x keds :: via zappos remixed
rings :: kate spade & kiel mead remixed
necklace :: c/o crave jewelry design remixed

Have you heard of subscription boxes for dogs? There are tons of beauty ones, foodie ones, and some other types, but as I am not big on surprises, only the pups get a dog box. Raynor and Teemo have a tendency to go through toys and treats like a kid with candy. Teemo is chewer - always looking for the next bone or chew toy to destroy so any treats for dogs are his thing. Raynor is a tugger, a fetcher, and really any game that requires being a bit rough on the toys. Their holiday dog gift from BarkBox arrived early, so we figured we would let them have at it with our own 'mini Christmas' since we will be out of town on actual Christmas.


What exactly IS BarkBox? It's a monthly dog box where each month, your pups get a box of goodies. No more pet store trips, no more shopping online trying to figure out what to get - just lots of things to try each month and figure out what works best. I like this model because I get more for the money, the dogs get new things each month instead of our normal model, and 10% of the profit from my sale goes towards dog shelters and rescues.They don't repeat products, they don't send out anything with funky, unnatural ingredients, and all are tested and carefully picked by a team inside. Our box included some fun things. Here's what was what and who liked what in our pups.
Here's an example bark box. I was super happy mine had none of the blue shredded paper. That stuff makes a huge mess!


The stuff :: Total value, Around $35 (BarkBox is $29, $24, $19 a month depending on your plan)

Teemo NEEDED some dental treats - he used to get Greenies, but as they have wheat in them, he can't have them anymore because Raynor can't. The Twistix were the best thing in the box - Teemo is cute, but man, does his breath smell awful. Like, not dog breath awful, just, I cannot explain to you. Raynor ignored the treats and went for the toy, which she loves as it's a snuggly toy that she can play fetch with - her favorite. Let's see how long until Teemo destroys it. The treats were nice - the truffle mac and cheese made me jealous as they smell really darn good. The YumZies didn't interest the pups as much and were the only thing they kind of put off to eat/play with the other things. It is definitely worth the surprise - and this one was a good one!


If you are thinking about this for a gift - act fast if you want it to arrive! I already got a gift subscription for some lucky pups - this makes such a great gift for dogs! For December only, BarkBox will be offering extended shipping open until Dec. 17 at midnight (PDT) for a $5 surcharge. Regular shipping cut off is December 10th. You can get 10 dollars off right now by using this link.

 

If you looking to get holiday gift for dogs, I really suggest this - even just one month to try it out - as my dogs LOVED the surprise, and I myself enjoyed the variety of products I hadn't really heard of before. Plus, seeing my pups get gifts is the best! Get 10 dollars off by using this link to BarkBox!

This post was written on behalf of the BlogPaws Pet Blogger Network for BarkBox. This indicates I am being compensated for helping spread the word about BarkBox, although the opinions and ideas expressed are my purely own. For more information - read the disclosure of this blog.

Jason and I went to Philadelphia on our actual birthday date to enjoy something crazy - a $100 cheesesteak at Barclay Prime. My father in law knew we had seen it on TV and were interested, and got us a gift card to cover it. Such a fun gift - the man knows us well. So we got a little dressed up in my new Anthropologie heels and Fossil memoir flap purse and went for a drink in the city, then a fabulous dinner. Was it worth $100? No, probably not. I got terribly sick after (go figure), but I did really enjoy it while we were there. We weren't even able to finish it - but we definitely finished the most delicious bottle of champagne that came with it!


shirt :: gap remixed
skirt :: anthropologie remixed
foxfire wedges :: anthropologie
memoir flap novel satchel :: c/o fossil
rings :: kate spade & Gorjana griffin remixed
bracelet :: kate spade remixed
Christmas! Our tree is up - we have been decorating - and we are getting lights up! Here's some photos of an outfit I wore while running errands and decorating our home for the holidays. Just a quickie little post - our Canon broke, and we are having SO many issues with photos lately. We were without a camera over Thanksgiving in Cincinnati, and just now in the process of selling our lenses and changing our entire lineup around.


headband :: anthropologie remixed
demin jacket :: mossimo via target remixed
strapless dress :: flying tomato remixed
scarf :: target
kate spade x keds :: via zappos remixed
rings :: gojana griffin remixed

Christmas cocktails are always harder for me! I love me a good Grasshopper, but what about a non-ice cream, less sugar-crazed, but still sweet drink? That's where this yummy FAIR Quinoa vodka inspired me. I wanted to something traditional - like a martini - with a yummy twist. And so was born, the Candy Can-tini.


FAIR Quinoa vodka is the first line of fair trade spirits, which means it's good for the world. It's also pretty tasty - in comparison to the normal vodka brands you'll see on the shelves, I'd say this is on par with some of the mid range ones. It's got a little more flavor - kind of a bite to it - but really is just a vodka that's distilled from quinoa and other than sounding different, it isn't weird or tasteless. Definitely suitable for cocktails where you can add flavor and make it do what you want - hence the peppermint!