Festive Dressing.

I love the holiday season because we seem to get to go to more parties in one month than we do the rest of the year combined.
I don't know about you but as I hurry through the mall, shopping. My eyes are drawn to the glamorous cocktail dresses, all blinged out and shiny and I wonder, if in another life, and proposing I had the figure, I would ever have cause to wear a decorated hankie in public. I mean really, who wears these other than the stick insects posing as hosts of glamor award shows. Do you really want your husbands boss to see that much skin?
So what does a thirty something, size- FEMALE wear to: the family white elephant, the church social or the hubbies company party AND how do you do Christmas festive without breaking the bank on a wear once outfit.
So as a service to all my sisters in fashion and a warning to all my sisters who could use a visit from the "what NOT to wear" crew.
I give you, my take on festive dressing and you need not thank me but send your Christmas reindeer sweaters for me to donate to the local charity shop. They offend me to the very core.
First: Take a basic outfit you look and feel great in.

For example, A Great, Dark Jean, no holes of whiskers, classic, dressy, can be skinny, straight, boot or flare.
A neutral under shirt or blouse, I love the downeast T's with a strip of lace. They are long enough to not worry about showing any crack :) There I said it, crack!! surely people can feel the draft.
A great, fitted cardi or jacket. This one has a ruched long/short sleeve, your best friend if your bicep fell off the top of your arm and went under it (you know what I'm talking about)Enough to cover imperfections but leave you comfortable and put together.
All these items are already in my wardrobe so no cost so far.

Then start to add the festive.

I see these multi strand necklaces all over so be bold and load up.

Then go for Christmas colors in accessories , red, gold, any metallic.
The red bag I have used all month for my Christmas shopping, makes me happy and is big enough to hide a small child in. The silver bag was from last Christmas and I still love it and the clutch is a classic for dressing up any evening look when all you need is cash, gloss and a key.
You could get brave and go sparkly on this item but I like multi use, that's why I opted for black.


don't be too matchy, that is not "IN".

Then finally go bold with the shoes.

Don't hate me, but these shoes love me back.

Another great tip I read on "how not to dress like a mom" blog was:
If you are going to a home party where heels would be unkind to there wood floors (say, mine for example) then make sure your jeans aren't overly long and pair them with a delicate, flat. The hosts will have no problem you keeping them on. I mean who wants to walk barefoot while sporting that much festive flare.
and for the love of all things Holy, have nicely painted toenails, if your showing them through your gorgeous sandals.

So there you have it. This is a tried and tested look, I have worn it twice so far this December and got many complements.
I got the basis of the look from people magazines dec "style watch" issue page 142 good article.

12 Days of Christmas

We all know the song.
I have to wonder what kind of love I'd have for a man who delivered me 7 maids a milking and think he had somehow scored some awesome gift giving points. Really, where the heck did this song come from? I think maybe he wanted the maids and the ladies dancing for himself!! Like buying me a power tool or something and I am supposed to be happy about it. Anyway, I am grateful men today are more simple.
On the first day of Christmas
my sweetheart gave to me,
something very sparse and Lacey :0
oh and she did it for 12 days straight and I was happy camper!!
So with that out of the way I wonder why I got the erg to do something fun on the 12 days leading up to Christmas.
Lets face it, it's the busiest most stressful time of year for a Mum, especially one who was volunteered to host the husbands company Christmas party but HEY, lets add another thing to do.
So.....
I came up with
"the 12 days of family fun time"
I made a cute advent with gloves, each one having a tag with the day number on it.
Each day the kids pull a paper from the gloves which tells of the activity pegged for that day.

e.g. On the first day of Christmas, my family and me... are going to Zoo lights to see the animals.
Some are fun, some involve extended family and parties that were already planned. There are a couple of charitable events as well as some neighbor gift making and delivery. It's all good stuff but it allows Boyd and I to spend some quality time each day with our kids without the "Mum, when are going to do something fun" that seems to come 5 times a day when they are off school.



Credit for the glove idea goes to another blogger.
http://ohamanda.com/2009/11/10/the-best-advent-calendars-ever-the-2009-edition/
Check out these cute advent ideas and share with me your family fun traditions.

I'll have a blue Christmas

The benefit of having neutral colored, white and silver, Christmas decorations, is that you can change your color scheme without much expense. That is also thanks to Walmart who never cease to amaze me on what they can do for a dollar. Oh I used to think that, one day, when I was rich, I would stop going there and shop at Target instead. Well that happened for a while ( I wasn't rich but Target was the closest big box store) and I have to say there are still many things I find myself checking out walmart for.
So since I HATE clutter, this is how I can do Christmas.
Matching my decor and only small accents.

Ok I admit the spiky thingy's are from IKEA, I would've bought all my stuff there if it hadn't been all RED!! I mean how predictable, is Ikea leaving me for another lover?

This awesome tree jar is from taipan.(store on 90th)


Oh I'm sure there are busy bodies out there, wondering what part my kids had in all this...
The answer....NONE!!! I begged and coaxed tried to bribe and whilst they were quick to demand the decorations go up, no one wanted to help. Sort of how everyone's starving but know one knows how to get themselves food;-)
I even left a second tree undecorated in the family room, hoping they'd throw the decs on but ALAS, no love there.
So judgmental readers....mind your own business and get to walmart for some super cheap decs.

Winter Wonderland

If your dreaming of a white Christmas, then come to my house!!

Quick Breakfast

It's freezing here in Utah!!!!

I decided a quick breakfast was in order and I set too making my yummy Hot Chocolate.
I throw some water in the microwave then bung a few teaspoons of sugar free hot choc in the blenda ( I know this is not how you spell blender but it is how I spell Blender when I'm in a hurry) continue.....with a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
Add your hot water and..................
DON'T PRESS HIGH!!!!!
Yes friends, this really does happen, people (stupid folks, like me today)turn on the blenda without the lid and now I have spent 23 minutes cleaning up, lumpy, looks like puke, smells like protein powder, grossness off my cabinets, counters, floor, microwave, local paperwork and my shirt.

I could've made a Spanish omelet with a side of chopped peach salsa and some fresh raspberries!

New and improved.

My Computer was poorly and needed some love, so my sweet hubby did all the.....stuff only he knows how and low and behold, it's all fine and dandy, along with all these cool new features and backgrounds. The kind of stuff where I go "ah that Christmassy shopping picture is so cute but "WHY can't I download my camera straight to adobe."

You see, over the years I have learned that technology is way beyond my comprehension and it takes me ages to figure out much beyond the on and off switch. Fortunately there are those geeky types (like my hunny) who actually get somewhat of a kick out of making it more simple for the likes of me. This is of course beneficial for him, as he avoids comments like:
ME:"it just keeps going black"
HIM:"have you tried moving the mouse"
ME:"well yes but then it goes black again"
HIM:"it's a screen saver" (silently thinking, are you freakin kidding me!!!)

BUT, I have no idea how to work all the new stuff and I have cool pics of my Christmas tree and stuff to share.

Also, my phone was acting up so I finally upgraded it and man, have they come along way. This thing can do everything but switch the laundry to the dryer which incidentally just pinged prettily :) Some geeky type, while no doubt, listening to his whining wife, changed the offensive buzzing sound, to a cute, pretty, ting.
I digress.
My new phone, whilst being a cool color and having awesome graphics and wifi, does not have some basic essentials to me, like, ALL MY CONTACTS!!! Duh, I erased my old phone to get a $75 rebate and whoopsie, your all gone! So unless your phone number is in my head, that would include my Mum, my Uncle Doug and Miriam Sorricelli, you no longer have contact with me.
Call me or text or email or facebook or IM or Skype or one of the other cool technologies me :)

Burnt Toast

The sweet smell of burnt toast :)
Most people would turn there nose up but for me, this smell is a reminder of loved ones who will tell you even as they ready this,
"It's NOT burnt, it's PERFECT"


I say, not even fit for the birds and it goes straight in the bin but the smell....
oh the smell I love.