I Never Stick to Anything

But I stuck to this! I have completed the NaNoWriMo challenge! Eighty pages (well, 80 pages in Google Docs...74 pages in Word) containing 50,018 words in a month, baby! Now let the editing begin. I already emailed it to my subject-matter expert BFFs, and I'm excited and anxious to hear what they have to say about it!

Let's celebrate with a Style Imitating Art interpretation:

Sweater: Kohl's; Scarf: Boston Store; Skirt: Narciso Rodriguez for Kohl's;
Shoes: Target

It's crazy how silver this skirt looks in these pictures. In real life, I think it's more gold with blue in it, hence the mustard and blue on top. Oh yeah, it was really cold out.

Black Friday Haul and YSL Shoes for Sale

Originally, I did have plans to brave the mall for Black Friday, but I ended up celebrating Small Business Saturday a day early instead and just checked out E-Collectique Runway Boutique's fabulous new shop in Thiensville. Let me tell you, their Saukville shop is nice, but their Thiensville shop is stunning. It's like a chic boutique you'd find in Chicago or something. For the locals, I highly recommend checking it out.

Anyway, I stopped by because I saw a couple shoes online I wanted to check out in person. One was this ridiculously high but awesome pair of Prada shoes. I was in the market for silver shoes for a wedding and the work Christmas party, so I used some of my store credit from selling stuff and picked them up for $47!

They're 4-1/2 inches high...what was I thinking? I guess I was thinking that I just scored Prada shoes for $50. I'll just slouch the whole time. Ha.

I nearly bought two handbags while I was there, too, but I held back and just picked up this BCBG top for $10.

So those were my successful Black Friday purchases. Unfortunately, I convinced my friend to buy a pair of YSL shoes without trying them on, and they ended up being too small. Now, we have to find someone to take them off her hands. They're size 8.5, narrow, and they have no flaws that I can find. If anyone would be interested, they're yours for $45, which is what she paid for them plus the cost to ship them. Otherwise, we're going to try to sell them to a resale shop later this week. I'd rather a reader have them, though!

This Feels Like Me

It's always kind of interesting and insightful when bloggers say a particular outfit "feels like them." I know for myself, I like to try out different trends, and I try to add variety to my wardrobe, and I'm sure other bloggers strive to do the same. So it's nice when we hit on a combination that just "feels like us." In fact, I just did a search in my Google Reader for the phrase "feel like me," and 19 results popped up. I clicked the first two, and they were actually both plaid shirts that made those particular bloggers feel like themselves. That's kind of cool. And a few of the results I found were referencing things that didn't "feel like them."

This time I'm going to say it. This outfit feels like me. Or who I want to be - a hip, girly mom with a bit of a rock 'n roll edge. Years before I became a blogger, long-sleeved (or 3/4-sleeved), solid-colored T-shirts were a wardrobe staple of mine. I also had a ton of printed skirts. The silhouette of this skirt is new for me, as is the super cool studded belt, so this whole ensemble feels like an updated version and a very natural progression of the me from say...2008.

Jacket: Sofia Vergara (KMart); Boots: Target

Top: Kohl's; Skirt and Watch: New York & Company; Belt: H&M

Having said all that, I was having a bad bangs day. As much as I like how I look with bangs, I have a feeling they look "eh" more often than they look good. But I'm still keeping them around.

Another Outfit Recreation from InStyle

Top: Old Navy; Cardigan: Target; Skirt: Jason Wu for Target;
Tights: Missoni for Target; Shoes: Vince Camuto via giveaway

This cardigan is a little small. I've had it forever, so either it shrunk, I grew, or I bought it too small in the first place. Or all of the above. The above photo is probably how the collar-lapel-flap things (you'd think I'd know the technical term here) are supposed to lay, but the below picture is how they actually lay if I don't fix them every 2 seconds. I ended up wearing the sweater either off or unbuttoned most of the day anyway.

The inspiration for this outfit came from this page I ripped out of the November issue of InStyle.

The tan leather skirt is definitely a chicer look, but my workhorse Jason Wu skirt works pretty well, too. I didn't have a felt fedora to go with it, and I didn't think my straw one would be a great substitute, but hats are not really practical for my everyday life anyway unfortunately.

Man, my hair is long. I need a haircut.

Breaking Dawn Weekend

Yesterday, my mom came over to watch Bridget's swim class, and then she, hubs, and I made homemade ravioli for our upcoming Thanksgiving meal. We usually have a small turkey with that; but besides the ravioli, I mostly look forward to the sides, especially my mom's yams with brown sugar and marshmallows.

That night, I went and saw the last installment of the Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn - Part 2. OMG. I don't want to spoil anything, but the ending was intense. I had heard that there was a surprise ending that was different from the book, and a surprise it was! I didn't actually like the end of the book, so I ended up being pleased with how they wrapped things up in the movie. However, while it was all going down on screen, I was freaking out!

Here's what I wore for Inspiration Monday:

Top: Old Navy; Poncho: gift; Jeans: New York & Company; Boots: Kohl's; Sunglasses: Express

For the movie, I added my vampire shirt from Maurices that I bought back when New Moon came out.

Today's mostly a chill day. I took Bridget and Dela to the dog park and grocery store, but that's it so far. I'm hoping during Bridget's nap in a little bit here that I can write like crazy since I skipped yesterday. Whoops. I was doing so well, too.

Here's what I'm wearing today for Style Imitating Art. I kind of phoned this one in and just went with a casual white and purple ensemble instead of a white dress. This was a toughie; I'll be interested to see how everyone else pulled it off!

Sweatshirt: gift; Cords and Scarf: New York & Company; Boots: Steve Madden

Journey

Source

Last night, my friends and I attended the Journey show at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. We had nosebleed seats by choice and just sat back and enjoyed the music. I knew maybe half the songs (I didn't know any of their newer stuff), and I knew all the words to maybe seven of them. But it was a good show. It's a bummer that Steve Perry hasn't been with the band for awhile, but Arnel Pineda was an entertaining front man.

The people at the show were actually just as amusing as the show itself. There were fans of all ages, and some of the fans our age were dressed in 80s throwback garb like leg warmers and side ponytails. And then there were the original Journey fans with the fluffy hair and tight clothing. And then there were the drunk ones. Oh my gosh, there was a girl in the front row of our section who was so out of it that she was throwing popcorn over the rail on the people below, and then eating the rest of the popcorn she dropped off of her seat, cleavage, and ledge under the railing (groooooooosss!).

While we waited for Journey to go on, I told my friends how about my novel was going for NaNoWriMo, and they gave me some really good plot ideas that I'm excited to write about. I'm at 26,429 words, so more than halfway there! After a few days of catching up, I'm only a couple hundreds words behind the daily word target now. So yeah, it's coming along!

Here's what I wore to work before the show:

Pants and Scarf: New York & Company;
Cardigan: H&M

And here's what I wore to the show:

Blazer: Rock & Republic (Kohl's); T-shirt: American Apparel; Jeans and Bracelets: New York & Company;
Boots: Steve Madden; Guitar Necklace: Forever 21?; Clutch: Fred Boutique

I got this blazer for a steal at about $20 after coupons and Kohl's Cash. Good thing, too, because it's getting very mixed reviews on the website. Apparently, the studs fall off pretty easily, which looks like might've already happened from the picture above. I still think it's a pretty cool blazer.

Oh yeah, I would be remiss not to say happy 32nd birthday to Isaac Hanson today!

I Think This Works

Sweater: Gap; Shirt: William Rast for Target; Skirt and Belt: New York & Company;
Tights: Target?; Boots: Kohl's

To give credit where credit is due, the layering and pattern-mixing idea for this outfit came from M Loves M, Bows & Sequins, and many other places I'm forgetting about. I don't think I would've had the pattern-mixing prowess to put this together on my own. I'm still not entirely sure it goes, but I like it.

I Love Harry Potter Linkup Week 7

1. Which wizarding school - Hogwarts, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang? While I am somewhat of a Francophile, I don't think going to an all-girl school would be any fun, so I'll go with Hogwarts.

2. David Yates as director or Chris Columbus? Yates. The last four movies were just so good, minus some cheesiness and moodiness I could've done without in the Half-Blood Prince.

3. What is your favorite joke from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? I will always love the scene where they released their Wildfire Whiz-bangs on Umbridge while the students were taking their O.W.L.s.

4. Would you put your name in for the Triwizard Tournament? Absolutely not. Please. I would die.

5. Least favorite book? I don't remember them well enough to say. I've only read them all once except for the last one.

6. Least favorite film? I think we've had this question before, but my answer would be Half-Blood Prince.

7. Which Quidditch position would you play? Probably Keeper since I always used to play defense in soccer. Possibly a Beater for the same reason, plus I like tennis, which I think would be something like batting a bludger around.

My Coat Fits

Dress: New York & Company; Blazer: Narciso Rodriguez for Kohl's;
Scarf, Sunglasses, and Boots: Target; Tights: Old Navy

Well, I think we can all agree that taking pictures in direct sunlight at 7:00 in the morning is not a good idea, at least not for me. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. The good news is, I fit into this coat again! I've had this super nice, warm, J.Crew coat for probably 6 or 7 years. It didn't fit for awhile after I had Bridget, and I almost got rid of it. Now I'm really glad I didn't! The lining on one of the sleeves it's ripped; but otherwise, I still love this coat.

Speaking of boots since it's Everybody, Everywear Boots today, these Target puppies are still going strong a couple years later. I believe they're still the most comfortable boots I own.

Inspiration Monday and Giveaway Winner

We have two orders of business this evening. First, the Inspiration Monday recreation that I wore to my friend's daughter's first birthday party:

Jacket: Target; T-shirt: American Apparel; Scarf: H&M; Jeans: New York & Company;
Shoes: ModCloth; Bag: MICHAEL Michael Kors

Here's a picture that my friend T took of Bridget licking the frosting off a cupcake while I watched on. She must get that from her father, haha...I'm not a frosting person.

The second order of business is to announce the winner of the $50 Kohl's gift card!  The one who will be hitting Kohl's to spend their moola is:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations, Amy! Happy shopping!

Thank you all SO MUCH for entering the giveaway! I was excited to have such a great response, and I really wish I had a gift card to give each of you.

One Night in Chicago

Three events in one night - that's my kind of night! That's what I love about Chicago — there's always something cool and exciting going on. We started off Thursday night at Point A, the eDrop-Off headquarters, then went to Point B, Park West theater, and finally over to Point C, Joe's Bar. Conveniently enough, they were all within a two-mile drive of each other. Unfortunately, that meant we had to find parking three different times, which was a frustrating task.

First, we checked out Christian Siriano's trunk show at eDrop-Off. My friend K and I were a little apprehensive upon entering the building with so many chic people in attendance. For some reason, I was a lot more nervous about meeting Christian than I was when I met Rami back in March. A very attractive male waiter put us somewhat at ease as he came by to offer us drinks. We then dubbed him Prince Charming. He was just that good looking. Unfortunately, I neglected to get a picture of him. Here's what I did manage to get photos of:

Affordable accessories table with Payless shoes

I spotted some impressive footwear throughout the night, but this is the only pair I got a picture of.

The crowd

I was trying to get a picture of Christian, but actually these girls look familiar for some reason.
Bloggers maybe? You can also kind of see Christian's boyfriend, musician and artist
 Brad Walsh, in the background.

Not a good photograph, but this is one of Christian's amazing pieces from his collection.

Me with the designer himself! He was a really nice guy.

I didn't purchase anything this time, but I definitely intend to visit his shop when I'm in New York in February. I would also like to get a pair of his shoes at Payless sometime. Maybe I'll buy a pair for the trip because where else am I going to wear 4+-inch heels? Actually, these bow flats are really cute, too, but Payless shoes never seem to fit me. The 10s are too small, and the 11s are too big. Oh well, sorry, moving on!

With a little time to spare, we begrudgingly left our hottie waiter behind and headed for Destination #2. That six-way intersection that you can see on the map on the way to Park West became the bane of my existence. I don't know how many times I drove through there trying to find parking, but it ended up taking us about 20 minutes to find a spot. Even then, it was a reserved spot that required a special sticker on your car; but at that point, I was over it, and we were already 15 minutes late for the Miggs set.

It was the second time that night that I was able to say "I'm on the list" — first since we RSVPed for the trunk show, and second since Don from Miggs graciously got us in to the Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers show to watch the Miggs set before we left for the Ingram Hill show at Joe's Bar. I felt pretty VIP all night.

We ended up catching the last half of their half-hour set, and then I introduced K to Don and John and chatted with them for a few minutes before we had to get going.

Our last stop of the night was to Joe's Bar for the Whiskey Jam. I'm not into country music in the least, but each artist's set was only about five songs long, so it was tolerable. On the flip side, that also meant that Ingram Hill only got to play five songs, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.

After that, we stopped by the merch table for K to buy the CD of theirs she was missing, waved bye to Justin (lead singer), and headed home.

By the way, Chicago friends and readers, can you tell me what this neighborhood(s) was called? We really liked this area of Chicago, but we couldn't pinpoint exactly what area we were in. Like I was telling my friend, if it's not the House of Blues, I have no idea where I am, which is pretty sad considering how many times I've been to the city in my life. The particular area had tons of good shopping, though. We may have to make a trip back sometime.

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers with Miggs

Wednesday, my friends and I saw Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at Shank Hall for their Hi-Ate-Us farewell tour.

First of all, here's what I wore as seen from the Kohl's dressing room earlier that day:

Sweater: H&M; Skirt: self-made; Tights: Old Navy;
Boots and Bracelet: Kohl's; Necklace: New York & Company

Normally, I'm kind of just waiting for the opening act to end so that I can see the headliner, but it always helps when there's a group of good-looking, amusing guys on stage to entertain us in the meantime. These fellows are Miggs. Although many bands I currently love were opening bands the first time I saw them, I wasn't 100% sold on Miggs until this part of the show when they did an acoustic song in the middle of the crowd to close out their set.

(video embedded)

Sold! Another kind of funny moment was when the guitarist chucked a pick into the crowd except no one saw it or picked it up. A song later, I ended up picking it up off the ground myself. Yeah, Shank Hall's a pretty chill venue from what I've experienced.

We got to hang out with the guys from Miggs for a little while, and they were a lot of fun, especially when they were a couple drinks down after the show, haha. 

John, me, Don, E, Michael, T, and Walker

T and John

Let's not forget about who we went there to see - SK6ers!

I am definitely not as big of a SK6ers fan as I should be. I only have one of their albums, and I only knew maybe three of the songs they played besides the covers. It was strange to know that this was going to be the last show of theirs we'd ever see since they're disbanding after the this tour. Unless they get back together and play Summerfest someday, which would be awesome.