Bang Inspiration

I've decided.  I'm gonna take the plunge and get bangs.  I've been wanting to do something different with my hair even though I'm super low maintenance.  BUT, I want to keep it long for now, and I don't want to change the color again until I start going gray.

The bangs topic came up again over Christmas because my mom got a super cute new haircut.  My husband commented how much he liked her bangs.  While I don't want blunt cut, wispy-ish bangs like my mom, I'm ready to take a change and get bangs again.  It's just hair, right?  Right.

Here are some of the bang looks I like:

Source: google.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

Source: instyle.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

Source: stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

Source: coutureinthecity.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

One of my BFFs is my hair stylist, so my plan is to set up an appointment with her sometime in the next few weeks.  So of course, before and after pictures will come at that time.

I'm curious.  Have any of you ever had bang remorse?  Or do you have any easy bang styling tips?

What Kind of Animal Are You?

I'm still on vacation, now in Ohio for Christmas 2 of 3, and I'm posting this from my phone. My husband has no patience for outfit photos, and the photo may be sideways, so I apologize in advance, heh. (But now it's Thursday, and I edited the post to fix the formatting.)

Here's my wear*it Wednesday (hosted by Young and Naive) outfit incorporating boots with a dress--in this case, the only dress and boots I packed. I took this picture after Hilary's post went up, but you should check out all the other lovely participants anyway!

There was much discussion about my new vest among my family. Opinions were divided down the middle, but the funniest quote was from my great uncle, which is the title of this post.

Dress: H&M; Vest: Macy's (gift); Leggings: American Apparel; Boots: Macy's; Gloves: Echo (echodesign.com) (gift)

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Not enjoying her first visit with Santa

Hanging out in the hammock chair Christmas Eve

FBFF Christmas Survey

Source: imdb.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

No holiday party is complete without: music

My favorite Christmas song/album: My favorite Christmas album would have to be Hanson "Snowed In."

My favorite seasonal recipe: Hmmm, I don't know. I guess I don't usually cook for Christmas.

The perfect New Year's Eve outfit includes: sparkle

At the parties, I'll be drinking: something with champagne/sparkling wine. My husband's family does mimosas on Christmas morning, and then I'm sure I'll have champagne on New Year's Eve too.

Eggnog, good or bad? Bad.

Did you ever take pictures on Santa's lap at the mall? Not that I can remember, or that I've seen pictures of.

Gingerbread Latte or Peppermint Mocha: Gingerbread latte. I don't like mint with chocolate.

Worst gift I ever got: My aunt and uncle played a practical joke on me one year and gave me a really ugly outfit just to see how I'd react. This had to have been at least 10 years ago. Since I don't like practical jokes at all although I think I handled it well, that'd probably be the worst.

Best gift I ever received: Is it cheesy to say my daughter since she was a December baby?

My family has this weird tradition: I can't think of any weird ones, but my husband's family has very specific Christmas traditions. On Christmas Eve, we all get pajamas for a present, which we wear that night. Then, on Christmas day, my father-in-law blasts Christmas music at like 5 in the morning. We all sleepily congregate to open the presents in our stockings with the extended family. Then we drink mimosas.

My best bargain find for a gift this year: I was pretty excited to get some shopping done at Costco for Bridget. Toys seem to be a lot more reasonably priced there.

If I could only buy all my gifts from one place, I'd shop at: Target

Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman: Rudolph I s'pose.

My favorite holiday memory: When my dad's mom was alive, she seriously bought us everything on our list (stay with me, that's not the only reason it's my favorite memory). My brother and I and our two younger cousins would head to her living room, organize the ginormous pile of presents into piles for each person. Then, and I loved this part the most, when it was time to open, the whole family opened at the same time shouting "thank you"s and holding up gifts as we went. It's not the huge pile of presents that was so special, but I really enjoyed the laidbackness and excitement of it all.

My favorite Christmas movie: Love Actually. Cry like a baby EVERY TIME.

The best part about holiday decorations is: the smell of pine?

Rip off the wrapping paper or neatly pull off the tape: Rip!

Miracle on 34th Street or It's a Wonderful Life: Eh

It doesn't feel like the holiday season until: December, for crying out loud.

All I want for Christmas is: for the long drive there and back to go quickly and easily

Books I'm Packing for My Trip

We're headed off to Maine and Ohio for Christmas soon, and I'm hoping to have a lot of downtime for reading with plenty of family around to help entertain Bridget. Here's what I plan to read in order (Warning: nothing intellectual here):

• One for the Money - My sister-in-law loaned me this book like two years ago, and I still haven't finished it.  I know I started it, but whatever I was using for a bookmark must've fallen out, so I may just have to start over.  Since there's a movie coming out, I figured I'd better finish it sometime soon.
• The Magic Christmas - I used to read this book every Christmas since I was 12 probably, but I skipped the last few years.  I'd like to get back into reading it every year.  It's just that good...at least I think so.
• Sweet Valley Confidential - Another reason I'm reading the Sweet Valley Twins book before this one is so that I can get a refresher on the characters.  I have not heard great things about this book, but I think it's still a must read for Sweet Valley fans.
• Modelland - After seeing Tyra's motion campaign or whatever it's called on America's Next Top Model this cycle, I'm even more curious to get into this book.  It's probably going to be super cheesy.  I just hope the whole thing doesn't read like the introduction and say "dahling" ever other sentence.

Then, when I finish those four, I can start The Hunger Games.

Mother Daughter Sequins

On Me - Blouse: Target; Long Sleeved Shirt: Walmart; Sequin Scarf: ?; Vest: swapped; Cords: Gap; Shoes: Kohl's
On Bridget - Top: LLBean; Pants: Children's Place; Socks: gift; Sequin Headband: Walmart

I almost forgot about Everybody, Everywear Sequins + Sparkles today.  I already picked out what I was going to wear, so I added this sequined scarf/tie/sash thing for a faux tie blouse effect.  As for Bridget, since she was particularly clingy this morning, I put this cute sequin headband on her and let her get in on the EBEW fun.  Although as my neck is experiencing right now, sequins are pretty scratchy, so I didn't make Bridget wear this headband for more than a couple minutes.

Is It Friday Yet?

I had a good weekend, but I'm kind of tired and cranky today, so I'll leave you with the Inspiration Monday pictures and an ugly sweater picture from a Christmas party this weekend.

Inspiration Picture

My Interpretation

Sweatshirt: Walmart, embellished by me; Cords: NY & Co, altered by me; Boots: Target; Scarf: Boston Store; Headband: Jaxie 

I took some liberties with this one. The pink jeans I bought over the summer are still too small, so I went with my other pair of colored pants--my purple cords again. Then, I whipped up this DIY from A Pair & a Spare of a lace trim sweatshirt.

OK week, let's get over fast so I can start my vacay!