Psych

I guess I was just kidding about being back from my blog break, because I decided to take another week off. It's just so darn hard to care about what I wear when it's this cold outside. (For reference, "cold" to me is 30-40 degrees. I realize that many of you have to regularly deal with temperatures below zero, but I don't, so 30 degrees is pretty shocking.) When I wore this outfit yesterday to church and lunch, I was so cold I kept the coat on the whole time. At least my outfit looked kind of cute with the coat layered on top.

Sweater: Gap

Coat: Marks and Spencer

Skirt: vintage Pendleton, from an antiques show

Boots: DV by Dolce Vita from Piperlime

Necklace: Evidence Jewelry, won in a giveaway

Re-worn

This was the outfit I wore on Thanksgiving, but since we didn't get any photos of it then, I re-wore it yesterday to go bowling with my parents and youngest brother.

Tunic: American Apparel, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley from TJ Maxx

Jeans: Levi's

Boots: Aldo

Sunglasses: Oscar de la Renta from TJ Maxx

Necklace: Dress Barn

Belt: thrifted

Bracelet: In Pink

Casual outfits

Every now and then when it's really cold or rainy outside, I just give up on my heels and skirts and tights, and turn to comfortable and super casual outfits. I rarely post those outfits on here, because I don't feel like they're very inspiring, but today I thought I'd do a round-up of casual outfits that I liked.

The first one is from earlier this year. It's a pretty typical dog-walking outfit for me (minus the jewelry, because who cares about jewelry when you're walking the dog at 7:30 in the morning in the rain?). The second outfit is from last weekend. I just got these hot pink running shoes, and pairing them with neon yellow and a bright pink jacket was probably overkill, but it made me happy. The third outfit is one I posted earlier this year (here), and while it was very casual, I really liked it and thought all the layers made it interesting.

Though these outfits look a lot different from the ones I normally show on the blog, they're actually what I'm usually wearing if I'm out running errands or walking to the library.

Shorts and a blazer

This was my first time wearing a shorts-and-blazer combo, and I loved it. I felt dressy and casual at the same time. I'm still amazed at the quality of this blazer. I got it at Forever 21, which as most of you know is notorious for producing garments that fall apart after a few wears. But I could tell when I picked it up in the store last fall that it was really well made, and that's why I was willing to spend $30 on it, which is a low price for a blazer but a high price for anything from Forever 21.

The top photo is a rare thing - a photo of me smiling with my teeth showing where I don't look like a huge dweeb. (Yes, I just used the word "dweeb." In my head, it's still the '90s.) I smile and laugh all the time (and have the wrinkles to prove it), but I'm never self-conscious about it unless I see a photo of myself flashing a toothy grin. Then I get all insecure and all I can think about are how gigantic my teeth look. It doesn't help that boys in elementary school made fun of my huge teeth, and that after Josh first met me he told his sister that I had really big teeth. (And then apparently he found it necessary to tell me that after we were married. I'd be offended, but he did, after all, marry me.) All that to say...it's actually kind of a big deal that I like the photo above. Now if only it didn't look like my eyebrows were missing...

Wrinkly boots! That's what I get for only paying $10 for them...

Striped sweater: H&M

High-waisted jean shorts: H&M, thrifted from Crossroads Trading Co.

Blazer: Forever 21

Tights: Forever 21

Brown shoes: TJ Maxx

Necklace: free from a family member

Bracelet: H&M