Packing Blues

"Blast of Winter White"--Wednesday, 12/14/16

Is she killing it in this color/pattern combination or what?

From grownandcurvywoman.com

I couldn't precisely replicate that mix, but I like what I was able to do with it.  White skirt--pencil, not flowing midi, but check.  Magenta blazer--maroon blazer is pretty close.  Black plaid shirt--substitute a plain black shirt and a burgundy patterned scarf.  (I somehow managed not to get a close-up of this new scarf, but you'll be seeing it again.)  Leopard flats--sorry, too cold for that, but burgundy tights + maroon ankle boots is a pretty awesome substitute.

Black polka dot top (Liz Claiborne/JCP), $2.78/wear
Maroon blazer (Lands End), $3.33/wear
White skirt (Walmart), $1.50/wear
Maroon ankle boots by Dolce Vita, $7.81/wear
Burgundy tights
*Burgundy/white geometric scarf (Walmart), $4.47/wear

Outfit total: $19.89/wear

I know a lot of people still shy away from white after Labor Day and all that, but I'm glad that we've ditched that old style rule.  I think this "winter white," all-season-applicable-fabric pencil skirt works 365 days a year.  In some ways, I enjoy it more in winter than I do in summer.  Maybe because I wear darker tights so it doesn't blend into my shocking white legs?  Nah.  I think it's more that a blast of white is so pleasant in the otherwise dark outfits that I often put together in the cold months.  You don't typically think of white as a color to pop against an outfit, but it definitely can.

More Christmas lights...

In other news...Pretty much spent the whole evening packing for our trip, which has been pushed forward by a day and a half due to upcoming 5-8" of snow all over the Midwest.  I usually dread packing but it wasn't as bad this time because about the time I'd usually start dreading it, instead I had to start doing it.  I still have some things I need to throw in the suitcase tomorrow before we leave but the vast majority of it is done.  Whew.  Despite the post title, I actually didn't pack very much blue--my main color palette was black, white, and red, with some other new or almost new items that I want to get some (more) wear in and a couple favorites I couldn't leave behind (e.g., French bunny).  So my clothes are a bit less coordinated than they usually are for vacations but packing in a rush will kind of do that to you.  Luckily we are driving (and not filling the car with Christmas gifts) so we have enough room for me to do that thing--when in doubt, throw it in a bag and bring it with you.

Now I'm tired and ready for the last night sleeping in my own bed for a while.

Christmas Lights and...

"Winter Brights"--Tuesday, 12/13/16

This is another inspiration photo that mysteriously morphed into a very different kind of outfit by the time I was done with it.  In this post about standing out and fitting in at the same time, she shows how adding a bright pop of color leads to an outfit that is "bolder while still being perfectly acceptable" in the workplace.

From bridgetteraes.com

Luckily I do not work in a business professional workplace, so I have a lot more latitude with my outfits.  In this case, I dressed down a super-profesh tweed pencil skirt with a quilted vest.

Grey tweed skirt (thrifted, Ann Taylor), $1.50/wear
Aqua cashmere pullover sweater (Macy's), $8.00/wear
Black quilted vest (Mountain Lake/Stage), $1.43/wear
Grey leggings
Tall grey boots by LifeStride, $7.14/wear
Silver/bright beads owl pendant (Kohls), $2.80/wear
*Bright pink striped scarf (Walmart), $8.00/wear

Outfit total: $28.87/wear

Then I added not one, not two, but three bright pieces to liven things up.  I love how aqua and bright pink work against the grey/black base, and the silly 70s style owl pendant with its multi-colored bead body and individually-movable silver feathers adds the finishing touch.

Because some days you need to look like a photograph of a crazy Christmas light display (in this case, the huge walk-through extravaganza we visited in OK last December).

In other news...It was cold enough that exercising in the apartment while watching Game of Thrones was in order.  The whole evening just flew by.

Fall Throwback

"Forest Leopard"--Monday, 12/12/16

This Reverse Inspiration from 3 years ago is working the beige cardigan + brown animal print components, but those shoes?  Nope.

From polyvore.com

Instead I'm wearing comfortable, practical tall riding boots in a rich cognac color that works well with the beige and brown.

Beige dress-length cardigan (thrifted, JCP), $1.75/wear
Brown leopard dress (Lands End), $5.00/wear
Brown leggings
Tall cognac boots by Sam Edelman, $9.04/wear
Green scarf (JCP), $1.20/wear

Outfit total: $16.99/wear

Not sure why I'm wearing this outfit with a bright green scarf, but I guess I thought a pop of color was a good idea, and brown, beige, and green make up a kind of woodsy color palette.  Also a good idea: dresses with functional pockets.

Today's color scheme goes well with this creepy tree photograph from late October.  This eyes-are-watching-you tree is about 2 blocks from our apartment, at the corner where we exit onto the main street out of our neighborhood.

In other news...Holiday shopping help from the Onion.  (Note: that thing is NOT a pressure cooker--Mom remembers that from the 70s.  It's a sous vide immersion cooker.)

Snow Day

"Alice/Alice"--Sunday, 12/11/16

In this outfit from last fall featuring popular recurrent "trends," Alice put together a striped dress, leopard cardigan, and patterned scarf with tall boots. 

From happinessatmidlife.com

I had initially tried my leopard cardigan with a striped dress, but I didn't like how it looked (I think my issue was that the dress has white stripes but there is no white in my brown/black leopard cardigan), so I tried my black floral cardigan instead.  Voila!  Success.  I buttoned up the cardigan so it was more like a pullover sweater with a striped "skirt" sticking out.  This way of tying the scarf is not my favorite in this look, but it's a practical choice for keeping my neck warm, so I went with it.  It may be December in Coldville, but the flowers are always blooming in Wonderland.

Black/white striped dress (Target), $4.67/wear
Black/pink floral cardigan (thrifted, Macy's), $2.33/wear
White Alice scarf (NerdAlertCreations), $4.00/wear
Black leggings
Tall black boots by Fitzwell, $2.44/wear

Outfit total: $13.44/wear

A black otter mini rex shows us how a classy lassie combines black and white in a timelessly elegant combination.

In other news...Today's Pokemon walk was something of an adventure due to 5-6" of snow having accumulated overnight.  (But unlike yesterday, I did not see anyone out and about in a short-sleeved T-shirt or Teva sandals, though one guy's dog was pulling him through every snow drift the dog could find, so his cotton khaki pants were clearly a mistake.)  We went out a second time because Robert had to re-park his car so the snow plows can come through tonight.  Overall, we got 2.5 km in, which wasn't too bad considering the situation.  Here's where I would show you a photograph of this snow, but of course I can't get my PC and iPhone to talk to each other so I can't download any of my photos.  Waaaah.  #iGrump

Otherwise, it's been a day for reading The Obsidian Chamber and catching up with blogs and TV shows.  One more work week and then I'm on vacation for the holidays!  But ugh, another work week.

Brown Study

"With Hidden Rabbits"--Saturday 12/10/16

Today's Reverse Inspiration is old school--a 6 year old combination with a lot of layers.  I'm almost confused about how a turtleneck + collared cardigan + quilted vest + scarf would work, but I do have to admit that it seems likely to be very warm indeed.

From polyvore.com

I didn't need something quite that warm (and you know how I feel about turtlenecks), but I do have the pullover sweater + quilted vest + scarf thing going on.

Brown pullover sweater (thrifted, Claiborne), $2.50/wear
Bootcut jeans (thrifted, Kohls), $0.39/wear
*Olive quilted vest (thrifted, Relativity), $6.74/wear
Brown pointy-toed flats by Frye, $5.05/wear
Teal/brown/rust paisley scarf (Kohls), $3.50/wear

Outfit total: $18.18/wear

I'm so excited to have an olive vest in my wardrobe after the Great Vest Haul last month.  A relatively thin quilted vest is just such a useful garment in Coldville.  You can see I also went with a mix of green-ish colors here, including a pair of (unexpected, I think) light green socks with brown shoes.  Of course, I usually wear these shoes with brown socks, but I was already wearing the green socks when I took this photo, and the silliness of them appealed to me in this outfit somehow.

And if I can't wear silly light green socks with rabbits on them hidden under my jeans on a day like today, then I don't even want to know about it.

Speaking of rabbits, I am now ready to reveal what all those "jail break" photos I've been posting of rabbits testing their cages or strategizing their escape at the state fair are about.  You know, like this one, in which the black otter shares his plan with his co-conspirators.

The rabbits are clearly yearning for their freedom, so they can descend en masse on this display of the loveliest carrots I have ever seen. 

In other news...My birthday dinner tonight consisted of surprisingly amazing and super-easy chicken nachos made from Tostitos, rotisserie chicken meat that Lund's sells torn from bird and pre-packaged in the deli [they sell the whole rotisserie chickens that they cook onsite, and I've bought them before, but I hadn't noticed that they sell the meat torn into bite-size pieces also], and pre-shredded cheddar cheese heated for 45 seconds in the microwave.  For dessert, cinnamon donut holes also purchased at Lund's.  When it's about 15 F and snowing, the idea of going out for dinner doesn't hold much appeal, so I'm glad we stopped by the store this afternoon (when there was only 1" of snow so far) and picked up some things to make the most dead simple yet tasty treat of a dinner.

It's a good thing I had my birthday here at the tail end of the Obama administration because this meal will harder to prepare when Trump takes office...assuming he makes good on his campaign pledge to make America grate again.

Hurrah for Friday

"A Plaidness of Blazers"--Friday, 12/9/16

I have a plaid blazer, black pants, and leopard shoes--let's get to work.

From bluecollarredlipstick.com

I'm finally wearing a new (thrifted in July) red top that has slowly replaced every other red top in my closet.  I like how the pleated neckline makes it more interesting than a plain top, it has 3/4 length sleeves that are pretty versatile, and it has reasonably decent drape over the hips.

*Red pleated neck top (thrifted, Kohls), $4.99/wear
Black/grey/red plaid blazer (thrifted, Fashion Bug), $5.00/wear
Black work pants (thrifted, CJ Banks), $1.05/wear
Leopard smoking slippers by Clarks, $1.85/wear
White Rabbit pocket watch pendant (Zad), $2.30/wear

Outfit total: $15.19/wear

My one question mark about this outfit is that I hadn't noticed how short the blazer is until now.  I think the shorter length is a better match to skirts than to pants, but it wasn't so short that I hated the outfit or anything.  This is not the first time I've had this belated realization about a blazer, so that's something I need to pay more attention to when I'm shopping.  I think I am so excited when something fits everywhere else that I forget about the length issue.  The blazer might not look so short if I were willing to tuck in my shirts with it but...heh, yeah, that's not happening.  I'll take "slightly short looking blazer" to "awkward bunching and partial untucking and generalized futziness" 99% of the time.

In other news...This morning (Saturday), I tried on a blazer at Goodwill that was great in every way except it was too short...and I didn't buy it!  Man, it's like I've started to internalize that thing or something.  Maybe I am getting wiser with age.

Brief Golden Perfection

No Inspiration Needed--Thursday, 12/8/16

If a person can't put black and white with two different but related prints together by herself...well, she's not me.

Black pullover sweater (thrifted, Macy's), $2.25/wear
Black lace-hemmed top (thrifted, Coldwater Creek), $0.57/wear
Black and white geometric reeds skirt (JCP), $2.26/wear
Black leggings
Tall black boots by Fitzwell, $2.50/wear
White/blue/green paisley/floral scarf (Target), $0.71/wear

Outfit total: $8.29/wear

It was so helpful of Robert to have accidentally washed and dried this top (which I put in the wrong laundry bin so it's totally my fault)--that sounds sarcastic but it turns out that having this shirt shrink somewhat in the wash has made it a really useful layering piece for the colder parts of the year.  The lace hem makes it even more appropriate for layering than it was as a stand-alone top, I think--having a bit of the lace peeking out from the bottom of a sweater is kind of a nice touch.

I like how the shades of blue stand out against the black backdrop of my sweater.  This is a pretty subdued outfit by my standards but I liked it.  Sometimes simple is just the thing.

For our blue-and-black nature photo today, here are a pair of double-crested cormorants in a local lake in September.  I was happy to get a shot of one of them raising his wings to dry them out.  (The photo quality isn't great but I was so zoomed in to get this photo that I'm impressed that it looks as good as it does.)

In other news...Work and Pokemon walk were a bit better today. 

The weather wasn't quite as cold (at least when the wind wasn't blowing directly in our faces) and I had upgraded my non-ball-throwing glove to my mid-level glove (fear not, I still have at least one more level of glove and a serious snow mitten left in my arsenal). 

But I'm frustrated that the person who has this urgent data request did not answer my email requesting an important clarification today--I stayed late last night to investigate the issue and write the email.  SIGH. 

Also on the upside, I had an amazing good hair day today...until I put my hat on it and squashed it.  So at work it looked good, but not stop in your tracks good.  But in the time I was home alone in my apartment before leaving for work, my hair was smooth, shiny, golden perfection.

The Left Hand of Coldness

"On Trend in Thrifted Blazer"--Wednesday, 12/7/16

Last November, Tea stepped out of her comfort zone with this tight midi-length knit pencil skirt.  I'm not sure how this inspiration photo morphed into my outfit below, though it does share the grey pencil skirt + black tights + black ankle boots components. 

From whatmamawear.blogspot.ca

Did you know that velvet blazers are totally on trend right now?  When I saw that, I had to put together an outfit that incorporated this old standby that I thrifted a few years ago.

Cream peplum pullover sweater (Loft), $9.08/wear
Grey polka dot skirt (Kohls), $1.72/wear
Black velvet blazer (thrifted, Talbots), $0.56/wear
Grey/coral tree scarf (Target), $0.92/wear
Black tights
Black ankle boots by Sam Edelman, $2.50/wear

Outfit total: $14.78/wear

I'm so glad I took a chance on this peplum sweater in my Loft order last month.  A normal white top would have looked just fine in this outfit, but I like how this sweater is a little more interesting.
 

Is it possible to talk about velvet without invoking the softest, most luxurious thing in the world?  I love this photo of two mini rex girls (who happen to be a castor and a black broken, just like Kate and Leo) relaxing together.

Q: What is as soft as a mini rex? A: Another mini rex.

In other news...Spent all day working on my grump-inducing project, to discover at the end of the day that yet another aspect of the poorly-defined requirements is biting me in the ass.  Going to be starting over.  Bah. 

Plus, man, 18 F with a strong breeze is cold!  We drove to the island across from our apartment and then the park across from the library for some Pokemon action.  We were lucky to get a parking spot on the street at the park because everybody was sitting in their car playing Pokemon.  I got out and wandered around the park (while Robert stayed in the car) until my hands under the inadequate gloves were burning with cold.  Then I got disoriented in the dark and tried to find the car at the wrong end of the park.  By the time I reoriented and found Robert, my hands were dying.  But the park is really pretty for playing Pokemon at night because all the trees have been lit with lights along all the branches.  If you have to choose a place to wander freezing and sort of lost, you can do a lot worse.

Like a Ferocious Living Thing

"Bearing No Resemblance"--Tuesday, 12/6/16

Wow, OK, this is a good example of how far from an inspiration photo I can end up.  From the beginning, I had planned to wear a dark brown skirt instead of this beige/camel color--fine.  I really did think I would wear a red sweater and a striped shirt underneath it.  But...

From Pinterest

When I tried layering a shirt underneath my red sweater, it felt weird.  I've realized that I like these sweaters with a camisole under them but not a button up shirt.  After I nixed the shirt, I decided that it was silly that I was planning to wear my red sweater 3 times for the fall/winter season but my burgundy one not at all.  So switch that out.  Hmm, that's really dark now.  How about brightening it up a big with this light brown leopard print scarf (that I've only worn once)?  Well, it has various shades of red and pink on it, but not exactly burgundy--whatever, close enough!

Burgundy cashmere pullover sweater (Macy's), $6.40/wear
Brown corduroy skirt (thrifted, Walmart), $0.75/wear
Brown quilted vest (thrifted, Relativity), $3.37/wear
Brown leggings
Tall brown boots by Fitzwell, $5.00/wear
Beige/red/pink leopard scarf (thrifted), $1.50/wear

Outfit total: $17.02/wear

And now you get to see my new brown vest in action!  I'm loving the brown quilted vest + brown corduroy skirt combination.

The color of that scarf reminds me of the soft beige-brown fur at the base of this mini lop's ears. 

In other news...Well today it turned quite cold, with a vicious wind that brought all kinds of biting unpleasantness with it, so no Pokemon walk.  Work was better because I have resigned myself to the hated project that will be taking over my life for the next week.  Still tired and have a headache so I'm off to get ready for bed quite early--I hope it means feeling better tomorrow than I do right now.

Bah

"Fall Neutrals"--Monday, 12/5/16

I had both my cream cardigan vest and a plaid skirt on my list of things to wear this fall, so this outfit idea from a Gap ad hit the spot.

From gap.com

In my case, I substituted a black top for the chambray/denim one (because I no longer have one with long sleeves) and went with a discreet necklace instead of a big messy pile of necklace.

Cream cardigan vest (Kohls), $4.69/wear
Tan/black/burgundy plaid skirt (thrifted, Target), $1.88/wear
Black long-sleeved T (Walmart), $0.63/wear
Black/white faux infinity necklace (gift from Mom)
Black leggings
Tall black boots by Fitzwell [WtWC MVP #1 at 18 wears], $2.56/wear

Outfit total: $9.76/wear

The overall effect is shocking to me because somehow I have created an outfit of neutrals, without a single pop of color to be seen.  But the pencil skirt + cardigan vest + tall boots has me in my comfort zone nevertheless.

A trio of dwarf rabbits also approve of wearing all neutrals.

In other news....God, what a crappy day.  Let's move on.

Disapprove

"More Drapey Polka Dots"--Sunday, 12/4/16

Didn't I just wear a polka dot top and drapey cardigan yesterday?  Yep, I guess that's the official uniform of the first weekend of December.  Today's look was inspired by this "styling jeans for work" outfit, of course...because that makes a whole lot of sense for a Sunday.  But the big polka dots on the top reminded me of a blouse that I have, so it had to be done.

From bridgetteraes.com

And yes, it's another travesty involving drapey cardigan + flared jeans + ankle boots, too.

Black/burgundy/white polka dot blouse (thrifted, Notations), $1.75/wear
Maroon drapey cardigan (Coldwater Creek), $2.50/wear
Flared jeans (thrifted, Lane Bryant), $0.18/wear
White swag necklace (Kohls), $1.61/wear
Maroon ankle boots by Dolce Vita, $8.52/wear

Outfit total: $14.56/wear

As a bonus, here's what the flared jeans + ankle boots combination looks like without a huge cardigan.  Not too bad, I think.

In other news...A day of chasing Pokemon then feeling worn down in the evening and going to bed a bit early and getting up for about 3 hours during the middle of the night feeling too sick to sleep. And then getting up as usual to go to work.  Fuck Monday.

Exeggutive Function

"Grape Throw Bonus"--Saturday, 12/3/16

I lost my original inspiration photo so instead offer this Reverse Inspiration from about 3 years ago, featuring "Plum 'n Olive" colors.

From polyvore.com

I broke the flattery rules by wearing a drapey cardigan with flared jeans, but I just felt like wearing ankle boots, and the flared jeans are a nice choice for that.  But I spent most of the daylight hours of the day outside playing Pokemon Go with my black quilted coat over all of this (and substituting a ridiculous pair of lavender all weather mocs for the boots), so I could only offend Robert's sensibilities.  If the combination offends yours, just focus on how cool that turtle pendant is.

Purple polka dot long-sleeved top (Kohls), $2.83/wear
Olive drapey cardigan (thrifted, JCP), $1.67/wear
Flared jeans (thrifted, Lane Bryant), $0.22/wear
Grey ankle boots by Seychelles, $6.09/wear
Turtle pendant (Target), $3.33/wear

Outfit total: $14.14/wear

There's not a lot of green left in Coldville these days, but back in September, the lakes reflected the trees, surrounding female wood ducks with rippling green water.

In other news...Last night Robert set up my iPhone and transferred the Pokemon Go account to it.  He set up a new account for himself on his phone.  So today we went for two Pokemon outings, one after breakfast and one after lunch, to take advantage of one of the last relatively warm days of the season. 

First, we went out to the island that is visible from our apartment complex, and it turns out that the park there is now an exeggutor nest after the "migration" (change to nesting species) on Dec 1.  Robert came home with 26 exeggutors!  (I probably caught the same number, but I'm in the practice of immediately transferring out the lower level Pokemon I catch.) 

After lunch, we drove to a little park that is known to be an electrabuzz nest (because neither of us had caught one of those before).  I caught 3 electrabuzz.  It was cool because this little city park, nestled between two apartment complexes, is a statue garden.  (Photos to be shared a bit later.)  Then we headed over to the state capitol building and wandered around the 8 gazillion pokestops and caught a bunch of different things. 

At one point today, I had Pokemon in 4 different gyms, though now I think I'm down to 3.  One of them I have held since last Sunday afternoon!  I am also ready to evolve 38 Pokemon (to higher level creatures), but I am waiting to reach about 60 before I do so because that's how many I can evolve using a Lucky Egg that doubles the experience gained for 30 minutes.

It was a fun day.  My Fitbit approves of Pokemon Go.

We Made It

"Queen of Friday"--Friday, 12/2/16

What caught my eye in this inspiration photo, from a fall 2014 blog post about leopard print accents, was not the leopard print shoes.  It was the big sparkly statement necklace which looks a bit like the slightly more sedate younger sister of the very big even sparklier statement necklace I bought for Robert's mom's wedding.  She wore her outfit for a date night, but I thought I'd try it for a casual Friday work outfit.

From shealennon.com

What do you think?  Is this too much bling for a work day?

Maroon blazer (Lands End), $3.75/wear
Cobalt blue knit blouse (thrifted, East 5th), $1.50/wear
Denim trousers (thrifted, Boden), $1.75/wear
Grey leopard wedges by Cole Haan, $7.07/wear
Blue/crystal statement necklace (Baublebar), $5.78/wear

Outfit total: $19.85/wear

I think that in the context of the outfit, it looks reasonable.  I really liked the combination of this blouse and pants--I don't wear these pants very often, but when I do, I enjoy them.  Overall, this outfit was a good example of something I ended up liking but that is not something I would ever have come up with on my own.

I admit, it was kind of hard not to change courses and wear this with a big scarf instead (more my comfort zone) but it was fun to glam it up a bit on casual Friday.  And I did wear my leopard wedges, so I'm all over the (subtle) leopard accent as well.

In other news...I think this working 5 days in a row thing is tough.  But at least we made it to the weekend!

It was colder this evening on our Pokemon walk; just enough that my nose got cold.  We have a few more days of reasonable temps before it plunges down to 20F as a high later next week.  After work Pokemon walks, you've been good while you lasted.  (My boss emailed me today that I should take a victory lap after finishing a set of quarterly reports; I think the Pokemon walk counts.)

I am about 60% done with decorating the tree.  I got through the first storage bin of one-off specialty ornaments; I have now moved into the storage bin with the sets of 4 gold stars, a dozen ribbon ties, a bunch of apples, etc.  It would be nice if I could get it finished up tonight so that our living room is not a danger zone of boxes, bags, bubble wrap, crinkled newspaper, and other junk.

Give Me a White Christmas, Just Not Yet

"More Fall Layers"--Thursday, 12/1/16

Yep, this looks like a pretty unlikely fall/winter outfit inspiration photo, but I liked the combination of green top, brown skirt, and leopard print.

From theminuteglass.com

In Sally-land, this gets translated into green pullover sweater, brown corduroy skirt, brown leopard scarf, and other layers to make it warm and cozy.

Dark green pullover sweater (thrifted, Kohls), $2.50/wear
Brown corduroy skirt (thrifted, Walmart), $1.00/wear
Brown leopard scarf (Kohls), $1.83/wear
Brown leggings
Tall cognac boots by Sam Edelman, $9.74/wear
Black quilted vest (Stage)
*Brown quilted vest (thrifted, Relativity), $6.74/wear

Outfit total: $21.81/wear

I admit that I felt weird wearing a black vest with a dark brown skirt, but everyone says it's fine to wear brown and black together these days, and when I still didn't quite believe that, I fell back on the rationalization that the scarf has both brown and black, so it doesn't look totally random.  I'd hate to look like a person who threw on a black vest just for lack of better options...even when it's true.

But lo and behold, I was saved from this dubious combination when I found a brown quilted vest at Goodwill!  I didn't feel like re-taking these outfit photos, so you will have to wait for the visual evidence.  But I thought the combination was MUCH better.

In other news....An interesting perspective on "professional" appearance. 

Today was a productive, uneventful day at work, which is a nice thing for a random Thursday.  Even if working on Thursday feels totally unfair after having the day off last week. Tonight's Pokemon walk (highlight: hit level 26) was surprisingly warm--I took my gloves off after a while and found it that it was more comfortable that way.  I know winter is coming, but it's taking its time this year...and that's fine with me.  The more days without lots of snow and freezing cold means more after work Pokemon walks instead of treadmill/exercise bike sessions.

Yesterday and today I had co-workers tell me that they are eagerly awaiting a white Christmas.  "I don't want a brown Christmas," our (relatively new temp) admin said.  I was like, "Hey, those are just like the ones I used to know."  It was actually weird later considering how variable Christmas weather was growing up.  We've had white Christmas, frozen over stuck-in-the-house-for-days ice Christmas, run-around-in-lightweight-coats-and-no-gloves Christmas.  I like white Christmases at my parents' house because the birds come into the yard and look so pretty against the snow.

And now it's time for me to go spend a couple hours putting ornaments on my tree!  It's been a couple years since I've put it up, so I'd kind of forgotten how many I have.  Luckily, I have not yet run into the issue of having too many ornaments--my tree seems capable of absorbing more and more of them every time.