Coats? Totes. Unless No One Says That Anymore.

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bag: Dolls Kill

Pink bangle: Don't Ask, Zulily; Maroon bangle: Iris Apfel for INC, Macy's; Blue bangle: B Fabulous; Yellow bangle: Later Operator, Etsy; Ring: Delia's

Blue Bell Spell Necklace

Bag: Nordstrom

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Flower bracelet: Belk's; Green bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Giraffe bracelet: Target; Watch: Zulily; Ring: Mixit, JCPenney

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bag: Delia's

Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Dress: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon; Headband: Capelli, ULTA; Yellow bangle: B Fabulous; Striped bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Floral bangle: JCPenney; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

"Totes" and its offspring, "totes magotes," are firmly planted in the parlance of the 2010s.  The only other phrase I remember post-2000 is "throwing (someone) under the bus," which was yet another unfortunate offshoot from that beast known as reality TV.  No, the slang that really sticks in my head is the kind coined in the '90s.  First periods and pimples have a way of cementing stuff.  Here are my lingo list-toppers:

As if.

Don't go there.

Whatever.

Talk to the hand.

Not!

Not! was my favorite.  I said it a lot.  And with that settled, we can move on.  

I know there's only one coat in this post, but the plural means that there are more on the horizon (also, how else would I have wedged in "totes"?!).  This blue number is what's called a teddy coat.  Teddy as in bear because the people at Nine West think it's cuddly.  The husband thinks it looks like Cookie Monster.  Which isn't bad, as far as fictional furballs go.  At least it's not a Gremlin; I'll take it.

Coat: Nine West, Kohl's

Also on the near-junk food front, we have this Emboldened Arches Necklace.  Sadly, no French fries were harmed in the making of it.  

Emboldened Arches Necklace

And now on to calendar news!  I can't believe that next week is winter.  The sun will set on autumn, signaling Mother Nature to spin her sorcery -- and make snow cones.  So I thought now was a good time to post this fally pic of a sunset that the husband took outside our house.  I like to think of it as Pastel Parade Over the Pasture.  True, there aren't any horses.  But that barn-like structure suggests that there could be.    

Finally, here's more nature, albeit of an artificial kind:

In past years, I've perched these little red birds on my Christmas tree or banister.  This year I said, "Hang out on this holly bush.  You'll like it."  Because as every holiday hoarder knows, the cardinal rule of decorating is mixing things up.

Just like with winter weather.

Not!

Something New and Sparkly: C is for Cookie

Fabulous Felt Cookie Monster Necklace

Tee: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Xhilaration, Target

Shoes: Material Girl, Macy's

Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Hat: Apt. 9., Kohl's

. . . and that's good enough for me!  Whether it comes from kid-friendly Keebler or the more polished Pepperidge Farm, a cookie always hits the spot.  So why not top off a deliciously diva-worthy ensemble with a dose of the dough?       

Channel Your Inner Cookie Monster With This Christmas Munchies Treasury Featuring My Tiny Blue Cookies and Milk Tote

Tiny Blue Cookies and Milk Tote

Whenever someone puts one of my pieces in a treasury, I always get that aw-someone-out-there-found-me feeling. (Don't laugh; if you're a fellow Etsian, then you know you get it too.) Anyway, I clicked through all the selections in an effort to boost this treasury's chances of appearing on Etsy's front page, as per usual. Here's the link if you're interested in doing the same.*

*Treasury deactivated.