Color Me Happy Halloween

Boots: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Sweater: ModCloth

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Scary Skate Necklace

Shoes: Madden Girl, DSW

Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily

Pretty scary in pink and purple.

Bow: Target

The husband's handiwork.

Pumpkin: Marshalls; Cat: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Ring: PinkBopp, Etsy

Creepy cute cozy.

Tights: Marshalls; Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman, Kohl's

No one makes a graveyard cake like Mom.

Too cool for school supplies?  Never!

How is it Halloween already?!  I don't even have anything clever to say, just this shock that the year's almost over.  Last Halloween, Char Bar had just learned to roll over, and this year I had to put the pumpkins on the mantel so she wouldn't run off with them. 

So yeah, like every other parent, I'm exhausted.  So much so that I sometimes wish I could trade all my shoes for a nap.  But I'm also -- happy.  Because that's one of the things about being busy.  The little things that used to bother you seem kind of ridiculous.  Mostly because they're replaced by big things, like trying to stop your toddler from racing across the street.  But also because being in charge of a life other than your own has a way of putting things in perspective.  

So happy Halloween.  I'm grateful that I get to spend even a little of mine with you.

And also that the husband snagged me some pumpkin M&Ms.

Seeing Spots Means Seeing Red: Zoo Crewnecks and Coats

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's

A cool table at Cobweb Corner

Shoes and bag: Mix No. 6, DSW

Lamp: Marshalls

Bag: Madden Girl, Macy's

Scarf: Wet Seal

Coat: Madden Girl, Macy's

Sweatshirt: Wild Fable, Target

Glass bag: Gifted

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's; Skirt: Wild Fable, Target

If leopard is a neutral, then colorful leopard -- or zebra -- is a party animal.  And of all those colors, none throws a rager like red.  Because nothing says "pump up the volume" like ferocious flame or carnivorous crimson.  

Unless it's plain Jane brown and tan bedecked with big, black bows.

So thank you, Madden Girl coat.  I may not be much of a partier, but you've made me feel like the belle of the snowball. 🎉⛄

Oodles of Caboodles and Others

Marabou Maven Necklace

Bag: A New Day, Target

The magic of Macy's (their tagline at one point!).

Hair claws: Wild Fable, Target

The cover of my new (albeit unopened) sketchbook.

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Tights: Amazon

Polka dot cami: Wet Seal; Zebra shrug: Bar III, Macy's; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Coat: Madden Girl, Kohl's; Skirt: Wild Fable: Target

A local taco place I haven't tried yet.

Lace top: Xhilaration, Target

Eyes on the Skies Necklace and Bracelet

Shoes: Unlisted by Kenneth Cole, Marshalls

Barrettes: Wild Fable, Target

Skort: So, Kohl's

A Caboodle is always a thoughtful gift.  Despite the recent The Sex Lives of College Girls episode where Whitney rejects the peace offering of one from Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet, and yes, she's Timothée's sister!) as an apology for kissing her ex.  Kimberly is the geek of the friend group, so the Caboodle is meant to be cringe.  But unlike Whitney, I was stoked to receive not one, not two, but three Caboodles for my birthday!  The sky blue one is almost exactly like the first Caboodle I ever got, which was for Christmas when I was eight.  I remember my (boy) cousin scoffing that it looked like a tackle box.  As if!    

In another nod to '80s/'90s nostalgia, I included this shot of the Memphis print headbands, soda-flavored Lipsmackers, and Let's Go to the Mall book I got for Christmas.  The book is an " '80s seek and find."  So, a Where's Waldo of Walkmans and wayfarers.  I can't wait to get into it!    

You know what else is very '80s/'90s?  Show-and-telling my gifts.  

Which is just the kind of uncool thing that Kimberly might do.  

Orange and Onward: Diners, Daycare, and Dentistry

Sweater: Bar III, Macy's

Bag: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Colonel Cutie Necklace 

Sweater: Wild Fable, Target; Skirt: Dickie's, Dolls Kill

Harvest Corn Barrette Brooch

Bag: Nine West, ROSS

Tee: Modern Lux, Target

Jeans: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Coat: Celebrity Pink, Macy's Backstage

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Sweater: Express

Bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Ring: Claire's

Last Thursday, my mom came to watch Charlotte so the husband and I could go to the dentist.  I wore a colorful yet cozy outfit (it's getting cold here in Jersey) centering around an orange checkerboard sweater.  It also included my Technicolor leggings, green corduroy skirt, beloved Colonel Cutie Necklace, never-before-worn taxi bag, and last but certainly not least, silver star mules.  Because if they worked for my flu shot, then why not the dentist?

The visit was good.  No cavities for either of us, although I did see a chunk of tarter fly past my face as the hygienist was scraping.  Oh well.  Since Char Bar was born, I may have become a little lax in the flossing department, but at least I didn't lose a tooth per that old wives' tale.  

On the way home, we stopped at a diner.  We hadn't gone out, just the two of us, since September.  It was nice to talk like a couple instead of an infant care logistics team.  I had pumpkin pancakes, a choice that may or may not have been influenced by my squash-colored sweater.

I ended up wearing orange the rest of the week.  I like to think that the jolt of sartorial vitamin C gave me the extra oomph I needed to run my errands.  Just like that checkerboard sweater made it fun instead of trying to leave the house that rainy Thursday.  When the husband and my mom first saw it, they said, "Doesn't Charlotte have a pair of pants like that?"

And I said, "Why yes, yes she does."

Which meant, of course, that we had to snap this pic for posterity:     

As they say, twin it to win it.  

Because the orange doesn't fall far from the tree. 🍊🌳