Home is Where the Harvest Is

Jacket: Blue Asphalt, Wet Seal

Adorned Acorn Necklace

Belt: Steve Madden, Zulily; Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's 

Koala Baby

Yellow top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's' Shoes and bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Mushrooms and succulent: Kohl's

Sweater: Amazon

Mum and pumpkin: Michaels

Bracelet: ZAD, Zulily

Skirt: Hollister, Marshalls

Top: Nine West, Kohl's

Bag: Amazon

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Jacket: Candie's, Kohl's

Bow: Wild Fable, Target

Wreath: Kohl's; Ribbon: Michaels

Boots: 2 Lips Too, Zulily

Orchid: A. C. Moore

Square Dance Romance Necklace

Bag: JCPenney

And by harvest I don't mean produce, but stuff that looks like produce but is plastic.  That's right.  I've changed my décor -- and wardrobe -- from creepy to cozy in honor of the oft overlooked Thanksgiving.  This is new for me this year, just as decking the halls with skulls was new for me last Halloween.  It looks like I'm turning into my mother after all -- which, Mom, if you're reading, I mean in the best way possible!  

Speaking of motherhood, I was decorating the fireplace while Char Bar watched from her blanket.  She was screaming up a storm, which she does when she's excited and/or frustrated.  So I shouldn't have been surprised when she rolled over onto her stomach for the very first time!  She couldn't roll back onto her back, though, so I had to turn her over.  Undeterred, she proceeded to roll -- and scream -- three more times as I kept one eye on her and one on my tchotchkes.  She hasn't stopped since, and I'm sure next year I'll be working overtime to prevent her from playing kickball with the pumpkins.

Some harvest that'll be!

How a Not Great Review Told Me What to Do, Plus a New Look at an Old Skirt

Shoes: Guess, DSW

Bag: Worthington, JCPenney; Black bangle: Decree, JCPenney; Other bangles: B Fabulous: Butterfly ring: Mixit, JCPenney; Chartreuse ring: Claire's; Brown ring: Charlotte Russe; Purse charm: Michaels

Orange-Eyed Owl Necklace

Dress: Lula Roe

Bag: Elizabeth and James, Kohl's

Shoes: Coconuts by Matisse, Nordstrom Rack

Heart and Flowers Necklace

Sunglasses: JCPenney

Top: Jessica Simpson, Macy's

Tan Folksy Fringe Barrette

Skirt: Hollister, Marshalls

Desert Doodads Necklace

Top: Macy's

Bag: Olivia Miller, Amazon; Turquoise bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Bows: Zulily; Fabric belt: Steve Madden, Zulily; Turquoise belt: Mixit, JCPenney; Turquoise ring: Michaels; Medallion and owl rings: Mixit, JCPenney

You already know that I love to shop.  But I also love reading (and writing!) product reviews.  Not only do they provide insight into what's on offer, they also let me peek inside shoppers' minds.  For example, I was perusing the Kohl's site (as I often am), when I got sucked into reading reviews for these strappy flip flops:

Sandals: So, Kohl's

They came in black, white, brown, pink, mustard, and multi.  One woman had purchased them in multi and was disappointed to find that they were "primary colored" and, in her opinion, "old-fashioned."  (Another shopper ordered a pair that arrived caked in dog poo, but that's neither here nor there.)  These "complaints" caught my attention -- in a good way.  Because if someone finds something too flashy or odd, then chances are I'll love it.  So I clicked add to cart and have been rocking the retro rainbow ever since.  As a bonus, they cost only $9.99 and are comfy. 

Then, in a not-so-seamless segue, there's this peasant skirt:

Skirt: ROSS

Although I didn't buy it after reading a rave (or grave!) review, making it mine made an impression on me.  I'm sure I've shared this story before, but that's not going to stop me from doing it again, maybe with a few extra details.  

I was twenty-five and on a business trip to San Francisco.  I was working as a medical editor, which could be exciting but stressful.  One day, when my duties were done, I took the scenic route back to my hotel.  And by scenic I mean the street with the stores.  Now, I know that when most people travel, they like to find off-the-beaten-path shops and restaurants that give them an experience they can't get at home.  Yet although I understand the appeal, no matter where I am, I'm drawn to the familiar.  So on that particular March day, after having been scolded for apologizing to a cabbie and saying nay to networking drinks, I was relieved to see the steadfast storefronts of H&M and ROSS.  Especially ROSS, because I had one at home.  And sure enough, that was where I found the peasant skirt.  It stood out from the staid blacks and whites that crowded the rack, as cool as a Caribbean sea.  In other words, just the post-convention palate cleanser I needed.  

Fifteen years later, this skirt is less vibrant than it used to be.  I've worn it with all kinds of tops in all sorts of prints and colors, to BBQs and, yes, to the office.  I even had to stitch a hole in it.  But I still love it.  It makes me as happy as it did on that West Coast day of retail therapy, worldly for having crossed the country and brave for having survived it. 

To that end, I'm still not sorry for saying sorry to that cabbie.  Anyone who can drive anyone anywhere will always get props from me.  

Birds of a Feather Weather Together

Bag: Sleepyville Critters, Zulily

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Ye Olde Feather Necklace (a nom de plume because I don't remember the real one)

Skirt: Hollister, Marshalls

Scrunchies: So, Kohl's

Boots: Penny Loves Kenny, Amazon

Bracelets, left to right: Silver Linings, Ocean City; Amrita Singh, Zulily; Target

Dress: A New Day, Target

Bag: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Charm: Elly & Ella, Zulily

Boots: Mossimo, Target

Sweater: Collectif X, Modcloth

Shorts: So, Kohl's

Um, feather weather?  Tote Trove Lady, didn't you mean sweater weather?  No, dear readers, I did not.  Feather weather is how I like to think of November.  You know, when the first breath of cold blows in and the leaves are falling and the birds have headed south, leaving only their punky plumage as a reminder.  Which fits right in with Thanksgiving as kindergartners all over the country adorn themselves with colorful feathers.  Or, less imaginatively, buckles and bonnets.  Let's be honest; being a Native American is much cooler than being a Pilgrim.  Even if my seventh grade social studies teacher summed up the historical inaccuracies of Disney's Pocahontas thusly: "Also, she (Pocahontas) wasn't that pretty."  

On that note, here's a little feathered friend who's indisputably cute.  It's none other than an eastern goldfinch (the New Jersey state bird!) that the husband glimpsed through my parents' window this summer:

Now that he's gone, I miss him.  Because when it comes to the colors of the wind, yellow is always my favorite.