Been An Angel All Year (Smh)

top: H&M, jacket: LOFT, skirt: TJMaxx, booties: Guess

Every year around this time of year, I like to incorporate red, black and sparkle into my outfits. Also, I cannot stop listening to Christmas music (especially this) and smiling. Really, a yacht is not a lot ;-) Christmas time really is the best. It's all about spending time with family, eating lots of delicious food, going to parties and giving gifts. I love giving because when I have put extra thought into someone's gift and they like it, it's the best feeling in the world. And speaking of gifts, I'm all done with my Christmas shopping (talk about early) which makes my life so much easier from now on. Are you gifting or focusing on unworldly gifts? 

Thank you for stopping by and have a good day!

November {Budgeting Series}

skirt / blouse / booties

I cannot believe that the year is almost over. I think 2013 was the most eventful and fastest year of my life. After my birthday (in October) I got some cash to spend and wasn't sure what I needed the most for this winter. Option1- colorful winter coat or Option2 - black booties. I ordered J.Crew Lady Day coat and was very disappointed when it arrived - the color was way off. I loved the color that was on the screen but it turned out to be a Christmas tree green and I didn't want to remind everyone of Christmas for the rest of the year. So I returned it. And then yelled at complained to costumer service about their color representation online. All they did is apologized and waived my return shipping fee.

The idea of Black Friday is becoming obsolete, as all the sales were in effect days before Thanksgiving and some stores were open Thanksgiving day. Lame! Who wants to go out in the freezing cold after a day of cooking, eating and then cleaning up? Not me! I was curled up under a blanket with hot tea and some chocolate, doing Christmas shopping online. That's the best way to do it without taking away from the family oriented day.

Technically my November spending is $0.00 as I used my birthday gift money to splurge a little. But I'm sure what I didn't spend will come in handy this month as I'm buying Christmas presents left and right. 

Let the holiday craziness begin. Hope you have a great day! 

A Thankful Heart + Inspiration Monday Link Up

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas in full swing, my heart is just so full. I'm thankful for so much in my life that it's hard to express in words. I'm so thankful for this life I've been given and the countless blessings in it. I'm so glad for the tradition to set this day aside and just rest (although some of us have to cook all day long which takes some work;-). It is so good to get together with family, eat lots of deliciousness, see all the children run around (and get a little bit cranky) then take a nap (or two). The best part is sharing it with the ones we love, focusing more on meaningful things in life and less on materialistic.

In the spirit of thankfulness, I challenge you to an attitude of gratitude. Each day from now until the end of the year, choose one specific thing to be thankful for every day, write it down and thank God for it. Make it a priority to be grateful wherever you are, no matter what the circumstances may bring. Live it everyday, choosing not to worry and stress out, instead focus on the good things in life, Count your blessings and as a result you will gain a thankful heart.

Winter Essentials

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(From left to right starting at left corner)
1/2/3/4/5/6

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

I'm going to be taking the rest of the week off to focus on family and friends, to give God thanks for all that we have! Honestly, Thanksgiving is such an understated holiday (except the food gorging, of course) in a way that we really don't take the time to be thankful. Running errands, doing black Friday shopping, cooking the bird and entertaining guests all gets in a way of the true meaning of this day. So when you are enjoying your time with your family and having an abundance of food, remember to be thankful from the bottom of your heart and let everyone know. Go around the table and say one thing you are thankful for, I'm sure it will bring more holiday cheer and leave you with awesome memories.

With the holidays approaching and the temperatures dropping into single digits, the clothes have switched from glam to cozy and warm. Let's face it, in winter the outfit details aren't very obvious because we are bundled up under layers of coats, scarves and gloves. So the main outfit details for the winter are a coat, great looking booties and a killer handbag. These are some my favorites, raging in prices from bargain to expensive. Beat the crowds by doing some online shopping earlier in the week and have fun with it, don't stress because it's not worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Color Scheme

blouse: Vince Camuto
skirt: from Belarus
shoes: Guess
coat: DKNY

For different seasons I like to stick with a single color scheme. For summer it's pastels and whites and for fall it's deep reds and yellows. Now that we are in full swing winter here, I'm all about blacks and greens. But before Thanksgiving is over this is the last outfit in fall color scheme. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!