Weekly Recap #51, 2021

I can’t believe the year is so close to being over. Have you thought about resolutions or goals for 2022 yet?? Eek, I better get on that before it sneaks up on me… like always. This week was a lot more eventful than last, as I finished my Christmas shopping, celebrated my dad’s birthday, and reunited with my brother and his fiancé. Let the holiday festivities begin!!

Monday, December 13

I spent today publishing my blog post, working on a few job applications, and decorating a tiny Star Trek-themed Christmas tree for my dad’s home office. My brother came over for family dinner, and my parents and I re-watched the Pixar movie Brave afterwards to get into the Scottish spirit.

While I think these plaid pants are really cute (and I always get tons of compliments on them), I never know how to style them! It feels like the only color that pairs well with them is black, but then the outfit comes off as very dark. I was excited to wear the pants with this hand-me-down gold top, and I liked the pairing, though the outfit still felt incomplete somehow. Maybe it needed a pendant necklace.

Gold Mock Neck Top: Hand-me-down | Black Pleather Jacket: JCPenney, $62, last worn here | Plaid Pants: Unknown, $40, last worn here | Black Booties: DSW, $45, last worn here

Tuesday, December 14

I woke up to a few inches of snow and a power outage! Thankfully the power came back on pretty quickly, though. I took some blog pics outside in the snow and decorated the Christmas tree before my mom and I went outside to make a snowman. It’s been years since I built one, but it was so fun and perfect that we even had a tiny carrot in the fridge for his nose.

Striped Sweater: Banana Republic, $50, last worn here | Red Quilted Vest: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here | Skinny Jeans: Francesca’s, $20, last worn here | Black Snow Boots: DSW, $40, last worn here | Red Gloves: Unknown, $20, last worn here

Wednesday, December 15

I woke up early this morning for a teeth cleaning, and I learned something interesting from my dentist. He said it is not so much the amount of sugar that’s bad for your teeth, rather the time spent with the sugar in your mouth. So, if you like to drink sugary drinks like soda or Starbucks, he suggested drinking it quickly rather than over several hours to prevent cavities. I thought that was pretty interesting.

Navy and White Sweater: Gap, $30, last worn here | Jeans: Bohme, $40, last worn here | Blue Booties: White Mountain via DSW, $42, last worn here | Blue Ear Muffs: Loft, $30, last worn here

Thursday, December 16

I spent today working on my blog post and more job applications. In the evening, my parents and I went downtown for a fancy dinner with our good family friends. I have been wanting to get better at applying eye shadow, so I took the occasion as an excuse to practice and get dressed up. I planned on wearing this sparkly jacket with skinny jeans, but once I finished doing my hair and makeup and put the jacket on… I realized I was way too dressed up. I am usually overdressed, but I do think there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed. I felt very foolish to realize I went entirely overboard! I definitely think it was the hair that did it—I rediscovered this hairstyle on Tuesday and think it’s really fun, but it’s also quite bold… especially with a big sparkly clip shoved in the middle. I still can’t decide if the hairstyle itself is too much or not.

Anyway, I ran downstairs and sheepishly changed into something more appropriate right before leaving: this blue pea coat, skinny jeans, and blue flats adorned with sparkly shoe clips. I was self-conscious about the hair all night after this little fiasco. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish getting ready until after the sun already set, so this was the best pic I could get (at least I felt confident in my makeup for once).

Black Top: Dillard’s, $20, last worn here | Blue Pea Coat: Francesca’s, $40, last worn here | Skinny Jeans: Express, $42 | Blue Flats: DSW, $5, last worn here | Black Feathery Purse: Thrifted from the Assistance League of Las Vegas, $6, last worn here

Friday, December 17

I brokered a deal with my mom today that I would go to the grocery store with her if she helped me take some blog photos. Later, my parents and I went out to dinner at a spot with live music, and then we binged the end of season one of “True Detective”. We picked up my brother and his fiancé at the airport at midnight! Afterwards, my bro, his lady, and I snuck into my dad’s office to decorate it for his birthday. We stayed up way too late laughing and catching up.

I have worn this outfit many-a-times, but I didn’t realize how tall these white socks are. I should’ve shrunk them down a bit so the outfit looked more proportional.

Dress: Max Studio via Nordstrom Rack, $40, last worn here | White Knee Socks: DSW, $15, last worn here | Black Knee Boots: Clarks via DSW, $100, last worn here

Saturday, December 18

We had a big family breakfast to celebrate my dad’s birthday and then played 2 v 2 soccer in the afternoon, an old family tradition. My parents and eldest brother had a Christmas party to attend tonight, so my other brother, his fiancé, and I decided to go out. I really wanted to go line dancing, so I found a country bar in town that none of us had been to before. It was dicey at first… we got there kind of early in the night and everybody there was 65 or older. But thankfully, as it got later and the band started to play, the place livened up a bit, as did the dance floor! I absolutely love dancing, even when I have no idea what I’m doing… and boy, were we clueless with the line dances. One guy even offered us his business card for dancing lessons, ha! It was still a blast though, even if I made a fool of myself.

I knew this outfit wouldn’t be country bar attire, but I really wanted to wear it anyways. I thrifted this ombre velvet dress a few weeks ago in Las Vegas and think it is so cool! I added a pleather jacket and bedazzled fishnet tights for a little bit of warmth (it is winter after all). I even branched out by wearing purple eye shadow tonight.

Velvet Ombre Dress: Thrifted from Alt Rebel, $13 | Black Pleather Jacket: JCPenney, $62, last worn here | Sparkly Fishnets: Amazon, $9, buy here | Black Booties: DSW, $45, last worn here

Sunday, December 19

We all played Euchre this morning and the family met up downtown to see a play called “All is Calm,” which is about the Christmas truce called in the trenches during WWI. I didn’t know it was a musical (all the actors were actually opera singers) but their voices were incredible! We went to a new Puerto Rican restaurant in town afterwards and played more cards. This is the first time I’m breaking out my camel coat this winter, which is the nicest piece of clothing I own and always makes me feel absolutely fabulous.

Brown Sweater: Banana Republic, $40, last worn here | Camel Coat: Macy’s, $240, last worn here | Skinny Jeans: JCPenney, $25, last worn here | Black Leopard-Back Booties: Crown Vintage via DSW, $35, last worn here | Red Purse: Kate Spade New York, gift, last worn here

. . . . .

What was the highlight of your week? It’s been so nice to have everyone together for the holidays, and I’m excited for all the fun Christmas activities in the coming days. I’d love to see your recent outfits in the linkup below!

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great rest of your day.

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace