Sometimes, sweats are a necessity...

Hi friends :) Sorry I've been so spottily posting, this recovery is proving to be a bit tougher than I thought-- it's still difficult to tolerate regular clothes, as my post-surgery belly is still healing & when it's uncomfortable, it lets me know!

In the spirit of my current predicament, I've found a few great comfy alternatives to sweats. It's not easy to look stylish in a tee and sweatpants, but sometimes, it's necessary. I've been drooling over these for the past few weeks-- now if only the magic lululemon fairy would come bearing hoodies :)

*All can be found on the lululemon online shop :)

Cozy Up Jacket, $98

Free Ya Tank, $52

Freedom Bat Wing Tee, $68

Admiral Jacket, $118

Gratitude Wrap, $128

Dance Roll Leggings, $128

Black (and grey and purple) Friday

Happy Black Friday! Hopefully, by this time you'll all be out at the sales-- I, however, have a dentist appointment this morning (I know, right?). What I am looking forward to, however, is spending the day in Chicago. My family has been making day shopping trips to Chicago the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving since I can remember. This year, our trip is obviously going to be abbreviated because of my surgery, but it just doesn't feel like Christmas until we've gone-- so I can't wait :) But before I get to that: a turkey day recap!

I have a pretty big family on my Mom's side, and we got together at my Aunt's house for din-- it was delish! Even though both of my sisters were out of town, it was great to catch up with cousins and extended family that I rarely get to see.

I have to apoligize for the unedited photos and the crazy lighting-- I lost my camera battery & have to use my Mom's camera until I can track down a new one.

What:

Shrug: ATL, from my sister

Cami: Kohls

Skirt: Target (Winter 08)

Tights: Vera for Kohls (Fall 09)

Mary-Janes: Payless (Fall 07)

Where:
Enjoying my Thanksgiving day-- the Macy's parade, helping prepare pies & potatoes, and then off for a big family dinner!


The Verdict:
I have to be honest, today was the first day post-surgery that I've been able to wear anything but sweatpants and a tee. I was a little hesistant to go right for the tights and heels, but they were all I packed in my haste to get back to Milwaukee. Actually, I wasn't too uncomfortable & felt SO great to be in real clothes again! I think that's the longest I've ever gone wearing scrubby clothes, and I did NOT like it. Friday will be a new hurdle to jump with wearing jeans, but I'll take it one day at a time!

Are you a big Black Friday shopper? Or do you wait for the post-sale sales (that's SO me!)? Where do you plan on shopping this Friday?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello friends :)
Hope you're enjoying your Thanksgivings, and that you get to spend the day with the ones you love! I'm so thankful for so many things: my family, my friends, my health, the fantastic opportunities I've been given, my appendix (or lack thereof ;)) and something new this year: the wonderful group of readers that I've got on this little blog. You all make my day, every day. I'm so lucky to have people who want to read what I have to say. So today I hope you enjoy your turkey and your pumpkin pie and surround yourself with loved ones, and have a fantastic holiday!

Side note: regular outfit posting should resume tomorrow. I'm also thankful for real clothes and not sweatpants and pajamas :)

Update!

Some of you may have seen this on my twitter Thursday & Friday, but I had an emergency appendectomy late Thursday night. I woke up early Thursday morning with terrible stomach pains-- I tried to fall back asleep, but the pain was so strong I just laid in bed for a few hours. Finally, I called my uncle who lives near by and he brought me into the emergency room. It look about five hours and a few tests, but they finally told me that I had appendicitis-- luckily, it was caught early so it didn't burst, but they brought me in for emergency surgery on Thursday night. It took about two and a half hours, but they got everything taken care of. My parents drove in from Milwaukee and literally rolled into the Cities right about the time I was waking up. I spent the day in the hospital, and got discharged Friday evening. Since Thanksgiving break is so close, I'm just going to head back to Milwaukee with them Saturday morning and recuperate at home :) Thanks SO much to those of you that sent your good vibes, thoughts, and prayers my way-- they definitely worked their magic! Give me a few days, and then I'll be back to posting. Have a wonderful weekend!

Undergrad Outerwear

Okay, so Minnesotan weather and I are not speaking. Yes, that's right-- we're fighting. It's all "Let's be warm and sunny, mmk?" And I'm all "Winter! NOW!" Normally, I would never dream of complaining after getting a few extra weeks of sunny, 50* weather. But seeing as how I'm hopping out on the snowiest, coldest months of the year, I'm feeling a little slighted by our lack of snow and cold. Now, I can promise you that next year at this time, I'll read this post and call myself a crazy lunatic for wanting winter to come so badly. But really, if I don't get at least a little of my usual winter weather, I'm going to be seriously bummed. Plus, this weather is about as un-Christmassy as it comes... I want a white Christmas, I want my nose to get a chilling, I want the whole she-bang. And as you can see below, I'm fully prepared for when the temperatures finally take a plunge!

1. My tried-and-true Columbia fleece

I've had this one forever-- my sister and I got them for Christmas a few years ago, and it's never failed me for comfiness & warmth. Lucky for me, my sister has fallen out of love with her sweatshirt and passed it down to me, so I get two! Not necessary, I know, but it's nice to keep one in my car for those especially chilly days (that I'm assuming we will have. Eventually.)

2. My Free Country hooded fleece (TJ Maxx, $15)

I actually just picked this fleece up at TJ Maxx this summer, in anticipation for the fall. I love having something warm & hooded, and this fit the bill perfectly. Plus-- cheap! Always a plus. My fleeces usually only last me through early October, but I've been able to wear these as coats the past few weeks. The rest of the year, they're super comfy to lounge around in.

3. My Cotton Hooded Swing Jacket (Old Navy)

I've had this since the summer before my freshman year, but I just can't stop wearing it-- it's the perfect midseason jacket, it's hooded (can you tell I love me some hoods?), and has such a great shape. Again, it doesn't work well past October because of the short sleeves, but it's the perfect coat for a range of occasions!

4. My Wool Pea Coat (JCP)

Okay, so this coat isn't as orange in real life than it is in this picture, it's more of a burnt sienna than anything else. However, one of my high school boyfriends called it my "brighter than the sun" coat-- and the name has always stuck! It's super warm, and perfect for most winter weather, with the exception of the most frigid months, which require maximum coverage. Which brings me to...

5. My GIANT Poofy Marshmallow Coat (H&M)

I asked for this coat as a Christmas gift one year after noting how necessary it was to cover as much of me as possible when trekking across campus in all sorts of weather. Yes, I might look a bit ridiculous in this coat, but it's super duper warm, and I'm a sucker for a (faux) fur hood! I only wish it went further down my legs-- if you've ever experienced -48 windchill, you understand how quickly you can lose feeling in the space between where your boots end and your coat begins. I'm hoping it won't be necessary to bring this monster with me to London, but it certainly is perfect for my usual winters :)

How do you dress up for winter? Which 'level' of coat usually fits your wintertime needs?

Don't go chasin' waterfalls...

I may have only been 4 years old when the TLC song Waterfalls came out, but you better believe I knew it and loooved that song. Even though I thought it was about actual waterfalls, but whatever. Anywho, I felt like a waterfall all day long with my beautiful drapey blue scarf!

What:

Endless Cardi: mark. for Avon (Winter 07)

Cami: Kohls

Scarf: Christmas Gift '08

Jeans: Kohls

Sparkly Flats: Target (Fall 09)

Where:

Off to classes, meetings this afternoon, running errands, and then home to work work work (man, am I boring? Or am I boring? I can't wait for Thanksgiving break!)

The Verdict:

I may have felt a tad too drapey today, but I still loved this easy twist on my favorite look.

What's cookin': Butternut Squash Soup

Did you guess my clue yesterday? Yes, I L-O-V-E love Friends, but if you watched that little video clip, you caught the "squtternut bosh" reference at the verrry end :) That's exactly what I was thinking the whole time I was cookin' away in my little kitchen.

The story of why I decided to try my hand at cooking squash soup (something I've never done before) is a cute one. I was nannying the other day, and had a little extra help (or rather, I was the extra help) watching the kiddos. They've been sick with the flu for the past week, so their Grandmother was in town from North Dakota, and she ended up staying a few days later. I loved having her around! She was hilarious & made the most delicious butternut squash soup for dinner while I was there (of course, she insisted I try some-- YUM). When she was first telling me about it, she kept calling it "squarsh soup"-- of course, I had absolutely no clue what she was saying, so I went along with it. Of course, once I tried it, I could tell what she meant, and I haad to have the recipe. She told me what she remembered putting in, so I'm sure I'm missing a few things from her original recipe, and maybe mixed up a few steps, but overall it was a great replication. I tried my hand at it, and pretty much replicated it for myself. Another quick, cheap & delicious recipe-- and perfect for fall.

Squtternut Bosh Soup ;)

1. Peel your squash-- to make it easier, toss it in the microwave, unpeeled, for about three minutes. It'll be hot, but it'll be much easier to peel. A regular potato peeler will do :)

2. Once you've got that set, slice up an onion and start to sweat it in a soup pan with about 2 tablespoons of butter & some garlic.

3. Hop back on over to your squash. Slice in half lengthwise & scoop all seeds out. Dice it, and put the pieces into a roasting pan with about an inch of water. Cover with foil, and bake in the oven at about 375* for a half an hour.

4. Once your onions are cookin, toss in a tablespoon or two of brown sugar. Stir to coat.

5. Grab your b-nut squash out of the oven, and put the pieces in a food processor/ juicer/blender/whatever you've got. Puree until smooth.

6. Put your pureed squash into the soup pot (with onions), and add about 4-8 oz. of unsweetened applesauce, a can of vegetable broth and a splash of half and half. Let cook, and add in whatever seasonings you'd like-- I think I threw in some kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper, oregano, and nutmeg.

Suuuper easy, tasty, filling, and cheap! (My favorite kind of soup :)) It could use more veggies in my opinion, but I'll give that a whirl next time. For now, I'll enjoy my squtternut bosh until the very last drop!