a very merry christmas

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas this year! I had such a lovely Christmas, and the last thing I wanted was for it to be over. On Christmas Eve, as usual, I tried to cram too many things into one day, but it all turned out all right. I was able to sew up a skirt for the little girl I babysit, and then I was able to  alter the dress I was wearing that evening (I can't wait to show y'all! It looked pretty good for a thrift store find) and get myself all ready for the Christmas Eve service at church and make it to church just before I was supposed to sing in the choir. Then Christmas Day after church was much more relaxed. I watched It's a Wonderful Life with my family and we exchanged gifts before heading off to a big family party. It was just a happy, blessed day in general and I think I laughed harder than I had in weeks, especially during the Scrabble arguments with my uncle (he's always trying to sneak made-up words in there, and then argues that they are actual words).

Anyway, I thought I would share a look into the decorations I had up around my room this year. I didn't decorate until Monday, but I'm glad I finally put them up. 

How was your Christmas? 

christmas preparations + cozy sweaters

//sweater: target / scarf: target {gift} / skirt, oxfords: thrifted / tights: fred meyer//

Well, finals are finally over, and Christmas preparations are in full swing around here. Actually, I finished finals last Sunday, but I ended up taking an unexpected blogging hiatus to take a much-needed breather and catch up on life. And read The Hobbit finally, among other books. Then I ended up getting sick over the weekend, when I had planned to start up blogging again, so the break extended itself. But I'm all recovered now, and so today has been spent on a mini cleaning spree, finally getting Christmas decorations put up, and wrapping Christmas presents. 

This outfit is actually from a few weeks ago, when we were in the middle of a cold spell here in Washington. I had basically been living in sweaters, and decided to try pairing a cozy sweater with my wool skirt for added warmth for church. It fit a little snugly tucked into the skirt, but it worked, and I really liked the look, and just the overall coziness of it all. You will likely be seeing this skirt with different sweater combinations quite a bit in the near future!

Ok, now I'm going to get back to decorating. :) I hope you all are having a fantastic (and not too busy!) Eve of Christmas Eve!

finals week + cozy sweaters

//dress: thrifted / sweater: kohl's / tights: fred meyer / oxfords: eBay//

Hello, everyone! Well, it's finals week (which explains my blogging absence this week), and I've only got two more assignments to finish and I will be done. I'm incredibly excited because it means that in a few days I'll be able to get all my Christmas decor up (finally!) and start work on Christmas presents. And of course, reading, sleeping, and doing all the things I never have time to do during school will be amazing as well.

This is actually the outfit I wore on Thanksgiving--cozy, comfortable, and casual-dressy. I liked it so much that I wore it again this week, during a spurt of very cold weather...it's gotten to that point of the year when I live in sweaters (and flannel), and I'm loving it. Any excuse to be cozy and warm. Anyways...this sweater is one of my favorites, because it can basically be layered with every dress/blouse + skirt combo in my closet and just make every outfit warmer. The dress I have on under this is actually (in my opinion) pretty unflattering, but I love it layered, and the print is just so fall-ish...so for now, it will definitely be staying in my closet.

 

long beach {part 3: fun with antiquing}

Our last two days in Long Beach we spent doing one of my favorite things--antiquing! And there are a few really good antique stores in the area (some reallyyyyy good ones). There were so many fun things to browse through, and I always love being around all the history. I brought my camera with me both days, and it got to the post where my sisters complained it was like I had never been antiquing before: "You look like a tourist, Vicki!" But I told them that "I take pictures of the things I can't afford to buy." Which is mostly true. Most of the things I gush over in antique stores are waaaaay out of my price range. And I don't have space for them all, anyway (or at least that's what I kept telling myself!). Also, I love the look, texture, and aesthetic of old, worn things. I don't know what it is, but I'm drawn to it.

One of the antique malls we discovered didn't look like much on the outside, but inside, there were shelves and shelves of beautiful old books. I think I could've spent the entire day curled up in one of the chairs reading, or even just perusing all the shelves. I ended up not buying any books, even though I carried a stack of them around with me for an hour or so, but on the way out, I spotted a shelf crammed with yearbooks...so I snagged one of those. I'll have to do a post or video sometime soon to show y'all what I got.(:

And that was the end of our little vacation! We drove home after that last antique store, and everyday life began again at full blast. It was such fun, though, despite having to work on my assignments, and I hope we can do it again sometime soon.

 

at the symphony

//skirt: made by me / blouse, belt: JCP / cardigan: h&m / tights: fred meyer / necklace: confirmation gift / oxfords: thrifted//

Hello everyone! Happy December! I hope you're all doing well this week. I'm right in the middle of finals at the moment--I just submitted one final essay yesterday, and now I have four essays to go and an exam before I'm finished. My arts class has been pretty crazy--two essays a week, and now a final essay tacked on to that. I'm pretty sure I've never had to write that much for a class in my life! I'm definitely ready for Christmas break.

Anyway, this outfit is what I wore for attending the symphony a few weeks back. I had to see a concert for my arts class, and since I had never been to the symphony, I was actually excited for the opportunity. My friend and I went to the Seattle Symphony's performance of Verdi's Requiem, and we both absolutely loved it. The music was gorgeous and chilling, and the soloists were amazing. I was also excited for the opportunity to have a night out...even if it was for school. It provided the perfect excuse to dress up a little and go out. 

 

long beach {part 2: continued explorations}

We did a lot of exploring in Long Beach, and we discovered some pretty exciting things. First, we happened upon Marsh's Free Museum, which is basically a huge, crazy antique store/museum with tons of weird and awesome things. There was so much to see that even with aimlessly wandering in circles throughout it we probably didn't notice everything. It was really cool...and just plain weird, but in a mostly good way. Definitely check it out if you're ever in the area. Unless you have a phobia of taxidermy, in which case you may want to steer clear--there were lots of stuffed animals like that deer head. Usually, I find taxidermy unsettling and creepy...but I really liked this deer. He just looked friendly. :)

We also visited the cranberry bogs! However...it was just after harvest time, so there wasn't too much to see. It was a good walk, though, and there was yummy homemade cranberry ice cream to be had in the gift shop. I don't think I had ever had homemade ice cream before...it was good. 

And speaking of cranberries, I hope all of you in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know that God has been so gracious to me this year, and I have countless things to be thankful for daily.