I've already mentioned how I'm in the jeans + sweater uniform stage of winter wardrobe-dom, but those aren't the only things on repeat. My winter staples have all been getting plenty of use too - from layering pieces to outdoor gear, here are my go-tos for the season:
Changing up which pieces layer and which jeans go on the bottom, I can make like 10 outfits just out of these favorites. Sometimes I wonder why I have a full closet of clothes... and then February hits and it's still winter and I'm glad for the variety.
We may be approaching the end of January already, but my world is just now covered in snow - after I spent all of December pretending to myself that maybe it would never come (dream on, Michigan girl) - so it's time to make the most of it with a winter bucket list!
Here are some things that I think would make my enjoyment of the season greater:
go on a cross-country skiing date with Peter
take Hendrik downhill skiing for the first time
spend an afternoon reading in a cozy coffee shop
try a new recipe
organize a closet (a highly enjoyable indoor activity for me!)
What better way to kick off a weekend than to pick one of these activities to do. What wintery stuff are you up to lately?
I'm aware that it's November. In Michigan. But, man, it feels too soon on it being this cold! Current situation on the ground here is piles of leaves topped with piles of snow. And all of us digging out the scrapers from our car trunks and the boots from the basement (and frantically Amazon-ing new ones for the kids who have grown out of them). With winter coming imminently, I thought I'd share 5 of my tried-and-trues for getting through the coldest of the season to help us all prepare...
We have: the best socks that are warm but also breathable and last a long time (even better when you can find them on sale at places like Nordstrom Rack); a parka with a smooth outer layer (helps one not look like such a marshmallow) and a must-have hood that is pretty reasonably priced for how many seasons of use I've gotten from it already; and boots that are basically a down coat for your feet/calves. Have done lots of dog walking and shoveling in these, with no cold toes.
Then if you're lucky enough to not have to leave the house and step into the snow, I recommend this space heater and this plug-in heated throw blanket for staying cozy indoors!
But now I am in search of tried-and-trues from others: in the gloves/mittens department. I cannot for the life of me find something to keep my hands warm enough aside from actual ski mittens, which are not exactly conducive to daily life things like trying to buckle your kid into the car. Any suggestions?
Probably in the endless gray skies of winter period I should wear bright colors to counteract the dreary effect, but right now I'm going ahead and just embracing the gray, with my new favorite boots and a sweater + bag to match. Accessorized with big earrings and one of the oldest and most favorite items in my closet, my denim jacket (which fits under my puffer coat!), it still feels cheery and cozy enough for me.
Other things I am embracing for gray days right now:
Having "book nook" time with my crew, which involves sitting by the fireplace with a heated throw blanket and reading our respective books: Bad Blood for Peter, Magic Tree House #4 for Hendrik, and On the Come Up for me.
Lighting multiple candles each evening.
Wearing - and appreciating! - my sweaters, especially my new favorite pink and dark gray ones, but also old favorites like the textured gray one here.
Buying the $6 bunches of tulips that have started showing up at the grocery store.
Convincing myself that shoveling is making my arms really buff.
Blasting my seat heater in the car. The best.
I left "starting a countdown to spring break" off that list, but it's probably going on there soon... Hope your skies - or at least attitude - are feeling sunny today!
In my year of good habits challenges, I decided to make one of the months be a "no non-essentials spending" month, and I'm just going to go ahead and tackle it in February. So, with that in mind, I'm doing a little "shop my own closet" action to really make myself realize that no matter how nice it is to window shop or deal with winter doldrums by having a little retail therapy, I really don't need anything at all, because I have plenty of ideas from my own archives that are still combinations that I love - so here's a roundup of some of the ones I'll be recreating around here this month:
Love this cozy but cool vibe - black jeans just seem to elevate outfits somehow, but it's still casual cool with the sneakers. And while I usually go pretty neutral in the winter, I love this blue to change things up every once in a while. A great snowed-in kind of outfit. Which we've had a bit more experience with lately than desirable...
This was a fun one to dig up from the archives - I don't have the cardigan any more because it was worn out, but I got a similar one this year, so now I'm excited to recreate this outfit from quite a few years ago (also gratifying that I still like it after that long!) on a weekend soon.
Okay, so it's not that many days in true winter that I can wear this coat instead of my bigger one, but it works great for things like museum outings when I'm not going to be outside that much, and then I don't have to lug around the big coat. And then putting some happy floral with some cheery stripes can be a breath of fresh air in the winter neutrals.
Black jeans again - but now all neutrals, in an outfit great for coffee shop working or errand running. I love camel + black together, and a cozy scarf tops it off perfectly for a snowy day.
Obviously I love the chunky sweaters, but sometimes a more fine-knit one is nice to feel a little dressier. This black and white layering was perfect for a day-date, and I love how my plum colored coat adds a pop of color to spice up the whole ensemble. And warm it up, of course.
As mentioned, I'm off in the land of hygge, sneaking in as much of doing winter Denmark-style as I can around my work meetings, but I've been getting plenty of practice with creating cozy conditions in my own home in the last weeks... A few current obsessions in this category:
First things first, this onesie. Peter got us both one of these for Christmas, and when I opened it up, I laughed SO hard at the thought of wearing such a thing. But then I put it on... and I am obsessed. It is so soft and cozy, and it's actually kind of cute on (!) I end up wearing it to lounge around the house in the evening most days, along with my favorite TOMS slippers.
And then second things: I am so into lighting candles right now. After the Christmas lights got put away, I was still really wanting that glow, and so I finally started actually burning some of my candles. We always have them lit in the kitchen in the evenings now, and we've gone through several, so I purchased this pretty new one (and have my eye on this beauty next).
Finally: love to cozy up and do a puzzle in the winter. I put "do a 5000 piece puzzle" on my life list, and when an Amazon deal of the day + gift card + seasonal desire to be cozy + Hendrik's desire to observe the "national puzzle day" holiday that appears on his Highlights magazine calendar all combined, it brought this behemoth to my doorstep. Annndd I didn't think to look at the dimensions, so after starting in I realized that it won't fit on my table. So much for that. I'll have to get out one of my other favorites instead, like this ideal bookshelf one.
Stores might have all kinds of spring stuff out right now (and all of the winter gear on clearance), but for many of us, that is just so far from reality... It is still prime winter coat-wearing season, and it will be for a while (sadly). So for those who are stuck with them for a while, here is some inspiration for how to wear winter coats - and tips for how to buy - so you can take advantage of those deals and pick up something for the rest of the season's wear if needed!
1. have a good lineup
In a climate that requires coats for MONTHS, I am a firm believer in having several of them. When I'm out and about in the winter, the coat pretty much is my outfit, so variety is justified in (1) amount of use and (2) level of going crazy if I have to wear the same thing every darn day (same rules apply for boots!). I think it especially useful to have a down coat for the everyday (actually two: a regular/more streamlined one, and then a huge one for coping on the coldest days), and a dressier wool coat for things like church and date night and such.
2. choose colors wisely
When it comes to a big down coat, stick to black or navy. Color might seem like the more interesting or fun choice, but with something big and puffy, it's far easier to feel and look chic in black, believe me. I happened upon a navy coat this year, and I think that's also a great choice - fits the same criteria as black but stands out from the crowd at least a little (also quite helpful when trying to re-locate my coat on a full rack at church or the gym...). On the other hand, when it comes to something like a pea coat or duffel coat, I love a cheery color, like this turquoise. I get so many compliments on it, and it just cheers me up to pull it out on a dreary day. Red would be fab too.
3. look for special details
As with clothing, I like coats to have some special details that make the basics look a little more interesting or feel a little more luxurious. Again, when you're wearing something so much, it's nice for it to feel a little fancier or stand out from the crowd a bit. Things like the fur trim on the hood of my down coat or the gold buttons on the pea coat do just that.
4. add cute accessories
Boots are necessary everyday footwear where I live now, as parking lots and sidewalks are pretty much always slushy, so something that can stand up to the wet/cold and is cute is kind of a must to go with my outerwear... Sperry has lots of great options in fun colors and fabrics that aren't too clunky, and I'm also really into these chelsea boots from Sole Society right now when I want to dress up a little more but still stay warm and dry. And aside from the serious cold weather gear, I like to go with fairly inexpensive hats, scarves, mittens from places like Target and Old Navy as this allows me to have a variety of them in fun colors or patterns, in order to change things up depending on my mood (or the temperature). Plus lots of options in case you lose a glove or have wet stuff from being out in the snow never hurts.
5. get a good fit
I always look for something that nips in at the waist, whether it's in a giant down parka or a dressy wool coat. When you're wearing lots of layers and thick stuff, I think it's good to do what you can to define your shape! Not feeling like a complete marshmallow = feeling much more stylish.
While in some places (like usually Cincinnati, where I just moved away from) you can get away with buying cute coats for a steal of a deal at places like Target and Old Navy, here in the northern parts, those ones just are not warm enough. Except maybe in November. So for me it's necessary and totally worth it to spend more to get a higher quality down fill, or for wool coats, a true wool (rather than a blend) with a good warm lining. My personal preferences are North Face and J.Crew, respectively, but I also trust the options from places like LL Bean and Land's End. Some that caught my eye, if you're in the market:
Last year my mom decided that she just wasn't going to complain about winter, and I loved this idea. I mean, doesn't it get boring to hear yourself (and others) whine about weather all the time? For us in the Midwest, it's a fact of life, one that we take as part of living in a place that has 4 amazing seasons (even if some of them are longer than others, ahem, Mr. Winter). Not to mention there can actually be enjoyable things about it... For starters: a white Christmas! Recently I saw that Dana called this focus on the good stuff about winter the "Norwegian mindset," which I love too.
But... it's a whole lot easier to keep a positive attitude when you've got some really warm (and cute!) gear to combat the cold.
I ordered this coat even before the weather really even turned chilly because I knew my biggest Cincinnati coat was not going to cut it for the depths of Michigan winter. I got to pull it out for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I love it - that made our first snow a little more fun (though most fun was how much Hendrik loved running around in it). Things that are even better about this one than any other down coat I've had: waterproof shell, sleek look that doesn't scream marshmallow, hood for when I don't feel like matting down my hair so much with a hat, cute fur trim, navy color for a little something different.
Everything else here is on my wishlist to go with it... I've been checking out the winter accessories section on Shopbop for accessory ideas for starters - slightly more refined options to go with the giant down coat, like this lovely cashmere scarf.
Next up in focusing on the good in winter: finding a good winter hobby! I'm thinking snowshoeing is going to be my thing. How about you?
Usually when I write a month in review post, I can't help but comment on how fast the month flew by... but not this month. How has January not ended about four times over by now? This weather is just killing us all, isn't it?
But reviewing all my posts and Instagrams from the month, I really can't complain - January did hae rather a lot of redeeming qualities. Just look at those photos of smiles and yummy eats, for starters. Plus there was a long weekend that included brunch, a fun New Year's Day 5-mile race, date nights of the going out and takeout varieties, cozy times in the nursery, and more.
The month in feeling like a mom (this still sneaks up and surprises me sometimes):
At the end of last week I was just feeling a bit run down and blah - winter blues, work frustrations, slightly under the weather - I needed a pick-me-up. So since I never call in sick to work, I used some of those hours for a mental health day, took the afternoon off, and treated myself to a little fun:
Had a lunch date with Sarah to Noodles & Co. for some tasty catching up | Picked out two new nail colors at Ulta with my coupon | Enjoyed some Italian cocoa yogurt with Oreos on top at Yagoot | Picked up my next wardrobe investment item at Madewell | Caught up on Project Runway and lounged on the couch
It was so nice! Clearly something that should be done only very occasionally, for financial and professional reasons, but I felt much more cheerful at the end of the day than I had all week.
Yikes, it suddenly got cold around here. It's not like it's been all that warm (except that lovely 50 degree day on Saturday), but it seems like it's been about two years since feeling such a cold snap. By January I start to think cold is just cold, but 7 degrees is not at all 27 degrees, I'm now remembering.
Good thing I've already added a bunch of things to this year's arsenal of indoor chill fighters, on top of the blankets, scarves, and sweaters I'd already been piling on, because now they're really necessary. When you telecommute and spend as many hours a day in your house as I do, this kind of arsenal is a must - it's easy to get cold when you're just sitting at a desk all day and have to pay for your own office heating!
1. Presto heat dish: this thing is way better than a space heater. Much as I like to be warm, I can't abide hot, dry air blowing on me; this just radiates heat and is amazing. It's been parked under my desk warming me up ever since my mom kindly sent me home with it after Christmas.
2. Wrist warmers: Peter knows how to warm my heart... at Christmas he gave me these arm warmers from Rei. They kind of make me look like an invalid in a Jane Austen movie, but they're soooo nice for long days at the computer. Typing always gets my wrists cold.
3. Insulation: a pricier item in the lineup, I'll grant, but we've been quite pleased with the insulation we had installed in our attic last summer. It helped with keeping the cool air in then, and now in the winter it's allowed me to have the thermostat set a couple of degrees higher without seeing the gas bills rise. Definitely a good investment in energy efficiency!
4. Warm drinks: it's always good to have something to warm one from the inside out; my current favorite is Trader Joe's salted caramel chai latte. They had samples out just before Christmas, and though I'm not usually a chai drinker, I was sold after just smelling it. It's so creamy and perfectly salty/sweet.
5. Slipper boots: need to keep those feet warm too - I'm trying out these fuzzy boot slippers from Target right now, possibly the warmest I've ever stuck my feet in.
6. Down vest: I picked up a vest a few months ago at Old Navy for about $20, and it was great for fall dog walking - but now just as great for my winter arsenal. When I get cold, I just pile it on over any outfit.
A couple of other tricks up my (thick sweater) sleeve: using that great sunshine we've been having for several days to my advantage. If I sit in the sunny spot on the couch and never go outside, I can pretend that it's warm out there. Also crucial is booking a tropical vacation. When I get really cold I just gaze on my daily islands calendar and think about that beach I'll be on in 7 weeks.
