in which i am (officially?) a wild woman

Hello there!  The dead weight of this cold weather finally lifted a bit, so I was able to brave the great outdoors once again and I decided to brighten things up a bit!  I originally bought and altered this dress for Christmas a couple of years ago so it always feels a little bit "holiday" when I wear it.  The gold tights probably don't help, but oh well :)

(dress: thrifted; belt: urban outfitters; tights: hue; shoes: seychelles; earrings: bought in austin, tx)

This past weekend was pretty wild!  I've sure been getting my girl time in lately.  On Thursday night my lady friends and I had Art Club at my apartment, drank Heady Topper and ate snacks and had another one of our epic conversations about femininity and day moons and the power dynamics between men and women and taking control of to-be-looked-at-ness and women in combat and combat in general and the unfortunate  way in which our society encourages the expression of masculinity through violence... and then they went home, and on Friday I headed to a house in the woods for my semi-official initiation into the tribe of WWW (wild women of Woodbury), and I didn't emerge from those woods until Sunday afternoon.

I have always been awed and inspired by the WWW.  They're all such passionate, intelligent, wonderful (wild) women, and I feel so lucky to have been raised under the umbrella of their influence.  I also know I am fortunate to have some of their daughters as my very best friends/soul sisters/future WWW (and hopefully we will manage to carry on the tradition of this epic weekend for decades to come).  There was a lot of cosmo-drinking, southern-style food-eating, puppet-making (and a somewhat scandalous puppet show on Saturday night), ping-pong playing, hula-hooping (I will figure out how to be awesome at this... mark my words), and an incredibly epic snowshoe over fields and through forests and over the top of a hill that looked out around all of the Green and White mountains (the weekend was hosted at Switchell extraordinaire Susan's house in Cabot and the surrounding land is amazing) and culminated in a campfire powwow with soups and spicy sausage.  I was so exhausted on Sunday that I when I got home all I the energy I could manage to muster went into watching Downton Abbey (and I still fell asleep on the couch).

Anyway, THANK YOU to the WWW for allowing me to attend!  It was really nice to get to know everyone a little bit better after all of these years :)

savory (thursday): mac&cheese and roasted roots

Seriously, it is SO COLD this week.  It was -12F this morning (that's -24C), and I am in full hibernation mode.  Something about the cold weather is making me moderately domestic, however.  Nesting?  I've been cooking and baking, which is not a common occurrence.  Maybe it's the opportunity to stand over a warm oven?  Anyway, it's cold.  A couple of nights ago I decided to make macaroni and cheese (because what's more heartwarming than comfort food?) and roasted root vegetables (my friend Elizabeth introduced me to the deliciousness of roasted roots).  So here are some pictures.  Because I'm certainly not stepping outside.

life lately: a day on the mountain

On Saturday night, my mom called and asked if I wanted to hit the slopes the next day, and I said "yes!"  It has been so long since I went snowboarding... the lift ticket tag that was still on my coat said 2008, but the last time I remember going was back in college, when my friend Steph was visiting:

So that's kind of a mystery... but anyway, it has been a long time since I went down a mountain.  I always forget how much fun it is, which I think is really just the result of my selective memory protecting me from wanting to go since I really can't afford it.  But anyway, it was pretty much a perfect ski day except for the wind, which was pretty out of hand by the end of the afternoon.  I was exhausted when I got home, and flopped on the couch to eat coconut chocolate chip cookies (which I was randomly inspired to bake late Saturday night) and watch a documentary about the ballet (First Position).

I feel so lucky to have been able to learn to ski as a kid (when I was in high school we got to take half days off and go to the mountain every week during the winter--pretty amazing), and I'm happy to say that it is like riding a bicycle--I was able to pick up right where I left off.  And thanks to mom for inviting me along!  It was fun :)

in which i could go for some sugar on snow

After a week of spring weather, we're back to January.  If the thaw is over, this can only mean one thing: the freeze is on its way.  Oh, Vermont winters, you're so predictable.  Anyway, it was crazy snowy and blustery today and I braved it anyway because I liked my outfit. 

(blazer: vintage; scarf/lace top: thrifted; sweater: target; jeans: pacsun; shoes: lulu*s)

Because this outfit is all cream and taupe and tan and whatnot, it reminds me of sugar on snow.  It's been YEARS since I have partook of that tasty treat--like, over a decade.  I do put maple syrup in my coffee though, so maybe that's like, the grown-up version?  I've been wearing the crap out of these jeans lately.  Maybe it's finally time to invest in more than one pair?  

in which my ass might be grass if i keep trespassing

Blogging is stressful when you don't have a yard.  It's one thing to have a boyfriend take photos of you, because you can just pretend that he thinks you're so pretty or something.  But it is quite another to go out into the wild armed with a tripod and fuzzy earmuffs and start snapping photos of yourself against a half-melted dirty snowbank.  I really think it's only a matter of time before someone calls the police about my strange behavior.  The thing is, this road is the only place I have pretty decent privacy, but if I catch the road at the wrong time there is traffic.  I think they hate me.  I'm scared.  I probably won't go back.

(jumper/scarf: thrifted; chambray: walmart; shoes: lulus.com; earmuffs: urban outfitters)

I'm so ready for a change.  I need a new scene.  And a house with a yard.  And a puppy.  And a purpose.

in which i welcome the january thaw

Well, another week is upon us.  I had an increddddddibly lazy weekend, mostly just watching Netflix marathons and lounging around the house and editing multiple drafts of K's personal essay for grad school applications.  I did get a haircut on Saturday (woo-hoo)!  You can hardly tell, it really doesn't look any different, just a bit less mangy :)  I toyed with the idea of hacking it all off, but I'm just not ready yet.  Someday... (maybe).

(shirt: thrifted; boots/scarf: tjmaxx; jeans: pacsun; bracelet: vintage)

I bought this scarf on a whim (actually at the same time I bought these boots, on an "I'm not here to buy anything for myself" pre-Christmas shopping trip), and I wear it constantly.  Love at first sight.  We are currently in the middle of a major January thaw, and I'm not complaining.  It feels like spring around here, but I know that in a couple of weeks we'll surely be back to frigid temps and tons of snow.

in which i make january resolutions

Coat #3!  This basic pea coat is a blast from the past, that's for sure.  I rarely wear it because it's not very warm and doesn't fit all that well, but it's still in my closet!  I think I got this one back in college (yelp, maybe before) so it's been at least six years...

(coat: mudd; shorts/scarf: thrifted; shoes: lulu*s; bag/earmuffs: urban outfitters; ring: etsy)

I'm still not totally caught up on all of the stuff I need to get done before I can finally feel relaxed again, but last night I finally got the sink empty, went to the gym, and read several chapters of Middlemarch, so I'm working my way through the week :)  Tonight is the first Art Club meeting in a while, and this weekend K and I are going to take down the tree and bring it to the drop-off in town.

I don't really do "resolutions" at this time of year, mostly because I make a sort of "bucket list" on my birthday every year so making resolutions just seems redundant. That said, I would like to make a few smaller, easily-attainable goals for the month ahead (and onward through 2013).  It can be overwhelming to try to follow the exact same resolutions for a full year (and let's be honest, nobody does it), especially since things happen, people change, priorities change (yes, even over the course of a year), and I think it makes some sense to set out to accomplish just a few small things each month.  So:

Get a Haircut

I haven't had my hair cut in over two years.  Whoops!  It is beyond time to hack off some of these split ends.

Exercise 3x/Week

Now that I have a workout video at my disposal, it can't be THAT hard to get some sort of exercise during the week.  I want to work out at least three times each week, either at the gym or in my living room.  I am so out of shape and my clothes are a bit snug after the holidays, so something needs to happen, fast!

Buy No Coffee Beverages or Clothes, and No Alcohol During the Week

I want to say I'll buy no alcohol at all, but I know that I would be setting myself up to fail.  I have had no desire to drink after all the imbibery of Christmas and New Years, so going without shouldn't be too hard.  I'm on a pretty strict savings plan from here on out, and I need to find serious ways to cut back!

Take Down Christmas Tree and Catch Up on Cleaning

Our house is sort of a wreck lately.  I can't even empty the sink of dishes before it fills up again, and our tree is dying and dropping needles everywhere.  It will be nice to take the tree down and put everything back in its rightful place.

Make Ravioli

I want to make more ravioli!  I still don't have a pasta maker, but it can be relaxing to spend an evening cooking and rolling dough, and the results have (so far) been delicious. I'd really like to become a more self-sufficient eater in the New Year.

The biggest one for me is the commitment not to buy coffee (except at the grocery store), alcohol (except maybe on the weekends, but not if I can help it), or new clothes.  I really need to save some money (especially since taxes went up, and on my small paycheck that is painful) if I want to make this my best year yet!