A Holly, Jolly Christmas OOTD

Merry Christmas, dear readers! I had such a wonderful day with my children today. They stayed asleep until 7 this morning, which has got to be a new family record. Most years they are digging under that tree at 5AM sharp! I am about to settle in for a long winter's nap, but I wanted to share my outfit of the day with you first!

Cardigan: J. Crew Merino Cielo Ruffle Cardigan - $21.00 

Dress: Anthropologie Doubly Adorned Dress - $30.00

Belt: Gap Factory Outlet - $0

Tights: George brand from Walmart - $5.00

Shoes: Nine West via Piperlime.com - $40.00

My sleepy self is going to run along now and cuddle with my babies, but thank you for reading my blog and I hope that the remainder of your Christmas (or simply, your night, if you don't celebrate) is amazing beyond words!

<3 Lyzi

Southward Stop Shirtdress

I am completely in love with my new Southward Stop Shirtdress. The corduroy fabric was a bit wrinkled from shipping and not particularly easy to iron, but once I'd pressed it into submission it hung beautifully.

Cardigan: J. Crew Dulphine Bling-Button Cardigan - $28.00

Dress: Anthropologie Southward Stop Shirtdress - $45.00

Belt: Anthropologie Fromage Et Pain Belt - $15.00

Tights: George brand from Walmart - $5.00

Boots: Aldo - $150.00

Kindergarten Christmas Party OOTD

This morning, my husband and I went Christmas shopping after we dropped the kids off at school. We were only about halfway done up until that point, so there was much to be purchased. There was a time when I did 100% of the holiday shopping myself, but my husband is a surprisingly good shopping companion. He finds really good gifts that are a perfect match for their recipient! We visited Walmart and Target for toys, grabbed yucky/delicious breakfast sandwiches from BK, the drove around the city buying giftcards for our kids' teachers. It was a really nice morning and I feel so relieved that 95% of the gifts have been purchased at last.

Another highlight of my day was volunteering in my youngest son's kindergarten class for their holiday party. They made adorable ornaments featuring their school portraits, read the Polar Express, and drank hot chocolate and ate cookies and cupcakes. Much fun was had. :)

This is a style blog, so you are here because you want to know what I wore! I donned a dress that I scored on eBay for a bargain and have only worn one other time, last Valentine's Day. Come to think of it, this is one thrifty outfit!

Cardigan: J. Crew Traversa Cardigan - $21.00 (Reg: $88.00)

Dress: J. Crew Silk Chiffon Twist Tank Dress - $32.00 via eBay (Reg: $170.00)

Tights: George brand from Walmart - $5.00

Shoes: Charlotte Russe - $10.00

It was a wonderful day. Other highlights include: 

• Coming home from shopping to my mom cleaning my kitchen
• Getting out the shower and finding a strawberry scone from Panera Bread that my sister had left for me
• My husband helping get my son ready for school while I got dressed, even though he had worked all night and hadn't slept yet
• My little son (and husband) making me a surprise cup of coffee
• Getting the adorable photo ornaments that all three of my kids had made in school

I am truly blessed.

Patience Pays Off!

When the Southward Stop Shirtdress went on sale in the beginning the month, I figured that it would be impossible to find by the time I'd be able to pull the trigger on it due its popularity. Because of  the additional 25% Anthro is offering off of sale items, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to call around, but wasn't feeling particularly hopeful.

I called catalog sales Monday morning, figuring this would be the ideal time as Anthro does inventory on Sundays. The nice gal that helped me said that there were no 0s in stock at any location. She gave me the number of 4 stores that supposedly had 2s. The first store was completely sold out of my dress. I call the second store and they are sold out of 2, but have a 0! I must've scored a return? Either way, success! $45 (with free shipping) down from $128 for a highly coveted and hugely popular dress? Hell yes.

I got two other sweet deals from Anthro's current sale- A pair of superbly priced belts!

Fromage Et Pain Belt

Looping Lanes Belt

I got each of these for $15 with free shipping. These babies were originally priced at $48 and $44, respectively. Listen to how obnoxiously obnoxious I am. I love asking stores if they charge sales tax. They usually say, "Well, we'll charge your state's sale tax," to which I always reply, "The great state of New Hampshire doesn't have sales tax. LIVE FREE OR DIE, BABY!" Some of the sales associates are amused, some not so much. ;)

I would love to hear what others have scored from this sale! Lemme have it!

Cold & Windy OOTD

Hey there! I know that I've been absent for well over a week. This time of year can be a little hectic for me. I become very preoccupied with the idea of creating the illusion of effortless Christmas magic for my family and let's just say it's hardly effortless. Then there is the matter of attending workshops relating to my acting; those were time consuming as well. Luckily, that stage of the game is all over. I'll be getting headshots done in the next couple weeks and will be posting them here for all to see. ;)

Today is bitterly cold and windy, but that didn't stop me from finally wearing this skirt. It's been sitting in my closet for years, but because of its long length and lack of shoes that match "just so" I have never worn it until now.

Cardigan: J. Crew Dulphine Bling Button Cardigan - $30.00

Top: J. Crew Cascading Flutter Shell - $22.00

Skirt: J. Crew - $20.00 on eBay

Tights: George brand - $5.00

Shoes: Nine West - $50.00 from Piperlime.com

I got the cardigan and shell from J. Crew's recent 25% off sale. I bought just enough to qualify for free shipping, so there are couple more new cardis sitting pretty in my closet. Did anyone else take advantage of the sale?  ;)

Birthday Eve OOTD

It's the eve of my 28th birthday! I'm just like a kid; I love birthdays. Instead of being excited like I normally would be I'm unusually stressed. Tomorrow, I have a "model workshop" for the majority of the day  and there is an electrician coming at an undetermined time and my house is complete disarray. I will probably be up all night cleaning, including the storage areas that aren't normally seen by regular guests. Personally, I am a slob, but my dear husband is the Felix to my Oscar.

Speaking of dears, I got my Lynx & Leo Dress from my dear friend, Bethany, yesterday. It is so much more incredible in person than I could have imagined. The photos on the Anthro's site didn't do it justice and mine don't either. Check out how I wore it today!

Cardigan: J. Crew - $60.00

Dress: Anthropologie Lynx & Leo Dress - $20.00

Belt: J. Crew - $25.00

Tights: Charlotte Russe - $7.00

Shoes: Charlotte Russe - $10.00

I'm not really doing a pee pee dance, I'm just a terrible model. Hopefully I will learn a thing or two from the modeling workshop tomorrow! To clarify, I am NOT a model model. I am only 5'3" - 5'4". I am mainly participating to benefit from the photo movement segment of the workshop, as I am interesting in doing some commercial print modeling. 

If I look totally disheveled that is because I take midday naps in my day clothes with no regard to how I will look later on... Clearly, I am an A+ adult and upstanding citizen of this fine community! :P

I'll post tomorrow with my OOTD debuting my Drifting By Dress that has been hanging in my closet since I bought it in August. I can't friggin' wait!

Too Early For An OOTD OOTD

I have a lot of things to accomplish before the weekend, but I still wanted to hit you with my OOTD! 

Sweater: Gap - $40.00

Dress: Anthropologie Dagmar Shirtdress - $42.00 

Belt: Anthropologie Infinity Belt - $20

Tights: George brand from Walmart - $4.00

Boots: Aldo - $50

Bracelet: Boston Red Sox Silly Band - Free, as it was given to me by my daughter

As you can see, I got an incredible deal on my Dagmar Shirtdress! The manager at my local store gave me 30% off for a faint stain that was on the garment. I was certain that the offending spot would wash out easily, so I was as pleased as my mom on Social Security day! The original price was $148. That same shopping trip also rendered another 30% off my Two Wheeler Shirtdress. I was over the friggin' moon. I also got the boots that I'm wearing on what I call "super clearance".

Apparently, I'm feeling more smug than usual about my thriftiness this morning. *Smirk*

Snag any good deals lately?