It’s tiring to be this festive. I’m going to bed. (No, I’m not. I’m going to play Catan on my iPad and then go to bed.) Goodnight, my little elves!
The 5th Day of Christmas Sweaters
Author: lifeintheme
The 4th Day of Christmas Sweaters
Okay, technically this is a sweatshirt, but I still count it. My husband bought this sweatshirt with matching red sweatpants for my birthday back when we were dating. He now regrets it. He especially complains about the baggy sweatpants. What can I say? They are very comfortable and have pockets!
Well, I have a crazy hard Thomas Kincade puzzle and a cuppa ginger tea waiting for me, so I better go. Happy holidays!
The ___ Days of Christmas Sweaters
It’s after midnight, but I’m up blogging because I’m a little behind on my Christmas sweater posts. I have a few excuses though. First of all, I don’t even know how many sweaters I have this year because I haven’t unpacked them all yet. Second, I’ve had a little problem with renewing my driver’s license. Apparently, my state birth certificate is not proof of my citizenship anymore because I’m adopted. Ugh. Anyway, I mostly have it straightened out now, but it is a lot of legal jargon to wade through (and the people at the DMV are not only unhelpful but also irksome as they have been making up laws that don’t exist). Anyway, here are two Christmas sweaters.
I can testify to how comfy it is to have a fur collar on your sweater in the winter. Who needs a scarf when your sweater is already keeping your neck warm for you. Think of how haughty you can be when you see people wearing two garments when they could be only wearing one!
You can tell I’m ready for bed in this picture. Also, my lips are zombie-colored from the lip cream I got in my advent calendar. However, I wanted you to see our new cat! Her name is Trudy. The animal shelter said that she was three, so we thought we were bringing home a mellow and mature cat. We were wrong. The vet said that Trudy is probably around one year old, and Trudy started acting like a kitten as soon as she stopped taking her antibiotics. I thought we had trained her to stay off the counter tops, but I have already caught her back on them again twice today. Thus far she hasn’t ruined anything or eaten any of our people food, so I think we are doing a good job of training of her. Anyway, I hope you’re enjoying your December! Trudy and I both say goodnight!
The First Day of Christmas Sweaters 2016
I’m getting a late start on my Christmas sweaters because we just moved. It took a while to dig out all of my winter clothing, and it was really hard to get motivated in November when it still felt like summer here in the south. However, December is here, and I am officially another year older. A new house and a birthday call for a new sweater, right?
Teddy bears skiing? Um, yes, please! I could not pass this sweet sweater up when I saw it in the toasty, warm months of summer.
Here’s the back:
I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t done my nails in weeks. You guys all know how serious that is! However, these pictures are really making me regret not having matching teddy bear nails. Well, there’s always next year! What will I wear tomorrow? Not even I know that!
Rhodia Drive Notebook Review
It’s back to school time, which is one of my favorite parts of the year. Growing up, I was always excited to buy new school supplies. I still feel the need to buy school supplies even though I’m no longer in school. However, we happen to be in the middle of shopping for a house, so major stationery splurges are strictly off-limits. Luckily, during my drought of new office supplies, a hero came to my rescue. Her name is Laurie Huff.
Laurie Huff is the current blogger for the Quo Vadis blog (of Quo Vadis planners), but I have been reading her posts for years on her personal blog, Plannerisms. If you are currently in the midst of trying to find the perfect planner to organize your life, then I highly recommend going through the archives of her personal blog. The Quo Vadis blog also has ideas and inspiration for planner and journal users and often has giveaways. I happened to win one such giveaway.
I won the A5 medium Rhodia Drive notebook, and I will be giving you my unbiased review on it. Rhodia Drive and Quo Vadis are both made by the same company, and both have the same creamy and delightful Clairefontaine paper (which is made in France, so it’s fancy, right?). I have tested this paper in stores previously, but this is my first personal experience with it. The cover of the notebook reminds me of a #2 pencil, specifically the soft-leaded ones. (These pictures appear a bit lighter than the real thing.) It measures 6 x 8.25 inches and has 48 pages of 80 gsm extra white paper. The covers of the notebook are coated cardstock and are also waterproof. (I did not test this detail.) You can also see this notebook on the Rhodia Drive website in black and white.
I used different inks and colors on the first page to test the opacity of the pages. I’m not sure that you can tell from my pictures, but the Marvy LePen and Sakura Gelly Roll bled through too much. The rest of the pens had an acceptable amount of visibility for me. However, as I continued using the notebook, I noticed that the Sharpie pen and G-2 also were too dark on the back side of the pages. This may be because I write too hard, which is why my writer’s wart is roughly the size of a small mountain. I stuck to writing with Uniball Sigmos the rest of the time, although I did smear a couple of letters because the pages are so smooth.
The spine experienced some wear after a few weeks in my cotton quilted backpack. It was in there with a personal-sized leather planner and a reusable water bottle.
All in all, I really like the Rhodia Drive notebook. My favorite aspect of it is the size. I really prefer wide notebooks over narrow ones, which are harder to write in for people with large handwriting. (Also, now that I’m thinking about it, I might like it because it is the same size as our elementary school composition books. Remember those?) I love the texture of the paper; it really is smooth with a good weight.
Have you ever tried any Rhodia notebooks or Quo Vadis planners? Let me know in the comments! Also, I have been putting off writing a post about my personal planner. Let me know if you are interested in seeing how I try to stop wasting my time.
Mani Monday: Nude with Sparkles
Zoya Taylor is my nude color and Zoya Alma is the orange sparkly color that disappointed me with its lack of opacity. As one of my fave beauty bloggers says, it’s “sheeritating.” (Amber Katz is totally brill at coining helpful beauty-related phrases.)
I’m almost finished with my Butter London topcoat. I’m thinking about trying out the Zoya one. Have you tried either?
Mani Monday: Stars & Stripes Forever
Happy Fourth of July!
Mani Monday: Finger Paints Artist’s Sapphire & High Kicks in a Quarry
Happy Monday! Today I am wearing a beautiful royal blue from Finger Paints called Artist’s Sapphire. I only have two Finger Paints nail polishes, but both are well-pigmented, non-streaky, and long-lasting. (See Finger Paints Psychedelic Pop here.) Okay, this manicure did have a few chips after trying out a ropes course this weekend, but I think that is to be expected. Usually, I get a full five days from this nail polish, which is why I am surprised that I don’t have more Finger Paints colors. I guess it is because I don’t live close to a Sally Beauty Supply.
So why was I at a ropes course? Well, we went to an event sponsored by our Alma Mater, Regent University. Our alumni association sponsored a Georgia event at Stone Mountain Park. It was pretty fun. We climbed through ropes, rode the train, played mini golf, rode the gondola, climbed part of the mountain, walked the Sky Hike. I don’t have pictures of most of this because we were too busy having fun. However, I do have pictures of me running into an old Quarry site.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to star in a best-selling YA dystopian novel that is turned into a multi-million dollar movie franchise? I have too! Well, I think that running through a granite quarry is the closest I’ll ever get to being a star.
If I get to the top of the hill, I can save the world!
I better get started.
Which way should I turn?
I’m the only girl who can save the world!
Must. Run. Farther.
I made it!
High Kick!
Take that, Capitol/President Snow/W.I.C.K.E.D./all bad people who stand in between me and freedom!!!!
Thrifted Thursday: Striped Dress 5 Ways
Last Week’s Thrifted Thursday
Happy Thursday, everyone! Today I am wearing a thrifted Loft dress with black and beige stripes. (The beige doesn’t show up so well on my professional DSLR camera, uh, I mean iPhone.) I don’t usually wear beige or any other warm colors for that matter, but I couldn’t resist this adorable dress because it is petite-sized, in perfect condition, and made of packable rayon material. (I just made three alliterative points. Maybe I should’ve become a pastor? Just kidding.)
Looking over my pictures, I wish I had accessorized with some purses too. However, I had a small window of time to force ask my husband to take pictures of me since he’s working two jobs right now. Oh, well. Let’s take a closer look at the pictures anyway.
Day 1: You are having tea al fresco with your delightful in-laws. Keep the sun out of your eyes with a cute straw hat, but still keep it classy with gold t-strap sandals and pearls. A classic white button-up is always right for a tea party. Tie it in a knot at your waist to show that you are crisp yet casual.
Day 2: Ignore my awkward pose and imagine that you are going to see a local play. Hurrah, you are supporting the arts! Subtly let your inner artsy side out by wearing your trusty striped dress with a Mandarin-inspired shrunken jacket, black leather strappy sandals, and black and gold suede tassel earrings. Feel free to say things like, “The director’s view of Marxism is clearly shown through the existential angst of the lighting choices,” while nodding smugly at your bewildered friends.
Day 3: You are exhausted from pretending to be pretentious last night (see Day 2). You decide to throw on a hoodie over your striped dress. However, your friends have decided that you must go downtown with them to see an improv troupe to lighten up your newly acquired artsy mood. You elevate your outfit by choosing a button-up knit hoodie, gold sequined tennis shoes, and dangly gold earrings. You laugh all night at the improv show. Unfortunately, most of your laughter is pitying because none of the performers are funny. Your friends chose this sad show on purpose to punish you for last night.
Last Week’s Thrifted Thursday
Day 4: You repent of your pretentiousness and decide to do something normal and healthy. You throw a denim jacket over your striped dress and drag your husband to the farmers’ market to buy eggs that are still warm from the fannies of cage-free, hormone-free, free-range hens. Ankle-length cowboy boots, a studded leather bracelet, and beaded hoops let people people know you are serious about buying organic. As you munch on a lactose-free, GMO-free, cilantro-basil-raspberry-corn-hemp milk popsicle, you realize that you are back to normal.
Day 5: Your book club is meeting at the library. Show your fellow readers you serious you are about books by wearing a shirt with leather elbow patches. This shirt will also help you combat the chill from the frosty stares of the other book club members when you bring up existentialism again. Pretend not to see their glares as you lower your black felt hat with gray bow. Dangly black and silver earring and black pumps with gray stacked heels complete your book lover outfit.
I hope you enjoyed my second Thrifted Thursday post. (See the first Thrifted Thursday here.) If you enjoy talking philosophically about art or like/need to eat healthfully, I hope you know that I am just having a little fun here. Actually, I am allergic to many foodstuffs, so you might see me at the farmers’ market this weekend asking local sellers if they use pesticides. Let me know if you have found any super cool secondhand scores lately!
Mani Monday: OPI Sample Sale
Hello, beautiful people! I didn’t mean to take last week off, but I had a deadline that popped up and took all my time. I’m glad everyone liked the inaugural “Thrifted Thursday: Pink Peplum Dress 7 Ways” post. It is my most viewed post ever! I write this blog as a fun hobby, but it’s still fun to see that people are reading. Anyway, I have more Thrifted Thursdays lined up for the future, and I hope you all will share with me your thrifted finds too.
My nail polish today is OPI’s Sample Sale. Sample Sale is a shimmery candy apple red. I had problems with it bubbling during application, which is a disappointment because I love a good red. Sample Sale is one color from a huge box of minis that I got for Christmas a while ago. The set got bad reviews, but it is still fun to try out so many colors. (Also, mini polishes are great for traveling.) Many reviewers have said that the colors in these minis are inferior to the formula of the regular-sized bottles. So far, I have found that to be true of all of the pink polishes. The oranges and purples have been fine so far. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve tried every color yet, but I’m going to try to this year!
What are you wearing on your nails today? Let me know in the comments! I love to hear about new nail polish colors.
Life in Theme 
