Holiday theme

Happy Korean New Year!

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That’s me in the long gray hoodie. 

 

Happy Lunar New Year! It’s a special day to eat tteokkuk (rice cake soup) and japjae (rice noodles) for good luck and long life!

 

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Yum!

 

My Mani Monday nails have red and gold sparkles to celebrate.

 

 

 

The base coat is Zoya Taylor, which is a beautiful, cool beige color. I never thought I could pull of a nude nail, but I didn’t know about Zoya’s wide selection of both cool and warm skin-colored tones. You should check them out if you have been having a hard time finding your perfect nude. They have a lot of darker tones too. Just be forewarned that this particular color does stain my nails yellow.

The red glitter is Be-claus I Said So, and the gold one is Only Gold for Me. These both came in a set with Are You Glistenin’?, which I have worn the last two weeks. (I almost added it to this week’s mani, but I thought you might be tired of it.) Interesting tidbit: I wore Only Gold for Me at our wedding.

 

 

We actually celebrated Seollal (Korean New Year) on Saturday at a local Korean church. They made food and had fun demonstrations. They had the children bow to their elders, and then the elders would give them money and advice. I’m not sure why they made me bow with the teenagers, but I now I’m a dollar richer. Ha!

I know that I have readers from all over the world. Did any of you celebrate Lunar New Year today? Let me know in the comments!

새해 복많이 받으세요!

 

The 17th Day of Christmas Sweaters: The Christmas Goose

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Whenever we spend Christmas with the in-laws, we make sure to go see the Christmas show at The Carolina Opry. Jono and I both love music, and The Carolina Opry has amazing singers and musicians. They also have beautiful Christmas decorations.

 

Pretty, right? It was very crowded as you can see. I didn’t take any pictures during the show because it’s annoying when the person in front of you is taking pictures during the show. (Those pictures aren’t going to turn out well! Just put your phone down, okay? Also, it’s worse when people use their iPads.)

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Anyway, I wore a brand new sweater today. It features a delicious Christmas goose. Okay, I have never eaten a Christmas goose. Have you? Have you ever been to The Carolina Opry? Let me know in the comments!

Day 6: The Wearing of the Birthday Gifts

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I’m feeling almost 100% today, so I guess it’s back to work for me. I would probably have post-birthday blues if I didn’t have so many awesome gifts to wear. I took a picture of my candy purse yesterday, and today I am wearing a brand new sweater from my mother-in-law and leggings from some awesome friends. (I’m pretty loved.)

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The front of my new sweater features Christmas trees made out of pieces of ribbon. The back has an awesome tree formation made from snowmen, trees, and a present as the trunk. This is one detailed sweater.

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Since I’ve been loopy on cold medicine for a while now, I have to get back to work. Also, our bags are still unpacked from Thanksgiving. Should I just leave them packed for Christmas? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

You Better Watch Out!

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It’s Day 11 of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters. In other parts of the country this day is called Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is a very special night for people around the world. This is a night when a fat man in a red suit who has been peeping at you all year comes to every home in the world.

How does this obese man keep tabs on every person in the world? That’s obvious. He uses a surveillance team. Personnel on this team has access to some of the best espionage technology in the world. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Let’s change the subject. Here is my eleventh Christmas sweater. It has an elf climbing up my shoulder on the back.
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Tomorrow’s the final day of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters!
Have a festive Christmas Eve.

Do You Want to Wear a Snowman?

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I know that you knew that this title was coming. Well, it is Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters. A Frozen reference should be allowed, especially if one is wearing a snowman (or two).

I cannot build a snowman here because there is nary a snowflake to be found. However, I still had a snowball fight even without snow. Actually, it was a pompom fight with an elf. Hmm, let me start from the beginning.

I went to CVS to pick up some Christmas photos that had been developed. After picking up various toiletry items and carefully calculating my coupon strategy, I walked up to the register where an elf was the cashier. Okay, he might not truly be an elf, but he was small with a mischievous grin and high-pitched voice. Plus, he was wearing a plaid button-up shirt, a Christmas tree tie, and a Santa hat with an enormous pompom at the end.

Here is how our conversation went:

Elfin Cashier: Hi!
Me: Hi!
EC: My pompom is bigger than yours.
  He waggled his giant pompom towards my face.
EC: Although, I guess you do have two.
  He gestured towards my two minuscule pompoms.
  Suddenly, I understood how men feel. 
Me: Well, I might not have a large pompom, but I am famous for The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters, which people asked me to start a blog for.
  My defense sounded weak to my own ears. 
EC: Well, I can’t beat that. However, I do have a red velvet robe that I glued fur trim onto so I can be-
EC & Me: Father Christmas!
  We said it simultaneously. We both laughed with Christmas glee. 
  The lady behind me glared at us with the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge. 
EC: You have two dollars and three dollars in extra bucks.
  He handed me my receipt. 
Me: Thank you.
  I walked away with my cart. 
EC: Goodbye… 12 days of Christmas sweaters…
  His voice sounded sad. Was it because of the all the Scrooges in line?
  I didn’t turn around.
   I didn’t want to see him sad.
  Instead, I called out behind me.
Me: Goodbye… Father Christmas!
  He giggled.
  I could hear the smile creep back into his voice. 

Bonus pictures: These are an attempt to photograph me throwing a snowball. (I didn’t realize posing for pictures would be so challenging when I started this blog, but it is hard to look interesting every single day.) I think you could make a flip book with them.

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These pictures are dedicated to elves everywhere. Don’t let the Scrooges of the world steal your joy. Wear your snowmen and pompoms with pride.

Quest in Vest Makes One Less Stressed

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Usually, I’m finished with my Christmas shopping by the first week of December. I like to brag about the beautifully wrapped presents beneath my tree as I lie prone on my sofa while other schmucks wait in big lines at the mall. Big lines like this:IMG_1512
Tonight Jono and I ended up going shopping together because I needed to pick up my free birthday gift from Ulta. (I live for free stuff.) This picture was taken at Michael’s, a store Jono sometimes wishes didn’t exist. However, the gentle curve of shoppers waiting in line here was nothing compared to the serpentine line of crazies at TJ Maxx.

Shopping during the holiday season can be stressful, which is why it is imperative to wear Christmas-themed apparel when on a gift-themed mission. Christmas sweaters or a sweet velvet vest like the one I’m wearing can provide the following while battling the hordes:

1. Mobility while searching high and low for the perfect present.
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2. Amusement for strangers around you who are secretly instagramming your sartorial choices. #uglyChristmassweater

3. Lessening of the daily amount of creepy men who hit on you.

4. Smiles from tired cashiers who are ready to find amusement in anything.

5. Conversations with people in line who would normally ignore you.

6. Compliments from cute septuagenarians wearing jingle bell earrings.

7. Satisfaction in the knowledge that you are Best in Vest in line.
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So don’t forget to don your best vest on your next quest to the mall, you schmucks. #Christmassweatersforlife

Sweater Sharing is Caring

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Tonight I loaned one of my many Christmas sweaters to a friend for her two ugly Christmas sweater parties that she will attend this week. (She is a lucky dog, getting to wear my sweater twice in one week.) As a hoarder collector of holiday-themed knitwear, I am often asked to lend my sweaters to the less fortunate. These poor souls do not heed my advice to buy their sweaters at Salvation Army in the heat of August, when Christmas apparel is plentiful and often half-priced. While I am not intrinsically a good sharer, I know that God would not have me keep the joy of wearing Christmas sweaters to myself. Thus, I have become a benefactress of Christmas sweaters.

As the self-appointed saint of sweaters, I have bestowed upon myself the duty of dressing the next generation in Christmas-themed garb. Sweaters for those less aged than I are rarely sighted at thrift stores because they are socially acceptable for people who still believe in Santa Claus. Paying more for a baby’s Christmas sweater than for a third of my collection of vintage pullovers, cardigans, and vests does hurt my stingy wallet a bit, but it is a necessary evil to keep a beautiful tradition going.
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(This adorable vest is going to one of my nephews. If I don’t specify which one, then I’m not spoiling the surprise, right? )

If you’re reading this blog and would like me to see your sweater collection, drop me a line. After all, sweater sharing is caring.

Come back tomorrow for Day 4 of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters.
Not even I know what I am going to wear tomorrow.!

Happiness is a Warm Puppy (Sweater)

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This Snoopy Christmas sweater is my first Christmas sweater ever. When I saw this bad boy at the CHKD thrift store, I knew it was calling to me. This acrylic beauty was made in the 80’s, when sizes were extra-large and copyrighted characters were king. I had never owned a Christmas sweater before then (even though I was 25), so this one is pretty special.

This picture was taken at our Bible Study’s Christmas party tonight, and I felt silly posing for it by myself. However, I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to leave the house before we leave for Christmas vacation. Therefore, I suffered the humiliation of looking vain in front of my companions for you, the fans, so that you might enjoy a variety of backgrounds in my humble photos.

Actually, I’m very blessed to be a part of a Bible Study group full of generous and loving people, so it was not too bad. The humiliation was all in my mind. In reality, everyone was focused on giving gifts to an amazing couple who are about to foster a child for the first time and not the girl in the corner humming “Linus and Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi.

Tomorrow, a friend of mine is going to borrow this sweater for a party. While I will miss Snoopy, there’s no better way to spread the love than to share a Christmas sweater. So dig through your grandma’s closet and join me tomorrow for Day 3 of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters.

The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters

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Today I really didn’t feel like getting into my planned theme. This morning we returned the keys to our beach house rental and thus ended my glorious, week-long, 30th birthday-themed celebration. While it was time to go home, it was also hard to give up a theme revolved around me. However, life goes on, and life cannot always be themed around oneself. I had to press onward because today is a very special day for a Life in Theme. Today is the first day of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters.

Last year, I received many grievous complaints because I forewent The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters. I had no idea that my themed apparel meant so much to so many. Although I was worried that the milestone of my 30th birthday may have marked the end of the acceptability of ironic sweater wearing, I have decided that I must give the people what they want. I do it for the fans!

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Please stay tuned for more Christmas sweaters and more ways to live your life in theme!