RED

Let me start off by saying that Jim is doing very well. We went to see the orthopedist today and his little baby toe is healing just fine. We thought our appointment was literally across the street from our house so we decided to walk over. We were already late when we got there and discovered we were at the wrong building. We ran/hopped back to the house and got in the car. We made our way to the correct building down the street. Jim has to wear his post-op shoe for a whole month and at the end of said month we will return to the doctor for another x-ray.

I have spent the last few days working on updating all of my Dey Dreamer Productions information on Facebook, The Knot, and our precious little website. I have created some new backdrops and I am so excited to reveal those very very soon. As of this morning I have turned down 7 weddings in California. Even though I am bummed about missing out on those California weddings, I look forward to the emails that will hopefully come flooding in from the beautiful brides of Central Illinois.

I also have another project in the works. I started this blog ready to make my big reveal but decided maybe I will wait. I will give you a hint. I am re-purposing some adorable fabrics in an adorable way.

Today was such a beautiful day. It was sunny and the sky was clear but it's still so very cold with a high of 10 degrees so bundling up is very necessary. I can't say enough how much I am loving this over sized coat trend. Where did I get it? The Salvation Army thrift store, DUH.

Life is beautiful and my heart is happy.

Counting Stars

So much life has happened since my last post. Even as I was starting this post my husband broke his pinky toe and we had to make our way to urgent care. He was making a breakfast for us. He was so excited about his concoction that he ran over to tell me all about it. Let's just say Jim made it through the hallway but his little baby toe did not. It was sitting there quite perpendicular to the rest of his toes. If you are for some reason interested in what is looked like after some cleaning up click here. Jim kept apologizing for inconveniencing our Sunday morning. My husband is by far the most considerate person I have ever known. He is always making sure everyone else is being taken care of. He even apologized for not being able to drive because he knows I don't like to drive in the snow. I insisted that he stop apologizing and that I was sorry he had to go through this. He is an angel and a trooper and I love him. He doing alright now. He isn't in any pain and we'll be seeing an orthopedist later this week.

Last week I went to California. I was planning on blogging while I was there but I decided to just spend my time enjoying my family and friends. I'm still adjusting to being a blogger and figuring out my time management. I traveled to California for my sister's gender reveal party. She is having a girl!! It was a very nice party and there were lots of people to show them love. Since I was apart from Jim on Valentine's day I spent it with a lot friends. We had a fancy dinner at Chipotle and then went to see some friends in Dreamgirls at Center Stage. While in California, I also went to my friend Dom's going away party. He left to Japan for a whole year to sing and dance at Universal Studios Japan. He is ridiculously talented and I and so happy and so proud of him. It was nice to see so many of my favorite people but I was missing my husband very much so I was happy when it was time to go back to Illinois.

Jim picked me up from the train station with an adorable little stuffed unicorn and when I got to the car the dash was covered in cookies and candy. The plus side to being apart on Valentines is that my husband was able to raid the 50% off bin at the local grocery store. My belated Valentine's gifts had Jim Wilson written all over them and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

When I was in California I stumbled upon this hole in the wall clothing store and found this floral flowy blouse that just happened to be on sale for $4. I love flowy blouses. I love floral prints. I love collard shirts. It was a win-win-win. The jacket is an even bigger win. I bought it at T.J. Maxx for $10!! I looked it up and found the same exact jacket for $238. What?!! That is why I love love love T.J Maxx. You have to have the patience to look through things and scope out the finds but I think it's safe to say I NEVER leave empty handed.

Ooh and I wore my hair down which is kind of rare these days because I'm not a big fan of the length. I am however happy to say that I actually enjoyed it this day. It's a fun length. I have also decided to let the baby bangs grow out.

Peace, Love, & Happiness,

Dey

OUTFIT OF THE DAY

Jacket: Walter Baker at T.J Maxx

Pants: Express

Shoes: similar

Blouse: roughly similar

Ice Ice Baby

Oh boy was it cold this weekend. We even discovered some pretty dangerous looking icicles guarding our home. Jim and I never left the house. We slept in, ate breakfast at lunchtime, and watched the Olympics. My absolute favorite event is figure skating. Duh. Gracie Gold skated a perfect routine and looked flawless in her sparkly blue costume. She is so elegant and reminds me so much of Grace Kelly. We also watched as Jamie Anderson won a gold medal in the slopestyle snowboarding competition. If you're not watching the Olympics, WATCH THE OLYMPICS. It's so inspiring and heart warming and just all around awesome to watch these athletes kick ass and strive for gold. 

When the Olympics weren't on we decided to organize our home a bit. We still have a lot of boxes everywhere and it was nice to finally get to them. It was actually Jim who spearheaded the whole thing. Maybe it was all of that Olympic action but he was so motivated and we were able to clear out so much. Since we are newlyweds and still in the process of combining lives most of our stuff is either Jim's or mine. I realize that what's his is mine and all that jazz but other than our super cute couch we don't have anything that is OURS ours. So unpacking is easiest if we both attend to our own boxes and consult each other along the way. I was in one room slowly getting things done when I noticed Jim zooming by for the third time. He finally came in the room to see how I was doing with a Diet Dr. Pepper in his hand. It was no wonder he was moving at the speed of light. This man was hopped up on DDP. I took a hit of that sweet sweet juice and got back to work. We stopped again soon after that to eat dinner and watch more Olympics. Even though it still looks like a storm came roaring through our home, we have come very far. 

I am now so excited to tell you all about my new coat! It is of course from Goodwill. I was in need of a down jacket, one of those puffy ones that keep you real warm. I found one! And then I found another!! And then I found this gorgeous DKNY coat for $8 or so I thought. When we were checking out the clerk said it was technically a sort coat so it was only $6. A $6 DKNY coat?!! Are you kidding me? Any time I can get a big name for small bucks, I'm in!! PLUS I later discovered that one of the other jackets had $6 left in a pocket. Talk about a score.

Already Home

We bought a couch!! I found this beautiful blue floral couch at Goodwill for $85. Jim and I have been looking for furniture on craigslist and consignment stores. On this particular day I stopped at Goodwill just to see what they had. I was looking at the shelves and mirrors when I turned the corner time froze. I could not believe my eyes. I ran over to it to scope it out. I saw the unclaimed $85 tag and smiled. I took a picture and sent it to Jim who was at work. He text me back saying he had a very important presentation in 20 minutes and couldn't really talk couches. That left me no choice but sit on the couch and guard it. I sent a picture of it to some friends to validate my obsession with this vintage beauty. After about an hour of furniture security and still no word from Jim, I got hungry. Luckily we live about 7 minutes away so I rushed home for a snack break. Of course the moment I got home, Jim text me and said if I really want it then we should get it. I found little chevron pillows at Wal-Mart. For now it's the only piece of furniture we have and I can't wait to add to it.

We have a lot of plans for our home and slowly but surely they will happen. I'm thinking that spring will not only bring blossoming flowers but also some motivation. The cold weather just makes you want to cuddle up and sip hot cocoa ALL. DAY. LONG. I am delightfully surprised by how much I already feel at home here. I hung a sign from our wedding on our front door. It was used at my bridal shower and I repainted to use at my wedding. I love coming home and seeing it there.

The star of today's blog is our awesome "new" couch.

  

Stronger

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Last night I received some sad news about someone VERY dear to me. The details aren't quite ready for sharing. It's never easy getting bad news but I feel it's especially difficult to deal with when there is absolutely nothing you can do to help the situation. I went to sleep and woke up feeling helpless. It makes everything else seem so trivial. I felt silly trying to get dressed and plan a post for today but then I thought it would be a great opportunity to share with you my secret to braving the day. You see, whenever I feel sad or sick or just out of sorts, I choose to get all dressed up in one of my fiercest most courageous outfits. That's not to say that every time you see me dressed up real nice I must be feeling sad or sick so don't get it twisted. 

To help me feel strong and confident on the inside, I dress strong and confident on the outside. I am a firm believer in whatever will be will be so you might as well be wearing a killer outfit when it all goes down and hope for the strength and patience to endure it. If you're wondering what I could have possibly accomplished in this outfit, I will tell you. I had my first try at shoveling snow... sort of.  

This is a short post today. We are about to go sledding. It's my first time here. We've got our snow bibs, snow boots, snow jackets, and snow gloves. We are all set to jet. There is something so beautiful about a town covered in white. It's like a clean slate full of hope and possibilty. Here's to a much better tomorrow.

OUTFIT OF THE DEY:

Cheetah Print Coat: Goodwill for $16, I found similar ones here and here

Skirt: TJ Maxx

Shoes: Qupid

Runaway Baby

Those poor Denver Broncos. Last night's game was just so sad. Every time they showed Peyton Manning's face, my heart broke for him. He looked like he wanted to run away and hide. I'm not much of a sports fan so I usually just root for whatever colors I like best. It just so happened that I like green and blue better than orange and blue. My husband was also rooting for Seattle since he went to high school school in Washington. We were invited to a party at a lovely home here in Champaign and made some new friends. 

Our contribution to the party was hummus and pita bread all made from scratch. I wish I could say that I had any part in making it but it was most definitely all Jim. I was merely the taste tester. Jim is quite the whiz in the kitchen and never ceases to amaze me with his concoctions. There was a pretty nice spread at this party that include a veggie platter with a Greek yogurt dip, jarlsberg and manchego cheeses, salami, round fancy crackers, brownies, Cajun cheese dip, homemade french fries, and wine. 

At the start of the game we were evenly divided with half rooting for Denver and the other half rooting for Seattle. I was just happily sipping on wine while patiently awaiting Mr Bruno Mars. After half time we all began rooting for the Broncos to score just so they wouldn't embarrass themselves. Like I said before, pobresito Peyton Manning looked so sad. Every time they showed him he looked like he was on the verge of tears. The game ended and the Seattle Seahawks were crowned champions. 

I decided to wear my new W sweater so that way I could always be cheering for whoever was winning. I got it on sale at Forever21.com for $6. It was originally $20 on sale for $13 plus an additional 50% off sale on clearance items. With my new last name being Wilson, I just had to have it. I paired the black and white sweater with some cheetah print denim because I thought it would be a nice way to mix things up. With these freezing temperatures, printed pants are a fun to find way to stay stylish while also staying warm. My hair style was 100% inspired by the ridiculously gorgeous Rashida Jones. 

OUTFIT OF THE DEY:

Sweater: Forever21 it's sold out now but there is a similar one here

Pants: similar

Boots: similar

Nail Polish: NYC Pink Promenade Creme

New York State of Mind

I just got back from New York. It was a sort of last minute trip and I am so very happy it worked out. My friend Jonathan and I made our way to the Big Apple to see our friend Derek Klena on Broadway originating the role of Michael in Bridges of Madison County. It also worked out for us to see our dear friend Branch Woodman in Cinderella on Broadway. It was a fun filled 3 days packed with Broadway shows, pizza, walking, very cold weather, and lots and lots of laughter.

DAY ONE: We spent our day hanging out with an assortment of friends. I even made a few new friends which I always love doing. We explored the city a bit. Time square was preparing for Super Bowl weekend so there was so much going on everywhere. I picked up a new lipstick at Victoria Secret since I forgot mine and I had a gift card burning a whole in my wallet. It finally came time to see Bridges of Madison County. Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale are breathtaking. The music is beautiful and the story is so compelling. Derek of course was awesome. It was so inspiring to watch someone I had done theatre with growing up making a name for himself on The Great White Way.

DAY TWO: We woke up very early because we were absolutely determined to get Book Of Mormon tickets. Jonathan left me getting ready while he ran over to get in line for standing room only tickets. There was snow on the ground and it was pretty darn cold so he turned out to be the only person in line. A man came out to tell him to go get some coffee and warm up because he was definitely getting in. He waited 45 minutes with no sign of a single soul interested in getting in line. He called me to let me know he and his frozen feet were heading to the coffee shop next door. I made my way over and hung out for a bit but I got very nervous that there would be a rush of people so I headed back. I left Jonathan to finish his coffee while I took the second watch. I lined up all alone outside. A man walked up to me and asked if I was waiting for tickets. I said yes. He opened the door and allowed me to wait inside in the warmth saying I would enjoy the show a lot more if I was alive. Jonathan soon joined me and together we waited inside for another hour before anybody else showed up. There was no doubt about it. We were getting in. While waiting in line we also entered our names into the lottery for front row seats and we won. So for only $32 I got to sit in the very front row and see Ben Platt and Nic Rouleau star in The Book of Mormon on Broadway!! It was everything I could hope for and more. I laughed and I cried. I loved it. After the show we thought we would try our luck at the Newsies lottery. Once again due to freezing temperatures there weren't very many people there so we won. What a high energy musical spectacular. Those boys are dancing for their lives on that stage and I was living for every minute.

DAY THREE: We slept in! Then we roamed the city visiting Times Square, Magnolia Bakery, and NBC store. At night we headed back to Derek's apartment where he made us a beautiful dinner of chicken with pasta. Not only is he a great host, he is a great cook. After dinner we were off to see Cinderella. Branch was a brilliant Lord Pinkleton and that show is just happiness all around. We ended the night with Broadway Bowling.

It was a spectacular trip!! Check out more pictures here.

OUTFIT OF THE DEY:

Beanie: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Forever 21

Scarf: It was a birthday gift 3 years ago but you can find a similar one here

Jacket: Paris Blues at Ross

Sweater: Charlotte Russe

Pants: Levi's

Bag: Similar

Lipstick: Victoria's Secret