Mad About You

Plaid is all the rage right now and I could not be happier. I have always loved plaid. This coat is one of the many plaid items I own. I bought it 7 years ago from Forever 21 and I paid $38.50 for it. I remember thinking that was a lot to pay for a coat. I wasn't as frugal then as I am now but I was pretty broke. I justified my purchase by telling myself I would wear this coat so many times that cost per wear would be so very low. I never could have known how right I was. 7 years later I still happily wear it every Autumn/Winter. 

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.

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.

Sweet Dreams

Jim and I are in the market for a new mattress. Since all of our belongings were going to be in storage for a month before heading east we decided to sell our California King in San Diego. We ended up bringing my mattress from my parents house. It's a full sized mattress and working out nicely for me because I'm 5'2" and roll up into a ball quite comfortably. My poor husband on the other hand is a 6'2" broad shouldered hunk of man. I'm reminded of a recent Saturday Night Live sketch about "sleeping" in a twin bed and I find myself humming the silly song that goes to it. Watch it HERE if you have a moment.

It was a nice day out with a high of 41 degrees so we decided to run a few errands and test drive some mattresses. We found ourselves at a Mattress Firm. It must have been a slow day at the firm because the salesman, let's call him Larry, was very eager to see us walk in. He kindly said hello and asked, "havy'allevbintamattressfirmbfor?" We smiled at him nervously with wide eyes. He asked again, "Mattress Firm? Y'all ever been?" I didn't even know people said "y'all" here. I could tell we were in for a good time. When he found out we were new in town fresh from California he marched us straight to the Cadillac of mattresses. We weren't in any hurry so we decided to play along. The poor man didn't realize that we were the kind of people that go to Costco to eat samples for dinner so we definitely weren't about to drop $3000 on a mattress. He went on and on about the double coil blah blah blahs. It was a nice mattress but I wanted to see more. After every mattress we tried, Larry would give us all of the details that made it so special. We were like Goldilocks and the three bears. Since Jim is the blonde I guess that would make me... a brown little bear?! Scratch that. I was like Cinderita at the mattress ball. That has a better ring to it. Anyway we didn't get a mattress and Larry was sad to see us go. If you know Jim then you already guessed that he looked up mattresses on amazon.com as soon as we got home.

We headed to Chipotle for dinner because we had a gift card and it was right next door. I am now going to let you in on my secret Chipotle order. I ask for ONE chicken taco in a bowl with brown rice, black beans, grilled veggies, pico de gallo, that corn salsa that rocks my world, and lettuce. It's a mini salad bowl for like $2.45. I love their salad bowls but I really don't like paying for food I won't finish or overeating because I don't want to waste it. An observation I made while ordering at Chipotle, calories don't have to be posted here in Illinois. We're definitely not in California anymore.

Since it was a pretty clear day and there wasn't much snow on the ground, I was excited to wear something other than snow boots along with one of my new favorite shirts which actually used to belong to my older sister. Being the youngest of four children, I am no stranger to hand-me-downs. I love that the polka dots make it fun while the black and ivory color scheme keep it classy. I of course finished this look off with red lipstick because it was the right thing to do.

 

OUTFIT OF THE DEY

Beanie: Calvin Klein (similar)

Blouse: Papaya (similar)

Coat: Paper Doll at Ross (similar) 

Pants: Charlotte Russe

Boots: Paprika on Amazon

Earrings: Target

Lipstick: Rimmel London at Wal-Mart

Let It Snow

I drove in the snow for the first time. I thought it would be terrifying but it wasn't bad at all. I did however feel like everybody knew something I didn't and I found myself questioning whether or not green lights mean the same thing here. It's silly I know. I made it safely to the university. I was picking up Jim so we could set up our Illinois car insurance. Did you know that when you move to new state you have to get a new driver's license within 90 days? I have to take a test!! I'll be sure to study so I'll know that when you park your cow uphill you cramp the hooves to the curb. I'm only kidding of course. I have yet to even see a cow. The good news, according to our insurance agent, is that the DMV here is not nearly as much of a nightmare as in California. As much I will miss the people watching, catching up on emails, and the exuberant feeling of finally hearing that automated voice announce G23, it will be nice to have the rest of my day open to adventure.

We have been married for 10 months but I am just starting to change my name on everything. I must say it is quite the process. I don't think people realize how many things have their name on it. It's also a little strange to sign a new name but it's equally exciting to put all of the pieces of our puzzle together.

I have been a California girl my entire life so moving east to Illinois has been quite the transition. I am loving the beautiful winter weather and all of the boots, coats and scarves that are not only adorable but absolutely mandatory. When everything is covered in white, it's fun to wear bright colors and really stand out.

OUTFIT OF THE DEY

Coat: Old Navy (similar)

Scarf: Old Navy (similar)

Sweater: Forever 21 (similar)

Leggings:  Mossimo at Target

Boots: Northside on Amazon 

Gloves: (similar)

Lipliner: Beautique at Sally's Beauty Supply AUBURN

Lipstick: Rimmel London at Wal-Mart BORDEAUX