Scenes from a lazy Christmas Day

Hopefully by now, Peeps, you've all cleaned up the torn wrapping paper, you've turned off TBS' marathon of A Christmas Story, and you've had your fill of fabulous Christmas goodies and foods. By now, I hope you've cozied up on the couch to watch a football game, with happy kids and their twenty-million gifts surrounding you in a fabulous, cluttered, turkey sandwich-induced coma. Ok, well that's my Day After Christmas Dream for you, anyway.

Thought I'd share some of our favorite images from our Christmas day here in Hawai'i Nei yesterday. I keep thinking last Christmas we were in Rome, this Christmas was in Hawaii... What does the next year hold? We'll just have to see!

A glass seahorse ornament on our tree. I *heart* this thing like you just don't know and I pity the fool who tries to take it down before New Year's Day.

An ornament we bought in Europe at a Christmas Market last year. It made its Christmas Tree Debut this year and couldn't be prettier...

Christmas morning cupcakes for my Little Guy.

Little Guy's masterpiece of a gingerbread village. It's a little rough, but still so sweet!

Conspicuous Consumption at its worse. Now you know where my J.Crack dollars went this year.

*Sigh* The life of an only child, though not for long!

Santa brought a Little Guy-sized surfboard this year. Now he can catch some waves with Daddy.

Happy Holidays to you all!

Kelly's Mad Science Birthday Party, the New House & some crazy news.

What a week, peeps. I need to sit down and have a drink just thinking about it -- but I won't, and more on that later. Well, first we moved into the new house and that has been hectic. We had two moving trucks show up with all our furniture and belongings from Japan, and then two days later were barraged with two more moving trucks filled with things we've had in storage for the past 4 years -- aka, everything that we had decided not to bring to Japan when we moved there. I am awash in boxes.

But despite that little setback, I spent the first week setting up the public spaces and the most important private ones. So I'm proudly here to say that my living, dining, kitchen and bedrooms were set up and ready for use. Above is a photo I took of our family room set up. While living in Japan, we (ironically) acquired tons of Chinese antiques, so we tried to mix them with our furniture from the pre-Japan days. I've thrown in a cowhide for flair. I've always had a flair for the dramatic.

Speaking of dramatic, after 7 days of mad unpacking skills, we threw the Little Guy a Mad Scientist birthday party. Here's a photo of his Candy Lab. We had a mad scientist come and enthrall the kids with great feats of chemistry, including making cotton candy and their own slime.

I had found some beakers online, and filled those and some plastic, kid-friendly test tubes up with jelly beans, m&ms and other fun goodies. The kids had a blast and the Candy Lab got wiped at the end of the day.

& if that's not enough to make you tired --- We found out we are expecting another little one! Peeps, our Little Guy is 7 now. Hubs and I were President, Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms of our own One-&-Done Club. I'm sure it's like riding a bicycle and we'll get right back in the swing of baby things, right? We're excited to no end and really surprised, but we feel so blessed! We get to top off the year with exciting news and a growing family.

& if it's a girl, there's a Crewcuts wardrobe waiting for her. :0)

I Want to Get Off the J.Crack

Ladies, is J.Crack a "Gateway Drug?" & I mean this with all seriousness. This is something I've wanted to post about for awhile, but haven't had the time to really sit down to discuss with you all. As I sit here amongst a closet full of Tory Burch Reva ballet flats, Kate Spade suede wedges, and Gucci sunnies, I am pondering how I went down the path of $300 sunglasses without batting a Latisse-infused eyelash. It all makes sense, right? I mean, J.Crew is at the mall, it's not a "serious" fashion brand, it's a mall brand -- a catalog at that. But the Crew's prices are steep sometimes, and their Collection items can cost a pretty penny.

So when you buy a pair of J.Crew ballet flats, for instance, at $190 (just throwing a number out there for argument's sake) and a dress for just under $200, the numbers start to blur. Well, I know for a moment in time they blurred for me. & I thought nothing of doing this on a weekly basis. So when your shopping budget is in the arena of $500 - $1000 a month, you find yourself moving on to the next level --- Diane Von Furstenberg starts looking like a decent price. & you wonder why you haven't paid more attention to the sale rack at Neimans before. & then at some point, you move on from the sale rack and are moving on to bigger and better.
I've found myself here, peeps. I start to think I'm slumming it when I go to the Gap. Or when I land in Banana Republic! P'shaw!! They're dresses are $150 at Full Price!!

At some point soon, and I'm so ready you have no idea, I want to get back to reality. When I thought that $98 for a polka-dotted pencil skirt that wasn't lined was absolute highway robbery. Or when I thought that $68 for a hammered silk tank was just for suckers (do you even know how many hammered silk tanks lie in the dimly lit recesses of my closet?). I want to be a simple girl! I want to get off the J.Crack.

Santa Baby, Slip a Tiffany & Co. Handbag Under the Tree, For Me...

Absolutely, hands down, the number one gift I'm pleading with Santa to bring me.

TRT: TIFFANY REVERSIBLE TOTE

Reversible tote in suede and metallic leather with palladium-plated solid brass hardware. Detachable zipper pouch included. Leather tab closure. Double strap, 10" drop. Size large. 14.5"W x 5.5"D x 13"H. Made in Italy. SKU 26499763

$595

Available online and at select stores.

A Glimmer of Hope: J.Crew's Holiday Roll Out

*Sigh*

There may be hope yet, peeps, for J.Crew. I'm going to go on the record and say that Holiday 2010, though not 100% fabilis, is a standout compared to the rest of the year. I may just want to buy a few things full-price. I haven't said that for 11 months, so this is a day that may just be my turning point. It's like that scene from the first Sex in the City where Miranda and Steve have to meet on the bridge. She's hoping he's there, he's hoping she's there, and then... well, you know the rest. Let's hope there's a glimmer of that hope for the Crew et moi.

*Cue the Al Green music!

Dusted Sequin Shift Dress, $275

Perhaps I've been watching one too many episodes of Boardwalk Empire, but this dress is a fabilis, fabilis option for a Holiday Party. I find it tres speakeasy. With hair done in a loose, side-done chignon and red lips, this is something I would consider. I also believe it's Collection. Always an added plus for a J.Snob.

Starry Night Cardigan, $128

I know we've seen (and own) a plethora of sequined cardigans, but I like this one for the jacket effect, and the dreamy chiffon at the edges. I also like the three-quarter sleeves and the punk way the model's styled with just black moto pants and a grey tee. I would want to wear it with a white tee, those moto pants, and a pair of fab heels for a sit-down party, or slouchy and flat moto boots if I'm expected to stand all night.

This, peeps, is wearable. Finally.

THIS is wearable?

Really, now. Really. This, peeps, is being sold as wearable. This is something I am supposed to covet. In my humble opinion, if I was 15, and Urban Outfitter's website was down, and I was desperate for an outfit that was different, I would still despise this. This is what I get for not paying attention to the website for a few months. I get this. I don't even know how to describe this outfit, but I can tell you, this is probably the most flattering angle. & there are a lot of outfits like this on J.Crew these days. I wouldn't touch it with 40% off. I wouldn't touch this if Charlotte Russe made a knock-off for $24.99. & $248 for this skirt alone, peeps? Do you know what I can get at Ann Taylor for $248? Lots, peeps, lots. & the Hubs wouldn't make fun of it, either. Well... the hubs could. But for damn sure, he would make fun of me less for a teeny fashion faux pas at Talbots or ATL before I don this number.

Just Call Me Johnny Cash

Contrary to what I post on my blog, in my real wardrobe life, I'm like the Black Widow. All black, all the time. It's the root cause as to why my blog posts on outfits are few and far between --- because I'm usually in black --- and its the reason that I'm thinking about creating a strategic plan just for my wardrobe choices. Because how many black dresses does a girl really need? Someone needs to do a gap analysis on my closet. Tell me what I'm missing and then remind me why I shouldn't buy anymore black dresses. But Lord knows I just can't help it.

Secondly, everyone knows, black doesn't photograph well. It looks boring. It can come out grey. Or it can be like my sorry photos: out of focus, blurry, and down and out crummy.

[Please to excuse my blurry and crummy photos.]

My rule of thumb has been that if I wear a black dress, I pass on the outfit post because a black dress is no fun and I've had no good luck with photographing them. Today, I had to make an exception to that rule, because this dress, ladies, was worth the trouble. At $80 on the 40% off sale rack, I won't go into how long I've been stalking this dress. In my work world, the black shirt dress can do no wrong. & this one hid 95% of all my bumps I would want camoflouged and can keep it business during the day or make it fabilis at night.

[Using my Jedi Mind Tricks, you will ignore my dirty mirror. Pretty please.]

It's an Ann Taylor shirt dress, lined, and with sleeves that roll up three-quarter style. It has a draped assymetrical cumberbund across the waist. It does not wrap, button funny, or have odd buttons running down the front of the skirt. In essence, it is my perfect black shirt dress. & take it from me, ladies. I am the Queen of the Black Shirtdress. I have millions. But this little pretty, it's my favorite. This week. He he.

Changing the subject, I thought I'd photograph some of the orchids blooming in my mom's yard. How gorgeous are these??

Purple dendrobiums, you complete me!

♥