THE AFTER HOLIDAY LULL

Oh, how I wish this arrow pointed to a beach right outside my door.

Still somewhat alive and barely kicking after almost a year.  Pretty good for me.

I always have this naive idea that after the fun festivities and coziness of the holidays are over, it will magically be spring outside and time to break out the flip flops and let in the warm breezes.  While I may try to delude myself into thinking that with my paradise sign and cacti in the window, alas, the outside world looks more like this....

Ugh, I know.  It is nice to bundle up and have an excuse to stay in and watch TV, but I'm ready for sunnier days and not having to put on my giant parka every time I step outside.

It's kind of an in between time of year.  You just had a blast celebrating, but now you have to wait to go outside again.

To me, it's the most uninspiring time of year.  While some may argue they are re-energized for the year ahead, I find myself hibernating and waiting to be invigorated by the next season.

This is the only room in the house where we get a ton of sun.  And it looks like it belongs in Key West, so I spend a lot of my time in here.

Oh, and this is also where Mr. Maisy does his thing.  Eating loads of hay and such.

I've been crafting a little here and there and attempting to play the ukulele.  I do have spurts where I clean out cabinets and purge my closet, too.  I'm going to do more of that.  I need to.  In terms of blogging, though I haven't felt much in the inspiration department.  It's hard to take pictures when your canvas is all brown.

Even writing this post, I'm not sure I'm conveying what I want to say in a coherent manner.  I felt this way last year, though, and it passed.  I just need to feel comfortable with the fact that this is my hibernation time.

And that's ok.  It's better to let inspiration find you than to forcibly knock down it's door.  I'm just going to enjoy this season for what it is, because I'm really looking forward to the next season and half of the fun is the anticipation, right?

The best thing is that we're experiencing a bit of a warming trend this weekend with temps in the 50s!  I'm excited for that and for a 3 day weekend.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and remember that tulips and warm breezes are right around the corner.  Well, not right around the corner, but you can at least see them a few blocks down:)

PATTERNED SWEATER LEGGINGS: THREE WAYS!

So I bought these sweater leggings at Target a few months back.  Ah, who am I kidding?  I bought them in every color available.  Scratch that.  I didn't buy one of the color options.  That's what's called will power, people.

I've really been loving the idea of pattern/color on my pants instead of my tops.  It's like a mullet for your clothes.  Business on top, party on the bottom.

I feel like the majority of my tops are solids, so I was getting bored with my outfit choices.  Adding these leggings has breathed new life into my closet.  (Plus, I'll take any excuse to wear pants with an elastic waistband.)

Since I've been having fun mixing and matching, I thought I'd share today how versatile one pair of leggings can be, even if they're in a bold print.  These days, you can usually find me in one of these three outfits.

Bohemian Vibe:

Peach Boyfriend Cardigan: Old Navy (old) // Chambray Tunic: J Crew Factory // Buddy Bling Necklaces: My Shop // Kissing Fish Bracelet: Target (old) // Hat: Target // Leggings: Target (similar) // Booties: Minnetonka

First up, we've got a look that's a little more bohemian.  I bought these booties after I rounded up my stock of leggings.  I wanted something easy that I could slip on and were comfortable.  These are great, but you may need to add a gel insert (or two) since there isn't much support.

Sporty

Hoodie: Old Navy (similar)  // Headband: This Etsy shop (similar) // Leggings: Target (similar) // Shoes: Converse

I really love the peach running through these leggings, so that's the color I tend to pick up to match in my tops.  I found this hoodie at Old Navy a few months ago and love how it switches up the feel of the leggings.  Now it looks like I'm super athletic running around store to store.

Casually Chic

Cardigan: Target (similar) // Shirt: Target (old) // Leggings: Target // Long Necklace: American Eagle (old) // Rhinestone Necklace: J. Crew Factory // Boots: Off Broadway (old)

Oh, if only I could braid my hair!  That would have really made this outfit pop even more.  A nice side braid or some sort of braided bangs.  Believe me, I've watched all the YouTube videos and pinned all the tricks on Pinterest.  It's such an easy concept.  But alas, my fingers just aren't able to perform any braided beauty.  To be fair, I only give myself one chance, because then my arms get tired and I lose all interest.

Anyways, I like this outfit with its mix of pattern and bright pop of color.  Perfect to make you feel happy despite the frigid temperatures.

How do you like to mix and match items in your wardrobe to keep things fresh?

Anyone else feel like just wearing sweatpants all day since it's so cold out?

AROUND HERE

The past few weeks have been a nice reprieve from normal life.  No set schedules, hanging out with family and friends, and making sure I didn't miss any of the Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies.

Against his will, we dressed Mr. Maisy up in a Santa suit on Christmas Eve.  He's none too pleased in this photo, but I think he looks quite dapper.

A few weeks before Christmas, we went to see a local band, Holmes Street, at Coda.  They were awesome.  I loved their mix of current songs and oldies that made up the perfect dance mix.  They play at Coda the 3rd Friday of every month, so if you're in the Kansas City area, be sure to check them out.

Since we needed a breather after dancing the night away the night before, we went to see St. Vincent at a local theater that still has all its charming retro decor.  In fact, my parents used to go to this theater on dates when they were in high school.  It may have been the smell of the popcorn there that gave Wade the idea that we need a popcorn machine in our home.  We're planning on opening up the carnival this summer:)

Christmas day was really relaxing this year.  We had a leisurely breakfast, opened up presents for a while, and then ate some more.  Even Mr. Maisy got in on the action.

Wade got a very special pin.  Anyone remember where this pin is from?  It's the highest owner I could bestow.

My mom used the glasses and napkins she received as wedding presents.  I love these all black goblets.  They make things feel even fancier.

No Christmas is complete without making cookies.  You can kind of tell that one looks like the face of a bunny.  Kind of.

After Christmas, we went to Iowa to visit Wade's brothers.  We got some bowling in, although I was not nearly as good as the last time we went, and had a great time catching up.

Wade celebrated his birthday there and was a-ok with turning another year older.

And this pretty girl is just the sweetest ever and makes even chilly days so much fun.

It seems so strange to me that the year is 2015.  It seems like some sort of futuristic time when we should have hover cars and hotels on Mars.  Maybe I said the same thing last year, though.  

2014 was a good year, but I'm really looking forward to 2015.  I've been thinking about resolutions, but don't have any real concrete ideas.  I just want to have patience, be kind, and do the things that fill my soul with love and whimsy.  Well, those sound a lot like resolutions, so I'll just say that those are mine.

Hope you had a wonderful end to 2014 and are having a great start to the new year!!

I'm linking up with Meg's Mingle Monday today:)