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Coffee Talk 01.08.23

When my husband saw this picture, he asked me why I was drinking coffee out of a beer mug… I thought it was a glass coffee mug! 🤷🏻‍♀️ So in case you think I’m holding a glass of beer at 7AM, this is indeed coffee.

Now that that’s out of the way, good morning! I hope you’ve had a good week and are getting back into the swing of things after a long holiday break.

My week got off to a bit of a rocky start, but I’m slowly getting acclimated to being back on a regular school and work schedule.

I got really lax with exercise and workouts over the past few months, which happens every year because life and work get so busy during the fourth quarter. I try to give myself some grace and then get right back on the horse, so to speak, as soon as the holidays are over. All that to say, I’ve been trying to make exercise and movement a priority this week.

The older I get, the tighter and more inflexible I get, and I really need to focus on stretching as well as regular movement. I’ve been saying for months… okay, years, that I need to get into a yoga class or something, so maybe I can finally figure that out this year.

I know there are YouTube videos galore, and I’ve done those, but I am far more consistent when I have an appointment and somewhere to go. Plus, I’m terribly uncoordinated, and I really need an instructor to make sure I’m using proper form.

Anyway, in the meantime, I’m increasing my mileage on my daily walks and forcing myself to carve out time to stretch when I get back home.

In other news, Paul and the kids were busy this weekend, so I took some time to myself to go to the mall yesterday and see what’s new. I also met a friend for dinner after that, which was fun.

I was wanting a pair of flat boots, and I found these Tory Burch Chelsea Boots for 50% off. They are gorgeous and a great price for the quality, so I wanted to mention them before they start selling out. They run true to size, or size down if in between.

I also replaced my plain white Veja Esplar sneakers, which are 4 years old and starting to look tired, with the Extra-White Sable color way. I wanted something neutral, but I didn’t want to get the exact same shoes I had before, so I think these are going to be perfect. I kind of wanted the Extra-White Platine, but I think these are more versatile since I wear so much silver jewelry. I know that shouldn’t matter, but it would bug me.

And then I totally splurged on this Rails cardigan. It’s awfully bright for me, but it’s really soft and cozy, and I always find myself tired of all my neutrals at this time of year. Plus, I love the contrasting black buttons and the raglan sleeves and the cardigan styling. It just hits all the right notes!

I can’t believe it’s time to send Caroline back to college, but that’s happening this week. Her break is really short – shorter than most college breaks, and she is not happy about it.

She would love to have an extra week to finish up some sewing projects and spend more time with Savannah, but she doesn’t have much say in the matter. I’ll miss her, but Spring Break isn’t too far off!

Speaking of which… I’m working on a trip to Florida next month to shoot pictures for the blog. That’s fun, but also a lot of pressure to find enough spring outfits to make the trip worth my while. And then of course, I have to get it all down there. I’ll be the girl pushing two large suitcases through the airport!

There wasn’t much in the way of spring styles at Nordstrom yesterday, except in the resort wear section, but that was all really high end. So I guess I’ll need to wait a few weeks before I can start planning those outfits.

From the responses I got to my question about a winter trends post yesterday, it sounds like you all want to see more winter content anyway, so I’ll definitely be working on that!

I enjoyed all the comments on my Worst Purchases post. It sounds like we all want to do better and make smarter purchases this year, but sometimes you just have to try things and see. And sometimes that means ripping the tags off and wearing them once or twice, or allowing the return window to expire while you wait and see if they work with the rest of your wardrobe.

If I’ve learned anything from doing this as a job for the past five years, it’s that keeping a tightly edited closet is an ongoing process. Even though I write these worst purchases posts seasonally, I remove things from my closet all the time. It’s not even a once a month thing; it’s whenever I realize something is no longer serving me.

Anyway, that was a tangent, but I need to cut this off and get myself outside for a walk before it’s too late. It’s beautiful outside, but verrrrry cold, so I need to factor in some extra time to bundle up.

Have a great day!

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photos: Alison Cornell

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29 Responses

  1. I had to chuckle at the beer mug situation as it’s so something I would do. 😂
    On that note, you made me think about the beautiful glass hot drink “mugs” I never use. Sunday morning seems like the perfect time to break one out, so thank you!
    Boy, do I ever feel you on the flexibility issue. Ugh.
    Great post, thanks for all you do!

  2. From yesterday’s post, I would still love to see a winter trends post since those of us on the east coast still need to get through to March!

  3. Oh my gosh, too funny about the coffee mug! When I took a second look, it almost looks like a mug of that dark beer, lol! Love the boots and sweater you picked up.
    I haven’t done a thing in my house or with my closet since the day after Christmas. A friend of our passed in November and we found out through another friend that his young daughter had to get the house cleaned out asap. She lives in SC, has a 2 year old and has been up north here for most of the past 6 months. So myself, my husband and daughter plus this other friend have volunteered to help her clean out the house. Can you say hoarder of antiques & everything else! OMGOODNESS!
    We are still purging, sorting and packing. 2 estate sales later, the end is in site. The gal is sooo appreciative, especially since she has ended up with pneumonia and has no energy.
    All of this has really hit home for us. As we are older parents, we need to get rid of any clutter we have. We never want our daughters to go through what this girl is going through.
    So after we’re done next week (yes, yet another week to go since her husband is renting a uhaul and driving north to take what she’s keeping back down to SC) we are motivated enough to purge, purge and purge some more! 🙏🏻 We stay motivated! (Sorry to make this a book)…..

  4. Love those Tory Burch books – just what I was looking for…only issue is will I get more wear out of black or the brown ones??? Decisions, decisions ha! Can you provide the details on the outfit you’re wearing in the coffee talk pic today? I love it!

  5. I looked at your mug and thought jeez that’s a lot of coffee (I should talk lol). When your kids go back to school it is bittersweet. I always hate it when my children leave and it is all of a sudden “so quiet”. That said it’s nice to get things back in order again. I need to start a regular yoga or stretch routine. I’ve been thinking about doing that 30 day yoga thing on YouTube that you told us about a few years ago. We’ll see.
    Have a great week and thanks for all you do.

  6. My drink of choice is Stout or Porter so seeing a glass mug of something dark like that didn’t faze me (not that I drink at 7am)! I just figured the picture was taken in the evening!

    We’re into our second winter season “snowbirding” in Florida so wearing winter styles, though my favorite actually, have to be squished into a short timeframe between Halloween and New Years when we’re up north. But, I still like to see and learn about the trends anyway.

    And I so can relate to the lack of motivation to workout. I had been a faithful gym member for decades and even through the pandemic. I faithfully worked out to YouTube videos or Zoom virtual classes. I have had a hard time getting motivated since returning from Florida in November. I’m lookin forward to being back in the saddle now that we’re heading to Florida again.

  7. Always fun to just go to the mall alone and shop. Online is convenient, but I miss in store. Yesterday my husband and I went to ours….. I hadn’t been out for 12 days from being sick and I told him I needed some retail therapy. It’s been a long sickness. Anyway, the mall was packed. Thousands of people and you could hardly walk. I was still weak and just had no evergy to fight all that nor catch something else, so we walked some to get me some much needed excercise then left. I’ve never seen it like that…. Ever. Glad you found some things. I’ve been drawn to pink lately too. Our Winter has been dark. I know the feeling of kids going back to college. It’s good she is so well adjusted and likes it. She’s a ways from home. Enjoy your last days with her. I wonder if when she is finished if she will settle into a job where you live or where she goes to school? I wanted my kids close, but the closest is 3 hours away and the other two are 4 and 4 1/2 hours. Harder even now that they each have one child. Miss them so. It’s those mates they marry and follow from college. Lol. Have a great day and love hearing about your days and family.

  8. I keep an ongoing “donate” bag in my closet now, I find that really helps. It’s only a few pieces at a time, but for me, it’s easier.

  9. Jo-Lynne,
    Have you ever tried a Pilates Reformer class? I do Reformer classes a couple of times a week and I find them to be great for stretching and flexibility.

    1. I haven’t. Many, many years ago I tried a Pilates class with a friend but I didn’t like it. I’m in better shape now, though. And I’m sure it depends on the instructor and all that.

  10. Good morning to your beautiful, smiling face! I had to laugh about the beer mug situation. We used to have some of those mugs. Never knew what to really do with them, LOL! Just wanted to take a moment say how much I love your blog and appreciate all you do to make fashion and style relevant. You are SO right about the closet clean-out being a regular thing, and I feel validated to know that as much time, energy, effort and thought as you put into your outfits, that you still have some regretful purchases. I hear ya! And I agree about cleaning out what no longer serves us. Just yesterday two of my own regretfully purchased dresses for the fall popped into my mind. They’re out of season, and I kept thinking about how much I never want to wear them, ever again. Random, nagging thoughts about how much I hate those dresses. They were cheap, look cheap, feel cheap, and I don’t enjoy wearing them….but they looked so cute in the store and came home with me! So now, they’re in the donate bag. Looking forward to a new year on your blog. I have your site bookmarked and read you every day. 🙂

  11. Hi!
    I always enjoy reading your Sunday Q&A! I also highly recommend Pilates classes to loosen up a tight body. If you’ve never tried it, it might be just the thing your body needs. After 14 years of running 30+ miles a week, I had pretty much trashed my hips and knees. Pilates has been a game changer for me! Give it a try! 😃

  12. Well, I would also drink coffee out of that nice, glass mug!! HAHA! I cast my vote for more Winter Trends! Today was the first day I actually wore a pair of suede tall boots, finally cold enough! And my tan wool reefer coat. And a navy/camel plaid scarf. Loved the look! I certainly can wait till February and your Florida trip to see Spring trends. Enjoy your Sunday, GO EAGLES!!

  13. I didn’t know that was a beer mug either, it just looks like a classy glass mug! Like one lady said, I’m a big fan of porter and stout too. Otherwise, I don’t have much use for beer, too carbonated, bitter and makes me burp. I’m a wine girl. 🙂 As for exercises, I don’t do vigorous cardio like running or cross fit. Another blogger introduced me to a program called P.volve that is low impact toning and sculpting. Basically, it focuses on functional movement and always ends with stretching. It’s kind of a combination of yoga, Pilates and ballet, of the three I’ve only done ballet (when I was a girl). You can do faster paced classes, but I always choose their sculpt classes. It’s pretty tough but it’s gentle on the body and provides lot of stretching to “lengthen the muscle”, as they say. I don’t like going to gyms and with my busy schedule, at-home workouts are best for me. Have a great week!

    1. Meant to add that I vote for Winter Trends too! I look forward to Spring clothes, but I like living in the moment, and right now that’s a cold winter in VA! It won’t be truly and consistently warm here until May.

  14. Thanks for the good laugh regarding your coffee/beer mug! It sounds like you got off to a good start this year. I bet Savannah is really going to miss Caroline. I know that you are looking forward to being in FL for a few days next month. Hopefully, it will be warm for you! Enjoy the rest of your day.

  15. Had to laugh about coffee. I too have been slack about exercise over holidays. Too busy. Are colored jeans like grey and olive out of style. Also are Vega REALLY COMFORTABLE. I’m looking for a new pair.

    1. Veja are not super comfortable out of the box, the way P448s are, but they break in quickly. As far as grey and olive jeans, I would say it depends on the silhouette and how you style them. Grey is more on trend than olive. I’d only wear olive if they were an updated style.

  16. I have arthritis in my back so avoid high impact exercises but have been doing a combination of yoga and stretching for several years now. It’s amazing how it helps with flexibility and tones my arms and legs. I would highly recommend giving it a try.

  17. I think the Rails cardigan is pretty and brightens us up for this time of the year but wondering if it will be one of your “regrettable” purchases…..maybe not. Just doesn’t look like you.

  18. I saw the mug and thought you were drinking a Guinness lol. If you’re looking for a workout that’s both strengthening and stretching take a look at Pilates. I’ve been doing it for about 7 years now and enjoy it so much I became an instructor. It keeps you thinking and the hour in the class goes by really fast.

  19. Just a thought but maybe head to Florida a day or two early and do some shopping there? We are justnon the road trip back to Canada from Vero Beach and what a treat to see spring and summer clothes I. The stores. Picked up a few things I used o. Vacation and will work once we hit warm weather at home. Also gives you the chance to shop in some different stores than you are used to.

  20. Have you ever reviewed Tommy Bahama clothes. I have a couple jackets, which I love, but have never bought pant, shorts or dresses.

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