The Green Argyle Sweater Story

 

Once upon a time, way back in 2009, my sister asked my husband for some sweater recon a few weeks before Christmas time.  Then I was packing for our trip to Indy and was deciding which sweaters to bring.  I was thinking about bring this one.  John asked in a very accusatory manner "What is that?" while pointing at my sweater drawer.  "My sweater drawer?" I was confused.  "You have TWO sweater drawers??" "um, yeah... they don't all fit in one."  I had no idea what the issue was, but he was acting super weird.

On Christmas morning, I opened the present from my sister, and it was the sweater I am wearing in today's pictures.  And then they told me the whole story.  She had asked him if I had a "green argyle sweater" and he searched in my one sweater drawer, confirming that I did not.  And then at the very last minute, he saw my green argyle sweater in my sneaky second drawer, and was very worried.

The good news is that these 2 sweaters aren't really similar at all.  One is all green, one is mostly gray with a little bit of green.  One is lighter with 3/4 sleeves.  One is wool and long-sleeve.  So there was no great crisis.  And besides, I have since gotten rid of that other sweater, but I still have this one.

I realized that some of my favorite cozy sweaters never make it to the blog, because I tend to wear them on super cold snowy days with just jeans and boots, and I don't always get pictures on those days, of those kind of boring outfits.

Sweater: Gap
Necklace: gift
Top: JCF
Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Boots: Madden

Neglected - Pink and Gray Stripes

When I was looking through my closet and blog archives, I was surprised at how many things I haven't worn in a long time.  So in the heat of the moment, I decided I should add "last date blogged" to my closet spreadsheet.  It's getting really nerdy, you guys.  Anyway, it has been really interesting for me to see what things I am neglecting!  Some of the items just aren't making the blog, like my fuchsia stocking cap, which I wear almost every day of the winter, but remove before taking pictures, because it is outerwear!   But other things are really just taking up space in my closet and not being worn.  I found 72 items that haven't been on the blog in the last year.  And since I blog almost every outfit, this means I haven't worn most of these things in the last year.

Some of these items are going straight in the donate/sell piles.  But a few are things I like, and decided I needed to wear.  So I'm going to be working these into the rotation, and hopefully get away from having so much stuff that I don't even wear!

Which brings me to this sweater.  If memory serves, I bought it in 2009 on the day after Christmas, when Gap was having their big buy one, get one free sale on sweaters.  I bought this gray sweater in the same trip, but it gets worn a lot more.  I do think I wore this striped sweater quite a bit for a couple years, but just not since I started blogging.  Or maybe I wear it on days when I don't take pictures?  I don't know.  But it's pretty and cozy and I think it deserves some love.  So I wore it on a very cold day in early February.  

Oh, and just for the record, I should have done the trick where you wear a camisole between the button shirt and the sweater, because I have some awkward little bumps where the buttons are sticking out.  (And I feel the need to point out that my belly button has not popped at this point of pregnancy).

Sweater: Gap
Shirt: JCF
Necklace: F21
Jeans: H&M Maternity
Boots: Madden

PMT - Wear Something Neglected for 6 months

This week's challenge is to wear something that has been neglected for 6 months.  I went looking through my archives and was shocked at the things I would say I really love, but haven't worn in a long time.  Like this cardigan.  Is it even possible that I haven't worn it in over a year??  I mean, I might have worn it and not blogged it, but even so, it's crazy to have gone a whole year without wearing this in a blog outfit.  I love this cardigan!  So here it is being reintroduced to the world, and hopefully will get more action in the future.

This is also a copycat outfit, because that just makes life easier.  I stole the idea from Caroline over at Tasteful Style, because she just looked so great in maroon and polka dots!  And I added the scarf for a little extra warmth, and coverage.  I wish my dress had a higher neckline like hers!

Cardigan: Old Navy
Scarf: Loft
Dress: Loft outlet
Tights: H&M
Boots: Madden

Legs for One Day

On the most glorious of all January days, the temperature actually topped out at 61 and I was the happiest girl in the world.  I took advantage of the opportunity to wear bare (bear) legs, and normal shoes (not boots!).  It was so great.  And John may have called me crazy, because the low was still in the 40s, and it was pretty windy, and I didn't see anyone else in bare legs.  So maybe I am crazy.  But you know, I'm glad I got one day where I didn't have to wear boots or tights.  And then it snowed like 2 days later, so it's a good thing I took advantage of the nice weather!

Dress: Younker's Maternity
Scarf: Calvin Klein
Jacket: Target
Shoes: Target

Bok Choy Baby

Enough people have asked.  I figured I should finally turn to the side and prove that I am indeed looking quite pregnant these days.  This is actually my outfit from yesterday.  28 weeks pregnant, for those of you who care about that type of thing.  According to my super helpful "what type of produce is your baby" app, this kid is roughly the size of a Bok Choy.  Right.  Super helpful.  I had to look it up, because I didn't know what it was.  Answer: fancy Chinese cabbage.  

In honor of Valentine's week, I decided to try this skirt with the belly band, and it sort of worked.  Warning to anyone who wants to try this trick in the future - satiny fabrics do not cling properly to the band, so you have to be careful any time you sit down or stand up to make sure your clothes are still properly aligned.  Since I mostly sit at my desk all day, this wasn't a huge issue. 

Cardigan: JCF

Tee: Liz Lange

Necklace: Old Navy

Skirt: Dillard's

Tights: Target

Boots: Madden

PMT - Wear Red, Pink, or Purple

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, the challenge this week is to wear red, pink, or purple.  I decided to try the red and pink route again, like I did last year.  First, I pulled out all the red and pink items from my closet and laid them out on my bed to see what tones would look good together, and remind myself of what I even have.  I ended up with this lighter pink skirt that I've been neglecting since the 30X30 got over, and my red polka dot scarf, which I should also wear more often.  A little gray and black helped tone down the obscene Valentinesy vibe, I think.  At least, I hope.

Anyway, I thought it turned out pretty cute, so that's what matters, right?

Jacket: Target
Scarf: Target
Sweater: Gap
Skirt: Loft
Boots: Madden

Camelot

This is what I wore recently when I went to see the Camelot musical.  I'll be honest, most of my knowledge about King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere is from the movie First Knight, which I thought was just about the coolest movie ever when I was 10.  The broadway show didn't quite measure up.  I mean, it was okay, but just not amazing like I expect my musicals to be.  None of the music stuck with me at all, I didn't sense any chemistry between Guinevere and Lancelot, and honestly, King Arthur just seemed way more likable, so I don't understand why she would even be tempted to leave him for Lancelot.  But whatever.  It was a fun way to spend the evening.  And it was warm enough to not wear tights, so all around a pretty good day.

Oh, and I might be a jerk for saying this, but theaters really need to have something in place for larger folks.  These seats are pretty tiny to start out with, and I was unfortunately sitting next to a guy who really needed 2 seats.  Southwest would have totally kicked him off a flight.  And yet, I had to make myself as small as possible and lean into my MIL's space to avoid contact.  I wondered if I should speak to an usher at the intermission, but what are they going to do?  And then I'd really feel like a jerk.

So maybe I would have enjoyed the show more if that hadn't been an issue.  Hopefully that guy doesn't also have season tickets.

Cardigan & Scarf: Gap
Belt: Limited
Dress: Loft Maternity
Boots: Madden