Only sharing this a month after my birthday, no big deal, ha ha. Christian and I took our annual trip to Vermont for my birthday. Instead of camping in the car like we usually do, we stayed at Jackson Gore Village in Ludlow, VT to try out a new area. We always make a stop in Woodstock because it is so pretty and this year was no different. I'll share our itinerary for the day after the outfit photos!
Originally we were going to go to the other side of southern VT to explore but one of my favorite bakers, Gesine Bullock Prado, had a new book coming out and was doing a talk and signing in Woodstock so we just had to go. ;) Her book, My Harvest Kitchen, is a mix of gardening and recipes. Christian is the gardener in our household so he was very excited to hear some of her tips and tricks on the subject! After the chat we had her sign our book and thanked her - while also telling her one day we'll take one of her baking classes!
Now let's rewind to the beginning of the day. We left the house around 6am and parked around the Woodstock Green right at 8:55am. There were tons of parking spots when we arrived but just 10 minutes later it was full up, crazy! After taking obligatory photos in front of the covered bridge (with no crowds and no cars, thankfully!) we headed to Mont Vert Cage to have breakfast because we've always wanted to stop there and never did.
Unfortunately, we were very underwhelmed. The process of having to wait in line to order food and then find a table and wait for the food was not the most enjoyable. People were also holding tables for family that were still in line so that made it hard for people who already ordered to find a table. The food was also overpriced for what it was. Neither of us were really satisfied with our meals, so this will be a skip from us from now on, unless there is absolutely no line.
After that we window-shopped through the local spots and then took more touristy photos with the mums in front of the Woodstock Inn. One day we'll stay here, but it is very expensive and always booked up. Then we headed to the library to wait for Gesine's chat. That ended around 2 so we did some more walking around town and visited Faulkner Park to try and get some animal photos with Christian's new lens, but they were shy.
Before we left we stopped at Woodstock Scoops for an amazingly delicious Maple Creemee. SO GOOD. They use local dairy and Vermont maple syrup. Once we finished our ice cream we drove over to Plymouth Cheese on the way to our hotel. Christian picked up some of their Vermont Cheddar and I grabbed some "jamples" of jam.
We checked into the hotel at 5 and headed right back out again for dinner at On the Rails. I was a little scared to try Vermont pizza but we actually really enjoyed it! The onion rings were also delicious. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a mini birthday cake to end the evening!
What I wore for our second day in Vermont for my birthday weekend last month! We started our day having breakfast at The Hatchery in Ludlow. We checked in around 9:15 and then walked around the conveniently located farmers market on the street directly next door until our table was ready. I had the most amazing cinnamon bun french toast and Christian had home fries poutine! Delicious!
After that, we were going to check out a local Cider Festival but we had too much time to kill before it started and it was in a very small town with not much else to do. We decided to skip ahead to a quick walk through The Vermont Country Store. Unfortunately it was full to the brim with leaf peppers and was the busiest I've seen it since the 90s! We have been going every Summer during our camping trip since the early 1990s so to see it this busy in the Fall was crazy! Since it was so crowded we left pretty quickly, took some outfit pictures in front of the store and at a nearby gazebo and moved on to Hogback Mountain and the 100-mile view. Even though we missed peak foliage, it was still very pretty! After enjoying the view for a bit we grabbed a maple creemee (the one we had in Woodstock was better) and began our drive home.
These are actually one of my most worn pairs or shoes in Fall and sometimes Spring because they are so easy to just slip on and off when I'm running to the grocery store or somewhere fast. They don't often make the blog, but they deserve to, ha ha. I brought them on this trip as a backup pair of shoes if my other pairs hurt my feet. Spoiler: I killed the top of my heels (the part where the top of a flat rubs against your skin) walking too much the day before so I needed backless shoes.
Sweater: Polo by Ralph Lauren cashmere waffle knit sweater (Marijane Boutique)
Jeans: Free People 'Jax' Patchwork Jean in black
Shoes: BCBGeneration Yerra slip on sneaker (DSW)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Rome)
Bag: Chloé Alphabet Mini Saddle Bag in Red and Brown leather (ebay)
We had a big purchase this month. The Chloe Alphabet Saddle bag in brown and red colorblock leather! It's been on my list (see blog sidebar) since I first saw it on Net-a-Porter in 2022 and then on Italist for a little bit cheaper. I regretted not buying it from Italist for $700 and had been hunting for it ever since. I finally got lucky and one popped up on eBay for about $515 all the way from Australia!
I also got a couple new pieces during tax free week here in CT. For those that don't know, we do a tax free week around back to school time for all clothing items under $100. My Mom & I headed to Marshalls and found a few things each, ha ha. I ended up returning one of mine at a different Marshalls but then found a replacement item I liked more so still ended up spending the money. Unfortunately I couldn't find either one online.
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- Purple Polo Ralph Lauren Cashmere Sweater ($0 with credit, $18 at Marijane Boutique, retail $?)
- *NEW!* Joie Cardigan with Floral Embroidered Detail via Marshalls ($24.99)
Basics:
- Old Navy Sleeveless Open Stitch Sweater in Gingerspice ($17.49, retail $34.99)
- Old Navy Luxe Crew Neck T-shirt in Wild Currant ($8.49, retail $16.99)
- Old Navy First-Layer Ribbed Scoop-Neck Tank Top in Alpine Tundra ($4.99, retail $9.99)
- Old Navy First-Layer Ribbed Scoop-Neck Tank Top in In the Navy ($4.99, retail $9.99)
- C&C California purple linen short via Marshalls ($16.99)
- *NEW!* Elie by Elie Tahari Sleeveless Knit Tank via Marshalls ($16.99)
Shoes:
- Ancient Greek Sandals Chania Sandal in Black ($110 via eBay, $270 retail)
- Ancient Greek Sandals Thais Sandal in "Mure" Burgundy Velvet ($15 via Poshmark, retail $275)
Handbags:
- Loewe Mini Puzzle Bag in Pomodoro red soft grained calfskin ($895 in Japan, retail $2650)
- *NEW!* Chloé Alphabet Mini Saddle Bag in Red and Brown leather ($515 via Ebay, retail $1050, used blog money)
Accessories:
- None
Activewear/Swimwear:
- None
Gifted from Brands:
- None
Spent in August: $556.98
Spent in 2025: $1,114.93
Spent in 2025 - counting ad money: $1,629.95
I really need to start wearing all my blazers again. I have so many and can't get rid of them because they all hold such special memories and are just plain pretty! I mostly stopped wearing them because I don't go out to many "events" these days and wearing a blazer to the grocery store on the weekend feels funny. But I'm just going to go for it now! They're outerwear, so they're practical for this chilly weather This is one of my more recent blazers, bought for $36 in early 2019. Probably one of my last blazer purchases because I made myself stop buying them.
Blazer: Sandro burgundy double breasted blazer (Roundabout Resale)
Striped Top: Splendid 'Duke' striped pullover c/o Shopbop
Jeans: Everlane high-rise skinny jean in mid-blue
Ankle Boots: Candie's "ChiChi" Faux Suede Platform Heeled Boots c/o Kohl's
Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)
I wore this for a Saturday spent running errands, going out to lunch, walking in the park and a very impromptu visit with one of my oldest friends! She lives right down the street from the park we like to walk at so I texted her to see if they were home. Didn't get an answer (not unusual, she has a 1 year old!) so we decided to drive by on our way out and she happened to be outside! We hung out for a few hours and chatted, she was able to get to know Christian a little more since we haven't hung out as a couple all that much. Sometimes a random visit is all you need, so refreshing. Both of us are HORRIBLE at planning because I won't invite myself to hang out with people and she's so busy she forgets, haha! Struggles.
Sweater: Autumn Cashmere Landscape Intarsia Sweater
Jeans: rag & bone 'Nina' high rise ankle skinny jean in burgundy
Boots: Marc by Marc Jacobs Buckle Boot in burgundy (Coco's on the Green)
Bag: Chloé Faye (eBay)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Rome)
Who doesn't love a good festive sweater?! I've had this one from J Crew for quite a few years and always love breaking it out. Usually I wait until after Thanksgiving but I went to the New England Christmas Festival the first weekend of this month and wanted to dress on theme! A lady at the show even commented on my perfect coordination, ha ha.
Unfortunately, the event was a little lackluster for me overall. Since it's only 1 weekend they don't really decorate the venue all that much. It also was a lot of non-Christmas items and if I'm going to a Christmas Festival I want it to be pretty much all holiday themed and maybe some fun giftable food items. I bought a cute snowman and Christmas tree ornament but not sure if it was really worth the $15 admission fee, but that could just be me. Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, PA (my photos) was much more fun, but also a lot further away, ha ha.
Llama Jewel Sweater: J.Crew
Jeans: rag & bone high rise ankle skinny jean in burgundy
Boots: Marc by Marc Jacobs Buckle Boot in burgundy (Coco's on the Green)
Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)
It's the time of year for one of my favorite sweaters! This landscape sweater from Autumn Cashmere definitely makes a statement. It was the perfect piece to wear on our trip to Vermont. Just look at it with the Autumn leaves behind it. I'm in love.
I was also excited to finally wear my new purple velvet jeans! They are super comfortable, even being high waisted. They are going to get a lot of wear this fall and Winter.
Sweater: Autumn Cashmere Landscape Intarsia Sweater
Jeans: J Brand Maria High Rise in Purple Velvet (The RealReal)
Boots: Vince Camuto 'Davilla' (Marshalls/eBay - I have 2 pairs, this is my replacement pair, ha ha)
Bag: Dark Purple Chloé Faye (eBay)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
