(Almost) every year since 1995 my family has gone camping in Vermont in the Summer. For a few Summers I went with my two best friends. Now Christian has joined in on the tradition and we enjoy our quick weekends away in the sticks. We hike/walk, do a little shopping at the Vermont Country Store and just enjoy the company of family and less screen time. Of course I always have my phone with me so I can take pictures, but I try not to do anything else.
I'm well prepared for our hikes with my comfortable orthotics from PowerStep. I have been using their inserts in various shoes for years now and they really do make a difference. This pair is by Rykä and have lasted me quite a few years. If you aren't sure what type you need, you can use their Insole Finder and take a quiz to see! No hiking outfit is complete without comfortable leggings - my favorites at the moment are from Colorfulkoala. I've also got on my tick/mosquito repellant socks, mosquito bracelet, and trusty Ray-Ban sunglasses. Plus my runDisney completer shirt from 2023!
A newer tradition while camping is grabbing a ton of sausages from A Crooked Barn Charcuterie. Pete makes artisanal sausages with locally and sustainably farmed ingredients! We usually leave with 3 or 4 varieties and freeze them to use throughout the year! This year we bought 5—we meant to buy 6 but since we were getting some for others in our group we miscounted. Pete told us that we were some of his first 50 customers when he started his business, which I didn't know, super cool!
Shop the camping trip: *This post was made in partnership with Responsival. Thank you for supporting brands I feature*
Christian and I don't usually go crazy for Valentine's Day, especially on the actual day. Normally I just make one of our favorite dinners and a fun dessert and then we might go out for a fancier than normal dinner on the weekend. Since Valentine's Day was on Saturday this year we went out for a lunch date in Mystic.
Before we get to the activities of the day, let's talk about my outfit! I decided to pile on some of my favorite jewelry from Aurate. They have everything from dainty diamond necklaces and gold rings to pearls, gemstones and more! There's something in every price range and style. My favorites are their earrings. 90% of the time I'm wearing a pair of Aurate earrings, I wear them in the shower, to sleep, everything!
For those of you that are new to Aurate, here's a quick intro. Their mission is to offer sustainable, ethical handmade jewelry at affordable prices. They use recycled gold, ethically-sourced diamonds, and sustainably harvested pearls. The pieces are handmade by artisans, not a machine churning out hundreds a day. I've been a fan since 2018 so I have amassed quite the collection and gifted pieces to family members as well!
It's still very cold around here so my coat was the major part of my outfit, ha ha. I wore my Burberry coat since it is bright red, perfect for Valentine's Day (and Christmas.) Normally I'll wear some form of red as part of my outfit to be festive but this year I just wore a comfy sweater, jeans and loafers since my coat took care of the red. I got these shoes for Christmas and haven't really had a chance to wear them because of all the snow and slush.
On our day date we headed to Mystic, one of the cutest towns in Connecticut. We decided to try a new restaurant this time and headed to The Port of Call. But before lunch we took a stroll around Old Mistick Village, there are so many cute shops we love to stop in - especially the olive oil & honey store, Sticky Situations. We made it out without spending any money in that store but we did walk away with donuts from Deviant Donuts.
Sweater: Rachel Zoe (Marshalls)
Jeans: FRAME 'Le Skinny de Jeanne' (Shopbop)
Bag: Chanel Classic 2.55 Double Flap (Madison Avenue Couture)
Shoes: Sam Edelman Kyana Loafer in Plum Wine Suede (DSW)
Coat: Burberry Brit Wool Minstead Duffle Coat In Military Red via Marijane Boutique
Jewelry c/o Aurate: Crossover Ring, Pearl & Gold Bar Stud Earring, Pearl Stud Earring, Simple Pearl Bracelet, Medium Paperclip Chain Bracelet, Toi et Moi Gemstone Mini Heirloom Ring with Citrine & Amethyst, and Pearl Lariat Necklace (no longer available)
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A look at the rest of our day:
*This post was made in partnership with Responsival.*
Last September after I went to the zoo with my best friend and her daughter I upgraded my ticket to an annual pass for Christian and I! We've always talked about getting a pass for this zoo because it's close to home and the perfect place for a morning walk on the weekends. We went the weekend after New Years to get some steps and fresh air.
I put some comfortable arch support inserts from PowerStep in my favorite Winter boots. I have walked miles and miles in these boots and the inserts really help make it painless. They fit in so man of my shoes so it's nice to be able to move them to whatever pair I'm waring for the day. To make them even cozier (and warmer) I added some fur FlatSocks!
We spent a couple hours walking around the Beardsley Zoo and saw some of our favorite animals! The American Red and Mexican wolves were enjoying a snack so they were super active and we spent a lot of time with the adorable Red Pandas! I also finally got a good view of the Brazilian Ocelot, it's always been napping out of view when I'm there. It may have been cold but the zoo does have a few indoor areas so we could warm back up while still enjoying the animals.
Sweater: Mīere the Label women's cotton knit sweater in terracotta
Jeans: J Brand 811 Mid Rise Skinny Leg Jean in Moral (Gilt Groupe)
Boots: Vintage Snowland Moccasin Ankle Boots (from Grandma - their first appearance)
Bag: Loewe Mini Puzzle Bag in Pomodoro red classic calfskin
Purple Coat: Greylin Longline Shirt Jacket in purple (Anthropologie)
Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Erika' c/o Shopbop
Scarf: Madewell Houndstooth Patchwork Scarf
Ombre Hat: Disney World
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Here's a peek at my shoe insole stack!
For our second Thanksgiving I was able to dress up a little bit more since we'd be at my Aunt's house with no dogs to jump on me, ha ha. I had wanted to wear this outfit back in October for my birthday trip to Woodstock but figured it would be impractical for walking around and saved it for Thanksgiving!
For holidays - or any day really - I always love to break out my Aurate jewelry! They've got everything from beautiful gold rings and gemstone jewelry to diamonds! For this look I stacked a couple of my station necklaces and wore my pearl studs. If you're still on the hunt for the perfect gift for a loved one I highly suggest checking on their offerings! There's something for every budget and I am always complimented on my pieces. I grabbed my sister a cute pair of pearl drop earrings!
This is my first time wearing these booties since I got them fixed at the cobbler! When I bought them over 10 years ago they had some wrinkles in the insole so I got them "cheap" and thought I could get past the annoyance. But I found the more I wore them the wrinkles were too big to ignore. So they sat mostly unworn until I finally brought them to the cobbler this year! They aren't perfectly smooth now, but much better than before! Excited to wear them more often again!
Also broke out my vintage leather skirt. I found a very similar skirt that you can buy, it might actually be exact. When I bought this skirt in 2013 (for $10 at Coco's on the Green!) it was actually midi length but I had my Mom shorten it because it overwhelmed me. The skirt I found looks much l like my original and could be shortened to get the same effect!
I expected it to be a little chilly on our drive home so I grabbed my Burberry coat too! This and my Prada bag are two of Christian's favorite pieces I own. He likes to say he talked me into buying them, ha ha. I almost didn't buy the coat because I didn't need one, but I did really want it. So the fact that he really liked it pushed me to splurge. So he did make me feel less bad about my decisions ;)
Sweater: Marc by Marc Jacobs cropped sweater (The RealReal)
Leather Skirt: Sienna Studio (Coco's on the Green)
Lace-Up Suede Booties: Gianvito Rossi 'Finlay' lace-up boot (Marshalls)
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Coat: Burberry Brit Wool Minstead Duffle Coat In Military Red via Marijane Boutique
Earrings c/o Aurate Pearl Studs (rose gold)
Necklaces c/o Aurate Organic Pearl Station Necklace & Endless Gemstone Station Necklace in Rose Quartz
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We had a couple different Thanksgiving celebrations this year, as we do most years. First was at my Mom's with just my siblings; this year we also had my sister-in-law's brother and girlfriend over. Since there would be dogs and lots of food at this gathering I went with a comfortable outfit of jeans and a sweater.
I've been wanting to break out these old Free People flares for a while but I need to wear them with tall shoes so it had to be for a special occasion. They are so fun and always make me feel very tall! I think the last time they made it on the blog was 2019, yikes! Their first appearance was September 2011, so they're 14 years old! I was able to find a couple on eBay and linked them below if you want a pair!
Funnily enough, the major pieces are all from Marshalls throughout the years. Funny when that happens!
Sweater: Marled (Marshalls)
Jeans: Free People (Marshalls)
Pumps: Coach 'Nacie' pump in burgundy (Marshalls)
Bag: Chloé Alphabet Mini Saddle Bag in Red and Brown leather (ebay)
Necklace c/o Aurate Aura Beaded Necklace
Necklace c/o Aurate Toi et Moi Gemstone Heirloom Ring
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!
