Not going to be one of those
This is not going to be one of those Happy New Year posts about selecting a word of the year or setting resolutions because I’m just not good at doing that! I used to make resolutions and stick with them for a couple of weeks. I got tired of feeling like I was failing at something because I’d resolved to do something.
This past Christmas
We had a much better Christmas than the previous year! My daughter, her family, and my youngest son were able to come to our house. We decided to have Italian food. Apparently, so did everyone in the area! Manicotti was on the menu. I say was because I couldn’t find manicotti anywhere! My son even checked the stores near him. Ah, well, to us, pasta is pasta. I just used rigatoni! No one will ever accuse of us of vegetable overload at holiday dinners! Why is it that carbs are the foods we most associate with the holidays! I had a mad wrapping marathon a few days before Christmas. I put the items into boxes, put the boxes into piles for each person, and then wrapped the boxes. I got a few boxes mixed up! There were a few surprised faces!
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Nigel and I have never been big New Year’s Eve celebrators. This year was no different. Nigel went to sleep around 11:00. I, however, have no problem staying awake past midnight. My bigger problem is going to sleep before 1:00am. It’s not that I mind staying awake; it’s the getting up the next day! I know I shouldn’t feel badly about it, but I do. Others are up at 7:00am or earlier. I am not! I need to not worry about such things. We didn’t do anything much on New Year’s Day, either! We live such big lives!! Honestly, Nigel and I have a wonderful life. It’s relatively quiet but full.
Skirt Challenge!
Today’s look was the first in a series of seven for an Instagram challenge. Gail of Is this Mutton posted about a seven day skirt challenge. The challenge is to post seven days of skirts…either the same skirt styled different ways or seven different skirts. Please hop over to Instagram all week to see what I’ve done! You can also see Gail, Mireille, Lucy, Penny, and Jill! This skirt is made up of several different panels. It is a lovely muted blue with ivory flowers. I’m debating whether or not to shorten it. The sweater is old. I thought I would try a little print mixing, and I rather like the way it looks. The blue of the skirt is close to some of the blues in the sweater. The background of the sweater is ivory and mimics the ivory of the flowers on the skirt. I decided to go with a little waist definition and loosely belted it with a very old Brighton belt (similar).
Something New!
I’m joining Leslie of Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After for her monthly 10 on the 10th post! For a couple of years, Leslie has been hosting this party! Each month, she (and now I will, too) posts 10 questions or lists around a certain theme. I joined her in October and December. The theme for January is to list ten prayers, wishes, hopes and/or goals for the year. I know that’s kind of counter to my opening paragraph, but it really isn’t. I think prayers, wishes, and hopes are different from goals. But, I guess you’ll have to wait until the tenth to see what mine are!! I am so excited to be uniting with Leslie for this “challenge”. Thanks, Leslie, for your faith in me!
The Lewk!
I really do like this skirt with this sweater. I’ll be honest. This was not the post I had planned for today. I quickly pulled this one together with the few pictures Nigel had on his phone! Some of my poses make me look a bit like Betty Rubble or Wilma Flintstone…you know…a little top heavy! I wore my favorite L’Artiste boots with an old Stella & Dot necklace and earrings, and Brighton belt. Just a little note on sizing on L’Artiste boots…I find them to run a little on the smaller side. I am almost always a 39 in European sizing; for L’Artiste, I size up to a 40.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season…whichever holiday you do or don’t celebrate! Mine was lovely. I won’t be taking decorations down until after Epiphany so Christmas is still in full bloom here! Do you make resolutions, goals, select a word of the year? Did you have a celebration this year? Or, did Covid put the damper on your spirits? Let’s have a conversation! Please leave a comment or two! And, be sure to check Instagram this week for more of Marsha in the Middle!
Where I often link up:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, and Away from the Blue. Please check out these blogs if you haven’t already done so!
Nearly a year ago or so (I think it was very early last spring) I realized that my boys had never had manicotti or stuffed shells and put it on the menu… it took us WEEKS of scouring each grocery store near us to find either one! Who knew those types of pasta were so scarce. Now I seem to be finding them everywhere so maybe it was just one of those pandemic supply shortages?? I keep saying I’m going to pick a word of the year again this year but have not come up with anything yet and I have long since given up on resolutions. It’s exciting that you’ll be joining with Leslie for the 10 on the 10th!
Isn’t it strange? We can’t find Special K or Crispix either! I sometimes wonder if this will be that awful new normal we keep expecting…empty shelves of the strangest thngs!
I woke up this morning with the word “Intent” in my head…does that mean I now have a word of the Year…hahaha!
Thanks for coming by!
Another awesome print mix: that skirt is just perfect for that it seems or you just have all the right pieces in your closet to make it work. Lovely! I will probably take most decorations down this weekend. Enjoying kids back in school and finally some cold weather again.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Well, I have a few closets and several years worth of clothes to work with! I’m really happy with this combination. These kinds of challenges force me to think outside the box.
Enjoy your quieter days!
Marsha I live this outfit! Blue is my colorso it grabbed me first. I struggle with print mixing but this is perfect. Way to go girl. I may copy if you don’t mind? Make it a Happy New Year
Oh, Lesley, that would be the height of compliments! I hope to see what you do on the blog! I was just experimenting with different looks in my closet. This one seemed like it would work in theory. But, sometimes, theory is so very, very wrong!
I hope you have an absolutely fabulous New Year!
Now I have to say that if this inspired Lesley to start print mixing, then it’s a total success!! Good job doing something I can’t seem to do, haha!!
It’s funny how most of the things we love to eat aren’t what is good for us. We’ve been trying to incorporate those veggies more and more!!
XOOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Hahaha!!! Well, we’ll just have to wait and see what pops up on your blog, right?
We do, as a rule, eat lots of green vegetables, but they just don’t seem to work with the holiday meals (except for the ubiquitous green bean casserole)!
Thanks, Jodie, for coming by!
First off, I love this print-mixed outfit! Well done! Glad you had such a lovely Christmas holiday. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions either. I make a change whenever I motivated to make a change; not according to the calendar. I’ll see if I can think of 10 hopes for 2022. I usually keep my expectations low.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
I used to think of myself as a glass half full kind of person. The last several years have kinda gotten me to the glass quarter full! I was really happy with the way this outfit turned out. They don’t always work!
Love the blue print and you knocked it out of the park with the print mixing! So happy you are joining sweet Leslie for the 10 on the 10th!
xo,
Kellyann
Thank you so much, Kellyann! I do love print mixing when it works, but sometimes, it’s a major fail! I just can’t get the right animal print mixing going on (other than an animal print scarf and stripes).
I hope you’ll join Leslie and me for 10 on the 10th!
I love blue color! Great style! Happy new Year my dear!
Thanks so much!
Happy new year! It’s good you had a nice Christmas with family – we did too! It was really fun.
I was fast asleep for NYE – I just can’t stay up that late any more, the kids tire me out all day, haha! My husband is a night owl though and was awake for the new year – I’m more of a morning person so since I’m the one that gets up when the kids wake at 5am I have a really early bedtime, haha!
This is a lovely outfit as well – I like the different blues and patterns together, fun print mixing!
Hope that your week is going well and 2022 is off to a good start for you! 🙂
I’m so glad you had a good Christmas. I just can’t imagine one in warm weather though ours was pretty warm for December!
Oh, I remember the days of little ones! I went to bed when they did! Thankfully, they didn’t get up at 5am!
I had such fun picking out this outfit. I wasn’t sure until I put it on whether or not it actually worked! Sometimes, they do and lots of times, they don’t!
I hope you have a lovely rest of the week!
I had to google ‘manicotti’ as I hadn’t heard of it before. Turns out it is known here as Cannelloni! We had some serious pasta shortages when we went into lockdown last year, but the shelves are stocked again now – phew!
I found your blog via Gail and I see a connection with Jodie and Leslie too so I shall definitely add your blog to my list of ones to watch!
We took all the indoor decorations down yesterday and the outside lights today – just in time for Twelfth Night. I’m not sure why I am so superstitious but I am! Happy new year.
Welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy it! Our decorations are up, in part, because we have yet to celebrate with one son and because I like to keep them up through Epiphany. But, now, I’m dreading the un-decorating!
I wonder if I could find manicotti under cannelloni! Isn’t it strange the things that are in short supply? The pasta shelves here in central Indiana seem to be very sparse!
Have a wonderful New Year and thanks for coming by!