Since I did a casual look and a Dressy look last year, I decided to do the same this year.

I started the casual outfit off with this Cardigan from Jack Wills (similar) because it just looks so cozy. Then I added this Duofold Plaid Shirt from Gilly Hicks. Keeping in mind that Thanksgiving is a Food Holiday and I, like Dean Winchester, believe pie is everything, decided to copy last year and go with Leggings for my bottoms. I love these tuxedo leggings from Topshop, Only because the Gilly Hicks top is long enough to cover your bum. These Sperry Dylan boots are gorgeous and I want them in my closet right now. And I finished off the outfit with these bow earrings from Kate Spade.

For the Dressy outfit, I once again took inspiration from Blair Waldorf’s Thanksgiving outfit in Season 1. That is of course my favorite episode. I chose this Cream Lace dress from H&M. Then I thought some cranberry colored tights would look amazing with it, so I picked these from Modcloth. For shoes I went with the pointed toe Brogue Bluchers from Zara, which are on my to buy list. I added this coat from Zara because I loved the color and the collar of it. For Jewelry I thought these Amethyst Studs from Kate Spade and this gold necklace with Curved Bar from H&M (similar) rounded out the outfit nicely.

This year I’m probably going to go with something close to the second outfit to wear for Thanksgiving day. At least that’s my idea right now. I do have 28 days to change my mind.

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? Any Thanksgiving related posts you’d like to see?

This book follows 8 boys in a small fictional town on Halloween night as they try to save their friend Pip and discover the meaning of Halloween. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud takes the boys on an adventure to find out why they’re dressed as witches, monsters, mummies and skeletons. He shows the boys not only the why and the how’s of Halloween, but how far they’ll go to save the greatest boy that ever lived Joe Pipkin.

This book has absolutely no flaws for me, being both written by Ray Bradbury, and a huge part of my childhood. I’d even say that this book has a lot to do with where I live, which is a small town very much like the book where “there wasn’t so much wilderness you couldn’t see the town. But on the other hand there wasn’t so much town you couldn’t see and feel and touch and smell the wilderness.”* Mr. Moundshroud was the first character to show me that sometimes you couldn’t be sure if someone was your friend or a villain until the end. And Pip, oh pip. I hope that by the time he’s 12 my son is just like and has friends as loyal as Joe Pipkin,’ the greatest boy who ever lived, and on the day he was born all the Orange Crush and Nehi soda bottles in the world fizzed over.”*

Final Verdict: I wholeheartedly, full stop, recommend this book. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you love Halloween, you’ll love this book. Ray Bradbury’s words take you into the world of that Halloween Tree and you find yourself racing with all the boys, and willing to do anything to save Joe Pipkin.

I thought of dressing up in costume this week, but I honestly haven’t worn a costume for Halloween since I was 21. It’s just not my thing anymore. So I decided to wear some of my favorite cozy clothing.

I’m wearing a gray stripey sweater from Gap, Glasses from Kate Spade. Victoria’s Secret Most Loved Yoga Leggings and Pink and Pepper boots. I love this sweater because it’s long enough to cover my butt and make these yoga leggings acceptable for public wear.

Bonus: Pinterest Told Me To  blogger Sheaffer recently did a post about Mixing Black Brown and Gray and I totally agree with her. It’s an amazing combination.

There’s howl being adorable with his Owl toy from Martha Stewart’s Petsmart Line. I really love that line for dog clothes and toys.

My makeup is super simple, just Rimmel’s new Stay Matte Liquid Mousse foundation that I received from Influenster, Nars Deep Throat Blush, Rosebud Salve Strawberry Lipbalm, Nyx Skinny Eye Marker, and YSL Baby Doll Mascara.

My Necklace is a Tiny Owl that I have no clue where I got, and not pictured are my Kate Spade Gumdrop Studs in Clear Silver.

Howl decided to get into the Halloween Spirit:

He says he should totally play a Hell Hound on Supernatural. I keep trying tell him he’s too adorable and Hell Hounds are invisible.

He then said he’s not adorable, he has Fangs and is Majestic and Ferocious, and the resemblance is striking.

What are your Halloween Plans? I plan to take my son trick or treating and then come home to curl up with Bitter River which I’ll be reviewing next week. Happy Halloween.

I’m wearing a White Oxford from Gap, Camel Tie Back Sweater from Loft, Plaid Leather Trimmed Skirt from The Limited, Hue Black Tights and Studded Asos Booties.

For my Jewelry I only wore my Kate Spade Gumdrop Earrings.

On My Face: Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia, Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla, Nars Blush in Deep Throat, various Lancome Eye Shadows, Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Bourbon, Benefit Watts Up, Benefit They’re Real, Lancome Rouge In Love Lipstick in Madame Tulip.

I adore these booties, they’re probably my favorite shoes ever, and they’re so comfortable.

Here’s Howl looking quite dapper in his hoodie. I love him in little shirts and things like that, but this is one of my favorites, next to his raincoat which is just plain adorable.

Since this post is going up late, I’ve decided to include some of the better outtakes, because we all know I don’t look this fabulous on the first try.

and I’ll end on an adorable outtake, Howl blinking during his close up:

Sarah and Jennifer are really careful, trusting their never list to keep them safe. A list they created after a horrible accident, one that made them more like sisters than friends. But one night they accidently break the worst possible rule they could on the never list and it costs them their freedom. Ten years later, Sarah is still trying to cope with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of the cellar with her, and that the man who kidnapped them might be getting out for parole. Sarah decides she needs to find more evidence to keep that horrible man locked away.

The Never List by Koethi Zan was released early this year and I grabbed it while I was in a hurry at the library solely based on it’s title and the cover. I had absolutely no clue what it was about when I checked it out. I enjoyed this book. It’s dark and twisted, with plenty of things that you absolutely do not expect to happen. I think what made this book a bit darker for me, is that I have my own Never List of sorts. I grew up being very aware of the terrible horrible things that could happen to me. I still follow some of those rules I made up for myself, while others have proved to be unnecessary. However, reading this book, where these girls did everything they possibly could to keep themselves safe and they still ended up in this situation, absolutely horrified me. They were so careful, and they didn’t even mean to break the rule, it just happened.

Final Verdict: I fully recommend this book, I adored it and it’s going on my books I’ve read but want to buy and read again list.

Today’s outfit is actually a variation of one that I made a wishboard for last year.

I’m wearing a sweater from Gap, and the Victoria’s Secret Most Loved Leggings, my socks are from Target’s $1 section last Valentines Day.

On My Face: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia, Nars Blush in Deep Throat, Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla and YSL Babydoll Mascara. Hair tie: Emi-jay. Glasses: Kate Spade

This is definitely an outfit that is cozy and comfortable, which was necessary because I sat down with this book and finished it all in one go. I like to be really cozy and comfortable when I read thrillers or horror novels, because it’s much easier to deal with the horrors of the world if you’re safe and cozy at home. I mean that’s so obvious that even Tool has a song about it.

I don’t know if you’ll remember but I said I wanted to recreate this outfit that Emma Stone wore this year. I knew we were going to have a really laid back day, so I wanted my outfit to be nice but super laid back as well.

I wore this Gap Fitted Boyfriend Shirt in White with Gap Legging Jeans (mine have zips at the ankle) and Toms.

I also wore my Madewell Drifter sunglasses and for my hair I pulled it up in a low messy bun and swept my blunt bangs to the side. I actually really liked them this way and haven’t stopped wearing them that way since. My earrings are my Kate Spade Small Square Studs in Silver

On my face I wore: Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia, Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla, Nars Blush in Deep Throat, Lancome Eyeshadow in Metallic Taupe, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Bourbon, Benefit Watts Up Highlighter, Benefit They’re Real Mascara, YSL Volupte Sheer Candy in #9 Cool Guava and Makeup Forever HD setting powder.

I was completely in love with this outfit. It was absolutely perfect for the day, and I managed (with the help of an apron) to keep my white shirt white during meal times which is an amazing feat for me because I’m insanely klutzy.

Howl thinks he’s a Vampire now and wants to know why he doesn’t sparkle! I keep telling him only Faeries sparkle.

I’ll be doing a post on what my husband and son got me for my birthday very very soon so be on the look out for that.

This look is my absolute dream look for hanging around in an old library, learning strange things that no one ever really needs to know.

The basics of this outfit are the Madewell Penfield Stokes Checked Shirt, H&M Cable Knit Sweater and H&M Skinny Jeans. Of course it had to feature H&M they are my favorite place to shop. I’d wear this Kate Spade Apple Of My Eye Mini Pendent, because Apples have a two fold symbolism come fall. Then I’d add in this red and white striped Vickers Bow from Kiel James Patrick. I, like Becky, adore these bows. The story behind them is they’re based off of men’s bow ties, and turned into bracelets for women. I have had these on my wishlist for ever and can’t wait to own one someday, hopefully very soon. Then for shoes I chose these Kate Spade x Keds in Frame Dot Pink. They’re bright and colorful, and I adore the mix of red and pink together. I know some people think they clash, but I’ve always adored it. I adore the just in from the cold flushed look, and Exhibit A from Nars will give you exactly that. I know red blush looks scary, but it’s all in how you apply it. Then of course I had to chose a red polish, and this one from Illamasqua is just gorgeous.

Another one of my favorite fall activities is apple picking, and with just a few changes this outfit is still pretty perfect for that.

I’d change into some Hunter boots, to prevent the possibility of ruining those adorable Kate Spade x Keds, toss on this adorable Boat Jacket by Superdry, and I’m all set for the outside. This Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Shopper is perfect for carrying all the apples I pick, and this Loose Leaf Tumbler from Teavana is an absolute necessity for keeping warm in the cold

For this weeks book review we have Getting Rooted in New Zealand by Jamie Baywood. Since I’m ill I will not be doing an outfit post with this book. I do however have a get the look board.

Start off with a pretty dress, I love this one from French Connection (It’s on major sale right now!), then a sweet bow belt, I, of course, chose this one from Kate Spade. Then you need so black patent flats, and you just can’t go wrong with these from Zara. Then for accessories I chose this Apple of My Eye necklace from Kate Spade, it’s so dainty and perfect. Top it all off with this great Trench from H&M and this red hat from Anthropologie. And you have the perfect look to match the cover of this book.

On to the review!

Jamie Baywood is a California Native that after a string of bad breakups, decides to uproot her life and head for New Zealand. This story is about adjusting, finding your place, and falling in love the right way.

About the actual story though, it was strange for me to read because it’s written in diary format, and is a memoir of her time in New Zealand. Normally neither of those are a style of book that I enjoy. Then adding in that some of the things that happened to her while she was in New Zealand were absolutely horrific. She did have some absolutely lovely things happen, but you have to slog your way through the terrible things to get to them. Honestly when I got to the part about her ex’s, I put the book down and walked away. But then I decided to pick it back up the next day and see what happened.

I’ll just say, that like life, love and shopping, this book gets better as you go through it. She’s very frank and seems to tell things exactly as they happened with no embellishment. It’s this deadpan delivery that truly makes some of the things that happen to her seem all the more horrific. Really that’s all the only word that I can come up with for those things. I can’t even imagine how I would have handled them had I been in her place.

However, when she meets the love of her life, you instantly know it’s him. Not because she blatantly says so immediately, but because he’s the brightest spot in her life at that time.

Final Verdict: I highly recommend this book if your thinking of moving to New Zealand. It was definitely an eye opener into working conditions for expats there.

Bonus: Look how adorable the author is!

I’ve linked up with Get Your Pretty On, so go check it out

*This book was provided for review by the Author. This does not effect my opinion or review of the book at all. I was not compensated for this review.

New Zealand Look by fashionandhappythings featuring a kate spade belt

I recently watched some videos that Taylor Swift made in collaboration with Keds talking about her style and I remembered how much fun I had last fall with all my stripes and oxfords, so I decided that I wanted to wear exactly that.

I’m wearing a red and cream striped sweater from Francesca’s and  Black Shorts from H&M.

My shoes are Not Rated Oxfords that I ordered from Journey’s last year.

My Necklace is a beaded 3 strand necklace that I got from H&M ages ago. I once wore it as a bracelet here.

My makeup was Nars Sheer Glow in Siberia, Nars Deep Throat Blush, Nars Concealer in Vanilla, Bite VIB Rouge lip color, and YSL Babydoll Mascara

I wasn’t having the greatest Hair day so I left my bangs down and pulled it back into a ponytail with an Emi-Jay Hair Tie.

Howl loved being at the park, especially the part where he got to eat the grass.

Can I just say I’ve never been a big fan of Keds, until I realized they’d come out with all these cute collaborations. Now I really really want a pair from both the Taylor Swift collab and the Kate Spade Collab. So much that I’m seriously thinking about getting myself a pair instead of Toms from my birthday. Maybe? What do you think, Toms or Keds?

My Birthday is less than 2 months away, and it is seriously my favorite time of the year. Since it’s my favorite, I’m already planning what I want to do. We never really do anything to big for my birthday, it’s always dinner out with just the family and presents. I’m gonna be completely honest, presents are my favorite part. Since I’ve been sick all week, I’ve been laying on the couch making these on Polyvore. Most of them I haven’t published, but I liked these two enough to share.

I’ve already got my outfit picked out, and of course I don’t actually have any of this stuff. It’s inspired by Emma Stone, because she’s my latest style obsession.

It’s the absolute perfect casual easy going outfit. Classic, Chic and Comfortable, and it’s all things I should have in my wardrobe and don’t. Which since it’s all classic pieces it gives me the perfect excuse to buy them. First up is this Gap Boyfriend Oxford Shirt, I have been meaning to buy a white button down forever, but keep putting it off. Then are these jeans from H&M, these look absolutely perfect and comfortable. I think the best part is that they’re midrise and dark wash with no rips or tears in them. Then there’s Tom’s. I’ve never really been a big fan of how the shoes look, but they’ve started to grow on me, bonus they’re one of those buy and do good things. I actually plan on buying myself a pair for my birthday. Then the accessories for the outfit, I’m kinda in love with all of them.  There are these Ampersand Earrings from Kate Spade, this Monogram S necklace from Nadri, these amazing Drifter Sunnies from Madewell and my absolute favorite this Twelfth St. By Cynthia Vincent Shopper. I adore this bag. I’m not really one for handbags, but this one is gorgeous.

Continuing with the theme of My Birthday Is Coming Soon(ish), I’ve also put together a wishlist collage.

It’s not a very long list this year, but I adore each and everyone of these items on my list. You’ll notice that the accessories that were in my outfit post above are all on this wishlist. I’ll start with the Jewelry, There’s the Say Yes Ampersand Earrings from Kate Spade, the Monogram S necklace from Nadri and also this Monogram bracelet from Alex and Ani. I’d also really like a nice pair of Sunglasses and while I’d love a pair from Warby Parker, I think they’re a bit expensive for this year, so these Drifter Suglasses from Madewell in tortoiseshell  are a great alternative. Then I really love this iPhone Case from Lilly Pulitzer, and this brush set from Real Techniques. A Barnes and Noble Gift Card is always welcome. I am of course a shoe addict and since I’ve worn out my Floral H&M shoes, I was thinking it’s time to graduate to Keds. I really love these Kate Spade for Keds, but then again these Paw Print Taylor Swift for Keds have had a special place in my heart ever since we brought Howl home. We have a tie for my most wanted item this year, and that’s between a Keurig and the Twelfth St. Shopper by Cynthia Vincent. I adore both of them and would be absolutely ecstatic with either one.

I can’t recall where I first heard about this book, but I bought it over a year ago and was extremely excited to get it.

I’m pretty sure it was recommended by a T.V. show or Actress I was obsessed with at the time, or something like that. My whole entire life, I have adored Barbie, but I hear constantly everything that it is meant to be negative about her. With the Subtitle of this book being “A Doll’s History and Her Impact On Us” I felt that it was absolutely a must read for me. I decided that for this weeks outfit, I’d do my best impression of Barbie, and got all dressed up to take photos. I don’t normally just dress up to take photos, usually I wear whatever I’m wearing in the post all day, but getting all done up just for the sake of being photographed was fun. Details will be at the end of the post.

This gives not just the history of Barbra “Barbie” Millicent Roberts, but also the history of her creator Ruth Handler. It talks of her early life growing up, who she fell in love with and how a girl who never cared about dolls created the most iconic doll ever.

The reason she created Barbie, named after her daughter, is simple. Girls want to play with a doll that looks like a grown up. You could easily stop here at this statement and say “Okay, now I don’t need to read this book.” But you’d be wrong. You’d miss out on seeing the different Barbie’s through the years and how she has affected many girls lives in both positive an negative ways.

This got me thinking, how did Barbie affect me? I remember the last Barbie I ever bought, was a Teacher Barbie, my parents found her at Goodwill, she was new in packaging,she came with 2 students, desks and a chalk board,and she was cheap only $5. I was 9 years old and I loved that Barbie to death. I had several other Barbie’s. My first one was bought at an old fashioned General store that had wood floors. I went in with my Grandmother and because I was quiet I got to pick out a toy. I chose Barbie. She was simple, and the cheap version, a kind of knock off of the original, but not really a knockoff since she was produced by Mattel. I adored her. She had such great hair and pretty makeup. I was given dresses and shoes and my fashion obsession began. I loved to dress Barbie up and go on adventures. My Barbies were all actresses because they were always pretending to be someone else. They were Nancy Drew and Paula Abdul and Kelly from Saved By The Bell. Once when I lost my Ken I dressed another Barbie up in his clothes to carry on acting out the scenes.

But Barbie didn’t just spark my fashion obsession as a child, she also bonded me with my one of my Aunts. I remember my Aunt Heather had the coolest Barbies when I was little. She had a couple of the Barbies from the Barbies and the Rockers Series. Every time I came over I’m sure I begged to play with her Barbies, but after I put one in chicken soup (she was sick!) I was never allowed to unsupervised. We put on concerts, had weddings, ran businesses, and did everything we could possibly dream of. I always felt so cool playing with Heather, because she was 7 years older than me. By the time she out grew playing Barbies with her niece, I had mostly outgrown Barbies. But I’ve never outgrown her completely.

Right from Barbie’s beginnings mother’s were worried about how the doll would effect their daughter’s self esteem. Barbie even has a syndrome named after her. I have never had any issues with Barbie, she was always just another toy to me. She represented what I wanted when I grew up, a busy girl with a bursting closet and tons of shoes. It never got more complex than that for me.

No matter your thoughts on Barbie, I can’t recommend this book to you enough.

On Me: H&M Dress, Kate Spade Earrings, Kate Spade Belt, Return to Tiffany Bracelet, Jessica Simpson Heels, H&M Sunnies, DIY Necklace from Forever 21 Headband, Nails Notting Hill Gate

On My Face: Smashbox Primer, Lancome Teint Visionnaire Foundation, YSL Babydoll Mascara, Nars Deep Throat, Lacome Various Eyeshadows, Urban Decay Bourbon 24/7 Eyeliner, Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Highlighter, Too Faced Lip Primer, YSL #4 Succulent Pomegranate Volupte Sheer Candy Balm
My Hair: Pulled in to a High Pony Tail with my Volume on top and hair wrapped to hid the band
On My Nails: Nails Inc. Notting Hill Gate