one more try

If you haven't tried Try (haha), now would be a really good time to test it out. I've been using Try since 2015 and I honestly cannot imagine shopping without it now. Basically you place orders from your favorite shops (my favorites to use with Try are ASOS, Forever 21, and Urban Outfitters) using the Try add-on button and once you receive the items in the mail you have 7 days to try them on and decide whether or not you want to keep them. You don't pay a cent until you make your decision. So if you want to order 2 sizes of one item to see which one fits best, or you just want to see how an item looks on you before you commit to buying it (you know, like you would in a fitting room if you were shopping in person) this service lets you do that. I used Try for this hat (I wasn't sure if it the brim was floppy or firm -- it's firm) and ended up deciding to keep it!

Right now they're doing a promotion where you can get a $25 credit towards your first Try. This isn't sponsored but if you use my referral link I get $25 off too! Win-win! :D

dress - asos (old) | sweater - forever 21

boots - bait footwear | hat - asos

baby it should be cold outside

Well, I'm back in "dressing for colder weather than we're actually having" mode. It was 75 degrees yesterday. On the first of November.

Anyway, today is the day that I had originally scheduled my medical procedure if my test results hadn't been good (if you haven't been following my health saga, they were very good results!) so I have this overwhelming sense of gratitude and calmness today. If I hadn't changed my diet and lifestyle today would be VERY different. I would have woken up extra early and spent the day at a surgery center. Instead I'm going out for a walk with my dad, doing some errands, going on a job interview (I'll share more on that later... if I get the job, haha!) and hanging out with Arrietty, just appreciating normalcy. If this year has taught me anything it's that I need to be more grateful for simple, uneventful, perfect days.

sweater - c/o modcloth | skirt - asos (old) | tights - target

boots - amazon | hat - forever 21 (old)

wishlist thursday

1. pink overalls
2. red bow scrunchie
3. red tassel earrings
4. pink scarf
5. round green purse
6. jingle bells earrings
7. red clear boots
8. green pumps

happy halloween!

I had no intention of dressing up for Halloween this year, but when I saw a costume of a Grady twin from The Shining at the mall the other day I thought it would be SO fun to do an outfit post with me being both twins. The costume at the mall wasn't my size, so I went on Amazon and found an Alice in Wonderland costume that worked just as well and paired it with a pink belt that I already had in my closet.

I actually came up with a really great idea for *another* costume this week too (why do I always get ideas for things at the very last minute?!) but I'm going to save it for next year so I can spend time perfecting it. It's way more obscure than this one, but I'm really excited about it.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun halloween! :D

dress - amazon | belt - amazon | shoes - asos (old)

Style Idol - Reese Witherspoon

One week until Election Day! Don't forget to vote! :)

young at heart

This is actually a kid's dress from Target! If you're really short like me (I'm 5') sometimes it's frustrating finding dresses that are the right proportion. They're usually too long at the waist and too long overall, so I get a lot of my dresses tailored to fit me. But this dress fit perfectly off the rack. I got a size XL and I'm usually a US8 or Medium in grown up clothes. Also it was only $9.99 which is like 1/5 the price of most adult dresses, so... score!

This weekend I did the Out of the Darkness walk to fight suicide. It was way more emotional than I anticipated... they had an opening ceremony with music and speakers and it really got to me. But I'm so glad I participated, and even though I didn't raise very much money I'm happy that a few people donated and supported my walk. And as a reminder, if you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

I also had my annual Halloween party yesterday, which was so much fun. The menu was tricky this year since I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet, my brother is highly allergic to nuts, and my grandmom has Celiac, but I made it work! We had roasted pumpkin soup with a side of brown rice and bell peppers, and for dessert I made homemade gluten free lemon bars with coconut flour. I also made homemade chocolates with maple syrup and those were a hit with my family! I'll post a recipe for the candy soon -- everyone is demanding that I make more this week, so I'll take some pictures and write up a recipe post when I do my next batch ;)

dress - target | belt - from another dress | shoes - bait footwear

un deux trois

For this week's wardrobe remix I picked this most-perfect-item-for-fall-ever sweater. I've been wearing it a lot lately (including for pumpkin picking -- THE perfect place to wear it!) and I like it so much that I ordered it in dark green, too. I've always loved the idea of chunky sweaters but I don't usually like the way they look on me. The dropped shoulder seams usually create a weird bulge on my arms that makes me look bigger, but this one lays so nicely and I think it's actually flattering.

Can you guess which outfit is my favorite? I'll tell you at the bottom of the post! :)



Remixed item: Ginger sweater from Forever 21

Skirt: Lazy Oaf (old)
Shoes: Amazon

This is going to sound so cheesy but the model in the product listing had her sweater tucked in a little bit, and I thought it looked so cool that I decided to try it. And that's how I've been styling it almost every time I wear this sweater now! It's a thick sweater so I was surprised that it worked, but I love it! Also I just got these boots recently that said "mauve" on the listing but are actually closer to my skin tone in person, and I love the lengthening effect I get with them. That's unusual for an ankle boot, they usually make me look two feet tall, lol.



Remixed item: Ginger sweater from Forever 21

Jumper: Asos
Shoes: Bait Footwear
Necklace: Vintage

I'm just going to go ahead and say this is my least favorite of the three outfits, even though the concept is my favorite. I like the *idea* of a long necklace, tall boots, and a corduroy jumper but this dress just doesn't fit me well. I bought it about 12 pounds ago and it was big on me then, so now I'm swimming in it a little. I also need it hemmed a bit. I think if I get it tailored to fit me better I'd LOVE this outfit though! It feels very 70's-meets-cozy :)



Remixed item: Ginger sweater from Forever 21

Hat: Forever 21
Pants: old
Shoes: Aldo (old)

Pants?! Yes, pants! This one is actually my favorite. I love these pants with these shoes, and I'm very obsessed with this chenille beret because it lays nicely, unlike wool berets which always, without fail, look stupid on my head. This is an outfit I could definitely wear pretty much every day this fall and I'd be perfectly happy with that! :)

recipe: three variations of vegan pesto!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I've been trying to eat a healthier diet the last several weeks and one thing that has been making all those healthy meals taste amazing is homemade vegan pesto. I've been trying a bunch of different varieties, with different nuts, seeds, and greens. It's so fun to play around with this recipe!

I use this pesto in so many different ways -- on wraps or sandwiches as a spread, diluted with a little extra virgin olive oil as a salad dressing, or (my favorite!) with zucchini noodles and roasted vegetables for dinner. Yum!! I usually use about 1-2 tablespoons at a time. It's packed with flavor and you really don't need all that much to make a difference.

Each batch that I make comes from the following recipe --



In a blender combine:

1/2 cup nuts or seeds
1/2 cup vegetable broth (add more if it's too thick)
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic
a pinch of sea salt
1 cup of greens (herbs or vegetables)

My favorite combinations are:

Sunflower seed - Parsley pesto (perfect if you have nut allergies!)
Basil - Walnut pesto (my favorite!)
Roasted asparagus - Cashew pesto

For the roasted asparagus pesto, just cook asparagus tips on 400' for 20 minutes and then wait until it's cooled to room temperature before adding it to your blender.

And that's it! It's SO easy to make this, and it's so healthy! (And so yummy!!)