One thing that is helping me face the transition from Christmas Break total vacation mode into real life is the bounty of new clothes and accessories which Mom, Susan, and Grandma have added to my wardrobe. This year I got so many cute new pieces and I'm so excited to work them into new ensembles.
Now, I was not up for actually trying on all my new clothes, as this:

is my current state of pajama-ed comfort, and after an afternoon of shopping and trying on clothes, I just don't want to change. Though my new clothes would be better displayed by my actually wearing them, here's what I was able to manage:

This new coat was my main gift from Mom and Dad. My old coat was from my freshman year of high school, and I love having this new one! Sarah gave me the scarf and hobo gloves to give it a fun pop of color. Too bad it isn't colder here so I could actually enjoy the cozy warmth of my new winter outerwear.

This sweater vest from Shade is one that Mom has that I wore once over Thanksgiving Break and loved. It's long, and cozy, and I love it! Unfortunately, it looks a little funny with my new shorter-length coat; on the way into King
Soopers on the first day I wore it, I realized that under my coat, the vest looked like a cape or wide tail.
Haha. That won't stop me from wearing it on many a winter day in Provo!

I LOVE this purple jacket from Susan! I've never really been a purple person, but as of late I've been accumulating a rather significant amount of this deep, egg-
planty purple into my wardrobe, and am rather enjoying the effect of this color with my vast amounts of charcoal. The jacket is made of boiled wool--which sounds really creepy to me--which, according to Susan, is all the rage, so she hooked us up, of course. Thanks! Also pictured above are the Anne Taylor Loft charcoal trousers Mom gave me, which are made of
flowy, beautiful material. I feel so sophisticated wearing them, and am so excited for them to make their
BYU debut.

And, what Christmas wardrobe would be complete without a couple pairs of shoes?! Not one from my family, certainly. =) Santa left me a fantastic pair of
bronzish/charcoal, metallic flats with jewel detail on the toe. (Unfortunately, the top jewel on the left shoe popped off somewhere in Sam's Club, and the jewel on the right shoe met it's end at our New Year's Eve party.) And yes, Mom and Susan found a pair of Jedi boots they deem acceptable, and even cute! I saw many a cute pair of flat boots such as these on campus last semester, along with some not-so-acceptable pairs. These seem more
Pocohantas to me than Luke Skywalker, (
sp?) but I'm a fan. Thanks Mom and Susan!

Finally, Christmas Day delivered with two of the most awesome necklaces I've ever seen, let alone owned. The left was a treasure found in my stocking, and the right was a wonderful surprise from Susan.
And of course, I did a little after-Christmas shopping, but ended up spending very little of my own money. Charlotte gave me a
gift card to the Gap, and Grandma and Grandpa gave me one to Macy's. Pictured below are my spoils from shopping this afternoon, during which my purchases came to a couple dollars under my
gift card amounts. Perfect.

Inventory:
3 thin layering turtlenecks in mustard yellow, charcoal, and off-white (That last one didn't make it into the picture.)
1 black vest, complete with metallic charcoal buttons
1 cream-colored varsity cardigan. It looks almost like a doctor's coat in this picture, but I promise, it's way cute on. We all wanted one!
1 pleated black skirt from The Gap, complete with buttons all the way down!
Grand Total: $66.16.
Not bad at all.

Oh, and I found this for $10.00 at Marshall's!
I feel so blessed by the generosity of so many. My new pieces make returning to normal life so much more exciting; I love being in a family that loves shopping and style, and it is a blessing to be surrounded by so many stylish and
beautiful women to learn from.