Happy Sunday!

Today’s serenade is “My Favorite Book” by Stars. I think it was this song that gave me the idea to begin this series. My favorite line is, “And to this day, when everything breaks, you are the anchor that holds me. And that is why we’ll always make it.” Not to get all mushy on you, but Nick is my anchor.

I’m going to try to improve my Sunday Morning Serenade series by including a list in each one of 5 things that make me happy.

This week, my list is going to be mostly about school-related things because that’s what’s on my mind. In case you’re unfamiliar, here’s the background: I live in one city and commute about two hours to attend graduate school in another city during the week. On the days I have classes, I stay with family to make the commute a little more bearable. That means I’m only home on the weekends and am away from my husband and dogs during the week. So, keeping that in mind, here are 5 things that make me feel happy:

1. My dogs. Being away from them all week is really hard because they’re the loves of my life. But seeing their wagging tails and getting bombarded with puppy kisses makes coming home the best feeling ever.
2.  Getting good grades. I’ve been out of school for about 6 years and, although I was always a really good student, I was a little worried that it would be hard to get back into the swing of things. Luckily, I was wrong and I’ve been making really good grades so far. It’s a huge relief.
3.  Cooking with Nick. It’s really hard to cook for one person and, considering that I spend a lot of time on campus without microwaves or refrigeration, I eat out a lot. So, as you can probably imagine, getting to cook and sit down at the table with Nick on the weekends is a happy thing.
4. Date nights. Again, I’m gone during the week so I don’t get to see my other NCsquared half as often as I’m used to, which was every day for about 6 years. We’ve started having regular date nights as a way to ensure we get to spend time together and that we can just be near each other. They make me warm and fuzzy.
5. Coffee. I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was about 25 and spent about nine months commuting about an hour to my job. In order to avoid heavy traffic, I would get up early and leave early. I’ve never really been a morning person so I started drinking coffee to wake me up and now I’m hooked. What started out as one cup a day has gradually grown over to 2 or 3 cups each morning. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Sunday Morning Serenade series is where I present you with music and a list of happy things to help start your week off on a positive note.

Cardigan, Blouse Belt, and Trousers: Banana Republic | Bracelet: Old Navy | Shoes: Target

This is another outfit where the majority of the pieces came from one store: Banana Republic. There are two main reasons why I regularly shop there: 1) Nick works there so we get a sweet discount and 2) Most importantly, they carry petite sizes that [almost] always fit me perfectly, meaning I rarely need to get anything hemmed or taken in. When you’re 5’1″ it can be a real chore to find clothes that fit you properly, but Banana Republic really delivers when it comes to us shorties.

Hey, look, more ruffles! I know I said I’m not usually a fan of ruffles, but again, these are fairly subtle and add a little something extra to the blouse. Also, purple is my favorite color, and I love the rich, fall-ness of this cardigan. I would probably wear it every day if I could. When it gets a little colder out, I’ll probably wear a purple scarf with it, too!

What’s your favorite color?

Top: Banana Republic | Vest: Conversation Pieces | Jeans: Old Navy | Boots: Steve Madden | Necklace: Old Navy | Earrings: Targe

Happy Halloween!

This outfit was pinspired by Audrey at Putting Me Together, which is one of my favorite fashion blogs. It took me a while to find the right vest but, once I did, I couldn’t wait to recreate this look. So, I didn’t mean to copy it so completely but I had all of the pieces and it looks so, well… put together! And the layers are perfect for Fall. Thanks, Audrey, for being such an inspiration; I’ll pretend that I meant to be you for Halloween!

This shirt is one of those that I wore every chance I got after buying it and then it took a little rest in the closet for a while. But now it’s back and it’s ready to rock this season. I was actually going to belt the vest with a cognac belt but it was just too hot out when I took the photos. Seriously, it’s almost November and we’re still getting 75-degree weather. I miss the little chill we had in the air last week.

Have you been pinspired and able to recreate the look to your liking?

Sweater: Banana Republic | Button-front: Old Navy | Pants: Old Navy |Shoes: Rocket Dog via Zappos | Earrings: Target | Necklace: gift

Classy casual is a thing right? Because this outfit feels classy to me, with the polka dots and pearls, but it’s also pretty casual with the lighter denim. Ohh, I like the sound of that; I should change my blog name to polka dots and pearls! Don’t steal that (and if it already exists, just kidding, I won’t steal it either!)

I’m really feeling these loafers because they’re the perfect combination of cute and comfortable. Too often during the colder months I struggle with what shoes to wear because I want to look put together but I also want warm feet. When my feet are cold, my entire body gets cold. These are the perfect solution.

What makes you feel classy, yet casual?

As much as we love to travel and try new activities in new locales, we have the most fun in our own city. Finding new events, restaurants, and happenings right here at home is not only cheaper, but builds our sense of community, which is really important since neither of us are originally from here.

Photo from DukeHomestead.org

This weekend, we attended a very interesting event at the Duke Homestead State Historic Site called Widows and Wakes. The Duke Homestead was the home of one of Durham’s most prosperous tobacco farmers and is now an historic site and tobacco museum.

The event was a special candlelight tour of the home with costumed actors that depicted in the Victorian era “how doctors attended a dying patient and prepared family members to say goodbye, widows grieving their loss at a wake held in the parlor, and the reenactment of a period séance in the dining room.”

Photo from DukeHomestead.org. © 2012 Charles Durward Rogers

It wasn’t the typical Halloween haunted house and that’s what I loved about it. It was curated by a historian that took time to research the traditions of families in the late 1800s so it was an accurate interpretation of how people dealt with death and illness.  The actors contracted “consumption” (now known as tuberculosis), made the last arrangements for their deceased loved one and later contacted them in the afterlife through a spirit guide. Afterward, our group gathered around a roaring fire pit and the curator answered any questions we had regarding what we had seen and life in general in those times. It was very entertaining and I will happily attend next year.

This was our first visit to the homestead and I’m already making plans to visit again for other events to help preserve our town’s history. I definitely recommend looking into what your own town has to offer and making good use of it. You never know what you’ll find and will probably have a blast doing it!