Holiday Style Link-up: New Year's Resolutions

Wow, so here we are, our last week of the Holiday Style Link-up hosted by yours truly and On the Daily Express. To be honest, it was a bit terrifying to do this because we had no idea what the participation levels were going to be, and frankly, didn't want to be failures. Needless to say, we are grateful and humbled by all the support and inspiration given not only to us as the hosts, but between all the participants and readers as well. (Yes, even you lurkers who don't comment - we see your clicks and page views!)

Knit Cap: Etsy | Sunnies: Oakley | Coat: Target (added self belt) (option) | Scarf: The Glittered Owl | Sweater: Rubbish (option) | Leggings: Splendid (layered over Cuddl Duds) | Boots: Vince Camuto (similar)

Mix it Monday: See the last time I wore these same pieces.

Left: Scarf | Middle: Sweater | Right: Boots

As I write this, we are hunkering down for, what feels like, a winter apocalypse. We're supposed to be getting 5-8 inches of snow, but on top of that, the wind chill is supposed to be negative 24 degrees. I live in St. Louis, not Antarctica! This is not supposed to be happening! As we were running around getting ice melt, salt, and other necessities, I felt it only appropriate to look the part of a winter victim. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've donned a hat on this blog, outside of my Cardinals baseball cap. Sigh. #imissbaseball

The good thing is, this lock down gives me plenty of time to reflect on 2013 and what I want to accomplish in 2014. We are finishing off the series with New Year's Resolutions. I'm guessing most everybody is back to work as of today, so this week truly marks the start of the new year to me. I can't say I'm diligent at writing my resolutions and sticking to them, but in the spirit of sharing, here's my plan for 2014.

1. Work on my fitness. What else is new, right? This seems to be an ongoing life resolution. I'd say I was in my best shape in 2009, and my goal is to get back to that. Lucky for me, there is a Pilates-Barre studio that opened up near the house. I love love love Pilates, but have only tried the mat classes. I've always wanted to try using the reformer, but the classes always seemed a bit expensive. My cousin in law and I paid a visit to the studio this weekend to get more info on class schedules and pricing, and everything looks great! The class times definitely seem workable and the prices were really only a couple dollars more than what I was used to with the mat classes. On top of this, I commit to 10,000 steps a day, dammit!

2. Paint my fingers. My toes are almost always painted, even in the winter, but I'd say my nails are only painted 30% of the time. I love the way they look painted, so I'm not sure why I can't just get off my lazy butt to do them more!

Via Instagram

3. Walk Annie the beagle. This goes along with number 1 above, but it's also good for the beagle's health to get outside and get moving! She loves our walks together, and I am so excited for the weather to be nice enough to do this again.

Via Instagram

4. Wear shoes. Not that I don't wear any shoes now, but I need to make sure all my shoes make it into my rotation more! I have a ridiculous amount of shoes, but I know I'm guilty of reaching for the same ones. (Yes, I'm looking at you, Report booties.) If I'm going to continue to be a shoe-aholic, then I need to dress around my shoes more.

From Closet room project: Part 2

5. Purge. Clearly, I have a lot of stuff, which means regular purging is a necessity. I only do this about twice a year right now, which really should be at *minimum* once a season.  I also need to be realistic about what I will truly wear again. Those booties that haven't seen the light of day in a couple years - they need to go. That dress that I have been saving for the last year hoping I'll lose a few pounds - it needs to go. Whether that means donating or listing on Poshmark, my clothes and shoes deserve a happy home. Oh and Dear Future Carylee, just because you're actively purging doesn't mean more shopping!

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Link-up Guidelines:
1. Go to a HOST page (More Pieces of Me or On the Daily Express) and click "Add My Link" at the end of our first post. Make sure your link is for your actual post and not your blog's home page. Even though this is Holiday Style themed, we do welcome all fashion and holiday related posts as long as the participation guidelines are followed.

2) Be sure that your post links back to at least one host (preferably both!). You can use a button on your blog or the link-up language of your choosing in your post, but please find a way to inform your readers of your participation in the Holiday Style Link Up in order to benefit all participants. In the spirit of the holidays we want to help each other grow, find new friends and readers, and share our love for fashion and festivities.

3) Please follow More Pieces of Me and On the Daily Express on Bloglovin'

4) After you post your link we hope you'll go check out other participants in the series and spread some holiday cheer with your comments and feedback!

Check out our favorites:
More Pieces of Me and On the Daily Express collaborated  to choose our favorites from last week's New Year's Eve theme! Since this week marks the end of the Holiday Style Link-up, we decided to go ahead and highlight our top THREE favorites vs. the normal two. 

Left: Tangled Musings | Middle: Haircut and General Attitude | Right: Petite Career Girl

Keep on linking on…
In this final week of the Holiday Style Linkup Series, your hosts want to say a genuine THANK YOU to each of you who participated with us. Whether you linked up one time or all six times, whether you dressed to the theme or did your own thing, we truly enjoyed having you join us. Through each of you we found new holiday, fashion, and blogging inspiration, made new friendships, and had our otherwise manic Mondays brightened just a little bit (or a lot!).

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We hate to see the end of this series, so we've decided to give it a new spin for the new year. Every Monday starting January 13 we'll be hosting Manic Monday, and we'd love to have you continue linking up with us. For this link-up there is no particular theme, just link-up to your recent post and be sure to link back to your hosts. Then hopefully we can help each other combat that case of the Mondays with a traffic boost and friendly comments from fellow participants. 

Happy 2014 and we hope to see you linking back up next week for Manic Monday!

        

Linking up for Watch What I'm Wearing, Monday Must Haves, Mix it Monday,
Love it Link it, Style Sessions, Erin and Laura for Trend Spin Linkup, 
and Love Your Look.