Dia de Gracias

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I will say that this Thanksgiving is probably one of the hardest I've had as I am celebrating from abroad. Skyping family and hearing about the 4 different pies they will be eating is not nearly the same as being at home. Leading up to this day I knew I would be homesick, but what I didn't think about until today is just how grateful I am for the community I will be with today. While I am not with my family on my favorite holiday of the year, my roommate and I are hosting fifteen people at our apartment to celebrate (don't worry we aren't cooking all the food ourselves). To prepare we were up until 1am last night attempting to cut our turkey in half after realizing it doesn't fit in our oven, and believe me this is much harder to do than you would think. 

While trying to distract myself from the fact that I'm not at home I started to forget about the real point of Thanksgiving. However, after hearing my spanish professor saying Thanksgiving in spanish, Dia de Gracias, I began to remember that this day should really be about giving thanks and remembering how lucky we all are for what we have. My time in Spain is almost over and I have to remind myself not to take these weeks for granted, but to treasure my time here and remember all the reasons I have to be happy. 

I hope you all have wonderful Thanksgivings and are getting the chance to celebrate with friends or family and remember what you are thankful for. Plus, make sure to eat plenty of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!

Dia de Gracias

Thursday, November 27, 2014

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Outfit: That Time of Year

Zara flannel (similar), American Eagle jeans, Rebecca Minkoff bag

I made the mistake of leaving all but one of my plaid shirts at home when I left for Madrid. I was in the summer mode where you can't imagine what you you're going to want to be wearing once the chilly weather actually hits. So, when it did finally start to cool down in Madrid I immediately went out and found the perfect oversized flannel. Pairing it with ripped jeans and leopard flats (which I wear all.the.time) was just right for Christmas market exploring over the weekend. Plus, I may be repeating a very similar look for Thanksgiving in just a few days!

Outfit: That Time of Year

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

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Peachy Keen's Holiday Gift Guide

So this year I'm breaking my number one rule and letting the Christmas spirit in before Thanksgiving is over. While most of my family is happy to watch Annabelle's Wish in July or listen to Jingle Bells in October I like to keep the Christmas craziness between Black Friday and December 25. However, since Thanksgiving is incredibly late this year and I'm living in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving I've gotten in the Christmas mood is early. I even started my Christmas gift shopping yesterday (so much earlier than my usual December 23 starting date). 

Since I'm getting a jump on all things Christmas a little early I thought I would share the spirit with all my readers :) So here we have it, my holiday gift guide! You can get all the help you need with hostess gifts, presents for mom & dad, and maybe even what to add to your wish list over on Peachy Keen's Holiday Shop. Plus, if you are a late shopper you can check back at the gift guide over the next month just by clicking on the handy button on the sidebar. 

If you're looking for a little inspiration to get you in the holiday spirit make sure to check out my Holiday Board on Pinterest as well! Over the next few weeks I'll be updating it with my favorite looks, decorations, and recipes.

Peachy Keen's Holiday Gift Guide

Monday, November 24, 2014

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Happy Friday + Links

Well here we are. It's finally Friday! While this week wasn't particularly busy it did seem extra long because of a shortened weekend last weekend. Today I'm headed to Toledo for a day trip with my school. I'm pretty excited since I've heard it's absolutely beautiful and the weather is supposed to be perfect (65 and sunny). Plus, with brunch plans and (somewhat) light workload I couldn't be more ready for the weekend to begin. 

It's been a while since I've posted some links, so here are my favorites from the last few weeks...

I would sacrifice my life to get my hands on Hallie Wilson's new flats (ok maybe that's a bit extreme).

If you want to send a holiday card to someone this year I absolutely love the selection from Anthropologie and this Joy card is easily my favorite. 

The story of how Dannijo became such a an amazing jewelry company. My favorite piece of theirs right now is this incredible necklace. 

Emily Schuman's perfect pumpkin pie. I'll take 10 please. 

I'm way behind on my movie watching and need to add many of these 'top ten fashion films of the season' to my watch list.

Design Darling has teamed up with Amy Stone so that you can finally have Amy's incredible instagrams hanging on your wall! (I died a little when I found out). There are 8 different prints, but my favorites are the anchor door, cabana, and pineapple prints. 

Make sure to check back Monday because I'll be breaking my number one rule and talking about Christmas before Thanksgiving is over. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy Friday + Links

Friday, November 21, 2014

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Shop: Thanksgiving Wear

flannel // leather leggings // satchel* // flats

sweater* // jeans // bag // boots // watch

*An extra 30% off these items at J.Crew right now

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? Even though I won't be going home for Thanksgiving (or even be in the US) I'm still counting down the days. A few years ago, when my sister joined our high school's cheerleading team, my family started hosting a breakfast for her team before the Thanksgiving football game. Going to the game and then having family over for a very large dinner is something I look forward to every year. 

 While usually I love to dress up for the Holidays (I've begged my parents for years to have a less casual Christmas dinner), Thanksgiving is a time for jeans, flannels, and sweaters. Above I have tow options for Thanksgiving that I'm considering. The left look is pretty much as dressy as I would ever go for the day, but luckily leather leggings and a button up are still perfectly comfortable. Then, on the right, is the classic fall look with a few changes. Switch out skinny jeans for boyfriend jeans and your classic v neck sweater for a chunky loose turtleneck. Plus, with both these outfits you can start the day with warm boots for a family or school football game and then switch to flats for dinner later. Even better, the stretchy waist lines and loose tops will be incredibly forgiving when you eat half a pumpkin pie. 

Shop: Thanksgiving Wear

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

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Travel: Postcards from Prague

Happy Monday everyone! After a crazy week last week (lots of assignments, an test, and a very important presentation) I'm finally back. With all of the school work I was feeling incredibly uninspired and decided to take a week off from blogging, but I'm excited to finally be writing something I really care about again. 

Part of the reason last week was so crazy was because I was coming back from spending the long weekend in Prague (Monday was a holiday in Madrid). I planned my trip to Prague to visit friends who are studying abroad there months ago and was so excited I almost killed someone when my flight was delayed. When I did finally arrive it was already dark and I couldn't see nearly how beauitful the city is. The next morning as my friend and I explored Old Town I think she started to get annoyed with how many times I said everything was so beautiful. I lucked out with a perfect fall day complete with blue skies and the prettiest leaves. The city felt a bit like a fairytale and leaving Monday morning with my friends still in Prague was more than a little sad. 

Prague has easily been one of my favorite cities I've visited and yes I know I say that every time I go on a trip, but this trip is one that will not easily ever be forgotten. Extra thanks to my friends who were incredible hosts :)

Travel: Postcards from Prague

Monday, November 17, 2014

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Shop: Fall Covets N.3

striped dress // leopard flats // floppy hat // plaid scarf

fisherman sweater // leather leggings // red bag // otk boots // peacoat

It's been a while since I've put up a Fall Covets post (see N1 and 2), but there are plenty of items on my wish list. I finally got a chance to wear my leather leggings this week and now I don't really want to wear anything else. I chunky white fisherman sweater would be perfect over my leather leggings with a classic J.Crew field jacket thrown on top. I've also been missing my otk boots that I left at home (what was I thinking?), but for those of you that don't have a pair yet, these are under $100. 

Plus, accessories like a red & black scarf (which is very hard to find by the way, they are all red and blue!) and a black floppy hat keep you stylish and warm in the almost winter temperatures. 

I'm headed Prague today for a long weekend off from school and a variation of pretty much all these items is packed in my suitcase (minus the peacoat, because I'm the idiot who left hers in the US). I'll definitely be layering up so that I don't freeze while exploring the beautiful city. My dream would be to look as amazing as Julia Engel did exploring the city just a couple weeks ago. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Shop: Fall Covets N.3

Friday, November 7, 2014

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Outfit: Two Things

Pull & Bear blazer // J.Crew chambray // unknown leather leggings // INC flats

2 Things:

1) It finally feels like real fall in Madrid and yesterday the weather was perfect. 

2) Spanish clothing brands are going to be my downfall.

The weather has been so perfect the last few days that I've been wearing every fally outfit I own. Highs in the 50s mean I can finally break out all of my favorite fall pieces, like these leather leggings. At the same time, though, I'm dying to go shopping. And that is why Spanish brands are going to kill me. Besides Zara and Mango (my go-tos) I've now fallen in love with Pull & Bear. They not only have great basics at even greater prices (my blazer was only $34), but I also love many of the more styled items, like this floral dress and this houndstooth coat. Two trips to colder places (Prague and Geneva) coming up soon may provide the perfect excuse to bring home that beautiful coat. 

Outfit: Two Things

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

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Shop: J.Crew Fall Sale

It's that time again, one of the best J.Crew sale's of the year has arrived. If it wasn't going to break my wallet (shipping J.Crew to Spain is barely even possible) I would already have everything on my wish list. 

My advice for taking advantage of this sale in the best way possible is to focus on the basics. Yes, a red peacoat is great, but you're going to wear classic sweaters, dark wash skinny jeans, and striped tees for years to come (the cost per wear will literally be pennies). Pick pieces in neutrals and deep jewel tones (maroon, forest green, etc) since these colors will always be in style for fall. 

And fine, if you want to pick out some fun not-so-basic pieces then go for these bright red flats or a scuba skirt. I won't blame for not wanting to stick to the classics since I'll be right there with you. 

Have a great start to your week!

Shop: J.Crew Fall Sale

Monday, November 3, 2014

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Living The Dream

So, to be honest, life as been a little  bit of a mess lately.

 During my trip to Valencia last weekend I somehow ended up screwing my knee. I returned home Sunday and spent the next 24 hours studying for my last midterm Tuesday morning. Then Wednesday morning a bunch of my friends arrived in Madrid for their Fall Break, and as you can imagine I was incredibly excited to see them. So, of course, through all this business and excitement I just kept going (while on a lot of Advil). Well, as most bad choices do, it all ended badly Thursday night. There were a lot of tears, a huge ice pack, and luckily some amazing friends, and I was definitely past my limit. 

After being convinced by my friends I went to the doctor on Friday to get my knee checked out. Luckily, it seems it’s nothing that actual rest and some TLC can’t take care of, but I was told to stay off my feet as much as possible for the next week. This sadly meant there was no Halloween fun for me Friday night, instead I spent the night eating candy and finishing a book I’ve been reading for far too long. 

Now, this leads me to the last messy part of the week, our wifi.  One top of the busyness of class and friends and a hurting knee my apartment wifi has decided to stop working and all I wanted to do Friday night was watch the new Scandal episode. I’ve been attempting to take advantage wifi everywhere I’ve gone since being abroad means I rely on wifi for everything (no data plan for me), but it still means I’m behind on everything I need to do using internet (which is basically everything). 

So, all in all this week has been a disaster of some sorts. I’m actually writing this post while sitting on the sidewalk outside my school building (which is closed for the weekend), because it is the closest place with wifi (and I’m not supposed to be walking anywhere…). As I walked here I was just insanely pissed about everything that’s going on, but somehow the act of just sitting and writing makes the problems of this week go away. It reminds me that I actually had an amazing time exploring Valencia, that Wednesday night with my friends was perfect, and that instead of being holed up in my apartment on a beautiful day I’m being forced to sit outside to get work done. So yeah, life is hard and I’m really busy, but instead of just thinking “god I have so much to do” I’m forcing myself to remember that everyday I really am living my dream. 

Living The Dream

Saturday, November 1, 2014

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