Hi Friends! And Hello Friday! It’s been too long!The cold weather is here to stay for awhile, but with so many lovely things this holiday season, our hearts will keep us toasty warm!

Many thanks to my son Jacob Kennedy for his help in pictures for my blog. Jake is studying photography and video in school, and I so appreciate his talent and time he shares so willingly with me! If you would like to see more of his work, he would love to invite you to follow him on Instagram @jacob.kennedy21.

The ladies in our November Sizzler Exercise Challenge are crushing it! If you want inspiration to include some exercise back in your life, and to adapt a healthy lifestyle, come join us!

We are doing it together, learning together, inspiring together, no pressure, just fun and community while we get healthy!

We really do have a lot of laughs and I am inspired every day just seeing and hearing what the others in the group are doing!

Come check us out!

If you are interested please click here: Sizzler Challenge November 2018.

Weekend Sales Round Up:

Anthropologie – 20% off full price pants and jeans

Banana Republic – Beat the Holiday Rush Sale: 40% off your entire purchase! No code needed.

Bloomingdales – Online only: Take $25 off every $200 you spend for items marked “Take $25 off”; And, save up to 50% off on select items online and in store. Designer handbags save 30% on select styles. 

Chicos – 40% off everything! Use code 30314. Yowza!

Dick’s Sporting Goods – Many items up to 50% off. 30% off Fan Shop Collection, use code THANKFUL30

Express – 40% off everything! Some exclusions apply.

Gap  – Black Friday Early Access: 40% off everything, use code GIFT; Gap Cardholders get 50% off everything- plus an extra 10% off, use code CARDBF; Apply for a Gap Card, 50% off everything plus additional 20% off first purchase – use the link on the site.

JCrew – “Ready to Party Sale” (That sounds fun!)  35% off Dressed Up Styles, and 25% off everything else, use code READYTOPARTY. 

JCPenney – Black Friday Beat the Rush Sale- all kinds of fantastic deals including 60% off several styles of coats for men, women and kids, 60% off select styles of Christmas trees, great deals on things for the home, they have this pretty red 5 piece set of luggage reg $260 on sale for $89.99. Some serious bargains! You can also preview their Black Friday Sales.

Kohls – Home sale, $10 off when you spend $50 or more on your items for the home purchase, use code NOVHOME10; Friends & Family sale- extra 20% off, use code YOURFAMILY (offers are stackable!) Great sales on boots right now, and Columbia outerwear, athletic shoes, workout clothing and Under Armour. You can also preview their Black Friday Sales.

Loft – 40% off select tops, leggings, sweaters and dresses. For LoveLoft Cardholders, 50% off your purchase.

Lord & Taylor – 20% off regular and sale prices items (some exclusions) use code DEALS; Plus: If you go to their page they have a few of their Black Friday deals available for the weekend including some gorgeous cashmere sweaters in lots of colors and styles, regularly $160 on sale for $49.99. That hot pink is calling my name!

Macy’s – Extra 20% off, use code SCORE or $10 off your purchase of $25 or more, plus many of their Black Friday specials are available now, including a Dyson canister vacuum model regularly $429.99 on sale for $199.99. I’ve never had a Dyson but I hear they are awesome! L

Nordstrom – Just added many items to their Fall sale at 40% off. Click on the sale link at their page.

Old Navy – Black Friday Pre-Party- 40% off your entire purchase No Code Needed! Plus daily specials!

Target –  20% off artificial trees, 25% of many items for the home. Sneak Peek of Black Friday sales and it looks like lots of tempting things (got my eye on that Apple Watch!)

White House Black Market – 30% off entire purchase, use code 89429

Wouldn’t it be fun if we all could go shopping together? Oh my word we could get in some trouble!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I absolutely love reading blogs. Just like fashion and art, there are so many really lovely different blogs out there on every subject you can imagine. Each person who writes a blog has finely crafted it to express something about them, something they want to convey. I find it fascinating! I am drawn to certain blogs because of my taste and interest, and it dawned on me that it really is great information that I could share with you! So I decided to create a component called “A Few of my Favorite Things” and share all kinds of things I really love, including other bloggers!

As we go into the holidays, I thought of the perfect blog to share with you today, as it involves a snapshot look at a beautiful family relationship of women who love fashion!

The blog is Jodie’s Touch of Style, and the creator is Jodie Filogomo.

J Touch of Style is a blog that explores fashion and other interesting topics through the eyes of 3 women in one family: Jodie Filogomo (the creator, who is in her 50’s),  Nancy, Jodie’s StepMom (who is in her 70’s), And Charlotte, Jodie’s mother (who is in her 80’s).

What I like about Jodie’s blog:

• I love the charm of the 3 women included in the blog, with 3 different styles
• They are not only modeling lovely fashion, they are modeling relationships and family dynamics, and how fun it is to keep your sense of humor and love for adventure.
• I love that they have a theme and each respond to it with their own creativity and style.
• Jodie’s husband always seems to add to the sense of fun and adventure.
• It’s full of great ideas for how to be stylish on a budget.
• They occasionally add in all sorts of interesting topics like travel, beauty, health and decorating.
• The whole feel of the blog is very light hearted- I appreciate that.
• It’s very clever, and yet very down to earth.
• It feels like its chock full of content.

Jodie, you and I discovered that we actually lived in the same town, Sylvania, Oh during high school at the same time! I can’t tell you what a kick I get out of that, even though we did not know each other! Can you tell us briefly about yourself and your family?

I now think of you as my hometown friend, Amy. My mom and I moved to Sylvania, Ohio when I was in kindergarten. And I lived there until I moved to CO for college. My grandparents were in Toledo and it was so nice to be close to everyone.

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen what you are wearing and I absolutely love it! You are so creative! Can you share how you would describe your style?

I used to have a hard time with that question, Amy. But I’ve learned that my style should be a representation of my personality. So now I describe it as colorful and fun. Sure, there are times I like classic pieces and edgy things too. In fact, I always like to say that our personality isn’t one dimensional, so our clothing style shouldn’t be either.

Tell us about your career path, and how you came to start blogging?

I was a cosmetic dentist for over 20 years. When I sold my practice, I had no idea about blogging until my husband suggested it. I was thinking I’d be a personal shopper for others since I love shopping so much. But then when I researched blogging, I thought it’d be fun to incorporate my mom and stepmom too. That was 4 years ago, and it’s been so fun.

Your blog has this incredible positive chemistry between you and your mom and stepmom. How did you come up with this fantastic idea?

I was looking for an idea about fashion blogging that I didn’t see everywhere else. And it was convenient that my mom and stepmom both live so close. We have a wonderful relationship that makes it so enjoyable. Especially now that my husband is retired, we get to explore our city together and take the blog photos.

I love that there are always 3 different takes on the outfit theme for each post. Does it take a long time to plan and then create a post? Does it ever start with a brainstorming session with your mom and step mom? (Boy would I like to sit in on one of those!) Walk us through the process.  

I am a planner by nature, so that’s actually part of the fun for me. I probably should brainstorm more with my moms for our outfit posts, but usually I don’t…ha ha. I get ideas from so many places. Many times, I will have a suggestion from a reader. Or recently, I read an Instagram post about this lady only wearing black tights….so of course, that made me want to stretch the idea with interesting tights. Once I have the concept for the blog post, I will email my moms telling them the theme, and if there’s something in particular I’d like them to wear. My husband will help me figure out where we will go take photos. And since we take 2 outfit photos most places we go, we also have to figure out where we will change clothes. I certainly can’t ask my 80 year old mother to change clothes in the car, LOL!

We are going into the holiday season, and families will be gathering for all sorts of occasions. You seem to be so comfortable and really close with your family. Can you share any ideas of how to make the very best of the time we have together with our families during the holidays?

For the last couple of years, we decided to try to share experiences rather than gifts for the holidays. All of us seem to have enough “stuff” so why buy each other unneeded things? So we try to go somewhere and do something fun. Last year we traveled into the mountains for a hot springs trip which was lovely. This year we may stay at the iconic Brown Palace Hotel in Denver. Then we have these wonderful memories.

I am always scrambling at the last minute for what I am going to wear during those holiday dinners (usually I am cooking right up until the last minute!) Can you share any suggestions for putting together an outfit for Thanksgiving Day I can feel really good about?

I know everyone is so different in what they feel comfortable wearing, but I’m a firm believer in dressing up for the special occasions. I will gravitate towards a dress or skirt most holidays. And I know that everyone wants to be comfortable for this eating holiday, but I have a totally different take on it. I figure if I wear something a little more constricting, then I won’t overeat. When I’m cooking before an occasion, I usually have my outfit all set out on my bed, so I can change into it without stress. That means I’ve tried it on before hand including accessories. It saves me stressing at the last minute.

I love how free spirited you are about trying all kinds of fashion! It’s like you are a fashion artist! It is so creative and fresh! For the woman who might be wanting to break out of a rut, but is afraid to take that first step, what advice would you give her to help her feel confident and successful?

I think the advantage of getting older is I don’t feel the need to blend in and look like everyone else anymore. But it’s hard at first because you might worry that everyone is looking at you. Yet maybe that’s a good thing….people should be looking at us. We should be role models for the fact that getting older is wonderful….a blessing really. I always suggest when you want to try out new clothing styles, is to shop with someone else. We are ingrained about what we look like and what we like to wear, so it’s nice to be pushed out of our box. That and shopping at the thrift stores, is an inexpensive way to try out things we aren’t sure about.

What are three trends you really like right now?

I love the leather trend. I wasn’t sure I could pull off leather pants at first, but they have so many advantages. They are easy to wipe off if you spill on them. They don’t attract pet hair. And the leather skirts don’t stick to my tights!!

Another trend I love are the furry coats. It’s cold here in Denver, so anything to keep warm. I am also all about the animal prints….another great way to add pizzazz to any outfit.

If you were going to spoil yourself a little bit, what would it be? 

I always say that if I won the lottery, I’d have my hair styled every day!! It’s always a challenge to do my own hair, which is why I love hats!

What is your best fashion advice for women who follow your blog?

I’d say not to let our age dictate what we like to wear. Have fun with clothes and style. Gone are the days of those strict fashion rules, and that’s a good thing. The other thing is alterations can be your best friend. My mom was a home economics teacher who still loves to sew. She has taught me that you can’t expect items to fit your body off the rack.

Thank you so much, Jodie! You have brought smiles and great ideas to me and so many women!

If you would like to check out Jodie’s social media, you can find her at the following places:

• Jodie’s blog: Jodie’s Touch of Style
• Jodie’s Instagram: @jtouchofstyle
• Jodie’s Pinterest: Jodie’s Touch of Style
• Jodie’s Twitter: jodiestouchofstyle
• Jodie’s Facebook: jtouchofstyle
• Jodie’s Youtube: Jodie’s Touch of Style

Speaking of fashion, which I love! How about some Fashion to round out this Fashion Friday?

First up, this super cute and comfy Gray Fair Isle Sweater from Old Navy, regularly $39.99 on sale for $23.99!

The sweater is light weight, soft enough to wear without a layer underneath, and has lovely shades of gray, black and white with a bit of metallic in it.

I paired it up with my tan suede boots by Sarto and bag, and it has a super cozy vibe. This outfit will be on repeat! I did use my gray turtleneck from Chelsea28 at Nordstrom, as it was pretty cold out the day we took these photos.

This is another sweater in the same line as the sweater above but in a winter white with hues of rose and blue and black, a very cheerful and festive look. This sweater is also on sale for $23.99!

My bag is one which came in a Trunk Club shipment awhile back, and I fell in love but it was a little out of my price range so I did not keep it (oh I trembled sending that one back!). Well, it went on sale for 40% off a few weeks ago, and I jumped on it like a bird of prey! It’s fun when you find a bag that suits your style and it goes on sale too! I think it sings to me when I walk in the room! It sold out at Nordstrom pretty quickly when it went on sale. But it’s still on sale at a good price at  Rebecca Minkoff right now.

I had some inquiries about the sweater I shared in last week’s blog, and I wanted to include a link for it as well. This is the Oversized Turtleneck Tunic Sweater by Halogen.

This is another super soft sweater, the kind I will use over and over. It’s nice to add one or two nice warm sweaters each year, and fun to have one in fall colors. This burgundy will be fantastic for the entire winter. Once again, I paired it up with tan suede boots and a bag. It is nice to have boots and a bag that serve you well with many different looks! I’m not always so wise about picking things that are super flexible. But I am learning!

Can you believe we are cruising into the week of Thanksgiving? Goodness, life is such a ride, isn’t it?

We will be gathering together with family and friends, and sharing a meal and just being thankful for this life! We look back and remember days of our youth. And we catch up on where people are at today. And we look to the future with dreams of the things we want to do or places we want to go next. It is a time to press the pause button on the noise and to simply be together and be thankful. Isn’t that a lovely gift?

And if we start really looking at what matters most in life, we begin to realize just how blessed we really are. Like George Bailey, we are all the richest man in town! It really is a Wonderful Life!

I am so thankful for you, and for this way to connect! I thank you for the kind words and the laughter and the adventure of sharing our lives. Isn’t it a wonderful thing that we are doing this life together?

I hope you have a positively lovely weekend!

I’ll be back Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

“Dear George, Remember no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings. Love, Clarence.”     ~From “It’s a Wonderful Life”