Mango for JCP

MNG by Mango dolman sleeve top, $36 | MNG by Mango ruffle blouse, $22|MNG by Mango tote handbag, $104 | MNG by Mango brown tote bag, $40 | MNG by Mango gold chain necklace, $20 | MNG by Mango® Lace Ruffle Dress or Bracelet or Bag, $28

Ohmygoshyouguys! Mango has come out with a line for JCPenny! I am beyond over the moon about this. 

I first encountered Mango while studying abroad. Lunches al fresco with the girls turned into afternoons of window shopping at least once a week. Mango was the only store where my wallet practically jumped out of my purse and paid for things of it's own accord. My will power was no match. Coming back to the states, I was sad to learn Mango only existed in Chicago and New York (they've since expanded to other states, but still not a single one in MN). 

On a (one of many) gift shopping trip last week, I practically squealed with excitement when I spotted the MNG by Mango logo above the racks of party dresses. Honestly, I was a little surprised that JCP is hosting the line but my oh my, I sure wasn't disappointed in the clothes. And I was ECSTATIC to find the above brown tote and gold necklace under the tree this evening (the bf and I opened presents with his family tonight). I wonder how he knew they'd go over well? It couldn't have been my constant ooohing and ahhhing or my inability to walk away with out picking up every single item on display...could it?

Start the week right.

It's not quite time for New Year's resolutions, but I saw this quote while blog-hopping (is that a term?) and it struck a cord.

Expect the people you love to be better. It helps them to become better. But don't get upset when they fail. It helps them keep trying.--Anonymous

We're all thinking about how to show our loved ones we really care around this time of year, but the very best gift of all is support and compassion. Don't forget though, to be kind to yourself as well when you're not quite as good as you want to be. Half the fun in life is the mistakes we make. 

In a completely unrelated note: This is my breakfast today. Pumpkin blueberry cobbler. Oh my, my favorite things! Unfortunately, I don't own ramekins so I used a muffin pan instead. Mine aren't quite as pretty as the ones in the recipe photo, but they sure are tasty! 

Blogger's Block

I've hit a little wall on what to write about. I think that this is because my free time has mostly consisted of Christmas shopping. Both in real life, and on the internets. I have a love/hate relationship with gift giving. I LOVE it when I find the absolute perrrrrrrrfect gift for someone. So much so, that it's really difficult to wait until Christmas and more than once I've ended up letting people unwrap their gifts a few days before December 25th. However, that perfect gift is so rare that most holiday gift shopping causes me lots of anxiety.
I always have an idea in my head of what I'd like to get everyone on my list, but for some reason stores just don't carry exactly what's in my head. If some small detail is off, I scrap the idea and usually end up looking for something different. I then realize how silly I'm being but by that time the item I want is usually sold out in the size/style/color I was looking for and then I'm back to square one. I've been shopping for weeks and only have 2 people on my list completed. This is the reason I'm always scrambling with the last minute shoppers. I suppose it's a good thing I don't have an aversion to shopping or going to the mall, as I've been spending quite a bit of time there lately.