new year's eve + 12 in 2012

happy (almost) new year's eve!

{jeans, boots: LB | sweater: JC Penney | scarf: target}

2012

will be here in a moment of hours...

I want to document my goals for 2012.  Resolutions never really pan out, do they?  I still can't give up the coke zero!Here's the merrymaker's list to work towards and hopefully accomplish in 2012.(in no particular order...)
one: apply to grad schooltwo: take the praxis by marchthree: work on my finances (make a dent in loans, etc)four: learn the basics of sewing & make a skirt (or a pillow)five: read more books (hello, kindle) six: run a 5Kseven: drink less cokeeight: make time for myself to think and grownine: cook more meals at home, go out to eat lessten:  take better care of myself eleven:  take TWO real vacations, one in the mountains & one to the beach.twelve:  shop less, thrift more
I was going to add 'floss more' to the list, but I think that's an overshare. Oh wait, too late...

puffy vests + lifetime movies

{skirt & gingham top: target | leggings: LB | boots: nine west | vest: JC Penney | scarf: gordmans}

Ladies and chickens, may I present to you my first ever puffy vest?!  I have coveted the outdoorsy fashion statement from afar for way too long.  Boxing day was just the occasion that I needed to finally purchase one.  I got this sweet lime green warming goodness for $10.43 at JC Penney and I want to wear it everyday.  
Last night, we went to play live team trivia (we didn't win) and then sing karaoke.I am trying to make the most of my last few vacation days and all I really want to do is lie in bed and watch Lifetime movies.

{one: my brother loves to sign me up for karaoke songs.}{two: trivia isn't fun without frozen mango margaritas.}

blazers & burritos

A wise person once said that television would turn your brain to mush, or something... I can tell you from personal experience that watching The Walking Dead for two days straight can make you mushy.I was hesitant to start the series, but after finding it on Netflix I jumped on the zombiewagon.I am OBSESSED! In fact, I need Comcast to get skippy on uploading the second season on demand so I can catch up before February.
Zombies aside, my sister and I got all dressed up Monday night to go use our gift cards to a swanky new restaurant in town.  Wouldn't you know that as soon we get there, walk a block in the rain, and get to the door... They're closed for Boxing Day or something. Boooooo!  Oh well, we went and got margaritas and burritos instead.
Night saved.

She's a cutie, ain't she?

merrymaking faves of 2011

I have been a member of this wild world of blogging for an entire year now!  My blog's first birthday was on December 17th! HAPPY belated first birthday to MATTERS OF MERRYMAKING!
With 2012 fast approaching, I decided to chronicle and highlight my favorite outfits from the past year.As I scoured my archives... I laughed a lot, remembered great days, and came face-to-face with the reason why I started blogging.  I can't wait to look back at this little place in three, or five years, and see what memories have been made.
Here are some of my favorites of 2011, good and bad.The posts are linked underneath.

one, two, three

four, five, six

seven, eight, nine

ten, eleven, twelve
Just realized, I am only wearing pants in three of these.Tells you a lot about me right there...

christmas recovery + surprise gifts

{dress as skirt: asos, denim top: vintage, flower pin: homemade, leggings&booties: lb, purse: MK}

Good afternoon, little chickchicks!Hope your weekend was full of cheer, family, friends and fun. We are recovering today with shopping, lunch, naps, and hot chocolate (in that order, haha)We had such a good Christmas Eve with friends and Christmas Day with my immediate family.Lots of food, fun, and merriment.(and that was before Santa came)

I got the most wonderful things for Christmas, exactly what I wanted! Santa brought me a Kindle Fire which has become forever attached to my hand and that GORGEOUS Silpada hematite and quartz sterling silver ring.  He's got good taste, I know! My siblings and I draw names for Secret Sibling Santa (there's four of us, plus my sister-in-law) for gifts this year.  My little sister Sarah, or as I like to call her Sneaky, drew my name but spent the last few weeks telling me she had our other sister.  What a sneak!  She had me all along and she got me a case for the kindle fire and that luscious eggplant Michael Kors purse.  I'm spoiled, full of good food, and ready for 2012, I'd say it was a successful holiday!
Did you get your wish list fulfilled? Or were you super surprised?Do tell!

happy christmas, little chickens!

I hope it is MERRY & bright.

red tights + polka dots

 {belt, tights: dots | shoes, coat: LB | dress: ross | feather pin: homemade}

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE!Hi there, pretty chickens!My, oh my, I have missed you!  Things have been busy and messy and cray cray around here.First things first, I was in a car accident on Tuesday and I am fine fine fine; however, the state of my car is in limbo until after the holiday weekend.  My family has been great in being there for me and making sure I stay in the Christmas spirit.  I am SO excited for this weekend and spending time with my family and ALL of our dogs. I am posing in front of the doggy stockings! (there are FIVE pups here now! YIKES)
Moving on, I am finally getting time to put on real clothes and get fancy.I love my new short booties and my red tights.I will be so sad when Christmas is over and I may or may not be retiring my holiday color palette before Spring Break.
Sequins and all.

FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

Well, we made it.  I consider this Friday a pretty big feat because it is the last day of the semester before CHRISTMAS BREAK!  Making it through a Christmas program, a class party, and a pagaent with my pre-schoolers is definitely deserving of a few weeks off, right? That's what I thought.

Here are five things that I love this week:

Love the idea of butcher paper and stamping a name.

My secret santa from work was super lovely and got me many shiny accessories, but also this cupcake container.

Perfect for taking a Muddy's cupcake back to work with me :)

At my second work holiday party, I drank this champagne and it was delicious.

A dream under my Christmas tree? This YSL serpent bracelet.

from Net-a-porter.

This mix of color and pattern.

Hope you all have a marvelous weekend.

See ya here on Monday, and I'll try not to brag about me not having to go to work and such.

I said I'll try.

leather jackets + christmas quizzes

{boots: nine west | tights, leopard top: TJ maxx | dress: thrifted | leather jacket: ross | belt: dots}Check out WIW: Leather Jackets, hosted by the lovely Dani (The Daily Dani)

Christmas Quiz (stolen from Faye)If you post your own Q+A's be sure to let me know so I can check out your holiday answers.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? I don't care much at all for egg nog.  Not the name, not the color, not the consistency.  I will take the hot chocolate, with or without a splash of peppermint schnapps.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa did not wrap often when I was younger, but now that my attention span has grown (slightly) he wraps my presents just to make the magic last longer.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have never had lights on our house, but it's a strictly white lights on the tree household.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Never say never.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We are notoriously lazy.  We have done it as early as December 1st and as late as Christmas Eve.  And I would be lying if I said that tree hasn't seen it's share of Valentine's Days. 

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Chess squares (dessert) or Cream cheese & pepper jelly (appetizer) or my mom's dressing (side dish) or my dad's country ham (for Christmas breakfast). YEAH I WENT THERE!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? It really is a culmination of a my childhood.  As soon as we got out of school for Christmas break, my three siblings and I wold move all of our beds in to one room and sleep in the same room ALL of the break.  Many great memories of laughs, holiday movies, and listening for Santa's boots on the floor downstairs.

{ And yes, we still all spend Christmas Eve in the same room :) }

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Second grade, at the lunch table, from some kid named Timothy.  Jerk.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We begged and begged every year.  We have a strict Christmas day tradition.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My mom is an interior decorator so we always got to give our input.... BUT it always ended up very professional in the end :) We have traded in the sentimental ornaments for a more traditional tree, from this post.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it.

12. Can you ice skate? I've never actually tried, but considering I can't roller skate/blade or walk and chew gum at the same time, I'll just spare myself the ER visit.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? They were all my favorites.  But, I remember getting one of those 5 disc changing stereos back in the late 90s, and boy did I love that thing. Oh, and my TalkGirl.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Tradition and surprises.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I cheated earlier and told you-- Chess squares, definitely.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Refer to #7

17. What tops your tree? Whoever had the patience to stick around that long with Mom while she is all bossy around that tree :)

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Ever since I started college, I really became a big giver.  I love planning gifts for the person, and not just buying them a picture frame or some gloves.

Although, gloves are nice.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yum? Yum, peppermint or candy flavored, I like them all.

20. Favorite Christmas movie? ELF! Runner ups: Love Actually and Christmas Vacation.

21. Saddest Christmas song? Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland. (watch that clip!) Reason: I was in the musical Meet Me In St. Louis, and the song was written for her for the movie.  The part of the song in the play is more bittersweet than people realize.  That being said, it is my favorite but it has to be JUDY!

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Second place to the song I just mentioned and because I have no shame, I recorded this two years ago with some friends when I was procrastinating for exams.  Merry Christmas Baby by Hanson is definitely a favorite with me and my baby sister, (hey girl).

I blame the red bull.

You're welcome.

sparkle skirts & pretty parties

{dress as top: TJ maxx | skirt, cardi: LB | necklace: dots | shoes: payless}

Party over here! Okay, well not really.  As you can see from my tree, that I am slacking in the gift wrapping department (one down...), but I am more than covered on the sparkly skirt front.  I have about 25 outfits planned around this skirt, so get ready for that little chickens.Other than that, I think I've got the sequin thing down...
Ozzy, on the other hand, is taking a crack at the whole style blogging thing.... Goof.

{collar: Kong brand, via Petsmart}
Have you heard this song? It makes me laugh because when I first heard it- I thought it was a joke.Get it, Toby.

FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

The holiday season is drawing close... we all feel that, right?Well if you haven't felt it allow me to share with you that IT IS!I know this because it takes me 15 minutes to scrap ice of my car windows in the morning.It takes me foreeeeevvvvveeeerrrrrr to get my kids to stop talking in class about their elves on the shelves.(Snowflake was making snow angels in the flour on the counter!!!!! MINE was baking cookies!)And the few glasses of wine a week have become even more festive when enjoyed out of my holiday stemware.Here are five more things that are bringing the merriment:

Pinned here, so obviously describes me during the holiday season.

This amazing flatware.

This skirt that I bought, but I still can't get my hair to do that. (!!!!)

The most amazing shoes ever made.

Love it.

Have a good weekend, my little chickens.