Author: careofmon

Eddie Bauer: The Brand’s Past, Present, and Future

On By careofmonIn Uncategorized1 Comment

My earliest memories of Eddie Bauer was seeing the Eddie Bauer logo on some cars. Eddie Bauer had an affiliation with Ford, and my neighbor had one of the Eddie Bauer Ford Explorers. There is an Eddie Bauer at the Burlington Mall near where I grew up so then I started to associate the brand with clothing, but more clothes my mom and aunt liked. At that time it was all about American Eagle haha.

I have a couple pieces from Eddie Bauer; a flannel shirt (blogged here), a fleece vest,  a cable knit cardigan, a waffle knit henley. I loved one of their quilted vests that I blogged about here. The clothing is definitely on the preppy side I guess? Reminds me of Land’s End a little. Imagine my surprise when I started following Eddie Bauer on Instagram….to realize that they are an outdoors/mountaineering/winter sports brand? Thinking back, the display window at the Eddie Bauer at Downtown Crossings in Boston does show a man mountain climbing…..but I still didn’t necessarily associate them with outdoor pursuits and outdoorsmen.

I am one of those outdoorsmen. I ski, cross country ski, and hike NH’s 4000 footers in the winter with snowshoes, mountaineering boots, and crampons. I camp and hike, my fiance is a flyfisherman. The brands that I think of when I consider gear are REI, Eastern Mountain Sports, LLBean, The North Face, Columbia, La Sportiva, Black Diamond, Arcteryx, and Mountain Hardwear….Eddie Bauer doesn’t come into my brain at all. Enter Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent. If you do some poking around on the Eddie Bauer website, you will find ‘First Ascent’, their line for snow and mountains and ‘Travex’, their line for hiking and camping…and they have fishing/hunting gear as well. Do a little research on Eddie Bauer and the history of the company and you will find that Eddie Bauer, the man who started this company in Seattle in 1920, started it as an outdoor outfitter company.

Eddie Bauer held the first patent in 1940 on the down jacket! They were hired by the US Army and got to have their logo on outdoor clothing for the US Army. Eddie Bauer organized and sponsored numerous awesome expeditions!! First American ascent of Everest by Jim Whittaker,  first ascent of Gasherbrum I, first ascent Dhaulagari, first ascent of Great Trango Tower, and others…..history making expeditions where everyone was wearing parkas and gear from Eddie Bauer.

Here is a gorgeous vintage Eddie Bauer sweater that I scooped up in my travels:

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Love the ducks and how the layers of the yoke design represent the parts of the landscape like the grass, then water, then woods, and finally purple mountains 🙂

Eddie Bauer retired in 1968, and sold the company to Spiegel, Inc. Spiegel, Inc. declared bankruptcy in 2003, Eddie Bauer became Eddie Bauer Holdings which then declared banruptcy itself in 2009. Then there were rumors that Jos. A. Bank would buy Eddie Bauer in 2014, but now Men’s Wearhouse is buying Jos. A. Bank and will not buy Eddie Bauer…..craziness.

So where does this leave Eddie Bauer. Eddie Bauer’s social media advertises it as an outdoor outfitter company, showing sponsored skiers and climbers….but if you go to the Eddie Bauer website, it looks like a lifestyle clothing company and you have to hunt a little to find this outdoorsy stuff. I have never seen any bloggers wearing Eddie Bauer really, no sponsorships or collaborations. That’s fine by me, but typically big companies marketing toward the high school/college kids have some reach into the people with popular blogs/instagram accounts.

Eddie Bauer has awesome history, and somehow they have held on throughout the years, but they don’t seem strong enough as a lifestyle clothing company to compete with J Crew, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, etc. nor do they seem strong enough to compete with the outdoor gear companies like Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shop, and REI. As we enter 2016, I wonder where this company will go. Anyone out there from the west coast? Is Eddie Bauer the LLBean of the northwest? If you were running the marketing dept, where would you take this company? For me, I would think about a direction: go hard with the outdoor gear or go hard with the lifestyle/clothing….how do Orvis and LLBean do it? Is is their reputation for customer service and their marketing that keep them going with the clothing AND gear? Orvis has Land Rover and Barbour….LLBean has the iconic sweaters and boots….what does Eddie Bauer have?

Musings here free of charge, chime in, I would love to hear what others think about this brand.

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Great plans for Elvis’s once abandoned Circle G Ranch

On By careofmonIn LifestyleLeave a comment

In the spring of 2009, I went on a pretty epic road trip from LA where my friend was studying for a semester back to Boston. We stopped in Las Vegas, Amarillo TX, stopped to see a friend at NATO flight school in OK, went to Memphis to see Beale St and Graceland, and then a very unremarkable night in Roanoke VA.

I never considered myself to be a big Elvis fan, but my parents are, and going to Graceland, you just can’t help but feel connected to him and his story. He was so talented, so trusting and giving, lonely in his fame, depressed, practically bankrupt when he died. Graceland is actually very underwhelming by today’s standards for celebrity homes. The pool was almost small? One passion that I share with Elvis was his love for horses. There will always be horses at Graceland. I will write about them sometime, they are lovely. His birthday was January 8th, he would have been 81, what sort of man would he be now I wonder?

While many people know about Graceland, not many know about Circle G Ranch. Circle G Ranch is 231 acres in Horn Lake, MS. Elvis and  Priscilla spent part of their honeymoon there in 1967, and many close to Elvis say this was where he spent his happiest times. There is a home on the property, and their friends had trailers that they kept on the property. They went trail riding, swimming, and had great bbqs. The property has passed hands a couple times; the ranch house was actually a floral shop for a time. The buildings have fallen into disarray and last year it seems a group capable of really bringing the property back to life finally purchased it.

Anyone like that show about life after people? Here are some pics of the beautiful Circle G Ranch before the renovation.

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The modest ranch house that Elvis and Priscilla shared
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The bridge over the lake on the property built by Elvis
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BBQ Pit, one side has an E, the other a P in the bricks
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Old stables fallen into disrepair, broken down truck included
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View of the storage and 55 foot tall cross
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The swimming pool, probably my favorite photo subject
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The diving boards at the pool where I’m sure much fun was had
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Elvis at Circle G Ranch on his beloved Rising Sun

Walking through this property must be like walking back through time. Like Elvis and Priscilla were going to come into view any minute on their horses, ready for a dip in the pool and some burgers. I can’t wait to see how the renovations go. Here’s the proposed map of features.

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They plan to bring horses back to property for therapeutic riding for disabled children. There will be seating, a stage, and a water feature in the lake. They will hold shows for the community, focusing on veterans and their families. They want the land to be a tribute to what it used to be by renovating the bridge, the cross, and ranch house. At the same time, the new features will help populations that Elvis cared about: children, veterans, and the disabled. More information about the plans for Circle G Ranch can be found here.

Want more info on Circle G Ranch? This guy, Phil Arnold has three awesome posts about it, lots of photos and anecdotes. I loved reading them.

Elvis’s Circle G Ranch-Part 1

Elvis’s Circle G Ranch-Part 2

Elvis’s Circle G Ranch- Part 3

Whether you are an Elvis fan, a horse enthusiast, or an equestrian, it’s easy to relate to a man, no matter who he is, and his love for trail riding…setting out into the quiet on your trusted horse and experiencing nature as you only can from horseback. He was an American cowboy, a veteran, and a rock n roll icon. While many would remember Elvis in their favorite movie, or on stage performing, I will choose to remember him riding. His horses never asked him for more than attention, a patch of grass, and water….how many people in his life could say that?

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The Old Bromfield School, Est. 1878

On By careofmonIn LifestyleLeave a comment

In 1878, Margaret Bromfield Blanchard founded the Bromfield School in Harvard, MA. The building was designed by Peabody and Stearns in the beautiful Queen Anne style.   In 1960, it was home to just 100 students. A new Bromfield School was built just next to it that had a gymnasium, and the high school moved out of the old school officially in 2003. In 2007, the building reopened as the Harvard Public Library.

The old Bromfield School is beautiful, and due to its proximity to the center of town and all of Harvard’s schools, it is a vibrant meeting place for people of all ages. They have a children’s room, a teen room, and silent rooms. Oh, and down the hill behind it, past the athletic fields is a beautiful pond, Bare Hill Pond. People row, paddle board, and even sail a bit out there. I will have to go back and snap some pics this summer.

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Above are two photos of the exterior front. Looks like the Mass version of Hogwarts right?? Off to the right and back there is an addition to expand the library. I was there around 3:30 and the library was full of adults,kids, and many students. Students in Harvard can walk just a short distance  to the library to do homework after school.

This is a reading room in the library, there were probably 3 rooms that not only housed books, but were silent spaces for studying, reading, and reflection. This reading room is a half circle, the same half circle you see from the outside in the front.

Here are some of the historic items set aside in a foyer of the library, a lovely grandfather clock, a portrait of Margaret Bromfield Blanchard, and the wooden sign declaring the purpose of this beautiful building.

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There is a room upstairs used for functions/concerts called Volunteers Hall. They did a Sound of Music singalong in December that I would have loved to go to if I hadn’t gotten a root canal that afternoon hahaha. I did end up getting a couple books- All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot and Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams. I read All Creatures Great and Small by Herriot a few years back and just never continued, and I read Williams’s first 2 books which were both pretty good.

I love libraries. I love book sharing of course because its free, but the buildings themselves are often repurposed or given to the town and have rich histories. Harvard’s public library is an important part of the community, I can only hope that wherever Jon and me end up settling will have such a nice, supported library.

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My first Lilly post: The After Party Sale…

On By careofmonIn Fashion, LifestyleLeave a comment

So since I started this blog in the fall, I haven’t really gotten to post anything about one my favorite ladies, Lilly Pulitzer. She was smart, stylish, loved color, and became synonymous with her amazing brand and the resort lifestyle. You can say she started with money, being a student at Miss Porter’s in Connecticut with Jackie O….and then went straight to more money marrying Herbert Pulitzer, but no matter what you wanna say, she built an incredible company.

She passed away in 2013 and honestly, as time passes, I like less and less of the patterns. I think part of the problem for me is there’s a LOT of neon now, and very mod patterns. My red hair, as much as I love it, makes me stand out, so I have always kept my wardrobe a little muted, lots of navy and earth tones. Most of the prints I have liked from Lilly had a sort of New England feel to them. Also, I hate the hashtag “buy me lilly”. It sounds so spoiled and greedy, not at all the way I picture the ideal Lilly girl.

I got onto the website around 8:30 AM yesterday and there were over 40k users in front of me…by the time I got on, a lot of stuff was already sold out!! I did get one thing 🙂 A white shift that I am thinking would be lovely for the rehearsal & rehearsal dinner the night before my wedding. I think it retailed for $278, and it was $74 for the after party sale. It’s called the Delia shift. I had been hunting for a LWD (little white dress) and I think this fits the bill. shopping

Some of my favorite prints from the past include:

Clockwise from the top: You Gotta Regatta, Lobstah Roll, Get Nauti, Seafood Salad, & Watch Out.

You can see a theme right? Lighthouses, seafood, sailboats…..You gotta regatta and get nauti are total holy grail prints, anything in these prints is usually really marked up on Ebay. I still look from time to time. Always got my eye out for a deal 😉

I hope these patterns have given you all a little excuse for some summer day dreamin!!!

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Goals of 2016

On By careofmonIn LifestyleLeave a comment

Ok, so Holiday vacation is over, and I am sitting in the terrible queue for the Lilly Pulitzer after party sale….ugh, I don’t even know if I really want anything, don’t ask me why I feel compelled to participate in this craziness.

Anyway, I try to shy away from the word “resolutions” because I feel like if I don’t accomplish them that means that my resolve wasn’t strong enough? I like to call them goals.

  1. Finish my MS in Biological Sciences. This is my last semester. I have 2 courses to take and will be at school three days a week after work. I can do this…I can do this….
  2. Less time on my phone. I feel like everyone says this one. At night I am going to put my phone on the charger upstairs so I won’t be tempted to cruise instagram or play on my phone.
  3. Be kinder to my fiance. I have a short fuse sort of temper. It flares up very intense and dies down really quickly. I need to communicate better BEFORE I lose my temper.
  4. Finish the 48 New Hampshire 4000 footers! This will be a great goal to reach, I am so excited to finish the list! Certainly won’t be the end of hiking though. I hope to be hiking well into my retirement years.
  5. Eat more healthy!! More vegetables, less cheese. This one is totally doable. Another super common goal though huh? I struggle in the winter though because I want warm food. I no longer want to eat the cold salads or the cold green smoothies. It means more preparation to have the green vegetables to cook and resisting putting warm melty cheese on everything.

I have some fun things coming up this year….trips to Florida, Aiken SC, Burlington VT, hopefully the Belmont Stakes, many weekends in NH, and a very exciting trip to Nantucket this summer. I am also getting married this year, wooo!!! So that will be exciting too 🙂

What are some of your goals for 2016? Who has something fun planned to work/look forward to? I hope everyone had a great New Year’s! I went to a friend’s house for a super hero costume karaoke party, it was so fun!

Here’s little Mizpah on New Year’s Eve, my little snow pup!

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Top 5 Memories of 2015

On By careofmonIn Lifestyle, TripsLeave a comment

I can’t believe that 2015 is coming to a close. In some ways, its really no big deal, I just have to remember to write ’16’ when I write out the date. I mean, how do you measure a year? Reminds me of that song from Rent…

Here are my top 5 memories from 2015!

5. Cape Cod getaway- One of my good friends has family on the cape with room to spare, so we headed down on a Wednesday night in August and stayed until Friday. It was so nice to be there during the week, and we managed to do all of our favorite things in that time! We went out to the Woodshed, got lobster rolls at Sesuit Harbor, hung out at the beach, took out our friend’s boat and did some ocean wakeboarding, saw a whale out in the bay, and did some shopping in Chatham.

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4. Memorial Day Trip to Isle of Palms/Charleston- The fiancé, me, and 9 friends rented a house in Isle of Palms for Memorial Day weekend. We were right on the beach, went out in Charleston, and just had the best time goofing around the house. We played an epic country song drinking game, went to a rooftop bar with a pool, and made great memories.

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3. Las Vegas Trip for one of my best friend’s bachelorette and her amazing wedding at the barn where I ride. Two extremely happy weekends with my favorite girls from the barn. We always have such a good time together.

The centerpieces were beautiful fresh flowers in horse show trophy cups. Metallic sandals were the bridesmaid shoe of choice- here are some of our Jack Rogers taking a break while we danced!

2. Hiking Mt. Washington in March- This year I hiked 22 4000 footers in NH!! We headed up Mt. Washington on a really nice March day. There was no wind, which is crazy for Mt. Washington. It was an amazing hike, a hard hike. Hiking in that area, you always look for Mt. Washington from all the other summits. Finally climbing the summit that I had admired for so long, it was amazing.

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1. Getting engaged on the summit of Mt. Madison- ahhhh how to even put this day into words. My fiances favorite summit is Mt. Madison because you pop out of the woods to the most amazing views of the White Mountains. He asked me to spend the rest of my life with him and I said yes. Annnnd then we had to hike over to Mt. Adams, and hike down. It was  quite a day! Still so happy just thinking about it.

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I hope that you all have a great New Year’s Eve planned, whether its a party or snuggling up on the couch. Thank you to everyone who has followed along this year, I hope that you continue this journey with me into 2016!

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Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker 2015

On By careofmonIn Lifestyle3 Comments

Sunday night, my mother, sister, and I went to see Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker. I am a huge fan of the Boston Ballet and the Boston Opera House. I go 2-3 times a year- definitely the Nutcracker every year, and then any other classic ballets. I have been to Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, La Bayadiere, The Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky ballets are my favorite.

Before the ballet, we walked around downtown crossings a little. We checked out the window displays at the Macy’s which were so cute, they were all scenes from the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Oh and there’s a Primark in there now?? Gotta check that out….

Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree!
Beautiful tree at Macy’s

Then we went to one of my favorite places, the Boston Common Coffee Co.  We somehow snagged three seats, and got a congo bar to split (think one of those layer bars with chocolate and coconut), and drinks. My favorite thing there is the iced chai with soy.

After that we had probably 15 minutes before we had to head in, so we ran to the common to the see the lights! I snapped this lovely photo of a fully decorated Christmas tree, so pretty.

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O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree…

Growing up, the Boston Ballet’s home was the Wang, a beautiful theatre in  Boston. I don’t remember when they moved to the Boston Opera House, but the first year they moved, we actually went to see White Christmas at the Wang instead of The Nutcracker. We suspect they moved because the Wang wanted to have different Christmas shows. Its not even called the Wang anymore, its the Citi Performing Arts Center (after Citi Bank). I also think the ballet has gone through ups and downs and maybe for a time wasn’t getting enough ticket sales for the Wang. In 2012, Mikko Nissinen, the director of the Boston Ballet, overhauled The Nutcracker. New choreography, new sets, new costumes….I’ll be honest, I love some of the changes, but even 4 years later, I miss some of the costumes from before. The Nutcracker has always been a part of my family’s Christmas celebrations. There’s something special about grabbing tea and a goodie before the show, heading in to the show and knowing to use the lower bathrooms, not the upstairs bathrooms, absolutely loving the show, and then talking about how we miss the green costumes for the flowers, or the pink Sugar Plum Fairy costume on the ride home. We love the new Snow Queen costume though 🙂

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Boston Opera House
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Upper lounge of the Boston Opera House- love all the gold, the chandeliers, and the Christmas greenery/decor
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The curtain for The Nutcracker
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Painting on the ceiling of The Boston Opera House- gorgeous

This year, Boston Ballet is doing their new production of Swan Lake again, so I probably won’t go. In a couple months they are doing Onegin, so I will go to that one. Who else wants to go??

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My favorite gift for hiking

On By careofmonIn Hiking2 Comments

Those of you that read my blog or check out my instagram photos know that I am an avid hiker in the White Mountains of NH. Besides being on the back of a horse, being out on the trails is my other happy, calming, mind-clearing place.  I have a lot of gear now from hiking and camping up there over the past few years, but I have been in need of a good backpacking sleeping bag. My fiancé got me the REI Flash sleeping bag, rated for 32 deg F. He also got me one of those blow up crash pads to go with it.

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Making sure it was long enough on Christmas morning! Mizpah and Patty Cat very interested 🙂

We hike all through the winter. I have La Sportiva Nepal boots, gators, waterproof pants, microspikes, crampons, and snowshoes….gear is really important in the winter. This sleeping bag will be at the bottom of my pack this winter, because you always have to be ready to survive in the cold in the case of an emergency. Bag and tag is what Jon calls it. Jon always brings his, and now I will have mine too, just in case. It will also be perfect for some of the overnight hikes we have planned this summer for me to finish the NH 48 4000 footers!

It might sound corny, but this sleeping bag is more than just, “I wanna camp with you”. For winter hikers, this sleeping bag is more like, “I wanna keep you safe and warm always”. My sleeping bag just became a way more romantic gift huh?? Plus I know he probably spent hours researching which bag to get me!

We finally got some snow today!! Woo!

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A very LLBean Christmas

On By careofmonIn Fashion, LifestyleLeave a comment

It’s Monday and Christmas has come and gone. We had an awesomely busy weekend, family Christmas gatherings from Christmas Eve straight through yesterday. Yesterday we got my mother’s family together at our family restaurant, Kitty’s in North Reading. My great-uncle was the head chef there from the beginning and they still use his recipe for many things, including their amazing pizza.

As far as gifts go, of course being with my family, having my parents up from Florida and my sister having some time off were the best gifts! For the gifts that you have to unwrap though, I got some great stuff from LLBean!!!

One of my aunt’s got me this amazing LLBean back pack. Its smaller than my backpacking pack, and will be perfect for small hikes where I want to pack light. I can’t wait to use it, probably not until this summer though. Winter hikes require the bigger backpack to bring my sleeping bag in case of emergencies.

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My sister gave me the two pack of cotton ragg camp socks . I have these socks in the boot length as well. They are great socks, very soft and comfortable. They are definitely my second favorite socks only to smart wool. The thing that they do have over smart wool though is they come in more classic solid colors.

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I was given two LLBean scarves this Christmas. They have both sold out though on the website!! The one on the left is a wool blend scarf from my parents, and the one on the right is 100% Irish lambswool made by John Hanley of Ireland for LLBean from my sister. They are both awesome scarves, warm and stylish.

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My parents gave me the heritage fair isle mittens and hat set from LLBean. The inside of the mittens is a nice soft fleece, and the hat is also lined with fleece so your forehead doesn’t itch. These are also sold out on the LLBean website!

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Two lovely LLBean sweaters made their way to me this Christmas as well. My fiancé’s parents gave me a black double L cotton cable knit sweater. This is a great staple item in your wardrobe. Crew neck sweaters and button downs are basically my fall to winter uniform. Between my cousins and my other aunt, I got some LLBean gift cards, so I stopped by the LLBean in Burlington yesterday and picked up the cream fisherman sweater from the signature collection. I usually size down for most LLBean tops, but for this sweater, I got my true size. I wanted it to be a little more roomy on me, sort of like a boyfriend sweater.

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Finally, with my gift cards, I was able to almost cover a pair of the LLBean Boots Rubber Mocs. I think I had to chip in like, $24 of my own money. I am in love. They are awesome because they are waterproof, comfortable, and they just slip on!!! So great for New England weather when you have to take your pup out all times of day.

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Some other LLBean gifts in my family were these  moccasins that my sister got and this awesome fleece lined flannel shirt that my fiancé got. Don’t fret about sold out items on LLBean.com. If it doesn’t come up as backordered, then it is just gone for the season and will come out again next year with some new tweaks usually.  I have this week off so I had some day trips planned, but we will see if the weather cooperates. Tomorrow, southern New England will see its first snowflakes!!! I am so excited, but of course the weather will probably keep me from going to see friends in RI……typical New England problems. What were your favorite Christmas gifts!? I hope you all had a lovely Christmas weekend!!

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My Top 10 Christmas Movies!!

On By careofmonIn LifestyleLeave a comment

I am happily writing this post with a beer watching Lifetime Christmas movies, today was my last day of work this year!! I am drinking the Magic Hat Snow Roller from Vermont….it has a graphic of Jack Frost riding a snow wave, awesome.

No snow here though….Massachusetts has been warm and snow free thus far. Today it was in the 50s…and its supposed to get warmer until Christmas. Jon and I got rid of our premium cable this year to save soooo much money, and so now we don’t get ABC Family or Hallmark, the two big Christmas movie networks. We already had a good collection of movies going, but I added a bunch through Amazon.com, and all the movies still cost less than what we save in one month with the more basic cable #savings !!

Here’s my top 10 list for Christmas movies!!

10. 12 Men of Christmas- ok, this is the only made for TV one. It came out a few years ago, and can be seen on Lifetime. Kristin Chenoweth is so good in it, and its about her making a calendar of the search & rescue men from a town in Montana to raise money. The scenery and the romance between Kristin’s character and Josh Hopkins’s character is pretty good. Oh and Anna Chlumsky is in it, from My Girl? Throwback!

9.  Charlie Brown Christmas- Who doesn’t love the little Charlie Brown Christmas tree!? All of them singing together….its a good one, often on of the major networks at least once. I got a DVD set though that has the Christmas, Thanksgiving, AND Halloween specials, woo!

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8. The Grinch That Stole Christmas (cartoon version)- I love the cartoon version….I don’t like how the Jim Carrey version kinda makes the Whos look kinda crazy & materialistic with the light competition and the Cheermeister stuff.

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7. Elf- probably the newest on my list. This one typically plays on the cable stations almost on loop, but not having those stations this year means I actually appreciate watching this so much more! A few years ago I answered the phone at school, “Buddy the Elf, whats your favorite color?”….it was not received well as the person on the other line assumed I was a student answering the phone which is not allowed lol.

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6. Santa Claus is Comin to Town- Rankin & Bass animated classics are amazing…this one is narrated by Fred Astaire…if you need more than his amazing voice, it also has some really fun characters like the Winter Warlock and the Berger Meister Meister Berger. It has a really cute story about how Santa Claus came to be!

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This is a 2-DVD set with Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin to Town, and then some lesser known Christmas specials like Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth, Flinstones Christmas, and Frosty Returns- awesome set!

5. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer- Another classic, the misfit toys, Hermey and Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman…classic story about never prejudging/excluding someone because you never know when you might need them!

4. Year Without a Santa Claus- The last Rankin & Bass treasure on my list….I love the Snow Miser & Heat Miser!!

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This one also has Rudolph’s Shiny New Year on it!

3. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation- no matter how many times I see this movie, I still laugh hysterically at soooo many scenes. This movie was in the running to watch today with my students….I just couldn’t haha.

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2. White Christmas- this one is on Netflix so I don’t own it! The music…the dancing….the costumes…..the scenery…WWII! Where to start!? Vera Ellen has the most amazing legs in Hollywood, and I love Wallace & Davis (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) together. The final scene with the red velvet dresses and the little ballerinas…love.

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It’s an older movie, get it, watch it, love it

1. Muppet Christmas Carol- this one is a family tradition. We watch it every Christmas Eve and then my mom would read Twas the Night Before Christmas and then off to bed we went. It’s the best version of The Christmas Carol in my opinion.

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All of these are on Amazon, some for super cheap, like quite a few of them were just under $10 or just under $5. So worth it to have the movies, no commercials, and I don’t have to miss the cable stations we got rid of to save money. My parents are here for the week, and my sister is coming for the weekend, so I wanted to make sure that I had all of the movies we love on hand, and I was so happy about how affordable it was.

It’s been so warm here in Massachusetts (#greenchristmas), the Christmas movies are definitely helping to get me in the Christmas spirit! What are your favorite Christmas movies??

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