December Thrift Haul

I’m sharing my December thrifting finds early this month, because I don’t anticipate having any additional time to get out and about. As it is, I had a wonderful day at one store and came home with a few winners!

Talbots cardigan, $8.99

Now that it’s chilly outside, my store has a ton of sweaters. Like three full rows of just cardigans. So, it’s a bit annoying that they have all started creeping up in price. This Talbots cardigan seems to be very well made with no pilling or issues, so I didn’t really mind paying $9 for it. I’m currently without a striped cardigan, so this one will fill a hole in my closet.

J.Jill cardigan, $8.99

Speaking of cardigans, I also found this pretty lilac one from J.Jill. It’s classic in its shape, but a bit longer than currently fashionable. Or, is it about to be in fashion again? I don’t know. I just know I like it, and I don’t have any similar colored cardigans. I basically throw these on over t-shirts most of the year, so when I find a nice one, I wear it until I wear it out.

 Calia hoodie, $10.29

I’m pretty sure this is the CALIA soft scuba ¼ zip pullover from Dicks Sporting Goods (retail $88). It’s super cozy and still for sale online. I like that it’s kind of ‘less casual’ kind of material with a funnel neck (rather than a hood), so you get all the comfort of a hoodie, but it looks a little more elevated on Teams calls. It’s also a bit boxy and cropped, so it looks really cute with joggers and leggings. I immediately washed this and have already worn it a half dozen times. It’s fabulous!

Vintage skirt, $6.29

I’m a big believer in ignoring size tags and this skirt proves that is a good idea because it’s tagged as a Small Petite. But it fits my not small, not petite body just fine! It’s a 100% cotton vintage skirt and exactly the kind of skirt I love to pair with a tank top or graphic tee shirt over the summer. Love it!

My Newest Obsession: The Coaster Luxe Jumpsuit from Athleta

Let me start by saying, I am not a jumpsuit person.

I absolutely love the look of other people in jumpsuits and overalls, but I look like a Weeble-wobble minion. It’s not cute. And it’s absolutely a running joke between me and my husband that I can NOT pull off overalls (he says it’s okay, because I look cute in everything else, so there’s that).

Anyways, I DID actually end up buying a black denim jumpsuit on a whim last winter and loved it. Which was a total and complete surprise to me! I think it works because it has some elastic around the waist to make me more hourglass shaped and less minion shaped.

Which brings me to when I was on the Athleta website checking out their cyber week sales. I absolutely love my Coaster Luxe joggers and decided to search out the keywords ‘Coaster Luxe’ to see if anything would pop up on sale. And BOOM. The joggers I love were on sale, so I grabbed a pair in Elm (a dark green). This time I picked the long version because sometimes my ankles get a little cold. The longer version is PERFECT for my 5’7” height.

I also found the Coaster Luxe jumpsuit and I was intrigued. It’s a tank top, wide legged sweatsuit version of my favorite joggers! It was on sale and I found an extra % off promo code online, so I went ahead and added it to my cart. I’m typically a size large in Athleta bottoms, so I ordered a large.

I also ordered the Forever Fleece ½ Zip Hoodie in Truffle. I like my athletic tops/hoodies/sweatshirts oversized, so I ordered an XL.

Source: Athleta.com

For the three items + the sale + the promo code + some rewards in my Athleta account that I forgot about… I ended up paying $85 for everything!

Annnnddddd… I’m obsessed. After trying it on, I literally wore the jumpsuit for three days straight, topped with the forever fleece hoodie. It is so incredibly soft, the perfect amount of warm and really, really cute. It’s giving House Gremlin, but adorable. Yes, using the bathroom is annoying. However, I just pull my arms out of my hoodie (let it hang around my neck like a schlumpy scarf), pull down the top of the jumpsuit, and I’m good to go.

I finally threw it in the laundry this morning and I will absolutely be wearing it all winter long. I actually wasn’t planning to write a blog post about it, but after strutting around the house and our weekend errands in it and telling my husband 1,000 times how freaking COMFORTABLE I am, I feel like I need to share this with my other comfy girlies.

I just checked and they are still running some great sales over on the Athleta website. The jumpsuit comes in 2 colors, sizes XXS – 3X, and has regular, tall and petite options. The joggers come in 14 colors, sizes XXS – 3X, and also has regular, tall and petite options. AND, the fleece hoodie comes in 12 colors, sizes XXS – 3X and had regular, tall and petite options.

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Planning Another Family Trip to Tucson, Arizona

After being *fiscally responsible* like a grown-up and not traveling for our October anniversary or over Thanksgiving break, we are so excited to have another family trip on the horizon. We will be returning to Tucson, Arizona! We visited once before in Spring 2024, but decided that there was still plenty to do on a return trip.

I’m currently figuring out a plan for this trip, so please let me know if you have any recommendations I should add!

Here’s our current thoughts:

Day 1: Fly to Phoenix

I guess it should really say “Evening 1” because we aren’t flying out until late at night and arriving in Phoenix. You may be wondering why we aren’t flying into Tucson… Well, there are no direct flights from Baltimore to Tucson and last time we visited, our first flight was delayed so many times we missed our connecting flight. It took us 21 hours of travel, 3 airplanes, 1 night spent trying to sleep on a bench in the Houston Airport playground, and 1 Uber before we finally arrived at our Tucson house.

This time, we decided to fly into Phoenix (yay direct flight!). This allows us to get in a full day of work, before packing up and heading to the airport. We will arrive in Arizona after midnight and then stay in a nearby hotel for the night.

Day 2: Pick up our Turo rental car and Drive to Tucson

Once we wake up, we will pick up our Turo rental car, find some delicious breakfast and drive to Tucson. The drive from Phoenix to Tucson looks like it’s a little less than 2 hours, but there are a few fun places to stop along the way, including: Picacho Peak State Park, Casa Grande and Queen Creek Olive Mill. Once we make our way to Tucson, we will check into our VRBO and probably stock up at a nearby grocery store.

Day 3 – Day 7: All the Tucson!

We have 5 full days in Tucson, so we plan to do all the exploring. Some places we will most likely re-visit from our last trip: the Arizona-Sonoran Desert museum ($30 per person), the Saguaro National Park (East one day and West another day, using America the Beautiful Park Pass), and the Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway.

Other fun ideas on the list:

  • The Winterhaven Festival of Lights – hundreds of homes are decked out in festive lights and decorations! There is live music, food vendors and even horse-drawn carriage rides.
  • Sabino Canyon
  • We will absolutely be checking out Tucson thrift stores!
  • Forth Avenue, the Mercando District and Saguaro Square Small Business Mall
  • The Flandrau Planetarium
  • We will absolutely be revisiting Charred Pie, the place where I had the best pizza I’ve ever had in my entire existence.

Day 8: Tucson to Phoenix to Home

On our last day, we will pack up the rental car, check out of our VRBO and make our way back to Phoenix. We’re not really in a hurry though, as we are not flying out until late in the evening. So, I’m not sure if we will do stuff in Tucson, stop somewhere halfway to explore, or perhaps spend some time exploring Phoenix before we make our way to the airport.

Once there, we will return our rental car, grab some dinner and fly back home. We are getting in quite late, so once we make the drive from our home airport to our house, we then plan to sleep as long as we want before we go and pick up the dogs at the dog sitter and enjoy all the ‘welcome home’ snuggles.

I can’t wait! If you have any recommendations for places we shouldn’t miss – whether it be food options, hikes, stores, or views – let me know!