Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve is upon us! I have spent most of the day in the kitchen, whipping up one appetizer after another for this evening's annual Hors d'oeuvres Buffet. Pinterest has fueled the fire this year so I have several delicious new additions to add to my usual repetoire.

I refuse to wear seasonal holiday sweaters (unless it is specifically for a Tacky Christmas sweater party... or photoshoot...) but today's outfit gives a nod to the holiday: reindeer T-shirt, red pants and a bow necklace.

Now that daylight is fading away, we are about to pile in to the car and drive around time in search of the best Griswold-esque tacky holiday lights display. Happy Holidays to everyone out there! Whatever your reason for celebrating this season, all of us have our friends and family at its core. With my husband leaving for a military school for 6 months right after New Years, I am going to hug him and everyone else just a little closer and take the time to let them all know how much they mean to me.

Sweater: Old Navy
T-shirt: Old Navy
Pants: Old Navy
Ballet Flats: New York & Company
Necklace: Modcloth
Earrings: New York & Company

Nothing Says Happy Holidays Like Tacky Sweaters

Traditional Christmas cards are boring. This year my family decided to jazz it up and make our own. The seed for this photoshoot was planted after my stepdaughter and I found these awesomely tacky Christmas sweaters at Goodwill several months ago. My husband quickly joined in on our ludicrous endeavor. The planning was fun but the actual photoshoot itself had us in stitches. And that is what the holidays are supposed to be about: enjoying time with your loved ones... no matter how weird and wacky they are.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Happy Holidays from the Truitts!

Remember that your family and friends are the central focus on the holiday... no matter how weird they are...

Get tangled up in the holidays!

Keep things in perspective: It isn't all about presents!

Sneek a kiss under the mistletoe

Allow yourself to be swept away!

Hang your stockings!

Mind your manners: See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil

Showing My Plumage

Lately. I have been spending my weekends caravan-ting between North Carolina, Virginia, and the greater metropolitan Louisville area. I had been dying to give my new peacock feather dress from the Esty shop Sealmaiden a whirl. I've given it two goes in the past two weeks with slight variations and so far am loving it!

First I tried it while out to dinner with friends:

Three quarter pleather jacket, Target.
teal tights, Target.

with these boots from Aldo (see Southern Helle, I own foreskin boots!).

While on a very quick trip home I tried the dress with my go-to leather jacket from Wilson's Leather, gray tights from Target and boots from Payless:

Unfortunately, my mom's cat Gibbs decided he wanted to be in every picture.
Without the jacket:

Doing my best Zoolander pose.
Not sure which style I like better, but I definitely love the dress!

Happy Camper

I have filled my Cool Girl quota for the year by actually agreeing to go camping with my husband this weekend. Camping usually isn't my cup of tea (or, in my case, glass of wine). It reminds me too much of being back in the Army and going out for training exercises, aka "going to the field". I hate bugs and I hate getting dirty and I hate having to hike to the bathroom and I hate it even more when there is no bathroom to hike to.

Of course, opposites attract and Mr. Southern Helle loves all things involving the great outdoors. He would go all Mountain Man and drop off the grid if I would let him. Turns out he actually makes camping pretty fun. Translation: he did all the dirty work. I have decided to keep him around in case the Apocolypse ever really does take place. Especially if he makes me his awesome "Hobo Dinner". See recipe and pictures below. I have never eaten so well on a camping trip in my life.

Camping isn't exactly the stomping ground for high fashion so my outfits are aimed more towards function and practicality. I did try to have fun with my T-shirt choices at least. Even though it looks like I was shooting for a trend with my high sock bun, I honestly didn't feel like dealing with my rat's nest mane and opted to just pile it on my head and forget about it.

Day 1 outfit
T Shirt: Etsy shop Bodhicitta
(Not from NC? This Etsy shop is dedicated to all things NC so you may have to search elsewhere. And sorry about your luck. It really is the best state in the Union!)
Flannel: Arizona Jean at JCPenney
Shorts: Forever 21
Shoes: Sperry Top-Siders

The intercoastal waterway. The beaches are one of the reasons I love this state (as seen in my newest favorite T-shirt)

Wasn't me!



You may have to search to find him through all that camoflague but I swear Mr. Southern Helle is in this picture.
Also, I promise that I am not wearing socks with these shoes. My right ankle is wrapped due to a graceful tumble I took a few nights earlier.

Beautiful sunset

Day 2 outfit
T Shirt: Busted Tees
Sweatpants: American Eagle

As seen in my T-shirt choice, I was a little over camping at this point.

And now for the famous "Hobo Dinner" recipe/tutorial:

Chop up chicken, shrimp, veggies (we had mushrooms, onions, peppers and zuchini)

Place above items on foil. Throw in some minced garlic, salt, pepper and a few pats of butter. Accidentally spill your Moscato on it then decide to add some on purpose. The French have been doing it for years so why not you too?

Fold long ends and roll up short ends. It should look like a shiny burrito. Throw it on hot coals for about 40 minutes. All there is left to do now is eat it. This beats the ubiquitous campfire hot dogs anyday. In fact, the smell drew in our hot dog eating neighbors who were very, very jealous. I didn't share a single bite with them either.

Channeling Aunt Jemima

Hot on the heels of me emulating Freddy Kreuger, Saturday's outfit had me donning a headwrap a la Aunt Jemima.

Let me explain:

I am a hardcore Modcloth shopper who is often perplexed by what to do with the free gifts they throw in with shipments. At first, it was little buttons with graphics of waifish cartoon characters. Those went straight to my stepdaughter. Same thing with the gingham print barrettes and heart shaped hair pins they included with a few orders. I am 34; far past the age that heart shaped lavender barrettes can be considered cute. My last three orders have included strips of cloth with wiring stitched in to them. After receiving the last one, I finally concluded that these were intended to be headwraps.

I am a little slow on the uptake sometimes...

This weekend, the whole family jumped in the car for a quick road trip to Beaufort, SC and adjacent Parris Island. Mr. Southern Helle will be heading down there in January for Drill Instructor school. It is tough to look presentable, much less fashion forward, while spending six hours in the car getting to your destination. I decided to give it the ol' college try and, on my way out the door, threw one of the Modcloth headwraps over my ponytail.

Mr. Southern Helle deemed it "cute" and some lady at a rest stop complimented my shorts and headwrap combo. The stepdaughter wasn't so keen. Check out the below pictures and you can see that she is a tad bit embarrassed by the woman who looks like she belongs on a bottle of syrup.

No Southern road trip is complete without saying hi to Pedro at South of the Border!

Embarassing the hell out of stepdaughter

I love all the Spanish Moss on trees down there. So Southern Gothic!

Self portrait in the car. Note disgusted 14 year old in the back seat.

Shirt: Old Navy
Tank (underneath): Forever 21
Shorts: Old Navy
Headwrap: free c/o Modcloth
Necklace: Modcloth
Shoes: Havaianas

I may not have stretch marks from her...

... but you have to admit: my stepdaughter is starting to get her style from me!

My cardigan is from Forever 21 (find it here), tank Mossimo from Target, skinny jeans from NY & Company, necklace from some African market and gifted to me from Leather Peacock.

My mini-me's cardigan and tee come from Forever 21 and skinny jeans from American Eagle.