livelovesara - An over 40 Style and Travel Blog

What to Pack New York City in December for 4 Days

November 16, 2016Sara 6 Comments

NYC in December Packing List

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What I Wore This Week

November 14, 2016Sara 3 Comments

There isn’t much exciting news on the forefront in my life at the moment. But we did find out Tom’s work is going on a 2 month hiatus for Christmas holidays while they transition in to another season of filming. This completely sucks and is exactly why I started Christmas shopping in May. I don’t know if we have ever had a Christmas where money wasn’t an issue.

I did get my interim coat this week. I was looking for an oversized jacket in grey or camel colour that I could easily layer under and would be warmer than my leather jacket but not a parka. I looked at the Zara website since they usually have things in my price range and saw one that I liked for $89. Since we have a large Zara in the mall next door I checked the online inventory so I could go over and try it on, and they had a few left in inventory in my size. Merle and I went over when we were waiting for Roo to finish her Robotics class. She calls this time “mommy and Merley time” because we usually mall walk while she is in the class and get Pinkberry because when Roo is with us she won’t let us go since she has boycotted them. There was a gaming store she liked there before, it closed and Pinkberry took over the location and she hasn’t forgiven them yet 😉 Anyway, I tried on two coats of similar styles but picked this one because it had large pockets.

Tom calls the jacket my “Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club” jacket. I’m not sure if he means that’s a good thing but since I love that movie and Bender I’ll take it that way 😉

How is everyone holding up this week?

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What to Wear in Boston and San Francisco Outfit Options

November 11, 2016Sara 2 Comments

These are the outfit options that go with the What to Pack in Boston and San Francisco packing list. This was a request list for an Australian woman who is running the Boston Marathon in April. She is also extending her trip to include San Francisco and needed some ideas. Her running gear is taking up room in her carry-on so I only included two pairs of shoes. The temperature in these cities can range from 11*C to 16°C but may fluctuate higher or lower due to April’s unpredictability.

The requests were simple 3 weeks worth of outfits with an Audrey Hepburn/classic look and a Euro twist. She likes skinny jeans, trenches, and moto jackets with a colour palette of navy and black. Classic, comfortable, practical (two young kids) and easy to wear. I came up with 20 outfit options that can easily be replicated with pieces that you may already own.

I hope these can give you some inspirational for what to bring and wear on your trip.

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What to Pack for Boston and San Francisco

November 9, 2016Sara 2 Comments

Now on to the post. I got a message from an Australian that is coming to run the Boston Marathon this April (Kudos to you because I could never do it in a million years). The trip will also be extended to San Francisco so we have a mixed list today. It’s really hard to predict weather in April. It’s that season that can have both a hot spell and snow within a 24 hour period so pay attention the weather stations up until the day you are leaving for your trip so you can adjust what you need to bring if needed. You might have to swap out for a heavier coat, or different footwear.

Take this list as a generic suggestions not written in stone. I based it on the weather averages for both cities in April which ranges from 11°C – 16°c with a drop at night, so a few sweaters and a mid-lightweight jacket will be sufficient. I included a moto and a trench because a) a trench is good for rain and b) I usually like to include a blazer with but I figure it may be too cold for that as a light jacket and a moto would work better in its place. Use your discretion.

The trip is for 3 weeks but the general rule is when going on vacation for 1 week, pack for 1 week, going for two weeks, pack for two weeks, for a three week trip pack for 1 week because you will probably have access to laundry at some point during that time. I usually stick to a 10 days because it is the average number of days for a long distance vacation.

The look I was asked for is an Audrey Hepburn classic look with some Euro, and the colour palette is fairly dark leaning towards navy blue and black. I added a little colour with the purse, but it can easily be added with colourful/printed scarves, shoes, and/or accessories if that is what you are looking for.

Outfit options are in this post.

Good luck in the marathon!

If you like this post you can find more packing lists and outfit options in my:
Packing Light Series
What to Wear Options

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What I Wore This Week

November 7, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

*I found this top and tweed jacket when I was going through one of our old baby clothes bins in storage. See, it sometimes pay to hold on to things and forget you own them 😉

This weekend we went to got to Hogwarts. While I wish we actually got to go to either a) the UK to do a Harry Potter tour or b) Harry Potter World at Universal Studios that is obviously not a spontaneous trip. Neither of those being an option we went to Guelph University where on Saturday they turned it into Hogwarts and offered kids a day touring around getting sorted, taking Hogwarts inspired classes, and playing Quidditch.

It was a ton of fun although I didn’t take a many pictures. I don’t like to take and post photos that have other people’s children in them (and they were everywhere). When we are doing things we are generally living in the moment and not thinking about photo ops and I always get home thinking I took a picture or two to commemorate. Some parts of the University are old buildings and they looked a lot like the real Hogwarts campus with the fall leaves, a million kids in their house robes walking through the fields with the Quidditch hoops in the distance.

I learned some interesting things about my kids too while taking these classes. Merle can place all the human organs in their correct places without help, and Roo really enjoys owl pellet dissection. Trying to figure out what it ate and reassemble the bones of the animal remains was a fun challenge for her (sounds gross but she was totally into it and I may have to get her an owl pellet dissection lab). It was a good day and I am glad that all of us as a family got to enjoy it together even though Tom was tired because he worked until 6am that morning.

Signing off now because Tom set off the fire alarm making spaghetti and everyone seems to have forgotten how to shut off the alarm key pad even thought they have all been shown a million times.

I hope you had a great weekend!

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What to Wear in Spain for Winter

November 4, 2016Sara Leave a Comment

Here are the 20 outfit options that I put together from the What to Pack for 10 Days in Spain in Winter packing list. This was a request based on a 10 day December/January trip to the Murcia region of Spain. It is a visit to meet the family of a significant other for the first time and she wanted to pack smart, while still keeping a casual elegance with a slight edge.

The average temperature for this region at this time of the year is 10°C-12°C which is a comfortable range without having to worry about winter storms or extreme cold. Although the chance of rainfall is higher at this time of year. For 10 days I put together 20 options that will cover a variety of situations from casual to a dressy New Years Eve party if needed.

I always recommend wearing your bulkiest and heaviest pieces layered on your flight to lighten your carry-on and since the reader is coming from a warmer, humid destination this is especially true. Wear your warmest pieces so that you aren’t too affected by the change in weather when you arrive at your destination (or if there are any layovers in colder cities). Have a great time!

Happy Friday guys! We are going to “Hogwarts” tomorrow 🙂

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