Fashionista friends, welcome to Ageless Style 01.2025: Singing the Winter Blues. Today’s prompt comes to us from Joanne at My Slices of Life who challenged us to share winter blues. You can find my last Ageless Style post, here, where the girls and I were sharing favorite holiday looks.
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Ageless Style 01.2025
I am happily shopping my closet more this winter. And for this post, as well. I have lots of pretty sweaters (if I do say so myself) and have just been waiting for temps to drop below an incredibly mild 70* to be able to wear them. Winter finally arrived about 2 weeks ago, with the new year, and I have enjoyed picking out outfits for this chilly weather.
For our January prompt, winter blues, I went to the ‘blue’ section of my sweaters (ha!) and selected this old Loft favorite and a plaid button up blouse (from the blue blouses section) to go with it.
I have paired this combo with corduroy pants in the past. This time I decided to wear Old Navy darker wash high-waisted Wow straight ankle jeans with the sweater and blouse. I liked the way it came together. Added some Old Navy suede flats in a midnight blue and snowflake earrings my PC gave me for Christmas. I LOVE SNOW!!
Decided to pack this outfit to wear to dinner on our recent overnight trip to Silver City, New Mexico.
Second Trip to Silver City
You might remember we were in Silver City for a weekend writing getaway in November. Had such a good time!! We had to return to Silver City on 01.02.2025 to take our 18-month-old kitty, Purrcival, for a fairly complicated surgery for a congenital issue with his hip. The El Paso veterinarian who diagnosed Purrcy’s issue recommended the Silver City vet to us and by traveling 150 miles we were able to get the procedure done for half the price.
In the photo below you can see the difference in poor baby’s hips. His right hip joint is malformed and was allowing the leg to slip out of the joint and cause Purrcy great pain. The doctor shaved off the malformed joint and said that scar tissue will form and keep the leg bone seated into the hip bone. I hope it works.
Purrcy was a little angel on the trip up to Silver City. We put him in his carrier to begin but he let us know that was unsatisfactory so I pulled him out and put him in his little bed on my lap where he was content the rest of the drive.
Purrcy had to be at the clinic by 9:00 am but we couldn’t check into our motel – the old fashioned kind where you park in front of the door to your room – until 2:00 pm. So, in the meantime we had a delicious breakfast at Adobe Springs restaurant and followed that with a walk through downtown and then a mile and a half hike on Boston Hill trail.
This was the first hike since I broke my heel.
After our hike we checked into the Drifter Motel and Restaurant and rested a bit before getting ready for dinner. The motel was old but very comfortable, large TV, quick Internet, and a very comfy bed. Best of all, they offer a discount to patients of Advanced Veterinary Care.
Singing the Winter Blues
Actually I haven’t been singing the winter blues for long because it has been more like spring. While I don’t like being cold AT ALL, I do like winter and love snow. Did I mention that already? I chose this sweater/blouse combo because the colors represent winter to me. Not just the blues, but the icy gray, the soft yellow and pale pink. Kind of like a winter sun and sky.
My friend Danielle Park in Saskatchewan took that snowy winter photo on the top right. Isn’t it eerily, icily beautiful? Do you see the colors of my cardigan and blouse among the colors in these winter skies?
Frosty Photo Shoot
We showered and dressed then began looking on our phones for restaurants close to our motel. Before we climbed in the car, PC indulged me with a few photos around the motel.
Isn’t that sign quaint? The Drifter is probably as old as I am!!
That sure isn’t a very wintry sky behind me in the photo.
I like the shadows in this image. They make it a much more interesting photo than just lil ole me sitting on some steps!!
The cardigan is open front, without buttons and has a shawl collar. I just fell in love with it several years ago when I first saw it at the Loft Outlet in Dayton, Ohio. But it was beyond my price point so I visited it online, back when Loft Outlet still had an online presence. Finally, finally it went on sale. Sadly, though, the blouse was sold out. I purchased the cardi thinking I could wear it with lots of tops I already had and then the blouse became available again. It was meant to be mine!!
Let’s Eat
The sun was going down, it was getting cold and I was hungry so we closed up my fashion haus and hopped in the car. We settled on Nancy’s Silver Cafe which was doing a land office business. There were only ten tables in this tiny establishment and people waiting for a table had to wait outside on the sidewalk. We were lucky to have walked right in. PC had a cheeseburger and fries. I had a guacamole tostada and a chile relleno but neither were as good as what we would find in a restaurant in El Paso. Our Mexican food in EP is the best.
I got tickled at PC. When we were seated inside and waiting for our food, he took 2-3 photos of me. But told me to mind how low my blouse was unbuttoned. He had noticed a bit of cleavage when he took the selfie outside the restaurant. He was suggesting that I might want to button one more button in the next series of pictures.
We have fun together. I am blessed to be married to someone who makes me laugh.
What No-Buy January?
I have a navy skirt I’m thinking this cardi and blouse might look pretty with. Might try that next time. On Sunday, I wore a skirt and tights to church. Miss wearing my dresses and skirts but they just don’t look the same with athletic shoes, somehow. And I am only cleared to wear flats or very low heels right now. It might be time to start shopping for some more comfortable flats.
This weekend we were doing our walk around at the outlet mall. A cardi at Lucky Brand that I had been visiting since early fall was on sale. Only one medium left. PC wanted to buy it for me but it was still too expensive, even at the sale price. The clerk must have felt sorry for us or really needed to make a sale because she gave us a military discount and an additional discount putting the sweater below 50% off. PC scored a pull over sweater that was practically free. Stay tuned for a glimpse of my new cardi very soon. Let’s go see what my friends have fashioned for this month’s prompt.
My Gal Pals
These are the gals that make Ageless Style happen each month. Hope you will pop in to check their winter blues.
Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Bo ~ Bo’s Bodacious Blog
Blog / Instagram /Pinterest / Bloglovin’
Joanne ~ My Slice of Life
Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie ~ Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Marsha~ Marsha in the Middle
Mireille ~ Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom
Blog | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook |
Jennifer ~ Overflowing with Thankfulness
And you can join the fun by linking up your post below.
Your Turn
Had some disappointing news at the orthopedic foot specialist today. Will share more about that in the post for Tell Us About 01.2025: Something New that also goes live today. The third Thursday is always a busy blog day.
What are you wearing this season? Has winter/spring officially arrived in your area? This week has been hectic with appointments and now I am subbing a full day tomorrow. Hope to be home on Thursday and Friday. Haven’t written in forever and have bucket list activities and winter goals to tend to. Thank you for stopping by, my friends. I appreciate every visit!! Keeps me from talking to myself.
Hugs and kisses,
I love that whole outfit! Your shirt, sweater and earrings are all so pretty! We are definitely having winter weather but it “warmed up” into the 30’s this week and we got out hiking a few times since they’re predicting highs in the teens next week (and I will not be hiking in that!).
Hope you have had a warm spell like we have. It was really cold all last week – most excellent sleeping!! But today it was in the 60s with lots of blessed sunshine.
Thank you, I like my winter blues outfit, too. And need to wear it again before we warm up for good. I have too many sweaters for our gentle winter climate but I love them!!
You are right, that picture on the steps with the shadows does look really cool! I love it! Laughing makes life more fun so I am glad PC makes you laugh! I never noticed details that should have been corrected till after I take pictures and we usually take the bare minimum. Love your cardigan! It’s one of my favorite styles.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
What a fun post! I think seeing you and PC having fun and making the most of your trip (for a surgery) is just the best. I don’t think I have seen motels like that for a very long time. Glad it worked out ok…I know I would have been leary. (But I am often leary.) Your blue outfit looked great!! But how did your kitty do – post surgery, etc.??
That is really something that you would spend all that time and money repairing your kitties hip. Your “Winter Blues” outfit is perfect for your climate.
We love our kitty. Our kitties. I know if your kitty was in pain, you would do what you could to help him. We are blessed that we had the means to pay for the surgery. We were contemplating building an extension to the wall around our back yard to try to keep Purrcy from jumping over the wall but now with his hip problem, he isn’t scaling walls anymore. We actually came out ahead between the price of a wall extension and the surgery!!
Thank you. I enjoyed wearing my winter blues and need to get it back out to wear again. We had a cold spell but this week it will be back in the 60s and 70s!
I couldn’t agree more that spending time with someone who makes you laugh is ideal.
It’s the reason my license plates says “HAHHAH”…laughter is my best medicine.
OXOX
Jodie
What a wonderful license plate!! My is RZP and then some numbers, 963, maybe? We say RZP stands for Royal Zany Princess. Emphasis on ZANY!!
Love your winter blues outfit! The design on the cardi and the design on the shirt compliment each other very well. Love the dark denim jeans, too! I bought a pair from Old Navy recently and I’ve been wearing them a lot. Oh…and that breakfast your first morning there? That pic has me salivating! We’ve had some mild days this past week after our ice and snow last week, but we are expecting more really cold weather to arrive overnight tonight. I’m afraid I’m not embracing winter as much as I probably should try to this year. Keep cozy!
Wasn’t that the best breakfast? It was really excellent. Such a good combination of flavors. Smoky, spiciness. Pig heaven!!
I know you guys have been very cold in the last week or so. I have Ft. Worth’s weather on my phone. We warmed up today and had glorious sunshine. Took a nice walk and enjoyed having the sun on my back.
I need to get out my winter blues outfit and wear it again. Trying to wear some of my favorite sweaters while we’ve had some winter weather. Before we know it, spring will be springing!!
How is Purrcy recovering? What a brave little guy. What now?!? You have a friend in Saskatchewan? That’s where I live. I live in Saskatoon, where does Danielle live? As you know our winters can be beautiful but very cold and long. But as you mentioned they are also magical in their natural beauty. Let’s chat about that cute layered look. Love that on you and no, don’t button up too high. I think you look fabulous and are one of the women I look up to for embracing her style, body and age at the same time. That’s how I want to be.
bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca
Hey!! Danielle lives in Regina. She is a teacher and was on strike when you were. She is a lovely person, wonderful mommy and wife and teacher. You gals would get along famously.
Thank you so much for thinking of Purrcy. He has been a trooper. He is scampering about and acting painfree. Thank goodness. Hope by warm weather he will be back to all of his tricks.
You are so kind. Thank you for that precious compliment. I have to say, I am most comfortable in my own skin now that ever before in my life. I have way too many clothes but still enjoy dressing up, even though I rarely go anywhere that requires more than jeans!! Going to part with some of my dresses as I really don’t wear dresses often. Will keep the ones I love most of all. You are an angel. Thank you for touching my heart with your kind words.
Oh, Leslie! Your posts are like a really, really good dinner…meant to be consumed slowly and enjoying every bite! I love the way you describe things as well as the photos to accompany them. I’m glad Purrcy’s surgery went well. I’ll pray he recovers quickly and completely.
Love, love, love this sweater and blouse together! Loft is hit or miss for me. It seems like when I have the money, there’s nothing. And, when I’m on a spending hiatus, there’s lots! It all balances out, I guess!
Love the way you and PC are with each other…meant to be together…that’s for sure!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Hey, doll, thank you so much. Our sweet boy did so well and is all over the house these days, limping but painfree. We are glad we made the decision to get his surgery and now have that behind us.
I am the same way with Loft. Won’t find anything there for months and then all of a sudden everything they have is calling my name. I was a huge LOFT OUTLET fan until our store closed.
I kissed a lot of frogs before I met PC. We have some tough days but over all we have a good, loving relationship. I am glad it seems that way to you, too.
I love those cute earrings! But I do wonder how that poor darling cat is doing now??
Hi my sweets, Purrcival has been a trooper. He had a hard few days once we brought him home. Was pretty drugged up. But once we could cut back on the pain meds, he started acting like himself again. He is such a delightful kitty and has given us such joy that we couldn’t NOT get his surgery. Thank you for checking on him.
I’m so happy your foot is healed, and you’re hiking again! That’s quite a long trip to the vet. My cat would never have sat so sweetly on my lap. I hope the procedure was a success and your kitty is feeling better! That hotel looks so quaint! Love your photos, especially the shadowy pic and the one of you laughing at the restaurant. Your sweater is so cute and cozy!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Oh, Jill, this foot has been such a rollercoaster. The doctor has me on meds for pain and swelling which have helped a lot. But my foot is still not normal. And I am so impatient. Purrcy, on the otherhand, has healed well even though he is still limping. He has been so good during his recovery. I should take a lesson and follow his good lead.
Thank you! We had a good time on our little trip. I really have rare occasions to wear much more than sweats these days but still enjoy clothes and getting ‘dressed up.’ All of you beauitiful fashion bloggers inspire me. XO
Wishing Purrcival a speedy recovery. Nice to see back to hiking after your injury. It is officially winter here.. we have had two weeks of arctic temps and snow over the weekend.
Thank you, friend. He is doing much better. Still limping but at least painfree. Hope you are warming up after that arctic blast.
Leslie,
Love your outfit! The sweater is really pretty…I have been buying some new sweaters as the clothes I can now fit into are over 20 years old as that was the last time I was able to wear them…Since i lost some weight, I have been building my retirement wardrobe….Classy stylish clothes that will last me for many years , I hope…Thanks for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
The outfit came together so well! I also adore those photos your husband took of you in the restaurant, you can see how genuine your smile is. Wishing you and your family all the best.
Thank you so much. What kind words. You are so sweet. Hope you will come back by for another visit in the near future.
Hi Leslie,
I always appreciate your comments, thanks so much. This sounded like a nice trip. The breakfast, but your poor kitty, and such a young one! Hope Purrcy is doing well now.
Love the cardigan on you and the jeans, a great look all around. I have bought a few pairs of sneakers, as I am favoring them and kitten heels lately. Igotta laugh too! I tease my hubby and say, am I not witty too?
I hope you have a great weekend!
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Hey friend!! I haven’t tried to wear any of my good boots this winter. Almost afraid I won’t be able to wear them again. But not ready to pack them up yet.
Purrcy has recovered so well. He is back to playing and running about. Still walks with a bit of a limp but so do I these days. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet words.