Staying Warm SoCal Style

It’s really been feeling like winter lately – well, our version of winter anyway. Growing up I always hoped for rain on Christmas as that was the closest we can really get to a white Christmas in SoCal. Alas, almost without fail we’d end up with a hot and dry Christmas, thanks to the Santa Ana winds.

Not this year – it actually rained! See, dreams really do come true haha. It’s been colder than usual too, so there’s been plenty of snow on the mountains. It’s so nice and festive to look out the window and see snow blanketing our local peaks. The hubs and I went up to the top of Mount Palomar yesterday on his motorcycle and had a little snowball fight; it felt like I was starring in my own little Hallmark movie (can you tell I’ve OD’d on said movies during my time off this year?). It was pretty great.

I’m glad I snagged these boots (close to being sold out, similar options here, here, and here) as they keep my feet nice and toasty and dry thanks to Blondo’s water proofing feature. I also have some OTK boots from this brand and I love them! It’s so nice knowing you can wear your shoes or boots anywhere without worrying about possible water damage.

My lovely sister bought me this top (also available here) last year for my birthday and I have gotten a lot of mileage out of it. It’s Free People of course, she knows me so well! It used to be bigger/longer on me (size MD/LG), but unfortunately I accidentally dried it in the dryer and it shrunk. It still works, but I did like it better when it was a little longer and fully covered my bum. It’s a great option for travel 🙂

Normally I hang dry just about everything using this rack I found on Amazon. I LOVE it! It’s easy to assemble and it folds up pretty small for easy storage when you’re not using it. If you hang dry your clothes they will last A LOT longer, just make sure to use some fabric softener or the clothes can start to feel a bit crunchy.

I know this year has been colder than usual because I’ve only recently noticed that I lack any really warm sweaters. Either they have holes throughout (not helpful!) or they are V-necks. That’s okay if you add a scarf on top, but who wants to have to wear a scarf inside? Not me! I’ve had to make a couple trips to TJMaxx to grab some discounted sweaters and I’m so glad I did. There is just nothing better than being cozy.

My (purely decorative) scarf in this pic is pretty old and no longer available, but I found these scarves that have great reviews and are very affordable. Turtlenecks can be a bit tough to wear when you have a shorter neck like I do, so a cowl neck can be a nice alternative. Kinda like a sweater and scarf in one, no? This way I don’t feel quite so swallowed up.

Happy New Year my friends! Let’s make 2020 the best year yet. Stay warm!

XO, Kate

Photo credit: Leo Amar