secret weapon

top, cardigan, pants, and socks -  Old Navy

necklace, eBay

Born "Arletta" oxfords, Nordstrom Rack

      My secret weapon to beat the Monday-after-a-long-weekend blues?  Quirkily patterned socks. The ones I'm wearing are maroon with hedgehogs. I know that you can't see the pattern, but I kind of like that - it's enough for me to know that they're there.
      It was a great long weekend - I lounged about the house on Friday, then did 2 hours of aikido on Saturday. Practice was followed up by lunch at a new ramen spot; I've never had Brussels sprouts in ramen, but it was surprisingly tasty. I walked off lunch at Target, then went for green tea Kit Kat gelato at a place that's been on my must-try list for a while. On Saturday evening I cooked a chicken tortilla soup that got rave reviews from my husband. I got some grading done, cleaned out my burgeoning work bags, tackled the usual weekend chores, and started reading John Green's "An Abundance of Katherines" and continued with Cheryl Strayed's "Tiny Beautiful Things."
     I firmly believe in refraining from Christmas decor and apparel until post-Thanksgiving, but that didn't stop me from buying a pair of reindeer-print socks and a mini string of snowman holiday lights from the Target Dollar Spot. I'm considering whether I should put the lights up at home or string them along the front of my desk at work.