Frugality Diva-Style

Most women don’t realize that you can dress like a fabulous diva without spending much money. I am on a tight budget, but always manage to look Diva-riffic. Trust me. Even when I dress the family all matchy matchy for newspaper photographers.

The holiday party season is all but over, ladies, and my mind is wandering to new outfits for the new year. This year is all about grays. Dark gray, light gray, mid gray, bright gray, and always paired with a candy color.

So you need a new pair of jeans, and you are dreading the dressing room mirror? First of all, always remember to wear the size that fits; if that means going up a size, do it. Sacrifice your pride in your size tag, and you will look all the better for it. In fact, start with the larger size; if it fits, you won’t have to ask for the next size up. If it is too large, you get to ask for the next size down. And, for God’s sake, leave the skinny jeans on the shelf, channel your inner Katie Holmes, and grab the wide legs. SOOOO cute, sooo flattering, and MUCH more comfortable. Trouser cut are awesome, just avoid the pleats.

Things you can still use from last year: anything trapeze cut; soft sweaters and brown pants; babydoll dresses and empire-waisted tops. We are moving into a phase of more layers, but with less extravagant detail on each layer (think large solid bags instead of logo-ed, glitter-ed, buckle-ed and bling-ed large bags), and I truly believe we are only seeing the beginning of the comeback of the chunky heel. I myself am hoping for variation of cheapo Uggs for Christmas, so I will be wearing those all winter/spring.

And the most important rules of being a Frugal Diva…only buy things you love, make sure they go with more than one thing, and ALWAYS have fun with your clothes.

I think I just became Charlotte York.

I finally sent in my wedding announcement today. I’ll post it next week when it is printed, but suffice it to say I tried to infuse as much rebeccy-jasonness into it as possible. Sarcasm and smart-alec comments, in other words.

An hour after I sent it in, I got an email from the Features Editor. Apparently, they pick an announcement to do a feature story on every week, and this week, they pick us.

ACK!

Good gracious, I hope I am as fascinating on paper as I am on email.

They are SENDING OVER A PHOTOGRAPHER AND INTERVIEWER TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

Meep!

My excitement and nervousness is abundant. I think my wedding story is fascinating, and I hope everyone else does as well.

Jason is home on seasonal leave, playing house husband. He and Violet have spent the entire day cleaning in preparation, and will tomorrow as well. I will be laying out all of our clothes tonight so as not to clash on the FRONT PAGE OF THE LIFE SECTION.

*faints with feverish excitement.*

Wintry

There is something about a sunny Alaskan winter day.

The sun slowly snakes up between 10 and 11 am, giving me a full view from my office window of purples and oranges against an ice blue sky. It hits the clouds so the edges glow as if electric currents run through them.

The sun glows white up here. Everything is clear and crisp. When you see the sun Outside (as in not Alaska) for the first time after months here, you can see it has a distinctly yellow glow. Alaskan sun burns clean.

It tricks you into thinking it is warm outside; then you step out and the first blow of bracing cold takes your breath away. When you can breathe in again, the cold travels all the way to your stomach. However, instead of horrible, it feels wonderful: like you are breathing your first breath, ever.

Life is covered in freeze-dried perfection. The trees are preternaturally still, all slender branches and waxy winter berries. The roads are packed down from millions of studs from thousands of tires. Telephone poles and street lights glisten with a thin layer of frost. It is preserved in a Currier and Ives picture print.

Night ascends quickly on Anchorage. Light turns to dusk in the blink of an eye, dusk to dark in another blink. The last bits of orange and blue hang on as long as they possibly can, before they are pushed out by the deep purple that will remain throughout the Alaskan night.

These are the days that make Alaska legendary.