I would like to formally apologize if that song is now stuck in your head like it is mine. But in all honestly that is all I can think of when I wear this beautifully cozy coat and you will want to spin around in it as well to show it off.

I don’t often treat myself to on trend coats because, well, they’re expensive and I try to ball on a budget. And also because, in the depths of winter I am usually forced to wear my down Patagonia Jacket. I also alternate with my favorite dressier coat that Jenilee got me from Asos for Christmas a few years back.

There are so many coats I have lusted after, but I can never seem to pull the trigger on my own. So when the winter lookbook came out for Long Tall Sally and this Teddy Bear Faux Fur Coat revealed itself; it had to be mine. So as I do with most items I told Jenilee I had to have that one. Unsurprisingly, she just happened to also need it. Before we had the coat in our hands, we saw our fellow tall friend Lindsey wearing it, and became even more excited when we saw the sleeve length on her.

When the coat actually arrived, I was so pleased with how comfy, cozy and warm it was while also not being extremely bulky. It’s definitely thick but in a good way.  If you’re looking for the perfect warm, trendy, versatile coat look no further. And hurry up because this one won’t stay in stock forever!

Anyways I will digress and move on from my love affair with this coat to talk about the feels from this chenille turtleneck sweater. I won’t lie, chenille coming back was a weird blast from the past for me and I definitely wasn’t here for it. I very clearly remember a lavender cardigan I wore in our church family photos as a child. For some reason I just felt like I should leave chenille there.

However the color of this LTS turtleneck was undeniably gorgeous so I gave it a shot and now I live permanently inside of it. Seriously – it is that soft, that I never want to take it off. I wore it to Thanksgiving dinner and couldn’t have been more comfortable all day. It felt like I was wearing a blanket the entire time. Which, if you know me in real life you know that this is pretty much what I strive for. You could also say that I am officially on the chenille bandwagon now!

As we continue down the outfit, that would lead us to these jeans! I have never given straight leg a shot but with a little bit of encouragement from Jenilee, I figured why not try to hop a little bit outside the ole comfort zone.

I also wore these to Thanksgiving dinner and I have to tell you they felt nearly the same as leggings with comfort. These have so much stretch! I do have to say, I may have been better off ordering a size down, but like my mom said it’s good to have a comfortable pair of pants! I liked them better rolled with these specific boots but since then I have worn them unrolled to show up the cute raw hem. The other amazing thing, is the inseam length options. I ordered these in a 34′ inch, but they also do 36′ and 38′. They’ve got us all covered ladies!

Lastly, these beautiful fur boots! If you haven’t picked up that we require a lot of warm weather clothing and shoes here – this is me telling you. We need oodles and oodles of coats, boots, wool socks, etc. because winter is long, cold, and scary. I saw that these were not only a cute pair of booties, but would also keep my feet warm, while also having an outdoor style tread. I was ecstatic!

I have reached for these so many times already. For Thanksgiving, for an outdoor Christmas Market, for wearing them to and from work, and multiple other errand days. They are so comfortable and unbelievably warm. When we went into a tent at the Christmas Market I had to unzip them because my feet got too hot! That rarely happens in Wisconsin winters.

In conclusion – you need everything I am wearing. Totally kidding, except not really. But truly each of these items is made so well that I would recommend each of them -together or separate.  Also if you read the post we wrote here and here about the Karl Lagerfeld Paris collection at Long Tall Sally or prefer the newer items from the #MerryEverything campaign, click here so you don’t miss this giveaway!

We wanted to put together some gift guides to help y’all with the people on your list who maybe aren’t into clothing *GASP* and more so like “one size fits all gifts”. We first made these guides and not surprisingly got a little bit out of hand. The gift guides inspired us to add a few widgets to accompany some of them, because clothes! It only made sense to include our favorite travel gear for your jet setting friends, etc. 

Also, don’t forget that (if you celebrate) St. Nicks is next week already! We included some excellent stocking stuffer ideas if you’re blanking out on ideas for those as well. 

For the Men

  1. Away Luggage
  2. Cologne
  3. Bose Headphones
  4. Bose Soundlink
  5. Record Player
  6. Aviators
  7. Apple Watch
  8. Yeti Cup

For the Traveler

Athleisure is a total game changer for traveling, and now men can look a little more put together while traveling, without sacrificing their comfort. Our tall men love them some Lululemon ABC pants, and can wear them in so many scenarios comfortably! Also, our brother loves these three packs from Asos, and wears them regularly.

The Gym Buff

We grew up in a family that values hitting the gym regularly, starting with our Dad. This is for the men who love to lift, love to play basketball, or anything a gym love needs. This includes finding those pesky sweatpants to throw on over your shorts in the winter!

On-The-Go Ladies

  1. Letter Board
  2. Airpods
  3. Apple Watch
  4. Yeti Mug
  5. Erika Ray-Bans
  6. Naked Cherry Palette
  7. Madewell Tote
  8. Away Luggage

Jetsetter looks

We basically have our traveling uniform down at this point. The inspiration behind this one is coming from cold weather, headed to somewhere tropical. Layers are key, so you don’t have to waste precious time changing in the airport bathroom once you arrive! Soft items you can wrap up in and sleep or just be cozy, are what we’re all about. Our Mom got a cashmere wrap, and loves it for traveling, and we’re always going to grab our Lululemon leggings for comfort and style.

Workout Gear

We may not have gotten around to inundating you with Gym things… yet. But rest assured, we are regular gym goers. We know what we like, and we know what works for us tall women. Old Navy is tried and true, and totally reasonable. We’ve talked about Lululemon for tall women before here, and they are worth the investment.

To Stuff the Stockings

  1. Womens Mittens
  2. Candles
  3. Mens Gloves
  4. Mens Scarf
  5. Womens Wool Socks
  6. Men’s Wool Socks
  7. Lipstick Kits
  8. Garment Weight
  9. Pom Hat
  10. Cozy Blanket

As promised from Monday’s post, we want to share more about my birthday weekend. Awhile back, Caitlin inquired about what I’d like to do for my birthday. I kind of brushed it off and said definitely not a party. She asked me a few more questions and left it alone. Some time passed and she asked if I could be booked for all day Saturday and Sunday. I checked my calendar and agreed, having no clue what the plan could be. Now try to keep up as you read this story from both of our point of views!

Caitlin

When you enter your late twenties planning a party is hard. And between Jenilee, Nick and I we are planners. And I don’t mean the actual planning is hard. I mean that we get so hyped up and excited about the people we love gathering around us. We look so forward to enjoying each others company. However, we have been burned by this excitement so many times in the past. I wasn’t willing to let people not showing up affect Jenilee’s big day. Cue the planning. With the dates locked in my mom and I began planning away.

Jenilee

Flash forward to Friday night. We had a great time at the Christmas Market, but made it an earlier night.  I was told I needed to be awake and ready by 7 a.m., so definitely need sleep! Luckily for me, Caitlin is super detail oriented.  While some would frantically be throwing everything they own in a bag to cover any eventualities,  I was able to avoid that! I received a picture of what she was wearing for the day, and then she told me yes or no when I sent her pictures of what I wanted to wear. I probably did a better job of packing than what I would do on my own!

Caitlin

We started first by deciding on Chicago to celebrate- so first things first, train tickets, check. We love taking the train to Chicago because you avoid any and all traffic and it is always on time. And you get to enjoy the entire ride relaxing. Our mom has stayed at the Kinzie Hotel previously with our dad and thought it would be a great choice for this weekend as well. We can confirm-she was right!  

Jenilee

We get in the car, and start heading towards Milwaukee. At this point I was imagining a fun day of walking around downtown. There is always lots to keep us occupied in our fair city! As we’re getting closer, my mom is asking if I need more coffee. I’m thinking – “heck yea – always!” and at the point we exited the freeway. My mom said, “ok I’ll grab the coffee and you park the car to Caitlin,” and I realized we were heading to the the Amtrak Station!

A that point, I didn’t want to make any assumptions, but my excitement was building. I asked where we were headed and they told me Chicago! My first reaction was disbelief and excitement. I love visiting Chicago, ever since our brother moved there. It’s been a city we haven’t explored much until recently, but now we can’t get enough of it. Plus, taking the train is the most ideal way to experience it! So we had a relaxing ride down there, enjoying our coffee and almond croissants.

Caitlin

I had discreetly tossed Jenilee’s bag in the car and we headed East toward this city. As we approached down-town my mom said well do you want to give her her first clue? Which is when she found out that we were hopping on the train! Our mom bee-lined it to Stone Creek Coffee, Jenilee got in line for the train (a must for my mom and I as we both get extremely motion sick and need to face forward), I parked the car and we all rendezvoused at the line. We enjoyed out coffee and pastries and sat back.

Once we got to the Union Station we grabbed a Lyft and headed to the hotel (which Jenilee still didn’t know about). Luckily our room was ready and we were able to check in early and unwind for a few minutes before we hit the ground running. So as you may have gathered by now I am a planner. Down to the minute usually, which can be a bit much sometimes. So we were choosy with what to pick for this trip in an effort to not overbook and then feel like we missed anything. So we played it at this point as if we were just going to do some shopping and kind of let the three of ourselves dictate the day. We maneuvered our way through toward the shops grabbed a fresh juice at Joe and the Juice and enjoyed our morning. Once I caught a glimpse at the time I said we needed to grab lunch and we picked the first place we saw called Wow Bao. It was a game time decision and delicious!

Jenilee

When we arrived in Chicago, I still didn’t know where we were headed for the day or anything! So we caught a Lyft from Union Station and made our way to the hotel, which was yet another exciting development for the day! We stayed at the Kinzie Hotel, which was a great spot and good walkability. So we were able to check in early and headed out right away to do some shopping! On our way we stopped for a quick juice to hold us over until lunch. I was feeling so grateful just to be down in Chicago for the day/night already, hanging with the women I love and having some leisurely girl time.

So we shopped for a couple of hours and found some great sale items. Then they wanted to grab lunch, and I’m always down for some food! We walked into the mall and grabbed some Orange Chicken Bowls to eat and they were eating pretty quickly so I figured something was up. We left the mall and my mom was basically running down the street back to our hotel so I was guessing we had plans of some sort!

Caitlin

At this point I silently started trucking it back to the hotel when Jenilee asked-are we in a rush? I said we’re not not in a rush and kept it moving. We dropped off our haul, grabbed a car and still kept her in the dark where we were going. We joked along the way that we were stopping at a fancy McDonald’s etc until we couldn’t lie anymore as the CIBC Theater lights flashed in our faces. I think this was the part my mom and I were most excited! We headed up, up, and up to our balcony seats and settled in. Hamilton was AMAZING. I highly recommend seeing this show if you have the chance. It blew us away how much they had to memorize between the singing and dancing. The theater is an amazing thing people.

Jenilee

We dropped off our bags at the hotel and grabbed another Lyft. As we’re riding in the Lyft, I had no clue where we could be headed. I was teasing my mom by looking at the address, even though it meant nothing to me. Once we turned on the street, I saw a sign up ahead and literally couldn’t not believe that it was where we were going. The CIBC Theater, and on the marquee said Hamilton. My mouth agape, I still was speechless when the Lyft driver confirmed that was where we were headed. I was out of my mind overjoyed and still basically speechless, but grinning at this point. We hopped in line and got in the theater and settled in our seats. This show is EVERYTHING people have hyped it up to be. I could not have enjoyed myself more and I am so thankful that my Mom and Caitlin wanted me to experience this masterpiece!

Caitlin

We took off after the show to get back to the Kinzie and enjoy their free happy hour! Yes, this did take part in choosing this hotel. We all grabbed a glass of wine, some snacks and enjoyed reminiscing on the show we just saw. We grabbed another glass and stopped back at our room to change into something a little more night friendly and told Jenilee we were going to grab burgers (one of her very favorite foods) at Au Cheval. I had been here with our brother and knew what we were in for so I was excited for them to try it. As expected there was a 3 hour wait so we put our name in and headed down the road.

Jenilee

We then headed back to the hotel, to partake in their happy hour. Free happy hour at a hotel is our love language with traveling and these two knew me so well. We were still high off the fabulous experience that was Hamilton, and enjoyed our wine and snacks. It was time to change and head to dinner, which they had told me was Au Cheval! I was super excited, because they know my burger loving heart.

This place has been on my list other times we’ve visited, and we knew there was going to be quite the wait. So we went and checked in, and with our three hour wait time settled, headed down the street. We knew of Bombobar through a blogging friend Lindsey, and their delectable looking confections were the perfect dessert before dinner! From there we bar hopped, because there were lots of fun options in the immediate vicinity. We hit up Lone Wolf, Punch Bowl Social, and The Emporium. They are all completely different bars but fun in their own ways!

We enjoyed our three hour wait, but were definitely ready for our burger. We walked in at 11 p.m. and ordered right away. This burger is all that it’s cracked up to be people! I loved and savored every bite I took. We rolled ourselves out of that restaurant and headed back to the hotel to sleep off our food comas. Wow, what an incredible first day!

Caitlin

One of our good blogging friend Lindsey runs the Instagram for a few restaurants in Chicago and has had us drooling over Bombobar for months so with our three hour wait in mind we decided we should probably get dessert first. It was delicious and I can’t wait to stop by again. From there we popped around a few bars: Lone Wolf, The Emporium and Punch Bowl Social. It was fun to again not really have a plan and just enjoy a new city. When my phone finally buzzed it was nearly 11 and we headed back to Au Cheval. At this point the burger was a lot to take down, but I am happy to say I did it. I overfilled myself and we all needed to promptly go to bed after dinner.

Jenilee

In the morning, we slept in a little bit and got packed up and checked out. We left our bags with the valet and headed to Wildberry for brunch. I’ve been here before and this is another spot that sees a lot of people come through, so get on their wait list. In the meantime, we strolled down the street and gazed at the Macy’s Christmas decorated windows.  It is totally worth the wait though, their food is fantastic across the board. We all ordered and shared our food with each other and they definitely don’t skimp on portion size either!

Caitlin

We were all movie a little bit slowly Sunday morning but got ourselves together and used Yelp to get in line at Wild Berry. We walked there and got to enjoy the Macy’s windows along the way which I have only done once before this so I loved it! We got to Wild Berry and of course as we waited we had to endure a family staring at us commenting on how tall we are. Sigh. Anyways we bounce back pretty easily from that and grabbed our table and promptly started drooling on the menu. Our mom and Jenilee split some omelettes and I can a Mexican skillet that was to die for and then I ordered the wild berry pancakes with it and they were equally as incredible. The food there was incredible and fed me for two days because the servings were so massive. I can’t wait to eat there again!

Jenilee

Feeling so full and thankful, we headed back out to finish off some more shopping. We perused Nordstrom Rack for shoes, which turned out to be great timing with the extra 30% off clearance. I found myself some black strappy sandals, that will be clutch for me in the summer and at $15, you can’t beat it! We were moving a little slower than we thought, so we took a Lyft over to , because Caitlin wanted to look at their winter gloves. After that, we were pretty much out of time, so we walked back to the hotel to make our way to the train.

After breakfast we needed to walk it off and did a little bit more shopping. We always spend much more time in stores than we intend to so the afternoon snuck up on us and we had to make our way back to the hotel to grab our bags and catch our train. We had another great train ride and once we got back we had to hit the ground running to make it to our basketball game.

Once we were settled on the train, it was such a relaxing trip back. Especially watching out the window, Chicago got hit with some snow, and I was super grateful none of us had to drive in that weather. We made it back in time for our basketball game by the skin of our necks and capped off a FREAKING AMAZING weekend with a win!

Caitlin

As one last perk our dad had come back earlier than usual from hunting due to the snowstorm we were anticipating so he picked up some pizza and we got to have dinner with our parents before going our separate ways for the weekend. All in all the weekend was a success! It is so hard for me to keep any surprises so I am so proud of myself for not ruining any of these ahead of time. It was so fun to watch the day unfold and spend this time with my sister and mom to celebrate Jenilee’s birthday. Our family has really converted into doing experiences as gifts rather than tangible items and we couldn’t love it more. Stay tuned for Nicks celebration (In March-hah!)

Jenilee

I can’t even believe they put all of that together for me, and I feel so utterly thankful, spoiled, and blessed. I felt so special and celebrated. It truly was the best birthday celebration I never could have planned for myself. I will never forget this weekend, so big big thank you to Caitlin and my Mom! I love you both!

I know I’m not alone with feeling like last week was like two weeks in one. We’re on limited brain power over here, after enjoying basically a week of birthday celebrations. In case you missed this post, my family compiled a list of 30 things about me – I’m pretty easy to define by certain things, hint hint popcorn.

Our birthday celebrations started Wednesday night, we met up at a local Tiki bar and had everyone wear their “party shirts” aka Hawaiian shirts. They had a music bingo game so we joined in on that and then ordered a fun treasure chest drink to share with everyone. Thursday morning we got up and hit the gym to start off our birthday and Thanksgiving right. Caitlin and I have been really focusing on incorporating more stretching into our gym routine, so we’ve been following some YouTube videos that take you through a full body stretch.

We had an amazing Thanksgiving dinner over at our parents house. Hope you all had some great family time as well! Our aunt made Nick and I this incredible homemade yin yang ice cream birthday cake. It feels great to be 30 and I’m grateful for all the birthday love that has been shared!

Friday some of us had to work – cough cough me. But I ended off the day with getting to see my best friend Katie’s twins and then her husband took the babies and we had a girls night out at a local German Christmas market. It reminded me more of Munich’s Oktoberfest, with a large beer tent and polka dancing. It was a great girls night!

Saturday morning I was awoken up bright and early and had the BEST rest of the weekend. Stay tuned for our post Wednesday. I was incredibly spoiled by Caitlin and my Mom’s surprise birthday celebration. You might have caught pieces of it if you saw our stories on Saturday and Sunday.

We did some shopping this weekend and today for Cyber Monday, and hope y’all got a jump on your Christmas shopping as well. There are some great discounts out there for whatever you’re shopping for, and we hope you found our gift guides to be helpful. Any feedback on what you’re looking for, we want to hear it. We’ve got a couple more coming yet – so stayed tuned!

This sweater is such a great mainline find. I mentioned it back in this post from New York! The store isn’t a tall store, but I would call it tall friendly. As you can see from the sleeves, they are very generous. It feels super luxe and keeps me warm for winter. The color is a gorgeous pinkish peach.

I wanted to style it two ways because we’re always about clothing maximization. I try to buy pieces I can see myself wearing for both work and play. This sweater definitely fit the bill. For the casual look, I paired it with my new Express ankle jeans that have a distressed hem. I still maintain that Express could make an additional inseam length, especially for their non-skinny jeans.

Now that the first snow has fallen, I probably won’t be wearing these with loafers again. Some of you southern tall sisters probably still have weather that will allow for that look. Thankfully the ankle booties are in right now! The length is conducive to wearing them without having to roll the hem. I usually buy between a 10/12 for jeans and these are 10. They’re definitely snug, but way comfortable.

For the work friendly look, I grabbed a pair of Harper’s I got from Old Navy for less than $5, a couple of years ago. The Harper style has improved even more since then. If you have the patience to search in store, bless your heart. Our local Old Navy is a mess, but it always feels SO GOOD when you walk out with a deal like that. I have been wearing these loafers nonstop since I found them in New York. Y’all know I love me a pointy toe shoe. We just found them again in Chicago at Nordstrom Rack and they are also linked them below.

Let us know below, what great deals did you score with your shopping?

Outfit Details

How many of y’all have heard about Small Business Saturday? Well if you haven’t-Surprise, it’s tomorrow! And we are here to share possibly one of our favorite Holiday Guides since it hits so close to home. Literally. All of these business are local, unique, and don’t just pertain to us in the Midwest.

Lake Effect

We are both especially excited about this company. We have been following along with these lake inspired items for quite some time now since we love lake life and going up north is a huge part of our lives. We reached out to the owner of this company and honestly couldn’t be happier that we did. We ended up grabbing drinks and can’t wait to keep working with her and showing y’all these killer items. We also have to mention that we love that she is always a fellow tall lady, and this reflects the fit of her shirts! No sizing snafus on her site.

We own a handful of shirts from Lake Effect and love them all. Jenilee has this long sleeve (and the sleeves are long enough!), Caitlin has this shirt and this shirt and the quality, softness and fit couldn’t be better. These will be shirts you grab for again and again because they’re timeless, high quality, and comfortable. Another perk is the shipping was so incredible fast for us!

She is running a special for Small Business Saturday tomorrow with 25% off orders over $50 using code: THANKS25. Orders over $150 receive a limited edition Carhartt x Lake Effect Co winter knit hat (your choice of black, gray, or navy) using code: CARHARTT150. And all orders will enjoy free shipping, automatically. Be sure to snag some of these wonderful pieces for yourself, for your friends, for whoever! Find this lovely company at lakeeffectco.com or @lakeeffectco on instagram!

Milwaukee Home/Waxwing

If you’re not from Milwaukee this one might not be for you. But if you are, listen up! These shirts are pretty iconic by now and we are certain you have seen them on someone. Even if you’re not from Wisconsin we are sure you have seen “Your State” Home shirts. Maybe Milwaukee Home specifically won’t work for you, but the same type of company in your hometown will make for a great gift idea for you or a friend.

They are also running a sale tomorrow so be sure to check it out. They also have some goodies packed into swag bags if you are the one of the first 100 people through the door (Open at 8:00 am). This basic shirt is one of our favorites, Jenilee loves this hat, and Caitlin may just need to get herself this cup for Christmas.

Waxwing also has some incredible products-candles, bags, bath&body, other clothing, jewelry, hats, office, etc.

Taylor Wolfe Shop

Caitlin stumbled upon Taylor (@thedailytay)’s blog a few years ago and became pretty invested in the shenanigans of Taylor and Harlow. It also helped that she is in the midwest and it makes her even that much more relatable to us. For Oktoberfest a few years ago, Caitlin and Sarah ordered her Lets Day Drink shirts and people loved them! One thing we recommend though is if you are one of the tall gals here order the unisex size if possible or size up multiple sizes for the right fit.

We are big Christmas people here, so when we saw the Stay Merry sweatshirt we knew one of us had to have it! It is going to get so much use this holiday season. We also really like this sweatshirt and this shirt for the holidays. She has so many other hilarious, relatable, fun Tees and sweatshirts to choose from. These are the perfect gift for your bestie, husband, mom, siblings, the animal lover in your life, etc.  

Check out her site here, her blog here if you would like, and browse her goods! And if you don’t find anything you like at least you can admire her beautiful boy Harlow.

VoYourself

We found this company through the above mentioned Taylor’s blog. She was wearing the crescent necklace in many of her stories and we needed to know where it was from. Turns out her friend owns her own small business of some amazing Jewelry! Caitlin owns the crescent necklace and wears it on a daily rotation-by itself or as you can see below it is amazing for layering. You can see all of her goodies here and also on Instagram @voyorself. Or if you are local in Chicago you can find her cruising around all summer

If you’re into super versatile, high quality, everyday jewelry girl (or guy), treat yo self! She is running some killer Small Business Saturday sales but make sure you are timely with this one!

10am – 2pm: 30% off

2pm-6pm: 25% off

6pm-midnight: 15% off

Brew City Brand

Brew City Brand is a company we fell in love with through visiting the Milwaukee Public Market. They have the most fun Milwaukee/Wisconsin themed shirts for a reasonable price. We love that they are unique and so accurately describe so many of our beloved Wisconsinisms. You have seen us post in some instagram stories in one of their sweatshirts but we own many other items as well.

Well for Small Business Saturday they have 40% off EVERYTHING until 11/25/18. That is huge! You can visit their instagram here or stop by thesite here

Summerfest

This is applicable to anyone who has had any interest in visiting Milwaukee. Or if you already live here there is zero chance you haven’t heard of Summerfest. It is the world’s largest music festival and their musical offerings are for EVERYONE. You’d be hard pressed to find a better value than this festival, and Milwaukee in the summer is vibrant and beautiful. They have a Power Pass on sale which is entry for all 11 days of the festival for only $85. This is the perfect gift for the music lover in your life. If you don’t want to spend that much, they have gift cards as well which can be used towards entry or merchandise.

Do you have any local shops that are close to your heart? Or if you are local with us–what are we missing in Milwaukee?