Cheer me up, damn you!

This time of year is always tough and it seems to get worse after the New Year. There's always that dreadful gap between the holidays and my birthday in March, when spring is right around the corner and I start to feel more like a human being again. Winter is just so dark and dreary and honestly, a little depressing.

If you look back through the years of writing I've done here, you'll see that there's always a drop off in the winter. I think I have that Seasonal Affect Disorder thing going on but honestly, who doesn't feel a little less peppy when it's 12 degrees and cloudy outside? Having said that, I'm determined to keep myself out of that hole as much as possible this time around and I need your help.

I want you to leave comments on this post with a silly story, a fashion question, a silly fashion question, whatever you can think of. Is there something you want me to write about that isn't exactly a question? Is there something you're in love with right now that you want to share? How do you get through the winter blues? What color are you favorite pajamas? Just leave a comment and perk me up.

I do have some ideas for posts coming up so don't worry, I'm not going anywhere :P

Comments

[Tink]

I totally get where you're coming from!

As for my favorite PJ's. Those would be my super ultra soft pink PJ pants and any shirt that is comfy for the weather. I wish I could say that shirt was a super fluffy sweatshirt all year round, but living in South East Texas, I can't even be promised being able to wear a sweatshirt in December.

82 degrees can bite my butt! I want my cold weather back, at least then I can have an excuse for this crummy cloudy weather.

[Erin]

Here's a silly fashion quest, which I think is impossible (since I've spent a good time looking for it!) It's my son's first christmas, and we've decided to do the everyone gets new pj's christmas eve tradition. I'm crazy about penguins, and my son, husband and mom all have penguin pj's that have been purchased for them. I can't find any in plus sizes. :( I'm a 30/32, which complicates things worse.

So have you seen anything in your travels? Holiday PJ's for the plus sizes are horrible this year!

[stephanie]

Hey I am in SE Texas too! Near Liberty ? The weather here is just wrong and anti-festive! Ok my fashion problem is : I love clothes and have super cute clothes, but as a stay at home mom , lots of times when I leave the hoouse I will be right back home in less than an hour. So I don't tend to dress in the super cute clothes becuz I feel like those clothes deserve good hair and makeup! So it ends up I look RATTY alot! How do you look cute for 20 mins when you know you are just headed home to clean house?

[a.]

even though it's a yicky 80 degrees where i live, too, i've been wanting knee socks lately. being tall and having mongo calves, knee socks that actually reach my knees and don't cut off my circulation are nigh on impossible to find. wide-calf boots nees wide-calf knee socks.

but i came up with something I really like! target sells tights for 6 bucks that are really nice and cottony, like sweaters for your legs. they only sell them in skinny sizes, though, of course... but they make great knee socks! i buy them, cut off the leg, and use a yarn needle to loosely sew a little bit of skinny elastic around the top (just a simple in-and-out of the material stitch). it takes about 2 minutes, and voila. knee socks that actually reach my knees. i fold over the top when i wear them to make a clean-edged cuff.

[Carrie]

A few questions...
1) plus-sized blazers that are made for people that are short-waisted-- do they exist? Where the heck do I find them? Almost every single blazer I've tried hits me at a weird spot in the middle, they hang about 2" too low. I need to shop from retailers that have shipping to Canada and/or are based in Canada, which further complicates things.
2) plus-sized bras that have a large band size but small cup size AND that are made for people that are short-waisted-- do these exist? This has been a life-long journey. Ok, not really, but at least since I've been aware of my issues which means about the last 8 yrs or so.
3) work-appropriate pants that accommodate wide hips, but are smaller in the waist and available in a 30" length-- keep dreaming? In order to fit my hips, the waist tends to gap. I tried a pair of jeans from the Right Fit line at Lane Bryant, and it scared me. The jeans (blue, 4) were huge. Not sure if I should try a blue 3 or a different color combo all together. I have to shop online, as we have no LB stores in Canada.

If none of the above exists, would anyone like to start a business or pitch an idea to an existing plus-size retailer? =)

[Kate Harding]

BEER.

Name the place and time.

[Cherie]

First, Carrie, get a tailor for those pants!

Now, for those seasonal affective disorder blues, some things that work for me are: puppies, all-out seasonal decorating and baking, and a vacation planned for spring!

[Sniper]

I'm so sorry you have the winter blues. Maybe a reading list would help. Think of books or topics you'd like to read about and put a bunch of holds on at the librar. Also, Netflix is your friend.

[Tink]

Tomball actually. I'm desperately hanging to the hope that tomorrows "cool" front will actually come to fruition.

[Kate Harding]

The jeans (blue, 4) were huge. Not sure if I should try a blue 3 or a different color combo all together.

Carrie, you might need a different color. I have the same problem as you and thus expected to be a blue; turns out I'm a red. If the blues were huge in the hips and thighs but all right in the waist, try red. If they were huge all over, maybe just go down a size.

Also, Eddie Bauer has the Blakely fit and Land's End has some curvy fit pants in plus sizes now.

Erin, I can't find regular penguin print pj's in 30/32 after a quick look at the usual suspects (maybe Colleen can take that on), but the pink snowglobe print in these includes a snowglobe with a penguin in it. (I zoomed in.)

Sorry if I wrecked your fun on those two, Colleen. :)

[littlem]

Twinkle lights.

Also hot cider with a cinnamon stick.

Also Toesox.

Also black satin PJs with a velvet stripe down the side, with long silk underwear underneath if you are the "get cold" type.

Also sauna after workout. Then some expensive organic lotion, or 100% shea butter, or something of the type.

Also, something ridiculously expensive from Eileen Fisher.

[Carrie]

Thanks Kate! I'll give the reds a try... and yes, I agree, I need a tailor. I was just hoping to avoid that process by purchasing clothes off the rack that would fit me. I'm a lazy clothes shopper. :)

[Pretty Pear]

I did a quick look around for penguin pjs and didn't find any, which is weird considering it's prime penguin time. Lane Bryant used to make pj pants with goofy cartoons and such but I guess they're going for just plaid and whatever this year.

Carrie, I have the Right Fit dress pants in black and I really like them, a lot. Definitely try the red if the blue fit weird. They have the black pants in stores and black, gray and brown on the website. I have about a 30 inch inseam and I bought the petites they're JUST the right length to wear with flats but for heels, I'd get the average length and have them hemmed a bit.

[ottermatic]

Yeah, girl. BEER.

That's my answer for everything.

[twilightriver]

Fat Santas, soft and warm anything, hot cocoa, baking, herbal tea, and butterscotch schnapps in my cocoa.

Peppermint sticks, anything shiny/sparkly, and the color pink. I love the color pink this time of year because it's a warm color and reminds me of cherry blossoms and spring time.

I've got a major case of the winter blahs as well, so hooray for happy lists!

[Kate Harding]

No prob, Carrie. And for reference, here are pics of me in both the flares (which I like much better) and the bootcuts. As you can see, I've got a pretty severe waist-hip ratio (or, more accurately, waist-thigh ratio), but the blues were too big and the reds were just right.

[Hazel Stone]

Sounds like you need a good dose of Magical Trevor. Just google it. Trust me!

[penguinlady]

I am also a big penguin fan. :) I can't tell you the number of penguin PJs I've got (it's many), but I can tell you that Target has a set that comes in XXXL. Hope that helps!

http://www.target.com/Nick-Nora-Flannel-Pajama-Set/dp/B000TM2LKQ/qid=1197494557/ref=br_1_8/602-9531490-4248616?ie=UTF8&node=264174011&frombrowse=1&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=264174011&rank=%2Bdaterank&rh=tgt%5F4%3A00270%7BXXX-Large%7B&page=1

[bianca]

Something to cheer you up would be that although folks don't always leave a note, more people than you think are reading! I'm a perfect example. Been reading for almost a year and just decided to get "active" as I've tried to start my own website and blog and know how difficult it can be. So, as a believer in karma, I decided to get active on sites that I enjoy but have been a bit voyeuristic on.

I like the posts re: books, films and warm fuzzy things. But as a sexuality educator I've got to have good sex on the top of my list (either with someone you like or yourself!). Bubble baths, good jazz, sandalwood or cinnamon scented candles does it for me.

Some topics to discuss in the future: what's this talk about "premium denim" who is considered "premium"? why no posts re: "urban" designers creating fashion in plus sizes? baby phat, house of dereon, apple bottoms to name a few all have great sales at times. why not plug some fat erotic writers?

[Crystal]

I have this seasonal problem, too, but I'm in Texas so it's never 12 degrees. Starting Friday, you and I can console ourselves thinking that EVERY SINGLE DAY the sun is rising about 1 minute earlier and shining about 1 minute later than the day before. Also, sauna. Seriously. It's easier to be cheerful if you are also warm.