Happy Thanksgivukkah!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and a Happy Hanukkah to those that celebrate. This year Steve and I stayed in Nashville and had a lovely Thanksgiving meal with friends. Everyone made one or two dishes and we all pigged out. Seeing as it was also the first day of Hanukkah I made pumpkin challah and noodle kugel (my favorite!). 

After dinner we played a rousing game of Munchkin. This was only my second time playing and I was still a little confused on the rules, but I had a great time. It's a super fun game and I highly recommend it. Of course I lost, but that was expected. We also watched some movies (Hannah and Her Sisters, Some Like It Hot) and a few episodes of Adventure Time. 

Every year I get invited to tacky Christmas sweater parties (which I love) but I'm always sad that I can't represent the Jews, as no one I know owns tacky Hanukkah sweaters. Then I found this awesome company GeltFiend that has awesome Hanukkah sweaters! I got the spinster sweater but I also love the Chanukitty because: CATS. I'm so happy there is a company that makes all my Jewish sweater dreams come true.

I really like this outfit. I threw it on for "Thanksgivukkah" and it worked well. It was nice outside so we went for a post-turkey walk and the sweater and tights kept me very warm. The skirt is just a tad bit too big on me, which worked well for over-eating.

If you can't see my awesome nails here's a close-up. I went to this awesome lady named Tiffani over in East Nashville and she made all my nail art and claw dreams come true. You can book an appointment with her here and you should also follow her on Instagram @tiffaninails to see all the beautiful designs she creates! If you're in the area, go see her!

Sweater: GeltFiend

Skirt: Old

Tights: Free People

Boots: Old

Cool For Cats

Howdy folks! It's been a long time since I posted an outfit shoot. I'm going to get real for a moment: I've been going through a patch where I don't like how I look and I don't like any of my clothes. I'll try on a bunch of outfits, but nothing seems to look right. Things that I loved a month ago just don't do anything for me anymore. I don't know how or why I'm in this slump, but I really wish it would end.

Lucky for me Steve knows what is best for me when I can't see it. He basically demanded that I put on an outfit and we go take some pictures. I wasn't one to argue, since he is usually correct in these situations, so we took these at a local airpark. I can't say that I was really into the shoot or that I really love how I look in these pictures, but taking them is the first step to getting back on the horse.

So for all you other bloggers out there: did this ever happen to you? Did you just lose your "umph" for taking pictures? If you did and you got over it- HOW DID YOU DO IT?! Maybe I'm just meant to be a food writer and y'all are just sick of looking at my face? Who knows. But advice is welcome.

This sweater has been my favorite thing since I picked it up on super discount this summer while in New York. I have a tendency to buy clothes off-season and jump the gun with wearing them- hence why I was sporting this baby in August. It's from Wildfox and it might be the softest, most comfortable piece I own. Wearing it is like getting hugged by a big pillow. Plus how can you say no to a slick looking cheetah wearing sunglasses? YOU CAN'T.

Sweater: Wildfox via Saks off 5th

Tights: Romwe

Boots: REALLY OLD

Alley Cat Allies: National Feral Cat Day + Giveaway

If you are like me, you love all the cats. ALL THE CATS. This includes all the furry little darlings that don't have loving forever-homes. And if your neighborhood is like mine, you have a variety of local homeless favorites. Your local feral cats and any offspring they have could end up in shelters and are normally euthanized because they are wild, unsocialized and therefore not adoptable as pets. Bummer- BECAUSE I LOVE ALL THE CATS.

Because of this the wonderful people at Ally Cat Allies, the only national organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats, created National Feral Cat Day to raise awareness of feral cats and promote the humane trap-neuter-return program. National Feral Cat Day was started in 2001 and is held every year on October 16th. There are expected to be over 450 events this year to bring awareness to the humane treatment of feral cat populations.

If you're an AdvoCATe like me, you'll be happy to know the lovely people at ACA are offering one Old Red Boots reader the opportunity to win one of their 2013 National Feral Cat Day t-shirts and show your love for ALL THE CATS.

Enter below. The contest is only open to US residents (sorry international readers) and the winner will be announced in a week so you can show your pride on National Feral Cat day October 16th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sour Lemon

This weekend has been a whirlwind. I was busy from sun up to sun down and I barely saw my house. But those weekends are necessary to keep you on your toes. Household chores like laundry and vacuuming will just have to wait for a later day. There are things to be done!

This weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Music City Eats food and wine festival. It was everything I dreamed of and more. There will be a full recap coming up shortly- and trust me it will make your mouth water. I got to meet some of my favorite chefs, taste some amazing food, and day drink. 

This is the outfit I wore on the first day of Music City Eats. I needed something comfortable and cool- since I would be standing outside for hours. Also, I always love a dress that matches the occasion so why not wear a dress with food on it? 

I got this dress a year ago during a modcloth sale and I never wore it until this weekend. I have no idea why because it turns out I really love this dress. It was perfect for the festival because it has nice deep pockets to keep a phone and some business cards. I also love the little bow detail on the back of the dress, but I'm pretty sure my hair covered it the entire day. 

And because I would be on my feet all day I opted for my old standby tan boots. It was a smart move because my feet didn't get tired at all! Boots and skirts are a perfect match.

Dress: Modcloth

Boots: Old Tan Boots

Necklace: Gift from a dear friend

Hot Tomato!

Happy Monday everyone! This past weekend was my favorite day in East Nashville- the Tomato Art Festival! Every year streets are closed off around five points for a day full of festivities celebrating our August love, the tomato. I think I heard that about 40,000 people visited our little part of the city this year. I love showing my East Nashville pride.

Steve and I got up super early on Saturday to do the tomato 5k. Although I didn't get my best time ever, for being under-trained and it being the hilliest course known to man, I'm quite pleased with my result. The best part was Steve and I did it together and crossed the finish line holding hands. (AWWW!)

After taking a nice shower and having breakfast, we headed back down to the festival. There were tons of local artists selling their wares, the tomato art show at Art and Invention gallery (where I wanted to buy everything), and a bunch of great bands. Steve's band Scale Model even got to play! It was great to see people walking by and stopping to listen to them. 

There were tons of local food trucks and the opportunity to see a lot of my friends out and about. This event just makes me fall more in love with the city every year. Who cares if it's a million degrees outside? Grab a fan and have some fun!

This is what I wore to the tomato fest. While it isn't the most tomato-y outfit, it was the most appropriate because it was REALLY HOT OUT. It was one those days where the less clothes you wear, the better. I'm amazed you can't see lines of sweat all over me, it was that gross.

This outfit consists of a bunch of really old things. The tank top is probably from high school and the necklace was a college graduation present from a dorm mate. The romper, which is clearly the standout of this outfit, was from the sale rack of Urban Outfitters three or four years ago. Also, I'm pretty sure you are all sick of seeing these boots, but sometimes the old things are the best things, right?

 Tank Top: Really Old

Romper: Urban Outfitters Sale rack ages ago

Necklace: Gift

Shoes: Old Brown Boots

Kittens and Ice Cream

I'm just going to cut to the chase and talk about this outfit. I feel like I have to, because it might be the most epic piece of clothing I own. How can I possibly resist a dress with cats floating on various ice cream treats on a pastel background? It's as if this dress was designed specifically with me in mind. 

The dress is from JapanLA and I bought it the moment it went on sale. I had been stalking it via facebook for a while and I knew I had to save up and buy it. I've worn it pretty much every week since it arrived. Because the dress is nicely cut and the fabric is stretchy, it's perfect for a hot summer day. I can go on and on about how much I love this dress, but honestly, BORING! JapanLA has so many cute things (and cat-related things) I know I'll be buying from them again!

I wore this outfit over to the Stone Fox this Saturday for their Nashville Outlines block party. They had  beer, food, music, a craft fair and even a tiny petting zoo. It was a great way to spend a Saturday and I really hope they do this again next year!

 Of course I had to wear my Betsey Johnson ice cream earrings. DUH.

Dress: JapanLA

Boots: Some store in East TN

Earrings: Betsey Johnson

Necklace: Betsey Johnson 

Orange Sorbet

Happy Monday folks! Surprise! I'm back with an outfit post after my hiatus. I don't know about you, but I felt like I was gone FOREVER. But I had a good reason to get dressed up when I attended Dinner Lab last week. A fancy meal is always a good excuse to put on a new dress and throw on some make-up.

This weekend was pretty relaxing. I had a few really nice dinners with friends and even cooked an awesome chickpea and pork shoulder Sunday stew. On Saturday Steve and I used our new YMCA membership and hit up the outdoor pool. I'm a wuss and thought the water was pretty cold, but I got used to it for a bit and enjoyed myself. On Sunday Steve brewed a new batch of beer while I made my stew. The house smelled really good!

So how pretty is the back of this dress? As soon as I saw the little buttons I knew it had to be mine. I got this dress while visiting my parents in New York at one of my favorite places, Century 21. If you ever have an opportunity to go there, DO IT. It's quite an amazing shopping experience and they have something for everyone.

Oh, and that super sweet hair clip? That was a birthday gift from the amazing Jen from Librarian Tells All. She is amazingly talented and I believe she can make anything she puts her mind to.

Dress: Century 21

Shoes: Anthropologie

Necklace: Old

Hair Clip: Gift from Jen 

Cats in Space!

Happy Monday folks! It's really hard coming back from a really nice weekend to a Monday. I know I'm going to sound a lot like Garfield here but I am not liking this Monday one bit. 3 day weekend please? Plus with all the stuff I feel like I need to get ready for Bonnaroo, I'm a total stress ball. I know it's a music festival and should be fun- so why am I totally stressing out about it? Deep breaths.

On Friday night I was able to hang out with a friend of mine who was back in town after moving to LA not that long ago. We had a nice night catching up. On Saturday I cleaned the house and finally started to watch Game of Thrones. I know I'm years behind on this, but I'm finally making time for it and I'm really happy I did. I've watched maybe 5 episodes of the first season and I'm totally hooked. Later in the day I met up with fellow local blogger Aubrey and my girls Leah and Stephanie and went to the Native Backyard BBQ at Fond Object. There was a waterslide, music, beer, brats and free doughnuts from Glazed (I might have eaten more than one). It's events like these that make me totally love my neighborhood.

After the BBQ Aubrey and I went over to see Tony Hale, who plays Buster on Arrested Development, at the Hey Brother! event. While Tony Hale was awesome, the event itself was pretty awkward. Some local band played a short set before the event even started, something that wasn't on the tickets. And then for some reason, due to poor planning, they showed an ENTIRE episode from the first season. Let's be honest, if you are at this event you have probably seen that episode multiple times and have no urge to pay money to see it again. Also, the dude who interviewed Tony was a douche and didn't appear to have any knowledge of the show and didn't know how to ask interview questions. Rookie mistakes y'all. But Buster was funny and I had a great time hanging out with Aubrey!

On Sunday my amazing foodie friend Ana Beth hosted a brunch at her place. She is one of the few people who I totally implicitly trust when it comes to food. We had savory bread pudding, currant scones, kale salad and some amazing cocktails. I ate more than I should have but whatever, I'm honored to eat her food!

And where was Steve all weekend? He was with his band Scale Model recording their new album over at Battletapes. They have a gaggle of new songs to put down and I'm proud and excited for them. The band works so hard and I know how much they have been looking forward to recording!

So in honor of the the new record, I'm wearing the new limited edition Scale Model tshirt designed by Funky Catsterz. It's a fat cat floating in space shooting laser beams from its eyes! I couldn't be more in love with this design or all the other awesome things that Funky Catsterz makes. I highly recommend checking out her shop and taking a gander at all the amazing cat artwork. I really want a few for my new office! You can also order the tshirts on Scale Model's bandcamp.

Shirt: Scale Model Funky Catsterz

Skirt: American Apparel

Leggings: Drop Dead

Necklace: Betsey Johnson

Shoes: No clue where I got these