An Inclement Halloween in Salem

Happy Halloween!!

One of the first things people said when I moved to Salem, Massachusetts was that Halloween and the week before was insane...They were right. My husband and I walked a mile into Salem on Saturday afternoon to see the sights, which were the Salem Witch Museum, various cemeteries  and of course, the people in costumes. My favorite costumes were a group of friends that dressed up as the entire faculty of Hogwarts and stayed in character the entire time. Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy passed through since Saturday. (Please keep all those who were affected in your thoughts.) My husband and I were okay. We live only a mile from the coast in the North Shore, but the South Shore shielded us from most of the storm. Well, since we still are getting rain from Sandy, but going into Salem for Halloween, here is my Halloween costume for tonight:

An Inclement Halloween in Salem by theconservativeprep featuring pearl jewelry

J Crew cashmere sweater
jcrew.com

Bardot mini skirt
$93 - bardot.com.au

Hunter rubber boots
$135 - johnlewis.com

Michele photo jewelry
bloomingdales.com

Givenchy pearl jewelry
nordstrom.com

Cat Treat Bag
$17 - potterybarnkids.com

Some pictures I took over the last four days:

The Salem Witch Museum: When I was in college, I took a class called Constitutional and Legal History I, which studied the legal history of the United States. We read a book on the Salem Witch Trials and discussed the "spectral evidence" used to condemn many innocent people of being a "witch."

Complete History Nerd Alert: I love a good museum and historical area. That's why I love Massachusetts so much. All historical buildings and places are protected. This house is a reconstruction of the houses in Salem around the time of the Salem Witch Trials.

My husband and I drove around on Monday night when Sandy took a break from hitting so hard. We drove from Nahant to Marblehead to see any damage, but we did not see a lot. I took this picture near a great restaurant in Swampscott.

Remember to vote on November 6th!!

Gearing Up for Winter

Hello my amazing readers,

Since I moved to Massachusetts, people around here have been telling to get ready for winter with warm coats, a good solid pair of boots, wellies, thick socks, and a snow shovel. Kentucky's winter weather is no where near the level of New England's. It will take a while to get used to the snow. My husband and I were eating dinner in a Salem restaurant when the waiter described the weather of Salem from January to March as "dark and bleak"...Might need to buy some Vitamin D to boost my mood during those months, but as I moved up to Massachusetts, I stopped at all the outlet malls I could to add to my wardrobe "winter-friendly"  attire. 

The first new addition to my closet was my new Burberry Brit trench coat. The coat was probably the best deal I have ever found on one of my outlet shopping adventures. I needed a new rain coat/winter coat for some time as I interchanging two wool J.Crew coat that would soak up water when it rained. Now, I can put those J.Crew coats away until it snows and use the Burberry one for rain!!

Next, I recently bought a pair of 100th Anniversary L.L. Bean Maine Hunting boots. I have worn them twice already even though the temperature outside has been a steady 60 degrees. If you are interested in purchasing duck boots from L.L. Bean, I suggest going a full size down from your actual shoe size. I wear a size 9.5 or 10, but I bought a size 9. Here is my Outfit of the Day:

I wore one of my favorite J.Crew flannel shirtdresses with my L.L. Bean boots and eggshell knee socks that I scrunched down. My accessories included a crewcuts bow headband, my gold Fossil watch, a leather bow bracelet, and my vintage pearl ring.  When I bought my Bean boots, a package of Sno-Seal came with them. L.L. Bean advised that I coat the boots I bought in Sno-Seal to protect and condition them. I was so happy with the result that started to use the Sno-Seal on my Frye boots. Unfortunately, I ran out of Sno-Seal before I finished, so I bought a bigger can on Amazon to finish the rest of my leather boot collection.

Leave me a comment to tell me what you all have added to your closet to "gear up" for winter and please follow my blog. Don't forget to cast your vote on November 6th!!

Classless

When I was watching and reading up on the news this morning, Fox News and other news outlets reported that President Obama said in an interview to Rolling Stone magazine that "kids have good instincts. They look at the other guy and say, "That's a bulls******. I can tell." What is our American culture debasing itself to? Classless defamation of an opponent? I'm completely shocked. Please make an informed decision which candidate you vote for on November 6th. Also, please mind the language of the URL.

http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-calls-romney-a-bullshitter-2012-10

The Conservative Prep Style

Hello my lovely readers,

I wanted to start talking style. Let's first start with the basics. What would be the basic staples of any preppy wardrobe?? Jack Rogers Navajos and Longchamp Le Pliage bags. I have countless numbers of both. Yes, Jacks are typically worn in the Spring/Summer, but I like to stretch out my time frame of wearing my Jacks throughout Indian Summer. With the outfit pictured below, the transition from Summer to Fall can simply be changing the Jacks to Black flats and adding a black J.Crew Jackie sweater (my favorite cardigan that J.Crew sells).  Remember, for preppies, it's all about new spins on the basics!!

Running Errands by theconservativeprep featuring diamond watches

J Crew striped top

jcrew.com

J.Crew j crew jeans

jcrew.com

Shoes

jildorshoes.com

Longchamp canvas tote bag

$115 - selfridges.com

Michele diamond watch

bloomingdales.com

J.Crew stud earrings

jcrew.com

In other good news, my L.L. Bean Maine Hunting boots came in yesterday. I am so excited to start wearing them. I plan on definitely wearing them into Salem on Halloween.

Don't forget to vote on November 6th!!

Final Presidential Debate: Attacking me is not an agenda.

Governor Romney and President Obama came together last night for the last presidential debate before the November 6th elections. I had to race to get home to watch the debate live streaming from Fox News. The debate had already been on for 30 minutes when I started watching. Overall, Mitt Romney won the debate because he offered an agenda...Obama seemed to have to hear himself talk about his presidential actions over the last four years in order to validate himself. 

A couple highlights and my opinion on them:

1. "Attacking me is not an agenda.": Governor Romney flat out said that to President Obama. Finally, attack and blame tactics of President Obama are highlighted. Americans want substance from debates, not ridiculous attacks and blaming President Bush. It's over. Americans are finished hearing and accepting that. At some point, reasonable and mature adults look past blame and take care of the problem. Over the last four years, all I've heard from Obama is that he has to take care of a problem because President Bush caused. Just stop already. Accept responsibility for solving the problem, President Obama.

2. "I'm still speaking.": President Obama constant interrupting to attack. It annoyed me on a huge level. The leader of the free world should not have to constantly go on attack when his policies are questioned, but as these debates are the first time Obama has ever had to explain himself and answer hard questions about his policies, I am not surprised.

3. Obama's snarky comments about the Navy and military spending: JUST. PLAIN. DISRESPECTFUL. As President Obama does not come from a military background, he walked into this presidency with little knowledge of the military and its expenditures. Being a Senator for the short amount of time as he was would not make him an expert regardless what anyone will tell you. The armed forces of the United States military deserves the utmost respect. President Obama's comparison of "horses and bayonets" last night was ridiculous and false. Shocker: The Marines still use bayonets. 

Readers, please remember to vote on November 6th. Educate yourselves on the candidates.

New Spinning Instructor

Dear Readers, 

I am glad to announce that I recently got certified in SPINNING!! It's my favorite way to work out and have been doing it since high school. If you have never done Spinning before, I suggest trying it because it simulates biking outside and is low-impact. I used to use Spinning as a way to keep in shape for cross country and it turned into a passion. I had been meaning to get certified for a long time (like four years), but never had time to get it done. 

Also, I will unfortunately be working during the first part of the presidential debate, but I will be racing home when I get off at 9:30pm to start watching it. It will be the subject of my next post tomorrow along with the J.Crew fall/Holiday collection. Readers, please watch the debate to inform yourself on the views and policies of the candidates. Don't forget to vote on November 6th.

Elizabeth Warren for Senate and Boot Season

Today, on my day off from work, I was just casually looking up hilarious YouTube videos to pass the time while my husband was getting a haircut. (He has to keep up those Bama Bangs/Frat Swoop. ) The amount of ads YouTube has started to play before videos has gotten annoying and unnecessary, but especially today, when I was forced to watch two different Elizabeth Warren for Senate ads multiple times. I have only lived in Massachusetts for about two months...Elizabeth Warren is a Democrat...She lost my vote when it surfaced that Warren had deliberately identified as a minority on employment applications. Therefore, she knew what she was doing and decided to label herself as a minority without any provided documentation. Wow...classy. The Washington Post provides a great article on the controversy: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-controversy-over-elizabeth-warrens-claimed-native-american-heritage/2012/09/27/d0b7f568-08a5-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_blog.html

On a lighter note, it's autumn in New England, which means IT'S BOOT SEASON!! I remember buying my first pair of J.Crew riding boots five years ago and wore them all through college. Trust me when I say that J.Crew makes quality boots, but for this fall, I choose to introduce a new pair into my closet. I found these Tory Burch Sienna riding boots at one of outlet malls in New York. They are soooooooo comfortable to walk in!!

Outfit of the Day: J.Crew ruffle shirtdress, Tory Burch Sienna riding boots, knee-length eggshell socks, gold watch, and vintage pearl jewelry. The pearl jewelry are prized possessions since the ring was my grandmother's and the single pearl necklace belonged to my Mom before she gave it to me.

Until next time,

Presidential Debate on Tuesday Night

My husband and I watched the Presidential Debate on Tuesday streaming live from foxnews.com. Going into the debate, I knew from the get-go that Mitt Romney would have to face a harder political test from President Obama. President Obama's poor debate performance on October 3rd shocked me as he always is a great public speaker, but he had his reasons for the poor performance such as sickness and the debate happened to fall on his wedding anniversary. This time around President Obama provided an energetic performance, but alas, I was disappointed by the lack of agenda for the next for years provided by the President. 

3 Crucial Moments from the Debate:

1. Mitt Romney seating the President as he tried to challenge Governor during his speaking time. This moment set the tone for the rest of the debate for two reasons: 1. Romney sat Obama down like a parent would quiet a complaining child. Obama changed his demeanor for the rest of the debate as the tone in his voice would change when he was criticizing Romney's policies.

2. Candy Crowley: Referee or Moderator?? I am no lover of CNN (with the exception of Anderson Cooper). I respected Candy Crowley's control over the clock during the debate. She utilized her role as moderator very well until the question about Libya came up. She should have never intervened as it was not her place as an supposed unbiased moderator. I highly doubt she had a transcript of Obama's rose garden speech to "fact-check" Governor Romney towards the end of the debate. Therefore, Crowley lost her unbiased control of the debate. I laughed at her backtracking and stating the Governor Romney was actually correct about the timeline of Obama's use of the phrase "terror attack". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=athcyCTnTTs

3. Libya: President Obama made two mistakes during this portion of the debate. First, he threw Secretary of State under the bus by announcing that he had asked for more security at the United States embassy in Libya, which the Secretary of State denied. Yes, he took responsibility that night, but I think it's too late to announce that. Second, the first use of the term "terror" in Obama's speeches about the Libya tragedy was in the Rose Garden on September 12th, but he did not use the phrase "acts of terror" to characterize the Benghazi attack as a terrorist attack. Governor Romney had every right to be upset about Obama's manipulation of the phrase.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/12/remarks-president-deaths-us-embassy-staff-libya

A complete video of the Second Presidential Debate on October 17th from The New York Times. The New York Times posted this video on YouTube and own the right to it.

http://www.youtube.com/politics?feature=etp-pv-ype-3bff3fd3f0

Why I began this blog...

Dear Readers,

I came up with the idea to start a blog from a friend of mine after I started uploading my Outfits of the Day/Night on Instagram, but with starting anything new on the Internet, one must add a touch of personality and uniqueness. I began researching other preppy blogs that focused on clothes, crafting, vacation getaways, "how-to's", reviews of products/books/movies, but I did not see one that discusses politics or conservative political views. While I know that I am taking a risk by posting about conservative politics and views, I wanted to create something that would cause people who read my posts to think, research, and challenge their own political views whether they fundamentally agree or disagree with my personal beliefs, but don't worry, I will post about preppy fashion and lifestyle as well.