Giving Thanks

The year is coming to a close and Shannon and I have so very much to be thankful for. We couldn't even begin to list why we are the luckiest girls in the world, so we'll just throw one out there. Recently we offered free t-shirts on the blog. We had a really fantastic response, mainly the kind words people had to say about what we work at every day. So thanks to all of you who we don't know, but have supported us by buying, wearing, and loving Dakota Martin! Here are some of the comments we were emailed --

Please open a store in Pittsburgh, PA! We love you!
A friend of mine gave me a link to your website and blog and I love what I'm seeing! I hope you don't mind I've put a link to your site in my own blog- I love to share new preppy finds
I love you guys! My mom bought me a sweater that I wear pretty much every week.
Your stuff is just too cute for words! My friend posted the link to your site(s) and I just love it all..I want the scarf top for Christmas!
I have one of your Patty Polos and absolutely adore it! [
My friend Kate told me about you guys a while ago, and I love you! My cableknit sweater is so comfy that I find myself wearing it all the time :)
I love your cableknit sweaters! I am definitely putting a few on my Christmas wish list this year.
Saw your stuff, loved it, and hunted down your site! I will definitely go back and blow some Christmas money on it.

THANKS GUYS!

Congratulations Susan and Jonathan!

December 22nd Shannon and I attended our dear friend Susan's wedding. She married Jonathan McEvoy in a beautiful ceremony at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, and we celebrated at the Franklin Institute in Center City Philadelphia. Susan looked stunning (as you can see here), the bride and groom looked like they were floating, the bridemaids were beautiful, and the dancing was non stop.

I just finished reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and this is one of my favorite passages which I think is important for all of us to think about as we head into the new year: "I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think about happiness as a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul to hold tight to its good attainments."

May Susan and Jonathan hold tight to their good attainments and keep swimming upward into their happiness forever. Congratulations guys.

Merry Christmas!

Lily - Santa's little helper...

Indiana - Santa's big helper...


Merry Christmas from everyone at Dakota Martin!

Twelve Drummers Drumming...

Seniors girls gathering in the gym!

Sorry for the delay - Christmas shopping took over my whole day and I did not have time to download our grand finally! Lizzy and I went over to our high school - Agnes Irwin yesterday morning to see the Christmas assembly. A favorite day for all Irwin's girls! The whole school gathers into the upper school gym decked into holiday gear. Skits are preformed by teachers and holiday songs are sung by different groups throughout the school. Santa and his reindeer!

Christmas is all around us in the gym! I did my best to tape the 12 day of Christmas...each grade K-12 sings a day... Merry Christmas!

Video coming...

Better late than never...

Our apologies for no post! As a consolation I'm posting this elf yourself video I just made. I know everyone has seen this by now, but I had NO idea you could have multiple elves in one video and all of a sudden I was in desperate need to elf myself and my sisters. I cant watch this enough.

The elfed Sall sisters

11 pipers piping

Do you know I actually just google imaged "11 pipers piping" because it occurred to me that I had NO idea what piping was. I think for the past 25 years I've let the image of Lords a Leaping carry over to the pipers in my mind. But leaping lords do not have pipes and I realized robin hood hats and tights could not be it. I feel like an idiot - they're bag pipers. Obvi. I guess I just had never heard a Christmas carol use abbrevs. I thought that was reserved for 14-30 year old girls circa now, not circa 1700, when the song was first recorded to have been used.

Since we don't have any kilts to put on sale for the pipers to be properly clad, and since the grand finale is fast approaching, we are putting our every popular, ever versatile, scarf top on sale. Another one size fits all, perfect gift, and as always -- the perfect unique party top for Christmas or New Years with fun trousers... Get yours today at 20% off. Cheers!

*photo is of two of our biggest scarf top purchasers: Rebecca Zoller and Julia Hoyt!

I heart New York (again) and the Lords are A Leaping...

I know I've talked about it before, but I love New York. And this week my favorite New York mag came out -- Reasons to Love New York. Sort of necessary at this time of year, and I appreciate their timeliness. It's cold and I think its just about when most New Yorkers wonder why they don't live in California. We're pasty white, freezing cold, still walking everywhere in our 80 layers, and thinking about the fact we have a good 3 months, if not more, of this in front of us. So being delivered a list of reasons why I get a kick out of the city is just what I needed and I wanted to share some of them with you in case you've also been perusing Kayak.com for tickets, well, anywhere.

Posted on nymag.com :

"I love New York because we order pizza from the Italian place across the street and have our laundry delivered. We take a taxi to the gym. We know exactly what we want out of life and careers but can't decide where to eat brunch. We make plans and don't keep any of them. We think a studio for $1,500 a month is a steal , but get pissed when the coffee guy raises his price 25 cents. We fight with cabbies about their driving skills, but we are 35 and have never had a driver's license" - Alexis Desieno

"I love New York. I refer to it as my abusive Boyfriend. It slaps me around a lot but I know Ill never leave it" - Gillian Rocher

"I love New York because in a city filled with 8 million people you can still run into your crazy ex-step mother at a deli in Times Square" - Elizabeth Ozembhoy

"because when your boyfriend breaks up with you at 2am on a Tuesday night, you can always find a bar that is full of hot people with a bartender that will feed you shots and a cute boy you can make out with" -kara Cady-Sawyer.

And the list goes on and on... Any beyond the personal shout outs, NYmag does a superb job at giving reasons we all love it -- #27. because you can find love underground (with real life stories of married subway-meeting couples), #31. Because we can eat warm chocolate bread pudding with bacon creme anglaise out of a truck (loving the MUD truck on my block), #33, because you can party on your way to your party (another subway shout out!), #34. because you can never finish seeing the MET (need to get back there asap), and my two favorite : #49, Because people will argue about anything (see Wash. sq facelift, or any dinner conversation Ive ever had) and #39. Because we're not actually that rude. This is what I always try to convince people of. Nothing thrills me on a day-to-day basis like giving someone directions. I love that I live in one of the more confusing areas of the city because it means visitors are more dependant on locals. I often slow down or take my earphones out when I walk by someone with a map. And I don't think I'm alone. I'm sort of ashamed to admit it, but sometimes i even butt in when I hear someone hesitate in the least giving directions. I've had strangers offer me tissues and give me sympathetic frowns when I cry on the street (who does that?), And Ive chased mothers down the block when a blankie drops out of their stroller. You just don't get these interactions in a non-walking, non-public transportation based area of the country. I look forward to my visits with my dry cleaner, my UPS man, and my newspaper man - all of whom I see more than my family, and I don't even know some of their first names. I smile every time I see a chivalrous man rush to help a woman with a stroller or suitcase up the subway steps and every time I see someone jump off their subway seat for an elderly or pregnant woman. New York is great because we all band together over our abusive boyfriend. Right now He's knocking us around with slush and wind, but in a short time we'll run into an old friend, meet a new one, eat at the BEST new hole-in-the-wall restaurant, or see the most amazing exhibit and our love with make us turn the other cheek for the next subway flood/cabless freezing night/long post office line.

But I digress.... its the 10th day of Christmas, and since the Ladies don't need to leap with the lords we've put the Alana wrap on sale. This adorable holiday skirt is perfect for Christmas eve/night! But since its a wrap, we'd suggest watching the leaping and not partaking...