i love tuesdays

have you ever notice that how one little event can change the whole emotion of the day?

i was checking my emails and there was an email from a friend that i have not seen in 17 - 18 years. i was really close to them and their younger son was really close to mine. we were living in syria at the time when we met. it was sad to leave and say good bye because i knew that the chance of us ever seeing them was really really really remote. they are from australia and after their stint in syria, they moved to hong kong and then back to oz. we moved from syria back to the states and that is where we've been since...albeit we went from syria to oklahoma to california and now in texas (not near as exotic as syria to hong kong and now in australia, is it?)

anyhoo, the email was to say that after spending the christmas and new year holiday up north, they were flying into dallas and driving down to austin, fredericksburg and san antonio!!!!!!

omg! omg! omg! must call husband scott...rats...he's tied up in meetings. who can i call! who? can't contain myself...aaaaaaaaaaagh!

so i call sister laura and we have a really nice talk. i am now on cloud nine...so very happy.

then, husband scott came home. i tell them the great news! he was excited...i guess. then, he proceeds to tell me my skirt is too short...really?!
i shouldn't wear short skirts at my age...

have you ever noticed how one little event can change the whole emotion of the day?

btw, it is not a short skirt...it goes to just above the knees. it was the way i was sitting that hiked it up AND i am at home, relaxing...in a place where i can wear my pj's for crying out loud.

he later apologized, but i am not accepting any apologies around here unless this is attached to it:

thank you very much                     

j crew!

got my j crew catalog in the mail yesterday and did my usual cut-out-to-buy list. i do this every time i get a j crew catalog. i don't always buy these items, but i do dream about it. i also have been to known to purchase one item a time as a reward for pounds lost or weeks in a row of exercising. i have posted from time to time my love of things j crew, but have never really done, like many bloggers, a wish list or essential pieces list. i think i don't because i don't want people out there, IF they are reading my blog, to know how much i obsess about stuff like clothing.

my mom made a comment recently, saying, "isn't it funny that sometimes when one remembers an event in their lives, one can usually remember what they were wearing at the time."

how many times do i run out to the store to find the perfect thing to wear for a certain night out or a vacation? my dream closet would be to have the perfect outfit for whatever event comes up in my life, where i just pull it out AND i have the right underwear, shoes, purse and accessories to look just right. AND, it fits, AND, it's clean and ironed. i guess that would be somewhat boring to be perfect, but sometimes i would like that...

so, here are the essentials that i want for my closet, IF it ever cools down, from j crew (i don't know how to 'collage' stuff, yet, so here it goes):

dolman-sleeve sweater dress - in classic pine (not heather saddle as shown here). i would have to belt it because i am pretty sure i can't pull off this look here. what i like, too, is that it can be worn by itself (with a belt), with a shirt underneath, or a contrasting crew t shirt as shown in the catalog. i even thought that it would be cool with a scarf knotted around the neck, underneath the shirt a la the sous chef on 'whites'. i like his red neckerchief under his white chef jacket.

it's not one of those dresses where one is not saying to me, "oh she's wearing THAT again." this is a phrase i borrowed from my friend kelly who says why she won't buy something expensive that really stands out and then people may say that about her since she would be thinking, "yes, i am wearing THAT again because it was so darn expensive."

the cafe capri in wool - in baked citron. this is also essentially plain, but, not when it comes in a bright citron color! of course this blue is nice, too, but i think i want the yellow.
although, i did cut out of vogue, a while back, this exact color of pant to find...hmmmmmmmm.

the silk elodie blouse - in paradise blue, shown, if i get the citron pants or in graffiti green, if i get the yacht blue pants.

i don't own a silk shirt... that's kinda' weird. i think it is because i 'handwash' and 'dry clean' my clothes in the washing machine.

i don't buy animal print stuff...ever. i don't really like it for some reason, but this no 2 pencil skirt in leopard really caught my eye. i even like it with the striped t.

if i get this, it will be a first for me.

zip cable sweater in navy instead of vintage champagne. i like the zipper on the shoulder...must decide if it will hurt to wear a shoulder strap purse on it...ooooooo...may have to get a new clutch...!

 and...last, but certainly not least, shoes!

i admire the people who can pull off cool and yes, to me, weird shoes, but seriously for me, a 54 year old, part time office person in texas who walks really weird in high heels, these are better suited.

the oxford ballet flat in those chanel colors without looking like a chanel knock off, and they are spectator-y. i am still searching for THE perfect pair of spectator pumps...that i can afford.

a loafer which comes in patent leather in a color called getaway green that i really really really like and it also comes in this warm sienna colored leather which i also really really really like. there are also some other colors, too.








so there you have it... an essential list of things i would like to have from j crew. i could start deciding which item i can reward myself with the first 10lbs dropped (i have about 40lbs i would like to lose)...perhaps the shoes...because it is going to be a long long while before it gets cool enough to wear wool and silk here.
how many days have we had over 100 degree weather here? i googled it, but couldn't find it. i betcha' it's been about 25. we had just enough rain this morning to add a ton of humidity to the heat, and when i said rain, i meant sprinkle (sigh).

finally…a goal to get me back on my diet. i might be able to wear these. yes, i know, i am seriously an old woman, hence the high waisted jeans. come feb 1st, it all starts again. as sister laura says february is the perfect month…exactly 4 weeks long.

so here’s to a great start of weightwatchers, gym going, walking and maybe yoga? then, i will try on those jeans.

just hope they don’t make my butt look square.

WHY CAN'T I POST LIKE OTHERS?!!!

I love the way Pioneer Woman can post as many photos in a row that she wants, but I can’t. I love the way Oh Joy and Mrs Lillian and a bizillian other posters can do little collages of cut outs to show their favorite outfits, ensembles, this and that, etc, but I can’t.

Is it because of tumblr? I doubt it. I think that it is because I don’t know how to do anything (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr). It sucks to be such a non techie in any way.

I wanted to post 3 cleverly similar adverts that came out in February’s Vogue and how I wanted to do something like that for a spring/summer wardrobe. Prada’s colorful woven shoes and mixed color stripe-y dresses and skirts, CH Carolina Herrera’s colorful bags & totes and Bally of Switzerland’s color blocked outfits. I loved them all and I wanted to cut them out and show. But, nooooooooooooooooooooo I don’t know how to do that. 

Anyhoo, I think all that color saturation, mixed stripes, color blocked tops would look GREAT with khaki or beige pencil skirts and short pants (not shorts) but those cropped at the ankle really full legs cinched tightish around the waist. 

Plus it will look great with the cobalt blue Anthropologie purse that I keep putting in my shopping cart, then removing when I think about the Christmas credit card statements trickling in. Plus plus, I can’t show THAT on my blog EITHER! (humph!)

Michelle, I need you back here with me to help me out! Stop having your own life….just kidding….lurv ya! (heh heh)

how many clothes does one really, i mean, REALLY need? husband scott had a friend who came to the office everyday wearing the same tie. when scott asked if he had any other ties (and to have scott notice this…is pretty amazing), he said no. of course, scott asked why would he have only one tie and he said that he had only one neck. this is a true story. i really am not making this up. just ask scott.

so…i am only one person. do i need only one outfit? the answer is obvious - no, definitely not. practically speaking, it has to be washed…sometime…and i don’t sit around naked waiting for it to come out of the dryer. plus, i think one needs more than one look, right?

of course, i don’t have one distinct style. at least, i don’t THINK i have one style. i do shop at the same stores, but i do mix it up…somewhat. i don’t have the imagination that jane and judy aldridge have nor what tavi has…at all. but, i feel i need more than one look, even at the office.

at the same time, when something comes up, say a party or an event, i can never find anything to wear. i always feel i am lacking.

i have the ol’ syndrome of: a closet filled with clothes, yet i have nothing to wear. i do have nothing to wear…right now…because i have gained back some of the weight i had lost earlier and now nothing fits well. this is especially distressing since there is only 5 1/2 weeks left before THE wedding. why oh why do i do this to myself? i could write pages and pages of laments about that and THAT is another blog subject for another time and i really don’t think anyone would like to read that one.

so back to the subject…how many clothes does one need? i think i might facebook this and see what is fed back. if anyone is reading this blog, please feel free to comment.

if you are a j crew model, you need a lot of clothes so you can have a bunch of layers. i can’t really wear a bunch of layers without looking…bunched. i’ve worn a hoodie with a jacket and could barely move my arms and i felt like head was pitched forward with all that bulk at the nape of my neck…

if there was a formula out there for what one needs, i would love to see it.

but for now, the answer to that question, for me anyway, is that i need as many clothes as what will fit in my closet.

my closet is full to the point that if i want to buy something…i will need to remove something first.

so i returned the shoes and got a couple of pieces from j crew for less than the shoes. here is my fall look. i got the skirt…i love love love this color. it really is a neutral color in that it goes with everything. instead of looking at oranges and browns for fall, i think i will be doing this color with black and navy…i love navy. i got the navy/green/citrine top from anthropologie and the navy cardigan from j crew last year. i also got the dusty pinky cardigan and navy striped t-shirt from j crew. i always have a least one navy striped top in my closet…always. i think that is why i like january and february at the gap and banana republic so much. that is when they break out all the navy and white, and that is when i tend to shop the most. shhhhhh…don’t tell scott!

okay, i did buy these shoes from j crew and i love them…a…lot. they are even easy to walk in, even with the higher-than-i-normally-wear heels. BUT, they just don’t look that good on me. i look like i am wearing granny style shoes AND NOT IN THE CUTE WAY. so…i returned them (sigh). i was hoping i would find a pair of somewhat high heeled oxford…i have the feeling i just won’t be able to wear them.

now that it has cooled…somewhat. i mean…it’s october and i am reading other blogs where the bloggers are winterizing their gardens, hoping that the predicted freeze doesn’t kill their gardens and thinking about what’s on their minds for fall clothes. it did feel coolish this morning, but it could be the air conditioner. the high today is 78 degrees and it’s going to fluctuate from 83 to 87 degrees through monday!!!

but…i do need to clean out my closet after throwing everything on the floor this last month instead of putting it in its proper place. so, that’s what i did. i couldn’t really bring out winter clothes, but i did put up sandals and summer cotton skirts. since, we are having a garage sale this weekend, i also cleaned out stuff i just don’t wear anymore, but i still have a very full closet. that doesn’t stop me from looking at the last catalog from j crew.

i heart j crew!!!

Freeport is a town for people who love to shop outlets. There were a TON of people there. I put this on our itinerary only because the L L Bean flagship was there. Tons of other people were shopping there, too. We got an umbrella (because rain was in the forecast & husband did not pack one) and some postcards…not quite what other people bought.

I had so much fun in Dallas yesterday. We started out seeing Mid August Lunch. It was so good. Then tapas at Jaleos. And lastly and bestly, we went to see and hear Ira Glass. He is so good and the time went by so quickly. I really didn’t want it to end. It was perfect.

I tried out my Enid Collins box purse yesterday, too. Did women carry less back then? I always loved her box purses when I was growing up and made one myself when I was in junior high. Anyway, do you notice that my wallet was the same size as the purse. I had to cull WAY down the normal amount of stuff I carry AND I had to arrange the items each time I got my wallet out so it would close. Next time I use it, I will have to down size my wallet, too.

I still love the purse and am looking out for the basket purses with the wooden lids. I am sure Kate Spade has one, but I will look for an EC, first…way less expensive.

look at what i got today!!!! i have been admiring the big gold men’s watches lately, like rolex and the michael kors one for women, but just didn’t want to shell out the mega bucks for them. this one is from target for $14.99. that’s right….$14.99!!!! if i lose interest, it doesn’t matter (yay!)

p s i should do a photo of my hands with my brothers and i bet no one would be able to tell them apart….well except that my fingernails are slightly longer and polished. i just think that my hands look just like john and paul’s, what do you think, laura?

pretty shoes like these! i love them, but they are slightly out of my price range. price range = what i am willing to pay.

i picked up my new glasses today. they are a little darker than i thought they would be, but michelle thinks they look nice, so i trust her. i had a slight change in my prescription and i can tell a difference with my new glasses.

december is here and it is getting cold here. you can see michelle next to the fire behind me and i have on 2 hooded sweatshirts on. today is take out the trash day and i am hoping that i won’t have to help because it is also raining. i am hoping for freezing rain or snow, but that’s not happenin’.

i.want.this.for.me. do you think a 52 year old woman could look this cool?

no i cannot, especially since i scan images upside down.

Is it wrong to really love an object? Because I really really like my new sunglasses. Now that I have said that, Murphy’s Law dictates that I will soon lose, step or sit on them. I hope not because I really really love these sunglasses! (PS I just got through working out at the gym and am a leetle pale and sweaty. I am sure I look much cooler in these than the photo indicates! heh heh)

ahhhhhhh…the yellow swimsuit…i loved that swimsuit. it had a textured yellow fabric. it really enhanced the tan and i loved the back. it had a big round opening with 3 different colored buttons that buttoned the top of the opening up to the back of the neck. 

this was the summer after 8th grade and we took our very first trip outside of texas and oklahoma. we went to visit some friends in la jolla, ca. i felt very awkward in that i was taller than everyone but my dad. my brother john (with the glasses) was only a year younger than me. i grew 3 inches that summer. i was 5’8” which is how tall i am now. it’s funny how i felt then, but now i look back and think i would love to be like that again (sigh).

this was a turning point in my life. i never obsessed with my weight or figure until then. this is where i begun hoping that i would be pretty and started thinking about my clothes. until then, i remember having favorite dresses that i would wear over and over again, but not really think that much about it. it was more fun just to worry about not being bored. after the summer of the yellow swimsuit, i would start obsessing about not having breasts, having very long and skinny arms (oh to have skinny arms!), and working on a smile like cheryl tiegs (i would never have her figure).

these are my shoes. i do have some that are put away for the winter, but not a lot. my collection is colorful (i do have a row of black shoes above the grey row), but i do not have anything like jane and judy aldredge (click on shoes). i just cannot spend a lot of money on shoes. most of mine were on sale or very inexpensive (the most i’ve ever spent is about $120). i am too hard on my shoes. 

today, i cleaned out my closet for the warmer season. i promised michelle that i would not write depressing blogs, however, i must say that of all my clothes in here, i can wear 1 dress, some of my shirts & sweaters and all but 1 pair of shoes (sigh). i will be working on that. watch for tomorrow.

this is the other half of my closet and yes it is that small. 

Something different happened to me today. A man came up to me in the bookstore and told me that I was a very pretty lady and not only that, I have very pretty feet because I am wearing heels. And, not very women wear heels anymore.???????? I was pleased with the compliment, but why? I am not especially pretty and I am really overweight right now (just joined Weight Watchers today). And my shoes? Well they are a bit (okay…a lot) scuffed up and ordinary, and I am pleased to note that I have developed veiny old lady’s feet. Hunh!??? So, why? Why the complement? Was he hitting on me? Not likely. Did he truly mean the compliment? Or was it a new year’s resolution to say something nice to someone everyday and today it was my turn. This is the most likely answer, so now I need to pay it forward.