Join Me For A Cup of Joe

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

Happy International Coffee Day! It was just a coincidence that my topic and this coffee day merged. I planned on this topic three weeks ago and found out it was International Coffee Day the day I was taking pictures for the blog. Anyway, I love coffee. I love the way it smells, I love the way it tastes and I love the way it looks when the barista makes those cute little designs in my cappuccino. In fact, it was those cute little designs that inspired this blog. I love the color combination of brown and cream. However, full disclosure, I can no longer drink coffee (sigh). I miss those pumpkin lattes in the fall. The reason I no longer drink coffee is best described by the words I surprisingly read on a coffee cup, “Coffee shops are gas stations for humans”. What happened! Is this part of getting old? One cup and I feel like I am 9 months pregnant. This reminds me of a poster I saw in a shop that reflects my life “Getting older is like living in a haunted house. Lots of noises, smells, bumps and lumps that you just can’t explain”. I miss my coffee!

Don’t you wonder where the phrase “cup of Joe” came from? Who is Joe and why are we using his name to refer to coffee? Well, I just had to look it up so I did a search. There are a few different theories because no one knows for sure but here is what I found out: 1) it is possibly a shortening of “cup of jamoke” from java + mocha”, 2) it signifies that coffee was the drink of the common man as “Joe” was a term often used to indicate a common fellow or guy, or 3) the US soldiers in WWI (1914-1918) referred to a serving of instant coffee made by G. (George) Washington Coffee refining Co. (found in 1910) as a “cup of George” and that the abbreviation of George was “Geo” which was read as “Joe”. I am going with theory #3 because I am a sucker for a good soldier story. Now that we have had our trivia fix for the day, let’s talk fashion.

Before I move on to the fashion of the day, I sometimes like to talk about a current fashion trend that I may or may not think suits someone of my age. I have this love-hate relationship with jumpsuits. I love how they used to look on me and I find them very stylish. I hate that they are usually belted which makes my belly stick out and I hate that you have to almost totally undress to go to the bathroom. At my age there are times (more often than not) when there is just not enough time for me to unbelt, unzip or unbutton, pull my arms out of the sleeves and try to hold on to the jumpsuit so it does not fall down on the bathroom floor before I can finally sit down on the toilet. Those of you of my age know exactly what I am talking about. I think Maxine says it best, “You know you are getting old when you can’t walk past a bathroom without thinking ‘I may as well pee while I’m here’. Well now that I have totally depressed myself about what used to be I want to talk about what I think looks great on me because it hides all my bumps and lumps.

As I stated before, I love the combination of brown and cream and have many outfits that reflect this love. I don’t have as many of these outfits as I do the black and white combination but they come in a close second. This blog will show the last of my summer clothes for this summer. That means no more sleeveless or very lightweight outfits. This blog will also show the last of my summer flowers because it will be time to put out the Halloween/Fall decorations. The problem is that the last of my summer flowers still look great. I got rid of many of them which is why you see the wall sconces on the Shepard hooks and the decorated sprinkling can in the hanging plant decoration. I love the outdoor painting of the poppy field that I have sitting on an easel under the front porch overhang. Goodby Summer! I will miss you!

OK, LET’S GET STARTED!

I feel like the hostess with the mostest in this outfit. The brown stretch pants are so comfy and the tunic was a summer bargain at Chico’s. I typically can’t afford the clothes at Chico’s so I wait for the sales. This tunic was a steal! It was originally marked at $89.50 and I got it for $17.10. I paired it with gold sandals that have tiny beads on them. I love the layered look of the jewelry which is made of beads, beads and more beads! Take a closer look below.

You know how much I love me a good poncho and this one is very sheer. I wear a similar color sleeveless top underneath. It looks great with these wide leg pants and the lace-like edges of my 2 inch heeled shoes are similar to the lace-like edges of the poncho. I love flower jewelry and this outfit just called out for gold flowers as I have pictured below.

You have probably seen this necklace/earring set if you frequent craft shows like I do. You can see the similar theme of gold and flowers. The flower jewelry will get put away until next spring but as you know from past blogs, I have many more where they came from. It is an addiction! I am drawn to “pretty” and there are so many pretty outfits and accessories out there at great prices and I can’t seem to pass up a great deal on something “pretty”.

Have you ever bought a pair of shoes you think are so cute but you have nothing to wear with them? These are those shoes for me. You have to wear a top with no pattern on it because the chances of finding a top with a similar flower in the same color is difficult. But I just happen to have some jewelry that matched the shoes and made the casualness of the brown jeans look a little more dressy. The lacy edge of the scarf looks great with the lacy edge of the top.

Again, if you frequent as many craft shows as I do, you probably have seen this necklace/earring set. The bracelet is just on a stretch band and none of the jewelry was expensive except for the watch. I hope they have summer craft shows next summer, I look forward to them each year.

Well, that is it for today. Here is where I like to talk about my endeavor to lose weight. I did lose a few pounds thanks to cardiac rehab sessions. They keep you moving for 36 minutes straight and believe me when I tell you I really need that. Am I so stiff from lack of movement after my surgery or could it be from old age? That reminds me of something humorous I heard that may answer that question: “I AM NOT OLD! I lifted my arms, I moved my knees, I turned my neck and everything made the same sound: Crrrraaaaccccckkkkk…I came to the conclusion that I am not old, I am crispy.

Remember, God loves you and so do I.