Hi to all my Gal Pals,
Well, ladies, it has finally happened, I have officially become my mother! There were clues along the way that this might be happening but I refused to accept them. When I think back the clues started when I was in my 40’s and it was evident when I became frustrated with the behavior of my adolescent children. I remember trying to impress them with my wisdom like “money doesn’t grow on trees” and the minute these type of statements left my mouth I was aghast that I sounded like my mother. At this point I didn’t truly feel like I was becoming my mother. It started becoming more evident when I was in my 50’s and I couldn’t remember the names of people and objects that I knew as well as my own name. I often tell the story of when I was an adjunct teacher standing in front of my class of beginning horticulture students at the local junior college. During one class I found myself apologizing because I was having a senior moment. They understood what I meant when I asked each of them to get one of the black things sitting on the counter in the back of the classroom. One of my young 18 year old students raised her hand and asked “Do you mean the microscopes?” I embarrassingly answered “Yes and thank you”. It reminded me of a similar Aunty Acid situation that went like this “I want to say some beautiful wise words about growing old …..(long pause) …CRAP, I forgot what they were!”. I realized I was using words like “whatchamacallit” and “doodads” much more often and yet I still refused to believe I was becoming my mother.
I loved my mother very much but she could sometimes drive me crazy. I think the thing that frustrated me the most about her as she aged is that she would start to tell me about something and she would go off on these tangents while trying to make a point. Twenty minutes later I was never sure if she actually made her point because I couldn’t remember how the saga started but there was no way I was going to ask her to start over. Well, now I have resigned myself to the fact that I have become my mother. Lately it seems like I will be talking to someone about something that happened and while doing so I sometimes realize that I need to give them more information to help them understand so I interject with what I think is a tidbit of what they might need but in doing so I tend to forget what the point of my original story was and, again, I find myself apologizing because it is so obvious that I can’t remember what the heck I was originally talking about. Aunty Acid says it best, “I’ve reached an age where my train of thought often leaves the station without me”.
Well, lets talk fashion. Before I talk about “Pretty In Pink” I want to address my new readers and explain the purpose of this blog (hopefully I will be able to get back to the fashion topic). I explained the purpose of this blog in my very first posting but the long-and-short of it is how to dress oneself fashionably when one has the typical belly fat “tiers” that pop up after the age of 55. The clothes I model come out of my closets hence the title “A Peek Into Pam’s Closets”. Ok, let’s talk pink. I was reading an article that said if you haven’t worn pink since it was forced on you for your second grade picture, it is time to reintroduce it into your closet selections. I for one rarely wore pale pink because I thought it made me look washed out but I get so many compliments when I wear it. In the 18th century, both men and women of the upper class wore pink because it was considered a stylish color. At one time it was only considered romantic, feminine, cutesy and delicate. Today’s pink is considered powerful, political, fun, androgynous, punk and sexy and it is pretty. Light pink is considered chic and can be paired with silver, buttery yellow, black, brown, other shades of pink, blue denim, navy and sky blue, gray, dark green, melon orange, plum and believe it or not “red”. That leads me right into my garden design picture.
This section of my garden took up about one-third of the 50 foot space. I like to combine different color flowers so I had to find a plant that would complement the red Monarda that stood 5 and a half feet tall. I was able to pair it with the pink plumes of the Queen of the Prairie flower that was slightly taller than the Mondarda. According to an article titled “A Month of Fashion Risks: Pairing Bright Red and Pale Pink” somewhere along the way, red and pink got a reputation for clashing terribly which resulted in women avoiding the color combo like the the plague. But, as with all things we scoff at fashion-wise, the pairing started to come back a few seasons ago, with top designers proving it not only doesn’t mismatch, but actually looks achingly modern together. In fact, it is now dated to still think the two colors shouldn’t be worn together.
I tend to wear white with my pink pieces but I have no problem combining it with other colors. So, let’s look at what I have in my closet.
This is a great outfit to wear out on a boat or on hot days with cool nights. The sweatshirt flairs out under the bust and falls to what I call the sweet spot. It is OK to wear a short top as long as it covers the belly and falls loosely over it. I love sweatshirts that have hoodies and zip up the front. There is nothing worse than trying to pull a sweatshirt over your head and exposing your bra and it’s contents because your shirt came up with it. When I wear canvas shoes I pair the outfit with simple accessories including the pink purse on the floor holding a bouquet of peonies.
I love that the top edge of the purse is similar to the hem of the sweatshirt. I wore a simple faux pearl bracelet with the ribbon symbolizing breast cancer support. The stone of the slide also has a silver ribbon running across it. The pale pink earrings match the bracelet and the darker watch band matches the purse. I pulled in the white with the stone of the ring.
I love this button-down shirt because it is so light and airy. The jeans have a flower pattern on them with flowers and leaves the colors of dark gray-blue, powder blue, pale pink, peachy-pink and cream. Because it truly is a very feminine top, I wear it with lacy scarves. I drew out the color blue of the pants with my jewelry that can be seen below. I paired the outfit with metallic pink sandals.
I knew that it would be hard for you to pick up the color of the pants in the previous picture so I included the pattern in this picture. The necklace has a dark blue stone as does the matching bracelet along with lighter blue stones. All the rest of the jewelry is silver because there was so much pink in the rest of the outfit and I wanted the blue jewelry to stand out.
This beautiful stretchy knit top is so comfortable. I just want to say to be careful when you wear a stretch knit top because if you have a little fat on your back you need to wear a bra that will conceal that roll of fat or it will be very noticeable above the strap. I love the handkerchief hem and the asymmetrical neckline (hard to see with the flowers in the way). I typically wear shoes that match my pants to make me look long and lean but every once in a while I break out of my box and wear shoes that will match my top. The top is long so it automatically makes me look long and lean. There is a double seam that goes down the right side of the front of the top. The color is a beautiful shimmery pink.
The slide and matching earrings are made of shells that are brown and pale pink. The bracelet is also made of shells and each shell contains the colors of pink, cream, dark green and brown. I typically don’t mix my metals but the color around the face of the watch is rose gold.
So, on to the topic I hate the most, my weight. My body must be happy right where it is because I neither gain or lose weight. I would probably lose weight if it weren’t for chocolate candy Kisses. Because of all my allergies there are only a few snacks/desserts I can eat and one of them is chocolate. So I buy the Kisses because they are small and I tell myself I can eat these small little pieces of chocolate in moderation. Well, I am lying to myself. It’s like Aunty Acid describes “This clumsy chocolate keeps tripping into my mouth…Oops, there it goes again. Oops and again….” Before you know it I have eaten half of the family size bag in two days. The reviews on chocolate and it’s affect on your body is so mixed. An article out of Mayo Clinic tells us that chocolate reduces risk factors for heart disease and may also help lower blood pressure. The American Cancer Society says the flavonoids in chocolate may reduce damage to cells. Medical News today says dark chocolate can reduce heart disease. That being said, all of them say that more research has to be done on the benefits and there are risks in eating chocolate because of the sugar and fats. I know dark chocolate is best for you but it gives me a headache, it constipates me (too much iron) and I don’t like the taste. Apparently it comes down to moderation but how many candy Kisses can I eat and still be within that realm of moderation? I cannot tell you how much I love chocolate! It’s like Aunty Acid says, “CHOCOLATE – It’s like sex you don’t have to shave your legs for”.
Well, that is it for my 26th blog. When I first started the blog my sister questioned me having enough clothes to sustain the blog. I laughed and as of this point I have presented over 75 outfits. I figure I will run out of things to say before I run out of clothes in my closet. For those who know me well I am sure you are laughing because you know I will never run out of things to say. Speaking of my sister, I am putting out a prayer request for my sister who is having a quadruple bypass in July. She is not only my best friend but she has stuck with me through this blog as my photographer so please keep her in your prayers.
So to all my Gal Pals, remember God loves you and so do I.
A Peek Into Pam’s Closets 