Hi to all my Gal Pals,
It seems the summer is over for many of us because summer events are finished, pools are closed, vacations are over and children are back in school. For many the only things that remain are the memories. But for those of us who LOVE sidewalk sales and craft shows, we have those lovely purchases to remind us of all the fun we had over the last 3 months. It is like Shakespeare said (NOT) “To shop or not to shop, that’s not even a question”. For me, it started with the Artisan Market at Lockport Canal Days in June and continued through August at Holland Michigan Art In The Park craft show, Holland sidewalk sale, South Haven craft show during the Blueberry Festival, and the Grand Haven sidewalk sale. I am hoping to get to Naperville’s craft show this month. It is the best time to find those unique items and some great sales on clothes and home decor. Unfortunately, it was very hot and humid this summer so I tended to skim over many items I would have normally checked out. Maybe it was for the best. My pocketbook is empty and my closets are already full. That didn’t stop me! It’s like a saying I once read “A bargain is something you can’t use at a price you can’t resist.” Amen to that. I did manage to buy a few (too many) items that I will show you in this blog. Shopping can be fun but in the extreme heat it can be exhausting. And as usual I shopped till I dropped but that is because I follow the advise of Charles Schulz of Peanuts cartoon fame who said “Just remember when you’re ‘over the hill’ you pick up speed. So, SHOP FASTER”.
For those of you who would rather not hear about my current health situation you can skip this paragraph and move on to the next part of the blog. Cancer has hit many families and mine is no different. Some hard decisions have to be made and you pray that the choices you make are the right ones. I for one feel that I am playing Russian Roulette with a 4 chamber gun. I have been told that I have a 25 to 30 percent chance that the cancer will get to my lymph nodes but if I get radiation it will cut that in half. However, if I opt for radiation I will permanently lose my taste buds and my saliva glands as well as have such pain in my mouth and throat temporarily for 7 to 8 weeks that they may have to put in a feeding tube due to the inability to eat. I would have to go to Maywood for radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. They will have to radiate my face from my cheek bones because the nerve tissues affected run from my lips up to the jaw joint and then they would radiate down to the base of my neck to get to the lymph nodes. It may also affect my vocal cords. I have decided to play the odds and opted not to have the radiation. However, I can tell you that if the cancer reaches my lymph nodes the solution is much, much worse. They will monitor my lymph nodes with a CT scan in three months so for the next 3 months I have this hanging over my head. For now I am asking all my friends to say a prayer for me because I am such a believer in the power of prayer. One of my favorite T-shirt sayings is “FAITH does not make things easy, it makes them possible”.
I am not going to talk about gardening in this blog because I am showing 4 outfits as I will in the next blog because I bought so many cute things this summer. In the June blog I showed you the front of my townhouse as it looked at the beginning of summer. I thought I would show you how it came to life over the last 3 months.
The hibiscus and the ivy geraniums are full of buds and will be popping any day now. When I walk out the front door of my townhouse I feel like I am walking into my private little garden.
Well, let the fashion show begin! You will notice that with each outfit I am wearing a hat on the advise of my dermatologist.
I got this beautiful topper at the LaGrange sidewalk sale in July. It is so me! It is full of flowers and is very colorful. I paired it with my high collar blouse and peach capris. What I will miss the most about summer is not being able to throw on a pair of sandals. Here I am wearing a pair of coral colored Clark flip flops that are so comfortable.
I love the saying “Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy a lot of accessories which is pretty much the same thing”. Fun jewelry is the best and the beaded necklace with the matching bracelet fits the bill. I got the two pieces at the library resale event last year for two dollars each. I am looking forward to this year’s resale that will be in three weeks. The watch has a forest green band that goes perfectly with the greenery on the topper. The pale green pearl earrings and the pinky-peach color in the rings complete the outfit. The ring with rose in the center was a sidewalk sale find.
You already know from a past blog that I love Marushka tops and that their retail store is in Grand Haven, Michigan. The black, white and red combo is such a classic look. The top looks great with crop leggings and a black floppy hat. I bought these leather sandals in Hawaii many moons ago and when I got home I ordered two more pair in different colors because they are the most comfortable sandals I have ever worn. They were a little expensive but worth every penny.
This charm bracelet is so funky and you can wear it as a necklace because amongst all those charms are two hooks that can attach to a chain necklace. The red earrings are similar to the red shape on the blackbird’s back as are the stones in the rings. The black watch band and face have the straight lines like the branches in the shirt.
I believe it was in my last blog that I told you I wear short dresses in really hot weather. It is a good thing I have several short dresses because that is what I wore most of this summer. Shirt dresses never go out of style. I love this color! Believe it or not I don’t have anything in my closets this color. It is kind of an orangish melon color. I bought this dress at an unbelievably low price at Grand Haven’s sidewalk sale. I paired it with beige sandals because I wanted a shoe that was light and airy and wouldn’t distract from the color of the dress.
I chose the watch and bracelet because they looked so good with the infinity scarf. Both are a coppery color and I got both for two dollars at the jewelry resale event. I bought the necklace and matching earrings from somewhere in Michigan. The dainty flowers of the necklace are silver, gold and copper and the flowers of the earrings are silver. The flower patterned ring is brushed silver and copper while the other ring has a rust colored stone (I believe it is Jasper) that also goes beautifully with the scarf.
This loose fitting top covers my belly which is a requirement for all my tops. The top is embroidered with flowers of gold and rose metallic thread so it looks great with my gold crops. I LOVE THESE SANDALS! They buckle at the ankle and they zip up the back. They look great with this outfit and the fedora hat.
All my accessories are gold and white. I paired this outfit with a gold bangle bracelet layered with a gold and white beaded bracelet. The white flowers on the earrings match the flower of one of the rings. The other ring is a white pearl that goes with the beads of the bracelet. My gold linked watch and my gold and white dragonfly necklace complete the outfit.
Well, I can tell you that I have neither gained or lost any weight which is surprising since I was on vacation for two weeks in August and I am a stress eater. I ate fattening things on my vacation and I have been stressing out about my radiation situation. You already know how I feel about going to the gym but working out at home will never happen either. I used my expensive treadmill to hang dry my laundry. I know Crabby Maxine can relate to that because she said “I can’t decide which piece of exercise equipment to buy and never use”. I am sure some of you can relate. I am no longer on vacation but before my CT scan in November I am sure eating will be a source of comfort. A girls got to do what a girls got to do! It is amazing to me what a comfort an eclair can be. I love Aunty Acids quote “When people suck the life out of you wouldn’t it be nice if they took some fat too!”.
Well, until next time, remember God loves you and so do I.
A Peek Into Pam’s Closets 