Merry Christmas to all my Gal Pals!

It is hard to believe this will be the last Christmas I will spend with you. Next month will be my last blog so I will wait till then to get sentimental. As for today’s blog I will be my normal critical self. First, let me say I LOVE CHRISTMAS! In past blogs I have described my extensively decorated house and how I love spending the holidays with family and friends. I think I have told you that I love having a Christmas get-together on Christmas Eve and another on Christmas Day. This year I was part of the Lockport Woman’s Club Christmas Crossroads Committee and the 2 day Christmas craft show we put on drew in over 4,000 people on the very first day. It was amazing except it was hard to accommodate parking for that many people. We will have to work on that for next year. The biggest problem was that I was at the craft show all day Saturday and Sunday with a credit card in my pocket. While I hate to complain during this season, I find that I have to get this off my chest. I think my thoughts are best reflected in Crabby Maxine’s quote “I can’t believe it’s September and I haven’t heard a single mention of Christmas”. You know how people complain that they get sick of Christmas carols in certain stores because they start playing them at the beginning of October? Well, I get upset when people put up their outdoor Christmas decorations the first week in November. Yes, some of my neighbors put up their decorations the minute they take down their Halloween decorations. I am not as bad as Crabby Maxine who says “It’s a couple of days after Thanksgiving. If I get started now I can have my lights untangled by Valentines Day” but I don’t put them up until after Thanksgiving. I think I have told you in past blogs about “habituation”. Habituation means you stop noticing repeated stimuli like Christmas lights that initially drew your attention. How sad! My feeling is that each holiday should have its own designated time of the year so let Halloween have October, Thanksgiving should have November and Christmas gets December. I understand putting them up in nice weather just don’t light them up until December. I don’t get as upset about it as Aunty Acid who states “Don’t p*SS me off! I’ll give your number to all the kids and tell them it’s the SANTA HOTLINE!,” but don’t tempt me.

As far as Christmas fashion, ANYTHING GOES! Like many of us in education we bought some Christmas outfits that we could wear to school because it helped evoke the Christmas spirit and we knew the kids loved it. However, there comes a time when you can’t justify spending your money on outfits that you can only wear in December. I began to realize you can create wonderful holiday outfits using accessories and clothing in the colors of Christmas. Now I tend to gravitate to clothes that remind me of winter but also seem very appropriate for Christmas. I can usually wear these outfits for at least 3 months. So in this blog I will do a combination of all of the above.

I am showing 4 outfits so the landscape design section will be short. There is not much to show in the winter but part of my Christmas decorations are Poinsettias that I get to rebloom the following year.

When I bought this plant the year before, it had two large blooms. When you start giving the plant 12 hours of darkness and cut back on the watering, you can get it to rebloom but instead of a couple of large blooms you get multiple smaller blooms which I love even better!

OK let the Christmas fashion show begin!

This is one of those outfits you can wear all winter long. It would be great for going to Navy Pier’s Winter Wonderfest in Chicago or going to the theater to see a movie while on Christmas break. Red and green are the colors of Christmas so wear either one and you are ready for the holidays. I have a long sleeve, cowl neck white top underneath this button up snowman topper. The red pants are the same color as the red in the topper. I have on my slip-on sketchers and I am ready to go.

These accessories are perfect for this outfit. The polka dot watch band matches the background of the snowman patches and I continued the polka dot pattern in the red mitten earrings. I chose the pearl ring because it looks like a polka dot and the black ring and white bracelet are the same colors in the topper.

This is truly a “Christmas only” outfit because of the accessories. The Christmas scarf looks great with these green pants and long sleeve blouse. I paired the outfit with gold shoes because many of the accessories are made with gold metals and gold is a great color for Christmas. What a great outfit to wear when going out to lunch with friends!

These accessories are all very Christmasy. The scarf is full of Christmas packages and the jewelry all match the colors in the scarf. The red watch and bracelet, the red and green earrings along with the red and green button covers and the red and green rings go perfectly with the scarf to reflect the colors of the holiday.

There are so many shades of red. This winter poncho is more of a claret red. The black collar is made of a large ribbed material so I paired it with my large ribbed, wide leg black pants. Underneath the poncho I am wearing a long sleeved black top. My black shoes have 1 inch wedge heels. I got the poncho at Christmas Crossroads craft show.

I dressed up this outfit so I could wear it to a christmas party. The claret colored bracelet looks perfect with the poncho . I also dressed it up with some real diamonds and some faux diamonds along with my ruby ring. Gold is the metal of the season.

Black, red and gold are perfect colors for a holiday get-together. I paired the red sweater with a black turtle neck top, black leggings and my over-the-knee black boots. The hem of the sweater and the sleeve are trimmed in black. The over-the-knee boots have a 1 inch stacked heel and looks great with sweaters.

I love the layered look with these two necklaces that I bought for $2 each at the resale jewelry sale at the library. I love the combination of textures of the gold jewelry with the black and gold watch band and ring .

There is no sense talking about my weight since we are in the middle of the season of the best foods known to man. I am just like Crabby Maxine who says “After Thanksgiving dinner I’m like one of those parade balloon characters…it takes half a dozen people to move me!”. Also, I think maybe it is the knowing that as soon as the holidays are over I won’t have access to Christmas cookies. That type of deprivation makes me want to keep eating them. There is nothing like a cup of hot chocolate and Christmas cookies while wrapped up in a blanket on the couch on a cold, snowy winter day. By now you know I am not one of those people that hit the gym to work off the holiday weight. Hey, I am going to enjoy all that the holiday has to offer and I won’t allow anyone to make me feel guilty. It is like Crabby Maxine says “Dear Santa, yeah I was naughty this year. And it was worth it you fat judgmental jerk!”. On that note, I hope you enjoy your holiday feast and have a drink for me since I can’t drink alcohol.

I hope there weren’t too many mistakes in this blog. Vicki took the pictures then ended up in the hospital. She had a kidney stone that was too big to pass through and her kidneys were swollen so they rushed her into surgery. She is doing great but too loopy right now to edit the blog for me. Oh, and by the way my CT scan showed that so far there is no cancer in my lymph nodes. Hopefully I will get the same results in 6 months. Thank you all for your prayers. Prayer is a powerful thing.

Well, my next blog will be my last. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I will be posting on January 1st to wish you a Happy New Year. Always remember, God loves you and so do I.

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

It is hard to believe that I have been doing this blog since November of 2018. Time surely does fly by and I only have two blogs left before I close down my time with all of you. In January of 2026 I will bring it to a close with a little reminiscing. Cognitive aging and memory was one of my favorite topics during this journey so I decided that since this might be my last opportunity to ponder the subject, I would make it the topic of this paragraph. My father had what the neurologist called “isolation dementia”. My father was a proud man and because he didn’t have control over his bladder he was too embarrassed to leave his house. I don’t know if it is a man thing but he would not even consider wearing adult diapers. I would have no problem wearing them if I needed them in order to socialize with others but it was a no-go with him. Sitting in front of his TV all day and evening stunted his cognitive processes. His forgetfulness was scary for him and sad for his family. So every time I have memory lapses I start to think “Should I be concerned?”. It is kind of scary when I can relate to Crabby Maxine who says “I have expanded my skills. I can now forget what I’m doing while I’m actually doing it”. I know that cognitive processing slows down in “mature adults” but what are normal memory “hiccups” for us? So I searched out my favorite resource. According to Harvard Medical School, memory problems are more common than we think when aging. I will address three of the ones I think most of us have recognized in ourselves. Forgetting facts or events over time is normal. It is a ‘use-it or lose it’ quality. It might seem like memory weakness but brain scientists regard it as beneficial because it clears the brain of unused memories making way for newer, more useful ones. Absentmindedness happens when you don’t pay enough attention so your brain doesn’t encode the information, like where you put your keys. This requires attention and concentration and sometimes you forget to do both like when you are in a hurry or you are thinking of something else. Blocking is what I suffer the most with when it comes to memory. This is when someone asks you a question and you feel like the answer is on the tip of your tongue but you just can’t retrieve it from your brain. This is because your brain sometimes retrieves a similar but competing memory which interferes with retrieval of the one you want. I never thought of myself as normal but if Harvard says I am then it must be true. I am no longer going to worry about it otherwise I will end up like Aunty Acid who confessed “My doctor just diagnosed me with anxiety and constipation. Now I am worried shitless!”.

Ok, let’s talk fashion. As I have said before I very rarely follow fashion rules because when it comes to fashion I think we all wear what we like on our body. It is like the quote “You are the artist of your life. Don’t give your paintbrush to someone else”. I like to keep up with fashion trends and talk about them though I don’t always agree with them. Fashion rules are always being broken and then they become trends. I think it was in the last blog I told you about the new trend that broke a rule which was the color combination of orange and pink. Well, for the fall there is another color combination that is breaking a rule and trending. The rule was that you shouldn’t wear black and brown together. I have often worn this color combination especially when I am wearing a cheetah or leopard print. The best way to combine these two colors is to use one as a base and use the other as a complimentary color and/or use accessories to tie the two colors together. One of the outfits I will be wearing in this blog will reflect both these two solutions.

I am going to be showing 4 outfits in this blog so I will keep the landscape design segment to a minimum. First let me tell you that my annuals that I showed you this summer from in front of my house still look just as good. It makes it very difficult to decorate for Halloween and Fall.

I don’t have a picture of the beautiful berm that was in front of my house but it depicted the design element of planting a grouping. Above I threw together a grouping of two plants and a home decoration that goes with the color scheme. Whenever you do a grouping in your yard or in your home you should always arrange it in odd numbers. If you don’t your eye divides the grouping into two parts instead of as a cohesive group. The berm in front of my house had two large shrubs, one semi evergreen and the other a deciduous shrub, with an evergreen spruce tree in the center. It definitely provided winter interest. In your home the grouping can be any one, three, or five items to make a cohesive area of interest. Unlike in your yard, these items can be a combination of live and non-living things. Most of the time when I show my fashions I am wearing earrings and a necklace because the group of three frames my face in a cohesive way.

Alright, let the fashion show begin.

Talk about fall colors! In the fall I wear very lightweight sweaters. This one fits the bill! I got it from Karisma boutique in Naperville. No one is going to see my bulging belly because they will be focusing on all this color. With the cold I am mostly wearing jeans like the green pair in this picture. The pants go perfectly with the green swirling through the sweater. The leather shoes are a great match for this outfit.

I am not wearing a necklace with this sweater because it would do nothing more than become a distraction to this beautiful pattern. I like the mustard yellow bracelet and watch band because it adds a different complimentary color to the colors in the sweater. All the other accessory colors like the orange and green of the bracelets and the rings along with the deep orange earrings enhance all the colors in the sweater.

I love to wear pastels in the fall and the winter. I feel like we get stuck with drab colors during these two seasons so I look for bright uplifting outfits. Here I am wearing a white, lightweight, cap sleeved sweater over top a a lightweight turtleneck sweater. I don’t like wearing bulky sweaters in the Fall because I tend to overheat. The pastel pink pants go beautifully with the edges of the pink flowers. This is a fairly casual outfit so I paired it with my white slip-on Sketchers.

Since this is a very casual outfit, I am accessorizing with simplicity. Sometimes I over think my accessories. For example, I chose the Breast Awareness bracelet because the roundness of the pink pearl beads matches the roundness of the center of the flowers . The pink earrings are the same type of flower as in the sweater and the German yellow smoky topaz ring is shaped like a leaf. The watchband is the same color as the stems.

You all know how much I love Marushka tops. In fact, the top in the introductory picture for this blog is also a Marushka. I get them at their store in Grand Haven, Michigan but you can order them on-line. They are known for their images of things found in nature. Again this is a very casual outfit that looks good and hides my bulging belly. I paired it with a pair of red pants and a pair of my favorite cloth sneakers that I buy each year from Walmart for $20.

I didn’t have to think too hard about the accessories I wanted to wear with this outfit. I wanted to keep them simple, round, and color coordinated. The round pearl of the ring is the same color as the background color of the top. The dark green stone in the ring matches the color of the cherry stems. The earrings, watch and the bracelet reminded me of the cherries. Simple as that!

Previously I talked about the pairing of black and brown and how to do the pairing correctly. I decided on black for my base and brown for my complimentary color. I am using my accessories to tie the two together. First off, this pairing does not work with a very dark brown. This top is more of a light cinnamon brown. It looks like a hooded poncho but there are two side seams hidden by the sleeves. I am wearing one inch heals with the outfit to dress it up.

First, let me tell you that this necklace was $119 at Chico’s. Well, you all know there is no way I am paying that amount of money for an accessory unless it has gems in it. Luckily, it was on sale, I got my membership discount and I used a couple of gift cards I got from last Christmas and my birthday. I know you are probably thinking “I can’t believe Pam was able to hold onto gift cards from Chico’s for so long!”. I just could not find anything that interested me until this Fall. Anyway, all the gold jewelry have oval stones and I used the black beaded necklace to frame the gold necklace and along with the black watch used the pieces to tie the two colors together.

OK, let’s talk weight (although I would rather not!). My first CT scan will be this month. Until then I will probably continue to feed my anxiety. I recently lost a couple of pounds by increasing the length of my morning walks with Matty and decided to try not to eat dessert with every meal. At least I walk each day unlike Crabby Maxine who says “If it weren’t for spring forward and fall back I’d never do any exercise”. I am probably not at the weight that doctors recommend I should be at for my height so each time I see my doctors I am waiting for them to mention it and it stresses me out. The first thing they do when I walk into the office is weigh me. I stopped making appointments right after a holiday. When I am with a group of ladies who talk about their Pilates classes I often think I should follow Crabby Maxine’s lead “Instead of the ‘John’, I call my bathroom ‘Jim’. That way it sounds better when I say I go to the Jim every morning”. Get it? She is such a problem solver!

Well, until next time, have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember God loves you and so do I.

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

As you know from my last blog, I love frequenting craft shows and sidewalk sales. I love the quote “A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand and a shopping bag on each arm”. The tangerine and off white topper in the picture above was made by a woman crafter at the Naperville Artisan Craft Show. After thinking about it I can pretty much say that all the beautiful things I bought this year at craft shows were made by women. That thought made me very happy. Having worked in the educational field I know that many teachers have to work second jobs especially the single mothers who are trying to put their children through private or higher education schools or just trying to make ends meet. I have met many woman crafters who need the extra income so they get into crafting because they can make their products from home and they can be there for their kids. Some senior citizens need the extra income because they do not bring in much income from social security. I am happy to support these women. However, it is not all altruistic on my part. I love the quote “I am not a shopaholic. I am helping the economy”. Yeah, that’s it! I am helping the economy. Maybe it is all altruistic on my part!

I have written about this before, women need to support other women. This past weekend I worked with women from the Lockport Woman’s Club in making up comfort bags and blankets for a domestic violence shelter to hand out to the women and their children. This is a great way to help women in need. Volunteering your time to help the women in your community is essential. You all know about my cancer experience. My female dermatologist who found the cancer recommended another female surgeon to remove the cancer who in-turn recommended the female surgeon who did the reconstructive surgery. These women were so professional and so excellent in their skill sets. It is not that I don’t like male doctors but what I have found in my many years on this earth is that female doctors will really listen to what I have to say and really understand not only the female body but also the female emotional frame of mind. I love this quote “Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult”. That is why I choose women doctors. In my case it was women doctors supporting each other. It used to be an extremely male dominated field but this is not the case any more. Well, no matter what genders you choose as your health providers remember this cautionary quote by Erma Bombeck “Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died”.

I am showing 4 outfits again this month so I am going light on the landscape design and its comparison to fashion design. When putting together a large flower garden or a border for around your house or fenced yard you have so many things to think about. You have to make so many decisions based on sunlight vs. shade, differing bloom times, pH of soil, etc. In fashion design as in landscape design an important decision is color combination. In the past wearing orange and pink together was considered incompatible and gauche. It would not have been a color combination typically chosen for a garden or an outfit. However, we are in a time of anything goes and the dynamic combination of pink and orange creates a vibrant and eye-catching palette. One of the outfits I am wearing in the blog will reflect this palette.

As of today, my deep pink roses look fabulous with the orange hips of the rose bush next to it. So when designing your gardens or borders think about what your garden is going to look like in each season.

OK, let the fashion show begin. In the last blog I featured some of the summer articles of clothing I bought at craft shows and sidewalk sales. This time I will show you fall, winter and spring articles I picked up for a steal.

Here is that color combination I talked about earlier. This very light weight sweater with these orange pants and sleeveless mock turtle underneath makes for a very vibrant outfit. I picked up this sweater at the Grand Haven sidewalk sale in Michigan for a price I couldn’t pass up. If you are a person who is always feeling warm even in cold weather, this is the perfect sweater for you. I paired this outfit with pink pumps that really complete the outfit.

I went with a deeper color orange in the pants of the outfit so I kept consistent with the deeper orange jewelry. The orange and yellow beaded color necklace accentuates the colors of the sweater. I decided to continue the deep orange in the earrings, watch and one of the rings. The yellow bracelet and the pink stone of the ring pull out the remaining colors of the sweater.

I bought these pants at the Grand Haven sidewalk sale (it was a great sale!). I need to describe them for you because whoever designed them was a genius. You know how much I love wide leg pants. These are nothing more than a pair of sweat pants that the bottom ribbing has been cut off then they put in a subtle panel starting at the knee of the same material to widen the legs. You will see in the next picture how they did a white stamping around the waist to make it look more blue jean-like. Here is what I love about sidewalk sales. The retail folks know that the sidewalk sale is a great draw for buyers looking for a deal so most of them will offer sales inside the store which is where I purchased this great drop sleeve light-weight sweater. It covers my big belly which is the most important aspect of anything I purchase. Sneakers are a must with this outfit and I have already told you how much I love my slip-ins.

Now you can see the stamping they did around the elastic waist. No one will ever see it because I will never tuck anything in my pant and let anyone see my bulging belly. Since this is a very casual outfit I paired it with very casual accessories. The collar necklace has one single white pearl as does one of the rings. I am wearing a very casual white banded watch, light blue studs and a ring with a blue stone. Do any of you remember this type of ring that you can interchange the stones to match the outfit? It was popular many, many years ago. Fashion is like a boomerang. Things always come back in style sooner or later.

I love this coat! You can see in the mirror that the back looks just as lovely as the front. It is reversible to a neon green as seen on the hood and the zipper. The mix of patterns make this unique coat so eye appealing. In this picture I paired the coat with hot pink, wide leg jeans and a cute white top underneath. The open toe, pink shoes are perfect with this outfit.

I got this coat at Art In The Park in Holland, Michigan. There were so many different color accessories that I had to choose from. The necklace and earrings are from 30 years ago (I have a hard time parting with jewelry). I am sure many of you might have had this set where you can change the colors of the beads. Here I brought out the green color with the necklace and the pink color with the earrings. One of the rings is green and gold kiln fused dichroic glass and the other ring which I purchased from a crafter at Lockport Christmas Crossroads has a metallic finish that changes color as you turn it. I turned it to pink. I chose the black banded watch because it has a rectangular face complimenting the black and white rectangles in the coat. On the same wrist as the watch I am wearing a silver and gold bracelet to balance the other wrist on which I am wearing a pink and black bracelet that compliments both patterns on the coat.

This crafter must have known I was going to come to her booth at the Artisan Craft Show at Canal days in Lockport because this black denim jacket is so me! I have said in the past that I love black and gold together. You also know that I love sparkly things and this coat gives off a heavenly shine. I paired it with my black, snake skin patterned skinny pants. The gold flats add that little bit of extra shine.

The only colors I would ever consider wearing with this outfit is gold and black. The metallic gold is in every piece including the chain belt. Remember I only wear a belt when it is under a jacket or a sweater because I don’t want to highlight my bulges. Two of the rings are both gold and black and they compliment the coat as well as the black and gold bangle bracelet.

As for my weight, well I am in a period of stagnation but I am OK with it. Since the cancer diagnosis my weight is the least of my problems. Right now I need the pleasure food provides for me and I find most of that pleasure at the local bakery. I just follow Crabby Maxine’s advice “Getting over body issues is like getting over fear of heights…the trick is not to look down”. These days my diet to lose weight is nonexistent as is exercising beyond my morning walks (you know how I hate exercising). Me and Crabby Maxine think a lot alike “It’s the first day of fall! Time to stop NOT exercising outdoors and begin NOT exercising indoors!”. I am 73 years old and there is a possibility that, depending what happens with my health, I may lose my taste buds so I am going to bombard those taste buds with so many wonderful flavors. Don’t worry I am able to curb my intake but it is like Aunty Acid says “ Unfortunately my day dreams about being skinny are often cut short by the sounds of me chewing a cookie”.

Well until next month remember God loves you and so do I.

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.

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

Did you ever have one of those weeks where you feel like you are in a plot twist of a bad sitcom episode or as Aunty Acid says “Yup…It’s been one of those ‘Too much sh*t – not enough shovels’ kinda days”? Well, I recently went through one of those weeks. It started one dark Sunday night when I was moving some of my flower containers to protect them from the asphalt guys who were going to be putting in a new driveway early the next morning. Just as I was finishing I tripped over a small ground cover bush and slid head first into a bed of mulch. I am taking blood thinners and believe me when I tell you that my forearm looked like I had been in a bloody battle and I badly bruised the bones in my right hand rendering it almost useless for weeks. The very next day I went to the dermatologist, showed her my arm and told her I bit my bottom lip two months ago but the sore would not heal. She took a biopsy. Later that week I tried to pick up something heavy having to use my bad hand and ended up with muscle spasms of my back for three days. At the end of the week I got the diagnosis from the biopsy of the tissue submitted which turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma. To make a long story short I will have surgery with one doctor to remove one-third of my bottom lip on the 15th then on the 16th I will have surgery to do a lip reconstruction. I am thankful that I have good health insurance, that medicine has made such wonderful advances and that my cancer was caught early. I was lucky that I had been scheduled to see my dermatologist that week for my yearly checkup. Otherwise I would have had to wait months to get in to see her. By the end of that week I felt like I was in a never ending game of Whack-A-Mole. Anyway, I decided to hold off this blog for a week or so ‘till the skin started to heal on my arm and on my biopsied lip. It remains to be seen if an August blog is possible. Hopefully I will not have to go through another week where my life is a chain reaction of “Oh no’s!”.

I do not do well in hot weather because I have a faulty sweat system. The only part of my body that sweats is my face so I tend to over heat in hot weather. I have been known to get really sick or pass out. I tend to hibernate on those over 90 degree and high humidity days. I agree with crabby Maxine who says “Was going to run some errands but it is HELL NO degrees outside”. They say to wear loose fitting clothes to help you stay cool and to me short dresses fit the bill. If the temperature is over 85 you will find me wearing a short dress. I throw one on in the morning to walk the dog then dress it up a bit for the days events. Nothing catches the breeze and helps you stay cool like a short dress. Being comfortable trumps my vanity so regardless of how much I dislike my knees I wear what makes me feel good. Short dresses are flattering for all body types. The key is finding the silhouette for your frame. Whether you are dressing up or keeping it casual, it’s the ultimate summer essential every woman should own. Whether you are heading to the beach, having lunch with friends or just running errands, a short dress allows your skin to breathe while offering a chic, polished look. All the short dresses I am wearing in this blog have pockets which I love.

Plants are a lot like people. They don’t like real hot weather. My horticulture professor would tell you anything above 85 degrees stresses a plant. I am going to give you a little biology info about plants so you understand why it is important to water plants early in the morning whether they are in the ground or in containers.

Stomata are small pores or openings found on the surface of leaves. They control the transpiration of the plant. Transpiration occurs because the plant takes in more water than it needs for photosynthesis and gas exchange. Also, plants can use transpiration to stay cool. Stomata close in hot weather to help the plant retain water if it has heat related stress because plants absorb water better when not under stress from heat. The best time to water is from 6 to 10 in the morning. If you have to water later make it around 7:00 to 8:00 in the evening when there is still some light so the plant roots will continue to absorb the water and dry off the leaves. If you water after dark you are encouraging overwatering which causes bacteria and fungal diseases. That is because after dark photosynthesis does not take place and the stomata close therefore transpiration does not take place. If transpiration doesn’t take place then the plant has no way to get rid of the excess water. I am sure many of you already know this but the one question I get the most is “Is it OK if I water at night?”. You now know my answer.

Because I am not sure what to expect after reconstruction surgery I am also not sure if I will be able to get out a blog in August. So I am showing 4 outfits today. So let the fashion show begin!

If you are going to wear stripes keep them thin and keep them vertical. I got this cute little short dress from Hustle and Heart boutique in downtown Mokena. It is so light weight and I love the contrasting horizontal stripes on the pocket and sleeves. I have short dresses that are sleeveless but I don’t like my upper arms so I started buying only short dresses with sleeves. With all of my short dresses I just throw on the dress to walk the dog then I add the accessories to go places. I paired it with my white Clark sandals and feel comfy throughout the day.

I chose these pieces because they seem more casual. Most are gold and white except for one of the bracelets. I added the navy and gold bracelet because the combination of white and navy seems so nautical and the bangle bracelet has tiny anchors on it. I love to wear a grouping of thin gold rings on several of my fingers.

I love this dress for many reasons. It has an empire waist so it hides all sins, I love having pockets where I can put my keys, and I like the square neckline. The full skirt really catches the breeze and who doesn’t love daisies. I paired it with my flowery, white sandals to go along with the daisy pattern. Add a few accessories and I go from dog walking to lunch with friends.

This is a grouping of white, blue and silver. The dress and watch band are a denim blue. I chose these earrings because they look like petals of a flowers. The white stone ring has a shape like a daisy petal and the silver star sapphire ring has a white star so they go perfectly with the outfit. I felt the silver and white pearl choker necklace looked good with the square neckline.

Olive green fashions were trending this year. I think in past blogs I talked about how green goes with every color just like the base of plants in a flower garden. The higher waistline minimizes the tummy. The V-neckline is perfect for a short necklace. The sandals are pink as are the rest of the accessories.

Pink is the theme of this grouping. The flowers in the earring match the center flower of the necklace. The pink butterfly ring goes beautifully with the pink roses in the other ring. The pink watch band and rose gold love bird bracelet go so well with the rest of the grouping. The other bracelet is actually a necklace that I double up to wear as a bracelet and I chose it because the beads look similar to the beads hanging at the bottom of the necklace.

This is truly T-shirt dress. Nothing better than white on a sunny day. When I wear white I love the monochromatic look. Since a T-shirt dress is so casual I paired it with sneakers. I love slip-on sneakers.

What I love about pearls is that you can wear them with a casual outfit like a T-shirt dress or jeans as well as helping to dress up a more formal outfit. Other than the white watch band each accessory has an either a real or faux pearl.

Now here is where I talk about how I did this past month with my weight issue. I think Crabby Maxine can best describe how I did in that area when she said “My new low-fat diet is really working. The fat’s hanging lower each day”. Unfortunately I am a stress eater and this has definitely been a stressful time for me. After they took a chunk out of my lip for the biopsy I could only eat soft foods and what is softer than cupcakes, cheesecake and ice cream. All I craved was comfort food after I got the diagnosis but those foods are not always the best choices. I agree with Crabby Maxine who asks “Why does comfort food lead to so much dis-comfort?”. I felt like I was 7 months pregnant and had to wear loose clothing so my short dresses were perfect. Once these surgeries are over I go on vacation and I don’t want to have to watch what I eat. I probably will think about going on a diet after that but I have to agree with Crabby Maxine when she’s says “I’d go on a diet but that seems like an insult to the fine folks who make cheesecake and I, for one, won’t stand for it!”. You gotta love her, she says it like it is.

Well, until next time remember God loves you and so do I.

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

Welcome to my end of spring garden. Some of my plants are waiting for sunny, warm days so they can bloom. Hopefully that will be soon! It is hard to believe we are halfway through the year which means that there are only 6 blogs left before this all comes to an end. It also means that this will be the last time you get to see the spring/summer flowery entrance to my townhouse. I try to do something different each year. Writing this blog has been so much fun but I think my sister/photographer will appreciate not having to be on her knees while taking all the pictures of me. I am always so astounded how easily she can get up off the floor. I, on the other hand, am not so agile. I was laughing at a Facebook cartoon post by I Love Horses that depicted a character trying to get up from the floor and had the caption “I used to envy people who could do cartwheels…but now I’m jealous of anyone who can get up off the floor without making grunting noises and holding onto the furniture”. That is me! My knees just don’t have the strength to lift me. Also, my knees are the reason I am going through something akin to withdrawal or mourning. I am having to get rid of most of my shoes that have heels higher than one inch. I can tolerate some shoes just shy of 2 inches but they have to have stacked or wedged heels. It is hard to part with lovely things that still look so good on me. That is one of many problems with aging. I think I knew this for a while now but parting with my shoes is traumatic! I have come to the realization that less pain wins out over my vanity. Thank goodness getting my hair colored is not painful! On the upside of getting older, I love getting discounts for my birthdays from my favorite retail stores. On the downside it is like Joan Rivers said “You know you are getting old when you buy a sexy sheer nightgown and don’t know anyone who can see through it.” Life is a balance!

My fashion focus for this blog is summer hats. I was one of those young adults who used to sunbath with reflective foil under my chin so I could get a deep tan on my face. Little did I know how that would turn out in my old age. Now I wear hats because not only are they very functional but also very fashionable. I wear them to keep the sun off my face to minimize any more wrinkles but also to ward off melanoma. Summer hats come in a multitude of styles and colors. There are baseball hats, wide brim hats, bucket hats, visors and fedoras. I have all of these but mostly wide brim hats to protect not only my face but also my neck, décolleté and shoulders. They look great with summer outfits and beach wear. They are a must if you plan to attend an outdoor event, visiting tourist attractions on vacation and especially at the beach. Shady can be chic!

Here is where I usually discuss some aspect of landscape design but a couple of times a year I show 4 outfits instead. The outfits are from some of my favorite retail stores that gave me a birthday discount this past May. I can’t pass up a good sale so I indulged. Hey, it is only once a year! I have paired each outfit with one of my hats and a pair of sunglasses. Both a must for the summer sun.

Let the fashion show begin.

I bought these blue and white striped pants at Macy’s and they are so comfortable! They are wide leg pants with a cute elastic waist. I paired it with a blue, square neck, sleeveless top and a white short sleeved sweater with pockets. The white sandals give it a beachy look as does the large wide brimmed hat.

All the accessories are some shade of blue or white. The faux pearls of the necklace go beautifully with the pearls of the ring and earrings. You can see “roundness’ is a theme throughout. The ring is two tone blue with a navy stripe down the middle. The round dial of the navy blue watch looks great with the round two tone blue bracelet.

This is such a classic look. You know by past blogs how much I love polka dots and flowing sleeves. I bought this top at Macy’s. The hem of this top is just as flowing as the wide leg pants. The pants are made of such a wonderful stretchy material that goes all the way to the waist. Another comfortable outfit. The black shoes have a one inch wedge heel. This black straw hat has the cutest bow coming off the ribbon that goes around the crown of the hat.

The accessories help to highlight the polka dots in the top. The black and white polka dot watchband and the round black earrings go beautifully with round faux pearl in the necklace and the ring. The black wooden ring and the round bangle bracelets along with the white sunglasses complete the outfit.

This would be a great outfit to take on a cruise. Unless I can see the shore I cannot be on a boat without panicking so an ocean cruise is out as a possibility for me but I think one day I will try a river cruise. I bought this outfit at Karisma boutique in Naperville. The loose fitting pants are from Italy and they remind me of my Jams which I call my Dream Of Jeannie pants. These pants, however, have a silk overlay with the under layer made of stretchy material that goes all the way to the waist. The tropical pattern on the top is multicolored so picking out accessories was easy. The little ruffle on the neckline looks so cute with the flutter sleeves. The floppy hat and the coral colored sandals complete the outfit.

I decided to enhance the purple and peach colors in the top. The purple band of the watch matches the purple coloring of the faux pearl earrings and one of the rings. The peach of the glasses goes perfectly with the peach bracelet and the bracelet goes perfectly with the shape of the earrings and purple ring. The other ring is green and compliments the green leaves of the top.

I bought these flowery crops at Chicos as well as the green pullover top.. Since there are two shades of green in the pants I added the forest green vest to match. The flowers are different shades of coral and rust. The coloring of the braided leather of the belt and sandals complement the color of the flowers and the hat is made of thin weaves of both green, coral and rust.

What a great grouping of accessories. The green band of the watch and one of the rings are a match to the leaves in the pants. The coral flower earrings, the rust colored bracelet, the rust color of the Jasper ring and the coloring of the sunglasses really complement the pants. There are rust colored flowers in the pants that are not seen in this picture. The deep red-orange color of the flower pin just enhance the color of the whole outfit.

I suppose I will have to talk about my weight. Unfortunately, May was not the best month for me to lose weight. Between my birthday party, Mother’s Day, unexpected celebrations and breaking my toe I had a hard time curbing my appetite and exercise was limited. Unfortunately, I am back to the weight I was when I started this blog. It is like something I saw on a T-shirt “My weight loss journey is like a soap opera, full of drama and unrealistic expectations”. Lately the only exercise I am doing is chewing. Since walking is the only exercise I enjoy and that wasn’t an option because of my broken toe I decided to follow Aunty Acids advise on exercise “Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away”. What excellent advice! Besides, I told my refrigerator I was on a diet and it just laughed and said “Good one!”.

Well, until next week remember God loves you and so do I.

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

Today I turned 73 and I decided to travel back in time to my favorite decade. I loved everything about the 60’s except the war. I loved the music, the fashion and the women’s movement. I was one of those people who enjoyed going to high school every day to see my friends and participate in after school activities. Some of my favorite memories were in flip-flops. I was not that fond of having to move into the 21st century (more like kicking and screaming) with all its technology especially the smartphone. Ask any one of my friends and they will tell you that I avoided it at all cost. I can relate to Crabby Maxine who says “I miss the days when an extra long cord was the pinnacle of phone technology”. I did some research to find out if I was the only senior citizen who felt this way. Everything I read said that increasing smartphone use is beneficial to increasing older adults quality of life. It also listed some barriers to information technology use amongst older adults such as fear, lack of knowledge and worry that technology is too complex. I fall under each of these barriers. I remembered a quote by author Neale Donald Walsh that said “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. Well, I finally gave in and bought a smart phone. I really didn’t miss not having a smart phone because, in general, I am not a phone person. I find talking on the phone so impersonal. However, I have been led to believe that soon landlines will be obsolete and since my landline and flip phone were my only means of communication I finally gave in. Let me tell you, they know me by name at the AT&T store because I keep going in to have them help me. They have become my lifeline. I know I used this quote before but Crabby Maxine best describes it “I’m on the INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY but I’m in the slow lane and my blinkers are on”. I am a pretty patient person but when it comes to technology I get very frustrated! People tell me to just play around with it to get use to it. Oh, no! If anyone could wipe out all necessary information, it is me. Just learning the basics is challenging enough for me. When I run into a problem with it I become someone I don’t recognize, similar to a description I saw on a T-shirt “I don’t curse. I speak fluent trucker with a sailor dialect and construction accent”. Yep, I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. By the way, I still have my working flip phone. I can’t change all at once!

I have told you in past blogs how much I love the fashions of the 60’s and Boho Chic has been making a resurgence in the last few years. Boho chic is nothing more than bringing the Bohemian look into the modern era. Bohemian is more than a fashion style but a cultural movement that emerged from rejecting conventional societal norms. Let me give you a little history on Boho fashion. The word “Bohemia” was first used in 15th century France to describe the Romani people (traveling Gypsies) from the western part of the current Czech Republic. Their signature look was loose fitting garments inspired by oriental design. The modern interpretation of the Bohemian fashion style includes different variations: Peasant or Classic Boho Chic, Hippie Boho Chic, Rugged Boho Chic or Luxe Chic. For the best look you should have a minimum of six colors and a maximum of 12 colors in your outfit. The tops should be relaxed and loosely fitted. Floral patterns and mixed print designs are a plus. Your bottoms should include pieces like wide leg pants and flared jeans. My outfits in this blog are a combination of all the above. The look is not for everyone but these pieces are some of my favorites in my closet.

Before I start the fashion show I like to throw in some landscape design. “Flower Power” was a phrase used in the 60’s referring to the hippie notion of “make love not war” and the idea that love and nonviolence, such as growing flowers was a better way to heal the world than continued focus on capitalism and war. I told you in the past how much I love the subdivision I live in because of the landscaping. The flowers of the trees and bushes in the spring are amazing. In a past blog I showed you the vivid fuchsia colors of the crab apple trees planted throughout the townhouse section of the subdivision. Well there is no better example of “Flower Power” in landscape design than the entry into my subdivision in the spring.

The canopy of white flowers of the pear trees goes on for 3 city blocks. I love it when a strong breeze comes along and blows the petals off the trees. It looks like it is snowing! Eventually the street sweeper comes along and cleans up the streets but before he does the wind blows the petals along the street and it looks like the street is a moving river with white peaks. It is just amazing to see this!

OK, let the fashion show begin.

What could be more 60’s than a floppy hat, peasant blouse, flared jeans with embroidered flowers and leather sandals. I love this outfit! This is me! The hem of the jeans has been ripped out and the fringe of the scarf just add to the Boho look. It is a combination of peasant, hippie and rugged Boho Chic.

So many of the accessories for the outfit represent all those things you found in the accessories of 60’s. Lots of beads, wide leather bands, and fringe are represented in the hippie look. I remember having a watch that looked like this. Look at all the colors in these accessories! Love it!

What I love about this scarf jacket is the multiple patterns in the material. I think you need a hat to pull off this look. The light weight jacket hides all sins. I am wearing a sleeveless black top underneath and I paired it with black leggings which gives it more of the luxe Boho look. Wearing sandals with this look is a must.

There are so many colors in the jacket that the skies the limit as to the accessories you can choose to wear with it, therefore, I chose to go with multiple colors in my accessories. Beads are a must as are pieces with flowers such as the ring, the bangle bracelet, and the cloisonné earrings. The medallion necklace with the leather strap is so representative of the 60’s

This is one of the outfits I wore for the fashion show to raise money for Canines for Veterans sponsored by the Lockport Woman’s Club. I was so glad they let me pick out my outfit. It has to be the most comfortable ensemble I own. The wide leg pants stretch along with my movements and the loose top just adds to the comfort. The material of the sleeves just flow as I move. Once again this is an example of multiple colors and patterns. Big sunglasses were all the rage in the 60’s. The flowers on the sandals just represent the flower theme of the era.

Again, the best part of the ensemble is that you are free to combine multiple colors in the accessories. The pink band of the watch, the rose gold of the love bird bracelet and flower earrings go perfectly with the pink flowers of the sleeves of the top and the greens of the bracelets go perfectly with the leaves on the sleeves. The black rings along with the black leather strap of the beaded bracelet add the finishing touches.

Well, here is where I talk about my weight but there isn’t much to talk about. I have not lost or gained any weight. I have given up on diets. It is like Aunty Acid truthfully states, “Only one thing keeps me from staying on a diet. FOOD”. Besides Christmas, Easter is my favorite time for sweets. I can’t pass up Fannie May Easter eggs. It would be like me passing up cookies at Christmas time. You already know how I feel about exercise other than my morning walks. I agree with Aunty Acid who confesses “The first time I hear someone on their death bed say they wished they’d exercised more, I’ll consider it.” Planting season is right around the corner so maybe it will keep me from thinking about food while also providing me with a little fun physical activity. The easiest time for me to lose weight are the months from Easter to Christmas. Getting into a bathing suit is a good incentive. However, my weight is not the only problem I see when I put on a bathing suit. My body must be very similar to Aunty Acid’s because I can relate to her quote, “Just when you get comfortable in your own skin, it starts to sag”. Isn’t growing old fun? NOT!

Well, until next time, remember God loves you and so do I.

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

Welcome to blog #65. Seven more blogs before the finale. It is that time of year. Happy Spring, Happy Easter and Happy Allergy season! Spring does have its pros and cons. I love how we go from drab to colorful. It takes me back to a time long, long ago, when we watched black and white TV (yes, I am that old). When my dad bought our first colored TV it opened up a whole new world for us. Kinda like in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy’s world was colorless then she experienced the beautiful colors of Oz. The grass is now green, the forsythia and daffodils are a beautiful yellow, the blooms of the magnolias are pink and white and the flowers of the crocus are multicolored as are the buds of the hyacinths. What is not to love about spring! WELL, last year was the first time I ever experienced spring allergies and I was miserable. I am hoping they bypass me this year. It is like Crabby Maxine describes it, “For spring my nose decided to take up running”. Does that count as exercise? For me the worst part of spring has to do with aging. Many of you will be able to relate to my problem. I think I have addressed it in past blogs. My body likes to speak to me when it is going to rain. I want to scream at it “Use your words!” but instead it communicates by making my joints ache. I would prefer to watch the weather on the news to find out when it is going to rain but my body says “that is so impersonal!”. I can relate to Aunty Acid who says “They say you should listen to what your body is telling you but mine just points and laughs”. Because I am allergic to so many over-the counter and prescription meds I may have to endure this spring malady. Unfortunately, April showers bring more than May flowers. It brings a lot of sleepless nights caused by aches and pains. Oh well, this too shall pass (or will it?). OK, I am going to stop complaining now. I should accept that I am pain free on most days and happy that April, the worst month for me, is only 30 days out of 360 days. I remind myself that it is the small things in life that really matter and all is well. It is like Aunty Acid says “Sometimes when my underwear matches, it makes me feel like I really have my life together”.

According to fashion magazines, everybody is wearing caramel colors in 2025. Call it butterscotch or toffee if you prefer but consider it a new neutral with a confident kick. Caramel is a versatile color that can range from light beige to deep golden brown, making it easy to pair with a variety of colors. Caramel is universally flattering and compliments a wide range of skin tones. The outfits I am wearing in today’s blog show how caramel can be paired with other neutral colors like white or with warm or cool colors like corals and pinks. I am also wearing an outfit that is caramel from head to toe for an on-trend tonal look.

When landscaping you really have to consider the backdrop to your plantings. If you have a neutral color backdrop, you can plant with almost any color. While my backdrop is a dark brown (the color stain on my house) not a golden brown like caramel, it is still considered a neutral color. Because of that I was able to plant flowers with a palette of colors. However, dark red and dark purple get lost when the backdrop is dark.

This is a picture of what the area around my patio and deck looked like at the end of April. To the right are the white feathery flowers of the fothergilla shrubs that don’t leaf out until after flowering has ended. The ground cover to the left is filled with tiny yellow flowers. The hanging plants at the corners of the pergola are filled with purple violas along with purple and white sweet alyssum. The crab tree is full of white flowers and in the planter that surrounds the deck I planted pansies, stock and bright orange dwarf asiatic lilies. It was a profusion of color after a very colorless winter.

OK, let the fashion show begin.

Here I chose a monochromatic caramel colored outfit. The light weight sweater set is embellished with coppery metal studs that form a flowery pattern. The set looks perfect with the two toned caramel checked pattern in the pants. It is time to break out the sandals! This is my head to toe caramel outfit. It is perfect for spring.

The metallic accessories go perfectly with the metallic studs in the sweater. The beads on the necklace and earrings are like the roundness of the studs. The watchband is the same color as the beads and it has a round face. The coppery metal of the bracelet and rings finish the look.

This is the outfit where I combined two neutral colors. The white blouse and white pants really bring out the vibrant caramel color of the topper. The topper has a very Indonesian flare so I am wearing leather sandals to complete the look.

The leather in the watchband and the braided leather of the necklace go so beautifully with the braided sandals. The pattern on the earrings and the craftsmanship of the rings pair beautifully with this outfit. The leather and beading on the bracelet goes perfectly with the leather and beading of the necklace. All these pieces really enhance the Indonesian flare of the topper.

Here is where I combined the warm and cool colors of the blouse with the neutral caramel color of the pants. There are subtle blotches of caramel color in the dolman sleeved blouse. I paired this outfit with cherry red, open toe shoes.

Here you can better see the blotches of caramel coloring in the blouse. The metals in this grouping of accessories are gold. The burgundy earrings represent the warm tones while the soft pink of the watch band represents the cool tones in the blouse. The dark red color of the garnet ring and the pink glass of the butterfly ring complete the ensemble.

I wish I could tell you that I lost a pound or two but I refuse to get on the scale. It would just depress me and I don’t want to feel down right now. I am glad that the dress I chose to wear for the fashion show has an empire bodice so it hides all sins. The biggest problem I have is all the candy I am surrounded by because of the holiday! I can relate to Aunty Acid who says “Just a heads up. I’m starting my summer diet which has probably ended by the time you read this”. I ordered chocolate filled Easter eggs to help a choir who was having a fund raiser. They were not the small little eggs I typically put into candy dishes. They were more like the size of the large Fanny May Easter Eggs. They did not last more than one day. No one has commented on my weight gain so I take that as a good sign or maybe they heard Aunty Acid say “A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than people who MENTION IT!”.

Well, until next time, remember God loves you and so do I.

Hello to all my Gal Pals,

The countdown is ticking away, three down 9 blogs to go. I thought I would write about the fun of getting old. Crabby Maxine defines cognitive aging so well stating “I find these days that most of my conversations start with ‘Did I tell you this already?’ or ‘What was I going to say?’ and I can identify with her. When I was working with students who had cognitive learning disabilities, I would attempt to identify their strengths and use these strengths in helping them to get to the same outcome as their non-disabled peers by developing strategies they could use. In other words, using different means to get to the same goal. I am finding that I now have to use this type of cognitive strategy for myself. In a past blog I wrote about the mind-body connection or rather the deterioration of it as you get older. Most of the research articles I read talked about maintaining good health to enhance cognitive thinking. While this may be true, I don’t think it really addresses the problem. I am finding that I have to retrain my brain to help keep my body safe. Let me explain. We all know that we are feeling the chronological age of our bodies but our brain keeps forgetting that we are no longer in our 20s and 30s. Many of you are going to be able to relate to what I am about to say. When I go out to a two hour lunch with friends and slip out of the booth to stand up, I have had to retrain my brain to wait a few seconds before I take a step or I am going to do a body plant on the floor. I walk 2 miles a day, 7 days a week of which a third is power walking. My legs are in fairly good shape but my joints still stiffen. Another example is lying on my back on a beach blanket at the beach. I have had to teach my brain a sequence of steps to get up, otherwise, I look like a turtle stuck on its back. Even with using these steps I am just hoping that other beach goers think I am doing the ‘downward dog’ yoga position. Oh well, I just have to suck up my embarrassment and move on. It’s like Aunty Acid says, “Getting older is just one ‘What the hell!’ moment after another”.

Today’s fashion topic is the use of daisies in fashion design. Flowers have always had an important role in the fashion world throughout the ages. The daisy symbolizes purity and innocence but most of us see it as a symbol of romance. We love to pull on its delicate petals one by one while saying ‘he loves me, he loves me not’, hoping to get the answer we want. The 1960s counter culture movement, often referred to as the flower-power era, embraced the daisy as a symbol of non-violence and unity. In fashion, the daisy has been a recurring decorative design or pattern especially during the bohemian and hippie fashions of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of you know from past blogs that this is my favorite fashion era. The daisy became a symbol of free spiritedness and rejection of mainstream fashions. Today, the daisy print continues to be popular during the spring and summer months as it gives off an air of being carefree and playful.

March is an exciting time for gardeners. This is when we start planning our garden design. I might be biased but I think Shasta daisies should be in every garden. Anyway, there is so much planning that goes into the gardens whether you are designing for a large perennial garden or a smaller border garden. Some might be replacing plants while others are starting from scratch. For beginners, my best design tip is to know the bloom times of the plants you are considering. I love it when wholesale nurseries send out pictures of a garden where every plant is in bloom. Now most of you experienced gardeners know that the bloom cycle of every perennial is approximately 4 to 6 weeks. If they all bloomed at the same time you would be left with just greenery for a large majority of the growing season. We keep the garden colorful by a rotation of bloom cycles of perennials and an intermixing of annuals. Below is a picture of part of the border garden around my townhouse.

At this time the mass of tall Shasta daisies are in bloom as is one of the rose bushes with its hot pink flowers. When the daisies start to peter out and these roses go for a rest, the rose bush between them will come to life with a beautiful flush of hot pink flowers. This rotation of colors creates a vision of beauty all summer long. Both of the rose bushes will alternately produce two to three flushes a summer.

Ok, let’s get the daisy fashion show underway.

This is one of my favorite 3 season outfits. It gives off a ‘yuppie’ vibe. The sweater is so soft, lightweight and stretches with your movements. It is covered with a pattern of off white daisies. The hem falls loosely at my hips so it hides my belly. Underneath I have an off white blouse with a cute little collar. You know how much I love my wide leg pants and here is why. If you don’t like your thighs, whether they are too thin or too heavy like mine, you can’t really see their shape because wide leg pants fall straight down from the hips. I paired the outfit with my off white dress shoes with a one inch stacked heal.

I think that this is probably the only outfit I don’t typically wear a watch with because of the snug fit of the cuffs. Someone asked me how I found earrings to match my sweater. In this case I bought the earrings well before I bought the sweater. When you have close to 200 pair of earrings you are bound to have something that matches your outfit. It is pretty evident why I chose the daisy bracelet and ring. The pearl ring is similar to the pearl in the bracelet.

I love the color of this sweater and the dark color really makes the white daisies on the front, back and sleeves stand out. The sweater hemline is a little too short for my taste so I am wearing a lightweight turtle neck shirt of the same color underneath and it hangs 2 inches below the sweater hemline. I am wearing white wide leg pants and white shoes with a cutout pattern of daisies. I am not a believer that white pants and white shoes are only to be worn in the summer.

Don’t you love these earrings! I bought them at Christmas Crossroads craft fair this year. The young woman makes the most beautiful micro crocheted jewelry. I was meant to have them! The bangle bracelet is fern green like the embroidered leaves on the sweater. The yellow watch band really pulls out the yellow of the daisies. I think my choice of rings were perfect for this outfit because of the colors.

This daisy outfit is for all of you who like something real casual. I bought the matching sweatshirt and T-shirt at a craft fair. Navy blue looks so good against white jeans. For Christmas I got a cute pair of Sketcher slip in boots that are like wearing slippers so I thought I would get myself a pair of Sketcher slip in sneakers. I love them!

My favorite accessory in this grouping is the two tone blue flying insect ring. The yellow earrings were chosen to match the center of the daisies. The white of the watch and yellow of the bracelet really stand out against the navy blue sleeve cuff.

Well, I guess it is time to talk about my weight. I think it was Aunty Acid who said “Do you ever feel like your body’s check engine light has been on but you keep driving like, ‘nah, it’s fine’?”. That is how I feel about my overeating lately. I am upset that I gained two pounds and I have not yet lost my Christmas weight. I find that I am eating a lot of comfort food along with leftovers from the party I threw for my sister (and blog photographer) for her 70th birthday. I tend to eat when I get stressed and right now I am stressed about the political climate and how political decisions might affect my income and health. I need to lose this weight because I am a model in the Lockport Woman’s Club fashion show on April 6th and I might not fit into my outfits. Today I am getting a lot of exercise because I am taking a stress test. I should be able to pass it because I have lots of stress. I haven’t figured out a solution on how to balance all of this. I know Aunty Acids solution, “I’ve put my scale in the corner of the bathroom and that’s where the little liar can stay until she apologizes”.

So, until next time remember God loves you and so do I. Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Hi to all my Gal Pals,

This isn’t going to be one of my snarky blog posts although these type of blogs are necessary. It is like Aunty Acid says “If it wasn’t for sarcasm and attitude I’d need therapy and bail money”. I am going to get rather serious today because a friend of mine recently passed away. This is my little tribute to a man whose personality was bigger than life. We weren’t particularly close friends but when I was with him he made me feel like I was his best friend. He made everyone feel this way. We went to high school together then lost touch except for class reunions. Recently, a small group of my high school alum started getting together socially a few times a year. During those get-togethers my friend and I shared a bond of losing our spouses at a fairly young age and our love of Christian music. He was the kind of guy who always had a smile on his face even though his voice box was damaged and he lost the lower part of his leg, both due to illness. Even though he was in and out of the hospital over the last few months he never lost his sense of humor. I am sure he is in heaven now causing all kind of chaos and having the time of his heavenly life making the angels laugh. Heaven’s gain is our loss. We could use a little more of his humor down here on earth during these trying times. Rest In Peace you beautiful soul. We miss you.

Hard to transition to fashion after my little tribute but let me give it a try. As you can tell from the title of the blog, the fashion of the day is about layering, specifically with jackets. According to women&home magazine “learning how to layer your clothes will add depth and variety to your look while allowing you to easily stay comfortable as the temperature changes throughout the day and evening or as you move indoors and outside.” This is my second blog on jackets because they are a main staple in my wardrobe for layering purposes. Jackets have undergone a fascinating evolution over the years. From functional outer ware designed for protection to iconic fashion statements. As we enter the present day, jacket fashion is the melting pot of diverse influences from different eras. The current designs in jackets are symbols of rebellion, self-expression and power. They will continue to evolve and adapt.

This is usually where I show you how landscape design and fashion design are similar but I will save that for next time because I have decided to do 4 outfits instead of 3. Next month is March and many of you will be planning your gardens for spring.

OK, let the fashion show begin.

Animal prints never go out of style and this year leopard print is trending. This jacket is so soft and it has only two buttons that are covered with the same material. The two buttons are near the collar therefore the jacket does not fit tight across the tummy bulge. The jacket hem falls just above the hips and with the dark brown pants the tummy bulge is minimized. Underneath I am wearing a brown cowl neck, long sleeve top. My brown shoes have two inch wedge heels.

I don’t like to combine too many different prints in my accessories unless they are subtle. The earrings have a little bit of the African flair and I love the way they lay against the cowl neck of the top. The plastic around the face of the watch is leopard print but it is very subtle in fact, you have to look very close to see the pattern. The rings both have a silver setting like the watch and the bracelet. One ring is a tiger eye stone and the other is a brown topaz. The bracelet has a cute setting with some sort of brown stone.

Sweater jackets are trending this winter. When you buy classic articles of clothing you know they will circle back and become popular again. This sweater is over 10 years old and is in style once again. This one zippers up the front and has a detachable faux fur collar. Underneath I am wearing a mock black turtleneck top and matched the black and white sweater with black pants and black 1 inch heeled shoes.

The black and white weave of the sweater looks great with the black and white jewelry. Geometrically, the combination of circular patterns of each piece not only compliment the sweater but each other. The zebra stripes of the pin add that special something when combined with all the roundness of the other accessories.

Speaking of geometric, this jacket is filled with different abstract patterns. I love the collar on this jacket. This jacket also zips up the front. The charcoal gray panel in front, which helps to minimize the belly, is surrounded with shapes of various colors. One of those colors is sky blue so I am wearing a sleeveless sky blue top underneath that you really can’t see in this picture. Also, there is mustard gold in some of the varying shapes both on the front and back of the jacket so I paired it with mustard gold colored pants. Also, I have paired it with a metallic taupe pair of shoes since there is taupe in the jacket and they look good with the mustard gold pants.

Since the pattern of the jacket is abstract I decided to carry the abstract theme into my accessories. The geometric bracelet is made up of silver and gold metals as are the earrings and both of the rings. The jacket has a few shades of brown in the pattern so I decided to wear it with a watch having a brown band. The mustard gold in the necklace looks great with pants and it highlights the color in the jacket.

This jacket does not have a closure therefore you want to make sure, when purchasing a jacket like this, that it also has a beautiful lining. You can see the lining pattern on the rolled up cuffs and lapels. Underneath I am wearing a yellow mock turtleneck, long sleeve top that I have belted with a silver gray skinny belt worn loosely around my midsection. As I have told you in the past, if you have a little bulging tummy only wear a belt if you are layering it with something like a jacket or sweater. The leaves on the jacket pattern are gray so I paired it with gray pants and gray 1 inch wedge heels.

In keeping with the floral pattern on the jacket, I coordinated the outfit with similar jewelry. The necklace matches the gray leaves while the earrings match the yellow flowers in the jacket. The flowers in the jacket are bold so I went with a large silver bangle bracelet. I am wearing my butterfly silver ring and a yellow smokey topaz ring in a silver setting. The gray watch band completes the grouping.

I am happy to say that I lost 2 pounds of my holidays weight. I did finally get on the scale because I had no choice. I had to see my cardiologist for a routine checkup and the first thing they do is weigh you. I didn’t gain as much as I thought I had. Shockingly, I only gained 4 pounds. Will miracles never cease?! I continue to eat something sweet each day because it gives me pleasure but I keep it small. It is my reward for making it through another day. I am currently exercising at the same rate as Aunty Acid which is “I did a push-up today. Well, I fell down but I had to use my arms to get back up, so…….close enough”.

Well, until next time, remember God loves you and so do I. Happy Valentine’s Day!