The 80's Called...Again!

Quick post!  It's 2 a.m. and I should be sleepy and even though I'm not, I'm going to bed anyway.

But, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between an outfit I posted yesterday, and this one from today.  I love fuchsia and black, and come to think of it, I had a couple of dresses in these colors back in the 80's.  I guess it was a trend...????  I was there, I should remember.

Anyway, I took these pictures of my daughter modeling a shoulder-padded, angular, Dynasty of a dress, and as luck would have it, I had a matching clutch.  

 Yesterday, I posted this jeans outfit.  Remember the neon big shirts?  Yep, it looks totally right for now.  Fashion, nothing really new.

It was a fun week of trying on and taking pictures, and I was super pleased to find something in my closet that I hadn't worn, is vintage, and fits!  I wore this to church and since I couldn't decide on which bag to take, I took them both!  Yeah I did!

My Facebook buds are split right down the middle, which I think means that either one will work.  Feel free to chime in, I need all the help I can get.

I sold my favorite bar cart and have to bid it adieu tomorrow.  I am really attached to it, but I don't entertain #MadMenStyle at all so it's really just taking up space.  Beautifully, I might add. 

I'm done.  Short post, remember??

Cook. Eat. Repeat.

It started last night.  I made spaghetti for me and my daughter, while my newly licensed son went out with friends, driving solo for the first time.  Yes, I was nervous, but I do know that he's a good driver.  Still, it's different when you're by yourself.  Or when you have another teenager riding shotgun.  I sent them off with the following admonitions:  Don't do anything stupid.  Keep your seatbelts on.  Don't play the music too loud.  Don't drive too fast.  Put gas in the tank. Don't answer your phone while driving. Be home by eleven. Don't do anything stupid like take your seatbelts off, play your music too loudly, get a speeding ticket, bring my car back on "E", answer when I call you to make sure you're not answering, or have me look out the window and NOT see my car in the driveway at 11:01.  While I wondered which rule he would break, I ate spaghetti.  While cleaning up, I realized that the two pints of strawberries I'd just bought two days before were already eeking past the "fresh" stage.  When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.  When life gives you overripe strawberries, you make strawberry sauce to put over vanilla ice cream.  

Fresh strawberries, mint, ginger, sugar, sea salt, basil.
Marinate overnight.  You'll be glad you did.

  
This ended the day's eating.  It began with cleaning and getting the house "company ready", all because a contractor was coming by the check out a crack in the ceiling. (Doesn't everyone clean when the contractor is coming?)  I finished early, and decided to make kale chips.  No, I have no idea why.  I still can't get them nice and crunchy like the packaged kind, but homemade is so much cheaper!  In the end, I ate some then gave up due to the lack of crunchiness.  I should have made a salad.  BTW, I missed a party because of the aforementioned ceiling crack, but with the clouds looming, it wasn't looking too good for a barbecue anyway.  

Next up, I finished some photo editing that I'd been putting off all week.  I do sell vintage, you know.  Sometimes I get caught up in other stuff and forget that this is a business.  My daughter is a total trooper who does quick change after quick change so that I can do these marathon photo shoots.  Some of the week's best:

So pretty!  Everything is vintage except for the silver formal and the little black dress.  I'm so glad that I birthed this beautiful child...I live out my fashion dreams vicariously through her.  We even included a tribute to my personal heyday, the 80's:

And she rocked this under $20 look, thrifted, gifted and free!  

Now both "kids" had social engagements this evening, so I was home alone.  The leftover spaghetti moonlighted as today's lunch, so I was without dinner.  Before I let the teenager out with my car, leaving me stranded, I grocery shopped, so dinner really wasn't a problem, I just had to cook it.  Chicken and pasta, with lots of parsley and onions hit the spot.  And then of course, there was dessert...but we already talked about that.  And no, I didn't eat it first.  I just talked about it first.  And I thought about eating it first...

The food made me sleepy, as did the nagging headache I still have.  I started to make chocolate chip cookies, but changed my mind.  But as soon as I started to contemplate sleep, I remembered that I have a potluck to attend on Sunday, and I promised to bring pasta salad.  I have no pasta.  (Remember the spaghetti?)  I do have rice.  And beans.  Gee, I hope no one is too disappointed when they take the lid off my bowl and see red beans and rice instead of pasta salad.  It tastes good, it's filling, and I put the rest of the kale chips in there for good measure because I couldn't figure out what else to do with them.  

So to recap:

Teen gets license.

Mom gets worried.

Mom cooks.

Mom eats. 

Mom eats.

Mom eats.

Daughter tries on clothes.

Mom tries to sell them.

Regardless, mom blogs about everything. 

That about sums up my week.  And how was yours??

My Chariot Awaits! (But they sent the wrong chariot...)

I took a job this summer as a mentor to high school kids.  The plan was to spend the summer reacquainting themselves with riding, learning to build and repair bikes, and have some summer fun.  I was a little leery about this because even though I spent half my childhood on my bike, it's been about 20 years since I've ridden one and my knees are about 40 years older. I'm still not sure how that works. But the pay was good, I'd be forced to be outside and active, and I thought I would enjoy being around a bunch of young people every day for six weeks.  I took a picture of the bicycle above because to me, it summed up my bicycling dreams.  Cruising along on something big and bright and comfy.  Reality was a little different.  We didn't cruise.  The goal was to get everywhere as fast as we could.  The bike was a skinny "boy" bike.  No fenders.  No bright colors.  A helmet.  A hot flash (or two or ten). And a VERY painful seat.  Today the program ended, and while I will miss some of my students, I will not miss the sweat and butt blisters.  Before I ride again, trust that the bike will be modified with a cushy seat and I will find an alternative to the "Colonel Klink" style helmet I wore all summer.  Not chic at all!

Speaking of chic-osity, I took about two hundred pictures today!  Yes, that many.  I finally accepted that I have more clothes than I can store, and I'm not moving inventory fast enough to keep the stash comfortable.  Like the vintage Barbie clothes I used to sell, I just love having them.  It's really hard to find vintage clothing in my size, so while I would love to say that I wear all most some of them, I don't.  My daughter will do the modeling for me, and she even wears some vintage clothing, but for the most part, this stash hasn't diminished in over a year.  Sell one, buy two.  (Something like that).  I've decided to dedicate the rest of this month--since I won't be busy sweating and blistering--to upping my online presence, not because I love being "seen" but because I need some "green"!

I'm really proud of myself for the work I put in this summer.  I am so glad that I got moving!  And I'm really happy to be back behind my camera and my computer, sharing the amazing things I find Every Single Day!
*******************************************************************************

With a really small family, we have never had a family reunion since we see each other all the time.  That's all about to change with our first reunion this Sunday!  I have no idea of what I should be doing, but I know that food should figure in largely, goofy games are a must, and kids and dogs must be running around everywhere.  Check, check and check!  I will likely be quiet until then.  I have a lot to do.  But can you guess what my next blog post will be about?

Check back with me on Monday and we'll see if you're right...

Just a few more days and the summer job is over.  While I really appreciate the extra money, I really miss being able to get things done, decorate and play.  I'm behind on all my projects and haven't had a photo shoot of myself in weeks.  All my recent thrift finds are in a pile on top of the dining room table.  Next week I can resume showing off my fab finds.  In the meantime, I did find time to snap a few gorgeous pics of my yard:

 I took these photos over the weekend.  It's really shaping up.  Well, not really, but the color is amazing!  There is still the issue of crabgrass and other assorted weeds but flowers are way more important.

 I'm selling a wedding dress, leftover from an estate sale that I held.  My daughter is modeling it.  She's going to make one beautiful bride someday!  This custom made beauty is going online.  It's an 8/10 if anyone's interested!

I've blogged a few times about the way sizes have changed.  These vintage slacks are labeled 17/18.  My daughter wears an 8/10.  They are a tad roomy, but certainly not swallowing her up.  I can only imagine what size I would have worn back then.  I guess I just wouldn't have had any clothes!  Given my clothing obsession, that would have been a real tragedy.  

I did make one itty bitty trip to Unique.  I found these slightly weird rooster pics for $1.50 apiece.  Of course I bought them and hung them up!

I also found the orange slacks and two pairs of red ones.  New with tags, one pair is from Dressbarn (keeping) and the other is from Coldwater Creek (selling).  

I am now mapping out my territory for this weekend.  I haven't been to one yard sale this summer and that's just not right.  My plan is to fix that soon.  Anyone care to join me?

Tea Party Photos!

I can't believe that I got so busy I forgot to post pics!  After agonizing over what to wear, I finally made up my mind, went to the party, had a great time, took tons of pictures, and forgot to show you!  Well let me fix that right now...


First of all, I was the only one wearing anything remotely outrageous, and I really wasn't trying to be.  I was simply embracing the theme.  Y'all know I have a "theme thing"....At least the garden and I had the same idea about going all out with color!  I played it safe with black and white, then I put this on my head:

My first "fascinator".  I had tried a series of flowers and tulle and couldn't
quite get it right.  I found this cutie-beauty online at Light in the Box.  $5 delivered to my door.
The day before the shower.  I'm totally winning the the timing department. 

Greeting us at the door was this cute chalkboard sign:

And then the garden took everyone's breath away.  The house sits on a lake so aesthetically speaking, it was pretty spectacular!

The beautiful bride-to-be (middle) with two friends.

The high-strung, high-energy hostess and mother of the bride,
my childhood bestie, Denise, with the oldest daughter. She's
also the planner, chef and gardener.  She was always such
an overachiever.  I hate that. 

One of the aunts.  Not nearly as high energy as her sister.  Thankfully.

Everyone took home a teacup and saucer.  You know
I scoped mine out as soon as I hit the door.

Another one of Denise's daughters.  She has four.
I know, right?

Sydney was far more subdued than her mom.
That's generally the case.

  What, no food photos?  Hey, I was too busy eating.  One of the young-and-tiny girls saw me eating after the game-playing had begun.  She said "you didn't eat?"  I said "no".  I lied, but I knew the whole idea of Round 2 would escape her.  I didn't get this non-tiny by quitting after one round.  I'm just sayin'...

The party was fun and I was happy to be out and about.  Great food, fun, fellowship, and a not-too-shabby group shot!