That's M as in Million

Hello everybody (anybody??). So I heard on the news that a contemporary art piece done by Mondrian recently auctioned off for between 30 and 40 million dollars. That's a lot of scratch. I thought to myself, "Geez, it's only some black lines with blocks of color". But then I thought about it further, and realized that the Mondrian influence is everywhere - fashion, architecture, paper goods, and many other things that we see on a daily basis. So Mondrian created a phenomenon that became an everyday reality. Hence, the huge price tags. Then I remembered that I have a couple of pieces of clothing that definitely fit in this category. So I whipped one out and put it on.

See what I mean? This skirt is by Studio G. I don't remember where I got it, but it's nice heavyweight fabric, is fully lined, and has a lot of little tailoring details, so I am betting it didn't come from a strip mall. With it, I am wearing a coral lurex tank and this little cotton jacket that I got in Palm Springs. As for my necklace,

This necklace is made of several strands of colored freshwater pearls that are twisted together. This style is called a torsade. My mom gave me this necklace some years ago for my birthday. This shot also shows the detail on the jacket. It has little crystal pleated ruffles and rhinestones and the entire waist region is ruched. It adds interest to any outfit. What shooz did I chooz?

You can bet that I didn't pass up a chance to wear my Nine West brown multi velvet T straps. As I told you before, I have the same pair in black multi. I love them both. For my jewelry

On my left hand, I have 6 of my RJ Graziano rose gold bangles and my Swarovski Nirvana in Black Diamond. On my right, a tourmaline and diamond ring, and a costume bangle made of bugle beads in varying tones of orange and brown. I should consider having the Nirvana soldered onto my finger, since I wear it so much. It cost about $200, but the price per wear has to be very low after all the times it has gotten out of my jewelry box and onto one or another of my fingers. Speaking of which, my polish is called Plum Perfect and is made by Ulta.

Today is Monday, so once again I am linking to the beautiful Patti at www.notdeadyetstyle.blogspot.com. She hosts Visible Mondays, and her theme today is mixing old with new. Hmm. Alot of my stuff is old and has been around for a while. The shoes are new to me, but I bought them on consignement, so maybe that qualifies. Oh, and the skirt must be somewhat new, but uses a vintage Mondrian pattern. So I think I am in. Tonight I am going out to dinner with a friend, and I already have my costume prepped. It's too crazy for work, so a night out is the answer. Hop over to Patti's site and enjoy all the Visible Ladies !!!

But Neutral = Boring

No, no, no my little friends. Neutral doesn't equal boring, at least in my world. Today is Saturday. I usually go super SoCal casual on Saturdays. That's when I get a chance to wear stuff that I like, but is inappropriate for work. I usually go without makeup, but today I was on hold with the terrible Verizon Fios TV people, so I had plenty of time to curl my hair and do my makeup during the 22 (yes 22) minute hold time. Hate. Them. But, this is what I ended up wearing to go to lunch and WalMart with Doc and Elli. Of course, in the AM I went for my run. I went to HB Central Park, and it was lovely and calming as usual.

The tiered skirt in by I.N.C., from Macy's, and the tank is from Old Navy. The skirt is crinkly cotton, and has 6 tiers. Here's a closeup of the print.

These are casual flips that I got at Charming Charlie when they had a 2 for $10 sale last year. I needed them for my trip to Fort Lauderdale.

Here you can see the trim on the tank a little better. You can also see my earring and necklace set. I got them in the Phillipines. In 1980 !!! I got a wild hair and decided to go full on drag queen and wear some jewelry on my left arm. Voila.

That is my all time favorite Swarovksi Nirvana in Black Diamond, and a stretchy bracelet that looks junky in the picture, but it is actually nice quality and always looks good - it doesn't get scratched. And of course, since I was all dolled up, Elli had to one-up me. She put on one of her showstopper dresses - Behold, Elli Skelli.

Tiny dog Halloween costume = Target.

Well, tomorrow we are going to the blessing of our granddaughter, Calista. So I will be getting dressed up again, maybe toning down the drag queen a bit. I will take some photos, and show you how it turned out. Until then, Peace Out!!!

Everything's Up To Date in Kansas City

When we last checked in to see Rosie's whereabouts, this was the sad sad scene at Casa de Holtzman:

Elli was trying her hardest to prevent me from leaving. But, I prevailed, and flew off to Kansas City, Missouri, WITHOUT Elli in my bag. So what did I think of good old KC? It was beautiful - lush and green, with lots of open space, wide rivers, and very friendly, nice people. Let's take a peek. KC is known as the city of fountains, and that title is well deserved. They were everywhere. Case in point:

I saw this fountain many times, since it was only a few blocks away from Winstead's, the home of the steakburger. Yum. Also, they serve tater tots. Double yum. We traveled back and forth between Missouri and Kansas several times a day. KC straddles the state line. So what did we do there? Well, we went around and visited several houses, schools and hospitals that were of special interest to one of my traveling companions. But I'll get to that eventually. We also did a lot of eating. We went to Winstead's twice, and also to a world famous BBQ twice.

Yes, Arthur Bryant's. You get in a line, then go up to the first window and tell the one of the gentlemen in the "pit" what you want to eat. They slap 4 or 5 pieces of bread on a plate, then heap it with your chosen meat and sides. On the first occasion, I was helped by a cute guy named Antonio, who called me sweetheart and gave me my burnt ends sandwich. Burnt ends are the crunchy outer portion of the meat, with some more meat attached, and then simmered in BBQ sauce. It's even better than it sounds.

Arthur Bryant's is located downtown, in a rather sketchy neighborhood. But, they are revitalizing the area. It's called 18th and Vine, and there are several museums and other attractions there. We saw the Jazz Museum, but didn't go in. There are also jazz clubs all up and down the street, where you can hear live music.

What we did go into was the Negro League Baseball Museum. It was fascinating - I never even knew such a thing existed. We spent a couple of hours looking at the exhibit, and learning all about the League and it's history. I also heard the best nickname ever - Cool Papa Bell, who was a star in the Negro League.

That night, we went to the I-70 Drive In Theater, and saw 22 Jump Street. It was so fun to go to a drive in and park the car and kick back and get snacks and watch a movie. We also saw fireworks behind us from Kaufman Stadium. Speaking of which, the next day we saw the Royals play the Mariners. Here is the outside and the inside of the stadium. Arrowhead Stadium, home of the KC Chiefs, is right next door.

We had great seats. It was 90 + degrees out, but we were under an overhang and out of the sun. I had a foot long bratwurst with sauerkraut, and my first beer in probably 5 years - I only like beer when it's hot out. Alas, the Royals lost.

The next day, we went to the Crown Center part of town. Hallmark Cards is headquartered in KC, and this shopping and sightseeing venue is their building. I got a couple of souvenirs, and briefly looked at a Mexican fiesta they were having. Then we went across the street to Union Station. This beautiful building houses several restaurants, a science museum, and a model railroad museum. We looked at the railroads, and they were pretty elaborate and very cool. There were several little boys enjoying themselves immensely in there. Here is the outside of the building, and then a picture of me in the great hall.

Located in the Union Station building was a bar, whose name escapes me, but it had the biggest selection of booze I have ever seen. There was a library type ladder that could be used to get to the top shelves.

It was incredibly tempting to request something on the top, but I restrained myself. This next picture is just to show the giant statue of Anubis that was outside Union Station - they were having an exhibit on the Treasures of King Tut.

Then we took a walk across the street to the World War I Memorial. It was quite a stroll up the hill, but when we got there, we had a beautiful panoramic view of downtown KC.

This is a view looking from Union Station up the hill. Here is the view from up there. This shot gives you an idea of the steepness and the size of the "little" hill.

On our last day there, we moseyed over to Independence, Missouri, the home town of Harry S Truman. The "S" is for Solomon. We toured the museum, the library, and the Truman house. Here is a picture of the house.

That took up most of the morning. At lunch time, we found ourselves (somehow) back at Arthur Bryant's. This time, I had rib tips. Those are the end of the slab, cut off, and soaked in sauce. This time, I was smart, and opted out of the french fry situation. Then we went to the Plaza - this is an upscale outdoor mall that had most of the same stores that we have here. I got my personal souvenir there - a necklace and bangle set. Whenever I wear it, I will think of KC. That night, we went to an outdoor venue called the Starlight Theater, and saw James Taylor in concert.

He was awesome - his voice is still like liquid honey, and the lyrics to his love songs are still the best ever. He sang my two favorite songs - Cowboy Lullaby and Going to Carolina. The theater is located in Swope Park. They also have a golf course, a fishing lake, a zoo, a frisbee golf course, a dog park and general picnic and park stuff. It was a memorable experience.

This next part is a little personal for one of my group, so I will leave out some of the pictures that we took just for his benefit. He went to elementary, high school, college, and medical school in KC. Here is a picture of the Kansas City University School of Medicine and Biosciences. It is still in operation. He also trained at a hospital across the street, but it has been converted to an apartment building. Here they are.

We went to a couple of different cemeteries to leave flowers and say some prayers and thank yous to his relatives who were buried there. There aren't any pictures, because the people's names are on the graves, and I want to be respectful of privacy and personal boundaries. Anyway, it was very nice for him to be able to have that experience. From what he said, his relatives were amazing and generous people.

Well, that just about recaps my trip to the midwest. I had not spent any time there before, and I have to say, I loved every minute. But keep in mind that I like it hot, so the weather didn't affect me much. We stayed in Overland Park, Kansas, which is a short 10-15 minutes on the freeway from downtown KC. We stayed at Embassy Suites, which is nice because they give you a free breakfast buffet and a free happy hour every night. I did miss my house, my husband, and my little Elli, but we reunited......and it feels so good (Old Peaches and Herb reference there). Hope you enjoyed my pix, and maybe you will be inspired to spend some time in America's heartland.

This is SOOOOO Much Better

As you may recall, yesterday I was extremely uncomfortable in my over sized suit. So when I got dressed today, I wanted to be comfy as well as look professional for the completion of our inspection. The outfit I ended up with was as comfy as jammies, and I think it looked better also.

The skirt is part of a two piece set that I got at Banana Republic. The other piece is a matching shell, but I don't believe I have ever worn them together. It has a ruffly fishtail hem, which is pretty popular right now. The cami is by Bisou Bisou, and the black knit waterfall vest is made by Eileen Fisher.

Get a load of that necklace. That was my souvenir from Kansas City. It's a statement piece, and it's actually made of metal, not plastic.

The picture of my right hand shows the matching bangle set that I bought. The set includes 10 bangles, but I am only wearing four of them today. They vary in width, but are all gold and white. Of course, that is my Swarovski Nirvana in Black Diamond. On my left hand

I have a black metal filigree bracelet that looks like lace. It is elasticized. It says I.N.C., so it came from Macy's. This other ring is one I mentioned before - I got it at Nordstrom, and I love the setting. I actually took a closeup so you can see.

It looks like bird claws holding up an immense green stone that is cushion cut. It's by Arielle, which is a nice costume brand that they carry. And for my shoes, the tried and trusted Vince Camutos.

So there you have it - a much happier and comfortable Rosie. That's the right way to end a work week. For extra fun, head over to www.allthingschic.net. There is a link up called Fashion Friday, and you can see all kinds of cute blogs. See you all soon!!!

Is There a Hobo In the House ?

Well, if you need one, I'm your man. My outfit picture today is totally hilarious. I swear that I don't really look this bad in real life. But maybe this pic will get me on the website "Worst Fashion Blogging Pictures." Behold.

Everything looks at least 12 sizes too big. I look like I'm playing dressup in my daddy's closet. But, I swear again, this is an optical illusion. I have a policy here at RKE blogspot - I only take one picture of my outfit, because I want to get an idea of how I look in the wild. Today, we are having a inspection at our hospital, so ultra-conservative apparel is required. This suit has usually been quite flattering on me. When I have to interact with the inspectors, I may cover this disaster up with my exam jacket. But, onto the bright side. First, let's take a look at the invisible detail in my outfit. The slacks are by White House Black Market, and are old. The jacket is from Nordstrom, made by their house brand, Classiques Entier. The vest is from Georgiou. I got it at Fashion Island, because they used to have a boutique there. I haven't been down to FI for a while, so I don't know if it's still there. Here's a closeup, so you can see how the two different patterns mix well together.

I like how the similar color foulard looks with the tiny checks on the jacket. How about that necklace I'm wearing?

I don't remember where I got this. I do remember that I got it one Black Friday a couple of years ago. It's a wide gold coil with three stations made of big squarish crystals set in silver. It can be worn with just about anything, and it gives an outfit a lot of elegant impact. (And my hobo suit could use a big dose of that). For shoes, I chose bronze sandals. In retrospect, I should have gone with a higher heel, because these pants are on the longer side. But anyway, this is what I have on - in the outfit picture, my pants are just pooling around my feet.

I think that all the jewelry I'm wearing today has been previously shown, but here it is again, because it's so pretty. That's probably the only pretty thing about me today.

On the right hand, I have my London Blue topaz knuckle buster, and two gold and sapphire bracelets. On the left, my wedding set and a gold and diamond bangle.

Well, that's it for today - the good (jewelry/pattern mixing),the bad (shoe choice) and the ugly (the rest of it). I'll try harder tomorrow, I promise. Elli didn't even tell me how awful I looked - she was mad at me because today is housekeeper day, and I shoved her in her crate so she can stay out of Isabel's way. She's probably laughing her little ass off right now.

Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue

I know I'm jumping the gun a little here, but the patriotic holidays are coming round the bend. So I decided to wear patriotic colors in order to prepare.( Actually, the real secret reason is that I just returned from vacation, and this cute little dress never needs ironing.) So out it came, and on my body it jumped. I have a second confession - when I bought this dress, I thought the print was nautical. It's actually ribbons and bows. That's what happens when you go drunk shopping.. Anyway, here it is:

Since the background color is navy, I opted to go with the secondary colors for my accessories. First, my red shoes.

These are from Target, when they did one of their designer collaborations. This one was Prabal Gurung. They are very comfy, and have a nice low wedge. The hardware on the ankle strap is goldtone, so I always wear gold jewelry with them. First, my necklace :

This necklace is made of garnet druzy stones. Druzies are kind of like the inside of a geode - all crsytally and jaggedy. They sparkle a lot in the light. It also has the Y configuration - I remember when that style first came out, and now it seems as though it has become a classic. The Y shape fills in a V neckline very nicely. What about my arms? Are they red as well? You betcha!!! First the left.

The bracelet is by I.N.C., so that means it came from Macy's. It is a perfect match to the shoes - the metal is goldtone, and the part that shows through the filigree is red leather. The ring is just a little plastic doohickey with clear crytstals - I have the same one in black. How about the right hand?

I must have a fetish for duplicates, because I also have this gemstone ring in two colors - this one is garnet, but I also have it in peridot. It's small and delicate, a nice contrast to the bold piece on the left. And, as I have mentioned before, I have this leather and crystal bracelet in red, black and grey.

Now that's a lot of red. So for my belt, I decided to go with the other accent color, ivory.

This belt is vintage. I cringe when I say that, because I bought it new. Now it's old enough to be vintage, so what does that say about me? Yeah, I know. Anyway, it's made of ivory cords in several textures, and then it has a big gold seashell looking thing as a decoration. It closes with a fishhook clasp in the back. It's made of elastic, so it always fits, another reason why it has hung out with me for so long.

So that's about it for this edition. As soon as I can, I will do a post on my trip. I'll leave you in suspense as to what glamourous location I visited. Thanks for stopping by!!!

Leaving On a Jet Plane

Only I do know when I'll be coming back again. In this post, I'm going to discuss packing for a trip. I used to consistently overpack when the airlines didn't charge extra for baggage. Nowadays, I generally end up with only one unworn outfit per trip, but I always like having an extra one in case something gets spilled on or otherwise destroyed before I have a chance to wear it. So, I went on a 6 day trip recently, and needed to plan out what to bring. I already had a pretty good idea of what activities were on the itinerary. So let's get started!!!

First, the suitcase. The last time I needed to buy luggage, I was tempted to go with classic black. The problem is, so is everyone else, and then your bag is hard to spot on the baggage carousel. So I got a little two piece set at JCP that is purple and hot pink.

Can't miss those coming around the bend. There is a carry-on size suitcase, and a pretty large tote. Then I have to plan what to put in it. I usually wear a comfy outfit with long pants and my athletic shoes. Then I carry a jacket with me. I can also carry a purse, since most airlines allow both a handbag and one personal item. If they want to count the tote as an additional item, then I stuff my purse inside the tote. I have seen people weighted down with 3 and 4 carry-on bags trying to cram them into the overhead bins. That's too much trouble for me - after all, I have to carry all this crap around after I get off the plane.

First, I plan out the basics - underwear, swimsuit, socks, and workout gear. All of these items can be rolled up and stuffed into the outside zipper pockets of the suitcase. For 6 days, I brought 2 sets of workout clothes. I can wear each twice, and there will be two travel days when I will not be working out.

After that, I figure out the shoe situation. When it's summer time, I always bring sandals, since they are nice and flat. That's why I wear my athletic shoes. Even though they are a little bit of a pain to remove at security, they take up too much room in the suitcase. For this trip, I took tan, black, and red sandals. All three pairs are embellished, so I can wear them for casual evenings as well.

The tan ones have gold studs and a bow, and are from Forever 21. The black ones have a jeweled leopard head, and I got them at a boutique in Fort Lauderdale. The red ones are by Nina, and I don't remember where I got them. Next, daytime wear. It was going to be hot, so I decided to take two pairs of shorts, to make 4 different outfits with. I chose a pink print from Old Navy, and plain black, from Banana Republic.

To go with the pink shorts, I brought one white lace top with a cami, and one pink print T shirt.The T shirt is from Old Navy, and matches the shorts perfectly. The lace top is from some random strip mall store. I took a mirror selfie the last time I wore this combo, so you can see what it will look like, more or less. I will wear these with the tan sandals.

The possibilities are endless with the black shorts. I decided to take a black and white print charmeuse blouson tank from H&M, and a black chiffon tiered tank with white embroidery from White House Black Market. Both combos can be worn with either the black or the red sandals.

Then, in case I need something besides shorts, I took two casual dresses. One is a tiered knit in red, navy, and black from Baby Phat. I also took a red cami to wear underneath it, since it's low cut. The other is a black and white zebra print that was hand me down from someone. Both of these can be worn with the black or red sandals.

Then, I had two evening events to attend. One was a baseball game, and one was the James Taylor concert. So I selected two more dresses. One is a pink floral ruffled dress from XXI. The other is a red and black knit from Chelsey. For my extra outfit, one more dress, this time a black and white chiffon print with short sleeves. The label says Ultra Flirt, but I got it at Macy's. The pink one can be worn with the tan sandals, and the other two with either black or red.

The nice thing about sticking to a set color scheme is that I only need one jacket and my jewelry can be mixed and matched also. I never bring any valuable stuff with me on vacation. I chose my ivory satin bomber jacket made by Carribean Joe. I love this jacket, but it is starting to show wear, after many years. So I think that next year, I will look for a replacement. And seeing how I wore it constantly, this is something I am willing to spend a few bucks on. So, onto the jewelry. I figured out that I needed four colorways - tan, black, red, and ivory. That will give me endless choices. So let's start with the black.

Here, we have a black faceted plastic bead waterfall necklace. Sounds yucky, but it very pretty. Also, I selected black faceted hoops, a black leather bracelet with tonal crystals, and two rings - black plastic with crystals, and a silver tone ring with grey and black stones. What about ivory?

So we start with a mother of pearl pendant on a tan leather thong. We continue the leather theme with the bracelets- I have a wide cuff with a MOP oblong piece, and a wrap with a gold charm. Then, for earrings, some rough ivory rocks. As for my fingies, I am taking my Nordstrom boulder ring and one of my favorite ivory costume rings.So what about red? Remember, the red and the black are interchangeable - I can mix and match red and black until I am dizzy.

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For the red set, I first chose a ceramic pendant that I got for literally pennies at Hobby Lobby. Since it is black and red, I picked two bracelets that coordinate - one black leather with red chunks, and one red leather with tonal crystals. The earrings are from Cost Plus - black circles with red crystals. The rings?? A red plastic band with crystals, and the silver tone ring I mentioned in the black set. The last set is pink.

The pink set has two scores from the 99 cent store, believe it or not. I got this cameo necklace, and these wood earrings there. I don't often look in the accessory aisle, but actually, I always see something cute. The beaded cuff is from a craft show a while ago, and there are two more rings - both costume goldtone with assorted light colored stones. How do I carry all this stuff? In two bags that I got as bonuses from cosmetic purchases.

So how do I end this fabulous post? Well, with a picture of Elli, of course. Here she is, in my suitcase, thereby preventing my departure.

I will miss you guys, and I hope you will miss me!!! See ya!!!