There Was An Old Woman Who Lived For New Shoes

And she had so many, she didn't know what to do !!! Hee hee, probably buy more, if I'm the old woman of whom we speak. Anyway, for Shoe Shine Saturday at www.sheilaephemera.blogspot.com, what could be better than to show all you guys part of my astounding collection. So I decided to gear up for the tour

Let's start with two amazing pairs that are fraternal twins - they are made by Nine West, and gather compliments whenever I wear them. They will be showing up a lot this fall and winter.

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These next two pairs aren't twins, but they have to be cousins. They are both by Guess, and are both T strap styles. I got them in 2005, and paid $90 for each pair. The stickers are still on the boxes. They are both multicolored (seeing how I seem to gravitate towards that), but one is burgundy, pink and tan, and the other is black and white. I really like both and plan on continuing to wear them, even if they are slighty and unintentionally retro.

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Next, we have two more related pairs. It apears as though when I have a hard time deciding on which pair to buy, I get both. Both of these pairs are by Leopoldo Giordano. I got them many years ago at a boutique in Newport Beach called the Queen Bee. Both were deeply discounted, since the new owner had some problems estimating how much to buy, and ended up with excess inventory. One pair is black and ivory patent with a butterfly, and the other is brown velvet with patent heels, a flower made of patent and fur, and embroidery on the round toe. Both are ridiculously outrageous, thereby perfect for me.

The next two pairs are almost the Crown Jewels of my collection. Both are by Valentino. The pumps were purchased at Stacy's Closet consignment shop, and the red sandals came from DSW. Both were a great deal, and are so elegant, with cool designer details. Also very comfy and well made.

Lastly, we have a rainbow of espadrilles. I couldn't locate the black ones, but they are identical to the red and blue ones. All are high wedges, and made by Steve Madden. They were all bought on separate occasions. The brown ones are Hillard and Hanson, and the gold ones are Merona, and are both from thrift stores.

That's enough for today. It's obvious that I have a serious problem. Oh well, I believe that this is one of my more minor and inoffensive problems. This morning, I went to tennis, and did a little detective work. Then Elli and I changed for our daily excellent adventure.

So after I came home from tennis, we went down to Laguna Beach for lunch and a walk. Doc googled "dog friendly restaurants", and here's where we ended up.

Husky Boy Burgers and Burritos. Doc said that the menu has changed since he was a kid. Back then, they had something called the kitchen sink burrito, and it had everything but the sink in it. I had a chili cheese dog with onions,and Doc had a pastrami, double patty, avocado burger. We shared zucchini fries.

After this sumptuous feast, we walked for about 45 minutes each way. We crossed PCH, and then headed south. There is a beautiful paved and landscaped pathway that leads all the way down the hill to Main Street Beach, where it ends. Here's the view looking north towards Corona Del Mar.

It actually wasn't all that crowded when we got there, about 12 noon. But when we left at 2:00 PM, there were no more parking spots left. Here's a view from the hill of Main St Beach. The tiny round things are beach umbrellas. They were out in great force, as was the kelp all over the sand.

After that, the rest of the afternoon was a combo of yard cleaning, Kenni walking, and grandson sitting. Now I am struggling to write this post. My email server is very slow, probably because 10 billion people are trying to use it at the same time. Now remember to go see Sheila at www.sheilaephemera.blogspot.com. I guarantee you that it is worth the hassle - Sheila is tres fun!!!

ADDENDUM: This is Elli trying to crash a picnic at the beach. This family was mowing on vegan food, and I guess Elli wanted to try it after our Husky Boy junk fest. DOUBLE ADDENDUM : I was crusing around blogs, and I HAD to link up with www.mispapelicos.com for Share Your Style. Buenos dias, la senora hermosa, y feliz navidad!!!

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet

So I guess that everyone knows that Brad and Angelina got married. Congrats!!! And I guess that everyone also knows that they are called Brangelina. And that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were TomKat. In the Holtzman household, we have devised several shortcuts of our own.

1) Elli and Kenni = RatPin

2) Bella and Baxter = BellBax

3) Benjamin and Joseph = BenJo

4) and, saving the best for last, Me = RoHo.

So I didn't post yesterday - I was too busy doing a ton of errands. When we walk RatPin, we always pass a house up the street, where 3 cute little girls live. They delight in molesting Elli, and she loves it. So when I got home, this was on the door.

It says "Have a hot dogy day Misses and Mister and pup. Love, the girls.Todays a hot day stay hyrated and keep cool. Don't stay inside go outside."

As far as my outfit, the only documentation I have is this hideous picture of me with a crazed, overheated expression. You can kinda see my sundress.

And here's a picture of my necklace on my cyanotic mottled neck.

The only jewelry was on my left hand - my Swarovski Nirvana in indolite, and my Seraphite bracelet from Southwest Indian Foundation.

One of my errands involved getting 5 more succulent plants to cut down on water usage. Here is my new selection:

Another chore required me to take Elli to Dr Lizardo's to get her $13 mani-pedi. The before and after.

It wasn't all toting the barge and lifting the bale. I did make a stop at the Assistance League Thrift and got a nice purse for $10. It's white on the front and back, and saddle tan on the sides, with black piping. The hardware is gold. It's made by Mondani.

I worked out from 4 -5. Sometime during this period, this occurred:

A huge branch broke off the pine tree out front and is covering half of my lawn. The trees belong to the city, so you have to call them for fixing this kind of stuff. So first thing Tuesday, I'll call and make it sound urgent.

And remember last Memorial Day, when I painted the front steps? Well, they need a touchup, so I did that ths morning before it got too hot.

Here's the result - good for another few months.

After that, I went for a run. Then I most assuredly deserved this

Hold on there cowpoke, it's not all mine. I got 2 piece extra crispy with corn and a biscuit and a cookie. The rest is Doc's.

The last chore of the day involved painting the wall that hides the pool equipment. It's concrete block and has gotten stained by the pool chemicals. So the cute leak repairman (July 3) suggested that I paint it instead of tearing it down. Great idea - it turned out looking spiffy. Here's the before and after.

That's about enough labor for Labor Day weekend. So now I'm going to walk RatPin, and then kick it and watch movies.
Whatever you're doing, have fun!!! Tomorrow, I'll be joinng Shoe Shine Saturday with Sheila. Stay tuned.

Ohayo Gozaimasu !!

That's Good Morning in Japanese to all of you who don't speak it. I was actually born in Yokosuka, Japan, since my dad was in the Navy. But there's another reason for me to break out my Nihongo skills, and that is my lunch from yesteday. I went to one of the local sushi bars, Sagami-Tei. Here's what I had - a rainbow roll and a salmon skin hand roll.

Baioshii !!! That means delicious. Before we left, I went to the bathroom. They had the weirdest Wash Your Hands sign:

Common Decency. HAHAHA. Sounds like a 90 year old wrote that sign. Makes you want to clutch your pearls and yell at the kid who walked across your lawn.

So onto my outfit for today. It did not photograph well at all. It's a navy blue cotton sateen dress from J Crew.

I tried to find a picture of it from their website in order to better illustrate it, but no luck. So I took a closeup of it. It has a U neckline, a ruched bustline, and an empire waist.

You can see that a little here. Around my neck, I have a navy and tan polka dot scarf with ruffled edges. It's made by Echo. In the central bare area, I filled it in with a marcasite pendant.

A dress this simple allows me to have a bunch of fun with crazy accessories. Like my purse:

I always get a lot of flack for still having a pager. And there is always one joker who will ask me if I am a drug dealer - the last one was my tennis instructor (Hi Raffy). I usually have the offending object buried deep inside my handbag. My shoes are also a kick in the pants.

They are by BCBG, and I got them at some consignment shop. This was before floral print shoes were in style. The combo of scarf, purse, and shooz makes this outfit less monastic looking. We are having a one day heat wave, with extremely high surf, all due to Hurricane Marie. The low lying areas of Orange County are flooding - most notably the lovely Seal Beach area. It seems so ironic that there is flooding during a drought. But that's the reason for such a simple ensemble. Onto the jewels - I think all of the items are never before seen delicacies.

On my left, a calf hair and faux snakeskin cuff and a sapphire/marcasite ring. On my right arm, three silver bracelets and a multi-gemstone floral ring.

Today, I am once again linking up with the gorgeous Erin at www.simplyjustlovely.blog.com for Working Girl With Style. Check out her cute hairdo.

And finally, here's the big reason I must rush off - I will confess, I am not currently over at the hospital saving lives. First things first.

The Devil In Disguise

I have a more interesting post today, because stuff actually happened!! Go me. On the way home from work, I went to Home Goods. I was looking for a bathroom rug and a lamp shade. I found the perfect rug- it's a Morrocan pattern in lime and white. Here she be.

I didn't find a lampshade, but I did find a big hatbox with French writing on it. I took it home and put it on this wicker chest that I have. I usually throw my workout clothes and shorts in a messy pile on top. Now the stench and the sight are hidden from view, all pretty.

Of course, Kenni was on hand to coordinate the redecorating efforts.

He discussed the options with his monkey before putting his two cents in. Now he's broke. Also, remember that my August Birchbox never came until I called? Well, those wonderful people sent me an extra to make up for it, and it had different stuff!!! Like I said, great customer service.

Here's what it had:

1) Neil George Shampoo and Conditioner

2) Key West Aloe Mango Moisturizing Lotion

3) Laura Geller Beauty Cool Lids Cream Eyeshadow in silver

4) Nugg Beauty Revitalizing Mask - I already used this. Very goopy, but tingly and invigorating

So let's move onto the title of this post. I was gonna call it Devil in A Red Dress, but the song says a blue dress, so I'm gonna save that title for later. But here's the reveal on the dress.

It's a plain knit T shirt dress made by Express. The main feature is my scarf. I got it in the dollar bin at Return Engagement. It's polyester, made by Avon, and has the signs of the zodiac all over it. Since I'm Aquarius, I attempted to have that sign in front.

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And to make everyone look at my feet, get a load of those shoes!!! I don't wear them often (obviously), but they are another pair that are so hideous that they are awesome. They are made by Two Lips, and I got them in Houston. They are red satin, leopard, and they have an iron cross and other doodads on the toes.

I also used this opportunity to carry a bag that I used to carry alot, but it hasn't got much lovin' for the past few years. It is microfiber with super sparkly tonal crystals on the sides. It's made by C et C.

And you can bet that I have the matching jewels for this getup. On my left, an INC red leather and gold filigree cuff and a ruby/diamond cocktail ring.

On the right, three of my KC bangles, and a diamond/garnet ring that Doc got me for some occasion.

This outfit is only lacking one thing - a forked tail !!!

So once again, I am linking up at www.thepleatedpoppy.com for What I Wore Wednesday. Go look at all those little devils and their hot outfits!!!