A Jam Packed Holiday

Things have been really busy around here. The last time I wrote anything was December 19th. On December 20th, I had two medical appointments - one for a mammogram and one to schedule a colonoscopy. I thought I had been nice this year, but it seems as though I have been naughty. As a reward for the mammogram (thankfully, negative) I went to Pinoy and got a boatload of Pancit. It was rumbling around in my belly and was making so much noise that the GI doctor commented on it. My colonoscopy will be on January 8th - no cheese, raw veggies or red dye after the third. Boo. 

Then we were flexed off at the hospital for the 21st - 25th. On the first two days, 21 and 22, I didn't do much. I am having some interior painting done, some new furniture placed and a little sprucing up - pictures to follow next post. On the 23rd, we went to a musical program with my MIL, Mimi and then had dinner with Mimi, Win, Luke, Ashley and Preston at Mimi's house. Here is what I wore:

This is a black gabardine skirt from Lili Cheung. On top, a black cashmere turtleneck from Saks, and a plaid vest from the Gap. My black suede shoes have grosgrain ribbon ties.

We had ham, tamales, nopalitos and cheesecake. We gave Preston a bunch of books and gave Ashley a book and a couple of workout tapes.

On the 24th, our other group of grandchildren came over to get their gifts. We dolled Pandi up for the occasion.
                                              

As you can see, the festivities exhausted her.

This group also received many books as gifts. We are so lucky that all of our grandkids love books and Doc loves to buy books. It works out. I also gave little Calista some of my old costume jewelry, because she likes to poke through that stuff. She is all girl.

The boys also each received an amethyst geode crystal. They loved them. Preston got a quartz crystal.

They gave us handmade cards:

My outfit was not blog-worthy - just old sweatpants and a white terry jacket. You need comfy clothes to get down on the floor and play with kids. On Christmas Day, we went down south a bit and had a wonderful Christmas dinner with my brother Bob, his girlfriend Karin, our nephew Matt, Matt's best friend, Karin's mom Helga and her brother and his family.  My brother and Karin are great cooks - we brought the beer and eggnog. This is what I wore:

I am wearing basic black leggings from Style and Co,  another cashmere sweater with crystals on the neckline, hem and down the sleeves, and my new boots.

The boots are black nappa and they have a wide cuff at the top, so that it can be worn down pirate style, or up, thigh high style. They also have a silver ornament where the heel meets the foot of the boot. They are by Lewit and I got them at Nordstrom.

I wore silver herringbone chains, a garnet blossom, two garnet/opal bracelets, and my Fitbit. I have earned $110 on Amazon by exercising through our hospital app.

On December 26th, it was back to work. This is what I wore:

This sweet skirt is uncut corduroy with a ruffle of tulle at the hem. It is from Anthropologie. It's black with a green and gold cabbage rose print. I wore a forest green velour turtleneck with it, and the cute suede and ribbon shoes.

I went nuts and did the triple necklace thing that I love - emerald, faux emerald, KJL bead pendant. Diamonds and emeralds for rings and bracelet, and ubiquitous Fitbit.

On the 27th, I wore the Coach boots that I purchased in London, and have not had the occasion to wear until now. I wore them with brown Old Navy corduroy jeans, a tan turtleneck, and a tiger print sweater jacket from Charter Club. 

Here's a better look at these boots - I got two cool new pairs this year. I hadn't purchased new boots for 2 or 3 years.

I spruced the look up with my LV logo belt and a smoky crystal from the Taste of Charlotte a few years ago.

On Friday, I wore a cute little dress from Philosophy de Alberta Ferretti. It is a floral print on black, and has a tie back neckline and an A line shape.

My suede shooties are from Adrienne Vittadini. It is amazing to see how much more comfy nice shoes are.

On top, I wore this black satin jacket that is part of a weird two piece set that I got at a charity sale and am not sure that I will keep, or donate back. It's strange, but very unusual, to say the least.

I wore my long Paparazzi accessories necklace/belt thing for a touch of glam.

And that's about all - phew!!! I will take some pix of the new stuff around the house and show you all later. We normally don't go out for New Year's Eve, and Doc starts his new job on the 3rd, so I am happy to relax, read, and finish up the house stuff. See you all later !!

I Was Enchanted

I have once again been AWOL. But a few things actually happened, so there is that. First of all, our Dutch Door was installed, and it is perfect.

It has two deadbolts, one on the top half and one on the bottom half. I got a cute bumblebee hook to hang the extra keys on.

Okay, so I told you about the knife falling in the last episode. There's more to the story. My mom had a box of mugs that she had collected from her travels. We had it stored in our attic, and my mom would frequently ask if we still had them. So while we were having the door installed, we got it down to see if maybe she had hidden something in there - she tended to do stuff like that.

Here they all are, but alas, no gold dubloons were taped to the bottom of any of them.

Out of all of them, we decided to bring out these six items - Doc's baby cup, a marble pitcher/ewer, a clay vase from Arizona, a mug from Ireland, a mug from San Diego's bicentennial in 1969, and this china birdbath.

The birdbath was numbered 22/143, so we figured it may have some value, so we took it and put it on my mom's shrine.

Then on Monday evening, I had somewhere to go, so I wore this:

These are Chloe jeans, a Joseph A turtleneck, and my Gucci belt.

On top, a sparkly bomber from Nite Life. I got so many comments on it!!! I paid only a dollar or two at the thrift shop.

I wore purple Austrian crystals and a silver herringbone chain.

So where did I go to be enchanted? Well, I went to a beautiful foothill town called La Canada Flintridge. It's pronounced Can-ya-da. It's above Pasadena and the home of JPL, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It is also the home of the Descanso Gardens, our destination.

During the holidays, they have an exhibit called the Enchanted Forest of Light. It is a mile long trail that has 10 exhibits.

Before you enter the forest, there is a cafe, a nursery, and a gift shop. I will show you what I bought later - it's still wrapped in the garage because we are now having some interior painting done.

There is a famous photo-op right at the entrance.

The first exhibit is called Flower Power - it is a sea of tulip shaped bulbs that change colors. 

The colors change in a wave pattern, starting from the back.

Then we went to the Rainbow Sycamores. The highlight of this exhibit is really for kids - there are a series of lighted tubes that change colors as the kids tap them.

Then we have the Starlight Garden - it is an archway that is hung with a bunch of these star shaped lanterns. It is actually pretty striking in person.

Then we have Celestial Shadows - these are geometric lanterns hung from trees and stands. You can spin them around to cast the patterns on the ground, and they change colors as well.

At this point, we decided that we needed to stop at one of the strategically placed cocktail lounges. We chose one that was made out of an Airstream trailer. The bartender looked like Kurt Russell. I had a Belfast Blast, which was Glenfiddich and ginger beer.

Then we saw the Lightwave Lake. It was beautiful, but very difficult to capture on film.

Then we hit the Symphony of Oaks - giant ancient oak trees that had lighted pads all around them.

They reminded me of that old game called Simon, where you tap the color and it changes.But kids jumped on these pads.

Then we saw the Luminous Lawn. It was a sort of kick-back area with sofas and benches.

It also had a chandelier hanging amongst the trees.

 As you exit, there is an outdoor theater that has many geometric patterns that change.

One of our favorites, and a fan favorite as well, is the Ancient Forest. It is a forest made of oaks and giant ferns, with mist and strobing lights.

You expect a T Rex to pop out of the forest.

There was a pretty impressive display of staghorn ferns at the exit. We went through twice.

The next exhibit was called Pixel Grove. It was made of tubes that had lights zipping up and down the tubes. In my opinion, this was the most underwhelming exhibit.

And finally, the Garden of Good Fortune. This is an expansive Japanese garden with a teahouse and many bridges.

Red paper lanterns hung everywhere.

It was filled with many varieties of camellias and lilies.

And that was the Enchanted Forest of Light !! I would like to go back in the spring, during the day, to see the tulips and rose gardens in bloom.

So it was back to work on December 11th. This is what I wore :

These are silk slacks from INC. They are a raspberry color with tiny pink and green rosebuds embroidered all over them. I wore a burgundy velour turtleneck with them.

On top, I wore a fuchsia suede jacket with decorative edging and a perforated pattern. It's from Pamela McCoy.

I wore rose gold jewelry - a crystal studded pendant and a locket. Both belonged to my mom.

On Wednesday, I had an important meeting to attend. I pulled out my trusty navy wool Anne Klein dress.

It has a brushed gold belt buckle, and side draping on the bottom of the front.

I wore my Bob Mackie Wearable Art embroidered jacket on top. It is ivory, with blue and gold embroidery.

I wore a trio of sapphire necklaces with this dress. Actually, two sapphire and my LV lock.

On Thursday, it was all black velvet. My velvet jeans are from Nordstrom.

The jacket is a vintage find from the forties. I got it up in Burbank, at a store that resells items that have been used in movies and TV. They are very reasonably priced.

I wore a necklace made of clear and champagne diamonds.

This beautiful jacket is black velvet. It has a peplum, jet faceted buttons, and a peach silk collar with beading. The brand is Alper-Schwartz and it's all hand tailored inside.

On Friday, I had another office party to attend. I wore black ponte slacks and an ivory sweater with a gold lurex pattern from Catherine Malandrino.

I look really gutty in these pictures - post burrito bloat.

Two diamond necklaces, one pearl pendant, a vintage chain belt, and my good old gut.

On Saturday, we had a potluck to attend, given by the LDS church. My MIL is a member. I made funeral potatoes. They are made of hash browns, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheddar cheese and topped with corn flakes. 

Pandi did us a favor by thoroughly cleaning out the dutch oven. Don't worry, I ran it through the sterilization cycle.

This is what I wore. These are purple and black brocade slacks made by Carlisle, a British brand. They tie at the waist with a black velvet ribbon. I wore a black velvet crew neck.

On top, another vintage jacket. It is black on black brocade, with fluffy fur cuffs. It must be really old, like the sixties, because it is a size 12. Nowadays, with vanity sizing, I am a 2. I know that the size is not a good guide when shopping for vintage fashion. it's a fabulous jacket. The brand is Karen Lawrence. I wore it with the Catherine Malandrino sweater outfit as well.

Once again, the purple Austrian crystals and the silver herringbone chain.

Yesterday was Monday the 18th. Another party to attend. I wore one of my favorite dresses from my favorite brand - Calvin Klein.

It's a Santana type knit with silver and gold studs that are strategically placed to enhance the hourglass shape. I need enhancement.  I wore a garnet necklace, a multi-stone barrel and my LV lock.

Yesterday was my last day of work until the 26th. I wore a brown and gold outfit. The brown slacks have a sateen finish and are from Old Navy. The sweater is another vintage find, from Once Again.

My Chinese brocade jacket is from WDNY.

The sweater is a lurex blend, and it has tonal topaz sequins scattered all over the front. No jewelry needed.

The pants have a band of Venice lace around the waist. I thought they were nice for an Old Navy item.

Here's a look at the classic Chinese pattern on the blazer.

So in addition to all this fashion and forests, i got both of my cosmetic bags this week. First up, my December Birchbox.

Here's what I got, from top to bottom :

1) The Beachwaver Co Great Barrier Heat Protectant Hairspray
2) Whish Vanilla Lip Scrub
3) bbrowbar Brow Definer in Cinnamon Spice
4) LOC Glisten Luminous Lip Sine
5) Oribe (RIP dear Oribe Canales) Supershine Moisturizing Creme


And now for ipsy - I love the sequined bag !!

Here's what I got:

1) Murad Resurgence Renewing Eye Cream
2) F.A.R.A.H. eyeshadow brush
3) The Beauty Crop Lip Brulee High Shine Lip Creme
4) Sugar Mini Bronzer in Woody Wonder
5) EAC Am to PM black eyeliner
6) R + Co High Dive Moisture Shine Cream

I will leave you with two shots of a beautiful white heron that i saw at Central Park on Sunday when i went for my run.

Linking with :

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