All is Not Merry and Bright

 Well, the unthinkable has happened. Our COVID cases are skyrocketing out of control. Between Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas celebrations, we have so many patients that the hospital is full, and out of ICU beds. And still people ignore the advice to refrain from gatherings. I don't get it - my life is not worth a fancy dinner. Anyway, as far as my little family goes, I have received the first dose of my vaccine and will have total immunity after the second shot on January 8th. And Doc had his last in-person day at the clinic on Tuesday and will be doing exclusively telemedicine from now on. So we are nearing the end of this. 

But.....I have not yet let the pandemic overtake my love of fashion!! So let's look at some outfits.

This first outfit features a Chanel inspired boucle jacket that I have had for a long time. I wore an ivory top underneath it and classic black slacks. My necklace is pearls and pink crystals.

Then, on December 8th, I wore an outfit that I wear every holiday season. The skirt is by Persaman and it is printed  velvet with a tulle hem. On top, an ancient velour top in deep forest green.

For outerwear, a thick satin jacket from Suming that I got in little Korea. It has matching slacks, but I have never worn it together because that is A LOT. 

Here's a look at that hem, along with my floral tights and Edwardian shoes.

I loved this next outfit. The gold brocade blazer came from Old Navy !!

 

Underneath, black brocade slacks from Express and a chiffon blouse from Style an Co. There will be a close up of the details later.

Here you go !! Ruffles, pleats and sequins. And the INC tassel necklace that I got in DC last fall.

Another tried and true outfit. The skirt is from INC and is gold pearlized leather and is so pretty!!

The ombre sweater is another Style and CO piece, and I kept the tassel necklace from the day before for a repeat performance.

Here's a closer look - my Hermes CDC is always a staple for a black and gold outfit. 

I included this poor quality photo to document that I wore this outfit again this year. The black velvet slacks are Facconable from Nordstrom, and the vintage velvet jacket is from a shop in Burbank that sells clothing used in movie and TV production. The pink satin collar is embroidered with seed beads.

On December 14th, I went over to the white side. This white moleskin jacket has reptile and crystal trim. My cowlneck sweater is silver lurex.

My charcoal gray slacks are from Express.

On December 15th, I wore this outfit. The cashier at BevMo told me that she loved my Christmasy dress. This black and white houndstooth dress came from Nordstrom, and the red cashmere cardigan is from Saks Fifth Avenue.

These black suede pumps with the red organza rosette are a perfect match and they are made by Sesto Meucci. I wore a pin that belonged to my Mom. It weighs a ton, has red crystals, and is shaped like two pinecones crossed over one another. It was made by Camrose and Cross, and my mom got it in England.

This is another outfit that makes a yearly appearance.  The gold lurex cowlneck sweater is by Style and Co, and the plaid lurex skirt is from The Limited.

I wore my BCBG Max Azria boots that I have loved so much. They died this day - the sole of one cracked in half and the other one didn't look very good. I have had them reheeled several times. 

I liked the outfit that I wore the next day. I got the shiny gold swing shaped jacket at Working Wardrobes after Christmas sale last year. Even with the pandemic, I decided to wear it and cheer myself up.

I kept the rest simple - a black turtleneck with gold lurex and plain black knit pants.

Since I was on a roll, the next day I wore another dress that I got last year. I got it at Nordstrom, and it is forest green textured knit with a sequin and crystal and pearl embellished neckline.

I wore a black wool crepe blazer from Emmanuel Ungaro on top, and my pirate boots from Lewen.

You can sort of see the neckline here.

That brings us to this week. On December 21st, I wore another sparkly silver outfit. The slacks are pearl gray and once again, from Express.  The lurex tunic is a deeper gray.

On top, I wore a silver sharkskin blazer with seed bead embroidery on the collar. It was made by Jessica McClintock and is a relic of the 70s. But it sure is nice and festive !!

The next day, I kept to the silver theme. I accented it with black. The black satin top is from Daisy Fuentes. The metallic patterned skirt is made by Charter Club, a Macy's brand.

On top, I wore the silver cardigan that I got at Macy's too. It is JM Collection. My shoes are from Isaac Mizrahi and they are a combination of wing tips and Mary Janes.

I decided to wear this costume necklace that has tones of silver and pewter to tie it together.

Wednesday, December 23rd was my last day at the hospital before Christmas break. I was intending to take 10 days off since Doc has almost 3 weeks off, but administration called all hands on deck because of the pandemic. So I will be entering data into the California Hospital Association database daily. This is to aid the effort against the pandemic. There are definite patterns that show how this virus is spreading and why.

Another sparkly skirt, gold today, and a black cashmere sweater. The skirt is from Loft and the sweater is from Neiman Marcus and has tiny gold studs at the neckline and hem.  My pirate boots got the call of duty again. 

I got my December Birchbox early this month. The box was plain, so I didn't take a picture. Here is what was inside, top to bottom:

1) VERB Ghost Hair Mask

2) Beautinique Beauty Velvet Rose Bud Soothing Hand Cream

3) Marcelle BB Cream Golden Glow

4) Lise Water Magnifix Makeup Fixative with White Tea

5) Nails Inc Nail Polish in FOMO.

6) Arrow Nourishing Lip Oil

   

Then, I got two Ipsy bags this month. The first one was forest green leather and fake fur.

Here's what was inside, from top to bottom:

1) I Am Trash Les fleurs Du Duchet Eau de Parfum

2)Pacifica eyeshadow palette

3) Neogen Dermatology Soothing Foam Cleanser

4) Essential Glow Primer

5) An Eyeshadow Blemding brush from Laruce

Then I got a blush sherpa bag. This is what came inside, from top to bottom:

1) Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum

2) IBY Beauty Lush Eyeshadow in Balance

3) Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 9

4) Feel Beauty Enzymatic Exfoliating Cleanser

5) Kensie Life Beat Body Lotion

I have been cooking a lot during the pandemic, and these two weeks have been no exception. I made a classic Shepherd's pie, and Doc really liked this one. It had mixed vegetables and extra Worchestershire sauce, and a touch of steak sauce.

One weekend, I made a Full English Breakfast. It is toast, with baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, thick cut bacon, and a banger on top. Then it is covered with a fried egg. Doc loved this.

And I made taquitos with zucchini sauteed in Parmesan cheese and a tomato salad. I added avocado, sour cream, avocado salsa and green onions.

I dropped my coffee carafe on the adobe floor and it broke. So I went to Target and got the same exact Black and Decker coffee maker. 

Pandi was shivering and so I dressed her in her black hoodie. Doc said that she looked like a rapper.

Behold - Tupan !!

Speaking of Tupan, one of my coworkers recently got married, and she and her wife had their drive by reception on a Saturday. I was too exhausted to go. But they did give us a beautiful Mexican blanket.

Of course, it must be Pandi approved.

Our grandkids asked us to surprise them for Christmas, as far as gifts go. They love what we choose for them. So this year, I got each of Nathan and Kim's kids three gifts, and one larger gift for Preston.

Preston got an Amazon Fire Tablet (so did I). Calista got a play horse set, a Barbie with accessories, and a bracelet making kit. Joseph got Twister, a F16 model kit, and a farting remote control robot. Benjamin got the same robot, a dune buggy model, and Operation.

I planned to put them in these giant stockings. They are over three feet tall.

I supplemented the larger gifts with a bunch of treasures from Dollar Tree. Nathan said that they love this stuff. This is Preston's stash:

This one is for Joseph:

This bunch will go to Benjamin:

And finally, a bunch of girly toys for Calista:

Since Preston only has the tablet, the stocking didn't work well, so gift bags were the answer.

But for the other kids, the stockings turned out to be fabulous !!!

For the ladies in the family, I gathered a selection from my cosmetic sample stash:

For Kim - she also got a big package of nail polish, with about twenty shades. It is also her birthday on Christmas. She and Calista like to paint their fingers and toes. 

This bunch is for Ashley. I also gave her a metal water bottle.

And these are for Mimi - in addition, we got her some Oil of Olay products - she likes those.

Here are their gifts, all packaged up:

I will leave you with an optical illusion. Here is my butt in it's normal configuration:

But when I bent over !!!!

It gets worse.

So funny!! Of course, I showed everyone my little joke.

So Christmas will be quiet. We are having a Zoom call at 10. I have to get my data entered by 8:30. Then I guess the two of us will just have dinner together. Unfortunately, I know several people that are having parties and dinners. I just cannot take the chance of being exposed. I am 95% clear - once I get my second shot in 14 days, I am home free. Then I just need to be careful to not transmit it to anyone, especially Doc, Win and Mimi. I am very careful when I am out in public. I cannot wait for this to be over.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a happy day, whatever you decide to do !!