We left off in mid-December. On the 14th, Doc's nephew Colin, his wife Lexi, and his two kids came up to say goodbye to the family. They are moving to the suburbs outside Boston, since Colin got a job with the pharmaceutical company Abbvie. Here is the family:

Here is Doc and his sister Tawn with Win and Mimi.

And here I am with Doc, Win, and Mimi.

Here's what I wore :

                                                 

My gold lurex and cream sweater is from Catherine Malandrino. My slacks are from White House Black Market. I wore gold and diamond jewelry and my Calvin Klein belt.

The next evening, December 15th, Mimi and I went to the Christmas party at her church. I wore a gold leather skirt from INC, along with a beautiful sweater with embroidered cranes from Altazzurra.

On top, a vintage Japanese jacket that matches the sweater perfectly. I got it at Savers.

I got my December Ipsy bag. Inside, from top to bottom:

1) Fenty Beauty Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara in Fearless

2) V Kosmetik Pressed Translucent Powder in Hi-Def

3) NIP + FAB Vit C Fix Eye Cream 10%

4) Purlisse Beauty Sheer Glow Strawberry Vitamin C Tinted Moisturizer

And on the side - Catherine Malandrino Mystere Fragrance.

On the 17th of December, I met my friends Lynn, Sue and Lauren for Christmas lunch. We went to Seasons 52 restaurant in South Coast Plaza. This is what I wore:

My brown slacks are from Tracy Faith, and my copper lurex turtleneck is vintage. It has sequins all over the front.

On top, a copper brocade blazer from WDNY. I wear this exact outfit every year during the holiday season.

On December 18th, we went grocery shopping, and then to CVS to use a 40% coupon. I wore an argyle sweater from Temu, brown slacks from Old Navy, and loafers from Coach.

On December 19th, I had an appointment at the Social Security office to check on my benefits. I will be starting to receive my check in February of 2025. Everyone there was really nice, and I ran into a friend from the hospital named Jesusa, so we caught up while we were waiting to be helped. I wore old jeans, a blue long sleeved T shirt from Target, and a poncho from Forever 21. My shoes are from Temu.

On December 20th, I went to a breakfast at the hospital that was hosted by some of the volunteers in the Cancer Center. I wore a plaid miniskirt from Rampage, an ivory turtleneck, and a red cashmere cardigan from Neiman Marcus.

The skirt has silver studs. My necklace is a costume piece that I have had for a long time.

The Salvation Army had a before Christmas 50% off sale, so of course I stopped in. Now that the holidays are over, they won't be having big sales any time soon.

I got an ivory sweater from Banana Republic. It retails for $120, and I paid $3.50.

This zip-up sweater is from Gap. Retail $70, I paid $3.50.

This grey T shirt is from a Canadian Brand called Joe Fresh. It retails for $39, and I paid $2.50.

This was a great find! This is a J Crew Relaxed Boyfriend Field Jacket. It retails for $148, and I paid $6.49.

Just as great was this navy wool moto jacket from Levis. It retails for $168, and I paid $7.99.

Then I saw another pair of the Rachel Zoe joggers that I like. Retail $35, I paid $4.50.

On December 21st, Mimi asked us over for lunch, so we picked up Indian food. I wore brown suede pants from Spiegel, a vintage green boucle top (very itchy), and a silk bomber jacket from Royalty Silks.

Later that evening, I made parfaits. They are graham crackers, cherries, and vanilla yogurt. The little glasses came from the desserts that Tawn brought for Colin's going-away party, just reused.

The next afternoon, December 22nd, Mimi and I went to see the Nutcracker. The ballet was put on by a local academy, Ballet Etudes. It was held at the Huntington Beach Public Library Theater. I wasn't expecting much, but it was fabulous! The costumes were incredible, and the dancers were just as good as the professionals that I have seen. 

We decided to go see Peter Pan in April, presented by the same academy.

I wore a silver metallic skirt from Forever 21, the grey T shirt from Joe Fresh, and a vintage wool and satin blazer from Bullocks Pasadena. My black suede boots are from Sam Edelman.

We found this dead butterfly on the sidewalk. I preserved her with hairspray and added her to the decoration that I made with a basket and some greenery that I brought back from Ireland. There are now six butterflies on this piece.

On December 23rd, we didn't do much. It was raining, although very lightly. I wore purple stretch slacks from Express and a lavender poncho top from Lululemon. I tried out the new J Crew field jacket on top.

My December Birchbox came. Inside from top to bottom:

1) Christophe Robin Delicate Volume Shampoo with Rose Extracts - full size

2) Wander Beauty All Inclusive Shampoo and Body Wash

3) Bumble and Bumble BB Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray - this works well, but it stinks.

4) Two Benefit Roller Lash Mascaras.

5) A gel liner crayon by Laritzy.

Pandi is very sleepy. This month's near-death experience was a fall from the bed. She was limping and sore for a day, then she once again miraculously recovered.

                                                  

We went to midnight mass at St Vincent DePaul church. It was really at 4PM. I wore another outfit that I repeat every year. This gold jacket is from a Korean store in Garden Grove. I wore plain black slacks and a plain black turtleneck. I don't remember where I got the scarf.

On Christmas day, we went over to Win and Mimi's for Christmas tamales. I made Mexican rice and brought a salad. I also made guacamole for the first time ever, and it was delicious! The tamales were from Stater Brothers and were pretty good.

I wore a pair of brocade slacks that were also from the Korean store. I wore the ivory sweater from Sweet Romeo and some red velvet Sam Edleman booties. I wore pearls and garnets, since the slacks have a little bit of red in the brocade.

Nathan, Kim, and the kids came out on the 26th. Here are all the goodies for their gift bags, with Pandi inspecting them as usual.

Each kid got $100 along with their bags. This is Calista's.

Both Benjy and Joseph got this one.

This one is for Preston, but he and his family were all sick, so they couldn't make it.

Here are the kids at Win and Mimi's house.

I made a giant pork shoulder roast in the crock pot. Doc also made homemade salad dressing.

                                                 

On Saturday the 28th, we met Nate, Kim, the kids, and Kim's dad at Golden Spoon for frozen yogurt. I wore jeans, a silk top from Isabel, and a fuchsia suede jacket from Pamela McCoy. 

On Sunday the 29th, it was really cold. We took a long walk to the mall to get money for the housekeeper, who came on Monday the 30th. We like to take the dogs over there and walk all the way around. There is good people watching at the mall. I wore the Rachel Zoe joggers, a vintage blouse from Flagg Petites, the Levi's moto jacket, and Temu sneakers.

On Monday the 30th, we went to the HB Farmer's Market. We get almost all of our fruit and vegetables there, since the prices are great! I wore black slacks from Robert Rodriguez with a tan silky cardigan from Dana Buchman. The slacks have a lace detail down the sides. 

I got Jacki a new toy that so far seems indestructible. She gave me sad looks through the dirty window until I gave it to her.

We didn't go anywhere on New Year's Eve, but on New Year's Day, we went over to Win and Mimi's for KFC lunch. Everyone likes that. I wore brown yoga pants from Ross with my Gucci sweater.

Yesterday, I went to the dermatologist for my yearly Botox. I needed five more units this year. I wore a chiffon dress from Lush and my Levi's jacket. My Dior booties made their first appearance for this year.

There was a recent court decision that stated that if there is a place for the homeless to stay, then each individual city can decide to make camping on the streets illegal. HB has really been cracking down on the vagrants around here. Here are some photos of a crazy guy that they apprehended. We have seen him around before, and he yells and screams and is generally nasty, so good for them.

We saw Harry the heron in an unusual spot one day. I always love seeing him on our walks.

The breakfast club met once again in the drainage canal. The egret got nervous and took flight. See Harry near the bottom of the picture? The Ibis seems to be the most nervous bird. 

Lastly, the new guardian of the channel - another beautiful snowy egret!

So that's about all the news that's fit to report. Stay tuned for more excitement in the New Year, but hopefully nothing like the tragedies that we have been seeing lately.