Let's start out with some wildlife! We get these giant mushrooms occasionally, and now our neighbor has one growing in the cracks of her driveway. We haven't had the courage to try and eat one yet.
January is traditionally a great month for thrifting. Most of the stores get a lot of post-Christmas donations and have big sales to clear out inventory. I love thrifting, so I did even more than usual, as you will see.
On January 6th, I wore the following outfit.
These are stretch pants from NY and Co, and a new thrifted sweater from Banana Republic. My grey slip-ons are from Temu. When I go thrifting, I get all the nice white tops because they are easily destroyed once they fall into my hands.
Mimi and I got some Temu jewelry. I got these earrings with brown stones and an eternity band to wear as a wedding ring when I travel.
Mimi got a huge assortment of earrings. All of this costume jewelry was $17, including shipping.
I used my Christmas money to get a badly needed pair of new athletic shoes. I wear them out on the outer heel and of course the insoles. My go-to brand is Ascis, so that's what I repurchased. Pandi approves.
Our tangerine tree is just loaded with fruit. We put out two big boxes of fruit on the curb for people to help themselves.
Mimi very generously gave me some of her jewelry. This costume set was given to her from a friend who went to art school in NYC.
These three pendants were pretty. I especially like the larimar.
The final items were an assortment of silver necklaces.
On January 7th, I went to lunch with old work friends. I wore another holiday outfit that I repeat every year. My pinstriped slacks are from Express, my lurex top is from Croquet Club, and my embroidered sharkskin jacket is from Jessica McClintock.
I used my CVS rewards to get these items for free - Impress Nails, a brown eyeliner, and a black eyeliner.
I made a trip to EcoTown for the great bargains. I got this pink metallic leather jacket from Baccini. I paid $15, and it retails for $242 brand new.
The bargain of the day was this Apostrophe leather jacket. As you can see, the back and sleeves are sweater knit. The only comparison I could find was all leather, but it retails for $1000. I paid $12.
I paid $3 for this leopard print chiffon blouse from Timing. They typically run from $20 to $35.
I found an off-white blouse from Ro & De. This is a brand sold at Nordstrom and retails for $54. It was also $3.
I liked this men's Old Navy sweater for $3. It retails for $40, but Old Navy has a lot of sales.
Here's how I wore it on January 8th. My Temu shoes were a good match for the tan band on the sweater. But take a look at the jacket sweater that I wore with it. I got it at Macy's and the brand is Charter Club. Perfect match!
On January 9th, I had to go see my doctor to have a mole removed. It was funny looking, so I got rid of it. I wore the new off-white blouse and the pants from last month's Temu haul. And my pink leather jacket looked perfect on top.
On January 10th, I went to the cemetery to help my tenants take care of their mom's burial arrangements. I dressed appropriately for the somber occasion. I wore my new leopard blouse with one of my oldest pair of slacks. On top, the new leather and knit jacket.
We went on a different route for our walk that Sunday. We went to the other end of the drainage channel to see if any big birds were down there. It was disappointing - just one egret and one coot.
On January 13th, we went over to Win and Mimi's while the housekeeper cleaned. I wore a mesh appliqued top from INC, black jacquard slacks from Express, and once again, my new Apostrophe jacket.
Tuesday is Senior Day at Savers. I found new harnesses for Pandi and Jacki.
I also found two pie pans with recipes inside - one pumpkin and one cherry.
I also found this nice dressy santana knit sweater coat from Liz Claiborne. Retail $69, and I paid $9.
The big find was this silk front sweater from Talbots. I paid $6 and it retails for $100.
Doc found a brand-new limited-edition Betty Crocker Cookbook. It seems to have been a wedding gift for someone and was unused.
On January 15th, we just hung out. Nothing exciting. I wore my Racel Zoe joggers and a animal print top in similar olive tones. On top, a suede waterfall jacket from Catherine Malandrino.
Here's a good look at my belt and necklace.
My January Ipsy bag came. From top to bottom:
1) Memoire fragrance in Candy Shop. Very sweet smelling.
2) Ren Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk
3) Wind Glider Gel Eyeliner Pencil in black.
4) Bella Pierre HD Smoothing Primer.
5) A two-piece set of concealer brushes from Camara A Unque.
My neighbor with the mushroom liked my glittery outfit from January 16th. The print slacks are from H&M, the embellished sweater is from Rebel Sky, and the sequined tank is from Almost Famous.
Here's a close-up of the tops.
Pandi's little feet are the cutest!
On January 17th, we went grocery shopping at Aldi to see how much eggs were - $10.99 a dozen! so I got fixed up a little. I wore my brown joggers with a sweater coat from Charter Club.
January 20th was another day to relax around the house. I wore my black joggers from Adar, along with a burgundy top with gold stud detail from Jennifer Lopez.
Red and gold jewelry and leopard shoes from Temu completed this comfy look.
On January 21st, I wore the joggers again, since they weren't ready for the laundry yet. This time, I wore a striped and embellished top from Alfred Dunner with them.
On our walk that day, I found a grasshopper just lying on the sidewalk. We thought he was dying, so we put him in a jar and brought him to have his final hours on our sunny porch. To our surprise, he revived and hopped away. I guess his cold-blooded nature just needed a little warmth.
My January Birchbox came. Inside, from top to bottom:
1) Busy Co Clarifying Citrus wipes for post-workout grunge
2) LaVanila Pure Vanilla Healthy Deodorant
3) High Performance Hair Care Blow Dry lotion
4) Grande Cosmetics Brow Gel - this is something that I already use, and it works great to regrow thinning brows, so I was delighted to get one.
5) Too Cool for School Egg Mellow Cream Firming Moisturizer.
6) Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath and Shower Gel
7) Kinship Self Smooth Glycolic Resurfacing Serum
On Wednesday, January 22nd, we went to the bank to renew a CD and make some other changes to increase our returns on investments. I wore heather blue slacks from Express with a very fancy embellished top from Andrea Rossati. Not pictured, my Cadillac satin bomber jacket that I wore on top.
On Thursday the 23rd, I met my tenants at the cemetery again to help them with understanding some financial details. I wore brown slacks from Tracy Feith, a hot pink silk blouse from Calvin Klein, and the silk front sweater from Talbots.
On January 24th, the Salvation Army had their semi-annual $2 sale. It happens at the end of January and the end of July. Here's what I got for $2 per item, along with the retail comparisons.
1) Mario Serrani slim fit trousers, $35 retail
2) Lulus knit palazzo pants. Retail $59
3) Custom made wool slacks, no comparison available.
4) Ann Taylor straight slacks with satin tuxedo detail down the sides. Retail = $119
5) RBX Tech Flex leggings, retail $35
6) Tek Gear Essential Soft Workout joggers.
7) August Silk sweater, retail $45
8) Banana Republic Luxury Blend sweater, retail $150
9) Peck and Peck embellished knit cardigan. This brand was exclusive to Stein Mart, so it is only available as a pre-owned item since Stein Mart is gone. It can be purchased second hand for $40.
10) A Mandalorian long sleeve knit. This will be for Preston if he wants it, and for me if he doesn't. Retail $50.
Pandi loves me.
Doc got me one of the viral Dubai Chocolate bars for my 66th birthday. It's delicious!
Today, for my birthday lunch with Mimi, I wore the custom slacks and the Peck and Peck cardigan. These two pieces coordinate very well.
We got food from a new place called Hank's Pizza West. It was very inexpensive and was great! We got the assorted appetizers, a green salad, lasagna with garlic bread, and a tuna melt.
We have new residents at Heron Harbor! We now have to call it Ibis Island. Here's the first sighting:
One of them went over to Jack in the Box for a snack:
The next day they came back, with even more friends, including a Canada Goose and a duck.
These darling black birds are Glossy Ibis. They are iridescent in the sun, with purple on their backs and green on their tail and wings. They are native to the East Coast but migrate to the Carolinas or Florida in the winter. I guess this large flock of thirty or so got lost! They like wetlands and swamps. They eat insects, water bugs, small fish and smaller birds. They are very cute, and we love to see them.
We had a scare when we went over to visit Win and Mimi. There was a group of homeless people down in the drainage ditch at the end of their street, and they lit a fire that got a little out of control. The last picture is of a man that a neighbor said was a suspect, but she was wrong since he went into his home after talking to the police. The homeless build fires either to cook or stay warm. HB chases the out, so they go to Westminster or Fountain Valley and cause trouble in those cities.
So that's about all for now. We made a little trip down to San Juan Capistrano for my birthday and I will save that for a separate post, so stay tuned!
