No, I'm not sad. I'm all about blue today. It's everywhere!!! I know that blue is a lot of people's favorite color (mine is yellow), and there are so many hues of blue that everyone can find a shade that flatters them. But first, a little ocean blue. Whenever I want to go somewhere peaceful to relax, I head over to Seabridge Park. It is a quiet little spot in Huntington Harbor that has a playground, BBQ pits, grass, and a children's beach with a playground. It's nice to kick back and watch the boats, the fishermen and the people walking dogs. Here's what it looked like yesterday:

Try to ignore the trash cans. And I will try to stage my photos a little better next time. There's a boat in dry dock there, and guess what her name is - Big Blue!!!

Onto more blue - this time, it's not ocean blue, but a color called deep royal. It's my front steps, and I promised you that I would show you the new peach rose in its spot. The geranium is also new, and it's a variety called Martha Washington. And, yes,I have a Miracle Hose - the one that expands and contracts.

When I got home, I wasn't feeling too hot because of my cold. Elli did her usual dance of delight. That's where she gets up on her hind legs and thrashes her front paws up and down, until I take her for her walk. But yesterday, I was ignoring her, so she upped her game and started singing to me. She eventually got her way.Look at my little soprano:

I also promised you a picture of the money tree. It's an actual houseplant that Kim and Nathan gave us. It's been getting bigger and bigger. Now I'm all superstituous and afriad it will die, and we will end up wearing rags, eating from dumpsters, and living underneath a bridge on the 405. But for now, here's the money tree in all it's glory, and a closeup of it's five fingered leaves.

I bet you're getting tired of seeing my bathroom, but the light in there is just the best in the house. Now, for the really fun stuff - my blue outfit!!! I usually wear this sweater with white pants, but I did the old switcheroo this time.

The sweater is made by Joseph A and the pants are by Byer. Both are department store brands. The shoes are by Karen Scott, another department store brand. They are perfect work shoes, and the shape reminds me of the same last that Valentino uses. A last is a three dimensional model of the shoe that defines its width, heel height and shape, and the overall shape of the shoe. This inexpensive shoe I am wearing has a beautiful shape.

You can't see my layered necklaces too well, so I took them off and laid them on white paper to show you. The longer one is my same gold rope with the diamond and sapphire pendant, and a shorter statement piece that I got at Forever 21.

It's somewhat unusual for me to wear bracelets and rings on only one hand, but I did that today. I generally like the Wonder Woman look, with bracelets on both arms. Today, I have two enamel bangles with crystal trim, and a matching turquoise enamel ring with a green stone center and more crystals. All of the pieces are from Charming Charlie.

So that's about it for today. I just had enough gas to get to work today (and I only live 2.5 miles away). I hate putting gas in the car. So I may be even more blue if I can't coast down the hill to the gas station.

By the way, today I am linking to another cute blog, www.watchoutforthewoestmans.blogspot. The event today is called Watch What I'm Wearing. Check it out if you have the time - you'll like it!!!

Weekend = Whoopee!!

Aw, not so much. It was actually a very sedate weekend. I did a lot of yardwork, played with quite a few dogs, ate some food, and caught a cold. Luckily, I began reading The Other Boleyn Girl. It's a page turner, for sure. So did I wear anything cute while having all this rowdy fun? Take a gander:

I wore a knit sundress that is a fuschia, purple, orange and white paisley print. Under it, I wore a purple tank with big rhinestone trim. I also wore plain black thong sandals. They're really basic, so I didn't include a picture. I always wear a tank under this dress because it's essentially backless. It just has two straps that twist into a knot in the back. And since I want to wear a bra, I wear a tank to cover the bra. Complicated thing, this being stylish.

So what else did I do? Well, I searched high and low, and finally found two pretty miniature roses at Trader Joe's. They came in little yellow metal pails. Here they were, before I switched them.

I got a turquoise blue pot and a cool olive green saucer with some earth tone edging for one of the roses.

I decided that they yellow one would look the best in here. I originally got them to replant our money tree (yes, that's an actual houseplant), but I decided that the pot was too small, so I used it for the rose. Here it is after replanting.

Then, I replanted the peach rose into a plain plastic bowl. It's such a pretty color, so I didn't wanto to detract from its beauty with an elaborate pot.

Now they both live on the front porch. Behold:

I know, you can't see the peach one. But I am saving that for later, because on Sunday, I got a couple of friends for it. The big reveal will be tomorrow. So now, I am left with the metal pails. I am going to put little cacti or succulents in them.

So, you may ask, how do I come by this amazing creativity?

A little Japanese plum wine helps. Hey, I was at Trader Joe's. And, I am only human!!!

Okay, let's get to an actual outfit that took thought, and more than 5 minutes to put on. Here is what I wore to work today.

I got both the dress and the jacket at Macy's in Kailua, Hawaii. I used to go there to visit my nephew, who was stationed at Tripler Medical Center. He is an Army psychiatrist. I haven't gone back since 2011 (he was transferred), so I know that they are at least that old. The jacket is leather and made by Baby Phat. The dress is made by I.N.C. I would probably never have thought to put turquoise and brown together if it weren't for the print on the dress. This outfit is one of my all time favorites - it's very comfy and it always looks flattering. Bling time!!! On the left,

My Swarovski Nirvana in Indolite. Also, a turquoise nugget bracelet. The matching one is on the right.

The rings are one turquoise nugget, and a costume band with brown crystals. I have once again layered my necklaces.

The shorter one is an imitation nugget on a brown leather thong. The longer one is made by Avon. I have never worn it, even though I like it. I received it as a thank you gift from a friend when I helped her with her resume. I should move it to a more accessible spot, so I think of it more often.

Well, that's about all for today. My nose is filling up with goo again - time for another decongestant. One of my coworkers made homemade salsa, but I don't even feel like having some. Also, I don't want to contaminate it for everyone else. I'll be back agian tomorrow, with the rest of the new posies, and I will also tell you about Mystery Dog. Stay tuned!!!

Look For The Silver Lining !!!!

In this case, you won't have to look far. I'm kinda silver all over. It's also payday, so that means I will have a little silver in my pocket (at least until I pay all my bills, grrr). So what is causing all this glittery twinkling? Let's see !!!

The pants are the Express Editors that I got at the Assistance League sale last weekend. So now, I think you have seen everything I got (hmmm, maybe that means I need to buy more - uh, Nope, girl, take a look at your bills again). The top is Style and Company from Macy's. I like their knit tops, because they are always comfy and usually have a nice twist, like GLITTER. But, just in case this isn't shiny enough for you, check out these shoes:

Now that's shiny. I have had these shoes for a long time. I don't wear them too often, so they have lasted. They are surprisingly comfy. The brand name was inside, but my sweaty feet have rubbed it off. Check out the necklaces:

The longer one is better seen in the full body shot. I got it at a mall in Fresno, when I was visiting Doc during the locum tenens days. It's plastic, but it's cool, and it matches the print on the top perfectly. The shorter one is also costume, and I don't remember where I got it. I have a similar one in goldtone, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I got them at the same time. Onto the right hand.

The ring is also costume, and also an unknown purchase. But it matches perfectly!!! The bracelets are real silver, and I picked the one with the open rings in order to carry on with the circular theme I have going here. On my left hand,

I got this bracelet at a church charity sale, one of those things where the church is trying to raise money for a good cause. The rings are old, and will probably be retired soon, since once again, we have crystals falling out. But it is more circles!!!

That's about it for me today. But I know you want to start the weekend with a picture of Elli. We are always teasing her. We tell her that she looks like a gargoyle, or a bat. Judge for yourself.

The resmeblance is downright eerie !!!!

And Now, the Big Reveal - Shoe Shine and What I Wore to Work

So, remember the shoes I showed you the other day? Just in case you forgot, here are my lovely Italian Leopoldo Giordano shoes:

Before I get to the whole body shot, I will recap my accessories. I learned this trick from TV - keep stringing them along until the last 5 minutes of the show, then .......REVEAL. So, let's look at my left hand first.

I love this bracelet. I got it at a store up on Melrose called Maya. I have had it a long time. It cost about $30, but it looks like it cost much more. The stones are very sparkly in real life. The rings are both marcasite, and the middle finger one has pave sapphires also. Onto my right hand:

The ring is my fire opal. I think you have seen it before. I can wear it on either hand. The bracelet is one that my mom got me for my 40th birthday. The stones are garnet and opal. My birthstone is garnet and Doc's is opal. I used the same stones for my wedding band. I don't know the name of the brand, but my mom used to be a big QVC shopper, and this bracelet was purchased from them. My necklace was also a QVC number, also bought for me by my mom, and also a birthday gift (I think 45th, but I'm not entirely sure about that). It's garnet as well, and I love it. The chain is a delicate triple strand.

Now for the moment you have all been waiting for. What did I wear with the LG shoes? Thar she blows!!!

The top is the one I got at the Assistance League sale last weekend. I love it. It's soft, and drapey, and very comfy. Comfort is a huge deal with me. If I have to continually adjust or wriggle, then whatever item is causing me dismay immediately gets tossed into the donate pile. As a matter of fact, I had a different skirt picked out, but it was tight, so I pulled it off, cussed a little, and put this one on. This one is made by Lily Cheung. I got it at a sample sale up in downtown LA in the garment district a long time ago. I don't know if you can see, but there are tiny crystals down the sides and around the front pockets. It's an elegant extra detail. The belt is an Indian style, black pony hair with red beading. Here's a closeup:

And just for kicks, a look at the crystals. This involved propping up my gut area and thrusting my left hip out to the side. Luckily, the hip went back into place after the shot. Unluckily, so did the gut.

And for a last little har de har, I'll bet these guys loved the belt.

Oh where, oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?

So when I got home last night, I was enthusiastically greeted by Elli, as usual. But then, I noticed that her greeting was a little over the top. As I picked her up to give her a big hug, I noticed soemthing.

Isn't she cute? Well, this is NOT cute:

Those claws have got to go!!! Elli's exquisite beauty is everything to her. So, she was happy to get in the car and take care of this little situation.

We pulled up to her chosen place for all things beauty and health :

Her doctor is Dr Lizardo. Looks like he needs to fix his sign. His first name is actually Eric. So we checked in, and while we were waiting, Elli did a little shopping.

When it was her turn for her mani-pedi (or pedi-pedi, as the case may be), she was weighed. She has plumped up a bit. She weighs 5.08 pounds. Since I have had her, she has gained 9 ounces of pure muscle.

Sometimes, Elli can be a little grumpy when it's mani-pedi time. She even tried to snap at the nice lady once. But when you are 5.08 pounds with 3 teeth, it's not exactly fearsome. But this time, she was a good girl. I guess she has an event to attend, and she needs to look her best, so she kept her measly teeth in her mouth. So how did they turn out?

Much better!!! Thirteen bucks well spent. She always crosses her back legs daintily, like a true lady. But I guess all these spa and beauty treatments take a toll on one's energy level, because this was the ride home:

And that's it for my sweet little darling this evening. Don't tell her, but one day, I will show you what she looks like when she gets a bath. I'm warning you now, it is quite rodent-like. Thanks for stopping by!!!

The Big Banana

Get your minds out of the gutter. I am talking about me. My new jacket is best described as banana colored. It's made by Talbots, and I got it at the Assistance League sale, along with the pants. They are made by Ellen Tracy - both are nice brands. That was a good sale.

It is warm in the office today, and it was yesterday. So I knew that I would maybe have to ditch my jacket at some point. I debated (as I was trying to fall asleep) if I should wear a belt. Well, once I got dressed, I noticed that these pants have no belt loops, so once again, the problem solved itself. Here's how it looks without the jacket.

See the necklace I am wearing? It has a secret. I got it at Nordstrom, many years ago. It's very sparkly, and is made of Swarovski crystals, but it isn't made by that brand. Here's a closeup of the front.

Now for the secret. The pin has a regular pin fastening, a hasp for putting it on a chain, and an alligator clasp to put it in your hair. I have never done that, because it's too heavy, seeing how I only have about 8 hairs total.

Cool, eh? Now for the wings. On the left, I have a thin gold bangle with diamond dust, and a smoky topaz ring. On the right, another gold bangle, and my Swarovski Black Diamond Nirvana. Looky looky.

And last, but NEVER least, my shoes. I have the same exact pair in tones of black, burgundy and silver. They are made by my favorite brand, Nine West. A few months ago, I got an email from a company called Thred Up. It's an online consignment shop, and they sent me a $10 gift card. When I saw the same Nine West pair in a brown colorway in my size, I freaked. Then I bought. And now, I wear:

The definition of fabulous, aren't they? Today, I am linking up with another blog, www.cuteandlittle.com. This pretty girl, from Dallas, hosts a linkup called The Color Brigade. And if being dressed like a big banana is not right down that alley, then nothing is. So go take a look at her site. It's another really fun one!!!