Viva Las Vegas!!!

So this post is quite picture heavy. But I have been missing for a few days, and this is why. I went to good old Las Vegas, and stayed in a sorta new hotel, called the Palazzo. It is connected to the Venetian by a corridor called Restaurant Row. The rooms are all suites, and they are very nice. Here I am, peeping at you in the mirror of the humungous bathroom. It had 2 sinks, a shower, a tub, a vanity with a lighted makeup mirror, a separate toilet room (thank God), and a TV.

The suite that we stayed in had 2 queen beds, and another TV on the wall opposite the beds.

Then it had a sunken living room with another TV and motorized curtains that you raised and lowered with a remote.

We were on the 36th floor, so we had a panoramic view of the Strip at night. Here's one more look at the bathroom, where I spend a lot of time. You will understand if you know me. :(

The first night, we ate at a restaurant called Aquanova, which served "waterfood". I guess seafood is too boring a term. I had the bay scallops. They were served on a polenta, with creamed corn and chorizo. It was probably one of the best things I have ever eaten.

My friend had the surf and turf. It was also very good. For a starter, we had lobster bisque.

We saw The Beatles Love by Cirque de Soleil the first night. I liked it, even though it was weird. I mentioned that seeing this show must be like what you see when you drop acid. I did a lot of walking down the Strip during the day. The first stop was the Wynn hotel. This is the waterfall out front.

Then you enter the lobby, which leads to a very high end shopping mall. I did NOT buy anything there. But I wasn't kicked out either, so I am calling it a draw.

The Wynn gardens seem to try and compete with the Bellagio. It was very pretty, but on a much smaller scale. They had a carousel made entirely of flowers.

After that, I moseyed down the Strip to one of my favorite stores, The Bonanza - the world's largest gift shop. They say that if it has ever been made, they have it there . I think that's true. Here it is. I did not go into the Naughty Shop. Next time, my friends. I'm sure that everybody wants to see a grannie in a naughty shop.

I got a few things here. I got my grandsons some Sheriff badges.

But they didn't have one for my other grandson, so I got him and Elli matching Welcome to Las Vegas sign T shirts.

I also got Kenni a sign for the gate, even though he is horrible.

My grand daughter posed a problem. She is 3 months old, and I didn't really feel like getting her a onesie that said "Future Stripper". Ish. So I went to the Ross next door and got her a little layette set that is MUCH more appropriate.

The following day, I went the other way up the Strip. First, I went to Caesar's.

There was really nothing new there. I have been to the Forum shops many times. I did end up getting mysalf a nice laser cut leather skirt. It was a steal, but I probably can't wear it until the weather cools down. I wanted a Caesar's visor, but I couldn't find one. The only visors I saw anywhere were really cheap looking see through plastic ones. The Caesar's gift shop had oodles of Hangover merchandise, from the movie.

Then, later, I went to the Bellagio. Even though I have also been there many times, I always like to see the Conservatory, because they change the display quite often. This time, it has a springtime theme. There was a cage with all kinds of exotic little finches and other tweety birds.

It also had a frog made entirely of little moss balls, and a horse made of who knows what, but it was grey.

The garden also had bees made of flowers. And sunflowers made of...... flowers!!!

They did have a couple of new touches. This guy was handing out plastic flutes of champagne. You had to finish it inside the Conservatory, or they would confiscate it.

There was also a really cute guy playing classical acoustic guitar.

And up in the windowed ceiling, there were kites a-flyin'.

They still have the Murano glass flowers up in the ceiling of the main lobby.

There used to be a store that had antique and estate jewelry in the windows. I loved to look at it. You could see things that were owned by maharajas and other royalty, but it was gone. On the way out, I peeped into the window at Louis Vuitton, and the scene made me homesick.

That monkey looks just like Doc. Well, the next day, I came back home, unpacked, cleaned the yard, and went back to work. It was nice while it lasted. I particularly hate Kenni's guts right now. Every night at 9, there are still fireworks from Angel Stadium and Disneyland, and that riles him up, and then he barks like crazy for a half hour. I threw water on him last night. It didn't work. It probably cooled him off enough to invigorate him, thereby screwing me over. I think that this may last until Labor Day. I hope not. You would think he would be used to it by now, but apparently, he has no memory in that tiny walnut sized brain of his. Jackpot was even getting pissed at him, and was snarling and snapping at him. But she is 112 in human years, and so he can easily outrun her.

There were a few other things that happened, but you know, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. I will say, compared to most of the other fools there, I really have no good stories to tell. Once again, there's always next time. I do believe that I am all finished with vacations for this summer. Maybe I can send Kenni on vacation. I hear that Siberia is lovely this time of year. Well good night, and it's back to the outfits tomorrow.

What Happens in Vegas.....

So I'm going to Las Vegas this weekend. Good part = Las Vegas, baby. Bad part = packing my crap up. Okay, so if you've been reading the blog, then you know that I went to Kansas City about a month ago. I did a packing post then. Now for the recap:

1) Luggage. I will be using the same pink and purple bags. They worked well, weren't too heavy, and were easy to find on the baggage carousel. My bags have only been lost once, and it was on a return flight, so I got them the next day, delivered to the house. But I still have that anxious feeling that it will happen again on the way out.Then I would be stuck, and would have to buy new underwear ASAP. These puppies are easy to see, so it helps me stay calm.

2) Basics = underwear, swimsuit, workout gear, T shirt to sleep in. I have this part down to a science. I know exactly how much I will need. One modification? Last time, I finished my book early, so I didn't have anything to read the last day. This time, an extra book is coming along.

3)Shoes. The same black sandals and tan sandals are coming. They worked well. This time, instead of the red flats, I am bringing my new Style and Co wedges. We are going out in the evening, so I want something a little dressier. I am also bringing some extremely comfy elastic wedges made by Dexter, because I brought them last year, and they actually worked well for evenings in Vegas. So if the new shoes turn out to be torture chambers, I have a back up plan.

4)Daytime wear = I am bringing two pairs of shorts, as well as wearing one more pair. The pink print ones are coming again, along with some blue ones. I am going to wear the mustard ones. I am only bringing one top for each pair. I doubt that I will wear each pair more than once, because it will be about 105 - 110 degrees there, and they will get way too sweaty to wear again without washing. Likewise, one top for each pair - the pink seahorse print T, a ruffled navy tank, and a black chiffon top. I am also bringng an extra black and an extra white cami top, just in case I spill something on myself or actually sweat right through my top

.

5) Dresses/ Evening Looks - First, I am bringing the dress I got at the new Goodwill last week. It is very evening in appearance. The light blue dress can be worn in the daytime, or else as a swimsuit coverup. I am also bringing two shift dresses. One is the zebra print that I took to KC (but didn't wear), and the other is my black shift with the sequin neckline, which has already seen active duty in Las Vegas. Both are loose and roomy, but also very appealing.

6) Jewelry. I brought too much last time. This time, I am sticking to 2 color schemes, blue and tan. I will wear a couple of black pieces on the plane with the mustard shorts outfit. The bag that I am carrying them in can do double duty as an evening bag.

7)Room for purchases. Unlike last time, there will most likely be some shopping (there always is, in Las Vegas. There are just so many cool stores.) I even worked this element into my monthly budget, in order to alleviate the guilt factor. I already know that I want to get a new visor at Caesar's Palace.

8) Personal issues, namely providing for the pets, and keeping up my blog. The pets are also down to a science - I know exactly how much food to leave for Doc to feed them, and also I like to have extra, so that when I get home, there is still plenty of food for my little friends. That way, I don't have to run to the grocery store the minute I get back home. I leave giant tubs of water for them, because that is the one thing that they need desperately in the hot weather. Blogging presents another problem. When I was in KC, I tried to schedule posts to publish, but I guess I did something wrong, because they didn't publish. So I'm gonna try again, and maybe take an hour to sit at the computer at the Palazzo, and pound a post out. But if it doesn't work, I won't be too upset. Actually, I won't be upset at all. I'll just fill everyone in when I return. There should be plenty of pictures.

9) Toiletries and gadgets - I keep little sample sizes of everything I need, and if I forget something, I'll just pick it up there. I only take one prescription medication, so that part is fairly straightforward. The only gadget I need is my phone charger, and I haven't forgotten that yet. I used to have to bring cameras, but the cell phone took care of that.

So I think that just about wraps it up. The main goal now - have some summer fun!!

Graphically Groovy

Today's challenge at www.eleganceandmommyhood.com is to wear a graphic T shirt. I didn't even know what that meant, so of course, I Googled it. Graphic refers to any visual art. So then, I thought about what printed Tshirts I had, and which one would be the coolest. Voila !!!

This T shirt was purchased on the island of St Kitts, in the West Indies. The island was a British territory until 1983, when they and their sister island, Nevis, gained independence from British rule. So that means that this T is 30 years old. I remember when I bought it - it was a lot of money for me at the time, since we were poor then. I bought 2 shirts and a wall hanging. Spencer Cameron was the only artist on St Kitts at the time. His batik work was actually well renown. I still have all 3 pieces. Here is a closeup of the print, which depicts a Carnivale participant. Carnivale was a big deal - for 5 days, ending on Fat Tuesday, everyone on the island ran around drunk on rum punch (deelish!!) and Carib beer (yucky).

The skirt is made by Intriguing Threads. I got it at Stein Mart, and shame shame, the tags were still attached. It matches this T perfectly, and now that I have "discovered" it, I will be wearing it. I am full of stories today. There is a story about these shoes, too.

These are Calvin Klein shoes, and this is the second time I bought the same pair. I originally got them at Loehmann's. I loved them and wore them into the ground. I had them repaired. They died again. I was heartbroken. Then, one day, I was strolling down 17th Street in Costa Mesa, and peeped into the window of a consigment shop. OMG. THE SHOES. So I bought them again. I have had them repaired again. I wanted to use them for Sheila's Shoe Shine Saturday, but I will be in Las Vegas. I'm gonna email Sheila anyway, so at least she can see them. So which necklace did I wear with this outfit (which I LOVE, and which I was so excited to wear).

My little black and red ceramic doohickey. I love black and red together. And my left arm illustrates that perfectly.

I have my black leather cuff with the red stones, and a fire opal ring. On my right arm,

I have my red leather cuff with the matching crystals, and another fire opal ring. Well, that's about it for today. (I'm sure that's more than enough.) So I am just going to enjoy my wonderful outfit, and hope to see you all later!!!

Making a Statement

So yesterday went without a hitch. When I got home, Elli was making all kinds of noises, which constitutes her statement about getting out of her crate - NOW. I figured she must have some very important matters to attend to, and I was right. I put her Gooby on, and let her direct me to her office, where she conducted the most urgent of business.

Sigh. A dog will always be .......doglike. Anyway, while I was waiting for her to decide which course of action to take, I was staring at my feet. I realized that I have had my shoes since 2007. These are Fit Flops. I paid $80 for them. I got suckered into the belief that they would perform miracles. They didn't, but they are super comfortable and look how well they have lasted.

Whenever we go anywhere that involves lots of walking, like the swap meet, I wear them. And now they have really cute ones with crystals and stuff on them. If these ever die, I am going to upgrade. They are worth the money.

So today is statement necklace day at www.notfancyjustlife.blogspot.com and www.eleganceandmommyhood.com. I love statement necklaces, so I had one all picked out. It's a costume piece by Joan Rivers that my mom got me. I have several JR pieces, and I like them all, but this one is definitely my favorite.

It's tones of blue and brown. So then I thought, "What the heck should I wear with it?" I have always worn this blue satin top and tan slacks with it. But since yesterday was MixIt Monday at www.fizzandfrosting.com, I was inspired to remix my look. I have never worn these two pieces together, but I like it.

And yes, I am a hand talker. I wave them around like crazy when I am talking,as you can see. This top is by American Rag and the skirt is Alfani. In order to accent the brown, I chose my Michael Kors sandals, which are also worth the money.

I even extended the blue/brown remixing to my jewelry. On my right hand, I have a sapphire bracelet, a diamond bracelet, and a smoky topaz ring.

On my left hand, I have a trio of sapphire bracelets, and my London Blue Topaz ring, which is also a statement making piece.

So I told two of my office mates about today's challenge, so they wore statement necklaces as well. Behold, L and V and their beautiful necklaces:

Such a fun and fashionable group we have here!!. So go on over and explore the blogs I mentioned, and myabe you will be inspired, just like us!!!