Fresh Air, Blue Skies, and Cool Water - Oh, and They're Back From the Dead

So I got off work today, and I didn't feel like doing a formal workout. Those days happen - I figure that this is my body's way of telling me that I need to take it easy. So I went down the road a ways to Huntington Harbor. I started at the marina. I walked around the docks, looking at the boats.

The tall building to the left is where the parking lot is. It took me about 20 minutes to get to this point. Then I came back around to the ocean side, and this is the view across the channel toward Sunset Beach.

The area below the palm trees is basically a restaurant row. My favorite one is called Don the Beachcomber. It's decorated like a Hawaiian Tiki room, and it's so corny that it's awesome. Next time I'm there, I'll grab a picture.

Some of these areas are private, and some are public. I lived down there in a condo a while ago. It was lovely, but we needed a bigger house and I don't have 10 million bucks, so off to Huntington Beach we went. It's only a couple of miles away, but not on a channel or a beach. Here are some people enjoying one of the public areas.

I love some of the names of the boats. Also, I like to see where they are from. In this sleepy little marina, most of the boats say Huntington Harbor. Here are some of them in their docks.

Huntington Harbor is composed of 5 man made islands - Humboldt, Trinidad, Admiralty, and I can't remember the other 2. It used to be (when I was there, 15 or so years ago) that it was super quiet because most folks were old, and the weather was PERFECT. Better than San Diego, even better than Hawaii. Perfect. I've been lucky, living my whole life in SoCal. And at Xmas time, there is a big boat parade through the channels, and you go house to house, partying. Haven't done that since we moved. Here is one more view of the lovely Harbor.

To the left are expensive custom homes, and to the right are rather affordable condos. Same Channel, different side. I would totally go for the condos if I had the chance. I'm notoriously frugal.

Speaking of which, I got two pairs of my favorite shoes reheeled. So I go into the shop, tell the man what I want, and he says $38. So I say "I'm sure, that's way too much. I will go somewhere else." So he drops it to $16. I said okay, but this dude is so trying to rip people off, and that is not right. So I'm going to try somewhere else next time. But anyway, here they are BACK FROM THE DEAD. My black pilgrim shoes with the red buckle doohickeys, and my overdose green witch shoes.

I CANNOT wait to wear them. Besides being cheap, I am lazy. I hate to do chores. Taking shoes to be fixed is chores, so I let it slide. For months. So I haven't had my cool shoes for months. So now, I am drooling to wear them. Pavlovian to the max.

One more good thing happened today. I got my July Birchbox. Looky looky!!! I get so excited when I see it in my mailbox.

Here's what I got: 1) Cynthia Rowley Black Eyeliner Pencil. Going to Vegas with me next week. Smokey eyes = Sin City. 2) Naobay Body Radiance Lotion - Save for end of summer when olive oil and avocado oil is mandatory to prevent reptilian skin. 3) Number 4 Super Comb Prep and Protect - a leave in conditioner. Save for later. 4) Supergoop Anti-Aging Eye Cream - 911 for Vegas. Has SPF 37. 5) Smartypants Gummy Vitamins - couldn't care less. I don't take vitamins. I eat a wide variety of foods, lots of fruit and veggies. Snack.
So that's it for a lazy Friday evening at Casa de Holtzman. Now, I'm gonna shower and watch TV with Doc and Elli. Please be advised that I am not always this exciting. But now that I am blogging, I figure that I ought to put my best face forward. Oh, excuse me, I am laughing too hard to continue. Stay tuned for more excitement - tomorrow, Rosie pulls weeds and visits Villa Valencia (the retirement home where my mom lives. Free wine from a box.) Hope you all have a good evening!!!

Black Friday Part Deux

It's Friday, and I'm wearing some black, but not all is dark. For one thing, it's FRIDAY, so the weekend starts in T minus 8 hours. Also, it's PAYDAY, so now I have some moolah for the weekend. Shall we see what I have on?

I went to Napa and Sonoma a few years back. We stayed in Napa. There was an outlet mall there, and they had a Karen Kane store. KK has long been one of my favorite brands. The clothing is made of high quality materials and the styling is always cute and classic, with a twist. I bought a lot of pieces on that trip. I got this sweater vest, the matching skirt, and a black bolero jacket with faux turquoise trim. I have worn them all together on occasion, and it wasn't too much. Sometimes, all matchy matchy outfits are.

Both the sweater and the skirt have the blue embroidery on the sides. Here's a closeup of the embroidery on the sweater.

It has bugle beads, seed beads, and tonal sequins around the flowers. So of course, I busted out the blue jewelry. I wore my Southwest Indian Foundation cross necklace

I continued the Native American theme on my left arm

I am wearing one of my turquoise cuff bracelets and my Swarovski Nirvana in Indolite. On my right arm

I have a bracelet of larimar, freshwater pearl, and aurora borealis crystals. The ring is something I picked up at Villa Valencia. That's where my mom lives - it's a senior high rise that offers room, board, transportation, and activities. Every now and then they have vendors set up in the lobby, so the residents can buy things for themselves, or to give as gifts in case they can't get out to shop. This ring is amethyst, with thin bands of opal surrounding the crescent moon shaped stone.I bought it for myself, because I was proud of something I had accomplished ( I don't remember what it was, but I felt I desrved it at the time). Maybe I should move into VV if my memory continues to be this spectacular.

As for shoes, another Karen, this time Karen Scott black suede loafers, with BLUE tassels.

These shoes couldn't be more perfect in color. These pants are somewhat unusual. They are from the Gap, but they were hand me downs. They are a steel blue satin, and are cropped length. I was kinda stumped as to what shoes would look good with this weird style of pants. I put out a couple different pairs to try, but I tried these ones first, and liked the look, so I didn't go any further. Here's my head to toe look of the day.

I guess these pants are a bit stumpifying, but it's okay. I really like the shiny fabric and the unusual color. So today, I am linking up with www.stylelixir.com for Friday's Fab Favorites. It's really fun to see all the bloggers that I have admired and read over the past couple of years, and now I can actually play along with them!!! Have a great weekend, whatever you do.(And if it's crazy, be sure to tell us ALL about it).

Let's Get Down to Business

Today is a big day for me. I have to do 3 presentations. I actually prefer doing them all in one day, because then it's all over with faster (and I am not at all shy or unaccustomed to public speaking). I have Department of Surgery at 7:30, Critical Care Committee at 12:30, and then I will be meeting the administrators of a hospital across town, since I will be doing a project with the hospital in the next couple of months. So now I have a dilemna - what should I wear??

Obviously, I will need to wear a business suit, but I sure would like to wear one with a little character. I will NOT be wearing the hobo suit that I wore for the first day of inspection a couple of weeks ago. I know what I have in mind. Let's experiment !!!

It is supposed to be in the low 80s tomorrow. So a summer-ish outfit is called for. I narrowed my options to two choices - one pants and one skirt suit. Let's check out the pantsuit first.

This is a polyester suit made by Kenar. It's hard to tell, but it is a celery green color. It's a nice suit, given to me by my sister in law, who was a trial attorney at one time, but stopped to raise her family. So since I was the same size, I inherited all the retired courtroom suits. With it, I would wear a celery/blue/white shell made by Petite Sophisticate. There is also a closeup of the print on the shell.

My second choice would be a dress ensemble that I got at Goodwill. The brand is Mossimo, and that's a Target brand.

The dress is a navy lace type fabric. Here's a closeup of that.

After debating, especially about the comfort factor, I went with the dress and jacket combo. The next choice will be ths shoes. For business, especially healthcare, closed toes are the most appropriate. I decided to wear black suede Maryjanes that are made by Candies, from Kohl"s.

They are trimmed with flat studs. I think it was last year when having these big spikes on the heel area was a popular shoe style. Due to my well recognized clumsiness, I did not follow that trend - if I did, there would have been big holes all over my ankles from that, as well as a lot of ruined pantyhose. So what jewelry did I pick to go along with this outfit?

Since the jacket has pink, tan, purple, and several shades of blue in it, I went with my statement necklace from Ebay. As I mentioned before, I think it's made of glass. The stones aren't real, at any rate. I do like how the navy shines through the glass and gives it a slightly different color. Onto my left hand

I have my Swarovski Nirvana in Indolite, and a bracelet made of amethyst, agate, and sugilite. On my right hand,

I have a matching ring and bracelet, both silver with tanzanite and diamond dust. Even though they match perfectly, I didn't buy them at the same time. I don't even think I was aware that they would match so well.

So how did this whole mess turn out? Well,take a gander:

One meeting down, two to go. The true test will be at the end of the day. Sometimes by then, I am so uncomfortable that I begin pulling off clothing the second I cross the treshhold of my front door. The shoes always get kicked off the instant I am home, even before I pick up Elli and say hello to her.

Today, I am linking up with www.katherinescorner.com for Thursday's Favorite Things blog hop. Go on over, take a look, and see what everyone has linked up. I'll fill you in tomorrow as to how the rest of my meetings go.

Sum Sum Summertime

It's warm in these parts - summer is in full swing. Normally, the heat doesn't bother me, but I may be eating my words when I am in Las Vegas next week. But for now, I am enjoying wearing all my light summer clothes. This outfit is a good example. Even though the colors aren't summery, the fabric weight and designs are. This skirt was a purchase form the Discovery Shop in San Diego last summer. The American Cancer Society has Discovery shops around the country, and they are usually in upscale areas, so they have good stuff. The ones near me are in Belmont Shore, Corona Del Mar, and Beverly Hills. Last year, we went to a conference in San Diego, so I had the chance to check out the one down there. This skirt was one of the scores from that visit.

I know the reason why this skirt was probably donated. It's cotton, so after it's been laundered, it has to be ironed. And since it has a very full shape, and 10 tiers, ironing takes a long time. So I did it while I was watching one of my true crime shows last night. The tank top is something a little different as well. The longer "necklace" is attached. Here's a closeup of the tank, and the othe necklace I used to fill in the neckline.

The other necklace is one of my favorite designs- fleur de lis. I got it in New Orleans one trip, because that is sort of the official symbol of the city. It's brown and gold. It tangles easily, so I always need a few extra minutes to arrange it when I put it on. On occasion, I have found one of the fleur de lis tangled in my crazy hair.

Onto my scrawny little wings. On my left arm

My Indian copper cuff and the ever present Swarovski Nirvana in Black Diamond. On my right arm,

I have a leather cuff in mustard and black. As you know, when I see something I like, I buy a couple of colors. I also got this cuff in brown and black. Both versions have a hematite in the center. The ring was purchased on my Baltimore trip, at Banana Republic there. For my shoes, I tried on a few pairs, but finally settled on my crazy multi animal wedges.

They are high, but they are comfy as all get out. I also brought a jacket to cover up with, since bare arms are not allowed at the hospital where I work. It's a satin swing shaped jacket with short puffed sleeves.

It suddenly occured to me that once agian, I have used Elli and her calico beauty to inspire my outfit. See what I mean?

And today, I am joing with www.thepleatedpoppy.com for What I Wore Wednesday. Come on over, it's fun !!

The Battle of Armageddon

My sweet darling Elli is as popular as she is adorable. Kids flock to her - they think she's a puppy, and when I tell them that she's 10 and won't ever get any bigger, they go ba-na-nas. She is not only a draw in person, she even gets mail.

When she gets one of these cards in the mail, I know it's time to take her in to see Dr Lizardo to get her medicine. This is what she takes

This is the only thing that kills her fleas. It is purported to be a delicious beefy chewable that doggy will love. Well, nobody told Elli that little nugget of info. It is HARD to get one down Elli's gullet. One time, we even got in a fight over it, with me trying to hold her tiny snout shut, and her thrashing in every direction, eyes bulging. And they cost $15 apiece, so if one is wasted during battle, no, no, no. Medicare should cover them - after all,she is 70 years old.

So I devised a sinister plot to get this month's dose into her. I went to the Dollar Tree and chose my weapon

A nice package of thinly sliced "Honey Ham and Water Product". Good enough. I took it home. When I entered the door, I waved the ham around in order for the scent to waft her way. Then I chopped the Comfortis into 3 pieces. Then I rolled out 6 thin strips of hamwaterproduct. This was Elli just before I deployed the first ham bomb.

The first two were decoys - no medicine. But that got her to open her mouth like a funnel. She has no teeth to get in the way. The third missile was loaded. Down it went. In between warheads 4 and 5, I dropped the 6th ham decoy. Worked like a charm. Then I gave her more ham as a reward. This is Elli after

Pure concentration, like a SWAT team sharpshooter. I will be repeating this successful military campaign again next month.

So this operation took a while. I had originally ironed the dress that matches my jacket, but when I put it on this morning, it was too baggy at the waist. So I made a game day substitution and went with this ivory knit that always looks great (since I was baggy at the waist yesterday). The dress is by Misook, and the jacket by Coldwater Creek. I guess I have a lot of CC stuff - you could have fooled me. But their designs are very classic, so they never go out of style. Also, I used to work two jobs, so a lot of my shoppping had to be online, and they were always sending out $10 gift cards. This dress will also work because I have to take my mom to the dentist today and then come back to work, so I want to be as wrinkle resistant as possible.

Here's a closeup of the embroidery on the jacket. It's very intricate and pretty. It looks machine done.

Onto my jewelry. I think I have something new to show you today - new in the sense that I haven't worn it for the blog yet. On my left arm,

The bangle is gold and diamond and I wear it alot because it matches everything. The ring is emerald and diamond. Doc got it for me a long time ago, and I have always loved it. You can really see the nail polish in this shot. On my right hand

I combined the KC bangles with two of the RJ Graziano rose gold bangles. Purty!!! The ring is an amethyst one that Doc had made for me for my birthday one year. He had a patient who couldn't pay their bill, so a barter was arranged (lucky me - he was a goldsmith). For my necklace,

This necklace is just a piece of plastic that has a mother of pearl quality to it. I always get a million compliments because it is pretty unusual. You can see the crochet edging on my dress here. And the whole reason for this getup?

So I could wear my new shoes!!!! So sparkly and cute!!! Even better, a steal at $10.85. I hope you enjoyed my little tale about Elli. And I hope you enjoyed my outfit as well. See you all later!!!

Pedal To The Metal, Then Nose To The Grindstone

Well, back to work after four glorious days off. Boo, hiss. I guess I shouldn't complain - I need the money to finance my shenanigans and sumptous lifestyle. (Wait, I'm laughing too hard to continue.) Anyway, I did a bit of pool floating in the King Kool, accompanied by my latest book and a giant Hawaiian Screw - that's a Screwdriver with pineapple juice added. So, obviously I got too much sun. Bad Rosie. The good part is that my skin is so olive toned, that I tan afterwards. Next time = Mega Sunscreen.

Since I crashed and burned early, no sun after Friday for me. On Saturday afternoon, Doc wanted to watch TV. I didn't, so I went shopping. I went to South Coast Plaza - that's a huge indoor mall a couple of cities south, in Costa Mesa. The anchor stores are Macy's, Bloomingdales, Saks, Sears, and Nordstrom. One wing is all high end designers - Chanel, Escada, Ferragamo, St John,etc, - and the rest is a mashup of different price point mall stores. This mall is actually a destination for many tourists. As I was parking, I realized that the place was packed. I figured that the lovely air conditioning had something to do with it. So I snuck down to a lot that only the locals go to, and parked. It's a little further away, but I don't mind walking. I went into Macy's and this was the scene in the shoe department

Complete and utter pandemonium. It was actually worse in person. Then I saw why. "ALL SHOES 75% OFF". What? I whipped over to the 8-8.5 rack, and found a couple of pairs. They were $14.75 each, and then 20% more if I used my Macys card. So I did, and that brought them down to $10.85 each. They were giving the stuff away. Here they are

This pair is by Chinese Laundry and it's called Kirstie. It is blush suede with little aurora borealis crystals. Here's a closeup :

I already want to construct a work outfit around them. It should be easy, since they look very versatile. I also got a pair for my upcoming annual summer visit to Las Vegas in 12 days. They are called Santana, and are made by Style and Co.

The color is called Cajun Spice, and they have silver and gold studs, and a nice padded suede footbed. They will be good for pounding up and down the Strip.

So on Sunday morning, I went to play tennis. I wore my blue tennis skirt and a tiedye tank top. It was hot out, so we only played for an hour. You can see what I mean about the tan. I'm good for the rest of the year. Doc felt like an ass shooting the action shot in the front driveway. It's good for him, since he rarely goes outside. That white goop, along with the stripe across my shoulder, is poorly rubbed in sunscreen. At least I had enough on.

Then Doc and I went to Trader Joe's to get stuff for lunch. We got a Middle Eastern Feast - hummus, tabouleh, falafel and pita and two flatbread pizzas. One was ham and cheese (it had some fancy French name) and one was like a tamale pie with a masa crust. It was all tasty. Later on, we are going to take two of our grandsons for a walk, to give their parents a break. We'll take Elli, because that will constitute her walk for today. We also picked up a little present for them the other day. Mother's Little Helper always starts with a V. In the 60s, it was valium (according to the Stones). Now, it's Video.

I am continuing the sunshine theme with today's outfit. It's actually mango colored. The skirt was given to me by a friend. She had a gob of clothes she couldn't wear anymore, so she gave them to me. The top is I.N.C., from Macy's. I debated about wearing a belt with this top, but it's too hot for that today (wah). But upon seeing my photo, I probably should have.

The bling is mostly stuff you have seen, but a couple of things that I rarely wear. On my left hand

These are three of the bangles that I got in Kansas city. The ring is peridot. On my right hand

My ring is tourmaline and diamond and the bracelet is a plastic stretchy thing. My nail color is called Concrete evidence, and it's made by Ulta. My necklace is unusual - the pendant is something I got at Hobby Lobby. It has eight loops on the back - I guess you are supposed to sew it onto something. But I put a ring back there and hung it from the leather cord that I use to suspend lots of different pendants. It was something like $2.

It's not as heavy as it looks. For my shoes, what else, except my favorite, most comfy, mango sandals from Old Navy.

Today, I am participating in Monday Mingle with www.thebonbonrosegirls.com. They already have a ton of participants, so go on over and check it out!! See you all later!!!