White Lightning!!!

I think that's what they sometimes call moonshine. I'll bet that I will be wanting some later - I have an important meeting today. When I have one of my big quarterly meetings, I try to dress with extra panache and care, but professionally as well. I think that shows respect for your audience. So today, I busted out a dress by Altazzurra that I bought last winter on deep discount, but never wore. The reason is that I needed to take up the hem by 2.5 inches. So let's do the reveal:

It's all white with gold detailing at the waist. It feels like there is a very high spandex content. Here's a closeup of the waist.

Aren't those gold details awesome? The real kicker is whether I can make it to my meeting without spilling anything on myself. I managed to get Kenni and Elli fed without dribbling stuff down my front, or Kenni jumping up on me. He has ruined several pairs of pantyhose that way. This dress also just screamed for me to wear the rediscovered Joan Rivers necklace.

Remember, this is how it comes apart.

I only wore the pearl part today. On my arms, I opted for a classic look as well. On the left, my wedding rings and my J Crew twisted crystal bracelet. On my right, a gold/diamond dust bangle and an emerald/diamond ring.

I din't even debate the shoe choice at all. Any time that I have the opportunity to wear my gorgeous Ivanka Trump shoes, I will.

As a final touch, I am carrying my thrifted Mondani bag.

Every Tuesday, I link with www.stylelixir.com for Style Sessions. And today, it seems as though I requested the topic - White After Labor Day !!! So wish me luck - I am toatlly prepared for the meeting, but I will need some luck in not spilling on myself. Until tomorrow!!!

I Am Trying To Shine, But I Am Boiling!!!

This weekend was the one weekend every year in Huntington Beach that you need AC. I think it topped out at about 88 or 90 degrees today. So me and Doc and the kidz hung out at home. I swept the yard, dipped in the pool, and walked the dogs for about 20 minutes. The rest of the time I worked on a new painting and watched KC vs Denver. Doc, meanwhile, cooked up another of his egg based "omelette" feasts. He said I could take pix if they didn't include him. So I did. Here we go - the end result was delicious. Feel free to take notes.

Doc is half Mexican and half Ukranian Jew. That is why he likes spicy goulash. A friend of his has started a new company.

It's called Helen's Kitchen, and they make organic, high quality frozen foods. As far as I know, they have them at Mother's Market, which is a long established health market here in HB. They gave us coupons for 4 entrees. Today, Doc used two entrees in his breakfast dish.

First, Doc fried up some chorizo. In this shot, you can see my stove. My house is 55 years old, like me. I have paid various artisans to keep the original vintage gas range going. It's the coolest. And it still works great.

Then Doc added frozen fajita veggies - that's basically onions and tricolor peppers. He also tossed in the rest of the thick cut tater slices that I had the other day.

He didn't have to use any additional oil. I had it set out in case, but he never had to use it. After that, he beat 5 large eggs. In the meantime, he defrosted both curry dishes. He then put them in the beaten eggs, and added everything to the pan. He cooked it, and stirred it like when you make scrambled eggs.

He then let it set, like an omelette. Here was the final product. I added the hibiscus flowers for their awesome tropical beauty. We ate the whole thing in seconds flat. It was delicious. Since organic food can be pricy, this would be one way to stretch these delicious entrees to feed a family.

Enough home economics, onto shoes!!! Here are the beauties that I have decided to feature for Sheila's Shoe Shine Saturday at www.sheilaephemera.blogspot.

Aren't they something!!! They are made by Charles David, and I got them through Thred Up for $25. When I opened that polka dot box, I was stoked (a little surf city HB lingo there). So I immediately devised an outfit that would highlight these babies while keeping me somewhat cool in this heat wave.

Even though I'm a little tilty in both pix, I am completely sober and ready to tackle those infections!!! The green satin top is from some little strip mall store, and the skirt is Laundry. Let's get a better look at that necklace.

This is a statement necklace that I got from EBay - it has peridot, topaz and amethyst colored stones. It weighs alot. You can also see that I am wearing a gold lurex tank for coverage. Here's a closeup of the trim at the empire waist of the top.

I mixed it up a little with the gems, as well. On my left, 4 of my RJ Graziano rose gold bangles, and an amethyst ring. On my right, my Swarovski Nirvana in Black Diamond, a peridot bracelet, and a gold/diamond dust bracelet.

Well, that's about it for today. Tomorrow, I have a big quarterly meeting that I present to alot of staff, affectionately called The Dog and Pony Show. I always try to look extra fab for that one. Stay tuned!!!

A Summary of Summer

I have been blogging since the beginning of May, well before the start of summer. Next week, we will be seeing the first day of Autumn. So I decided (being a scientist and all), that I would analyze the outfits that I wore all summer long.There will be several categories. Feel free the establish a drinking game based on the answers - I recommend one shot/sip per question. So here we go!!!

What was the color that I wore most often during the summer? Blue!!!

Here's the breakdown of how many times I wore each color.

Blue = 20

Black = 15

Brown / Tan = 13

Pink = 8

Green = 5

Grey = 5

Yellow = 3

Gold = 2

Red = 2

Purple = 2

White = 1

What about the shoes that I used to accessorize these outfits? Black !!!!

Here's that breakdown: Black = 12

Tan = 8

Animal = 5

Red = 3

Blue = 3

Grey , Green, Brown , Gold = 2

Flowered, White, Pink, Silver, Yellow = 1

What was my favorite outfit, and why?

The skirt and tank I wore on July 9th. It was comfy, cool, and I loved the way it looked on me. The runners up, in no particular order{

My Spencer Cameron St Kitts T shirt that I wore July 16th. I just loved how it looked together. Next

My satiny botanical print dress. The print is so pretty. I have a dark moss thick knit cardigan with a peplum that I wear with it in the winter. And i have the perfect jewelry for it. Then

I liked this alot because even though I have had all the pieces for a long time, I have never worn them together before. I also really liked the jewelry and the shoes. Next

The Mondrian style skirt I wore on June 30. I looked really sophisticated in it, and it was unexpectedly comfy. And for honorable mention

Another satiny print dress. I liked the way it looked, especially with the waterfall cardi and the shoes.

Along with the successes, there were a few duds, never to be repeated. The worst of the worst:

A picture is worth a thousand words. I had just gotten back from Kansas City, and had an inspection at work.The pants and the shoes were awful. I really did look like a hobo. Next:

The clown suit. Totally ridiculous. I have worn the pieces before with other things, with far superior results. Then

the white eyelet dress. Supremely lumpy and unflattering and unconfortable. Yuck. no wonder I got it at a rummage sale. After that

The brown shorts. Lumpy, dumpy, bumpy and stumpy. Once again, I have worn all these items with other things, with good results. Lastly,

The peach linen set. Too matronly when worn together. The only thing that saved it was that it was very comfy.

So how did you do? Are you drunk yet? Feel free to send me a comment with your results. Preferably while you are still drunk, cuz that would be funnier. Have a good Sunday!!!!

Endless Summer

"I had a dream of a place where the sun shined bright, off in that endless Summer". You got that right, G-Eazy. We are having a week long heat wave here in SoCal. Summer won't be ending this weekend - and it's not just the weather. Huntington Beach is having an event called HB Days, with a surfing contest and everything. So me and Elli will be going down there for a peek. Stay tuned for the low down. And I took advantage of summer to wear a very sweet summery outfit.

You get a bonus pic of me squinting into the camera while standing in front of our Communist-themed bathroom. Aren't you lucky? I got this skirt in La Jolla on the same trip as the infamous clown suit (worn previously for the blog). It's made by Necessary Objects. I know, because the label fell out when I was ironing it.

I have also worn this Old Navy T shirt before, with a different outfit. I like this skirt because the hem is made of old lady hankies. As my coworker said, "If I have to blow my nose today, I'll look for Rosie."

The other cool thing is my belt. It's a sterling silver concha belt that Doc had custom made for me by the Southwest Indian Foundation. It took them months to get enough matching turquoise stones, but the end result is absolute perfection. See?

It weighs a ton, and the big conchas go all the way around it. With this much going on, I opted for simple jewelry - only one turquoise bracelet, and my South Sea pearl rings, earring, and necklace.

Yesterday, I went looking for a new nail polish. I wanted dark brown, but couldn't find it. Then I saw this one, and the name did it for me.

It's called Ebony Hates Chris. (Chris is my boss' name). Had to do it, you know how that is.

Well, today I am linking up twice. I missed Working Girl With Style at www.simplyjustlovelyblog.com yesterday. I like Erin's style, so I am linking late. And also, I discovered www.twothirtyfivedesigns.com and Casual Friday Link Up. So I am double-fisting it with links instead of drinks!! Have yourselves a lovely, casual, summery Friday !!!!

Dominoes, Oreos, Newspapers, Checkerboards - What Do They Have In Common?

The answer to today's brain teaser is in my outfit - they are all black and white. See?

These pants are from Forever 21 - a friend gave them to me because the sizing is weird. That's also why the white cami is hanging down - it helps the pants mold to my body, since the waist is disproportionately large. The top is by Ice, which is a Macy's brand. The cami is from Costco. They sell them in twos, and I got black and white, and they are pretty awesome.

I chose flat shoes to go with these pants, because they are ankle length cigarette style. This is an auspicious occasion - I almost never wear flats. I got these at Zara a year or so ago - I have seen them on many bloggers. I must say, they are comfy - it's like not wearing shoes at all. This shot also shows the pattern on the pants better.

My necklace is my Buffalo turquoise and smoky topaz statement number, and in this shot you can see the embroidery on the chiffon top more clearly.

The embroidery outlines the deep V (that's the reason for the cami)and makes a little empire sash that ties in the back. There are clear seed beads scattered throughout the embellishment.

On my right arm, I have a red leather and crystal cuff and a fire opal ring. On my left, a black "lace" metal cuff and a band of three fire opals topped with a marquise solitaire. I like red as an accent for black and white, and as a matter of fact, almost wore the red Prabal Gurung for Target shoes shown below. I made a game day substitution with the Zara flats.

I got so wrapped up in perfectly coordinating my getup that I even switched purses to match. I chose my white and black purse by Cebu. It has a gold wash over the scales, so it's a bit sparkly. Everyone loves this purse. The nice lady at the Post Office told me that it's very "smart".

So remember yesterday, when I said I was going to WalMart? Well, I did, and I ran into a lady that I haven't seen for many years. It was nice to see her. She was always very sweet, and she used to bring her husband, who had leukemia, into the office. I got a couple of things for the house, but I'm only going to show you one, since the pix of the other were too dark. Sads. But I will reveal it tomorrow - something to look forward to. Anyway, here's my new kitchen mat.

It was only $5. And when I got home, this was waiting on my door.

One of the cute little girls down the street, Brianna, drew it for me. I let her hold the hose while I was watering the front yard on Sunday. She had fun. I really don't know what it's supposed to be, but I put it on the fridge anyway. So the next time they come over, she will see it.

So since today is 9/11, I tried to remember what I was doing on this day in previous years. Three years ago, I just happened to take a picture of something else black and white - my dearly departed little Domino. The bedspread that he is crashing on is now Elli's blanket. #Upcycled.

Today, I am linking up with Tara at www.pennilesssocialite.blogspot.com for Look What I Got!!. Go check it out for some fun entertainment.