It's Almost Chrissssstmassss - Hissss !!

Last night, I baked a big batch of sugar cookies for the party we are going to tomorrow night. For our family party on Saturday, Doc wants three bean salad - I lucked out, all I have to do is buy a couple of big cans. We are also bringing artichoke hearts and anything else that looks good when I go to Smart and Final tonight. I will be decorating the cookies tonight as well, so maybe I can remember to take some pictures.

So onto my outfit. All of the SSSSSs in the title refer to my snakeskin peasant blouse. The neckline is actually a faux drawstring, which I think I like better than the real thing because there is no adjusting of the gathers needed. I got it at Stein Mart. My black leather skirt is very old, from a store they used to have around here called Wilson's Leather.

On top, I wore my Karen Lawrence jacket. It was 50 degrees outside this morning, and that's pretty cold for SoCal. (Sorry, all you Midwesterners and East Coasters.) Since my neck was bare, I wore a scarf thing made of furry balls.

I used a wide black leather and elastic belt to give this very comfy outfit some shape.

I also wore my favorite JCP necklace.

Since it looked as though silver would be the metal of the day, I wore matching silver spaceship rings. On the left is onyx, and on the right is mother of pearl.

I broke out a pair of shoes that hasn't gotten much lovin' over the past couple of years. I love the way they look, but they squeak when I walk. They are made by Kathy Levine. The heels are plastic faux bamboo.

So, you ask, why is my neck bare and cold? Because I wore my hair up today. I do that every now and again. I coat it thoroughly with hairspray, so it needs no fussing, it needs no nursing (a little Rolling Stones reference for you there.)

Yay !!! It's Thursday!!! So I am linking with Alice at www.happinessatmidlife.com for Throwback Thursday. I guess the Wilson's skirt qualifies me for that. And also, with Tara at www.mixmatchfashion.com for What I wore to Work, because obviously from the background of my pix, I am in my office. Have a great day!!!

The Christmas Ninja

Today, I am a vision in black. I had planned to wear ivory pants with this outfit, but it rained again the last two days, and I didn't want to ruin my ivory pants, so I went with black. Here is the outfit, with my jacket on.

The jacket is vintage, by Karen Lawrence. The pants are so old that I don't even remember where I got them. The turtleneck is Joseph A, from Macy's. Here's how I look without the jacket.

I am wearing a sweater vest on top, even though it's hard to see. So I took it off to get a shot of it. It's made by Cristina V, and I got it at Stein Mart.

It has faux fur trim around the shawl collar. Let's get a better look at the beautiful jacket. It's made of black on black brocade.

That fur peeking out is the fur on the vest. The jacket also has deep faux fur cuffs. The fur is so nice that it looks and feels real.

Here's a closeup of the trim on the vest.

For necklaces, I love gold with black, so I wore both the long pearl Joan Rivers interchangeable piece, as well as the short neck wire that comes with the set. I used the pearl dangle for the short version.

For shoes, my trusty gold and black Spiegel "rain" boots.

Classic gold jewelry completes this look. On my left, my wedding set, and on my right, a garnet/diamond ring accented by some thin costume bands with gemstones.

Since it's Wednesday, it's time for What I Wore at www.thepleatedpoppy.com. I need to go see if any of my ninja brethren are playing along!!!

I'm Like A Bird, I'm Gonna Fly Away

This blouse that I am wearing has sleeves that allow me to take off and soar (if I wanted to). Here's the before:

And here I am, about to lift off.

The chiffon blouse is by Bisou Bisou, and the leather shift is Romeo and Juliet Couture, from Neiman Marcus. Since the dress is sleek and solid, I decided to go with patterned tights.

I had to be careful putting them on, because it's easy to get the vertical pattern twisted like a candy cane (although that would fit the season!!)Since the blouse is red and black, I chose my Calvin Klein pilgrim shoes.

See, I did keep them straight. For jewelry, I went with my matching garnet necklace and earring set.

You can see how the dress has a slight ostrich texture to the leather. I continued the red accents with my rings. I didn't wear bracelets today, because of my long flared sleeves. But on the right hand, a fire opal, and on the left hand a marquise solitaire with a fire opal band.

So that's about it for today, except for the links. First, Lauren at www.stylelixir.com for style Session Fall Fashions linkup. Then, Saumya at www.myriadmusings.net for Style Swap Tuesday. Go check it out!! Now, I am going to prepare my belly for the department potluck at noon. I will take pictures of all the delicious food. Have a great day!!!

Electric Avenue

I am sitting here waiting for the man from Southern California Edison. When I got home Thursday, there was a note on my door saying that they need to test the electric meter, and they won't be able to do it unless I am home to contain Kenni. I was telling Doc yesterday that Kenni is so big that everyone thinks he is a Doberman, not a MinPin. Most people are scared of him. Well, since his job is keep me safe, that works out.

So I did a little shopping over the weekend. Everyone in the Casa de Holtzman got something. First, the dogs, specifically Vinni. He loves to play with toys. He takes them out of his basket and spreads them all over the yard. So I got him two new toys. His favorite was a rope with a tennis ball attached to it.

I also got them a squeaky ball. Kenni pounced on it and began shaking it, making it squeak like crazy. You can see the yellow ball near the pool in this picture.

 

It ended up totally demolished. Oh well, it was only 99 cents. I also got Doc a present at Macy's.

Some nice Clarks shoes. They were 50% off. Alas, his feet are too wide for them. I will take them back next Saturday, because they gave me $10 of Macy's money, which is only good next weekend, so I would be going back anyway. Try, try again. And for myself,

A bronze tone bracelet and earring set from the new consignment shop. It is the same style as the very popular J Crew model that is gold with clear crystals. This one is bronze with copper crystals.

We are having a holiday potluck tomorrow. This is what I chose to bring.

The recipe is a Grand Prize Winner from a contest in Taste of Home magazine. I have made it before, and it's absolutely delicious. Here are the five cheeses that it calls for.

Parmesan, chevre goat cheese, smoked gouda, cheddar and swiss. You crumble the chevre, grate the Parmesan, and shred the rest.

The recipe calls for macaroni or rotini, but I decided to use radiatorre, because this shape of pasta holds lots of sauce in the crevices.

First, you chop onion and celery and sauté it with garlic.

Then you make a roux with flour, add heavy cream, white wine, and chicken stock. Then all the cheese goes in. After it's melted, the cooked pasta is added.

You then bake it for 20 minutes or so, until it browns. The final touch is prosciutto, which is browned on the stove prior to sprinkling it on top.

There are about 10 million calories per serving, but it's worth every one.

So onto my outfit for the day.

On top, I have a beautiful vintage brocade jacket from the 80s that I got at the Classic Closet. Underneath, a new combo of old things.

The sweater dress is from Stein Mart, and the animal blouse from Spiegel. Here is a closeup showing the details of the two fabrics in the jacket and blouse.

I went with my Dolce and Gabbana belt, after switching from a wider one that seemed like too much (even for me).

Of course, I took the opportunity to wear my $5.98 leopard booties and brown tights with a vertical stripe.

For a necklace, I wore a brown and clear diamond pendant that Doc got me a couple of years ago.

And as a finishing touch, my new bracelet and earring set.

Today is Visible Monday with sweet Patti at www.notdeadyetstyle.com. It looks like she is also sporting a knit dress and booties. And then, Rachelle at www.pinksole.com is hosting How I Fall. I love participating in these fun linkups!!!

Cats, Dogs, Hippos, Giraffes....

I say this because raining cats and dogs is not accurate. We are having a huge rain storm here in California. It hit Northern Cal yesterday and moved down to us about 4 AM this morning. I have to carry flood insurance here in Huntington Beach because we have these big flood channels running through the city to take the runoff from the foothills to the ocean. Today, I am very glad I have it. Here's the picture from my famous office window.

Yipes. And here I am, in full regalia.

When I walked through the front lobby of the hospital, the receptionist said I looked like royalty in my hat. I told him , "What are you talking about? I AM royalty." Har. Speaking of said hat:

This Kentucky Derby - esque hat is made by August. I have a lot of hats, and I like to wear them, but they are always a topic of discussion. Here's the outfit that is under the Ell black satin trench.

The pants are black satin cargo pants made by Cache. They have a million pockets. They are nice thick material and are very well constructed. In this pic, you can see the pockets, and my black suede booties that I wear when it rains.

The jacket is part of a vintage suit made by Criscione. The lady who operates Return Engagement ( an HB consignment store) saved it for me when it came in, then called me and I went over and got it. It has a matching black skirt made of ponte with an ottoman weave. Here's a closeup of the detail on this beautiful suit.

For this outfit, I went with my Joan Rivers convertible necklace. It matches perfectly.

See the sequins on the turtleneck? I have the exact same one in ivory. I got them at Stein Mart years ago. It was so unique that I got both colors. I'm glad I did - they have lasted a long time, and I haven't seen anything like them since. Here's a better look.

For jewelry, I wore my white enamel and crystal ring from Saks on my right hand, and a gold/crystal cuff watch by Vernier, along with a ruby cocktail ring on my left.

Today, I am linking with Lauren at www.stylelixir.com for Friday's Fab Favorites. She hosts two linkups per week, and I try to join both times. This suit, although vintage and one that I have owned for probably 10 years, is definitely a fab favorite of mine!!!