Animal Attraction

Today, I bring you another forgotten outfit from the bowels of my closet.

It's a pantsuit by Georgiou. It looks better than the picture. I tried three times and couldn't get a good shot, so I threw in the towel. It did give me a chance to wear my new shoes from Neiman Marcus.

Let's get a better look at the jacket. The pants are just plain ivory slacks. Here's a look at the flat front.

 The jacket has animal trim.

There's a panel that runs down each sleeve, and also circular embellishment at the hem on each side.

It zips up the front and also has brass studs scattered about, here and there. I doubled up on necklaces.

I wore a sequined tank in a leopard pattern with this pantsuit. On my left arm,

My Swarovksi Nirvana in Black Diamond, and some of my RJ Graziano rose gold bangles. On my right arm,

A lonely smoky topaz ring. So let's do some more linking !!! Back from maternity leave, Killeen from www.cuteandlittle.com is cohosting On Trend Tuesday. I think animal prints are always on trend. Then, Jess from www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com is having Turning Heads Tuesday. I always join up, as I do for Laura at www.walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com for Summer Style.

Speaking of summer, we got a little rain last night!!!! Yay!!!! my crinkly brown lawn thanks the powers that be. Here is the view from my corner office:

Have a great day!!!

Sparks, Barks, and a few of my Larks.

I live in Huntington Beach, California. Surf City USA. HB has a long and colorful history surrounding this All-American holiday. We have a 101 year old parade, have seen several riots and couch burnings downtown, and a huge fireworks show off the pier. I never go anywhere at night because my dogs may get terrified. Some of them have gone berserk, and some have been fine. Anyhow, I am writing the blog while waiting for the noise.

We went to a party on Thursday night, in Mission Viejo, It was to celebrate the visit of our friend, Ted, from Tennessee. Lynne, the hostess, also had her friend, Lorraine, in from Connecticut. It was drinks and tacos. Here's what I  wore:

Jennifer Lopez robin's egg blue brocade shirts and, a Kenar knit tank, which are hard to see in the glare.

In this closeup of my larimar necklace that I got in Coronado, you can see the true color of the outfit.

In this shot, you can see that the tank is trimmed with a chiffon and lace ruffle.

On my left arm, a mabe pearl ring and a bracelet of citrine, larimar, freshwater pearl, and aurora borealis crystals.

On my right arm, a South Sea pearl ring, and a silver bracelet with blue topaz.

It was a great party. Everyone had a blast. Lorraine was super cool. Doc and I stayed in the Fairfield Marriott in Mission Viejo overnight. It's about a 40 minute drive home, and even though Doc doesn't drink, he hates to drive at night. So we stayed there. They have a breakfast buffet, but I was too hungover to eat.

I worked on a couple of hobbies over the weekend. One was buying the supplies, and then fixing a gob of broken costume jewelry,

I re-strung all these bracelets.

I replaced missing stones in all these pieces.

These pieces had all broken apart, so I put them back together.

I also framed some of my artwork. I re-matted an iguana print (done by a professional artist, not me).

Then I framed a mandela from my coloring book for Doc's office, He picked the colors he wanted.

Then I framed a sorta Alice in Wonderland cartoon flower from my coloring book in hot pink for Vicki at work.

Then I framed another mandela with a yellow mat and a black frame for Lynne for her bathroom, which is navy blue.

Lastly, I framed a butterfly that I painted in acrylic, I put it on a yellow mat and a black frame.

I ate a few good things too. The pork and chicken tacos at Lynne's were good, as were all the appetizers.On Friday, later in the day, I did some yard work, and then made two pizzas. One was California Pizza Kitchen White Pizza, and one was Safeway Select 4 meat pizza.

They were both very tasty.

The holiday itself was a combination of quiet time and family time. I went for a run, then hung out with family until it was time to dog sit.

By 8:22, the bombs bursting in air were constant. Elli barely noticed any of it, but she does sleep soundly. Vinni and Kenni huddled under the tangerine tree, brothers together against the onslaught. By the morning, it seemed as though no one was too traumatized.

On Sunday, I went running again. 2 days in a row, and my right knee was achy. Then we went to Free Birds for lunch

I had carnitas. Doc needed some art supplies of his own, so we stopped at Dollar Tree to see if they had anything he needed. I ended up getting Elli two more shirts.

Then I spent the rest of the day reading a great book - China Dolls by Susan Lee. It was one of those that I was unable to put down until I saw how it ended. I love those kinds of books. I did do some laundry while reading.

So Monday morning, back to work. Here's what I wore:

This is a chiffon skirt with sequin trim by Laundry by Shelli Segal. The top is satin, made by Apt 9. It has a sequin neckline.

I forgot to choose a necklace, but the top is fancy enough on its own. I wore my vintage gold chain belt.

I wore my canvas gladiators that are made by Joe's. I got them at Nordstrom.

On my left arm, I wore my green creepy ring from Nordstrom, and one of the bracelets I fixed this weekend. It's by Betsey Johnson, and I have missed wearing it.

On my right arm, my Montana green peridot, and a brass/enamel bracelet that I found while fixing all the other costume jewelry.

So that's about it. Whee. Since I have been missing for a few days, I have a lot of linking to do.
1) Rhea at www.rheaetcetera.com for Style to Inspire.
2) Cherie from www.stylenudge.com for Shoe and Tell
3) Dawn Lucy from www.fashionshouldbefun.com for Fun Fashion Friday
4)  Nicole from www.highlatitudestyle.com for Top of The World Style

Wow. I have a lot of catching up to do. Have a great Monday!!!

The Blues?

"May all your blues be the ocean and the sky". This is a sweet quote from an unknown source that I ripped off from Pinterest. It's true - here in Huntington Beach, we rely on the ocean and the sky to lift our spirits. Wanna know what else is blue?

My outfit of the day!!! I am wearing my navy Iman Global Chic pants and a Style and Co knit top. Talk about comfort!!! The top is blue and purple, and is covered with clear sequins.

So I can wear either silver or gold jewelry with it. Today, I went for silver. I started with my Gucci horsebit belt that I have had since the Pleistocene era.

Then I added my lapis necklace.

On my right arm, I have a turquoise cuff, and an amethyst/opal ring.

On my left arm, a silver cuff, and the more demure cousin of the other ring - more amethyst  and opal.

I wore all elastic wedges by Easy Spirit. I bought them to wear to a conference in Baltimore a few years back. Surprisingly, they aren't all that much more comfy than any other shoes, but they are cute.

I do have to use foot tubes with them, because they dig a bit on my big toe.

Let's do some Wednesday linking!!!. My three usual suspects make Wednesday fun !!! First, Tameka at www.pastriespumpsandpi.blogspot.com has Who's Wearing What Wednesday. Then, Allison at www,sydneyfashionhunter.com is hosting The Wednesday Pants. I'm not sure that I ever wore pants on one of Allison's Wednesdays, so I'm glad it worked out today, because she is one sweet lady. And last, Lauren at www.thepleatedpooy.com has What I Wore.

Well, after today, I have four glorious days off. Thursday night, Doc and I are going to a party down in a neighboring city, Mission Viejo. It is to honor our friend, Ted, who moved to Tennessee a few years ago. We are staying at the Marriott down there after the party, because it's a forty or so minute drive that we don't want to make late at night - I will be partying, and Doc hates driving at night. So stay tuned for some shenanigans!!

Is this a Rorschach Dress?

Yesterday, I worked a couple of hours overtime, which is not unusual when there is an inspection going on. When I arrived home, I was tired and washed up. What do you think could be the ONLY thing that would cheer me up? Well, it was on the front porch:

A box !!!!! A box from Neiman Marcus!!!! I belong to their In Circle Club, which gives me the opportunity to purchase things at a very discounted rate. In addition, I get free shipping, so it is virtually painless. A week or so ago, after cleaning and dehoarding my closet, I bought myself a couple of things to celebrate. I know. My addiction is very well recognized and documented.

Enough of my mental issues - what did I get? First, a pair of shoes that actually DID replace a very beat up pair that I tossed during the purge.

They are the Neiman Marcus store brand. They are fawn suede, with black patent embellishment on the toes and heels.

If you look at the top picture very closely, you will see that the inside of the spike heel is goldtone. They're really pretty. They started out about $298, and I ended up paying $55. They are so classic that I imagine I will be wearing them for many years to come.

I also got a dress for a spectacular value. It is made by DS Dresses. It is a thick intarsia knit.

It started out at $198, and I ended up paying $50. Here's a closeup look at the pattern around the neckline. Now for the psychological test - what do you see in this pattern? I see the DNA double helix. (Geek alert).

Of course, like any little kid with a new toy, I wore it ASAP. So how does it look?

Fits like a dream. I noticed that I have the perfect necklace to go with it.

It's silvertone with white plastic doohickeys. I have the same necklace with deep red doohickeys. On my left arm,

I am wearing a silvertone bracelet with clear crystals, my eternity band, and a tanzanite ring. On my right arm,

I am wearing a studded leather wrap bracelet and a mother of pearl ring. I chose my Sesto Meucci black suede pumps with the red organza rose for a touch of color.

Onto Tuesday's links!!! First, Jess at www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com is hosting Turning Heads Tuesday. Then, Laura at www.walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com is co-hosting Trend Spin. And of course, Lauren at www.stylelixir.com is having Style Sessions.

So while you guys are checking out all the lovely outfits on these linkups, I will be enduring another day of inspection. I still need to figure out how to reward my self tonight :) .

Moving Fast for a Monday

Usually, when a new week starts, it takes me a few hours to get back into the working swing of things. But I didn't have that luxury today, because we are having yet another inspection at the hospital. The good thing is that this one was scheduled. I had to look my professional best, so I busted out the Saks Fifth Avenue Black dress that I brought home from Orlando.

This comfy, beautifully made knit dress has the square pewter embellishments at the empire waist.

I brought along my trusty black wool Escada blazer for cover, but I am not going to wear it unless absolutely necessary, since it will be in the high 80s with high humidity today. I went with my Joan Rivers convertible pearl necklace today, and I prefer it to the one that I wore last time with this dress.

Likewise, I kept my jewelry classic and luxurious. On my left arm, my wedding set and a diamond tennis bracelet.

On my right arm, two pieces from Saks - a white enamel/crystal ring and a stretchy crystal bracelet.

As you can see from the top picture, my David Aaron shoes were perfect.

So it looks as though I am ready to rumble!!!

So let's go back over the weekend. On Friday, Doc brought me more flowers. I made a huge fuss over the last bunch, so he was trained quickly and easily.

They were mainly cheery gerberas and crysanthemums, but there was one stalk of stargazers, and one of them opened on Sunday.

Even though we are still in the epidemic drought, on Sunday night, I found enough flowers in the  yard , and made a bouquet for the sun room.

It's mainly roses and English lavender.

We went to Gong's for lunch again on Sunday. We got chicken chow mein and broccoli beef.

We brought one of the egg rolls home for Elli, along with a few left overs for Doc. On the way home, we stopped by a neighbor's house. They have converted their front yard to all drought resistant and native plants, and it's beautiful.

Then I just hung out and worked on my coloring book. I finished 3 pictures - I told you it was addicting!!

The daisies are my favorite, and the mandela is going to be framed and hung in Doc's office.

On Saturday, we went down to Villa Valencia to visit my mom. I wore a long chiffon dress by Chantel and Vicky ( a local designer based in Newport Beach) with a long knit slip from Victoria's secret underneath.

Here's the back view.

You can see the racer back on the slip here. I wore my Austrian crystal long rope necklace.

My Alfani low wedge gladiators were perfect - they have amber crystals all over them.

One last funny thing. Doc got a few "all natural" burritos for a snack. Here is one.

It's chipotle lime Chik'n. But Doc wouldn't eat it because the chik'n is made of.......fungi. Now I know that mushrooms are also fungi, but eeewww. Hopefully, Kenni and Vinni will like them.

Monday links!!! First, Cherie at www.styleneudge.com has Shoe and Tell. The Alfani shoes will be displayed there. Then, Rachelle at www.pinksole.com is hosting How I Summer. My long muumuu works for that one. Well, off to be inspected. Have a great day!!!