Black and Black Again

Many times, I have read that black is always appropriate and flattering. So when we attended a fund raiser for a cancer victim up in Los Angeles last night, this is what I wore:

This black dress (that looks like a toga) has bugle beads along the wing sleeves and an elastic waist. Other than that, it is totally simple. So Doc requested that I wear some of the turquoise jewelry that he has given me over the years.

First, this beautiful silver and turquoise concha belt.

Next, this beautiful cross. I believe the design is Navajo.

And on my arms, two cuff bracelets. Most of the jewelry is from Southwest Indian Foundation, but the cuffs were purchased in Gorman, a town on the Cajon pass that leads from the San Fernando Valley north of LA to the San Joaquin Valley, where all the produce is grown.

It was a nice evening. I don't go out on school nights very often. My friend Elesha went also.

I got my outfit for today prepared before I left, and it's..........................................black !!!

This is a knit dress by Venus. It's a local swim and resort wear brand.  Notice the gold buckles at the side.

My necklace and both bracelets are INC. I got them at Macy's in the Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip.

And that just about does it for today, except for a bunch of links.

Jess at www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com has Turning Heads Tuesday, www.northwestblonde.com has Start the Week Stylish, www.theblushblonde.com has Tutu Tuesday, and there are linkups at www.cutenandlittle.com and www.the-wardrobe-stylist.com


Have a great day - it's a little gloomy here, and we are desperately hoping for rain.

Surfin' Safari

I live in Huntington Beach, California, aka Surf City USA. So naturally, there are surfers in the family.

Elli expressed an interest in learning to surf. It's on her bucket list. So we got out our boogie board and gave her a lesson.

Kenni and Vinni were full of advice.

I got her all steady and showed her how to balance.

And off she goes to rip her curl.

Kenni looks proud of his big sister.


On Saturday, I did my usual run through the park. Now I know you have all heard the one about the chicken crossing the road, but.....

I never heard about the rooster! This guy came strolling out form the bushes.

I hope he gets along with ducks and geese.


So today is back to work day. I am in the pink.

This is a Tahari shift dress in solid pink with a Liz Claiborne jacket in pink and ivory. Both are boucle.

 I wore two costume necklaces. The top is Monet and the bottom is Kenneth Jay Lane.

On my right arm, a gold/diamond dust bracelet and a South Sea pearl ring.

On my left arm, two gold bracelets and my yellow gold wedding rings.

I will leave you with a bunch of yellow roses that I cut from the backyard just before the surfing lessons began.

Today, I am linking up with www.elegantlyfashionable.com for Classy Monday. then it's over to Patti for Visible Monday at www.notdeadyetstyle.com, and finally with Cherie at www.stylenudge.com for Shoe and Tell.


Have a great day and see you all tomorrow!!!

Seeing Spots Before my Eyes

It's a "sorta casual" Friday here in HB. So I wore some comfy spotted pajama style pants:

There is no elastic at the waist. They zip and button and then there is a self fabric sash.

I decided to glam it up a bit with a bunch of neutral necklaces and a tank with beaded epaulets.

On my left arm, a beaded/crystal bracelet from Neiman Marcus and my yellow gold wedding set.

On my right arm, two RJ Graziano rose gold tone bangles with crystals and my Swarovski Nirvana in Black Diamond.

And that's it!!! I have to do some shopping for my upcoming vacation and pack this weekend, since I leave next Thursday. But first, let's link!!

www.poshclassymom.com, www.fashionshouldbefun.com and www.stylelixir.com

See you all later!!!

The March of the Penguins

I am all dressed like a penguin today:

This is a heavy knit dress by DS Dresses. I have referred to it as the "DNA Dress" because the intarsia pattern looks like the good old double helix.

It continues all around. Look at the waist where it is bunching up - I put it in the washing machine, but then I hung it to dry. Big mistake - I should have laid it flat. When I wash it again, I'll dry it flat and hopefully it will reshape. If not, I'll take it to the cleaners and have it blocked.

I wore two necklaces today - I always wear the white circle one with this dress, but today I added the blue topaz in a silver herringbone chain.

On my left arm, my Swarovski Trema ring and a leather/crystal cuff that I got in Baltimore.

On my right arm, a tanzanite swirl ring and another leather wraparound bracelet.

Thursday's links include:
www.highlatitudestyle.com, www.happinessatmidlife.com, www.mixmatchfashion.com and www.eleganceandmommyhood.blogspot.com

Have a great day !!! Today is Elli's turn at the office, so stay tuned for her escapades.

Purple Poof Ball

I got this silk top somewhere recently ( church rummage sale, MIL Mimi, etc) and I was looking for something comfy to wear with it. I spied this skirt - I have a black one also, and I got them in 2006 or 2007 when they were all the rage. I wore them a lot back then, but they have remained ignored..........
until now.

I got them both at Target. The vintage silk top is Casual Corner - I used to shop there when I was in high school in San Diego. Here's a look at the detail - there are printed flowers and some beading.

I used the awesome purpleness of this getup to wear one of my glass statement necklaces that I got from EBay.

On my left arm, a tanzanite bracelet, a multi-gemstone bracelet, and my Swarovski Trema ring.

On my right arm, two silver/amethyst bracelets and a quartz ring.

Cool, comfy, and colorful. My friend Elesha got a new rescue pupper - Selena the breeder.

She's super cute - actually, they are both super cute. Selena reminded me of my little rescue breeder - Elli !!! When I left for work, she was doing her best Princess and the Pea imitation.

Then she picked up her giant head and gave me a goodbye stare.

I think I was bothering her. She will be 15 years old on Election Day. Big party in store.

Let's get linking!!!
www.shoppingmycloset.com, www.sydneyfashionhunter.com, www.thepleatedpoppy.com, www.pastriespumpsandpi.blogspot.com, and www.poshclassymom.com.


Have a good day and kiss your puppy if you have one.

Happy Birthday Little Holtzmans !!!!

On September 3, Kim hosted a joint birthday party for Joseph (6) and Benjamin (4) at Fountain Valley Bowl. Much preparation was needed. First, I went to Dr Lawton's and got my Juvaderm. It hurt. I was told not to do any heavy exercise for a day, and so walking was the answer.

And the adventure begins!! First, I took Elli to get her nails trimmed. Then I dropped her off at home and walked to Marshall's. I got two things for me there - Coconut Patties and exercise bands.

UPDATE : Doc ate all the Coconut Patties. I shouldn't have told him how good they are. 

The bands have light, medium, and heavy strengths. They snap onto the handle. I may use them tomorrow.

For the boy's birthday, I got a T Ball set. We have been playing baseball with them, but this way they can practice. It's for little kids, made of foam, so they can't kill each other.

Since Joseph's favorite thing is Paleontology, I went with dinosaur bags.

I also got them a soccer ball that's halfway between a baby's Nerf version and a regulation ball.

And of course, Elli got them a gift:

Dinosaur Eggs !!! I guess you put water in them and a dinosaur grows.

The other part of Elli's gift was these Star Wars metal boxes.

Each box had a velvet bag with $5 worth of quarters in it.

A set of monkey stickers finished the gifts up !!!

And here are all the gifts, wrapped and ready to go !!!

And for this momentous occasion, this is what I wore:

I don't know where any of this came from. It's bermuda shorts with pink embroidery down one leg, a rust tank with chiffon ruffles, and an ivory knit waterfall cardigan. I wore a leopard belt.

It was a comfy outfit for bowling. Here's a better look at the embroidery.

I wore a resin necklace in burnt orange that hangs on suede cords. 

I wore a copper souvenir Native American bracelet on one arm.

On my right arm, a leather cuff with an abalone bar, and an amber ring.

The party was held at Fountain Bowl.

Eventually, there were about 30 kids there. Most were from school and church. Kim had veggies, pizza, fruit, onion rings and potato skins.

The had two servers, kind of the same as at Chuck E cheese.

Kim made a Star Wars themed cake.

The kids bowled for an hour. Doc and I bowled three game s- he won two, and I only won the last one because we ran out of time and I was ahead.

Then they had pizza and cake. Then they kind of ran all over the place in a sugar induced buzz.

We asked if the boys could open their gifts so we could watch. They gladly complied.

Benjy looks pretty stoked about those quarters !!!!

This morning, I got up and went for a run through Huntington Beach Central Park. They had a Civil War Reenactment going on.

I saw the camps and the town all set up in one half of the park.

I asked this couple if I could take their picture.

Everyone slept in heavy canvas tents, held up with wooden pegs.

They had washing facilities, bathing facilities, and lots of authentic camping gear.

One friendly group invited me for breakfast. I told them that I don't usually eat sausage WHILE I am running.

They appeared to be well fed, and have eveyrhting one would need to be somewhat comfortable.

They also had quite a display of cannons.

There was a field hospital there. It was composed of several tents.

There was a multi-purpose business. It was a saloon, a Chinese laundry, a notary, had Sunday Mass, and French Girls.

Look who I met !!! Honest Abe. I believe that I voted for Abraham Lincoln.

I came home, showered, and changed into J Crew shorts, and an XOXO peasant top.

Much chihuahua smooching took place.

Doc got all dressed up, hoping to meet Roseanne Barr. He even tried to help his luck with the official Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" salute.

For lunch, I made breaded fried pork steaks.

They were served with broccoli au gratin rice, buttered zucchini, fresh baked buttermilk biscuits, hollandaise sauce and horseradish sauce. 

Yesterday, I recycled some of the leftovers for today's lunch.

I turned the pork into sweet and sour pork and made corn and rice.


In the afternoon, while Doc worked on his CME, I went to Nordstrom Rack for the "Clear the Rack" event. It was a mob scene. I always manage to find some incredible deals at this particular location, and yesterday was no exception.

Hello, my little beauties. These Coach sandals were 75% off, with an extra 25%. This was the only pair, and in my size. It was meant to be. Actually, this is the only thing I bought all weekend long, which is a record for me.

So what did I wear to go back to work today?

 This is a Style and Co reptile print knit skirt. It is pull on style and has decorative gold zippers.
I wore a beaded cami from The Gap and a boucle jacket from Graff. New shoes.

I wore a statement necklace of buffalo turquoise and smoky topaz. 

On my right arm, my matching set from Swarovksi - the Nirvana in Black Diamond and the Infinity bracelet.

On my left arm, my yellow gold wedding set and a silver bracelet.

And I busted out my new Hermes belt for it's first showing.


So many links for this mega-post !!!
www.theblushblonde.com, www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com, www.the-wardrobe-stylist.com, www.elegantlyfashionable.com, www.stylenudge.com, www.poshclassymom.com, www.fashionshouldbefun.com

Have a great day, and let's rock this short week!!!