Tired

I'm so tired of:
1. The winter weather. I don't feel like I've been warm in a long time.
2. My wardrobe. I have about 25 pairs of slinky pants. I have at least 100 tops. I have nothing to wear that makes me smile today. I haven't gotten out my summer wardrobe. There isn't much of it and what's the point? It's cold here.
3. My weight. I know, I know. My BF says why don't you do something about it. And I am the only one who can. So why don't I do something about it. I read about bloggers who have lost tons of weight. They are obviously not apathetic but right now I am.
4. Pain. Operation in the future should help with that.
5. Putting things off. I have been meaning to list some things on Ebay for months and because I am afraid I'll do it wrong or the things won't sell I keep putting it off.
6. Putting other things off. I want to paint the house, make some dolls, make some jewelry, sew. Again, if I can't be good at it.............
7. Whining. But I can't seem to stop.

I found pics of three outfits that I would love to wear. If you have followed my blog you know they would look ridiculous on me. But I'm going to put together a notebook of things I like and maybe motivate myself a little. I do so envy the young women who look to have themselves together. I want that feeling, at least some of the time. After all, at 65, it's about time. I am beginning to feel as if I have hit a wall going 100 miles an hour and there are only pieces left. I don't know how they fit together. Geeesh!

Purple down below.

It seems that Cheyenne has to be in pics with me. I really must teach her to sit.

Purple pants. I have 4 pair, all in different shades of purple. And I love them all. With a black stripe Kohl's on sale top and my purple Ross shoes. I'm having more trouble moving around now. Had an MRI on my knee yesterday. Sometimes it doesn't hurt at all and sometimes it is just awful. Next Tues to the Doctor. Then we'll see. Anyway, the stretchy pants are a boon right now because they allow total freedom of movement. In purple.

Blue, like Cheyenne's eyes

This is the color of blue that makes me think Jamaica. I have had this top for about 5 years. Wore it today for the first time. I had taken it to Jamaica to wear at my daughter's wedding. Alas, I didn't wear it. Came back and put in the closet and forgot. This cleaning out closets thing is a real eye opener. Anyway, any turquoise thing is a favorite now that I've cleaned out my closet.

I did green

I did green. I enjoyed doing green because the sweater I wore is thrifted. Not thrifty enough but not a new price. And the shirt is walmart. Shoes are ebay. And of course my slinky purple pants. I can't stand an all green look and black pants, no. Beige pants, dirty. Brown pants, boring. Don't own jeans, darnit.

Color Challenge Round One

Yellow, I love yellow.

Yellow is such a pretty color for Spring. I love a full on sunny yellow. I love a bright buttercup yellow. In the Spring. In the early summer. But I find as the summer wears on and gets hotter and hotter I shy away from bright yellow, orange, red, or any other color I might associate with heat. So I am really glad for the opportunity to wear the yellow now. As a matter of fact, I already have my next yellow rotation outfit planned.

I have a serious aversion to heat. Part of the problem may be my weight. But I have always been adversely affected by heat and humidity. I think aqua is my favorite color. But I did yellow and turquoise. So this time I paired the yellow with purple. Also HSN, the pants have pockets which is unusual. I don't usually like pockets. But I do like the pants for the color and the fact that the fabric isn't shiny. It perfectly matches the shoes I got at a Ross shoe sale for $9. The watch is Avon. I made the earrings.

A word about the top. I purchased the top because I liked the color, the fabric, and the embroidery. The sleeves and the bottom of the top were gathered. I hate tight sleeves and elastic pulling at my arms. And around the bottom. So I cut the elastic out and hemmed the sleeves and bottom by hand. The result is a slightly belled sleeve and a really comfortable top. See I don't have a clue where I got it. It has been here quite a while and was unworn. So fixing was the only option. And it worked. Tomorrow I'll try to love green. But it's raining. And nasty cool outside. I'm in the mood to stay in bed. I'll try to love green and think of soft grass.

Orange

Being from Knoxville Tennessee, home of the Tennessee Volunteers, you would think my orange options would be many and varied. But alas, I don't like the orange of the university. It looks awful on me. And while I do hope the teams do well, especially the Lady Vol basketball team, I'm not going to wear a color I don't like.

This brings me to the color of orange I do like. For many years I didn't like orange at all. After all, I was an adult during the olive green kitchen appliance era, during the gold kitchen appliance era, during the orange and green shag carpet era, etc. While this might perk up the ears of vintage lovers everywhere, I am so over that stuff that for many years I wouldn't wear gold, green, or orange in any color. And no, I would not willingly use those colors in my kitchen again. In a way I am surprised that things weren't different. After all, tie dye and denim were often the colors of choice to wear, along with Gucci prints and bohemian styles. Denim kitchen, now that would have been interesting. And can't you just see a pink, purple and black Gucci refrigerator?

So I love orange now. But it has to have a little pink or red in it. More of a peachy or salmon color. I haven't got a lot of color in my skin now that I have aged a bit. But you know, that's fine because I am not limited in color choices by skin tone. I still won't be wearing chartreuse. I look dead. But with the exception of bluish red, I can wear most things. It's all a matter of make up. If I wear a dark color, I'd better have on make up and strong colored make up at that. In other words, liner for the eyes, eye shadow, and blush along with a lip color that goes with.

The top I'm wearing in the pic comes from Carolyn Strauss at HSN as do the pants. The shoes are HSN via ebay. The necklace is from Karla Jordan. I seem to be wearing a lot of her pieces lately. She created some truly gorgeous things and I had more money then. The pieces are about 25 years old. And really good for today. The piece is carved natural stone with natural stone beads. One of a kind and irreplaceable.

The rest of the jewelry is fairly inexpensive stuff I picked up here and there, don't really remember. But I do like it for the color.

You see, orange is not so bad.

I'm in the red again.

The red top I'm wearing is at least 10 years old. The store has been out of business that long. And Old Faithful the sweater is with me again as are the black pants. But I am wearing a bone necklace which was a one of a kind from Karla Jordan. Also out of business. The necklace is made from bone, some of which is dyed red. And I have had it too for at least 10 years. Maybe even over 20. I havent' ever worn it. See what a blog can do.

My shoes are red patent leather with gold buckles. From HSN. I like their shoes because I can get them over the internet and they fit. Really fit well. And I love red shoes even though I haven't had a lot of red clothes. By the way the earrings are a dyed natural stone and also from Karla Jordan. I had more money then. I Do Not like to wear a large, imposing necklace with large earrings. I think my neck is so short that there is not enough separation between the pieces. Just me thinking.

Spring has sprung. Somewhere. Expecting heavy rains this weekend. Fun, huh?

Pink then a day off.

I said I had no pink. I lied. This piece from ebay is hanging in with my jackets. I hadn't looked in there. And I found other pinks when I went looking. But really, I guess I meant I haven't much light pink. My mom used to make be wear pink a lot and I probably got tired of it. Or something. Anyway I think the whiteish earrings and ring bring out the florals in the fabric. I am wearing it as a shirt. I'll wear it as a jacket too.

My Shadow and Cheyenne in the same pic. I so don't know what to do about Shadow. She has gotten senile. And she isn't in pain so I just watch closely to see how she is doing. She has just about stopped eating. I don't know what's coming. If she is still here she will be 14 on May 17. That is 2 to 3 years longer than is normal for her breed.

I went to an appointment with an orthopedic doctor Wednesday to begin the process for knee surgery. I have to get my meniscus fixed. Some days walking isn't easy or even doable. But I'm not looking forward to it.

I look outside and Spring is here. Somewhere.

For my age

I have been following at least 100 fashion blogs. I have a few things to say about my take on them.

I wear pants most of the time. I am glad I wear pants most of the time. I can't stand hose, panty hose, or tights. Especially tights because they seem to grab the sorts of fabrics I prefer and I end up looking like I need a dryer sheet. And when I look at pictures of ladies in the upper age eschelon, they don't wear tights either. I don't think I need them living in Tennessee because the weather here is rarely awfully cold and when it is, I can stay home. I do love stockings. I don't know if it's because of my advanced years but stockings do seem girly.

I have tried some little bitty cardigans. They can look cute on girls with a waist and who can belt them. They look like I got too small a size. As luck would have it, I have been able to find some sweaters that I like that don't make me look squeezed.

I have two belts. Both recently purchased. I have a huge stomach. Belts emphasize that. I'm glad they were thrifted because unless something changes they will never be seen.

One of the rules I have read for years is that dainty jewelry gets lost on heavy girls. And I sure am glad there is a lot of sizeable jewelry out there now.

Posing does seem to change a lot with age. I can't make myself stand with my toes together. They don't naturally go that way. It seems to be a girl thing. I on the other hand, can't find a natural feeling pose to use on a regular basis. I guess I'll have to keep trying.

Boots are something that thankfully, I don't have to worry about for a while. I usually can't wear boots because if they are the least bit tight in the foot part, I lose all sensation in my toes. Then there is the problem that my feet don't get cold. Ever. Never ever. Unless I am really really sick. Once that I can remember. So with warm feet and hands, no boots, no gloves.

I think a lot of scarves are beautiful. Big bulky ones are a blessing for those who live in the north where the weather is very cold. I don't wear them. I have a short neck, am rarely cold, have a large bust, and feel overwhelmed by them. Oh, I do wear scarves when I go out in really cold weather. But working around the scarf thing is something I must do. They really bug me when I try to wear them. I would like to find a way to wear them as an accessory by Fall, when I might need one.

Heels. Some people can wear heels and would feel odd in flats. Some wear the booty heels with the toes cut out. Some have platforms and heels. I'm not short and if I fall, getting me back up isn't easy. I wear flats.

Given those wardrobe rules, I just keep on keeping on trying to be sort of stylisn for a person my age.

There's a pattern to it

Carolyn Strauss strikes again. One of the favorite tops that I own is a top from HSN. I saw it. I loved it. I paid full price for it. And I think I am down to about 2.00 per wear. The way these clothes wear I'm sure I'll pass $1. The colors are springy despite the black background. And I'm wearing Kohl's earrings from the sale rack, light weight and pink with gold. I just can't get over how much wonderful jewelry there is out there. I am wearing a frog ring I got at Stein Mart for about $6 and I wish I could photograph it. To me it is adorable. I thought I had lost it and when I found it I felt like I had found an old friend. I've only had it for about 2 months. It's amazing how certain pieces just become friends.

I am still sending prayers to Japan. Please join me.

The color of Royalty

I got these leather purple shoes by Esprit from ebay years ago. They even have a triangular heel. Then the bag from ebay months ago. It is all leather and I liked the triangle looking embellishment on the front. I thrifted the jacket/sweater/whatever it is. It's a cotten like knit. The rest is HSN Slink by Carolyn Strauss. I do try to get these pieces on sale. They are so comfortable and wash like a dream. I'm wearing Avon earrings and one of the rings was given to me by my BF and my daughter. They are friends. Anyway, I got hot and had to remove the jacket thing. Stacy and Clinton are all for jackets but I have a tendency to get hot easily. We'll see what happens this summer.

The other accessory is Cheyenne. Pups sure grow fast.

I am green and blue today

Yesterday I was green. I said to myself when this color challenge started,"No big deal. I have a closet packed with clothes." And I do have a closet packed with clothes. But I have mostly patterned tops or black tops. Yesterday I had to wear a patterned top. It's green. That's as far as it went. If I were Irish I'd be completely disowned. So anyway, I have one more green top, short sleeved. And I like the one I wore but as it gets warmer here it will be put away. Anyway, it appears I should pay more attention to green. On to blue. Short sleeved navy top with khaki colored pants and gold jewelry. How's that for innovative. I have had to reassess my closet and I'm going to spend some time thrifting and looking for some green and blue.

I've bought several books about altering, repurposing, and reusing clothing. As I go through my closets(yep, several closets) I'm going to try to get the brain cells oriented toward redoing some of the things I have.

I have been really tired this weekend. I have a bad knee and I've been missing sleep over it. Not feeling so hot, hence the seated pics. Also, I have absolutely no idea how to pose for pics. I feel like a total idiot grinning and moving around in front of a camera. But I'm going to keep trying.

Last, but not least is a pic of Devil Dog. She will be 5 months old on the 26th. I am still a sucker for the blue eyes. And she is a really sweet natured dog. She is totally afraid of the grill. I think it's hilarious.

I'm still praying and sending love and good vibes to Japan and I haven't forgotten New Zealand. I think it's important to remember that we live in one world, all of us.

Peace to all those who need it.