Happy Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

Ah, to be in a warm place

I'm craving a bit of warmth right now.

Saying goodbye to clutter is occupying my mind right now. And then organizing what is left. I have learned a lot this year from the blog and pinterest and just life. I filled my house with things I lost in the divorce. Then when I got something new, the old item was stuck somewhere. There is a treasure trove of stuff stuck somewhere. Free Bird stuck hers in a garage. Mine is all over a 4 bedroom plus bonus room plus double garage. Yep. A real treasure trove. But it isn't a treasure if you won't sell it. So I have figured out that after at least eight years of planning to sell everything and not following through, I am donating my treasure trove either to charity or to the dump if the treasure isn't usable. I won't know what to do with a house full of nothing. But I am looking forward to finding out. As the year wanes, I am filling black bags with stuff I will take to Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries. I will need several weeks to get it all done.

Spring is late March around here. Hopefully I'll be done with donations by then and can do a thorough cleaning of my house at the same time I'll be organizing. There are some truly wonderful blogs and web sites about organization. I am looking forward to using some of their ideas here. One thing I have learned from the blogs is that a picture is worth a thousand words so I am going to photograph my mess before cleaning. Then after pics. Then pics to put on boxes of stored stuff so I'll know what is inside. I love cameras.

I am actually looking forward to the new year and all this work.

Goings and comings

I am saying goodbye to some not so good habits. I was not aware that as a result of an emotional problem, I react all out of proportion to difficulties. I am saying goodbye to that. It's odd but a short conversation with my long ago former husband got me to thinking about this. When a family member lost a job, I panicked and called him. He said not to worry and that this family member would take care of it. So I didn't worry and it worked out really well. That is a gift from 2011 that I'll take with me. And I will remind myself that worrying doesn't help anything, but it really makes me feel bad.

Another habit I am going to work on is procrastination. I put things off. And off some more. And really off. So this year I finally got up the nerve to deal with some things that I had been putting off. It worked out so well that I'm continuing to deal with more things. By the way, one time I put off getting my oil changed for so long my car engine froze up and I had to spend 5,000 on a new engine. You would think I'd have learned. Well in a way I did. I got my oil changed regularly after that.

I am going to do away with throwing shopping at my dissatisfaction with myself. I have a huge amount of things I never have worn and won't wear. To charity immediately.

The TV is not going to control my life this year. I have discovered Tivo.

I have never planned a menu for a day, let alone a week. This year I am going to try.

I am going to let go of some of my tendency to judge people. I Don't like that about myself.

Coming is more getting out of the house. Yes I have said that before. Damn.

Another goodbye and hello

This time I am trying to say goodbye to preconceived notions. When I was growing up I was told 1. Not to stand pigeon toed and if I did I would need corrective shoes. 2. To stand up straight and not slump because it was bad for my back. 3. A gap between my front teeth needed a trip to the orthodontist. 4. High heels, esp high heel boots, worn with shorts = hooker. 5. The same with see thru garments. 6. White shoes only between Memorial Day and Labor Day. 7. Socks and sandals are not a good look. 8. Shirts should either be tucked in or left out, not half and half. 8. Tats were for sailors and prisoners. 9. Big jewelry was for gypsies. 10. Men appreciate women with a curve or to and their opinion mattered.

Now I have to face those notions and many many more. I read on pinterest that the problem a lot of women have is that they have listened to love songs, read love stories, and seen love movies. There is that. But there are also the messages I got from my mom. The movie star magazines of my teen years gave us tantalizing glimpses into the lives of true stars. The didn't look real and I don't think we wanted them to look real. As a young woman, high school and college years, I dreamed of the beautiful engagement ring, the proud moment when we told everyone about our love, the wedding-----Stop right there. That is as far as my dreaming went. Jump to the riding off into the sunset as an old married couple. I am beginning to think of the good things about the social media now. The frugal cooks, the cleaning and organizing tips, the activities to do with the children. Wow would I have loved to have those things then.

So here I am, watching totally skinny girls wear stuff I was told not to wear, standing ways I was told were wrong, looking for all the world like aliens to the world of the 50's and 60's. Now the magazines delight in showing how the celebrities screw up, not how wonderful they are. The fashion magazines show designer duds and often the item is listed price on request. You know what that means. In these years of middle class dilemma re the economy, price on request is an insult. I enjoy looking at the blogs of the pretty young women who actually take different pieces of fashion and meld them into their own looks. I applaud them. And I'll admit to a certain glimmer of jealousy. A small glimmer.

But on the news this morning I saw an item about the young women on you tube bragging about their gifts from Christmas. They say they aren't bragging. Yeah right. I saw a small blurb the other day about Kim K going to Haiti to "help". I'll bet those who were bragging about their gifts are K fans. Well I'm trying to say goodbye to those things. I'm trying to focus more on the real world and all the things it faces. Don't get me wrong, I still want to look nice. I still enjoy fashion. I still want my home to reflect me more. I still want to get better organized, lose weight, clean the house better, save money, etc. I just want to do it with a realization of where those ideas fit into the real world.

I admit to being uncomfortable with some of the new fashion stuff. Those boots Gaga wears make me want to scream. The fact that many so called actresses and singers feel the need to show all of their body parts to succeed makes me nauseous. The fact that there are people who use the difficulties of others(Haiti) to make themselves look better makes me sick too. These are things I can do nothing about. My former love of name brands, my need to compare myself to others, my need to feel better when a celeb is having problems. These are things I can do something about. Hello to a closer relationship with the real world.

Starting with goodbyes and hellos

 2011 saw the end of an almost 14 year relationship with the kindest, most intelligent dog/friend ever. She was a good fisherman, a good traveler, a kind soul filled with integrity. She was the best of the best sort of pet/friend, never judgemental and never angry. Missed, greatly. With her on the boat is my honey, who was unfailingly kind to her and loved her as I do. Still.

I am saying Hello to some new wishes. Hopes. Dreams. and Goals. Period. I want to get back to the point of being able to look decent in a dress. I wish I had a waist. This year I'm actively going to see if it can happen. I hope I can remember all of my goals. I dream of being comfortable. These are the old ones. New ones include, lower cholesterol, more energy, less depression, more stamina, renewed spirituality, increased gratitude, and a better bed. In this week between Christmas and the New Year, I am realizing that my attention deficit disorder is a real problem that I never had a name for. I go to sleep at night thinking of the things I want to do. Many and varied things. By the morning I can't remember a single one. And if I think of some during the day, they are almost immediately forgotten. I am going to begin the new year with a fistfull of post it notes and pens. Wow the house will look odd. But I hope it will help.

There will be more goodbyes and hellos to come.

Love y'all

Merry Merry Christmas

I have finally figured it out

 Yep, I've got it. I am a big fan of fashion. I love lace, dots, some animal prints, a few chevrons, and beautiful watercolor look fabrics. But my nerves go haywire with lumpy, bumpy, spotty, holey, and studded. Don't get me wrong. I have a couple of bags with studs. But I have figured out that I prefer smooth, blended colors, soft textures, and simple. The recent Missoni craze from Target made me begin to think about the things I have a problem with and why. I'm still not sure why but I definitely know what.

 The hat has pearls sewn to it. To me that is lumpy and bumpy and it bothers me. Some folks loooooove that look and that is fine. I just can't handle it. The T shirt shown has sharp angles. That's another thing that bothers me.

 This outfit has many things I have a problem with. The vest and blouse are jangling to me and I'm not seeing them enhancing the leggings. It feels messy to me. And below, the shoes are covered with pointy studs. I think they are too high to but the studs just defeat my senses.

I have looked at a lot of pics on Pinterest and I have come to the conclusion that I just can't handle too much print, too sharp angles, too many studs, etc. I have always loved art and I can't handle jangling patterns. I have a top on right now that is heavily patterned and I am not sure I love it. Except that it feels wonderful. Even in music, I have a problem with anything that is jangly. This is obviously something I'll have to live with. 

Clearing it up

 I did not make myself clear. I don't think animal prints are bad fashion. I actually like some of them and would wear some if I happened to find them in my size. I have one top that has an animal print mixed with other things and I love it. I do think that some people take the animal print to a ridiculous extreme. I saw, several months ago, Kim K in an animal print jumpsuit with animal print shoes. I have seen leopard dress with different print coat. I understand mixing patterns. I do. But in the case of leopard, etc, mixing two different prints doesn't get it in my book. So I recommend being careful with the use of the animal prints. The pics included here show my version of those prints done in an attractive and fashionable manner. Of all the fashion faux pas I have seen, overdoing anything is perhaps my least favorite. Except when used as costume as do some performers.

One further note, and I'll leave this one. I feel that a careful use of the animal prints can create an illusion of high fashion or even money. That feels good to me.

I love lace

I have talked about lace done wrong. Now I am going to talk about lace done right. In my opinion, that is. I have fallen in love with the top dress and If (big if) I looked even remotely like that I would wear it proudly. It fits. It fits both the figure and the personality. And instead of covering the legs with some see-thru lace, it allows beautiful legs to shine. I love this look and the fact that it is both dressy and simple.

Who wouldn't want to get married in this lace dress. I think this one used lace to its greatest advantage. The pattern is out there, on the forefront of the look. The beautiful back is still visible but in a subtle way. Lace like this is much more expensive than the average but you don't need tons of yards of it so it is a good value. One thing I have a problem with is spending so much money on weddings. It is something I think should be more about the marriage than about the wedding. It's lovely to have a wonderful day to remember. But if that day is still being paid for a lot later, not so lovely.

This year has been, to my way of thinking, a year to overdo. Partly because of the social media, lots of people have jumped on the bandwagon of following trends. So this year, feathers are appearing in hair and some of the highest heels ever have appeared. Many of these shoes are just ridiculous looking to women who live in Middle America. Other trends to lose, according to fashion critics are---The big overdone mascara look. It seems to be a KK speciality and is seen on a lot of others. I'll bet those folks thought this was a new trend, but here, on Tammy Faye, is proof they are wrong. 

 The bandage dress? I think some women use it to prove they have a good body. Seems some are wrong about that.

There is so much animal print around I can't choose a pic to represent it. Suffice it to say, I've seen it at Walmart and the grocery store, at the gas station and the flea market. Anything to wear can be made in an animal print. And the idea seems to be-I am in style if I have some animal print somewhere on me and the more of it I wear, the more in style I am. And here is where I come back to lace. The feeling seems to be the same. There are lace shoes, bags, coats, earrings, bracelets. Just as there are all of these things in animal print. Wearing a lot of either makes the items look not so good.

I am no style critic. The opinions expressed here are just that-opinions. But I will say, overdoing any trend doesn't come off well. In my opinion.