Fish Fry at Glarner Stube

 Dress: Foxfire Faux Wrap Dress in Merlot by Kiyonna (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Teggings: Re/Dress

Boots: Dr. Martens

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Age Before Beauty

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Kate & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I wore this hot little number to have dinner with Kate. I admit I hated this dress at first...it was tighter than I felt comfortable wearing...& that back! However, both Kate & Super Boo really liked it on me...so I felt sorta sexy wearing it. I mean...you have to trust the two people you care about most in the world, right? The asymmetrical hemline, peek-a-boo shoulders, & ruching in front gave this dress va-voom...but I wish the sleeves had been tighter & the back less plunging. I decided to go with a monochrome burgundy palette & combat boots to tough up the titillating vibe. 

Kate & I drove to New Glarus so she could hammock camp for the night...after she set up her site...pictures before dinner. The sun was setting, so we tried various places trying to catch the light. 

I'm scandalous from behind...badunkadunk & revealing low v-back. 

A nice lady offered to take our photo...camping girlie & glam girlie. 

Glarner Stube is known for its Swiss food, particularly their fish fry...& they claim...the world's largest urinal...but I only saw the photo on the postcard they sold. So much fried food! The cheese curds had entirely too much breading on them & their roesti potatoes were brimming with swiss cheese (this would have been heaven for someone who loves swiss cheese, which is not me...cheddar, & I would have to drive the hour each week to devour this perfectly crisp potato delight). My old-fashioned was divine & the fried perch was delectable. 

My make-up this day included...Deep Burgundy eyeliner by Stila; Urban Decay eyeshadow in Alchemy, Bondage, & Sonic; Tannin lipstick from Bite Beauty; & OPI's Lost on Lombard on my nails. 

Good Mail Day

 Dress: Sativa Dress in Spot Print by Lucie Lu (size 5x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: Avenue

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Born

Necklace & Earring: Babil & Bijou

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I wore this outfit to work & out to dinner with Super Boo. This dotty dress was delightful, but a tad too short to buy as it ended just above my knees & coupled with the fullness of the skirt, gave me an odd stunted look, especially from the side. Great surplice neckline that stayed in place without fashion tape. The polka dots on this dress look like they were painted with watercolors on wet paper as the edges bleed out...pretty detail & gorgeous shades of blue, plus I ADORED how lovely it looked with orange! 

After work Super Boo & I had a late dinner at Ha Long Bay...

Then home to a really good mail day...6 new colors of tights...

A stunning palette of eyeshadows & a dress I had long been coveting from Igigi...

I love how my outfit went with the graffiti on this local coffeeshop... 

My make-up this day included...Azure eyeliner by NYX, orange eyeshadow from Make Up For Ever, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Freeze, Korean Candy lipstick by MAC, & OPI's Orange You Going to the Game? on my nails. 

Gwynnie Bee Inspired by You Tour: Chicago

 Dress: Dominique Dress in Cerise Curve by Igigi (size 26/28) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Teggings: Re/Dress

Boots: Fluevog

Purse: Dooney & Bourke, present from Super Boo

Necklace: former etsy seller

Earring: etXarte

Photography: Super Boo, Me, & Alyssa Hubner

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I wore this dress to drive to Chicago for the GB Inspired by You tour. This faux wrap from Igigi was lovely...great length, perfect fit, & marvelous pattern. I've worn this fabric in a top & another dress, but I think this one is my favorite...although the other dress was quite marvelous as well. While this is light enough to be worn all year...doesn't it just look like autumn?? 

These photos were taken with an iPhone 6...after struggling for a few years with the Canon Rebel Super Boo bought me for Christmas...we are going to go back to phone photos. Having to set up the tripod, especially when the metal is freezing in the winter, just isn't fun...& my blog is supposed to be fun. The only thing I will miss about the Canon is the comments. I think the tripod gets more attention than just snapping pics with a phone. My favorite comment in this spot came from a woman riding by on her bike, who shouted, "you are 10 times more beautiful than any model in a motherfucking magazine. I'm serious...10 times more beautiful." 

I drove down to Chicago for the GB tour...& I was a whole 25 hours early. After some phone calls & emails, they generously fit me in an hour before the event began...so I had some time to kill. After relaxing in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria & enjoying this splendid fountain outside, I was incredibly excited to discover a restaurant that served frog legs just a few blocks from the hotel...lunch! Unfortunately, they are only open for dinner, so I ate next door at Gibsons Steakhouse. When I was a little girl, my paternal grandmother used to take me out to eat at fancy restaurants in downtown Detroit & she'd typically order frog legs, so I did too...so even though they don't appear on many menus any more...I still think they are tasty & fill me with nostalgia.

French Dip with fries. Apparently, this place is famous as the walls are lined with signed celebrity photos...including the cast of The Sopranos. 

Finally, 4 o'clock came & I got to meet the infamous Lisa I had corresponded with many times & talked to on the phone...she was just as delightful & cute in person. And...I got to try on clothes that hadn't been released yet. I tried on about 8 things...the Igigi dress was the same style as the one I had been wearing, but with more muted colors...the house brand top was a surprise hit...but the biggest shock was that my favorite garment of the event was this house brand faux wrap dress...those colors! That pattern!!

After I chose my favorite outfit, I wrote reviews of the garments I had tried on, then had my make-up done by the lovely Nika, then wandered around the hotel inside & out with the photographer, Alyssa...& had a bunch of photos taken. So much fun!

These are the faces I make in many of the photos I end up deleting...I'm just grateful she didn't use any of the ones with my tongue sticking out...I know she must have gotten several of those! 

Everyone at the event was incredibly nice & I got to meet the delightful Michelle from The Girls of GB...although we scarcely had time to say more than a few words...doesn't she look radiant...

Speaking of radiant...the light was just perfect in this spot...this is how I appear to myself when I look in the mirror...so often I see close up photos of myself & think...when did I get so old?! I'll just stand here from now on...

My make-up with this dress included...Stila eyeliner in Deep Burgundy; Alchemy, Bondage, Sonic, & Angel eyeshadows by Urban Decay; Nars Cruella lipstick, & Little Red Wagon by OPI on my nails. 

Seascape & Comfort Food

 Dress: Viola Dress in Royal & Black by Cherry Velvet (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: Avenue

Tights: We Love Colors

Boots: Fluevog

Purse: gift from Kate via Etsy

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Earring: Babil & Bijou

Photography: Kate & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I wore this outfit to see an afternoon play with Kate & to go out to dinner afterwards. I love Cherry Velvet...their style & the fact that they make clothing for everyone (size XS-4X)...however, this was not my favorite dress of theirs. Often the 3x fits me in this brand, but certain styles are a bit tight & I wish I could size up. While Cherry Velvet makes size 4x dresses, GB does not carry them. As this dress was too tight on me, I don't feel I can comment much on the fit. I adored the brilliant blue & added red accents throughout the outfit because I loved the way they looked together.  An all solid color outfit with no patterns, what?! 

Kate bought me this lovely Dracula book purse that I dearly treasure & it hangs on my office wall at home right next to me, however, I rarely use it as it can only fit the essentials & I prefer to carry everything I own in my daily bag. 

The gorgeous girlie wearing a GB housebrand dress that she owns. I am not sure why this photo of her is so much lighter than the ones she took of me?? As this was our last play together for the season, we thought the APT sign was an appropriate backdrop. I have one more indoor play with Super Boo in November. The view from my seat...

Edward Albee's Seascape was...interesting. I think the above photo I found online really says it all. Yes, those are 2 people dressed up as lizards...he won a Pulitzer Prize for this play. Kate & I agreed we were pleased to have seen it, but would not need to go again. 

After the play, I was craving mac & cheese...Kate & I decided we'd pick up her boyfriend & go to Graze...but luckily, they were closed on Sunday, so we had to try someplace new. MACS (Macaroni and Cheese Shop) was delicious & exactly what I wanted. I hadn't tried them before because I erroneously thought they were a chain. I had the traditional mac & cheese, Daniel went for the Jalapeño Popper, & Kate picked the best one, Popeye Mac. YUM. Mac & Cheese is my ultimate comfort food. 

My make-up this day included...Deep Blue eyeliner by NYX, Love + eyeshadow from Sugarpill, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Stargazer, Stila Liquid Lipstick in Beso, & O'Hare & Nails Look Great by OPI on my nails. 

Girlie Autumn Drive

 Dress: Dorothy Dress by PLY428 (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee (use my link to get your first month free & help me earn GB credit)

Cardigan: Avenue

Leggings: Roamans

Sandals: Dansko

Earring: etXarte

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Kate & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I wore this dress to go to 2 farmers' markets with Kate, then for a girlie Saturday drive. It may not be so obvious in these photos, but this dress has an asymmetrical hemline, making it scandalously short enough on one side that I needed to wear leggings for decency...especially on this blustery day. Also, the hem was completely unfinished. I adored the bright blue & olivey chartreuse color combination (I tried to mimic it in my eye make-up), the fit was great, & the armholes didn't gape at all. 

The girlie wearing a GB housebrand dress in an autumn print...the neckline of this style did not lay right for her, but I have since fallen in love with this faux wrap on me. Orange tights! I hope I get this dress soon before the leaves have all fallen off the trees. 

After market we drove up to Spring Green so Kate could hammock camp for the night right next to American Players Theatre where we had tickets to a play the following day. There was an adorable old guy at the entrance to the park who asked me...don't you have some trees in your backyard she could camp in? Despite him thinking he had 2 empty sites, they had been taken while he had gone to town for lunch. We drove on to Governor Dodge State Park, but shortly before we arrived...Kate remembered she had forgotten her underquilt for her hammock & she might freeze all her girlie parts off if she tried to sleep overnight without it. So, we drove around the beautiful park checking out the campsites for future reference...& enjoying the lovely autumn day. I love spending time with my girlie! 

My make-up this day included...NYX eyeliner in Deep Blue, Urban Decay Thrash eyeshadow, Burgundy lip cream by Bite Beauty, & China Glaze Budding Romance on my nails. 

Thrifted Outfit

 Dress: Shirred Surplice Dress in Cyan Paisley by Lands' End (size 3x) via Gwynnie Bee Shop 

Cardigan: Talbots?, thrifted

Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Array, thrifted

Necklace: Babil & Bijou

Earring: Wendy Baker

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I wore this outfit for a jaunt to farmers' market on a Sunday & the next day to run errands. I bought this dress for $10 during a 50% off sale in the GB Shop last winter. I am quite fond of Lands' End clothing & am disappointed GB no longer carries it. This jersey knit wrap dress is basically perfect...great fit, easy to throw on, super comfortable, mid-knee length, & adorable. Unfortunately, it came to me a bit too worn out to wear to work, but is fantastic for a casual day of flitting about. My cardigan was $5 & my sandals were $3, both found at Savers during a 50% off sale...look how thrifty I am! 

Since I am terrible at eating breakfast, as in...I hardly ever do...my first stop was to Pizza Hut buffet for lunch. I am sure it has been nearly a decade since I last ate here. I was feeling nostalgic as this was someplace Shane & I used to frequent during our Monday lunches...& it was Monday. Not much has changed. He LOVED that pasta alfredo & always covered his pizza with cheese from the salad bar. It's funny how places remind you of people...there are certainly restaurants we went to more often...but he liked buffets because that boy could really eat...& never gain an ounce. Add Pizza Hut to the list of places I have cried at. 

I found this pretty purple brie baker at a garage sale after farmers' market on Sunday...I always put my baked brie on a plate & it oozes out all over...now it won't. I adore the multiple metal flower sculptures outside my doctor's office, but never noticed this bird in one before. 

I poked around Ulta for a bit & played with some Urban Decay eyeliners that are not a part of my collection & left with mismatched eyes...then perused Savers because they were having a sale & went home with a shirt for Super Boo & a purple paisley skirt for myself...don't they look fun together?! 

At Ulta I picked up the Vegas Nay Stardust palette by Too Faced,  some NYX lipsticks, & an eyeliner that was a dupe of the Urban Decay blue I had tried on. 

My make-up this day included...Urban Decay eyeliners in Electric & Woodstock, UD Junkshow eyeshadow, Buttercupcake eyeshadow by Sugarpill, Teal Tornado brow & hair powder by Anastasia (worn as eyeshadow), a mixture of Bite Beauty Quince & UD Crush lipsticks, & J'adore my Mani by Morgan Taylor on my nails.