Knee Replacement Consultation

Dress: Navy & Pink Speckled Faux Wrap Dress by Donna Morgan (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee

Leggings: LuLaRoe via eBay (TC2)

Shoes: Born

Earring: Kerala Rose

Necklace: Wendy Baker 

Bracelets: Vintage 

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 47-45-65

This multi colored speckled dress reminded me of leopard print, so of course I adored it. I loved everything about this dress...the fit, shape, length, print, colors...great work dress, although I did have to pin the neckline closed. 

Let's talk about the leggings...I am fully aware they weren't the best choice. In person...a lot of the colors were similar, even the mint...but in reality, the prints just clashed & I should have worn plain pink teggings.

This is my pink summer...I've been wearing this lipstick a LOT...I like it. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Alkaline; Totally Fetch, Café au Lait, & Sprinkles eyeshadow from Too Faced; Big Bang lip liner & lipstick; & OPI nail polish in Can't Hear Myself Pink!

The first strawberries of the season that I was able to snag at market. David went to Saturday market with me as Kate was on vacation. Some fabulous music played by the lovely DJs of Twitch. 

I had been eagerly awaiting this knee replacement consultation as this particular doctor has a history of doing them with patients with a higher BMI. I had to drive ~30 minutes out of town...totally worth it. Obviously. I LOVED him & his nurse & everyone he chose to work with him. It feels like an excellent fit, & not just desperation because this doctor is my only hope of getting this surgery in 2021. Unfortunately, since I recently had a steroid injection, we had to wait 90 days out from that. I am scheduled for a knee replacement on August 24th!!! I am excited & terrified. I've never had surgery before & this is a big one. I made the mistake of searching for "knee replacement" on Reddit...a lot of good info from people who've had the surgery came up, also a picture of one in progress. I can't unsee that. I told my mom & she said, oh, your dad was awake & he was watching it on the monitor!?!! So, I am hopeful for a future where I can WALK. More Twitch DJ music. 

Dinner with Angie & Freddie. This week David made us pork chops, mushrooms, & scapes on their charcoal grill (delicious) & Angie concocted a delightful salad from their CSA offerings for the week. Freddie let me read him 2 books on the couch while David was outside cooking...& later asked David to read them again. Such a cutie! 

 

22nd Girlieversary

Dress: Emeline Pleated Midi Dress by Anthropologie (size 3x) via Nuuly (use my link & we both get $10 off)

Sandals: Born

Jewelry: Colleen Toland, present from Super Boo

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 50-47-68

I wasn't expecting to love this dress as much as I did. I just adore exposed shoulders...not sure why, I just find it sexy. This dress was a disaster up top...I had to take in several inches & pin both sides in place to be able to wear this dress. I guess what I'm saying is, this dress was too big on me & I would have fit a size 2x better. However, I still think dress makers expect me to be bigger up top than I actually am...but I might have had to take in less? Anyway...all worth it because I felt beautiful in this dress & that is always a good thing. 

I'm not normally a fan of the belts that come with dresses & rarely (never?) wear them...but I liked this delicately braided matching fabric belt...it felt a bit Greek Goddess to me. 

Kate said my jewelry looked like fairy jewelry to her, especially my bracelet. David bought me this set, & honestly...I would have never picked these pastel colors for myself...but this is already my second wearing of it. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew; Cotton Candy, Totally Fetch, & Sprinkles eyeshadow from Too Faced; Self Kelp eyeshadow by Mon Ennui; Big Bang lipliner & lipstick by UD; & OPI nail polish in Can't Hear Myself Pink!

What?! Dining in a restaurant with my girlie! Celebrating 22 years of friendship with a glass of sparkling rosé at Tempest. We were here 2 years ago on our 20th girlieversary. 

It was so weird being out at a restaurant after all this time...I forgot how to order oysters or behave (I have never been good at that one). The oysters were marvelous (I prefer the brinier East coast ones vs the sweeter West coast). Kate had a delicious humungous seaweed slaw/salad that I "helped" her by eating 1/2 of. 

I always forget to ask them to skip all the condiments...I like my oysters with a squirt of lemon & nothing else. Kate had...swordfish? And I had halibut? I forgot to take a photo of the menu, so I can't remember (out of practice). Kate's was better. I had a completely lovely magical evening out with my girlie...having over a year off from normal life really makes you appreciate it so much more. 

I came home from my fabulous evening to this duochrome purple/blue water bottle that I'd been wanting. And then I watched a bit of DJ Baby Berlin spinning tunes. 

 

Fuck Fascism Never Fuck A Fascist

Dress: V-Neck Yellow Floral Dress by London Times (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee

Teggings: Re/Dress, RIP

Sandals: Born

Earring: Wendy Baker

Necklace: Green Goddess Vintage Jewelry

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 50-47-68

This dress from GB was quite conservative for me...but it was a good wear to work dress. I can't resist anything yellow...it's just so happy...& navy is a natural pairing. This dress was too big on me, but I should have gone down a size...I'd say it's true to size. The wide smocked waist gave a nice shape & would easily be wearable whether it was too big or too small. 

We had to take photos in the middle of the day when we were coming home from work...so the lighting is a bit off.

This is my first time wearing this yellow flower necklace, it's perhaps a tad fancy for this casual dress...but it's been rejected too many times. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Sabbath, Candles & Wrapped eyeshadow by Lime Crime, Sugarpill Cosmetics eyeshadow in Buttercupcake, Head in the Clouds lipstick from MAC, & an unknown red OPI nail polish. 

Some music on Twitch. Some products for my nails picked up at Sally Beauty Supply...because the professional beauty suppliers in town no longer carry fiberglass or resin...everyone does gel or acrylics. I bought this shirt from Carsie after watching her last online performance where she was wearing it in pink...this is red. 

 

The Mountain Top

Dress: Paisley Maxi Dress by Anthropologie (size 24) via Nuuly (use my link & we both get $10 off)

Sandals: Born, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: former Etsy shop, gift from Kate 

Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 50-47-68

I was in LOVE with this dress...black background with paisley print maxi dress?! Oh, yes. The fit & length were great. I have nothing negative to say about this beauty.

I end up wearing a lot of dresses that aren't really "me"...either because I'm renting them & want to try something new...or I bought it thinking I liked it more than I actually end up doing. I'm not sure what to do about that. I mean...once upon a time I wore mostly black. I like to explore & experiment with fashion...but sometimes that means I don't LOVE an outfit. Is that alright? I guess it is, because the alternative is getting stuck in a rut. 

The beads at the end of this earring kept getting caught in the metal flowers. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion, Huda Beauty Desert Dusk palette, Sephora eyeshadow in Chrome No 4, Pumpkin lipliner by NYX, Gothica lipstick from Kat von D, & OPI nail polish in Deutsch You Want Me Baby? 

Our little Final Fire Japanese Maple...so cute! I got all glammed up Memorial weekend & the following week to spray paint outdoor furniture. I got sunburned through my shirt! Listening to UnderCovered bands covering New Order while I painted. 

Spread out on tarps...various metal chairs & tables getting some color. I took 2 trips out to restock some spray paint I needed...apparently there is a shortage & both places were out of the colors I wanted. I was able to order most of them online. However, Rustoleum has discontinued Army Green...I adore that color. 

We picked up this adorable butterfly bench at Deconstruction, Inc a few years ago & it's been sitting on our front patio painted the original light yellow (boring)...but, not anymore...just in time for Pride month...

David & I went to see our first indoor show of the season at APT, The Mountain Top. It was a lovely day...we brought a snack of charcuterie, cheese, & nuts...& shared this tasty bottle of Michigan sparkling wine

We sat on a bench outside the theatre as all the picnic tables below were taken (that were possible for me to get to with my terrible knee)...gorgeous view & we were the only people there. The best meal EVER at Angie's! I know...it's just burgers, right?! But David made them on their new charcoal grill & he got the cook *just* right (slightly more than rare for me, but not taken quite as far as medium rare). Also, Angie bought some good meat from a random guy on FB Marketplace that raises cows. We wrapped those patties in CSA lettuce, served with a side of dux celles (shiitake, shallots, butter, wine) that David made, grilled asparagus, & a glass of wine...perfection. I say this every time...but it is so fun to watch David & Freddie together. 

 

The Return of APT

Dress: Button Front Shirtdress by Hutch x Maxey Greene (size 3x) via Nuuly (use my link & we both get $10 off)

Cardigan: Isaac Mizrahi Live (size 3x)

Boots: Doc Martens

Earring: former Etsy shop

Long Necklaces: Green Goddess Vintage

Orange Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 50-47-68

Another fabulous maternity dress rented from Nuuly. I was the first person to wear this as the tags were still attached. Gorgeous shade of sage green & just the right length to let my orange Doc Martens peek out. I was also wearing warm knee high socks in sage to help keep my legs warm. I'm not typically a fan of shirt dresses...but this one had such a billowing bottom that I adored it. The drawstring waist hit me just under the bust (my ideal...& why maternity dresses really work for me), & there were deep pockets. The only negative were the useless breast pockets...which were hardly visible in this busy print. 

This was the first occasion I had to wear these orange Docs with orange laces. I love them. 

Orange & green are one of my favorite color combinations...I looked like autumn on a brisk spring evening.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew; Blaze, Baja, & Wanderlust eyeshadow by UD; NYX lipliner in Pumpkin; Toast lipstick from Bite Beauty; MAC lipstick in So Chaud; & OPI nail polish in Man Of La Mancha. 

I didn't even know I needed these Fluevog Half Truth Bronte boots until I saw them for sale on Fluemarket...they are gorgeous. And I finally found a Kleenex cover for our bathroom...& a bonus wastebasket cozy. A little night music on Twitch. 

The girlie & I in our front yard...what are we doing?! Where are we going?! Are we GOING somewhere...what?!!! Waiting for Angie to pick us up...

to go to APT!!!

The 3 of us all brought something to share & we picnicked like it was 2019. It was the best picnic EVER...none of us even cared about the play...we all just wanted to go because it was the first one. 

Angie wins at low carb desserts...which is no surprise since she is a dessert queen. This blueberry tart/crumble was amazingly delicious. This was the opening night of the play, An Improbable Fiction, & Jim (author of the play & APT actor) & Brenda Devita (APT artistic director) were in the audience in front of us. It was a lovely evening & a side benefit of the mask...it kept my nose warm on a chilly night.