Them Coulee Boys at Stoughton Opera House

Dress: Zahara Wrap Dress by Lusana (size 1x) via Nuuly

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Franco Sarto, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Flower Necklace: Jael Designs

Longer Necklaces: Green Goddess Vintage

Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 43-41-57

I tried this dress on & it was an immediate no...it was a cotton summer dress that didn't cover my boobs...what was I going to do with that in Wisconsin in February?! But I came back to it a few days later & made this outfit that I rather liked. It's mostly all the earth-tone colors that I adore. I might try this dress again in the summer, however, the back is too low to wear a bra without it showing...so...

My closet is full of things that are too big on me...but I was able to snap the tags off this never worn blouse & wear it under this too small dress. It's lacey & see-through...with a warm paisley pattern...it might be worth taking it in. 

It was snowing while taking these photos...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Roach, Naked Honey eyeshadow palette by UD, Chicory lipliner from MAC, Gothica lipstick by Kat von D, & OPI nail polish in Tulsa Tootsie Roll-a. 

Amanda Palmer & Jherek Bischoff rehearse live from different continents...I loved all the strings & how Jherek was conducting them from afar. Supremely icy day...David drove the car as close as he could to our front door & then ripped the mat off the front porch & flipped it over for better traction so I didn't fall. Awwww...these are the things that make me feel loved. 

Rug #2 for the living room...another nope. It's difficult to see all the colors online...there was too much pink in this one for our liking. New to me Fluevogs bought on Poshmark. Batty bat...meet Tepes (Vlad the Impaler). I wore this dress while getting a haircut. For the past year & a half, my hair has been falling out...it can be a side effect of trauma on the body (large weight loss, knee surgery)...but we don't really know. I was hoping it would stop by now, but it's just gotten worse...so I had to cut my hair & I hate it...but I hate it less than I did before, so, there's that. Thinking/talking about it makes me cry.

Making dinner...West African Peanut Chicken with Esme's Rough Squash Mash...before heading to Stoughton to see Them Coulee Boys at The Opera House. 

Front row...these boys are so great...it was a fantastic show...& apparently I'm so enthusiastic that the woman next to me asked if I was related...?!

Selfie with the stage...driving home slowly in the snow.

 

Davina at The Stoughton Opera House

Dress: Starry Midnight Dress by Eva Rose (size 1x) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Torrid, thrifted

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 43-41-57

I'm always a fan of these cotton Eva Rose fit & flare dresses...they are more suited to summer because of their weight & sleeveless-ness, but cardigans make anything cold weather appropriate...in my mind. Great fit & length...with useable pockets. 

Classic B&W with pops of red.

Polka dots are a neutral. 

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX eyeliner in Jet Black, Too Faced eyeshadow, Urban Decay lipliner in 714, Russian Red lipstick from MAC, & OPI nail polish. 

I finally finished Round 1 of my framing project...9 Heather Renaux prints framed in frames I glitzed up a bit. 

They are hanging up behind this lamp in my office...& I've since ordered additional prints...so back to being covered in glitter. A delightful dinner before running off to a concert with Kate & Jason...Davina & The Vagabonds. 

A vaccinated & masked event...front row. It was an amazing show...it was evident how much they've missed playing for live audiences. 

 

Songwriters Round at Slowpoke

Dress: Floral Emerald Dress by Unique Vintage x GB (size 0x) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Charter Club Woman, thrifted 

Socks: b.ella from Sock Dreams

Shoes: Fluevog, Unity: Aimee

Earring & Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Purse: 80s vintage, remixed 

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 43-41-57

This cutesy floral dress that I made even more so with knee socks...it was alright. Great fit & about the shortest length dress I'd want to wear. It came to me a little pilled & the fabric felt cheap...but I liked the bright green.

Am I too old for this look?? Is there such a thing? I mean, my baggy knees don't get to be shown off that often. This was my first time wearing these pink Fluevog's. 

Back in 1989, shortly after I moved to Madison...I bought 2 purses at the mall that had big clocks in them...I immediately took those out & used the space to make little collages. In this pink purse, I bought a Marilyn Monroe postcard from Urban Outfitters, & pasted that on some purple velvet, along with a vintage rhinestone necklace.

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

On Thursdays I go grocery shopping...since I had to go to the west side to get meat from Conscious Carnivore, I decided to check out Metcalfe's instead of the co-op. They have a wonderful cheese & seafood department...I've picked up the odd thing there, but never actually did a shopping trip. They were alright...they don't carry garnet sweet potatoes (my favorite), or even state what kinds of sweet potatoes they are selling. Odd. So, I ended up at the co-op for those & a few other things. For dinner that evening...I made Fante-Fante (a fish stew) from Zoe's Ghana Kitchen...it was delightful...but those onions were amazing...a Yotam Ottolenghi creation, Miso Butter Onions. Making dinner. Being cute. Following dinner, I drove out to Spring Green...To attend Slowpoke Lounge's monthly Songwriters Round...which was supposed to feature 3 women, but one couldn't make it. The two that did though *wow*...fabulous...Annie Emmenegger & Sophia Landis. Sophia described Annie's voice as...warm, tasty, rich, & raw.

 

The Blues

Dress: Atlantic Blue Tiered Midi Dress by Taylor Dresses (size 14) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Moda Spana, thrifted 

Earring: Wendy Baker 

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 43-41-57

This various shades of blue midi dress was pretty, but sooooo conservative. I liked the smocked sleeves, how the elastic waist v-ed up under the chest, & the flowy layers. There was nothing wrong with this dress, but it was a one & done for me. 

I wore this dress to work & hang out at home. 

It was an extremely windy day.

My make-up with this outfit included...NYX eyeliner in Deep Blue; Heroin, Freeze, & Lucky eyeshadow from Urban Decay; Gash lipliner from UD; NYX lipstick in Alabama; Modern Maven Liquid Suede by NYX; & Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics nail polish in Black Medal Dahlia. 

Carsie & the boys playing online. I watched while I worked on my frame project. Doggies cuddled up next to me in my home office. We ordered a fancy pants purple dog bed for this room, but from the Ukraine. So...

Selfie at the office to send to my boyfriend. And speaking of André, he very sweetly sent me this Fluevog book. And we got a black paddle for our Kitchen Aid because the one that came with it wasn't doing so well. 

 

Valentine's Day // Miz Cracker

Dress: Zebra Burnout Maxi Dress by Hutch (size 16) via Nuuly

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Fluevog, Baroques: Reubens 

Earring: Green Goddess Vintage

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Purse: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 43-41-57

The fit on this elegant gown was perfection. I adored the cold shoulder sleeves that allowed my tattoo to peek out...& the sheer long sleeves that showed off the burnout zebra print. This was the exact right length maxi for me...I wore heels because I wanted to & not because I had to. The neckline was a bit low, but my super long heavy necklace covered that up. 

I wore my burgundy Fluevogs that I haven't worn since my wedding...I put them on myself & walked in them...2 things I couldn't do back then. 

This was my first time wearing this fabulously dangly black sparkly earring that Gayle from Green Goddess Vintage sent me with my last order...totally unexpected...how did she know I needed an earring just like this?!

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion, Sin City & Golden Nugget eyeshadow from Too Faced, Kat von D eyeshadow in Raw Power, Blood Milk lipliner by Kat von D, Deep Ruby lipliner from Sephora, Black Metal Dahlia Lip Tar & nail polish by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.

David & I typically ignore Valentine's Day...even though it was the day we first met (19 years ago). However, we decided to celebrate it this year because our favorite restaurant, Heritage Tavern, put together a special menu that was too tempting to resist, & also, we had tickets to see Miz Cracker (rescheduled from 2020) at The Majestic...so we decided to make a night of it. We shared lots of tasty food, but also came to the conclusion that special occasion nights are not the best choice for great food. 

I began the night with their cocktail special of the day, True Colors (brandy & sherry base with lemon juice, Greek yogurt, cranberry & rosemary syrup). David chose the 131 Bourbon Street (Rittenhouse rye, Calvados, Benedictine, Punt De Mel, Angostura & Peychaud's bitters). (The amazingly delicious) Snack Plate, which consisted of: Beef Tartare (deviled egg, quail yolk, brioche crouton), Smoked Whitefish Toast with Smoked Trout Roe, Crispy Pork Belly & Rice Noodle Spring Roll with truffled fish dipping sauce. 

We both chose different courses so we could share/taste everything we wanted. Our first courses were: Foie Gras & Chicken Liver Mousse (Hawaiian sweet bread, ginger-kumquat & chili preserves, hickory nut) & Lobster Bisque (caviar whipped cream, chervil oil, pickled ramp, sweet potato). Cocktail #2: Bellini Sfumato (Tito's vodka, Sfumato amaro, creme de peche, sage syrup, Jamaican #1 bitters, lemon juice, cava). 

David's next cocktail El Medico (El Bujo mezcal, Don Q rum, Smith & Cross rum, Korbel brandy, Curacao, Demerara syrup, lime, pineapple, Angostura bitters). There was only one second course that appealed to us, so we each got our own. Duck Confit Ravioli with Fried Duck Egg (foraged mushrooms, truffle, pecorino cheese). Final cocktails of the evening: Pistachio Mai Tai (Plantation Dark & 3 Star rums, Trois Rivieres Rum Ambré, pistachio orgeat, Pierre Ferrand curaçao, Demerara, lime) & David had cocktail envy & ordered the special cocktail that I began with, True Colors. 

Our Third Courses: Grilled Beef Tenderloin & Braised Beef & Foie Gras Pierogi (roasted garlic potato puree, Brussels sprouts leaves, glazed radish, sauce Perigord)...but, where is the pierogi?! Juniper & Coriander Crusted Berkshire Pork Loin (Rush Creek Reserve potato gratin, bacon braised red cabbage, foraged mushroom cream sauce).

The forgotten pierogi, because of the mix-up...they brought us out 3 instead of 1...with LOTS of extra truffles shaved on top. 4th course, dessert: Almond Cake (roasted plum curd, smoked cardamom cream, honey salted caramel) & Heritage Sundae (milk chocolate ice cream, J. Henry bourbon-butterscotch, vanilla bean nougat crème). Overall, the dinner was lovely...but we decided we're going to take a break from Heritage for a while as it wasn't as fabulous as it usually is...I blame the holiday. 

Miz Cracker, one of our favorite drag queens from Drag Race. And an outfit change (I was dressed better...wouldn't you agree?). 

After the show, we walked next door to Lucille, where I drank an El Diablo (Milagro Reposado, raspberry syrup, lime juice, ginger beer) & David had a Mexican Firing Squad (Lunazul Blanco tequila, El Buho Mezcal, agave, lime juice, Angostura bitters). Mixologist mixing. And our favorite, Steel Pan Pork Shoulder nachos. It was a delightful evening.