Mala // Brian Visits Madison: Thrifting // Sultan // Sal's

Dress: V-Neck Floral Maxi Dress by Forever That Girl (size M) via Nuuly

Sandals: Born

Necklace: Heidi Daus via Ebay

Earrings & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I had this maxi last fall & was delighted to get to wear it again. I adore the colors, pattern mixing, & design. I wore this earlier in the season this time around...warmer weather...so no cardigan was needed or a bra. I will never get over not having to wear a bra...sooo freeing. The fit on this was tts, however, the cut is very flowy & it looks like a maternity dress...I would have preferred more fitted, but I still enjoyed wearing it.  

Neither Kate nor I can remember what she said to crack me up...but David snapped about 50 shots of me laughing. 

The Shitty Barn makes a lovely backdrop & the lighting is often good there...

I love this style of Born sandals...too bad they fall apart...these are still hanging on though. 

Still bruised from surgery (these photos were taken back in August). I challenged myself to choose all different jewelry than the last time I wore this dress. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Torch & Lucky; Azalea, Jasper, & Agate eyeshadow by Natasha Denona; NYX eyeliner in Pumpkin; Hypnotic Rust lipstick from Make Up For Ever; & OPI nail polish in A Woman's Prague-ative.

I first wore this dress to American Players Theatre in Spring Green with my 2 favorite people...a nice lady offered to take our photo...weird angle. 

Cute, cute, cute (this is what I say when I'm taking pictures instead of cheese)...

David can't take photos with me without kissing me...it's adorable...

David & Kate in our front row seats of Mala (we laughed, we cried) inside. This was an afternoon play...so we picnicked afterward. I made us another new recipe, Charred Corn Salad with Peaches & Cucumbers (all in season at the time) & guacamole...it was delicious. And Kate brought a bottle of NA sparkling rosé.

Since 3:30 is between lunch & dinner...we had the picnic area to ourselves...

except for these turkeys. Kate had gotten a text from Ghia (NA beverage) about new places carrying their products & one was Wander Provisions in Spring Green...they provide food for The Shitty Barn...

What a charming store! We all got a few things. And David & I ended up with ice cream...the woman scooping it out was the maker! 

David chose Dark Chocolate & Espresso...& I went with 1/2 sweet corn & 1/2 caramel corn...YUM. Then we took these outfit photos at the barn on our way out of town. It was a splendid day. Then I came home to some cute shoes I found on Poshmark. 

The second time I wore this maxi was back when Brian was visiting Madison over Labor Day Weekend (I'm always behind)...after farmers' market, we went home & got ready for the day & I convinced him we should go thrifting...so we drove out to Verona...first stop, Vinny's. I found this fabulous black with silver sparkles jumpsuit in size 3x...I immediately posted to Facebook because I was hoping someone would snap it up. I was braless on this day, which is why I cropped my upper half off (I'd totally show you my boobs, they're fabulous, but I don't want to make this blog X-rated...oh, no...boobs! panic!)...

Brian didn't find a thing at Vinny's...how is that even possible?! But he did at our next stop nearby, Goodwill.

My small haul, plus I found a shirt for David. 

For dinner, we decided to check out the new Pakistani restaurant on Willy Street...Sultan. $4 Masala Mules?! Oh, this sounds promising. Thank goodness it was happy hour...Brian ordered a $22 cocktail, Zameen Aur Asmaan (Jaisalmer Indian gin, maraschino liqueur, fresh dill, lime)...all their drinks are overpriced. They are a no tipping restaurant, so I guess that's how they make up for that? 

Our waiter was weird & off-putting...we had to ask for clarification on several dishes because they weren't explained very well in the menu & he was very robotic & unfriendly. At this point...I was still excited about this place...& then our food started arriving...all at once...it didn't even fit on our tiny table & I had to put plates on the empty table next to us. I mentioned it was too much to our waiter, but he said that's how they do it. The food got cold. It didn't matter because it was all so salty it was barely edible. Again, we told our server & he replied something like, sorry you feel that way. We did order one delicious thing & I'm grateful we got 2 of them, the garlic naan was the best I've ever had. 

What else was on the table: Chukandar Aur Aam Ki Salade (beets, mango, pickled red onion, mint), Murgh Karahi (spiced chicken, tomato, yogurt), Nihari (braised beef shank, ginger, cilantro), Bhae Ki Sabzi (lotus root, ginger, tamarind & green chutney), & Tandoori Salmon (cucumber ribbons, ginger-lime dressing). We also ordered a second round of drinks...why? For Brian, Falsafa (Belvedere vodka, chai, cinnamon, cardamom) & I had a Aam Ki Hawa (Jaisalmer Indian gin, mango nectar, ginger ale, fresh ginger).

After our disappointing meal, we headed over to North Street Cabaret to catch a jazz show...my hand on the door...Brian asks, are we sure we want to go? And off we drove to Sal's on Livingston. It was a gorgeous evening & the hostess told me to sit wherever I wanted...I decided on a couch with cushions as we were only going to have cocktails & didn't need a table to spread out...best decision of the day. I began with my favorite drink from last time, A Currant Affair (Death's Door gin, Aperitivo Nonini, champagne currant syrup, lemon).

We opted for drinks & dessert...despite being stuffed. It was wonderful. 

A second round. And Brian couldn't resist getting a pie to go (& enjoying a slice immediately). It was a perfect night with my forever friend, relaxing & I wish I was there right now.