Easter // Film Fest // Traveling to Mexico

Dress: Golden Hour Maxi Dress by Free People (size S) via Nuuly

Sandals: Born

Earrings: Kerala Rose

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I can't believe my first reaction to this in person was...oh, it's kind of boring. Wrong! This creamsicle dress was a dream to wear...this peachy color looked amazing on me, the fit was spectacular with the smocked waist, & I adored the drama of the poof sleeves. This cotton dress is ideal for summer...& it was impossible not to feel beautiful wearing it. There are useful pockets & this maxi was the perfect length on me to wear flats with. Sexy neckline...flouncy feminine frock. 

I don't need to buy every dress I look good in. Right?

This necklace is competing a bit with the neckline...I should have chosen something that tapered into the v. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Lucky & Torch, Mediteranee eyeshadow duo from Nars, Sugarpill Cosmetics lipstick in Clockwork, & OPI nail polish in Clubbing Til Sunrise. 

I first wore this dress for Easter brunch: mushroom edition at our house...Kate & Jason came over & I managed to make a mini-feast & not go as over the top as I tend to do. 

Kate was way more on point for this theme than I was...she wore a mushroom dress (we could have twinned), brought a lion's mane elixir & shiitake truffles. 

After eating, we played a new game, Ransom Notes (that we bought because Facebook kept advertising it to me)...I won. 

After Kate & Jason left...we took the doggies on a walk in the neighborhood on a lovely spring day.

We had tickets to see Sasha Velour in Chicago...so I planned a weekend around that...& made reservations for us to stay at Palmer House...which is a stunning old hotel that I've wanted to stay at forever. I also wore this ensemble for the second day of the Wisconsin Film Fest (out of order since Easter came first). David & I had lunch at Great Dane. My favorite film of this day was Leila's Brothers. 

They began with a whole cake...& each day a slice was missing. Kate & I saw a movie together, Blue Jean, & hung out a bit afterwards...where I killed my first mosquito of the year. 

The final time I wore this dress was to travel to Mexico. I flew Madison to Denver to San Diego. I brought along Anaïs Mitchell's Working on a Song to read...she goes through each song in the play & all the changes it went through on its way to Broadway. 

I also went through photos, deleting & editing them for this blog. I always pick a window seat...I love looking out at where we are & all the pretty cloud formations. 

Once I landed in San Diego...I collected my luggage & went outside to meet my driver, who took me to Mexico. I was there for my second round of plastic surgery with BC Plastics. After going through tests & check-in...I settled into my hospital room & ate some food. 

After dinner...Dr. Galvez visited me to talk & mark me up for my surgery the next morning. I was getting a thigh lift (part 1 of 2) & a breast lift (I had about a half cup of fat transferred into each boob from my thighs). That cross is where my nipple was being moved to! I could have had a lift when I was here the first time, but I thought I wanted implants...& have since changed my mind...I didn't want anything foreign in me & I think they look fake. David sent me this picture of what it looked like in Madison...snow in the spring after being in the 70s for film fest weekend. 

My thighs before & after. Inner thighs this time, outer next. Dr. Galvaz removed ~15 pounds of fat & skin...look what a mess my poor thighs were...they stopped moving 30 seconds after the rest of me & I had to wear leggings 2 sizes too big for my waist to the gym. 

The surgery went great & I'm so happy with the results. The pain was & has been minimal. The care & meals at the hospital were wonderful...I really liked this Good Morning tea they served. I did have a terrible experience that I didn't talk about anywhere else on social media...I brought (too much) cash with me to tip all the marvelous people in Mexico...which I locked in the safe in my room (the same as last time) during surgery. The next day when I was packing to go to the hotel, I opened the safe & discovered someone had taken a lot of money from me. I had it divided into 2 bags & they were noticeably lighter...so I counted it...also, money had been moved so it was more evenly distributed. I think the worst part of this is they thought I wouldn't notice. It's just money, right? At least my wedding ring was still there. However, it made me feel violated at a time when I was already feeling vulnerable. Michelle, from BC Plastics, came to my room & that was comforting. I don't blame them, but I was at that hospital because that is where they chose to work out of & it made me feel helpless. I tried very hard not to let this one thief rob me of the experience of doing something positive for my body...but it was difficult. 

 

Self Care // Thrifting // Closet Clean-Out // Joey's Song

Dress: Coffee Cup Meadow Dress by Effie's Heart (size L) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Talbots (size M), thrifted

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Neosens 

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo, Martha, & Me

Stats: 5'7" 37-32-42

Another adorable Effie's Heart dress...a bit shorter than usual...but coffee cups! The pockets are sewn on the front like apron pockets, which I don't like...& there are hearts on the non-functioning buttons. It came to me slightly faded, but I still wore it a bunch. 

I thought I made a rather fetching outfit...cute & comfortable. 

I found these used Neosens on Poshmark last year & this was my first time wearing them. They are a difficult color...a light warm red...but I thought they were ideal with this dress. 

My metal jewelry doesn't get as much wear as the fun colorful pieces...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Sabbath, Heroine eyeshadow from UD, Violet Voss eyeshadow in Gold Coast, Bite Beauty lipliner in 30, MAC lipstick in New York Apple & Head in the Clouds, & ILNP nail polish in Misery. 

I first wore this dress on a day of self care. We took the week off between Christmas & the new year...which was marvelous. And I made my first facial appointment since February of 2020 (I used to go every month). It was fabulously relaxing...my hair is always a complete mess afterwards. I adore Sara at ANiU...I was so excited she was still there...& I discovered she also does massages & pedicures! Then...it was on to my first lymphatic massage with Courtney. I had gone a month before, but she felt that a bit of my healing incisions didn't look right & had me go to my doctor. That ended by being fine, but I appreciate her cautiousness. Also, she is phenomenal...my body feels so much lighter after seeing her & we have a lot in common to talk about (she has a vintage clothing business & loves music).

On my way home from Courtney's, there is a Goodwill. I'm more of a Vinny's fan, but I popped in. I immediately undressed a mannequin & took a gold sparkling dress off her...I also found a fur coat (DKNY, marked 100% dyed leather, but it's fur...I was confused) & some cardigans...it was a small, but worthwhile, haul. Pilates! Then our final Christmas ornament expedition...Klein's Greenhouse. In looking at these photos...I'm wondering...why?! Why didn't I grab an Old World badger bulb? I'm a badger for life after all. Perhaps next year.

Sara had used some new Éminence products on me, so I got them to try at home. I use so much fancy skincare...I should have perfect skin, but I don't. I have visible pores on my nose & some dry patches this time of year. New shoes from Fly London in Teal patent leather, found on Poshmark. New Year's Day...taking down the Christmas tree. My go-to meal of Shrimp with Kimchi & Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Kimchi. 

Car wash picture for David...it's our thing. A cardigan I found on Poshmark. Fluevog makeover from a group I'm on...I have these shoes that I bought to reimagine...right now they are grey (yuck!) with a purple patent outline (where the shoes are brown in this photo)...I want to keep the purple, but cover the grey with something fun. Speaking of Fluevogs...these were the oldest shoes on my wishlist, so when they went on sale, I nabbed them (they only had 2 left in my size). 

My friend Martha offered to come over & help me with the dresses in my closet. But first...I made us lunch...my current favorite, Spicy Shrimp Masala, served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Kimchi. I'd been going through the rest of my clothes without much anguish...but my beloved dresses...I was afraid of the heartbreak & tears. And...it turned out to not be as bad as I feared. Martha was awesome...she's a seamstress, so she was able to tell me which dresses might be easy enough to take in, which needed to go to a professional, & what I should just get rid of. Needless to say, my closet is a disaster. I have piles of dresses everywhere...I've been slowly listing them on Poshmark...where I found these 2 paisley cardigans. 

I also wore this outfit to check out the trunk show at the Verona Vinny's...my first time there. I got up to the register & the total was $400! I don't look at prices, but apparently...most of the trunk show garments were ~$35...so I got rid of a bunch of those & just kept my 3 favorites. Dinner that night...Braised Beef with Gochujang, along with...Charred Cabbage with Salty Peanuts & Nuoc Cham. 

And the final time I wore this dress was to my first concert of the year at The Sylvee, Joey's Song...a benefit raising money for epilepsy. The staring band was The Know-It-All-Boyfriends (featuring Madison members of Garbage: Butch Vig & Duke Erikson, Freedy Johnston, & other musicians I don't know). Their bag policy gets me every time...I don't own a tiny wristlet...so I had to cart my purse back to the car. At least I had coat pockets. 

The Nielsen Trust (Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, his sons Miles {I've seen his band The Rusted Hearts & they're good} & Dax, & Miles' wife). Tanya Donelly, Gail Greenwood, & Kay Hanley (from Belly & Letters to Cleo).

Joel Hodgson (MST3K), Dave Pirner & other members of Soul Asylum, & Cory Chisel (no one introduced him...?!). 

Cory with a choir. Charlie Berens (Manitowoc Minute) was hilarious. 

He auctioned off a tackle box he bought on Craig's List that day for $5, along with a signed Garbage album & the ice scraper from his car. Portugal. The Man. Members of the other bands kept joining each other on stage & it was obvious they were enjoying themselves (& the free alcohol). 

Finally, The Know-It-All Boyfriends took the stage...& were joined by other musicians on & off...my favorite moment of the evening was when they all did Oasis' Don't Look Back in Anger. The show began at 7, & I ended up leaving at 10:30 because it seemed they might keep playing forever. It was a fun night. 

 

NYE at L'Etoile

Dress: Hibiscus Heaven Maxi Dress by Free People (size L) via Nuuly

Cardigan, Purse, & Bracelet: Vintage

Shoes: Fluevog, Poser: Shiloh 

Necklace & Earrings: Green Goddess Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 37-32-42

This dress is fancier than it appears...with lace & intricate gold embroidery...so many pretty details...I only wish it had been warm weather season so I could have shown off the back. This dress is mostly cotton, but quite heavy with all the fabric & lining...I still think it would work as a summer evening dress...perhaps in India at a fancy restaurant...that's my fantasy anyway. This dress is long enough that I needed to wear heels (I would have anyway). Had I gotten it in a size smaller, I probably would have bought it...it was perfection. 

I felt SO lucky that this vintage 50s cashmere cardigan had arrived in the mail just in time. With its intricate beading, it was elegant enough to make this dress winter appropriate. 

Just as we began taking these photos (outside the capitol), it started to snow. 

This is what I adore about vintage...the attention to details...the beading continues on the back...

Look at how perfectly these Fluevogs go with my outfit...like they were made for it. 

I decided not to wear my fanciest black vintage parure...only the bracelet. The necklace would have taken up the entire décolletage.

My make-up with this outfit included...Lucky & Torch eyeliner from Urban Decay; Ankh, Hieroglyph, & Prophet eyeshadow by Kat von D; NYX lipliner in Pumpkin; Gothica lipstick from Kat von D; Bite Beauty lipstick in Toast; & ILNP nail polish in Pumpkin Patch. 

New Years Eve Day...I forgot Batch closes down for ~a month after Christmas. I wanted some sweet pastry treats for brunch the next morning, so I decided to try my luck at Bloom...& I wasn't the only one. This whole process took just over an hour. I got: Cranberry Almond Danish, Pan au Chocolate, Morning Bun, & a Brownie. Spoiler alert...we took about 1 bite of each one & threw them away. They weren't horrible, but they certainly weren't worth spiking our blood sugar. Batch is still the best bakery in Madison. 

That night...we began the evening at Lucille...we had a 5pm reservation at L'Etoile, but we were early due to wanting to take pictures while it was still light outside. 

I love these cufflinks we found at Elkhorn. Husband & wife Fluevogs. These are my favorite pants of David's...& they are now too big on him...but I think it might be worth having them taken in as they were made in Italy & have such a great shape. 

Cocktails at the bar at Lucille...then a walk down the street to L'Etoile...it's not far, but the sidewalks were extremely slippery from the snow/rain. 

Picture time before the doors opened...we wanted to eat early to avoid drunken traffic. 

We got the best seat in the house, front & center with this lovely capitol view. 

The menu...David & I ordered 2 things from each course & shared them...like we always do. The exception was dessert as neither of us was particularly interested in the others. 

We got the wine pairing for the meal, which started, of course, with a glass of champagne. Another photo of David's cufflinks. After the welcoming bite, above, the amuse bouche arrived...I think it was a smoked sturgeon with cheve foam.

The wine was all perfectly paired, of course...their sommelier, Michael, has been working there for over 30 years. 

First course...Spicy Yellowtail Tuna & Fischer Family Farm Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio (all descriptions in the menu above). Michael kept coming to the table with more wine. We found out later, after commenting to our server how great he & Michael had been, that our waiter was his son. 

I try to look good in photos, I really do...but I rarely pull it off. 

On to the pasta course...with bread. Mortadella Agnolotti & Dreamfarm Chèvre Gnudi. 

Third course...Maine Lobster & Kyuquot Gindara Sablefish.

Fourth course...Seven Seeds Organic Chicken Pithivier & Fischer Family Farm Ribeye au Poivre.

David loves Port...

And finally, dessert...Doughnuts for me & a Wisconsin Artisanal Cheese Platter for David. It was a wonderfully decadent dinner. And later, Carsie played live online to help ring out 2022.