Lots of Cooking

Dress: Geo Print Pleated Amiya Fit & Flare Dress by Leota (size L) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Fidji 

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-45

I grew to be quite fond of this dress...at first I thought...oh, no...there's  grey in it...but the green & black dominated & the print was unusual. I don't think there are nearly enough dresses that include olive. I especially like the pleating at the waist of this Amiya dress dress...I prefer it to having a tie at the waist to create definition. Great fit & length...as usual with Leota, I had to pin the neckline closed. 

Ever since surgery...I think my boobs look so big. I guess it's just that there's less skin below them? Less of a butt though. 

I love these shoes so much (olive & black patent!) & am thrilled when I have an outfit they work with. Kate got me these...at the same time she bought herself an adorable pair of shoes from Fly London...which I had never heard of before...now I have several pairs. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner & eyeshadow in Mildew, Monroe & Oxide eyeshadow by Natasha Denona, MAC lipliner in Chicory, Bronze Shimmer lipstick from MAC, & China Glaze nail polish in Argo. 

I first threw this dress on to go to the last farmers' market before Christmas with David. We loaded up...spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, onions, cabbage...& other veggie delights. After market, grocery shopping at the co-op...that's Shaun, he's my favorite guy in the fish department. 

I was really on a roll with Andy Baraghani's The Cook You Want To Be...here is his Fall Apart Caramelized Cabbage Smothered in Anchovies & Dill, served with Venison Medallions with Blueberry Sage Sauce that David made. December Boxy Charm. 

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band played a small Christmas show online from their home. Kate was watching it too...we were both surprised how short it was...1/2 an hour? But they are so much fun & I can't wait to see them live again. 

NYT Cooking recipes...Sheet Pan Fish (Salmon) Tikka with Spinach, served with one of our favorites...Brussels with Bacon & Kimchi. My first time back at Pilates after surgery!!! Oh, my goodness...I have lost so much of my core strength, but it felt so good to be back. Later that day...I got my hair cut while wearing this outfit...& Sigrid had the most delicious Enstrom Almond Toffee tempting me on her counter. I had 2...but honestly, I could have eaten the whole bowl...toffee is totally my thing. Popped into Meat People Butcher to pick up a beef tenderloin...Anna is so nice. 

More yummy recipes from The Cook You Want To Be...

And more cooking...Garlicky Beef Tenderloin with Orange Horseradish Sauce, served with Fennel Buried in Cream (my final recipe from Andy's book...for now). The co-op had been out of fennel for weeks, so I stopped by a different store & all they had were these 2 sad looking bulbs...but I was desperate, so I bought them. Why is there a fennel shortage? 

 

People's Tools

Dress: The Memories Dress in Loved Print by Effie's Heart (size 1x) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Willow Bay (size 2x), thrifted

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Merona, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 43-41-57

We all know I adore Effie's Heart dresses...& this was my first time with this style...another fabulous design. The pattern wasn't really my style, but what surprised me was that it was grey, & not black (as GB mentioned). I look terrible in grey (& white)...so I would never have gotten this had I known...but it worked out because I got to try The Memories Dress, which I would seek out in the future. I love the sweetheart neckline, the gathering by the arms, pockets, & the extra full skirt. 

I added a purple cardigan to give me a better color by my face...but there was also a bit of grey in it to go with the dress...& thanks to thrifting & my love of plaid...I actually have grey shoes. 

Better without the too big cardigan...

I didn't realize until I took this necklace off, that a bit of it was missing...& it made me sad because I thought it must have fallen off & was lost forever. However, I looked in the drawer I keep it in & there it was...it must have gotten caught when I opened it...I must be more careful. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Voodoo; Celestial, Drama, & Summer eye shadow by Anastasia; UD lipliner in Big Bang; Currant lipliner from MAC; Spiced Plum lipstick by Bite Beauty; & POP nail polish in This Is A Slick Up. 

Waiting for my doctor...no make-up. I posted these ceiling photos to a Facebook group I am on, Weird (and Wonderful) Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared, because a bit of it showed up in a picture of the cabinet I shared & I had a lot of requests. Big mistake. It blew up. While it was nice to read all the positive comments...over 100 people told me they were going to copy it. And it was ridiculously upsetting to me. I mean, I'm sure I'm not the only person to have done this...but it came out of my imagination & not because I'd seen it anywhere. Now, I know only a small % of people are actually going to follow through...but there was one woman who private messaged me to tell me she was in the process of redoing an old building to make into a coffee shop & this was going to be part of it now. Why does this bother me so much?! Ugh. 

The bottle David had chosen for his mouthwash arrived broken. The woman blamed USPS, but she didn't wrap the heavy glass stopper separately & it was what broke the bottle. I wanted to tell her so she didn't make that mistake in the future, but I was worried she'd feel blamed...so I let it go. It took me hours of searching to find just the right selection of blue bottles to present to David. But in the end, we got a better one...or at least just as pretty. Dotty bracelet from England.

Starting work on my framing project. Oh! This orange purse I found on eBay is perfection...& I've never had anything come easier...I searched for, 'orange leather purse' & this one came up first & I stopped looking. I originally bought the slightly larger one, but the man wrote to say they had sold the last one & gave me several options...the one I took was to get the same bag, same color...just a bit smaller...for $35 less than he was selling it for...& it's actually a better size for me. Marketplace had a table I wanted less than an hour away...so we took a trip to this antique store in Watertown. I have always wanted a jukebox. Someday. 

The table against the wall is the one we came for, but we ended up with all 3 tables pictured, plus the candleholder. 

I spied this lovely house while driving away & wanted to see it closer up...it's not as ornate as the houses I usually am attracted to, but I have a thing for brick houses. Check out the back of this table...both matching tables carry the design all the way around...which is very unusual. All of these tables are extremely well made & I feel lucky to have found them. We went to Target to look for 3 things...none of which they had...there is a reason we do online shopping. But I thought this correction was so very Madison...someone crossed out mens & wrote people's...People's Tools. Let's not gender tools. I agree. 

 

Taming of The Shrew

Dress: Polka Dot Faux Wrap Dress by eShakti (size 18) via Gwynnie Bee

Leggings: LuLaRoe via eBay 

Cardigan: Sigrid Olsen, thrifted

Shoes: Merona, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 45-42-59

I didn't think this dress was anything special, but I loved the outfit I made around it. Also, plaid AND polka dots...yes! The dress was too short to wear without leggings & while I appreciated the snap at the neckline...it often came undone. 

Such a lovely light orange in my Jack Skellingon leggings, cardigan, bracelet, & necklace...with navy in the dress & dots on the leggings, then, of course...dots on the dress, leggings, & bracelet...& plaid in the shoes to match the background in the dress. 

I don't think blue is my best color...but when paired with orange...it works. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Goddess, Nars Mediteranee eyeshadow duo, NYX lipliner in Orange County, Bite Beauty lipliner in 72, Nectar lipstick by Sugarpill Cosmetics, Dozen Carnations lipstick from MAC, & OPI nail polish in Orange You Going to The Game?

My October Boxy Charm...pretty eyeshadow palette & I'm already using the brushes. Some hair products I bought from Brian & forgot to share...I'm especially enjoying the Chi Shine Infusion. Snug Haven (our frost sweetened spinach guy) sells eggs now...the yolks were nice & orange. 

I used the hard boiled eggs to make a salad for David & I for our picnic before we saw the last play of the season. There is a holiday play in December, but it's doubtful we'll be having a picnic that day. I made us a Cobb Salad from a recipe in NYT Cooking that I added things to & it was amazing...definitely going into our summer rotation. 

I love how David always tries to match/co-ordinate with me...

First apples of the season. And...the best version of Taming of The Shrew either of us had ever seen. It was an ideal ending to a mostly great season.

 

Every Day Is Like Sunday

Dress: Boysenberry Floral Print Black Stripe Midi Dress by Taylor Dresses (size 24) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Fluevog Bellevues: Laura Evans

Earring: etXarte

Purple Necklaces: Green Goddess Vintage Jewelry

Grey Polka Dot Necklace, Grape Necklace, & Bracelet: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 50-47-68

I was smitten with the dark colors in this dress...I even liked the grey bits! Lovely dress for a moody day. Good fit & length. The lace at the waist doesn't have any stretch & it came to me with several stitches popped from stress. This dress is lined & extremely heavy. 

I bought these Fluevogs with the intent of painting the grey part, but since I haven't done that yet...they immediately leapt to mind when I saw this dress...perfect, yes? 

This was my first time wearing this grey & black polka dotted vintage necklace...I hardly ever wear grey.

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion, Sin City & Golden Nugget eyeshadow by Too Faced, MAC lipliner in Currant, Homegirl lipstick by Kat von D, & OPI nail polish in Black Cherry Chutney. 

The shoes...should I keep them grey? Hmmm....

I wore this outfit to LEAVE THE HOUSE to get a mammogram...it's been 11 years since my last one. All clear. I wore the other pair of grey shoes I own to walk around in. Davina & The Vagabonds performing live on stage at The Dakota in Minneapolis. 

John Davey playing in my hometown, Marquette. DJs on Twitch playing the soundtrack of my evenings. 

Carsie Blanton, Pat, & Joe doing their monthly rent party. New Wave Saturday night. 

Social Distance Live UnderCovered doing Non English songs. Glenn Crytzer Quartet playing songs of 1938. Sunday night DJ chicks. 

Michael Waite. Working on the Roman shades for the dining room...sewing the lining. 

DJs playing music. And Rye's bed fell off the fainting couch in my office...& he went with it. 

 

Plum Crazy

Dress: Watermelon Print Sigrid Dress by Effie's Heart (size 4x) via Gwynnie Bee

Leggings: Torrid (size 4x)

Sandals: Dansko

Earring: former Etsy shop

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage 

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 55-50-64

I LOVE watermelon, so I was super excited to get this watermelon print dress from one of my favorite brands, Effie's Heart. However, it was so drab in person with the sweatpants grey background...I wish it had been a sky blue instead...to evoke summer watermelon memories. It was still fun for a wear & the fit was spot on. 

I thought adding the pink necklace & watermelon leggings would brighten the outfit up a bit. Others might appreciate the subtlety of a muted watermelon dress, but not me...

I tried to make my eyeshadow look like slices of watermelon...which was a better effect in person as David noticed it without my having to say anything. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Mildew, Kat von D eyeshadow in Pink Flamingos, Cotton Candy Glimmer Shadow from Ace Beautē, trèStique Mini Highlight Stick in Maldives Luminescent, New York Apple lipstick by MAC, & unknown frosted pink polish from OPI. 

I become obsessed with things...since forever. Right now I am obsessed with owning a 1970 (the year I was born) Dodge Challenger in Plum Crazy. Isn't she beautiful?!
We have made the final decision of what trims we desire for our curtains...as many as possible, of course! 

Maximalism at its finest.

Fluevog sale...I can barely walk & I certainly can't walk in heels...but ooooooo, preeeetty...get in my cart! Also, I got this fabulous Indian cotton fabric on eBay...Rye approves. 

Live online concerts...what is currently keeping me from going too crazy. A local band, Whiskey Farm, playing at Olbrich Gardens; Dan Rodriguez; & another great trio of artists from the Green Note...including Carsie Blanton. 

Practice roman blind making...David made me a fancy edge. It's going fairly well, but I keep cutting myself with the rotary cutter. Hurting myself is my special skill. 

More music, my lifeblood...The Lowest Pair & Sean Hayes. Remember that amazing mirror I bought from the fabulous Tracey from Tracey's Fancy?! She goes live every Wednesday on The Dixie Belle Facebook page...& last week she worked on my mirror!!! She painted half of it black...then gold leafed it!!! And then put leopard foil over that *swoon* The other half is going to be completely different. And completely fabulous. 

David worked on the pergola last weekend...it's looking good...he stained & sealed the cedar. Dan went live for a song with his son...it was fairly adorable. 

A video chat with my girlie! This is my super glamorous at home in my nightgown look. And...doggies keeping me company while I sew.