Workin' & Thriftin'

Dress: Flutter Sleeve Floral Fit & Flare Dress by Taylor Dresses (size 8) via Gwynnie Bee

Sandals: Born via Poshmark

Earring & Necklace: Wendy Baker

Bracelets: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

Colors completely out of my color palette...& a fabulously unusual combination with the dark olive green thrown in with the turquoise, lilac, & white. Great length, adored the 2 layered flutter sleeves & high side slit. Lined in lilac. Pretty summer dress, my only complaint is...again...the smocked waist starts too far up...am I just getting the wrong size? This seems to be happening a lot this summer. 

The slit looks innocent enough above...but I wore this on 2 windy days & it was quite revealing. 

I find these floral wedges with flowers printed on the cork appealing...the cork doesn't hold up as well as I'd like...but I'm still considering picking these up in coral. 

This *might* be my first time wearing both the earring & necklace from Ms. Wendy...or second...either way, they are too cute to just sit at home, but they don't often match what I'm wearing. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Abyss & Deep End, Twilight & Amethyst eyeshadow by Huda Beauty, UD eyeshadow in Mildew, Flashback lipstick from UD, & OPI nail polish in Next Stop...The Bikini Zone & Purple with a Purpose. 

Dogs playing in the backyard on the morning Brian left to drive back to the UP...we were sipping coffee...then headed over to the local Sunday market. Where there was music & food...& I wore my pajamas & not this dress. 

I got some rather tasty tamales from El Sabor de Puebla, one chicken, one pork...I'd definitely get the pork ones again...& 2 for $5...ridiculous deal. Brian got a grilled lamb skewer with a side of bean fritters at Les Delices De Awa...which I think both of us found not nearly as flavorful as they smelled. And I brought myself home some sunflowers. 

After Brian left, David & I decided to tackle the rearranging of our spices. It was slightly overwhelming...but look at the organization...

All of this represents 7 hours of work by both me & David. We had SO many spices that were all over the place. We used our new kitchen island to store chili & spicy blends, curries, blends with no salt, blends with salt, baking blends, & other cooking stuff. Our original pull out spice drawers house single origin spices from A-Z. And our cabinet left of the stove holds all our oils, vinegars, & a few salt & peppers. It is so easy to find things now! Organization...who knew?! We took a break in the middle of all this to eat the rainbow trout I bought at market, with some roasted veggies & berries. 

I wore this dress to work twice the following week...also, to get a lymphatic massage from Courtney & thrift. 

I came home to these Chie Mihara olive & mustard oxfords that I found on eBay for $30...this continues to blow my mind...I wish second hand Fluevogs came this cheap. The Goodwill in Middleton had loads of LuLaRoe leggings...it was difficult to narrow it down..but these were the color & pattern combinations that most called to me...I am especially enamored with those veggies. 

 

4th of July

Dress: Star Spangled Banner Rita Dress by Svaha (size M)

Teggings: formerly Re/Dress

Sandals: Fly London

Necklace: Wendy Baker

Earrings & Bracelets: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I bought this dress a few years ago from a super sale Svaha was having...it was $10, so I thought...why not? At the time, I didn't know what my size was going to be...so I got a medium & that turned out to be correct. This dress reminds me of an Effie's Heart dress (cotton t-shirt material)...without the great fit. Svaha dresses have always fit me awkwardly...relaxed & not quite formed to my body. They are not a brand I would buy again. Note the burnt areas on my arm...I've been blurping them out...they are better now, but still visible. The hot oil splattered on me while I was frying salmon. If they don't fade entirely...I wanted to extend my farmers' market tattoo anyway. 

These photos were taken on July 5th...I put this outfit together for work. On the 4th of July...I wore this without make-up. Svaha dresses are good throw on comfy dresses...but so are EH & I prefer flattering most of the time. 

I knew it...these earrings we found at Elkhorn go perfectly with this Wendy Baker bubble necklace...& check out that perfect red (star), white, & blue (rhinestones) bracelet combo. 

You can't get more patriotic than The Star Spangled Banner...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in LSD, Ruby Obsessions eyeshadow palette from Huda Beauty, Burgundy lipliner from MAC, Nars lipstick in Majella, Spiderweb lipstick by UD, & OPI nail polish in I'm Not Really A Waitress. 

Weekend project...redoing this Elkhorn find from May. David sanded the drawers & parts of the body...& we got some Steel F/X to warm it up & make it more interesting. I had fun doing this...

I was in the mood for burgers...so David fired up the grill. New shoes found on Poshmark...Chie Mihara & Pilcro (an Anthropologie brand). I first bought those Pilcro shoes in a size 8.5 & they wouldn't even go on my feet...so when these 10s popped up...I knew they'd be a good fit...& they are. Steak salad with roasted veggies on the side.

4th of July girlies...

I met Kate at a park by her house...we didn't feel like dealing with the crowds going to an actual fireworks display, so we chose to view them from afar. We saw SO many fireworks along the Lake Mendota shoreline...but the closest one to us was Blackhawk Country Club...which we could glimpse through an opening in the trees. 

Not as spectacular as being right there...but still pretty...& much more relaxed. 

Downtown Wednesday farmers' market with David...between Pilates & work. This woman cut us some sprouts...my favorite were the basil. Lovely flowers.

After work...we went into the T-Mobil store to set up an account...we hadn't been happy with our phone reception...so we switched to them. We were there for just under 4 hours. Back at home...I made us my go-to dinner. I took a screenshot of this post about Nick Cave being on this podcast so I'd remember to listen to it...it's on Spotify & I'm putting it on my list of things to do because I forgot all about it until I saw this in my photos. 

 

Fireside Collective // Girlie Time // Thrifting

Dress: Floral Faux Wrap Ruffle Dress by Calvin Klein (size M) via Gwynnie Bee

Tights: We Love Colors

Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman 

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

This dress was alright...nothing special...I did like the colors & the gold glittery stripes running through it. Both the fit & length were great. This was a good work & running errands dress.

I'm always happy when I get to wear these fun shoes.

A mixture of orange, red, & pink in this dress...

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero, Honey eyeshadow from UD, Heart eyeshadow by Natasha Denona, UD lipliner in Bang & 714, UD lipstick in No-Tell Motel, Mimosa lipstick from Bite Beauty, & OPI nail polish in Gimme a Lido Kiss. 

Selfies before yoga. Getting rid of shoes...I'd like to replace those 2 pairs of flats with a smaller size...they go with a lot & I enjoy them...so far, no luck. The leopard ones are from 9 West & I found them in my size on Poshmark for $60, which is too much for used fabric shoes...another seller has them listed at $30, but they haven't been active for a long time, so don't respond to my offers. Green leopard cardigan from Poshmark. 

Getting rid of 7 bags of clothing/shoes from my closet. Weight lifting before yoga...makes me feel like a badass. 

After we took these outfit photos...I was going to change into something more exciting...but I decided to wear this dress instead since I was already all made up. Fireside Collective at Stoughton Opera House. Ced Ba'etch playing in the lounge before the show...he's great...Django style jazz. 

Fireside Collective...wow, these guys were amazing...look at all those strings! The banjo player was from Madison originally & he was talking to some friends next to me at intermission. 

It doesn't look appetizing, however, this liver/shiitake/onions dish with rosemary & red wine vinegar was delicious...I was eating it a lot that week in preparation for blood work...it is good for your iron levels, which need to be high for surgery. And then Kate came over while David was in California. We made our own fizzy water & added various bitters to concoct creations. Kate helped me in my closet...I'm much better at getting rid of things than I was when I first began. I made us lunch! This Sheet Pan Salmon Tikka with Spinach is so good...& easy too! 

Served atop roasted riced cauliflower.

So many Fluevog boxes...I used to keep them all...but I'm never going to use them...I didn't wear them nearly as often when I stored them that way...out of sight, out of mind. 6 more bags carted off to the thrift store.

Kate took this adorable photo of Rye keeping us company in the closet. The girlie had some of my Cherry Velvet dresses in a smaller size, & they kindly gifted them to me...along with a green tiger striped dress from Kiyonna. After dropping Kate at home...I went to the nearby Goodwill where I immediately noticed these shoes...they stood out among all the cheap boring shoes...made in Italy...but too small, sadly. 

It's prom dress season. I found a cute dress that was 50% off! 

I love these 50% off days (Sunday & Monday)...though it's hit & miss...some days I score big time...other times, nothing. 

 

Cooking, Thrifting, & Closet Cleaning Continues

Dress: Paradise Pop Rosemary Fit & Flare Midi Dress by Leota (size L) via Gwynnie Bee

Cardigan: Lands' End (size M), thrifted

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Me Too, thrifted

Earring: etXarte

Necklace & Bracelets: Vintage

Photography: Super Boo & Me

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-45

I loved all the bright bits of color in this tropical dress. Great fit & length. It's sleeveless, so this could be worn year round. Good dress for work & errands. 

I'm building up my cardigan collection & loved that I had a patterned one to go with this dress rather than a more boring solid. Pattern mixing makes me happy...I may have mentioned that before. 

This is my first time wearing this Bakelite necklace we found at Elkhorn this past season. I've got my cardigan tucked under all my undergarments I'm still wearing after surgery...camisole, sports bra, & faja...it's been a great way to hide all the straps. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Zero; Legend, Vinyl, & Vox eyeshadow from Kat von D; UD lipliner & lipstick in Big Bang; Cranberry lipstick by Bite Beauty; & OPI nail polish in What Wizardry Is This? 

Oh, Christmas tree. My friend, Martha, came over to visit (I actually wore the blue firefly dress, but...) & brought me some magazines (most I'd never even heard of!) & a couple of books. So nice. After she left...I sat & enjoyed the fire & explored the magazines. 

I needed 2 heads of cauliflower for a recipe...as the cashier rang them up I happened to notice one was just under $20...um, I think that's a mistake...& he was like, nope...that's the price. I guess I'm used to farmers' market prices where those might have been $2-7, depending on the vendor. I should have asked to have them taken off & purchased elsewhere...but it seemed like too much work to go somewhere else. Next time though. Dinner...Thai-Style Sweet & Salty Shrimp, served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Kimchi & Bacon.  We (David) seem to have become addicted to unusual spices & blends...so we are trying to create more storage space for them. David had the idea of using these grape metal pieces from a spiral staircase we bought to make shelves along the side of the freezer...I think I like it. Poor Violet has a rough time with walking in the neighborhood this time of year because of all the salt...she's not a big fan of booties though...no dog we've ever had can keep these on their feet. 

Dinner: Chicken M'Hammer, served with a Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut, & Pomegranate Seed Salad. More storage solutions from Super Boo...he's going to make that concrete area at the bottom of the steps into a pantry. David & I take our vehicles through the carwash most days...& we send each other photos...it's something I started & it makes me smile. I saw this orange vintage blouse on a trip to Vinny's & nearly bought it...but I feel this would look best with pants & I'm just not that person. 

More cardigans for my collection...there was an adorable Talbots one with pears all over (blue & green one in the photo), but it was too pilled for me. Fluevog sale boots...these came with regular laces as well as velvet...I like them both & can't decide. Simple dinner...salmon & butternut squash. 

A week after being released from the hospital...drain check. My output was way below what they needed to be to remove them...yet they made me keep them in. Buying Marsala to make Chicken Marsala. MAK cardigan seen out in the wild at Goodwill...it was in terrible shape. And Chicken Marsala (any decent wine would have been fine), served with Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios & Cipollini Onions.

5 more bags of clothes to donate. This is not going as badly as I feared...but also, I haven't touched the dresses yet. An appointment to talk with my plastic surgeon about the chin lift he did for me back in April that I'm not happy with. David got me a purple ukulele!!!

3 cardigans found on my trip to Goodwill...I usually stick to Vinny's, but I will pop into this Goodwill on a regular basis because it's next to our local co-op. Pretty snow on our mums. I apparently liked this carwash photo so much I included it twice. And...Walleye with roasted sweet potatoes with a horseradish dipping sauce. I've been "breading" my fish with pork rinds that I whir up in the food processor & it is far tastier AND low carb. 

I love Gayle's necklace designs over at Green Goddess Vintage. She was having a sale...so...more pretties acquired.