The Nutcracker // Thrifting // Ketamine

Dress: The Long-Sleeve Somerset Maxi Dress by Anthropologie via Nuuly

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Fluevog, Power: Coal

Glasses: Francis Klein

Earring: etXarte

Necklace: Green Goddess Vintage

Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

Orange! This abstract design was an ideal dress for me to rent as that's not typically my style. As usual, Somerset is a great fit...the long sleeves were wonderful for colder weather...deep pockets, smocked waist fits you like a glove, hook closure at the neckline, & I love a dress with tiers. 

My preferred maxi length...so you can still see the shoes & can wear both flats or heels. 

I wore my leopard glasses...

The orange in these Coals were an excellent match for the dress. The burgundy toes are patent leather & I just recently learned that Pledge will shine it up...I've been doing it to all my patent recently, I'll try it on these the next time I wear them. 

Orange make-up & jewelry...

My make-up with this outfit included...Zero eyeliner from Urban Decay; Blazing, Blood Moon, & Nefertiti eyeshadow by Huda Beauty; MAC lipliner in Chicory; Gothica & Pumpkin lipstick from KVD; & OPI nail polish in A Woman's Prague-ative.  A good mail day...I've been trying to hunt down this Effie's Heart gramophone print in a dress I liked...I don't love the fake buttons, but it's an adorable dress otherwise & better than the square neck ones that pop up on Poshmark the most. 2 pairs of shoes from the 10 Days of Vogmas that David bought for me...every day for 10 days, shoes that don't typically go on sale, were an excellent deal. My dream is to use antique gold Rub 'n' Buff to highlight the embossing on the black shoes...wouldn't that be pretty? Back in October during the Flumunity Fest there was a talk on taking care of your shoes...David took notes & then he ordered all of this...it's a few layers deep...we now have everything we would ever need to spruce up our footwear. Dinner...Sheet Pan Roast Chicken & Mustard-Glazed Cabbage.And later that day...I first wore this dress to see The Nutcracker with David. This is our second year in a row seeing this production...it's alright, but I think we'll see Milwaukee's version next year instead. Our tickets were excellent...front row center. I enjoyed watching the orchestra play. Nutcracker photo-op! How had we missed this on our way in?!The sale was so good at Ulta on my brow pencils & Urban Decay eyeliners...I had to order more online. I also wore this dress to work & thrifting at the westside Goodwill afterwards. 
I have a thing for polka dots...& David is not a fan...they are just so happy to me. This was our Christmas Eve dinner...ribs smoked on the grill with wood from our apple tree & the blueberry chipotle bbq sauce from 12 Bones in Asheville with baked apples & salt & vinegar roasted cabbage. The last time I wore this dress was at Essential Health...where I had a subcutaneous ketamine experience. 

It was pretty uneventful, but let me know that I don't have any bad reaction to ketamine & was a good intro to the more serious ketamine therapy I went on to have elsewhere. My favorite part of this experience was thinking of a question & drawing a tarot card after & reading about it.

My question was...will I ever beat my anxiety? Then I went to Gail Ambrosius to get chocolate for Kate, but I forgot they close for a few weeks after Christmas. 

 

Ahan // Squirrel Nut Zippers // Dinner at Kate & Jason's

Dress: Ruffled V-Neck Maxi Dress by Anthropologie via Nuuly

Tights: Snag

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell, thrifted

Earring: etXarte 

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I love this turquoise & amber combination...& really, just everything about this maxi...especially all the ruffles. The plunging neckline, echoed in the back, was ideal as I was just able to wear a bra without it showing. This dress is lined, with pockets, the fit is tts, & is especially flattering with the wide elastic waist. 

I love a dress with a little something going on in the back...

David found these shoes for me at Retique...they are Jeffrey Campbell & I nearly said no because of the tan heel, but the turquoise snakeskin front was too fun to pass up...& it's a great match for this dress. 

I'm not sure I've ever worn this earring before? Maybe once? I usually wear the matching earring to this set, but I wanted something bigger & longer. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Torch & Lucky; Bud, Rustler, Ghost Town, & Hold 'Em eyeshadow by UD; MAC lipliner in Chicory; Gothica & Pumpkin lipstick from KVD; & ILNP nail polish in Amber. 

Ever since having this Farm Rio sweater dress from Nuuly...I've been obsessed with this colorful leopard print...I asked which of these dresses I should get on Facebook...what do you think? The middle was my favorite, so I got it on the after Christmas sale...then later, the sweater dress went down to $50 (from $200), so I had to get that one too...& honestly, I would have gotten the other one as well had it not been sold out in my size by the time they slashed the price further. 

I first wore this dress to have lunch at Ahan with David...it was our first time at their new (much bigger) location. Wonderful space & the food was tasty, as always. We began with Chèvre Wontons & Pork Dumplings. 

I don't recall what David had, but I ordered my usual, Praram Long Song (fried chicken, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, local mushroom blend, green beans, onions, cauliflower, scallion, cilantro, peanuts, fried garlic, with a side of peanut sauce & jasmine rice). After lunch we took these outfit photos, then I was off to pick up Angie & head to Stoughton. First stop, Vinny's. 

I always find good stuff at this location...I was especially happy with the blue circle fit & flare dress from Leota above...I had that in a few colors in my previous size. Also note the real fur skirt below. Do you have a fur skirt?

At the Stoughton Opera House for the second night in a row...this time to see Squirrel Nut Zippers: Holiday Caravan Tour. 

Boo Bradley was playing in the lounge! Brian & I used to listen to him at farmers' market on Saturdays at the top of State St. in the 90s...we thought he was cute...still is. Squirrel Nut Zippers! Angie & I saw them here last year & they blew us away with fabulousness. This show was good, but not nearly as amazing. We think it's because they were sitting a lot & seemed more formal, so the energy wasn't as high. It was still a fun show. 

What I brought home from Vinny's...

I wore this dress another day...to work & thrift afterwards at Goodwill in Middleton.

And to pick up a few things at Costco...I was very sad to see they no longer carry Fage 5% yogurt, only fat free...yuck...who eats that stuff?! And the final time I wore this dress was to run errands with David, including getting this delicious coffee at Broken Board Coffee...inside a skateboard shop. My favorite thing there (& I will cry when they replace it) is Fat Stacks (espresso with milk, saffron, cardamom, vanilla, rose, & orange). 

Later that evening...we went to Kate & Jason's for a yummy dinner (I *think* I wore this dress, but as there are no photos of me & I'm old *shrug*)...they made...roasted brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, 2 kinds of mushrooms (King Trumpet & Black King Oyster) with Gigante bean with a vinaigrette, tahini mustard sauce, & roasted pecans. And I got to sample some fancy sparkling water in flavors I hadn't tried before. We gave Kate the jacket we got them in Asheville & it was made for them.

After dinner...we listened to records & chatted...it was a lovely evening. Back at home...we had the last of our Rush Creek Reserve with toasted Cress Springs Cranberry Walnut bread. Dinner first, then a snack. 

 

David Sedaris // Bob Mould // Thanksgiving in Tennessee

Dress: Leadlights Angelou Dress by Effie's Heart

Tights: Snag

Shoes:?

Earring: etXarte

Long Necklace: former Etsy shop

Short Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Stats: 5'7" 38-32-42

I adore these Effie's Heart fit & flare dresses...but I mention that every time I wear one. Perfect fit & length...with pockets. I also wore this dress last Thanksgiving.

The colors in this dress are so unusual...it's difficult to decide what to pair with it...so like last year, nothing truly matched. 

I find it interesting that both times I styled this dress I chose to wear 2 necklaces...it's not something I do often. 

My make-up with this outfit included...Urban Decay eyeliner in Stash, Toasted & Chains eyeshadow by UD, MAC lipliner in Auburn, Golshan lipstick from NARS, & OPI nail polish in I'm Not Really A Waitress. 

I wore this dress a lot back in October after my surgery...it's a nice stretchy fit & flare & was easy to throw on when I was so swollen. David & I went to see David Sedaris...he was fantastic & his outfit was outstanding, but I didn't get a good picture. A visit to Gen to get my hair cut...she used to be my regular person, but she raised her rates too high for me. It was nice seeing her again, but I'll stick with Sigrid. Her shop is right next to the Willy St. Vinny's, so...

They often have an excellent selection of vintage clothing...but the real find on this day was that full length mink coat for $25! Can you even believe that?! It's in fabulous shape & an ideal fit. Afterwards, I headed over to see Courtney for a lymphatic massage...then home to make dinner. I used to make this butternut squash risotto often, but it's probably been ~15 years...so I revisited that & added some fried chicken thighs on the side so David would have protein. 

I wore this dress again the next day...I made us pan fried salmon with crispy garlic & roasted cauliflower before heading out to Stoughton. First stop, Vinny's. 

Then over to the Opera House to see Bob Mould. 

Jason Narducy opened & while his music was fine...what I really appreciated about him was his storytelling. Bob Mould put on a great show with lots of new stuff & just enough Hüsker Dü. The entire audience was my age, give or take 3 years. 

I also wore this outfit to work & to go to the Goodwill by our house...

And then I regretted not getting that green turtleneck...so I went back again the next day. And finally...I wore this dress on Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Coffee & breakfast...French toast with blueberries from their yard. 

The view from their porch is breathtaking to me...I love sitting out there when I visit. And we watched Macy's Thanksgiving Parade! I'm guessing it's been well over 20 years since that's happened...it was fun. 

Then we did something completely different from anything you did on Thanksgiving...we shot guns in my dad's gun range. My parents have a Gator they drive down there, but David thought his truck was up to the challenge...which was terrifying & fun...my dad took video to show one of his friends. 

There were all kinds of metal things that my dad's friend Frank made...my favorite was the hostage...you tried to shoot the bad guy (red circle) without hitting the hostage (black vaguely person shaped). 

And, while there is no pictorial evidence...we were also in the room while the Packer/Lion game was on. Snacks & a glass of wine.

Then, dinner! I was supposed to make roasted Brussels sprouts with pecans & pomegranate...but the sprouts didn't make it...they were too close to the ice packs in our cooler & died. But my mom made a delicious Thanksgiving meal...with pumpkin pie...much later...because guess what? We ate too much.