Not the best, but it is an outfit

I am really sorry that I haven't been posting outfit photos. My husband has not been getting up early enough to get photos. He has also had to work overtime, so I don't want to push the issue. Anyway, here is an outfit. It did not turn out the way I wanted it to. The scarf had slipped around and down and didn't look the way I wanted. Sometimes it just happens that way.



I hope that on this holiday weekend I can get several outfit photos taken. 

Top: Chico's
Jeans: Lane Bryant
Scarf: Etsy
Sandals: Think Julia

Since I had this picture taken, I have had my hair cut. I tried a new stylist, and we will have to work together to get it just right. The cut looks great on day one after a shampoo, but the second day it is hard to style. I am sure we can work on it to get it where it needs to be. Part of the problem is that I have so many different lengths in it due to growing it out from a very short cut. 

Scarf and Bracelet

For those of you who like Mr. Harry, here is a picture I took. It is hard to capture him rolling around in the yard, so the photo is not perfect, but it is cute and I just had to share it. Dogs get an amazing amount of joy from such simple things. Of course, it does make him dirty but he doesn't care.

Happy Parry

I hope you all have a very happy Wednesday!

Visible Monday - I'm back for a Mingle

I have so missed participating in Visible Monday and Monday Mingle. It feels like it has been forever since I participated, but it has only been two weeks. 


My knee is still healing and I am being very careful to make sure not to hit it on anything. I hope to start back with some cycling exercise this week. 


My outfit is inspired from a feature in the April InStyle magazine on wearing Railroad stripe fabrics. I have had my railroad stripe jacket for quite a long time and I have always liked it as an easy layering piece. According to InStyle, you can mix railroad stripes "with other prints large and small--but not against other stripes." I decided to mix it with an eyelet top and my red jeans.


If you have ever wondered why this fabric is called railroad stripes here is a bit of information about it. The general consensus is that a railroad engineer wanted a cap to wear during work and asked his wife to make him one. She used the the only fabric she had available which was blue and white striped pillow ticking. So, what is pillow ticking? It is a heavy-weight fabric, which was often blue and white stripe, that was used to make feather pillows. The weave kept feathers from coming out of the pillow and poking the unsuspecting sleeper. So the engineer's wife used pillow ticking to make the cap which became synonymous with Railroad engineers. My Grandfather worked for the railroad building and repairing box cars for most of his life. I remember him wearing the traditional cap and overalls every day for work. 

Jacket: CJ Banks
Top: Chico's
Jeans: NYDJ
Sandals: Think! Julia

Bracelet on Left: Vintage necklace worn as bracelet
On right from top: Michele Watch, Dillard's Bracelet,
Forever21
Necklace: purchased from local jewelry store.

You may also notice that I did a bit of work on my hair color. I added a Manic Panic Platinum Blond toner to it but it is still not what I want it to be. I plan on adding a Wella toner to it this week to see if it gets to be more what I want. It still has a lot of yellow and orange tones that I don't like. I do like it much more than what it was before I tried my first toner. I really want a silvery gray color. That probably seems a bit weird for a boomer blogger to want gray hair, but I have always thought all over gray hair is gorgeous. Unfortunately, my hair is not all silver, it is a mixture of mousey brown and silver which is not a pretty look. So, I am resorting to color to create the look I want. 


I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all who sent me good wishes and prayers for a swift recovery. It truly is harder to recover as one gets older, but I believe I am getting a bit better every day. Your support during my recovery meant so much to me. 


Please visit the beautiful women on  Monday Mingle  and  Visible Monday  who are sharing their stylish outfits with us all. Happy Monday everyone!

BB Creams - the latest craze on the beauty scene

Until I have some outfits to post, I thought I would share this information that I have been researching for a few days. My knee is improving every day. While keeping it iced, I spent some time on the computer doing something I hope was constructive!


It is so timely that Tamera of Menopausal Supermodel posted about trying the new Garnier BB cream. I have been doing some research on them after I stumbled on a YouTube video about them while researching how to get platinum blond hair. Isn't it funny how you can start out looking for one thing and end up on something totally different? Before I get into more information about them, let me say that what I am writing is what I have found in doing research on them. I hope I am not giving you any incorrect information, but it is possible.

What are BB creams anyway?

BB stands for Blemish Balm, although in the US they are often referred to as Beauty Balm's. The originated in Germany where it was used by dermatologists to help patients recovering from laser procedures and surgery. The use exploded in Asian countries after some Korean actresses revealed that they used them. (Evidently, Asian women are no different than American women in being influenced by celebrities.) They have been available in Korea and Japan for several years but have only become popular recently in the US. A number of companies are now producing them for sale in the US. Garnier, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Dior, Boscia, Dr Jart+, and Stila are some of the many companies now selling them within the US. Some of the more popular Asian cosmetic companies producing them are Missha, BRTC. Hanskin, Skin79, SkinFood, and Dr Jart+. 

What is different about BB Creams?

BB creams are reputed to be a combination product supposed to be a moisturizer, primer, foundation and sunscreen. From the reviews that I have read and video's that I have listened to, most users love them.  Some users wear only the BB cream and others use it as a base for their foundation. It does seem as though you do have to try a number of them to find the one that is just right for your own skin type. 


 I found an excellent source of reviews and information about BB creams here. You can spend hours watching You Tube videos on the products and reading different reviews by beauty bloggers.  


I have yet to try them, but I do have a couple on order: Lioele Triple the Solution and BRTC Gold Caviar. Once I get them and try them I will do a review on how they work or don't work for me. l am particularly interested in the high SPS that is supposed to be a part of this product. I don't know about you, but I am awful about putting on sunscreen on a daily basis. Worse than awful because I rarely put any on unless we are going to be at a swimming pool which happens about once a decade. 


I have plans to go to Sephora tomorrow to check out the Dr Jart+ products. I love that you can sample the products there before purchasing. 


Tamera of Menopausal Supermodel has tried the Garnier BB cream and gave it a good review. Has anyone else tried one of these creams? If so, which ones and do you like it? I will be interested in seeing if they live up to the hype of being such a wonderful product.

Quick update

Thank you all so much for all the good wishes on my recovery. It really meant a lot to me to have so many sweet comments!


Yesterday I went to the Doctor for my post operation follow-up.  They told me I was doing really well for having had the surgery only ten days ago. I have more flexibility at this point in my recovery than most people and I think that is due to the yoga classes (which ironically is where I got the knee injury.) My knee still hurts but not as much as it did early on. I am hoping to get back to exercising later this week. I am sure it will be slow going for a while. 


I have sure missed posting outfits. Quite honestly, I did not get dressed much at all last week. I stayed in my nightclothes as it was easier to get to the cooling pack which was ace bandaged to my leg. Yesterday I wore my yoga pants so that the Dr. could examine my knee easily. Most of my jeans are slim legs and don't pull up over my knee very well. If I am lucky, maybe I can get my DH to take an outfit photo today. 


Again, thank you all for the comments and emails I have received.  I feel so lucky to be a part of this wonderful blogging community!

My not so much fun Friday

I am not sure how long it will be before I post an outfit photo. On Friday morning, I am going to have surgery on my knee for a torn meniscus. I am sure that everything will go well but I have no idea how long it will take to me to recover. I am optimistic that it will be quickly. I will try to keep up with everyone's blogs. I hope to be back to posting soon! Take care everyone and have a wonderful weekend.

Another Visible Monday Mingle

(I wish I could think up really good post titles, but I swear my brain is blank when it comes to witty titles.)


Last Friday I got my hair colored or I should say bleached. It did not turn out the way I wanted it to. It is more baby chick yellow than I wanted (it doesn't look so yellow in the pics, but it is.) I'm not happy with it, but I've told myself, "it is just hair" and it can be changed. The really bad thing is that it unexpectedly cost $175.00. I was shocked to say the least. I guess that will teach me to ask the cost before committing to changing color. I am thinking of trying to color it myself, at least that way the only person to be mad at is me and it will cost a whole lot less.  Have any of you ever tried any of the Garnier Nutrisse haircolor products and if you have did you like it?


My outfit shown today is a simple one that has a spring vibe. It has been rather cool here the past few days. Quite a shock to have spring after having summer straight from winter temps.

Jacket: Coldwater Crrek
Blouse: Coldwater Creek
Jeans: JMS Jegging
Sandals: Think!

I pulled my hair back with hair combs. In this picture you can see it on the side. (Of course, it also illustrates my sagging neck skin, ignore that please.) I think I was looking at Harry who was running back and forth across the yard while we were taking the photographs. He would not stand still for a picture because he was having too much fun looking for critters and bugs. There were several butterflies that made an appearance while we were out. I know they are bugs, but they are pretty bugs.

My necklace's are some vintage 1960's plastic flowers. I bought a shorter double strand version of them but the plastic flowers are uncomfortable to wear against bare skin. I need to restring it so I can wear it with these necklaces.

Monogram Necklace: Max & Chloe
Flower Necklaces: Vintage from eBay

If you have never visited the Max & Chloe website you are missing seeing some beautiful jewelry. Wendy Brandes (my favorite jewelry designer/blogger) jewelry is featured on the site. I enjoy looking even if I cannot afford to purchase most of it. They do a wonderful job of curating beautiful pieces in a wide range of prices. 


Please visit Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and MomTrends for Monday Mingle to see this Monday's fashion showcase.

Emerald green and white

Not too long ago, I saw a store window display that had an emerald green blouse and white pants which grabbed my attention as I walked past the store. It stopped me in my tracks. I knew that there was no way I could either afford or fit in the outfit from the upscale boutique. 


I started watching for an affordable emerald green top. I stopped in at Coldwater Creek not expecting to find anything. I found both an emerald green tee and a silky top. I decided to go with the silky textured top because it could be dressed up and down more easily. I almost did not buy it because the plus-sized top was $10.00 more than the regular size. I know it takes more fabric to make a plus-size top but it also takes a lot less to make an extra-small one. They don't charge $10.00 less than the regular size for XS, so why charge so much more for 1X? If they gave the XS and S and petite sizes a price break, I could agree with the 1X + being more money. I will stop my rant now, but it does frustrate me.


My outfit today is inspired from the original outfit, but I chose a white jacket rather than white pants. I need to find just the right pair of white pants before trying that combo.

Jacket: CJ Banks
Top: Coldwater Creek
Trouser Jeans: Dressbarn
Sandals: Think! Julia

We also took some photos by the fence between our neighbors house and ours. Ilsa & Jim our neighbors love gardening and have some lovely old fashioned roses growing on and through the fence. 

The necklace I am wearing today is a vintage necklace I have had for a long time. It is a favorite, but one I don't wear often. 

I 

Vintage necklace

On the "knee" front, I don't have much news. I am rather frustrated trying to get the surgery scheduled.  I thought I had all the pre-surgery blood work done only to find out that I now need a chest x-ray and EKG that are only done certain days of the week and I now have to wait until next week for that. They won't schedule the surgery until that is done. ARGH! You would think that communicating would be easier in this electronic age, but it seems to get more difficult.   I'll just keep icing and try to be patient.


I thought I'd share a couple of rose photos. They vary in the color from bud to full bloom from cream to white. 

I hope you have all had a lovely Thursday.