Convenience and Comfort!

Another one of my current convenience hacks, is to buy a small container of guacamole and one Haas avocado.  I'll chop and mush up the avocado, then mix in the pre-made guac.  This saves me from wasting at least half a bunch of fresh cilantro -- as no matter what I plan, I can never use it all.  This Little Salad Bar tub was $2.49 and the avocado was a buck.  Last week, avocados were on sale for fifty cents!  I buy these at Aldi along with their Simply Nature multi-grain tortilla chips.  As far as junk/snack food goes, this is a pretty healthy snack.  I also cut down on the cost and sodium in the pre-made mix.  The avocado comes out to two bucks per pound, while the tub of guac is $2.58 per pound.  So I am also saving a little bit of money too.

$12 Summer Wardrobe Pick-me-Up

I wanted to add a little color to my summer wardrobe, so I decided to stop in to Amvets.  Yellow tags were 50% off and Red was 25%.   Most of what I found were yellow tags.  My goal was to find sleeveless tanks for work.  I was lucky to find a lightweight shirt I can wear over tanks as well.

In the Bag

 My latest thrifting adventure was a huge surprise and success.  I had wanted to find either a summer skirt or a weekend tote, but went into the store with an open mind, not expecting success.  Imagine my delight that I found what I wanted -- even though I had no preconceived notion of what I would end up with.  The haul is a denim-washed skirt (tags still on), a tote (looked like never used) a small purse (also looks to never been used), and a silver-plate dish.

I Still Thrift!

Criticism of Tops aside, one reason I shop there is because you can get a $4 off coupon for the Amvets thrift store.  One reason I went to Tops last week is because I wanted to thrift.  My goal was to find a bathrobe. I've been sporting a tatty terry number with sheep on the back.  I suspect my husband has a vehement dislike for it and I was interested in a nice and lightweight alternative.  The thrifting Gods were smiling upon me as there was an Orvis robe for $6.98.  A little pricey for second hand, but I had a coupon and Orvis is a really good brand.

Shorts

 I end up saving a lot of money by shopping for clothes off season.  TBG was the recipient of my latest find.  He does not like cargo shorts.  His legs are a bit on the short side, so longer lengths do not work for him.  It was a pleasant surprise to find two pairs in his size while I was at Fallah's looking for 100% cotton crew neck sweatshirts.  Every few weeks I go looking for sweatshirts there for him.  He doesn't like blends and he doesn't like hoods.  That can be tough to accommodate, and it means I need to keep my eyes open.  Alas, I did not find any sweat shirts, but I did find these shorts.

Cheap Wardrobe Staples

I have read that Gwyneth Paltrow adores $200 t-shirts and her GOOP followers gobble them up.  The thought astounds me.  I would surmise that after one or two wearings, I would dribble some food or splash some sauce on mine and it would be forever stained.  Hence, my fondness for cheap cotton versions.

Can't Change My Spots

 This lady loves leopard.  Each year, I splurge on a piece of leopard patterned outerwear.  Last year it was a vest.  For the up coming winter, it's a coat.  The plush faux fur is right up my alley and I could not resist the buy.  After heading down to Hamburg, NY to meet a friend for breakfast, my goal was to make a stop into the Park Avenue Coat Company -- a great place to find marked-down outerwear.  There are many brands and products, overstock, last season, irregular and what-not from a variety of sources from  Betsy Johnson to Walmart.  Most coats are $35 each or three for $99.

 I just needed one coat.  The one I have had for a few years is getting admittedly a little small.  It also came from the same store.  When it comes to coats, I no longer buy second hand.  It's easier to find something new at a discount for less than it would cost to buy thrift and then dry-clean.   Methinks I will look quite stylish sporting this fun fake in my old Mercedes.  I can't wait for us to go out together!

Back in the Saddle Again

This isn't a post about horse riding!  No, it's about me and my footwear.  After almost two years, I am back to wearing normal shoes.  Two years ago, I broke a brittle piece of bone projection in my big toe and it lodged between the joint.  That led to toe surgery in February of 2015.  After that, in April of the same year, I had my ankle joint cleaned out and reconstructed.  While recuperating from that, my knee started to hurt horribly.  Turns out I had a fracture in it that went undetected.  In order to keep it from getting worse, I wore a knee brace.  Finally sick of the brace, I had a partial knee replacement this year.

Now almost two years later, I am back to wearing normal shoes.  It has been a journey!  It's also been some work getting my feet back into the type of shoes I like.  For two years I wore sneakers or well padded loafers.  The flexibility I regained once I could bend my toe again, was lost when I became lame in the knee.

Second-Hand Therapy

Cool shoes have mostly  been stricken from my wardrobe in the past year.  But I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, so I decided to partake in some shoe therapy to ease my mind.  I have a rough couple of weeks ahead of me -- I can no longer take NSAIDs or supplements and am having a lot more knee pain.  What better way for a girl to gird herself for her suffering than to concentrate on what is in store once it's over?

A Change of Clothes - Learn from the Past

There are some ideas we can take from women of years gone by and apply them practically in our modern life.  In some cases, the old practice may be totally impractical, but the modern twist can make it a smart idea.

Wealthy women of the past changed clothes frequently.  According to this link on "The Manor House," a well-to-do Edwardian woman might switch outfits up to five times a day.  Fashion dictated what a lady wore based on meals, the time of day, visitors, excursions and events.  While that is somewhat ridiculous, one benefit of this was likely that she didn't have to have her clothes constantly laundered because they were worn for only short periods of time.  There is also some wisdom to tying your outfit to the event if it means preserving or protecting your better quality pieces.  Personally, I will never wear anything white if I plan to eat spaghetti!

Jeans Too Short?

 I hate it when I get a pair of jeans home and find they are too short!  I don't always try things on when I'm blowing through a thrift store and this pair fell about 3/4 of an inch too short.  Not horrible, but it drove me crazy!  No fear -- I had a solution.  Yes, I could have cut them into shorts, but I wanted something sort of capri length -- but I didn't want to have to hem anything.  My solution was to cut five inches off and start a fringe.

Pinning for the Past

Like many people, I am easily sucked in to Pinterest.  I check out fashion, jewelry, RV interiors, pallet projects, decor, and more -- however, I haven't gone so far to set up my own pins.  I'm content to just look.

Age and Reinvention

 

We had an awesome team outing on Thursday night after work -- a local brewery tour, followed by dinner.  I had been feeling odd being the old lady at work but things are really working out.  Being social with a group that is so much younger had me a bit intimidated, but it was all in my head.  I had something in common with everyone and it was so much fun.

Working it Out