Outfit of the Day....well...after the fact, of course, because we are talking about ME here.

So, I read something today about how it's a good idea to take a picture if you want to see what something looks like because, apparently, your eye tends to edit things out that you don't want to see in real life but that same eye finds ALL the flaws when you look at a picture.  It sounds like flawed logic to me but I figured I'd try it.

Remember a few posts ago when I complained about not being able to find anything at all in the stores and I felt like I was walking around dressed like a ragamuffin?  Well, the weekend after the Charleston trip, I hit the jackpot.  Probably because I wasn't looking for something too specific and I was willing to compromise on a couple of purchases.

At any rate, that weekend I scored two shirts, two skirts, two pairs of shoes and a pair of shorts.  Jackpot!  Those seven items made me feel like I had a whole new wardrobe!  Now granted, one of the skirts is just a plain, tan skirt and one of the shirts is a plain white shirt - nothing to get overly excited about.  But this shirt, I love.  I love the neckline.  I was concerned that the piece around my neck would aggravate me; it didn't.

Not only that, this outfit made me feel confident and pulled together.  It helps that I received a few compliments about it.  So this one is a keeper.

Also you should know, I rarely wear white pants.  I feel the need to have a pair in my closet for some reason, but I rarely wear them.  Mainly, because I know as soon as I do, I will spill.  Has that ever happened?  Not to my recollection, but still...the fear is real.  I have since made the determination that I will wear white pants in the summer a bit more often; spills be damned.

With the sweater.  Ignore the wrinkles, this was taken AFTER a long day at work

Without the sweater.

And can we talk about the shoes for a minute?

You know how much I love my shoes!

These shoes, along with the other pair, are the compromises I was talking about.  I have been looking for shoes with the ankle strap, chunky heel and a zipper in the back all summer - okay, it might have been my summer obsession.  When I found this pair sans the zipper, I snapped them up - I figured I could live without the zipper - although that feature WOULD make getting them on easier.  Then I sourced out another pair in black.  And I LOVE both pairs even though they are different brands.  These heels are ridiculously comfortable.

In fact, I have a wedding to attend this fall and I think I could wear the black pair for the entire wedding and reception without issue because they are THAT comfortable.  I'm not sure why these shoes are more comfortable than my lower heeled shoes but I think it has something to do with the chunky heel; surely there is some scientific explanation for this phenomenon.

So there you go - my outfit of the day - granted full of wrinkles and rumpled after a very LONG day (the alarm went off EXTRA early today - don't ask) but very pleased with this outfit.

And regarding that first paragraph, it's true.  I'm seeing plenty that the naked eye didn't see before.  Mainly, I need to thoroughly clean this room.

Saying yes instead of the expected no...

The other night, around 6:00 pm, my friend texted wondering if I wanted to go with her to get a pedicure.  Totally out of character, I agreed.

After my friend picked me up, she expressed total shock that I'd agreed.  In fact, her husband told her to jump at my yes - because he knows me all too well and figured if she didn't come to claim me quickly I might change my mind.

Now, I'll be honest, generally by 6:00, I am already in my pj's and winding down, yes...I know, I should be ashamed of myself.  That night, I was actually still dressed...only because Man-Child's girlfriend was here.  I DO have some standards, doncha know?  One is to actually be dressed when Man-Child's friends or girlfriend are here...at least until it's an acceptable time for someone who goes to bed and wakes up ridiculously early to don pj's, because these darn kids seem to be nocturnal.

I will also admit that depending on how I'm feeling, lately there is only a small group of people that I am willing to spend time with - most of the time, I'm fine with being on my own.  Sometimes I shock myself and am willing to spend time with random people - but the older I get the rarer that seems to happen...is that a sign that I'm getting old and crotchety?  Or is it a sign that my true nature as an introvert is taking over?  Who knows.

My friend is one of those people that I'm usually willing to spend time with - I adore her and am usually willing to spend lots of time with her - provided it's before 6:00 pm on a weekday, what can I say?  4:45 am dawns bright and early Monday through Friday around here.

To be honest, I shocked myself when I said yes.  Which tells me that I really needed this night out.

And I did.  We laughed and laughed.  We chatted and chatted.  It was worth keeping my bra on past 7:00 pm - that's HOW nice it was; also pretty toes and a pedicure!  It's been a long while since I've had an actual pedicure - what a treat!

Although the woman doing my toes sniffed (inaudibly) when she saw my handiwork on my toes - apparently, I don't meet her expectations as a nail artist.  But, I must admit, she was right - my toes looked so nice once she got done with them.

This event ended with this text message exchange...

The first message is from me...in case you weren't sure.

I hadn't heard of the book she references - but I looked it up.  I think that my choice in phrasing along with her mentioning the book is a sign.  Which probably means this is probably something I need to read and practice.  Again, the older I get the more I find myself finding reasons not to do things; things that I would probably enjoy.  Things that are outside of my routine.

This, obviously, isn't a good way to live life - particularly when it is brought to your attention that your habits are SO well known that even your friend's husband is aware of them.

And yes, this meant that bedtime that night was pushed back to *gasp* 11:00 pm!!  It also meant that I was a tad tired the next day - but it was totally worth it.

Plus?  Cute toes.

My husband, the comedian

Apparently, it is going to take some time for Man-Child to live down yesterday's incident.  I say that because this is what I found on top of the dishwasher this afternoon...

I had to laugh.  I also knew that as The Husband was writing this note he was cackling maniacally; he does tend to crack himself.  Since the note and the gel pack was still in place, I knew Man-Child had not yet seen it.  You may wonder WHY he hadn't wandered into the kitchen at any point before I got home - there were two reasons for this, the first being he didn't work today so he slept in and the second was because no one was home to magically make food appear in there.

This meant I had the unbridled joy of getting to see his face when I called him into the kitchen to see what his father had left for him.  I wish I had thought to get a picture, but being that I am notorious for never remembering to take a picture, I didn't (hell, as it is, I had to re-create the picture above because I didn't think to snap a picture before calling MC into the room!) but the expression on his face was priceless.

We met The Husband for lunch and I can confirm that he was still cackling maniacally over his note then too.

Man-Child will be 23 this year and the life lessons keep on coming...also - men and women; two TOTALLY different species

Our schedules are all varied lately.  I leave extra early, The Husband is next to leave and Man-Child is the last to leave the house in the morning.

After I left this morning The Husband left a note asking Man-Child to start the dishwasher; he complied.

When I came home this afternoon, I opened the dishwasher to discover bubbles; I knew immediately what had happened.  I asked Man-Child (whose current schedule not only has him leaving the house last but also has him coming home first - I find this extremely unfair...but there you go, life IS unfair) exactly WHAT he had put into the dishwasher.

He pulled THIS out from under the sink...

Oh yes, he did.  I was actually surprised to note that the bubbles seemed to be contained IN the dishwasher.  We've all seen the stories and pictures that abound on the internet of what could happen if you mistakenly use this instead of dish detergent.

Man-Child claimed that the bottle said "Dishwashing Liquid."  And he's right, it does.  But the difference between Dishwashing Liquid and Dishwasher Detergent is huge.  Also, to his credit, he hadn't realized that we had switched from liquid detergent to the pod-type detergent, so he figured this liquid under the sink was THE liquid to use.

If you've never encountered this kind of mess, here is what Google tells you to do...wipe out as many bubbles as you can, pour some vinegar over the rest and run a cycle or two.  Then re-wash your dishes using detergent.

When The Husband came home and was questioning why there were soapy towels in the kitchen, I explained what happened and he said, "Oh, so THAT'S what the foamy stuff was on the floor."  I looked at him completely flummoxed.  HOW does one walk into the kitchen, notice bubbles on the floor under the dishwasher and NOT investigate?!  

Apparently, he just wiped them up, picked up whatever it was he'd forgotten and walked out.  And that, my friends, is the difference between men and women.

A relaxing, fun AND productive vacation...

As you may remember, I mentioned a few posts ago that I was headed to Charleston...again.  This was actually my third trip to this fabulous city.

That is not a complaint, I LOVE Charleston and firmly believe that every time you go, you will discover something new.

A pleasant bonus was that I made it to Charleston without getting lost once; thanks to Google Maps.  Yes, it meant my phone was dead by the time I got there but I didn't get lost.

My friend flew in to Charleston and the plan was for me to pick her up.  Little did I know what a challenge this was going to be.  I'm used to our teeny, tiny airport - where there is metered parking just steps from Baggage Claim.  Turns out Charleston's airport is also fairly small but lacks the metered parking.  Also, interestingly enough, Arrivals and Departures are in the same place.  So basically, unless you were dropping off or the person you are picking up is standing right there you can't stop.  Do you know how hard it is to find one person in a sea of people?  Next to impossible.  But after circling the airport about five times, I finally found her and we headed off to the hotel.

Now, while I didn't encounter any issues on my drive, my friend did have an incident at the airport.  Last time I was in Houston, I bought some spices at a grocery store that we don't have to bring home for The Husband.  Turns out those spices were a great hit and he'd asked her to bring some with her and we'd pay her back.  Bless her, she did.  Little did she know what kind of havoc that would wreak.  Apparently, she'd decided against checking her bag and after she'd gone through security, a TSA agent asked her to come with him; talk about unnerving.  They took her to a tiny room and began going through her bag.  Once they uncovered the spices, they proceeded to test them one by one.  After they had been declared "safe" the TSA agent told her that had she checked her bag it wouldn't have been a problem and that those spices better make some darn good hamburgers (they do, FYI).

Since this was my friend's first trip to Charleston, finding a decent hotel in historic downtown was my charge.  After the last trip, where we ended up nowhere NEAR downtown and public parking is a nightmare, I did my due diligence.  And, if I do say so myself, I am very pleased with where we ended up.  Although, at first I was a tad disappointed, because it wasn't as close to everything as I would have liked BUT it turns out that right across the street was the main stop for every free bus, so it turned out perfect.  The hotel itself was great - they even offer a breakfast every morning that is not the typical hotel breakfast.  Considering what they were able to do in their kitchen, I'm kind of surprised they didn't serve any other meal or even a cocktail hour.  I would keep this gem a secret, but since I'm sure this information will stay just between us - if you find yourself headed to Charleston check out the Hampton Inn Charleston - Historic District, you won't be disappointed.

Now, I will say this, we had SO much fun BUT...Charleston in July is HOT.  And not only is is HOT it is HUMID.  Now, is it more hot or humid than either Houston or Somewhere in NC?  Probably not usually, but generally we aren't walking around in it all day either.  I took this screenshot on Tuesday and I think on that day the humidity was off the charts.

Just LOOK at the RealFeel temp!!

As you can imagine, we were hot and sticky and tired.  But not tired enough to shower and head out to the hotel's courtyard with a glass of wine to chat; something we did every night.  We loved the courtyard; the mosquitoes not so much.

I didn't take as many photos as I have in the past, mainly because I already have a bunch of photos from Charleston - but my friend was constantly snapping away.  So basically, all I've got is what you see above.

Except for this...after eating fabulous seafood a couple of days in a row (my friend, despite living on the Gulf rarely gets seafood as her other half doesn't eat it and I rarely get any good seafood because we are landlocked) we decided to "go local."  We didn't need a full meal but knew we needed some kind of fuel to get us through the afternoon.  So we decided to try this place.

Yes, we found the name to be hilarious - but...seriously the BEST nachos outside of Texas.  Juanita Greenberg definitely knows their way around some nachos.

The trip went by way too fast but we had a great time and, of course, loved spending time together.  Who woulda thunk that we'd get to see each other twice in less than six months?  Usually, it's a few years between visits.  Something we have agreed to rectify; even if it means meeting somewhere in the middle.

Although Google Maps got me to Charleston without issue, we will not discuss how Google Maps lead me astray on my trip home, directing me through the town I ALWAYS get lost in and sending me through a very sketchy neighborhood where the police were stopping all the vehicles...looking for what, I can only imagine.  But eventually, I made it home safe and sound.

The "productive" part of this vacation started after I got home.  I had decided to take Thursday and Friday off as well, since I didn't see any sense to going to work for only two days.  Besides, I wanted to get a few things done around here.  Mainly, in my flower beds.

The one giant bed took me two days and over seven hours.  Unfortunately, it's not completely finished yet, but it is SOOOO close that I figure I'll just need a couple of hours next weekend finishing it off.  I would have gone ahead and finished it, but I knew I had reached my limit.  I weeded and removed the overgrown lamb's ear.  The Husband questioned why I was getting rid of the "good" stuff.  I had my reasons.  Mainly, because it was overgrown, plus it's not a favorite of mine and lastly, because I figured it was a haven for snakes as it was so overgrown.

The back yard is so close to being where I'd envisioned it when we bought this place.  Not enough to take pictures but still, when I look at the back yard I am pleased.  I can see progress.

Funnily enough, as I was pulling weeds a car drove up to the yard and a woman yelled out the window, "We used to live here!  Just reminiscing."  I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking her if she was the one responsible for the damn blackberry bush!

Speaking of which, while weeding, I hunted down every burgeoning sprig and either dug it out or snipped it and spritzed it with a brush killer.  It may take out a few plants as the blackberry bush is a sneaky one and likes to pop up in the middle of plants.  At this point, I don't care.  I will replace a few plants, if necessary.

After spending far too much time in the sun and pushing myself to the very limit, I have determined that I need to spend a little bit of time in the yard every weekend rather than spending that much time every month or so in the yard.

Someone remind me of this next weekend when I will invariably find a reason not to go out in the heat!

The Husband was involved in his own yard project but he was in the shade and worried over me the whole time.  He kept reminding me to take breaks and then chastised me as he knew I was overdoing it.  He was right - but let's not tell him that bit, shall we?

I have to say, the reward of overdoing it in the yard was well worth it.  But, as great as it feels to have accomplished so much, at this point I'm looking forward to work tomorrow, so I can relax!!

"You Want to Tell Me Why There is a Cart Full of Weeds in the Garage?"

How did I know that those would be the first words out of The Husband's mouth when he came home today?

These are the weeds in question / well look at that...
I actually have a picture to accompany this post!

I knew because I know him so well.  So I had a response ready, "You should THANK me for those weeds."

Today, I decided to finally tackle the weeds in the little bed around the mailbox.  Well, I should clarify that to say, I finally noticed just how bad the little bed around the mailbox had become and determined that I would take care of that today.

So I headed out with my trusty little spade and garden gloves.  As bad as it looked, I figured this would be an hour long job at the most...famous last words.  Eventually, I had to give in and go get the shovel and some water.

As I weeded and tossed the weeds into the grass, I noticed that the guy across the street was mowing his grass.  About two hours later, I noticed he'd finished but was still puttering in his yard...at this point I figured he was hanging out just to make sure I didn't pass out in the street.  Right about then I decided it would be a good idea to go inside and cool off.  And get more water.

Once I had lowered my body temperature enough, I headed back outside to finish the job.  Finally, about THREE hours after I started, I was done.  I surveyed my work and was satisfied.  I gathered my tools and headed back to the garage.  And was faced with THE CART.

The Cart's existence came to be because of my weeding "habit."  Generally, I will be the one to pull weeds - I rarely ask The Husband for assistance because that kind of yard work is something he despises.  And while I also despise it, I know it needs to get done and I don't despise it AS much as he does.  But much to his chagrin, I generally fight the weeds and throw them into the grass.  And then leave them there.

My thinking is that I have done the hard work and that when he mows the yard they get chopped up.  Yes, I realize this is a flawed way of thinking but it works for me.  The Husband bought The Cart with the hopes that I would toss my weeds into it and dump them in the woods.

But in my zeal to rid that small bed of the weeds, I had walked right by The Cart several times and it never clicked - until I walked into the garage as I was finished.  I'll admit freely that I was sorely tempted to just keep walking until I hit the shower.  But I forced myself to drag the cart back down the driveway and I picked up ALL the weeds that I'd tossed into the yard and tossed them into The Cart.

By this point, I was so close to heat exhaustion that I couldn't face pushing The Cart to the back of the yard to dump them so I left them in the garage.  Again, figuring that I had done all the hard work AND picked up the waste...so to my way of thinking, I had gone above and beyond the call of duty.

And that is why The Husband owes me a thank you - one I have yet to receive AND we still have a cart full of weeds in the garage.  Maybe he'll get to that tomorrow...fingers crossed.  But the mailbox area is weed free - so I'm happy.

Seriously? It better just be allergies.

So, remember my recent trip home?  Well, during my time spent with my oldest friend, we discussed the possibility of meeting up away from our respective homes occasionally.

About two or three weeks after I got home, I received a text from her asking how far away Charleston was from me.  It's only about 4 hours, I responded.  Too far to drive? she asked.  NOPE was my answer.

And with that short exchange we planned to meet up in Charleston this coming Sunday...exactly FOUR days from now.  So you can imagine my horror when I began to sneeze and suffer from a stuffed nose today.

My only hope?  All those weeds I pulled from the flower bed yesterday are finally catching up with me.

That better be the answer because I do not want to spend the short time I have with her sneezing and feeling ill.  I want to be ready and willing to walk all over Charleston in the heat.  Taking in tours, eating fabulous food and enjoying her company.

So cross your fingers that it's only allergies.