Happy Birthday to Me

June 1, 2017

My birthday celebration actually began on May 31st at the St. John’s county pier.

Every Wednesday night beginning in May and continuing through September at Music by the Sea, there is a catered dinner and musical entertainment event at the pier. LB and I attend every chance we get. This particular event was catered by Amici’s Italian Restaurant and entertainment provided by one of our favorite local groups The Committee Band. We split an entree that included eggplant parmesan and penne pasta while relaxing in the pavillion prior to the concert. While waiting for the concert, the resident DJ “DJ Dan”, honored us with tee shirts including us in The Danighan Gang.

As is customary, my birthday began with a phone call at 7:52 AM from my sweet Mama. Because I was in a hotel that rendered my cell phone useless [No Service] I missed her call. She went right to my voicemail. When we left the hotel this is the message I retrieved:

“(singing) Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you (laughs) Happy birthday Dear Kim… it’s too early in the morning, but I wanted you to know I love you. God bless you. You’re such a joy to have Kim. I love you with all my heart. I hope you have a wonderful birthday, spendin’ it with the one you love. When you get back we need to have cake. And biscuits. I’ll talk to you later. God bless you Darlin’. I’m so thankful there’s you. Bye.”

I am blessed beyond measure to have such a precious Mama who loves me so much.

I listened to that message several times.

LB had other surprises planned. He brought me to Cathedral Drive and let me pick a restaurant for brunch. I thought the Greek restaurant would be a nice treat. We walked into Athena Restaurant and I immediately noticed the specials posted. One special was Salmon Eggs Benedict. Yes please!

Those are grits on the side.

LB had hashbrowns

After brunch we strolled [it is a vacation day, after all] down to St. George Street and visited one of my favorite St. Augustine shops, H.W. Davis Clothing and Shoes. LB was recalling a post from April when I mentioned a blouse that I loved. He brought me to H.W. Davis and found that blouse

along with another that was just as cute

He bought both of them for me! Oh Happy Day! Not one, but TWO Clara Sunwoo blouses! LOVE these! This has definitely been a day to remember thus far.

The birthday gifts continued

These bracelets were purchase by LB more than a month ago from a Traci Lynn Fashion Jewelry party hosted by my coworker Geraldine. LB logged onto the website that was assigned to her party and selected the Silver Star Fish Bracelet and the Two Tone Silver Razzmatazz Bracelet. I was not at all surprised at his GOOD TASTE! But very surprised by the presentation as I had completely forgotten he participated in this event.

There was also an adorable little bracelet that I picked out myself on April 2nd that LB decided I could wait till my birthday to have. This pearl bracelet with starfish and sanddollar charms is from Fresh Produce and I shared it on this post.

So cute!

Believe it or not there was ONE MORE! I absolutely loved it and feel it deserves a post of it’s own. I’ll be presenting this particular birthday gift from LB soon. Stay tuned.

Obviously a birthday is Not all about gifts. LB knows I love pretty things, but he also knows how to make me happy in ways that do not get filed under Material Girl. So he took me to the beach and let me put my toes in the sand

Afterward

We split smokin’ Carnitas Fajitas at a delightful Mexican Restaurant

To all of my FaceBook friends who wished me a happy birthday… I Had a GREAT day. Thank You!

Rainy Days

May 24, 2017

The rainy season in Florida has begun.

This means bad hair days and raincoats. I have 4… this one from Old Navy is my favorite

Hurricane season officially begins on June 1st and will continue into the fall. With that in mind, it is always good to have a nice selection of waterproof attire to add to your outfit. I’ve taken this opportunity to do a bit of rain coat shopping and have included some favorites below:

Nordstrom / Macy’s / Target / Burlington

Old Navy / Free People / Macy’s / Macy’s

Pretty is: Little Black Blouses

May 16, 2017

“I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.” – Wednesday Addams

Black is noted for its ability to slim and add drama to outfits and décor alike. No other color conveys elegance like black. Although it seems contradictory to the bright happy colors of spring, it is actually a color that was featured frequently during New York Fashion Week. While the Pantone Color Institute did not declare black as one of the top 10 spring 2017 colors, no other color is as timeless, and therefore is not to be neglected during the spring and summer seasons.

One of my “Pretty is” picks this season is this black crochet trim chiffon halter top that I purchased recently from Shein

Halter Top: Shein, $13
Shorts: Forever21 (similar, similar)
Sandals: Forever21 (or these will work)
Bracelets: Brighton
Earrings: Kohl’s
Sunglasses: Coach

These are a few little black blouses/tops that I think are pretty. Whats even prettier is the fact that each of them cost less than $20

Amazon / Forever 21

Lulu’s Boutique / Burlington

TJ Maxx / Lulu’s

Little black blouses… gotta have ’em

Pretty is: the Right Shoes

May 11, 2017

Give a girl the right shoes… and she can conquer the world. ~Marilyn Monroe

Perhaps Marilyn learned this from Cinderella, who showed us that “one shoe can change your life”.

More recently, Carrie Bradshaw taught us that a great pair of shoes can make everything all right.
Most women would have to agree that shoes are obsessive.

I’ve mentioned before that there is something satisfying about shopping. This includes shopping for shoes. Perusing through a magazine today, I came across an article that provided enough proof for me in this statement [regarding shoe shopping] “The neurotransmitter dopamine is released, providing a feel-good high, similar to taking a drug,” (source).
I told y’all!

Another detail I learned is that there is an additional desirable sensation that is brought about by wearing high heels. It seems that wearing high heels can bring a woman to a state of euphoria as the height provides a level of confidence that brings with it a sense of power.

This is not something I have experienced firsthand, as I typically keep my heels at or under a controllable 2 ½ inches

Feeling euphoric, dominant and more self-confident helps empower women, so why stop at one pair of shoes? Thus the addiction; the purchase of shoes will be continual, in order to keep these sensations alive.

It doesn’t matter how many shoes I have, I am always finding that I have an outfit that requires a pair that I don’t have.

Therefore, I keep shopping.

Amazon / Payless / Amazon

LOFT / Payless / Payless

Amazon / Amazon / Amazon

Amazon / Banana Republic / Banana Republic

Monday Monday

April 24, 2017

Bah-da bah-da-da-da

Every other day, every other day
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
A-you can find me cryin´ all of the time

(Thank you to The Mamas & the Papas)

It’s hard to explain why I have such a hard time appreciating Monday.

I’m not even going there.

Take 2

It’s a new week and I am blessed! I woke up this morning. I am healthy. And loved. I have a job. Which brings me to what I like to talk about… what I wore to work today.

This is pretty cut and dry, but if you are like me and always searching for outfit ideas, here is another one to add to the list. Today I am wearing a red sleeveless blouse. I simply cannot remember where I found this blouse. It may have been Forever21, but I’m not sure.

Dementia.

It has been a bit chilly in the office, so I took along a black cardigan along to keep me warm.

I’ve mentioned this scuba skirt before… or maybe the white one that is just like it. Actually I have a fuchsia scuba skirt, too. They all came from Forever21 and are no longer available, which is too bad. I love them all and pair them with different blouses all the time.

My Brighton tote is a favorite

If you’re shopping for similar items, you can find these basics anywhere clothing is sold as you can see in the following examples…

Looking for a Red Blouse? Check out these suggestions here, here, and here//similar black skirt//similar Brighton tote or maybe this Brighton tote // black sandals (similar, similar).

Shopping is a great pleasure and also therapy… particularly on a Monday evening after a grueling day at work.

YES… I survived another Monday

…but just barely

Shopping Spree

March 29, 2017

Happy Wednesday to all you worker bees (aka people who do all of the hard work but get none of the credit)…. we have made it to the half way mark… which reminds me of a song:

Everybody’s working for the weekend
Everybody wants a little romance
Everybody’s goin’ off the deep end
Everybody needs a second chance, oh
You want a piece of my heart
You better start from start
You wanna be in the show
Come on baby lets go

Thank you Loverboy!

As I mentioned in my Monday Post, my job can be the cause of HIGH levels of stress and I find myself looking forward to Friday as early as the prior Sunday night.

It is sometimes a challenge, but I am thankful for the job, as it enables me to do all the things I need/like to do… pay bills, venture out with LB, and SHOP!!! Which brings me to a new favorite bad habit I’ve developed. Every 3 or 4 months I like to go to shein.com and allow myself a $100 shopping spree. My last indulgence was in February. I took about a week to collect items in my shopping bag so I can think about what I really want to purchase. Here’s what I ordered last:

Hot Pink Cold Shoulder Ruffle Sleeves Shift Dress

This is a contender for my Easter 2017 dress

Black Crochet Trim Chiffon Halter Top

vest170223101_2 Saving this cute top for shorts this summer

Pink Open Shoulder Raglan Sleeve Top

blouse160923708_2 I bought this with my ivory Forever21 skirt in mind

Floral Print Off The Shoulder Ruffle Sheath Dress dress160808506_1 This is an adorable dress, looks really cute on, and I have no idea when/where I will wear it

Red Cold Shoulder Tie Cuff BlouseLooks cute with skinny jeans (blue or white) and will pair nicely with my white shorts this summer

Multicolor Half Sleeve Cold Shoulder Stripe Blouse

I styled this recently on a trip to St Simon’s Island with white skinny jeans

Burgundy Open Shoulder Blouse

blouse170221101_2 This looks good with my grey skinny jeans

This was an enjoyable shopping spree. I think I’ll do it again soon!

Weekend Road Trip

March 11, 2017

Today is a perfect day for a road trip to celebrate the weekend! LB and I decided to pack an overnight bag and head to St. Simon’s Island Georgia for an afternoon of shopping and an evening of music and fun. The weather is clear and sunny with temperatures reaching the low 70’s… not a good day for shorts. Being a native Floridian, it doesn’t take much to make me chilly.