Lisa, Lisa, Lise!

We need to meet more of you!  Why?  Because you are all pretty wonderful and I had so much fun meeting Lisa G. that I hope to meet more of you!  A while back I re-connected with a friend from high school on Facebook.  That was so much fun and we were able to see each other at Thanksgiving.  She also "introduced" me to one of her friends in D.C. on Facebook.  Lisa G. and I had a great time getting to know each other in writing and she also started reading our blog. (thanks, we love readers). 

Then she let me know she was coming to do training in Atlanta and would love to meet Joy and I!  Oh yeah!
By the way, Joy's first name is Lisa and she goes by her middle name (Joy).  Hence the title of this post.  Joy, do not kill me for telling everyone.  I had to resort to the real migraine medicine last night and should not be trusted with a pencil let alone a computer with a blog! LOL

So, Friday I am all nervous and excited and.....TaDa!  I meet Lisa G. outside the salon and immediately notice that her haircut is uneven.  So we start with a haircut.  We drove over to meet Joy and sat there talking and cutting up and all I can say is...WOW, what a cool lady!  We also drove to my house and Lisa was so gracious in meeting my MIL, Ida.   And Ida was so pleased to have a visitor!

Lisa G. has an amazing history and family and job (Spouse secretly thinks she is over the CIA now) and stories and I can't wait to see her again.  Want to see some pictures?  You got it!

How do we pose?  Honey, just have fun and be yourself!



Oh, yeah!  That's what I am talking about!

 Sweater: Thrifted ($4)
Scarf: Gifted (Joy)
Jeans: BR (Longs!)
Shoes: Target
Earrings: Coldwater Creek
Belt: BR

Lisa G., thanks for a fun time and wonderful memories!  Can't wait until you come back down again.  And for any others out there.....C'mon down! Your the next contestant on the....right...I know this is not The Price Is Right.  But, we can't wait to meet more of you out there!  Hope you are all having a great end to the weekend.  See you Monday!

PS: At this time of year when skies are darker and days are shorter, play up the sun with color!  Melons are a great choice (color, and eating).  Orange and pink are an unexpected but happy combination!  They love to hang out together!

Best.Birthday.EVER!

We had the absolute best time yesterday! I can't tell you how much fun it was. We felt like kids skipping school. No work, no kids, no husbands and no time limit!! WOOHOO!!!

We dropped everyone off and headed to the Mall of Georgia. Our first stop was Charming Charlie. It was the first time Lise had been in there and like everyone does, when she walked in the door, she gasped. It's just a wonderland of accessories in there. I've got some pictures from in there. My eyes are closed in one but ignore it and just look at the store behind me. And the ladies in there, especially Crystal, couldn't have been nicer. They were so welcoming and helpful. They were, by far, the best store team we encountered all day.

Immediately upon entering the door, I found a scarf and it matched the sweater and earrings I had on perfectly. So, of course, I wore it out of the store!  That sweater I'm wearing is a Talbot's that I got at Goodwill for $4!

Lise found some oh, so cute rain boots on sale. And she got a ton of jewelry off the 75% off rack.

We hit up H&M, F21, Coach, and many other stores. And unfortunately, we just weren't feeling any of them. No one really had any good sales on or just didn't have anything. I guess we're between seasons and sales or something? Or it could be that thrifting has absolutely ruined us for regular mall shopping.

The other place we had a great time was Sephora. That is like the mothership for makeup, isn't it? The ladies there were most helpful, too. We got some really good advice from them. And samples, too!

I've been looking for a computer bag to take to my new job. I looked at Coach, but as much as I love Coach, I just can't spend $200 on a computer bag-even if I had the money to do it. We looked at Fossil and their's just weren't big enough. As we were going to Banana Republic (oh, we were back at the Commerce outlets at this point) I saw the Wilson's next door. I'd completely forgotten about it! Well, we went in there and found exactly what I was looking for. I got a beautiful red leather laptop case and it was only $70! I think I did pretty good. Isn't it pretty?

Today is my last Friday at State Farm. So I wore my State Farm sweatshirt one more time. I jazzed it up a little bit with the leopard scarf I got at H&M yesterday for $3 and my leopard shoes from Target.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes and emails yesterday! I truly appreciate it!!

Happy Birthday to Joy!

Cheers to a lady of style through all the ages!

Happy Birthday

Joy!



Prom 1987

Applebees, 1995 celebrating engagement

1996, Wedding

2010, Pigeon Forge

2010, DragonCon with Colin Ferguson from Eureka.

We are so excited today because I have 3 people coming in to take care of Ida.   And we are off to Mall of Georgia for a day of shopping and birthday fun.  I can't wait to show you some fabulous and frugal fashion finds!   I am also really looking forward to Friday because one of our readers is teaching in Atlanta and we are meeting on Friday!!!  YAY!  I will take lots of pictures.  I can't wait to tell you how we connected and after almost a year we get to meet. 

We love meeting people...hint...hint...

Anyone who wants to get together let us know because it is always amazing to meet people.

Have a great Thursday and don't forget to wish Joy a happy birthday!

It's Dress Up Wednesday, Dahlings!

Join the dress up fun with No Model Lady!

It's just a rainy, icky mess here today. And cold. Have I mentioned how cold it's been and how sick of cold I am? I saw a someecard on someone else's blog yesterday that sums up how I feel about the cold and I stole it!

                                 

But, I tried to make the best of it and pulled out my fur vest and my leopard print blouse, and laughed at the rain and cold, because I was dressed up, dang it!

Vest: Liz Claiborne, gift from Mama
Blouse: Lemon Grass, PS Too
Pants: Liz Claiborne, old
Boots: Target

Tomorrow is shopping day!! YAY! Can you tell I'm excited?! I can't wait to go to Charming Charlies and F21 and H&M and SEPHORA and Nordstrom's Rack......

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

Yeah, I don't know where that title came from but it was in my head when I found out I'd won  Brett's giveaway!! I'm so excited! I can't wait to get the bracelet and wear it with something! It's so cute! See? I thought it was red but she said it's pink. Pink is good, too!!


                        


Yesterday's outfit was brought to you by Goodwill and today's is from PSToo, well the sweater and skirt anyway. Apparently, it's skirt week around here. When have I ever worn skirts 2 days in a row?! This outfit isn't a cheap as yesterday's, but it's still under $100. $67, not counting jewelry.

Sweater: Ralph Lauren, $14, PSToo
Skirt: Willi Smith, $10, PSToo
Shirt: $8, Kohl's
Boots: $30, Target
Tights: $5, Target

I think this sweater will look really good with jeans, too. And at my new job, I get to wear jeans on Fridays!

Thursday is my birthday!! YAY! And Lise and I are taking off for a day of shopping at The Mall of Georgia. She got someone to stay with Ida all day. Shopping with no kids. Is there anything better?

Change Is In The Air

So, this weekend brought some changes to my life. I am leaving my job after 17 years for a new job. I've spent 12 of those years with my current boss. And I'm not leaving because of him. He's great. I'm just ready to spread my wings further than State Farm will allow them to go. It's a little scary, but in a good way.  I'll be starting the new job next Tuesday. It's still in insurance, though, just with an independent agency.  Oh and the best part? It's just down the street from our favorite resale store, PSToo!! YAY! Lise can come meet me for lunch and we can go shop!!

But, enough about my job situation, let's talk about my outfit! This whole outfit was thrifted  at Goodwill except the boots and polka dot tights. (Can you see the little white polka dots in the blouse, too?) The whole outfit, excluding the jewerly, is less than $45!

Sweater: Jones New York, $5
Blouse: 5th Avenue, $5
Skirt: Faded Glory, $6
Boots: Kohl's, $19
Tights: Target, $5
Belt: Rue21, $3

 





Two Of A Kind (quite the pair)

Do great minds think alike or WHAT?

I haven't been at work for a month since I stay home full-time with Ida.  But, today there was a small emergency and I was happy to have M checking on Ida while I came to work.  I walk in the door and....OMG! Joy and I are wearing the exact same colors!

Don't believe it?  Check it out for yourself ladies......

Can you see how these tights are so shiny? I swear they were like putting on chain maille!

We are totally Rockin' the burgundy and gray today!

Love the splash of color the scarf makes!

So, we are having a great time at work together, getting a ton of work done and possibly laughing a lot...
Here is a handy thing to know about this color family:  Gray looks good on pretty much everyone.  It can be elegant, businesslike or lighthearted.  Mixed with burgundy, it is happy!  Joy can wear this great cool color, but because I found one with a slight warmth to it, I can wear it also.  So can you!  Yes, you redheads, even you.  It is at home in the sunset colors of Fall and easily transitions to Winter or early Spring. 

Cardigan:  CATO-Goodwill

Pants:  JCPenny-St. Johns Bay

Scarf:  Gifted

Shirt:  JCrew- Goodwill

Today I am the PS Too lady*

Everything came from there, Yay me!

Sweater: JCrew

Scarf: ? not labelled

Skirt: Pantology

Shoes: Target (ok, one thing that isn't from PS Too)

I am not sure, but this may be the first time we have featured ourselves together on one page!

And it was fun. We are both looking forward to an exciting weekend of family, fun & fashion

See you there!  (here, actually)  :) ...oh, and friendship, frugality, fritters......

So, we are editing this post to add a link to Peggy at SheHathDoneWhatSheCould because Peggy is also wearing burgandy and gray and has on the same shoes as Lise!! Too funny!!

One Fish, Two Fish....Ummm...One Fish?

Seriously, how gorgeous were Lise's pictures yesterday? How can I possibly follow that?!!  I can't, so I won't even try! LOL

It was a sad morning in our household. Blake's beloved fish Frederick died. He was a good fish. He had big googly eyes and always blew fish kisses at you. The other fish has already forgotten he existed!  We gave him a worthy, dramatic goodbye in the master bathroom this morning.(Remember The Cosby Show episode where Rudy's fish died? That's how I felt this morning!) He's on his way to the big aquarium in the sky!!

And what did I wear for this solemn occassion? Well, no color, that's for sure. This outfit photographed so blah. It really looks better in person, I swear!!

The pants are new. I bought them at Kohl's yesterday with a 30% off coupon and some Kohl's cash! They are a bluish/gray with almost a denim look to them, but they aren't denim. The gray sweater came from our day of thrifting at PS Too. It's warm and cozy!! The turtleneck is also from Kohl's.  I definitely needed some color today. I'm tired and it's really showing thru on this picture. I almost didn't post at all. But then, I thought, everyone has days when they are tired and just not feeling it and it ends up reflecting in their clothes. It's what makes us real and human!

So you got glamour yesterday and blahness today. Such is life!!

I'll try to be more colorful tomorrow!!

Your FURreal Friend

Today is my favorite day of the week now thanks to my niece, Michele who brought us

Dress Up Wednesday

Check her blog out here:  No Model Lady

Today I could be Sophia, a High Society lady in New York. 

Living out of homes in England, Italy and the United States.  A true lady who raises her children as all of us should...with the loving care of proper nannies and boarding schools.

Faux fur? uhmmm....never for this girl.

Or I could actually just be little ole me, Lise Marie having fun with her fabulous photographer

friend Shannon Bailey on the streets of Athens (Georgia that is!)

She raises her kids with her own heart and hands.

I hope your day is as fabulous as I feel in this outfit ladies (and gentlemen readers as well).

The Thrifters

Purple cardi: Walmart

Striped shirt: Kohl's

Scarf: Payless?

Jeans: Walmart Faded Glory

Purse: Kohl's, Relic

Shoes:  from Lise

Saturday Lise called me to go play since she had someone to watch Ida. So we were off to thrift!! Well, after she shoveled a path thru the snow. And no, I didn't help! LOL I had on the wrong shoes for shoveling snow. I just watched and took pictures.

Our first stop was PS Too. It seems like it's been months since we've been there.  I guess, actually, it HAS been months. And as usual, it did not disappoint. I got a long gray, short sleeved sweater. I'll wear it sometime this week. Lise got several new things there. And Kaja actually wore an outfit out of the store!

Then we moved on to Goodwill. I've had A LOT of luck at Goodwill and Saturday was no different. I got a wool JCrew skirt for $4 and a sweater to match it. I can't remember what brand the sweater is!! Lise found me a Jones New York cardigan with blue and yellow flowers. I also got Ben 2 Tommy Hilfiger shirts for $3 each. One was still so stiff that it had to be brand new.

We ended the day at our favorite consignment shop, Sassy Pants. I got this Chaps shirt that I'm wearing today for $8!! I saw several other things I wanted but I was trying to be good!!

It was a great thrifting day. I can spend hours in these stores just looking. I found a 100% cashmere JCrew sweater but it was an XS. I couldn't talk Kaja into it and my daughter wouldn't wear it! Do you know how much I hated leaving that $4 sweater there?!

The top outfit is what I wore shopping. Look! I mixed patterns!! YAY ME!!  I thought the floral of the scarf looked pretty good with the stripes.  The bottom picture is what I'm wearing today. I hate doing inside pictures, don't you?

Shirt: Chaps, Sassy Pants

Cardi: Lands End, Goodwill

Skirt: Ann Taylor, Sassy Pants

Boots: Target

I found a closeup of the shirt on Ebay so you
can see it better. My cardi is covering up
most of it.



Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Or "Ice, Ice, Baby....

Yesterday I had a dear lady (M) offer to sit with Ida and let me have a couple hours break.  This was a lovely gift so I naturally call Joy and tell her we can go PLAY!!!  Before M got here though I had some breaking up to do!  We have had numerous mishaps in our driveway and people getting stuck.  The sidewalk wasn't much better and I didn't want M to fall.  So out with the shovel & salt (is it me or does that sound like a line in a Jimmy Buffet song?), and off with the ice and snow.  Joy makes it to the house before M and looks at me with that funny look. 

Joy:  "Uhm...are you shovelling snow in fur and a diamond necklace?" 

Me:  The diamonds aren't real

Joy: In your world this explains it, right?

Me:  Why yes, yes it does.

Turtleneck: recycled

Vest:  Kohls clearance a week ago $11

Jewelry: BR

Jeans: Gap

Sass: All mine

Well, back to work....get it? This is my backside and I am working...lol

Hey, these are not super high fashion boots, but they are warm and dry.

I got them in Park City, Utah last year because when I got there for the

Sundance Film Festival in my UGG's...well they got wet.  There was just waaay too much snow.

So, I found these for $34 at an outlet and love them.  They have faux fur around the top!

Finally the work is over, M arrives.  The sons are with a sitter and my daughter comes with us for the fun!

It is never too early to teach a girl how to shop well for high style and low price.

It's a bit bright Joy!!! Can I borrow your sunglasses for the pics?  Thanks.

Much better!

So, I have to tell you that yesterday was a great day of shopping.  We hit

Goodwill, PS Too (thrift) and our favorite consignment store of all time....Sassy Pants!

I sold some things there and had a credit and purchased a few things for the daughter and myself and STILL got some $$ back.  Life is good.  We also had great luck at the other places.   I came back a few hours later renewed and reinvigorated and ready to have fun with Ida again.

Ida....hmmmm....here is a cool note....

Ida and I have always been very good friends.  We lived next door to each other most of my married life and it was great.  But lately we don't talk about that because with the Alzheimer's, it isn't part of her memory.  So she tells me tales of picking 200 lbs of cotton a day and learning to make biscuits and travelling with her father singing where he was preaching.  And I see this whole other dimension to my mother-in-law that I never knew and I have a new respect for her 84 years.

I want to connect with her on this new level.  Songs bring us together.  She loves to sing

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone" with me.  But her favorite song is an old gospel song that I had never

even heard of.  No problem, this is a new age of computers and it is not long before I locate the music and words to CAMEL TRAIN!!! (I learned how to link so you can hear it).

I have been busy learning it and this morning I went into her room and announced that I learned it!

Her eyes got wet with tears as she held my hand and we sang this sweet song together numerous times.

It will be one of my favorite memories, always.

She gives my hand a squeeze and says "I remember I always loved you girl, but I feel right now like you are my very own daughter and love you like that"

Ida had 4 sons and always wanted a daughter.  I did what any of you would do...

I cried.   And I think Camel Train will be one of my favorite songs.

Snowblind!

I heard that KISS song this morning and I thought, that's a perfect title because I'm feeling pretty snowblind. The ice on top of the snow seems to have made it 10 times brighter. It's like glass. Look.

See? It looks like you could skate on it. But you can't! You just fall through.

You almost HAVE to wear sunglasses outside.  So my outfit here has a lot going on. First of all, it's REALLY warm. Lise bought this sweater at PS Too, I think, and it was just too big for her, so she gave it to me. We call it the poodle sweater! I paired it with my black jeggings and brown Target boots. I have this fluffy sweater AND I'm wearing brown and black together! And then I decided to get really crazy and belt my black scarf!! I think it worked out pretty well, though.

Today I'm wearing green and purple. I've seen other people do it, but I don't think I've paired it together. If I have, I just don't remember. I got this jacket at a yard sale for $3! I think the scarf is from Payless. The pants are old Liz Claiborne. My shoes are new, though. I've had them about 3 months and have just never worn them! They're here at  Target. Don't you just love Target for shoes?

Have a great weekend!

Freaky Friday (I am doing a copy of Reva)

"Hello, Joy?  What am I doing?  Well, I have been up all night again with Ida and to the Doctors and grocery shopping and I think I left my creativity with my silverware in Ida's panties.  Yes, they were nicely folded in those wonderful Jockey panties I got for her.  I am pretty sure the kids won't eat off the forks anymore.  Anyway, I need some inspiration today for an outfit.  Hey, I think I will head on over to Reva's blog and copy her look from December 1, 2010.  It's fun and light and different and I think I can copycat it."

REVA, you have inspired me today!  Check it out and see how I did.  I love your looks!

Check out the original look from Reva here:

http://revasrags2roses.blogspot.com/2010/12/contrasts.html

My look:

Boots: Target

Skirt:  Fred's

Jacket: Eddie Bauer (thrifted)

Jewelry: PacSun

Sunglasses: Taken off sons face

Have a great day!  I was inspired by Reva, who inspires you???

Thanks to my photographer: Harrison 15!  You rock son.