Fashion Files and a Link Party!

Week 26!

Welcome back for this week’s edition of the Fashion Files, hosted by Amy and me! If you don’t know Amy, her blog is Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa. Holy moly! Mother Nature just didn’t get the memo, or maybe she can’t read a calendar (much like moi)! It’s 85 degrees (29C) outside right now. Where did my Fall go? I am not happy about this! I’ve got my pumpkins, my mums, and my Fall wreath up (stomps foot)! My phone tells me it’s supposed to be cooler by the end of the week, but I’m not so sure I trust it! I want my Fall, and I want it now! And, I want it to last about two months!

Let’s get this party started!

If you’re a fashion blogger, this is the place to be. It’s the day of the week where I talk about the things I wore last week and what I did as well as anything I might have bought. It’s also the place where you can tell us about what you wore, what you bought, what you wished you’d bought! Please tell your friends about our link party because we’d love to see it grow and grow! I am pretty sure I made it to everyone’s blog last week! So, on with the show! Huzzah!

Last week’s looks…

Tuesday – Nigel had physical therapy in the afternoon. He wasn’t feeling well so he cancelled it. I was supposed to go to my youngest granddaughter’s concert that night. The problem is my eyesight isn’t good at night. I remember thinking those little old ladies who would complain about driving at night were just making it up. Trust me, y’all, night vision is real. My problem is compounded by my cataracts that need to be taken out. I can’t do that until Nigel is better at walking. You’re not supposed to lift anything for a couple of weeks. I don’t pick him up, but what if he falls? And, I do help him get out of bed during the middle of the night. I don’t know if that would count toward lifting or not. I really do want to get them done, though. A friend had hers done and couldn’t believe the difference! I wore a pair of Old Navy OG Loose jeans and a Kantha Bae top of some kind. It ties together in a couple of places and is cut pretty low. I added a Halftee so I wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Wednesday – I had a women’s ministry meeting to go over the retreat from last month. I messed around all morning and didn’t get my shower until late. Yes, I actually went to the church like this. I don’t worry anymore about what people think of how I look. The top and pants are a new kind of athleisure from Old Navy. I thought they would look good together, but after seeing the photo, I don’t think so. I’m really beginning to rethink the whole flowy over flowy look. It may depend on the fabrics as to whether it will work or not. This fabric is a bit like scuba material, I think. It’s really comfy and cozy so I will probably wear it at home together. The pants have a cool side seam thingy that sticks out as well as pockets! I worked more in my closet as well as blogging…commenting on others and trying to get caught up on responding to comments on mine. I also had handbell practice that night. It was our first practice of the year, and I had so much fun! I can’t read music, but I can count to four! I also have lucked out and played the same bells for almost 30 years, I think. I also finished up my Thursday post for the Global Writing Challenge. This isn’t the best photo ever, is it? You can see how straight and thin my hair is. The colors are just on the top layer so you can really see how white my hair is underneath. It kinda makes for a strange illusion of baldness, I think.

Thursday – I had a European Core meeting today, and I loved every minute of it. There is nothing like a group of docents getting together to talk art, especially when it’s the Pissarro family, van Gogh, Gaugin, and Sezanne! We then discussed what we were going to do with the rest of the year. We have decided to pick a gallery and focus on an artwork in that gallery. Then, each of us selected a piece to report back on. This may be a bit redundant for some of the docents, but it’s such a lifesaver for me and the other new docents. Like I’ve said before, right now, my knowledge at the museum is an inch deep and a mile wide. I need to get that a mile deep and ten miles wide! This is one of the ways to do it. I wore a pair of Gudrun Sjödén pants, one of my favorite tanks from Old Navy, and a beautiful cardigan from Garnet Hill. I think the proportions on this outfit are so much better than the one above. When I got home, I worked on more blogging. But, I totally blew it for Traffic Jam! I don’t know, somedays, if I’m coming or going!

Friday – I had been looking forward to this day for a long time! I gave a VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies) tour to a group of students from a local university. They are all in the Physician Assistants program and were very enthusiastic about being at the museum. Their day had been broken into four or five sections. I had planned out a pretty cool tour, I thought, and they responded quite well to it. We debriefed via email which was very helpful to me. There are some things I need to do the next time I do one of these kinds of tours. I wore this cute Gudrun Sjödén dress with a new Sylca Designs necklace. And, I’m really loving this wig! I have been so surprised at how comfortable these flats from Miz Mooz are. I frequently wear these (and the several other pairs I have) to the museum and am on my feet for hours. When I got home, I did a reel for Instagram. I’m really leaning hard into my new moniker there…Queen of Awkward Videos! Did you know you can make videos longer than 60 seconds? Well, I surely didn’t! My version will do a 20 minute video which would be soooo awkward. But, Instagram then takes what you do film and pieces it all together. It isn’t perfect, but it’s much better than what I could do! I’m trying to decide if I need to up my Instagram game or not! Opinions, anyone? I’m not sure if I did the longer video for Lintico on Thursday or Friday. I feel like it was Thursday, but at this point, I don’t know!

Saturday – I tried, once again, to get caught up on blogging…reading blogs, commenting, responding to comments on my own. I don’t know how some of y’all do it! I also finished up my Abney piece and uploaded it to the place we are putting these artist reports. Of course, me being me, I didn’t do it right the first time. Oh, no, I uploaded a personal document that I sure as shooting don’t want anyone else to have! Luckily, my docent friend who is a whiz kid with computers and apps was able to remove it for me. Then, I uploaded the right one. Earlier in the afternoon is when I went to a movie about Romare Bearden (more about that in the next section). It was in a part of Indianapolis I don’t know well, but GPS delivered me right to the front door. I wore a mesh turtleneck from Banana Republic, a cardigan from Old Navy, and my asymmetrical waisted jeans from Halara. If I didn’t already own a gazillion pairs of jeans, I’d order more (honest, Amy, I would). My hair was actually cooperating. It must have wanted to see the movie and not have to peer through the fibers of a wig!

Sunday – I had two hours of Gallery Conversations today, and I had so much fun talking to so many different people! One of the best things about doing these is sharing a little nugget or two about the art. One guest, who was from Luxembourg, was shocked that a city like Indianapolis would have a van Gogh, Sezanne, and Gaugin…all on one wall no less! He wasn’t condescending or anything like that. He was truly surprised to find those in the middle of the Midwest, I think. We talked a bit about those pieces as well as two by Emile Bernard, another of my favorite painters. I also spoke with guest from Nigeria. I asked him if any of the paintings in that particular gallery spoke to him. He responded with, “Well, which is your favorite here?” I had to pick Charles Alston’s Harlem at Night. Then, he asked me why. Now, I’m beginning to think he may have been a docent, but I told him the colors, the forms, and the movement I saw in the painting. We moved to another favorite, Streetlight by Constance Richardson. We talked for a bit about it, and he asked me what story it told me. I am telling you we had such a wonderful conversation! I begrudgingly had to leave him soon after because I’m supposed to talk to lots of people! And, I did! I wore Gudrun Sjödén dress and thought about adding a slip for warmth, but I didn’t need it.

Monday – This was one of those days when nothing had to be done. We had talked about going to the mall (I have to return some things…more on that below). But, Nigel didn’t sleep well last night so he was napping until late in the morning. Since there was no hurry in going to the mall, I just let him sleep, and we had a lazy day. I did put the finishing touches on this post. I forgot to mention that on Saturday our oldest came over and undid whatever was holding the counter on the island. He also pulled up a couple of the planks. So, I decided I needed to see just how difficult that would be. It’s not difficult at all, and now I can’t wait to help (though they’ll tell me to stay out of the way…I just know) my boys tear up the flooring in the kitchen! No word yet, though, on the installation of the floor or counters. I think I’ve finally convinced Nigel to wait for just a bit to decide upon the backsplash. This is my hair in all its thin and lifeless glory! I didn’t feel like doing it, and I wanted to give my head a break from wigs. I have on just a titch of makeup…mainly sunscreen with setting powder over it, some mascara, and eyebrows! I don’t like the way the sunscreen feels so that’s why I dust on a bit of setting powder. I’m wearing an old, old, almost too big pair of denim cutoffs and a graphic tee, both from ON.

In between…

I’m still knitting, knitting, knitting! I also have a winter sweater that just needs 1.5 sleeves done. I should probably dig that out and focus on it for a bit, don’t you think? We finished “Hacks.” I was sitting there with tears running down my face for a while, realizing this was the final season. Oh, Jean, please come back! We need you and so many more of the gorgeous women of your era (she’s my era, too)! It’s so wonderful to see women of “a certain age” as the star of a long running series like “Hacks.” We then moved on to “Five Star Weekend,” and I’m afraid it’s just not as good as the book. I mean movies and shows rarely are, but I had really high hopes for this one. We’re only in the second episode so maybe it will get better. I really want to get back to “Traitors.” We watched the first season, and Nigel was kinda mid about it. I loved it. I finally finished my artist report for the Nina Chanel Abney piece in the Giants exhibition at the museum. I had most of it done but was just stuck on a couple of points. I did see a wonderful movie with my docent friend (hello, my friend) about Romare Bearden. It was sooo good, and some of the artists who spoke about him have pieces in Giants! I’m contemplating a new tour (for me). I’ve received the training for Poetry and Painting, but I haven’t actually given a tour yet. It’s a little daunting because I haven’t even seen one given. What do you think? Should I do it?

Purchases…

Well, you know what I’m going to write, don’t you? I bought another wig, and I can’t wait until it comes! I am having so much fun with them. I bought a corduroy dress and some trousers from Talbots. Of course, you know what happened, right? They went on major sale the next day. I bought them again because it was a huge discount. My sister once explained it this way, “If you saw a $20 bill laying on the ground, would you pick it up?” Of course I would, and I get free shipping so I re-ordered them. Here’s the thing…I don’t like the dress at all. I mean I did like it, but it’s got princess seams which are quite nice. The problem is the seam ends right where the tips of my boobs are (you know…the nippley area). It just looks intentional and makes me uncomfortable. Plus, the color doesn’t do me any favors, and if Jack pooped on it, I wouldn’t care. So, back both pairs of trousers and dresses go! That means I can look in the stores and spend some of my birthday discounts! It’s my birthday week, but I have come to have very low expectations for it.

What to link up…

Please link up your favorite fashion posts, old and new. Please take the time to visit some of the other bloggers. I’m sure they would appreciate it, and please let them know you are visiting from our link up! I really do thank Amy for being my co-host! Feel free to show us what you’ve been wearing, what you’ve bought, returned, or just thought about. Maybe you could share something you’d love to have but never will for whatever reason. You can tell us…we’ll understand. Tell us about your shopping habits. Do you enjoy thrifting, reselling, or online shopping? Just write a post about fashion of any kind. You could even do a review of an awards show. There are always awards shows, it seems! And, remember, even if you’re a movie reviewer, a baking blog, a book lovers blog, a blog that’s anything but fashion, I’m betting you get dressed. Snap a photo, write a little about it, and link it up! You really don’t have to dress up, either…take a look at my Sunday outfit! Thanks, my friends, for linking up and spreading the news!

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