My childhood home burned this week

My parents actually sold this house about 15 years ago or so. It was a really nice house when we had it, but the new owners didn't do much-if any-maintance, and it slipped into icksville pretty quickly. The house was built originally in the early 1900's. The big sqare piece was the original house, in the back was a stable that was eventually combined with the main body of the house. There was a huge crawlspace in between the first and second floor and I'm sure once the fire got into that it just went everywhere. The siding is slate and kept the fire sort of under control. Apparently, it was a huge fire and no one can live there right now. I don't think the new owners have money to fix it, so I am waiting for it to be condemed. That will just break my heart.

I called my brother before sending him the pictures because I knew this was upset him as much as it upset me. He really wanted to buy this house from my parents just to keep it in the family, but our town really doesn't have anyway to support what my brother does for a living. Besides, it's not that great of a house, it just has a lot of our family memories. We can think about our family and our memories just about anywhere.

A box of memories showed up on my door this evening

My mother was cleaning her basement and found 3 boxes of my old stuff. They were full of pictures, cards, and letters all from when I was much younger. All my grade school pictures and awards, some books my Aunt got me in pre school, my piggy bank which was actually an owl, 2 wax dinosaurs that we made when we visited the museum of science and industry, my high school diploma and cap, my hat and name tag from my first job, and some school work that apparently I thought I might like to look at in the future. There is a copy of my school records, My play scripts, my psats, my Presidential Fitness badges (that made me laugh looking at me now!) my yearbooks, etc.... It has all been sitting in her basement for 18 (ish) years. I think it must have been put in storage around the time I was 24 or so from the looks of what's in there.

What I was disturbed about was how much I had forgotten. There are letters in there from people I don't remember talking about stuff I don't remember doing. There are pictures of things that seemed so important at the time, but now, if it wasn't for the pictures I wouldn't have a single recollection of.

What has made me happiest is that there are letters from my grandparents. My grandparents have all passed away now, one set almost 12 years ago, and my other set in the last 3 years. There are cards and letters and even some pictures. I had forgotten that my grandmother used to send me money (secretly) and tell me to stay out of the bars. She would always write that in big capital letters with a smiley face. I think she knew I ignored that little piece of advice.

Simplicity patterns 1967 Or- the more things change, the more things stay the same.

Apartment Therapy post!

We have started on the beadboard backsplash. And by we I mean my Mr. So far I like it alot, and I am glad I didn't tile. Plus, this is a lot less work for me.

We have a 5 ft by 30 inch piece of butcher block that we are going to make into a bar table for the side wall of the kitchen / walk thru area. I have a bizarre floor plan because originally, my 8 x 10 ft kitchen had another 8 x 10 ft eat-in area. When the previous owners put in the new cantilevered living room, the former eat in area became a large walk way. If this house was on one of those horrible "sell your house" shows, some bimbo real estate agent would tell me the room would "confuse" possible buyers. Because apparently possible buyers have no vision or imagination. I would really like it to come back and be friends with the kitchen, but it will take some work. But if it works out right, my little 8 x 10 kitchen "feel' larger, and that's really all I need.

The first picture is the beadboard 1/2 done. The second picture is the before pic. When I took off the trim, there was an old strip of the original wallpaper.

A little metal purse I couldn't resist

This is a small, metal purse. The metal is like a licence plate with x's and o's on it with little blue jewels. The handle is rubber. The maker is Planet Art.

Yes, I will probably never carry this anywhere, but it was a dollar at a thrift store and it's new- it even came with a bag of extra rhinestones!

The best date I ever had in my life

Reading Wende's post and seeing the Apache Junction photos made me think about something that hasn't crossed my mind in 15 years.

As the title says- this was the best date in my entire life. Hands down. I had started work at a resort in Scottsdale. It was a weird time in my life, I had just left a man whom I was sure was the love of my life in Vail Colorado. We had gone there after college and got jobs at a ski resort. It became apparent to me within a week that I would become an alcoholic in short order if I stayed. The night we ( and by we I mean he and I) drank 50 dollars worth of 1 dollar shots was the last straw. I recovered- how I don't know- got in my car and drove to Scottsdale where a friend of mine was working. I got a job and friends and things were good.

I decided I needed to date. Yes, I know, in the last paragraph I said that man was the love of my life. He was. But we were young, and I was smart enough to know that you have to experience life. Besides, you are either meant for each other or not, and I knew at that time and place, we were not meant for each other. Ok, getting back to the story, I decided I needed a date. I was pretty cute back then , but I didn't know a lot of people, so a friend of mine set me up. Also, I tend to be pretty shy and like to be by myself or with small groups of people.

He was also working at the resort I worked at, but in a different department. These resorts are huge and employ hundreds of people. I probably would never have met him on my own. He asked me out for a drink. I said yes. I figured we would go to a bar. That's where most people go for a drink Not this guy. Apparently he had asked my friend a lot about me and what I liked to do. He took me to the mountains instead.

Now of course, I wound never go into the mountains with a casual acquaintance. Odds aren't good you would come out intact. Back then, though, none of those concerns registered. We went into the mountains in his jeep out into the middle of nowhere. Down small, 2 tracks until we got to a small plateau . He made a fire, we watched the city lights and drank beer until 5 am. I had never talked to anyone for that long before in my life. Even when the coyotes were howling at us, it was still great. We dated for about 6 months, then we didn't date anymore. It was the same problem with time and place.

I never got the smell of the fire out of the coat I was wearing that night. I don't think I tried very hard though.

A thinking Thanksgiving

I spent a lot of time considering what my real style was this weekend. This whole wardrobe therapy project started as a good idea to clear out my old, nasty clothes, just like I started AT to clear out my house of useless extra stuff . It's started to be much more, yet, I still had some nagging questions about my wardrobe, my "style".

Up until a few years ago, I would, could and did just up and go have an adventure of some kind. Jump into my jeep and just go. I started traveling cross country at age 18 by myself. I would get off the beaten path and find interesting and odd things to see and do. Sometimes it would be going to Alaska, sometimes to the Grand Canyon. I used to take weeks off and just go out west to Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, Sedona or just the desert. When I lived in Phoenix I would jump into my little car and go to San Diego and hang out for a week. Once I drove to Florida and traveled these old off the main strip roads and stayed at these hole in wall motels for 2 weeks. I was an adventure girl. I love historical sites, parks, anything like that. For the most part I took pictures of my travels, no store trinkets for me. But, I have a weak spot for handmade jewelry and odd local art. As I got more money, my organic cotton t shirts were upgraded to designer organic cotton t shirts, a little more hip and trendy, but still pretty much adventure girl at heart. I just wore them with 4 inch heels and designer handbags.

When I came up here, I lost part of that. Less time, and another, smaller, person to worry about. My adventures were pretty limited to more urban locals ( and maybe a trip to the big lake here and there) and this place doesn't even recycle- so getting organic anything is a pretty big hassle. I used to make fun of Starbucks for their lame coffee, but I would die for one up here- McDonalds is the only coffee place within 50 miles.

So, thinking about all of this, adventure girl is gone for a while. At least till my son is a bit more self sufficient. But I still want to have a more natural way of dressing, and that does fit with my current lifestyle and locale.

I don't need a wardrobe full of suits and button up shirts. I need comfortable, flattering knits, jeans, shoes, sweaters etc..... I need washable stuff, and maybe a bit more rugged.

Today I went shopping. Supply line sourcing and all. I tried on a ton of clothes. And shoes. I purchased a new pair of dark denim Levis- and I promptly came home and threw away 3 pair of old, rabbity blue jeans. I also got 2 short sleeve t shirts for under jackets- and neither one is black! One is a combat green color (good with my skin tone and hair) and the other is orange and brown. My husband was blown away.

I realized if I am to find some new shirts I have to be re-fit for a bra. When your girls are as big as mine, they have to be reigned in, and mine are finding a way to jump the fence. I have a Dr. appt. on Monday in the semi big city and I am going bra shopping on Monday.

Well, that's it. I think I have some insights on what I want my wardrobe to do- make me look more polished and less sloppy, and now I have some insights on my style- a little more natural with some very slight funk.

purse 5- hair on cowhide Banana Republic

I love this purse. It too is open to the world but it's smaller and closer to your hand. Two interior sections. I have a matching wallet/cell phone holde too. I got it in Tx during that whole hair-on fad/phase that was big about 7 years ago or so.

Purse 4 Claudia bag

This is a Claudia bag, leather with suede inserts. The lining is a reddish/rust color. I like it alot except that it's open at the top and closes with a toggle. You can't put a lot of stuff in it and it's sort of open for all to see. It does have an inside zipper compartment so at least you can put your wallet in a (slightly) safer locale.

This is how you know I live in the sticks.

I made a reference to geese in clothing in an older post. Alana wrote and asked to see a picture. These are down the road a bit from my little village. The house is a decrepit little thing, but the occupants have built a tiny little glass house for their plastic geese and every season the they change their clothing. It's pilgrims now. They will get santa stuff soon. It's totally insane.

For a joke this summer I found a goose for a quarter at a yard sale. My Mother hates those things -all yard art actually- and so I snuck up to her house and left it in the front yard. She threatens to bring it back to my yard every time I go away for a few days.

My "heart" post- or why I have what I have

BREATH

My shoes and purses have been piled, examined, tried on, cleaned, and,in the case of shoes, weeded out a bit. I have found that I am pretty happy with the choices that I have made in the past for these items. I only have one pair of "what the hell was I thinking" shoes and they make me laugh so I am keeping them. I may show a picture of them later on.
BONES AND HEAD
I have a great storage system for my purses (off season bags are kept in fabric boxes, stuffed with tissue -with tissue in between the bags.) I keep my in season bags out on a shelf in my closet. They are pretty evenly divided between winter and summer now, so it works out well. My shoes are kept in those hanging shoe bags- linen also so they breath and the hanger can been washed if needed. My in season shoes are kept in my laundry room area, my off season shoes are in my downstairs sewing room. Again, they are evenly divided between winter and summer so space isn't an issue. I clean my shoes or bags whenever they need it so this was unneeded during this cure phase.


HEART

Ok, here is the difficult piece. After reading others comments it appears it's hard for others too.
My Status Symbol, or how I wish to be viewed by others. That's hard for me because of the change in my life. When I was working I wanted to be seen as smart, competent and a leader- because that's what I did. For the past 20 years I have told people what to do, when to do it, how to dress, what to buy- you name it. So I had to walk the talk so to speak. Now, I stay at home and take care of my son. I still want to be seen as smart and competent (and not so much the Brittney Spears model of motherhood) but also a little more fun. That I can drop everything and go to the park or pull out the watercolors and playdoh, because that is my reality now. I also have the whole complex of not having a "real job" anymore. I know that I have an important job- and I chose to stay home. It was a drastic pay cut, but worth it in the end I think. But I have a lot of people asking me when will I go back to work, like this has been a vacation of some sort, instead of what it is, the hardest job I have ever done before.

How does my wardrobe relate to my status symbol- I don't think it does really. I think it's sloppy and not pulled together enough. I have the washable part down, but that's about it.
Whenever I see someone on one of those "How do I look" shows and they have these outfits for say at home mothers I laugh my ass off. But, I come from a place where PJ bottoms are acceptable dress for anyone and everyone going to town, maybe my views are a little jaded now.
Conversation starter apparel-
NO. People ask me about my handbags, my jewelry, and my hair of all things. Being stopped in the grocery store and asked who cuts my hair is not my idea of a good time. I don't mind sharing with people I know ,but total strangers kind of creepy me out. (not you people I feel I kinda know all of you)

So that is all I have now. I have to start planning my Thanksgiving Feast now. Everyone have a great holiday!

Chair information request- Blonde dining room chairs not the Heywood Wakefields, also UPDATE!

does anyone know anything about these chairs-the blonde ones, not the Heywood Wakefield
Originally uploaded by thefarmersdaughter

They have no name, I have 4, they were on the cover of a magazine "Household" Sept 1957 edition, with the 1957 readers choice home. I have no idea who made them. Help me -thank you in advance.
UPDATE- I got a message on FLicker that these may be "casual modern' Birchcraft by Baumritter chairs.
Ethan Allen was originally Baumritter apparently. I can't find any picture of these though, even with the new info. So the call for information is still out there.

My shoe piles, discards, and Karma bag

These are my shoes. There were 48 pair of them. I have discarded 5 pair, so it's a bit better than 10%. I'm pretty happy with the shoes that I have. I could probably use a pair of heavy duty winter boots, and I am going to look for a new pair of dress shoes, but all in all, I'm happy with my choices.

My piles

I have 3 pair of cowboy boots. They are all keepers even if I don't live in Tx anymore. I do wear them some, but really, they are just sentamental. I have 7 pairs of tennis shoes. Again, they are all good and I wear all of them. 3 Pairs of Teva sandals, 2 pr flip flops, one pair trek sandals. Next year I think the flip flops will need replaced. Clogs and/or slides 7 pair. These are my favorite type of shoes. I like being able to remove my feet quickly from shoes. Sometimes I feel like my feet are being held hostage inside my shoes. Not because they are to tight or anything like that. It's all in my head. I have 4 pr. of Mary Jane style shoes. These are my favorites. I have a pr of Dansko, Hush Puppy, and 2 pr Born. Comfortable all. I have 2 pr of Doc Martins. One lace up, one another Mary Jane style. Both brown and they are comfy and not to scary looking. I have 4 pair of flat sandles, 9 pr of high heeled slides and /or sandals, 2 pair of medium heeled sandles, 2 pair of wedge sandals and 3 pair of booties.

My Discards

1 pr of Wedge sandles. Very high, all sorts of jewels on them, I thought they were cute. They hurt my feet . Really bad. All my weight rested on the balls of my feet. 1 pair of medium heeled sandals (the white/tan ones) I loved these shoes when I purchased them. The hemp cords cut into my feet and tried to remove my big toes from my body everytime I put them on. In addition to that my feet are just not cute enough to pull those off. 2 pair of black slides . One pair looked like motorcyle boots. Big, clunky, square toe. Kind of a hard look to pull off. These were sentimental to me and hard to part with. On a trip across the country a few years back I picked those up in Flagstaff Az. The other pair is a pair of slided that look like penny loafers. These were rabbits, and had to go due to condition. The last pair was a pair of flat sandals from Franco Sarto. I think I wore these for 4 years straight. Great shoes, but the leather was coming apart at the toes.

The last thing you see is a garbage bag. This is what I like to call my karma bag. I donated some nice stuff to goodwill today. I think that if you do nice things, nice things happen to you. Sometimes it takes a while, but it does happen. Plus, I have more room. Bonus for me.

As for socks, stockings etc... I haven't worn hose for 5 years. I have 2 pair of tights, one brown, one black, still in their packaging and I have 3 socks. Not 3 pr. 3 socks. I am going shopping this week to buy all new socks for me as a present for cleaning out some of this mess.

What's in my Bag ??? Bag 3- Franco Sarto

This is the bag that I currently carry. It fits under my arm nicely and doesn't slip to much. It has a black interior (sorry SCB) with a few small pockets and a zipper pouch inside.

Inside I carry- my reading glasses, my wallet, a makeup bag (that's new to me) my change purse, my keys, a pen, a paint swatch, anti bacterial wash, and a measuring tape. My sunglasses live in the car so I don't carry those in my bag. This set up makes it easy to change bags.

I do have a large waterproof type envelope bag that I carry my sons diapers (because he doen't want to be potty trained-that's a long story) wipes, extra pants, extra cup, disposable bags and a oatmeal bar. I don't carry that into stores or anything, it's just my emergency kit for the car. I have never owned or carried a "diaper bag" because he had never needed one , he has never had an "accident" before, not even as an infant. Was I lucky or what?

Getting to the bottom of things

I got a comment from Alana (in Canada) that really got me thinking today -

"I have to admit I'm a bit overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of things you have--but, that's my problem, not yours!"

Why DO I have so much stuff? Why, if most people would buy one pair of pants do I buy 9? My parents have a lot of stuff, but nice stuff, and it is very neat, orderly and contained. Their house looks like anyone else's - maybe a bit more antiques, but that is their business-and by that I mean job , so I guess it doesn't really count.

It wasn't until recently that I realized that not everyone has the sheer amount of stuff that I have. My friends in Texas had as much or more clothing than I did, so it didn't seem unreasonable down there. I am having trouble thinking of one item that I own that I just have one of.

So why do I feel the urge to have this stuff- or maybe is it an actual need? And, am I passing this down to my son without even knowing it? Yesterday I bought him another dinosaur. He has about 20 already. He has clothes in every size up to 7 just waiting for him in boxes. (He wears a 3 now) He has 8 pair of Levis and 7 pair of other jeans that are in his is size for right now. I know he can't possibly wear all the jeans out before he grows out of them. So, the question is why do I buy all of them?

It doesn't really stop at clothes, purses and chairs. I bet I have curtains for 3 houses. I have rubbermaid tubs of excess curtains and drapes. I have curtains that have never been on windows. Right now my mother and mother in law are using my curtains too.

You would never know that all of this stuff is just lurking in my home. My place is pretty ordinary looking. But, I fear that one day it may just get the better of me.

Isn't step one admitting you have a problem?

Purse 2- Lamarthe green Patent Leather

cq in dc- this one is for you

OMG! I have 54 + purses. No, really, that is true

Brilliant me- I decided since I had cleaned out my upstairs closet I should switch my summer purses out with my winter purses. It has to be done, and no time better than the present right? Well, I have yet to divulge that I am a purse hoarder and a purse snob. Since I was a teenager, my love of purses has only been matched by my love of chairs. I have 54 purses. Plus about 10 vintage purses that I don't use so don't count, a briefcase from my former life, and 2 camera bags. I am not prepared to discuss this any further, but here are some pictures so you can see exactly what kind of problem I have. These are all but 6 of the purses.

They will all fit back into my tiny little 3 ft closet. Really. I have a great system of linen boxes and a wire basket.

I thank God every day I hoard purses and chairs instead of used q tips and tin foil. And that I am not a true hoarder. If a chair broke, or a purse got nasty I would dispose of it. I prefer to think that I like a lot of choices around me when I comes to where I sit and what I carry.

Yea, right......

I am finally pile free (does that sound dirty....)

I had my parents come over to do the grandparent thing so I would have some time to actually look at some clothes in detail. With a 3 yr old running around, sometimes that is just not realistic. I pulled all my knits onto the dining room table and made piles of like items. Now, I wear a lot of knits, most weeks that's all I'll wear. Easy and washable is my lifestyle right now. Jeans and t shirts fit that bill. I would just like to look a little better wearing those items. First off I threw out only 2 shirts (one was stained another had a hole), then I looked at those piles. Black, white, some brown, and few light light blue/aqua shirts for the most part. Of my t shirts and sweaters only 2 have a pattern. One is a new t shirt that is (of course) white, with blue and black patterns. The other is a heavier cardigan with some black, white and red in the pattern. Very wintery looking. All the rest are solid color with no pattern.

My big, thick winter sweaters are all hand me downs from my husband, so you can imagine how they look on me. Thick knits, crew necks, huge shoulders. I am keeping 3 of them for sledding and stuff but not for wearing out in public. But the rest-gone. I have a pretty large pile for the goodwill of just knits - maybe 15 pieces or so.

This is my list of keepers

short sleeve t shirts - 6 are good. 3 white, 1 tan, 2 black, 1 white w/ pattern. All are pretty new and can be worn for a while. 6 are iffy/velveteen rabbits- 3 black,1 blue,1brown, 1 grey.

Long sleeve t shirts. I have a total of 9- 5 v necks that are iffy 2 blue and 3 black, and 4 crew necks 2 white, 1 black and 1 brown. I have to replace my long sleeve t shirts. All of them. The v necks are showing their age, the crew necks are just plain ugly.

Sweaters- 6 medium weight sweaters, including a camel colored tunic and a light blue/aqua tunic, the other 4 are borderline velveteen rabbits. I am going to be on the lookout for 2 nicer sweaters this season to replace 2 (or all of the other 4) that are yet to be determined. 1 lightweight sweater in white that I love. 3 heavy weight sweaters that are housebound or sled bound only. I am not going to look at replacements for those though. They are what they are.

Jeans- 8 pair of jeans I am keeping in rotation, with 3 of those velveteen rabbits. If I can replace just one pair of those with a new pair that won't creep down my butt when I bend over I swear I will get rid of all 3 of the rabbits. I have put 5 pr of jeans in storage for 6 months.

Dress pants- Dressy, I am keeping a pair of brown dress pants, grey cuffed pants, 1 pair black pants and the rest in storage for 6 months. Casual- one pair khaki, one pair brown, (they are identical Eddie Bauer) one pair black dockers, one pair Tommy khaki cargo pants, one pair of velvet jeans from old navy, and the rest in storage for 6 months.

Jackets- I am keeping a green trench type jacket, a green 4 button blazer from lands end, a tan jacket from picone, a plaid blazer from picone, a blue casual shirt jacket from unknown source, a black suede western shirt (that I love and wear all the time) and a tan suede jean jacket. I have many others but they are going to storage for 6 months. I NEED a black jacket and I must have one quickly. It is a large hole in my wardrobe.

Well, that's as far as I have gotten right now. I plan on going through my 3 drawers of crap clothes next- you know the king that you keep for

1.rags

2 cleaning.

3. painting.

4. sleeping.

5 all of the above.

More later-

A home "cure" post.

With all the HOOPLA over wardrobe cure, I have let a few projects get lost on the back burner. That, and I have been fighting a cold and the time change kicked my butt this time around. But I am getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday home improvement push, so I have to get my lists together.

1. Finish the paint job on the kitchen.

2. Have my Mr. do the beadboard backsplash and soffit covers. ( a smaller job than it sounds as my kitchen is only 8ft by 10ft and a galley.)

3. Clean and paint my laundry room. I have the paint, it's sort of greying blue. I also have to paint the trim in that room and caulk.

4. My Mr. bought a 5 ft by 3 ft. piece of butcher block from a friend of a friend who was re doing his kitchen. The butcher block is beautiful (it was his island) and will be put up as a bar height shelf/table on the side of the dining room opposite the kitchen. He is putting up a knee wall on the dining room side, a cleat on the backwall, and we have to decide on a leg for support on the living room side. This butcher block is SO heavy- I haven't measured it but it looks to be over 1 1/2 inches thick. But nice, and dirt cheap!

5. I have to haul out all my Christmas crap. There is about 10 big old rubbermaid tubs of assorted stuff. Not all comes out. I don't want some of my glass ornaments broken by my 3 yr old, and I don't want him to feel bad if he accidentally broke one either, so my decision is just to store them for a few years until he gets a little older.

6. I have to finish pulling in all my yard stuff and get the porches all winter ready.

7. I have to do something with what is in the top picture- that's a vintage cast iron bathtub that I got as a "present" this summer . A friend pulled it out of one of his rentals and brought it to me- thinking I would use it in my garden ( or put a statue of the virgin mary or Elvis in it) That is as far as it got because it takes 3 people to move it. I think I am going to put it under those trees on the back side over by my rock garden. Next spring I can decide whether to fill it and plant something that will trail over the edges, or go and put it up on one end and put a deity of some sort in it.

chair 50 1/2 The handpainted fish chair

My dad got me this chair for my backyard. Not to sit in, just to look at. I happen to like it. For a while this summer I had a plant on it in my front yard. In case you can't tell, that's a salmon painted on the back of the reclaimed wood.

Yes, I live in the sticks, but at least I don't have one of those awful plastic geese that people DRESS- I have some pride left.

I am a list maker

and pretty proud of it. I can't function without a list because honestly my memory is that of a drug addled gnat. If I have a list though, I can do amazing things.

I know that wende has said this wardrobe cure isn't about lists, must haves, etc... but, for me, I need that structure. That structure is why I was drawn to the cure in the first place. Having a week to get a certain task done appeals to me.

I spent last night (well part of last night- I had to watch "Atlantis Squarepantis" with my son and then "2 1/2 men" for me) trying on some pants. The only full length mirror is in my basement workroom and that is for the best really. I was surprised to find that many of my multitude of pants actually kind of fit me and were the correct style for my body type- even though it has changed since the purchase of these pants. That is good, because I will save many of these pants for a second chance in 6 months. (except those identical 9- those have to go)

I have many basic black dressy pants that in many ways are identical. They are very classic, nice quality, traditional pants, none are the cheap trendy kind. The large majority are solid black, but I have a few pin stripe pants. They are all lined and mostly a wool blend or poly blend. At least I did that right.

Now I need to sort them into size categories so I can set them aside. I feel pretty good about this part really. I would like to be able to have 3 pair of dressy pants available to wear, 5 pair of more casual pants , and 4 pair of jeans. If there are more, then I need to decide what to do with the extras, if I am deficient in a category, then maybe I need to purchase some. I am going to dress the body I have right now, not just wait for the future.

Once I pick out my pants, then I will do the final cull on my shirts. I would like to have about 10 button front shirts, 7 long sleeve t shirts, 7 short sleeve t shirts ( I like to buy t shirts new each year- I find they tend to look pretty icky after a season of wear- or maybe that's just me). I need about 4 sweaters for the winter- I would like at least one to be merino wool. I also need about 3 lighter weight sweaters for spring and summer because it gets cold here even then. In the blazer/jacket category I am at a cross road. I love jackets and I look better in them because of my body type, so I plan on having probably what seems like a large number of them for someone who stays at home with the kid. I do wear them a lot so I think that makes sense. BUT all of these items that I am listing need to work well and play well with all the others. I really do want a "garanimal" type of wardrobe- for lack of a better word.

I am also going to try something rather scary for me. I plan on taking pictures of outfits that I think look good together. If I find that I am right, I plan on making a separate file on the computer for those pictures. That way, if I do find myself at a dressing crossroad, all I have to do is go the computer, look at a picture of an outfit that I KNOW looks good, get dressed and go.

I am going to pick the date in April I need to re visit my stored clothing and put it in my planner this week. My garage sale is the first weekend in June ( it corresponds with a festival my town puts on every year) and then I can get rid of some items and donate some too....

Trying on the pants and other adventures

I started trying on some of my pants today and found that I really first needed to look at my shoes. I had some arch problems this year (as in my arches are falling) and I have been wearing comfortable supportive (read UGLY) shoes all summer and fall. A really nice pair of Merrill mesh tennis shoes, a pair of Teva sandals, a pair of Fly-flot clog like things. Ok, but not to try on most of my dressier pants. Those need some sort of a heel. So, off I went in search of a pair.

My shoes are actually easier to locate than anything else I own. They are in large canvas hanging bags in individual slots. I managed to locate this pair of heeled mary jane style shoes. Now, I bought these in Tx (of course) and never managed to wear them. They are DKNY shoes and fit me still. They look a lot like what I am seeing in magazines this season- so one less purchase I think I need to make.

This has me on a shoe tangent today. Thinking back to my favorite shoes ever- they have to be a pair of lace up's that I had about 15 years ago. They went with everything, they were black suede and I wore them into the ground. Low and behold I found a very similiar pair in a horrible color here http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=74521&navAction=jump&search=true. Gold? why ever gold?
But it got me thinking that I have always loved Frye shoes and boots, so I need to locate a store in the area that sells them so I can go and try some on. Supply lines here I come!

I have no catchy title for this......

Looking at all those clothes in the basement was to much for me to deal with today. There is a long, long, story somewhere in there, but right now, I just have the time and patience for the cliff notes version.

When I moved 5 years ago from Texas, it was a very strange time of my life. I had been living with someone for 7 years who was an abusive alcoholic. The last year we were not really together- we lived in different cities- but our lives were still intertwined (houses, cars, financial stuff) I left on a 3 month journey back to my hometown- to "find" myself I guess. I wasn't working and didn't plan to for a while, so the timing was perfect . After 2 months of hanging out and just being me- I met my husband. Totally by chance, but I knew the minute I laid eyes on him that he was for me. (we had gone to High school together, but back then I thought he was such a preppy ass.) Ok, so maybe not the minute, but within the first 12 hours or so.

I had to go back home to Tx. and do a little soul searching- figure out what I wanted to do. I really didn't want to move to Michigan. I loved (and still do) Austin. I had lived there for almost my entire adult life. But he could not move, his father was dying. After being apart for less than a month I decided. I had a huge yard sale, packed a u haul, hooked my jeep to the back and drove to Michigan by myself. (driving those huge trucks is NOT as hard as it looks) I took everything that was mine in the house. I was afraid to leave anything behind. Like somehow, my ex would use it against me or something. I don't know. I can't explain it. I think I was insane at the time. I brought plastic plants here. I brought broken things. I brought EVERYTHING.

We rented for the first year and so a lot of my stuff stayed in the boxes and tubs. That should have been the clue to me that I really didn't need everything I had brought. We got married, and bought a house, and I got pregnant (surprise, surprise) in the first month. So a lot of things didn't get unpacked, just stored until "later." We had all the time in the world we thought. Then, when I was 4 months pregnant I had a severe car accident- lost control of my jeep on the ice on the freeway. Spun around, rolled down a hill. Totaled the jeep. I ended up the hospital- I was lucky, not badly hurt and the baby was fine. After more tests though, they found my cancer.

I have/had invasive cervical cancer. I had to wait for treatment- obviously. The part they needed to treat was being used. I was on bed rest and waited. I got as big as a house. Finally I had a c section and radical hysterectomy and my baby. He was/is perfect. I think I am still fine to this day (Dr visits every 6 months and blood work confirm this to be the case) But, until last spring, I honestly just didn't have it in me to worry about boxes of crap in my basement. I had other things to worry about. But, I also worry that if anything happens to me- someone will have to deal with this. I think it should be me.

So, I'm going to do a little at a time. This stuff represents my old life, my past. I think I can re work some of it into my new, improved life. But a lot just needs to be moved on. Maxwell is right about that. Holding on to items from your past just keeps you in the past and doesn't allow you to move forward. I think I am ready to move forward.

Thanks everyone.

Small childs vintage wicker chair- number 48

This chair was originally part of a pair. The other was very damaged and I sold it at a garage sale. I bought these at a garage sale myself- for a dollar. I woman who sold them to me told me that her sons (who would be about 40 now) used to sit on them on her porch and wait for the bus. I don't exactly know what I will do with this one. My son is getting to large to sit in it and have me feel comfortable that it will not break. I guess next year it gets sold.

What I do all day

piling and trying on of shirts

I can't believe I have let this happen to myself. Never go a year without really looking at yourself in the mirror. Yee gads. I look horrible. I had to take pics of myself trying on my shirt and jacket pile to get a un-biased view. I may just go to bed forever now. I have come to a few conclusions.
1. I need and must- lose about 30 pounds.
2. I am looking more like rosanne barr than I care to admit.
3. the reason I like jackets over t shirts is because I look better that way.

I believe I have come up with a few "rules" for me. I need a v neck or a scoop neck on my knits. A crew neck makes it look like I have a uni boob. A gigantic, shelf like, uni boob. I cannot wear the shorter jackets, mine must be longer. But not to long- or I start that hobbit look again. Structure is good for my body type. Knit wear lets parts of me be free that really should never be. I own the colors black, white, denim, and a few browns and other blues. That's it. My closet does indeed look sad. I need some color. Anything except yellow. I look like old cheese in yellow.

SO, the plan is this,
I am going to weed out my closet. The stuff I really like but just don't fit in will be placed in a rubbermaid tub. If in 6 mos. I have not lost weight, those tubs all go. It's a longer term outbox situation. ( I have the storage space so it's not that big a deal) If I have lost weight, I will try them on again and decide then. I have some pieces that have to go - regardless of any weight issues I have. Any black slacks that are closer to grey than black are getting tossed. I have an uncomfortable pair of Birkenstocks they must go. I have stained t shirts that must be tossed. I should never wear a tank top and yet, I have about 20. BYE BYE!
I have some suits from what seems to be my previous life. They are going to be donated to the local womens shelter. I need one suit, black, with skirt and slacks. You know, the funeral, interview, my husbands work events thing, kind of suit. I do have to purchase that, and at the same time, a shirt or two to go with it.

I do not need that many denim shirts. Not even Tipper Gore could wear that many denim shirts. I do not need 15 (yes) pairs of black slacks. I do not need pants that sag in the ass, or make my front lady parts look "poofy" for lack of a better word.

I am not going to look at size tags anymore. Just how clothes fit me.

So, maybe it hasn't been a bad day after all. I have a plan, and with a plan, you can conquer anything. Right?

Bones, breath, heart etc...

I am jumping in headfirst, and playing catch up on my entries, so forgive me.
Doing the interview with myself opened up my eyes to a lot. It was so helpful that I have trouble putting it into words. I think that since I stopped working 4 years ago, I don't think that I am worth buying new clothes for. That, and my changing body type. I don't like the weight that I am now, and after last week and the horror of the full body mirors, I want to make some changes. That said, I will be working on dressing the body I have now, and not putting it off any more. When I lose some weight I will re evaluate at that point. But I am not going to put this off anymore.

Bones- acutally I am all caught up on laundry etc.... I am working on potty training my 3 1/2 yr old and so that automatically means more laundry. I make my Mr. take his dress clothes to the cleaner to get pressed- I wash them because it's better for the clothes, but I don't iron.

Breath- I am not to the piles yet, so I am not going to throw any clothes out (or donate) but I did go through my makeup. And to my horror, I had MAC cosmetics. Why the horror. They are over 5 years old. I know that because they were purchased in Texas. I threw them all away. ICK- broke my heart a little though- that stuff is expensive.

Heart - I got my hair cut off. About 8 inches or so, it's in a rather nice bob now, and I have proper bangs. I got an unfortunate big brown spot on my forhead when my son was born, and it's not going away. I have to cover it up because I hate it so. I also went out and picked a new hair color ( I have colored my own hair since I was 16) and I went out and bought new cosmetics- a new tinted moisturizer, new lip color, new mascara, new eye shadow and pencils, and a great new cosmetics bag for it all to go in. I love it and maybe I will actually use it now. I used to do some low (very very low) level modeling- mostly hair- and so I actually know how to use cosmetics- and I never used to leave the house with out doing some makeup, but not so much anymore.

My wardrobe cure interview

Well, here goes. This is my wardrobe interview with myself. I am not sure that I am up for the answers that I am going to get- but there's no hiding from this anymore. I need to make some changes in my life and I have started with my home and need to move on to me.


The Wardrobe Therapy Interview

Favorites- Candidate for "Best Dressed," I don't really know. I have problems with this type of catagory. I would probably say Debra Messing ( in real life- not so much from that tv show) and whats- her- name from Pretty Woman. You know, the one with big teeth. I like what they wear normally, a little sporty, a little trendy, sort of casual- but not in a sweats and t shirt kind of way. Maybe even a little rock n roll (ish) BUT not like Brittany

Favorite garment/outfit EVER. - My favorite outfit has been and still is a good fitting pair of jeans with a white t shirt and blue or black blazer/ jacket. It was always my standby outfit when I lived in Arizona and Texas. I love jackets.

Current favorite garment. I have a favorite pair of jeans- a darker color, bootcut, and they don't give me "muffin top"

Favorite thing to wear, if reality weren't an issue in any way, shape, or form.
Jeans, a t shirt with some sort of saying on it, leather coat and boots. Really, this is my favorite.

Favorite store, given unlimited wealth. I hate to say I don't have a favorite store. I used to love shopping at Dillards and a small boutique in Austin called Emeralds. Now that I don't have access to either, I find I don't really care that much.
Favorite fashion faux-pas story to tell, now that the scars have healed.
When I lived in Phoenix I ran a tennis club and taught lessons (mostly to the elderly and the very very young.) ANYWAY- I just started wearing my tennis clothes everywhere. And I mean everywhere.
How You Live & the People Around You
I spend my time at my house. I am a stay at home mother of a 3 1/2 year old. In addition, I go to every re sale, thrift store, and garage sale for my re sale business (vintage clothes and furniture) , and I am an artist (dolls, painting, etc...)
If there were a uniform for the place where you spend most of your time, what would it be? Black yoga pants and a t shirt. Flip flops (tevas) If there were a uniform for where you spend your leisure, what would it be? Same as above. My time is spent at home, or in icky, dirty stores digging for treasure, with some time out in my workroom with paints and glue. I no longer need a "work wardrobe" per se, but I do need clothes that when I'm in a seedier section of town I can fit in, not worry about getting dirty, or look to "nice" and people won't give me a good deal on that vintage sofa!


Your Wardrobe
What is the problem with your wardrobe?
I moved to northern Michigan from Texas almost 5 years ago. I don't own a proper winter coat or boots. I have some cute boot like things that I have had since Tx, I have cowboy boots, and I have this Eddie Bauer wool long coat with a hood that makes me look like a hobbit. I am sloppy. My favorite pair of yoga pants have a large paint stain on the leg and I still wear them in public. I spill things on my shirts and sometimes don't find the stains until it is to late.

If your wardrobe could speak, what would it say is the problem?"

Why is there no color? Why is it all black? Why is comfortable and sloppy the same with you? Don't you care anymore? You shop for your son and husband all the time and they look GREAT- what about you? You love purses and spend a ton of money on them, but why show the same care with the rest of your outfit?

What one thing do you want your wardrobe to do more of?
I want to be able to quickly pick items that will fit me, look nice and be able to do the job I need them to do. I don't want to look like white trash. I need to dress closer to my age. I am over 40 now and I wear stuff that I would have worn in my 20's. Of course, in my 20's it looked better.


What do you want people to say about your wardrobe? I acutally don't want people to say anything about my wardrobe. I want it to look like I know what I'm doing, but for people to focus on me, not my clothing.

No chairs today (although I have more) -Wardrobe cureing!

Well, after reading Wende in Phoenix explaining wardrobe cureing- I have to say that I need that more than my home being cured I think, and I am onboard!

My life has changed so much in the last 5 years, my health, job, weight, everything. I just don't have the wardrobe needed to live my current life. I am dressing for a weight that I am no longer at, and I am finally getting tired of it.

I was gone last week on a trip and for the first time in maybe a year, I looked at myself in a mirror that showed more of me than my face. It was scary. I have gained a lot of weight- now I can say that it's my medicine and my illness.. but that is a cop out. I eat. A lot. Bad stuff too. I don't want my son to grow up with fat parents with unhealthy lifestyles. And I dress like everyone else in my area- and that is NOT good. PJ bottoms are quite acceptable to go to the grocery store in here. I have been known to go to the post office in my pj's. I never would have done that in Austin Tx, even though that is the most laid back city I have lived in. When I lived in Phoenix I taught tennis and did it in makeup! I never went anywhere NOT dressed nicely with makeup on. Now, I never dress nicely and deodryant is something that I actually forget sometimes. ICK!

Time to get back on the horse and pull myself (and my wardrobe back) back from the gates of hell. Wish me luck.

I will have pics of my piles soon. And I need to re read Wende's lists and terminology again. I had a 3 yr old meltdown while I was reading it the first time around.

chairs 45 and 46

okay- another pic of one of the chairs- but the other matching chair is up the rafter in the garage, and as I have posted before- it is COLD and SNOWING outside and I am just not up to going out there right now.

These chairs were from a church yard sale (in my opinion the very best kind) and I paid 2 bucks for them. Orange, fiberglass (not plastic) and childsized, these are fantastic for downstairs. Right now, only one is out with his art desk, but I have plans for the other one. When he outgrows them I plan to re donate them to the church for their sale. Karma people. How else do you think I get such great deals on chairs?

I know I said I had 46 chairs- well, there's more. At least 3 more that I can think of without thinking, and I bet there are more than that in this house. Then, I can go on to my Mothers house- she has a few dozen chairs over there and at least few of them are really quite nice.

chair 44- fiberglass shell chair

This chair is a vintage fiberglass black shell chair. I use it at the desk in the basement. Great chair- great original condition. I think I paid 3 dollars for it. It is unmarked and I don't know who made this one. Too bad.

chair 43- Faux tulip chair

This chair was 3 dollars. My husband bought it at a thrift shop. I used it at my desk for a year or so, but it's down in my sewing room now. It is super comfortable. I just wish I had 3 more. It is fiberglass and vinyl with a heavy metal base. I think it's from the same company who did the Star Trek chairs in the 60's. Whatever it is- I like it!

chairs 39, 40, 41, and 42

Yep, I realize this is a picture of 2 chairs. But today was cold and I didn't want to walk out onto my back deck to take a picture of the other side where the 2 matching chairs are placed.

What you are looking at here is a black Umbra Oh chair- I have 2 of these that I purchased in a goodwill in Texas for 2 bucks each (they go for like 40- which I don't really understand since they are just plastic chairs with metal legs) and 2 vintage butterfly chairs. One is this orange, and one is a natural canvas. Every year I replace the canvas since they tend to rot outside. The frames are rusted open- because I never move them inside. Just to lazy I guess.... I get the canvas seats at thrift stores usually- although I have gotten a few replacements over the years at places like target.

The black Umbra chairs are about 6 or 7 years old I would guess, I have had them for over 5 years. The black has kinda faded from the sun over the years, this year I painted them with Matte Black Fusion Plastic paint and it has really helped them look clean and fresh.
I also have 4 benches out here on this deck with 2 tables.

When I first started this blog I thought that I had 46 chairs, I have more than that, I think it's closer to 49 or 50. At least I'm getting to the end of listing MY chairs, and can go on to fun chairs that DON'T belong to me in the near future.

chair 38! Porch chair

This is a metal chair that was my late father in laws. It needs new arm rests, and I use a pad to keep it from being a torture device instead of a chair.

Chairs 38 through 44 are outside porch chairs that I will be blogging about this week. I don't have normal outdoor chairs though.

It is so nice to be back home after the trip! But the weather has turned and these chairs have to be moved inside this week- or their pics will be showing snow instead of chairs!