Days 73 and 74: One Bad Photo, One Weird Photo, and Lots of Dishes

I promise I'm not fishing for compliments, here. But this has not been a great week for photographs and outfit assemblage. Maybe it's the holiday chaos. No matter how far in advance I plan menus, etc., I'm always rinsing out dusty wine glasses or changing toilet paper rolls in the guest bath as people come up our driveway.

Or, perhaps it's the cold. On Friday we had our first truly hard freeze. All four begonia pots hanging along our front porch eaves were coated with a sheen of frosty ice--as were the tall coneflowers I fussed over in the garden yesterday afternoon.

Or, maybe it's that I'm still craving carbs like a bunny bulking up for winter. Makes me feel puffy and sluggish. Carbs are meant to do that. Penal and educational institutions are always pumping inmates full of pasta and sugar to keep them calm.

Here's some good news, though. The sky is revealed through winter's naked trees. The moon came up amber Thanksgiving night, like it was full of honey. No matter who you are, someone out there loves you. And me. 

Our Thanksgiving was full of food and funny stories and hugs and smiles and only a little mutual aggression between Scout and Nina Garcia, the kitten. It was also full of wine. And in the food category, much pie--Chocolate Pecan (recipe is on my FB page) and Pumpkin. I'm changing my crust recipe back to the one King Arthur Flour put out over a decade ago, though. The one I got off of their website last year isn't short enough (too little shortening/fat), and was tough, rather than flaky. Christmas has its own significance, of course, but I love the simplicity at the heart of Thanksgiving.

Since I'm feeling all mellow at the moment, I should probably go ahead and post this grisly pic now. It's what I get for taking my daily pic ten hours after getting dressed, cooking most of the day, and doing three loads of dishes. (I had fabulous help for the cooking and washing parts, thank goodness!)

Goodness only knows where my makeup went, and you'd think I would've learned not to wear large blocks of color on my torso after Monday's fiasco. But at least my dishes are pretty. We used our Portmerion flower pattern everyday for fifteen years, until my dear WV hubby decided we should have Fiestaware, which is so beautifully colorful and, coincidentally, made in West Virginia.

I prefer the turtleneck minus four pounds of me and with the black v-neck over it (from early Nov.).

Ensemble:

George turtleneck: $10; Norma Kamali black career pants: $15; Earth Spirit shoes: $30; White Stag necklace: $7; Earrings: $7

Friday was crisp and cool after the freeze. Not being a Black Friday shopper, I was thrilled to be home all day with the pets. Could happily have stayed in exercise sweats, but I was determined to get one decent photo this week. Plus, I work better when I'm dressed, don't you?

Here, Hrothgar and I share an outdoor moment away from grumpy Scout and the kitten. And I liked this pic because it's kind of weird and shows how long and slim my nose is. (It's not like I'd change it to make it smaller--waaaaay too painful. Ew. And, ew--I would never do that.)

Ensemble:

George blouse: $12 (poly/cotton--icky); Faded Glory sweater: $10; To the Max jeans: $17; Shoes: $20; Earrings: $12; Necklace $8   Total: $79

Thank you so much for reading--I've loved hearing that you're enjoying the blog. I know it's time-consuming to check in, so your encouragement means all that much more to me.

See you Monday!