NEW (.)(.) ANNIVERSARY...

ELLO, ELLO....TIS ME, DAWN.  HOW ARE YOU DARLINGS?  I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've blogged but today is my one year anniversary post op booby reduction and I have been celebrating all day.  I began by thanking God for the day  and then I dressed up and met my gal pal, thrifting buddy, Betsy, at the Goodwill outlet.  Boy, I am in trouble with that place...it's phenomenal.  I could spend hours, and I do.  Don't be jealous, just pack your bags and head straight to NJ.  It is worth the trip...bring a friend, plenty for all.  I have cart envy while I'm there, I look in everybody's cart.  I'm usually the one with the great cart but man, I am stalking people and their carts...seriously.  I followed a couple around hoping that they would put a few of their things back but they didn't.  Smart of them...cause I was ready. 



Anyway, hope you are all well.  I am still plugging away at the gym with my personal trainer.  I have lowered my body fat by about 3% and my BMI is now in a normal range.  I needed to lower my body fat, big time.  It was off the charts and I felt like a bowl of Jello...watch it wiggle, see it jiggle.  You get my drift. 

Tying bows is not my area of expertise...

Found this vintage, mod, dress at Goodwill a while ago as I am still sticking to the vintage only rule unless I can't live without something or if it's super cheap.  I'm talking like 25 cents.  The outlet weighs everything and it's .99cents a pound, so a shirt is like really cheap.  One year ago I was a size 38 G and today I am a 36/38 C.  I am thankful for the having less boobage and glad to have met my one year anniversary of a major surgery that turned my world upside down for a bit.  You can read about it here and here  and here if you want to see my before boobs in a bathing suit.   Love to all and thank you for dropping in.   dawn xo

WELCOME TO MY PAD...

Hi darling readers, welcome to my pad.  I found this little kitschy rug at goodwill for $2.99.  It still had the original tags on it.  I actually found 2 identical rugs and bought both just in case one gets stained.  ehem...rob!!  Anyway, I've been adding little items to my kitchen to inject a little brightness.  I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.  Rob and I did our annual "get your taxes done" and split a heart pizza for lunch with a follow up dessert consisting of french cheesecake with coffee which was outstanding. 

I use my vintage cosco step stool all of the time.  It's lightweight and easy to carry into the kitchen when I need it.  Rob would never allow me to keep it where it is...IN THE WAY!!

Finally hung these plastic flower wall plaques that I found at goodwill.  I scooped them up the second I saw them. 

This is my before photo...awww, pups love the old kitchen rug just as much as Timothy...I feel a little bad but I'm always telling them to leave the kitchen anyway.  They trip me up sometimes.

I wore my newly thrifted grandpa sweater by Potomac for Valentines day.  Wow, I look so much better when I stand up straight.   Have a great weekend!!!  dawn xo

OUTFOXED....

I finally felt like getting dressed yesterday and sprung into action.  I wore this to the thrift because it had been a whole day since I had gone to Goodwill.  I took a few days off from the gym to recover from that atrocious cold I had.  Thank you for all of your well wishes, you really are a great bunch of people.

I finally dyed my hair which takes two boxes of Clairol, medium auburn because it's the least expensive dye that walmart sells.  I have not had my haircut since May.  My stylist is in a coma.  No lie.  She is this wonderful, young girl who had been cutting my hair at hair cuttery (told ya I was cheap) for over 4 years.  I am so upset with this entire situation.  She was in a bad car accident around Christmas. I can't get a haircut which is fine but the fact that she is still not well makes my heart ache.  Rob went to get his hair cut by her and the stylist at the shop told him the story.   I was shocked that the stylist would divulge such personal information but I'm glad that she did so that I know what happened.  I have prayed for her and even thought about going to see her in the hospital.  She's not just my stylist, I thought of her as a friend.  To make this story more crazy, her best friend lives 2 doors from me.  I stopped one morning on the way to the gym when I saw her (Angelique) and introduced myself telling her that her best friend used to cut my hair and that I live 2 doors down.  She filled me in on the details as we both fought back tears.  It does not look good as of now but I have faith that God has a plan. 

I later changed to black flat boots to go thrifting which is what I should have worn with this outfit for the photos.

Caroline put her paw in my hand.  Why am I such a cat person?  These dogs love me. 

Have a great day!!!  Thank you for dropping in.  Working movie/snack night with the seniors tonight.  Probably watch some Golden Girl episodes.  Last night somebody ate a bingo chip again.  I have been lucky so far to have been able to stave off any choking by reclaiming the bingo chips from their mouths.  Hazards of the job.  God bless their hearts.  Thrifted, vintage dress from late 80's to early 90's, DKNY thrifted cardi, vintage thrifted boots.

How impressed was I with myself when I came up with this word (outfoxed) for 73 points on words with friends???  I might be addicted, just what I need, more distractions. 

HELLO....beautiful wall hanging

HELLO GORGEOUS WALL HANGING...source

I would love to have this one but the source tells me I can't afford it.

This would make my life...I would stare at it all day...but the price is too high for my goodwill budget.  source

Soooo I will settle for this one found at Goodwill for $1.99 anytime.  With a few minor repairs and a stick to hang the loops through (also found at goodwill) she was ready to be hung in the living room. 

I'm going to look for an arrow to replace the stick at the top...where can I find an arrow?  Goodwill?  Hopefully.  On another note, my face is still healing up and I am keeping busy with other things.  Thank you dear, darling readers for your encouraging comments about my last post.  I was touched, really!!  See you soon.  dawn xo

THE UGLY NEW YEARS SWEATER....

OK,  so I started this post with an outfit in mind for a New Years Eve outing.   I wasn't quite sure about where I was going but I knew that comfort was priority.  So, the headless photo is how I began along with the thought of doing this post on my deck but it began to hail and snow so I switched to my desolate living room.  I still have not found a couch...and I have been wanting to wear this ugly new years sweater.  Circa 1989...1990???  Not sure but it is suspiciously vintage looking.

The sweater comes off and I add the big, vintage corsage that I had sitting in a bowl as a decoration, leaving the sweater on the credenza in a ball.  See how my mind wanders?  I did promise to wear the corsage/pin this year...

I love this corsage pin, it's so gaudy and big.  It has miniature Christmas balls attached to it. 

Belt begins to slip down....hike it up!

 

I then decide to add the ugly new years sweater back to my outfit and grab the vintage, thrifted, reindeer that I found in Florida last week when Rob and I took a 4 day to Orlando to visit his folks.

I'm wearing this to something, minus the reindeer  Have a great weekend, what are your plans for New Years Eve?  dawn xo 

DINING ROOM DECOR...a little cheer

Hi darling readers.  I am in decorating mode.  I am working on my dining room because I am tired of looking at blank walls.  I gathered a few things from other areas in the house and from bins in the garage and went to work.  Just know that there was nothing on this wall before I began and everything is either trash picked (window) or thrifted.  I bought the sparkly letters for a dollar each 2 years ago. 

 

All thrifted...

I don't know why these photos are so dark...I will be dangerous when I learn how to use my camera.  Let's just pretend I was going for ambiance.

 

My sweet Emma Jane, my sister's little one.  She's gonna be 4 soon.

I like how it turned out considering there was nothing in here but a table and chairs with a cabinet in the corner on the other side.  I will show that and my table as soon as they are finished.  Have a great rest of the day, sorry for my absence, I have been nursing a sick cat since Thanksgiving when I rushed him to the emergency vet.  He is doing much better.  I prayed for that little guy and held him like a baby.  I was a good mama...you would be proud.  dawn xo  Thanks for dropping by, it makes my day!!

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MUG?

Obsessed...R. Carman vintage mug.  If you see this mug get it for me and I will pay you. 

Hi darling readers, it's Tuesday and I don't usually post this day but today you are lucky...ha!  I have been totally obsessed with looking for the mate to the thrifted, vintage, mushroom mug from France that I bought at Goodwill for .49cents.  I'm like Rain Man. ( I really do get all of my underwear from Kmart too, Joe Boxer, if you must know)   When I get an idea, it's all over.  Everything else has to wait until I get it out of my system.  Have you seen my mug?  Not my face, the coffee mug?  I posted it on Instagram.  I found another one on Ebay that I am going to bid on but in the meantime I went to 4 thrift stores in the last 2 days scouring for a mate, can't just have one.  What if I  break it or worse, what if Rob breaks it?  Is anybody else like this, I doubt it.  What's that you say?  I have too much time on my hands, not enough time, I'd say. 

 

 

I don't iron...this dress would probably look good if I did.  Eileen Fisher/Goodwill/$5.99 over the Summer, I like the wrinkled look.  Things can't be too perfect when you look like the farmer's wife. 

Went thrifting in this outfit but not luck on the mug. 

Working game night with the Seniors tonight...I'll bet you they had a set of these mugs...dawn xo

DAWN OF THE DEAD....happy haunting

Hi you guys, I have been playing around with picture monkey photo editor thanks to Curtise of The Secondhand Years blog.  Thanks girl!   They have the best Halloween editor I have ever seen.   Do you like me as a zombie...I do.

I went out to my old haunt, the abandoned building not too far from home.  I took the dogs along just in case anything creepy happened.  The building is abandoned where I am standing but there is another part of it that is still used.  Due to the weather, nobody was there today which made me creeped out. 

I wore this thrifted Donna Morgan vintage number that I have worn many times before on Halloween but mostly for my parties at home.  Today it worked perfectly for this shoot. 

Have no fear, I am a good little witch when I want to be. 

I added the owl because there is one in my yard that hoots so beautifully.  I lie there in bed and smile when he does his mating call.  Such a pleasing sound.   I woke Rob up at 3 in the morning to ask him if could hear the owl...my owl.  He didn't mind, he said yes and went back to sleep. 

Before Picture Monkey Halloween free photo editor....

It's so much better with creepy little edits...have a great Halloween.  Have fun with your little ones.  dawn xo

NUBBY STRIPES AND POCKETS....

Hi darlings, I am having such a good week, I hope you are too.  Thank you so much for your sweet comments yesterday about my little suitcase vignette shelf.  I left a comment on the designer's blog, hopefully she will see it.  I thanked her and let her know that I linked back to her blog.  Anyway, today is my day off and I am getting ready to have a romantic little getaway with Rob.  He has been off this entire week which means I am eating really good food and having more than enough help around the house.  He is such a good man, how did I get so lucky?  He planned this little getaway overnight in Pennsylvania.  It's a great weekend to do this with Halloween being celebrated.  It will be spooky and romantic, maybe I will bring one of my books about haunted houses and ghost stories and read it to him while he drives.   He will probably just laugh at me like he did when I read the Pocono Ghosts stories to him.  I laugh too because reading out loud causes me to make mistakes.   Dah!

 

Found this little dress at Marshall's a couple of weeks ago for $16.99.  I wanted a striped dress that I could also wear as a skirt so this clearance item fit the criteria plus it has pockets and nubby material. 

  

I am wishing you all a great weekend early because I won't be back to blogging until Inspiration Monday so enjoy the spookiness, romance and spirit of this Fall weekend.  dawn xo

 

SCANDALOUS!!!

Pleather jacket TJ Maxx 2 years ago/less than 20.00
Dress Marshall/ $16.99 clearance
Target burnt orange tights
vintage boots/goodwill less than $10.00
Bucket for flowers/goodwill