CAMOGLAM
Michael Kors
Flower Power
#OVER50
I wanted to share some photos from my fabulous 5oth birthday bash! I did decide to keep guests photos from being posted however, next time I would like to create a photo booth and that way people can have fun and I would feel more comfortable sharing their pictures! What if I do post pictures, but leave some people out? I don’t want to deal with all of that so decided to keep it clear of my party-goers. I did learn that I should have gone ahead with the photo backdrop idea…it would have been helpful. I already have all the lighting so i really wish I had done that!
I can say this much…everyone did enjoy themselves and I learned a lot! My biggest takeaway was that for a large group, it is worth it to pay someone to help out with serving. I had tried to find a bartender, but food service was where I found it would have been super helpful!
It was such a great time, but I feel I missed out on a lot of opportunity to visit with people because of running around trying to get food to people, or find a fork, beer, wine or coke for their Jack Daniels or whatever they needed. I waited way too late to prepare the food because I wanted it to be fresh – BIG MISTAKE!
I feel like I tried my best to set up everything ahead of time, with fireplace vibes on the televisions…we had a room set up with singing…so imagine my horror when some of the men found the television remotes and we ended up with football on? I got over it. My husband keep changing up my strategic lighting – even after I told him before hand, that he was not allowed to touch light switches, tv remotes, ceiling fans, opening windows, everything was off limits to him. He did it anyway. I was going for a dark, candlelit event…yet he managed to switch on every light in the house, move my ice bucket set up to (of all things) a camping Igloo thing…(I wanted to implode) AND he was 30 minutes late because he needed to do his stretches after his shower (some people are a wee bit ritualistic, other wise known as OCD no matter what is going on.) Either way, I survived it all and had fun!
We had taken special care to have the music set up on our revamped patio…however due to the extremely colder than normal weather…only a few people ended up outside throughout the night and we moved the music indoors.
I was so appreciative for everyone who showed up! (Even those damn husbands and their damn football.) Here’s the tea;
After a close friend expressed her anger at me, for not being present over the past two years, I’d realized that nobody realized why I have mostly kept to myself. I decided to have a party for my friends. An event for them to meet up and have a nice time during the holidays. I also happened to be turning 50. It’s in the rule book of life that we all most have a party for turning 50.
I had decided to tell everyone the extent of my neck pain, and that was why I had been missing in action for so many months. I had worked so hard at hiding my neck injury and trying to laugh it off when people would make fun of my stiff demeanor, so most really didn’t get how much pain I was in. The pain caused sleep problems. Sleep problems cause other health problems. The next thing you know, you are not going anywhere that requires additional energy! I had a work friend that knew, but pretty much I think people just thought I was lazy and didn’t care about them! I felt so much relief when I told people why I wasn’t very present in their lives. My focus was getting though each day on a few hours sleep, not letting it affect my job and trying to get better. There was nothing left of me to go sip wine and hang out with friends. At my worst, I had an amazing Assistant Manager at work and my husband was very understanding. Without these two, my little world would have fallen apart. I mention all of this to point out that this party was a big deal for a lot of reasons. People are everything. People are life and are what matters most. I had shut people out to save them the grief of hearing about my woes but really I appeared shallow and self centered by not expressing the extent of my struggle.
Another thing that I didn’t plan on…was receiving wonderful gifts! Had I realized that there would be gifts…I surely would have scrounged up more people to invite!
Did I mention that cake is everything to me? I found a great baker in my local area @afrostedmemorymaker in The Woodlands. I am not a very social person, so it was hard for me to commit to throwing a party, but once i ordered and paid for the cake – it was on!
Next came proper digital invitations so that people knew that I was serious about my party plans and I made sure that the invitation set the tone.
The thing about planning a home event is that it can be used as a huge motivator to work on things around the house! It was a plan of mine to have the patio completed before the year’s end, so having a party pushed me to get the curtain rods put up, finally choose an outdoor curtain and hang my bistro lights. (Blog post coming, but here’s a sneek peek on my Instagram…)
I also revamped the media room as well and now there’s just some furniture to recover here or there. I am still waiting on a really cool custom dog kennel end table to come in as well for the master bedroom… But I digress.
I am finally 50 and I am very happy with where my life is. What I notice in people, is that as long as they are content with their current situation, age does not bother them. It’s relative. If you’re 29 but have not yet finished college, most would be upset to be 29 although it’s still relatively young.
There is something liberating about realizing your life is more than half over and what difference does a lot of the past make? What matters is what you are going to do with what time and opportunity that you have left, how can you positively impact others while finding peace and inner joy in each day. Life is not about things and overboard consumerism. It’s about using your time wisely and love. Well, and loving wisely. If you talk to any woman over 50, that is probably at the forefront of what they have learned. If you really want astounding womanly advise, talk to a very old woman!
My next home party will probably be a casual girl party with a summer pool theme. I’m not a huge fan of walking around half naked in front of other people’s husbands so they probably won’t be invited! I guess I am old school but it just seems disrespectful so I try to hide my fabulousness (Google doesn’t seem to think this is a word, but it most definitely is) these days. Or I’m crazy. there’s always that. My new thinking is that if my husband sees less naked women these days, he will think the one he has is just fine. It seems to be working because he really, really likes me.
It’s a small thing for most, but throwing a party by someone who is a shy loner at heart, was a big step!
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
#COVERUP
After about fifteen years of tanning…my husband helped me ween off of the idea that I needed to be tan Barbie. OF course, he has fabulous skin that tans like a Ken dollwith a tennis racquet in his hand and he has what I refer to as a candy coating which helps to protect his skin against sun damage. He doesn’t get brown, he gets a nice glow that reminds me of the orange m & m character, which pisses him off when I mention it. I guess he doesn’t think it’s a compliment. While everyone on my dad’s side of the family has similar olive skin tones, I was born pretty much as pale as possible without being classified as an albino.
I am lucky that my husband loves me with pale skin. He was so upset when he realized that I was still sneaking off to the tanning bed and telling him I was only using self tanner lotions! The tanning salon had changed the bulbs so I didn’t realize it but my back was red in two straight lines where the lights had burned me! I recall there being some yelling in which he explained that he refused to be married to a lady with damaged, alligator skin! He was right about something for once!
When I decided to quit tanning and embrace my pale skin, there is a painful in-between stage in which my skin is freckled and reddish. If I wait at least a year, it finally fades into a milky, designer shade of pale.
A few years back, while working for Estee Lauder, a client was upset that out of a zillion colors of foundation, we couldn’t match her skin color. she had tanned so often for so long, that her once pale skin was so red and blotched…she thought “red” was a skin color. THERE IS NO COLOR MATCH FOR SUN DAMAGE LADY. She was blinded by insanity at that point. she also said that her husband hated her tanning but she didn’t want to quit. She left with no makeup foundation because tried to match the brown blotches, I tried to cover the red and I tried to show her true color and let her decide which of her many damaged areas she wanted to be…she left confused. Not my fault – she was lobster colored and there’s no Double wear in the shade of Lobster.
Today I went to the dermatologist to get a biopsy on a spot that is concerning. This is the part where I pay for all those years of being fabulously tan. The doctor told me what I already knew and that is that my skin is not equipped at all to deal with direct, harsh summer sun. Because of this, I try to stay covered up. I have no base tan so 30 minutes of direct sun isn’t a good thing. This along with the fact that I’ve been a stranger to the gym pretty much for a year…means that I am a huge fan of pool cover ups!
Imagine my glee when I saw the new Johnny Was catalog had a black lace and mesh top that easily doubles as a pool cover up? I was able to get my hands on one and although it’s sheer, it’s still better than nothing at all!
I really do not believe in walking around totally naked at all times anyway. A friend of mine recently told me that she stands completely nude in the mirror every morning while she and her husband get ready in the bathroom. My advice to her was to stop this insanity immediately! If you are totally naked all the time, where is the treat? Even if you are super fabulous, would you think that after 20 years of marriage, seeing you naked every single morning might get sort of old for him? I do not want to see anyone naked for twenty years, every single day while doing mundane tasks like shaving or making coffee. I prefer a man in a suit every so often. I certainly pay more attention to my husband when he has on a suit instead of flopping around nude every morning. You see my point? I mean, unless you’re in the top 1% it’s probably best to cover up unless you’re in beast mode. Just a thought.
As for me, I certainly am not in the top 1% of my class, so I have to rely on my wits, charm and a good cover up here and there.
You May Have Missed…
#DAYOFFMIX
I am not entirely sure that a velvet baseball hat is a thing to anyone else but me. That being said, it has rained constantly for the entire month so it’s nice to not fight for pretty hair in 85% humidity on a cold, rainy day off.
I love Johnny Was flowing tunics on any day because nobody knows if you’re fat, or so super fine that it’s best for your own safety to remain very well covered up. 🙂 Or at least that’s what I tell myself. I threw on a velvet bolero since it was cold – and before the heat strikes and velvets are put away until next year.
Most people throw on leggings and a tee of some kind on their day off but I just can’t do it. To just schlep though life on the daily is not my thing.I’m not quite so emotionally burdened that I typically find getting dressed to be a profound hardship. I’m not in gym mode this past year due to a neck issue that causes a sleep issue that causes an everything else issue, so leggings and gym clothes are put away lately.
Recently, away on a work trip flight, I noticed that roughly 30% of the rest of the female population travels in leggings with all of their frontal crotch area, and assets hanging out – good or bad. This is something that male friends discuss now and then, because most men think it’s insane that women wear sheer leggings as pants. I had to do a double take because I thought a woman was naked at The Golden Nugget two weeks ago, but instead…she had on skin colored leggings. Yes, I snapped a photo for proof. I am too decent to post it anywhere,though. I suppose my point is – that although I may not be typical, at least I am not naked with too-sheer leggings showing off my who-ha. So no judgments, please.
This was literally a “Hey, let’s grab brunch and go to the grocery store and please don’t take more than 20 minutes to get dressed” day. It’s not that serious.
fashion is fun. It’s art. Your choices tell the world who you are. Just as choosing to show your crotch to the world tells people that you are super proud of your crotch or that you do not realize that you have a crotch and you think nothing of it. Or do you think all crotches are equal and they should all be proudly displayed as such? There needs to be a study.
Really though, getting dressed and making choices is not rocket science. Just fun and comfort and individuality. Or not. The crotch exhibitionist thing is a case study all it’s own, but that aside, my biggest thing right now is lashes. I’m playing with my new lash line almost daily to try different looks and work on that business. Lashes with no makeup. Lashes with tons of makeup. Lashes with retro liner, progressive liner, no liner. Lashes, lashes, lashes.
As for clothing, fashion and style…I do start noticing more and more what older ladies in their 50’s or 60’s wear. At some point, life will pull me aside, sit me down and say, “Bitch please…put the heels away.” Not yet though.
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED…
TOP TWELVE SHOTS of 2017
1. CHANDELIER LOVER
Like most ladies, I absolutely love chandeliers! When we decided to move into a new house in January, I struck a deal with my husband. We could buy the house, which was about 10 years old, if he let me remodel the entire thing before we moved in. I didn’t want to drag it out over time while we were living there!
My vision included cramming as many chandeliers as possible into the house! Since we had visited Paris earlier in the year, I decided to use the inspiration from the Palace of Versailles for our little Texas home! The remodel went very smooth and we were able to move in on time! You can see some of the blog posts here!
2. HOME REMODELER
This is probably the fourth home I have gotten to revamp, and it gets easier each time! This time, I really got to have fun and not worry about boring things such as resale potential! My dad stated, “Well, that’s great as long as you don’t need to resell it,” after seeing the beginnings of the work! LOL! The saying goes, everything needs to be dull, safe, simple to help with selling potential….which I refer to as vomit. It was nice not having to worry about anything except what we want.
The other great thing was that my husband had literally no input! 🙂 It was heaven to not have to debate each little thing! There’s another link here. I had to have dog friendly flooring and furniture so those were really the only requirements.
As I sit here, almost a full year later, the entire decor part is complete and now I can focus on gardens and real life.
3. BIRD WATCHER
It’s always been a desire of mine, to be able to get up close and personal on a fresh bird’s nest. I’d always wanted to be able to watch the babies grow! I finally got my chance when a few months after we moved into the new house, a bird made it’s nest in a pot on my front porch!
I checked it several times a day and got to photograph the babies as they grew for a few weeks! If birds are your thing, you can see the shots here!
4. HUMMINGBIRD STALKER
I find it annoying when people always talk about how blessed they are. But OMG, I feel so blessed because I’ve always thought of hummingbirds as my favorite bird…and I have tons of them that I feed now! I spend hours trying to photograph them, and finally got a few fun shots. Not perfect or detailed, but they speak to my heart.
5. FASHION BLOGGER
I work for Johnny Was Clothing, a California brand that I love…so I blog about their clothes a lot. The shot above was actually showing off a custom dress that Eshakti sent to me, along with a Johnny Was Biya coat that I love! Although I have made some money from my blog this year, I am not one of those people that only shows you things that I want to earn a commission on by linking to an online shop. If it’s something I think is cool, but won’t make a dime for me…so be it. My blog is an ongoing commercial about clothing. What is terrible is that I could provide a lot more content due to my ongoing new supply of clothing but time is an issue. For us, if I happen to be dressed and in the mood…we snap pictures. I want to do so much more writing and hopefully this year I can get better at a lot of things…blogging being one of them!
6. LASH BOSS
I finally got to do something I’ve always wanted to do! I’ve started a new business in the cosmetics industry! After researching strip lashes for years, I took the plunge and developed my own brand, Bosscat Beauty. I designed two types of silk strip lashes and decided to start the business with one product, the Glam Edition Lash Box! The fun part was getting set up and building the first product from start to finish. Social media advertising is also fun. This next year will be about setting up retail accounts while also growing individual online sales to help promote brand awareness. I’m proud of my work so far and can’t wait to see how it goes in 2018!
7. CREATIVE DIRECTOR
One of the greatest jobs that I have with Bosscat is being able to create and design products that I hope people love! The above is just a first shot that I took for initial marketing once my boxes first came in! I will take a little time and get better at it, but it’s a start!
8. DOGMOM
Somehow I turned into a pink loving, flamingo floating, bleach blonde, dog mom. I think it’s funny as hell. I wanted to include this cell phone picture because it is so real. This past summer, each afternoon for an hour, I would try to relax outside with the girls. They love getting on floats and we just hang out and watch the birds and squirrels. It’s a little bit lonely at times to have such a simple life, but at the same time, I love peace and quiet so it’s really a cool life.
9. JAZZY LOVER
Being a dogmom, really started with adopting my Jazzy about 16 years ago. She was skinny, small, not too outgoing of a personality. She looked me straight in the eyes though, so I adopted her for the connection and her desire to understand. We knew she didn’t have much longer, so we took all three girls on a #dogcation a few months before she died. She had an accidental death three days after we moved into the new house. It has not been a year yet. I loved her and gave her a safe home for 16 years and try not to think about her accident. She was a great little dog and this year I had to say goodbye.
10. PET CEMETARY GROUNDSKEEPER
If you read #9….then you get why I created a Pet Cemetary in my yard! It’s my little special place to honor Jazzy’s life and respect her with a memorial garden while having a great prayer spot at the same time! I’ve never shared a peak before. This next spring my biggest project will be my back yard. It’s freezing right this minute and probably killing my palms and fruit trees so a big clean up will be in order.
11. WANNABE YOUTUBER
I started making a few videos again, due in part to the new Bosscat venture! It is so hard to try to come off as your true self, and look ok, and have fun! The thing is, that it really is fun to make videos if you have the time to put in! This year is going to take some serious time management in order to meet my personal goals! It would be so neat to be interesting enough to do well at videos but not sure if that’s in the cards!
12. MAKEUP ARTIST
I made time to do makeup on a new friend this past year! I met her through work and really like her so we took a day to play! Nothing feels better than doing what you love and spending time with nice people so it was a high point for me! Leilani is a total ray of sunshine!
In closing…these are just a few simple pictures that help show my year, and what is important to me. Well, some of the things anyway! I also love President Trump, Jesus and my husband. We’re not supposed to talk about politics or serious things because we want to appear neutral. It’s very hard to pretend to be neutral when there’s so many serious issues in the world and my conservative belief system is not in line with the previous status quo.
It irritates me when a woman mentions Trumps “ridiculous tax reform bill” which was only “for the rich” and he’s only President “to make more money for himself.” Most people who bitch about the tax reform agenda have not processed their own tax return or run a business so how would they know about tax code ? So yes…it’s very hard to stay neutral a lot of the time. I hope to branch out a bit and share more in the future. Blogging is very therapeutic!
Let’s have a great 2018, everyone!
