Atypical 60

NOTE: “Who Dey” is a Cincinnati Bengals thing.  But I felt like “who dey” read on and you’ll understand!

Even though Christmas is my favorite time of year and I love and enjoy cooking and baking for this festive holiday, this year we did things differently.

Every year I bake a ton of different cookies–this year “Emma’s Goodies Sugar Cookies” were added to the mix and were a huge hit!

My daughter, Oona, has the same “Christmas Ideology” as I had when my children were growing up.  As soon as the children were able to realize the concept of Santa Claus, I never left the house during this holiday.  I hosted many a Christmas because I wanted Jake, Roman and Oona to relish and enjoy the gifts they received.

We always stayed home.  Middle pic is Jake with Uncle Tommy (my brother). Other than toys, the kids always looked forward to new winter jackets..

…while a much-leaner version of me was constantly cleaning up and rearranging.

Jake with Santa at Macy’s. This was around 1986 when Roman was a baby.

Now that Owen realizes that Santa will visit his house, the time has come for Oona and Sam to remain put so the boys, Owen, and Bennett, enjoy the day just as she and her brothers did.

I cleared it with my job before I started in November that I would need time off (without pay) to travel to Cincinnati for Christmas. In all honesty, had they said no, I would not have taken the position.

Let me backtrack a bit before moving on.

Since we would not be home for Christmas, my husband was unusually happy that we didn’t have to get the “big tree” for the living room. That meant not arguing over which type of fir or how large it would be or the price.   It also meant not having to clean random needles six months after the fact.

No big tree this past Christmas.  Just the little fake one in the sun room.  And now this tree is in storage until November!

However, I would not back down completely.  I embellished the bannisters with lights, greenery, and ribbon.  I added a few decorations and, the fake Christmas tree that stood in the sun room took on new life and additional ornaments after almost two years. (Don’t judge me on that one).

Bannisters were embellished with greenery, ribbons and then lights..

I hung wreaths on indoor doors as well as outside..

..little touches such as this Christmas tote from years ago and..

…pillows added a festive touch to the downstairs family room that nobody uses..

…and Santa is enjoying the lone club chair!

Gifts for the boys were mostly ordered from Amazon so it would be more convenient as we were driving and the car wouldn’t be loaded with gifts.  We did buy a few items for the boys in Paris.  Clothing. Sticker books and ornaments among other little extras.

I baked a ton of cookies.  Corn cookies. Oatmeal Raisin. Nutella Cookies.  Double Chocolate Cookies. Compost Cookies.  And Barefoot Contessa Outrageous Brownies.

I started baking right after our Thanksgiving trip to Paris!

Organization was key and the packing of clothing was done a week ahead.

We picked Roman up at the Paoli train station as he was driving with us –with three of us driving, it would be a cinch to travel to Cincy.    Roman arrived late Thursday evening, December 21^st.  We all got a good sleep, woke up the next day a5 5:00 AM and hit the road by six.

Everything was at the ready. Clothes. Baked Goods. Extra Christmas Gifts. We were organized!

I had my Spotify playlists at the ready.  Classical for my husband for his portion of the drive and Christmas music for me and Roman and Phish for Roman as well.  The great thing about heading out early in the morning for a road trip means no traffic on the road and we hit it right!  EZ Pass on the dashboard, the drive went well.

Need a Christmas Album to listen to? THIS has been on my Christmas playlist the past two years. My favorite song “The Merriest” is on here and is wonderful!

We hit the PA Turnpike, and, for several hours would be on this route.  The thing is, it is pretty-much a straight drive from Philly to Cincy.  I hadn’t any idea how truly rural it is once you leave the Philadelphia area behind and move forward.

We saw a lot of barns.

I had no idea Pennsylvania was so…so..farmy!!

We drove through a few tunnels and over bridges.

I got bored during the drive so made artsy black and white photos. I don’t know whether this bridge was in PA or West Virginia.

We stopped only twice for gas. Once at a PA Turnpike place with restrooms (which were very clean), and nothing to eat but fast food. Thankfully, I had healthier snacks (not much healthier) in the car.

The rest stops were actually quite nice!

I think my GPS stated that the drive takes 9 hours.  We made it in 7.50.

The drive with Vincent and Roman was like Talladega Nights!  Vincent as Jean Girard and Roman as Ricky Bobby.

Vincent and Roman decided to do the driving and told me to just sit back and listen to the music. ………………. I wonder why.

We arrived at Oona and Sam’s in record time and it was so wonderful to see them. Especially my babies!  Jake arrived from LA earlier in the morning and he and Roman were staying less than a mile away in an Air B & B while Bonne Pa and Gam-Gam stayed in the house.

Pre-Christmas fun with Owen and Bonne Pa!

As it was Friday late afternoon, we had time to relax and watch Christmas movies with the boys and had a quick dinner. Then it was more movie time and hanging around.

Saturday was a fun day.  We headed into Cincinnati proper to the Christkindlemarkt at Moerlein Lager House.   This is across from Great American Ball Park where the Cincinnati Reds play.

It was a blustery, gray and rainy day but it didn’t stop us from having fun!

To say we had a great time would be an understatement.  Owen and Bennett were hysterically funny with their politeness to the waitstaff. Any time a server would approach the table, the boys would say “THANK YOU” at a New York City decibel level. This was both entertaining and appreciated by the staff, but I thought it was so funny. And I mean that in the best way possible.

It was there I tried a delicacy that had escaped my palate for a lifetime.  Fried Pickle Slices.  It was the first time both The Frenchman and I tasted them and we could not get enough.  Roman informed us that the fried pickles at Moerlein were exceptional and not every place has them as good.

I’m not a fan of pickles nor am I excited about fried foods but these fried pickles were incredible!

We ran the gamut of omelettes, eggs benedict and Goetta hash.  Wait! What’s that you say? You don’t know what Goetta is?  I didn’t know until Oona became engaged to Sam.  Goetta is a sausage of sorts made with ground pork, oats, and spices. It sounds disgusting but is quite good and is found only in Cincinnati. It goes back to the days of German settlers.

Goetta hash with eggs. It’s really quite delicious!

The morning was cold and rainy but the rain let up enough for us to stroll around the market..or “markt” as it was.  We spotted the characters from the movie “Frozen”.  Many vendors were opening their little stands for the day and the crowd started picking up.

It was a cold, damp day but we had a lot of fun!

Owen was a bit shy about meeting the Frozen characters but Uncle Roman went with him!

That night Oona, Sam, Jake and Roman had reservations for dinner at Sotto, a popular Italian restaurant.  Vincent and I babysat for the boys. Babysitting for Owen and Bennett was the easiest babysitting gig I’ve ever had.

Someone is getting ready to give Bennett a cookie!

Naturally, Bennett started getting that thing where the one-year-olds, close their eyes, then jerk back, and open them wide. To me, that means time for bed and he went off to slumber beautifully.  A changed diaper, placing him into his nightly wrap and in the crib.

After a cookie or two, Owen started getting tired-eyed.  We both went into his room with him, read three books—and when he asked for a fourth, there was no arguing. Of course, that fourth book was read.

Left the night light on and he was good to go.

Oona and Sam were surprised that our bedtime ritual went so smoothly.  I think they were sus because they were expecting things not to run smoothly.  I have no comment.

The next day, Christmas Eve, Jake, Roman, Oona, Me, Vincent, and Owen went bowling. Well, Vincent watched. He didn’t bowl. Let me tell you though—our bowling excursion was a ton of fun.

A proud Owen with his uncles!  It was a lot of fun!

Owen, having only bowled at home with a kiddie bowling kit, was mesmerized.  We adults took things a bit more seriously.  Toward the end of the second game, Owen was becoming a bit bored so we ended that.

The bowling alley had a ramp assist for the children.  

Back at the homestead, The Frenchman and I ran to the Kroger to assist in some grocery shopping, while the Christmas Eve preparations were on hand.  We all watched Christmas-themed movies before dinner, enjoyed a nice spread then the boys went to sleep with visions of sugarplums and other goodies danced in their heads.

We all took turns reading.  The boys loved it and so did Gracie the Goldendoodle!

Christmas morning arrived and the boys were over-the-moon with happiness in what Santa delivered via chimney!

Lots of gifts!

Owen in his doctor gear playing with..I don’t even know what it is.

Bennett focusing on his wooden toys.

The easel we bought for the boys was very-much the hit!

This bouncy pit was a huge hit. Santa was generous with these two good boys!

Jake and Roman were busy at work assembling a Paw Patrol Tower which had Owen busy for hours—that’s after my boys were busy assembling the tower for hours!

The Urbanski brothers–focused only on building the Paw Patrol Tower, which, by the way, took a long time!

We had a great dinner which Sam cooked beef tenderloin a la sous vide.

Yum Yum!  That Christmas beef cooked sous vide was the best!

Finally. A picture of Gam Gam with the boys–even if Owen’s head is slightly out of the photo!

And the next morning, Vincent, Roman and I were back on the road home.  And just like that, Christmas 2023 was over and done.

Back on the road…

This time back to Philly.

Writing this, I’m still getting a bit emotional.  And there’s a reason.

Despite the fun we had, despite being with my grandsons, and despite being with Oona and Sam, I felt like an outsider looking in.  It’s weird. There comes a time when your kids really don’t need you anymore. It’s as though your purpose and your job are done.

There was a time when we were parent “super heros”. Now it’s best left to the grandkids to dress up like their heros–and it ain’t the grandparents!

To be perfectly frank, being a long-distance grandparent is a different ballgame.  And I realize I’m being so “Boomer.”  But…my grandparents lived above us during my first six years.  And when we moved to Long Island, I spent every summer back in Ozone Park at my grandparents’ house—until I was in high school.

My Irish immigrant grandparents, Thomas and Margaret Wynne on their wedding day.  I miss both of them.

My grandparents were such an important part of my life. I truly loved being with them.  That will never happen with my grandchildren.  I will never be an important part of their lives the way my grandparents were.

My grandma, Margaret Crowley Wynne. Lived to well-in her nineties. I loved her so much and she was, hands down, the best! I was lucky to have her as a regular part of my life!

But I think that’s part of changing.  Years ago, families all lived near each other. For many of us, that isn’t an option. The kids go to college, graduate, and get careers that bring them to other parts of the country and sometimes as far as Europe.

My mom (bottom row right) with her siblings. Everyone lived close to each other.  All of us cousins grew up with each other and now most of us live far from each other.  Our children are all out-of-state. Very far out-of-state. The times have changed.

What will next Christmas bring? I do not know.  If we are healthy, it’s all good.  Perhaps we’ll go to Paris.  Maybe we’ll just stay home. We can get a real tree again and I can concentrate on decorating for a quiet Holiday.

Will we stay home and get a real tree next Christmas?

Will we head to Paris and admire the tree at Galeries Lafayette? (BTW, this year’s tree was underwhelming).

Will I sit around and fill my head with memories of my childhood Christmases like this one in 1959?

I’ll let my daughter and her family spend Christmas the way they want it—as their family unit.

It’s time to be selfless–not selfish and let my daughter and son-in-law spend Christmas the way I did when my children were young and the way my siblings and I spent it. As a family unit.

This is something I want to hear from you about.  Have the holidays changed over the years for you?  Do you have children far away? Do you see your grandchildren regularly?  I am almost obsessed with this…help me to understand!

I’m really interested in what you  think.  How are your holiday seasons spent? With your kids and grands? On a trip? Quietly at home?

So yeah, I’m sadly and realistically realizing there will be a day when my grandchildren look at photos of Vincent and me and say “Who Dey”?  I guess that’s the way it is with long-distancing grandparents.

As the holidays approach, many of us will be traveling.  Whether it be by land, sea or air, the seasons influence the way we pack for travel.

Even Santa will most likely trade the sleigh for the plane. It’s faster!

For us, it’ll be by air and by car.  There are pros and cons to both.  Via air, you must deal with checking baggage, the long lines at customs or TSA, someone inching in on your overhead space, delays, and a plethora of other annoyances.  However, flying across the pond to get to Europe or any other long distance is a lot quicker and a lot less expensive than sailing across or trying to swim and feed the baby sharks.

Honestly, many of us would rather feed Baby Shark to the baby sharks!

Traveling by car?  We’ll be doing that for the Christmas holiday.  As of today, my husband, my son Roman and I will be driving from Philly to Cincy.  The plan is for Roman to rail it from NYC after work to here, we’ll all sleep for a while then get up to face the 9-ish hour drive.

This will be my husband in the car giving his opinions to my playing Christmas music the entire way to Cincy!

The cons to this are that my husband truly believes he is a LeMans speed racer.  He believes our vehicles, a Toyota Rav 4 and a Toyota Venza are a Ferrari, Porche or Beemer fitted with motors that can go up to 200 MPH.  The anti-acid tablets are in the glove compartment.

The name is changed to “Vincent” but the rest remains the same. My husband really tries to get away with sonic boom speed!

The other con is that my Frenchman thinks I am the bad driver. I have no other comment to make on this accusation except he is not correct.

The pros to traveling via automobile?  I can bring baked goods.  The baked goods that I have made.  I can freeze them, place them in a cooler and transport them with ease to Oona and Sam’s.  It is also possible to bring more gifts than anticipated. As of today, I have had one gift for my grandson, Owen, sent to the house.  When we head to Paris, we’ll be picking up some cute outfits.  Luckily, I also have the Amazon toy catalog to peruse.

Okay, so these aren’t exactly baked goods but I froze these wontons that I made. I will be making more to transport to Cincy.

Let us not forget Gougeres..and cookies…and other edible items!

But let us get down to the packing. Because, for me, that’s a critical component of travel.  Summer travel is a different ballgame than winter travel.  In summer, you pack lighter clothing.  Bathing suits. Shorts. Sundresses. Sandals.  Let’s face it. It’s easy.  If you are a pragmatic packer, you can fit two weeks into a carryon (I believe I can but my husband thinks otherwise and I usually end up overpacking).

Two months-worth of packing clothing into a carry on. Then you’re going to attempt to use MY overhead space. I don’t think so! Get a bigger suitcase and check the luggage!

Winter?  Late Autumn? Packing can be daunting.  I’m not referring to going away to a tropical island or a very warm climate—that’s summer packing.  I’m talking about traveling to points North—from the USA to Europe or wherever cold or damp or rainy conditions might apply.

You must be prepared for all sorts of precipitation. This means you need to pack appropriately.

It is so upsetting to me that rain would stop someone from traveling. I’m not talking monsoon. I’m talking about rain.  You would not believe the amount of people on travel forums who allow rain to ruin their trips!

That means packing a coat, lighter outerwear such as a blazer or denim jacket or puffy vest.  Some may opt to bring a trench coat that can be layered from underneath with sweaters.  Heavy sweater or light sweater?  Boots?  Shoes v. sneakers?  Gloves? Umbrellas? Purses?  Yada Yada Blah Blah Blah.

Paris 2021.  I wore this coat that I purchased a year prior at Galeries Lafayette.  The little Coach bag is coming with me this time around because I don’t want to lug a bigger one around!

With an upcoming trip back to Paris during Thanksgiving week, I’ve started to, in my Ambitiously Lazy (you know I’m going to overuse that phrase –don’t you?) way, plan and try to figure out which clothing to bring.

And I will bring this carryon. However, I’ll have a much larger suitcase to fit my coat, blazer, boots….

For me, the best tip—and this is good because it’s a visual, is to try different outfits on and take pics with your iPhone.  Or, if you are not up to changing clothing, lay each “outfit” out on the floor and take a pic.  I find this to be a tremendous help because you can see how you can mix and match!

This Jude Connally frock was purchased on Poshmark for $12.  It’s coming with me because we like to dress for dinner.

Jeans, loafers and a blazer. All getting packed.  This could be for a warmer day.

I’m EXTREMELY comfortable in a skirt, sweater, tights and loafers. This gets packed. 

Another way to wear jeans on a dressier level.  Worn with ballet flats.

Jogging pants, ballet flats a tee shirt and cropped puffy vest will be my air ensemble. Exception. I’ll wear long sleeves.

Another possibility is this. Blazer and skirt purchased separately from J. Crew factory. The boots are over ten years old but I love them. And they fold!

Another possible ensemble is this very comfy skirt. The boots are like sock boots and fold into the shape of regular shoes. These are coming!

The Paris weather (as I’m sure all through Europe and the UK) can be unpredictable during the late Autumn.  It rains.  It can be freezing one day and incredibly mild the next.  This means you gotta be prepared for anything.

Place Dauphine. Autumn. 2021. It was warm enough to walk around. But cold enough that we needed winter attire.

For me, it’s bringing an umbrella, boots, hat, gloves, scarves and, in the mild weather case—a blazer.

I headed into the garage early this morning to decide which Hunter boots to take. I’m going with the blue because it’ll lend itself more to my clothing choices.

A few years back I learned my lesson in connection with shoes. I wore my favorite suede flats and they got soaked to the point I had to bring them to a shoe repair. Never again. This time around, and I don’t care how cumbersome they are to pack—I’m bringing my Hunter rain boots.

These shoes by J. Crew were thrifted for seven bucks. It cost me a lot more to have them repaired after walking around Paris in torrential rain. I learned my lesson!

The point is, pack for the weather.

As a follower of many “travel” forums on social media, I’m always flummoxed by those who boast about packing for four weeks in cold climates with a carry on.  I honestly don’t know how these travelers do it.  Perhaps it is my love for clothing blended with the fact that I adore any chance to dress.  And I’m talking about “dressing up.”  I mean to dress. You know. Put nice clothing on your body.  Looking a tad fashionable.

An example of how you can dress casually nice and not look like a slob. 

It behooves me.  People—and these are people who travel.  Will say in one sentence that they do not want to look like a “tourist” then in the next sentence will state.  “If I want to wear leggings and a sweatshirt, I will” in a rather aggressive tone. You cannot have it all.

True. People don’t want to look like a tourist but they will defend leggings and a sweatshirt. No thanks. I’ll dress.

November slightly over a week away.  And that is the month when Autumn hits like a punch in the face.  It gets colder. The sky is gray. We run the chance of snow at any given time from then until March.  If you are traveling—for crying out loud, pack for it!  I just don’t understand that mindset.

Yup! Holiday Season can be cold. It can also be mild. Bring clothing for both!

Yes. I realize that waiting for luggage is a pain-in-the-ass.  You just got off of a possible 7 to longer flight. What is an hour of waiting on customs and up to an hour for luggage going to do to take time from your trip? Honestly, I would rather be warm if I’m walking around a big city or countryside than be cold and uncomfortable.

And I cannot omit this. Please don’t dress in pajamas. It’s fine for young children. But adults? No. These pj’s are for home use and hotel use only.

Regardless, we all have our way of traveling. Whether bringing a large wardrobe or the bare necessities—the Holiday Season is just around the corner so plan and enjoy to the fullest!

One of my favorite insta- and-YouTube friends recently posted a video regarding aging, and makeup, and dressing like a granny.

Sandy –our pro-ageing beauty!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjMH9HN5bU0

Watch this. What Sandy says is great—especially about lipstick!

I made a comment on her Instagram regarding “frumpy” and was, very respectfully, put in my place. Granny dressing was also part of her video. To be honest, it was a great video. But I have my opinions regarding the way we “Over-60 and Older” women dress. And I may have been slightly (*cough*) opinionated in my comment to her!

Won’t be my first time!

And please allow me to clarify and state my wanted or unwanted opinion.

As I have aged, I’ve remained true to the way I dress.  My style will not change. To some, my choice in certain clothes might be considered a bit “Twee” (excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental, or, to some might be considered “frumpy” (dowdy and old-fashioned typically used of a woman or her clothes). Any form of style is subjective.

These four outfits might be frumpy to some, and to others stylish. Doesn’t matter. It’s what I, as an almost 69-year old woman like and feel comfortable in.

When younger, I followed trends, such as platform shoes, but I never strayed from my uniform style.

Ahh. The iconic Kork Ease platform sandal of the 1970’s. This was as trendy as I got back then….

Alright. This is my 2023 trendy moment.  Barrel leg jeans. But I wear them rather conservatively!

At home, I am an absolute slob. My style is “lazy ambition” and I use that style because that’s how I dress to cook and clean.  I’m ambitious in the kitchen. I’m incredibly ambitious in my ability to bake and lest we not ignore my over-the-top Christmas decorating.  I am sure there are influencers all over Instagram of the “mature” age who would have everyone believe they are dressed to the nines daily.  Not me.  Not Sandy; and that is what I respect about her. She keeps it real. And so do I.

My lazy ambitious style.  And now that the cold weather is creeping in, I live for this.

My “at-home-frumpy” wardrobe is at the ready..

And are old tee and sweatshirts.

But let us be honest here.  You are home. You have nowhere in particular to be. Its Autumn-into-Winter.  The cooler-to-cold weather has settled in. You have your groceries so there is no need to even run to the supermarket.  Days are shorter.  Do you really need to get dressed up?

Obviously, you don’t have to dress like this to loll the days away when at home. I love this outfit for a night out to dinner with my husband but I cannot imagine wearing this to clean the house or to sit at the laptop writing a blog post!

There’s a yes and a no here.  Yes, because if you are currently working from home, or had a job loss and your “job” is looking for another one, or if you are retired and home every day—then a good suggestion to keep the self-esteem up is to get nicely dressed a few times a week.

One of my all-time favorite and comfy looks. I have worn this with ballet flats, heels and Weejun loafers. It goes through fall, winter and early spring.  Being unemployed, I can wear this running errands. Or, on some days, writing blog posts or applying for jobs. It’s not frumpy, thank God it isn’t Chico’s style. It’s just “me”!

Then the “no” comes in. Take a day of relaxation from cleaning the baseboards, vacuuming, or doing laundry. Do not bother to dust.  Wear those pajamas! Wear those lounge outfits.  Wear the mismatched pj bottoms with that sweatshirt you love so much. Sit on the sofa and read a book.

And for extra pajama style, wear matching sets!

If your day needs to be spent preparing meals or baking (and as we enter this mid-October phase, we have approximately 9 weeks until the Holiday season), freaking wear the sloppiest, messiest clothing you own because a day of baking or food prep is ridiculously messy. (At least for people like me it is).  Batter drips on your clothing.  Flour gets drawn into the hair and lands on you and your clothes.  Little bits of caramel splash onto your shirt as do little drops of sauces.  Do not wear your fancy clothing.

There is no way I will dress up to make a dinner like this..

..or take three days of wearing good clothing to make croissants.

However, after everything is cooked and baked, I’ll wear one of my Velcro-waisted kilts because I can expand the waistband as I eat. This is my Christmas skirt 2023!

Forgive me for jumping around on this but the “old, frumpy, lady’ stereotype bothers me.  We all don’t run around with a frown on our bare faces nor do our tits sag down to our ankles.

This is so disgusting on every level–especially the “smell”. It’s a disgrace but people continue to think of old ladies–and old people in general this way.

On the other hand, we all aren’t Carmen the model or Iris Apfel.  And I am not disrespecting both these women but there needs to be a happy medium.

Supermodel through the ages, Carmen, is 92 years. She’s beautiful. She is chic. She is stunning.  But the majority of  our age demographic kind of don’t look like this. I’ll bet at home, she dresses like a slob. Actually she probably doesn’t.

The wonderful Iris Apfel. at 100 years, she isn’t slowing down. However, there’s the other side of the coin and that’s the “essentric” old lady. She can get away with it. It’s her “thing”  but I’ve seen older women looking like clowns when they attempt the essentric look. It isn’t for everyone.

I’m tired of influencers and their “dress-like-me-by-going-to-Chicos” commissions. None of these women post honest feeds where they are dressed down. None wear dirty clothes. None are pictured cleaning a messy sink.  It’s all an illusion of being perfect. And aren’t we at the age where we have gained enough wisdom to realize nothing is perfect?

Honestly, Chico’s clothing is so not my style. The clothing is total “real estate lady” meets “lady-who-thinks-she’s-chic.”  The marketing to the over 50 demographic is incredible. I cannot stand the brand. But hey, that’s just me being opinionated!

I’m not perfect nor do I ever attest to be.  My lazy ambition has a second Christmas tree in our sunroom that I’ve never taken down. It has been up since last November.  There are no excuses as to why this tree is still standing in it’s holiday splendor.  But now, a little more than the official start of the 2023 Holiday Season, it is going to stand there.  Since we will be going to Cincinnati for Christmas this year, we will not get the “real tree.” I won’t be decorating the bannisters.  The Christmas décor will be minimalist.  But my frumpy slob clothing will be packed so I can relax and help my daughter cook for the big day.

Truth be told. I’m enjoying sitting on the loveseat in the sunroom and looking at this tree. 

On another note, I have a job interview later this week.  I won’t dress frumpy, but will dress on the conservative side.   And if I get the job, there is a plethora of office clothing I have amassed over the years.  If I do not get the job, I’m sure there will be other interviews.

As the weather is finally cooling down, I might wear this to my job interview. Office casual is such a thing now that I’m unsure of..

…wearing this skirt and blouse with a blazer and heels instead.

In the meantime, I’ve taken my winter clothing out of garage storage and will wear them well. Whether to more job interviews. Or to the grocery store. Or to run errands.  Or to go to the doctor. Or to go out to dinner. Or just because it might be time to get out of my frumpy clothing.

And when I went into the garage to retrieve winter clothing, you can best believe I wore pajama bottoms and an old tee shirt.

Earlier this week, my husband received a message from our cleaning people.  One of them had, by mistake, knocked over the Mr. Coffee machine and the glass carafe broke.  And that was fine. Stuff like that happens; quite honestly, I was happy it was not me who knocked it over because I would have had to listen about how I don’t pay attention to what I’m doing.

Yeah. THIS was the coffee machine we’ve been using for the past fifteen years.  My husband was under the notion that, despite breaking, Mr. Coffee hasn’t evolved into something more complicated!

Worse, however, was that the “machine” part of Mr. Coffee ceased to work, the mechanism must have become loose or one of the little parts must have broken.  I cannot live without my morning coffee. At all.

And so, whilst Mr. Coffee expired, I made some very strong joe with our Nespresso.  The little pods produced an elixir of hot, very strong coffee with a gloriously foamy top.  It satisfied my need for an AM wake-up call to my body.  For my husband, he wanted our friend back.

I usually make myself a fancy cup with the Nespresso in the afternoon. However, it REALLY wakes me up in the morning!

My insincere apologies to anyone offended by my mug. I mean that in both ways!

Since I’m the one not working, it was my unpaid job to head into the car in search of a replacement.

Here’s where Alexa comes in.  My relationship with Alexa is limited to playing music from my Spotify and having her warn notify me when Amazon deliveries arrive. This way, try as I might, I can hide the deliveries from The Frenchman.  However, Barbara Johnson, friend to this blog and now a friend to me, (It is a great story—we met unexpectedly at the Limerick outlets) explained to me the glories of what Alexa can do.

Thanks to Barbara and Alexa, I no longer have to take pen to paper to write a grocery list. I dictate to my new non-human best friend!

Upon finding out, thanks to Barbara, the many talents of Alexa, I spent a good part of yesterday talking to Alexa and setting up various notifications—the best being a shopping list for groceries.  Had it not been for this little orb of technology, I could not have her remind me, like a mother to a child, to pick up various groceries, return a Hobonichi cover-on-cover to the Amazon drop-off at Whole Foods and search for a new tablecloth for the dining room table.

Oh Alexa. Not only do I appreciate your friendship. I also appreciate how well-rounded you are!

Amazon sent me the wrong size cover for my planner. But Alexa took care of that!

I also added Alexa to my cell phone so while I’m out and about running errands, we can speak to each other.   She’s in competition now with Siri, the voice who lives within the steering wheel of my car.  My concern being “Will Siri and Alexa become jealous of each other?”

I honestly don’t want to pit my non-human besties against each other but they may become a bit green with envy!

Then I thought it through. Here I am, worrying about technology-as-humans.  This is crazy.  I’m asking Alexa to add items to my shopping list, and thanking “her.”  I’m thanking an object. As though it were a human and referring to it as a “her.”  Being a liberal-minded, gender neutral-friendly person, I’m wondering if I should refer to Alexa, Siri, and Mr. Coffee as “they.”  Welcome to my new life of overthinking any and all situations. This is what job loss had done to me.

An my thank you’s are even more appreciative than Drew Barrymore’s!

Back to Mr. Coffee.  My husband is a very “specific” person. Meaning, he wanted the exact model as the Mr. Coffee that expired.  I explained that our coffee maker was over 15 years old and, sadly, could not be resurrected, like Jesus, from the dead.  We would have to search for a new model that was as close to the one that died from injuries.  I did manage to find one, through Google, at Target for $24.99.  However, my Frenchman wanted me to go to Walmart instead, because Walmart has the better prices.

Simple coffee maker for simple people. Is that too much to ask?

Off I went, with Alexa reminding me to pick up groceries, to take care of my Amazon return and not to forget Mr. Coffee.  I also had Siri pick out a playlist of Scott Joplin tunes while I was coasting in my car.  Did I mention that there was now a third non-human added to the mix?  I was headed in a different direction to Whole Foods to return my Hobonichi cover. Because I was making a few stops, which were all over the place, I decided to enter the quickest way to Whole foods into my Google Maps.  The directions are led by a female voice.  Another female voice.

There are now three non-human women, identified by voice only, in my car with me.  For some bizarre reason, it made me almost depressed that humans were not in my vehicle. It made me miss the days when my car was the taxi for Oona and her friends to their Irish Dance classes or competitions.

Hey Alexa. Don’t mess with me by having to call you “Dot”. Ok?

And Siri.  Your aura is a mixed bag.

I found the GPS girl. WTF? Did she just get out of bed?

I had a flush of melancholia wishing my mother and my aunts Tessie and Margie were in my automobile cackling like hens and laughing in their high-pitch tones about their lives as children in Howard Beach.  I missed driving my sons to sports practices and music lessons. An inanimate object can never take the place of a person.  But in this case, with three voices and no life, oddly, I did not feel alone.  Lonely?  Yes.  Alone?  No.

All arrows pointing to my mom, my aunt Margie and aunt Tessie.  The icing on the cake would be having my two Ursuline nun aunts, Josephine and Eleanor.  I miss their voices! All three would have been either a great Alexa, Siri or GPS girl–with heavy NY accents!

Back to Mr. Coffee.

Upon entering the Walmart at King of Prussia, I did pick up a few well-needed groceries thanks to Alexa then proceeded to head to the Small Housewares area.  The temptation to add an air-fryer to my cart was akin to Adam’s apple; but realizing that I was now unemployed and my unemployment benefits were better left on necessities, such as the male-themed coffee maker, I passed it by.  When I arrived at the aisle displaying coffee makers the Keurig machines appeared to be the most populated.  My thought process had me, once again, in a stage of over thought.

Had I come home with this, my husband would have dialed a divorce attorney.

Are people that lazy that they cannot buy a tin of ground coffee or a bag of coffee beans to grind that they must have pre-measured cups of weak coffee to perform a component of their morning ritual?  Is that why instant coffee and its substitute Postum are now headed to becoming extinct?   Yes. I am being rather hypocritical—especially since I own a Nespresso and its many fancy pods.  But the Nespresso has George Clooney as a spokesperson. Who does Keurig have?

And George has some impressive French friends like Jean Dujardin and Camille Cottin.  I’m jealous!

Upon perusing the seemingly one hundred types of Keuring coffee makers, I noticed the Walmart brand, Mainstays, ones and was highly tempted, but I was aware that my husband would not even bother to take it out of the box and would return it—regardless of price or how it worked.  I spotted two Mr. Coffee machines on display but there was no inventory. Not a box.  And both that were displayed were digital. I have not comment on that.  Yet.

And a phone call would have also been made to a divorce attorney had I come to our chateau with this!

As time is not of the essence for me these days, I had nowhere to go except home.  My decision was to continue this search at the Walmart in Norristown. Off I drove.  Miss Google directions was now eliminated—she was free to help someone else.  Left with Alexa and Siri, the three of us enjoyed some tunes, thanks to Siri while Alexa remined resting her voice. (Since I have a personal relationship with Alexa, it feels disrespectful to say that I put her on mute.  She is one of the few friends I have you know).

My muscial happy place..thanks to..

Ms. Siri–not to be called Misery.  Although that profile of Siri is enough to put anyone through misery.

Exiting my car and walking across the crowded parking lot to the Walmart entrance, I grabbed a rickety cart and headed in.  Tempted by Halloween candy, I was in full over-thinking mode as to throwing the delights into the cart.  Then I realized I’m losing weight and would not want to ambush myself by having a “not working” pity party, therefore eating the candy and having to repurchase.  I passed it by.

I can’t keep this in the house. Due to my stress level of late, I would Hoover these bags in no time. 

As I entered the Small Appliances and Housewares department. Again, the temptation of purchasing an air fryer had me testing my willpower.  I passed this aisle by.  And then entered the aisle of coffee makers.  With Keurig as that popular sorority girl or, popular frat boy in the lead, I wheeled the cart further into coffee maker land.  And there stood a variety of Mr. Coffee machines.  Mr. Coffee’s relatives all on display.  It made me wonder if there was a rivalry among the relatives.  What appeared before me must have been the “woke” generation of Mr. Coffee’s family because all the machines had digital components.  A little rectangular screen that allowed you to program the time and whether you wanted a mild cup or a cup that put hair on your chest.  In case one doesn’t know how to tell time, there was a digital clock also installed into the mechanism.

This was the least complex of the coffee makers at my OTHER local Walmart.

At this point, I feared going home empty-handed. If not for anything else, I could read the manual and program our little robotic friend to have coffee at the ready at 6:30 AM every morning. Weekends included. So off I went, not with the $24.99 model but with the woke version at $27.99.  Both made 12 cups.  10 of which I needed in order to be bright-eyed and bushy tailed on my least ambitious days.

I figured I could read the manual and set everything up. My luck we would be having fresh coffee at 6:00 PM instead of AM!

Back in the car, Siri being attentive to the music I wanted to hear, I announced to the girls that we had a new friend in the car.  A boy!  And his name was Mr. Coffee.  Siri, ignoring me, continued to play Scott Joplin.  Alexa, in a most teen-aged way answered “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you said.”  And I ANSWERED! I freaking answered a non-person with “Just forget it—we’re going home.”

This is how I answered to Alexa and Siri in my car. Just. Forget it. 

And upon arriving home, my loving husband saw the box that housed Mr. Coffee.  He saw the photo with the digital programing and said “Wha eezz zis?”  “Ou cem ‘ome wiz zis  com-plee-kaht-eed sheet.”

And might I add this was three bucks more than the simple version!

Apparently, he wanted a simple machine that one could turn “On” and “Off” with the switch of a button.  I understood because, quite frankly, that is what I prefer.  But times they are a changin’ and everything is more complicated these days.  Appliances, both large and small, are not built to last anymore.  Fifteen years was a long time for our Mr. Coffee to make a great cup of coffee every morning.  There was no figuring out the time to have him do this. There was no level of intensity of flavor. It was a simple push of the button and he was ready and happy to do his duty.

I did mention that neither of the Walmart stores  I went to had the Mr. Coffee at his simplest.  I also explained that Target did have that coffee maker but he did think it would be less expensive at Walmart.  With that, the box remained closed.  And my Frenchman took Mr. Coffee into the car, receipt in hand, drove to Walmart to return it then he stopped at Target to purchase the one he originally wanted.

I didn’t want to say “I told you so…”

And while I’m testing Alexa’s knowledge, Mr. Coffee can warm my innards and wake me up with a simple push of the button!

I sat back and asked Alexa what year the Crimean War ended.  She not only gave me the year, but also the date:  March 30, 1856.  Its daunting when you realize your little orb that sits atop a piece of furniture in your home—one that lacks a brain, knows more than you do.

I’m thinking of auditioning for Jeopardy and bringing Alexa along. Geez. She knows EVERYTHING!

On an end note, I don’t blame my husband.   I look at how many remotes we have. No longer do we get up off our bottoms to turn the TV on; our remote control does that. It allows us to switch from cable to network and does so much more for our entertainment. It also allows us to be lazier.

We have double the amount of remotes in our home. It’s shameful. No it isn’t. Yes. It is.

Why the need to speak to a person when we can give commands to machines? Siri is always in the car. Alexa watches over us from wherever she stands in our homes. We no longer get lost because we have the soothing of Ms. Google Maps to navigate our routes.

Sorry. But I want human interaction back.  And I want my household appliances to be non-complicated.  How about you? Now excuse me while I figure out how to install my Roku.

Ahhh..humanity. Where did it go?

If you read my previous post, you will know that the job I had and loved, was incorporated into another position.  Thus, I was a product of *cough* Corporate restructuring.

Yes. You are all at work and I’ve been restructured. Someone didn’t want me!

My tear ducts are just about dried up, although I am having little episodes of misty-eyed moments.  I continue to feel, in my gut, that I’ve been wronged but it is time to move on.

I’m done crying hysterically. Now I’m merely misty-eyed.

I applied for Unemployment Benefits.

I’ll tell you what a$$hole.  Tell Corporate America to A. Give employees a living wage and B. Start hiring Seniors at a living wage. Then we’ll talk.

Allow me to tell you how it went:

Last Monday was Labor Day and all government offices were closed. I called unemployment on Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM.  The reason I called was I had questions and to be honest, I would feel better speaking to a person.

After four hours of trying to get anything less than a fast-paced busy signal, I figured it was time to apply online.  After all, during Covid lockdown, someone tried to get unemployment using my information and a fraud case was reported.  I successfully corrected that with the help of one of the unemployment workers so all was good.

I went onto the now familiar website!

And, this time around, I wrote usernames and passwords.

Luckily, none of these have ever been used for a password. Unluckily, I cannot remember half of my passwords.  Luckily, I have started to write them down in a safe place!

I went onto the unemployment site and all seemed very easy and clear until it was time to load my resume.  In order to receive unemployment, one must upload their resume and apply to two jobs a week. That is an excellent request and it motivates to push that job search.

Uploading the resume was a cinch.  I went into my documents, opened my latest document, and attached it. What followed was frustration –and this frustration runs rampant when you upload your resume to any corporate site.

In addition to the resume doc, you then must enter manually, every single bit of information from that resume.  Dates and all.  Now, understand something. I had a professional resume coach tell me to leave dates off my resume because it will give my age away.  Even though, I opted to leave the dates on.

Regardless I needed specific dates.

In addition, I attended Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School back in the 1970’s.  The school is no longer around. I attended in the PanAm building in NYC.  The PanAm building is no longer the PanAm building because PanAm is no longer around.

So, every “error” had to be corrected.  And all other information was lost and had to be re-entered.   After an hour-and-a-half plus, all information had been corrected.

Also, I had to enter information on all jobs from April 2022 to the present.  I did this and was asked why I left. I was under the impression it was my present job that was being questioned. (More about that later)

I still had questions so at 3:30 PM I finally got in touch and the questions I had were answered.  I will say that the unemployment offices have very nice people working. The person I spoke with was very helpful.

Then I went to the CareerLink site.  Seven years ago, when I was unemployed, I used CareerLink services and it was the best thing I ever did. I even wrote a blog post about it. In fact, I enjoyed CareerLink so much that I am excited to go back.  Maybe I can get hired by them!

https://atypical60.com/2015/02/21/putting-the-fun-in-unemployment-fun-employment-friday/

To be honest, I can’t wait to get back to Career Link. It’s a welcoming venue for those who have lost jobs and the assistance is stellar!

In being the compliant person that I am, I uploaded my resume yet again and started to search jobs.  So far, I have applied to six jobs but have heard nothing.  I am not expecting to hear anything until I’ve applied to at least 500 jobs.

Wednesday I was supposed to have lunch with three of my ex-coworkers and was looking forward to it.  However, I received an email that we had to cancel.  I was bummed about it but the lunch has been rescheduled for a dinner next week after working hours.  Again, I am very excited about this.

Instead, I opted to take a million selfies of a wig I received for review.

Do you like my hair?  I’ll be reviewing. It’s Claire by Henry Margu wigs.  Short and Sassy. Perfect for the heatwave we are experiencing.

As I am a rather obsessive individual, on Thursday, I decided to check my dashboard on the unemployment site.  Thank God I did because something was not right.  There was an issue with my review because of a difference in the reason as to why I left the job.

I called unemployment.  Rosary in hand I prayed to Mary that I would not be on hold all afternoon.  Twenty minutes later I was speaking with an employee who, again, was incredibly nice and helpful.  I misunderstood the question as to why I left that job and inadvertently, used the excuse of being laid off.   This time, I was mildly freaking out because I had and continue to have a great relationship with my ex-boss and coworkers and now, I am thinking that they must be thinking I’m truthfully challenged.

I’m selfish.  I don’t hand out “thoughts and prayers” to anyone but myself.

I explained that I left on my own accord and I entered the incorrect information.  He corrected it, my review was finalized and all is well.  Now I am eagerly awaiting my debit card and will freak out if it is not in the mail by next week.  You know I’m obsessed!

The remainder of Thursday was spent cleaning out—or rather purging the fridge, freezer, and pantry.  Our home is very clean and tidy, but, I’m a closet slob. I am not ashamed to admit it.   We do not have a ton of pantry space so everything gets thrown in willy-nilly. It doesn’t matter how many times I try, in vain, to organize it. So far, it has been two full days that it has remained tidy. We will see how long that lasts.

It all looks great until the doors are opened!

The freezer. Oy. In the bowels, I found a package of Oona’s breast milk from last Thanksgiving.  The only reason I threw it out was because I am unsure of how long breast milk lasts in the freezer.  When I breastfed, there was never any extra after pumping.

I’m now second-guessing that perhaps I should have saved this for adding to our morning coffee- Just kidding! No I’m not.  Yes! I am!

Also found in the bowels was a cookie I had made for Owen’s first Christmas in 2021.  Covid prevented Oona, Sam, and Owen from visiting so I kept the cookie in the freezer. I meant to give it to Owen last Thanksgiving, but couldn’t find it.  Now you know how bad I am to have found it this week.

The worst thing is I thought I lost this and wasn’t able to give it to Owen a year later. I found it this week. Due to my 10-pound weight loss and continuing, I didn’t eat it. I should have!

The fridge was next.  I swear the moldy items were akin to penicillin. I could have swallowed some and protected my innards from an infection.  There were lots of expired items.  Now everything is nice and orderly.  And up-to-date!

Purchased in 2019 and best used by 2020. I feel bad this almond meal went mostly unused. 

This was shameful. I used quite a bit of this rice flour. But purchased 6 years ago.

MORE almond meal? At least it was updated to expire in 2021!

My favorite from the pantry. Whole nutmeg. I did use a lot of it.

This is so old that the best used by date has slightly worn off. It’s October 2017.  I opened it up and it still smells good so I kept it.

The freezer is tidy now with all expired items in the trash.  On the bottom is my metal rolling pin which I keep frozen –it helps when I’m rolling out dough!

I don’t have much hope for the pantry staying organized.

Yesterday, I did grocery shopping.

My ex-boss from the job I willingly left. I loved working for her and we are friendly with each other. Her nickname is DeeBee so I sent her this while grocery shopping.

I also changed out my handbag.  My LV Neverfull has been put to rest for a while and my Saumur is my “new” everyday bag.

Being home is forcing me to rotate my bags. Where am I going though? The bedroom to the living room?

In addition, I stopped at Old Navy to check out new offerings.

I loved the faux-leather skirt but couldn’t buy it. As of yesterday, I’m on a no-buy. Until I get a job .

Of note, I make sure to get dressed every day.  Its still hot as balls here in the Philly area so although my attire is usually a sundress, I make sure to put makeup on and add hair.  Ahhhh…the life of being home.  It makes me feel ready to be productive although I end up on the loveseat playing Candy Crush.

Getting dressed, putting on makeup and hair makes me feel much better..

I have no shame in telling you that I’m up to level 3168 in Candy Crush. I work hard for my achievements…hmmm. perhaps I should add this to my resume!

Earlier this week, I ordered a Hobonichi Mega Weeks journal from Amazon.  My journals are incredible precious to me.  I use three. A larger Lilly Pulitzer one, a Hobonichi Techo and a Hobonichi Mega Weeks.  I was notified the Mega Weeks arrived last night.  When my husband took Chippy out at around 9:45 it was not there.  When I woke up this morning and saw the notification –and the fact there was no package, I notified Amazon.  Because it is Saturday as I write this, customer service—live customer service, will not be able to assist until Monday.  It was suggested I re-order then call for a refund on the first one. Which will be done.

My planners are extremely important to me. As a naturally disorganized person, these place me in the direction I need to be. From Left. Lilly Pulitzer planner, Hobonichi Techo which I need to order for 2024 and my beloved Hobonichi Weeks Mega.

If I’m asked what I did on a certain date, I check my Weeks Mega.

I shared this experience with our community Facebook page and found out that a group of teens is playing “Ding Dong Ditch” and ringing random door bells and even opening the front door and walking into the homes.  I am assuming these effing vagrants stole my package.

Delivered last night. Some MF’er now has my 2024 Hobonichi Weeks Mega. I’m not finished with finding out who did this.  I need a baseball bat and a camera for the front door!

Tonight, after we go to Spring Mill Café for a belated anniversary dinner, I am sitting at the end of my driveway with a baseball bat in hand. I no longer care. WTF is wrong with the parents of these kids?  Ahhhh.  THIS is how life is when you live in a townhouse community in the Philly burbs.  I miss Manhattan more and more every day.  At least the thieves are more respectful and will mug you as opposed to being little cowardly snakes and stealing Amazon packages.

Can’t wait to get to this place for dinner tonight. I might have duck!

The slipcovers on the loveseat in the sunroom were stripped this morning and are now air -drying downstairs.  I’m looking at one of the sofas in the living room. That one gets stripped and washed after the present slipcovers dry!

The downstairs family room is now an airdry room!

And such is the beginning of my unemployed life. At 68, I kind of have low expectations of getting another job any time soon due to ageism.  But—ya never know!

I leave you with a photograph that my stepdaughter, Claire, took down at the shore. A summer reminder to make you happy!

Okay. First things first. On Thursday, I was let go from my job.  Nothing personal.  It was due to a corporate restructuring.  As the only part-timer in our offices and not the only one to have my position eliminated globally, I am going to return to receiving unemployment benefits for the first time in seven years.

This was my reaction.  I’m not crying anymore. In fact, I was pretty damned proud of myself when I called Medicare to let them know that my primary, Blue Cross, insurance was terminated because I didn’t cry!

It sucks but it  happens.  And it wouldn’t have been that bad had I despised my job.  But I loved it. The salary I was receiving was excellent for a part-time receptionist.  I absolutely had a blast greeting and talking to my colleagues as they passed my desk.  I loved greeting visitors and did get to know quite a few of them.

I was that beautiful and pleasant face that everyone saw upon entering the office!

Everyone made me happy.  And the amount of appreciation I received I received upon getting the heave-ho actually made me misty-eyed.  When the people in HR present you with flowers and well-wishes, it makes you feel better.

HR presented me with this flower-filled vase. It was a sweet touch and is now on the coffee table in the living room.

Another colorful plant is in the alcove off the kitchen!

I received little gifts and exchanged emails and phone numbers and next week I’ll be having lunch with a few of “the girls.”  I cannot wait.  In addition, one of the HR recruiters kindly and generously offered to assist in updating and cleaning up my resume.   I’m a  lucky loser!

How cute is the mug and spoon from my co-worker Lori?  I will miss our conversations about her adorable dog and dog siblings!

And I thought back to 2015 when this blog was newly created.  I was on my first round of unemployment due to a corporate closure and this blog became my baby.  Over the years, I have had times when I wrote blog posts regularly and others (i.e., recently) where I didn’t write as much. My second blog post: A Weekend  In Brooklyn

Ahh..that great weekend in January of 2015.  How life has changed. I’ve been employed and unemployed. I got married to the Frenchman. Oona was working in NYC at the time. Now she’s married with two boys and working and living in Cincinnati.  Jake was working in NYC at the time and now lives and works in LA.  Roman is the lone New Yorker.  Due to the writer’s strike he’s been visiting.  Hopefully for his sake the strikes (actors as well) will be over soon!

Now, I’m returning to my “baby” and will most likely be bothering you with trials and tribulations and humorous happenings while deciding which path to take.  Although the unemployment benefits will assist me financially, I’ll be looking for a new position.  Will I return full-time as an executive assistant or receptionist?  Will I continue to work part-time?  Will I even find another job?

I can’t wait to make executives sign documents again!

I mean—at 68 years, we are all well-aware that ageism in corporate America runs rampant. Will I be lucky?  Or will I be a number that enters the fraternity of the “retired” and opt to choose—or rather need to opt for retirement benefits since I cannot get hired.

I’m not ready for this life yet.  On the other hand, if I don’t become gainfully employed those politicians better keep their grubby hands off my Social Security Benefits!

It’s a crapshoot.  And I enjoy working.  Working keeps me young.  Working helps me to keep my mind in tune and to think, problem-solve and continue the stellar work ethic my parents instilled in me and my siblings, which I passed on to my children.

I happen to enjoy working. The busier the better!

The weekday, morning ritual of me getting prepared for the office that begins with my makeup and dressing along with the well-needed cup of coffee my husband prepares for me is one I treasure. Upon getting dressed, loading my bag, getting into the car, taking my shoes off because driving barefoot is my jam, hooking my iPhone up to listen to tunes on Spotify as I head off on my commute through Valley Forge Park, and repeating that process as I commute home, is one that I always look forward to.

It’s true. I love primping and preparing for work in the mornings. It’s a ritual along with my morning coffee!

Driving through the park makes me happy.  All four seasons are wonderous and beautiful as I drive past the lushness of summer, the vivid colors of early fall into the aesthetics of the fallen leaves, the bare skeletons of the trees both centuries old and newer that allow me a better view of the streams and hills and landscape that George Washington and company fought through, to the new life of the Crayola crayon Spring Green color of the buds and new leaves of Spring.

My favorite tree in Valley Forge Park. I love the way it appears with the different seasons. I especially love how it looks in late Autum through winter! I will miss the commute!

In addition, work is important to me because I like nice things.  Yeah. I have a side to me that is materialistic and I am transparent about it.  Our home is our castle.  And it may not be a millionaire’s décor but I love the things we have placed in it.

My vintage designer bags are my guilty pleasure.  I make no apologies. My inner Barbie loves all things beauty and skincare and clothing. I bear no shame.  And for this, a job is needed. And so, we’ll see what life brings

The vintage LV Saumur bag that was purchased for next to nothing on eBay and sent to Louis Vuitton Repair for Vachetta replacement. It costs a bit and I need a job to keep this up!

The Frenchman is happy because I will be baking his croissants, pain aux raisins and pain au chocolat on a more regular basis.  He has even signed me up for a baguette class upon our return to Paris in November.

I’ll have more time to perfect croissant baking!

Oh yeah. About Paris.  He surprised me.  Something to look forward to between possible job interviews and we’ll be spending Christmas in Cincinnati.  Oona is hosting so we’ll all be together at her house. I cannot wait to see what Santa Claus brings Owen and Bennett!  Roman is still affected by the writer’s strike so he will be visiting in a couple of weeks so I will be keeping busy during this time.

I prefer to be optimistic as well!

As Shirley Temple sang in “Little Miss Broadway” (my favorite Temple movie), “Be Optimistic” !  Shirley, I AM  trying!

But back to my life as a consumer.   If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I do appreciate nice clothing.  Not necessarily trendy—but more on the classic-with-an edge side and you are aware that J. Crew is my favorite store. And for now, I’ll have to be mindful and separate from J. Crew for a while.  As will I have to pull back from a good amount of stuff I purchase.

So, lets talk about a possible elephant in the room of this post.

Sustainability.  I try to be as conscientious, knowledgeable, and thoughtful as possibly when it comes to sustainability.  Especially as a consumer.  But there are times when I purchase from online vendors that are foreign and might not practice sustainability as well as they should.

This is not a judgement call nor should it be.  These companies can offer items that are incredibly affordable My take on this is leave the self-righteousness aside.  Not everyone can afford sustainable items—especially given the fact that many companies offering “sustainable” “ecologically-friendly” and “fair trade” items are incredibly expensive.

I try to be as responsible as humanly possible. However, perhaps the fashion industry should make clothing more affordable instead of hiking up the pricepoint for responsibility!

And when I did find out that the company I work for started laying executive-level personnel off, I had a very slight indication that my position could be on the chopping block although it still came as a shock.  With my indication, I, out of curiosity, went on the Temu website to sleuth down anything that could be conducive to my upcoming journey in cutting down on expenses.

I’m gonna bet that most of you are either familiar with this logo or with the slightly annoying ads for this globally affordable online vendor.

And what I found was shocking and surprisingly positive as a consumer.

One of my sisters regularly orders from Temu and she can afford the best of the best—still, she loves a great bargain.  When we were visiting her a few weeks ago, I mentioned how I loved her straw summer bag. I thought it was a luxury brand.  When she told me she ordered from Temu, I almost fell over.  Then she went on to tell me she orders a lot of items from them.

I have ordered writing supplies and stickers in the past and had no issue, but I’ve never ordered clothing or other items.  Anyway, after perusing the site, I came across three items and purchased them.

From left to right:  A bright pink sweater, a wig, and a short-sleeved sweater in gray.

One, a long-sleeved bright mock turtleneck in a bright pink/raspberry shade.  It cost $12.09.  I was hesitant about the price and saw that the Large was equivalent to the US sizes 8 to 10.  So, I added it to my cart. Also ordered was a short-sleeved sweater.  Very classically cut.  Very basic but versatile. Also purchased in the size Large for 8/10. The last item ordered was a wig for the grand total of $12.97.  You best believe that my expectations were low—especially for the wig. But I ordered and within a week, my package from Temu arrived.

As my expectations were low, I was curious and filled with a bit of anxiety as I opened the package. And please allow me to say something about the packaging.  I appreciated the fact that the items did not arrive in an oversized cardboard box (Are you listening Nordstrom and Amazon?)  The items arrived packaged in a plastic bag (Okay. Not biodegradable but upon opening was placed in our recycle bin).  No space was wasted in the packaging.  Each item was also in a plastic zip-type bag which I immediately placed into my travel bag. Those bags are useful for packing complete outfits for travel.

I did appreciate the fact that the packaging didn’t take up wasted space!

Here’s what arrived in real life:

The bright sweater.  I was shocked at the softness and feel of this item.  Naturally, its acrylic, but it is lightweight and seemingly well-constructed. The sweater is slightly oversized which gives a nice look during this transitional time of summer-to-autumn. During this current September (Can you believe we are in the “ber” months already?) into October, this can be worn with shorts to give less of a summery appearance but maintaining comfort during warmer days.

The bright sweater.  It looks fine and is very soft..

The mock turtleneck can be turned down with ease and it stays put. The length is perfect and if preferred, can be ordered a size down for a more fitted look.  Due to the oversizing, I wouldn’t wear this with a blazer as it could be cumbersome.  Other than that, it looks fine, feels fine and I’m pleased.  I’ve had pricier sweaters that stretched out and lasted less than a month so I’m interested in the wear of this.

Summer-into-Autumn. Worn with a pair of Lilly Pulitzer shorts, this sweater is lightweight enough to wear through those last days of summer into early Autumn.

A closer look. For affordability you can’t top this.  We’ll see how it wears through the cooler and cold months!

The short-sleeved sweater.  At a cost of $8.09, this sweater is incredible. Let me tell you something—I’ve been looking for a sweater like this for a long time.  I have a similar one that is cashmere purchased at J. Crew years ago. It was expensive even though purchased on sale.  I also have two cotton sweaters like this that were purchased at J. Crew factory maybe seven or eight years back. I love them and they are summer, spring and fall-friendly.  And I believe they were about $25 at the time.  When I opened this, my crossed eyes nearly straightened out!

The gray short-sleeved sweater, aside from a few wrinkles that have since been steamed out, this was a GREAT purchase!

The color ordered was gray, and when I tried it on, I was surprisingly and extremely happy to the point I want to order one in black.   Its lightweight and light enough that it can be worn under a blazer with no problem and will be comfortable. The sleeves are a true short sleeve. Not capped nor are the sleeves too short. They are perfect. The bonding at the neckline, hems at the sleeves and bottom of the sweater  are very well-constructed. The neckline is perfect for a strand of pearls or for a delicate necklace.  The fit is wonderful and very long-waisted person friendly.  I’m wearing this as I type the description.  Its cool-morning, warmer mid-morning so worn with my white denim J. Crew shorts this is a great ensemble for this first day of September.  The shoulders fit beautifully. To be honest, there’s nothing wrong with this.  There is a tag with the components of the fabric:  30% viscose; 30 % polyamide;  20% modal and 20% Elastane so there is a slight bit of stretch which is even better for comfort.  Wash separately but I will and will air dry as I do with most of my clothes.  I tell you, this one is a gem!

Although still summer and worn with shorts, this will be worn with jeans, leggings, pants , skirts and blazers in the upcoming months. I tell you that sleeve length is everything!

Pre-steaming, you can get a better look. This sweater is amazing. And I feel no shame in purchasing it!

The wig. For $12.97 I was expecting close to a disposable head O’Hair.  Not so.  When I inspected this wig, I noticed that the wefting was on point, the adjustable bra-straps were fine and the basic cap construction was very good. The ear tabs are almost non-existent but there is a bit of lambswool-textured fabric where the normally wired ear tabs would be on a more expensive wig. For me, it is no big deal as I find ear tabs to be slightly annoying at times due to wearing glasses.

The wig. It is  not luxury and isn’t expensive and nobody is going into debt purchasing it.  

The try on. The length was a tad long for my personal taste. However the density is good. And the color blend is excellent!

The parting space feels a bit like strong paper under the lace lined cap and appears very thin but the bangs/fringe are cut high so the part is not an integral item of the wig’s appearance.  The length was a bit too long for my personal taste so I took a scissor and cut up into the length to make it conducive to my liking. I also trimmed the bangs slightly. And now, I have to say, I am a fan of this incredibly inexpensive wig.  For the price, the style is on point. It is nicely angled, the blending of the shades of brown to blonde is excellent.  This makes for a most appropriate wig for running errands, headed out to a movie, lunch with friends and more casual events.  Would I wear this to a wedding or very special occasion? Probably not and the only reason is the parting space. But then again, maybe I would.

A little trim works wonders. This wig looks fantastic!

 Not every woman (or man) can afford a pricey wig.  There are many people out there on a very limited budget. And nobody should ever be made to feel less than beautiful about themselves. I really have an issue with the plethora of “wig influencers” out there.  Many have a full head of hair and are shilling for a code commission.  Others review gifted wigs, review after wearing one time, then turn around and sell them for almost full-price.  And most women have this notion that if you do not go into debt for a “good” wig or if you do not buy a “good” wig you will look awful and the wig will look wiggy.

Wig snobs and wig influencers should NOT be manipulating you into purchasing expensive wigs.  Stay within your budget. There ARE good wigs that are affordable!

I have some expensive wigs that look wiggy. I have expensive wigs that look fantastic.  And although I review wigs, I don’t receive commission nor do I hand out codes. I am not an ambassador for any one brand.  I am simply a woman who wears wigs daily due to hair loss. I review wigs but would never pressure someone to purchase a wig that they cannot afford.  And this just barely 13 USD wig is wonderful and amazingly affordable.  If there is anyone out there on a limited budget and may not be able to purchase a brand name wig, head to Temu and order this.  There are also other wigs for purchase but this is the one that moved my needle.

Oh. I see this is now $11.97!   It’s even more affordable!

In other news, my leg is healing. Its disgusting looking but is healing. I am airing it out and have been applying ointment on it.  I am also running away from Chippy who insists on trying to lick my wound.  I am trying to avoid my husband as we watch TV in our bedroom. He is mistakenly hit my wound which does not bode well with me.

Photo taken Thursday. On this Sunday as I write this,  the leg has healed even more. MOHS surgery. 

Yesterday , we headed to the beach for that last weekend of the summer. My leg was well-bandaged. No way am I going into the salt water because it will sting my boo-boo.  But you can rest assured I was  slathered in sunscreen and sitting under an umbrella wearing my “Gam Gam” baseball cap! Let me tell you, I have been called many things—some not so nice, but being called gam gam is my favorite title (next to mom) ever!

The briny saltiness of the Atlantic came nowhere near my wound!

My Gam Gam baseball cap! I love it and wear it proudly! I ordered from a friend of my daughter’s–they went to college at Maryland together and Oona has ordered clothing for both Owen and Bennett from  Green Moon Baby Co. 

Have a great Labor Day weekend. Enjoy it as we head into September and autumn and the coming holidays.  And if you enjoy everything pumpkin spice, good for you because I’ll pass!