This week was a roller-coaster ride. The Great. The Fun. The Sad.
The great part of the week is that I am no longer in the probation period of my job. I’m fully employed again! You have no idea what a relief it is to finally have steady income once again. What’s also great is that I actually enjoy going to work every day and I love what I’m doing and learning.
Just two more reasons I enjoy going to the office! Halloween decor!!
I’m down another half pound. Which is odd because I thought I may have lost a bit more due to the way my clothing is fitting. Plus, this is the only Halloween on record that I never, NEVER, ate any candy. I mean—I didn’t even have a piece of candy corn! Nothing. I’m so proud of myself and I feel like I achieved greatness for not even being tempted.
Don’t judge. I’m going for a pedicure Saturday! A half pound loss is far better than a half-pound gain! It’ll be slow from now on–especially since I am now down to that annoying last ten pounds!
And Halloween was fun. We went through all the candy that we bought. Bags of KitKats and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Every. Last. Bit. And as I handed the kids their treat, I also thanked them for helping me on their diet. Most of the kids looked at me as though I had a few drinks—but their parents totally “got” it—and had a laugh.
My Halloween treat was waiting for me when I arrived home from work. My cousin, John Wynne sent me a copy of his group’s new CD. He’s a flutist with the band “Gatehouse”. They are based out of County Roscommon in Ireland and play traditional Irish music. It’s a beautiful CD and I would play a tune for you if they were on YouTube—but we’ll have to wait. The CD is wonderful—aires, slip jigs, reels—and songs sung in Gaelic. It’s just brilliant!
Tus Nua is Gaelic for new beginning and this CD is the beginning of a very successful group in the world of Irish Trad music! My cousin John is the handsome lad with the dark eyes!
But there was also sadness. The next morning I received the news that one of my New York City friends passed away. It was suddenly so she didn’t have to suffer. My friend Dianna was one of my neighbors in our apartment building. We hung out in the playground—her son Danny and my son Roman have been life-long friends, they have been roommates and they have been band mates in their rock group. In fact, Dianna was like a second mother to Roman—while I was stuck here in the Nether regions of Pennsylvania, Dianna would take pictures of Roman at gigs and just have a great time with the kids. She actually was like an overgrown kid herself.
RIP. The universe gained another shining star!
She left this earth on her absolutely favorite holiday—Halloween. She was dressed in costume as a vampire when she left us. She went out having a great time. I am sad because I never got to thank her for being so good to my son. But I think she knows.
It was hard to focus the past couple of days but we handle these kinds of moments in our own way. I’ll admit—I’m a bit blue right now because it makes me think of my own mortality and makes me think of all the times I can’t run into NYC or Cincinnati at the drop of a hat to visit my kids. I think I made them too independent—and that isn’t a bad thing!
Instead—I decided to focus on the most wonderful time of the year! Oh. Yes. I. Did!
That’s right. Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is the lost holiday so let’s start with Christmas a bit earlier!
I started to pull out the Christmas décor after dinner. Just a touch. Pillows and throws. I’ll do a little more over the weekend. Do you think I need more pillows?????
More pillows and a red throw. I need so much more!
A snowflake platter for the downstairs coffee table so the kids can eat!
This Teddy Bear was a shower gift 33 years ago when I had my first son! He’s still going strong!
Chippy approves of the red comfy throw on the bed!
Time to add to the snow globe duo!
The loveseat in the sunroom, and the two sofas in the living room are decorated with pillows and throws. I’m now in the zone. It’s time to start embellishing and make Chateau Bonaparte look more festive!
Here’s what I wore this week! Take a look..
Oh. And I’m thrilled because my black watch plaid pants that I couldn’t even zipper in the beginning of September, not only fit but they are now loose!
Here’s today’s outfit. The pants are SUPPOSED to be shorter but they are falling down because they are loose. I’ll have them tailored, but not quite yet. I want to do it after that last 10 pounds! NOTE. I always wear a fake pearl necklace of some sort whenever I wear a colored sweater–I think it frames the face in a more flattering way.
Last Friday, jeans day, was a pleasure because the weather FINALLY got cooler again. I wore an old pair of skinny jeans and the boots are by Chinese Laundry. I think they are about 5 years old and they are incredibly comfortable! It was fun to wear a comfy heavy sweater and a plaid scarf!
And then we had Sunday–and the mercury hit 79 degrees! It was summer again!
My Halloween outfit. My concept costume. I dressed as a Ye-Ye Girl. Suede Mini skirt (which I ordered ON SALE at J. Crew Factory. This skirt is a keeper! ) Black sweater, Black thigh-high boots. I’ll tell ya–this is one of my favorite outfits and I’ll be packing it for our trip to Paris later this month!
Tuesday’s outfit was a kicky little red skirt that I normally reserve for December! I LOVE this skirt! And yes. Older women CAN wear shorter skirts! I matured the skirt up a bit with a cardi and shell sweater set!
Red nails and a red leather bracelet (Thank you Anne!) completed the look!
On Wednesday, I was just not feeling up to par, I was a bit sad so I literally threw on an old pair of Pixie Pants that I purchased at Old Navy some years back. I like the pointy toed flats these days–they give a lean look. I wore a plaid (surprise!) shirt from J. Crew Factory that is old as the hills and a navy schoolboy blazer from J. Crew that is now discontinued. I may be in the minority, but I LOVE the combination of black and blue clothing!
Tomorrow is jeans Friday at work. I’m spoiling myself because between the tights and pants, I haven’t shaved my legs in a while! I get so lazy in this weather. Don’t you? Please say you do! Do not make me feel like the only lazy slob–Hahahaha!!
The sauce was a fail. A. Fail!
OK. You know how I wrote that post about what a great saucier I am? Well, Saturday evening we had Steak au Poivre. I screwed the sauce. And I screwed it up because I followed a recipe! I knew I shouldn’t have and I did anyway. The recipe called for beef broth which I thought very odd because I’ve only made it with cream, butter and cognac. Bonaparte breathed a sigh of relief when he mentioned the sauce didn’t live up to the usual and I didn’t freak out. I told him it was my own fault. So the morale of this little story. Go with your gut when cooking. A recipe isn’t necessarily a good one! I learned a lesson!
You can cook. You can wear what you want and you can lose the weight–even if it is only a few ounces during the week–it is better than a gain!!
Today I’m posting an oldie but goodie from Earth, Wind and Fire. “Shining Star” because that’s what Dianna was on earth and she is now a shining star in the universe!
