Friends Over (and Under) 50 and the great biannual clothing swap

A few years ago, I thought it would be a superb idea to have a clothing swap with my friends.

We all have stuff in our closets we haven't worn in years, so why not purge and share?

I decided to do the swap the night before our subdivision garage sale. That way, all the leftovers could go straight into my garage the next morning. 

That was about five swaps ago. The latest one was last night.  

We start at 6 on a Friday night, and most people come a bit early or on time. If you come late, you may only be able to watch as someone scoops up that really cute skirt and ushers it into her take-home pile.

The spring 2016 swap

We each claim a corner of my living/dining room so we can pile up the things we want to keep. The things we bring, we lay out on the couch, chairs and floor. 

And then there is the food. Cheese. Hummus. Salsa and guacamole and chips. Gluten-free cake. Peanuts. Goat cheese with apricot jam. Cheesecake. Blackberries, raspberries and melon. Veggies and ranch dip. Cabbage rolls and pita bread. And all manner of drinks. Everyone brings what they like and enough to share.

It's a spectacle to behold. Clothing strewn everywhere; ladies in varying degrees of dress and undress; one woman asking another for a zip or a tuck or an opinion. 58 pairs of black dress pants and 43 black skirts. Yes, we are a group of working women, and I realized during the first swap that we are ALL always in search of that perfect black skirt or pair of black trousers. 

The autumn 2014 swap

We drift in and out of the kitchen, grabbing a chip and dip and a bite of conversation. Sometimes we pull up a chair and have a deep one-on-one conversation with another woman. Sometimes we all try to talk over one another. 

By the end of the evening, most of us are in the kitchen picking at fruit and sweets, talking and laughing. By 8 p.m. several have left for other parties. By 10 p.m., a couple more leave to see a favorite band at a favorite establishment. By 11 p.m., four or five of us are still sitting in the kitchen.
Every once in awhile, we will wonder where so-and-so went, and will find her "shopping" one last time in the living room.

We are all so different -- some of us are WAY under 50, but all of us are younger than 60. We are librarians, fundraisers, marketers, designers, attorneys and artists. The older women "school" the younger ones in the ways of life and love.

We end the evening with an embrace and I watch the women run out into the rain with their boxes and bags of treasures. In my new dress and hat.

:)

Sleeping with the windows open... and other sweet vacation memories

Sunset over Sedona

Arizona -- the perfect April vacation state!

It happened to be a hot week for us Chicagoans, yet a relatively cool week for Arizonans. That means it was perfect for swimming and shopping and eating al fresco.

And sleeping with the window open.

I think the one thing I miss the most during the winter months is not being able to sleep with a breeze coming in the window.

Warm breezes are the most heavenly things. Right up there with baby kisses and waffles. And farmers' markets...

...and sunsets, which are gorgeous in Arizona. We were lucky enough to visit Sedona for a day and watch the sun set in front of us and the moon rise behind us.

Going from the chill of Chi-town to the sizzle of the southwest is the perfect time to pack those long-neglected summer clothes and sandals.

When I'm on vacation, though, sometimes it doesn't much matter what I wear. Makeup? Almost nonexistent. High heels? No thanks. Just a nice sundress and my favorite gladiators.

I always like to ponder that Audrey Hepburn quote, "I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls," when I feel a little less than pretty. And then I slap on a smile!

It's rough staying cheery once you're back to work and clearing out 500 emails, but the memories of a week in the sun are worth it.

Arizona style at the Farmers' Market

The biggest lemons ever at the Gilbert Farmers' Market

Leanin' on a palm tree in my Mud Pie dress.

The prettiest trucks are the pinkest trucks. Pepto-Bismol, anyone?

LuLaRoe: Pretty and comfy

Just a quick post this morning before I get this day going and finished so I can feel calm and collected when I go out of town early early tomorrow morning.

Off to Phoenix tomorrow!

But I wanted to write about an awesome LuLaRoe pop-up boutique I went to last night at my neighbor's house.

It was fun to be able to walk across my yard and go shopping for fun, quirky, soft, comfortable clothing! Her home was transformed into a pop-up shop with clothing from sizes XXS to 3XX in women's and 2T to 14 in girls. Cute stuff! Very cool prints and patterns on skirts, dresses, tops, leggings and kimonos!

Anna Timmerman was the LuLaRoe rep that made it all come together! Of course she was gorgeous in her fit and flare dress (a style which I am almost always too long-waisted for). I tried on just about everything in a size medium, but settled on a cute top and two skirts.

I wore one of the skirts today with a top that was a gift from my younger daughter. Luckily, it is supposed to be in the low 70s today, so it's a great day for fun, bright colors! I think this will be going into my suitcase later today, too. Perfectly light and fun for Arizona!

Love!

 

I had never heard of LuLaRoe before about a week ago, so maybe you haven't either. If you're not into bright and quirky, it's not for you. But if you're into fun and comfy, take a look.

Happy weekend!

 

The 15-minute swimsuit caper

There is an outlet store very close to my home.

Surely, they will have swimsuits there, I thought. Probably oodles of them. And there will be ONE that fits and that I like, and that is somewhat comfortable.

But, no.

Store after store after store. No swimsuits. At all.

When you don't have a suit -- make do with a dress!

With my vacation to Phoenix coming up soon, I absolutely had to find at least one. 

On my way to lunch today, I noted that I was about 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Enough time to stop in at a store and look for a swimsuit!

Not enough time, you say?

You don't know me! I thought I could do it, and so I did.

When I turned into the mall where the restaurant was located, I saw that it practically shares a parking lot with a Kohl's store. Bingo!

I parked, went in, asked where the suits were, grabbed two, found the fitting room, and pulled them on just enough to see if they would fit over my bum. Success!

Lucky for me, they were 30 percent off. And... wonder of wonders, if I signed up for a charge card, I would get another 25 percent off. So of course, I took the extra three minutes to do that. I had about 30 seconds to spare when I sprinted out of the store, threw my purchases in the car and strolled over to the restaurant to meet my lunch dates.

That's the thing, I think, about living in your body for 50 or more years. You get to know it! So it wasn't too hard to quickly find a couple that worked.

Here's a picture of the swimdress I bought! Click the image to check it out at Kohl's.

And here's the top of the other one:

The bottom is like a short pair of shorts.
Soon I will have some pictures to share of the fam in Arizona... until then, happy almost-the-weekend!

Beautiful Young Men

"Beautiful men" was the title of a blog post I wrote a few weeks back.

Now, let me address some beautiful young men.

First, some background. I collaborate with three teen librarians as part of my job at my local library.

This past Saturday, we had a "Say Yes to the Prom Dress" event in order to offer teen girls the chance to snag a formal gown in exchange for a canned good.

I talk a lot about the screwy weather in northern Illinois, but Saturday's weather was the weirdest I have seen in a long while. The temperature was hovering around freezing, winds were gusting to 50 mph, and bright sunshine was displaced every half-hour or so by sideways snow showers.

It also was the last weekend of spring break for local kids.

And yet... eight teens showed up at 8 a.m. to help run the event.

Among them were two young men who seemed like they felt a bit out of place. They may have been pondering why they had signed up to help at this event at all.

Still, they moved clothing racks full of dresses and helped stage the area so everything would be ready when the girls started arriving at 9 a.m.

They even volunteered to man the table where the girls would check in. This meant they needed to explain several things, including how the sizes were arranged.

Thanks, guys!

When they joked that they had no clue about girls' dress sizes, I told them it would be a good thing to become familiar with clothing sizes so that one day, when they are shopping for a gift for their girlfriend or wife, they would have an idea about what size to buy. (No woman likes to be gifted with a dress that is four sizes too big or small.)

So they went about their task with all the sincerity they could muster. They stayed until the end of the event at 4 p.m., and then helped move all those clothing racks into storage, ripped paper off the windows in the room that was used as a fitting room, and replaced all the chairs and tables that had been moved to create the pop-up boutique.

Their only reward was a few slices of pizza for lunch.

Young men like these give me so much hope! They can be goofy and rambunctious, but they also can be gallant and remarkably helpful.

They are becoming beautiful men who will in turn make others feel pretty, and in some cases, even beautiful.

------------------

Some of the girls who said "yes!" are pictured below.

 

 

 

The 30-minute vacation

If you are like me, you have a job you love, but you live for your vacation time.

In the past few years I have learned that "vacation" doesn't always mean a 10-day trip to Ireland or five days at the all-inclusive in Cancun. 

It can mean three days in Dallas or a half-hour at the spa.

Last night was the "half-hour at the spa" vacation.

A local spa is having a special on microdermabrasion (just $30!). I jumped at the chance and called for an appointment. Of course, many others jumped at the same chance, so my appointment time was set for 8 p.m. on a Thursday night. (A bit later than I had hoped.)

I bypassed going home after work and instead met a friend for a little bit of shopping and some dinner before my appointment. 

Ready for my 30-minute vacation!

One Anthropologie dress (okay, two) and a filet mignon slider later, I was lying on the couch in the spa room, my friend right beside me.

Dana, the aesthetician, was cool with my bff in the room. We talked like three old friends while Dana slid the microdermabrasion tool around my face. For those who are wondering, it feels like the sandpaper-y tongue of a cat licking your face very vigorously. And there is a vacuum on the tool, so you feel a sucking sensation as well. It can sting a bit, but like anything else, if you relax, it's 100 times better. (I have only had two treatments, but I can say it makes my skin look brighter and feel smoother.)

Because it was later in the evening and I was heading home and to bed, I knew I didn't have to apply any makeup before I left. 

So although the whole treatment lasted only a half-hour, it was just what I needed to complete my mini-vacation.

Now, as I face a late working night tonight and a full day tomorrow (we are giving prom dresses away at our library!), I am de-stressed and ready for action.

Happy weekend!
 
 

Pretty (and happy) on the road

“Life is like a road trip – enjoy each day and don’t carry too much baggage.” –-Anon. (And "Amen.")

Not being home on a holiday can be a bit sad, unless you are at home no matter where you are. (I am striving toward that goal!)

I wasn’t home on Easter this year. Instead of having ham and deviled eggs for dinner, I had a bbq brisket sandwich and a side of slaw at a place called "Booger Red's Saloon."

And then I hopped on a longhorn steer and posed for a picture.

Happy Easter!

Instead of being in Aurora, Illinois, I was in Fort Worth, Texas.

Not a typical Easter Sunday for me.

Before that good Texas barbecue, I attended a rock & roll Easter Sunday service surrounded by the cutest tiny humans ever.

And I learned something.

The pastor told those gathered that the thing that stands in the way of our happiness usually is us. We are the biggest obstacles to our own happiness. We stand in the way of our own joy.

There are many, many things in life that can get in the way of our happiness, health and well-being. The way we react to them is what can bring us peace and even joy. 

Last Thursday afternoon, I was excited to get home from work, change into my blue jeans and hop a flight to Dallas with my bestie.

I was almost home when the driver behind me didn't stop when I did. That car hit my car, which pushed my car into the car in front of me.

It was raining and it was chilly. And the road was crazy busy. But I got out of my car, anyway, and walked to the car behind mine. I could see the driver's airbag had deployed. I opened the door but couldn't see the driver. I asked if he or she was OK. No answer. Then I looked back and saw that a police car was pulling up, so I went back to my car.

The officer performed his duties and because my car was drivable, I was free to go. I then met my friend at her place, we got to the airport, made our flight, and safely arrived at our destination by midnight.

Yes, it's sad to know that my car now has thousands of dollars worth of damage. But aside from some sore muscles, I am OK. And the other drivers are OK, too.

I was able to put the accident aside for a few days so I could fully enjoy my trip. The weather was beautiful, I saw two performances of "Cinderella" by Texas Ballet Theatre, did some antique-mall shopping and ate some really good food.

Now it's time to deal with all the challenges a car accident brings.

I will try my best to remember that I am the maker of my own happiness. And that traveling with as little baggage as possible is the easiest way to get from Point A to Point B. Or from Chicago to Dallas. Or from a rainy intersection to home.

Bass Performance Hall

 

   

   

  

The program

Antique Mall find