Month: May 2023

Shadow Sunday

This week’s “Shadow Sunday” features three shades of Colourpop’s Super Shock Shadow: Shining Star, Fame Game, and Moon Daisy, plus the crème gel liner in Kicker.

Sartorial Saturday–A Striped Shirt Dress

I’m so happy I got the cheerful, sunny Harriet-Naia dress from the Miss Candyfloss “Lilibeth” collection…the color reminds me of the beautiful yellow dress Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore to the wedding of the now Prince and Princess of Wales.

I know when you wear yellow and black together, you run the risk of looking like a bumblebee, but that didn’t stop me from going with that color palette for my hat, gloves, and Splendette Duchess bangles (plus a splash of purple with my Erstwilder brooch!):

Like the Estee-Spring dress, I wouldn’t wear this one without a petticoat because the fabric is so light and sheer, but that’s ok, because a petticoat just enhances a dress’s twirl factor!

I love how summery this look is!

I’m only waiting for one more item from this lookbook to be released, and then my small “Lilibeth” collection will be complete!

Chihuly Nights

I already shared a look at “Chihuly in the Garden,” the Missouri Botanical Garden’s summer exhibition…now it’s time for a look at “Chihuly Nights,” the special ticketed event they’re hosting Thursday through Sunday nights through August. It was a thrill to get see these beautiful glass pieces lit up as the sun went down!

First, a look at the indoor sculptures that I didn’t previously share, beginning with the pieces hanging from the rafters of the Linnean House:

There are many displays inside the Climatron:

I especially enjoyed the glass Ikebana:

There were also some pieces in the new Emerson Conservatory:

Including some unexpected neon:

We saw the installations throughout the garden at varying light levels…they all looked amazing! The evening events at the Botanical Garden are rare, but they’re some of my favorites, because I love seeing how the light changes as the sun sets!

And finally, a look at an old favorite from a previous exhibition that is permanently displayed at the Missouri Botanical Garden…we don’t usually get to see it lit up by anything other than the sun!

I doubt we’ll have another opportunity to see the nighttime exhibition, but I’m really looking forward to seeing all of this artwork during the day throughout the summer!

Graduation Day!

The last two years just flew by, and today, Turkey and Bunny received their Associate’s degrees…Turkey an Associate in Science, and Bunny an Associate in Arts!

I enjoyed getting a look at the class banner while we were there:

It was a very nice ceremony…in addition to being on the Dean’s List all four semesters (they received a special blue tassel for that) and members of Phi Theta Kappa (the gold tassel, cord, and stole), not to mention Turkey’s Outstanding Math Student award for the 2022-23 school year, they were recognized for having a perfect 4.0 GPA, something less than 10% of the graduates accomplished. They have kept pace with each other from the very beginning!

We are all so proud!

Two weeks from today, I’ll be celebrating with the two of the them at Disneyland!

Caravan Memories

On Thursday, we said goodbye to our faithful Dodge Caravan. It was a good car, and we made a lot of memories in it, but it was nearing 100,000 miles, and we really wanted to make the transition to a hybrid, so we traded it in for a Chrysler Pacifica. Now it’s time to take a look back at the fun times we had in our old minivan, Stormy:

  • Family Vacation to Florida–We went on our second big family vacation in the Caravan. Unlike the first big trip we took in our Volkswagen, we didn’t have car trouble along the way, and it was a much more relaxing trip! Not only did we get to stay at Cabana Bay for the first (but not only) time, we also spent a day at both Legoland and Universal Studios, saw the ocean for the second time (and tracked a beach’s worth of sand into the car!), and visited Castillo de San Marcos.
  • A Weekend Getaway to Michigan–The summer before the pandemic began, we got to go on a road trip to Michigan, and I’m so grateful we had that opportunity before our extended period of staying at home. Not only did we get to meet Ryan’s parents in Southgate to celebrate the retirement of their former pastor, we also drove to Frankenmuth, a place I had long wanted to visit, and enjoyed a nice German dinner and a visit to the World’s Largest Christmas Store! Long trips are fun, but I also really enjoy exploring the midwest.
  • The Four Months that Weren’t–Some of the memories I have of the car are of the four months we went almost nowhere. I filled the gas tank at the beginning of March 2020, and didn’t fill it again until the end of June. We took staying home very seriously, so my once-every-two-weeks trip to go grocery shopping was A Big Deal, and I won’t lie…it felt a little weird driving after so much time of not!
  • Commuting to College–When Turkey and Bunny started at the community college, it was the first time in their educational experience that I had the privilege of driving them to and from school. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear about their days on the way home, and Chickadee, my constant companion, would often read whatever her current book was out loud to me when we were going to and fro.
  • Epic Family Vacation–Last summer was our epic, never-to-be-repeated trip to Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, and Disney World. It was a bit different from our first big family vacation in the Caravan (although we did get to stay at Cabana Bay again!), because we did have car trouble along the way…specifically, the brakes, which started giving us trouble in the mountains, again (just like when we went to Charleston). More specifically, the rotors, again. Even more specifically, we had the brakes replaced in South Carolina, again…our track record in South Carolina is not great! But, that was the only glitch on the trip, and we had so much fun driving through the mountains, to the beach, to all of the Disney parks and to Kennedy Space Center.

Now it’s time to make memories in our new van, and we already have a summer road trip planned!

Mani Monday

Finally, a mani dedicated to ALL the shades of my favorite color, purple! Starting with the thumb nail, I used Sally Hansen Miracle Gel “Girls Flip,” Holo Taco “Queen’s Curse,” Sally Hansen Miracle Gel “Anything is Popsicle,” Nailtopia “Daisy Duck,” and Sally Hansen Pure “Laven-Dear.”

Shadow Sunday

This is a fairly simple eyeshadow look featuring the Colourpop Animal Crossing “Labelle of the Ball” palette…what I’m really excited about is my new Colourpop crème gel liner in Kicker! I’ve been looking for a silver eyeliner for a while, and I couldn’t wait to try this newly re-released formula. I’ve (surprisingly) gotten used to working with a liquid eyeliner, so this is going to take some practice, but I absolutely love the color!

Sartorial Saturday–Pastel Stripes

Today I’m going to take a look at one of the “maybe” dresses from my Miss Candyfloss wishlist…obviously, its maybe status was upgraded to “definitely!”

The Estee-Spring dress is the perfect cotton dress for summer. It’s lightweight (so lightweight, in fact, that I wouldn’t wear it without a petticoat!), and the rainbow of pastel stripes is so pretty! It also has a rather unique sleeve style that ensures a good fit.

I kept the pastel theme going with my accessories, featuring a Splendette necklace, earrings, and stack of Duchess bangles, and a pretty Erstwilder brooch:

Did I mention just how pretty the pastel shades are?!?

I was delighted to discover that my Miss Candyfloss Loris-Cardinal coat is a perfect match for the dress…it makes for a whole, beautiful look!

I think this would be an especially lovely dress for Easter, because the pastels give it major Easter egg vibes!

I caved on another “maybe” dress, too…stay tuned to see that one, as well!