Uncertain times...

Yes, these are days of uncertain times.
And no, I don't mean the Swine Flu.
Things around here are much more serious than that.

I leave for Jeff and Rachel's wedding in four days.
My MOG periwinkle lavender/blue toned dress is not back yet...and I have to figure out what shoes to wear to the wedding.

Since I didn't have the dress to work with, I just bought shoes that might work.
Now before I discuss each option, please note the size of the heels on the above shoes.
I don't wear heels.
I wear loafers and Crocs.

They do make high heel Crocs now, but they just didn't look quite right, and I didn't think gluing some extra do-dads to them would make any difference, except to possibly make the wedding guest chortle and guffaw as I walk down the aisle on my son's arm.

There is already too much violence in the world, so I won't go into how my son would feel about me clomping along in regular Crocs.

So here we go: This pair has an iridescent purple color, very deep with navy under tones with a cross over toe. The dress has bead work around the hem of the jacket that would match the tone perfectly.
I tend to walk out of the back one of the shoes, as I have a very narrow right heel. A heel "snug" could work.
They are also the highest of all the heels.

These are very comfortable, a silver satin with a discreet rhinestone buckle. The bridesmaids are all wearing silver shoes with navy dresses, so I could blend in with them. Silver would look good with periwinkle, but I always feel one's shoes should be darker than one's hemline.

The least comfortable of the shoes, selected only because of the lavender tones. I don't like snake skin, but maybe they would really rock with the outfit.

The number one contender in Bernie's opinion: Navy slingbacks. Very high spiked heels, a bit unnerving, but the sling backs will stay on my heels. They make my size nine feet look small with I find odd since they are so elongated.

Hoo boy.

So I showed all of these to B. and he expresses his doubts that I will be comfortable in high heels. I explain that I will just need to go down the aisle and back up and stand a bit for pictures, then I can switch to....

These flats. (I'm going to have to have a look at my camera lens, all my pictures were blurry. Or maybe my hand is shaking. Dunno.)

Of course the shoe decision will influence the purse decision. I have a silver satin baguette bag, and I *had* a satin navy clutch that I can't find, and that I am hoping I gave to Laura, because there sure as heck aren't any navy dress purses out there. There are hardly any navy shoes out there...Nordstroms had exactly three navy pumps. Silver, gold, black, brown and red are very popular...NOT navy.

I'm calling about my dress today. Really, it should be done by now. I've got a list of 13 things I've got to do by Wednesday, working around my work schedule. No stress...no stress.....

Oh, and I have to figure out what song I want to dance to with my son at the wedding. He just informed me last night that that would be included in the reception.

I am a terrible dancer.

I suppose I will have to stay in heels until after that is over.

Eeek.

Have an ambulance ready....

Anyone have a good suggestion for a song?

Help!

Wednesday Surprises All Around

Our kitchen was to be finished by the middle of March.
Hahahahaha. Ha.

So on Wednesday April 22nd I was thrilled to get an email at work from Bernie saying "Wait till you see the kitchen tonight."

After looking at all our stuff on open shelving for over a month, I was soooo ready to see some cabinet doors!

Now the kitchen is still not done. It was to be finished today, but as usual, something came up with the contractor, so he couldn't make it.
Sigh.

There will be moulding at the top of the cabinets, and on the bottoms to shield the view of the under cabinet lighting. And there will be a panel in front of the sink.
And hardware-drawer pulls and all.

But hey...at least at last we have real doors on the cabinets now!

I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow instead of a broom and contractor junk, I will have a real range and oven in that opening. And a refrigerator where the other junk is slouching around.
I dream of just reaching for milk in the refrigerator in the kitchen some morning, instead of trekking (through the snow usually...) to the garage to use the old refrigerator out there.

And I imagine that I will not have flattened boxes taped to the floor anymore, there to protect the finish from work crews and tools.

Here's a better close-up of the quartz counter top. Some of the flecks are almost a pumpkin-peach tone.
I picked just a simpled rounded "full bull nose" edge. I've already live with multiple reveals on counter edges, and grew weary of wiping each layer down to keep it free of dust and grime.

My kitchen sink control panel. Reading left to right: An insta-hot faucet, a dish soap dispenser, the faucet with pull out head, and buttons behind the head to shift between stream and spray water flow, then there is the handle (my friend Vicki got the same style faucet, but chose the version with the handle on the faucet. We both have good reasons for our decisions!) and finally the little button is the garbage disposal switch.

All nice and neat...I like it!

I brought home a sampling of cabinet hardware, not sure if we wanted to go with black to match the detail work of the doors, or polished stainless to match the appliances.
My chief criteria for selection: Can I slip fingers behind it without bumping my knuckles, and is the back of the handle smooth and solid.

Those two criteria eliminated a lot of choices right away.

The "winner" actually has worn edges on the top and bottom revealing copper highlights.

Our bedroom and bathroom woodwork has the same "worn" features.

Bernie and looked over all our choices and both of us instantly liked the look and feel of this one the best...and Bernie can even slip four fingers easily inside the handle.

The kitchen is at last taking real shape.

But the BIGGEST surprise of Wednesday was something completely unexpected.

The surprise began when I went out to my car on my way to work, and discovered a very happy Labrador retriever bouncing around our front yard. Since I was wearing light colored slacks, I raced to get into my car before the dog could jump up on me and ruin my outfit.

The dog had a collar and a tag, and seemed quite unperturbed, indeed, seemed quite happy with the morning romp. Safely inside my car, I rolled down my window and admonished the dog to GO HOME in my most authoritarian voice.

The dog just grinned up at me and continued to prance around.

I figured the dog must live nearby and headed off to work.

Shortly after I left, the contractor Clint arrived, opened the garage to unload the cabinet doors, and then opened the back door into the kitchen, and proceeded to bring in the woodwork.
The dog thought this was GREAT, and raced past Clint and into the house.

Once in the house the dog headed down the hallway to our bedroom, where Tiggie and Hart were taking their second morning nap. Clint raced down the hall after the dog, and arrived just in time to see the dog muzzle up to Tiggie.

Tiggie did what any brave orange mancat would do: He smacked that dog's face with his razor sharp claws, shredding and screeching at high speed.

The dog yelped, and turned to run, but Tiggie was faster than the dog.

Tigs JUMPED on the dog's back and proceeded to tear up the dog's back.

When the dog managed to shake Tiggie off, Tigs reached up with his paws and gripped the dog's hind leg and continued with his piston like claw work.

The dog was really yelping at this point and headed down the hall, with Tiggie in full pursuit.

Tiggie chased the dog down the hall, through the kitchen, across the deck, into the garage and out to the driveway, where the dog finally was able to make a full break away.

Tiggie then sat down, gave himself a couple of licks, glanced up at Clint with a "What are you looking at?" look.

Clint said he wished he had had a video camera as the whole drama would have easily won one of those Funniest Home Movies contests.

By the time I got home, Tiggie was strutting around the house with an expression of pride that we had never seen before.

He has a new name now.

We call him "Tiggie, the Toughest Faithful Orange Cat in Town."

Who knew he had it in him.

(Hart, by the way, magically disappeared from the bed and avoided the whole confrontation. No one knows exactly where he went, or how...he just wasn't there!)

Oh What a Lunch Break!

Oh the weather has been just glorious the last few days, and I definitely have a case of Spring Fever. Today I just couldn't stand to be cooped up in my office, so on my lunch break I drove a few blocks over to Temple Square to take in the Spring time version of the grounds.

At each entrance they had planted the most fragrant of flowers, which wafted in the warm air, complete the Springtime seduction away from my work.

A half hour lunch soon was an hour lunch, and the camera was never out of my hand for a moment.

The Dance that I have now photographed in Winter, Summer and Spring.

The tulips! Oh my...I couldn't get enough of them!

And the daffodils too...

And the broad vistas...

Then back to exploring close up...an Iceland poppy with beautiful stamen.

I know flowers photograph best in the morning and late afternoon, as the overhead sunlight tends to wash their colors out when photographed. But still...some of the tulips managed to glow with sunlight overhead anyway.

Surreal...yet very real!

I like the fringed tulips a lot!

The "plain old regular" red tulips had a special gloss that reflected the light like patent leather.

Swirled colors...two color treats in one flower.

Across from the Temple Square there is a lot of construction going on. A city within a city is being built, which will have housing and business spaces, schools and shopping all fitted around a creek. City Creek is the name of the development, and I think living across the street from this garden would be pretty cool.

Well, it was my lunch break, and I didn't eat anything in the garden. But on the way back to work, the Pastry shop caught my eye, so I dropped in to see what was being offered there this season.

More flowers! Gorgeous realistic flowers atop cakes...

and special cookies....

A regular pastry garden could be bought. I settle for a small slice of raspberry filled cake but enjoyed looking at all the cakes that were offered.

All this Spring time beauty...and yet I look across the way and see the mountain behind my house, still capped with snow under the warm blue sky.

Every direction has snowy mountains, like a garland of lace surrounding the flower filled city.

I really love looking around and seeing the mountains that border Salt Lake.

Oh...and that was just part of all the wonderful things that happened on this Wednesday.

Drop by tomorrow to see and hear more!

The Guest Room is Ready For Company

I still have to get drapery for the morning sky blue guest room...they will be made from Waverly's black check above the windows and on the sides. The Venetian blinds will work for window covering when needed. Since the windows have lovely private views, I didn't want anything that might block the mountains, trees, sunsets and city lights.
I'll also get some art for the walls, and arrange a few decorating elements to make it feel a bit more homey too.

Of course we still have the NO cats in the guest room policy.

I had just spread the beds and went to get the camera when the boys moved right in anyway.
They thought it was just great to have their own beds all to themselves.
After all, wedging Bernie in on the big bed every night is a lot of work.

While unpacking I discovered we have a lot of pillows. I'm still looking for a place to store them all! We also discovered that we still have a huge heavy mirror that was in Laura's room when she was very young. It was stored in the attic...and now is stored behind the headboard until we can haul it off to the donation center. It is too heavy for me to lug all by myself, so maybe this weekend we can finally be done with it.

(Personally...I think a blue eyed Siamese cat would look better in this room.)

Jeff is our first "official" guest, staying with us until he leaves for his trip to California to get married next week.
His bride-to-be has vacated her apartment and moved into his place for a little settling in, so Jeff moved over to our place.
Funny...thirty two years ago Bernie and I had a similar arrangement.
He moved home with his parents for a few weeks while I got the apartment for a bit.
It is nice to Jeff with us for a last bit...and after the "cat nap" on the new bedding, the cats decided they really like sleeping with Bernie better anyway.

Poor Bernie.
It's all good though, isn't it?

Yes it is.

Spring hats from Life magazine in the 50's and a rant

Cute, cute, cute!
Love that little extra trim on the collar, and the gloves of course!
Google images has an entire gallery of Life magazine's spring hat photos from the 1950's. Oh yummy! See them all here.

On a less cheery note...I was quite perturbed to discover that our President gave an address at a church, and had the stain glass window's with the name of Christ in Greek blacked out. I know he said we are not a Christian nation, but when he chooses to make a speech INSIDE a church, I think the "state" should separate itself and not go editing what is inside a place of worship.

See link here.

I just wonder if he will/would suggest similar editing when he visits other religious places.

I'll be watching...
(Update: I've been informed that the address was in Gaston Hall, an auditorium NOT a church. Since it was on a Catholic campus, the hall included church symbols. My feeling is that this is even more offensive: the stain glass windows were for "art" then, not necessarily for worship. Apparently even Christian art is considered possibly "misleading" or offensive. America's oldest bastions of learning include Hebrew lettering of Scripture within their school's symbol, as do some of the halls of our government include scriptural passages in either Hebrew or Greek or English. Will we eventually see our own govermental building "censored"? I hope not!)

Seeing what Louise is up to....

One of my favorite milliners is Louise Green. Her Spring 2009 online catalogue is out, and I've "borrowed" three pictures that made my heart skip a beat.
Isn't this pink hat pure romance? Sigh...I'd love to wear a hat like that ALL THE TIME!
Double click the pictures to see the prices.

But having a somewhat more practical lifestyle, perhaps I could accomplish more in my day in this grey hat. A bit of "no-nonsense" that could turn flirtatious in a wink.
Now here is a shocker: a turban! Turbans haven't been seen in years and years...although through history they pop in and out of fashion. One of the first ladies (whose name escapes me now) had her portrait done wearing a turban. The news from the Fashion Week runways is knitted wrap hats, very turban like indeed. Hmmm...the best part of a turban is that it is worn with all your hair tucked up inside. Fast fashion for those "don't want to mess with my hair" days. Draping a turban is a ticklish art form, much more difficult than blocking a hat, and the $795 price tag reflects that very fact.

I'm always interested in hats that could be used as a wedding hat. The paned veiling would be so smart compared to the typical tulle. A totally memorable hat...can't you just hear the wedding guest trying to describe it to their friends later?

And how cute would it be to have the wedding hat on a hat stand below the wedding pictures.

My hats are still boxed up, but I am seeing daylight coming through windows now that some of the boxes are unpacked. Yesterday I longed to wear a cute hat, but couldn't dig one out to match my outfit before I rushed off to work. By noon the snowfall began in earnest, with flakes the size of quarters blowing furiously all about. By 5 o'clock the mountains surrounding SLC were once again totally blanketed in white. Winter had returned after all; and griping was heard all about. I on the other hand practically skipped as the soft flakes smashed into me as I walked to my car.

None of the snow had stuck to the ground or car, so off I went happily home.

(The sad news: Bernie is now laid flat with the same horrid sore throat that began I suffering with two weeks ago. Mine is down to coughing and blowing still...hate to see B. have to go through this too!)