Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The Warrior

Hello Darlings...

I'm feeling chatty so you get another blog this week...

So today a friend called me up and wants to discuss some challenges she is facing in her life...she's a dear friend and just what her challenges are are so not for this blog...but let's just say she has a pretty full plate.

I listened to her and gave her my "well this is how I would/did handle that" and then I told her:

"you inspire me...I look up to you...you can do this...you have fully earned your Wonder Woman Underoos so put them on and plow ahead"

(for those of you young readers that don't know what Underoos are they were underwear in the 70's and early 80's that were printed with Superhero logos so you looked like you were wearing Batman's or Wonder Woman's uniform instead of just boring tidy whities...)

Here is a photo and thanks to wikipedia it just happened to be Wonder Woman!


And I know my friend is wearing those Wonder Woman panties and she will get through what is ahead of her and knowing her...

SHE WILL DO IT BEAUTIFULLY

She's just one of those women who is so outwardly beautiful that it is surprising when you find that the woman inside is even more beautiful.

And she has a marriage I am envious of...you can FEEL their love and support for each other...

and don't even get me started on her kids...

I love her for the way she parents and gives selflessly to others...

I love her for being my friend

SHE IS A WARRIOR

So after we hung up I started thinking about other friends of mine who are warriors...and what they are doing with and in their lives may take more than just putting on Underoos...

I have one friend, I shall just call her Beauty...

she's another one of those stunning women that is more beautiful on the inside than she is even on the outside and this woman qualifies as GORGEOUS...like stop-dead-in-your-tracks model pretty...like I kinda have a girl crush on her because she is so awesome...

She has cancer...

(sigh...big huge sigh)

We aren't close friends...we don't socialize (although I would love to have wine with her anytime) and our kids are different ages but when we see each other we always visit and I adore her.

When she posted she has cancer I literally sat on the floor of my bathroom and cried...

it was a gut-puncher...

But then I read what she had to say and the tears dried and I walked over to my bedside, lit a candle, and prayed...like on my knees (which are really crappy so you know I love her if I hit my knees) and I asked God to help her and her family get through this.

I can't do much to help her other than to send her loving vibes and pray...and sometimes I wear pink to my spin class so I can focus on her and try and send her my power at that moment.  Because she has a lot to get through...

but she will do it

and she will come through it

and one day I hope we can smile over wine when we say "remember when you had cancer..."

I feel so stupid complaining about my knees and getting shots in my knees when this poor angel has to have poison in her veins to kill what is trying to hurt her (I will not say it is trying to kill her because that gives the cancer too much power!).  This woman is battling cancer

SHE IS A WARRIOR

So my Beauty...I hope you read this and know you are on my heart...every single day...and you can tell your sweet girl that the extra hugs I give her when I see her are my way of hugging you...

You will win this fight...you will kick cancer in the ass...

And I love you for being the awesome beautiful woman you are


When I think of Beauty I think of my friend who I have referred to as Wonder Woman on this blog.  She is the one who kicked ovarian cancer in the ass.  She's a friend and even if she didn't kick cancer in the ass she would still be one of my warrior women because on one of the hardest days I ever had with my mother...where I cried and sobbed and threw things and said I couldn't take her (my mom's)drinking and bi-polar issues anymore, well Wonder Woman just picked up the key I practically threw at her and hugged me and told me it would be ok.  

I love her.  

She is a good friend to see beyond the crazy.  

And she kicked ovarian cancer in the ass...

SHE IS A WARRIOR


I have another friend who decided to go on what some might consider a drastic diet...she is doing a medically supervised liquid diet.

It is working for her...she's losing weight and starting to feel good about herself again.

It's not a diet I could do.

I have had my jaw broken twice (by doctors...long story about TMJ) and the liquid shake thing makes me want to vomit.

And I couldn't give up my wine...I spin for wine....(hey KuteKim we should put that on a t-shirt for very special Rev girls...)

But she is doing it...and I am so freakin proud of her I could bust.

I would never have that kind of willpower...I couldn't sit at a table full of people eating and be satisfied with a shake.  Heck tonight when The Cutest Boy in the World wanted pizza for dinner I ordered it and I made salmon for myself and still I ended up taking 3 very healthy bites of his pizza...

She is doing it for herself...to feel better and to feel better about herself.

It's a hard road going from being the fat chick to healthy, but I fully believe you have to do it the way that works best for you.

Everyone is different...

I had to go the exercise and healthy eating route.  It was slower but that's the only thing that works for me...

I tried Atkins...I thought about gastric banding...I did consider this same program she is doing...but for me it had to be a lifestyle change and eating pretty clean (except for wine) and exercise is the only way for me to stay at a healthy weight.  I know this because in the last year when I backed off my exercise and invited a few more Whataburgers and Popeye's fried thighs into my life I gained weight...far too easily...

so now I am back to eating clean and I have only had whataburger once in 3 months...and it was a whata jr (by the way a double meat whata jr without cheese is only 450 calories and is very satisfying)

So my beautiful friend is taking her road to health and adding in some fitness and I am so proud of her I could bust...

I love her so much...and I love that she is doing something I could not do

SHE IS A WARRIOR

Sometimes we have to be a warrior over little things...KuteKaren just moved into a new house...on a new street...

AT& T told her she didn't exist...or rather her house didn't...

she pretty much told AT&T to go to hell...and hook up her damn phone...

she may be small but she be mighty...

and she's someone I always want in my corner.

When I lost my mom she marched herself over to my house and she got me to scrape myself off the ground.  Less than 10 days after I lost my mom we had a very big fundraiser at the school and I had a large part in the putting together of the fundraiser.  I sorta had to be there.

But I was on autopilot.

KuteKaren booked a hair and make-up appointment for me and took me to get fixed up because I didn't have the energy to do so.  She made sure I looked good.  She brought me wine during the party and kept me on my feet.  She sat across the table from me and kept me going...

I have never ever forgotten that act of kindness...

because those of you who know me know I am all about getting up in the glitter when I have the chance to...and my mom was too...and my mom would have turned over in her grave if I showed up at that party in my pajamas.  And KuteKaren knew that about me...and she pretty much walked for me when I couldn't...

I love her for it

SHE IS A WARRIOR

I have a sweet beautiful friend who lost her father recently.  Her mother suffers from dementia.  Her dad was her mother's caregiver.  She and her sisters have always been close...they have a beautiful connection.  They are such a close loving family.  She  and her sisters are doing what they can for their mom...

dementia is a terrible thing and if you haven't experienced it...well, I hope you never have to...

but those wonderful daughters are helping their mom and pulling through their own grief to make her life better and easier and all the while they are raising their beautiful children...

I have lost parents...it's not easy...but this is an extra road to walk that is full of stones and pitfalls and it's a long hard road...

but they are doing it...and I don't hear her complain one bit...

I love her for it...

SHE IS A WARRIOR

I have a lot of warriors in my life...

My Aunt Jane who loves me despite all my stumbles and shows me how to be a better person just by living her life...she is the best person I know

JayVee kicks me in the ass when I need it...both on and off the bike...she loves and supports me and pulls no punches whether it is my weight or something stupid I am doing...

my Revolution Studio girls: Marvelous Mel, KuteKim, Sweet Charisse, Sydney Sunshine, Jen the Awesome...they make me find my inner warrior in spin and get me thinking about how I can improve my life outside the studio...

GOTTESS is always in my corner...even when she needs to help me handle GOTT...

My friend DivineDawn has taught me how to be a good football mama...hell she is taught me just how to be a good mama and person...she is a warrior for her kids and her marriage is amazing...and she is beautiful...and I need her in my life...

I have so many amazing beautiful friends...I have wonderful children I love that I have taught or that are the children of my friends...I see them do amazing things every day...

we are all warriors...some of us have HUGE battles to fight (cancer, death, weight) and some of us have small ones...but inside of us we can all be strong and power through...

Find the warrior inside you and kick whatever obstacle that is in front of you in the ass...

because you can...

Inspiration Song: "The Warrior" by Scandal...a little 80's song that is about love but these lyrics ring true:

shootin' at the walls of heartache, bang, bang, I am the warrior
yes I am the warrior and victory is mine
The warrior...the warrior


and because tomorrow is Warrior Wednesday at Revolution Studio and whenever I go and spin with Sunshine Sydney I leave feeling like a real Warrior...because I just defeated anything inside me that says a 50 year old woman who has gained back some weight can't kick the bike in the ass...

Bye Darlings...you know the old saying "pull on your big girl panties and deal with it"?  Well my Warriors...PULL ON YOUR WONDER WOMAN UNDEROOS AND KICK IT IN THE ASS...nothing can defeat you...and if you need help I will pull on my Wonder Woman Underoos and my gold bracelets and we can kick whatever needs kicking...

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Independent Woman Pt. 1

Hellloooo my darlings...it's been a few weeks...

Another provocative blog title, no?

Usually I wait until the end of the blog to explain a title but today I want to start with a little story..

So back in about 2000-2001 Queen B wrote these lyrics:

(yes, I know that some of you may  not know of the royalty I speak of but I am referring to the one, the only, the amazing dazzling Beyoncé)

The shoes on my feet, I've bought it
The clothes I'm wearing, I've bought it
The rock I'm rockin', I've bought it
'Cause I depend on me if I want it
 
The watch you're wearin', I'll buy it
The house I live in, I've bought it
The car I'm driving, I've bought it
I depend on me, I depend on me
 
All the women who are independent
Throw your hands up at me
All the honeys who makin' money
Throw your hands up at me
 
All the mommas who profit dollas
Throw your hands up at me
All the ladies who truly feel me
Throw your hands up at me

The song was part of the "Charlie's Angel's" soundtrack and then appeared again on the Destiny's Child album "Survivor"

(yes, I know they are not really albums anymore but rather cd's but to me they will always be "albums")

I enjoyed that album and movie and I liked the song when it came out...I thought the lyrics were powerful and of course the fact that it was a Beyoncé song made it a hit with me...but at that time it was just a song...just another fabulous Beyoncé song..

(yes, I know it was Destiny's Child and totally no offense to Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, but for me it is all about...Beyoncé...)

Now that I have established I am a Beyoncé fan I will get to a point...

(yes, I know it has taken a while...)

Up until a few years ago it was just another "woman power" song to me (this is where you start humming "I am Woman" if you are of a certain age).

but now, as a divorced woman living on my own (along with 3 cats and a part-time Cutest Boy in the World and Kesha Barbie off at college) the words resonate more powerfully with me...

Because now I live in a house I bought myself...chose myself...but I will admit I didn't decorate myself because D'Nice helped me with that one...but at least in this case I got to choose what I liked without regard to pleasing a partner...

The clothes in the closet...the shoes in the closet...hell the whole closet itself: I BOUGHT IT

The car I drive I chose it and bought it...when I did the ex asked me why I chose it I said "because I have always wanted one"...it wasn't about HIS choice for me it was about MY choice for me...and I have always wanted to have a Toyota 4 Runner...

(and yes, if you know me, you know that I named my car "Beyoncé" because I think my car is sleek, sexy, powerful and pretty...just like Beyoncé)

All of my life I have preferred to be part of a group and sought the approval of others. 

When I was younger I was almost never the leader and just wanted to be part of the group.  When I got older I learned I liked sometimes being the leader but as long as I was included I was usually happy. 

(and yes when I was in high school I was so desperate to get to "hang out" and drink beer with the cool kids that I took an empty beer can and filled it (after cleaning it) with diet Dr. Pepper and pretended I was drinking...because if I really had my Daddy would have killed me...and there were a lot of deer between me and the hangout spot...all went well until a football player busted me by grabbing the can and taking a swig...)

But one thing I haven't gotten past is the need to be told I did something right...

I had a total breakdown of fear and worry that my costumes for "Beauty and the Beast" would not live up to the mark but then when GOTT told me he was proud and my sweet friend MarshaMarshaMarsha (who's daughter was in the show) and my amazing friend the Divine Miss Tam told me I did a good job I finally felt I had...

hell I can't stand to exercise on my own---that's why I spin. 

(and yes, I also spin because it is my favorite way to make myself feel strong and powerful along with getting and keeping me in shape)

I tend to constantly need reassurance...I guess that is why I feel so compelled to give others reassurances...

(and yes, every time a spin instructor calls me out or comes and stands in front of me to urge me on it is totally what makes the pedals keep going)

I don't particularly enjoy being the "single girl" at the party...sometimes it would be nice to have a date with me...and I have turned down some opportunities because I don't want to go alone (things like a ball or a trip).  I am usually fine at a party but when it comes down to being alone when everyone else is a couple I am not exactly comfortable...and I miss having someone to dance with or be my date

(and yes, my ex never danced with me so I don't know why I would miss that but maybe because I never really had it)

Heck I can't even decide what I am ordering for dinner until I know what everyone else at the table is having so that I can assure myself that there wasn't a better choice...

(and yes, if you have had dinner with me you know this routine...and that 9 times out of 10 I still order salmon...or a very very rare filet...

But there are some things that have helped me to become an independent woman:

I don't mind being alone in my house...that has never bothered me...I have almost never been afraid at night except when I read "Silence of the Lambs" when the ex was out of town...that sent me to my mom's house overnight

I like being able to choose what I eat for dinner and not have someone tell me that they don't want to eat that or that the house smells after I cook salmon...what ends up on my plate at dinner is my decision and mine alone

(and yes, I did admit that I have to take a poll at a restaurant but I'm talking about home cooking here)

And I don't mind whipping up a full meal for myself...I fully believe in eating healthy and part of that is that I cook myself a nice meal...so just about every night I have a nice dinner and glass of wine even if I am all by myself

I like that I have the closet to myself

I am fortunate and blessed that I have the money to pay for my home, clothing, car, and food and don't have to depend on child support or alimony to pay for it...

I don't consider my political views to be strictly right or left-leaning...I'm an independent in the middle because I think gay people have the right to get married just as much as I do but I also like the fact I can have a gun...

And I was fortunate that my parents showed me that you have to make your own happiness and not depend on others and to make my own decisions

My dad did not want me to attend Texas A&M (even though he briefly went there)...but I knew it was the place for me and I was totally determined that I was going to go there even if he would have chosen a dozen other colleges (several of which I was accepted to and only agreed to apply to so he would let me apply to A&M).  I defiantly told him I would go to A&M or nowhere at all...and that I would major in agriculture.

(and yes he was a rancher and it is ironic that he did not want me to go there and study that)

I watched my mother whine and whine and whine for years that she wanted to get married again and have a partner...yet for all her whining she really became so independent that I don't think there was really room for a permanent partner---at least not one who lived with her.  For someone who had divorce thrust upon her and would have easily stayed married to my dad forever and loved being a wife and mother, she became quite the independent woman.

(and yes, I know I endlessly blog about wanting to have a man who has blue eyes and dimples and drives a big ass truck so I guess I am a little like her in that way)

But when I was married I was not happy and thankfully I found my inner independence to know that I would be happier alone than in a marriage that wasn't working and had lost the love.  I asked for the divorce and knew I would be ok...

I have my children...I am not alone...but I am independent.

And I hope I have taught them to be the same way.

I look at my beautiful talented bright daughter and even though we challenge each other at times when I look at her I see a very independent little soul.

She died her hair green...and then blue...

she refuses to shave her legs

(and yes that one bugs me but I have learned to choose my battles)

she dresses in a very unique and different way that totally works for her and she dazzles me

she attends a school in the northeast that is a tough school to get in to and she felt it was a better fit for her than a more mainstream university that most of her classmates decided to attend

(and yes the Aggie in me loves the fact she turned down the University of Texas)

She is finally learning to walk away from situations that make her crazy and not care if other people tell her they don't like her unshaved legs because she isn't going to change.

My daughter is a rock star of an independent woman...

And I am so grateful she is...

because given my need for the love and approval of others I am glad she is not that way...

and I hope the students I work with will also learn some things about being an independent woman from me...I love my girls and I remember how hard it was to be in high school so when they come to me with issues I try my best to tell them to fly on their own (and my precious "Hummingbird" (she knows who she is) I want you to remember this and know I love you very very much! And I am always here to watch you soar...)

I feel like I am sort of like my political views...somewhere in the middle...I like things about being a single woman on my own but I do enjoy the company of others and I do hope that some day I find that blue-eyed man with dimples who drives a big ass truck that will not complain when I cook salmon and will be ok with my obsession with spinning and putting costumes on children doing musical productions...

I come as a package...I have two children who are first and foremost in my world and that I will always put ahead of anything else...but I am independent enough not to rely on them to provide me with happiness and fulfillment...

And I have learned that "Independent" does not mean "Alone"...it means that I make my own choices and take care of ME...and I am free to do so...so yeah...Independent to me means...

FREE TO BE ME

So Queen B...I feel ya and I am throwing my hands up at you...

(and yes, I always will....)

And since I have been giving you some recipes lately in this blog I will tell you about my new obsession that my ex would have hated and my children won't get near:

SPAGHETTI SQUASH

Now basically you risk cutting fingers off to do this but it's worth it...I think maybe you can get by without cutting the squash open but this is how I have done it and the independent thinker in me thinks it is just fine...

So heat your oven up to 400...

Line a pan with foil.

cut the ends off the spaghetti squash and then cut it lengthwise down the middle.  Scoop out the seeds.

Place the cut squash cut side up in the pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and liberally sprinkle with pepper...

bake at 400 for an hour or so until it is fork tender

Let cool and then take a fork and shred the strands out...

at this point you can do many things but I love to saute it in a little olive oil and minced garlic with a little cumin...sometimes I add mushrooms and it's delicious with a little leftover protein (steak, chicken).

and if I am in a pasta mood (and not able to haul myself to George's Pastaria for my favorite pasta) I oven roast some grape tomatoes and garlic cloves with a little olive oil, salt and pepper (you can do this when you roast the squash) and once the tomatoes are popping and opening up and the garlic is soft take it out of the oven and roughly mash it with a potato masher.  Add in about a teaspoon of agave nectar (tomatoes benefit from a little sugar but I am off sugar these days).  If you want it to me "Mexican" add in some oregano and cilantro...for Italian add in basil and parmesan...use a blend of red and yellow tomatoes for great flavor...

top the squash with that roasted tomato mixture and happiness will occur...

So there you have it...it's easy and I love it...no one else in my house will eat it but I don't care...

Inspiration Song: "Independent Woman Pt 1" by Destiny's Child...because those lyrics resonate with me now and I love me a Beyoncé song for inspiration...

Bye Darlings...be INDEPENDENT...not ALONE but in control of you and your choices...I don't think Beyoncé let's anyone make her choices for her and neither will I...













Saturday, July 5, 2014

Age of Aquarius

So in a previous blog many moons ago I said:



"when the moon is in the seventh house and jupiter aligns with mars and peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars"...



raise your hand if you got that?



what?
2 of you?



I have to admit something somewhat shameful here...



I totally loved The Fifth Dimension...



ok, maybe not "Up Up and Away" so much but oh the rest of it...yes, I did love it...



"Age of Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine" (which is really from the musical "Hair")
"Stoned Soul Picnic"
"Wedding Bell Blues"
"One Less Bell to Answer"
"(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"



I wanted to be Marilyn McCoo...that is until she did "Solid Gold" and after that...notsomuch...

although Solid Gold was a pretty awesomely bad show...remember The Solid Gold dancers?

raise your hand if you danced along with them...



what?
2 of you?



MarvelousMargaret PLEASE say you did...

(she and I like to dance in public to embarrass our children)



Growing up in the 60's was fun...although I don't remember a whole lot about it...and no, even though sometimes I feel old enough to have been around when dinosaurs roamed the earth it was not because I took all kinds of mind altering drugs that I don't remember it...it is that I was a VERY YOUNG CHILD

I have much more clarity about the 70's...because I was a a bit older...
I do remember my mother's fashions in the 60's and 70's...
and her hair

or rather her hairpieces...



At that time my mother had her natural hair color...brunette...so all of her wigs and falls and little hair things were brunette.
She went blonde in the 70's and spent years trying to achieve golden perfection although once or twice or twenty times she ended up a pretty bad shade of orange or a bad version of "ash blonde".



My hair has always been blonde...and that is what it will be until I go grey...although I have flirted with the idea of strawberry blonde which no hairdresser has ever agreed to because they know better than me...and they know I will cry...so blonde I stay...but I might just order me a red wig on QVC and have a taste of it...



When I was a child my mother always allowed my sisters to have long luxurious hair and I was forced into whatever horrible short haircut she thought would be cute...


and each and every one of them was...



perfectly awful...


No let's make that: "AS BAD AS A TRENDY HAIRCUT CAN GET AND SADLY HEAPED UPON A POOR UNFORTUNATE GIRL THAT ONLY WANTED LONG LUXURIOUS HAIR AND NOT SOME UGLY SHORT HAIRSTYLE"



So what did I end up with:
pageboys



blunt chin length bobs with bangs



but the worst...and this is a tie:



THE CAROL BRADY SHAG (I sobbed for hours after that one)


and


THE DOROTHY HAMILL (I sobbed for days after that one)



Raise your hand if you were forced into one of these travesties of hair fashion...



what?
2 of you?



My sisters were never forced to have scissors taken to their hair...they were allowed to grow their hair long but my mother never let me...maybe that is why I like mine long now.  Any time it would start to grow out she would find some excuse to force me into a haircut.



Once she told me that if I got the shag/pixie/bob whatever horrid haircut she wanted me to have that I could have my ears pierced.  So I allowed the horrid haircut to happen...and then went to the doctor and got my ears pierced...



And then she let my sisters get their ears pierced...

THE VERY NEXT DAY

and

WITHOUT HAVING TO HAVE SCISSORS TAKEN TO THEIR HAIR TO GET A HORRIBLE UGLY SHORT HAIRCUT THAT MADE THEM LOOK LIKE A BOY



David Cassady had longer hair than me...actually the entire cast of the Partridge Family had longer hair than me...(and oh how did I want to be Lori Partridge with her long straight thick gorgeous shiny brown hair)



except Shirley (the Mom)



because I was sporting that same ugly haircut...



UGH




raise your hand if you remember the Partridge Family...or had a crush on David Cassady and his puka shell necklace...or Shaun Cassady...


what?
2 of you?



Hence I was obsessed with her wigs and wiglets.  I would go around the house for hours in her long dark brown fall...happily perched to the back of my white blonde hair...



I wanted to feel that hair all around me...



I think that was part of my attraction to wanting to be Marilyn McCoo...she was gorgeous and had long hair that she could swing around.  It made no difference to me that she was black and I was white...I thought she was the very image of beauty and glamour...because she was...and I am betting she still is...that kind of beauty never truly goes away...fades maybe...but never goes away...


And you won't be surprised that my other beauty obsessions were Ann-Margaret and Vanessa Redgrave (in her Camelot "Guinevere" look)...both redheads...


But not once did I ever want to look like Goldie Hawn in her Laugh-In days or Twiggy with her pixie or Mia Farrow with her Vidal Sassoon pixie...nooooo I much preferred Lynn Anderson and Dolly Parton and their full heads of long blonde hair...and Barbie of course...


But I did have a "Twiggy" doll...but I always wanted her hair to be long...


Raise your hand if you remember who Twiggy was...


what?
2 of you?



My mother slowly transitioned from brunette to blonde by spending a fair amount of time doing the "frosted hair" look...



oh...no...

(shaking head)

oh...no...



The only good thing about that was that my mother would have "frosting parties" and her friends would come over and bring wine and frost each other's hair...that is until they drank too much wine and had me and my sisters pull their hair through the frosting caps for them...



I was highly coveted as I was fast and gentle...and never pulled too much through...
(and there are women who read this blog that will back me up on this)



although with all the Mateus Rose and Lancer's Rose they were drinking I'm not sure hair pulling was a problem...



It was hideous stuff (and by that I mean the frosted hair and the very bad wine)...a few looked very pretty with it but my mom...notsomuch...it was a bit harsh on her...things got better when she transitioned to highlighted lighter hair...and then blonde



She always had a thing for hairpieces...her hair was thin and got thinner from all that bleach...so if she was dressed in the least she usually had some sort of wiglet in place.



When she passed away I took her wiglets to the funeral home and instructed the lady there to put one or two in her hair so she looked right.



Yes, I sent my mama to heaven in her Manolo stilettos, her favorite Dana Buchman pants suit, a sweater in her favorite color (or at least my favorite color on her), her Lancome eyeliner and Estee Lauder lipgloss...AND HER WIGLETS...



I know my Mama is proud of me for that...



I have the rest of them (the wiglets and falls) that I didn't bury her in...they don't match my color but...I don't know...they were such a part of her.



She was quite the fashion plate...even in the 60's.



Right now I would totally kill to have her pink/purple Pucci velvet evening gown...to me it was the very essence of 60's glamour...along with a long fluffed up fall...and false eyelashes...



I don't know what happened to it but I wish I still had it...Ke$ha Barbie would rock it...



She had several dresses that looked like they belonged on Goldie Hawn during her "Laugh In" years (Please tell me you remember "Laugh In"...what? 2 of you?)...I wish I had those too...not that anyone needs to see me in polyester mini dresses with big bell sleeves...



She had a lot of flowered shift dresses...



and one dress that I really remember was one she wore to my cousin Tio's wedding...I was the flower girl and my mom was fairly pregnant with my brother.  She bought the dress a few months before she wore it and never bothered to try it on.  When we got to Fort Worth for the wedding she did try it on and it didn't fit (my brother was a BIG baby) so she went and bought a girdle to wear to fit into the dress and to keep my brother looking not so big in utero.



She passed out.



But it was a really pretty brown lace dress.

(and yes, I know there is no way that you can think a brown lace dress is pretty but this one was...in a very Jackie O sort of way)



Speaking of Jackie O, my mom had quite a great collection of sunglasses.  I still wear some of them...not from the 60's but she had a drawerful and once in a while I pop a pair on to think of her.



In the 70's the fashion got...uglier...



For me it was a lot of polyester double knit



For my mom it was a lot of polyester double knit



For my dad it was a lot of polyester double knit...and some godawful jumpsuit things he wore on Sundays...

my brother had matching ones...



I'd kill for a photo of that...



I had a lot of those polyester double knit shorts and pants...just some really hideous stuff...

Just watch The Brady Bunch...see what Jan has on?  That was me...


Except that I wasn't allowed to have Jan Brady hair...


but sometimes I did get to sport a yard ribbon in my hair if it was longer than a few inches...we often had our hair tightly pulled back in a half up/half down look with a yarn "ribbon" in our hair...


raise your hand if you remember "yarn ribbons"


what?
2 of you?


how about "doobies" (that's what we called those ponytail holders with the big plastic balls)


again...just 2 of you?


I never minded maxi dresses or halter tops...in fact I still love them...but sadly the maxi dresses all made us look like Laura Ingalls or Holly Hobby and I never rocked a halter as well as Cher did...


Raise you hand if you remember Holly Hobby...


what?
2 of you?


Raise your hand if you know who Laura Ingalls was...and if you don't get on Wikipedia right now...


I am sure my children will one day look back on the fashions I foisted upon them and tell their friends "my mother dressed me in the most gawdawful stuff"...but I never made Kesha Barbie cut her beautiful hair off...oh no...


I really wish I could have dug up some of the old awful photos of me in these fabulous looks and haircuts but heaven only knows where they are in storage right now...maybe they should just be burned...


And as for 80's fashion...


well...that is a whole other blog...maybe 2...


So if you will all excuse me now I am going to go put on a maxi dress and make my long blonde hair look like Ann-Margaret's and I'm gonna wing out my eyeliner in a perfect cat's eye...


what goes around comes around...but hopefully it is better the second time around...


I hope that for fashion...and for my romantic future...


Inspiration Song: "Age of Aquarius" by the 5th Dimension...originally from the 60's musical "Hair".  It is sung in medley with "Let the Sunshine In" which I may also use as a blog title if it doesn't stop raining around here...I loved the 5th Dimension...


Bye Darlings...aren't you glad we have survived some bad fashion and hairstyles...and the words to the song aren't bad advice:


Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius! Aquarius!



Ok so maybe that last part is about drugs...
don't take drugs...


but find your peace and harmony darlings and make peace and harmony with your past fashion mistakes...