I'm ALWAYS feeling blue!

Yes, I'm always feeling blue .................... 
meaning that I always feel in the mood to wear blue. I have a lot of color in my closet, but you don't need to look to closely to see that it's predominantly blue.  I look good in the color, and I just feel wonderful when I wear it.  I'm drawn to the blues on the racks before any other color (although that harlot red often seduces me, especially in a shoe or purse).     

I walked into our local Atlantic Superstore early the other morning to deposit my cheque into the ATM machine ... which is right next to the clothing department who've begun to receive the new spring line.  What gorgeous colors!  And oh dear!  The blues were abundant! They were in front of me on racks; there were shelves of blue shoes; there were blue coats & sweaters & pants hanging above me.  I felt light-headed with glee; I was floating in a beautiful sea of azure!  

I've had myself on a very tight shopping budget since Xmas because there's nothing I really need.  I hadn't thrifted since then and have done fine on my shopping sabbatical.  But spring is coming. (Repeat this mantra as necessary!).  And as I stood there surround by blue, I remembered 3 things:

1. I had found $25 cash in a last-years purse when I switched last week.
2. I probably had some PC cash points on my account at the Superstore.  (Yep.  When I checked, I had $40 worth!)
3. I had an unused $25 in my thrifting budget for last Jan.

So, here's what I bought :  

Some pieces were on sale (like that awesome charcoal grey poncho/sweater for $4.94! the blue pants for $14.94 and the baby blue open weave sweater for $15).  Some were just great prices (like the powder blue sweater bottom left for $16 and the gorgeous blue cloth ballet flats for $19).  And the center Indian cotton blouse for $29 was just irresistible.

Once I added in February's $25 thrifting budget, I didn't overspend. 

Well done, Sandy!  

• Good budgeting
• Great clothes
• Gorgeous color!  

What's your Achilles heel color?

Shoesday the 19th of June 2012!

Summertime for a lot of people mean flipflops.  All those pretty flipflops -- so cheap and colorful -- so many designs -- so plentiful -- so easy to slip on and go.  But this girl can't wear them!  I know; it's tragic!  But they chafe the tops of my feet.   (It must be my queenly instep!)


So, here's what I wear instead:

Bandals!

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They're comfy, thick soled slip-ons with changeable bands.  How clever is that!  


And what made this even better was the price.  I found these recently at a little local shop; they were outside on a table of miscellaneous discounted items.  But you could choose any other discounted item on the table and the reduced price of all the items went down even further:  2 items = 20%; 3 items = 30%; 4 items = 40%; all the way up to 5 items = 50%.  


Now, I was never good at math in school; but take me shopping, and I can calculate a discount in seconds flat!  I purchased 5 items for $25.50 .... less than the original reduced $31 price of the Bandals!  AND I made my feet happy!


I got the "Bandals" you see above (which come with one set of bands) plus 3 more pairs of changeable bands!  

• What's that you say?

• That's only 4 items?

• What was Item #5?

This was Item #5.

A girl's gotta have a pretty glass for her summer "apres mowing" beverage when she's lounging in the deck chair and wearing her new "Bandals"!

And the sentiment on the front happens to be correct -- I am a beer snob!  My girls have called me that many time.  

But I like to think of it as having higher standards than some people.  Because what the flip side says is so true.
  




Drink good beer, my friends .....


And wear comfy footwear!

Shoesday - October 25, 2011

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This is a special Shoesday; a day when dreams come true. (Cue the harp music; crescendo the angelic choir; release the doves........)
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Do you remember my hunting trip in the city? And the post I did showing you the gorgeous red shoes that I found at Naturalizer? The ones that I left on the shelf because of the price? The ones that were $79.99 + 15% HST -- on sale! I showed such good restraint, didn't I.
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Then last week, I received an e-mail coupon from Naturalizer for 30% off any shoe (sale items included) plus free shipping AND a $50 cheque from my Mommy (late birthday gift). Serendipity once again, I'd say! (And I believe I saw the moon and all the stars aligned that night!)
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One week later, look what arrived in the mail...
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They are so comfortable. And look how pretty they look on my feet! Now I should be sure to find a man, right?

(Although they do make me want to say

"There's no place like home! There's no place like home!)

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And as if a day couldn't get any better, I got a call to say I won the Halloween draw at Frenchies. I won these cute little scarecrows!.And if by some chance I meet up with a lion and a tin man before the night is through, I'll know I'm not in Kansas anymore!

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Don't you love late birthday gifts!
Shoes -- They're a good thing.
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Shoesday - Oct 11.11

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I had a grand hunting trip on Saturday. I tracked down these shoes at Naturalizer -- Good quality, cushiony and comfortable, not quite as high as they looked at first (they have that little bit of a platform) and on sale! I was quite smitten with these. But $99.99 + tax - $15 birthday coupon was not in my budget.I was sad to leave them on the shelf.
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But then I tried on these: Naturalizer again, same wonderful shoe ... but although these were lower at $79.99 +tax - $15 coupon, I still couldn't justify it! Goodbye little leopard flat! :(
Then I spied these beauties! Ohhhhh! They were so gorgeous on my feet. It was hard to talk myself out of these ones because, you know! They're RED! But they again were $79.99 bla bla bla..
I cried a little when I had to leave them behind. And nothing else after that could even come close to those first finds!
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Except beauty and value! I found these lovlies at Value Village. Not quite the season for nude shoes, but they were THE shoe to have this season. And at $7.99 less 15%, these ones did fit into my budget.
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Strap them to the roof rack, Jeeves!
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I found some good purchases that day and had a lot of fun at Value Village! But that's my Thrifty Thursday post this week.
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I had a wonderful weekend in general with friends and good food and gifts and wine and laughter and dancing wildly, although that last one was done by me ... around the house ... while cooking turkey and listening to Galaxy World Music on digital TV. (Have you ever tried to interpret the various music heard there? Gypsy? Cuban? Ghanan? It's quite fun; and really funny if you're over 50 and white!)
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Now I head into a short, 4 day work week. It is good!
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Shoes-day Oct 4.11

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I went to Frenchies on Friday for Halloween fodder ......
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HONEST! That's all I went for!
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But look what I found for $4.50 -- the cutest little espadrille wedges. .
They're quite comfortable. But until they get worn next summer, I'll go through my nightly ritual of pampering my somewhat unattractive feet. If they can't be pretty, they'd better be well taken care of!
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I found this Bert's Bees with royal jelly in the sale bin for $3.00. It sure feels and smells nice. (And I'm telling myself that 8 months of royal jelly should melt away those bunions? Those little bees work so hard!)
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I do love my feet!

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PS - I did find some good Halloween fodder as well. But you have to be patient.
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Schulers and Shoes-day, Jul 19.11

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Saturday morning, I went to a "Summer Fling" at a local church and got some great thrifty finds. (Stay tuned Thursday!) I wore these magnificent sandals which were a gift from my friend Eva. She found them at Frenchies for $6 and showed them to me. When I tried them on, she declared that my feet were much prettier in them than hers and that I should keep them. I never look a gift Czech in the mouth!

Thank you Eva! I adore them.

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Sunday was pretty special. I met up with my darling German student from last year, Nadine and her parents. They're visiting NS for a few days. So we spent the day at Peggy's Cove where Nadine and I shot the new "Jump for Joy" summer edition photo. We stopped at Queensland beach and had a scrumptuous picnic: strawberries, chocolate brownies and do-it-yourself sandwiches with fabulous cheeses! They wouldn't believe me when I said that I don't swim in the ocean until August; they had to dip their own tootsies before they would admit "De-feet"! We drove from Peggy's Cove all the way back to Bridgewater via the old highway, and all the beaches were filled to capacity. Nadine's Mom was quite taken with the many Adrondak chairs she saw on decks and in gardens; and every time she saw a sign that mentioned lobster (and there are a lot of them on the South Shore), she would repeat it out loud. I think we have a seafood lover in the family!
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What lovely people they are and both have such a great sense of humor. We had a lot of fun together.
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But why, oh why, did they have to bring me ginger marzipan and a Lindt chocolate selection I've never seen before?

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And just where has it gone already?
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"Burp!"
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If the Shoe Fits .....

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I love shoes! And boots! I have black and brown; blue and pink; green, purple, teal, beige, wine, red, gold and and even an orangy-mustard pair. But I do not have yellow! I've casually looked for a pair for about 2 years. You see, I remember a little pair of yellow pumps that I had pre-baby days in the 1980's. (And they were a size smaller! Having babies, huh!) When I wore those yellow pumps, it was like wearing sunshine on my feet! I felt better!
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The search for the elusive yellow shoe became more intensive when I met online my blog friend ❀❀❀Ðαωᾔ❀❀❀ at Creative Cain Cabin. This woman has the most beautiful collection of shoes and sandals. Every time she does her "What I wore" post, I fluctuate between love and envy. Oh the shoes! Why, this little shoe piggy even has TWO pairs of yellow shoes! To give her credit though, she has vowed to hunt down a pair of yellow shoes for me. What a sweetie! She is a kindred spirit and a true shoe-sister!


Meanwhile, whenever I'm in the city (with it's myriad shoe stores and malls), I'm on yellow alert! I can see yellow from 50 yards; and I hone in like a heat-seeking missle.




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So ............ I'm in the city at Winners on June 30th doing my usual yellow shoe scan when my eyes lock on something.

• They're on sale!


• They fit me!


• They're comfy!


• They're sold!

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. Okay! So, they're not yellow. But they're so darned cute;

like wearing a flower garden on your feet!

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But just so you know ........... I'm still on yellow alert!
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Rednesday Jun 15.11

It's Rednesday over at It's A Very Cherry World! with SueLovesCherries. And I had forgotten to show you my newest splurge.
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I went out seeking yellow sandals, one of my current challenges. And do you think I could find a pair in Lunenburg County? No! Nor have I seen a pair in the many stores I checked out in Halifax. Oh dear! But I did find a double-whammy treat -- comfort and redness. I bought a pair of my very favorite brand of shoes, Naots from Israel. They are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn, and I was tickled to find these on sale.Add a little summer-time toe polish (and please ignore the red blotches on my pasty whites!), and Voila! I am ready for summer!
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Alas! The cool, damp temperatures these past few days are not very summery. So, I added some extra redness to the (literal) pot this week. I made a delicious, new-to-me spaghetti sauce recipe. Let me share it with you. I got it online from RecipeZaar.
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Jolean's Killer Spaghetti Sauce

3 Tbsp oil

1/2 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced green peppers

1 large diced garlic clove

1 1/2 lb ground sirloin

1/2 lb ground pork or veal

2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste

1 - 14.5 oz can tomato sauce

1 - 14.5 oz can stewed, undrained tomatoes

1 - 4.5 oz can undrained mushrooms

2 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp oregano

4 tsp sugar

5 Tbsp chopped parsley

7 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In large dutch oven, saute onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in oil until partially tender; push aside in the pot. Add ground meats and brown; chop into rather large chunks - not too small. Mix meat and sauteed veg well. Add tomato paste, sauce and stewed tomatoes and stir. Add mushrooms with liquid and stir. Add all spices including the grated Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Bring to a boil; stir and simmer for AT LEAST 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently. Serve over pasta with additional grated Parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

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I didn't have sirloin or pork or veal; so I used mild Italian sausage. I didn't have celery so I left it out. And I was a little leary of the Allspice and Nutmeg, so I used half of what they called for; next time I'll use it all. And this wonderful mixture simmered on my stove for roughly 4 hours and made my house smell great.
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It was gorgeous! If this spaghetti sauce were a man, I would marry it. (Or have a hot, passionate, long-term affair!) It really was killer spaghetti sauce!
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I give this spaghetti sauce "9.5 granny panties and full-support bras out of 10".
It was red hot and soooo yummy!

Shoesday May 10.11

"Funny that a pair of really nice shoes makes us feel good in our heads -- at the extreme opposite end of our bodies!"

Levende Waters

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All around is green! Every shade of beautiful, bright, verdancy imaginable! Lush growth that sprouts up inches a day -- almost before your eyes! (My front bed looking down from my 2nd floor bedroom window.)

Yes, nature is a clean, green, growing machine. And although it's lovely to see natures unstoppable urgency to grow and bless us, it comes at a certain expense .....

RAIN!

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In parts of Canada, they are gearing up for flooding. Local government in Saskatchewan have given the order for evacuation, and people are faced with the possibility of losing all their material possessions. My prayers go out to them.

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So, although we in Nova Scotia are water-logged and soggy, we really shouldn't complain. When the rain begins to get me down, I become pro-active in looking for ways to cheer myself up. Music, exercise, laughter and (yes) food! AND clothing! Today I am wearing verdant shoes -- with cute little bows!I feel better already! Why, my blue dress pants even have a little green stripe in them.But I don't have a lightweight green blouse (I haven't unpacked my summer clothes yet). So, I'm topping myself off with this:

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Contrary to what Kermit sang, in this part of the world, it is most definately easy to be green!

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Shoesday - Apr 12.11 - LET'S DANCE!

. It's another Shoesday here in Bridgewater, and today I wanted to wear something that I could dance in. Not that I'm going dancing today. But isn't every day an opportunity to dance? Shouldn't we grab any and every opportunity to trip the light fantastic and/or kick up our heels (while we can still actually kick)? So, I choose my Liz Claiborne flats (purchased brand new from Value Village for $6.99). And to add a cheerful "get down and boogie" flavor, I paired them with this purse gifted from my friend and pastor, Jocelyn. . hello I dance all the time; if there's music, you'll find me dancing. In the car, in the supermarket, around the house, and at the office. If I'm having a hectic &/or stressful day, dancing breaks the evil spell and rescues me; it loosens me up -- body, mind and spirit. And I can dance to any kind of music. . hello This morning, I want to share this gem of a musical number with you. The young woman is Desi Gordon, the young man who breaks a string is Liam Friar: they both spent a lot of time at my house with my daughter. Also included in the group are a brother and nephew to the late Harry Chapin. The group is now based out of Montreal. I hope this lightens your mood and lifts your spirits ..... and perhaps even makes you shuffle across the room with delight! .

Enjoy!

ShoesDay Apr 5.11

. . It's a dull, damp Shoes-day here on the South Shore. I woke to a sprinkling of snow on the ground which has since melted, and now it's drizzling outside. Spitting, as my mother would say. I think I'll wear something a little more substantialon my feet today. . Ah! Here we go! How about these gorgeous brown suede boots. They're mid-calf in height, look practically brand new and never worn, and they're very, very comfortable. They were a bit pricey for thrift at $14.99; but for fit, comfort and fashion (plus a little va-va-voom), they were well worth it.. They make my feet feel happy. So, seeing it's National Poetry Month, I composed a little poem about them.

My calf and foot is wrapped in suede.

The wedge has just a wee, slight grade.

They're cheap but stylish, comfy and cute.

At 15 bucks! That's a darn fine boot!

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To brighten what seems to be a dreary day for me, I'm wearing a new thrifted scarf ($1.25 at Frenchies). I love the bright colors and the polka dots. The only jewellery I'll add are these blingy little hoops from Fifth Avenue. . Hi ho, Hi ho. It's off to work I go. Happy Shoes-day my friends; I hope your feet are happy too. . .

Shoesday March 29.11

I was on my way to the airport on Saturday, so I took a detour through Bayer's Lake and visited Value Village. There were lots of shoes in my size. This cart had 18 pairs for me to try on. .

I narrowed it down to these 3 pairs; and I choose the 2 black pairs as the wine colored flats were too expensive at $12.99 and I wasn't in love with them.

The black walking shoes are Naturalizers -- very comfy and a steal at $5.99. The "Bravo Browns" (never heard of them before) were $8.99 but they have leather uppers and are also wonderfully comfy with their little wedge .... and very stylish, I think.

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At church this Sunday, I walked out in these great little Naturalizers......

and I paired them with my favorite spring handbag. That splash of vibrant blue can lighten even a cold and windy day like Sunday was here on the South Shore of NS!.

I'm just doing my part to remind people that it's spring.

It's a state of mind, ya know!

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What are you wearing this Shoesday?

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Shoesday Mar 22.11

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Friends are like shoes .....

Without them you go nowhere.







Today I'm featuring another pair of my latest thrift shop shoe purchases. I bought these gorgeous little black ballet flats at Value Village a few weeks ago for $5.99. They're quite comfy with their pretty silver quilted lining.. And although today is cool and overcast, it's still spring. So I'm wearing my deep rose colored shirt (which reminds me of some tulips I have planted in my garden) and co-ordinating jewellry. Stacey and Clinton say you shouldn't be too matchy-matchy with your clothes and accessories; that it's not cool to dress that way. But I'm old, and sometimes I just don't listen to these young whipper-snappers!

THIS .....................

Stacey and Clinton, is too matchy-matchy.
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My co-ordinating jewellery is just fine.
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Happy Shoesday!

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SHOES-DAY!

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Why celebrate a Tuesday when you can celebrate SHOES-day!

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As a recovering foot breaker, I'm always on the lookout for comfortable shoes -- these days, mostly flats. I look for them at all the shoe stores and thrift stores; I look for them online and in catalogues; and I look for them on other people's feet and on boot trays and front hallway mats everywhere!

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So, when I leave the little town of Bridgewater and go to the bustling metropolis of Halifax, the city is literally my big shoe store! There's only so much a girl can do in 2 days, but I do my best. And having a keen eye for a bargain, when I see a "SALE" sign at Naturalizer, my spidey-sense tingles.

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Extremely comfortable and $29.95! A great bargain.

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What's in your SHOES-day closet?

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