Best way to shop!

Shopping for clothes is definitely not my favorite thing to do.

Barnes and Noble I love. Macy's and Kohls? Ummm, not so much. I'd rather get a root canal.  To me, it's daunting. Hours fighting crowds and endless racks filled with animal prints and skinny jeans not even one of my legs could fit into... No thanks!  Give me shelves and shelves of best sellers any day.

I'm trying to find clothes for my upcoming trip. Emphasis on trying. I have to be mindful of what goes in that suitcase. I've got just 42 pounds of precious weight to work with!  

What's a girl to do? Well, I am loving my solution to find clothes that are hip AND fit me just right!
I blogged awhile back about Stitch Fix.

Just got my latest fix this week.

My stylist NAILED it!

I love the dress. Very lightweight and perfect for summer.

Gotta love layers and leggings!

Cinderella would love these! Can't get lost in the crowd with these beauties!

If you hate shopping as much as I do,  give Stitch Fix a try. I have been pleasantly surprised. I don't have an eye for matching patterns. So glad I don't have to know how!

Kent

In a few short weeks, I fly across the pond. My feet will step off the plane and without having to click my heels three times, I am in my happy place!  One moment I'm boarding a plane in the mid west of America, and some eight hours later---poof!! I'm in a fairy tale!  That fascinates me. This trip includes many days in Spain. I have never been.  I am so fortunate to soon be able to view Malaga through the eyes of some very special locals!  I'm beyond thrilled.

I'm devoting the next few posts to researching some of the sights I'll see while away.  Care to join me for this virtual tour?

Have your tea? Go ahead, steep a cup. I'll wait!

Ready?
Okay--Here we go!

The last time I traveled to England ("last time"---that means I've been before,  and therefore my  mind gets to travel down memory lane any time it wants.  Aaaaah---last time...) FOCUS, Gail!

We stayed with dear friends in Essex. Alan and Marion. This is a photo of a lane we walked in their neighborhood. English countryside at its best.  We get to do that again this time too, except not in Essex. They moved. To Kent. Kent. The most beautiful gardens in all of England happen to grow in Kent!
http://www.visitkent.co.uk/
I have lots of daffodils growing in my gardens here in the states. A little taste of things to come.

What fun awaits  as I ponder what their new home looks like, and the roads we get to amble.  Perhaps my running will be going well by then, and I will be able to say I ran in Kent!

Holiday in my yard!

It pays to walk around the yard every once in awhile. If I hadn't, I would have missed out on this...

Can you spot the cute little creature?

Our own Peter Rabbit! Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail were nowhere in sight.  Probably being good little bunnies, staying where mommy rabbit told them to. Unfortunately for Peter, we don't have a garden like Mr. McGregor.  No radishes, beans, or lettuce for him.

  I much prefer to grow flowers. Daffodils are one of my favorites. Know why? Because they look like little cups and saucers. A natural tea party!

One whiff of these, and poof! Winter is over. Spring is up your nose! Don't you just love the smell of hyacinths? I spent some time on my knees breathing in their delightful scent. Oh how I love my sense of smell.

Buds!
Soon my crab apple tree will blossom. The smell permeates my front yard.

Remember my red telephone booth? The little library hubby and dear friend John made for me?

 Yep--that one there.

It's EMPTY!
This past weekend, I cleaned it out from winter wear and tear!  I had a few books in there. Sometime during the past few days, they disappeared! Yay!  Don't worry. I have a pile ready to put back in.

I love my little library so much. So happy others do too!

Have you walked around your yard lately? Found anything interesting?

Happy birthday

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II turns 90 this week.

Happiest birthday to the longest reigning monarch.

"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

---A speech delivered on April 21, 1947, in Cape Town, South Africa by Queen Elizabeth II.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/16/the-queens-birthday-90-years-in-90-seconds/

Running

You know you are completely out of shape when you attempt a new running program, and the whole time all you do is itch from the jiggling going on with that extra flab!  Made me want to quit the first day!

I'm not a quitter.  I finished my first run! Here's my lame attempt at a selfie after finishing! Didn't sweat much. My arm pits stayed dry! BTW, the sun was super warm. Just the way I like it!  On the trail, I managed to dodge a pile of poo, giggled as a husband and wife pedaled past on a  bicycle built for two, and  realized after the fact that  I completely ignored a 'hello' from someone I knew! Oops!  Hopefully she knew I was focused!

This is my butt kicker! I listen to the BRITISH woman motivating me through my ear buds. (Does that really surprise you? Running stinks, but its made a bit less daunting when I can at least get some reassurance from a British accent!) She tells me I'm doing great!(Clearly, she is not seeing me itch the insides of my thighs!), lets me know when I need to kick it up a notch and start jogging, and cheerfully reminds me I need to do this two more times this week before I can move on to week two!

Why am I doing this? I DON'T KNOW, except that a 5K sounds more human than a marathon! I've heard more people this past week tell me they have started training for a marathon.  That's 26.2 miles people. 26.2!  I never understood the point of the extra .2. Have these people not  heard you start seeing Jesus around mile 21?
AND, what about the  bathroom situation. What do they do when nature calls? Stop at the nearest loo? Pee their pants? Ummm...no thanks!

5k is sounding pretty easy now, isn't it?!  I'll keep you posted!

A Traveler's Memoir

This past week I was given this book from a dear writer friend. She knows how much I love all things England. When she spotted the book, she snatched it up. Lucky me!  

 "We will be landing at Gatwick Airport shortly. Please make sure your seat belts are securely fastened and your carry-on luggage is stowed beneath the seat in front of you....Yes, I can see it below me. England!...."

Hooked. First chapter. Why? Because my mind immediately did a rewind back to the first time I dipped below the clouds and got my first glimpse of England. I was about to land right smack into a fairy tale. I couldn't wait. My time in the UK was  everything I dreamed it would be, plus more. Way more.

This author brilliantly portrays her adventures in that land across the pond. She writes of British accents, daffodils bending in the light breeze, and walks along the English countryside.

I'm not quite finished with the book. I'm taking my time. Maybe I will come across a nugget of information I can use on my upcoming trip back to my happy place!
Yep, I'm going back! In just a few months (67 days but who's counting!) I will board a plane. I'll watch the clouds go by and as we dip lower, I'll catch my first glimpse of the land I knew  I would one day return.

I've learned the author is from these parts where I live! Not sure if she still lives in the area, but I'd sure love to meet her!

Remodel/edit!

There's a whole lot of pounding, measuring and drilling going on in the office where I work.

 It's the drilling part that makes the patients cringe the most. (Yep, it's a dental office!)
I don't blame them.

As I watch the workers peel away at the old and reshape the new, I can't help but think of books! More specifically, the one I'm writing!  Right now, it's looking downright ugly. Nothing dazzling about it. Rough. We're talking...can't tell what it is going to look like and nobody wants to read it...rough.  Lets face it--it ain't pretty!

But, little by little, a glimpse of what my story is going to look like peeks out from under the dust and the sheet rock, giving me a small glance at what it will look like when its finished. I can't wait!

(I can't wait for the office to be done, also!)  

Are you working hard at a dream? It's a slow process, but remember, "Nothing worth doing is ever easy."

90

HM Queen Elizabeth II "Our Queen at 90--- 2016 full documentary."

Over this past weekend, I've spent some time watching this documentary about the Queen.  I continue to be enamored with the royal family, along with  the United Kingdom. Long Live the Queen.

Perhaps the most 'influential woman in the world,' she encapsulates the essence of royalty. She is exquisite. People literally faint in her presence!  I maybe would too!   Elegant, classic, wonderful. The Queen radiates happy!   Yellows, blues, purples, whites. She has been photographed in many colors. She stands out in matching hat and dress.

She meets and greets, loves her dogs and horses, but most of all, her family. She is now the longest reigning monarch. What an accomplishment.
She leads by example.

I am certain it has not been easy to be Queen. But, she has, and continues to do it gracefully.