I'll have what they're having

photo by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue

Everyone has to have a mental image when working it in the exercise department. This is mine. Once you get rolling into whatever exercise method you choose, you end up doing it because it just darn feels so good and productive. Something nice we have done for ourselves, mentally and physically. But getting to that point is hard, and being the frivolous gal that I am I use fashion images to get me motivated. I keep fashion photos of things I know I can wear better when I trim down and then I keep some gowns that I know I will never get to wear in this lifetime but would like to be ready if Oscar de la Renta or Vera Wang showed up at my door with a few frocks. For the most part, road cycling is a summer sport in our climate so each spring I must get super-motivated and the older I get the harder it is  come by and I have had a late start this year. But, recently I have been visiting my Dad in a nursing home while he does a 8 week rehab for a fractured leg and I never come out of that facility without telling myself " You silly girl, you get on that bike without complaining even if it is snowing outside". I realized I tend to think of cycling as a way to trim those hips and pounds (and it does, believe me), a novel and pleasant weight loss program and not what it should be.............a way to hopefully keep my old age happy and healthy. Right now that image is working better than a Vera Wang dress. You should see me cycle now.










Photo of Johnathan Horton and Karlie Kloss here

A few favorite posts this week.............on the graceful age

~ Beatrix Ost via Advanced Style ~

Every time I see this photo of this gorgeous woman I want to get up and cheer. And I want to direct you to two blogs, A Femme d'Un Certain Age  and Cashon & Co., that both focused their posting on aging this week, as in graceful aging, stylish aging, vibrant aging, the best kind. I prefer to gracefully side step the subject of plastic surgery, every woman to her own but if you do indulge and people start looking at you with a bit of puzzlement, obvious face scanning, and asking you to repeat your conversation, consider you may be over-indulging. Enough said. But fashion? That is a whole other story............I have nothing but admiration for inspiring women over 50 who knock-it-out-of-the-park when it comes to exploring tasteful, creative, and personable fashion. Now for some that might be a more conservative, classic approach, others a creative re-invention, both require a decision from any woman over 50. How am I going to fashionably enter this next era of my life? I know what it means for me.............and I know I wish I could wear a turban. Maybe I can?






My most sincere thank you to readers who offered input and support in the past week as I explored our new blogger template options. We are working hard to see how I can make this dynamic format work without giving up a blog header and my list of lovely bloggers. Today I have set the default view to Classic but remember you can click on the title and view this blog in any of the other views such as Magazine, Flipcard, Mosaic, etc. If you do experiment on your own blog, please make sure you back-up your original template. Enough said. 








photo from Advanced Style

Blogger award

My lovely new blogger friend Mandy from A La Parisienne and my long-distance French teacher {click here for her French Fridays} recently awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank you Mademoiselle Mandy! In order to accept it I have to post the award logo, then tell you 7 interesting things about myself and then in turn, pass this award on to 7 other blogs. I will post my 7 blog award recipients in a future post so I can do them justice. Hmmmm........where to start?

How about 7 things I really shouldn't be telling anyone?

1. I like my pajamas way too much. Technically, I am only 'dressed" for about 6 hours a day. This was particularly obvious during Jan. Feb. and March when it got dark about 5:00 pm and my husband gets home about 6. I knew I had gone too far with this casual dress when my husband finally said "weren't you wearing that this morning when I left?" I still think Hugh Hefner has the right idea.
2. I eat the same things every morning and every evening snack. I only vary the dinner meal. I do make sure I make my hard-working spouse a delicious dinner each night. He's on his own for breakfast and lunch. My low-cal evening snack is a caramel chocolate chip rice cake topped with no-fat peach yogurt, fresh strawberry slices and toasted slivered almonds. A yummy open-face sandwich treat.
3. I absolutely hate doing my hair these days. It's going grayer, thinner, and is totally uncooperative. Sometimes I forget and have rollers in for hours while I wrap or blog. The UPS guy thinks that is my permanent hairdo and my hairdresser calls frequently to ask if I am alright. Yes I am.
4. I used to read about 5-6 books a week, speed reader and all. Now I fall asleep when I read. I really, really miss reading but have discovered a latent interest in history to replace fiction reads. For now.
5. I do not miss my former career as interior designer at all, not one bit. I did it for 20 years and it is a tough, tough job which requires youth and energy. I do miss my client gal-pals though and keep in contact with many on a regular basis. Hug your designer if you have one.
6. I absolutely love good conversation. If no one is around, I will carry on a delightful conversation in my head to amuse myself. I enjoy this quieter pace but will admit blogging has helped a great deal.
7. Since blogging, I have developed several deep lines on the bridge of my nose right between my eyes, a wider butt (which I am working on), and a bad attitude with my dress code. I have googled Botox 40 times but I am really wussy with pain. Any pain.
8. An extra just to clarify.....I really, really enjoy being 55 years old. After all, I'm still here.

This should answer the Botox question.....here is Lauren Hutton in 1966 and then not too long ago in a Gap ad. Looking fabulously Botox free. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Bottom left photo by Bert Stern-Vogue -Conde Nast/Bottom Right Photo from Hello Gorgeous blog.