Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Archive for July, 2014

Staying Corporate Casual Cool in the Summer Sizzle July 10, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

The heat is on and the struggle continues, dressing Corporate Casual in July and August while staying cool can be challenging. However, wearing a sheath dress is just one way that keeps me cool all summer long.

A sheath dress is very transitional, in the early Spring and Autumn I will wear a blazer or cardigan over top, and because of the scoop neck in the Winter I’ll wear a turtleneck underneath. But in the heat of the Summer it’s just cotton undergarments and open toe-sandals!

It can be difficult to stay cool when the temps rise above 80 degrees but just thinking about last winter’s snow storm helps!

Burlington Coat Factory has a large selection of sheath dresses and they are all reasonably priced. However, Ross Dress for Less and of course Goodwill are other places that I’ve also found a good selection of them.

The best thing about a sheath dress is that it’s flattering to all shapes and sizes and can be worn by woman of any age. Patterns makes it easy to accessorize as not much is needed when the print is busy.

Staying cool in Corporate Casual during the summer sizzle is a breeze if I wear light, loose fitting fabric that allows air circulation, is sleeveless and a pair open toe sandals and for that I am thankful!

How about you, do you love sheath dresses as much as I? If so, I’d love to see a pic so send one and then at the end of the month I’ll do a ‘Summer Sheath Sizzle Roundup” which will include a surprise GIVEAWAY

This week I am thankful for my family, my friends and of course my faith. I am thankful that my son is home and recovering nicely and I am thankful for a cool breeze every now and then!

Now it’s your turn, what are you thankful for this week?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

You Choose The Shoes | Week 12 July 9, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

Here we are again at another week of “You Choose The Shoes” and I am delighted that so many of you have commented that you look forward to this weekly feature. Trust me, I am enjoying it as much as you are and since I have so too many pairs of shoes, this is going to last for quite some time, at least until the first snow fall.

Now last week might have been a “gimme” because of the statement I made about the black and white sandals from Avon, so you know who won right?

This week’s contenders are once again regulars to the party, they are Avon versus Target

Open toe versus closed toe but they are both patent leather.

This is one of many sheath dresses purchased from Burlington Coat factory and tomorrow’s post will be featuring more of these summer sheath dresses.

Are you ready to choose, will it be the purple and black color block pumps from Avon

– or –

The black patent leather pumps from Target?

Yes, they are both comfortable and in cases like this, I wish I could wear them both! So let’s take one more look shall we…

Leave me a comment below with the pair you chose and why, then come on over and visit the ladies at Whitney’s Personal Style Linkup, see ya later.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Peachy Polka Dots | Fashion After Fifty July 8, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

This Peachy Polka Dot outfit never made it onto the blog in May, but I couldn’t let it pass by without a least an honorable mention. I love Polka Dots and this dress was one of the ones I purchased at Boscov’s in 2005 when I was searching for something to wear to my grandmother’s funeral. She loved the color blue and polka dots as much as I, however, I ended up wearing a traditional black dress.

I love this dress and I usually end up wearing it at least 4 times a year. Because it’s sleeveless, it obviously works well in the Spring and Summer, however, if I throw on a cardigan or pullover sweater it works equally well in the Fall and Winter.

The dress originally came with a blue ribbon belt and bolero jacket, however, I decided to wear it with this peach, thick waisted belt which was purchased from Rugged Wearhouse for only $1.00. Needless to say, at that price I got several in different colors, isn’t the oversized sheer flower in the front cute?

The Polka Dot purse was also from Rugged Wearhouse and I may have mentioned this before, but they have some cute and inexpensive accessories. The necklace and earring set is from Avon and the shoes are Urbanog.com.

What is your favorite print or pattern?

I am linking up with Style elixir – so come on over if you want to see other great polka dot dresses.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Skillet Pie July 7, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

For the past several weeks, Route 495 in Wilmington has been shutdown and this has added an additional 30 minutes to my daily commute. Now that I am getting home later, I’m trying to come up with fast and easy dinner recipes.

I found one online for a Chicken Tamale Skillet Pie, but changed it up a bit to use what I already had in the kitchen.

What I Used:

1 package of Ground Turkey

1 can of cream style corn

1 can Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes

1 Can of Crescent Rolls

Sweet Peppers

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Shredded Cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a cast-iron skillet brown the ground turkey on medium high heat for 10 minutes or until brown. Add a can of Cream Style Corn, a can of Ro*Tel tomatoes and ground cumin.

Cook for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, remove from heat, add a few sweet peppers then top with cheese.

Cover with crescent rolls and put into oven to bake for approximately 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

This was a great meal and my men loved it, the next time I am going to use shredded chicken.

Do you have any quick and easy dinner recipes that you can share?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

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Cents of Style Holiday Home Decor Sale July 5, 2014

Hello friends and Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Summer is a great time to spruce up your home with a few accent pieces and Cents of Style has extended it’s holiday sale but hurry it ends tomorrow, Sunday (7/6/14).

Take advantage on getting some great home decor items currently on sale for 60% off and FREE SHIPPING with the code HOMEDEAL.

Fashion Friday- Home Decor 60% off & FREE SHIPPING with Code HOMEDEAL

Here are a couple great deals you won’t want to miss:

Cotton Pillow Covers- $13.18 shipped.
There are a lot of different colors and styles to choose from. This is a great way to give your home a fresh new look for a low price. Put new covers on your current pillows.

Rod Iron Name Hooks- $6.78 each shipped.
Perfect for a mud room or bathroom.

So take a break from the heat of the grill and pick up a few hot bargains from

Cents of Style

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Weekend Wind-Down Party | Holiday Edition July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July my friends and welcome to the holiday version of the Weekend Wind-DownParty!

I hope you are enjoying the day with family or friends and have an opportunity to relax, rejuvenate and reflect on all of your blessings.

to our Featured Bloggers, please check the Pinterest Page as you are also featured there. Please feel free to copy and paste this badge to your blog in appreciation of attending and linking back to the #WWDParty.

Belle of the Kitchen

Belle of the Kitchen

I am looking forward to reading more holiday posts between episodes of The Twilight Zone marathon! I hope you will take the time to visit at least 3 other sites and follow your hosts on at least one social media network.

Enjoy the Holiday and Be Safe – See Ya Soon!!!

Simple Home

Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest

DeDivah Deals

Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest

Snippets of Inspiration Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

A Living Sacrifice

Blog/Facebook/Pinterest/Etsy

Mustard Seed MommyBlog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

Moms Who Save

Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Google+

An InLinkz Link-up

Beat The Heat with Summer Sun Tea July 4, 2014

Hello friends and HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday and if you need another way to beat the heat try this easy recipe for

Summer Sun Iced Tea

It takes very little energy on your part to make.

Fill a water pitcher with cold water, add 6-8 tea bags tied together with a twist tie.

Let it sit in the sun for at least 4 hours, then remove tea bags.

You could also leave in the window sill if you can’t leave it outside.

Add fresh mint leaves, lemon wedges and your choice of sweeteners.

Try other tea flavors and if like me, you have an overabundance of mint in your garden, clean a few leaves to make minty ice cubes.

Let’s Chat: What is your favorite summer beverage?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Menopause Madness | Warm Weather Wardrobe July 3, 2014

Hello ladies…sorry guys but I am just talking to the ladies today, we’ll chat later.

If you are a women of a “particular age” as Wendy Williams likes to phrase it, and you are premenopausal or in full menopause, you know how difficult it can sometimes be getting dressed when it’s hot. I keep a fan in the bathroom because there have been days that I’ve overheated just putting on my makeup! In May the weather was fluctuating but now that we are officially into the summer season choosing just the right outfit for work is getting a bit harder.

Personally I like wearing sleeveless tanks and sheath dresses all year long and the panty hose and tights are gone as soon as the boots come off. Fortunately at work we can dress casually, however, it is still Corporate so there definitely will be no shorts, crop tops or flip flops.

These are just a few outfits that I’ve worn during the warm Spring weather, next week I will feature my sheath dresses for the summer sizzle.

Thrifted denim dress with Avon accessories

Thrifted blouse and skirt with flats from Marshalls

Thrifted dress and belt, shoes from Avon

Maxi Shirts

Like it loose and carefree

Totally Thrifted

Weekend Wear

Let’s Chat: What are your warm weather wardrobe must-haves?

BTW, I didn’t forget it was Thankful Thursday. Despite the extra pounds and hot flashes, I am thankful to still be living a stress free and healthy life. I am thankful that my son has been moved from the Intensive Care Unit and should be coming home tomorrow. Of course I am always thankful for my family, friends and my faith. Come on over to Katherine’s Corner and share some of your Thursday Favorite Things.

Now it’s your turn, what are you thankful for this week?

You Choose The Shoes | Week #11 July 2, 2014

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.

Thank you for voting and for all of your comments in last week’s You Choose The Shoes contest. I hope you are having as much fun as I am with this mid-week blog feature. There were many comments and suggestions but the overwhelming majority chose the UrbanOg sandals.

This week’s contenders includes a recently purchased pair of sandals from Payless versus the Paula Abdul Forever collection from Avon.

The fuchsia sandals are by far my favorite pair of the season, I am so glad that I decided to stop in at Payless during a recent sale at the Exton Square Mall. Not that I don’t love these black and white sandals from Avon because they are great to wear with different outfits and are my go-to shoes for church.

If I am not mistaken, this faux wrap dress was purchased at JC Penney and the colors work well with both pair of sandals, what do you think? I am very upset that JC Penney was shut down at the Exton Square Mall as they had some great clearance bargains.

It was such a bright sunny Sunday that it was hard to keep from squinting, so concentrate on the shoes instead of my eyes!

So which shoes do you choose?

Have you decided – take another look.

Can’t wait to see which pair you chose, have a wonderful day!

Leave your comments below and I’ll respond when I get back from The Pleated Poppy.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

Living in Latin America | Where Will We Retire July 1, 2014

Hello Friends, I hope all is well in your world.

Today is the day that my hubby is officially retired from the State of Delaware – WOOHOO – CONGRATS Hun!

Prior to this day and for the past several years he has chosen and then changed his mind on a half dozen places of where he wants us to live when we both retire. The first destination he chose was Africa and the last was Arizona, so it’s obvious he hasn’t narrowed it down to one location.

Recently I read an article on Latin America’s la vida buena and what caught my attention was the fact that our Social Security would allow us to live comfortably in paradise.

As long as there is sun and water and no snow, you can count me in and the average temperature in Costa Rica is 72 degrees! Costa Rica has been named as one of the most beautiful places on Earth. You can live well on a budget and as a matter of fact, the book “The International Living Guide to Retiring Overseas on a Budget: How To Live Well on $25,000 a Year”, was written by a retired couple who now live in Equador.

Well whenever the time does comes for me to retire, I want us to live out our Golden Years in a place where our money goes the furthest and the weather is the warmest, so if that is Latin America so be it. It’s close enough to the US so if we want to come back for a family visit it’s relatively easy.

10-day group tours are available which of course we’d take before making any decision and it’s also suggested that you live in a new country for at least 6 months before making the commitment to move there. If we became residents in a country in Latin American we wouldn’t lose our U.S. Citizenship, we can still vote, pay taxes and collect our Social Security. The medical care is supposedly top quality and much more affordable in comparison to the US which is another plus.

Although I have several more years before even considering retirement, living in paradise on less than 2 grand a month sounds like a plan and Latin America just might be the place to be…guess I better start brushing up on my Spanish!

Let’s Chat: Would you retire outside of the USA?

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

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