Not-Much-Labor Day

This has been a kind of crummy stressful week in general. Inspite of taking off Thursday and Friday so I have a 5 day weekend, it just hasn't felt that festive.

The first part of the week was crummy because the hubby was out of town. Which means I'm taking care of the house, the dogs, the cats, the chicken and myself. Oh, yeah, plus work. The dogs go to doggie day care when the hubby is out of town because they just can't stay home for 8 - 10 hours by themselves and I can't come home in the middle of the day for them. So have to schlep them back and forth with me in the car. By day three, the dogs are a bit stinky so I do not dress up at all. And it poured all three days which really helped. I wore the same old jeans skirt all three days.
Yes, I was hawt!

I did at least try to distract with cute shoes. I can barely remember what I wore as a top but I do remember what shoes I wore.

These cute little slingback wedge espadrilles are actually from Payless. Cute and inexpensive... yes!







No, I wasn't cuffing my jeans again, this was just during the "photoshoot".

I wore my Olivia Rose Tal mules one day.





And lastly, these a-dor-able black and white polka-dot peep-toes. Love them!!!!



These were hunted down. Hunted I tell you! Far better sport than anything else!



They're a brand called "BP" which I think is a Nordstrom house brand for Juniors (and has some pretty cute coats, I'm just noticing. Hmmmm....). As always, I put tons more pics on Flickr, if you're interested.



While I was waiting to go pic the hubby up from the airport on Wednesday night I made a really really bad video TiLT (Things I Love Thursday) for Miss Gala Darling's site, iCiNG.



Yes, it's craptastic, I know, but I have a crummy little camera. What do you want from me?

The highlight of the week was getting my Zappos order. I got the Corso Como booties.




I also got these really cute Nine West oxfords which I intend to post more about at a later date. I do have to give Zappos another shout-out here. I ordered these both with a gift certificate and messed up the order somehow.

Right after I placed the order, I called them, they totally fixed it and prioritized my shipment to next day delivery. It was all my fault and they gave me the upgrade. That's customer service, baby!



If you watched the bad video, you would have heard that Thursday was the hubby's birthday. What did he get to do? Well he woke up with a huge neck problem from his trip and went to the doctor. We were scheduled to go out of town this weekend but didn't end up going because our dog boarding place was all booked up. Luckily we didn't because he is in no shape to travel still.

That morning we went to check out dog places then came back and did stuff around here.

Other highlights of the somewhat-lousey and totally-lazy weekend include:

Returning these -



Cute but far too inflexible, sadly. I debated this but in the end they had to go. The Jamocha t-straps are up for debate as well.

I did get my final rabies shot. Whoo Hoo! No more hospital visits. On the way home I made the mistake of going into Target and the Fall stuff in trickling in. I'm loving this whole plaid suit set in the Mizrahi line. There are 2 jackets, a skirt, and sheath dress and possibly pants. I got the swingy jacket and the pencil skirt with some cute knit tops to go with. I also plan on pairing this with the brown camisole from a previous Go International line, my new Alice blue bow from Lou Lou Loves You and probaly my Nine West teal pumps. And I'm sure my new teal and metal Bebaroque tights will get in the mix too.



The Payless shoes arrived at the store. I went to go try them on and, well, they didn't make the cut.

These were okay but the shape in person didn't thrill me.




These were amazingly clunky in person. I'm a size 5 and they looked mutant-large. They were both returned right there. Hey, I gave them a shot, right?



We went to our local farmer's market and, as always, they had the best stuff. If you have a farmer's market near you and you aren't shopping there, you're crazy. This is the only reason I look forward to summer. Everything looked so great I decided to take a bunch of pictures. Again, more pics on Flickr.











As we walked around we picked up the best breakfast - frozen goat milk yogurt from the renowned (and local) Goat Lady Dairy... topped with fresh blueberries.

They also make these amazing soft spreadable goat cheeses mixed with herbs, etc. We usually get Sunny Paris, which is goat cheese with basil and tarragon (and probably more) but they also have a horseradish blend which is great on burgers. This visit we tried a Fig and Honey blend which was out of this world. I almost got that but we had a container of the Sunny Paris at home and I wanted to buy their Sandy Creek, which is camembert-like with a layer of grape vine ash. Annnndddd, which I somehow seem to have eaten the entire thing of while I was sitting here typing!

That is some good frickin' cheese.



We also got a pumpkin and a chocolate whoopie pie when we bought our bread from the Amish bakers. They may or may not have made it out of the market parking lot. I'm just saying.



We did go out to dinner and a movie one night. We had dinner at our favorite local Indian restaurant. We liked them before and they are, obviously, still great due to all of the vegetarian options available within the cuisine.

It was nice to go out, putter around the bookstore for a while and mooch some free magazine browsing. Then we went to see Bottle Shock.



Have you heard of this movie?

I don't think they're doing much to promote it, if you ask me. The true story it is based on is great. And the trailer made it look really good as well. Sadly, the editing/pacing ruins it. It's too bad because the reality of the Judgement of Paris seems like it could be much more riveting. Supposedly there is another movie being made based on the same George Taber book. I'll be interested to see how that one compares.

I hope everyone had a good weekend.

The Price is Right?

A part of my job in Advertising and Marketing is to think about the perceived value of products and services for my clients. What are people willing to pay for something and what can I do to enhance the product and how is it positioned? The goal, of course, is to find that point on the cost curve where profit will be optimized. Price and production are a part of it but I also have to think about perception as well (oh yeah, place and promotion go into it too!).

If people don't think you product is worth what you are charging, then you will go out of business quite soon. Obviously that is why branding is such a huge issue to all of the luxury companies these days. If you pull that curtain aside, it can be difficult to tell some brand's products from other lower priced brands.

Most of the time I'm aware when I am being the object of a marketing campaign. But sometimes I feel the product is worth it. Or at least it is for me. At other times, there is no amount of branding that can push me to spend a single dollar.

Then there are those products that I like and would buy but my perceived value does not match up with the price tag shown. That's how I feel about Té Casan's shoes. They're cute. I like them. I'd buy about five pairs right now but I just don't feel they should be priced the way they are (JCrew's shoes are another one in this category).

Take the Natalie Portman Plath pumps. I think they are adorable. I love the pink. I love the purple. I love the pom-poms.



Cute, right? And vegan. They make me happy.



But I just can bring myself to spend almost $400 for them. Not sure why that is. In my mind they should be about $85. Maybe a hundred. But four hundred?

No.

The fact that they are out of my size and therefore unavailable to me does push them up the curve a bit, but still not $400.

I wonder if they did their focus groups.

Eeeewwww!!!

These sneakers aren't really that bad. Just sort of middle-of-the-road neutral. I can't say that I like them but I dont' care enough to hate them really.



But why would they name this shoe "Monster Truck"? I mean who can bring themselves to buy a shoe named that? "Yes, I'll take the Monster Truck pair in size XX, please"

So I'm giving a big eeeeewwww!!! to the shoe design namers over at BC Footwera.

If you like these and can get past they name, they are available at Nordstroms for 40% off.

Blogger Inspiration: Nubby Twiglet

More and more I feel my horizons being expanded and my wardrobe being inspired by the great bloggers that I regularly follow on their sites, Twitter and Flickr uploads. While I'm not trying to copy their style, sometimes I see a color combination, an outfit or an accessory that looks so great I feel I should give it a try myself.

The first blogger I'd like to give a big thank you to is Miss Nubby Twiglet. She has an amazing sense of style with a very strong color aesthetic which, tied with her graphic design work directly contributes to the amazing art she creates.

Working in a similar field, I appreciate her design skills (so much so that I recently purchased one of her Kiss & Tell posters) and I'm also loving her wardrobe. Funny enough, I have this same cardigan.



But recently Nubby showcased these Corso Como Dodie wedges. Now these shoes are very outside of my typical "comfort zone" but I could see the possibilities. For Fall I thought they would be great with all sorts of tights, especially my solid colored ones and possibly some of my Hansel for Basel knee-patch over-the-knee socks.



I had a gift certificate from Zappos to use (although I think they are a wee bit cheaper on the Nordstrom's site) so I figured I'd give them a try and if I didn't like them I could send them back. I'd never purchased this brand before, so I wasn't sure how they would be.



Well let me tell you, these are some seriously well made shoes. They're a Brazilian brand and are quite sumptuous. The interior cushioning is amazing.



And I love the satin ribbon ankle ties, which can be tied in the front or the back.





Great shape from the back too.



I already have a whole slew of outfits planned for these and am definitely keeping them!

They also come in white with black accents (totally cute) and a forest green and black version, although I only saw this last one at Nordstroms. I just got them tonight so I haven't worn them out but so far they seem great.

We Have a Contender

I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mary janes to wear with my new Chanel two-tone tights. I haven't totally ruled out getting the Chanel pair from the show but I'm sure I can find a good substitute for the black pair. It might be harder to find another version of the tan and black pair and I like them both so much.



I have a few pairs of black mary janes but not with this same balance of chunky heel and strap. But I think this pair by Façade is the closest I've found so far. They're all patent so you dont have the textural contrast or the rounded buckle flap detail but you have the similar height and heel and shape.





These are sure to be far more affordable, at just over $100. I'm going to try and be patient and see what happens with the Chanel shoes. But I need to decide soon so I can wear my yummy new tights. I want it to cool off so I can break them out!

Start Daydreaming

I want to give a warm welcome to any new folks who are visiting today. Some of you may have been pointed in my direction because today I was featured in an article in the News & Record (Do I come off sounding a little bit crazy and snobby and spendy? I hope not!). I hope you'll come back and I look forward to hearing from all of you! Every post has a link to submit comments, so please feel free to talk back. And my email address is just over there to the right.

You will also see that there are embedded links with some of the text. These will take you to additional or related info. Click on them but be sure to come back because we aren't done yet!

What is this blog all about and where did the name come from?

Well, the site does seem to have two names. "Hello, Lover..." is from SATC, Episode 66 "I Heart NY" where Carrie looks into the Louboutin store window and sighs those words to her newest infatuation. I too have felt this urge to coo at many of the shoes out there, some of which are in my closet.

The raison d'être of the site, and the Shoe Daydreams, is predominantly because I like to talk about shoes. Shoes I like, shoes I don't like, shoes I have or want, etc. I started this blog just over a year ago to help keep in touch with distant friends and to give my husband and co-workers a break. They just didn't seem to want to talk shoes and clothes all the time! I don't know why?

I like to mix high and low fashion and I don't feel anything is too precious to wear with anything else. Because I get bored with clothes easily, you'll see a lot of Target and Old Navy items in my wardrobe. But I love classic styles done in a unique way, so I tend to "invest" in some designer shoes and quirky clothing choices.

I think you can find something cute in almost any store, so one day I'll wear a pair of shoes from Payless and the next may be a pair of Manolo Blahniks. As long as I like them and the feel good, I don't care what their pedigree is.

One thing you may find a little silly is my pen name - Poochie. Where did that come from anyway?

Well, Poochie is a nickname between me and a good friend. Since Poochie was an adorable dog who went on adventures and loved pink, I thought it would make sense to keep using it for the blog. You can't resist a pup with pink paws and fuzzy pink ears. And don't forget her purple sunglasses!

In addition to talking about shoes, I like to write about all the other things I love - travel, vintage, Etsy, afternoon tea and crazy funny singers. Along the way we'll cover shoe searches and shoe luck; I'll probably ask for your advice and I'm happy to help track down some answers or options for you.

I also write Bubblegum Plastic, which is about jewelry, accessories and more, and The Daily Coop, which is about what happens when a city girl and guy try to raise some chickens!


Some of the big themes you'll see are:

- Ensemble du Jour - The outfit I wear for the day. I hope they'll inspire you to try a new combination or look at something in a new light. Most of the collages are created on Polyvore which is a fun site to play around with.

- Lots and lots of shoe pictures - often mine or on me or ones I just admire and pine for.

- The Eeeewwws!!! - some times good designers go bad. We have to let them know we won't just let it slide.

- Store and Designer Focus - There are lots of amazing designers, big and small, and some great stores out there. We can check them out together.

- Imitation = Flattery? - Being inspired by a design and interpreting it is one thing. Blatent knocking-off sucks! Get some originality, people!

- House Tour - And if you can't make it by for Tea, I'll still invite you in for a house tour.

My Favorite Posts

You'll see a lot of posts over there in the archive, so there is lots of reading you can catch up on. But here are a few of my favorite posts to give you a quick snapshot of what this site is all about:

- How Do You Wear Those All Day?

- You're Worth the Good Stuff

- Professional in Pink

- Professional in Pink at Work

- On a Scale of 1 to 10... They're a 20! - Limited edition Louboutins

- They're Here! They're Here! - The adorable Miu Miu Tea Cup heels

- Inquiring Minds Want to Know

- Back to Bespoke - You can also learn more about Hetty Rose here.

Now, go and read some more and then let me know what you think. If you have something you're excited about or a great pair of shoes that you just adore, drop me an email. I love to hear about the things you're excited about too.

Stop by everyday or add me to your RSS feed. I publish new content at least daily if not even more often.

And if you want even more Poochie-ness, especially on those in-between times, make sure to follow me on Twitter - click here then click the "Follow" button. Are you not on Twitter??? You should be! I could give you a whole slew of reasons, but I'll let another advocate tell you all about it. Check out what the CEO of Zappos.com has to say and get started.

Also, while I try to add lots of pictures to my posts, I have even more on Flickr. If you add me as a contact you'll see the latest and greatest as soon as they're added. Or just stop by and leave a note.

On the right there, you'll see some other great, smart and funny bloggers, check them out as well!

Hope to see you soon!

Luv
Poochie

Week In Review Redux

As I've been looking through shome of my shoe shots and uploading things to Flickr, I see shoes that I haven't worn for while. I get sad... why have I been neglecting them???

So I've been trying to wear some old loves and give them the attention they deserve.

On Monday I wore a white v-neck and linen skirt with a skinny red belt from Target.



The center of attention were my Louboutin gold and cork Prive peep-toes.



Red!



It's amazing how high they are and yet how comfortable. That hidden platform really does it's job.



On Wednesday I had a client meeting so I wore something that I knew would look good and be comfortable - this black dress which I think I've worn about 5 times already. And to keep me from totally freezing, I wore my cropped olive cardigan. The dress is Target and the cardigan is Old Navy.






Oh, yeah... and these gorgeous vintage brocade heels.



Classic, classic retro shape. One of my favorite heels shapes of all time.



This is the good stuff.



And today, I just wanted to hav fun. I mean, I'm not going to be doing much but work work work, so why not?

Grey jersey top with metallic threads, khaki pencil skirt, sparkly silver knee-socks and vintage liquor tag necklace from Etsy.



My favorite part of this is the fact that the silver is a bit worn off. It gives the tag and extra dimension and shows it's age.



Sooooo cute!



But for fun, it was all about the socks and shoes. I always find Delman shoes to be a bit big but I just didn't care. These pink silk stripe-y oxfords were just too adorable.



Yes, I'm wearing them with super sparkly silver knee-socks. That's right. I'm mature.



Oh, yeah. And pink fluffy pom-pom sock garters from Sock Dreams. Pink! Fluffy! Pom-Poms!





I got these from Anthropologie. They called the Parrotfish Oxfords. They look like candy to me. I like. I need to get some baggy khaki pants, suspenders and a white shirt to get all 1920's Garden Party.

Or a cute white swiss dot sundress.... wait! I think I have one of those. I'm off to go search through the closets!

A Tempting Tease

So they arrived! Dum da da DUM!

But you get none of that until I find the right shoes to go with them. So it will be a little while until the full unveiling.

And I have more lovely tights winging their way over to me as well - check them out!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
The clothes were simple - black v-neck top and black swishy skirt. But it was just a backdrop for the shoes and my cute new Etsy necklace.



Adorable pink cameo from Zombuki.



In person, it is a bit lighter pink.



But the big piece of the outfit was the shoes....



Yes, these...









Lush!



I'm finally, finally, finally wearing my Alexander McQueen rose heels that I got about a year ago.









What have I been waiting for????

Wish Upon A Tsar

I've been falling more and more in love with Alexander McQueen's runway shows. Along with Lacroix and Galliano, he appeals to my excessive embellished soul. When I was looking at his Fall show I felt that he was channeling the rich looks of traditional Russian folk dress and the decadence of the court of the Tsars.

The tooled leather tall boots would be perfect under heavy wool ankle legth skirts.

The rich reds and golds of this Legend bag seem pulled from Ivanov's painting of the Tsar's procession.

There's no mistaking the Fabergé influence in McQueen's Empire clutch.

Not that I'm a big fan of fur but this leather, velvet, fur and ebroidery embellished Fable bag looks as if it was pulled from a portrait of Catherine the Great.

I love these heels drenched with soutache trimwork. They look like they were pulled straight from the headdresses and folk dress.

Most people experience love, without noticing that there is anything remarkable about it.

Doctor Zhivago

I will be the first to say that I am no expert in Russian history or cultural influences. These are solely my perceptions.

Would that even a fraction of these details make it into a pairing at Target.

Bravo!

I haven't been a huge passionate fan of Daphne Guinness but I think I'm a little bit in love right now. She does have a fearless style, and the body and money to pull them off of course, but I love love love her attitude as reported here by Vogue -

As the modern fashion industry becomes increasingly globalised, style maven Daphne Guinness, writing in the Financial Times, is celebrating a return to individuality.

"Between couture fashion and street fashion, there is a certain continuity. It's great to go to London's Camden Market or downtown New York and see what the kids are wearing," she says. "Today, you don't even have to travel to do this; all you have to do is look at fashion blogs."

"On one site you might see a hipster in Williamsburg, New York, for example, in very tight, very shrunken jackets and trousers, and then you jump to another and see a different type of person wearing an oversized shirt, belted with silver tights. It's like a bunch of ad-hoc experiments going on all the time."

With the media focusing increasingly on which celebrities are wearing which labels - or, indeed, collaborating with them - seeking out individuals with style is more refreshing than ever before, Guinness adds.

"Celebrities almost never look good unless they are 'out' at something or other, while real fashion animals always look a little interesting, even if they are only going to Starbucks. Individuality will always exist," she asserts. "It's more that it has become very underground and doesn't infiltrate the mainstream as much as it should, so you have to search it out, which is getting more difficult, but also more rewarding."

"It's exciting to see people inhabit their look, wearing clothes from morning to night. Fashion at its most interesting and purposeful, whether it's the most expensive clothes being made or the least expensive, is not about showing off - it's about creation."

Now, if only the mainstream fashion industry would see and respect the role that individuals and blogs can really play. I think it's getting there but there is still a bias. But I feel that this is changing. I know that I'm inspired far more by how people are getting dressed and having fun with it every day rather than a whole bunch of celebrities and stylists.

Tied up in Knots

I'm seriously considering getting these two pairs of shoes.






They're not bad. Cute shape, nice style. A little trendy, yes, but that's okay because.....

Their combined cost is about $35.

Yeah, they're from Payless.

I used to be a total Payless snob but I have to give them props for trying right? I know they aren't the best quality and I'm sure they "inspired by" a designer shoe but, eh, I don't care.

I like the style and I've been looking for some like these for Fall. Since they're a bit trendy I'm not looking for a long term investment and I won't have to worry to much if they get knocked around. I'll probably have them shipped to the store for free and, then if I don't like them, I can return them right there.

What do you think? Give them a shot?

Ensemble du Jour

I had yesterday off, which was great, but I still had to go out and about. I met a friend for lunch to talk about some website help he needs and then I had to get my 4th shot. I also made a quick stop by Michael's to get a frame for my new poster from Nubby Twiglet.

I have not had an opportunity to wear this dress yet so I decided to wear it for going out to lunch.
It's a Mizrahi for Target dress and is kind of a busy floral pattern in yellow and orange, which I almost never wear.


What I liked most about it was the shape of the dress and the contrast-pattern pleats going down from the waistline. To go to lunch I paired it with a cropped green cardigan and green Nine West Sandals that I've had forever.



They're actually a mite big on me.



But I liked the shape and design so much (and they were on sale at DSW) that I got them anyway.



Today we had to go for the installation of a historic marker at this 1815 home in our town. It was going to be a small garden party and open house, so I wore the dress again, but this time with a white cardi, keds and my white lace parasol. I have to keep my pasty white skin covered from the sun at all times!

But actually it is a gorgeous day out. I let the chickens out early to free range and we have a backyard Movie Night tonight. And I got my timesheets done on Friday night so I am all relaxed!

Thakoon at Target

So the rumor mills have been flying but it seems that Thakoon is the next Go International designer parter to do a collection with Target. What is surprising is that this collection is scheduled to run starting in September and none of the image albums are on the Target News site yet.

We'll be going into Fall, so will we see pieces with navy, purple and grey tones and cool graphics?



Some wintery florals and boyfriend cardigans?



Or some kicky tweeds and mini-skirts (which always seem to be a part of the Go collections)?



Plaid and dresses would be fun too, especially with colorful tights.



And the fact that this is to run through the holidays, could we possibly see some slinky dresses?



They don't usually do shoes with the Go collections but wouldn't some graphic strappy sandals like these be cool. Especially in a shiny patent.



Of course, the rumor of McQueen being an upcoming partner would be a dream. Especially if he infused his line with whimsical nods to his couture lines.



Of course, I doubt we'd get this...



But the ombre and the colors and the prints could easily be incorporated into more simple designs and pieces, making them really special.



Besides Galliano, McQueen would be a great collaboration. I wonder if his pairing will actually happen if it would be a decadent Holiday/Winter collection or a detailed Spring?

Week In Review

What's been going on this week? Well, I've had a ton of work so I've been running around. I'm also trying to keep up with my "chores" during the week so I don't have to spend all weekend staring at a huge pile of laundry while I watch 10 hours of The Tenth Kingdom.

And then I get sucked into Twitter and goof off on Flicker, so I've been slack about playing on Polyvore or updating with outfits and all.

On Monday I wore this outfit - light weight argyle sweater from Target and Gap denim pencil skirt.



Yes, I'm wearing argyle again! I want Fall to get here already. I'm pining away for cool weather and sleeping with the windows open.

I wanted to wear my new Report heels with their cute little v-notch so everything was around the grey of these.



Yesterday I remembered I had these cute micro-fishnets in pink so I decided to wear them with a black jersey top and my flippy black skirt from Old Navy.



I have some pink and black kitten heels but in the end I wore my grey Head over Heels bird pumps in all their super-soft grey suede lusciousness.





I'd just sit there and stare at them all day if I could.



Today's outfit is in honor of Miss WendyB and how she is on the forefront of the "bringing rolled-up jeans back" trend.



I just used my Gap jeans and, since they are long despite being Ankle length, they could stand to be rolled up. I pulled out a weird mix of clothes and accessories to wear with them.

First of all is this crazy vintage necklace of winged serpents. I've had this piece since early high school. No "now we know it's vintage!" jokes, I just had a birthday. Don't rub it in.

Maybe I really had Miss Wendy on my mind when I pulled this out of the back of my jewelry drawer.



I liked the shiny brassy gold color and was pairing it with a textured 3/4 sleeve jacket, so yes, let's layer on some very patterned shoes. Why not!



See.... rolled up!

Okay, who's next?

Two Times the Temptation

I know lace stockings are going to be all the rage for Fall and, I'm also trying to order like four pairs from Bebaroque but what I'm really really really pining for are these two-toned Chanel tights.



Oh yeah, and both pairs of shoes too. You don't need this many pictures to get the idea, but I just like looking at them. Le Sigh.









I've got my name on a waiting list for these.

Now all I have to do is track down the shoes!

Out of Control. Out of my Mind. Out of my House?

The other day, when I was browsing Amazon for stuff to add to my Kindle, I decided to get a whole bunch of shoes I'd been eyeing since they were on major markdown.

I got these shiny dark grey patent heels from Report.



I love the round-toe shape and the color. But it's still good for warmer weather due to the stacked light colored heel.



But the reason I bought these? It's not because I need another pair of grey heels.

It's all because of the cute little cut out notch on the toe. I fell in love with that little detail.



I did get the cute Sundae heels from Oh Deer! and they are adorable. Very pastel and sparkly



I had been looking at the whole line of Oh Deer! shoe and saw these Pistachio pony hair pumps. They have a great shape and, in real life, they are quite touchable.





I wore them to my conference last week and they got several compliments from random folks. Okay, from random old men (who we say are trolling for sugah)



Amazon is really getting some good deals on shoes. I've almost been using them as a site to track down pairs I want. Behind Zappos, of course.

But one pair I had to hunt down like a dog were these Oh Deer! Jamocha t-straps.



I liked these way back in February but didn't get them. What was I thinking? Look at them. Unusual and gorgeous!

But, I held out. Then I saw them at DSW, even with a coupon I still didn't get them. Then when I realized I couldn't find my size any where, I decided I had to have them. A mad search ensues because I just can let it go, right?



I'm hunting high and low and was even going to get them on eBay but the only size was 6. If they didn't fit I couldn't return them. I eventually found them on this one random shoe site. They only had a 6 too but at least I could send them back if I needed to.




So they arrived and were all pretty and sparkly and yummy. I eagerly tried them on and found that they were really not all that comfortable.

Suck!

I had been running around all day so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe my feet were all swollen or something.

So I tried them on the next day. Not overly painful but not really comfortable. They were already a bit big, so that's strike one. But a bit big and a bit pokey. Hmmmm.... that may push them over the edge.

But they're soooo pretty.

Decisions. Decisions.

Earth to Poochie. Come in, Poochie

Hi everyone!

I haven't been abducted by aliens or under house arrest or anything the past few days, I've just been either running around or exhausted. That's why it pays to jump on the Twitter bandwagon and follow me. Because I have to tell you, my life is totally that interesting!

Seriously!

Thursday night we went out for a belated B-day dinner with some friends. I got the cutest plaque as a gift which I now have to hang up on my closet door. I'll take a pic of it as soon as it is up, but for now you will need to remain in suspense.

Then on Friday I was at a conference all day. How riveting was it? Does the fact that I was taking pics of my shoes under the table tell you anything?

I mean, they are cute, but it was a long day.

Then I had to go get another rabies shot at the hospital. Always a good time. And then I went to Target and Michaels.

Saturday I loafed around watching The 10th Kingdom all day when I should have been productive doing work (I blame all of this distraction on Wolf, if you know what I mean.), and then making cupcakes for our Backyard Movie Night.

Today the hubby woke me up with a delicious breakfast of eggs from our chickens, veggie sausage, toast, jam, hot tea and fresh pineapple. I caught up on all of the online world stuff I'd missed out on the past few days (darn you guys can Tweet!) and did all the dishes.

When we finally got our act together we went out to do the returns I needed to do and went on a multicultural spree.

My shoes today - love these green Sperry Topsiders - via TwitPic

I got two large bottles of green tea, pocky, poppadums, a tiffin tin to carry lunch, Indian snacks & Hello Kitty biscuits in chocolate and strawberry.

Now I need to get some work done before I can post some more! I'm so slack, I know!

We Have A Winner!

I just wanted to say big thank you to everyone who submitted their hilarious, warm and witty stories during the anniversary celebration. It was very hard to choose from all of the great entries!

Miss Katie was our winner with her story:

My least favorite pair of shoes is also my favorite pair.

When I agreed to be a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding, I don't think I realized what I was really signing up for. They were stripper shoes. Four inch clear platforms with a stiletto heel that looked like an ice pick. There was a single line of colored crystals running down the back to match the awful pink-purple, thick satin sheath dresses- the color was called 'wild orchid'.

I hated them. The other bridesmaids and I schemed incessantly about how to get out of wearing the shoes (Picture these shoes, add a handful of purple/pink crystals up the heels, and double the price- bad, right?). We nearly petitioned the bride to go shoeless- anything to not don the Lusty Leopard standard issues! In the end, we wore the wild orchid dresses, the stripper shoes, and french twists with a fake daisy perched on apex. We looked ridiculous, but all it took was one look from my best friend, the smiling bride, to make it all worth it.

The bridesmaid stripper shoes still sit in my closet, a testament to friendship. Every time I see the offensive plastic pair, I'm reminded that the occasional (horrible) sacrifice of personal style is a small trade-off for a lifetime of friendship. I hope my bridesmaids remember that!

-Katie

Sweetie, all I have to say is that you are a heck of a friend! For wearing those shoes to a wedding (and recognizing how bad they are) you deserve the Zappos certificate. Thanks for sharing your story!

And thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my first year here!

Luv
Poochie

Curl up with a good Book

I know it's been a while since I showed more of the home tour. You already got an advance peek into our medicine cabinets and bathroom cupboards. Then you got the whole closet tour. All riveting stuff, I know!

But this is my favorite room in the house. One that I need to spend far more time in. The Library.

Yep, we had an extra room and we made it into the Library. I think I've mentioned before that our house is 110+ years old so we don't have the whole modern "great room" concept at all. We do have 3 bedrooms upstairs and then downstairs we have the living room, dining room, kitchen, sun room and the library.

This room, like the dining room and stairway, still has the original milled paneling unpainted. So you get a lot of rich wood tones. We wanted sort of the eclectic British library feel going on, but we do have a ways to go in getting all of the layering of accessories.

The door to the room opens in on a corner (bottom left if you think of the room as a perfect square) so you get a full view of the room when you walk in. Right in front of you along the wall looking out of the front of the house are our two salon chairs and game table. We got these made through Ballard Designs by shipping them fabric, then they custom upholster them and ship them back. The game table was a post-Furniture Market bargain for only $20! Now we need to find a really good set of chess pieces to go with it. And yeah, this is one room we still need to get blinds for.



If you step into the room and close the door (see it there on the left?), there are these built in shelves which are just perfect for DVDs and books. We have quite a collection which has grown since we started doing backyard movies.



Going around the room counter clockwise, there is a set of bookshelves on the other side of the table and chairs along the same wall. On the wall opposite the door are two windows flanking the fireplace. To the left of the fireplace we have these three huge waist-high glass vases filled with peacock feathers, wicker balls and curling reeds.

On the fireplace mantle are vintage bottles and glass apothecary jars filled with more wicker balls and vintage zoological illustrations. The bowl is by this local artisan who makes amazing pieces. He is in his 70's and he comes to the farmer's market once a year with amazing pieces. We have three of his bowls and buy them for gifts too. Maybe I'll do a post just about his work, because it is so good.



Over the fireplace are vintage botanical illustrations of ferns. I got a bargain on the prints and then blew it all on the framing. I take my framing seriously!



Moving along to the right is the big cushy reading chair. I just love this fabric! What is cool is that I had the chair made locally and the storage ottoman made by Ballard yet the fabric aligned perfectly when they both came in! The floor lamp matches the chandelier in the room and also came from Ballard.



Did you notice this? It's a pretty interesting piece. It looks like a real Luna moth pinned to the board but actually it's a digital image of the moth recreated 3-dimensionally out of paper and feathers. We got this at an art show right before we moved. The artist has a website, Insectworks, and does amazing stuff. I am seriously considering getting more pieces from her because I love them so much.



Next to the chair is lovely little antique oystered table. It's not perfect but I love it. On top I have a collection of Chinese cricket cages. I'm not sure if they are vintage or not but I just love how delicate they are. If you click on the image you can see them a bit better. The one on top right has little fishies carved on the top. The center one is in the shape of an owl while the two in the font are carved with rabbits and birds intertwined.



On the wall opposite the fireplace and two the left of the door are two of our 4 bookcases. They're all glassed in so the books don't get all dusty and are organized somewhat by topic/genre. On top of these I have a bee skep, a little wood piece, vintage bottles, more glass apothecary jars, a piece from the Times Square Waterford New Year's Eve ball from the 2000 NYE and a globe.



The door to the bathroom and the other bookshelf.



The chandelier and our lovely beams.



What's behind this door?????



We call this The Speakeasy. We repurposed the closet to hold a wine cabinet and all of our liquor and party glasses. This room is the coldest room in the house so it's perfect for storing wine. I have a few pictures up in there but it's hard to see the ones on the side walls. This is a close to a secret passage as the hubby has been able to get, although he longs to put a bookshelf in front of the door so it is even more hidden.



The bookshelf between the Speakeasy and the bathroom door. This one is filled with classics, fantasy, medieval and history books.



Back to the main wall you can see lots of cookbooks and my collection of children's books (a lot from my own childhood) and pop-up books. Robert Sabuda's books are pure art and, I don't think, for kids.



I love this little wood and ivory box.



We do a mix of books and pieces so it breaks up the monotony. I really need to add a rug in there and get the shades done.

Then chess pieces and let the games begin!

The Weight of the World

Sometimes I wonder why I feel like I'm walking on a perpetual slope with a boulder strapped to my back. Maybe it's because of all of the stuff in my purse!

Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit but I really do carry all of this stuff around with me everyday. I was a Girl Scout and I just can't break out of the "Be Prepared" mentality. And I like options, so that makes it worse.

The good thing is that, while there is a lot of stuff, it is very well organized in my bag and I can find everything in a snap! And this purse is great. It isn't a big black hole and the straps are long enough to fit over my shoulder.

On the Flicker page for this image there are roll-overs, but what you see here includes:

• Dooney & Burke Alto Bag
• Phone 1 - Blackberry for work
• 60GB iPod - previous b-day gift
• Phone 2 - iPhone - last year's b-day gift, in white leather case
• Kindle - this year's b-day gift
• Estee Lauder pink heart compact
• Coach wallet - filled with cards but no cash
• Owl bag - business cards for work and blog, notebook, hair clip and hair band
• Moleskine journal - filled coupouns and to dos
• Flash Drive - what the heck is on that?
• Dooney Keychain - has house, work and car keys, plus my YMCA tag which I don't even belong to anymore. But it helps me sort my keys.
• Multiple Lip products - Burt's Bees Lip Balm L'Oreal lipgloss, Chanel lipstick
• Black bag - "lady" products, Stella travel perfume, Bvlgari White Tea towelettes, nail file, floss, blotting papers, travel flashlight and swiss army knife.
• Stickers and mini-business cards from MOO.com

The sad thing is that I also carry a laptop bag with my computer and files as well as another shopping bag filled with computer cords, my mouse, my lunch and, of course, my shoes for the day.

I should be a good 3 inches taller! Geez!

Ensemble du Jour

The Outfit
I've decided that I don't care if it's technically still summer. I want to wear some argyle and tights! It's cold enough in my office to wear this very comfortably and they're bright colors so they're still sort of in keeping with the season, right?

Argyle v-neck and skirt from Target. Orchid Pink tights from WeLoveColors.com and black Louboutin slingbacks! My favorite comfy heels. Seriously!



The Focal Point
I had just bought four pairs of tights from the We Love Colors site because I was thinking about how I wanted to wear those brown linen Manolos with lavender tights. They have a huge range of colors and I just thought these were all lovely. They are - light grey, orchid pink, lilac and lavender.



Since the tights are sort of match-y with the sweater, I wanted to keep from a dark blue shoe - which would be way to match-y since the skirt is a dark denim color. So I went with the black Louboutins - high, comfortable, shiny and the dark color grounds the tights.







And I thought the glimpse of red might be a fun nod to the pink. This is such an odd color pink but I love it paired with the black. And I can't wait to wear more and more tights. When will Fall get here?!?

A Public Service Announcement

As you may know, we're big animal lovers around here. We have cats and dogs and, obviously, chickens.

Most of our pets have come from the Humane Society or were strays or were from local rescue groups. I've also worked with and around animals for, basically, my whole life. I've interned at veterinary hospitals, worked at Miami MetroZoo with all kinds of exotics for over five years, at stables and more. So you can say that I feel pretty comfortable around animals.

I've only ever had one experience where I felt uncomfortable near an animal. Our house has a very open yard and backs up to some woods. One night last year just around around dusk the hubby spotted a fox way out in the yard. Now we get lots of deer and groundhogs and more around our place so this didn't surprise me that much. Growing up I used to see foxes very closely almost every morning while I walked my dog. When I went outside to get look at this one I noticed it was acting very strange. I couldn't put my finger on it at first but I actually got scared a bit. And I never ever get scared around an animal.

Even though we were grilling out, I insisted we both go back inside for a while. When I analyzed the encounter, I think it was that, while the fox was way out by the brush and could have run off into the dark, it didn't. It actually stood there and looked at us. Then it walked toward us a bit. It was totally wrong. Our area has had a number of rabies reports over that past few years so, even though it wasn't confirmed, it was a great possibility that this fox was infected. I didn't stick around to find out.

Many animals can get and be carriers of rabies and it's often not easy to tell if they are infected. Dogs and cats will typically show symptoms and die within 10 days but a raccoon can have the infection for years and not show it. It's hugely important that you get your pet the vaccine (and it's a law anyway in most places) to save them from getting the infection. In the US cats are more infected than dogs are. I don't condone having your cat's outdoors but if you do they should be vaccinated!

Image by Greencolander

So where's the PSA? Well, when I got home the other night there was stray kitty coming out from under my garage. Being the impulsive animal lover (and rescuer) I dropped everything and went over to see if I could catch the kitty. She was young-ish and sweet and it didn't take long to get her to come near me. But, in retrospect, I was impulsive. I rushed it which I should have known better. But in my haste to get her caught and cared for, I always worry less about myself. And I don't worry about getting hurt either.

So I picked her up.

She was not happy about that at all and struggled to get away. Typically I tried to get a better hold to keep her from getting away (possibly to just run out to the road) and to get her onto our porch so we could crate her.

Doing this in short sleeves was probably not the best choice but if I had gone into the house to get gloves and a coat she may have gone away. Scratches I don't mind. I have had so many scratches (and, frankly, bites) over the year that I don't even notice the scars any more. And don't tell my friend who works in a doctor's office - I never get infections.

So, the kitty struggled... and yeah, she bit me. I'm so smart.

Of course, I did let her go at that point because I was bleeding. And the hubby was really not happy with me. He wasn't any happier when I went back out to try and get her too, after I got my jacket at least. By then it was getting dark and I couldn't see her anymore.

But the big question was, do I go and get the Rabies shot?

I'll admit it. I wasn't looking forward to that. I didn't really feel that this kitty was infected but, since untreated rabies is pretty much 100% fatal, I thought it just might be a good idea to be safe.

I went to my doctor the next day to have the bite looked at. Luckily I have had a tetanus shot in the last five years (or unluckily - I'm a klutz much of the time. I admit it), so I didn't need to deal with that. They did put me on a course of antibiotics since cat bites can be pretty "dirty". And yep, they said I would need to go to the emergency room/hospital triage to get reviewed for the rabies shots.

Awesome.

Have you ever been to the emergency room? As I said, I'm a klutz, so this was my third time. All I can say is bring a book. A long book. And some water. And some antibacterial hand wipes or something. It ain't fun. And you will have to wait a minimum of like four hours unless you've been shot or something. On the plus side, the doctor was impressed with my immune system as evidenced by my lack of infection at the wound.

So, yeah, I was going to have to get the series of shots to prevent rabies from potentially killing me. That's right, I said series. If you didn't know it, it isn't just one shot one time. Oh no. It's a whole bunch of shots over five rounds. I had read up on the process in advance and I was happy that it was no longer a series of shots into your stomach. Because dying may have been preferable. No, it was in the arm, leg and butt. Whoo Hoo!

But even I was a bit surprised when they came out with 11 needles. ELEVEN! Aaack!

In the end, it wasn't horrible. It wasn't fun but it wasn't the worst thing. I'm a scrapper.

Even more exciting is that I get to go back four more times, including two times this week. Which is a hell of a way to spend my birthday week. This week is getting jam packed with fun - two more nights waiting to get shots at the triage, a night taking Napoleon for a follow-up at the vets and a meeting. At least one night we'll go out to dinner to celebrate. And I'll have plenty of time to read. I just started The Queen's Fool. I'll probably finish it before the week is out too, with all of the waiting I have in store for me.

But if I finish my book I'll be able to use my new b-day gift -

Image by breamarie

Yep! The hubby got me the Kindle I'd been pining for! I can't wait to use it. It's so light I can carry it around all the time. Now I just need to decide what books to download to it.

I'm so excited!

So what did we learn here?

1. Don't pick up stray kitties unless you are covered (although I'd probably do it again. I'm dumb like that)
2. Get your pets vaccinated
3. Always have something to read

And for good measure - support services to help get more animals vaccinated.

Imitation = Flattery?

Last year I talked about how pretty I thought these Gucci tailored pumps are. I'd still like to have a pair of these but refrained. I have a lot of white shoes and it's not like black where, for some reason it's easy to justify another pair.



What I like is the classic shape and the chunky heel as well as the cute little strap embellishment.

Well, it took them a year but Target is giving us almost the exact same shape - with just a few changes. And there are four colors to choose from.

I, of course, like the white the best but the black and grey are pretty cute too.










I'm not as sure about the red pair, but at $33 buck I'll probably get them too. If they don't work out I'll just return them at the store.



I think they'll be cute for Fall, especially with tights or knee-socks, and I won't have to worry about them getting wet in the rain.