It's a Party. A Party, Party Weekend!

Probably the most popular question I'm asked, is "Where do you get your clothes?"

I get them everywhere!  My favorite places are vintage and resale shops.  Next would be from friends, shows. small online stores, and then last but not least big box shops.


This weekend, I get to try something different.  A friend of mine is having a clothes swap.  She's invited a bunch of girlfriends, all shapes and sizes, and we'll bring clothes that are in good shape to trade. It should be fun and who knows what I'll find.  It will be part treasure hunt and part clothes swap.  

The upside?   I get to meet new people, enjoy some camaraderie and food and quite possibly add to my clothing collection!  Always a good combination.

It's difficult for me to find clothes because I am short in stature.

 Uusally I have to go to the Junior department to find clothes that will fit, but it's rather hard to find clothes that fit my style.  At the clothing swap my friend has invited other guests that are my size and then also added that if they have any of their daughters clothes that are not wanted, bring them too!  Could be very interesting.





Another question I'm asked is, "What is my style?"  I don't really have one, but if I had to pinpoint it,   I guess I would consider it part hippie, part Boho, and eclectic.  I'm not really one with the fashion trends.  Really, it's whatever I pulled out of my closet that day.





Although my favorite show is Project Runway, I watch it to get ideas and smile when I see a designer creating something I've already put together.

 

My favorite designer is Mondo.

He isn't scared to mix designs, shapes and colors. I'm glad to see that after all this time, there are other designers doing the same thing as I.













My motto is that I wear what feels comfortable to me.  I've never been one to change my clothes because someone made a negative comment.  If I like it, and I feel fantastic in it, then I'm wearing it!

Feel free to ask me clothing questions.  I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Food, Glorious Food!

I've always tried to eat well and eat healthy.  I stay away from processed foods and eat as fresh as possible.

We have a farm where we get a cow that's been grass fed and that is our beef for the year.  I have a meat market I go to for free range chicken and fresh seafood, but I haven't really found a great place for vegetables.

I used to go to a Farmer's Market every Saturday, but there is only so much you can do with Kale!  Also, it seemed very expensive.  Mainly I purchased my vegetables from the grocery store, but I was very picky.

Then, a friend of mine told me about Bountiful Baskets.  They are all over the U.S. so go to their site and find the one nearest you!  You don't really know what you're going to get every other week, but so far I have been very happy!  For $15.00 I got probably about $50 plus in veggies and fruits!  They also have an organic basket for $10.00 more.  I've purchased the organic basket and the conventional basket and I'm happy with the conventional.  Plenty of fruits and veggies to last for a couple of weeks.   They also have options to buy other things such as pounds of asparagus, oranges, tropical fruit, organic bread, etc.

I had two baskets full of bananas, apples, pears, tomatoes, potatoes, pineapple, celery, lettuce, strawberries, baby bok choy, mushrooms and red bell peppers.

So many veggies and fruit!

I have no excuse not to eat fruit!  The apples are very good and I have been impressed by all the other vegetables.  Every night, we have a great home cooked meal!

Here's a recipe for what I recently made using the Bok Choy.

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Noodles and Shrimp - Makes 1 Serving

from The Eat Clean Diet p.224

Ingredients:

1oz whole grain angel hair pasta

1 tbsp  Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Teriyaki Sauce

2 Tbsp dry Sherry

1tsp minced ginger (from the co-op)

2tsp olive oil

14oz bok choy, sliced (from the co-op)

4oz shitake mushrooms, thickly sliced (I used the mushrooms I got from the co-op)

4 oz shrimp

2 spring onions, sliced

Instructions:

Cook pasta in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.  Mix soy and teriyaki sauces, sherry and ginger in a small bowl.  Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok.  Add bok choy, mushrooms and shrimp and stir fry for 2 minutes or until shrimp is cooked.  Pour in the sauce add the pasta and sir fry for a further 2 minutes.  Add spring onions, mix well and serve.

This is something I'm definitely going to continue doing.  The vegetables and fruits are delicious and I get to keep eating healthy!

An apple a day!

Clap Along if You Feel Like That’s What You Wanna Do

Last night was craft night at one of my friend's house.  I do not consider myself a crafty person.  Although there are artists in my family, I consider myself a master of stick figures.

My attempt at drawing

If I'm creative it is in my photography and my clothing.  I decided to check out this Craft Night phenomenom and figured, if anything, I would just eat and be a helper!  The Unicorn Poop tasted fantastic!

After raiding Michael's, I still did not have a clear idea on what I wanted to do.  I brought some jeans with me and figured I could bedazzle them or something.

Once everyone arrived, the crafts started.  Dragon eggs were being made, hanging lights, baby blankets, George, the Lamb and an ant made out of modeling clay.

I found some flowers online and free handed them on to my jeans.  I didn't think to make a stencil, but I don't think I would do that anyway.  It was more fun to look and draw what I thought it should look like!  Then the painting began!

All in all, I think it turned out better than I thought it would and I am wearing them to work!  

Speaking of that, the first person who saw me arriving this morning asked where I bought my jeans.  When I said I made them, she asked if she brought me a pair of hers and paid me, would I make her some!  Uh, SURE!

It was fun and I do plan on making more.  I'll just start letting those creative juices flow!  Because, I'm happy!

Why couldn't you have just stayed calm for once, instead of flying off the handle!

Me, on a daily basis before supplements.

The day I jumped down my husband's throat and then did a 180 and started crying my eyes out  I knew something was up.  As I stood with my fists on my hips, my lips tightened into a thin line, my wonderful husband laid his hands on mine and straightened my arms out saying, "This is not you".

I realized that perhaps I was going through menopause!

Normally, I am cold at all times, but in the middle of last year, I was noticing that I was getting hot all the time!  It would come in waves.  I just laughed it off, joking that I was having hot flashes, not realizing that yes, I really was!

Great starter book.

One morning I was watching Good Morning America and they had Suzanne Somer's on touting her new book "I'm Too Young For This".
It caught my attention and as she was speaking, I was hearing some very familiar things.  I too could not sleep through the night, was very bitchy (and I am not that way), I would have crying jags at the drop of a hat and I had not had my period in six months!

I went ahead and purchased her book on my Kindle.  I didn't read the entire book, but what I did read made me realize that I could be peri menopausal.  I decided to do an estrogen and an estradiol saliva test to see.

I went online and for very little money at ZRT Laboratory, I purchased a test kit.

Picture me crying in the aisle!

 While I was waiting for the results I visited a nearby health food store and asked one of the clerks for help.  As I was telling her that I thought I was peri menopausal, I burst into tears!  Laughing and crying at the same time, I told her I don't know why I was crying, but it seemed to be the norm lately!   She patted me on the arm and said, "Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up".

She handed me two items, both from a company called Pure Essence.  One was called Transitions which is a capsule and the other was called Fem-Creme which is a Progesterone cream.  She said that Transitions had Kudzu in it which would help with the crying spurts and also help me sleep.

Within 2 days, I noticed an extreme difference.  I was back to feeling like myself and I was sleeping through the night.  Before, I thought I was going crazy.  I was mad all the time and didn't know why or, I was crying.

When I got my results back from ZRT, I took them to my doctor who told me that my hormones were extremely low!  I showed him what I was taking and he said, if I felt better to continue taking them.  Also, per my mom, I started taking DHEA at 100mg twice a day.  I continued to feel better, happier, rested, no emotional roller coaster!  Plus, after two months, my period started up again.  Yeah, I know.  I wouldn't have minded if it decided to stay away, but I was happy to have it, because it meant that everything should be back in order.

I went back to my doctor where he had me take the saliva test again while on the supplements.  If it were a report card, I would have gotten an A+!  The results came back with everything normal!

Although I still have the inner tube around my waistline, I am no longer jumping down my husband or daughter's throats!

I am not a doctor or have any medical expertise nor do I have any affiliation with the products I'm using. What has been working for me, may not work for someone else.  I'm just sharing my experience with what I've been going through as I'm sure there are others who understand my life.

The best thing I can say since I've accepted that I am peri menopausal is that my husband and I have  a better relationship than ever.

The love of my life

Being that it's going to last awhile, I won't quit taking my supplements so that I know I can continue having a happier life with those that I love most.

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hello!  My name is Nikie and I have my own style of dressing!

It's not uncommon on a daily basis for me to be walking down the street and someone will comment on what I'm wearing.  Be it, the outfit, shoes, hats, hair, etc!

This started about 7 or so years ago when it seemed that what I was wearing became the topic of conversations.

I don't know how it happened.  I love shopping at thrift stores, vintage stores, online, getting hand me downs from friends and I piece them together based on how I feel for the day.

I come from a family of artists and although I don't draw or paint, I've been told that I've captured their creativity in my style of the way I dress.

At one time I started a Facebook page called What's Nikie Wearing!

 Although I have been lax in adding to it, through comments by friends, I will make it more active.

My goal for this blog is to give my take on what I like, what I don't like,  where I find my clothes and also take questions from my readers!  Although, I don't think that what is as outrageous as  Lady Gaga or Madonna or Miley.  I find I have my own voice and whether you agree with it or not, I wear what I wear.

I hope you enjoy what I post and look forward to hearing your comments!

AND, Away we go!