Week in Review: Week 191
Monday
A beautiful fall day. Camera club. Read on the sofa after work. Not a bad day.
My friends have been in France for five days. “Send lots of pictures!” I said. After five days, I finally got a picture.
Tuesday
Dreary, misty. Had plans to see Katie but plans changed. All the stuff for my Halloween costume arrived! But did I work on that? Nope. I read on the sofa.
Wednesday
Misty, rainy, dreary. Camera club outdoors in the mist. Finished up Halloween costume with Katie’s help. Said a sad goodbye to her as she leaves NY tomorrow 🙁 I’m grateful I got to spend as much time with her as I did.
THURSDAY
Halloween! My morning was spent running around getting pictures of all the staff costumes for the costume contest. Then photographing the Halloween party. It’s a cute, but exhausting, day.
friday
Finally, no rain. Work is a little chaotic as our wine tasting fundraiser is Saturday night.
And oh yeah, it’s NOVEMBER!!!
SATURDAY
Maddy Guttierez is raising money to help provide families in need with full Thanksgiving dinners from Hello Fresh and you can help! Read the full story here.
Our annual Wine Tasting fundraiser was tonight. I take pictures. I get pain. Same old story. We used a nice selection of camera club pictures as silent auction items. I didn’t see at the end how they did, but several people told me how great the pictures were and how pleased they were that the adult clients had this new activity.
SUNDAY
This, truly, is my day of rest. I’m sore and exhausted from last night. I should shoot an outfit later if I feel energetic enough, but it’s not crucial. I should go to the market – my “no sugar” regime has become much more loosely defined over the past two weeks cuz I haven’t been to the grocery store…and Halloween…and Katie (when possible, blame everything on your kids).
So I might just lay on the sofa for a couple hours and read a book that hasn’t really grabbed me yet…but which right now sounds better than vacuuming, cleaning the litter box, steaming capes, grocery shopping or shooting an outfit.
I had totally missed the fact that Daylight Savings Time ended last night. I can never remember – is this the time of year it’s EASIER to get up in the morning…or harder? It is going to start getting harder to get outfit pictures outside after work as it will be almost dark by the time I get home.
Also, how did the world series take place and end without me hearing a single word about it? Not that I care, but…I really do live under a rock, I guess.
I’m thinking about starting a “plus size over 50” Facebook group. Not for “bloggers” sharing blog outfits, but for real people just trying to get dressed! “What would look good with this skirt?” “Has anyone seen a soft, oversized plus size camel turtleneck that’s not $200?” “Does this dress fit okay?” “Loft is having a 50% off sale!” Etc. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. Since a relatively small group of people ever comment here I don’t really know who all is reading this. Is it mostly plus-sized women? Over 50-ish? I don’t know. Would anyone here be interested in joining a group like that? I would probably limit membership to some number…50? 100? Not sure, but I have a hard time in really large groups. I can’t keep up, I don’t like feeling like I don’t “know” everyone there. Thoughts?
Well, laying on the sofa reading turned into laying on the sofa looking at Instagram so I have no second book to share with you. The one I’m currently feeling meh about is “Breathing Lessons” by Anne Tyler, about which I’d heard so many good things, but…I’m going to keep trying to power through in case it’s one of those that doesn’t really grab you til much further in, but…it really makes me appreciate the books that have me from the first sentence.
And I will say goodbye…it was dark here at 5:00pm today, which…ugh. Sigh. My back and legs have ached all day and I keep meaning to get up for some tylenol or something but then I get distracted by THE INTERNET. But I’m really going to do that now. So, goodnight and goodbye.
What I read
The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure. I’m going to borrow Malcolm Gladwell’s quote, “A beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man’s unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war.” I don’t know how “beautiful and elegant” it was, but I love the line “[an] account of an ordinary man’s unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism,” because that’s exactly how it was. It was a very good story. When I first started it, I got just one chapter in and sort of felt like, ohhh, do I want to read another difficult story about WW2? And that put me off picking it up again for a week (I was also pretty busy last week)…until yesterday…and then I couldn’t put it back down. My only criticism would be…they were little bits of “modern trashy novel” interspersed here and there, as though Belfoure’s publisher had said, “It’s too serious! Sex it up a little bit!” That just didn’t feel genuine given the time frame and the world at that time, but…it was only a few bits. I noticed them, rolled my eyes and kept on reading. I give it a solid 4.
Deborah Stinedurf
I love the Halloween costumes…you guys nailed it! I bet that the work party was fun. One of my students with autism has an undying love for Michael Jackson…as in all day while he is industriously working on schoolwork he has MJ videos on his chrome book with headphones on. Anyway, he has an amazing mom, and she decked him out like Michael in the Billie Jean video…right down to the hair. He knows every single move to the Thriller dance and loves to do it along with the video…and my friend, the boy has moves! Anyway at the middle school costume contest, he did the Thriller dance on stage in front of the ENTIRE SCHOOL…baby got a standing ovation and won the contest! It was a beautiful thing indeed! Sorry to monopolize your comments with my story, but I knew you’d love that! xo
PS…hate this time of year…hate the darkness and the fact it’s sometimes impossible to get outfit shots because of it…
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
bettyewp
Aww, I love that story! Yeah, I took my ootd at lunch today…but then I had to really rush to get food and eat before I had to be back. THAT’s not gonna last long! If I was a better sort of human, I would get up early (HA HA HA HA HA HA HA) and take pictures BEFORE work (HA HA HA HA HA) now that it gets light earlier.
Marceline S Miller
I’m plus size and over 50, and I think I would love your FB group idea. Except I don’t want to say that and be a disappointing member — I don’t get on FB a lot — But it sure sounds interesting, if it’s no too much of a burden for you
bettyewp
We do what we can when we can!
Marceline S Miller
*not too much of a burden for you
Pamela Gray
I’m plus-size and 60 so I’d join your FB group ✨💚. Your idea sounds great!
bettyewp
Thank you, Pamela! I’m so glad someone’s interested!
Diana
I am another over 50 plus size woman looking to feel comfortable but would like to also like to appear put together! If you would enjoy providing the platform for a FB group I would love to be a part of it!!! You give me such good ideas!!!
bettyewp
Yay! I’m glad people want to do it!
diane c
Hi Bettye – Yep, I would like a Facebook community to share thoughts and ideas. Especially how to remix current clothes into new and different outfits. Not to interested in “sales at ..… ?” Diane C
TL
Here is another plus size over 50. Fb group is a good idea and I am in if you accept members outside USA.
bettyewp
GREAT!!!
bettyewp
Of course!
Cheryl
I would like to join your FB group please. I am plus size a little older being in my early sixties.I really enjoy reading your blog posts and I have been learning lots. Thank you.
Cheers
Cheryl
bettyewp
I’m *almost* in my early 60s!
I’ll share the link to the new group in a blog post when I have it up and running!
jodie filogomo
I’m always so impressed that you have time to read….I must waste a ton of time because I maybe get one book a month…not week.
As for blaming your kids…heck, I still blame my mother, ha ha.
OXOX
Jodie
bettyewp
Uh, you blog like nine times a week and comment on EVERY BLOG IN THE WORLD like everyday. You can hardly be “wasting time.”
And remember, I mostly refuse to adult. I don’t vacuum, wash the dishes, clean the car, grocery shop, etc., nearly as often as I should, and skipping all those things saves me a lot of time. Also, I don’t have A Person. And THEY take up a LOT of time. Children, parents, significant others, they all take a lot of time. I’m reading while you’re out to breakfast with your husband 🙂
Daenel T.
The toilet paper holder. *giggle giggle giggle snort*
I so enjoy your wrap ups and I blame my kids for everything. They don’t even live near me and I blame them when I run out of gas. My son used to fill my tank up for me and now I have to do it… If he hadn’t moved it would be a non issue. LOL
bettyewp
To give credit where it’s due, I DID eventually get an Eiffel tower pic, a Monet’s bridge pic (LOVE, that one hurt my heart that I was not there), and some unknown castle.
Yeah, I HATE stopping for gas (AND stopping to pee)! And will avoid until I am driving on fumes. Which is really stupid, cuz it will TOTALLY be a bigger pain in the butt to get stuck on the side of the road than to just stop at a gas station. I DO have several nearby gas stations that pump for me (they were mostly gone for several years), so that’s a help.
CiM
Your pictures are so beautiful and alive. They draw you in. I *really* like your photographs.
That last one -the leaf! I could smell the damp earthiness of fall outdoors. I loved it.
And your words are just as good. You would be surprised what a treat it is to read your weekly wrap-ups, your thoughts on movies, books, anything.
I hope you never stop blogging.
I am not on FB, but I would gladly join your group if I were. 🙂
bettyewp
Thank you for your kind words, CiM!
It’s funny, I feel like the people I know IRL are like “you spend SO much time on this blog and you’re not making money from it…uhm…WHY?” Ha. But I know that SOMEDAY it will. I am rarely an optimistic “glass is half full” person, but…I am, in the matter of my blog. And even if it NEVER provides income, there’s so much about it I just love doing. And I like having a PROJECT. I always have. Blog (several others before this one), boyfriend (ha), newsletter, ebay, etc. I can’t imagine a life where I just come home from work everyday and sit on the sofa. So…I can’t imagine ever giving it up totally.
But thanks for making me feel like it is appreciated 🙂
Iris
Love, love, love all the colorful pictures. The fall colors are always my favorites – we’ve been so dry, not much pretty, just brown leaves on the ground.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
bettyewp
Fall is such a pretty time…and where I live it’s very woodsy so particularly lovely. We had a big rainy windstorm last week which knocked down a lot of leaves so it’s already starting to look a little winter bare. Boo. And soon the ugginess of late winter will take over and then I’ll hope for snow to cover it all up!