The (almost) PERFECT DRESS for (me!) sandra mickanen, topps, writeousmom #fashion #macys
so, couple months ago i was shopping at, -you know where, -write:
Magic of Macy's
and i tried on lots of dresses.. and was about to call it a day, but, then..
that's interesting.. wonder what that looks like on
and, all at once, i fell in love with the fabric, the design, the fit, the comfort, the look AND feel of it..
i think my husband would like to see me in this one..
but, i really do prefer a sleeve... not a full sleeve.. but some kind of sleeve..
often this is achieved, by many a' woman, by wearing a shawl, or scarf, or small light weight sheer jacket..
items of this nature:
but i did not want to cover up the dress itself. the fabric is gorgeous! -that is, the fabric beneath the black netting overlay..
but i positively LOVE that added touch.. and the way the netting allows you to see through to the fabric, and how the netting is denser at the bodice
every time i tried the sheer jacket on for the purpose of having sleeves... it took away from the dress.. ruined the overall look.. covered shoulders looked yucky..
then, of course, lesa popped in my head... and my imagination, -because i know lesa, was allowed to experiment, to think... to envision..
love, love, love, this fabric! and i imagined matching sleeves.. but, like, where on earth am i going to find a matching fabric? i did not want a solid color fabric that matched.. i wanted the exact same fabric..
and i knew in advance, i wanted the exact same fabric, but that it would look extra cool, if the sleeves were not covered in the black netting..
and then! -and a matching tie! for my sexy..
and i left macy's on that day, having contemplated... but not purchased the additional dress.
i could not sleep.
i started justifying. like, my God, i can buy two dresses at macy's for less than the price of one dress at a fancy boutique..
and started to realize.. like, if you purchase a larger size dress.. that's more fabric, but for the same price as a smaller size dress..
and then, i found my way back to macy's -went straight to the rack where my favorite dress was.. grabbed the largest size... paid for it.. and practically skipped my way back to our car in the parking lot.
inquired with lesa.. noting this was a time-sensitive request, because we wanted to wear our outfits on new years eve.. would she have the time & availability
and, lesa, when she did my wedding dress.. [LOVE!], my added sleeves were attached to the dress itself..
but i explained for this one, .... i'm gonna be on the dance floor.. i need full range of motion..
i did not want the sleeves attached... restricting my movements in any way /showed her a few of my dance moves..
and when it came to the way i wanted my sleeves to look, i brought this top over.. i love this top, love this fabric, and this is my favorite sleeve! -length and style:
and we talked about velcro as a way to keep the sleeves -up- to keep them in place..
now.. when i got to go back and pick up the sleeves she made.. and the matching tie! i could not have been more pleased..
and on my initial try-on, dress rehearsal at home.. the sleeves stayed put. but they did not want to stay put on new years eve. on new years eve, we secured the velcro, and i added the use of double-sided fabric tape, but they just would not stay up..
to dance freely and not worry about it, i just left my sleeves at our table
but, my mom and i, we've been talking about how maybe some elastic string might help..
and i love the look and feel enough, that i am very willing to experiment, with the goal of wearing this again, but being able to keep my sleeves on..
while i dance another night away with my sexy husband.
"thank you!" here to magic of macys, lesa, the designer of the dress..
now, i do want to share my -if i could customize and make this dress look even better; my dream would be this.. double-sided fabric. see how the sleeve reveals the plain white.. as you move, dance around.. well, if that was the gorgeous fabric, inside & out.. on the scallop of the sleeve A+++
****
and i light-heartedly joke about math now and then..
but, i can do the math: magic of macys + dress + my imagination + 1 more dress + lesa ='s
****
i think it is VERY COMMON that when we shop, we love something.. but, just want to tweak it somehow..
i learn too, from my friend & neighbor, fancy nancy.. she can layer, so creatively and colorfully! i will admire a dress she is wearing, an outfit.. and learn she added an applique.. painted something.. embellished... if anyone should have their own fashion blog.. or magazine.. it's her, i promise you. and since i'm blogging on the topic of fashion this year.. i know in advance i'll be sharing pix of her amazing fashions and style.
#fashion
#macys
this is all a "thank you!" prayer..
hallelujah & amen
"ENCORE! ENCORE! ENTOURAGE @ Meritage Resort in Napa... Very Happy New Year
"ENCORE! ENCORE! ENTOURAGE"
"Thank You! Wilson's & Entourage & Meritage
for an EXCEPTIONAL New Years Eve Dance Party Experience!"
and how we LOVE our family & friends!
you all looked amazing.. in your party clothes AND on the dance floor..
entourage live! -can't help but get your groove on..
all night long
so grateful for this experience, and these memories! Hallelujah! Amen!
"THRIVE IN 25!"
#entouragetheband #napa
******
does this make us groupies? WE LOVE ENTOURAGE!
michael jackson -verbatim
k, i re-watched this documentary -play, pause, stop, rewind, write, repeat, with the goal of capturing michael jackson's own words verbatim:
"well, the song writing process is something that's very difficult to explain
because it's very spiritual
it's uh, really
just in the hands of God
and it's as if it's been written already
that's the real truth
as if it's been written in its entirety before you were born
and you're just really the source to which the songs come
really, because,
they just fall write into your lap
in its entirety
you don't have to do much, uh, thinking about it
and i feel guilty having to put my name sometimes on the songs, that i
i do write them, i compose them, i write them, i, i do the scoring, i do the lyrics, i do the melody
but still,
it's uh,
it's a work of God."
****
and i am just personally curious.. having similar experiences as a writer and poet..
and this being 2025, advanced in so many technological ways..
are we any closer to fully understanding the experience mentioned above?
***
selah! hallelujah & amen.
speaking of michael jackson...
i watched, or rather listened to, another documentary about... and want to go back, and capture verbatim what he shared:
about how, -how, some of the songs he wrote.. that came out in full form.. how, he couldn't explain it, outside of it just being God..
God gifting him the lyrics.. he was just a vessel.. taking dictation..
*****
so many writers know that experience.. song writers, fiction writers, non fiction writers, playwrights, poets..
we 'receive'
we do not, ourselves, generate..
****
and it is, as michael jackson says in the documentary, 'a very spiritual experience.'
****
selah! hallelujah & amen
warby parker does, that's who... by (me!) sandra, topps, writeousmom
crazy blessed, way fun, ultra wonderful new years eve.. and that post, and those pictures will be ready soon,
for now,
return with me to santana row.. gorgeous landscaping, all decked for the holidays, a joy just to walk around..
but i did have some money from a Christmas gift to spend.. and, i had given away the sunglasses i'd been wearing for some time, and was in the market for a new pair
stopped first at the sunglass hut, i think its called.. and fell first for a pair that had a price tag of $300 something -art of immediate detachment. next, for a pair that had approx $150 price tag... art of less immediate detachment, but detachment still..
left the store, continued my stroll..
felt pulled inside warby parker... "books!" and i did find a cute pair of sunglasses, just under $100 (before tax..)
but a STRONG CH! [Cerebral Hyperlink] and i started just talking to anyone who was willing to listen, while simultaneously taking pictures
"i'm a writer.. a poet.. one time i asked... who organizes their books by size and color?!? but look.. you guys do.. and it looks beautiful! like, i might have to eat my words, -again.."
and i just shared my 2025 instructions, if you will.. i don't remember order, but i do 'receive' like a message to go by.. different messages, for different seasons..
i remember 'let that be enough' or something like that.. for one season.. and i remember applying it, when we went to vegas and saw ONE, the Michael Jackson show.. [best ever! encore! encore!]
but anyway.. then you see the gift store.. and find yourself, or least, i find myself, wanting a t-shirt, a decor piece.. souvenirs galore from this magnificent experience.. but, 'let the show.. seeing the show, let that be enough'
and as a result i left with only a couple pens that said ONE on them..
but the newest message is this: eating my words. in short, now that i'm just shy of 59 years old, i have that many decades worth of personal thoughts, ideas, opinions, philosophies, mantras...
that, with the advantage of time and life experience, observation and experiments, -well,
i've had opportunity to change my mind, change my heart AND mind, in some cases.. and i find i no longer have the exact same thoughts, ideas, opinions, philosophies, mantras as i did at age 30, or 40, or even early 50's..
so.. working on a poem for that too: about how glad i am that the words i have been, and will be eating.. they were pretty nutritious in the first place..
but back to warby parker... and my very STRONG CH from the archives
TABLE TOP PIANO, by sandra, ttgp
in the rich house i saw a piano
a piano not once played
used only as a table top
where pictures are displayed ~in suede or leather frames
in the poor house lived a young boy
longing fingers; much to say
songs to compose, music to share
but no piano 'round to play ~and for lessons, couldn't pay
in the rich house i saw a swimming pool
sparkling water still and blue
so beautiful to look at
which is all that you're to do ~ "look at that beautiful swimming pool!"
on the poor house lawn were children
running through the sprinklers
oh how they would love to splash
and swim, and plug their noses and dive to the bottom of the pool to find pennies, and pretend that they are mermaids, or sharks, and cannon-ball off the side of the pool, and get yelled at like this... "walk. don't run! the cement is slippery, i don't want you to get hurt now" and dry off on a great big fluffly towel under the sun with snacks and drinks nearby... then jump back in whenever they wanted
oh how they would love to splash ~ and swim the day away; with friends.
at the rich house i saw four cars
but three were never driven
three unused cars for just in case
now, that's some kind of livin'!
at the poor house, shoes and passes
for walks to bus or train
yellow plastic coats and boots
umbrellas for the rain ~ "$3.52 a gallon!" don't hear them complain.
in the rich house i saw lots of books
with matching leather covers
alphabetized and organized
-not by an author lover!- ~ who reads by size or color?!
in the poor house, dated magazines
a library book or two
hungry minds, big appetites
for stories that are new ~books owned and loved; not due.
in the rich house, cleaned by maidens
many objects to observe
crystal designs so shiny they blind!
shout, "see what i have earned!" ~ see in college what i learned!
in the poor house, small but tidy
family pictures line the hall
in wal-mart frames, big smiles remain
shout, "i love you one and all!" ~ keep your chin up and walk tall
in the rich house, pride and prejudice
aversion to the weak
mistaken thought, that what they've got
is what every person seeks ~ but this is mine for keeps! i earned it!
in the poor house, hopes and wishes
for a better life with more
piano's, pools, books and transporation
a better life with more
~just one car, not four
~their very own musical score!
~to swim with friends galore
~own books bought from a store!
a better life, a better life, a better life with more.
and i wish you all a better life
a better life with more
to everyone who's hurting
knocking softly on hopes door
and i wish sometimes that i
-me- that i could even out the score
and give to the poor thought rich
the wealth of the rich but poor
so that everyone, poor or rich
everyone rich or poor
can manifest, become your best
~know a better life with more.
by sandra, the traveling gypsy poet. final touches, may 24th, 2006. spell check edits...that's wal-mart, not wallmart and who's, not whose... by favorite blogger friend, len stegmann.thank you.#warbyparker
giggle fits & fashion by (me!) sandra mickanen, topps, writeousmom
"thank you lesa!"
CH = before i had my 2nd pair of the same jean converted into a skirt.. how fun it was.. 1) to laugh so hard in the company of my sister & daughter, that i peed my pants; for real..
and neither my sister or daughter knew.. i had a back up pair of the exact same jean,
so, the same look, the same expression a young person might demonstrate when they watch, for the first time, a magician pull a rabbit from a hat; or cut a woman in half, and then reveal her whole again..
that was the look i saw on their faces.. my sister and daughter;
when i left the room, having visibly wet my pants from laughing so hard..
but then returned to the room, quickly.. and had a brand new, dry, pair of the exact same pants on.
-great thing to have locked in my memory.. and i don't remember our conversation.. what it was specifically that got me to laughing uncontrollably /but now we know, the uncontrollably, refers to my bladder.. write.
****
anyway.. that's how i've been shopping for years: when i do find something i like, that fits well, on my body, and for the occasion.. i like to get it in a few different colors. -in this case, with the jeans, i just like them so well, i bought 2 of the exact same..
when i started to see jean skirts coming back in fashion.. so instantaneously, i knew i wanted to ask lesa if she could convert -one- of my jeans into a skirt..
and i am so utterly, completely, delighted with the result! wear them both very often.. the jeans, and the skirt..
it is my experience almost every time i go shopping.. trying things on.. love the fabric; but not the way the design looks on me.. love the design, find it flattering; don't care for the fabric..
love the fabric, but... if i could just.. tweak this, add that..
it's only pretty recently that i've come to know lesa, and learned all she can do.. and at a reasonable price.
and price is another huge factor for me.
i.e., i had cause to be at santana row yesterday, passed a vest in a window that caught my attention.. i walked past it, then doubled back to the store to, i don't know.. try it on..
but before i tried it on; i inquired about the price
this particular, darling vest, at a boutique on santana row... over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!
now, i knew i didn't even want to try it on. period. -art of immediate detachment..
another reason i love the magic of macys! i might not find the identical vest.. but i can find a darling, fashionable vest.. and it's gonna be $60. Sixty dollars..
Macy's is also in my financial lane, so to speak..
and the other thing I LOVE about MACYS.. -in many of these high end boutiques.. they are rather, age-specific,
one boutique might have wonderful items for 40-something year olds.. but a different boutique for baby clothes, and a different boutique, if you are shopping for a teenager.. different for males & females, sometimes too.. and different for product; this boutique for shoes; this boutique for sunglasses..
but MACYS! i can enter the one store, at valley fair, for example, and shop for my grandson, niece, daughter, sister, mom, aunt.. dad, brother, son, uncle, etc. i can shop for socks, shoes, jewelry, dresses, lamps, candles.. sunglasses
no, wait.. they do separate women, and then a different location at same mall, for mens & home.
anyway, point being: they are my genuine and true, one-stop-shop. casual occasion, fancy/formal occasion.. active wear.. the variety and spectrum and price points are impressive!
i do have one... like, one macy thing that doesnt sit write with me, you know what i mean? and it is this: TOYS R US, -the real, authentic, TOYS R US stores from when i, and my children, were still children.. they were MASSIVE, MAGICAL, AWESOME, AMAZING! Imagine a Costco, but all toys! and i was saddened when they shut down.. i didn't cry over it, but i was sad.. sentimental.. grateful they existed when they did, and glad that i, and my children, had that experience..
but then, fast-forward, how much time, not sure, but: Macy's brought TOYS R US back..!
that's what the articles said.. with pictures of geoffrey the giraffe.. and i was so grateful to Macy's really..
until i saw... inside an actual macy's store.. a pathetic few square feet dedicated to childrens toys on eye-level shelves, but with a bench in the area that had geoffrey the giraffe on it, for kids to take pictures with..
and i did see, when i was standing in line at the register.. i looked over and saw, what i'm guessing was a 4 year old, sitting on the bench next to geoffrey, having his picture taken.. smiling..
but inside my heart, mind, i was like.. what a joke. -that's not the real geoffrey.. and this is NOTHING LIKE TOYS R US.. they're lying to you kid...
and i could go on, but you get the point.. i keep looking for an analogy.. and i think,
yes, if you compare a little train ride offered at a park, to Disneyland..
that's a fair capture of the difference between toys-r'nt-us at macys, and TOYS R US, the original, stand alone toy store
Macy's should call their toy section by an entirely different name.
***
where was i? oh, yes.. so, Magic of Macy's.. love their selection.. appreciate their prices..
and now that i also have a friend, lesa, that i can share my alteration and embellishment visions with, who can make them come true..
shopping is even more fun!
which is exactly what i'm about to do today, with my mom and daughter..
***
hallelujah! selah! & amen!
#macys #fashion
3 major northern california milestones for (me!) sandra
-just felt pretty cool to me, personally.. that when we recently visited santa cruz beach boardwalk.. that, if i put the pix together, i have personally 'been there did that' for 3 major northern california milestones, and i like that they are 50, 75, then 100 year milestones.
50th, for san francisco golden gate bridge [terrifying experience, blog post in here somewhere..]
75th, for alcatraz, [excellent experience!, and also 1st time the island allowed an art installation, which was by ai weiwei.. adding to the extra special cool factor]
100th, for the giant dipper at santa cruz beach boardwalk.. [way fun! rode twice...].
****
makes me wonder if i was ever at the 25th milestone celebration of anywhere major... -for the sake of patterns, -write.
i love celebrations.
selah!
*****
wait a minute.. there is a 25...
i was not at the show, but i was alive for this monumental occasion, and did watch it on tv.. and
went crazy, like everyone did, for michael jackson's phenomenal, exciting, inspiring performance.
#vellumdays -in progress..
JOY to the World... & Merry Christmas!
"Thank You Nate Bargatze!"
i LOVE youtube! (me!) sandra, topps, writeousmom
for so many different reasons, i struggle to organize and begin..
will jump in here: my writing to date will indicate, show, i have the desire, and will take the time to individually, privately & publicly, say "thank you!" to people i am grateful to; and for..
where this does not take place, is all the people.. MANY, MANY PEOPLE, on youtube, who have helped me accomplish this or that..
from putting in (assembly very much required); the 2nd ice-maker on our new refrigerator
to un-doing the -all-the-sudden-how-did-it-even-happen? switch on our jeeps odometer; which was miles, by default.. but, -WTH- was suddenly, unexpectedly, kilometers, or some other totally unfamiliar measurement system when we got in to drive for an errand one day.. both us, were like, "i didn't change it.. did you change it?" -we still don't know how it changed.. just that it did, and we wanted to put it back to miles.. to look through the instructions book, and try to match our vocabulary with theirs.. search the index... etc., -forget it. but, hop on youtube.com, speak in your native tongue.. "how do we get our odometer for our jeep back to miles?"
and, you can choose from a variety of very kind people, who will "SHOW! & tell" how to fix it.
this is also, a dream come true! a million answered prayers..
the community of youtube how-to people reminds me, reminds us, of everything that is write with the world! -now, we share here: shortest video is usually gonna win.. we just want to solve the problem.. so, "thank you!" for cutting to the chase. you are an enormous blessing!
and, when i recently hand-created the state flower for every state in the USA.. for our yard art; i did know i wanted to paint foil as my medium for the sculpting itself; but i had no idea, for many of the flowers, like, how to create them; capture the look.. the shape
"thank you!" again, because i could type in, beginner, how to create a blue bonnet.. /and, i could usually find an example, using paper, not foil, but i could get the essence of what i needed to do..
i did not take the time to write down each persons name, document which video i clicked on and learned from..
-by the way! i accidentally came across a 'history of my youtube visits' -so, it is documented somewhere.. but, i wanted to devote my energy to the creative project at hand, and not to writing a review or personal "thank you!" to each and every person.. let this be it! "thank you!"
i love youtube for its democracy! -that is, for a large part of my life, tv & paper journalist were the gatekeepers, if you will.. if it wasnt there.. it wasnt at all. youtube gave the everyday person a platform.. gave direct access to celebrities; not celebrities' through the filter of.. not politicians 'through the filter of..." -direct access..
and, same for singers/song writers, actors, creators of so many types.. post it; yourself.
love it, love it, love youtube for family videos! a place family, from geographically separated places, can go and visit at will to enjoy & re-enjoy favorite family videos..
i love it, for its cloud. -so, even if your original home pictures/videos are destroyed; lost; damaged; they can still be accessed.
i love it -and [prisoner of hope] will have more of our family videos, edited, transferred, format-fixed.. and uploaded to..
we do not have youtube TV.. but we hear great things about..
and, -the baby conversation videos, pet videos.. capturing the most engaging, entertaining, precious, sweet, touching, hilarious moments in people's lives..
again, reminds me, reminds us.. of everything that's going write in the world..
"thank you!" we love & appreciate you! everyone who contributes to the platform; everyone contributing to the valuable content on the platform..
hallelujah! selah! & amen!
#youtube #gratitude #love
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