Wearing lately

Since I can't seem to put together a complete blog post highlighting an outfit here are some iphone shots of things I've been wearing lately!

Leather skirt, booties and stripes

Stripes and statement necklace

Patagonia vest and plaid shirt

Coated Denim Moto jacket and graphic Tee

Earnest Sewn Jeans, cool ripped knee and a gingham shirt with quilted jacket

All of these items were thrifted except the Coated Moto jacket from the LOFT!

A little party

It all started with me trying to get tickets for my husband to see his favorite band. The Marshall Tucker Band in November 2013. 

The story at Syracuse.com MTB

Doug Gray and Marcus James Henderson of the Marshall Tucker band.

Now they are coming back to celebrate with me...how amazing!

All things pink

This past weekend was an all breast cancer awareness weekend for me, so I spent the days in pink T shirts and athletic wear. Saturday, my daughters' youth soccer program held a "Pink-out" for breast cancer and on Sunday I ran a 5 K to support a fund for breast cancer research.

Some highlights:

"Team Christine"

Click here for the run I sponsored and watch on You-tube a video clip from a story posted on the CMB Breast Cancer Research fund main website.

"Christine and Kelly"

"Grace and Lexi"

Soccer "Pink Out"

You can watch a story about the day with highlights from the Soccer "Pink Out"

Mellow yellow

Poor quality ipad shots here, sorry!

This is an outfit I wore to get my monthly infusion of bisphosphonates for improving bone strength due to the metastasis of the cancer.

 I want to mostly remark that in this outfit I felt really put together and classy, if I can use that word...

And I really have to thank my best friend Annette for passing on to me a bunch of awesome clothes, I love wearing all of them!!

Lucky and blessed to have such nice hand-me-downs!

Sweater: Loft-hand me down
T shirt: Loft-hand me down
Skirt: Gap-hand me down
Shoes: Loft-gift

Sweet Shorts

Thanks to all of my readers for your continuing kind words, thoughts and prayers as I move through the next phase of my breast cancer treatment. It has been six weeks since my final chemotherapy and I've started radiation therapy. I am doing seven weeks of external beam radiation on my left axial, breast region and sternum. It is an everyday treatment and I am 11 sessions in...a third of the way done! I'm busy but, I have taken outfit photos and I need to get back into the routine of posting my outfits. So here it goes...

I hesitantly thrifted this pair of lace shorts, I really loved them but was concerned about pulling them off at my age.

 I was pleasantly surprised with these pictures, I actually really like them.

And I think they look age appropriate on me with the simple styling and loose fit. What do you think? I know I'm not forever 21....

Shorts: Fovever 21-thrifted

Sweater: Gap-hand me down (thanks Annette!)

Sandals: Target

Count down to eight and done!

Friday marked my 8th treatment of chemotherapy, which began with 4 biweekly, dose dense infusions of the drug Adriamycin/Cytoxan and followed with 4 biweekly dense doses of Taxol. Friday was my final and fourth taxol. So, for now, I'm done and I get a three to four week break for my body to rest and repair. Then in the final week of July, I begin a five day a week treatment of radiation therapy for a total of seven weeks.

And to mark the occasion my husband took some outfit photos of me at the ROC.

Starting at the bottom I will showcase these brand new booties I scored at Salvation Army for $2.49! I have had a similar pair in my shopping cart at various online merchants and on my Amazon wish list since the fall.  They are synthetic suede, decent quality and Arizona brand which to the best of my knowledge is sold at J C Penney. I love the style.

Since fall and winter are long gone, I had to figure out a way to style the booties for spring and summer. Here you go....

I wore them with a casual jean skirt and a newly thrifted top with a tribal theme and lace back (whoa, maybe too many trends in one shirt?). I liked the ease of the blouse and it was different than many items I own.

I preferred a tuck on the blouse but pulled it out to show off the lace detail.

I remember in March when I began my dose dense treatments of chemotherapy. I thought, I'll be doing this all the way to the end of June. At the time it really seemed over whelming. Then I thought about the total number of infusions I would have, eight, and I thought, I can do this. I held up my fingers to myself and counted 1 through 8, and then backwards 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. One treatment at a time, one day at a time. Living. Praying. Trusting. Hoping. So for now I am done but, I still have to fight through a week to ten days of feeling bad and not so great side effects but, I'm done! I DID IT!!!
In the next week I will be doing several bone and body scans to see how the cancer retreated in the face of the chemotherapy and then I rest and begin another fight with radiation. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Skirt: David Kahn-local boutique
Shirt: Nordstroms-thrifted
Booties: Arizona-thrifted

Pink and Green

I've worn this color combination before and I really like it so, I am doing it again! (Please excuse the bathroom "selfies".I was alone for my chemotherapy and I wanted to document the outfit!)

The combination of pink and green, to my eye, is so fresh and spring like. And a chambray shirt is always a good choice in my opinion! It is a special shirt, too. A J.Crew chambray popover via a thrift. Compliments to my friend, Jennifer, for finding and gifting it to me. She knows what this girl likes!!!

These shoes were another amazing find, $1 at the end of the semester Worn Again sale...brand new BCBG,  T strap heels with a cool aged copper metallic look with gold accents.

And a cool statement necklace to finish it all off!

Jacket: thrifted
Pants: Target
Shirt: J.Crew-thrifted
Shoes: BCBG-thrifted
Necklace & Belt:Target

Casual midi

Currently, I am really liking the look of a baseball T. I amped this one up with a big necklace and kept the rest of the look very casual.

I find midi skirts to be a tricky length but I think it came together with the converse as understated as my statement necklace is overstated with my T shirt.

Maybe next time I'll rock this skirt with heels!

Shirt: VS-thrifted

Jacket: AE-old

Shoes: Converse-thrifted

Skirt: Requirements-thrifted (the tag says made in the USA and it looks like this may be from the late 1980's or early 1990's)

Black and White

A simple black and white outfit but, right on trend for spring!

I wore this with a short sleeve tweedy jacket and a lady-like bag.

Now, looking back, I prefer the way it looks with just the silk blouse and linen pants.

The pants are a little slouchier than I intended, they've been in my closet a while and I'm 5 pounds down in my weight which is visible here.

Angled pictures and cool studded ankle strap heels. Just the edge I needed.

Blouse: Banana Republic (100% silk)-thrifted
Pants: Michael Kors-old (2005)
Bag: Aldo-thrifted
Jacket: hand-me-down from MIL
Heels: Target

Feeling okay after last Friday's chemotherapy slight nausea and the associated aches and pains with the Taxol treatment drug and Neulasta bone marrow stimulant. Thank you for all of your continued support and prayers.

Just your basic neutral: stripes and florals

Who would have known a few years ago that stripes worn with floral patterns would become so main stream?

What I did revive from the 90's grunge and is on trend now is the shirt tied around the waist...really not intentional.

Do the sunglasses hide the fact that I'm bald?

Pretty bracelets and watch are a nice touch I often over look.

Waiting for my seventh chemotherapy treatment today, my third with the second drug, taxol. If all goes well I will finish up at the end of June. Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers and support. It puts such a smile on my face reading your comments. You lift me up and make me want to keep on going with grace and style.

Shirt: J.Crew-thrifted

Skirt: Criss cross-thrifted

Denim shirt: Old Navy-thrifted

Watch: Michael Kors

Bracelets: Target

Brown and Black Polka Dots

I mixed in a little brown with this all black outfit.

The studded sandals, belt and leather jacket were meant to take this basic dress up a notch.

But, all-in-all, my best accessory was my Grace!

Dress: Old
Jacket: thrifted
Sandals: Target
Belt: thrifted

Blush

These blush colored jeans popped my way for $2 the last time I went thrifting (thanks for spotting them Emily) and I've worn them about three times in the past week!

Here I paired them with my go to shirt, the button up. And I really like the way they pair with this green fatigue jacket. 

Probably the best thrift of the outfit are these Sebago docksiders.  I've been patiently looking and waiting for a pair of "boat" or "deck" shoes for the past year or more and I finally found a pair that were the quality I wanted and are like new and my size!

Pants: Mossimo-thrifted
Shirt: Lands End
Jacket: thrifted
Shoes: Sebago-thrifted
Watch: Michael Kors

Much gratitude and thanks to you all for your love, comments, prayers and continued support. 

Wig-ed Out

I thought it might be fun to document here what I look like with my wig on. 

 I have to admit, I haven't used it in public!

I feel funny like someone will think "who's she trying to fool, that's not her real hair, hee hee". But, in some ways it is a little comforting to see myself with hair again!

Look, I've felt well enough this week to work in my gardens and the weeds are gone and the mulch looks fresh. Stay tuned for the peonies and iris blooms!

Jeans: Vigoss-thrifted
Jacket: Old Navy-thrifted
Shirt: thrifted
Shoes: Target

All Bald-win

I ditched the scarf and tossed the wig, in a major step for me I appeared in public, bald! I had a gala event to attend from the generosity of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I borrowed a dress, on such short notice of the event I had no time to thrift something amazing and wore this classic black taffeta number with silver embroidery. None of my scarves felt right so I decided to embrace the event and wear my natural self for all to see.

Some of you may be familiar with the Carol M. Baldwin BCR Fund of CNY, for others, I'll give a bit of background. In the late 1980's Carol, mother to Alec, Daniel, William, Stephen, Beth and Jane, developed breast cancer and as a result of her experiences dedicated the rest of her life to helping raise money to support research to find a cure. The "Night to Remember Gala" is the event where they raise funds, thank sponsors and name research grants to Upstate University Hospital (my treatment center) in memory of courageous women who have personally fought against breast cancer. 

My husband and I

My husband got a call on Wednesday from Beth Baldwin-Keuchler saying she had two complementary tickets to the event and would like to surprise me; would we like to go? Yes, you bet! So it was a fun night with silent auctions, dinner, drinks (not me) and a band with dancing. There were about 850 people in attendance and I met Carol Baldwin herself, granddaughter Jackie Baldwin-Keuchler, who runs the daily work of the foundation and Daniel Baldwin as master of ceremonies as well as many other great people. I heard some amazing stories and sat at a dinner table with the radiologist that preform my initial breast biopsy, a local news anchor and a Colgate alum! I had a great evening out with my husband and also felt quite well one day after my chemotherapy treatment. With all this talk at home of baldwins and baldness, my daughter now thinks I should change my name to Bald-win because I'm bald....haha!

With Jackie

With Daniel

Dress: borrowed
Jacket: Cold Water Creek-thrifted
Necklace and Earring: Gifts from my husband