We have had the worst spring, ever. It has been cold, wet and rainy. Hardly any sunshine and warm days. We might have had one day that hit 70 degrees since April. Today is Sunday and it rained all day yesterday and this morning, at 7am, it is grey damp and gloomy outside. Everyone keeps waiting for summer to start but it feels like October. Still wearing sweaters and warm jackets. Wishing I could escape to Arizona or Hawaii for some dry heat.

I ordered the dresses that I have pictured below. I have some money saved up for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale my friend from work and I go to every July to buy clothes for work. And, I got some gift cards to Nordstrom for my birthday a few weeks ago. I watched a whole bunch of Ambush Makeover videos online at the Today show's website recently. You know, it's the segment with Kathy Lee and Hoda where two women are picked from the crowd outside for makeovers. I am a sucker for a makeover...I love how a woman can be turned from either scruffy or dated (or both) into modern and youthful and beautiful. Hair, makeup, and dress makes a huge difference. So much of the time, I think women just don't know what to do to make themselves look pretty and then feel more confident. And it takes time and work and energy to do that. I noticed that Kathy Lee and Hoda wear dresses pretty much all the time on the show, and many times they put the makeover ladies into dresses too, no matter what shape or size. I had only a few dresses, as I tend to wear pants and jackets and a few skirts to work. But the ease of a nice looking dress and its simplicity attracted me, so I went online to the Nordstrom site and found the ones pictured. I ordered them all (some were on sale) knowing I wasn't going to keep them all, but I wanted to try them on and maybe keep half. Although, I didn't get the navy blue one pictured. One of them, the black bottom with the printed black and blush patterned top, doesn't fit at all. The black bottom one with the champagne top and flower fits but is snug and the champagne color on top washes me out. I did like the style of that dress though, just not for me. The other ones, purple and orchid and fushia and kind of a sangria color, look good and the colors are flattering to me....the purple one is more form-fitting than the other two, and shows off my menopausal tummy more than I would like, but I got one of those smoothie/flexie garment shapers to pull everything in and that helps (hey, the tag said look 10 lbs slimmer instantly and it does really help, and it's not uncomfortable either!). I remember the days when I had a super flat stomach. Many days and years ago. With hitting the mid 40's/early 50's, suddenly an intertube has inflated around my waistline and tummy to my huge annoyance....but I realized that I have to get annoyed enough to do something about it (i.e., put the cookies and the chips down and do some crunches and exercise more!). But I digress.

Anyway, two dresses are going back. I am keeping four. I plan to wear them to work and to church and out to dinner etc, weddings, etc. When I put them on, I feel rather lady-like and like I've been ambushed-madeover...once I do my hair nice and make up, etc....although I need to now find some nude or beige low-heeled shoes to go with them. I have black, which will work with the purple and I guess would work with all of them, but beige for summer would be nice. I have some beige/gold dressy sandals that will work, but I'd like to find a pump for work. I have a $25 gift card for T.J. Maxx and I am hoping to find some shoes there. I am firm about not charging anything so it has to be cash or gift cards. I can't wear anything too high though, which is unfortunate but my left foot and hips won't take it. Kathy Lee and Hoda wear probably 2 to 3 inch heels, I need about 1 inch. A couple of the dresses have lower back lines, so I will need to wear a jacket or sweater over them for work. But I definitely feel a different vibe putting a nice dress on, I feel a little more elegant and like a lady. I tend to be lazy some days and just reach for my black pants and a top, so I am hoping these pretty dresses will inspire me to get out of my rut. Even if our spring weather is cold and wet and lousy so far, these are pretty cheery-colored dresses and I can wear them all into the fall too with jackets and tights.

I love the Ambush Makeovers. I could watch them all day and they really inspire me! One thing I notice too, is that they often put the ladies in a nice dress or skirt and jacket and then either one big cool pair of earrings or one big statement necklace, which really looks modern...but not both together.

Some other thoughts on this rather grey and gloomy weekend, right before the official first day of summer.....I watched a movie yesterday on tv called "Passengers" with Anne Hathaway from 2008. It was really good, suspenseful, and threw me for a loop on the ending....I even watched it again later int the day when they repeated it in order to catch some clues from the beginning...I thought it was a good movie. I tried to get Tim to watch it with me the second time, but he was watching the Transformers movie for probably the 5th time so he missed out! We went out for pizza at lunch, and that was our main meal of the day, brought some back for leftovers for dinner. Today is Father's Day. I sent my dad a card, and my stepdad a card. I got Tim a few tee shirts from the dogs.

Listening to a lot of Del Amitri and Justin Currie these past few days. The songs fit with the weather mood.