It’s been quite awhile since I last published a fashion post or said anything about my health on here, so I today I thought I’d tell you how I dressed intentionally for two medical appointments earlier this week. I did, of course, want to look well put together for a trip to the city, but there were many other factors to consider as I reached into my closet that morning.
The first appointment was for an ultrasound on my left ankle to take a look at a growth that I noticed recently. It’s likely another schwannoma (benign nerve sheath tumour) like the one behind my left knee, but we need to know for sure that it isn’t something more worrisome. Since spring is finally here and the forecast called for a warm day, it made sense to wear sandals and pants that easily exposed my ankle for the test. Also, capri pants are back in style for 2026 which makes me very happy!
When we arrived at the Cross Cancer Institute for my second appointment, a routine CT scan to check on my neuroendocrine cancer, I had hubby snap a few quick photos for this post.
When I dress for these CT scans, there are many things that I take into consideration. First, there can be absolutely no metal on anything that I wear into the scanner. I have very few pairs of pants that don’t have metal on them somewhere… zippers, buttons, snaps, or grommets. I usually have to change into a pair of baggy hospital pj pants for my scans, but this particular pair of stretchy capris are completely metal-free. They were a win for both appointments!
The animal print t-shirt ticked several important boxes. Like the pants, it has no metal bits or pieces. I do wear an underwire bra though, so that has to come off. I could don a hospital gown, but I much prefer to wear my own top. In order to do that, I want it to be loose enough and made of dense enough fabric that the unfettered girls aren’t too obvious when I’m sitting in the waiting room. Also, I have to have an IV placed in the crook of my arm to deliver the contrast dye during my scan, so a cap-sleeved top like this one works well for that. This time, I also wanted to wear a top with a high neckline to cover two fairly large moles on my collarbone area that were burned with liquid nitrogen a week earlier as they were still looking pretty nasty.
The jean jacket was simply a topper to complete the outfit. It came off for the scan, of course.
Although I like my outfits to meet all five of my style adjectives… classy, casual, comfortable, confident, and authentic… the primary thought behind this one was practicality. It warmed my heart, however, when the receptionist at the first clinic told me that I looked elegant! Her compliment reminded me how easy it is to make a positive difference in someone’s day. She went on to comment specifically on my blue and silver earrings and brooch. If you look closely, you can see part of one of the earrings in this photo.
With the exception of my sandals, and earrings (and of course, my undergarments), this outfit was entirely thrifted. The brooch, which elevates the jean jacket from ordinary to eye-catching, cost me a whopping 25¢ several years ago!
Winter’s arrival is later than usual this year. We haven’t seen a snowflake yet which is highly unusual, but the weather forecast tells us they’re coming soon. I’m definitely not a fan of the season as it’s always way too long and too cold here on the Canadian prairie, but one thing that I do look forward to every year is wearing boots. 
For the past seven years, I have kept a list of all my fashion purchases including clothing, accessories, and footwear. Initially, I had three goals in mind. I was interested in finding out more about my spending habits, I wanted to be more intentional about wardrobe development, and I wanted to work on becoming a more ethical shopper. At the end of each year I’ve published a fashion shopping review analyzing my purchases and setting some goals for the next year. What I’ve found is that over those years, my shopping habits have changed significantly.
One of the things that I enjoy about blogging with WordPress is the stats that they show me. While I can’t actually see who you are, at any given time I can see how many people have visited the blog on a particular day, week, month, or year as well as how many posts they’ve read and where the readers are from. It’s always fun to see different countries around the world light up on the little map on the stats page!
I didn’t do a post about what I packed for our recent trip to Mexico, but regardless of where you’re going or for how long, the key to packing successfully is to choose pieces that coordinate well with one another so that they can be combined in different ways. One easy way to do that is to choose a limited colour palette. For our recent trip, I chose mainly blues and neutrals.
Following Augustine 