Post Operative

Much as I love my Everlast leggings and long sleeved tee, it was time to get out of bed, wash my hair and put on some proper clothes.

 I suppose an update is in order, as you've all been so kind and supportive over this bloody tooth surgery. Aside from the extreme vertigo, I was managing-then, I wasn't. Around the fourth day post-surgery I developed what is probably a dry socket (I'll see the dentist this week to have that confirmed). As I'm having such terrible vertigo, I can't take anything narcotic for the pain which means trying to manage with Diclofenac and Acetaminophen. Fun times. I'll survive of course, but I'm not going to attempt being cheerful about it. It almost feels like the bone and nerve in my jaw is exposed...because it is. I can't drive anywhere, but attended by my two trusty companions I can hobble about a bit. Distraction helps.

It was raining/misting when we took these photos. Moments after, I noticed Mr. ETB had left the window down in the car. It rained all last evening. Yeah. On the positive side, we can now take the car for detailing as a necessity. It really did need a good cleaning out anyway.

Minimalist makeup as it still hurts to apply foundation. We went for a short ride. In the wet car. In the rain. I sat on towels. At least I was out of the house.

 I had my first opportunity to use this gorgeous vintage straw band with a leather lining and magnetic closure. We were only out for an hour, and I never got out of the car, but hey-I still "wore"it.

Outfit Particulars:
1970's sleeveless nylon dress (nightie?)-Thrift World
Talbot's silk jacket-Can't remember
Ralph Lauren shoes-Goodwill
Vintage purse-Hand-Me-Ups
Necklace-Sequels
Real and faux bamboo bracelets-Goodwill and Thrift World
Earrings-Target
Large Monet brooch-Goodwill
Lippy-Oh gosh, this is embarrassing. I bought a set of lip crayons at Walgreens because the packaging was shaped like bunnies. Pathetic, I know. They're very strawberry scented too...because they were probably intended for six year olds playing dress-up. Yeah, I'll get pictures of the tubes when I remember.

I already forgot what day that was (it is all a blur now).

At some point, the weather turned quite cold. I bought this faux fur thinking I wouldn't get to wear it until next year. Ha!

Didn't think I'd be needing boots either. That's a scowl-not just my messed-up face.

I'm not really a jersey dress sort of woman, but this one is a clear exception. I had to pin the front to keep it decent, but everything else about this dress is perfect. The print is somewhere between a pheasant and a flicker.

That's a flicker. They're woodpeckers. 

Outfit Particulars:

Calvin Klein dress-Thrift World

Boots-Hand-Me-Ups

Vintage bag-Goodwill

Vintage faux fur-Goodwill

Carved Bakelite and metal earrings-Hand-Me-Ups

Brooch on dress-Can't remember

Fragrance-Balenciaga

Sigh. I promise at some point this will be over and I can go on to talking about more interesting things.

Check out the lovely garden behind me in the photo. That's our neighbours who decided to join-in planting out vegetables in front of the house. They won't need to water the plants this week. They will, however need to cover them tonight as we have a frost warning. Let that sink in. A frost warning for 1 May. Sigh.

I'm going to leave this on a happy note-my boots and bag match! How bad can things be? 

Have a Happy May Day. 

Sunshine Superman

I put this post together last week, along with a few others. I don't anticipate getting dressed for a bit, and my swollen, post operative face isn't the sort of thing I'd want to put all over the internet. I'll be back eventually (once the vertigo passes) but until then, through the magic of the internet, here's another post.

 You thought I'd go for Mellow Yellow, didn't 'ya?

Some days I have to bring my own sunshine. I won't burden you with my mood, not when there's a pair of bright yellow flares to make everything better brighter.

Bell bottoms (and then some). I love these so much. There's a matching jacket which I don't love, so I matched the trousers up with this ancient polyester jacket I can't even remember buying. That's frightening, though I don't think I've owned it long enough that I bought it new (not impossible, but I don't think that's the case). No matter, the pieces work beautifully together. For years I avoided wearing yellow as I thought I looked sickly in it-then I figured out I need a deeper hue. Sure, I'd love to have a tan to go with it, but that ain't happening.

The trees have started leafing out. Everything feels strange this year as we've been cool, but just warm enough for the birds and insects to be out and about.

Two new-ish rings that are fast becoming favourites.

Outfit Particulars:
1970's Sears flares (part of a suit)-Thrift World
1970's polyester jacket-Can't remember
1970's/80's blouse-Goodwill
Shoes-Goodwill
Vintage earrings-New Life Thrift
Vintage tourist tote-Goodwill
Fragrance-Rive Gauche

 I'm working my way onto a diet of mashed potatoes, eggs, and thin oatmeal. It ain't much, but at least it isn't liquid. I always knew I hated yoghurt before this surgery, but now I know just how much I hate it. If I had the energy, I'd go throw it at the fence. Vile, vile stuff. Instant mashed potatoes on the other hand, are food of the gods. I'm seeing the vertigo specialist on Monday, so hopefully I can get some help with whatever this extraction unleashed. At any rate, I'm moving forward (save for a few tumbles down).

Understated Floral

Edited: I wrote this prior to surgery so there would be something to post as I recuperate. Needless to say, I ain't lookin' my best at the moment . I'm coming along fine though, so I hope you enjoy the written-in-advance posts this week. 

When I hear, "Spring Florals" the first thing that comes to mind are prints. Today, I was in the mood for something Spring-like without the traditional floral print. I remembered this dress I bought to harvest  the daisy shaped buttons from. Combined with a floral necklace and earrings I was able to achieve the seasonal look I wanted without unpacking more of my warm weather clothing. Yes, I do feel clever. 

Sheer black tights. Sigh. I swore I'd never wear them again, but after a distance of a couple decades they started looking good again. I don't think I'm ready to don them with formal wear, or with 5 inch heels for the 80's version of sexy, but with a nylon dress adorned with twee little daisy buttons, it kind of works. 

I added a jacket because it is still too cool to go without something. A cardigan would have worked too, but the jacket was the first thing I grabbed. The handbag is something I bought a few years ago but never used. It seems early for a raffia bag, but being black I hope it doesn't look like I'm hurrying things along too soon. I have the identical bag in beige, but I think I'll wait a month or two for that. I saw the first Meadowlark of the year today, and it was singing. Clearly the birds think it is spring whether the humans agree or not.

Outfit Particulars:

1980's nylon dress-Goodwill (I think)

1950's jacket-Hand-Me-Ups

1960's Ritter straw purse-Goodwill

Wood bangles-Et Cetera, Seward, NE

Belt-K Mart

Shoes-K Mart

Necklace and earrings-K Mart

Brooch on jacket-Goodwill

Nylons-Leggs

Large silver and copper Scandinavian Modernist ring-Goodwill 

Fragrance-Patou Sublime

I haven't decided whether to remove the buttons and discard the dress, or keep it for days when the weather is flaky and I'm feeling uninspired. There's certainly no shortage of nylon dresses from the 80's on the rails at the thrift store, and I'm not sure it deserves space in my wardrobe. My big fear is at some point, this sort of thing will become sought after, and I'll wish I'd kept it. Sigh, that's the problem with buying something for the buttons-you end up keeping the dress. Or I do, anyway. Tough call, this one. I can't be the only pone that does this. Do you buy clothes for trim or buttons and end up keeping a less than spectacular item because it, kinda works? Do tell.

Now I'm Gonna Be Stooopid

 Wisdom tooth extraction day is finally here. I'm wearing Danny's shark shirt as it has teeth on it (yeah, shark teeth but whatever).

Thanks for all your kind encouragement. See you soon. 

Smock it to Me

 There's a whole hell of a lot of embroidery and smocking going on in this vintage Hungarian blouse. I've done a fair amount of needlework in my life, but nothing as nice as this. The hours (and good eyesight) involved in making something this beautiful is mind-boggling, and I wish I knew the person that made it. I'm sure they had a creative streak (and patience).

I wanted to wear the blouse with something equally special for blog photos, and this vintage skirt made of raffia (yes, really!) was the first thing I thought of.

 It is sort of like wearing a fancy handbag...on my bum. It takes careful sitting, and avoiding the tendency to slide into a seat to prevent ruining the skirt. It has a few stray pieces as you can see, but I'm not going to bother trimming them yet-eventually it will need it.

 The inside of the skirt is backed with netting. I'm sure worn with a crinoline it would be spectacular.

Outfit Particulars:
Vintage 50's Hungarian blouse-1860-1960.com (vintage seller extraordinaire)
Vintage Raffia skirt-Etsy
Vintage Collins-style bag-Goodwill
Carved Bakelite bangle-Hand-Me-Ups
Enameled bangle-gift from an old neighbour
Alva museum reproduction charm bracelet-Nomads With Baggage
Earrings-Target (years ago)
Vintage Qualicraft raffia shoes-can't remember
Fragrance-Coriandre (I'm soooo hooked on this fragrance. Review soon, I promise)

 How fun are these shoes?

That's a "W" flag on the door. When the Cubs win a game, we put up the win flag. As far as I know the Cubs are the only team that fly a W when they win a game. I don't have a flagpole, so the door will have to do.

 I varnished my toenails just for you. I didn't mow shave my legs 'caus I don't like you that much.

Have a super weekend.

Nebraska Statehood 150-Macaroni Loaf

As part of our yearlong statehood celebration, I'm cooking up some recipes from my (too) many local cookery books. Today's dish comes from the Nebraska Centennial First Ladies' Cookbook published in 1967. Not all the recipes came from First Ladies (many did) and this simple casserole was submitted by Mrs. Dan Jones Jr. of Lincoln, Nebraska.

I made two small changes to the recipe as I had yellow bell peppers to hand rather than pimentos, and I used dried onion as I couldn't imagine cutting open an onion for a whopping single teaspoon! They really didn't overdo onions and spices in the 60's.

Danny managed cooking most of this by himself, though I did help out lining the pan with parchment. I must admit, it smelled good baking away in the oven, and the boys really enjoyed it. I did not partake as all that cream, butter, and cheese would have had me suffering (not that I'm unwilling to suffer for cheese, but not cheap cheddar I bought for $3.00 a lb. I'm a bit of a snob that way).

Mrs. Dan Jones Jr's Macaroni Loaf

1 cup uncooked macaroni (I used bow-ties. In 1967 she probably used elbows)
1/4 cup butter
1 cup cream, scalded (I used heavy cream but I think 1/2 and 1/2 would be fine)
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 teaspoon onion
1 teaspoon green pepper
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon pimento
3 eggs, beaten (I had large eggs)
1 cup grated cheese ( I used cheap cheddar)

Mushroom sauce to serve. There wasn't a recipe for the sauce but being 1967 I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it was condensed soup. I skipped it.

Cook macaroni. Add butter to cream and scald. Pour cream over breadcrumbs. Add remaining ingredients and pour into a loaf pan lined with oiled paper. Place in a pan of water and bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour or until set. Mine took about 40 minutes. The recipe doesn't mention it but if you plunge a butter knife into the centre and it comes out mostly clean. it is set. Too damp, and it will fall apart. Treat the loaf like a quiche.

I served mine with a red cabbage slaw. The loaf re-heats perfectly in a covered tray in the microwave for five minutes. If using an oven, about fifteen minutes at 300 degrees ought to do it. I imagine it would be delicious cold, and make good picnic fare as it sliced neatly and easily.

Next time, I have my eye on a sponge cake recipe baked with sweet wine.

That Hits the Spot

 I'm dressed like Mrs. Beasley again. I've lost count of how many navy and white spotted dresses I own, but between different lengths, sleeves and sizes I absolutely need each and every one. Sounds like a reasonable argument to me! I wore the shrug for half a minute until the sun came out and I realised it was warm out. That's always such a pleasant surprise when the forecast is wrong in my favour. 

I'm not wearing my specs and I can't see a thing. I nearly laid myself out on the sidewalk too!

That's what I get for wearing "normal" shoes. Give me 4 inch heels any day over wedges. 

This beautiful bag is being used for the first time. I bought it in the dead of winter, but I knew it would go well with so many items in my springtime wardrobe. The chain is short, and it isn't meant to be worn on the shoulder, The purse is by Walborg, a sought after brand in business from the 40's to the mid-60's. Don't worry, I'm not selling it. I can see this becoming one of the most practical bags in my collection. 

Outfit Particulars:

1960's/70's polyester dress-Goodwill

Yellow shrug-Goodwill

Shoes-Goodwill

Vintage Walborg bag-Goodwill

Bangles-All over

Brooch-Hand-Me-Ups

Earrings-Thrift World

Fragrance-1980's Coty Chypre (Lucky find)

Lippy-Revlon Snow Peach

Easter was fun. We bought a box of confetti filled eggshells...

Wonder what we should do with them?

Hit them like a tennis ball! Yes, that's the volleyball sand-we don't have a tennis court at our park. You make do. 

The turkey vultures are back. Nothing like having a trio of these ugly beasts flapping above your head. They won't attack (unless you're fully dead) but I still don't like them. 

 I prefer the geese. Danny has named these regular visitors," Duvet, Ski Jacket, and Confit." He has a dark sense of humour. They're domestic geese, but no idea how the three of them ended up at a small man-made lake. I suspect they live at a nearby farm and just come to the lake for the bread people feed them. They're smarter than we give them credit for.

"Confit?! How dare you?! I'll have you know none of my family were confit, thanks very much."

"Ha Ha, Confit has his tail feathers in a twist."

The mallards prefer to stay out of it.

 The turtles aren't having it either. This is still early to see them out basking in the sun.

Before I duck out of here, I want to thank everyone for their advice and well wishes for the wisdom tooth extraction. I'm scheduled for Monday which gives me just enough time to work myself up in a worry finish laundry and stock the freezer with dinners the boys can reheat. I'm looking forward to hours and hours of sleep-just wish I didn't need oral surgery to justify it! Otherwise, everything's just ducky.

Happy Easter

A Joyous Easter to my readers that celebrate it.

And a bonus close-up of Mr. Bunny to haunt your nightmares,

Tattoo Tights

 Why not?

I bought these tights at Halloween a few years ago, and I just adore them. I have another pair with a more subtle tattoo design, but some days subtle just won't do. You know I mean business when I wear the bold tights and funky Christine Alexander jacket. I love this jacket so much from the crazy Victorian cut and styling to the funny nylon material and crystal buttons. Buttoned up it could look convincingly 19th Century-from a distance. There's something so steampunk about it, deliberate or not.

I keep trying to make this skirt work for me, but it isn't to be. First it was too tight, now it is too loose, and it never did hang the way I thought it should. Still, I like the embroidery at the hem enough to keep trying to make it work. I know this is foolish. I spent the better part of today adjusting my belt over the drooping, too large waistband, so I'm afraid this skirt's day's are limited. The blouse is on the chopping block as well. I'm trying to be a bit more ruthless in weeding out the wardrobe. I think the only reason this outfit, "Works" is due to the tights. With tan tights the outfit wouldn't merit a second look.

Outfit Particulars:
80's Chaus blouse-Goodwill
Skirt-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage JR of Florida bag-Hand-Me-Ups
Tights-Nobbies
Shoes-Goodwill
Sara Coventry bracelet-Can't remember
Vintage dangling sequin earrings-New Life Thrift
Belt-Shop Ko
Christine Alexander jacket-Hand-Me-Ups
Fragrance-Ma Griffe ( I don't know why either. Must be a "mood thing".)

I had a pair of old coots following me around...

Then, I was very nearly goosed!

 Things are positively wild out there!

I'd better fly now. see you next time!