Somebunny Loves This Time of Year

Spring is (sorta) here and I'm jumping for joy. Actually, that's more of a wobble for joy as my foot is still in the boot (going on 5 weeks now) and I don't want to risk further injury. Anyway, between the snow showers that melt as quickly as they fall, we've had some lovely warmer temperatures. I always look forward to wearing my linen blouse for the first time each season.

At  this point I think of the boot as a fashion statement. I am able to walk easily now, though the toes and top of my foot are still dreadfully bruised and swollen. Most days, I forget I have the boot on unless someone asks what happened. Anyway, everything is moving forward and that's all I can ask.

Outfit Particulars:
Skirt-Hand-Me-Ups
Linen blouse-K Mart a few years ago
Cardigan-Kohls
Vintage bag-Goodwill
Bakelite bangles-all over
Glass beads-Hand-Me-Ups
Lucite earrings-Can't remember
Quilled brooch-Sarpy County Museum Yard Sale

The potatoes are ready to be planted as we cut them earlier in the week and they are now sufficiently healed over and can go into the dirt. We're planting Yukon Golds again this year as they are the most difficult potato to find locally in good quality condition. Fingers crossed they do as well as last year.

 Also planted are peas, scallions, chard, spinach, borage, cutting lettuces, rocket, and something else I've forgotten at the moment. The strawberries came back in good condition, and have really spread this year. This will be their third season and I'm hoping we will finally have a good yield.

 I've been getting creative with Instagram filters to post photos of my perfume collection.

I wouldn't call Zen or Gres Caliene favourites, but they both work well in spring.

 I finally wore my Owl and the Pussycat dress from Lindy Bop.

 To be honest, I felt a little too old for the dress. If I were teaching elementary school, perhaps I could get away with it easier but it felt out of place with my life all day. I don't typically worry about age appropriate dress (really, sod that) but novelty patterns are tricky on everyone and they don't get easier as you age. I don't mind looking goofy, but I do try to avoid looking...I don't know...twee? I might cut the dress down into a skirt as it will be easier to wear and won't feel like quite so much, "Too much."

 But I did go matchy-matchy with the brooches, obviously.

Outfit Particulars:
Dress-Lindy Bop in the sales (it was quite inexpensive which probably convinced me I needed it. That said, if they did a Jumblies print next, I'd probably buy that too!).
Box bag-Hand-Me-Ups
Cardigan-Goodwill
Brooches-both Goodwill
earrings-Goodwill
Vintage lucite and glitter necklace-Thrift World
Bangles-all over

I made Danny take a photo with all the books he had scattered across his bed for nightime reading.

They're all about baseball. No surprise there. Except for the book about fish. No idea how that got in there. Cubs won their first game of the season, so the fan is happy. The poor kid has been through a rollercoaster of medical stuff, and now we're just looking forward to having a bit of calm. In addition to the Chicago trip to watch a couple Cubs games, we bought tickets to see the Cubs minor league team in Des Moines, Iowa. We're going and staying over for Mother's Day weekend, just the two of us for some quality time watching baseball and availing ourselves of the hotel's Mother's Day Brunch. I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day.

The Picnic Pants had their first wear of the year even if it is still not quite warm enough for a picnic.

The Hungarian blouse had a first wear as well...beneath a mohair cardigan. I really wasn't kidding when I said our weather is flaky.

Easter and Pesach overlap this year, which is inconvenient, but manageable. Basically I baked the Easter breads and froze them so we can enjoy them after Pesach ends. This photo was from Danny's first Pesach. Look at those itty bitty feet! He's now several inches taller than I, and we have the same size shoe. No idea how that happened. I also have no idea when I found time to iron that tablecloth with a three month old throwing up all the time. No really, he did. We had to feed him every two hours around the clock, and he'd finish a couple ounces of formula and then...blerg, and we'd have to start all over again. I think he spent the first year of his life puking, and that special medical formula wasn't cheap (or covered by insurance). Still, after about a year it resolved and now we're probably clear of any serious puking until he and his friends discover alcohol.

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have let him play with those egg cups. My mum bought them at Woolworths, but they're the sort of thing that's collectible now. I loved that rocket-ship one as a child!

Nice buns😜.

 This year, I baked a bunny instead of a lamb. Danny said it looks like the alien from the Classic movie.

 Yeah, I guess the ears do have an Alien look about them. He's in the freezer chilling out with Roland the Snowman's head. Yes, Roland survived yet another winter. He might outlive me at this rate. I hope they don't stick my head in a freezer. Cryogenics just isn't an appealing idea to me.

Mr. Bunny is coming to haunt your dreams, boys and girls!
Okay, I will leave you with one last outfit that just screams, "Springtime."

I wouldn't have worn this in the 80's if you'd paid me. Funny how a distance of a few decades makes things more interesting. I said, "Interesting" not, "Less hideous" because there is a difference, you know.

This would have been an expensive jacket at the time-this was a line made for Saks 5th Ave.

Outfit Particulars:
80's jacket-Goodwill
80's skirt-Goodwill
Belt-came with a dress
Necklace-retail, years ago
Brooch-Etsy
Earrings-Mum's
Gold bracelets-all over

Whatever holidays you celebrate or not, I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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,

Shut Up, Or I'll Give You Tularaemia

You got a problem with my ears?  Look, don't piss me off-I'm skilled with using a carrot as a weapon, and you don't want to know what I use to sharpen my teeth. "Easter Bunny" my ass. You want a chocolate egg go ask Cadbury for one. Some-bunny woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

What do you mean you're going to sell me to a lab as a pregnancy test? Why, I never! You're definitely not getting any chocolate for Easter. 

Moving along... When I was a child I always looked forward to Good Friday because I knew there would be Hot Cross Buns, or as my dad called them, Piss-Pay-Li-An buns. He was physically and mentally unable to pronounce, "Episcopalian".  He had a friend that was a bakery delivery driver, so each Good Friday they'd swap wares; we'd get the Pisspaylian buns in exchange for a quart of pickles. My mother did try correcting him that she knew several Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and even Catholics that enjoyed a Hot Cross Bun at Good Friday, but in my dad's mind, these buns were the work of the Pisspaylians. 

In the United States, Hot Cross Buns are iced with a cross rather than having it cut into the pre-baked bun, or made from a paste of flour and water. They also tend to be rather plain with a bit of cinnamon and allspice, and either raisins or currants. I used sultanas and mixed spice to give them a bit more interest. I skipped the grated orange zest because at this time of year, our orange season is essentially over, and until the Southern Hemisphere starts sending up theirs, we're pretty much done with fresh citrus. I don't think anyone missed the orange. 

I didn't follow a recipe. I used 2 cups of milk, a stick of butter, half a cup of sugar, some yeast,3 eggs, salt and flour. Chuck in the spices and sultanas and call it a day. I kneaded until the dough felt about right. I rarely use a recipe for bread, which makes it difficult to give you an exact recipe. Flour and humidity vary so much from place to place anyway, it is better to get a sense for how dough should feel, rather than have exact measurements. Just make sure to keep your hare out of the bowl. 

One year I even shaped them like owls so I could say I made, "Hoot Cross Buns." 

Outfit Particulars:

Skirt-Sears, about 25 years ago

Polo neck-Gordman's

Vintage 1970's Lady Caper Mates polyester blouse-Thrift World

\Glass beaded necklace-Thrift World

Giant purple ring-K Mart

Boots-K Mart

Vintage Handbag-Hand-Me-Ups

Bunny Ears-Can't remember

Vintage clip earrings-Hand-Me-Ups

Vintage enamel flower brooch-Goodwill

Vintage bunny pin-Goodwill

Vintage Lucite bangles-all Goodwill

Tights-Shop Ko

Fragrance-Chanel #22

Lippy-Revlon Fuchsia Fusion

Flashback to 2013. Danny said we look like a couple of gits. He didn't learn that from me. Obviously, he's channeling his nan. 

*note to self-no more fringe/bangs ever again. 

I'm off to get the weekend started with the excitement you only get doing laundry. Hooray for Friday night! Hope you're having more fun than I am. 

Baa

I didn't intend for Mr. Lamb Cake to look so sad, but there you are. He baked, and unmoulded easily which I didn't expect. I thought this would be the trial run where I'd work out the mistakes before Easter. I guess I'll just use the Bunny pan for Sunday.

"Somebody help me."



If you've ever been around a sheep/lamb you know they are *never* that clean looking, but tempted as I was to swirl a bunch of chocolate around his hind quarters to represent mud and poop, I figured Easter is not the time to go for realism in your baking.

Cookies, anyone?