Eat Eat

March in the American Midwest is unpredictable. One day we have an ice storm, the next it is 60 degrees. I know enough to keep out my warm coats (until June, realistically) but I've been slowly shifting everything else to warmer temperatures.  Thank you to everyone for offering your thoughts on having my spine fused. I'm not in a hurry to do it, but it is helpful to hear accounts that have gone well, and not so well.  Anyway, onto the clothes-get comfortable, I have some proper outfits to show for a change.  I loved the colour of this suit-an almost neon orange/red. Alas, the cut was frumpy, so I have already moved it along. That will be the case with most of the outfits I show this week.  Outfit Particulars: 1980's Made in Hong Kong linen suit-Goodwill 1970's cotton knit sweater-Hand-Me-Ups Necklace-Hand-Me-Ups Poodle Pins (on sweater)-Hand-me-Ups Floral pin on jacket-Tiff and Tam Bakelite and cinnabar bangles-all over Vintage Johanssen handbag-Hand-Me-Ups Earrings-...

I have owned the Donald Duck on skis since I was a small child. While not strictly a Christmas brooch, that was when I received it. Santa was purchased a few years ago at Goodwill.   This snowflake is very delicate made of a thin, tin-like metal. As it bends easily, I tend to wear it on hats, or places where it is unlikely to get bumped by a shoulderbag or coat.

 I have a few brooches today as time is running out before Christmas.  This tree sat in my repair pile for two years until I finally glued the red bead back on. I have this identical reindeer in white. We are in the home stretch now. I need to do a final photo with all of the brooches, which might prove challenging.

Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with flu  you. I love all the details on this brooch from the hats on the riders to the holly on the sleigh. No markings, but it looks suspiciously like the sort of thing I'd buy at Woolworths in the 70's. I miss Woolworths at Christmas the most. I don't remember where this dove came from. And it wouldn't be Christmas without a few bows to wrap presents. See you tomorrow.

Today's brooch proves wrong the rule against wearing silver and gold together. No markings on this little tree.

 Today I have a cluster of trees. Large tree in the centre is Tancer, tree on the right bottom is Gerry's. My favourite of the group is the small tree on the upper right.

Vintage, Unsigned, No idea when it is from. It has a 60's feel to me, but that's not based on anything other than gut-feeling. Great colour on this one-I do love green.

For me? Oh, you shouldn't  have. Vintage, no markings. Heavy little brooch with nice details.

Can't do a feature on Christmas brooches without a poinsettia. This enamel one isn't terribly old, as evidenced by the near-perfect condition. I remember buying it retail but I am at a loss for when or where. 80's? 90s? All one blur I'm afraid. I have matching earrings somewhere but haven't been able to lay my hands on them (of course I can't find them-they will turn up in June!) but I suppose that's typical. No markings on this one.

A cheerful little Modernist-looking tree. No markings. I love how the top is tilted just a bit-gives it a whimsical look. That was deliberate as far as I can tell as the brooch does not appear bent. I bought the fish for Christmas eve today (frozen). As it is difficult making seven different fish dishes I cheat a bit and make a paella with fish and fava beans (and if I'm feeling fancy, some veggie sausages). I make my own sofrito and this year I have tomatoes from my garden roasted and frozen for it. I buy seven different small-portion frozen fish and we'll still have leftovers for a few days (I don't eat it). As I only make this once a year (don't want to splash out on expensive rice everyday) it is typically enjoyed (I've never actually ruined it, but I've come close to charring the bottom beyond repair). Anyway, as I was purchasing my fish I realised just how close Christmas is, and that Danny's Birthday is Wednesday. Yikes! I think it might make sense to...

Today I have another Tancer II brooch from the 70's. It is a fairly recent purchase, and I haven't had an opportunity to wear it yet. I think it would look nice on a high-collared blouse. 

A trio of cheerful reindeer (too much eggnog?) to brighten an outfit. Almost feel obligated to wear them with a gaudy holiday sweater. Signed "JJ" Almost reminds me of Alvin and the Chimpmunks.

I must say, I've enjoyed looking at the beautiful snowy scenes from the American south and across the Atlantic in Europe. I don't exactly envy it, as I know we'll have our own soon enough, but I can't help thinking these outfit posts would look better with a bit of snow. We've been warm, we've been cold...sort of like me since the onset of menopause??. Outfit Particulars: Vintage polyester dress-Thrift World (I think) Brooches-both Goodwill Earrings-Can't remember-at least 20 years old) Headband-K Mart Boots-K Mart Tights-Walgreen's Handbag-Sequels Apologies for the phone-camera photos. I need to get more comfortable with the new camera before I use it for blog photos. Meantime, enjoy my blurry face-I know I do (wrinkles show less)!  I know for a fact this outfit would look better with snow, but there wasn't any. Instead, we went to the semi-abandoned mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa to use their shitty decorations as backdrops. I say, "Shitty Decor...