Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake, Baker Dan

Apologies for the extended break. I've missed everyone and though I've been trying to visit your blogs, by the time I finally have time to do so, I'm unable to find anything intelligent to add to the comments. I mean, worse than my typical inability to say anything intelligent. 

I have managed to maintain my cheerful disposition through it all. 

We dropped off Danny's fair entries on Monday. The judging was yesterday, but we won't know how he did until the fair opens next week. Fingers crossed. That entire table was his baking/canning. 


 That violet and lavender lemon loaf not only looked beautiful, it smelled divine. I hope that one wins a ribbon.
 Cinnamon buns...
...apple/raisin tea ring...
...white cake, and many more. So now we wait, and hope for the best. It was a lot of work and dedication-much more effort that I would have put into anything when I was eleven!

I wore some clothes over the past few weeks, as you do. 

No, I don't typically wear gym shoes with a dress. The grass hadn't been mowed at the park for some time, and it was wet and muddy. There's only so far I'm willing to go for a blog photo, and destroying my vintage shoes is too far! My gym shoes were already muddy, so there you have it. And yes, they are godawful ugly shoes but it was the only colour they came in, and I have a hard-to-fit foot when it comes to running. By the way, if you're in the Omaha area and need expert fitting for your running shoes, Peak Performance might be worth a visit. They don't sell a million shoes (which is why you can end up with pink and teal ones) but they will get you into the right ones. I knew halfway around their track that it was worth the extra cost buying these shoes there. Probably, for the first time in my life, my feet aren't crippled after running. We won't discuss my hip and knees-but my feet are fine. I'm not being compensated in any way by Peak Performance-I'm just very, very happy with my experience buying shoes there. But not so pleased that I wear the shoes with dresses. Come on...mow the damn park grass already!
These two were more appropriately attired.

I'm going to do a quick outfit wrap-up of things I thought were interesting enough to show, but didn't merit a post of their own.
 Polyester zip-front house dress.
Vintage shoes. They were murder on my feet but...hey everybody look! Vintage shoes!  Not worth the blisters, trust me.
I had a bit of a flapper moment . The wide trousers and drop-waist blouse are wardrobe pieces that never seem to work with anything. I might have found the happy marriage in this outfit. The bag is rather special too
 I found it hanging lonely at the Goodwill for a few dollars. The bag is Crown Lewis, and still has the original hand mirror. The patent leather is genuine, and still in very good condition. I really lucked-out finding it.
 American Duchess repro shoes. They didn't murder my feet.


 The short necklace is something I bought in the early 80's. I remember my grandmother commenting that it looked like the sort of thing she wore when she was first married, which always made it seem more special to me. I don't know why now, but lately I've been missing her quite a bit. Must be something to do with getting older (and disgusted with everyone and everything!).

 The bangle watch also belonged to my grandmother. The bracelet was Mum's.




Having rid myself of the impulse to dress like a flapper, I moved ahead into the 70's and dressed like myself...in the 70's.
See kids, "athleisure" isn't a new idea-we were wearing rugby shirts in 1974! You can see the tag still hanging from the sleeve, which means it was a gift from someone and I had to model it for a photo to be sent off to the gift giver with a thank-you note. This was a Christmas (and Birthday) ritual so that far flung relations would get to see what I looked like as I grew, and know that their gift was appreciated.
I grew some tits since then.
This 70's polyester top is a curiosity. It has a faux drawstring at the waist to look like sporting clothes without having any functionality-sort of like faux pockets. What it really needs is a hood, but sadly the designer went for gigantic lapels instead. The skirt is polyester by Levi's (I don't remember them making anything but denim, but this isn't the sort of skirt I would have worn at the time).


Today, I dug out this skirt made from antique saree silks re-worked into a modern wrap skirt. The silk itself is a pale blue, but overlaid on the purple satin it takes on a beautiful shimmering quality in sunlight. I bought this years ago as a university student-and I won't tell you how long ago that was! It has started shedding sequins, so I wear it very rarely these days. 

Yet another macrame bag from the collection. I really need to stop buying these things because there's only so many macrame bags a woman can use! There's something great about a handbag you can wash with dish-soap. 



And that's about it for interesting clothes. For the better part of the past few weeks I've been living in shorts and tee shirts. Now that the heat has backed off a bit, I might be inspired to try looking human again, but I wouldn't bet on it. I need to finish my "Fair Hat" by the weekend, and I'll try to get photos up in a reasonable amount of time. School starts the week after next, which terrifies me because I still haven't recuperated from last year.  Thanks for sticking around, and I hope I haven't bored anyone to tears. Eventually, life will fall into some sort of predictable pattern again. I hope.

I'll be back with State Fair results as soon as I have them. I swear, I'm losing my mind with anticipation! Thank god Danny doesn't play sports-I'd be a nervous wreck watching. If you'd told me thirty years ago that I'd be getting emotionally involved in a jar of apricot jam, I would have laughed. I'm not laughing now. No. Not at all.









12 comments:

Vix said...

Danny's creations are absolutely wonderful, I'm keeping everything crossed for him to win all the prizes.
Looking at that photo of you in your rugby shirt he's definitely his mother's child, you're almost identical.
Love that sari skirt (yes, they shed like buggery), the kimono creation, those gilt bangles, the patent bag....damn, I love it all. I think I could move into your wardrobe and live quite happily.
A really cool customer the other day was wearing a 1950s Mexican wool jacket, a 1970s midi dress, a huge head scarf tied in a bow, fruit earrings and almost the identical trainers to the ones your wearing - she looked brilliant (and she was comfy, too - always a bonus!) xxx

Mim said...

YAY, YOU'RE BACK!

Danny's fair entries look amazing. I can't decide which one I'd want to eat first - but I'd end up going Cookie Monster on the lot.

I can imagine Vix in the sari silk skirt, but styled very differently. It's a really lovely piece. And that Crown Lewis bag was a fantastic find.

ThriftyParka said...

OMG! That son of yours has amazing work ethic to make all those baked good and canned items. I'm on my 3rd or 4th batch of peaches and I'm already weeping.

That saree skirt and those Duchess skirt are drool worthy. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!!

Good luck at the fair Danny!!

Miss Magpie said...

Watch out! I'm coming over to steal your handbags I particularly love both black ones on this post. I love the red & black top and the purple skirt, so pretty.

How do you resist eating the cakes???

Bibi Maizoon said...

That tea ring and violet/lavender/lemon loaf are unbelievably gorgeous!
I was working on a lavender garam masala mix recipe the other day- the Kashmiri contingency wasn't sure what to make of it.

I have never seen a striped shirt with lapels like that - a hood would've been a better choice. I believe "Athleisure" came to the fore in the 70's with all those track suits by Adidas and in velour.

i love the flapper kimono ensemble! The sari skirt is lovely too.

Accuweather says the 'real feel' prediction for tomorrow is going to be 103F AGAIN. UGH. Hurry September & Monsoon be gone!

Polyester Princess said...

Danny did all that? That kid is just amazing, and you must be really proud of him. That violet and lavender loaf looks too good to eat! Danny looks so much like you! I initially thought it was him in that 1974 photo. I'd also love to steal your handbags, that is, if Miss Magpie doesn't get there first ... xxx

Radostin said...

Danny's baking looks fantastic! I wonder, do the judges do taste tests, or is appearance everything? Is the process prompt enough that everything is fresh enough to be eaten afterwards?
What a wonderful collection of outfits. The flapper look and the sari skirt are my favourites, and that red dress is lovely despite the shoes. The repro shoes are just wonderful! I bet they're more comfortable than the originals would have been when new.

Beth Waltz said...

Me for grabbing the gilded bangles and, shamelessly, your grandmama's bangle watch with the dainty fleur de lys. (I, too, already have a satchel full of black bags.) The saree silk skirt ensemble is as delicately delicious as Danny's surreal violet-lavender-lemon cake! However, the rugby with poly skirt, and the great lippy you're wearing with it!, would be ideal for collecting a box of ribbons at the fair. Danny has demonstrated what can only be called a passion for his baking: we're all hoping his efforts are suitably rewarded!

Goody said...

@Vix
I always think your wardrobe would suit me as well (except you obviously wear it better!)
When Danny was small he looked more like his dad, but now he definitely has my round face and hair. I never looked like either of my parents...so I'm still holding out hope it was a "switched at birth" situation and my real family will come and find me!

@Mim
The only thing I tried was his carrot cake, and I've now demanded he bake one for every holiday-Christmas, Birthdays, etc. He substituted toasted oats and coconut for the walnuts and the result was better than any carrot cake I've ever tasted. We have a freezer full of his trial runs, so it might be some time before we need to bake again.

@Thrifty Parka
What are you doing with the peaches? Just canning the halves is work if you want them to look perfect-we're too lazy for that and do jam. I hope you show us on your blog-I'm a total canning nerd and love to see what other people make.

@Miss Magpie
Most of Danny's bakes are yeast based breads, which I can't eat due to an intolerance to yeast (not the gluten, go figure). I haven't eaten bread in 10 years, so I don't really miss it. The biscuits on the other hand...we still have all his trial runs in the freezer, and I admit it is hard to sleep knowing it is there! We picked the best of the batches to send to the fair.

@Bibi
We bought my dad a track suit around that time and he refused to wear it, insisting it looked, "Stupid." It might have been the only good fashion decision of his life!

Keeping my fingers crossed for drier weather in your part of the world.

@Ann
Fortunately for the kid, he's going to be tall-something he gets from his Dad.

I really am proud of him, but I can't take any credit for it (darn!). He's a very motivated young person where I was...well, kind of a loafer.

@Radostin
The judging is the day after drop-off before the fair opens to the public. They DO taste everything (you have to provide a certain number of biscuits, candy, etc) and the remaining pieces are left on display in a glass case. Sometimes, if something starts to mould over they will remove it and just display the winning ribbon. Flower arrangements and vegetables seem to suffer worse than baked goods. Everything gets tossed at the end unless you want to stop by and pick up plates, jars, etc.

@Beth
Most of those bangles are K Mart, or thrift shops-none of them are real gold. Do you want me to grab you a bunch net time K Mart does a clearance?

Rebecca said...

I am sure Danny will win a ribbon for that violet and lavender lemon loaf! That is probably the most unique and interesting creation I have ever seen! I am looking forward to hearing the results! Love your beautiful fashions and fashion finds. Those vintage shoes look fantastic but too bad they hurt your feet. Those American Duchess repro shoes are spectacular!

Rebecca

Sue said...

I have missed you! That violet cake looks far to good to eat and my fingers are crossed that Danny wins loads of prizes for all of his baking, such a clever lad. So many outfits Goody but the 'flapper moment' stood out for me. Glad you are back blogging.

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

Danny must win some prizes with that amazing display. The lavender and lemon loaf - I'm literally salivating just looking at it - and I've already had chocolate cake today!

Loved your outfits - the sari skirt is beautiful, loved the t strap white vintage shoes, loved the red dress and the jewellery is just fantastic.

Hope I still have good enough wifi connection to read about the results from the State fair....

Veronica
vronni60s.blogspot.com