In Your Easter Bonnet

I’ve been checking my blog stats and have noticed a really strong uptick in the number of people visiting the blog that are looking at a previous blog post about Easter Hats.  In New York City, every Easter Sunday the Easter Parade takes place on Fifth Avenue and hundreds and hundreds of people come out to walk (parade) along the Avenue.

It is a day of colorful, creative, beautiful, outrageous, big, small, funny and fabulous hats. chapeaus, bonnets, derbies, top hats and straw hats!  I make my own creations, sometimes re-cycle them with new flowers and ribbons.  You have no ideas how difficult it is to store these broad-brimmed hats in an apartment!!

As Easter is literally around the corner and if you’re going to make your own Easter bonnet, the time would be NOW!  So here are some inspirational creations for you look at and if you’re successful, you’ll be all set for a Kentucky Derby Day party.

Lavender Lady

Red Roses

Sun Flower Sue

Black & Cream Dream

Pink on Pink on…

Dramatic Plume

Aren’t these stunning? Hats can be so flattering. For more Easter Hat photos click on the link below.

http://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/crazycreativec…ky-easter-hats

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It’s Enough Already – 100 Word Challenge

Last Night’s Martini Glass

Walking into the living room, she was assaulted with the visual cacophony of his clothes, his mail, his magazines, his shoes, jacket and tie and last night’s martini glass!  How many times had she asked him to put his stuff away? A hundred, a thousand? Nagging and yelling didn’t work.  Threatening to toss the stuff out fell on deaf ears. 

She began to pick up various articles of clothing, grimacing at this relentless never-ending chore.  If only he would just clean up after himself, if only I didn’t give a shit the way he obviously doesn’t! Ridiculous! It’s enough already!

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FINALLY! Frankie

SUNDAY - This could be one of the grossest things I have ever written about but I am going to try to keep my PG rating!  Actually I probably don’t have to get too graphic because I’m pretty sure most of my readers will get the story line real quick.

It’s sunny Sunday morning and the family is going out for breakfast!  I mean what could be more fun than sitting in a public restaurant with two kids under the age of  5 ?  And while you are still waiting for your Eggs Benedict, they have already eaten their scrambled eggs with cheese and now want to get up from the table and although permission denied, they do…  I thought about that familial scenario and  then thought better of it after all. “See y’all later”.

About 2 hours later, I received a phone call from Chiara and she told me there was an art show in town that she and Tom were going to and did I want to come along?  It is sunny and not too hot so sounds like a plan to me. As soon as we debark from the vehicle and take a few steps towards the art exhibits, Chiara notices that there’s a playground and I held my breath – surely they didn’t come back and pick me up so I could watch the kids at the playground while they walked  around the Art Show! NO, of course not, had you going there for a minute, huh?

Tom took the girls to the playground and Chiara and I moved through the tents of rather uninspiring paintings and mediocre pottery.  There were shockingly bright acrylic flowers, pastel beach with palm trees and flamingoes, dark abstracts done in oils, and some jewelry.  Out of nowhere this woman jumps in front of us and screams, “I LOVE that bag!  Where did you get it”?  Chiara was carrying NOT one of her designer bags but rather a gold-studded handbag, hobo style.  This exchange brought us into her jewelry booth.  Very unusual pieces;  I liked two of the original-design bracelets and Chiara was taken with some stacking rings.

And then the text came dinging in….She pooped!!  Everybody poops or so the book says.  There are so many books out now for toddlers all about pooping and peeing and the potty.  Whatever happened to The Saggy Baggy Puppy?  Anyway, Frankie has a habit of NOT pooping for days on end.  This time she was out to set a record fighting against all odds to hold onto her poop.  Chiara has been pumping her full of Miralax everyday and yet Frankie prevailed.  That was, until today.  Chiara raced out of the booth with me on her heels.  There stood Frankie with a big smile on her face and greeted us with “I poop”.  GREAT, WONDERFUL BUT no diaper, no wipes, no public bathroom.  What’s a mom to do? What all mothers do, she pulled down the pamper, wiped her with as many tissues as I had and when it was apparent that we could not put this child in the car (yet), Chiara walked over to the boardwalk, cupped her hand in the water and splashed Frankie’s tooshie with some water.  Not exactly the circumstances one would hope for in this situation but you do what you gotta do.

Everyone Poops (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 Frankie was happy, Mommy would be happy when she could wash her hands and so with the windows open we drove home.

The End

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“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one”.

English: Brad Paisley at the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This great quote is from Brad Paisley, country song-writer and singer. AND I should have posted this yesterday and the title should probably read “Today” instead of tomorrow.  Well, hopefully the rest of the year won’t be filled with overlooked tasks and posts!

Since this is A NEW BOOK, no point in rehashing the 2012 version.  I’m looking forward to a better year;  A year marked by several changes…As per some sage advice given on ABC NEWS this evening, I’m not posting or announcing my resolutions.  I’m keeping them to myself and that way although I won’t be able to boast or brag or take undue pride in some accomplishment, I also won’t have to weep with shame at some predictable failures

That being said, of course I would love to hear from some readers as to what their New Year’s Resolutions are.

Out with old, in with new! How many times did you hear that today?  So out with all the old bills-I empty out the folders, staple those monthly invoices/bills and put them aside for IRS preparation.  Cleaning up the top of the desk too, clutter, clutter, clutter.  Re-arranged the hundreds (only kidding) of wires and plugs in the two power strips under the desk because I have to have an outlet to re-charge my phone.

I got an addition to my Alice in Wonderland  book collection which necessitated a major shelf switch.  AND that was a good thing because  now we have some books we need to relocate (out of the apartment I hope).

Not going to listen or watch any more ASPCA ads because they are too heart-breaking and disturbing.  I wonder how much money the ASPCA raises with this ad?  Everyone I know tunes it out.

Not hung over and only a little tired, but I think this post should end right here.  

Wishing all my readers from all over the world a wondrous, healthy, happy New Year.  I think the number 13 is going to be a lucky number after all!

Related articles

• Questioning New Years (emjayandthem.com)

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Count Down To Christmas-December 7th Let’s Light The Way!

CANDLES have been associated with Christmas since forever because as we all know before electricity, before gas and kerosene lamps, there were candles.  And candles have always been part of our holiday imagery.  Think back over the years.  I remember Christmas cards featuring candles in lantern posts and pictures of a little kid in a nightshirt holding a candle in the classic candle holder as part of the Christmas culture.

Light the way!

Victorian Christmas trees were adorned with real candles and LIT !  How did they escape burning the house down?  In the 20th Century, we electrified the candles and put them in every window in the house.  I was so obsessed with that concept that when we built a house, I made sure the electrician knew I wanted an outlet under every window on 3 sides of the house.  I’ve used small votive candles in luminaries to light the way to my home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  However, now that we are in the 21st Century, we have technology on our side.  Behold the battery-operated candle and one that is made out of a wax-like material and look SO REAL, it’s hard to believe they’re not.  

These candles have really come of age this past year.  You can purchase all sizes and colors in a great number of stores.  I have found several in The Christmas Tree Shop (not a pun and not really a Christmas shop) and bought a bunch at Costco.  These candles are The ANSWER.  What a terrific way to set a mood.  Scattered around the house during the holidays, they produce just the warm glow you’re looking for.  And as far as luminaries, these candles will surely not blow out in the breeze and catch the bag on fire!  

Think about the myriad ways in which you can utilize these faux but-oh-so-real-looking candles and make your life prettier and softer.  So much of the holiday preparations are time-consuming and costly.  With these candles you get a lot of bang for your buck,

They even come scented!

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BLACK FRIDAY – Where Did You Shop?

Shopper Mania

Personally I’m not a mall shopper, never have been and certainly never for Christmas!  I like unique, personalized, customized presents or in my case PRESSents which is my own custom-created gift business.  More about that soon.  So when my friend  Gail sent me this video, I thought it would be great to share with my readers in case they had not seen it.

I love IMPROV EVERYWHERE and have a secret (well not so secret) desire to perform in one of their events.  Come to think of it I could have been in this one!  Check it out, you’ll be smiling in no time.

Black Friday Prank at a Dollar Store

 

Related articles

• The Madness of Black Friday (tahoesux.com)
• The Christmas Shopping Battle: Early Winners and Losers (dailyfinance.com)

 

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There’s A Saying In My House… Peter Coddles Trip to New York

And it goes like this:  ” One is nice, two makes a pair and three makes a collection!  And then some…. I think we have collections that have collections!.  Some people come in and marvel at the sheer number of things we’ve managed to have, hold, and display in one apartment!  Most others always ask, “How do you dust all this stuff”?  I never answer them.

I have a category in this blog called Peter Coddles and it is supposed to be about antiques, collectibles, nostalgia and to  feature some of the many collections Peter and I have.  I’ve been really derelict about posting in this area and not sure why.  I LOVE my collections and I LOVE the stuff Peter collects, or well most of it anyway but that’s another story. Peter Coddles is also the name of our antique business.

Anyway, Murray came over the house the other day to photograph Peter’s collection of Peter Coddles Trip to New York vintage games.  This is a collection I’m particularly fond of because when I met Peter 20 years ago, he had ONE game and over the years   I bought him many various versions as presents.  We believe  he has the complete collection because for years now, we’ve not seen or found one that he doesn’t already own.  It’s really hard to display everything and especially vintage games.  We do have a few in a frame but most of the others are in drawers and boxes so by having Murray photograph them all, Peter is going to make a book.  Great idea!

 The game itself is an early 19th century parlor game.  It’s kind of the prequel to Mad Libs.  There are a lot of cards with random words on them and as the storyteller reads aloud from a booklet, whenever there is a blank in the sentence, one of the other players draws a card and reads the word to complete the sentence.  Peter Coddles is a farmer, country boy, a hick and he has decided to take a trip to the big City!  He runs into all sorts of things and predicaments. Of course you know the story can never makes any sense and induces gales of giggles all around.  Being a boomer from the last century, it just occurred to me that this game might be hysterical if everyone was stoned.  Oh well, that was certainly not the idea behind the original  innocence of this game, but it is something to consider.

Peter Coddle’s Trip to New York

St. Nicholas Series-Peter Coddles

Peter Coddles Trip to New York

Peter Coddles Trip to New York

Peter Coddles – This ONE was the first in the collection

Peter Codles Trip to New York-later edition

Peter Coddles & His Trip to New York

All photos courtesy of Murray Head

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The Birds of Winter

Up until two weeks ago I wasn’t really thinking it was winter yet!  After all the calendar says it’s not winter yet BUT after Hurricane Sandy followed by a Nor’easter which blanketed us in snow…Uhmmmm I think it has arrived!  The birds at our feeders are there ALL day long and their day begins just before dawn!  The squirrels are right there along side the multitudes of sparrows, hanging on the squirrel-proof feeder.  We have put ears of dried corn out for the squirrels thinking that might dissuade them from the bird seed and suet.  Well it hasn’t, but we’re cutting everybody some slack because we think they’re storing up for, what else, winter!

Murray captured some feathered friends in the parks of New York City.  As always,many of his photos capture the personality and attitude of the species.  Even when he is photographing the very common, very ubiquitous House Sparrows, the pictures are excellent.

A perky tri-color House Sparrow

Male Purple Thrush Berry Happy

Lovely Lady Cardinal

An In-Your-Face Sparrow

Camera-shy Woodpecker

Female Purple Thrush

Related articles

• Share the magic of nature with your children this winter (savingsjunction.com)
• Duncraft’s Tips On Squirrel Diversion Feeding and Fun Facts About Squirrels (prweb.com)

 

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Little Orphan Annie Turns Four!

When you’re born in the middle of August and your mother (and your Gigi) have a penchant for throwing elaborate theme parties, it’s often necessary to postpone the major celebration of your birthday till September.  That way, all your friends are back from camp and vacation and in town.  So this year Finley Ray’s fourth birthday party was on September 23rd even though her birthday is August 13th. Can you imagine the patience of such a young one waiting with great anticipation for the big day to arrive?   Luckily she was quite distracted by the endless summer days in the Hamptons, a weekend with Gigi in early September, starting school and of course the fact that I don’t think she can really quite grasp the whole calendar concept!

Last Sunday we attended her fourth birthday party and it was as usual a gala affair.  If you’ve been a faithful blog follower then you know that each year of this precious little girl’s life has been marked with an all out balls to the wall party!  There was the Ladybug party at age one.  By the time she was two, she already had a voice and opinion as to the theme of her annual celebration and that year it was Snow White.  There are some great photos in the blog of that party; see link; http://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2010/09/18/its-p-day-in-boston

Then Francesca came along and her birthday is in October, so between August and October, once again September seemed the perfect month to celebrate both their birthdays at once!  It was a great idea until the time came to get the presents back home – I swear they needed  a separate cab to get just the gifts home!  Anyway, that year to honor the pretty Clark girls, the theme was the ever-popular Pinkalicious! OMG not one but two little cuties all decked in pink fluffy dresses AND every guest wore pink as well.  I have a friend, Louise who would have JUST LOVED it! Everyone was in the pink, both in clothes and wine! The tables were laden with various bowls and containers of pink candy and Pinkalicious and friends made an appearance.  

Finley and the Floppy Magic Wand

Dancing Girl

See what I mean?

So that brings us to this year;  Finley originally wanted a  Minnie Mouse party which she would announce every few weeks throughout the year but in the end, Minnie was hard to pin down so Little Orphan Annie to the rescue! See for yourself what a lovely time it was.

I’m Annie!

photo courtesy of Diana Delucia

Annie and Pooch

Photo courtesy of Diana Delucia

Tomorrow! The sun will come out tomorrow!

Photo courtesy of Diana Delucia

” I wish, I wish…”

photo courtesy of Diana Delucia

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Signs Signaling the End of Summer

 

When did it happen? You’re never really sure exactly when sometime between the Fourth of July and mid-August, it’s apparent summer is waning like tonight’s moon.  The signs are all around us and they’re getting harder to ignore.

Lariope-Uh Oh!

Just like those hopeful crocuses signal that Winter is over and life renewing Spring is on its way, when I see the Lariope in my front yard bloom, I know with a heavy heart that Summer will soon be over!  And then there’s the candles in the window….

I have battery-operated candles in the windows of the cottage; White candles with light bulb flames, flickering or not, are status quo in Ocean Grove along with flying the American flag.  My house is very old and I don’t have the luxury of multiple outlets, so I have these candles which turn themselves on every 16 hours.  You set them when you want them to light and then each day at that time the candles go on.  Well, what’s been happening lately is that it is getting darker and darker and the candles still haven’t gone on.  Apparently we are now losing a full 2 minutes of daylight each day.  Time to adjust the candles to go on earlier…and you know what that means .

Of course you also can’t go into any store and NOT be assaulted with signs that the first day of school can’t far off.  File folders with exotic designs, 3-ring notebooks in a rainbow of colors, hundreds of pens, pencils and highlighters are visible everywhere.  

And need a summer dress or a pair of capri’s and you are SOL.  It makes me hot just to go into the store and see all the wool and knits and dark colors.  I feel like disoriented tourist wearing my  orange bermudas and sleeveless tangerine top as I walk around the circular displays of brown, black, gray and loden green outfits!

What signs do you see that tell you summer is over?

 

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