Old Maid Brigade and a Birthday Unscathed: 90 is the New 70

Normally, I have little sympathy for Miss Tilly, Tinker's Cove's fussbudget of a former librarian in Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series.  But that changed when I read Birthday Party Murder, which puts Miss Tilly in danger of being bumped off just before her ninetieth birthday.  Having just had a birthday, I appreciate the unfairness of such a situation.  Furthermore, Miss Tilly's new penchant for wearing kids' sneakers that light up when she walks shows that even the staunchest of sticklers can know whimsy.

So Miss Tilly, my apologies.  Way to outsmart that Hells Angel named Snake in time for your town-wide celebration.  And to everyone else, this isn't a spoiler. 

The guy that ended up getting knocked off was worm food before the party started.

Eating Out and Eating In, A Happy, Hearty Birthday Win

I hadn't celebrated my birthday at a restaurant since before the pandemic.  But this year I felt ready to venture back out into the land of breadbaskets.  So on Friday night, the husband and I went to the historic Smithville Inn.  When we walked up to the hostess stand, the manager asked if we were there for the sweet sixteen party.  "No," I informed him, excitedly. "We're here for my forty-first birthday."  

Apparently, being sequestered from society for so long has only made me blunter.

He smiled, amused, and the twentysomething hostess looked up from her Colleen Hoover novel (sidebar: who is this Colleen Hoover that's all over Insta, and should I start reading her?), smiling also.  Then she led us to a table for two, pointing out that it was "good for photo ops."  Either she'd seen us taking pictures outside or was proud of the enormous Christmas-turned-Valentine's wreath presiding over the table.  Which she very much should be!  It was a thing of beauty and completely in keeping with my more-is-more aesthetic.  I was only too happy to pose my punk rock-wannabe-self beside it.  (The hand-drawn heart, by the way, is camouflaging the husband's leftovers.  I had no leftovers, having scarfed down all of my shrimp-on-shrimp appetizer and entrée)  

Then on Saturday it was time for the family party at my parents', which also included my sister, brother-in-law, and their three kids.  I proudly donned my LC Lauren Conrad sequin dress, Betsey Johnson pumps and necklace, and my very own birthday cake and balloon barrettes.      

Birthday Cake Barrette Brooch

Necklace: Betsey Johnson, Gifted

Birthday Balloons Barrette Brooch

Speaking of cakes, my mom ordered my very favorite from Cacia's in Hammonton, a super sugary vanilla.  When they asked what color to make the roses, she said "all of them."  Everyone made everything so special that I was a little overcome.

Somehow, I managed to get my birthday crown over my enormous barrettes.  And yes, in case you're wondering, that's my wedding picture in the background.  Also, nutcrackers.  Because my birthday bridges the gloomy gap between Christmas and Valentine's Day.  I used to quip that just when you thought the holidays were over, here comes Tracy's birthday, implying that it was a nuisance.  But now I like my positive spin on my day as a bright spot. 

As well as my new philosophy to leave no shrimp behind.   

Forty-One and Still Having Fun

Forty-one years ago today, I was born on a Wednesday so cold that, to hear my mom tell it, homeless people were "freezing in the streets."  She and my dad were watching The Fall Guy in her hospital room just before my arrival.  Not that the delivery was as easy as Lee Majors would have you believe.  Apparently, I was all turned around up in there, forcing poor mom to go through umpteen hours of labor before finally having a C-section.    

Mom, if you're reading this, then I'm still sorry.

But that's all icy water under the bridge as I write to you today, a proud, middle-aged woman who continues to amuse herself with kindergarten crafts.  Behold this trio of mostly-finished birthday barrette brooches, some of which I plan to wear during the weekend's festivities.     

Because today is just the beginning of what will undoubtedly be an, ahem, "major-ly" fun celebration.

Chex Mix Fix

Top: So, Kohl's; Belt: Wet Seal

Boots: Betsey Johnson, Zulily

Black Cutie Necklace

Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's; Bracelet: Mixit, JCPenney; Ring: Old Navy; Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Dress: Speechless, Kohl's; Blouse: SHEIN; Bag: Sleepyville Critters, Zulily; Shoes: Christian Siriano for Payless

Big Red Heart Necklace

Dress: BeBop, Macy's; Boots: Apt. 9, Kohl's; Bag: Marshalls; Headband: Lady Arya, Zulily

Fabulous Felt Rainbow Rings Necklace

Checkerboard and polka dots and stripes, oh my -- I'm beginning to see a pattern!  The husband took these pics before Christmas, and I must admit that it's nice to post regular outfits again.  Even the ones where I look less than thrilled (I'm talking to you, polka dots).  

As for the necklaces, they're kind of ancient.  But I've been busy in my craft room working on new stuff, which I'm excited to show you soon.

Until then, wear your fashion flair in the great out there to ward off the lions and tigers and bears.  By which I mean unwanted weirdos.       

Wanted weirdos are always welcome.

Haberdasher Crasher

Last fall, I fell in love with Jenn McKinlay's Wait For It.  But since then I found out that McKinlay writes more than romcoms.  She's also a cozy mystery queen, penning three series, one each about cupcakes, books, and, yes, hats.  Being a clotheshorse, I went for the headgear, beginning my millinery mission with book one, Cloche and Dagger.  

Heartbroken after an affair with a married man, Scarlett Parker flees Florida for London and Mim's Whims, the hat shop that she and her cousin Viv inherited from their grandmother.  Yet when Scarlett arrives, she finds that her cousin is missing.  Not that anyone else is alarmed.  Famous for having a head for hats but not business, Viv often takes off for parts unknown in search of exotic hat-making materials.  Mysterious disappearance notwithstanding, I love Viv's enthusiasm for and commitment to her craft.  So I was charmed by McKinlay's description of her and her grandmother's artistic spirit:

"Mim had the same temperament as Viv.  They were artists first and businesswomen second.  I'd known Mim to get obsessed with a particular hat style or a color -- there had been an infamous chartreuse stage -- or if she'd found a vintage hat that she wanted to make over, it positively took over her brain.  . . . There was something spectacular and otherworldly about Mim when she'd been consumed by her creative fire." (37-38)

It almost makes me want to chuck it all to open a shop in jolly old England.  Well, except for the murder bit.  Things turn serious when the hat shop's most difficult -- not to mention titled -- customer is found stabbed while wearing one of Viv's bespoke creations.  For a cozy, the description is a bit graphic, and I had to keep telling myself to focus on the cranial couture instead of the stab wound.  Because even in the land of make believe, fashion serves as a sanity-saving distraction.   

Speaking of which, just for fun, here's (most of) my own hat collection:

None of these toppers is of boutique caliber, having come from Kohl's, JCPenney, Amazon, and in one case each, Doll's Kill and Modcloth.  But then again, none resulted in a fatality either. 

If only that dead duchess had gone with a chain store chapeau. 

New Year, New Nothing

Top, skirt, and bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Boots: JustFab, Zulily

What I see when I walk into Kohl's.  Does the checked dress look familiar?

Comb: Ella and Elly, Zulily; Ring: Mixit, JCPenney; Everything else: Simply Vera, Kohl's

It's true!  This New Year's Eve, the husband and I had my parents over as we always do.  I wore my Kohl's clothes as usual.  And, as I do every time I make my lattice chicken casserole, I fretted that it was underdone (it was).  Instead of watching a movie or playing a board game, we watched Ryan Seacrest's New Year's Rockin' Eve and toasted each other with sparkling cider at midnight.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  Let other people try to switch things up and stress out over making resolutions.  I'll be here in the Trove with my traditions, wearing an over-the-top outfit and hoping that I don't give anyone salmonella.         

That said, the husband did do one slightly new thing, which was to spell out 2023 in Pillsbury crescent roll dough on top of the casserole before I baked it: 

He took this pic because he was concerned that I'd obliterate his handiwork with shredded cheddar and French fried onions, which I (although not on purpose) most certainly did.

See?  Some things never change.

I hope your New Year's was and is just how you like it, whether that means hang gliding through the stratosphere of your inhibitions or becoming one with the fabric of your favorite armchair.

I'm picturing the one from Frasier and hope you are too. 

One for the Books: Christmas Cowls Just be Claus

Scarf: Target; Coat: Jou Jou, Macy's; Jeans: Vanilla Star, Target

Scarf: Zulily; Bag: Macy's; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection, Zulily

Dress: Planet Gold, Macy's

Okay, these neck nuzzlers are more scarves than cowls.  But whatever you call them, on New Year's Eve Eve, Santa style's headed back to the North Pole.  I wore the first outfit to run errands (long live holiday leopard!) and the second to last night's family Christmas party.  That's when I got these three lovely books (among others!), Hello, Molly! by Molly Shannon, Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta, and Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks.  Books are my favorite gifts to give and get.  

Luckily for me, Santa's as scholarly as he is stylish.