Pre-holiday Hodgepodge: Blue Christmas

 Black and White Glamour Night Necklace

Top: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Marshalls

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Belt: B Fabulous

Hat: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

 Bathing Beauty Charm Necklace

Sweater: So, Kohl's

Skirt: (a dress!) LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Modcloth

Hat: Neff, Fred Flare

Belt: Kohl's

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

 Bubblegum Butterfly Necklace

Top: Mossimo, Target

Skirt: Necessary Objects, Annie Sez

Shoes: Chinese Laundry, DSW

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Belt: Candie's, Kohl's

Hat: JCPenney

Sunglasses: Michaels

There's something magical about blue Christmas decorations. Elegant and ethereal, cerulean lights, bows, and foliage transform December's dark, gloomy nights into a winter wonderland -- so, depending on your age or viewpoint, Norman Rockwell or Frozen. Growing up, I had a great aunt with an exquisitely decorated blue Christmas tree. To me, the monochromatic ornaments were regal and slightly exotic, raining down on the artificial green boughs like slices of star-studded sky. That said, I also have an aunt who's crazy about Elvis -- and I have the King-stamped Christmas card to prove it!  So, it's sapphire squared in this (blue spruce) family Christmas tree.

Blue is also dear to me because I live near the ocean. Although the water is a sort of brownish green here in New Jersey, it's always a glamorous, azure-crested cobalt in the fun house mirror of my imagination. (I realize that fun house mirrors make things look worse, not better, and that it's department store mirrors that flatter. But somehow a Macy's fitting room lacks the romance of a questionable carny classic.) Indeed, my working title for this post was Pre-holiday Hodgepodge: Accessories by the Sea. Because it sounds like a shop that sells tourist trinkets (and you know how much I love those), and also Manchester by the Sea, which I will most likely not see on account of the husband's hatred of Casey Affleck. But I was looking for a theme to do justice to this week's blue frock-framed necklaces, and this cool yule color was it, especially on this first day of winter.  Chief charmer Bathing Beauty brings blue full circle with her affinity for all things aquatic.  After all, the ocean is nature's bathtub, right down to its thick, bubbly foam. (Last summer I said that the ocean was nature's swimming pool. But here at the Trove we pride ourselves on making the most of metaphors. That and not discounting the cleansing powers of waste-laced saltwater. Coming this spring: the ocean as nature's toilet.)

On that (ahem) notecard, I decided to send out beach-themed Christmas greetings this year (with stamps featuring, sadly, plain old wreaths instead of Jimmy Buffett).

Wish you were here.  And also that "here" was Aruba.

So Much to Say . . .

Glam Garden Necklace

Dress: Monteau, Marshalls

Tank: Worthington, JCPenney

Shoes: City Streets, JCPenney

Bag: Nine West, Boscov's

Blue scarf: Express

Pink scarf: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: JCPenney

 Maraschino Mint Necklace

Tank: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Olsenboye, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Call it Spring, JCPenney

Belt: Marshalls

Sunglasses: Cloud Nine, Ocean City

Victorian Charm Necklace

Blouse: Marshalls

Bra top: Boscov's

Skirt: Marshalls

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Glamour Damaged, Etsy

Sunglasses: Target

. . . about music (if you listen real hard, you can hear Dave Matthews Band cranking out that early-1990s classic).  Sometimes I think things.  Especially when I'm in my car, listening to the radio.  Which means that more often than not those thoughts are related to music.  Here, in no particular order, are some stray ones I managed to capture:

- I heard Hootie and the Blowfish's "Let Her Cry" the other day and thought, no wonder Darius Rucker went the route of the rhinestone cowboy.  This tearjerker of a tune has country written all over it.

- Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" always makes me wonder about James Taylor (even though they say the song's not about him).  As in, self-satisfied Lothario or self-effacing hippie?  You decide. 

- Here's a thought that went so far it crossed the line into unfettered fiction:

I remember driving in the car with my mother, listening to The Killers and asking her what she thought "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier," meant, and she said, "That Brandon Flowers is a lover, not a fighter."  I think she just made that up, though, because she was like that, and because she liked Brandon Flowers the way I liked Cade McGowan (or any other boy blessed with a dangerous-sounding name)

- The last telephone on-hold music I heard was kind of Renaissance-y, which I found to be a refreshing change from the usual classical or easy listening fare.  Then it got even snappier, segueing into a catchy bluegrass-meets-adult-contemporary number that was pure Weather Channel.  The next time you tune in to plan a beach day, don't be surprised if you start wondering where you can buy the CD.

- Some thoughts on Fred Durst:

Not too long ago, for some reason, I was wondering what became of Fred Durst, only to turn on a morning radio show and learn that he's directing eHarmony commercials.  Jokes about nooky ensued.  Then, less than a week later, I heard that he has a tattoo on his chest of Kurt Cobain facing Elvis.  A man of many layers, that Fred.

- Some thoughts on cowbell:

Thanks to that Christopher Walken/Will Ferrell SNL skit, everyone knows about the cachet of cowbell in Blue Oyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper."  But I didn't realize just what a sweetly haunting sound it could be until I heard it in the Bangles' "Hazy Shade of Winter."   Naturally, I had to Google said song to confirm that it was in fact cowbell I was hearing, and when I did, I discovered that it was a cover originally done by Simon & Garfunkel.  I didn't see that coming.  Talk about more informed living through blogging!    

 

- And finally, I'd like to see Begin Again before it leaves theaters.  This isn't so much a thought as a weekend plan, but I'm okay with that if you are.

Until next time; may all of your soundtracks be smooth ones.

Getting Through Thursday With Another Shoe Montage: Blue Sky High Heels (And a Rogue Pair of Flats)

Clockwise: Carlos Santana, Macy's; Simply Vera, Kohl's; Not Rated, DSW; Dollhouse, Marshalls; Betseyville, Macy's; Nina, DSW

Clockwise: Nine West, DSW; Madden Girl, Macy's; Diba, Burlington Coat Factory; Ami Clubwear; Rocket Dog, Marshalls; Journeys

Elvis's blue suede shoes put cool-colored kicks on the style map.  For my part, I have a pile of cobalt, navy, and sky blue cloth and plastic.  I did once have a pair of flat blue gray-blue suede-like oxfords snazzed up with tiny punched-out stars, though.  I think they were from Thom McCan.

Cooking With the King

Last Christmas, my sister gave me a cookbook called Are You Hungry Tonight? Elvis's Favorite Recipes (compiled by Brenda Arlene Butler, the author of such classics as I Am Elvis: A Dictionary of Elvis Impersonators). It was so quirky and unexpected (I'm not an Elvis fan or anything) that I laughed out loud. But it wasn't until today that I actually attempted to make one of the recipes. In honor of Easter, I went for the Banana Coconut Chiffon Pie, which I'll be bringing to my parents' house tomorrow. But before I plunge ahead with the recipe I'd like to share the paragraph that accompanied the recipe in the cookbook. Just so you get the full effect of Elvis kitsch.

"Imagine you're driving through the South in the 1950s. Your way is marked by the old white U. S. Highway shields, not the red, white, and blue of the Interstate signs. The place names crop up on little white signs, not those huge green things. Memphis. Jackson. Tupelo. Shreveport. It gets awfully hot in the car, so you swing into one of those little roadside cafes for a glass of iced tea. My, but it's cool inside. They've got one of those little glass cases with all the pies displayed, and goodness doesn't the banana coconut chiffon look good!

As you leave, and push through the screen door, a big Cadillac with a bunch of boys in it pulls up. You chat a bit and they tell you they're headed to Shreveport to sing on the radio - on the Louisiana Hayride. You wish them well and promise to tune in."

Now that the scene's set, we can proceed:

Ingredients:

Baked 9" pie shell (recipe on page 49) {Let it be said that I did not consult page 49, opting instead to buy a premade Keebler graham cracker pie shell. As someone uninterested in winning any Martha Stewart awards, I found no shame in this.)

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 eggs, separated

1 cup ripe, mashed bananas

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt (I omitted this, partly because my salt had somehow solidified, partly because it sounded gross)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup finely grated coconut

Instructions:

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water. In the top of a double boiler (or saucepan, for those of us not living in 1955), slightly beat the egg yolks. Stir in the bananas, sugar, and salt. Cook over boiling water (er, low heat), stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatin to the banana mixture. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Chill the mixture until it begins to thicken.

In a large bowl beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. (I started to do this until I realized that the egg whites would not be cooked. This skeeved me out, so I tossed them.) In another bowl beat the cream until stiff. Fold first the egg whites, then the whipped cream, and then the coconut into the banana mixture. Pour into the pie shell. Chill the pie until firm, about 4 hours. Garnish with additional whipped cream and banana slices, as desired.

So far it looks pretty good, but I won't know for sure until tomorrow. In closing, I'll leave you with this quote from the forward of the cookbook:

"He [Elvis] preferred honest, hearty, rib-sticking food, the kind that Southern women have always fed their tired men at the end of a long day."

That's certainly something to ponder.