A Baby Shower celebration...my OOTD

My BFF's youngest is going to be a mom very soon and a group of women friends got together for a baby shower.
I loved seeing all the gals sitting in a circle smiling eagerly as they observed the very pregnant soon to be mom opening gifts. We were gathered together to celebrate womanhood, mothering and babies.

Emotions flowed and my thoughts wandered back to my own experiences of carrying a child within and the overwhelming joy that I felt when I held my newborn daughter for the first time. There were some fears that I might not know how to keep my baby happy all the time and would I make the right decisions?

First time mothers are navigating new territory and it is such a comfort having older women who have been here before to reinforce and encourage them to listen to their maternal instincts.
It's enough just to be there and listen,
make a cup of tea, or hold the wee one while the new mom has a shower and washes her hair.

I am getting ahead of myself though...it's the shower!

You know it's a party when there are balloons in the room!

Vintage Silver Cross Pram.

The baby will enjoy many outings travelling in style.

The shower had an owl theme...

and coincidentally one of the gifts that I gave was a velour sleeper with and owl on it and an owl soft rattle.

I knit a blanket for the crib and popped in some receiving blankets and some onesies.

Baby clothes were hung like bunting...

The beautiful christening gown on the left was made by my BFF's French Canadian great grandmother.

It was used for family christenings...and with several of the younger cousins expecting babies it might be used again in the near future.

Ooh la la cupcakes!

The table was laden with delicious treats which disappeared surprisingly quickly!

This wee owl was atop the tiered glass cake stands.

We were given goodie bags with English Bon Bons inside as we departed.

(I ate mine later that evening while reading my novel in bed.)

It was a lovely shower and I am so excited that my BFF will have her third grandchild in her arms very soon.

I can hardly wait to meet the baby...we don't know yet if it is a boy or a girl.

In the spirit of Faux Fuchsia I painted my nails.

OPI Peru-B-Ruby, an oldie but a goodie.

I wore my Eileen Fisher linen scarf.

Hand made earrings by my friend Peggy.

Anne Klein black tunic top and tights with Mee Too ballet flats

My nails looked pretty all of two days...

I am much too hard on polish to keep it on for very long.

I ate a healthy breakfast before heading out the door for my walk in the rain.

Scrambled eggs, pea shoots and salsa on a corn tortilla.

Keeps me sated until lunchtime rolls around.

On the WW front I am on the 6 weeks of maintenance and so far so good.

Fingers crossed I get that golden key and the lifetime membership which means I can weigh in and attend meetings for free!

Hope that your week has some fun packed into it!

Birthday...scarves and Paris!

I've clocked another year...
my darling husband brought me tea in bed this morning and a gift.
Aging and nudging 60 doesn't feel at all threatening.
I am embracing 59...and have a whole year to get used to the idea!

We had a Golden for 13 years named Rufus and we love and miss him so much that when it comes to cards,

 we try to find one with a Golden on the front. Their sweet faces just convey so much Love!

Boxes from Wilson's usually mean that inside there is a wee bit of luxury.

Mr. HB surprised and spoiled me with a wonderful classic scarf which I will be wearing for many years to come.

Sumptuous, so soft and cozy!

Thank you honey.

XO

The cats are joining in on the fun too!

I wonder if they'd welcome a Golden retriever into their domain?

OOTD ~ Birthday style

I wore it with my grey Lord and Taylor cashmere V neck long cardigan

white Coldwater Creek tank top

g21 dark skinny jeans

Mee Too black ballet shoes 

Chillax walking coat

Mom and I went out for a walk along the Esplanade and then lunched at our favourite spot, Pure Vanilla.

She gave me some money and directed me to drive to W and J Wilson's on Newport Avenue.

(their other location where my husband shops is on Government Street)

I spied this yummy sunny yellow light weight quilted jacket (on sale) which 

I think will be great for walking and super cozy for boating.

It looks huge in this picture but it is only a size 10.

Puffy quilted coats do add volume but they make up for it in comfort and warmth.

      It reminds me of a beautiful bright green Boden jacket that Duchesse recently purchased.

My BFF and her husband gave me a wonderful floral scarf which I love!

 A bar of triple milled fragrant French soap and a loofah scrubber.

My BFF is planning a trip to Paris in late spring of 2015 to meet up with her husband while he is on a tour with his regiment.

It looks like she and I may be flying over together to spend a week in Paris before she joins up with him.

Perhaps my friends John and Cheryl will be in Auvilar and I can take the train down and stay with them for a few days before flying home.

I feel so optimistic and excited tonight...I may not sleep a wink :-))

We'll need to arrange to rent an apartment in Paris, plan our itinerary and I need to save a big chunk of money to add to the current balance in my "mad money" account.

What an exciting day and evening it has been.

The test drive on the three mascara's has been finished...

Great Lash is the winner.

The brush deposits a small amount of product on the brush which does not clump.

 I like the natural look of each individual lash being darker and defined yet not clumped together.

I may try some other mascara's in the future but for the time being this basic cheap drugstore find is easy on the budget and seems to deliver on it's promise.

Which is all I can ask.

"The most important thing I can tell you about aging is this: If you really feel that you want to have an off-the-shoulder blouse and some big beads and thong sandals and a dirndl skirt and a magnolia in your hair, do it. 

Even if you're wrinkled."

~ Maya Angelou ~

A touch of mink....

A touch of mink...
a little playful glamour...

Did you dress up to watch the Oscars?
I wore my Gap Boyfriend jeans, a white tee and a navy cashmere cardigan...and slippers!

Mink brooch

Club Monaco chandelier earrings

These sparkly earrings are quite heavy so they do not get worn very often.

Vintage Marcel Boucher pin

Vintage Rhinestone brooch by Canadian designer Sherman 

another vintage Sherman, this one in aurora borealis crystals

Sherman again, in aurora borealis

Vintage baroque pearl, ebony, channel set marcasites a gift from lovely daughter.

I haven't been wearing my brooches much lately.

The students at school seemed to appreciate them and comment often on which one I was wearing but now that i am retired I have kept them tucked away...but they are not forgotten.

I am dressing for my new lifestyle and that includes the use of jewelry and accessories.

This Lilly wool boucle hat needs a bit of cheering up and how better to do it than add a bit of sparkle?

The pink butterfly pin is a vintage Sherman a gift from my MIL.

Did you watch the Oscars?

I thought that Ellen did an outstanding job hosting.

So many beautiful gowns and the jewels were fabulous...

the actresses look so gorgeous and they make it all look natural and easy.

Can you imagine how much work and planning goes into getting ready for a Red Carpet walk and an Oscar party?

The mind boggles...

Have some fun this week...Spring is on it's way!

Darn it Kate Spade I am in lust!

Do you have a week that flies by so fast that you are left wondering where the time went?
So much living gets packed into a week and we measure a lot of our success by what we get accomplished.
A lot happens in those 7 days. chapters are read, meals get made, floors get swept, family is tended to, blog posts are published and pets are cuddled.
On top of the domestics duties I make certain that I take my walks as they are a priority, I practise some Yoga and there's the mandatory time set aside to savour many restorative cups of tea so it is not all work and drudgery!
This week I have been browsing online at the Spring collections...which can be a wee bit tempting.

One NEEDS to make some time for fun...a girl can dream...

I have been looking online at Kate Spade's gorgeous website and lusting after some of her scarves and shoes.

There is something refreshing about her line of goods...it's a little bit girly and whimsical.

I don't know if she would take that as a compliment but I do mean it in the nicest possible way.

I am so in love with this beautiful Giverny scarf.

If I still feel passionate about it after a few days I may buy it, but in the meantime I am still very happy with my white linen scarf.

L'Occitane almond milk is my favourite body moisturizer...

I slather it on my legs and arms after showering and it has a very subtle scent.

A little goes a long way so a jar will last many months...it's a little bit of every day luxury.

I think this scarf was an Eileen Fisher from several seasons past.

The versatility of white was the reason that I chose this at the time.

I like it for summer and it goes so well with so many things that I own.

You can use it as a shawl over a sleeveless top or dress and it is very feminine.

Now back to that gorgeous Giverny scarf!

it has such a pretty pattern that I can envision wearing with many of my solid tanks and tops.

It would be a versatile accessory and one that I could keep for years to come.

My birthday is in a few days so maybe I will splurge.

It's not a milestone birthday so there will not be a lot of fuss and bother.

My husband and I will go out for a meal, perhaps with our best friends.

There is a brunch planned for the weekend following my weekday birth date.

Now getting back to that scarf...

Sometimes a gal just wants to give in and throw caution to the wind and buy something fun,

besides do I always need to be sensible and thrifty?

I keep seeing pretty patterns for Spring in all the fashion magazines that I flip through...

have I convinced you?

Maybe you'll buy it and I can live vicariously through you!

What are you tempted to splurge on?

Have you got your eye on something to add to your wardrobe this season?

Thank you Kate Spade!

Where do you stand on stripes and dots?
Love them or hate them?

Navy and white
Black and white
Red and white...dots or stripes I love them all.

I spied this Kate Spade dotty tote at Nicholas Randall in Oak Bay.

It took me all of two seconds to decide that it was coming home with me!

Kate Spade shopping tote

rolls up and fits in a pocket or a purse.

Black and white which goes with everything I own!

It's lightweight yet very strong.

Tested to hold 44 pounds.

I plan to take this when I go shopping as it is so much nicer than most plastic bags.

My good old Kate Spade IPhone case.

Here the colours are reversed...

black on white instead of white on black.

I'd like to think that they are related.

Cousins perhaps?

Kate must love pink...

her labels and tags and accents are often pink.

I had my brows tinted this week.

One of the down sides of having a thyroid problem is that one's brows thin and frequently completely disappear.

The esthetician suggested that I use some brow powder...

she showed me how it looked and it is super easy so I bought the wee kit.

It will last for years as a little goes a long way.

You can see my brows are defined and darker.

My hair here looks messy as I have just returned from a wild and windy seaside walk.

Banana Republic striped top that I have had for ages...it's big on me but I still love it and wear it often.

Seeing stripes?

I bought this early in January with some Xmas money and it was on sale.

Say yes to the dress!

Cannot wait for some warmer weather as I plan to wear this a lot.

Loving the zipper detail on the back.

More stripes...

I wear this boating in the summer...

it is made of velour and so cozy.

Styling stripes with a French flair just by adding a silk scarf.

Black and white are made for each other...

Hermes scarf

nary a dotted or striped one in my collection.

I wear this one more than the rest.

Shown here with a Barbour vest and Banana Republic top.

Kate Spade quilted handbag...

in it's 3rd or 4th season and still going strong.

Hush Puppies boots are old as the hills...

still getting their share of wear.

Reading this post I realize that it has been rather scattered...

a little bit of this and that.

It has been a busy day with lots of fresh air and walking and I realize that I must be tired.

So it's off to bed for the Hostess.

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time reading The Humble Bungalow Blog

until next time...

Be Well.