"Do or Do not. There is no try."

* Happy New Year! Hope you all had a pleasant holiday season. We ate at several different houses and played lots of games (crokinole is fun!)
But now, the eating is over and the resolutions begin. I know, it's silly, nobody ever keeps them, etc. but that won't stop me! I'm going to break it down, concentrate on a few things each month, that way it doesn't seem so BIG.

Here's the plan for Jan:
- do more stitching! I have 37 vintage embroidery patterns just sitting around begging to be used. So I joined my very first stitch-along! Since it's January, the theme is ... resolutions! Since I'd like to eat more fruit and veg, I'm putting this fellow on a tea towel.

from Vogart hot iron transfer set 198

so far I've transferred the pattern and picked my thread. I've been waiting for a sunny day to start stitching, ha ha. 

- eat more fruit and veg! See above :) 

- get off mah butt for at least 20 min, at least 5 times a week. (This unemployment thing is not good for your health.) I even broke out the Wii Fit board, and my segway skills are growing. 

- make some dinners! I'm not the greatest chef (I could live on pizza and cheese dip) but I need to up my game. Today we visited The Whole Beast* courtesy of a gift card, and got some andouille sausage for jambalaya tomorrow. Perfect weather for it!

So there ya go, 4 items for January. I'm doing good on 3 and 4 at least.

* Tomorrow is Epiphany, also Twelfth Night/the last of the 12 days of Christmas, also Three Kings Day. I'm not religious, but after living in Spain and in the Southern US, I couldn't avoid it. It's also the beginning of carnival season, leading up to Mardi Gras. I'm considering making a king cake, since I didn't see any up here last year. 

mmmmmm! it's actually more doughnutty than cakey.

And I have some spare tiny plastic babies! 
It's also the day that I consider proper/timely to take down decorations. I'll miss the pretty white lights in the living room. 

* In other news ... not a whole lot. I'm gradually tidying up/decluttering my studio and making a pile o' goodies for my eventual Etsy store. Still looking for a job, still volunteering once a week, still reading (vintage) lurid pulp and trashy gothic romance novels. 

Later 'gators! 

* The guy behind the counter had this pig tattooed on his forearm - wicked!

What's that? Hawaiian noises?

Aloha! Welcome to Fantasy Island "How You Can Give Hawaiian Parties" by Patricia Collier.


At first I was going to post just the drawings, but the lettering is so nice!

Let's star with the basics. "If you are lucky enough to have more than one lei, wear them all happily and proudly."

Ah, those Hawaiian nights, with their disguised posts and pillars.

"Would you like to entertain a fairly large number of women friends all at once? ... Then by all means go Hawaiian!" mmm, Green-and-Gold Rice Ring with Mushroom-Creamed Chicken!
I do love the lunching ladies all down the left side, wearing their leis and ... sitting on springs?

Next we have Buffet Suppers - "on the light side" sounds tasty.

"Curried seafood with fluffy rice, at least six accompaniments." According to the next page, the accompaniments for curry include bacon, chutney, hard-cooked egg yolk, lemon, pickled pineapple, and Bombay Duck (shredded dried fish). I don't think I'll be getting Bombay Duck any time soon.
And look at Mabel, standing there with a twinkle in her eye thinking, "that Bruce would be such a catch, he cooks divinely and sets a beautiful table."

Something tells me that Mabel is not his type.

How about a Hawaiian Bazaar? After all, "every club-woman knows that any bazaar or money-making affair attracts more attention and gets more good publicity if it is built around a theme."

I can just picture the little old ladies giggling as they plan their tropical bazaar.

Here's a little illustration from the Grill and Beach Parties section. I don't have a smart remark for this one, just that it's funny the ukelele/guitar stands out so much more than the player does.

These Hawaiian Suggestions can apply even to Christmas or Thanksgiving! Love the tiki idol and woman with the sunflower muumuu.

The last third of the book contains all the recipes. I was surprised to find that most of them sounded good. This one is an exception:

Peanut butter. Pineapple. Pimiento. Why not pickles, or prunes?

And finally, I leave you with a recipe from Bruce.

Thanks for joining me on this tropical vacation - sponsored by Dole Hawaiian Pineapple Company, LTD.

(Still in the mood for pineapple? Check out Pineapple Delight on Flickr!)