2023

Sartorial Saturday…On a Sunday–2023 in Outfits

Time for a look back at all of the significant outfits I wore in 2023! I only included looks with purpose, so my super casual grocery shopping outfits, for example, won’t be seen here. But it was a busy year, with a decent amount of travel and special events, so I had a lot of reasons to “dress up,” including a few days with multiple outfits. You’ll see my favorite brands well-represented…Miss Candyfloss and Rare Dirndl for clothes, and Splendette and Erstwilder for accessories. There are also a few “cute casual” outfits sprinkled throughout on days I didn’t feel like wearing a dress or it wasn’t appropriate for the occasion. And there are also a few rare “Sartorial Saturday” looks that I photographed just for fun (like my Daisy Duck Disney Bound), that I didn’t wear anywhere in particular…but most are outfits that really went somewhere!

It was a lot of fun to put this gallery together, and it also helped me keep track of what I’ve been wearing…I think I wore everything in my wardrobe at least once during the course of the year, and you can definitely tell what my favorite pieces are, because they’re on repeat!

2023 in Review

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. 2023 wasn’t quite as spectacular as 2022 (I’m not sure we’ll ever top that year!), but it was a fun, busy, interesting year just the same!

January was its normal, quiet self, after all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I took a moment to think about what I was looking forward to in 2023. We had a nice dinner to start the new year right. I had fun “rocking the dots” to celebrate Minnie Mouse and Polka Dot Day.

In February, the entire city of St. Louis began earnestly anticipating the inaugural season of our St. Louis City soccer team. We finally got to return to the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time since before the pandemic. We had our traditional family Mardi Gras celebration. We did something different for our favorite made-up holiday of Bobunk (which we happened to celebrate on Kirby Day), and got gyros for dinner. I was beyond excited to learn that the new Miss Candyfloss collection, “Lilibeth,” was designed in honor of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

March is always a fun and busy month, and this year was no exception. We were very excited to see our tiny daffodils blooming. I returned to cooking “Disney Dinners,” which is always fun (not to mention delicious!). We got to see the TARDIS at the St. Louis Science Center. We celebrated MAR10 Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Turkey turned twenty, and Chickadee turned 11. We had a fun day of food inspired by Final Fantasy XIV. Moose won the “Mighty Maroon” award at his high school. We celebrated the beginning of another season of Cardinals baseball (if only we had known how the season would go, we wouldn’t have been so excited).

The highlight of April was definitely Easter. We enjoyed visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden to see what flowers were in bloom there. We also took a lot of field trips…mostly places that were outdoors so we could enjoy the lovely weather, but also to the Missouri History Museum so we could see the new soccer exhibit. Turkey won the math department “Student of the Year” award at his college.

May was, without a doubt, one of the busiest months of the year! We went to the opening day of “Chihuly in the Garden,” and then went back for “Chihuly Nights.” We celebrated May the Fourth and The Revenge of the Fifth, which involved a lot of new recipes…and an old favorite. I was super excited to watch the Coronation of King Charles III, and I planned a tea party, featuring the Coronation Quiche, to go with it. Ladybug turned 16! We purchased a new minivan…our first hybrid vehicle. Turkey and Bunny received their Associate’s Degrees! We traveled to Chicagoland for Combo Breaker 2023, where both Turkey and Ladybug joined Ryan in working the event. The trip also included a day in my favorite city! At the end of the month, Turkey, Bunny, and I hopped on a plane for a trip to Disneyland!

June was a month of travel. Turkey, Bunny, and I had a fabulous time at Disney California Adventure and Disneyland, but we didn’t enjoy the cancelled and delayed flights (not to mention surprise overnight stay in Minneapolis) as much. We took a family trip, first to Cincinnati, where we saw the adorable baby hippo, Fritz, and some little blue penguins, and then to Toledo, where we checked out Klinger’s favorite spots that he mentioned on M*A*S*H, including Tony Packo’s and the Mudhens. We also took a tour of a an old canal, and got to ride a mule-drawn boat! I celebrated my birthday. An adorable mourning dove squab named Gaz took up residence on our porch. We celebrated 626 Stitch Day with a bunch of recipes from Lilo and Stitch: The Official Cookbook.

July was a bit quieter after all of the excitement of May and June. At the beginning of the month, Turkey and Bunny had their wisdom teeth removed, which was quite an experience. Ryan had surgery on his arm, which was also an experience. Bunny turned 19. Chickadee and I saw the Planters Nutmobile in St. Louis. We celebrated “Dole Whip Day,” which is a most delicious occasion!

August was a very emotional month all around. We dropped Bunny off for college, which was a huge adjustment for all of us. Moose started his senior year of high school, and final year of marching band, which was also emotional. I started my 16th year of homeschooling with the realization that Ladybug, now a junior, will only have one more “first day of school” with me…more emotions. Inspired by the Disney radio station on the satellite radio, I came up with a list of my favorite Disney songs…imagine my surprise when, almost four months later, I was actually chosen for the “Be Our Guest 4 the Day” segment (stay tuned…). We had a fun time at our church’s family game night.

In September, Moose was recognized at Senior Night at one of the high school football games. He also marched in the town Labor Day parade, and I continued our Labor Day tradition of chili…but this time, with a twist. We got to visit Bunny at Parents and Family Weekend at her college…we were all so happy to see her again! We went to St. Charles Oktoberfest for the first time, and I was really impressed with it. I welcomed a new neighbor to my Animal Crossing island.

We started October by joining all of St. Louis in saying goodbye to favorite Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright…Ryan and I were able to be at Busch Stadium for his final game. That same day, I attended the final of four Oktoberfests I visited throughout the season. We went pumpkin picking. We also had our family Oktoberfest. In one of my highlights of the year, KSDK’s Rene Knott came to our house to do a story about me and my fashion! We took our annual walk around Creve Coeur Lake, and attended Legends and Lanterns.

Moose was very excited to celebrate his 18th birthday in November. I won a dress and hat from Miss Candyfloss! We observed Martinmas again this year. It was warmer than I would have liked, but we had a nice hike around Cahokia Mounds. I completed a year’s worth of “Mani Mondays.” We baked nine pies for our big Thanksgiving celebration…the best part of which was that Bunny got to come home!

And that brings us to December. We started a new Lego project for Advent and attended the Boar’s Head Festival. In a lot of ways, though, we were just holding our breath until Bunny came home for Christmas break…and that’s when the real fun began, starting with our (delayed) celebration of Nikolaustag featuring stockings, decorating the tree, wassail, Döner Kebab, and a gingerbread dessert. We went to our two favorite Christmas events…Garden Glow and Christmas Traditions. And of course we enjoyed our traditional, multi-day Christmas celebration, but a little low-key this year, because I managed to injure my back right before the holiday.

This has been another fun and exciting year, and I’m already looking forward to several things in 2024!

Sartorial Saturday–The Top Five Dirndl Looks of 2023

I know I said yesterday that I was sharing my last “Top Five” photos list of the year, but those were photos I took…today I’m sharing my favorite dirndl looks that I wore this year, which are photos take of me, not by me!

I’m starting back in May, when we went to Maifest at Grant’s Farm. I really love the pops of pink of the apron and ribbon against the darker background of the dress, and I also really love the setting of the picture!

My second Everyday Dirndl was purchased specifically with paying homage to the Austrian flag in mind, and the full look is even better than I hoped. I love the white “Surprise Me” apron Erika created for me, and I think my accessories, which featured lots of edelweiss and pops of white and red, are the perfect accompaniment!

Next up is the look I wore to Belleville Oktoberfest. I borrowed an apron from another dirndl to go with my purple dress, and added my iridescent Docs and some purple accessories to complete the look.

Speaking of borrowing an apron, this is the dress that goes with the apron in the previous photo. This time, I added a fancy, sheer floral apron to my harlequin print dirndl for St. Charles Oktoberfest…I love the autumnal color scheme!

And finally, a look featuring my new Christmas apron. Not the look I wore on Christmas Day (which I also love), but the one I wore to the Belleville Christkindlmarkt, adding a green ribbon and red accessories for a festive look.

I really love finding new ways to mix and match my pieces, and I can’t wait to see what I come up with next!

The Top Five–Photos of 2023

My final “Top Five” photos list for the year is my favorite photos I took in general…no food here, but there is a travel picture from our trip to Chicago in May. I love the fact that the sculptures outside the Art Institute have a lovely backdrop of skyscrapers!

I’m always looking for interesting ways to frame photos, and I think this picture of the Cabanne House in Forest Park was especially well done:

When we visited St. Charles in October for Legends and Lanterns, I got a shot of the fallen leaves on the brick street:

Another fall photo came in brilliant orange at Lafayette Park in St. Louis:

And finally, a photo from Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden. I’m not sure I’ve captured it this gold before!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a look back at some of my favorite pictures from 2023! I can’t wait to see what I come across in 2024!!!

The Top Five–Disneyland Vacation Photos of 2023

It’s time to start taking a look back at 2023, and I’m beginning with my top five favorite photos from the trip Turkey, Bunny, and I took to Disneyland this spring. My first picture isn’t the most fantastic composition or anything, but it makes me smile every time I see it…I love that Radiator Springs at Disney California Adventure warns you to “Mind your speed as you go. Sheriff’s old, but he’s not slow!”

Nighttime pictures are always some of my favorites, and I love this one that captures the lights and the water display at Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure during the evening show:

Back in Radiator Springs, I knew I’d have to include a photo of the neon lit up at night, and I decided Flo’s V-8 Cafe was my favorite of the bunch I took:

You can’t go wrong with a castle photo, and I especially love this one of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle because the Disney 100 medallion and other decorations are so visible!

And finally, a nighttime photo of the castle, which focuses on one of the lamps in the foreground. I can’t tell you exactly why I like this picture so much, but it’s one of my favorites of all the ones I took!

Stay tuned for a look at some of my other favorite photos from 2023!

Tasty Tuesday: The Top Five–Food Photos of 2023

Time for a look at my favorite food photos from 2023! Most of them are dessert photos (hey, it’s not my fault desserts are so photogenic!), but let’s start with a spread I made featuring white borscht last winter:

Now on to the desserts. This white chocolate blueberry-lemon cheesecake was not only delicious, it looked amazing!

I also thought this cake I made for Ladybug’s 16th birthday was beautiful:

Linzer äugen (or Spitzbuben) are one of my favorite cookies to bake (and eat!) and they always look so lovely:

And most recently, the peppermint chip cake I made for Christmas Eve:

I’m including a bonus photo, because it’s not of something I made myself, but this Rainbow Cone just looks too good not to share!

This is just the beginning…stayed tuned for more “Top Five” lists for 2023, and then my year in review!

The Top Five–Things I’m Looking Forward to in 2023

After last year’s “Top Five” list of things I was looking forward to, this one seems pretty tame…there is no big trip to Disney World on the horizon, after all! But there are still things I’m anticipating in this new year…let’s take a look!

  • That 90s Show–I know it’s silly, and I really hope they don’t screw it up, but I’m really looking forward to Red and Kitty being on my TV screen again…hopefully I’ll like the rest of the characters, too!
  • Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait–I can’t wait for this biography of Queen Elizabeth II to be released in the US! Yes, I could have just imported it, but I figured I could wait a few more months. I’m pretty choosy about what biographies of the Royal Family I read (I don’t want anything too tabloid-y), and this one is from an author I feel comfortable supporting. Hopefully I’ll learn something new!
  • Coronation of King Charles III–This is a bittersweet one for me, because part of me still can’t believe Her Majesty is gone, but I am looking forward to seeing what the pomp and ceremony of a coronation looks like in the modern day!
  • Graduation–Turkey and Bunny are both graduating from community college with Associate’s Degrees this spring. This is another bittersweet thing for me, but I’m so proud of them and how hard they’ve worked, and I can’t wait to see them accept their degrees!
  • Trip to Toledo–The boys and I have talked about taking a trip to Toledo to see the Mudhens play and eat at Tony Packo’s (it’s a M*A*S*H thing), for several years now, and hopefully this summer we’ll make it happen! If we’re really lucky, we’ll also stop in Cincinnati and see Fritz the Hippo before he gets too much bigger!

So, there’s a look at some of the things I’m most excited about in the new year. What are you looking forward to?